Discoveries at the Harris Art Gallery

Yesterday I went to the Harris Art Gallery in Preston with a small group of our volunteer researchers. We had arranged to meet the cuartor there to view some watercolours painted in the 1840's by John Weld who was the owner of Leagram Park estate: one of our deer parks. The paintings are not currently on view, so we were allowed 'behind the scenes' to see them and to arrange to have digital copies made of them.

Here we are viewing the paintings

John Weld was a fascinating man who travelled around Europe and much of England drawing and  painting pituresque scenes and church interiors. He was also an archaeologist and historian, and he wrote a 'History of Leagram' which was the basis of much of our research into the deer park.

We hope to be able to display copies of some of the paintings on our website, and to trace some house and family histories related to them and the tenants of the park. If possible we will arrange for the originals to be on view at an open day in Chipping which we are planning for later on in the year.