Berwick-upon-Tweed, a small English town in the county of Northumberland, has inspired many artists over the centuries.
Among them is L S Lowry (1887-1976), who inspired the Berwick Preservation Trust to establish the Lowry Trail that allows walkers to see 18 sites featured in his paintings.
Here are other artists who have been inspired by the simple, picturesque beauty of Berwick.
- Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851)
Turner visited Berwick at least twice. His landscape paintings include vistas of Norham Castle, Dunstanburgh Castle, Berwick Harbour, and Berwick Castle, painted in 1831.
It is thought that Turner sketched the artwork from a vacant lot at what is now 21 Castle Terrace.
He did not know it but he was sitting on the site of a missing medieval church and graveyard that were only rediscovered in 1988, when building work on the plot exposed human remains and stones.
The Royal Border Bridge and the Royal Tweed Bridge were constructed after Turner’s time, partially obscuring the view of the old bridge in his painting.
As for the castle itself, the railway line and the site of the Royal Border Bridge led to its demolition to make way for the Berwick-upon-Tweed railway station.
- Sir Frank Brangwyn (1867-1956)
The Royal Border Bridge has 28 arches and is a tourist attraction in its own right. When work started on construction, it was longer and higher than any bridge built prior.
Frank Brangwyn was born in Bruges and lived in England from the age of seven. He was a prolific artist, producing as many as 12,000 artworks during his career.
- John Blair (1870-1920)
Blair painted a series of Scottish and Northumberland scenes that were turned into “oilette” postcards by Raphael Tuck and Sons. He was born in Paxton, just over the border from Berwick.
The scene on this 1923 postcard features an octagonal bell tower built in 1577, replacing one of 19 towers that served as lookout points on the medieval town walls of Berwick.
The earthen mound to the left of the tower was excavated in the 1970s to reveal Lord’s Mount, a powerful gun tower built by King Henry VIII to strengthen Berwick’s defences.
- Thomas Sword Good (1789-1872)
Thomas Good was born in Berwick and was skilled at portraits of ordinary people going about their daily tasks.
He often painted the cliffs around Berwick in the backgrounds of his artwork.
There are many more artists with links to Berwick. If you are interested, check out the book “Artists in Berwick: Inspiration and Celebration” by Edwin Bowes.
This article first appeared on Thrifty Traveller.