BARBARA Townsend lived in Mompesson House in Salisbury’s Cathedral Close nearly 100 years ago.
Though she was a self-taught artist, her work was exhibited at the Royal Academy in London.
The artist and illustrator Rex Whistler described her work, which was mainly in watercolour with some drawings in pencil, as “exquisite”.
The Second Suitcase: Watercolours by Barbara Townsend, 1842-1939, is this season’s exhibition at the National Trust property.
Visitors can see her paintings of Salisbury Cathedral, views of The Close, as well as those of trips further afield to the Wiltshire Downs or the Hampshire and Dorset coast, when her sketchbook was always at the ready.
Barbara Townsend died at Mompesson House on July 5, 1939, aged 96, and this will be the second exhibition of her work.
After her death, a suitcase containing her artworks was found in a relative’s attic and it has taken nearly a century for these works to see the light of day.
The Second Suitcase is at Mompesson House until October 30. Opening days are Saturdays to Wednesdays, 11am to 5pm. The admission price includes admittance to the exhibition and the beautiful garden and tearoom.
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