Artwork
Slade Hall, Manchester
Slade Hall, Manchester is a watercolor work on paper by the Social Realist artist Dawson. It dates from 1940 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
Slade Hall, Manchester is a watercolour artwork created in 1940, featuring a 16th-century timber-framed house with a distinctive herringbone-patterned façade.
Subject & Meaning
The subject is Slade Hall, a historic half-timbered building in Manchester. The artwork captures a specific moment, focusing on the structure’s angular wooden frame, steep shingled roof, and subtle details like open doors and dormer windows, conveying a sense of quiet everyday life.
Technique & Style
The watercolour emphasizes sharp angles and shadows, highlighting the building’s timber framework against lighter walls. The overall effect is akin to a serene, detailed snapshot.
History & Provenance
Part of the Recording Britain collection (1940-1943), this work was produced under a Ministry of Labour initiative, funded by the Pilgrim Trust, to document vulnerable sites across the UK during wartime.
Context
Initiated by Sir Kenneth Clark, Recording Britain involved 97 artists creating over 1,500 works to preserve visual records of potentially endangered landscapes and architectures.
Artist & collection
Artist
This artist painted watercolours of grand old buildings and riverside mills around Manchester and Lancashire in the early 1940s.
