Artwork
Cottage Almshouses, Stydd, near Ribchester
Cottage Almshouses, Stydd, near Ribchester is a watercolor work on paper by the Social Realist artist Fairclough. It dates from 1940 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
Cottage Almshouses, Stydd, near Ribchester is a 1940 watercolour by Fairclough, depicting an 18th-century almshouse.
Subject & Meaning
The painting shows a two-story stone almshouse with a central staircase and arcaded loggia, home to elderly Roman Catholic women. One resident is shown tending the garden, highlighting the building's purpose as a shelter for the elderly.
Technique & Style
Executed in watercolour, the work features a simple, detailed representation of the almshouse's architecture and surroundings, with an emphasis on its plain stone walls and arched features.
History & Provenance
The watercolour was created as part of the Recording Britain project, a wartime initiative led by Sir Kenneth Clark to document British national identity, funded by the Pilgrim Trust.
Context
Almshouses like the one depicted were built to provide shelter for poor or elderly individuals, reflecting a longstanding tradition of charitable housing in England.
Artist & collection
Artist
Fairclough is a surname. A variant form is Faircloth. Notable people with the surname include:Adam Fairclough (historian), British historian of the United States Anna Fairclough, member of the Alaska House of…
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