Artwork
Gibraltar Tower Mill, Great Bardfield
Gibraltar Tower Mill, Great Bardfield is a watercolor work on paper by Michael Rothenstein. It dates from 1943 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
It’s one of the few Essex windmills that later became a private home instead of being left to rot.
Michael Rothenstein painted this watercolour of Gibraltar Tower Mill in 1943. The mill once powered the village of Great Bardfield, Essex, but by 1930 it stopped working. The artist lived in the village and knew its history.
By 1943 the mill was falling apart. It’s one of the few Essex windmills that later became a private home instead of being left to rot.
Want to see how windmills looked through another artist’s eyes? Look up Rothenstein, Michael.
Overview
Michael Rothenstein’s 1943 watercolour depicts Gibraltar Tower Mill, a prominent 17th‑century tower windmill standing near Great Bardfield in Essex. The composition records the structure at a time when its sails were no longer turning and its fabric showed clear signs of decay.
Subject & Meaning
The mill, erected around 1660, once served as a vital source of power for the village, grinding grain for local residents. By the early twentieth century its mechanical function had ceased, and the painting captures the transition from a working landmark to a relic of the rural landscape.
Technique & Style
Executed in transparent watercolour, Rothenstein renders the weathered stone and timber with delicate washes that convey both the solidity of the tower and the atmospheric light of the English countryside. The limited palette emphasizes the muted tones of the deteriorating building against a subdued sky.
History & Provenance
Rothenstein lived in Great Bardfield from the late 1930s, joining a community that included Neo‑Romantic artists such as Edward Bawden, Eric Ravilious and Kenneth Rowntree. After the mill’s closure in 1930, it remained largely intact; the watercolour was produced in 1943, and the structure was later converted into a private residence in 1957, avoiding total dereliction.
Context
Great Bardfield became an informal artists’ colony during the mid‑twentieth century, fostering a milieu in which local architecture and landscape were frequent subjects. Rothenstein’s depiction of the mill reflects this regional focus, documenting a historic building at a moment of change within the community.
Artist & collection
