Artwork
SS Peter and Paul, Little Saling, Essex
SS Peter and Paul, Little Saling, Essex is a watercolor work on paper by Kenneth Rowntree. It dates from 1942 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Kenneth Rowntree painted a watercolour of SS Peter and Paul church in Little Saling, Essex around 1942.
Kenneth Rowntree painted a watercolour of SS Peter and Paul church in Little Saling, Essex around 1942. His narrow view matches the church’s tall, round tower from the fourteenth century. He left the crumbling plaster and overgrown yard just as he saw them, no fixes.
The church was one of his favorite subjects for a wartime recording project called Recording Britain. It’s his only exterior painting in the series.
Check out more work by Rowntree, Kenneth.
Overview
This watercolour painting by Kenneth Rowntree depicts the church of SS Peter and Paul in Little Saling, Essex. Created around 1942, it is a characteristic example of his work for the Recording Britain project.
Subject & Meaning
The painting captures the church's exterior, featuring its distinctive 14th-century round tower. Rowntree's depiction is notable for its candid portrayal of the church's state of disrepair, with crumbling plaster and an overgrown churchyard.
Technique & Style
The watercolour's narrow format mirrors the church's tall, slender form. Rowntree's style reflects the influence of his contemporaries, including Eric Ravilious and Edward Bawden, who helped revive watercolour painting in the 1930s with an emphasis on pattern and decoration.
Artist & collection
Artist
Kenneth Rowntree painted quiet British places in watercolour around 1940, from barn-stacked Essex fields to the carved oak pews of Caernarvonshire chapels.
View of the Ruins of the Cloister, the Belfry of St. Mary's Church, and the Vicarage, Tilty
The Bellringer's Chamber, SS. Peter and Paul Church, Clare
Detail of Ceiling at Gwydir Uchar Chapel, Llanrwst, Caernarvonshire
Interior of SS Peter and Paul, Little Saling, Essex
Interior of the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Lindsell
House at Easingwold
The Smoke Room, Ashopton Inn
Pews in St Mary's Church, Whitby
