J.M.W. Turner: Sketchbooks, Drawings and Watercolours

As part of unpublished Turner research informed by local knowledge, Dr Bernard Richards has identified the spire as that of the Georgian classical St Paul’s Church, Hockley, north-west of the centre of Birmingham.1 Surrounding modern developments around St Paul’s Square make the viewpoint difficult to establish. Turner’s couple of lines of notes at the top right are somewhat scrawled, but they appear to relate to the church, as a diagonal line links them to the tower. The two words at the bottom are equally unclear, but appear to be place names.

For other Birmingham views, see under folio 3 recto (D22327).

Technical notes:

This leaf is affected by the extensive pale brown, mottled staining which extends throughout this particular gathering (folios 31–42; D22379–D22402) and also folios 30 and 43 recto and verso (D22377, D22378, D22403, D22404), as discussed in the Technical notes to the sketchbook’s Introduction.