Joseph Mallord William Turner

Turner’s viewpoint is a little to the north-west of Millom Castle, Cumbria, seen on the left, looking south to the church. Trees still grow at this point, and a two-storey domestic wing has since replaced the low gabled structure adjoining the foot of the tower; the battlements have been removed. The range below the tower on the left remains a roofless ruin, but the small outbuildings below it are still in use.

There are several other studies of Millom in this sketchbook, including the recto of the present leaf (D08975, D08978, D08998, D09001; CXXVII 9, 11, 23a, 25a), complementing the distant views in the 1809 Petworth sketchbook (Tate D07534, D07535; Turner Bequest CIX 22, 23), which also includes drawings of the Cumbrian castles at Cockermouth and Egremont; the studies here were presumably made on the same tour. For the situation and history of the castle and adjacent church, see under D08975.

Technical notes:

This page is a face of one of the loose bifolio sheets which form the majority of the so-called Sandycombe and Yorkshire sketchbook, along with a few single leaves. The sheets were not bound, but folded inside each other in a sequence which is not entirely recoverable (see the sketchbook’s Introduction for a suggested order). When unfolded, this page is continuous with D08995 (CXXVII 22); the measurements given above are for the present work alone. There is irregular pale brown staining along the top edge, which shows through to the recto (D08975) and continues a little way onto D08995 and its verso.