Joseph Mallord William Turner

The two sketches on this page, drawn with the sketchbook inverted and continued slightly on folio 54 verso (D26021; CCLXVII 56a), were made from Springwood Park to the west of Kelso across the River Tweed. The larger sketch looks east towards Kelso with the abbey just to the right of centre, and with Kelso Bridge to the right of that. In the foreground is a curve of the Tweed near its confluence with the River Teviot.

The sketch across the top of the page may be of Springwood House, belonging in 1831 to Sir John James Scott Douglass. The house (now demolished) stood in the centre of Springwood Park and was built in the mid-eighteenth century with alterations in the 1820s.1 There may also be a sketch of the house on folio 54 verso (D26021; CCLXVII 56a) and of the house and gate to the estate on folio 55 verso (D26023; CCLXVII 57a).

Turner made these sketches on 10 August 1831 when he walked to Roxburgh Castle after having sketched Kelso Abbey.2 For further information on Turner’s visit to Kelso see folio 19 verso (D25962; CCLXVII 19a).