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

Made with the page inverted relative to the foliation of the sketchbook, this sketch describes Folkestone, as identified by Finberg.1 Observing the scene from the north-east, at the centre Turner includes the Church of St Mary and St Eanswythe. This church is rendered multiple times and from a variety of perspectives in the present sketchbook. For a list of these instances and a more detailed account of the church, see the entry for folio 17 verso (D17235).

The harbour is visible at far left, where boats are moored at the water’s edge, beneath the tall cliffs which overlook the sea. Houses are rendered roughly in the foreground, and in more detail further back, lending to the scene an atmosphere of a busy and populated community. In the distance, on the left, one sweeping curved line marks where the Kent coast continues to Sandgate and beyond. Sketches of Sandgate in this sketchbook are listed in the entry for folio 16 verso (D17233).

At the top of the page, towards the right corner, a brief sketch describes what is a presumably a harbour arm, or other such example of port architecture. A comprehensive record of pages which display scenes of Folkestone in this sketchbook can be found in the entry for folio 17 verso (D17235).