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Lost painting by local artist

Does anyone know where it is?

By David Middleton

At the recent Living History Exhibition held in the Old School (23-25 August 2008) Mrs Joyce Simpkin (nee Skinner) kindly brought in this article from a 1951 edition of the Grantham Journal.

It shows John Bradshaw with one of his paintings. John's brother Michael (who now lives in Australia) recalls:

"I remember seeing it in the school dining room in the old Chapel in Queen St, but have no idea what happened to it when the dining room closed.

I have a vague memory of a Mrs Pepper the dinner lady at Muston school having it as a Fire Screen she lived next to the school in Muston. It would be nice to be able to find it after all those years. Somebody out there would know what happened to it ????"

If anyone recognises the painting and knows where it is today, please do get in touch.

John Bradshaw with Betty Allington and Janet Locke

Reproduced courtesy of the Grantham Journal - From the Collection of Mrs J. Simpkin

Country Cottage by John Bradshaw

Courtesy of the Grantham Journal

Photo: Illustrative image for the 'Lost painting by local artist' page

Courtesy of the Grantham Journal

This page was added by David Middleton on 27/08/2008.

Comments about this page

I remember a few of these paintings done by pupils in the early 50's that lined the walls of the old Queen St dinner hall when I had my school dinners there in the 1960's. There were indeed two done by my dad, but this one was definitely not one of them. The two that he did do he was given back when the new primary school opened and the Queen St site ceased to be a dinner hall. We kept these for a few years but when I asked my dad to see them again after I left home in the early 80's he said that he'd chucked them, and when I asked, why? He said, "because they were rubbish". He never did have a very high opinion of his early talents, but also said that he wished he'd kept it up.

By Richard Bradshaw
On 30/05/2009

Many thanks for these further details about the 'whereabouts' of these paintings.

By David Middleton
On 30/05/2009