Albert Sorby Buxton
Mansfield Old Town Hall
St Peter's church in the snow
White Lion Inn, Church Street
Field Mill, Nottingham Road
Rock Houses, Southwell Road
Rock Houses, Southwell Road
Rock Houses, Southwell Road
Bottom of Leeming Street
The Old Nag's Head, Westgate
Butcher's Shop, Stockwell Gate 1903
Looking Down Toothill Lane
The Black's Head, Market Place
A Little Girl Outside Church
Old House, Church Court
Old Eight Bells Yard, Church Street
Back of Horse & Jockey, Leeming Street 1909
Town Hall and Prison, 1839
Culvert of River Maun, Bridge Street
Sherwood Forest
Passenger Coach (horse-drawn) on the Mansfield to Pinxton Railway
Albert Sorby Buxton ‘ s watercolours
Albert Sorby Buxton ‘ s watercolours are a unique and valuable record of the face of Mansfield at the turn of the century.
The Museum ‘ s collection of over 130 delightful paintings reveal buildings that no longer exist and views that have long since disappeared.
After being trained at the Mansfield School of Art and the Slade School in London, Buxton returned to Mansfield in the 1890 ‘ s and took over as head of his old school. At this time the town was growing and changing rapidly and Buxton began to paint this vanishing Mansfield, largely as it would have been in his youth. Many of his paintings were given to the Museum by his widow in 1938, allowing the modern visitor to recapture the townscape of yesterday.
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What about the little 3D dioramas that used to be in the Museum on display? I used to love looking at them. They were made of card and painted with the same delicate water colours
Fine paintings and mostly familiar locations. A Mr Bayliss is mentioned who perhaps had a newsagents near (Stockwell Gate / Queen Street). Wondered if there is a connection as a Mr Bayliss ran the newsagents on Newgate Lane in the mid ’50’s / early ’60’s. He took over the Newgate Lane premises following the retirement of the previous owner Mr Mason. As a mid teen I did a paper round working for Masons as we called it then. Never did know what happened to Mr Bayliss, he could have moved to the Stockwell Gate area as mentioned. It’s a long time ago, however the dates I quote are fairly accurate.
I loved going to the museum to look at the Buxton collection, then years later on a visit back to England I was able to get a copy of ‘Evans the nail maker’, he was my grandmother’s grandfather. I think the museum charged 4 pounds. We had to wait a couple of days for it because they had no copies on hand.
The house to the right is Greg’s Mill on Carter Lane, which is (I believe) still there
Looking from Bath Lane towards St.Peters Church in the distance.
View looking down Church Street, Old Eight Bells on the right and St.Peters Church at the bottom
A wonderful mystic painting
Could this be on Stockwell Gate opposite Queen Street? I think it was a newsagents belonging to a Mr Bailiss or Bayliss for a good few years before being demolished in the 1970s to make way for the Four Seasons Centre. The yard at the side goes to the Kings Head rear garden. Very nice watercolour too.
A marvellous collection.
We are aware that the Pinxton picture was probably a copy from another painting etc. Like most artists there will be a certain amount of artistic licence used in their paintings, moving a tree or chimney pot to improve the composition. Never the less the Buxton collection is extremely important to the town, it includes paintings, sketches, photographs and books. Altogether they provide a portrait of Mansfield in a bygone age.
I don’t dispute that this is indeed a fine collection, but, just as an example, his picture of the Mansfield Pinxton carriage, those vehicles and the line they ran on had long gone before Buxton was born, in fact, nearly 20 years before he was born! How many of his other paintings of Mansfield are interpretations from his mind’s eye!
Absolutely Fabulous —– to raise Funds for the museum and this site why not produce a book (A4 size at Least) there are many publishers who would I think jump at the chance of purchasing same and because of the quality of his work it may have an interest apart from being of local interest, or at least a pictorial calender as the Old Mansfield Society did some Years ago
These rock houses were situated at the top end of Rock Hill.
John Bramwell, born 1815, died 1900, is also my gt gt Grandfather. He was the last person to live in the Rock Houses on Rock Hill. His wife, Sarah, died in 1889.
This is Carr Bank War Memorial
This is my Grt Grt Granfather John Bramwell.
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