THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE —  created by Valerie Martin, contains scenes from her home village of Findon, West Sussex, U.K.

 Text first published in Sussex Life in February 1998

Text copyright Valerie Martin 1998

One of my favourite Findon artists was Charles William Taylor. At the age of seventeen, he was apprenticed to a firm of Wolverhampton commercial engravers. Until 1905 he had the tedious task of undertaking hundreds of drawings of mundane bath taps for trade publications. He could not have believed at this time that anyone would be interested in his art, let alone the inhabitants of Findon Village many miles to the south in West Sussex. It is not surprising that the highlight of his early years was to study in the evenings at the School of Art to improve his prospects.

At the age of 30 Charles' address was South Kensington in London.  

He then taught art in Dover, Kent for two years.  Thereafter he taught at the School of Art in Southend.  The artist, Constance Fears, who lived in Billet Lane, Leigh-on-Sea, studied under him.   (She died in the late 1980s).   She lived at Billet Cottage in Leigh-on-Sea in Essex and in later life she worked for Longmans (the London florist) and she designed and made the wedding bouquet for Queen Elizabeth II.

So far, Margaret's painting is the only likeness that has been discovered of Charles.

By 1912, Charles was married and living in Westcliffe-on-Sea in Essex.

In time, many of his woodcuts were exhibited at the Royal Academy, Royal Scottish Academy, Royal Hibernian Academy and extensively abroad in galleries in New York, Lisbon and Sweden. Two of the official locations of his work today are the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum.

When I moved to Findon in 1993, I discovered the watercolour below by Charles and this was described in the dealer's shop as "On the River Arun".    I trudged the River Arun (and also the River Adur for good measure) but could not locate the scene.    After much research (taking a couple of years) I discovered the mystery view to be of Smestow Watermill on the Smestow Brook, Heath Mill Lane, Wombourne, near Wolverhampton.   The date of the picture being c.1920.  I delved a little deeper and discovered that it was a working mill up to the Second World War and the deeds go back to 1771.  Having no further interest in this industrial site, I promptly auctioned the picture and it was bought by the present owner of the watermill who has restored the area.

In August 2007, I received an email from Mark Felgate in Smestow....."Dear Ms Martin, I am writing at the request of my neighbour who does not have access to a PC; I live in Smestow S Staffs and as your website indicates, Charles Taylor painted the Old Mill wich is part of the hamlet.

My neighbour has a painting (unsigned) which he believes may be by the same artist, he has asked if I could contact you so that you can verify this; are you able to do this?

If this is something that you are willing and able to do, I have a digital image of the painting which I can send by attachment to you, to start the process; please let me know if you are happy to receive this.

Yours sincerely, Mark Felgate, Smestow".

I had the above watercolour in my possession for many years before selling it at auction and so told Mark I would be delighted to see another version of the scene..... and here it is for you to judge for yourselves....

Barry Guest then emailed.......

"Regarding Charles William Taylor ARCA, RE.

Barry Guest has lived in Chapel Lane, Smestow since 1962. Previously he lived at the Old Mill Smestow Farm.

His grandmother Mrs A E Mullett used to deliver the milk around Wombourne.

If you look on the map of Wombourne at the bottom of Common Road looking towards Wolverhampton there was a small farm on the left hand side owned by a Mr Wellings Lamb, now deceased.

The image that Mark sent you of the old mill (with swans) looks as if it is the same scene from a different perspective, from a field which we still own. I believe the above artist painted this scene.

From what I gather you also have an unfinished painting of a mill. I think that that it is a mill which is further upstream, demolished some thirty years ago and is now the location of a housing estate.

When we lived at the mill water from the brook (River Wom) flooded the pantry three times.

If you look at the image of my painting it looks as if there is a grave on the bank. I believe two of the Tolpuddle Martyrs were hanged at the mill and that this is one of their graves.

In the wood there is an old bridge which led onto fields, now an industrial estate. There is also a link through the Old Boat Inn (which my grand parents once owned) along the canal side about half a mile from Swindon village".

I cannot see a grave, Barry...... just a hayrick.  But then I only have a photograph and not the actual.

No, I have never had an unfinished painting of a mill, Barry..... not quite sure where you got that idea from.

At the onset of the Second World War, Charles retired to Findon. He became a well-known village character and held definite views in a genial way. He often enjoyed a quiet game of billiards with friends at the distinctive Victorian residence named The Tower, which still stands today in Cross Lane, although the pump house has long been demolished.

The residence known as The Tower was owned by Charles’ friend, Edward Welford, Chairman of the Parish Council.  (Many years after Edward Welford's death, in the summer of 2001, his widow left seven of Charles Taylor's watercolours to the Worthing Museum).

During the war years, Charles continued to produce woodcuts as his major work but also executed many effectively painted watercolours of local scenes. He was a detailed painter and captured the atmosphere of the day in his Findon views. These did not attain the same fame as his engravings but were well observed and certainly appealed.

I chanced upon the above two paintings in the States in June 2002 and I have my own theory on how they got to Connecticut.  I now bring in a Muntham Court connection.   It is a fact that Colonel Ulric Oliver Thynne's wife, Marjorie, commissioned Charles to paint for her during his tenure in Findon. 

When Charles was aged 80 in 1958, there was a three-day sale of furniture and effects at the mansions following the Colonel's death.   Many items went to American buyers.   The late Mrs M. Beech of "Outspan" in Cross Lane told me that she remembered attending the viewing of items a few days prior to the sale.   She saw an undetermined "number of Charles Taylor's watercolours in Mrs Thynne's rooms".   It is my belief that Marjorie Thynne commissioned the above paintings for maybe adorning her bedroom.

Charles was a countryman and never happier than when wandering the quiet Findon footpaths with Tammy, his faithful dog. He frequented George Blackwell’s village butcher’s shop in The Square to cadge scraps for Tammy — and at the end of the year he presented the surprised shopkeeper with a sketch of Tammy, as a way of saying "thank you". This picture has been kept in the Blackwell family over the years.

Mrs. Beech knew the Taylor family and described Mrs Taylor to me as "a little odd".   She says Charles was "a very laid back character and only spoke to people if he felt like it".

 This is Findon Village — www.findonvillage.com is a continually growing record created exclusively for documenting life in Findon.