Art and Artists
The tidal causeway has ensured that Sunderland Point retains an atmosphere of a time passed, a small microcosm of history - a ghost of the eighteenth century.
Add to this the mesmeric ebb and flow of the river and sea against the wide horizons to the Forest of Bowland and Pennines to the East and the vastness of Morecambe Bay to the West.
So, it’s a special destination that beckons and welcomes artists in every field. Also, to film makers using the Point as a backdrop such as in Ruby in the Smoke which starred Julie Walters, Billie Piper, and Matt Smith
First Terrace during filming of ‘Ruby in the Smoke’
Recently, the BBC chose the Point to feature in its documentary series ‘Villages by the Sea’, and there was visit to ‘Sambo’s Grave’ by Timothy West and Prunella Scales in Channel Four’s Great Canal Journeys.
Actress Billy Piper during the filming
Timothy West and Prunella Scales by the stone pillar
Photographers, amateur and professional, can be seen on the Point most days of the year, taking advantage of the remarkable light and location.
Several highly talented artists have made Sunderland Point their home at some point in their lives and their works depicting Sunderland Point have won acclaim and gallery space in the public galleries of Britain.
These three are chosen as good examples
Artists
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Ray Schofield (1948-2004)
Came to live at Sunderland Point towards the end of his life. His work includes paintings of the boats, buildings, and landscapes of the Point, both at day and night. He also created sculptures and works in other mediums.
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William Page Atkinson Wells (1871-1923)
A Scottish born artist who spent several summers living at Sunderland Point and winters in Preston during the first decade of the 20th Century. His paintings capture everyday village life in scenes against a backdrop of the wide horizons.
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Philip T. Gilchrist (1865-1956)
Lived and painted at Sunderland Point for many years, he was especially productive in the period 1890-1914 painting seascapes, ships, and boats. He excelled at capturing the light and feel of the estuary at all states of tide and weather.
William Page and Philip Gilchrist were friends who for a time lived next door to each other at Sunderland Point. William Wells at number 13 and Philip Gilchrist in the top half of number 14.
Both produced many fine paintings which are in private ownership and public galleries. Two well known-pictures from this period we are pleased to show side by side.
A Lancashire Village, by William Wells, 1908 courtesy City of Edinburgh museums
A forgotten Lancashire Port 1905 copyright the estate of Philip Gilchrist. Image courtesy of Manchester Art Gallery