Watercolours of British Scenes
by Peter Mottershead
Biography
Peter Mottershead QC was born in Macclesfield, Cheshire in 1926, attending University at Jesus College in Cambridge. Following graduation with an MA, he was called to the Bar as a barrister of the Inner Temple, with Chambers in London. In 1955 he moved with his recent bride Lorna (Evans) to Ware, living at 49 Crib Street and commuting daily by train to London.
Recognising the importance of preserving the historical structures of Ware, along with his friend local Solicitor John Baily and others, Peter was instrumental in forming the Ware Society. Initially much of their aim was focussed at preventing the proposed Ware Relief road from cutting through the middle of the town – a move in which the Ware Society were successful. Peter and Lorna remained resident in Ware until 1960 when they moved to nearby Thundridge, but their love of Ware continued, as did their involvement with the Ware Society. Peter was heavily involved in ensuring that the Ware Priory retained its Charity status, and that it became occupied by the Ware Town Council (displacing the Urban District Council).
Peter had started painting at a very early age (the family still has exceptional paintings completed by him as early as age 10!) and regarded his art very much as a relaxing pastime. When he became Queen’s Counsel in 1979 his listing in "Who’s Who" indicated his hobbies as "Painting, compulsory gardening, modest mountain climbing, and avoiding people"! His art was occasionally displayed in local exhibitions, particularly with the Hertford Art Society. It is worthy of note that very few of his paintings are signed. It was typically only if he was particularly pleased with a painting, or was specifically asked to sign one he was giving away, that he did so! His lack of signed art – suggesting many paintings with which he was not completely satisfied – was matched only by his habit of not completing paintings with which he was not happy with the way they were turning out! In fairness, it should be added that often legal pressures precluded adequate time to finish a painting and by the time there was a relief in the work load, another painting project had taken the "front and centre" of his attention.
Recognising the changing face of Ware, Peter painted not only for his personal enjoyment, but also to record Ware history and many of the paintings portray areas of Ware that are no longer extant, or which are distinctly altered. He was not above a little minor trespass – particularly in the back yards of abandoned homes and businesses in lower Crib Street – to achieve a painting of a particularly noted or appreciated archway or other scene!
Peter Mottershead died in 1985. He would be delighted to know that the paintings are being viewed still today, not for an appreciation of the paintings themselves, but because it indicates that there are still people who take a pride and an interest in the historic town of Ware. We hope that you do appreciate the paintings and the history they portray, and consider them as reminders of the importance of preserving the historical structures of Ware.
The Gallery
The Gallery contains paintings and photos of the Ware and Hertford area dating from the late 1950's until the early 1980's. In addition, we have included some of Peter's original photos from which he sometimes worked, or which he took for historical interest. In a few cases, we have also added more recent photos for comparison purposes. The paintings are displayed in regional category folders, with individual pictures "clickable" to enlarge. One can also move forward or backward through the individual paintings by using the arrows which appear at the top of the page, along with other functions. If these are not visible, try moving your cursor and they should appear. You are also able to "like" and "share" on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, which we encourage you to do so that more people may enjoy the images. Again, to view the gallery "click" here.
For Sale?
Four of the images were made into limited edition prints which are available through Ware Museum. We show small versions of these immediately below ("click" them to view a larger version). The full purchase price of those is divided between the Ware Museum and the Ware Society as a fund-raiser for those entities.
