The Winchester Cathedral Exhibition of Church Watercolours

winchester logo

Hampshire Churches

Victorian Watercolours of Hampshire Churches

The early 1800s saw a revival in the Church of England which, coupled with a population surge, resulted in a great many new churches being commissioned and built across the country.

Charles Henry Sumner was Bishop of Winchester during this critical time of change and growth. Over the forty-two years of his reign (1827-1869), 201 new churches were built, 119 churches rebuilt and 210 parishes created, in addition to a number of parsonages and schools. The cost of this massive project totalled £2 million, the equivalent of approximately £50 million today.

This exhibition features four albums commissioned by Bishop Sumner in the 1830s to record every church in Hampshire. The albums’ magnificent scope extends to include close to 700 paintings, sketches and prints, executed by a number of different artists and architects. They document the appearance of the English village church at a time of change.

Picturing CHANGE

VICTORIAN WATERCOLOURS OF HAMPSHIRE CHURCHES

In a letter dated July 2, 1769, the naturalist Gilbert White lamented the dearth of churches and spires in the Hampshire landscape:

… We have many livings of two or three hundred pounds a year, whose houses of worship make little better appearance than dovecots. When I first saw Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire, and the fens of Lincolnshire, I was amazed at the number of spires which presented themselves in every point of view. As an admirer of prospects, I have reason to lament this want in my own country; for such objects are very necessary ingredients in an elegant landscape.

By the 1800s, the tides were changing for English churches, especially those in Hampshire. The coming years saw a revival in the Church of England which, coupled with a population surge, resulted in a great many new churches being commissioned and built across the country, particularly for the working class.

In 1827, George IV bestowed the wealthy bishopric of Winchester upon Charles Henry Sumner. Demonstrating great energy and munificence, Bishop Sumner ensured that the churches in his diocese were renovated or new ones created to serve the burgeoning congregations in Hampshire and Surrey.

Over the 42 years of Sumner’s reign (1827 – 1869), 201 new churches were built, 119 churches rebuilt and 210 parishes created. Additionally, a number of parsonages and schools were built so that nearly every parish had their own. The cost of this massive project totalled £2 million, the equivalent of approximately £50 million today.

The four albums on display were commissioned by Bishop Sumner in the 1830s to record every church in Hampshire. The albums’ magnificent scope extends to include close to 700 paintings, sketches and prints, executed by a number of different artists and architects. They document the appearance of the English village church at a time of change. Some are shown before any architectural work took place and these look similar to the barns or dovecots that Gilbert White laments. Others record the dramatic changes that unfolded in English ecclesiastical architecture.

The variety is dazzling, and the pages on display here have been selected to demonstrate the volumes’ varied composition. To assist in presenting a more complete picture of each church’s development, a selection of photographs from the Cathedral’s archives, dating to between 1910 and 1912, are included in the display.