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Rotherham’s past on canvas |
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Rotherham’s past on canvas |
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Works of art from the past 250 years, showing how the borough’s industrial, rural and town-centre landscape has changed, are currently being displayed in the exhibition A Room with a View, alongside contemporary views of the borough. The exhibition at the Rotherham Art Gallery runs until 3 November and gives visitors the chance to see historic paintings of rolling hills and green pastures which are now covered by houses and roads. The exhibition is spearheaded by a number of paintings, showing images from across Rotherham in the 1950s, by local artist Peter Bartle who was a signalman on the railways and painted in his spare time. The paintings recall a time when Rotherham was a bustling market town and evoke the activity and atmosphere that went along with it. During a number of reminiscence sessions prior to the exhibition starting, the paintings were used to encourage local residents to recall their memories of Rotherham in the mid-20th century on tape so that they could be played back during the exhibition to help create an historical atmosphere, as well as give an extra dimension to the narrative of the paintings on display. There is also an opportunity to take a virtual canal ride to see just how Rotherham’s waterways used to dominate the landscape and helped the town become an industrial powerhouse. As visitors travel from Catcliffe to Kilnhurst along the waterways via the varied prints and paintings from the Art Gallery’s collections, the images make it very apparent why Rotherham suffered so badly during the recent flooding, but also why the canals were instrumental in the borough’s development. Visitors can also listen to local voices talking about their memories of All Saints’ Square in the 1950s by phoning the Talking Picture Line on 0844 779 0979. Calls cost up to 5p per minute (minimum charge 5p). Calls from mobiles may vary according to network tariffs. Rotherham Art Gallery, Central Library and Arts Centre, Walker Place, Rotherham S65 1JH, open: Mon–Fri 9am–5pm, Sat 9.00am–3.45pm, tel: 01709 336633. |
10 October 2007
Left: Rotherham High Street 1850.
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