Salford roll of honour, Bexley Square.
Dec 7, 2015 0:52:21 GMT
Post by mancpal on Dec 7, 2015 0:52:21 GMT
Hello,
I'm hoping to find the whereabouts of the painted roll of honour that hung at the entrance to the old town hall at Bexley Square (latterly the magistrates courts).
The painting was done by John McNeill, a freelance artist who worked for a number of commercial art agencies. John was my late uncles father. My uncle remembered his father painting it in an upstairs room at their house (Chorlton on Medlock I think) and in fact my uncle posed as the two figures so his dad could get the proportion and pose correct. My uncle used his father's walking cane as the rifle and I still have the very cane. I took my uncle to see it in the late eighties and he commented that the last time he'd seen it was when two men took the painting downstairs and loaded it onto their horse and cart.
John McNeill was an alcoholic who upon payment would decamp to the nearest pub and not return until he'd spent everything, this frequently ended with him dishing out a beating to his wife and children, as a result my uncle never drank. My uncle insisted that the Roman numerals depicting the date were painted under the influence and are therefore incorrect though I never wrote down a copy to translate it.
I would love to see it again so I can photograph it as well as check the date!
My uncle also told me that his father had been arrested during WW1 for spying. In fact he had been commissioned to paint a recruiting office and its queue perhaps for a recruitment drive. An over zealous policeman thought his behaviour suspicious and carted him off.
I look forward to seeing the painting again,
Simon
I'm hoping to find the whereabouts of the painted roll of honour that hung at the entrance to the old town hall at Bexley Square (latterly the magistrates courts).
The painting was done by John McNeill, a freelance artist who worked for a number of commercial art agencies. John was my late uncles father. My uncle remembered his father painting it in an upstairs room at their house (Chorlton on Medlock I think) and in fact my uncle posed as the two figures so his dad could get the proportion and pose correct. My uncle used his father's walking cane as the rifle and I still have the very cane. I took my uncle to see it in the late eighties and he commented that the last time he'd seen it was when two men took the painting downstairs and loaded it onto their horse and cart.
John McNeill was an alcoholic who upon payment would decamp to the nearest pub and not return until he'd spent everything, this frequently ended with him dishing out a beating to his wife and children, as a result my uncle never drank. My uncle insisted that the Roman numerals depicting the date were painted under the influence and are therefore incorrect though I never wrote down a copy to translate it.
I would love to see it again so I can photograph it as well as check the date!
My uncle also told me that his father had been arrested during WW1 for spying. In fact he had been commissioned to paint a recruiting office and its queue perhaps for a recruitment drive. An over zealous policeman thought his behaviour suspicious and carted him off.
I look forward to seeing the painting again,
Simon