Cecil M. Round Online

Welcome to our third ‘Spotlight Feature’.  A few years ago, we heard from Andrew Walmisley who, having seen our website, had been inspired to get his Cecil Round painting restored.  The painting of Torbay in Devon, dates from 1911 and was a hundred years old at the time.  What’s more, as he was kindly contacting us from his home in Hawaii, clearly the painting had covered some distance in its lifetime!

Andrew explained that he had recovered the painting from the basement of his family’s home in rural North California.  It had originally belonged to his great-uncle Edward Walmisley who is believed to have brought it to California in the 1940s, when he retired as an Officer in the British Army and relocated to Los Angeles.  He later passed it on to Andrew’s mother and then to his brother, before it arrived at Andrew’s home in Hawaii.

The reason I have decided to focus on this painting is to highlight the ‘magic’ that a professional restorer is able to bring to any tired and damaged painting.  Hopefully it will be an inspiration to other collectors of Cecil Round’s work who might also own a painting that could benefit from some TLC.

This is a close-up of how the painting looked prior to restoration.  The canvas is larger than average (circa 3ft x 5ft) and, as you can see, had suffered several large tears across the centre of the picture.  Having sought the advice and services of a professional, the picture was duly restored, as shown below.

How wonderful to see a Cecil Round canvas brought back to life.  All credit to Andrew for investing the time and money on this wonderful project.  The restoration also features on the website:  Berlin Conservation.

Do you own a Cecil Round picture that has seen better days?  Why not make it one of your own New Year resolutions to dust off the dirt and to breathe new life into your painting, by having it professionally restored?

Welcome to our second ‘Spotlight Feature’.  The focus of this study is Cecil Round’s painting of a house called “Feltrim” in Exeter – a composition he completed in 1910.

Feltrim was located on Topsham Road, between Exeter and Topsham, which was lined with large homes of the local gentry at the turn of the nineteenth century.  West Winter Hill was situated adjacent to one such house – with the understated name of ‘The Cottage’ – which was listed in the Post Office Directory of Exeter 1895-96, as being occupied by a James Lawless.  The house was later renamed ‘Feltrim’ which is as Cecil Round found it, in 1910.

The Fagan’s are an ancient Irish clan.  Thomas Fagan (born circa 1494) acquired considerable estates in Ireland including the estate of ‘Feltrim’ (the name is said to derive from the description: “The hill of wolves”) in the County of Dublin.  The family adopted the style “from Feltrim” and the forename Feltrim has often appeared in their genealogy since then.

Noting that Cecil Round painted his picture in 1910, it is possible that the work was commissioned by Sarah Christian Anna Philpott (nee Fagan) who died in Belmont Road Exeter in 1912; probate was granted to her nephew General Christopher Sullivan Feltrim Fagan.  By 1914, General Fagan, who had been an Aide-de-Camp to Queen Victoria and General of the 4th Division Royal Marine Light Infantry (RMLI), was living in ‘the Cottage’ now listed in Kelly’s Directory of Devon and Cornwall as “Feltrim” (but which we know from Cecil Round’s painting, was actually renamed prior to 1910, presumably whilst in the ownership of his relatives).

The photo below clearly pre-dates this period as you will notice the first-floor balcony and ground-floor covered walkway are missing, when compared to Round’s composition.

Feltrim was later sold to the Reverend William Henry Oxley who was living at the house in 1923 when King’s College Cambridge offered for sale, the neighbouring land at West Winter Hill (described as measuring 4 acres 3 roods and 23 perches*).  Oxley, a campaigner for the Deaf and Blind, bought the land for £1,300 but died the following year leaving the property to his son, Selwyn Amor Nathaniel Oxley, a pioneer educator of the deaf.  Selwyn Oxley subsequently sold the Feltrim Estate to John Gregory Hubbard Reader, a Coachbuilder from Whimple.

The following plan from 1928 shows Feltrim (on the left) and West Winter Hill (on the right).  The Tennis Court is now the gardens of even numbered houses at the top of Feltrim Avenue.  “The Chase” is likely to be the embankment between Norwood Avenue and St Bernard’s Close.  The Bungalow (top left) is still standing, as is Coaver House which is now the Coaver Club at County Hall.

In 1929, Dr Barnados moved their children’s home for girls from Clifton Hill to Feltrim having, presumably, acquired the property from Mr Reader.  Plans to build houses on West Winter Hill were mooted at about the same time.  These houses can clearly be seen on the c.1932 map from the Barnados website.

The Topsham Road home stood between the present-day Norwood Avenue and Feltrim Avenue as shown on the 1932 map.  Feltrim could house up to 50 girls aged six to fifteen.

Exeter was not considered to be at high risk of aerial bombing at the outset of the Second World War but nonetheless, air raid warden posts were set up across the city including Post Number 14 at Feltrim house.  Following the RAFs bombing of Lubeck, Exeter was selected as one of the historic targets for reprisal air attacks and the city suffered a heavy German air raid in the early morning of 4th May 1942.

At about 02:45 that morning a 500 lb bomb fell between Numbers 36 and 38 Feltrim Avenue, striking No 36 as it fell and causing a water leak.  At about the same time a 1,000 lb bomb landed about 15ft from Feltrim house, damaging the brick surface air raid shelter in which the residents of the house had taken refuge.  Fortunately, there were no injuries.  However, despite missing the house, the force of the explosion caused extensive damage and subsequently the building had to be demolished.  At the end of the war in 1945, the Barnardo’s children’s home was re-opened in The Quarries, a house on Barley Lane, Dunsford Hill.

Special thanks to Richard Ussher, a professional picture framer based in Sydney, Australia who was reframing the picture for a client who kindly gave consent for the image to be shared with us.  Background information about Feltrim has largely been gathered from the following primary sources:  Feltrim Weebly and Children’s Homes Exeter.

*An Acre comprised 4 roods and a rood consisted of 40 perches.

Welcome to our new ‘Spotlight Feature’.  I’ve decided to start the series with ‘Summer Meadow With Children’ as this is one of Cecil Round’s earlier works, within our online gallery.  It is also the picture that has provoked more enquiries than any other through our website – mainly because so many of you have seen it featured on the BBC TV show, Antiques Roadshow!

The painting was featured in Series 37 of the television show when, in Episode 17, the team visited Belton House in Lincolnshire.  It was first broadcast on 5th April 2015.  I must confess it was a pleasant surprise, as I happened to be watching the show that Sunday evening.  As you can see from the photo, the painting is larger than average when compared to Cecil Round’s other work.

The feature lasted three minutes and saw antiques expert Mark Poltimore (pictured) meet the lady who owns the painting – we are told that she inherited it from her grandfather.  He had been given it (along with another painting) as a wedding gift in 1939.  Although Mark admitted he had not come across Cecil Round’s work before, he was clearly impressed by the painting and it would be hard not to be.  Judging from all the positive feedback we’ve received since the show aired (and it’s been repeated several times over the years), many of you are also in agreement!

As part of his analysis of the painting, Mark Poltimore noted the windmill and the five men making hay in the background.  This led him to suggest the scene is probably of somewhere in East Anglia.

Unfortunately, the BBC no longer have this particular Antiques Roadshow episode available on their iPlayer.  However, should it return, you will find details on their website at:  www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b05qpg6x/antiques-roadshow-series-37-17-belton-house-1.  The feature on the painting is thirty-eight minutes into the show.

We would love to hear more from the owners of the painting.  In the meantime, thanks to Beth Oskins for kindly sharing the enclosed close-ups from the show.