FDA-D.470-2010
Parts
Object number
FDA-D.470-2010
Object type
Identification
Title
Windsor Bridge from the West, with a Royal Skiff on the River
Title Type
assigned by cataloguer
Comments
Natural waterways can be a transport route but also a barrier, and towns and cities grew up around river crossings such as fords and bridges. Records of tolls levied on vessels suggest that a bridge has connected Eton and Windsor since at least 1172. This drawing by Paul Sandby (c.1731-1809) shows Eton on the left and Windsor on the right, connected by a timber bridge. The present bridge is an iron and granite three-arch bridge, designed by Charles Moore and built between 1822 and 1824. Originally a road bridge, it was closed to motorised vehicles in 1970 after the discovery of cracks in the cast iron, so that road traffic between the towns now faces a lengthy detour.
This fine view is one of a series by Sandby (see two companion watercolours) and records in meticulous detail the old timber bridge linking Eton and Windsor. On the Eton side, fishing nets can be seen hanging up to dry, in the foreground a skiff, with three ladies under a canopy in the stern and an ensign, is being rowed by four oarsmen, and a horse-drawn coach is being driven over the bridge. Through the open windows and on the balcony of the timber buildings, at the Windsor end of the bridge, figures can be seen and there is a further group of figures engaged in various activities on bank in the foreground, including two young girls fishing.
This fine view is one of a series by Sandby (see two companion watercolours) and records in meticulous detail the old timber bridge linking Eton and Windsor. On the Eton side, fishing nets can be seen hanging up to dry, in the foreground a skiff, with three ladies under a canopy in the stern and an ensign, is being rowed by four oarsmen, and a horse-drawn coach is being driven over the bridge. Through the open windows and on the balcony of the timber buildings, at the Windsor end of the bridge, figures can be seen and there is a further group of figures engaged in various activities on bank in the foreground, including two young girls fishing.
Description
Dimensions
height (actual size): 283mm
width (actual size): 608mm
width (actual size): 608mm
Materials & techniques note
pencil, pen & ink, watercolour and gouache
Production
Person
Sandby, Paul, c.1731 - 1809 (Artist)
History and association
Object history note
Provenance: Collection of Mrs Anita Leslie King of Castle Leslie, Glaslough, County Monaghan; by whom sold through Christie's, London, on 28 June 1963 (Lot 31)
Exhibited: 'Views of Windsor and Eton by Paul Sandby' Eton College, c.2008-09; 'Watercolours from the Eton College Collections', Verey Gallery, Eton College, 24 November 2018 to 24 February 2019; 'Elemental', Verey Gallery, Eton College, 6 November 2025 to 14 June 2026 (catalogue number 41)
Exhibited: 'Views of Windsor and Eton by Paul Sandby' Eton College, c.2008-09; 'Watercolours from the Eton College Collections', Verey Gallery, Eton College, 24 November 2018 to 24 February 2019; 'Elemental', Verey Gallery, Eton College, 6 November 2025 to 14 June 2026 (catalogue number 41)
