East London's Vestry House Museum is offering visitors a pictorial history of the borough as part of its latest exhibition, 'Waltham Forest in Pictures'.
Included in the exhibition are three oil paintings by Cyril Mann, a figurative painter who lived in the borough from 1964 until his death in 1980. Mann's work has come to greater prominence in recent times, and this new exhibition presents a rare chance to see these highly-prized works in all their vivid glory.
As well as showcasing works by one of the capital's great artists, the exhibition also features works by lesser-known – and in some cases unknown – artists who've captured the borough on canvas over the years. Six of these paintings, which depict local landmarks like Chingford Old Church, Highams Park and the Coppermill, have recently been professionally restored thanks to a generous grant of £3,200 from Walthamstow Historical Society.
The community goodwill doesn't stop there, either, with the exhibition also being supported by Wood Street-based business Images In Frames, who donated additional mounts for eight watercolours and prints by the likes of Walter Spradbery and Charles Potter.
"It's always fascinating to see how the borough has changed over the years," said Cllr Ahsan Khan, Waltham Forest's Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing. "This latest exhibition places the world-class work of Cyril Mann alongside raw local talent, and while the techniques and approaches may differ they're unified by their ability to shine a light on familiar sites as they were a hundred years ago or ones that have long-since vanished from view."
'Waltham Forest in Pictures' runs until 31 December. Vestry House Museum (Vestry Road, Walthamstow E17 9NH) is open Wednesday to Sunday from 10am-5pm. Entry is free. For more information visit www.walthamforest.gov.uk/vhm
You can also see the borough's oil painting digitally by visiting www.bbc.co.uk/arts/yourpaintings/galleries/locations/vestry-house-museum-6486
Attached picture: Cyril Mann (1911-1980), Allotments with stormy sky, 1971, oil on canvas. Presented to the Borough of Waltham Forest by Renske Mann, 1971