No Old Master Paintings in Havering

In response to the recent article in the Havering Daily, a member of the the Havering Residents Association today writes in regarding Havering Council’s art collection.

A Conservative St. Edwards Ward Councillor, has recently published that Havering Council owns 18,500 pieces of art.

The information was acquired by the Tax Payers Alliance through an FOI request, towards the end of 2023. Whilst it refers to ‘art’, the request in the FOI was much wider than that.

To clarify, the FOI request included the following: “Artwork includes, but is not limited to, paintings, photographs, sculptures, and electronic art.”

This explains why, quite rightly, the response to the FOI by libraries included photographs etc.

The likely hood is that other local authorities have referenced ‘art works’ rather than the longer list the requester asked for e.g. photographs.

All items are viewable either online via the Councils catalogue Library Links (havering.gov.uk) , through the Art UK website for oil paintings https://artuk.org/visit/collection/havering-local-studies-and-family-history-centre-1824 or by appointment if they are not on display in the Havering Museum or elsewhere.

There are some watercolours in the corridor of the 1st floor of the Central Library, the murals are in Gidea Park and Upminster libraries and there are mosaics at Collier Row and Upminster libraries.

The majority of items listed are unsuitable for permanent display due to degradation through the exposure to light as in the case of photographs, which would quickly fade if exposed to continuous light.

A significant number are transparencies – glass plates and lantern slides as well as 35mm slides. Among the few paintings and drawings, many are A4 or smaller.

Since the beginning of lockdown, Havering Libraries Facebook page has posted hundreds of the better images in the boroughs collection, and there are a couple of permanent displays in the library as well as occasional exhibitions, most recently about Romford Football Club.

The only painting the borough that holds a little more value, is the 1891 oil painting by Louis Burleigh Bruhl of Romford Market which can be viewed by appointment and online at Art UK https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/romford-market-place-c-1891-133063/search/collectionx:havering-local-studies-and-family-history-centre-1824/page/1/view_as/grid

Councillor Gillian Ford Cabinet Member for Adults and Wellbeing which includes Culture said “It is slightly disingenuous of the Tax Payers Alliance to portray the information they collected through the FOI in the way they did, without providing the full details behind the numbers. Although photographs have no monetary value, they provide a priceless incite to societies over time and a history or our past”.

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