Gorringes have this Wade in the summer sale on 25th June, and it is a wow! I’ve been looking at this all weekend as there is so much in it. Two parts of it stand out – the touch of red underneath the central cross – so ‘Wadian’ (yes, I’ve created an adjective!) and the scattering of dandelions in the foreground. Just delicious!!
Thought I would do a little digging as I was assuming it is a scene from the gothic St Paul’s Church in Dale Hall, Burslem, thanks to The Potteries website:
https://www.thepotteries.org/location/districts/dale_hall3.htm
The numbering on the reverse gives the date of 1985 for the painting, but the church was demolished after it was found to be ‘dangerous’ in 1974.
Wade painted the church, naming it ‘Old Saint Paul’s, at the same time as he painted the headstones:
And, then I found the sketch sold by Trent Art that is dated ’61, which tells a story of someone who would travel around with his sketchbook, saving scenes for later use:
Think the final price for this cracker will far exceed the estimate!!
https://auction.gorringes.co.uk/asp/fullcatalogue.asp?salelot=LJUNE24++403+&refno=90125612&image=2Gorringes:Maurice Wade
For anyone interested in the local history of The Potteries, the demolition of St Paul’s revealed a secret stash of immense value to the area:
travels with my art 