Travels in Britain, 1928-1950

Watercolour ‘Barbican Sandwich, Kent’, c 1930

England and Wales, aged 49-71 years old

After the death of her husband, Kathleen had a modest inheritance and needed to use her painting skills to support her finances. Once her son was at boarding school, Kathleen undertook many visits to relatives and friends to paint in different parts of Britain, such as Kent (see above), the Cotswolds (see below), Dorset (see below), Cornwall (see section: St Ives), Surrey and Wales (see bottom of page). Records show she produced 33 paintings in this period.

Watercolour ‘September Morning in the Cotswolds’, c 1920-30

Watercolour ‘The Pond on the Hill, Swanage’, c 1934

Kathleen sometimes stayed in a place to undertake a series of paintings - such as in Mayfield, Sussex c1934/35 (see below), and Rye, Kent.

Oil ‘View from my Window, Mayfield Sussex’, c 1934

Kathleen also stayed regularly at locations where relatives lived - such as her aunt (on her father’s side) Rebecca Jane Leete (1851-1927) who lived in Felixstowe with her daughters (Kathleen’s cousins) in the 1920s.

Photograph of oil ‘Mrs RJ Leete, of Felixstowe’, 1928

Kathleen’s son, John Temple-Bird, served as an officer in the army, stationed in Wales from 1947-1951 (see section: Marriage & Family Life). He lived with his wife just outside Tenby in Brynhir (see below) and John’s diary states that on 30 June 1948, Kathleen (aged 69) finished a large oil of Tenby Harbour during a visit (see bottom of page).

Watercolour ‘Tenby and Caldy Island from Brynhir’, c 1948

Large oil ‘Tenby Harbour’, 1948