This is the fascinating story of a Victorian oil painting that was bequeathed to the West Highland Museum in 1999, but an object that has never been inside the museum building.
Letters and News at the Loch Side was given as a wedding gift to Gertrude Astley (1849 – 1920) from her sisters, Constance (1851 – 1935) and Beatrice (1858 – 1923) when she married in 1883. Painted by the English artist Henry Tanworth Wells (1828–1903), it is unusual as in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Wells is described as a “miniature and portrait painter”; the painting it is neither of these things! The oil on canvas is enormous and measures 120 cm in height by 282 cm in width and depicts a Highland landscape scene with locally known figures in the foreground.
The painting depicts a scene, purportedly to be at the end of Loch Eilt which depicts the postman, Donald MacDonald of Achraig, delivering mail to two boats on the shore, where the river Ailort flows to the sea. Others in the painting include Duncan McCrae (the boy in the painting), F. D. P. Astley (Gertrude’s father), Sir John Millais (a famous English painter), John MacDonald,(the boat captain): Donald MacDonald, a MacRae, Sir Henry Halford, Angus MacDonald (the water bailiff of Arienskill, and father of the yacht captain), and Mr Henry Evans.
Tanworth Wells was a great friend of Gertrude’s father, Francis Dunkinfield Palmer Astley (1825 – 1868), a wealthy industrialist from the Midlands in England who had purchased the Arisaig estate in 1850. The artist visit Arisaig House during his friendship with Astley and his sketch books show that he was a regular visitor to the estate. In 1863 Astley commissioned English architect Philip Webb (1831 – 1915.
one of the most original designers from the Arts and Crafts movement to design a new house for him. The project completed in just one year. When Astley died in1868 he was succeeded by his only son, Francis Dukinfield Astley, a lieutenant in the Scots Fusilier Guards. In 1880, Francis died unmarried, so the estate passed to his eldest sister, Gertrude Susan Astley. When she married Sir Arthur Nicholson the Letters and News at the Lochside painting was commissioned by Gertrude’s sisters as a wedding present and was hung in Arisaig House around 1883.
In 1935 Arisaig House burnt down, only the south-east kitchen wing remained untouched by the fire, but miraculously the painting survived. The House was rebuilt to the designs of I. B. M. Hamilton in 1936-7. Although it incorporated much of the original fabric, the design was altered, and the interiors replaced. Shortly afterwards the house was requisitioned by the War Office and from 1939-46 was utilised for SOE training. In 1955, the estate was passed into the possession of Miss M. J. Becher who lived at Arisaig House until the late 1970s when she sold the house and moved to a smaller property nearby; the painting remained at the house and under Miss Becher’s ownership. When she died, the painting was gifted to the West Highland Museum.
The painting was on long-term loan to and on public display at Arisaig House Hotel until 2022 when the property was sold and became a private residence. The museum loaned the painting to the new owner, with the agreement the painting would remain accessible to the public when no alterative location for public display could be identified. Although the painting was available for public view during this period, sadly no requests to view the painting were received before the painting was removed from display by the owner, and the painting remained unseen for two years.
In 2024, Glenfinnan House Hotel asked the museum if they could display the painting in Glenfinnan. The museum’s Board carefully considered the request and concluded that the move to Glenfinnan would be beneficial as it would ensure better environmental conditions for the painting and allow the community access to view this magnificent painting once more. The Glenfinnan House Hotel reopened after refurbishment in May 2024 and the oil painting has taken pride of place in their new reception area.
Vanessa Martin
Curator Manager
