Joan has been in touch, from Ontario in Canada, with details of a painting she thinks may be by the same painter as the mural at the Ness Gun Battery in Orkney.

Tower Bridge - by AR Woods

You may remember that towards the start of 2011, a worldwide search was launched to find more information about a World War II mural in Orkney.

Depicting rural England and painted on a mess hall wall, it is believed  to be a reminder of home and is signed AR Woods.

Also signed by AR Woods is this picture of Tower Bridge in London. Joan wonders if this could have been painted by the same artist.

Finding the Tower Bridge painting

Joan moved to Ontario, Canada, from the US, a few years ago.

Being a purveyor of fine and not so fine used goods, she began attending auctions.

At a small farm auction, she purchased the Tower Bridge painting,  initially for the frame and not for the painting.

AR Woods signature on the painting of Tower Bridge

Joan said: “The artist didn’t look like he/she had formal training at all, but clearly was fascinated with ships/boats”.

The signature AR Woods can be found on the bottom left hand side.

Similar painting style

Having a university degree in art and having studied art history, Joan thinks that the mural and the Tower Bridge paintings have been painted in a similar style.

One final comment

Any relationship between the paintings can not at this time be proved. However, having two painters with exactly the same name must be quite unusual.

If it helps any readers, Joan adds that written in pencil on the bottom of the inside of the frame is the following: ’7 BW 1949′.  She has no idea to what this refers or what it could mean.

Further information

BBC News – Search to find Ness Battery artist

Island Blogging – Inside the Mess Hall

UPDATE – 20:17 BST – 3 July 2011

Since posting the article a few hours ago we have had a lot of interest from the internet and Twitter.

We have become aware of an article posted on a website called Mercantile Marine that sets out a little bit of background to the Orkney AR Woods.

This suggests that AR Woods was connected to the River Thames, and so could indeed be the same as the Orkney painter. However, little is know as to how he came to be in the north of Scotland.

If you can add to the story then please use the comments area below or via the contact us form

Here is the article
- Albert John Rycraft Wood a.k.a A.R. Woods – WWII service? - from user Ness Battery

We are now fairly certain that this is the same man as the author of the autobiography “I Guarded The Waterfront” published in 1942. Different editions have him as A.P.Woods or A.R.Woods.

Here is a summary of what we know.

A.R.J. Wood b. Gravesend 1877

Descended from a long line of Thames watermen, he was a piermaster for the Port of London Authority, after serving in the Merchant Navy on ships including the Ophir.

He enlisted in a volunteer regiment and became a TA machine gun instructor while still working as a piermaster in WWI.

Looking for help finding out about possible service during WWII which might have taken him to Scapa Flow and the Ness Battery. I wonder if he might have had something to do with any of the vessels, floating cranes, barges etc which we know originated on the Thames and ended up in Orkney.

He makes no mention of service during the second war, but we have to bear in mind his autobiography was written no later than 1942 – and we do not have a date for the mural, so still possible he saw service later than that. Also, he may not have been at liberty to refer to his service.

I have found many Albert Wood[s] from various sources but none quite match.

If you can add to the story then please use the comments area below or via the contact us form

UPDATE – 14:03 BST Mon 4 July 2011

We have just received the following note from the Scapa Flow Landscape Partnership Scheme

This is so exciting. This is certainly by the same AR Woods that is our prime candidate for being painter of the Ness Battery mural.

The signature of this work is near-identical to that of the other painting by the AR Woods that worked for the Port of London Authority until 1947, and the painting is of a view he knew very well – he was Piermaster at Tower Pier in London.

We have not yet definitively linked him with Orkney during WWII, but seeing another work by this fine amateur artist takes us a step closer to solving this mystery.

It is wonderful to get this help from Canada! Thank you ever so much.

Julian Branscombe, Manager, Scapa Flow Landscape Partnership Scheme

julian.branscombe@orkney.gov.uk

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It is rare to come accross a true craftsman, who is not only making traditional furniture from scratch but is preserving a piece of the Orkney heritage with passion and well researched knowledge.

One of Fraser's traditional chairs

The traditional Orkney Chair maker, Fraser Anderson creates a range of award winning traditional furniture, building on the legacy of the distinctive Orkney chair and his passion for the art is infectious.  Get talking to Fraser and you will learn more about the true history of the piece of Orkney Furniture than could possibly be learned from museums and visitor centres.

Fraser says;

The Orkney chair is a traditional piece of furniture dating back many hundreds of years.

While many of the old straw crafts have died out, the Orkney chair is still in production, taking pride of place in the home of many Orcadians as well as being shipped all over the world.

Originally the chairs were made completely of straw, the only wooden part being the four feet protruding from the bottom.

Due to the lack of trees suitable for furniture production on the islands, driftwood thrown up on the beach was often used.

Developed through local tradition, the Orkney chair originated from a simple piece of furniture that the islanders could make for themselves with what materials were readily available.

In its very early stages it was nothing more than a low round stool covered with straw. It was then developed into a low chair by the addition of a straw back some two feet in height.

The short stumpy legs of older chairs kept the person sitting in the chair close to the ground to avoid the smoke from the open fires, which were in the middle of the room in the old farm crofts.

The addition of a hood to the chair gave the occupant shelter from draughts, but not all people liked the idea of being enclosed.

A drawer was also added for the man of the house the keep his personal belongings in.

A chair back that has a proper shape should rise up straight for some fourteen rows, depending on arm height, and then start to slope outwards, thereby supporting the lower and upper back of the sitter.

Originally designed by crofters, the chair is an optimum shape that keeps the heat in and the coldness out.

Nowadays the Orkney chair is displayed with a decorative as well as functional purpose. One very important thing that has remained unchanged, is the way in which the Orkney chair is constructed.

Only the best locally grown straw is used to make the backs, which are intricately woven by hand.

Fraser even makes his own chair frames, ensuring that each creation is unique and genuine. Originally made from driftwood found on nearby shores, the frames are now generally made from the best quality wood available and beautifully finished by hand.

Orkney rocker chair

Standing in his workshop, the smells of the wood mingling with the straw, we discussed the intricacies of the construction process and were delighted to see that a selection of very old chairs were undergoing restoration.

Some of the more modern creations include a round backed and rocking chair version, the latter being a particular favourite of mine.

See Fraser Anderson at work

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Over the last 35 years the Kirkwall Flower Arrangement Club has created floral displays in St. Magnus Cathedral in aid of the restoration fund.

In this 50th year, the club looks back over the decades, highlighting some memorable aspects of each.

Bel Drever, the outgoing Club President talks about the event and her three year tenure.

To see more of their work go to the Scottish Association of Flower Arranging Societies (SAFAS) website

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