Published: Tuesday, 22nd July, 2008 12:00
Retro: Sketchy history lesson
By David Cliffe, Reading Central Library
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Ye Historic Reading Calendar
IT IS still surprising what turns up in the Strongroom.
While searching for something else entirely, I found a calendar for the year 1898 between two books. It was headed 'Ye Historic Reading Calendar’.
The picture on it shows King Charles I, on horseback, turning from Broad Street into Minster Street, with Walsingham House on the corner.
The artist’s monogram, 'H.B.’, shows it to have been the work of Herbert Beecroft.
I already knew about his impression of Civil War troops marching up Southampton Street, past St. Giles’s Church, which has had its spire damaged by artillery fire, but I didn’t know about this artistic reconstruction. I was pleased, of course, to have rescued it from oblivion, and to have it published on the Retro page.
The life of Herbert Beecroft is an extraordinary one. He was born in Reading in 1864, the son of Joseph John Beecroft, a printer.
Herbert continued the business, but also possessed an extraordinary artistic talent. He specialised in portraits and caricatures, and for some years gave “sketching lectures and entertainments,” in London and elsewhere, during which members of the audience were invited onto the stage to have their portraits sketched.
This was as well as more conventional portrait painting, in the studio, or in people’s homes.
It is not entirely clear why he decided, at the age of 41, to emigrate to Australia.
He did much the same kind of thing there, making a good living, and it was there, in 1927, that he painted his most famous picture. He was a devout and life-long Methodist, and the story went that one day, after a time spent in prayer, he had a vision of the face of Christ.
This he set down in oils, and it was subsequently copied many times.
I can remember a copy of it hanging of the wall of my Sunday school superintendent, and finding it distinctly unnerving.
It had the caption: “And the Lord turned and looked upon Peter........and Peter remembered.”
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