Keith Railton chose….

watercolours and a sketch

Keith chose these items because, as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, he was drawn to the visual arts collection and in particular the work of Sydney Bunney who is known for his watercolours of places in and around Coventry. He picked out these four small sketches of local scenes. The image of the former Wesleyan chapel, now the Criterion Theatre where Keith is currently the Artistic Director, is of special interest to him. Another item of personal significance for Keith is the sketch of the Locarno, a popular dance hall of which he has many memories.

Keith Railton is Chair of Coventry Heritage and Arts Trust

What the curator says:

Fields at Earlsdon, Adjoining Styvechale Common
By Sydney Bunney, 1921 collected in 1964

Even in the 1920s Earlsdon had the feel of a village and most of the parish of Styvechale was rural land. A large part of Styvechale Common was sold to Coventry Corporation to create the War Memorial Park in 1921.

Earlsdon Wesleyan Chapel
By Sydney Bunney, 1923 collected in 1964

Bunney painted this watercolour of the new Methodist Church in Earlsdon in April 1923, the same month that it opened. The church is still in use.

Wesleyan Chapel, Earlsdon, Coventry
By Sydney Bunney, 1923 collected in 1964

The Earlsdon Methodist Church began in a former ribbon weaving factory Cromwell Street. In 1884 it moved into this new purpose built chapel on Cromwell Street (now Berkeley Road South). The chapel is now the Criterion Theatre.

Moor Street, Earlsdon, about 1900
By Sydney Bunney, 1920s collected in 1964

Earlsdon developed as a separate suburb of Coventry from the 1850s. It was not part of the city but ran its own affairs and was only connected to the city by a narrow lane. Moor Street was one of the first streets to be laid out and even by 1900 had few houses on it.