Richard George Hatton was born in Birmingham.

He was a skilled silversmith, enameller and painter.

He taught art students, in Birmingham during the 1880s, then in Newcastle upon Tyne when he moved there. In 1899 he founded the Newcastle Handicrafts Company. He wrote several books on art and design.

He became professor at the King Edward VII School of Art in Armstrong College at Durham University, which later became the Department of Fine Art at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. In 1925 the Hatton Gallery was founded in his honour. Today the Gallery is managed by North East Museums on behalf of Newcastle University.

This painting shows the area of tidal mudflats on the River Tyne, known as Jarrow Slake. Here, where the River Don ran into the Tyne, timbers were seasoned. From 1972 the Slake was filled in and the land reclaimed for industrial use. It is now the car storage area and loading point for Nissan’s cars built at the Sunderland factory.

In the painting, the buildings of East Jarrow, the area around St. Paul’s Church and the site of Bede’s monastery can be seen in the left background. The Slake also provided a wide area of safe anchorage for ships. A naval warship can be seen on the right.

Provenance: Laing Art Gallery collection. Purchased from Mrs Mitchell, 1926

Object description
Type: Easel Painting
Location: South Shields Museum, Tyne & Wear
Material: Oil on canvas
Artist: Richard George Hatton (1865-1926)
Date: unknown

Image Details
Date: 4 May 2026
Camera body: iPhone Xs
Lens: Telephoto Camera 52mm ƒ/2.4
Focal Length: 52mm
Aperture: ƒ/2.4
Shutter Speed: 1/50s
ISO: 320
Licensing: Image of a North East Museums asset. This image cannot be licensed.