Oil painting on canvas, In the Nineteenth Century the Northumbrians Show the World What Can be Done with Iron and Coal by William Bell Scott (Edinburgh 1811 – Penkill Castle 1890), signed and dated, at top of anvil: W B Scott June 1861, and again, on the hoist: W B S. A vivid representation of Tyneside industry, with Stephenson’s High Level Bridge, telegraph wires, and the River Tyne in the background. Workmen employed by Hawks, Crawshay & Sons (builders of the High Level Bridge) wield sledgehammers, forging a locomotive wheel. The figure at centre, three-quarter facing, is Charles Edward Trevelyan, cousin and heir to Sir Walter Trevelyan (1797-1879) of Wallington. The foreground is strewn with working drawings of a locomotive, letters, a rose atop a newspaper dated 1861, recording the victory of Garibaldi at Caserta, a marine engine air pump, an anchor, and an Armstrong gun and shells. A girl, facing the viewer, sits on the barrel of the gun beside an inquisitive black dog, her father’s lunch wrapped in a bundle on her lap. The name Harry Clasper (1812-70) appears as graffiti on the wall; Clasper was a famous professional oarsmen and boat-builder. Shipping, a keel loaded with coal, plies the Tyne beneath an old stone bridge; on the quayside fisherman, merchants and a photographer people the scene. One of a series of eight oil paintings illustrating the history of the English borders, painted between 1856 and 1861 for Sir Walter Trevelyan (1797-1879). The paintings were shown at the Literary Society, Newcastle, in the following order: Saint Cuthbert and King Egfrid; Building the Roman Wall; The Death of Bede; The Descent of the Danes; The Spur in the Dish; Gilpin making Peace; Grace Darling; Iron and Coal. The complete set was exhibited at the French Gallery, Pall Mall, in 1861. A preliminary watercolour version, of around 1861 is in the V&A (362-1891).
Marks and inscriptions: W B Scott Jan to June 1857 (signed and dated)
Provenance: Commissioned in 1855 by Sir Walter Trevelyan to decorate the courtyard at Wallington; began in 1857 and the series was exhibited at regular intervals at the Literary Society in Newcastle and completed in 1861 – the scheme of decoration was finished in 1863/64 when the spandrels high up near the vault were decorated with a progression of eighteen scenes from the Ballad of Chevy Chase, and the lower pilasters painted with local flora by other artists including Ruskin, Arthur Hughes, Pauline, Lady Trevelyan (1816-1866), as well as the portrait medallions, in the lower spandrels and portrait heads; given with the property to The National Trust in 1941 by Sir Charles Philips Trevelyan, 3rd Bt (1870 – 1958)
Object description
Type: Easel painting
Location: Wallington Hall, Northumberland
Material: Oil on canvas
Artist: William Bell Scott (1811-1890)
Date: 1857
Image Details
Date: 11 September 2026
Camera body: iPhone Xs
Lens: Wide Camera 26mm ƒ/1.8
Focal Length: 26mm
Aperture: ƒ/1.8
Shutter Speed: 1/60s
ISO: 250
Licensing: Image of a National Trust asset. This image cannot be licensed.