Tower and Town, August 2023 (view the full edition)Christopher Hughes: from Marlborough to Ashford and Back Again
Christopher Hughes - Gráinne Lenehan, Archivist, Marlborough College Christopher Wyndham Hughes (1881 - 1961), printmaker, illustrator and watercolourist, lived and worked in Marlborough for almost fifty years. He was the third child of Eveline and Wyndham Hope Hughes (1849-1948), an esteemed ecclesiastical artist who played a key role in the artistic development of his son - as master to disciple - sharpening his observational capability and refining his technical skills through the sketching ofchurch interiors, rural architecture and the natural environment. His education, in general, was a mixture of formal and home schooling, with increasing involvement in his father's commissions, which were many and diverse. By the late-1890s, Christopher had set up his own studio in Burford, and over the next decade his commissions included postcard views of medieval Oxford which became very popular; favourably reviewed waterscapes; and illustrations for publications such as The Idler and The Windsor Magazine. In 1904 Christopher married Edith (1875-1953), daughter of Rev William Wynne Willson, Rector of Codford. Two daughters were born - Esther in 1907 and Ursula in 1909. Edith's brother, Reverend Basil St John Wynne Willson, was appointed Master of Marlborough College in 1911. He invited Christopher, Edith and their daughters to live at the Master's Lodge where Edith would act as hostess and housekeeper.In 1912 Christopher's work was exhibited in the annual art exhibition at the College, and in 1913 he mounted an exhibition in the town of his own paintings and etchings of local scenes, which augmented his profile as an artist and attracted good reviews.
Christopher's work was exhibited by the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers in London on several occasions, and in 1938 a solo exhibition of his work took place at the Walker's Gallery, London, which included paintings and etchings capturing scenes in England and Europe. His interest in archaeology made him protective of Wiltshire's special landscape, and he campaigned actively to retain public rights of way and access to the Marlborough Downs and its ancient routes. Notwithstanding his full-time work at the College, and his career as an artist, he was an active citizen of the town, attending services and generously supporting civic functions, parades, local performances etc. He was a town councillor for many years and Mayor of Marlborough four times - 1933, 1944, 1955 and 1959. Christopher Hughes died in January 1961. With thanks to Brian Edwards, at The Regional History Centre, UWE Bristol, for kindly sharing his excellent article about Christopher Hughes entitled, 'Impressions of an artist in Wiltshire and something of his earlier life' [2021, unpublished].  Gráinne Lenehan |
Many thanks to Donna Clarke who sent me (as chairman of Tower and Town) this photograph of a drawing of The Town Hall by Christopher Hughes. She came across it when she was a boarder aged 15 at Highworth School for Girls in Ashford, Kent. She thinks it was because she was caught in the pub with some friends when they were supposed to be at the Christian Society! They were gated for 6 weeks and given the job of clearing out the boarding house social hut where she found the drawing and asked to keep it. "I took it home to my parents' house in Kent and it has been there ever since!". The picture probably ended up in Ashford because, as a printmaker, Christopher Hughes will have produced any number of prints from his etchings, and they may have sold quite widely. But what of the artist himself? 
At the outbreak of war in 1914, Christopher Hughes enlisted in the Wiltshire Regiment. Wynne Willson was appointed Dean of Bristol in 1916, and Edith and the girls moved with him so that she could continue her role in support of him. Following Wynne-Willson's marriage in 1919, the Hughes family was reunited in Marlborough, settling at 35 Kingsbury Street, next-door to which Christopher established a studio. In 1920 Christopher was appointed Art Master at the College. Although demobilised in 1919, Col Hughes, MC, was very involved with the College Officer Training Corps, being appointed Commanding Officer in 1927. Tragedy struck in 1924 when Esther died, age 17. Ursula's marriage to John Simson was celebrated in Marlborough in 1937.