This small watercolour painting entitled ‘Pinhoe near Exeter’ was painted in 1876 by Devon artist John Barrett (1843-1908).

About the painting

At the time this picture was painted, Pinhoe was a village in its own right; a four mile walk from the centre of Exeter. With its ancient church and a handful of historic houses there was probably not much more to see from there than the scene depicted by John Barret – a dirt path, farm animals, rolling countryside and distant hills. From the painter’s viewpoint, there is no sign of human habitation.

Although a simple painting, it records a landscape which has changed forever. Since the Second World War, Exeter’s boundaries have spread, in order to accommodate an ever-growing population whose lives and work are bound up with the life of the city. Today, Pinhoe’s green spaces are fast disappearing, with thousands of new houses springing up.

The painting is clearly a romanticised scene of the countryside, nevertheless it is fascinating to take a moment to think about Pinhoe as it once was.

About the artist

John Barrett is a relatively unknown artist. He was born in 1843 in Exeter. He was educated at the Mint School. The 1851 census records him as living in 129 Coombe Street (found between South Street and Western Way) with his father William, a Fruiterer and his mother Sarah and his two siblings Eliza and William.
His obituary in the Western Times, in 1908, noted that, ‘When quite young he manifested a talent for drawing and attended classes at the Exeter School of Art. He still continued to study art after leaving school, and gained medals and free scholarships’.

In 1864, the Exeter and Plymouth Gazette, Jan 8, 1864, contained an article about Exeter Art School, mentioning the ‘Annual General Meeting and Distribution of Prizes’ which listed John Barrett as winning a prize for ‘Shading bird from nature’.

The Western Times notes that, “When he became of age, he went to London, and studied at South Kensington and the National Gallery, but, owing to failing health, returned to North Devon and eventually settled in Plymouth.” It appears that he became a professional artist whilst in North Devon, selling one of his landscapes to a local gentleman.

Census records show that in 1871, he was living in Battersea, London, with his wife Mary. The census listed his profession as ‘Landscape artist’. By 1881 he was living in Plymouth.

His works, chiefly depicting scenes of Dartmoor, were displayed in Birmingham, Worcester, Bristol and the fine art department of the Bath and West Society. He painted in both oils and in and watercolour. One of his paintings, ‘January Sunlight’ was exhibited at the Royal Academy Summer exhibition of 1883. John’s first wife died in 1885 and he married his second wife, Annie Shilston in 1887. In 1896 he became president of the Society of Western Artists. John Barrett died on 16 June 1908 in Plymouth and is buried at Ford Park Cemetery there. Around forty paintings by John Barrett are found in the fine art collection of The Box, Plymouth.

Acknowledgements:

www.ford-park-cemetery.org
Exeter and Plymouth Gazette, Jan 8, 1864
Western Times, 19 June 1908