Now I like the way that stories come back, and so it is with one I did on the local artist, Bert Woodcock which I wrote back in 2016.*
I knew Bert and Doris Woodcock but only to nod to and pass the odd comment.
They lived on Beaumont Road directly behind us.
I must confess to my shame I made little effort to get to know them, but these were the years when the children were growing up and with a busy day job lots rather passed me by.
And so, it was a chance conversation with Alan which made me think of them again and the revelation that Bert was an artist who exhibited locally.
I went looking for a reference to his work but drew a blank but given that he was also a commercial artist I suspected in time I would find at least one picture.
And this week Robert Fleming got in touch, with, “Hi Andrew. I recently came across your blog and noticed you had written one about my late 'uncle Bert'.
He was my mother’s uncle (my grandmothers’ brother) but he was always known to myself and sister as uncle Bert and we would visit regularly in Chorlton.
I have numerous pieces of his artwork and knowledge of his life passed on by my Mother and grandmother.
Happy to chat if you want to do a follow up as well as share his artwork.... a lot of which is owned by me, but none of it local.
He led an interesting life and would be nice to see him memorialized as I have such fond memories of him.
His real name was J H Woodcock by the way but known as Bert. As you said in your blog, he was a commercial artist and painted for catalogues and such in the days when it was cheaper to pay illustrators than it was to take photos.
He was a soldier, a diehard City fan, very deeply religious and a freemason. He led an interesting life and I would await his illustrated cards every birthday as a child”.
All of which means that I am sure there will be follow up stories from Robert on Bert.
Location; Chorlton
Pictures; paintings by Bert Woodcock, date unknown, courtesy of Robert Fleming
*Looking for lost forgotten local Chorlton artists ................ Mr. Bert Woodcock and J Montgomery, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/search?q=bert+woodcock
They lived on Beaumont Road directly behind us.
I must confess to my shame I made little effort to get to know them, but these were the years when the children were growing up and with a busy day job lots rather passed me by.
And so, it was a chance conversation with Alan which made me think of them again and the revelation that Bert was an artist who exhibited locally.
I went looking for a reference to his work but drew a blank but given that he was also a commercial artist I suspected in time I would find at least one picture.
And this week Robert Fleming got in touch, with, “Hi Andrew. I recently came across your blog and noticed you had written one about my late 'uncle Bert'.
He was my mother’s uncle (my grandmothers’ brother) but he was always known to myself and sister as uncle Bert and we would visit regularly in Chorlton.
I have numerous pieces of his artwork and knowledge of his life passed on by my Mother and grandmother.
Happy to chat if you want to do a follow up as well as share his artwork.... a lot of which is owned by me, but none of it local.
His real name was J H Woodcock by the way but known as Bert. As you said in your blog, he was a commercial artist and painted for catalogues and such in the days when it was cheaper to pay illustrators than it was to take photos.
He was a soldier, a diehard City fan, very deeply religious and a freemason. He led an interesting life and I would await his illustrated cards every birthday as a child”.
All of which means that I am sure there will be follow up stories from Robert on Bert.
Location; Chorlton
Pictures; paintings by Bert Woodcock, date unknown, courtesy of Robert Fleming
*Looking for lost forgotten local Chorlton artists ................ Mr. Bert Woodcock and J Montgomery, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/search?q=bert+woodcock
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