Friday 31 October - Saturday 29 November
Northwich Library, Witton Street, Northwich CW9 5DR
William Harold Hutchings was born in Toxteth Park, Liverpool in 1886. After training at the Liverpool School of Art, he is thought to have worked for the United Alkali Company based in St Helens.When he enlisted during the Great War, he was assigned to the Cheshire Regiment, but transferred to the Royal Army Medical Corps at some point. He took with him a series of sketch books and would paint and draw whenever the opportunity arose.
Many of the sketches have a vibrant and spontaneous quality depicting everyday life on the front line - sometime comic, occasionally tragic.
After the war, William worked as a clerk for Brunner Mond in Northwich, and continued to paint and draw. He was a founder member of the Northwich Society of Artists, and a member of the Crescent Players.On his death he left his sketch books to Northwich Library. They are now very fragile, and are in the care of Cheshire Records Office. This exhibition features enlarged prints of the original sketches.
Free Entry
Library Opening Hours:
Monday - Wednesday - 9.00am - 5.00pm
Thursday - Friday - 9.00am - 7.00pm
Saturday - 9.00am - 1.00pm
Sunday - Closed
The exhibition was originally shown at Weaver Hall Museum and Workhouse, with the support of Cheshire County Council and Cheshire Records Office. DAN is grateful for the loan of the exhibition.
There are also WW1 medals on display, plus model figures (courtesy of Michael Troy) and trench art (courtesy of John Knowles).
Copies of Northwich Heritage Society WW1 publications, A Call To Arms by Alan Lowe and The Lost Boys of Lostock by John Knowles are available to purchase.
Click here and here to see more on Northwich and WW1.
Northwich Guardian article here.
