This guest article was kindly researched and authored by our Archives Volunteer, Beth Higgins.
The Elwell Trail is a notable feature of Beverley’s town centre. With the East Riding Archive holding a collection of documents offering insight into his life, and the Beverley Art Gallery housing a collection of his original artworks, it feels fitting to take a deeper look into his life and the inspiration behind his work.
Background
Frederick (‘Fred’) William Elwell was born in Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire, in 1870. He was the son of woodcarver James Edward Elwell. Fred was brought up in Beverley and attended Beverley Grammar School.
He later studied at the Lincoln School of Art before travelling overseas to Belgium, where he became a student at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, and later studied at the Académie Julian in Paris.
Fred returned to his hometown of Beverley after living in London for a while. There, he began to establish himself as a renowned portrait artist and exhibited his work frequently. He later met his wife, a fellow talented artist, Mary Dawson Holmes (Elwell).
The couple resided in Beverley’s North Bar House for many years, where they set up their art studio. Fred used Beverley as his muse, with a particular interest in the town’s working life. In 1919, he rose to national recognition with his artwork The Beverley Arms Kitchen, which captured a glimpse of daily life for the kitchen maids. The painting was purchased by and held in the Tate Gallery in London.
Fred and Mary Elwell also ventured beyond painting Beverley. They spent time travelling around Europe together, creating beautiful scenic artworks inspired by the towns and rural landscapes of Italy and Switzerland.
Fred Elwell dedicated his life to painting, producing over 500 pieces of art. He died in Beverley in 1958, still painting just three weeks before his death.
Fred’s Artistic Legacy
Elwell’s artistic style is characterised by his use of oil paints, and he employed traditional methods that capture every intricate detail.
Elwell’s paintings often feature people and places that might otherwise be overlooked. For example, the maids and kitchen staff are brought to life in Fred’s The Beverley Arms Kitchen, which captures a glimpse of the demanding tasks these behind-the-scenes workers undertook to keep the establishment running.
The Elwell Trail
‘In Elwell’s footsteps around Beverley’ was a trail organised by Yorkshire Wolds Heritage Trust (you can see this in the Archives under the reference YB/ELW/BEV, LS1164/1). The trail was first created to commemorate the 1993 Exhibition of Fred Elwell’s artworks. Using a leaflet, visitors could take a self-guided tour of sites that inspired Fred’s art and buildings closely linked to him.
This trail has since been updated to include reproductions of his original works, displayed near Beverley’s iconic landmarks and places that inspired him. After two years of development, the current Fred Elwell art trail was launched in 2020 and is now a permanent feature of Beverley.
Today, the trail showcases 22 reproductions of original artworks by Fred, Mary, and Fred’s nephew, Kenneth Elwell, displayed throughout Beverley town centre. Many artworks appear at the very locations that inspired them. For example, Fred Elwell’s Three Maids (c.1940–1945) is displayed beside the Beverley Arms on North Bar Within, while Mary’s Beverley Minster from the Friary (1934) can be found on Friars Lane. Visitors can compare these historic scenes with their modern-day settings to see how Beverley has changed.
The Elwells Today
Fred and Mary Elwell are still recognised today as Beverley’s most influential artists. Their artworks capture the hidden treasures of the town and portray the lives of its people during the late-Victorian and Edwardian eras.
Fred and Mary’s artworks are displayed in the Beverley Art Gallery at the Champney Treasure House, which holds the world’s largest collection of Elwell originals.
For today’s viewer, it is captivating to see how life in Beverley has both changed dramatically over the past nearly- 150 years, and yet in some ways remained the same. For instance, a girl’s expression of love for her pet kitten (‘Girl with a Kitten’), or the hard work and labour that sustained the Beverley Arms business, feel timeless (Kitchen Scene in the Beverley Arms).
Fred’s artwork captures what is real and unfiltered, allowing the viewer to imagine what it was like to live in Beverley during his time.
You can read more about Fred Elwell in ‘Frederick W Elwell, R A, 1870-1958, The Beverley Artist: A Personal Study’ research notes compiled by Sarah Vodden, 1977, held by the East Riding Archives (reference DDX1893/1), and of course, see the artworks in person at the Beverley Art Gallery, Champney Treasure House, Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire.
Research article by Beth Higgins, Archives Volunteer
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