Guildford Snippets No. 26

Published on: 7 Jul, 2019
Updated on: 7 Jul, 2019

By Nick Bale Guildford Town Guides

John Russell, the famous 18th-century artist born and brought up in Guildford, is far less well known than his contemporary and rival Sir Joshua Reynolds. The two men knew each other well but it seems they were very different characters.

The 18th-century Artist John Russell.

Russell was a married man with large family who was reported to be an excellent self-publicist. Reynolds on the other hand was a quiet personality who never married.

Several of Russell’s pastel paintings and prints will be on display at a free exhibition, People and Places, at Guildford House in a few weeks time. One of the highlights will be a mini-display of Russell’s portraits of his family and in-laws illustrating the story of his home life. This free exhibition will run from July 20 to September 22, and is highly recommended as an opportunity to see some of his most attractive portraits on public display.

My question for you this time is therefore about John Russell.

Russell became acquainted with some of the great scientists of his day, including William Herschell, the astronomer, and Sir Joseph Banks, who encouraged him to take an interest in astronomy of our solar system. To which celestial object did Russell subsequently dedicate 30 years of study?

If you want to find out more about John Russell and other artists associated with Guildford, the Art and Artists guided walk will be held this Tuesday, July 9 at 2.30pm, starting in front of the Guildhall.

In the next few weeks, there will be walks on Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons, such as Hidden Guildford, Leading Lights (booking required) as well as several Guildford Story walks.

Information on our programme is available from the Guildford Tourist Information Centre or at www.guildfordwalks.org.uk.

For those interested in the answer to Snippet No. 25, the answer I was looking for is Queen Catherine of Braganza. The (Queen’s) Royal Regiment of Tangier was originally raised to garrison the city of Tangiers (now in Morocco) that came with the dowry of Catherine of Braganza when she married King Charles II in 1662.

I noted that the royal wedding took place in Portsmouth, so I wonder whether the royal couple passed through Guildford after the wedding nuptials.

Many thanks to John Lomas for his reply, and for drawing attention to other royal princesses and queens linked with the regiment in subsequent centuries.

If you have questions or wonder what the town was like in the past, come and join one of our free guided walks.