Dame Laura Knight Society
Winter Newsletter
December 2025
As the frosty mornings and dark evenings settle upon us, winter has truly arrived, but we bring you glad tidings with this Winter Edition of the Dame Laura Knight Society Newsletter. Member, Alan Seddon, has discovered the answer to a question many of us may have asked about Laura’s painting style; Virginia Seddon reveals the exciting refurbishment of Laura’s much-loved hotel – the Colwall Park; and Heather Whatley brings us up-to-date with the Society’s ambitious DLK Sculpture Project. But we begin with a fascinating article by member, Kerry Foley, who has a unique insight into Laura Knight’s connection with the circus.
The Grand Parade, Charivari oil on canvas 1928 Newport Art Gallery
Most of the characters depicted in this painting can be identified by name and include the clown Whimsical Walker (Thomas Walker, 1851–1934) at the centre, the clown Joe Craston behind him, and the terrier ‘Blinkers’ sitting between his legs.
Here is Kerry’s article:
It is well documented that Dame Laura Knight had a strong passion for the circus world. Alongside the ballet and the theatre, it is an artform that gave her much source of inspiration. Her work in this area is extensive. From sketches made of artistes at their daily life and work, to elaborate paintings of animals and performers both in the ring and backstage. It is clear that Dame Laura was fascinated by all aspects of this unique world.
Photograph from private collection of Togare who presented the lions at Carmo’s and Bertram Mills Circus and sketches of Togare by Laura Knight
My own journey with Dame Laura Knight began in Blackpool in 1995. I was playing the trombone in the show band at the famous Blackpool Tower Circus, a glorious purpose-built circus building designed by Frank Matcham, the renowned theatre designer. At the end of the show, the circus ring sinks to form an artificial lake complete with dancing fountains. Rather spectacular!
During the season, I formed a close friendship with the aerialist in the show. In his caravan hung a print of Dame Laura’s ‘Charivari’ painting. My friend explained who some of the performers in the painting were, names I had heard of, that had now passed into circus legend. I had known of Dame Laura Knight and the fact that she had painted circus pictures, but seeing this painting intrigued me enough to want to know more about the artist, and her involvement in circus life.
As a child, I had enjoyed a hybrid of an upbringing, straddled between the suburban life of the Black Country, and conversely, the rich, eclectic life of the circus world. My parents had met at Dudley Hippodrome during the panto season where my mother danced, and my father looked after the ponies that pulled Cinderella’s fairytale coach. My father had already developed a passion for the circus world and had become close friends with many circus people. By the time I came along, these friendships were well established, and thus, with our trusty but small caravan, we often escaped the industrial Midlands, spending weekends and holidays with travelling circuses.
My early years felt somewhat of a double life, one where my school friends and teachers would listen in disbelief on a Monday morning, as my five-year-old self engaged them with tales of trapeze artiste aunties, and uncles who had pet elephants. My childhood social circle consisted of friends from school, and the circus children I played with whilst away in our caravan, many of whom were from foreign lands and only spoke a few words of English.
It was perhaps inevitable that having been introduced to the circus at a tender age, it would become a firm interest for me. Subsequently, all I wanted to do in my life was to be a part of this world. Indeed, the sawdust was already in my blood.
Thus, I grew up and found a way to work in the circus myself, first of all playing the trombone in circus bands, and subsequently learning and performing a circus act of my own. I became involved in the administration of circuses and became a dab hand at ‘pulling down’ and ‘building up’ the tent and equipment, as well as driving my caravan from town to town.
A travelling circus operates as a small portable village, whose inhabitants are drawn from many nationalities. Even though they speak different languages, they have a common purpose that is the circus. All the artistes and workers caravans are parked in a semi-circle around the circus tent, thus surrounding their focal point; the circus ring.
I am convinced that Dame Laura would have been fascinated by this community. Indeed, following her early encounter with a travelling circus, Laura writes, ‘I must put everything else on one side and join this wandering city, complete in itself.’ (‘Oil Paint and Grease Paint’ Third Volume).
However, it appears that Laura’s own involvement with the circus began in shows presented in buildings, rather than a traditional circus tent. One Christmas time, a Paddington Station railway porter who was helping Laura lift her luggage into a taxi, suggested that if she wanted to ‘see an old-fashioned circus’ she should ‘go to the Agricultural Hall at Islington.’ She went there the following evening, and arranged with the circus proprietor, Mr. Swallow, that she could have the freedom to work at the back of the ring. So began Laura’s adventures with the circus.
The following Christmas she went to Bertram Mills Circus at Olympia. The Mills’ shows have become the stuff of legend in the circus world and are still talked about today. The Mills organisation operated at a very high standard throughout the years, firstly with their Christmas circuses in the huge Olympia hall in London, and afterwards with their travelling circus. The artistes who worked there were the crème de la crème of the circus world at that time. Laura became friends with Bertram Mills, and this circus, its people and animals became the subjects of a great deal of her work.
The ‘Charivari’ painting that had originally sparked my interest, was inspired by the artistes working with Bertram Mills Circus. It has a dreamlike quality. The range of acts depicted would never be seen in a single circus ring simultaneously, and yet here they all are, placed together to form a composition that leads the onlooker into a fantasy world of a surreal circus dream. It was a departure for Laura and was the result of a commission from fellow circus enthusiast Major Evelyn Atherley, who it appears was keen to capture all the things he loved about this particular circus, and its artistes in one painting.
The annual Bertram Mills Christmas circuses at Olympia attracted huge audiences with the hall seating 7000 spectators. The royal family regularly attended, and Sir Winston Churchill also visited. The luncheon that was provided by the Mills organisation at the gala opening of the Olympia circuses, was attended by the social and political glitterati of the day. Dame Laura was amongst them of course.
I was very fortunate to have Harold Jones as my Godfather. Harold was a Vice President of the Circus Fans Association and regularly attended Bertram Mills Circus as well as countless others. Upon his passing he bequeathed to me his beloved and historically significant circus collection. Several of the items I have mention Dame Laura, putting her front and centre of the circus world at that time.
In my personal collection, I have a table plan card and menu from the luncheon held on Friday 17th Dec 1954, to celebrate the opening of the Bertram Mills Christmas Circus at Olympia. The Lord Mayor of London attended, as did numerous other dignitaries. Dame Laura is seated on table 9, (of a total of 54 tables), along with the Hon. Michael Berry, Sir Godfrey Ince, Major General Sir Guy Salisbury-Jones, Sir Frank Newsome, as well as their respective wives.
The Circus Fans Association began around the time of the Olympia circuses. Dame Laura was an active member. She held the positions of President and Vice President and also contributed articles to the association’s magazine. I have in my collection many editions of ‘The Sawdust Ring’ magazine, the ‘official organ’ of the Circus Fans Association. The Christmas 1934 edition features an article written by Dame Laura, entitled ‘The Circus Comes to Town.’ She describes her time spent at Olympia, making mention of her much-valued friendship with Whimsical Walker, the clown who features in the blue costume, in the foreground in ‘Charivari.’
As well as enjoying the London circuses, Dame Laura spent time with travelling circuses too. Bertram Mills teamed up with Fred Carmo to create a touring circus. Dame Laura was keen to join them. Mr Mills offered his own living wagon for Dame Laura to reside in. However, not wanting her status to be perceived alongside management level, she opted instead to live with two of her friends, Joe and Ally Bert. Joe had been a star acrobat and was now working as a clown. He is depicted in Laura’s works, and he and Ally became lifelong friends of Dame Laura’s.
I am still very active in the circus world, and I know that Dame Laura is still very much remembered and discussed. She is always talked about with much reverence and respect. I know many remain interested in her art, and the contribution she made in documenting circus life so brilliantly. She was a genuine friend of the circus.
Kerry Foley
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The Society’s archive has been recently meticulously catalogued, and Alan Seddon has unearthed a very interesting article about the development of Laura Knight’s technique in painting. Here is Alan’s article:
Laura and Harold Knight Painting Techniques
When I first read Oil Paint and Grease Paint, I was a little puzzled by Laura’s comments that she and Harold did not look or comment on each other’s works until they were complete.
After our Society’s visit to Staithes last year the curator of Staithes Museum, Rosie Barnes, very kindly, sent us a copy of an article written in 1977 about Laura and Harold’s time in Staithes. Its author was Peter Phillips and was entitled Early Days and Hard Times in Staithes. In it he reconstructed Laura and Harold Knight’s years at the artists’ colony in this Yorkshire fishing village. It is indeed a fascinating read and is of course now included in our Archive.
However, I have extracted some sections to repeat here as they are relevant to my introduction above.
At the time Laura started at the local College of Art (Nottingham), Harold was already established as the outstanding pupil and winner of many prizes, both at Nottingham and London. On one occasion he is reputed to have hired a barrow to take his prizes home!
Harold knew Laura’s elder sister and at first was tolerant of the young girl student who cheekily positioned her easel close to his in order blatantly to study and copy his technique. He soon realised not only that Laura must establish her own style of painting but that he needed to be unhindered in order to create his own best work.
The difference in their attitude to painting existed over a long period and during their long life together they usually occupied separate studios. Even in the early years at Staithes during their courtship and marriage, Harold refused to discuss painting technique and their individual works with Laura. He had established his own style which was to produce a successful career and eventual election to the Royal Academy. Laura took longer to develop and had a tendency to be influenced by, and copy, other painters’ techniques.
Their early years at Staithes were financially perhaps the worst of their lives. Their poverty was, however, shared by most of the younger members of the Group. There was a constant need to search for new accommodation, dictated by the state of their finances.
Harold shared lodgings with Fred Mayor and Arthur Friedenson. Both were helpful to the young couple and, in contrast to Harold, were willing to aid Laura’s development. Mayor introduced Laura to his technique of sketching and Friedenson gave Laura one of his own commissions which was her first paid work. They also shared a studio with Fred Jackson, who also helped Laura.
However, most important of all was her meeting with Charles Mackie, the Scottish artist, at a hockey match between the Staithes Group and the locals at Hinderwell. They soon established a unique relationship and every Wednesday he would walk the 3 1⁄2 miles from his lodgings to Staithes to give Laura lessons. She never forgot his help and kindness and always acknowledged the debt she owed to this fine painter. He cured her of the habit of copying other artists’ techniques and urged her to develop her own style through painting what she saw in nature with her own eyes.
Peter Phillips was a director in Phillips and Son, a gallery in Marlow, Bucks.
I think his above reconstruction illuminates the development of Laura into the exceptional painter she became and her use of different media and styles.
Note on ‘Packing Fish on the Quay at Staithes’. Few of Laura Knight’s early Staithes works survive. What remains shows the strong influences of Harold’s work particularly in her use of rather scenographic compositions, brown underpainting and monotone. However, her use of warm orange-reds and strong contours was probably influenced by Charles Mackie, who instructed her on colour theory, and whose own work was informed by his exposure to the Nabis artists in Brittany.
Alan Seddon
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Laura and Harold Knight settled at Colwall Park Hotel 1943-44 (moving there from British Camp Hotel following a disagreement with the owner) and they divided their time between London and Malvern until 1961 when Harold died at Colwall Park Hotel.
Some of you may be aware that the hotel is under new ownership and Society member, Virginia Seddon, reports below on the recent refurbishment:
Opening of the Newly Refurbished Colwall Park Hotel
Alan and I were privileged to attend the official opening of the refurbishment of the Colwall Park Hotel on Thursday 20th November, representing the Dame Laura Knight Society committee.
We met with the new owner, Darren, six weeks ago and talked him through Laura’s rise to fame. On acquiring the hotel, he had been captivated by the green plaque adorning the entrance and was keen to develop the connection with his design advisor, herself an artist.
The transformed reception area now prominently displays a copy of ‘Sundown over Malvern Hills’
Additionally, a dedicated private dining room that seats 10 has been transformed to replicate an artist’s studio to honour Dame Laura’s past presence and long standing involvement with Colwall Park Hotel.
Dotted around the new bar area and other hospitality rooms were many examples of her work and photographs of her and Harold.
We were treated as guests of honour with pictures, including an original sketch, purchased by the hotel being unveiled.
The local press was represented as well.
You should all go and see it for yourselves. It’s an experience not to be missed, on your doorstep, and with an incredible vibe.
Virginia Seddon
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Laura Knight Sculpture Project Update
The sculpture subcommittee has been working hard since late 2024. We have found an excellent artist blacksmith, Andrew Findlay, who works in Eastnor and whom Peter Smith recommended. Andrew has designed for us a raised wall plaque, based on DLK’s original woodcut which you must recognise, and the Committee has approved his design.
Heather Whatley, Gwyn Klee, Michael Johnson, Clive Hooper
Dec 2025
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Round up of other Society News
Mini-break holiday in the Nottingham area is in the planning stage and we shall bring you firm details as soon as we can. It is likely to be mid-May 2026, a 2-night mini-break. An interesting itinerary is guaranteed!
A Lecture by Tim Batchelor, Assistant Curator, Tate Britain
It was a pleasure to welcome assistant curator of Tate Britain, Tim Batchelor, as our speaker at the Autumn in Malvern Art Lecture in October. Tim brought to life the exhibition he jointly curated: ‘Now You See Us: Women Artists in Britain 1520-1920’. Tim generously shared his exceptional knowledge and spoke with genuine enthusiasm about not only the work of the forgotten women artists but also of their social history and some behind the scenes stories of preparing for the ambitious exhibition. The venue – Studio One, Malvern Theatre – provided comfortable seating and state of the art sound and vision for a full house of 100 people.
There is an exciting addition to the wonderful collection of Newlyn Art at Penlee House Gallery, Penzance: ‘Topping Carrots’ Laura Knight c.1904 bequeathed by Fay Juliet Huleatt-Boyd. Previously in a private collection, this is the first time the painting has been seen in a public gallery.
This delicate mixed media work on paper depicts a woman in a rural interior engrossed in her daily work. The presence of wooden clogs helps date the piece to the Knights visit to Laren, Holland, 1904-1907.
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Future Programme
- Saturday 14th March 2026 A talk by art historian Alice Foster ‘Women at Work’. Colwall Village Hall 3pm Tickets: £7 members £10 non-members on the door
- Saturday 27th June 2026 A talk by art historian David Tovey ‘Lamorna Birch: his life and works and connection with the Knights’.Colwall Village Hall 3pm Tickets: £7 members £10 non-members on the door
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News of Laura Knight’s work recently sold at auction
Around 40 DLK items have come up at auction over the past six months. Most were sketches and smaller pieces. Only 3 or 4 were major works.
Dame Laura Knight (1877-1970) for Clarice Cliff, a pair of ‘Circus’ pattern cups and saucers, 1934, Cheffins Cambridge, United Kingdom October 23, 2025
Est: £200 – £300 Sold: £440
Make-up (Dressing Room) 1959
Oil and black chalk on canvas 50.8 x 60.9cm
Christies 3 December 2025
Est: £15,000 – £25,000
SOLD £40,640
Theatre Wardrobe 1948
Oil on canvas 96x65cm
Christies 3 December 2025
Est. £25,000 – £35,000
SOLD £31,750
LAURA KNIGHT RA (BRITISH 1877-1970)
RAINBOW OVER THE MALVERN HILLS
signed Laura Knight lower right
watercolour and charcoal on paper
30 x 46cm; 11 3/4 x 18in
54.5 x 70cm; 21 1/2 x 27 1/2in (framed)
Fine Paintings, Works on Paper and Sculpture
December 10, 12:00 PM GMT 2025
Olympia Auctions, London
Est: £1,500 GBP – £2,500 GBP
SOLD £6,000
And finally, market news of Dod Procter, close friend of Laura Knight and fellow Newlyn artist.
Dod Procter R.A (1890-1972)
Girl in her Petticoat 68.6 x 43.2cm
Soared past its estimate of £15,000 – £20,000
SOLD £406,800
Bonhams ‘Blazing a Trail: Modern British Women’ auction 22 September 2025
Painted in 1928, ‘Girl in her Petticoat’ is a defining example of the intimate, luminous portraits for which Dod Procter became renowned. The sitter, local fishing girl Cissie Barnes, also posed for other works by Procter, including her celebrated ‘Morning’ (1927).
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We are most grateful for your support as a member of the Dame Laura Knight Society and always welcome your comments and information on any matters concerning Laura and Harold Knight.
We send you our very best wishes for the festive period and look forward to welcoming you at an event soon.
Evie Knight (Chair) and DLKS Committee
Winter 2023:
Previous newsletters:
Newsletter – December 2021
Newsletter – December 2018