In October 2024 we were sent a copy of a painting by Frederick Waters Watts (1800-1870).
Ivan Cane sent us this image in the hope we might be of help identifying it.
He is trying to look at all of the pictures of staunches and name/identify them this is of a staunch on the Little Ouse, which has turned up in a few places on canal websites.
It has been suggested that the picture in question could be of Santon Staunch with the lock house and St Helens Church in the background.
He is attempting to see if it could be a pre 1820’s picture.
However, no staunch pictures show such a primitive structure as in this painting by. This could be for one of two reasons, first, artistic licence (Constable was good with that when painting River Stour lock lintels!) to simplify things. Second – and this is the more exciting, and hopeful outcome, that this was a painting of the first staunch at Santon, i.e. pre-1820. Although there are records that Little Ouse Staunches were built in the eighteenth century, there is no record of their construction, nor pictures/drawings so this could be a picture of such a structure.
One aspect that may be of use is that of the house ,also in the picture. (map attached from 1881) . What was this house – and of more importance – when was it built? The map may suggest that it was related to the navigation.
Many postcards are “variable” in their accuracy e.g. a couple are labelled Brandon – but they are of different staunches – one of which is believed to be Santon.
If you have any thoughts/clues to this mystery please contact us.
