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'London from Charlton'
This graphite drawing is inscribed ‘London from Charlton’, in the bottom left corner, and depicts several vessels on the Thames, possibly viewed from a creek or inlet. Three figures are visible on the near bank, as various vessels, including a paddle steamer, make their way into the distance. Smoke billows from chimneys on either side of the water, alongside buildings, churches and distant masts.
Part of Kent until 1855, Charlton sits between Greenwich and Woolwich facing what is now Silvertown. The area began to undergo significant industrialisation in the early 1850s with Royal Victoria Dock opening in 1855, and ironworks and manufacturing plants replacing the marshland. Bow Creek, which might be pictured here, was a popular fishing location and the ‘Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company’ had established a successful shipyard in the area building steamships.
This drawing is part of an album containing thirty-six drawings (PAG3476–PAG3511) by Harry Edmund Edgell (1809–1876), dated between 1851 and 1852. During this time, Edgell was living in Torquay, Devon, with his wife Caroline, with whom he had a daughter in June 1852. Edgell entered the Royal Naval College in 1821 and was involved in forcing the passage of the Bocca Tigris in China while serving as Lieutenant on HMS ‘Imogene’ in the 1830s. He became Captain in 1846 and commanded HMS ‘Siren’, in which he assisted in the removal of the sculptured remains of the Tomb of Mausolus (Canning Marbles) from Bodrum Castle, Asia Minor (now Türkiye), to the British Museum. After returning from the Mediterranean in 1847, Edgell did not serve on board a ship again until 1855. This sketchbook primarily contains landscapes and coastal scenes depicting everyday life in and around Devon. Some of the later pages depict places in China and other locations in Asia, suggesting Edgell may have used this album outside of the dates recorded. The final page contains a note in Edgell’s hand, titled ‘India’, recording the details of six ships involved in the Second Anglo-Burmese War, which began in April 1852.
Part of Kent until 1855, Charlton sits between Greenwich and Woolwich facing what is now Silvertown. The area began to undergo significant industrialisation in the early 1850s with Royal Victoria Dock opening in 1855, and ironworks and manufacturing plants replacing the marshland. Bow Creek, which might be pictured here, was a popular fishing location and the ‘Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company’ had established a successful shipyard in the area building steamships.
This drawing is part of an album containing thirty-six drawings (PAG3476–PAG3511) by Harry Edmund Edgell (1809–1876), dated between 1851 and 1852. During this time, Edgell was living in Torquay, Devon, with his wife Caroline, with whom he had a daughter in June 1852. Edgell entered the Royal Naval College in 1821 and was involved in forcing the passage of the Bocca Tigris in China while serving as Lieutenant on HMS ‘Imogene’ in the 1830s. He became Captain in 1846 and commanded HMS ‘Siren’, in which he assisted in the removal of the sculptured remains of the Tomb of Mausolus (Canning Marbles) from Bodrum Castle, Asia Minor (now Türkiye), to the British Museum. After returning from the Mediterranean in 1847, Edgell did not serve on board a ship again until 1855. This sketchbook primarily contains landscapes and coastal scenes depicting everyday life in and around Devon. Some of the later pages depict places in China and other locations in Asia, suggesting Edgell may have used this album outside of the dates recorded. The final page contains a note in Edgell’s hand, titled ‘India’, recording the details of six ships involved in the Second Anglo-Burmese War, which began in April 1852.
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