As the former home of one of Kettering’s greatest artists receives a blue heritage plaque, we examine Walter Bonner Gash’s place in the town’s history and his impact on the local art scene.

This week, we were invited to the long-awaited unveiling of a blue plaque at 145 Stamford Road, Kettering – the home and workplace of Walter Bonner Gash (1869-1928). The plaque celebrates one of the town’s most influential artists, a major figure in the local art community whose work captured the changing face of Kettering.

Gash represents a period of rapid development in Edwardian Kettering, both of the town itself but also in the increased enthusiasm for art within the area. An associate of Sir Alfred East and Thomas Cooper Gotch, Gash was at the forefront of Kettering’s art movement and his artwork was there at the very beginning of the Gallery’s formation.

The new blue plaque will help to rightfully recognise his place in Kettering history, and it was an honour to be invited to attend the unveiling ceremony. Pictured left to right are Jason Pennells (Godson of Gash’s daughter, Margaret), Roslyn Beattie (owner of 145 Stamford Rd), Abigail King (carer/neighbour of Margaret Gash), and Councillor Craig Skinner (Mayor of Kettering).

Gash displayed an artistic flair from an early age and, after growing up in Lincoln and Nottingham, studied art at Ecole des Beaux Arts in Antwerp. There, his talent grew and he returned to England to embark on a career as an art teacher. He taught at Lincoln and Wellingborough, before finally settling in Kettering in 1897, where he became Art Master at Kettering Grammar School in the original building on Gold Street.

By 1905, a new organisation was formed with the aim of encouraging art in Kettering and celebrating the town’s burgeoning art scene. Gash became a founding member of Kettering & District Art Society and he drew upon his previous experience as a graphic artist when he designed the KDAS logo – an emblem that is still used today, over a century later.

With such enthusiasm for art locally, there were soon discussions around beginning a permanent collection of artworks for the people of Kettering, and later, the building of a public art gallery. Funds were soon raised and Gash’s The Connoisseur was purchased, an oil painting depicting an antique dealer working in his Gold Street shop. This painting, the very first addition to a collection that today contains almost 1,000 artworks, remains an important piece of Alfred East Gallery’s history.

After marrying Sarah Miles, a fellow teacher, Gash moved to Stamford Road in 1911, where they raised two children, Norman and Margaret. Here, he taught private art classes and continued to produce art. Gash was just as happy working with oil as he was with pastels, and equally enjoyed painting landscapes alongside intimate scenes of family life. His children often modelled for his paintings, while his other figurative work included portraits of WT Wright and Charles Wicksteed.

His landscapes depicted local scenes such as Warkton Meadows and Kettering’s Market Square, now valuable historical records of Kettering’s past. This painting, Stamford Road Estate, also part of Alfred East Gallery’s collection, shows the view from 145 Stamford Road as the town grew further, with new housing emerging after the close of World War One.

The new blue plaque on Stamford Road joins others in Kettering that honour similarly important artists in the town’s history. Gash now joins the ranks of contemporaries Sir Alfred East and Thomas Cooper Gotch (both on Lower Street), and comic artist Frank Bellamy (Bath Road).

For more information on Gash, head over to his dedicated website where you can watch an interview with Margaret Gash, recorded in 2011.