Doncaster Civic Trust marks anniversary with unveiling of historic portrait
The newly restored painting was unveiled to mark the occasion
Doncaster Civic Trust has marked its 80th anniversary with the unveiling of a restored portrait of one of the city’s former mayors.
The rare 19th-century portrait of William Sheardown was unveiled as historian Dr John Goodall delivered a keynote address on Britain’s architectural heritage to mark eight decades of the organisation.
The special exhibition at the Danum Gallery, Library and Museum saw Civic Mayor of Doncaster, Coun Jackie Dudley, unveil the painting.
The exhibition was formally opened earlier in the morning by Dr Goodall, Architectural Editor of Country Life magazine, a post he has held for nearly twenty years.
The portrait, painted by Doncaster artist William Beetham, was restored by Sheffield-based conservators Critchlow and Kukkonen, in a project part-funded by Doncaster Civic Trust and the Friends of Doncaster Museums.
Neil McGregor of DGLAM supported the project throughout, and the restoration has returned the painting to how it would have looked almost 150 years ago.
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“It is a great pleasure to be here today to unveil this beautifully restored portrait of William Sheardown, a former Mayor of this borough,” said the Civic Mayor of Doncaster, Cllr Jackie Dudley.
“On behalf of the people of Doncaster, I would like to thank the Doncaster Civic Trust and the Friends of Doncaster Museums most warmly for generously supporting the restoration of a rare portrait by a notable Doncaster artist.”
“The Civic Trust marks eighty years of work in our town — eighty years of campaigning to conserve what matters from our past while helping to shape what Doncaster becomes in the future,” the Civic Mayor continued. “Since 1946, the Trust has been a quiet but constant champion of this borough’s heritage, and today’s unveiling is a wonderful example of exactly that spirit in action.”
Following a buffet lunch, Dr Goodall returned in the afternoon to give a wider address at the neighbouring venue, The Point, on the state of Britain’s architectural heritage.
He reflected on the tension between conservation, economic pressure and inevitable change — from the VAT disparity that taxes repairs to listed buildings while exempting new-build development, to the loss of the modest, “second-rate” buildings that give historic landmarks their surrounding context and texture.