"Old Scobie", subtitled "The Churchwarden" when displayed, by Robert Taylor Pritchett (1828–1907). 1868. Pen-and-ink. Shown at the "Drawing Esher" exhibition of R. T. Pritchett's pen-and-ink drawings, held at the Civic Offices in Esher, Surrey, 31 January - 21 September 2023. [Click on the image to enlarge it.]
"Old Scobie" was the churchwarden of St George's, Esher, since the pulpit with its square sounding board, and the beams above it, match those shown here. "Old Scobie" looks earnest and, with his pince-nez, rather old-fashioned, even for those days. This seems appropriate for this little old Tudor church, only recently (in 1854) replaced by the new Christ Church, Esher, designed by the architect Benjamin Ferrey, not much more than a stone's-throw away. Pritchett would point up the contrast when sketching the interior of this "new church" from a particularly impressive vantage point. Still, there is something in "Old Scobie" of nostalgia for the old building, the old ways.
Photograph, text and formatting by Jacqueline Banerjee; photograph reproduced here by kind permission of Elmbridge Museum and the Civic Offices, Esher.
Bibliography
"Robert Taylor Pritchett Sketch." Elmbridge Museum. https://elmbridgemuseum.org.uk/objects-in-focus/robert-taylor-pritchett-sketch/
Created 10 September 2023