Monet and Streeton meet Windsor Bridge

Windsor is one of the 'Macquarie towns' on the Hawkesbury River created in the early 19th century by Governor Lachlan Macquarie as the foodbowl of Sydney.

 TSWB1 Windsor Bridge from western side
2013 acrylic on canvas 46 x 61cm

Available

Thompson Square, established in 1795 at the centre of Windsor, is thought to be the oldest public square in Australia.

The old Windsor Bridge was a beam bridge built in 1874 for horse-drawn vehicles.

This canvas was painted in 2013 before NSW Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) department had started work on the replacement bridge, 35 metres (115 ft) downstream from the existing bridge.

The bank on the Freeman's Reach side of the Hawkesbury, where I painted this idyllic view marks exactly where the new bridge is now situated.

I painted these scenes in jacaranda flowering season as the bluish mauves offset the bright greens of the foreground.

TSWB3 Windsor Bridge early morning from western side
2013 acrylic on canvas 46 x 61cm
Available

The old bridge is an austere construction with modestly proportioned piers and the engineering of the cross bracing  consistent with the challenges of its location.

TSWB12 View from Windsor Bridge in jacaranda season
2015 oil on canvas 25 x 51cm
Available

As you can see from the painting above, the real charm of Windsor Bridge is revealled in its river vistas.

Monet would have loved this spot. And my gallerist, on seeing these works, did ask if I'd painted them in France.

This area certainly inspired Arthur Streeton, one of the Australian Impressionists, who painted his masterpiece "The Purple Noon's Transparent Might" not far from here.

TSWB16 'Construction of the new Windsor Bridge' 2019
oil on canvas 91 x 183cm
Available

But now the timeless harmony of the sleepy river and the Georgian, Victorian and Federation architecture of Thompson Square has been surrounded by a maelstrom of excavation and construction.

Most of the old trees have now been felled.

The new bridge opened to traffic on 18th May 2020.

The new approach road rises up on a large visually intrusive embankment as it cuts a swathe  through the square.

There is now a bitter battle to save the 140 year old bridge from demolition. The RMS has stated that it will start removal in the coming months, but many would prefer the old bridge to be restored and left in situ. 

Related posts

My page of Windsor Paintings

Painting Thompson Square, Windsor

The Boiling Frog

Fish and chips

The Phantom Toll House

The Phantom Toll House

Starting "Windsor Tollhouse" 2014

oil on canvas 25 x 51cm
  Enquiries 

By noon I had finished the first small oil study and started a larger canvas to reveal the Tollhouse in the context of the surrounding landscape.
The exterior of the Tollhouse had been lovingly restored in 1997.
I had heard that a local historical society used to open it for tours, but it looks as though it has not been opened for several years at least.

Starting "Windsor Tollhouse" 2014 
oil on canvas 25 x 51cm
Enquiries 

The 1974 version of Fitzroy Bridge is the 5th incarnation of the bridge over South Creek.

Painting "Windsor Tollhouse" 2014 oil on canvas 25 x 51cm
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In contrast to the current surroundings, this 1875 photo of the Tollhouse with the "Jolly Frog"  shows  the prominent place the Jolly Frog and Toll House once played as gate posts leading into Windsor.

Painting "Windsor Tollhouse" 2014
oil on canvas 25 x 51cm
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As you can see in this photo, the Tollhouse is invisible from the main road. Unfortunately despite its site as Windsor's heritage gateway it isn't able to function as a tourist drawcard.

The bridge definitely needs to be at this level or even higher, due to frequent  flooding, so there is no easy solution to the problem of the Tollhouse.

Painting "Windsor Tollhouse" 2014
oil on canvas 25 x 51cm
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 The land is close to the river, and even more prone to flooding than the other side of the road which is slightly more elevated.

The Tollhouse is now buried deep in a hole.

"Windsor Tollhouse" 2014
oil on canvas 25 x 51cm
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In the shadow of the concrete wall, this little heritage gem stands no chance of becoming the tourist drawcard that it so richly deserves to be.

"Windsor Tollhouse" 2014
oil on canvas 25 x 51cm
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 I managed to complete  this painting by 5.30 pm.

"Windsor Tollhouse" 2014
oil on canvas 25 x 51cm
Enquiries 

What a contrast between the sensitivity of the texture of the convict cut sandstone blocks and the brutality of the concrete aggregate wall!
I think that my painting really expresses the feeling of claustrophobia given by the oppressive concrete wall looming over the Toll House.

The wall has a threatening, almost malevolent appearance, and the building seems to be in danger of being buried by it.

Related posts

• Paintings of Pink pubs - Painting the Jolly Frog Part 2
• The Boiling Frog
• Storm warning, Goat Island
• Pyrmont paintings past and present- My Exhibition in the Australian National Maritime Museum
• Another one bites the dust

Historic Sydney pub The Jolly Frog destroyed in blaze (abc.net.au)
 

See my pageof Windsor paintings

Painting Thompson Square, Windsor

Thompson Square, the oldest public town square in Australia,  is a charming and unique relic of the colonial Georgian era Sydney. It is the only town square remaining from the original five ‘Macquarie towns’ planned and designed by Governor Lachlan Macquarie.

Starting a plein air oil painting of Thompson Square, Windsor
oil on canvas 25 x 152cm
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This Precinct is listed on the Register of the National Estate, the National Trust and also on the NSW State Heritage Register as being of State heritage significance.

Starting a plein air oil painting of Thompson Square, Windsor
oil on canvas 25 x 152cm
Enquiries

Most of the buildings in Thompson Square are regarded as of crucial historical and architectural merit. 

Half-way through my plein air oil painting of
Thompson Square, Windsor
oil on canvas 25 x 152cm
Enquiries

The charm of Thompson Square is that it still retains the village square character originally intended by Macquarie.

Half-way through my plein air oil painting of
Thompson Square, Windsor
oil on canvas 25 x 152cm
Enquiries

Windsor Bridge is the oldest existing bridge crossing the Hawkesbury River. The caisson deck supports are original and over 130 years old.
It was designed by the Public Works Department and constructed, between 1872-1874, by contractors Andrew Turnbull and William K. Dixon.

Half-way through my plein air oil painting of
Thompson Square, Windsor
oil on canvas 25 x 152cm
Enquiries

A plaque that was placed on the bridge to celebrate Australia's Bicentenary quoting the then Minister for Public Works John Sutherland, who opened the bridge in 1874, states:
"I hope this bridge will last longer than the life of the youngest child who passes over it today.'

Australia's heritage.

Half-way through my plein air oil painting of
Thompson Square, Windsor
oil on canvas 25 x 152cm
Enquiries

There are so many lovely viewpoints of the bridge, park, river and Georgian architecture that I found it difficult to choose!

Half-way through my plein air oil painting of
Thompson Square, Windsor
oil on canvas 25 x 152cm
Enquiries

I decided to paint a panoramic canvas from the "Doctor's House" on the far left to the "School of Arts" building over the road on the right, with the lovely park in the centre.

Half-way through my plein air oil painting of
Thompson Square, Windsor
oil on canvas 25 x 152cm
Enquiries

The historic Windsor bridge, just to the right of the "Doctor's House" is linking the middle distance to the background, and the Hawkesbury river can just be glimpsed between the trees.

The artist painting Thompson Square, Windsor
oil on canvas 25 x 152cm
Enquiries

Painting 'en plein air' in the oldest town square in Australia. I'm following the footsteps of Arthur Streeton, who painted "the Purple Noon's Transparent might" in the Hawkesbury district.

Related posts

The Boiling Frog

 Paintings of Pink Pubs -Painting the Jolly Frog Part 2

Fish and chips

The Phantom Toll House

See my page of Windsor paintings