Thomas Hearne (1744-1817)

Furness Abbey is a former Cistercian monastry, which was founded in 1123 by Stephen, Count Blois, and built entirely out of local red sandstone. Hearne visited Furness Abbey during his tour of the Lake District in 1777, in the company of Sir George Beaumont and Joseph Farington. Hearne's careful drawing and fine textual touches are exactly what established him as one of the most charming topographers of the 18th Century. Another watercolour of The West Aspect of Furness Abbey, Cumberland, is in the collection of Dove Cottage and the Wordsworth Museum.