Wilfrid Gabriel de Glehn, R.A. (1870-1951)

During the 1930s the de Glehns rented the Old Rectory in Wilton, near Salisbury, Wiltshire, as a weekend retreat. The garden backed onto the grounds of Wilton House and the Earl of Pembroke allowed the artist complete access to paint and fish there. The Palladian Bridge over the river Nadder, which had been built in 1737 by the ninth Earl, become a favourite subject.

The de Glehns went on to purchase the Manor House in nearby Stratford Tony in 1942, after their house in Cheyne Walk was destroyed during the Blitz. After settling in Wiltshire the couple befriended a local author and artist, Guy Rawlence, who regularly painted alongside Wilfrid. De Glehn gave him the present work.