Art of the State: Chester: Grosvenor Museum.

Art For years, my annual Christmas shopping ritual was to visit Chester, Manchester, Southport, Formby and Cheshire Oaks.  But thanks to my monthly visits to London and each losing their distinctiveness, I've visited some of these places less and less.  But I've stuck with Chester which has tended to survive intact, dodging somewhat the destruction of the high street.  Not any more.  Rather like a more picturesque Stoke, large sections of the shopping areas are now filled with vacancies and businesses which have been in situ for decades have slowly disappeared.  Although some places have demolished old stock and started again, Chester doesn't have that option.  So what will they do about such places as the block of shops opposite the cathedral which used to house some wonderful jewelry and sweets?  All is not completely lost.  A new vinyl shop has opened just around the corner from here selling new releases and back catalogue at premium prices but how long will that survive?

Access To Collection.

The Museum is open Monday to Saturday 10.30am–5pm, 1pm-4pm on Sundays.  The Grosvenor hasn't changed much since my visit for the last project over ten years ago. The paintings are still displayed between the three areas, the lecture theatre, stairwell and room on the first floor. There hasn't been a significant rehang, although the lecture theatre now contains work by more contemporary local artists, a rather strange portrait of HRH The Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester by Tom Wood has been given pride of place in the main display room (he "re-opened" the museum after refurbishment in 1992) and the still fabulous depictions of workers at Williams & Williams, purveyors of cast iron window frames have been moved to the help yourself tea room in the ground floor of the adjoining 22 Castle Street, a National Trust-style recreation of a 17th century home (currently decorated with trees and tinsel ready for Christmas).

Collection Focus.



Painted and acquired since my original visit, Francis Mullen's Ferris Wheel, Chester, Christmas 2010 captures the town in its ideal state, snow on the ground, grey skies, winter clothing, ancient buildings behind the city wall and lighting and an incongruous object.  Somehow, I'd completely forgotten that the wheel had been in place at the beginning of the decade, but this isn't an imagined scene.  Here's a photograph of a similar scene from an angle behind the spire of St Mary's Church.  Here's how Chester News covered the announcement of the event.  Mullen himself donated the painting to the Museum in 2013 and he goes into some depth on his methodology in this interview which also includes a brief biography.  This is his only painting on the Art UK website.  Most recently around Christmas time, this is how I imagine Chester will be, which is why I keep returning each year despite my increasing levels of disappointment and probably still will.