L S Lowry in the North East
From Berwick to Sunderland
Lowry’s first recorded visit to the North East was in the mid 1930s, when he stayed in Berwick-upon-Tweed as part of a tour to Scotland Lowry returned to Berwick many times, and liked it so much that in the 1940s he even considered buying a house there. He painted and drew many parts of the town, attracted by its narrow streets and lanes, architecture and coastal setting.
Over the years, Lowry came to have a close relationship with the North East. This grew even stronger in the 1960s following a chance visit to Sunderland. He liked it so much that the hotel became his base for the many visits he made to the region over the next 15 years. He greatly enjoyed exploring the rivers, coast and the countryside of Northumberland and County Durham as well as industrial towns such as Newcastle, Middlesbrough, Stockton and Hartlepool.
‘I like Sunderland because of the shipping and shipbuilding and the countryside at the back … I like the sea. I sometimes escape to Sunderland. I get away from art and artists.’