W.C. Grace (1849-1915) the great English cricketer known as the doctor shown here while visiting Norton and also enjoying a game of golf. 
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
W.C. Grace (1849-1915) the great English cricketer known as the doctor shown here while visiting Norton and also enjoying a game of golf.
Re Van Gogh”s painting of WG – the article was in the Independent”s colour supplement. I can”t remember which year, but I do remember the date. It was April 1st. It was a brilliant article and had me completely taken in. It was based on the true fact that Van Gogh did live for a while in South London.
The car looks like a Napier to me. It has a London registration mark.
Peter Weatherall Re: SHEW. Thanks for the information you are absolutely right Seaham Harbour, I have since paid a visit to the Beamish Museum to view the car, and I have got to say with a tear in my eye seeing it again after so many years and in such a sorry state, the staff at the Museum were very accommodating, and the good news is they are looking for volunteers to restore the car to it”s former glory. As they say, watch this space.
re van Gogh”s Painting of W.G. Grace I seem to remember it being published in the Independent on Sunday colour supplement in 1994 or 1995. Van Gogh apparently lodged in the pub opposite The Oval cricket ground in Kennington. I believe that the painting was found in the attic there some years later. The article suggested that it could well be genuine but experts were undecided.
The SHEW car built by the Seaham Harbour Engine Works is now in the garage showroom in the town area of Beamish Museum,it can be seen on their website together with it”s history. The registration numbers are different, but the cars look very similar.
Very interesting photograph, anyone know the identity of the gentleman in the car next to W.C.Grace, why I ask is, the car looks very much like a vehicle that was built in 1904 for Lord Londonderry by the “South Shields Engineering Works” and known as the SHEW, it was recovered in a sorry state from buildings along with another vehicle, on the Londonderry Estate in the mid 50s and rebuilt by it”s new owner, it went on to compete in the London to Brighton veteran car run but unfortunatly it did not make it to the end. The building in the background of the photograph could be one of the lodges on the estate, as for the “frog” it certainly was not sat on the front when I was in it ! I would be interested to know where the car is now, or any other information on the photograph.
We expanded the image a bit and it certainly does look like some ancestor of Kermit the Frog on the radiator. It appears to be dressed in what could be a policemans uniform and seems to be waving in a rather cavalier manner…….
Are my eyes deceiving me or is there an elf like figure sitting on top of the car”s radiator? Can anybody else make it out? I thought these figures were only found on the front of dust bin lorries!
I found an image on the Internet of W.G.Grace by Vincent Van Gogh which I gave to a pupil doing his G.C.S.E. Art and Design exam, of which the main theme was of cricket. One had to find painters” and artists” works to research. I have tried to access it again and failed miserably. It was probably a painting “in the style of”… Does anybody know where it came from? I found it in a story of W.G.Grace”s life illustrated with pictures from those times.
W C Grace was a sensational all-round cricketer
W G Grace. The Norton connection was Mr Timothy Crosby J.P of Graylands House, Norton, Solicitor and Committee member of Norton Cricket Club. A same year student and compatriot of the great “W.G”, who accepted an invitation to visit N.C.C. He stayed at Mr Crosby”s residence, Ex Earl of Stockton Hotel , Norton Road (demolished 2004). W.G played a number of exhibition games on the Norton Cricket Ground in Station Road and a photo exists of both Crosby and W.G, sitting on wicker chairs in front of Norton House on the Green on a visit in the early 1900″s.