Original painting by Ross Eccles
Size & Type
61 x 51 cm (24 x 20 inches) - Pen and acrylic on canvas board
About the Artwork
Burnley developed rapidly during the Industrial Revolution. Particularly along the banks of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal after it was constructed in the 1790's. Wool weaving gave way to cotton weaving, particularly when imports of baled cotton resumed after the American Civil War. Bales of cotton were firstly shipped by horse-drawn barge. With the development of steam boilers, steam barges transported coal on the canal system from local mines until supplies ran out. The rail system then took over for supply & deliveries further afield. The use of the canal system then went into rapid decline.
Numerous chimneys belched smoke polluting the already damp atmosphere. Streets were cobbled, gas lamps lit the streets and pavements were laid with stone slabs of millstone grit. Electric Trams were operated by Burnley Corporation Tramways from 1901 to 1935 with the tram-tracks laid in the cobbled streets, ready to unseat the unwary cyclist!
Ross says that creating this painting was a new departure for him, as he used no colour except for the signature. He deliberately set about capturing the bleak grey/black atmosphere which he clearly remembers from his East Lancashire childhood.