As outlined in my recent post ‘Mend the cracks with gold’, give 30 artists a blank canvas in the shape of a carousel horse and they will paint 30 totally different designs. Many have taken inspiration from Burton connections and Rebecca Morledge has done this most successfully with her ‘Lowrey’s Burton.
Artist L S Lowrey frequently travelled to Burton in the 1960s to visit his friend and loyal patron Dr Hugh Maitland, a retired Manchester University professor and amateur painter. From Dr Maitland’s home in Rowbury Drive Lowry often took the short walk across Ashby Road to The Waterloo where he enjoyed a pint of Bass, claiming that it didn’t taste the same anywhere else.
Lowry produced several sketches and paintings in Burton. The most well known one is The Crossing, depicting a brewery train and level crossing gates in High Street. As he would travel to Burton by train it seems doubly appropriate that this carousel horse is outside the railway station.
Rebecca’s horse, based on The Crossing, certainly captures the Lowry style in this 1961 busy street scene. However, is it just me or can anyone else see three figures in the bottom left hand corner staring at their mobile phones as they walk 2022 style in this final photo!
John's Postcards 
As lovely as her paintings are nobody can replicate Lowry. Lovely post John
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I love Lowry’s paintings. Yes, well spotted! They look exactly like social media addicts! 😂
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Love this!
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Thank you for this lovely blog post John, it was a pleasure and honour to paint this carousel horse for the art trail. I have loved Lowry’s paintings for a long time but didn’t realise he had such a close link to Burton until I started researching ideas for my design! I know it doesn’t have a patch on Lowry but I hope I captured a bit of a Lowry feel, enough to recognise it anyway and yes there are people on their phones, I imagine if Lowry were still painting today that’s exactly what he would include 😊
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Rebecca, it’s stunning and definitely captures the spirit.
Greetings from a fellow Pony artist 🙂
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Thank you ❤️
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Thanks Rebecca, and also for confirming the mobile phones. Yes I am sure Lowry would have included them had they been around in his time. Incidentally those level crossing gates are in use as a fence at a farm on the outskirts of Burton.
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Superb, and well done Rebecca. Thanks for sharing this with us John. At least Rebecca has spared us the hoodies!
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Don’t give her any ideas!
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