Pickle Herring Street

Noel Spencer was a prolific artist who depicted numerous London scenes. Born and raised in Lancashire, he studied at the Royal College of Art during the 1920s. In a career spanning almost forty years, Spencer taught in Birmingham, Sheffield and Huddersfield. He was Head of Norwich School of Art for nearly twenty years, where his memory has been honoured with the annual Noel Spencer Award for Painting.

This painting shows a narrow street in Southwark at a time when the district was ceasing to be an area of working wharves and warehouses. One of several views of this part of London by the artist, the image focuses on two warehouses linked by bridges. A sign in the middle ground warns of cranes, which can be seen over the roofs of the buildings. In the foreground, a solitary man is standing on the street corner, next to a bollard.

This is one of five tempera paintings which the artist gave to the Museum in 1981.