Oswald Couldrey 1882 - 1958

His Abingdon watercolours form an important documentary record of the town's history showing detailed studies of Abingdonians going about their daily lives in the 1930's and 40's. Indeed he captures the essence of life in a small market town.

Site Under Development:

The purpose of this site is to encourage interest in both Oswald and Abingdon

Abingdon Artist

Conduit Road 1937-42

By the kind permission of Abingdon Town Council and Abingdon County Hall Museum

This view is practically unchanged. However the stone wall has been replaced by railings.

Cattle Market

Now Commercial access/parking for the Bury Precinct Shops

Oswald Couldrey at Wikipedia

"The Mistaken Fury" Oswald Couldrey

This featured in Dorothy Sayers' Third Omnibus of Crime

A college Dean is of a sudden visited by an old crone in black who proves to be one of the Erinyes. She is under the impression that he has killed his father, despite the Dean's protests to the contrary. Not the old joke you might think ("Your mother's husband jumped out the window when the market crashed in '29 -- your father just caught a 15 lb. trout"), & thank goodness for that, but a humorous take on conscience & antiquity, with a rather bittersweet ending. Nice. This is the best story from Couldrey's collection of the same title, which is mostly Hellenistic fantasies.

Rough Unedited Notes

Abingdon's most famous artist, Oswald Couldrey 1882 - 1958.." exhibited in the museum. His style is "fresh, slightly naive, and humorous, and shows Abingdon through the 1930s and 40s". They show one print of Pigs in Broad Street. There are already postcards of some of these in the museum (Copyright Abingdon Town Council)

From the Abingdon Herald, first published Thursday 6th Jul 2006.

AN exhibition of works by the late Oswald Couldrey, considered one of Abingdon's most popular artists, is on show at Abingdon Museum until November 26.

His paintings of the town, worked in soft, fresh colours in a slightly naive, often humorous style, are considered the most well known pictures of the town.

They form an important documentary record of Abingdon's history as they contain detailed studies of people going about their activities in the 1930s and 40s.

These early works include one of the Abingdon almoner with her little granddaughter and the town's youth enjoying a beautiful summer's day at the bathing places by Abingdon Lock just weeks before the outbreak of the Second World War.

Viewing pictures such as The Bathing Place will remind older residents of Abingdon in the past and how things have changed.

Perhaps less well known are Couldrey's pictures of India, in which he captured the hazy pastels of the Indian countryside and the expressiveness of its people. He spent a large part of his life teaching in India before retiring to Abingdon, so these works give important clues to the development of his mature Abingdon style.

Like his father before him, Couldrey attended Abingdon School, then went to Pembroke College, Oxford, where special places were reserved for Abingdon schoolboys in those days.

It's thanks to Abingdon School and its archivist that memorabilia from Couldrey's school and university days will be on display in the museum too from August 19 to October 2.

Couldrey died in Abingdon in 1958. This exhibition, Oswald Couldrey In Abingdon and India, provides a chance to see the museum's entire collection of Couldrey pictures, which, because they are worked in watercolour, pencil and crayon, will not be exhibited again for many years, as such pictures fade when exposed to long periods of light.

from museum website

Current Displays Oswald Couldrey in India: Abingdon and India link together in the paintings of Oswald Couldrey who lived here and in various parts of eastern India. This early 20th century artist's imagination was captivated by life in Abingdon and also by time spent in India. Mainly water-colours, Abingdon pictures have been on display June to August then from 9th September to 26th November his paintings of Indian life will be shown. With rivers, buildings and people, the contrasts and some similarities are remarkable - of interest to artists and more generally. Cards of Couldrey's work from the Museum shop will make a unique gift.

WikiPedia /answers.com Oswald Couldrey

Oswald Jennings Couldrey (1882-1958) was a British artist, poet and author.

The son of Frederick Knight Couldrey of Abingdon, Oswald Couldrey attended Abingdon School and Pembroke College, Oxford. He entered the Indian Civil Service, education branch, and became principal of Rajamundry College.

In watercolour he painted many evocative Indian and Abingdon scenes. He was author of The Mistaken Fury (1914) Thames and Godaveri (1920) South Indian Hours (1924) The Phantom Waterfall (1949) Sonnets of East and West (1951) Verses over Fifty Years (1958).

==== book 4 sale

Couldrey, Oswald - Triolets and Epigrams

The Abbey Press, Abingdon Small green card covered poetry book. Rear cover has some grubby marks ( unknown) o/w the book is in good condition. 112 pages.

Couldrey, Oswald - Triolets and Epigrams

Poet-painter, Mr. Oswald J. Couldrey, was the principal of Govt. College, Rajahmundry was a very good friend and well-wisher of Kavikondala. The trio, Adivi Bapiraju, Damerla Ramarao, and Kavikondal Venkatarao were in close association of Mr. Couldrey and these three were the well-polished dazzling gems of Andhra Desa in the zenith of literature, poetry, and arts.

Kavikondala started writing English poetry while he was just 16 years old (9/7/11910) but Mr. Couldrey did not encourage him to do so and as a result Kavikondala started writing songs in Telugu (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telugu_language). Mr. Couldrey was so impressed that he called Kavikondala "The Andhra Wordsworth" and "Kavi Kondala". As token for his affection towards Kavikondala, Mr. Couldrey wrote the following poem:

A spring of graceful fancy Breaking sweetly in the desert of College exercise First made us friends

Mr. Couldrey dedicated his book, "South Indian Hours" to his students - To his scholars and teachers Kavikondala Venkata Rao, Adivi Bapiraju, Damerla Venkata Rao. This book is inscribed by their teacher and scholar - that is what Mr. Couldrey said.

Couldrey, Oswald J. SOUTH INDIAN HOURS. Ł28

288pp. With 3 colour and 19 other illustrations by the author. English college principal explores Hindu culture. Very good. 1924 First edition, Hurst & Blackett.