Both the Worcester Park painting and its companion, of
Haslemere were on display during Heritage Day, at St. Mary the Virgin,
Cuddington. Having identified modern day Sparrow Farm Road as the likely
location for the painting, it was interesting to hear the views of residents
living along this road.
It was particularly intriguing to learn that those
properties built on the right-hand side of the road had been constructed on
raised concrete beds, in an effort to lift them above an area of land known to
periodically flood. One resident showed me a photo from 1935, depicting the
flooding of the playground area to the left.
Comparing the photo to the painting, it can be seen that the
waterlogged natural pond exactly fits with residents’ recollections. This, together
with a series of storm drains, now situated exactly where the pond appears in
the painting, suggests to me that Sparrow Farm Road is increasingly likely as location
painted by the artist.
