Craving inspiration, the artist Paul Nash found it here at 106 Banbury Road. This blue plaque marks the Oxford home where the renowned artist spent his final years. It’s a testament to his significant contributions to British modernism.
Paul Nash, born in 1889, was more than just a painter. He was also a writer and intellectual. He excelled as a photographer and printmaker. Today, he’s celebrated for his landscape paintings. Nash is also a key figure in British surrealism of the 1930s.
His works from Dymchurch in Kent and around Swanage in Dorset are iconic. They have made his paintings synonymous with these regions. Yet, his time in Oxford often gets overlooked. Let’s change that now.
In 1939, as World War II loomed, Paul Nash and his wife Margaret moved to Oxford. Determined to contribute to the war effort, Nash established the Arts Bureau for War Service. He later became an official war artist. He was appointed by both the Air Ministry in 1940 and the Ministry of Information in 1941.
Nash’s task was to depict the activities of the RAF around Oxford. His drawings, watercolours, and photographs reveal his connection to air bases in Cowley and possibly Harwell and Bicester.
Oxford held personal significance for Nash. His wife Margaret, whom he affectionately called Bunty, had studied Modern History at St Hilda’s College. The couple’s failing health also influenced their decision to settle here. Paul suffered from chronic asthma which became increasingly debilitating. Nash was a frequent visitor to the Acland nursing home nearby.
Living at 106 Banbury Road, Nash found inspiration in his garden. Surrounded by a red brick wall, it became a sanctuary. Here, he grew sunflowers. These sunflowers feature prominently in his final paintings.
One notable work created during his time in Oxford was “Totes Meer”. This powerful painting depicts a sea of shattered German planes. These planes were located at the Cowley dump.
The nearby Wittenham Clumps also captured Nash’s imagination. These ancient mounds with their majestic beech trees had fascinated him since youth. He saw them as a bewitching subject. In 1912, Nash had declared his love for trees. He wanted to paint them as though they were human beings.
From 1942, Nash often visited his friend Hilda Harrisson at Boars Hill. He would study the distant landscape of the Clumps through binoculars. Later, he would develop his drawings and watercolours into large oil paintings in his studio on Banbury Road.
Even at the end of his life, Nash revisited his artistic origins. Aware that his time was limited, he returned to the landscape outside Oxford. He remembered his youth, family, friends, and early days with Margaret.
Paul Nash died in July 1946, during a visit to Boscombe near Bournemouth. He is buried at Langley in Buckinghamshire. This blue plaque on Banbury Road serves as a lasting reminder. It commemorates the artist’s life. It celebrates his work created in Oxford during his final years. It ensures that his connection to this city is never forgotten.