CHAS is very grateful to Canterbury resident and architectural historian, Dr Hubert Pragnell, who recently informed us of his discovery (in Canterbury Cathedral Archives) of a bound sketchbook of drawings of scenes in Canterbury completed during the years following the devastating bombing raids of 1942. The creator of these drawings was a former Canterbury resident, Miss Joan Russell, who was born in Canterbury, and for many years lived at Barton Court with her six sisters. Dr Pragnell believes these drawings are of a very high technical standard and of great historical interest. He has kindly agreed that we can make available on our website an article published in Country Life in November 2024. To read “A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma” please click here. Please note that there is an error at the start of the subtitle of the articles, as the main drawings were done in 1943 (not 1945). Also there is a wrong caption under the first of the two drawings shown in the article. The caption should read “High Street, 1943”.
We are also grateful to Cressida Williams, Canterbury Cathedral Archivist, for allowing us to show a selection of the drawings further below. Click on each image to enlarge it.
Dr Pragnell is still researching the life and works of Miss Joan Russell and hopes to be able to create a publication containing all of her Canterbury drawings along with other relevant content. If you have any information on the life and/or works of this talented artist please get in touch with Dr Pragnell at hubert_pragnell@yahoo.co.uk.
