Event Images
James Fox's story is an upwardly mobile tale. His grandfather worked in a local glass factory owned by the Thorp family. His father, Thomas, ran the Old Windmill pub on Shambles Street in Barnsley. As a young man Thomas worked as a labourer and a miner. In 1821 when he was 17, he was the sole survivor of the Norcroft mining disaster in the rural village of Silkstone.
Young James, born in 1828, was apprenticed as a druggist and chemist in Barnsley, but went off to work in Sheffield. Upon his return, he took a job selling ale, porter, wines and spirits, and showing a flair for business, soon he set up his own brewing company, Messrs J. Fox & Sons Ltd. He took premises in Central Chambers, a former linen warehouse close to the Cooper Gallery, and in 1865 held an art exhibition there.
Fox's reputation progressed and he built the Queen's Hotel at the bottom of Regent Street, still a Barnsley landmark. He went on to own lots of other pubs including The Coach and Horses, Sheffield Road, the Marlborough, Dodworth Road, and the Strafford Arms at Stainborough.
James and his wife Jane lived with their family on Harborough Hills in the town centre. James's son, Thomas, married Mary Emily McLintock, whose family owned the Utlitas quilt factory on Summer Lane. The Foxes had reached the pinnacle of respectable Barnsley society.
James died in 1885. In his will he left to his wife Jane, "…linen… glass. Books, pictures (except oil paintings) musical instruments, furnitures and other household effects, except my said oil paintings, being in or about Harbro' Hill House." His oil paintings were put in trust.
In 1934, two years after Jane died, the Fox family built the Fox wing in honour of their parents. It extended the gallery so that Fox's 45 paintings could be showcased alongside the Cooper and Sadler collections. Fox's mixture of portraits and landscapes, varying in style and medium, includes the portraits of two iconic 19th century Barnsley town centre characters, Watter Joe and Peggy Airey, by Abel Hold.
View the Artwork
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A Passing Storm
The Passing Storm by John Ladbrooke is oil on canvas. The painting is a snapshot of Ladbrooke’s countryside. The horizon cuts the picture in half. The great English oak tree stands sturdily amidst the powerful stormy sky.
Coast Scene, Margate
De Fleury was considered by his peers to be a fine painter of English landscapes as well as harbor and costal scenes.
Doge's Palace, Venice
It is probable that Thienon painted this large painting of the Doge’s Palace whilst he was based in Venice in 1848. He travelled widely, painting in England, Switzerland, North Africa, Spain, Italy and France. Thienon first showed at the Salon in Paris in 1831, and won a third class medal for an engraving in 1836.
Peggy Airey
This painting entitled Peggy Airey shows a local character to Barnsley in the 1840s. She was a familiar face to many in Barnsley and was well known in her later years as a fortune teller and peg seller working the Market Hill and Church Street areas, especially on market days.
Portrait of the Young Queen Victoria
It is a pleasing work to look at. There are interesting textures from the velvet sash, the jewellery and the lace shawl. It is interesting to consider such a small detailed work against the backdrop of the huge works he was commissioned to carry out.
Shipping off the Dutch Coast
Hulk presents the view from the shore, as can be seen by the boulders and pebbles to the right foreground of the picture. He skilfully depicts the swell of the choppy sea.
The Berkshire Boy
Eliza Turck was a painter of genre portraits, literary subjects and coastal scenes in oil and watercolour.
The Flower Girl
This is a large, colourful and attractive painting of a flower girl. The focus is almost exclusively on the woman who is beautiful and pensive; the details in her clothing and the flowers are most attractive.
The Fox Bequest
View work from the Fox Bequest
Watter Joe
This painting entitled Watter Joe shows a local character to Barnsley in the 1840s. He was a familiar face to many in Barnsley and the painting is said to be an honest reflection and an admirable likeness of the water carrier. It is reported that Watter Joe made his living by selling water, and apparently spent it buying ale.
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