Street scene in Nottingham
The lady and the little boy with a hoop are drawn simply but bring the whole picture to life. They are walking along St Peter's Church Walk. This path still exists in the centre of Nottingham but none of the buildings shown in the picture have survived.
Writing in 1815 in The History of Nottingham, John Blackner describes St Peter's: "The church-yard, till the year 1804, was open to the public; there being one entrance to the north one to the south, and one at the northeast corner; but it was then inclosed, by stopping the north and south entrances, and by running a line of cast-metal palisades across the east end, leaving a footway from the south-east to the north-east corner; the southern, and northern boundaries of the ground being inclosed with a wall; a principal entrance, for persons attending divine worship being preserved in the latter direction near the end of Peck-lane." Bussey's picture shows the northeast corner and the path running along the east side.
Watercolour, probably 1860s. Private collection.
310 × 205 mm.