Pictures of St Albans in St Albans Museum

The Cock Inn (on right) with St Peters Church in distance

• St Peters Street, St Albans, July 1902 (Photo of Watercolour)
• Fishpool Street, St Albans, July 1902
• Chequer Street, St Albans 1902
• St Peter's Green and Cock Inn, St Albans, 1917
• Market Place, St Albans, 1902
• Black Lion Yard, St Albans, July 1901
• The Boot Inn, St Albans
• Half Moon Yard, St Albans, 1902
• The Red Lion Inn, St Albans
• Adelaide Street, St Albans, 1901
• St Albans Abbey circa 1870, 1901
• St Albans Abbey (as it appeared about 1870), 1902
• Fleur De Lys Yard, St Albans
• The Gables and French Row, St Albans, 1901
• St Albans (Fishpool Street), 1902
• St Peter's Street, St Albans, 1902

E. A. Phipson was one of England's most prolific landscape watercolourists, Phipson was christened Edward Arthur, however as a young man he developed a keen interest in languages which led him to change his name to the Greek Word Evacustes meaning 'ready listener'. His paintings represent an idealised image of a time of great change. He omitted the lamp posts, telegraph poles and motor cars that spoilt a good view. The St Albans museum under the direction of Frederick Kitton purchased a large collection of his Hertfordshire watercolours between 1900 and 1910 whilst he was living in London.

Other Undated Hertfordshire Paintings

• Hatching Green, Harpenden
• Bishops Stortford (Hockerill)
• Bishops Stortford (Courtyard at rear of houses)
• Bishops Stortford

Several of the Phipson pictures are reproduced in St Albans - A History, including the one of Chequer Street.

Other dated Hertfordshire watercolour paintings in the Museum

• St Andrew's Street, Hertford, 1880
• Meppershall, Herts, 5 June 1892
• Meppershall, Herts, 6 June 1892
• Stevenage, 31 May 1892
• Royston, 7th July 1892
• Bishops Stortford, 1894
• Rickmansworth 1894
• Lamer, near Ayot St Lawrence, 1901
• Amwell, 1901
• Bull Plain, Hertford, July 1902
• Court off St Andrew's Street, Hertford, 1902
• Chipping Barnet, July 1902
• Fish Street, Redbourn, 1902
• Farthing Lane, Watford, 1903
• Ickleford 1903
• Back Street, Royston, 1908
• Back(?) Street, Royston, 1908
• Royston, Herts, 1908
• Ashwell, 1908

Nick (nick.flack @t electrium.co.uk) 0f Greenwich writes: I have an E A Phipson water colour. It has been in the family for some 30+ years its of a public house, the Kings Arms, King William Street, Greenwich. My parents were the tenants and it hung on the wall all the time we were there. It is dated 1927 and looks nothing like that now. Its not the best of his works for detail, going by his other works. It was was said in his later years he done this type of water colour for a "pie & a pint." Would that be correct?

While I have not heard this it is extremely likely. The evidence from his earlier years is that he almost certainly called at houses and offered to paint them for a small fee. I have seen one other of his very late paintings, which was pretty poor. I suspect his eyesight was failing and the idea that he would paint a picture of a public house to get a meal seems very likely.