The Drawing That Made History

Article by Chris Butterfield

The natural barrier between Thirlmere and Ullswater contains one of the finest mountains in Lakeland, Helvellyn. Its allure seems to cast a spell on every would-be Lakeland traveller. The young Alfred Wainwright was no exception, and he too fell victim to the mountain’s call…

In the summer of 1930, the 23-year-old Wainwright took a week’s holiday with his cousin in the Lake District. Like most walkers, it was Striding Edge that piqued his curiosity. On the morning of day three, the intrepid adventurers set off from the village of Patterdale. As they approached the razor-sharp arête, the weather closed in, and within seconds, the daunting pinnacle was shrouded in mist. It didn’t deter these two brave souls, and they kept going. Despite low visibility and relentless rain, they reached the summit.

Wainwright was triumphant!

This introduction to the Lake District gave Wainwright a purpose in life that would eventually secure his status as a Lakeland legend.

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Nearly 70 years have passed since The Eastern Fells was first published, and no one has described the mountains better or made them more accessible. Little did we know Wainwright and Helvellyn would make history again, but in an entirely different way.

In June 2020, one of Wainwright’s original pen and ink drawings of Striding Edge was featured in A Second Lakeland Sketchbook and sold at auction for £10,200. It was a significant drawing, and I tried to buy it. Later, I discovered the eventual winner and am pleased to confirm the picture is in good hands. It is unlikely to become available again for the foreseeable future.

Fortunately, Wainwright had produced another Striding Edge drawing in the first Lakeland Mountain Drawings book, but did his original exist? I set myself the seemingly impossible task of tracking it down, but I was determined to find it.

Andrew Nichol, the former book publishing manager of the Westmorland Gazette, played a significant role in managing various aspects of Wainwright’s business. When seeking guidance, I naturally turned to him first. Over the years, Andrew gathered a collection of signed books and original drawings from diverse sources. He then sold these items to enthusiasts upon request, donating the proceeds to animal charities.

Fortunately, Andrew had kept detailed records of all his sales over the years. During a visit, I had the opportunity to review his notes. To my astonishment, I discovered a record of the original sale of a Striding Edge drawing. This raised an intriguing question: was this the same recently auctioned drawing, or was it a different one?

Andrew had sold the Striding Edge drawing 24 years earlier to Steve Meredith, a resident of Bradford. Over the years, Andrew has had several interactions with Steve and his wife Lesley, and he has diligently preserved all their correspondence. However, efforts to trace Steve hit a dead end as he no longer lived at the address on record, causing the trail to go cold.

I temporarily stopped my search and instead concentrated on launching my Wainwright website. Remarkably, within a month of the website going live, I received an unexpected email through the site from Steve Meredith himself. The coincidence was astonishing – what were the odds of that?

Steve reached out because he was looking to part with several of his original drawings and wanted to find a true Wainwright enthusiast to appreciate them. Among these was the original Striding Edge drawing from the Lakeland Mountain Drawings book. I was thrilled by this discovery. A few weeks later, we met, and I acquired all of his original drawings. Since then, our shared admiration for Wainwright’s work has blossomed into a friendship.

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In the end, it felt like everything had come full circle. Both Striding Edge drawings had been discovered within a short period and were in new hands. Research always pays dividends, but as the saying goes, “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” Maybe there is something in that.