King George's Park Lakeside and West Hill Wandsworth

Pencil drawings and watercolour by Stephen Chaplin depicting (1) a man's head and shoulders, (2) King George's Park lakeside and (3) West Hill looking east towards St Thomas a Becket. Dated 16 and 17 August 1996.

This pencil and watercolour artwork consists of three pieces by Stephen Chaplin with notes. The centre left drawing depicts a tree in King George's Park with railings in front and a pond and building behind. The one on the centre right shows a view down West Hill towards Wandsworth with a lamppost and street furniture in the foreground, shop fronts and St Thomas a Becket church (painted) behind, and the Young's brewery chimney in the distance.

According to the notes, both of these scenes were drawn during the same excursion on Saturday 16 August 1996. The artist visited King George's Park and then purchased a new rucksack at Cullum's Sports Equipment. His receipt is attached to the drawings. This shop has now closed but traded for many years from 199 Wandsworth High Street. He then walked to East Putney Underground Station, but paused to look back down West Hill and make a sketch.

King George's Park was designed by the horticulturalist Percy Cane and was laid out by unemployed soldiers between 1921 and 1923. It was originally called Southfields Park, but was officially opened by King George V in 1923 and renamed in his honour. The lakeside area in the northern section was an original feature. The building behind was the Arndale Centre which had opened in 1971 on the site of the former Wandsworth Greyhound Stadium and Upper Mill. It was the largest indoor shopping centre in Europe at the time, but in 2014 it was renovated and is now known as the Southside Shopping Centre.

St Thomas a Becket on West Hill is a Grade II listed Roman Catholic church. It was built in 1895 and the architect was Edward Goldie. Brewing at the Ram Brewery site dates to the 15th century with the brewery being purchased by Charles Young and Anthony Bainbridge in 1831. In 1890 the business was formally incorporated as Young & Co.'s Brewery Limited which continued to brew at this location until 2006.

The drawing on the left of the head and shoulders of a man with a beard and glasses was done the previous day (Friday 15 August 1996) at an unspecified cottage tea room.