Laurence Stephen Lowry (1887-1976) is famous for his 'matchstick men' paintings of industrial scenes, factories and back-to-back terraced houses of Manchester and the North West. His lesser known works of cobbled streets and seaside scenes in
Berwick-upon-Tweed were created while he holidayed here from the mid-1930's to the Summer before his death in 1976.
Berwick has always been a popular holiday resort and Lowry was drawn to this picturesque town by it's fascinating architecture and close proximity to the
sea. He stayed at the Castle Hotel near the railway station and produced more than twenty paintings and drawings of Berwick during his visits.
The Lowry Trail follows in the footsteps of the great 'matchstick men' painter and allows visitors to experience some of the hidden gems of the town, which Lowry discovered on his many holidays in Berwick.
The trail takes in the
Elizabethan Walls and Berwick town, before crossing the River into Tweedmouth and Spittal, a total walking time of approx. 3 hours.
Many of Lowry's
paintings of the town are now in private collections or on display in The Lowry Gallery in Salford. Although we do not have a permanent exhibition in Berwick, the Lowry Trail has excellent reproductions on the interpretation boards around town.