Lot 204: A view of Cave Castle, near Hull, with a lady and gentleman in the foreground and boats on the Humber beyond

William Burgess, late 18th Century
A view of Cave Castle, near Hull, with a lady and gentleman in the foreground and boats on the Humber beyond
oil on canvas
38¼ x 56 in. 97.2 x 142.2 cm.

Ven House sale; Christie's, London, 21-22 June 1999, lot 680.

The precise date of the original building on the site of Cave Castle is unknown. Lewyns Boldero Barnard bought the castle in the mid-18th century and recorded that the foundations were of 'ancient origin'. The gentleman and the lady in the foreground of the present picture are presumably Henry Boldero Barnard and his wife, Sarah Elizabeth, whom he married in 1788. Henry Boldero Barnard set about rebuilding and enlarging the original house, which was called East Hall Manor, and renamed it Cave Castle after alterations were completed. The present picture, datable to the late 1780s or early 1790s, shows the house before the 1804 alterations undertaken by the architect Henry Hakewill which, amongst other features, added the distinctive angled turrets and battlements which still exist today. The tower of All Saints Church is depicted in the distance.