W. H. Allen

Who was W. H. Allen?

William Herbert Allen was a notable English landscape watercolour artist whose career spanned more than 50 years from the 1880s to the 1940s. He was invariably referred to as "WH" rather than by his given name. Born 14 September 1863 in West Brompton, London, of parents from Alton, Hampshire, Allen was for many years Director of the Farnham School of Art in Surrey. He produced several thousand watercolours, chalk and pencil sketches mainly of the landscapes, traditions and people of West Surrey and North-east Hampshire. In addition, he produced scenes of other parts of the British Isles and various parts of Europe. These works included commissions in Italy for the Victoria and Albert Museum, Dublin, Edinburgh and Preston museums. He was made a member of the Royal Watercolour Society in 1903 and the Royal Society of British Artists in 1904 and his work was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1927. He moved from Surrey to Wylye, Wiltshire in 1932 and is buried at St Nicholas's Church, Fisherton de la Mere. Many of W. H. Allen's paintings are regularly displayed at the Allen Gallery, Church Street, Alton. These include landscapes of the local East Hampshire countryside at the beginning of the 20th century.