Respected railway artist Wrenford Thatcher will be throwing open the doors to his Sheringham studio over the August bank holiday weekend, giving visitors a chance to see paintings whose subjects range from steam engines at Cromer Station in the 1940s and a snow-covered Kings Lynn Station in 1958, to the mountains of Loch Quoich, in the Scottish Highlands.

Wrenford, who won his first painting competition at the age of four, developed a passion for steam trains while growing up at Cromer.

“Both my grandfathers were engine drivers and, as a child in the 1950s, I would walk through to the station from my home in Central Road, where my step-grandfather, Jimmy Denness, would let me ride on the footplate,” he remembers.

Going against the advice of his high school art teacher, who urged him to apply for a place at art school, Wrenford studied maths and physics at university. He later gained a PHD and chartered physicist status, and carved a career as an inventor in the electronics industry.

He then worked as a university lecturer and, after a spell teaching at an independent school at Swaffham, gave up full-time work to concentrate on painting.

“Although I do still do consultancy work, having more time has allowed me to turn what has been a lifelong hobby into something much more,” he said.

Wrenford, who also produces atmospheric landscapes painted on location in Scotland, has gone on to gain a reputation as one of the area’s top railway artists, attracting commissions from UK and American clients.
His pictures, which are meticulously researched and can take months to complete, have been exhibited at galleries in Norfolk, Hertfordshire, Leicestershire, Somerset and Scotland, with Wrenford also publishing a book entitled Lines into London – which charts the history of London railways in the post-war years – and recently inventing a new type of wind turbine.

He decided to host an open studio exhibition at his Sheringham home after enjoying a successful show at Picturecraft Gallery, Holt.

“I felt it would be nice for local people and visitors to wander in and look at my work in an informal setting,” he said. “It will also give me a chance to chat about the paintings and their subjects.”

Paintings by Wrenford Thatcher will be on show at 25 Churchill Crescent, Sheringham NR26 8NQ from August 26-30.

Opening times are 10am – 4pm.

Viewing can also be arranged by appointment. For more information, phone 01263 823862.