Southwold Harbour Boats and Boat Sheds with Jetty and Estuary Mudflats 1992

Title: Southwold Harbour Boats and Boat Sheds with Jetty and Estuary Mudflats 1992
By Tony Herbert (1927-2024)
Signed: Lower right
Medium: Watercolor on artists paper
Size: 11 x 15 inches
Condition: Good overall; light edge wear to paper corners and slight foxing in lower right, otherwise well preserved
Provenance: From a large private collection of this artists work, Oxford, England

Description: Painted in 1992, this fresh and atmospheric watercolour by Tony Herbert (1927–2024) captures the boatyards of Southwold Harbour, a place the artist returned to often throughout his career. Fishing boats with masts rise from the estuary mud, with wooden boat sheds lining the path to the right and open marshland stretching out across the water to the left. The composition is carefully balanced between built structures, boats, and open space — all rendered in Herbert’s distinctive, unfussy style.

A striped red and white vessel takes centre stage, moored in front of a cluster of dark wooden sheds topped with rust-coloured roofs. Above them, a small flag catches the breeze — a classic Herbert detail that brings movement and narrative into the piece. The jetty posts, ropes, and working buckets dotted in the foreground give a strong sense of daily life and function.

The verso annotation confirms the date and location: “Southwold Harbour 92”. Located on the River Blyth, this working harbour is still active today, and was one of Herbert’s most beloved painting locations — offering a rich variety of textures, buildings, and boats to explore.

This piece would appeal to collectors of British coastal art, East Anglian harbour scenes, or traditional marine watercolours. Its slightly larger size makes it especially suitable for framing and display.