Southwold Harbour Suffolk View Across Estuary with Jetty Boats and Fishing Huts

Title: Southwold Harbour Suffolk View Across Estuary with Jetty Boats and Fishing Huts
By Tony Herbert (1927-2024)
Signed: Lower left
Medium: Watercolor on artists paper
Size: 10 x 14 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 1987, this luminous watercolour by Tony Herbert (1927–2024) offers a peaceful view across Southwold Harbour in Suffolk. The painting captures the far bank of the River Blyth, dotted with dark, pitched-roof fishing huts and small boats, many with red hulls that gently reflect on the calm water. In the foreground, Herbert leads the viewer into the scene with wooden jetties that frame the composition and cast soft shadows on the water below.

The light in this work is particularly notable — pale sky tones blend seamlessly with the reflective surface of the harbour, creating a sense of stillness and space. The restrained palette and subtle textural work in the water and shoreline grasses display Herbert’s mastery of coastal atmosphere.

Southwold Harbour has long been a subject of fascination for artists, and Herbert returned to it frequently throughout his career. “Across the Harbour” was annotated on the verso by the artist himself, confirming both location and date.

Ideal for collectors of British maritime painting, East Anglian art, or 20th-century watercolour, this piece is a serene and elegant tribute to one of Suffolk’s most beloved working waterfronts.