https://bobrichmond.co.uk/open daily 1.0 2026-03-21 https://bobrichmond.co.uk/open/conversations-xhjpw monthly 0.5 2026-02-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/661e8565a484a41a1b68bf79/723bce55-1f58-491f-9bf6-9d3ce8122e1b/Four-Painters-New-Forest-1952jpg.jpg Bob Richmond - The Motor House The Motor House in North Yorkshire is a rare site where several major traditions in British art, architecture, and cultural thought converge. Rooted in the Arts & Crafts movement and shaped by successive generations of influential artists, it has functioned as a place of making, collaboration, and experimental practice for over forty years. Its significance lies both in its architectural heritage and in the artistic lineage associated with the Bell and Richmond families, linking figures including John Ruskin, William Morris, Philip Webb, William Blake Richmond, and David Bomberg. The site’s history begins with the industrialist Sir Lowthian Bell (1816–1904), who purchased the Rounton estate in 1866. Bell had already worked extensively with the architect Philip Webb, a central figure in the Arts & Crafts movement and close associate of William Morris. Webb designed several buildings for the Bell family, including Red Barns at Redcar and works offices at Port Clarence. Following his first visit to Rounton, Webb proposed an entirely new house to replace the existing Rounton Grange. Construction began in 1872 and was completed in 1876, creating one of the most important Arts & Crafts houses in Britain. Rounton Grange later became home to Hugh and Florence Bell and their daughter Gertrude Bell (1868–1926) — traveller, archaeologist, and founder of the Iraq Museum in Baghdad. After her death in 1926, the family moved to Mount Grace Priory, a former Carthusian monastery on the estate acquired on the advice of Morris and Webb. Rounton Grange was used as a military hospital during the Second World War and demolished in the early 1950s. Today, Rounton retains outstanding examples of Arts & Crafts architecture, including Webb’s buildings, George Jack’s later designs, and extensive walled gardens. The Motor House, built in 1905 by George Jack, Philip Webb’s assistant and successor, formed part of this wider architectural vision. Originally designed to house the Bell family’s motor cars, the building contained six garages on the ground floor and living quarters for the chauffeur’s family above. Adjacent outbuildings include the Fowl House — originally part of Rounton Grange and remodelled by Webb as stabling — now used as workshop space. Five of the original garages have since been converted into artists’ studios, and the complex provides substantial indoor and outdoor working areas. It remains one of the most important surviving buildings of the Rounton estate. The cultural significance of Rounton is also inseparable from the Richmond family, whose artistic lineage reflects a continuous tradition in British art. The miniature painter Thomas Richmond (1771–1837) was followed by his son George Richmond (1809–1896), one of William Blake’s circle of young artists known as The Ancients. George Richmond met John Ruskin in Rome in 1840, beginning a lifelong friendship. His son, William Blake Richmond, later succeeded Ruskin as Slade Professor of Fine Art at Oxford in 1878 and completed the mosaics of St Paul’s Cathedral in 1904. This artistic inheritance continued into the twentieth century with Miles Richmond (1923–2008) and Susanna Richmond, both pupils and close collaborators of the painter David Bomberg (1890–1957). They studied with Bomberg at the Borough Polytechnic in London in the late 1940s as part of the Borough Group, and later lived near him in Ronda, Spain, until his death in 1957. Bomberg’s teaching sought to reconcile modernity with artistic tradition, drawing on influences that included Walter Sickert, Henry Tonks at the Slade School, and the educational ideals of William Lethaby, founder of the Central School of Arts and Crafts in 1896. After many years in Spain, Miles and Susanna Richmond returned to England in 1977, and in 1980 Miles moved to The Motor House. In the early 1980s the building was repurposed by the Richmond family — including the painter David Seaton — as a working studio environment. The first workshop was held there in 1982, led by the influential educator Harry Thubron. From 1981 to 2000, the site hosted workshops with the University of Hertfordshire, and in 1996 it worked with the Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam, alongside collaborations with Teesside University and other visiting groups. Through these activities, The Motor House became an important centre for artistic production, offering space for work at scale and across media. It embodies the legacy of Bomberg’s teaching, the Arts & Crafts philosophy of Ruskin, Morris, and Webb, and a continuing commitment to making as a collaborative and experimental practice. As a surviving Arts & Crafts building and a living site of artistic exchange, The Motor House represents a unique convergence of British architectural heritage and modern artistic tradition. https://bobrichmond.co.uk/open/harry monthly 0.5 2026-02-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/661e8565a484a41a1b68bf79/1737073391684-3BBI5XXAOPQKEGZZGLVR/100189288-0.jpg Bob Richmond - Harry Thubron - Harry Thubron, Cortijo, 1980 Harry in his studio in Kingston, Jamaica https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/661e8565a484a41a1b68bf79/1713276643759-L23512NEM4J085C8LMRF/007B.jpg Bob Richmond - Harry Thubron - Above: Basic Design workshops in Scarborough Scarborough workshop https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/661e8565a484a41a1b68bf79/1713276704602-OQEQCS7VWYEID1Q2J4I9/img294.jpg Bob Richmond - Harry Thubron - Above: Harry Thubron and colleagues at Leeds, circa 1960 Harry and colleagues at Leeds https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/661e8565a484a41a1b68bf79/1713276704366-NIBI8B14JYGQFOYQ6GTS/img291.jpg Bob Richmond - Harry Thubron - Above: Harry Thubron and colleagues at Leeds, circa 1960 Harry and colleagues at Leeds https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/661e8565a484a41a1b68bf79/1713276643960-6YV130GD5M78536CRLRH/011B.jpg Bob Richmond - Harry Thubron - Above: Harry Thubron, Victor and Wendy Pasmore, Tom Hudson, date unknown Left: Harry Thubron, Tom Hudson, Wendy Pasmore and Victor Pasmore. Photo: Collection of Mark Hudson https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/661e8565a484a41a1b68bf79/1713276678365-LBUD0IRUSYKNFRTGBYY1/Harry-at-Leeds.jpg Bob Richmond - Harry Thubron - Above: Harry Thubron and colleagues at Leeds, date unknown Harry and colleagues at either Leeds or Lancaster, date unknown. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/661e8565a484a41a1b68bf79/1713276700098-2FNT9XB79PTM1S7LSLJK/img20200414_11351646.jpg Bob Richmond - Harry Thubron - Above: Susanna Richmond and Harry Thubron, Ronda, c. 1974 Harry Thubron and Susanna Richmond in Ronda, c. 1972 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/661e8565a484a41a1b68bf79/1713276821797-UFKZYLDFPPLC6BK2B3SI/HARRY-THUBRON-1983.jpg Bob Richmond - Harry Thubron - Above: Harry Thubron at home in Lewisham, circa 1980 Harry at home in Lewisham, London https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/661e8565a484a41a1b68bf79/1713276698899-6YXO50LN4RKI5V5WPNR7/img20200414_08541621-2.jpg Bob Richmond - Harry Thubron Above: Postcard from Harry Thubron to Bob Richmond, 1981 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/661e8565a484a41a1b68bf79/1713276699300-X3VCGXEHUEM5MY27N3CG/img20200414_08550422.jpg Bob Richmond - Harry Thubron https://bobrichmond.co.uk/open/richmonds monthly 0.5 2026-02-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/661e8565a484a41a1b68bf79/1713276778101-EW3CGHOZV1OE0SQ667KD/George_Richmond_self-portrait_1840.jpg Bob Richmond - Richmond - Above: George Richmond, self-portrait, 1830 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/661e8565a484a41a1b68bf79/1713276833203-FVH3MRJ0OA6MT5HMWLP8/untitled-1-2.jpg Bob Richmond - Richmond - Effie Gray, by Thomas Richmond. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/661e8565a484a41a1b68bf79/1713276816960-LSVNOJBCR7Y93V8ZN712/6586.jpg Bob Richmond - Richmond https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/661e8565a484a41a1b68bf79/1713276778101-EW3CGHOZV1OE0SQ667KD/George_Richmond_self-portrait_1840.jpg Bob Richmond - Richmond - George Richmond, self-portrait, 1830. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/661e8565a484a41a1b68bf79/1713276832039-RXD7H0WAWHNGI4I249ZY/mibbkbyrgjcefwm7i3ox.jpeg Bob Richmond - Richmond - George Richmond, memoranda book, 1837-1839 Royal Academy of Arts Archive, George Richmond, RA., personal papers. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/661e8565a484a41a1b68bf79/1713276819405-2SLKB7DCPGN9DR9KAY9I/Charlotte_Bronte%CC%88_Richmond.tif.jpg Bob Richmond - Richmond George Richmond, Charlotte Brontë, 1850 23 5/8 in. x 18 3/4 in. (600 mm x 476 mm) NPG 1452 Signed and dated (bottom left): George Richmond 1850. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/661e8565a484a41a1b68bf79/1713276821497-7M1MZENL17PE0TEJHCMP/GR-Ruskin.jpg Bob Richmond - Richmond - George Richmond, John Ruskin. Stipple engraving, 1857 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/661e8565a484a41a1b68bf79/1713276820001-S8AIOXZEWFHMXP1SSBYI/D20694.jpg Bob Richmond - Richmond https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/661e8565a484a41a1b68bf79/1713276777545-K29HOT1SE32RUMKHANRM/GeorgeRichmond-SelfPortrait-1.jpeg Bob Richmond - Richmond https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/661e8565a484a41a1b68bf79/1713276832134-6ZKK1UKG8H2SHCJ2IUFQ/ns8brk0dn6bi4b1i5mt7.jpeg Bob Richmond - Richmond George Richmond, Portrait of Sir George Gilbert Scott, R.A., 1877 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/661e8565a484a41a1b68bf79/1713276830487-JCC7A65ZVSKF1XK1W44K/jpo45amki35vyvbxipqg.jpeg Bob Richmond - Richmond - Charles West Cope RA (1811 - 1890), The Council of the Royal Academy selecting Pictures for the Exhibition, 1875, 1876 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/661e8565a484a41a1b68bf79/1713276770298-7A4FNS86WSFMT52B224D/2.jpg Bob Richmond - Richmond https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/661e8565a484a41a1b68bf79/1713276826149-CP9Y2CFHX0ZAZ1YP6KM5/gac5dgtid4yrrakkpqd7.jpeg Bob Richmond - Richmond - George Richmond, Portrait of Samuel Wilberforce, Bishop of Oxford; Honorary Chaplain to the Royal Academy, 1868 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/661e8565a484a41a1b68bf79/1713276815302-UQNG53V6V2JZGS4O38GI/1833.jpg Bob Richmond - Richmond https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/661e8565a484a41a1b68bf79/1713276820101-PS5O5TKB2A6676RKGY24/D42236-2.jpg Bob Richmond - Richmond https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/661e8565a484a41a1b68bf79/1713276844098-L7EG3BSYI7AD3LIGBJ67/x44941.jpg Bob Richmond - Richmond - Sir William Blake Richmond KCB, RA, PPRBSA (29 November 1842 – 11 February 1921) was an English portrait painter, sculptor and a designer of stained glass and mosaic. He is best known for his portrait work and decorative mosaics in St Paul's Cathedral in London. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/661e8565a484a41a1b68bf79/1713276798098-7MOHX0CLVRYSK3E54CMV/William_Blake_Richmond_c1907.jpg Bob Richmond - Richmond https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/661e8565a484a41a1b68bf79/1713276843797-3P0JZGGIC35C1F0HV4HR/x12810.jpg Bob Richmond - Richmond https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/661e8565a484a41a1b68bf79/1713276769902-K7KPVM5SVFYXOAHEQX9P/1.jpg Bob Richmond - Richmond https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/661e8565a484a41a1b68bf79/1713276772058-KD8L2D7HLN9YT85MX424/3.jpg Bob Richmond - Richmond https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/661e8565a484a41a1b68bf79/1713276772198-EAUF8BOW1KXPSW56VUD2/4.jpg Bob Richmond - Richmond https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/661e8565a484a41a1b68bf79/1713276772607-CDLPFBV1IATTN9MZXH49/5.jpg Bob Richmond - Richmond https://bobrichmond.co.uk/open/bells monthly 0.5 2026-01-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/661e8565a484a41a1b68bf79/1b133d9d-907a-433e-b995-9cef2fde5c59/455220503_907108394776945_8353906710421283500_n.jpg Bob Richmond - Bell - Molly Trevelyan, Elsa Richmond, Hugh Bell, Gertrude Bell, at Mount Grace Priory, c. 1907 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/661e8565a484a41a1b68bf79/1713276823301-5SU9PS73W01MH6HP74FH/Hugh_Lee_Pattinson_1796-1858.jpg Bob Richmond - Bell - Hugh Lee Pattinson https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/661e8565a484a41a1b68bf79/1713276820968-T97TSE5K4QHE1JLOITDX/Felling_old_OS1.gif Bob Richmond - Bell - Felling Chemical Works, shown at top of Ordnance Survey map of 1862 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/661e8565a484a41a1b68bf79/1713276820597-5G6ACGZV7INGZ8TKLQ90/Daguerrotype_of_Niagara_Falls_by_Hugh_Lee_Pattinson_1840.jpg Bob Richmond - Bell https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/661e8565a484a41a1b68bf79/1713276823858-GMW3H46F5Q498E6I4G88/Isaac_Lowthian_Bell_-_britischer_Industrieller.jpg Bob Richmond - Bell - Sir Isaac Lowthian Bell https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/661e8565a484a41a1b68bf79/1713276824164-S4Y4Z4HT63CNJAY0FBY0/Sir_Hugh_Bell_with_Gertrude_Bell_aged_8_by_Edward_Poynter.jpg Bob Richmond - Bell - Portrait Hugh Bell, with Gertrude Bell aged 8, by Edward Poynter, 1876 https://bobrichmond.co.uk/open/category/Uncategorized monthly 0.5 https://bobrichmond.co.uk/about daily 0.75 2026-02-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/661e8565a484a41a1b68bf79/6b49f0c1-6900-4e15-aae9-c78952ebdea6/George_Richmond_-_Reproduction_of__William_Blake_in_Youth_and_Age__-_B1992.8.1%28104%29_-_Yale_Center_for_British_Art.jpg https://bobrichmond.co.uk/contact daily 0.75 2026-02-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/661e8565a484a41a1b68bf79/e6a12cd9-b5c8-4118-b905-56cd3b9968be/TURNPIKE+ON+TCR+copy+2.jpg https://bobrichmond.co.uk/portfolio-1 daily 0.75 2024-04-16 https://bobrichmond.co.uk/portfolio-1/project-six-6f87e-3rnb9 monthly 0.5 2022-05-31 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1589847359057-HKZQQP8MCEM0UI23R57B/20140301_Trade-151_0124-copy.jpg Portfolio 1 - Project Six https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1589847359798-BCTJTJAS19PV54HL6VPM/20140301_Trade-151_0124-copy.jpg Portfolio 1 - Project Six https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1589847357814-SZ205VXUQGAN268M8A18/20140301_Trade-151_0124-copy.jpg Portfolio 1 - Project Six https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1589847356915-2V61708SR7M0A8IBEJLE/20140301_Trade-151_0124-copy.jpg Portfolio 1 - Project Six https://bobrichmond.co.uk/portfolio-1/project-five-748cx-f6e5s monthly 0.5 2022-05-31 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1589847350665-9UOIWAR5X24UBW83TJJO/20140301_Trade-151_0124-copy.jpg Portfolio 1 - Project Five https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1589847351213-Z61O7XETZM827W8NSG74/20140301_Trade-151_0124-copy.jpg Portfolio 1 - Project Five https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1589847350097-XM9U6QFAY9KBBLO1AZSP/20140301_Trade-151_0124-copy.jpg Portfolio 1 - Project Five https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1589847349536-9B5S5JDU6CTTOIHYQPE7/20140301_Trade-151_0124-copy.jpg Portfolio 1 - Project Five https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1589847349032-KE99W4O3PP9147GHRC10/20140301_Trade-151_0124-copy.jpg Portfolio 1 - Project Five https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1589847348472-8QESU05NL485EPY8X8XO/20140301_Trade-151_0124-copy.jpg Portfolio 1 - Project Five https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1589847347954-P3IYHJRVJDA9HIJAOIYW/20140301_Trade-151_0124-copy.jpg Portfolio 1 - Project Five https://bobrichmond.co.uk/portfolio-1/project-four-l3zw3-p8ays monthly 0.5 2022-05-31 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1589847904251-HVHUK3T1H2QCY05DRHU3/image-asset.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1589847904480-AXE2TZ6WH1YWOYJELYQQ/image-asset.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1589847904674-UXDT58LZUDAEN1C4LIKQ/image-asset.jpeg https://bobrichmond.co.uk/portfolio-1/project-three-sng7y-n6hn5 monthly 0.5 2022-05-31 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1589847346453-9Q5OWQYQKLUYSEI8HTQ9/20140301_Trade-151_0124-copy.jpg Portfolio 1 - Project Three https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1589847347374-LRJZY9Z3THYAKKDMSW3J/20140301_Trade-151_0124-copy.jpg Portfolio 1 - Project Three https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1589847345694-G1GWR6PECV9YV30U4V72/20140301_Trade-151_0124-copy.jpg Portfolio 1 - Project Three https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1589847344987-MHQ4KNDFGIGPTF2COZ6C/20140301_Trade-151_0124-copy.jpg Portfolio 1 - Project Three https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1589847343867-0L1OZAUWGMWQRU45XVH0/20140301_Trade-151_0124-copy.jpg Portfolio 1 - Project Three https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1589847343275-2K532N6VSN9EQGN24WT6/20140301_Trade-151_0124-copy.jpg Portfolio 1 - Project Three https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1589847342706-683IB8RMYZTUU4LFBADF/20140301_Trade-151_0124-copy.jpg Portfolio 1 - Project Three https://bobrichmond.co.uk/portfolio-1/project-two-ky966-mrkhk monthly 0.5 2022-05-31 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1589847341420-H8BGVV7QHLUZ41NQKDDO/20140301_Trade-151_0124-copy.jpg Portfolio 1 - Project Two https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1589847340763-INL9ICD0DK2G1M8D7C0L/20140301_Trade-151_0124-copy.jpg Portfolio 1 - Project Two https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1589847340215-08399OG7B1B8UI9HK97O/20140301_Trade-151_0124-copy.jpg Portfolio 1 - Project Two https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1589847339638-MF4NXTWSJ51TSBFP4AIM/20140301_Trade-151_0124-copy.jpg Portfolio 1 - Project Two https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1589847337890-BMG68HKP3DXYMQZ6BZA6/20140301_Trade-151_0124-copy.jpg Portfolio 1 - Project Two https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1589847337276-72BJU9SDMO608XKWX1Y0/20140301_Trade-151_0124-copy.jpg Portfolio 1 - Project Two https://bobrichmond.co.uk/portfolio-1/project-one-f5w4d-nm892 monthly 0.5 2022-05-31 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1589847336759-YACMFJPFHUW1OQZJXUUF/20140301_Trade-151_0124-copy.jpg Portfolio 1 - Project One https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1589847336169-ER4P81V0HWA3SH81W1QR/20140301_Trade-151_0124-copy.jpg Portfolio 1 - Project One https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1589847334968-DE82MACUOAUSEZT65M3H/20140301_Trade-151_0124-copy.jpg Portfolio 1 - Project One https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1589847334245-H430ILXV7TTE8OBGPEW8/20140301_Trade-151_0124-copy.jpg Portfolio 1 - Project One https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1589847333502-CVFRP4WIHRB50F56M888/20140301_Trade-151_0124-copy.jpg Portfolio 1 - Project One https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1589847332741-UB05QWW31DIDXCV1C06L/20140301_Trade-151_0124-copy.jpg Portfolio 1 - Project One