John Simmons - Oil on Mahogany Board. Tyneham, Dorset 32x39cm ROI Exhibit label

John Simmons - Oil on Mahogany Panel
“Tyneham, Dorset”

Exhibited Royal Institute of Oil Painters Landscape – Dorset’s Lost Village before it was requisitioned

Key Details

Artist: John Simmons (British, 1871–1943)
Title: “Tyneham, Dorset”
Medium: Oil on mahogany panel
Support: Mahogany panel
Signature: Signed lower right
Dimensions: Image: 32 × 39 cm (12.6 × 15.4 in) Frame: Traditional stained wood frame
Condition: Painting in good condition with minor surface wear consistent with age. Frame with light age-related scuffs; structurally sound and ready to hang.
Provenance: Private collection. Original Royal Institute of Oil Painters exhibition label verso.

Description

A beautifully composed and atmospheric early 20th-century Dorset landscape depicting Tyneham — the now-famous “lost village” evacuated during the Second World War. This tranquil view of a cottage nestled among trees with still water in the foreground captures rural England before its wartime transformation.

Richly painted in oil on mahogany panel, the work combines quiet restraint with confident naturalistic handling. Painted during Simmons’ exhibiting career prior to 1943, it records Tyneham as an inhabited rural community, adding notable historical resonance to its strong decorative appeal.

Tyneham, Dorset, was requisitioned by the War Office in 1943 for military training ahead of D-Day. Residents were displaced and never permitted to return. Today the village remains preserved within the Lulworth ranges and is widely known as Dorset’s “lost village.”

About the Artist

John Simmons (1871–1943) was a British painter active in the interwar period. Before dedicating himself fully to art, he worked in the family theatrical costumier business, A. J. Simmons & Sons. After the firm’s sale in 1912, he pursued painting professionally.

Between 1925 and 1940, Simmons exhibited at major British institutions including the Royal Academy, Royal Society of British Artists, Walker Art Gallery, and the Royal Institute of Oil Painters (ROI). The original ROI exhibition label on the reverse of this painting confirms its inclusion and records his address as “New Chilterns, Amersham Common,” placing him within the Chilterns artistic community during his exhibiting years. His landscapes are characterised by careful composition, tonal sensitivity, and an understated confidence rooted in traditional early 20th-century British landscape painting.

Estimated Date

Circa 1925–1940 (painted during the artist’s documented exhibiting period prior to 1943).

Provenance & Notes

From a private collection. Retains its original Royal Institute of Oil Painters exhibition label verso inscribed “Tyneham Dorset” and giving the artist’s address as “New Chilterns, Amersham Common,” confirming its exhibition history.