Low Fell, From Lanthwaite Hill – Original Pen and Ink Drawing | Lake District, Cumbria | Signed by Alfred Wainwright (1907–1991)

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Description

Low Fell, from Lanthwaite Hill – Original Pen and Ink Drawing | Lake District, Cumbria | Signed by Alfred Wainwright … Read more Low Fell, from Lanthwaite Hill – Original Pen and Ink Drawing | Lake District, Cumbria | Signed by Alfred Wainwright (1907–1991)
Artwork Overview
An original pen-and-ink landscape drawing depicting Low Fell in Cumbria, viewed from near the summit of Lanthwaite Hill — a classic vantage point closely associated with Alfred Wainwright’s Lakeland compositions. The scene combines pastoral field geometry with the distinctive mass and ridge line of the fell, rendered in the meticulous monochrome linework for which Wainwright is celebrated.
Executed in pen and ink on paper, this work reflects the medium and visual language most closely associated with Wainwright’s celebrated Lakeland publications.
Composition & Technique
This drawing is a refined example of Wainwright’s precise and economical draughtsmanship. Tonal depth is achieved entirely through line density, directional hatching and layered cross-hatching, without the use of wash, resulting in exceptional clarity and structure.
The foreground is anchored by darker, emphatic mark-making suggesting woodland and scrub. The mid-ground opens into a carefully structured patchwork of fields and boundaries, almost cartographic in precision. The fell itself is built through contour-led linework and controlled cross-hatching, effectively conveying slope, texture and atmospheric distance.
The sky is rendered with restrained strokes, allowing the landscape to remain dominant. In keeping with Wainwright’s style, the absence of figures lends the composition a contemplative stillness.
Historical Significance
This composition is documented as “Drawing 231: Low Fell, from Lanthwaite Hill.” The viewpoint forms the title page of the Low Fell chapter in The Western Fells (Book Seven) of Wainwright’s Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells.
The seven-volume series was first published between 1955 and 1966. The Western Fells was first issued in 1966. As this specific view is directly tied to the Low Fell chapter and title-page usage, the most defensible dating for an original guide-era drawing of this subject is mid-1960s, approximately 1964–1966, prior to publication.
A copy of The Western Fells (Book Seven) is included with the artwork.
About the Artist
Alfred Wainwright (1907–1991) was one of Britain’s most respected fell-writers and landscape draughtsmen. His Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells remains a definitive cultural document of Lakeland walking.
Original Wainwright drawings are increasingly sought after. In 2020, a Wainwright pen-and-ink sketch achieved £10,200 at auction, reported at the time as a record price for his artwork.
Signature
Signed in pencil “A Wainwright” lower right.
Titled “LOW FELL” lower left.
Framing
Mounted with a clean white border mat
Framed in a Larson Juhl baroque-style black lacquered Radiata Pine moulding
Glazed with AR70 museum-grade glass for clarity and UV protection
Framed Dimensions:
47.2 cm (H) × 52 cm (W) × 5.5 cm (D)
Provenance
Private Cumbria collection
Acquired via a long-established Cumbria auction house
Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD label verso
Privately exhibited at the Lord Hill Museum, “Where the Fells Breathe: A Lakeland Meditation,” February 2026
The composition is recorded as Drawing 231 and identified as the title page image for the Low Fell chapter in The Western Fells (first published 1966), supporting the mid-1960s dating framework.

Key Features
Original mid-1960s Lakeland drawing
Signed and titled by Alfred Wainwright
Documented composition linked to The Western Fells (1966)
Museum-grade framing with AR70 glass
Strong collector appeal for Wainwright and Lake District enthusiasts See less