Elias Isaac Webb – still painting at the age of 83

Elias Isaac Webb worked in the railway works for 48 years as a painter and sign writer and painted landscapes in oil in his spare time.  In 1947 when Elias was 83 years old he won first prize in an arts exhibition organised in Swindon by the Council of Social Services.

Elias was born in Westbury in 1864, one of nine children.  By 1889 he was living in Swindon where he married Ada Hancox at St Mark’s Church on December 14^th.  The couple had three daughters and a son.

Elias and Ada were interviewed by the Advertiser on the occasion of their Golden Wedding anniversary in 1939.  By then in their mid seventies they were both very active.  They were members of the Worker’s Education Association and still enjoyed the summer rambles organised by that group. 

They told the Advertiser reporter that ‘we celebrated our silver wedding in war time, and now our golden wedding in war time.  We hope, if spared, that our diamond wedding will be in peace time.’

Well they did make it to their Diamond Wedding.  Elias died in 1957 aged 93 and Ada in 1962 also aged 93.  They are buried here with two of their children; Frederick James who died in 1949 and daughter Elsie who died in 1974 aged 80.

The couple’s great-granddaughter told me that Ada originally paid a guinea for grave plot C1849 in 1914 for herself and Elias to be buried in.  However their married daughter Ada Irene Jones died suddenly in 1932 so she was buried there instead.

In 1933 Elias bought this plot in E Section from Agatha Mary Beak of 49 Union Street.  He paid £2 8s.

The facts …

Painting at the Age of 83

To mention the world “artist” immediately conjures up visions of a gaunt figure with carelessly combed hair, living in an attic. But these characteristics do not belong to Mr. Elias Webb, of 45 Newcastle-street, he is a leisurely pensioner undistinguished by peculiarity.

Walking into his drawing room is like entering a cave enchantment, studded with rare works of nature. On the walls are “works,” notably Killarney lakes, which show how sensitively he handles his materials.

The textures are evolved with utmost refinement the colours modulated to the most delicate adjustments of temperamental choice. He has captured in its entirety the importance of light and shade, colour planes and geometric configurations.

Country Visits

Many years ago Mr. Webb and a friend became interest in oil painting and attended the studio of a Mrs Hack, who was the first women to serve on the Swindon [School Board] Council.

On the GWR staff he was engaged mostly on lettering and sign writing in his spare time he used to go into the country draw outlines, put the wash on the canvas and finish the work at home.

He won first prize at a recent arts exhibition organised by the Council of Social Services with a landscape showing misty hills with a winding track in the middle distance, a crofter’s cottage and cattle grazing. He painted this landscape when he was 83 years of age.

One of his paintings is now hanging in the Baptist Sunday School at Westbury, where he sat as a boy more than 70 years ago.

His Other Hobbies

Mr Webb’s other interest include gardening and music, although he said they are not strictly his hobbies. Before he retired 17 years ago, he worked an allotment garden on the Wootton Basset road for 40 years, and even now grows a few flowers in his back garden.

Since his marriage, 57 years ago, he has lived in Swindon. He came from Westbury where members of his family were well known in musical circles.

For 60 years Mr Webb has been a teetotaller, but he hastened to add “I don’t mind a person having a glass of beer it does some people good. But I am fit and do quite well without it.”

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