Durham Cathedral and Bridge, from the River Wear about 1798 Thomas Girtin 1775-1802 Pencil, watercolour and scratching out on laid paper Lent by the Whitworth Art Gallery, the University of Manchester

Room 2 Durham Cathedral and Bridge, from the River Wear Girtin made two finished watercolours of Durham Cathedral; this is the second version, from which he has eliminated any elements which might distract attention from the monumental buildings towering above Framwell Bridge. The effects of Girtin's choice of colours, however, are difficult to judge, since the watercolour has faded. The blues in the sky, for example, have long disappeared. The figures in the foreground are repairing the weir.