DONALD CHISHOLM TOWNER (1903-1985) was born in Eastbourne, where there is now a gallery named after his great-uncle (John Chisholm Turner), and studied art first at Eastbourne School of Art, and then at London’s Royal College of Art. After graduation, Donald first took a studio at Mornington Crescent. Later, he moved to Hampstead, first residing at Holly Hill, and then in Church Row, where he lived for 50 years.

Currently, Burgh House in Hampstead is hosting an exhibition of Towner’s artworks, which is called “Amongst the Trees and Terraces: Donald Towner (1903-1985) and will continue until 13 December 2026. The exhibition includes one painting of St Pauls Cathedral surrounded by bombed buildings during WW2. Almost all of the other pictures have scenes of Hampstead as their subjects, and were painted in his studio in Church Row. Mostly painted in pale colours, they are all pleasing to the eye. Pleasant as it is, I would not rate Towner’s work nearly as highly as that of  his friend (and fellow student), the artist Eric Ravilious (1903-1942). Whereas Ravilious was adventurous in his compositional technique, Towner was more conventional.

Towner was not only a painter, but also a connoisseur and collector of ceramics. He began collecting after the end of WW2, and published several books about ceramics. At the same time, he continued painting until the end of his life.

The exhibition at Burgh House is small but well-laid out in the Marie-Louise von Motesiczky Gallery. One large painting, not in that room, hangs in the reception area, and should not be missed.  We saw the exhibition because we were meeting friends in Burgh House’s café. I am not sure that if one does not have an interest in Hampstead, or happen to be visiting the area, that I would make a special journey to see the exhibition.