More than 300 watercolours from the 1800s have had the opportunity to bloom again!

We’ve been working in partnership with Newcastle Libraries to catalogue the 332 images in its archive known as the Collinson Collection.

The stunning collection features hand-painted illustrations of wildflowers recorded across the North East between 1820 and 1856, with over 120 coming from around the villages of Whitburn and Cleadon in South Tyneside.

It’s believed the artists were sisters Margaret Dale and Frances Dale, who were born in Newcastle and were distant relatives of the Collinson family of Gateshead. Around thirty years after the last painting was completed, the watercolours were given to the Newcastle Public Library by Admiral Sir Richard Collinson, naval officer and explorer.

Thanks to funding from Heritage Lottery Fund we’ve been able to make the collection more accessible to the public with groups from across the city using the paintings as inspiration for creative workshops.

See below for more information about the sessions, upcoming workshops and an exhibition of the wildflower artwork in Newcastle.