Steven Scholes Original Oil Painting – Liverpool Strand Street & Dock Road 1911, Edwardian Cityscape

Steven Scholes Original Oil Painting – Liverpool Strand Street & Dock Road 1911, Edwardian Cityscape

🖼️ Subject & Medium
Atmospheric original oil painting on canvas by listed British artist Steven Scholes (b.1952). This work depicts an Edwardian street scene in Liverpool, titled “Strand Street (Dock Road) 1911”, capturing the city’s famous waterfront at the height of its commercial prosperity.
Painted in oil on canvas and presented in its original traditional frame, this is a unique, hand-painted artwork – not a print or reproduction.

🌧️ Composition & Technique
The scene takes place on a wet evening along Strand Street and Dock Road. In the distance, the outline of the Royal Liver Building, complete with its Liver Bird, rises through the soft dockland haze. A long line of elegant street lamps pulls the viewer’s eye down the cobbled road, their reflections shimmering on the rain-soaked surface.

Scholes animates the view with horse-drawn carriages, early motor vehicles and well-dressed Edwardian figures in coats and hats. Warmly lit shop fronts – including one with the name “M. Jones” – and handsome brick and stone warehouses occupy the right-hand side, adding depth and strong architectural interest.

His distinctive technique is clearly visible:

• Rich browns and umbers for the wet cobbles

• Soft golden and white highlights for gas lamps and windows

• A finely blended sky transitioning from smoky greys to gentle ochres

The artist’s masterful handling of light, reflection and atmosphere gives a vivid sense of movement – you can almost hear the carriages and the steady rhythm of hooves on stone.

👨🎨 About the Artist – Steven Scholes (b.1952)
Steven Scholes is a respected Lancashire artist who has painted from an early age. His career took off in 1974 when he won the Manchester Evening News Art Competition, open to both professionals and amateurs. The resulting demand for his work allowed him to become a full-time painter by 1978.

As a child, Scholes explored Manchester with his grandfather, developing a lifelong fascination with Victorian and Edwardian architecture, bustling streets and historic city life. These early experiences shaped his mature style: evocative cityscapes filled with movement, figures, vehicles and brilliant light effects reflected on rainy pavements.

His paintings have been featured in numerous sell-out exhibitions and are highly sought after by collectors in the UK and overseas. At auction his work appears regularly, with prices ranging from modest levels into the low four figures; since 2012 his auction record has stood at around $1,660 USD for “City Lights, London 1958”.

✍️ Signature & Inscriptions

• Signed “STEVEN SCHOLES” lower right on the front.

• Inscribed in pencil on the canvas stretcher verso: “Strand St (Dock Rd) 1911”.

🪟 Framed
The painting is presented in its original traditional wooden frame with a fabric-lined inner slip, perfectly complementing the period subject. The rich dark wood enhances the warm street lighting within the scene and provides a classic gallery-style presentation.
A striking, ready-to-hang piece that sits beautifully in both traditional and contemporary interiors.

📏 Dimensions (Framed)

• Height: 43 cm

• Width: 53 cm

• Depth: 2.8 cm

An excellent, easy-to-place size for an office, hallway, lounge or study.

📜 Provenance
From a private art collection.
The reverse retains a framer’s label:
“Victoria Gallery Picture Framing – Prints – Paintings – P. Hart – Tel 051 495 1194.”
Now part of the collection of Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD.

❤️ Why You’ll Love This Painting
✅ A quintessential Steven Scholes work – an atmospheric northern cityscape with superb light, reflection and period charm.
✅ A highly evocative Edwardian Liverpool view featuring the iconic Liver Building, wet cobblestones and glowing gas lamps that immediately enrich any room.
✅ Packed with historical detail – horses, early motor traffic, shop fronts and pedestrians in 1911 dress – making it a captivating talking point for guests and a perfect choice for lovers of Liverpool history, northern art and architectural city views.

🧾 Condition

• Painting: The canvas surface is in very good, stable condition with an attractive original finish. On close inspection you may notice tiny specks of foxing/light staining and fine craquelure consistent with age and medium, none of which detract from the overall impact when displayed.

• Frame: The original frame shows general wear – light scuffs, small chips and minor losses to the moulding in places – entirely commensurate with age and adding to its period character.

A hanging thread is already attached to the back, so the artwork is ready for immediate wall display.