Artist who captured Old Portsmouth in all its glory

The postcards of his work were sent to me by Martin Halsey who has a collection of them.

Snape was born at Gosport on the last day of 1852 and died in November 1930. He concentrated mainly on landscapes from the Meon Valley, and shore and maritime scenes around Portsmouth Harbour and his home town of Gosport. He exhibited at the Royal Academy between 1874 and 1901.

Living in Spring Garden Lane, near Gosport railway station, Snape was associated with the Gosport area all his life.

In 1922 he was commissioned to design the seal for the newly-created Borough of Gosport (the original design is still used by the town’s football club). His most famous painting, Forton Creek, one of a series, still hangs in the town hall.

Snape is buried in the churchyard at Rowner church. He had a great fondness for Rowner, which was the subject of many of his paintings and was a friend of former rector, the Rev Edward Prideaux-Brune.