A marine artist residing at Watnall Hall, March 1916.

Mr Frank E. Woodhams, a competent amateur marine artist for a time, was residing at Watnall Hall in March 1916. Lady Maud Rolleston herself was a well-known amateur artist with an interest in the world of art; possibly she knew him from local circles of the art world and decided to take him under her wing. 

How long he was staying there is not known; however, during a gathering at the Hall on 20th March 1916, the tradition of those attending signing a sheet of paper was followed. Mr Woodhams, rather than signing his name, added a small colour painting to the sheet of paper, rather than just his signature. 

During his stay, Mr Woodhams painted a series of seascapes entitled "The British Battle Fleet in the North Sea". At least three paintings were produced for this. Possibly due to the influence of Lady Maud, his work was exhibited at the City of Nottingham Museum and Art Gallery, a local artists' exhibition, presumably sometime in 1916. One of the three known paintings still has the exhibition label on the back and gives Mr Woodhams's address as Watnall Hall, Notts. 

All three paintings have Mr Woodhams's distinct signature with the "S" tailing back under his name, and just as with the signature he added to his quick painting on the paper for the gathering at the Hall in March, he has added the date 1916 to all three works. Two of the paintings show ships of the Battle Fleet struggling in the North Sea, and one is a picture of just one ship which he has titled "H.M.S. MINOTAUR".

Not much is known about Mr Woodhams, but it is believed he was a solicitor's clerk from Frindsbury in Kent, aged 35 in 1916, who for whatever reason moved to Nottingham during this time. Another candidate is Frank Woodhams, recorded as living in Nottingham in the 1921 census, a person originally from Yorkshire. This Mr Woodhams was aged 22 in 1916 and, during his war service, made Ordnance Survey maps for the Royal Engineers. Although this Mr Woodhams has the Nottingham address connection, he is not recorded as having the middle "E" in his name. Possibly this was omitted, or maybe he is not the correct Mr Woodhams. Both of these men are likely to have received their conscription call-up papers shortly after the time of the art exhibition. 

Two of the three paintings were the property of the Barber family at Lamb Close House, not far from Watnall Hall. Maybe Lady Maud, continuing to promote the works of Mr Woodhams, had offered or suggested the purchase of some of his paintings to the Barber family, and they obliged. The two paintings were sold along with the remaining contents of Lamb Close House by Mellors and Kirk auctioneers in February 2026. The third painting, that of H.M.S. Minotaur, appeared for sale with a dealer in Guildford, not a great distance from Frindsbury. Maybe Frank E. Woodhams, who was the first of the two suggested candidates, went home at some point, taking one of the unsold paintings with him! One more painting by Mr Woodhams has been observed; this one is of a sailing yacht dated 1918, again with his distinctive signature. Possibly he took up painting after returning from the war.