George Samuel

The village of Newington Butts lies to the east of Brixton about a mile from London Bridge. It is an ancient place where the church was held under the jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Canterbury. The rectory was a remarkable building, which appears in several early engravings, it was largely made of wood and was surrounded by a moat, the house being accessed by four bridges. 

George Samuel exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1786 to 1823, the year in which he was killed when a wall collapsed upon him. He was friends with Girtin and Francia and was much influenced by Paul Sandby. Surviving work is held in, amongst other institutions, the British Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum but his watercolours rarely appear on the open market.