Walke, Anne

Married to Rev. Bernard Walke, of ‘Twenty Years at St Hilary’ fame, the painter Ann[i]e Walke’s friendships with her fellow artists led to the outstanding collection of late Newlyn School paintings now decorating the church at St Hilary.

Biography

Anne Walke – 1877 – 1965

Always known as Annie, Anne Walke (née Fearon) was born in Banstead, Surrey, and moved to Cornwall after her marriage to Bernard Walke, who was a Curate in Fowey at the time. Having studied at both the Chelsea and London Schools of Art, she continued to paint, exhibiting regularly in London, including at the Royal Academy.

In 1912, Bernard Walke was offered the post as Vicar of St. Hilary Church, where the couple stayed for over twenty years. The couple were close friends of many of the ‘Lamorna Group’ of artists, and Bernard invited several of the artists – including Dod and Ernest Procter, Laura Knight and Harold Harvey – to join Annie in decorating the church with religious panels and altar pieces.

Annie frequently painted religious subjects, and as well as her contribution to the decoration of St Hilary, she also painted commissions for other churches, including the altarpiece triptych for the Jesus Chapel in Truro Cathedral.

Portfolio