Fred Stubbings was a multi‑talented figure in Coleshill, spending sixty years shaping village life as a teacher, artist, musician and councillor. Born in Cambridge and raised in Sussex, he began teaching young and moved to Coleshill in 1896, becoming headmaster of the Church of England School for 34 years. A gifted self‑taught musician, he served as organist at All Saints’ Church and trained choirs to festival success. His lifelong passion for painting led to six one‑man exhibitions, all raising funds for local causes — the last held just days before his death at 85. Beyond the arts, he was a parish council chairman, a member of Amersham Rural District Council, a school governor, a Freemason, a director of Amersham Building Society, and even a crack rifle shot who instructed volunteers during the First World War. Widely admired for his humour, warmth and tireless service, he left a legacy woven into the cultural life of Coleshill.
He is best know today for his paintings, some of which adorn the houses of Coleshill residents. In 2022, the History Group held an exhibition of his paintings, some of which had been donated to us for sale and to raise funds for the group and local charities. Below you will see a selection of paintings from the exhibition. There is also a gallery of his sketches which were lent to us by his granddaughter Judith Patmore for scanning. There is a third gallery of photos and newspaper cuttings that she also lent us.
Stubbings - Pictures from the Exhibition 2022
These images were obtained by digital photography before and during the exhibition. Many of the paintings were behind glass which caused a lot of reflections when they were photographed. The images have been edited to remove the reflections as much as possible although you may notice the remnants of reflections on some of them. The removal of the reflections will have caused subtle changes to the images but these are minimal.
Stubbings Sketches
Stubbings Photos and Cuttings
