Fabricated View of New Place by Paul Braddon

'Watercolour by Paul Braddon depicting Shakespeare’s family home from 1597 and, at the time of purchase, the largest house in the borough. The house was eventually demolished in 1759. This fabricated view is derived from a drawing supposedly discovered in 1786, and bears little resemblance to the five-gabled, half-timbered frontage that Shakespeare would have known. Paul Braddon (1864-1937) was the pseudonym of James Leslie Crees. Born in Birmingham, England, Braddon was a prolific watercolour artist, best known for his topographical paintings, which often featured buildings with a literary connection. The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust has almost a hundred of Braddon's watercolours in its collection, painted around 1890 and depicting scenes from Stratford-upon-Avon and other areas associated with William Shakespeare.'