James Bucknall Estcourt was born in London in 1802.He joined the army as an eighteen year old and was eventually sent to Gibraltar in 1824 with the 43rd foot - Monmouthshire light infantry. He spent several years on the Rock leading the comfortable but perhaps rather dull life of a Garrison captain but which he seemed to have improved upon by joining the Calpe Hunt (see LINK) and by painting numerous attractive ink and watercolour sketches of theRock and its environs.
He is described in one biography as 'a man of the world, of good nature and judgement, and a perfect gentleman' and in another is remembered for:
The selection of Estcourt's work shown below was probably done during 1824 to 1825.
He is described in one biography as 'a man of the world, of good nature and judgement, and a perfect gentleman' and in another is remembered for:
. . . his gentle and amiable temper, his peculiarly engaging manners, combined with a manly and enterprising spirit.Curiously he seems to have been a contemporary of yet another soldier artist and fellow Calpe Huntsman - Henry Sandman - (see LINK) who was busy sketching his own versions of Gibraltar at the same time as he was.
The selection of Estcourt's work shown below was probably done during 1824 to 1825.
James Bucknall Estcourt - The perfect Gentleman
The selection of his sketches shown below were probably done during 1824 to 1825.
British Soldiers in Gibraltar and the interior of St Georges Hall with the artist in the foreground
The ruins of O'Hara's Tower and Castellar with Gibraltar in the distance
The Bay seen from the Rock
The Bay looking towards Spain
The Bay looking towards Spain
View from O'Hara's Tower towards Signal Station. with the town of San Roque in the far distance. However It is curious in that the space occupied by the hut like building in the middle of the picture is today occupied by a round one which many have always thought of as being very old
View from the 'New Mole' with the Line Wall and the Moorish Castle in the distance. The bell is an unknown quantity
The ferry across the river Guadacorte with Algeciras in the distance
The Rock and O'Hara's Tower
Sketch of Room
Finally, perhaps it is worth mentioning that his wife Caroline was probably a even better water colourist than he was.
"The good woman of colours who lived near us in Lundy's Lane and took in a sick black man to nurse when he had been turned out because he could not pay his lodging" ( 1838 -
Caroline Bucknall Estcourt )