Burgh House is thrilled to present Amongst the Trees and Terraces: Donald Towner (1903–1985), the first exhibition in decades to celebrate the life and work of Hampstead-based painter Donald Towner. Spanning the interwar and postwar years, this exhibition traces Towner’s landscapes, cityscapes, and Hampstead views — capturing both the gentle beauty of the British countryside and the upheavals of a nation in recovery.
Donald Towner lived at 8 Church Row, Hampstead, from 1927 until his death in 1985. A naturalist at heart, he painted the English countryside with quiet reverence while also recording London in flux — including the rubble-strewn streets around St Paul’s Cathedral in the aftermath of WWII. In the postwar years, Towner was commissioned by the British Tourist Board to depict landscapes across the country, positioning art at the heart of Britain’s international image.
It was from beautiful eighteenth century houses in London’s suburban Hampstead that Towner was able to capture his subjects from completely different and unexpected perspectives. Through bountiful trees and gentle brushstrokes, his works are more than just scenery as they create a true sense of belonging.
From rubble to renewal, Towner’s nostalgic works show Britain in transition as he juxtaposes romantic landscapes with the destruction of war and the rebuilding that followed. Amongst the Trees and Terraces: Donald Towner not only celebrates a Hampstead artist but also explores how art shaped Britain’s self-image during a period of profound change. His works are a tribute to Britian and British identity, which sit at a turning point in Britain’s story.
Towner’s dual vision of landscapes as both timeless and fragile, resonates with contemporary debates about heritage, identity, and the future of Britain’s cultural landscape. His friendships with contemporaries including Eric Ravilious and Edward Burra situate him within an important generation of British artists reimagining national identity through place.
This poignant exhibition will include works from Burgh House’s own important collection of Towner, loans from private collectors, many of whom knew Towner personally. Additionally, it will include rarely seen paintings of Hampstead and its landmarks — including links to Towner’s surviving works in Hampstead Parish Church and Louis’ Café.
Alongside Amongst the Trees and Terraces: Donald Towner, Burgh House will present a collections showcase titled Hampstead Vanished and Imagined. While exploring the lost landscapes and their change over time, this showcase reflects how change can be managed to ensure an area retains its sense of place, whilst modernising at the same time. To celebrate the exhibition, Burgh House have collaborated on a new exciting project with New End school and the Heath and Hampstead Society on the redevelopment of New End Hospital in the 1990s.
Curator of Burgh House, Amy Miller, comments: “Donald Towner’s work offers us both tenderness and grit — Hampstead’s timeless beauty alongside the devastation and rebuilding of postwar London. This exhibition is not only a homecoming for an artist who lived and worked here, but also a chance to reflect on how art shapes our sense of place and identity. We are thrilled to bring together Burgh House’s collection with rarely seen pieces that shine a new light on Towner’s legacy.”
Photo credit: Burgh House
Amongst the Trees and Terraces: Donald Towner
Burgh House, New End Square, London, NW3 1LT
Thursday 5h March – Sunday 20th December 2026 (running Wednesday to Friday and Sundays from 10am-4pm)
Further information
