National Gallery ‘art on your doorstep’ scheme withdrawn

In a Pembrokeshire Coast National Park application to the park’s own planners, permission was sought for the installation of 12 life-size National Gallery artwork prints on various locations in the national park, between June and November of this year.

Of the 12 locations for the ‘Art on your doorstep’ project, 11 would be on existing structures, the last on a self-standing structure at Oriel y Parc, St Davids.

Carew would see four artworks: Constable’s The Hay Wain, at the tidal Mill Bridge; Koninck’s ‘An extensive landscape by a road, with a river,’ in the car park opposite Carew River which overlooks the castle; Hans Holbein the Younger’s ‘The Ambassadors,’ in the national park workshop; and Turner’s The Fighting Temaraire, by the village’s war memorial.

Castell Henllys would feature two works: Cezanne’s Bathers, and Titian’s Baccus and Ariadne.

St Davids’ Oriel y Parc will feature Van Gough’s Wheatfield of Cypresses, and Canaletto’s The Stonemason’s Yard.

Porthclais would host Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, with Claude-Joseph Vernet’s A shipwreck in Stormy seas at Strumble Head.

Rosebush’s Tafarn Sinc would display Turner’s Rain, Steam, Speed, and a site at the skate park overlooking Tenby’s South Beach was planned to host Monet’s Bathers at La Grenoville.

National Park Building Conservation Officer Rob Scourfield made no adverse comments on the proposals, conditional on their removal in November 2026, but added: “Shame the famous Turner painting of Carew Castle isn’t included – not many locals know that he painted the castle.”

However, concerns about the scheme in its current form were raised by historic environment conservation service Cadw, saying the application “is inadequately documented and we recommend that additional information is required to enable a balanced decision to be taken [against planning guidance].”

It added: “It is unlikely that the proposed artwork will have any significant impact on the settings of the above scheduled monuments and any effect will be short-term. However, it should be noted that the location selected at Carew to display the Fighting Temeraire is inside the boundary of scheduled monument PE001 [Carew Castle].

“As such, the applicant should be informed that they need to contact Cadw, giving the precise location and how the picture will be mounted, to determine if scheduled monument consent is required before the artwork can be displayed.”

The application has since been withdrawn.