Early Winston Churchill coastal scene painting sells for £290,000 at auction trends now
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A never-before-seen painting by Winston Churchill of the location where was very nearly killed in a freak accident has sold for £290,000.
The future prime minister was left fighting for his life after he fell 30ft off a footbridge at Branksome Dene Chine, Poole, Dorset, in 1892.
The then 18-year-old spent three days in a coma and three months bedbound before making a recovery.
Twenty-four years later he returned to the coastal beauty spot to paint.
Winston Churchill completed his painting of Poole, Dorset, near where he almost fell to his death in 1892 while recovering from a mental health emergency in 1916
Churchill, who had just been sacked as First Lord of the Admiralty for his role in the disastrous Gallipoli campaign during World War One
At the time he was suffering from depression having been sacked as First Lord of the Admiralty following the disastrous Gallipoli campaign.
He took up painting as a therapy to help overcome his mental health issues.
He often carried his paints and easel when travelling as Prime Minister during the Second World War
Churchill's 1916 oil on canvas painting features the lush green pine trees of the chine in the foreground, the blue water of Poole Bay and the white cliffs of Old Harry Rocks beyond.
He gifted the painting to Sir Ernest Cassel, a close friend who he was staying with during a seaside holiday in Bournemouth at the time.
The 20in by 23.5ins work remained in the Cassel family until it was sold by London auctioneers Bonhams.
Christopher Dawson, Bonhams head of modern British and Irish Art, said: 'Winston Churchill's paintings have a wide and growing appeal.
Churchill, pictured with his pet terrier and his brother Jack at his aunt Cornelia's home in Canford, near Bournemouth in 1892
Churchill recalled running onto a 'rustic bridge nearly 50 yards long' across the chine while being chased by his 12-year-old brother and 14-year-old cousin. Rather than face 'capture' by his playmates at either end of the bridge, Churchill jumped, intending to slide down one of the pine trees to the ground
