John Seymour Godden was born on 17th of October 1930. He was brought up in Worthing, West Sussex with parents Leslie and Mollie Godden and older brother Geoffrey Godden ( a ceramic historian, writer and lecturer). Initially, he was educated at Worthing High School, his parents refusing to have the family evacuated during the war years. John did not wish to go into the family Antique business, which had been in the family for three generations and which his brother Geoffrey joined at the age of 15. John followed a more academic path, going to St. Edmund’s College, Oxford. He participated in National Service and then spent many years living in Tottenham, where he worked as a librarian for the Central Office of Information. He combined this career with being an artist.
John standing in front of a display of his paintiings at an art market in London,
It is thought that his artistic interest might have come from his parents, where they had an ‘art room’ full of easels, pictures and paints, used by John. Although largely self taught, John also studied at Art School in London.
He took early retirement in the 1980s and moved out of London and came to live in Hertford, where he bought a house at 21 Dimsdale Street. The large barn at the side of the house was turned into a gallery with a mezzanine studio and store.
Portrait Painting
He cycled all around the local area, painting many buildings and scenes in and around Hertford and used his camera as his notepad, taking photographs of places and returning to his gallery to work them into a painting.
He exhibited some of his works at the Royal Academy and was an influential member of the Hertford Art Society where he made his gallery available to the society for events, including Christmas evenings. He was also a keen supporter of the Hertford Rotary Club.
John died on 12th March, 1999 at the age of 68. Details courtesy of Hertford Museum.
John Godden on the right at a stall at a market in Hertford with his paintings on display for sale.