Ernest Townsend

Brit Ernest Townsend studied at the Derby College of Art, Heatherleys in Chelsea and the Royal Academy of London, and lived in Derby for most of his life. As a professional artist, he painted portraits of many local and national politicians, industrialists, and professional notables.

One of Townsend’s best known works was the creation of a design for the roofs of the Rolls-Royce aircraft engine factories in Derby so that they would appear to German bombers to resemble a village. One of his best known portraits was Winston Churchill from 1915, which was not presented to the public until 1944.