The Munnings Link

The Connection

During the summer of 1908 Alfred Munnings stayed at the Alby Horse Shoes, painting the local scenes. He described the countryside as "the most beautiful he had seen for a long time".   In his autobiography he devotes a chapter to Alby Horse Shoes a copy of which is on display in the Dining Room

Alfred John Munnings(1878-1959) achieved renown as one of England's finest painters of horses. During the First World War his engagement by Lord Beaverbrook's Canadian War Memorials Fund led to a series of prestigious post-war commissions that made him a wealthy man.

Alby Horse Shoes circa 1930

Biography Alfred Munnings was born into a miller's family at Mendham, Suffolk, on October 8th, 1878. At fourteen he was apprenticed to a Norwich printer, designing and drawing advertising posters over six years. In his spare time he attended the Norwich School of Art. When his term of apprenticeship was up, he threw himself wholeheartedly into making his way as a painter. He frequently painted rural scenes, gypsies, and horses. Art dealers and connoisseurs noted him as a promising painter; his works sold well and from 1899 onwards they were hung occasionally in the Royal Academy. The young artist lived boisterously, sometimes paying debts with sketches. The picture to the right shows how the pub looked in Munnings' day.