Annual Report (for the period 06/04/2024 – 05/04/2025)
The Brian Nolan Art Trust
Charitable Incorporated Organisation
1199427
Registered Address
Willow View Crooked Way Stembridge Martock Somerset TA12 6BP
Trustees
Martin Brown Andrea Cooper Joanne Dean Russell Dean Angela Henley Ian Nolan Edward Yardley
Introduction
The object of the CIO is: The advancement of art
To advance education in the arts by the establishment and maintenance of a major collection of artwork by the artist Brian Nolan, this will be achieved by:
Exhibiting his work in a wide range of galleries, museums and public collections, particularly, but not exclusively, in the Manchester and Peak District areas
Promoting participation in watercolour painting and an interest in the medium
Permitting images to be used as appropriate
Enabling access to digital images and original work for research and educational purposes
Exhibitions 2024 - 2025
Derbyshire Open Arts
The charity exhibited Nolan’s work alongside Hayfield artists during Derbyshire Open Arts weekend, in May 2024. Cards and booklets were sold and interesting discussions were held with visitors who came to view the display.
Hayfield Library
Two displays were held in Hayfield Library. From May to July 2024, ‘The Village’ presented pictures of the buildings and streets of Hayfield and from December 2024 to January 2025 ‘Food for Thought’ showed pictures which expressed Nolan’s thoughts about the world, from the environmental damage caused by the oil spill from the Sea Empress off the Pembrokeshire coast, to the ‘Lottery of Life’. These displays provide an
opportunity for the trust to show pictures which may not have been exhibited for a long time and introduce visitors to a wider range of Nolan’s work. Very positive feedback has been received in the Visitors’ Book and from the library staff.
Rock Mill Centre, New Mills
To mark the arrival of the trust’s collection an exhibition was held at the Rock Mill Centre in May 2024. The pictures were selected as an introduction to Nolan’s work. Photographs, catalogues, sketchbooks and other items were presented in display cases. Two trustees, Andrea Cooper and Ed Yardley gave a introductory talk about Nolan at the exhibition’s preview and this was followed up with a talk by another trustee, Joanne Dean, at the end of May, which gave more details of his life and the development of his connection with the Peak District. On each occasion the trust encouraged people to shar their own memories of Nolan and his work.
Future Exhibitions
An exhibition will be held at Darlington Library and Art Gallery in the summer of 2027 and one is scheduled to take place at Manchester Central Library in 2031, to mark the centenary of Nolan’s birth.
Storage and Conservation
Conservation work was completed on the picture ‘Kenworthy Lane, Northenden’, which the trust bought at an auction.
In April 2024 the trust’s collection of pictures was moved from the storage unit in Manchester to a dedicated storage space in the Rock Mill Centre in New Mills. A wooden screen, with a lockable door and ventilation, separates the store from the corridor. Well-designed shelving has now been installed allowing the pictures to be efficiently stored, largely in numerical order. The store has an extractor fan, but a dehumidifier is also used to ensure that humidity is controlled. The new storage arrangement represents a significant saving for the trust.
A permanent display about Nolan’s work is now installed on the public facing side of the store room.
Policy on the Sale of Pictures
The charity owns a large collection of Nolan’s work. Some are framed and were exhibited by him in the past, but many are not. Most of the work we own was completed in the later part of his career, when he had decided not to sell so many of his pictures. We currently have a very limited range of his work from his early career and would like to acquire examples of this work when it becomes available. The trustees have therefore agreed that some of his pictures can be sold in order to help to fund the charity’s work and, in particular, to enable us to buy work which is under-represented in our current collection. The work selected for sale is not part of the core collection. The pictures are generally from the later stage of his career and are not the best examples of his work (in a particular style or of a particular area), but are still appealing to the public.
Over the 2024 – 2025 reporting period no pictures were sold.
Sale of Prints
Prints have continued to be offered for sale, but the number purchased declined significantly after the initial sales. It was therefore agreed that the prints should be reduced in price. It was also agreed that we would print and mount A3 versions which could be available to sell at exhibitions.
Acquisition of Pictures
In April 2024 the trust bought a picture at an auction. The work ‘Kenworthy Lane, Northenden’, is an important addition to the trust’s collection of Nolan’s early work.
Three early pictures were donated to the trust in August 2024, along with a small selection of work by other Manchester artists for the trust to sell in order to raise funds. The trust is incredibly grateful for these pictures, which had been owned by one of Nolan’s friends, and appreciated the valuable opportunity to find out more about this stage of his artistic career.
The trust was also fortunate to receive the donation of two prints of Nolan’s work, which had been produced and sold to raise money for Hawk Green Band in 2006. The pictures, ‘Fishing at Marple’ and ‘Across the Years’ were part of a series of paintings of the Roman Lake area of Marple which had been painted many years earlier.
Public Benefit
Over the year the charity held exhibitions at the Rock Mill Centre in New Mills and at Hayfield Library, all freely available to the public. Future exhibitions are planned for these venues and in New Mills Library, Manchester and Darlington.
The charity continued to review all the pictures in its collection, identifying those which require conservation, framing or particular storage requirements. Investing in the work in this way is a vital part of the charity’s work and will ensure that the art work can be appreciated by the public in the future.
Storing the pictures in New Mills, within easy reach of two of the trustees, greatly facilitates public access to the collection. Members of the public are able to view the work by appointment and enjoy regular displays in the centre. The permanent display of information about Nolan enables the public to learn more about his work.
Through the year the charity has continued to take a great interest in the research which an admirer of Nolan’s work is completing into the history of the locations depicted in his early pictures, particularly those set in Manchester. The trust is keen to see this research disseminated through relevant local history societies.
The trust has also found out more about the company that commissioned Nolan to complete work for new churches in South Manchester in the 1960s and 1970s. Interesting information has been provided by the son of the owner of the business. This information will also be of interest to local historians.
Objectives for 2025 – 2026
-
Seek opportunities to exhibit Nolan’s work at suitable galleries, with the aim of drawing up a programme of future exhibitions in a variety of venues and areas of the country.
-
Secure an income for the charity through the sale of high quality prints of Nolan’s work.
-
Promote watercolour painting through the charity’s links with the Rock Mill Centre and New Mills Festival.
Joanne Dean, Chair of The Brian Nolan Art Trust 23.10.25
| The Brian Nolan Art Trust The Brian Nolan Art Trust |
The Brian Nolan Art Trust The Brian Nolan Art Trust |
The Brian Nolan Art Trust The Brian Nolan Art Trust |
The Brian Nolan Art Trust The Brian Nolan Art Trust |
The Brian Nolan Art Trust The Brian Nolan Art Trust |
1199427 | 1199427 | 1199427 | CC16a | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| For the period from |
06/04/2024 Period start date |
To | 05/04/2025 Period end date |
||||||
| Section A Receipts and payments | |||||||||
| A1 Receipts | Unrestricted funds to the nearest £ |
Restricted funds to the nearest £ |
Endowment funds to the nearest £ |
Total funds to the nearest £ |
Last year to the nearest £ |
||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| Donations | - | - | - | - | - | ||||
| Sale of cards and booklets | 361 | 361 | 933 | ||||||
| Sale ofprints | 100 | - | - | 100 | 1,270 | ||||
| Interest earned on deposit account | 125 | - | - | 125 | 64 | ||||
| Reimbursement of storage overpayment | 316 | - | - | 316 | - | ||||
| - | - | - | - | - | |||||
| - | - | - | - | - | |||||
| ~~Sub total~~~~(Gross income for~~ AR) |
902 |
- | - | 902 | 2,267 | ||||
| - 902 179 71 819 11 98 - 100 204 - - 96 - - 255 179 2,012 523 - 523 2,535 - 1,633 - 7,595 5,962 |
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
- - - 902 179 71 819 11 98 - 100 204 - - 96 - - 255 179 2,012 523 - 523 2,535 - 1,633 |
||||||
| A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table). |
|||||||||
| Sale ofpaintings | 5,251 | ||||||||
| - | |||||||||
| ~~Sub total~~ | - | 5,251 | |||||||
| Total receipts A3 Payments |
|||||||||
| 7,518 | |||||||||
| Framing | 179 | 1,473 | |||||||
| Publicityandprinting | 71 | 119 | |||||||
| Equipment and stationery | 819 | 100 | |||||||
| Transportingartwork | 11 | 415 | |||||||
| Exhibition refreshments | 98 | - | |||||||
| Accommodation | - | 179 | |||||||
| Exhibition fees | 100 | 110 | |||||||
| Website | 204 | 172 | |||||||
| Printingof booklets | - | 550 | |||||||
| Prints | - | 740 | |||||||
| Insurance | 96 | 96 | |||||||
| Commission on cardpayments | - | 47 | |||||||
| Commission on sale ofpictures | - | 665 | |||||||
| Storage of art work | 255 | 2,672 | |||||||
| Conservation work | 179 | 475 | |||||||
| **Sub total ** | 2,012 | 7,813 | |||||||
| A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table) |
|||||||||
Purchase ofpictures |
523 | 100 | |||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| **Sub total ** | 523 | 100 | |||||||
| Total payments Net of receipts/(payments) A5 Transfers between funds A6 Cash funds last year end Cash funds this year end |
|||||||||
| 7,913 | |||||||||
| - 1,633 | - | - | - 1,633 | - 395 | |||||
| - | - | - | - | - | |||||
| 7,595 | - | - | 7,595 | 7,990 | |||||
| 5,962 | - | - | 5,962 | 7,595 |
CCXX R1 accounts (SS)
22/10/2025
1
| Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period | Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period | Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period | Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Categories B1 Cash funds B2 Other monetary assets B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use B3 Investment assets |
Exhibition equipment Co-operative bank current account Co-operative bank deposit account Cash Details (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) Details Details Details Works of art by Brian Nolan Storage boxes |
Unrestricted funds to nearest £ 1,750 4,189 23 5,962 OK Unrestricted funds to nearest £ - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Fund to which asset belongs |
Restricted funds to nearest £ - - - OK Restricted funds to nearest £ - - - - - - Cost (optional) - - - - - Cost (optional) - - - - - - - - - |
Endowment funds to nearest £ |
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| OK | ||||
| Endowment funds to nearest £ |
||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| Current value (optional) |
||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| Current value (optional) |
||||
| Works of art by Brian Nolan | - | - | ||
| Storage boxes | - | - | ||
| Exhibition equipment | - | - | ||
| - | - | |||
| - | - | |||
| - | - | |||
| - | - | |||
| - | - | |||
| - | - |
| Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees B5 Liabilities |
Signature Details |
Fund to which liability relates Amount due (optional) - - - - - Print Name Joanne Dean |
When due (optional) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of approval |
|||
| Joanne Dean | 22.10.25 | ||
CCXX R2 accounts (SS)
22/10/2025
2