Biography
In 1865 the local brewer and industrialist Frederick Wells, built Oaklands House. Charles Pertwee, thought to be Frederick's brother-in-law, designed the house in the Italianate style and was based on Queen Victoria's residence at Osborne on the Isle of Wight. In 1908, Frederick died, and some time later, the Flowers family moved in. The house was used as a hospital in World War I, and when the land was sold again in 1930, Chelmsford Borough Council bought it for use as Chelmsford Museum. Eight artworks have been presented to the museum by the Contemporary Art Society by artists such as Tom Phillips, Maggi Hambling and Paul Gopal-Chowdhury.
