| Frances Lennon MBE | |
|---|---|
Frances at home in February 2006 |
|
| Birth name | Frances Mooney |
| Born | 12 September 1912 Stretford, Greater Manchester, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Field | Painting |
| Influenced by | L. S. Lowry, Harold Riley |
| Awards | Member of the British Empire Honorary degrees from University of Salford and Manchester Metropolitan University |
Frances Lennon MBE (born 12 September 1912) is an award winning British artist from Greater Manchester, probably best known for being the Official Artist of the 2002 Commonwealth Games. Many comparisons have been made between Frances' work and that of fellow Stretfordian L. S. Lowry; her paintings have been described as "Lowry-esque, but with more humour". Well-known collectors of her work include former Member of Parliament Winston Churchill.[1]
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Frances was born on Haddon Street, in the Gorse Hill district of Stretford. She was the second child of Edward and Margaret Mooney and grew up with her elder sister Margaret and her younger brother Wilfrid. Frances was baptised into the Roman Catholic Church at St Ann's, Stretford, and educated at the parish school between 1915 and 1923.[2] She then went on to study at the Adelphi House Convent School in Salford, where the sisters of the Faithful Companions of Jesus discovered her talent for art. She also began drawing cartoons for Punch Magazine.[3]
In 1928, Frances began work as a draughtsman's assistant at the Metropolitan-Vickers factory in Trafford Park. She married fireman William (Bill) Lennon on 19 February 1938 at St Ann’s, Stretford and the couple moved to the Bradford Fire Station, in east Manchester. They moved back to Stretford in 1943, after Bill's injuries during the Manchester Blitz forced her to return to work to support the family. She took a job with the Ministry of Defence as a draughtsman, drawing plans for new war planes.
Frances and Bill remained in Stretford until the late 1970s, when they retired to Flixton, Greater Manchester.[4]
Frances began painting full-time after the death of her husband in 1982.[5] She released several books, including best-selling collections entitled A Trafford Childhood (1986) and A Manchester Childhood (2001).[1] In 2002 Frances was commissioned as the official artist for the Commonwealth Games and she produced a special book of paintings relating to games and sports.[3]
In 2003, Frances was awarded an MBE by Prince Charles for her contribution to arts and charity, which included extensive work for the St Francis House Hospice in Didsbury. She was presented with two honorary degrees in 2004, the first from Salford University on 14 July and the second from Manchester Metropolitan University on 16 July.[6]