Support quality, independent, local journalism…that matters

From just £1 a month you can help fund our work – and use our website without adverts. Become a member today

A sketch of Nelson’s handball court on a napkin by the artist LS Lowry has failed to sell at auction.

The drawing, measuring 15cm, depicts the listed building and was last sold at auction in April 2016 for £9,000,

Signed and dated 6 November 1961, it is thought to have been sketched by Lowry as he sat in a café. He would have been 77 at the time.

According to the notes from auctioneer Roger Jones, Lowry visited the south Wales Valleys several times during the 1960s with his friend and collector Monty Bloom – an Ebbw Vale businessman. The trips had the effect of “reigniting [Lowry’s] interest in industrial landscape for a time, resulting in major works such as ‘Bargoed’ (1965) and ‘Hillside in Wales’ (1962).

“This sketch was executed at this seminal time, probably whist seated in a Nelson café. Handball was a popular sport amongst the working men of the south Wales valleys, leading to local rivalries and betting opportunities.”

Lowry gave the napkin sketch to artist friend Percy Warburton, who would later pass it on to the family who put it up for auction in 2016. It was bought then by private collector Glenn Davies who is now selling it.

Auctioneers Roger Jones said the sketch did not reach the reserve price last month. It had been expected to fetch between £8,000 and £12,000.

It was auctioned on April 17.

The hand ball court is located on the corner of Shingrig Road and Station Terrace in Nelson.

According to Coflein, the online database for the National Monuments Record of Wales, the court was built around 1860. It’s design is based on one that stood in the yard of the Nelson Inn. The nearby Royal Oak public house constructed the larger court to entice customers away from their Nelson Inn rivals.

The court elevated Nelson from district level to a major centre for the game and contributed to handball experiencing a golden period for the remainder of the century.

The sport went into decline with the rise of organised team sports. The court was granted Grade II listed status in 1988.