A year on from Hilda Lee’s death in a Penrith house fire, her grieving daughter says she would go homeless in order to be reunited with five missing paintings which remain at large.
Margaret Lee, of Penrith, told the Herald: “I have spent the last 12 months tormented by my mother’s death and all the circumstances surrounding that.”
It was following the fire at Hilda’s Willow Close home on 24th January, that the extent of theft from her property, which her mother had been complaining about, came to light, said Margaret.
“Seven pieces of art were subsequently recovered, but there are still at least five outstanding,” she said.
“Now it is down to me again to try and pursue and retrieve the outstanding artwork. There are certain paintings which have been allocated to family members, but they haven’t got because they are missing,” said Margaret.
She added: “I am offering a reward for the return of them. They are so personal because she has done them. I don’t want to put a price on them, because to me they are priceless. I would go homeless, and sell my home, to retrieve them.”
Her mother, who was a Penrith chiropodist, was held in high regard through her business in the town. Patients came from far and wide and she even did Ian Botham’s feet on one occasion, said Margaret.
Of the five missing paintings, Margaret said: “These are original watercolours and the calibre of them is exceptional. The paintings are known to many of my late mother’s patients that visited her chiropody business which was in the Great Dockray Square for around 40 years.”
She added: “They were displayed within her surgery and would be a talking point with patients and visitors. Thankfully seven paintings were recovered after the newspaper’s last plea for their whereabouts and information given.
The family are immensely grateful to the members of the public for this. I am hoping that again, someone will find it in their heart to do the right thing and get in touch and help soften the blow of our grieving.
“The circumstances surrounding my mother’s untimely death have been devastating and the fact that her paintings, which she had painstakingly taken years to do are still missing is heartbreaking. I will never stop with my quest to find them.”
