A painting of the Old Malton Grammar School was unearthed in the art storeroom in June 2008. I believe it used to hang in the library until 1999, and previously in Mr Taylor's office.  The inscription reads The Old Grammar School Malton as it was in the 18th century. More about The Old Malton Grammar School painting.

The Old Grammar School was painted by local artist George Nicholson in the early 1800's. A George Nicholson, painter, is listed as living in Wheelgate in Baine's trade directory for Malton, 1823, and Pigot's directory for 1834. However, this could be his father, who was a house painter - a decorator - quite a skilled profession in those days. I think Malton Museum own two paintings by him - of a coronation parade in 1838. York City Art Gallery have many works by him in their store.

He is buried in the churchyard behind the Old School. He died at Filey, age 91, in 1878, and therefore would have been born around 1787.

Three paintings by George Nicholson. Filey Brigg, King's Mill on the River Derwent at Malton, and St Mary's Priory Church, looking over a house on Town Street.

Three more pieces of art by George Nicholson. A view up the River Derwent to Malton, a sketch of Bainbridge after a flood drawn in May 1822, and a second version of the Old Grammar School painting, which hangs in St Mary's church, at the rear, and has more vibrant colours than the one that was found at Malton School.

Bill Hubbard was a watercolour artist who lived in Richmond, and spent many years researching the life and works of George Nicholson.  I went to meet him at his house in Richmond one Saturday in September 2008, when he was kind enough to show me some of the drawings and paintings in his collection of George Nicholson's work.  He also had a small notebook of Nicholson's, crammed with newspaper clippings and notes.

Bill wrote an article about George Nicholson in The Dalesman, 1989.

George Nicholson's gravestone in St Mary's Priory Church graveyard, Old Malton. It has a relatively clear inscription still readable. Anyone visiting might call in the church, where there is another copy of the Old Grammar School painting.

SACRED to the Memory of
GEORGE WILLIAM
the beloved son of
GEORGE and HANNAH NICHOLSON
of New Malton
who departed this life
April 23rd 1858
Aged 17 Years
Also of the above named
GEORGE NICHOLSON
Landscape Painter
Who died at Filey June 7th 1878
In the 91st Year of his Age
Also of HANNAH
Wife of the above
GEORGE NICHOLSON
Who died Dec 4th 1882
Aged 74 Years.

Elaine Burford emailed in 2017, following some research she was conducting into Thomas Ellerby, the man whose painting of George Nicholson is in York City Art Gallery. She came across the following description of Nicholson:

George Nicholson (1787-1878), the Yorkshire topographer, was born and died in Malton. He was stone deaf, very stubborn and reluctantly consented to exhibit at the Royal Academy. Very reserved, a ceaseless worker...He taught painting at Castle Howard (extract from the Evelyn Catalogue, York, 1933). The Gallery possesses three of his sketch books (Sheriff Hutton, 1821, Nr York, 1826, and Malton, 1835) and many other drawings dated between 1803 and 1837, all being views in and around York.

Elaine is trying to establish how he came to know Ellerby, who at the time of the painting (1828) was a student at the R.A. where he was being taught by another local artist, John Jackson.

I visited York Art Gallery in March 2026, when I had arranged a visit with Associate Collection curator Caitlin Doley, who took myself and my wife around the Gallery store. There was a large archive box of Nicholson's sketchbooks carefully packaged and preserved (these are around 200 years old), and the portrait painting of Nicholson by Thomas Ellerby. Caitlin allowed us to look through two books - one entitled Malton, the other Old Malton. Slightly misleading titles, as many sketches were of further afield - Askern (Doncaster), Hampole Priory (South Yorkshire), Skelton Grange (York), Adwick Hall (Donaster) are just a few of the locations. Minly pencil sketches, with a few watercolours.

One exciting evelopment is that York Art Gallery has an ongoing project to digitise all its collection, including Nicholson's work, to make it available to people to view via the internet. I will be watching with itnerest to see when this is launched to the public.