THIS wonderful panel is one of the last fragments of one of Worcester’s most significant lost buildings and links to one of Worcester’s best-loved paintings.

The painting is The Prospect of Worcester from the East attributed to John Harris (active 1713-1759).

The building from which the panel comes was called Marlbank though it had other names over the centuries.

Marlbank was the location from which the The Prospect of Worcester from the East was painted sometime around 1750.

The easily-identifiable shape of the garden in the foreground can be found on the Dougherty map of Claines, completed in 1751 when Marlbank was called the Red House.

It stood in the area of present-day Lansdowne Crescent which has a long and eventful history.

During the civil war it’s thought the Red House was the headquarters of Cromwell’s Parliamentarian army and that the city’s surrender was signed there.

The house became a suburban farmhouse and during the 19th century the estate was split and developed for housing.

It is unclear whether the house was rebuilt or renamed but from at least 1873 the house became known as Marlbank which from 1929 until 1934 was the last home of Sir Edward Elgar.

It is curious to imagine the personalities that visited Marlbank during Elgar’s time there.

He certainly composed and recorded some of his later works in the house.

It was at Marlbank that Elgar finally lost his battle with cancer in 1934.

Marlbank was demolished in 1969.

The public outcry was not enough to prevent the demolition of the house to make way for three blocks of modern flats known as Elgar Court.

Their name, a few blocks of garden wall and their famous view of the city is the only reminder of the nature of the site on which they stand.

The creator of the carving rescued the door panel during Marlbank’s demolition.

By the time the door was rescued his tools were quite blunt and had largely been stored away.

The wood is hard but he persevered and caught the likeness of the house in the centre of the panel.

Museums Worcestershire is grateful to the family for donating the panel to the Worcester City collection.

Want to test your knowledge of the city’s (more recent) history?

See how good your memory is of petrol stations, historic pubs and shops with the Big Worcester Quiz at Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum, hosted by author Sheena Payne-Lunn on Friday, September 6.

Book now at museumsworcestershire.org.uk.