Abbey Gallery

Little-known short-lived establishment based at 2, Victoria Street, Westminster, London. It was a trading arm of W. R. Deighton & Sons who were originally established in the closing years of the 19th century as fine art dealers and publishers. William Robert Deighton (1845-1932) hailed from Greenwich then in Kent. He started his career as a pawnbroker's assistant but by his mid-30's he was an art dealer according to censuses of the period. When exactly he established his gallery is not yet known but his son Wilfred Victor Deighton (1888-1959) worked with him in the business. It is fair to say that the gallery rarely showed the work of major artists but Deighton Snr did champion Anthony Gross. He sponsored the future Royal Academician to travel around Europe and North Africa and to send back paintings, drawings and etchings which eventually resulted in Gross having his first solo London exhibition in 1924. The other possible exceptions were Wilson Steer and Leonard Squirrel. It appears that the gallery ceased to trade c. 1930 with its founder dying soon after.