Biographies

Benjamin Williams Leader (1831 – 1923) He was born as Benjamin Leader Williams in Diglis in Worcester City. His father was involved in the management of traffic on the River Severn, in those days before Great Britain developed the obsession with road transport. Williams senior knew and was a great admirer of , and himself was a keen amateur artist. Benjamin Leader Williams changed his name to Williams Leader, to distinguish himself from the legion of artists called Williams. He attended the Royal Grammar School in the city, and studied in the evenings at Worcester School of Design. In 1854, following a number of years working for his father, he enrolled at the Royal Academy Schools, where he first exhibited his work. He is best known as a landscape painter. John Constable