"And he painted matchstalk men and matchstalk cats and dogs" - those are the famous lyrics from Brian and Michael's 1978 UK No 1 single depicting the life of painter L.S. Lowry. Yet the artist himself - who notably painted "matchstick" scenes, including "Going to the Match" and "Coming from the Mill" - holds then record for the highest number of honours rejections at five. Lowry declined an Order of the British Empire as an OBE (officer) in 1955 and then as a CBE (Commander) in 1961, before rejecting a knighthood in 1968. He also twice refused to be appointed Order of the Companions of Honour (CH) in both 1972 and 1976. Sticking to his working-class routes, Lowry rejected the knighthood while declaring: "I do not want to change my (current) situation." It is rumoured that the Lancashire-born artist did not want to highlight the fact he was a hobby painter, while his day-job was as a rent collector for the Pall Mall Property Company in Manchester.
NUFC editor for WhatCulture.com/NUFC. History graduate (University of Edinburgh) and NCTJ-trained journalist. I love sports, hopelessly following Newcastle United and Newcastle Falcons. My pastimes include watching and attending sports matches religiously, reading spy books and sampling ales.
