I stole a quiet moment to myself on the day I visited Sudeley Castle with my students. After teaching a lesson in the morning at our hotel, we drove to the castle, toured the house, meandered through the museum, had lunch at the onsite cafe and then roamed around the garden. That’s when I finally had a chance to settle myself on an empty bench with a perfect view of the ruins of the Banqueting Hall, which was destroyed during the English Civil War in the 17th century.
There was something so beautiful and dignified about the walls that were still standing. They had a graceful presence that drew me in and made me want to draw them.
When you’re sketching a ruin, accuracy isn’t too important. It’s more about capturing the feeling of the place. And being in the moment. And imagining the people who once dined and danced and lived their lives there.
I had time to squeeze in one last sketch toward the end of the day, so I made my way back to the tithe barn ruins.
One of Sudeley’s oldest buildings, the Tithe Barn dates back to the 15th century. It was originally built as a storage facility for grain and produce which was tithed to the church.
Today its crumbling walls enclose a tranquil garden filled with masses of hollyhocks, hydrangeas, wild clematis, wisteria, foxgloves, and more.
There were beautiful views looking out through all the arched doorways, but I especially liked this composition that included abundant flowers and two arches leading into the dark woods beyond the barn.
And don’t you love the flowers growing atop the wall? The abundance and size of flowers in English gardens never ceases to amaze me. Their gardens are full and lush, and the plants grow twice as big as at home. It’s an impressive sight.
I’m so thankful that,over the past few years, I’ve had a chance to immerse myself for days in these incredibly beautiful places. And I’ll be returning to England once again at the end of the summer to teach another painting workshop, so I’ll have a chance to sketch a different view of the castle grounds. Life is good!
If you’d like a chance to tour the Cotswolds and visit several of the incredible gardens I’ve mentioned in recent posts, I invite you to join me for my next Cotswolds workshop scheduled for May 14-22, 2027.
2 Comments
I was thinking about taking the same sketchbook on my trip to the Baltic region, but wasn’t sure . I’m glad to see you using it. The paper seems great, and size I can also like a lot.
It’s a great little sketchbook, and I think the size is good for a trip where you’re not going to have a lot of time to sketch. The small size makes it easy to complete a page quickly. I really like the paper, too.