I decided to make the most of a cold but sunny day yesterday to go out and do a little exploring of a couple of churches in the Oxfordshire countryside. In late November the light doesn’t last very long and the cold is not really conducive to loitering around too long to draw or sketch. I did however manage to settle down for a half-hour or so to sketch the church at Sandford St. Martin, a small village in northern Oxfordshire.

St. Martins is an interesting and fairly striking church, being quite large for what is now more little more than a hamlet of houses between the Barfords and Gt. Tew. It does have some fine houses but is one of those places that could really do with a pub or a village shop, not that that would make economic sense these days.

Anyway – here is a view of my drawing in-situ and also a couple of photos of the church – with the last of the light before sunset and the fields starting to raise a layer of mist before a cold night ahead.