This week I managed to get out the village of Ashbury in the Vale of the White Horse.

Ashbury is one of a series of villages along the foot of the northern escarpment of the Marlborough Downs and is close to both Wayland’s Smithy and the ancient Ridgeway.

The village also has a number of pretty thatched cottages – at least one of which I have previously drawn (but not previously posted). Here is one of my drawings below…

This time however I went with the particular aim of drawing the church.

St Mary’s is tucked away at the end of a short lane which climbs the hill towards the Ridgeway. It is easily missed if you don’t leave the main roads but is well worth a visit. There are pathways along the northern edge of the village with views out to the surrounding countryside. The church itself features a Norman arch above its northern doorway so must be pretty old itself.

The above photo is from a previous visit, on a sunnier day, but shows some of the features that appeal to me: an old cobbled pathway leading to the porch, the off-center clock and that ornate lantern at the entrance.

Setting up, I drew the view from outside the entrance steps while what had been a partly sunny morning gradually clouded up and the odd spot of rain starting to fall. Time to pack up and move on!

Below is my sketch in-situ and there is a scan of my drawing at the start of this post