Stonesfield is a village about 5 miles north-west of Oxford, on the way to Charlbury and the eastern fringes of the Cotswold’s.

One Sunday afternoon I decided to go and explore a little around the back lanes here and in the older part of the village. At the junction of Boot Street and Churchfields I found a picturesque view with a small lane winding down the hill, past a row of cottages and off into the distance. I took a few photographs but they don’t really do the view justice.

The cottage in the middle of this photo is the Old Bakehouse, which I believe is a holiday let. One of the things I like about Stonesfield is that several of the street names reflect some of the history of the place. Boot Street is to the right of this picture and elsewhere there is a Glovers Yard and a road called ‘Maltsters’. These could just be named after local people but it is more likely that they reflect on the past leather working and brewing industries that were once well-known in this part of Oxfordshire – and of course there would have been at least one bakery.

A path called Well Lane runs down the hill from the Old Bakehouse and then winds its way up a distant hill. As I settled down to draw this scene I could see a succession of dog walkers coming down that far hill and presently up the lane. The locals seemed quite friendly, usually saying ‘Hello’ as they passed me drawing away.

I did two slightly different drawings of this view, as seen in-situ in the photos below.

And here are my finished drawings.

All-in-all it was an enjoyable afternoons sketching. I will probably turn one of these drawings into a painting – if I do I will try to post that as well.