Asthall is a small village in West Oxfordshire. It is a few miles east of Burford along the Windrush valley and, although perhaps only a mile from the busy A40 road, is relatively quiet. I visited on a Saturday afternoon and apart from a few people walking to or from the pub it was almost deserted. Sitting next to the single track road that runs through the village I set about drawing St Nicholas’ Church.

I had brought a deckchair with me and set up on a handy manhole cover opposite the church…

… and here is the view with my sketch

My finished drawing, below.

I then shifted a little and did another drawing, this time of the church with Asthall Manor in the background. The manor dates from the early 17th century but is perhaps better known as the home of the Mitfords and particularly the Mitford sisters.

Here is my drawing from this second sketch.

These sketches took a couple of hours. I could have done more as the church and Manor are both photogenic and good to sketch. Perhaps I could save these for another day?