On a Bank Holiday weekend I like to get away from the crowds if possible and a good way to do this is to go out into the country. Northern Oxfordshire has some great pubs and countryside but is also relatively undiscovered – unlike Oxford city centre. One of our favourite pubs in this part of the world is The Stags Head at Swalcliffe, a thatched pub set off the main road in a small village. The village is perhaps better known for its tithe barn but the pub is well worth a visit. It retains some of its old world charm and also does very good food. On the drive from Oxford or Banbury you also pass through the village of Tadmarton and another pub – The Lampet Arms. I suspect most people just drive past but it is also worth a visit. I was pleasantly surprised as it seems to be a mixture of a pub, a community hub and partly also a local sweets- or cake-shop. Good stuff! However on my visit i had an ulterior motive: to draw the local church.

Here is a view of the church – and of my sketch.

Later with a bit of scanning and a graphics program I tried some colouring-in, before using that as a base for a watercolour.

Here is that initial colourised sketch…

…and my finished watercolour.