Arundel
7"X5.5" Pencil on paper
Anyone who knows West Sussex probably knows the Black Rabbit in Arundel. It is perhaps one of the most famous pubs in the south of England. We thought we would stop there for lunch on the nicest Saturday of the year to date. Needless to say, so did the rest of the local population and probably not a few who drove down from London and further afield. Never mind, it was a nice day for a walk so we didn't really mind parking half a mile away, and by the time we got back the crowds had thinned a little and we found a nice table by the river.
This is the river Arun where my mother used to row (the silhouette in the distance is Arundel Castle which I will try to do to greater justice one day). She and her fellow rowers would stop in at the Black Rabbit for a pint. It must have been a lovely spot then before it was discovered by the crowds. The couple depicted here were oblivious of me but a gentleman sitting a little closer thought I was drawing him and got quite self-conscious.
Nice sketch. It's nice to touch base with the places your ancestors once lived. I am fortunate to be near the places where my mother's relatives lived in Virginia for over 350 years. It made my genealogy research very successful because they didn’t move around much. All the relatives are English descent.
ReplyDeleteOh I love seeing this - What a coincidence! My best (and dearest) friend of many years, lives in the tiny flint cottage directly behind the black rabbit and I have spent many a happy weekend there - and sketching in the very same spot!
ReplyDeleteYvonne, I envy your friend, it is a truly magical place and I have always loved it. Did you know that Mervyn Peake is buried in Burpham graveyard within sight of the castle? It was his home so Gormangast probably really was Arundel, I always thought so when reading it.
ReplyDeleteStephen, I envy you too (my eyes aren't even green) I have always valued the connection with the past but ended up moving very far from where I grew up.