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The Dripping Well, Anchor Woods.

Al Brown Artist. Leave a comment

The Wishing Well as we called it as children when we played in Anchor Woods was known in past times as a Holy Well or Sacred Spring. On the wall there are carved stones on the left 18 and the right 65, date 1865. Above the left stone a colony of bees resides. It has been noted that there was at one time another stone engraved BR after Sir Henry Bourchier Wrey (1829-1900) a member of the Devonshire Gentry. As children and even now when passing, if you pick a dock leaf for a folded spout and place it into the sandstone crack of the spring a cool steady flow of water flows. The water’s always tasted very cool and pleasant. Perhaps it should be tested now because of many new houses built at the top of the wood. I will add more to this article once a visit to our local Athenaeum has been made.

https://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=47042

An old ammunition store?

Al Brown Artist. Leave a comment

Today on a cycle ride I decided to revisit an old childhood haunt of Anchor Woods and this particular WW2 ammunition store. My late father mentioned in a memory that the field in which this store resides was used as a target range at the time of the second world war and this structure was store. If anyone has any more information about this pla please let me know. Al

From Bideford to Appledore.

Al Brown Artist. Leave a comment

Well it’s a warm sunny day so the three and a three and a half mile walk from Bideford to Appledore was in order. You join the coast path just past the skateboard park at the end of Bideford Park and follow the coast path acorn signs. The path meanders up and down through woods with tantalising glimpses of the River, at one point there are a number of WW2 tank traps to negotiate. It is rather nice to pass the impressive array of private houses and cottages with fabulous gardens and views out over the river. Finally you descend to the waterfront and walk past an impressive boat’s graveyard just beside the large Appledore dry dock now owned by Harland & wolff. You then walk around the dock and follow the road, through cottages and fish markets into Appledore.

In Appledore there are a number of great places to eat but after some deliberation we decided to have some wonderful Hocking’s Ice Creams in chocolate waffle cones and look out across the river towards Instow. Appledore is a hub for local music, arts and sailing and you can spend hours investigating the arty shops in the narrow alleys.

Wet day on the Marsh.

Al Brown Artist. Leave a comment

After the warm sunshine over the last week rain was the order of the day.  I decided to make the most of the inclement weather and cycle to the coast hoping that there would be few people around.   There wasn’t to my relief and I had an enjoyable visit to the Braunton Marsh and Crow Point.  The area is often used by the military for manoeuvres as it was  during WW2 and today was not an exception. 

We spent an enjoyable day here at Millmouth Beach in North Devon after walking down from the National Trust Carpark at Brownsham. The beach, cottages and surrounding area has been used for the recent film The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. The sun was warm and the tide on the ebb so after taking a few pictures these are a couple of my photoshop offerings.

Black Church Rock.

Al Brown Artist. Leave a comment

Beaufighters over Blackpool Mill.

Al Brown Artist. Leave a comment

I haven’t photoshopped any WW2 planes lately but after seeing these on the Imperial War Museum Archive, which came to my attention on Google, I decided on this. The cottage is at Blackpool Beach in North Devon and has been used in many films The Night Manager being the most recent. Below I’ve added some people from a WW2 photo taken during a supplies drop in Holland again referenced off Google Images. Picture of Blackpool Mill cottage is my image.

https://www.hartlandpeninsula.co.uk/self-catering/blackpool-mill-cottage.html

A little experiment with Lands End!

Al Brown Artist. Leave a comment

Just an experiment with colour and shapes, an acrylic painting on gesso panel 440 x 560mm A loose painting inspired by a wonderful photo by Liam Alford Photography on Instagram. This image is of Lands End in Cornwall, I particularly like the stone cold and neon cheap light in this picture typical of cloudy coastal scenes at this time of year. Oh I also have a little art assistant to! Stanley Brown our new Tabby!

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An image from the past.

Al Brown Artist. Leave a comment

Whilst looking through one of my hard drives I came across this image of an old, and rather large watercolour of mine. It is of Wringcliff Beach at the bottom of The Valley Of Rocks in North Devon, painted about 1980. I recall placing this on ebay for sale with no reserve, some lucky person in Lynton picked this up for £10, well you live and learn. Al

Kynance Cove.

Al Brown Artist. Leave a comment

A painting of Kynance Cove from a few days ago. We had walked from the Lizard Village to Housel Cove, then on past the Lizard Point to Kynance. The day had been very sunny but quite cold for this time of year, but once here we witnessed a massive hailstorm, we had a mug of tea and waited out the storm. Most people present left immediately and after half an hour the sun came out and this scene was captured on my Huawei phone.