Studio: international art (6.1896)

Bidford as a Sketching Ground

with long gray
grass and
clothed with
old thorn and
crab trees,here
clothed with
hanging woods
of maple, ash
and other
trees, straggled
over and
smothered
with ivy, wild
rose and cle-
matis." Away

into hollows, attests a curious custom that has long in the distance hills and still hills, nicely broken
possessed the Bidford men of accompanying the by the square tower of Salford Priors Church,
sharpening of wits with the sharpening of pocket- while in the evening, looking from the highland,
knives. Of the many arches of Bidford bridge no the tall dark elms seem to stand out like huge
two are alike in size or shape, a delicious irregu- sentinels guarding the river as it flows between
larity not without its fascination. the reedy banks with merry ripple and glad heart.

Crossing the bridge we enter a field on the right, From Marl Cliff we soon reach Cleeve Mill,
boldly ignoring a notice board warning us not to where much work may be done, and many sketches
do anything of the kind, and we are rewarded for made without moving the easel. Walking round
our lawlessness by a capital view of the bridge, the mill and up the zigzag path to Cleeve Priors,
which, with an old weir in the foreground and the we turn, and have indeed a glorious stretch of
church in rear, makes an exceedingly " paintable " country before us. Stretching away at our feet is
bit. The colour in the early afternoon of a the famous Vale of Evesham, that lovely vale of
brilliant autumn day on the bridge is at times truly verdure and blossom, looking almost its best as
wonderful, the reflections in the river and the beds the mellowing breath of autumn is beginning to
of giant rushes adding to the beauty of the scene, turn the many greens and olives to delicious
The river scenery, indeed, both above and below colours of warmer hue. The view takes in the
Bidford, is exceedingly good, and here at the Bredon, the Cotswold, and the Malvern Hills, the
"White Lion " is a really capital fleet of boats and former shutting out the view of the Severn Valley,
canoes. Entering one of the latter, we paddle Cleeve has a fine old church and picturesque
gently down stream, and a glorious panorama
of river, trees, and misty blue hills opens out
to us, and valuable notes of colour and line ;
and indeed, many sketch-books may be filled
with studies of rushes and flowers of multi-
tudinous forms and hues, that cluster all
along the sunny stream. We soon leave the
big flat meadows and approach a steep hill-
side with the little village of Marl Cliff at its
summit, the line of hill being the edge of a
table-land that stretches to the Cotswolds.
Here is to be enjoyed, perhaps, the finest
view on the river, which is dignified with the
name of the Long Pool and is a deep broad

stream. On the left is the beautifully wooded ~ I Vffl' f4$^^~'^^'^

Marl Cliff. " Seen from the river below,"
says Mr. Quiller Couch, " this escarpment is

full of varying beauty, here showing a bare Tin /' M
scar 01 green and red marl, here covered /-Ss-

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