Francis Stevens' Sketchbook, page 14, Artist notes about Barnstaple and Clovelly, July 16, 1819.

Artist notes/journal, July 16 1819

[working transcription:]

The road from Exeter to Tiverton very [Rich?] the Country [???]

[???] a woodland district. Bickley Bridge & Court

& the Country surrounding it worthy attention.

Castle Hill, the Seat of Earl Fortesque a very magnificent

Place surrounded with fine Woods & Plantations a great

Variety of hill & dale in the grounds & seen from the house

tho much bad taste is displayed in placing statues &

on the grass places in front with [sham?] villages on a Hill

as an object—the Bridge at Barnstaple very long

& over a wide River- the hills rising on Each side.

Bideford Bridge much longer & much more

Picturesque the town better situated & worthy atten

tion- Clovelly situated on the north Coast of

Devon & on the side of the Cliffs overlooking the

Sea the Houses Built one above the other, it is

a small fishing town, has a Pier & the inhabitants

are chiefly fishermen,- the cliffs are clothed with wood

& trees are scattered between the different groups of houses a

lime kiln is at the Bottom behind it you [begin?] to

[ascend?] to the town. the rocks are rich in Colour &

the strata perpendicular & in many places oblique &

sometimes [???] immense fragments of rocks

lye on the shore. the whole of the Coast is seen from

it with the long Sandy shores of Barnstable Bay

as far as Ilfracombe- Sea Gulls are in Great [no.s?]

on the Coast & form a white [mask?] when swimming on

the water. Vessels are seen sailing about the Bay

in every direction. The Beech trees this year are

so full of [???] that they have a very Rich Brown trunk

in consequence- seldom seen at this Season of the

year.- Lord Fortescue’s grounds are full of them.

                                                                July 16. 1819.

Related Collections

Sketchbook of Francis Stevens, 1819-1823