Wayland Smithy: Full Frontal 2002

The last time that I drew Wayland Smithy, it was a warm day in April, 2002, and I sat on the grass in front of the long barrow's entrance with pencil and A5 sketch pad:

 I soon realised that A5 was totally inadequate, and made a quicker sketch on the a double spread:

That scarcely tickled the subject, either.

I specifically remember talking to a gentleman who represented the G. K. Chesterton Society. He was showing an American friend the Uffington White Horse (a chalk figure incised into the hillside; it is a mile's walk from Wayland's Smithy along the Ridgeway, an ancient pathway). The white horse featured in an epic poem by Chesterton; the Smithy is just somewhere that it would be a shame not to visit if you're at Uffington Castle (the name of the hill fort above the white horse).