REED PEN DRAWINGS AT CROMWELL BOTTOM




There's a place near where I live called Dog Bottom and another called Slack Bottom; not very poetic names but certainly memorable.  A few weeks ago I visited another place called Cromwell Bottom,  a nature reserve that I'd never been to before. We only decided to go because it was dreary weather, too chilly for the tops and I fancied somewhere new but it turned out to be a really interesting site that I wish I'd known about earlier.

Its located on the River Calder, between Elland and Brighouse, near a canal, with remnants of industrial workings and is described on the Natural England website as being "one of the richest areas in Calderdale in terms of biodiversity, acting as a stepping stone this site boasts over 130 species of plant, 200 species of recorded birds, large numbers of mammals, amphibians and a plethora of invertebrate life".  

What appeals to me are the two lagoons which have large reed beds. Apparently the reeds are a nuisance and have to be cut back, but I love the way they look and of course appreciate them for pen making! I harvested a few reeds and made a series of quick drawings in my small manila sketchbook:

3 comments:

Bruce said...

Dear Angie

What beautiful drawings. I am Treasurer for the Cromwell Bottom Wildlife Group. We look after the site for all to enjoy.
We are holding our AGM ( see our blog) on April the 9th in Brighouse. You will be most welcome to come along.

I recognise the exact location of the middle drawing and the effort we all put into clearing that channel in the reeds for the wading birds. Also we will be having our second open day in June, come along and you will be welcome to have a display and sell some if you wish.
If you would like to contact me the please do. Brucehoyle@gmail.com

Very best wishes

Bruce

ANGIE ROGERS said...

Hello Bruce, how lovely to receive a comment that isn't spam and thank you for the information about meetings. I will email you. In the next day or so I'll be posting some more sketches I've done with reed pens of the lagoon. All the best Angie

Bruce said...

Thanks Angie

We look forward to seeing more.

Bruce (Treasurer CB)