There is an ubiquitous view of the dale from the other side of this small barn which has appeared in countless calendars typifying the Limestone scenery hereabouts; I however have chosen the alternative view - looking up Goat Scar Lane (locally known as Gooseker) maybe one day I will paint ‘The View’ but this is not the day. Gooseker was once part of an important thoroughfare, now bypassed, which probably linked Stainforth to Grassington, connecting with the ancient Mastiles Lane on Malham Moor.
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| Ubiquitous view of the Hogg House |
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| Hogg House, Gooseker: Oil on Board 8" x 6" |
The small laithe or barn could have been a Hogget house, hence the title of the piece, a Hogget is a sheep who has been left out on the fells over winter, generally between one and two years of age and this structure possibly provided shelter for them on the long cold winters. It doesn’t have a name, although the OS calls it unromantically ‘sheepfold’, but it has been sketched, photographed and painted so many times that a name is warranted, hence my title. The image was painted after a Sunday morning stroll up to Catrigg Foss and beyond, just as the snow came down and covered the track, the flash of red from the rucksack provides the tiniest splash of colour on what was a very muted, almost monochrome day.
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