Slices of Time : Bournville Village Festival, Birmingham UK.

Tessa Dadley is a Pharmacy Technician working for the NHS, based in Coventry, United Kingdom, and is a member of London Urban Sketchers.

This sketch depicts the Bournville Village Festival, held annually in a suburb of Birmingham, UK. The festival, which began in 1902 to celebrate the coronation of King Edward VII, was originally organized as a festival for local children. Its success led George Cadbury, the founder of the village council and maker of the world-renowned Cadbury’s Chocolate, to establish it as an annual event, held in the grounds of the chocolate factory. The festival has only been interrupted during the First and Second World Wars and the COVID lockdown.

The sketch is rendered in ink and watercolour. I sat elevated on a grassy bank to create this piece, on a day marked by sunshine and showers. The festival is characterized by its vibrant colours, lively atmosphere, and various forms of entertainment provided by the villagers, including music, dancing, food stalls, and a fairground. I aimed to capture the busyness and vividness of the scene before me.