Brownsea Castle Acrylic Painting

I was fascinated by the Brownsea Castle after taking a boat trip from Poole to Brownsea Island with my children in 2015. It was a day trip on a beautiful summer day and it left me with a desire to paint it. I documented the process and I must say I enjoyed painting it.

According to Wikipedia

Brownsea Castle, also known historically as Branksea Castle, was originally a Device Fort constructed by Henry VIII between 1545 and 1547 to protect Poole Harbour in Dorset, England, from the threat of French attack.

Located on Brownsea Island, it comprised a stone blockhouse with a hexagonal gun platform. It was garrisoned by the local town with six soldiers and armed with eight artillery pieces. The castle remained in use after the original invasion scare had passed and was occupied by Parliament during the English Civil War of the 1640s. By the end of the century, however, it had fallen into disuse.

In 1726 the castle was converted into a private residence by William Benson, despite complaints from the town of Poole. Benson and the subsequent owners extended the original blockhouse to form a country house, landscaping the surrounding island to create ornamental gardens and lakes.

This is a speed painting demo of the painting of Brownsea castle as seen from Sandbanks in Poole.Website: https://nkolikaanyabolu.comTwitter: https://twitter...

Brownsea Castle was purchased by Mary Bonham-Christie in 1927. She allowed the property to fall into disrepair and by the time of her death in 1961, it was in a very poor condition. It was then purchased by the National Trust and leased to the John Lewis Partnership, who restored it over many years.

In the 21st century, it is still used by the Partnership as a corporate hotel for their employees and retired staff.