The Timber Cart

Sandby's skill as a draughtsman is evident from this small drawing of a timber cart which is probably a study for a larger watercolour. During the 1760s he made many watercolour views of scenes near Windsor Castle, some of which included oxen drawing timber carts loaded with hefty trunks. Numerous artists were drawn to the beeches and oaks in Windsor Great Park. The purchases of land by King Charles II in 1680 enabled the planting of the great avenue of elm trees known as the Long Walk. This impressive landscape feature that links Windsor Castle with the Great Park was followed by an active policy of landscaping, and many of the avenues seen today are a legacy of this period.