Marcel Proust once wrote, ‘The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.’ My travels have indeed taken me far and wide, uncovering places that, like wine through water, have altered the very fabric of my mind. Yet, for all the twenty-odd thousand miles I cover in my camper van every year, it is the moments spent grounding myself in one familiar place that bring a counterbalance to the constant motion.
When I’m home in the North West of England, I’ve made it a habit to visit one place regularly and get to know it well. This practice roots me, offering a quiet steadiness in a life otherwise filled with constant motion. For me, that place is Rawtenstall, a small, vibrant town in Rossendale, Lancashire. My connection to it began simply—with a sketchbook in hand and a desire to spend time capturing its buildings and its spirit.
What I didn’t anticipate was how much Rawtenstall would give back. Through my sketches, I’ve made new friends and met remarkable people with stories that have enriched my understanding of the town and, in turn, myself.
Lately, I’ve been documenting the vistas from Rawtenstall Market, an anchor of community life that may soon undergo changes in design. My work has started to become a visual record of time passing. My sketchbook is not just about preserving the view but celebrating the interplay between place, people, and art. It echoes Virginia Woolf’s observation:
‘…behind the cotton wool is hidden a pattern; that we — I mean all human beings — are connected with this; that the whole world is a work of art; that we are parts of the work of art. Hamlet or a Beethoven quartet is the truth about this vast mass that we call the world. But there is no Shakespeare, there is no Beethoven; certainly and emphatically there is no God; we are the words; we are the music; we are the thing itself.’
Rawtenstall has become a living, breathing part of my creative practice—a place of discovery, connection, and renewal. My visual journal of the town is ongoing, and no doubt it will continue to reveal new layers, new faces, and new stories. For now, though, I’d like to share some sketches from my Rawtenstall sketchbook—snapshots of a small town with a big heart.
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Andy Marshall
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Andy Marshall
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Andy Marshall
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