Kate Tryon in the Vale of White Horse 'Jefferies Land'

Kate Tryon visited 'Jefferies Land' six times in the early 1900s, she was a great admirer of nature writer Richard Jefferies (1848-1887) and decided to travel from Naples in Maine, USA to walk in the footsteps of Jefferies and attempted to capture the atmosphere of the area that so inspired Jefferies in paint. Kate visited the area six times, spending much time at Coate farmhouse where Jefferies was born, now Richard Jefferies Museum
Kate Tryon produced 200 paintings altogether in her time around Coate, which she took back with her to the States, these might never have been seen in Swindon if it hadn't been for her daughter, Sylvia Kramer visiting the area in 1960 and bringing 35 of the paintings to the newly opened Richard Jefferies Museum. Kate Schneider from New York, Sylvia's daughter and Kate's granddaughter visited Coate in 1997 and donated her grandmother's manuscript documenting her visits to the area in the third person. Sheila and John Povey who showed the visitors round the museum subsequently documented the memoir by adding photographs and pictures., and it was called 'Adventures in the Vale of White Horse 'Jefferies Land'. It would have been fascinating to talk to Sheila and John about memoir, but John Povey died in 2008, and sadly Sheila died on 20 December last year.
Barry Leighton wrote a beautiful piece in the Swindon Advertiser a couple of years ago about Kate, it's well worth a read: http://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/14423591.An_American_in_Wiltshire
I first saw the paintings hanging in the Richard Jefferies Museum several years ago, and looking at the Richard Jefferies Society website  saw the beautiful book by Kate Tryon listed there so bought it, and have recently read it and been inspired to revisit places Kate writes about.
Some of the paintings were conserved at Swindon Museum and Art Gallery recently, more information and photos here
On New Year's day, I walked up Ladder Lane and beside  Burderop Park and saw Burderop House, described by Kate as 'a square grey Georgian pile, with its marvellous lawn, its age-shattered cedar of Lebanon, its high bricjk wall with wrought iron gate and urns on pillars against the blue sky.' The angularity of the house was a problem when thinking of how to paint it, but she thinks she can add a dovecote and some roses.
Here's what it looks like today

 Walking along and round the corner towards Hodson, past the Calley Arms

 and down to the gamekeeper's cottage, it was dark in the depth of Hodson, this is what the cottage looked like:

 and then after tapping on the screen to focus on the cottage, it can be seen better, some work has recently been done on the cottage, there's a new thatch and the garden has been dug up:

 This is one of Kate's paintings of one of the Hodson cottages:

 On the way home, I couldn't resist this shot of Coate Water, I love looking at it from Broome Manor Lane side.

 This is the cover of the inspirational book

and a few Jefferies lines from the Richard Jefferies' society website:

Jefferies' favourite haunt: Liddington Hill

“There is a hill to which I used to resort ... 
The labour of walking three miles to it, all the while gradually ascending, 
seemed to clear my blood of the heaviness accumulated at home.
On a warm summer day the slow continued rise required continual effort,
which carried away the sense of oppression. 
The familiar everyday scene was soon out of sight; I came to other trees, 
meadows, and fields; I began to breathe a new air and to have a fresher aspiration... 

Moving up the sweet short turf, at every step my heart seemed to obtain a wider
horizon of feeling; with every inhalation of rich pure air, a deeper desire.
The very light of the sun was whiter and more brilliant here.
By the time I had reached the summit I had entirely forgotten the petty circumstances
and the annoyances of existence. I felt myself, myself.”

The Story of My Heart, by Richard Jefferies, 1883.