Lockwood sketched and painted both rural and urban landscapes. He sketched mainly on location but occasionally from photographs. Once he found a subject he liked he would often paint many different views. This is especially helpful to the historian as it can give more of a three-dimensional idea of what an area actually looked like. A group painted around the 1930s and 40s focused on Garretts Green Farm.31st July 1937...I went out sketching and stayed until dusk. Garretts Green Lane, the old farm at the road junction near the signpost, and in the afternoon I finished off the sketch of the cottage in the field, this sketch was started last year.5th/6th June 1938During the holiday I have been out sketching to Yardley, Garretts Green Farm, now in its last days, the big trees that surround it felled, new houses building all around it, itself sill lived in but with many broken windows and signs of its end...we continued right along Garretts Green Lane and then turned off the shady and muddy little p... lane which brings us out where Jean wanted us to call and we just had a few words with the old lady. What change near her cottage, roads cut houses going up and Weatherhoggs (?) farm* has completely gone. [Pencil note, this is wells Green Farm demolished 1939 / Garretts Green Farm survived until the 50's? AL] 12th July 1938We set out for another long tour in to the country, Arthur in his pram of course. We turned up the road the directly faces the old farm that is rapidly demolished by boys, it has been empty for some time now.4th August 1938I have done some sketching everyday this week, my subjects have all been a farm at Garretts Green Lane, the far end. An old farm that I have often desired to sketch, infact on two occasions I have drawn a picture out, and then felt I has no more at them, except rub them out. But this week I got some new view points and think they will turn out well.5th AugustAnother hot day went out sketching again to the farm.21st August
Sketching at Garretts Green farm, lovely morning when I set off but some thunder...28th April 1939At Mr Huxtalles suggestion I took a number of pictures to Bournville with a view that a selection may show some that may possibly be of use as chocolate boxes. I took Meridan, thatched cottage (approx1936), Shellys Cottage Lynmouth * (1929), Mars Hill Lynmouth* (1929), Garretts Green Farm*(1939) Path Through fields from Stetchford (1937), Lyndon Green Farm (1936).The whole group was generally liked, but the ones most favoured are those I have marked with a cross*. It was suggested that I add a few more flowers, brighten up the flowers generally in all of them, and generally make them more 'chocolate-boxy' looking.Mr Paul Cadbury r...ed to join the group that was considering the sketches and I am told he liked them.9th MayThe 3 pictures have now been handed over and accepted by Cadbury Bros, with all rights of reproduction'. From the diaries of Frank Taylor Lockwood.