The fascinating juxtaposition of pictures old and new adds an extra dimension to the fascinating atmosphere of the Lodge, Sherborne, off the A40 beyond Burford, which has now opened its doors to visitors again.

Built in 1635, the Lodge, which is part of the Sherborne Estate, is England’s only surviving purpose-built 17th-century Grandstand. Bequeathed to the National Trust by Lord Sherborne, the Lodge is an ornate building which has been extensively restored.

The walls are covered with impressive oil portraits of those linked with the estate over the years. Lords and ladies and families associated with the estate look down on the visitors from their dark canvasses.

Now ten quirky gauche prints depicting picturesque Cotswold towns, such as Stanton and Winchcombe, by Shelly Perkins sit boldly on their easels besides these heirlooms.

Quirky because, while charming, they are also quite different from the usual chocolate box Cotswold scenes so many artists churn out. These works encapsulate the very character of the towns they depict and are not tossed off lightly. Hours of work has gone into each one. She has called this exhibition Here and There in the Cotswolds.

To create these scenes Shelly takes hundreds of hundreds of photographs first, then makes rough sketch plans of the town, constantly referring back to her stock of photographs as she does so. The result is an all-encompassing view of each town, as seen from an elevated position. They are not painted to scale — they are not meant to be — and Shelly admits there are points in a picture’s composition when she calls on her imagination to fill in the gaps. Artistic licence is something she uses unashamedly.

She admits to using digital technology, as her aim is to create a hand-crafted work merely enhanced a little by the use of a computer at the end.

Lodge Park and the Sherborne Estate is open from 11am to 4pm, Friday to Sunday. The exhibition continues until April 17.