Warwick Castle dates back to the Norman Conquest and with its position on a meander of the River Avon has over the centuries played significant historical roles in various political scenarios, not least during the Wars of the Roses. Crucial to the success of Piper’s work is his ability to capture not just the architectural detail but his remarkable ability to render the atmosphere of the place he is sketching or painting. In this work, Piper utilizes an almost entirely monochrome palette, with touches of vivid yellow which not only evoke the rising sun as it hits the edges of the towers but also subtly gives the impression that the castle is rising up out of the surrounding murky mists of dawn. Piper’s calligraphic application of ink in the foreground reflects the silhouettes of starkly bare trees which loom around the castle whilst the thin, sinewy outlines of towers and battlements add a ghostly air to this monumental structure. In presenting Warwick Castle like this, Piper successfully creates a sense of the historical events, often unpalatable, that this major castle has witnessed over time.