Many people in Britain in the nineteenth century wished to acquire the technique of sketching landscapes, and taught themselves, or took lessons from drawing masters. Following the example of such famous artists as Turner and David Cox, these amateurs, of which Newman Hall was one, sketched the more romantic aspects of the British landscape. He visited the dramatic mountain scenery to be found in the north of England, Scotland, and Wales, or the ancient churches and other mediaeval buildings, showing a keen nostalgia for the romantic past preserved in Britain or in northern Europe. Newman Hall, like many others, would sketch in the open air, pausing perhaps during a walking-tour to record a particularly attractive view.