Exhibitions at Thyme
Our Tithe Barn is an exceptional space.
It is steeped in history, dating back to the 17th Century, characterised by the original beams and rubble walls. Now, it is home to a series of exhibitions celebrating the seasons and our love of the land.
Modern Muralists
by Lucinda Oakes, Melissa White and Tess Newall
currently exhibiting IN THE TITHE BARN
8th May 2026 - 30th NOVEMBER 2026
Curated by Emily Hill, Head of Exhibitions at Charleston, this exhibition will explore the work of three contemporary mural artists, Lucinda Oakes, Melissa White and Tess Newall.
This exhibition presents the opportunity to discover three contemporary mural artists, who work in vastly different ways, exhibiting together for the first time. Each artist has spent time in residency on the Thyme estate and they present new work which will address the architecture, landscape, plants and wildlife unique to Thyme.
About the Artists
Each artist has a distinctive take on contemporary mural making, and this exhibition showcases the creative processes from inspiration to production. The three artists approach the mural tradition from different angles.
Tess Newall
Tess Newall is a decorative artist based in Lewes in East Sussex.
Working from her rural studio at the foot of the South Downs, Tess's work draws inspiration from the natural world around her. After studying archaeology and anthropology at Oxford University, Tess trained as a scenic painter in film and theatre before establishing her decorative interiors studio in 2018. She intends for every project to evoke an atmosphere and tell a story, with each mural being a thoughtful response to the building and its surrounding landscape.
Tess leads a team of artists to bring residential and commercial mural commissions to life around the world. She has worked with acclaimed interior designers including Salvesen Graham, Kit Kemp and Sean Symington. Tess' work has a timeless aesthetic that feels as at home in contemporary interiors as in historic homes.
Lucinda Oakes
Lucinda Oakes is a British decorative artist known for her hand‑painted murals, wallpapers, screens, and panels inspired by classical decorative traditions.
Building on a family legacy of English country house painting, her work blends traditional craftsmanship with imaginative architectural and garden imagery.
After studying Fine Art (BA and MA) and travelling extensively, she began painting on silk and producing hand‑painted scarves for Liberty before embarking on a career creating bespoke decorative commissions for interiors.
Working from her studio in Hastings, East Sussex, Oakes collaborates with leading interior designers and private clients in the UK and internationally, producing works that complement and transform interior spaces.
Melissa White
Melissa White is a decorative artist known for reinterpreting the historic craft of Elizabethan wall painting for contemporary interiors.
Her fascination with the bold, hand-painted schemes that once adorned Tudor homes has shaped a distinctive visual language — one that blends scholarship, storytelling, and a painterly love of patina.
After researching and recreating original wall paintings for museums such as Shakespeare’s Birthplace, Melissa was awarded a QEST Scholarship in 2007 to develop her practice. Since then, she has created bespoke murals and painted interiors for clients including Buckingham Palace, Fortnum & Mason, and Diageo, as well as widely recognised wallpaper and fabric collections with Zoffany, Lewis & Wood, Kit Kemp, and Andrew Martin.
Working from her studio in Hastings, she continues to explore the creative possibilities of large-scale hand-painted decoration — from one-off fresco-secco panels to digitally produced scenic wallpapers based on her originals. Her work is rooted in vernacular folk traditions yet alive to contemporary colour and narrative.
ALL WORKS ARE AVAILBLE TO PURCHASE.
Through the Seasons
A Residency by Watercolourist Gary Cook in the Water Meadows
UPCOMING EXHIBITION IN THE RECEPTION
May - october 2026
Artist Gary Cook, Vice President of the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours, has been in residency on the Thyme estate since Autumn 2025, to record and celebrate the quiet beauty and changing moods of the Water Meadows through the seasons. The resulting artwork echoes the aims of the Hibbert family’s ongoing conservation project in this space.
‘‘There are fewer than 200 crystal-clear chalk streams globally, but we in the UK have 170 of them, which is why painting en plein air next to the Leach, one of the rarest freshwater habitats on Earth throughout the year is so inspiring. The water meadow grasslands on the Thyme estate in the Cotswolds are flower-rich in the summer and lushly flooded in winter by the River Leach as it wends its way through them on its slow journey to join the Thames.
Wildlife abounds in the tapestry of swaying grasses, tangles of hedges and ancient trees; I recorded 30 bird species as I painted recently, surrounded by birdsong. The wildlife-friendly wetlands have never been cultivated and are monitored by the West Oxfordshire Farmland Bird Project and the British Trust for Ornithology. Their observations tick off rare Reed and Sedge Warblers, Whitethroats, Cuckoos and Hobbys that arrive from Africa all attracted by the insects in the abundant grasses, and to breed in the thick hedgerow haunts. Otters hunt for trout from the clear waters of the river while Barn Owls patrol the fields at night. The near-carbon neutral restored buildings, farm and estate are testament to their forward-thinking family owners.’’
ALL WORKS ARE AVAILBLE TO PURCHASE.
