Colourful houses

This terrace of houses in Ross on Wye, Herefordshire, probably dates from the late nineteenth or early twentieth century. It would have been built as "worker housing". Over the years they will have needed maintenance, renovation and updating. And, somewhere along the line, probably in the second half of the twentieth century, one of the occupiers decided they needed an injection of strong colour. Other neighbours seem to have followed suit, each determined to chooses a different shade. I wouldn't choose any of these bright colours for my house, but I enjoyed seeing them together en masse, hence my photograph.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100

Tomb of King Edward II

There is a general expectation that royal tombs, particularly those of kings and queens, will be found in London. Certainly they can be found in the capital's major churches. However, the cathedrals of the provinces have their share too. King Edward II (1284-1327) was buried in Gloucester Cathedral after a period of turmoil in which his queen turned against him and his place as king was taken by his fourteen year old son. The cause of his demise at Berkeley Castle, Gloucestershire, has long been thought to be murder.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100

Cloisters, Gloucester Cathedral

Cinematic representations of the Middle Ages have begun to correct one of the most glaring errors that were perpetrated when representing those relatively primitive times. I mean, of course, the amount of light that was to be found inside buildings. It is hard for us to imagine how gloomy it was with only feeble flames to illuminate interiors, and the license of film-makers was understandable. Would cinema audiences be prepared to peer at the the dimly recognisable faces of actors in the darkness? Possibly not. But more light-sensitive cameras combined with realistic levels of lighting now frequently, and satisfactorily, portray those dingy days. I pondered this as I photographed my wife walking through the pools of shadow and light in the cloisters of Gloucester Cathedral.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100

Malvern Hills with snow remnants

Our relocation from Lincolnshire to Herefordshire coincided with the snowiest winter of recent years. There have been three substantial falls, all of which have left remnants, usually drifts, that have lingered. A recent sunny morning in late March found us walking along the crest of the Malvern Hills enjoying the views and braving the icy wind. From the Iron Age hill fort known as British Camp I took this shot along the Hills. The light gave the view an appearance of spring but the temperature, the patches of snow and the muted colours told only of late winter.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100

Lone trees

It is not unusual to see an unflawed field of winter wheat with one or two large trees marring its perfection. When I do it sets me wondering. Has the field recently been pasture where the animals benefited from the shade? Was there once a hedge containing the trees that was, with the exception of the trees, easily removed? Or does the farmer have a liking for the trees as objects in the landscape or contributors to biodiversity? This pair have had their lower branches removed to allow the close passage of farm vehicles so it looks like they will be around for a while.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

Reredos and vaulting, Worcester Cathedral

In the 1870s George Gilbert Scott undertook a major restoration of Worcester Cathedral. This included the reredos and vaulting seen in today's photograph. It is customary in larger English churches for the amount of decoration in the choir to increase until it reaches a climax at the high altar. Scott's work reflects this tradition with the massed angels of the vaulting above the altar replacing the delicate foliage scrolls and roundels with saints elsewhere.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

Eagle Vaults pub ornament

Britain's Victorian public houses come in many shapes and sizes. As far as decorative embellishments go they range from the sparse to the exuberant. The Eagle Vaults pub in Worcester falls into the latter category. The ground floor is faced with reddish-brown high gloss tiles with areas displaying iridescent highlights. The inspiration is classical architecture but overlaid with hints of Art Nouveau and music hall fancifulness - what in the 1890s-1900s was described as Mannerist. Tile lettering proclaims its name and the range of drinks on offer. Too often such facades have been modernised, but sufficiently frequently they have been valued for the brightness they bring to the streetscape and remain undisturbed.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

Boathouse, Worcester

Over the years I've seen quite a few buildings that have drawn their inspiration from boats and ships. For example, the Boathouse Business Centre in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, draws its form, and that of its setting from its location next to a river marina. The architects of The King's School boat house by the River Severn in Worcester seem to have had the sleek sculling boats that it houses in mind when they designed its shape, with the "prow" or "bridge" projecting out over the main doors.

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

Boathouse shadows

Not so much shadows of the boathouse as a shadow on the boathouse. This building by the River Severn in Worcester is a modern structure faced in brick, timber and glass, the shape of which is clearly intended to reflect the forms of the rowing boats that it houses. None of its sharply pointed "prow" can be seen in this photograph: for that you'll need to look at the next post.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

Organ, Worcester Cathedral

The thunderous sound of a large organ in a cathedral stirs the body and, perhaps, the soul. Sometimes it exhibits a quality that almost seems it could bring the building down. I've never heard this new organ in Worcester Cathedral. However, the building is sufficiently interesting that I envisage making several visits and so I am hopeful of one day experiencing it. The design of the pipes and case in its setting of columns, arches and painted vault in quite sumptuous.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100

Redwing

No sooner had I prepared the post of the fieldfare than the other member of the thrush family that visits us in winter made an appearance in the garden - the redwing (Turdus iliacus). Smaller than its associate, and with distinctive red/orange flanks and underwing as well as a distinctive eye stripe, the redwings posed for me just as conveniently as the fieldfares. Both species had been drawn to our garden by the leftovers from a meal we had given to our grandchildren and a dish of water.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon P900

Fieldfare

This photograph of a fieldfare in the garden is not the best bird photograph I've taken. It doesn't show all of the features of the species, the background is fussy, the light doesn't model it well - I could go on. However, it pleases me because it says something about this winter visitor to our islands that a technically better shot might not. There was thick snow on the ground, hence the lighting of the lower body, the temperature was -3 Celsius, the birds feathers are fluffed to conserve heat, and it surveys the surroundings for food. It is only in extreme weather that I ever see fieldfares in the garden and my close views of the bird often mirror this photograph.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon P900

Gallery, Croome Court

Croome Court is slowly being restored by the National Trust after having suffered under several short-term owners. The Gallery shown in the photograph was the best preserved room and can now be seen empty of the kind of furniture, rugs, paintings etc that it would have held when built. The house is the work of Lancelot "Capability" Brown, a man better known as a landscape gardener. The interiors include work by the celebrated Robert Adam.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

Contre jour

When it comes to driving the low sun of the winter months makes for distinct difficulties. Glare obscures vision and the detail of the deep shadows is hard to identify, making caution necessary. But as far as photography goes the low sun opens up opportunities for contre jour shots that make a virtues of the vices that confront the driver. It was an optimistic kitchen staff at Berrington Hall, Herefordshire, that left the cafe furniture in the courtyard on a bitterly cold, crisp and clear day. But the tables and chairs served my photographic purposes quite well.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100