Shovel Bugs

As part of the celebration of thirty five years of the Forest of Dean Sculpture Trail several new exhibits have been added to the walk. We came across these "Shovel Bugs" on a slightly damp family trek through the trees. They are the work of Atelier LandArt and are made of re-purposed garden hand trowels. The bright red colour of the fifty metal creatures caught our eye as they scuttled up the tree trunks.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100

Autumn acers

The Acer family of trees are renowned for their colours in spring and autumn. Consequently they have been the subject of breeding programs that have sought to extend and deepen the range of colours that they can produce and also broaden the shape and size of their leaves. The three photographs today were taken at Westonbirt, the National Arboretum near Tetbury, Gloucestershire, that has a fine collection of these trees.

 

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

Teasels

The dried heads of teasels (Dipsacus) have always fascinated me ever since I learned the origin of their name. It derives from the Old English "taesel" meaning to "tease". That isn't tease in the sense of "to poke fun". Here the derivation is from "to tease" meaning "to separate or pull apart". The dried, autumnal heads with their spikes and hooks were used in the textile industry to raise the nap on woollen cloth to make it feel softer and warmer.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Late September view from the Malverns

To my mind autumn advances quite slowly in England. It is a period that we think of as embracing the months of September, October and November. However, early September is usually indistinguishable from summer and even late September can appear and feel very summer-like. This view of Ockeridge Farm and beyond, taken on the 27th, from near British Camp, an Iron Age hill fort on the Malvern Hills, shows trees that have only slight autumn tinges, and can only be placed later in September by the extent of ploughed fields.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100

Broad Street, Hereford: a different view

Many towns in Britain have a street called Broad Street, a road that is noticeably wider than others in the location. Frequently they were used as the site of a weekly market and for that purpose they were closed to through traffic. I can find no evidence of such a use for Broad Street, Hereford. However, it does seem to have been used in the nineteenth century as the site of cattle sales. This is the second photograph I have posted of the street. The first can be seen here. Today's is taken from near the other end. I liked the contrast between the overcast October day after rain with the bright and sunny April day of earlier in the year.

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

Reflections, Centenary Square, Birmingham

Plaza water fountains, also called pavement fountains - a grid of individual fountains that rise, fall and stop altogether - have become something of a cliche in cities across the world. There are multiple examples in Britain such as this one in Peterborough and this one near King's Cross, London. We recently came across a further example in Birmingham in Centenary Square. Unlike others, when this one stopped a large area remained covered in a shallow film of water. I don't know whether this was intentional or not but it certainly provided good reflections of passers-by.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

Queen Victoria and cranes

The cranes in my photograph of the statue of Queen Victoria are, to use a phrase of the computer age, "a feature not a bug". That is to say, I deliberately included them and they were not unavoidable. Why include them? Because the centre of Birmingham was something of a building site when we visited the city, and this photograph reminds me of that fact. Appropriately enough this statue can be found in Victoria Square overlooking buildings old, new and still emerging. It dates from 1901 and is the work of Thomas Brock. Or rather it doesn't and is - sort of! The statue was originally of white marble and was recast in bronze in 1951 by William Bloye.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

Witley Court fountains and conservatory

The Perseus and Andromeda fountain at Witley has been restored to working order. However, the original water pressure system has been replaced by a modern mechanism and during opening hours it comes to life every hour on the hour.

The east front of the house has formal gardens and a further fountain that is unfortunately no longer working. It is also based on a classical story, in this instance Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers and spring.

One of the finest pieces of architecture at Witley is the remains of the conservatory. It is Quattrocento Italian in style, with rounded arches and delicate, slender columns.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

Witley Court

A first glance at Witley Court, Worcestershire, gives the impression of a massive mid-Victorian country house. A second look reveals the absence of roofs, windows and areas of stonework. A closer examination of the remaining shell shows evidence of seventeenth century, eighteenth century and Regency remains. Until a great fire wrought havoc at Witley Court in 1937 the house was a grand building whose nineteenth century owner, Lord Ward (created Earl of Dudley in 1860) lavished enormous amounts of money. Now it is an interesting ruin in the care of English Heritage who have undertaken sensitive restorations, including bringing the Perseus and Andromeda fountain back to life every hour on the hour.

The first photograph shows the main south front of the house with the restored fountain in full flow. The second image shows the east front. The clock tower that can be seen above the south front belongs to a splendid Baroque church immediately next to the house, that was relatively untouched by the fire.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

Library of Birmingham photographers

On our recent visit to Birmingham we discovered that the city centre is, essentially, a building site. New buildings are springing up, old buildings are being refurbished, and the new tramway, we are told, has stopped running so that further extensions can be made to the system.

 The completed Library of Birmingham offers several high level views of the bustle below and I made a mental note to take a few photographs from these vantage points on our next visit. Today's offerings shows photographers who were using the viewpoints as we looked up from below.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

The Library of Birmingham

The Library of Birmingham is a "statement building". Like all such buildings it seeks to assert the status of the city: in this case Birmingham's position as England's "second city" after London. The Library opened in 2013 and is the work of a Dutch firm of architects called Mecanoo. It is the largest public library in Europe with facilities above and below ground. Non-library additions include a sunken amphitheatre and rooftop gardens. The exterior of the building "references" Birmingham's "Jewellery Quarter" and the city's long history involving this craft. Public opinion is divided on the merits of the library. Despite my admiration for examples of architecture from all periods I find myself in the "dislike" camp: the building is an alien presence in its location.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

Grand Central, Birmingham

Grand Central is the name given to the shopping centre that adjoins the redeveloped Birmingham New Street railway station. Both of the buildings opened in 2015 after a £750 million refit. Grand Central is linked to the Bull Ring shopping area, and the railway station has a concourse three times as big as the one it replaced. The redevelopment that became Grand Central was plagued by disagreements between the architects AZPML and the clients, and the final building has features that were not in the original design. This photograph shows a part of the development where the station adjoins the shopping centre.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

Gothick staircase hall, Croft Castle

By country house standards the staircase hall at Croft Castle, Herefordshire, is modest in scale. However, size isn't everything as the architect and interior decorator responsible for the work, Thomas Farnolls Pritchard (1723-1777), knew. The Gothick plasterwork in the form of ceiling rose, waterleaf cornice, wall arches, shell recess and quatrefoil dado rail is masterly and gives lightness and delicacy to the space. The slender balusters and clustered newels of the stairs perfectly complement the walls and ceiling.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

The Dining Room, Croft Castle

The Dining Room at Croft Castle was originally the West Hall and changed its use in 1913-14 during the restoration by Walter Sarel. The recess framed by fluted Ionic columns was designed to hold the food and utensils required for dining. The nineteenth century table has chairs in the style of Chippendale.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

The Saloon, Croft Castle

The Saloon (also known as the Drawing Room) is the largest room at Croft Castle. It has Early Georgian panelling but the ceiling and doorcases are by Thomas Farnolls Pritchard (1723-1777), an architect and interior decorator, who is best known as the designer of the world's first iron bridge at Iron Bridge. The fireplace is by the architect, Walter Sarel (1863-1941), who did extensive work on the Castle in 1913 and 1937.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

Sit and contemplate

This chair is one of several placed in the woodland around Croft Castle, Herefordshire. They were put there by the artist, Edie Jo Murray, an invitation to sit and contemplate in solitude. Their ornate eighteenth and nineteenth century design is intended to reference furniture found in the Castle. The very bright colours are intended to "alter the aesthetic presentation of the chairs and create an incongruous and distinctive intervention in the landscape." In case you were wondering.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300