Hope

 

On a recent brief visit to Hereford Cathedral we came across enormous capital letters spelling out the word "HOPE". They were parked in the south transept and featured lights cycling through a series of colours. I don't know if they were left over from a previous use, were waiting to be used, or were just a generalized exhortation to worshippers and/or visitors. Whatever their purpose their modern incongruity against the medieval stonework prompted a photograph. And caused me to hope that in the UK and across the world 2023 will be a clear and lasting improvement on 2022.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Who needs window dressers?

Window dressing is, I'm told, a job. If you aspire to the heights of that line of work I imagine you end up dressing windows in somewhere like Oxford Street, London. But, there is another way of encouraging people to stop and examine the items you are selling. Simply cram the windows of your establishment with the multifarious objects you sell. That seems to be the approach of The Architectural Store in Ross on Wye, Herefordshire, which has several windows filled in this manner. And, it works. After I had taken my photograph I crossed the street to look at what was for sale.

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Santa and his helpers

Father and Mrs Christmas don't seem to be blessed with children of their own. However, that isn't a problem because they have a relationship with millions (billions?) of children across the world. And, having so many presents to deliver to these children, they clearly need helpers. Many sources say these helpers are elves. However, this photograph suggests they may be teddy bears.

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

Angel and Shepherds

The stained glass window from which this detail is taken can be found in the church of St Michael, Ledbury, Herefordshire. It dates from 1913 and is by the celebrated firm of Morris & Co. These panels depict the part of the Christmas story where an angel visits the shepherds to tell them of the birth of Christ. It is based on a design by Edward Burne-Jones and was used elsewhere by the firm. It is a beautifully drawn and composed piece with sparing and subtle colour, refreshingly eschewing the detail upon detail that often overpowers religious stained glass.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Christmas yarn bombing

The yarn bombers of Ross on Wye have had a very full year. In addition to their regular Easter, autumn, Halloween, Remembrance and Christmas offerings they also had the Queen's Platinum Jubilee and the Queen's passing as themes. The photograph above is one of the Chrismas-themed pieces decorating the town and putting a smile on the face of all who see them. It shows Father Christmas with presents at his feet, flanked by a snowman and Rudolph with his red nose. Behind them (and giving support!) is a Chrismas tree decorated with tinsel and surmounted by the star of the Christmas story. The pillar box on which the tableau is mounted is an aged, slightly leaning, but still functioning example next to the Market House.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Christmas wreaths

The tradition of hanging a Christmas wreath on the front door of a house is one of long standing. In the past it would have been made of what the householder could lay his or her hands on - holly, conifer, perhaps pine cones and mistletoe. Some people continue to make them in this way but the majority, from what I see, hang one that has been factory made and bought from a shop. As with all such things commercialism has widened the palette and wreaths now consist of traditional materials but also artificial branches and flowers, seasonal symbols, glitter, painted objects etc. A "pop-up" Christmas shop is now a feature of many towns and such wreaths are one of the main items sold. I photographed these wreaths for sale in a Herefordshire town.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

The first snow of winter

The first snow of winter fell on us recently. There wasn't a great quantity but what there was did linger due to the temperature registering below zero, sometimes substantially so, for several days afterwards. As is often the case in our part of the world, the snow was enough to please the children but not so much that it significantly impeded movement. The first falls of snow were also enough to tempt me to go out with the camera. Our walk coincided with children, parents and sledges heading for a much used local hill.

 click image to enlarge

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100

Herefordshire timber framing, Allensmore

It's not unusual to come across an old house next to a medieval church. Often these are former vicarages but just as likely is a manor house belonging to the wealthiest person of that period - church and state were mutually supportive and maintained close relations. The timber-framed house shown above is next to Allensmore church, separated I recall, only by change of level. It is insufficiently grand to have been built by anyone of great wealth but its name, Church House, suggests it may have been the dwelling of a priest, though the adjacent old barn may indicate it was a farm house. The framing is classic Herefordshire in style with cheaper squares rather than more expensive close studding. It is on a stone plinth to deter rot, and the original infill has been replaced by bricks. It dates from the mid-1500s; tree-ring dating shows it to be constructed of oaks felled in the summer of 1552.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

Restoring medieval churches

We often come upon workmen who are busy restoring or repairing medieval churches. It's not surprising really - how many buildings can survive for several hundred years without regular maintenance? Recently we called in at the church of St Andrew at Allensmore in Herefordshire and found workmen busy restoring the timber frame of the south porch. This structure last had major work done in 1857 when it was completely rebuilt. The two workmen in the photograph had stripped off the roof tiles and were replacing some of the timbers that gave structure and strength to the porch. Work of this kind can't be done by just anyone, and the van of the workmen showed them to be accredited for work on ancient buildings.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

Late afternoon pond

The pond in the photograph is one that we regularly walk past. Like many such features its appearance changes with the time of day, weather and season. It is also favoured by three groups of  birds - residents that can be seen all year round, and summer or winter visitors. This shot was taken on a late afternoon in December. At that time of year it can be all but obscured by fog or rain. On this occasion a very cold day with a cloudless sky had prompted the trees to shed a mass of leaves that had been hanging on for an unseasonally long time. Combined with the low sun they have produced an image that looks much warmer than it felt.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Nave vaulting, Hereford Cathedral

Hereford's Saxon cathedral was rebuilt in 1030-1040 but in 1055 was burnt down by the Welsh. The Normans set about building the cathedral again, and it was consecrated between 1142 and 1148. Thereafter the cathedral was added to down the centuries. However, the building was also subject to a number of collapses and restorations and consequently care is needed to distinguish original from renewed. The nave, for example, has some original, rebuilt Norman columns (though eight bays were reduced to seven), an Early English style gallery (but late C18) by Thomas Wyatt and vaulting, also by Wyatt, made of lath and plaster.The paintwork of the vaulting dates from c.1850 and is by  N.J. Cottingham. George Gilbert Scott, who led a restoration in the later nineteenth century, called it "offensive". Most people today, I think, would not agree with his judgement, seeing in it a subtle richness.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

Motorcycle in black and chrome

Near the car park we use in Hereford is another car park with an area reserved solely for motorcycles. Occasionally I notice a machine parked there. Not that I have much (any?) interest in motorcycles. What usually grabs my attention is the gleaming bodywork lovingly prepared by an owner who is the polar opposite of me when it comes to this form of transport. We saw such a motorcycle recently with burnished chrome and gleaming black paint. I didn't study it in great detail but later, after I'd taken my shot, I remembered that I didn't notice what make it was. Fortunately, on the section I photographed were the words "Harley-Davidson".

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

Tewkesbury Abbey decorative metalwork

In the medieval past the cost of the upkeep of the nave of a church usually fell to the lay congregation. However, the chancel and everything therein was funded by the church i.e the clergy, since it was their private domain in which they worked. But, since much of the money of the clergy derived from tithes paid by the laity, the congregation's pockets were hit twice. This pattern of cost sharing was true of many cathedrals and greater churches too. Consequently beautiful embellishments were made in the chancel, less so in the nave. And these embellishments were hidden from the congregation in the nave by rood screens, gates etc. This gate, which looks to be of Victorian origin, separates the choir from the crossing and nave at Tewkesbury Abbey. Today, in keeping with the times, it is usually open.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Potted cyclamen

For many amateur gardeners the cyclamen is a seasonal indoor plant. Many people like to have a few on a kitchen window sill or in a conservatory during the lower temperatures of winter. On a visit to a garden centre to buy a few heathers to replace some that didn't manage to survive the dry summer I came across a whole section devoted to different kinds of cyclamen, and I couldn't resist a quick photograph.

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100

Organ practice

Recently we were in Hereford Cathedral at a time when the organ was sounding. The organist was playing a fiery piece on the massive instrument and at times it felt like the old Norman columns would give way as the deep notes and heavy reverberations filled the ancient space. A few days later we were in the church of St Michael, Ledbury, where an organist was playing gentler tunes on the more modest instrument. The dullish day required illumination so that the music score could be seen and it made a nice pool of warm light to emphasise the focal point of the scene.

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2