WW1 memorial, St Mary, Ross on Wye

Most, if not all, cities, towns and villages have an outdoor cenotaph listing the fallen of WW1, WW2 and subsequent conflicts. In November it becomes the focus of remembrance of those who gave their lives in the military service of their nation. In many places this memorial is complemented by a similar list of the fallen of, particularly, WW1 in the local Anglican church. This conflict - the "war to end all wars" - resulted in more miltary deaths than earlier or later wars in which Britain had been involved and profoundly affected society and families across the nation. The memorial in the church of St Mary, Ross on Wye, is very typical of such monuments. It lists the names in alphabetical order (some do it by rank!) followed by the regiment or service in which they fought and features the line from Horace (Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori). Also typical is the dates and a decorative mosaic, here featuring a cross and wreath. It is spotlit, hence the vignette-like fall off of light towards the edges.

Writing the above brought to mind a brass memorial that I recall seeing in Sutterton church in Lincolnshire.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100

Snowdrops and oak leaves

More snowdrops are appearing each day, reminding us that hellebores, daffodils, crocuses and the rest will soon follow. The small white flowers appear undeterred by the cold January that has followed on from the equally cold December. This little group had forced themselves up through a thick layer of oak leaves that had eventually fallen after clinging on to the trees for a longer period than usual.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Decorative lamps, The Royal hotel, Ross on Wye

The Royal hotel, Ross on Wye, dates from 1836-7 and is one of the earliest, purpose-built hotels (as opposed to inns) in Britain. It is a large, three-storey, stuccoed building located on the site of the old Bishop's Palace, in a prominent position overlooking the meander of the River Wye. The two large, ornate lamps shown above flank the main pedestrian entry to the building.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Hereford Cathedral - looking west from the choir

click image to enlarge

One of the pleasures of photographing the interior of a large church or cathedral in winter is that, cloudless sunny days excepted, a photograph often combines elements that are lit by artificial light and others lit by natural light. The artificial light usually has an orange tinge while the naturally lit areas have a blue cast. Those distinctions are clear on this photograph - the stonework, woodwork and the tiled floor of the choir are lit by electric light; the massive stonework of the nave columns and the vaulting ribs (with the exception of the arches of the arcades) have the blue cast of natural light entering through the nave windows.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Church with cafe, All Saints, Hereford

Many medieval parish churches open weekly or monthly for tea,coffee and a snack. Such openings usually accommodate local people and the occasional traveller. However, there are, increasingly, churches that include a permanent cafe that is open for the extended hours usual for such eating places. Cafes of this kind are often prompted by declining congregations and a need for extra funds to finance the building and the work of the parish. I don't know what led the church of All Saints, Hereford, to install this quite elaborate cafe in east end of the builing (and in the upper aisle) but they did a fine job in adapting the interior to the extended requirements.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Cyclamens, assorted colours

One of the attractions of the cyclamen is that it can be persuaded to flower indoors in the depths of winter, a time when many flowering plants are dormant. We have, for many years, had cyclamens that spend much of the winter on the window sills of an unheated conservatory, only bringing them into the house proper when the temperatures dip below freezing for any extended period. We currently have plants that have spent previous winters with us, and a few that were bought last year. They are a variety with smaller flowers and have been in full bloom for weeks, with more weeks to come.

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

Late afternoon at the Monnow Bridge

The fortified gatehouse on the medieval bridge over the River Monnow at Monmouth is a subject I look at each time we visit the Welsh town. However, on a recent afternoon the details of the tower and archways were subdued as we walked towards the brightness of the descending sun. And, as is often the way in winter, the silhouette, shadows and the attendant colours, people and birds became key subjects in the photograph. 

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

River Wye floods at Ross on Wye

click image to enlarge

In recent days the south-west of England and Wales have experienced winter flooding. At Ross on Wye an elevated viewpoint on the cliffs by the graveyard offers a good view of the extent of the water near the town. The top panorama shows the large meander of the river at this point and the areas where the water has spilled out of its channel. When this photograph was taken the river gauge was registering a height of 3.9 metres above the datum point. The top of the river's normal range is 3.2 metres.

click image to enlarge

The second panorama was taken two days later and shows the river at its highest point in the current flooding - 4.65 metres above the datum point. At this level no houses were affected but a pub and a couple of other properties were somewhat inconvenienced by the water. The highest the River Wye has ever reached at this location is 5.1 metres in February 2020.

photo 1 © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2
photo 2 © T. Boughen     Camera: iPhone

Former Franklin Barnes building, Bridge St, Hereford

The surprise building on Bridge Street, Hereford, is this 1930s Art Deco/Moderne building. It looks like it could have been a cinema but in fact was the retail premises of the local farm and garden merchant, Franklin Barnes & Co Ltd. The structure is steel framed with green and cream Vitrolite cladding. The stepped top, flag-posts, horizontal window bands, green "streamlines" and minimalist clock are all typical of Britain's somewhat underwhelming embrace of Modernism. All these details on the main elevation were wisely retained when it was restored c.2008. What was added at this time was the three red squares. Purists might deplore such an addition. I think they go well with the original design and improve it.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Ceiling lights

Sitting in a local coffee shop recently I looked around for anything that might make a decent photograph. I'd already secured the self-portrait posted on the blog before this one. As I looked around I was taken by the mixture of ceiling lights in the shop. Looking further I concluded that the best selection was directly above my head. I remembered, several years ago, taking a semi-abstract photograph of a lamp, showing its effect on the ceiling, and the lines of the corner of the room. Perhaps, I thought, I can make a similar sort of image. I'm reasonably pleased with the outcome.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: iPhone

Self-portrait with iPhone

When I first began photoblogging with my PhotoReflect site, all the way back in December 2005, one of my first photographs involved a self-portrait with my face distorted in the curved top of a cafetiere. In the ensuing years I regularly offered self-portraits that revealed relatively little. It's something I haven't really continued in PhotoEclectica, this shot being the only such example. So, by way of correction, here is what I hope is the first of many inventive "self-portraits". It was taken in a local coffee shop.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: iPhone

Female goosander, River Wye

The goosander (Mergus merganser) is the second most seen duck on the river at Ross on Wye after the mallard (Anas platyrhynchos). At all times of year females are more visible than males, and in summer they breed along the river, mothers often being seen with more than a dozen ducklings. The goosander is a species that is increasingly widespread, having spread from its Scottish base to northern England and Wales and more recently into the south-west. It belongs to the sawbill family of ducks (which also includes the red-breasted merganser and the smew), and the feature that gave rise to that family name can be seen better than usual on the photograph above.

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Music venue mural

A music venue in the Herefordshire market town of Ross on Wye advertises its presence with a painted mural on the exterior walls. Interestingly the artist chosen for this commission decided on a limited palette of sepia/earth tones, in a comic-book style, of jazz musicians. It is a striking piece and much better than many such works that I've seen.

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

The most numerous British bird?

When I was a young birdwatcher, probably about the time of my early teens, I read that the chaffinch was the most numerous British bird. I found that hard to believe because it didn't accord with my experience. The starling, the house sparrow, probably the blue tit, were all more commonly seen by me than the chaffinch. In recent years a few estimates of the most numerous bird have been published. The most recent that I have seen places the wren at number one with over eleven million pairs. I see more robins than wrens (it was ranked second), but then the wren is more secretive and the robin more tolerant of people. The numbers of both will have benefitted from the recent mild winters. Interestingly, the report that named the wren at number one also placed the chaffinch at joint number five (alongside the blackbird) with just over 5 million pairs.

This cock chaffinch was foraging the picnic tables at a Forestry England site in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire.

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

White Hart and Green Men

The thirty two choir stalls of the church of St Laurence, Ludlow, have been described as the best of any parish church. They date from the early 1400s. Each of the stalls has carved stall-ends, armrests and misericords. The photograph shows the carving of one of the misericords (a hinged seat - this is the underside when it is folded up). In the centre is a white hart with a green man on each side. The white hart was a symbol of purity, a beast not to be hunted, and also the badge of King Richard II of England. The flanking green men are a little unusual. In their place is more often an item of vegetation, usually a leaf or flower.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

Corona, Hereford Cathedral

These days we are so accustomed to seeing the word "corona" followed by the word "virus" that any other meaning of the word surprises us. In fact, the word comes from the Latin for "crown", and is used as a synonym for that royal head-wear. By extension it is also used to describe a wreath, a ring, a diadem and even the outer atmosphere of the sun that is visible in a total eclipse. Consequently it comes as no surprise to see the word describe the golden "zig-zag" ring that hangs above the altar under the tower crossing of Hereford Cathedral. Incidentally, one of the pearl-like lighting features hangs in each transept and is quite separate from the corona, only looking adjacent because of the point from which I took the photograph.

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2