The Duke of Beaufort bridge

The Duke of Beaufort bridge is a disused railway bridge over the River Wye at Monmouth. It was opened in 1874 as part of the Ross and Monmouth Railway that had begun operating in 1873. The design is three spans of steel lattice girders on pairs of steel tubular piers between stone abutments. Today the bridge is part of a public footpath. It is hoped that bridge can be re-decked to also serve bicycle traffic.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100

Exmoor ponies

The Exmoor pony originates from the area of moorland that embraces parts of Somerset and Devon. It is well adapted to moorland conditions i.e. rain, snow and poor grazing. The breed is recorded in the Domesday Book and has largely maintained its characteristic appearance through to the present day. It has been used for riding and pulling vehicles. Claims for it being a breed from prehistoric times are disputed but it it has notable similarities to cave drawings of ponies. The pony came close to extinction post-WW2 and in recent years the number of animals in the UK is thought to have increased to 95 with a world-wide population of c.330.

These ponies are some of at least four animals used (in conjunction with Highland cattle and Hebridean sheep) to develop and maintain heathland in Woorgreens Nature Reserve in the Forest of Dean.

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon P900

Hereford Cathedral, west front

In 1786 the fourteenth century axial west tower of Hereford Cathedral collapsed. This came as no surprise since construction designed to prevent such an incident had been going on for some time. The rebuilding of 1788-90 by James Wyatt was in a mixed mid to late Gothic style, involved the loss of a bay of the nave, and was evidently inspired by the west end of Winchester Cathedral. Wyatt's efforts were not praised by Victorian restorers of the cathedral and in 1902-8 John Oldrid Scott built what we see today. He chose the Decorated style, small octagonal turrets to north and south where, more commonly, are found substantial towers, and an overall busyness that some find fussy.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

The Wishing Tree

I recently became aware of "The Wishing Tree" near Cinderford in the Forest of Dean and we undertook a walk that included stopping off at it. It is a tree - in this instance a dead one - where people hammer a coin into the trunk and make a wish. Until I became aware of this example I didn't know that it is one of a number of such trees found in the British Isles. The idea of it sounds to be of great antiquity, and I suppose in some ways it is like the love token involving locks fixed to the railings of bridges. I had imagined that this Wishing Tree would be away from other trees giving it greature stature, but it was fairly closely surrounded by others and relatively hard to find.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Return to The Kymin

In May 2021 we made our first, and up to that point, only visit to The Kymin, the hill overlooking the Welsh town of Monmouth. Recently we made a second visit and I again photographed The Roundhouse, the c.1796 building that was built at the viewpoint. It had received a recent coat of paint and looked splendid in the March afternoon sunlight. Whilst my wife chatted with a cyclist who had toiled up to the summit I composed a shot that included them for scale.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Ancient hay rake

We came upon this ancient hay rake next to a collapsing timber-framed barn in an old orchard. It was barely visible in the long grass, weeds and branches but the shape of a steel wheel caught my eye and I began to decipher the other parts. I say it is an old hay rake, the sort that was pulled by a horse or tractor to turn hay to dry and put it into lines prior to the baler doing its work - but I may be wrong.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Light through stained glass

Stained glass windows in churches are designed to be seen from inside the building. The best conditions for viewing them is when the sky is coverd in white cloud - sunlight causes the colours to vary too much in intensity. However, when sunlight does flow through stained glass windows it often leads to interior stonework and furnishings being bathed in the colours of the glass.

On a recent visit to Gloucester Cathedral the new, modern seating and the floor tiles in the nave picked up the colours in a very striking way and the dark, seventeenth woodwork of the organ case was bathed in dappled red and blue light.

Leisure Centre shadow

A visit to a nearby city from the market town in which we live presents the opportunity for more "urban" photographic subjects. Gloucester isn't the biggest of cities, but neither are Hereford and Worcester, the other easily accessible centres of higher population. Birmingham, though more distant, is the nearest city that presents the full range of urban subjects. But, on this occasion it was Gloucester and a photograph of a large, anonymous-looking leisure centre with its subdued colours, curves and shadows complemented by a figure in just the right place.

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Handholds and footholds

The sport of indoor climbing in re-used industrial buildings on purpose-built "rock faces" was unknown to me until two of my grandchildren took up the activity. Like any doting grandparent I took photographs of them as they scampered up the "cliffs" and stepped into space to be lowered gently to the cushioned ground by the auto-belay. I was also minded to find out something about the strange shapes used for footholds and handholds.

 Disappointingly none of them have unique names - all are described by existing words such as "jugs", "slopers", "pinches", "pockets", "smears" etc. As I've watched the climbers in recent months I've reflected how different this climbing is from the only climbing I ever did on limestone cliffs in the Yorkshire Dales.

The oddly shaped, colourful hand and foot holds have a pop-art sculptural quality to them that I find quite appealing.

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100

Commemorated in brass

Elsewhere I have extolled the virtues of slate as a medium on which a person may be commemorated. Today I make the claim for brass - it is cheaper in terms of material, costs less to engrave and takes up less space. On the other hand it lasts longest when not exposed to the elements so the inside of a church is clearly the best location. The example above is in St Mary's, Ross on Wye. It was made at a time when English spelling had not been properly standardized. You might like to read it yourself before reading my copy of the text.

HERE LIETH THE BODY OF THOMAS BAKER, MERCER
THE LATE HVSBAND OF IANE HIS WIFE WHO
DECEASED THIS LIFE TO THE KINGDOM OF
HEAVEN THE 14 OF SEPTEMBER 1622

EVEN SVCH IS TIME WHICH TAKES IN TRVST
OVR YOVTH OVR IOIES & ALL WE HAVE
AND PAIES VS BVT WITH EARTH AND DVST
WITHIN THE DARKE AND SILENT GRAVE
WHEN WEE HAVE WANDRED ALL OVR WAIES
SHVTTS VP THE STORIE OF OVR DAIES
NOW FROM WHICH EARTH & GRAVE AND DVST
THE LORD WILL RAISE ME VP I TRVST
Vivat post funera vertus

The Latin inscription at the bottom translates as "Virtue outlives death".

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: iPhone

2d coin of 1797

The oldest coin we possess is a 2d (two pence) from 1797. It is particulary interesting because of the changes that were incorporated in it by the Mint. Until the C18 pennies were made of silver and there were relatively few in circulation. In 1797 the Soho Mint was charged with manufacturing 480 tonnes of copper pennies (1d) and 20 tonnes of copper twopences (2d). This they did using, for the first time ever, the steam power of Matthew Boulton.

The twopence coin weighed two ounces, and, with the penny, had the inscription punched into the rim rather than being raised - another first. The coins were designed by Conrad Kuchler. The obverse shows a laureated, right facing bust of George III with the inscription, "Georgius III D G Rex". The reverse has Britannia sitting on a rock (inscribed SOHO) facing left holding an olive branch and a trident. There is a shield and a distant ship. This is the first depiction of Britannia ruling the waves. Round the rim is the word Britannia and the date, 1797.

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

Lantern, Shire Hall, Monmouth

The rear staircase that was added in 1830 to Monmouth's Shire Hall is quite an unimpressive structure simply folding back and forth as it rises. That is until the top floor is reached when we find above us an unfluted Greek Doric arcade that helps to support a rather fine octagonal lantern that lights the staircase. This appears to have been recently restored as the Wedgwood blue and white paintwork shows. In the centre is a feathered flower that is the focus of eight bead strips. The octagon sits in a square with each of the four corners featuring a fluted, shell-like fan.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Shire Hall, Monmouth

The administrative headquarters of English, Welsh and Scottish regional government is (or was - some have acquired different uses) the Shire Hall or the County Hall. These usually date from the eighteenth, nineteenth or twentieth centuries. Monmouth's Shire Hall is quite a typical example. It is an imposing Baroque-style limestone building of 1724 - quite a late date for this particular look - that was built on the site of its 1571 predecessor. The architect of the main elevation was Fisher of Bristol. Work in 1828 by Edward Haycock remodelled the courtrooms and added rear stairs. The Shire Hall lost its purpose in 1974 when the county of Gwent was created and the courts were moved to Abergavenny. The building hosts Monmouth Town Council and is currently in the process of accommodating the exhibits of the town's museum which was formerly housed in the old market hall of 1837-9.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Starling on chimney bird guard

A bird that gets down a chimney can be a real problem, especially if the fireplaces that use the chimney have been blocked: then the bird becomes trapped. If the fireplaces are still open and in use a different problem can arise, namely the bird, covered in soot flying around the room. Consequently many chimneys are fitted with bird guards. These come in different designs. The best, often the least attractive, do not allow the bird to perch on the chimney. Others, including the example shown in the photograph, have a more interesting shape but do not prevent perching. This example, near my house, is actually a favoured perch regularly used by house sparrows, starlings, blackbirds, jackdaws, carrion crows, magpies, wood pigeons and collared doves, with the occasional sparrowhawk that also uses it.

My photograph was taken against a stratus covered sky and is black and white to make the most of the silhouette effect.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon P900

Early blossom

Early can be a relative term when it comes to spring flowering blossom. However, when I see a tree (or trees) in full blossom towards the end of February I think of them as early regardless of whether or not they are usually in flower at this time.

The pink blossom is (I think) a Taiwan cherry. The white blossom is blackthorn. The former was in a spot that experiences quite a bit of shadow on a late February day but the blackthorn was in a protected, south-facing location. Consequently I think the cherry was probably flowering around the usual time but the blackthorn was earlier than usual.

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5