Fog at Croft Castle

There was a familiar tale recently - the weather forecaster said unbroken sun but we, the weather observers, saw nothing but fog (until the afternoon). Consequently our day out at Croft Castle produced photographs that I hadn't imagined. For much of the time the details of the building's facade were lost and it became a monochromatic, looming pile.

Only when we walked round to the terrace on the south side did we see something of the structure we recognised.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Gothic Revival at Tyntesfield House

Tyntesfield House, in Somerset near Bristol, is a Gothic Revival country house designed in the 1860s by the architect, John Norton. It cost £70,000, a large sum that could be well afforded by the owner who has been described as "the richest non-noble man in England."

 Pevsner describes the south elevation (photo 2) as "an object lesson in the technique by which a High Victorian architect endeavored to keep balance while avoiding symmetry." Money was lavished on every elevation - see east elevation,  photo 1 - as well as the interiors. The chapel, on the right of photo 2, was added in 1875, the design of the architect, Sir Arthur Blomfield. It has been likened to the chapels of Oxford colleges. The house became the property of the National Trust in 2002 and the public were first admitted ten weeks after purchase.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

St Michael's tower, Glastonbury Tor

It is thought that Glastonbury Tor was occupied in the C6. Evidence of occupation between 900AD and 1100AD is said to include a Christian cross head and what may have been monks' cells cut into the rock. The granting of a charter for a fair on the Tor dated 1243 suggests that a monastery dedicated to St Michael existed there at that date. The style of the present tower is late C13 with 15C additions. The top storey of the tower is missing and the floors are no longer there: the view upwards from inside shows the sky. A notable restoration of 1804 preserved what was left of the building. Since 1933 the tower and the Tor have been in the care of the National Trust.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

Long Canal, Westbury Court Gardens

This view of the Long Canal at Westbury Court Gardens, Gloucestershire, was taken from the Tall Pavilion, a structure built to give a view of the once extensive Dutch-inspired garden in its flat landscape. The original, much larger garden began to be constructed in 1696 and was completed in 1705. It was a fashionable garden style at the time, but one that did not last. Westbury is one of the few remaining examples, and we can see it today only because of the restoration work undertaken by the National Trust.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

Lower Brockhampton Manor House, Herefordshire

Lower Brockhampton Manor House, near Bromyard, Herefordshire, is surrounded by a moat and entered by a gatehouse. On the day of our visit the water of the moat was hidden by water lilies and other aquatic plants and the timber-framing  was difficult to see because of the brightness of the day and the limewash. The gatehouse has been dated to 1542/3 and the oldest remaining parts of the house are early fifteenth century. It's possible that the moat was defensive but the gatehouse can only have been ornamental. We've visited this location a few times. Interestingly I chose pretty much the same location for this photograph as I did for the one I took (and had forgotten!) in June 2015.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Roundhouse at The Kymin, Monmouth

The Roundhouse at The Kymin, a hill and view point above Monmouth,was built around 1796 by the Monmouth Picnic Club, also known as the Kymin Club. This was a group of gentlemen who met weekly "for the purpose of dining together, and "spending the day in a social and friendly manner."  The building's purpose was to give members "security from the inclemency of the weather". It has a kitchen on the ground floor and a banqueting room above.

It was furnished with a telescope to take advantage of the views of Monmouth below and the Welsh mountains in the distance (click photo above to enlarge). In 1807 the Monmouth antiquarian, Charles Heath, noted that ten counties can be seen from the Roundhouse - Gloucestershire, Monmouthshire, Herefordshire, Glamorganshire, Breconshire, Worcestershire, Montgomeryshire, Shropshire, Somerset and Radnorshire. Today the building and the immediate area is owned by the National Trust and is open to the public.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300