Old crane, Gloucester Docks

When planning the transformation of an old docks into new recreational areas of water and former warehouses that feature flats and offices it must have been difficult to get the balance between old and new. Gloucester Docks made quite good choices in this regard, and retained enough, but not too much of the old. This crane has no practical function today other than to stir the visitor's imagination. My conversion of a colour photograph of the crane and its surroundings into black and white helps further in this regard.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Shadows in The Maltings

For centuries British cities, towns and some villages had malt houses. These were buildings where cereal grains were converted into malt by soaking in water (promoting sprouting) then drying the mix to stop further growth. The malt was usd in the brewing of alcoholic drinks, particularly beer. In the nineteenth century the small malt houses went out of use to be replaced by fewer, but much larger "maltings". These could be found in cities and major towns. They, in turn, during the twentieth century, were replaced by methods of brewing that no longer required massive maltings. The large premises were often turned into housing and covered shopping. The small shopping centre in Ross on Wye was built on part of the site of the town maltings, though some of the larger buildings and distinctive shape of  the roof profile can still be seen. I caught this photograph on a day when the sun was throwing shadows from the glazed roof.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix LX3

Building 02B

On a small industrial estate in Ross on Wye, Herefordshire, are a number of modern, metal, cuboid-shaped industrial buildings. Each one has been marked with a unique designation comprising a letter and number that is the most prominent feature of its exterior. So overpowering is this alphanumeric designation that it often dwarfs the name of the business within - as is the case in the photograph above. I took my photograph at a weekend and the absence of any workers or their vehicles, along with the sparse weeds at the base of the building, gave the scene something of the look of a "ghost-town".

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

The solitary crow

In a tall, old pine at the edge of the grounds of a former hotel sat a carrion crow looking like the lord of all he (or she) surveyed. The crow didn't call, it simply looked first one way then another. Had it found a useful vantage point from which to spot the odd tit bit? Or was it near a newly built nest, tucked away in the branches, over which it was standing guard. I mean to check it out when we pass by on our walks around the town.

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

Dockside crane and tracks

Gloucester Docks and the adjacent shopping attraction, Gloucester Quays, are an interesting mixture of the old and the new. The warehouses and the water of the docks attract people who want to know more about the area's past. To help kindle the atmosphere a few old cranes are parked where once they would have busily shifted goods from dockside to ship and vice versa. The tracks set in the tough granite setts make a good foreground for one of the most interesting cranes.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Mill Avon fish belly sluice, Tewkesbury

The River Avon joins the River Severn in the town of Tewkesbury. A branch of the Avon, known as the Mill Avon, is a stretch of water that formerly turned the mill wheels of the Abbey Mill in Tewkesbury. Today it a haunt of small pleasure craft.

 In the 1990s the two old sluices at this location on the Mill Avon at Tewkesbury were replaced by a single "fish belly sluice". When in the "up" position this forms a weir: when "down", during a flood, water can flow freely. The control room for the new sluice was mounted on legs above the footpath that crosses the Mill Avon at this point.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Ross on Wye floodwater

click photo to enlarge
The first week of January saw widespread flooding across western, central and southern Britain. In Ross on Wye, Herefordshire, the River Wye left its channel and spread its waters across the surrounding farmland. Near the town a few low-lying properties were affected, but most of the flood water covered areas that have been deliberately left without buildings. After a walk around the town we descended the cliff and took a few photographs of the inundated benches, road and trees. I was quite pleased by the black and white version of one of my shots.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: iPhone

Domestic 1

The Christmas holiday is always a brake on my photography - the weather is drab, streets are alternately bustling and deathly quiet, visitors and the needs of family are pressing. I don't resent any of this but it does pose a problem for collecting the stream of images necessary to feed the blog. Consequently, this year I searched indoors for some domestic subject matter. The first example will be unknown to many. It shows nested pastry cutters that made an appearance in the kitchen but never got used due to a change of mind on the catering front.

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

Under the Market House, Ross on Wye

The Herefordshire town of Ross on Wye has a late seventeenth century market house. It is made of red sandstone columns and arches that are open to the public and a stone and timber room above (now a gallery selling the work of local artists and craftspeople). It was originally designed to offer a covered space for market stalls, something it still does to this day. On non-market days it is a place to sit, shelter from the rain (or intense sun!), and generally watch the world go by. As I was doing just that the other day someone was using it as a vantage point for a phone call and I took this shot of the scene. I've converted it to a black and white image because the strong blue fascia of the Boots store was overpowering the composition and weakening the strong silhouettes.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Canoes on the River Wye

I came across these canoes tied to the stonework of an old wharf by the Hope & Anchor pub in Ross on Wye. The recent rains had left water and leaf debris in them and I initially wondered why they hadn't been cleaned out. Then it occurred to me that they were fastened there to advertise the services of one of the companies that rents canoes for trips along the river. The wharf enabled me to get above them and I took this photograph of them looking like the petals of a flower head. The colour version of the shot wasn't very colourful so I settled on black and white that made them much more striking.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Hereford Cathedral reflected

The exterior of the east end of Hereford Cathedral shows clear evidence of the reconstruction in c.1845 when the architect, Lewis Nockalls Cottingham (1787-1847), took account of the original Early English work in his extensive remodelling. Further renewal was undertaken in c.2000. We made a visit to the cathedral on a day following heavy rain and I was pleased to come across a puddle reflecting this part of the building. It gave some interest to the featureless tarmac area that is used by cars associated with the cathedral. The reflection in the water reminded me of a torn segment of a black and white photograph of the building.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

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

Foggy churchyard thoughts

It seems to me that the charms of the churchyard are lost on many people. Where some see visual and historic interest, a haven for wildlife, and a place to pause a while, others are reminded of the only certainty in life - death. For that kind of mindset a churchyard often becomes a place to avoid. With a covering of mist or fog a churchyard acquires an air of Gothic mystery - also something to be embraced or shunned. I converted my photograph of St Mary's churchyard, Ross on Wye, to black and white to add a Dickensian or Victorian flavour to the image.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Underneath the M50

The M50 is a short, two-lane (in each direction) motorway that stretches from its junction with the M5 to its junction with the A40 trunk road near Ross on Wye. Recently we had a short walk to look at a pair of former gravel pits, now a nature reserve, next to the River Severn where it passes under the M50. The road goes over the river on a steel bridge that is reached on each side by a viaduct on concrete supports.

Photographically speaking this man-made structure was considerably more interesting than the man-made reserve and so I took a few photographs of it. The out-of-camera shots looked as though they would convert well to black and white and I think they have.

 

This exercise made me realise that I didn't do many black and whites in 2021 so I've made a mental note to do so this year.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

A foggy Prospect

John Kyrle (1637-1724) is the renowned eighteenth century benefactor of Ross on Wye. The poet, Alexander Pope (1688-1744) called him the "Man of Ross" in his poem in the third of his Moral Essays "Of the Use of Riches"(1734). One of his many contributions to the town was the public open space above the cliffs near St Mary's church. It was called "The Prospect" for its fine view over the meander of the River Wye, and beyond. It is a place still visited and enjoyed today. We were there on a recent afternoon and, the view being cloaked with fog, I turned one hundred and eighty degrees to get this photograph of the tower and spire of St Mary behind the pines and the mistletoe decked trees.

Something of the extent of John Kyrle's philanthropy can be seen in this extract from Pope:

"Who taught that heav’n directed Spire to rise?
The Man of Ross, each lisping babe replies.
Behold the Market-place with poor o'erspread!
He feeds yon Alms-house, neat, but void of state,
Where Age and Want sit smiling at the gate;
Him portion’d maids, apprentic’d orphans blest,
The young who labour, and the old who rest.
Is any sick? the Man of Ross relieves,
Prescribes, attends, the med’cine makes, and gives,
Is there a variance? enter but his door,
Balk’d are the Courts, and contest is no more.
Despairing Quacks with curses fled the place,
And vile Attornies, now a useless race"

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Tree and sky echoes

As I understand it the willows of varying species that flank the River Wye where it meanders through flatter landscapes serve an important function by anchoring the banks. In their absence the soft soil would be too easily eroded and the river would widen, perhaps change course more readily, and maintain a higher rate of flow, thereby presenting more problems for buildings and farmers. Consequently its not unusual to see the bankside willows being pruned and pollarded to encourage their growth and additional plantings are a reasonably common sight. This relatively large willow has received a heavy pruning but is already beginning to sprout shoots. I passed it some time after three aircraft had passed over. The wind-induced waywardness of their vapour trails echoed the irregular lines of the cropped branches.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Social distancing and walking

We've recently experienced an extended period of fine, dry weather with successive days having clear blue skies. Initially this was accompanied by the sorts of temperatures more commonly experienced in July and August. However, lately the east wind has brought temperatures that are more usual for April, the consolation being that the skies retained their azure perfection. The current UK lockdown regime permits people of the same household to take a single period of outdoor exercise in their locality, keeping the duration to no more than an hour, and observing social distancing guidelines. Consequently, we have had an almost daily walk by the river, over the hills and through the woods. Today's photograph was taken on a riverside path as we walked with only a 24mm lens on the camera and clothing suitable for the lower temperatures.

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

Landscape gardening

One of Britain's contributions to gardening is the "landscape garden". This eighteenth century development is best summarised by that era's succinct description of it as "nature improved". The example in the photograph is a part of a landscape at the stately home of Croome Court, Worcestershire, which was first worked over in this fashion by Lancelot "Capability" Brown. Neither the lake or the plantings are original to the site - it was described as a "morass". Nor are the stone grotto, bridges, sculptures, tiny classical pavilion, large stone, brick and glass orangery or massive "eye-catcher" rotunda. The parkland is currently being restored by the National Trust.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Silhouettes: Take 2

This photograph was taken from the same spot as that posted yesterday. But whereas the focal length of that image was 74mm (35mm equiv.) this was about 400mm (35mm equiv.). The strong silhouette of my wife on the bench against the lower, distant background forms the entirety of the composition and the interest comes from the form and details of that bold shape. Once again I can look back and see other photographs where I have used the same device. This example, featuring a bait digger's bike, was taken in 2006.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Silhouettes and compositions

I saw the line of the wet path before the bench and once I'd seen the bench I imagined someone sitting on it and a composition that involved the path leading to the silhouetted figure. My wife obliged as the figure and the rest fell into place. The basis of this composition is one that I have used several times, as for instance, in this example.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2