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

Grand Central, Birmingham

Grand Central is the name given to the shopping centre that adjoins the redeveloped Birmingham New Street railway station. Both of the buildings opened in 2015 after a £750 million refit. Grand Central is linked to the Bull Ring shopping area, and the railway station has a concourse three times as big as the one it replaced. The redevelopment that became Grand Central was plagued by disagreements between the architects AZPML and the clients, and the final building has features that were not in the original design. This photograph shows a part of the development where the station adjoins the shopping centre.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

The Old Market, Hereford

For over 150 years the site of the old market in Hereford was - a market! More specifically it was a cattle market, presumably principally trading in the Herefordshire breed of cattle. However, in 2014 the site was transformed into the Old Market shopping centre and its long-standing business involving livestock was moved elsewhere. At the time of its opening signage was designed for the centre, and an example is shown in my photograph. I like this cut-out style (see a similar example here). In the Old Market it appears in wood and metal, placed horizontally and rotated vertically. It was of its time and it's a style that will date, as all signs do. However, it could have been a lot worse and I'd be happy to see it for several more years.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2