Flowers and Cotswold stone

Pevsner describes Cecily Hill as "the grandest street in Cirencester." He is right, though my photograph doesn't show it. On my visit, the first to this broad thoroughfare, I was taken by the variety of shape and colour of the shrubs and flowers against the Cotswold stone of the Tontine Buildings, a twenty-three-bay terrace of 1802. The photograph shows that the absence of a garden at the front of your property is no impediment to a floral display, and if your neighbours are like-minded then everyone's work combines to great effect.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100

Fan vaulting

It's always a pleasure to come across fan vaulting. This way of supporting and embellishing a stone roof is peculiar to English Gothic and dates from the years around 1500. This particular example is in the south porch of Cirencester church and consequently is invariably lit by a raking light from the entrance: often they are lit by artificial light to show off their beauty. It received some restoration in 1865 by George Gilbert Scott and he, doubtless, simply made good what he found.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100

The Kyneburgh wall

Like a lot of contemporary street sculpture that I see, the Kyneburgh Tower in Gloucester and its associated 30m long wall offers more by way of detail than as a whole conception. This photograph shows a section of the steel (?) wall with its paintwork looking something the worse for wear, but better than it did when in pristine condition. Of course, that may have been the sculptor's intention from the outset.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100

Graffiti rat

There will be many who think that a graffiti painting of a rat on an outstretched hand can do nothing but drag down the location in which it features. However, I would argue that it all depends on the location. This rat is in a Gloucester alley that would be flattered by the description, "grubby". In short it is a grimy, litter and weed strewn short cut around a group of industrial buildings that were built down to  a price. To call it neglected is to imply that at one time someone cared about the place: there is not a scrap of evidence that this is the case. Consequently, this rat (and the other graffiti to be found there) actually act to elevate this forgotten corner.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100

Water lily

We used to live in a house with a pond that had water lilies. It was at this time that I found them to be good photographic subjects through most of the year, and especially in autumn when the leaves were dying off. Of course, when most people think of this plant they picture the large, beautiful flower, and I wasn't impervious to their attraction as a subject for the camera. Consequently when I came upon this one in Cannop Ponds I took a photograph. What particularly prompted my interest was the muted colours of the reflected sky and the leaves due to the position of the sun.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100

Tree skeleton, Cannop Ponds

The maximising of productivity and an almost obsessive tidiness has resulted in the English landscape having fewer dead trees and consequently less variety of wildlife than a more relaxed attitude would produce. Dead trees that fall on land are quickly cut up to feed wood-burners, or to retain the productive capacity of the land they cover. Those falling into water, particularly water that serves the interests of scenery and wildlife frequently linger longer. This semi-submerged skeleton in Cannop Ponds in the Forest of Dean is slowly losing its bark and makes an interesting subject for the passing photographer.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100

Monnow Street, Monmouth

I've commented before how essential vertical accents are in townscapes, and in the area in which I now live I see confirmation of this almost daily. Herefordshire and Monouthshire has but one small city and only a relatively small number of towns. Consequently there are no real tower blocks of flats or glass-walled skyscraping offices. The tallest buildings are churches and cathedrals and most of these make their statement with tapering spires or stepped towers. The contribution that the church spire makes to this view of Monnow Street in Monmouth becomes apparent if you mentally remove it from the scene.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100

Cattle by the River Monnow

It was a hot, humid day as we walked along the bank of the River Monnow at Monmouth. Some of the cattle were, understandably, standing in the water and taking a drink to cool down. What wasn't understandable is why they were all packed so closely together rather than spreading out so they could all refresh themselves. That compressed mass of bodies must have generated a heat that negated any benefit they derived from going to the river.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100

Hollyhocks, Monmouth

The hollyhocks are flowering in profusion in my part of the world. They are towering over everyone, imposing their large, bright blooms on us, inviting our acclamation. Hollyhocks are popular because they are easy to grow, reappear each year, and make a big, colourful impact. Of course, for many gardeners those qualities can be negatives, particularly where subtlety and a reasonable scale for a small garden are required. However, in a garden that looks after itself because the owners are too busy doing other things they have their place, as appears to be the case in front of this Georgian house in Monmouth, where the local newspaper is produced.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100

Cirencester

The Roman Corinium mentioned by Ptolemy in 150AD is the present day Cotswolds market town of Cirencester. It lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the Thames, and is often called the "capital of the Cotswolds". There are many buildings featuring the honey-coloured limestone of that region, and more than a few that  have been painted in pastel shades as this view along the Market Place shows.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100