Tag: photography

The Architectural Heritage of Shrewsbury – Part 1 From Station to Castle.

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date January 15, 2013
7 Comments on The Architectural Heritage of Shrewsbury – Part 1 From Station to Castle.

Back to some Shropshire architecture for this posting as promised. At the back-end of 2012 I posted a couple of articles based around the market town of Ludlow after being challenged by some followers to feature architecture photos. So here is another batch of posts on the architecture of Shropshire.

Just ten minutes up the road we find the county town of Shropshire. It is not a large town but its ambition is to become a city. Shrewsbury is famous for its historical buildings, for being the birthplace of Charles Darwin and for being the friendliest, most well-mannered town in England.

We don’t go into our shire capital often for the usual reason ie shopping. We avoid shopping whenever we can and try even harder to avoid shopping in town centres. Too much noise, too many people, too much traffic!

But we love Shrewsbury for its buildings and the entertainment it provides for us. Theatre, cinema, jazz club and coffee houses.

This series of posts feature the buildings of our town. They will not follow a chronological order but we shall explore streets, alleys and lanes in bite-sized chunks of town, chunks just the right size to explore in a half day. It would be all too easy and obvious to present the architecture in historical order but I really want to give you the atmosphere of patches of the town. Sometimes the selected areas will seem random but that is how my mind works.

The starting point for today’s random collection of buildings is the coffee shop in Marks and Spencers. After a latte (Malc) and cappuccino (Jude), we are suitably refreshed and warmed up.

First stop is the school attended by Charles Darwin, where we find a big, bronze statue of the great man himself sat outside, while inside on one of the windowsills is the scratched signature of his brother. The building now houses the town’s public library and this famous graffiti is in between the book cases. Darwin is often described as the town’s most famous son, but he is more than that. The most intelligent person ever to have lived for example?

The building displays interesting detail in its stonework and a wonderful big sundial with two faces sits astride the one corner.

The cobbled lane leading to the library is overlooked by an interesting row of town houses and a beautiful gateway.

We walked on down Castle Street towards one of Shrewsbury’s most photographed buildings. It appears in many books about railways and about the Victorian era. The railway station. How can a railway station look so good?

To the left of the station forecourt we spotted a real “Mary Poppins” balustraded roof garden constructed in wonderful shades of red.

From the railway station we see hints of the castle, so we made our way towards it.

As we walked around this small corner of Shrewsbury town little details attracted my eye and my camera lens.

Tags architecture, buildings, castles, Charles Darwin, photography, railway stations, Shrewsbury, townscapes

garden design gardening photography the sea the seaside the South

Go South 5 – Dungeness Mystery and Magic

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date October 17, 2012
6 Comments on Go South 5 – Dungeness Mystery and Magic

We eventually got to walk along the expanse of shingle at Dungeness. When we tried for the second time the wind had abated but as the evening was approaching the temperature was dropping.

We still appreciated its mystery and magic. Most people who visit Dungeness are fascinated and captured by its unique atmosphere but find it hard to describe or explain. It is not beautiful but it has an attraction.

Old huts once used by fishermen remain scattered thinly along the banks of shingle, as do their sad unused boats.

Silvery blue foliage of sea-kale softens the flinty shingle flatness.

Many fishermen’s homes are still in use but now instead of nets and pots around their doors, cars are parked. The homesteaders no longer tackle the dangers of the seas in search of fish and shellfish but instead tackle morning and evening commuter traffic. Some interesting fishing artifacts however have been salvaged and now grace the homes as decorative features or are integrated with plants and shingle in the sea-shore gardens.

One of the highlights of all our visits to Dungeness, and in fact the main reason for our first visit when we fell for its charms, is to visit the atmospheric and unique garden of the late film director and writer, Derek Jarman. We drove up in anticipation again this year, parked a little way away out of respect for the current owners and I walked across with my trusty Nikon only to be disappointed. It now seems less cared for and lacking in atmosphere but nevertheless loaded with memories. The first time we saw the garden when Jarman was still living there, we just could not believe that any garden could evoke such deep emotions and emerge you in its own unique character. Jarman was a one-off when it came to garden design. The garden was a perfect reflection of its environment, the sea, the shingle, its fishing history and its plant life. This was the only garden capable of sending a shiver up the spine!

Sometimes the strange beauty of Dungeness lies in its emptiness and simplicity.

Tags Derek Jarman, Dungeness, landscapes, photography, sea side, the coast, the sea

photography the sea

Oh we do like to be beside the seaside!

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date September 21, 2012
4 Comments on Oh we do like to be beside the seaside!

A day at the seaside in September is a real treat. The light is good for taking photos and there are few visitors. The holiday rush is over so even the busiest resort becomes a peaceful place.

And of course the tides are powerful at this time of the year.

Today was Jude, the Undergardener’s mother’s birthday, so we took her for a day at the seaside. We chose Rhos-on-Sea on the North Wales coast as it has a flat, level walk along side the sea. Just like me, Jude’s Mother is awaiting a new hip so level is good at the moment – or perhaps even essential. Equally essential is an ice cream and cups of tea purchased from the refreshment cabin along the waterfront and relished while overlooking the sea.

Enjoy the sea views with us and imagine the sea air getting deep into your lungs accompanied by the smell of seaweed and fish and chips. Imagine the sound of the sea splashing against the sea walls, the screeching calls of gulls and the swishing of yachts cutting through the waves.

Some of these may take a bit of working out! Bits of boats and beach finds.

September is the time for big tides. When we arrived at the sea front the waves were crashing over the sea wall and washing over the path and cycle way. As the tide receded it washed over the steps down to the beach and frothed around boulders and pebbles.

The power of the sea and the eroding effect of salt spray shows itself in many ways. It rots away table tops and eats away at concrete walls making rust leak out.

The sky all day was of the richest blue – sky blue! It was a great backdrop for anything thrusting up into it. Buildings, flagpoles and tall grasses.

A day out at the seaside – what more could you ask for? Perhaps two days at the seaside!

Tags North Wales, photography, sea, seaside, Wales

garden photography gardening photography winter gardens

Winter Garden Patterns

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date January 21, 2012

My morning wander to feed the chickens this morning – a frosty one again- saw me take my camera as usual. I took shots of the patterns found in the garden both in nature and in the structures we have created.