Tuesdays of Texture: Gladiator
Posted on August 15, 2017
Waiting for the start of a gladiatorial display at the Cassinomagus archaeological site.
Tuesday Photo Challenge: Alley
Posted on August 15, 2017
Frank’s theme of ‘Alley’ for this week was, you might say, right up my street. I particularly enjoy photographing old -= sometimes very old – urban architecture, so I have plenty of alleyways in my collection.
Very often, of course, it’s impossible to see right to the end of a medieval alley or passageway, which adds a sense of mystery to the image. On the other hand, though, they are also typically quite dark and gloomy.
However, I think I’ve found a compromise here. The island of Burano in the Venetian Lagoon is especially noted for the bright colours with which most of the houses are painted – even those down a mysterious dark alley like this one:
The Corridor
Posted on August 11, 2017
Last week I visited the grand old Franciscan Abbaye de la Réau, which is currently undergoing substantial restoration. On the first floor of the accommodation block is this long corridor with, it must be said, rather palaial ‘cells’ (more like ‘suites’) leading off it.
The combination of light and shadow is what makes this image particularly suitable for monochrome treatment. Further interest is added by the model of a monk sitting on a bench away in the distance on the left.
Thursday Doors: Liverpool (2)
Posted on August 10, 2017
For the second and final instalment of doors from the great city of Liverpool this week, we’re down in the city centre, which still shows plenty of evidence of the port’s historic prosperity.
To begin with, there’s the grand Walker Art Gallery (although it’s rather overshadowed by it’s immediate neighbour, the great rotunda of the Picton Library – where I worked once upon a time).
However, it was commerce that provided the resources for the architectural statements of the city, as in the case of these Victorian office buildings:
Behind the Town Hall, on an open space called Exchange Flags, there’s this imposing building:
I can remember when the Bank of England had a branch in Castle Street, although the building has stood empty for years:
Finally, here are the splendid bronze doors of what was originally the Adelphi Bank on Castle Street – just opposite the Bank of England in fact.. For a time this was a branch of the Co-operative Bank and I worked in it for a few months in early 1974. It’s now a coffee shop, which means that it’s open from early ’til late, so I couldn’t get a shot of the doors closed. However, for an excellent piece about the Adelphi Bank and its exceptional doors you should visit this excellent blog, Alan’s History & Genealogy Spot.
Thursday Doors 10 August 2017
Weekly Photo Challenge: Elemental
Posted on August 10, 2017
It’s not the easiest thing to find an image that shows all four primal elements at once.
However, this picture, taken along a lane about a mile from here, undoubtedly conveys three of them: air, water and earth. And since the sun was shining, perhaps that could be taken for fire. In any case, it’s a tranquil rural scene.
Tuesdays of Texture: Ruined Abbey
Posted on August 9, 2017
This partly overgrown double arched window can be found at the medieval Franciscan Abbaye de la Réau in the Vienne département of France. It looks like it’s had some restoration work done on it, but there’s a long way to go.
Tuesday Photo Challenge: Golden
Posted on August 8, 2017
When I saw that Frank had set us the theme of ‘Golden’ for this week’s Tuesday Photo Challenge, I knew exactly where to look in my library.
Here are two images captured in the lobby of the Sir Bani Yas Hotel, on the eponymous nature reserve in Abu Dhabi. The first is a crescent of stone mounted against a golden background:
This second image is one of my personal favourites, and one I’ve used in a previous post. Looking directly upwards, it shows the huge lanterns suspended from the golden atrium. Never knowingly understated.
Top Posts & Pages
