Category Archives: Architecture

Morning Prayer

St John the Baptist Church, Inglesham – February 2019

I decided it’s time to get better acquainted with the area around where I now live, so I took my camera out for a walk on this crisp sunny winter’s afternoon and stumbled upon a hidden treasure.

St John’s the Baptist is an 11th century church in Inglesham, which is no longer used for religious services but is still consecrated and open to the general public.  Although a little tatty in places, it had oodles of charm and I felt like I was stepping back in time when I walked through the door.

The boxed-in pews, each with a small door to enter each compartment, reminded me of a similar design in an old stave church I visited in Norway last year. Even down to the ‘back row’ which was not enclosed with it’s own doors… I wonder if, like it’s twin sister in Norway, this row was reserved for the ‘unclean’ (women who were pregnant or had recently given birth).

I bet this organ has provided auditory accompaniment to many a hymn in its time.

Following a period of heavy snow, a recent bout of mild weather has allowed the snowdrops to lay their carpet around the church.

Iron curtain

Gates outside Catherine Palace, or Pushkin as the locals call it. One of the Summer Palaces built by the Tsars in the 17th Century, it was destroyed during the Second World War and took over 60 years to restore to its current glory. St Petersburg, Russia.

Space burger

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This year marks 20 years since I started my undergraduate studies at the University of York, so last week I took a trip down memory lane with a couple of university friends and revisited the campus where we all met.  The building in the back of this shot is called Central Hall, and is the main auditorium for events at the university.  It is also where I sat a lot of my exams.  However, the students (or is it just me?!) fondly refer to it as the Space Burger due to it’s quirky architectural design!

Looking to Heaven

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Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See, better known as Seville Cathedral, taken October 2017

I like this upwards angle, framed by the lampost and tree.  I went inside and around the cathedral, and from wherever you stand you seem to always find yourself looking up.  Maybe that’s something to do with this being the third largest church in the world – and technically the world’s largest cathedral, as the other two (Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida in Brazil and  St. Peter’s Basilica in London) aren’t the seat of bishops.

In fact, it was inside this cathedral that I broke my sunglasses: they fell off the top of my head when I looked up at the huge golden altar inside.  The fall didn’t break them, but me stepping back to find them and subsequently standing on them did!

Cobbles

IMG_7251Plaza de Espana, Seville, taken in October 2017.

I was experimenting with taking photos from ground level, to get a different perspective.  I like the way it gives attention to the cobbles, but the eye is still drawn to the structure of the building.

I took a few of these at the time, but this was the best – I just wish I hadn’t got the guy walking into the shot. I guess I could have Photoshopped him out, but in a way he gives a slightly warped sense of scale which I quite like!