Tag 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.

Just the one bottle?

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Bordeaux, France, taken in September 2017.

This rather large bottle of wine caught my eye… I can’t imagine why. It seemed very apt to photograph a wine shop in Bordeaux, given Bordeaux is the major wine industry capital of the world.  Of course, I had to partake of a glass or two while I was there… it would be rude not to! Sadly my little carafe wasn’t as big as that bottle!

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!