© 2022 Skyrals Ltd

Pennard Castle

by skyadmin May 29, 2022 in Photo Blog0 commentstags: castle, coast, gower, heritage, wales
Featured image
Pennard Castle is a ruined castle, near the modern village of Pennard on the Gower Peninsula, in south Wales. The castle was built in the early 12th century as a timber ringwork following the Norman invasion of Wales. The walls were rebuilt in stone by the Braose family at the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries, including a stone gatehouse. Soon afterwards, however, encroaching sand dunes caused the site to be abandoned and it fell into ruin. Restoration work was carried out during the course of the 20th century and the remains of the castle are now protected under UK law as a Grade II* listed building.

Old Harry Rocks

by skyadmin December 27, 2021 in Photo Blog0 commentstags: cliffs, coast, dorset, england, heritage
Featured image
Old Harry Rocks are three chalk formations, including a stack and a stump, located at Handfast Point, on the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset, southern England. They mark the most eastern point of the Jurassic Coast, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Old Harry Rocks lies directly east of Studland, about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) northeast of Swanage, and about 3 miles (4.8 km) south of the large towns of Poole and Bournemouth. To the south are the chalk cliffs of Ballard Down, much of which is owned by the National Trust. The rocks can be viewed from the Dorset section of the South West Coast Path. When I took this photo is was incredibly windy and the drone was really struggling, but fortunately the photo still managed to stitch. You can see another photo of the south west coast path here.

Ouse Valley Viaduct

by skyadmin December 7, 2021 in Photo Blog0 commentstags: england, heritage, railway, sussex, viaduct
Featured image
The Ouse Valley Viaduct (or the Balcombe Viaduct) carries the London-Brighton Railway Line over the River Ouse in Sussex. It is located to the north of Haywards Heath and to the south of Balcombe. Known for its ornate design, the structure has been described as “probably the most elegant viaduct in Britain.” Construction of the Ouse Valley Viaduct commenced by the London & Brighton Railway company during 1839. It was designed by the principal engineer for the line, John Urpeth Rastrick, in association with the architect of the London to Brighton railway, David Mocatta. The viaduct is 96 feet (29 m) high and is carried on 37 semi-circular arches, each of 30 feet (9.1 m), surmounted by balustrades, spanning a total length of 1,480 feet (450 m). Each pier contains a jack arch with a semi-circular soffit, which had the benefit of reducing the number of bricks required. The roughly 11 million bricks required for its construction were mostly shipped up the River Ouse (via Newhaven and Lewes) from the Netherlands. On 12 July 1841, the viaduct was officially opened to train services, although the structure was not fully completed until the following year. I have another shot of part of this railway line here.

Clayton Tunnel

by skyadmin November 13, 2021 in Photo Blog0 commentstags: castle, england, heritage, railway, sussex, tunnel
Featured image
Clayton Tunnel is a railway tunnel located near the village of Clayton, West Sussex between Hassocks and Preston Park railway stations on the Brighton Main Line. This tunnel is notable for its turreted and castellated north portal with a single-storey cottage on the top, as well as for being the site of a serious accident in 1861 which was influential in the adoption of a robust signalling system in the UK and elsewhere. At 1 mile 499 yards (2,066 m) the Sussex Clayton Tunnel is the longest tunnel on the route. Construction of the tunnel commenced during 1839, although aspects of its design weren’t approved until 1 October 1840. The accomplished tunnel builder William Hoof was the prime contractor on its construction; Clayton Tunnel was completed in 1841 after three years of work. I took this shot by walking down the track and flying over a hedge as otherwise it would not be possible to get the angle.

Otford Palace

by skyadmin October 1, 2021 in Photo Blog0 commentstags: england, heritage, kent
Featured image
Otford Palace, also known as the Archbishop’s Palace, is in Otford, an English village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent. The village is located on the River Darent, flowing north down its valley from its source on the North Downs. The King of Mercia, Offa, fought the Kentish Saxons in 776 at the Battle of Otford. From those times until 1537, the palace was one of the chain of houses belonging to the archbishops of Canterbury. It was rebuilt around 1515 by Archbishop Warham to rival that of Cardinal Wolsey at Hampton Court. Henry VIII forced Archbishop Thomas Cranmer to surrender the palace in 1537. When Henry died the palace fell into ruin. The principal surviving remains are the North-West Tower, the lower gallery, now converted to cottages, and a part of the Great Gatehouse. There are further remains on private land, and a section of the boundary wall can be seen in Bubblestone Road. The entire site, of about 4 acres (1.6 ha) is designated as an ancient monument. There are many related buildings in the village, including a wall in St Bartholomew’s Church dating from c. 1050. I shot this between rain clouds, the palace is actually bigger but is hidden at this angle.

Stevington Windmill

by skyadmin September 30, 2021 in Photo Blog0 commentstags: bedfordshire, england, heritage, sunset, windmill
Featured image
Stevington Windmill is an impressive postmill built in the 18th century and is the only complete windmill left in Bedfordshire. It was constructed around a central post so that it can be turned to face into the wind. The windmill operated commercially, mostly grinding cattle feed, until 1939. It was purchased and restored in 1951 by Bedfordshire County Council, as part of the County’s contribution to the Festival of Britain. Stevington Windmill was probably the last windmill in Britain working with four common (cloth covered) sails, which were replaced 2004. The sails are turned periodically and the machinery, though requiring constant maintenance, is in rough working order. I shot this right before sunset, perhaps a little too close to sunset as the dynamic range was not wide enough to keep it from looking dark. You can see photo of nearby Great River Ouse here.

Caerhays Castle

by skyadmin September 27, 2021 in Photo Blog0 commentstags: castle, cornwall, england, heritage, sunset
Featured image
Caerhays Castle or Carhayes Castle (translation of caerhays into English: “enclosed castle”) is a semi-castellated manor house 0.5 mi (0.80 km) south of the village centre, St Michael Caerhays, Cornwall, England, UK. It overlooks Porthluney Cove on the English Channel. The garden hosts the largest collection of magnolias in the United Kingdom and contains one of four National Magnolia Collections under the auspices of the National Council for the Conservation of Plants and Gardens. I shot this one evening, I thought there was not quite enough light but I managed to get away with it. You can find another photo of nearby Polruan here.

Beachy Head Lighthouse

by skyadmin September 21, 2021 in Photo Blog0 commentstags: cliffs, coast, heritage, lighthouse, sussex
Featured image

Caernarfon Castle

by skyadmin September 19, 2021 in Photo Blog0 commentstags: boat, castle, gwynedd, harbour, heritage, sunset, wales
Featured image
Caernarfon Castle (Welsh: Castell Caernarfon Welsh pronunciation: [kastɛɬ kaɨrˈnarvɔn]) – often anglicised as Carnarvon Castle or Caernarvon Castle – is a medieval fortress in Caernarfon, Gwynedd, north-west Wales cared for by Cadw, the Welsh Government’s historic environment service. It was a motte-and-bailey castle from the late 11th century until 1283 when King Edward I of England began to replace it with the current stone structure. The Edwardian town and castle acted as the administrative centre of north Wales, and as a result the defences were built on a grand scale. There was a deliberate link with Caernarfon’s Roman past, and the Roman fort of Segontium is nearby. I took this shot at sunset just across the small bay which allowed to get a contrasting shot with the sky. You can find another shot of nearby Mount Snowden here.

The Grain Tower Battery

by skyadmin September 10, 2021 in Photo Blog0 commentstags: coast, england, heritage, kent
Featured image
Grain Tower Battery is a mid-19th-century gun tower situated offshore just east of Grain, Kent, standing in the mouth of the River Medway. It was built along the same lines as the Martello towers that were constructed along the British and Irish coastlines in the early 19th century and is the last-built example of a gun tower of this type. It owed its existence to the need to protect the important dockyards at Sheerness and Chatham from a perceived French naval threat during a period of tension in the 1850s. I shot this at low tide, whilst working on a feature film, the Grain Tower was one of the locations.
Recent Posts
Tags
aurora (1) autumn (2) bay (3) bedfordshire (2) boat (6) bosnia (2) brecknockshire (2) bridge (1) buckinghamshire (4) canal (1) castle (4) church (3) cliffs (13) coast (15) cornwall (2) cumbria (1) devon (6) dorset (1) england (29) georgia (1) gower (1) gwynedd (2) harbour (5) heritage (10) inverness-shire (1) isle of skye (1) isle of wight (1) kent (3) lake (2) lighthouse (2) moon (1) pembrokeshire (1) railway (2) river (7) scotland (1) somerset (2) spring (1) sunset (9) sussex (8) town (5) tunnel (2) viaduct (1) wales (6) waterfall (4) windmill (1)