Seaton Delaval Hall

Seaton Delaval Hall is a National Trust property in Northumberland, dating from the 17th century.  In 1822 the main house was gutted by fire, and has remained an empty shell ever since.  Thanks to the help of local people, the kitchen and stable wings were saved, together with family portraits, furniture and archives. The central house remained a roofless ruin until about 1859-60, when wall tops were rebuilt to support a new roof, and cast-iron columns were used to strengthen internal walls. Further restoration was conducted in the early 1960s, including replacement of windows, restoration of the upstairs gallery in the main hall, and paving of the floors. 

The west wing, originally servants quarters, became the family house in the 1950s until 2007. Today it houses the usual collection of old furniture and paintings.  But it is the great empty space of the main house that, for me, was far more interesting. It's a place I could quite happily revisit many times.

 

 

Alnwick Gardens

A few weeks ago now, I visited Alnwick Gardens in Northumberland.  I was particularly keen to see the Poison Garden, a collection of intoxicating or poisonous plants.  These are grown within a restricted section and can only be visited as part of a guided group.  It was interesting, but I found the information given a bit on the basic side, with only brief mention of the medicinal aspects of many of the plants. 

Elsewhere in the gardens are an interesting collection of water sculptures and some delightful fairytale garden touches.  The treetop restaurant is also worth a visit.

 

 

 

Brighton Lanes and Laines

Some more of Brighton.  After a long lunch with a few fellow members, I headed into the Lanes.  The afternoon was blazingly sunny, with the buildings casting some deep shadows.  Photographically, very challenging.  I found the Lanes too crowded and touristy, so I headed over to the North Laine area.  This was a little less busy and a lot more hipster.

 

Brighton Pier

Last Saturday, I joined a number of other CCC members for a day trip to Brighton. A long bus trip finally saw us on the sea front a little before 11.  We then had 7 and a half hours, before we were back on the bus.  The morning started off brightly overcast, with the cloud burning off as the day progressed.  In the morning, I mainly stayed on the pier. I spent far too long trying to get action shots of the rides and attempting a 10-stop image after Tim Harris.  I also tried many candid shots from the hip, with limited success.

    

Lyveden

Lyveden is a National Trust property just outside Oundle.  It was intended as a summer house or 'secret house' for Sir Thomas Tresham, but, following his death in 1605, it was never completed.  The building was left with no roof, windows and or floors. Considering that it has never been weather-tight, the walls are in remarkably good condition.  Tresham was a fervent Roman Catholic, and the building contains much religious symbolism. 

I visited on a breezy cloudy day.  10-stop weather.  So that is what I spent most of my time doing.  It's also a handy way to get rid of the other visitors.  As the light picked up, and the other people left, I did eventually take a couple of shots without the big stopper.

 

May Bumps

I recently made it to another CCC 'Wednesday Workshop' meet.  This time is was out and about for the first day of the May Bumps.  From previous experience, I had a strategy of being near the start for the early, lower division races, moving down river as the standard improved.  This meant that I saw quite a few bumps.  I shot over a thousand frames but have deleted 90% of them.  There were lots of very unsuccessful panning shots.

The first image in this set was probably my best shot of the day.  As the sun started to drop behind the hedge next to the tow-path, gaps in the hedge cast patches of light and shade on the river.  I was lucky enough to capture a bump with the conceding cox beautifully lit by one of the sunny spots.  It made what otherwise might have been a rather confused picture.  However,for their sheer joy, I also like the last two shots.  In the W1 division, Caius bumped to take 'head of the river'.  It was their Stroke's first ever bump, and to say she was happy about it is an understatement.  Much to the amusement of the rest of her crew.