Windsor Guild Hall Photo

Photographer’s Note

Over my left shoulder was Windsor Castle, one of the queen's five official residences, but I quite liked the Guild Hall as it was easier to photograph.

The erection of the present guildhall was begun in 1687, under the direction of Sir Thomas Fitz (or Fiddes) but, on his death in 1689, the task was taken over by Sir Christopher Wren, whose childhood home had been Windsor, and was completed at a cost of £2687 - 1s - 6d. The new building was designed by Wren to be supported around its perimeter by stone columns, so that, like its predecessor, it would provide a covered area beneath it for the holding of corn markets.

East side at night showing Wren's open ground floor & 1829 extensionThe story is widely told that the borough Council demanded that Wren should insert additional columns within the covered area, in order to support the weight of the heavy building above; Wren, however, was adamant that these were not necessary. Eventually the council insisted and, in due course, the extra supporting columns were built, but Wren made them slightly short, so that they do not quite touch the ceiling, hence proving his claim that they are not necessary! Whatever the truth of this story, it is undeniable that, to this day, there is a small gap between the columns and the ceiling.
From Wikapedia

fulvio52, Gerrit, AROBN54, Charo, Floydian, gunbud, dareco, shevchenko, Cretense, mumek has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

rodgerg (23151) 2009-04-29 7:34

Hello Phil,

An excellent night view. The element and the dored light arise very well in the black of the night. the good balance in the composition give too a great prospect and a depht to the image on the right side.
Best regards,
Roger

Gerrit (35493) 2009-04-29 7:34

Hi Phil,
interesting building and beautiful nightshot,
Excellent colors and sharpness.
Regards, Gerrit

Fransx (1453) 2009-04-29 7:35

Hi Phil,
Great evening lighting and sharpness on this beautiful building.
I like the totally black sky and the maroon framing.
Nice composition!
Well done. Regards.

Francis Xavier

mmohan (280) 2009-04-29 7:36

HI Phil, nice sharpness for a night image, I would have preferred no car, but I suppose you have no control over that!TFS,Manoj

BlueRaven (35) 2009-04-29 7:37

Hi Phil,

Excellent night shot, great sharpness and clarity.
The only thing I'm not crazy about is the frame - I think it distracts a bit from the shot itself... but then I have to admit I'm always picky about frames. ;o)

Best,
Claudia

albertojr (718) 2009-04-29 7:40

just enough light, the exposure is brilliant. well done Phil.

AROBN54 (10695) 2009-04-29 12:15

Oh, this is a nice one, Phil,
Perfect light management, wonderful detail and so many nice ones to explore throughout the shot. I like the way the street leads in, too. Really good depth. That's just a really fine night shot. Well done!! Many thanks and warmest regards,
Shelly

Charo (31651) 2009-04-29 14:26

Hello Phil,
Beautiful building that looks very nice with the lighting at night. Wonderful prospect with very good light and details.
Best regards,
Charo

Floydian (30970) 2009-04-29 15:19

Hi Phil,

A heavy frame, but with the dark red toning inside the photo it seems to work. No blue but a black hour, but also that fits pretty good with the dark red and yellow toning and together with the perspective depth it creates a nice composed image.

Regards,

Henk

gunbud (27559) 2009-04-29 18:20

Hi Phil,
Lovely night scene the warm yellow light streaming through the triple arches of this lovely British architecture.
The winding road adds nice depth as it dissapears into the night.
Regards, Tom

dareco (17024) 2009-04-29 20:32

I would love the chance to practice night photography, but in a small town there isn't much to shoot after dark. :) A very interesting building here, and note. Excellent composition. TFS

shevchenko (9756) 2009-04-29 22:47

Hello Phil,
The road lines not in straight are one of the attractive point, clear to see night view at the old street, lovely historical architecture, distinct photo, well done.
Ally

Cretense (54926) 2009-04-30 2:26

Hello Phil!

Excellent nightshot and architecture photo at the same time! great composition and framing, fantastic perspective! Excellent light managment in terms of exposure, the White Balance is a little bit too "warm", I think, but that's just personal "taste"! Congratulations!

Hercules

toto (18563) 2009-04-30 11:15

Bonjour,
belle photo de cette nuit noire avec ce superbe batiment qui tout lumineux ressort magnifiquement de cette nuit.
Jolies couleurs, lumière parfaite, j' aime énormément ce genre de prise.

Amitiés Thomas

mumek (17464) 2009-04-30 14:36

Good evening Phil!
Beautiful night capture of the building and the street. Sharp architectural details, nice light in the ground floor of the Guild Hall.Thanks for sharing and thanks for the note
best regards
ziggy

fulvio52 (8314) 2009-05-01 13:27

Hi, Phil.
Excellent nightshot, so very British in terms of architecture and colors, one in which the light management (superb) is essential in rendering the unique atmosphere of this location. TFS! Have a nice day, see ya later.
Fulvio.