St. Mary, Tory. Photo

Photographer’s Note

Not far from the site of yesterday's posting, stands the chapel of St. Mary, Tory. The modern stained glass window you can see in this picture was installed in 1999.

"A Steep Climb

Any visitor to Bradford-on-Avon will find out that walking uphill is inevitable sooner or later! Many of the small weaver's cottages in Bradford-on-Avon are balanced on the side of a steep hill, each row visible over the rooftops of the rank in front.

The climb to St. Mary's Tory is an exhausting one, through the narrow passageways between each row of houses, but it is well worth the effort. From the top of the hill the view is amazing! The whole town is spread out before your eyes; the outlying countryside is also clearly visible including the Marlborough Downs, the Mendip Hills and Westbury White Horse. A clear day is obviously best and it's also worth the trip to see the view at night.
Overlooking the town is the chapel of St. Mary which is open to visitors. Originally this tiny church was a medieval building where pilgrims would stop on their way to Glastonbury. Unfortunately, it fell into ruin and was almost lost until the Victorians came along and restored it in a style that was fashionable at the time".

From http://www.robslade.demon.co.uk/boa/boa.htm

Taken as RAW: converted in FastStone to TIFF, and final PP in PS 7.

1/110sec: F2.8 : ISO 200.

tyro has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

tyro (2666) 2008-06-03 15:06

Hello, Peter.

I realise that photographing this scene must have been very difficult indeed. Very difficult to show detail in the shadows in the church without overexposing that brightly-lit window.

But you have succeeded well: you do not give your Exif data so I don't know what time of day the picture was taken, though I suspect it was not overly sunny outside.

Good details and the reflections on that rail and the communion table (or is that a Scottish church term?) are lovely. Detail, of course, falls off as we go upwards toward the roof of the church, but more detail there might have made for a more cluttered picture.

Best Wishes,

John.

Glint (3042) 2008-06-04 9:06

hello Peter,
Well managed light.You have captured a beautifully tranquil scene. The light from the window casts a peaceful blue. I am not the least bit religious but I could sit there and enjoy its quiet solitude.
regards
Bev

philsim (1910) 2008-06-06 22:14

A beautiful mood here Peter, a good place for a Mark Rothko painting, I think, except the walls are probably not big enough. I wonder if a small anti clockwise rotate would improve? Strange to see the simplicity of Protestantism after the highly pictorial Orthodoxy, I am now used to.
Phil