Broadway

Photographer's Note

During a lovely "mini TE meeting" in Oxfordshire last month we took a trip east into Worcestershire and, on a beautifully sunny day came across the lovely "folly" of Broadway Tower, a conception of the great 18th Century landscape designer, Lancelot "Capability" Brown, his vision being carried out for George William, 6th Earl of Coventry, with the help of renowned architect James Wyatt and one which was completed in 1798. Wyatt designed his "Saxon Tower" as an eccentric amalgamation of architectural components ranging from turrets, battlements and gargoyles to balconies.

Members of the "Arts and Crafts Movement" used Broadway Tower as a holiday retreat. Pre-Raphaelite artists William Morris, Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Edward Burne-Jones were frequent visitors. Indeed, it was Broadway and the Tower that sparked Morris's campaign for the preservation of historic monuments.

The Royal Observer Corps used the unique vantage point to track enemy aeroplanes over England during the world wars of the 20th Century and later constructed a nuclear bunker to report nuclear attacks during the "Cold War".

Broadway Tower is one of England's outstanding viewpoints and at 1024 feet (312m) above sea level, it is the second highest point on the Cotswold escarpment. Unrivalled views survey an expanse of a 62 mile radius and as many as 16 counties of England.

However, whilst others of the group decided to visit the nuclear bunker and some decided to climb up the tower, I was happy to be left below to enjoy the view from ground level! I was happy also to see a couple in the foreground walking their dogs and a fellow at the top of the tower with his camera taking a picture of the distant view.

rbellemare, Sonata11, ACL1978, bayno, mkamionka, Gigidusud, timecapturer, ourania, saxo042, InasiaJones, bona, holmertz, macjake, jhm, delpeoples, Royaldevon, finlay, brianmcc, brianmcc, annjackman, carlo62, romanaa has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

Sonata11 (28375) 2012-09-09 19:02

Hello John,
sorry, that I can not gives any point, but I like this picture very much so. Fantastic captured of this architecture and its beauty. Magnificent photo. Love it. Fantastic work.
All the best and have a nice Sunday,
Barbara

ACL1978 (5789) 2012-09-09 19:16

Hi John,

Really bright, colorful and striking shot with a great POV - the full tower stands out brilliantly against the blue sky, and your inclusion of the landscape below is wonderful. The addition of the dog walkers gives this a nice relaxed Sunday feel.

Andrew

emka (58194) 2012-09-09 22:59

Hi John, Fantastic Folly. Extrsaodrdinary architecture, almost as crazy as neuschwanstein, but earlier. And the quality of the picture is stunning. I wouldn't be i nterested with a bunker but obviously would climb the tower to see this view, specially in this clear weather. And who is the fellow on top?
Awesome shot.

have a nice week

MAlgo

dta (51480) 2012-09-09 23:51

Hello John ,
An amazing view of this splendid old tower . The contrast of the golden stoned walls with the blue sky is splendid . The cloudy formation is superb , too .
Nice presence of the couple and their dogs .
Regards

bayno (16213) 2012-09-10 1:40

Caro John,
here the colors, the light, sharp, and the sky is truly amazing, the castle is charming and in excellent condition, the frame is perfect and more in the scene you included a nice couple with their dogs, really spectacular quality, I like much...
regards,
Valter

mkamionka (24559) 2012-09-10 2:09

Hi John,
wow, this is so beautiful. I like the charming tower it is so pretty. You have captured it in a great light with wonderful natural colors. The sky could not be better with some pleasant white clouds. The POV is fantastic with the fields emerging just behind the tower on the horizon. Even the people walking the dogs add some more interest and charm. They are as well a repeated element.
Great composition with several layers and great DOF.
You got nature, architecture, people and action here. And most importantly everything in the attractive sunlight.
Excellen work,
M

Gigidusud (8098) 2012-09-10 3:05

Hello John,
Beautiful scene with this splendid architecture,nice colors and great perspective.Love it!
Thanks for sharing.
Ghislaine

MJR (3163) 2012-09-10 3:14

John

This is a striking image for sure, but a bit too colourful for my eyes.. The polarizer has no doubt made an impact, and has certainly enhanced some detail in the sky and clouds.

Neatly proportioned, well timed to get yr walkers in frame, ( is timing a synonym for luck in the photo world ? ) and a magnificent sky. Clarity is good, sharpness just right.

Your note, of course, masterly.

The thing I like best about this image, curiously as it least prominent the the wonderful long range view of the Vale of Evesham, the tiny patchwork showing all sorts of detail and colour.

But to the colour. I cant put my finger on it: the flag looks good, thre tan on the terrier looks right, blue jeans just so, but somehow the overall effect is too much colour. Whether that is the polarizer or a slip in PP I don't know. I may find at home on PC screen all is well, so just in case, you still the full two marks !

kind regards
Martin

rbellemare (2087) 2012-09-10 4:01

Hello John,

Very nice picture of this lovely tower. I like the architecture itself, but I also like the great view you're showing us. I also like this couple walking their dogs. They put some life into this picture. Great composition.

Bravo

Réjean

timecapturer (30342) 2012-09-10 5:12

Hi John
this is an absolute beauty of a shot. The light, colours and framing are just so attractive and stunning. The clarity and detail are superb as is your execution. Top quality imagery presented gloriously. Love it!

Have a great week - Brian.

Sergiom (39298) 2012-09-10 5:32

Bonjour John,

J'aime beaucoup la construction de l'image. La tour n'étant pas centrée dans l'image cela nous permet de voir l'environnement de celle-ci.J'aime les gens et leurs chiens qui apportent de la profondeur et le cadrage vertical qui donne de l'ampleur.

Amicalement

Serge

francio64 (38188) 2012-09-10 5:40

Hi John,
bella e particolare l'architettura di questo castello.
Ottimo il POV con un buon taglio verticale di grandi dimensioni a racchiudere un bellissimo cielo di sfondo.
Bello il primo piano animato dalla coppia in compagnia dei cani.

Well done!
Francesco

ourania (12427) 2012-09-10 7:28

Hello John,
a beautiful picture, a superb composition. I love how, inspite of the great architectural interest, you didn't limit your point of view and composition to the Tower but have also included a magnificent landscape and skyscape in the background and a delightful scene on the foreground. All the subjects have been captured with excellent clarity and comprehensive details, lighting is very skillful and the colours so rich and lovely. You have created a very intriguing context around the curious Tower without distracting attention from its unique architecture. I also like the connection between the open door and the man at the top. Congratulations and thank you!
All the best, have a great week,
Ourania

saxo042 (31802) 2012-09-10 7:43

Hi John,
Quite an idea to build a tower like this, but why not? The lands cape here is indeed very beautiful and the view is fantastic. The colours here are very strong and pleasant. I would habe like to see the view from top of the tower too...
Kind regards
Gunnar

InasiaJones (29347) 2012-09-10 7:46

Hi John,

Splendid tower, quite a slim structure to stand out in such a landscape.

The sky is absolutely splendid, really impressive. I like your composition, the way you have placed the building and the subjects that bring life into your image.

Stunning colours, a real postcard!

Cheers!

André

bona (10148) 2012-09-10 8:35

Hi John,

a wonderful view of this tower. I like the people with the dogs in forground giving nice perspective of the size of the tower.
Beautiful green and polarizated sky.
Regards
Andre

SnapRJW (18784) 2012-09-10 9:01

Hello John - Just a quick note. What a thrill to see this one, we used to have picnics here when I was a little girl. Many of my ancestors come from Broadway. Fabulous shot and a great day for looking across to the Malverns! Warm regards Rosemary

holmertz (26980) 2012-09-10 10:31

Hello John,
This was indeed a lucky day for you. At last alone with your camera, and such fine weather. Enough wind to make the Union Jack flow nicely, those people with their dogs appearing at the right moment, a very clear view across the distant fields and those very nicely shaped clouds above. Everything captured with perfect exposure, brilliant colours and the sharpness of a razor. Is that a member of TE at the top?
Kind regards,
Gert

mesutilgim (68014) 2012-09-10 11:33

Hello John,
Nice capture of this intersting architecture.
Good pov and good chosen format.
The couple with their dogs adds life to the scenery.
Interesting and usefull notes.
TFS and best regards
MESUT ILGIM

macjake (39235) 2012-09-10 13:32

Hi John
beautiful!
what can i say!
What i DO know, is that you don't enjoy heights, so I'm not surprised you didnt go up the tower.
I'd be up there in a heartbeat :)

but this view also proved to be beneficial.
here we can see the expansive cloud coverage and the deep landscape plains.
the colors are outstanding, vibrant and striking.
beautiful tower, and its cool that you captured the man up on top taking a photo!
nice shot
cheers
craig

willperrett (2959) 2012-09-11 2:36

Hello John
Lovely composition, and great use of the polarizer to give real punch to the sky. What a view: mind you, a view with no focal point of interest, or foreground subject matter is always a disappointment, so I'm wondering what the chap at the top of the tower is hoping to achieve! Your decision not to go climbing is absolutely vindicated by the image before us. Good work.
Regards
Will

jhm (122474) 2012-09-11 4:17

Hello John,

A very proffessional picture, you placed the tower perfect to the right side, we get a lot space and nice panorama view to the left.
Perfect depth and perspective picture.
Composition and presentation are excellent taken.
Very well done, TFS.

Best regards,
John

delpeoples (45006) 2012-09-11 4:33

Ciao Giovanni

So good to have you back, TE just isn't the same without you! And what a lovely erection you have here, the vertical frame, large foreground and inclusion of the people all assist in emphasising the scale and perspective. I read the discussion about colours here, but must confess that on my monitor everything looks hunky dory. The CPL filter of course has done its job and has deepened the sky, contrasting beautifully with the golden tones of the tower. It goes without saying that the sharpness of the photo is flawless and the way you composed it is carefully thought-out and highly effective with those beautiful cloud clusters balancing out the tower nicely. Your note is fascinating, not just giving us the info about Wyatt (of whom I'd never heard) but also the references to the Arts & Craft movement, for which Scotland is so famous (Rennie Mackintosh being one of my heroes). Great job, thanks for sharing.

Un abbraccio
Lisa

Royaldevon (17791) 2012-09-11 5:37

Hello John,

I can well imagine your reluctance to climb this structure; for you, it would have been a folly! (Sorry, couldn't resist!)
I read with interest your discussions on the polariser. I find it useful but must admit that sometimes it seems to remove colour from the sky, or really intensify colour. The secret is to rotate it for the best possible effect and, sometimes, we forget!

I love the composition with the tower standing proud against the sky, emphasising its stature, and the contrasting green making a strong f/g platform. The people are important, adding scale, animation and colour. You have achieved a great sense of depth in the exposure, which is pin sharp.
Although I like the lovely cloud cover in the sky, for me, the blue is a tad too intense. Now there's the rub, for this is the bit you have definitely not altered! C'est la vie!!

Have a lovely day,
Bev :-)

finlay (1535) 2012-09-12 9:05

John

Lovely capture. The blue sky with puffy cloud is a good start, and the side of tower we are looking at has no hi t of shadow at all. The dog walkers liven up the composition, and your composition is crystal clear and sharp.

The view must be magnificent on a fine day like you had on your visit.

Finlay

fabbs99 (5499) 2012-09-12 21:37

Hi John

Beautiful natural surrounding with the tower in the middle and the blue sky in the background.Lovely composition covering so much in one single frame.TFS

Keep sharing,

Regards and best wishes
Farhat

Silvio1953 (98217) 2012-09-14 6:25

Ciao John, great view of fantastic toweron beautiful Blue sky, splendid clarity, great light and wonderful colors, very well done, my friend, have a good week end, ciao Silvio

brianmcc (5536) 2012-09-15 1:07

hi john,
this is a fantastic folly, in a wonderful setting, and as your notes explain, is a superb viewpoint over the countyside. you have achieved an excellent depth of field with the fields in the lowlands beautifully textured. your use of the polarizer has created a great contrast between the clouds and sky.

your notes on the history of the tower are also very informative.

regards,
brian

Glint (5573) 2012-09-15 18:21

hello John,
this is a belter of a folly and a belter of a photo!It looks good enough to be a sand castle, what with the turrets and the flag on top.There's a magnificent view of the plain it overlooks.A beautiful blue sky (my goodness, you were lucky!) and some fg interest.
Bev

npecanhuk (53913) 2012-09-16 13:27

Hi John!
What a lovely and beautiful tower1
What a wonderful picture!
Again, everything truly pleases me here: sharpness, exposure, colors, chosen pov, contrasts, vertical format and composition!
That sky is so nice-looking!!!! The people walking their dogs is a welcome insertion too!
TFS - congrats,
Cheers,
Neyvan

annjackman (13227) 2012-09-17 21:09

Hello John,
Not been around much on TE for the last week as I have been busy with our camera club's diamond jubilee exhibition which was officially opened last night. I love this photo and I did not get anything as good as this while there. The tower and the view beyond are magnificent but for me it is the couple walking their dogs that transforms the picture into something more. First class colours and sharpness and great ue of the polarizer.
Best wishes, Ann

COSTANTINO (42746) 2012-09-18 7:06

Hello
I love shots of this kind bringing memories from old
times,colorful and striking shot of a great pov
spectacular view of this old tower having its history
the tower stands up brillantly
great work
regards
Costantino

carlo62 (12636) 2012-11-13 1:59

Ciao John
una torre bella ed elegante, come la foto con cui la proponi.
Ottima la luce e bella la composizione, con le due persone accompagnate dai loro amici su questo prato verde, dove si innalza questa torre meravigliosa fino all'altrettanto splendido cielo.
Saluti
Carlo

Photo Information

Copyright: John Cannon (tyro) (13111)
Genre: Places
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2012-08-25
Categories: Nature, Architecture
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L USM, Tiffen 77mm Circular Polarizer
Exposure: f/10.0, 1/100 seconds
More Photo Info: view
Map: view
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2012-09-09 17:30
Favorites: 1 [view]