Today's main photograph was taken at 3.00pm on 20th June. I was shooting pretty much against the very bright sunlight, so that considerably more of the building than I would normally want was in shadow: consequently the modelling wasn't too good. However, the sky was great! Feathery wisps of cloud were scattered about the deep blue, and I knew that a red filter would emphasise them when converted to black and white.
The church is the former abbey at Pershore in Worcestershire. This building, originally an Anglo-Saxon foundation, rebuilt c.1100, and extended in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, was severely reduced in size at the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539. The monastic outbuildings were destroyed and the nave and Lady Chapel were taken down completely. The north transept subsequently collapsed and in 1686 the crossing tower had to have supports constructed on that side. An east apse (shown in the photograph) was built in 1847. There was a general restoration in 1862-5 and in the early twentieth century when two massive flying buttresses (dated 1913) were placed against the tower to help to hold it in position (see smaller photograph). The remaining building is, in the words of the church's website, "very much a broken building". However, it is not without interest and definitely has an "ugly duckling" charm.
photograph and text (c) T. Boughen
Main Image
Camera: Olympus E510
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 14mm (28mm/35mm equiv.)
F No: f5.6
Shutter Speed: 1/1000
ISO: 100
Exposure Compensation: -1.0 EV
Image Stabilisation: On
