Heritage Photography Autumn 2011

JOURNAL of the ARCHAEOLOGY & HERITAGE GROUP

Protective dragon stands guard over the City of London Seepage a

The Queen's Bridge, Chester, at night See pages 6-7 Garry Blsshopp LRPS, EFIAP

AUTUMN 2011

Archaeology & Heritage Group Chairman R. Keith Evans FRPS

7 Grassy Lane Sevenoaks Kent TN131PN Tel 01732 743943 Secretary

RodneyThring LRPS 27 College Ride Camberley Surrey GU15 4JP

Treasurer Jim Tonks ARPS Eartton 174 ChairboroughRoad High Wycombe Bucks HP12 3HW Committee Eric Houlder LRPS (ArchaeologyEditor) Martin Fletcher Len Johnson LRPS Ken Keen FRPS Gwil Owen ARPS Dr Mike Sasse (Webmaster)

PERSPECTIVE Coming now to the end of our 2011 season of events , eight in all , I am pleased to record another successful year for the Group . Looking back, several events proved especially popular, notably perhaps our visit to the Bluebell Railway in June. Eighteen members turned up at Sheffield Park station in Sussex for a day of photographing and travelling in lovingly restored Victorian trains between there and the line's present northern terminus near East Grinstead. The weather was fine, the steam locomotives emitted nostalgic sounds and scents, and subsequently I was shown some excellent resulting pictures .

For the non-railway enthusiast, events later in the summer were equally enjoyable and rewarding. One such was our visit to St Mary 's church at Fairford in Gloucestershire , and later in the day the nearby churches of St Andrew , Eastleach Turville , and St Michael & St Martin , Eastleach Martin .

Fairford is renowned for its 28 windows of mediaeval glass, and we were privileged to be given an introductory talk on these unique treasures and their significance.

Other worthwhile visits were to Claydon House, Bucks, in August ; and in September to Hereford Cathedral and the priory church of St Mary the Vrrgin at Deerhurst , largely 14th-century but still displaying some elaborate Anglo-Saxon carvings and sculpture. I was pleased to see that pictures resulting from the Group 's events formed a large part of our well-attended October Conference in Leatherhead .

And what of 2012 ? Our Programme of Event s accompanies this issue , so keep it to hand as you plan your photography for the year. You will remember that financial constraints meant that we held no Exhibition in 2011, so I am delighted to note that the Group has been invited to mount a print exhibition, 'Church Architecture and Heritage', next July in Esher, Surrey, as part of the Festival of British Archaeology . More details will appear on our website in due course.

Those of you who are also members of other RPS Groups will know that an exhibition of photographs from all the Groups is planned to take place at Fenton House in March 2013, subsequently touring - it is gratifying to know that our photographic endeavours receive a wide showing.

In this context, your committee has agreed to assemble an archive of the best of Members ' photographs , to be maintained in perpetuity and displayed on appropriate occasions . Thus we shall possess a valuable permanent record of the Group 's work over many years.

Finally, let me wish you all a successful year of photography in 2012; I shall look forward to meeting many of you at our forthcoming events .

R. Keith Evans, Chairman .

Published by the Archaeology & Heritage Group of The Royal Photographic Society.

October 2011 Copyright in all text and photographs is held by the credited authors. or as otherwise stated.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted or stored in any form without prior written permission of the Publisher.

ISSN No. 0-904495-00-0

Group visit to the Bluebell Railway in June was a fine opportunity to photograph an4ride behind vintage steam locomotives.

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An Anchorhold in Surrey ?

The church of St Nicholas in the village of Compton, Surrey has what is believed to be an Anchorhold with access to a mediaeval oratory above.

Ken Keen FRPS explores further ...

An Anchorite (or Anchoress if female) was a recluse who for religious reasons withdrew from secular society so as to be able to lead an intensely prayer-oriented, ascetic and, circumstances permitting, Eucharist-focussed existence.

The Anchoritic life became widespread during the Early and High Middle Ages. A simple cell called an 'anchorhold' was built against one of the walls of the local village church.

Once the occupant had taken up residence, the Bishop would permanently brick up the door in a special ceremony. In the case of St Nicholas, Compton, stairs from the anchorhold lead to a mediaeval oratory above, which served as the Anchorite's place of worship.

The Anchorite could hear Mass and receive Holy Communion through a small shuttered window in the common wall facing the Sanctuary, called a 'hagioscope' or 'squint'. There was also a small window opening to the outside world, through which the inhabitant would receive food and other necessities and pass out the daily chamber pot.

An ascetic routine

These men and women gained a reputation for wisdom, and provided spiritual advice . to visitors. They never left their cells, ate frugal meals, and spent their days in contemplative prayer. An idea of their daily routine can be gleaned from an Anchoritic Rule known as Ancrene Wisse.

Like that at Compton, All Saints' Church in King's Lynn, Norfolk still has its original 12th century anchorhold, intact and still in use during the daily worship of the church.

One well-known mediaeval Anchoress was Julian of Norwich (1342-1416), remembered as one of England's most venerated mystics and whose writings have left a lasting implession on Christian spirituality.

HERITAGE PHOTOGRAPHY

The interior of St Nicholas church, Compton.

Door to the anchorhold is at right, and from it interior stairs lead up to the oratory above the altar.

KalliJypeprint by Ken Keen FRPS.

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Sacred Ari

An exhibition of images selected from a m was on display at Fenton House in Bath the thinking that lay behind the ta When viewing these photographs it is important to appreciate that they are not intended as a simple record of the building , but rather as a look back to the distant past. We shall then see a holy place much as those 'in prayer and on bended knees' might have seen it.

I am reminded of the words of American photographer Paul Caponigro. He claimed that 'To be a good photographer you need to work more on your emotions than you do on your technique' . Perhaps we should consider this advice as we look at these images.

Certainly I put a great deal of contemplation into their taking and presentation. All were photographed on HP5 Plus

The Altar, Ely Cathedral.

Lincoln Cathedral - the South Aisle.

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The South Aisle of Tewkesbury Abbey.

chitecture ,eh larger body of work by Jim Tonks ARPS :luring November 2009. Here he describes ing and selection of these pictures. film in a 5 x 4inch Tachihara camera; the lens in each case was a 75mm Nikkor-SW , and for evaluating the exposures in what were often difficult lighting conditions I relied on my Soligor ldeg . spot meter.

The pictures shown here were selected from the panel of fifteen prints with which I gained my Associate Distinction in Visual Art. All depicted sacred architecture , and the complete panel also formed part of my Fenton House exhibition.

I would encourage anyone in the Group to consider exhibiting their work at Fenton House. Just speak to Exhibition Manager Lesley Goode , whom I must thank for all the help she gave me in preparing my own work for display.

The Watching Room, St Albans Cathedral.

St John's church, Duxford, Cambs.

HERITAGE PHOTOGRAPHY

Gloucester Cathedral - the Lavatorium.

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Showcase your pictures worldwide

Beyond the world of camera club and RPS exhibitions, group member Garry Bisshopp has gained numerous awards for his pictures accepted and displayed In international salons; he recently achieved the distinction of 'Excellence' from the Federation lnternationale de l'Art Photographique.

Many of us have entered our photographic image s into various camera club and RPS exhibitions, but did you know that there is a further level of exhibitions which we as individuals can enter ? These exhibitions, or salons, are organised by several photographic clubs and societies both in the UK and overseas . Taking part can be very rewarding having an image accepted , and seeing its title , and sometimes the picture itself , reproduced in the catalogue is a fine morale-builder.

Most exhibitions are recognise d by one of the principal photographic organisations such as the RPS, the Photographic Society of America (PSA) or the Federation Internationale de l' Art Photographique (FIAP) . When this is the case, the exhibition judg es can award internationally recognised medals and ribbons , and your acceptances can count towards distinctions from the PSA or FIAP. Taking part is relatively straightforw ard. The most important point is to read the rules. Then prepare your images, complete the entry form and send them all off, together with the entry fee, remembering to allow time for receipt before the closing date. You then wait to hear whether your photographs have been accepted for exhibition.

Achieving international distinctions I began submitting prints to exhibitions in 2003 and have been lucky enough to have had sufficient acceptances in FIAP-recognised salons to have been awarded the distinction of ' Artiste' (AFIAP) in 2009, and that of 'Exce llence ' (EFIAP) this year. What did this involve?

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(Opposite): Winter Mist at Valle Crucis Abbey; Cardinal Place, Victoria, London.

Second Floor, de la Warr Pavilion, Bexhill

Beach Hut Parade, Eastbourne.

The Open Door, Chichester Cathedral .

At the time of my application in 2008 the award of AFIAP required applicants to have been exhibiting in FIAPrecognised salons for a period of five years or more. In 2010 the rules changed . The time period for AFIAP is now 12 months. Applicants must have achieved at least 30 acceptances of ten different image s in ten different salons in five countries .

For my award of EFIAP I had to have been exhibiting for a minimum of a further 12 months from the award of AFIAP and to have achieved a total, including those for AFIAP, of 150 acceptances of a minimum of 50 different images in at least 30 salons in 15 countries.

The pictures accompanying this article are just a few of my recent salon entries to have won awards. Winter Mist at Valle Crucis Abbey , for example , gained a Gold Medal at the 44th Sydney International Exhibition and a Silver at Varna, Bulgaria ; and Beach Hut Parade a Silver medal at the 59' h International Salon in Buenos Aires . All could typify the interests of the A & H Group.

I have found the experience of entering such salons very enjoyable. If you are tempted, I suggest that you look at some of the salon websites such as those listed below .

Useful websites Bristol Edinburgh Southampton Smethwick

www.bristolphoto.org .uk edinburghphotographicsociety .co.uk southamptoninternationalexhibition.co .uk smethwick:photographic.com

More information can be found at: RPS rps.org PAGB paj b-photography-uk.co.uk/ FIAP patronages.flap.net/

HERITAGE PHOTOGRAPHY

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A City of London Safari Within a few hundred yards radius of London's Royal Exchange Is to be found a veritable menagerie of birds, beasts and insects - in marble, granite, bronze or wood. Here we track down a few of them.

Sign of the 'Cat and Fiddle' inn in Lombard Street.

The regal lion of King's College Library.

Some of the City's notable statues feature commonplace animals fronting Royal Exchange itself, for example, is Wellington on horseback , notably lacking stirrups for his feet. But other creatures , like the ones pictured here and on our cover, are rarer. Some appear on inn-signs, such as the 'George and Vulture' in St Michael's Alley, or trade signs like the camels above a former spice importer's shop.

Heraldic beasts are common - winged lions , gryphons and unicorns; from mythology come the dragon, the phoenix and the winged horse Pegasus; and insect life includes ants, scorpions and grasshoppers (in Lombard Street, shown here, and as a weathervane surmounting the Royal Exchange clock tower).

Mingling with the City 's real-life sparrows and starlings are a pelican, carved above the altar of St Michael's Within Ludgate, and at least one American Eagle. And finally two small mice nibble cheese in Philpott Lane .

Grasshopper was the symbol of trader Thomas Gresham, 1519-1579.

Canadian brown bear is one of several decorative plasterwork animals designed by Walter Crane (1845-1915) for the walls of St Dunstan 's House in Fetter Lane.

Winged lions guard a corner of Fleet Street and Chancery Lane

Text and pictur es: R. K. Evans FRPS.

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