Sarsen Stones at the Avebury Stone Circle, Wiltshire, England.
Overcast, dark morning, so I popped up to Avebury to makes some images of the Standing Stones when the sky had form and textures.
This stones were erected here 6,000 years ago, before those at Stonehenge. Shear manpower was used to transport them from the top of the Marlborough Downs down to the site at Avebury. Our Neolithic ancestors had to make do with Deer Antlers as picks and their version of rope, made from the hides of animals cured and platted together. Many of the stones weigh over 16 tonnes each
This is Salisbury Cathedral in Wiltshire England. The original Salisbury Cathedral was completed at Old Sarum in 1092 under Osmund, the first Bishop of Salisbury. In 1220 the foundations were laid for the Cathedral at the site it is today. The major construction work was completed in 1258 i.e. it took 38 years to build,
Avebury henge and stone circles are one of the greatest marvels of prehistoric Britain. Built and much altered during the Neolithic period, roughly between 2850 BC and 2200 BC, the henge survives as a huge circular bank and ditch, encircling an area that includes part of Avebury village. Within the henge is the largest stone circle in Britain - originally of about 100 stones - which in turn encloses two smaller stone circles.
Canon EOS 5D with Zeiss Distagon* 2.8/21 ZE lens @ ISO 50, f/5.6 and
Apologies but this was NOT shot with the lens shown. I used a Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5L Mark II lens which is a Tilt & Shift lens. Cannot work out how to change the Zeiss entry.<br />
<br />
Oblique lighting through the stained glass windows casts an array of colurs on the wall of the Cloisters at Gloucester Cathedral, Gloucestershire, England.
Christ on the Cross above the spectacular Scissor Arches at the top end of the Nave in Wells Cathedral, Somerset, England. In the Nave the eye is drawn to the unique "scissor arches". The simple yet stunning design, often mistaken as modern, was a medieval solution (1338 - 1348) to sinking foundations.
Better viewed Full Size. This was shot from Roundway Down, Wiltshire, England. You are looking at what remains of the ancient hill fort know as Oliver's Castle. One can still see remains of a moat on the eastern side. It originally would have had a high wooden pallisade with a fighting platform running round the inside.
Better viewed Full Screen
Roundway Down was the scene of a decisive victory for the Royalists over the Parlamentarians in the First English Civil War. The battle took place on 13th July 1643, The defeat was even more remarkable since the Royalist cavalry had ridden all the way from Oxford and defeated the Rounheads who were fully deployed in battle positions on Roundway Down. It was a rout and 600 cavalry and men were swept over the steep escarpment to their deaths. It was subsequently named Bloody Ditch b
Beautiful altar covering in the run up to Easter. This is an Anglican cathedral in Salisbury, England, and one of the leading examples of Early English architecture. The main body of the cathedral was completed in only 38 years, from 1220 to 1258.
Better viewed Full Size<br />
<br />
This is the west window at the bottom of the nave inside Salisbury Cathedral, Wiltshire, England. Single RAW Frame with full Post Processing in LR6 and then to Nik's Color EFEX Pro 4 software. Shot at 100mm, f/9, 1/13sec, ISO 400 and at +1EV. This is an Anglican cathedral in Salisbury, England, and one of the leading examples of Early English architecture. The main body of the cathedral was completed in only 38 years, from 1220 to 1258.
This is the ornate Screen that separates the Choir and High Altar from the congregation in the Nave. Many Cathedrals in England started out as Monasteries and it was common practice to seperate the Monks from the general congregation. It is worth remembering that seating in the Nave is a relatively recent addition to churches and cathedrals, In early medieval times and before that the congregation stood for the whole service. This is Bristol Cathedral, Avon & Somerset.
Better viewed Full Size<br />
<br />
This is the hill top Iron Age Fort known as Oliver's Castle as shot from Roundway Down, Nr. Devizes, Wiltshire, England. The fort would have consisted of a wooden pallisade with fighting platforms around the inside. Evidence of a moat can still be seen. Sharpened wooden spikes would have been driven into the ground outside to slow the progress of invaders.
Pulteney Bridge crosses the River Avon in Bath, England. It was completed by 1774, and connected the city with the newly built Georgian town of Bathwick.
Better viewed Full Size<br />
<br />
The original abbey built in the 12th century was approximately one and a half times the size that remains. The 14th century additions made the footprint twice that of today; the spire must have soared into the sky. To the north lay the cloisters and all around would be other buildings, dwellings, stores, workshops - a whole complex of religious activity. What an achievement with the limited resources of Saxon and mediaeval England.
This is the altar inside Malmesbury Abbey, Wiltshire, England. Malmesbury Abbey, at Malmesbury in Wiltshire, England, is a religious house dedicated to Saint Peter and Saint Paul. It was one of the few English houses with a continual history from the 7th century through to the Dissolution of the Monasteries.
Better viewed Full Size<br />
<br />
The church dates from around 1000 A.D., or possible a few years earlier, and still retains its tall Anglo-Saxon nave, although this was altered by the Normans. The early church was two storeys high, with round-headed windows on the ground floor, two of which survive, and four round windows on the upper level. Three of the latter survive high in the north wall. These windows were unglazed but in bad weather wooden shutters were used to close the lower ones.
Avebury is a Neolithic henge monument containing three stone circles, around the village of Avebury in Wiltshire, in southwest England. One of the best known prehistoric sites in Britain, it contains the largest stone circle in Europe.
bajanexile
