This hill is the remnant of a glacier and has a prominent view of the nearby village of Crick and the surrounding Northamptonshire country side. I have visited the hill before as Sunset and captured a beautiful scene. On a recent visit to my daughter, I took the opportunity to capture the sunrise. Whilst there were no clouds in the sky the rising sun was still beautiful and I was able to frame the sun in the beacon. Whilst I was on the beacon there were several walkers who passed through for a chat. The subsequent light was beautiful and made a perfect start up for the rest of the day.
The view of Crick Village from Cracks HillThe Grand Union Canal next to Cracks HillThe canal bridge that leads onto Cracks Hill
On one side of the M1 is Warwickshire, on the other is Northamptonshire. Most of the time, I am in Warwickshire visiting my daughter and so Rugby is my final destination. Google maps is a wonderful tool for browsing and looking for new places to visit. Often, I use canals as my compass and it was following the Grand Union canal along Google maps that I was intrigued not only by Cracks Hill but also the surrounding area. I discovered the Friends of Cricks Wood web site and learnt about the good work being done by the community there. Close by is Cracks Hill which was formed by a retreating glacier during the last ice age. Running through this area of natural beauty is the Grand Union Canal. This looked like a good place to photograph especially if the conditions were just right. The one ingredient that is needed is good light and on an evening in December, it looked as if there would be a good sunset. I packed my camera gear and set off to the woods. On arrival, I spent some time in the Jubilee woodland as the sun was setting. The colour on the leaves in the light at the end of day was something to behold.
Evening light on the leaves.
The trees looked wonderful
Even the bare trees have beauty about them.
Drops of moisture on pine needles reflect the sunlight.
The next place to visit was the summit of Cracks Hill. It was not disappointing and I was pleased that I had brought along my Canon D5 Mk4 with tripod. The windmills were fascinating to watch at such a distance and at a height. I was also taken by a lone tree on the side of the hill. Needless to say the tree featured in a few photographs. So it was a successful day and I made my way back to the car.
The soft light on the surrounding countrysideThe colours of the sunset from Cracks Hill.Loving the Windmill silhouette.A lone tree on Cracks Hill
As I reached the bridge over the Grand Union, I met a dog walker and I let him pass. He moved onto the bridge and started walking into the embers of the sunset. I fumbled but I got my Fujifilm x100v just in time to capture a picture of the walker on the bridge. The resulting picture was dark but I used my editing suite to bring out the colours of the sunset. So part capturing the scene and then relying on a preset edit to produce the scene that I observed over that bridge and far away.
Over the Bridge and far away. On the Canal bridge over the Grand Union walking towards Cricks Wood
The final part to this series of photographs is the selection of the walker over the bridge by England’s Big Picture. It was my second feature of the year on the BBC site. I was very pleased with the outcome.
The Golden Lion is a building with a long and varied history. Walk along the main path in Canon Hill Park, and you will soon come across it. The scaffolding surrounding the structure gives its location away. You then realise that it commands a striking view of the green space, the boating lake, and the MAC.
Hard Hats at the Ready.
The Golden Lion has served many purposes over the years, including being used as a living space, public house, and a cricket pavilion. Its original location was on Deritend High Street, but it was moved to Canon Hill Park in 1911. If you wish to learn more about its background, the Birmingham Conservation Trust (BCT) website is a good place to start.
The outside scaffolding.
This blog describes my hard hat tour of the Golden Lion, organised by the BCT. Irene from the Trust was our guide, and she explained that restoration work on the building would soon begin. Only a few tours were scheduled before work commenced, so this was a rare opportunity to see inside the structure before any changes took place.
Inside the Golden Lion, Ground Floor inspecting the ceiling.Looking at the walls.Looking up to the roof and the space where orignially there was a second floor.
Irene was full of enthusiasm. As she explained both the history and the upcoming plans for the building, it became clear how closely the two are connected. We donned our hard hats and entered. Since the windows were boarded up, we needed torches to see. We were warned about low ceilings—and spiders. The latter, we were told, were actually a good sign, as they indicated that bats had not nested in the building, which would have delayed the restoration.
Debris on the floor.
We explored the ground floor and then the first floor. Debris lay scattered on the floors, and shards of light pierced through cracks in the walls. Despite this, the building was remarkably dry and structurally intact. Small holes in the walls provided natural ventilation, allowing the building to dry out quickly after rain.
Window latch.Secrets in the wood.Markings on the door.
As we moved through the space, there were clear reminders of its previous uses as a cricket pavilion and a ranger’s office. These later modifications were visible on the interior walls. There were fittings for benches, and the windows had been fitted with modern locks and latches. Originally, the building had another floor, and the outlines of where it once stood could still be seen on the walls. Early records from the 1851 census report that up to 50 people once lived in and around the building when it stood in Deritend. This included the courtyard at the rear where there were 6 small (slum) dwellings
Going down the stairs
The visit was fascinating, and the history embedded in the walls came alive during our conversations. I am looking forward to seeing the Golden Lion restored and given a new lease of life. Thank you to the Birmingham Conservation Trust for organising the visit, and to Irene for being such an informative and enthusiastic guide. Finally a special thanks to Pat Rodwell for obtaining tickets.
If you are interested in exploring historical buildings around Birmingham which are a lot safer and accessible then I would recommend a visit to Selly Manor as my blog shows below.
Saturday was a glorious day so I ventured further afield to one of the Warwickshire country parks. The one I was interested in was Burton Dassett Hills Country Park. There was no sign of the impending Storm Ciara and the skies were clear. When I got to the park, I was a little annoyed as the payment machines took my £2.50 but did not give me a ticket to display in the car. It happened last time I was there as well. It just unsettles me but I put a note in the windscreen and set off with my camera and tripod. Why I bothered with the tripod I do not know and I guess it just feels comfortable holding it. I never used it as the light was very strong. I brought my camera rucksack with all my filters and other lenses and the only item I used was a polariser that I put on the 24 to 105mm lens. I do like this lens. It is heavy but it does produce wonderful results. I have really worked it in recent days especially as my Sony Compact has started to really play up on me.
The sun was bright and it created lovely contrast of the underrating hill tops
The light was fantastic but I could see the impending weather change in the west and therefore I moved briskly around the park. Burton Dassett Hills Country Park has an interesting history which dates back to Saxon times. There has been a windmill on the site until just after the war. The hill tops are uneven and with the strong light there were some wonderful shadows to be photographed. It was very windy but not too cold. Some of the hills required a strenuous ascent and writing the blog today my legs and other muscles below the waist are very sore.
There are several high hills to climb and explore
I enjoyed the views and also taking photographs of several silhouettes of people walking along the hills. I did not get a chance to go to the church but that will be my goal for my next visit. Overall I was very pleased with myself and thought my photographs were looking good.
The structures are interesting and can be seen for miles aroundThe sides of the hill still have the scars of the old Saxon style farming methodsClimbing the hills
I knew I was near to Chesterton Windmill and I did not want to miss the opportunity of not getting a quick picture of the magical place. I set off and saw that the weather was turning. There was less blue skies and more dark clouds coming in. I took a cross country route to the Windmill and as I approached cracks appeared in the crowds letting rays of sun through. I rushed to park the car and raced to the Windmill. Two sets of sunrays were bathing the sails and it looked to my eye as a great opportunity. Then indecision set in. How should I position the Windmill against the sunrays. I tried several vantage points before the scene changed and I had to go back to my car to get my phone that I had left on the dashboard. When I returned the cloud formation had really changed. I took a few more shots and got home.
Sun rays coming through the sky
Burton Dassett Hills Country Park pictures looked great on the Mac and I tidied them up. Imagine my surprise when I saw the Windmill pictures they looked amazing. However I posted the Burton Dassett Hills Country Park pictures and left the others to the morning. Even then I asked Sandy what she thought of them. I was thinking everyone has seen a picture of the windmill before, this one will be no different. When I posted the picture Instagram went crazy and scored many “likes”. I have a slightly different edit for #WexMondays and I will see how that performs. As it happens the Burton Dassett Hills Country Park ones did well on Flickr.
People around the Windmill add some interest to the pictures
A good day for photographing and I would never have guessed that I would come back with such a story about the pictures that I took.
My Instagram picture
Epilogue for the Geeks out there. Pictures taken on the Canon D4 with a 24-105mm lens. All the pictures were taken on manual and the Lightroom/Photoshop was my normal run through. Maybe that is another blog on how I process my pictures.
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