Looking at Yew

I have been feeling a little under the weather this past week so hadn't been out for a few days so today I headed out to Chirk Castle near Wrexham in North Wales to look at and possibly photograph the display of snowdrops .

On the way there I almost turned back due to a heavy snow storm but when I arrived although the conditions were very changeable it was definitely worth the effort of getting out and as well as some shots of the snowdrops (including some experimental images) which I will eventually share I got a range of other images from the castle and grounds which I am really pleased with.

The best display of snowdrops is found in the "Pleasure Ground Woods" and on the entrance to the woods there is an old yew tree. I was struck by the depth and the detail in the ancient bark and took the above shot to showcase some of the detail. As I looked more closely at the image I noticed a chilling face so I rotated the image and cropped it slightly to bring the face into focus as you can see in the image below. It looks to me like an alien face either with the creature's own hand covering its mouth or perhaps being restrained or silenced... I hope you like this as much as I do.

 

Chirk Castle and Gardens

Chirk is one of my favourite castles, it has such character and having been in use for over 700 years there is so much interesting to see.  The gardens too are really beautiful with sculptured Yew hedges, expansive lawns and colourful beds.  There are secluded gardens to sit and relax and there are sculptures dotted around which add extra interest.  In the winter the woodland walk is a mass of snowdrops and well worth the drive to see it.

Today I have selected a few images of the castle and grounds.  I like the simplicity of the latch in the first photo and it works well as a black and white image.  I wonder how many hands have worked the latch and what lies on the other side of the door.

The picture of the castle itself reminds me a little of the castle in the opening credits of The Blackadder, I know it really isn't that similar but there is something about viewing the castle from this angle which makes me think about that scene.

The avenue of yews is part of the more formal garden close to the castle itself and I love the precision and attention to detail.

I am really pleased with the final picture, I love the round towers but I also love the ironwork of the gate which really is the main focus of this image.

I hope that you have enjoyed today's pictures, tomorrow I will post more of the grounds and the Chirk estate.