"This is Kenilworth Castle in 2022 - what must this view have looked like in the castle's heyday?"
My blog posts have been few and far between lately. At last, after a long, drizzly, grey winter, I was able to get out again with my camera. I have started to realise that winter is a very quiet time for my photography efforts. Neither street nor landscapes (nor the photographer themselves!) are very suited to windy, dull weather. As the spring approaches, I start to get anxious to get out again! So it was really great to get the opportunity at last.
What better place to start up and regain the mojo than a place I know is always beautiful to capture: Kenilworth Castle. Having discovered last year that there is a handy car park right near to the field entrance, I headed there in the car and went through a small wooden gate into the vast green space that, once upon a time, was almost entirely under water.
As I think I've said in other blog posts, it's incredible to think how grand this castle once was and rather tragic to see it in its present state after being destroyed in the 1600s. Yet it is still so imposing on the horizon. I walked down a slope towards a small stream of water, into what once was the castle's moat.
Now all that remains of that moat is a small stream; such a small trickle of water in comparison to how it used to be. It is hard to believe that the moat that once protected this amazing structure (that was once owned by King Henry VIII) is as much a relic of the past as the castle itself.
The light fluctuated with the clouds. I made my way to this patch of water, as the occasional walker passed by somewhere behind me. I loved the way the clouds reflected in the muddy, still water and the angry rain clouds in the distance threatened the gentle sunlight that bathed the castle. This is Kenilworth Castle in 2022 - what must this view have looked like in the castle's heyday?
A large group of people sat on the grass to my right enjoying a picnic. But otherwise, this entire, vast space was seemingly my own and my perspective of the castle was totally unhindered despite it being a weekend. I had all the time in the world to play around with my settings and tripod.
As my hands started to get cold, I headed back to the gate and to my car. The clouds were really coming over now. Just as I got into the car, a huge hail storm started! I had literally just made it; not sure the same could be said for the picnickers!
What I especially love about this picture is the range of colours, and I hope that you get a sense of the lost grandeur of this place that I have tried to capture. How does the picture make you feel when you look at it?