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Posts tagged ‘church’

Truly inspiring – The Art of Seeing – a short video by Ken Keen FRPS

As photographers we can learn so much from each other. We can be inspired by the work and dedication of those who take pleasure in making photographs of subjects which personally we particularly enjoy. We can also admire anyone who is able to produce the finest images in the face of adversity.

I was therefore delighted to discover the work of Ken Keen a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society. Born in 1934 he specialises in making images of medieval churches and cathedrals with a large format camera and printed in historical (or alternative) process: cyanotype-Rex and salt print. A passionate photographer for many decades, what is truly remarkable is that in the year 2000 he lost most of his sight and is registered blind. He is now a member of the Disabled Photographers Society.

For the last 15 years or so, with the help of close friends and fellow photographers, he visits and makes photographs of religious buildings across the UK, some of which I have been to myself for my own Churches Project. In my humble opinion his images are outstanding and I took a great deal of pleasure looking at his website – www.kenkeenandlight fromthedarkeness.com. You can read his Biography here.

The short video, entitled ‘The Art of Seeing’ is just 20 minutes long, and is well worth viewing.

He has published a Blurb Book ‘Light from the Darkness’. I have only looked at the preview pages, but judging by the images on his website I may well be ordering my copy very soon.

Light from the Darkness by Ken Keen FRPS

Churches Project no.17 – St Peter’s, Hascombe, Surrey

Regular readers of my blog will know that the vast majority of my work is in monochrome and this particularly applies to my Churches Project. Today though I have to make an exception, so I am including a set of colour images as well as their monochrome twins. The church featured is St Peter’s, Hascombe in Surrey. The exterior is in the style of a 13th Century church and was constructed of bar gate stone in the mid 19th Century to replace a derelict church.

In complete contrast to the relatively plain exterior, the interior of the church is a very rich blend of gilding and painting, particularly on the roof, the screen and the reredos- it is quite extraordinary and not what you might expect to find in a church in a small village in Surrey. Whilst I can appreciate the beauty, for me it is far too ornate…….I personally much prefer a simpler or can I say quieter environment. Nevertheless it has to be admired and appreciated for the skill, the craftsmanship and the time it must have taken to create.

And now for a matching set of monochrome images –

Do click on any of the images to view a larger version which will open in a new window.

Churches Project no.16 – A return to North Stoke, West Sussex

There is something to be said for returning to a location or indeed a church which I have previously visited. The benefit of familiarity and the knowledge of the images taken before, help me to see things with a fresh pair of eyes, to explore new angles and find fresh compositions. The light can of course be different even in the interior of a church building, so a return visit can hopefully yield some new images.

This was certainly the case when I went back to St Mary the Virgin in North Stoke last week. It’s a particular favourite of mine so whether or not I was able to make some more images didn’t really matter, as I was more than happy to be in this historic and rather timeless place of peace and solitude. I hope the four images in this post help to convey this feeling.

Cared for by The Churches Conservation Trust, the church is no longer used for regular worship but is still consecrated.

If you would like to read the original entry about North Stoke Church and see more photographs then please click here.

As always do click on any of the images to view a larger version which will open in a new window.

Churches Project no. 15 – St Andrew, Winterborne Tomson, Dorset

For such a small and simple church, there is so much to admire and enjoy here. For starters the very location of St Andrew in the tiny hamlet of Winterborne Tomson is a delight. Rural and unspoilt, the church backs onto a dairy farm and I like the way the farm building behind the church echoes the shape of the church itself. There is a manor house on the other side of the narrow road which leads down to the church plus a thatched cottage for neighbours.

It’s not until you enter through the west door that the simple beauty of this church reveals itself. Built of flint and stone in the 12th Century, this single cell church has a most unusual apsidal east end with a plastered wagon roof of slender beams and decorative bosses. All the bleached oak furnishings which include box pews, the pulpit and sounding board above, the screen and altar rail, have turned silver grey over the years. They date from the 18th Century and were provided by William Wake, the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1716 to 1737. He would worship in this church when staying with his family who lived nearby. Apparently he loved the simplicity of the church compared to the grandeur and opulence of the cathedrals. I can empathise with his feelings and for me this place reminded me of another church in Warminghurst in West Sussex which you can read about here.

It’s hard to believe that less than 100 years ago the church was used by the local farm for pigs, fowl and other animals, but very fortunately was saved from complete ruin in 1931. Money was raised from the sale of some Thomas Hardy manuscripts by the The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings and this was used to pay for much needed repairs. The work was overseen by the architect A R Powys, who was Secretary to the Society. On his death he was buried in the churchyard and a plaque can be seen inside the church, commemorating his work. Given its history it’s perhaps no surprise that this church is now cared for by the Churches Conservation Trust, and whilst still consecrated, is only used on a handful of occasions during the year.

Lastly and to put this church in the context of its setting I have included an image taken just yards form the church itself.

Dorset is providing a rich source of lovely churches, so I will certainly be back there in the future so that I can add to my ‘Churches Project’ collection.

Do click on any of the images to view a larger version in a new window.

Churches Project no.14 – All Saints, Nether Cerne, Dorset

This medieval church was mainly built in the late 13th Century of flint and stone; the tower was added in the 15th Century. Sited next to a manor house and just a few steps away from the river Cerne, it really does enjoy a tranquil rural setting in the valley.

The parish was once in the endowment of Cerne Abbey and was served by its Benedictine monks until the dissolution of the monasteries in 1539. Parish services ceased in 1968 and this charming church was sadly made redundant in 1971. Fortunately two years later it was vested in the Churches Conservation Trust, who still care for the building to this day.

There is both sadness and joy to be felt as I walked around its simple interior. Sadness in the sense it has not been used for regular worship for over 40 years, but joy in the knowledge that it is being preserved. To me it still has an air of solitude, and a peace which cannot always be found in a church which is in regular use. The lack of electric lights, radiators, church notices and all the accessories required in a fully functioning parish church are not present here. These things can be a distraction from the delights to be had in a building which evokes memories of a long and distant past.