Parts
of Winchester Cathedral can be traced-back for over 900 years.
Holy Trinity, Winchester is, however, more modern, dating
from
the 19th century, but is nonetheless an impressive building
Winchester's
current Guildhall was completed in 1873 at a cost of some £16,000 and
provided a multi-purpose building for a number of civic amenities and
functions. It has now been extensively modernised but
continues
to be used for a variety of purposes
The
church of St Lawrence in the Square nestles a mere stone's
throw
from Winchester Cathedral and is almost as old. It boasts a
very
impressive stained glass window behind the altar
The Christmas Nativity scene at
St Lawrence on the Square church, Winchester
A brass Cross, again at St
Lawrence in the Square, Winchester
New
Year's Day in Winchester has a reputation for being either wet ... or
very cold ... or both. 2012's offering was wet, getting
wetter as
epitomised by this elderly couple waiting for a bus
Clever use of soft focus or just
blurred? You decide!
More rain in Winchester
My current 'favourite' (in terms
of awfulness) grammatically-flawed sign is helpfully provided by a taxi
firm in Dorchester
The
River Stour empties into Christchurch Harbour which has become a local
beauty spot and recreational area. 'Mister B' is moored
adjacent to the river ferry
which provides a short hop across the Stour for foot passengers wanting
a more direct route to the residential developments around Wick
The pleasant waterfront around
Christchurch Harbour
"You lookin' at me?!"
Walkers taking advantage of an
unseasonally warm January afternoon
Christchurch Priory (completed
during the 16th century) seen from the south
Christchurch Priory viewed from
the east
River Reeds at Mudeford Quay
The
extreme end of the Hengistbury Head sandspit is a mere few yards from
Mudeford Quay but is separated by a deep, fast-flowing channel allowing
the Stour and Christchurch Harbour to empty into the sea. The
5.5
mile walk around can be avoided during the summer months by using a
ferry which bridges the short gap
Still only 20p! This
telescope at Mudeford Quay allows great views of The Needles and the
western tip of the Isle of Wight
By 4pm on a January afternoon
the sun is sufficiently low to provide
attractive reflections and warm orange light. These 2 walkers
are
seen on the beach near Barton-on-Sea
The
Needles were named after a 4th chalk stack which (allegedly) collapsed
in 1764, but the name has stuck. The lighthouse was built in
1859
but has been automated since 1994. It is some 109' tall and
recently required £1/2M to be spent on it to prevent its collapse into
the sea
No apologies for a few 'sunset'
shots on a glorious January afternoon. This one was taken at
Barton-on-Sea
Barton-on-Sea beach
Sunset seen from Milford-on-Sea
Milford-on-Sea
Bincleaves Groyne, completed in
1903, is situated to the south of Weymouth and forms one of the
boundaries to Portland Harbour
Brewer's
Quay, Weymouth is a former Devenish brewery complex that closed in
1985.
Parts of the site were then re-developed for retail use but
this
complex also closed during 2011. Plans have now been
submitted
for an extension to the buildings to encompass an 85 bedroom hotel,
private apartments and further shops. The site is Grade II
listed
so hopefully the original chimney will be protected
In stark contrast to the photo
taken on 1 October, Weymouth's beach looks a little less congested
St Benedict's Church,
Glastonbury which dates from c 1520
Glastonbury
is littered with ecclesiastically-named businesses. The Mitre
Inn
is one such but is a mere newcomer compared to St Benedict's, its near
neighbour, not appearing on the scene until 1680!
The reredos at St Mary's Church,
Glastonbury
Graffiti, Glastonbury style
The
Tor at Glastonbury refers to the hill atop which stands St Michael's
Tower. The latter dates from the 1360s and was originally
part of
a church built to replace an earlier place of worship destroyed by an
earthquake. It has a somewhat grizzly past as the last Abbot
of
Glastonbury was hung, drawn and quartered there in 1539 at the time of
the dissolution
Inside St Michael's Tower
The
Hurst Point lighthouse stands next to the castle which bears the same
name, at the end of a 1.5 mile shingle spit which protrudes into the
Solent from Milford-on-Sea. The present structure dates from
1867
and, in common with the vast majority of Trinity House lighthouses up
and down the country, is now fully automated
The Isle of
Wight Ferry on its way back from Yarmouth to Lymington
The beach at
Sandbanks with Bournemouth in the background
Although
Exmouth's fishing industry can be traced back as far as the 16th
century, the period that followed World War I saw a progressive decline
and not much now remains. Nonetheless, 2 trawlers are seen
tied-up at Exmouth Docks
The Exe
estuary at low tide
Exeter
has 232 miles of roads within its boundaries but this stretch where the
M5 crosses the River Exe is by far the busiest. The 2
separate
concrete viaducts span a total distance of 3,245 feet and were opened
by the then Prime Minister, James Callaghan, in May 1977. The
total cost of the project, including the impressive arched bridge
slightly further south (and all the road building from J30 to J31) was
a meagre £12.88M
The River Exe
with Exeter Cathedral in the background
'Locally
supplied gas available'
Whether
or not this navigation buoy ever saw 'active service' is not recorded.
It now provides an ornamental adornment near the new Quay
development
There
are 7 railway stations in Exeter but St David's is the largest and
busiest. Dating from 1844 it was designed by the legendary
Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Its 6 platforms now cater for in
excess
of 2 million passengers annually
A
Class 143 Diesel Multiple Unit approaches Exeter St David's on a
service from Paignton to Exmouth. The train runs into
Platform 1
where it then reverses and follows the West of England line (the one
departing to the left) before branching off at Exmouth Junction
