Monday, May 25, 2009

Medieval Fortifications



Click image to view at 1000 pixels wide

Nowhere in Australia or the US will you see architecture over 700 years old, but in the Old World it's still there. Stone is a durable material, and when these walls and towers were raised (during the wars between William Wallace and Edward I, if I have my history right, though on foundations which in places are Roman) they were the epitome of military engineering. Now, these walls which surround the old city of York, England, and fortify the River Ouse which passes through the city, are lovingly-preserved remainders of a time gone by, and through which the new city has grown up and around. I took this photograph at the beginning of November 2007, to capture the texture of stone and the tonal values in the shadow areas against the water. The chip has done an amazing job of exposing the shadows in such detail, burning out the background in proportion. The juxtaposition of the new and the old is a recurring theme in any study of the Old World, and eternally fascinating. Contrast, colour and sharpness were adjusted fractionally. Fuji FinePix S5600, automatic. Image by Mike.

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