Antony Gormley's 'Another Place'

A short while ago I got the opportunity to visit Liverpool and made Crosby Beach on Merseryside my first stop there. 

It was a long day's drive and the sun was dipping fast in the sky by the time I arrived at the beach.  But I had a good hour or so to spare and I managed to explore a fair few of the 100-strong iron men that make up Sir Antony Gormley's 'Another Place' exhibit, which is located along this stretch of sand. 

The first of Sir Antony Gormley's iron
men that greeted my visit to Crosby Beach

The statues are modelled from 17 different body casts the sculptor made of his own naked body and the resulting figures evidence a variety of both tense and relaxed poses.

The nude iron sculptures raised a lot of controversy at the time of their installation and several groups, including watersport enthusiasts, the coastguard and conversationalists raised concerns against their presence along the shoreline.

Birds scouring the sands for their supper
near one of the iron men of Crosby Beach

Having previously toured a few other countries, Germany (Cuxhaven), Norway (Stavenger) and Belgium (De Panne), the iron men reached Merseyside in 2005. They were then due to move to New York after the local council initially refused permission for 'Another Place' to become a permanent exhibition at the beach.

However, the iron men became a very popular tourist draw over the years and brought a lot of money and trade to the community businesses. This forced the hand of the councillor's when the question of the residency of  'Another Place' returned to the council the following year. And so, to the delight of art lovers and the local trade, the iron men became a permanent feature on the sands of Crosby Beach in 2007.

One of the scarier faces of the
Crosby Beach Iron Men

Gormley's stated intention when he created 'Another Place', was to explore the movement of the tides and the passing of time on the beach and to engage with the day to day life of the habitat there.

An iron man watching the passing of one of the many...

...large container ships that slide along the horizon of Crosby Beach

With the evening drawing in fast, I was a little disappointed not to have the time to explore more of the Crosby iron men as each seemed to have its own distinct character.

But time and tides wait for no man and so I finally had to say a fond farewell to these unique and thought-provoking statues. I really could not leave, however, without having my photograph taken with one of the surreal fellows :)

That's me on the left btw

Getting Back In The Viking Mood

Starting work on the second draft of Berserker! means I am well and truly back in the Viking mood :)

Sheringham

The above photo was taken in Sheringham in Norfolk last year. My afternoon there was a bizarre experience, as I will explain in my next post...

A Blackbird and a 450 Year Old Horse Chestnut Tree

I fell in love with this old chestnut tree whilst staying in our Norfolk yurt last week. It repeatedly drew my attention and got me exploring it on numerous occasions. If ever there was an enchanted tree, then this was most definitely it!

Sunrise at the 450 Year Old Chestnut Tree

Sunset at the 450 Year Old Chestnut Tree (pictured on the left)

I also fell in love with a characterful Blackbird that was nesting in this tree. He really was a bit of a chatterbox.Unfortunately, I did not manage to photograph him but you can hear his dawn chorus call here and in the clip below you can hear the slightly different call he made each evening:

The Blackbird's evening call was apparently made to deter other Blackbirds from entering and roosting in its territory. This magickal tree was its domain and he was intent on keeping it that way! :)

Elm Hill, Norwich

My daughter took me on a tour of her favourite places in Norwich last weekend, during which she led me up Elm Hill. This is without doubt the most picturesque street in the city. Indeed, its scenic beauty has led it to being rated as the seventh prettiest street in the whole of the UK!

Elm Hill, Norwich

The street is probably most famous for being used as a set location for the classic fantasy film based on Neil Gaiman's excellent novel Stardust. You can view some great pics of the street being transformed for the movie here.

Horsey Wind Pump, Norfolk

On our way to Horsey Gap the other day we stopped off at this impressive building - Horsey Wind Pump.

Horsey Wind Pump is a drainage windmill situated on the Norfolk Broads. It is a Grade II listed building. Its current structure was built in 1912 and the construction was carried out on the site of the original 18th century Horsey Black Mill. It was designed to drain water from the surrounding land that that it could better be used for farming. The windpump remained in working order until 1943, when it was struck by lightning. The National Trust is currently managed by The National Trust.

Horsey Wind Pump

The building is said to be haunted by the sounds of playing children who drowned in the nearby waters and the fact that the wind pump leans to the west is explained by a lovely piece of folklore.

Horsey Wind Pump

A man, desperate to own some of the land adjacent to the wind pump, wagered his soul to the devil in a rowing race along the nearby waters. The Devil easily won the competition but the fearful loser raced from his boat where he took refuge in the wind pump, bolting the door closed behind him. The Devil, furious at the man welshing on his bed, beat and pounded and pushed at the wind pump for the entire day and night before finally giving up and moving on in search of other souls. When the terrified man left the wind pump the following morning, he saw the building now leaned curiously away from the front door.

Norwich Outdoor Market Field Recording

A Norfolk Dawn Chorus

Whilst holiday in Norfolk for my birthday weekend, we were woken early each morning by incredible dawn choruses. The lead vocalist amongst them, an extrovert blackbird, even perched on top of the yurt we were staying in to blast out his song! Here is an audio recording I made of the little fella and his choir. It's long but is beautiful in the complexity of all the different birdsong recorded!

 

Sea Palling

Our third and final beach visit last Saturday during our weekend holiday in Norfolk was Sea Palling. This was the least scenic of the trio of beaches we spent the day exploring but it was also the most popular (due to the numerous cafes and amenities at the edge of the sand). Here's an audio recording I took whilst there, which should give you a decent sense of the place:

 

Whilst in Sea Palling, I spotted this lovely poppy in flower near the car park that I thought I would share with you all :)

Winterton-On-Sea

Whilst in Norfolk visiting my daughter for my birthday, we took a lovely stroll along Winterton-On-Sea. It is a beautiful bay and is listed in the Rough Guide' top 30 places to visit in the world. The beach forms part of the Norfolk Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is also a Nature Reserve.

Winterton-On-Sea

Winterton-On-Sea

Whilst there, I was happy to find this lovely single specimen of seaglass too :)

This was the first of three beaches we visited that day, the other two will feature in following posts...

Norwich Cathedral

I visited Norwich Cathedral over the weekend. It is a beautiful and serene place. Whilst I captured a few sounds and images I experienced there for this post, it was, unfortunately, beyond my means to share the gorgeous scent of frankincense that pervaded the cathedral with you :(

Norwich Cathedral Main Stained Glass Window Reflection in Copper Font

Votive Candles, Norwich Cathedral

Norwich Cathedral Cloisters

World Dracula Day

Me (or my shadow) Overlooking Whibty Abbey's Graveyard

It's #WorldDraculaDay today, so I thought this was a good opportunity to share some of my photographs of Whitby Abbey and its cliff edge graveyard. This Gothic location features strongly in Bram Stoker's Dracula and is certainly up there as one of the most atmospheric places I have visited in the UK.

Birmingham Train Station

Waiting to pick my daughter up from Birmingham Train Station...