The New Visitor Centre Welcomes Walkers to Wimpole (NT) Grounds

As with other National Trust properties Wimpole Park and Gardens remain open with a one-way route through the gardens to help maintain social distancing. The new car park and visitor centre opened in February  with a longer route to the stables, gardens and house but with plenty of room of parking. The old car park is being dug up and returned to parkland.

The new visitor centre itself is not a thing of beauty - I expected a more sympathetic and innovative design but I guess it will look better when the planting around it matures. I wondered who the designer was for the project and was amused by this quote in their write up of the new area - perhaps Capability has returned to oversee the work

Wimpole Estate is one of just a handful of Grade I Registered Parklands in the country with landscape works being carried out by notable designers such as ‘Capability’ Brown and Humphry Repton.

The Workhouse, Nottinghamshire - Nik Recipes

Following an evening on Nik software, which included the making and saving of recipes, here are five images each subjected to two very different recipes that I made. The Workhouse, Southwell (National Trust) has been extensively altered since my last visit and the Infirmary opened to show how the building was from the 1960s till it closed in the 1980s.

 

Dovedale Floods and Clumber Park

Our route back from the Peak District was via Dovedale and Clumber Park (both National Trust). We wondered why the car park was quite empty when we arrived at Dovedale - the valley was flooded and it was not possible to get across the stepping stones or to easily walk along the other side of the river. However the colours reflected in the extensive water areas made up for it.

Clumber Park was very busy with people out enjoying the autumn trees.

 

 

 

Infrared at Stowe Gardens NT

Yesterday, Jonathan ran an RPS outing to Stowe Gardens with infrared photography as one of the topics. I have two infrared digital cameras - an ancient EOS 1D mark II which is heavy to carry but produces beautiful sharp gentle images. My travel infrared is a Sony RX100 which I am still exploring to produce the most reliable results. I loaned it out for some of the time. Here a variety of effects that these cameras can produce. The first four images are from the Sony - I take both RAW and jpeg, the latter having creative style Autumn leaves which gives an interesting hue to the image as in the first image, the second is a monochrome conversion from RAW, the third, the water lilies, is a JPEG from the Sony with a bit of colour enhancement, and the fourth Channel Swopped to give blue sky etc . The other six images are from the Canon Raw (I have not included any monochrome conversions here). The first three images show the results of different profiles created to convert the Raw to a suitable spectrum for adjustment. My favourite is the daisies image - I always like the soft blue images obtained in shade or dull conditions. The last three are Channel swopped etc!

Cragside Formal Gardens

Yesterday on a damp and sometimes rainy day, we visited National Trust Cragside. Photos from the house and surrounds to follow but here a few plants etc from the formal gardens. The rain didn't deter one couple from enjoying the magnificent (well would be on a clear day) view from the lawn.