Green Men at Ely

We visited Ely yesterday and spent a long while in the cathedral hunting Green Man symbols. A Green Man is a sculpture or other representation of a face surrounded by or made from leaves. Branches or vines may sprout from the mouth, nostrils, or other parts of the face and these shoots may bear flowers or fruit. There is a lot written about the origin of Green Man sculptures, many believing it is a pagan artifact derived from the ancient Celts' worship of the head. There is a trail leaflet that says there are over 70 Green men and animals but we only found  6 of the listed 12. Sadie and Meredith also enjoyed looking at the Christmas Tree and Great-great-great-great grandfather's plaque as Bishop of Ely .

 

York Minster Looking Up

For me, the interesting features in York Minster were looking up at the ceilings (partly as there is a lot of restoration involving scaffolding going on inside the Minster etc). Certainly other people agreed! The Grotesques are from the Chapter House.

Guildford Cathedral Renovations - Impressive Scaffolding

I last visited Guildford Cathedral in March 2015 when I was told that the Grade II listed Guildford Cathedral was at risk because of deteriorating plasterwork, which contained asbestos (https://pin-sharp.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/guildford-cathedral-double-takes.html). They raised the necessary 9.6M pounds and work has started. Only a small part of the Cathedral is open but it did give wonderful views of the very impressive scaffolding needed to work on the nave ceiling. 

Ely Cathedral

I very much enjoyed showing Bill and Barbara around Ely on Thursday - always good to have visitors who appreciate places. A few shots from the trip - the exteriors show how the light can change within an hour or so. Interior panorama is 16 shots. Images taken through the ceiling mirror - first one 15mm fisheye, next two 10mm lens. All handheld - some at 1/6th second so not critically sharp but amazing what modern cameras can do (Fuji-XT10)

Hereford Cathedral

We are staying in Hereford for a few days and took the opportunity to visit the Cathedral yesterday afternoon. It dates from the Norman period with additions and alterations through the centuries. The first is a panorama of 9 shots to show the Lady chapel. The main nave and transepts show many original round Norman arches. From the outside it is a very solid and square red stone building.