graveyard

A glimpse of Brontë country

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Haworth is a picturesque Yorkshire village famous for being the home of literary giants the Brontës.

It’s a train and bus ride away from my home in Manchester, and I paid a visit on a sunny autumn day.

Enjoy the photographs and read more below

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When you arrive in Howarth on the Brontë bus from Hebden Bridge you’re drawn up hilly Main Street, lined with dark stone cottages and a plethora of shops and eating stops for visitors.

At the top of the hill is the little parish church and parsonage, home to the Brontë family and the sisters who penned Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre among others there.

Howarth Parsonage, home of the Brontës

The Brontës lived at Howarth Parsonage

The graveyard is filled with old headstones and was intensely atmospheric yet peaceful under the dappled autumn sunlight.

It’s impossible not to contemplate where the Brontës trod and what their lives were like in this remote place.

There are various pathways leading out of the village and to the beautiful surrounding countryside. You can take a lengthy hike to the Brontë waterfall or a gentler meander to Howarth viewpoints like I did.

A last essential stop was a delicious plate of pie and chips at The Fleece Inn, one of Howarth’s surprisingly numerous pubs.

The village is a real mecca for literary types and casual tourists alike and can get very busy. A weekday out of season would be my tip for a contemplative, memorable visit.

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The last sunshine

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The last sunshineThis photograph marks a break from the bold colours and staggering light of Fuerteventura. The scene is back in the softer light of Essex in the UK, where summer is struggling to take hold.

But it’s late evening and the last vestiges of sunlight reach into this verdant corner, catching some insects in its rays. This small graveyard belongs to the Quaker church in Maldon and is at the back of my mother’s home.

I noticed this looking out of the window and was struck by its tranquility and stillness – apart from the fluttering insects playfully absorbing the warmth.

The composition hinges on the right of the frame, while the dark, lush vegetation of this rarely touched corner creates a good contrast with the sunshine. I think it sums up the mood I felt with this scene.

A London sanctuary

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Hackney in London is busy, brash, full-on and thoroughly inner city urban. You pass through here to reach a peaceful, inspiring patch of green in nearby Stoke Newington.

Abney Park Cemetery is a beautiful patchwork of resting places for Londoners passed, and has become a woodland sanctuary, criss-crossed with paths. Modern city dwellers use it as a place to walk their dogs, go for a jog and enjoy the peace and quiet.

In the middle of the cemetery is a chapel with a lofty spire, long since disused and a shell which diffuses the light and is fascinating for the photographer, along with the woodland setting and the numerous tombstones that fill the grounds.

Click on the first image to launch the full size gallery

Last month, Abney was the venue for the world premiere of the London Requiem, a new piece of classical music by composer Benjamin Till, based on memorials to Londoners. A recording of the performance and how the work was created can be found on Arts website The Space.

SEE ALSO: REST IN PEACE?

Rest in peace?

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A recent walk along the Thames brought me to the quiet, somewhat hidden cemetery of the old Chiswick parish church. It’s a beautiful place, and I took my first graveyard shots.

A cluster of older tombstones are adjacent to the church, including that of 18th century artist and social commentator William Hogarth.

Weathered by time, these stones are full of character and beauty and can be captured in numerous ways. Taking pictures of the inscriptions, I wondered what stories lay behind these long-gone names and lives.

As you move deeper into the cemetery, the tombstones become more recent. They look perhaps less romantic and photogenic, while it seemed inappropriate to take shots of gravestones of the more recently departed.

Another project I have in mind is to capture a graveyard in various states of light, including the long shadows of sunset and dusk – even some night photography.

Many would say this is too creepy, but they are places of rest and peace that are frozen in time. On the one hand, this atmosphere can be captured on a single frame.

 

But does anyone think that graveyards are sacred places and shouldn’t be photographed? Should their inhabitants be left to rest in peace?