Local Heroes - Architecture


	A small detail of this former railway station at Leicester sends out a powerful message of decay and dilapidation.

Why travel far and wide to seek out those winning architectural images, when there are perfectly acceptable options much closer to home? It's a solid fact that we always tend to look with rose-tinted spectacles at more distant locations, while blindly ignoring equally excellent opportunities almost in our own back yard. So throw off those blinkers and take a fresh look at your local scene - there are probably several architectural gems right there under your nose.

To illustrate this point, I have included a few shots taken within very close proximity to various Midlands locations I've lived at over the years. None of these places could be described as beauty spots or top of the list of tourist attractions, and some places such as Peterborough are often held up as somewhere you pass through on the way to somewhere else, but not a place to reside in, surely. Well, I beg to differ, and feel even the most unpromising environment has its merits, providing you are prepared to get out there and winkle them out.


My aim with this street scene was to capture the hustle and bustle of the shopping centre and the juxtaposition of old and modern architecture.

As the River Welland winds through Spalding, it takes on a romantic appearance not unlike Amsterdam!

Take the shot of a former depot at a Leicester railway station, for instance. As far as I know, nobody makes a beeline for this red-brick city to view its architectural attractions, and yet from my time there I used to roam around and find all kinds of weird and wonderful places. Some of the modern additions to the city were quite striking, and there were frequent echoes of former glories too. That's the message I was trying to transmit with this image, as what was once a glorious ornate facade for a bustling parcel depot is now a shabby industrial unit, is being slowly colonised by plants and is clearly in terminal decline.

Few would describe Kettering as the jewel of the Midlands, but I found it to be a fascinating mixture of traditional and modern buildings and a handy source of pictures. It felt to me like a small but bustling kind of town, and it was these ingredients I wanted to combine into one image. That shot came together in the inauspicious surroundings of a shopping centre entrance, where glass and steel contrasted superbly with a half-timbered and decorative facade opposite. To avoid freezing the motion of the people in shot and distracting the eye from the architectural content, a slow shutter speed of 1/15sec was set along with a small aperture to give front to back sharpness.

There's always an opportunity to make an unsung destination look so appealing that your picture encourages people to go there. That's exactly how I felt when capturing this view of Spalding. To me it appears to be more like Amsterdam than what is commonly perceived to be sleepy corner of Lincolnshire, but that's part of the beauty of photography - it has the ability to elevate as well as show warts and all.


	Two shots taken within a few miles of each other in Rutland, yet they could hardly be further apart in subject matter, lighting or composition.

Now it's back on the political map, Rutland may be the smallest county in England, but it boasts a plethora of intriguing buildings and places and I've spent many a day combing its towns and villages as it was so close to where I lived. Both the industrial shot at sunset and the old stocks surrounded by daffodils were shot there - two pictures which could hardly be further apart in content or lighting.

Apart from finding photogenic buildings and structures by accident as you roam around your locality, there are other ways to locate potential subjects. I'd recommend a visit to the local tourist or information office if there is one, and spend some time sifting through the brochures and pamphlets on nearby attractions and places of interest. There may well be several spots you simply overlooked as they are so close, such as a stately home, museum or historical fortress. A library is also good place to glean local information.


	An intriguing, colourful and sculptural assortment of tubes found in nearby Corby swimming pool.

Another good plan is to invest a few quid in a detailed local map, such as those produced by Ordnance Survey. You'll be amazed at the fascinating details and places there are in your vicinity, so apart from film and lenses equip yourself with a good map and some comfortable walking shoes.

To further underline my theory that strong shots can be taken locally, I've just undertaken a photographic exercise to see what pictures I could obtain within a couple of mile radius of my present whereabouts in the West Midlands. Property prices may be steep in Warwick, but living here certainly has some benefits including easy access to the M40, M42 and M6 motorways. It also boasts great local scenery plus a rich historical and architectural heritage. Surely bags of potential for a few well chosen architectural statements, I thought.


Look out for local jewels such as this amazing Horseshoe museum in Oakham, Rutland.

That's exactly how it worked out, and here are just six of a couple of dozen images I rattled off in a couple of days. What's more I didn't even spend a penny on petrol as I walked or cycled to all the places within a small radius of home. I may be at an advantage to some in that I have only recently moved to this area after living for twenty one years in another part of the country. What this has done in my case is refresh a perhaps jaded visual acumen, and heightened the awareness of my new surroundings. I may not exactly be born again, but I certainly feel keen, sharp and visually stimulated. House moving may be stressful and expensive, but this aspect is a free side benefit!


	This lovely gable end detail was spotted at the entrance to a local up-market hotel.

No collection of Warwick images would be complete without a view of its world-famous castle, and I've included a shot of this magnificent structure here. But I also wanted to make the point that you must look beyond the obvious, and that's what the remaining five pictures are about - observation of other buildings - both ancient and modern - that caught my eye.

I believe this collection of pictures proves my case conclusively - now it's your turn to open your eyes to what's available in your region and get cracking with that camera.

Warwick is dominated by its famous castle, and I wanted to portray it in this fashion, so chose a low viewpoint to enhance its looming masses.

Rather smaller in scale, but I spotted this castle attached high up on a wall of a Warwick house.

Using a medium telephoto I framed this section of a half-timbered building to produce a graphic composition.

With Warwick being a predominantly historical town there aren't too many notable modern buildings. But I was very taken with these metal birds paddling in the water outside some council offices.

It was the ornate ironwork and the shadow it cast that attracted me to this pub shot.

Don't forget to look for details, such as this superb doorknocker.