Touching history...

The very impressive Salmesbury Hall lies 6 miles east of Preston. It was built in 1325 by Gilbert de Southworth and was the home of the Southworth family until the early 17th Century

The beautiful wattle and daub building is Grade 1 listed and still exudes all the atmosphere of a medieval family home.

The black and white exterior is stunning as is the hammer beam ceiling in the Great Hall

The impressive Elizabethan fireplace was built in 1545

Salmesbury Hall was the home of Saint John Southworth, one of the English Catholic Martyrs, who was executed in 1654.

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Snowdrops...

This cold, but bright, February morning was just right for walk around 

Gorse Hill Nature Reserve

Aughton

Lancashire 

Gorse Hill is an 85 acre site nestled on the northern and western slopes of Gaw Hill, a sandstone ridge with views across the Lancashire plain.

The snowdrops are just starting to peep through, and even though they need just a little more sunshine, they still look magical.

Galanthus (snowdrop; Greek gála "milk", ánthos "flower")

" Beneath these ice-pure sepals lay

A triplet of green-pencilled snow,

Which in the chill-aired gloom of day

Stirred softly to and fro"

The Snowdrop by Walter de la Mare

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There's a famous seaside place called ...Blackpool

"There’s a famous seaside place called Blackpool,

That’s noted for fresh air and fun...."

Marriot Edgar

The Beautiful Blues in Blackpool

On a recent day visit to Blackpool there were lots of interesting things to photograph and this amazing blue sky made everything look quite special.

Peering at the Pier....

A trip to St Annes-on-Sea on the beautiful Fylde coast allowed a glimpse into life at the seaside


St Annes is much more sedate than its naughty neighbour, Blackpool and echoes of St Annes Victorian past still resonates within its small town charm.


The Victorian Pier was completed in 1885.

The glory of its architecture is still to be seen in the shape of its wooden slats and iron crossbars.

A little rusty now but no less dramatic for the erosion of time and tide

And the perfectly precise alignment 

 

really is

 

a Victorian work of art.

 A little bit of flotsam  catches the light.

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