An upside down world

Posted on September 22, 2016September 25, 2018 by photograph

An upside down world

After a month away it was exciting to see how much had changed at The Depot Cinema in Lewes, where this week’s photo is from. I could begin to see how the interior spaces will work together as the rooms take shape, delineated by honey-coloured grids of wood. The day of my visit was blisteringly hot but a hard rain from the previous day had left large puddles of water. I love finding reflections when I am photographing. They sometimes help me to see the world in a different way.

The Depot Cinema have hired me to document the renovations of this disused industrial building in the centre of Lewes as it becomes a new community cinema. They use my photographs to keep local residents informed about what is happening on site and to build excitement about the project.

If you have a workplace, building project or event that you are thinking of photographing, please get in touch. I deliver photographs that delve deeper than showing just the surface of things. Subscribe to my blog to receive my photo of the week directly to your inbox.

Ancient window

Posted on September 9, 2016September 25, 2018 by photograph

Ancient window

I am back in the saddle again after my summer break. This week’s shot comes from Southover Grange, where I am documenting the renovation of an Elizabethan Manor with a fascinating history, situated in the centre of Lewes. One past incarnation for the building was that of registry office and at the end of this restoration it will rise again as a wonderful wedding venue.

Southover Grange is owned by the East Sussex County Council. They have hired me to document the renovations of this well-loved building, using my photographs to promote the project and keep residents informed about the progress that is being made.

If you have a workplace, building project or event that you are thinking of photographing, please get in touch.

Beautiful rubbish

Posted on June 30, 2016October 8, 2018 by photograph

Beautiful rubbish

The builders have been litter-picking at Southover Grange, the Tudor manor in Lewes that I am photographing. But this is rubbish with a difference. This detritus from the past is in fact a cigarette packet-sized window into another era. The workers have collected a very small treasure trove of artefacts from the first decades of the 20th century: a toothpaste carton, a razor blade wrapper, shoe polish, match boxes, cigarette packets of varying designs. Not only are these lovely little objects fascinating as relics of bygone product design, they also start my imagination going. Who was smoking these “wild woodbines” 70 years ago? What were their lives? How did they spend their time?

It is this curiosity that drives my passion for photographing renovations. Old buildings always hold windows into the past – hand chisel marks on stonework revealed beneath ancient lathe and plaster, layers of colour and wallpaper uncovered below peeling paint. By documenting the restoration of buildings, I keep these clues available to us once all has been glossed over and the buildings have begun their next incarnation. All photographs of Southover Grange can be found here.

Orange was the old beige

Posted on June 16, 2016September 25, 2018 by photograph

Orange was the old beige

One of these things is not like the other … I can never resist bright colours in what is usually a bland setting, such as Lewes Railway Station. Unfortunately the column was only temporarily orange, but interestingly, it was the colour that was revealed under layers of paint. I like to think that in another era the columns were all bright orange and not the beige they are now.

More of my townscape photos can be found here, quite a few of which have more orange in them.

If you have a workplace, project or event that you are thinking of photographing, please get in touch. Subscribe to my blog to receive my photo of the week directly to your inbox.

The scaffolding birdcage

Posted on June 10, 2016September 25, 2018 by photograph

The scaffolding birdcage

My photo of the week of a scaffolding birdcage, is an update on the Depot cinema construction site. There is great anticipation in Lewes about this building. For years it was empty and unused once it had become obsolete as a depot for Harvey’s Brewery. Now it is in the throws of transforming into a community cinema. No wonder people are excited about it. I have been hired by the cinema to document the process of the building works. They use my photographs to keep local residents informed and to broadcast the progress being made.

On my latest visit this intricate scaffolding structure, called a birdcage, was being taken down. It was being put up during my last visit a month ago to provide wide areas of continuous access at roof level. I was fascinated with the repeating shapes and angles the birdcage made, which were then reflected in the puddles of water on the floor. At this point in the build everything changes so quickly that it will look very different by the next time I visit with my camera.

If you have a workplace, building project or event that you are thinking of photographing, please get in touch.

Southover Grange, Lewes

Posted on May 19, 2016September 25, 2018 by photograph

Southover Grange, Lewes

I am so excited to be able to write about the start of a new project. I will be documenting the renovations of Southover Grange Manor, a magnificent Elizabethan building in the centre of Lewes and around the corner from where I live. This imposing house, built in 1572 of stones pilfered from the ruins of the nearby Lewes Priory, has been closed for years. Planning permission has now been granted to renovate and restore this historic site so that it can be used by the community to celebrate weddings and events.

I got to wander around its many corridors and rooms on my own before the builders moved in. I love the start of a project as I begin to discover the nooks and crannies of a place that I know I will be drawn back to again and again as it evolves over time.

If you have a workplace, building project or event that you are thinking of photographing, please get in touch. Subscribe to my blog to receive my photo of the week directly to your inbox.

Category: photo of the week