Tag Archives: historic

The Shambles

The Shambles
“The Shambles” — People walk along a narrow street in the Shambles, York.

We broke up our train ride from Edinburgh and London with a short visit to York during our United Kingdom trip earlier this year. It was quite a varied trip, starting with shoreline towns to the west in Scotland, then walking the Great Glen Way to Inverness, visiting a few other urban areas of Scotland, and finally concluding in London. The train trip from Edinburgh to London is fairly long, so it seemed like a good idea to break it in two and spend a couple nights here.

“The Shambles” are (is?) a well-known feature of the old part of York. This is an area of narrow, curving streets and tiny businesses crowded together. We visited this section on a cloudy morning when we were looking for coffee and breakfast — needs that were satisfied by a scone shop near when I made the photograph.


G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Holyrood Abbey Ceiling

Holyrood Abbey Ceiling
“Holyrood Abbey Ceiling” — The ceiling vaults of the Holyrood Abbey, Edinburgh, Scotland.

Edinburgh is a busy city, popular with tourists — and there is quite a lot to see there. A lot of the main attractions are found in the Old Town area along the Royal Mile that runs between the hilltop Edinburgh Castle and the Holyrood Palace, a residence of British royalty. The ruins of the Holyrood Abbey are on the grounds of the palace.

The Abbey dates to the 12th century, The suffix “rood” refers to the Holy Cross, There were several versions of the place, and this is the last, most architecturally advanced version. In addition to its religious significance, the site is also connected to Scottish history. The structure eventually fell into disuse and was neglected. An ill-advised attempt to restore and strengthen it ended up adding too much weight and portions collapsed, leaving the ruins that we see today.


G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Point Sur Lighthouse Station

Point Sur Lighthouse Station
“Point Sur Lighthouse Station” — The historic Point Sur Lighthouse Station with Pacific Ocean fog in the background.

There are several striking hills, rocks, mounds like this along California’s coast, almost isolated from land yet tenuously connected by a low peninsula. I think of them as reminders of where the coast was long ago and of the continuous eroding away of the land. This one is Point Sur, between the Carmel area and the town of Big Sur. It houses the historic Point Sur Lighthouse Station — no longer active, but today a state park.

A drive down the Big Sur Coast on the Pacific Coast Highway makes it clear how rugged and isolated is this section of California’s coast. Even today it can feel remote, and the route is subject to frequent closures due to weather and slides. When the lighthouse was established over a century ago, there was no road here, and access was generally by ship. It was not until decades later that an early road to Big Sur was established.


G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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Corridor and Columns

Corridor and Columns
“Corridor and Columns” — A walkway lined with stone columns and topped with stone arches, University of Glasgow.

I have previously shared a few other photographs of almost this exact spot — a walkway beneath a wing of Glasgow University that separates two inner courtyards. These enormous columns support several stories of building above, and these porticos are filled with light and give the courtyards are greater sense of space.

These aren’t easy to photograph, largely due to some light challenges, though composition can also be tricky. Fortunately, because the light comes from the courtyards it is softer and more diffused than it might otherwise be and it fills in the shadows.


G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.