A Passion For Portals

This morning I read a fabulous blog by Cenya aka the extremely talented Emerald Window (see my blog goodies list) based on her fascination for old doors; a passion I confess I also share. I'd actually extend it a little to include most types of portals - doors, gates and windows, particularly those that have aged and weathered over time. There's a certain mystery about them, a sense of history and of things which have gone before. It's become something of an obsession of mine if I'm entirely honest and the ever obliging Ian is well used to my yelling 'Stop the Car' if ever we pass by something of particular interest. Thankfully I've learnt to take my camera with me to capture some of these more interesting finds including this particular gem;



situated at the side of the road which gave no clue as to what once lay behind it. No driveway, no path, no garden, no ruined building; just a tangle of trees and weeds and mystery.

Often as not, we'll come across interesting doorways in many of the old churches or stately homes we've visited in our 16 years together, such as this gem found in a church in Wilton;



or this ancient stone staircase leading to an upper floor at Old Wardour Castle;



My choice of name over on Deviant Art 'GothicBohemian' and 'GothicBohemianStock' derives from my love of Gothic architecture and my adventures travelling around trying to photograph such things. I'm continually amazed at the attention to detail afforded to even the smallest of doorways in an age where Churches and Monasteries became some of the richest institutes in the land, influencing the design of what was to follow, such as this tiny little doorway found at Hycliffe Castle;



and echoed in this magnificent doorway instigated by Mary Seton Watts as part of the Memorial Chapel dedicated to her late husband, the Victorian artist G.F Watts;



There's an entire blog in the making which centres around Mary and the manner in which she went about constructing the memorial, one of my favourite haunts from childhood.

Goodness, I could spout on and on and on about such delights but for now I think I'll just let a few more photos do the talking for me....