Mark Edwards, 1985
- The Nude as abstract - from 'New Encyclopedia of Photography'
When taking still-life or portrait photographs, there are certain conventions that are nearly always adhered to. Lighting, for example, is usually arranged so that one shadow only is cast and the effect will, in general, suggest daylight; extreme wide-angle or telephoto lenses are not often used because they distort the subject. All these conventions can be put aside when photographing the nude as an abstract form.
Wendy Bristow 2011
- Guide to the Church of St Michael and All Angels Colwich
A number of local families are commemorated with a variety of memorials both inside and outside the church. The most notable are the Whitby, Wolseley, Anson, Trubshaw and Sparrow families. Comments about all of the commemorative plaques contained within the church would be lengthy, therefore only those of significance are mentioned here.
Father Brian Doolan
- The South Aisle - in guidebook for St Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham, UK
At the top of the south aisle on one of the ceiling panels is painted the inscription Deo Gratias November 22 1940. It marks the place where an incendiary bomb fell through the roof during the Second World War. The bomb bounced on the floor and then exploded against one of the radiators, which burst. The water extinguished the bomb and the Cathedral survived the war intact.
ed. D. J. Simkin
- Tong - in 'A Guide to some Staffordshire Churches'
The charming and attractive village of Tong stands in the midst of undulating country. The Church of St Bartholomew is well-known for its great wealth of late mediaeval treasures, and it is no doubt a most outstanding building. The main fabric of the church dates from the early years of the the 15th century, having been founded by Lady Elizabeth de Pembrugge in the year 1430 in memory of her husband Sir Fulke de Pembrugge, having previously founded a charity college adjoining the church.
Michael Raven; 1988
- Stanton - in 'Staffordshire and the Black Country
Gilbert Sheldon, Archbishop of Canterbury, was born at Stanton in 1598. His father was Lord Shrewsbury's steward and the cottage in which Gilbert was born still stands in the middle of the village. Though his parents were poor he accumulated great wealth and became Chancellor of Oxford University. He paid for the theatre built in Oxford by Sir Christopher Wren, which was named The Sheldonian (1669) after him. He died in 1677 and was buried in Croydon.
Michael Raven; 1988
- Amblecote - in 'Staffordshire and the Black Country'
The name means 'the cottage by the river' (or sandbank), but today it is an industrial suburb of Stourbridge. It developed rapidly in the 19th Century. Glass making a nd fire-clay mining were its most important industries. The church is of yellow brick, built in 184104 by Samuel Heming. the centre of the Corbett Hospital is a Georgian house of nine bays with a Venetian window at the back and a handsome staircase. This actually lies in Worcestershire.
P J Hunt
- Sundials - In 'What to look for outside a church'
You will usually find sundials standing on a pedestal or column. The dial itself - in both sundials and scratch dials - is marked out in lines radiating from a central point and which represent hours, half-hours, and so on. In the centre is a metal rod, called gnomon or style, which casts a shadow onto the dial. When the sun is strong enough, you can tell the time by noting where the shadow falls on the dial. Some dials are puzzling, because they have marks where no shadow could ever rest.
