Whilst the weather gods spared us from rain, they bestowed us with a very cloudy and overcast evening and generally poor lighting conditions. Nevertheless, a number of members met in the center of Malmesbury and visited the main sights such as the Market Cross and the 12th century Abbey and its grounds.

After having explored many of the viewpoints that each attraction offered, we adjourned to a local hostelry for a well deserved drink and to chat about photographic matters in their widest sense.

With a dark and ominous looking sky at 6.30 pm, some intrepid club members set off on the journey to Cricklade for our second photoshoot of the summer. By the time the short journey had been completed the sky had cleared and we were bathed in evening sunshine. After photographing the Jubilee Clock outside the Vale Hotel, we made our way to St Sampson’s parish church. Unfortunately we were not able to access the interior of the building but instead focused on its imposing structure and the various crosses in the churchyard.

From there we walked the High Street, passing St Mary’s church and some fine Georgian town houses before reaching the Town bridge and the curiously named “The Stank”. A group of boy scouts and guides were building a wooden bridge to cross the River Thames which provided some interesting observations. The Cornishman in our group spotted the fact that the Red Lion offered St Austell Brewery beers so we finished the evening with a well deserved pint.

To ease ourselves into the Summer photoshoot programme that runs from June until end August, the Town Gardens in Swindon was selected as our first location to visit. For once the weather gods looked upon us favourably and, after an overcast day, the sun appeared and we were able to enjoy a pleasant evening glow.

Laid out in a former quarry of Purbeck stone, owned by the Goddard family, the gardens offer a variety of features including an aviary, small pond, cherry tree lined central path, rose garden, flower displays, bandstand and a sunken garden. So there was a good range of subjects to photograph and the opportunity to experiment with some less familiar camera settings.

An unusual feature along the northern boundary of the rectangular garden is an entrance porch with iron turnstiles and brick pillars that leads to a domed bandstand in Art Deco style, called the Concert Bowl. In normal times this hosts musical events but access is currently not allowed.

The tranquil atmosphere is the gardens made for a relaxing time, wandering around and trying to capture some images that the other attendees may not have spotted.

For our visit to Mouldon Hill Country Park, the weather gods were relatively kind to us – the rain held off and the sun appeared at the start of the evening. Members congregated in the car park and then walked around the lake and explored the River Ray. No one found the North Wilts canal that flows through the park. Also the 100 metre gill over the River Ray proved elusive but we weren’t entirely sure what we were looking for and perhaps we just didn’t walk far enough to find it!

Mouldon Hill Park Lake

 After an initial burst of sunshine, the light rapidly deteriorated and resulted in a premature end to the visit. However by this time the attendees had enjoyed some fresh air, exercise and the opportunity to capture some peaceful images of the lake and its surroundings. The foragers amongst us noted the numerous blackberry and sloe bushes, which will require a separate visit.

With weather warnings in place for thunderstorms, the photoshoot planned for Tuesday 11th August has been postponed for a week to August 18th 2020.

Our second summer photoshoot took place in Calne where we explored the town’s historic Heritage Quarter, This is an area within the town that is full of character and charm. Some of the main sights include the Proclamation Steps, St Mary’s Church, the Green, the Heritage Centre and the tiny Almshouses. The town’s historical connection with the cloth industry is evidenced by Weavers House at The Green which for five centuries was the heart of the cloth making industry following an influx of Flemish weavers who settled here in the 1300s..

Famous people associated with the town include Joseph Priestley, the man who ‘discovered’ oxygen and Jan Ingen Housz, the man who identified photosynthesis, poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge and the Harris Brothers, whose bacon factory was a huge employer in the area. 

We will meet around 6.30 pm in the free car parks in The Pippin opposite Sainsburys.

From there there is a path with a bridge over the River Marden onto the start of Church Street. There is also a bridge further down the road at a place known locally as Doctors Pond, named after Dr Joseph Priestly who discovered oxygen whilst staying at Bowood House in 1774. This path leads into Mill Street which has some quite old cottages and the Proclamation Steps, where results of elections were announced. The old water mill is visible on the left

Further on is a recreation ground where there is a plaque for a Calne man who ran the fastest time for a mile but was not recorded as he was a professional athlete. Kingsbury Street has a row of tiny almshouses and opens out on to The Green which is where wealthy owners from cloth making lived.

On the Strand is the Lansdowne Arms hotel with a steep hill running up to its left called Castle Hill and the Grade 2 listed Town Hall building opened in 1886