Monday, October 26, 2009

Watton Priory Through the Eyes of Simon Marsden


Watton Priory in East Yorkshire is my kind of house: it's riddled with secret cupboards and passages and there is also a river running beneath the building. Although the house is mainly in the style of the Tudors, it also incorporates the remains of an eighth-century nunnery and a medieval priory. You would expect a house such as this to have several ghosts-- and it does--but the two "stars" are both women grieving over their lost children.

If you want to read more about this fascinating (if spooky) house, you'll have to get your hands on a copy of Simon Marsden's The Haunted Realm: Ghosts, Spirits and Their Uncanny Abodes. You can find it at Amazon, or you can go directly to Sir Marsden's website where you can find other items such as greeting cards and prints available for purchase.

But before I leave you, I just have to take another look at Watton Priory. There's something rather judgmental and anticipatory in the way the house sits there. I could swear the house is watching me. Waiting for me.

Some people don't care for black and white photography, and I tend to be one of them. But there are times when it's perfect. Black and white photography is absolutely perfect for these places with sad and tragic histories, don't you agree?

7 comments:

  1. At first I thought that was a drawing, but on second read-through, I think it's a B&W photo. In any case, don't do spooky very well.

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  2. Ooooh, I'd love to go inside this place. Maybe it's because I'm Scottish, but spooky places like this one really intrigue me. What a house for a murder!

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  3. I wish I had a really deep pocket because that is the kind of house I would love to live in. What a spectacular picture of it.

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  4. I agree that black and white makes it more scary and romantic. The perfect setting for gothic horror.

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  5. those b/w photos are fabulous. i have to check this book out a bit more. thanks

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  6. Beth-- Yes, these are all photographs. I finally seem to have found something that's not a mutual interest.

    Barbara-- I have a lot of Scots blood in me as well. Old places like this have always intrigued me.

    Ryan-- That would be really cool, wouldn't it? :)

    Dorte-- Yes, indeed!

    Diane-- It's a wonderful book. I hope you enjoy it!

    Louise-- I love it!

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