Colin Griffiths
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colingriffiths.bsky.social
Colin Griffiths
@colingriffiths.bsky.social
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Leicestershire, England. Currently exploring the heritage and landscape of Charnwood Forest with a camera.
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In 1868, The Birch Tree Inn was listed in Frederick Mott's guide to #CharnwoodForest as "close to the foot of Bardon Hill" on the Leics-Ashby turnpike. It was run by Mr T Hill, having one sitting room, two bedrooms, a coach house and a stable.
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Morning sunlight catches the rendering on a roadside public house. Behind are grey clouds.
September 2, 2025 at 4:08 PM
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Heathland scenery, North Knoll, Warren Hills
#APlaceOutOfPlace  #CharnwoodForest
A summer's evening sunshine lights up rocks, heather and bushes on a heathland. The sky is clear, with only a hint of cloud.
August 31, 2025 at 8:35 PM
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Grace Dieu Manor House was built in 1834 by Ambrose de Lisle. He had converted to Catholisism a few years earlier and it was his hope that the Manor would become the base for Charnwood’s Catholic Mission. 
#APlaceOutOfPlace  #CharnwoodForest
#OnePlaceWednesday #OnePlaceStudies
A Victorian mansion stands behind a lawn under a hazy sky
August 27, 2025 at 10:10 AM
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Woodland, Ulverscroft: the dappled light and freshness of late spring.
#APlaceOutOfPlace  #CharnwoodForest
A woodland scene in late spring. Dappled sunlight, fresh green vegetation and a winding path.
August 22, 2025 at 8:03 PM
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Morley Quarry, Shepshead: A teenager sits on top of the quarry. In contrast, the rocks below him are estimated to have been formed 580 million years ago, and are the oldest known in Charnwood Forest.
#APlaceOutOfPlace  #CharnwoodForest
A summer evening in a disused Leicestershire quarry. Sunlight illuminates the rock face, and in the foreground there is a drift of field daisies.
August 17, 2025 at 9:18 AM
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17th Century Inn, Thurcaston - The name 'Wheatsheaf Inn' was first painted on the roof in 1957. Despite receiving complaints and an order from the County Council to remove it, the writing has remained in place.
#APlaceOutOfPlace  #CharnwoodForest
#OnePlaceWednesday #OnePlaceStudies
Early morning sunlight lights up a village pub against a blue sky
August 13, 2025 at 3:56 PM
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Volcaniclastic Sandstone, Warren Hills
A lovely sculptured rocky knoll, lit by the evening sun.
#APlaceOutOfPlace  #CharnwoodForest
A rocky ridge with trees in the background is lit by the sun as the clouds dissipate in the evening sky
August 10, 2025 at 4:22 PM
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Ulverscroft Mill was originally a three-story structure erected in 1800, with a 10ft overshot wheel. It was managed by Thomas Platts, whose father oversaw the windmill situated at the summit of Old John, Bradgate Park. It ceased working between 1936 and 1941
#APlaceOutOfPlace  #CharnwoodForest
A ruined watermill, overgrown with ivy and surrounded by trees, is lit by winter sunshine under a blue sky.
August 8, 2025 at 5:31 PM
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Rural scene, Ulverscroft.
#APlaceOutOfPlace  #CharnwoodForest
Evening sunlight illuminates a stone wall and a hay field with a solitary cow.
August 3, 2025 at 11:04 AM
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Bracken and stone walls are two quintessential features of #CharnwoodForest. Before the enclosure and the stone walls, squatters lived here in hovels and burned bracken to make lye, a cleaning agent used in the local textile industries.
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A grey stone wall diagonally cuts across deep drifts of green bracken.
July 30, 2025 at 2:33 PM
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After a storm, Timberwood Hill and a view over northwest Leicestershire. This is one of the few places in the county where bilberry flourishes.

#APlaceOutOfPlace  #CharnwoodForest
A rainbow after a thunderstorm in CHarnwood Forest. The view extends over northwest Leicestershire, with the Belvoir escarpment just visible in the far distance.
July 27, 2025 at 9:40 AM
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Bardon Hill, 912ft 
In 1840, Queen Adelaide, the Queen Dowager, visited the top of Leicestershire's highest hill and expressed her admiration of “the wonderful prospect”, which includes the Malvern Hills 60 miles away.

#APlaceOutOfPlace  #CharnwoodForest
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The quarried southern face of Bardon Hill rises above the surrounding landscape of Leicestershire, set against blue sky and light clouds on a summer's evening.
July 23, 2025 at 8:57 AM
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Cademan St, Whitwick
Trotters Independent Trading (TIT)

#APlaceOutOfPlace an exploration of  #CharnwoodForest
#Photography
A yellow Reliant Robin three-wheeler, an Only Fools and Horses replica, parked in suburban Whitwick.
July 20, 2025 at 8:47 AM
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Belvoir Angel, St John The Baptist, Whitwick
See Alt Text for details about this gravestone, which I was pleased to have noticed.

#APlaceOutOfPlace an exploration of  #CharnwoodForest
#Photography #LandscapePhotography
#OnePlaceWednesday #OnePlaceStudies
Here lies the body of Mary the wife of Hen Burton She died Oct 18th 1724 aged 51 years. So fare [far] and near you'll hardly find another So good a wife and very kind a mother  In all her actions she was very kind And will be hard for to slip out of mind Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord.  Rev 14.13 To my surprise and delight, I noticed a Swithland slate “Belvoir Angel” in this churchyard (they are normally found in the northeastern regions of the county). The remarkable script was meticulously hand-engraved over three centuries ago, and the stone mason skillfully incorporated a section in sunken relief. Above, there is a damaged “Belvoir Angel” characterised by its typical ruff and downturned wings. Notably, several of these angels have experienced similar damage, leading to the hypothesis that they may have been defaced by individuals who disapproved of the underlying symbolism. Despite the masterful engraving skills of the stone mason, numerous inscriptions exhibit spacing errors, spelling mistakes, and grammatical errors, as evident in this particular example.
July 16, 2025 at 8:22 AM
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Forest Road, Markfield
Keep calm and steam on!

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On a hot summer day, a red steam roller trundles up Forest Rd, Markfield, past some Victorian terraced houses.
July 13, 2025 at 10:17 AM
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Ulverscroft Priory
See Alt Text

#APlaceOutOfPlace an exploration of  #CharnwoodForest
#Photography #LandscapePhotography
#OnePlaceWednesday #OnePlaceStudies
Founded in 1134, dissolved in 1639 and described in 1927 as 'in an advanced stage of decay, covered in ivy, with up to three feet of dirt and occupied by pigs, cows and chickens', the priory was once a centre of local wealth. The Prior enjoyed a rich life, and at the dissolution the estate was worth £83,108 and included large quantities of livestock, a pack of hounds and 11 hawks.  The Victorians saw the ruins through a very romantic lens. In 1838, Thomas Featherstone waxed lyrical with the words, 'Ulverscroft! - thy solemn ruins alternate with the livery of Winter and of Spring - snows whiten thy grey battlements, and the warm sunshine glitters through thy deserted halls, as year after year thou crumbiest into dust! The owl immures herself in thy quiet gloom -the spectral bat wheels around thy lonely turret". 
July 9, 2025 at 9:12 AM
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Bardon Hill Quarry Extension.
Charnwood’s landscape was formed over 600 million years. Yet almost every feature in this scene, except for the right-hand-side hill in the distance and the mature trees, is less than 10 years old.

#APlaceOutOfPlace and exploration of #CharnwoodForest
A view of a large mineral quarry. The rock and red mudstones are lit by sunshine and set against a clear blue sky.
July 6, 2025 at 8:17 PM
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Bradgate House, one of the country's first unfortified houses, is thought to be the birthplace of Lady Jane Grey, the nine-day queen of England.

#APlaceOutOfPlace an exploration of  #CharnwoodForest
#Photography #LandscapePhotography
#OnePlaceWednesday #OnePlaceStudies
Bright sunlight illuminates the ruined brick walls of a medieval country house.
July 2, 2025 at 8:14 AM
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The view south towards High Sharpley, Whitwick, on a midsummer's evening.
#APlaceOutOfPlace an exploration of  #CharnwoodForest
#Photography #LandscapePhotography
June 29, 2025 at 9:54 AM
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This rectangular moat marks the remote site of Bardon Hall (demolished in 1840), where, after the 1662 Act of Uniformity, clandestine Non-Conformist meetings took place.

#APlaceOutOfPlace an exploration of  #CharnwoodForest
#Photography #LandscapePhotography
#OnePlaceWednesday #OnePlaceStudies
The sky is reflected in an old moat, surrounding a more recent farmhouse.
June 25, 2025 at 7:29 PM
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Gate Cottage, Charnwood Lodge Drive
Somewhat colder weather!

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June 22, 2025 at 10:10 AM
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St James The Greater, Oaks In Charnwood.
This church was originally consecrated on June 18th, 1815, the same day as the Battle of Waterloo. Six lances from the battlefield hang on the left-hand wall.

#APlaceOutOfPlace an exploration of  #CharnwoodForest
#OnePlaceWednesday #OnePlaceStudies
A view of a church aisle, there are pews on both sides and ahead is a stained glass window.
June 18, 2025 at 8:34 AM
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Ives Head From Heather Field
In spring, this acid grassland on the LRWT reserve comes alive with insects, stonechats perch on the gorse, and chiffchaffs fill the air with their simple song. It is a lovely spot to sit and take it all in.

#APlaceOutOfPlace an exploration of  #CharnwoodForest
Evening sunlight illuminates one of Charnwood Forest's ridges and an impressive bank of clouds
June 15, 2025 at 9:19 AM
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Greater Stitchwort, Grace Dieu Woods
Nature makes the best arrangements, with these flowers seeking the light before their companion plants quickly overtake them.

#APlaceOutOfPlace an exploration of  #CharnwoodForest
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White, star like flowers peep above a fresh flush of green spring growth of a woodland floor.
June 12, 2025 at 8:26 AM
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Hobby Hall, Copt Oak Rd, Markfield
Local stone, brick (some rendered), and Welsh slate; an intriguing arrangement of conjoined outbuildings. It make me wonder which parts were original or add-ons.

#APlaceOutOfPlace an exploration of  #CharnwoodForest
#Photography #LandscapePhotography
The slates on a derelict farmhouse roof and road surface reflect light on a wet day.
June 8, 2025 at 1:52 PM