A visit to Brough Castle (and the rain has come)

[Ken Rennie]

We have had blue skies and no rain from the 6th April to the 23rd May so a little rain and some clouds was a good excuse to get out and about with my camera. There has been a fort on this site for almost 2,000 years. Firstly the Romans, housing up to 500 men, and then the English after they captured this part of Cumbria what is now Northern England from the Scots in the late 12thC. The castle has been much fought over but its present state is due to neglect and not warfare. Ken

 

[Michael13]

The darker skies suit the rocky walls well. Looks built to survive a siege. Fascinating history!

 

[AlanLichty]

Neat old structures. Time and gravity do tend to take their toll but that also adds a nice charm to the scene for us as photographers.

Judging by its location on a prominent point in the terrain its history might be older than the Romans. They just happen to be the most extensive early builders to leave their mark. They have a long track record of extensive site preparation for their structures that often removes any traces of earlier occupancy. Strategic locations like this often get reused a lot but the problem in determining who was first is what we can find to identify the occupants.

 

[JimFox]

What a super cool castle! I really need to get back to the UK and go castle hopping again. This one is a super cool castle, I appreciate the history about it as well.

I think the first and the last ones are my favorite.

I had been noticing you haven't been around as much recently, has it been due to the lack of clouds?

 

[Beth]

great set, love the drama in the second one and the light in the last two.

 

[MonikaC]

#1 & 3 really show how undulating the terrain is. It's accentuated by the precision in the structures.

 

[John Holbrook]

Ken, beautifully captured images—I especially favor the first and last of the set. Nice.

 

[Ken Rennie]

Thanks everybody, I am really busy at the moment and do not have any time to reply. Ken

 

[Trent Watts]

I love your take on this ancient castle. Really beautiful Ken.

 

[Aaron Cowan]

The second and last image are my favorites. Very nice moody contrast and comp.

 

[Ken Rennie]

The darker skies suit the rocky walls well. Looks built to survive a siege. Fascinating history!

Hi Michael, the castle was one of the defences against cross border raids from the Scots

 

[Ken Rennie]

Neat old structures. Time and gravity do tend to take their toll but that also adds a nice charm to the scene for us as photographers.

Judging by its location on a prominent point in the terrain its history might be older than the Romans. They just happen to be the most extensive early builders to leave their mark. They have a long track record of extensive site preparation for their structures that often removes any traces of earlier occupancy. Strategic locations like this often get reused a lot but the problem in determining who was first is what we can find to identify the occupants.

Hi Alan. There are a string of castles along this route all built by the same ruling family. Few pre-roman structures until you get to the far North where the Roman's didn't bother going. Ken

 

[Ken Rennie]

What a super cool castle! I really need to get back to the UK and go castle hopping again. This one is a super cool castle, I appreciate the history about it as well.

I think the first and the last ones are my favorite.

I had been noticing you haven't been around as much recently, has it been due to the lack of clouds?

Hi Jim, partly the weather but I have been busy doing other things as well. In the end we had 7 weeks without rain, with a huge high pressure blocker over Denmark. Every day the atmosphere got "thicker" and the visibility worsened. Unfortunately we also had winds every day so no chance of getting soft pastel sunrises over placid lakes but we have had a little rain over the last week. We are officially in drought after a fairly dry Winter we have had the driest Spring on record. Our reservoirs are only half full and should be 90+% at this time so a warm dry summer and we will have a problem. My wife is having trouble with her vegetables and fruit and we have just cut the grass in the garden for the first time this year so this Autumn's harvest will be poor, not just our little patch but the farms around here as well. As a rule farmers here do not irrigate their crops, usually no need, but climate change may change that.

 

[Ken Rennie]

I love your take on this ancient castle. Really beautiful Ken.

Thank you Trent