Belsay Castle and Lucky Spot

[paulmurphy]

We had a trip out to Belsay Castle in Northumberland this week and saw Stella McCartneys installation Lucky Spot.

This is made from 8000 Swarovski crystals and it was deisgned to hang in this space - the great hall of the castle, amd catch the light. That is the first floor of the turret you can see in the picture

The castle


The horse




The estate is run by English heritage, and they have a good attitude towards photographers - if you get any good images you can upload them to the site for the castle if you want others to see them

Hope you enjoy looking

Paul

[aster]

Indeed a lovely installation. In fact I like how the proportions of a real horse is maintained in 3Dspace by selecting smart coordinates in space. I presume she might have used a software or a script for the actual calculatios that yield such an anti-gravity yet precise locations.

I can imagine how it must appear when different shades and strenght of daylight or artificial light wash it through day and night.

A nice green environment and a good-looking castle. I envy how English Heritage makes sure they are protected from vandalism and ignorant human inter-action. A place to visit, definitely.

Thanks for sharing Paul.

Yildiz

[Dr. Harout]

The estate is run by English heritage, and they have a good attitude towards photographers - if you get any good images you can upload them to the site for the castle if you want others to see them

Hope you enjoy looking

Paul

Wonderful idea. That's the best way.
The first shot is great. I just love old castles.

[Arun Gaur]

Thanks for showing. I have included in the list of places I would visit some day.

Arun Gaur
http://tripolia-indianlandscapeimages.com

[David Kilpatrick]

Belsay is a triple hit. You get one old castle (as shown), one huge Georgian mansion with the most amazing echoing cellars, and gardens which include a ravine-gorge-quarry walk leading between the two - the gardens are like a film set.

David

[Birma]

Top tip Murph (and DK)! We're heading to Northumberland in March and so we'll add this to the list of days out.

The horse statue is amazing. I'm hoping the English Heritage family annual membership will pay for itsself during this holiday .

[paulmurphy]

Thanks for the comments guys, you have picked a good time to visit Birma as the horse is only there until Easter as they are putting in something new - see the website for details.

If I can help you with local knowledge of locations in the area for your visit please PM me, I'd be happy to help.

Cheers

Paul

[Greg Beetham]

I like the castle as well Murph, I wouldn't mind a few more shots of the areal...
Greg

[David Kilpatrick]

Shirley wanted to see Lucky Spot before the exhibition ended, so we got down to Belsay yesterday. The light conditions were not quite as good as Murph's, sun was weak outside and possibly higher in the sky and not in line with the windows, so the horse was not catching much light.

Here is one of Shirley's shots - slightly spooky angle and a fortunate guest appearance by a woman who was wearing appropriate dress:



David

[Birma]

Here is one of Shirley's shots - slightly spooky angle and a fortunate guest appearance by a woman who was wearing appropriate dress

I like the background figure . Hoping to visit Belsay this week.

[Birma]

We went to Belsay today and just managed to see Lucky Spot. Apparently they had repainted the handrail on the spiral staircase yesterday and it hadn't dried over-night. The staff were relunctant to let people in to the castle where the exhibit is housed as using the stairs would risk getting paint on hands and clothes . We were shown up by a staff member carrying a can of WD40 and a cloth in case of an accident. Anyway - a great exhibit.

Here is my version.


We really enjoyed our visit. We only spent the morning, and there was still plenty more to see. The cafe at the entrance to the grounds is also highly recommended .

[aster]

Love the 'Lucky Spot' exhibit guys and it's great to see so many diffferent versions from all of you!

The light amount and direction of the rays do create a great atmosphere each time each photo was taken.

Yildiz

[Greg Beetham]

Birma, you've got one of the crystal horse almost without the suspending wires being noticible...remarkable seeing as how there is so many of them.
erm... you didn't happen to notice the 'figure' anywhere that appeared in the background of Shirley's photo did you?
Greg

[Ewannawe]

I also was there within the last month, looking for different perspectives.

[Birma]

erm... you didn't happen to notice the 'figure' anywhere that appeared in the background of Shirley's photo did you?
Greg

Hi Greg - I think the ghostly figure was scared off by the "Wet Paint" signs .

Lovely shots Ewan - How did you get the view from above?

It is a fantatic piece. So simple in conception, and yet endlessly interesting to look at.