Small Down Farm
A timeless image of rural Somerset. The photographer James Ravilious has been a huge inspiration to me. He died way too young in 1999, not long after my mother. He documented rural life in a small corner of Exmoor preserving the way of life and the landscape for ever. I walk extensively in the South West of England and always wonder how James would have recorded the scenes I encounter.
Wherever possible I stop and speak to local farmers to learn about the landscape that provides them a living. On this day, having captured this image of Small Down Farm, I descended from the hills to the village of Westcombe where I met another local farmer. He explained that the farmer who lived in Small Down Farm had recently died. It seems he was an eccentric awkward individual. I would loved to have seen inside the farm house to see in how it reflected his personality. It's an idyllic spot next to the Iron Age hill fort at Small Down Knoll and commands extensive views across Somerset to Glastonbury Tor. I wonder if the house is for sale?
Small Down Farm
A timeless image of rural Somerset. The photographer James Ravilious has been a huge inspiration to me. He died way too young in 1999, not long after my mother. He documented rural life in a small corner of Exmoor preserving the way of life and the landscape for ever. I walk extensively in the South West of England and always wonder how James would have recorded the scenes I encounter.
Wherever possible I stop and speak to local farmers to learn about the landscape that provides them a living. On this day, having captured this image of Small Down Farm, I descended from the hills to the village of Westcombe where I met another local farmer. He explained that the farmer who lived in Small Down Farm had recently died. It seems he was an eccentric awkward individual. I would loved to have seen inside the farm house to see in how it reflected his personality. It's an idyllic spot next to the Iron Age hill fort at Small Down Knoll and commands extensive views across Somerset to Glastonbury Tor. I wonder if the house is for sale?