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Lancaster Castle in mid-winter, its wards and battlements softened by fresh snow while the city spreads out beyond the walls. The fortress began as a Norman stronghold in the 11th century, raised on earlier ground that had been occupied in Roman times. Over the centuries it grew into a complex of towers, curtain walls, courtyards and later administrative buildings, long tied to the Duchy of Lancaster.
Lancaster’s history is inseparable from justice and imprisonment. For hundreds of years it functioned as a major prison and court site for the North West. The castle is remembered for the Lancashire Witch Trials of 1612, when ten people were executed after the Assizes held here. The prison role continued into the modern era, finally ending when HMP Lancaster Castle closed in 2011.
Today the castle remains an imposing landmark above the River Lune valley and parts of it still serve the law courts, with other areas opened up for visitors. In this view you can also see current maintenance work under temporary covering, a reminder that places with a thousand years of hard weather need constant care.
Seen here from above, St John the Baptist Roman Catholic Cathedral sits quietly under a blanket of winter snow, its pale stone softened by the season and its long roofline emphasised by the surrounding roads and bare trees. With no traffic and no leaves, the scene feels hushed and almost timeless.
The cathedral was built between 1882 and 1910 for Norwich’s growing Roman Catholic community, following the restoration of Catholic worship in England during the 19th century. Designed by George Gilbert Scott Jr., it is one of the finest examples of Gothic Revival architecture in the country. Its twin western towers, soaring nave and richly detailed stonework were intended to echo the great medieval cathedrals of Europe, yet it remains firmly rooted in its Victorian origins.
Unlike Norwich Cathedral to the east, this building crowns a hill at the edge of the historic city centre, overlooking St Giles Street and the ring road below. From the air, its plan and setting become clear: a place of worship encircled by movement, yet standing apart from it.
In winter, with snow settling on roofs and branches stripped bare, the cathedral’s form feels especially sculptural — solid, calm, and enduring — as the city around it pauses and rests.
From above, a snowfall turns Canterbury into a pale mosaic of roofs and lanes, and the Cathedral Precincts read as a great cleared island within the tighter grain of the city. The cathedral’s long rooflines and transepts take the snow cleanly, while the great central tower rises as the anchor point, a vertical statement in the middle of the plan. Even in winter, the building’s scale is unmistakable: a church designed to be seen from every approach, and to draw the eye in the same way it has drawn travellers for centuries.
Canterbury Cathedral is one of the oldest and most important centres of Christianity in England. The story begins in AD 597 when Augustine arrived and established a church here, laying the foundations of what became the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury. After the Norman Conquest, a vast new cathedral was begun under Archbishop Lanfranc in the 1070s, setting the basic footprint of the medieval building. Over time, that Norman core was reworked and extended into the richly layered cathedral we recognise today.
Few events shaped its fame more than the murder of Archbishop Thomas Becket in the cathedral in 1170. Becket’s shrine quickly became one of Europe’s great pilgrimage destinations, and Canterbury entered the wider imagination as a place of journey and devotion, a reputation later echoed in Chaucer’s tales of travellers heading for the shrine. A fire in 1174 led to a major rebuilding of the choir, pushing the architecture forward into a new Gothic language that still defines much of the cathedral’s interior character.
The tower often called Bell Harry is the cathedral’s late-medieval flourish: the central crossing tower completed in the late 15th century, rising above the meeting of nave and transepts and giving Canterbury its distinctive skyline. In this aerial view, winter makes the geometry easier to read: the long nave, the broad transepts, the clustered chapels and courts of the precincts, and the city pressing close around the walls. The scaffolding visible in the scene is a reminder that a building this old is never truly “finished” – it is continually maintained, repaired and handed on, season after season.
Norwich Cathedral
Seen here under a blanket of winter snow, Norwich Cathedral sits at the heart of its close, the great Norman building clearly defined from the air by its cruciform plan and enclosed cloister. With trees bare and the city hushed, the geometry of nave, transepts and cloister becomes especially clear, revealing the careful order imposed on this landscape nearly a thousand years ago.
The cathedral was founded in 1096 by Herbert de Losinga, the first Bishop of Norwich, and largely completed by 1145. Built of Caen stone imported from Normandy, it is one of the finest Romanesque cathedrals in Europe. Its spire, rebuilt in stone in 1480 after earlier wooden versions, rises to 315 feet, making it the second tallest in England after Salisbury. The cloister, begun in 1297 and completed in the mid-14th century, is the largest monastic cloister in the country and the only one with a complete sequence of medieval roof bosses.
From above, the cathedral’s relationship with the surrounding Close is unmistakable: a self-contained precinct set apart from the streets beyond, originally housing monks of the Benedictine priory that once dominated this part of Norwich. In winter, snow softens the roofs and paths, but the structure itself remains unchanged — a place shaped by faith, continuity, and time.
We were heading to Elgol for two reasons. Firstly, a scouting trip to assess suitability for a sunset. At this time of year the sun sets quite a way south of the Cuillin so we wanted to see if we could use the Small Isles of Rum et al as a 'foreground'. This didn't really look like working and without a guarantee of any decent light on the Cuillin around sunset we decided we would be heading elsewhere. Our second reason though was to make use of the lovely conditions and light on the mountains when we arrived and we weren't disappointed with this. I have certainly not seen this kind of clarity on the hills in previous visits.
Framlingham Castle, in the market town of Framlingham, Suffolk, is one of the best-preserved Norman castles in England and an exceptional example of medieval military architecture. The first stone fortress on the site was begun soon after 1100 by the Bigod family, powerful earls of Norfolk who rose to become some of the greatest barons in England. The present castle dates mainly from the late 12th century, when Hugh Bigod rebuilt it following his rebellion against Henry II. Its massive curtain wall, roughly 10 metres high and reinforced by thirteen towers, encloses a wide inner court that once held a great hall, kitchens, and service buildings.
In the Tudor period, the castle passed to the Howard family, Dukes of Norfolk, who converted parts of it into a comfortable residence. It achieved national significance in 1553, when Mary Tudor rallied her supporters here after the death of Edward VI and was proclaimed Queen of England within these walls before marching triumphantly to London. Later, in the 17th century, the castle was used as a poorhouse, and parts of its interior buildings were dismantled, leaving the great curtain walls largely intact.
Overlooking the picturesque Framlingham Mere, the castle commands a striking position in the Suffolk landscape. It has been managed by English Heritage since 1984 and remains a powerful reminder of Norman ambition, Tudor drama, and the long, evolving story of English fortifications.
On the tidal flats of The Wash, just off the Lincolnshire coast near Wainfleet, two derelict ship hulks sit stranded in pale sand and silts, with narrow creeks curling around them as the tide drains away. From the air, the scene looks almost abstract: smooth mudflats, dark wrecks and the sinuous channels that constantly reshape this edge of the coast.
These wrecks were not accidental losses. They were placed here as targets for the RAF Wainfleet Air Weapons Range, also known as The Wash (North Side) Bombing Range. The area has been used for military practice for a very long time: artillery were using the marshes from 1890 and by 1891 formal byelaws defined the range boundaries and imposed fines for trespass. Aircraft began using the sands for armament training during the First World War, then the range reopened for aerial bombing and gunnery in August 1938. During the Second World War it was used as a practice range for many types of aircraft, then in the post-war decades it hosted generations of military jets and strike aircraft training over the Wash.
Old ship hulks were ideal aim-points on an empty expanse of intertidal sand. One recorded example is the coaster WALLBROOK, built in 1940, which was later sunk off Wainfleet as a range target after March 1999. Operations at RAF Wainfleet ceased in December 2009 and the range was fully closed in 2010, leaving these skeletal targets to rust quietly in the mud, appearing and disappearing with the tides and the shifting sands.
Night view over the Greenwich Peninsula, looking west across the River Thames towards the O₂ Arena with the illuminated skyline of Canary Wharf behind it. The white dome of the O₂ – originally built as the Millennium Dome and opened in 2000 – sits at the centre of the image, its yellow support masts lit up against the dark sky. Beyond it rises the financial district of Canary Wharf, with the towers of One Canada Square and many newer high-rise residential and commercial buildings now surrounding it. Numerous cranes are still at work – a reminder that this area is one of the fastest-growing urban developments in Europe.
Taken from the cable car crossing the Thames (the Docklands side of the IFS Cloud Cable Car, formerly the Emirates Air Line) which links the O₂ to the Royal Docks and the ExCeL Centre. The calm river below reflects the city lights and colours beautifully. On the left is the eastern edge of Greenwich Peninsula; on the right the Isle of Dogs leading into central London.
The O₂ is one of the world’s busiest entertainment venues, hosting concerts, sports and major events. The area around it has changed dramatically since the London Docklands regeneration began in the 1980s, transforming former industrial land and shipping docks into London’s second financial centre. Today it forms one of the most striking night skylines in the capital.
erial view of Sea Palling on the North Norfolk coast with the offshore rock “reefs” standing out in winter light. These segmented breakwaters sit a little way off the beach and are meant to take the sting out of incoming waves. In the lee of each reef you can see the calmer water and the way sand builds into curved “salients” that help keep a wider beach in front of the seawall.
Sea Palling has long been vulnerable because the land behind the dunes is so low-lying. After the devastating North Sea surge of 1953, the main concrete sea wall along the Eccles to Winterton frontage was built in stages, reaching its modern extent by the late 1980s. By the early to mid 1990s beach levels here had fallen dangerously, storms were stripping sand away and the sea wall was starting to suffer at its foundations. The response was a major defence scheme through the 1990s: nine offshore reefs plus additional groynes and repeated beach recharge to rebuild the protective beach. The first phase was completed in 1995 and the later reefs were added by 1997. Reported figures for the works include a Phase 1 cost of about £5.9m and around 220,000 tonnes of rock for the later reefs at a quoted cost of about £10.5m. The scheme was developed by Halcrow for the public flood and coastal authorities.
Has it worked? Locally, yes in the sense that it helped restore and hold a higher beach in front of the wall and dunes, which is exactly what keeps this frontage stable during storms. Monitoring has also shown a large build-up of sand around the reefs, even though the gaps between reefs can still see erosion and scour. It is not a “build it once and forget it” solution: maintaining the beach has meant periodic nourishment and the last major recharge in this area was in 2009. Looking ahead, sea level rise and the possibility of more frequent severe surges mean the reefs and the beach management behind them will need ongoing review and further recharge is likely to be required to keep the standard of protection.
Shot from an aircraft on a bleak winter afternoon, this is the tidal River Deben in Suffolk, winding in soft bends between marsh and low farmland. The sky was almost solid grey yet for a few minutes a gap opened above the estuary and sent sharp shafts of light down onto the water.
The river surface turns to liquid silver where the light hits it, picking out one bright meander and a strip of meadow while the rest of the landscape sits in deep shadow. You can see moored boats resting in the channel at low tide, mudflats exposed along the banks and dark woodland blocks framing the fields.
The Deben runs past small villages and quiet farms before it reaches the sea, and from the air it feels like a sheltered world of creeks, saltmarsh and grazing land. On a day like this the weather does the composing, turning an ordinary stretch of river into a natural spotlight on winter Suffolk.
A sweeping night view of the Thames and East London – taken from the cable car on the Emirates Air Line.
In the foreground is the striking Thames Barrier Navigation Control Centre, an elegant circular building completed in 2003 at a cost of around £20 million. It houses the operational team responsible for monitoring all boat movements in this busy stretch of the river and coordinating navigation around the Thames Barrier. The curved glass façade gives the building its distinctive lantern-like appearance when lit up after dark.
Beyond it, the road curves towards the Silvertown Tunnel construction site and the approaches to the A102 / A2, which heads below the Thames into Greenwich. On the right are the lights of the Lower Lea Crossing, and further ahead the river bends past City Island and Canning Town. The cluster of tall buildings across the water is part of the huge Royal Docks regeneration area, where thousands of new homes have been built since 2012, with more planned well into the late 2020s.
This section of the Thames is one of the busiest stretches of water in Britain – both commercially and historically. The Thames Barrier itself, a little further downriver, cost £534 million to build (in 1982 prices) and has now been closed over 200 times to protect London from tidal surges. The Navigation Control Centre monitors the barrier, shipping movements, emergencies, and tidal data 24 hours a day.
On the far left of the skyline is the unmistakable silhouette of Canary Wharf, while beyond it, central London glows under the cloud cover. The red lights on top of the cranes mark ongoing redevelopment – a reminder that London is still growing at a remarkable pace. The reflection of aircraft lights in the clouds hints at the proximity of London City Airport, only a mile away to the east.
Happisburgh Lighthouse, Norfolk – Aerial view, 2023
Happisburgh Lighthouse, with its bold red and white stripes, stands on the crumbling cliffs of the north-east Norfolk coast. Built in 1790, it is the oldest working lighthouse in East Anglia and the only independently operated lighthouse in Great Britain, maintained by the Happisburgh Lighthouse Trust since 1990 when local residents saved it from closure. The tower rises 26 metres (85 ft) above the ground, and its revolving light, flashing three white beams every 30 seconds, is visible for 18 nautical miles (33 km).
There were originally two lighthouses at Happisburgh — the High Light, still standing today, and the Low Light, which stood nearer the shore. Together, they acted as leading lights guiding ships safely between the dangerous Haisborough Sands and the coast. When the two lights were seen exactly in line, one above the other, they marked a precise bearing that kept vessels on the safe course through the hazards. The Low Light was decommissioned in 1883 and demolished in 1884 as coastal erosion made it unsafe.
Just inland from the cliff edge is a World War II pillbox, built around 1940–41 as part of Britain’s coastal defences against possible German invasion. It would have been manned by local volunteers, watching over the beach approaches and forming part of a continuous line of defensive structures along much of the Norfolk coast.
The lighthouse achieved national attention in 1990, when Anneka Rice and the team from the BBC television series Challenge Anneka arrived to help restore it. The programme documented a major volunteer effort in which the lighthouse was repainted, refurbished, and landscaped in just a few days, helping to raise public awareness and support for the newly formed Happisburgh Lighthouse Trust. This community spirit was instrumental in keeping the lighthouse operational after the Trinity House decommissioning plan.
The rock armour now visible at the base of the cliff was placed in the early 2000s as an emergency measure by North Norfolk District Council to protect the foot of the Beach Road ramp after the old wooden revetments and groynes had largely failed. Despite these efforts, the soft glacial till continues to erode at an average rate of 1–2 metres per year.
This photograph, taken in September 2023, shows the lighthouse, the WWII pillbox, and the modern rock armour at the cliff base — a vivid illustration of the constant battle between human effort and the relentless sea along this dynamic stretch of Norfolk coast.
Southwold Pier stretches out from North Parade into the North Sea, seen here from above with the beach huts and promenade along the Denes and the town just inland.
A pier first opened here in 1900, created as a landing stage for visiting steamers and as a classic seaside draw for Victorian and Edwardian Southwold. The earliest pier was longer than today and it ended in a wider head. Over time, storms and changing coastal conditions reshaped what survived and what was rebuilt.
A major storm in 1934 destroyed the pier’s seaward landing stage. In the mid to late 1930s the familiar shore-end pavilion buildings were rebuilt and expanded to create the pier’s main enclosed spaces.
During the Second World War, a section of the pier was removed as a defensive measure and the structure was also damaged by a mine. Repairs and rebuilding continued after the war with a significant restoration completed in 1948.
Later storm damage shortened the pier dramatically, but a major modern reconstruction began in 1999 using new piles and modern engineering methods. The rebuilt pier reopened fully in 2001 and its present length is about 623 ft (190 m).
Who owns and runs it today: Southwold Pier is privately owned. It was purchased in 2024 by Amy and Charles Barwick, who operate it with the pier’s management and staff.
Visitors: the pier is often described as attracting hundreds of thousands of visits each year, commonly cited as around three-quarters of a million to close to a million depending on the year.
What’s on the pier: as well as the views and the walk to the end, the pier is known for Tim Hunkin’s Under the Pier Show with its interactive coin-operated machines. Other attractions include the Water Clock, the Wacky Walk of Mirrors, traditional amusements and a mix of food and drink options along the deck. Fishing is also a familiar sight from the seaward end when conditions allow.
This aerial photograph shows the Church of St Peter and St Paul, Exton, standing in open parkland near Oakham, Rutland.
The church has medieval origins, with the earliest fabric dating from the 13th century. Much of the present structure reflects 14th-century rebuilding, including the nave and chancel, with later 15th-century work to windows and details. The tall west tower, a defining feature of the church today, was substantially rebuilt in the 19th century, giving it its prominent vertical emphasis.
St Peter and St Paul has long been closely associated with the Noel family, Earls of Gainsborough, whose seat lies nearby at Exton Hall. The church contains memorials to members of the family and historically served both the estate and the village. Set within its churchyard, it remains a strong landmark within the designed landscape of Exton Park.
Aerial view: St Margaret’s Church at Herringfleet, photographed yesterday in a clean sweep of winter snow. From the air you can really see how this little church sits like an island in the landscape, its pale walls and round tower set against the surrounding fields, the churchyard trees throwing long shadows across the white ground.
The round tower is one of those unmistakable East Anglian features, solid and practical, giving the building a very distinctive silhouette. In these conditions the plan of the church reads clearly from above, the nave and chancel aligned neatly east to west with the small porch on the south side and the graves laid out in quiet rows beside it.
This place also matters to me personally. My great-grandfather, the Reverend James Alfred Bevan, is part of our family’s story here. He served in the church for many years in Great Yarmouth and he would cycle out to Herringfleet to take services at St Margaret’s. He was very much a parish priest of his time, dutiful and hardworking, turning up in all weathers for the people he was responsible for. Family stories describe him as a stern and deeply religious man with a strong sense of duty and it’s easy to picture him arriving at this church after a long ride, ready to lead the service and then cycle home again.
Taken in low winter sun, with crisp shadows, bright snow and that timeless rural stillness you only seem to get on cold days like this.
An offshore platform is shepherded into Great Yarmouth on the flood tide, pushed and pulled by the CPBS multicat Hound Dog and the TMS tug Christine. Their wake snakes up the River Yare between the packed streets of Southtown on the left and the wharves, silos and yards of Great Yarmouth’s modern port on the right.
Great Yarmouth grew on a long spit between the North Sea and the Yare and for centuries its wealth came from herring and coastal trade. Today the harbour has reinvented itself as a base for North Sea gas, offshore wind and marine construction with the deep-water outer harbour at the river mouth handling larger vessels and project cargo. The river that once served sailing wherries and steam drifters now brings in workboats and platforms like this one, keeping Yarmouth’s maritime story moving into the twenty-first century.
Aerial image: Loganair Embraer ERJ145 flying over the Holt Road before landing at Norwich Airport
Aerial view of jet plane landing at Norwich airport in Norfolk
An aerial view of Southwold, the beloved Suffolk seaside town (population approx. 1,100) perched on the North Sea coast. Prominent in the centre of the image is the magnificent St Edmund’s Church, built mainly in the mid-15th century – considered one of the finest parish churches in East Anglia. Just behind the seafront stands the Southwold Lighthouse, built in 1887 and still operational today, guiding ships from 31 metres above sea level.
Along the shoreline you can clearly see the Victorian promenade, colourful beach huts, and the line of wooden groynes built as sea defences. Off to the right lies the Southwold Pier, rebuilt and reopened in 2001 after decades of decay – now home to Tim Hunkin’s famous eccentric inventions including the Water Clock.
Southwold has long attracted artists, writers and holidaymakers, partly thanks to its preserved historic character and tight town boundary which has prevented large-scale development. The settlement grew around its medieval harbour, and in 1879 the town gained its own narrow-gauge railway to Halesworth – the Southwold Railway, an 8-mile line that finally closed in 1929.
This photograph looks inland from the coast, showing the clear grid of streets built after two great fires (the worst in 1659) reshaped the town. The combination of church tower, lighthouse, pier, beach huts and wide sandy bay makes Southwold one of the most distinctive skylines on the East Anglian coast.
aerial view of the former Caister Lifeboat: The Bernard Matthews 38 01. Independent all weather lifeboat built for Caister as a one-off and served 1991 to 2005 before going to Blyth until 2016. Now privately owned and based at Wells next the Sea in north Norfolk - UK aerial image
From the air, the extraordinary form of Old Sarum is unmistakable — a perfect concentric fortification set high above the Wiltshire countryside, its great earthwork rings etched clearly into the chalk landscape. This remarkable site marks the earliest settlement of Salisbury, with human occupation stretching back nearly 5,000 years. The outer ramparts, first raised in the Iron Age around 400 BC, enclosed an impressive 29 acres, later adapted and strengthened by successive Roman, Saxon, and Norman builders.
At the heart of the site lie the ruins of the Norman castle and cathedral — reminders of a time when Old Sarum was one of the most important strongholds in medieval England. William the Conqueror himself commissioned the royal castle here shortly after 1066, using it both as a fortress and an administrative centre. The cathedral, consecrated in 1092, was later abandoned when its clergy relocated to the valley below in the 13th century to found the “New Sarum” — today’s Salisbury — leaving the old hilltop citadel to fall into ruin.
Seen in evening light, the geometry of the ditches and banks is strikingly clear, emphasising how the landscape still carries the imprint of centuries of human endeavour. The chalk ridges, patchwork fields, and golden harvest tones surrounding the ancient ramparts give a sense of timeless continuity — a place where Britain’s layers of history remain visible in the very shape of the land.
Old Sarum aerial view
L for the HiDef view
One of those rare cloudy sunsets in Dubai!
7-exposures HDR created with Oloneo PhotoEngine, post processed with Photoshop.
"So come and sit on my box,
enjoy the view of this water,
where my lifeboat is sinking."
~ "Is Jesus Your Pal?" by Gus Gus
(Pic is HIDEF, please click it to see details! ^_^)
boat . Whimsy Rowboat / by Roawenwood
by Del-ka Aedilis:
building . Laketown Series - Tavern & Inn @ Redeux Event for 25% off! until June 21st
net . Net Maker's Rack, also @ Redeux Event
also used:
mop . product / by Dysfunctionality Designs
trees . Dead Trees / by SURGE
skybox . Mop & Bucket / by Turnip's Homes
sky . ColeMarie's Windlight Set (Series #1) / by Cole's Corner
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{Frick} ✭
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Soul ✭
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TwoSided ✭
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Zibska ✭
Image taken in the virtual platform of Second Life (tm)
Cromer Lighthouse stands on the clifftop of Cromer Ridge above the golf course, a familiar landmark on the North Norfolk coast. The present lighthouse dates from 1833, built to replace an earlier light that stood nearer the cliff edge and was lost to erosion. Its position here on the high ground gives it a focal height of around 260 feet (79 m) above sea level, making it one of the highest-situated lights in East Anglia.
The tower is 19 metres (62 ft) tall and was originally equipped with an oil lamp and reflector system. It later converted to paraffin, then to acetylene, and eventually to electric power. It was automated in 1990 and continues in service under Trinity House, warning ships away from the shifting sands and shoals of the North Sea.
The keeper’s cottages, once home to the lighthouse families, are now private residences. A fog signal used to operate here as well, firing explosive charges until it was discontinued in the 1980s. Today the lighthouse remains an active aid to navigation, flashing once every 5 seconds with a range of about 20 nautical miles.
The North Norfolk cliffs below form part of a dynamic coastline shaped by erosion, longshore drift, and the underlying chalk of the Cromer Ridge—remnants of the last Ice Age. Seen from above, the lighthouse, golf course and cliff-top paths form one of the most distinctive silhouettes on this stretch of coast.
A crisp autumn day with long shadows and the soft haze inland makes the white tower stand out beautifully against the dark heath and woodland. A classic Cromer scene.
St Mary’s Church, Pakenham, Suffolk - aerial photo
Seen here from the air, St Mary’s Church stands prominently on its rise above the surrounding farmland north of the A14. It’s one of Suffolk’s few cruciform churches, its layout marked by a central tower and projecting transepts — an architectural plan much more often seen in neighbouring Cambridgeshire than in this county.
The story of the building reaches back to around 1100 AD, when a man known simply as Walter founded the original church of nave, tower and chancel. The chancel was extended in the 13th century, and the graceful octagonal belfry — an unusual feature in Suffolk — was added in the 14th. Later still, large Perpendicular windows were opened at the east and west ends during the 15th century, bringing in more light to what had become a substantial medieval church.
By the mid-19th century the structure was in need of attention, and architect Samuel Sanders Teulon undertook a major rebuilding in 1849, recreating the north transept and renewing much of the nave roof. His distinctive Victorian hand can still be seen in the north porch and fittings. A further programme of repair and reordering took place between 1980 and 2007, when the tower was strengthened and the exterior carefully restored.
Inside, the church retains its Norman south doorway and a richly carved medieval font decorated with symbolic creatures — a reminder of the imagination of East Anglian craftsmen. The windows hold stained glass from several periods, from fragments of 15th-century glass to 19th- and early-20th-century work depicting biblical scenes meaningful to this rural community.
Pakenham itself is a remarkable village, unique in England for having both a working windmill and a working watermill still in operation — a living echo of its agricultural past. The church, with its blend of Norman beginnings, medieval development and Victorian renewal, reflects the same spirit of endurance that defines the village around it.
Aerial view of the Ribblehead in North Yorkshire - completed 1874. Over 100 men lost their lives during its construction. Yorkshire UK aerial image
Aerial view of the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol, designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, opening in 1864. He described the bridge as 'my first child, my darling' but died 5 years before it was completed.
cliftonbridge.org.uk/historical-timeline/
The bridge spans the Avon Gorge above the River Avon in Bristol - UK aerial image
Aerial view of the 1844 Anglo-Italian architecture masterpiece - Somerleyton Hall in Suffolk UK - aerial image
Aerial view of the ruins of St Andrew's Church in Roudham, Norfolk. Roudham is one of the best examples of a deserted medieval settlement in Norfolk. The church was destroyed by fire in 1736. Norfolk aerial image
Aerial view of St Theobalds in Great Hautbois near Coltishall in Norfolk. 11th century church with later medieval alterations. Also known as St Mary's.
www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk/record-details?MNF7677-St-The...
The church was close to (just north west of) Great Hautbois castle.
Norfolk aerial image
Southwold Pier stretches out from North Parade into the North Sea, seen here from above with the beach huts and promenade along the Denes and the town just inland.
A pier first opened here in 1900, created as a landing stage for visiting steamers and as a classic seaside draw for Victorian and Edwardian Southwold. The earliest pier was longer than today and it ended in a wider head. Over time, storms and changing coastal conditions reshaped what survived and what was rebuilt.
A major storm in 1934 destroyed the pier’s seaward landing stage. In the mid to late 1930s the familiar shore-end pavilion buildings were rebuilt and expanded to create the pier’s main enclosed spaces.
During the Second World War, a section of the pier was removed as a defensive measure and the structure was also damaged by a mine. Repairs and rebuilding continued after the war with a significant restoration completed in 1948.
Later storm damage shortened the pier dramatically, but a major modern reconstruction began in 1999 using new piles and modern engineering methods. The rebuilt pier reopened fully in 2001 and its present length is about 623 ft (190 m).
Who owns and runs it today: Southwold Pier is privately owned. It was purchased in 2024 by Amy and Charles Barwick, who operate it with the pier’s management and staff.
Visitors: the pier is often described as attracting hundreds of thousands of visits each year, commonly cited as around three-quarters of a million to close to a million depending on the year.
What’s on the pier: as well as the views and the walk to the end, the pier is known for Tim Hunkin’s Under the Pier Show with its interactive coin-operated machines. Other attractions include the Water Clock, the Wacky Walk of Mirrors, traditional amusements and a mix of food and drink options along the deck. Fishing is also a familiar sight from the seaward end when conditions allow.
River and waterways
River Wensum
Running through the right-hand side of the image, curving past Riverside and Carrow Road.
River Yare
Just beyond the visible area to the east, but this scene sits close to the Wensum–Yare confluence.
Major buildings and landmarks
Carrow Road Stadium
Home of Norwich City FC, clearly central in the frame.
Norwich City Football Club
Identified by the stadium branding and layout.
Norwich railway station
Visible top-left with platforms, tracks and train sheds.
Crown Point Depot
Adjacent to the station, identifiable by sidings and industrial rail buildings.
Riverside Retail Park
Large modern retail units and car parks south of the stadium.
Businesses and commercial areas (clearly indicated)
Riverside Leisure Complex
Cinema, restaurants and bars clustered along the river.
Odeon Cinema
Part of the Riverside leisure development.
National retail and food outlets within Riverside Retail Park
(individual brands not readable from this altitude, but the park is unmistakable by layout).
Main streets and transport routes
Carrow Road
Running alongside the stadium.
Prince of Wales Road
Leading from the station into the city centre, lined with hotels and nightlife.
Riverside Road
Serves the retail park and leisure complex.
King Street
Historic route running parallel to the river on the city side.
Residential areas
Thorpe Hamlet
Dense Victorian and Edwardian housing to the right of the river.
Modern apartment blocks around Riverside and Carrow Road, part of late-20th and early-21st-century regeneration.
Aerial view of Norwich covered in fresh snow.
Aerial view of Ryston - St Michael's Church. Site of a Norfolk Lost Village. Norfolk UK aerial image
Aerial view of Salisbury Cathedral in Wiltshire.
Early English Gothic masterpiece, built 1220–1258, with Britain’s tallest spire (123m), the best-preserved original Magna Carta, and a beautiful cloister and chapter house.
Aerial view of the 1844 Anglo-Italian architecture masterpiece - Somerleyton Hall in Suffolk UK - aerial image
This aerial view shows the historic core of Exton Hall and its surrounding parkland near Oakham, Rutland, bringing together three closely linked buildings that reflect the long history of the Exton estate.
Exton Hall (country house)
The present Exton Hall is a mid-19th-century country house built in 1850–1851 as the principal seat of the Noel family, the Earls of Gainsborough. It replaced the earlier mansion nearby and was designed to reflect Victorian aristocratic taste, with formal gardens laid out to complement the house and its parkland setting.
Church of St Peter and St Paul, Exton
The parish church dates largely from the 13th and 14th centuries, with later alterations in the 15th century and Victorian restorations. It served both the village and the Noel family and contains memorials to members of the Gainsborough lineage. The tall west tower makes it a strong visual landmark within the park.
Exton Old Hall (ruins)
The remains to the east of the church are those of Exton Old Hall, the earlier mansion of the Noel family. This substantial house was badly damaged by fire in 1810 and never fully rebuilt. Further deterioration followed a later fire in 1915, leaving the surviving walls and fragments seen today. The site is now a Scheduled Monument, preserved as a reminder of the estate’s earlier centre.
Together, the house, church and ruins illustrate the evolution of the Exton estate from medieval parish and Tudor mansion to a Victorian country seat.