autofantasia's photos with the keyword: abandoned

For this week's Sunday Challenge , for which the topic was manly pursuits . A bit of a tricky one in some ways because I don't think that nowadays there are many activities which you could say are for men only. Even hobbies that might once have been seen as for being solely or at least predominantly for men, such as DIY, are now quite popular with women too. The times are no longer as Bob Dylan once sang a-changing ... instead they have changed and changed significantly. Take this temporary road sign I found discarded on the ground behind Northallerton's leisure centre. When I was growing up it was understood that this meant Men at Work . Yet nowadays although the sign looks exactly the same as it always has, and certainly still looks to me like it depicts a man digging, it is now described as indicating road works ahead. I guess it won't be long before the only true manly pursuit left for us guys will be growing a beard! Also for Sight and Sound . I nearly went for the Dylan track referenced, but in the end I couldn't resist the double pun connection offered by Men at Work with "No Sign of Yesterday": youtu.be/TqWJDsCJyiE youtu.be/TQJ_SjMdMq4

Regular visitors to my photostream will know that I usually participate in the Sunday Challenge , but for a variety of reasons I've missed the last three. This week the challenge related to Dutch angle photography, a technique used to create or convey dramatic effects or portray a psychological uneasiness or tension in the subject being filmed. It's accomplished by simply tilting the camera so the horizon or subject is at an angle to the bottom of the frame of the shot and is something I often found myself doing before I even knew what it was called. Therefore, you'd think this would have been an easy week, but I'm afraid once again I didn't manage to get out with the camera. So, to avoid missing out again I've dipped into the archives and pulled out a previously unpublished shot, which I've then processed somewhat to add to the feeling of tension I was trying to convey. For those that are interested in these things the chuch in question is located in Harrogate and used to be called St. Mary's. According to Wikipedia the first church erected on the site had its foundation stone laid on 4 September, 1822 and was consecrated in 1825, but declared unsafe in 1903. The replacement church was built at the current site in 1916 to designs by the architect Walter Tapper and constructed in the 14th century English gothic style. Sadly, in 2007 closed as a parish church because of maintenance problems. More recently though it was revived by Mark Carey as a fresh expression of church, still within the Church of England, but now serving the whole of Harrogate and renamed as Kairos Church. Got to say though that when I was there recently the broken windows and boarded up doors made it look anything other than welcoming and I was left wondering if perhaps the project had failed. Please view on black for best effect.

This shot of the gatehouse at Whorlton Castle was taken for a recent Sunday Challenge when the theme was looking down , but not used at the time. The ruins of Whorlton Castle, a late 11th century motte-and-bailey fortress, are located on high ground to the west of the abandoned village of Whorlton. The castle itself seemed to quickly fall into disrepair, so much so that by 1343 it was described as being 'ruinous and without yearly value' Today, the only significant remains are those of this 14th century gatehouse, which may have been built by Lord Philip Darcy, who died in 1419. The rectangular structure stands partially within the ditch and its entrance passage was protected by inner and outer portcullises, which you can see in my shot. As for the village of Whorlton, it was destroyed by the Black Death to the extent that by 1428 only ten householders remained.

This old Audi A6 has been sat like this for what seems like years. I guess it must have a story to tell.

Spotted in Harrogate back in February 2012. I guess they couldn't get it into the wheelie bin!