Derry Brabbs is regarded as one of England’s finest published photographers within the spheres of heritage and landscape, with over 25 books to his credit. Known for his acclaimed collaborations with James Herriot and Alfred Wainwright, he has also written and illustrated several titles celebrating England’s rich architectural and cultural legacy, including English Country Churches, Abbeys & Monasteries, English Country Pubs, Landmark, and A Year in the Life of the Welsh Marches.
He is also the author and photographer of Hadrian's Wall, in which he charts the Roman frontier from west to east, from the Solway Firth to Wallsend on Tyneside, taking in places of historical significance along the way. Brabbs has been photographing the Wall since 1984, when he first shot it for a Wainwright book.
His other books include England's Heritage, a major work published in conjunction with English Heritage and containing 600 photographs. It progresses from the monuments of prehistory to those of the industrial revolution, the cathedrals, castles, battlefields and stately homes that form such an integral part of England's unique identity.
The Nefertiti's Bust - attributed to the sculptor Thutmose from whom's workshop it was recovered in 1912 - is world famous. Thutmose must have been one lucky sculptor, being asked to capture for eternity the ravishing face of the Queen who's ancient name meant A Beautiful Woman Has Come. The Queen Nefertiti - wife of Akhenaten and known in Germany as Nofretete - Bust is an icon of the Amarna period art and one of the most valuable items in the collection of the Ägyptisches Museum Berlin (to much frustration of the Egypt, which demands its return). She first went on display in the Neues Museum in 1924, but was evacuated when World War II bomb damage ruined most of the building.
Torre de Hércules - or it's English name - Tower of Hercules, is a 55m Roman lighthouse which has stood at the La Coruña harbour in north-western Spain since the first century AD. With the HDR skill and beautiful lighting that only a talented photographer can bring together, Pablo Charlón has created this stunning image which brings drama and power to this magnificent relic.
There are myths that Hercules fought with the giant Geryon at this site for three days and three nights, and upon victory Hercules built this Tower on top of his bones. The tower remains the oldest Roman lighthouse in the world, and the only one to still be operational. It was also recently added to the UNESCO World Heritage List, joining the likes of famous ancient sites around the world.
Lord Carnarvon, the man who funded the discovery of KV-62 - the tomb of Tutankhamun - and died five months later in mysterious circumstances before he could actually see the mummy's face, was a superstitious man who wore the same lucky bow tie all his life. Such anecdotes are part of the 'Egyptian Exhibition' at Highclere Castle.
Highclere Castle is a mansion near Newbury in Hampshire, England. It is also the seat of the Earls of Carnarvon. A building has stood on the site, near the village of Highclere, since the 8th century - though a mansion as such has not been in existence since the 17th century. The castle wasn't lent its current imposing appearance until 1839, when it was remodelled by Sir Charles Barry, the man who redesigned the Houses of Parliament.
Highclere sits in a 6,000acre estate designed by famous 18th century landscape architect Capability Brown. As well as farmland and horse trials space, the fields are dotted with a number of temples and follies. In a far corner of the estate sits a small cemetery where the 5th Earl of Carnarvon, famous explorer and financier of Howard Carter's expeditions to Deir el-Bahri and the tomb of Tutankhamun, is buried.
George Herbert, the 5th Earl of Carnarvon, is the castle's most famous resident - though by the time he had died just a few months into the Tutankhamun discovery, he had already sold many of the family's estates elsewhere in Britain, including Bretby Hall in Derbyshire and several properties in London's Berkeley Square.
Despite my fears I might not make it to Stonehenge in time for the Solstice, I did it! Being one of the 36,500 people accessing the Stones on the night from Saturday to Sunday was surely an experience I won't easily forget, and near to utterly amazing ******* awesome.
