#12 - Something over 100 years old
Hurst Point Lighthouse
So - after the visit here the other day, when it was really windy, I was up at 3am, today, to re-visit at sunrise.
I parked up, almost no wind! Yay!
It’s a 2km walk, each way, along a shingle bank (a mini Chesil Beach), and the further I went along Hurst Spit the stronger the wind became.
Took some DSLR shots of the sunrise, and hung about for a while in the hopes the wind died.
Eventually, hiding behind a blooming big wall, I got into a low hover and then popped up into the wind. Poor MP … almost flat out just to maintain position … 10ft of the deck.
Selected Sport Mode, and pressed on knowing that I had plenty of room to drift down wind and lose height it needed.
Bucking like a bronco in the wind, it pressed on into position for the pics.
I should have taken some video … if for no other reason than to see how damned stable the gimbal made it look.
I had hoped to submit videos of all Challenge submissions - but the weather forecasts are looking even more windy for well over a week (even if I don’t believe forecasts for 24 hours, anyway. 
) - but hope to get back here for a Litchi mission I have planned.
Anyway … Hurst Point Lighthouse.
Located at the western end of the waters between the mainland and the Isle of Wight (The Solent) …
… this incarnation, of the 5 that have been built hereabouts (the first in 1786), was built in 1867.
Two of the other 4 previous lighthouses remain, though both decommissioned - and even “camouflaged” to prevent confusion, since one used to be bright red.
.
2 Likes
In addition to Alton Reservoir, Suffolk I’d like to add another pic for the Treasure Hunt Challenge.
This is Lode Mill, in the grounds of Anglesey Abbey, Cambs. It’s still in use today, grinding grain into flour!
National Trust don’t like people droning above their property (like they own the sky!) so I went off onto some public land and did this…
4 Likes
Here’s my third offering to the Treasure Hunt.
I have a train line near me and left my filter on, so there was a bit of blur… but I could say that it’s intentional to give movement!
Location - Near Bourne Park, Ipswich
1 Like
Image number four -
A Water tower near Freston, Suffolk. I’ve often wondered what’s in the top bit of them!
3 Likes
Image number five! (Yes I was busy this evening!!)
A drone selfie. Light was failing, and I was bringing Foxbat in from taking the photo of the Water Tower and I remembered this was a category image. Sun behind me, so I’ve edited it heavily!!
4 Likes
2 … 3 … 4 … 6.
A Suffolk counting system? 
1 Like
Image number 6 for me (Competitive? Me??)
St Michael’s Church, Wolverstone, Suffolk.
14th Century Church, 15th Century Tower with a porch added in the 16th Century. Certainly more than 100 years old!
2 Likes
Oops! If I was from Norfolk, I’d be able to count them all on one hand!!
Thanks for pointing my counting error out @OzoneVibe . Thank God for the Edit function…
1 Like
Count in binary and you get to 1,024 on your fingers.
1 Like
My 7th Image for the challenge. And yes, the last one for tonight!
This is ‘The Mill’, Ipswich - the tallest building in East Anglia, unfinished since the developer went bankrupt during the first months of the recession. The tallest tower is actually just a shell, but the first (and maybe the second tower - I’m not sure) are actually occupied. If you look carefully, there is some bad damage from St Jude’s storm a few years ago where the polystyrene cladding was blown off…
2 Likes
@suffolkfox
Start watching from about 10 mins in. 
I was looking forward to trying to get something for the challenge…
It was like that when I took the lighthouse pics yesterday. 
Just noticed that I double-posted the same photo of the lighthouse, yesterday. This was the second one I meant to post. Not much different … but after going through what I did to take it, you’re going to have to see it.
2 Likes
#2 - Castle
Hurst Castle
When does a “Fort” become a “Castle”? Peronsally, I’d call this a fort, and Wikipedia says “Hurst Castle is an artillery fort”, but it’s name is Hurst Castle … so, for this comp … a castle it is!
Pics taken, yesterday, only feet away from the lighthouse pics, just rotated left 90 degrees.
It’s a shame the wind was so extreme, you can see the streaks on the sea forming in the lee of the castle, because I had intended a Litchi mission to take some video all around the place. Another day.
One thing this kind of comp does is makes one curious about the objects we may have known about for years, but never really taken much interest in.
I’ve lived in this part of the world most my life, spent summer weekends at my grandmother’s beach hut less than 4 miles from here, used to do quite a bit of sailing and passed within spitting distance of the … spit (sorry) etc. But had never walked along the length of the spit to the castle and lighthouse.
The initial fort was built by King Henry VIII in 16th Century.
In the 17th Century, during the English Civil War of the 1640s, Hurst was held by Parliament and was used briefly to detain King Charles I before his execution in 1649.
It was used into the 18th Century, but then fell into disrepair.
The Napoleonic Wars resulted in it getting a make-over and some big guns … 24-pounder, then 32-pounder, then 12.5 inch RMLs … all in the space of a few 19th Century years when technology was progressing at a wicked pace.
It was then re-equipped for both WW1 and WW2.
The western end of The Isle of Wight, and The Needles, can bee seen in the distance.
4 Likes
Next for the competition is my castle submission. This is Southsea Castle, also historically also known as Chaderton Castle, South Castle and Portsea Castle. It is an artillery fort originally constructed by Henry VIII on Portsea Island, Hampshire, in 1544.
Like @OzoneVibe castle, it also formed part of the King’s Device programme to protect against invasion from and defended the Solent and the eastern approach to Portsmouth.
In tha background is Spitbank Fort which was built in the 1850’s as part of Palmerston protection of Portsmouth (Palmerston Follies). I would love to fly out there but still leaning and developing my confidence!
4 Likes
I almost popped down to Southsea for my “castle” / “fort”.
(It has a brewery, too!)
(It would have been a much shorter walk, too! )
Second for today, is my pier submission. It is South Parade Pier, Southsea, Portsmouth. The piers was closed for some time and could have been lost if locals had not worked hard to get lottery funding. This was always a shot I’d water to get with a drone, as there is no other way, unless by helicopter. I now o will be returning to try at other times of days and to make a short video.
2 Likes
Wasn’t open then, a bit too early! Think we may end up with with a duplicate sometime!
My last submission for the moment is of the ‘clocktower’ from what was Eastney Royal Marines Barracks, Portsmouth . Located on Clock Tower Drive the whole area has been converted into housing, including the clock tower, which is cure for sale!
3 Likes
