Graffiti on the hill

The local graffiti artists have been busy again; I discovered some fantastic new works of art around the water tank up on St Catherine's Hill. The water tanks, especially the circular one, have become galleries displaying the latest works of spray-can excellence; this 'crew', I'm assuming they're an established collective of artists, are using some interesting techniques and use colours, creating some nice effects. I say more of this type of thing. 

Art for art's sake pt2

 

As promised part 2 of the wonderful new pieces of graffiti on the circular water reservoir atop St Catherine's Hill. The light was right this morning to capture the remaining pieces of art, and I think you'll agree, these are some fantastic works here. You know, I was talking to another dog walker, waxing lyrically about how cool it is to see colourful graffiti, how it brightens what are dull industrial buildings and should be encouraged, and celebrated, she said there'd been complaints about it! What? Why? What's wrong with folk?

Art for art's sake pt1

 

Some wonderful new pieces of graffiti on the circular water reservoir atop St Catherine's Hill. I could only capture some of the works this morning due to the bright sunlight on half the reservoir, so this is part one, with part two to follow at a later date. I'm in awe of these artists, the medium, the canvas, the environment, all difficult, and create such pieces...I doff my cap.

St Catherine's Hill graffiti

The reservoirs atop St Catherine's Hill have long been canvases for local graffiti artist, with most faces adorned by pieces, words or tags...some nice works too. Periodically the faces are repainted by the authorities, which merely serves to create a fresh canvas, sometimes older pieces are overwritten by new ones. There are a couple of new works on the round reservoir since last we walked up here, good stuff.  I noticed one piece was by 'Camo'(top), the same artist whose work we saw in the forest underpass, a 70's flavoured offering, very tidy. There were a couple of others as well, one used silver paint to great affect, the other had a sort of Terry Gilliam-ness to it. I love to see public art, we should celebrate art more, including graffiti, it has so much value, it adds colour and energy to our too often drab man made environments and edifices.

St Catherine's Hill sunrise

St Catherine's Hill sunrise.

Up on the hill

Up St Catherine's Hill early this morning, and it was lovely. A beautifully rich and warm orange hue flooded the Avon Valley and lit the trees and slopes of the hill. Nice way to start the day.

Old Range

For the most part unseen and forgotten, remnants of our past lay tucked away in every corner. Take the ruinous remains of this early 20th century firing range on the Avon Valley side of St Catherine's Hill. If it weren't for the remains of the concrete and brick markers gallery and the rusting target mechanisms, you'd not know it was there, the firing platforms are long overgrown, engulfed by flora, as is the range itself. We used to hangout here as kids. Initially collecting the metal jacketed projectiles which can still be found eroding out of the adjacent natural sandy butt and letting our imaginations run wild, though as we got older it was just a place to chill. Time (and maybe some vandalism) hasn't been kind to the remains of the markers gallery, which back in the day still provided some degree of shelter, now it's all but collapsed. Although the remains of the target mechanisms appear to have changed little from the late 70's, as far as I remember, anyway.  As for the site itself, it looks just as I remember it, well, not 'just as' though still easily recognizable. It interests the archaeologist in me to see sites decay, see how the fall from use and subsequently from memory, how slowly nature consumes them, until they're hidden for future archaeologists to find.

Carlos

I'm beginning to wonder if Carlos Bastardos might not have been a more appropriate name for Geoff. No, he's good really for one so young, though he loves water and, well, mud just trips him out, man, he can get liberally covered from the most insignificant hollow. People just laughed at us as we approached, still, it's nice to make people smile...I suppose. 

misty hill

The mist muffles sound and shortens vistas, it's easy to imagine you're further from the hustle and bustle than you are, walking in some wilderness. I like the quality of the light and feel of mornings like this.

Strawberry tree

Native to the Mediterranean, and first introduced into Britain in the 16th century, over the centuries the Strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo) has become naturalized in the lower half of Britain. Though I don't commonly see this tree about, there are several examples growing up the hill. It's a tree worth knowing, as it has an amazing range of properties: it's an astringent, diuretic, urinary anti-septic, antiseptic, intoxicant, rheumatism, a tonic, a source of antioxidants, it's used in the treatment of hypertension and diabetes, and it's leaves have anti inflammatory qualities. Not only that, you can eat the fruits which have a high sugar content. Natures bounty never ceases to amaze me. 

King of the hill

Geoff loves it up the 'Hill'.

And this is a .......?

Anybody have any idea what this is? Or, how it's used? I wonder how many do. I'm going to tell you what it is, it's the central ridge pole of a 'Bender', a Romany style of shelter/tent. Pairs of hazel or willow rods are dug into the ground a couple of meters apart, they're then bent over to join each other, and that's where the central ridge pole comes in, the ends of the rods being inserted into its corresponding holes. What you have, is an incredibly strong frame, which can be erected and dismantled with ease and speed. Tarps, or some such, are then laid over the frame and secured. A very effective shelter. What it's doing up here on the 'Hill', I have no idea.

St Catherine's Hill graffiti

Up on the summit of St Catherine's Hill there are a couple of large concrete water reservoirs, ugly grey things, quite the carbuncle.  Though thankfully some good community minded folk have undertaken to brighten them up with some wonderful examples of graffiti, much in the style of the 70's/80's New York subway artists. Some nice pieces, man, well executed. More please.

Playing war

When we were kids we used to play war (it's okay, it was the 70's and playing war was almost compulsory) in the humps and bumps and hollows which cover one of the west facing, pine covered, slopes of St Catherine's Hill. When we played here the hillside was covered with invasive Rhododendron, so we couldn't see how the humps, bumps and hollows we built our camps amongst were connected. I discovered many years later that, ironically, what we were playing war in, were in fact First World War training trenches, where men learnt the skills of trench warfare before entering the bloody fray. Eerily weird, thinking about that now. During the war years the hillside was fortified as it would have been on the Western Front, forward trenches, machine gun positions, command bunkers, dug outs, shafts and tunnels, communication trenches and rear trenches, everything. Now that the Rhododendrons have been cleared you can get an inkling of what parts of the hill may have looked like, you can definitely make out a section of classic 'zig zag' trench work, along with several larger positions. I got to thinking, how much evidence, if any, of the underground works survive? Or were all the works filled or collapsed? I wonder if any geophysical surveys have been undertaken.