Gatelodge

 Over at the entrance to the Downhill Estate is a rather pretty little Gatelodge (as well as impressive stonework around the gates).  I snapped it up a while ago with the 4x5 TiTAN pinhole:

Entrance to the Downhill Estate, on MGV paper, selenium toned.

I was happy with the framing - had to eyeball it (no viewfinder) and it's pretty much full frame but it's not the best of prints.  The negative looked like it was lacking in shadow detail and I wanted the steps leading to the gatelodge door to be visible so I dodged them a little with my finger and the effect wasn't that subtle.  With a bit of imagination it could be some sort of ghostly presence lurking near the gates -  which could well be closer to the truth than we might like to believe for I reckon these stones have witnessed a thing or two in their lifetime.

The National Trust (for it be them that 'owns' the Downhill Estate for now) seem to let the Gatelodge.  It's not somewhere you'd want to live if you liked your privacy, that's for sure - there's a good footfall through those gates on any day of the year and in the summer it's positively teeming wi' folk and to be avoided at all costs.  A few years ago in the winter I had been up by Mussenden Temple and the cliffs and came across a sheep thing that looked like it was in some distress - I can't remember exactly why but there's uneven ground and rocks and tumbled down walls so there's lots of hazards (for sheep and for not-so-mobile humans.  I haven't been up there for a good while now).  As I was about to ring the bell on the Gatelodge to alert them (someone...anyone!) to the problem I noticed a sign to the effect that 'Whatever it is, it's nothing to do with me'.  I rang anyway and the guy listened politely enough to what I had to say and then that was that and I left.  Funny but I got the distinct feeling that he wasn't going to do very much about it...