Sharp Focus
Since December 2016 Mick has been writing a regular column in British Archaeology magazine (www.archaeologyUK.org). The first article centred around Hetty Pegler's Tump Neolithic chambered tomb, Gloucestershire. No. 2 features the ancient Assyrian capital of Kalhu (Nimrud) near Mosul in northern Iraq. No. 3 explores some of the slate quarrying landscapes of North Wales. No. 4 looks at an open air praying place in Wester Ross connected with the formation of the Free Church of Scotland. No. 5 centres around the Nine Stone Close stone circle in the Derbyshire Peak District, and mentions the photography of John Blakemore, Paul Hill, Thomas Josua Cooper and Fay Godwin. No. 6 looks at Pueblo Indian petroglyphs on a volcanic dyke in the Galisteo Basin south of Santa Fe, New Mexico. No.7 recalls digging on Medieval sites in Hull in the 1970s. No. 8 considers similarities between false portals in Cotswold-Severn Neolithic tombs and in Egyptian mastabas. No. 9 visits an Early Christian complex at Killabuonia, Co Kerry, Republic of Ireland. No. 10 goes in search of St Columba's legendary island of Hinba. No. 11 recalls working on the Spong Hill excavations, Norfolk, and visits to Burgh Castle Roman fort. No. 12 describes photographing deserted farmsteads on the former grange of Strata Florida abbey. No. 13 combines Bonnie Prince Charlie, a Jacobean folly and the Rolling Stones. No. 14 features WWII anti-tank defences at Waverley Abbey, Surrey. No. 15 includes the megalithic carvings inside Gavrinis chambered tomb, Brittany. No. 16 features a WWII bomb decoy site and the work of the Camoufleurs of Leamington Spa. No. 17 a Neolithic house & temple at Barnhouse, Orkney. No.18 Tarr Steps clapper bridge on Exmoor. No. 19 Archangels & Dragons. No. 20 Cademuir hillfort in the Scottish Borders. No. 21 WWII plane crashes on Lundy Island. No. 22 Dun Flodigarry Broch excavation, Skye. No. 23 explores the "Milky Way" to Walsingham, Norfolk. No. 24 Pentre Ifan Burial Chamber. No. 25 features bells & a ringers' rhyme board. No. 26 concerns Hansen's disease. No. 27 describes the Wag of Forse, Caithness. No. 28 explores the village of Capel-y-ffin, Powys. No. 29 visits Cliff Palace, Mesa Verde National Park, USA. No. 30 Dun Baravat, Isle of Lewis. No. 31 Mow Cop Castle, Cheshire. No. 32 The Bovine Advantage. No. 33 Chesters Roman Bridge Abutment. No. 34 Ballochroy Stone Row, Kintyre, Argyll. No. 35 Caldey Island, Pembrokeshire. No. 36 Easter Aquhorthies: Theatre of Stones. No. 37 Haworth Parsonage: At Home With the Brontës. No. 38, Culver Hole, Gower: A Medieval Dove House. No. 39 Casting Clouts at Munlochy Well, Black Isle. No. 40 Machrie Moor Stone Circles. No. 41 Pevensey Roman Fort. No. 42 Capel Soar y Mynydd, Ceredigion. No 43 Hythe Crypt bone collection. No 44 Holyhead Mountain hut circles. No 45, published 5 April 2024, Holy Island, Northumberland.
The portrait of the author looking almost presentable was taken by Eve Boyle.
Evensong
Richard Morris's latest book Evensong: People, Discoveries and Reflections on the Church in England, was published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson in November 2021. "Part personal odyssey, part lyrical history, Evensong asks what churches stand for and what they can tell us...". Four of Mick's B&W photographs feature in the plate section and one of his colour shots of St Michael de Rupe, Brentor, is used on the rear cover. The photo here is Mick's most recent view of the rear of St Michael's.
Photo of St Michael de Rupe, Brentor, Devon © Mick Sharp
New Portfolio Pages on Alamy
We currently have well over 4,000 of our photographs on the vast Alamy picture library website and our sales are growing. Use the links below to go direct to our Alamy portfolio pages where you can scroll through all of our photos &/or use the search: type in a place/site name, category or theme etc. Good hunting. Don't forget we have 1000s of photos we sell directly and we may be contacted through our Contact page.
Jean Williamson Cards update
Jean says thank you to all the people who have purchased her cards from her Etsy shop. She finds it very rewarding being in contact with people from across the UK and USA, hearing how much they love her cards, and occasionally finding out the stories behind customers purchases. She usually aims to dispatch within 24 hrs (excluding Sunday). There are some new cards for 2022
She is also still regularly restocking cards in her local wholefood store Dimensions, Upper Bangor.
www.etsy.com/uk/shop/JeanWilliamsonCards?ref=l2-shopheader-name
New Photos for Jean's Marking the Months Gallery
Jean has added two new images to this gallery which celebrates events, anniversaries, and the passing seasons. They are available as blank photo cards from Dimensions Whole Foods in Upper Bangor, and online from Jean's Etsy shop.
Golden Hearts © Jean Williamson
Sacred Heritage
Five of Mick's photos including the front cover, and one of Jean's, were used in Sacred Heritage: Monastic Archaeology, Identities, Beliefs by Roberta Gilchrist of Reading University, published by Cambridge University Press in January 2020. Isle Maree, Wester Ross, associated with the Early Christian St Maelrubha, was famous for its healing well, Money Tree, madness cures and bull sacrifice.
Photo of Isle Maree © Mick Sharp
Rhind Lectures 2020
The 2020 Rhind Lectures from The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland were delivered online from 13-18 December and are now available on YouTube. The six lectures were given by Dr Alison Sheridan (National Museum of Scotland) on different apects of the Neolithic in Scotland. Well illustrated, and full of interest and up to the minute information (some of it not yet published) all delivered in an engaging style. Dr Sheridan was kind enough to use some of Mick's photos, especially in lectures 4 & 5, including a couple of Camster Long Cairn, Caithness.
Photo of Camster Long, Caithness. © Mick Sharp
Feast
An exhibition in the Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology, Cambridge, features two of Mick's photos showing reproduction Iron Age feasting equipment inside reconstructed round houses at Castell Henllys, Pembrokeshire, and Butser Ancient Farm, Hampshire. The hearth and firedogs were photographed inside the Moel y Gerddi house at Butser. The exhibition runs until 3 May 2020 but presumably cannot be visited in these times of Covid-19.
Photo at Butser Ancient Farm © Mick Sharp
Sacred Britannia
Miranda Aldhouse-Green's latest book, Sacred Britannia: The Gods & Rituals of Roman Britain, was published by Thames & Hudson at the end of June 2018. It features two of Mick's photos including this view of the Temple of Mithras near Carrawburgh Roman fort on Hadrian's Wall. The Mithraeum was founded in the 3rd century AD for the worship and rituals of the eastern mystery god Mithras. Very popular with Roman soldiers, Mithras was a rival to Christ and the temple was eventually desecrated by Christians.
Photo of Carrawburgh Temple of Mithras © Mick Sharp
Yorkshire
Richard Morris's book, Yorkshire: A lyrical history of England's greatest county (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 25 January 2018), features five of our photographs including this view of the Beverley Minster at sunrise. The front cover photograph is by Joe Cornish whose work adorns many National Trust publications. Richard's previous book was Time's Anvil which also featured some of our photos, and Mick very much enjoyed taking pictures specially for Richard's pioneering work Churches in the Landscape back in the 1980s. Yorkshire was Radio 4's book of the week in February 2018.
Photo of Beverley Minster, East Yorkshire. © Mick Sharp
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