Follow me as I find the light at Avebury.
Avebury, Wiltshire
I'd come to Avebury with my friend Steve Tomlin and I was mesmerised by the raking light upon the building surfaces.
In times when a fact is not a fact and a photograph is not a photograph, I find a need to blur out what others are telling me and connect with the reality of the present moment.
Here at Avebury - the touch paper was re-ignited, and I fell in love with the literacy of light on the buildings surfaces and felt no need to explain the what, why, where, when and who..
"Look at the light raking against the flint work!" I said to Steve.
"Can you see the nail?" he said.
"Oh yeah! How beautiful!"
Inside the church the font was in on the act and, as we buzzed around the inside as innumerable people have done before us, the light kept its steady track and graced the ancient font with its presence, pricking out the details. It was as if the font was alive again - like the stone at Billesley.
The listing says that it is a fine C12 barrel font with bishop holding crozier flanked by dragons and scrolls.
But the light said that it is much more than that.
And it's not just the church - other buildings were imbibed with sarsen and brick.
Even the building in the shadows were stricken with an effervescent glow..
Members can see a wonderful VR of the interior of this C16th dovecote by clicking the box below. Viewable on all devices.
Andy Marshall
And then I saw the C17th Great Barn - just a stroll away from the dovecote,
Whilst stood within the timbers I started to get that Russian doll feeling.
This barn, this great barn, is a structure within a village set within another series of structures that form the henge at Avebury; and the henge at Avebury is part of a larger ritualistic landscape that swallows up Wiltshire that stretches beyond to the Preseli Mountains in Wales.
Members can view part of the henge via VR. Viewable on all devices.
Andy Marshall
It's been a long day and I don't feel like cooking in the van, so Steve takes me to a nearby haunt: the Barge Inn, Honey Street.
The Dover Sole is delicious.
Andy Marshall
Travel with me weekly - subscribe to my Genius Loci Digest for free
Each week, this Digest offers a small pause – photographs, sketches, and reflections from historic places that still carry meaning. It’s a weekly practice of noticing, continuity, and learning to see more deeply.
SubscribeThis work is sustained by a small group of tier members who value time, care, and continuity. If that resonates, there’s a more immersive path you can step onto. Become a Tier Member:
Andy Marshall
Spirit of Place * History * Material Culture * Heritage * Continuity * Photography * Travel * Architecture * Vanlife * Ways of Seeing * Wellbeing * The Historic Environment * Churches * Art * Building Conservation * Community * Place Making * Alternative Destinations * Hidden Gems * Road Trips * Place Writing *
"That aura, those echoes-the muted light is transporting. What a space to feel rooted in history. I'd love to make that journey myself; you've stirred the opera lover and architectural dreamer in me."
@sonatasips via X
Genius Loci has rapidly become the highlight of my Friday morning mailboxes, Andy!
David via Linkedin
"In reading & seeing Andy's work I always struggle to know which is more impactful - his writing or photos. In truth, the two combined are greater than their parts, he allows you to explore the importance of place and time from the comfort of home."
Peter from Bluesky
"Andy your work is becoming wonderful, remarkable. A so-called breakdown has been milled into its constituent parts, becoming profound construction: through perception, architecture, the lens and the pen."
Stephen via Email
Connect with me on: Bluesky / Instagram / Facebook / X / Tumblr / Flickr / Vimeo / Pixelfed / Pinterest
Member discussion