Located near Tetbury in Gloucestershire, Westonbirt Arboretum is one of Britain’s finest tree collections. Its history dates back to the 1850s, when wealthy landowner Robert Stayner Holford began developing the estate. His son, George Holford, continued the work, introducing trees and shrubs from around the world. Until now I had no chance to visit Westonbirt.
This time, I had the day off work so I decided to go out with my newly serviced Hasselblad. This time, I was ready to visit Westonbirt.
Westonbirt is particularly famous for its spectacular autumn colours, when Japanese maples transform the landscape into a palette of reds, oranges and golds. However, its appeal extends throughout the year, with each season bringing different colours, textures and moods.
In the Arboretum
This arboretum is fantastic, especially when dressed in autumn colours. I focused my attention on just one section of the park – the Old Arboretum, and more specifically, Acer Glade. Tucked away among the surrounding trees, this little corner felt like the perfect place to capture some colourful, saturated shots of Japanese maples. It was a beautiful morning, with a touch of mist in the air and absolutely no wind. I had loaded my favourite film, Kodak Ektar 100, and soon came across my first maple. Wow! What an experience. The colours were incredibly vivid, almost unbelievably so. I finished my first roll without any trouble and loaded the second one. By then, however, the park was beginning to fill up with people – walkers, pensioners and families with children. I naturally started searching for quieter, more hidden spots to photograph, but struggled to find enough inspiration to finish the second roll.
In the end, it remained half-finished in my camera.
Back home, I developed the film using Cinestill Cs-41 chemistry, and here are the results. The saturation is hard to believe – Kodak Ektar 100 really did the job perfectly!
I’m already looking forward to seeing what’s waiting on the second roll. My guess is that this one will have a much more yellowish feel to it.
All in all successful autumnal trip. I think Westonbirt is a place I’ll return to again and again. There is so much to explore and so far I have managed maybe 10% of it. Have you ever been to Westonbirt? Did you like it? Which part is the best? Let me know in the comments below.