I had the good fortune last week to be invited by the Cargill's Castle Trust to photograph the castle and its grounds. I've always been fascinated by this castle perched in pride of place on the cliffs at St Clair, so was excited to finally get up close and personal with the building.
Building began in 1876 for the mansion that would house Edward Bowes Cargill, the seventh son of Captain William Cargill and his wife Mary. Edward had a successful political career and was elected Mayor of Dunedin during the city's 50th Jubilee year in 1898. He named the structure 'The Cliffs' because of its mock battlements.
The Italianate-styled building was designed by one of New Zealand's most outstanding architects, Francis W Petre, who was known as "Lord Concrete" for his masterful use of this new material. The castle had 21 rooms and was renowned for its balls and parties. In 1974 the condition of the building was questioned and it began a lengthy period of decay.
Today the castle is a crumbling ruin and until the structure is stabilised it's closed to the public. Luckily, the trust is well on the path to making that happen.
The night I chose to photograph it there was a long drawn-out sunset with dark purple clouds shuttling overhead on the strong southerly flow. The best light often comes after the sun has disappeared and I was waiting for this when the whirl of the wind through the ruins and a series of random unexplained noises from within the castle had the hairs on the back of my neck bristling.
Then the noises became little footsteps heading my way in the dirt and rubble of the castle floor. I quelled my fear in the half light and kept shooting, using my flash to paint in the walls of the castle, when suddenly I heard what can only be described as a muffled farting noise. With my heart beating frantically I spun around to see where it came from and as I did I fired my flash – straight into my own eyes. I froze. A great big white spot in my eyes is all I could see. I was blinded. Then I felt a tug on my pants at about knee height. I'd nearly had enough of this castle when my vision returned and revealed the source of my curse: a goat – the keeper of the castle had her head in my camera bag chewing on whatever she could find.
More unsettled weather forecast this week, so hopefully you can find a beach out of the wind. The cool characters at Hydro are running another sale on Thursday so get down there and grab a new something for motivation and remember to don your jandals on Friday for National Jandal Day.
See you at the beach ...
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