The Nuneham Estate at Nuneham Courtenay lies south of Oxford on the way to Abingdon. The estate has a history that I will leave to Wikipedia to explain, but it is famous for grounds landscaped by Capability Brown, and the wholesale movement of the local population because their existing houses spoiled the view from the First Earl of Harcourt's new house. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert stayed here in June 1841. Victoria described Nuneham as “a most lovely place”, with the Thames winding beneath its pleasure grounds. At the time of writing, the Nuneham Estate seems to be up for sale.
The picture here shows the boathouse of Nuneham House, constructed in 1756 at the time the Earl built his new house on the site of a pre-existing building. Despite the history associated with the house, it is still a striking and very pretty building; for me, one of the most attractive boathouses on the Thames.
I planned a visit with help from Photopills. I wanted to get a time of day when the sun would directly illuminate the front of the building, lighting up the cream-coloured exterior. That was just before 9pm in May, when the sun was getting low in the sky, adding warmth to the colour. While I was setting up the picture, a swan came into view, so I waited for it to paddle into a nice position — and click. I’ve left the shadows deep and impenetrable in this image: the boathouse sits in the darkness of its origin.