Elswyth

Photographs and Stories by Kate Coldrick | Woodbury, Devon

Elswyth by Kate Coldrick
Kate Coldrick — photographer and writer based in Woodbury, Devon

  • Looking Up in Wellington

    From Elswyth, a collection attentive to the overlooked ornaments that shape the character of a place.

    High above the street in Wellington, four simple flowers bloom in plaster, framed by timbering and the geometry of the gables. They are not grand carvings or celebrated works of art, but small acts of decoration woven into the everyday architecture of the town. Looking up reveals details that reward attention – reminders that even ordinary buildings were once given moments of delight, inviting passers-by to lift their eyes from the pavement and notice beauty where it has quietly waited for generations.

    Historic building in Wellington, Somerset, with decorative plaster flowers framing the upper-storey windows beneath twin gables, photographed by Kate Coldrick.
    Close-up of decorative plaster flowers surrounding an upper window on a historic building in Wellington, Somerset, photographed by Kate Coldrick.

    Looking up changes a place. Details that disappear into the background become visible again, revealing the care with which ordinary streets were once made.

    Words and images © Kate Coldrick – part of the Elswyth collection.

  • Mediaeval Paintings in Axminster

    From Elswyth, a collection tracing how centuries gather quietly within the same stone walls.

    In Axminster, time does not sit in neat sequence – it layers itself across plaster, paint and carved wood. The chancel arch frames a space shaped by mediaeval devotion and later restoration, while fragments of wall paintings emerge like whispers from beneath centuries of limewash. Their looping patterns and faded pigments suggest a once richly adorned interior, only recently brought back into view. The carved pulpit, the hanging brass, the coloured glass at the east window – each belongs to a different moment, yet together they hold a continuity that stretches from the burial place of Cyneheard to the present day.

    The chancel arch of Axminster Church framing the altar and stained-glass east window, with carved pulpit and layered wall surfaces visible, photographed by Kate Coldrick.
    Close-up of recently uncovered medieval wall paintings in Axminster Church, showing faded ochre and black decorative patterns beneath worn plaster, photographed by Kate Coldrick.
    Fragment of medieval wall painting on a white plastered wall in Axminster Church, with brass chandelier and chancel visible beyond, photographed by Kate Coldrick.

    In Axminster, centuries gather – from the burial place of Cyneheard to the layered time of wall paintings newly brought back into light.

    Words and images © Kate Coldrick – part of the Elswyth collection.

  • Saxon Church in Itchenor

    From Elswyth, a collection tracing quiet places shaped by centuries of faith.

    The Saxon church of St Nicholas in West Itchenor carries nearly nine hundred years within its simple walls – narrow windows, limewashed curves, timbered roof, and a font worn smooth by generations. There’s a gentleness to this small sanctuary, a sense that time moves differently here, held in the hush of wood, stone, and light.

    St Nicholas Church in Itchenor - photograph by Kate Coldrick
    St Nicholas Church in Itchenor - photograph by Kate Coldrick
    St Nicholas Church in Itchenor - photograph by Kate Coldrick
    The font in St Nicholas Church in Itchenor - photograph by Kate Coldrick
    St Nicholas Church in Itchenor - photograph by Kate Coldrick

    A place of worship since 1125, this peaceful Saxon church of St Nicholas is the oldest building in the village of West Itchenor.

    Words and images © Kate Coldrick – part of the Elswyth collection.