Trinity Episcopal Church

The Parish Hall

Doorway

Peard House

The Grounds

I spent an afternoon photographing my “backyard” yesterday with Elliot Stern, the owner of  Blue Ridge Photography Workshops. He joined me out in Hunt Country on this day to spend some time exploring a new area and to also scope out some possible sites for future workshops.

It was an overcast, and sometimes drizzly, day that finally did turn partly sunny. Our first stop was Trinity Episcopal Church in Upperville, Virginia, where we spent more than an hour walking around the expansive grounds and shooting the buildings, cemetery and scenery.

As their website notes, the church and most of the grounds were the gift of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon to the parish, and the buildings were begun in 1951. The stone and woodwork, which include beautiful rustic touches, were done by local tradespeople, who made their own stone-cutting tools at the forge on the property in the tradition of medieval craftsmen.

The bells, which we heard ring on occasion throughout our visit, were made in England. The architect designed the church as an adaptation of the style of certain 12th and 13th century French churches.

Even though I’ve often spent time here walking the grounds and attending weddings and funerals, I’d never brought a camera to capture the artistic essence of Trinity. I was glad to have taken the time to see Trinity through my lens and capture a small part of the beauty I drive by almost daily.