Monk's barn, North Hinksey before 1912

This photograph of Monk’s Barn, North Hinksey, was taken by Henry W. Taunt, though when exactly is unknown, it’s a ghostly image isn’t it, faded and bleached with age? There's a stillness to this image that I find really affecting. You can see the thatched barn with its intricate roof, the texture almost palpable despite the distance. And notice how the light plays across the scene, how the shadows deepen the sense of depth? I'm drawn to that little thatched cow-crib in the yard; it feels so solid and real, like you could reach out and touch it. This photograph is not just about capturing a place, it’s about preserving a way of life, a moment in time. Taunt was a prolific photographer who documented the changing landscape of Oxfordshire. You could perhaps compare his work to that of Eugène Atget, who captured the disappearing streets of Paris. Like Atget, Taunt was interested in recording the everyday, the ordinary, the things that might otherwise be lost to time.