The Jesus & Mary Chain, The Friars, Aylesford

As it was such a lovely day today me and my brother popped out to The Red Bull in Eccles to have cold pint sitting in its quiet garden - it was bliss! On the way back my brother persuaded me that we should stop off at the Friars to see if we could capture some images. I wasn't holding out much hope as I've been really struggling over the past few days to capture anything at all. Luckily, today was much better and I managed to take some compositions I was really pretty happy with.
The main image was taken at the Rosary Way which is the most peaceful part of The Friars. On its website it says the following: "As you wind your way through the wooded grounds towards the large shrine of the scapular vision, you are following in the footsteps of thousands of pilgrims who have walked this trail in prayer, stopping at each of the fifteen mysteries of the rosary displayed along the walls". As it is approaching Easter the Way has also had placards placed along it which depict the fourteen stations of the cross each of which depict a moment of the journey to Calvery. One of these features on the left hand side of the frame and the statue at the centre of the image is of the Virgin May so I though the title I came up reflects the connection between them. I also spotted the two older gentlemen sitting on the bench and it was then that one of them pointed and the other put his hands towards his face. I just took the one shot so I'm so glad it came out as I hoped.
Of course, the title also refers to the Scottish alternative rock band of the same name. It was formed in 1983 by the brothers Jim and William Reid from East Kilbride. At one point their drummer was Bobby Gillespie who later went on to form the iconic Primal Scream! The brother's apparently came up with their name after seeing an offer on the back of a cereal packet where customers could send off for a gold Jesus and Mary chain!
They had a volatile relationship and eventually split up after a drunken altercation on stage which caused one of the brothers to quit mid tour at the end of the 1990s. They eventually forgave each other and reformed in 2007.
My first extra was taken looking back towards the duck pond and I just loved how the shadows and branches from this ancient tree contrasted with the much more modern car. The last extra is of some of the visitors as they headed towards the main shrine which was designed by Adrian Gilbert Scott. The benches in the background are used when there are large outdoor services but there are also a number of chapels around the main shrine where people can go for quiet contemplation and prayer and light a votive candle.