Back to Knaresborough!

I went back to Knaresborough to do some more observational drawings and take more photographs of the castle. I was hoping on gaining some more distorted perspectives on the 'Raven Lady' from the locals. Everyone I seemed to ask, however, knew exactly who she was or not at all - so maybe this is not a valid or interesting enough idea? 

All my drawings were also terrible because it was so cold and windy! Although by taking notes of my surroundings I started to consider another potential narrative.  As I began to notice the way children were reacting to the castle - forming these imaginary worlds, pretending to be knights or that father christmas lived there...  

                                   

A lot of other people were walking around as well - people walking their dogs, old couples, young couples, men talking about their wives and children...There was one particular moment when everyone just stopped and all watched the train pass over the viaduct in silence. 

This all made me think what about illustrating a book about - 

• a child's perspective of the castle? disappearing into this imaginary world or simply finding the real thing really wondrous and big? 
• the castle being a place where you can see all different members of the community? maybe linking this my previous feeling that history goes unnoticed in Knaresborough...as the castle has transformed into an almost park, but isn't this good that it is being used and seen though?

One thing I do definitely want to capture is the kind of bleak but beautiful 'wintry' feel I experienced today at the castle. 

I also started speaking to a man called Ken who was taking photographs of the castle. He was a member of the Knaresborough historical society and so had a lot of information about the castle, and also some photographs of Knaresborough throughout lots of different periods. I got his email - khwatson30@gmail.com - and so might contact him for some of the old and new photographs he has collected of Knaresborough. Some of the old photographs could be interesting to provide this imaginary/medieval world I could use as a child's perspective?