Fine Art Photographs, Printed Big And Signed.

The Liverpool Pier On River Mersey

by Rick Billings, M. Photog., Cr.

The red brick Pilotage Building of 1883 stands beside the angular white Museum of Liverpool at Pier Head on the River Mersey, with a Liver Bird atop the Royal Liver Building on the skyline and a Mersey ferry waiting at its landing stage, as the stone river wall and lamp posts lead out over the water under a cloudy sky. Key Features: The Pilotage Building: Built in 1883 for the Liverpool Pilotage Service, founded in 1766 to guide ships through the Mersey's shifting sandbanks. The Museum of Liverpool: Opened in 2011 and designed by Danish architects 3XN, its modern form sets off the historic brick beside it. The Pier Head: The heart of Liverpool's waterfront, watched over by the Royal Liver Building and its famous Liver Birds.

Philharmonic Dining Rooms, Liverpool

by Rick Billings, M. Photog., Cr.

Gilded lettering spells out the name of the Philharmonic Dining Rooms beneath a carved stone balcony on the corner of Hope Street and Hardman Street in Liverpool, seen from street level looking up at its twin arched entrances, stained glass and sandstone detail. Key Features: Origins: Built between 1898 and 1900 for brewer Robert Cain, designed by Liverpool architect Walter W. Thomas. Recognition: Called a cathedral among pubs for its opulence, it was one of the most spectacular pubs of the late Victorian golden age of pub building. The Interior: The Grade I listed pub is known for its stained glass, wood panelling and decorative plaster ceilings.

Albert Dock In Liverpool

by Rick Billings, M. Photog., Cr.

A stone gateway dated 1855 frames a view through to the dock basin at Albert Dock in Liverpool, England, with warehouses and moored boats across the water, seen from the cobbled approach beside the road into the docks. Key Features: The Stone Arch: Merseyside County Council rebuilt the gateway here in 1980 from stone salvaged from the original 1855 structure. The Dock: Engineer Jesse Hartley and architect Philip Hardwick designed Albert Dock, opened in 1846, with warehouses of brick, iron and stone rather than timber to guard against fire. The Warehouses: Together they form the largest group of Grade I listed buildings in Britain.

Time At The Telegraph Building

by Rick Billings, M. Photog., Cr.

The Daily Telegraph Building's vivid blue, red, green and gold Art Deco clock projects between massive fluted Portland stone columns on Fleet Street in the City of London, seen from below against a deep blue sky. Key Features: The Building: Designed by Charles Ernest Elcock with Thomas S. Tait, it opened in 1928 as an Art Deco office block with Egyptian-inspired decoration and a monumental colonnade. The Clock: Its bright, oversized face is one of the best-known surviving details of the old newspaper headquarters. History: The Daily Telegraph was based here until the 1980s; the building later housed Goldman Sachs' European offices. Status: Grade II listed since 1983.

The River Thames

by Rick Billings, M. Photog., Cr.

Tour boats and a houseboat sit tied up at a floating pier on the south bank of the Thames, looking north across the river to the Palace of Westminster, with the square Victoria Tower on the left and the clock tower housing Big Ben on the right beneath a heavy, storm-laden sky. Key Features: The Palace of Westminster: Seat of the UK Parliament, rebuilt in Gothic Revival style after fire destroyed the medieval palace in 1834. Victoria Tower: The tall square tower at the palace's southwest corner, long used to store parliamentary records. Big Ben: The nickname of the Great Bell in the Elizabeth Tower, one of London's most recognized landmarks. River Traffic: Pleasure cruisers and houseboats show the Thames still at work for sightseeing and travel through central London.

Palace Of Westminster In London

by Rick Billings, M. Photog., Cr.

Storm clouds bank over the Palace of Westminster across the Thames, its riverfront facade running from the tall, flag-topped Victoria Tower on the left to the clock tower of Big Ben on the right. Key Features: Victoria Tower: At 98.5 meters the tallest part of the palace, flying the Union Flag when Parliament sits. The Rebuilt Palace: Charles Barry and Augustus Pugin designed the Gothic Revival building after fire destroyed the medieval palace in 1834. Big Ben: The Elizabeth Tower at the north end holds the famous bell, one of London's best-known symbols.

Remote Lochs In Rock Strewn Hills

by Rick Billings, M. Photog., Cr.

Across one of Jura's remote lochs, rolling, rock-strewn hills rise on this Inner Hebridean island, pale quartzite breaking through heather and grass moorland under a heavy, changeable sky. Key Features: The Island: Jura is thinly settled, known for its empty, wild interior. The Geology: Its hills are ancient quartzite, which gives the bare rock its pale, almost white look among the moor. Wild Land: Much of the island is rugged and little changed, far from any road.

1440 Jura Scotland

by Rick Billings, M. Photog., Cr.

A two-masted tall ship cuts a long wake across the calm Sound of Jura, with a small sailing yacht farther out, looking east from the Isle of Jura to the low, hazy hills of Kintyre, where wind turbines line the ridges under a wide, layered sky. Key Features: The Sound of Jura: The channel between Jura and the Kintyre peninsula has long been a sailing route between the Atlantic coast, the Firth of Clyde and Loch Fyne. The Kintyre Coast: Onshore wind farms stand along the distant hills. The Island: Jura is thinly settled and prized for its wild coastline and open views to the mainland.

Isle Of Jura In Scotland's Inner Hebrides

by Rick Billings, M. Photog., Cr.

Late summer heather cloaks the rugged shore of the Isle of Jura in Scotland's Inner Hebrides, seen across a sheltered sea channel, its purple and gold broken by green bracken and gorse above dark rock and a narrow pale beach. Key Features: The Landscape: Jura's interior is open, rolling heather moor rather than farms or villages. The Setting: The island lies just northeast of Islay, with a rugged coast of hidden sandy beaches. The Population: About 142 square miles in size, it has only around 200 residents. The Heather: The purple across the hills marks the short late summer bloom of the moorland heather.

Inner Hebrides Off Scotland's West Coast

by Rick Billings, M. Photog., Cr.

From a patch of rust-colored moor grass on the Isle of Jura, a sheltered channel of sea leads to low green hills across the water, with a small marker on the highest ridge and a scatter of trees along the quiet far shore. Key Features: The Moor: Jura's interior is open heather and grass moor, home to far more red deer than people. A Historic Strait: Channels like this were once watched over by strongholds such as Claig Castle, guarding the passage through the sound. A Wild Island: Much of Jura is thinly settled, its west coast still largely empty and little changed.

Lagavulin Bay On The Isle Of Islay In Argyll, Scotland

by Rick Billings, M. Photog., Cr.

A small boat rides at anchor on the still water of Lagavulin Bay, on the Isle of Islay in Argyll, Scotland, with the ruins of Dunyvaig Castle crowning the rocky headland across the bay and a lone white house on the grassy point to the left. Key Features: The Stronghold: Dunyvaig Castle stands on Islay's south coast, on the shore of Lagavulin Bay, a few miles from Port Ellen. Its Origins: Built on a rocky promontory jutting into the bay, the castle was once a naval base of the Lords of the Isles, chiefs of Clan Donald. Seafaring Legacy: The MacDonalds kept their fleet of galleys anchored in Lagavulin Bay. Today: The bay shares its name with the renowned Lagavulin whisky distillery on its shore.

Oban, On Scotland's West Highland Coast

by Rick Billings, M. Photog., Cr.

A cluster of white yachts and a tall, square-rigged sailing ship ride at anchor in the sheltered waters near Oban, on Scotland's west Highland coast, with a lone stone house on the shore in front and the layered hills of Argyll rising across the water under a heavy, changeable sky. Key Features: The Town: Oban is a historic fishing and ferry port, often called the gateway to the Hebrides, long valued for its sheltered bay. The Anchorage: Local boats share these waters with visiting yachts and traditional sailing ships drawn to the region's cruising grounds. The Landscape: The hills and sea lochs of Argyll give the harbor its mountain-backed setting. The Light: Shifting cloud and soft light over the water are the ever-changing weather of Scotland's western seaboard.

Jura In The Inner Hebrides

by Rick Billings, M. Photog., Cr.

From the coast road curving south of Craighouse on the Isle of Jura, the view looks back across the Bay of Small Isles to the village, where a tall ship lies moored near the distillery pier, with the rounded summit of one of the Paps of Jura rising beyond. Key Features: Craighouse: Jura's tiny capital and its main gathering place, with the distillery pier and cafes along the waterfront. The Paps of Jura: Three mountains on the western side of the island that anchor every view. The Island: Jura is about thirty miles long and seven miles wide, with a very small population.

Oban Bay On Scotland's West Coast

by Rick Billings, M. Photog., Cr.

Rows of Victorian villas and a church spire rise among the trees on Oban's wooded hillside, seen from out on the bay below a hilltop mast, while a dark-hulled service vessel lies alongside a small pier and a lone yacht rides at anchor on the calm, overcast water. Key Features: The Gateway to the Isles: Oban grew from a small fishing village into the main ferry port linking the Scottish mainland to the Hebrides, including Mull, Coll and Tiree. The Hillside Villas: Most of the stone houses terraced along the slope date from the Victorian era, when Oban's popularity as a resort brought the railway and grand holiday homes. The Working Harbour: Fishing boats, lighthouse and marine support vessels and leisure craft all share the waterfront. The Shelter: The island of Kerrera shields the bay from the Atlantic, making it one of the calmest natural harbours on the west coast.

Maiden Island On Oban Bay In Scotland

by Rick Billings, M. Photog., Cr.

Fishing boats, a yacht and a channel buoy rest on calm water in Oban Bay on Scotland's west coast, where small, uninhabited Maiden Island sits at the harbour entrance off the tip of Kerrera, the island's hills rising behind to shield the bay from the open sea. Key Features: The Gateway to the Isles: Oban is the main ferry port for the Hebrides, its harbour a departure point for the western islands. Kerrera's Shelter: The hilly island just offshore protects Oban Bay from Atlantic winds, making it a safe natural anchorage. Maiden Island: The small grassy island marks the narrow northern entrance to the bay. A Working Harbour: Fishing vessels and leisure craft share the anchorage, a sign of Oban's role as a maritime and ferry hub.

Dutch Barquentine Thalassa

by Rick Billings, M. Photog., Cr.

The Dutch barquentine Thalassa glides through Oban Bay on the west coast of Scotland, sails partly furled, past smaller vessels and a channel buoy, with the hills of Kerrera and the Morvern peninsula rising beyond under cloud-shadowed highlands. Key Features: The Ship: Thalassa is a three-masted barquentine, square-rigged on the foremast with gaff-rigged main and mizzen masts, built as a Dutch sail training ship. The Harbor: She is often anchored outside the Port of Oban, readying for voyages around Scotland. The Setting: Oban is the gateway to the Inner Hebrides, its bay framed by Kerrera and the hills of the Argyll coast. The Voyages: Thalassa sails week-long journeys along Scotland's coast, among them a whisky voyage between Scrabster and Oban past islands rich in nature and history.

McCaig's Tower, Granite Monument On Battery Hill

by Rick Billings, M. Photog., Cr.

Through the gateway arch of McCaig's Tower, a granite monument on Battery Hill above Oban on Scotland's west coast, crenellated walls and tiers of lancet arches rise above lawns and trees, with a worn inscription plaque over the entrance. Key Features: Origins: Local banker John Stuart McCaig commissioned the folly, built from 1897 to 1902 as a family monument and as winter work for Oban's stonemasons. Design: Inspired by Rome's Colosseum, McCaig planned a central tower, museum and family statues, but his death in 1902 stopped the work, leaving only the outer walls. Setting: The site is now a public garden above the harbour, prized for its sweeping views over Oban Bay.

McCaig's Tower Overlooking Bay

by Rick Billings, M. Photog., Cr.

From the heights of McCaig's Tower, the tiered rooftops and terraces of Oban step down to the curved waterfront, with the railway station, ferry pier and fishing boats along the harbour and wooded hills and scattered houses rising behind. Key Features: Gateway to the Isles: Oban is a principal ferry port on Scotland's west coast, with Caledonian MacBrayne services to Mull, Lismore and other Hebridean islands. The Vantage Point: McCaig's Tower, a Victorian folly above the town, gives this sweeping view over the harbour and hills. Rail and Sea: The end of the West Highland Line sits right beside the pier, where train meets ferry. Harbour Town: Stone tenements, piers and fishing boats tell of Oban's long life as a working fishing and trading harbour.