Grandeur: Herstmonceux Star Trails

March 25th, 2022, brought me to Herstmonceux Castle in East Sussex—a stunning 15th-century brick castle that's been home to the Royal Greenwich Observatory and is now a private venue with public gardens. I'd been waiting for the perfect conditions: clear skies, no moon, and still water in the moat to capture this magnificent castle reflected beneath star trails. When all three aligned on this March night, I knew it was time.

Herstmonceux Castle is remarkable for its architecture—built in 1441 by Sir Roger Fiennes, Treasurer of the Household to King Henry VI, it's one of the oldest significant brick buildings in England. The castle's distinctive terracotta-colored bricks came from Flemish craftsmen, and its fairytale appearance with turrets and towers rising from the moat has made it an iconic Sussex landmark. From 1957 to 1988, it housed the Royal Greenwich Observatory, connecting this medieval castle to modern astronomy.

The night was cold but perfectly clear, ideal for star trail photography. I positioned myself to capture the full castle facade with its reflection in the moat, using my RF 15-35mm lens at 20mm. At f/2.8 and ISO 800, each 25-second exposure balanced the illuminated castle against the dark sky. Over 129 minutes—more than two hours—I captured 298 separate frames, standing in the March cold as the stars wheeled overhead.

The castle's artificial lighting created this warm glow against the deep blue night sky, and the still moat provided perfect mirror reflections. Stacking 298 exposures revealed Earth's rotation as these sweeping star trails centered on Polaris. There's something special about photographing a castle that once housed the Royal Greenwich Observatory—the very institution that mapped the stars—now beneath star trails showing Earth's rotation through space.

The title 'Grandeur' captures both the castle's impressive architecture and the cosmic grandeur above it. Standing there for over two hours in the East Sussex countryside, watching this 580-year-old castle remain perfectly still while the stars traced their paths overhead, connected centuries of history with the timeless motion of the cosmos.

When you look at this photograph, I want you to feel that convergence—standing before Herstmonceux Castle where the Royal Greenwich Observatory once mapped the heavens, now watching 129 minutes of Earth's rotation traced in star trails above Sir Roger Fiennes' 1441 fortress, all reflected in the still waters of its medieval moat in the Sussex countryside.