History fades into fable; fact becomes clouded with doubt and controversy; the inscription moulders from the tablet: the statue falls from the pedestal. Columns, arches, pyramids, what are they but heaps of sand; and their epitaphs, but characters written in the dust?
Washington Irving
It’s a sombre thought that even the most modern and stable of structures may one day become a ruin. Did the builders of the Inca cities, of the Egyptian pyramids or of the temples of Angkor stop to consider that they may not stand for ever?
Some ruins happen through neglect while others are created through deliberate human activity such as war. The latter, like the Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima included in my gallery below) or the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin, can be uncomfortable reminders of harrowing events. Others however are, despite their ruined appearance, often beautiful and almost always photogenic.
For this week’s Monochrome Madness I’m experimenting with some black and white edits of photos of ruins drawn from my archives. Some are quite recent, others were taken many years ago. And some are close to home while others are on the other side of the world!
I’d love to see your monochrome ruins too. Pingbacks don’t usually work on my site so if you’d like to join in please leave a comment below with a link to your post so I can check it out. And to find out more about Monochrome Madness have a look at the information on Leanne’s blog.
As always I’ve used Nik Silver Efex Pro to convert what were originally colour images to black and white. My feature photo was taken at Pompeii and shows the ruins of the Forum
Fountains Abbey, Yorkshire, England
Glastonbury Abbey, Somerset, England
Lindisfarne Priory, Holy Island, Northumberland, north east England
Corfe Castle, Dorset, England
Dunstanburgh Castle, Northumberland, north east England
Tyneham village, Dorset, England, which was commandeered by the Army during WWII and never handed back to the villagers
Houses at Port Royal, Kingston, Jamaica, destroyed by an earthquake
Ruined house in Al Hamra, an abandoned village in Oman
Fort Santiago in the Intramuros district of Manila, Philippines
The Atomic Bomb Dome, Hiroshima, Japan; the only structure left standing in the area where the first atomic bomb exploded on 6 August 1945
The cathedral of Antigua Guatemala, damaged in an earthquake
Télouet Kasbah in the High Atlas of Morocco
Angkor Wat, Cambodia
Nuraghe Piscu, Sardinia
Machu Picchu, Peru
[the colour version of this shot appeared in my previous post]
The Pyramid of the Moon, Teotihuacan, Mexico
Monte Alban, Mexico
The Sloping Panel Temple, Tikal, Guatemala
The Jaguar Temple, Lamanai, Belize
59 Comments
wetanddustyroads
I think the ruins work very well in B&W. Fountains Abbey is beautiful, and I’m amazed that the high walls of Dunstanburgh Castle are still standing (it looks like it could fall over at any moment).
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you 😊 I suspect they’ve shored up Dunstanburgh more than once in the past!
equinoxio21
Amazing remnants of human civilisation…
I have seen some of those, though not Hiroshima. A reminder of human folly…
The English ruins seem like a hazard, don’t they? Ready to fall on careless bypassers? Or are they cordoned off?
Cheers.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you 🙂 Yes, Hiroshima is an important reminder and the Japanese treat it as such, with the whole site developed not just to remember those who died but also to promote the need for peace. As for the English ruins, if any were considered unsafe they would be cordoned off (there were some fences at Corfe as I recall) but the abbeys are pretty stable and you can wander anywhere.
equinoxio21
Good to know. For when(ever) I go visit the “interior” of the UK. 😉
Annie Berger
How shattering it must have been for the residents of Tyneham village to have had their homes and livelihoods commandeered for the war effort. I hope that they were adequately compensated post-war.
Sarah Wilkie
Sadly not Annie – they didn’t own their houses, they were rented from the local squire so he was compensated but the villagers only received the value of the produce in their gardens. I have an old post about the village if you’re interested to read more: https://www.toonsarah-travels.blog/tyneham-a-village-frozen-in-time/
Annie Berger
Read your other post with great interest, but was unable to comment on it, unfortunately. So sad that two villages were similarly affected by the needs of the army. Imagine only being compensated for one’s produce. Hard for me to understand that!
Sarah Wilkie
It’s odd that you couldn’t comment there. I haven’t disabled comments on older posts and I just did a successful test comment so it should have been OK. Yes, it was very sad that these people’s lives were uprooted like that and also that they were promised they’d be able to return. I bet they thought they were doing their bit for the war effort and it was only a temporary sacrifice. And as they didn’t own the property they had no right to expect compensation.
Tish Farrell
You given us a stunning array of ruins here, Sarah. Mine is castle that maybe isn’t quite a castle:
https://tishfarrell.com/2025/10/03/hopton-castle-shropshire/
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you very much Tish 🙂 Off to check yours out in a jiffy!
Anonymous
Great set of pictures, look great in monochrome. My attempt is here:
https://mostlymonochrome.wordpress.com/2025/10/03/castle-ruins-by-the-sea/
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you for joining the challenge this week 🙂
Laura Bloomsbury
Sarah you put me to shame with your extensive travels and photography but thank you for the prompt – nothing better for monochrome so I just managed to find a few
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Linda 🙂 I had to hunt for your contribution as you didn’t include a link but I’m very glad I did as you have some excellent shots of ruins there!
Laura Bloomsbury
my pleasure – Laura x
grandmisadventures
Beautiful! Ruins are perfect.for black and white- brings out the centuries of stories that the places are.built on
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Meg, I’m glad you liked them 😊 Yes, ‘centuries of stories’ here!
Dawn M. Miller
Wonderful images, and a favorite theme of mine. That first image, the one of Fountains Abbey is gorgeous!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Dawn. I’ll check out your post later today 😄
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Image Earth Travel
Wonderful photos in B&W – some I’ve visited, others I haven’t but would love to one day.
Glastonbury Abbey is one of my favourites as I’ve visited several times…my partner is from Glastonbury (if I mentioned that before, sorry…it’s age!).
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you very much – and if you mentioned your partner is from Glastonbury previously, well I’ve forgotten too, so no need to apologise (and I’ll use the same excuse!)
Image Earth Travel
Ha, ha, it’s a deal! 😉
Alison
Thanks Sarah
Alison
This theme was right up my street. Ruins are something I love, especially to photograph. Here’s mine
https://travelswithali.com/2025/10/01/monochrome-madness-capturing-the-essence-of-old-ruins/
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks Alison, I really enjoyed your contribution 😀
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Leanne Cole
Sarah when I think of ruins I think of the first few of the old churches. We haven’t been around long enough to get ruins like that. All of them are amazing.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you very much Leanne 😊 You came up with some great ruin shots yourself, even if they weren’t as old as these ones!
bushboy
Wonderful gallery of ruins Sarah. I like the juxtaposition of the phone box at Tyneham village, Dorset,
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you very much Brian 🙂 Tyneham is a fascinating place!
Teresa
A great collection Sarah as always. Here is mine https://wanderingteresa.com/the-ruins-in-monochrome/
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Teresa, and thank you for joining in too 🙂 You have an excellent selection of ruins in your post!
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the eternal traveller
Even though I knew the story, I was surprised by how very moving it was standing in front of the A Bomb Dome in Hiroshima. Our guide gave an excellent talk and the information boards were so informative. It was impossible to imagine the horror of that day. I’m glad it’s been kept as a memorial and your photo of it is lovely.
Sarah Wilkie
I agree, I felt just the same – but also throughout the Peace Park. I think the Japanese have struck an excellent balance between remembering the horrors while promoting peace.
the eternal traveller
I agree.
Linda K
For me those cathedral ruins in England are spot on! They actually are so much better in monochrome. You have a wonderful selection here!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Linda 🙂 Our abbey ruins are a reminder of a particular point in our history, Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries in his split from the Catholic church. The destruction was appalling but I have to say it’s left us with some beautiful and atmospheric ruins.
Marie
A great selection – don’t they all look wonderful in black and white…..
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you very much Marie 🙂
Monkey's Tale
Wonderful monochromes Sarah. I don’t know what it is about the one from Manila, but it looks like a scary movie could be shot there. 😊Maggie
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Maggie 😊 I do see what you mean about that Manila shot. Although maybe a war film would be more appropriate since it was destroyed by US shelling during WWII.
Anabel @ The Glasgow Gallivanter
The various abbeys are my favourites – they just look so right in black and white, like vintage postcards.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks Anabel – I see what you mean about postcards. Maybe sepia would emphasise that even more?
Anabel @ The Glasgow Gallivanter
Maybe so!
margaret21
As ever, you’ve delivered, Sarah, especially as Fountains Abbey gets (almost) top billing! My post for tomorrow is scheduled, as we’re leaving at Silly O’clock, so let’s hope the pingback works. Alsace, here we come!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Margaret – I thought you’d be pleased to see Fountains Abbey included 🙂 Even if the pingback doesn’t work I’ll pick up your post as I subscribe to your site. Have a wonderful time in Alsace!
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Sue
Oh, what a stunning selection of images! I love a monochrome ruin
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you very much Sue 😊 I hope you’ll have some to share?
Sue
I’m trawling through the archives!
Sue
here is my post, finally got it together: https://suejudd.com/2025/10/01/monochrome-madness-ruins/
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks for joining in Sue 🙂
Alison
Another great gallery Sarah, all so varied. Ruins look better in black and white
I have mine nearly ready, just need a few more tweaks!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Alison, I’m looking forward to seeing what you come up with 🙂
Anne Sandler
Amazing images in black and white! But, that phone booth, although now a relic, looks so out of place against the ruins in Dorset.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Anne 😊 I see what you mean about the phone box but it’s of an age with the village.