Architecture,  Monochrome Madness,  Photographic techniques,  Themed galleries

Gallery: seeing walls in black and white

March 13, 2026 / 31 Comments

We build too many walls and not enough bridges

Commonly attributed to Sir Isaac Newton

Searching for a quote to introduce this theme of ‘Walls’ I was struck by the one above. It is, as I said, commonly attributed to Sir Isaac Newton, but there is no evidence he said this. An internet search reveals a more likely source, one Reverend Joseph Fort Newton But whoever said it, and when, sadly it seems very apposite to our times. Wouldn’t the world be a better place if right now we were building more bridges than walls?

Pope Francis expanded on the theme, saying that the aim of communication should be:

to build bridges where many build walls; to foster community where many deepen divisions

And yet, the world is full of walls, and turning to more literal examples we have to admit that they are often necessary. Some are purely functional, marking a boundary and built to keep people (or animals) out, or in. Others are mainly decorative, or are functional but have also been decorated. And of course buildings have to have walls, both external and internal.

But for this post I’ve chosen to focus mainly on boundary walls rather than those that are part of structures. The exceptions are a couple that were once part of structures which are long since gone, leaving only some crumbling walls to mark where they once stood.

Some of my walls are quite close to home and some are from further afield. And as this Monochrome Madness challenge is hosted by Margaret I’m starting with a couple of shots of the iconic and very photogenic drystone walls of the Yorkshire Dales.

All these images were shot originally in colour and edited with Nik Silver Efex Pro. To find out more about the Monochrome Madness challenge take a look at the information on Leanne’s blog.

Drystone walls and barns, Swaledale, Yorkshire, England

Drystone wall, Wensleydale, Yorkshire, England

Hadrian’s Wall, Northumberland

[also featured above]

Lindisfarne Priory, Holy Island, Northumberland, north east England

Lichen on a wall in Ealing, west London

In Brentford, west London

Lesnes Abbey ruins, Abbey Wood, east London

[full name: the Abbey of St Mary and St Thomas the Martyr at Lesnes]

One of the few remaining sections of the Berlin Wall

Wall surrounding a castle near Sibiu, Romania

City wall and tower, Tallinn, Estonia

The old city wall of Jaipur, Rajasthan

Detail of a wall at San Agustin Church of Paoay, Philippines, showing fossilised coral

Kitchen wall of the ruined ‘palace’ of Manthiri Manai near Jaffna, Sri Lanka, with holes to let the smoke out

Wall at our hotel in Cartagena, Colombia

The Elephant Terrace, Angkor Thom, Cambodia

Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús, Santiago de Guatemala

31 Comments

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