Middleton Wood is a collection of smaller woods known by a variety of names over its long history: Coppice (later Coppy) Wood at the western end, through Stubbings (1851) and Stubham Wood (1892), straddling Curly Hill to Middleton or Hudson Wood and Nell Bank Wood at the eastern limit. Both Coppice and Stubbing (Anglo-Saxon for clearing) attest to both the length of time the area has been wooded and its function as a productive woodland. Coppice and ‘stubbing’ indicate that the trees were being actively managed to produce sticks, poles, timber and possibly charcoal by periodic cutting.

The wood is local to me and I have visited many times, making images on a selection of films and digitally, in a variety of formats and with different lenses including pinhole.

Camera have included Sony Alpha, Mamiya 645, Rollei TLR and Leica M3.

It is a magical place, often free of people, with a mood that varies through the seasons.