Staying with photography and history. If you want to step back in time and visit photography of the past, then you could pop along to the The Hardman House and Photographers Studio in Rodney Street, Liverpool. Here the terraced house has been preserved in the 1950's and is on display how it was when the Hardman family lived there. It is now in the hands of the National Trust and available for us all to see.

It is a fascinating insight into how photography studios worked in the first halve of the 20th century.

On first sight it looks like any ordinary terraced house in a residential street of Liverpool. It was the home and business of renowned portrait and landscape photographer, Edward Chambre Hardman and his wife, Margaret. Inside it is a like a 'tardis' and across its many rooms you have the studio, where the photos of paying clients were taken, there is an onsite darkroom where they developed all their own photos, as well as the finishing room where staff would put the final touches and in some cases hand colour the photos ready for the client.

There are also exhibition rooms with photos they took of the local area in their time, as well as photographs in a number of rooms of both their work and play/holiday time.

Red Kites,  once nearly driven to extinction, these birds are now a more common site across the UK. When driving about the countryside, especially where we live in the Cotswolds, there are many trips when you will see an odd one either soaring above the roadside verges looking for pray. Occasionally you may even spot one taking a breather on an overhead cable or post on the edge of a field.

As well as information on Red Kites,   we also have a Red Kite Gallery which carries many more images of these magnificent birds. These close up images were captured when we visited Gigrin Farm, a Red Kite Feeding Station, in Powys. Here at 3pm each afternoon during the summer months, March to October, hundreds of Red Kites come in to feed each day. They have both general hides and specialist photographic ones available around the feeding area, so you can get up close and personal with those flying in. Take a look at our Girgrin Farm Gallery to see some of what we captured on our visit.

As long as the April Showers don't get in the way there are many opportunities to get out and about and lots to see and photograph within the English Countryside.

Take a look at our diary pages for more events than you can possibly manage to see, across all interests and photographic opportunities. Don't forget the wildlife calendar to help you spot what wildlife is abundant this month. On top of that throughout this whole resource there are lots of ideas for places to visit, explore and photograph.