A bird soars over the lichen-draped remains of Manorbier Castle in Wales. At its height in the 12th century, the castle consisted of a gatehouse, a keep, two towers, and a vaulted chapel enclosed within two high stone curtain walls. Originally built as a fortified manor house, this medieval castle never encountered attack, which is why it remains remarkably well-preserved today.

(Photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, the National Geographic book Discovering Britain and Ireland, 1985)