perspective

This looks like a small quadrangle at a university, probably in the UK. After spending some time doing image searches for Oxford and Cambridge quadrangles, I decided to try another tack. The satellite view of Oxford from Google maps led me (after a couple of other tries) to the Old Quad at Pembroke College. I think I'm right, but it's hard to be certain.

www.pembrokemcr.com/Photos/CozyPembroke/Golden_sunset_on_... is a current picture. The chimneys, the position of the tower and the layout of windows look right. Of course the ivy is gone, but so are some crenellations. A history of Pembroke College [ www.archive.org/details/histpembrokecoll00macluoft ] suggests a reason for that. Page 432 describes changes made to the quad in the 1830s and has a 1929 drawing of the same corner -- without the "embattled parapet" (visible in the Smillie photograph). My guess is that the 19th century additions have since been removed to the extent possible. I haven't found any evidence to support that.

I also discovered, e.g., from www.bookrags.com/wiki/Pembroke_College,_Oxford , that James Smithson, whose bequest established the Smithsonian was an undergraduate at Pembroke College. This seems an extra reason for having the photo. Another detail: Samuel Johnson had rooms in this tower when he was an undergraduate in 1728.

Link to read a description of the "pointy" wall material absorber.

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meravigliosa

This looks eerily like present day Glasgow - the street I work on, to be exact!

crayxax Agreed; looks like some of the city centre blocks!

Cool shot

Thankfully, this spot the buildings still looks the same in 2011 although the lane the people are about to cross is now closed.