The wonderful East Quay in Watchet a collection of artists studios, craft shops, cafe and holiday lets to the side of the town's harbour. Quite an unexpected sight but warm and welcoming. Well worth the visit. RIBA South West Building of the Year 2023.
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A fine row of unlisted thatched houses in the small village of Washford, Somerset. Water Reed roofs cut sharply back at the eaves with straw ridges finished with pointed straw finials. Looking well in the clear sunshine.
Beautiful village at the edge of Exmoor. Steep gorge and wooded hills around with a funicular railway rising up the steep slope to villas in the trees behind. Massive damage caused in a flood in 1952 and over 100 houses buildings and bridges destroyed including the Renhish tower drawn here at the land entrance to the pier. The projection at the top is not a mobile phone mast but rather a 'brazier' presumably for setting a light at the entrance to the village.
Relocated from Old Sarum, a huge Iron Age hill fort on the outskirts of today's town, in 1220, Salisbury was originally known as New Sarum and was granted city status in 1227. The famous cathedral was commenced in 1221 with stones taken from the former cathedral in Old Sarum. The main body of the building was completed in the following 38 years. A stone defensive wall was built around the close of the new cathedral in the 14th century and a busy town developed outside the walls. Today many medieval buildings survive. This is a view down High Street towards the cathedral. High Street Gate marks the entrance to the more serene atmosphere of the cathedral close.
One of the most iconic monuments in the world. Stonehenge on Salisbury Plane, Wiltshire, on a dramatic wet windy day. I sketched this drawing from a photograph I took on my visit and decided not to shade the iconic stones. It is a very atmospheric place with the long walk up the road from the visitor centre adding to the atmosphere. Every lump and bump in the surrounding area feels full of meaning and, in fact, most are, as the upstanding monument is only one part of a wider ritual landscape. The first Stonehenge was built around 5,000 years ago with the larger stones we see today being erected 2,500 years ago. Well worth the visit and very well presented despite the large numbers of visitors.
It has been pointed out to me that I have no drawings of Larne on this website. I do, but it is tucked away within the general Ulster Tour. This sketch, from 2014, shows the fine town hall. Opened in 1870 it is a classic example of Ruskinian Gothic with the polychrome brickwork approach John Ruskin popularised in his writings after visiting Venice. It was also the style of choice for much of our railway buildings which were constructed around the same time. When first opened it contained a large meeting room, offices, a reading room and library and a small museum. The building was very carefully conserved by the District Council about 15 years ago an is in very good condition. Still with a municipal use, it makes a strong contribution to the historic heart of this Ulster town.
Thornton Manor was the home from 1888 to 1919 of William Lever (Viscount Leverhulme) who built the Port Sunlight garden village to house the workers of his Sunlight Soap factory in a high quality environment. He significantly adapted and extended this building and gardens, commenced in the 1840's from his time here. This included the provision of a bed on a platform at roof level, enclosed only by a tarpaulin above where he slept every night The estate remained in the ownership of the Lever family until recent times when it was sold and became a high end wedding venue. Unfortunately, a major fire in February 2022 gutted most of the main building, though the stables remain open to rent and the garden is still well worth a visit.
The south west elevation of Dunham Hall, with the cupola of the Carriage House beyond, overlooking the moat like pond along the edge of the main buildings. The Carriage House has a date stone of 1721. The main building was rebuilt in 1732-40 and again altered at the start of the nineteenth century. Now operated ny the National Trust and open to the public.
Astna Street, Clonakilty, is one end of a careful scheme to reduce car dominance and increase dwell times in the village. Here, a small raised square has been created with space for sitting. Kerbs have been dropped and the bright buildings of the village left tp talk for themselves. it is a sensitive but effective intervention.
The tower od St Anne's Shandon is a landmark of Cork City. Situated on a a high hill overlooking the river it is visible for miles. The church was constructed on the site of a previous church destroyed in the Williamite Wars and was constructed between 1722 and 1726. On top of the town is a golden weathervane of a salmon. This sketch is from the nearby butter market - the Firkin Crane Building- now converted into a dance studio. To the side of the sketch are the columns of the nearby butter exchange of 1770. The butter market operated from the late eighteenth century to the 1920's. There is now a museum telling the story of the market in the building.
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November 2024
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