A blog of sketches of historic buildings - Marks of Time

Salisbury

3/11/2024

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.

Stonehenge

27/10/2024

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.

Larne Town Hall

19/10/2024

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, Wirral.

7/10/2024

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.

Dunham Massey, cheshire.

29/9/2024

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.

Clonakilty Co.Cork

20/8/2024

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.

St anne Shandon, Cork

11/8/2024

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.

Cobh Cathedral, Co. Cork

4/8/2024

St Coleman's Cathedral in Cobb was designed by George Ashlin and Edward Pugin in 1867 ( Pugin was son of Augustus Pugin who designed the gothic decoration of the London Houses of Parliament in 1840) . It is the tallest cathedral in Ireland (300ft) and its height is accentuated by its position half way down the steep slope to Cobh harbour. The building took 50 years to build, and, after construction had begun, a decision was taken to increase the decoration on the building and the current high gothic spiky profile was developed. This sketch is from a small park opposite the colourful terrace of houses stepping down to the harbour known as the 'deck of cards'. it is a very dramatic building and place. Well worth a visit.

Millin Bay Cairn

30/6/2024

A monument in State Care near the southern end of the Ards Peninsula. Today, an oval of standing stones overlooking a quiet bay, but in 1953, the scene of a significant archaeological investigation. The small sandy mound, enclosed by the stones, was excavated by Dudley Waterman, Principal Inspector of the Archaeological Survey of the Department of Finance. He found a complicated sequence of structures below: a pre existing wall; a long stone cist with the remains of 15 individuals; a further cist outside this surrounded by a shingle bank; then, seven more small cists containing cremations. Many of the stones found were decorated with curvilinear and rectilinear motifs. It turned out to be a very rare and fascinating monument with lots to teach us about our past.

Newtownards Town Hall

16/6/2024

The former market house of Newtownards, the largest of the type in Ulster looks out upon a specially designed square and fills one side. As with all of these buildings, the ground floor was originally open and used as a market. In 1835 this was potatoes and grain on the eastern side and meat on the western side. The building was completed in 1771 and its cupola ( bell tower) was added in 1778. The first floor has meeting rooms and a grand central room sits over the main arch with fine plasterwork. This was used as a function room and later as the council chamber. It is an elegant building.