Category: architecture

Our short break in Stratford-upon-Avon – Part 1

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date January 27, 2019

In June of 2018 we decided to visit Stratford-on-Avon for a short mid-week break as it has been several years since we last visited. We decided to stay in the centre and concentrate on exploring the centre.

Here is a series of pics of a morning wandering around the town centre, with its half-timbered buildings, the riverside, the theatre and even a sculptured hedge for added interest. There is such a wide ranging style of architecture within the town that no street is void of interest. What has made exploration easier since our last visit is the change in emphasis from traffic friendly roads to pedestrianisation and safe crossings.

We visited the house in which William Shakespeare grew up and where his father ran a business making high-class leather gloves. A very smelly business being carried out in a family house must have been a difficult combination. The house had many examples of leather making paraphernalia as well as furnished family rooms.

Here is a set of photos of the living quarters of the Shakespeare family home.

The working craftrooms were busy places and their stench must have emanated throughout the living quarters. Despite the stenches prevalent within the workshops the gloves made were stunnungly beautiful, colours subtle and textures so soft.

Our favourite artefact was a beautiful hand crafted leather glove just like those that Shakespeare’s father would have made.

The second part in this series about our Stratford break will be all about the gardens related to Shakespeare and his family.

Tags ancient crafts, architecture, craft, crafts, craftsmanship, glove making, Shakespeare, Stratford-on-Avon, townscape, townscapes, Warwickshire

architecture autumn autumn colours colours garden design garden furniture garden paths garden photography garden seat garden seating gardens gardens open to the public light light quality ornamental trees and shrubs pathways Powis Powys roses shrubs trees Wales Yellow Book Gardens

Gregynog – a garden with woodland walks

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date January 23, 2019
3 Comments on Gregynog – a garden with woodland walks

Another NGS garden we visited last summer is called by the wonderful name Gregynog.

Gregynog is situated in the county of Powys and just has to be worth a visit sporting such a magical name, like something out of the Hobbit or a Hans Christian Anderson tale. Winding lanes eventually led us to a scented drive lined with roses. Here we gained the first glimpses of the half-timbered hall itself and the brick-built reception buildings. October light helped us to appreciate the garden, woodland and buildings.

The gardeners here certainly know how to prune and shape common shrubs to give them an extra edge. The first two photos are of Cotoneaster, trimmed to domes.

The garden around the front of the hall afforded us more opportunities to enjoy the gardeners’ pruning and trimming work.

The low sunlight caught this stand of asters lighting it up from a distance and as we walked closer to look we spotted this wonderful old seat, carved from a fallen tree.

We continued around the building all the time getting views of the hall above us.

We then came to a walks sign directing us to choose a walk to follow and we chose to make our way to the woodland walks and lake. We walked back alongside the hedge of scented roses at the side of the driveway, taking in their delicate colours and rich aromas.

As we reached the end of the row of roses we turned towards the woodland walk, aiming towards the lake, passing an Acer grove along the way, but this is all in part 2 of these posts about our visit to Gregynog.

Tags berried shrubs, cotoneasters, flowering shrubs, garden seating, gardens of Powys, Gregynog, Powis, Powys, shrubs and trees

architecture buildings National Trust photography The National Trust Yorkshire

A Family Holiday in Scotland – Part 6 – Fountains

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date January 6, 2019
2 Comments on A Family Holiday in Scotland – Part 6 – Fountains

After our great family holiday staying in our cottage holiday home in the Scottish Borders, we took a few days to make our way home to make our holiday together last a little bit longer. We enjoyed two days in Yorkshire visiting Fountains Abbey and The Yorkshire Sculpture Park.

In this post we will share our day at Fountains. After a wet and stormy drive down from Scotland we arrived in Yorkshire for an overnight stay. Jude and I had not been to Fountains Abbey for years so were pleased to take the family there.

As we wandered down the sloping pathto the abbey ruins we could admire the amount of structure still left standing. It is really impressive.

Arabella enjoys life and loves going out and about – outside is where she prefers to be.

Once down among the stonework you can really appreciate the strength of the building and the sheer brilliance of it’s construction.

Mother Nature enjoys a good ruin to grow on finding the tiniest crack with a drop of soil in in which to grow.

The monks had left us a convenient stone seat on which we could perch for a picnic.

As we started clearing our picnic away the clouds darkened and cold rain drops fell. We struggled to find any shelter from the following storm. Arabella never minds rain because it means puddles, her favourite phenomena. I hope you enjoy this set of photos where she shows her delight at puddles.

We just had time to explore the outside boundaries of the site before the closing time closed in on us.

We followed the finger posts back to the car park at the end of another great family day out.

Tags architecture, church architecture, Fountains Abbey, Yorkshire

architecture buildings

A Family Holiday in Scotland – Part 5 New Lanark

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date December 31, 2018

On one day during our week’s hoiday in the Scottish Borders, we spent time exploring the heritage site at New Lanark, a once busy place in a steeply sided valley, being reborn with a new identity. It is still a living and working village.

From the carpark we had to walk down a steep but winding path to get down to the site as it was designed and built all around the River Clyde. The view from the top though was so amazing, I just had to get down there, albeit it rather slowly.

Once down in the valley bottom the sheer immensity and solidity of the old mill buildings became apparent. In its heighday it must have been noisy, busy and unpleasant so seeing it now all cleaned up is rather strange. It is good however to see it being reborn. There is a real sense of pride here.

In its former life it was a group of 4 mills and their support buildings, homes for the employees and even “The Institute” formed by Robert Owen in 1816. All the buildings are built of a beautiful pale local sandstone and local slate for the roofs. They look so sturdy! They have now all been cleaned up and given a new lease of life, a new sense of purpose. The river that runs through the valley providing water for the factories is now a nature reserve. The whole site is home for many but also a massive tourist attraction.

On top of Mill 2 is a discovery waiting for all visitors to find, but you have to be pretty stubborn to get there, as the signage is not good at all. It is even hard to find where to start the ascent!

It is a roof garden featuring strong design in the hard surfaces and a collection of sculptures.

Inside the old mills are a few signs of their busy past, now silent.

We loved the sight of this inspiring sign, with words of Robert Owen, a philanthropic social reformer who aimed to make the lives of mill workers and their families more bearable.

Tags architecture, industrial revolution, mill towns, New Lanark, Scotland

architecture buildings London photography townscapes Uncategorized

A Short Break in London – Part 5

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date December 1, 2018
3 Comments on A Short Break in London – Part 5

Here we are back with my final post about our short break in London, looking at the day we visited Carnaby Street a fabled street when we were teenagers. It was strange though how wide it seems now and how commercialised. And so busy! That aspect of its character certainly has not changed. We were sad that it was our last day, we had loved our hotel and every aspect of our capital city. These great chairs were the highlight of the hotel foyer! Great shape and super colours!

But first we were treated to a special breakfast at TheWolseley, once the showroom for theWolseley Car company. What an impressive building, and so easy to imagine it lined up with glossy black limousines and ultra-smart salesmen. Today it makes an equally impressive restaurant, smart throughout including the crockery and cutlery and of course the waiters and waitresses, dressed as smartly as possible. What a treat indeed!

So now for a wander at London’s well-known buildings, Hatchards the booksellers, Liberty’s, The Royal Academy, Fortnum and Mason’s and Carnaby Street itself. We had a tour of places we wanted to see and places that Jo and Rob wanted us to see. Quite a mixture! It was the day of the great march when nearly 700 000 people called for a new and more honest Brexit vote. We discovered odd placards which we enjoyed agreeing with.

The buildings housing The Royal Academy were proud and imposing. We walked beneath a gateway into an internal courtyard which surprisingly displayed a strange wooden house. I enjotyed spotting a statue of one of my heroes, Carl Linnaeus.

Crazy Carnaby Street was busy, colourful but not quite what we were expecting and it was hard to explain why.

A taxi back to the hotel to pick up our gear then another to run us to the railway station ended our greatly enjoyable weekend break. We just have to go back in the spring and/or summer over the next couple of years. Thanks to Jo and Rob who gave us the confidence to return after so long.

Tags architecture, Carnaby Street, London, The Wolseley

architecture buildings London

A Short Break in London – Part 4

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date November 28, 2018

This is number 4 in this mini-series about our London break, where I will take you along the South Bank.

Surprises along the way included the “New Globe” theatre building which seems so out of place but fascinating too, and odd green spaces being enjoyed as relaxation spots.

A railway station in the air was also unexpected, totally enclosed inside a bridge over the Thames.

As we reached the end of our riverside wanderings we turned away from the Thames towards a street where we could find a taxi. We were faced with the side of an old building which bore the scars of its many former uses. It was amazing to see it still fully in use.

We passed the famous OXO Building and reached another open green space, a park for the local residents being used on this sunny day. We were amazed to find tiny allotments producing fruit and veg inside “cages” of wire.

A morning in the Tate followed by a South Bank wander made for a most enjoyable day, which was to finish with an evening at “Ronnie Scott’s” jazz club in Soho. We had to return home by train the following afternoon so post 5 will be about that final morning’s wanderings.

Tags architecture, bridges, Left Bank, London

architecture buildings colours light

A Short Break in London – Part 3

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date November 25, 2018
1 Comment on A Short Break in London – Part 3

In part 3 of this mini-series of posts sharing our London visit I will be looking at the art pieces in the Tate that attracted me most. A very random selection! But to start off I will share with you more photos I took of indications of the building’s previous use, featuring the use of concrete.

There were so many works of art that I loved at the gallery it is hard to make a selection but here goes. In the gloom of the concrete of the old parts of the building videos played so I took a couple of stills to show how they shone in the darkness.

On into the main galleries with their pristine white walls pieces of art stood out in almost each one.

A remarkable floor attracted many of the gallery visitors to exerience its magic. We were no exception. The floor somehow reacted to body heat and created white images of hands and feet. It was a strange experience!

The sculptural pieces on display were so varied and we all reacted very differently to each one.

I shall finish off now with a selection of my favourite art work at the Tate Modern.

We enjoyed being back in London so much we are determined to return in the spring.

Tags art, art galleries, London, sculpture, Tate Modern

architecture

A Short Break in London – Part 2

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date November 22, 2018
2 Comments on A Short Break in London – Part 2

As mentioned in Part 1 we then enjoyed time at The Tate Modern, another ambition I wished for but never thought I would be able to manage. Thanks to my orthopaedic surgeon and support from Jo and Rob the visit was very special.

The taxi dropped us right outside the Tate on the edge of its forecourt and we found ourselves with the Tate modern, a restored power station, in front of us and other interesting much more modern buildings around it.

The Tate’s neighbours were really good exciting examples of modern architecture, a strong feature of present day London. I loved the use of materials and colour especially the strong yellow on the building in the first photo.

Once inside the gallery we loved the signs of its original uses, hard raw concrete surfaces with such strength of structure. Concrete at its best, powerful but sleek. As we had walked 50 yards or so into the building we looked back to see the yellow building looking back in.

We enjoyed the building and its structure for a long while before we entered any formal gallery spaces. My favourite pieces will feature in another London post. We broke for coffee and went right to the top of the building to enjoy it. Here an outside balcony walkway afforded us wonderful views over the city. We got so excited about just being there looking out.

We began to spot green patches in the air where the occupants of buildings were trying to green up their space with roof gardens, planted patios growing trees and shrubs to help them feel relaxed.

After enjoying the delights of the Tate for many hours we took a walk along the Left Bank of the Thames. This will be featured in a further London post.

Tags architecture, art galleries, London, Tate Modern

architecture buildings light light quality Uncategorized

A Short Break in London – Part 1

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date November 20, 2018
2 Comments on A Short Break in London – Part 1

Since I had a major operation to rebuild my right leg, I find myself being able to tackle things I have not done for years and I am gaining confidence to have a go at them. Jude and I have not visited London for decades because of my disabilities, but the time came in early autumn to give it a go. So we relied on daughter, Jo and son-in-law Rob, to organise our London adventure and guide us through our time there.

We managed and it felt wonderful! I think Jude, Jo and Rob were as delighted by it all as I was. I also realised a life’s dream! We spent an evening at Ronnie Scott’s in Soho. It was just as good as I expected and an experience that stays with me every moment.

But lots else happened, not just the world’s most famous jazz club!

The hotel we stayed in, Citizen M Tower Bridge, afforded us the most special of views looking out over the Thames and straight at The Tower.

On our first evening in the Capital we wandered towards the Thames to dine in a restaurant on its banks. There is something very special about cities at night.

After a good night’s sleep in our i-Pad controlled room, we took a taxi to the Tate Modern, and that will be the subject of my next London post.

Tags architecture, light, London, night time

architecture buildings landscapes Wales

Discovering Anglesey’s ancient places – Lligwy Part 1

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date September 14, 2018
1 Comment on Discovering Anglesey’s ancient places – Lligwy Part 1

We visited some prehistoric sites in early autumn when we enjoyed a short family break and I reported what we found in an earlier blog post. We returned again to the island this spring with more of the family and decided to find more of Anglesey’s ancient sites.

We visited the village of Lligwy to enjoy the beach and explore its historic ruins. We had high expectations and when we got there we discovered ruins of stone buildings and they were so fantastic they surpassed all our expectations. The ancient site is known as Din Lligwy and was home to romano-british peoples.

As we passed over fields of pasture we spotted an ancient church to our right which we decided to look at on our return journey. Our path climbed slowly uphill until we reached a wood of mixed trees with so much colour underneath provided by wildflowers especially Bluebells and Red Campions. The contrasts of light and shade spotlighted beautiful areas of colour and scent filled the shadows. A group of inquisitive young heifers tried to come with us and they took a lot of dissuasion.

On exiting the woodland we burst out into the light to see an ancient village set out before us, far better preserved than we ever expected. We set off to explore the stone walls and enclosures. The group of buildings were a fortified group of hut circles, including the more impressice chieftain’s hut, which boasted a stone pillared entranceway.

As a family we have always enjoyed exploring such sites together and as this was a family holiday with Jude and I, our daughter and son, son-in-law and daughter-in-law and our granddaughter, we could appreciate this amazing place together. Even our 18month old granddaughter was captivated by the place and explored along side us.

Mother nature added her own sense of mystery to the site by establishing plants on the stones, in cracks and fissures, adding a layer of green.

As we left the village we made our way back towards the lane where we had parked up and walked via the old church. From there we intended to find a cromlech nearby. We will lok at both of these in the follow up post to this.