How many times have you walked down a street, across a lane, through a building and been struck by a perfect detail? The curve of a banister, the sweep of a railing, the charm of a door knob, the gape of a gargoyle? I'm pretty architecturally illiterate, but it's the small things, those objects you can hold or caress with your hand that do it for me. I particularly enjoy carved text - the name or number of a house in simple font, in unflashy creamy stone or aged oak.Cathedral Square in Exeter has many of these human scale features, somehow standing their own against the mammoth cathedral.
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10 comments:
I like your own carved/painted text notices.
WW - you flatterer you,
So many of these little details are above eye level - one wonders who was meant to see them. Memories here of riding on the top of buses through Manchester city centre and looking at some of the architechural detail which the multitude at street level were to busy to notice.
Mountainear said exactly what I was going to say.
The Victorians knew how to decorate their buildings.
Oh yes! And I agree with Mountaineer too!
A very old friend of the family (and I mean old in both senses) once told me that people miss so much on a walk about town because they don't look up, and I've been looking up ever since. These days I have to do it at a distance (or from the top of that bus) because of a damaged neck, but it's truly amazing what people put up there. Chimneys, gargoyles, embossed plaques, decorative brickwork or guttering .. it's another world!
When I first took the boys to London they were so gobsmacked by buildings (being provincial country lads) they spent the whole time with their heads back, mouths open and eyes up. That day I noticed more about those buildings than I ever had when I lived in London; I also suffered a huge crick in my neck!
I agre - they're fascinating. I have been absent from blog world too.
There is an award for you over at my place.
Golly Girl - I haven't been around before - but MOB was talking about your barn renovations and I had to come see.
I'm sorry I don't have the time to go back through each and every post - but I was wondering if they are to use for farming - or to live in such as I do.
If you click on my pic you'll see what I mean.
M'ear, Kaz - I used to think Coventry very dull til I started to look up and the gems were revealed.
Jay, dont bump into any lampposts!
Paula - even though I was brought up there and knew it well (and mostly dislike it intensely now) I still "wow" at some of the buildings.
Fpot - welcome back, hope the novel's going well.
MOB - many thanks, have picked on and it's on my gongroll at the end of the blog.
Welcome aims. They are being restored to farm buildings. If you click here you'll get the update and click on the label barns, and the whole story will unravel for you!
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