Inspired by Environments: Part Three
There is something very evocative (in my mind anyway) of the ways various parts of individual buildings are arranged and how each building somehow finds its place in amongst the architectural community into which it has been placed.
The various structure which go to making up a building are like pages in a book, combining together into a chapter and then into a book when nestled against other buildings.
And like when reading a book you don't know what is going to happen on the next page...walking down narrow streets and laneways have the same sense of mystery - you never know what you might find around a corner!
One fascinating building I did come across while visiting Lewes in Sussex was the Church of St Thomas-à-Becket, Cliffe - as shown below.
Probably later C12 in origin, most of the church is C14 with a C15 tower. The windows were almost all replaced in the C19. You can read more about it by clicking here.
Just as I am fascinated with laneways and the buildings that are usually crammed in so that none of them can breathe properly, I am equally inspired when I look up and see the amazing patterns made by the lines of the roof tops and chimneys against the sky.
And then scanning down towards the ground the pattern made by the walls and windows are like a completed jigsaw puzzle where everything has found its place.
As much as I like pounding the pavements I also love water and each year while in London I take a boat ride on the Thames.
A trip up or down the Thames satsifies not only my desire to be near water but also to observe and absorb the architextural landscape of this wonderful and amazing city.
I only have three favourite cities in my mind - Bendigo in Central Victoria, Australia which is the city of my birth and young years; Melbourne,the capital of Victoria, Australia which has been my life city of choosing; and London, UK - my home away from home and a city I fell in love with when I first visited in 1977. Each year when I return I always find new inspiration.
This year I went up the Thames which doesn't have the same architectural landscape as going down the Thames. But one building complex is certainly worth mentioning and that is Hampton Court Palace, the home of King Henry VIII
I wasn't able to visit Hampton Court Palace this year but will definitely put it on my list for next year.
And if you would like to take a long virtual walk through the palace please click on the video below.
Another very remarkable building I did see and learn about this year was the Old Conduit House in Hampstead which Julie and I presented as three posts back in October. Please follow these bookmark links to read the history of this remarkable building.
Anne Newman
Julie
Julie
Finally today...You can't talk about buildings without taking notice of all the construction going on in most major cities and London is no exception.
And I must confess that I have fallen in love with the cranes which so courageously and magnificently assist in the construction of these mammoth buildings. And I might add - without too many complaints!
In my mind they are works of art in their own right!
I will be back in a few days to tell you about the most amazing exhibition I attended titled: In the Eye of the Storm: Modernism in Ukraine, 1900-1930s.
Credit
1. sussexparishchurches.org/