2012 Looking Back4

Heritage Weekend in Guildford

A good weekend visiting heritage properties in Guildford. I managed to ‘do’ 14 properties on the Saturday, most of them I’ve seen before but well worth revisiting to see things that I had missed before.

The best was a tour around the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, although I’ve been to plays there this was the first time that I had an opportunity to see behind the scenes  and it turned out to be a very interesting and good tour.  http://www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk/ 

Another first time look was into the Baptist Church in Millmead, typical 1970’s architecture not attractive on the outside but better inside with a large and spacious auditorium with plenty of exposed concrete  and timber finishes. The surprise was the full immersion pool set into the floor (of course they are Baptists so I should have known) with interesting reflections of the interior on the water’s surface. http://www.guildfordbaptist.org/ 

Encouraging that ‘Heritage’ now encompasses the 1960s and 70’s. It’s also good to see just how much heritage there actually is in Guildford. 

2012 Looking Back3

London Open House 22 September

A bright but cold start in the City of London, I had planned to visit the Bank of England but the length of the queue put me off so went to the second on my list, The Guildhall. A lot more to it than I had expected with lots of interesting bits in addition to the main hall itself, interesting to see the amalgam of the old buildings with the more recent builds, including the Guildhall Art Gallery.

Then a rush to get to Trinity House  (1794) before it closed, again more to see than I had expected, including a couple of good models of Light Ships, one having a couple of canons (not sure what they were used for?). The building was damaged in WW2 but well restored.

Then onto The Custom House, (1817 & 1825) a large building on the Thames bank. A typical air of governmental neglect inside but with an impressive ‘large room’ in the centre of the building where the main customs business took place, now seemingly just used as an office space.

Onwards to Blackfriars and Unilever House, an imposing 1930’s building, the frontage recently restored with a modern office development behind.

   

Then a walk through the Inns of Court to the days highlight The Royal Courts of Justice (1874-1882) G E Street’s masterpiece. Very Victorian Gothic with little obvious internal changes and a magnificent main hall with corridors and court rooms leading off it. Certainly made an impression on me and the exterior features in my City2City ‘PhotoWalk’ – Blackfriars to Waterloo Bridge via Aldwich

Looking Back 2

Chiswick House

A visit some months ago to Chiswick House to see what changes have taken place since my last visit some years ago. I have known the villa since the early 1960’s having been there with my father soon after the restoration by the then Ministry of Public Buildings and Works (it’s now in the care of English Heritage).

Major improvements have taken place recently in the grounds and a new Café constructed – a modern design which I quite like, using stone from one of the Portland shelly beds giving an interesting textural look to the stone. A definite improvement on the original municipal café that used to be there.

Chiswick House was built in the 1720’s by Lord Burlington as a place to display his art collection and as a place for entertainment and was never used as a residence.  The design is based on the principals of Andrea Palladio and is a fine example of ‘neo-Palladian’ Architecture, one of the best in this country, with Architect William Kent collaborating with Burlington on the design.

The landscaped grounds are dotted with classical features, temples and obelisks dating from the period of Lord Burlington and William Kent plus an orangery of 1813 still with its original plantings of Camellias. The gardens are open throughout the year and the house reopens in April 2013.  

2012 - Looking Back

Nearly the end of 2012 already and after lots of blogging I’ve still a lot to blog about but not the time to do so!

Things have developed well with the ‘PhotoWalks’ program, doing the research and walking the route does take quite a bit of time but has proved to be very interesting. A good program of walks has now been established with additional locations and itineraries being added on a regular basis.

Additional walks have been to the London walks program, one starting at Blackfriars Bridge and ending on Waterloo Bridge via Fleet Street and Aldwich, with the second starting on London Bridge and ending at Bank, via Lombard Street.

Preparing for the walks has been very informative and many interesting buildings and otherwise unseen architectural details have been discovered. My aim is to open people’s eyes Britain’s building heritage and to help them capture the best possible images of what they see.  

Westminster 'PhotoWalk' 17th November

Westminster Itinerary - Charing Cross to Parliament Square

PhotoWalk starts at the base of the Charing Cross outside the station.

Eleanor  Memorial Cross, 1863 designed by E M Barry with sculpture by Thomas Earp, replaces the original cross pulled down in 1647.

Walk along the Strand towards Trafalgar Square, on the right is South Africa House. 1935 by Sir Herbert Baker and Alexander Thomson Scott, decorative carvings by Joseph Armitage to designs by Sir Charles Wheeler.

Cross Trafalgar square observing the Fountains by Edwin Lutyens 1937-9 with figures of Mermen 1948 by Wheeler and Mermaids by W McMillan. (photography is banned in Trafalgar Square!). Ahead is Canada House, 1824-7 with a portico of Ionic Columns by Sir Robert Smirke. Cross over to view Admiralty Arch  (now to be turned into a hotel) 1908-11 by Sir Aston Webb.

Passing  Drummonds Bank, 1885 by George Aitchison in a late Italianate new Palladian style. Now along Whitehall which has a stream of impressive buildings and probably the greatest concentration of Portland Stone faced buildings in any one location.

Due to the great number of interesting buildings along Whitehall and around Parliament Square not all of them are covered on this PhotoWalk, with a second walk looking at the remaining buildings.

First in line is the Old Admiralty Building 1723-6 by Thomas Ripley with a front screen of 1759-61 by Robert Adam. Opposite is 55 Whitehall, 1906-9 by J W Murrey in Edwardian classical style. Then comes the Old War Office Building, 1899-1906 by William & Clyde Young and Sir John Taylor in grand English Baroque.

Passing the Banqueting House and with Horse Guards on the other side of the road, we come to Dover House, 1754-8 by James Paine with a Greek Ionic portico flanked by columns and rusticated wall 1787 by Henry Holland.

Opposite is the’ great white whale’ of the MOD building, designed in 1913 by Vincent Harris but not completed until 1959. Edwardian Imperial with giant columns and Earth & Water sculptures at the entrance by Sir Charles Wheeler (not his best work).

Next along Whitehall are the  Treasury, Cabinet and Privy Council buildings, 1733-36 by William Kent, 1824-27 by Sir John Soane, remodelled and altered  1845-47 by Sir Charles Barry using Soane’s columns and frieze.

Passing Downing Street we come to the first of the two massive Victorian office blocks, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office building 1862-75 by George Gilbert Scott to a ‘florid Italian Cinquecento design’ (Scott’s initial design was in a Gothic style). Then comes the ‘New’ Government Office building (now the Treasury) 1899 by J M Brydon, completed 1912 by Sir Henry Tanner.

Finally a clutch of listed Telephone Kiosks designed by Giles Gilbert Scott, K2 in 1927 and K6 in 1935.

City of London ‘PhotoWalk’ 2

Outline itinerary for Saturday 15^th September 2012

Final details subject to weather and group size and may change en-route (max. 3 hours)

11am. PhotoWalk starts at the base of The Monument.

Walk onto London Bridge and look at Adelaide House 1924-5 with an Egyptian inclination by Sir John Burnet Tait & Partners and on one side of road with Fishmongers Hall on the other side, 1831-4 by Henry Roberts in Greek Revival style, best seen from the centre of the bridge.

Down to Lower Thames Street and St Magnus the Martyr church 1671-84 by Wren. Then along Monument Street and up Lovat Lane passing the rear of St Mary at Hill church 1670-74 by Wren and Robert Hooke.

Turn right into Eastcheap with 23/25 Eastcheap a corner building in polychrome brick, 1861-2 by John Young & Son and 33/35 Eastcheap, an outstanding Gothic building in red and black brick, 1868 byR L Roumieu.

Turn left into Rood Lane seeing the fine C19 timber shop front and St Margaret Pattens church 1684-89 by Wren, overshadowed by the new construction of the “Walkie-Talkie” office block. Ahead an interesting front at 151/52 Fenchurch Street.

Turn left and proceed to Gracechurch Street and on the corner a former bank building 1868 in opulent Italianate style by Francis, observe the carvings. Along to St Edmund church 1670-79 by Wren, oppositet 24-28 Lombard Street a former bank (?) 1910 by Gunton & Gunton (?) in modified classical style, Portland stone with life-sized group of figures in bronze over entrance.

More bank buildings including the extensive former headquarters building of Lloyds Bank, 1927-30 by Sir John Burnet, Tait & Lorne; Campbell-Jones, Sons & Smithers. Porland stone with many good details.

St Mary Woolnoth church 1716-27 and ‘exceptionally original design’ by Nicholas Hawksmoor, underneath the church is Bank Station.

Now a clutch of big bank buildings, starting with The Bank of England, largely rebuilt 1921-37 by Sir Herbert Baker within altered late C18 early C19 screen wall by Sir John Soane. Note the massive stone statues on the facade by Sir Charles Wheeler.

On the corner opposite the former National Westminster Bank building by Sir Edwin Cooper and next door the former Midland Bank building of 1924 by Sir Edwin Lutyens in simplified classical style with carved figures of boys at either end by Sir W Reid Dick.

2pm. Walk finishes outside The Mansion House, 1739 – 53 by Dance the Elder.

The Olympic Park

A windy day with heavy showers did not dampen my enjoyment of last weeks visit to the Olympic Park in Stratford. I was really impressed by the structures, bridges, landscaping and planting.

There’s an amazing amount of underlying infrastructure that has been put in – new roads and bridges especially as the site is intersected by a number of waterways. Having the water has made the site much more interesting, together with the extensive landscaping and tree planting.

The meadow and prairie planting schemes were looking good with plenty of flowers used in a natural display, I thought that the prairie beds worked particularly well. The general landscaping and site layout brought back memories of the two major garden festivals that I visited, Gateshead and Ebbw Vale.

Most of the major venue buildings on site are outstanding in themselves and all very different to each other, but apart from these other structures are interesting including the largest McDonalds in the world. A temporary structure constructed mainly in timber designed to be deconstructed and recycled after the event.

   

The Olympics has left a great legacy in its buildings and the park and that’s apart from what it’s done for sport. It’s disappointing that more people have not had the chance of visiting the Olympic Park before its closed.