Every morning I read blogs. Today I stopped by Aril's blog, she is eagle eyed in her detail of what she finds on her walks and I enjoy her perambulations. I noticed she went to Lavenham in Suffolk a couple of weeks ago and it brought back memories and I am so glad that I have also written as well for I can go back and capture that moment. 2009, Paul and I went, early part of the year, freezing cold, and a town that reflected its history not only in its buildings but by being beautifully preserved and loved by its inhabitants. Paul said at the time the town was like an extinct mammoth, losing its riches so quickly that it embalmed itself in poverty and never recovered.
England is a tiny island of many faces and not more so than in its buildings, both material and style. We lived on the outskirts of Chelmsford at the time, and I had become used to the plaster and lathe houses around. Brick creates straight lines, but stone, wood and plaster have a pleasing unruly affect, their lines uneven, sometimes it is the 'cruck' shape that dictate the 'gingerbread house' effect.
Today in such programmes as Grand Designs, we see timber houses going up but these new buildings are often bought in Germany in kit form and then erected on site, each straight vertical pillar holding the equivalent horizontal plank, rather boring I think. Just marvel at the timber work in the great tithe barn at Bradford-on-Avon........
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| The great tithe barn of Bradford-on-Avon, courtesy of Wikipedia |
Better photos of Lavenham can be found here, when I wrote about it last year.
Yesterday I took a big decision, and invested in another online news upstart this time 'Bylinetimes.
Doesn't it feel that there is a big gamble being taken by our government at the moment giving us the freedom to choose whether to wear masks or not and the freedom of movement. I think the football tonight will test us. Science and medical information is very much against this 'freedom' being allowed as we enter the third wave of the Covid virus. And I presume we will all choose whether we go on wearing masks to protect others and also keep the social distancing rule.
Keeping roofs up was an art when the tithe barn was built. Fan vaulted ceilings such as ours in Bath Abbey or Salisbury Cathedral are astounding, even when you know how they did it. Have you been into the roof space of Salisbury? It looks like an African mud village where they have piled mortar over the top of all the masonry.
ReplyDeleteThere is something intrinsically wonderful about vaulted fan ceilings in our cathedrals almost magical in how they work. No I have never been to Salisbury Cathedral, Wells is my favourite, and particularly love the St. Andrews cross that is structurally so clever in its job, I presume of bracing?
ReplyDeleteI do enjoy reading your posts Thelma - you so often voice my feelings without me having to make the effort. Thank you for that.
ReplyDeleteI think I just enjoy typing a few words each morning Pat it wakes me up.
DeleteI love that barn at Bradford - we used to love near there. Next door were a couple good antique and bric a brac shops too.
ReplyDeleteI am sure you loved/lived near there;) As I remember there was an old house in front, home to some strange characters!
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ReplyDeletePleasant to read about building styles and Lavenham when I feel so glum - following last night's defeat. Perhaps the home-based Italian fans will be taking the delta variant back with them as a souvenir of their trip to London. What nonsense this "personal choice" business is in relation to masks and social distancing - the personal choice to potentially kill other people with one's infected breath.
ReplyDeleteWell I will commiserate with all that feel sad about the loss of the game but have read of some bad behaviour from English fans towards the Danish visitors. Johnson flounders through his premiership chirping merrily away, it will teach those who voted for him not to go for the 'wild card' in future...
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