Interesting Architecture Home and Away

[NurseRatched]

I have always enjoyed architecture, from the soaring cathedrals I toured in Europe to the unique homes in my neighborhood. I would really love to see structures of interest from your hometown! Or something that caught your eye on a trip. I don't get to travel as much as I would like, so you are secretly helping me cope with small town life

[NurseRatched]

When I eventually burn my house down while cooking, the fireman will drive over from this cool fire station to help me!

[Dee]

Lovely idea, NR, and a pretty fire station.

The most interesting architectural feature in our town, St Ives, is our bridge, with an incorporated chapel in the middle, built in 1426.



Only four such constructions remain in the country. The chapel has had an interesting life. In its long life it was used for accommodation, it was a notorious pub for a while, and even a doctor's surgery. Now it's restored as a chapel, like it was first intended.

[Lori]

Not only is this bridge an interesting piece of architecture, the homes surrounding it are beautiful and quaint.

[NurseRatched]

Beautiful-I would walk this daily if I lived there. Look at all those swans! The chapel has led quite a life. A doctor's surgery and a pub? I have never seen anything like that. Could be quite treacherous if you drank to excess; you might end up over the railing & in the river. Love the blue glow from the windows!

[Dee]

I'm loving the enthusiasm for my little town and the bridge. Many fond memories... especially from the times when the kids were little. Feeding those swans, gulls... eating doughnuts on the bench... watching the boats go by... fireworks reflected in the river... canoeing under...

It really is pretty.

A bit of history and an explanation for the asymmetry: (Hundertwasser would have loved the hell out of this bridge)

During the English Civil War the bridge was partially blown up by the troops of Oliver Cromwell to prevent King Charles I's troops approaching London from the Royalist base in Lincolnshire. The two arches on the southern side were demolished and a drawbridge installed in 1645 as a defensive measure by Cromwell's forces, who held the town. The drawbridge remained in use until 1716. When the bridge was partially rebuilt that year, the shape of the new arches was different from the surviving ones, leaving the bridge with two rounded arches on its South side and two Gothic arches on the North.

A few years ago we had a history society reenact that battle, with horses, costumes, and fake explosions! It was quite spectacular!

[Dee]

A couple of interesting buildings from our trip last weekend to the coastal town of Aldeburgh:











The Moot Hall in Aldeburgh, which houses Aldeburgh Museum, is a superb timber-framed building, at a time of great prosperity as a manifestation of civic pride. Today it is still treasured by the people of Aldeburgh as the centre of their community and a symbol of their heritage.

Despite its exposed position on the brink of the North Sea, the Moot Hall in Aldeburgh is one of the best preserved Tudor public buildings in Britain. Although no document exists that chronicles its beginning, experts have estimated a date of around 1550 as, during this time, Aldeburgh had emerged from being an insignificant fishing village into a prosperous ship-building and trading town.

The word 'Moot' derives from the Saxon word for 'a meeting'.

[Dee]

The other building I wanted to show you, we have come in Thorpness, a quaint little holiday village two miles from Aldeburgh.

The House In The Clouds:



Originally intended to provide an adequate storage capacity for a basic water supply for Thorpeness village.

Constructed in 1923, it presented Thorpeness Estates with the difficult task of deciding what could be done with such a hideous structure on the skyline. Glencairne Stuart Ogilvie with F. Forbes Glennie (architect) brilliantly disguised it as a house and from miles around one can see what appears to be a cottage lodged in the trees, 70ft high. This cottage is in fact only the top part of the building which housed the water tank with a capacity of 50,000 gallons. The supporting steel structure was boarded in to provide unique living accommodation below the tank.

The tank was removed in 1979. It is now a (very expensive) holiday home for rental, with five bedrooms underneath the living/games room on top.

The house was designed in particular for Mrs Malcolm Mason, a close friend of Ogilvie’s (he later called her his “lady of the stairs and starlight”). She was a writer of childrens books, which probably explains the fairy tale quality of the House. At first it was to be called the Gazebo, however Mrs Mason christened it The House in the Clouds, which seems to symbolise the fantasy feeling of the village.

Inside:














http://www.houseintheclouds.co.uk

[NurseRatched]

A couple of interesting buildings from our trip last weekend to the coastal town of Aldeburgh:











The Moot Hall in Aldeburgh, which houses Aldeburgh Museum, is a superb timber-framed building, at a time of great prosperity as a manifestation of civic pride. Today it is still treasured by the people of Aldeburgh as the centre of their community and a symbol of their heritage.

Despite its exposed position on the brink of the North Sea, the Moot Hall in Aldeburgh is one of the best preserved Tudor public buildings in Britain. Although no document exists that chronicles its beginning, experts have estimated a date of around 1550 as, during this time, Aldeburgh had emerged from being an insignificant fishing village into a prosperous ship-building and trading town.

The word 'Moot' derives from the Saxon word for 'a meeting'.

What an interesting building-1550?! It looks as sturdy as the day it was built. Can you imagine all the weather it has faced over the centuries?! The detail on the decorated eaves is beautiful. Were you inside this place, Dee?

And the House in the Clouds-directly from the pages of a fairy tale! It's enchanting. What a clever thing to do with a public eyesore It would be fabulous to rent it for a weekend! I wonder what kind of stories sprung from the mind of Mrs. Mason while she lived here?

[Dee]

We have been inside, it's a museum now. It's more exciting from the outside.

The building was used for an indoor market for a long time, with the stalls inside and the customers outside, selling things through the windows!

[Moonchime]

Inside:






http://www.houseintheclouds.co.uk

Now the room above is the one that caught my eye; the view through the window, the clock on the wall and the table with the pews and that rather glorious throne. I can just imagine putting the world to rights drinking tea/coffee/liquor while the clock ticked softly in the background. I won't look up how much it costs to stay!!

It sounds as though you had such a lovely time Dee and have found so many buildings of interest to show us. I love Tudor buildings particularly the ones made with the lovely little bricks they had then placed at such interesting angles.
Even better than that though, is the wonderful carving beneath the roof and the chimneys - I don't think I've seen such fine examples of Tudor chimneys since I was at Hampton Court!!!
It does look a tad lonely though but I suppose that's better than being stuck in the middle of modern buildings.

I think I shall put Aldeburgh on my visiting list.

Thank you for your enticing insight.

[Dee]

You really should go, MC, it's so lovely. I can recommend some great places to eat and the place where we stayed, also some fabulous walks around.