Apologies for the delay in posting. Mac fell into a coma on Monday morning. But some TLC from the Genius Bar has restored it to full health. Back on Monday, it was another lovely day in Manchester. Here’s the relatively monumental Sam Alex building (as most people on campus call it), named after a former professor of Philosophy at this august institution. I like the rim-lit shadowy figure to the right.
The Midland was built in 1933 and is an Art Deco masterpiece, a beautiful and elegant building inside and out. For most of the time since I started coming to Morecambe when I met Clare 20 years ago, it stood empty and crumbling, but in 2008 was restored and reopened as a hotel and we were lucky enough to have stayed there last night as the final act in this week of celebrations for Clare’s 40th. The food was excellent too. If you’re ever in the area it’s well worth the patronage.
Arundel Castle in Sussex dates from the 12th century, and is a great study in just how much power and privilege remains on this smallish island off the coast of Europe. The castle walls are monstrously immense. This place is like Gormenghast, a vast fortress rising above a small town above, but otherwise relatively isolated, ruling over a huge swathe of countryside. Most countries got rid of their aristocracies a hundred or so years ago, of course, but we in England haven’t got round to it yet, so this place is still lived in — the home of the 18th Duke of Norfolk.
This shot is taken not twenty yards from my house, but I think it sustains a suitably Eastern European feeling. Particularly with the bats — or whatever — circling ominously above.
The conference here in Prague has been in full swing since Sunday lunchtime, but we were given this afternoon off, so I went to Prague castle, reputed to be the world’s largest castle (though it seems to me that the Kremlin in Moscow would give it a run for its money). It remains the home of the Czech president as well as being a huge tourist attraction, and judging by the pomp and circumstance in evidence today, he was in residence. It’s a good way of getting people employed, by the looks of things.
I have been meaning to put this building on the blog for a while and today it gets its chance, partly because not much else happened (I spent all day in my office, and it was a nice sunny day too), and partly because of the coincidence of the sun taking out the upper floor window. How did it end up like this? If it was built on its own, why so much taller than its neighbours? On the other hand, if it was once part of a longer terrace, how come it survived when the others were demolished and rebuilt? Someone must know….
POSTSCRIPT: See http://www.theskyliner.org/82-portland-street/ for more info. Apparently it is a newer building than its neighbours, so was deliberately built like this, but no one really knows why. Maybe the builders just had a narrow plot and decided to maximise the floor rentals they could acquire from it (like the tall houses of Hebden Bridge). Thanks to Katie Carina Homer for this link.
At 554 feet, or 169m, this is the tallest building in the UK outside of London, and also one of the world’s thinnest buildings: not apparent in this shot but the unseen third dimension is very slight. Only the topmost floors are seen in this shot, but these are the highest residential apartments in the UK. And apparently it makes a great noise when the wind is high. I like the way the windows had caught the vague sunlight this morning.
A weekend at home, but the weather is still pleasant and the good evening light allows for photo opportunities even with the mundane sights around the place.
Welcome to Mosedale Cottage in the Lake District. You’ve seen it before, on the inside, a couple of times (31/8/12 and 15/4/14). On both those occasions I was passing through and having lunch, but tonight I stayed there, having walked 13 miles to get there (and 8 miles out the following morning). Amenities: well, it’s got a stove (but not necessarily any fuel), a rather dubious toilet and a sofa. The rest, you bring on your back. Was it worth it? See tomorrow morning’s post.
As a few recent photos have suggested, we are entering a good time of year for dramatic skies. I like the NGI building, it somehow matches its main host substance — which I guess is the point, architecturally. Well, my employers have spent enough on it, so it’d better be good I suppose….
Being 42 