Regular readers of this blog will have realized by now that it’s mostly about the outsides of buildings. There’s a reason for this, which is that I want to share with you the buildings that I see on my journeys around bits of our country, many of which are glimpsed en passant as I travel around. I’m constantly impressed by the richness of our built environment – by the history, design, construction, decoration, evolution, and use of our buildings – and by the way these things can be appreciated all the time, as we go about our business. So, more days than not, I find myself peering down alleys, going around the backs of houses to see what they look like from behind, taking diversions up promising lanes, and craning my neck over garden walls.
This picture is the view over a garden wall in Market Bosworth. It shows a brick-built tower, and I presume it’s the belvedere that was put up in the garden of Bosworth Hall. This house was originally built in the late-17th century but was substantially altered twice during the 19th century. The belvedere was probably put up when the place was made over in the 1880s. A belvedere is rather like a gazebo, but in tower form. In other words it’s a tall building from which one may admire the view, usually the view of a garden or an estate. Perhaps when I took this picture there was someone inside looking out at the strange fellow trying to get a better view of its Italian-style brickwork and stone dressings.
9 comments:
Beautiful. People nowadays are so divorced from the simple pleasure of admiring a pretty view...it's so sad. More posts like this please.
Many of these were put up so that the local hunt could be seen in relative comfort. I think.
Ah, Leicestershire.
Well spotted.
Ahh, but nothing wrong with the inside of a church occasionally? The majority of them are open.
cbnewham: Absolutely NOTHING wrong with the inside of a church now and then. I'm an enthusiastic church-crawler, and there'll be more posts on churches soon, I think.
Ron: And a fine and underrated county it is too.
Is there any other county with such aesthetic disparity between its county town and the county itself? I don't know anyone with a good word for Leicester, and that includes people who actually live there. St. Martin's, the cathedral, I've always been rather fond of but apart from that...
Ron: quite so. I don't know Leicester well (perhaps Lord Ashley can defend it?) but I remember St Mary de Castro has some good bits and there is also that old Guildhall. It's an interesting point, though. Most county towns are more inspiring.
Leicestershire, though, is something else. I hope to return to this whole business of underrated counties soon.
This was the water tower that originally fed the main house (Bosworth Hall). At the back of the building there used to be two large water tanks that were regularly supplied with salt for softening the water. I worked in the gardens from 1978 to 1985ish.
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