St Michael and All Angels, Great Witley

The church of St Michael and All Angels stands alongside the burnt out shell of Witley Court. It is a brick building with an exterior that was faced in Bath stone c.1850 by the architect, Samuel Daukes. The lavish Italian Baroque interior was brought to Great Witley from Cannon's House, Edgeware and fitted to the building by James Gibbs c.1735. The gilded walls and ceiling feature painted panels by Bellucci, a towering monument by Rysbrack and stained glass by Price. It is, if anything more unexpected in an English setting than yesterday's featured church at Hoarwithy.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: iPhone

County Hall, Abingdon

The prototype of the design of County Hall, Abingdon is the medieval market house (see examples here, here and here). However, in Abingdon it is on a much grander scale in a later architectural style. Its name and size derives from the time when the town vied with Reading to be the county town of Berkshire. The building was constructed in 1678 - 1682, possibly by Sir Christopher Wren. Its Baroque features include the giant Corinthian pilasters and archetypal windows. Today the town of Abingdon is in Oxfordshire and the building houses a museum.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2