Castles and country houses

In the UK it's not unusual to come across a country house that is based on a former castle. After explosives and cannons became widely used in warfare castles were no longer the safe haven they were formerly. The English Civil War of the C17 was the last time armies grappled for control in fighting on UK soil. When peace came many castles were "slighted" (i.e. blown apart) so they could not be used in any future warfare. Some country houses were made from these remains, others were made by building living accommodation and stately rooms in existing, undamaged castles so that they became homes rather than military architecture. Chirk Castle dates from 1295 and was designed to suppress part of the Marches, the border area between England and Wales. It was bought by Sir Thomas Myddleton in 1593 for £5000 and successive owners converted it to the grand house we see today. The photograph shows the main entrance of the original castle was adapted to be the main entrance of the house, and the adjoining walls were pierced by mullioned and transomed windows to let light into the new rooms.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Former Congregational Chapel, Monmouth

What to do with old buildings that no longer fulfill their original purpose has always been something of a problem. Something of an answer, more often than not, involves converting them to housing. I've seen windmills, water mills, factories, pubs, hospitals, prisons, maltings, breweries, warehouses, post offices, and many other kinds of building converted to single or multiple occupancy housing. The Congregational Chapel, Glendower Street, Monmouth, is an example of a religious building that has become housing (in 2002). It was built in the town's backstreets in 1843-4, in the classical style, by William Armstrong of Bristol. The facade has been sympathetically painted  and only the palms, the absence of an information board, the name-plate "Glendower House" and the blocked ground floor windows, give a hint that it is no longer a place of worship.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100

The world's smallest theatre

Nearly twelve years ago I wrote a blog post about the names that we in Britain give to the small room that we visit to get rid of our bodily waste, and why we have such a multitude of appellations. Re-reading that post in preparation for writing this one I noticed that I had missed one of the most common names i.e. public convenience. Today's post shows such a place in Great Malvern, Worcestershire, that has been converted into a tiny theatre named "The Theatre of Small Convenience". The sign fixed to it notes that it was originally a Victorian gentleman's convenience that was converted in 1999. Since that time it has hosted puppet shows, professional and amateur dramatics, poetry readings, storytelling, music, monologues "and even a day of opera". Moreover, it has featured in the Guiness Book of Records as the world's smallest theatre.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100