St Pancras Hotel, London

Which is the most notable Gothic Revival building in London? Most people might, not unreasonably, nominate the Houses of Parliament, even though A.W.N. Pugin, one of its two architects disparagingly described it to an acquaintance as "All Grecian, sir; Tudor details on a classic body." My vote would be split between Alfred Waterhouse's Natural History Museum (1881) and the St Pancras Hotel (1876). The latter was built by George Gilbert Scott after he was, surprisingly, declared winner in the competition for the project. Why surprisingly? Because his design was much bigger and much more expensive than was stipulated in the competition rules. This would usually have ruled him out of contention but here the judges were overpowered by the magnificence of Scott's vision. One can still feel that today.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Pixelated Birmingham hotel

I suspect that fewer buildings of the twenty-first century will weather as well as those built in earlier centuries. Are there any modern buildings, I wonder, that will be improved by exposure to time, weather and the rough and tumble of daily life, something that is a feature of quite a few older structures? I pondered this as I took the photograph above. It is a detail of a Holiday Inn Express building in the centre of Birmingham. Its pixel-style cladding is certainly eye-catching. But, I wondered, will it be cleaned when required, will rust stains appear, as they have on the nearby old\new styled street lights. Or will it be re-modelled when the sharp newness of greys, blacks and white becomes passé drabness?

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

Broad Street, Hereford: a different view

Many towns in Britain have a street called Broad Street, a road that is noticeably wider than others in the location. Frequently they were used as the site of a weekly market and for that purpose they were closed to through traffic. I can find no evidence of such a use for Broad Street, Hereford. However, it does seem to have been used in the nineteenth century as the site of cattle sales. This is the second photograph I have posted of the street. The first can be seen here. Today's is taken from near the other end. I liked the contrast between the overcast October day after rain with the bright and sunny April day of earlier in the year.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

A lunchtime interior

Last November we were sitting in a hotel having lunch when I looked up and suddenly appreciated the scene before me. It was one I'd seen before on quite a few occasions but this time it was different. As I reflected on what I was looking at I decided that it was because there were fewer people than usual, the view through the window was more visible, but more importantly, the soft, autumn sun was penetrating the room, enhancing the colours and making the scene resemble a genre painting i.e. a painting of everyday people undertaking everyday activities.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100     2019

Gothic Revival

The nineteenth century revived the use of the Gothic style of architecture. Probably the two UK buildings that most celebrate the "Gothic Revival" are the Houses of Parliament (though this has a classical plan onto which Pugin applied Gothic decoration) and the railway hotel at St Pancras. The latter, which opened in 1873 as the Midland Grand Hotel, was the work of George Gilbert Scott. He was one of the most prolific of Victorian architects, known mainly for his churches, but also for many notable public and commercial buildings. My photograph shows one of the pedestrian tunnels that connect the outside front of the hotel with the platforms of the station. It is a splendid example of Scott's mastery of brickwork, terracotta detailing and light.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2