Lantern, Shire Hall, Monmouth

The rear staircase that was added in 1830 to Monmouth's Shire Hall is quite an unimpressive structure simply folding back and forth as it rises. That is until the top floor is reached when we find above us an unfluted Greek Doric arcade that helps to support a rather fine octagonal lantern that lights the staircase. This appears to have been recently restored as the Wedgwood blue and white paintwork shows. In the centre is a feathered flower that is the focus of eight bead strips. The octagon sits in a square with each of the four corners featuring a fluted, shell-like fan.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Squares and octagons

The medieval church at Croft, Herefordshire, stands only a few yards from Croft Castle, a former medieval castle that was converted into a stately home. Like all such churches it speaks of the well-to-do owners next door through the state of its general fabric and its tombs. When I visited the building I took a lot of shots of the the more conventional subjects. However, the one I want to post first shows the, to my mind, attractive worn tiles of part of its floor. This pattern of squares and octagons was popular in the eighteenth century and my guess is they date from a restoration at that time.


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