Ellie - photoblog

Flowers in Lisbon

Ellie Wilkins — 2008-07-07T00:00:00Z

]]> Taken in February outside the Vasco da Gama centre in Lisbon. These flowers made a lovely splash of colour against the muddled reflections of the glass. ................................... We're having a busy time and will be away, on and off, for the next few weeks - holidays and family stuff. I'll drop in when I can and will try to share some of the pictures I've already uploaded. Have a good summer everybody. .

Are you ready ...?

Ellie Wilkins — 2008-06-20T00:00:00Z

]]> Two muddy Standard Poodles playing ball. (uploaded for the vfxy challenge "sport" ..... Sorry I haven't been around for a while. "Normal service" will be resumed very soon. .

Alfred, King of Wessex and all England.

Ellie Wilkins — 2008-06-06T00:00:00Z

]]> The last of this group of pictures from Winchester is of King Alfred. He stands offering his sword - not in anger, but presented downwards with the hilt forming a cross, the symbol of Christianity and peace - to the people of Winchester, the Kingdom of Wessex and all England. This statue is at the end of The Broadway and only a hundred yards or so from the Guildhall. - here - which is where we started this little tour. On the plinth is the inscription :- TO THE FOUNDER OF THE KING AND NATION D. OCTOBER DCCCCI WINCHESTER AND THE ENGLISH NAME SEPTEMBER MDCCCI EARL OF ROSEBERRY - ORATOR HAMO THORNEYCROFT - SCULPTOR ALFRED BOWKER - MAYOR More information from - King Alfred in Winchester - This magnificent bronze Statue, by Hamo Thornycroft, was commissioned by Alderman Bowker and the City Corporation to mark the millennium of Aelfred's death. It was erected in 1901. It is 2.5 times life size, 15 feet (4.57 m) high, and weighs 5 tons. The base, in two parts, is of Cornish Granite, and the whole stands 40 ft high. The right hand grasps a cross-hilted sword, the symbol of Christianity which was to combat the power of heathenism. The left foot strides forward in a rather Pharonic gesture of Kingship and the subjugation of ones enemies. A Saxon helmet crowns the head, and the left hand rests lightly upon a Saxon circular shield. The cloak, thrown back over the right shouder, shelters the King and encourages the viewer to walk around the statue to view it face on. The granite pedestal bears just one word - AELFRED. A plaque in the grass alongside the statue says :- "Alfred, King of the West Saxons (AD 871-899) drove the Danish invaders from Wessex. He created fortified centres, of which Winchester, the largest, was his capital.During his reign the streets in use today were first established.Alfred was the most esteemed of English Kings. He encouraged the revival of learning and monastic life, and laid the foundation for a Kingdom of England.This statue by Hamo Thorneycroft, was erected in 1901.".....So, you see, King Alfred did a bit more than burn a few cakes. ..... I have cheated a bit with this picture because I replaced some of the area of white cloud with a shade of blue, it looks so much nicer and faded the rest of the picture. This is one of my favourite statues, anywhere. I hope I've done him justice. ..... I may not be online much for the next few days .

Hampshire County Council. Winchester

Ellie Wilkins — 2008-06-05T00:00:00Z

]]> Perhaps the most modern of all the public clocks in Winchester. This one, which can be seen in the far distance in the picture of - the Guildhall -, is on a tower above the County Council Headquarters Buildings at The Castle. I think the buildings are ex-military. The weather vane is the "Hampshire Hog". According to the - County Council's web site - "It is not known when the Hampshire hog was first associated with Hampshire, but by 1790 the term had found its way into the dictionary. Francis Grose in "A provincial glossary" defined the Hampshire hog as a "jocular appellation for a Hampshire man; Hampshire being famous for a fine breed of hogs, and the excellency of the bacon made there." The County's Coat of Arms, granted in 1992, is a 'Rose and Crown'. ..... As you can see from the time shown on the clocks, it took me about an hour to wander up the High Street from the Guildhall - map here - and - picture here - to the County Council offices at "The Castle" - map here - It's a bit less than a mile and would normally take less than fifteen minutes. The picture is a bit dull because it was getting dark early, even though we're approaching the longest day. Thick cloud was blocking out the sunlight. ..... .

Winchester Clocks

Ellie Wilkins — 2008-06-04T00:00:00Z

]]> Three of the clocks that adorn the High Street in Winchester, taken quite late on an overcast day. I'm not sure of the details of the two in the left hand picture, but the one on the right is on the former Guildhall, built in 1713. Beneath the leaden and gilt painted statue of Queen Anne in a niche are the words "Anna Regina. Annus Pacifico 1713". - British History online - says The town clock, presented by Sir William Paulet in 1713, supported by a richly-carved bracket of timber, projects from this elevation; a curved pediment surmounts the dials, of which there are two, facing up and down the High Street. A belfry of timber, with a lead-covered cupola crowned by a gilded ball and vane, rises above the west end of the building. In the belfry is hung the curfew-bell, which is still rung at eight o'clock in the evening. The inscription on it states that it was cast by Clemant ( sic) Tosiear in the year 1702. .

Pen and Ink, Coffee and Boots

Ellie Wilkins — 2008-06-03T00:00:00Z

]]> Some of the 'retro' street signs that can be seen in Winchester High Street. These visual signs are a fairly ancient idea, dating back to when people started selling goods from shops rather than trading house to house or on a market stall. They were a visual representation of what a shop sold, there was no need to be able to read. The only 'oddity' in this would have been greenery suspended outside a place that sold wine, beer or ale. This dates back to Roman times when they used vine leaves - but vines are quite rare here in UK so evergreen shrubs were used. Maybe, in our multicultural world, descriptive signs are a good idea, they cross cultural and linguistic boundaries. McDonald's certainly seems to think so, although I have no idea how a large golden M might be useful. ..... Again slight upload issues, with banding appearing in the sky of the right hand picture. .

Buttercross, Winchester

Ellie Wilkins — 2008-06-02T00:00:00Z

]]> A wider view of the 15th Century (1400s) Buttercross or High Cross which stands in a pedestrianised area of the City of Winchester, tucked into the corner at the junction of The Pentice and the High Street. - Here - It's position marks the centre of the old City. In 1770 the Cross had fallen into disrepair and was sold to a Mr Dummer, who planned to demolish it and use the stone for building. The citizens showed their objection by petitioning and rioting, they won the day and the monument was saved for the City. The Cross was restored in 1865, by C. Scott. Some records suggest that this is when some of the figures were added, perhaps replacing those that had become worn. The lower four figures are meant to represent St John the Evangelist, which is inset top left and is the oldest figure. The others are William of Wycombe, King Alfred and Lawrence de Anne although I'm not entirely sure which is which. In niches at the top of the cross are eight figures, representing The Virgin Mary and Saints Bartholomew, John, Lawrence, Maurice, Peter, Swithun and Thomas. These figures can only be seen clearly through either binoculars or a long lens. The Cross is now cleaned and inspected annually, by the City Council. Any necessary repairs and renovations are carried out by specialist conservators. The monument is a Listed Ancient Monument, Schedule number 303, which puts it quite early in the conservation listing programme and indicates its' importance. There's a newspaper article about cleaning the monument - here - The term "Butter Cross" is quite commonly used for either Market Crosses or High Crosses, but was never the original name of a structure. In Winchester it is where butter and dairy produce were traded - stone stays cool even on the warmest day, which was important in days before refrigeration. During times of plague merchants would leave goods on the steps early in the morning, returning at the end of the day to collect unsold items and payment - coins were left in vinegar to prevent infection. It's a popular meeting place even now, something that's hinted in this picture. For a detailed image of the Cross pinnacle look - here - ..... Perhaps I should return soon, and earlier in the day too, when there's more likely to be a blue sky, which would not only look nicer but also help bring out the colour of the stonework. .

Buttercross, Winchester

Ellie Wilkins — 2008-06-01T00:00:00Z

]]> The High Cross marks the centre of the City of Winchester. The Hugh Cross was built in the 15th century, restored in 19th Century, and is a scheduled ancient monument. Listed - here (pdf) - in City documents as "Monument number 303 map reference SU 482 294" It is known locally as The Buttercross because the cold stone steps were the best place for trading butter, even on a hot day. .

Crown & Anchor

Ellie Wilkins — 2008-05-30T00:00:00Z

]]> A local pub. Almost directly opposite the Guildhall and at the other end of the Zebra Crossing is this little "pub" which serves both food and drinks. It isn't the prettiest of buildings, but even so it's very "British". I'd think, from the style of the sash windows, it is probably an early 20th Century Edwardian building. It may have once been two houses, as you can see there's a second 'front door' at the site, and two sets of chimneys. The name "Crown and Anchor" suggests that the original landlord was showing allegiance to both the Monarch and the Royal Navy, perhaps it was originally owned by a retired Naval officer? ..... A slight issue with upload because this has lost the detail of the door. The panes of glass continue to the top, the detail is there on the original image, but now they seem to have disappeared into the gloom. .

Abbey House. Winchester

Ellie Wilkins — 2008-05-29T00:00:00Z

]]> This building stands - here - next to the Guildhall, which was yesterday's picture. There is information about the house - here - on the City's web site, also a concise History of Abbey House. The plaque by the gate says :- "Abbey House stands on the site of St Mary's Abbey. It was built about 1750 and originally faced the gardens to the rear. The present castellated front was added after the widening of The Broadway in 1771. Benedictine Nuns, fleeing the disturbances of the French Revolution, made their home here in 1790s. The house now serves as the official residence of the Mayor of Winchester." Elsewhere I've read that St Mary's Abbey was originally one of the largest religious houses in the country, founded in 990 AD by Ealhswith, King Alfred's Queen. Following the dissolution of the monasteries under Henry VIII, after which most of the monastery buildings were demolished, Queen Mary Tudor gave the site to the City of Winchester as a gift of gratitude for the City's hospitality at the time of her marriage to Philip of Spain, which took place in the Cathedral in 1554. What may have remained of the derelict monastery buildings was, as far as I can make out, used as a "quarry" for local construction work and the land was sold. This house was built as a private residence with substantial enclosed gardens. In 1889 the City re-purchased the property, the gardens were designated a "Public Pleasure Ground" (Park) and opened in 1890, following the construction of the Guildhall on the eastern section of ex-Abbey land. In 1893 the house was designated the official residence of the Mayor. The entrance to Abbey Park, which carries on round behind this house, is the left of the house. Running across the gardens is a pretty water course, Abbey Mill Stream, which powered Abbey [Silk] Mill, and fed water into carp ponds which were used to provide food. .

Guildhall. Winchester

Ellie Wilkins — 2008-05-28T00:00:00Z

]]> ... at 4.55 p.m. Not satisfied with making sure the city's inhabitants could work out their own weather forecast using the equipment I showed yesterday, the Victorian architects made sure the locals also knew the time of day. Even now this is one of the tallest buildings in the city, except for the Cathedral, so the clock can still be seen from some distance. It chimes too, which is handy if you're out of sight. If you look very carefully you should be able to see another pointed spire in the lower right third of this picture, this is a spire/clock tower on the new Hampshire County Council offices. In the foreground is a Zebra Crossing, with its position marked by Belisha Beacons. These are 'unregulated' crossings, if a pedestrian is on the crossing traffic is supposed to stop. The orange beacons on striped poles were introduced by transport minister Leslie Hore-Belisha in 1934. The striped road markings came later, following complaints from motorists that the crossings weren't always easy to see. The flashing lights came along in 1953, amid fears that they would distract motorists. Loads more to read on this site - Histories - Pedestrian Crossings - ..... This picture is level, although there is some distortion from the lens. The road in the foreground has quite a crown/camber, to make sure rainwater drains into the gutters and away into the drains. The pavement also slopes slightly towards the edge of the road for the same reason. Also, as you can see - here - on this aerial view, the building is in two parts, with the further section at an angle to the section at this end (front of picture). .

Knowing your place ...

Ellie Wilkins — 2008-05-27T00:00:00Z

]]> ... at Winchester Guildhall I have no idea whose idea it might have been to provide this geographical and meteorological knowledge to anybody who cares to look, but somebody decided to enclose a Fahrenheit and Celsius thermometer, a barometer and a barograph for all to see, so that they might have some idea of the weather forecast. Along with this is all the relevant geographical data relating to the place - height above sea level, latitude, longitude, points west of Greenwich meridian and also the astronomical time difference from GMT. This equipment isn't hidden from view, yet when I was taking this picture several people commented that they'd never noticed it before. .