David Swatton's Architecture Posts
Oct. 18, 2019
Back street crawler...
One of the really nice things of our Spanish trip was the architecture in the old towns. I love the ornate tiered bay windows and the cast iron balustrades.
Oct. 16, 2019
Biggest cultural rip off in Europe?
The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao in undoubtedly a dramatic building and the sculptures outside are interesting and fun (especially Flower Puppy) but what a waste…
Oct. 14, 2019
Spanish Gothic...
The cathedral in Avila is purported to be the oldest Gothic cathedral in Spain, but then again Burgos also makes the same claim. Anyway, it was one of my…
Oct. 11, 2019
Sultans of Bling...
Catholic Church bling is everywhere in Spain. After a while it becomes somewhat oppressive, but I guess that's the intention. I'm glad that for the most part in…
Oct. 09, 2019
Another brick in the wall...
The spectacular medieval walls around the old town of Avila in northern Spain. Amazing to see from a distance and fascinating to walk round. The existing wall…
Oct. 08, 2019
Disney meets medieval history...
With an extra portion of bling thrown in for good measure. This is the Alcazar in Segovia. Part fortress, part palace, part nonsense...
Oct. 07, 2019
What have the Romans ever done for us...?
This is part of the Roman aqueduct in Segovia, completed in about 112AD to move water from the mountains 20km away into the town. You have to marvel at the…
June 24, 2019
Pre-Raphaelite heaven...
...or hell, depending on your taste. I visited Wightwick Manor in Staffordshire which was an old manor, remodelled and hugely extended in the late 19th century…
June 15, 2019
Overflowing Caban Coch...
The dams in the Elan Valley, built over 100 years ago, create reservoirs that provide the water for Birmingham. While the overflow looks dramatic and indeed it…
June 12, 2019
The Ascension...
The brainchild of Colonel David Stirling, the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment was formed in the summer of 1941 in the North African desert, conceived as a…
May 24, 2019
Window montage...
A concatenation of four windows from Beaumaris Castle in Wales. I liked the colours and geometric designs that reflect part of the design drawings and plans for…
May 17, 2019
Mr Overshadowed...
Thomas Telford was an engineering giant of the late 18th and early 19th centuries and yet he always seems to be overshadowed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel - let's…
May 15, 2019
Opulent but somehow sinister...
In our recent trip to north Wales we visited Penrhyn Castle, now under the guardianship of the National Trust. It was a medieval castle that had, for the time,…
May 14, 2019
The knowledge is in the details...
I live in an old house - that, I knew - English Heritage list it as being built in the second half of the 17th century. I had also assumed that the oak beams…
March 28, 2019
The mansion...
This is Attingham Park near Shrewsbury. I'm not a fan of 18th century Palladian-style mansions but at least this one has a comedic twist. The 2nd Lord Berwick…
March 17, 2019
Status wall...
Today when people want to show off their wealth they go for fancy cars, designer clothing and the like. Back in the 14th century a wall could do the trick...…
March 03, 2019
More Norfolk god-bothering...
A few more pics of the beautiful Norwich cathedral complete with preaching religious person... you can probably tell I'm not a fully paid-up member of the club.
Feb. 27, 2019
The other cathedral...
When in Norwich I took the time to visit the Catholic Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in the city. Again, I marveled at the architecture and the artistry and…
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