Uploads from Peter Denton, tagged building, with geodata

Double blue

nobody@flickr.com (Peter Denton) — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 07:07:08 -0700

Any house bearing not one, but two blue plaques immediately attracts my interest – and so it was with this fine Georgian house in Bedford Square, London. Whether by chance or not I don’t know, but the house was occupied (at different times) by two giants of medicine – Thomas Wakley and Thomas Hodgkin.

Thomas Wakley (1795-1862) was a surgeon, social reformer, and co-founder of The Lancet – now one of the world’s most renowned general medical journals. For 17 years he was also a radical Member of Parliament, apparently noted for his ‘I suffer no fools’ aggressive personality.

Thomas Hodgkin (1798-1866) was one of the most prominent pathologists of his time, and a pioneer in preventive medicine. It was he who first published an account of a lymph and blood disorder which now bears his name – Hodgkin’s disease.

There's a close-up of the plaques in Comments below, and other plaques – blue and otherwise – here.

Sydney reflections

nobody@flickr.com (Peter Denton) — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 16:54:33 -0800

Peter Denton posted a photo:

Circular Quay.

Centre Point, London

nobody@flickr.com (Peter Denton) — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 07:57:33 -0800

Peter Denton posted a photo:

As redevelopment of Tottenham Court Road Underground station in London continues, and part of Charing Cross Road is sealed off and re-routed, Centre Point remains at the heart of the work, and is as majestic as ever.

Centre Point, a commercial development rising to 34 storeys, was completed in 1967 and was one of London’s first ‘skyscrapers’. From the very start, it was always controversial, not least because it was built on a space that was intended for a traffic roundabout at a major intersection, but also because it remained unoccupied for some 10 years after it was completed. Now, with the redevelopment of the station below, the ground-level area is being transformed into a ‘public-friendly’ plaza – and part of Centre Point itself is to become residential.

Well, despite its chequered history, I think its design has stood the test of time - and this handsome building well deserves the Grade II listed status it now enjoys.

There's a closer view here.

Centre Point, London

nobody@flickr.com (Peter Denton) — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 12:40:13 -0800

Peter Denton posted a photo:

As development of Tottenham Court Road Underground station in London continues, and part of Charing Cross Road is sealed off, a crane casts its shadow over the iconic Centre Point.

There's more about Centre Point, and another image, here.

Montreuil elegance

nobody@flickr.com (Peter Denton) — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 00:24:17 -0700

Peter Denton posted a photo:

Fine living in Montreuil sur Mer, a historic walled town in the Pas-de-Calais region of France. I took this photograph in the garden of the Château de Montreuil Hotel - which I gather was once owned by Michel Roux, the Michelin-starred chef.

Golden evening light

nobody@flickr.com (Peter Denton) — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 23:46:09 -0700

Peter Denton posted a photo:

A gorgeous evening sunlight falls on an old building in the fishing port of Étaples, northern France.

Kuala Lumpur, old and new

nobody@flickr.com (Peter Denton) — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 02:43:56 -0700

Peter Denton posted a photo:

Kuala Lumpur's magnificent Moorish-style Sultan Abdul Samad building in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, (foreground) was named after the sultan of Selangor and designed by the British architect AC Norman. Built in the 1890s, today it houses the Ministry of Information, Communications and Culture. These days it's dwarfed by one of the capital's more modern structures, but its style and beauty remain undiminished. The flags are for Malaysia's Independence Day.

There's another view here.

Borneo longhouse

nobody@flickr.com (Peter Denton) — Sat, 15 Sep 2012 10:53:57 -0700

Peter Denton posted a photo:

This architectural and historical gem is a traditional longhouse in Sarawak, Borneo. Communal dwellings such as this were (and still are) built to last for generations, and are home to people who work in the fields or who are traditional craftsmen, such as swordsmiths and knife-makers.

This longhouse is part of the Sarawak cultural village at Damai Beach, Borneo. (The flags, by the way, were to celebrate Malaysia's Independence Day.)

Sarawak State Legislative Assembly building

nobody@flickr.com (Peter Denton) — Sun, 09 Sep 2012 01:56:41 -0700

Peter Denton posted a photo:

The Sarawak State Legislative Assembly building, on the bank of the Sarawak River in Kuching, Malaysia. This fine piece of architectural design rises to nine storeys, and was opened in 2009.

There's a dusk view here.

The White House

nobody@flickr.com (Peter Denton) — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 07:43:52 -0700

Peter Denton posted a photo:

Pretty much what it says on the tin, really. Oh... this is the real one in Teddington; not that imposter elsewhere!

Sutton Mallet church, Somerset

nobody@flickr.com (Peter Denton) — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 10:41:04 -0700

Peter Denton posted a photo:

This tiny church in the hamlet of Sutton Mallet, Somerset, dates from the 15th century, but it was extensively rebuilt in the late 1820s. What’s particularly unusual about this gorgeous little place is its high box pews, for family use. The height of the sides provided privacy, and the only person who could see the worshippers was the vicar in his pulpit (from where this photograph was taken).

The church (see exterior view here), has a ring of two bells dated 1607 and 1657, and is in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.

A helping hand

nobody@flickr.com (Peter Denton) — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 05:50:48 -0700

Peter Denton posted a photo:

Wonderful public art work on the side of the Hayward Gallery, South Bank, London. These two figures are made from reclaimed wood as part of the South Bank's Festival of the World. They're designed by the artists group Robots>>>>, with Oasis Children's Venture.

S-t-r-e-t-c-h!!

nobody@flickr.com (Peter Denton) — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 12:34:42 -0700

Peter Denton posted a photo:

Room at the top... how to clean unreachable windows. Brighton, East Sussex.

The abbey of St Winoc, Bergues

nobody@flickr.com (Peter Denton) — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 08:34:25 -0700

Peter Denton posted a photo:

The abbey of St Winoc in Bergues, northern France, was destroyed in 1789. This is all that remains.

Bergues, just 15km from the border with Belgium, is known as Sint-Winoksbergen in Dutch.

The irony of occupation...

nobody@flickr.com (Peter Denton) — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 02:35:10 -0700

Peter Denton posted a photo:

21 Fitzroy Square, London - now the Mozambique High Commission, and at one time home to Lord Robert Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury (1830-1903), Conservative statesman, Foreign Secretary, Secretary of State for India and three times Prime Minister of the UK. He served in that latter office for 13 years. See blue plaque below.

There’s surely a certain irony of occupation here, considering that Salisbury was very much involved in the Partition of Africa (the invasion, occupation, colonisation and annexation of African territories by European powers) at the end of the 19th century.

Green architecture

nobody@flickr.com (Peter Denton) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 01:20:58 -0800

Peter Denton posted a photo:

This is the Richmond Housing Partnership’s new headquarters in Teddington, west London – and it's just about as 'green' as a building can get.

Designed and built by Mansell, the £8 million headquarters has features such as 414 photovoltaic panels on the roof (which have reduced carbon emissions by 20%), smart light fittings in the office area which adjust with the available natural light, a rain harvesting tank, a mixed air mode system and sustainable urban drainage scheme – all of which combine to make it one of the top environmentally rated buildings in London.

The Richmond Housing Partnership is a not-for-profit organisation which owns or manages more than 8,500 homes in the London Boroughs of Richmond and Hounslow. Its aim is to provide good quality, affordable homes for people in need.

The headquarters building has a BREEAM (British Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) rating of ‘Excellent’.

Little boxes

nobody@flickr.com (Peter Denton) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 05:54:44 -0700

Peter Denton posted a photo:

Boxes in the auditorium of the newly-refurbished Royal Festival Hall in London – looking terrific for its 50th anniversary.

Teddington Station – listed status

nobody@flickr.com (Peter Denton) — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 06:42:34 -0800

Peter Denton posted a photo:

A railway station… but now, not just any old railway station, No, this is Teddington Station – which has just been awarded Grade II listed status by English Heritage.

This means it's now a 'building of special interest which warrants every effort being made to preserve it'. The reason is its special architectural and historical interest: it’s the earliest example of an Italianate villa-style station built by the London and South Western Railway in the 1860s; and it’s also on the Kingston to Twickenham branch line – Britain’s first suburban rail network, built to provide a commuter service to London’s expanding south-western suburbs. The Italianate style refers to the central rectangular building, with its arches, large windows and high chimney stacks.

So there we have it... Teddington Station joins the ranks of Alexandra Palace, the Whitechapel Bell Foundry, the BT Tower, and the Birmingham Bullring Rotunda. The listing, therefore, isn't necessarily for any building's aesthetic value, but more for its architectural and historical character. Let's hear it for Teddington!

Sutton Mallet church, Somerset

nobody@flickr.com (Peter Denton) — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 10:41:07 -0700

Peter Denton posted a photo:

Although the tiny church in the hamlet of Sutton Mallet, Somerset, dates from the 15th century, it was extensively rebuilt in the late 1820s. What’s particularly unusual about this gorgeous little place is its high box pews, for family use. The height of the sides provided privacy, and the only person who could see the worshippers was the vicar in his pulpit.

The church has a ring of two bells dated 1607 and 1657, and is in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.

Tranquillity

nobody@flickr.com (Peter Denton) — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 02:10:34 -0700

Peter Denton posted a photo:

A quiet, rustic street in Arles, in the South of France. Formerly Rue Tacon, but renamed Rue Pierre Euzeby - who 'died for the liberation of Arles'.