Can you be sure?

A lot has happened at this delightful spot on the Purbecks since Paul Nash was a resident and was commissioned by Shell to deliver this delightful lithograph (1937) as part of their Visit Britain's Landmarks series - printed by Waterlow Limited - as rare as ephemera goes unless you have about £1K spare...

Whimsical and fantastic creations

I am not sure how I found the ceramics of Prue Piper, but I think it may have been on my journey researching the photographs of her husband Edward and father in law John. Both of whom I have always had a liking, especially their images of carvings associated with churches.

I chanced upon this small selling exhibition (until January 2017) at the delightful Bruton Museum - worth a visit in its own right, but look at these delights which I must say I found most appealing.

I especially liked the mermaid jugs and two faced millennium mug looking forward and back and was not surprised to see that each of the superb Green Man plates had already sold - these are quite wonderful and oh how I would love one!

The centrepiece being a most wonderful bowl the like of which I have never seen before - quite stunning and full of folklore, charm and humour. I enjoyed it enormously.

A goodly array of street furniture

Be I Hampshire, be I bu%%ery, I be Isle of Wight! So the ditty goes. I love the IoW and have spent some very happy times there following in the footsteps of Barbara Jones and Pennethorne Hughes. There are treasures around every corner and if, like me, you like furniture of the street type then I am sure you will like these. It was very warm back in August and I seem to recall we also stumbled across the delightful Jolliffe's of Cowes on our way for some superb fish & chips. 

Views of Little London

I feel like a bit of a stalker sometimes when on my travels - it's not always intentional, but it's just some of my special places were also the special places of some of my loved artists - Paul Nash, John Piper, Bawden, Ravilious ...............they are just as special now.

Sometimes, just by chance, I will have taken in a view and found the very one in a photograph or painting on my return home - I am not artistic at all, I just like to notice things. They liked these places then. I like them now.

Paul Nash - High Street, Swanage 1935

Paul Nash - Town Hall, Swanage 1935

Paul Nash - High Street, Swanage 1935

The view up High Street in Swanage and the entrance to the Town Hall are always pleasing to the eye - the story is a good one and the old name of "Little London" is most appropriate for Swanage - I'll let you read the story of Mowlem and his links to the town here, but on my return after a recent visit I felt sure I had seen the views before. I had a look through my Paul Nash photographs and knock me down with a barge pole I found these. All taken circa 1935-1936 when Nash was a regular visitor to the town. He lived here for a short time when researching his Shell Guide to Dorset - more of that another day, but for now I make no apology for following in the footsteps of Nash. I am sure I will continue to do so both intentionally an unintentionally.

The 40 ton ball

Graham Sutherland - c1932

60 happy customers

I should have posted this yesterday to coincide with St Davids Day but all things are a little on the late side here at Straker Towers. We have just returned from a delightful break in Pembrokeshire - a county I know well and love dearly, but just like Norfolk it takes an age to get there. You think you are almost there and bang! Another few hours to go.

My trusty Shell Guide and Pevsner always accompany me on such trips, nothing has been produced since that even comes close to them. One of the joys of the Shell Guides is doing a modern day comparison with the superb photographs of Edwin Smith or Piper - I am pleased to say that in Pembs not a lot has changed.  

I have not visited St Davids cathedral since I was a child and on this particular day it was absolutely deserted - my mission was to view the 60 heads in the cathedral quire. Now, it didn't help that I had recently watched the utterly brilliant MR James story The Stalls of Barchester........if you know the story you will of course know that carvings form a great part of this chilling tale. I was the only one creeping around the quire. It was dimly lit and the day was dreary - needless to say the carvings were amazing including those of the green man on the stall seats. I looked over my shoulder more than once I can tell you.

They are pristine and probably in the same condition as first carved over 500 years ago. Each about the size of a 50p piece.The majority are of human faces and about twenty are of the grotesque. People or animal? Not sure really, very similar to those stunning stone carvings at Kilpeck where I have lost many an hour in wonderment. The joy for me is wondering just what, who and why?