No matter how much caffeine I jolt my brain with it remains a doughy, lumpen mass with nothing blog-worthy leaking out of it.
Hence, yet another filler post.
This one will bring cries of joy to any of you who have ever wondered about the little thatched house hidden in the bamboo garden at Kew.
So that's none of you, then …
I stumbled on it when I took Mum for a day out at Kew a little while back. It's a traditional Japanese みんか house.
Kinda woody.
The script on the wooden panel describes the construction of the house and starts with (top right) the characters: 高木（たかいぼく- takai boku), meaning expensive wood. Don't ask me to translate the rest as I have a headache.
Anyhoo, here's what Kew's website says about it:
Kew's Minka House was originally a farmhouse built around 1900 in a suburb of Okazaki City, near the southern coast of central Japan. The first owners sold the house to the Yonezu family in 1940 and it was dismantled and moved to another part of the city. After their main home was destroyed in a bombing raid, the Yonezu family moved into this minka in 1945. Mr Yonezu was a keen photographer and he took pictures of many of the family events and celebrations held in the house. |
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The house fell vacant in 1993, on the death of Mrs Chiyoku Yonezu, who was the last member of the family to live there. The Japan Minka Re-use and Recycle Association (JMRA) acquired the house and donated it to the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew as part of the Japan 2001 Festival. After the minka had been dismantled, its wooden framework was shipped to the UK. Construction at Kew began on 7 May 2001, with experienced Japanese carpenters reinstating the intricate joints that are formed without the use of iron nails. When the framework was completed on 21 May 2001, a Japanese ceremory was held to mark the auspicious occasion. A team of British builders, who had previously worked on the Globe Theatre in London, then assembled the mud wall panels and thatched the roof with Norfolk reeds and wheat straw on a grid of bamboo laths. Work was completed in November 2001.
So now you know.Normal service will be resumed when my brain starts working.
7 comments:
I have every intention of visiting each Royal Park/Garden in London! Care to show us around?
I know what's wrong with the Forum, but do tell.
joy
The Goddess In You
Norwich Daily Photo
Your Love Coach
I'll be a very willing guide, Joy.
As for the Forum, quite apart from all the architectural inadequacies, the building was supposed to replace Norwich's splendid library, but now the library is split between several separate buildings all over the city whilst the Forum contains coffee bars and tourist tat. To the great detriment of the city.
I kind of prefer your abnormal service to your normal service....
In fact, it kind of keeps me sane.
This is fabulous Dive - love the photos and all the info. Japanese stuff is so classy isn't it?
This place would make a nice little cottage for me when I move to island life off the coast of maine. Or when my wife throws me out -which ever comes first.
Aaaah! I don't think it's such a bad idea for people to have a small library close to where they are. And the Forum housing the BBC, the Tourist Info, the Learning Shop, Learn Direct and a couple of eating places is actually excellent! But that's just me. If people wanted to use the Millennium Library, then they take a trip into the city and I think they enjoy that :D
I do know what's wrong with, coz I worked at the library for 6 months! No windows or ventilation in the bathrooms and they ALL STINK!
joy
The Goddess In You
Norwich Daily Photo
Your Love Coach
Maria: even my normal service is abnormal.
It certainly is, Jules, though not as classy as your wartime posts. Those underground barges today are stunning.
Rich: it is actually on an island off the Maine coast … though around 4,000 miles off the Maine coast.
Sorry, Joy, but I hate having the library spread all over the city. I can never find anything.
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