If I'd known it was going to be sunny I'd have gone off to the beach with my camera again, but the stupid weather forecasters said "dull and cloudy", so I did an indoor shoot instead.
As my recent posts about crusty old piles of mediæval stuff seem to have gone down particularly well in the Colonies, I decided today to reacquaint myself with an exceedingly "olde" friend; the building formerly known as The Old Barge Inn on King street in Norwich.
This is an etching of it that hangs in my stairwell.
It was made in 1933 by my late lamented chum and hugely respected Norwich artist James Starling, whose gorgeous Victorian etching press he bequeathed to my mate Richard. The etching is one of a pair of King Street scenes old James gave me shortly before he died.
This is the first etching Richard produced on James' old press; the gnarly pear tree outside my old office window.
And this is The Old Barge Inn as it is now. Today we'll just look at the outside, but (as Maria would say) "Boy, Howdy!" When we get inside in the next post you'll see something a little bit special.
When I was a student in the late seventies, this was an archæological site. For centuries the house had been divided into The Old Barge Inn and several houses, with additional floors inserted into the great hall.
We were given a tour round the archæological works when they were stripping out all of the sixteenth century conversion work. What they found underneath was stunning, as you'll discover if you tune in tomorrow.
Next door sags the sadly mutilated remains of Anne Boleyn's father's house, the entire ground floor of which was gutted in the 1960s to form an electrical retailer's shop (Bennett's Discount Electrical Store; curse them and their family for all eternity).
The shit-for-brains owners have now been kicked out and the place awaits the same sympathetic restoration as The Old Barge has received.
Just a sneaky taster for tomorrow: This rare ogee arched door dates from the early 1200s and is a teensy hint of the wonders within.
Tune in tomorrow to discover them with me.
14 comments:
Every time you do one of these photo tours, I think,"If Dive saw the hole I live in, he'd send lawyers, guns, and money to rescue me."
When I get around to it, I'm going to show you.
I have a good friend who's a barrister, a pocket full of small change and I could probably lay my hands on a nice brace of shotguns, but Homeland Security may not let me enter the States carrying that lot.
I'll be there, Dive!
I very nearly cried at the sight of that awful store lurking beneath the beauty. Please keep us posted as to how the new owners can improve it. I'm quite interested in the life of Anne Boleyn so would love to see this. Mind you, up close, i probably would cry.
Often invite people in to see your etchings, do you Dive? ;) They are lovely.
The new owners are the City Council, Lynn. What's left of the building is assured of a sympathetic restoration and probable incorporation into the Dragon Hall Museum.
And yes, I have a great many etchings. Come up and see them sometime.
Hee hee.
OMG, so your the guy who says come up and see my etchings. And you really have one.
Where's your gorgeous brother? I'm missing him.
How very cool. I'm excited for tomorrow--seriously. I can't believe someone would put a crappy electrical supply store in such a building.
Can't wait, can't wait, can't wait!!!
Hee hee, you two.
It's only a crusty old building. As an architect and history freak I get excited about these things but for the rest of you it must be a little dull.
I feel like a kid on a field trip. I'm jumping up and down thinking, "I wanna go inside! I wanna go inside!!"
Some people should be staked out and covered in honey - not only the store owner but whoever let them do that!!!
Yeah do I get an invite with Lyn to see your etchings????
he he Jules.
Dive have you been told off by any kids today? News today that if stopped by police in Norfolk for speeding, you may get told off by a group of primary school children instead of a ticket. Yes, serious. Surely our country is now a laughing stock if not already?
It's excellent to see that in the etching, one can see the lower level of Anne Boleyn's father's house.
How the (adjective) the Bennett bastards got away with that desecration is beyond us all.
I wonder, who funds the restoration ? In Oz, our oldest buildings are only one tenth as old as this !
I'll be there tomorrow; with knobs-on !!
I love King St! It has plenty to offer in terms of architecture and culture. I shall await indeed what you have in store today.
joy
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Maria: I'm about to post it so come on in.
Jules: Honey is not what I'd choose. And yes, please do come up and see my etchings. Hee hee. Perhaps that's the line I should have been using for years.
Lynn: As a man who has to spend a lot of time hanging around with schoolkids I can assure you they can be far more terrifying than the police.
Monsieur B: I think that must be the black sheep side of the family.
They certainly lack taste, and even if Oz lacks mediæval buildings you do post some spectacular and wonderful Victorian examples.
The government and local councils fund the restorations, together with local fundraising schemes.
joy: King Stree is the proverbial curate's egg. Parts of it are excellent. A lot of it, however, is a neglected dump. But the money seems to be coming in at last and there are good things happening there.
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