Wednesday 8 August 2018

In the detail


We hotfooted it up to the Lake District for two days
in search of mizzle, lowering clouds and cool temperatures,
reliably on offer on previous occasions as I remembered.


Instead, we found a fair facsimile of the weather 
we've been having down South.


Normally so very welcome.


Fortunately we also found the holiday home of one man's dreams:


Blackwell overlooking Windermere,
an Arts & Crafts house,
designed by MH Baillie Scott
for Sir Edward Holt and his family.


Every detail was exquisitely crafted,


and preserved intact thanks to years used as a girl's school,
with boards put up to protect the original features.





Tiles by William de Morgan.








As much as I marvelled at the
skill and workmanship on display throughout a house
where no expense was spared


I was also bowled over by the precision
of the dry stone wall builders
seen everywhere on our walks.

7 comments:

  1. You should have gone to Colintraive in Argyll, it has been 15 C there for some time.

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    Replies
    1. Is that where you have been? That is one degree lower than my permitted minimum.

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  2. It's not difficult to find Arts and Crafts tiles like these here, real ones not reproductions, but finding the perfect plain tiles to 'set'them in is more of a problem . But when I see these, I'm sorely tempted.

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    Replies
    1. Yes it was the richly glazed plain ones that I particularly liked. Fired Earth do some at a price.

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  3. Such an important detail. We use them every day. Yes cooler and raining today. Water gushing out of unfinished guttering to prove it!

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  4. I love Blackwell, such a beautiful house and garden. The weather has cooled with us now but still not much rain or mizzle! xxx

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  5. What a fabulous place! I love those stained glass tulips. And the door handle. Could have done with the builders of that dry stone wall last week... the end of mine was knocked down by a Sainsbury's van and then a neighbour accidentally flattened the rest!

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