View allAll Photos Tagged plasterwork
Inside the former ABC cinema, much of the plasterwork of the cinema has been retained in the conversion to a pub - particularly the barrel vaulted ceiling. Opened as the Deansgate Picture Theatre in 1914 rebuilt 1930 with 870 seats in stalls and balcony levels. Renamed ABC around 1960, 2nd screen added in former cafe 1971. Renamed Cannon. Closed 1990 and after a period of disuse converted to a Wetherspoons pub - The Moon Under Water.
City of Manchester, Lancashire, Greater Manchester - former ABC (Cannon) Cinema / Moon Under Water pub, Deansgate
November 2006 (image reworked 2020)
Levens Hall is a magnificent Elizabethan mansion that was built around 1350 by the Redman family as a pele (or peel) tower and was later expanded and rebuilt towards the end of the 16th Century. It is the family home of the Bagots, and contains a collection of Jacobean furniture, fine paintings, the earliest English patchwork and many other beautiful objects. (No photos from inside the house as photography is not allowed)
The world-famous award winning gardens were laid out in 1694. The topiary beech hedges and colourful seasonal beds create a stunning visual impact. The topiary garden has huge abstract shapes, pyramids and columns reminiscent of monstrous chess men.
These photographs remind me of my many days visiting stately homes during the summer months, hope you enjoy.
Here is another example of the amazing plasterwork that one finds on the undersides of domes in some Islamic countries.
What could have been a smooth, rounded surface has instead become a display of the most intricate geometric designs, in which shapes morph into other shapes across the expanse of the dome.
The only natural comparison I can think of would be the interior section of a pomegranate when the seeds have been removed. Honeycombs are another natural object that come to mind, but the geometry of honeycombs is more consistent than the underside of a dome such as the one shown here.
At the bazaar in Kerman, Iran.
Ceiling of the historic State Theater in Uniontown Pa
STATE THEATRE - PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE
The State Theatre was hailed as "the largest, finest and most beautiful playhouse in Western Pennsylvania," upon its opening in the fall of 1922. With many accolades it became a "picture place," showing silent movies and presenting vaudeville's finest acts from the B.F. Keith Circuit.
Thomas Lamb, a nationally known theater architect, designed the State. He is best known for his work in the 18th century Robert Adam's style of architecture and for his fine acoustical planning. The Ingstrip-Burke Company of Chicago, Art Designers, decorated the interior of the Moderne structure in the Adam's style. The theme was that of "refinement of line and chasteness of ornamentation." The artist in charge, Michael Tomlin, educated at the School of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg, Russia, pronounced himself well-satisfied: "It is better than I hoped, it is what I dreamed."
The State Symphony Orchestra held forth in the pit with a $40,000.00 Pleubet Master Organ at the left front of the main floor - accompanying the silent films to fit the mood. As the Big Band sound emerged, the State hosted some of the country's greatest musical attractions including Paul Whitman, Glen Gray and the Dorsey Brothers.
The popularity of "talkies" signaled the end for in-house musicians and the end of vaudeville. Although the greatest names in Hollywood flickered across the screen and epics such as Gone With the Wind drew packed audiences, the State's days as a movie palace were numbered. Television took away a sizable audience and the movie theatre trend turned to multiple screens and smaller auditoriums: The State Theatre closed in June 1973.
After a number of years the theatre reopened as The State Music Hall, featuring county and western music legends like Johnny Cash, Slim Whitman, Waylon Jennings and The Statler Brothers. Though popular for a time, the State Music Hall concept did not work out and the theatre closed again.
In 1988, The Greater Uniontown Heritage Consortium purchased the theatre, restored its old name and began presenting aseries of professional programs ranging from Broadway musicals to big bands, symphonies to country music superstars. The State Theatre offers a children's series of shows and provides educational programming for school groups. A multi-million dollar restoration project is currently underway to restore the "Grand Old Lady of Main Street" to her original splendor.
Pedimented door to the staircase at Wentworth Castle, Yorkshire. Wentworth Castle was built by Thomas Wentworth, 3rd Lord Raby, who after 1711 became 1st earl of Strafford (of the second creation). Raby purchased Stainborough Park in 1708 which he renamed Wentworth Castle in 1731. The estate was chosen because it was only six miles away from Wentworth Woodehouse which Raby considered he should have inherited instead of Thomas Watson. The enlargement and renaming of Stainborough was therefore done in a spirit of bitter rivalry and as a bid for the extinct earldom of Strafford (which Raby eventually obtained). The house was enlarged with a new east range designed by Johann de Bodt between 1710 and 1720, although his plans were modified by James Gibbs and William Thornton, the Yorkshire carpenter and builder. The cantilevered stone staircase at the north end has a wrought-iron balustrade, pedimented doorcases and extensive plasterwork including large medallions of Fame and Perseus. The internal plasterwork has been attributed to the stuccatori Giuseppe Artari and Giovanni Bagutti but their names do not appear in the Strafford papers, and Francesco Vassalli has been proposed instead.
The classical church at Gunton, tucked away in the grounds of the private Gunton Hall, but accessible to visitors and cared for by the Churches Conservation Trust.
The church was commissioned in 1767 from the great architect Robert Adam (the only church he ever designed) to replace a previously demolished medieval building. The classical temple facade and portico along with the clean simplicity of the interior (which would look more at home in a City of London church) are a real surprise in this very rural Norfolk setting.
The church is usually kept open and welcoming for visitors, though requires access via otherwise very private looking lanes in the grounds of neighbouring Gunton Hall.
For more see below:-
Decorative plasterwork from a ceiling at Wentworth Castle, Yorkshire. Wentworth Castle was built by Thomas Wentworth, 3rd Lord Raby, who after 1711 became 1st earl of Strafford (of the second creation). Raby purchased Stainborough Park in 1708 which he renamed Wentworth Castle in 1731. The estate was chosen because it was only six miles away from Wentworth Woodehouse which Raby considered he should have inherited instead of Thomas Watson. The enlargement and renaming of Stainborough was therefore done in a spirit of bitter rivalry and as a bid for the extinct earldom of Strafford (which Raby eventually obtained). The house was enlarged with a new east range designed by Johann de Bodt between 1710 and 1720, although his plans were modified by James Gibbs and William Thornton, the Yorkshire carpenter and builder. The internal plasterwork has been attributed to the stuccatori Giuseppe Artari and Giovanni Bagutti but their names do not appear in the Strafford papers, and Francesco Vassalli has been proposed instead.
I was really surprised how much of interest remained in the back stage areas. I thought the theatre would be all about the plasterwork but i think i spent more time back here.
London Hippodrome - detail of the elaborate plasterwork above the proscenium.
Hippodrome Theatre London
January 2012
Vilnius, Lithuania. May 2010.
Best viewed at original size.
Please visit my website - www.timsaxonphotography.co.uk/
Note the exquisite plaster medallion of magnolia blossoms and leaves. After all, it IS Magnolia Hall, isn't it?
I don't know for sure, but the chandelier was possibly made by Cornelius & Baker. Lighting one's mansion with beautiful and EXPENSIVE gasoliers made by this prestigious firm in Philadelphia seems to have been "de rigor" for the wealthy of Natchez.
For a photograph Magnolia Hall and to read it's fascinating history:
www.flickr.com/photos/sunnybrook100/556962375/in/set-7215...
Visit Magnolia Hall's website for more information www.natchezgardenclub.com/mag.htm
The George Hotel has existed at 25 Lydiard Street, Ballarat, since 1853. The present building was constructed in 1902 to designs of architects E. and B. Smith.
The principal feature of the three storey building is the triple storey, six bay, cast iron verandah. The main facade was originally face brickwork. The first floor facade is characterised by archivolts to the row of windows. The balustraded parapet has a semicircular tympanium.
The interior of the George Hotel has changed greatly over the years since it was built. The most damage was not caused by the ravages of time and the fickle nature of fashion, but a fire in 1988. However the interiors have been lovingly restored, and original features survive to this day.
The ground floor has marble facings, white above the height of the sill and red below; this was an unusual design feature at the time, as most facades were tiled then. The threshold of the main Lydiard Street entrance has the black marble words "George Hotel" inlaid into white marble.
The George's public rooms feature high ceilings with ornate plasterwork, grand chandeliers and fine cornices.
Lanhydrock is the perfect country house and estate, with the feel of a wealthy but unpretentious family home. Follow in the footsteps of generations of the Robartes family, walking in the 17th-century Long Gallery among the rare book collection under the remarkable plasterwork ceiling. After a devastating fire in 1881 the house was refurbished in the high-Victorian style, with the latest mod cons. Boasting the best in country-house design and planning, the kitchens, nurseries and servants' quarters offer a thrilling glimpse into life 'below stairs', while the spacious dining room and bedrooms are truly and deeply elegant
Rundāle Palace, Latvia.
I love that combination of pink and blue. The frosting-like plasterwork looks good enough to eat!
What you're seeing here is part of the recreation of the interior of the Rundāle Palace, Latvia.. The restoration cost over 8 million Euros, which, when you see the results, doesn't seem nearly enough to produce the splendors one encounters at every turn.
What's not clear to me is whether any of decoration is original and restored and how much is brand new. This always frustrates me because I'm hung up on the concept of authenticity. I'll just come right out and say I don't get the same satisfaction from replicas that I do from originals.
One way to resolve this conundrum is to say this is an authentic replica of an 18th century palace that was, as the text below explains, "demolished in 1812 during the Franco-Russian [Napoleonic] War," and then "demolished [again in 1919] by the men of the Bermondt-Avalov army," which was commanded by a Cossack warlord who decided to take over newly-independent Latvia instead of fighting the Bolsheviks.
Still, this begs the question of the meaning of such a place. A hot take is that it's an expression of Latvian nationalism. However, in the 18th century this region was ruled by Germans and then by Russians. Most ethnic Latvians were serfs. Perhaps the nationalist message is that the Latvians, once free from the rule of Baltic Germans, Czarist Russians, Nazis and the Soviets, had the wherewithal to recreate a palace once owned by an overlord and make it their own. To further make the point, the compound is now a major tourist attraction, so interiors once intended solely for the aristocracy, royalty and their hangers-on and servants are today filled to the brim with tourists like us.
Is is also a acknowledged center for the study of 18th-century interior design? The devil is in the details, and I haven't yet had time to delve into that.
If you're wondering why the point of view in these photos is from the top of the windows to the ceiling, it's because there were mobs of visitors that made it almost impossible to photograph whole walls, much less floors.
Here is the whole history of the construction of the palace from the palace's informative Web site. I recommend visiting it if for no other reason than to see the rooms devoid of visitors. Also, there's a section on the restoration.
The name of Rundāle comes from the German place-name Ruhenthal (Valley of Peace).
The Rundāle Palace built during the 16th century was located on the northern side of the pond. It can be seen in the design of F. B. Rastrelli as a small square field with towers in the corners.
Rundāle Manor was already created at the end of the 15th century. It belonged to the Grotthus family from 1505 to 1681 and the palace was mentioned in the list of Livonian castles in 1555.
Facade finishing components have been found in the territory of the palace – cast fragments and fragments of coats of arms carved in stone dating to the middle of the 17th century. In 1735 Ernst Johann von Biron bought the Rundāle property for 42 000 thalers.
The old palace was completely torn down, and the stones, bricks and even the mortar were used in the construction of the new palace.
Duke Ernst Johann died in 1772, and the palace was inherited by his widow Duchess Benigna Gottlieb; during her time orchards were formed around the palace. Duke Peter did not come to Rundāle often, he mostly resided in the smaller Vircava Palace near Jelgava.
In 1795 Duke Peter gave up his throne and the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia was added to the Russian Empire. Catherine II gave Rundāle Manor as a present to Count Valerian Zubov who died in 1804.
During the distribution of inheritance Rundāle became the property of his brother Prince Platon Zubov, the last favourite of Catherine II.
During the time of Zubov the palace was refurnished, however the building itself remained untouched, only entrance porticos were added to the central building and several fireplaces were built inside.
The palace was demolished in 1812 during the Franco-Russian War – mirrors were smashed, silk wallpaper was torn down, the library given as a present from Catherine II was destroyed.
Prince Platon Zubov died in Rundāle Palace on 7 April 1822. His widow married Count Andrey Shuvalov, and Rundāle Manor belonged to this family until the agrarian reform of the Republic of Latvia in 1920.
The Shuvalovs rarely stayed in the palace, excluding the time period from 1864 to 1866 when Count Pyotr Shuvalov was the governor-general of the Baltic region and used Rundāle Palace as his official summer residence.
During this time unsuccessful renovation of the palace rooms was carried out, however during the 1880’s careful renovation of the interior design was performed. At the end of the 19th century part of the palace’s furniture and works of art was taken to Saint Petersburg.
During the time from 1915 to 1918 a German army commandant’s office and an infirmary was established in the palace. In 1919 the palace was demolished by the men of the Bermondt-Avalov army.
The palace was renovated in 1923 and some of its rooms were used as the primary school of Rundāle Parish. In 1924 Rundāle Palace was handed over to the Latvian Union of Disabled Veterans, but in 1933 it was taken over by the Board of Monuments which started the renovation of the building and the restoration of some of the rooms, and the western building was constructed for the needs of the primary school.
In 1938 the palace was handed over to the State Historical Museum that was planning to create a church art and decorative art museum there. The palace was also open to the public during World War II.
In 1945 a grain storage was formed in the halls of the palace, and the palace was closed to the public after that.
In 1963 some of the palace’s rooms were given to the Museum of Regional Studies and Art of Bauska, but in 1972 a permanent Rundāle Palace Museum was created and its main aim was to renew the whole ensemble of the palace by mainly orientating towards the condition of the palace during the second part of the 18th century.
The first restored rooms in the eastern building of the palace were opened to the public in 1981, gradually being followed by new interiors. Restoration of the palace was finished in 2014.
Construction history
Count Ernst Johann von Biron bought the Rundāle manor complex on 26 June 1735. In August of the same year the court architect of Russia Francesco Rastrelli came to Courland. From September until December agreements were being concluded with carpenters, masons, brickmakers, construction material suppliers, potters – stove makers.
The construction project was ready in January of 1736. The eight pages of the project are located in the graphic art collection “Albertina” in Vienna. It consists of a situation plan, two floor plans, a sketch of four facades and the altar of the palace church.
The first construction period from 1736 to 1740.
On 24 May 1736 the foundation-stone of the palace was set. Construction of the foundation was completed on 6 July, whereas on 13 October the central building was built to the level of the windowsill of the second floor. The construction of 12 brick-kilns and 12 brick storages was finished in June. 268 masons were working in the palace, but Rastrelli requested 500 men.
Construction was stopped on 1 November due to cold.
The construction works were restarted on 12 April 1737. On 28 May the central building was finished, and on 18 June covering was started to be placed on the side buildings, whereas the construction of the central building roof was finished at the end of June.
When the works were stopped on 10 October, one side building was roofed over, and the other one was covered with a temporary roof. The foundations of the stables were also ready. The bricklaying works were finished on 1 October 1737.
After Biron was elected Duke, he ordered to simplify the building. The finishing materials were produced by the master carpenters and woodcarver A. Kamaev of the Imperial Construction Bureau of Saint Petersburg, master potter I. Ushakov of the Neva brick factory with his team and painters I. Mizinov, I. Pilugin and I. Yevdokimov. Austrian potters were working in Vircava. The finishing materials were also being produced in Saint Petersburg.
In 1738 the volume of work in Rundāle decreased, as construction works of Jelgava Palace began. Some of the produced components were also taken to Jelgava. However, the works were moving forward – chimneys and room arches were being built, roofs were being finished.
From 14 June, when the construction of the main residence in Jelgava began, the construction works in Rundāle were moving at a slower pace. Master carpenter Eger had finished oak-wood panels for 33 rooms, as well as 13 oak-wood parquet floors. Ceilings boards were put up in the rooms, so that the plastering works could be started. In September the carpenters started working on the outside staircases. The construction of the gate tower was also started.
Entwurf von Rastrelli: die Nordfassade des Schlosses Rundāle mit dem Torturm
Rastrelli’s design, nothern facade of the palace with the gate tower.
In 1739 the interior plastering works were supposed to be carried out, but the Duke ordered to decrease the amount of plasterers and to simplify the work. Stucco formations were made only for the main staircase rooms and halls, the other rooms were left with smooth ceilings. Only ten craftsmen were working in Rundāle.
On 1 February after the order of Empress of Russia Anna Ioannovna all of the Saint Petersburg Construction Office masons were sent to Courland.
The components made for Rundāle, including carved doors, panels, parquet, Austrian potter stoves, plafonds painted on canvas and cast-iron facade decorations made by Bartolomeo Tarsia that can be seen in the Jelagava Palace facade, were transported to the main residence in Jelgava.
N. Vasilyev assisted Rastrelli in managing the construction works. Russian chamberlain Ernst Johann von Buttlar was in charge of finances and organisation and he was sending reports to Saint Petersburg regarding the work process.
In 1740 the woodcut altar of the palace church was transported to Jelgava. Supposedly the room decoration in the palace had been finished, but not all of the wall panels had been mounted and some of the stoves were also not set up, as a lot of the materials were in storage.
Work was stopped after the palace revolution of 20 November in Russia and the arrest and exile of Duke Ernst Johann. The prepared finishing materials and construction components were sent to Saint Petersburg, and some of the built-in components, such as doors, wall panels and parquet, were broken.
Overall more than a thousand different profession craftsmen and workers were employed in the construction works of the palace.
The second construction period from 1764 to 1770.
In 1762 Ernst Johann von Biron was granted mercy and returned to Courland in January of 1763.
In January of 1764 Johann Gottfried Seidel was appointed the court architect of the Duke, but in August Francesco Rastrelli returned to work for the Duke and was appointed to the position of main administrator of the Duke’s buildings.
During this time he arranged his construction designs and carried out general supervision of the Duke’s construction works.
The unfinished gate tower was torn down and the stable building construction was started. Latvian carpenters and woodworkers were sent from the Duke’s domain manors to Rundāle up until 1768. In 1765 woodworker Blanks, sculptor Zībenbrods, locksmith Šreibfogels, gold plating master Johans Endress, potter Šēfers, locksmith Horstmanis and coppersmith Mēmels were working in the palace.
In 1766 Severin Jensen from Denmark started working as the court architect. His style can be seen in the gateposts and in the stable buildings, which obtained a semicircular shape in contrast to Rastrelli’s rectangular design. A dating – 16 May 1766 – has been made in the keystone of the northern facade window.
In 1768 the gate was built and the forgings were placed.
The palace interior planning was changed slightly. By merging five smaller rooms the grand dining-room – the Grand Gallery – was created, whereas a dance hall known as the White Hall was created in the place of the palace church. Both front staircases, the Small Gallery, the lobby and galleries of the first floor were preserved from the original interiors of the first construction period.
The stucco decorative finishing of the interiors was carried out by the Berlin sculptor and stucco marble master Johann Michael Graff together with his team – his brother Josef and assistants Bauman and Lanz – from 1765 to 1768.
Sculpturesque decorations were made in twenty-seven rooms, but in two rooms of the Duke’s apartments and in the hall – synthetic marble panels. Works were started in the central building first.
The Marble Hall and the marble panel of the Gold Hall in which the dating has been engraved on the door lining, were finished in 1767. In July of 1768 Graff received payment for his final works – the White Hall, Oval Cabinet, Duchess’ Boudoir and vases for the 22 stair banisters.
The ceilings were painted by the Italian painters Francesco Martini and Carlo Zucchi from Saint Petersburg. They started working in August of 1766, but only the name of Martini is mentioned in documents starting with March of 1768. Francesco Martini received his last payment in March of 1769.
Ceilings of eight rooms, as well as the walls of two rooms were painted. One of the ceiling paintings got destroyed. The repainted wall paintings were later uncovered in the Grand Gallery and in the second study of the Duke.
The Duke came to Rundāle Palace in April of 1767 and stayed there until December with interruptions, although the finishing works were still in progress. The palace was also inhabited in 1768. The final works were carried out in 1770 when a fellow of J. M. Graff placed mirrors in the White Hall.
20.04.2018
Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire, 1590-97.
Probably by Robert Smythson (1535-1614).
For Elizabeth, Countess of Shrewsbury - Bess of Hardwick (1527-1608).
Grade l listed.
The High Great Chamber.
Plasterwork Frieze - Summer.
This is the most individually Elizabethan room in Hardwick, and the most magnificent. The decoration was not completed until 1599, two years after Bess had moved into the house. The room was designed as a unity, with freeze, tapestry and chimney peace fitted together into a whole glowing with incident and rich colour. The colours have faded and the contrast between the sophistication of the tapestry and the crude but immensely provocative realism of the freeze is less strong that must once have been.
Hardwick was home to Bess of Hardwick (1527-1608), one of the most formidable women of Elizabethan England. She was the matriarch of the Cavendish family, building Chatsworth with her second husband and returning to build the two great halls at Hardwick after her separation from her fourth husband the 6th Earl of Shrewsbury.
London Hippodrome - April 2012. As the scaffolding continues to come down, more of the restored plasterwork becomes visible. The upper balcony slips and arches where the remaining old mouldings are indistinguishable from the new.
Hippodrome Casino, London
April 2012
Levens Hall & Topiary Gardens
The core of this delightful Elizabethan manor is a pele tower built in 1350 as a defense against Scottish raiders. The later Elizabethan home was built around the tower by the Bellingham family, who created a comfortable home with paneled rooms decorated with fine plasterwork ceilings. The dining room is worthy of special note; it has unusual embossed leather wall coverings from Cordova.
The house was expanded in 1694 by Col. James Grahme, former Privy Purse to James II. Rooms feature the family collections of paintings and memorabilia, including the earliest known example of English patchwork. Among the various items on display are Beau Brummel's snuff box, paintings by Van Dyck, Brueghel the Elder, and Rubens, and items associated with the Duke of Wellington and Admiral Nelson.
Levens Hall is home to several resident ghosts; a Grey Lady is known to appear in front of cars on the driveway, a woman in a print dres and cap appears before children, and a small black dog wanders the hall.
THE TOPIARY GARDENS
The gardens were laid out in 1694 by Guillaume Beaumont, who trained under Andre Le Notre at Versailles. Beaumont had only recently finished laying out gardens at Hampton Court Palace. Very little has been altered since that time, which is all to the good, as Beaumont created a wonderful experience with his imaginative use of topiary and garden walks. The gardens also feature the earliest known example in England of a "ha-ha", or sunken ditch.
The topiary of clipped yew and box hedges is underplanted with bedding plants in spring and summer, making for excellent colour. A rose garden, herbaceous borders, and a nuttery complete a most enjoyable garden. The most recent addition at Levens Hall is a fountain, approached by an avenue of pleached lime planted to celebrate 300 years of the gardens. Best viewed in: summer.
Harlaxton Manor, near Grantham, Lincs, was built between 1832 and 1844 in Elizabethan style. The interior is very ornate.
It is now the British campus of Evansville University.
There are more here:
www.flickr.com/photos/belincs/sets/72157634755903846/with...
Restored Decor: CARPET (left), PLASTERWORK (right)
Proposed design for uniforms for 2008-2009 renovation of the Beacon Theatre, NYC.
Hardwick Old Hall, Derbyshire, early C16 & 1587-90.
For Elizabeth, Countess of Shrewsbury - Bess of Hardwick (1527-1608).
Grade l listed.
The house had two full scale great chambers and there are substantial remains of decorative plasterwork by Abraham Smith.
The Kitchen.
The pastry - with bread ovens for baking.
Hardwick was home to Bess of Hardwick (1527-1608), one of the most formidable women of Elizabethan England. She was the matriarch of the Cavendish family, building Chatsworth with her second husband and returning to build the two great halls at Hardwick after her separation from her fourth husband the 6th Earl of Shrewsbury.
Ganjali Bazaar - Square - Malek Mosque
The bazaar is located in southern part of Ganjali Square. Inside, the bazaar is decorated with exquisite plasterwork and wall paintings and although they are 400 years old, they are still well-preserved. The bazaar is 93 meters long and is connected to Ganjali square through 16 iwans and vaults.
Ganjali Caravanserai and Mosque
The caravanserai is located on the east side of the Ganjali Square. Its portal bears a foundation inscription from 1598 composed by calligrapher Alireza Abbasi. The plan of the caravanserai is based on the four-iwan typology, with double-story halls centered on tall iwans enveloping four sides of an open courtyard. There is an octagonal fountain at the center of the courtyard which is chamfered at the corners. The caravanserai measures thirty-one and a half by twenty-three meters. It has a small domed mosque at one corner that measures five and a half by five meters
This mosque is a construction of the 5th century AH. (the Saljuqi period). Various portions of this mosque, specially the main platform was constructed in the times of Vakil-ol-Molk (1285 AH.), and the eastern porch was repaired in the last century by the late Deylamqani which is a remnant of the Saljuqi period. There is the brick tower in the north eastern section, which was formerly in a state of ruin, but has since then been repaired. Besides which there are three altars worked in plaster.
Detail of the box fronts with the unique Chinese themed plasterwork. Built in 1900, designed by E A Woodrow with a Chinese themed interior, with decorations by Campbell Smith. Frank Matcham altered the stalls, vestibule and rear balcony in 1908. It was converted to a cinema in 1935, but the stage was retained, though after 1950 live use was minimal. Closed in 1963 as the Essoldo, it became a bingo hall until 1979, and was later restored as a live music venue in 1991. Narrowly escaping conversion to a pub, it is now a nightclub, live music venue, theatre and event space with occasional film screenings. Grade 2 listed.
London Borough of Wandsworth, Clapham Junction, South London, England - Clapham Grand Theatre, St Johns Hill / Severus Road
September 2008, image reworked 2024.
The Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough, formerly the Odeon Cinema. McCarthy Auditorium detail of plasterwork moved from former font stalls side walls of the cinema. Designed by Mollo & Egan and installed in 1936. Moved to its present location in 1996.
The Odeon Cinema opened in March 1936, designed by Cecil Clavering from the Harry Weedon Practise. It was one of the most ornate of the original Odeons, and continued as a single screen cinema until closure in October 1988. After laying largely empty (a social club used the former café area), it was partially restored, partially rebuilt as the Stephen Joseph Theatre (architect Osbourne Christmas), and reopened in 1996. It is grade 2 listed.
Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England - Stephen Joseph Theatre (Odeon), Westborough / Northway
April 2009, image reworked 2024.
The simple colour schemes help to accentuate the natural shaddows and bring out the beautiful detail of the ornate plasterwork.
Levens Hall is a magnificent Elizabethan mansion that was built around 1350 by the Redman family as a pele (or peel) tower and was later expanded and rebuilt towards the end of the 16th Century. It is the family home of the Bagots, and contains a collection of Jacobean furniture, fine paintings, the earliest English patchwork and many other beautiful objects. (No photos from inside the house as photography is not allowed)
The world-famous award winning gardens were laid out in 1694. The topiary beech hedges and colourful seasonal beds create a stunning visual impact. The topiary garden has huge abstract shapes, pyramids and columns reminiscent of monstrous chess men.
These photographs remind me of my many days visiting stately homes during the summer months, hope you enjoy.
The New Oxford was gutted internally - although the plasterwork and barrel vaulted ceiling MAY survive above the McDonalds outlet. Originally had over 1,100 seats in stalls and balcony levels, reduced t o 854 by the time it closed. Opened as the Oxford Picture House in 1911 and renamed New Oxford in 1966, closed 1980.
City of Manchester, Lancashire, Greater Manchester - New Oxord Cinema (McDonald's), Oxford Street
November 2006 (image reworked 2020)
The Fridge Nightclub in Brixton opened as the Palladium in 1913. It was richly embellished with Edwardian plasterwork.
Brixton ABC / Fridge
A scanned negative from 1985
The main court room of Northampton Sessions House, below which were cells and above which was the elaborate plasterwork ceiling of Edward Goudge, Chief Plasterer to Christopher Wren. The court room was used for its original purpose from 1678 until 1991.
Here were tried the more serious criminal cases, when a circuit judge would arrive from London. The last two women to be hanged in England accused of witchcraft would have been tried in this room in 1705 - Elinor Shaw and Mary Phillips of Oundle.
Here too was tried, according to a report in the local press, before Mr Justice Coleridge at the Lent Assizes of 1851, one of my own relatives ; Thomas Skinner, a stone mason and brother of my great, great grandfather. Accused of highway robbery, he was sentenced to five months hard labour.
Young Thomas, no doubt having taken the chance to slake the notorious stone mason's thirst, was walking home from the pub in Nassington when he and a companion relieved an acquaintance of a small amount of money. Unfortunately one of Thomas's brothers and the father of the other accused, returned the money to the rightful owner next day and thus confirmed the guilt of the parties on trial.
More of the lavish interior of Claydon House. No wonder Sir Ralph Verney was almost driven to bankruptcy in the 18th century. Now a National Trust property.
This brick and plasterwork on the side of the Cock Tavern is the last remnant of the North London Railway's grand Victorian station building. Built in 1872, it was badly damaged by the V2 bomb attack on Highbury Corner in 1944, but struggled on until the 1960s when it was demolished to make way for the present building in advance of the opening of the Victoria Line in 1968.
St. Lazarus Church, also known as Church of Our Lady of Hope, is one of the three oldest churches in Macau. It was erected in 1569 by Dom Belchior de Carneiro, the first bishop of Macau. At first it was a simple wooden chapel. The present church was renovated in 1886 and the plasterwork was renewed in 1957, when further major renovations were carried out.
The location of St Lazarus' Church was in the district where the leper colony situated since it was a rather remote place outside the city walls. In 1558, right after his arrival in Macau, Bishop Belchior Carneiro, using this church as his base, founded the Holy House of Mercy, St. Raphael's Hospital, and the St. Lazarus Asylum for Lepers, preaching among the Chinese, providing relief of the needy, taking care of the sick and saving their lives. He also set up a small chapel, which was the precursor of the church. In its early days, the chapel was dedicated to Our Lady of Hope, but the local Chinese citizens called it the lepers temple (瘋人廟).
When Pope Gregory XIII declared the establishment of diocese in Macau, the bishop’s seat was set here. So St. Lazarus was also the first cathedral in Macau. Later, however, it was deemed inappropriate to have the seat inside a lepers chapel, so plans were drafted to build the Cathedral. Still, St. Lazarus Church, enjoyed a lot of prestige within Catholic circles in Macau. Whenever a new bishop was inaugurated, he would come to St. Lazarus Church to receive his crosier with which he would be allowed to exercise his power. As the earliest church for evangelization of Chinese in Macau, the Chinese converts settled around the church. In 1818, a new church called “Our Lady of Hope” was built near the original church so the parishioners needed not to use the same church with lepers. The leper asylum was then moved away, the church was renovated to present feature. In St. Lazarus Square, there is a stone cross, inscribed with the following words “Crux da Esperanca Anno de 1637” meaning “Cross of Our Lady of Hope, in the year 1637”.
望德聖母堂又稱聖拉匝祿堂，為澳門三座最古老的教堂之一，始於1569年，由澳門第一位主教賈尼勞興建。最初是一座用木建成的簡陋聖堂，今日之規模是於1886年重建時奠定，1957年修葺時鋪上石米批蕩。昔日此地位於澳門城牆之外，地處偏僻，且毗連痲瘋病院。1558年賈尼勞主教甫抵澳門，即在現址興建教堂，並以此堂為基礎，建立仁慈堂、聖辣菲醫院和聖拉匝祿痲瘋病院，向華人傳道，提供慈善服務，救病扶危，他又建了一座小聖堂，奉望德聖母為主保，但當地居民習慣稱之為「瘋人廟」、「瘋堂廟」或「發瘋寺」。在1576年1月，教宗額我略十三世宣佈將澳門升為天主教教區，望德聖母堂成為首座主教座堂。後來發覺主教座堂不宜設於麻瘋院附近，遂另建大堂為主教座堂。以後每逢新任主教到澳就職，必先到望德聖母堂領取法杖，以行使其權責。因此，望德聖母堂在澳門天主教人士中享有崇高之地位。這教堂是澳門最早的一間華人教堂，華人教徒聚居於教堂附近，稱為「進教圍」。1818年，在原堂附近又另建望德堂，供居住在附近的教友祈禱，以避免與麻瘋病人混雜。由於來澳葡人日見增多，加之華人教徒不斷增加，無法容納，就拆除了舊堂，於1885年建成新堂開始啟用，奠定了今日望德聖母堂之規模。這之後，隨著麻瘋病院遷往他處，有關設施也拆卸改建了。現時的規模，聖堂前的石米批盪是在1957年重新修時所鋪上的。現在望德堂前還存有一個刻著拉丁文「望德十字架，1637年立」的石製十字架。