Yesterday I posted some pictures of Tewkesbury, which I believe set the scene in that part of the world, but remember local photographs of Parlington can hold up against most things. The picture here is of the driveway with a slight mist affecting the ground levels but the trees are dreamlike, and all is enhanced by a wild sky. The Triumphal Arch in the background just makes it for me!
During a weekend trip to London, for me it was important to make a visit to Marble Arch, one of many, to view again this edifice built in 1828 to a design by John Nash to form an entrance to Buckingham Palace. It was moved in 1851 to its present location, nearby the location of the then removed Tyburn Gallows.
The stone, Portland Limestone, is clearly much more durable and impressive than the stone used on the Triumphal Arch at Parlington. But it is significant that this arch which was like Parlington, modelled on the Constantine Arch adjacent to the Coliseum or Colosseum in Rome. One advantage that the arch in Parlington has, is the opportunity to photograph it without any people!
Yesterday the post arrived and out of the blue was a large packet, with the words “Please Do Not Bend” emblazened across the top left corner. I had no idea what it could be as I was not expecting anything. So imagine my delight when I discovered that it contained a photograph from 1914 of Parlington being used as a hospital; a fact, hitherto unknown. I had often wondered what Parlington had been used for during the First World War, as numerous accounts had suggested that troops were here. However I had always taken it that the troops had camped in the area beside the driveway to the Triumphal Arch, and photographs verified this. The picture has now been added to the history site, here.
After a tedius drive down the A1 and then across country on the A17 to Kings Lynn, bypassing Sleaford thankfully, and on along the A47, we arrived at our destination, Swaffham, a country market town in the heart of Norfolk. The small country town was a favoured meeting place in the eighteenth century, for visiting gentry, and the Rotunda shown above was the centre of their activities along with the nearby Meeting Rooms. My purpose in adding this short article is to mention the visits made to Holkham Hall and Sandringham House, during our short stay. Specifically there are lots of photographs of the grounds at the two venues, including the exterior of an elegant Ice House in the grounds near Holkham, and their own Triumphal Arch, not as imposing as the one at Parlington I might add, but in better shape. The photos are on my .Mac account here
The sudden arrival of three or four inches of snow prompted many people to get out their cameras this Easter, here are a few taken locally and a couple by a friend, who sent them by email.
Additional photos are available here: my dotmac account
The Triumphal Arch on the Parlington Estate
The former Almshouses
The gatehouse to the Almshouses.
A quick shot with a Sony Ericsson mobile phone, whilst passing the arch as the sun was setting today at 5.00pm, reminded me to carry a half decent compact camera at all times. The phone camera whilst better than nothing is a very ponderous device and although 2 mega pixels is frustratingly grainy!
