buxton well dressing 2015
This trip out and the resulting photo opportunity was something of a lucky accident as opposed to something that happened by design.
It just so happened that my niece had an appointment with her college over on the other side of the county one day and we had to take her because she had no other means of getting there herself.
I stayed up all night to ensure that no one overlaid and we all got there on time, so on the day, I was surviving on energy drinks and was pretty high as a kite. The day was so worth it for me when I got the chance to gather a beautiful set of shots such as this one, though.
Choosing which picture I would feature on the left side of this page was a difficult process for me because I feel that I was able to get a few that day that are worthy of the placement to that area of the page - but since I can only have one, I think that the spot should go to the biggest and most impressive of the well dressings, which would have to be this one.
It just so happened that my niece had an appointment with her college over on the other side of the county one day and we had to take her because she had no other means of getting there herself.
I stayed up all night to ensure that no one overlaid and we all got there on time, so on the day, I was surviving on energy drinks and was pretty high as a kite. The day was so worth it for me when I got the chance to gather a beautiful set of shots such as this one, though.
Choosing which picture I would feature on the left side of this page was a difficult process for me because I feel that I was able to get a few that day that are worthy of the placement to that area of the page - but since I can only have one, I think that the spot should go to the biggest and most impressive of the well dressings, which would have to be this one.
Taking a bath!
One of the must see buildings in Buxton for me has to be the Bath house... after all, we are in Buxton and it is famous for it's water.
As far as the building goes, it was built around 1851 and 1853. It was altered by Henry Currey in 1923-1924. It was first listed in January 1951
As suggested by the signage on the front, it was once used as the public baths for the people of Buxton... though it is used as a tourist information center these days.
Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to get to see the interior of the building yet - but my research indicates that it retains it's original layout, with access to the source of the spa water and 2 baths (One for men, with the other for women) and there are the all important changing rooms.
As far as the building goes, it was built around 1851 and 1853. It was altered by Henry Currey in 1923-1924. It was first listed in January 1951
As suggested by the signage on the front, it was once used as the public baths for the people of Buxton... though it is used as a tourist information center these days.
Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to get to see the interior of the building yet - but my research indicates that it retains it's original layout, with access to the source of the spa water and 2 baths (One for men, with the other for women) and there are the all important changing rooms.
A sheep in a fish's clothing...
Though this dressing is much smaller than the one above, it leaves much room for interpretation.
I liked the effect of having most of the picture made out of flower petals... but having the sheep's fleece made from wool, which would have been sourced locally.
I liked the effect of having most of the picture made out of flower petals... but having the sheep's fleece made from wool, which would have been sourced locally.
a room for the night
This former hotel is actually quite an impressive building... though, sadly, it is of such proportions that it is impossible to get a picture of in it's entirety - so I had to settle for getting a shot of my favourite aspect of it instead, and then heavily photoshop it because the climate that I had that day wasn't best suited to the detailing showing up as clearly as I'd have liked it to have shown up... still, this is the end result.
I felt a little sad on the day that I was there last though because this magnificent building no longer seems to be being used as the hotel that it once was.
The picture in itself has been photoshopped in order to make it brighter so that the detail in the molding on the top was more visible because at the time of taking, it was impossible to make out what it was.
Update 7/18/17:- Apparently, the hotel was once St Anne's Hotel and, perhaps more simply, Crescent Hotel. The latter name was possibly decided upon because of the fact that the building is shaped like a crescent. I was correct in my observance that the building is, indeed, currently vacant - so the odds of being able to view the interior are slim to none. However, my research dug up a pretty good written description of both the interior and exterior of the building - which I will include a link to below.
I felt a little sad on the day that I was there last though because this magnificent building no longer seems to be being used as the hotel that it once was.
The picture in itself has been photoshopped in order to make it brighter so that the detail in the molding on the top was more visible because at the time of taking, it was impossible to make out what it was.
Update 7/18/17:- Apparently, the hotel was once St Anne's Hotel and, perhaps more simply, Crescent Hotel. The latter name was possibly decided upon because of the fact that the building is shaped like a crescent. I was correct in my observance that the building is, indeed, currently vacant - so the odds of being able to view the interior are slim to none. However, my research dug up a pretty good written description of both the interior and exterior of the building - which I will include a link to below.
You gotta urn it!
Having sat and studied this picture for quite a while, I have come to the conclusion that it is a water urn going by the "seaweed" effect that it has going on around the sides. This would make sense since the town is famous for it's spring water.
This urn is actually one of a set of 12 urns that sit opposite The Crescent Hotel listed above... like the hotel, they and the walkway around them are also listed - though this time at Grade 2 listing. Most notably for me was the asterisk by the listing... I am not sure if the reason for the asterisk could be explained by a possible review of the listing grade or if there is perhaps something else going on there.
This urn is actually one of a set of 12 urns that sit opposite The Crescent Hotel listed above... like the hotel, they and the walkway around them are also listed - though this time at Grade 2 listing. Most notably for me was the asterisk by the listing... I am not sure if the reason for the asterisk could be explained by a possible review of the listing grade or if there is perhaps something else going on there.
Freaky...
This has to be the one item that I have shot while being in two minds as to if i actually wanted to shoot it or not. There has always been a creepy aspect to it that, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't quite put my finger on it. As an artist in my own right, I always try to keep an open mind when it comes to viewing the art of other people but as far as this goes, the only reason that I shot it was because I didn't want to say "I got them all... apart from that creepy one" at a later stage in time.
Looking at it again now, it reminds me of David Bowie's Lazarus video in the exact same creepy way as I find the song and video to be (even sitting here typing this in silence, I can hear the words rattling through my mind)... and no, I'm not instigating any debate into if he may or may not have predicted his own death since that is neither here nor there as far as art goes.
Looking at it again now, it reminds me of David Bowie's Lazarus video in the exact same creepy way as I find the song and video to be (even sitting here typing this in silence, I can hear the words rattling through my mind)... and no, I'm not instigating any debate into if he may or may not have predicted his own death since that is neither here nor there as far as art goes.
Attractive
Although I live an almost teetotal life, I've often admired this sign when I've passed through Buxton. If you were to ask me for the exact reason why I admire the sign, I wouldn't be able to give a straight answer because there are many things that I admire about it, starting with the simplicity in the tiling that it is composed of - though I'm not a fan of green anymore, I love the style of the lettering and the diamond detailing on each side of the word "Bar".
The black and gold colour scheme also goes together well... with the detailing looking like it would have taken many hours to get just right, too.
The black and gold colour scheme also goes together well... with the detailing looking like it would have taken many hours to get just right, too.
Buxton is Multicultural...
For me, this was the strangest well dressing to see because of the simple fact that it looks at a different religion to Christianity. As someone who has friends who celebrate Diwali, I don't have a problem with it... but, equally, as someone who lives in a largely white area where people of different races and religions tend not to mix, it can be easy to see why it could seem strange for me to see something like this.
Some close up shots from the "Magna Carta" Dressing
I happened to be bumbling about with the Magna Carta picture one day when I happened to zoom in on it for some reason. Rather than immediately undoing the action, I decided to pan around the picture for a few minutes first... and, as I was panning around the image, I noticed some aspects that captured my interest... aspects that I had missed when I was standing before the work of art itself - let's face it, when you are standing before a work of art that's approximately 7 feet tall and as detailed as this one was... there are bound to be some things that you missed at the time.
Above are some of my favourite aspects that I missed at the time I was looking at this work of art.
Above are some of my favourite aspects that I missed at the time I was looking at this work of art.
Water fountain
This is an old drinking water fountain. Unfortunately, I've never actually seen it in action as it once would have been, so I know that, at best, it is no longer in use... having been phased out in favour of a newer version a short distance away.
As a fan of old fashioned things like this, the alternative is a thought that I find unbearable. I dislike the idea that this beautiful drinking fountain might have been left to fall into such a state of disrepair that it is no longer functional... even though I accept that whatever water it might pump out may not actually be drinkable by today's standards because safety advice will have changed since the fountain was constructed.
As a fan of old fashioned things like this, the alternative is a thought that I find unbearable. I dislike the idea that this beautiful drinking fountain might have been left to fall into such a state of disrepair that it is no longer functional... even though I accept that whatever water it might pump out may not actually be drinkable by today's standards because safety advice will have changed since the fountain was constructed.