There and Back

Dedicated to St Mary the Virgin, it is one of the largest and finest churches in Suffolk, with a history stretching back to the 10th century, but refashioned in the Perpendicular style by the Howards, Dukes of Norfolk, in the late 1400s. Its tower dominates the landscape of Dedham Vale, and can be seen for miles around. Its outstanding treasure is the 15th century carved oak doors in the south porch, unique in Suffolk, but the font is very fine, and no less a person than the artist John Constable has said that “the lofty and slender proportions of the tower arch are the crowning beauty of the whole interior.” John Constable loved this tower, and it appears several times in his paintings, not always in the right place. St Mary is pretty much all of a piece, in the 15th century, although there are some older bits, and a great deal of rather undistinguished 19th century work. But the glory of the church is the red brick tower, completed about 1470 and surmounted by stone s...

Ipswich Holywells Park is looking better than ever - thanks to a £3.5 million “Parks for People” refurbishment. Holywells is a beautiful open space, with stunning trees and ponds, but also a green hub for the community. There is something for people of all ages to enjoy … The park extends over 28 hectares of picturesque grounds with a history dating back to medieval times. The Park was originally part of the Manor of Wykes Bishop, held by the Bishops of Norwich from the 13th Century. During the reign of Henry VIII, the Manor was surrendered to the Crown and then granted to Sir John Jermy. The title of Lord of the Manor was acquired by John Cobbold in 1812. The Cobbold family purchased what was the Pitts Farm estate in 1811 to use the park’s spring water for their brewery business. It was the Cobbold Family that renamed the area Holy Wells. The Cobbolds sold the estate in 1930 to Lord Woodbridge who subsequently bequeathed the land to the Town Council and was opened as a park in 1...

My visit today was to photo some of the series of art works originally called Ipswich Artathon, adding to the ones already captured. I will have to post them all in one Blog in the near future I think. There are three of the series in this Blog: The African Garden, the Giles statue of Grandma and the Spiral Vortex. It is worth looking at the Ipswich Council list of the whole series as it`s a great way to see Ipswich. The first three images were in fact taken along the Waterfront, a great favourite of mine! I love the mixture of colours on the walls and on the derelict building.  Cranfield Mill is a 23 story, mixed-use development located on the waterfront with access from College Street in Ipswich, England. The Mill was the first phase of the Cranfields Mill development at Albion Quay on the waterfront at a cost of £42 million and was designed by John Lyall Architects and was proposed to be the 'landmark' building of Ipswich.  Last rem...

Firstsite is the East of England's contemporary visual arts organisation. From its spectacular golden building designed by world-renowned architect Rafael Viñoly, firstsite presents a varied and challenging programme of exhibitions, commissions, residencies and screenings, in a broad range of media and art forms, by nationally and internationally acclaimed artists - so the blurb goes. Or, as the Telegraph commented, "A £28m art gallery has been condemned as a waste of public money amid claims more than half of its visitors only entered to use the lavatory. The Firstsite art gallery in Colchester, Essex, first opened its doors to the public in September 2011 with the aim of attracting 150,000 visitors every year. But the attraction - which aims to make "contemporary art relevant to everyone" - has now come under the spotlight amid claims the majority of people were leaving within two minutes of coming through the doors. Instead of coming to see the artworks ...

Izobelle loves nothing better than playing with her cousins. So when they all met up at our home near christmas, it was bound to be a pleasant day all round.  Here are just a few images of the day. What does this do Adam? I see Some instruction on how to navigate the tablet by big cousin Adam. Then a request for Grandad to take them to the playing field to let off steam. First though, granddad needs a group photo Then back home to chill out and play something calmer - like Coppit With some sustenance to go with it! Home     Forward     Back