Becoming obsessive - # 172

You'll have to bear with me while I play at tweaking the camera to get the best of the multiple high spots and shadows of the bar area at Henry's. Meanwhile, I'm forced to pay more and more attention to the bizarre details that the designer has put into this original construction, built for the purpose. Is the wierd spiral drink delivery system only there for show, or does it actually work, running the bottles up and down the columns? Placing the mirrors up above is a well known decorative device, but here it plays a strong role in setting the atmosphere.

The North End at Henry's - # 171

Drinkers occupying the North End of Henry's Bar can imagine their "essential nature" being extracted and refined in the two large retorts, then collected in the inverted "repeater jars" above the main retorts, before being transmitted into the ether via the waves of ultraviolet light .......well, something like that, anyway.

The Naughty 90s bump into the 21st century - # 170

It's holiday time so let's spend a day or two studying the "unfathomably surreal" decor of Henry's Bar and cafe in Richmond. You'll need to have a friend alongside, and glass or two of exotic brew, like for example, Japanese Kirin Ichiban lager. Karl Moritz (German, 1782) did not visit this place. Trust me: he didn't.

I've no idea who designed this, why, or whether it has any analogues or counterparts elsewhere. Some might describe it as "confusing". "Techno-Organic" is a phrase that springs to my mind, but that will put me firmly into "pseuds' corner", which is not a place I ever want to be in. If you ever tire of trying to fathom out what's going on, you can always turn away to the pleasant river views through the windows. Warning....we go back there tomorrow!