Teapot c1672 - # 127/2011

......just messing about: but.............I love this teapot, so I've tried to give it some special treatment.  It is in Ham House.  It was made in China in about 1672 and exported to England as a "luxury good".  The crackle on the glaze is rare and unusual, and done on purpose by the makers, thus demonstrating their high skill as makers of expensive, decorative ceramic ware.  This alone, apart from the other attractive features adds to the quality and aesthetic value of the pot.  Even more remarkable: this teapot was made in about 1672, so you see, the design of a good teapot has not changed.  It is believed that tea has been served from this pot, in Ham House, where it sits, since 1675.

Crossing over (Transition from Winter to Spring) - 3 - # 38/2011

January 31st, late afternoon, view from the Kitchen Garden, Ham House, looking West.  For once the sun had shone and the sky had been a beautiful soft blue all day, with a whisp of cloud. The low sun cast a pinkish orange glow and the whispy clouds and the remnants of blue did the rest.  The temperature was mild - unusually mild for the time of year.

Ham House - # 50/10

Looking along the South Terrace, developed in 1672, at Ham House: very civilised.

The Lemon Tree - # 47/10

....continuing the Hot n' Cool theme of Richmond and Kingston this Summer.  Yes, lemons grow at Ham House.

Done and dusted - Baroque style - # 09/162

The toil of the last couple of weeks is done, and the great baroque house (1610) by the Thames is illuminated and decorated,  ready for its Christmas programme.  The Emperors around the wall seem to look satisfied with the treatment we've given them.

Here's a quick shot of the finished result, lights on for testing the effect, and last a minute check for correct alignment of the spot lamps, early this evening. Guests for the first evening programme will soon arrive.

Figures at the end of a gallery - # 09/158

You see the scene and sometimes your heart stops for a moment.  1 + 1 suddenly equals an infinity of emotion. 

Camera: Olympus C7070 wz.

The working man- # 09/148

.....I'm still hard at it but unable to leave you totally abandoned without a nice cliche-ridden B&W: hope you like it.  (FYI.....the workman (not me) is replacing the anti-UV filters on the Ham House windows.  The House is a very strictly controlled to prevent destructive UV rays getting at the collection).

The working table - # 09/147

This little item proved difficult to get right.  It's still not exactly as I'd like it to be.  Anyway, there will now be a short period of inaction, with no postings for a little while.  I'm busy on another project which needs some time spent on it...........rather like this tantalising table with its grain, highlights, contrasting smooth, shiny chairs and angles and curves, sunlight and shadow.

Hidden delights - # 09/146

...another heavilly magnified crop, but worth displaying.

The green parrots enjoy eating Ham House for breakfast, and swarm about, early in the morning, attaching themselves to the brickwork.  We guess they have found something in the 17th century lime mortar that appeals to their taste, or perhaps they like to extract the grittiness to help diges the seeds they have eaten.

The parrot's lovely underside colouring is generally hidden from view until we photograph it in flight.  Likewise, visitors to Ham House probably fail to look up and notice the rich detail in the soffit of the roof.  This detail was of course included to show off the wealth of the owner when the house was extended in 1672.

Leather!- # 09/145

Those of you who like the arty Ham House shots might like to see this simple snap I did for a feature in the local newspapers promoting the display of a luxurious leather wall hanging that has been hidden away in store and in separate exhibition rooms.  It has been rehung on display so that more visitors can admire it in its proper context.

You will recognise the floor (see earlier "Servant Girl").  The wall covering is entirely of leather, and of course the pretty hanging above the table is the wall hanging just brought out for general display.  All the leather is the original 1672/3 "re-decoration" of the house.

Enlarge the photo and admire it.  Better still, go and see it before the house closes for the winter. (That's the time when I become most busy helping with all the winter maintenance.)

Tell Cook we've got guests tonight - # 09/143

Big 17th Century kitchen!

Let in the light - # 09/142

I'll bet they enjoyed all this just as much in the 17th Century as I do now.  Curves, angles, straight lines, sudden unexpected vistas, floods of light, deep shadows that form shapes, the incentive to just stop and look at how it's all arranged around you, everything pleasing the eye.

Open door with open book - # 09/141

I just love catching glimpses through open doors and trying to capture the atmosphere or the feeling of surprise.  The glimpse in the mirror of a 17th Century tapestry is intriguing.  The angle of the table, the carpet, the open book seemed to have certain harmony in them.  How the mind likes to play games with us!

So Yesterday, Darling! - # 09/138

Ham House has to be "felt" as much as seen. You are indeed back in the 17th Century. The light here is coming only from the dim, low wattage electric "candle lamps" that light the rooms one by one. The shutters are closed. The house is dark, waiting for the visitors to arrive. I wander, glimpse the scene and try to capture the feeling. Take yourself back to 1673.

The shape of light - # 09/133

I'm really sorry about yesterday's incident. I can't think what came over me.

English Grapes - # 09/122

The grapes are doing nicely in the garden at Ham House. So the excessively cloudy weather cannot have been totally bad.

Shadow - # 09/121

Those commenting on yesterday's photo rightly reminded me that certain parts of Europe have suffered from extreme heat. So, here's something that might help to calm and cool us all down. The utilitarian, squared-off little box is a climate control sensor. What irony! What pleasant tones.

1/15sec #2 - # 09/118

It's not so speedy here! The rule is: Just snap randomly at 1/15th second. Having stowed the bike I dive into Ham House and snap randomly (honest; it's random) as I enter the "dungeon" where those of us who are too horrible to be seen in full daylight toil and strive to repair the unrepairable.

This is a random shot of a striving colleague.

It's time for tea! - # 09/115

The weather has indeed been very unhelpful: the weather along with a load of other things that have got in the way of taking photos, and demanded my attention. The loyalties of "cyber-friends" have been severely tested.

The weather has driven me indoors and underground. Today I've been practicing some tricky stuff with difficult lighting.

Here's a scene straight out of the 17th Century. The light and shade, the textures of the wood and stone, the rough-cut carpentry, the odd angles, the primitive, massive metalwork, the way the light reflects from the flag stones, polished by 400 hundred years of footsteps are worth capturing (if you can!). It's a view of the servants' area underneath Ham House. Every day I stop and take it in. It's not just about a taking a photograph but about trying to capture and an atmosphere. The windows are so well placed as to provide natural light in the days before electricity. Visitors to Richmond should not miss it.

Bright morning! - # 09/110

As I wander through Ham House looking for something unrepairable to repair I come across many delightful vistas and clever conceits designed by the 17th Century architect to please and capture the attention.

One of my favourites is the arrangement of the windows on the Great Staircase that floods the house with natural light and gives a wonderful vista outwards to the mathematical precision of the formal so-called Cherry Garden. I never tire of it. (Camera settings were tricky, and I used a very tiny burst of flash to balance the exterior and interior light, after taking the main reading precisely from the sunlit garden).

Click on the side-bar to go to my link to the Ham House site.