Category Archives: design

A Visit to Denis Severs’ House, Spitalfields, East London

We recently visited Dennis’ Severs’ House at 18 Folgate Street, Spitalfields. This was a revelation to me, and I’ve discovered new things since my visit, about Dennis himself, his life, the creation of the interiors in the House, and the life of the Spitalfields community around him, which make the visit an even more poignantContinue reading “A Visit to Denis Severs’ House, Spitalfields, East London”

Highlights of My Australian Journey 2022: A Travel Diary #11 Tweed Regional Art Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre, Murwillumbah, New South Wales

This is the eleventh highlight: the Tweed Regional Art Gallery was an enchanting discovery set in the idyllic landscape of the Tweed Valley. The Gallery showcased the work of Margaret Olley, Australia’s most celebrated painter of still life and interiors. What I learned of Margaret Olley fascinated me. She lived alone in a corner houseContinue reading “Highlights of My Australian Journey 2022: A Travel Diary #11 Tweed Regional Art Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre, Murwillumbah, New South Wales”

Highlights of My Australian Journey 2022: A Travel Diary #4 Roma Street Parklands, Brisbane

Here is the fourth post of my Highlights. Today, Roma Street Parklands, Brisbane. Reclaimed from a railway goods yard (and using land which was, of course, prior to that, used for thousands of years by the local indigenous peoples for ceremonies and meetings), these exquisite parklands are a joy to wander through and to restContinue reading “Highlights of My Australian Journey 2022: A Travel Diary #4 Roma Street Parklands, Brisbane”

My Australian Journey  2022 #6: Roma Street Parklands, Brisbane

In Brisbane we find a stunning display of landscape architecture and horticulture at its best: created from reclaimed land, a former railway stabling yard beside Roma Street Station, inspired by Colin Campbell, Australian Horticulturist. Starting at the Garden Room Cafe we meet the wildlife straight away. The ibis is Brisbane’s answer to a seagull. IContinue reading “My Australian Journey  2022 #6: Roma Street Parklands, Brisbane”

My Australian Journey 2022 #4: #ShiotaGOMA

This post is dedicated to an amazing exhibition we saw at GOMA (Gallery of Modern Art) on Brisbane’s South Bank. Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota presented ‘ The Soul Trembles’ – an astonishing collection of artworks and installations with the power to change the way you see the world. The first installation put these ideas intoContinue reading “My Australian Journey 2022 #4: #ShiotaGOMA”

A Visit to Compton Verney, Warwickshire, in December 2021

Compton Verney in Warwickshire is one of my favourite places; an elegant Georgian house set in a glorious landscape. A visit here and a walk through the Capability Brown parklands always gives me a feeling of bliss and tranquility. Capability Brown knew what he was up to when he rode through the grounds of theseContinue reading “A Visit to Compton Verney, Warwickshire, in December 2021”

A Visit to Stourhead National Trust: a Perfect Vision of an Idyllic Landscape and Lake; an Infamous ‘Romantic’ Encounter in the Temple of Apollo

Before visiting the gardens at Stourhead, Wiltshire the other day I looked forward to seeing for myself this ‘living work of art’, for I had created a brightly coloured, stylised copy of a photo of that iconic view just last year, during the first UK lockdown of the Covid-19 pandemic. When we visited the garden,Continue reading “A Visit to Stourhead National Trust: a Perfect Vision of an Idyllic Landscape and Lake; an Infamous ‘Romantic’ Encounter in the Temple of Apollo”