Saturday morning and here we all are at Wetherby Racecourse, attending the January Jaguar Antiques Fair. Brrrr!
Sunny Sunday morning and the white stuff has more or less vanished - what a difference a day makes. Our Sunday antiques hunt took in Kelham Hall, near Newark in Nottinghamshire, an amazing Victorian Gothic mansion, no symmetry in sight, all pointy, irregular shapes reaching into the sky. It was designed by George Gilbert Scott and completed in 1862.
By 1903 it was no longer a private home, it was an Anglican theological college and for this reason it has a large early 20th century extension. This was our first visit and we were quite overcome by the huge, atmospheric Great Chapel, built in 1928.
How could we concentrate on the purpose of our visit (the regular bi-monthly antiques fair) beneath these majestic Art Deco arches? We just gazed upwards, eyes wide, smiling beatifically.
Scott was keen to apply the Gothic style to non-religious as well as ecclesiastical buildings and Kelham Hall is as inspiring as the later chapel, with an all-pervading though pleasantly divine atmosphere.
We tried our hardest, but the architectural delights on view were too distracting.
Can you spot the bird on it?
Happily, all we needed was a brief rest in the sun to revive our very secular antiques hunting instincts.
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oh Nilly what a beautiful place to visit.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I'd have been able to buy a thing for looking at the REAL precious antique (and the prices would've probably been too high for me too!)
Thankyou for your kind comment as always, I hope the week is being good for you
xx
Funnily enough, because of the weather the day before, not too many buyers turned up and it was possible to buy quite a bit. Sadly not good for the sellers though.
DeleteI think I can safely say that Kelhan Hall beats any place I have ever been to a sale at. All those arches and columns......What a treat to see it, thanks.
ReplyDeleteYes, I was amazed too though selling of antiques & vintage takes places in all sorts of strange and wonderful places over here.
DeleteSuch a beautiful place to 'set up shop', Nilly! Wonderful architecture to just gaze up at....
ReplyDeleteGlad the weather behaved for you also...Thanking you for kind visits always!
love Maria x
Hope the weather is being kind to you Maria - I hear more cold & snow is on the way!
DeleteGoodness, what a stunning place to be.
ReplyDeleteCertainly better than knee-deep in snow!
DeleteNo wonder you were distracted from the job in hand Nilly - the Art Deco arches are a tour de force, as is that wonderful ceiling and columns. Love to join you in that sunny garden folly, what a jolly concoction it is.
ReplyDeleteBelieve it or not, Kelham Hall is the headquarters of Newark and Sherwood District Council! Tours are available every weekday too.
Deletere your message- wow!
ReplyDeleteI don't believe you heard that!!
and fame comes just as I was having a crisis of confidence!
I have this friend from County Durham who said to me one day (with awe),
Delete"Your blog gets comments from TED AND BUNNY!!!"
"Yes", I replied, with pride.
It seems that, when she changed from selling antiques to a more vintage mode, several of her friends recommended that she should study your blog and ebay listings to see how to do it successfully. They love your style - and I'm glad I let you know!
Ah yes, Divine Spiritual Delights trump Secular Antique Hunting Instincts every time for me too... so I would have been TOTALLY distracted and the heathen would have surely gotten to the Good Stuff first! *Winks* Thanks for Sharing such a Magnificent Tour of this Awe Inspiring Property... to think that it was once a Private Residence blows me away, could you just Imagine living there?!? And it would take forever and a day to fill up a place that big with our Found Treasures, no? *LOL* Thanks also for stopping by for a Blog Visit and Encouraging me with the often difficult decision to Post Publicly about Personal and Private Issues... but I feel that it is so true that we're only as sick as our Secrets... and some things just need to be said and Shared so that others with a point of reference no longer feel as though they might be the Lone Ranger in dealing with some particular Life Issues that can be particularly challenging and isolating.
ReplyDeleteBlessings and a Hug from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian
I heartily agree, Dawn. I've had some difficult things to face recently and your words helped.
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