In June, I was invited to a book launch of the revised edition of the Pevsner guide to Wiltshire, I sent the invitation on to the Friends' membership, and signed up to the talk which was advertised like this:
'Our latest revised volume, Julian Orbach's Wiltshire, will be published on 8 June, and we are delighted to be holding an online event to launch the book. On Tuesday 15 June, at 6pm, the author will be live in conversation with the book's editor, Charles O'Brien about his survey of the county, and they will be joined by James O. Davies, photographer. There will be an opportunity to ask questions at the end'.
I will include the introductory slide from the talk, but after that, we were told we couldn't take any photographs, so I have included one of my own.
The indispensable guide to the architectural heritage of
Wiltshire
With hundreds of buildings added to the new gazetteer, this volume offers a
fully revised and updated guide to Wiltshire. From prehistoric Stonehenge and
thirteenth-century Salisbury Cathedral, to Elizabethan Longleat, Palladian
Wilton and landscaped gardens of Stourhead, the buildings of Wiltshire
represent the best of every period of English architecture. Towns range from
Marlborough with its sweeping High Street to Bradford-on-Avon, rich in the
architectural legacy of clothiers’ houses. Villages include the exceptional
Lacock in the shadow of its abbey’s remains as well as Avebury, where the
houses sit within the famous stone circle. This volume, covering structures as
diverse as garden follies and railway workers’ housing is an essential
reference for visitors and residents alike.
The talk was fascinating and has opened a door on how we might look at a place, in this case Wiltshire, and more particularly Swindon where I live. The Wiltshire Pevsner book was originally published in 1963, dedicated to Nicholas and Paul, and describes Wiltshire as 'the county of the cottage'. Wikipedia says this:
'The Pevsner Architectural Guides are a series of guide books to the architecture of Great Britain and Ireland. Begun in the 1940s by the art historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsner, the 46 volumes of the original Buildings of England series were published between 1951 and 1974. The series was then extended to Scotland, Wales and Ireland in the late 1970s'.
The lecture was given by Julian Orbach and Charles O'Brien as it says above. I was particularly interested in what they said about Swindon, describing it as a 'wonderfully fascinating place' The David Murray John Tower he described as 'the best tower block of its period' and Wat Tyler house 'cheeky naming of council offices'. He commented that things change so fast in Swindon, in 1998, Motorola's huge pipe got a special mention, as did the former Renault building in Westlea described beautifully on page 711 of the guide as 'The cathedral among Swindon's giant sheds, designed to store automotive parts, but disused for twenty years'. A bit further on 'It remains a beautiful expression of architecture and engineering in harmony.'
After the main part of the lecture, James O Davies who has taken the majority of the photographs talked to us about the way he manages to achieve his fantastic photos. Some of you will remember we were fortunate enough to hear about his photography in a lecture in December 2020, you can read about it here. It wasn't videoed, but was memorable. James said when taking photographs for the guide, he likes straight on views, uses tall ladders, needs to absence of cars, people and garden furniture to achieve a timeless effect.James will persevere to get exactly the effect he wants, enjoys problem solving and will use lighting to help in darker corners and under trees. For obvious reasons, I can't reproduce his photographs here, but I will say that one of the most fabulous of his photos was Oare House Pavilion taken at 10.45pm on Midsummer's eve. The building, designed by I.M.Pei of New York, 2000-4, for Sir Henry and Lady Kewick is a 'pagoda of glass' in the grounds of Oare House, and described by me here.
I didn't take my photograph late at night, but will include it here so you can see the site and magnificence of the building:
I'm very pleased with my Pevsner guide, and would encourage you all to go out and buy one.
And to click here and sign the petition to Save our Museum and Gallery:
http://www.change.org/SaveSwindonMuseumandArtGallery
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