Everyone knows of St Paul's Cathedral in London even if they have not visited (like me). The huge domed structure was designed by one of England's great architects, Sir Christopher Wren, in 1708 and still stands as the seat of the Bishop of London.
The immense Baroque Cathedral stands tall at 365 feet over the city, seen in this image above from Wikipedia. Until 1965 it was the tallest building in all of London!
Of course everyone associates the Cathedral with the 1964 movie (my favorite!) Mary Poppins. It was a major tourist destination to Jane and Michael Banks and remains a hot spot in the city to this day.
Oscar winning actress Jane Darwell at 84 years of age depicted the lovable Bird Woman who sold food for pigeons from the steps of St Paul's.
Did you cry? I always do -love that song. Anyway -back on track here - we're here to discuss the details of St. Paul's. The writers may have been influenced to write the song based on said details!
Among the many sculptures decorating the facade are many depicting birds, food, and even mother birds feeding their young (seen above).
The details can get lost in such an impressive structure -above is the front entrance.
Even the rear or Apse of the Cathedral features elaborate ornament.
Birds and cherubs, birds and cherubs -the next Disney song?
Notice the birds above under the cornucopia of produce.
No birds here but plenty of winged cherubs.
Read more about "Feed the Birds" and the connection to St Pauls on their own website HERE. Thanks as always to my Australian Pen-pal Neil for the gorgeous snapshots!
Recently while on the English Heritage website I saw intriguing photos of Kirby Hall and remembered it from the 1999 movie of Jane Austen's "Mansfield Park". I've always been intrigued by ruins so I asked my penpal if he had ever visited the estate. He responded with these pictures from his 2009 visit.
From a distance in the newly relaid gardens the structure appears as a normal Elizabethan house; as if the owners had just stepped away. However it has laid abandoned since the 18th century when the owners walked away and only in the past few decades have portions of the interior been rebuilt.
Kirby Hall began construction in 1570 for Queen Elizabeth I's Lord Chancellor and close friend, Sir Christopher Hatton. Many claimed he was actually her lover (particularly her enemy Mary, Queen of Scots) as they were very close personal friends and he benefited financially from their relationship (obviously). Some things never change with jealousy and mud-slinging!
The facades were based on French architectural pattern books of the time and the influence of the Italian Renaissance was obvious, particularly on the interior courtyard facades.
Whenever I see great places like this going to waste I always think "this would make great condos" and that holds true here. I'll take one on the courtyard side please!
Ruins fascinated homeowners in the 18th century and still do to this day. Kirby Hall may actually be more interesting in this semi-ruinous but stabilized state rather than had it been lovingly cared for over the centuries.
The Great Hall and staircase have been restored and were heavily featured in the aforementioned Mansfield Park movie from 1999 as the home of Sir Thomas Bertram. Read more about its role in the movie with many film shots of the interior and exterior HERE and HERE.
My favorite detail is perhaps the inset railing in the stone wall of the great staircase below. Image is from the Jane Austen Film website here.
Add Kirby Hall on your list of places to visit should you ever be passing through Northamptonshire!
