Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Roman Walls

Westminster - Soho

Kingley Street, Soho

The Entrance to Kingly Street through an arch connecting the Tudor building occupied by Liberty to its former premises on Regent Street.

The following is from Wikipedia -

Arthur Lasenby Liberty was born in Chesham, Buckinghamshire during 1843. He was employed by Messrs Farmer and Rogers in Regent Street during 1862, the year of the International Exhibition at Kensington in London. By 1874, inspired by his 10 years of service, Arthur then decided to start a business of his own, which he did the next year.

With a £2,000 loan from his future father-in-law, Arthur Liberty accepted the lease of half a shop at 218a Regent Street with only three members of staff.

The shop opened during 1875 selling ornaments, fabric and objets d'art from Japan and the East. Within eighteen months Arthur Liberty had repaid the loan and acquired the second half of 218 Regent Street. As the business grew, neighbouring properties were bought and added.

During 1885, 142-144 Regent Street was acquired and housed the ever-increasing demand for carpets and furniture. The basement was named the Eastern Bazaar, and was the vending place for what was described as "decorative furnishing objects". He named the property Chesham House after the place in which he grew up. The store became the most fashionable place to shop in London and Liberty fabrics were used for both clothing and furnishings. Some of its clientele was exotic and included famous some of the Pre0Raphaelite artists.

During 1884 Liberty introduced the costume department into the Regent Street store, directed by Edward William Godwin (1833–86). Godwin was a distinguished architect. He was a initiating member of the Costume Society during 1882. He and Arthur Liberty created in-house apparel to challenge the fashions of Paris.

During the 1890s Arthur Lasenby Liberty built strong relationships with many famous English designers. Many of these designers practised the artistic styles known as Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau, and Arthur Liberty helped develop Aret Noveau through his encouragement of such designers. The company became associated with this new style, to the extent that in Italy. Art Nouveau became known as the Stile Liberty, after the London shop.

The store became one of the most prestigious in London.

1920s

The Tudor revival building was built so that trading could continue while renovations were being completed on the other premises and during 1924 this store was constructed from the timbers of two ships: HMS Impregnable and HMS Hindustan. The frontage on Great Marlborough Street is the same length as the Hindustan. It is a Grade II listed building.

The emporium was designed by Edwin T. Hall and his son Edwin S. Hall. They designed the building at the height of the 1920s fashion for Tudor revival. The shop was engineered around three light wells that formed the main focus of the building. Each of these wells was surrounded by smaller rooms to create a homely feel. Many of the rooms had fireplaces and some still exist. The wells created a wonderful environment in which to drape exotic rugs and quilts, whilst the smaller rooms allowed the display of smaller items.

Arthur Lasenby Liberty died during 1917, seven years before the completion of his magnificent shops.

Post war

Liberty, during the 1950s, continued its tradition for fashionable and eclectic design. All departments in the shop had a collection of both contemporary and traditional designs. New designers were promoted and often included those still representing the Liberty tradition for handcrafted work.

During the 1960s, extravagant and Eastern influences once again became fashionable, as well as the Art Noveau style, and Liberty adapted its furnishing designs from its archive.

Nowadays Liberty sells fashions, cosmetics, accessories, gifts etc. in addition to its homewares and furniture. Liberty has its own team of window dressers and is known for imaginative and often surreal window displays, especially during Christmas time.

Since 1988, Liberty has had a subsidiary in Japan which sells Liberty-branded products in major Japanese shops.



Monday, June 20, 2011

Rural Road

Quaker Road, Norwich, Ontario

Flower Tricycle

Oakville Marina 'Forest'

Eramosa River Cafe


Rockwood, Ontario, Canada

Not Baaa'd

Sheep in County Wexford, Ireland

Irish Cottage


There are pioneer souls that blaze the paths
Where highways never ran-
But let me live by the side of the road
And be a friend . . .

(adopted: Sam Walter Foss)

It's About Time

Time, like an ever rolling stream, bears all her sons away . . .

Toronto Skyline

From Humber Bay Park, Etobicoke

Oakville Marina

Farm Lane

Remnants of Another Day


Rural Ireland, 2009

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Some Day Soon


Getting ready for the Banquet

Friday, April 08, 2011

Small Wonder

In her book, 'Small Wonder,' Barbara Kingsolver writes -The closest my heart has come to breaking lately was on the day my little girl arrived home from school and ran to me, her face tense with expectation, asking, "Are they still having that war in Afghanistan?"

I suppose there are a lot of things that may break our heart. The passing of a loved one, the absence of a friend, the hopes and fears that turn into dashed dreams and the reality finally happening: something we had greatly feared actually happens.

"As if," she continues, "the world were such a place that in one afternoon. while kindergartners were working hard to master the letter I, it would decide to lay down its arms..."

Said her daughter: "If people are just going to keep doing that, I wish I'd never been born."

Kingsolver writes that she "sat on the floor and held her tightly to keep my own spirit from draining through the soles of my feet . . ."

And she continues: "It used to be, on many days, that I could close my eyes and sense myself to be perfectly happy. I have wondered lately if that feeling will ever come back. It's a worthy thing to wonder, but maybe being perfectly happy is not really the point. Maybe . . . the truer measure of humanity is the distance we must travel in our lives, time and again, 'twixt two extremes of passion - joy and grief,' as Shakespeare put it."

One tries to keep balanced, or get balanced, tries to keep keeping on, to make sense when there's little sense - only mystery and more mystery, beyond any possible explanation; and when there is mostly silence when one tries to pray, or when one hopes a voice may respond to one's attempts at meaningful - even simple, basic conversation.

Friday, February 18, 2011

A la Carte

Before the table is spread

A Window in Rome

Somehow move evocative than Toronto

Pilgrim

I was glad when they said unto me, 'Let us go into the house of the Lord.'

Trinity

And from God's bounty we all receive

Masks


We all wear them

Clock

There is no time but the present

Jesus


Lord of Life

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