United Reformed Church, Charmouth, Dorset

Originally the Congregational Chapel, this building dates back to the 17th century and was built along with other post-Mediaeval additions, such as the Almshouses adjacent to the Court. One of the more unusual buildings along The Street in Charmouth, it lies back from the road in its own small courtyard, as do only a few others. Most of the buildings front directly onto the road or have only tiny front gardens.

The roof supports a delightful cupola and has the proportions of the 'Gentle Period' which characterises later Regency buildings, with a central front door and flanking windows; the archetypal house that young children often draw, whatever their own homes look like. The front gate contains trefoil finials with spear finials on the railings either side.

At the front, a small tree-shaded churchyard with a few old graves and headstones. 

Another, tiny, courtyard on the right hand side.

 And on the left side, the entrance to the rear.

The rear of the building shows plain brickwork, the old red bricks glowing orange in the afternoon sun. Quite a contrast to the cool white plaster and the elegant tracery windows with leaded panes at the front.

Not much information and only a few photos, but a rather nice and unexpected find whilst having a meander around Charmouth. :)





 

Woodlands Hotel, Sidmouth, Devon

Having often seen this hotel from the bus into Sidmouth, I couldn't help but think of it as the epitome of the 'gingerbread' Cottage Orne. Octagonal roof tiles, ornate roof ridge, gothicky windows and the most twirly, twiddly-bit Baroque-style carved bargeboards and finials above the gabled casement windows...the stuff that fairy tales are made of! 

For many years the bargeboards were painted pink, but at the time of my visit they were blue-grey to match the tiles. A little less sugar-coating and a little more 'Grimm's Fairy Tales' maybe! ;) However, on a recent journey I noticed that they've been painted pink again.

Having occasion to walk up the road one day, it was a good opportunity to take a few photos. What amazed me, when I began to hunt for information, is the amount of history attached to the building. However, I'll keep it mostly architecturally related, as that's the bit that I'm interested in.

Grade II listed, the building that we see today is the result of alterations at the beginning of the 19th century, turning it into a Cottage Orne seaside home for the owner Lord Gwydir in 1815. However, its origins go back a very long way indeed. It's interesting to note that the building of seaside cottages was due to the Napoleonic Wars, as the middle and upper classes were no longer able to visit the continent on their Grand Tours. Sidmouth proved to be popular in this respect, and much of the architecture from that time has remained intact.

The original name of the property was Old Hayes, which can be seen on a 13th century map. Many East Devon farmsteads, and indeed family names, were suffixed or sometimes prefixed by the word 'Hayes', 'Hays', 'Hayne' and other similar words; this being the Mediaeval English word for a pastoral enclosure or hay meadow. One of the few buildings in the area dating from the 1200s, this was therefore probably a farmhouse originally.
 

During excavations in 1971, an ancient tunnel was discovered beneath the garden. The stonework was thought at the time to possibly be Roman, although more likely to be Mediaeval. Including a chamber containing a well, it was once the source of fresh water for the household. This fits in nicely with the Mediaeval hypothosis, as there are Mediaeval water passages beneath the nearby city of Exeter.

There is some uncertainty about the history of this particular building.  A 1520 date stone was discovered during alterations in the 19th century, and may have related to the Manor House, the title of which was granted by Elizabeth I in 1598. Whether this was the actual building, or the farmhouse belonging to the estate, is unsure. The old farmhouse may have evolved to become the Manor House, or demolished and a new house built. However, behind the 1817 fireplace, there is a much older open fireplace belonging to the manor.

During alterations by Lord Gwydir a new suite of reception rooms was built overlooking the garden, and additions included barrel ceilings, new staircase with landing, replacement of interior doors and mouldings, as well as the Gothic headed casements...all in the Regency style. He renamed the house Woodland Cottage.
 
Sold in 1921, it was leased to be run as an hotel, which it has remained ever since.
 

Rodney Rendell Farm Services, Axminster, Devon

I first saw this abandoned factory whilst a passenger in a friend's car back in 2008, and didn't think much about it at the time as I had lots of other places on my explore list...then consequently forgot all about it. I was reminded of it from an article in the local newspaper (a call to have it demolished) and, having failed to do what I wanted in Axminster, I decided to walk the half mile or so to Weycroft to take a look. Visited in early September 2011.

 

Rodney Rendell's was a steel fabricator & erector and engineering services firm. It took me a while to discover what they manufactured, but then I came across this piece on Dairy Spares company's website...

"Dairy Spares has purchased the Weycroft Macford™ milking machine genuine parts as of 8th May 2006. These are a well established product range in the UK, having been sold here since 1948 and Dairy Spares will continue to supply the full range through their distribution network in the UK. The previous owners Rodney and Mary Rendell have retired and we wish them all the best."

From which can be seen that Rendell's produced milking machine parts and also closed in 2006, the factory having been left for some five years.

No Admittance!    

Well, the door was open so it would be rude not to take up the invitation! ;)

  

It's fairly stripped out but, as always in old factories, there's some great lighting from the roof sky lights. A little bit trashed but not as bad as many that have been left abandoned for so long.

Below, a small winch, which I think was part of the mechanism for opening the steel doors.  

 

The only machinery left in situ is this one. I thought it might have been a kind of lathe but I've been reliably informed by someone on the Derelict Places forum that it's a radial arm drill.
 

A small separate workshop, just off from the main factory floor.
 

 And a great looking work bench and shelf system inside.

I didn't manage to see everything, and a few of the photos turned out too blurry to use. I always intended to go back again, but alas left it too late as it has since been demolished.

All in all, a nice wanderable visit. I only had half an hour before another bus to the next venue, but it wasn't wasted as there was more to it than I expected, even though the factory's fairly stripped out. It would have been really relaxed, but as I wound my first film back too quickly it snapped in the camera and I lost half of it. So, once I'd loaded another film I had to rush around to take shots of everything again before catching the bus. That'll teach me to be too hasty! ;)

Masonic Hall, Sidmouth, Devon

After visiting and photographing the Old Meeting Unitarian Chapel (seen in the previous post), I walked down the High Street and noticed this interesting building. According to the foundation plaque, building commenced in 1890. I've had difficulty in finding anything about the building so far, apart from the fact that it belongs to the Masonic Lodge of Perseverence No 164, and that meetings commenced in 1828.

However, I did find some interesting history about Perseverence No 164...

A potted history of Freemasonry began in 1717, when four London lodges organised themselves into a Grand Lodge. To begin with, the Grand Lodge held an annual feast, during which elections were held for Grand Master and Wardens, developing into a regulatory body during 1721 and operating a charity fund as well as controlling more than a hundred lodges by 1730.
 

A rival Grand Lodge, calling themselves the Grand Lodge of Antients (ancients), appeared in 1751; comprising Freemasons of mainly Irish extraction who were unable to join the London lodges. Their claim was that the original Grand Lodge no longer practiced Freemasonry in the manner of the 'old institutions', calling them by the name of the moderns.

By the end of 1813 the two Grand Lodges decided to reconcile their differences and merged together into one United Grand Lodge, which was consolidated on the 27th of December of that year. Of the six Devon lodges, who can trace their origins to the Antient Grand Lodge, five are situated in Plymouth, the exception being Perseverence No 164 in Sidmouth.
 

A lovely Palladian window on the front, above. Beneath the apex of the gable is a bas relief sculpture containing a pair of compasses and below the window there's a pentacle as the central motif. 

More delightful ornamentation above the side entrance, below, including a crown with three plumes, which is the heraldic badge of the Prince of Wales.

The rear of the building, below, with a semi-circular window amongst the ducts and fans.

Not a lot of information about this building, but a delightul find nonetheless. And a final photo of the front elevation. 

Old Meeting Unitarian Chapel, Sidmouth, Devon

This delightful building has caught my attention on more than one occasion whilst travelling into Sidmouth on the bus. One day the bus stopped for other passengers to alight, so I took the opportunity to get off too to take a closer look. 

The photo below shows the wonderfully 'gingerbread cottage' ornate bargeboards on the gable and porch. There are several Cottage Orne buildings in Sidmouth, indicative of the seaside fashion of the time.
 

This Grade II building is the oldest non-conformist chapel in Sidmouth. It was first established in 1710 and largely rebuilt mid to late 19th century, hence the Cottage Orne style, which is quite different to the adjoining building to the right of it. I'm not sure whether this building was originally part of the chapel, as the British Listed Buildings entry only mentions the building to the left.
 

Some more photos of the adjoining building taken on a different day with some close-up details.

Although most churches are open during the day, I have found that chapels usually aren't, so I was pleasantly surprised to find the door open. I went in and began to take photos when a workman entered. I think he was more surprised than me, as it wasn't supposed to be open to the public. However, he kindly allowed me to continue taking photos and having a look around.  
 

The pulpit with large sounding board is 18th century. A very simple interior with just one stained glass window.

Whilst researching the building, I came across some quotes from various Unitarian churches in the area, which I'll copy below...

"The church is founded in the Christian tradition but encourages freedom of individual thought and belief.  It demands no allegiance to any particular creed or dogma but respects freedom of conscience."
 

"It is a Church which recognises the deeply personal nature of belief.  It holds that, while no one knows what God is, this need not commit us to a secular society. Also, that there are many sources of truth and that belief may change over time." 

As a pagan, I wholehearted agree with those statements as to me it seems peculiar to say that only one spiritual path is correct and all the rest are false. And even though I have a different belief, I find solace, mystique and the power of prayer just as much in a Christian church as I do in ancient, prehistoric places.

Here endeth the lesson! ;)

The gallery front containing the organ is 18th century and the clock is dated 1767.

 

Thanks again to the gentleman who was working here, and who allowed me access to the hall next door...photo below.

The east gable, below, contains a blind octagonal light above two lights with thin tracery and rope drip moulds above them.

 

And finally, looking through the fence to the rear of the building.