Buildings
Strange Building in Hitchin
This strange building is behing the restaurant Bella Vita on Sun Street. It’s either a terrible nightmare for an architect to ‘read’ or an absolute thrill to ‘decode’. I suspect (as do others) that it has been cobbled together from lots of other buildings (Cheap materials) I really enjoy looking at it, but make if it what you will. Derek Wheeler of ‘The Hitchin Historical Society’ has suggested that it was part of the Girls’ School that was run in Roslyn House during the 19th Century; and that later became a furniture shop until 1910 (approximately), accounting for the mélange of styles and building materials.
Roof Tiles
The above is a photograph of some roof tiles on an old building that’s on Bancroft and you pass by the side of to get through to Sainsbury’s. I like the fact that the tiles are not perfect, that they are not symmetrical. The patina of age and random patching of the tiles is what gives it its charm.
Set in Stone
The Vermiculated Stonework on Bucklesbury has some interesting letters and numbers incised in to them. Click on the above photograph for a larger view. The Letters W A can clearly be seen and the date 1867 (1857?) too. The combination are obviously the architect’s initials and the date of the facade of the building; the frontage being newer than the rest of the building. (Thank you to Alexander Palfreman-Brown for this previously unspotted gem)
Paternoster and Hale Printing Office
This photograph is to show the old Paternoster & Hale Printing Office building in more detail. You can see the Orange Tree Sandwich Bar as mentioned in the last blog entry.
Orange Tree Grille
The Orange Tree Sandwich Shop on Sun Street has a wonderful decorative grille on the front of it. The business is one of two in a nice three storey red brick c1800 building. This was The Paternoster & Hale Printing Office, originally Paternoster’s Bookshop and Stationers. They amalgamated with Hale in Bucklersbury and became known as Paternoster and Hale and then became a printers. (It printed the Hitchin Advertiser newspaper.) The raised lettering ‘Printing Office’ can still easily be seen on the top third of the building.
Modillioned Pediment
The Head or Pediment, is the top bit of the porch and the ‘Modillioned’ bit refers to the scroll and square bits on the head. Often there is fancy ‘Acanthus’ scroll work and block modillions on neo-classical buildings. All of this can be looked up in an architect’s catalogue if you want to know more. (or even ‘Google’ it) This ‘Pediment’ and Porch is the entrance to a very nice building on Bancroft. Used by Phillips Antiques. The inside is even better and I would love to look around and photograph it.