Chichester Market Cross and Cathedral
We were here on the 31st. A lovely cathedral town with its c14 market cross, and one I remember from my youth. Pedestrianised many years ago and rightly so, I remember when traffic drove round the cross, and double decker buses clipped bits off it. Now it is safe from that sort of damage. There are still a few of these market/preaching crosses about, Winchester has a good one for example, and they need to be cherished
The city is Roman originally. Noviomagus, the new market, I believe. There was a straight road to London built by the Romans, called Stane Street. It is still there, but now called A24 and A29. It has one or two kinks in it, as it had to get through the gap in the Downs for example, but basically is straight as a die from Chichester to London Bridge.
The cathedral needs a separate chapter, and is one of the finest in England, but our main reason for going there was to visit our old favourite , the Pallant House Art Gallery, which houses a wonderful collection of modern art.. The collection includes names like Hepworth, Moore, Piper and Sutherland. Incidentally in the cathedral, there is a magnificent tapestry backdrop to the altar, designed by Sutherland. There is also a wonderful window by Marc Chagall, not always remembered for stained glass, although he did many. But I digress from the art gallery
Founded on the collection made by Dean Hussey of Chichester Cathedral , it was bequeathed to the city in 1977, on condition that it was housed in Pallant House, a Grade 1 listed Queen Anne townhouse built in 1712, for a wine merchant called Peckham and his wife Elizabeth.
The collection was added to by further donations over the years, and the impressive collection of artists represented, includes now Cezanne, Leger,Sickert,Lucien Freud, Richard Hamilton and Eduardo Paolozzi
As well as paintings, there is an excellent collection of c18 Bow porcelain
The new wing, a superb example of a modern building blending well with a Queen Anne townhouse, won the 2007 Gulbenkian Prize and was also listed for a RIBA award the same year
I try to stop after 300 words but have rattled on
Thanks for your comments on Bosham Harbour, now framed up and in store ready for the March exhibition. Thank you to those of you who enquired about this exhibition. The details are:
Guildford Institute, Ward Street, Guildford, Surrey, UK in the Assembly Rooms
Dates from 13th to 31st March this year
Thanks again
Monsieur, when would you start writing your own history book?
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Thanks for the compliment, Farzana. Plenty of highly qualified people already doing that I am afraid
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Monsieur, you are not well aware of the depth of knowledge and beauty of your written words. I request you start writing, with history books for children first and illustrate them with your own drawings. Have your grandchildren as critics. I’m pretty confident your books will be an instant hit.
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Thanks for your vote of confidence. History for children, now there is a thought.
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There is a reason I asked you to take up that project, Monsieur. When I was a little girl, we mostly learnt history not from text books, but from our grandparents. They’d tell us history in simple words and sentences and listening to them was a lot of fun. Take your Conkers story for example. Can someone find that in any book? I don’t think so. The things you write, you draw or observe are harvest of your three generations worth life experience. These need to be passed on, these need to be preserved so that one day people can know how world was like. You can start with local history first, things that were never written before and you are an expert at. Add sketches when needed. Take help from your family and friends.
Take 2017 as chapter to explore your writing potentials.
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An interesting thought. Maybe cut my teeth on something short and simple. I might need to email you with some questions
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Monsieur, you are a master of art! Why ask someone like me, who learns from you and other knowledgeable people? But anyways, you are always welcome to email me. I’d try from the little knowledge I have.
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Severansnape has a very good idea.
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Very kind of you to say, Linda. I am giving the idea serious thought
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