Minerva House on North Crescent in Camden is a Grade II building that started out as a car showroom and offices for the Minerva Motor Company. They were a Belgian car company operating from 1902 until 1938. It was designed by George Vernon and the building itself dates from around 1912. The logo of the car company was the goddess Minerva – hence the statue of the goddess above the entrance.
Bodlondeb Castle in Llandudno was built as a house in the 1890s for Thomas P Davies. Davies, who was the manager of the local St George’s Hotel, had been commissioned by a rich guest staying at the hotel who wished to remain anonymous to build the castle. However, once he returned after the building had been completed and realised that it didn’t come with a big enough plot of land he declared he was no longer interested and left, leaving Davies with a huge building to try and get rid of. It was unsurprisingly known locally thereafter as Davies’ Folly.
Originally this very impressive lion – made of Coade stone (a type of ceramic stone which is particularly resistant to weathering) – was mounted on top of James Goding’s Lion Brewery building in the 1830s. He was sculpted by William Frederick Woodington and stayed in place until 1949 when the brewery was demolished to make way for the Royal Festival Hall.
I visit Stonebridge City Farm fairly regularly and, when it’s been allowed to open during the pandemic, it’s always a lovely (and safe) place to visit for a change of scene during various lockdowns. Here are a few photos from my most recent visit.
Currently the address of a large Foyle’s bookshop, 107 Charing Cross, built in 1938, used to house the college for the Distributive Trades and St Martin’s School of Art.
One of the last remaining Georgian office buildings in this area of London (it can be found on the corner of Cheapside and King Street in the City of London) it was designed in 1836 by Thomas Hopper. He was commissioned by the Atlas Assurance Company, a fire and life insurance company, and took inspiration from classical Italian architecture.
Birmingham City Council House is an imposing building that faces onto Victoria Square. The side of the building which faces Chamberlain Street is part of the Museum and Art Gallery. The land for the building was purchased in 1853 but it wasn’t until 1879 that the building was completed following a competition which Yeoville Thomason’s design won.
The Royal Exchange building in London was founded in the 16th century by Sir Thomas Gresham as a centre of commerce. Twice it was destroyed by fire – the present building was designed by Sir William Tite in the 1840s. These days it houses various shops, cafes and restaurants.
Built in 1911 this 120 foot tall tower houses a steel water tank that still supplies water to Lincoln today. The building was commissioned after an outbreak of typhoid between 1904-1905 which killed approximately 113 people. The architect Sir Reginald Blomfield designed the tower to resemble a medieval keep so it wouldn’t look out of place with the nearby castle and cathedral. The water in the tower is still drawn from its original source in Elkesley in Nottinghamshire.
The Guildhall and Stonebow has been the meeting place of Lincoln City Council from medieval times to the present. The term stonebow is derived from Old Norse and means a stone arch. The first gateway on the site dates from around 211AD. The Guildhall which was located elsewhere was moved to above the stonebow in 1237. The present Guildhall however dates from 1520.
