![]() ![]() He and Charles Gaskell had met as undergraduates at Cambridge, and before Charles’ marriage he had also been a frequent guest at The Abbey. The invitation had been secured through ‘lobbying’ by a mutual friend, Henry Adams, the American historian. ![]() The little roof-top tower certainly puts in an appearance in the text.Īt the time of James’ first visit, his hosts, Charles and the young Lady Catherine Milnes Gaskell, had not long been married and were expecting their first child. He came in 1877, 18 – and apparently drew much inspiration from the house and grounds when he was writing The Turn Of The Screw. I’ve written about his visits before, but one of the returning house guests in the days of the Milnes Gaskells’ ownership was Henry James. There will be more about this in a moment.īut first those celebrities of times past. The present owners have spent the last three decades restoring the house, and creating interior settings that to many might seem outlandish and controversial. The limestone wing, just visible on the left, comprised both the monks’ infirmary and the original prior’s chambers, and are considerably older. The range seen in the first photos is the most recent part of the house, built in the early 1400s. The Saxon religious house that preceded it, however, was an abbey of both monks and nuns and ruled over by an abbess. Somewhat confusingly the house has long been called The Abbey, although the priory from Norman times was always a priory, not an abbey. The adjoining priory ruins, however, belong to English Heritage, and are the town’s main tourist attraction. It housed the erstwhile domestic quarters of the priors of Wenlock Priory and, since the Dissolution in 1540, has remained in private ownership. It lies at the heart of the town, but is usually only visible if you scramble around at the back of the church yard, and peek over the wall. Without doubt this building is the architectural jewel of Much Wenlock. It was the first chance we have had to visit there, and it was done under the auspices of our Civic Society. The smell and amber glow of the wood creates an inviting space, while showcasing a sustainable vision for modern architecture.We followed in the footsteps of long-gone celebrities on our recent, and I have to say, nigglingly exclusive visit to Wenlock Abbey. Visitors can be seen resting in the warmth of the atrium, pondering the extravagant timber structure above. This allowed us to achieve geometrically variable connections with an elegant and cost-effective detail together with the precision required for a glass façade. An early decision was made to standardize the geometry of the hidden steel components and use CNC equipment to shape the timber. Innovation was found in the use of cutting-edge 5-axis Computer Numerical Control (CNC) manufacturing techniques, which at the time had not been realized on timber structures of this scale. What makes this structure remarkable is that the complexity was achieved with timber as the main material, when the standard answer would be steel.Īn array of diagonal 60ft primary Douglas-fir glue laminated timber (glulam) arches sweep across the expansive length of the building, each bowing out with a unique curvature to support a secondary doubly curved glulam grid that in turn supports the glazing panels. This architectural expression became an integral part of the structural solution, entirely exposed to view from both within and outside the gallery. The Dundas street Façade of the Art Gallery of Ontario, designed together with Gehry Partners, has become an iconic part of Toronto’s cultural identity, the face of a large transformation of one of Canada’s most significant art galleries between 20.Īttune with Gehry’s signature works, the façade’s form is complex and doubly curved. ![]()
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