Fanad is a finger of land that lies between Lough Swilly and Mulroy Bay on the north coast of County Donegal, Ireland. It is not that easy to get to and the the survival of the Irish language is testiment that relative isolation.
Lambing season at Fanad Head (Donegal) SOLD
Fanad Lighhouse (Donegal). Is one of the 12 Great lighthouses of Ireland. It was built in 1886 at Fanad Head (although the station was originally established in 1817). The lighthouse, or more acrrately, the harbour light, marks the entrance into Lough Swilly which forms a natural harbour.
Fanad Lighthouse (Donegal) SOLD
I have painted this isolated structure several times before. I have always enjoyed painting the northernly light on Fanad. I have only have painted it in acrylics. That’s not a delibertae choice, more one of circumstance because at times I have had limited space, and I dont want to use oil paints with kittens close at hand.
Over to Fanad Lighthouse (Donegal) _Emma Cownie SOLD
I think acrylics suit the airiness of the subject matter. After a couple of years working out how to use them, I have settled on a technique of light layers of paint that allow the underlying colour to show through. This can give a transulent quality to the colour. This is in contrast to the relatively flat areas of colous I use for the larger areas of colour such as sky or the sea.
My latest painting was an experiment in composition. We used an image from a drone shot done by my artist husband, Seamas (James Henry Johnson).
In this piece, I wanted to create a sense of space from the mountains of the Inishowen Peninsula in the distance. The distant mountains were layered with bluish white until I got the right impression of distance.
I often find myself looking at the tiny Fanad lighthouse far off in the distance when I am at Lisfannon on the Inishowen Penisula. There is a sign comemorating a famous Atlantic storm that happened in 1748. this storm threatened to sink The Greyhound, the ship of one John Newton, a slave trader. John was so frightened that he called out to God for mercy. This moment marked a profound spiritual conversion, and many years later he wrote the words for the hymn “Amazing Grace” one of my favourite hymns, and to also campaign for the abolition of slavery.
There is some confusion how many storms there were . One website claims the terrible tempset happened far away out in the Atlantic because it took John Newton another four weeks after his conversion to sail into Lough Swilly and arrive at Derry/Londonderry. The Amazing Grace.ie site however, makes it clear a second storm happened in Lough swilly itself as it quotes John’s journal ” We saw the island of Tory and the next day anchored in Lough Swilly in Ireland. This was the 8th day of April, just four weeks after the damage we sustained from the sea. When we came into this port, our very last victuals was boiling in the pot; and before we had been there two hours, the wind began to blow with great violence. If we had continued at sea that night in our shattered condition, we must have gone to the bottom. About this time I began to know that there is a God that hears and answers prayer.” It’s got to be said, that John Newton really took his time putting his evangelical beliefs into action because he went back to being a slave trader for another five years before he eventually retired and became a minister in 1757!
The heaving sea at the foot of the massive lighthouse rock intrigued me. The Atlantic Ocean has such a bulk and stregth, even on a relatively fine day, I am not surprised that John Newton was terrified by its strength far away from the Donegal coast. I wondered about the long and difficult process of building this structure all those years ago in a remote location. Yet, this lighthouse has stood the test of time and proudly marks the entrance to Lough Swilly and can be seen from inland and further along the coast.
I am finding our current very mild weather rather confusing, it doesn’t feel very Christmasy at all although it’s very dark here – it doesn’t start getting light until well after 8.30am. I keep having to check what day Christmas day is too.
My biggest pleasure is my two kittens Flossie and Nellie, whom we have had since they were a tiny 8 weeks old. They were teeny with huge personalities. I used to be able to pick them both up in one hand. I couldn’t get over how small they were. They had been dumped with their brother in a remote carpark in South Donegal when they were 5 weeks old. Thankfully a kind person caught them and took them to the Animal Shelter (Donegal Animals in Need).
They were good travellers (it was dreadful weather the day we fetched them from Donegal Town). When we let them out of their cat carrier they ran and played and played and played for four hours! I wasn’t used to small kittens and was quite taken aback by their energy. They were busy little girls and loved playing.
Flossie – Loo roll for scale
Tiny Nellie
Full of Fun and mischief – always making me laugh
They grew fast and ate loads.“Helping” with the PC
Flossie and Nellie in Derry
Weighing in
We have taken our time getting them settled in (and moving them from Donegal to Derry) and taken our time introducing them to our resident cat, Artimus (Artie). I have followed this method before (see the video links at the end of the post) and I know it works. I just have to be patient. They are all indoor cats so I have to be careful that no one gets too upset as they dont have the outdoor world to retreat to. I have been introducing them one at a time on mini- “play dates”. Artie is a very laid back guy but having been a stray before he came to us, he has some “issues” and I also think he’s been grieving for our last cat Hattie.
Artimus
Anyway, it took about three months in all but I think I can say that we are finally getting along. Artie has been playing with the kittens too.
One cat gang now (the kittens are actually half the size of Artie- the camera makes them look bigger than they really are)
Next job is getting along with the dog, Biddy. Fortunately Artie can put in a good word with her.
Artie and Biddy
So here’s to a happy and peaceful Christmas and a healthy New Year to you all. Thank you for to my customers and for all your comments, likes, clicks and support here and across social media.
I have been suffering from writer’s block. I started this post in March this year. I keep writing, rewriting it and then not publishing it. The problem isn’t that I don’t have any thing to say. It is more that I have too much to say and I didn’t know where to start or how to structure what I want to say. It’s not about paint but thread and wool. I have been on a bit of an artist’s journey. It’s been quite a meander; off my usual painting path. I am not sure if it’s a dead end, another fad.
Sewing materials – wool and floss – such lovely colours!
I discovered that here In the north of ireland it doesn’t start to get light here until after 9 am in the deepest winter and painting light often “goes” by 1 or 2pm. There wasn’t going to be a lot of time for painting. So I decided I needed another creative outlet to persue along side the painting to do in the hours of gloomy light and nights, under artifical light. I thought about sewing.
A certain photo haunted me. I had taken it back in Swansea before we moved over to Ireland. I was going through the exhausting process of sorting through my stuff and deciding what I could keep and what should go. I came across this moth-eaten piece of fabric. It was a piece I made in junior school. I took a photo of it. It’s not well made at all but I liked its carefree style and slightly chaotic composition. The moths had made quite a meal of it. .Those elephants once all had eyes. I enjoyed the bold colours It got me thinking. Embroidery/sewing was something creative I could do under artificlal light.
An Early Cownie Tapestry
So I gave up trying to paint under artifical light in the mornings and evenings. Instead I took up sewing and embroidery. I have always liked the vibrant colours of embroidery floss. However, I found that it occupied my thoughts a lot of the time so much so that it was difficult to concentrate on my day time painting. I suppose the issue was that although I enoyed the action of sewing, I didn’t quite know in which direction to go with what I doing with it. It was slow and time-consuming and what I produced was small-scale. I was also torn between learning and practicing different stitches and what to do with them. Quite possibly this is an conundrum at the heart of all creative endeavours.
That delicate balance between skill and expression. If I make something without much skill it will just be crude and amateurish? If I make something that it is skillful – it may well have less personality and expression. And for that matter, as an artist, how do I feel about possibly straying into the world of “craft”? A world that is largely populated by women and with less status than art?
But what’s the difference between Art and Craft anyway? Good question. Like all lazy writers I looked it up on Google: ” Art is described as an unstructured and open-ended form of work; that expresses emotions, feelings, and vision. Craft denotes a form of work, involving the creation of physical objects, by the use of hands and brain. Art relies on artistic merit whereas craft is based on learned skills and technique.” So I was onto something. If I get too skillful at embroidery I am in danger of verring off into the world of craft. That’s worth bearing in mind although there’s little danger of me becoming too skillful.
Intially I lacked confidence, I collected images in a scrap book and on Pinterest and my early pieces aped people whose work I liked. I spent the winter admiring the work of many textile artists – the ones that come to mind right now are Sue Stone, Mandy Pattullo, Ann Smith (Persimonstudioart) as well as Japanese applique artists Mika Harasa and the incredible Ayako Miyawaki.
Stitch Portrait of Seamas
I was like a child in a sweet shop, verring off in first one direction than another. First I tried to copy the style of Sue Stone for a stitch portrait. I discovered that stitching a face is very much like drawing or painting a face, tiny details matter.
Then a bird inspired by the work of Mandy Pattullo and Ann Smith.
Embroidery bird on a cushion
I wasn’t particularly happying copying other people’s style but I had to start somewhere. I couldn’t decide. The choice was bewildering. Was it line, colour, texture that I liked? Yes, yes, yes. I liked it all! I then tried freestyle style stitching in the hope that it would express my personal style. well, no. It got too chaotic. I enjoyed the mechanical action of sewing by hand. I tried dry felting and although my husband liked the chaos, I didn’t.
Freetyle Stitching
Dry Felting – House on Arranmore, Donegal
I wan’t sure if all this was coming from me or was just a mish mash of other people’s work. I needed a greater sense of control over what I was doing. I had to pause. I decided to rein it all in and try simple stitches again although I often prefered the messy underside of the work. Why is that?
The “wrong side” of the sparrow embroidery
I tried to explore the texture of birds feathers a little more.
Embroidery Robin – unfinished
Finally, I came around to a way of working that seemed to be a decent expression of my work in paint. I started getting where I wanted to go. The ancient and humble chain stitch. Turns out that the chain stitch is one the oldest and most widely known stitches in existence. Examples have been found in Egypt on textiles from Tutankhamun’s tomb, dated to the 14th century BC; on embroideries found in Pazyryk tombs dating from 4th-3rd century BC (excavated in southern Siberia but probably originating in China). I enjoyed it’s texture and it’s ability to fill space with colour.
I started with a semiabstract flower design based on a painting I had done many years ago.
Then I decided to try some Irish scenes. that I had painted. These satisfied me the most.
House on Inishbofin – Emma Cownie
Painting and Embroidery “House on Inishbofin” – Emma Cownie
Chain Stitch Embroidery – House on Gola
Me stitching – observed by my loyal helper cat, Tiffany. Embroidery travels well but pointy scissors and planes dont mix. I had my snippers conviscated!.
The work is maddenly slow but strangely therapeutic. There is something very compulsive about filling the space with colourful stitches. I enjoy running my fingers over the stitches. It also mad me think about what could be simplified into an embroidery an what sort of details could and could not be rendered in chain stitches. Getting the right colour thread was difficult at times. I made mistakes – a brown shadow rather than a bluish one. I tried to be accurate but somes I was forced to compromise, sometimes I just got it wong.
So now I have a small collection of tapestries very fond of in an in formal display in my living room. it’s been an interesting journey but I am not sure if its a cul-de-sac or “Grist-to-the-mill” part of a creative process. Maybe the reall problem is that I discovered that it was difficult to sew by hand under artifical light and the embroidery was competing with painting for useable daylight. It was a joy to return to speedy paint when the light improved. So, embroidery has drifted off into a bit of a back-water for the time being although I still have a couple of projects on the go.
You have may well have seen images of County Sligo, Ireland, without necessarily knowing that’s where it is. It’s home to one of the most poplar views on Social Media. Here’s an example:
C:\Users\emmaf\Downloads\2023-11-23 09_51_34-mullaghmore sligo instagram – Google Search.jpg
It’s quite disconcerting to come across a view that you are very familar with but have never visited in person before. It’s sort of like a celebrity view. I experienced a strange sense of fracture when we rounded the corner in the road and saw it. It was impressive sight but our photographs were not half as good as other people’s, presumably taken with zoom lens under different light/weather conditions.
Mullaghmore Head, Sligo
You can see fine views of the magnificent Dartry Mountains from Mallaghmore Beach too.
View of the Dartry Mountains from Mullaghmore, Sligo
View of Ben Bullen from Mullaghmore, Sligo
The ever changing light meant that we ended up exploring the area of Sligo near Benwhiskin (also spelt Benwiskin). It’s like a wonderful witched hat, knocked askew. I have never seen a peak like it! It’s particularly distinctive as the surrounding moutains are flat topped. They reminded me of the Antrim Plateau in Northern Ireland. Like cousins.
Here’s a panning shot of the Dartry Mountains done by Seamas, my husband, and his drone. The distinctive peak of Benwiskin can be seen at the end.
Here are my two paintings of Benwiskin; the first is in acrylics.
It’s noticeable that the light is different from Donegal light, its softer, slightly yellower. The sense of the place is that life isn’t as quite tough as it is in Donegal (I’m thinking of the winter and the gales).
I was delighted to see my two Donegal paintings “Up Bloody Foreland, Donegal” and “The through Road, Donegal” on the walls of the London Irish Centre (Camden, London).
These two oil paintings form part of a “real room” of an Irish family in 1950s Britain installation. The exhibition, which is on during August through to October, pulls together a dynamic collection of prints, photographs, paintings, and writings that weave together the different threads of ‘Home’ for Irish Immigrants to London. This has been organised Tara Griffin, who is Education and Heritage Officer at the London Irish Centre, in conjunction with the Museum of the Home. It looks fascinating and I hope my paintings bought happy reminders of home to visitors to the centre. My work has been described as nostalgic by by some and I am interested in capturing a vanishing Ireland of the not too distant past. I just wish I could have visited in person!
Donegal is a big mountaneous county in a big country. Imagine my shock when I discover that it’s only the 4th largest in Ireland (after Cork, Galway and Mayo) at 4,860 km2 (1,880 sq miles). It seems even bigger as there is no railway or motorways here, so it takes a long time to travel around all the mountains. One of joys of the county is that it’s relatively empty (the 5th least populated in Ireland) with 32.6 people per km2.
There is also a lot of coastline and the landscape varies from remote mountain bogland, rocky shores to lush rolling farmland in the east. Here are three small paintings I have completed recently that reflect some of this diversity.
The first painting is the furthest north – Malin on the Inishowen Peninsula. This peninsula is the furthest north in Ireland – Malin Head is represented by the red star nearest the top of the map above. It is further north than any part of Northern Ireland! This causes a lot of confusion for my parents who have never been to Ireland despite the fact that my father’s grandparents were from Cork.
The wee House at Malin is a cave, where folklore has it that no matter how many people enter it will hold all. It predates a monastic foundation and Holy Well. The cave and holy well were originally associated with the belief in the sanctity of water and local tradition states that the original foundation was built to exorcise evil from the area. The “Saint” venerated was St. Muirdhealach. He supposedly blessed the well (located in a cavern underneath the large rock directly in front of the ruins of the church).
The second is a view from Arranmore, the largest of the many islands off the coast of Donegal. This is represented by the red star furthest to the left/west on the map above.
And finally Muckish Mountain which lies further inland in West Donegal. I notice Muckish isn’t always included in Tourist maps (like the one bolow which has a red triangle for near by Errigal), yet its distinctive flat backed shape can see seen from Arranmore in the far west and even Carrigans in the far East of Donegal.
There’s a good reason why landscape painters use the “landscape” orientation for their canvases – i.e. the longest side is horizontal – and that’s because you can fit more landscape in that way. I have recently discovered another good reason – social media and wordpress thumbnails don’t like tall narrow paintings and will automatically crop them. This one-size fits all is especially irritating in the case of my most recent painting below, as the thumbnail cuts out the focus of the painting – Con Herron’s farm at the foot of the massive hill – Scraigs, which is part of the Bluestack Mountain range in Donegal.
So looking at the thumbnail you just see the top of the mountain! I am pretty sure than no one will be clicking on that to see the full size image. It’s no better on pinterest!
Top of the moutain – Thumbnail
So I have had to play around and put the image on a backing to widen it.
Scraigs, Fintown – extra background added on Canva.com
I also use mock up software (from Canvy.com) to get a sense of the scale of the painting.
Mock up from Canvy.com
Another Mock up from Canvy.com
Map of Scraigs and Bluestacks – ignore the red route. Fintown is at the top of the map.
I often look at the rocky tops of the mountains and hills in Donegal and wonder how often, if ever, they are climbed by people. The farmers in the past must have been incredibly fit (modern day ones surely use quad bikes) as I am often surprise to see fencing winding its way over the top of these craigs. I look up the Scraigs on the internet and find that it features on a website called “Mudsandroutes.com” with a summit map but no one has yet written a review of their climb. So I suppose intrepid climbers must ascended that craggy summit but probably not from this angle! There seems to be an easier route from the western side.
Herron’s Farm, Fintown Donegal-Emma Cownie
If you ever get the chance to read the “Tales from the Bluestacks” or “The Hills: More Stories from the Bluestacks” a collection of short stories published in the 1980s by American academic-turned sheep farmer Robert Bernen, they are well worth the effort. He and his wife lived in the Croaghs in the 1970s. I grew up in the 1970s and 1980s so it doesn’t seem so long ago to me but his stories, such as the coming of motor vehicles and later on electricity to the area, reveal a way of life that has now pretty much vanished. I like to think that 92 year old Con Herron, whose farm lies that the bottom of my painting, was part of that world.
Read Irish Times article on Robert Bernen and farming life in the Blustacks here – worth it for the photgraphs of the interiors of the irish houses alone!
It seems like certain styles never go out of fashion. Last year Georgian-style houses topped a poll of the most popular home styles. I suspect that people like scale of the house as well as the the pillars and generous sized windows. Nothing says lord of the manor like a couple of pillars!
Georgian-Style New Build
Location of Derry-Londonderry
Some of the best examples of Georgian architecture can be found in the biggest cities of 18th century such as Edinburgh, Bath and Dublin and London, and to a lesser extent York and Bristol. Dublin in particular is famous for its very grand Georgian doorways and square. There are plenty of examples of Georgian buildings in other Irish cities such as Limerick, Cork, Galway, Derry and Belfast.
I have been delighted to discover that Derry has plenty of its own Geogian-style doorways, if you know where to look for them. Like many cities, Derry has been rebuilt and remodelled by successive generations but it’s Georgian architectural past survives in several places.
Not sure what Georgian era is? Think Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” with the ladies wearing Empire Line dresses and Gentlemen in breaches in tall hats. There were four kings called George who lived and reigned from 1714-1837. Its is also sometimes known as Regency era, after George Prince Regent, who took over the crown from his father George III, who expereience prolonged bouts of madness.
Derry’s Georgian-style building fall into two groups. The first were built within the walled city in the 18th century, in the Georgian era. There was also a later burst of building in the first half of the 19th century, outside the city walls, that continued in the Georgian style of building.
Generally speaking the Georgian-style of architecture is marked by symmetry and proportions based on the classical architecture of Greece and Rome, as revived in Renaissance architecture. They were designed using the “golden ratio,” a mathematical ratio that’s commonly found in nature and fine art. Buildings designed with the golden ratio in mind have graceful proportions, balance, and symmetry.
Golden Ratio in Beautifully Proportioned Classical Georgian-Architecture
Ornament is also normally in the classical tradition, but typically restrained, and sometimes almost completely absent on the exterior; hence an unfussy appearance.
Home of George Berkeley, the Philosopher who was Dean of Derry in 1723-5 (and later a slave owner) – classic Georgian architecture in action.
Location of Georgain Style Buildings (also Conservation Area)
Georgian Buildings within the Walled City
Derry-Londonderry is the only completely walled city in Ireland and one of the finest in Europe. The buildings within the walled city were largely rebuilt in the 18th century and many of its fine Georgian-style houses still survive there. The population of the city was growing fast, from about 2,850 in to 1706 to over 9,000 at the end of the century. This area, when first built, would have been for houses of the well-to-do Protestant merchants of the city. These men would have been involved in the export and import of goods such as linen and agricultural produce in the city through the nearby area of the quay. In 1699 the English parliament banned the export of woollen goods from Ireland. This was to protect to English woollen trade and so farmers and the merchants of Ulster concentrated instead on Linen. Thus, from about 1750 a thriving linen industry grew up in Derry.
View of Derry and its new bridge in early 19th Century: From Discover Derry
Derry was quite an important port in Ireland at that time (it was the 5th biggest in Ireland). Derry’s trade with Britain was growing fast at this time. It also traded linen cloth with North America (principally to Pennslyvannia) and the West Indies. Derry was also one of the most important emirgration ports to North America. Yet, until the end of the 18th century, there was only a ferry across the River Foyle. In 1789-91 a wooden bridge was built, largely at the behest of Bishop Hervey (Church of Ireland). Contrary to the claims of the bishop’s critics, who said the widely-travelled Hervey only wanted a bridge for his own covenience; the new bridge greatly boosted trade and industry in Derry.
Types of Georgian Town houses
Broadly speaking, the surviving Georgian houses within the walled city are located in two areas; along Shipquay Street, which leads down from the Diamond towards the Foyle and the old quayside, and also in the area around St Columb’s Cathedral.
The defining characteristic of a Georgian house is symmetry. I like the style of these spacious terrace houses. I find the clean lines of the tall buildings very pleasing. I particularly enjoy the columns either side of the doorways, echoing the Greek and Roman temples that inspired their design. I also like the generously wide panelled wooden doorways, sometimes painted in bright colours; but usually in black or red. The original door knockers and bell-pulls some time survive too.
A Geogian doorway on Shipquay Street built c. 1760 – 1779 (with steps)
There were cellars and attics for servants to live in. The family usually lived on the first and second floors, with perhaps a business office on the ground floor.
Very grand house on Shipquay Street – you can see the ground floor accomodation under the steps built c. 1760 – 1779
A special treat are the arched fanlight windows above the doors – many houses have lost them but these on London Street, opposite the Cathedral still have theirs.
Georgian doors Of Derry: London Street built c. 1800 – 1819
Some of the doorways are relatively simple, with plaster or precast concrete or stone surround and steps.
Georgian Doors of Derry, London Street
Georgian Doors of Derry, London Street built c. 1800 – 1819
You can see the scale of these Georgian houses on Pump Street
Some of the doors are very grand even if they have fallen in disrepair. This one is in Pump Street. For a city with a housing shortage there is a surprising number of vacant properties in the city.
Georgian Doors of Derry, Pump Street built c. 1820 – 1839 – Old Convent of Mercy
17th century Shipquay Street: From John Hume’s “Derry Beyond the Walls”
Green Doors of Derry
Georgian-style buildings outside the walled city
In the early-Victorian Derry’s economic and population boom went from strength to strength. In 1821, at the time of the first Irish census, Derry had a population of 9,313. It grew rapidly during the 19th century and had reached a population of 40,000 by its end. This population boom resulted a Catholic ghetto outside the city walls in an area that wouls later become known as the Bogside. Its also lead to a more formal expansion of the city with the laying out of new streets along a geometric pattern, to the north-west of the walled city. This grid pattern echoed the layout of the streets within the walls.
Map of Derry-Londonderry
These new streets included Queen Street, Great James Street and Clarendon Street. Although this was the Victorain era, these town houses were built in the Georgian style. A Gazetteer of 1844 noted that there were several “good streets, which contain merchants residences” and the newly built Great James Street which included a Presbyterian meeting house. This new part of town was now deemed “respectable”!
Clarendon Street was street was originally known as Ponsonby Street; named after the Rt. Rev. Richard Ponsonby (1772-1853), Bishop of Derry and Raphoe, however by the 1850s the street had been renamed Clarendon Street in honour of the Fourth Earl of Clarendon, George Villiers (1800-1870), Lord Lieutenant of Ireland between 1847 and 1852. Throughout its history the occupants of Clarendon Street were of the city’s merchant and professional classes. Several grand terraces were built within relatively dense, urban street patterns, many with rear mews and yards accessed by back alleys.
The Red Doors of Derry
It should be noted that these fine “gentleman’s” houses were for the Protestant business (largely Presbyterian) community. The Catholic inhabitants of the city were largely confined to the overcrowded Bogside. Many of the worst houses they loved in have gone now. Piecemeal slum clearance was followed by largescale urban redevelopment in the 1960s and 1970s. Some of that development has gone now too.
A greater degree of ornamentation is found on the gentleman’s houses on Clarendon Street which have a lot of detail on their wooden surrounds, some on Queen Street have inset stone pillars. The impressive nature of these wealthier houses is enhanced by the steps up to the front doors and the decorative railings (see above photo).
Georgian-Style Doorways of Derry: Great James Street –
Georgian doors Of Derry: Princes Street
The city and its surrounding area is choc-a-block with heritage and history – both ancient and very recent. It’s what I love about the place; the that fact there is so much history here and that its preserved and commenorated. Derry as it exists today is an interesting hybrid of very old and modern buildings. Ideas about Conservation seem to have evolved slowly. Concerns of the city planners in the early 1970s seem to focused on preserving the character the walled city alone. In 1974 part of the walled city was chosen as one of four schemes for European Architectural Heritage Year and a co-ordinated repainting scheme for London Street was been carried out. However, some old buildings were demolished to build new shopping centres in the walled city. It is also noticeable that some of the buildings that feature in a report of 1977, namely the Old Convent of Mercy (see photo above) and the more modern Austin’s Department store are both vacant and have fallen into disrepair. It is probably testament to the lack of investment in the city.
In the follow year, 1978, Clarendon Street was included in to conservation area and many of its buildings were listed and this was extended in 2006. This has been a great success. Clarendon Street is well-preserved and a thriving business distict; home to many dentists, solictors and other professionals. There are only a few empty properties here. I would argue that more buildings in the Conservation Area should be listed to give legal protect architectural features such as windows frames proportions, wooden doors and pillars their surrounds. There are a few houses in the surrounding streets that have had their door replaced with white PVC doors, with original features lost forever. This piece-meal destruction of the character of this unique part of the city needs to be halted and reversed. The heritage of the city is both vibrant and unique and deserved to be cherished and protected. After all it is everyone’s favourite type of architecture.
Map of Conservation Area (Listed buildings in yellow)
