Doors 149 – Blaise Hamlet (part 1)
I have been keen to return to Blaise Hamlet ever since my first and only visit when I first settled in Bristol in the 1990s. More recently, that urge has been amplified by the lock-down as it is a place that can be visited safely and is very local. Finally, I managed to get there a week or two back, and this is the first of two posts featuring the quaint (a word I rarely use) cottages, owned and managed by The National Trust.
Blaise Hamlet was a 19th-century housing project and a part of the Blaise Castle estate. The following description is from The National Trust website:
In 1789, John Scandrett Harford, a well-respected Bristol banker and Quaker, bought the estate for £13,000. In 1795, he commissioned an eminent Bristol architect, William Paty, to build a new house for him and his family. The house is substantial but plain, in keeping with Quaker principles. Harford also invited the leading landscape architect of his day, Humphry Repton, to redesign the grounds. In 1796, Repton went into partnership with John Nash, the architect who is best known for designing the Brighton Pavilion. Repton introduced Nash to Harford who commissioned him to design cottages for the estate.
This week I will introduce you to the first three cottages, which although modernised indoors, have all the original exterior features.
The perfect ‘chocolate box’ hamlet harking back to a time and environment rarely seen in England these days, complete with a village green and water pump. Perfect.
I will conclude this doorscursion next week… Until then may I wish you all a very happy week.
If you have made it this far, you probably like doors, and you really ought to take a look at the No Facilities blog by Dan Anton who has taken over the hosting of Thursday Doors from Norm 2.0 blog. Links to more doorscursions can be found in the comments section of Dan Anton’s Thursday Doors post.
by Scooj
Strangely enough, I was only just recently going through some old transparencies of Blaise Hamlet
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A tranquil spot.
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Haven’t been there for years
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Never heard of that one before.
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A small NT site, worth dropping in if you are in the area.
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Thank you for bringing us along on this interesting tour. I love the bench that’s built onto the building. I don’t think Ive ever seen anything like that before. I also like the doors deep set in the stone entrances.
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The benches are very special, but all part of the quite contrived design.
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A house is a castle.
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I haven’t been there since I was a kid but I reckon I’ll have to go and check it out now . . .
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It only takes five minutes to explore. Only a short detour from LDub.
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Yeah good shout . . .
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I’m really glad that you went on a little trip. These look good enough to eat, if they were made from sweets.
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Agreed.
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First of all, congratulations on being done (or somewhat done) with your busy work schedule and secondly, on getting out and about again. I had to double check to see if it were really you, though, as I didn’t spot any street art or graffiti. 🙂 Love this and that second cottage is such an interesting design.
janet
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Thank you. Yes, I managed to get some ‘proper’ doors, with more to come next week and the following week too I hope.
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Looks like a peaceful spot!
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For sure.
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Out of Lord of the Rings!
Eerie and beautiful in their perfection.
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There is a touch of Hobbiton about them.
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