A quick one today, as I will be in an all-day meeting in London. This post was prepared last night. To make things easier on myself, I am recycling doors that have already appeared on Natural Adventures in my street art posts. I hope you enjoy this selection from February to May 2022:
Zake, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2022Pelmo, Lucky Lane, Bristol, April 2022
OK, so this is not a door, but it had once been a garage entrance, so it counts as a ghost door
Hazard, Ashley Court, Bristol, February 2022Awkward, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2022Kosc, Picton Lane, Bristol, April 2022Kosc, Picton Lane, Bristol, April 2022Willl Cross, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
This stunning piece isn’t painted on a door, but in a ghost window – I felt it was worth sharing anyway.
My Dog Sighs, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022Karl Read, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022Taboo, North Street, Bristol, May 2022Hazard, High Street, Bristol, May 2022
There is a ghost door at the top of the steps.
Ant Carver, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022Ant Carver, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022Sled One and 3Dom, The Carriageworks, Bristol, May 2022
These ghost doors, above, were once magnificent gateways for the Bristol tram system, long since gone and very much missed. The original doors were then converted to windows, except for the middle one of five and then eventually they were all bricked up when the building was vacated, and remained that way for decades.
That’s it for another week. I hope I get time to complete my Croatia doors next time. May I wish you all a wonderful weekend ahead’
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.
You might be pleased to hear that this is the penultimate collection of doors from a family trip to Croatia last August. I have certainly managed to stretch this one out, which has meant there has been less pressure on me to photograph doors closer to home. Time to get out and about…
These doors are from Pula, a city heavily influenced by its Italian neighbour to the north, so much so that shops are bilingually branded and people speak both languages.
So here are the doors:
Fine ghost door, Pula, Croatia, August 2022Rusty iron doors, Pula, Croatia, August 2022Fancy villa green gate door, Pula, Croatia, August 2022New door in a doorway with history, Pula, Croatia, August 2022Nice geometry to this black door, Pula, Croatia, August 2022Beautiful iron work on these doors, Pula, Croatia, August 2022
So that’s it for this week – may I wish you a happy wekend.
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.
Finding my way home through the depths of Montpelier, I came across this stunning front door painted by Alex Lucas. Of course, such a feature shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise in this area, as Alex Lucas is the ‘Queen of Montpelier’, which is the epicentre of her work.
Alex Lucas, Montpelier, Bristol, February 2023
In this piece, two cats are interacting with one another, one above the other, cleverly following the portrait aspect of the door. The space around the cats is occupied with decorative ribbons and flowers. Who wouldn’t want a stunning personalised front door like this? The door and the artwork is so very ‘Montpelier’ if you get my drift. Brilliant.
Doors 212 – A selection of doors from Greenbank in Bristol
I am taking a little bit of a break from Croatia doors this week, to share some doors from an area in Bristol called Greenbank, which is perhaps best known for its large cemetery. It would appear that this residential area of terraced houses has a distinct and tight community. Every time I walk around the area, there are always neighbours stopping for a chat, and the people here smile and are friendly.
The community spirit overflows and is reflected in themed front doors and tiny front gardens, and I get a real sense of pride in their neighbourhood, which is a heart-warming thing to see.
No more chat from me… here are the doors:
“Seen better days” garage doors, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2023Yellow door with cats on the cornice, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2023Green door with a bottle on the cornice, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2023Green door with dragons and a lump hammer on the cornice, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2023Yellow door with a dodo and planters on the cornice, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2023Plain white door with remains of a fancy surround, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2023
So that’s about it for this week, from a cols and unusually snowy Bristol. May I wish you a great rest of week and weekend.
I am in a terrible rush this morning. I am on a site visit with work to a beautiful National Nature Reserve and have to rush to breakfast or I might get left behind. As this is my sixth post of Croatian doors, I don’t feel I have to do too much introduction.
I hope you enjoy this selection:
Corporate city doors, Pula, Croatia, August 2023Rusty old door, Pula, Croatia, August 2023Beware of the dog door, Pula, Croatia, August 20231874 doorway and wooden doors, Pula, Croatia, August 2023Old wooden doors, Pula, Croatia, August 2023Pretty wooden door, Pula, Croatia, August 2023Red diamond door, Pula, Croatia, August 2023Pretty wooden door, Pula, Croatia, August 2023
May I wish you all a very pleasant weekend.
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.
A return to some doors of Pula, the largest city in the Istrian Peninsula and seventh largest in Croatia. These doors were photographed on our family summer holiday in August 2022. I long to be back there.
Ornate stonework and iron gate, Pula, Croatia, August 2023
Door within a door, Pula, Croatia, August 2023
Ghost door with ‘rope’ stonework surround, Pula, Croatia, August 2023
Ornate double door, Pula, Croatia, August 2023
Blue double door, Pula, Croatia, August 2023
Art Nouveau style door, Pula, Croatia, August 2023
I have a busy day today, so this is a short one. Have a great weekend wherever you are.
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.
Doors 209 – Doors of Westminster with blue plaques
I am having a break from Croatia doors today, but will return to them next time.
I had a meeting in Westminster last week, and as always when I am there I took a few door photographs (some might say I am obsessive, I prefer to think that I am curious and interested). When I was downloading the pictures, I noticed that there were a few blue plaques adjacent to the doors and decided to do a themed set of doors this week.
Front door, 55 Tufton Street, Westminster, February 2023
I start with a notorious building, 55 Tufton Street, which is the geographical hub for a raft of right wing “think tanks”. I have stressed the name think tank, because it is a term used to give some kind of credibility to organisations with strong agendas who disproportionately influence government policy. These organisations, such as the Taxpayer’s Alliance, the Centre for Policy Studies, Institute for Economic Affairs, The Free Market Forum, the Global Warming Policy Foundation (climate change denial group) and the Adam Smith Institute, are not remotely transparent and their funding cloaked in secrecy and yet they have extraordinary power over our right wing politicians. 55 Tufton Street is known as the birthplace of Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng’s disastrous mini-budget that crashed the economy.
So what does this have to do with blue plaques? Well, a left-leaning campaigning organisation called “Led by Donkeys” pulled off a stunt about 4 months ago in which they erected an enormous blue plaque on the front of the building stating “The UK Economy was Crashed Here”, and they filmed the whole thing, describing what happens behind the doors of 55 Tufton Street and the influence it has over our current Tory Government. You can watch the YouTube video here, and if you are interested in UK politics I cannot recommend it enough.
Other blue plaque doors I encountered follow:
Black front door, Sir John Gielgud blue Plaque, Westminster, February 2023
This one was the home of Sir John Gielgud, one of our great actors and luvvy, whose acting career spanned 70 years. I once named a fish (a tilapia) after him.
Black front door, Lord Reith blue Plaque, Westminster, February 2023
This next place was the home of The Lord Reith, who established the tradition of independent public service broadcasting in the UK
Black front door, TE Lawrence blue Plaque, Westminster, February 2023
Finally this building was the home of TE Lawrence, known as Lawrence of Arabia, who was played by the magnificent Peter O’Toole in the film of the same name.
Lots of links and reading in this post for those with the time, and some nice pictures for those with less time. May I wish you all a wonderful weekend ahead.
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.
I first became aware of Cartoonneros when he painted a Kurt Cobain piece in Dean Lane in February 2019. I followed him on Instagram and have been intrigued by his work ever since. It is quite unlike anything we tend to see in Bristol, and although on first inspection it looks a bit untidy, his work is always really creative and imaginative.
Cartoonneros, Moon Street, Bristol, February 2023
His decision to paint in Moon Street was a good one, as this little alleyway, my favourite spot in Bristol, which is suffering slightly from neglect, is in need of some TLC from artists.
Cartoonneros, Moon Street, Bristol, February 2023
This stencil is a fabulous take on the iconic Rene Magritte “Ceci n’est pas une pipe” painting, but instead with the words “Este no es un stemal”, which literally translates as this is not a stem, although I guess stemal means pipe. Great stuff from Cartoonneros here in Bristol. He will be welcome here anytime.
The next instalment of doors from our family trip to Croatia last August. Before leaving Zaton, we took a trip to the Krka National Park, which even though crowded was spectacular, and the boardwalk through the woods and waterways will remain long in my memory. The first door this week was in the park on a small out building and had been coated in stickers. It felt like this was the one place in the entire park where people could express their subversive selves, and it made me laugh.
Door in Krka National Park, Croatia, August 2022
Our next destination was Pula where we spent a few nights, and I have to say that this city was the highlight of my holiday. Probably because the Italian influence in the Istrian Peninsula is very strong. Italian is spoken, the city feels like a suburb of Rome, shops have bilingual signage, and the Roman ruins are to die for. Here is a small selection of ancient and less ancient doors/doorways, with a promise of more to come soon:
Pula Amphitheatre arches and tourist entrance door, Pula, Croatia, August 2022
Old door with heavy balcony, Pula, Croatia, August 2022
Temple of Augustus, Pula, Croatia, August 2022
Arch of the Sergii, Pula, Croatia, August 2022
Blue-grey door, Pula, Croatia, August 2022
Time has caught up with me and cut my commentary a little short (mercifully, perhaps). I will have more for you next 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.
This week, I return to doors of Croatia, after a week of absence skiing in the French Alps (I thought I’d just slip that in). These doors are from the magnificent city of Zadar, at one time an immensely important trading port in the Adriatic, and its former affluence is very impressive indeed. I would thoroughly recommend it as a place to see if you choose to visit Croatia. So, no more flim flam, here are the doors:
Land Gate to the city, Zadar, Croatia, August 2022
The Land Gate, as it is known, is an impressive entrance to the old city, which has very thick fortified walls. You will note the strong Venetian influence with the lion of Saint Mark over the archway.
Gateway, Zadar, Croatia, August 2022Slim door, Zadar, Croatia, August 2022Door with stone surround and arch, Zadar, Croatia, August 2022Ancient doorway with less ancient door, Zadar, Croatia, August 2022
I am enjoying reliving our family holiday to Croatia in August 2022 through these pictures. Next up, I will take you to the city of Pula on the southern tip of the Istrian Peninsula.
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.
Natural adventures 