Tag: Montpelier

Thursday doors – 26 March 2020

Doors 99 – Dog walk doors

What a week. This is my first Thursday doors post since the lock down was imposed in the UK, and it is a very unsettling and confusing time for us all. Under our rules we are allowed one outing a day for personal exercise, provided we follow all the social distancing rules.

I am alternating my exercise of choice between working on the allotment and walking the dog (in my wildest dreams I never thought that the dog would offer me the means of temporary escape from ‘house arrest’). Yesterday we took a walk down to Stokes Croft and Montpelier and, never one to pass up an opportunity, I photographed some doors.

Just in case you thought this might be irresponsible, I kept my distance from the few people that were out (mostly, like me, exercising in some way), and carried out all the necessary hand washes before leaving and on return home. One observation was that I saw more homeless people on the streets than I saw homed people… I worry about their fate, a group already likely to be more prone to sickness and with nowhere to go to keep clean.

So here are some doors from my exercise dog walk:

Green gates, Montpelier, Bristol, March 2020
Green gates, Montpelier, Bristol, March 2020
Pink door, Montpelier, Bristol, March 2020
Pink door, Montpelier, Bristol, March 2020
Two doors and a tiled entrance, Cheltenham Road, Bristol, March 2020
Two doors and a tiled entrance, Cheltenham Road, Bristol, March 2020
Garden gate, Ashley Road, Bristol, March 2020
Garden gate, Ashley Road, Bristol, March 2020
Solicitor's door, Stokes Croft, Bristol, March 2020
Solicitor’s door, Stokes Croft, Bristol, March 2020

 

Well that’s it for this extraordinary week during an extraordinary period in all our lives.

If you have made it this far, you probably like doors and you ought to take a look at the Norm 2.0 blog – the originator of Thursday Doors where there are links to yet more doors in the comments section at the end.

by Scooj

Thursday doors – 6 February 2020

Doors 95 – Charley Box

I was wandering around Montpelier (Bristol) recently hunting down a specific piece of street art that I wanted to photograph (it’s actually on the right hand end wall of this building). My eye was drawn to this rather lovely door and then to the plaque above it. The cell behind the door is known as Charley’s box.

Charley Box plaque, Montpelier, Bristol, February 2020
Charley Box plaque, Montpelier, Bristol, February 2020

Before 1836 there was no police force in Bristol, so until some kind of law and order was formally established Montpelier employed its own nightwatchman called Charley (I’m not sure I believe this). Charley had the powers of arrest and would grab unruly citizens and chuck them into this cell overnight until a sobering trip to the magistrates the following morning. I believe the building is now privately owned but the original door appears to still be there, which is lucky for this post.

Charley Box door, Montpelier, Bristol, February 2020
Charley Box door, Montpelier, Bristol, February 2020

So only the one door this week – I have been rather busy I’m afraid.

If you like doors, you ought to take a look at the Norm 2.0 blog – the originator of Thursday Doors where there are links to yet more doors in the comments section at the end.

by Scooj

2026. Mina Road (3)

OK, so I’m cheating a little bit. Some of you might have seen this piece in my Thursday Doors post last week, but it is deserving of a mention in my street art section too. A ‘belt and braces’ approach to sharing this one.

Face 1st and Soap, Mina Road, Bristol, February 2019
Face 1st and Soap, Mina Road, Bristol, February 2019

It is, of course, a collaboration between PWA members Soap and Face 1st and has such a charming quality to it. Add to that the location on some kind of municipal building behind a secured gate and you have all the makings of great urban street art.

Face 1st and Soap, Mina Road, Bristol, February 2019
Face 1st and Soap, Mina Road, Bristol, February 2019

I can’t quite figure it out, but there is something about the balance of the piece and the space it occupies that makes this a real winner for me.

 

 

Thursday doors

Door 40

Door, Montpelier, Bristol
Door, Montpelier, Bristol

I saw this door yesterday, while on a short walkabout looking for (yes…predictably) street art. The door is situated at the bottom end of a walled garden belonging to a house called Field House – the words can just about be seen engraved into the keystone at the top of the arch. That was all I knew about the place, so I set to work…thank you Interweb.

Door, Montpelier, Bristol
Door, Montpelier, Bristol

The House, which is Grade II listed, was built in the early part of the 19th century, and when it was first built, there was not much in the way of other buildings in the immediate vacinity.

Field House, Montpelier 1828
Field House, Montpelier 1828

You can see Field House in the map above appearing as a square in the centre of the picture – the garden is still intact today.

Field House, Montpelier, 1855
Field House, Montpelier, 1855

Not an awful lot has changed by 1855, but the map is a little bit more detailed. There is a small outbuilding in the bottom corner of the garden.

Field House, Montpelier, 1880s
Field House, Montpelier, 1880s

By the 1880s there is a major change and many new houses have appeared, especially to the north of Field House. Urbanisation, population growth and the impacts of the industrial revolution will all have contributed to the spread of housing in the city.

Field House, Montpelier, 1900s
Field House, Montpelier, 1900s

By the 1900s the area had become swamped by the growth of the city, however, the walled garden has remained and is a small oasis and time capsule of how things were.

I took a peek through the door and the garden is no longer a grand garden with organised flowerbeds, but is laid out as a split level lawn…looking very yellow due to the lack of rain with one or two trees. The outbuilding is no longer there.

Great to understand a little more about what lies behind a door.

by Scooj

More doors at: Thursday Doors – Norm 2.0

 

1301. Old Ashley Hill

I have driven past this piece dozens of times and caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of my eye, but parking is tricky. Finally I found some time to double park, nip out and take these pictures.

Decay, Old Ashley Hill, Bristol, January 2018
Decay, Old Ashley Hill, Bristol, January 2018

It is a wonderful piece by Decay and one that is likely to be around for some time as it looks like a private commisssion. Many of his pieces, particularly in the centre of town get oversprayed, so it is nice to have a spot where it will be around for a while.

Decay, Old Ashley Hill, Bristol, January 2018
Decay, Old Ashley Hill, Bristol, January 2018

Decay is the master of these abstract designs and his work is easy to identify due to its distinctive shapes and use of the colours red, white, grey and black. This one is a stunner.

665. Picton Street (2)

This is another photograph that goes back a fair old way, but I am glad to say the building has remained unaltered. This is what the front of a house looks like when the owner is a hugely talented designer…I am of course referring to Alex Lucas whose pieces can be found all around the Montpelier area of Bristol.

Alex Lucas, Picton Street, Bristol, March 2016
Alex Lucas, Picton Street, Bristol, March 2016

The building, which doubles up as a little shop, is a famous landmark in Montpelier and features dozens of floral patterns and little birds. It is reminiscent of Victorian wallpaper, with a modern twist. I have just noticed that there appears to be a ghost of ‘Smilie’ in the reflection of the window…or maybe I am just seeing things.

Alex Lucas, Picton Street, Bristol, March 2016
Alex Lucas, Picton Street, Bristol, March 2016

575. St Andrews Road (1)

Recently I posted the iconic Bristol work by Rowdy and Sweet Toof on the top levels of the Carriageworks in Stokes Croft. Sweet Toof, although his early history is not clear, either came from, or spent some time in Bristol. There is quite a lot of work dotted around the city, all of it bearing the hallmark pink gums and teeth.

Sweet Toof, St Andrews Road, Bristol, January 2017
Sweet Toof, St Andrews Road, Bristol, January 2017

This piece is a small one on a garage door tucked away in Montpelier. His work is so unique, and slightly weird if I am honest. I thoroughly recommend a look at his Instagram account to see how versatile he is in the way he applies his themed approach. I will hunt down some more of his work. All good fun stuff.

549. York Road (1)

There are rewards to be had when making the effort to walk just that little bit further, or turn down a street you’ve not been down before. My reward recently for doing this was to come across this beautiful mural on the front of a small terraced house in Montpelier.

Alex Lucas, York Road, Bristol, December 2016
Alex Lucas, York Road, Bristol, December 2016
Of course it is by the unmistakable Alex Lucas, who really has stamped her mark all over the area, and added to it’s boho atmosphere. The floral designs are bold and colourful, but for me it is always the little animal characters that I find most enchanting.

Alex Lucas, York Road, Bristol, December 2016
Alex Lucas, York Road, Bristol, December 2016
There is a mouse ringing the doorbell, probably paying a visit and another mouse perched above the door. Perhaps my favourite of these though is the frog slumped on a brick ledge above the basement well.

Alex Lucas, York Road, Bristol, December 2016
Alex Lucas, York Road, Bristol, December 2016
A fantastic work by a brilliant artist/designer. Should you find yourself in Montpelier, it is well worth a visit.

451. Picton Mews

Deep in the heart of Montpelier (Alex Lucas land) there is a recent, and rather small, addition to the street art landscape. A hare and a purple baloon, which might be a reference to her work with the Ribena Colouring Cafe in Covent Garden.

Alex Lucas, Picton Mews, Bristol, September 2016
Alex Lucas, Picton Mews, Bristol, September 2016
It has been a while since I have seen any of her new work, but as one of Bristol’s most in-demand artist/designer/street artists, I guess she has less time for pieces like this. I like this very much. It is playful and very slightly anarchic, but beautifully done. It would be great to see more of Alex’s work around the place to brighten up our days.

Alex Lucas, Picton Mews, Bristol, September 2016
Alex Lucas, Picton Mews, Bristol, September 2016

303. St Andrew’s Road

There are times when you think you know it all, or perhaps I shouldn’t judge…I’ll start again. There are times when I think I know it all (just ask my children), and I thought I pretty much knew where to find all the best places for graffiti and street art are. Writing this blog has shown me how utterly wrong I am. There I’ve said it.

Two dear friends of mine walked home with me a few weeks back, and were terribly polite by showing interest in my rather overbearing desire to tell them all about every piece of art we walked past. Who painted it, when they did it, what was there before, where you might find more of their work, who they collaborate with…and so on…oh my goodness they must have been very bored. They didn’t show it though, they are friends after all.

During our conversation, they asked whether I knew about the Alex Lucas bats piece by Montpelier Park. No I hadn’t. So they took me there straight away, and what a gift.

Alex Lucas, St Andrew's Road, Bristol, March 2016
Alex Lucas, St Andrew’s Road, Bristol, March 2016

This beautiful work by Lucas adorns a small council tool shed on the edge of the park. The bats are so typical of her superb illustrations and so full of character. To top it off she has added a quotation by Gilbert White one of the early and pioneering English naturalists in the eighteenth century and author of Natural History and Antiques of Selborne, a book given to me by my late step father when I was a boy.

Alex Lucas, St Andrew's Road, Bristol, March 2016
Alex Lucas, St Andrew’s Road, Bristol, March 2016

I like everything about this Lucas work. Where it is, the colours, the illustrations, the quotation, the fun of bats ‘playing’, the obvious love for nature, everything.

So I concede I really don’t know where all the street art in Bristol is, and I will be forever grateful to Jon and Jane for pointing this jewel out to me.