Terraced Housing in Stroud

I haven't cropped this picture, despite the annoying cars and TMI on the left, because I wanted to show what we in the UK call "terraced housing" that is, where houses are joined together in a strip or row. These ones were built after 1800, but I could not say when, as they fall just outside the boundary of the Field Estate in Stroud, which has been researched.

My sister TMLHereandThere, who used to live in Bahrain, commented that if you showed this picture to a child who had grown up in Bahrain, he or she would assume that all these dwellings belonged to one owner! No, there are four households here, though the door on the far right is harder to spot. The family on the left still have their paper snowflake decorations in the window.

To the right of the terrace is the cut/narrow road up to Churchfield Road, which I take on my way home to my 1930s house. Ours is a 2 storey house made of brick and render: not as striking as these! I used to really, really want to live in a Victorian redbrick house, and even went to look at one in this terrace, but the staircases are so narrow, and in Stroud the floors all slope, and I'd done that running up and down stairs thing for 2 years in a rented Victorian terraced property, so we bought an ex-council/local authority house with a view and a larger garden.

These red brick houses stand out because nearly all the other houses in this road up to this point are detached houses/villas. From here on in, the road curves downhill and the housing stock varies considerably, though the opposite side of the road is still home to large houses in extensive grounds. Some of these have been divided/converted into modern day private houses on a miniature estate.

As for me: first day back after half term. Antarctica was sprayed with snow by some of the students, and the snow proved rather tenacious. Some staff would not be happy if paper snow were to be trampled inside. Fair enough. I shall wait until it rains and the snow gets soggier and less likely to fly everywhere, until taking some of the students out to explore the ice shelf. I also volunteered to make cardboard birds. Skua, albatross, and stormy petrel, to be precise. Curious, as I do not know which part of me is up for this challenge, or even knows where to begin! Might need to call on my artistic neighbour...

All together now: Mr Blue Sky

The Cazalet Chronicles broadcast started again on radio 4. WWII has just been declared. I'm also listening to A History of Private Life (another production for Radio 4, not the Bill Bryson book) and I am happy to be learning about the customs and beliefs of our forebears.