Mote House, in Mote Park

Well, the weather hasn't changed today. I took two shots from the same place, one in black and white and the other in colour. The black and white shot captured the mood again as 50 shades of grey was an accurate description of the colours and matched the architecture of Mote House.

As part of the renovation of Mote Park, the Council have placed interpretive boards around the park and it has been interesting to learn about the various sites about which we knew nothing. This house used to be the home of Lord Bearsted and was given to Maidstone in the 1920s and then became a Cheshire Home for many years before becoming derelict - that was the sum extent of our knowledge.

Then the Council did a deal with a property developer who have created a retirement complex on the site, renovating the house into apartments and building new houses and converting other old buildings as well. One of the better decisions of the Council.

According to the information board Mote House is the most extreme example of the neoclassical architectural theories of Abbe Marc-Antoine Laugier and was the only complete example of a country house designed by Daniel Asher Alexander.

Built by Charles Marsham between 1793 and 1801, the architecture is based on the principles of simplicity, symmetry and austerity. The structure is unadorned and has no moulding or ornament of any kind for the windows, just openings punched into the walls.

So you can see why black and white suited the building.