An ancient painting?

An even worse day today with rain and grey skies. So, a good day for Brougham Hall, a fortified house near Penrith, parts of which like these walls and gateway date back to the 15th Century As you can imagine, it has had a chequered history, but was eventually abandoned, and left to decay. Roofless, it was commandeered by Winston Churchill for the development of one of the Allies five most top secret weapons of WWII. This only served to further its decay.

Rescued from dereliction in 1985, today it is one of the largest country house restoration projects in England and is home to arts and craft workshops and businesses.

Obviously the sky was not this colour, but I just had to add a bit of drama on such a miserable day. The knocker is one of the most famous features of the Hall. For a closer look see here and here.

And another perspective on Brougham Hall see here.



The leaves yesterday were not from a strawberry plant, as some people suggested. They were the leaves of a Potentilla, which is in a pot by the door. I do like the leaves of this with their white crinkly edges and I thought the rain had emphasised this, but the real reason they were blipped yesterday was that they were only things I could photograph without getting wet!!