Hey everyone. Sorry for the delay in updates. We had to wait for a few days before we got any more internet bandwidth. Things have been fine with us. We've just been bumbling up and down, without any stress or worry. The river has been unusually calm and languid for this time of year. And there has been plenty of sunshine and an absence of rainfall for us to enjoy, too.
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| Magna Carta Monument ~ American Style |
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| Magna Carta Monument ~ English Style |
Disgraceful, really. Generous philanthropic man buys land around Runnymede. After his death, his American born widow (and two sons) donate it to 'the national trust'. So that it won't be built on, and will be kept safe for future generations. His 1929 understated monument is tucked away behind the gift shop, circled by barbed wire, so that you can't even see it properly. The Broughton family name also doesn't appear on any promotional literature for the site.
On a more positive note, some investment at Runnymede *has* been beneficial. A new zebra crossing has been installed. Which means you can now safely cross the busy road without risking your life every time you do so. It's needed that here for many years. And I'm glad to see that they've finally gotten around to doing it.
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| Fugly |
This is a contender for the worst sculpture I have ever seen. It looks like Princess Margeret. It is too large. and out of place. It also looks like it is made of Chocolate. The Royal Academy seem to have let their standards slip, somewhat.
Check out those "man hands". Sigh...
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| Utterly Pointless |
And don't get me started on this piece of crap. Yes, yes, I can see the intention of the artist..... "World events between the signing of the Magna carta and the present day". But it is plonked in the middle of the meadow, incongrously. You need a three page tryptic leaflet to understand what it is going on about. To say that I was underwhelmed and disappointed with it would be a major understatement. I would quite like to say the waste of money made me angry. but that would give some credence to this 'art installation', that it clearly doesnt warrant. It says nothing about "The Magna Carta". and precious little about the English people at all (one chair for the Suffragette movement). You are also requested not to sit on them.
Myself? I would have opted for STONE. Some form of sculpture, that evokes the past, and looks like it could stand for another 800 years. Those chairs are lost in the landscape.
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| Bit of Buffing |
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| Bryn at Runnymede |
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| Paul Hollywood's less than expertly seeded rolls |
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| Naughty Olly |
Olly's lost his puppy pass. Some woman bellowed at me to "GET YOUR 'KIN DOG UNDER CONTROL" (in a most unlady like fashion), when he ran off and jumped up at her in Cliveden woods. No use explaining that he was just a puppy to such an ogre.
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Re Runnymede 'art installations' Ken, I second your emotion! I thought the Monstrosity that purports to depict the Queen in a carpet of sponsors was crass and the cattle scratching posts (chairs) in the centre of a meadow faintly ridiculous. The American law society monument is elegant but surely pride of place should have been an English commemoration of this great event??
ReplyDeleteThanks for the opportunity to have a rant, hugs to bad boy Olly and boo ya sucks to the Cliveden fishwife!
X Lesley
Hi Lesley. Crass is a very good choice of word! The plinth the queen's statue rests on, instead of being an advert for the stonemason's age old craft, reminded me of hastily botched MDF. I guess it is stone, but it doesn't look like it. The 'carpet of sponsors' (slippery when wet) was also far too large. Don't know who thought those sculptures were a good idea. They're not sympathetic to the site at all. The hand painted mural at Bell weir lock was more informative and historical (prolly 1/100th of the cost, too).
ReplyDeleteHope you all have a happy winter.
Cheers...