endlessrarities | (no subject)

Today has been action-packed. A trip to Glasgow in the morning, closely followed by a brief stint of gardening.

I am now suffering the consequences of a wrestling match with a stinging nettle. Note to self, for future reference: the levels of formic acid in nettle leaves do not diminish during winter. "I wouldn't tackle a nettle without gloves," said Smart Alec Husband. So I tried to argue that there wasn't any satisfaction in pulling up nettles without getting up close and personal with your enemy. As a result, my mitts are smarting. But the nettle is much diminished.

Then I went horse-riding. I watched the two women who were in the lesson before me. They were perched precariously upon their ponies, with very short stirrups: in between their canters, I lifting up my schooling stick and studied the way one of the women was sitting. There's supposed to be a line running between head, shoulders, elbow, hips and heels. This time, there wasn't. The lady in question was sitting too far back with her legs pushed forward. I realised then why I'm trying so hard to sit tall, sit straight, and sit properly. It's easy to do it wrong, and so very satisfying when you get one step closer to doing it right. We sorted out the leg problem today at last - it wasn't a leg problem at all, it was an upper body problem. Once I concentrated on sitting very tall and proud, the leg rectified itself. One small step forward, then...

I'm digressing. Last year, it was my intention to use my monthly trips to Glasgow to do an architectural spotlight on a Glasgow building. I never got round to it, because there was just too much to blog about. This year's different.

J reckons that the best way of appreciating Glasgow is to look up. There's a wealth of 19th, 20th and sometimes even 18th architecture to be found out there, and its commercial buildings are particularly fine. So I thought I'd start with one of my particular favourites, the Scottish Legal Life Assurance Society building (81-107 Bothwell Street). Built in 1927 by the architect E. G. Wylie, it's a late addition to the scene, representing Classical architecture, but executed in something of a brutalist style. It's bold, it's swaggering, and a bit austere, more Sparta than Athens, so to speak.

I tried to take a photo, but it's a bit squint... Has anyone else out there discovered just how difficult it is to take photographs of building elevations in the city? Or is it just that I'm spoilt by the work camera, which makes life -and taking photographs of buildings - much easier...

But it's the details of this building that I find particularly engaging. Again, they're a bit brutalist, but they're still very fine. There's the main entrance, with its gilded coat of arms:-

You can see why a horse-lover like me has a soft spot for this one...

The sculptures are by Archibald Davison, and they include 4 panels representing Industry, Prudence, Thrift and Courage. Here's Courage:-

And lastly, the clock:-

We always end up parking near this building, so it's becoming something of an old friend. Best of all, it's located conveniently close to a coffee shop...

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i love that clock

have a wonderful, action-packed weekend

I've had enough action now, thank you. I might go for a short bike ride tomorrow, but what I really want to do is some writing!!

I'm sure I have a photo of that same building. It's a nightmare to photograph!

Some of the architecture in central Melbourne is like that. In the old bank area, I used to walk at night past these buildings and peer in, because they all had the most beautiful crafted ceilings. At night the security lights emant you could see the decoration from the street. Those austere lines were hiding secret glory.

could the stirrups be wrong? too short?
you and the horse will feel better when you get the seat thing right

i seem to be going thru stages of a 'cold"
i'll be trying out the pepper thing in my hot lemonade

I especially like the clock, and the horses are exquisite.

With the other lady, the stirrups were about three or four holes too short. I could see that quite clearly. The horse in question was slightly too small. When she was jumping, her forward seat was perfect.

My problem has been slight crookedness in the seat and a disproportionate amount of weight to the right. If I concentrate on sitting straight andtall, the crookedness goes.

A lot of our banks are like that. It's so easy just to take these buildings for granted. And often the original plasterwork gets hidden with lowered ceilings.

It's just so BIG!!!

I have the same problem with crookedness in the saddle, and have to keep checking every so often that I have equal weight on both seatbones, and that I'm not locking my knee and ankle joint on the one side... But like you say, if you get it right, the legs just drop quietly into place.

That's a spectacular building. It's a shame that I always have trouble with the chunky muscular figures on panels on buildings of this date - too reminiscent of what was to come in Germany a few years down the line. I can't see them with an unbiased eye.

Not to mention Stalinist-era USSR...

Poor old building... Having to cope with all this accumulated baggage from foreign facist dictatorships. Perhaps the association with Sparta is not inappropriate - I wouldn't be surprised if Hitler wasn't influenced by the Spartan model in terms of social structure...

There's a lot of cool art on that building. Neat stuff, thank you for sharing them :)