Tuesday, 24 May 2011

My World - Front Doors in Valley's End


Farm houses, cottages and other dwellings have hardly changed over the centuries in Valley's End. There are no big houses here, no manors or gentlemen's estates.  The village boasts no outstanding buildings, but a charming muddle of houses and shops on a small scale provides a very intimate atmosphere. All the houses in this post are in the 'new' part of the village, planned and laid out by the Normans in the 12th Century, when the Castle was built. The 'old' part, clustered round the Norman Church, goes back to Saxon times, although here too the oldest remaining buildings are no older than the 16th and 17th Centuries.


17th century farmhouse


A Woodcarver's workshop in an old barn


 17th Century cottage 


 18th CenturyCottage


 17th Century Cottage


 19th Century Cottage


 19th Century Cottage


 18th Century Cottage


 Victorian Cottage


A new porch on an 18th Century Cottage




If you want to see what other photographers have come up with this week, go to That's My World.



 

34 comments:

  1. I quite like these walks through your world, dear Friko!


    Aloha from Honolulu

    Comfort Spiral

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  2. I particularly like the third photo- the entrance to one of the 17th-century cottages.

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  3. So romantic as I am sure I have said before. I watch all those old British mysteries and series just to see this lovely architecture half the time.

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  4. love all the doors. I think I like the 17th century cottages best.

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  5. What an amazing collection of doors. Thanks for sharing :)

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  6. Lovely pictures. If only the doors could speak! What tales they would tell! Thank you! Cathy

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  7. I go ga-ga over doors and these are some fine examples. I'm particularly fond of the woodcarvers shop. I love the sense of history you have compared to here in the states. I find it all so interesting.

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  8. love the sights...esp the stonework ont he woodcarvers shop & barn...what a feast for the eyes...

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  9. There's something particularly appealing about doorways. One wonders what would happen should the door open and entrance granted. A whole new world would open up. Lovely architecture.

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  10. The Woodcarver's Shop is poetry! What wonderful walks you must have as these doors are worthy of photographs all year round. Very nice work you have done here!

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  11. NICE :) some of the old doors look strangely modern and that last new porch looks the most ancient of all! that 1st farmhouse is surely a posh one?

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  12. A beautiful part of the world you live in, Friko. Wonderful doors, super photos.
    — K

    Kay, Alberta, Canada
    An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel

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  13. I am always drawn to gates and doors. I wonder if one of those beautiful doors is yours.

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  14. Hello:
    This post is so very tantalising for we long to knock on all of these doors and to be admitted to see the rest of the house! English vernacular architecture at its best, and you are clearly surrounded with it.

    One cannot help but wonder what future generations will make of so many of the new build houses which are constructed nowadays. That is if they stand the test of time.

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  15. Hello Friko

    How wonderful to live in a village called Valley's End. The name evokes images of sleepy isolation - but perhaps that is not so.

    I love the way architectural styles from different periods so often combine to give villages their own unique charm. Your village certainly would seem to have this.

    Anna

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  16. what a lovely theme - your village looks charming

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  17. I like the woodcarver's barn and the Alice Cottage best...they look cozy and mysterious, as if gnomes might live inside. :-p
    On that "new porch on the 18th century cottage," is that a slate roof? Working with slate has become almost a lost art here. ...or horrendously expensive.

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  18. Perfectly lovely series of front doors! It's nice that old barn is used as woodcarver's workshop. My favorite is the last one and also like the 3rd, the 5th, and the 8th. I like it when things are old but evoke no neglect but respect. Thank you for sharing.

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  19. I start looking for my passport (and a bank to rob) every time I look at your My World pictures.

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  20. What a wonderful compilation of cottages and entrances! Loved them all!!
    Hugs
    SueAnn

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  21. friko those stairs!!! steven

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  22. What could be lovelier than an inviting door into a stone or brick dwelling laden with flowers and vines?

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  23. Friko, I love the photos as usual. My favorite is the Victorian cottage door, I am a fool for blue. Also, I looked carefully at the overhangs. We need something at our front door to keep the rain and snow off your neck as you fumble with the lock during inclement weather. The pots down the stairs at the woodworker's place are wonderful. I think my grandfather must have had a home like that once upon a time. Our family is filled with craftsmen and women. Dianne

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  24. What beautiful doors, Friko! I particularly like the Woodcarvers one, with the plant-lined steps. I nexpect all these doors would be a little too low for me, though! :)

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  25. Friko - I am so envious of your beautiful corner of the world.

    Is a house swap of interest?

    Anna :o]

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  26. Valley's End sounds and looks like an enchanted place.

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  27. To stroll through such an enchanted Village, to stroll such amazing lands... nothing like strolling alongside with such a wonderful storyteller. Thank you again for sharing.

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  28. Great pictures, Friko. Great history, too.

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  29. Love your stroll and your poet's eye view
    of the world around you there in
    Valley's End. These are terrific images.
    I am just getting more seriously into
    photography myself, and doors
    and windows, gates, padlocks,
    gables and statues are catching
    the click of my Canon. Your photography
    continues to be stunning and inspiring.

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  30. Hello again, Friko.

    I'm continuing my tour of your recent posts, and have been delighted to see these doors, these entranceways into homes that have seen so many generations' family dramas unfold and entangle.

    Each doorway is a beauty. The tales behind them ... ah, let us imagine. Sometimes when I walk around by much more modern city neighborhood, I also let my mind wander, wondering about who might have also walked along the same sidewalk, and even entered a particular building.

    Once again, your posts have got my mind engaged. Thank you! xo

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  31. I love photography and some of my favorite photos are of old doors. Yours are lovely. I'm now following your blog. Thank you for the comment on mine. I hope you will follow it.

    Regards, Mari

    http://www.mariscamera.blogspot.com/

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  32. These are such wonderful old places with tons of charm! New just cannot compare.

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  33. Wonderful photographs of doors. The woodcarver's barn looks a little precarious, though.

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