Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Wednesday morning. Newcastle. The Laing etc.
This Wednesday has been very different from the last one, but the weather has been much the same.
Last week we were in Newcastle - it was a gloomy damp day, but we had fun.
We left home early and even before we had breakfast we were in a church.
This the Roman Catholic church of St Andrew.
It was dark inside - lit only at the altar and with some candles.
This is the small courtyard just outside the main door to the church.
We crossed over the road to a cafe attached to another church - The Basement Cafe.
We sat on the huge sofas, enjoying toasted ciabattas and tea/coffee as lovely folk, blues music played.
It was a good atmosphere. We stayed some time.
Raining outside. That's St. Andrew's Church across the road.
From there is was a short walk to The Laing Art Gallery (pronounced Layng).
My eye was drawn straight away to a cabinet of Sowerby glass.
Oh wow! What a wonderful 1960's style vase......I thought.
But it is Sowerby glass....and that company had stopped production well before the 1960s.
So, not 1960's....but rather 1880.
I had always assumed Sowerby to have made pressed glass.
But it seems they had a glass blowing workshop from 1870 to 1888 and hired Italian glass blowers.
Sowerby made glass in Gateshead - just over the river.
China designed by Dame Laura Knight and Clarice Cliff with a circus theme.
1934.
Portraits - late 19th century.
Self portrait 2012.
Visitors (children mainly perhaps) were encouraged to look in a mirror and make a self portrait on a kind of Etch a Sketch board.
Last week we were in Newcastle - it was a gloomy damp day, but we had fun.
We left home early and even before we had breakfast we were in a church.
This the Roman Catholic church of St Andrew.
It was dark inside - lit only at the altar and with some candles.
This is the small courtyard just outside the main door to the church.
We crossed over the road to a cafe attached to another church - The Basement Cafe.
We sat on the huge sofas, enjoying toasted ciabattas and tea/coffee as lovely folk, blues music played.
It was a good atmosphere. We stayed some time.
Raining outside. That's St. Andrew's Church across the road.
From there is was a short walk to The Laing Art Gallery (pronounced Layng).
Oh wow! What a wonderful 1960's style vase......I thought.
But it is Sowerby glass....and that company had stopped production well before the 1960s.
So, not 1960's....but rather 1880.
I had always assumed Sowerby to have made pressed glass.
But it seems they had a glass blowing workshop from 1870 to 1888 and hired Italian glass blowers.
Sowerby made glass in Gateshead - just over the river.
China designed by Dame Laura Knight and Clarice Cliff with a circus theme.
1934.
Self portrait 2012.
Visitors (children mainly perhaps) were encouraged to look in a mirror and make a self portrait on a kind of Etch a Sketch board.
Outside was interesting - a paved area which was almost a work of art in itself.
But it was too wet to sit out on the interesting benches to watch the world go by.
Time for a cup of tea in St Andrew's church hall. This is not the St Andrew's we visited before breakfast.
This is a C of E church.
Ashley knew that on Wednesdays they serve tea and cakes for 50p.
More glass. This is actually the clear glass window in the church hall. It was not created to be anything special; in fact is very flawed glass.
Below you can see how the other half of the window is much clearer.
So, that was Wednesday morning. Next time I will share with you the fun of the afternoon.
