Are you getting into the holiday spirit? The post office is. These are two of their windows that were decorated by Splash Art Murals.
SplashArtMurals can be seen through the link below:
https://splashart.biz/collections/all
Have a splendid Sunday!
The family has continued the tradition. This appears to be a repeat Minions display. It was great to see again regardless.
Too many of the decorations this year are the ones on the darker, scarier side of Halloween. I am glad to see some families put up decorations that are more positive.
I had seen some information online that at least at some point one side of this sign was this person and the other side was Prince Harry and Megan. I was in this area of London for something else so I checked it out. Both sides were the same, so at some point they took down Harry.
I did not see the sign inside either. It was an off time and it looked like they were not serving food, otherwise I would have stayed. I have found many pubs only serve lunch and dinner at certain times. No other Harry related things were visible.
I have heard they are pubs who want their name changed to Queen Elizabeth have to get approval and have an appropriate reason to name it after her. It is said her name will be closely protected. Not sure if it is a good idea for a living person to have their likeness on a pub. I have seen another pub with a living member of the royal family’s likeness on it. What do you think?
The Horse & Guardsman, which opened in November of 2021, is a pub worth visiting, not just because of its location, but its decor and food. The pub honours the King’s Horse Guard who are stationed nearby.
This pub had a lineup waiting to get in. Because they had a full house, I did not take pictures inside of the decor or architecture. Unless there are not many people, I do not attempt inside pictures. The pub has lovely decor in honour of its namesake the Horse Guardsmen. There are paintings , photos, and other artifacts related to the King’s Horse Guards.
I like the way they displayed the flag. Most pubs have the flag in some form outside or inside. It is also on the pub sign below.
Some pubs may be more modern in terms of food choices, but many like this pub also will have some of the traditional British foods. This pub has some interesting savoury pies on the menu and also has gluten free items to choose from. They do roasts on Sunday. In my opinion their variety of menu choices should have almost everyone covered.
The Horse and Guardsman pub is on Whitehall. South of the pub on the same street is the Royal Horse Guards and the Household Calvary Museum. Going north from the pub is Trafalgar Square. Across the street and not far is the street Great Scotland Yard, named for the police service.
If you are visiting Trafalgar Square, the Royal Horse Guards, or the Household Calvary Museum it is worth stopping at the pub for a bite to eat and to see the decor. This pub highlights one of the iconic things about England, the Horse Guards.
Bath, England has a rather nice city centre that is walkable. Several streets across from the train station are closed to most vehicle traffic. There are a lot of restaurants, shops, and pubs. One thing they do is decorate the telephone boxes and streets in the shopping area. Below are just a few of the Bath telephone booths that are decorated.
The photos above and below are made of Cotswold stone. Bath is at the edge of the Cotswolds.
The British love flowers. I love it when towns do something different to spuce up their city centres. What do you think? Do you have a favourite?
What name tops the list for most popular names in England for pubs? The Red Lion does The origins of this pub name may have started in the 14th century. John, a son of King Edward III was fighting with his nephew who later became King Richard II. John added a red lion into his coat of arms while the symbol that represented Richard was a white heart. Pubs that supported John displayed a red lion while those who supported Richard displayed a white heart.
Lions are said to have represented the monarchy in England dating back to the 1100s. Animal names are the most popular theme for a pub. Have a great week!
In England it is not uncommon for people to name their houses. This custom started with gentry naming their castles and manors. Later the common folk would adopt the practice. Rye is close to the sea, so words related to ships and the ocean are popular to use. These are just some of the house signs in Rye.
One way people may name their house is by what is on the property or near the house. This one is close to Landgate in Rye so hence the name.
This house may have been named after the Arbella that was one of the first ships that carried about 20,000 English to New England between 1630 and 1640. The Arbella traveled from Southhampton, England to Salem between March 22 and June 12, 1630. The ship was named for a prominent puritan, Lady Arabella Johnson, who was on the ship traveling with her husband.
Smuggler’s Cottage may have been the site of a smuggling operation or it could just be a name that was picked years ago.
Some houses are named after what the former purpose of the building was. This one is named Old Stable so it may have been a stable converted into a house. The name Stables is in the top 50 names of houses in England with 549 houses using that name.
This house was most likely old meeting house of the quakers. The Old Rectory, The Old Vicarage are two of the top 50 names in England of houses.
Are there any of these names or signs you like the best? Would you name your house if you had the option to do so?
What outdoor activity would appeal to kids and garden enthusiasts alike? The Fairy House Hunt at Locust Grove Estate would appeal to both groups.
The location of this estate is Locust Grove in Poughkeepsie, New York. You can access it by its own turn off via a traffic light on Route 9. The gift shop charges a fee to enter. They provide you with a map to locate the fairy houses.
The last residents of Locust Grove, the Young family created a foundation to ensure this site would be open to the public after they lived in it for many years. A famous resident prior to the Young family was Samuel Morse, a painter and inventor of the telegraph and the Morse Code. The museum on site has reproductions of his telegraphs and paintings. Locust Grove was Samuel Morse’s summer home.
The walk to view the Fairy houses is not too long and it is fairly flat. Other hiking trails on the property are longer and can be steep. The fairy houses are not located on the longer steep trails, but near the garden areas on the property.
The gift shop at Locust Grove sells miniature fairy dolls of various ethnicities/ cultures besides other items.
This event appears to run through the end of June. You can see this on weekends up to June 30th between the hours of 10:00 am – 4:00 pm, according to their website. For more information click on the link below.
Access their Facebook page through this link:
https://www.facebook.com/LocustGroveEstate
Live your life in your own fairy tale. Visit Locust Grove for the Fairy House Hunt.
I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to display these at two different galleries.
The photo on top was displayed in metal print at a gallery about 2 hours north of the city for a month. Only one piece or artwork could be submitted. The same image was also displayed in print form at another gallery.
The image from on top and the image under were both on display in a small gallery in Manhattan for a short period of time this month. I submitted the prints for the show and someone else framed them. Not a big deal, but a big deal for me.
The following were on display in Manhattan this summer/ early fall. I was on my way south from Grand Central and it was nice to see this on little strips of land between north and south board lanes. These are all phone photos.
There were others to see. I love the art that is viewable to all. Enjoy the rest of your week!
Sharon's Iconic Travel Photography Blog 