Comments on: The Summerhouse, Tettenhall, West Midlands

By: Editor

Editor — Sun, 14 Aug 2022 14:44:24 +0000

In reply to Rosemary Hill. Thanks Rosemary. As you know I am a huge fan of your book and urge all readers to buy a copy. I also love that description of Rickman, and the portraits and caricatures which prove it to be accurate.

By: Rosemary Hill

Rosemary Hill — Sun, 14 Aug 2022 11:58:57 +0000

What a cheering tale! I too am a great fan of Rickman, described by his friend William Whewell as: ‘a little, round, fat man, with short, thick legs, and a large head . . . perpetually running from one side of the street to the other to peep into whatever catches his attention . . . very good-humoured, and very intelligent and active’
May I, in a shameless act of self-promotion, recommend my own book Time’s Witness https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/177302/times-witness-by-hill-rosemary/9781846143120 as a source of more information on the moving and refitting of historic fragments, and also, less egotistically, for those who don’t know them, John Harris’s magnificent Moving Rooms (Yale 2007) and Charles Tracy’s A Traffic in Piety (Antique Collectors 2001)
thank you again for another brilliant post

By: Editor

Editor — Sat, 13 Aug 2022 12:23:33 +0000

In reply to Garance Anna Rawinsky. Hello Garance, always good to hear your thoughts. Right now, what would be very attractive is a grotto in which to sit with my feet in a pool of cool water!

By: Garance Anna Rawinsky

Garance Anna Rawinsky — Sat, 13 Aug 2022 12:10:35 +0000

Repurposing even more pertinent now than it was then. Not sure they were thinking about global warming in the 1960s but cool spaces for relaxation have always been attractive.

By: Editor

Editor — Sat, 13 Aug 2022 12:05:34 +0000

In reply to Mike Cousins. Hello Mike and thanks for taking the time to comment. It is great to be able to celebrate the work of people like Keith who ensure that at least fragments of our architectural heritage live on, and ensure that houses like Tettenhall Wood House, whilst lost, are not forgotten.

By: Editor

Editor — Sat, 13 Aug 2022 12:00:23 +0000

In reply to Alan Terrill. Hello Alan. Yes, there's lots more to be investigated and written about the recycling of architectural fragments. I'm hoping to revisit Consall Hall soon, and see it in its new incarnation as a hotel with cabins and treehouses in the landscape Bill Podmore created

By: Editor

Editor — Sat, 13 Aug 2022 11:57:08 +0000

In reply to Wim Meulenkamp. Good afternoon Wim. I knew little about Rickman until Keith told me about his folly, but I have enjoyed learning more. How lovely to have a copy of his book with such an interesting dedication.

By: Editor

Editor — Sat, 13 Aug 2022 11:55:42 +0000

In reply to Gand. Hello Gand. Pleased to hear you enjoyed reading about Keith's folly. I dream of a shady summerhouse of my own in which to write about follies.

By: Mike Cousins

Mike Cousins — Sat, 13 Aug 2022 11:13:17 +0000

So refreshing that there are people who care about our heritage, and Keith’s £30 could not have been better spent. I trust that he enjoys relaxing in his summerhouse. Great story…

By: Alan Terrill

Alan Terrill — Sat, 13 Aug 2022 10:41:05 +0000

Good to hear about this new folly and great to see some pictures of the original house, which I’d read about but not seen any picture of. Oteley Hall in Ellesmere has a similar history, in that it was demolished and the decorative stonework sold off, culminating in a bridge and a folly at Consall Hall made from the scraps.