Jean Reinhardt's Blog, page 14
October 24, 2019
Thursday Doors – Ballycastle
Carrying on from last week’s Thursday Doors, here’s a few more photos from Ballycastle. Not only is the food fantastic in the Bay Café but the view is also pretty amazing, with plenty of ‘floating’ doors to see. There’s also a glimpse of Fair Head cliff in the distance, which rises to an impressive 600 feet above sea level. Last week’s shots of it were taken a little closer.
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The nearby park has some interesting features, too.
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The sculpture of four swans in mid-flight is the work of artist Malcolm Robertson and was unveiled in 2011. It represents the children of King Lír, turned into swans and banished by their jealous stepmother, to roam Ireland for 900 years. I remember learning about this well known Irish myth in primary school.
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This lovely mosaic is where you can rinse the sand from your feet.
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Of course, there is more to Ballycastle than beautiful scenery. The town has a rich heritage. If you zoom in to the next two images you can read some of the history and mythology for yourself. Robert the Bruce even gets a mention.
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Some of the newer buildings are interesting, too. Like this house with a wrap-around porch.
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I’ve been told the coffee in the Shorebird Coffee Hut is really good and you can look out to sea while sipping it. Unfortunately, it had just closed for the day when I got there. Next trip I’ll pay a visit.
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If the weather had been a bit warmer I would have definitely sampled the ice-cream at Maud’s. I think I’ll wait until next year to try it. I settled for fish and chips instead.
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On our way back to the house, the Gaffer decided to become a back seat driver. Mr. R. was not impressed.
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It was lovely sharing this day out with you. If you’d like to see a few more Thursday Doors from around the globe, have a look at Norm’s blog – the links will be in the comments at the end of his post.
October 14, 2019
Thursday Doors – Cottage Update
Ballycastle, on the north Antrim coast, features in this week’s Thursday Doors. My daughter and her husband have finished renovating their cottage (featured in a previous Thursday Doors post) and it’s now available to rent. Here’s a few before and after shots:
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Of course I had to give it a trial run before it was unleashed on the public and it was the perfect setting for a spot of writing.
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[image error]The Gaffer oversaw the door up-cycling.
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I’ll put a link at the end for you to see more images of the inside and outside. I love what they did with the rear of the cottage, where it’s so nice to sit and enjoy nature.
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Of course, I couldn’t resist taking some shots of the beautiful Causeway coast while I was there. So we headed for the beach, just a few minutes drive away.
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There’s a ferry crossing to Rathlin Island from Ballycastle harbour every day but I haven’t been yet. I’d like to go when the puffins are there so I’ll wait till next summer.
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Even though I was at the beach, I was still on the lookout for doors.
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I think the Gaffer is feeling his age these days. He was giving me hints that it was time to turn back towards town.
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As always, thanks a mil for coming along on this autumn beach walk with myself and the Gaffer. If you’re planning a trip to Ireland or fancy a few days exploring the Causeway coast and glens, have a look at what’s available for Cosy Cottage on Airbnb or Booking.com There are more images of the completed renovation on those sites, too.
Norm has some interesting Thursday Doors over on his blog this week, with links to lots more in the comments at the end of his post.
October 10, 2019
Thursday Doors – The Poorhouse (3)
Thursday Doors this week brings an end to the Poorhouse series. Part 3 will hopefully show you the size of the plot these buildings take up and give you a little more history of the place.
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The Master’s rooms, surgery, boys’ school, probation ward and lock-up are to the right of the main entrance. On the left stands the office and boardroom, girls’ school, probation ward and lock-up.
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The gates and walls of the workhouse have been beautifully reconstructed using most of the original stone and look exactly like they did when first built, as you can see from this old photograph.
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[image error]A collection of iron cooking vessels that would have been used back in the day.
I stuck my phone through the trellis work in the gate to get some clear shots of the interior courtyard and almost dropped it in the process.
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Facing the entrance gate is a long narrow building with steps leading up to the first part, the porter’s area. Behind that was the kitchen, which led into the dining room. The chapel was located at the rear of this building.
[image error][image error]All of the windows and doors facing the main road are uniformly covered up.
[image error][image error][image error]This is what the rear looks like.
[image error]Here’s a view of the back of the infirmary with walls dividing the yard leading to the mortuary.
[image error]According to the plan on the noticeboard, this was the water pump house.
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Nature is reclaiming what was once the male lock-up and privy. Although this part wasn’t fenced off, there was no way to gain access through here and I really wasn’t too eager to try.
[image error]In some parts the old ivy seems to be holding the walls together.
You can see what remains of the chapel through this fencing. There is still a stained glass window intact but it was impossible to get a close shot of it. My zoom-in isn’t too clear, sorry.
[image error]The female day-room and nursery sits to the right of the chapel and the male day-room to the left.
One hundred and sixty-three workhouses were built in Ireland between 1840 and 1854. With a cost of almost £6,000 Bawnboy opened in November 1853. Fifty-two of the five hundred beds were immediately taken. Because it was built after the Great Hunger years, it never suffered from overcrowding, unlike most of Ireland’s workhouses that were in operation at that dreadful time. It ceased to function as a poorhouse from 1921 but was used by the community for various purposes until 1981. In 2010, the local development association began the work of saving and preserving the buildings. I think this must be an ongoing process, as the cost is huge. Fair play to them for taking on such an expensive but important task.
If you’d like a tour of the inside, here’s a Youtube video.
Thanks so much for stopping by and if you call again next week you’ll find a post about a much happier subject with some shots of the beautiful North Antrim coast.
For a great selection of Thursday Doors, head on over to Norm’s Blog.
October 3, 2019
Thursday Doors – The Poorhouse (2)
Following on from last week’s Thursday Doors, these are some photos of one side of the Bawnboy workhouse site. I took them as I made my way towards the rear of the buildings. Some of the roofs are still in good condition and may have been repaired over the years but many are in bad shape and have fallen in.
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This is at the rear, around where the infirmary was.
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I have no idea if this was originally a door or a window but it’s not very high.
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This tiny building had some work done on its roof in the past, as part of a training scheme. If you became ill for any reason and had to be admitted to the infirmary (the building in the background of the photograph) you might have ended up here. It’s the mortuary and the tiny intact roof stood out starkly against the backdrop of the one behind it.
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It looks bigger from the inside than from the outside and has two windows facing each other, allowing lots of light in.
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Looking through the doorway you see an expanse of grass leading to the last journey you would embark on.
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My companion that day was in no hurry to leave, so we followed the sign for the cemetery. Looking back you can still see the tiny mortuary.
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We walked along the pathway, past a picnic table until we came to an overgrown track.
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Just as we were thinking we had taken a wrong turn we spotted a single headstone in the midst of the trees.
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It was strange to think that we were in the middle of a graveyard covered with trees instead of headstones.
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I like the reference to the hope of a resurrection written at the top.
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The setting was so peaceful and the wildflowers were in abundance under the shade of the trees. We even found orchids scattered here and there, alongside clover and meadowsweet.
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Here is a link to a bit of the history of the workhouse with some good interior shots.
If you take a trip over to Norm’s blog you’ll find part two of his fascinating tour of Kingston Penitentiary in Canada. Thanks so much for stopping by. I’ll be posting part 3 of The Poorhouse series on next week’s Thursday Doors.
September 25, 2019
Thursday Doors – The Poorhouse (1)
The Bawnboy workhouse, often referred to in the old days as the poorhouse, is the subject of this week’s Thursday Doors. You can see a glimpse of it in the first photo and it’s one of the largest workhouses that I’ve come across so far. The next few images will show how big it is.
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Would you like to see inside? Unfortunately, there wasn’t any public access but there was an information board at the entrance, displaying some interior images.
[image error]I think this was later used as a sports hall.
[image error]These are the straw beds the inmates slept on. I’ll never complain about a mattress again.
[image error]The first image is of a cell, where those who broke the strict workhouse rules were locked up and the second one is of the latrines. No privacy in those days. However, because men and women (even married couples) were kept segregated and housed in separate areas of the workhouse, they didn’t have to share the same toilets.
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[image error]You can get an idea of it’s size from this plan.
[image error]Here is an old aerial shot of the grounds. The workhouse buildings are on the top left, with the front facing the main road which runs diagonally across the photograph.
[image error]This may have been part of the infirmary.
The workhouse is a cut-stone structure which was built in 1852 and the funding for it came from rates paid by land and property owners. The diet was very limited and strict rules were enforced. It was a last resort for anyone to enter the poorhouse, as couples were separated and even children found themselves apart from their mothers and fathers. In 1920 the boys school room became a dance hall and was used for concerts, meetings and for Irish dance classes. In later years it was used for indoor sports, such as basketball and volleyball. In 1933 a vocational school was also in operation in the Bawnboy workhouse.
For next week’s blogpost I have more images from Bawnboy Workhouse and a wee bit more history, too. If you travel over to Norm’s blog you’ll find lots of lovely Thursday Doors to view, with links to even more in the comments at the end of his post.
September 19, 2019
Thursday Doors – Redhills
We’re in the beautiful village of Redhills, County Cavan for this week’s Thursday Doors. It was the setting of two movies, The Playboys back in 1992 and The Run of the Country in 1995 .
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I’ll start off with some doors, as this is what I initially came here to photograph. This terrace is typical of the houses around the village. I think they were labourers’ cottages but I’m not sure if these two are lived in anymore.
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I couldn’t get a shot of the doors to this gate lodge as it was on private property. However, the walls to this estate are gorgeous and in great condition.
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I’m not sure if the old bicycle in the background is a feature but the brightly painted plow definitely is. It was also lovely to find this old water pump still working.
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This piece of bog wood is also an interesting feature and there was a notice giving some information about it.
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You might be wondering if there are any more doors to be seen in this week’s post. There is, but not the type humans might use. I found a bug hotel in Redhills.
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Here’s the info, just in case you’d like to build one.
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Thanks for stopping by and please forgive the lack of doors in this week’s post. I’m going to make up for that next week when I take you on a tour of a nearby workhouse with a fascinating history. Meanwhile, Norm has some very interesting Thursday Doors waiting for you over on his blog.
September 13, 2019
Thursday Doors – Strandfield Again
Continuing on from last week’s Thursday Doors, these are some images of the inside of Strandfield House Restaurant.
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The tables and chairs are intentionally mismatched, as are the cups, plates and cutlery but it all adds to the character of the place.
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I will definitely have lunch here in the wintertime, if only to see this stove lit.
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The stonework around the fireplace is gorgeous, along with the lovely wooden mantelpiece with its selection of interesting ornaments. I have a pair of those Staffordshire porcelain dogs, too, but mine are a matched pair.
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If you’d like a bit more luxury, choose a table with seating like these comfy chairs. You’ll ask for a second coffee because you won’t want to get out of them. But all good lunches must come to an end. As we walked along the front of the restaurant towards the car, I took one last shot.
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Thanks a million for stopping by this week. There are lots more Thursday Doors from all over the world over on Norm’s blog, just click the links in the comments at the end of his post.
September 5, 2019
Thursday Doors – Strandfield House and Farm
I had a really good time capturing shots for this Thursday Doors post from Strandfield House, Ballymascanlon, County Louth. On a working farm we found a beautiful barn converted to an all-organic vegetarian restaurant. After a fabulous lunch that included the best sourdough bread I have ever tasted, we browsed around the adjoining bakery, florist and homewares shop. For this week’s post let’s explore the inside of the shop, where we bought some of that lovely bread we had for lunch.
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Next week, I’ll post some images of the restaurant, it deserves a post all to itself.
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The restaurant is through those blue doors on the right. You can see from the goods on display why I spent so much time in here. I’m really grateful to my youngest sister for bringing me there, it was so relaxing and in a beautiful setting. I had never been before but it’s the first place I’ll be making to for lunch on my next trip.
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Of course, as this was a Thursday ‘Doorscursion’, I made sure I captured as many doors as possible.
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There were hats everywhere, with a mirror provided to see how well (or not) they suited you. That’s my colourful summer maxi skirt you can see reflected.
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There were as many surprises outside as there were inside. Let’s go out and have a look.
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We used to have one of these back in the nineties. Ours was blue, with a few characterful patches of rust here and there.
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What else is an old cast iron bath for, if not a planter? An animal trough, maybe?
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This cute little donkey might not agree – he seemed happy enough drinking out of his ceramic sink.
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These lovely ladies came over to find out what I was doing but toddled off when they realized I wasn’t the paparazzi.
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I loved the look of this wee shed next to the shop but it took three attempts to get a photo without any people in it. Every time I took aim, someone inside opened the door and looked surprised when they saw me. I was beginning to feel like the paparazzi. The joys of Thursday Doors hunting.
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This beautiful scenery surrounds Strandfield House and Farm. Now you can see why it was such a relaxing place to spend an afternoon. The vintage van was a bonus and I know the landscape will have changed by the time I revisit but the food will still be as tasty, I’m sure. Thanks for coming along, I wish I could have shared some of my delicious lunch with you, but if you’re in the area, it’s worth a visit. Find out what kind of Thursday Doors Norm has posted on his blog this week.
August 28, 2019
Thursday Doors – The Navvy Bank
While visiting one of my sisters recently, she suggested a stroll to the Navvy Bank in search of Thursday Doors. We timed it so as to catch the colour changes in the sky as the sun was going down and we were not disappointed.
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We even found a lovely old thatched cottage along the way.
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The Navvy Bank is an artificial embankment that was constructed between Soldiers’ Point and the quays in Dundalk, County Louth. The plans were prepared by local engineer, John Macneill and legislation to build was passed in August 1840. The construction of the Navvy Bank (a total length of 7,006 feet) along with the necessary dredging works provided a considerable amount of employment during the Great Hunger (Irish Famine) of the 1840s. The name ‘navvy’ comes from the word ‘navigator,’ men who dug the canals and railway lines in the 1800’s. They were strong men and their pay was high compared to most other manual labourers but the work was extremely hard and often dangerous. A good navvy could shift 20 tonnes of earth a day. Of the 250,000 navvies, operating in Britain at the height of the railway expansion in the Victorian era, roughly 1 in 3 was an Irishman.
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This memorial bears the names of nineteen men and one woman who lost their lives when the SS Dundalk was torpedoed by a German u-boat during WW1. The stone is made from granite and the clock was reconditioned and came from the old Dundalk Steam Packet Company. The hands are permanently stopped at 11.10 pm, recalling the time that the ship was hit on October 14th 1918, less than a month before the end of the war.
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The Navvy Bank is home to lots of waterfowl and wildlife and they are very well protected, thankfully.
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The following bronze sculpture is 8 feet long and 15 feet high. It’s the work of County Louth artist, Ann Meldon Hugh and is a wonderful landmark along the Navvy Bank. She called it ‘Sea God Managuan and Voyagers‘ after a Celtic god of the sea. Mythology describes him as the leader of a group of the Fair Folk whose values are linked to the ocean.
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I went a bit overboard (pun intended) on the photographs of this one but it was fascinating from every angle. The sky turning pink in the background reminded us that the evening was drawing to a close, so we continued on our walk, waiting for the clouds to change colour.
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We reached the end of our walk along the embankment just as the sun was going down.
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I managed to get in one last shot as a heron flew by, before heading home but there were plenty of street lights to guide us as the daylight disappeared.
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I really enjoyed that walk with my sister, thank you for coming along, too. Norm has a great selection of Thursday Doors over on his blog for you to enjoy.
August 21, 2019
Thursday Doors – Seaside
Continuing on from last week’s Thursday Doors, I have a few more images to share of the seaside village of Blackrock in County Louth. On one side of the street there’s the view above, a wide expanse of sea and sky. But if you can drag your eyes from those beautiful cloud formations and look at the opposite side of the street you’ll see some nicely maintained buildings.
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I love how this Chinese restaurant uses a play on words for it’s name. I haven’t sampled the food there yet but intend doing so on one of my future visits to Blackrock. At the other end of the main Street there’s another hospitality establishment serving a slightly different menu.
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Uncle Tom’s Cabin has been in business for many decades, changing hands over the years but retaining its original name. I love the artwork at the entrance. You can see at a glance what’s on offer, can’t you? The next image is an old photograph of the seawater swimming pool where my Dad taught me to how to swim and dive.
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It was in the vicinity of Uncle Tom’s Cabin but has been replaced by an apartment block. Blackrock swimming pool opened in 1962 and was, at the time, the only 50 meter pool in the whole of Ireland. Its tiered seating could hold up to 800 spectators. Having closed in the 1980’s, it was demolished in 1995. What a loss for the community, especially as it’s not always deep enough to swim in the nearby sea. At the edge of the village there are some lovely houses that have been modernized while still, thankfully, retaining their character. These are two of my favourites.
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I would have loved to buy a house in the village of my birth and my ancestors but it’s a very desirable place to live these days and way out of our price range. However, I’m so glad that I have family still living there and can visit regularly. As with many coastal locations, there is a price to pay for living in such a beautiful area. The sea isn’t always this calm.
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There have been occasions when the briny water ventured across to the other side of the street. Everyone is on full alert with sandbags at the ready when there’s a high tide on a stormy day.
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I hope you enjoyed this quick tour of Blackrock this week, thanks for coming along. For a great selection of Thursday Doors, take a trip over to Norm’s blog, enjoy.
