“The most we can do is to write — intelligently, creatively, critically, evocatively — about what it is like living in the world at this time.” Oliver Sacks
John Woolman was a famous Quaker in the 18th Century. He lived in New Jersey and was a strong abolitionist. In 1772 Woolman sailed to Britain to speak out against slavery. Instead of taking a passenger’s cabin, he showed his egalitarian spirit by lodging with the crew. When he arrived in London, the Quakers were rather taken aback by his shabby clothing, but when he spoke condemning the injustice of slavery, he was accepted.
To spread the word, he set off to travel north to York but declined to travel by stagecoach because he felt it was cruel to drive the horses so hard. Instead, he walked, preaching against slavery en route. Sadly, he picked up smallpox along the way and died just after reaching York. He is commemorated by the establishment of John Woolman House. This is a Quaker residential home for older people, close to New Walk. The doors facing New Walk are painted in bright colours.
This door without a handle is not part of John Woolman HouseAnd neither is this distressed door. It is on Princess Street Backways.
The Belmont Hotel is situated on New Walk where it meets De Montfort Square. The building used to be the home of Ernest Gimson, described by the art critic Nikolaus Pevsner as “the greatest of the English architect-designers” (according to Wikipedia). Through the dining room window, you can see a table set for afternoon tea. Hopefully we will be able to eat at restaurants soon.
The next few houses are neighbours, from 104 to
This door is slightly different, a modern attachment to the main house.
Across the bridge over Waterloo Way, the houses change character. I like the wrought iron work on the first floor balconies.
This house seems out of character, detached from the rest of the street, with a fine lawn.This beautiful window is part of a residential home for older people. The New Walk Museum is on the other side of the walk.Very Georgian, with classical design on the edge of the roof.
New Walk is a Georgian promenade, set out by Leicester City Corporation in 1785 to connect Welford Place in the city centre with the racecourse (now Victoria Park) to the south. This walkway follows the Roman road, the Via Devana. Originally, it was called “Queen’s Walk” (after Queen Charlotte) but it is know referred to as “New Walk”. For over 50 years, it has been protected as a conservation area.
This is the beginning of New Walk, close to Victoria Park.
The fine houses of New Walk are now offices occupied by accountants, lawyers, dentists. My own dentist’s premises are just out of shot in the photograph above. However, 200 years ago, rather than working here, professional people had their homes here.
This is the wrought-iron gateway to the car park at the top of New Walk. The red shield displays the city’s coat of arms. There is a Covid-19 testing station at the far end of the car park.
One of the gatehouses is now the premises of the Leicester Counselling Centre.
The charity, Leicester Counselling Centre, has been providing psychological support for the people of Leicester for forty years.
Many years ago, a counsellor asked me to take charge of one of my patients as she was expressing suicidal thoughts during a counselling session. I drove to the centre and as I escorted my patient out of the door, I tripped over a grid (not present in the above picture) and fell. My patient said, “That would be a first, ME taking YOU to the Accident and Emergency Department!”
A pair of fine panelled doors with leadlights and a stone surround, with a Porsche parked outside.
The walkway has several pleasant parks and open squares along its length. The Oval is oval-shaped, popular in the past with children’s nannies. De Montfort Square is larger and has a statue of the Minister, Robert Hall, who supported efforts to improve the working conditions of hosiery workers in Leicester. One of his sermons is entitled, “On the Advantages of Knowledge to the Lower Classes“(1810).
Number 15Could Abacus House be the premises of a firm of accountants? Excel – ent, but a shame that the door is in the red.Some of the wooden railings of houses on New Walk have sprouted fungi. As this railing can be replaced, I suppose it is non fungible (apologies for the pun)
Paradoxically, I live in a modern house in a conservation area called “Knighton Village”. Some of the houses at the top of the road are over a hundred years old and they have interesting doors.
This is at the end of the street, but there is no connection with EM Forster’s “Howards End”Thank you note, below the miniature version of Durham Cathedral’s lion head knockerI like the appearance of this simple, wooden door, with matching garden gateAnother lovely door, perfect for the conservation areaBeautiful colour, matching front door, portico, drainpipe and garage door.This two-legged dragon is a new addition to the lilac-coloured door’s house roof. There are several dragons or “wyverns” perched on gables in the city. These monstrous creatures appear on the seal of Thomas of Lancaster, who used to be the Earl of Leicester.
More photographs of doors in Leicester during the recent snowfall.
Mock tudor, with leaded window panes.A little less black timber showing, but above the door there is a delightful stained glass window.Mock tudor houses rule in Stoneygate!Beautiful door, just ajar, inviting you in. Wonderful fanlight (lunette window above the door). And a coating of snow to set it all off.Another smart door. These houses are over 100 years old.This is a beauty, a solid door with glass panes and an elaborate brick and stone surround. I especially like the turret window.
Leicester is in the heart of England. We get snow most years, but usually it is a light dusting that often melts away after 24 hours. This week, 15 centimetres (six inches) of white stuff floated down overnight. In the morning, the sky was clear and blue. The sun lit up the scene magically.
Too treacherous for cycling today. With covid restrictions, traffic was light.I managed to get half the garage doors in the shot, but it wasn’t possible to photograph the side door of the storage space above. There is another door in the bottom right hand side of the photograph, which crept into the picture unbeknown to meA fine set of iron gates guard the driveway of this brick house.I wanted to get a bit closer to this house but my footprints in the snow would have betrayed my trespassing. I like the stained glass window above the door.Grey bin for normal rubbish, green for garden waste. I was drawn to the stone surround of the door and the carriage lamps.The Baptist Church on London Road looks rather austere. This is an old Victorian villa which has been transformed into a hotel. Not much business around in the time of covid. Very impressive glass porticos.Across the road is a billboard advertising South Lodge Care Home. The image is improved by the snow.
I walked the streets with my camera, trying not to appear like a burglar, casing the joint. I have enough pictures to show you for the next two weeks.
With lock down and tier 3 restrictions imposed because of the coronavirus, I have had little opportunity to photograph doors. But on a shopping trip to the open market in the city I managed to snap a few pictures with my mobile phone.
I am not sure that this door is still in use. I like the shiny, enamelled bricks (reminds me of a gents public toilet). The carved stone coat of arms above the door doesn’t give any information of the provenance of the building. Something to do with St George, I think.Anyone for tennis? Again, this door doesn’t look like it is in current use.And across the road it from the previous door is this royal blue door, with some signs of previous knobs and handles. The fanlight is curved glass. But I found it strange for it to be named “Deuce” (two) with Roman numerals III on either side.This is my favourite door of this series. British sense of humour.
These are a half dozen of my favourite doors from 2020, the year of Covid: Zambia to Norfolk to Venice.
The door to our luxurious honeymoon room in South LuangwaThe door of the container which has been adapted to become a prison cell in MfuweBeach huts on the North Norfolk coast, pretty in pink and purpleJackdaw – Jackdoor in VeniceDoor in the backstreets of VeniceThe door of San Marco in Venice
Second dose of my walk around the local park. Another door.
Fir tree with Christmas lights and a PVC door.
Yes, I know. It is a boring suburban door. Let’s have some more plants.
SnowberriesHoar frost on the dead grass and fallen leaves
Toilets are vital. They were shut in the first days of the pandemic, but now are open.
Social distancing in the toilet is a given, really. Anaemic sunlight illuminating the mist in the parkWell wrapped up, with woolly hat, shalwar kameez and parka for a constitutional walk around the park
