15 August 2023: Visit to the Victorian Turkish Bathhouse in Bishopsgate

15 artists made their way to the Bishopsgate Victorian Turkish bathhouse.   Like a little jewel box surrounded by modern glass and concrete boxes (and the prestigious Ivy restaurant), the Turkish bathhouse is covered with Islamic-style tiles designed by its architect S Harold Elphick and topped off with an onion domed lantern.    Those of us who arrived on time were able to have a guided look inside the building, kindly taken round by Daryl Pettyfer of Camm-Hooper who run the building as a unique events location.  

Unfortunately, such is the money sloshing round in the City, this little building is threatened with huge development constricting its external space even further.   There is a planning application in to knock down one of the dreary office blocks alongside and replace it with a bigger dreary 24-storey block which will also go over part of the roof of the bathhouse, held up by cantilevered supports.  Images of the vast proposals can be found here:    The Victorian Society is objecting, not least because if this plan goes ahead it will create a precedent for the (dreadful) plans to put a vast building over Liverpool Street Station round the corner.   The Victorian Society's objections are here:     If you would like to object to the plans, the planning application is here    and many individuals have already written in.   Your editor is going to object.   So depressing to discover this when putting together the report on our nice day out in the Bishopsgate Churchyard lane, which is also blessed with an eighteenth century church and St Botolph's Church Rooms,  (selected as a subject by one of our artists).

Our artists took varied approaches to the subjects available.   Some of us focussed on the stained glass in the windows, others the tiles, and (new to us) one artist converted the islamic designs in the tiles and the glass into cross-stitch motifs.  One person took an earlier painting as a base, and teased the bathhouse out of existing tones.   Some of us looked at the buildings beyond and behind.   We all found the little area charming, we had a nice lunch at the pub alongside.

Here we are discussing our work:

We also have one painting of Becket from a sculpture in St Paul's Churchyard from our previous visit.

Enjoy!

A reminder that our next date is WEDNESDAY 30 August, when we are going to Astey's Row, Islington, details will follow shortly.

Image below by Diana Marshall

Image below by Chris Baker

 

Two images below by Christine Khwaja

 

 

Two images below by Gafung Wong

 Image below by Gill Steiner

 

Image  below by Peter Colley

 Image below by Diane Umemoto

 

Image below by Audrey Rapier

Image below by Sue Lees

  Image below by Priscilla Worley

Image below by Tricia Sharpe

 Image below by Sue Lees

 Image below by Janet Perkins

 

Image below by Janet Payne (of St Botolph's Church Rooms)

And finally, Maggie Pettigrew's painting of the sculpture of St Thomas a Becket in St Paul's Churchyard

 

 

Victorian Bath House, Bishopsgate

Meet at 11 am on Tuesday 15th August at the Victorian Bath House near to Liverpool Street Station. This is a delightful little building surrounded by tall offices. It is in a pedestrian area, adjacent to a former churchyard.

The address is 7-8 Bishopsgate, Churchyard, EC2M 3TJ and Liverpool Street is the closest underground station. There are also plenty of buses running along Bishopsgate. It might be a bit difficult to find, but persevere, it is there.

Originally built in 1817 it was rebuilt in the late nineteenth century with Elphick as the architect and is now Grade II Listed. Inside there are Arab motifs. 

London's population grew dramatically in the nineteenth century and bathhouses were a way of allowing the population to keep reasonably clean. Turkish bath houses, of which this is one, used hot dry air as a cleanser and were exclusive to men.

The little building is now an events venue and extends underground. Unfortunately I doubt we can get inside, but it is always worth having a go, when we are there.

There is plenty to draw in the surrounding area, once artists have finished their pics of the bath house

St Paul's Cathedral and surroundings

On 25th July some 15 artists met to sketch around the surroundings to St Paul's Cathedral. Thankfully the tube strike had been called off. It was also a fine sunny day in contrast to much of the recent weather.

St Paul's is Christopher Wren's masterpiece and a challenge for artists. There is plenty of scope for artists to draw both St Paul's and the surrounding area, including the Temple Bar arch at the entrance to Paternoster Square and the churchyard and Distaff Gardens.

Some people have yet to send in their pics, don't be shy. We can publish late arrivals next time

And some pics below

Diane Umemoto  

                                                     

Doreen Burgess

Temple Bar and St Paul's

Avis Dennis

Janet Perkins

Distaff Gardens

Janet Payne

Temple Bar

Peter Colley

Sue Lees

St Paul's Churchyard

Priscilla Worley

Tricia Sharpe

Diana Marshall

We had an alfresco lunch on the stepped plinth of a statue in Paternoster Square. Below is a snap of the jolly group.

The next outings are Tuesday 15 August, the Victorian Turkish Bathhouse just off Bishopsgate.

and Wednesday 31 August in Asteys Row, just off Essex Road Islington. We try to do two outings in August including a Wednesday outing, for those who have other commitments on Tuesdays, and also because the nearby library in Essex Road is open on a Wednesday and has loos.

Put these dates in your diary, more details to follow.

Tuesday 25 July: St Paul's Cathedral Churchyard

 There is a tube strike planned for this date, but the buses and overground rail will be working, and in view of this we are going ahead with this sketching session onTuesday 25 July.

Details in previous post.

Best wishes, Sue

Tuesday 25 July: St Paul's Cathedral Churchyard Gardens, EC4M 8AD

 On Tuesday 25 July we will be going to one of London's greatest landmarks, St Paul's Cathedral in the City.  With hopefully lovely sunny weather, we will be able, if we so wish, to immerse ourselves in the Baroque, and fancy ourselves perhaps in Rome or another beautiful continental city.  Immediately surrounding the rear of St Paul's are its gardens, which give views of a Wren church, and various bits of the cathedral.    The immediate gardens are small and close to St Paul's tube station, but to the south there are further areas of grass from which more extensive views of the cathedral can be obtained.   There is also a new public garden at 25 Cannon Street, the Reflection Garden, which gives a new view of St Paul's here:     For those who don't want to sketch the architecture, there are the huge trees, the modern city with shops and offices just outside, and people.  

We will meet at 11 o'clock by an obelisk on the northern side of St Pauls churchyard garden:

To the West of the Cathedral is Paternoster Square, which has views of the front of

the building, loos (which have to be paid for), and booths selling street food.   Also a very fine  baroque arch:  

                                                                                                                            

Additional (and free) loos can be found at Number One New Change, which is a vast glass shopping centre across the road at the rear of the cathedral.                                                                                                

Many buses go past St Paul's: 4,8, 15,17, 23, 25, 26, 56, 76, 100, 172, 242, 521, and St  Paul's tube station is on the Central Line.  There are a multiplicity of cafes and restaurants, but it may be better to chose street food and eat it together in the various gardens.

 

We suggest you bring your sketching stools to get the perfect view.                                                    

Janet's number for the day is: 07815 772857      

 

Finally, we have three late images from our recent days out:    

                                                 

Images above by Christine Khwaja (Thornhill Square)

 

Image below by Janet Payne (Regents Park)

 

                                                                      

 

                                            

 

 

 

 

Visit to Thornhill Square, Islington, on Tuesday 26 June 2023

 15 artists presented themselves in front of the Library at Thornhill Square  on another cloudy day with flat light.  People mostly concentrated on the trees in the Square, with glimpses of the smart terraced houses behind, or the flowers.   One of us sat in the Churchyard  (the church sadly mostly covered in netting), and one person tackled the very fine Library by Beresford Pite in his semi-Egyptian cum arts and crafts style.  (They had a bit of vision in Edwardian times!)

Frequently we have an unexpected encounter on our sketching days, and the Thornhill day was no exception.   One of our party recalled that Barnsbury Wood was open on Tuesday afternoons, and as it was just round the corner, a group of us seized the opportunity to look at Islington's smallest nature reserve and the largest bit of real woodland in the heavily built-up Borough.  We were lucky enough to encounter one of the Islington Ecology Centre's staff members in the Wood, who explained how it was that the triangular site had escaped being built on, and discussed aspects of the biodiversity.   We  were very charmed by this haven amongst the terraced houses, and very much hope to be able to go and sketch the autumn colours of the huge trees in the future. 

Meanwhile, our next sketch date will be on Tuesday 25 July, when we will be going to St Paul's Churchyard, details to follow.   

 

 

 

Image above by Diane Umemoto

 Image above by Janet Payne

Image above by  Chris Baker

Image above by Sara Meidan

 

Three images above by Audrey Rapier

Image above by Avis Dennis

 Image above by Peter Colley

Image above by Diana Marshall

 

Image above by Gill Steiner

 Two images above by Chris Baker 

Image above by Janet Perkins

Image above by Tricia Sharpe

Image above by Alison Gardiner

Image above by Sue Lees

 

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Thornhill Square, Tuesday 27 June

This month we go to Thornhill Square, Islington. Meet on Tuesday 27 June at 11am outside Thornhill Library, Bridgeman Road N1 1BD. This is on the corner of the square.

Thornhill Square is Islington's third largest square, and the oval shape is surrounded by Listed Victorian terraced houses. The gardens are planted and very drawable. St Andrew's Church, again Victorian is in the adjacent and contiguous Thornhill Crescent.

The square was originally very prosperous but then became poorer and more crime ridden, like much of Islington, but nowadays is once again prosperous.

Thornhill Library was designed by Beresford Pike in the semi-Egyptian but Arts and Crafts style, and so has a place in architectural history. 

The nearest public transport is Caledonian Road and Barnsbury Station on the overground from Highbury. There are plentiful buses along Caledonian Road and Caledonian Road tube station on the Piccadilly line is a short walk away.

There are several cafe options for lunch on Cally Road, so we can choose when we get there or bring sandwiches. Thornhill Library has publicly accessible loos, much beloved of traffic wardens so beware if you choose to come by car.

A wintery picture: