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| Throughout out fine country and indeed the world, there are many a great ceiling. Many of them go completely unnoticed, ignored, shunned. What you are doing by ignoring them is denying your mind and mind's eye the glorious experience of some of the most devistating pieces or art, some of the most captivating examples of imagination known to mankind.
Here for your viewing pleasure are some teasing temptations of ceilings to look out for... | |
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The latest date on which the details of these reviews were checked are given in parenthesis.
If you've got a ceiling that you just can't resist knocking up a review for then get down to it cowboy and mail it to me. And if it's interesting and top quality I'll slap it up. Original material cannot be returned unless you include a stamped addressed envelope...
Colour: Predominantly beige & gold
Height: Approximately 25ft
Shape: Almost square with oval centre
Condition: Height of the ceiling makes it difficult to say, but probably good.
Location: Coney Street, York City Centre. Looks down on most of the bank. The floor space of the building is split either side of the cashiers, the ceiling obviously encompasses them both.
Special Markings: Grapes and fruit.
Description: Large oval shaped centre piece forming a great amount of attraction for potential account holders. Long waits are slightly offset by the pleasures of looking up at this magnificent ceiling and picking out as many types of fruit as possible. The ceiling probably dates from the early 1900s, just before the 1st world war.
Update: The French Connection didn't last... that has now shut down and the bank has been changed again. This time it has morphed into a Starbucks Cafe. Unfortunately the ceiling has been left in its painted white state rather than being returned to its former glory.
Picture: 106k jpg.
(December 1999)
Colour: Red with green
Height: 10ft
Shape: Rectangular with circular centre
Condition: Good, but the paintwork looks like it was done by a cowboy.
Location: Park Street, Hull. The ceiling is in the "pub" room on the left as you go in.
Special Markings: Thistles and grapes (with fairy lights and green-ivy stuff during the festive period)
Description: Nice to stare at when you've got bored with watching MCM (it used to be MTV, but they've dumped Astra in favour of Eutelsat IIF1) and hacked off with drinking. One centre piece is constructed from grapes whilst the other from thistles giving a distinctly Scottish feel to the bar end of the room and a French feel to the seating area.
Colour: Brown/Varnish
Height: 8ft
Shape: A kind of hollow square "P"
Condition: Generally good although anyone of an approximate height of 7'9" would probably end up as a head-kebab.
Location: York, North Yorkshire. Just next to Lendal Bridge. Turn left from the train station and amble about until you get thirsty.
Special Markings: Door attachments.
Description: The uniqueness of this ceiling is the material it is constructed from - old doors, many with their handles and automatic closers still attached. Not all of the doors are complete, some have been sawn to allow the shape of the pub, and some are indeed not doors but panels.
Wider Reading: http://www.maltings.co.uk/
Colour: Mainly plaster and blue
Height: 7' in places, usually less
Shape: Undeterminable
Condition: Tatty in some areas but feels lived in and is full of history.
Location: Kirk Ella, East Yorkshire. Follow signs to Hull then Willerby and that will probably work. Ask a policeman.
Special Markings: Things that hang.
Description: Covered in objects; dust sheet, paintings (own), 56 conkers (on strings), 2 speakers, 16 lynx deodourant lids, a basket of pretend shopping, 18th birthday balloon (deflated), another deflated balloon, Henry The Bastard VIII, The Bank Manager (sculpture), a crocodile, another sculpture (kind of a face with chains), The Smartie Tower, knitted clown, 2 Orange coverage maps, 63 beer towels, an AOL trail disk and numerous photos from The Independent.
Colour: Grey
Height: 10ft
Shape: Rectangular with ceiling tiles
Condition: Generally good, but could do with a bit of a dust
Location: Coney Street, York. The ceiling in question is over the cafe area at the back of the store.
Special Markings: None
Description: Although this ceiling is relatively simple, being constructed out of rectangular ceiling tiles approximately 5 by 2, during mid-afternoon the sun shines down on the River Ouse which inturn reflects a sparkley silver glow onto the ceiling in Woolworth through the windows.
Colour: Cyan and cream
Height: 8'
Shape: Disturbingly coffin shaped
Condition: Seems to have been painted a long time ago, but coping quite well.
Location: Bay View Halls of Residence, The Promenade, Port Erin - which is the south-west tip of the Isle of Man.
Special Markings: A border containing some fruit, some chain-mail and the occasional shield.
Description: The coffin-shaped ceiling of the TV room is split into two main areas by plaster divides. Within the sections are circles (and lights). The outside of the wall depicts grapes, knights and a shield. Some have been given "witty" names by the students.
Colour: All that are visable to the human eye
Height: 60-70ft
Shape: Tall, rectangular and semi-domed
Condition: Excellently maintained, all colours still vibrant
Location: The National Museum is located at one end of St Wensleslas Square in Prague in the Czech Republic.
Special Markings: Basically four tapestry paintings depicting mainly religious events.
Description: Situated in the east wing of the building, the hall (which I believe was once a danced hall) is lined with busts and statues. The ceiling itself is the pinicle of three floors of staggering beauty and artwork. There is also a balcony to spit from.
Colour: White, Yellow
Height: 10ft
Shape: Very nearly square, but it's not, so it's a rectangle
Condition: It's about mid cycle - give it another couple of years and it'll really need repainting.
Location: Osborne Road, Jesmond, Newcastle, England.
Special Markings: Fern based centre piece.
Description: A white ceiling with a centre piece featuring lots of ferns. The ferns have been picked out with a quite unpleasent smoked-stained yellow. What lifts this ceiling above the level of ordinary living room fodder is the choice of lampshade which hangs directly below the embossed fern centre. It's a tacky paper "Chinaman's hat" affair with the lightbulb hanging far too low below it.
Colour: Off white
Height: 8ft
Shape: Square
Condition: Past it's sell by date, it really could do with a holiday weekend of loving care.
Location: Götgatan, South Stockholm, Sweden.
Special Markings: Cracked and flakey paint, centre piece.
Description: The centre piece is the usual fern-based affair with a rose emblem in the centre and measures about 14 inches in diameter. It's not been picked out and the patches of cracked paint especially where the paint is peeling and flaking away are much more fun and exciting to the eye. The view from the bed is especially good as the bed is raised some 6ft from the floor.
Colour: White (but purple-blue due to coloured lighting)
Height: approx 35ft at highest point
Shape: Domed
Condition: Excellent
Location: 22 Hamngatan, Stockholm, Sweden.
Special Markings: inversed Dalek-like studs, suspended centre disc
Description: Domed ceiling inside a clothing store. The surface of the dome has hundreds of half sphere divets which create a dotted effect due to shadowing. The colour of the ceiling is an ultra-violet purple/blue due to the fact that lighting around the base is of that colour. It's 'natural' colour is plain white. Suspended from its highest point is a disc, which would appear to be decorative. Nothing is known by the reviewer of the ceiling's history - it could be that this interesting ceiling is infact a bastardisation of a much more glorious piece of work from times gone by. It is nevertheless a striking and dominating feature of the building.
Picture: 27k jpg.
Picture: 33k jpg.
(April 2000)
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© 1998 CCl4
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