That which is necessary

Well, a joke in church is never a totally bad thing.
In the church at Sandon, the toilet door is labelled (in Latin) as a 'necessarium'...

Shafts like art

Unless you know that Biddulph is an old coal mining area, you'll probably not guess that these three structures are ventilation shafts. The dangerous gases that build up in the old works down below can be released safely through them into the atmosphere.
The low brick walls around them give them a kind of arty feeling, and their arrangement even has echoes of standing stones.

Frida, the face of hip

The 'face' of everything hip, universally recognisable, used to be Marilyn Monroe, or Elvis, or James Dean.
Now the equivalent is the 20th-century Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo, whose image seems to be ubiquitous. 
In a local Oxfam shop these Christmas cards depicting her as an angel don't even need to say it's her - we just know it is.

The face of Owini

Here we have a stained-glass window (from Clun, in Shropshire) showing two Staffordshire saints - St Chad on the left (holding a model of Lichfield Cathedral) and Saint Owini, or Owen, on his right.
Saint Owini doesn't seem to have been too remarkable, but he was the monk who acted as St Chad's right-hand man - and St Chad is significant as the man who brought Christianity to 'godless' Staffordshire in the eighth century.

You'll notice in this scene that Saint Owini gets more of the attention than Saint Chad - which is odd. However, it turns out that the face of St Owini is also that of the Rev Charles Warner, the clergyman who paid for this window. Which may explain that. 

One Smithfield

Not sure what to make of this horror which you will find at the 'gateway' to Hanley, Stoke on Trent's commercial centre.  Basically an office-block managed by the council, it is nattily, if boringly, called 'One, Smithfield'.
Is it a happy burst of colour in a very uninspiring spot?  Or a desperate attempt to introduce 'fun' to this grey, grey district?

Concrete greenery

In the concrete wilderness that is the ugliest shopping area anywhere, ever, ie the Bennett Precinct in Longton, there are these small tucked-away, struggling shrubs.  They are the only sign that Nature ever passed through this spot.

Knot turns to flames

On the Weston Road roundabout north-east out of Stafford is this splendid steel metal structure.  If you face it straight-on, as in the pic above, the strands of it assemble themselves in your vision - to represent the Stafford Knot, the symbol of the county.


If you stand slightly to one side however, the strands get mixed up, and could be the leaping flames of a fire.
The visual illusion (see pic right) is very clever, and has something to do with the nearby industrial zone. 

Tea's importance

This Chinese looking 'tea-taster' was one of four sculptures that once sat on top a tea warehouse in Stafford’s Market Street (see photo behind the sculpture).  It dates back to the early nineteenth century.
It is one of the artefacts on show at the 'Made In Staffordshire' exhibition at the county Archives offices.
The fact that the warehouse advertised itself in this prominent way – ie with specially commissioned sculptures (made of cement) – shows the amazing importance of tea in the lives of people two hundred years ago.

Thirsty on the hottest day

Today, England experienced its hottest day since records began some 200 years ago.

Cattle were glad of a drink.

Steadiness at the urinal

It's not often you fall into laughter on entering a men's toilet, but at the Roebuck Pub in Leek, you have to smile at least when you see this unusual structure.
The landlord/lady has kindly provided a head-cushion for the weary drinker who may probably have had .... let's say, more than a few. Unsteady on his feet he can lean forward whilst using the urinal and, placing his forehead on the cushion, keep himself in an upright position.
I deem this a kindly & considerate act by the owners. There's even a handle too.

Flying insects art

The Staffordshire University Arts Graduates Final Show is on in Stoke this week – dozens of rooms of new, original work. It makes for an insight into what art schools are teaching now and how their students are responding.

This piece is from the Fine Art department.
Called Absconditus, by Zoe Tomlinson, it highlights the plight of species-endangered flying insects. The works are hung lightly from the ceiling and, because they are at head-height, one can walk ‘through’ them. It creates an odd feeling - passing through a crowd of creatures that are slowly disappearing from the Earth.

Burning flowers

I always enjoy visiting church flower festivals especially in rural areas.  Villagers - not just church-goers - turn out to support the event, contribute flower arrangements and organise teas and fruitcake sales.
Such festivals, taking place often in ancient church buildings, almost have the feeling of being the last of England's rural customs. 

This shot was taken at St Luke in Onecote and the arrangement is an interpretation of Moses' burning bush revelation.

Kahlo and the 'knot'

It's #StaffordshireDay today (May 1st), the day in the year when one celebrates all things Staffordshire.
So I thought I'd put up another image of a 'Stafford Knot', the symbol of the county.

I found this painting, by the famous Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, among a number of other pictures, on the walls in a bar in Newcastle. It's called 'Self-Portrait with A Braid' - and the braid resembles a Stafford Knot.
Well, maybe...!

New life for pilgrimage route

The Two Saints Way, a 'pilgrimage' footpath through Staffordshire and Cheshire, has a new website.
Created only a few years ago, the route links Lichfield Cathedral to Chester Cathedral - by way of the historic Primitive Methodist Chapel at Englesea Brook.

In the background, you can see some rape fields - their custard-yellow crop is especially bright and prominent throughout the county this year

Water for the monks

Staffordshire has its own Buddhist monastery - the Wat Mahathat just outside King's Bromley - and monks come from Thailand to study here.
The institution priides itself on its openness and there are public gatherings and meditation sessions here.

Today, hundreds gathered on the site for the festival of Songkran, when water is poured over the hands of the monks by those attending.

Mine in the hill

One of the entrances to the old Dale Mine - a 200 year old lead-& zinc-ore mine.  It lies in the wild Peak District; and faces the better known Ecton copper mines, which are on the hill on the other side of the river.
It is astonishing that it still survives so well.

Book-knot in roof

As readers of this blog will know, I 'collect' sightings of the Stafford Knot, the symbol of the county.
This one is depicted inside (or on?) a book, and is among a number of symbols - which can all be found up in the roof-ceiling at Cheddleton Church.
But why is it depicted on/in a book?

Remembrance for Christina

One of the most brutal murders remembered in this county is the rape & killing of Christina Collins by two men in 1839.
Her body was discovered in the canal at Rugeley; and so she is buried in the town, not far from where she was found, even though she was not from this area at all.

As her family was not rich, this, her gravestone, was paid for by strangers: local people disturbed and horrified by the "end of the unhappy woman".
Even to this day, people leave flowers so that crimes against women may not be forgot.

Full moon for crows

The full moon in March is known by some Native Americans as the Full Crow Moon, because the cawing of crows at this time signals the end of winter.

Balloons & cars

Balloons always seem to make for interesting photos.
That's it.

Time painted into a circle

Look very very carefully at this picture of the tower at Yoxall Church.  See anything odd?

The oddness is that this is not a real clock-face at all, but a painted one.

I don't know why, but I find this almost to be a form of cheating...  But why should I feel that way?

Cat on wall

A classic pose for a cat; classic shot for an urban photographer