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Elm Hill, Norwich.
'The goal of life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe, to match your nature with Nature.'
Joseph Campbell
A Pattern Language
'Oh, and if I had a brain, oh, and if I had a brain
I'd be cold as a stone and rich as the fool
That turned, all those good hearts away.’
Birdy: People Help The People.
Some time ago, I was kindly given a work of art by friend and neighbour, Janet Brady, entitled ‘The Organic Growth of Kendal.’ At first glance, it resembles a tree or a leaf. It mirrors my view of Kendal’s streets and yards as the essence of the town’s genius loci. Kendal's alleys and yards have grown organically, forming a town plan reminiscent of the intricate patterns in the cells of a leaf.
Art has a unique ability to reveal truths beyond those that photographs can capture, unveiling more than the factual make-up of a place. Janet’s piece is an instinctive and knowing depiction of Kendal’s inherent nature, illuminating its intangible significance. The plan of Kendal serves as a reminder that, regardless of our actions, we inevitably create universal patterns that reflect those found in nature—an unspoken narrative of humanity. It is this ‘backstory’, or the pattern of our accumulative actions over time, that absolutely fascinates me.
I always find solace in some words by Thomas Merton that convey this backstory, more eloquently than I ever could. Merton's reflection on the rain speaks to the persistent and unyielding nature of these universal patterns:
‘The rain surrounded the cabin…with a whole world of meaning, of secrecy, of rumour. Think of it: all that speech pouring down, selling nothing, judging nobody, drenching the thick mulch of dead leaves, soaking the trees, filling the gullies and crannies of the wood with water, washing out the places where men have stripped the hillside… Nobody started it, nobody is going to stop it. It will talk as long as it wants, the rain. As long as it talks, I am going to listen.’
Much of my fascination lies in understanding that the backstory is sublimely and inextricably detached from humanity’s hubris. It is woven through the best, the worst, and even the most mundane aspects of our world. Not even the most tyrannical despot can stop the rain from speaking. In spite of the bluff, bluster, fake news, and horror, our world is always underpinned by universal truths that gravitate towards a sense of balance.
Janet’s work comes from the heart, offering a way of observing that dampens the analytical mind and helps sustain me through difficult times.
So far, I’ve travelled the length and breadth of Britain on my camper-van-camino, and the patterns that I’ve photographed, sketched, and written about have taught me that the most profound journey I’ve ever taken isn’t the 70,000 miles in my camper-van, but the twenty centimetres from my head to my heart.
King's Lynn Part Two:
(King's Lynn Part One is here)
If I were to ask Janet Brady to create an art work of King’s Lynn, I imagine it might look like a downward view of a seashore with waves lapping up against a pebbled beach with little rivulets, channels forming in the sand beneath, reaching towards the land.
If art can reveal the ensoulment of the universe then the staithes and rivulet streets that flow into them reveal the ensoulment of King’s Lynn. These alleys, brimming with history and movement, are alive with vistas, textures, patterns, and shimmering light, no matter the time of day or the weather.
The entry ways are smoothed and rounded to allow top loaded carts to pass.
I walk up and down the lanes and alleys - always egressing at some point along the estuary. I imagine a time-lapse of these alley's through history - watching them grow and root quickly into the land.
These arteries are grooved out by foot and then cart and then infilled with setts and with buildings along the burgage plots.
And then I come across Ferry Lane and see the movement in action.
Two men have the task of moving chairs off the main street deep down into the alley towards the estuary. I watch and follow them in their task.
And whilst I'm idling my time away, I'm struck by the pattern of the brickwork along the alley walls.
The walls are attached to the curtilage of a building that looks as though it has its origins in the medieval. It has a lovely crow-stepped gable.
And there are clues as to how this lane was lit during the evenings in the past.
Walking these alleys reveals the soft underbelly of Lynn.
Ferry lane fizzles out into the estuary.
St. Nicholas, King's Lynn
St. Nicholas is the largest chapel in England and has a C15th roof that is full of angels.
I had the privilege and pleasure of photographing the roof from scaffolding when it was being repaired many years ago. Here are some photos of the angels that spring from the hammer beams.
Members can view the full story (with lots more photos) of my visit into the roof of St. Nicks in the Members Only Patina 25th Edition below:
Andy Marshall
Doorscape
King's Lynn has a divine doorscape, and it harbours one of my favourite doors. It belongs to Clifton House which is a remarkable building. It was a merchant's house, founded in the C13th, and has grown organically ever since then.
The principal facade is of 1708 and hides a beautiful barley twist doorcase.
The other doors of Lynn:
The Guildhall
The Guildhall is a visual delight with, as the listing says: ' facade decorated with knapped flint squares alternating with stone squares to produce chequered flushwork.' It originates in the C15th with alterations in the C17th. I was so taken by the Guildhall that I sketched it:
Custom House
Custom House was built as a Merchant's Exchange in 1683. Pevsner described it as 'one of the finest late C17th public buildings in provincial England."
I walk around Custom House via Purfleet Quay and whilst I'm there the brick buildings start to fizz in the raking light.
The facades move from a ruddy deadpan mass to individual bricks textured with lines cut into their surfaces. The buildings here may have been rendered originally - the lines being a key for the render.
The Remaining Buildings of King's Lynn - Pure Scroll, No Words.
I'm aware that this is a long digest - but King's Lynn is so jam-packed with delight that I can't help but share the buildings.
I want to say so much about individual buildings - but, from here, I'll let the photographs speak. If anybody wants to visit Lynn and would like any information, please do drop me a line.
That Evening, just outside King's Lynn I'm at work. I have to capture a building during twilight. It's a tricky business waiting for the right time, but having Woody enables me to lodge on site and watch the light.
And it all works out perfectly - I get the shot in the end for a magazine front:
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And Char comes to me, and she says, 'I think I’ve found something of your Dads - a box of his art.'
And I think: “His art? I didn’t know of his art.’
So Char gives me a box. I open it and find a folder inside with 'Weight Watchers' imprinted on the back. Then I turn it over, and (although I’ve probably seen it before without seeing) I see it for the first time.
And, as I leaf through the pages, I sense the big pattern again - the backstory.
But this time, it hasn't come from around me but through him, passed on to me. He still lives within me, through my life and my expression.
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Photographs and words by Andy Marshall (unless otherwise stated). Most photographs are taken with Iphone 14 Pro and DJI Mini 3 Pro.
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