"The ghost sign with a story ..... “Hello, good evening and welcome.”*

“Not Chorlton or even Manchester but when I saw this ghost sign, Frost I immediately looked closer thinking of Frosts in Chorlton and then saw the plaque next to it.” Suzanne

We have Suzanne to thank for this one, which comes from Halesworth, which is in Suffolk.
Halesworth is according to one source a small market town with a of 4,726, located 15 miles south west of Lowestoft, and stands on a small tributary of the River Blyth, 9 miles .**

The Romans were here, and it has a medieval church which the Victorians added to, and amongst its other bits of history it got its own railway station in 1854 and had one of the only moveable station platforms in the country.

It was also home to Mr William Frost who had an ironmonger’s shop in the town and who was the grandfather of Sir David Frost.

All of which makes it quite a find, so thank you Suzanne.

And not content with having that ghost sign and moveable railway station platform Suzanne added that “another bit of information is all the bollards along the village high street are hand painted by the residents. 

It caused problems initially with the local council and they were told to return them to the original plain black but they refused and the council gave way in the end. All individually decorated.”

Now that I bet David Frost would have turned into a sketch.

Sadly we will never know but here are two links for those who want to know more about the hand painted bollards
http://www.eadt.co.uk/business/halesworth-transforms-boring-old-bollards-into-painted-artworks-1-4759205
http://www.halesworthinbloom.com/news/our-bollards-the-brainwave-of-tony-eden

Location; Suffolk



Picture; ghost sign and green plaque, 2017 from the collection of Suzanne Moorehead

*Sir David Frost

**Halesworth, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halesworth

A medieval mill, a famous English artist and challenge,

Now as challenges go it was always going to be an interesting one which matched a medieval building, one of our most famous landscape artists and my friend Jean.

Valley Farm

The building is situated at Flatford Mill in Suffolk just an hour from London and is part of a complex including a 17th century cottage and water mill dating from 1733 which feature in the paintings of John Constable.

The connection between the two is simply that the mill was for a while owned by John Constable’s father and the area features in many of Constable’s paintings.

Given that water mills have pretty much passed out of use and many have long since been allowed to fall into disrepair or just vanished from the scene this one keeps a little of the link with its past.

For here is the Field Studies Council which “offers visitors of all ages a much sought-after sense of tranquillity to complement a unique learning environment [and] has a wide-ranging programme of environment and art-based courses. Over 300 residential and day activities are offered each year for people of all ages.”*

That staircase

All of which is how my friend Jean came to the place for a week long course in painting and by degree how the challenge was issued.

Looking at pictures of the place I have to say there is no escaping the sense that here you touch history.

I guess it starts with the wooden staircase made from cut tree trucks, and continues with the period building and finishes with staring out as the sun sets on the mill in the December twilight.

I am not given to sentimentality but here there really is that feeling that you walk with the past.

Flatford Mill

And given time I think I shall dig deep into the mill’s history tracing first the life and activity of Ann and Golding Constable, and then the succession of people who have  lived here during the 19th century  which I suppose means that the challenge is just beginning.

The return visit will allow me to also feature the work Jean produced while at the mill.

So lots to look forward to then.


Pictures; from the collection of Jean Gammons

*Flatford Mill, http://www.field-studies-council.org/centres/flatfordmill.aspx