A pleasant morning in the Kennet valley with Simon Jenkins as guidebook

New sketchbook this week and enjoyed revisiting this picture….. from November last

Such lovely light in the evenings I am zipping about to get images of our projects with the light on facades where we don’t often see it…. StAlphege’s looking fantastic last night

Chelsea….. managed to dodge the rain!!

Good to revisit our project for the RSA House today

Enjoyed your Oxford adventures @gretellemaitre.bsky.social and so pleased you stayed at Rhodes House…. I did a design for their remodelling a few years back but it was eventually built by one of my favourite architects- haven’t had the nerve to go back and see how they resolved the challenges yet 😢

Impressive piece of lawn, particularly as it’s only eight weeks old!!

I’m supposed to park within the lines….. ??!! Will be very unhappy if I get a fine…. Basic geometry is not on my side!

Exciting news….. we (well Perdington did the hard bit) have pups!! Oldest is about 6hrs and youngest 3 - all are doing well 🐾

Sunday morning and there’s no one about to stop me sitting on the sofa…..

Two weeks to go before pups arrive….. so peaceful!!

Lots of travel this week: Leeds Ascot Sheffield Uffington and that was only up to Wednesday…. Have had to have a couple of quiet days at home to recuperate!!

This photo should be on the front page of every single newspaper in America today.

"My son always texts to say he's on his way home. So I open the door, letting his 17 year old cat, and 16 year old doggo know that he's on his way. This is them waiting for him. Though it was adorable, and wanted to share." ❤️ Original post

Whatever you do,

Happily standing on hallowed turf today….. damn it was smooth!!

Edwin Lutyens, drawing of foxgloves

Slowly increasing the scale and detail of this model…. nearly ready for the final version 1:250 1:200 1:150 Not sure if I need to take it to 1:100….

Went for an explore near Droitwich today and saw Westwood House for the first time and wow: simply stunning. An early adoption of the Butterfly plan which makes perfect sense when you see it in situ, with set piece views to every point of the compass. What a building!!

Slightly troubling moments at last night’s bell ringing practice…. Driven rain hitting the west window and leaking through the lead cames to run down the inside face of the glass!

Costume design for Lysistrata — George Barbier, 1918 Gouache

Researching elegant round staircases and I spotted a building I didn’t know in Sherborne…. The Pilkington Labs at the School by Sir Michael Hopkins no less…... And as Sherborne is synonymous with @gretellemaitre.bsky.social I feel obliged to share my discovery and hope she won’t be too dismissive😊

Very proud of my colleagues! An ambitious restoration and remodelling of the Grade I Listed Sinfonia Smith Square has received Planning Permission and Listed Building Consent. The project will safeguard the Hall’s future and realise a bold new artistic vision. bff-architects.com/news/plannin...

NEWS: C20 has submitted a listing application for the River & Rowing Museum in Henley, Oxfordshire (1989-97), which closed in Sept 2025. The David Chipperfield-designed building is an exceptional example of late 20th century contextual Modernist architecture. ➡️ c20society.org.uk/news/listing...

Pulpit circa 1610 at St Alphege Solihull. #sundaysermons #woodensday #caturday

Don’t do impromptu drawings as much as I should, but this space was so so good….. had to give it a go.

…… which got me thinking….. how on earth does that central tower vault really work??

Sienna was singing evensong with the school chapel choir at Bristol Cathedral today….. superb Not a bad space either!!

Start of Crufts but not this year for Perdington…. She’s off to meet a handsome flatcoat chap, and hopefully there will be pups soon….. paws crossed!

Very pleasant afternoon listening to George and Michala talking about their art and collaboration at their new exhibition “conversations” at the Hesteltine Gallery in Middleton Cheney.

Ah Wolverhampton - a happy hunting ground for me here’s St Andrew, Whitmore Reans. A late Richard Twentyman effort (completed 1967). Piper/Reyntiens glass too

Rather cool retro shop front in Eastbourne

Blue sky in anticipation of a cricket season ahead…..!

And in the interests of ecumenicalism…. Arundel Cathedral…. A bit austere for my tastes- nice apse though albeit too dark in comparison to the rest of the interior

Heading south so time for a flying visit to Chichester Cathedral: looking lovely in the afternoon sunshine

Our first experience of Rugby League last night….. excellent!!

Excellent day dipping my toe into the Tenebrism of Joseph Wright of Derby #awesome

Visit to National today for the Joseph Wright of Derby show….. fantastic paintings and my new word “du jour” Tenebrism

Visiting The Queen’s House at Greenwich for half term. Stunning building,beautifully adapted as a gallery and FREE too!! The gold leaf in the central hall was spectacularly effective- what an inspiration! And a little ‘homage’ to Pepys into the bargain @gretellemaitre.bsky.social

This is why no sane architect tries to curve an arch in plan…. But I am quite glad Thomas Archer gave it a go!!

A pleasure to see my colleague Howard Lee’s organ recital at Exeter College Oxford today. An architect of many talents!

Hopkins designs Europe’s largest Passivhaus university building for Oxford

Waking up to a different view this morning!

Nice start to my day….

Lovely morning in Bromsgrove and so nice to see St John’s without scaffolding again!

Around 40 years since I last went to Aston…. Surprised how coherently it all works between Hall Church and Football Ground!!

St Mary Woolnoth. The first of 3 Hawksmoor church I visited yesterday. English Baroque façade, dominated by two flat-topped turrets and a cube within a cube interior. Architectural mastery. The Solomonic columns & sunburst symbols give succour to writers of speculative freemason conspiracies

Some perspective: The S&P opened down -1.3% on Trump's Greenland saber-rattling. That's $750 billion of wealth destroyed -- roughly equal to estimates of the value of Greenland. And so ~in dollar terms~ his shenanigans have already cost the US one Greenland, and we've got nothing to show for it.