Love Charlie

My hometown of Wolverhampton is a city in England, with a population of around 250,000 it is the 13th largest city in the country, located about 15 miles north west of England's second largest city, Birmingham, it forms the second largest area of the West Midlands Conurbation with a combined population of 2.5 million. Wolverhampton received it's city status in 2000 earning it's title as the Millennium City, it originally grew as a market town serving the woollen trade, due to it's location close to the birthplace of industry, Ironbridge, the town expanded rapidly during the Industrial Revolution. More recently the production of cars and motorbikes became an important factor in keeping the town on it's feet and today engineering and education are two of it's major employers. Wolves, Wolvo, Wolverhampton, Home As with any city with a long history Wolverhampton has an interesting array of architecture covering all eras over the last few centuries, her...

Visiting Weymouth I am going to start blogging about the towns and cities that I have visited on my travels around the UK, to those that live there, most of these places don't seem that special and true these days there are very few destinations that can offer something totally unique to the traveller but in their own right each town and city is special. A popular 'calling' for me is the coast, growing up in the midlands, the furthest you can get from the seaside in the Uk, it's not surprising that the watery shores of our fair isle have always interested me. The connection to family holidays when growing up is obvious and so the association with enjoyment and happiness will probably be forever buried in my psyche. Most recently I spent my first holiday at the popular seaside town of Weymouth, nestled on an attractive stretch of the Jurassic Coast in Dorset. Weymouth I had always been told was a nice place to visit, no one I had spoken to had ever told me that they...

History Of The Royal Naval College The Old Royal Naval College in London is the centerpiece of a World Heritage Site in Greenwich, London, originally built as a hospital in 1696 The Greenwich Hospital, designed by architect Sir Christopher Wren ( he also designed the amazing St. Paul's Cathedral, London) was a place for retired sailors of the Royal Navy and has been described by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) as being of  'outstanding universal value' and considered to be the 'finest and most dramatically sited architectural and landscape ensemble in the British Isles', it is also in my humble opinion a great place to spend a sunny afternoon in London and certainly an interesting place to visit. Not Just Any Old College But A Royal Naval College And A World Heritage Site Too The Greenwich Hospital which had originally built between 1696 and 1712 closed in 1869, four years after it's closure in 1873 the si...

It's the most famous clock in the world, instantly recognisable and a landmark of not just London but for the whole of Great Britain, it's a very good time keeper too, I am writing about Big Ben. Big Ben as seen from Westminster Abbey The Queen Elizabeth Tower or as it is more commonly known Big Ben, is a tall, Gothic clock tower and the most recognisable feature of the Houses Of Parliament in London, the title actually refers to the bell inside the tower not the building itself but over the years has come to symbolise both. It's official title of The Queen Elizabeth Tower  was named in honour of Queen Elizabeth ll (the second) on her Diamond Jubilee in 2012, renamed from simply The Clock Tower (how inventive) it was also known as St.Stephens Tower.  Completed in 1859 in a Gothic Revival style to the designs of Augustus W.N. Pugin ,  the clock first started ticking on 31 May 1859, it's other musical attributes however were first heard in stages, it's hourly s...

An Evolution In Architecture I have an interest in architecture, just a quick look through this blog should prove that! I don't know when or how it came about but it is something I have been passionate about for quite some time. To be more precise I have an interest in old architecture, Victorian, Edwadian, Art Deco, designs from eras when buildings had detail, I am not adverse to modern architecture but find it as a whole quite bland and boring, although I am aware of some more recent whimsical constructions.  This hall should be in a museum, the Grand Hall of the Natural History Museum in London My favourite design has to be the Natural History Museum in London, a place I have visited many times over the last few years both with family members and on my own. Entrance to the museum is free and if you plan your visit carefully and go during school hours then it is a lot quieter, not only are the displays interesting however but the museum itself is a masterpiece. Alth...

WELCOME TO LOVE CHARLIE Some guy called Charlie Welcome to my blog I Am Love Charlie and guess what? I'm Charlie and that is me in the photo above, now that you have gotten over the shock, I hope you will enjoy reading my posts in the future, which knowing me will be about architecture, a subject that has interested me for many years now, to be more precise old architecture, from grand, elaborately detailed cathedrals and town halls that were built with pride and craftmanship to the more humble and simple examples of architecture that many may not notice. Why read my blog? I am just an average guy, living an average life in Wolverhampton, England, I make myself sound so thrilling don't I! (Learn to sell yourself Charlie) If however you have an interest in architecture among other things then we might have some form of connection, just wash your hands first please. Will this be a professional blog? I have to admit that I don't totally know what I ...