OF TREES AND RAILINGS

 

More brick piers and railings on my street. The railings are modern replacements, not entirely out of tune with the period.

I don't know why I didn't spot this terracotta capping detail before, designed for a pier that is two and a half bricks square and therefore clearly recognisable as Flemish Bond. Mostly in a smooth red brick to match the terracotta. Looks like a pressed brick to me.

There is one pier that has contrasting detail in yellow brick. The walling between piers is mostly high enough to not need a railing with a saddle-back brick coping (half round) but there are lower examples with stone blocks intended as bases for railings.

This is a road with large, mostly detached, Victorian houses, all different in some way.

 

 

More stone copings with evidence of poured lead fixings for railings. I heard recently that these railings may never have made it into the smelters for the military effort.

Could be a rumour spread by bitter pacifist conservationists 👀🤔🤣 This example is just around the corner from my place. Unusual to see a very wide flat coping. Seems to have weathered OK. Must be well over a century old. (150?)

 

 

These are Black Walnuts, collected from War Memorial Park. Haven't tried to crack any open yet. Should be close to harvest time. The black is between the green and the shell. Turns your fingers yellow if you don't use gloves. Can be used to make ink.

I think there is only one tree in the park. Most of these had fallen to the ground. It's a separate species to English Walnut. Don't know much about the wood. It's not a very old tree, compared to many around the edge of the main field. I'm guessing that a gap opened up and someone in the parks department decided it would be an interesting species to plant.

 

 

Another North American tree in my local park. It's on a branch of the Magnolia family. Commonly known as the Tulip Tree because of the shape of the flowers. There are a few of these of different ages.

Now as we progress into autumn, the range of colours is truly splendid. Lots of yellow, still some green and a sprinkling of orange-brown. I believe the wood is quite good. This is one of the more mature specimens.