Posts tagged fire

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I arrived back home to Boston from London Thursday night with my colleagues. I regret that I couldn’t post any photographs while I was away but I did find the time here and there to snap some shots. We made two stops in England. The first was in Warminster which is a tiny town 100 miles southwest of London. There isn’t much there except a military base, a few pubs, and the ancient yet classy Bishopstrow House Hotel… which is just that, a house. One would half expect a horse drawn carriage to be parked in front of its door if it wasn’t for the BMW Z3 that sat there in its stead. Ancient, yet elegant, its form is a prime example of the class you normally read about in Harry Potter. The entire building is covered in vines and most of the driveway leading up to the house and the parking lot are made of dirt.

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At first glance I was somewhat worried about what the inside would look like, but my fears were unfounded as I stepped through the door to find the most beautiful lounge I have ever seen. Everything, though old, is in top notch condition. I felt like I had stepped through a doorway in time and into another world. Think Hogwarts, but cooler. In the lounge are a bar and Christmas tree both positioned in such a way that they perfectly complement each other – the towering bar on one end equally matched by the towering tree on the other and both lit up in such a way that simply beckons you to pause for a drink…

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And what a place for a drink. Though I didn’t have time to order one, I was perfectly content photographing the selection available. More than the selection though, it’s the way in which it was presented that really caught my eye. I’ve seen some pretty cool bars before, upscale and modern, with mirrors and blue lights everywhere. This was not one of them. This bar screamed simplicity and class. And coming from someone who normally prefers only the most modern of offerings, that means a lot.

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So the tree and the bar are both nice, but I’ve left out my favorite part… the fireplace positioned directly across from the two. Perpetually burning the stock of firewood stored to the left, the fireplace not only warms the entire room with its heat, but with its light as well which serves to enhance the already present soft yellow glow emanating from the light fixtures above. Positioned on either side of the fireplace are two tables with chairs that are in all likelihood considerably older than myself. But with age their comfort has somehow been enhanced. With time, their inexplicable power to hold you there admiring everything around you, made stronger. Again… simplicity and class are the name of the game.

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Last, but certainly not least we have the staircase leading to the chambers above. It would be inappropriate of me to call them rooms as they exhibit far too much class for such a title. And while the chambers are certainly nice, its the paths one must take to get there that I find most interesting. The house is like a maze and I got lost multiple times trying to find my room / escape to the outside, but the scenery along the way was just like the rest of the house… simple and classy. This staircase was one of my favorites, even though the only reason I happened upon it was because I was lost. In actuality my room was on the first floor, but while trying to find my way back to the lobby I mysteriously found myself on the second floor… don’t ask.

And that concludes the Warminster portion of this trip. I would have liked to take more photos outside (we passed by Stone Hedge on our way to the hotel), but the incessant rain prevented me from doing so. Stay tuned for the London portion of the trip where we depart from the old and classy and enter the ultra modern and sophisticated.