Carmel College pool / chapel Summer '17

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prettyvacant71

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Carmel College

A little history...


Carmel College in Mongewell park, Oxfordshire was founded by the late Kopul Rosen, with the Mansion house being built in 1888 and was used as a hospital for wounded officers during The First World War. Several of the buildings were designed by the local architect Thomas Handcock and Sir Basil Spence. Known as the “Jewish Eton” the college was Europe’s only Jewish boarding school and operated from 1948-1997, although some non Jewish pupils also attended. Carmel pupils were aged between 11-18 years of age with the alumini being referred to as “Old Carmelis”.


From 1990-97 it topped the list of most expensive boarding schools in the county, with typical boarding fees for 1996 being £30,000 a year. The selection process was competitive with applicants requiring to sit entrance exams to demonstrate their ability to contribute to the school ethos and uphold core values (sadly these high standards obviously didn’t apply to certain members of staff who have subsequently been convicted of noncing some of the kids).


The college closed in 1997 due to the reduction of pupils and the institution suffering financial difficulties due to the termination of government assisted places. A small chapel of St. John The Baptist remains open within the grounds, although no longer used for regular services it remains consecrated and is cared for by The Churches Conservation Trust.
The site has been used many times as a filming location, with Mongewell House being inspirational as “Monkswell Manor” in the longest running West End show, Agatha Christie’s play The Mouse Trap.



Future Plans for the site...



The 31.8 hectare site has three Listed buildings; the Julius Gottlieb gallery and boat house, the Jewish Synagogue and an amphitheatre. Plans have been submitted for a new housing development which will incorporate these surviving buildings into the scheme. In total 24 buildings will be demolished including the old dormitories and science block to make way for 13 new two and three story buildings. Redevelopment work has been delayed due to financial issues.

(wiki, Oxfordshire Guardian,HOME - carmelcollege.co.uk)


First a little look around the college grounds...



35946113092_fb40e3df72_b.jpgcarmel 008 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr

The amphitheatre



36073272756_fa797f4b92_b.jpgcarmel 016 (2) by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr

The synagogue


35274798744_282f61af4f_b.jpgcarmel 079 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr

The Julius Gottlieb gallery (when I Googled this name, as you do, to research some info, a load of stuff came up about a nonce of the same name, sadly every religion practices noncing in one way or another. The nonce in question isn’t the one this gallery is named after as it’s in a different era, but as this establishment has staff guilty of historic sex abuse cases there maybe a connection somewhere down the line, or not).



36114651695_94ab8a868f_b.jpgchapel 009 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr

I don’t know what this building is, I liked the reflection.



36073267686_3f6de29dc6_b.jpgchapel 015 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr

I like German Shepards too.



36073231126_38f5a6b733_b.jpgswimming pool 223 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr

The River Thames flows past the college so I guess this stream flows into it, or out of it…



Into the swimming pool...

35946083822_9caf2fda86_b.jpgswimming pool 007 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr



36114644825_9cbe61e20f_b.jpgswimming pool 013 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr

Ok MikeyMutt, you see that leaf in the foreground, well it was slightly overlapping into another one of the squares so I had to nudge it back a little into the centre of the tile. Now when your wasting valuable time like this faffing about doing pointless shit that only matters to you…suddenly moving that axe about in budgerigar cottage seems perfectly normal yeah?:encouragement:



35946081472_62392d56fb_b.jpgswimming pool 018 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr


35274785134_0fdd6ace1f_b.jpgswimming pool 033 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr

Oh, somebody else who takes balloons into the toilet with them:stupid:



36114643295_e1835112b0_b.jpgswimming pool 034 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr



35274784324_5d841a7683_b.jpgswimming pool 041 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr



35274779054_73e336eb1e_b.jpgswimming pool 110 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr

This little pool of lurgies use to scare me when I was at school…it was always full of verruca plasters floating about ready to attach themselves to your toes. I’m traumatised.



36114637935_63f387075c_b.jpgswimming pool 113 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr



35274783774_40300c680a_b.jpgswimming pool 045 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr



36114641205_39d9bc9077_b.jpgswimming pool 061 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr



35274781984_fe7bd37bfe_b.jpgswimming pool 067 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr

And don’t you be having any fun either:cupcake::teapot::frog:



36114638525_2b867f209d_b.jpgswimming pool 098 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr


35981421111_6148ae95ed_b.jpgswimming pool 074 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr



35274780554_b12d1b46f2_b.jpgswimming pool 089 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr



35274771104_c2227056f5_b.jpgswimming pool 217 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr



35274777214_1bbc7938ef_b.jpgswimming pool 119 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr



36073237406_3ccd59f425_b.jpgswimming pool 134 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr



35981417791_c81561537c_b.jpgswimming pool 174 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr



36073235386_5dc526dbab_b.jpgswimming pool 176 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr



36114634225_757d0e14b6_b.jpgswimming pool 188 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr



35274772564_48f1394f51_b.jpgswimming pool 204 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr



35981416291_d1986bca95_b.jpgswimming pool 215 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr



So I tried to be stealthy as I left the pool and take a slow trot into a gentle canter, which lead into a frenzied gallop across the green and over to the chapel…I saw the look on that German Shepards face he ain’t avin me this time:dog:


36073265786_1b574d8f3d_b.jpgchapel 043 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr



35274794164_bcb71a5fdb_b.jpgchapel 050 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr


This is the St.John The Bapist Chapel, an Anglican parish church and ruins. It was made redundant in 1981 and is now under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. It was built in the 12th century from the Norman and Gothic styles, oooh la laaa ave some of that. It is Grade II Listed, love it.



35274793044_af148ea998_b.jpgchapel 079 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr



35274791864_8b02bc7fb7_b.jpgchapel 090 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr

I never touched any of them petals.


35274792414_0636836d02_b.jpgchapel 087 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr

I should of moved them chairs about a bit…no I’m not going back.


35274791354_cb61146275_b.jpgchapel 139 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr



35946092582_ce0140a1fd_b.jpgchapel 151 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr



35274790574_fe70620854_b.jpgchapel 156 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr

It wasn’t hard to miss that most of the faces or in this case noses had been smashed off, possibly something to do with The Reformation or Henry VIII, yeah lets blame him he got everywhere.



35946090792_d738d5fcb6_b.jpgchapel 178 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr



35274789914_3d3d7c0269_b.jpgchapel 205 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr



36114646335_d0ef60cc33_b.jpgchapel 218 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr



35946085502_ea31cf944f_b.jpgchapel 228 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr



36073270536_170e59599c_b.jpgcarmel 546 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr


With my kinda luck and all this activity going on I’m surprised I didn’t get shot then eaten.



Well its not worth going there to take a dip but I hope you enjoyed lookin about the place!


Thanks for lookin, be lucky folks:encouragement:
 
You got some beautiful shots there p.v and saw a lot more than I did..and did you really move that leaf to the middle of the tile.what would you be like with the axes.but I remember bumping into you at the sewing house all them yrs ago when I had just started.and you were doing a shot outside and you kept moving little things.i had shot all downstairs and you were still doing the same shot.lol.but to be honest you were the first explorer I had met and you inspired me to do better take more time and learn.not long after that I got a better camera.so it's your fault ha ha..really enjoyed that post thanks
 
You got some beautiful shots there p.v and saw a lot more than I did..and did you really move that leaf to the middle of the tile.what would you be like with the axes.but I remember bumping into you at the sewing house all them yrs ago when I had just started.and you were doing a shot outside and you kept moving little things.i had shot all downstairs and you were still doing the same shot.lol.but to be honest you were the first explorer I had met and you inspired me to do better take more time and learn.not long after that I got a better camera.so it's your fault ha ha..really enjoyed that post thanks

Thanks Mikey! That's a truly lovely thing to hear! I've been blamed for a few things over the years lol some I have done, some I've got away with:mrgreen: and others well it wasn't me :wink:...but I feel honoured if it's my fault that something positive came out of our chance meeting:encouragement: In my defence though, that morning at the sewing machinists (I had got there too late so it was sewing machineless) I remember the morning sun wasn't a nice soft glow but a harsh bright glare and it was f00kin wiv me light meter hence faffing about even more than usual, oh do believe me:witless:...oh and yes sadly I did move that leaf:rolleyes:
 
Brilliant set of images prettyvacant. As for the chipped noses - Did you only see the damage on carvings of just heads, or was similar damage seen on full length and head and shoulder carvings? Damage like this is very common on carvings of just heads because they tend to be top heavy and can easily be pushed over. If you examine your photographs one can plainly see damage also to the male's collar tips and the ends of the female's 'headscarf' at neck level, this to me is an indication that these heads have been knocked over at some point in the past and unfortunately this type of marble is very prone to chipping/breakage (my late Uncle was a very good Monumental Mason).
 
Now that is a bit good PV, I believe you're right in thinking that it got knocked about during the reformation a favorite pastime was shooting the noses off of statuary,. Damned good shooting considering what they had to use, beautiful photographs, I Loved It, Thanks
 
Brilliant set of images prettyvacant. As for the chipped noses - Did you only see the damage on carvings of just heads, or was similar damage seen on full length and head and shoulder carvings? Damage like this is very common on carvings of just heads because they tend to be top heavy and can easily be pushed over. If you examine your photographs one can plainly see damage also to the male's collar tips and the ends of the female's 'headscarf' at neck level, this to me is an indication that these heads have been knocked over at some point in the past and unfortunately this type of marble is very prone to chipping/breakage (my late Uncle was a very good Monumental Mason).

How intriguing thanks for that DS...I was thinking Reformation stuff going on but there could be another reason too.
 

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