I do like a nice bit of corrugated iron.
Getting rarer in our relentless pursuit of having the countryside made all spick and span, this quintessential man-made building material seems to adapt very well to its surrounding environment. Providing it is not bothered by regular applications of paint and the natural galvanised finish is allowed to weather and lose its effect,then nature takes over in a most delightful way. This example was spotted in a lane which spurs off the road leading from Orford Village down to the quay and I especially admire the equally distressed ventilators. Goodness knows what it once was, certainly not a church, maybe a dwelling although quite large, or maybe even a hall. It looks empty now but I suspect that it's still tinder-dry inside and houses (in my imagination) all manner of redundant garden machinery, paraffin stoves (Aladdin of course), half used tins of prewar paint, old 'Flit' guns and maybe the odd Lister or Blackstone engine. Rusting spanners are hung from nails on the matchboarded walls and coils of proper binder twine still festoon the rafters. Sadly I didn't have the nerve to enter the property so it's probably had a second carcass built inside and furnished with all the latest from IKEA. If you know, please tell me.
7 comments:
Excellent, Jon. I'd guess some light-industrial use – maybe the Lister engine is not so far out. I know what you mean about not venturing inside - you never know who you might offend. I did once go inside an abandoned corrugated iron church. It was dry as a bone inside.
An old smokehouse for the fish from the Butley River ?
Or,if it ain't a smokehouse,what about a store and /or drying -out shed for thatching reeds,cut from nearby wetlands,and prior to being shipped off on Thames barges from the nearby quay ?? I admit I'm grasping at straws here.
Equally convincing Bucks! Still don't know....I like the latter particularly with the image of the barges.
A rare find these days whatever its previous use nice to see something properly rustic, interesting blog, seasons greetings...carry on
Thanks IAJ...an appreciation of corrugated iron is to be encouraged!
Hi Jon, i was intrigued by your post so....had a look at google maps to see where it was and then popped over to old maps uk to see what was on the 1:2500 os maps.
The 1927 os shows it as a club and by the 1973 map it is marked as a hall.
So after a bit of google-fu i came up with this
http://www.orfordpiece.com/html/7__recreation.html
In Quay Street, on the right hand side past the coastguard cottages is a long hut clad with corrugated iron. This was the Y.M.C.A. known locally as "The Club." After leaving school we were able to join the club and therefore felt we were at last grown-up. We learnt to play snooker and billiards on a half sized table before being allowed to use the two full sized tables, one used for billiards and the other for snooker. Darts was also played and we were able to improve our skill at table tennis on a proper table-tennis table. A caretaker lived on the premises and looked after the tables, took bookings and sold tea and refreshments from behind a counter which separated the club from his living quarters. During the winter months the club was heated by two large Tortoise stoves fired by coke and when it was very cold outside they would be stoked up until the tops would glow red and chestnuts could be roasted.
The club also housed the County Library, shelves of books behind wire mesh doors, opened only on library evenings when the librarian, Mrs Redmond, was present. It was from here that I would borrow books and read mainly fiction, detective, western, mystery etc and sometimes the odd history book, depending on the mood I was in.
Post a Comment