Julia Abel Smith
@juliaabelsmith.bsky.social
Author of 'Forbidden Wife', biography of Lady Augusta Murray (1761-1830), previous Duchess of Sussex.
Paintings & sculpture; Georgian buildings; hatchments & monuments; Essex, Suffolk, Cambridge & Scotland.
Paintings & sculpture; Georgian buildings; hatchments & monuments; Essex, Suffolk, Cambridge & Scotland.
Doctors’ monuments at Holt in Norfolk
October 1, 2025 at 4:37 PM
Doctors’ monuments at Holt in Norfolk
Brassed off?
September 24, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Brassed off?
Reposted by Julia Abel Smith
Castle House is beginning to look beautifully autumnal 🍂
Just over two months to visit our 2025 displays & current special exhibition ‘A Long, Glittering Line’ which marks the centenary of Sir Alfred Munnings painting the Royal Procession to Ascot, a commission from Queen Mary in 1925 👑
Just over two months to visit our 2025 displays & current special exhibition ‘A Long, Glittering Line’ which marks the centenary of Sir Alfred Munnings painting the Royal Procession to Ascot, a commission from Queen Mary in 1925 👑
September 17, 2025 at 9:10 AM
Castle House is beginning to look beautifully autumnal 🍂
Just over two months to visit our 2025 displays & current special exhibition ‘A Long, Glittering Line’ which marks the centenary of Sir Alfred Munnings painting the Royal Procession to Ascot, a commission from Queen Mary in 1925 👑
Just over two months to visit our 2025 displays & current special exhibition ‘A Long, Glittering Line’ which marks the centenary of Sir Alfred Munnings painting the Royal Procession to Ascot, a commission from Queen Mary in 1925 👑
Reposted by Julia Abel Smith
Rebel nuns breakout of care home & re-occupy their home.
As I've been saying: old women are the future.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
As I've been saying: old women are the future.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Defiant nuns flee Austrian care home for their abandoned convent in the Alps
Sisters Bernadette, Regina and Rita needed a locksmith to get back into their convent, defying Church leaders.
www.bbc.com
September 13, 2025 at 8:56 AM
Rebel nuns breakout of care home & re-occupy their home.
As I've been saying: old women are the future.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
As I've been saying: old women are the future.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Reposted by Julia Abel Smith
It’s the first day of September! How could we not post ‘September Afternoon’ 🛶
The son of a miller, Munnings was captivated by the sights and sounds of the river.
☂️ September Afternoon on the Stour, 1939, Oil on canvas
The son of a miller, Munnings was captivated by the sights and sounds of the river.
☂️ September Afternoon on the Stour, 1939, Oil on canvas
September 1, 2025 at 2:22 PM
It’s the first day of September! How could we not post ‘September Afternoon’ 🛶
The son of a miller, Munnings was captivated by the sights and sounds of the river.
☂️ September Afternoon on the Stour, 1939, Oil on canvas
The son of a miller, Munnings was captivated by the sights and sounds of the river.
☂️ September Afternoon on the Stour, 1939, Oil on canvas
Reposted by Julia Abel Smith
Ickworth House, Suffolk, seen from the sky yesterday.
September 1, 2025 at 7:21 AM
Ickworth House, Suffolk, seen from the sky yesterday.
Reposted by Julia Abel Smith
Clacton Library (built 1967) is getting knocked down soon because of fools, more fools, and the University of Essex. Look how delicious it is. A little extension on a less sexy side would have been fine. Sad.
August 20, 2025 at 6:38 AM
Clacton Library (built 1967) is getting knocked down soon because of fools, more fools, and the University of Essex. Look how delicious it is. A little extension on a less sexy side would have been fine. Sad.
Reposted by Julia Abel Smith
There were so many shelves with a variety of fashion accessories in this museum. My eye was quickly drawn to what looks like to me the iconic early #19thc pineapple reticule! (cc: @julieinstitches.bsky.social @nemgarrett.bsky.social) #RegencyFashion #dresshistory
August 14, 2025 at 11:08 PM
There were so many shelves with a variety of fashion accessories in this museum. My eye was quickly drawn to what looks like to me the iconic early #19thc pineapple reticule! (cc: @julieinstitches.bsky.social @nemgarrett.bsky.social) #RegencyFashion #dresshistory
Reposted by Julia Abel Smith
August in full bloom 🌳🌲
“I write this out of doors on an August evening. Not a breath of wind. Already one of the robins which keep me company is singing his bright song in the wellingtonia, proclaiming that summer is on the wane, that autumn is near.” Sir Alfred #Munnings in his Autobiography
“I write this out of doors on an August evening. Not a breath of wind. Already one of the robins which keep me company is singing his bright song in the wellingtonia, proclaiming that summer is on the wane, that autumn is near.” Sir Alfred #Munnings in his Autobiography
August 5, 2025 at 3:45 PM
August in full bloom 🌳🌲
“I write this out of doors on an August evening. Not a breath of wind. Already one of the robins which keep me company is singing his bright song in the wellingtonia, proclaiming that summer is on the wane, that autumn is near.” Sir Alfred #Munnings in his Autobiography
“I write this out of doors on an August evening. Not a breath of wind. Already one of the robins which keep me company is singing his bright song in the wellingtonia, proclaiming that summer is on the wane, that autumn is near.” Sir Alfred #Munnings in his Autobiography
Reposted by Julia Abel Smith
Good Day!
The Pant Valley, Summer 1960, 1963 by
John Aldridge RA
Oil on Canvas
(The Royal Academy)
The Pant Valley, Summer 1960, 1963 by
John Aldridge RA
Oil on Canvas
(The Royal Academy)
August 5, 2025 at 10:33 AM
Good Day!
The Pant Valley, Summer 1960, 1963 by
John Aldridge RA
Oil on Canvas
(The Royal Academy)
The Pant Valley, Summer 1960, 1963 by
John Aldridge RA
Oil on Canvas
(The Royal Academy)
Reposted by Julia Abel Smith
I agree with this. I also think it applies to civic architecture more generally. Even something modest like a Victorian market-town County Court showed that local justice was taken seriously.
In the same way a modern County Court—a rented floor in a mixed use block—also says something, too.
In the same way a modern County Court—a rented floor in a mixed use block—also says something, too.
I've said this before: the Victorian/Edwardian town halls that used to sit on the high streets of market towns - now often sold off as desirable flats - *said something* about people's pride in where they lived:
Completely agree. I’ve been a local gov journalist for 12 years and have reported on the fall of local government in that time. It’s had a massive impact on the fabric of our society, on what makes our communities work. It’s about more than just bins and roads, it’s about a sense of place and pride.
July 21, 2025 at 9:34 PM
I agree with this. I also think it applies to civic architecture more generally. Even something modest like a Victorian market-town County Court showed that local justice was taken seriously.
In the same way a modern County Court—a rented floor in a mixed use block—also says something, too.
In the same way a modern County Court—a rented floor in a mixed use block—also says something, too.
Reposted by Julia Abel Smith
🕥 Grounds open 5.45pm
Performance starts 7.30pm
Bring your own food or pre-order via the Tea Room ☕️ @tearoom_munnings_art_museum
✉️ tearoom@munningsmuseum.org.uk
Bring your own food or pre-order via the Tea Room ☕️ @tearoom_munnings_art_museum
✉️ tearoom@munningsmuseum.org.uk
June 16, 2025 at 9:44 AM
🕥 Grounds open 5.45pm
Performance starts 7.30pm
Bring your own food or pre-order via the Tea Room ☕️ @tearoom_munnings_art_museum
✉️ tearoom@munningsmuseum.org.uk
Bring your own food or pre-order via the Tea Room ☕️ @tearoom_munnings_art_museum
✉️ tearoom@munningsmuseum.org.uk
The joy of glorious fan vaulting at #Peterborough Cathedral counteracts a rainy morning.
June 7, 2025 at 10:02 AM
The joy of glorious fan vaulting at #Peterborough Cathedral counteracts a rainy morning.
Reposted by Julia Abel Smith
What a glorious day for day one of our ‘Paint Up: Conspirators in Dark Avenues’ 🐴🎨
There is still time to book for day two tomorrow 🎟️: the-munnings-art-museum.arttickets.org.uk/the-munnings...
There is still time to book for day two tomorrow 🎟️: the-munnings-art-museum.arttickets.org.uk/the-munnings...
May 30, 2025 at 1:42 PM
What a glorious day for day one of our ‘Paint Up: Conspirators in Dark Avenues’ 🐴🎨
There is still time to book for day two tomorrow 🎟️: the-munnings-art-museum.arttickets.org.uk/the-munnings...
There is still time to book for day two tomorrow 🎟️: the-munnings-art-museum.arttickets.org.uk/the-munnings...
Reposted by Julia Abel Smith
We are open EVERYDAY over this Bank Holiday Weekend 🐴 including Monday 26th May!
🖼️ Museum open 1.30pm to 4.30pm
☕️ Tea Room open 10am to 4.30pm
🖼️ Museum open 1.30pm to 4.30pm
☕️ Tea Room open 10am to 4.30pm
May 24, 2025 at 9:43 AM
We are open EVERYDAY over this Bank Holiday Weekend 🐴 including Monday 26th May!
🖼️ Museum open 1.30pm to 4.30pm
☕️ Tea Room open 10am to 4.30pm
🖼️ Museum open 1.30pm to 4.30pm
☕️ Tea Room open 10am to 4.30pm
Reposted by Julia Abel Smith
Today!
Join us TOMORROW, 21 May, for the first of our Essex Lectures in Art History with Professor Caspar Pearson, on "Space, Time and Representation in the Sassetti Chapel."
www.essex.ac.uk/events/2025/...
www.essex.ac.uk/events/2025/...
The Essex Lectures in Art History: Professor Caspar Pearson Lecture 1 | University of Essex
Space, Time and Representation in the Sassetti Chapel
www.essex.ac.uk
May 21, 2025 at 6:09 AM
Today!
Reposted by Julia Abel Smith
Wonderful view of @theul.bsky.social! It shows the World War II staff allotments at the back of the Library, which remained in use until 1950.
specialcollections-blog.lib.cam.ac.uk?p=21626
specialcollections-blog.lib.cam.ac.uk?p=21626
Today's #HigherEducationPostcard shows @theul.bsky.social
This - the second building to house the Cambridge University Library - was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott and opened in 1934
Gilbert Scott also designed the UK's iconic red telephone box
This - the second building to house the Cambridge University Library - was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott and opened in 1934
Gilbert Scott also designed the UK's iconic red telephone box
May 20, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Wonderful view of @theul.bsky.social! It shows the World War II staff allotments at the back of the Library, which remained in use until 1950.
specialcollections-blog.lib.cam.ac.uk?p=21626
specialcollections-blog.lib.cam.ac.uk?p=21626
Reposted by Julia Abel Smith
I caught the Tirzah Garwood show at Dulwich Picture Gallery which closes next weekend - as well as paintings, prints, embroidery & a patchwork quilt, there is a fabulous group of marbled papers that she made in the 30s & sold commercially for book binders, and interior design uses like lampshades.
May 17, 2025 at 6:12 AM
I caught the Tirzah Garwood show at Dulwich Picture Gallery which closes next weekend - as well as paintings, prints, embroidery & a patchwork quilt, there is a fabulous group of marbled papers that she made in the 30s & sold commercially for book binders, and interior design uses like lampshades.
Reposted by Julia Abel Smith
This is "Ascona" by John Cooper from 1931. It was painted whilst he was on honeymoon with his new wife, Phyllis Bray as they toured that part of Europe. The trip produced several paintings for both artists, at least two of which are still known to survive. #JohnCooper #EastLondonGroup #FridayMorning
May 16, 2025 at 8:54 AM
This is "Ascona" by John Cooper from 1931. It was painted whilst he was on honeymoon with his new wife, Phyllis Bray as they toured that part of Europe. The trip produced several paintings for both artists, at least two of which are still known to survive. #JohnCooper #EastLondonGroup #FridayMorning
Beautiful example of opus sectile work in Cromer parish church. No mention in my edition of Pevsner but must be from the Powell workshop?
@simoninsuffolk.bsky.social
@johnevigar.bsky.social
@simoninsuffolk.bsky.social
@johnevigar.bsky.social
May 13, 2025 at 4:59 PM
Beautiful example of opus sectile work in Cromer parish church. No mention in my edition of Pevsner but must be from the Powell workshop?
@simoninsuffolk.bsky.social
@johnevigar.bsky.social
@simoninsuffolk.bsky.social
@johnevigar.bsky.social
No better way of spending a sunny Wednesday in May than visiting 4 historic churches @johnevigar.bsky.social
Unspoilt Bradwell would make a superb film location. #FriendsofEssexChurches
Unspoilt Bradwell would make a superb film location. #FriendsofEssexChurches
May 8, 2025 at 8:32 AM
No better way of spending a sunny Wednesday in May than visiting 4 historic churches @johnevigar.bsky.social
Unspoilt Bradwell would make a superb film location. #FriendsofEssexChurches
Unspoilt Bradwell would make a superb film location. #FriendsofEssexChurches
Reposted by Julia Abel Smith
Sign on a chair in Leicester Guildhall
May 5, 2025 at 7:10 AM
Sign on a chair in Leicester Guildhall
Reposted by Julia Abel Smith
Crucified. Rivenhall, Essex. Today is Good Friday.
April 18, 2025 at 7:14 AM
Crucified. Rivenhall, Essex. Today is Good Friday.
Reposted by Julia Abel Smith
Pre-publication order link: Churches of Salisbury & District. 264 pages, 65 churches,historical essays,maps,advice on church visiting. All proceeds to Sarum Chronicle.
Please share: @michaeljecks.bsky.social @jpreedman.bsky.social @chartresfi.bsky.social
sarumchronicle.wordpress.com/churches/
Please share: @michaeljecks.bsky.social @jpreedman.bsky.social @chartresfi.bsky.social
sarumchronicle.wordpress.com/churches/
Churches
Churches of Salisbury and District We are pleased to announce a new publication from Sarum Chronicle. This new edition, entitled Churches of Salisbury and District, is a book devoted to the rich va…
sarumchronicle.wordpress.com
April 16, 2025 at 6:42 PM
Pre-publication order link: Churches of Salisbury & District. 264 pages, 65 churches,historical essays,maps,advice on church visiting. All proceeds to Sarum Chronicle.
Please share: @michaeljecks.bsky.social @jpreedman.bsky.social @chartresfi.bsky.social
sarumchronicle.wordpress.com/churches/
Please share: @michaeljecks.bsky.social @jpreedman.bsky.social @chartresfi.bsky.social
sarumchronicle.wordpress.com/churches/