Chesham: Herbert's Shed - 19 January 2002

Chesham: Herbert's Shed
19 January 2002

Location	Chesham, Buckinghamshire, OS Explorer 181. From the car park in Chesham I walked westwards on the Chiltern Links trail until I came to Drydell Lane. There I took the southerly route past Barnwood Farm until I came to the lane. There I turned right before turning right again onto the bridleway along Herberts Hole and back via the church.

Weather	Sunny and windy but not too cold.

Click on the images to see larger versions.

	I didn't take many pictures on the outward leg of this walk, I simply didn't find much photographing. These two trees under the ominous cloud were an exception.

I liked the interplay between the rust, grey and green in the hedge to the right. It's Chesham you see in the background.

	On the return leg the weather was clear and glorious. I'm about to prove my theory that everything looks beautiful when the sun shines.

A glamorous shed has appeared in the middle distance. Sheds may have pedestrian connotations but in this light, it's gorgeous.

	Looking inside we see a water trough. Maybe cows used to be stabled here. I wonder what happened to the wall that used to keep them inside.

Looking inside the other room we get an evocative glimpse of something blue. It's a tarp. When we tire of it we can focus instead on the light on the wooden beams of the wall next to it.

	One part of the shed is closed up like a house. The sign above the door says that there are no valuables inside.

A closer look again through that door hole. The tantalising blue tarp is still there but the way the light hits the russet brick and honey-coloured wood is the real attraction in this picture. Of course if my legs had been wearier the chair would have been the real treat.

	The front of the shed.

We're still by the shed. I wonder who uses these water troughs.

	Back in Chesham, this church door was in the shade.

Let's have a closer look at the boot scraper. It's both functional and pretty - I tried it.

	On either side of the door there are carvings of faces. I wonder if this English custom is a relic of the Celtic obsession with heads.

The mate wears a crown so presumably they are a royal couple. He looks rather a lot like Kenneth Branagh to me.

	Above the roofs a little rotunda peaks up.

I'm not obsessed with heads. Oh no! My obsession is post boxes. This is a wall box from the reign of Elizabeth II, i.e. the current queen who is celebrating her golden jubilee this year. Lovely red colour, isn't it?

	Today's last picture shows a shop front. I liked the strong use of decoration, although I fear that underneath all that finery, it looks just like its humbler neighbour. Still, in this light the terracotta shows up brilliantly.