Elspeth Thompson

I made a quick search yesterday for more railway carriage houses and came across the beautiful home crafted by writer, gardener and all-round amazing lady, Elspeth Thompson. It was created on the Sussex coast from two dilapidated Victorian railway carriages and her ambition was to turn it into an eco-home, complete with a sedum roof, greywater recycling and solar panels. It truly has been a labour of love, and is more beautiful for its green credentials.

Sadly, however, I discovered on her blog that she passed away less than two weeks ago, having suffered from severe depression which resulted in her taking her own life. I really don't know how to express what this made me think - that life isn't about having the most amazing home, or an apparently enviable lifestyle. Thompson wrote beautifully and lived her life with such honesty and joy, and goodness - it makes me quite sad to think how it must have been blighted in the end by her illness, despite outer appearances. It makes me grateful for my own health and what I have, which is a wonderful husband and a beautiful home, exciting possibilities on my horizon and a lifetime ahead of me, I hope. I would love to conduct my life with as much grace as she did.

Read her obituary in The Telegraph here.

Handmade school in Bangladesh

I have never written about architecture before, nor does it interest me a whole lot, but I came across this amazing school in Bangladesh via Salvoweb's blog today and had to make a note of it. I think it is a wonderful project - built by local craftsmen, children and adults, all working together to create something really special. I adore those vibrant doorways - those colours make my heart swell with joy. And the use of natural, locally sourced materials is a great thing too. I think it is utterly beautiful, both inside and out. Check out the link above to read more and see more images. Here is a brief extract from the Designboom article:

Hand-built in four months by architects, local craftsmen, pupils, parents and teachers,this primary school in rudrapur, a village in north west bangladesh, uses traditional methods and materials of construction but adapts them in new ways. the architects, anna aeringer from austria and eike roswag from germany, made every effort to engage the skills of local craftsmen, helping them refine processes and learn new techniques that they could then use to improve the general standard of rural housing.





All images from Designboom.