Friday 17 July 2009

Bench of the Week - A lively little bench!



This week's bench is situated outside the picturesque Dun Cow pub in the centre of Durham City.

It is just the right size to fit into the corner under the window. A lively little bench it must be - obviously needing to be tethered outside the pub, like dogs sometimes are, and horses were in the old days!

There's just enough slack on the chain for it to jump up playfully at passersby, but not to run off down the road visiting other benches.
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It seemed quite docile as I walked past!
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'Bench of the Week' was started by RuneE of Visual Norway. Other participants include Barbara Martin, PERBS, Malyss, and Ackworth Born - do visit their blogs to see their Bench of the Week on Fridays!

Durham artist Ingrid Sylvestre, artists in Durham.

40 comments:

Catherine@AGardenerinProgress said...

What a cute pub with all of those hanging baskets hanging there. I'm glad they at least gave the bench some slack so it has some room to move, I always feel sorry for the benches bolted down that aren't able to move at all :)

Diane AZ said...

Such a charming setting with those hanging baskets full of flowers. The bench fits in so well that I wouldn't want to imagine that space without it.

Barbara Martin said...

Phoenix, I can see this is the type of bench someone would pick up, fold and carry off to take home for their study or a kitchen nook. It is just the perfect place to have a cup of tea or coffee while waiting for a friend.

PERBS said...

What a cute little bench -- it looks like it might fold up too! I would chain it to keep it from walking off too. It fits perfectly in that spot and the spot would be mighty bare if th chain were not on it and it "walked off" by itself.

Rune Eide said...

I liked that bench - and the text! Tethering a bench outside a pub... It must be the one thing they would not run away with. I would have loved to sit down there with a quiet pint and looked at life walking by.

ÅS Thank you for the comment!

Gerald (SK14) said...

That looks a very sturdy bench.

Bim said...

:)
this made my coffee break!

Rob (ourfrenchgarden) said...

Hope it's not a 'snappy' bench. They always make you jump when you walk past.

Dun Cow eh, mine's a pint. What's the brew in your part of the north east?

Darla said...

What a great little bench, and just look at all of those hanging flower containers!

Phoenix C. said...

It is nice that the bench has some room to move, Catherine - though if it is in a mischievous mood there will probably be a few spilled pints!

Phoenix C. said...

It is a charming setting, Diane. I've always loved old black and white buildings and the flowers contrast so nicely with it. It would look lacking without the bench too.

Phoenix C. said...

This is true, Barbara and the little bench is in fact taken in at night after closing time! I wonder if it curls up in front of the hearth? :)

Phoenix C. said...

The spot would look bare, PERBS, and I think the little bench is placed perfectly to make people stop and then decide to go into the pub.

Phoenix C. said...

It is a nice spot, RuneE, and there are often people outside. There are some really interesting old buildings on the street with tremendous architectural variety too.

Phoenix C. said...

It does look sturdy for it's size, Hyde DP and quite comfy too.

Phoenix C. said...

Glad it made your coffee break, Bim!

Phoenix C. said...

I think this one's more the jolly bounding around kind, Rob!

There's a great local brewery, the Durham Brewery, which has real beers with interesting names like Cloister and Benedictus, reflecting the heritage of the area. They've won many prizes!

Phoenix C. said...

The hanging baskets are lovely, Darla and add the finishing touch to the building.

Prospero said...

A perfect bench in order to contemplate existential matters. Yet, the hanging flowers may cause all weighty matters to dissolve into the ether, thus exposing one side of the duality of nature.

I'm glad you've made peace with our entropic discussions. I don't have answers - only questions.

Phoenix C. said...

Love this, Prospero!

I've been enjoying our entropic discussions.

Malyss said...

the bench is lovely, and even more because it is put in that special place.It matches in a perfect way to this little corner, and surrounded by this wonderful english mood.. I love it, and the whole scenery too!

Lona said...

LOL! It is such a shame those benches try to walk off sometimes.Sign of the times, so sad.The hanging planters and flowers just make such a cozy looking place.I would just have to sit down for a spell to take it in.

Phoenix C. said...

Thank you Malyss! I drove past this pub this evening and the bench had been taken inside, (it was extremely rainy), and the corner looked so empty!

Phoenix C. said...

Lona, I wonder if the owners of benches take them out for enough walks - maybe they wouldn't be so lively if they had anough exercise! :)

There are lots of hanging baskets around Durham, which is really pleasant.

Jennifer AKA keewee said...

I love this picture, nice little bench and a great looking pub.

Dina said...

A lovely spot. Love the way you play with the idea of tethering. So much nicer than the bench being "chained."
Shalom from far-off Jerusalem.

Phoenix C. said...

Thank you Keewee! It is a picturesque area.

Phoenix C. said...

Thank you Dina! No doubt the little bench will be jumping up and down with glee, being admired from places all over the world! Or maybe it will feel shy and hide behind the seats in the pub. :)

Monica the Garden Faerie said...

Aw, what a sweet bench and lovely surroundings! I have quite a few benches now, all photos inspired by your posts, which I shall have to post eventually. (This seems to be a recurring problem, getting round to posting!)

Prospero said...

There's a further explanation of the ring and how it fits into the post at around comment 20.

Phoenix C. said...

I look forward to seeing all your bench photos, Monica! I missed last week's bench as I was very busy too.

Phoenix C. said...

Thank you Prospero - I will have a look!

VP said...

Ooh I remember The Dun Cow :)

I was musing about benches outside pubs the other day - they've started to appear all over the place recently. Presumably as a result of the no smoking ban inside pubs nowadays

Phoenix C. said...

I've recently seen lots of seats outside pubs, VP - and someone told me about tables and chairs outside a hairdressers too!

Unseen India Tours said...

Wow beautiful bench !! The shots are great too..THanks for sharing..Unseen Rajasthan

Phoenix C. said...

Thank you Unseen Rajasthan!

Anna said...

Oh what a sweet little bench - just ideal for a couple of folks to watch the world go by and have a chinwag over a glass of whatever takes their fancy.

Phoenix C. said...

Chinwag - I do love that word!

The way the weather has been recently, Anna, the bench probably has a pair of oars tethered next to it, just in case!

~ Sil in Corea said...

The bench's maker might want to consider leaving a little box of business cards attached to the bench. Folks who want one would know who to contact. It's just the sort of bench I could use in my tiny flat.
Hi from the far side of the world,
~ Sil

Phoenix C. said...

What a great idea, Sil. It would have to be a very water-proof box at present though!