Having drawn 1 or 2 disappointing night sketches in Auckland over the years I wasn’t expecting much of this sketch of Our Lady of Dolors, the largest church structure in Asia*. To make this sketch read correctly you need to capture the basilica in context . It's an impressive structure to record but without placing it into a bustling Indian street scene is a bit 1 dimensional – it could be anywhere. I was standing in a continuous stream of cars, motorbikes and people steadily coasting past... horns were beeping, it was hot, people were brushing past me constantly and neon lights were glowing, so adding suggestions of these was important because they added context that helped to tell a story about the look and feeling of the place. Back to my expectations around night sketching. As I expected I was feeling suitably unimpressed with my effort on the night. I was happy with how elements like telephone wires, neon lights and buildings framed the basilica and even helped lead th...
I've posted an earlier version of the Birdcage Tavern last year before it was pushed up the road on 3 enormous concrete rails.
The old hotel was moved to allow a 'cut and cover' motorway tunnel to be constructed underneath. One of our oldest pubs (1884), it was once situated very close to the Freemans Bay waterfront, but with land reclamation early last century the beach moved away and today the motorway has moved in with the older overhead viaduct joined by a motorway tunnel beneath.
The Birdcage Tavern will be shunted back down to it's original position, about 40 metres to the left. This is the view from Franklin road toward the city. By the end of Tuesday, the pub should be back in it's rightful position roughly where the digger is sitting in this picture.
Viewed from under viaduct July, 2010 and a shot of one of the rails...
The old hotel was moved to allow a 'cut and cover' motorway tunnel to be constructed underneath. One of our oldest pubs (1884), it was once situated very close to the Freemans Bay waterfront, but with land reclamation early last century the beach moved away and today the motorway has moved in with the older overhead viaduct joined by a motorway tunnel beneath.
The Birdcage Tavern will be shunted back down to it's original position, about 40 metres to the left. This is the view from Franklin road toward the city. By the end of Tuesday, the pub should be back in it's rightful position roughly where the digger is sitting in this picture.
Viewed from under viaduct July, 2010 and a shot of one of the rails...
Comments
I lived in Herne Bay in the 60s and have fond memories of this (and one or two other pubs!)
Nice to see an old place being kept, rather than demolished.