Thatcham Bluecoats School, A4 side

When I lived in Thatcham, I grew rather fond of the old Bluecoats school building. Back then, it had a sign proclaiming "Antique Pine" (although it never seemed to be open) and all views of it were partially obscured by street furniture - roadsigns, pedestrian crossing controls, barriers...


Since then, the junction that the building sits on has been reconfigured and the old building looks a little less beset by its busy neighbour, the A4.

(The A4 is a trunk road that goes from London to Bath. In the days of horse-drawn transport, and before the A4 acquired its alphanumeric name, it was a coach road, and would have contributed to the prosperity of the towns that it passed through.)

I find the little tiny doorway on the side facing the A4 really rather fascinating. Who - or what - passed through it before it was bricked up?

This is from a photograph taken last week, when I returned to Thatcham (it isn't very far away) to discuss a craft fair I will be participating in, and to order some new spectacles.

Acrylic on canvas, 5 x 7"