HWW from Anstruther

A house dating from 1692 located in the Scottish fishing village Anstruther, has become known for its shell decorated facade.

It is a creation made by Alex Batchelor who lived in the Victorian era. He was a slater and a plasterer, who probably in the 1840s was active in this project. The locals considered Batchelor as somewhat eccentric, not in the least since he also had made a shell decorated coffin and was willing to let people take a look at it after paying some pennies. There is a story that the show included that for an extra penny he would lay down in the coffin.

The shells decorating the wall include scallops, dog whelks, edible whelks, limpets and a few mussels. I think it requires some attention as there are some blank spaces, but considering the situation, on a sharp bend on a busy road, it is in remarkable condition.

Ecobird, Berny, buonacoppi, Wierd Folkersma and 41 other people have particularly liked this photo

25 comments - The latest ones

Marije Aguillo ^club

Preciosa pared. En Galicia (España), también se encuentran casas con paredes cubiertas de vieiras u otras conchas. HWW.

6 months ago.

Joe, Son of the Rock ^club

A lovely photograph on many different levels, Amelia: the tight composition works well to show: the beauty of the artistry, the textures and colours without the distraction of the surroundings; the effectiveness of contrast between shapes, textures and colours. This is an image in which an analogous colour scheme achieves a sense of perfection. On a personal level, it evokes pleasant memories of many pleasant trips to this area. I have photographed this scene many times and I take a wide-angle shot to show the shell house in its environment and I zoom in for the close-up. Both shots worked well. To borrow a phrase from marketing parlance, at this location, you get two for the price of one.

6 months ago.

Amelia ^club has replied to Joe, Son of the Rock ^club

Yes - your photos of Anstruther, and the Kingdom in general are exceptional, Joe.

6 months ago.

Roger (Grisly) ^club

Painstaking workmanship but a lovely finish in this excellent capture Amelia
I have seen similar in Cornwall, HWW !

6 months ago.

Diana Australis ^club

I love this, Amelia. The painstaking work of this is exquisite. It is also very durable, it would seem.
It manages to escape the tawdry and kirsch of many shell-based artefacts. Thank you for the picture and the history of the building. Have a lovely day, Diana

6 months ago.