basingstoke

Taken for 'The Sunday Challenge': "Circles" The view from inside a bus shelter Click image for 'better big on black'

Taken for 'The Sunday Challenge': "un-noticed detail" Never noticed these characters on these manhole covers before, wonder what they are/mean? Not sure what the covers cover either, there's a lot of them down this street, maybe one per pair of houses.

Taken for 'The Sunday Challenge': "Fly the flag of your country" Outside Laarsen's sports bar, Wote Street, ahead of the England Germany match.

Taken for 'The Sunday Challenge': "Green"

Not something you see every day

Taken for "The Sunday Challenge": 'Taken from different PoV to normal' This is Jane Austen's statue in Basingstoke's Old Market Square, the building to the left of the image is the on former site of the old Assembly Rooms where she attended dances.

sticker in a Basingstoke underpass. "I still hate Thatcher"

Taken for 'The Sunday Challenge': "Amusement". The All Cash Lounge, what used to be known as an 'Amusement Arcade'

These Mondrian style panels appeared around the town in 2012, each was approx A4 size. I saw these nine, there may well have been more. I've not published them before as the local council is pretty aggressive at removing any 'unofficial' artwork, and the one I did put up elsewhere with location info. quickly disappeared. The location were: Top row L to R 1. End of Mortimer Lane (51.2643652,-1.0915301) 2. Feathers Yard (51.2630959,-1.0859116) 3. Victory Roundabout (51.2665583,-1.0926) Middle row L to R 1. Church Square (51.2645835,-1.0899376) 2. Outside the play area off Churchill Way West (51.26665,-1.0979866) 3. Top of the steps on the lane from Basing View to The Queens Arm / Bunnian Place (51.26863,-1.0831) Bottom row L to R 1. Eastrop Roundabout (51.26685,-1.0839) 2. End of Eastrop Park near the ringroad underpass (51.2668827,-1.0699108) 3. Lane between New Road/Southern Road and Kwik Fit/Lady Susan Court (51.2612,-1.0856) My favourite is bottom left, love the way it so perfectly matches the building behind it. If you know any more about these, or of others, or their artist please be in touch.

Taken for 'The Sunday Challenge': "Show where you're standing" This is a path in Basingstoke's Holy Ghost cemetery, made from 'redundant' gravestones. The graveyard dates back to 1208. A lot's changed since AJ passed in 1741 when the town would have been supplied by horse and cart, in 1794 a canal was completed connecting the town to London, the railway followed in 1839 linking the town to London and Southampton. In the 1960s the historic town centre was flattened and replaced by a modern concrete shopping centre, an act of destruction that wouldn't be allowed today. The graveyard also has Thomas Burberry's grave (founder of the Burberry clothing empire), Mrs Blunden who was supposedly buried alive, twice, starting a trend for graves to have a bell and bell pull in the coffin in case of mistakes, and to and Victoria Cross holder J A Liddle.

Pareidolia at The Vyne NT, Sherbourne St. John

Taken for 'The Sunday Challenge': "Purple" This is the 'purple zone'' of level 5 of the local car park. Taken shortly before I was spotted by security and had to leave . . .

Taken for 'The Sunday Challenge': "Change" At the local park flowerbeds, it's out with the old and in with the, err nothing so far, guess they'll be putting some winter planting in to replace the removed bedding plants.

Taken for 'The Sunday Challenge': "Serenity"

Taken for 'The Sunday Challenge': "Wildlife"

Click image for 'better big on black' Created for 'The Sunday Challenge': "Hallowe'en" Saint Mary's churchyard.

Taken for 'The Sunday Challenge': "Curved edges"

Taken for 'The Sunday Challenge': "Outside at night" This a modern 'Spoons' pub, but named 'The Angel' after a couple of the town's, now demolished, pubs named 'The Angel' that dated back to the 1700s