Friday 22 December 2017

Tells a story

This little print tells a story.  It's upstairs in The Mineral Water Hospital, Bath.  All up the rather grand staircase we have (unusually for a hospital, but that's The Min for you) proper big oil paintings, mostly depicting past surgeons in the hospital.  This is what greets you on the top floor, where no-one usually goes unless you are on the AS course and are looking for the laundry room:

Level 2 in The Min, 2017

A snapshot of the state of play in the National Health Service, perhaps?  Some grand old oils on the wall - a wall that could do with a spot of redecorating at best and maybe re-plastering too.  The oils go well with the splendid wooden staircase with brass guard rail (a recent addition, it has to be acknowledged, but very sympathetically done).  Then we have a beat-up radiator heater in the recesss, which looks like it should have been dumped years ago, and old armchair sneaking into the shot from the right (I can't really see the need for it myself, unless you want to rest while admiring the art) and CCTV camera.

5 comments:

  1. That is quite a collection of things in one hallway. Will the paintings go to the new hospital, I wonder. Or will they be sadly auctioned off?

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    1. Well Marcus that is the $64,000 question! I hope they move to the new build...I know my consultant fought to keep the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases name - successfully, so hopefully some of The Min will survive.

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  2. One could easily think that this was set up just to make this picture, actually. Everything sort of seems like it's out of place for some reason, but still it makes sense when reading the story behind it all.
    You should print it big(ish) and force somebody to hang it somewhere on a wall inside the new hospital, maybe next to a print of "The Unit" one... just because they are brilliant photos and soon to be a very good reminder of times passed. That's the way things are these days anyway. Constantly changing, sort of...
    Oh, and I can't exactly figure myself resting in that armchair either. Nor can I see myself admiring the exterior of that CCTV camera for a very long period of time. That radiator, on the other hand...

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    1. I like your thinking Roy! I wonder...hmm...that would be pretty good, a couple of decent prints for the new AS Unit. You've got me wondering,..

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    2. Well my friend... if there's anyone able to get the deed done, it would be you :) Get on with the business!

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