Weekly Photo Challenge: Change – these two photographs show the Bathing House at Howick, Northumberland on the very edge of the North Sea – they were taken some time in the mid-1990s. It was built by the 2nd Earl Grey of nearby Howick Hall to allow his sixteen children to change for supervised bathing; his name is immortalised by its association with Earl Grey tea.
Since the photographs were taken, the building has been completely renovated and in so doing something has been lost. It is now a holiday home in a spectacular setting but gone is the weathering of time and the remarkable impact of wind and rain on stone, particularly around the porch – not all change is for the good:
(click on images to enlarge)
northumbrian : light 
Something has been lost… charm and character, I suspect. Lovely photos.
Thanks – I now remember that it was used for the UK ITV drama series “Distant Shores” about a doctor and his family living on a lonely island called Hildasay. Every time I saw it on TV I would shout at the screen “it’s not on an island!” . I get easily annoyed by directors playing fast and loose with geography :-). Thanks for stopping by.
wow.. what a gorgeous building.. and fantastic photos.. 🙂
Thanks Livonne – the building was once very interesting and weathered like the landscape – now it is just too pristine. Thanks for stopping by
That’s really sad to read, I really like these photos.
Thanks, I agree, it is a shame – having said that, if you follow the link to the holiday home and look at the availability, you can see it is booked up for months and months in advance – it is a very popular destination. The interior is very nice, just a shame they couldn’t have left the exterior as it was.