IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Blackheath Road, HALESWORTH, IP19 9EX

This was taken looking due east from the start of the footpath that goes from Blackheath to Thorington over the marshes.

This very flat land is a nature reserve, and is criss crossed by drainage ditches. A footpath leads straight across the middle, also passing by Image The land does not seem to be particularly marshy - note the grass. The plain ends on the northern and southern edges with steep soil escarpments.

The number of human and dog foot and paw prints shows how frequently this footpath is used. In fact this is a T junction in the path - you can see footprints coming in from the left where people have come across the footbridge from the adjacent flood plain Image as well as footprints on the right coming from the direction of Image

Near Image and Thorington Church.

The Balancing Barn is opposite the church at Thorington. This holiday home could not have a more boring shape but cladding it with shiny metal panels and making half of it overhang a cliff certainly gave it a Wow factor. The structure is based on a lot of structural steelwork. From the map it appears it replaced a more conventional building. The end window gives a view over a pond, and a glimpse through trees of a nature conservation area. However this shot was taken from a public footpath so privacy is limited. The steep slope is part of some unusual topography, as a flood plain is bounded on each side by slopes like this - at first I assumed these were created by the passage of a glacier but the southern one does a right angled turn at one point slightly east of here. Far more details, including how to book a holiday there, see http://www.living-architecture.co.uk/the-houses/balancing-barn/overview/

The architect said that from this direction the building was intended to be a bit bland but two front doors and shiny cladding ensure this is not true. But it is at the other end that things get a lot more interesting - see Image In this shot you can just see a large house across the opposite side of the valley.