4 Chantry Gate

The Chantry chapel, the oldest building in Buckingham, and a National trust property. There’s much about the building to note. In the Chantry Gate painting, we’re focused on is the small wooden gate at the entrance. Behind is the chapel wall and main doorway. The gate leads to steps and a sign cautions us to be careful in wet weather.

What else is there to see? An intriguing piece of ironwork to the left. We want to move the picture so we can bring it into focus but this is not a screen to be moved at our will. What we see is what we allowed to see.
There’s a wealth of colour in the scene. The obvious browns and yellows of the stonework, turning to bright pinks and mossy greens. Splashes of purple with frost like textures act as highlights over the subdued, underlying colours of muted greens and browns.

The strong lines of the gate, railings and wall, on the left, contrast against the confusing jumble of squiggles that define,, no suggest, the chapel wall. It’s an ancient structure which has seen the surrounding town changed beyond recognition. A building with a noble background usurped for a wooden gate. A relatively temporary structure and one which will be out lived by the permanent stone of the past. A structure which, despite its use of more temporary materials, has a simple rustic charm, no airs or graces, just a plain, functional gate..