Roche Court

After visiting the Mead Gallery and seeing the Hubert Dalwood exhibition, I did some research on the sculptor and came upon a picture of Roche Court. I instantly fell in love with the new gallery extension built by Stephen Marshall in 1998. I just had to see it and be in it  and this is part of the reason why we went to Salisbury last week.

Roche Court is a commercial gallery with works of art exhibited in the new extension, the artists' house and the extensive grounds.

This is the main house which was built in 1804 and the frontage of the whole complex.

The side of the main house, leading on to the grounds.

This is the back of the house, the new extension and the orangery, all linked together along an existing garden wall

and a slightly closer look.

a close look at the new extension and from this angle you can see the roof

from this angle however,  the roof  looks like it is floating. The heavy oak doors hide the columns that hold the building up.

and another photograph, just because I can't get enough of it....

a view of the gallery from the orangery

a view of the garden from inside the modern extension

and another

looking out of the orangery at the Barbara Hepworth sculpture

Now we walk back, past the front of the house and on to the side - this is one of the many plaques you can see on the garden wall

on to the artists' house (built in 2001) which at present is used to display art in a domestic setting. The photograph is not doing this extension justice - it was stunning inside, with a strong sense of light and air. The heavy oak panels blend in well and link this building with the extension at the front. The few sculptures that were displayed gave the whole a modern, tranquil feel.

Stephen Marshall architects also built the Cube in 2008 which is in a courtyard and which we were not allowed to visit. We had a look through the gate that leads to the courtyard however, and the Cube is literally a glass cube which protrudes from the main building: there was more art on display here and I can imagine that it must be wonderful to be inside a glass box like that looking out.