Category Archives: Building

Chapel of Ease, St. Helena

July 26, 2020 Ellen Jennings 2 Comments

The Anglican Church established “chapels of ease” throughout rural South Carolina in the 1700s for members to attend services close to home.

Fire, in this case natural, brought an end to this chapel on St. Helena Island, just off Beaufort.

Historical preservation organizations are fighting a battle against the natural elements and some human interference to preserve these buildings.

The massive live oaks on this property stand like guards over the building but may ultimately contribute to the chapel’s demise.

Building

Magnolia Plantation House, River Side

May 26, 2020 Ellen Jennings Leave a comment

A few days after I posted Magnolia Plantation Cupola, River Side I was in the same place with a similar sky and a shorter lens on my camera.

Without much contrasting color to break up all that green I processed these images with a vintage photo look.

Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC

For a view of the other side of the house see my post from November 2019: Magnolia Plantation, the House

Building

Magnolia Plantation Cupola, River Side

May 23, 2020 Ellen Jennings 1 Comment

At one time a wide lawn leading up to the Ashley River side of Magnolia Plantation would have been the welcome to visitors who had journeyed via boat from Charleston. Now that expanse has narrowed with trees and there is no clear view of the whole house from the river bank.

I was ready for wildlife photography with my 100-400 MM lens attached, but the impending storm made a cool sky so I took some images between the trees at 100 MM.

If you are zooming in to see the weather vane details you’ll see spots. At first I thought my lens might be dirty but after comparing the images I’m pretty sure those are rain drops.

Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC

For a view from the other side see my post from November 2019: Magnolia Plantation, the House

Building

Triplet Windows, From the Inside

March 31, 2020 Ellen Jennings Leave a comment

Almost two years ago I posted photographs of these windows from the outside in Triplet Windows.

A couple weeks ago when passing by on my way to the nature trail the back door was open. I stepped in and got the answer to my question about their position: they are centered over the kitchen sink.

Those with kitchen duty had a lovely view into a pine forest.

The house, well on its way to ruin, was once the hub of a thriving cattle farm. The property is maintained by the SC Department of Natural Resources; periodically they trim back overgrowing vegetation, which may help it last a few more years.

Building

Fan-vaulted Ceiling

December 24, 2019 Ellen Jennings 5 Comments

No, I didn’t know what it was either. Per Wikipedia:

A fan vault is a form of vault used in the Gothic style, in which the ribs are all of the same curve and spaced equidistantly, in a manner resembling a fan.

This example is at The Unitarian Church of Charleston where I recently stepped in during their open hours.

It was too crowded to get a symmetrical image, but I rather liked this one, showing off the complexity of the design.

The Charleston Earthquake of 1886 destroyed most of the original ceiling along with the church’s tower. Restoration soon returned the ceiling to the 1852 design. Prudently the restoration architect chose a more modest tower which subsequently survived Hurricane Hugo, which in 1989 destroyed many of Charleston’s landmarks.

Building

Magnolia Plantation, the House

November 2, 2019 Ellen Jennings 4 Comments

I spotted the metal cupola and wind vane through the branches of one of the huge Live Oaks that line the entrance to the Magnolia Plantation property.

I backed up and found a spot that framed the house with the tree, which is many hundreds of years old.

Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC

Building

Old Sheldon Church Ruins

October 4, 2019 Ellen Jennings 4 Comments

South Carolina is dotted with ruins of churches and other historical buildings. Fire, at the hands of an enemy during war or by accident, was a common culprit. Sometimes they were ravaged to use building materials elsewhere.

Old Sheldon Church Ruins

The Old Sheldon Church in Beaufort County was originally built around 1750.

The owners of the property have recently added a fence to keep visitors out of the ruin for safety purposes and hopefully from taking souvenirs. Oddly, to me, this has become a popular spot for wedding and other portrait photographs.

The giant Live Oaks surrounding the property lend to the feeling of times gone by.

Building, South Carolina

Cross Keys Plantation

September 21, 2019 Ellen Jennings 2 Comments

The Cross Keys Plantation wasn’t on our list of potential stops on our recent mid-state driving tour. However, we made a quick u-turn to check out this unexpected sight.

The property is owned by the Union County Museum but wasn’t open so I only took images from the road. The white plaque at the gable peak has the build date of 1812 along with two crossed skeleton keys.

The other end of the house has just one chimney, partly hidden by a tree.

The intricate brick work is fascinating, especially in the chimney.

The bricks varied in colors and the top several rows on the front of the house appear to be of a different era.

Click on any image for a larger view.

Cross Keys, Union, SC

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Joseph Manigault House: Chandelier

August 12, 2019 Ellen Jennings 4 Comments

I’m attracted to gaudy chandeliers, not that I would want one, but the bling does draw my eye.

Joseph Manigault House Chandelier in Front Stairwell

The light from the huge Palladian window (three-sections where the center section is arched and larger than the two side sections) makes images a challenge.

The cantilevered staircase (fixed to the wall with no other support) provides an elegant setting intended to impress Charleston society.

This home has had a number of uses since it was built in 1803 for the Manigault family’s city residence and was nearly torn down for a gas station in 1920. It is now owned by The Charleston Museum which operates daily interpretive tours.

Joseph Manigault House, Meeting Street, Charleston, SC

Building

Charleston Churches on a Stormy Afternoon

July 11, 2019 Ellen Jennings 7 Comments

Charleston, SC, is known for its abundance of churches and is sometimes referred to as the “Holy City.” The spires of this trio can be seen from a bird’s eye perspective from one of the parking garage rooftops.

Three Church Spires, Charleston: Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist, Saint John’s Lutheran Church, Unitarian Church

The Unitarian Church is topped by a rooster weather vane, which had a summer storm to observe the afternoon I was there.