Monday 31 January 2011

Latch Match

What's that word again, the one that's for when you start seeing faces in inanimate objects? Like Hitler in a half-bitten McVitie's plain chocolate biscuit. Incidentally, I looked at my almost finished piece of toast this morning (Waitrose Seeded Batch, Wilkins Tiptree), and noticed that it bore a remarkable resemblance to a map of England and Wales, my last bite being Cardigan Bay. I was going to blog it but ate it before photography could commence. Anyway, this is a door latch at Ashley Towers in winter sunlight.

PS I've just noticed another, very unexpected face.

20 comments:

The Vintage Knitter said...

If you look at the latch shadow on the left, it looks like a man in a top hat sticking out his arm and leg.

Just a thought.

Philip Wilkinson said...

It's Fred Astaire in the shadows!

Peter Ashley said...

You're both in the right place, but look at the light area around the shadow.

office pest said...

The light chap with flat forehead and open mouth reminds me of the face Blakey off of On The Buses pulled when making his 'waaagh' noise at Butlah and Co.
Presume this is the other face you saw P.A.?

Philip Wilkinson said...

Oh blimey, yes, I see it too.

By the way, the word my Yorkshire-Lincolnshire grandparents used for this kind of door latch was 'sneck', a marvellous, expressive word, I always thought. When I was a small boy I imagined that these latches only existed north of the Watford Gap, since our house in Gloucestershire had no 'snecks'.

Peter Ashley said...

That's the one Office Pest. And thankyou Wilko for your Vernacular Guide to Door Latches.

Diplomate said...

yes - well this of course all complete bollox. Great door latch, beautiful light, actually very good photograph. Can we leave it at that ? Ooh look - a shape on the road that looks like a flat dog - silly me, it is a flat dog.

Carry on - just being difficult.

tankard said...

...and there is a beer, a winter warmer, called Sneck Lifter brewed by Jennings. Yummy.
http://www.jenningsbrewery.co.uk/beers/beer.aspx?bid=9

Peter Ashley said...

Thankyou Diplo. And it's spelt 'bollocks' not 'bollox'.
Jennings, Tankard. Isn't that from Cockermouth or somewhere?

Philip Wilkinson said...

Yes, near Cockermouth (calm down, calm down), and the stuff can be bought online too. Thanks for the link, Tankard.

The Vintage Knitter said...

This post reminds me of looking for those 'hidden messages' in the artwork of rock music album covers.

Isabella Golightly said...

I actually thought the dog was K9, from Doctor Who. Wilkins Tiptree, mmm yummy.

Anonymous said...

The 'light' face is clearly Bart Simpson.

Anonymous said...

The 'light' face is clearly Bart Simpson.

expat said...

I've always called these Norfolk latches.

The word you were looking for, peter, was anthropomorphism.

Diplomate said...

peter - your spelling correction noted.I came up with "x" spelling in an attempt to be hip and trendy, to eschew the OED and "proper" English in favour of street speak, init. As middle age slips gently away I have decided to join a gang, where a hood and instal and outrageous sound system in my Triumph 2000PI shooting break - powerful enough to knock my elasticated flat cap off my head as I tease the woofing thing with my string and leather driver's glove. Carry on.

Diplomate said...

expat - I've always known them as Suffolk Latches - how weird's that ? I wonder if a Herefordshire, or Cheshire latch is any different.In fact they're all the same and we've been fooled into thinking our own little corner of the world had something special, something unique to be proud of. Oatcakes, on the other hand - Staffordshire please.

Jon Dudley said...

Wait...there's more! Top left...it's an Easter Island head, shot from the rear and slightly over the left shoulder with a different nose...unmistakable.

Diplomate said...

...and in the real world .... we should note the joiner's attention to detail in setting the plate screw slots at the same angle - that's proper that is, Lutyens was a fanatic of course and I'm sadly rather keen also.

Peter Ashley said...

You're right Jon. Maybe the Virgin Mary will now appear on the shiny bit of the thumb plate. And Diplo, I always do my screws at the same angle. If you get my meanin'.