Wednesday, February 09, 2011

Ever Remembered, Long Forgot

No-one now can tell you much about George Ethan Loughenby, known as one of Britain's finest sculptors in the early 19th Century; his works, often carved in situ on natural rock outcroppings, were so highly regarded that when he began a huge outdoor piece, crowds gathered from the very start and proved so distracting he had to have a high board fence built to keep them at bay.

There was much dismay at this barrier and in a showing of the finest sort of public spirit, the great sculptor relented to the extent of allowing a number of peepholes to be drilled, though which his great work could be glimpsed without his being distracted.

...And it is for that, rather than his wonderful art, that we remember his name; for any time a great wonder is presented, we remember those tiny views, so charitably bored in the fence; and thus we say, "Loughenby Hole."
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You'll thank me later. Or not.

11 comments:

  1. You're evil. I'm sure you know, just thought you'd like some verification of that.

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  2. Ha! You had me hook, line and sinker until "Loughenby Hole". Groan.

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  3. Here all this time I thought the hole was named after some guy named "Peep"...

    All The Best,
    Frank W. James

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  4. Frank,

    "Here all this time I thought the hole was named after some guy named "Peep"..."

    That was Sir Loughenby's schoolboy nickname at Eton.

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  5. John Peddie (Toronto)February 10, 2011 at 7:17 AM

    Generations of gawking "sidewalk superintendents" at big-city construction sites owe him a vote of thanks-I think.

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  6. You have far too much time on your hands.

    WV: Shoompes. Yiddish for "Loughenby Hole"

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  7. People who need peepholes are the luckiest people in the world.

    WV: "forno." And I don't even have a fornograph.

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  8. Couldn't wait for April 1st, huh? OldeForce

    WV: vicsych Is that when you get a cup of soup, instead of a full bowl?

    Your turn!

    ReplyDelete

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