A cellar door

The River Road leading into Charleston, South Carolina is lined with many old plantations. Drayton Hall is unique by being unfurnished and uncluttered, the cypress panels of its walls boasting only their second coat of paint since 1738.

In places the paint has worn through to reveal the patterns of the wood underneath, which to me look like ripples. By coincidence, the single sheets of wood are called 'floating panels'.

The lack of restoration means in places the house is literally stripped back to its foundations, yet seems all the more beautiful for it.

Without the distraction of furniture and carpets it is possible to appreciate the care that was spent laying out the rooms and the attention that was giving to the walls, floors and ceiling.

Only rarely does ornamentation intrude, like with this stone fireplace and its intricately carved frieze.

Meanwhile, stars march across the ceiling of the grand hall...

...but note how the stars are fixed to the ceiling with star-shaped pins. It's these details which come to the fore in this stripped-back setting.

This simple bench is the only bit of furniture to be seen, so visitors can take a breather after climbing the stairs on the regular tours that take tourists around the house.

For years the keepers of the house could not decide what animal looks down from the centre of the mantle above the grand fireplace. Then a British visitor pointed out: 'It is a badger. And a rather poor one at that.'

I recall the tour guide describing the evacuation of Charleston ahead of Hurricane Hugo and how she and her family decided this large stone house several miles inland would make for a good bolthole. She knew the house had survived other catastrophes before.

Over two days they gathered around candles and listened to the wind rattle across the roof and tear at the chimneys.

And so to the cellar, where the original columns taken from the front porch lie across dusty flagstones.

I much prefer colour photographs to monochrome, but in this case the pale light and drab colours made me feel this was an opportunity to focus the eye on the textures revealed.

Someone once said 'cellar door' are the most beautiful words in the English language. They certainly photograph well, too!