Steeples, Gates, and Window Boxes -- Charleston Part Three

I can hardly believe this is the last week of May; time just flies by faster and faster every year!  So much has been happening around here, making it difficult for me to blog.  If I find time to write, edit, and publish a post, I don't seem to have time to visit others like I need to and want to.  If I pay a lot of visits and leave comments, there's no time left to write a post.  I'm going to have to find a better more efficient way of doing this.

I've got so many things that need doing around here, and I'll try to take pictures and post as I get finished with each little "project."  In the meantime, I'm sharing some more pictures from the beautiful city of Charleston.  Earlier I posted about the Heyward-Washington House, which we toured while we were there.  I still haven't shown the kitchen building and the gardens, but I thought I would show those later.  I'm in the mood to share some pictures of flower boxes and ornamental wrought iron.

I have to tell you that the flower-filled window boxes in Charleston were a sight to behold.  Each one we saw seemed prettier than the previous one.  This picture was taken on Queen Street, where we seemed to spend a lot of our walking time.  It had many of these stucco (I assume it's stucco) homes like this one.  They were often attached like townhouses.

I love the shutter dogs that I saw on most of the houses, too.

I shared this picture in an earlier post.  What I love about this is all the elements combined to make a charming house front.  First, the house is painted a pretty salmon pink color (love). Second, we have a window box filled with plants and flowers of varying colors and shapes.  Third is the beautiful wrought iron pattern behind the flowers in the lower half of the window.  And finally, the charming "S" shaped shutter dogs.  ♥

This looks very European to me.  The rough facade, the brightly painted shutters, flower boxes, and fabulous wrought iron remind me of the south of France.

This is the same house but here you can see the other side of the door.

Finally, a bigger view of the house as it's starting to get dark out.  I'm in love with the wrought iron design in these windows.

Here's a garden entrance that's loaded with charm.  :)

Charleston's nickname, "The Holy City" derives from its abundance of church steeples.  This is a side view of St. Philips's Church; for some reason we didn't take a picture of the front.

Here's a closeup of the magnificent gate to this church.  Notice the pineapple design; pineapple motifs are very popular in Charleston.  I was amazed at the height of these doors and the beautiful fanlight above them.

I love the clock on this steeple and the beautiful filigree designs on either side of it.  We were treated to the sound of these church bells while we ate dinner on Church Street. 

The cemetery for St. Philip's is on either side of, behind, and across the street from the church.

St. Philip's Episcopal Church was founded in 1680, and this particular church building was constructed from 1835 to 1838.

Across the street from the church is this entrance to the cemetery.

St. Philip's from the other end of Church Street.

The blue hour --

I managed to capture this last image.  I was so pleased because I've never been able to capture the blue hour at just that perfect moment until now.

This is part of the steeple of St. Michael's Episcopal Church, which we didn't get to visit, unfortunately.  We just ran out of time.

The French Huguenot Church at the corner of Church and Queen Street,

...and more beautiful wrought iron.

The blue hour at St. Philip's Cemetery.  Thanks for stopping by -- I appreciate your visits and comments!  I hope you have a wonderful weekend.  :)

Denise

**Pictures taken by me and Mr. Forest Manor.  :)