Talk:Eye Manor

"An astonishing surprise"

Hi @KJP1:, Don't you think the caption should bear some relation to the picture? My 1963/2003 edition of Pevsner doesn't include the phrase so presumably it was added by Brooks in his update. Pevsner does say "The exterior [] is as noncommittal as a black double-breasted overcoat." I suppose the contrast between the exciting caption and the dull photo may pique the interest of some readers but I suspect it would confuse more. --Cavrdg (talk) 12:03, 18 January 2021 (UTC)

Cavrdg - Evening to you. It’s an interesting question, and you may well be right. I’ve got into trouble with my captions before. My approach is for the caption to pique the reader’s interest, and to encapsulate the “essence” of the building. Pevsner, in your “noncommittal” quote, and Brooks, in his description, “completely unassuming from the outside”, are emphasising the contrast between the plain exterior and the sumptuous interior, the latter a surprise after the former. Hence the caption. Now, I could replace it with something like, “a double-pile house of two storeys in red brick”, but to me that adds little to the image. Or I could just say “Eye Manor”, as it was before I picked it up, [1]. Other examples of what I’m trying to do are this, or this. So, for me, the caption does “bear some relation to the picture” in that it tries to sum up the building being described. But I absolutely accept that others, including yourself, may not favour the approach. In which case, change it, or remove it. I won’t revert again. KJP1 (talk) 21:21, 18 January 2021 (UTC)

@KJP1:, I've had a tinker, expanding on the contrast between exterior and interior in both the caption and the text. Do copyedit if you can improve it.--Cavrdg (talk) 11:13, 24 January 2021 (UTC)