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Broadway Tower is a folly on Broadway Hill, near the village of Broadway, in the English county of Worcestershire, at the second-highest point of the Cotswolds (after Cleeve Hill). Broadway Tower's base is 1,024 feet (312 metres) above sea level. The tower itself stands 65 feet (20 metres) high.
The "Saxon" tower was the brainchild of Capability Brown and designed by James Wyatt in 1794 in the form of a castle, and built for Lady Coventry in 1798–99. The tower was built on a "beacon" hill, where beacons were lit on special occasions. Lady Coventry wondered whether a beacon on this hill could be seen from her house in Worcester — about 22 miles (35 km) away — and sponsored the construction of the folly to find out. Indeed, the beacon could be seen clearly.
Over the years, the tower was home to the printing press of Sir Thomas Phillipps, and served as a country retreat for artists including William Morris and Edward Burne-Jones who rented it together in the 1880s. William Morris was so inspired by Broadway Tower and other ancient buildings that he founded the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings in 1877.
Today, the tower is a tourist attraction and the centre of a country park with various exhibitions open to the public at a fee, as well as a gift shop and restaurant. The place is on the Cotswold Way and can be reached by following the Cotswold Way from the A44 road at Fish Hill, or by a steep climb out of Broadway village.
Near the tower is a memorial to the crew of an A.W.38 Whitley bomber that crashed there during a training mission in June 1943.
Croome Court, Worcestershire - the Wine Cellar. Both house and gardens at Croome Court were designed by Capability Brown between 1751-2, rebuilding an earlier house from the 1640s. The estate was requisitioned in WW2, but was not used for troops, being offered to the Dutch Royal family, but nearby, and partly within the grounds, RAF Defford was established, an important location for the Telecommunications Research Establishment. They left in 1957 as the runways were too short. The house was sold by the Croome Estate Trust in 1948, and became St Josephs Special School until 1979. Taken over by the Hare Krishna movement, it became known as Chaitanya College with involvement from George Harrison, who created recording studios within the house. They left in 1984 and the house was used for several short-term activities, including a training centre; apartments; a restaurant and conference centre; a hotel and golf course, and a private family home. In 2007, it was purchased by the Croome Heritage Trust, who leased it to the National Trust. Croome Court is grade 1 listed.
Croome D'Abitot, near Pershore, Worcestershire, West Midlands, England - Croome Court, High Green
June 2025
You may view more of my images of Ickworth House, Park and gardens, by clicking "here" !
Please do not insert images, of group invite, thank you!
Ickworth Park. With over 1,800 acres of parkland designed by Capability Brown, the house and its grounds were created as an homage to Italy, the country so beloved by Frederick Augustus Hervey, the 4th Earl of Bristol. The Earl-Bishop spent his life travelling the continent, gathering together a vast collection of paintings, sculpture and artefacts. Already possessed of several houses, he conceived Ickworth primarily as a museum for his treasures. At his death only the Rotunda - the giant circular structure at the centre of the two wings, described by Hervey's wife as 'a stupendous moment of Folly' - was nearing completion. The house was eventually finished by his son. Although Hervey's treasures, confiscated during the French invasion of Italy, were destined never to occupy Ickworth, his descendants made it their life's work to rebuild what has become an exceptional collection of art and silver. Paintings housed in the galleries include works by Velázquez, Titian and Poussin, while the collection of 18th-century portraits of the family is exceptionally fine, featuring canvases by Gainsborough, Reynolds, Vigée-Lebrun and Hogarth. In addition to one of the very best British collections of Georgian Huguenot silver, Ickworth is also home to an impressive array of Regency furniture, porcelain, and domestic objects. More made a career of producing idealised Italian landscapes. His Landscape with Classical Figures, Cicero at his Villa, painted in 1780 and funded in 1993, is a typical work, the misty soft-focus and pastel light adding to its appeal. Hugh Douglas Hamilton's The Earl Bishop of Bristol and Derry Seated before the Prospect of Rome shows Hervey seated at what is thought to be the southern tip of the Borghese Gardens.
Ickworth's parklands and gardens can provide a day's activity in their own right. The south gardens are modelled on the formal Italian style, while the gardens to the west of the house are more informal. Visitors can walk or cycle out into the park itself and up to the Fairy Lake. Bright and modern, The West Wing Restaurant overlooks the gardens and can be guaranteed to catch any sunlight on offer. It serves everything from hot meals to snacks, and at weekends the restaurant is open for breakfast. If you're after something rather more formal, try Frederick's restaurant at Ickworth Hotel in the grounds.
The sheep is a quadrupedal, ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. Like all ruminants, sheep are members of the order Artiodactyla, the even-toed ungulates. Although the name "sheep" applies to many species in the genus Ovis, in everyday usage it almost always refers to Ovis aries. Numbering a little over one billion, domestic sheep are also the most numerous species of sheep. An adult female sheep is referred to as a ewe (/juː/), an intact male as a ram or occasionally a tup, a castrated male as a wether, and a younger sheep as a lamb. Sheep are most likely descended from the wild mouflon of Europe and Asia. One of the earliest animals to be domesticated for agricultural purposes, sheep are raised for fleece, meat (lamb, hogget or mutton) and milk. A sheep's wool is the most widely used animal fiber, and is usually harvested by shearing. Ovine meat is called lamb when from younger animals and mutton when from older ones. Sheep continue to be important for wool and meat today, and are also occasionally raised for pelts, as dairy animals, or as model organisms for science. Sheep husbandry is practised throughout the majority of the inhabited world, and has been fundamental to many civilizations. In the modern era, Australia, New Zealand, the southern and central South American nations, and the British Isles are most closely associated with sheep production. Sheepraising has a large lexicon of unique terms which vary considerably by region and dialect. Use of the word sheep began in Middle English as a derivation of the Old English word scēap; it is both the singular and plural name for the animal. A group of sheep is called a flock, herd or mob. Many other specific terms for the various life stages of sheep exist, generally related to lambing, shearing, and age. Being a key animal in the history of farming, sheep have a deeply entrenched place in human culture, and find representation in much modern language and symbology. As livestock, sheep are most often associated with pastoral, Arcadian imagery. Sheep figure in many mythologies—such as the Golden Fleece—and major religions, especially the Abrahamic traditions. In both ancient and modern religious ritual, sheep are used as sacrificial animals. Domestic sheep are relatively small ruminants, usually with a crimped hair called wool and often with horns forming a lateral spiral. Domestic sheep differ from their wild relatives and ancestors in several respects, having become uniquely neotenic as a result of selective breeding by humans. A few primitive breeds of sheep retain some of the characteristics of their wild cousins, such as short tails. Depending on breed, domestic sheep may have no horns at all, or horns in both sexes, or in males only. Most horned breeds have a single pair, but a few breeds may have several. Another trait unique to domestic sheep as compared to wild ovines is their wide variation in color. Wild sheep are largely variations of brown hues, and variation within species is extremely limited. Colors of domestic sheep range from pure white to dark chocolate brown and even spotted or piebald. Selection for easily dyeable white fleeces began early in sheep domestication, and as white wool is a dominant trait it spread quickly. However, colored sheep do appear in many modern breeds, and may even appear as a recessive trait in white flocks. While white wool is desirable for large commercial markets, there is a niche market for colored fleeces, mostly for handspinning. The nature of the fleece varies widely among the breeds, from dense and highly crimped, to long and hairlike. There is variation of wool type and quality even among members of the same flock, so wool classing is a step in the commercial processing of the fibre. Depending on breed, sheep show a range of heights and weights. Their rate of growth and mature weight is a heritable trait that is often selected for in breeding. Ewes typically weigh between 45 and 100 kilograms (99 and 220 lb), and rams between 45 and 160 kilograms (99 and 353 lb). When all deciduous teeth have erupted, the sheep has 20 teeth. Mature sheep have 32 teeth. As with other ruminants, the front teeth in the lower jaw bite against a hard, toothless pad in the upper jaw. These are used to pick off vegetation, then the rear teeth grind it before it is swallowed. There are eight lower front teeth in ruminants, but there is some disagreement as to whether these are eight incisors, or six incisors and two incisor-shaped canines. There is a large diastema between the incisors and the molars. For the first few years of life it is possible to calculate the age of sheep from their front teeth, as a pair of milk teeth is replaced by larger adult teeth each year, the full set of eight adult front teeth being complete at about four years of age. The front teeth are then gradually lost as sheep age, making it harder for them to feed and hindering the health and productivity of the animal. For this reason, domestic sheep on normal pasture begin to slowly decline from four years on, and the average life expectancy of a sheep is 10 to 12 years, though some sheep may live as long as 20 years. Sheep have good hearing, and are sensitive to noise when being handled. Sheep have horizontal slit-shaped pupils, possessing excellent peripheral vision; with visual fields of approximately 270° to 320°, sheep can see behind themselves without turning their heads. Many breeds have only short hair on the face, and some have facial wool (if any) confined to the poll and or the area of the mandibular angle; the wide angles of peripheral vision apply to these breeds. A few breeds tend to have considerable wool on the face; for some individuals of these breeds, peripheral vision may be greatly reduced by "wool blindness", unless recently shorn about the face. Sheep have poor depth perception; shadows and dips in the ground may cause sheep to baulk. In general, sheep have a tendency to move out of the dark and into well lit areas, and prefer to move uphill when disturbed. Sheep also have an excellent sense of smell, and, like all species of their genus, have scent glands just in front of the eyes, and interdigitally on the feet. The purpose of these glands is uncertain, but those on the face may be used in breeding behaviors. The foot glands might also be related to reproduction, but alternative reasons, such as secretion of a waste product or a scent marker to help lost sheep find their flock, have also been proposed.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
SOUTH CHINA SEA (March 15, 2020) Ships from the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group and from the America Expeditionary Strike Group transit the South China Sea in formation. Operating as an Expeditionary Strike Force, the Navy-Marine Corps team integrates the combat power of the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group with the flexible capability of the America Expeditionary Strike Group and 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit to provide the fleet commander with a capable, credible combat force that can be deployed anywhere in the world. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Brandon Richardson)
Commentary.
Landscaped by Lancelot “Capability” Brown,
this estate is crowned by a Neo-Greco-Roman mansion,
now used as part of Stowe Public School.
Brown ensured that from the house a number of Classical structures would provide, eye-line, focal points within the Park Landscape.
These include the scaled-down copies of Greek Temples, like the one shown,
Obelisks, Columns with statues and a Corinthian Arch,
centred on the house, nearly a mile to the south-east.
The lakes and valleys provide slopes and water, to further enhance the vistas and present a variety of eco-systems.
Copse woodland and mature trees lining vast, sweeping lawns.
Wood-fringed lakes, streams and waterfalls.
Wild meadow land, farm-land and a maze of interconnecting drives and paths.
This lake is known as the Octagonal Lake.
A brood of Coot chicks briefly swam out into the open, but lily-covered, expanse of water.
Mum and Dad Coots ushered them back into the safety of the nest amongst the reeds, rushes and Water-Irises.
The adults then swam out to forage for food before returning to the nest.
Although far from natural, the Estate has matured and provides a very pleasant and relaxing environment, managed in recent times by the National Trust.
Broadway Tower is a folly on Broadway Hill, near the village of Broadway, in the English county of Worcestershire, at the second-highest point of the Cotswolds (after Cleeve Hill). Broadway Tower's base is 1,024 feet (312 metres) above sea level. The tower itself stands 65 feet (20 metres) high.
The "Saxon" tower was the brainchild of Capability Brown and designed by James Wyatt in 1794 in the form of a castle, and built for Lady Coventry in 1798–99. The tower was built on a "beacon" hill, where beacons were lit on special occasions. Lady Coventry wondered whether a beacon on this hill could be seen from her house in Worcester — about 22 miles (35 km) away — and sponsored the construction of the folly to find out. Indeed, the beacon could be seen clearly.
Over the years, the tower was home to the printing press of Sir Thomas Phillipps, and served as a country retreat for artists including William Morris and Edward Burne-Jones who rented it together in the 1880s. William Morris was so inspired by Broadway Tower and other ancient buildings that he founded the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings in 1877.
Today, the tower is a tourist attraction and the centre of a country park with various exhibitions open to the public at a fee, as well as a gift shop and restaurant. The place is on the Cotswold Way and can be reached by following the Cotswold Way from the A44 road at Fish Hill, or by a steep climb out of Broadway village.
Near the tower is a memorial to the crew of an A.W.38 Whitley bomber that crashed there during a training mission in June 1943.
N745CK - Boeing B-747-446/BCF - Kalitta Air
at Hamilton International Airport YHM)
in the latest Kalitta c/s
c/n 26.361 - built in 1998 for Japan Airlines -
converted to freighter in 2008 - wfu 11/1/2010 -
to Kalitta Air 12/2010
CF6-80C2B1F- engines
The 747-400BCF (Boeing Converted Freighter) is a conversion program for standard passenger 747-400 aircraft. The project was launched in 2004 with conversions by approved contractors such as HAECO, KAL Aerospace and SIA Engineering Company. 50 of these aircraft were converted by the BCF program. Boeing announced the end of the BCF program for the 747-400 in 2016, although conversions had ceased years earlier with no orders after 2012
The B-747-400/BCF has the stretched upper-deck of the passenger plane and no nose-loading capability. The airplane can carry up to 107 tonnes of freight compared with 124 tonnes for the factory-built B-747-400F
Visit White Horse Hollow in the Shangrilah region for free rides on our lovely romantic ramblers. Each horse and cart carries at least two people with built in single and cuddle capability - perfect for that special date with your special someone.
Ride through a Capability Brown-inspired landscape full of flowers, butterflies and of course, horses.
A landscape designed by Capability Brown back in the 18th century. The man-made river runs through the park for about a mile and has a healthy head of fish life.
A summertime picture of the gardens at Berrington hall, Herefordshire, England,
The gardens were designed by 'Capability Brown, and were his last commissioned gardens.
Stabled on Siding 'B' in between Platforms 3 and 4 at Liverpool Lime Street are two unusual visitors, new build Class 60's No 60002 'Capability Brown' with 'Petroloeum' sector decal and 60022 'Ingleborough' with 'Metals' sector decal. Both locomotives were in the area being trialled on the Gladstone Dock to Fiddlers Ferry PS mgr trains at that time being stabled at Lime Street overnight in between daylight workings. 6th December 1990.
Copyright: 8A Rail Collection (D.2060.LLS.079)
This photograph is not intended to be art nor a display of my capability as a photographer. It is simply a little piece of documentary showing what is going on outside the house at the time the photo was taken. The image is basically straight out of the camera, with only a touch of noise reduction, given the ISO of the image.
A Nor'Easter blew into town bring with it fine blowing snow. It has dumped about 15cm (6 inches), so far, by my best indoor guess. I am not venturing out to take storm photos, sorry,and I will explain why shortly.
This shot was taken from the den. The thermometer is showing 0C or 32F, or a bit under. I can never remember the name of the flower sitting there, but normally it will only have one blossom. The pair came out about a week ago.
Thank you to Patricia Ware for identifying the flower as an c.
Taken at home in Moncton, NB, Canada on 22 March 2017.
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I am not looking for sympathy, but my loyal followers deserve a bit of an explanation for my apparent lack of activity. If I am not posting, then I usually just take care of the Flickr groups under my care, with a quick admin visit at coffee time in the morning. I try to visit my contacts and friends as I can, when I can, but sadly the frequency has been down.
My right hip began bothering me near the end of January. I thought it was just a sprain and would work itself out as it has the last three times it did this since the summer. Instead is started to get more painful with significant pain from hip to toe. I checked with the Doctor, starting the process of obtaining imagery and a specialist here, which is not fast by any means. I had the contacts in Halifax, but here it is a fresh start. In the meantime, I have been doing physiotherapy, which seems to be helping. However, I don't have the endurance to sit or stand in one place for much time. Walking has been difficult, at times, requiring me to take a cane with me. Luckily, the cane has been parked for a couple of weeks.
I am healing, and I will be back in the game eventually, but lots of patience is required. My apologies to all.
L-Fur Tac-30, For all your Hunting Needs!
Firing a Devastating 30mm Round, this gun has the capability of taking out any animal, target, or armor
Now with 100% more Jesus in Scope Producing!
60002 (Tempest) - 6E10 11.14hrs LBioT - Drax AES 'biomass'. Derby Road bridge, Bootle. 19th April 2019.
Working on a hunch more than anything, took a chance to go to this location hoping a Class 60 would be working 6E10. My luck was in but also noted that dead at the rear was also 66706 which took the train onward to Drax from Tuebrook Sdgs. The 60 breeze past me no trouble for the climb to Bootle Junction.
60002 was originally named 'Capability Brown' when first entered service then under EWS ownership was named 'High Peak'. Now it has been repainted into GBRf house colours and named 'Graham Farish'.
Copyright: 8A Rail
This bridge was built in 1758 for the 2nd Earl Strafford to carry a carriageway and footpath over the Serpentine River on his estate. This allowed access from the house to the entrance at Strafford Gate. The river has now partially dried up, but sections of water still remain.
The Serpentine Bridge is a single span stone bridge (Waymark Code: WMDZR7IS). It spans the contour canal. The stone steps were added later. It's a Grade II Listed Building in accordance with Historic England and Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest.
Between 2005 and 2008 restoration work was carried out on the Serpentine Bridge balustrade, Rotunda Temple, Gun Room, the Ha-Ha, Corinthian Temple and Archers Hill Gate. Work had not begun on the Tuscan Temple.
The repairs to the Serpentine Bridge were to reinstate the vandalised section of stone balustrade as per the original design back in the 18th century (1758).
Although Capability Brown has traditionally been associated with the park at Wentworth Castle, there is no evidence he was consulted.
Wentworth Castle Gardens is a Grade I Registered Landscape, the only one of its kind in South Yorkshire. There are over 26 individually listed buildings and structures in the grounds and parkland. The site consists of
over 60 acres of formal gardens and 500 acres of wider parkland. The main house and some of the surrounding buildings are owned by Northern College, which provides residential and community education for adults.
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No Group Banners, thanks.
NASA conducted the third RS-25 engine hot fire in a critical 12-test certification series Nov. 29, demonstrating a key capability necessary for flight of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket during Artemis missions to the Moon and beyond.
NASA is conducting the series of tests to certify new manufacturing processes for producing RS-25 engines for future deep space missions, beginning with Artemis V. Aerojet Rocketdyne, an L3Harris Technologies Company and lead engines contractor for the SLS rocket, is incorporating new manufacturing techniques and processes, such as 3D printing, in production of new RS-25 engines.
Image credits: NASA\Danny Nowlin
#NASA #NASAMarshall #sls #spacelaunchsystem #nasasls #exploration #rocket #artemis #ssc #NASAStennis
Image from my Coombe Abbey lakeside walk 1 November 2015. The lake was man made under the management of Capability Brown.
General Dynamics F-16C Fighting Falcon of the 64th Aggressor Squadron (64 AGRS) from Nellis AFB banks hard during a flex departure while participating in Red Flag 17-1 exercises at Nellis AFB. Note the Advanced Capability Pod (ACaP) mounted on the starboard wing.
Croome, Worcestershire. A surprise is a modern bathroom in a large upper room, installed in recent years. Both house and gardens at Croome Court were designed by Capability Brown between 1751-2, rebuilding an earlier house from the 1640s. The estate was requisitioned in WW2, but was not used for troops, being offered to the Dutch Royal family, but nearby, and partly within the grounds, RAF Defford was established, an important location for the Telecommunications Research Establishment. They left in 1957 as the runways were too short. The house was sold by the Croome Estate Trust in 1948, and became St Josephs Special School until 1979. Taken over by the Hare Krishna movement, it became known as Chaitanya College with involvement from George Harrison, who created recording studios within the house. They left in 1984 and the house was used for several short-term activities, including a training centre; apartments; a restaurant and conference centre; a hotel and golf course, and a private family home. In 2007, it was purchased by the Croome Heritage Trust, who leased it to the National Trust. Croome Court is grade 1 listed.
Croome D'Abitot, near Pershore, Worcestershire, West Midlands, England - Croome Court, High Green
June 2025
The Y class diesel electric locomotive was introduced in 1953 and operated by Western Australian Government Railways. Introduced in November 1953 to haul suburban passenger services, they were found to lack sufficient hauling capability to maintain timetable running (oops!). They were assigned to shunting, transfer and branch line work where life was no doubt less demanding.
Ickworth House, Horringer, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk
The House was built between the years of 1795 and 1829 to the designs of the Italian Architect Mario Asprucci, his most noted work being the Villa Borghese. It was this work that Frederick Hervey, the then 4th Earl of Bristol and Bishop of Derry had seen.
Asprucci’s plans were then taken up by the brothers Francis & Joseph Sandys, English architects.
The Parkland, of which there is 1,800 acres in total, was designed by Capability Brown and was Italianate in style. This style much loved by the 4th Earl.
Most of the friezes running around the rotunda were based upon John Flaxman’s illustrations of The Iliad and The Odyssey although, within the entrance portico there are some panels designed by Lady Caroline, the Earl’s Granddaughter and are based upon the Roman Olympic Games.
There are many works of art inside the house and very much well worth the visit.
This is Morag Myerscough's installation at Compton Verney, The Village. Situated in the meadow beside the parkland, it was the site of a medieval village that was cleared by 'Capability' Brown in the 1760s when the main house was built nearby. Generally used now as a green backdrop for art installations that are robust enough for children to climb over, this colourful interpretation of the village that has been lost was particularly popular (and will be there until April). The area is also being replanted with trees, following Brown's original plan.
Why Four Strings?
Music: Right Click and select "Open link in new tab"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsBpYLAU8Ag
Bill Orcutt Guitar Quartet
From left to right, NASA astronaut candidates Anil Menon, Deniz Burnham, and Marcos Berrios pose for a photograph in front of NASA’s Artemis I Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft atop the mobile launcher on the pad at Launch Complex 39B at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sept. 2, 2022. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration and demonstrate our commitment and capability to extend human presence to the Moon and beyond. The primary goal of Artemis I is to thoroughly test the integrated systems before crewed missions by operating the spacecraft in a deep space environment, testing Orion’s heat shield, and recovering the crew module after reentry, descent, and splashdown. In later missions, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the surface of the Moon, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and serving as a steppingstone on the way to Mars. Credit: NASA/Steven Seipel
Seen arriving at Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport, one of the NATO Heavy Airlift Wing's C-17 aircraft.
NATO's Strategic Airlift Capability aircraft are based on Pápa Air Base in Hungary, but are available for use by NATO SAC nations, hence this mission for the Romanian Air Force.
SAC 01 NATO Strategic Airlift Capability Boeing C-17A Globemaster III - cn F-207 take- off @TRD/ENVA 02.03.18
Visit White Horse Hollow in the Shangrilah region for free rides on our lovely romantic ramblers. Each horse and cart carries at least two people with built in single and cuddle capability - perfect for that special date with your special someone.
Ride through a Capability Brown-inspired landscape full of flowers, butterflies and of course, horses.
The research vessel Cefas Endeavour slowly makes its way out of Fowey after conducting surveys of local fish stocks.
RV Cefas Endeavour is a multi-disciplinary research vessel fitted with specialist survey equipment, scientific and technological capability, mounted sensors, onboard autonomous systems and deck containers sockets.
The vessel has the ability to deploy and recover a range of scientific instrumentation including fishing nets/trawls, environmental, geotechnical and geophysical sampling equipment and autonomous monitoring equipment.
Built in 2003 by Ferguson Shipbuilders Ltd, Glasgow.
13.6 Knots Maximum speed. Crew of 16 or 17.
Operated by P&O Maritime Services UK for the 'Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Sciences' .
Operated out of Lowestoft,
The Ionic Rotunda at Petworth was constructed in 1766 at the suggestion of Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown. It is reminiscent of the Temple of Vesta at Tivoli, Italy.
Petworth House is a late 17th-century Grade I listed country house in the parish of Petworth, West Sussex, England. It was built in 1688 by Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset, and altered in the 1870s to the design of the architect Anthony Salvin.[2] It contains intricate wood-carvings by Grinling Gibbons (d. 1721).[3] It is the manor house of the manor of Petworth. For centuries it was the southern home for the Percy family, earls of Northumberland.
Petworth is famous for its extensive art collection made by the Northumberland and Seymour/Somerset families and George Wyndham, 3rd Earl of Egremont (1751–1837), containing many works by his friend J. M. W. Turner. It also has an expansive deer park, landscaped by Capability Brown, which contains a large herd of fallow deer.
History
Medieval Manor House
The manor of Petworth first came into the possession of the Percy family as a royal gift from Adeliza of Louvain, the widow of King Henry I (1100–1135), to her brother Joscelin of Louvain.[4] He later married the Percy heiress and adopted the surname Percy. His descendants became the earls of Northumberland, the most powerful family in northern England. The Percy family, whose primary seat was at Alnwick Castle in Northumberland, bordering Scotland, intended Petworth to be for their occasional residence only.
The site was previously occupied by a fortified manor house built by Henry de Percy, 1st Baron Percy (1273–1314), in 1308–09, the chapel and undercroft of which still survive as part of the current house.[4]
However, in the 16th century, the Percy family came into conflict with the crown as the staunchly Catholic family fell foul of the English Reformation which resulted in Petworth being briefly taken from them by King Henry VIII, restored to them by Queen Mary I before the wider family came under scrutiny during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Thomas Percy, 7th Earl of Northumberland, allied the family to Mary, Queen of Scots, and led the 1569 Rising of the North against Elizabeth with the aim of deposing her and placing Mary on the throne – this failed and led to his execution for treason in 1572. His younger brother, Henry Percy, 8th Earl of Northumberland, would regain his title from the Queen after begging her mercy and was granted his freedom on the condition that the family be confined to Petworth where they could be observed by the court. The house at Petworth was therefore transformed and expanded to become the permanent home of the family with grand stables erected and a pleasure garden laid out at this time.[4][5] A part of this era manor house, a 'Lost' North wing, was discovered during archaeological excavations in 2012–15 under the lawn at the front of the house having been demolished in 1692.[4][5]
Baroque House
In 1670 Josceline Percy, 11th Earl of Northumberland (1644–1670), died without a male heir, and thus his considerable fortune and estates of Petworth House, Alnwick Castle, Syon House and Northumberland House were inherited by his 2-year-old daughter and sole heiress, Lady Elizabeth Percy (1667–1722). In 1682, at the age of 16 and already twice widowed, she married the 20-year-old Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset (1662–1748), whose family seat was Marlborough Castle in Wiltshire. They became one of the wealthiest couples in England.[4]
It was the 6th Duke, nicknamed 'the Proud Duke', and the Duchess who rebuilt the house between 1688 and 1702 in the Baroque style that favoured order and symmetry.[6] It was very much inspired by the Palace of Versailles and aimed to establish Petworth as a rival to these European palaces.[4][a]
The grounds and wider parkland were also managed at this time with the parkland being home to quarries and proving an industrial and working landscape supporting the building works and the house. Around the house were planted more formal gardens including an avenue of lime trees approaching the house, a canal gardens and fishponds, parterre, great greenhouse and Orangerie. Completing the formal gardens was a Quarter Piece Lawn and Rampart terraces comprising a series of walks carved into the hill and accompanied by carved seats, stairs and statues.[5]
Split inheritance challenges and Capability Brown
Since 1750 the house and estate have been owned by the prominent Wyndham family, descended from Sir Charles Wyndham, 4th Baronet (1710–1763), of Orchard Wyndham in Somerset, a nephew and co-heir of Algernon Seymour, 7th Duke of Somerset (1684–1750). As part of the inheritance and splitting-up of the great Percy inheritance, which had been a source of contention between the 7th Duke and his father the 6th Duke, in 1749[8] after the death of the 6th Duke, King George II granted the 7th Duke four extra titles in the peerage, including Baron Cockermouth and Earl of Egremont, with the latter two created with special remainder to Sir Charles Wyndham,[8] the intended and actual recipient of Petworth, Cockermouth Castle and Egremont Castle. Following the 7th Duke's death in 1750, his lands and titles were split between his daughter, Lady Elizabeth Seymour and her husband Sir Hugh Smithson, 4th Baronet (d.1786), and Charles Wyndham through the 7th Duke's deceased brother-in-law Sir William Wyndham. The former inherited the northern Percy estates, including Alnwick Castle and Syon House, together with the titles Baron Warkworth of Warkworth Castle and Earl of Northumberland[8] and whose descendants are the current Dukes of Northumberland based at Alnwick Castle. The latter inherited Petworth and some estates in Sussex, Cumbria and Yorkshire as earls of Egremont.[6]
The 2nd Earl was responsible for the collections of Rococo mirrors and antique statues that exist in the house today[9] and was responsible for commissioning Lancelot 'Capability' Brown to landscape the parkland during the 1750s and 1760s.[4] The works involved the demolition of the formal gardens that preceded it, the landscaping of the wider parkland to raise the profile of the lawn in front of the house, infill quarries, smooth over the terraced walks and digging out buildings in the parkland down to foundation level. Archaeological investigations seemed to suggest that the turf was removed prior to the levelling works so they could be replaced after the works were completed and aiding the current natural look to the landscape.[5]
House of Art
It was George Wyndham, 3rd Earl of Egremont (1751–1837), who solidified the house's reputation as one of fine art. He inherited the house in 1763 and began what has been termed a 'Golden Age' of Petworth when he expanded his collection of contemporary art and expanded and changed the house in order to display it best, in particular through the addition of the North Gallery in 1824–5.[10] He was patron to many contemporary artists including J. M. W. Turner and John Constable who were frequent guests to the house and painted the house and its parkland frequently - this has more recently helped inform restorations to the house and parkland.[10][6]
The 3rd Earl bequeathed Petworth and Cockermouth Castle to his illegitimate son and adopted heir Col. George Wyndham (1787–1869), but who could not inherit the title of Earl of Egremont so was instead created Baron Leconfield by Queen Victoria in 1859.
The title of Earl of Egremont instead passed to his nephew George Wyndham, 4th Earl of Egremont (1786–1845), who, while not inheriting Petworth, instead received the (not inconsiderable) entailed Wyndham estates including Orchard Wyndham, still owned today by the Wyndham family. He attempted to make up for the loss of Petworth by building his own stately home in Devon called Silverton Park, which was demolished in 1902.Wikipedia
The Nikon F was enormously successful and showed the superiority of the SLR and of the Japanese camera manufacturers. It was the first SLR system to be adopted and used seriously by the general population of professional photographers, especially by those photographers covering the Vietnam War, and those news photographers using motor-driven Nikon Fs with 250-exposure backs to record the various launches of the space capsules in the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo space programs, all in the 1960s. After the introduction of the Nikon F the more expensive rangefinder cameras (those with focal plane shutters) became less attractive. It was originally priced at US$186 with 50 mm f/2 lens; in November 1963 the US price was $233 for the body with a standard prism plus $90 for the 50 mm f/2 lens or $155 for the 50 mm f/1.4.
A combination of design elements made the Nikon F successful. It had interchangeable prisms and focusing screens; the camera had a depth-of-field preview button; the mirror had lock-up capability; it had a large bayonet mount and a large lens release button; a single-stroke ratcheted film advance lever; a titanium-foil focal plane shutter; various types of flash synchronization; a rapid rewind lever; a fully removable back. It was well-made, durable, and adhered closely to the successful design scheme of the Nikon rangefinder cameras.
A beautiful evening stroll through Capability Brown landscape
The Nightingale was singing, carp were spawning in the Shallows, it was just a very mellow evening
Charlecote Park, Charlecote, Stratford on Avon
English Heritage Grade 1 listed
NATIONAL TRUST + ENGLISH HERITAGE ALBUM
www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/albums/72157701116949872
The Gatehouse (NT) Grade 1, Charlecote Park, Charlecote, Warwks.
English Heritage Listed Grade 1 1381800
NATIONAL TRUST + ENGLISH HERITAGE ALBUM
www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/albums/72157701116949872
The Charlecote Park Gatehouse is a Grad 1 listed building dated back to c1560, it has 2 storeys; symmetrical 3-window range plus 3-storey octagonal angle turret to each angle. The round-headed moulded archway paired wrought-iron gates. Each turret has2-light windows, top entablature and ogival cupola with ball finial and weather-vane; that to left with 1824 clock faces. All windows with leaded glazing, most with crown glass.
Charlecote Park is a Grade 1 listed, grand 16th-century country house, surrounded by its own deer park, on the banks of the River Avon in Charlecote, near Stratford on Avon and Warwick. The Lucy family owned the land from 1247. Charlecote Park was originally built in 1558 by Sir Thomas Lucy, and Queen Elizabeth I stayed in the room that is now the drawing room. Although the general outline of the original Elizabethan house remains, the present house is of mostly Victorian construction. Successive generations of the Lucy family modified Charlecote Park over the centuries until George Hammond Lucy (High Sheriff of Warwickshire in 1831) inherited the house in 1823 and set about recreating the house in its original Tudor style.
Charlecote Park covers 185 acres (75 ha), backing on to the River Avon. William Shakespeare was said to have poached rabbits and deer in the park as a young man, and to have been brought before the magistrates. The lands immediately adjoining the house were further landscaped by Capability Brown in about 1760.
Charlecote was inherited in 1823 by George Hammond Lucy (d. 1845), who in December 1822 had married Mary Elizabeth Williams of Bodelwyddan Castle, Wales. Seven years of major renovation and rebuilding followed, including an extension on the river side, were commenced in 1829. G.H.Lucy's second son, Henry, inherited the estate in 1847 from his elder brother. In 1848, Mary Elizabeth Lucy had what she described as that wretched Norman Church demolished, replacing it with the current St. Leonards Church in 1853.
Charlecote Park has extensive grounds. A parterre has been recreated from the original 1700s plans. The livestock at Charlecote includes fallow deer and Jacob sheep, which were brought to England from Portugal in 1755 by George Lucy
In 1946, Sir Montgomerie Fairfax-Lucy, who had inherited the residual estate from his mother Ada, presented Charlecote to the National Trust in lieu of death duties
Diolch am 93,650,893 o olygfeydd anhygoel, mae pob un yn cael ei werthfawrogi'n fawr.
Thanks for 93,650,335 amazing views, every one is greatly appreciated.
Shot 08.05.2022 at Charlecote Park, Caharlecote, Stratford on Avon REF 159d-08
This is another shot of Broadway Tower in the late evening light. It really is a lovely place with fantastic views over the Vale of Evesham - in fact it has been described as 'one of England's outstanding viewpoints'.
Broadway Tower is an 18th century folly inspired by Capability Brown and it includes a number of architectural styles including French windows and balconies. Over the years it has had a number of well known occupants, the most famous of whom is William Morris who holidayed there with his friends. It has also been a retreat for Pre-Raphaelite artists and, would you believe....a farmhouse! Today it houses various exhibitions and is part of Broadway Tower Country Park.
Because this picture is so contrasty, I have processed this as a gentle HDR.
This needs to be viewed on black I think.
Croome Court is a mid-18th century neo-Palladian mansion surrounded by extensive landscaped parkland at Croome D'Abitot, near Pershore in south Worcestershire, England. The mansion and park were designed by Lancelot "Capability" Brown for the 6th Earl of Coventry, and were Brown's first landscape design and first major architectural project. Some of the mansion's rooms were designed by Robert Adam.
The mansion house is owned by Croome Heritage Trust, and is leased to the National Trust which operates it as a tourist attraction. The National Trust owns the surrounding parkland, which is also open to the public.
Dinefwr Park in West Wales is home to more than one hundred fallow deer and a small herd of Dinefwr White Park Cattle in an 18th-century landscape park designed by Capability Brown.
Bulk carrier Stornes has the capability to unload herself. She is also used for installing subsea rock to cover and protect pipelines from offshore oil and gas fields and cables from offshore wind farms. This work is necessary to provide protection from fishing gear and anchors.
Stornes is off Gt. Yarmouth after a voyage of 2 days, 3 hours from Jelsa, Norway.
Name: Stornes
Vessel type: Bulk carrier
Home port: Rotterdam
Flag: Netherlands
IMO: 9549035
MMSI: 246695000
Call sign: PCKX
Length overall: 175 m
Beam: 26.24 m
Draught: 10.57 m
Gross tonnage: 19,950
Deadweight: 26,648 tons
Net weight: 8,209 tons
Engines: 2 x B 32:40 L8P, 8 cylinder
Engine output: 2 x 5,435 hp ( 2 x 4,000 kW) at 750 rpm
Speed loaded: 14.7 knots
Crew: 24
Total accommodation: 51 persons
Builder: Cimc Raffles Shipyard Ltd, Yantai, China
Keel laid: 18/11/2008
Launch date: 20/08/2010
Date of completion:18/06/2011
Yard number: YRO2007-215
Manger: CSL Norway AS, Bergen, Norway
Owner: Van Oord Marine Services BV, Rotterdam, Netherlands