This magnificent tomb commemorates Maron Mure, who died in 1612, Margaret Maclellan, who died in the 1620s aged 31, and Christen Macadam, Lady Cardyne, who died in 1628 aged 33. The tomb has three inscription panels. This panel on the north reads:

 

'WALKING WITH GOD IN PVRITIE OF LIFE/IN CHRIST I DIED AND ENDIT AL MY STRYFE/FOR IN MY SAVLE CHRIST HEIR DID DWEL BY GRACE/NOW DWELIS MY SAVLE IN HIS FACE/THAIRFOIR MY BODIE SAL NOT HEIR REMAINE/BOT TO FVL GLORIE SAL SVRLIE RYSE AGAINE/MARIVNE MVRE GOOD WIFE OF/CVLLINDACH DEPAIRTED THIS LIFE/ANNO 1612'.

 

The wonderful Old Kirk was also used in several scenes of the cult horror film ‘The Wicker Man.’

Commemorates the martyrdom of Protestant clergy - including Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer - during the reign of Queen (Bloody) Mary in the 1550's. They were burned alive in nearby Broad St where another memorial marks the actual location of the stake and pyre.

  

Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, it is preceded by the season of Advent or the Nativity Fast and initiates the season of Christmastide, which historically in the West lasts twelve days and culminates on Twelfth Night. Christmas Day is a public holiday in many countries, is celebrated religiously by a majority of Christians, as well as culturally by many non-Christians, and forms an integral part of the holiday season organized around it.

 

The traditional Christmas narrative recounted in the New Testament, known as the Nativity of Jesus, says that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, in accordance with messianic prophecies. When Joseph and Mary arrived in the city, the inn had no room and so they were offered a stable where the Christ Child was soon born, with angels proclaiming this news to shepherds who then spread the word.

 

There are different hypotheses regarding the date of Jesus' birth and in the early fourth century, the church fixed the date as December 25. This corresponds to the traditional date of the winter solstice on the Roman calendar. It is exactly nine months after Annunciation on March 25, also the date of the spring equinox. Most Christians celebrate on December 25 in the Gregorian calendar, which has been adopted almost universally in the civil calendars used in countries throughout the world. However, part of the Eastern Christian Churches celebrate Christmas on December 25 of the older Julian calendar, which currently corresponds to January 7 in the Gregorian calendar. For Christians, believing that God came into the world in the form of man to atone for the sins of humanity, rather than knowing Jesus' exact birth date, is considered to be the primary purpose in celebrating Christmas.

 

The celebratory customs associated in various countries with Christmas have a mix of pre-Christian, Christian, and secular themes and origins. Popular modern customs of the holiday include gift giving; completing an Advent calendar or Advent wreath; Christmas music and caroling; viewing a Nativity play; an exchange of Christmas cards; church services; a special meal; and the display of various Christmas decorations, including Christmas trees, Christmas lights, nativity scenes, garlands, wreaths, mistletoe, and holly. In addition, several closely related and often interchangeable figures, known as Santa Claus, Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, and Christkind, are associated with bringing gifts to children during the Christmas season and have their own body of traditions and lore.Because gift-giving and many other aspects of the Christmas festival involve heightened economic activity, the holiday has become a significant event and a key sales period for retailers and businesses. Over the past few centuries, Christmas has had a steadily growing economic effect in many regions of the world.

New Zealand troops commemorated the fourth anniversary of the start of the war in Etaples on 4 August 1918.

 

Shown here is a photograph of the memorial service taken by NZEF photographer Henry Armytage Sanders. War graves can be seen in the foreground.

 

IA76 7 13 H860

collections.archives.govt.nz/web/arena/search#/?q=24204142

 

For updates on our On This Day series and news from Archives New Zealand, follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/ArchivesNZ

 

Material from Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga

   

To commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the Hammersmith-Padddington section of the Hammersmith & City line, a special shuttle ran between Moorgate and Hammersmith with Metropolitan Steam Loco No.1 and Electric locomotive No.12 "Sarah Siddons".

 

Consist:

Metropolitan No.1 Steam Loco+ex Metropolitan Railway Milk Van No. 4+Metropolitan Railway Jubilee Coach 353+4 Ashbury coaches (Nos. 387, 412, 394 and 368 ex Chesham shuttle)+Electric Locomotive No. 12 “Sarah Siddons”

Cimitero Monumentale Milano - 60

Family Castellotti tomb. Sculptor Lucio Fontana 1935

 

Please don't use this image on websites, blogs or other media without my explicit permission. © All rights reserved

 

You may see other photos in my set concerning the Monumental Cemetery of Milan, Italy

here: click here

 

You can see my most interesting photo's on flickr: -------> FLICKR click here

You can see my web site as Nikon Photographer Advanced: -------> NPA click here

The War Memorial in Newburn is located on Newburn Road in a prominent postion by the junction with Station Road. The memorial commemorates 81 local servicemen who lost their lives in the First World War. It was unveiled on the 15th July 1922 by the Duke of Northumberland. The memorial is Grade II listed on the National Heritage List for England.

 

Newburn is a village and district of Newcastle upon Tyne, in Tyne and Wear, England. Situated on the North bank of the River Tyne, it is built rising up the valley from the river. It is situated approximately 5 miles (8 km) from the city centre, 14 miles (23 km) east of Hexham and 13 miles (21 km) south south west of Morpeth. In the 2001 census, the population was given as 9,301, increasing to 9,536 at the 2011 Census. Newburn is in the Newcastle upon Tyne district of Tyne and Wear and is part of the parliamentary constituency of Newcastle upon Tyne North.

 

Historically, the area was larger than Newcastle upon Tyne as it was the most eastern fordable point of the River Tyne. The area has Roman remains, and a Norman church dating from 1070 AD. In 1640, the Battle of Newburn took place. The area grew with the Industrial Revolution with the discovery of coal, and in 1822 Spencer's Steelworks was opened. The village's steelworks fell into decline after the First World War, and the area is now home to a country park and various leisure facilities.

 

History

Though some claim the area's name comes from the Old English for "New Fort or Castle" (burh or burg being the Old English for fort or castle), the name is more commonly thought to have come from the Dewley or New Burn, which runs through the area. This is somewhat substantiated by the fact that the settlement was recorded as Neuburna in 1121, rather than Neuburh.

 

Newburn was originally considered to have pre-eminence over Newcastle, as Newburn was the first point up from the mouth of the river that was fordable. The Romans marked this ford with a framework of stones, and may have built a fort to command the crossing. The area has other Roman connections, with the route of Hadrian's Wall cutting across its northern half, before running toward Throckley. From the eighth century, Newburn was a royal vill or town, and Newcastle didn't become a more important settlement until Plantagenet times.

 

Between 1332 and 1974 the Percy family were associated with Newburn, and Hugh Percy was the last to inherit Newburn Manor House, which was built in the 16th century. Also in the area at this time was Newburn Hall, which was built in the 15th century.

 

Newburn Country Park

On 28 August 1640, the Battle of Newburn took place. The Scottish Covenanters, led by Alexander Leslie, 1st Earl of Leven, planted guns at Newburn to protect them while fording the river, after which they defeated the English on the south side of the river at Stellahaugh, and subsequently occupied Newcastle upon Tyne. The Scottish claim this occupation to have been the prologue to the English Civil War. The name of Scotswood, one of the manufacturing areas between Newburn and the city centre, commemorates one of their positions.

 

Newburn and nearby Lemington had always been considered among the greenest areas of Newcastle, and in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the majority of vegetables supplied to local markets came from Newburn and Hexham. Prior to the early 19th century, the majority of employment in the Newburn area was for fishermen, keelmen and miners.

 

The district has many associations with the early development of the railway. The famous engineer George Stephenson, who was born in Wylam a few miles to the west of Newburn, was twice married in Newburn Church, though he is buried in Chesterfield in Derbyshire, and worked in the Water Row pit in Newburn. The area is also the birthplace of an earlier steam pioneer William Hedley, whose first locomotive Puffing Billy was built in 1812, two years prior to his rival's first locomotive Blücher. A gravestone in Newburn churchyard marks Hedley's burial in 1843. The future railway engineers Joseph and George Armstrong both lived in the village from 1824, and found their first employment at nearby Walbottle Colliery.

 

In 1855, William Whellan's History, Topography, and Directory of Northumberland described the banks of the Tyne at this point having extensive iron works, coal staithes, brickyards, chemical works and other manufactories.

 

In 1822 John Spencer established Newburn Steelworks in a small mill for grinding files, on the Dewley Burn in the north of Newburn. Over the course of next hundred or so years his mill grew to take over much of Newburn as the demand for steel boomed with the growth of railways and other industries. By the late 19th century, the works had spread to the east of the area along the banks of the Tyne to such an extent Newburn Hall was "embedded" in them. In 1916 the mill had a weekly output of 1,500 tons. Steel plates for the liner RMS Mauretania were made by Spencers. However the industry was hit hard by the depression after the First World War and the steel works closed between 1924 and 1926, despite a large effort to raise £75,000 needed to save the works. The works' large number of 130-foot (40 m) high chimneys were demolished in 1933. A number of buildings connected with the works still stand today, although with new uses, including two large sheds which are now owned by H. Pringle, used as a large indoor scrapyard, and offices which are now used by the Multi-Lab company.

 

In the 1850s, the Newburn Brickworks was built as part of the North Wallbottle and Blucher Colliery Company. The works were situated near Spencer's early mill in the north of Newburn. It was connected to the colliery at Blucher by a small railway, which continued onto the staithes at Lemington. Newburn bricks were mainly used for industrial buildings such as sewers, tunnels and arches. The works closed in 1965 and demolished in 1979 to make way for a council-run recycling centre. Its sister plant, Throckley Brick Works, still operates.

 

In the early twentieth century, around 4,000 people lived in the area. A working men's club was built, comprising a library, reading rooms and lecture rooms for community meetings. By 1925 the building was used as a dole office, and in 1990 adapted for use as a residential care home.

 

In 1922, Newburn U.D.C. High Street Fire Station was built. The building still stands today, but the Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service moved to West Denton in December 1980.

 

Governance

In 1894, Newburn Urban District Council was formed. This governed Newburn, along with other suburbs to the west of Newcastle. In 1911, the district council offices were officially opened. On 1 April 1974, following the Local Government Act 1972, it became part of the metropolitan borough of Newcastle upon Tyne in the metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear. The area is now part of the parliamentary constituency of Newcastle upon Tyne

 

Demography

According to the United Kingdom Census 2001, the population of the Newburn ward was 9,301, making up 3.6% of the population of the Newcastle upon Tyne area.

 

Economy

Prior to its closure, Spencer's Steel Works was a major local employer. Newburn Industrial Park, and the Newburn Riverside business park are now two of the key local employers.

 

Culture and Community

In the late nineteenth century there was a funfair, known as Newburn Hoppings, set up near the area. This was similar to The Hoppings on Newcastle's Town Moor.

 

There was a wooden picturedrome on Westmacott Street in the early twentieth century. On 18 October 1911, the Imperial Cinema on Station Road opened. Designed by Thomas Eltringham of Throckley colliery, it originally had seating for 550. A 131-seat gallery was added later. By 1919, the cinema was doing so well, two shows a night could not satisfy demand. However, with the opening of the Lyric Cinema in Throckley in 1935, the cinema's audience was divided. Despite this the cinema was refurbished and given a modern façade. But with the impact of television, the Imperial Cinema was one of many small picture houses to close down, shutting in 1961. It was used as a bingo hall for a time, but is now owned by Industrial Engravers, producing signs, vehicle liveries and banners.

 

Landmarks

In 1920, the area's war memorial was unveiled. The Battle of the Somme in 1916 accounts for many of the names on the statue's honour roll.

 

The independent micro brewery The Big Lamp is attached to The Keelman public house which serves the brewery's own cask ale. Originally constructed in 1855 as a pumping station, it lay derelict for a number of years but was protected from demolition by becoming a grade II* listed building, renovated in 1996 and converted into a brewery and public house. The Keelman stands at the entrance to the Tyne Riverside Country Park and is approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) east from the neighbouring village of Wylam.

 

The Boat House pub stands near Newburn Bridge on Water Row. On it is marked the flood levels of 1771, 1815, 1832 and 1850.

 

Transport

In 1748, the Wylam wagonway opened between Wylam and Lemington, passing through Newburn in doing so. This used horse-drawn carts to take coal from Wylam colliery to the staithes at Lemington. This was upgraded to a five-foot gauge line, and then to a standard gauge line in 1862. Newburn was served by Newburn railway station on the Scotswood, Newburn & Wylam Railway (SN&WR) from 12 July 1875. This railway followed in part the old wagonway. In 1895, the Newburn Hotel was built by F.M. Laing. Located next to the station, the Hotel provided accommodation and stabling facilities for travelers. In 1927 it was acquired by Robert Deuchar. On 15 September 1958 the SN&WR was closed to passengers, preceding the Beeching Axe. The station was finally closed to goods trains on 26 April 1965. The railway line was closed in 1968. The route of the wagonway can still be followed today in the form of a bridleway leading to the Tyne Riverside Country Park, developed in the 1980s.

 

In the late nineteenth century, the Tyne Improvement Commission arranged for dredging and other works to improve the navigability of the River Tyne. For Newburn, it made the town not only easier to reach by boat, but necessitated the building of a river crossing, and so in 1893 Newburn Bridge was built. It was originally operated as a toll bridge, but was only freed of its tolls on 2 September 1947, making it the last bridge on the Tyne to do so.

 

In 1914, the Newcastle tramway network was extended to Throckley through Newburn. By then Newburn was a thriving community because of the expansion of Newcastle and the improvement in transport links. In 1946, the tram line to Throckley was replaced by a bus service.

 

Education

Newburn Library was built in the 1960s. However, it has bad accessibility and so there are plans to build a new library near Newburn's community centre. The new library is expected to incorporate a doctor's surgery and pharmacy, costing £24 million, with a planned opening of 2012. Newburn Hall Motor Museum is situated in the north of Newburn. The museum is housed in buildings originally built in 1924 as a drill hall for the 4th Northumberland Fusiliers. It became derelict in 1979 but was renovated by car enthusiasts and opened in 1981 to house vintage cars and motorcycles.

 

Newburn has a primary school and nursery called Newburn Manor Primary School, which has been part of the community since 1890.

 

Religious sites

St Michael and All Angels' church was built in a commanding position above the area on the site of an earlier wooden-built church, which was burned down in 1067. Osulf II of Bamburgh attacked Copsi, an appointee of William the Conqueror, setting the church alight and slaying Copsi when he emerged from its door. The current church was built over the course of 30 years, beginning in 1070. Parts of Hadrian's Wall were used in its construction. The church was damaged in another fire in 2006, but the current tower has stood since 1100.[6][19] In the early twentieth century, the Newburn Wesleyan Church was built. This has since been demolished.

 

Sport

Since the early twentieth century, football has been an overwhelming obsession of the north east working man and almost every village had football team. During World War I, there was a women's team from Spencer's Steelworks played in the league. Newburn A.F.C. played at various times through the twentieth century. Newburn won the Northern Football Alliance League Championship on several occasions; 1910–11, 1911–12, 1946–47, 1951–52, and 1961–62. They also won the Premier Division Championship Runners-up Trophy in 1960–61. They were runners-up in the Northern Alliance Challenge Cup in 1951–52, 1952–53 and 1955–56, where they played the Newcastle United A team. They won the Challenge Cup in 1956–57. The team folded in the 1950s, but Bill Humble restarted the team in 1961 and ran it through the 1960s.

 

Newburn Leisure Centre was built on the site of the club's ground in the 1980s. The land was reclaimed in 1980 as part of the Tyne Riverside Country Park. The first of the centre's two stages was completed in 1985, comprising changing rooms, management and staff facilities, a function room and car parking. The second phase was completed in 1989, with the completion of the sports hall, storage and ancillary facilities. The centre was formally opened in 1987 by Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. The Centre houses Newburn Judo Club, which has produced a number of junior medalists, and is the British Judo Association's centre of excellence for the northern area. The centre also houses a climbing wall, gym and day care, and provides facilities for archery, badminton and football, amongst other sports.

 

A number of rowing clubs also operate on the River Tyne at Newburn, including Durham University Boat Club, Tyne United Rowing Club, Tyne Rowing Club and Newcastle University Boat Club.

 

Notable people

Born in Newburn

Billy Allen, professional football

Jack Allen, professional footballer, centre forward

Ralph Allen, professional footballer

William Elsdon, railway engineer in Australia

Matt Forster, professional footballer

Tommy Hall, professional footballer

William Hedley, engineer

Jimmy Jones, professional footballer

Norman Smith, professional footballer for Charlton Athletic and Queens Park Rangers

Norman Smith, professional footballer for Huddersfield Town, Sheffield Wednesday and Queens Park Rangers. Later manager of Newcastle United.

Ralph Spencer, cricketer

Owen Swindlehurst, Auxiliary Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle

 

Worked in Newburn

Andrew Aitken, footballer, played for Newburn Athletic for a time

Fraser Forster, footballer, played for Newburn FC as a boy

John Ingham, footballer, played for Newburn AFC for a time

Jim Mackey, footballer, played for Newburn Colliery FC

Andy Thompson, footballer, played for Newburn FC for a time

Joe Spence, footballer, played for Newburn FC for a time

George Stephenson, engineer, worked in Newburn's Water Row pit for a time

William John Allen, councillor for Newburn Urban District Council for 34 years until his death in 1949. Governor at RVI and Westerhope Primary School. Miners leader. Social housing. Plaque on house on Stamfordham Road / Windsor Gardens

 

Lived in Newburn

Joseph Armstrong, engineer

 

Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle is a cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is located on the River Tyne's northern bank, opposite Gateshead to the south. It is the most populous settlement in the Tyneside conurbation and North East England.

 

Newcastle developed around a Roman settlement called Pons Aelius, the settlement became known as Monkchester before taking on the name of a castle built in 1080 by William the Conqueror's eldest son, Robert Curthose. It was one of the world's largest ship building and repair centres during the industrial revolution. Newcastle was part of the county of Northumberland until 1400, when it separated and formed a county of itself. In 1974, Newcastle became part of Tyne and Wear. Since 2018, the city council has been part of the North of Tyne Combined Authority.

 

The history of Newcastle upon Tyne dates back almost 2,000 years, during which it has been controlled by the Romans, the Angles and the Norsemen amongst others. Newcastle upon Tyne was originally known by its Roman name Pons Aelius. The name "Newcastle" has been used since the Norman conquest of England. Due to its prime location on the River Tyne, the town developed greatly during the Middle Ages and it was to play a major role in the Industrial Revolution, being granted city status in 1882. Today, the city is a major retail, commercial and cultural centre.

 

Roman settlement

The history of Newcastle dates from AD 122, when the Romans built the first bridge to cross the River Tyne at that point. The bridge was called Pons Aelius or 'Bridge of Aelius', Aelius being the family name of Roman Emperor Hadrian, who was responsible for the Roman wall built across northern England along the Tyne–Solway gap. Hadrian's Wall ran through present-day Newcastle, with stretches of wall and turrets visible along the West Road, and at a temple in Benwell. Traces of a milecastle were found on Westgate Road, midway between Clayton Street and Grainger Street, and it is likely that the course of the wall corresponded to present-day Westgate Road. The course of the wall can be traced eastwards to the Segedunum Roman fort at Wallsend, with the fort of Arbeia down-river at the mouth of the Tyne, on the south bank in what is now South Shields. The Tyne was then a wider, shallower river at this point and it is thought that the bridge was probably about 700 feet (210 m) long, made of wood and supported on stone piers. It is probable that it was sited near the current Swing Bridge, due to the fact that Roman artefacts were found there during the building of the latter bridge. Hadrian himself probably visited the site in 122. A shrine was set up on the completed bridge in 123 by the 6th Legion, with two altars to Neptune and Oceanus respectively. The two altars were subsequently found in the river and are on display in the Great North Museum in Newcastle.

 

The Romans built a stone-walled fort in 150 to protect the river crossing which was at the foot of the Tyne Gorge, and this took the name of the bridge so that the whole settlement was known as Pons Aelius. The fort was situated on a rocky outcrop overlooking the new bridge, on the site of the present Castle Keep. Pons Aelius is last mentioned in 400, in a Roman document listing all of the Roman military outposts. It is likely that nestling in the shadow of the fort would have been a small vicus, or village. Unfortunately, no buildings have been detected; only a few pieces of flagging. It is clear that there was a Roman cemetery near Clavering Place, behind the Central station, as a number of Roman coffins and sarcophagi have been unearthed there.

 

Despite the presence of the bridge, the settlement of Pons Aelius was not particularly important among the northern Roman settlements. The most important stations were those on the highway of Dere Street running from Eboracum (York) through Corstopitum (Corbridge) and to the lands north of the Wall. Corstopitum, being a major arsenal and supply centre, was much larger and more populous than Pons Aelius.

 

Anglo-Saxon development

The Angles arrived in the North-East of England in about 500 and may have landed on the Tyne. There is no evidence of an Anglo-Saxon settlement on or near the site of Pons Aelius during the Anglo-Saxon age. The bridge probably survived and there may well have been a small village at the northern end, but no evidence survives. At that time the region was dominated by two kingdoms, Bernicia, north of the Tees and ruled from Bamburgh, and Deira, south of the Tees and ruled from York. Bernicia and Deira combined to form the kingdom of Northanhymbra (Northumbria) early in the 7th century. There were three local kings who held the title of Bretwalda – 'Lord of Britain', Edwin of Deira (627–632), Oswald of Bernicia (633–641) and Oswy of Northumbria (641–658). The 7th century became known as the 'Golden Age of Northumbria', when the area was a beacon of culture and learning in Europe. The greatness of this period was based on its generally Christian culture and resulted in the Lindisfarne Gospels amongst other treasures. The Tyne valley was dotted with monasteries, with those at Monkwearmouth, Hexham and Jarrow being the most famous. Bede, who was based at Jarrow, wrote of a royal estate, known as Ad Murum, 'at the Wall', 12 miles (19 km) from the sea. It is thought that this estate may have been in what is now Newcastle. At some unknown time, the site of Newcastle came to be known as Monkchester. The reason for this title is unknown, as we are unaware of any specific monasteries at the site, and Bede made no reference to it. In 875 Halfdan Ragnarsson, the Danish Viking conqueror of York, led an army that attacked and pillaged various monasteries in the area, and it is thought that Monkchester was also pillaged at this time. Little more was heard of it until the coming of the Normans.

 

Norman period

After the arrival of William the Conqueror in England in 1066, the whole of England was quickly subjected to Norman rule. However, in Northumbria there was great resistance to the Normans, and in 1069 the newly appointed Norman Earl of Northumbria, Robert de Comines and 700 of his men were killed by the local population at Durham. The Northumbrians then marched on York, but William was able to suppress the uprising. That same year, a second uprising occurred when a Danish fleet landed in the Humber. The Northumbrians again attacked York and destroyed the garrison there. William was again able to suppress the uprising, but this time he took revenge. He laid waste to the whole of the Midlands and the land from York to the Tees. In 1080, William Walcher, the Norman bishop of Durham and his followers were brutally murdered at Gateshead. This time Odo, bishop of Bayeux, William's half brother, devastated the land between the Tees and the Tweed. This was known as the 'Harrying of the North'. This devastation is reflected in the Domesday Book. The destruction had such an effect that the North remained poor and backward at least until Tudor times and perhaps until the Industrial Revolution. Newcastle suffered in this respect with the rest of the North.

 

In 1080 William sent his eldest son, Robert Curthose, north to defend the kingdom against the Scots. After his campaign, he moved to Monkchester and began the building of a 'New Castle'. This was of the "motte-and-bailey" type of construction, a wooden tower on top of an earthen mound (motte), surrounded by a moat and wooden stockade (bailey). It was this castle that gave Newcastle its name. In 1095 the Earl of Northumbria, Robert de Mowbray, rose up against the king, William Rufus, and Rufus sent an army north to recapture the castle. From then on the castle became crown property and was an important base from which the king could control the northern barons. The Northumbrian earldom was abolished and a Sheriff of Northumberland was appointed to administer the region. In 1091 the parish church of St Nicholas was consecrated on the site of the present Anglican cathedral, close by the bailey of the new castle. The church is believed to have been a wooden building on stone footings.

 

Not a trace of the tower or mound of the motte and bailey castle remains now. Henry II replaced it with a rectangular stone keep, which was built between 1172 and 1177 at a cost of £1,444. A stone bailey, in the form of a triangle, replaced the previous wooden one. The great outer gateway to the castle, called 'the Black Gate', was built later, between 1247 and 1250, in the reign of Henry III. There were at that time no town walls and when attacked by the Scots, the townspeople had to crowd into the bailey for safety. It is probable that the new castle acted as a magnet for local merchants because of the safety it provided. This in turn would help to expand trade in the town. At this time wool, skins and lead were being exported, whilst alum, pepper and ginger were being imported from France and Flanders.

 

Middle Ages

Throughout the Middle Ages, Newcastle was England's northern fortress, the centre for assembled armies. The Border war against Scotland lasted intermittently for several centuries – possibly the longest border war ever waged. During the civil war between Stephen and Matilda, David 1st of Scotland and his son were granted Cumbria and Northumberland respectively, so that for a period from 1139 to 1157, Newcastle was effectively in Scottish hands. It is believed that during this period, King David may have built the church of St Andrew and the Benedictine nunnery in Newcastle. However, King Stephen's successor, Henry II was strong enough to take back the Earldom of Northumbria from Malcolm IV.

 

The Scots king William the Lion was imprisoned in Newcastle, in 1174, after being captured at the Battle of Alnwick. Edward I brought the Stone of Scone and William Wallace south through the town and Newcastle was successfully defended against the Scots three times during the 14th century.

 

Around 1200, stone-faced, clay-filled jetties were starting to project into the river, an indication that trade was increasing in Newcastle. As the Roman roads continued to deteriorate, sea travel was gaining in importance. By 1275 Newcastle was the sixth largest wool exporting port in England. The principal exports at this time were wool, timber, coal, millstones, dairy produce, fish, salt and hides. Much of the developing trade was with the Baltic countries and Germany. Most of the Newcastle merchants were situated near the river, below the Castle. The earliest known charter was dated 1175 in the reign of Henry II, giving the townspeople some control over their town. In 1216 King John granted Newcastle a mayor[8] and also allowed the formation of guilds (known as Mysteries). These were cartels formed within different trades, which restricted trade to guild members. There were initially twelve guilds. Coal was being exported from Newcastle by 1250, and by 1350 the burgesses received a royal licence to export coal. This licence to export coal was jealously guarded by the Newcastle burgesses, and they tried to prevent any one else on the Tyne from exporting coal except through Newcastle. The burgesses similarly tried to prevent fish from being sold anywhere else on the Tyne except Newcastle. This led to conflicts with Gateshead and South Shields.

 

In 1265, the town was granted permission to impose a 'Wall Tax' or Murage, to pay for the construction of a fortified wall to enclose the town and protect it from Scottish invaders. The town walls were not completed until early in the 14th century. They were two miles (3 km) long, 9 feet (2.7 m) thick and 25 feet (7.6 m) high. They had six main gates, as well as some smaller gates, and had 17 towers. The land within the walls was divided almost equally by the Lort Burn, which flowed southwards and joined the Tyne to the east of the Castle. The town began to expand north of the Castle and west of the Lort Burn with various markets being set up within the walls.

 

In 1400 Henry IV granted a new charter, creating a County corporate which separated the town, but not the Castle, from the county of Northumberland and recognised it as a "county of itself" with a right to have a sheriff of its own. The burgesses were now allowed to choose six aldermen who, with the mayor would be justices of the peace. The mayor and sheriff were allowed to hold borough courts in the Guildhall.

 

Religious houses

During the Middle Ages a number of religious houses were established within the walls: the first of these was the Benedictine nunnery of St Bartholomew founded in 1086 near the present-day Nun Street. Both David I of Scotland and Henry I of England were benefactors of the religious house. Nothing of the nunnery remains now.

 

The friary of Blackfriars, Newcastle (Dominican) was established in 1239. These were also known as the Preaching Friars or Shod Friars, because they wore sandals, as opposed to other orders. The friary was situated in the present-day Friars Street. In 1280 the order was granted royal permission to make a postern in the town walls to communicate with their gardens outside the walls. On 19 June 1334, Edward Balliol, claimant to be King of Scotland, did homage to King Edward III, on behalf of the kingdom of Scotland, in the church of the friary. Much of the original buildings of the friary still exist, mainly because, after the Dissolution of the Monasteries the friary of Blackfriars was rented out by the corporation to nine of the local trade guilds.

 

The friary of Whitefriars (Carmelite) was established in 1262. The order was originally housed on the Wall Knoll in Pandon, but in 1307 it took over the buildings of another order, which went out of existence, the Friars of the Sac. The land, which had originally been given by Robert the Bruce, was situated in the present-day Hanover Square, behind the Central station. Nothing of the friary remains now.

 

The friary of Austinfriars (Augustinian) was established in 1290. The friary was on the site where the Holy Jesus Hospital was built in 1682. The friary was traditionally the lodging place of English kings whenever they visited or passed through Newcastle. In 1503 Princess Margaret, eldest daughter of Henry VII of England, stayed two days at the friary on her way to join her new husband James IV of Scotland.

 

The friary of Greyfriars (Franciscans) was established in 1274. The friary was in the present-day area between Pilgrim Street, Grey Street, Market Street and High Chare. Nothing of the original buildings remains.

 

The friary of the Order of the Holy Trinity, also known as the Trinitarians, was established in 1360. The order devoted a third of its income to buying back captives of the Saracens, during the Crusades. Their house was on the Wall Knoll, in Pandon, to the east of the city, but within the walls. Wall Knoll had previously been occupied by the White Friars until they moved to new premises in 1307.

 

All of the above religious houses were closed in about 1540, when Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries.

 

An important street running through Newcastle at the time was Pilgrim Street, running northwards inside the walls and leading to the Pilgrim Gate on the north wall. The street still exists today as arguably Newcastle's main shopping street.

 

Tudor period

The Scottish border wars continued for much of the 16th century, so that during that time, Newcastle was often threatened with invasion by the Scots, but also remained important as a border stronghold against them.

 

During the Reformation begun by Henry VIII in 1536, the five Newcastle friaries and the single nunnery were dissolved and the land was sold to the Corporation and to rich merchants. At this time there were fewer than 60 inmates of the religious houses in Newcastle. The convent of Blackfriars was leased to nine craft guilds to be used as their headquarters. This probably explains why it is the only one of the religious houses whose building survives to the present day. The priories at Tynemouth and Durham were also dissolved, thus ending the long-running rivalry between Newcastle and the church for control of trade on the Tyne. A little later, the property of the nunnery of St Bartholomew and of Grey Friars were bought by Robert Anderson, who had the buildings demolished to build his grand Newe House (also known as Anderson Place).

 

With the gradual decline of the Scottish border wars the town walls were allowed to decline as well as the castle. By 1547, about 10,000 people were living in Newcastle. At the beginning of the 16th century exports of wool from Newcastle were more than twice the value of exports of coal, but during the century coal exports continued to increase.

 

Under Edward VI, John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, sponsored an act allowing Newcastle to annexe Gateshead as its suburb. The main reason for this was to allow the Newcastle Hostmen, who controlled the export of Tyne coal, to get their hands on the Gateshead coal mines, previously controlled by the Bishop of Durham. However, when Mary I came to power, Dudley met his downfall and the decision was reversed. The Reformation allowed private access to coal mines previously owned by Tynemouth and Durham priories and as a result coal exports increase dramatically, from 15,000 tons in 1500 to 35,000 tons in 1565, and to 400,000 tons in 1625.

 

The plague visited Newcastle four times during the 16th century, in 1579 when 2,000 people died, in 1589 when 1700 died, in 1595 and finally in 1597.

 

In 1600 Elizabeth I granted Newcastle a charter for an exclusive body of electors, the right to elect the mayor and burgesses. The charter also gave the Hostmen exclusive rights to load coal at any point on the Tyne. The Hostmen developed as an exclusive group within the Merchant Adventurers who had been incorporated by a charter in 1547.

 

Stuart period

In 1636 there was a serious outbreak of bubonic plague in Newcastle. There had been several previous outbreaks of the disease over the years, but this was the most serious. It is thought to have arrived from the Netherlands via ships that were trading between the Tyne and that country. It first appeared in the lower part of the town near the docks but gradually spread to all parts of the town. As the disease gained hold the authorities took measures to control it by boarding up any properties that contained infected persons, meaning that whole families were locked up together with the infected family members. Other infected persons were put in huts outside the town walls and left to die. Plague pits were dug next to the town's four churches and outside the town walls to receive the bodies in mass burials. Over the course of the outbreak 5,631 deaths were recorded out of an estimated population of 12,000, a death rate of 47%.

 

In 1637 Charles I tried to raise money by doubling the 'voluntary' tax on coal in return for allowing the Newcastle Hostmen to regulate production and fix prices. This caused outrage amongst the London importers and the East Anglian shippers. Both groups decided to boycott Tyne coal and as a result forced Charles to reverse his decision in 1638.

 

In 1640 during the Second Bishops' War, the Scots successfully invaded Newcastle. The occupying army demanded £850 per day from the Corporation to billet the Scottish troops. Trade from the Tyne ground to a halt during the occupation. The Scots left in 1641 after receiving a Parliamentary pardon and a £4,000,000 loan from the town.

 

In 1642 the English Civil War began. King Charles realised the value of the Tyne coal trade and therefore garrisoned Newcastle. A Royalist was appointed as governor. At that time, Newcastle and King's Lynn were the only important seaports to support the crown. In 1644 Parliament blockaded the Tyne to prevent the king from receiving revenue from the Tyne coal trade. Coal exports fell from 450,000 to 3,000 tons and London suffered a hard winter without fuel. Parliament encouraged the coal trade from the Wear to try to replace that lost from Newcastle but that was not enough to make up for the lost Tyneside tonnage.

 

In 1644 the Scots crossed the border. Newcastle strengthened its defences in preparation. The Scottish army, with 40,000 troops, besieged Newcastle for three months until the garrison of 1,500 surrendered. During the siege, the Scots bombarded the walls with their artillery, situated in Gateshead and Castle Leazes. The Scottish commander threatened to destroy the steeple of St Nicholas's Church by gunfire if the mayor, Sir John Marley, did not surrender the town. The mayor responded by placing Scottish prisoners that they had captured in the steeple, so saving it from destruction. The town walls were finally breached by a combination of artillery and sapping. In gratitude for this defence, Charles gave Newcastle the motto 'Fortiter Defendit Triumphans' to be added to its coat of arms. The Scottish army occupied Northumberland and Durham for two years. The coal taxes had to pay for the Scottish occupation. In 1645 Charles surrendered to the Scots and was imprisoned in Newcastle for nine months. After the Civil War the coal trade on the Tyne soon picked up and exceeded its pre-war levels.

 

A new Guildhall was completed on the Sandhill next to the river in 1655, replacing an earlier facility damaged by fire in 1639, and became the meeting place of Newcastle Town Council. In 1681 the Hospital of the Holy Jesus was built partly on the site of the Austin Friars. The Guildhall and Holy Jesus Hospital still exist.

 

Charles II tried to impose a charter on Newcastle to give the king the right to appoint the mayor, sheriff, recorder and town clerk. Charles died before the charter came into effect. In 1685, James II tried to replace Corporation members with named Catholics. However, James' mandate was suspended in 1689 after the Glorious Revolution welcoming William of Orange. In 1689, after the fall of James II, the people of Newcastle tore down his bronze equestrian statue in Sandhill and tossed it into the Tyne. The bronze was later used to make bells for All Saints Church.

 

In 1689 the Lort Burn was covered over. At this time it was an open sewer. The channel followed by the Lort Burn became the present day Dean Street. At that time, the centre of Newcastle was still the Sandhill area, with many merchants living along the Close or on the Side. The path of the main road through Newcastle ran from the single Tyne bridge, through Sandhill to the Side, a narrow street which climbed steeply on the north-east side of the castle hill until it reached the higher ground alongside St Nicholas' Church. As Newcastle developed, the Side became lined with buildings with projecting upper stories, so that the main street through Newcastle was a narrow, congested, steep thoroughfare.

 

In 1701 the Keelmen's Hospital was built in the Sandgate area of the city, using funds provided by the keelmen. The building still stands today.

 

Eighteenth century

In the 18th century, Newcastle was the country's largest print centre after London, Oxford and Cambridge, and the Literary and Philosophical Society of 1793, with its erudite debates and large stock of books in several languages predated the London Library by half a century.

 

In 1715, during the Jacobite rising in favour of the Old Pretender, an army of Jacobite supporters marched on Newcastle. Many of the Northumbrian gentry joined the rebels. The citizens prepared for its arrival by arresting Jacobite supporters and accepting 700 extra recruits into the local militia. The gates of the city were closed against the rebels. This proved enough to delay an attack until reinforcements arrived forcing the rebel army to move across to the west coast. The rebels finally surrendered at Preston.

 

In 1745, during a second Jacobite rising in favour of the Young Pretender, a Scottish army crossed the border led by Bonnie Prince Charlie. Once again Newcastle prepared by arresting Jacobite supporters and inducting 800 volunteers into the local militia. The town walls were strengthened, most of the gates were blocked up and some 200 cannon were deployed. 20,000 regulars were billeted on the Town Moor. These preparations were enough to force the rebel army to travel south via the west coast. They were eventually defeated at Culloden in 1746.

 

Newcastle's actions during the 1715 rising in resisting the rebels and declaring for George I, in contrast to the rest of the region, is the most likely source of the nickname 'Geordie', applied to people from Tyneside, or more accurately Newcastle. Another theory, however, is that the name 'Geordie' came from the inventor of the Geordie lamp, George Stephenson. It was a type of safety lamp used in mining, but was not invented until 1815. Apparently the term 'German Geordie' was in common use during the 18th century.

 

The city's first hospital, Newcastle Infirmary opened in 1753; it was funded by public subscription. A lying-in hospital was established in Newcastle in 1760. The city's first public hospital for mentally ill patients, Wardens Close Lunatic Hospital was opened in October 1767.

 

In 1771 a flood swept away much of the bridge at Newcastle. The bridge had been built in 1250 and repaired after a flood in 1339. The bridge supported various houses and three towers and an old chapel. A blue stone was placed in the middle of the bridge to mark the boundary between Newcastle and the Palatinate of Durham. A temporary wooden bridge had to be built, and this remained in use until 1781, when a new stone bridge was completed. The new bridge consisted of nine arches. In 1801, because of the pressure of traffic, the bridge had to be widened.

 

A permanent military presence was established in the city with the completion of Fenham Barracks in 1806. The facilities at the Castle for holding assizes, which had been condemned for their inconvenience and unhealthiness, were replaced when the Moot Hall opened in August 1812.

 

Victorian period

Present-day Newcastle owes much of its architecture to the work of the builder Richard Grainger, aided by architects John Dobson, Thomas Oliver, John and Benjamin Green and others. In 1834 Grainger won a competition to produce a new plan for central Newcastle. He put this plan into effect using the above architects as well as architects employed in his own office. Grainger and Oliver had already built Leazes Terrace, Leazes Crescent and Leazes Place between 1829 and 1834. Grainger and Dobson had also built the Royal Arcade at the foot of Pilgrim Street between 1830 and 1832. The most ambitious project covered 12 acres 12 acres (49,000 m2) in central Newcastle, on the site of Newe House (also called Anderson Place). Grainger built three new thoroughfares, Grey Street, Grainger Street and Clayton Street with many connecting streets, as well as the Central Exchange and the Grainger Market. John Wardle and George Walker, working in Grainger's office, designed Clayton Street, Grainger Street and most of Grey Street. Dobson designed the Grainger Market and much of the east side of Grey Street. John and Benjamin Green designed the Theatre Royal at the top of Grey Street, where Grainger placed the column of Grey's Monument as a focus for the whole scheme. Grey Street is considered to be one of the finest streets in the country, with its elegant curve. Unfortunately most of old Eldon Square was demolished in the 1960s in the name of progress. The Royal Arcade met a similar fate.

 

In 1849 a new bridge was built across the river at Newcastle. This was the High Level Bridge, designed by Robert Stephenson, and slightly up river from the existing bridge. The bridge was designed to carry road and rail traffic across the Tyne Gorge on two decks with rail traffic on the upper deck and road traffic on the lower. The new bridge meant that traffic could pass through Newcastle without having to negotiate the steep, narrow Side, as had been necessary for centuries. The bridge was opened by Queen Victoria, who one year later opened the new Central Station, designed by John Dobson. Trains were now able to cross the river, directly into the centre of Newcastle and carry on up to Scotland. The Army Riding School was also completed in 1849.

 

In 1854 a large fire started on the Gateshead quayside and an explosion caused it to spread across the river to the Newcastle quayside. A huge conflagration amongst the narrow alleys, or 'chares', destroyed the homes of 800 families as well as many business premises. The narrow alleys that had been destroyed were replaced by streets containing blocks of modern offices.

 

In 1863 the Town Hall in St Nicholas Square replaced the Guildhall as the meeting place of Newcastle Town Council.

 

In 1876 the low level bridge was replaced by a new bridge known as the Swing Bridge, so called because the bridge was able to swing horizontally on a central axis and allow ships to pass on either side. This meant that for the first time sizeable ships could pass up-river beyond Newcastle. The bridge was built and paid for by William Armstrong, a local arms manufacturer, who needed to have warships access his Elswick arms factory to fit armaments to them. The Swing Bridge's rotating mechanism is adapted from the cannon mounts developed in Armstrong's arms works. In 1882 the Elswick works began to build ships as well as to arm them. The Barrack Road drill hall was completed in 1890.

 

Industrialisation

In the 19th century, shipbuilding and heavy engineering were central to the city's prosperity; and the city was a powerhouse of the Industrial Revolution. Newcastle's development as a major city owed most to its central role in the production and export of coal. The phrase "taking coals to Newcastle" was first recorded in 1538; it proverbially denotes bringing a particular commodity to a place that has more than enough of it already.

 

Innovation in Newcastle and surrounding areas included the following:

 

George Stephenson developed a miner's safety lamp at the same time that Humphry Davy developed a rival design. The lamp made possible the opening up of ever deeper mines to provide the coal that powered the industrial revolution.

George and his son Robert Stephenson were hugely influential figures in the development of the early railways. George developed Blücher, a locomotive working at Killingworth colliery in 1814, whilst Robert was instrumental in the design of Rocket, a revolutionary design that was the forerunner of modern locomotives. Both men were involved in planning and building railway lines, all over this country and abroad.

 

Joseph Swan demonstrated a working electric light bulb about a year before Thomas Edison did the same in the USA. This led to a dispute as to who had actually invented the light bulb. Eventually the two rivals agreed to form a mutual company between them, the Edison and Swan Electric Light Company, known as Ediswan.

 

Charles Algernon Parsons invented the steam turbine, for marine use and for power generation. He used Turbinia, a small, turbine-powered ship, to demonstrate the speed that a steam turbine could generate. Turbinia literally ran rings around the British Fleet at a review at Spithead in 1897.

 

William Armstrong invented a hydraulic crane that was installed in dockyards up and down the country. He then began to design light, accurate field guns for the British army. These were a vast improvement on the existing guns that were then in use.

 

The following major industries developed in Newcastle or its surrounding area:

 

Glassmaking

A small glass industry existed in Newcastle from the mid-15th century. In 1615 restrictions were put on the use of wood for manufacturing glass. It was found that glass could be manufactured using the local coal, and so a glassmaking industry grew up on Tyneside. Huguenot glassmakers came over from France as refugees from persecution and set up glasshouses in the Skinnerburn area of Newcastle. Eventually, glass production moved to the Ouseburn area of Newcastle. In 1684 the Dagnia family, Sephardic Jewish emigrants from Altare, arrived in Newcastle from Stourbridge and established glasshouses along the Close, to manufacture high quality flint glass. The glass manufacturers used sand ballast from the boats arriving in the river as the main raw material. The glassware was then exported in collier brigs. The period from 1730 to 1785 was the highpoint of Newcastle glass manufacture, when the local glassmakers produced the 'Newcastle Light Baluster'. The glassmaking industry still exists in the west end of the city with local Artist and Glassmaker Jane Charles carrying on over four hundred years of hot glass blowing in Newcastle upon Tyne.

 

Locomotive manufacture

In 1823 George Stephenson and his son Robert established the world's first locomotive factory near Forth Street in Newcastle. Here they built locomotives for the Stockton and Darlington Railway and the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, as well as many others. It was here that the famous locomotive Rocket was designed and manufactured in preparation for the Rainhill Trials. Apart from building locomotives for the British market, the Newcastle works also produced locomotives for Europe and America. The Forth Street works continued to build locomotives until 1960.

 

Shipbuilding

In 1296 a wooden, 135 ft (41 m) long galley was constructed at the mouth of the Lort Burn in Newcastle, as part of a twenty-ship order from the king. The ship cost £205, and is the earliest record of shipbuilding in Newcastle. However the rise of the Tyne as a shipbuilding area was due to the need for collier brigs for the coal export trade. These wooden sailing ships were usually built locally, establishing local expertise in building ships. As ships changed from wood to steel, and from sail to steam, the local shipbuilding industry changed to build the new ships. Although shipbuilding was carried out up and down both sides of the river, the two main areas for building ships in Newcastle were Elswick, to the west, and Walker, to the east. By 1800 Tyneside was the third largest producer of ships in Britain. Unfortunately, after the Second World War, lack of modernisation and competition from abroad gradually caused the local industry to decline and die.

 

Armaments

In 1847 William Armstrong established a huge factory in Elswick, west of Newcastle. This was initially used to produce hydraulic cranes but subsequently began also to produce guns for both the army and the navy. After the Swing Bridge was built in 1876 allowing ships to pass up river, warships could have their armaments fitted alongside the Elswick works. Armstrong's company took over its industrial rival, Joseph Whitworth of Manchester in 1897.

 

Steam turbines

Charles Algernon Parsons invented the steam turbine and, in 1889, founded his own company C. A. Parsons and Company in Heaton, Newcastle to make steam turbines. Shortly after this, he realised that steam turbines could be used to propel ships and, in 1897, he founded a second company, Parsons Marine Steam Turbine Company in Wallsend. It is there that he designed and manufactured Turbinia. Parsons turbines were initially used in warships but soon came to be used in merchant and passenger vessels, including the liner Mauretania which held the blue riband for the Atlantic crossing until 1929. Parsons' company in Heaton began to make turbo-generators for power stations and supplied power stations all over the world. The Heaton works, reduced in size, remains as part of the Siemens AG industrial giant.

 

Pottery

In 1762 the Maling pottery was founded in Sunderland by French Huguenots, but transferred to Newcastle in 1817. A factory was built in the Ouseburn area of the city. The factory was rebuilt twice, finally occupying a 14-acre (57,000 m2) site that was claimed to be the biggest pottery in the world and which had its own railway station. The pottery pioneered use of machines in making potteries as opposed to hand production. In the 1890s the company went up-market and employed in-house designers. The period up to the Second World War was the most profitable with a constant stream of new designs being introduced. However, after the war, production gradually declined and the company closed in 1963.

 

Expansion of the city

Newcastle was one of the boroughs reformed by the Municipal Corporations Act 1835: the reformed municipal borough included the parishes of Byker, Elswick, Heaton, Jesmond, Newcastle All Saints, Newcastle St Andrew, Newcastle St John, Newcastle St Nicholas, and Westgate. The urban districts of Benwell and Fenham and Walker were added in 1904. In 1935, Newcastle gained Kenton and parts of the parishes of West Brunton, East Denton, Fawdon, Longbenton. The most recent expansion in Newcastle's boundaries took place under the Local Government Act 1972 on 1 April 1974, when Newcastle became a metropolitan borough, also including the urban districts of Gosforth and Newburn, and the parishes of Brunswick, Dinnington, Hazlerigg, North Gosforth and Woolsington from the Castle Ward Rural District, and the village of Westerhope.

 

Meanwhile Northumberland County Council was formed under the Local Government Act 1888 and benefited from a dedicated meeting place when County Hall was completed in the Castle Garth area of Newcastle in 1910. Following the Local Government Act 1972 County Hall relocated to Morpeth in April 1981.

 

Twentieth century

In 1925 work began on a new high-level road bridge to span the Tyne Gorge between Newcastle and Gateshead. The capacity of the existing High-Level Bridge and Swing Bridge were being strained to the limit, and an additional bridge had been discussed for a long time. The contract was awarded to the Dorman Long Company and the bridge was finally opened by King George V in 1928. The road deck was 84 feet (26 m) above the river and was supported by a 531 feet (162 m) steel arch. The new Tyne Bridge quickly became a symbol for Newcastle and Tyneside, and remains so today.

 

During the Second World War, Newcastle was largely spared the horrors inflicted upon other British cities bombed during the Blitz. Although the armaments factories and shipyards along the River Tyne were targeted by the Luftwaffe, they largely escaped unscathed. Manors goods yard and railway terminal, to the east of the city centre, and the suburbs of Jesmond and Heaton suffered bombing during 1941. There were 141 deaths and 587 injuries, a relatively small figure compared to the casualties in other industrial centres of Britain.

 

In 1963 the city gained its own university, the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, by act of parliament. A School of Medicine and Surgery had been established in Newcastle in 1834. This eventually developed into a college of medicine attached to Durham University. A college of physical science was also founded and became Armstrong College in 1904. In 1934 the two colleges merged to become King's College, Durham. This remained as part of Durham University until the new university was created in 1963. In 1992 the city gained its second university when Newcastle Polytechnic was granted university status as Northumbria University.

 

Newcastle City Council moved to the new Newcastle Civic Centre in 1968.

 

As heavy industries declined in the second half of the 20th century, large sections of the city centre were demolished along with many areas of slum housing. The leading political figure in the city during the 1960s was T. Dan Smith who oversaw a massive building programme of highrise housing estates and authorised the demolition of a quarter of the Georgian Grainger Town to make way for Eldon Square Shopping Centre. Smith's control in Newcastle collapsed when it was exposed that he had used public contracts to advantage himself and his business associates and for a time Newcastle became a byword for civic corruption as depicted in the films Get Carter and Stormy Monday and in the television series Our Friends in the North. However, much of the historic Grainger Town area survived and was, for the most part, fully restored in the late 1990s. Northumberland Street, initially the A1, was gradually closed to traffic from the 1970s and completely pedestrianised by 1998.

 

In 1978 a new rapid transport system, the Metro, was built, linking the Tyneside area. The system opened in August 1980. A new bridge was built to carry the Metro across the river between Gateshead and Newcastle. This was the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, commonly known as the Metro Bridge. Eventually the Metro system was extended to reach Newcastle Airport in 1991, and in 2002 the Metro system was extended to the nearby city of Sunderland.

 

As the 20th century progressed, trade on the Newcastle and Gateshead quaysides gradually declined, until by the 1980s both sides of the river were looking rather derelict. Shipping company offices had closed along with offices of firms related to shipping. There were also derelict warehouses lining the riverbank. Local government produced a master plan to re-develop the Newcastle quayside and this was begun in the 1990s. New offices, restaurants, bars and residential accommodation were built and the area has changed in the space of a few years into a vibrant area, partially returning the focus of Newcastle to the riverside, where it was in medieval times.

 

The Gateshead Millennium Bridge, a foot and cycle bridge, 26 feet (7.9 m) wide and 413 feet (126 m) long, was completed in 2001. The road deck is in the form of a curve and is supported by a steel arch. To allow ships to pass, the whole structure, both arch and road-deck, rotates on huge bearings at either end so that the road deck is lifted. The bridge can be said to open and shut like a human eye. It is an important addition to the re-developed quayside area, providing a vital link between the Newcastle and Gateshead quaysides.

 

Recent developments

Today the city is a vibrant centre for office and retail employment, but just a short distance away there are impoverished inner-city housing estates, in areas originally built to provide affordable housing for employees of the shipyards and other heavy industries that lined the River Tyne. In the 2010s Newcastle City Council began implementing plans to regenerate these depressed areas, such as those along the Ouseburn Valley.

Commemorating the Battle of San Jacinto, the 567.31-foot San Jacinto Monument is the tallest monument column in the world. It is nearly 10 feet taller than the next tallest, the Juche Tower in North Korea. The San Jacinto monument is an octagonal column built by W.S. Bellows Construction and primarily constructed of reinforced concrete, faced with Texas limestone from a quarry near the Texas State Capitol. Begun April 21, 1936, the centennial anniversary date of the Battle of San Jacinto, it was completed April 21, 1939. At the top of the monument is a 220-ton, 34-foot-high star, representing the Lone Star of Texas. The monument is the focal point of the San Jacinto Battlefield. The battle fought on April 21, 1836, in present-day La Porte and Pasadena, Tex., was the final and decisive battle of the Texas Revolution. Led by General Samuel Houston, the Texan Army engaged and defeated General Antonio López de Santa Anna's Mexican army in a fight that lasted just 18 minutes. Santa Anna’s defeat led to the recognition of the Republic of Texas and the Rio Grande as the border between Texas and Mexico. The San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site, 3523 Independence Pkwy, La Porte, Tex. 11 September 2022

Oorlogsgraven Noorder Begraafplaats Leeuwarden

The regular 9th July raitour, commemorating the end of steam on the Southern Region on British Railways on that day in 1967, pulls away from a water stop in Winchfield with "Clan Line" in charge. The tour was heading from London Victoria to Weymouth via Yeovil.

 

Locomotive: Rebuilt Bulleid Merchant Navy Class 4-6-2 Pacific 35028 "Clan Line".

 

Location: Totters Lane, Potbridge, near Winchfield, Hampshire.

To commemorate the 40th Anniversary of Routemaster operation from Garston & Hemel Hempstead garages in 2006 a special run over route 347 was arranged.

RMLs 2419/2428/2440 seen here about to depart on simultaneous departures from Hemel Hempstead bus station to Garston garage

Woman writes note commemorating family split by the division of Korea at the DMZ between North and South Korea

Mark Updegrove, Luci Baines Johnson and Stewart McLaurin

 

On December 1, 2021, the LBJ Foundation welcomed our Friends back to the Lady Bird Johnson Auditorium for a holiday-inspired program with Luci Baines Johnson, daughter of Lyndon and Lady Bird Johnson, and Stewart McLaurin, President of the White House Historical Association. Johnson and McLaurin shared stories from the Johnsons’ holidays at the White House and discussed Mrs. Johnson’s commitment to the historic preservation of the White House.

 

Mark Updegrove, President and CEO of the LBJ Foundation, moderated the discussion.

 

The White House Historical Association's Official 2021 White House Christmas Ornament commemorates the presidency of Lyndon Baines Johnson. One side of the ornament features a painting of the 1967 Blue Room Christmas Tree by Robert H. Laessig, a designer for American Greetings, that Mrs. Johnson commissioned for their card that year. The opposite side of the ornament features a quote from President Johnson: "Our mission is at once the oldest and the most basic of this country: to right wrong, to do justice, to serve man."

 

LBJ Library Photo by Jay Godwin

12/01/2021

 

Statue commemorating the Franco-Prussian war inside the Feldherrnhalle

Munich, Qc

.... Commemorating the atomic bombings of Hiroshima & Nagasaki in 1945 and ensuring it never be forgotten & to work for the abolition of nuclear weapons ....

Commemorating the Centenary of the end of World War 1 at Great Ayton with the Red Poppy symbolising Remembrance synonymous with the great loss of life in war. In 1921 the

Royal British Legion first sold Poppies made of silk, inspired by John McCrae's poem - In Flanders Fields

February 1937 - Russia / USSR - Scott# 596 imperf souvenir sheet of 2 stamps...commemorating 100th anniversary of Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin.

 

The Alexander Pushkin commemorative souvenir sheet shown above (Scott# 596) was issued in February 1937 for the All-Union Philatelic Exhibition in Moscow. It utilizes both of the stamp designs, and they are printed in brown. LINK - www.stamp-collecting-world.com/ussrstamps_1937c.html

 

The two common designs feature a portrait of Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837), the famous Russian writer and poet, and the statue of Alexander Pushkin in Moscow.

 

Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (b. 6 June 1799 in Moscow, Russian Empire – d. 10 February 1837 at age 37 in Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire) was a Russian poet, playwright, and novelist of the Romantic era. He is considered by many to be the greatest Russian poet, as well as the founder of modern Russian literature.

 

Pushkin was born into the Russian nobility in Moscow. His father, Sergey Lvovich Pushkin, belonged to an old noble family. His maternal great-grandfather was Major-General Abram Petrovich Gannibal, a nobleman of African origin who was kidnapped from his homeland by the Ottomans, then freed by the Russian Emperor and raised in the Emperor's court household as his godson.

 

He published his first poem at the age of 15, and was widely recognized by the literary establishment by the time of his graduation from the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum. Upon graduation from the Lycée, Pushkin recited his controversial poem "Ode to Liberty", one of several that led to his exile by Emperor Alexander I. While under strict surveillance by the Emperor's political police and unable to publish, Pushkin wrote his most famous play, Boris Godunov. His novel in verse Eugene Onegin was serialized between 1825 and 1832. Pushkin was fatally wounded in a duel with his wife's alleged lover and her sister's husband, Georges-Charles de Heeckeren d'Anthès, also known as Dantes-Gekkern, a French officer serving with the Chevalier Guard Regiment.

To commemorate the Great Siege of Dover Castle 1216. 800 years ago.

 

As the nearest sea crossing point to France, the castle at Dover has been a site of strategic military importance since Roman times.

It is interesting to note that Matthew Paris, the medieval chronicler, supported this assertion when he referred to Dover as "Clavis Angliae" (the key to England).

The castle's most famous history really started in 1216 when King John was embroiled in a civil war with a large group of rebel barons who had offered the throne of England to Prince Louis of France in the previous year. Rebels had set up their base in London and were awaiting the arrival of the French prince in order to deliver the final crushing blow to King John's hopes of retaining his crown.

Louis landed in England on May the 21st 1216, forcing John to flee north with his army while the French Prince marched to Canterbury where he was welcomed by the citizens who threw open the gates for him. Following this easy success, the city of Rochester was quickly taken and, after a bloody siege, so was the castle enabling Louis's army to control the river crossing and the road to London.

Prospects were now looking bleak for John as the French army swarmed into London and secured the city. After less than a month, Winchester had also fallen. Swiftly and decisively, Louis had taken control of southern England and, with victory and the throne in sight, he turned his attention towards Dover.

With his army now encamped in the town of Dover, Louis spent several days observing the castle and the surrounding area, so that

 

by mid-July he was prepared to lay siege to the mighty fortress.

Leaving half of his army to protect the town, the twenty-nine year old prince set up an encampment directly in front of the castle, siege engines in the form of mangonels and perriers were erected along with a wattle siege tower and, by sending his fleet to sea, he had by now cut off any possible route for supplies or reinforcements from land or sea.

Dover castle was now on it's own and at the mercy of the French invaders.

Miners were instructed to tunnel under the timber palisade of the barbican which was soon breached and captured. Moving on to the castle gates, undermining was once again employed and succeeded in bringing down one of the two massive stone towers. Through the breach in the wall, the French army stormed the castle but were held back by the castle's defenders who had managed to close the gap using timbers and enormous cross-beams which had been stripped from the castle's interior.

Defending their positions staunchly, the garrison forced Louis to pull back his army. With this heroic defence of the castle coupled with the fact that the French siege artillery had failed to make any impression on the castle walls, Louis decided to negotiate a truce.

On the 14th of October 1216 a truce was agreed but four days later King John died leaving only his nine year old son Henry (later to become King Henry III) as his heir.

 

Louis immediately attempted to persuade the garrison to accept him as king in preference to the young Henry but the garrison, having no quarrel with Henry, declined his offer.

After almost three months spent at Dover, Louis set off for London only to return on the 12th of May 1217 to attempt to capture Dover castle once again. This time a trebuchet was employed but, just as the mangonels and perriers had failed, so did the trebuchet. Matthew Paris referred to this awesome piece of medieval artillery, calling it the "Malvoisin" (the bad neighbour).

Luck turned from bad to worse for the French prince when half of his army were killed at the battle of Lincoln on the 20th of May. On hearing of this defeat Louis dismantled his trebuchet and once again returned to London.

Worse news was to follow. The decisive sea battle at Sandwich on the 24th of May, which prevented reinforcments from France, was to

 

mark the end of Louis's quest for the throne of England.

Hubert de Burgh, the constable of Dover castle, had not only successfully defended the "Key to England", but had also led the English fleet to victory at Sandwich.

An honourable retreat was negotiated (The treaty of Kingston, September1217) and, after being paid a large amount of money, Prince Louis agreed to leave England and set sail for his homeland and was later to become King Louis VIII of France. (1223-26). (c) Paul Hillman 2016.

Commemorating Captain Charles Sturt’s voyage of exploration along the Murray River and back in 1830.

He later led an exploration team to Central Australia in1844.

 

Plaques on the monument read:-

Captain Charles Sturt passed this spot February 1830.

Erected 1930.

 

Captain Charles Sturt

Central Australian Exploring Expedition passed here 23–25 August 1844.

The principal discoveries were Barrier and Grey Ranges, Cooper and Eyre Creeks.

This tablet was unveiled 1944.

 

Commemorating Captain Charles Napier Sturt

who, as Second-in-Command, camped near here from Tuesday 10th to Saturday 21st December 1839 during the river Murray-Mt Bryan Expedition, which paved the way for development along the River Murray and for the River to be a viable trade and transport corridor.

 

Unveiled 14 December 2004 by Ian Mann, Mayor, Mid Murray Council

Simon Sturt-Bray (Great Great Grand Nephew to Charles Sturt)

Hon Dean Brown MP (Great Great Grandson to John Craig)

John Gawler (Great Great Grandson to Governor George Gawler)

Peter Bryan (Great Great Grand Nephew to Henry Bryan)

and

Councillor John Lindner, Mid Murray Council

To Commemorate the

165th Anniversary of the original Expedition.

   

Commemorating the service of a local pioneer to his community, on this isolated summit in the Cobaw State Forest, north of Mount Macedon.

Taken from a Great Linford Parish Council leaflet.

 

Commemorating the legacy of Gyosei International School UK. The Japanese co-educational boarding school and playing fields closed in 2002 and the site at Willen Park South was redeveloped as Lovat Fields Village and Barret Homes Gyosei housing scheme.

Developer funding paid for eight artworks in Phase 1, which

are related to the themes of; Japanese Connections, Canal

History, Fish, Fowl, Insects and Invertebrates.

The trail is located on both sides of the Grand Union

Canal from H3 Monks Way to H5 Portway and is accessible

from the local redway network.

 

Arachne weaves

 

Seeing the twinned trunks of the tree where the sculpture can be found and thinking about the theme of Insects and Invertebrates, inspired Linda to look again at spider webs. In recreating these amazing structures for the Gyosei Art Trail, she has used the brace line between the tree trunks as a structural point for the two webs, just as a spider would take advantage of what it finds to weave its web across. The title ‘Arachne weaves’ refers to the myth of a mortal who was turned into a spider for daring to say her skill at weaving was greater than Athena’s. Linda hopes her sculpture will encourage visitors to look again at spiders, the beauty they create, perhaps story-telling a new myth of the spider which spins stainless steel webs.

  

Rozelle Park, Ayr, a second bench has been added to the memorial park in Rozelle, this one commemorating WWII.

Commemorating allied soldiers that died during World War 1

Commemorating Juneteenth, the celebration of the proclaimed eradication of all American slavery, on 19 June 1865.

 

Proudly flying the Pan-African flag, in ...

Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

19 June 2018.

 

***************

▶ "For centuries, slavery was the dark stain on America’s soul, the deep contradiction to the nation’s founding ideals of 'Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness' and 'All men are created equal.' When Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, he took a huge step toward erasing that stain. But the full force of his proclamation would not be realized until June 19, 1865—Juneteenth, as it was called by slaves in Texas freed that day.

 

The westernmost of the Confederate states, Texas did not get news of General Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox [on 9 April 1865] until two months after the fact. But they heard once Union General Gordon Granger, a New Yorker and West Point graduate with a distinguished wartime service record, arrived in Galveston Bay with more than 2,000 Union troops. It was on June 19, 1865, that he publicly read General Order No. 3, which began: “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.”

— Smithsonian Magazine.

 

***************

▶ In 1980, Texas was the first state to establish Juneteenth as a state holiday under legislation introduced by freshman Democratic state representative Al Edwards. Juneteenth is a 'skeleton crew' day in the state; government offices do not close but agencies may operate with reduced staff. By 2008, nearly half of US states observed the holiday as a ceremonial observance. As of May 2016, when the Maryland legislature approved official recognition of the holiday, 45 of the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia have recognized Juneteenth as either a state holiday or ceremonial holiday, a day of observance. States that do not recognize it are Hawaii, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

 

The first legislation to recognize 'Juneteenth Independence Day' was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives, H.J. Res. 195, in 1996, sponsored by Barbara-Rose Collins (D-MI)."

— Wikipedia.

 

▶ UPDATE (19 June 2021):

"On June 15, 2021, the Senate unanimously passed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, establishing Juneteenth as a federal holiday, to be annually observed on 19 June; it subsequently passed through the House of Representatives by a 415–14 vote on June 16, 2021. President Joe Biden signed the bill on June 17, 2021, making Juneteenth the eleventh American federal holiday and the first to obtain legal observance as a federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was designated in 1983."

— Wikipedia

 

***************

▶ Photo by Yours For Good Fermentables.com.

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▶ Commercial use requires explicit permission, as per Creative Commons.

Commemorating Russian soldiers killed in World War II

May Fourth Movement Memorial Park, Shanghai, China

Commemorating our 27th year together.

A house commissioned to commemorate

the wedding of Rob and Sally (whose fabulous pet names for each other are Mr and Mrs O'Disco!).

 

The interior contains several references to the day, including a wall mural depicting the location (a ruined chapel on a small island/nature reserve), a photograph of the couple (faces blurred out here for privacy) and pink flower bouquet. The Chinoiserie aspect is only very tenuously linked: the colour scheme for their wedding reception was black and gold, which brought to my mind Chinese lacquered furniture, which often features temples on islands....! The fragments of Willow pattern china, found in the River Thames at low tide, also tie in with this idea.

 

I played with scale a bit by adding several 'outscale' items such as buttons, screws and shells. A tiny timepiece from a wrist watch adorns the mantelpiece. Other quirks include tiny red telephone boxes, a jay feather and a gold frame embellished with a playmobil knife, fork and spoon (well, why not?!).

 

Hugely enjoyable project for a lovely couple.

The Greek community of Ottawa commemorated the liberation of Greece in WWII (May 2013).

 

The man with sunglasses is Father Alex Michalopoulos. He is the Priest at Hellenic Community of Ottawa and the Head of Dormition of the Virgin Mary Orthodox Church, Ottawa

 

Rolleiflex 3.5E Zeiss Planar 75mm f/3,5

Kodak TMAX 400 (EI 800), TMAX Developer (1:9), CanoScan 9000F

This plaque commemorates the man and the site of his home on London Road, Kilmarnock. It deserves better care than seems to be receiving. Here is the full text of Burns's Elegy to his friend Tam Samson. Rather disconcertingly for Tam it was written ten years before his demise, he insisted that Burns should make this clear and hence the finishing verse; per contra, adjusts the poem, confirming Tam's current status hale and hearty tramping the High Road. (Albeit briefly)! This was a common conceit of Burns's muse and shouldn't interpreted as either impatience or anything other than an Ayrshire whimsy..

 

TAM SAMSON'S ELEGY

 

Has auld Kilmarnock seen the Deil?

Or great Mackinlay thrawn his heel?

Or Robertson again grown weel,

To preach an' read?

"Na, waur than a'! cries ilka chiel,

"Tam Samson's dead!"

 

Kilmarnock lang may grunt an' grane,

An' sigh, an' sab, an' greet her lane,

An' cleed her bairns, man, wife, an' wean,

In mourning weed;

To Death she's dearly pay'd the kane,

Tam Samson's dead!

 

The Brethren, o' the mystic level

May hing their head in woefu' bevel,

While by their nose the tears will revel,

Like ony bead;

Death's gien the Lodge an unco devel;

Tam Samson's dead!

 

When Winter muffles up his cloak,

And binds the mire like a rock;

When to the loughs the Curlers flock,

Wi' gleesome speed,

Wha will they station at the cock?

Tam Samson's dead!

 

He was the king o' a' the Core,

To guard, or draw, or wick a bore,

Or up the rink like Jehu roar,

In time o' need;

But now he lags on Death's hog-score

Tam Samson's dead!

 

Now safe the stately Sawmont sail,

And Trouts bedropp'd wi' crimson hail,

And Eels, weel kend for souple tail,

And Geds for greed,

Since, dark in Death's fish-creel, we wail

Tam Samson's dead!

 

Rejoice, ye birring Paitricks a';

Ye cootie Moorcocks, crousely craw;

Ye Maukins, cock your fud fu' braw

Withoutten dread;

Your mortal Fae is now awa;

Tam Samson's dead!

 

That woefu' morn be ever mourn'd,

Saw him in shooting graith adorn'd,

While pointers round impatient burn'd,

Frae couples free'd;

But och! he gaed and ne'er return'd!

Tam Samson's dead!

 

In vain Auld age his body batters,

In vain the Gout his ancles fetters,

In vain the burns cam down like waters,

An acre braid!

Now ev'ry auld wife, greetin, clatters

"Tam Samson's dead!"

 

Owre mony a weary hag he limpit,

An' aye the tither shot he thumpit,

Till coward Death behind him jumpit,

Wi' deadly feid;

Now he proclaims wi' tout o' trumpet,

"Tam Samson's dead!"

 

When at his heart he felt the dagger,

He reel'd his wonted bottle-swagger,

But yet he drew the mortal trigger,

Wi' weel-aimed heed;

"Lord, five!" he cry'd, an' owre did stagger -

Tam Samson's dead!

 

Ilk hoary Hunter mourn'd a brither;

Ilk Sportsman youth bemoan'd a father;

Yon auld gray stane, amang the heather,

Marks out his head;

Whare Burns has wrote, in rhyming blether,

"Tam Samson's dead!"

 

There, low he lies, in lasting rest;

Perhaps upon his mould'ring breast

Some spitefu' muirfowl bigs her nest

To hatch an' breed:

Alas! nae mair he'll them molest!

Tam Samson's dead!

 

When August winds the heather wave,

And sportsmen wander by yon grave,

Three volleys let his memory crave,

O' pouther an' lead,

Till Echo answer frae her cave,

"Tam Samson's dead!"

 

Heav'n rest his saul whare'er he be!

Is th' wish o' mony mae than me:

He had twa fauts, or maybe three,

Yet what remead?

Ae social, honest man want we:

Tam Samson's dead!

 

The Epitaph

 

Tam Samson's weel-worn clay here lies

Ye canting zealots, spare him!

If honest worth in Heaven rise,

Ye'll mend or ye win near him.

 

Per Contra

 

Go, Fame, an' canter like a filly

Thro' a' the streets an' neuks o' Killie;

Tell ev'ry social honest billie

To cease his grievin';

For, yet unskaithed by Death's gleg gullie.

Tam Samson's leevin'!

 

Its well worth listening to the BBC recording of the poem at:

www.bbc.co.uk/arts/robertburns/works/tam_samsons_elegy/

 

Tam Samson 1723 - 1795

Robert Burns 1759 - 1796

About Bali Yatra

 

Bali Yatra or Bali Jatra a festival commemorates Odisha's (Orissa) ancient maritime legacy.

 

It is held in the month of Kartik which comes around the end of October and November. The scientific cause of starting voyage on Kartika Purnima(Full Moon day) is to take advantage of the favorable wind blowing during this time of the year.

 

Traders of Odisha used to venture on a journey to distant lands namely the islands of Bali, Java, Sumatra, Borneo and Sri Lanka for trade. To celebrate the glory of the ancient times, the people in Cuttack as well as in the rest of Odisha float small boats made of cork, colored paper and banana tree barks in the river and water tanks.

 

The festival/fair started during ancient times when people used to come to see off and welcome their relatives going on the journey and on their return. Shops used to come up to cater to their needs.

 

The fair is held on the banks of the river Mahanadi in Cuttack

As seen on Market Street, San Francisco.

To commemorate the closure of the Strathmore route from Stanley Junction to Forfar, the Angus Railway Group arranged a “last” special on 5th June 1982, actually two return trains. We travelled on the first one as we had a busy weekend ahead of us, and expecting a type 2 were pleasantly surprised to see a box headcode class 40 approaching. We assumed this was Haymarket’s 40142 but it was one better than that.

Almost impossible to take any photos that day without passengers in view, this was at Coupar Angus on the outward journey

Commemorating 50 years

The Brewster Memorial Gates commemorate William Bagenal Brewster, former Lieutenant Colonel of the Inns of Court Volunteer Rifle Corps and Attorney General of Ireland. His grave is in Brompton Cemetery. I'd very much like to know more about these handsome gates, when they were made and who made them. I read that they were erected in 1872 but they look so modern to me. I think that they're very, very beautiful.

 

Grade II listed. 1863. Elaborate wrought-iron screen and gates to either side. Screen with coat of arms and name "Brewster" under. Flanked by round, stone water pumps with enriched tops.

To commemorate the closing of the broad gauge railway between Melbourne and Adelaide and its conversion to standard gauge, Steamrail ran a tour to Adelaide with R761 and a consist of wooden bodied ex-Overland sleeper cars to participate in a local parallel run in Adelaide with Steamranger's 520. Having taken coal and water, R761 accelerates away from Dimboola. 28th October, 1994.

VR_BOX103S31

Thaipusam (Tamil: தைப்பூசம், Taippūcam ?) is a Hindu festival celebrated mostly by the Tamil community on the full moon in the Tamil month of Thai (January/February). It is not only observed in countries where the Tamil community constitutes a majority, but also in countries where Tamil communities are smaller, such as Malaysia, Mauritius, Singapore and Myanmar.

 

The word Thaipusam is a combination of the name of the month, Thai, and the name of a star, Pusam. This particular star is at its highest point during the festival. The festival commemorates the occasion when Parvati gave Murugan a vel "spear" so he could vanquish the evil demon Soorapadam. There is a misconception among people that Thaipusam marks Murugan's birthday; however, it is believed that Vaikhasi Vishakam, which falls in the Vaikhasi month (May/June), is Murugan's birthday.

A Stolperstein (German pronunciation: [ˈʃtɔlpɐˌʃtaɪn]; plural Stolpersteine; literally "stumbling stone", metaphorically a "stumbling block") is a sett-size, 10 by 10 centimetres (3.9 in × 3.9 in) concrete cube bearing a brass plate inscribed with the name and life dates of victims of Nazi extermination or persecution.

 

The Stolpersteine project, initiated by the German artist Gunter Demnig in 1992, aims to commemorate individuals at exactly the last place of residency—or, sometimes, work—which was freely chosen by the person before he or she fell victim to Nazi terror, euthanasia, eugenics, was deported to a concentration or extermination camp, or escaped persecution by emigration or suicide. As of 29 March 2018, over 67,000 Stolpersteine have been laid in 22 countries,[1] making the Stolpersteine project the world's largest decentralized memorial.[2][3]

 

The majority of Stolpersteine commemorate Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Others have been placed for Sinti and Romani people (then also called "gypsies"), homosexuals, the physically or mentally disabled, Jehovah's Witnesses, black people, members of the Communist Party, the Social Democratic Party, and the anti-Nazi Resistance, the Christian opposition (both Protestants and Catholics), and Freemasons, along with International Brigade soldiers in the Spanish Civil War, military deserters, conscientious objectors, escape helpers, capitulators, "habitual criminals", looters, and others charged with treason, military disobedience, or undermining the Nazi military, as well as Allied soldiers

Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, it is preceded by the season of Advent or the Nativity Fast and initiates the season of Christmastide, which historically in the West lasts twelve days and culminates on Twelfth Night. Christmas Day is a public holiday in many countries, is celebrated religiously by a majority of Christians, as well as culturally by many non-Christians, and forms an integral part of the holiday season organized around it.

 

The traditional Christmas narrative recounted in the New Testament, known as the Nativity of Jesus, says that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, in accordance with messianic prophecies. When Joseph and Mary arrived in the city, the inn had no room and so they were offered a stable where the Christ Child was soon born, with angels proclaiming this news to shepherds who then spread the word.

 

There are different hypotheses regarding the date of Jesus' birth and in the early fourth century, the church fixed the date as December 25. This corresponds to the traditional date of the winter solstice on the Roman calendar. It is exactly nine months after Annunciation on March 25, also the date of the spring equinox. Most Christians celebrate on December 25 in the Gregorian calendar, which has been adopted almost universally in the civil calendars used in countries throughout the world. However, part of the Eastern Christian Churches celebrate Christmas on December 25 of the older Julian calendar, which currently corresponds to January 7 in the Gregorian calendar. For Christians, believing that God came into the world in the form of man to atone for the sins of humanity, rather than knowing Jesus' exact birth date, is considered to be the primary purpose in celebrating Christmas.

 

The celebratory customs associated in various countries with Christmas have a mix of pre-Christian, Christian, and secular themes and origins. Popular modern customs of the holiday include gift giving; completing an Advent calendar or Advent wreath; Christmas music and caroling; viewing a Nativity play; an exchange of Christmas cards; church services; a special meal; and the display of various Christmas decorations, including Christmas trees, Christmas lights, nativity scenes, garlands, wreaths, mistletoe, and holly. In addition, several closely related and often interchangeable figures, known as Santa Claus, Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, and Christkind, are associated with bringing gifts to children during the Christmas season and have their own body of traditions and lore.Because gift-giving and many other aspects of the Christmas festival involve heightened economic activity, the holiday has become a significant event and a key sales period for retailers and businesses. Over the past few centuries, Christmas has had a steadily growing economic effect in many regions of the world.

Commemorating the influence industry has had on the town.

 

Taking its name from the Manor of Hendford through which it passes, as early as the 14th century Hendford was referred to as Hineford or Hyneford. Until the 19th century it was also known as Henford, Henford Street and Hendford Road.

The Lookout commemorates the pilot, co-pilot and all six passengers who were killed when the aeroplane crashed, and also acknowledges the changes made to Australian aviation laws due to the accident. The Tooma Road lookout offers panoramic views of the Maragle Valley and pinpoints the exact crash site of the Southern Cloud.

 

The crash of the Southern Cloud on 21 March 1931 was Australia`s first commercial air disaster. The aircraft crashed on a flight from Sydney to Melbourne in 1931, killing the two crew and six passengers on board. Although its wreckage was not discovered for 27 years, the disappearance of the Southern Cloud prompted an investigating committee to advise that all passenger aircraft should be equipped with two-way radios.

 

In addition, ground radio stations should be established to communicate with the planes and to monitor progress towards their destinations.

 

Tooma Road, Bald Hill (5kms from Tooma), Tooma, 2642

monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/disaster/aviation/display...

To commemorate 50 years since the end of crew operation at Edgware garage, RT 2177 operated on route 292 (the last crew route) on Saturday 15 July 2023. I'm a bit younger than the bus, but I have to say the RT was in better condition and running more smoothly than me!

They are original blinds, from the last bus in 1973.

To commemorate his 70th birthday, my organist friend David Lamb performs Boëllmann's Carillon (from his Douze Pièces, Op.16, No. 5), which you can read about and listen to here:

 

www.contrebombarde.com/concerthall/music/61117

at the Cenotaph, Middlesbrough

564A0931

From Aachen to Reading and back. A line up of 14 vehicles all belonging to The British Trolleybus Society

To commemorate the withdrawal from service of the London Underground C stock fleet after 44 years service two Railtours were planned to operate. The second of these, The C stock Farewell, ran on Sunday 29th June and took a C stock train over its regular routes.

   

At the end of tour unit 5721 stands in Hammersmith Depot 11 Road after the completion of the tour.

   

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