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LEGAL DISCLAIMER: I Do Not Condone Any Acts Of Vandalism Nor Do I Participate In Such Criminal Activity. I Am Simply An Observant and Take Photos Of This Graffiti You Have Come Across i simply have a deep love and apreciation for this art. ALSO I Will Not Condone Any Usage Of My Photos To Support Any Legal Matter Involving These Acts Of Vandalism Therefore YOU ARE NOT WELCOME TO VIEW OR TAKE THIS MATERIAL For ANY Purpose...
Central hall of metro station Admiralteyskaya on the Frunzensko-Primorskaya Line (Line 5), Kirchpichnyy Pereulok, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Some background information:
The Saint Petersburg Metro is the underground railway system of the city of Saint Petersburg. It has been open since 15th November 1955. Formerly known as the V.I. Lenin Order of Lenin Leningrad Metropoliten, the system exhibits many typical Soviet designs and features exquisite decorations and artwork making it one of the most attractive and elegant metros in the world, maybe only excelled by the Moscow Metro. Due to the city's unique geology, the Saint Petersburg Metro is also one of the deepest metro systems in the world and the deepest by the average depth of all the stations. The system's deepest station, Admiralteyskaya, is located 86 metres below ground. Serving 2.1 million passengers daily (resp. 763.1 million passengers per year), the Saint Petersburg Metro is the 19th busiest metro system in the world.
Opened on 28th December 2011, Admiralteyskaya metro station was designed to relieve congestion at the Nevsky Prospekt and Gostiny Dvor stations, as well as to provide a more direct link to the Hermitage and other notable museums. The station’s name originates from the Admiralty building, which is located nearby. Originally, Admiralteyskaya was going to be built on the Nevsko-Vasileostrovskaya Line, however the construction didn't go underway. Although the need for the station was apparent to the Metro planners for over three decades, the actual construction proved to be a difficult process, as the planners feared that the nearby museums and historical buildings would be adversely affected by construction. Determining the location of the exit proved to be a difficult task too. Finally, it was decided that the exit had to be built on the site of an apartment building on Kirpichnyy Pereulok (in English "Kirpichnyy Alley").
The station is connected to the ground with two consecutive escalators. Since it is very difficult to build escalators longer than 125 metres (410 feet), it was determined to build one long escalator with a length of 125 metres to the intermediate level. From this level a shorter escalator of 25 metres (82 feet) leads to the station. The total depth of the station is 86 metres (282 feet) which makes it the deepest metro station in Saint Petersburg.
In Saint Petersburg’s history, the question of building an underground transport system arose several times, the first time in 1820, when the idea was hatched to build an underground road in a tunnel. By the end of the 19th century, certain interested parties began discussing the possibility of opening the Russian Empire's first metropolitan railway system. Almost all pre-revolutionary designs featured the concept of an elevated metro system, similar to the Paris or Vienna metros. However, as was later discovered through the experience of operating open (ground-level) metro lines in the city, such schemes would likely have resulted in a poor metro service. Unfortunately, at the time, Russian engineers did not have sufficient expertise or technical resources for the construction of deep underground tunnels through the bedrock located far beneath St Petersburg. Hence, it was finally Moscow that got the first underground railway system in the Soviet Union in 1935.
In 1938 the question of building a metro for Saint Petersburg (by then renamed to Leningrad), resurfaced again. The initial project was designed by the Moscow institute 'Metrogiprotrans', but on 21st January 1941, "Construction Directorate № 5 of the People's Commissariat" was founded as a body to specifically oversee the design and construction of the Leningrad Metro. By April 1941, 34 shafts for the initial phase of construction had been finished. During the Second World War construction works were frozen due to severe lack of available funding, manpower and equipment. At this time, many of the metro construction workers were employed in the construction and repair of railheads and other objects vital to the besieged city.
In 1946 Lenmetroproyekt was created, to finish the construction of the metro first phase. A new version of the metro project, devised by specialists, identified two new solutions to the problems to be encountered during the metro construction. Firstly, stations were to be built at a level slightly raised above that of normal track so as to prevent drainage directly into them, whilst the average tunnel width was to be reduced from the 6 metres (20 feet) standard of the Moscow Metro to 5.5 metres (18 feet).
On 3rd September 1947, construction in the Leningrad subway began again and eight years later, on 7 October 1955, the electricity was turned on in the metro l. On 15th November 1955, the subway grand opening was held, with the first seven stations being put into public use. These stations later became part of the Kirovsko-Vyborgskaya Line, connecting the Moscow Rail Terminal in the city centre with the Kirovsky industrial zone in the southwest. Subsequent development included lines under the Neva River in 1958, and the construction of the Vyborgsky Radius in the mid-1970s to reach the new housing developments in the north. In 1978, the line was extended past the city limits into the Leningrad Oblast.
By the time of the USSR's collapse, the Leningrad Metro comprised 54 stations and 94.2 kilometres (58.5 miles) of track. But development even continued in the modern, post-Soviet period. Today, the Saint Petersburg metro comprises five lines with altogether 69 stations and 118,6 kilometres (74 miles) of track. However, the present state is not meant to be the end of the story. Plans have been made to extend the Saint Petersburg Metro to nine lines with altogether 126 stations and 190 kilometres (118 miles) of track. But delays due to the difficult geology of the city's underground and to the insufficient funding have cut down these plans to 17 new stations and one new depot until 2025. At the same time, there are several short and mid-term projects on station upgrades, including escalator replacements and lighting upgrades.
On 3rd April 2017, a terrorist bombing caused an explosion on a train between Sennaya Ploshchad and Tekhnologicheski Institut stations, on the Line 2. 14 people died and over 50 sustained injuries, while Russian president Vladimir Putin was in the city, when the attack happened. On the same day, Russia's National anti-terrorist unit defused another explosive device at Ploshchad Vosstaniya station (which you can see on this picture).
Saint Petersburg (in Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг) is Russia's second-largest city after Moscow, with currently 5.3 million inhabitants, part of the Saint Petersburg agglomeration with a population of 6.2 million (2015). An important Russian port on the Baltic Sea, it has a status of a federal city. Saint Petersburg is also the fourth-largest city in Europe, only excelled by Istanbul, London and Moscow. Other famous European cities like Paris, Berlin, Rome and Madrid are smaller. Furthermore, Saint Petersburg is the world’s northernmost megapolis and called "The Venice of the North", due to its many channels that traverse the city.
Situated on the Neva River, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea, it was founded by Tsar Peter the Great on 27th May 1703. On 1st September 1914, the name was changed from Saint Petersburg to Petrograd, on 26 January 1924 to Leningrad, and on 7 September 1991 back to Saint Petersburg. Between 1713 and 1728 and again between 1732 and 1918, Saint Petersburg was the capital of Imperial Russia. In 1918, the central government bodies moved to Moscow, which is located about 625 kilometres (388 miles) to the south-east.
Saint Petersburg is also the cultural capital of Russia. "The Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments" constitute a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Saint Petersburg is home to the Hermitage, one of the largest art museums in the world. Many foreign consulates, international corporations, banks and businesses have offices in Saint Petersburg. The multinational Gazprom company has its headquarters in the newly erected Lakhta Center.
Sir John Delves 1422-1471 of Doddington Hall who died after the battle of Tewkesbury and wife Ellen daughter of Ralph Egerton of Wrinehill b1420 - window taken from the demolished church of Wybunbury
Sherrif of Staffordshire, he was the son of John Delves d1429
Children
1. John m Elizabeth / Etheldreda daughter of William Babbington of Chilwell
2. Ralph 1442-dsp 1513 m Katherine
3. Richard Rector of Warrington 1445-1529.
4. Elizabeth m Sir John Aston of Tixall (their son John is at Leigh www.flickr.com/photos/52219527@N00/3748267737/ )
5 Henry b1451 m ......... had issue Henry Delves of Doddington 1559
6. Joan m (1st wife) Sir Nicholas Montgomery of Cubley, www.flickr.com/photos/52219527@N00/3765280212/
7. Margaret m Sir Thomas Boteler of Warrington
Sir John and Ellen were married after a dispensation was granted in 1439 . He was in high favour with Henry VI and enjoyed several lucrative posts under him. This he repaid by the most faithful adherence, raised forces in his support and fighting for him in the battle of Tewkesbury. After the battle John and others took refuge in the abbey on the Saturday. The furious Edward (Vl) pursued them and went with his drawn sword into the church; but was opposed by a resolute priest who lifting up the host denied him admittance obtaining a promise of pardon; Depending on the king's word they neglected making their escape and continued in the sanctuary until the Monday when Edward ordered that they be taken out and beheaded immediately.
Colour version = flic.kr/p/ddJ7pJ
Delving into the dark side of my Psyche tonight.
New edit from a photo shoot last year.
Model: Inajane Burns
HMUA: Amy Benkis
Smoke textures courtesy of Gavin Hoey
Delving into getting another family pet slowly, so we attended a rescue pet adoption meetup. Tempting as it was we decided to wait a bit more longer. We definitely will be adopting as opposed to going to breeders.
22.19pm #Melbourne "Deeply delving into digital dreaming..." by @ticky2002 as part of the #24hourproject #24hr16 #24hr16_Melbourne #Australia #24hr15_ticky2002 // The 24hr Project is supporting @she_has_hope. For more information visit @24hourproject via Instagram ift.tt/1pSsQ6B
Delving into the archives on a cold winters afternoon . This Character was taken at The Farne Islands in 2011.
LEGAL DISCLAIMER: I Do Not Condone Any Acts Of Vandalism Nor Do I Participate In Such Criminal Activity. I Am Simply An Observant and Take Photos Of This Graffiti You Have Come Across i simply have a deep love and apreciation for this art. ALSO I Will Not Condone Any Usage Of My Photos To Support Any Legal Matter Involving These Acts Of Vandalism Therefore YOU ARE NOT WELCOME TO VIEW OR TAKE THIS MATERIAL For ANY Purpose...
Another delve into the archives sees a trip to Scunthorpe, Grimsby, Lincoln and Skegness not long after Stagecoach took over the Yorkshire Traction group. Just enough to see plenty of the old liveries and some of the first Traction vehicles to gain Stagecoach livery.
Seen in Barnsley is East Lancashire Myllennium bodied MAN 39625 - YT03AYK.
When I delve into my Ball of Light folder at the moment I am continuously drawn to this shoot from a month ago. Why? Perhaps the incredibly harsh environment this family must have endured. This house is incredibly distant from much at all really. And the heat! Regularly over 40 degrees in summer and cold in winter. I struggled to be there during the day, but did. These people just had to adapt.
The two nights I spent here I felt their pain. The hardships the early settlers in the Flinders Ranges faced trying to graze sheep on this land is fascinating. Grass is not a friend of this place.
My attraction to the Flinders is the fascinating stories such as this one. The Aboriginal people flourished here for millennia, only flushed out by us. Then the europeans stripped the land of vegetation and dumped hundreds of thousand of sheep to devour what was left.
Oh well, makes for some pretty funky photography.
Peace to you all.
Denis
LEGAL DISCLAIMER: I Do Not Condone Any Acts Of Vandalism Nor Do I Participate In Such Criminal Activity. I Am Simply An Observant and Take Photos Of This Graffiti You Have Come Across i simply have a deep love and apreciation for this art. ALSO I Will Not Condone Any Usage Of My Photos To Support Any Legal Matter Involving These Acts Of Vandalism Therefore YOU ARE NOT WELCOME TO VIEW OR TAKE THIS MATERIAL For ANY Purpose...
Maker: Nicolaas Henneman (1813-1898) and Joseph Delves
Born: Netherlands/UK
Active: UK
Medium: albumen print
Size: 6 15/16 in x 9 3/16 in
Location:
Object No. 2023.212
Shelf: B-39
Publication: : Quarterly Journal of Microscopical Science ; n.s., vol. i. London : Samuel Highley, 1853, Description : 57-58 p., [1 l.] pl., [1 l.] legend ; ill.: 2 phot. ; 21.8 cm. Plate VII
Other Collections:
Provenance: : Descended directly from Robert Murray (1798-1857) and then via Christies auction 2005
Notes: Negative by Joseph Delves, printed by Nicolaas Henneman. Photomicrograph Proof / Prototype (paper type experiment 2 on darker paper stock) – The First Published Use Of Scott Archer’s Albumen Process and The First Use Of Photomicrographs To Illustrate Text In A Commercial Publication. Studio of Nicolaas Henneman - Two Photomicrographs, Collodion Printed on One Sheet - With Photographer's 'J. Delves' and Printer's 'Henneman' Credits, Series Title and Plate Number. Microscopic Photograph of A Spiracle & Tracheae of the Silk Worm Magnified 60 Diameters and Proboscis of the Fly Magnified 180 Diameters. Published (trimmed) in The Quarterly Journal of Microscopical Science with a Description of the Process. These were the very first photomicrographs illustrating a text disseminated by a commercial publisher and they were the first to demonstrate the brilliant definition made possible by Frederick Scott Archer's collodion process introduced in 1851. Delves exploited the speed and sensitivity of Archer's unpatented wet collodion emulsion used with the longer focal length of a 24 inch camera obscura that he fabricated and attached to the eye-piece end of a microscope. Alfred Donné had made an earlier attempt at publishing multiples of photomicrographs that he intended to use for an atlas accompanying his Cours microscopie titled, Atlas exécuté d'après nature au microscope-daguerréotype (Paris: Baillière, 1845 »»). But while Donné had established proof of concept for photoengraving, the silver substrate of his daguerreotype printing plates failed after only a few images were struck and he required the skills of the engraver Oudet to copy the images by hand. The idea of using daguerreotypes for reproduction photography died with Donné. Talbot originated the technique of photomicrography in 1839 by using a camera adapted to a solar microscope and he gave away 8 inch square prints to friends and colleagues in the scientific community including Sir John Herschel, but scientists were discouraged from experimenting in calotype photomicrography because of the patents that the litigious Talbot had placed on his process. They were also discouraged by the poor definition produced by the calotype process and by the year 1852 many scientists had given up on the idea of using photomicrography for illuminating their research.
For further information see "The Silkworm and the Fly in 'Actinographic' Prints; by Nicolaas Henneman" by Jennifer Loynd Cowheard in The History of Photography, Vol 13, No 2, April-Junem, 1989
To view our archive organized by Collections, visit: OUR COLLECTIONS
For information about reproducing this image, visit: THE HISTORY OF PHOTOGRAPHY ARCHIVE
Delving back to earlier in the year when I visited Kobe as part of a 2 week excursion to Osaka and Hokkaido
Japan info travel website lists the Kobe Port as :
'.... one of the most beautiful ports in the world, with the lush green backdrop of the Rokko Mountains, and its deep water and mild climate throughout the year.'
Every time we delve into the Oldham Borough Police’s collection of images we come across something unexpected.
The force seemed to photograph a very wide range of activities within the town…many with little obvious relation to policing.
Here’s another example. Two men of the Oldham Corporation Cleansing Department show off an impressive piece of equipment.
It appears to be steam driven and either taking water from, or cleaning out a drain.
Sadly, we have no information about the machine or the date of the image.
Can you help?
See more images from the Oldham Borough Police Collection
From the collection of Greater Manchester Police Museum.
To find out more about Greater Manchester Police please visit.
You should call 101, the national non-emergency number, to report crime and other concerns that do not require an emergency response.
Always call 999 in an emergency, such as when a crime is in progress, violence is being used or threatened or where there is danger to life.
You can also call anonymously with information about crime to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Crimestoppers is an independent charity who will not want your name, just your information. Your call will not be traced or recorded and you do not have to go to court or give a statement.
About Oldham Borough Police.
Oldham received a Charter of Incorporation in 1949 and the newly-elected town council immediately set about forming the Oldham Borough Police Force.
The new force consisted of a superintendent, a sergeant and 10 constables. The 12 men were to police the local population of 50,000. The superintendent - effectively the chief constable - was paid the princely sum of £100 per year.
Over the years the Oldham force produced several men who went on to be chief constables of larger forces. Perhaps the most famous officer was Robert Peacock who went on to command Manchester City Police for over 28 years.
Oldham Borough Police continued to serve the people of Oldham until 1969 when, along with 12 other forces, it became part of Lancashire Constabulary.
The area became the Oldham Division of Greater Manchester Police in 1974.
For more information about the Greater Manchester Police Museum please visit our website.
To find out about upcoming events at the museum follow them on Twitter
French postcard. Filma. Les Vedettes de l'Écran, No. 98.
Suzanne Delvé (1892-1986) was a French film actress, who peaked in the silent era.
Suzanne Lucie Charlotte Vedelle aka Suzanne Delvé was born 24 November 1892 in Paris. She studied under Leitner at the Conservatoire in Paris, where at the Conservatoire’s contest in 1912 she was awarded acting Shakespeare’s Ophelia, and in 1913 won first prize for comedy and second prize for tragedy. The press raved about her blonde beauty. While other female first prize winners for comedy that year are unknown now, second prize winners were Falconetti, Yvette Andreyor and Jane Marken. Delvé started her film career in 1914 at Pathè Frères, playing in Sacrifice surhumain (Camille de Morlhon 1914) with Léontine Massart and Jean Dax, and at Gaumont in Le fils de la divette (Gaston Ravel 1914) with Jean Devalde and a young André Roanne, who debuted in this film. In 1915 Delvé played Fleur-de-Lys, the accomplice of Moréno (Fernand Hermann), in (mainly) episode 7 (“Satanas”) of Louis Feuillade’s crime serial Les vampires. Delvé became a Gaumont regular, acting also in La nouvelle Ninon (Gaston Ravel, 1915), L'heure du rêve (Léonce Perret, 1915), Têtes de femmes, femmes de tête (Jacques Feyder, 1916), the Marcel Levesque comedy C'est pour les orphelins (Louis Feuillade, 1916) and the serial parody on Feuillade’s crime serials, Le pied qui étreint (Jacques Feyder, 1916), while also acting at Pathé in the propaganda comedy Les petits soldats de plomb (Pierre Bressol, 1916) with Bébé.
Delvé had the lead in La belle aux cheveux d'or (Perret, 1916) with René Cresté, as well as in L'esclave de Phidias (Perret, 1917) – a film recently restored by the BFI and presented at the Bologna festival Cinema Ritrovato. Maria Wyke in the festival catalogue considers it typical for Perret’s pictorialist melodramas: “The film’s careful composition and deep-space tableaux recall the glamorous nineteenth-century antiquity paintings of Alma-Tadema and bring them to life. Most of the film is shot on location on the coast of southern France, among the cedars and cypresses of an ornate neo-classical villa. Characters appear dappled in sunlight, reflected in pools of shimmering water, or silhouetted against the sparkling sea, to great emotive effect. For this is not a grand historical narrative of the sculptor Phidias [Luitz-Morat] and the colossal works he created to celebrate the power of the Athenian state. What matters is not the creativity of the sculptor but that of his model [Delvé] – the poor slave girl who gives the film its title. While Phidias attempts to chisel a statue of the goddess of love that remains offscreen and unfinished throughout the film, his slave-girl creates in him a real, passionate love stirred by the beauty of her flesh and, most importantly, of her lyre-playing. By the end of the film the lovers face oblivion, forced to say goodbye to a tranquil ‘land of beauty and of love’ that is both ancient Greece and contemporary France. Suffering, loss and exile are key concerns suited to the film’s period of production during the First World War.”
While little is known about Delvé’s, theatrical career, she for sure performed in December 1916 at the Grand-Théàtre in Lausanne in Andromaque, and in December 1917 at the Théàtre Réjane in Paris in L’autre combat. In 1917 Delvé acted in the Eclipse production Le torrent (René Hervil, Louis Mercanton), based on a script by future director Marcel L’Herbier, who, unsatisfied by the result, decided to become film director himself. From 1917 Delvé also acted in various films by Maurice Mariaud: L’épave (1917), La calomnie (1918), and L’homme et la poupée (1923), while also acting in films by René Plaisetty (La masque de l’amour, 1918), Charles Burguet (La course du flambeau, 1918 ; L'âme de Pierre, 1918), and Charles Maudru (L’holocauste, 1920, co-directed with Maurice de Marsan; Le gouffre, 1920; and the Anatole France adaptation Le lys rouge, 1920). In the last mentioned film, Delvé played a rich and intelligent politician’s wife, Thérèse, who is superficially tied to the mundane Robert Le Menil (Georges Lannes). She decides to abandon him for the renowned sculptor Jacques Dechartre (Jean Dax) and flee to Italy, where thanks to the complicity of the poetess Viviane Bell (Christiane Vernon) they enjoy Florence, symbolized by the red lily. Dechartre’s jealousy and Le Menil’s persistence, though, obstacle what Thérèse believes to be her big love. In 1921 Delvé had the title role in Rose de Nice by Maurice Challiot, about a painter from the Provence (Jean-Max), who gets into the clutches of a Parisian femme fatale and threatens to shoot her. His father prevents this and takes him back to the Provence and his beloved Rose de Nice. Thanks to Le lys rouge and Rose de France, Delvé was considered the most elegant French woman, according to the magazine Les modes de la femme de France in 1922. However, after 1921 it seems she returned mostly to the stage, e.g. acting as Anne of Austria in Maurice Rostand’s Le masque de fer at the theatre Mogador in Paris (1923).
After minor parts in the Biblical drama Berceau de Dieu Fred (LeRoy Granville, 1926) starring Léon Mathot, and Martyre (Charles Burguet, 1927) starring Charles Vanel, Delvé ended her silent film career. She focused on the stage instead, acting e.g. at the theatre La potinière in the Pierre Sabatier comedy Amour à la blague (1929). In the early 1930s Delvé still had a few major parts in French sound film. Opposite Gaby Morlay Delvé acted in Maurice Tourneur’s courtcase drama Accusée, levez-vous (1930). Delvé played Yvette Delys, the star of a revue who tries to seduce a knife thrower (André Roanne). One night Yvette is found stabbed with the knife of the man’s partner and lover, Gaby (Morlay), so Gaby is accused of murder. The real culprit proves to be another one, while the motif also proves not to be revenge. After minor parts in Si l'empereur savait ça (Jacques Feyder, 1930) with Françoise Rosay and André Luguet, the Georges Milton comedy Le roi du cirage (Pierre Colombier 1931), and the Noël-Noël comedy Papa sans le savoir (Robert Wyler 1932), Delvé’s last film part was in La Vénus de l'or (Jean Delannoy, Charles Méré, 1938) starring Mireille Balin and Jacques Copeau as a couple who found a bank involved in shady businesses. Delvé also acted on stage in the 1930s, e.g. in La fleur des pois (Raymond Rouleau, 1932), Victoria Regina (André Brulé,1937) and Le Souper de Venise (1938). She also worked for the French radio in radio plays (e.g. Cinq à sept, 1944, with many of her silent era colleagues). Suzanne Delvé died in 1986, unknown when exactly and in which town.
Sources: IMDB, French Wikipedia, Gallica, dvdtoile.com, www.unifrance.org, www.cineressources.net, www.lesarchivesduspectacle.net.
La Collegiate Saint-Liphard is a historic landmark located in Meung-sur-Loire, a charming town in the Loiret department of France. Its rich history spans centuries and is deeply intertwined with the cultural and religious heritage of the region. In this narrative, we will delve into the captivating history of La Collegiate Saint-Liphard, exploring its origins, architectural significance, and the historical events that have shaped its identity.
The origins of La Collegiate Saint-Liphard can be traced back to the 6th century when a monastery was established on the site. The monastery was dedicated to Saint Liphard, a 6th-century hermit who had gained local veneration. Over time, the influence and prominence of the monastery grew, leading to the construction of a larger and more elaborate place of worship.
During the 11th century, under the patronage of Count Foulques Nerra of Anjou, the monastery underwent significant expansion and was transformed into a collegiate church. This designation elevated its status, allowing it to have a chapter of canons and enabling it to provide education to the local community. The collegiate church became a center of religious and intellectual life in Meung-sur-Loire.
The architecture of La Collegiate Saint-Liphard reflects the various periods of its construction and renovations. The building showcases a harmonious blend of Romanesque and Gothic styles, highlighting the evolution of architectural techniques and artistic trends over the centuries. The impressive façade features intricate carvings and sculptures, depicting biblical scenes and saints. The interior boasts a nave with pointed arches, elegant stained glass windows, and ornate chapels.
In the 12th century, a significant event took place at La Collegiate Saint-Liphard that left an indelible mark on its history. In 1168, Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, sought refuge within its walls after fleeing England due to a conflict with King Henry II. He stayed at the collegiate church for a brief period before continuing his journey to Sens. This historic connection to Thomas Becket added to the prestige and allure of La Collegiate Saint-Liphard.
Throughout the medieval period, the collegiate church remained a prominent religious institution and continued to flourish under the patronage of various local nobles. It played an essential role in the spiritual and cultural life of Meung-sur-Loire, hosting religious ceremonies, educating students, and supporting charitable activities.
However, like many historical sites, La Collegiate Saint-Liphard faced its share of challenges. The Hundred Years' War, which raged between the 14th and 15th centuries, brought destruction and turmoil to the region. The church suffered damages during this period, but it was subsequently restored and rebuilt.
In the following centuries, La Collegiate Saint-Liphard underwent several renovations and modifications. The Renaissance era witnessed the addition of decorative elements, such as the retable in the choir and the transformation of some windows. The 17th and 18th centuries brought further alterations, including the construction of a bell tower and the installation of Baroque-style furnishings.
The French Revolution, which began in 1789, had a profound impact on religious institutions throughout France, and La Collegiate Saint-Liphard was not exempt from its consequences. The collegiate chapter was dissolved, and the church suffered significant damage during this period. Some of its valuable artifacts were lost or destroyed, and the building itself fell into a state of disrepair.
However, in the 19th century, efforts were made to restore and revive La Collegiate Saint-Liphard. Under the guidance of renowned architect Eugene Viollet-le-Duc, the church underwent a thorough restoration that aimed to preserve its architectural heritage. This restoration project ensured the survival of the building and allowed future generations to appreciate its historical and artistic significance.
Today, La Collegiate Saint-Liphard stands as a testament to the enduring spirit of Meung-sur-Loire and its rich cultural heritage. It serves as a place of worship, a popular tourist attraction, and a symbol of the town's history. Visitors can explore its impressive architecture, admire the intricacies of its sculptures, and experience a profound sense of connection to the past.
In conclusion, La Collegiate Saint-Liphard in Meung-sur-Loire, Loiret, France, is a remarkable historical landmark with a captivating history. From its humble beginnings as a monastery to its transformation into a collegiate church, it has witnessed the ebb and flow of time and the cultural shifts of the region. Despite challenges and periods of decline, the church has been lovingly restored and stands today as a testament to the enduring legacy of faith, art, and history.
Meung-sur-Loire is a commune in the Loiret department, north-central France.
It was the site of the Battle of Meung-sur-Loire in 1429.
Geography
Meung-sur-Loire lies 15 km to the west of Orléans on the north bank of the river Loire at the confluence with the river Mauves. The Mauves, actually three rivers, have their source in the water table of the productive agricultural region of the Beauce.
History
A Gallo-Roman fortified village recorded as Magdunum was built in the marais adjoining the river, which in 409 was fired by the invading Alans. The marais was drained, according to tradition by Saint Liphard around the year 520. The canalisation formed the watercourses known as the mauves. He went on to build the chapel which was to become the monastery and the abbey. His relics were deposited in the church in 1104, the year after Louis VI had founded as fortress.
During the 12th century the church was rebuilt in the gothic style, and fortified accommodation for the abbot built alongside. Jeanne d'Arc visited in 1429, and this was the site of the Battle of Meung-sur-Loire. The complex was restored in 1570, again during the 19th century and again in 1985.
The river defined the town, in 1857, 38 mills had the right to use the waters of the rivers to power themselves.
Fiction
In fiction, it has been described by Alexandre Dumas in The Three Musketeers as the village where d'Artagnan, en route to join the King's Musketeers in Paris, first encounters the villainous Comte de Rochefort. Also in fiction, Meung-sur-Loire is the country home of Chief Inspector Jules Maigret, Georges Simenon's classic crime fiction character. Maigret and his wife Louise eventually retire to their Meung-sur-Loire home, where he spends his time fishing (pike), and she tends, according to her sister, any number of animals.
Points of interest
The town is twinned with Lymm in Cheshire, England
Arboretum des Prés des Culands
Château de Meung-sur-Loire
Notable residents
Jean de Meun (c. 1240 – c. 1305), author of the Roman de la Rose
Maurice Larrouy (1882–1939), winner of the 1917 Prix Femina, died in Meung
Gaston Couté (1880-1911), french libertarian poet and song-writer lived here in his childhood and is buried in Meung. A museum in the local of the library is dedicated to his life and works.
Alain Corneau (1943-2010), film director and writer was born in Meung-sur-Loire.
The Diocese of Orléans (Latin: Dioecesis Aurelianensis; French: Diocèse d'Orléans) is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in France. The diocese currently corresponds to the Départment of Loiret. The current bishop is Jacques André Blaquart, who was appointed in 2010.
The diocese has experienced a number of transfers among different metropolitans. In 1622, the diocese was suffragan of the Archdiocese of Paris; previously the diocese had been a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Sens. From 1966 until 2001 it was under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Bourges, but since the provisional reorganisation of French ecclesiastical provinces, it is now subject to the Archdiocese of Tours.
After the Revolution it was re-established by the Concordat of 1802. It then included the Departments of Loiret and Loir et Cher, but in 1822 Loir et Cher was moved to the new Diocese of Blois.
Jurisdiction
The present Diocese of Orléans differs considerably from that of the old regime; it has lost the arrondissement of Romorantin which has passed to the Diocese of Blois and the canton of Janville, now in the Diocese of Chartres. It includes the arrondissement of Montargis, formerly subject to the Archdiocese of Sens, the arrondissement of Gien, once in the Burgundian Diocese of Auxerre, and the canton of Châtillon sur Loire, once belonging to the Archdiocese of Bourges.
History
To Gerbert, Abbot of St. Pierre le Vif at Sens (1046–79), is due a detailed narrative according to which Saint Savinianus and Saint Potentianus were sent to Sens by St. Peter with St. Altinus; the latter, it was said, came to Orléans as its first bishop. Before the ninth century there is no historical trace in the Diocese of Sens of this Apostolic mission of St. Altinus, nor in the Diocese of Orléans before the end of the fifteenth. Diclopitus is the first authentic bishop; he figures among the bishops of Gaul who (about 344) ratified the absolution of St. Athanasius. Other bishops of the early period are: St. Euvertius (who features in the Calendar of the Book of Common Prayer), about 355 to 385, according to M. Cuissard; Anianus (385-453), who invoked the aid of the "patrician" Ætius against the invasion of Attila, and forced the Huns to raise the siege of Orléans [see Gregory of Tours, The History of the Franks II.6-7]; St. Prosper (453-63); St. Monitor (about 472); St. Flou (Flosculus), died in 490; St. Eucherius (717-43), native of Orléans and a monk of Jumièges, who protested against the depredations of Waifre, a companion of Charles Martel, and was first exiled by this prince to Cologne, then to Liège, and died at the monastery of St. Trond.
Orléans Cathedral, dedicated to the Holy Cross, built from 1278 to 1329; after being pillaged by Huguenots in the 1560s, the Bourbon kings restored it in the 17th century.
After his victory over the Alamanni, the Frankish king Clovis was bent on the sack of Verdun, but the archpriest there obtained mercy for his fellow-citizens. To St. Euspicius and his nephew St. Mesmin (Maximinus), Clovis also gave the domain of Micy, near Orléans at the confluence of the Loire and the Loiret, for a monastery (508). When Euspicius died, the said St. Maximinus became abbot, and during his rule the religious life flourished there notably. The monks of Micy contributed much to the civilization of the Orléans region; they cleared and drained the lands and taught the semi-barbarous inhabitants the worth and dignity of agricultural work. Early in the eighth century, Theodulfus restored the Abbey of Micy and at his request St. Benedict of Aniane sent fourteen monks and visited the abbey himself. The last abbot of Micy, Chapt de Rastignac, was one of the victims of the 1792 "September Massacres", at Paris, in the prison of L'Abbaye.
From Micy monastery, which counted many saints, monastic life spread within and around the diocese. St. Liphardus and St. Urbicius founded the Abbey of Meung-sur-Loire; St. Lyé (Lætus) died a recluse in the forest of Orléans; St. Viatre (Viator) in Sologne; St. Doulchard in the forest of Ambly near Bourges. St. Leonard introduced the monastic life into the territory of Limoges; St. Almir, St. Ulphacius, and St. Bomer in the vicinity of Montmirail; St. Avitus (died about 527) in the district of Chartres; St. Calais (died before 536) and St. Leonard of Vendœuvre (died about 570) in the valley of the Sarthe; St. Fraimbault and St. Constantine in the Javron forest, and the aforesaid St. Bomer (died about 560) in the Passais near Laval; St. Leonard of Dunois; St. Alva and St. Ernier in Perche; St. Laumer (died about 590) became Abbot of Corbion. St. Lubin (Leobinus), a monk of Micy, became Bishop of Chartres from 544–56. Finally saint Ay (Agilus), Viscount of Orléans (died after 587), was also a protector of Micy.
Saints
Among the notable saints of the diocese are:
St. Baudilus, a Nîmes martyr (third or fourth century)
the deacon St. Lucanus, martyr, patron of Loigny (fifth century)
the anchorite St. Donatus (fifth century)
St. May, abbot of Val Benoît (fifth century)
St. Mesme, virgin and (perhaps) martyr, sister of St. Mesmin (sixth century)
St. Felicule, patroness of Gien (sixth century)
St. Sigismund, King of Burgundy, who, by order of the Merovingian Clodomir, and despite the entreaties of St. Avitus, was thrown (524) into a well with his wife and children
St. Gontran, King of Orléans and Burgundy (561-93), a confessor
St. Loup (Lupus), Archbishop of Sens, born near Orléans, and his mother St. Agia (first half of the seventh century)
St. Gregory, former Bishop of Nicopolis, in Bulgaria, who died a recluse at Pithiviers (1004 or 1007)
St. Rose, Abbess of Ervauville (died 1130)
Blessed Odo of Orléans, Bishop of Cambrai (1105–13)
the leper St. Alpaix, died in 1211 at Cudot where she was visited by queen Adèle of Champagne, widow of Louis VII
St. Guillaume (died 1209), Abbot of Fontainejean and subsequently Archbishop of Bourges
the Dominican Blessed Reginald, dean of the collegiate church of St. Aignan, Orléans (died 1220)
the Englishman St. Richard, who studied theology at Orléans in 1236, Bishop of Chichester in 1244, a friend of St. Edmund of Canterbury
St. Maurus, called to France by St. Innocent, Bishop of Le Mans, and sent thither by St. Benedict, resided at Orléans with four companions in 542. St. Radegonde, on her way from Noyon to Poitiers in 544, and St. Columbanus, exiled from Luxeuil at the close of the sixth century, both visited Orléans. Charlemagne had the church of St. Aignan rebuilt and reconstructed the monastery of St. Pierre le Puellier. In the cathedral of Orléans on 31 December 987, Hugh Capet had his son Robert (born at Orléans) crowned king. Innocent II and St. Bernard visited Fleury and Orléans in 1130.
Pilgrimages
The principal pilgrimages of the diocese are: Our Lady of Bethlehem, at Ferrières; Our Lady of Miracles in Orléans city, dating back to the seventh century (Joan of Arc visited the sanctuary on 8 May 1429); Our Lady of Cléry, dating from the thirteenth century, visited by kings Philip the Fair, Philip VI, and especially by Louis XI, who wore in his hat a leaden image of Notre Dame de Cléry and who wished to have his tomb in this sanctuary where Jean de Dunois, one of the heroes of the Hundred Years' War, was also interred.
Later history
The people of Orléans were so impressed by the preaching of Blessed Robert of Arbrissel in 1113 that he was invited to found the monastery of La Madeleine, which he re-visited in 1117 with St. Bernard of Thiron. The charitable deeds of king St. Louis at Puiseaux, Châteauneuf-sur-Loire, and Orléans, where he was present at the translation of the relics of St. Aignan (26 October 1259), and where he frequently went to care for the poor of the Hôtel Dieu, are well known. Pierre de Beaufort, Archdeacon of Sully and canon of Orléans, was, as Gregory XI (1371-8), the last pope that France gave to the Church; he created Cardinal Jean de la Tour d'Auvergne, Abbot of St. Benoît-sur Loire. Blessed Jeanne de Valois was Duchess of Orléans and after her separation from Louis XII (1498) she established, early in the sixteenth century, the monastery of L'Annonciade at Châteauneuf-sur-Loire. Etienne Dolet (1509–46), a printer, philologian, and pamphleteer, executed at Paris and looked upon by some as a "martyr of the Renaissance", was a native of Orléans. Cardinal Odet de Coligny, who joined the Reformation about 1560, was Abbot of St. Euvertius, of Fontainejean, Ferrières, and St. Benoît. Admiral Coligny (1519–72) (see Saint Bartholomew's Day) was born at Châtillon-sur-Loing in the present diocese. At the beginning of the religious wars, Orléans was disputed between the followers of the Guise family and of the Protestant Condé. In the vicinity of Orléans, Duke Francis of Guise was assassinated on 3 February 1562.
The Calvinist Jacques Bongars, councillor of king Henry IV of France, who collected and edited the chronicles of the Crusades in his "Gesta Dei per Francos", was born at Orléans in 1554. The Jesuit Denis Petav (Petavius), a renowned scholar and theologian, was born at Orléans in 1583. St. Francis of Sales came to Orléans in 1618 and 1619. Venerable Mother Françoise de la Croix (1591–1657), a pupil of St. Vincent de Paul, who founded the congregation of Augustinian Sisters of Charity of Notre Dame, was born at Petay in the diocese. The Miramion family, to which Marie Bonneau is celebrated in the annals of charity under the name of Mme de Miramion (1629–96), belonged by marriage, were from Orléans. St. Jane de Chantal was superior of the Orléans convent of the Visitation in 1627. Mme Guyon, celebrated in the annals of Quietism, was born at Montargis in 1648.
France was saved from English domination through the deliverance of Orléans by Joan of Arc (8 May 1429). On 21 July 1455, her rehabilitation was publicly proclaimed at Orléans in a solemn procession, and before her death in November 1458, Isabel Romée, the mother of Joan of Arc, saw a monument erected in honour of her daughter, at Tournelles, near the Orléans bridge. The monument, destroyed by the Huguenots in 1567, was set up again in 1569 when the Catholics were once more masters of the city. Until 1792, and again from 1802 to 1830, finally from 1842 to the present day, a great religious feast, celebrated 8 May of every year at Orléans in honour of Joan of Arc, attracted multitudes.
The Church of Orléans was the last in France to take up again the Roman liturgy (1874). The Sainte Croix cathedral, perhaps built and consecrated by St. Euvertius in the fourth century, was destroyed by fire in 999 and rebuilt from 1278 to 1329; the Protestants pillaged and destroyed it from 1562 to 1567; the Bourbon kings restored it in the seventeenth century.
Modernity
Prior to the Associations Law of 1901, the Diocese of Orléans counted Franciscans, Benedictines, Missionary Priests of the Society of Mary, Lazarists, Missionaries of the Sacred Heart and several orders of teaching Brothers. Among the congregations of women which originated in this diocese must be mentioned: the Calvary Benedictines, a teaching and nursing order founded in 1617 by Princess Antoinette d'Orléans-Longueville, and the Capuchin Leclerc du Tremblay known as Père Joseph; the Sisters of St. Aignan, a teaching order founded in 1853 by Bishop Dupanloup, with mother-house in Orléans.
Twentieth-century bishops of Orleans included Guy Riobé, whose opposition to nuclear weapons led to an altercation with a member of Georges Pompidou's government, and his successor, Jean-Marie Lustiger, who was appointed in 1979 after a long interregnum and shortly afterwards translated to Paris.
Episcopal Ordinaries
Of the eighth-century bishops, Theodulfus was notable. It is not known when he began to govern, but it is certain that he was already bishop in 798, when Charlemagne sent him into Narbonne and Provence as missus dominicus. Under king Louis le Débonnaire he was accused of aiding the rebellious King of Italy, was deposed and imprisoned four years in a monastery at Angers, but was released when Louis came to Angers in 821, reportedly after hearing Theodulfus sing All Glory, Laud and Honour. The "Capitularies" which Theodulfus addressed to the clergy of Orléans are considered a most important monument of Catholic tradition on the duties of priests and the faithful. His Ritual, his Penitential, his treatise on baptism, confirmation and the Eucharist, his edition of the Bible, a work of fine penmanship preserved in the Puy cathedral, reveal him as one of the foremost men of his time. His fame rests chiefly on his devotion to the spread of learning. The Abbey of Ferrières was then becoming under Alcuin a centre of learning. Theodulfus opened the Abbey of Fleury to the young noblemen sent thither by Charlemagne, invited the clergy to establish free schools in the country districts, and quoted for them, "These that are learned shall shine as the brightness of the firmament: and they that instruct many to justice, as stars to all eternity" (Dan., xii 3). One monument of his time still survives in the diocese, the apse of the church of Germigny-des-Prés modelled after the imperial chapel, and yet retaining its unique mosaic decoration.
Medieval Bishops
Aignan of Orleans, or Agnan (Latin: Anianus) (b. 358 – d. 453), assisted Roman general Flavius Aetius in the defense of the city against Attila the Hun in 451.
Namatius, an ambassador of King Guntram to the Bretons
Eucherius of Orléans
Jonas (821 – 843), who wrote a treatise against the Iconoclasts, also a treatise on the Christian life and a book on the duties of kings
St. Thierry II (1016 – 21)
Jean, consecrated on 1 March 1098
Blessed Philip Berruyer (1234 – 1236)
Blessed Roger le Fort (1321 – 1328)
John Carmichael of Douglasdale (Jean de St Michel)
Regnault de Chartres † (9 Jan 1439 Appointed – 4 Apr 1444 Died)
Pierre Bureau † (20 Nov 1447 Appointed – 10 Dec 1451 Appointed, Bishop of Béziers)
François de Brillac † (3 Nov 1473 Appointed – 22 Dec 1504 Appointed, Archbishop of Aix)
Christophe de Brillac † (19 Jan 1504 Appointed – 4 Feb 1514 Appointed, Archbishop of Tours)
Jean d’Orléans-Longueville † (26 Jun 1521 Appointed – 24 Sep 1533 Died)
Antoine Sanguin de Meudon † (6 Nov 1533 Appointed – 20 Oct 1550 Resigned)
François de Faucon † (20 Oct 1550 Appointed – 12 Oct 1551 Appointed, Bishop of Mâcon)
Pierre du Chastel † (12 Oct 1551 Appointed – 3 Feb 1552 Died)
Jean de Morvillier † (27 Apr 1552 Appointed – 1564 Resigned)
Mathurin de la Saussaye † (6 Sep 1564 Appointed – 9 Feb 1584 Died)
Denis Hurault † (9 Feb 1584 Succeeded – 1586 Resigned)
Germain Vaillant de Guelin † (27 Oct 1586 Appointed – 15 Sep 1587 Died)
Jean de L’Aubespine † (16 Mar 1588 Appointed – 23 Feb 1596 Died)
Early Modern Bishops
Gabriel de L’Aubespine † (15 Mar 1604 Appointed – 15 Aug 1630 Died)
Nicolas de Netz † (27 Jan 1631 Appointed – 20 Jan 1646 Died)
Alphonse d’Elbène † (21 Jan 1647 Appointed – 20 May 1665 Died)
Pierre-Armand du Cambout de Coislin † (29 Mar 1666 Confirmed – 5 Feb 1706 Died)
Louis-Gaston Fleuriau d’Armenonville † (15 Nov 1706 Confirmed – 9 Jun 1733 Died)
Nicolas-Joseph de Paris † (9 Jun 1733 Succeeded – 10 Jan 1754 Resigned)
Louis-Joseph de Montmorency-Laval † (14 Jan 1754 Confirmed – 28 Feb 1758 Resigned)
Louis-Sextius de Jarente de La Bruyère † (13 Mar 1758 Confirmed – 28 May 1788 Died)
Louis-François-Alexandre de Jarente de Senas d’Orgeval † (28 May 1788 Succeeded – 22 Nov 1793 Resigned)
Modern Bishops
Etienne-Alexandre-Jean-Baptiste-Marie Bernier † (9 Apr 1802 Appointed – 1 Oct 1806 Died)
Claude-Louis Rousseau † (22 Mar 1807 Appointed – 7 Oct 1810 Died)
Pierre-Marin Rouph de Varicourt † (8 Aug 1817 Appointed – 9 Dec 1822 Died)
Jean Brumault de Beauregard † (13 Jan 1823 Appointed – Jan 1839 Retired)
François-Nicholas-Madeleine Morlot † (10 Mar 1839 Appointed – 28 Jun 1842 Appointed, Archbishop of Tours)
Jean-Jacques Fayet † (10 Oct 1842 Appointed – 4 Apr 1849 Died)
Félix-Antoine-Philibert Dupanloup † (16 Apr 1849 Appointed – 11 Oct 1878 Died)
Pierre-Hector Coullié (Couillié) † (12 Oct 1878 Succeeded – 14 Jun 1893 Appointed, Archbishop of Lyon)
Stanislas-Arthur-Xavier Touchet † (29 Jan 1894 Appointed – 23 Sep 1926 Died)
Jules-Marie-Victor Courcoux † (20 Dec 1926 Appointed – 28 Mar 1951 Died)
Robert Picard de La Vacquerie † (27 Aug 1951 Appointed – 23 May 1963 Resigned)
Guy-Marie-Joseph Riobé † (23 May 1963 Succeeded – 18 Jul 1978 Died)
Jean-Marie Lustiger † (10 Nov 1979 Appointed – 31 Jan 1981 Appointed, Archbishop of Paris)[3]
René Lucien Picandet † (13 Jun 1981 Appointed – 20 Oct 1997 Died)
Gérard Antoine Daucourt (2 Jul 1998 Appointed – 18 Jun 2002 Appointed, Bishop of Nanterre)
André Louis Fort (28 Nov 2002 Appointed – 27 Jul 2010 Retired)
Jacques André Blaquart (27 Jul 2010 Appointed – )
A delve into a box in the loft whilst searching for reading material for our granddaughter who was "sleeping over" revealed this old print of a photo taken during a holiday in Northumberland, when her Daddy was not yet two years old!
I always liked the random juxtaposition of the Class 43 HST set and the "eponymous milepost" as these machines tried to rattle the crockery at the adjacent "Blink Bonny" hostelry almost adjacent to the crossing. (Note the building in the picture is NOT the Blink Bonny Pub!)
Thankfully the bright weather allowed a fast exposure almost to capture the northbound service with little motion blur, as it would have been racing along at quite a lick as it passed us!
I attempted to recreate this shot in Summer 2025 :-
LEGAL DISCLAIMER: I Do Not Condone Any Acts Of Vandalism Nor Do I Participate In Such Criminal Activity. I Am Simply An Observant and Take Photos Of This Graffiti You Have Come Across i simply have a deep love and apreciation for this art. ALSO I Will Not Condone Any Usage Of My Photos To Support Any Legal Matter Involving These Acts Of Vandalism Therefore YOU ARE NOT WELCOME TO VIEW OR TAKE THIS MATERIAL For ANY Purpose...
Delve into the rich tapestry of Nuremberg as tourists capture a historic landmark, framed by an elderly local in authentic attire. Explore the fusion of tradition and modern fascination in this bustling scene that encapsulates the city's cultural narrative.
Delve into the dynamic world of Comics, Pop Culture and Fantasy at this year’s NerdCON! Discover exciting new outfits, decor, gachas and more all with fun funky themes inspired by the comics, films and books you love! NerdCON comes but once a year so be sure not to miss out!
Taxi; maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/BellaTECH%20Productions/38...
Delving back into Alan Hall's collection again, I came across this shot of the solitary preserved ex North Staffordshire Railway steam loco. No2 was an L class 0-6-2T and was built the year of 'The Grouping', 1923, when the NSR became a constituent part of the LMS. From memory, the 'L' class were the old company's most powerful locomotives.
No. 2, after service with the LMS, passed into industrial service with the NCB in the Lancashire coal field, where latterly it was stored at Walkden Workshops. Being a significant loco it was acquired for the nation and became part of the National Collection. Though it has been loaned out to various railways and venues, No.2's never steamed in preservation.
If I'm not mistaken, the above picture was taken as the loco was being removed from Chatterley Whitfield Mining Museum prior to being moved to the Churnet Valley Railway at Cheddleton in the 1990s, which one would have thought would have been the ideal home for it.
Delving into my 'Rainy day' set as I've run out of shots to upload, here's a shot of a glamorous looking couple on their way to an Oxford University Summer Ball.
More of my favourite Oxford shots here :
www.flickr.com/photos/darrellg/sets/72157615954960033
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Watergate Forest Park, located in Lobley Hill, Gateshead, Tyne & Wear, England, holds a significant place in the region's history and serves as a cherished recreational area for locals and visitors alike. Spanning an expanse of lush greenery, the park offers a serene escape from the urban landscape and has evolved over time to become a beloved destination. Let's delve into the detailed history of Watergate Forest Park.
The roots of Watergate Forest Park's history can be traced back to the early 19th century when the area was primarily farmland. Lobley Hill, a small village in Gateshead, was surrounded by fields and agricultural lands. Over time, the region began to undergo changes due to urbanization and industrialization. As the population increased, there was a growing need for green spaces and recreational areas.
The transformation of the land into a public park began in the early 20th century. The park's name, "Watergate," is believed to refer to a nearby water gate or sluice gate that regulated the flow of water in the area. This gate may have played a role in the management of water levels in the adjacent fields or the nearby River Team.
Initially, the park was modest in size and had limited facilities. However, it gradually expanded and underwent significant improvements. The local authorities recognized the importance of providing accessible green spaces for the community's wellbeing and leisure activities.
Watergate Forest Park's development gained momentum in the mid-20th century. Landscaping efforts were undertaken to create a more aesthetically pleasing environment. Gardens were cultivated, and trees were planted to enhance the park's beauty. The park's design aimed to incorporate elements of both natural and manicured landscapes, offering a balance between pristine greenery and carefully crafted features.
Ponds were created within the park, adding to its charm and providing habitats for various aquatic species. These bodies of water also served as focal points, where visitors could relax, observe wildlife, or engage in recreational activities such as fishing.
As Watergate Forest Park continued to evolve, recreational facilities were introduced to cater to the diverse needs of the community. Play areas were constructed to accommodate children, offering them safe and engaging spaces to enjoy outdoor activities. Sports fields were also established, providing opportunities for residents to participate in various sports and physical exercises.
In addition to the recreational amenities, picnic spots and seating areas were strategically placed throughout the park. These spaces encouraged social interactions and family gatherings, enabling visitors to enjoy quality time in a natural setting.
Over the years, Watergate Forest Park has become renowned for its natural beauty and biodiversity. The park is home to a variety of plant and animal species, contributing to its ecological significance. The lush vegetation provides shelter and food for numerous bird species, making it an attractive spot for birdwatchers. Insects, small mammals, and other creatures find sanctuary within the park's diverse habitats.
Watergate Forest Park's historical significance goes beyond its physical attributes. It has witnessed numerous community events, celebrations, and gatherings throughout the years. Festivals, fairs, and other cultural activities have been hosted within its boundaries, fostering a sense of community spirit and camaraderie.
As the 21st century progressed, Watergate Forest Park continued to serve as a vital green space in Gateshead. Recognizing the importance of preserving and enhancing such areas, local authorities and community organizations collaborated to maintain the park's natural integrity while introducing modern amenities and services.
Today, Watergate Forest Park remains a cherished destination for residents and visitors from near and far. Its serene atmosphere, picturesque landscapes, and recreational facilities continue to attract people of all ages. The park offers a respite from the urban environment, providing opportunities for relaxation, exercise, and connecting with nature.
Community engagement plays a vital role in the park's ongoing success. Regular events, workshops, and educational programs are organized to encourage people to explore and appreciate the park's natural resources. Volunteers and conservation groups work together to protect the park's ecological balance and maintain its cleanliness and beauty.
Watergate Forest Park's history and evolution reflect the changing needs and aspirations of the community. From its origins as farmland to its present-day status as a well-loved green space, the park has endured as a testament to the enduring value of nature and the importance of preserving it in an urban setting.
As the years go by, Watergate Forest Park will undoubtedly continue to be a cherished sanctuary for generations to come, providing solace, inspiration, and recreation for the people of Lobley Hill, Gateshead, Tyne & Wear, and beyond.
Lobley Hill is located in the west of the old County Borough of Gateshead within the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead in Tyne and Wear, North East England having been previously part of the parish of Whickham.
In its Demographic Profile for the Lobley Hill Plan Area produced in 2008 the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead quoted the 2001 census showing Lobley Hill had a population of around 6,199 of which 48% were males and 52% were females.
Later at the 2011 Census, the ward was called Lobley Hill and Bensham. The population of this Gateshead MBC ward was 10,698.
Development of the community
The current Lobley Hill is defined by its boundaries as it has grown to fill the hillside while development along its eastern edge has encroached significantly since the first of the present housing was built in 1930s. The River Team lies just beyond what would have been considered a part of Lobley Hill separating it from the Teams, Bensham and Saltwell, Tyne and Wear areas of Gateshead but the development of the Team Valley Trading Estate hardened that boundary while the eventual building and upgrading of the A1 in Newcastle upon Tyne has ensured a definite edge.
The southern neighbours are long enclosed farmland and estates which include Ravensworth Castle (Tyne and Wear).
The western boundary is part of an industrial history of coal mining, railways and shipping. The waggonway forming that boundary links the collieries at Tanfield and Marley Hill to the River Tyne which have been developed over preceding centuries with the Causey Arch at its southern end and the iconic Dunston Staiths at the northern terminus. The distinction between Lobley Hill and Dunston, Tyne and Wear that the waggonway provided has eroded as housing developed to the west of the waggonway filling the area between the two communities.
The Lobley Hill built within the pre-1974 boundaries of the old County Borough used three distinctive sets of street names in the areas of domestic housing, in addition to the longstanding Lobley Hill Road, Consett Road and Coach Road.
The initial housing took the names of trees, or more specifically their wood, on the south side of Lobley Hill Road while the south west has location names from Northumberland. The north side takes the names of ranges of British hills. Oakfield Road seems not quite to belong to any of these groups.
As the first census to identify residents shows, the original location and population was a single farm in the parish of Whickham and some distance from the boundary with the town of Gateshead.
Lobley Hill served as the location of heavy anti-aircraft battery "Tyne F" during World War II. It included a command post, four 4.5-inch gun emplacements and two magazines. It was manned by 296 Battery of the 66th Royal Artillery Regiment in May 1940, and by 176 Battery of the 63rd Royal Artillery Regiment in December 1940. Some parts of the battery's structure were still on the site in the 1960s, although it was later demolished to make way for building development.
The area was known for some time as the Gun Site long after the military withdrew. Some of the Army Huts were put into immediate post-war use as Council housing prior to extensive building works while other parts remained in use as the first primary school until Rothbury Gardens site was developed and continued as classrooms as a part of the primary school for several years after that building was opened.
One hut was the branch library on the main road until replaced by the new building and for several years the site was used for part of the pedestrian foot bridge.
Education
The first primary school for Lobley Hill was a section of the Gun Site installation behind the west end of Oakfield Road at its highest point of the hill. The second was subsequently built on Rothbury Gardens and opened around 1952 but has been replaced at the same location.
Secondary education arrived in 1960 with a school built to the west of the waggonway on Whickham Highway. Housing has been built on that site since it closed in 1990.
There are two schools in Lobley Hill. Emmanuel College is a City Technology College and offers schooling for 11–18 years old from a wide area of Western Gateshead and the West End of Newcastle. Lobley Hill primary school offers schooling for 4–11 years old and includes a nursery school.
There is also Hillside Pre-school nursery run in the All Saints Church building. And there are local courses run at the Lobley Hill Youth and Community Centre.
Churches
There are two churches in Lobley Hill. All Saints Church is Anglican the older of the two. The Immaculate Heart Of Mary Church is a Roman Catholic church. There used to be a Methodist chapel on Beechwood Gdns but this building now no longer exists.
Emmanuel House
On a street in Lobley Hill lies the Hospice Emmanuel House,[8] fronted by long-time devout Catholic, Christine Deponio. The hospice itself is operated within her house, along with Husband Raymond, and sons Ryan and Lee Deponio, often performing fund-raising activities for clients and visitors to the house. Emmanuel House deals with local people who have been touched by cancer. As well as being a trained holistic therapist and a black belt in karate, Christine Deponio is also completely blind, as is her husband Raymond. Obviously all she has achieved with Emmanuel house and also being very musically talented is a massive achievement considering this disability.
Recreation and local events
It has a recently constructed park, called Watergate Forest Park, built on reclaimed land on the site of the former Watergate Colliery which may have been among some of the first places where industrial coal mining methods were used.
Path into Watergate Country Park
Lobley Hill hosted the annual Gateshead Flower Show.
In July 2008, the first Lobley Hill Festival was held, this is to be an annual event.
There is a 9-hole pitch and putt golf course and driving range facility located at Beggars Wood.
Lobley Hill is the home of youth football club Rutherford United with football facilities including full sized and 5 or 6 a side football pitches.
Famous residents
Gateshead footballer, coach and manager Tom Callender
Liberty X band member, Michelle Heaton, attended Emmanuel College.
Footballer and football manager Ian Branfoot was a pupil at the Primary School.
Bob Fuller CEO Hutchison 3G UK Limited, was a pupil at the Primary School
History
Lobley Hill has been shown on maps over a period of time.
The Ordnance Survey taken in 1857 for the map published in 1862 shows Lobley Hill marked at a junction just to the east of the signal box on the Tanfield Branch of the North Eastern Railway against a small group of buildings. These appear to be the buildings occupied according to the 1939 Register, and still standing in 1950s before clearance to make way for the branch library.
Also high on the actual hill to the south is Green's Farm on the lane going to Streetgate.
Further down the hill to the east at a crossroads that may be familiar as the Coach Road there are a group of buildings on the south east corner which may have been standing into 1960s or 1970s being a bookmakers and Bushells greengrocery. On the north west corner is a wooded area. The wood is marked Nor Wood and the buildings opposite Norwood. The general area within which these appear is shown as Farnacres.
Both Norwood and Farnacres have been used for names of local collieries just to the north in Low Teams.
The Team Colliery waggonway further to the east is also shown roughly where access to and from the eventual Norwood Coke Works could be seen. This area running north through Low Teams to Dunston Staiths was the site for the Gateshead Garden Festival in 1990 which was the fourth in a series of five National Garden Festival redevelopment projects in various parts of England, Scotland and Wales to reclaim industrial land with this held to have kick started a process which resulted in the Baltic centre, Sage Gateshead and the Millennium Bridge.
Another delve into the archives sees a trip to Scunthorpe, Grimsby, Lincoln and Skegness not long after Stagecoach took over the Yorkshire Traction group. Just enough to see plenty of the old liveries and some of the first Traction vehicles to gain Stagecoach livery.
Seen in Barnsley is Wright Renown bodied Volvo B10BLE 21134 - T550AUA.
Delving into my archives again. Quaint little place not far from me which I rarely visit yet its lovely....a topsy turvey view of it, you can tell I'm short of shots at the moment! .
Knighton is rich in history with half-timbered houses, winding streets known locally as "The Narrows". There is evidence of settlement in the area dating back to the Stone Age but the current town is mostly medieval in origin.
Until the mid-1800s it was possible to obtain a divorce by "selling the wife" at the place where the clocktower now stands. The husband would bring his wife to the place at the end of a rope.
Ayesha Kazim is a freelance photographer and member of Black Women Photographers who specializes in creating intimate, vibrant portraits that embody resilience, power, and a quiet confidence. Ayesha's work is influenced by a diverse range of cultures and experiences, stemming from her upbringing in fourteen different countries. This rich background enables her to create powerful portraits that tell a story.
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Photo©: Ayesha Kazim
All Saints, Broughton, Cambridgeshire
When Adam delved and Eve span,
who was then the gentleman?
From the beginning all men by nature were created alike, and our bondage or servitude came in by the unjust oppression of naughty men. For if God would have had any bondmen from the beginning, he would have appointed who should be bond, and who free. And therefore I exhort you to consider that now the time is come, appointed to us by God, in which ye may (if ye will) cast off the yoke of bondage, and recover liberty.
- John Ball, A sermon preached at Blackheath, 1381, during the Peasants Revolt. Soon after, Ball was convicted of treason, and hung, drawn and quartered.
We were now in the rolling lanes of familiar former Huntingdonshire, and came down into the very pretty village of Broughton. Surprisingly in such a lonely spot the pub garden was full of people sitting in the sunshine, they must make the journey from miles around. Opposite the pub was the church. This is a big church with a bold stone spire in the local manner, and very difficult to photograph even in early spring as it is so tree-surrounded.
The interior, however, was quite different - cleared of clutter, a wide open space of stone and wood. There is a bold, even surprising, west window of an icon depicting the cross, the evangelistic symbols and a couple of Saints by Essex artist Benjamin Finn, done for the millennium and so an early work of his. I usually like his work, and this is the largest I've seen. It provides a counterpoint when turning to the east to see one of Cambridgeshire's best wall paintings, the great doom, the husbands and wives of 15th Century Broughton rising from their graves to be judged. All is discernible except for the central figure of Christ, including the familiar kings, bishops and cardinals lining up naked to seek admittance to heaven, and a woman being wheeled towards the mouth of hell in a wheelbarrow, literally going to hell in a handcart. In the bottom right, the devils go about their work torturing the damned. There is a good if over-restored Adam digging and Eve spinning on the south wall beside it.
Right in the apex of the gable above the chancel arch is a medieval head of Christ. Could this have been the top of the rood figure? An amazing survival if so. This is a really good church, and I decided it surpassed Upwood as my church of the day so far. And then on from Broughton, back to the fen edge, and the large village of Warboys.
Another delve into the archives sees a trip to Scunthorpe, Grimsby, Lincoln and Skegness not long after Stagecoach took over the Yorkshire Traction group. Just enough to see plenty of the old liveries and some of the first Traction vehicles to gain Stagecoach livery.
Seen in Lincoln is East Lancashire Myllennium bodied DAF 26125 - X835HFE.
View of a woman and three girls gathered around an arrangement of several plants with
what appear to be eggs on a table.
Digital Collection:
North Carolina Postcards
Publisher:
Artvue Post Card Co., New York, N.Y.;
Date:
1940; 1941; 1942; 1943; 1944; 1945; 1946; 1947; 1948; 1949; 1950; 1951; 1952; 1953;
1954; 1955; 1956; 1957; 1958; 1959; 1960
Location:
Cedar Mountain (N.C.); Transylvania County (N.C.);
Collection in Repository
Durwood Barbour Collection of North Carolina Postcards (P077); collection guide available
online at www.lib.unc.edu/ncc/pcoll/77barbour/77barbour.html
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Taxi; maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/BellaTECH%20Productions/38...
Here we see a younger and very flirty Joni flashing her gams while wearing her purple paisley pattern dress, a longtime favorite of hers that spans her entire tenure on Flickr. This photo was taken at Amanda's Hideaway in November of 2017, and was cropped from a larger photo in which Joni was seated with three other girls on a a sofa, all of whom were displaying their leggy assets in cross-legged poses. Joni was occupying the left bookend position in that original photo and had to squeeze herself somewhat onto the sofa, but in Joni's less than humble opinion, she supplied the best pair of legs for the group photo. As such, not wanting to embarrass the other girls in the photo, but definitely wanting to post an alluring photo of her own legs, Joni decided that the only decent thing to do was simply cut the other less fortunate girls out of the photo. (Sorry, ladies, but Joni's photostream is not necessarily a democracy!) This rather thin slice of the intersection of that which is flirty and lovely is the result of that rather severe photo-cropping, but it allows the viewer to focus on Joni alone from head to toe without any unnecessary distractions. Joni's sly smile tells one she wouldn't want it any other way!
Joni isn't always such a self-centered bitch, but every so often a T-Girl needs to let her inner diva come to the surface and express herself. . . . After all, every T-Girl has her own inner diva!
The original of this cropped photo can still be found at an earlier point in Joni's photostream, again if one is willing to scroll back about 900 photos. The original cropped photo was placed in only one group at that time and generated only a bit more than 2000 views. Joni believes that this photo is worthy of much wider circulation and inclusion in this retrospective series.
It should also be noted that the original uncropped photo of Joni and the other three girls on the sofa resided on Joni's photostream for many years, but was a victim of a regrettable purge of Joni's photostream necessitated by Flickr's 1000 free photo limit.
Another delve into the archives sees a trip to Scunthorpe, Grimsby, Lincoln and Skegness not long after Stagecoach took over the Yorkshire Traction group. Just enough to see plenty of the old liveries and some of the first Traction vehicles to gain Stagecoach livery.
Seen in Barnsley is East Lancashire Flyte bodied Scania 28712 - NIL5383. Rebodied by East Lancashire in 1997 to replace its original East Lancashire body when supplied new to British Airways in 1987 registered D92ALX.