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Agents with the Cullman Narcotics Enforcement Team (CNET) and deputies with the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) arrested nine individuals for Unlawful Possession of a Controlled Substance and Unlawful Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.
Arrested for Unlawful Possession of a Controlled Substance and Unlawful Possession of Drug Paraphernalia were:
• Santos Lynn Thomas (25 - Hispanic) Cleveland, AL - $5000 Bond
• Sarah Marie Milligan (23 -White) Cullman, AL - $5000 Bond
• Omar Rivera Loyola (24 - Hispanic) Oneonta, AL - $5000 Bond
• Tonya Lynn Wagner (35 -White) Crane Hill, AL - $5000 Bond
• Brian Keith Bagwell (32 -White) Holly Pond, AL - $5000 Bond
• Ricky Charles Mewbourn (50 - White) Cullman, AL - $5000 Bond
(also had a warrant for Unlawful Possession of Drug Paraphernalia)
• Hugo Contreaus-Cenantes (33 - Hispanic) Altoona, AL - $5000 Bond
• Angela Denise Stewart (44 - White) Hayden, AL - $5,000 Bond
Arrested for Unlawful Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and also had warrants for Unlawful Possession of a Controlled Substance and Unlawful Possession of Drug Paraphernalia:
• Santanna Marie Barnett (25 - White) Cullman, AL - $13,000 Bond
The operation that led to the arrest of the nine suspects was executed in the 800 block of County Road 1319, also known as Basch Road, on Thursday February 4, 2016.
CNET and CCSO deputies made entry into the residence and arrested those suspects who had warrants. While inside, CNET agents and deputies located multiple suspects inside the residence were methamphetamine, other drugs and drug paraphernalia were located.
CCSO seized approximately 10 grams of meth, syringes, glass meth pipes, straws and Marijuana.
Following the arrest Cullman County Sheriff Matt Gentry had these remarks:
“I believe anytime you can arrest a large number of drug pushers and several of them are not from our community it sends the message we don’t want your drugs in Cullman County and if you come here you will go to jail. I would also like to thank CNET and our deputies for the great job they did on this arrest."
For the full story including images of those arrested and example of items seized. please so here:
cullmantoday.com/2016/02/04/cnet-executes-far-reaching-cu...
On December 12, ImprovAZ executed the mp3 Experiment. Participants downloaded an audio file which told them what to do for roughly 20 mins. at 2p in Tempe, AZ. Participants met, skipped, drew their bows, died, blew bubbles, and high fived through Tempe's Mill Ave. Roughly 100 "agents" participated.
MSC Sinfonia executing a right-angled manouevre to depart Ibiza town port. For timetables for cruise ships visiting Ibiza see www.cruisetimetables.com/cruisesvisitingibizaspain.html. MSC Sinfonia and larger ships utilize this outer pier, whereas as small ships such as the Louis Coral dock in the inner harbor, for more convenient access to the popular quayside bars, restaurants, boutique shops, and stallls area under the old town.
Detail of the Baptistry Window, a masterpiece of abstract stained glass designed by John Piper and executed by Patrick Reyntiens.
Coventry's Cathedral is a unique synthesis of old a new, born of wartime suffering and forged in the spirit of postwar optimism, famous for it's history and for being the most radically modern of Anglican cathedrals. Two cathedral's stand side by side, the ruins of the medieval building, destroyed by incendiary bombs in 1940 and the bold new building designed by Basil Spence and opened in 1962.
It is a common misconception that Coventry lost it's first cathedral in the wartime blitz, but the bombs actually destroyed it's second; the original medieval cathedral was the monastic St Mary's, a large cruciform building believed to have been similar in appearance to Lichfield Cathedral (whose diocese it shared). Tragically it became the only English cathedral to be destroyed during the Reformation, after which it was quickly quarried away, leaving only scant fragments, but enough evidence survives to indicate it's rich decoration (some pieces were displayed nearby in the Priory Visitors Centre, sadly since closed). Foundations of it's apse were found during the building of the new cathedral in the 1950s, thus technically three cathedrals share the same site.
The mainly 15th century St Michael's parish church became the seat of the new diocese of Coventry in 1918, and being one of the largest parish churches in the country it was upgraded to cathedral status without structural changes (unlike most 'parish church' cathedrals created in the early 20th century). It lasted in this role a mere 22 years before being burned to the ground in the 1940 Coventry Blitz, leaving only the outer walls and the magnificent tapering tower and spire (the extensive arcades and clerestoreys collapsed completely in the fire, precipitated by the roof reinforcement girders, installed in the Victorian restoration, that buckled in the intense heat).
The determination to rebuild the cathedral in some form was born on the day of the bombing, however it wasn't until the mid 1950s that a competition was held and Sir Basil Spence's design was chosen. Spence had been so moved by experiencing the ruined church he resolved to retain it entirely to serve as a forecourt to the new church. He envisaged the two being linked by a glass screen wall so that the old church would be visible from within the new.
Built between 1957-62 at a right-angle to the ruins, the new cathedral attracted controversy for it's modern form, and yet some modernists argued that it didn't go far enough, after all there are echoes of the Gothic style in the great stone-mullioned windows of the nave and the net vaulting (actually a free-standing canopy) within. What is exceptional is the way art has been used as such an integral part of the building, a watershed moment, revolutionising the concept of religious art in Britain.
Spence employed some of the biggest names in contemporary art to contribute their vision to his; the exterior is adorned with Jacob Epstein's triumphant bronze figures of Archangel Michael (patron of the cathedral) vanquishing the Devil. At the entrance is the remarkable glass wall, engraved by John Hutton with strikingly stylised figures of saints and angels, and allowing the interior of the new to communicate with the ruin. Inside, the great tapestry of Christ in majesty surrounded by the evangelistic creatures, draws the eye beyond the high altar; it was designed by Graham Sutherland and was the largest tapestry ever made.
However one of the greatest features of Coventry is it's wealth of modern stained glass, something Spence resolved to include having witnessed the bleakness of Chartres Cathedral in wartime, all it's stained glass having been removed. The first window encountered on entering is the enormous 'chess-board' baptistry window filled with stunning abstract glass by John Piper & Patrick Reyntiens, a symphony of glowing colour. The staggered nave walls are illuminated by ten narrow floor to ceiling windows filled with semi-abstract symbolic designs arranged in pairs of dominant colours (green, red, multi-coloured, purple/blue and gold) representing the souls journey to maturity, and revealed gradually as one approaches the altar. This amazing project was the work of three designers lead by master glass artist Lawrence Lee of the Royal College of Art along with Keith New and Geoffrey Clarke (each artist designed three of the windows individually and all collaborated on the last).
The cathedral still dazzles the visitor with the boldness of it's vision, but alas, half a century on, it was not a vision to be repeated and few of the churches and cathedrals built since can claim to have embraced the synthesis of art and architecture in the way Basil Spence did at Coventry.
The cathedral is generally open to visitors most days. For more see below:-
beautifully executed - a great 'osmanthus sharks fin' * should be completely dry and free of oil or slushiness from water escaping from the other ingredients. The skill lies we were told in the chef's timing with each element of the dish.
*so named for its appearance and not because it actually contains any osmanthus flowers
MSC Sinfonia executing a right-angled manouevre to depart Ibiza town port. For timetables for cruise ships visiting Ibiza see www.cruisetimetables.com/cruisesvisitingibizaspain.html. MSC Sinfonia and larger ships utilize this outer pier, whereas as small ships such as the Louis Coral dock in the inner harbor, for more convenient access to the popular quayside bars, restaurants, boutique shops, and stallls area under the old town.
Monochromatic sketch executed at high speed with no pre-drawing. I DID do several drawings before the sketch to get what I wanted to do here, then mixed blue and black from Prang and zip! I always thought of it as kind of a dark, rather serious Christ offering a drink.
This morning (Thursday 29 May 2025), our Challenger Team in Bolton executed four simultaneous warrants as the crackdown on drugs and anti-social behaviour continues.
Officers from our Specialist Operation department such as the Tactical Aid Unit, Drone Unit and the Stolen Vehicle Examination Unit joined district Neighbourhood officers as they descended on addresses in the New Bury area.
Strikes were conducted at properties on Fairfield Road, Moorside Avenue, Parkfield Avenue and St Gregory’s, with three people – two men in their 50s and 30s, and a female in her 40s - being arrested on suspicion of drugs offences.
While searching these locations, we recovered a quantity of Class A, B and C drugs, a number of stolen vehicles and multiple electronic bikes.
Challenger is Greater Manchester’s partnership response to serious and organised crime. It is made up of a variety of agencies that work together to disrupt and dismantle individuals and networks from committing serious crime.
This includes those who run drug lines, exploit people for financial gain, those who buy and use firearms, and launder money they make from their criminality.
PC Gregory from the Bolton Challenger Team said: “This morning our officers executed four warrants at separate addresses across Bolton as part of our ongoing commitment to tackling drugs and anti-social behaviour in our communities. These coordinated operations demonstrate our continued determination to disrupt criminal activity and send a clear message to those involved in the drug trade.
“We take drug dealing extremely seriously because we see firsthand the devastating effects these substances have - not only on individual users and their families, but on the wider Bolton community and Greater Manchester as a whole.
“We will pursue every line of enquiry vigorously and relentlessly, our message to drug dealers and those involved in related criminal activity is clear: we will not stop until we get these offenders off our streets and into our custody cells where they belong."
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.
You can access many of our services online at www.gmp.police.uk
Copie romaine en marbre, exécutée vers 130-140 après Jésus-Christ, de la statue en bronze créée par Léocharès entre 330 et 320 avant Jésus-Christ. L’attribution de l’original à Léocharès repose sur un passage de l’Histoire naturelle de Pline l’Ancien évoquant un « Apollon au diadème » (XXXIV, 79) et sur la mention par Pausanias d’une statue d’Apollon située devant le temple d’Apollon Alexikakos à Athènes (I, 3, 4). Elle est donc assez fragile, d’autant que les sandales d’Apollon renverraient plutôt au IIIe, voire au IIe s. av. JC : mais il s’agit là peut-être d’une simple retouche du copiste romain.
On ne sait pas exactement quand ni où cette statue a été découverte. Une première copie en aurait été faite en 1498 (Venise, Ca’ d’Oro). Elle est ensuite dessinée dans les jardins du cardinal Giuliano della Rovere, futur pape Jules II, dans un recueil de croquis antérieur à 1509.
3. Winckelmann évoque la statue dès 1755 et en propose une description enthousiaste dans son Histoire de l’Art chez les Anciens (1776).
The Obelisk
According to the traditional story, Peter was executed in the year 64 A.D. during the reign of the Roman Emperor Nero. His execution was one of the many martyrdoms of Christians following the Great Fire of Rome. He was said to have been crucified head downwards, by his own request, near the obelisk in the Circus of Nero. This obelisk now stands in Saint Peter's Square and is revered as a "witness" to Peter's death. It is one of several ancient Obelisks of Rome.
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The Basilica of Saint Peter, officially known in Italian as the Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano and commonly known as St. Peter's Basilica, is located within the Vatican City. It occupies a "unique position" as one of the holiest sites and as "the greatest of all churches of Christendom". In Catholic tradition, it is the burial site of its namesake Saint Peter, who was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus and, according to tradition, was the first Bishop of Antioch, and later first Bishop of Rome and therefore first in the line of the papal succession. While St. Peter's is the most famous of Rome's many churches, it is not the first in rank, an honour held by the Pope's cathedral church, the Basilica of St. John Lateran.
Catholic tradition holds that Saint Peter's tomb is below the altar of the basilica. For this reason, many Popes, starting with the first ones, have been buried there. There has been a church on this site since the 4th century. Construction on the present basilica, over the old Constantinian basilica, began on April 18, 1506 and was completed in 1626.
St. Peter's is famous as a place of pilgrimage, for its liturgical functions and for its historical associations. It is associated with the papacy, with the Counter-reformation and with numerous artists, most significantly Michelangelo. As a work of architecture, it is regarded as the greatest building of its age. Contrary to popular misconception, Saint Peter's is not a cathedral, as it is not the seat of a bishop. It is properly termed a basilica. Like all the earliest churches in Rome, it has the entrance to the east and the apse at the west end of the building.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(•) – The Lockheed Martin HC-130J Hercules The Combat King II is the U.S. Air Force's only dedicated fixed-wing personnel recovery platform and is flown by the Air Education and Training Command (AETC) and Air Combat Command (ACC). This C-130J variation specializes in tactical profiles and avoiding detection and recovery operations in austere environments. The HC-130J replaces HC-130P/Ns as the only dedicated fixed-wing Personnel Recovery platform in the Air Force inventory. It is an extended-range version of the C-130J Hercules transport. Its mission is to rapidly deploy to execute combatant commander directed recovery operations to austere airfields and denied territory for expeditionary, all weather personnel recovery operations to include airdrop, airland, helicopter air-to-air refueling, and forward area ground refueling missions. When tasked, the aircraft also conducts humanitarian assistance operations, disaster response, security cooperation/aviation advisory, emergency aeromedical evacuation, and noncombatant evacuation operations.
Features
Modifications to the HC-130J have improved navigation, threat detection and countermeasures systems. The aircraft fleet has a fully-integrated inertial navigation and global positioning systems, and night vision goggle, or NVG, compatible interior and exterior lighting. It also has forward-looking infrared, radar and missile warning receivers, chaff and flare dispensers, satellite and data-burst communications, and the ability to receive fuel inflight via a Universal Aerial Refueling Receptacle Slipway Installation (UARRSI).
The HC-130J can fly in the day; however, crews normally fly night at low to medium altitude levels in contested or sensitive environments, both over land or overwater. Crews use NVGs for tactical flight profiles to avoid detection to accomplish covert infiltration/exfiltration and transload operations. To enhance the probability of mission success and survivability near populated areas, crews employ tactics that include incorporating no external lighting or communications, and avoiding radar and weapons detection.
Drop zone objectives are done via personnel drops and equipment drops. Rescue bundles include illumination flares, marker smokes and rescue kits. Helicopter air-to-air refueling can be conducted at night, with blacked out communication with up to two simultaneous helicopters. Additionally, forward area refueling point operations can be executed to support a variety of joint and coalition partners.
Background
The HC-130J is a result of the HC/MC-130 recapitalization program and replaces Air Combat Command's aging HC-130P/N fleet as the dedicated fixed-wing personnel recovery platform in the Air Force inventory. The 71st and 79th Rescue Squadrons in Air Combat Command, the 550th Special Operations Squadron in Air Education and Training Command, the 920th Rescue Group in Air Force Reserve Command and the 106th Rescue Wing, 129th RQW and 176th Wing in the Air National Guard will operate the aircraft.
First flight was 29 July 2010, and the aircraft will serve the many roles and missions of the HC-130P/Ns. It is a modified KC-130J aircraft designed to conduct personnel recovery missions, provide a command and control platform, in-flight-refuel helicopters and carry supplemental fuel for extending range or air refueling.
In April 2006, the personnel recovery mission was transferred back to Air Combat Command at Langley AFB, Va. From 2003 to 2006, the mission was under the Air Force Special Operations Command at Hurlburt Field, Fla. Previously, HC-130s were assigned to ACC from 1992 to 2003. They were first assigned to the Air Rescue Service as part of Military Airlift Command.
General Characteristics
Primary function: Fixed-wing Personnel Recovery platform
Contractor: Lockheed Aircraft Corp.
Power Plant: Four Rolls Royce AE2100D3 turboprop engines
Thrust: 4,591 Propeller Shaft Horsepower, each engine
Wingspan: 132 feet, 7 inches (40.4 meters)
Length: 97 feet, 9 inches (29.57 meters)
Height: 38 feet, 9 inches (11.58 meters)
Operating Weight: 89,000 pounds (40,369 kilograms)
Maximum Takeoff Weight: 164,000 pounds (74,389 kilograms)
Fuel Capacity: 61,360 pounds (9,024 gallons)
Payload: 35,000 pounds (15,875 kilograms)
Speed: 316 knots indicated air speed at sea level
Range: beyond 4,000 miles (3,478 nautical miles)
Ceiling: 33,000 feet (10,000 meters)
Armament: countermeasures/flares, chaff
Basic Crew: Three officers (pilot, co-pilot, combat system officer) and two enlisted loadmasters
Unit Cost: $66 million (fiscal 2010 replacement cost)
Initial operating capability: 2013.
Nurse Edith Cavell was executed by German forces during WWI as she had aided British POWs to escape.
There was great diplomatic efforts to have her death sentence commuted or delayed, but to no avail.
She was shot by eight soldiers, and in time, her body was repatriated, the wagon her body was carried from Dover is the same used for the body of the Unknown Soldier.
The luggage wagon usually rests at Bodiham on the Kent and East Sussex Railway, but for November it has been brought back to the former Dover Marine station.
I got tickets, so after lunch we would visit, not just to see the wagon and pay our respects, but the station is now a cruise terminal, and is rarely open to the public, and it had been a decade or so since my last visit.
I slept late, late enough so that Jools driving off to yoga woke me up at ten past six. Outside rain was bouncing down, and there was the bins to do.
I got up and put them out, dodging the raindrops, and back inside to make a coffee.
With rain expected all day, other than doing to the station after lunch, not much else planned, whilst Jools had her craft and gossip morning at the village library.
Jools came back from yoga as I was finishing my coffee, so I made breakfast giving her an hour before she had to leave again.
I listened to podcasts and watched videos for the morning, not much else to do, really.
Sadly, we had what we thought was the plumber coming to fix the overflow, but instead Craig came to touch up some paint in the toilet.
So Jools stayed home and I drove down to the Western Docks, over the flyover, past the former Lord Warden Hotel, then round to where lines from London entered Dover Marine, forming a large flat crossing in a tangle of lines.
You can still see how the lines used to curve west to join the main line to Folkestone, but is now concreted over, as are the tracks between the platforms, so to create a large flat parking area for cruisers.
I showed my ticket, and walked up through the central arch along what was the path of platforms 2 and three, past the former station buildings and under the footbridge.
At the far end there was the wagon, so I walked up, showed my ticket again, had my name ticked off, and went to look inside.
Inside there is a coffin, a replica of the one that brought the body of the unknown soldier back from France, and on the walls there were information boards on the only three bodies to be brought back from the war.
I exited it, took shots all around it, then walked to the war memorial, which is a splendid thing, and should be more accessible.
And I was done.
I thanked the volunteers and walked out, getting shots of the walkway linking the former hotel with the station and the Admiralty pier before taking shelter from the rain in the car and driving home.
I had been gone all of 40 minutes.
Once back I began to cook dinner/lunch: chicken pie, roast potatoes, steamed leeks, sprouts and spring greens, gravy and shop bought Yorkshire puddings.
It was all done by four, by which time Craig had done two coats of paint and had left.
I poured a beer and a cider, then dished up, the potatoes lovely and crunchy, without being burnt.
I won the music quiz at six, which was nice, then after washing up I settled down to watch Northern Ireland play in Slovakia.
A poor game, ended 1-0 to the home side, but Northern Ireland go to the play-offs anyway.
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Edith Louisa Cavell (/ˈkævəl/ KAV-əl; 4 December 1865 – 12 October 1915) was a British nurse. She is celebrated for treating wounded soldiers from both sides without discrimination during the First World War and for helping some 200 Allied soldiers escape from German-occupied Belgium. Cavell was arrested, court-martialled under German military law and sentenced to death by firing squad. Despite international pressure for mercy, the German government refused to commute her sentence, and she was shot. The execution received worldwide condemnation and extensive press coverage.
The night before her execution, she said, "Patriotism is not enough. I must have no hatred or bitterness towards anyone". These words were inscribed on the Edith Cavell Memorial[1] opposite the entrance to the National Portrait Gallery near Trafalgar Square. Her strong Anglican beliefs propelled her to help all those who needed it, including both German and Allied soldiers. She was quoted as saying, "I can't stop while there are lives to be saved."[2] The Church of England commemorates her in its Calendar of Saints on 12 October.
Cavell, who was 49 at the time of her execution, was already notable as a pioneer of modern nursing in Belgium.
In November 1914, after the German occupation of Brussels, Cavell began sheltering British soldiers and funnelling them out of occupied Belgium to the neutral Netherlands. Wounded British and French soldiers as well as Belgian and French civilians of military age were hidden from the Germans and provided with false papers by Prince Réginald de Croÿ at his château of Bellignies near Mons. From there, they were conducted by various guides to the houses of Cavell, Louis Séverin, and others in Brussels, where their hosts would furnish them with money to reach the Dutch frontier, and provide them with guides obtained through Philippe Baucq.[18] This placed Cavell in violation of German military law.[4][19] German authorities became increasingly suspicious of the nurse's actions, which were further fuelled by her outspokenness.
The night before her execution, Cavell told the Reverend H. Stirling Gahan, the Anglican chaplain of Christ Church Brussels, who had been allowed to see her and to give her Holy Communion, "I am thankful to have had these ten weeks of quiet to get ready. Now I have had them and have been kindly treated here. I expected my sentence and I believe it was just. Standing as I do in view of God and Eternity, I realise that patriotism is not enough, I must have no hatred or bitterness towards anyone."[30][31] These words are inscribed on her statues in London and in Melbourne, Australia.[32][33] Cavell's final words to the German Lutheran prison chaplain, Paul Le Seur, were recorded as, "Ask Father Gahan to tell my loved ones later on that my soul, as I believe, is safe, and that I am glad to die for my country.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edith_Cavell
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Situated on Admiralty Pier for connection to ships, this was constructed on an expanded pier by SECR, finished in 1914, began to be used on 2 February 1915 but was not available for public use until 18 January 1919; in the meantime it had been renamed Dover Marine on 5 December 1918. It was a large terminus with four platforms covered by a full roof. Platforms were extended to take 12-car trains in February 1959.[6] It was renamed again to Dover Western Docks on 14 May 1979, and was closed by British Rail on 26 September 1994[1] with the demise of boat trains and the opening of the Channel Tunnel. It has since been turned into a cruise-liner terminal.[7]
Work on the new train ferry pier at the station suffered damage worth £300,000 during the Great storm of 1987.[8]
Regie voor Maritiem Transport used to run ferries until 1994 from here to Oostende railway station which connected into Belgian railway line 50A run by NMBS. There was a fast ferry service using the Jetfoil as well as conventional ferries.
The Southern Railway opened a large locomotive depot at the site in 1928. This was closed in 1961 and demolished.
30 BC – After the successful invasion of Egypt, Octavian executes Marcus Antonius Antyllus, eldest son of Marc Antony, and Caesarion, the last king of the Ptolemaic dynasty of Egypt and only child of Caesar and Cleopatra.
20 BC – Ludi Volcanalici are held within the temple precinct of Vulcan, and used by Augustus to mark the treaty with Parthia and the return of the legionary standards that had been lost at the Battle of Carrhae in 53 BC.
79 – Mount Vesuvius begins stirring, on the feast day of Vulcan, the Roman god of fire.
406 – Gothic king Radagaisus is executed after he is defeated by Roman general Stilicho and 12,000 "barbarians" are incorporated into the Roman army or sold as slaves.
476 – Odoacer, chieftain of the Germanic tribes (Herulic - Scirian foederati), is proclaimed rex Italiae ("King of Italy") by his troops.
634 Abu Bakr dies at Medina and is succeeded by Umar I who becomes the second caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate.
1244 – Siege of Jerusalem: The city's citadel, the Tower of David, surrenders to Khwarezmian Empire.
1268 – Battle of Tagliacozzo: The army of Charles of Anjou defeats the Ghibellines supporters of Conradin of Hohenstaufen marking the fall of the Hohenstaufen family from the Imperial and Sicilian thrones, and leading to the new chapter of Angevin domination in Southern Italy.
1305 – Sir William Wallace is executed for high treason at Smithfield in London.
1328 – Battle of Cassel: French CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING: laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2394948&CategoryId=13003
This humble abode is yet another fine example of the Craftsman style, and one of the best executed examples in my hometown of Sylva, North Carolina. The one-story Craftsman-Style bungalow on West Main Street was constructed sometime in the 1920s or 1930s, and was converted into a commercial structure sometime in the late 20th Century, serving variously as the offices of several real estate firms and other small local businesses. In the last decade, the house became home to Visage Salon, and was renovated with a new Asian-style tile roof that compliments the building’s Asian-inspired design elements, and was painted cream and white, subduing the formerly bold color scheme and making the building appear more peaceful and in harmony with the surrounding landscape. However, the owners also planted a fast and aggressive strain of English Ivy on one corner of the building, which has taken over and obscured the front, and is slowly damaging the stone chimney, front entry porch, and siding, a poor landscaping choice that should be removed for the sake of aesthetics, maintenance concerns, and damage to the historic building. Though it was a mistake, it is a common one, as English Ivy is often perceived to be more harmless than it really is, and is often used to dress up facades, later leading to damage and expensive repairs. May this be a learning moment for those who have used it in the past and those who are considering using it in the future, but even members of my own family have fallen victim to the allure of the aesthetics of various strains of invasive and non-Native Ivy, only to later find out the damage it causes through its aggressive, rapid, and invasive growth.
Nine people have been arrested following a series of coordinated warrants executed across Salford this morning (31 July), as part of a forcewide operation targeting the importation and distribution of cannabis into Greater Manchester.
The arrests are the result of months of planning and intelligence gathering, led by GMP’s Salford Challenger team and supported by other specialist units across the force.
The operation focused on disrupting an organised crime group (OCG) operating in the Irlam area, which is believed to be responsible for importing significant quantities of cannabis into the UK via ‘fast parcel’ services.
Fast parcels refer to packages sent into the UK from abroad. They typically contain illegal drugs or weapons and can travel through express delivery companies.
A total of ten warrants were executed, with nine individuals – men and x women – taken into custody. The work follows an investigation into the gang’s local criminality, from importation, to organisation, and distribution of illicit goods.
The operation follows the seizure of over 185kg of cannabis intercepted at UK borders by GMP officers, with a further 27kg successfully delivered prior to interception.
Today’s warrants have uncovered £14,000 in cash, a cannabis farm, and a further 7kg of the class B drug among the addresses.
Among those arrested were six men aged between 35 – 59 years old, and three women aged between 34 – 38 years old. All were arrested under suspicion of conspiracy to import and supply class B drugs.
Detective Inspector Rebecca McGuigan, who was the SIO on the operation, said: “Today’s warrants are the result of a complex and intelligence-led investigation involving 75 officers from across GMP, including our Salford Challenger team and specialist units. We are confident that this has significantly disrupted the operations of criminality in the area.
“Drugs like these wreak havoc on communities and individuals. The mental health impact, the added strain on the NHS, and the exploitation of vulnerable people are all consequences of the importation, supply, and use of drugs.
“I’m incredibly proud of the team and the work that’s gone into this operation. We’re committed to stemming the flow of drugs in Greater Manchester, reducing harm, and bringing those responsible to justice.”
We continue to urge the public to share intelligence, which remains vital in disrupting criminal networks. We are also committed to safeguarding any vulnerable people who are victims of crime.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact police directly, or Crimestoppers anonymously, via 0800 555 111.
Executed by Manasi, all the curves are complex curves.
The nine-square problem is a pedagocial exercise devised by the late John Hejduk to instruct young architecture students in the ways of spatial and architectonic design.
From the museum label: After executing Ardavan, the previous king, Ardashir marries the deceased ruler's daughter. Seeking revenge for their father's death, her brother Bahman provides her with poison. She presents it in a cup to Ardashir in the palace's courtyard, but her hand shakes so much the cup falls and breaks on the floor. Suspicious, the king asks for four hens, all of which immediately die after ingesting the cup's contents. This seldomly illustrated episode may have echoed a contemporaneous event during which Baghdad Khatun (died 1335), the wife of Abu Sa'id, allegedly attempted to assassinate him.
In response to safeguarding concerns identified by our Rochdale organised crime team, we’ve executed eight warrants this morning and locked up six suspected gang members.
We identified a teenage boy who was being exploited and coerced into drug dealing by a suspected local gang.
With immediate safeguarding measures put in place, we were able to pursue those responsible
As the investigation developed, we identified further victims, including a vulnerable adult whose house was being cuckooed and used as a stash house for the gang.
This morning, we’ve arrested six men aged 18 - 26 on suspicion of conspiracy to supply class A and B drugs and modern slavery offences.
£30,000 cash has been seized along with cannabis and drugs paraphernalia.
Today’s activity is a key example of partnership work and effective information sharing. It’s enabled us to identify crucial members of a suspected organised crime group, but most importantly, we’ve been able to safeguard several children and vulnerable adults.
Sergeant Mark Lutkevitch from our Rochdale Challenger team said: “Exploitation, coercion, and violence are the foundations of modern slavery and drugs trafficking, and gangs will often exploit the vulnerable to further their profits. Our arrests this morning are part of a longstanding investigation into several organised crime groups operating across Rochdale that we strongly believe are involved in the exploitation of young people.
“Young people and vulnerable adults will be threatened as the criminals exert control, which is why tackling exploitation is a high priority for us. We have specialist officers working with young people in our communities to tackle the vicious cycle of gang recruitment, and teams of officers on the frontline pursuing offenders.
“Our communities are key in helping us be one step ahead of the criminals. By being our eyes and our ears and finding the courage to report what is taking place in your area only strengthens our relentless pursuit of organised crime and could make a real difference for a child.
“I want to encourage communities to trust their instinct. If something doesn’t feel right; report it. If you think somebody is being exploited, or you think a house might have been taken over by drug dealers, feed that information to us. If you want to remain anonymous, report it through Crimestoppers, and we will act.”
nformation can be shared by calling 101. If you would prefer to remain anonymous, call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Always call 999 in an emergency.
A well executed LEGO replica of the former train station in the town of Chelsea, Michigan. The station, built for the Michigan Central Railroad in 1880 to the design of architectural firm Mason and Rice, served its purpose for 101 years until being closed in 1981 by Amtrak. In recent years an association of Chelsea citizens formed to maintain the building and use it for special events.
The LEGO model is built in 1:38 scale.
Troy Anthony Davis was scheduled to be executed by the State of Georgia on Oct. 27, 2008. He was granted a stay of execution by the federal appeals court just three days before he was slated to be put to death.
South nave window (by Mayer of Munich?) depicting Christ flanked by St Nicholas & St John. These finely executed but otherwise somewhat uninspired and run of the mill windows don't compare well to the more vibrant later pieces that surround them.
St Peter's at Wallsend dates back to the medieval period, but only the west tower remains from the pre-Reformation building, the rest fell into disrepair by the mid-18th century and has been substantially rebuilt since, most thoroughly in 1892 when it was left in the form we see today.
The interior is thus the result of the late Victorian restoration, complete with an ornately carved nave roof adorned with angels, though the proportions are still largely those of the previous rebuilding at the beginning of the same century.
What strikes the visitor most about the internal layout is the subdivision that has created a wall and glazed screen within the chancel arch with the altar now set before it, thus the nave remains in use as the church whilst the chancel now serves as the parish hall (converted following structural problems in the 1980s), though fortunately the glazed division means that the visual unity of the spaces is at least retained.
The real reason to visit this church however is the glass, an astonishing set of windows including the only windows in England by the Irish An Tur Gloine artists Michael Healy and Ethel Rhind dating from the 1920s. Healy is particularly well represented here with two windows in the nave and a further two in the former lady chapel (now the sacristy). The windows are characteristically rich expressions of the Irish Arts & Crafts tradition.
The most recent window was added in 2017, the 'Stella Maris' window by Tom Denny at the west end is a gorgeous example of the artist's work and worth a visit on its own.
The church isn't often open outside of service times so I am greatly indebted to Fr David Sudron for kindly allowing me time to enjoy the glass and explaining the symbolism of the wonderful Denny window he'd commissioned.
For more on the church see the link below:-
St Albans claims to be the earliest site of Christian pilgrimage in England, being named after our first martyr, who was executed at some point in the 3rd century AD (when the city was still known by its Roman name, Verulanium) having sheltered a persecuted Christian priest, St Amphibalus, and been impressed by his faith, offering himself for arrest in his place. Both men were buried here and Alban's tomb was venerated and marked in some form long before the present cathedral was built.
The cathedral is nonetheless one of the most ancient of our major churches, though its cathedral status dates only to 1877 when the new diocese of St Albans was formed. The church was originally founded as St Alban's Abbey, and built close to the presumed site of Alban's martyrdom. Founded in 793 by King Offa, the abbey was rebuilt several times with the earliest parts of the present cathedral dating back to the late 11th century. Much use was made of recycled material from the abandoned Roman city of Verulanium, and the handsome Romanesque tower appears to be entirely constructed of reused Roman bricks. The Abbey was built on an impressive scale, and must have once been a very wealthy institution owing to pilgrimages to the shrine of St Alban behind the high altar. However its fortunes had begun to decline even before the Reformation swept medieval monastic life away.
The abbey church miraculously survived the Dissolution in its entirety and was sold to the town for use as their parish church. The monastic buildings however were completely erased aside from the splendid Abbey Gatehouse near the west end, and only the weathered remains of arcading on the south side of the nave remains of the former cloisters. Upkeep thereafter seems to have been a serious challenge and the huge church spent much of the following centuries in poor repair, thus much work was done by a succession of architects in the Victorian period prior to the abbey church being raised to the status of cathedral. The most obvious interventions are those made by Edmund Beckett / Lord Grimthorpe, an amateur architect who paid for much of the work in the 1870s in return for a free hand in redesigning parts of the building. His are the strange turrets on ends of the transepts, along with their facade windows below and the west front, which is clearly a Victorian confection, though the medieval facade it replaced had been left in a rather bare, unfinished state.
The cathedral we see today is thus a rather surprising mixture of styles and materials, everything from Roman brick, flint and rubble to fine white limestone., which gives it a rather patchy appearance. Its great length however is remarkable, being the second longest medieval church in the country (only Winchester is longer, but St Albans has a longer nave). The oldest parts are the towers and transepts from the end of the 11th century, along with much of the north side of the nave, all fine examples of early Romanesque architecture. Most of the rest was rebuilt in the Gothic style in various phases throughout the 14th century, including the greater part of the nave and all of the choir and Lady Chapel (though the east end was heavily renewed externally in the Victorian restoration).
Entering the cathedral one cannot fail to be impressed by the enormous length of the nave,, mostly of late 13th and early 14th century date aside from the strikingly austere north arcade in the more easterly section, where the raw unadorned early Norman architecture contrasts dramatically with the more ornate Gothic arcade opposite. The Norman columns have the added appeal of retaining substantial remains of medieval mural decoration, with a succession of Crucifixion scenes that may have originally served as reredos to long vanished side altars. The medieval pulpitum screen remains and separates the eastern bays for use as the choir beyond it. This area also retains its flat late medieval wooden ceiling complete with painted panels of angels holding shields.
The transepts and crossing beneath the tower form an especially memorable interior space, again the architecture is of the more raw, auster Norman variety, but the tower arches are enlivened with painted decoration simulating brickwork and much Roman and Saxon material is incorporated in to the transepts. Beyond is the fully Gothic eastern limb with the presbytery covered by a handsome medieval wooden vault, again replete it medieval painted decoration, and the striking altar reredos, a towering late medieval screen populated with elaborate niches and statuary (the latter being Victorian replacements for originals long lost). Behind this is the re-assembled shrine of St Alban (along with that of St Amphibalus in the south choir aisle nearby). The Lady Chapel beyond is a handsome example of 14th century Decorated Gothic, though much restored following centuries of use as a schoolroom separated from the rest of the church.
There is much of interest to see in the cathedral, though most of the furnishings are Victorian (the originals having long vanished) and there are few monuments of note aside from the two late medieval chantry chapels of Abbot Ramryge and Humphrey Duke of Gloucester, the latter overlooking the shrine of St Alban and balanced by a 15th century wooden watching loft on the opposite side (a rare survival). There is a mixture of glass, the most notable pieces being the most recent additions in the south aisle and north transept rose window. The best features are the unusually extensive remnants of medieval mural painting in various parts of the church, a quite remarkable survival, making a thorough exploration of this cathedral all the more rewarding.
This was my third visit, and longest one, though my attempt at a fuller photographic record was severely compromised by accidents with my camera, which at one point fell from my tripod onto the stone floor in one of the chantry chapels. I was lucky it survived at all given the dreadful crash it made, but it was seriously affected and my photos were very hit and miss from that point onwards. My day however ended on a happier note, returning in the evening to attend a lovely performance of Mozart's Requiem, and the acoustics in there are indeed impressive.
For more about the cathedral see below.
U.S. Marines with 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit’s (MEU) Logistics Combat Element observe a CH-53E Super Stallion land during Helicopter Support Team (HST) training on Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina, Jan. 10, 2023. HST training is conducted to increase proficiency in logistics tasks and enhance the ability to execute potential contingency missions carried out by the 26th MEU. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Aziza Kamuhanda)
Eddie Adams, fotógrafo de guerra, fue el autor de esta instantánea. En ella se muestra el asesinato, el 1 de febrero de 1968, por parte del jefe de policía de Saigon de un guerrillero del Vietcong, que tenía las manos atadas a la espalda, justo en el mismo instante en que le dispara a quemarropa. Adams, que había sido corresponsal en 13 guerras, obtuvo por esta fotografía un premio Pulitzer, pero le afectó tanto emocionalmente que se reconvirtió en fotógrafo del mundo rosa.
This morning, officers executed four arrest warrants at addresses on Derbyshire Avenue in Stretford, resulting in five arrests.
At the first address, a 16‑year‑old boy was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply Class B drugs, as well as an unrelated robbery offence.
At the second address, a 39‑year‑old man was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply Class B drugs.
At the third address, two men, aged 28 and 61and a 59‑year‑old woman were arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply Class A and Class B drugs.
No drugs were located at the fourth address; however, a mobile phone was seized as part of the ongoing investigation.
These warrants were executed following a proactive investigation led by Trafford North’s Neighbourhood Team into drug supply linked to Derbyshire Avenue.
The team remains committed to tackling drug dealing and associated criminality across the Trafford area.
Intelligence from the local community played a vital role. Based on this information, officers believed the four addresses were connected to the supply of controlled substances.
Collaboration was key to the success of this operation. The Neighbourhood Team worked alongside the Tactical Dog Unit, the Drone Unit, our Challenger Team, and the Regional Organised Crime Unit, ensuring a coordinated and robust approach.
upon entry, officers recovered cannabis at three properties, secured multiple arrests, and seized a quantity of white powder - believed to be cocaine - which has been sent for forensic testing.
All five suspects remain in custody for further questioning.
Inspector Jamie Jeffries, from the Trafford North Neighbourhood Team said: “Executing four warrants at the same time on the same street is a significant undertaking and reflects the seriousness of the intelligence we received.
“This level of coordinated action demands careful planning and considerable resources, and it shows our determination to disrupt drug networks operating in Trafford.
“Thanks to crucial information from the public, our Trafford North Neighbourhood Team was able to act decisively against addresses suspected of working together in drug supply.
“Conducting multiple warrants in one operation sends a clear message: if you choose to deal drugs, we will gather the evidence and take robust, swift action.
“We remain firmly committed to keeping Trafford safe, and I encourage anyone with concerns to keep coming forward — community intelligence directly drives operations like today’s.
Anyone with information about criminal activity is urged to contact police on 101, Live Chat or report anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
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.
You can access many of our services online at www.gmp.police.uk
A shot executed with a tripod 3 inches from the ground between the North and the South tower of the Highlight Towers in Munich at 1:00 am.
The towers are connected by three glass bridges and are the second highest buildings in Munich and welcome all visitors coming from the airport.
The Towers have been built in an axis with the Odeonsplatz, Siegestor and the Ludwigstrasse and can bee seen from there.
Northern Tower has an altitude of 123m, the southern tower 113 m.
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Cette statue s'inspire d'une oeuvre de bronze exécutée par le sculpteur grec Naucydès vers 390-380 av. J.-C
Une réplique du discophore de Naucydès
Ce type de représentation est attesté par plusieurs autres copies romaines dans lesquelles on s'accorde à reconnaître les répliques d'une création en bronze, aujourd'hui perdue, attribuée à Naucydès d'Argos. Selon Pline l'Ancien (Histoire naturelle, XXXIV, 80), ce sculpteur grec a en effet réalisé une statue de discobole. L'original daterait des premières années du IVe siècle av. J.-C., à l'époque où l'artiste était au sommet de sa carrière. Disciple de l'école de Polyclète d'Argos, Naucydès est fidèle à l'enseignement de son maître, qu'il renouvelle dans cette œuvre.
L'héritage classique renouvelé
L'héritage classique apparaît ici comme autant de réminiscences des oeuvres du Ve siècle av. J.-C., réinterprété dans une composition née d'une nouvelle conception de la représentation de l'athlète. Le discophore conserve le souvenir des créations de Polyclète du milieu du siècle, leur esthétique idéalisée, leur canon et le calme apparent des athlètes au repos. La musculature est traitée en masses épaisses et bien délimitées, sur les modèles du Doryphore et du Diadumène (dont une copie romaine est conservée au Louvre) ; l'anatomie est régie par le même souci d'harmonie et par un calcul de proportion tout aussi savant. Le schéma polyclétéen est cependant largement dépassé : la figure de l'athlète s'inscrit désormais dans un espace réel, suggéré par l'imminence du mouvement et par l'attitude du jeune homme qui outrepasse le contrapposto mis au point par Polyclète.
Beautifully executed seat cluster...This is my favourite part of this frame...IT is just a pity that Ron did not use more imagination with the fork crown..something internal and aero would have been fantastic..and seamless.
This was actually the first shot of this spider. I was on our garden bench enjoying a beer and could hear a faint clickety sound, it was this specimen walking across the rotten wooden fence behind me. If you listen carefully next you meet one of these, especially when on dry rotten wood or those crap 70,s ceiling tiles you can hear the 'hooks' of their feet clicking when they move. Look at it in large if you dare!
This is an old photograph from some years ago. I was checking through my archives and found this and just loved the reaction I got when I originally posted it.
Visit Arachnida World
Executed in Rome in 1858, Pandora is generally recognized as Chauncey Bradley Ives' greatest work for its grace and classical purity as well as for its emotional expressiveness.
Pandora, a figure of Greek mythology, was sent to earth to punish Prometheus for stealing fire from the gods. Stirred by curiosity, she removed the top of a box she was forbidden to open, thereby releasing all the evils previously unknown to the world; only hope remained inside. She is shown here on the verge of opening the box.
Life is getting busy again, = less time to plan and execute a picture every day. Plus, on top of my lack of inspiration today, I whacked the crap out of my chin at my dance class and took a huge chunk of skin out of it...don't ask...in my 21 years of life this is the first time I've ever injured my chin! hehe...I'm just hoping it doesn't bruise and make me look funny for winter formal this weekend...*le sigh*
This photo in the originial is a pretty gory picture of a Vietnam war prisoner being executed.
In the true spirit of peace, brotherhood and poking fun of even the most controversial of things, this painting has been cutely modified, like so.
Detail of the Baptistry Window, a masterpiece of abstract stained glass designed by John Piper and executed by Patrick Reyntiens.
Coventry's Cathedral is a unique synthesis of old a new, born of wartime suffering and forged in the spirit of postwar optimism, famous for it's history and for being the most radically modern of Anglican cathedrals. Two cathedral's stand side by side, the ruins of the medieval building, destroyed by incendiary bombs in 1940 and the bold new building designed by Basil Spence and opened in 1962.
It is a common misconception that Coventry lost it's first cathedral in the wartime blitz, but the bombs actually destroyed it's second; the original medieval cathedral was the monastic St Mary's, a large cruciform building believed to have been similar in appearance to Lichfield Cathedral (whose diocese it shared). Tragically it became the only English cathedral to be destroyed during the Reformation, after which it was quickly quarried away, leaving only scant fragments, but enough evidence survives to indicate it's rich decoration (some pieces were displayed nearby in the Priory Visitors Centre, sadly since closed). Foundations of it's apse were found during the building of the new cathedral in the 1950s, thus technically three cathedrals share the same site.
The mainly 15th century St Michael's parish church became the seat of the new diocese of Coventry in 1918, and being one of the largest parish churches in the country it was upgraded to cathedral status without structural changes (unlike most 'parish church' cathedrals created in the early 20th century). It lasted in this role a mere 22 years before being burned to the ground in the 1940 Coventry Blitz, leaving only the outer walls and the magnificent tapering tower and spire (the extensive arcades and clerestoreys collapsed completely in the fire, precipitated by the roof reinforcement girders, installed in the Victorian restoration, that buckled in the intense heat).
The determination to rebuild the cathedral in some form was born on the day of the bombing, however it wasn't until the mid 1950s that a competition was held and Sir Basil Spence's design was chosen. Spence had been so moved by experiencing the ruined church he resolved to retain it entirely to serve as a forecourt to the new church. He envisaged the two being linked by a glass screen wall so that the old church would be visible from within the new.
Built between 1957-62 at a right-angle to the ruins, the new cathedral attracted controversy for it's modern form, and yet some modernists argued that it didn't go far enough, after all there are echoes of the Gothic style in the great stone-mullioned windows of the nave and the net vaulting (actually a free-standing canopy) within. What is exceptional is the way art has been used as such an integral part of the building, a watershed moment, revolutionising the concept of religious art in Britain.
Spence employed some of the biggest names in contemporary art to contribute their vision to his; the exterior is adorned with Jacob Epstein's triumphant bronze figures of Archangel Michael (patron of the cathedral) vanquishing the Devil. At the entrance is the remarkable glass wall, engraved by John Hutton with strikingly stylised figures of saints and angels, and allowing the interior of the new to communicate with the ruin. Inside, the great tapestry of Christ in majesty surrounded by the evangelistic creatures, draws the eye beyond the high altar; it was designed by Graham Sutherland and was the largest tapestry ever made.
However one of the greatest features of Coventry is it's wealth of modern stained glass, something Spence resolved to include having witnessed the bleakness of Chartres Cathedral in wartime, all it's stained glass having been removed. The first window encountered on entering is the enormous 'chess-board' baptistry window filled with stunning abstract glass by John Piper & Patrick Reyntiens, a symphony of glowing colour. The staggered nave walls are illuminated by ten narrow floor to ceiling windows filled with semi-abstract symbolic designs arranged in pairs of dominant colours (green, red, multi-coloured, purple/blue and gold) representing the souls journey to maturity, and revealed gradually as one approaches the altar. This amazing project was the work of three designers lead by master glass artist Lawrence Lee of the Royal College of Art along with Keith New and Geoffrey Clarke (each artist designed three of the windows individually and all collaborated on the last).
The cathedral still dazzles the visitor with the boldness of it's vision, but alas, half a century on, it was not a vision to be repeated and few of the churches and cathedrals built since can claim to have embraced the synthesis of art and architecture in the way Basil Spence did at Coventry.
The cathedral is generally open to visitors most days. For more see below:-
Detail of the Baptistry Window, a masterpiece of abstract stained glass designed by John Piper and executed by Patrick Reyntiens.
Coventry's Cathedral is a unique synthesis of old a new, born of wartime suffering and forged in the spirit of postwar optimism, famous for it's history and for being the most radically modern of Anglican cathedrals. Two cathedral's stand side by side, the ruins of the medieval building, destroyed by incendiary bombs in 1940 and the bold new building designed by Basil Spence and opened in 1962.
It is a common misconception that Coventry lost it's first cathedral in the wartime blitz, but the bombs actually destroyed it's second; the original medieval cathedral was the monastic St Mary's, a large cruciform building believed to have been similar in appearance to Lichfield Cathedral (whose diocese it shared). Tragically it became the only English cathedral to be destroyed during the Reformation, after which it was quickly quarried away, leaving only scant fragments, but enough evidence survives to indicate it's rich decoration (some pieces were displayed nearby in the Priory Visitors Centre, sadly since closed). Foundations of it's apse were found during the building of the new cathedral in the 1950s, thus technically three cathedrals share the same site.
The mainly 15th century St Michael's parish church became the seat of the new diocese of Coventry in 1918, and being one of the largest parish churches in the country it was upgraded to cathedral status without structural changes (unlike most 'parish church' cathedrals created in the early 20th century). It lasted in this role a mere 22 years before being burned to the ground in the 1940 Coventry Blitz, leaving only the outer walls and the magnificent tapering tower and spire (the extensive arcades and clerestoreys collapsed completely in the fire, precipitated by the roof reinforcement girders, installed in the Victorian restoration, that buckled in the intense heat).
The determination to rebuild the cathedral in some form was born on the day of the bombing, however it wasn't until the mid 1950s that a competition was held and Sir Basil Spence's design was chosen. Spence had been so moved by experiencing the ruined church he resolved to retain it entirely to serve as a forecourt to the new church. He envisaged the two being linked by a glass screen wall so that the old church would be visible from within the new.
Built between 1957-62 at a right-angle to the ruins, the new cathedral attracted controversy for it's modern form, and yet some modernists argued that it didn't go far enough, after all there are echoes of the Gothic style in the great stone-mullioned windows of the nave and the net vaulting (actually a free-standing canopy) within. What is exceptional is the way art has been used as such an integral part of the building, a watershed moment, revolutionising the concept of religious art in Britain.
Spence employed some of the biggest names in contemporary art to contribute their vision to his; the exterior is adorned with Jacob Epstein's triumphant bronze figures of Archangel Michael (patron of the cathedral) vanquishing the Devil. At the entrance is the remarkable glass wall, engraved by John Hutton with strikingly stylised figures of saints and angels, and allowing the interior of the new to communicate with the ruin. Inside, the great tapestry of Christ in majesty surrounded by the evangelistic creatures, draws the eye beyond the high altar; it was designed by Graham Sutherland and was the largest tapestry ever made.
However one of the greatest features of Coventry is it's wealth of modern stained glass, something Spence resolved to include having witnessed the bleakness of Chartres Cathedral in wartime, all it's stained glass having been removed. The first window encountered on entering is the enormous 'chess-board' baptistry window filled with stunning abstract glass by John Piper & Patrick Reyntiens, a symphony of glowing colour. The staggered nave walls are illuminated by ten narrow floor to ceiling windows filled with semi-abstract symbolic designs arranged in pairs of dominant colours (green, red, multi-coloured, purple/blue and gold) representing the souls journey to maturity, and revealed gradually as one approaches the altar. This amazing project was the work of three designers lead by master glass artist Lawrence Lee of the Royal College of Art along with Keith New and Geoffrey Clarke (each artist designed three of the windows individually and all collaborated on the last).
The cathedral still dazzles the visitor with the boldness of it's vision, but alas, half a century on, it was not a vision to be repeated and few of the churches and cathedrals built since can claim to have embraced the synthesis of art and architecture in the way Basil Spence did at Coventry.
The cathedral is generally open to visitors most days. For more see below:-