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On Tuesday 15 October 2024, police executed five warrants at addresses in Rochdale and Manchester to tackle the cruel and unlawful sale of puppies,
following an extensive investigation by the RSPCA, supported by Greater Manchester Police, into the illegitimate and organised sale of puppies.
This investigation has uncovered an illicit underground trade that promotes animal cruelty and neglect, with sellers and criminal gangs making vast sums of money at the expense of innocent puppies and members of the public.
Some puppies were sick and died shortly after being sold to unsuspecting members of the public who believed they were buying much-loved family pets but may have been imported from overseas.
Today’s positive action comes as a result of several reports from members of the public who have been subject to extreme distress as a result of this illicit operation. Work remains ongoing and we are following several lines of enquiry to disrupt and prevent this type of criminality.
Sergeant Brendan Walsh, from our Rochdale district, said: “This is organised crime, and those involved have been making eye watering profits from this harmful and illicit trade.
“This has been a tremendous joint effort between Greater Manchester Police and the RSPCA's Special Operations Unit.
"The properties were searched, and police have rescued 14 puppies and seized an XL bully. Police also seized several mobile phones, important documents and bank statements, all consistent with an organised criminal operation involving the fraudulent and unlawful sale and breeding of puppies.
“We’ve had members of the public who have paid substantial amounts for these puppies, paid large veterinary fees, and have been left traumatised by their experiences. I hope today’s activity will highlight our commitment to tackling this type of crime, and I would urge anyone who feels they have been affected by this, please contact us so that we can act."
An RSPCA spokesperson said: "We'd urge anyone who wants to get a dog to consider adopting from a rescue charity, like the RSPCA. There are thousands of dogs across the country waiting to find their forever families.
"Anyone who is looking to buy a puppy should be cautious when choosing a breeder and use The Puppy Contract to help them find a happy, healthy dog. Anyone who is concerned about a seller should walk away and report their concerns to the police, Trading Standards or RSPCA."
Anyone with concerns over illegal puppy sales should contact Greater Manchester Police using the online reporting method or calling 101. Concerns can also be reported to the RSPCA.
Local Accession Number: FA_CC.000508
Connick Job Number: 5705
Title: Prince Grotto, Lowell, Massachusetts, never executed.
Creator/Contributor: Charles J. Connick Associates (creator)
Genre: Design drawings; Gouaches
Date created: 1978- (approximate)
Physical description: 1 gouache : color ; 21 x 10 cm.
General notes: Title from item, from additional material accompanying item, or from information provided by the Boston Public Library.; Handwritten on item back: ca. 1978, never executed, job #5705.
Date notes: Date from item.
Biographical and historical notes: Window designed for Prince Macaroni Grotto, Lowell, Masaschusetts.
Subjects: Stained glass; Windows
Collection: Charles J. Connick Gouaches - Massachusetts
Location: Boston Public Library, Arts Department
Shelf locator: Massachusetts Box #11
Rights: Rights status not evaluated.
More than 250 people (the exact number is unknown) were executed by German firing squads during the Second World War at the Waalsdorpervlakte situated at the dunes of Meijendel, near The Hague. This site has become one of the main memorial sites of the Dutch remembrance day.
Every Year on the 4th of May a silent procession is held. For this occasion the Dutch flag is formed with painted pine cones (in earlier years this was done with flowers). On both sides of the monument torches are placed and there is an honor guard of six persons.
The big Bourdon Bell rings just a couple of moments before 20.00 hours. After the trumpet signal Taptoe, there's a two minutes silence. This is followed by the Dutch national anthem. Participants of the procession then walk past the monument to lay flowers and wreaths. The Bourdon Bell will sound again until the last interested party has passed the monument. The commemoration of 2010 attracted 3,325 visitors. The last one past the monument at 22.47. The numbers for this year's commemoration aren't in yet.
The organization of this commemoration is held by the members of the Association Erepeloton Waalsdorp.
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:-
From left, Adam Brown, Jack Holt, Dan Greenfield, Sally Falkow, Paul Gillin, Will Morrison, Alan Cattier and Katie Paine at the wrap-up Day 1 Q&A at the Executing Social Media Conference, Atlanta, Nov 14-16, 2007
A Perplexing Lesson in Aesthetics and Exchange Value Took Place on Jersey Street And Then On East Houston in Lower Manhattan.
It all began on Jersey Street, which is an alley between Lafayette and Crosby Streets in Lower Manhattan, on May 4th 2008. As I was heading home I saw two large paintings resting up against a wall. Nobody was around so I assumed that they were being discarded. Upon closer inspection I saw that they had been executed on fine heavy linen and that the stretchers were professionally made. The pictures themselves were representational and very well done in a contemporary manner. I guessed that they were originally destined for display and sale in a high end gallery, but somehow never made the grade. But why were they being tossed out? What was the back story? I never learned anything more about their origins but I did learn a lot about of puzzling things about aesthetics and exchange value.
I ran home to get my camera to document " art on the street' rather than " street Art " but by the time I returned one painting had already vanished. I got some shots of the remaining canvas. What had begun life as a work of art had morphed into street trash just like that. It was then that I began to wonder why some perfectly good pictures are worth millions of dollars and others nothing at all? Why are some oustanding pictures in museums, Galleries and important private collections while others which are of high merit are consigned to the garbage dump? Of course I knew that some paintings are considered better than others , but that can't be the whole story because everyone knows that tastes and standards change and that often forgotten works come back into vogue.
On the other hand the two paintings on Jersey Street were utterly worthless or they wouldnot have been so rudely discarded. What magical process of exchange value made these two pictures worthless while others were valued at many millions of dollars? I wondered what place aesthetic value had in all of these arcane transformations and transactions? Did aesthetics matter at all or was it all clever marketing and promotion? What made one painting a treasure and another one trash?
Then I was off to East Houston Street at the corner of the Bowery to photograph a newly painted replica of an old Keith Haring mural, now long gone, which graced the same spot many years ago. I got some good shots and after I finished I stopped off at Billy's Antique and Prop shop which was only a few steps away. Billy always had something interesting to look at and to photograph and today he did not disappoint. There, outside his shop were the two paintings from Jersey Street. How did they get to Billy's? Were they now for sale? I was told by Billy's assistant that they had just been purchased from a street picker for $ 5.00 each. And so they were no longer worthless trash , but once again art objects, albeit of modest value. Nevertheless a second magical transformation had taken place. The two pictures had morphed back into works of art which had some aesthetic value. Of course they were starting out at the low end, but that they were starting out there can be no doubt.
What did the street picker know? Was he some sort of shabby magician who could turn lead into gold or in this case worthless trash into money? He certainly must have been.
Now that both pictures were reestablished as art the sky was the limit. They were priced at $150 each.
What had really taken place in this perplexing series of transformations? Was art nothing more than a commodity? It certainly seemed so. Is all the high brow talk about aesthetic, cultural and spiritual value just so much hot air used by snake oil salesmen to puff up the value of this or that work of art? Were art critics nothing more than hired flacks ? Was there no fundamental difference between a work of art and the magic words of some snake oil salesman disguised as a critic or a clever dealer?
Was that what happened to works which were now worth millions of dollars while the two pictures I saw on Jersey Street had nobody to promote them and thus they turned into trash? Was the lack of hype and spin responsible for turning them into rubbish? It certainly seemed so. Am I missing something vital here? If so I would like to know.
A glass pillow by Brian Catling marks the approximate spot where people were executed inside the walls of the Tower of London.
In 1945, a few days before the end of the war, Wehrmacht Captain Gerhard Klinkicht was ordered by City Commander Dietrich to blow the "Dom" first to pieces with 100 shells. If that is not enough, you have to continue shooting until it is completely destroyed. "But for moral reasons, Gerhard Klinkicht refused to execute this order and thus saved St. Stephen's Cathedral from total destruction.
On 14 March 2000 Gerhard Klinkicht died in Bavaria in his 86th year. A few months before his death, he presented Dr. Christoph Cardinal Schönborn a check worth around 70,000 euros for the restoration of St. Stephen's Cathedral. In total, Klinkicht donated 150,000 euros for "Our St. Stephen's Cathedral".
A memorial plaque at the foot of the high tower commemorates the savior of St. Stephen's Cathedral:
"Captain Gerhard Klinkicht thank you. By his decision of conscience he saved St. Stephen's Cathedral from destruction in April 1945. "
St. Stephen's Cathedral and the Second World War
During the Second World War, of course, hardly any restoration work could be carried out. Priority was the valuable art treasures to protect against possible bomb attacks: thus, for example, the pulpit and the tomb of Friedrich had been walled, the beautiful, colorful glass panes were removed, the giant gate secured and movable art objects brought into the catacombs.
On the night of April 11 to 12, 1945, the scaffolding on the north tower began to burn. Since there was no water to extinguish, the fire could spread to the roof. As a result of the fire, the Pummerin collapsed, including the belfry, the great organ was destroyed, the medieval choir stalls were burned and the vaults of the central and south choir collapsed: essential substance of St. Stephen's Cathedral was lost.
Yet 1945 was begun with the reconstruction of St. Stephen's Cathedral. From 1945 to 1948, the back of the cathedral was used as a church, while the choir (separated by a wall) was restored. In 1952, the choir was solemnly opened and the new Pummerin - a gift from Upper Austria - brought to Vienna.
Actions such as the "roof tile action" (a roof tile cost 5 shillings) or the Dombaulotterie (cathedral building lottery) contributed significantly to the rapid reconstruction of St. Stephen's Cathedral. The material that was used in 1945 (St. Margarethner limestone), was basically good. In some cases, however, layers were used that were biologically interfused and thus vulnerable. This material is still being replaced today.
In 1945 it was also considered to build a flat roof (such as the Milan Cathedral) instead of the steep Gothic roof. The idea was rejected.
The year 1960 marked the end of the reconstruction, from this point on one speaks of restoration work.
Wehrmachtshauptmann Gerhard Klinkicht erhielt 1945 einige Tage vor Kriegsende von Stadtkommandant Dietrich den Befehl, den „... Dom zunächst mit 100 Granaten in Schutt und Asche zu legen. Sollte das nicht ausreichen, ist bis zu seiner völligen Zerstörung weiterzuschießen." Doch Gerhard Klinkicht verweigerte aus moralischen Gründen die Ausführung dieses Befehls und rettete damit den Stephansdom vor der totalen Zerstörung.
Am 14. März 2000 ist Gerhard Klinkicht in Bayern im 86. Lebensjahr verstorben. Einige Monate vor seinem Tod überreichte er Dr. Christoph Kardinal Schönborn einen Scheck im Wert von rund 70.000 Euro für die Restaurierung des Stephansdoms. Insgesamt spendete Klinkicht 150.000 Euro für „Unser Stephansdom“.
Eine Gedenktafel am Fuß des Hochturms erinnert an den Retter des Stephansdoms:
„Hauptmann Gerhard Klinkicht zum Dank. Durch seine Gewissensentscheidung bewahrte er im April 1945 den Stephansdom vor der Zerstörung."
Der Stephansdom und der Zweite Weltkrieg
Während des Zweiten Weltkriegs konnten selbstverständlich kaum Restaurierungsarbeiten durchgeführt werden. Vorrangig waren die wertvollen Kunstschätze vor möglichen Bombeneinschlägen zu schützen: So wurden z. B. die Kanzel und das Friedrichsgrab ummauert, die schönen, bunten Glasscheiben wurden ausgebaut, das Riesentor gesichert und bewegliche Kunstgegenstände in die Katakomben gebracht.
In der Nacht von 11. auf 12. April 1945 begann das Gerüst auf dem Nordturm zu brennen. Da kein Wasser zum Löschen vorhanden war, konnte sich das Feuer auf das Dach ausbreiten. Infolge des Brandes stürzte die Pummerin samt Glockenstuhl herab, die große Orgel wurde zerstört, das mittelalterliche Chorgestühl verbrannte und das Gewölbe des Mittel- und Südchores stürzte ein: Wesentliche Substanz des Stephansdoms war verloren.
Noch 1945 wurde mit dem Wiederaufbau des Stephansdoms begonnen. In den Jahren 1945 bis 1948 wurde der hintere Teil des Doms als Kirche verwendet, während der Chor (durch eine Wand getrennt) wiederhergestellt wurde. 1952 wurde der Chor feierlich eröffnet und die neue Pummerin – ein Geschenk Oberösterreichs – nach Wien gebracht.
Aktionen wie die „Dachziegelaktion“ (ein Dachziegel kostete 5 Schilling) oder die Dombaulotterie trugen wesentlich zum raschen Wiederaufbau des Stephansdoms bei. Das Material, das 1945 verwendet wurde (St. Margarethner Kalksandstein), war grundsätzlich gut. Teilweise kamen aber Schichten zum Einsatz, die biologisch durchsetzt und somit anfällig waren. Noch heute wird dieses Material ausgetauscht.
1945 wurde auch überlegt, ein Flachdach (wie z. B. am Mailänder Dom) anstelle des steilen gotischen Daches zu errichten. Die Idee wurde jedoch verworfen.
Das Jahr 1960 markiert das Ende des Wiederaufbaus, ab diesem Zeitpunkt spricht man von Restaurierungsarbeiten.
"My Glass House" This greenhouse was restored a couple years ago. Some of the missing panes of glass have been replaced with glass photos by Judy Taylor, one of the several art installations on the grounds.
Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, PA opened in 1829 as a new type of prison – one where prisoners were expected to reflect and change through complete isolation and labor. The facility was originally designed with seven cellblocks radiating from a central hub – think giant asterisk when viewed above. The exterior 30-foot walls and the towering administration building are heavy, gothic structures. The interior, more serene and church like with its arched corridors and many skylights.
More cellblocks were added as the years went by – shoehorned between the spokes of the original seven blocks. The final cellblock, death row, was added in 1956 although no prisoners were ever executed at the facility.
The facility closed its doors in 1970 and was abandoned to the elements and vandals until the mid 80s. Preservation efforts began in the early 90s. More information at www.easternstate.org.
Glass by Charles Eamer Kempe in the Lady Chapel, c1890.
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 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.
Une superbe création exécutée par 400 personnes avec plus d'une tonne et demi de matériaux divers sur 620 m2.... Esprits créatifs nécessaire et qui n'ont pas manqué !!!
Naturel, créatif, juste une superbe ;)
Je vous invite à découvrir la meneuse de cette oeuvre Barbara (Bloss68), qui fait de superbes photos ! Première rencontre d'une Flickernaute, moment agréable mais bien trop rapide. Mais le contact est établi, il n'y a plus qu'a organiser une petite sortie photo !
www.flickr.com/photos/40704472@N06/
77 - Seine & Marne
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Please don't use this image on websites, blogs or other media without my explicit permission.
Ne pas exploiter cette photo sur un site, blog ou tout autre média sans ma permission.
Copyright : All right reserved © pgauti
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From left, Adam Brown, Jack Holt, Dan Greenfield, Sally Falkow, Paul Gillin, Will Morrison, Alan Cattier and Katie Paine at the wrap-up Day 1 Q&A at the Executing Social Media Conference, Atlanta, Nov 14-16, 2007
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:-
FORT IRWIN, Calif. -- U.S. Army Soldiers supporting 1st Battalion, 36th Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, execute a smoke screen mission during Decisive Action Rotation 15-08 at the National Training Center here Jun. 1, 2015. Decisive Action Rotations create a realistic training environment that tests the capabilities of Brigade Combat Teams preparing them to face similarly equipped opposing forces. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Randis Monroe, Operations Group, National Training Center)
Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum
This Safe House Exhibit is dedicated to those Helpers and their families in occupied Europe who risked their lives during World War II hiding and moving downed Allied airmen through enemy lines to freedom. These Helpers selflessly provided food, civilian clothing, false identity papers, transportation, and a safe place to hide from the Nazis.
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Martin (Martinus Antonius) Lelivelt
A skilled carpenter and building contractor, Martinus Lelivelt preparing his home in 1939 for wartime survival by adding false ceilings in a number of high rooms to hide food and refugees. Following Nazi occupation of The Netherlands in 1940, he used his home in Lichtenvoorde, The Netherlands, as a safe house for evading Allied airmen. His teenaged daughter Mia became his carpenter's assistant helping build a secret room in the attic to ensure the safety of these airmen. Mia then made certain that those refugees staying only a few days never knew who else was in hiding.
Martinus and Mia taught the Allied airmen how to behave like Dutchmen. Americans learned to eat with knives in their right hand and forks in their left hand while Brits stopped placing food on the rounded back of their forks. Martinus used his own supply of Dutch gin to teach them how to drink. In Holland gin must always be sipped, not gulped, as Americans usually did.
Even the number of rings used for the doorbell had meaning. Those with the Resistance rang the doorbell twice and Mia's closest girl friend rang it three times. When the doorbell rang only once, everyone knew hide.
In April 1944, the Nazis searched this safe house and arrested Martinus. Two 96th Bomb Group airmen, Myrtle Stinnett and Carl Glassman escaped capture by disappearing into the secret hiding place in the attic. After the Nazis left, the Americans were moved by other helpers to a safer location. They subsequently crossed into Belgium through the cement mines in Maastricht. Both were liberated by advancing United States forces.
The Nazis executed Martinus Lelivelt by firing squad in Fort Rhijnauwern near Utrecht on 25 July 1944.
[Mia Lelivelt stands at the door to secret room Martinus built to hide downed Allied airmen.]
Carlin 'El Asesino" in the process of ruthlessly executing two underbosses of a local gang who tried to interfere with her business. They are bound and on their knees before her.
"You should have heeded my warning but now you have to pay the price of yours and your boss's stupidity. Do you know what I am called by the cartels? - "El Asesino" and now you learn why. I will make it quick unlike your boss but you go knowing the last thing you see will be me. .She shots both in the head. "Dispose of these bodies guys"
Daddy executed the maneuver known as "tee-oo," which translates to English as "carry you."
If only I'd noticed that light, I would have tried to angle the shot so it looked like a halo. Ah well. This way I didn't have to decide who should get the halo.
Beatrice Rangel: Venezuela - Anschluss Executed!
"The takeover of political parties by the Venezuelan regime is the sign that a complex process of phagocytosis has ended and thus we have in front of us a new and different political entity that does not correspond to the definition of nation state or colony," concludes former Venezuelan Minister of Ministers Beatrice Rangel. "Venezuela has become a deviant state that has lost its defining properties to alien entities that have penetrated its body, sucked out its spirit and filled the cocoon with an organism that pursues other interests and sustains other values."
The painting was executed for Sigismondo de' Conti in 1511-12. It represents the Madonna in Glory but it is usually called the Madonna of Foligno.
Raphael's pictorial research had been enriched by his solutions regarding the use of light in the Expulsion of Heliodorus and the Liberation of St Peter. These pictorial devices reappear in the Madonna of Foligno, now in the Vatican Museum. The Madonna and Child, borne by a cloud of angels and framed by an orange disk, dominate the group of saints below them, among whom is the donor. This group includes - from left to right - St John the Baptist, St Francis, Sigismondo de' Conti and St Jerome. A small angel at the centre of the composition holds a 'small plaque which was originally intended to carry the dedicatory inscription.
The painting was commissioned to commemorate a miracle in which the donor's house in Foligno was struck by lightning or - according to another version - was struck by a projectile during the siege of Foligno, although it was not damaged. The stormy atmosphere of the landscape background and the flash of lightning (or explosion) which strikes the Chigi Palace (visible at left) illustrate the legend. The strong characterization of the figures, the volumetric fullness of the putti and the refined chiaroscuro distinguish the panel (which was taken as loot by Napoleon's army in 1799 and returned in 1815) as a work of the mature artist.
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
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:-
Sketchnotes from panel on Design by Belief, Execute on Data with Dan Harden & Gerson Goldberg (Whipsaw), Anush Elangovan (nod), Shaun Rahimi (Thimble Bioelectronics), Elaine Fiolet (Ubergizmo) at Wearable World's Glazed Conference, San Francisco 2014 (Day 2)
Closely associated with Georges Danton, Camille Desmoulins was a journalist and politician aligned with the Girondins. Arrested on the orders of Robespierre, Camille Desmoulins was executed on the same day he learned of the arrest of his beloved wife, Lucile Duplessis. She was killed on April 13, 1794.
Detail of one of the three apse windows that constitute the first major stained glass commission of John Piper & Patrick Reyntiens, executed 1954-6 and portraying nine aspects of Christ's divinity.
The also constitute the first major flowering of a new, contemporary approach to stained glass design, radically different from anything produced in this country before, and therefore a milestone in the evolution of modern stained glass in Britain.
This was my second visit to Oundle School Chapel, an impressive building designed by Sir Arthur Blomfield in 1922-3 and standing completely detached in splendid isolation in the grounds of Oundle School. The chapel was built in a late Perpendicular Gothic style with a nave flanked by low aisles and a tall clerestorey that floods the interior with light..The east end is formed by a polygonal apse surrounded with a low ambulatory (forming a hidden corridor within).
The interior is vast and spacious as a grand school chapel should be, but fine though the architecture is it is the explosions of coloured light that punctuate the aisles and the deep, brooding tones of the glass in the apse that draw the eye here. Oundle's chapel is a treasure house of modern stained glass, from the three altar windows by John Piper & Patrick Reyntiens (their first ever commission dating from 1954-6, often considered the first windows in a modern style in Britain) to the extensive scheme of aisle windows recently commissioned from Mark Angus and installed in 2002-5.
Piper & Reyntiens' apse windows are quite unique, and more figurative than so much of their more familiar later work. The images represent nine aspects of Christ, each personifying a different aspect of his divinity. The colouring is rich and dense and the stylisation bold, many of the faces being more reminiscent of some powerful tribal mask than anything seen in a British church before. It took great vision and courage to commission these windows (Piper & Reyntiens had little experience at this stage and no previous collaboration to their names) and is perhaps symptomatic of postwar optimism and a more forward thinking approach than is often seen in today's commissions in glass. John Betjeman was so impressed on first seeing these works that he stated that the chapel would become a place of pilgrimage to art lovers, and so it should be to anyone with an interest in modern glass.
The aisle windows by Mark Angus are no less richly coloured, and some (at the west end) are equally figurative but most use a more abstract symbolic language. Much of the drawing has a rather charming, almost childlike naivety and the designs are in many cases kept refreshingly simple, allowing the various bold colours to dominate these smaller apertures.
Oundle School Chapel is a must for anyone with an interest in contemporary stained glass and the School is to be commended for its vision in making such a statement in its choice of artists. The chapel may be open to visitors much of the time but it might be advisable to check if making a special journey to see it.
“Rolling Thunder is in effect,” repeated Col. Rene Horton, the group commander, as she called each one of her company and battalion commanders from the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in Roseville. “A major earthquake has hit the Bay Area. This could be a tragic event but we have been training for this and we have a job to do. Roll out and do great things. Do you understand your orders commander?” “Yes ma’am,” came the reply. “Then execute,” said Horton.
California Army National Guard leaders from the 115th Regional Support Group begin the mission one minute after midnight, Jan. 6, 2012, during the RSGs Emergency Deployment Readiness Exercise, which had 60 vehicles and 217 troops moving their wheeled assets around the state in response to a earthquake scenario. This is the first training that solely focuses on moving the vehicle specialists and their hauling machines into position to respond to a state emergency. (Army National Guard photo/Master Sgt. Paul Wade)
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:-
Executing a practice diversion, going around (I preferred overshooting!) at ABZ, mid 90s. Not into the Mil quite as much, but believe it's a Jag. RAF over the years have carried out countless approaches at Aberdeen/Dyce.
The statue was executed in bronze by Cephisodotus the Elder, likely the father or uncle of the famous sculptor Praxiteles. It was acclaimed by the Athenians, who depicted it on vases and coins.
Although the statue is now lost, it was copied in marble by the Romans; one of the best surviving copies (right) is in the Munich Glyptothek. It depicts the goddess carrying a child with her left arm – Plutus, the god of plenty and son of Demeter, the goddess of agriculture. Peace's missing right hand once held a sceptre. She is shown gazing maternally at Plutus, who is looking back at her trustingly. The statue is an allegory for Plenty (i.e., Plutus) prospering under the protection of Peace; it constituted a public appeal to good sense.
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, Chamberlain Square, Birmingham.
The Last Judgement.
Edward Burne-Jones (1833-1898).
Detail of one of three panels for a stained glass design
Wax crayon, 1874-80.
These cartoons for stained glass were executed by Morris & Co for the church of St Michael & St Mary Magdalene, Easthampstead, Berkshire, for the chancel east window. They comprise of three lights crowned by a rose window. The rose window depicted 'Christ in Judgement', the design was done in oil and called 'Dies Domini' (1873-74) it is now lost. There is a pastel version, dated 1875, in the Lady Lever Art Gallery, Port Sunlight. The cartoons were drawn in 1874, and the window executed in 1876.
The triptych cartoon was returned to Burne-Jones's studio, to be coloured in wax crayon in 1880, the colouring bearing little resemblance to the final window.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, 1st Baronet was a painter, illustrator, and designer and a key figure in the second phase of Pre-Raphaelitism. In 1853 he began studying at Oxford University, intending to train for the priesthood, but his interest was turned to art first by William Morris, his fellow student, and then by Rossetti, who remained the decisive influence on him. He left Oxford without taking a degree in 1856 and settled in London.
Rossetti gave him a few informal lessons and he attended life drawing classes for a while, but essentially he was self-taught; his taste was more classical than Rossetti's and his elongated forms owed much to the example of Botticelli. He favoured medieval and mythical (especially Arthurian) subjects and hated such modernists as the Impressionists, describing their subjects as ‘landscape and whores’. His own ideas on painting are summed up as follows: ‘I mean by a picture a beautiful romantic dream, of something that never was, never will be—in a light better than any that ever shone—in a land no-one can define or remember, only desire—and the forms divinely beautiful.’
He had a fairly low-key career until 1877, when he became famous overnight with the showing of eight large paintings at the opening exhibition of the Grosvenor Gallery. Thereafter he acquired huge fame and prestige, not only in Britain, but also on the Continent: he had considerable influence on the French Symbolists, and the ethereally beautiful women who people his paintings, like the more sensuous types of Rossetti, had many imitators at the end of the century. Although he was lauded for his poetic qualities by many critics, some thought his pictures ‘morbid’ and ‘unmanly’. His paintings tend to be flat and frieze-like in composition, with richly textured surfaces, and his feeling for pattern was put to good use in his work as a designer: he was a founder member of William Morris's decorative arts company in 1861 and designed some outstanding stained glass and tapestries for it, as well as making illustrations for Kelmscott Press books.
Burne-Jones's reputation crumbled after his death and did not seriously revive until the 1960s. The best collection of his work is in the City Art Gallery in Birmingham.
Boy Hero of the Confederacy was executed at this spot in Pulaski, TN on Nov 27, 1863. A small museum was erected near this spot
Executed in patinated 18kt white gold, the leaves are ombré pavé set with multi colored sapphires, green tourmalines, and brown and white diamonds. The acorn nuts are of sculpted amber colored citrine with brown diamond details.18kt yellow gold case.
Today (Friday 10 November), Operation Vulcan executed warrants at premises on Bury New Road, shutting down and seizing half a million of pounds worth of counterfeit items.
Police warnings seem to have fallen on deaf ears for some counterfeit operations in the area. Attempts to re-open and profit from the Christmas sales however continue to be detected and swiftly shut down.
Thanks to intelligence from the Cheetham Hill Neighbourhood Team (who remain in the area with the Vulcan team and conduct daily patrols in the community), Operation Vulcan were able to execute these warrants just days after witnessing customers walking down Bury New Road with bags of fake goods.
Detective Sergeant Matt Donnelly, one of Operation Vulcan’s specialist officers, said: “These results today demonstrate just how important it is that Operation Vulcan remain in the area. The criminals operating here are so brazen, the minute they think they spot an opening, they’re back up and running as though it’s business as usual. We’re here to show them that this isn’t the case, and we will not stop until these illegitimate shops are eradicated and those responsible are locked up.
“I hope this is a warning that no matter how many times you try to reopen, we will continue to seize your belongings and profits, making sure none of this money can make its way back into the criminal market.
Councillor Luthfur Rahman, Deputy Leader of Manchester City Council said: "Over the past 12 months we have achieved a great deal through Operation Vulcan. Through our partnership with GMP gangs have been run out of Cheetham Hill and people have been allowed to feel safe in their own neighbourhoods.
"But the work will go on. We know these gangs are tenacious and that criminals will always find ways to circumvent the law. The Council's Trading Standards will remain vigilant throughout the Christmas period to make sure that dangerous or harmful goods do not make their way in the hands of the public."
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:-
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:-
Nihonga are typically executed on washi (Japanese paper) or eginu(silk), using brushes. The paintings can be either monochrome or polychrome. If monochrome, typically sumi (Chinese ink) made from soot mixed with a glue from fishbone or animal hide is used. If polychrome, the pigments are derived from natural ingredients: minerals, shells, corals, and even semi-precious stones like malachite, azurite or cinnabar. The raw materials are powdered into 16 gradations from fine to sand grain textures. Hide glue is used as a binder for these powdered pigments. In both cases, water is used; hence Nihonga is by definition a sub-genre of watercolor painting.
Initially, Nihonga were produced for hanging scrolls (kakemono), hand scrolls (emakimono) or folding screens (byōbu). However, most are now produced on paper stretched onto wood panels, suitable for framing. Nihonga paintings do not need to be put under glass. They are archival for thousands of years.
veneer and inlay executed in ash wood, walnut and yew wood
location: East Slovak Museum, Košice
(please do not use without permission)
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