A few years ago, when my friends Ken, Kelsie and I visited the Sunrise area of Mount Rainier, Kelsie mentioned a couple of times, that it would be her goal to hike iconic Wonderland Trail at some point in the near future.

 

This past summer, her dream came true when she was accompanied by her dad Ken, for a 13 day trip of a lifetime! On the average, only 200 people a year make the entire 93 mile trip.

 

I am very proud of their journey to say the least, and I hope to join them with our friend Jason, for a long hike in the Olympics later on this summer. Unless you push yourself, you will never know what you can accomplish!

 

Kelsie's blog; kelsiedonleycott.com/WT/

It took a few hours of looking but I found the Lincoln's Sparrow that has been wintering at Meadowbrook (thanks to Jim Wilkinson for the original sighting). They are uncommon birds to find in Maryland during the winter. This little guy has lost an eye but made it through the blizzard. It can certainly see well since it is very hard to photograph. Very secretive little bird! I just started to think about why Songs and Swamps winter here without issue in good numbers and why Lincoln's so rarely do?

* From 12th March, 2011 to 17th November, 2018

* A 12mins 15sec, 190Mby MP4 video, showing photographs from the southern end of the S.Y.J.R., between 22nd March, 2011 and 30th June, 2018.

* NB: As this is longer than the fixed 3 minute viewing in the Flickr interface, the Video must be downloaded to the desktop to see the full length.

* Right-click on the down-arrow option, the last of the three options to the lower right of the video frame. Select 'Save-As' and view...

 

** It has just come to my notice (10/12/23) that the Download option below and to the right of the media _does not_ allow you to download the full version, only the 3 minutes available here. So, I am going to try and 'fix' this for all videos lasting more than 3 minutes, this is the link to obtain the full version shown here-

www.flickr.tightfitz.com/Video/SYJR_Part_Two_-_Firbeck,_M...

 

To the north and south of Dinnington, the S.Y.J.R. was joined by another section of line from the Silverwood Colliery area, through Braithwell Junction where the line from Gowdall joined the line which then ran through Thurcroft and its colliery. The L.M.S. & L.N.E.R. line continued south with a connecting line to the S.Y.J.R which ran from Laughton West Junction to Laughton East Junction near the Dinnington Colliery. South of Dinnington Junction, the Braithwell Line itself finally converged with the S.Y.J.R at Anston Junction; this section of line however between Laughton West Junction and Anston Junction, closed as long ago as the 1920s and has since been obscured by farm land which is easily visible in this shot looking south from Dinnington Junction in November, 2017 here-

www.flickr.com/photos/daohaiku/38357961186/

and in July, 2017, here-

www.flickr.com/photos/daohaiku/35871297502/

 

There was also once, briefly, a Brancliffe West Junction, this from the picture at the link below...

'...My 1923 OS map has a line still present passing under the bridge, the line heading from the North Junction to the West Junction off to the left, but at that time the West Junction had been severed. Going back to an earlier date, 1905 there was no SYJR at all and so no junctions on the Lincoln line, after 1923 when the line is shown severed, the next date, 1938 shows the L.M.S. & L.N.E. Joint Line still present and severed at the West Junction, the line now called the 'West Curve'. By 1955, the epoch of the next map, the line has gone and only the trackbed remains, albeit in a much more clear and open landscape and so presumably easier to walk along; it is also now labelled 'Dismantled Railway'. Interestingly, a signal box at the North Junction still remained at that time in the junction between the two lines...'

A shot of the box at North Junction with the West Curve turning off beyond the box and the line of track workers, can be seen here-

www.signalboxes.com/brancliffe-north.php

So it appears that the West curve between the north junction and west junction, came and went between 1905 and 1923, maybe its use was relevant for the 1st World War but after that, it fell into disuse and was severed... there are of course no pictures of anything on this curve, that I could find and there is scant detail on-line giving any information about it. The signalbox was presumably similar to the one at Brancliffe East Junction for which there are details and pictures, see-

www.signalboxes.com/brancliffe-east-jn.php

and the picture referred to above with a class 37 running along Lindrick Dale with the north junction in the background and the west curve at far left beyond the line of trees-

www.flickr.com/photos/imarch2/49578527642/

So, the southern section, in the present context has as much interesting infrastructure as does that in the northern section, but for slightly different reasons. Once the S.Y.J.R joined the G.C.R.'s Lincoln Line between the cities of Sheffield and Lincoln, there were other lineside 'attractions', including, collieries, quarries and miscellaneous engineering works and with the large up and down freight yards on the west side of Worksop, not far along the line to the east.

 

This second part is split into four sections continuing on from where the last part left off, see-

www.flickr.com/photos/vinc2020/51247222279/

at Laughton, south of Brookhouse. This time there are many more coal workings, 16 in all, along with test trains, aggregates, Charters and a container train. This period from March, 2011 to the end of June, 2018, marked the last busy period on the S.Y.J.R. for coal traffic with collieries, Maltby, Kellingley & Hatfield to name but three, having shut, there occured some diversions making up for a bit of the lost traffic, but even these from about 2019, largely stopped operating and then..at the end of 2019, there was Covid-19...

 

So, continuing on, back more than 10 years and its the 12th March, 2011 and, at that time, the area around the old Laughton East & West Junctions fascinated me as the path, the 'Laughton Mineral Trail', from the Dinnington area, north through Laughton and on to Thurcroft and Braithwell Junction was now a pleasant walking track. The colliery area was a desolate wasteland of piled up rubble with the odd fenced off gas vent about the place, the site being just north of Steadfolds Lane at Thurcroft, it was instructive to walk up there on several occasions to see what was to be seen. On the 2004 OS map, the area was labelled as 'disused workings' with the trackbed disappearing in the rubble on its way up to Braithwell Junction north of Hellaby in the Ravenfield area; the M18 now cuts right through the area close to the junction.

 

* Laughton Junction(11).

The first shot in the series of 11, shows the scene looking north with the S.Y.J.R. on the right and Laughton East Junction on the left, being March, the trees are denuded of leaves and so the trackbed to Laughton West Junction is easy to make out. It all looks pretty uninspiring.

 

2. The following shot shows the scene to the south with an industrial estate having grown up on the left and in the distance under the Todwick Road bridge, a M.A.S. signal, possibly Worksop's S0608, for moves south along the single line to Dinnington Junction.

 

3. Another shot looking back north follows, with a close-up view of the junction which shows the small wiring box featured in he last video, and situated over on the far left of the shot, hiding in the shrubbery. The wiring in the box once ran to and from Dinnington Junction and Maltby and I guess it may still be there, 10 years later.

 

4-5. Further north, near Laughton Common Farm where the local road passes close to a foot-crossing, is shown in this, where stone abutments can be seen which carried a footbridge across the track(s), it is now the foot crossing seen just after the shot of Laughton Parish Church which follows this shot.

 

6. Shot 6 shows the foot-crossing and the view looks to the south towards Laughton Common Road bridge in the distance and on to Dinnington.

 

7. Two years later, in February, 2013, whilst driving over to Laughton once more for some additional shots, this picture shows the on-going work in the Penny Hill Lane of Ulley, south of Rotherham, to erect a set of new wind-turbines and in the picture, one of the turbine blades is being delivered to the site by 'Collett Transport', and with police in attendance for traffic control. This set of Turbines is the one which can be seen easily from the M1 motorway where the junction for the M18 commences taking traffic either west then north on the M1 to Leeds or continuing north-east towards Doncaster on the M18; the junction commences here on a bridge deck and is in the background just around the corner.

 

8. On the same day, its back to Laughton East Junction with another, early February shot of the S.Y.J.R. on the right, still with the tall, prominent conifer in the background and on the left, the trackbed of Laughton East to West Junction. The reason for being back here was to capture some shots of traffic movement at this time and 45 minutes after the picture of the turbine blade was taken, at last, a freight.

 

9-11 This is one of the typical moves along the line at this time and is an E.W.S. class 66, 66087, running on the 6E77, Hunterston High Level to West Burton Power Station working, so carrying a long rake of full coal to the Power Station. Facing south to Dinnington Junction, the last two shots in this section show, in bright, low sun, the rake of old E.W.S. liveried HYA coal hoppers passing what I believe to be Worksop's S0608 signal for moves along to Dinnington Junction and the double track section to Brancliffe East Junction, Worksop and the Trent Power Station beyond to the east. Coal can just be seen, 'peeping' over the top of the last wagon...

 

And, this week, 19th July 2021, coal is being moved once more along here, from Immingham to West Burton, due to an energy shortage brought on by the hot, still weather, the latter not so good for Wind Turbines has resulted in a 1GW of power shortfall and is being met by a week of G.B.R.f. coal trains which pass along here around 14:30... I am hoping to get a shot of the working, today, Wednesday, 21st July.., see-

www.flickr.com/photos/vinc2020/51327037887/

and, as it turns out today, Monday, 26th July, the coal working is running again all week...

 

* Dinnington Junction(105).

This is where most of the action took place during the period shown here with others at Brancliffe East Junction along with the extensive Engineering works which took place on the 14th June, 2017 both at Brancliffe and further north at Firbeck Junction where the track-bed was re-ballasted and the rails replaced and slightly re-modelled., all of which took place at the same time , see 1st section of Part I of the video, here-

www.flickr.com/photos/vinc2020/51247222279/

At this time the whole of the S.Y.J.R. was closed for several weeks. Dinnington Junction has now suffered like other rail infrastructure in the area in that it has a much simpler layout with both some semaphore signalling at the northern end around Maltby Box and the rest of the track(s) under control of M.A.S. from the P.S.B. at the western end of platform 2 at Worksop. The old semaphore box, repainted along with the foot-bridge a few years ago, is at the other end of the station beyond platform 1 and the level crossing; it is now used as 'rest-room'.

 

12. In this first off 100=odd shots here, the view looks to the north with the site of the Dinnington Colliery Box over on the left where the palisaded off area is, protecting the CCTV camera which watches over the double-to-single track junction. The Colliery was over in the distance to the right of the Todwick Road bridge in the distance, the Colliery occupying a hug site and took up most of the land on the right of the tracks.

 

13. This view looks south from the same Cramfit Bridge on Common Road as the last shot and shows Dinnington's W0607 signal, which controls north-bound moves onto the single track section, all the way up to just west of Maltby Box then from there, single again to St. Catherines Junction. The bridge in the distance in this shot carries 'New Road' though it only coveys traffic to 'Burne Farm', about a kilometre over to the right and North Anston can be seen in the trees at top left.

 

So, here come the workings, as it were, listed in order of appearance by date from 9th March, 2011 to 20th, August, 2018-

 

14-16(9/3/11). E.W.S., 'East West & Scottish Railway', class 66, 66093, heads south on a full coal, 6xxx, Immingham H.I.T. to West Burton/Cottam Power Station, the actual details never recorded.

 

17-21.(1/6/12). Freightliner 66739, on the 4N17, heading north on the Cottam Power Station to Tyne S.S. return empties, being photographed by its driver whilst stood at Signal W0607 on the right.

 

22-24.(8/3/90). Anston Wood foot crossing and E.W.S. 66034 on the 4D37, Cottam Power Station to Hull Coal Terminal return coal empties.

 

25-28.(8/3/90). Anston Wood foot crossing and G.B.R.f., 'Great Britain Rail freight' with 66730, 'Whitemoor', on the 6F12 Tyne Coal Terminal to Cottam Power Station full coal train.

 

29-31.(15/3/13). Freightliner 66562, on the 4E83 Container train, diverted along here, Felixstowe North FLT to Doncaster E.P.T.

 

32-36.(15/3/13). 'Devon & Cornwall Railway', D.C.R. 56311, on the 6Z22, Thoresby Colliery to York Holgate Sidings with the driver once more alighting from the cab to take a picture of his 15 MBA type scrap wagons, before it heads north to York.

 

37.(4/11/13). E.W.S. 66043, on 6F29, Hatfield Main Mining to Cottam Power Station with a full coal from a local colliery.

 

38.(4/11/13). N.R.Measurement Test Train 950001 on the 2Q08, Derby R.T.C. to Doncaster West Yard working looking splendid in the bright early November weather,

 

39-43.(28/12/13). Almost 2 months later and D.B.S., 'D.B. Shenker Cargo', class 60, 60020 with class 67, 67005 'Queen's Messenger' at the back operates the 1Z50, London Kings Cross to Deepcar working and, later that day, the 1Z51, Deepcar to Hull charter.

 

44.(21/8/14). D.B.S. 66025, on the 4N07, West Burton Power Station to North Blythe(DBS) empty coal train heads north towards Doncaster.

 

45-47.(21/8/14). G.B.R.f. 66727, 'Andrew Scott CBE' on the 6F01, Doncaster Down Decoy to Cottam Power Station(FLHH) full coal train.

 

48.(21/8/14). D.B.S. 66025, on the 4N07, West Burton Power Station to North Blythe(DBS) empty coal train heads north towards Doncaster.

 

49-52.(21/8/14). G.B.R.f. 66715, 'Valour' on the 4D07, West Burton Power Station to Doncaster Down Decoy(GBRf) with yet another rake of empty 'Fastline' HYA/IIA coal hoppers, heading north. And, just noticed, there's a pheasant walking away from the line to the left of the loco, the bird looking rather nonchalant, though I guess with the traffic here as it was, its come to accept this type of racket...!

 

53-58.(21/8/14). Another diverted Container train, this one Freightliner 66593, 'Mersey Multimodal Gateway', on the 4E62, Felixstowe North(FLT) to Doncaster(EPT) working.

 

59-61.(11/4/15). Eight months later and back again for this Engineers Train with G.B.R.f. 66717, 'Good Old Boy' and 66739, 'Bluebell Railway', was a Freightliner, see pictures 17-21 above), on the 6F29, Doncaster, Hexthorpe Yard to West Burton Power Station with a rake of ex-Freightliner MBA-type box wagons.

 

62.(11/4/15). Another Freightliner, this time 66529, heading a rake of empty HYA coal wagons on the 4D28, Cottam Power Station(FHH) to Hunslet Yard working but halted at signal W0607 awaiting the passage of a south-bound train coming through from Maltby.

 

63.(11/4/15). And here it is, yet another full coal train this time with D.B.S. 66230 in charge on the 6Z29, Rossington Colliery to Worksop Up Receptions working. Rossington was a Colliery which still had piles of coal to be disposed of at this time.

 

64-69.(11/4/15). The next 6 shots show D.B.S. 6623, on the 6Z29, Rossington Colliery to Worksop Up Receptions, passing souhth alongside hte parked up Freightliner, 66529, awaiting dispatch to the north after the DBS had passed by, the Freightliner on the 4D28, Cottam Power Station(FHH) to Hunslet Yard empty coal working.

 

70-79.(11/4/15). And still the same day, at 15:10 and another D.B.S. class 66, in old EWS livery, this one 66015 on the Engineers Working, 6T57 Belmont Down Yard via Worksop Reception and back to Dinnington Junction during Network Rail Engineering possession work with, in one of the pictures, Gavin Bland present and shooting the actions... the last two pictures show the yellow JNA box wagons stretched out along the track north of Dinnington Junction with a new housing estate having now grown up on the left, south of Laughton Common Road..

 

80-84.(23/1/16). Its now late January, 2016 and as a bit of a change, W.C.R.C, 'West Coast Railway Company' and the 'Branch Line Society' are running class 37, 37706, with class 47, 47786, 'Roy Castle OBE', at the back on the 1Z23, Carnforth via SYJR to Cleethorpes and later, 1Z24, Cleethorpes via Sheffield to Carnforth day charter.

 

85-87.(22/8/16). And eight months later, another Test Train, this time with Colas Rail operating D.R.S., 'Direct Rail Services' class 37, 37602 and 37609 at the back on the 1Q23, Derby R.T.C. via Sheffield & Worksop to Doncaster West Yard working. The coach set consisting of coaches 9481, 977997, 72631 the P.L.P.R., 'Plain Line Pattern Recognition Coach, 9523, the I.M.T. 'Infrastructure Monitoring Train'...

 

88-92.(26/6/17). And 10 months later still, location the 'New Road' bridge, BKS/16, south of Dinnington Junction and its again Colas Rail which operate the Test Trains for Network Rail, this time its class 37, 37175, 'W. S. Sellar' with 37254 on the back on the 1Q64 Derby R.T.C. but this time to Heaton T&R.S.M.D. This time the coaches on the P.L.P.R., 'Plain Line Pattern Recognition' train are coaches 96606, 'Brake Force Runner' 72612, the 'Radio Survey Coach, 72639, the 'Plain Line Pattern Recognition Coach No 4. 975091, 'MENTOR', the 'Mobile Electronic Network Testing & Observation Recorder'. The set passes the point once under 'New Road' bridge which was the location of Anston Junction, carrying the line from here, through Laughton West Junction and on to Thurcroft and Braithwell.

 

93-97.(19/7/17). This time another diversion, this didn't last all that long so it was good to get out for shots of it while it was running this way. This is G.B.R.f. 66705, 'Golden Jubilee', on the diverted 6E89, Wellingborough Up T.C.(GBRf) to Rylstone Tilcon(GBRf) with a rake of what look like new MBA-type box wagons, here, empty. The set snakes onto the single line section and over on the right, some of the 'plant' is still hanging around from earlier Engineering work, these are notably the 'STORY 900', 'Liebherr #0990' unit with bucket #606 and a second unit, #0989..

 

98-103.(13/11/17). Around 4 months later, and yet another Test Train plies the rails northwards, this time its Colas Rail class 37, 37219, 'Jonty Jarvis 8-12-1998 to 18-3-2005' with, at the back, 37611, 'Pegasus', the winged messenger, on the usual 1Q64, Derby R.T.C. but this time to the Gascoigne Wood Down Loop which pauses for a brief time at the W0607, before heading off north. Have come under the Cramfit Road bridge, the rear 37, 37611, can be seen and is in 'Europhoenix' livery with 'Griffin' motif and, at the trackside, shown in close-up, two signs of a very different nature, a 'Soft(toy) hung on the palisade with a Hard(palisade) sign about trespass beyond the awful looking palisade fence, now ubiquitous everywhere on the railway...

 

104-106.(11/1/18). Three months later, its early January once more and an Engineers Train is rumbling along the S.Y.J.R. heading under the Todwick Road bridge heading fro Doncaster. This is G.B.R.f. 66776, 'Joanne', on the 6E42, Cliffe Hill Stud Farm to Doncaster Up Decoy working with a long rake of ballast from the quarry in the 'Stud Farm' area. The following panorama is distorted due to the proximity of the scene to the camera and there are now new industrial spaces all over the place in this area, one being over on the right, right next to the line where, on the other side of the road bridge is an access to the path along to the 'Bluebell Wood' area, its signs are self-explanatory...

 

107-112.(11/1/18). And, on the same day, back in the Dinnington Junction area, yet another Engineers Train trundles south, this time double-headed, with G.B.R.f. 66778, 'Darius Cheskin', and behind it, 66773, on the also diverted, from its normal route through Masbrough, 6M73, Doncaster Up Decoy to Toton North Yard working. This time in the short haul, are 4 ballast wagons and 7 concrete rail panel carriers.. Todwick Road bridge, from where the last shots were taken of the north-bound Engineers Train, is in the background and at the front of the consist is a VolkerRail crane for handling the materials on-board.. Some fence adornments alongside the Bluebell Wood' area along with the view over the S.Y.J.R. looking to the west and Aston and Todwick, are shown in the last of these 6 shots...

 

113-116.(20/8/18). Finally in this second section, the last working, taken on August 20th, 7 months later, another Colas Rail Test Train, this time with, at the front, class 37, in B.R. blue with red lining-out at the top, 37612 and at the back, yellow/orange liveried Colas 37421, 'Star of the East'. The train is, yet again, on the same working for these types of move, 1Q64, though now from the Tyseley L.M.D., Light Maintenance Department, to Neville Hill T&R.S.M.D., Traction and Rolling Stock Maintenance Department. With the usual rake of P.L.P.R., 'Plain Line Pattern Recognition' coaches, this time 977868, the 'Radio Survey Test coach, 72639, the 'Plain Line Pattern Recognition Coach No 4', 977974, the 'Track Inspection Unit No 2, and 6260, the 'Ultrasonic Test Coach'... It looks as if the rear 37 is providing some power as there is a cloud of 'clag' present as the set gets away onto the single line section through to Maltby..

 

* Lindrick Dale(21).

A quiet back-water off the very busy A57 trunk road, though once along here, there's not a sound, well, other than the coal trains passing to-and-fro from Doncaster to either West Burton or Cottam Power Stations near the River Trent, east of Worksop.

 

117. First up at this location on the 3rd April, 2017 and in good weather, a nicely turned out G.B.R.f., 'shed' comes slowly ambling across the only access bridge allowing access to the 'Fan Field Farm' area close to the Lincoln Line tracks and beyond, just 100m away, the Chesterfield Canal. G.B.R.f. 66757. 'West Somerset Railway' is, for a change, not on a full coal working, but 4D90, Hexthorpe Yard to Shirebrook - Davis & Son where they were, and still are, modifying HYA coal wagons for use as aggregate carriers.

 

118. Shows one of the other two bridges a little further south, this one, now redundant, takes the road/lane over the north to west curve trackbed which connected Brancliffe North Junction at top right with Brancliffe East Junction which is some way off to the left. Fan Field Farm cottages are in the background and the S.Y.J.R. runs in the cutting to the right of the pictures.

 

119. Fan Field Farm is the next shot alongside the Lincoln main lines with the signalling for Brancliffe East Junction at top right and the S.Y.J.R. lines curving off behind the farm. It was in the corner of this field, just beyond Worksop's W0518, two-head signal, here showing double yellow, that I was hoisted aloft to photograph Network Rail Engineering work on the 14th of June, this year, 2017, the two shots appear right at the end of the video... Behind the camera on the left a little way off and now unrecognisable, is where the west curve from Brancliffe North Junction, met the main Lincoln Lines at Brancliffe Wes6 Junction. As mentioned above... It appears that the West curve between the north junction and west junction, came and went between 1905 and 1923, maybe its use was relevant for the 1st World War but after that, it fell into disuse and was severed... there are of course no pictures of anything on this curve, that I could find and there is scant detail on-line giving any information about it. The signalbox was presumably similar to the one at Brancliffe East Junction for which there are details and pictures, see-

www.signalboxes.com/brancliffe-east-jn.php

 

120-122. Are shots of the nearby Chesterfield Canal area on this beautiful early April day with, in the first of the three looking west, walkers resting at one of the Thorpe Locks. The second, facing south is memorable as it is the location where I once photographed what looked like a huge 'ice-plug', floating on top of the cold water, see-

www.flickr.com/photos/daohaiku/6864399617/

taken 5 years earlier, on February 9th, 2012. The lock flight is here descending towards Shireoaks and the on past Worksop and the Canal in now undergoing extensive restoration in the Staveley area to connect the waters beyond Kiveton, where they end here, from the other side of Norwood Tunnel and on to Staveley, the 'Last Nine Miles', as it has been called, see-

chesterfield-canal-trust.org.uk/

The last of the 3 canal pictured shows bridge #35 which takes walkers and cyclists from the path through Lindrick Dael, along across Fan Field at the west side of the farm, across an accommodation crossing across the Lincoln Lines and then to here, the path continues up through Old Spring wood and its disused quarry to Thorpe Salvin.

 

123-124. Views of the Lincoln Line from the canal side of the formation with Network Rail class 144, 144007, passing east on a local service 2P63, Scunthorpe via Sheffield to Lincoln Central. The next shot of the two shows another Northern Rail DMU, again a class 144, which have now 'vanished' from regular passenger services but here, in 2017, it was running on the 2P68, Lincoln Central to Sheffield service. On the left in the corner of this field is where the elevated platform tractor action took place, seen in the last shots of this vide, with me atop, photographing the Engineering action below. Brancliffe East Junction is at far left and the lines curving round towards the camera are those of the S.Y.J.R.

 

125-128. And now some real action on the S.Y.J.R. With permission from the owner of 'Fan Field Farm', I am now located on the 3rd of the 3 bridges over the rail formation in this area, this one takes a farm track over the S.Y.J.R. between Fan Field Farm and 'Fan Field' itself close to Brancliffe Grange and one of the disused quarries nearby, Brancliffe Lime Works. At the spot on time and now in the company of the owner of the farm who was interested in what I was up too, so hung around whilst we waited for one of the frequent test trains that came along here, this one operated by Colas Rail is seen heading north from the east on a round-about trip checking out the state of the tracks and is a Colas, class 37/97, 97303, ex-E3356m, ex-D842, 'Meteor', with 37421, ex-E3527, ex-D956, 'Star of the East' on the back on the 1Q64, Derby R.T.C. via Toton, Retford & York to Neville T&R.S.M.D. seen here on the S.Y.J.R. doing the northern section of the, 'P.L.P.R.', 'Plain Line Pattern Recognition' Test Train working. In the last 2 of the 4 shots here, the set passes under the accommodation bridge and the walkers, who were seen earlier by the side of the canal, have now finished lunch and are now off north through Lindrick Dale walking towards the cottages near the Brancliffe West curve bridge. They pause on the bridge, which can be seen clearly in the last of the 4 shots, its midday, the sun is directly south behind the camera and illuminating the warning panel of the class 37 as the set makes its way towards Anston and Dinnington Junction.

 

129-132. The four shots in this part show details of the Brancliffe North Junction, its bridge and track-bed of the west curve to Brancliffe West Junction. The first picture shows the bridge over the now much over-grown west curve track-bed with, in the distance on the right, Anston Grange Farm' accommodation crossing allowing access between two of the farmer's fields. The double track section of the S.Y.J.R. passes beneath and in the next shots the camera will be in that area, close to the very busy A57 trunk road. The 2nd of the 4 shows the view of the S.Y.J.R. from the bridge over the West Curve to Brancliffe West Junction and its signalbox, Brancliffe North Junction and its signalbox being just on the right beyond the blue bag in the undergrowth. Looking back at the West Curve bridge and the S.Y.J.R. on the left, shows the substantial nature of the bridge structures here with a section of the land of 'Fan Field Farm' in the background; the West Curve track-bed looks pretty much the same as it does here, all along to the West Junction area. Finally in the is set of 4 bridge pictures, I am back at the spot where the GBRf crossed earlier on its way south to Shirebrook and this bridge access is the only one from the main A57 road, though Lindrick Dale to the southern-most part at 'Fan Field Farm' where the double track formation of the Lincoln Line cutes through from Sheffield, Worksop and Lincoln; lots of tree clearance had occured here in recent times and its easy to see why ...

 

133-137. Walking back up through Lindrick Dale towards the A57 and here is its road bridge across the track formation with a nicely coloured blue, 'Countrywide Express Ltd' H.G.V. passing over towards Anston from the Worksop direction, a lot of vegetation clearance and bank stabilisation had also been undertaken during this early period in April, 2017. The next shot shows the view to the south and Worksop's W0604 signal which, as far as I can make out, has been removed as there is no sign of it on the track-diagram, the signals being, from Maltby southbound, W0608, W0606, W0602, to W0522 and north-bound from Brancliffe, W0523, W0605, W0607 and 'LSSY' at Maltby. So, not quite sure what has replaced this signal or if it has just been moved and re-numbered... The last 3 shots in this section at Lindrick Dale, taken ne 18 months later on 11th November 2018, show more G.B.R.f. traction in the form of a fully loaded coal train with 66781 at the front on the 6F71, Immingham H.I.T. to Cottam Power Station(GBRf) working. The shots here were trick due to the steepness of the bank and in searching for a better viewpoint, I almost missed the passage of this working as it came forward very quietly, matters not being helped by the background noise of traffic from the A57. Rose-hips are now evident in on the bushes at this side of the tracks as its the end of Autumn and Winter beckons and it being around midday again, the view south has equally low sun to those shots taken 18 months earlier in April, 2017, so the view is a bit overwhelmed with low sunlight. In the last of the 3 shots of the coal train, the bridge seen in the distance in the shots taken in April 2017, from the end of Lindrick Dale, can just be made out in the distance, connection the two fields of Anston Grange Farm' with an accommodation access for the farmer as 66781 clatters on down the S.Y.J.R. to the Power Station at Cottam, with yet more coal.

 

* Brancliffe East Junction(46).

And, finally, the end-of-the-line, the S.Y.J.R., joined the main Sheffield to Lincoln Line at 2 junctions, one to the west and one here, Brancliffe East Junction. The one to the west, as has already been mentioned, the West curve between the North Junction and West Junction, came and went between 1905 and 1923, maybe its use was relevant for the 1st World War but after that, it fell into disuse and was severed. Brancliffe East Junction forms what was and to some extent still is, a busy place with traction passing bot E/W and N/W, though the latter, along the S.Y.J.R., has seen a down-turn in traffic over the last few years and this after a large amount of money was spent on the formation at various places from here, as will be shown in the latter pictures, all the way north to Firbeck. There are two foot-crossings here, one passing Fan Filed Farms just along the line to the west and one here behind the camera both of which lead off from the Chesterfield Canal, just 130m away to the south.

 

138.(26/8/14). So, here we are on 26th August, 2014, close to the eastern foot-crossing and coming along the main line, a Northern class 158, 158793, on the regular Scunthorpe to Lincoln Central service, this one 2P71. Behind the unit there are ground 'disk' signals to control crossing movements from the up line on the right, to the down on the left, though I have never seen any pictures from recent times of such a move taking place. Standing at the side of the down line at left, Worksop's W0523 signal with 'feather' atop controlling moves north onto the S.Y.J.R.

 

139.(26/8/14). And 5 minutes later, a move to the west in the form of a Northern class 142, now defunct in this area, 142066, on the 2R29, Lincoln Central via Sheffield for reversal then north to Adwick.

 

140.(26/8/14). Looking from the other side of the foot-crossing, Worksop's W0523 is now showing a red after passage west of the DMU and in the distance on the right, W0518 for moves along the up line in this direction, it too must be showing red as there is a freight working imminent off the S.Y.J.R. to the right.

 

141-145.(26/8/14). A few minutes later and out pops the freight working, with G.B.R.f. class 66, 66706, 'Nene Valley' coming around the bend off the S.Y.J.R., and onto the Lincoln Line east on the 6F93, Tyne Yard to Cottam Power Station full coal train. A walker has reached the area of the foot-crossing next to me and takes a keen look at the thunderous clatter going by, where around 1500 tonnes of coal is being shifted to the Cottam Power Station but, not for much longer; after 52 years and generating a total 500Terawatt hours (500,000,000 Megawatt hours) of power, Cottam closed completely on 30 September 2019. 66706 is hauling, as usual, around 20 full HYA/IIA coal hoppers.

 

146-147.(28/8/14). And, 2 days later, 28th August, the camera was back at the same spot! These two shots show a tele shot from the foot-crossing of the Worksop W0523 signal showing red and, a few moments later, changing to green with the divergence 'feather' lit, for a move onto the S.Y.J.R.

 

148-152.(28/8/14). And, 1 minute later, here's the reason, 66729, 'Derby County', thunders towards the camera on a diverted Container train, this one 4E33, the Felixstowe South(GBRf) to Doncaster Railport(GBRf) working with a full load of train of large and small container units. Brilliant weather for late August prevails and it was well worth the jaunt out here and the walk along the canal from Shireoaks to access the eastern foot crossing at Thorpe Locks on the Chesterfield Canal. Just after the loco has turned off, and moved 200m(I think this the correct overlap distance) beyond the signal, the signalling changes back to a red aspect protecting the rear of train from any oncoming traffic, of which, at this time, there was none.

 

153.(28/8/14). Still at this location on this date and the time is 17:06 and another Northern DMU rattles by along the line towards Worksop, this one another, now defunct, class 144, 144007, on the 2P63, Scunthorpe to Lincoln Central service in late afternoon sun.

 

154.(28/8/14). And three minutes later after the DMU had disappeared to the east, another move off the S.Y.J.R. was signalled and here it is, this time its a Freightliner class 66, 66506, 'Crewe Regeneration' on another full coal working, 6E73, from Hunterston High Level(FHH) to Cottam Power Station(FHH) with again a rake of HYA/IIA hoppers for the Power Station merry-go-round apparatus to take their coal for the furnaces...

 

155.(28/8/14). In this composite shot, Freightliner 66506 is seen passing on the 6E73, Hunterston High Level(FHH) to Cottam Power Station(FHH), whilst the earlier G.B.R.f. 66729, 'Derby County' on 4E33, Felixstowe South(GBRf) to Doncaster Railport(GBRf) is seen about to pass the Freightliner onto the S.Y.J.R.n north to Dinnington Junction. A pair of moves which is possible here, though sadly, I haven't actually seen this happen.

 

156-158.(28/8/14). Three further shots of the Freightliner, 66506, on the 6E73, Hunterston High Level(FHH) to Cottam Power Station(FHH) working, having just come off the S.Y.J.R., is now heading speedily along the line to the east through Worksop and Retford then continuing south-east on the line to Cottam Power Station, right next to the River Trent. Taking the line to the north-east at Clarborough Junction would take the working to the West Burton Power Station, also next to the River Trent. This Power Station, for the last two weeks starting 19th July, having been put on standby due to the hot weather with its attendant lack of any useful wind, causing a deficit in Power generated by Wind turbines...

 

159-160.(7/5/16). Its 18 months later and early May and its coming to the time, in just over a month, of a major Network Rail Line Possession, located on the S.Y.J.R., one to the north at Firbeck Junction and another here at Brancliffe East Junction. Meanwhile in yet more glorious weather a view of the Junction from the western foot-crossing, taking a path over from the Chesterfield Canal, via the back of Fan Field Farm and on to Lindrick Dale. Passing along the Lincoln Line to the east, yet another of the Northern class 14x type DMUs, this one 142, also now defunct as are the 144s, this one 142015 and yet again on the 2P63, Scunthorpe to Lincoln Central service. These units have now been replaced with class 195, 'Civity', 'CAF, Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles, S.A.', units and still extant class 15x units... The second of these two shots shows the view on the same day towards the west and the still extant platelayer's hut standing alongside the line between Brancliffe East and the now long gone, Brancliffe West Junction in the distance beyond the signal. The eastern foot-crossing is visible which takes walkers from Lindrick Dale over to the right, across here and to the Chesterfield Canal, just 100 or so metres off to the left; the red tile roof of Fan Field Farm can also be seen.

 

161-165.(7/5/16). And, the reason for being here at all on this 7th May, 2016. I don't recall a H.S.T. coming along here either before this one or indeed after it, to this day, so this was a bit of an event and once again, worth the jaunt over there. It was all in aid of a day out at the seaside on the north Lincolnshire coast and arrived into this area 15 minutes before noon on this day having set off from St Pancras at 07:32. This is the 'East Midland Trains', 'The Midland & Gt. Central Rail Tour', with class 43, H.S.T. sets, 43050 and 43059 on the 1Z43, St Pancras High Level to Cleethorpes Charter. The 'Six Bells Junction' website has the full details, see-

www.sixbellsjunction.co.uk/10s/160507uk.htm

Having arrive at 14:00 on the east coast, the passengers had 4 hours to enjoy the delights of Cleethorpes before setting off back at 16:00. The original two class 43 sets, failed at Derby and had to be replaced by these two at short notice, and the full set was-43050+41075+41076+40756+42328+42341+42148+42149+44051 with 43059, the H.S.T.s used clearly needed cleaning but there looks to have been not enough time!

 

166-167.(7/5/16). ONce the set had passed north on the S.Y.J.R., another couple of shots were taken of the junction, before it was all ripped up and replaced in just 5 weeks time. The platelayer's hut marks the spot, behind which, I get elevated to great heights, to take some fine shots over the Network Rail Engineering work in June, aided and abetted by 'Phil the Farmer', at Fan Field Farm in the background. The turn out speed onto the S.Y.J.R. is 25m.p.h., marked by the old cast-iron post and sign in the space between the two sets of lines... these speed restriction signs, originally with pure white numbers, are large, weighty and robust and still exist all over the network! A close-up shot follows showing the fence I will be looking over in around 5 weeks whilst being10m up in the air!

 

168-180.(14/6/17). Its the 14th June, 2017 and marks the time I arrived here, having confirmed with 'Phil the Farmer' that I could come onto his property to take some shots of the Engineering work. He was most pleasant and happy to assist and it was he who suggested that I may prefer a better vantage point, the last three shots in this section and indeed in this second part of the S.Y.J.R. video, show what was involved... The first shot shows the warning for the foot-crossing passing across the lie towards the Chesterfield Canal with, behind it, Worksop's W0518 signal, showing red, as were all the other signals around here as the area was under a Line Possession with already sections of the track missing. Beyond the signal to the right of it, Network Rail personnel are working on the lineside signal cabinets, the one in the foreground next to the signal has its door open and there is another where the 'orange-jacket' is standing. The small fenced off sections to the left and right of the warning sign are actually an underpass, from the Fan Field Farm area, passing under the tracks to the other side.. something Phil was only to happy for me to use though the area was 'somewhat' overgrown... The next 12 shots in this second to last section, show various views of the on-going track and ballast work taking place on both the main line and the junction with the S.Y.J.R.

By the time I arrived here in mid-June, 2017, a lot of the work had been done, old rail had been removed, including all that in the Brancliffe East Junction cross-overs, new ballast had been dropped, must of the alignment was on-going and there was plenty of ancillary work being undertaken. The 12 views show what was going on from the vantage of the corner of 'Phil's Field' right next to the back of the Platelayer's hut. At one stage I walked under the tracks though the culvert and photographed the scene from the other side though the shots were hampered, as always, by lineside Silver Birch saplings which got in the way. It also looks like the old metal 25m.p.h. sign may have been dispensed with and some tidying up had been undertaken; the platelayer's hut was, and is, however still present. The views from the other side of the tracks look both east and west during a period in which the Engineering work, now, looks to be largely winding down and getting back to the other side of the tracks, through the culvert under the tracks and back in the corner of Fan Field Farm between the two sets of tracks, S.Y.J.R. on the left and the Lincoln Main Line passing on the right, its time to 'prep' myself for Phil's idea of hoisting me aloft in a box attached to the fork lift on the front of his tractor, 'for a much better view'! Which, actually turned out to be the case.

 

181-183.(14/6/17). On this same day, having ambled about taking as many shots of interest I could,, the first of the last 3 shots of the whole video, shows the arrangement of the 'lifting platform' which Phil rigged up for me to stand in.. my car at that time, a Honda CRV, is just behind. Phil is in the tractor already to go, his Farm is in the background and all I have to do is climb on-board! What could possibly go wrong, as it turned out, nothing at all.. you may just want to imagine what the N.R. track workers thought as I rose aloft in the high sided pallet and peered over the end of the fences and started to take shots from a perfect perspective! The last 2 of the three shots shows the view from the back of the tractor looking towards the corner of the field, the platelayer's hut and onto the scene at Brancliffe East Junction; all I needed now, was height. So, the very last picture shows me in shorts and 'T' with Canon dangling and Phil, having parked the tractor and secured the platform mechanism, gets out and wanders off leaving me too it.. good job I had his phone number and my mobile with me..! It was from this vantage point that all the last shots were taken over the Junction, there weren't all that many, for the effort which had been made as the scene looked fairly static.. a train or two going through would have helped immensely but, of course, that couldn't happen..

 

Here endeth this tale of the South Yorkshire Joint Railway, a perspective taken between the years 2011 and 2018.. I hope you have enjoyed it as an awful lot of work has been put into this. 37 hours for the first part and by the time the video is re-edited again it will be getting on for 40 hours for this part...

Another long-lasting Ford with Andrew's was EUA 366, which arrived here from Smith's of Tysoe in 1980 as DWK 413T, when just over a year old. It ran here until 1997, then passed to a couple of other local Derbyshire operators. It left there in 2003, and appears to have survived somewhere for another 2-3 years, but nothing about its fate is known.

 

Monyash Road, Bakewell, 5/5/88

 

The T-34 is a Soviet medium tank from World War II. When introduced, its 76.2 mm (3 in) tank gun was more powerful than its contemporaries, and its 60-degree sloped armour provided good protection against anti-tank weapons. The T-34 had a profound effect on the conflict on the Eastern Front, and had a long-lasting impact on tank design. The tank was praised by multiple German generals when encountered during Operation Barbarossa, although its armour and armament were surpassed later in the war. Though, its main strength was its cost and production time, meaning that German panzer forces would often fight against Soviet tank forces several times their size. The T-34 is also a critical part of the mechanized divisions that form the backbone of the Deep Battle Strategy.

 

The T-34 was the mainstay of the Soviet Red Army armoured forces throughout the war. Its general specifications remained nearly unchanged until early 1944, when it received a firepower upgrade with the introduction of the greatly improved T-34-85 variant. Its production method was continuously refined and rationalized to meet the needs of the Eastern Front, making the T-34 quicker and cheaper to produce. The Soviets ultimately built over 80,000 T-34s of all variants, allowing steadily greater numbers to be fielded despite the loss of tens of thousands in combat against the German Wehrmacht.

 

Replacing many light and medium tanks in Red Army service, it was the most-produced tank of the war, as well as the second most-produced tank of all time (after its successor, the T-54/T-55 series). With 44,900 lost during the war, it also suffered the most tank losses ever. Its development led directly to the T-44, then the T-54 and T-55 series of tanks, which in turn evolved into the later T-62, that form the armoured core of many modern armies. T-34 variants were widely exported after World War II, and as recently as 2010 more than 130 were still in service.

 

Development and production

Origins

In 1939, the most numerous Soviet tank models were the T-26 infantry tank and the BT series of fast tanks. The T-26 was slow-moving, designed to keep pace with infantry on the ground. The BT tanks were cavalry tanks: fast-moving and light, designed for manoeuver warfare. Both were Soviet developments of foreign designs from the early 1930s: the T-26 was based on the British Vickers 6-Ton, and the BT tanks were based on a design from American engineer J. Walter Christie.

 

In 1937, the Red Army had assigned engineer Mikhail Koshkin to lead a new team to design a replacement for the BT tanks at the Kharkiv Komintern Locomotive Plant (KhPZ). The prototype tank, designated A-20, had a modified BA-20 engine and was specified with 20 mm (0.8 in) of armour, a 45 mm (1.77 in) gun, the production model used a Model V-2-34 engine, a less-flammable diesel fuel in a V12 configuration designed by Konstantin Chelpan. It also had an 8×6-wheel convertible drive similar to the BT tank's 8×2, which allowed it to run on wheels without caterpillar tracks. This feature had greatly saved on maintenance and repair of the unreliable tank tracks of the early 1930s, and allowed tanks to exceed 85 kilometres per hour (53 mph) on roads, but gave no advantage in combat and its complexity made it difficult to maintain. By 1937–38, track design had improved and the designers considered it a waste of space, weight, and maintenance resources, despite the road speed advantage. The A-20 also incorporated previous research (BT-IS and BT-SW-2 projects) into sloped armour: its all-round sloped armour plates were more likely to deflect rounds than perpendicular armour.

 

During the Battle of Lake Khasan in July 1938 and the Battles of Khalkhin Gol in 1939, an undeclared border war with Japan on the frontier with occupied Manchuria, the Soviets deployed numerous tanks against the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA). Although the IJA Type 95 Ha-Go light tanks had diesel engines, the Red Army's T-26 and BT tanks used petrol engines which, while common in tank designs of the time, often burst into flames when hit by IJA tank-killer teams using Molotov cocktails. Poor-quality welds in the Soviet armour plates left small gaps between them, and flaming petrol from the Molotov cocktails easily seeped into the fighting and engine compartment; portions of the armour plating that had been assembled with rivets also proved to be vulnerable. The Soviet tanks were also easily destroyed by the Japanese Type 95 tank's 37 mm gunfire, despite the low velocity of that gun, or "at any other slightest provocation". The use of riveted armour led to a problem whereby the impact of enemy shells, even if they failed to disable the tank or kill the crew on their own, would cause the rivets to break off and become projectiles inside the tank.

 

After these battles, Koshkin convinced Soviet leader Joseph Stalin to let him develop a second prototype, a more heavily armed and armoured "universal tank" that reflected the lessons learned and could replace both the T-26 and the BT tanks. Koshkin named the second prototype A-32, after its 32 mm (1.3 in) of frontal armour. It had an L-10 76.2 mm (3 in) gun, and the same Model V-2-34 diesel. Both were tested in field trials at Kubinka in 1939, with the heavier A-32 proving to be as mobile as the A-20. A still heavier version of the A-32, with 45 mm (1.77 in) of front armour, wider tracks, and a newer L-11 76.2 mm gun, was approved for production as the T-34. Koshkin chose the name after the year 1934, when he began to formulate his ideas about the new tank, and to commemorate that year's decree expanding the armoured force and appointing Sergo Ordzhonikidze to head tank production.

 

Valuable lessons from Lake Khasan and Khalkhin Gol regarding armour protection, mobility, quality welding, and main guns were incorporated into the new T-34 tank, which represented a substantial improvement over the BT and T-26 tanks in all four areas. Koshkin's team completed two prototype T-34s in January 1940. In April and May, they underwent a grueling 2,000-kilometre (1,200 mi) drive from Kharkiv to Moscow for a demonstration for the Kremlin leaders, to the Mannerheim Line in Finland, and back to Kharkiv via Minsk and Kiev. Some drivetrain shortcomings were identified and corrected.

 

Initial production

Resistance from the military command and concerns about high production cost were finally overcome by anxieties about the poor performance of Soviet tanks in the Winter War in Finland, and the effectiveness of German tanks during the Battle of France. The first production T-34s were completed in September 1940, completely replacing the production of the T-26, the BT series and the multi-turreted T-28 medium tank at the KhPZ plant. Koshkin died of pneumonia (exacerbated by the drive from Kharkiv to Moscow) at the end of that month, and the T-34's drivetrain developer, Alexander Morozov, was appointed Chief Designer.

 

The T-34 posed new challenges for the Soviet industry. It had heavier armour than any medium tank produced to date, and there were problems with defective armour plates. Only company commanders' tanks could be fitted with radios (originally the 71-TK-3 radio set), due to their expense and short supply – the rest of the tank crews in each company signalled with flags. The L-11 gun did not live up to expectations, so the Grabin Design Bureau at Gorky Factory N.92 designed the superior 76.2 mm F-34 gun. No bureaucrat would approve production of the new gun, but Gorky and KhPZ started producing it anyway; official permission came from the State Defense Committee only after troops praised the weapon's performance in combat against the Germans.

 

Production of this first T-34 series – the Model 1940 – totalled only about 400, before production was switched to the Model 1941, with the F-34 gun, 9-RS radio set (also installed on the SU-100), and even thicker armour.

 

Mass production

Subassemblies for the T-34 originated at several plants: Kharkiv Diesel Factory N.75 supplied the model V-2-34 engine, Leningrad Kirovsky Factory (formerly the Putilov works) made the original L-11 gun, and the Dinamo Factory in Moscow produced electrical components. Tanks were initially built at Plant N.183, in early 1941 at the Stalingrad Tractor Factory (STZ), and starting in July at Krasnoye Sormovo Factory N.112 in Gorky.

 

Total Soviet tank production

TypeNumber

Light tanks14,508

T-3435,119

T-34-8529,430

KV and KV-854,581

IS-3,854

SU-7612,671

SU-852,050

SU-1001,675

SU-1221,148

SU-1524,779

 

After Germany's surprise invasion of the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941 (Operation Barbarossa), the Wehrmacht's rapid advances forced the evacuation and relocation of Soviet tank factories eastwards to the Ural Mountains, an undertaking of immense scale and haste that presented enormous logistic difficulties and was extremely punishing to the workers involved. Alexander Morozov personally supervised the evacuation of all skilled engineers and laborers, machinery and stock from KhPZ to re-establish the factory at the site of the Dzerzhinsky Ural Railcar Factory in Nizhny Tagil, renamed Stalin Ural Tank Factory N.183. The Kirovsky Factory, evacuated just weeks before the Germans surrounded Leningrad, moved with the Kharkiv Diesel Factory to the Stalin Tractor Factory in Chelyabinsk, soon to be nicknamed Tankograd ("Tank City"). The workers and machinery from Leningrad's Voroshilov Tank Factory N.174 were incorporated into the Ural Factory and the new Omsk Factory N.174. The Ordzhonikidze Ural Heavy Machine Tool Works (UZTM) in Sverdlovsk absorbed workers and machines from several small machine shops in the path of German forces.

 

While these factories were being rapidly moved, the industrial complex surrounding the Dzerzhinsky Tractor Factory in Stalingrad continued to work double shifts throughout the period of withdrawal (September 1941 to September 1942) to make up for production lost, and produced 40% of all T-34s during the period. As the factory became surrounded by heavy fighting in the Battle of Stalingrad in 1942, the situation there grew desperate: manufacturing innovations were necessitated by material shortages, and stories persist of unpainted T-34 tanks driven out of the factory directly to the battlefields around it. Stalingrad kept up production until September 1942.

 

Soviet designers were aware of design deficiencies in the tank, but most of the desired remedies would have slowed tank production and so were not implemented: the only changes allowed on the production lines through to 1944 were those to make production simpler and cheaper. New methods were developed for automated welding and hardening the armour plate, including innovations by Prof. Evgeny Paton. The design of the 76.2 mm F-34 gun Model 1941 was reduced from an initial 861 parts to 614. The initial narrow, cramped turrets, both the cast one and the one welded of rolled armour plates bent to shape, were since 1942 gradually replaced with the somewhat less cramped hexagonal one; as it was mostly cast with only a few, simple flat armour plates welded in (roof etc.), this turret was actually faster to produce. Limited rubber supplies led to the adoption of all-steel, internally sprung road wheels, and a new clutch was added to an improved five-speed transmission and engine, improving reliability.

 

Over two years, the unit production cost of the T-34 was reduced from 269,500 Rbls in 1941, to 193,000 Rbls, and then to 135,000 Rbls.

 

In 1943, T-34 production had reached an average of 1,300 per month; this was the equivalent of three full-strength tank divisions. By the end of 1945, over 57,300 T-34s had been built: 34,780 T-34 tanks in multiple variants with 76.2 mm guns in 1940–44, and another 22,609 of the revised T-34-85 model in 1944–45. The single largest producer was Factory N.183 (UTZ), building 28,952 T-34s and T-34-85s from 1941 to 1945. The second-largest was Krasnoye Sormovo Factory N.112 in Gorky, with 12,604 in the same period.

 

At the start of the German-Soviet war, T-34s comprised about four percent of the Soviet tank arsenal, but by the end it made up at least 55% of tank production (based on figures from; Zheltov lists even larger numbers.

 

Following the end of the war, a further 2,701 T-34s were built prior to the end of Soviet production. Under licence, production was restarted in Poland (1951–55) and Czechoslovakia (1951–58), where 1,380 and 3,185 T-34-85s were made, respectively, by 1956. Altogether, as many as 84,070 T-34s are thought to have been built, plus 13,170 self-propelled guns built on T-34 chassis. It was the most-produced tank of the Second World War, and the second most-produced tank of all time, after its successor, the T-54/55 series.

 

Design

The T-34 had well-sloped armour, a relatively powerful engine and wide tracks. The initial T-34 version had a powerful 76.2 mm gun, and is often called the T-34/76 (originally a World War II German designation, never used by the Red Army). In 1944, a second major version began production, the T-34-85, with a larger 85 mm gun intended to deal with newer German tanks.

 

Comparisons can be drawn between the T-34 and the U.S. M4 Sherman tank. Both tanks were the backbone of the armoured units in their respective armies, both nations distributed these tanks to their allies, who also used them as the mainstay of their own armoured formations, and both were upgraded extensively and fitted with more powerful guns. Both were designed for mobility and ease of manufacture and maintenance, sacrificing some performance for these goals. Both chassis were used as the foundation for a variety of support vehicles, such as armour recovery vehicles, tank destroyers, and self-propelled artillery. Both were an approximately even match for the standard German medium tank, the Panzer IV, though each of these three tanks had particular advantages and weaknesses compared with the other two. Neither the T-34 nor the M4 was a match for Germany's heavier tanks, the Panther (technically a medium tank) or the Tiger I; the Soviets used the IS-2 heavy tank and the U.S. used the M26 Pershing as the heavy tanks of their forces instead.

 

Armour

The heavily sloped armour design made the tank better protected than the armour thickness alone would indicate. The shape also saved weight by reducing the thickness required to achieve equal protection. A few tanks also had appliqué armour of varying thickness welded onto the hull and turret. Tanks thus modified were called s ekranami (Russian: с экранами, "with screens").

 

The USSR donated two combat-used Model 1941 T-34s to the United States for testing purposes in late 1942. The examinations, performed at the Aberdeen Proving Ground, revealed problems with overall armour build quality, especially of the plate joins and welds, as well as the use of soft steel combined with shallow surface tempering. Leak issues were noted: "In a heavy rain lots of water flows through chinks/cracks, which leads to the disabling of the electrical equipment and even the ammunition". Earlier models of the T-34, until the Model 1942, had cast turrets whose armour was softer than that of the other parts of the tank, and offered poor resistance even to 37 mm anti-aircraft shells. Early T-34s also suffered from poor quality welds, leading to instances of shells which would not have penetrated the tank under normal circumstances to penetrate anyway. They also suffered from rushed manufacturing, leading to inconsistent protection.

 

In addition, close examination of the T-34 at the Aberdeen Testing Ground showed that a variety of alloys were used in different portions of the armour on the T-34. "Mn-Si-Mo steels were employed for the thinner rolled armour sections, Cr-Mo steels for the thicker rolled armour sections, Mn-Si-Ni-Cr-Mo steels were employed for both rolled and cast steel components from 2" to 5" in thickness, and Ni-Cr-Mo steels were employed for some of the moderately thick cast armour sections". The armour was heat-treated in order to prevent penetration by armour-piercing shells, but this also caused it to be structurally weak, as the armor was very hard and thus brittle, resulting in strikes by high explosive shells causing spalling.

 

Despite these deficiencies, the T-34's armour proved problematic for the Germans in the initial stages of the war on the Eastern Front. In one wartime account, a single T-34 came under heavy fire upon encountering one of the most common German anti-tank guns at that stage of the war: "Remarkably enough, one determined 37 mm gun crew reported firing 23 times against a single T-34 tank, only managing to jam the tank’s turret ring." Similarly, a German report of May 1942 noted the ineffectiveness of their 50 mm gun as well, noting that "Combating the T-34 with the 5 cm KwK tank gun is possible only at short ranges from the flank or rear, where it is important to achieve a hit as perpendicular to the surface as possible." However, a Military Commissariat Report of the 10th Tank Division, dated 2 August 1941 reported that within 300–400 m the 37 mm Pak 36's armour-piercing shot could defeat the frontal armour. According to an examination of damaged T-34 tanks in several repair workshops in August to September 1942, collected by the People's Commissariat for Tank Industry in January 1943, 54.3% of all T-34 losses were caused by the German long-barreled 5 cm KwK 39 gun.

 

As the war went on, the T-34 gradually lost some of its initial advantages. The Germans responded to the T-34 by fielding large numbers of improved anti-tank weapons such as the towed 7.5 cm Pak 40 anti-tank gun, while hits from 88 mm-armed Tigers, anti-aircraft guns and 8.8 cm Pak 43 anti-tank guns usually proved lethal. In 1942 the German Panzer IVs were refitted with the 7.5 cm KwK 40 due to the inadequate anti-tank performance of previous German tank designs against the T-34. The upgunned Panzer IV posed a serious threat to the T-34-76, being able to penetrate the frontal turret of a T-34-76 at a range of 1,200 m (3,900 ft) at any angle.

 

A Wa Pruef 1 report estimated that, with the target angled 30° sideward, a Panther tank could penetrate the turret of a T-34-85 from the front at ranges up to 2000 m, the mantlet at 1200 m, and the frontal hull armour at 300 m. According to the Pantherfibel (the Panther tank manual for its crew), the T-34's glacis could be penetrated from 800 m and the mantlet from 1500 m at 30° sideward angle.

 

A Waffenamt-Prüfwesen 1 report estimated that with the T-34 angled 30 degrees sidewards and APCBC round, the Tiger I's 8.8 cm KwK 36 L/56 would have to close in to 100 m (110 yd) to achieve a penetration in the T-34's glacis, and could penetrate the frontal turret of a T-34-85 at 1,400 m, the mantlet at 400 m, and the nose at 300 m Ground trials by employees of NIBT Polygon in May 1943 reported that the 88 mm KwK 36 gun could pierce the T-34 frontal hull from 1,500 meters at 90 degrees and cause a disastrous burst effect inside the tank. The examined hull showed cracks, spalling, and delamination due to the poor quality of the armour. It was recommended to increase and improve the quality of welds and armour.

 

Analysis of destroyed T-34 tanks in the Korean War found that the 76 and 90 mm armour-piercing rounds of the M41 Walker Bulldog and M46 Patton could penetrate the T-34 at most angles from 800 yd (730 m). The maximum range at which the tanks could penetrate the T-34 could not be determined due to a lack of data at higher combat ranges.

 

In late 1950 a T-34-85 tank was captured by the UN security force in the Korean War. An evaluation of the tank was conducted by the USA which found that the sloped armour of the T-34 was desirable for deflecting shells. They also concluded that the armour was deemed as satisfactory as armour strength was comparable to US armour of similar hardness and that the quality of the material used was "high-grade". Similarly, casting was seen as high quality although casting defects were found in the side armour of the tank that negatively affected armour strength. The abundance of gaps in the joints of the armour was seen as an undesirable feature of the tank due to the risk of injury from "entry of bullet splash and shell fragments".

 

Firepower

The 76.2 mm (3.00 in) F-34 gun, fitted on the vast majority of T-34s produced through to the beginning of 1944, was able to penetrate any early German tank's armour at normal combat ranges. When firing APCR shells, it could pierce 92 mm (3.6 in) at 500 m (1,600 ft) and 60 mm (2.4 in) of armour at 1,000 m (3,300 ft) The best German tanks of 1941, the Panzer III and Panzer IV, had no more than 50 or 60 mm (2.0 or 2.4 in) of flat frontal armour. However by 1942 the Germans had increased the hull armour on the Panzer IV to 80 mm (3.1 in) which provided good protection at normal combat distances. The F-34 also fired an adequate high explosive round.

 

The gun sights and range finding for the F-34 main gun (either the TMFD-7 or the PT4-7) were rather crude, especially compared to those of their German adversaries, affecting accuracy and the ability to engage at long ranges.[68] As a result of the T-34's two-man turret, weak optics and poor vision devices, the Germans noted:

 

T-34s operated in a disorganized fashion with little coordination or else tended to clump together like a hen with its chicks. Individual tank commanders lacked situational awareness due to the poor provision of vision devices and preoccupation with gunnery duties. A tank platoon would seldom be capable of engaging three separate targets but would tend to focus on a single target selected by the platoon leader. As a result, T-34 platoons lost the greater firepower of three independently operating tanks.

 

The Germans also noted that the T-34 was very slow to find and engage targets, while their own tanks could typically get off three rounds for every one fired by the T-34. As the war progressed the Germans created heavier tank designs like the Tiger I or Panther which were both immune to the 76mm gun of the T-34 when fired upon from the front. This meant that they could only be penetrated from the sides at ranges of a few hundred metres. Due to low anti-tank performance, the T-34 was upgraded to the T-34-85 model. This model, with its 85 mm (3.35 in) ZiS gun, provided greatly increased firepower compared to the previous T-34's 76.2mm gun. The 85 mm gun could penetrate the turret front of a Tiger I tank from 500 m (550 yd) and the driver's front plate from 300 m (330 yd) at the side angle of 30 degrees, and the larger turret enabled the addition of another crew member, allowing the roles of commander and gunner to be separated and increasing the rate of fire and overall effectiveness. The D-5T was capable of penetrating the Tiger I's upper hull armour at 1,000 metres. When firing on the frontal armour of the Panther at an angle of 30 degrees sidewards, the T-34-85 could not penetrate its turret at 500 m (550 yd). This meant that the T-34 would have to resort to using tungsten rounds or firing on the weaker sides of the Panther to destroy it.

 

The greater length of the 85 mm gun barrel – 4.645 m (15 ft 2.9 in) – made it necessary for crews to be careful not to plough it into the ground on bumpy roads or in combat. Tank commander A.K. Rodkin commented: "the tank could have dug the ground with it in the smallest ditch [filling the barrel with dirt]. If you fired it after that, the barrel would open up at the end like the petals of a flower", destroying the barrel. Standard practice when moving the T-34-85 cross-country in non-combat situations was to fully elevate the gun, or reverse the turret.

 

During the Korean War, the USA captured a T-34-85. US engineering analysis and testing concluded that the T-34-85 could penetrate 4.1 in (100 mm) at 1,000 yd (910 m), performing similarly to the HVAP rounds of the M41. The Americans also concluded the maximum range of the gun was 2–3 km (1.2–1.9 mi), but the effective range was only up to 1,900 m (1.2 mi).

 

Mobility

The T-34 was powered by a Model V-2-34 38.8 L V12 Diesel engine of 500 hp (370 kW),[d] giving a top speed of 53 km/h (33 mph). It used the coil-spring Christie suspension of the earlier BT-series tanks, using a "slack track" tread system with a rear-mounted drive sprocket and no system of return rollers for the upper run of track, but dispensed with the heavy and ineffective convertible drive. T-34 tanks equipped with the 4-speed gearbox could only use 4th gear on road, being limited to 3rd on terrain. In the first batch of T-34s, shifting from 2nd to 3rd required a force of 46-112 kg. In September 1941, however, changes were made which lowered the effort to under 31 kg by changing the 3rd gear ratio, which lowered top speed in 3rd gear from 29 km/h to 25 km/h, but made shifting easier. Using the 5-speed gearbox allowed the T-34 to use 4th gear on terrain, with which it could reach 30 km/h.

 

The T-34-76's ground pressure was around 0.72 kg/cm². Its wide tracks allowed for superior performance on dirt roads and off-road when compared to contemporary tanks. There were, however, still examples of T-34s getting stuck in mud. For example, in 1944 February 4, the 21st Guards Tank Brigade with 32 T-34, was ordered to proceed by road to Tolstoye Rogi, a journey of approximately 80 kilometers. Of the 32 tanks, no less than 19 got stuck in the mud or suffered mechanical breakdowns.

 

Ergonomics

The original 76mm armed T-34 suffered from the unsatisfactory ergonomic layout of its crew compartment compared to the later 85mm variant. The two-man turret crew arrangement required the commander to aim and fire the gun, an arrangement common to most Soviet tanks of the day. The two-man turret was "cramped and inefficient" and was inferior to the three-man (commander, gunner, and loader) turret crews of German Panzer III and Panzer IV tanks. The Germans noted the T-34 was very slow to find and engage targets while the Panzers could typically get off three rounds for every one fired by the T-34.

 

Early in the war, the commander fought at a further disadvantage; the forward-opening hatch and the lack of a turret cupola forced him to observe the battlefield through a single vision slit and traversable periscope.[81] German commanders liked to fight "heads-up", with their seat raised and having a full field of view – in the T-34 this was impossible. Soviet veterans condemned the turret hatches of the early models. Nicknamed pirozhok ("stuffed bun") because of its characteristic shape, it was heavy and hard to open. The complaints of the crews urged the design group led by Alexander Morozov to switch in August 1942 to using two hatches in the turret.

 

The loader also had a difficult job due to the lack of a turret basket (a rotating floor that moves as the turret turns); the same fault was present on all German tanks prior to the Panzer IV. The floor under the T-34's turret was made up of ammunition stored in small metal boxes, covered by a rubber mat. There were nine ready rounds of ammunition stowed in racks on the sides of the fighting compartment. Once these rounds had been used, the crew had to pull additional ammunition out of the floor boxes, leaving the floor littered with open bins and matting and reducing their performance.

 

The main weakness [of the two-man turret of a T-34 Model 1941] is that it is very tight. The Americans couldn't understand how our tankers could fit inside during a winter when they wear sheepskin jackets. The electrical mechanism for rotating the turret is very bad. The motor is weak, very overloaded and sparks horribly, as a result of which the device regulating the speed of the rotation burns out, and the teeth of the cogwheels break into pieces. They recommend replacing it with a hydraulic or simply manual system. Due to not having a turret basket the crew was [sic] could be injured by getting caught in the drive mechanism, this could leave them out of combat for a while, the lack of a turret basket also caused general discomfort to the crew, having to manually turn.

 

Most of the problems created by the cramped T-34/76 turret, known before the war, were corrected with the provision of a bigger cast three-man turret[86] on the T-34-85 in 1944.

 

General reliability

The T-34's wide track and good suspension gave it excellent cross-country performance. Early in the tank's life, however, this advantage was greatly reduced by the numerous teething troubles the design displayed: a long road trip could be a lethal exercise for a T-34 tank at the start of the war. When in June 1941, the 8th Mechanised Corps under Dmitry Ryabyshev marched 500 km towards Dubno, the corps lost half of its vehicles. A.V. Bodnar, who was in combat in 1941–42, recalled:

 

From the point of view of operating them, the German armoured machines were almost perfect, they broke down less often. For the Germans, covering 200 km was nothing, but with T-34s something would have been lost, something would have broken down. The technological equipment of their machines was better, the combat gear was worse.

 

The T-34 gearbox had four forward and one reverse gear, replaced by a five-speed box on the last of the 1943 model of the T-34.

 

The tracks of early models were the most frequently repaired part. A.V. Maryevski later remembered:

 

The caterpillars used to break apart even without a bullet or shell hits. When earth got stuck between the road wheels, the caterpillar, especially during a turn – strained to such an extent that the pins and tracks themselves couldn't hold out.

 

The USSR donated two combat-used Model 1941 T-34s to the United States for testing purposes in late 1942. The examinations, performed at the Aberdeen Proving Ground, highlighted these early faults, which were in turn acknowledged in a 1942 Soviet report on the results of the testing:

 

The Christie's suspension was tested a long time ago by the Americans and unconditionally rejected. On our tanks, as a result of the poor steel on the springs, it very quickly fatigues and as a result clearance is noticeably reduced. The deficiencies in our tracks from their viewpoint result from the lightness of their construction. They can easily be damaged by small-caliber and mortar rounds. The pins are extremely poorly tempered and made of poor steel. As a result, they quickly wear and the track often breaks.

 

Testing at Aberdeen also revealed that engines could grind to a halt from dust and sand ingestion, as the original "Pomon" air filter was almost totally ineffective and had an insufficient air-inflow capacity, starving the combustion chambers of oxygen, lowering compression, and thereby restricting the engine from operating at full capacity. The air filter issue was later remedied by the addition of "Cyclone" filters on the Model 1943, and even more efficient "Multi-Cyclone" filters on the T-34-85.

 

The testing at Aberdeen revealed other problems as well. The turret drive also suffered from poor reliability. The use of poorly machined, low quality steel side friction clutches and the T-34's outdated and poorly manufactured transmission meant frequent mechanical failure occurred and that they "create an inhuman harshness for the driver". A lack of properly installed and shielded radios – if they existed at all – restricted their operational range to under 16 km (9.9 mi).

 

Judging by samples, Russians when producing tanks pay little attention to careful machining or the finishing and technology of small parts and components, which leads to the loss of the advantage what would otherwise accrue from what on the whole are well-designed tanks. Despite the advantages of the use of diesel, the good contours of the tanks, thick armor, good and reliable armaments, the successful design of the tracks etc., Russian tanks are significantly inferior to American tanks in their simplicity of driving, manoeuvrability, the strength of firing (reference to muzzle velocity), speed, the reliability of mechanical construction and the ease of keeping them running.

 

Soviet tests on newly built T-34’s showed that in April 1943 only 10.1% could complete a 330 km trial and in June ’43 this went down to 7.7%. The percentage stayed below 50% till October 1943 when it rose to 78%, in the next month it dropped to 57% and in the period December ’43 – January ’44 the average was 82%. During February 1944 tests, 79% of tanks reached 300 kilometers, and of the test batches 33% reached 1,000 kilometers. This became immediately apparent to the tank troops. The deputy commander of the 1st Guards Tank Army, P. G. Dyner, commented that tanks in 1943 would reach only 75 percent of their guaranteed life span in engine hours and mileage, but in 1944 they reached 150 percent.

 

In 1944 June, a report written by the 2. Panzerjäger-Abteilung Company 128 (23. PzDiv.) described experiences acquired during operations with its Beutepanzer SU-85 and T-34:

 

Despite not having much experience yet, it can be said that the Russian battle tank is not suitable for carrying out long marches as well as high-speed marches. A maximum driving speed of 10–12 km / h has become convenient. During the marches and in order to allow the engines to cool down, it is absolutely necessary to make a stop every half hour for a minimum duration of between fifteen and twenty minutes.

 

Steering gears have caused problems and breakdowns on all new battle tanks. In difficult terrain, during the gears or also during the course of attacks where many changes of direction are made, the steering clutch heats up and covers with oil quickly: consequently the clutch does not engage and it is impossible to maneuver the vehicle. Once it has cooled down, the clutch should be cleaned with copious amounts of fuel.

 

In relation to the armament and based on the experiences acquired so far, it can be affirmed that the power of the 7.62 cm cannon is good. If the barrel is adjusted correctly it has good precision even at great distances. The same can be said of the rest of the automatic weapons of the battle tank. The weapons have good precision and reliability, although a slow rate of fire.

 

The Company has had the same positive experiences with the 8.5 cm assault gun. Regarding the true power of fire compared to the 7.62 cm gun, the Company is not yet able to give details. The effect of explosive projectiles ( Sprenggranaten ) at great distances and its precision is much higher than that of the 7.62 cm cannon.

 

The optical systems of the Russian battle tank are, in comparison with the Germans, much inferior. The German gunner has to get used to the Russian telescopic sight. Observing the impact or the trajectory of the projectile through the telescopic sight is only partially possible. The gunner of the Russian T-43 [sic] battle tank has only a panoramic optic, located in the upper left area, in front of the telescopic sight. In order for the loader to be able to observe the trajectory of the projectile in any case, the Company has additionally incorporated a second panoramic optics for this member of the crew.

 

In the Russian tank it is very difficult to steer the vehicle or a unit and shoot simultaneously. Coordinating fire within a company is only partially possible.

 

On January 29, 1945, the State Defense Committee approved a decree that extended the service life guarantee of the T-34's V-2-34 engine from 200 hours to 250 hours. A report by the 2nd Guards Tank Army in February 1945 revealed that the average engine service life of a T-34 was lower than the official warranty at 185–190 hours. For comparison, the US M4 Sherman had an average engine service life of 195–205 hours.

 

Operational history

Operation Barbarossa (1941)

Germany launched Operation Barbarossa, its invasion of the Soviet Union, on 22 June 1941. At the start of hostilities, the Red Army had 967 T-34 tanks and 508 KV tanks concentrated in five of their twenty-nine mechanized corps. The existence of the T-34 and KV heavy tanks proved a psychological shock to German soldiers, who had expected to face an inferior enemy. The T-34 was superior to any tank the Germans then had in service. The diary of Alfred Jodl seems to express surprise at the appearance of the T-34 in Riga, noting "the surprise at this new and thus unknown wunder-armament being unleashed against the German assault divisions". Paul Ludwig Ewald von Kleist, called it "the finest tank in the world" and Heinz Guderian affirmed the T-34's "vast superiority" over German tanks.

 

Initially, the Wehrmacht had great difficulty destroying T-34s in combat, as standard German anti-tank weaponry proved ineffective against its heavy, sloped armour. In one of the first known encounters, a T-34 crushed a 3.7 cm PaK 36, destroyed two Panzer IIs, and left a 14-kilometre (8.7 mi) long swathe of destruction in its wake before a howitzer destroyed it at close range. In another incident, a single Soviet T-34 was hit more than 30 times by a battalion-sized contingent of German 37mm and 50mm anti-tank guns, yet survived intact and drove back to its own lines a few hours later. The inability to penetrate the T-34's armour led to the Germans' standard anti-tank gun, the 37 mm PaK 36, being dubbed the Panzeranklopfgerät ("tank door knocker") because the PaK 36 crew simply revealed their presence and wasted their shells without damaging the T-34's armour. Anti-tank gunners began aiming at tank tracks, or vulnerable margins on the turret ring and gun mantlet, rather than the bow and turret armour. The Germans were forced to deploy 105 mm field guns and 88 mm anti-aircraft guns in a direct fire role to stop them.

 

Despite this, the Soviet corps equipped with these new tanks lost most of them within weeks. The combat statistics for 1941 show that the Soviets lost an average of over seven tanks for every German tank lost. The Soviets lost a total of 20,500 tanks in 1941 (approximately 2,300 of them T-34s, as well as over 900 heavy tanks, mostly KVs). The destruction of the Soviet tank force was accomplished not only by the glaring disparity in the tactical and operational skills of the opponents, but also by mechanical defects that afflicted Soviet armour. Besides the poor state of older tanks, the new T-34s and KVs suffered from initial mechanical and design problems, particularly with regard to clutches and transmissions. Mechanical breakdowns accounted for at least 50 percent of the tank losses in the summer fighting, and recovery or repair equipment was not to be found. The shortage of repair equipment and recovery vehicles led the early T-34 crews to enter combat carrying a spare transmission on the engine deck.

 

Other key factors diminishing the initial impact of T-34s on the battlefield were the poor state of leadership, tank tactics, initial lack of radios in tanks, and crew training; these factors were partially consequences of Stalin's purge of the Soviet officer corps in 1937, reducing the army's efficiency and morale. This was aggravated as the campaign progressed by the loss of many of the properly trained personnel during the Red Army's disastrous defeats early in the invasion. Typical crews went into combat with only basic military training plus 72 hours of classroom instruction; according to historian Steven Zaloga:

 

The weakness of mechanized corps lay not in the design of their equipment, but rather in its poor mechanical state, the inadequate training of their crews, and the abysmal quality of Soviet military leadership in the first month of the war.

 

Further action (1942–1943)

As the invasion progressed, German infantry began receiving increasing numbers of the 7.5 cm Pak 40 anti-tank guns, which were capable of penetrating the T-34's armour at long range. Larger numbers of the 88 mm Flak guns also arrived, which could easily defeat a T-34 at very long ranges, though their size and general unwieldiness meant that they were often difficult to move into position in the rough Soviet terrain.

 

At the same time, the Soviets incrementally upgraded the T-34. The Model 1942 featured increased armour on the turret and many simplified components. The Model 1943 (confusingly also introduced in 1942) had yet more armour, as well as increased fuel capacity and more ammunition storage. Also added were an improved engine air filter and a new clutch mated to an improved and more reliable five-speed transmission. Finally, the Model 1943 also had a new, slightly roomier (but still two-man) turret of a distinctive hexagonal shape that was easier to manufacture, derived from the abandoned T-34M project.

 

The T-34 was essential in resisting the German summer offensive in 1942, and executing the double encirclement manoeuvre that cut off the German Sixth Army at Stalingrad in December 1942. The Sixth Army was surrounded, and eventually surrendered in February 1943, a campaign widely regarded as the turning point of the war on the Eastern Front.

 

In 1943, the Soviets formed Polish and Czechoslovak armies-in-exile, and these started to receive the T-34 Model 1943 with a hexagonal turret. Like the Soviet forces themselves, the Polish and Czechoslovak tank crews were sent into action quickly with little training, and suffered high casualties.

 

In July 1943, the Germans launched Operation Citadel, in the region around Kursk, their last major offensive on the Eastern Front in the Second World War. It was the debut of the German Panther tank, although the numbers employed at the resulting Battle of Kursk were small and the brunt of the burden was carried by the Panzer III, StuG III, and Panzer IV. The campaign featured the largest tank battles in history. The high-water mark of the battle was the massive armour engagement at Prokhorovka, which began on 12 July, though the vast majority of armour losses on both sides were caused by artillery and mines, rather than tanks. Over 6,000 fully tracked armoured vehicles, 4,000 combat aircraft, and 2 million men are believed to have participated in these battles.

 

The Soviet high command's decision to focus on one cost-effective design, cutting costs and simplifying production wherever possible while only allowing relatively minor improvements, had proven to be an astute choice for the first two years of the war. However, the battles in the summer of 1943 demonstrated that the 76.2 mm gun of the T-34 was no longer as effective as it was in 1941. Soviet tank crews struggled at longer ranges with the additional frontal armour applied to the later variants of the Panzer III and Panzer IV, and were unable to penetrate the frontal armour of the new German Panther or Tiger I tank at standard combat ranges without tungsten rounds, and had to rely on tactical skill through flanking manoeuvres and combined arms.

 

T-34-85

After improved German Panzer IVs with the high-velocity 7.5cm (2.95 in) KwK 40 gun were encountered in combat in 1942, a project to design an entirely new Soviet tank was begun, with the goals of increasing armour adding modern features like a torsion-bar suspension and a three-man turret. The new tank, the T-43, was intended to be a universal model to replace both the T-34 and the KV-1 heavy tank. However, the T-43 prototype's armour, though heavier, was not capable against German 88 mm guns, while its mobility was found to be inferior to the T-34. Finally, although the T-43 shared over 70% of its components with the T-34, manufacturing it would still have required a significant slow-down in production. Consequently, the T-43 was cancelled.

 

Not only were the weapons of German tanks improving, so was their armour. Soviet firing tests against a captured Tiger I heavy tank in April 1943 showed that the T-34's 76 mm gun could not penetrate the front of the Tiger I at all, and the side only at very close range. A Soviet 85 mm anti-aircraft gun, the M1939 (52-K), was found capable of doing the job, and so derivatives of it were developed for tanks. One of the resulting guns used on the original T-34 85 model (the D-5T) was capable of penetrating the Tiger I's upper hull armour at 1,000 metres. It was still not enough to match the Tiger, which could destroy the T-34 from a distance of 1,500 to 2,000 m (4,900 to 6,600 ft), but it was a noticeable improvement.

 

With the T-43 canceled, the Soviet command made the decision to retool the factories to produce an improved version of the T-34. Its turret ring was enlarged from 1,425 mm (56 in) to 1,600 mm (63 in), allowing a larger turret to be fitted supporting the larger 85 mm gun. The prototype T-43's turret design was hurriedly adopted by Vyacheslav Kerichev at the Krasnoye Sormovo Factory to fit the T-34. This was a larger three-man turret, with radio (previously in the hull) and observation cupola in the roof. Now the tank commander needed only to command (aided by cupola and radio systems), leaving the operation of the gun to the gunner and the loader. The turret was bigger and less sloped than the original T-34 turret, making it a bigger target (due to the three-man crew and bigger gun), but with thicker 90 mm armour, making it more resistant to enemy fire. The shells were 50% heavier (9 kg) and were much better in the anti-armour role, and reasonable in a general purpose role, though only 55–60 could be carried, instead of 90–100 of the earlier shells. The resulting new tank, the T-34-85, was seen as a compromise between advocates for the T-43 and others who wanted to continue to build as many 76 mm-armed T-34s as possible without interruption.

 

Production of the T-34-85 began in January 1944 at Factory No. 112, first using the D-5T 85 mm gun. Parallel to the production of the T-34-85 with the D-5T gun, production of the T-34-85 using the S-53 gun (later to be modified and redesignated as the ZIS-S-53 gun) began in February 1944 at Factory No. 112. The improved T-34-85 became the standard Soviet medium tank, with an uninterrupted production run until the end of the war. A T-34-85 initially cost about 30 percent more to produce than a Model 1943, at 164,000 Rbls; by 1945 this had been reduced to 142,000 Rbls during the course of World War II the cost of a T-34 tank had almost halved, from 270,000 Rbls in 1941, while its top speed remained about the same, and its main gun's armour penetration and turret frontal armour thickness both nearly doubled.

 

The T-34-85 gave the Red Army a tank with better armour and mobility than the German Panzer IV tank and StuG III assault gun. While it could not match the armour or weapons of the heavier Panther and Tiger tanks, its improved firepower made it much more effective than earlier models, and overall it was more cost-effective than the heaviest German tanks. In comparison with the T-34-85 program, the Germans instead chose an upgrade path based on the introduction of completely new, expensive, heavier, and more complex tanks, greatly slowing the growth of their tank production and helping the Soviets to maintain a substantial numerical superiority in tanks. By May 1944, T-34-85 production had reached 1,200 tanks per month. In the entire war, production figures for all Panther types reached no more than 6,557, and for all Tiger types (including the Tiger I and Tiger II) 2,027. Production figures for the T-34-85 alone reached 22,559.

 

On 12 January 1945, a column of Tiger IIs and other tanks from 424th Heavy Panzer Battalion were involved in a short-range engagement with T-34-85 tanks near the village of Lisow. Forty T-34-85 tanks commanded by Colonel N. Zhukov were attacked by the 424th Heavy Panzer battalion, which had been reinforced by 13 Panthers. The Germans permanently lost five Tiger IIs, seven Tiger Is and five Panthers for the loss of four T-34-85 tanks burnt out.

 

German use of T-34s

The German army often employed as much captured materiel as possible and T-34s were not an exception. Large numbers of T-34s were captured in fighting on the Eastern Front though few were T-34-85s. These were designated by the Germans as Panzerkampfwagen T-34 747. From late 1941, captured T-34s were transported to a German workshop for repairs and modification to German requirements. In 1943 a local tank factory in Kharkiv was used for this purpose. These were sometimes modified to German standards by the installation of a German commander's cupola and radio equipment.

 

The first captured T-34s entered German service during the summer of 1941. In order to prevent recognition mistakes, large-dimension crosses or even swastikas were painted on the tanks, including on top of the turret, in order to prevent attack by Axis aircraft. Badly damaged tanks were either dug in as pillboxes or were used for testing and training purposes.

 

After the end of World War II, East Germany continued to utilize the T-34.

 

Manchurian campaign (August 1945)

Just after midnight on 9 August 1945, though the terrain was believed by the Japanese to be impassable by armoured formations, the Soviet Union invaded Japanese-occupied Manchuria. Red Army combined-arms forces achieved complete surprise and used a powerful, deep-penetrating attack in a classic double encirclement pattern, spearheaded by the T-34-85. The opposing Japanese forces had been reduced as elite units had been drawn off to other fronts and the remaining forces were in the middle of a redeployment. The Japanese tanks remaining to face them were all held in the rear and not used in combat; the Japanese had weak support from IJAAF forces, engineering, and communications. Japanese forces were overwhelmed, though some put up resistance. The Japanese emperor transmitted a surrender order on 14 August, but the Kwantung Army was not given a formal cease-fire until 17 August.

 

Korean War (1950–1953)

A full North Korean People's Army (KPA) brigade equipped with about 120 Soviet-supplied T-34-85s spearheaded the invasion of South Korea in June 1950. The WWII-era 2.36-inch bazookas initially used by the US troops in South Korea were useless against the KPA's T-34 tanks, as were the 75 mm main guns of the M24 Chaffee light tank. However, following the introduction of heavier and more capable armour into the war by US and UN forces, such as the American M4 Sherman, M26 Pershing and M46 Patton tanks, as well as the British Comet and Centurion tanks, the KPA began to suffer more T-34 tank losses in combat from enemy armour, aside from further losses due to numerous US/UN airstrikes and increasingly-effective anti-tank firepower for US/UN infantry on the ground, such as the then-new 3.5-inch M20 "Super Bazooka" (replacing the earlier 2.36-inch model). By the time the NKPA were forced to withdraw from the south, about 239 T-34s and 74 SU-76 assault guns had been lost or abandoned. After October 1950, NKPA armour was rarely encountered. Despite China's entry into the conflict in the following month, no major armour deployments were carried out by them, as the Chinese focus was on massed infantry attacks rather than large-scale armour assaults. Several T-34-85s and a few IS-2 tanks were fielded, primarily dispersed amongst their infantry, thus making armoured engagements with US and UN forces rare from then on.

 

A Chinese T-34 tank No. 215 from 4th Tank Regiment, 2nd Tank Division, allegedly destroyed four enemy tanks and damaged another M46 Patton tank during its fight from 6 to 8 July 1953. It also destroyed 26 bunkers,9 artillery pieces, and a truck. That tank is now preserved in the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution.

 

In summary, a 1954 US military survey concluded that there were, in all, 119 tanks vs. tank actions involving US Army and US Marine units against North Korean and Chinese forces during the Korean War, with 97 T-34-85 tanks knocked out and another 18 considered probable. American losses were somewhat greater.

 

Angolan Civil War (1975–1988)

One of the last modern conflicts which saw the extensive combat deployment of the T-34-85 was the Angolan Civil War. In 1975, the Soviet Union shipped eighty T-34-85s to Angola as part of its support for the ongoing Cuban military intervention there. Cuban crewmen instructed FAPLA personnel in their operation; other FAPLA drivers and gunners accompanied Cuban crews in an apprentice role.

 

FAPLA began deploying T-34-85s against the UNITA and FNLA forces on June 9, 1975. The appearance of FAPLA and Cuban tanks prompted South Africa to reinforce UNITA with a single squadron of Eland-90 armoured cars.

 

Other regions and countries

In early 1991, the Yugoslav People's Army possessed 250 T-34-85s, none of which were in active service. During the breakup of Yugoslavia, the T-34-85s were inherited by the national armies of Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Serbia and Montenegro and continued to see action during the Yugoslav Wars. Some were also acquired from Yugoslav reserve stocks by Serbian separatist armies, namely the Army of the Republic of Serb Krajina (SVK) and the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS). Most of these tanks were in poor condition at the beginning of the conflict and some were soon rendered unserviceable, likely through inadequate maintenance and lack of spares.

 

On 3 May 1995, a VRS T-34-85 attacked an UNPROFOR outpost manned by the 21st Regiment of the Royal Engineers in Maglaj, Bosnia, injuring six British peacekeepers, with at least one of them sustaining a permanent disability. A number of T-34s being stored by the VRS at a base in Zvornik were temporarily confiscated by UNPROFOR as part of a local disarmament programme the following year.

 

Middle East

Czechoslovak-produced T-34-85s were used by Egypt in the Arab-Israeli Wars of 1956 and 1967 (Six-Day War) in the Sinai Peninsula. Egypt went on to build the T-34-100, a local and unique conversion that was made up of a Soviet BS-3 100 mm heavy field-artillery gun mounted within a heavily modified turret, as well as the T-34-122 mounting the D-30 gun. In 1956, they were used as regular tanks to support Egyptian infantry, the tank was still in use by the Yom Kippur War in October 1973.

 

The Syrian Army also received T-34-85s from the Soviet Union and they took part in the many artillery duels with Israeli tanks in November 1964 and in the Six-Day War of 1967.

 

Warsaw Pact

T-34-85s equipped many of the armies of Eastern European countries (later forming the Warsaw Pact) and the armies of other Soviet client-states elsewhere. East German, Hungarian and Soviet T-34-85s served in the suppression of the East German uprising of 17 June 1953 as well as the Hungarian Revolution of 1956.

 

Afghanistan

T-34-85s were sporadically available in Afghanistan. During the Soviet–Afghan War, most of the T-34s were fielded by the Sarandoy internal security forces. Some were also kept in service with the Army of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan.

 

China

After the formation of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1949, the Soviet Union sent many T-34-85s to the PRC's People's Liberation Army (PLA). Factory 617 had the ability to produce every part of the T-34-85, and during decades of service many modifications were made that visibly distinguish the PRC T-34-85 from the original specification, but no T-34-85 was actually made in China. The production plan of the T-34-85 in China was ended soon after the PRC received T-54A main battle tanks from the Soviet Union and began to build the Type 59 tank, a licensed production version of the T-54A.

 

Cuba

Cuba received 150 T-34-85 tanks as military aid from the Soviet Union in 1960. The T-34-85 was the first Soviet tank to enter service with the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR), along with the IS-2. Many T-34-85 tanks first saw action in April 1961 during the Bay of Pigs Invasion with an unknown number destroyed or knocked out during the battle. In 1975, many T-34-85s were also donated by the USSR to the FAR to support its lengthy intervention in the Angolan Civil War.

 

A platoon of five Cuban T-34-85s saw combat in Angola against South African troops during the Battle of Cassinga. The tanks were based along with a company of Cuban mechanized infantry equipped with BTR-152 armoured personnel carriers. In May 1978, South Africa launched a major airborne raid on Cassinga with the objective of destroying a SWAPO (South West African People's Organisation) base there. The Cuban forces were mobilised to stop them. As they approached Cassinga they were strafed by South African aircraft, which destroyed most of the BTR-152s and three of the T-34-85s; a fourth T-34-85 was disabled by an anti-tank mine buried in the road. The remaining tank continued to engage the withdrawing South African paratroops from a hull down position until the battle was over.

 

Over a hundred Cuban T-34-85s and their respective crews remained in Angola as of the mid 1980s. In September 1986, Cuban president Fidel Castro complained to General Konstantin Kurochkin, head of the Soviet military delegation to Angola, that his men could no longer be expected to fight South African armour with T-34s of "World War II vintage"; Castro insisted that the Soviets furbish the Cuban forces with a larger quantity of T-55s. By 1987 Castro's request appeared to have been granted, as Cuban tank battalions were able to deploy substantial numbers of T-54Bs, T-55s, and T-62s; the T-34-85 was no longer in service.

 

Cyprus

Cypriot National Guard forces equipped with some 35 T-34-85 tanks helped to support a coup by the Greek junta against President Archbishop Makarios on 15 July 1974. They also saw extensive action against Turkish forces during the Turkish invasion in July and August 1974, with two major actions at Kioneli and at Kyrenia on 20 July 1974.

 

Namibia

In 1984, the South West African People's Organisation (SWAPO) made a concerted attempt to establish its own conventional armoured battalion through its armed wing, the People's Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN). As part of this effort, SWAPO diplomatic representatives in Europe approached the German Democratic Republic with a request for ten T-34 tanks, which were delivered. PLAN T-34s were never deployed during offensive operations against the South African military, being confined to the role of protecting strategic bases inside northern Angola.

 

By 1988 the PLAN T-34-85s had been stationed near Luanda, where their crews received training from Cuban instructors. In March 1989, the PLAN tanks were mobilised and moved south towards the Namibian border. South Africa accused PLAN of planning a major offensive to influence Namibia's pending general elections, but the tank crews did not cross the border and refrained from intervening in a series of renewed clashes later that year. Between 1990 and 1991, SWAPO ordered the PLAN tanks in Angola repatriated to Namibia at its own expense. Four later entered service with the new Namibian Army.

 

Finland

The Soviet and Finnish armies used T-34s until the 1960s; the former included the 76.2 mm-armed versions until at least 1968, when they were used in filming the sequel to the movie The Alive and the Dead. The Finnish tanks were captured directly from the Soviets or purchased from Germany's captured stocks. Many of the Т-34-85s were enhanced with Finnish or Western equipment, such as improved optics.

 

Vietnam

During the Vietnam War, the North Vietnamese Army was equipped with many Soviet T-34-85 and these were used in the Operation Lam Son 719, the 1972 Easter Offensive and the 1975 Spring Offensive. They were later used during the Vietnamese invasion of Kampuchea and the Sino-Vietnamese War. A small number are currently being used as trainers. The rest are in storage and no longer serve as active duty battle tanks.

 

Yemen

In 2015, both T-34-85 Model 1969 tanks and SU-100 self-propelled guns were photographed being used in Houthi takeover in Yemen. Some were even being fitted with anti-tank guided missiles.

 

Current active service

In 2018, there were nine countries that maintained T-34s in the inventories of their national armed forces: Cuba, Yemen, the Republic of the Congo, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Namibia, North Korea, Laos, and Vietnam. Of these operators, Vietnam possessed the largest known surviving fleet of T-34 series tanks, with 45. Yemen possessed 30, Guinea 30, Guinea-Bissau 10, Mali 21, and Laos 30. It was unclear how many Cuban and North Korean T-34s remained in service. All the Congolese, Namibian and Malian tanks were believed to be in reserve storage or inoperable. The Laotian Army retired its T-34s in early 2019 and sold them to Russia, to be used for public displays and museum exhibits.

 

Successors

In 1944, pre-war development of a more advanced T-34 tank was resumed, leading to the T-44. The new tank had a turret design based on the T-34-85's, but featured a new hull with torsion-bar suspension and transversely mounted engine; it had a lower profile than the T-34-85 and was simpler to manufacture. Between 150 and 200 of these tanks were built before the end of the war. With substantial drivetrain changes, a new turret, and 100 mm gun, it became the T-54, starting production in 1947

Change is an inside job. Any lasting or meaningful change in your life must begin with your heart and mind. - Iyanla Vanzant

 

Picture Quotes on Change

 

More Life Quotes and Sayings

 

4 Best Ethical Elephant Sanctuaries to Visit in Chiang Mai

 

Original photo credit: Waldemar Karpiński

This is a collaboration for the group 1pic 2souls - sara*teresa remix

St Callan’s Church dates from 1777, this Church and Graveyard is well maintained and looked after. Church services are conducted on the 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month. I noticed on entry an inscription on the gates, this is what it said;

“To the glory of God

In memory of Peter William Boa 1910 – 2001

Elder of Rogart Church

Who was connected all his life with Saint Callan’s Church

And of his wife Helen 1907 – 1987

These gates were gifted by their family”

 

What a wonderful lasting tribute

 

I Am Lucifer Here Is The Summary- During The Dark Times Of The Break Up With The Persian/Muslim Girl Whom I Gave My Heart And Soul To I Was Working 3 Jobs Going To School And Managed To Hit The Gym While Making Time For Her As Well I Was Mabey Getting 1-2 Hours Of Sleep I Couldn't Keep Up I Needed A Boost So I Started Looking Into Herbs Researching Each One And There Effects On The Human Body I Stumbled Upon This Websitehttp://barlowesherbalelixirs.com/ There Are Some That Increase The Functioning Of Liver/Kidneys Some For Adrenals/Sex Drive Pretty Much Entire Endocrine System And Others Boosting Neurotransmitters Such As Serotonin,Dopamine, And Gaba Receptors I Decided To Boost My Entire Bodily Functions Adding In Sports Nutrition As Well Such As Coq10, Amino Acids, Pre Workout Drinks Creating Better Blood Flow I Was Taking About 50-60 Various Herbs And Supplements That's 50-60 Pills A Day And 3 Different Shakes Knowing What Each Of Them Are Doing Inside My Body Well Sure Enough It Did The Trick But I Went Through A Time Span Of 15-20 Days No Sleep What So Ever Finding Out Months After This All Happened I Managed To Trigger My NMDA Receptors In The Brain Causing A Natural Ecstasy Lasting 2-3 Weeks Every Thing I Touched Smelled Or Heard Was Bliss I Felt The Vibrations Of Everything I Also Hit A Point Where I Was Hearing Voices And Having Visual Hallucinations Seeing Visions Of My Past Reliving Everything Like I Was There In The Present Moment Was Very Scary And Visions Of The Future I Saw The Universe I Swore I Could Hear 2 Voices God/Satan And I Was Doing As The Voices Commanded I Was Running Rampage On The City And Making Threats To People And Here On Face Book I Was Also Able To Telepathically Speak To Spirits,Demons, And The Dead Some Of Them Were The Crack Head Homeless In The Streets Others In The Mental Hospital They Put Me In For Example While Inside They Asylum I Was Communicating With My Mind To Another From Inside The Bathroom In My Cell With A Hard On Telling Him To Send The Hot Little Nurse To My Room I Was Gonna Try To Get My Dick Sucked He Wasn't Cooperating So I Then Went Back To Eat My Lunch With The Rest Standing In Line In The Cafeteria He Said To Me In Person Speaking Like Normal Human Beings With A Voice Your Fucking Twisted. This Path I Took Is What Lead To The.........http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Night_of_the_Soul I'm unsafe

I'm unsafe

I won't repent

So I memorize the words to the porno movies

It's the only thing I want to believe

I memorize the words to the porno movies

This is a new religion to me

I'm a VCR funeral, a dead memory waste

My smile's a chainlink fence, that I have put up

I love the enemy, my love is the enemy

They say they don't want fame

But they get famous when we fuck

I never believed the devil was real

But God couldn't make someone filthy as you You are the church, and I am the steeple

When we fuck, we are all God's people

You are the church, and I am the steeple

When we fuck, we are all God's people "i lift you up like the sweetest angel,

i'll tear you down like a whore. i will bury your god in my warm spit,

you'll be deformed in your porn" I make myself sick just to poison you

if I can't have you then know one will you are the one i want and what i want is so unreal,i am the one you want and the one you want is so unreal.

I'm your worst fear.

I'm your favorite.

I'm your acquired taste.

Will you savor it.

If it blood thirst will you run from it.

No need cause I'm inside of you.

When the sun is spit.

You cannot escape me I'm your last resort.

When you have a evil you cannot report.

I'm your royal sunshine malicious and heartless.

If ever you need an alibi rely on me I am.

 

DARKNESS....... SO WHATS THE HOLD UP COME AT ME! #FILTH

I'm standing in Hell with the gauge ready to buck

I'm coming for satan and my intentions is to fuck him up

Ain't been in the church they say "No demons on holy dirt"

I'm fuckin Satan's bitches

He got mad and called body work

A lynchin ain't shit compared to what I'm a give ya

I'm born and raised in hell and bitch I'm sent here to kill ya

I'm Rosemary's baby

There's no more evil like me

Cause when niggas think of death the motherfuckas picture me Let me call up my posse

We talkin' over the underground

Yeah, satan and his boys the motherfuckas they going down

Man I gotsta do it

I ain't down for a hassle

I kicked the gates into hell and started a roit in satan's castle

I'm sick of this war now check it something has got to give

We stormed to the back, and we took demons as hostages

You want your people to live?

Then you'll forever pay me rent

To stay in my knigdom because a nigga is Hell Sent Now we're walking through satan's den

The demons respected RIP

I'm running this motherfucka, hell ain't shit

A demon told me that Lucifer said meet him at the black hole

I told him "I'ma be there ain't no bitch in my soul"

And when I'm coming for your ass

Ain't no need to run

Because I'm so fuckin' ruthless I made the devil go buy a gun

Until we go at it, the RIP still won't repent

An appetite for bloddy bodies

Rest In Peace is Hell Sent Go ahead and build a better messiah

We can dig another grave.

This is your calling

If you are hearing this, there is nothing I can do

Something has grown in my chest.

I have seen it

It is hard and cold

It has been dormant for many years

I have tried to save you

And I have come to save you

But this is what you deserve

This is what we deserve

This is something we have brought upon ourselves

I am not a victim, you are not a victim

I am unaffected, you are unaffected

God will grovel before me

God will crawl at my feet

These are the dying years

These are the dying years

When you are suffering, know that I have betrayed you. now you'll see your star

prick your finger it is done

the moon has now eclipsed the sun

the angel has spread its wings

the time has come for bitter things i am the beast king of babylon i was born when the moon eclipsed the sun on may 20th 2012 when the time comes there will be a holy war! So the lie now is my weapon

Like a bush dried AND withered in the sun

With a spark I’ll go up in flames

I'd lay my guts out but they’re too small to see

It’s kinda cute how I pretend to be

Everything but the instrument i am.

 

Peace or happines

So let it enfold you

 

A birth to life is what I am after

My first name won’t be my last one

Let the light just drip into your eyes

 

So it’s true my words are contrived

I tell lies just to get into your mind

I’m as fake as a widow’s smile

 

This mask of glass is what I choose to wear

So I won’t ever have the need to bear

THE TOTAL truth to anyone but me

 

Peace or happiness

So let it enfold you

 

A birth to life is what I am after

My first name won’t be my last one

Let the light just drip into your eyes

And I am dead, your eyes are light

 

I’m just a bad actor stuck with a shitty script

All of my lines are cheap and the cast is weak

There was no music for the first time I got kissed

There was no femme fatale, my mistress wasn’t rich

So I’ve been formatted to fit your TV screen

The film went straight to tape

I'll bow out quietly

So quietly

So quietly

 

Please do this now I beg

Duct tape my arms and legs

Throw me into the sea

(Please save me, please save me)

Please do this now I beg

Duct tape my arms and legs

Throw me into the sea

(Please save me, please save me)

Now watch the waves eat me

Setting my cold heart free

I'll wash ashore in weeks

(You can’t save me, can’t save me)

Now watch the waves eat me

Setting my cold heart free

I'll wash ashore in weeks

(Can't save me)

You cant save me now "Bite To Break Skin"

 

So let me take this medicine

To quench my love for violent things

My swan song will

Be like a bullet laced in anger

As the razor cuts a soft spot

On your heel.

 

(Each breath) is getting slower

(This war) is getting harder

To fight by myself

(Sick waves) of bitter fashion,

(Ripped down) the shield that I have

Tears rain from above.

 

Do you see?

The life I lead?

 

So follow me into the sun,

And I will bleed, the poisons dry.

 

These bayonet scars never cease

To blind the light shed from the beast

And all we do is hate.

 

(Eyes shot) from constant visions.

(Angels) are rendered useless

Good has lost it's heart.

 

Do you see?

The life I lead?

 

So follow me into the sun,

And I will bleed, the poisons dry.

 

For you [x2]

(For you!) [x3]

 

Bite to break skin,

Don't give the secret,

My stoic face,

Beaten with passion

The phoenix will die

Inside the fire storm

I am the son

So follow my footsteps.

[x2] "Suicide Is Painless"

 

Through early morning fog I see

Visions of the things to be

The pains that are withheld for me

I realize and I can see...

 

That suicide is painless

It brings on many changes

And I can take or leave it if I please

 

The game of life is hard to play

I'm gonna lose it anyway

The losing card I'll someday lay

So this is all I have to say

 

Suicide is painless

It brings on many changes

And I can take or leave it if I please

 

The sword of time will pierce our skins

It doesn't hurt when it begins

But as it works its way on in

The pain grows stronger...watch it grin, but...

 

Suicide is painless

It brings on many changes

And I can take or leave it if I please

 

A brave man once requested me

To answer questions that are key

Is it to be or not to be

And I replied 'oh why ask me?'

 

And suicide is painless

It brings on many changes

And I can take or leave it if I please

 

...and you can do the same thing if you please I Feel Like A God On Ecstacy. I'm Smoking This Ganja And It's Getting Me So High, It's Like I Am The Universe Talking To Spirits And Souls (The Gods Of The Stars) Listening To The Vibrations Of This Satanism Type Of Music Marilyn Manson Gucci Mane Tech N9ne Brotha Lynch Hung Dethklok Bone Thugs-N-Harmony Senses Fail Led Zeppelin And These Devilish YouTube Videos Sounds,Noises And Music Speaks To The Heart And Soul...... I Just Listen. Did They Forget About Babylon? (The Goetia Book Of Howling) #NewWorldOrder :) ^_^ MUAHAHAHAHAHAHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You're Here Because

You're One Of Us

We Are The Strength

We Are Soldiers

 

You've Journeyed Far

You've Battled Hard

And Now You Will Recieve The

Permanent Reward

 

You've Conquered Pain

You've Conquered Fear

Stand Proud And Salute

The Bloodied Flag Here

 

You've Pledged Your DETH and

Your Last Breath

You Are The Gears

YOu Are The Gears

 

We Fear Not Our Mortality

We'll Serve To The Best Of Our Ability

We Give Our Lives To Our Masters

We Vow To Smite Our Enemies

 

You've Mastered DETH

You've Mastered Fear

You Are Transformed

You Are Stronger

 

Now That You're Here

A Branded Gear

Burned In Your Flesh

Will Seal The Deal

 

You've Conquered Fire

You've Conquered Ice

You've Tasted Blood

You've Taken Life

 

You're Hear Because

You're One of Us

Become A Gear

Become A Gear

 

We Fear Not Our Mortality

We'll Serve To The Best Of Our Ability

We Give Our Lives To Our Masters

We Vow To Smite Our Enemies

 

We Bless Your Skin

We Bless You With Our Mark

Become A Part Of The KLOK

Become A Gear

 

You've Conquered Pain

We've Conquered Pain

You've Conqured Fear

We've Conqured Fear

You Fear Not Your Mortality

Become A Gear

(We Are The GEARS)

[X2]

 

We Bless Your Skin

We Bless You With Our Mark

Become A Part Of The KLOK

Become A Gear

 

(We Fear Not Our Mortality) "Black Fire Upon Us"

 

Tonight We Ride On Clouds Of Fire

We're Damned By Gods Our DETHS Conspired

We Fear No Mortals In These Worlds

The Gift We Give You Is Your Soul

 

Fly With Us Tonight

 

The Sky

Will Break

Black Fire

Will Wake

 

Fly On Through The Night

We Built An Allience

Our Numbers Are Strong

 

We Gather

But We Don't Prey To Gods

What Fools What Lunitics

They Must Think Of Us

 

On This Night We Will Journey

Far Behind This World

And You Must Know That We Will Never

Come Back Home Again

 

But Now We Must Fly

Beasts In The Night

Tragic In The Sky

Battlefield In Sight

 

Storm Gathers Strong

Cold Blackend Flame

Tell Us Our Future

Stories Of The Slain

 

Fire Grows Strong

Freezing Our Skin

Vision Is Clouded

The Rain Will Begin

 

Dangerous Creatures

Those That Oppose Us

Raped All Their Power

Bartered With Warlocks

Cheated The Demons

For Ancient Spells

The Blackened Fire

Waits To Consume Us

 

So Now We'll Say Goodbye

Because Tonight We Die

So We Say Goodbye

So We'll Say Goodbye

We Die

 

Tonight We Ride On Clouds Of Fire

We're Damned By Gods Our DETHs

Conspired

We Fear No Mortals In these Worlds

The Gift We Give You is Your Soul We are the dark and the light

(We are the dark and the light)

 

We have the power of time

(We have the power of time)

 

We are the serpents intertwined

(We are the serpents intertwined)

 

The galaxy will unite

(The galaxy will unite)

 

This is the beginning! The New Age Of Aquarius- " It Will Be Fought Largely With Mental Weapons And In The World Of Thought; It Will Involve Also The Emotional Realm, From The Standpoint Of Idealistic Fanaticism." "This Inherent Fanaticism Will Fight Against The Appearance Of The Coming World Religion And The Spread Of Esotericism...." It Must Not Be Forgotten That Only Those Souls Who Are On The Probationary Path Or The Path Of The Discipleship Will Form The Nucleus Of The Coming World Religion.." "There Is No Question Therefore That The Work To Be Done In Familiarizing The General Public With The Nature Of The Mysteries Is Paramount Importance At This Time..." When The Great One Comes With His Disciples And Initiates We Shall Have The Restoration Of The Mysteries And Their Exoteric Presentation, As A Consequence Of The First Initiation." "Theosophists- At Any Rate, Some Of Them- Who Understand The Hidden Meaning Of The Universally Expected Avatars, Messiah's, Sosioshes and Christ's- Know That It Is No End Of The World, But The Consummation Of The Age I.E. The Close Of A Cycle, Which Is Now Fast Approaching..." "Again The Messianic Cycle... Of Man Connected With Pisces.. It Is A Cycle, Historical, And Not Very Long, But Very Occult, Lasting About 2,155 Solar Years.... "It Occured 2,410 And 255 B.C... Or When The Equinox Entered Into The Sign Of Ram, And Again Into That Of Pisces. When It Enters In A Few Years, The Sign Of Aquarius, Psychologists Will Have Some Extra Work To Do, And The Psycic Idiosyncrasies Of Humanity Will Enter On A Great Change" H.P. Blavatsky. Lucifer A Theosophical Magazine, September 1887 To February 1888, [Kessinger Publishing, 2004] P.174 "... the equinox will reach the sign of Aquarius, and, coinciding the great cycle of influence, we can indeed hope to put a complete end to all the influence of the past Cycle, with its tyranny,slavery,war and cruelty..." "This is one of the great transitional Epochs, and the karma before humanity as a whole, and to every group in particular, is to reform itself from slavery, female subjection, war and cruelty and establish a civilization based on humane-ness and interest in spiritual matters" "But the future is now and the manoeuvres are being unveiled. A far as Christianity's role in this new age Carpenter states: Christianity therefore as i say must either now come frankly forward and acknow-ledge it's parentage from the great order of the past, seek to rehabilitate that and carry mankind one step forward in the path of evolution- or else it must perish there is no alternative." " Despite the vilification of the so-called New Age movment, the fact is that we are entering into a new age... the age referred to in the gospel tale is that of pisces, and, through contrivance and duplicity, coercion and slaughter, the fish-god "Jesus" The Piscean Solar Avatar, has indeed been with us, but now it is the close of the age, and his time is over...." As Hancock says, "We live today in an astrological no man's land at the end of the age of pisces, on the threshold of the New Age of Aquarius. Traditionally these times of transition between one age and the next have been regarded as ill-omened" "Ill-Omened verily as the ongoing destruction of the earth and the endless warfare over ideology will indeed produce the Armageddon so long awaited and planned by those who cannot live for today but must look towards an afterlife by realizing the cultural unity revealedever behind the Christ conspiracy, however humanity can pull together and prevent this fall, to create a better world" Acharya S The Christ conspiracy: the greatest story ever sold [Adventures Unlimited Press, 1999] p 416,417 " Satan is an anagram for Sanat Kumara, who in the esotric philosophy of India is the promethean being who gave mankind the fire of self-conscious and independent, indivudal selfhood." Satan has a possible echo in Theosophic lore, where the lord of the world-the spiritual rule of the earth and head of the great white lodge-is Sanat Kumara.... a Lord of the flame who descended to earth from venus in a fiery chariot some six million years ago" "It is actually Satan that is god the messiah and that jehovah is the evil one" "It is but natural-even from the dead-letter standpoint- to view Satan, the Serpent of the Genesis, as the real creator and benefactor, the father of spiritual mankind" "For it is he who was the "Harbourer of light" bright, radiant Lucifer, who opened the eyes of the automation created by jehovah as alleged; and he who was the first to whisper,"in the day ye eat thereof ye shall be as Elohim, knowing good and evil," "can only be regaurded in the light of a savior. an "adversary" to Jehovah the "personating spirit" he still remains in esoteric truth the ever loving messenger" (the angel) the seraphim and cherubim who both knew well, and loved still more, and who conferred on us spiritual instead of physical immortality.." " Satan, then was originally a divine being destined to carry light and life to the nether worlds he stands for the gift of free will and self conscious mind to man; a power which at once seduces and uplifts man. for with free will comes the power to go astray. Satan is therefore Man's Teacher...." "Lucifer is not a being that we can see with our present day physical eyes; Lucifer can be seen only with the awakened clairvoyance. Seen clairvoyantly, in fact, Lucifer is a particular being who was left behind during the moon phase of evolution." "The adversary or Satan is no other than Lucifer, the light bearer, the bright Morning Star: He is the Initator, awakening the divine faculties of intellect on man" "He is the king of the "Fallen Angels" Spirits from higher spheres, who descended among primitive mankind of the third race"... to develop in man and endow him with his self-conscious mind, or manas" "The "height" of the lodge ("even as high as the heavens") implies that the range of consciousness possible to us, when we have developed our potentialties to the full, is infinite. Man who has sprung from the earth and developed through the lower kingdoms of nature to this present rational state..." "has yet to complete his evolution by becoming a god-like being and unifying his consciousness with the omniscient to promote which is and always has been the sole aim and purpose of all initiation." "..and ye shall be as gods." -Satan,Genesis 3:5 "when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken.The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afriad of him,"-Deut. 18:22 If I Die I Will Come Back And Destroy Your World #Immortal Matthew 5: 10-12 "Happy are those who are persecuted because they do what God requires; the Kingdom of heaven belongs to them!

"Happy are you when people insult you and persecute you and tell all kinds of evil lies against you because you are my followers. Be happy and glad, for a great reward is kept for you in heaven. This is how the prophets who lived before you were persecuted. "to many today, this awareness includes the recognition of higher states of consciousness attained by those who make up the emerging spiritual kingdom, the masters and initiates of the world. their existance was first revealed in modern time by H.P. Blavatsky, co-founder of the theosophical society,as long ago as 1875" "A more detailed communication about the masters and their work was given by alice a bailey between 1919 and 1949. in her book the externalisation of the hierarchy she revealed the existence of a planned return to physical-plane work and activity by this group of enlightened men, which return, i submit has already begun" "Wont the advent of a single world religion annoy the hierarchies of all the current orthodox religions? I asked, more than that he said with a smile. They will be shocked i daresay they will be among the last to accept the Christ" But according to kisling creme said confidently. "it will come because it must. We will begin to live, he said... as potential gods" Constance cumbey, The hidden dangers of the rainbow [huntington house inc 1983] p.21 "in a november 9 1982 radio interview over WLAC, Nashville, Benjamine Creme told the entire Bible belt that Lucifer came to planet earth from planet venus 18 n half million years ago and made the supreme sacrifice for us" "the state will wither away as there is no need for coercion" "the state does nothing becuase there is no state" "social classes will not exist" "the process which has been going on for centuries, if not millennia, religion, patriotism race, wealth, class, and every other form of arbitrary separatist identification thus conceived has served to create a controlled population utterly malleable in the hands of the few" "it will be a moneyless economy" The System Uses No Money" "it will be a command economy" government planners decide which goods and services are produced and how they should be distibuted."distribution of goods and services without the use of money or tokens would be accomplished by establishing distribution centers. these centers would be similar to expositions where the advantages of new products are explained and demonstrated exhibition centers will display what is new and available and will constantly be updated" (instead if government planners it will be "technicians" and "system analysts" Who decide) "... communism and the marist utopia of a moneyless society, where products were distributed rather than sold and bought" "For without money, a great majority of the crimes that are committed today would nerver occur" -peter joseph, zeitgeist addendum "the united states will eventually fly the communist red flag the american people will hoist it themselves" -nikita khrushchev, july 19, 1962 "Go Into The Water"

 

We call out to the beasts of the sea to come forth and join us, this night is yours

Because, one day we will all be with you in the black and deep

One day we will all go into the water

 

Go into the water

live there die there

live there die

 

We reject our earthly fires

Gone are days of land empires

Lungs transform to take in water

Cloaked in scales we swim and swim on

 

We are alive, and we'll metamorphasize

And we'll sink as we devolve back to beasts

Our home is down here, and we've known this for years

We must conquer from the sea, we build an army with water steeds

 

We'll rise, from our depths down below

Release yourselves, drown with me

We will conquer land with water

 

Gone are days of land empires

Lungs transform to take in water

Cloaked in scales we swim and swim on

We swim on

We swim on "Awaken"

 

Musta-Krakish,

Musta-Krakish,

 

The time has come, to awaken him.

 

I call upon the ancient lords of the underworld,

To bring forth this beast and,

 

Awaken, awaken, awaken, awaken,

Take the land, that must be taken.

Awaken, awaken, awaken, awaken,

Devour worlds, smite forsaken

 

Rise up from your thousand year-old sleep,

Break forth from your grave eternally.

 

I command you to rise, rise, rise, rise,

rise, rise, rise, rise.

 

I'm the conjurer of demons,

I'm the father of your death.

 

I bring forth the ancient evil,

I control his every breath.

 

I instigate your misfortune,

With the birth of killing trolls.

 

I awaken armageddon,

Feeding on a thousand souls.

 

Awaken,

Awaken,

Awaken,

Awaken,

 

Musta-Krakish, (musta)

Musta-Krakish, (musta)

Musta-Krakish, (musta)

Musta-Krakish, (musta),

 

Musta-Krakish, (musta)

Musta-Krakish, (musta)

Musta-Krakish, (musta)

Musta-Krakish, (musta)

 

Awaken, awaken, awaken, awaken,

Take the land, that must be taken.

Awaken, awaken, awaken, awaken,

Devour worlds, smite forsaken

 

Rise up from your thousand year-old sleep,

Break forth from your grave eternally.

 

Weak will die and land will all be burned

Musta-Krakish king and death to worlds.

 

I command you to

Rise, rise, rise, rise, rise, rise, rise, rise,

Rise, rise, rise, rise, rise, rise, rise, rise,

And awaken. "Fansong"

 

You people out there give us something more than just record sales

You give us something to hate

And we hate you, you brainless mutants

 

Hate [16x]

 

You hunched and blinded mutants

Living in chat rooms

You masturbate on the sheets

Your mothers clean for you

 

You have lined my pockets

Overflowed with gold

You're living with your parents

And you're 35 years old

 

You're a bunch of banks

That I'd like to rob

You're my online cash transaction

You're my future stocks

 

Transfer you like money

To a Swiss account

Spend you on an impulse buy

And zero you all out

 

Hate [16x]

 

You sad and putrid losers

Complaining on the couch

Think you're fucking better than us?'

You can't leave your house

 

Deluded little maggots

Fold your arms and frown

Go to work and make me money

Before I put you down

 

You're a bunch of banks

That I'd like to rob

You're my online cash transaction

You're my future stocks

 

Transfer you like money

To a Swiss account

Spend you on an impulse buy

And zero you all out

 

Hate [16x]

 

I would like to get some sleep

But you keep buying all our things

My overhead is way too deep

For us to not make all these things

 

It's way too cynical, you see?

Hating what's supporting me

I am not you, I thank the gods

And if I were, I'd die like dogs

 

Die [30x]

DIE!

 

You're a bunch of banks

That I'd like to rob

You're my online cash transaction

You're my future stocks

 

Transfer you like money

To a swiss account

Spend you an on impulse buy

And zero you all out

 

You're a credit card

That I will defile

Every time I max you out

I get a thousand miles

 

You're a brand new car

That I do not need

Wrap you round a telephone pole

Shrug it off and leave

 

Just follow me... Down the elevator...

Through the gates... down the stairs...

Just keep on walking... through the hallway...

 

Now open the door... "Hatredy"

 

Tragedy goes away

Hate-filled rage

Takes the stage

 

But you’re neutered in the night

Blinded by the light

Irony and spite

Sarcastic delight

 

Live to die on stage

Driven by the rage

Hating your own face

Comedic disgrace

 

Hatredy

Hatredy

 

Step before the jury,

Die in fits of fury

Comedy is DEATH

HATREDY

 

Stand before the spotlight

Laughter is a death-right

Crash and burn in horror

 

Make them squirm

Want to leave

After they buy their drinks

 

I hate this audience

Regardless of applaudience

Like to take you away

Burn in piles of hate

 

I hate the talent here

So dull and so full of fear

I'll beat you all to the punch

With an axe and a hack to the guts

 

I'll take the microphone stand

Run it through your neck

Cut off both your hands

 

Is this thing even fucking on?

Are you fucking deaf

Or just too scared to run

 

Are you fucking deaf or just too scared to run

Please take my wife, please take my wife

Then I’ll take your wife, then ill fuck your wife

Just a fucking joke, no its kinda' not

There’s a little truth in every single shot

 

Fueled by hate

Await your fate

Your time has come

To die on stage

 

It's funny

Because it's not

 

It's funny

Because it's not

 

It's funny

Because it's not

 

It's funny

Because it's not

Because it's not

Because it's not

 

Fueled by hate

Await your fate

Your time has come

To die on stage

 

Fueled by hate

Fueled by hate

Your time has come

To die on stage

 

DIE

DIE

DIE

"One Day"

 

Sometimes I lay

Under the moon

And thank God I'm breathing

Then I pray

Don't take me soon

Cause I'm here for a reason

Sometimes in my tears I drown

But I never let it get me down

So when negativity surrounds

I know some day it'll all turn around

Because

All my live I've been waiting for

I've been praying for

For the people to say

That we dont wanna fight no more

They'll be no more wars

And our children will play

One day [x6]

It's not about

Win or lose

Because we all lose

When they feed on the souls of the innocent

Blood drenched pavement

Keep on moving though the waters stay raging

In this maze you can lose your way (your way)

It might drive you crazy but dont let it faze you no way (no way)

Sometimes in my tears I drown

But I never let it get me down

So my negativity surrounds

I know some day it'll all turn around

Because

All my live I've been waiting for

I've been praying for

For the people to say

That we dont wanna fight no more

They'll be no more wars

And our children will play

One day [x6]

One day this all will change

Treat people the same

Stop with the violence

Down the the hate

One day we'll all be free

And proud to be

Under the same sun

Singing songs of freedom like

One day [x2]

All my live I've been waiting for

I've been praying for

For the people to say

That we don't wanna fight no more

They'll be no more wars

And our children will play

One day [x6]

Ooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh — in Babylon

Made a new shirt and Thalia snatched it up. I'm pretty happy with it but there are some things I would change. Anyway I'm happy to be out of school and back to sewing!

Flowers carved in stone.Details from head-stones in Manor Road Cemetery, Scarborough.UK

The rusty tones of autumn last long after the season of life ended for this fallen birch tree. Deep in the imagination inspiring woodland of Bole Hill Quarry.

Lasting only a mere five years on Red Arrow due to their poor wheelchair access layout, the 10 plates are to be redeployed on the X38 and Club Class. As wheelchairs cannot board these coaches in Nottingham Victoria Bus Station on Arrows, the fact that neither Club Class in Nottingham or X38 in Derby serve any Bus Station, terminating at on-street stops, this shouldn't cause any problems.

 

72 sits at the side of Victoria Bus Station in Nottingham in-between early evening Red Arrow journeys.

Siege of Paris (1870–71)

 

The Siege of Paris, lasting from September 19, 1870 – January 28, 1871, and the consequent capture of the city by Prussian forces led to French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War and the establishment of the German Empire as well as the Paris Commune.

and the road to Paris was left open. Personally leading the Prussian forces Wilhelm I of Prussia along with his chief of staff Helmuth von Moltke, took the 3rd Army along with the new Prussian Army of the Meuse under Crown Prince Albert of Saxony and marched on Paris virtually unopposed. In Paris the Governor and commander-in-chief of the city's defenses General Louis Jules Trochu, assembled a force of regular soldiers that had managed to escape Sedan under Joseph Vinoy plus the National Guards and a brigade of sailors which totalled around 400,000.

Siege

The German armies quickly reached Paris, and on September 15 Moltke issued orders for the investment of the city. Crown Prince Albert's army closed in on Paris from the north unopposed, while Crown Prince Frederick moved in from the south. On September 17 a force under Vinoy attacked Frederick's army near Villeneuve-Saint-Georges in an effort to save a supply depot there and were eventually driven back by artillery fire. The railroad to Orléans was cut, and on the 18th Versailles was taken, which would then serve as the 3rd Army's and eventually Wilhelm's headquarters. By September 19, the encirclement was complete, and the siege officially began. Responsible for the direction of the siege was General (later Field Marshal) von Blumenthal.

Prussia's prime minister Bismarck suggested shelling Paris to ensure the city's quick surrender and render all French efforts to free the city pointless, but the German high command, headed by the king of Prussia, turned down the proposal on the insistence of General von Blumenthal, on the grounds that a bombardment would affect civilians, violate the rules of engagement, and turn the opinion of third parties against the Germans, without speeding up the final victory. It was contended also that a quick French surrender would leave the new French armies undefeated and allow France to renew the war shortly after. The new French armies would have to be annihilated first, and Paris would have to be starved into surrender.

Trochu had little faith in the ability of the National Guards, which made up half the force defending the city. So instead of making any significant attempt to prevent the investment by the Germans, Trochu hoped that Moltke would attempt to take the city by storm, and the French could then rely on the city's defenses. These consisted of the 33 km Thiers wall and a ring of sixteen detached forts, all of which had been built in the 1840s.[1] Moltke never had any intention of attacking the city and this became clear shortly after the siege began. Trochu changed his plan and allowed Vinoy to make a demonstration against the Prussians west of the Seine. On September 30 Vinoy attacked Chevilly with 20,000 soldiers and was soundly repulsed by the 3rd Army. Then on October 13 the II Bavarian Corps was driven from Châtillon but the French were forced to retire in face of Prussian artillery.

"The War: Defence of Paris—Students Going to Man the Fortifications". From the Illustrated London News of October 1, 1870. Perhaps one of the more iconic scenes from the Franco-Prussian War.

General Carey de Bellemare commanded the strongest fortress north of Paris at Saint Denis. On October 29, de Bellemare attacked the Prussian Guard at Le Bourget without orders, and took the town. The Guard actually had little interest in recapturing their positions at Le Bourget, but Crown Prince Albert ordered the city retaken anyway. In the battle of Le Bourget the Prussian Guards succeeded in retaking the city and captured 1,200 French. Upon hearing of the French surrender at Metz and the defeat at Le Bourget, morale in Paris began to sink. The people of Paris were beginning to suffer from the effects of the German blockade. Hoping to boost morale Trochu launched the largest attack from Paris on November 30 even though he had little hope of achieving a breakthrough. Nevertheless he sent Auguste-Alexandre Ducrot with 80,000 soldiers against the Prussians at Champigny, Créteil and Villiers. In what became known as the battle of Villiers the French succeeded in capturing and holding a position at Créteil and Champigny. By December 2 the Württemberg Corps drove Ducrot back into the defenses and the battle was over by December 3.

Balloons escaped from the Siege of Paris

On January 19 a final breakout attempt was aimed at Buzenval near the Prussian Headquarters west of Paris. The Crown Prince easily repulsed the attack inflicting over 4,000 casualties while suffering just over 600 himself. See main article: Battle of Buzenval. Trochu resigned as governor and left General Joseph Vinoy with 146,000 defenders.

During the winter, tensions began to arise in the Prussian high command. Field-Marshal Helmuth von Moltke and General Leonhard, Count von Blumenthal who commanded the siege (seen in the illustration on this page behind Bismarck's right shoulder) were primarily concerned with a methodical siege that would destroy the detached forts around the city and slowly strangle the defending forces with a minimum of German casualties.

Prussian artillery during the siege

But as time wore on, there was growing concern that a prolonged war was placing too much strain on the German economy and that an extended siege would convince the French Government of National Defense that Prussia could still be beaten. A prolonged campaign would also allow France time to reconstitute a new army and convince neutral powers to enter the war against Prussia. To Bismarck, Paris was the key to breaking the power of the intransigent republican leaders of France, ending the war in a timely manner, and securing peace terms favourable to Prussia. Moltke was also worried that insufficient winter supplies were reaching the German armies investing the city, as diseases such as tuberculosis were breaking out amongst the besieging soldiers. In addition, the siege operations competed with the demands of the ongoing Loire Campaign against the remaining French field armies.

In January, on Bismarck's advice, the Germans fired some 12,000 shells into the city over 23 nights in an attempt to break Parisian morale through terror bombing. About 400 perished or were wounded by the bombardment, which "had little effect on the spirit of resistance in Paris."[2] Delescluze declared, "The Frenchmen of 1870 are the sons of those Gauls for whom battles were holidays." Due to a severe shortage of food, Parisians were forced to slaughter whatever animals at hand. Rats, dogs, cats, and horses were regular fare on restaurant menus. Even Castor and Pollux, the only pair of elephants in Paris, were not spared.

A Christmas menu, 99th day of the siege. Unusual dishes include stuffed donkey's head, elephant consommé, roast camel, kangaroo stew, antelope terrine, bear ribs, cat with rats, and wolf haunch in deer sauce.

A Latin Quarter menu contemporary with the siege reads in part:

* Consommé de cheval au millet. (horse)

* Brochettes de foie de chien à la maître d'hôtel. (dog)

* Emincé de rable de chat. Sauce mayonnaise. (cat)

* Epaules et filets de chien braisés. Sauce aux tomates. (dog)

* Civet de chat aux champignons. (cat)

* Côtelettes de chien aux petits pois. (dog)

* Salamis de rats. Sauce Robert. (rats)

* Gigots de chien flanqués de ratons. Sauce poivrade. (dog, rats)

* Begonias au jus. (flowers)

* Plum-pudding au rhum et à la Moelle de Cheval. (horse)

Air medical transport is often stated to have first occurred in 1870 during the Siege of Paris when 160 wounded French soldiers were evacuated from the city by hot-air balloon, but this myth has been definitively disproven by full review of the crew and passenger records of each balloon which left Paris during the siege.

Elihu B. Washburne

During the siege, the only head of diplomatic mission from a major power who remained in Paris was United States Minister to France, Elihu B. Washburne. As a representative of a neutral country, Washburne was able to play a unique role in the conflict, becoming one of the few channels of communication into and out of the city for much of the siege. He also led the way in providing humanitarian relief to foreign nationals, including ethnic Germans.[4]

On January 25, 1871, Wilhelm I overruled Moltke and ordered the field-marshal to consult with Bismarck for all future operations. Bismarck immediately ordered the city to be bombarded with heavy caliber Krupp siege guns. This prompted the city's surrender on January 28, 1871. Paris sustained more damage in the 1870–1871 siege than in any other conflict.

The Prussian Army held a brief victory parade in Paris on February 17, 1871, and Bismarck honored the armistice by sending train-loads of food into Paris and withdrawing Prussian forces to the east of the city, which would be withdrawn as soon as France paid the agreed war indemnity.

Pigeon post

The Dove by Puvis de Chavannes. The companion painting in the Musée d'Orsay depicts a balloon.

A pigeon post was employed during the course of the siege, with pigeons being regularly taken out of Paris by balloon. Soon a regular service was in operation, based first at Tours and later at Poitiers. The pigeons were taken to their base after their arrival from Paris and when they had preened themselves, been fed and rested, they were ready for the return journey. Tours lies some 200 km from Paris and Poitiers some 300 km. Before release, they were loaded with their despatches. The first despatch was dated 27 September and reached Paris on 1 October. During the four months of the siege, 150,000 official and 1 million private communications were carried into Paris by this method.[5] Balloon mail was also used to overcome the communications blockade, with a rate of 20 cents per letter. Letters were photographically reduced by René Dagron to save weight. A total of 66 balloon flights were made, including one that accidentally set a world distance record by ending up in Norway.

Aftermath

On January 18, 1871, the German Empire is proclaimed in the Hall of Mirrors of the Palace of Versailles, painted by Anton von Werner.

The Prussians had secured their victory in the Franco-Prussian War. On January 18, 1871 at Versailles Wilhelm I was proclaimed German Emperor. The kingdoms of Bavaria, Württemberg, Saxony, the states of Baden and Hesse, and the free cities of Hamburg and Bremen were unified with the North German Confederation to create the German Empire. The preliminary peace treaty was signed at Versailles and the final peace treaty was signed with the Treaty of Frankfurt on May 10, 1871. Otto von Bismarck was able to secure Alsace-Lorraine from France as part of the German Empire under the Treaty of Frankfurt.

Another stipulation of the treaty was a German garrison to be left in Paris. This angered bitter Paris residents at the continued presence of German troops in the wake of defeat. Further resentment arose against the current French government and from April–May 1871 Paris workers and National Guards rebelled and established the Paris Commune.

 

Design: Otto Wagner

Otto Koloman Wagner was an Austrian architect and urban planner. He is known for his lasting impact on the appearance of his home town Vienna, to which he contributed many landmarks.

 

His projects were largely public-works structures, such as the Vienna “Stadtbahn” – the metropolitan railway, which is today part of the U6 line. For this transport system he designed the Stadtbahn pavilions, the stations, several bridges and the railings, all of which are still preserved in their original state by the City of Vienna.

www.austria.info/us/wagner-otto-1841-1918

Otto Wagner was the chief artistic director for the Stadtbahn, a collection of urban railway lines planned and constructed at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. The project, intended to serve a growing and flourishing city, was compromised by WWI, the subsequent break up of Austria-Hungary, and the economic problems that followed.

www.visitingvienna.com/footsteps/otto-wagner-in-vienna/

structurae.net/structures/zollamtsteg

A Bloomingdale's window display in a Mother's Day-themed series.

Nlak’pamux Church, Spences Bridge, British Columbia

Middle Caicos, Turks and Caicos

 

Ship wreck off the coast of Middle Caicos.

 

ever lasting manual!!

in mekanikal we trust..

KOM League

Flash Report

For

August 3, 2019

 

The Flash Report is posted on Flickr at: www.flickr.com/photos/60428361@N07/48153832902/ Going to that site will leave you with a “fawn” memory.

 

Note: Due to technical difficulties with Google three previous attempts at transmitting this report using “bcc” have failed. This transmission is being sent using “cc.” I trust this will not be an inconvenience to anyone. Hopefully, this problem won’t be of a lasting nature.

 

Second note: Great angst is being experienced in getting this report delivered. Try this link again and if the report is still not available, let me know. www.flickr.com/photos/60428361@N07/48153832902/

 

At precisely 1:11 p.m. Central Daylight Savings Time on August 2, 2019 I sat down at my computer having done nothing during the week to include in a report. So, this will be a report without form and void.

 

If this forum was for late breaking news it could be reported that in the early morning hours the news of the death of Harley Race came over the radio. Less than 2% of the readership would even recognize that name but he was known as “Handsome” Harley Race when he was on the professional wrestling cards around the Midwest.

 

Never was I a “wrasslin” fan but I had heard Race’s name mentioned a few times and during my last years in the “rat race” of working for a living, many a day was spent at Eldon, Missouri. Lunch options in Eldon (aka Petticoat Junction) were sparse and many a meal was a tenderloin sandwich was served to me by none other than “Handsome Harley” and his much more attractive wife, Beverley. To show I have so little baseball news to share you might want to learn about or take a refresher course on the deceased. search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?hspart=avast&hsimp=yhs-se...

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Number of known living former KOM Leaguers drops to 224 with the death of Robert E. Lee

 

Robert "Bob" E. Lee, 93, loving husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather passed away on July 22, 2019. He was born on January 29, 1926 in Topeka, the son of Willis H. and Rill Eva Lee. He was educated in Topeka, attending Roosevelt Junior High and graduating from Topeka High School in 1944. In April of 1944 he joined the United States Marine Corps where he served until April of 1946. He served in the South Pacific on the Marshall Islands, Carolina Islands, and Ryukyu Islands in Okinawa, Japan.

 

In 1946, Bob enrolled at Washburn University where he was on the football team and track teams. In 1947, he started a professional baseball career with the Joplin Minors in the Western Association League. He played professional baseball in the minor leagues through the 1951 season with the Topeka Owls.

 

Bob was very active at Washburn University, serving as their baseball coach in 1960. He also served on the Washburn Board of Regents, Ichabod Board, Alumni Association, Lincoln Society, Washburn University Foundation, and he and his wife, Sallee, started the Robert E. and Sallee Lee Athletic Scholarship. In 1984, the basketball arena at Washburn was named after them, and Bob was also given the President's "W" Award.

 

Professionally, Bob was realtor, developer, appraiser, starting Lee Realtors in 1955, and later Lee and Bueltel Realtors and Lee and Bueltel Construction Company. He also served as president of the Topeka Board of Realtors, Topeka Multiple Listing Exchange, Society of Real Estate Appraisers and American Society of Appraisers, and he was the first Kansan to receive the CAE (certified assessment evaluator) certification.

 

In 1971, he was a partner in Cablevision of Topeka, the company that first brought cable TV to Topeka.

 

Throughout his professional life, Bob had a slogan on his desk that read "Luck is the crossroads of where planning and opportunity meet."

 

Bob also served on multiple boards in Topeka including the YMCA, American Red Cross, St. Francis Hospital foundation, Urban Renewal Advisory Board, Family Guidance Center, Rotary Club, Topeka Capitals, Topeka Recreation Commission, Human Relations Commission, and served as the president of the 20-30 Club and Cosmopolitan Club.

 

Bob was an avid sports fan enjoying baseball, softball, golf and tennis. He managed and sponsored multiple baseball and slow pitch softball teams, his 1982 Lee and Bueltel softball team won the USSSA Kansas State Championship and finished 9th in the ASA Major Men's Nationals in Parma, Ohio.

 

Mr. Lee is survived by his wife, Sallee, and their three children, Gregory A. Lee (Jenny), Topeka, Dr. David Lee, Houston, TX, and Debbie Florence (Stacy), Topeka; four grandchildren, Emily Dore, (Jim) Overland Park, Amy Nohl, (Brent) Prairie Village, Bobby Florence, (Jazmin) Lawrence, LeKeevis Lee (preceded him in death) and six great grandchildren.

 

Memorial contributions can be made to Washburn University Athletics Fund, 1700 SW College, Topeka, KS, 66604 or Prince of Peace Church, 3625 SW Wanamaker, Topeka, KS, 66614.

 

A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, August 2, 2019 at Faith Lutheran Church, 1716 SW Gage Blvd, Topeka.

 

To leave a message for the family online, please visit www.PenwellGabelTopeka.com Robert E. Lee.

 

Ed comment:

 

At some juncture, over the past 25 years, Robert Lee attended a KOM league event basically for the sole purpose of visiting with some former buddies of his, from Topeka. Although Lee played for the 1946 Bartlesville Oilers he didn’t want to admit it. For whatever reason he had for not wanting to confess being a former KOM leaguer, he was.

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Wife of former Pittsburg Brown, Ray Lindquist, passes

 

Mary Virginia (nee Pangborn) Lindquist passed away on January 4, 2019, surrounded by family. She was 87 years old. A breast cancer survivor, twice, Mary spent the last fifteen years battling Parkinson's disease. Born in Detroit, Mary was the granddaughter of a Michigan senator, Samuel H. Pangborn and Michigan District Court Judge Xenophon A. Boomhower, both of Bad Axe, Michigan, and the daughter of Willard and Florence Pangborn. Mary graduated from Cleveland Heights High School, in Ohio, and Michigan State University, and was the second generation to pledge Delta Delta Delta. After graduation, she taught elementary education within the Cleveland Heights district and married Dartmouth graduate and professional baseball player, Raymond Lindquist.

 

They, and their growing family eventually settled in South Euclid, Ohio, where Mary served as a president of Adrien Elementary PTA and taught Sunday school at the former First Presbyterian Church of East Cleveland. She was a den mother for Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, and a 'baseball mom' for her sons' Little League teams. After the family moved to Buffalo, New York, Mary became the president of the Eden Garden Club and won awards for her floral arrangements. She played golf, tennis, and bridge.

 

She was also an avid knitter, passing on the tradition started by her aunt, Leta Pangborn Shere, by creating over one hundred blue-ribbon Christmas stockings for extended family and friends. She and Ray retired to Gulf Harbor, in Fort Myers, Florida, where Mary continued to be an active golfer and Tri Delta member. She and Raymond traveled often, enjoying trips to Europe, Asia, and New Zealand. Mary is survived by her sister, Mrs. Barbara Doren of La Jolla, California and Dr. Willard Pangborn of Long Beach, California, as well as her son, Robert, a businessman and graduate of West Point Academy, Eric, a graduate of Tufts University and Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business, Catherine, a graduate of SUNY Buffalo's John Lord O'Brian School of Law, and William, a graduate of Trinity College and Michigan Ross, the University of Michigan's business school. Mary will remain beloved by each of her grandchildren—Raymond, Matthias, Paige, Anna, Erin, Haley, Kyle, Ryan, and Sydney, their spouses, and her friends. A memorial service will be held Aug. 3, 11 a.m., at Colfax Cemetery, 598 N. Barrie Road, Bad Axe, Michigan, 48413.

Published in Huron Daily Tribune on July 30, 20

 

Ed comment:

 

2009 was the last time I spoke with Ray Lindquist. I recall, vividly, him talking about the political pedigree of his wife’s family and the place in Michigan from which they came. Bad Axe would have to be one of my favorite names for a town. Ray will celebrate his 90th birthday on Sept. 30. Ray was born in Cleveland, attended Dartmouth College and is still living in Ft. Myers.

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Alex Muirhead, Elvis and Reagan

 

Last week the readers were promised a few paragraphs regarding a former Ponca City Dodger shortstop by the name of Alex Muirhead. He was born in Libertyville, Ill. in 1927 and had played in the Piedmont league in 1945 with the Roanoke, Red Sox. He was there a month and was drafted into the Army.

 

He joined the Ponca City Dodgers for the 1948 season and spent one year there and retired from baseball at the age of 21 and that is when his life began. He worked four years with the California Department of Justice and then began his 30-year career with the California Highway Patrol. He attained the rank of captain and served as an area commander for 11 of those 30 years.

 

Like most law enforcement officers he came across many situations but two stood out as we sat on my back deck one afternoon and relived some of his life’s highlights. During the stage in the life of Elvis Presley when he was interested into martial arts and guns, his contingent pulled into the parking lot of the patrol office and asked to speak with the captain in charge.

 

Muirhead recalled that Presley seemed to be genuinely interested in law enforcement and paid rapt attention as he was told how the patrol operated. When he arrived Presley was carrying two pearl handle revolvers which he displayed for Muirhead. After Presley and the Memphis Mafia

www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFwRiPj_pLw departed one of the members of Muirhead’s staff entered his office and said that Elvis had given him the pearl handled revolvers. Muirhead explained that it was not legal to accept gifts and that he’d have to return them the next time Presley was in the area. (The URL mentioned in this paragraph will provide many hours of gtrsy viewing if you are interested in the security that surrounded Presley.)

 

When Presley next appeared in the area the deputy made a trip to see him to return the gift. Muirhead said that in thinking back that move was risky. He said his deputy asked for a meeting with Elvis without telling his bodyguards the nature of the visit and he was carrying those two weapons, concealed. Muirhead mused that carrying those guns to meet with one of the best guarded men in America wasn’t a very smart thing to do.

 

While serving as the area commander for the California Highway Patrol at Sacramento, Muirhead was surprised when the governor’s limousine pulled up to the station and out came Ronald Reagan. He recalled the governor was in some distress and asked “May I use your restroom.” After doing his “business” Reagan came out and posed for a photo with Capt. Muirhead which never got much attention until it was published in my of my non-bestselling books. If you have the second edition of Majoring in The Minors you’ll find it on page 133.

 

That and more regarding the life and times of Alex Muirhead is in that book and a story about how he suffered his most serious injury in his law enforcement career. It was meted out by a Chihuahua/ Toy Fox mixture. If the stories about Presley and Reagan didn’t live up to the hype maybe you’d like to hear the dog story, next time.

 

There were a lot of other items I wanted to share regarding Muirhead so maybe that will happen at another time.

 

For those wishing to see a photo of Reagan and Muirhead it was posted in this forum in 2015 and it can be viewed by clicking here: www.flickr.com/photos/60428361@N07/20581119710/

 

Another link shows Muirhead’s billfold that was a gift from the 1948 team. He gave me the billfold sans any money. www.flickr.com/photos/60428361@N07/20581106198/

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Two paths crossed in Wichita and Ponca City

 

In 1952 the Ponca City Dodgers had two players who were natives of Wichita, Kansas. Elbert Jarvis played first base for that club and Clyde Girrens did the catching. Three years later Jarvis was married and Girrens was an usher at that event.

 

Just three short years later, tragedy struck and this time Girrens was attending the funeral of his friend.

 

Elbert Jarvis Ponca City, 1952- www.findagrave.com/memorial/93405814/elbert-dean-jarvis

 

Wichita Eagle, Saturday, May 31, 1958

 

Ex-Wichita Ball Player Drowns--Fishing in Pond Near Ponca City

 

A former Wichitan, Elbert D. (Dean) Jarvis, 27, (Ed note: He was 25) Ponca City, Okla., drowned Friday afternoon in a private pond five miles northeast of Ponca City.

 

He was the son of Mrs. Esta Pearl Jarvis, 1221 Larimer. He graduated from North High School and attended the University of Wichita.

 

He and his wife, Jackie, and his mother-in-law, Mrs. William L. Troup, Ponca City, were fishing in the pond on the M. M. Acton farm about 1:30 p.m.

 

After stripping off his shirt and pants, he dived into the water after something, possibly his hat which had blown off.

 

A man who resides at the farm, Charles Johnson, heard the women screaming and called the Ponca City fire department. The fire department manned four boats at the scene.

 

The police department and Kay County, Okla., Sheriff Forrest Walker and Undersheriff Norman Coffelt also helped to search the water for an hour.

 

The body was found about 20 feet from shore in about 20 feet of water. Mr. Jarvis apparently had cramped. Firemen worked a resuscitator, but without success.

 

A Ponca City physician was treating Mrs. Jarvis for shock when the body was pulled out. The body was taken to Miles Funeral Home, Ponca City.

 

Mr. Jarvis played baseball with the Newport News, Va. Farm Club of the Brooklyn Dodgers, and later was first baseman for the Ponca City Cubs, a class D farm club of the Chicago Cubs.

 

Wichita Eagle, Sunday, June 1, 1958

 

ELBERT D. JARVIS

 

A resident of Ponca City, Okla. he commuted to Oklahoma State University at Stillwater, Okla. He was born June 4, 1932, in Wichita.

 

He graduated from North High School in 1950. He was a letterman in football, basketball and baseball. He had played on a farm club for the Brooklyn Dodgers, for the Shawnee, Okla., Hawks, and for the Cedar Rapids, Iowa Three I league.

 

Mr. Jarvis drowned while on a picnic with his wife and her parents. He and his wife had begun to fish some distance from where her parents had just finished eating.

 

He dived from the shore after his hat which had blown off. He retrieved the hat and was swimming back pushing the hat in front of him when his wife heard him call for help.

 

Survivors, besides his mother and his. wife, Sarah Ann (Jackie), include two brothers, Kile, Tucson, Ariz., and Gerald, 1444 S. Hydraulic; and two sisters, Mrs. C. O. Avery, 1319 N. Main, and Mrs. H. J. Valko, 1661 Jeanette.

 

Trout Funeral Home, Ponca City, is in charge of arrangements.

 

Fifty eight years later this story appeared regarding Clyde Girrens

 

North Central-Flint Hills Area Agency on Aging--July 25, 2016 ·

www.facebook.com/ncfhaaa/posts/clyde-girrens-86-of-wichit... A photo of Clyde Girrens at age 86 in a Kansas City Royals hat is on this link.

 

Clyde Girrens, 86, of Wichita, Kansas will be honored as Keeping Seniors in the Game! First Pitcher on Saturday, July 30, 2016 at the 7 p.m. feature game of the National Baseball Congress (NBC) World Series.

 

Clyde grew up in St. Marks, Kansas and has lived in Wichita since 1982. He and his wife Patricia have three children -- Clyde Jr., Phil, and Tom.

 

From a very young age Clyde loved baseball. At 15, he was a catcher on the St. Marks team. When his team played in the 1945 Kansas State NBC Tournament, he was the youngest player in that tournament. In 1949 he played in the NBC World Series with the Cessna Bobcats and the Bobcats won the national championship that year. In 1950, Clyde signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Everyone knew that when Clyde was the catcher, if someone was starting to steal second, the pitcher needed to get out of the way because Clyde had a great arm. He played for the Dodgers five years and then was drafted in the Army and served in Korea.

 

After Korea, he returned to Wichita and made NBC's All-tournament team a record four times playing for the Wichita Weller Indians, Service Auto Glass and Bob Moore Oldsmobile. He earned MVP honors in 1959 and in 1963. His favorite baseball memory happened in l963 when The Rapid Transit Dreamliners won NBC's National Championship after defeating the Ponchatoula, Louisiana Athletics. He played with the Dreamliners for 17 years--until 1987.

 

In 1980 he was inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame. These days Clyde enjoys spending quality time with Patricia and gardening.

 

Clyde was nominated for the Keeping Seniors in the Game SM honor by the Central Plains Area Agency on Aging. This group serves seniors and caregivers in Sedgwick, Butler and Harvey counties.

 

"We are delighted to work with the NBC to recognize the contributions that Clyde Girrens and other older Kansans make to our country, our hometowns and our communities," said Julie Govert Walter, Executive Director of the North Central-Flint Hills Area Agency on Aging who leads the Keeping Seniors In The Game!SM initiative.

 

Ed comment:

 

According to the late Bob Dellinger who was the Ponca City Dodger sportswriter for most of its time in the KOM league, he cited Clyde Girrens as being the best catching prospect to ever wear Dodger blue in that town.

 

One regret I have is not being able to spend more time conversing with Girrens but fate has dealt that a cruel blow. In 1994 I met Girrens at a reunion of former Ponca City Angels, Dodgers and Cubs. Without any exaggeration he was the guy most sought out by the attendees for the purpose of engaging in conversation.

 

Girrens had a long career in Wichita amateur baseball after five years in the Brooklyn Dodger organization beginning in 1950. There have been 80 ballplayers named as the MVP of the National Baseball Congress (NBC) Tournament in Wichita. Some of those names are Satchel Paige, Ellis “Cot” Deal, Chris Chambliss, Daryl Spencer and Lance Berkman who all played major league baseball. Of course, Girrens is one of 80 players to win that honor. He did it the year his team only advanced as far as the quarterfinals of the tournament.

 

A Hall of Fame for the NBC tournament exists that includes nearly 110 names. Included in that group are: Bob Boone, Joe Carter, Ron Guidry, Whitey Herzog, Ralph Houk, Billy Martin, Rick Monday, Satchel Paige, Allie Reynolds, Tom Seaver, Ozzie Smith, Roger Clemens, Daryl Spencer, Harry “The Hat” Walker, Barry Bonds, Rafael Palmeiro, Tony Gwynn, Kirk Gibson, Dave Kingman and of course, Clyde Girrens.

 

Clyde’s brother, John, pitched for the Bartlesville, Oklahoma Pirates in 1948.

 

Girrens played professional baseball from 1950, sans 1951, through 1955 and then decided upon a life making more money playing for industry teams in Wichita. However, the Los Angeles Angels coaxed him out of retirement, in 1964 and as a 34-year old catcher he was sent to the Hawaii Islanders of the Pacific Coast league. Following that stint in Hawaii he continued to play semi-pro ball for another 23 years making him 57 years of age when he finally hung up his spikes.

 

Why I came upon the names of Jarvis and Girrens for this report baffles me, it wasn’t planned. It is a story about how things work out. Jarvis left this world at age 25 and Girrens is still going at age 89. But, it is great that both are being remembered. I’m sure one reader of this report will recall Jarvis. He was a young, good looking member of the Ponca City Dodgers and the less than 10-year daughter of the team’s manager had a crush on him.

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Leftover from last week

 

Last time around there was a listing of former players never located or fate determined.

 

Steve Smith has researched ballplayers who were with Keokuk, Iowa for many years. When he notices Keokuk or other Central Association players who had experience in the KOM league he gets interested. He had a photo from the April 24, 1948 edition of the Moline, Ill. Dispatch. In that photo was a played listed as John Moore.

 

He commented “As always your reports are interesting. I looked at your list and of course the ever elusive John Moore is on it. I have found a picture of Mr. Moore which is attached. You may already have it. Moore was from Philly. I have tried to find his high school career but so far no luck. There were too many John Moore’s in Philly.”

 

With the foregoing input from Mr. Smith these were my observations. “Here is something to consider. There is a U. S. Baseball Questionnaire that a John Moore filled out for Bill Weiss in 1950. Here are the comments Moore made. Born June 28, 1928 in Philadelphia. Lived at 1803 67th Ave. in Philly in 1950. Nickname was Jackie. Was 5' 10" and weighed 170. Threw and batted right handed. Graduated from North East High in Philly in 1945. Played at Welch, WVA in 1947 and Portsmouth, Ohio in 1948 and played in some town in North Carolina in 1949. Maybe he felt his time in the KOM and wasn't significant enough to mention or his time in Moline, same thing. Of course, this might not be our guy.”

 

He claimed to have served one year in the Marine Corps by 1950. He stated in his questionnaire that he loved to play golf.. This same John Moore attended LaSalle Univ. from 1947-49 and was a member of the golf team. His name appears in the LaSalle yearbook. I can't find any information where this person has passed on. Just some things to mull over.

 

Another former player never found—William Ruel Waggener

 

This fellow was signed by the St. Louis Browns and sent to Pittsburg, Kansas in 1946. He was soon on his way to Bartlesville. During the off-season he attended Kansas State Teachers College in Pittsburg. He was back with Bartlesville to start the 1947 season but maintained his home in Pittsburg during the winter where he continued to attend classes in pursuing his major in civil engineering.

 

On Dec. 31, 1947 he and his wife welcomed a son they named Michael Stephen. Many references are made to Waggener in the Jacksonville, Ill. Daily Journal and they usually centered on the news he was visiting his parents at Christmas time. The last such reference was from 1972 and by that time he was living in Peoria. I believe he now resides in a nursing home in Peoria.

 

As you have probably guessed I’ll keep looking for any word on this man.

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Well, I’m done. Seventeen hours ago this report was started. Things went just fine for about two of them and then I shut down for the day. After what passes as a night of sleeping like a baby I arose and remembered there was a Flash Report still in the oven. I pulled it out to check how done it was and figured it was time to slice and serve it.

 

Hopefully, your piece of the report was done satisfactorily. If not, return the unconsumed portion for a full refund of its listed price on the menu.

  

A couple of weeks back, we met a couple in a pub in Canterbury, and they had been out exploring the city and said they were disappointed by the cathedral.

 

Not enough labels they said.

 

That not withstanding, I thought it had been some time since I last had been, so decided to revisit, see the pillars of Reculver church in the crypt and take the big lens for some detail shots.

 

We arrived just after ten, so the cathedral was pretty free of other guests, just a few guides waiting for groups and couples to guide.

 

I went round with the 50mm first, before concentrating on the medieval glass which is mostly on the south side.

 

But as you will see, the lens picked up so much more.

 

Thing is, there is always someone interesting to talk to, or wants to talk to you. As I went around, I spoke with about three guides about the project and things I have seen in the churches of the county, and the wonderful people I have met. And that continued in the cathedral.

 

I have time to look at the tombs in the Trinity Chapel, and see that Henry IV and his wife are in a tomb there, rather than ay Westminster Abbey. So I photograph them, and the Black Prince on the southern side of the chapel, along with the Bishops and Archbishops between.

 

Round to the transept and a chance to change lenses, and put on the 140-400mm for some detailed shots.

 

I go round the cathedral again.

 

Initially at some of the memorials on the walls and the canopy of the pulpit, but it is the windows that are calling.

 

At least it was a bright, sunny day outside, which meant light was good in the cathedral with most shots coming out fine with no camera shake.

 

As I edit the shots I am stunned at the details of windows so high up they mostly seem like blocks of colour.

 

And so far, I have only just started to edit these shots.

 

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St Augustine, the first Archbishop of Canterbury, arrived on the coast of Kent as a missionary to England in 597AD. He came from Rome, sent by Pope Gregory the Great. It is said that Gregory had been struck by the beauty of Angle slaves he saw for sale in the city market and despatched Augustine and some monks to convert them to Christianity. Augustine was given a church at Canterbury (St Martin’s, after St Martin of Tours, still standing today) by the local King, Ethelbert whose Queen, Bertha, a French Princess, was already a Christian.This building had been a place of worship during the Roman occupation of Britain and is the oldest church in England still in use. Augustine had been consecrated a bishop in France and was later made an archbishop by the Pope. He established his seat within the Roman city walls (the word cathedral is derived from the the Latin word for a chair ‘cathedra’, which is itself taken from the Greek ‘kathedra’ meaning seat.) and built the first cathedral there, becoming the first Archbishop of Canterbury. Since that time, there has been a community around the Cathedral offering daily prayer to God; this community is arguably the oldest organisation in the English speaking world. The present Archbishop, The Most Revd Justin Welby, is 105th in the line of succession from Augustine. Until the 10th century, the Cathedral community lived as the household of the Archbishop. During the 10th century, it became a formal community of Benedictine monks, which continued until the monastery was dissolved by King Henry VIII in 1540. Augustine’s original building lies beneath the floor of the Nave – it was extensively rebuilt and enlarged by the Saxons, and the Cathedral was rebuilt completely by the Normans in 1070 following a major fire. There have been many additions to the building over the last nine hundred years, but parts of the Quire and some of the windows and their stained glass date from the 12th century. By 1077, Archbishop Lanfranc had rebuilt it as a Norman church, described as “nearly perfect”. A staircase and parts of the North Wall – in the area of the North West transept also called the Martyrdom – remain from that building.

 

Canterbury’s role as one of the world’s most important pilgrimage centres in Europe is inextricably linked to the murder of its most famous Archbishop, Thomas Becket, in 1170. When, after a long lasting dispute, King Henry II is said to have exclaimed “Who will rid me of this turbulent priest?”, four knights set off for Canterbury and murdered Thomas in his own cathedral. A sword stroke was so violent that it sliced the crown off his skull and shattered the blade’s tip on the pavement. The murder took place in what is now known as The Martyrdom. When shortly afterwards, miracles were said to take place, Canterbury became one of Europe’s most important pilgrimage centres.

 

The work of the Cathedral as a monastery came to an end in 1540, when the monastery was closed on the orders of King Henry VIII. Its role as a place of prayer continued – as it does to this day. Once the monastery had been suppressed, responsibility for the services and upkeep was given to a group of clergy known as the Chapter of Canterbury. Today, the Cathedral is still governed by the Dean and four Canons, together (in recent years) with four lay people and the Archdeacon of Ashford. During the Civil War of the 1640s, the Cathedral suffered damage at the hands of the Puritans; much of the medieval stained glass was smashed and horses were stabled in the Nave. After the Restoration in 1660, several years were spent in repairing the building. In the early 19th Century, the North West tower was found to be dangerous, and, although it dated from Lanfranc’s time, it was demolished in the early 1830s and replaced by a copy of the South West tower, thus giving a symmetrical appearance to the west end of the Cathedral. During the Second World War, the Precincts were heavily damaged by enemy action and the Cathedral’s Library was destroyed. Thankfully, the Cathedral itself was not seriously harmed, due to the bravery of the team of fire watchers, who patrolled the roofs and dealt with the incendiary bombs dropped by enemy bombers. Today, the Cathedral stands as a place where prayer to God has been offered daily for over 1,400 years; nearly 2,000 Services are held each year, as well as countless private prayers from individuals. The Cathedral offers a warm welcome to all visitors – its aim is to show people Jesus, which we do through the splendour of the building as well as the beauty of the worship.

 

www.canterbury-cathedral.org/heritage/history/cathedral-h...

 

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History of the cathedral

THE ORIGIN of a Christian church on the scite of the present cathedral, is supposed to have taken place as early as the Roman empire in Britain, for the use of the antient faithful and believing soldiers of their garrison here; and that Augustine found such a one standing here, adjoining to king Ethelbert's palace, which was included in the king's gift to him.

 

This supposition is founded on the records of the priory of Christ-church, (fn. 1) concurring with the common opinion of almost all our historians, who tell us of a church in Canterbury, which Augustine found standing in the east part of the city, which he had of king Ethelbert's gift, which after his consecration at Arles, in France, he commended by special dedication to the patronage of our blessed Saviour. (fn. 2)

 

According to others, the foundations only of an old church formerly built by the believing Romans, were left here, on which Augustine erected that, which he afterwards dedicated to out Saviour; (fn. 3) and indeed it is not probable that king Ethelbert should have suffered the unsightly ruins of a Christian church, which, being a Pagan, must have been very obnoxious to him, so close to his palace, and supposing these ruins had been here, would he not have suffered them to be repaired, rather than have obliged his Christian queen to travel daily to such a distance as St. Martin's church, or St. Pancrace's chapel, for the performance of her devotions.

 

Some indeed have conjectured that the church found by St. Augustine, in the east part of the city, was that of St.Martin, truly so situated; and urge in favor of it, that there have not been at any time any remains of British or Roman bricks discovered scattered in or about this church of our Saviour, those infallible, as Mr. Somner stiles them, signs of antiquity, and so generally found in buildings, which have been erected on, or close to the spot where more antient ones have stood. But to proceed, king Ethelbert's donation to Augustine was made in the year 596, who immediately afterwards went over to France, and was consecrated a bishop at Arles, and after his return, as soon as he had sufficiently finished a church here, whether built out of ruins or anew, it matters not, he exercised his episcopal function in the dedication of it, says the register of Christ-church, to the honor of Christ our Saviour; whence it afterwards obtained the name of Christ-church. (fn. 4)

 

From the time of Augustine for the space of upwards of three hundred years, there is not found in any printed or manuscript chronicle, the least mention of the fabric of this church, so that it is probable nothing befell it worthy of being recorded; however it should be mentioned, that during that period the revenues of it were much increased, for in the leiger books of it there are registered more than fifty donations of manors, lands, &c. so large and bountiful, as became the munificence of kings and nobles to confer. (fn. 5)

 

It is supposed, especially as we find no mention made of any thing to the contrary, that the fabric of this church for two hundred years after Augustine's time, met with no considerable molestations; but afterwards, the frequent invasions of the Danes involved both the civil and ecclesiastical state of this country in continual troubles and dangers; in the confusion of which, this church appears to have run into a state of decay; for when Odo was promoted to the archbishopric, in the year 938, the roof of it was in a ruinous condition; age had impaired it, and neglect had made it extremely dangerous; the walls of it were of an uneven height, according as it had been more or less decayed, and the roof of the church seemed ready to fall down on the heads of those underneath. All this the archbishop undertook to repair, and then covered the whole church with lead; to finish which, it took three years, as Osbern tells us, in the life of Odo; (fn. 6) and further, that there was not to be found a church of so large a size, capable of containing so great a multitude of people, and thus, perhaps, it continued without any material change happening to it, till the year 1011; a dismal and fatal year to this church and city; a time of unspeakable confusion and calamities; for in the month of September that year, the Danes, after a siege of twenty days, entered this city by force, burnt the houses, made a lamentable slaughter of the inhabitants, rifled this church, and then set it on fire, insomuch, that the lead with which archbishop Odo had covered it, being melted, ran down on those who were underneath. The sull story of this calamity is given by Osbern, in the life of archbishop Odo, an abridgement of which the reader will find below. (fn. 7)

 

The church now lay in ruins, without a roof, the bare walls only standing, and in this desolate condition it remained as long as the fury of the Danes prevailed, who after they had burnt the church, carried away archbishop Alphage with them, kept him in prison seven months, and then put him to death, in the year 1012, the year after which Living, or Livingus, succeeded him as archbishop, though it was rather in his calamities than in his seat of dignity, for he too was chained up by the Danes in a loathsome dungeon for seven months, before he was set free, but he so sensibly felt the deplorable state of this country, which he foresaw was every day growing worse and worse, that by a voluntary exile, he withdrew himself out of the nation, to find some solitary retirement, where he might bewail those desolations of his country, to which he was not able to bring any relief, but by his continual prayers. (fn. 8) He just outlived this storm, returned into England, and before he died saw peace and quientness restored to this land by king Canute, who gaining to himself the sole sovereignty over the nation, made it his first business to repair the injuries which had been done to the churches and monasteries in this kingdom, by his father's and his own wars. (fn. 9)

 

As for this church, archbishop Ægelnoth, who presided over it from the year 1020 to the year 1038, began and finished the repair, or rather the rebuilding of it, assisted in it by the royal munificence of the king, (fn. 10) who in 1023 presented his crown of gold to this church, and restored to it the port of Sandwich, with its liberties. (fn. 11) Notwithstanding this, in less than forty years afterwards, when Lanfranc soon after the Norman conquest came to the see, he found this church reduced almost to nothing by fire, and dilapidations; for Eadmer says, it had been consumed by a third conflagration, prior to the year of his advancement to it, in which fire almost all the antient records of the privileges of it had perished. (fn. 12)

 

The same writer has given us a description of this old church, as it was before Lanfranc came to the see; by which we learn, that at the east end there was an altar adjoining to the wall of the church, of rough unhewn stone, cemented with mortar, erected by archbishop Odo, for a repository of the body of Wilfrid, archbishop of York, which Odo had translated from Rippon hither, giving it here the highest place; at a convenient distance from this, westward, there was another altar, dedicated to Christ our Saviour, at which divine service was daily celebrated. In this altar was inclosed the head of St. Swithin, with many other relics, which archbishop Alphage brought with him from Winchester. Passing from this altar westward, many steps led down to the choir and nave, which were both even, or upon the same level. At the bottom of the steps, there was a passage into the undercroft, under all the east part of the church. (fn. 13) At the east end of which, was an altar, in which was inclosed, according to old tradition, the head of St. Furseus. From hence by a winding passage, at the west end of it, was the tomb of St. Dunstan, (fn. 14) but separated from the undercroft by a strong stone wall; over the tomb was erected a monument, pyramid wife, and at the head of it an altar, (fn. 15) for the mattin service. Between these steps, or passage into the undercroft and the nave, was the choir, (fn. 16) which was separated from the nave by a fair and decent partition, to keep off the crowds of people that usually were in the body of the church, so that the singing of the chanters in the choir might not be disturbed. About the middle of the length of the nave, were two towers or steeples, built without the walls; one on the south, and the other on the north side. In the former was the altar of St. Gregory, where was an entrance into the church by the south door, and where law controversies and pleas concerning secular matters were exercised. (fn. 17) In the latter, or north tower, was a passage for the monks into the church, from the monastery; here were the cloysters, where the novices were instructed in their religious rules and offices, and where the monks conversed together. In this tower was the altar of St. Martin. At the west end of the church was a chapel, dedicated to the blessed Virgin Mary, to which there was an ascent by steps, and at the east end of it an altar, dedicated to her, in which was inclosed the head of St. Astroburta the Virgin; and at the western part of it was the archbishop's pontifical chair, made of large stones, compacted together with mortar; a fair piece of work, and placed at a convenient distance from the altar, close to the wall of the church. (fn. 18)

 

To return now to archbishop Lanfranc, who was sent for from Normandy in 1073, being the fourth year of the Conqueror's reign, to fill this see, a time, when a man of a noble spirit, equal to the laborious task he was to undertake, was wanting especially for this church; and that he was such, the several great works which were performed by him, were incontestable proofs, as well as of his great and generous mind. At the first sight of the ruinous condition of this church, says the historian, the archbishop was struck with astonishment, and almost despaired of seeing that and the monastery re edified; but his care and perseverance raised both in all its parts anew, and that in a novel and more magnificent kind and form of structure, than had been hardly in any place before made use of in this kingdom, which made it a precedent and pattern to succeeding structures of this kind; (fn. 19) and new monasteries and churches were built after the example of it; for it should be observed, that before the coming of the Normans most of the churches and monasteries in this kingdom were of wood; (all the monasteries in my realm, says king Edgar, in his charter to the abbey of Malmesbury, dated anno 974, to the outward sight are nothing but worm-eaten and rotten timber and boards) but after the Norman conquest, such timber fabrics grew out of use, and gave place to stone buildings raised upon arches; a form of structure introduced into general use by that nation, and in these parts surnished with stone from Caen, in Normandy. (fn. 20) After this fashion archbishop Lanfranc rebuilt the whole church from the foundation, with the palace and monastery, the wall which encompassed the court, and all the offices belonging to the monastery within the wall, finishing the whole nearly within the compass of seven years; (fn. 21) besides which, he furnished the church with ornaments and rich vestments; after which, the whole being perfected, he altered the name of it, by a dedication of it to the Holy Trinity; whereas, before it was called the church of our Saviour, or Christ-church, and from the above time it bore (as by Domesday book appears) the name of the church of the Holy Trinity; this new church being built on the same spot on which the antient one stood, though on a far different model.

 

After Lanfranc's death, archbishop Anselm succeeded in the year 1093, to the see of Canterbury, and must be esteemed a principal benefactor to this church; for though his time was perplexed with a continued series of troubles, of which both banishment and poverty made no small part, which in a great measure prevented him from bestowing that cost on his church, which he would otherwise have done, yet it was through his patronage and protection, and through his care and persuasions, that the fabric of it, begun and perfected by his predecessor, became enlarged and rose to still greater splendor. (fn. 22)

 

In order to carry this forward, upon the vacancy of the priory, he constituted Ernulph and Conrad, the first in 1104, the latter in 1108, priors of this church; to whose care, being men of generous and noble minds, and of singular skill in these matters, he, during his troubles, not only committed the management of this work, but of all his other concerns during his absence.

 

Probably archbishop Anselm, on being recalled from banishment on king Henry's accession to the throne, had pulled down that part of the church built by Lanfranc, from the great tower in the middle of it to the east end, intending to rebuild it upon a still larger and more magnificent plan; when being borne down by the king's displeasure, he intrusted prior Ernulph with the work, who raised up the building with such splendor, says Malmesbury, that the like was not to be seen in all England; (fn. 23) but the short time Ernulph continued in this office did not permit him to see his undertaking finished. (fn. 24) This was left to his successor Conrad, who, as the obituary of Christ church informs us, by his great industry, magnificently perfected the choir, which his predecessor had left unfinished, (fn. 25) adorning it with curious pictures, and enriching it with many precious ornaments. (fn. 26)

 

This great undertaking was not entirely compleated at the death of archbishop Anselm, which happened in 1109, anno 9 Henry I. nor indeed for the space of five years afterwards, during which the see of Canterbury continued vacant; when being finished, in honour of its builder, and on account of its more than ordinary beauty, it gained the name of the glorious choir of Conrad. (fn. 27)

 

After the see of Canterbury had continued thus vacant for five years, Ralph, or as some call him, Rodulph, bishop of Rochester, was translated to it in the year 1114, at whose coming to it, the church was dedicated anew to the Holy Trinity, the name which had been before given to it by Lanfranc. (fn. 28) The only particular description we have of this church when thus finished, is from Gervas, the monk of this monastery, and that proves imperfect, as to the choir of Lanfranc, which had been taken down soon after his death; (fn. 29) the following is his account of the nave, or western part of it below the choir, being that which had been erected by archbishop Lanfranc, as has been before mentioned. From him we learn, that the west end, where the chapel of the Virgin Mary stood before, was now adorned with two stately towers, on the top of which were gilded pinnacles. The nave or body was supported by eight pair of pillars. At the east end of the nave, on the north side, was an oratory, dedicated in honor to the blessed Virgin, in lieu, I suppose, of the chapel, that had in the former church been dedicated to her at the west end. Between the nave and the choir there was built a great tower or steeple, as it were in the centre of the whole fabric; (fn. 30) under this tower was erected the altar of the Holy Cross; over a partition, which separated this tower from the nave, a beam was laid across from one side to the other of the church; upon the middle of this beam was fixed a great cross, between the images of the Virgin Mary and St. John, and between two cherubims. The pinnacle on the top of this tower, was a gilded cherub, and hence it was called the angel steeple; a name it is frequently called by at this day. (fn. 31)

 

This great tower had on each side a cross isle, called the north and south wings, which were uniform, of the same model and dimensions; each of them had a strong pillar in the middle for a support to the roof, and each of them had two doors or passages, by which an entrance was open to the east parts of the church. At one of these doors there was a descent by a few steps into the undercroft; at the other, there was an ascent by many steps into the upper parts of the church, that is, the choir, and the isles on each side of it. Near every one of these doors or passages, an altar was erected; at the upper door in the south wing, there was an altar in honour of All Saints; and at the lower door there was one of St. Michael; and before this altar on the south side was buried archbishop Fleologild; and on the north side, the holy Virgin Siburgis, whom St. Dunstan highly admired for her sanctity. In the north isle, by the upper door, was the altar of St. Blaze; and by the lower door, that of St. Benedict. In this wing had been interred four archbishops, Adelm and Ceolnoth, behind the altar, and Egelnoth and Wlfelm before it. At the entrance into this wing, Rodulph and his successor William Corboil, both archbishops, were buried. (fn. 32)

 

Hence, he continues, we go up by some steps into the great tower, and before us there is a door and steps leading down into the south wing, and on the right hand a pair of folding doors, with stairs going down into the nave of the church; but without turning to any of these, let us ascend eastward, till by several more steps we come to the west end of Conrad's choir; being now at the entrance of the choir, Gervas tells us, that he neither saw the choir built by Lanfranc, nor found it described by any one; that Eadmer had made mention of it, without giving any account of it, as he had done of the old church, the reason of which appears to be, that Lanfranc's choir did not long survive its founder, being pulled down as before-mentioned, by archbishop Anselm; so that it could not stand more than twenty years; therefore the want of a particular description of it will appear no great defect in the history of this church, especially as the deficiency is here supplied by Gervas's full relation of the new choir of Conrad, built instead of it; of which, whoever desires to know the whole architecture and model observed in the fabric, the order, number, height and form of the pillars and windows, may know the whole of it from him. The roof of it, he tells us, (fn. 33) was beautified with curious paintings representing heaven; (fn. 34) in several respects it was agreeable to the present choir, the stalls were large and framed of carved wood. In the middle of it, there hung a gilded crown, on which were placed four and twenty tapers of wax. From the choir an ascent of three steps led to the presbiterium, or place for the presbiters; here, he says, it would be proper to stop a little and take notice of the high altar, which was dedicated to the name of CHRIST. It was placed between two other altars, the one of St. Dunstan, the other of St. Alphage; at the east corners of the high altar were fixed two pillars of wood, beautified with silver and gold; upon these pillars was placed a beam, adorned with gold, which reached across the church, upon it there were placed the glory, (fn. 35) the images of St. Dunstan and St. Alphage, and seven chests or coffers overlaid with gold, full of the relics of many saints. Between those pillars was a cross gilded all over, and upon the upper beam of the cross were set sixty bright crystals.

 

Beyond this, by an ascent of eight steps towards the east, behind the altar, was the archiepiscopal throne, which Gervas calls the patriarchal chair, made of one stone; in this chair, according to the custom of the church, the archbishop used to sit, upon principal festivals, in his pontifical ornaments, whilst the solemn offices of religion were celebrated, until the consecration of the host, when he came down to the high altar, and there performed the solemnity of consecration. Still further, eastward, behind the patriarchal chair, (fn. 36) was a chapel in the front of the whole church, in which was an altar, dedicated to the Holy Trinity; behind which were laid the bones of two archbishops, Odo of Canterbury, and Wilfrid of York; by this chapel on the south side near the wall of the church, was laid the body of archbishop Lanfranc, and on the north side, the body of archbishop Theobald. Here it is to be observed, that under the whole east part of the church, from the angel steeple, there was an undercrost or crypt, (fn. 37) in which were several altars, chapels and sepulchres; under the chapel of the Trinity before-mentioned, were two altars, on the south side, the altar of St. Augustine, the apostle of the English nation, by which archbishop Athelred was interred. On the north side was the altar of St. John Baptist, by which was laid the body of archbishop Eadsin; under the high altar was the chapel and altar of the blessed Virgin Mary, to whom the whole undercroft was dedicated.

 

To return now, he continues, to the place where the bresbyterium and choir meet, where on each side there was a cross isle (as was to be seen in his time) which might be called the upper south and north wings; on the east side of each of these wings were two half circular recesses or nooks in the wall, arched over after the form of porticoes. Each of them had an altar, and there was the like number of altars under them in the crost. In the north wing, the north portico had the altar of St. Martin, by which were interred the bodies of two archbishops, Wlfred on the right, and Living on the left hand; under it in the croft, was the altar of St. Mary Magdalen. The other portico in this wing, had the altar of St. Stephen, and by it were buried two archbishops, Athelard on the left hand, and Cuthbert on the right; in the croft under it, was the altar of St. Nicholas. In the south wing, the north portico had the altar of St. John the Evangelist, and by it the bodies of Æthelgar and Aluric, archbishops, were laid. In the croft under it was the altar of St. Paulinus, by which the body of archbishop Siricius was interred. In the south portico was the altar of St. Gregory, by which were laid the corps of the two archbishops Bregwin and Plegmund. In the croft under it was the altar of St. Owen, archbishop of Roan, and underneath in the croft, not far from it the altar of St. Catherine.

 

Passing from these cross isles eastward there were two towers, one on the north, the other on the south side of the church. In the tower on the north side was the altar of St. Andrew, which gave name to the tower; under it, in the croft, was the altar of the Holy Innocents; the tower on the south side had the altar of St. Peter and St. Paul, behind which the body of St. Anselm was interred, which afterwards gave name both to the altar and tower (fn. 38) (now called St. Anselm's). The wings or isles on each side of the choir had nothing in particular to be taken notice of.— Thus far Gervas, from whose description we in particular learn, where several of the bodies of the old archbishops were deposited, and probably the ashes of some of them remain in the same places to this day.

 

As this building, deservedly called the glorious choir of Conrad, was a magnificent work, so the undertaking of it at that time will appear almost beyond example, especially when the several circumstances of it are considered; but that it was carried forward at the archbishop's cost, exceeds all belief. It was in the discouraging reign of king William Rufus, a prince notorious in the records of history, for all manner of sacrilegious rapine, that archbishop Anselm was promoted to this see; when he found the lands and revenues of this church so miserably wasted and spoiled, that there was hardly enough left for his bare subsistence; who, in the first years that he sat in the archiepiscopal chair, struggled with poverty, wants and continual vexations through the king's displeasure, (fn. 39) and whose three next years were spent in banishment, during all which time he borrowed money for his present maintenance; who being called home by king Henry I. at his coming to the crown, laboured to pay the debts he had contracted during the time of his banishment, and instead of enjoying that tranquility and ease he hoped for, was, within two years afterwards, again sent into banishment upon a fresh displeasure conceived against him by the king, who then seized upon all the revenues of the archbishopric, (fn. 40) which he retained in his own hands for no less than four years.

 

Under these hard circumstances, it would have been surprizing indeed, that the archbishop should have been able to carry on so great a work, and yet we are told it, as a truth, by the testimonies of history; but this must surely be understood with the interpretation of his having been the patron, protector and encourager, rather than the builder of this work, which he entrusted to the care and management of the priors Ernulph and Conrad, and sanctioned their employing, as Lanfranc had done before, the revenues and stock of the church to this use. (fn. 41)

 

In this state as above-mentioned, without any thing material happening to it, this church continued till about the year 1130, anno 30 Henry I. when it seems to have suffered some damage by a fire; (fn. 42) but how much, there is no record left to inform us; however it could not be of any great account, for it was sufficiently repaired, and that mostly at the cost of archbishop Corboil, who then sat in the chair of this see, (fn. 43) before the 4th of May that year, on which day, being Rogation Sunday, the bishops performed the dedication of it with great splendor and magnificence, such, says Gervas, col. 1664, as had not been heard of since the dedication of the temple of Solomon; the king, the queen, David, king of Scots, all the archbishops, and the nobility of both kingdoms being present at it, when this church's former name was restored again, being henceforward commonly called Christ-church. (fn. 44)

 

Among the manuscripts of Trinity college library, in Cambridge, in a very curious triple psalter of St. Jerome, in Latin, written by the monk Eadwyn, whose picture is at the beginning of it, is a plan or drawing made by him, being an attempt towards a representation of this church and monastery, as they stood between the years 1130 and 1174; which makes it probable, that he was one of the monks of it, and the more so, as the drawing has not any kind of relation to the plalter or sacred hymns contained in the manuscript.

 

His plan, if so it may be called, for it is neither such, nor an upright, nor a prospect, and yet something of all together; but notwithstanding this rudeness of the draftsman, it shews very plain that it was intended for this church and priory, and gives us a very clear knowledge, more than we have been able to learn from any description we have besides, of what both were at the above period of time. (fn. 45)

 

Forty-four years after this dedication, on the 5th of September, anno 1174, being the 20th year of king Henry II.'s reign, a fire happened, which consumed great part of this stately edifice, namely, the whole choir, from the angel steeple to the east end of the church, together with the prior's lodgings, the chapel of the Virgin Mary, the infirmary, and some other offices belonging to the monastery; but the angel steeple, the lower cross isles, and the nave appear to have received no material injury from the flames. (fn. 46) The narrative of this accident is told by Gervas, the monk of Canterbury, so often quoted before, who was an eye witness of this calamity, as follows:

 

Three small houses in the city near the old gate of the monastery took fire by accident, a strong south wind carried the flakes of fire to the top of the church, and lodged them between the joints of the lead, driving them to the timbers under it; this kindled a fire there, which was not discerned till the melted lead gave a free passage for the flames to appear above the church, and the wind gaining by this means a further power of increasing them, drove them inwardly, insomuch that the danger became immediately past all possibility of relief. The timber of the roof being all of it on fire, fell down into the choir, where the stalls of the manks, made of large pieces of carved wood, afforded plenty of fuel to the flames, and great part of the stone work, through the vehement heat of the fire, was so weakened, as to be brought to irreparable ruin, and besides the fabric itself, the many rich ornaments in the church were devoured by the flames.

 

The choir being thus laid in ashes, the monks removed from amidst the ruins, the bodies of the two saints, whom they called patrons of the church, the archbishops Dunstan and Alphage, and deposited them by the altar of the great cross, in the nave of the church; (fn. 47) and from this time they celebrated the daily religious offices in the oratory of the blessed Virgin Mary in the nave, and continued to do so for more than five years, when the choir being re edified, they returned to it again. (fn. 48)

 

Upon this destruction of the church, the prior and convent, without any delay, consulted on the most speedy and effectual method of rebuilding it, resolving to finish it in such a manner, as should surpass all the former choirs of it, as well in beauty as size and magnificence. To effect this, they sent for the most skilful architects that could be found either in France or England. These surveyed the walls and pillars, which remained standing, but they found great part of them so weakened by the fire, that they could no ways be built upon with any safety; and it was accordingly resolved, that such of them should be taken down; a whole year was spent in doing this, and in providing materials for the new building, for which they sent abroad for the best stone that could be procured; Gervas has given a large account, (fn. 49) how far this work advanced year by year; what methods and rules of architecture were observed, and other particulars relating to the rebuilding of this church; all which the curious reader may consult at his leisure; it will be sufficient to observe here, that the new building was larger in height and length, and more beautiful in every respect, than the choir of Conrad; for the roof was considerably advanced above what it was before, and was arched over with stone; whereas before it was composed of timber and boards. The capitals of the pillars were now beautified with different sculptures of carvework; whereas, they were before plain, and six pillars more were added than there were before. The former choir had but one triforium, or inner gallery, but now there were two made round it, and one in each side isle and three in the cross isles; before, there were no marble pillars, but such were now added to it in abundance. In forwarding this great work, the monks had spent eight years, when they could proceed no further for want of money; but a fresh supply coming in from the offerings at St. Thomas's tomb, so much more than was necessary for perfecting the repair they were engaged in, as encouraged them to set about a more grand design, which was to pull down the eastern extremity of the church, with the small chapel of the Holy Trinity adjoining to it, and to erect upon a stately undercroft, a most magnificent one instead of it, equally lofty with the roof of the church, and making a part of it, which the former one did not, except by a door into it; but this new chapel, which was dedicated likewise to the Holy Trinity, was not finished till some time after the rest of the church; at the east end of this chapel another handsome one, though small, was afterwards erected at the extremity of the whole building, since called Becket's crown, on purpose for an altar and the reception of some part of his relics; (fn. 50) further mention of which will be made hereafter.

 

The eastern parts of this church, as Mr. Gostling observes, have the appearance of much greater antiquity than what is generally allowed to them; and indeed if we examine the outside walls and the cross wings on each side of the choir, it will appear, that the whole of them was not rebuilt at the time the choir was, and that great part of them was suffered to remain, though altered, added to, and adapted as far as could be, to the new building erected at that time; the traces of several circular windows and other openings, which were then stopped up, removed, or altered, still appearing on the walls both of the isles and the cross wings, through the white-wash with which they are covered; and on the south side of the south isle, the vaulting of the roof as well as the triforium, which could not be contrived so as to be adjusted to the places of the upper windows, plainly shew it. To which may be added, that the base or foot of one of the westernmost large pillars of the choir on the north side, is strengthened with a strong iron band round it, by which it should seem to have been one of those pillars which had been weakened by the fire, but was judged of sufficient firmness, with this precaution, to remain for the use of the new fabric.

 

The outside of this part of the church is a corroborating proof of what has been mentioned above, as well in the method, as in the ornaments of the building.— The outside of it towards the south, from St. Michael's chapel eastward, is adorned with a range of small pillars, about six inches diameter, and about three feet high, some with santastic shasts and capitals, others with plain ones; these support little arches, which intersect each other; and this chain or girdle of pillars is continued round the small tower, the eastern cross isle and the chapel of St. Anselm, to the buildings added in honour of the Holy Trinity, and St. Thomas Becket, where they leave off. The casing of St. Michael's chapel has none of them, but the chapel of the Virgin Mary, answering to it on the north side of the church, not being fitted to the wall, shews some of them behind it; which seems as if they had been continued before, quite round the eastern parts of the church.

 

These pillars, which rise from about the level of the pavement, within the walls above them, are remarkably plain and bare of ornaments; but the tower above mentioned and its opposite, as soon as they rise clear of the building, are enriched with stories of this colonade, one above another, up to the platform from whence their spires rise; and the remains of the two larger towers eastward, called St. Anselm's, and that answering to it on the north side of the church, called St. Andrew's are decorated much after the same manner, as high as they remain at present.

 

At the time of the before-mentioned fire, which so fatally destroyed the upper part of this church, the undercrost, with the vaulting over it, seems to have remained entire, and unhurt by it.

 

The vaulting of the undercrost, on which the floor of the choir and eastern parts of the church is raised, is supported by pillars, whose capitals are as various and fantastical as those of the smaller ones described before, and so are their shafts, some being round, others canted, twisted, or carved, so that hardly any two of them are alike, except such as are quite plain.

 

These, I suppose, may be concluded to be of the same age, and if buildings in the same stile may be conjectured to be so from thence, the antiquity of this part of the church may be judged, though historians have left us in the dark in relation to it.

 

In Leland's Collectanea, there is an account and description of a vault under the chancel of the antient church of St. Peter, in Oxford, called Grymbald's crypt, being allowed by all, to have been built by him; (fn. 51) Grymbald was one of those great and accomplished men, whom king Alfred invited into England about the year 885, to assist him in restoring Christianity, learning and the liberal arts. (fn. 52) Those who compare the vaults or undercrost of the church of Canterbury, with the description and prints given of Grymbald's crypt, (fn. 53) will easily perceive, that two buildings could hardly have been erected more strongly resembling each other, except that this at Canterbury is larger, and more pro fusely decorated with variety of fancied ornaments, the shafts of several of the pillars here being twisted, or otherwise varied, and many of the captials exactly in the same grotesque taste as those in Grymbald's crypt. (fn. 54) Hence it may be supposed, that those whom archbishop Lanfranc employed as architects and designers of his building at Canterbury, took their model of it, at least of this part of it, from that crypt, and this undercrost now remaining is the same, as was originally built by him, as far eastward, as to that part which begins under the chapel of the Holy Trinity, where it appears to be of a later date, erected at the same time as the chapel. The part built by Lanfranc continues at this time as firm and entire, as it was at the very building of it, though upwards of seven hundred years old. (fn. 55)

 

But to return to the new building; though the church was not compleatly finished till the end of the year 1184, yet it was so far advanced towards it, that, in 1180, on April 19, being Easter eve, (fn. 56) the archbishop, prior and monks entered the new choir, with a solemn procession, singing Te Deum, for their happy return to it. Three days before which they had privately, by night, carried the bodies of St. Dunstan and St. Alphage to the places prepared for them near the high altar. The body likewise of queen Edive (which after the fire had been removed from the north cross isle, where it lay before, under a stately gilded shrine) to the altar of the great cross, was taken up, carried into the vestry, and thence to the altar of St. Martin, where it was placed under the coffin of archbishop Livinge. In the month of July following the altar of the Holy Trinity was demolished, and the bodies of those archbishops, which had been laid in that part of the church, were removed to other places. Odo's body was laid under St. Dunstan's and Wilfrid's under St. Alphage's; Lanfranc's was deposited nigh the altar of St. Martin, and Theobald's at that of the blessed Virgin, in the nave of the church, (fn. 57) under a marble tomb; and soon afterwards the two archbishops, on the right and left hand of archbishop Becket in the undercrost, were taken up and placed under the altar of St. Mary there. (fn. 58)

 

After a warning so terrible, as had lately been given, it seemed most necessary to provide against the danger of fire for the time to come; the flames, which had so lately destroyed a considerable part of the church and monastery, were caused by some small houses, which had taken fire at a small distance from the church.— There still remained some other houses near it, which belonged to the abbot and convent of St. Augustine; for these the monks of Christ-church created, by an exchange, which could not be effected till the king interposed, and by his royal authority, in a manner, compelled the abbot and convent to a composition for this purpose, which was dated in the year 1177, that was three years after the late fire of this church. (fn. 59)

 

These houses were immediately pulled down, and it proved a providential and an effectual means of preserving the church from the like calamity; for in the year 1180, on May 22, this new choir, being not then compleated, though it had been used the month be fore, as has been already mentioned, there happened a fire in the city, which burnt down many houses, and the flames bent their course towards the church, which was again in great danger; but the houses near it being taken away, the fire was stopped, and the church escaped being burnt again. (fn. 60)

 

Although there is no mention of a new dedication of the church at this time, yet the change made in the name of it has been thought by some to imply a formal solemnity of this kind, as it appears to have been from henceforth usually called the church of St. Thomas the Martyr, and to have continued so for above 350 years afterwards.

 

New names to churches, it is true. have been usually attended by formal consecrations of them; and had there been any such solemnity here, undoubtedly the same would not have passed by unnoticed by every historian, the circumstance of it must have been notorious, and the magnificence equal at least to the other dedications of this church, which have been constantly mentioned by them; but here was no need of any such ceremony, for although the general voice then burst forth to honour this church with the name of St. Thomas, the universal object of praise and adoration, then stiled the glorious martyr, yet it reached no further, for the name it had received at the former dedication, notwithstanding this common appellation of it, still remained in reality, and it still retained invariably in all records and writings, the name of Christ church only, as appears by many such remaining among the archives of the dean and chapter; and though on the seal of this church, which was changed about this time; the counter side of it had a representation of Becket's martyrdom, yet on the front of it was continued that of the church, and round it an inscription with the former name of Christ church; which seal remained in force till the dissolution of the priory.

 

It may not be improper to mention here some transactions, worthy of observation, relating to this favorite saint, which passed from the time of his being murdered, to that of his translation to the splendid shrine prepared for his relics.

 

Archbishop Thomas Becket was barbarously murdered in this church on Dec. 29, 1170, being the 16th year of king Henry II. and his body was privately buried towards the east end of the undercrost. The monks tell us, that about the Easter following, miracles began to be wrought by him, first at his tomb, then in the undercrost, and in every part of the whole fabric of the church; afterwards throughout England, and lastly, throughout the rest of the world. (fn. 61) The same of these miracles procured him the honour of a formal canonization from pope Alexander III. whose bull for that purpose is dated March 13, in the year 1172. (fn. 62) This declaration of the pope was soon known in all places, and the reports of his miracles were every where sounded abroad. (fn. 63)

 

Hereupon crowds of zealots, led on by a phrenzy of devotion, hastened to kneel at his tomb. In 1177, Philip, earl of Flanders, came hither for that purpose, when king Henry met and had a conference with him at Canterbury. (fn. 64) In June 1178, king Henry returning from Normandy, visited the sepulchre of this new saint; and in July following, William, archbishop of Rhemes, came from France, with a large retinue, to perform his vows to St. Thomas of Canterbury, where the king met him and received him honourably. In the year 1179, Lewis, king of France, came into England; before which neither he nor any of his predecessors had ever set foot in this kingdom. (fn. 65) He landed at Dover, where king Henry waited his arrival, and on August 23, the two kings came to Canterbury, with a great train of nobility of both nations, and were received with due honour and great joy, by the archbishop, with his com-provincial bishops, and the prior and the whole convent. (fn. 66)

 

King Lewis came in the manner and habit of a pilgrim, and was conducted to the tomb of St. Thomas by a solemn procession; he there offered his cup of gold and a royal precious stone, (fn. 67) and gave the convent a yearly rent for ever, of a hundred muids of wine, to be paid by himself and his successors; which grant was confirmed by his royal charter, under his seal, and delivered next day to the convent; (fn. 68) after he had staid here two, (fn. 69) or as others say, three days, (fn. 70) during which the oblations of gold and silver made were so great, that the relation of them almost exceeded credibility. (fn. 71) In 1181, king Henry, in his return from Normandy, again paid his devotions at this tomb. These visits were the early fruits of the adoration of the new sainted martyr, and these royal examples of kings and great persons were followed by multitudes, who crowded to present with full hands their oblations at his tomb.— Hence the convent was enabled to carry forward the building of the new choir, and they applied all this vast income to the fabric of the church, as the present case instantly required, for which they had the leave and consent of the archbishop, confirmed by the bulls of several succeeding popes. (fn. 72)

 

¶From the liberal oblations of these royal and noble personages at the tomb of St. Thomas, the expences of rebuilding the choir appear to have been in a great measure supplied, nor did their devotion and offerings to the new saint, after it was compleated, any ways abate, but, on the contrary, they daily increased; for in the year 1184, Philip, archbishop of Cologne, and Philip, earl of Flanders, came together to pay their vows at this tomb, and were met here by king Henry, who gave them an invitation to London. (fn. 73) In 1194, John, archbishop of Lions; in the year afterwards, John, archbishop of York; and in the year 1199, king John, performed their devotions at the foot of this tomb. (fn. 74) King Richard I. likewise, on his release from captivity in Germany, landing on the 30th of March at Sandwich, proceeded from thence, as an humble stranger on foot, towards Canterbury, to return his grateful thanks to God and St. Thomas for his release. (fn. 75) All these by name, with many nobles and multitudes of others, of all sorts and descriptions, visited the saint with humble adoration and rich oblations, whilst his body lay in the undercrost. In the mean time the chapel and altar at the upper part of the east end of the church, which had been formerly consecrated to the Holy Trinity, were demolished, and again prepared with great splendor, for the reception of this saint, who being now placed there, implanted his name not only on the chapel and altar, but on the whole church, which was from thenceforth known only by that of the church of St. Thomas the martyr.

  

On July 7, anno 1220, the remains of St. Thomas were translated from his tomb to his new shrine, with the greatest solemnity and rejoicings. Pandulph, the pope's legate, the archbishops of Canterbury and Rheims, and many bishops and abbots, carried the coffin on their shoulders, and placed it on the new shrine, and the king graced these solemnities with his royal presence. (fn. 76) The archbishop of Canterbury provided forage along all the road, between London and Canterbury, for the horses of all such as should come to them, and he caused several pipes and conduits to run with wine in different parts of the city. This, with the other expences arising during the time, was so great, that he left a debt on the see, which archbishop Boniface, his fourth successor in it, was hardly enabled to discharge.

 

¶The saint being now placed in his new repository, became the vain object of adoration to the deluded people, and afterwards numbers of licences were granted to strangers by the king, to visit this shrine. (fn. 77) The titles of glorious, of saint and martyr, were among those given to him; (fn. 78) such veneration had all people for his relics, that the religious of several cathedral churches and monasteries, used all their endeavours to obtain some of them, and thought themselves happy and rich in the possession of the smallest portion of them. (fn. 79) Besides this, there were erected and dedicated to his honour, many churches, chapels, altars and hospitals in different places, both in this kingdom and abroad. (fn. 80) Thus this saint, even whilst he lay in his obscure tomb in the undercroft, brought such large and constant supplies of money, as enabled the monks to finish this beautiful choir, and the eastern parts of the church; and when he was translated to the most exalted and honourable place in it, a still larger abundance of gain filled their coffers, which continued as a plentiful supply to them, from year to year, to the time of the reformation, and the final abolition of the priory itself.

 

www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-kent/vol11/pp306-383

A couple of weeks back, we met a couple in a pub in Canterbury, and they had been out exploring the city and said they were disappointed by the cathedral.

 

Not enough labels they said.

 

That not withstanding, I thought it had been some time since I last had been, so decided to revisit, see the pillars of Reculver church in the crypt and take the big lens for some detail shots.

 

We arrived just after ten, so the cathedral was pretty free of other guests, just a few guides waiting for groups and couples to guide.

 

I went round with the 50mm first, before concentrating on the medieval glass which is mostly on the south side.

 

But as you will see, the lens picked up so much more.

 

Thing is, there is always someone interesting to talk to, or wants to talk to you. As I went around, I spoke with about three guides about the project and things I have seen in the churches of the county, and the wonderful people I have met. And that continued in the cathedral.

 

I have time to look at the tombs in the Trinity Chapel, and see that Henry IV and his wife are in a tomb there, rather than ay Westminster Abbey. So I photograph them, and the Black Prince on the southern side of the chapel, along with the Bishops and Archbishops between.

 

Round to the transept and a chance to change lenses, and put on the 140-400mm for some detailed shots.

 

I go round the cathedral again.

 

Initially at some of the memorials on the walls and the canopy of the pulpit, but it is the windows that are calling.

 

At least it was a bright, sunny day outside, which meant light was good in the cathedral with most shots coming out fine with no camera shake.

 

As I edit the shots I am stunned at the details of windows so high up they mostly seem like blocks of colour.

 

And so far, I have only just started to edit these shots.

 

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St Augustine, the first Archbishop of Canterbury, arrived on the coast of Kent as a missionary to England in 597AD. He came from Rome, sent by Pope Gregory the Great. It is said that Gregory had been struck by the beauty of Angle slaves he saw for sale in the city market and despatched Augustine and some monks to convert them to Christianity. Augustine was given a church at Canterbury (St Martin’s, after St Martin of Tours, still standing today) by the local King, Ethelbert whose Queen, Bertha, a French Princess, was already a Christian.This building had been a place of worship during the Roman occupation of Britain and is the oldest church in England still in use. Augustine had been consecrated a bishop in France and was later made an archbishop by the Pope. He established his seat within the Roman city walls (the word cathedral is derived from the the Latin word for a chair ‘cathedra’, which is itself taken from the Greek ‘kathedra’ meaning seat.) and built the first cathedral there, becoming the first Archbishop of Canterbury. Since that time, there has been a community around the Cathedral offering daily prayer to God; this community is arguably the oldest organisation in the English speaking world. The present Archbishop, The Most Revd Justin Welby, is 105th in the line of succession from Augustine. Until the 10th century, the Cathedral community lived as the household of the Archbishop. During the 10th century, it became a formal community of Benedictine monks, which continued until the monastery was dissolved by King Henry VIII in 1540. Augustine’s original building lies beneath the floor of the Nave – it was extensively rebuilt and enlarged by the Saxons, and the Cathedral was rebuilt completely by the Normans in 1070 following a major fire. There have been many additions to the building over the last nine hundred years, but parts of the Quire and some of the windows and their stained glass date from the 12th century. By 1077, Archbishop Lanfranc had rebuilt it as a Norman church, described as “nearly perfect”. A staircase and parts of the North Wall – in the area of the North West transept also called the Martyrdom – remain from that building.

 

Canterbury’s role as one of the world’s most important pilgrimage centres in Europe is inextricably linked to the murder of its most famous Archbishop, Thomas Becket, in 1170. When, after a long lasting dispute, King Henry II is said to have exclaimed “Who will rid me of this turbulent priest?”, four knights set off for Canterbury and murdered Thomas in his own cathedral. A sword stroke was so violent that it sliced the crown off his skull and shattered the blade’s tip on the pavement. The murder took place in what is now known as The Martyrdom. When shortly afterwards, miracles were said to take place, Canterbury became one of Europe’s most important pilgrimage centres.

 

The work of the Cathedral as a monastery came to an end in 1540, when the monastery was closed on the orders of King Henry VIII. Its role as a place of prayer continued – as it does to this day. Once the monastery had been suppressed, responsibility for the services and upkeep was given to a group of clergy known as the Chapter of Canterbury. Today, the Cathedral is still governed by the Dean and four Canons, together (in recent years) with four lay people and the Archdeacon of Ashford. During the Civil War of the 1640s, the Cathedral suffered damage at the hands of the Puritans; much of the medieval stained glass was smashed and horses were stabled in the Nave. After the Restoration in 1660, several years were spent in repairing the building. In the early 19th Century, the North West tower was found to be dangerous, and, although it dated from Lanfranc’s time, it was demolished in the early 1830s and replaced by a copy of the South West tower, thus giving a symmetrical appearance to the west end of the Cathedral. During the Second World War, the Precincts were heavily damaged by enemy action and the Cathedral’s Library was destroyed. Thankfully, the Cathedral itself was not seriously harmed, due to the bravery of the team of fire watchers, who patrolled the roofs and dealt with the incendiary bombs dropped by enemy bombers. Today, the Cathedral stands as a place where prayer to God has been offered daily for over 1,400 years; nearly 2,000 Services are held each year, as well as countless private prayers from individuals. The Cathedral offers a warm welcome to all visitors – its aim is to show people Jesus, which we do through the splendour of the building as well as the beauty of the worship.

 

www.canterbury-cathedral.org/heritage/history/cathedral-h...

 

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History of the cathedral

THE ORIGIN of a Christian church on the scite of the present cathedral, is supposed to have taken place as early as the Roman empire in Britain, for the use of the antient faithful and believing soldiers of their garrison here; and that Augustine found such a one standing here, adjoining to king Ethelbert's palace, which was included in the king's gift to him.

 

This supposition is founded on the records of the priory of Christ-church, (fn. 1) concurring with the common opinion of almost all our historians, who tell us of a church in Canterbury, which Augustine found standing in the east part of the city, which he had of king Ethelbert's gift, which after his consecration at Arles, in France, he commended by special dedication to the patronage of our blessed Saviour. (fn. 2)

 

According to others, the foundations only of an old church formerly built by the believing Romans, were left here, on which Augustine erected that, which he afterwards dedicated to out Saviour; (fn. 3) and indeed it is not probable that king Ethelbert should have suffered the unsightly ruins of a Christian church, which, being a Pagan, must have been very obnoxious to him, so close to his palace, and supposing these ruins had been here, would he not have suffered them to be repaired, rather than have obliged his Christian queen to travel daily to such a distance as St. Martin's church, or St. Pancrace's chapel, for the performance of her devotions.

 

Some indeed have conjectured that the church found by St. Augustine, in the east part of the city, was that of St.Martin, truly so situated; and urge in favor of it, that there have not been at any time any remains of British or Roman bricks discovered scattered in or about this church of our Saviour, those infallible, as Mr. Somner stiles them, signs of antiquity, and so generally found in buildings, which have been erected on, or close to the spot where more antient ones have stood. But to proceed, king Ethelbert's donation to Augustine was made in the year 596, who immediately afterwards went over to France, and was consecrated a bishop at Arles, and after his return, as soon as he had sufficiently finished a church here, whether built out of ruins or anew, it matters not, he exercised his episcopal function in the dedication of it, says the register of Christ-church, to the honor of Christ our Saviour; whence it afterwards obtained the name of Christ-church. (fn. 4)

 

From the time of Augustine for the space of upwards of three hundred years, there is not found in any printed or manuscript chronicle, the least mention of the fabric of this church, so that it is probable nothing befell it worthy of being recorded; however it should be mentioned, that during that period the revenues of it were much increased, for in the leiger books of it there are registered more than fifty donations of manors, lands, &c. so large and bountiful, as became the munificence of kings and nobles to confer. (fn. 5)

 

It is supposed, especially as we find no mention made of any thing to the contrary, that the fabric of this church for two hundred years after Augustine's time, met with no considerable molestations; but afterwards, the frequent invasions of the Danes involved both the civil and ecclesiastical state of this country in continual troubles and dangers; in the confusion of which, this church appears to have run into a state of decay; for when Odo was promoted to the archbishopric, in the year 938, the roof of it was in a ruinous condition; age had impaired it, and neglect had made it extremely dangerous; the walls of it were of an uneven height, according as it had been more or less decayed, and the roof of the church seemed ready to fall down on the heads of those underneath. All this the archbishop undertook to repair, and then covered the whole church with lead; to finish which, it took three years, as Osbern tells us, in the life of Odo; (fn. 6) and further, that there was not to be found a church of so large a size, capable of containing so great a multitude of people, and thus, perhaps, it continued without any material change happening to it, till the year 1011; a dismal and fatal year to this church and city; a time of unspeakable confusion and calamities; for in the month of September that year, the Danes, after a siege of twenty days, entered this city by force, burnt the houses, made a lamentable slaughter of the inhabitants, rifled this church, and then set it on fire, insomuch, that the lead with which archbishop Odo had covered it, being melted, ran down on those who were underneath. The sull story of this calamity is given by Osbern, in the life of archbishop Odo, an abridgement of which the reader will find below. (fn. 7)

 

The church now lay in ruins, without a roof, the bare walls only standing, and in this desolate condition it remained as long as the fury of the Danes prevailed, who after they had burnt the church, carried away archbishop Alphage with them, kept him in prison seven months, and then put him to death, in the year 1012, the year after which Living, or Livingus, succeeded him as archbishop, though it was rather in his calamities than in his seat of dignity, for he too was chained up by the Danes in a loathsome dungeon for seven months, before he was set free, but he so sensibly felt the deplorable state of this country, which he foresaw was every day growing worse and worse, that by a voluntary exile, he withdrew himself out of the nation, to find some solitary retirement, where he might bewail those desolations of his country, to which he was not able to bring any relief, but by his continual prayers. (fn. 8) He just outlived this storm, returned into England, and before he died saw peace and quientness restored to this land by king Canute, who gaining to himself the sole sovereignty over the nation, made it his first business to repair the injuries which had been done to the churches and monasteries in this kingdom, by his father's and his own wars. (fn. 9)

 

As for this church, archbishop Ægelnoth, who presided over it from the year 1020 to the year 1038, began and finished the repair, or rather the rebuilding of it, assisted in it by the royal munificence of the king, (fn. 10) who in 1023 presented his crown of gold to this church, and restored to it the port of Sandwich, with its liberties. (fn. 11) Notwithstanding this, in less than forty years afterwards, when Lanfranc soon after the Norman conquest came to the see, he found this church reduced almost to nothing by fire, and dilapidations; for Eadmer says, it had been consumed by a third conflagration, prior to the year of his advancement to it, in which fire almost all the antient records of the privileges of it had perished. (fn. 12)

 

The same writer has given us a description of this old church, as it was before Lanfranc came to the see; by which we learn, that at the east end there was an altar adjoining to the wall of the church, of rough unhewn stone, cemented with mortar, erected by archbishop Odo, for a repository of the body of Wilfrid, archbishop of York, which Odo had translated from Rippon hither, giving it here the highest place; at a convenient distance from this, westward, there was another altar, dedicated to Christ our Saviour, at which divine service was daily celebrated. In this altar was inclosed the head of St. Swithin, with many other relics, which archbishop Alphage brought with him from Winchester. Passing from this altar westward, many steps led down to the choir and nave, which were both even, or upon the same level. At the bottom of the steps, there was a passage into the undercroft, under all the east part of the church. (fn. 13) At the east end of which, was an altar, in which was inclosed, according to old tradition, the head of St. Furseus. From hence by a winding passage, at the west end of it, was the tomb of St. Dunstan, (fn. 14) but separated from the undercroft by a strong stone wall; over the tomb was erected a monument, pyramid wife, and at the head of it an altar, (fn. 15) for the mattin service. Between these steps, or passage into the undercroft and the nave, was the choir, (fn. 16) which was separated from the nave by a fair and decent partition, to keep off the crowds of people that usually were in the body of the church, so that the singing of the chanters in the choir might not be disturbed. About the middle of the length of the nave, were two towers or steeples, built without the walls; one on the south, and the other on the north side. In the former was the altar of St. Gregory, where was an entrance into the church by the south door, and where law controversies and pleas concerning secular matters were exercised. (fn. 17) In the latter, or north tower, was a passage for the monks into the church, from the monastery; here were the cloysters, where the novices were instructed in their religious rules and offices, and where the monks conversed together. In this tower was the altar of St. Martin. At the west end of the church was a chapel, dedicated to the blessed Virgin Mary, to which there was an ascent by steps, and at the east end of it an altar, dedicated to her, in which was inclosed the head of St. Astroburta the Virgin; and at the western part of it was the archbishop's pontifical chair, made of large stones, compacted together with mortar; a fair piece of work, and placed at a convenient distance from the altar, close to the wall of the church. (fn. 18)

 

To return now to archbishop Lanfranc, who was sent for from Normandy in 1073, being the fourth year of the Conqueror's reign, to fill this see, a time, when a man of a noble spirit, equal to the laborious task he was to undertake, was wanting especially for this church; and that he was such, the several great works which were performed by him, were incontestable proofs, as well as of his great and generous mind. At the first sight of the ruinous condition of this church, says the historian, the archbishop was struck with astonishment, and almost despaired of seeing that and the monastery re edified; but his care and perseverance raised both in all its parts anew, and that in a novel and more magnificent kind and form of structure, than had been hardly in any place before made use of in this kingdom, which made it a precedent and pattern to succeeding structures of this kind; (fn. 19) and new monasteries and churches were built after the example of it; for it should be observed, that before the coming of the Normans most of the churches and monasteries in this kingdom were of wood; (all the monasteries in my realm, says king Edgar, in his charter to the abbey of Malmesbury, dated anno 974, to the outward sight are nothing but worm-eaten and rotten timber and boards) but after the Norman conquest, such timber fabrics grew out of use, and gave place to stone buildings raised upon arches; a form of structure introduced into general use by that nation, and in these parts surnished with stone from Caen, in Normandy. (fn. 20) After this fashion archbishop Lanfranc rebuilt the whole church from the foundation, with the palace and monastery, the wall which encompassed the court, and all the offices belonging to the monastery within the wall, finishing the whole nearly within the compass of seven years; (fn. 21) besides which, he furnished the church with ornaments and rich vestments; after which, the whole being perfected, he altered the name of it, by a dedication of it to the Holy Trinity; whereas, before it was called the church of our Saviour, or Christ-church, and from the above time it bore (as by Domesday book appears) the name of the church of the Holy Trinity; this new church being built on the same spot on which the antient one stood, though on a far different model.

 

After Lanfranc's death, archbishop Anselm succeeded in the year 1093, to the see of Canterbury, and must be esteemed a principal benefactor to this church; for though his time was perplexed with a continued series of troubles, of which both banishment and poverty made no small part, which in a great measure prevented him from bestowing that cost on his church, which he would otherwise have done, yet it was through his patronage and protection, and through his care and persuasions, that the fabric of it, begun and perfected by his predecessor, became enlarged and rose to still greater splendor. (fn. 22)

 

In order to carry this forward, upon the vacancy of the priory, he constituted Ernulph and Conrad, the first in 1104, the latter in 1108, priors of this church; to whose care, being men of generous and noble minds, and of singular skill in these matters, he, during his troubles, not only committed the management of this work, but of all his other concerns during his absence.

 

Probably archbishop Anselm, on being recalled from banishment on king Henry's accession to the throne, had pulled down that part of the church built by Lanfranc, from the great tower in the middle of it to the east end, intending to rebuild it upon a still larger and more magnificent plan; when being borne down by the king's displeasure, he intrusted prior Ernulph with the work, who raised up the building with such splendor, says Malmesbury, that the like was not to be seen in all England; (fn. 23) but the short time Ernulph continued in this office did not permit him to see his undertaking finished. (fn. 24) This was left to his successor Conrad, who, as the obituary of Christ church informs us, by his great industry, magnificently perfected the choir, which his predecessor had left unfinished, (fn. 25) adorning it with curious pictures, and enriching it with many precious ornaments. (fn. 26)

 

This great undertaking was not entirely compleated at the death of archbishop Anselm, which happened in 1109, anno 9 Henry I. nor indeed for the space of five years afterwards, during which the see of Canterbury continued vacant; when being finished, in honour of its builder, and on account of its more than ordinary beauty, it gained the name of the glorious choir of Conrad. (fn. 27)

 

After the see of Canterbury had continued thus vacant for five years, Ralph, or as some call him, Rodulph, bishop of Rochester, was translated to it in the year 1114, at whose coming to it, the church was dedicated anew to the Holy Trinity, the name which had been before given to it by Lanfranc. (fn. 28) The only particular description we have of this church when thus finished, is from Gervas, the monk of this monastery, and that proves imperfect, as to the choir of Lanfranc, which had been taken down soon after his death; (fn. 29) the following is his account of the nave, or western part of it below the choir, being that which had been erected by archbishop Lanfranc, as has been before mentioned. From him we learn, that the west end, where the chapel of the Virgin Mary stood before, was now adorned with two stately towers, on the top of which were gilded pinnacles. The nave or body was supported by eight pair of pillars. At the east end of the nave, on the north side, was an oratory, dedicated in honor to the blessed Virgin, in lieu, I suppose, of the chapel, that had in the former church been dedicated to her at the west end. Between the nave and the choir there was built a great tower or steeple, as it were in the centre of the whole fabric; (fn. 30) under this tower was erected the altar of the Holy Cross; over a partition, which separated this tower from the nave, a beam was laid across from one side to the other of the church; upon the middle of this beam was fixed a great cross, between the images of the Virgin Mary and St. John, and between two cherubims. The pinnacle on the top of this tower, was a gilded cherub, and hence it was called the angel steeple; a name it is frequently called by at this day. (fn. 31)

 

This great tower had on each side a cross isle, called the north and south wings, which were uniform, of the same model and dimensions; each of them had a strong pillar in the middle for a support to the roof, and each of them had two doors or passages, by which an entrance was open to the east parts of the church. At one of these doors there was a descent by a few steps into the undercroft; at the other, there was an ascent by many steps into the upper parts of the church, that is, the choir, and the isles on each side of it. Near every one of these doors or passages, an altar was erected; at the upper door in the south wing, there was an altar in honour of All Saints; and at the lower door there was one of St. Michael; and before this altar on the south side was buried archbishop Fleologild; and on the north side, the holy Virgin Siburgis, whom St. Dunstan highly admired for her sanctity. In the north isle, by the upper door, was the altar of St. Blaze; and by the lower door, that of St. Benedict. In this wing had been interred four archbishops, Adelm and Ceolnoth, behind the altar, and Egelnoth and Wlfelm before it. At the entrance into this wing, Rodulph and his successor William Corboil, both archbishops, were buried. (fn. 32)

 

Hence, he continues, we go up by some steps into the great tower, and before us there is a door and steps leading down into the south wing, and on the right hand a pair of folding doors, with stairs going down into the nave of the church; but without turning to any of these, let us ascend eastward, till by several more steps we come to the west end of Conrad's choir; being now at the entrance of the choir, Gervas tells us, that he neither saw the choir built by Lanfranc, nor found it described by any one; that Eadmer had made mention of it, without giving any account of it, as he had done of the old church, the reason of which appears to be, that Lanfranc's choir did not long survive its founder, being pulled down as before-mentioned, by archbishop Anselm; so that it could not stand more than twenty years; therefore the want of a particular description of it will appear no great defect in the history of this church, especially as the deficiency is here supplied by Gervas's full relation of the new choir of Conrad, built instead of it; of which, whoever desires to know the whole architecture and model observed in the fabric, the order, number, height and form of the pillars and windows, may know the whole of it from him. The roof of it, he tells us, (fn. 33) was beautified with curious paintings representing heaven; (fn. 34) in several respects it was agreeable to the present choir, the stalls were large and framed of carved wood. In the middle of it, there hung a gilded crown, on which were placed four and twenty tapers of wax. From the choir an ascent of three steps led to the presbiterium, or place for the presbiters; here, he says, it would be proper to stop a little and take notice of the high altar, which was dedicated to the name of CHRIST. It was placed between two other altars, the one of St. Dunstan, the other of St. Alphage; at the east corners of the high altar were fixed two pillars of wood, beautified with silver and gold; upon these pillars was placed a beam, adorned with gold, which reached across the church, upon it there were placed the glory, (fn. 35) the images of St. Dunstan and St. Alphage, and seven chests or coffers overlaid with gold, full of the relics of many saints. Between those pillars was a cross gilded all over, and upon the upper beam of the cross were set sixty bright crystals.

 

Beyond this, by an ascent of eight steps towards the east, behind the altar, was the archiepiscopal throne, which Gervas calls the patriarchal chair, made of one stone; in this chair, according to the custom of the church, the archbishop used to sit, upon principal festivals, in his pontifical ornaments, whilst the solemn offices of religion were celebrated, until the consecration of the host, when he came down to the high altar, and there performed the solemnity of consecration. Still further, eastward, behind the patriarchal chair, (fn. 36) was a chapel in the front of the whole church, in which was an altar, dedicated to the Holy Trinity; behind which were laid the bones of two archbishops, Odo of Canterbury, and Wilfrid of York; by this chapel on the south side near the wall of the church, was laid the body of archbishop Lanfranc, and on the north side, the body of archbishop Theobald. Here it is to be observed, that under the whole east part of the church, from the angel steeple, there was an undercrost or crypt, (fn. 37) in which were several altars, chapels and sepulchres; under the chapel of the Trinity before-mentioned, were two altars, on the south side, the altar of St. Augustine, the apostle of the English nation, by which archbishop Athelred was interred. On the north side was the altar of St. John Baptist, by which was laid the body of archbishop Eadsin; under the high altar was the chapel and altar of the blessed Virgin Mary, to whom the whole undercroft was dedicated.

 

To return now, he continues, to the place where the bresbyterium and choir meet, where on each side there was a cross isle (as was to be seen in his time) which might be called the upper south and north wings; on the east side of each of these wings were two half circular recesses or nooks in the wall, arched over after the form of porticoes. Each of them had an altar, and there was the like number of altars under them in the crost. In the north wing, the north portico had the altar of St. Martin, by which were interred the bodies of two archbishops, Wlfred on the right, and Living on the left hand; under it in the croft, was the altar of St. Mary Magdalen. The other portico in this wing, had the altar of St. Stephen, and by it were buried two archbishops, Athelard on the left hand, and Cuthbert on the right; in the croft under it, was the altar of St. Nicholas. In the south wing, the north portico had the altar of St. John the Evangelist, and by it the bodies of Æthelgar and Aluric, archbishops, were laid. In the croft under it was the altar of St. Paulinus, by which the body of archbishop Siricius was interred. In the south portico was the altar of St. Gregory, by which were laid the corps of the two archbishops Bregwin and Plegmund. In the croft under it was the altar of St. Owen, archbishop of Roan, and underneath in the croft, not far from it the altar of St. Catherine.

 

Passing from these cross isles eastward there were two towers, one on the north, the other on the south side of the church. In the tower on the north side was the altar of St. Andrew, which gave name to the tower; under it, in the croft, was the altar of the Holy Innocents; the tower on the south side had the altar of St. Peter and St. Paul, behind which the body of St. Anselm was interred, which afterwards gave name both to the altar and tower (fn. 38) (now called St. Anselm's). The wings or isles on each side of the choir had nothing in particular to be taken notice of.— Thus far Gervas, from whose description we in particular learn, where several of the bodies of the old archbishops were deposited, and probably the ashes of some of them remain in the same places to this day.

 

As this building, deservedly called the glorious choir of Conrad, was a magnificent work, so the undertaking of it at that time will appear almost beyond example, especially when the several circumstances of it are considered; but that it was carried forward at the archbishop's cost, exceeds all belief. It was in the discouraging reign of king William Rufus, a prince notorious in the records of history, for all manner of sacrilegious rapine, that archbishop Anselm was promoted to this see; when he found the lands and revenues of this church so miserably wasted and spoiled, that there was hardly enough left for his bare subsistence; who, in the first years that he sat in the archiepiscopal chair, struggled with poverty, wants and continual vexations through the king's displeasure, (fn. 39) and whose three next years were spent in banishment, during all which time he borrowed money for his present maintenance; who being called home by king Henry I. at his coming to the crown, laboured to pay the debts he had contracted during the time of his banishment, and instead of enjoying that tranquility and ease he hoped for, was, within two years afterwards, again sent into banishment upon a fresh displeasure conceived against him by the king, who then seized upon all the revenues of the archbishopric, (fn. 40) which he retained in his own hands for no less than four years.

 

Under these hard circumstances, it would have been surprizing indeed, that the archbishop should have been able to carry on so great a work, and yet we are told it, as a truth, by the testimonies of history; but this must surely be understood with the interpretation of his having been the patron, protector and encourager, rather than the builder of this work, which he entrusted to the care and management of the priors Ernulph and Conrad, and sanctioned their employing, as Lanfranc had done before, the revenues and stock of the church to this use. (fn. 41)

 

In this state as above-mentioned, without any thing material happening to it, this church continued till about the year 1130, anno 30 Henry I. when it seems to have suffered some damage by a fire; (fn. 42) but how much, there is no record left to inform us; however it could not be of any great account, for it was sufficiently repaired, and that mostly at the cost of archbishop Corboil, who then sat in the chair of this see, (fn. 43) before the 4th of May that year, on which day, being Rogation Sunday, the bishops performed the dedication of it with great splendor and magnificence, such, says Gervas, col. 1664, as had not been heard of since the dedication of the temple of Solomon; the king, the queen, David, king of Scots, all the archbishops, and the nobility of both kingdoms being present at it, when this church's former name was restored again, being henceforward commonly called Christ-church. (fn. 44)

 

Among the manuscripts of Trinity college library, in Cambridge, in a very curious triple psalter of St. Jerome, in Latin, written by the monk Eadwyn, whose picture is at the beginning of it, is a plan or drawing made by him, being an attempt towards a representation of this church and monastery, as they stood between the years 1130 and 1174; which makes it probable, that he was one of the monks of it, and the more so, as the drawing has not any kind of relation to the plalter or sacred hymns contained in the manuscript.

 

His plan, if so it may be called, for it is neither such, nor an upright, nor a prospect, and yet something of all together; but notwithstanding this rudeness of the draftsman, it shews very plain that it was intended for this church and priory, and gives us a very clear knowledge, more than we have been able to learn from any description we have besides, of what both were at the above period of time. (fn. 45)

 

Forty-four years after this dedication, on the 5th of September, anno 1174, being the 20th year of king Henry II.'s reign, a fire happened, which consumed great part of this stately edifice, namely, the whole choir, from the angel steeple to the east end of the church, together with the prior's lodgings, the chapel of the Virgin Mary, the infirmary, and some other offices belonging to the monastery; but the angel steeple, the lower cross isles, and the nave appear to have received no material injury from the flames. (fn. 46) The narrative of this accident is told by Gervas, the monk of Canterbury, so often quoted before, who was an eye witness of this calamity, as follows:

 

Three small houses in the city near the old gate of the monastery took fire by accident, a strong south wind carried the flakes of fire to the top of the church, and lodged them between the joints of the lead, driving them to the timbers under it; this kindled a fire there, which was not discerned till the melted lead gave a free passage for the flames to appear above the church, and the wind gaining by this means a further power of increasing them, drove them inwardly, insomuch that the danger became immediately past all possibility of relief. The timber of the roof being all of it on fire, fell down into the choir, where the stalls of the manks, made of large pieces of carved wood, afforded plenty of fuel to the flames, and great part of the stone work, through the vehement heat of the fire, was so weakened, as to be brought to irreparable ruin, and besides the fabric itself, the many rich ornaments in the church were devoured by the flames.

 

The choir being thus laid in ashes, the monks removed from amidst the ruins, the bodies of the two saints, whom they called patrons of the church, the archbishops Dunstan and Alphage, and deposited them by the altar of the great cross, in the nave of the church; (fn. 47) and from this time they celebrated the daily religious offices in the oratory of the blessed Virgin Mary in the nave, and continued to do so for more than five years, when the choir being re edified, they returned to it again. (fn. 48)

 

Upon this destruction of the church, the prior and convent, without any delay, consulted on the most speedy and effectual method of rebuilding it, resolving to finish it in such a manner, as should surpass all the former choirs of it, as well in beauty as size and magnificence. To effect this, they sent for the most skilful architects that could be found either in France or England. These surveyed the walls and pillars, which remained standing, but they found great part of them so weakened by the fire, that they could no ways be built upon with any safety; and it was accordingly resolved, that such of them should be taken down; a whole year was spent in doing this, and in providing materials for the new building, for which they sent abroad for the best stone that could be procured; Gervas has given a large account, (fn. 49) how far this work advanced year by year; what methods and rules of architecture were observed, and other particulars relating to the rebuilding of this church; all which the curious reader may consult at his leisure; it will be sufficient to observe here, that the new building was larger in height and length, and more beautiful in every respect, than the choir of Conrad; for the roof was considerably advanced above what it was before, and was arched over with stone; whereas before it was composed of timber and boards. The capitals of the pillars were now beautified with different sculptures of carvework; whereas, they were before plain, and six pillars more were added than there were before. The former choir had but one triforium, or inner gallery, but now there were two made round it, and one in each side isle and three in the cross isles; before, there were no marble pillars, but such were now added to it in abundance. In forwarding this great work, the monks had spent eight years, when they could proceed no further for want of money; but a fresh supply coming in from the offerings at St. Thomas's tomb, so much more than was necessary for perfecting the repair they were engaged in, as encouraged them to set about a more grand design, which was to pull down the eastern extremity of the church, with the small chapel of the Holy Trinity adjoining to it, and to erect upon a stately undercroft, a most magnificent one instead of it, equally lofty with the roof of the church, and making a part of it, which the former one did not, except by a door into it; but this new chapel, which was dedicated likewise to the Holy Trinity, was not finished till some time after the rest of the church; at the east end of this chapel another handsome one, though small, was afterwards erected at the extremity of the whole building, since called Becket's crown, on purpose for an altar and the reception of some part of his relics; (fn. 50) further mention of which will be made hereafter.

 

The eastern parts of this church, as Mr. Gostling observes, have the appearance of much greater antiquity than what is generally allowed to them; and indeed if we examine the outside walls and the cross wings on each side of the choir, it will appear, that the whole of them was not rebuilt at the time the choir was, and that great part of them was suffered to remain, though altered, added to, and adapted as far as could be, to the new building erected at that time; the traces of several circular windows and other openings, which were then stopped up, removed, or altered, still appearing on the walls both of the isles and the cross wings, through the white-wash with which they are covered; and on the south side of the south isle, the vaulting of the roof as well as the triforium, which could not be contrived so as to be adjusted to the places of the upper windows, plainly shew it. To which may be added, that the base or foot of one of the westernmost large pillars of the choir on the north side, is strengthened with a strong iron band round it, by which it should seem to have been one of those pillars which had been weakened by the fire, but was judged of sufficient firmness, with this precaution, to remain for the use of the new fabric.

 

The outside of this part of the church is a corroborating proof of what has been mentioned above, as well in the method, as in the ornaments of the building.— The outside of it towards the south, from St. Michael's chapel eastward, is adorned with a range of small pillars, about six inches diameter, and about three feet high, some with santastic shasts and capitals, others with plain ones; these support little arches, which intersect each other; and this chain or girdle of pillars is continued round the small tower, the eastern cross isle and the chapel of St. Anselm, to the buildings added in honour of the Holy Trinity, and St. Thomas Becket, where they leave off. The casing of St. Michael's chapel has none of them, but the chapel of the Virgin Mary, answering to it on the north side of the church, not being fitted to the wall, shews some of them behind it; which seems as if they had been continued before, quite round the eastern parts of the church.

 

These pillars, which rise from about the level of the pavement, within the walls above them, are remarkably plain and bare of ornaments; but the tower above mentioned and its opposite, as soon as they rise clear of the building, are enriched with stories of this colonade, one above another, up to the platform from whence their spires rise; and the remains of the two larger towers eastward, called St. Anselm's, and that answering to it on the north side of the church, called St. Andrew's are decorated much after the same manner, as high as they remain at present.

 

At the time of the before-mentioned fire, which so fatally destroyed the upper part of this church, the undercrost, with the vaulting over it, seems to have remained entire, and unhurt by it.

 

The vaulting of the undercrost, on which the floor of the choir and eastern parts of the church is raised, is supported by pillars, whose capitals are as various and fantastical as those of the smaller ones described before, and so are their shafts, some being round, others canted, twisted, or carved, so that hardly any two of them are alike, except such as are quite plain.

 

These, I suppose, may be concluded to be of the same age, and if buildings in the same stile may be conjectured to be so from thence, the antiquity of this part of the church may be judged, though historians have left us in the dark in relation to it.

 

In Leland's Collectanea, there is an account and description of a vault under the chancel of the antient church of St. Peter, in Oxford, called Grymbald's crypt, being allowed by all, to have been built by him; (fn. 51) Grymbald was one of those great and accomplished men, whom king Alfred invited into England about the year 885, to assist him in restoring Christianity, learning and the liberal arts. (fn. 52) Those who compare the vaults or undercrost of the church of Canterbury, with the description and prints given of Grymbald's crypt, (fn. 53) will easily perceive, that two buildings could hardly have been erected more strongly resembling each other, except that this at Canterbury is larger, and more pro fusely decorated with variety of fancied ornaments, the shafts of several of the pillars here being twisted, or otherwise varied, and many of the captials exactly in the same grotesque taste as those in Grymbald's crypt. (fn. 54) Hence it may be supposed, that those whom archbishop Lanfranc employed as architects and designers of his building at Canterbury, took their model of it, at least of this part of it, from that crypt, and this undercrost now remaining is the same, as was originally built by him, as far eastward, as to that part which begins under the chapel of the Holy Trinity, where it appears to be of a later date, erected at the same time as the chapel. The part built by Lanfranc continues at this time as firm and entire, as it was at the very building of it, though upwards of seven hundred years old. (fn. 55)

 

But to return to the new building; though the church was not compleatly finished till the end of the year 1184, yet it was so far advanced towards it, that, in 1180, on April 19, being Easter eve, (fn. 56) the archbishop, prior and monks entered the new choir, with a solemn procession, singing Te Deum, for their happy return to it. Three days before which they had privately, by night, carried the bodies of St. Dunstan and St. Alphage to the places prepared for them near the high altar. The body likewise of queen Edive (which after the fire had been removed from the north cross isle, where it lay before, under a stately gilded shrine) to the altar of the great cross, was taken up, carried into the vestry, and thence to the altar of St. Martin, where it was placed under the coffin of archbishop Livinge. In the month of July following the altar of the Holy Trinity was demolished, and the bodies of those archbishops, which had been laid in that part of the church, were removed to other places. Odo's body was laid under St. Dunstan's and Wilfrid's under St. Alphage's; Lanfranc's was deposited nigh the altar of St. Martin, and Theobald's at that of the blessed Virgin, in the nave of the church, (fn. 57) under a marble tomb; and soon afterwards the two archbishops, on the right and left hand of archbishop Becket in the undercrost, were taken up and placed under the altar of St. Mary there. (fn. 58)

 

After a warning so terrible, as had lately been given, it seemed most necessary to provide against the danger of fire for the time to come; the flames, which had so lately destroyed a considerable part of the church and monastery, were caused by some small houses, which had taken fire at a small distance from the church.— There still remained some other houses near it, which belonged to the abbot and convent of St. Augustine; for these the monks of Christ-church created, by an exchange, which could not be effected till the king interposed, and by his royal authority, in a manner, compelled the abbot and convent to a composition for this purpose, which was dated in the year 1177, that was three years after the late fire of this church. (fn. 59)

 

These houses were immediately pulled down, and it proved a providential and an effectual means of preserving the church from the like calamity; for in the year 1180, on May 22, this new choir, being not then compleated, though it had been used the month be fore, as has been already mentioned, there happened a fire in the city, which burnt down many houses, and the flames bent their course towards the church, which was again in great danger; but the houses near it being taken away, the fire was stopped, and the church escaped being burnt again. (fn. 60)

 

Although there is no mention of a new dedication of the church at this time, yet the change made in the name of it has been thought by some to imply a formal solemnity of this kind, as it appears to have been from henceforth usually called the church of St. Thomas the Martyr, and to have continued so for above 350 years afterwards.

 

New names to churches, it is true. have been usually attended by formal consecrations of them; and had there been any such solemnity here, undoubtedly the same would not have passed by unnoticed by every historian, the circumstance of it must have been notorious, and the magnificence equal at least to the other dedications of this church, which have been constantly mentioned by them; but here was no need of any such ceremony, for although the general voice then burst forth to honour this church with the name of St. Thomas, the universal object of praise and adoration, then stiled the glorious martyr, yet it reached no further, for the name it had received at the former dedication, notwithstanding this common appellation of it, still remained in reality, and it still retained invariably in all records and writings, the name of Christ church only, as appears by many such remaining among the archives of the dean and chapter; and though on the seal of this church, which was changed about this time; the counter side of it had a representation of Becket's martyrdom, yet on the front of it was continued that of the church, and round it an inscription with the former name of Christ church; which seal remained in force till the dissolution of the priory.

 

It may not be improper to mention here some transactions, worthy of observation, relating to this favorite saint, which passed from the time of his being murdered, to that of his translation to the splendid shrine prepared for his relics.

 

Archbishop Thomas Becket was barbarously murdered in this church on Dec. 29, 1170, being the 16th year of king Henry II. and his body was privately buried towards the east end of the undercrost. The monks tell us, that about the Easter following, miracles began to be wrought by him, first at his tomb, then in the undercrost, and in every part of the whole fabric of the church; afterwards throughout England, and lastly, throughout the rest of the world. (fn. 61) The same of these miracles procured him the honour of a formal canonization from pope Alexander III. whose bull for that purpose is dated March 13, in the year 1172. (fn. 62) This declaration of the pope was soon known in all places, and the reports of his miracles were every where sounded abroad. (fn. 63)

 

Hereupon crowds of zealots, led on by a phrenzy of devotion, hastened to kneel at his tomb. In 1177, Philip, earl of Flanders, came hither for that purpose, when king Henry met and had a conference with him at Canterbury. (fn. 64) In June 1178, king Henry returning from Normandy, visited the sepulchre of this new saint; and in July following, William, archbishop of Rhemes, came from France, with a large retinue, to perform his vows to St. Thomas of Canterbury, where the king met him and received him honourably. In the year 1179, Lewis, king of France, came into England; before which neither he nor any of his predecessors had ever set foot in this kingdom. (fn. 65) He landed at Dover, where king Henry waited his arrival, and on August 23, the two kings came to Canterbury, with a great train of nobility of both nations, and were received with due honour and great joy, by the archbishop, with his com-provincial bishops, and the prior and the whole convent. (fn. 66)

 

King Lewis came in the manner and habit of a pilgrim, and was conducted to the tomb of St. Thomas by a solemn procession; he there offered his cup of gold and a royal precious stone, (fn. 67) and gave the convent a yearly rent for ever, of a hundred muids of wine, to be paid by himself and his successors; which grant was confirmed by his royal charter, under his seal, and delivered next day to the convent; (fn. 68) after he had staid here two, (fn. 69) or as others say, three days, (fn. 70) during which the oblations of gold and silver made were so great, that the relation of them almost exceeded credibility. (fn. 71) In 1181, king Henry, in his return from Normandy, again paid his devotions at this tomb. These visits were the early fruits of the adoration of the new sainted martyr, and these royal examples of kings and great persons were followed by multitudes, who crowded to present with full hands their oblations at his tomb.— Hence the convent was enabled to carry forward the building of the new choir, and they applied all this vast income to the fabric of the church, as the present case instantly required, for which they had the leave and consent of the archbishop, confirmed by the bulls of several succeeding popes. (fn. 72)

 

¶From the liberal oblations of these royal and noble personages at the tomb of St. Thomas, the expences of rebuilding the choir appear to have been in a great measure supplied, nor did their devotion and offerings to the new saint, after it was compleated, any ways abate, but, on the contrary, they daily increased; for in the year 1184, Philip, archbishop of Cologne, and Philip, earl of Flanders, came together to pay their vows at this tomb, and were met here by king Henry, who gave them an invitation to London. (fn. 73) In 1194, John, archbishop of Lions; in the year afterwards, John, archbishop of York; and in the year 1199, king John, performed their devotions at the foot of this tomb. (fn. 74) King Richard I. likewise, on his release from captivity in Germany, landing on the 30th of March at Sandwich, proceeded from thence, as an humble stranger on foot, towards Canterbury, to return his grateful thanks to God and St. Thomas for his release. (fn. 75) All these by name, with many nobles and multitudes of others, of all sorts and descriptions, visited the saint with humble adoration and rich oblations, whilst his body lay in the undercrost. In the mean time the chapel and altar at the upper part of the east end of the church, which had been formerly consecrated to the Holy Trinity, were demolished, and again prepared with great splendor, for the reception of this saint, who being now placed there, implanted his name not only on the chapel and altar, but on the whole church, which was from thenceforth known only by that of the church of St. Thomas the martyr.

  

On July 7, anno 1220, the remains of St. Thomas were translated from his tomb to his new shrine, with the greatest solemnity and rejoicings. Pandulph, the pope's legate, the archbishops of Canterbury and Rheims, and many bishops and abbots, carried the coffin on their shoulders, and placed it on the new shrine, and the king graced these solemnities with his royal presence. (fn. 76) The archbishop of Canterbury provided forage along all the road, between London and Canterbury, for the horses of all such as should come to them, and he caused several pipes and conduits to run with wine in different parts of the city. This, with the other expences arising during the time, was so great, that he left a debt on the see, which archbishop Boniface, his fourth successor in it, was hardly enabled to discharge.

 

¶The saint being now placed in his new repository, became the vain object of adoration to the deluded people, and afterwards numbers of licences were granted to strangers by the king, to visit this shrine. (fn. 77) The titles of glorious, of saint and martyr, were among those given to him; (fn. 78) such veneration had all people for his relics, that the religious of several cathedral churches and monasteries, used all their endeavours to obtain some of them, and thought themselves happy and rich in the possession of the smallest portion of them. (fn. 79) Besides this, there were erected and dedicated to his honour, many churches, chapels, altars and hospitals in different places, both in this kingdom and abroad. (fn. 80) Thus this saint, even whilst he lay in his obscure tomb in the undercroft, brought such large and constant supplies of money, as enabled the monks to finish this beautiful choir, and the eastern parts of the church; and when he was translated to the most exalted and honourable place in it, a still larger abundance of gain filled their coffers, which continued as a plentiful supply to them, from year to year, to the time of the reformation, and the final abolition of the priory itself.

 

www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-kent/vol11/pp306-383

Mandal Harbour, Norway

A couple of weeks back, we met a couple in a pub in Canterbury, and they had been out exploring the city and said they were disappointed by the cathedral.

 

Not enough labels they said.

 

That not withstanding, I thought it had been some time since I last had been, so decided to revisit, see the pillars of Reculver church in the crypt and take the big lens for some detail shots.

 

We arrived just after ten, so the cathedral was pretty free of other guests, just a few guides waiting for groups and couples to guide.

 

I went round with the 50mm first, before concentrating on the medieval glass which is mostly on the south side.

 

But as you will see, the lens picked up so much more.

 

Thing is, there is always someone interesting to talk to, or wants to talk to you. As I went around, I spoke with about three guides about the project and things I have seen in the churches of the county, and the wonderful people I have met. And that continued in the cathedral.

 

I have time to look at the tombs in the Trinity Chapel, and see that Henry IV and his wife are in a tomb there, rather than ay Westminster Abbey. So I photograph them, and the Black Prince on the southern side of the chapel, along with the Bishops and Archbishops between.

 

Round to the transept and a chance to change lenses, and put on the 140-400mm for some detailed shots.

 

I go round the cathedral again.

 

Initially at some of the memorials on the walls and the canopy of the pulpit, but it is the windows that are calling.

 

At least it was a bright, sunny day outside, which meant light was good in the cathedral with most shots coming out fine with no camera shake.

 

As I edit the shots I am stunned at the details of windows so high up they mostly seem like blocks of colour.

 

And so far, I have only just started to edit these shots.

 

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St Augustine, the first Archbishop of Canterbury, arrived on the coast of Kent as a missionary to England in 597AD. He came from Rome, sent by Pope Gregory the Great. It is said that Gregory had been struck by the beauty of Angle slaves he saw for sale in the city market and despatched Augustine and some monks to convert them to Christianity. Augustine was given a church at Canterbury (St Martin’s, after St Martin of Tours, still standing today) by the local King, Ethelbert whose Queen, Bertha, a French Princess, was already a Christian.This building had been a place of worship during the Roman occupation of Britain and is the oldest church in England still in use. Augustine had been consecrated a bishop in France and was later made an archbishop by the Pope. He established his seat within the Roman city walls (the word cathedral is derived from the the Latin word for a chair ‘cathedra’, which is itself taken from the Greek ‘kathedra’ meaning seat.) and built the first cathedral there, becoming the first Archbishop of Canterbury. Since that time, there has been a community around the Cathedral offering daily prayer to God; this community is arguably the oldest organisation in the English speaking world. The present Archbishop, The Most Revd Justin Welby, is 105th in the line of succession from Augustine. Until the 10th century, the Cathedral community lived as the household of the Archbishop. During the 10th century, it became a formal community of Benedictine monks, which continued until the monastery was dissolved by King Henry VIII in 1540. Augustine’s original building lies beneath the floor of the Nave – it was extensively rebuilt and enlarged by the Saxons, and the Cathedral was rebuilt completely by the Normans in 1070 following a major fire. There have been many additions to the building over the last nine hundred years, but parts of the Quire and some of the windows and their stained glass date from the 12th century. By 1077, Archbishop Lanfranc had rebuilt it as a Norman church, described as “nearly perfect”. A staircase and parts of the North Wall – in the area of the North West transept also called the Martyrdom – remain from that building.

 

Canterbury’s role as one of the world’s most important pilgrimage centres in Europe is inextricably linked to the murder of its most famous Archbishop, Thomas Becket, in 1170. When, after a long lasting dispute, King Henry II is said to have exclaimed “Who will rid me of this turbulent priest?”, four knights set off for Canterbury and murdered Thomas in his own cathedral. A sword stroke was so violent that it sliced the crown off his skull and shattered the blade’s tip on the pavement. The murder took place in what is now known as The Martyrdom. When shortly afterwards, miracles were said to take place, Canterbury became one of Europe’s most important pilgrimage centres.

 

The work of the Cathedral as a monastery came to an end in 1540, when the monastery was closed on the orders of King Henry VIII. Its role as a place of prayer continued – as it does to this day. Once the monastery had been suppressed, responsibility for the services and upkeep was given to a group of clergy known as the Chapter of Canterbury. Today, the Cathedral is still governed by the Dean and four Canons, together (in recent years) with four lay people and the Archdeacon of Ashford. During the Civil War of the 1640s, the Cathedral suffered damage at the hands of the Puritans; much of the medieval stained glass was smashed and horses were stabled in the Nave. After the Restoration in 1660, several years were spent in repairing the building. In the early 19th Century, the North West tower was found to be dangerous, and, although it dated from Lanfranc’s time, it was demolished in the early 1830s and replaced by a copy of the South West tower, thus giving a symmetrical appearance to the west end of the Cathedral. During the Second World War, the Precincts were heavily damaged by enemy action and the Cathedral’s Library was destroyed. Thankfully, the Cathedral itself was not seriously harmed, due to the bravery of the team of fire watchers, who patrolled the roofs and dealt with the incendiary bombs dropped by enemy bombers. Today, the Cathedral stands as a place where prayer to God has been offered daily for over 1,400 years; nearly 2,000 Services are held each year, as well as countless private prayers from individuals. The Cathedral offers a warm welcome to all visitors – its aim is to show people Jesus, which we do through the splendour of the building as well as the beauty of the worship.

 

www.canterbury-cathedral.org/heritage/history/cathedral-h...

 

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History of the cathedral

THE ORIGIN of a Christian church on the scite of the present cathedral, is supposed to have taken place as early as the Roman empire in Britain, for the use of the antient faithful and believing soldiers of their garrison here; and that Augustine found such a one standing here, adjoining to king Ethelbert's palace, which was included in the king's gift to him.

 

This supposition is founded on the records of the priory of Christ-church, (fn. 1) concurring with the common opinion of almost all our historians, who tell us of a church in Canterbury, which Augustine found standing in the east part of the city, which he had of king Ethelbert's gift, which after his consecration at Arles, in France, he commended by special dedication to the patronage of our blessed Saviour. (fn. 2)

 

According to others, the foundations only of an old church formerly built by the believing Romans, were left here, on which Augustine erected that, which he afterwards dedicated to out Saviour; (fn. 3) and indeed it is not probable that king Ethelbert should have suffered the unsightly ruins of a Christian church, which, being a Pagan, must have been very obnoxious to him, so close to his palace, and supposing these ruins had been here, would he not have suffered them to be repaired, rather than have obliged his Christian queen to travel daily to such a distance as St. Martin's church, or St. Pancrace's chapel, for the performance of her devotions.

 

Some indeed have conjectured that the church found by St. Augustine, in the east part of the city, was that of St.Martin, truly so situated; and urge in favor of it, that there have not been at any time any remains of British or Roman bricks discovered scattered in or about this church of our Saviour, those infallible, as Mr. Somner stiles them, signs of antiquity, and so generally found in buildings, which have been erected on, or close to the spot where more antient ones have stood. But to proceed, king Ethelbert's donation to Augustine was made in the year 596, who immediately afterwards went over to France, and was consecrated a bishop at Arles, and after his return, as soon as he had sufficiently finished a church here, whether built out of ruins or anew, it matters not, he exercised his episcopal function in the dedication of it, says the register of Christ-church, to the honor of Christ our Saviour; whence it afterwards obtained the name of Christ-church. (fn. 4)

 

From the time of Augustine for the space of upwards of three hundred years, there is not found in any printed or manuscript chronicle, the least mention of the fabric of this church, so that it is probable nothing befell it worthy of being recorded; however it should be mentioned, that during that period the revenues of it were much increased, for in the leiger books of it there are registered more than fifty donations of manors, lands, &c. so large and bountiful, as became the munificence of kings and nobles to confer. (fn. 5)

 

It is supposed, especially as we find no mention made of any thing to the contrary, that the fabric of this church for two hundred years after Augustine's time, met with no considerable molestations; but afterwards, the frequent invasions of the Danes involved both the civil and ecclesiastical state of this country in continual troubles and dangers; in the confusion of which, this church appears to have run into a state of decay; for when Odo was promoted to the archbishopric, in the year 938, the roof of it was in a ruinous condition; age had impaired it, and neglect had made it extremely dangerous; the walls of it were of an uneven height, according as it had been more or less decayed, and the roof of the church seemed ready to fall down on the heads of those underneath. All this the archbishop undertook to repair, and then covered the whole church with lead; to finish which, it took three years, as Osbern tells us, in the life of Odo; (fn. 6) and further, that there was not to be found a church of so large a size, capable of containing so great a multitude of people, and thus, perhaps, it continued without any material change happening to it, till the year 1011; a dismal and fatal year to this church and city; a time of unspeakable confusion and calamities; for in the month of September that year, the Danes, after a siege of twenty days, entered this city by force, burnt the houses, made a lamentable slaughter of the inhabitants, rifled this church, and then set it on fire, insomuch, that the lead with which archbishop Odo had covered it, being melted, ran down on those who were underneath. The sull story of this calamity is given by Osbern, in the life of archbishop Odo, an abridgement of which the reader will find below. (fn. 7)

 

The church now lay in ruins, without a roof, the bare walls only standing, and in this desolate condition it remained as long as the fury of the Danes prevailed, who after they had burnt the church, carried away archbishop Alphage with them, kept him in prison seven months, and then put him to death, in the year 1012, the year after which Living, or Livingus, succeeded him as archbishop, though it was rather in his calamities than in his seat of dignity, for he too was chained up by the Danes in a loathsome dungeon for seven months, before he was set free, but he so sensibly felt the deplorable state of this country, which he foresaw was every day growing worse and worse, that by a voluntary exile, he withdrew himself out of the nation, to find some solitary retirement, where he might bewail those desolations of his country, to which he was not able to bring any relief, but by his continual prayers. (fn. 8) He just outlived this storm, returned into England, and before he died saw peace and quientness restored to this land by king Canute, who gaining to himself the sole sovereignty over the nation, made it his first business to repair the injuries which had been done to the churches and monasteries in this kingdom, by his father's and his own wars. (fn. 9)

 

As for this church, archbishop Ægelnoth, who presided over it from the year 1020 to the year 1038, began and finished the repair, or rather the rebuilding of it, assisted in it by the royal munificence of the king, (fn. 10) who in 1023 presented his crown of gold to this church, and restored to it the port of Sandwich, with its liberties. (fn. 11) Notwithstanding this, in less than forty years afterwards, when Lanfranc soon after the Norman conquest came to the see, he found this church reduced almost to nothing by fire, and dilapidations; for Eadmer says, it had been consumed by a third conflagration, prior to the year of his advancement to it, in which fire almost all the antient records of the privileges of it had perished. (fn. 12)

 

The same writer has given us a description of this old church, as it was before Lanfranc came to the see; by which we learn, that at the east end there was an altar adjoining to the wall of the church, of rough unhewn stone, cemented with mortar, erected by archbishop Odo, for a repository of the body of Wilfrid, archbishop of York, which Odo had translated from Rippon hither, giving it here the highest place; at a convenient distance from this, westward, there was another altar, dedicated to Christ our Saviour, at which divine service was daily celebrated. In this altar was inclosed the head of St. Swithin, with many other relics, which archbishop Alphage brought with him from Winchester. Passing from this altar westward, many steps led down to the choir and nave, which were both even, or upon the same level. At the bottom of the steps, there was a passage into the undercroft, under all the east part of the church. (fn. 13) At the east end of which, was an altar, in which was inclosed, according to old tradition, the head of St. Furseus. From hence by a winding passage, at the west end of it, was the tomb of St. Dunstan, (fn. 14) but separated from the undercroft by a strong stone wall; over the tomb was erected a monument, pyramid wife, and at the head of it an altar, (fn. 15) for the mattin service. Between these steps, or passage into the undercroft and the nave, was the choir, (fn. 16) which was separated from the nave by a fair and decent partition, to keep off the crowds of people that usually were in the body of the church, so that the singing of the chanters in the choir might not be disturbed. About the middle of the length of the nave, were two towers or steeples, built without the walls; one on the south, and the other on the north side. In the former was the altar of St. Gregory, where was an entrance into the church by the south door, and where law controversies and pleas concerning secular matters were exercised. (fn. 17) In the latter, or north tower, was a passage for the monks into the church, from the monastery; here were the cloysters, where the novices were instructed in their religious rules and offices, and where the monks conversed together. In this tower was the altar of St. Martin. At the west end of the church was a chapel, dedicated to the blessed Virgin Mary, to which there was an ascent by steps, and at the east end of it an altar, dedicated to her, in which was inclosed the head of St. Astroburta the Virgin; and at the western part of it was the archbishop's pontifical chair, made of large stones, compacted together with mortar; a fair piece of work, and placed at a convenient distance from the altar, close to the wall of the church. (fn. 18)

 

To return now to archbishop Lanfranc, who was sent for from Normandy in 1073, being the fourth year of the Conqueror's reign, to fill this see, a time, when a man of a noble spirit, equal to the laborious task he was to undertake, was wanting especially for this church; and that he was such, the several great works which were performed by him, were incontestable proofs, as well as of his great and generous mind. At the first sight of the ruinous condition of this church, says the historian, the archbishop was struck with astonishment, and almost despaired of seeing that and the monastery re edified; but his care and perseverance raised both in all its parts anew, and that in a novel and more magnificent kind and form of structure, than had been hardly in any place before made use of in this kingdom, which made it a precedent and pattern to succeeding structures of this kind; (fn. 19) and new monasteries and churches were built after the example of it; for it should be observed, that before the coming of the Normans most of the churches and monasteries in this kingdom were of wood; (all the monasteries in my realm, says king Edgar, in his charter to the abbey of Malmesbury, dated anno 974, to the outward sight are nothing but worm-eaten and rotten timber and boards) but after the Norman conquest, such timber fabrics grew out of use, and gave place to stone buildings raised upon arches; a form of structure introduced into general use by that nation, and in these parts surnished with stone from Caen, in Normandy. (fn. 20) After this fashion archbishop Lanfranc rebuilt the whole church from the foundation, with the palace and monastery, the wall which encompassed the court, and all the offices belonging to the monastery within the wall, finishing the whole nearly within the compass of seven years; (fn. 21) besides which, he furnished the church with ornaments and rich vestments; after which, the whole being perfected, he altered the name of it, by a dedication of it to the Holy Trinity; whereas, before it was called the church of our Saviour, or Christ-church, and from the above time it bore (as by Domesday book appears) the name of the church of the Holy Trinity; this new church being built on the same spot on which the antient one stood, though on a far different model.

 

After Lanfranc's death, archbishop Anselm succeeded in the year 1093, to the see of Canterbury, and must be esteemed a principal benefactor to this church; for though his time was perplexed with a continued series of troubles, of which both banishment and poverty made no small part, which in a great measure prevented him from bestowing that cost on his church, which he would otherwise have done, yet it was through his patronage and protection, and through his care and persuasions, that the fabric of it, begun and perfected by his predecessor, became enlarged and rose to still greater splendor. (fn. 22)

 

In order to carry this forward, upon the vacancy of the priory, he constituted Ernulph and Conrad, the first in 1104, the latter in 1108, priors of this church; to whose care, being men of generous and noble minds, and of singular skill in these matters, he, during his troubles, not only committed the management of this work, but of all his other concerns during his absence.

 

Probably archbishop Anselm, on being recalled from banishment on king Henry's accession to the throne, had pulled down that part of the church built by Lanfranc, from the great tower in the middle of it to the east end, intending to rebuild it upon a still larger and more magnificent plan; when being borne down by the king's displeasure, he intrusted prior Ernulph with the work, who raised up the building with such splendor, says Malmesbury, that the like was not to be seen in all England; (fn. 23) but the short time Ernulph continued in this office did not permit him to see his undertaking finished. (fn. 24) This was left to his successor Conrad, who, as the obituary of Christ church informs us, by his great industry, magnificently perfected the choir, which his predecessor had left unfinished, (fn. 25) adorning it with curious pictures, and enriching it with many precious ornaments. (fn. 26)

 

This great undertaking was not entirely compleated at the death of archbishop Anselm, which happened in 1109, anno 9 Henry I. nor indeed for the space of five years afterwards, during which the see of Canterbury continued vacant; when being finished, in honour of its builder, and on account of its more than ordinary beauty, it gained the name of the glorious choir of Conrad. (fn. 27)

 

After the see of Canterbury had continued thus vacant for five years, Ralph, or as some call him, Rodulph, bishop of Rochester, was translated to it in the year 1114, at whose coming to it, the church was dedicated anew to the Holy Trinity, the name which had been before given to it by Lanfranc. (fn. 28) The only particular description we have of this church when thus finished, is from Gervas, the monk of this monastery, and that proves imperfect, as to the choir of Lanfranc, which had been taken down soon after his death; (fn. 29) the following is his account of the nave, or western part of it below the choir, being that which had been erected by archbishop Lanfranc, as has been before mentioned. From him we learn, that the west end, where the chapel of the Virgin Mary stood before, was now adorned with two stately towers, on the top of which were gilded pinnacles. The nave or body was supported by eight pair of pillars. At the east end of the nave, on the north side, was an oratory, dedicated in honor to the blessed Virgin, in lieu, I suppose, of the chapel, that had in the former church been dedicated to her at the west end. Between the nave and the choir there was built a great tower or steeple, as it were in the centre of the whole fabric; (fn. 30) under this tower was erected the altar of the Holy Cross; over a partition, which separated this tower from the nave, a beam was laid across from one side to the other of the church; upon the middle of this beam was fixed a great cross, between the images of the Virgin Mary and St. John, and between two cherubims. The pinnacle on the top of this tower, was a gilded cherub, and hence it was called the angel steeple; a name it is frequently called by at this day. (fn. 31)

 

This great tower had on each side a cross isle, called the north and south wings, which were uniform, of the same model and dimensions; each of them had a strong pillar in the middle for a support to the roof, and each of them had two doors or passages, by which an entrance was open to the east parts of the church. At one of these doors there was a descent by a few steps into the undercroft; at the other, there was an ascent by many steps into the upper parts of the church, that is, the choir, and the isles on each side of it. Near every one of these doors or passages, an altar was erected; at the upper door in the south wing, there was an altar in honour of All Saints; and at the lower door there was one of St. Michael; and before this altar on the south side was buried archbishop Fleologild; and on the north side, the holy Virgin Siburgis, whom St. Dunstan highly admired for her sanctity. In the north isle, by the upper door, was the altar of St. Blaze; and by the lower door, that of St. Benedict. In this wing had been interred four archbishops, Adelm and Ceolnoth, behind the altar, and Egelnoth and Wlfelm before it. At the entrance into this wing, Rodulph and his successor William Corboil, both archbishops, were buried. (fn. 32)

 

Hence, he continues, we go up by some steps into the great tower, and before us there is a door and steps leading down into the south wing, and on the right hand a pair of folding doors, with stairs going down into the nave of the church; but without turning to any of these, let us ascend eastward, till by several more steps we come to the west end of Conrad's choir; being now at the entrance of the choir, Gervas tells us, that he neither saw the choir built by Lanfranc, nor found it described by any one; that Eadmer had made mention of it, without giving any account of it, as he had done of the old church, the reason of which appears to be, that Lanfranc's choir did not long survive its founder, being pulled down as before-mentioned, by archbishop Anselm; so that it could not stand more than twenty years; therefore the want of a particular description of it will appear no great defect in the history of this church, especially as the deficiency is here supplied by Gervas's full relation of the new choir of Conrad, built instead of it; of which, whoever desires to know the whole architecture and model observed in the fabric, the order, number, height and form of the pillars and windows, may know the whole of it from him. The roof of it, he tells us, (fn. 33) was beautified with curious paintings representing heaven; (fn. 34) in several respects it was agreeable to the present choir, the stalls were large and framed of carved wood. In the middle of it, there hung a gilded crown, on which were placed four and twenty tapers of wax. From the choir an ascent of three steps led to the presbiterium, or place for the presbiters; here, he says, it would be proper to stop a little and take notice of the high altar, which was dedicated to the name of CHRIST. It was placed between two other altars, the one of St. Dunstan, the other of St. Alphage; at the east corners of the high altar were fixed two pillars of wood, beautified with silver and gold; upon these pillars was placed a beam, adorned with gold, which reached across the church, upon it there were placed the glory, (fn. 35) the images of St. Dunstan and St. Alphage, and seven chests or coffers overlaid with gold, full of the relics of many saints. Between those pillars was a cross gilded all over, and upon the upper beam of the cross were set sixty bright crystals.

 

Beyond this, by an ascent of eight steps towards the east, behind the altar, was the archiepiscopal throne, which Gervas calls the patriarchal chair, made of one stone; in this chair, according to the custom of the church, the archbishop used to sit, upon principal festivals, in his pontifical ornaments, whilst the solemn offices of religion were celebrated, until the consecration of the host, when he came down to the high altar, and there performed the solemnity of consecration. Still further, eastward, behind the patriarchal chair, (fn. 36) was a chapel in the front of the whole church, in which was an altar, dedicated to the Holy Trinity; behind which were laid the bones of two archbishops, Odo of Canterbury, and Wilfrid of York; by this chapel on the south side near the wall of the church, was laid the body of archbishop Lanfranc, and on the north side, the body of archbishop Theobald. Here it is to be observed, that under the whole east part of the church, from the angel steeple, there was an undercrost or crypt, (fn. 37) in which were several altars, chapels and sepulchres; under the chapel of the Trinity before-mentioned, were two altars, on the south side, the altar of St. Augustine, the apostle of the English nation, by which archbishop Athelred was interred. On the north side was the altar of St. John Baptist, by which was laid the body of archbishop Eadsin; under the high altar was the chapel and altar of the blessed Virgin Mary, to whom the whole undercroft was dedicated.

 

To return now, he continues, to the place where the bresbyterium and choir meet, where on each side there was a cross isle (as was to be seen in his time) which might be called the upper south and north wings; on the east side of each of these wings were two half circular recesses or nooks in the wall, arched over after the form of porticoes. Each of them had an altar, and there was the like number of altars under them in the crost. In the north wing, the north portico had the altar of St. Martin, by which were interred the bodies of two archbishops, Wlfred on the right, and Living on the left hand; under it in the croft, was the altar of St. Mary Magdalen. The other portico in this wing, had the altar of St. Stephen, and by it were buried two archbishops, Athelard on the left hand, and Cuthbert on the right; in the croft under it, was the altar of St. Nicholas. In the south wing, the north portico had the altar of St. John the Evangelist, and by it the bodies of Æthelgar and Aluric, archbishops, were laid. In the croft under it was the altar of St. Paulinus, by which the body of archbishop Siricius was interred. In the south portico was the altar of St. Gregory, by which were laid the corps of the two archbishops Bregwin and Plegmund. In the croft under it was the altar of St. Owen, archbishop of Roan, and underneath in the croft, not far from it the altar of St. Catherine.

 

Passing from these cross isles eastward there were two towers, one on the north, the other on the south side of the church. In the tower on the north side was the altar of St. Andrew, which gave name to the tower; under it, in the croft, was the altar of the Holy Innocents; the tower on the south side had the altar of St. Peter and St. Paul, behind which the body of St. Anselm was interred, which afterwards gave name both to the altar and tower (fn. 38) (now called St. Anselm's). The wings or isles on each side of the choir had nothing in particular to be taken notice of.— Thus far Gervas, from whose description we in particular learn, where several of the bodies of the old archbishops were deposited, and probably the ashes of some of them remain in the same places to this day.

 

As this building, deservedly called the glorious choir of Conrad, was a magnificent work, so the undertaking of it at that time will appear almost beyond example, especially when the several circumstances of it are considered; but that it was carried forward at the archbishop's cost, exceeds all belief. It was in the discouraging reign of king William Rufus, a prince notorious in the records of history, for all manner of sacrilegious rapine, that archbishop Anselm was promoted to this see; when he found the lands and revenues of this church so miserably wasted and spoiled, that there was hardly enough left for his bare subsistence; who, in the first years that he sat in the archiepiscopal chair, struggled with poverty, wants and continual vexations through the king's displeasure, (fn. 39) and whose three next years were spent in banishment, during all which time he borrowed money for his present maintenance; who being called home by king Henry I. at his coming to the crown, laboured to pay the debts he had contracted during the time of his banishment, and instead of enjoying that tranquility and ease he hoped for, was, within two years afterwards, again sent into banishment upon a fresh displeasure conceived against him by the king, who then seized upon all the revenues of the archbishopric, (fn. 40) which he retained in his own hands for no less than four years.

 

Under these hard circumstances, it would have been surprizing indeed, that the archbishop should have been able to carry on so great a work, and yet we are told it, as a truth, by the testimonies of history; but this must surely be understood with the interpretation of his having been the patron, protector and encourager, rather than the builder of this work, which he entrusted to the care and management of the priors Ernulph and Conrad, and sanctioned their employing, as Lanfranc had done before, the revenues and stock of the church to this use. (fn. 41)

 

In this state as above-mentioned, without any thing material happening to it, this church continued till about the year 1130, anno 30 Henry I. when it seems to have suffered some damage by a fire; (fn. 42) but how much, there is no record left to inform us; however it could not be of any great account, for it was sufficiently repaired, and that mostly at the cost of archbishop Corboil, who then sat in the chair of this see, (fn. 43) before the 4th of May that year, on which day, being Rogation Sunday, the bishops performed the dedication of it with great splendor and magnificence, such, says Gervas, col. 1664, as had not been heard of since the dedication of the temple of Solomon; the king, the queen, David, king of Scots, all the archbishops, and the nobility of both kingdoms being present at it, when this church's former name was restored again, being henceforward commonly called Christ-church. (fn. 44)

 

Among the manuscripts of Trinity college library, in Cambridge, in a very curious triple psalter of St. Jerome, in Latin, written by the monk Eadwyn, whose picture is at the beginning of it, is a plan or drawing made by him, being an attempt towards a representation of this church and monastery, as they stood between the years 1130 and 1174; which makes it probable, that he was one of the monks of it, and the more so, as the drawing has not any kind of relation to the plalter or sacred hymns contained in the manuscript.

 

His plan, if so it may be called, for it is neither such, nor an upright, nor a prospect, and yet something of all together; but notwithstanding this rudeness of the draftsman, it shews very plain that it was intended for this church and priory, and gives us a very clear knowledge, more than we have been able to learn from any description we have besides, of what both were at the above period of time. (fn. 45)

 

Forty-four years after this dedication, on the 5th of September, anno 1174, being the 20th year of king Henry II.'s reign, a fire happened, which consumed great part of this stately edifice, namely, the whole choir, from the angel steeple to the east end of the church, together with the prior's lodgings, the chapel of the Virgin Mary, the infirmary, and some other offices belonging to the monastery; but the angel steeple, the lower cross isles, and the nave appear to have received no material injury from the flames. (fn. 46) The narrative of this accident is told by Gervas, the monk of Canterbury, so often quoted before, who was an eye witness of this calamity, as follows:

 

Three small houses in the city near the old gate of the monastery took fire by accident, a strong south wind carried the flakes of fire to the top of the church, and lodged them between the joints of the lead, driving them to the timbers under it; this kindled a fire there, which was not discerned till the melted lead gave a free passage for the flames to appear above the church, and the wind gaining by this means a further power of increasing them, drove them inwardly, insomuch that the danger became immediately past all possibility of relief. The timber of the roof being all of it on fire, fell down into the choir, where the stalls of the manks, made of large pieces of carved wood, afforded plenty of fuel to the flames, and great part of the stone work, through the vehement heat of the fire, was so weakened, as to be brought to irreparable ruin, and besides the fabric itself, the many rich ornaments in the church were devoured by the flames.

 

The choir being thus laid in ashes, the monks removed from amidst the ruins, the bodies of the two saints, whom they called patrons of the church, the archbishops Dunstan and Alphage, and deposited them by the altar of the great cross, in the nave of the church; (fn. 47) and from this time they celebrated the daily religious offices in the oratory of the blessed Virgin Mary in the nave, and continued to do so for more than five years, when the choir being re edified, they returned to it again. (fn. 48)

 

Upon this destruction of the church, the prior and convent, without any delay, consulted on the most speedy and effectual method of rebuilding it, resolving to finish it in such a manner, as should surpass all the former choirs of it, as well in beauty as size and magnificence. To effect this, they sent for the most skilful architects that could be found either in France or England. These surveyed the walls and pillars, which remained standing, but they found great part of them so weakened by the fire, that they could no ways be built upon with any safety; and it was accordingly resolved, that such of them should be taken down; a whole year was spent in doing this, and in providing materials for the new building, for which they sent abroad for the best stone that could be procured; Gervas has given a large account, (fn. 49) how far this work advanced year by year; what methods and rules of architecture were observed, and other particulars relating to the rebuilding of this church; all which the curious reader may consult at his leisure; it will be sufficient to observe here, that the new building was larger in height and length, and more beautiful in every respect, than the choir of Conrad; for the roof was considerably advanced above what it was before, and was arched over with stone; whereas before it was composed of timber and boards. The capitals of the pillars were now beautified with different sculptures of carvework; whereas, they were before plain, and six pillars more were added than there were before. The former choir had but one triforium, or inner gallery, but now there were two made round it, and one in each side isle and three in the cross isles; before, there were no marble pillars, but such were now added to it in abundance. In forwarding this great work, the monks had spent eight years, when they could proceed no further for want of money; but a fresh supply coming in from the offerings at St. Thomas's tomb, so much more than was necessary for perfecting the repair they were engaged in, as encouraged them to set about a more grand design, which was to pull down the eastern extremity of the church, with the small chapel of the Holy Trinity adjoining to it, and to erect upon a stately undercroft, a most magnificent one instead of it, equally lofty with the roof of the church, and making a part of it, which the former one did not, except by a door into it; but this new chapel, which was dedicated likewise to the Holy Trinity, was not finished till some time after the rest of the church; at the east end of this chapel another handsome one, though small, was afterwards erected at the extremity of the whole building, since called Becket's crown, on purpose for an altar and the reception of some part of his relics; (fn. 50) further mention of which will be made hereafter.

 

The eastern parts of this church, as Mr. Gostling observes, have the appearance of much greater antiquity than what is generally allowed to them; and indeed if we examine the outside walls and the cross wings on each side of the choir, it will appear, that the whole of them was not rebuilt at the time the choir was, and that great part of them was suffered to remain, though altered, added to, and adapted as far as could be, to the new building erected at that time; the traces of several circular windows and other openings, which were then stopped up, removed, or altered, still appearing on the walls both of the isles and the cross wings, through the white-wash with which they are covered; and on the south side of the south isle, the vaulting of the roof as well as the triforium, which could not be contrived so as to be adjusted to the places of the upper windows, plainly shew it. To which may be added, that the base or foot of one of the westernmost large pillars of the choir on the north side, is strengthened with a strong iron band round it, by which it should seem to have been one of those pillars which had been weakened by the fire, but was judged of sufficient firmness, with this precaution, to remain for the use of the new fabric.

 

The outside of this part of the church is a corroborating proof of what has been mentioned above, as well in the method, as in the ornaments of the building.— The outside of it towards the south, from St. Michael's chapel eastward, is adorned with a range of small pillars, about six inches diameter, and about three feet high, some with santastic shasts and capitals, others with plain ones; these support little arches, which intersect each other; and this chain or girdle of pillars is continued round the small tower, the eastern cross isle and the chapel of St. Anselm, to the buildings added in honour of the Holy Trinity, and St. Thomas Becket, where they leave off. The casing of St. Michael's chapel has none of them, but the chapel of the Virgin Mary, answering to it on the north side of the church, not being fitted to the wall, shews some of them behind it; which seems as if they had been continued before, quite round the eastern parts of the church.

 

These pillars, which rise from about the level of the pavement, within the walls above them, are remarkably plain and bare of ornaments; but the tower above mentioned and its opposite, as soon as they rise clear of the building, are enriched with stories of this colonade, one above another, up to the platform from whence their spires rise; and the remains of the two larger towers eastward, called St. Anselm's, and that answering to it on the north side of the church, called St. Andrew's are decorated much after the same manner, as high as they remain at present.

 

At the time of the before-mentioned fire, which so fatally destroyed the upper part of this church, the undercrost, with the vaulting over it, seems to have remained entire, and unhurt by it.

 

The vaulting of the undercrost, on which the floor of the choir and eastern parts of the church is raised, is supported by pillars, whose capitals are as various and fantastical as those of the smaller ones described before, and so are their shafts, some being round, others canted, twisted, or carved, so that hardly any two of them are alike, except such as are quite plain.

 

These, I suppose, may be concluded to be of the same age, and if buildings in the same stile may be conjectured to be so from thence, the antiquity of this part of the church may be judged, though historians have left us in the dark in relation to it.

 

In Leland's Collectanea, there is an account and description of a vault under the chancel of the antient church of St. Peter, in Oxford, called Grymbald's crypt, being allowed by all, to have been built by him; (fn. 51) Grymbald was one of those great and accomplished men, whom king Alfred invited into England about the year 885, to assist him in restoring Christianity, learning and the liberal arts. (fn. 52) Those who compare the vaults or undercrost of the church of Canterbury, with the description and prints given of Grymbald's crypt, (fn. 53) will easily perceive, that two buildings could hardly have been erected more strongly resembling each other, except that this at Canterbury is larger, and more pro fusely decorated with variety of fancied ornaments, the shafts of several of the pillars here being twisted, or otherwise varied, and many of the captials exactly in the same grotesque taste as those in Grymbald's crypt. (fn. 54) Hence it may be supposed, that those whom archbishop Lanfranc employed as architects and designers of his building at Canterbury, took their model of it, at least of this part of it, from that crypt, and this undercrost now remaining is the same, as was originally built by him, as far eastward, as to that part which begins under the chapel of the Holy Trinity, where it appears to be of a later date, erected at the same time as the chapel. The part built by Lanfranc continues at this time as firm and entire, as it was at the very building of it, though upwards of seven hundred years old. (fn. 55)

 

But to return to the new building; though the church was not compleatly finished till the end of the year 1184, yet it was so far advanced towards it, that, in 1180, on April 19, being Easter eve, (fn. 56) the archbishop, prior and monks entered the new choir, with a solemn procession, singing Te Deum, for their happy return to it. Three days before which they had privately, by night, carried the bodies of St. Dunstan and St. Alphage to the places prepared for them near the high altar. The body likewise of queen Edive (which after the fire had been removed from the north cross isle, where it lay before, under a stately gilded shrine) to the altar of the great cross, was taken up, carried into the vestry, and thence to the altar of St. Martin, where it was placed under the coffin of archbishop Livinge. In the month of July following the altar of the Holy Trinity was demolished, and the bodies of those archbishops, which had been laid in that part of the church, were removed to other places. Odo's body was laid under St. Dunstan's and Wilfrid's under St. Alphage's; Lanfranc's was deposited nigh the altar of St. Martin, and Theobald's at that of the blessed Virgin, in the nave of the church, (fn. 57) under a marble tomb; and soon afterwards the two archbishops, on the right and left hand of archbishop Becket in the undercrost, were taken up and placed under the altar of St. Mary there. (fn. 58)

 

After a warning so terrible, as had lately been given, it seemed most necessary to provide against the danger of fire for the time to come; the flames, which had so lately destroyed a considerable part of the church and monastery, were caused by some small houses, which had taken fire at a small distance from the church.— There still remained some other houses near it, which belonged to the abbot and convent of St. Augustine; for these the monks of Christ-church created, by an exchange, which could not be effected till the king interposed, and by his royal authority, in a manner, compelled the abbot and convent to a composition for this purpose, which was dated in the year 1177, that was three years after the late fire of this church. (fn. 59)

 

These houses were immediately pulled down, and it proved a providential and an effectual means of preserving the church from the like calamity; for in the year 1180, on May 22, this new choir, being not then compleated, though it had been used the month be fore, as has been already mentioned, there happened a fire in the city, which burnt down many houses, and the flames bent their course towards the church, which was again in great danger; but the houses near it being taken away, the fire was stopped, and the church escaped being burnt again. (fn. 60)

 

Although there is no mention of a new dedication of the church at this time, yet the change made in the name of it has been thought by some to imply a formal solemnity of this kind, as it appears to have been from henceforth usually called the church of St. Thomas the Martyr, and to have continued so for above 350 years afterwards.

 

New names to churches, it is true. have been usually attended by formal consecrations of them; and had there been any such solemnity here, undoubtedly the same would not have passed by unnoticed by every historian, the circumstance of it must have been notorious, and the magnificence equal at least to the other dedications of this church, which have been constantly mentioned by them; but here was no need of any such ceremony, for although the general voice then burst forth to honour this church with the name of St. Thomas, the universal object of praise and adoration, then stiled the glorious martyr, yet it reached no further, for the name it had received at the former dedication, notwithstanding this common appellation of it, still remained in reality, and it still retained invariably in all records and writings, the name of Christ church only, as appears by many such remaining among the archives of the dean and chapter; and though on the seal of this church, which was changed about this time; the counter side of it had a representation of Becket's martyrdom, yet on the front of it was continued that of the church, and round it an inscription with the former name of Christ church; which seal remained in force till the dissolution of the priory.

 

It may not be improper to mention here some transactions, worthy of observation, relating to this favorite saint, which passed from the time of his being murdered, to that of his translation to the splendid shrine prepared for his relics.

 

Archbishop Thomas Becket was barbarously murdered in this church on Dec. 29, 1170, being the 16th year of king Henry II. and his body was privately buried towards the east end of the undercrost. The monks tell us, that about the Easter following, miracles began to be wrought by him, first at his tomb, then in the undercrost, and in every part of the whole fabric of the church; afterwards throughout England, and lastly, throughout the rest of the world. (fn. 61) The same of these miracles procured him the honour of a formal canonization from pope Alexander III. whose bull for that purpose is dated March 13, in the year 1172. (fn. 62) This declaration of the pope was soon known in all places, and the reports of his miracles were every where sounded abroad. (fn. 63)

 

Hereupon crowds of zealots, led on by a phrenzy of devotion, hastened to kneel at his tomb. In 1177, Philip, earl of Flanders, came hither for that purpose, when king Henry met and had a conference with him at Canterbury. (fn. 64) In June 1178, king Henry returning from Normandy, visited the sepulchre of this new saint; and in July following, William, archbishop of Rhemes, came from France, with a large retinue, to perform his vows to St. Thomas of Canterbury, where the king met him and received him honourably. In the year 1179, Lewis, king of France, came into England; before which neither he nor any of his predecessors had ever set foot in this kingdom. (fn. 65) He landed at Dover, where king Henry waited his arrival, and on August 23, the two kings came to Canterbury, with a great train of nobility of both nations, and were received with due honour and great joy, by the archbishop, with his com-provincial bishops, and the prior and the whole convent. (fn. 66)

 

King Lewis came in the manner and habit of a pilgrim, and was conducted to the tomb of St. Thomas by a solemn procession; he there offered his cup of gold and a royal precious stone, (fn. 67) and gave the convent a yearly rent for ever, of a hundred muids of wine, to be paid by himself and his successors; which grant was confirmed by his royal charter, under his seal, and delivered next day to the convent; (fn. 68) after he had staid here two, (fn. 69) or as others say, three days, (fn. 70) during which the oblations of gold and silver made were so great, that the relation of them almost exceeded credibility. (fn. 71) In 1181, king Henry, in his return from Normandy, again paid his devotions at this tomb. These visits were the early fruits of the adoration of the new sainted martyr, and these royal examples of kings and great persons were followed by multitudes, who crowded to present with full hands their oblations at his tomb.— Hence the convent was enabled to carry forward the building of the new choir, and they applied all this vast income to the fabric of the church, as the present case instantly required, for which they had the leave and consent of the archbishop, confirmed by the bulls of several succeeding popes. (fn. 72)

 

¶From the liberal oblations of these royal and noble personages at the tomb of St. Thomas, the expences of rebuilding the choir appear to have been in a great measure supplied, nor did their devotion and offerings to the new saint, after it was compleated, any ways abate, but, on the contrary, they daily increased; for in the year 1184, Philip, archbishop of Cologne, and Philip, earl of Flanders, came together to pay their vows at this tomb, and were met here by king Henry, who gave them an invitation to London. (fn. 73) In 1194, John, archbishop of Lions; in the year afterwards, John, archbishop of York; and in the year 1199, king John, performed their devotions at the foot of this tomb. (fn. 74) King Richard I. likewise, on his release from captivity in Germany, landing on the 30th of March at Sandwich, proceeded from thence, as an humble stranger on foot, towards Canterbury, to return his grateful thanks to God and St. Thomas for his release. (fn. 75) All these by name, with many nobles and multitudes of others, of all sorts and descriptions, visited the saint with humble adoration and rich oblations, whilst his body lay in the undercrost. In the mean time the chapel and altar at the upper part of the east end of the church, which had been formerly consecrated to the Holy Trinity, were demolished, and again prepared with great splendor, for the reception of this saint, who being now placed there, implanted his name not only on the chapel and altar, but on the whole church, which was from thenceforth known only by that of the church of St. Thomas the martyr.

  

On July 7, anno 1220, the remains of St. Thomas were translated from his tomb to his new shrine, with the greatest solemnity and rejoicings. Pandulph, the pope's legate, the archbishops of Canterbury and Rheims, and many bishops and abbots, carried the coffin on their shoulders, and placed it on the new shrine, and the king graced these solemnities with his royal presence. (fn. 76) The archbishop of Canterbury provided forage along all the road, between London and Canterbury, for the horses of all such as should come to them, and he caused several pipes and conduits to run with wine in different parts of the city. This, with the other expences arising during the time, was so great, that he left a debt on the see, which archbishop Boniface, his fourth successor in it, was hardly enabled to discharge.

 

¶The saint being now placed in his new repository, became the vain object of adoration to the deluded people, and afterwards numbers of licences were granted to strangers by the king, to visit this shrine. (fn. 77) The titles of glorious, of saint and martyr, were among those given to him; (fn. 78) such veneration had all people for his relics, that the religious of several cathedral churches and monasteries, used all their endeavours to obtain some of them, and thought themselves happy and rich in the possession of the smallest portion of them. (fn. 79) Besides this, there were erected and dedicated to his honour, many churches, chapels, altars and hospitals in different places, both in this kingdom and abroad. (fn. 80) Thus this saint, even whilst he lay in his obscure tomb in the undercroft, brought such large and constant supplies of money, as enabled the monks to finish this beautiful choir, and the eastern parts of the church; and when he was translated to the most exalted and honourable place in it, a still larger abundance of gain filled their coffers, which continued as a plentiful supply to them, from year to year, to the time of the reformation, and the final abolition of the priory itself.

 

www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-kent/vol11/pp306-383

Lasting memory of Cape Mountaineer 1 in most people’s minds was dawn on the 20th July 1990 at Schoombee. 30 years on, certainly in my collection, it has yet to be beaten. Here’s the wider view, recently discovered in a box of “seconds” ! Check out my S.A. album for the preferred tele shot.

The railway arrived in 1930 in Bobo-Dioulasso and then in 1954 in Ouagadougou. It was initially operated by the Régie Abidjan-Niger (RAN) from 1960 to 1989 before being taken over by SITARAIL (Bolloré Group) in 1995. Despite an ambitious project to connect the different countries of the sub-region by the rail network, almost nothing lasting has been achieved to date apart from two sections currently abandoned.

 

The first is a section which was to connect Niamey to Parakou, then to the Beninese network, started in 2013 and decommissioned in 2018, which was limited to around a hundred kilometres within Niger.

 

The second is an ambitious project carried out by the Burkinabe people under the revolutionary regime of Captain Thomas SANKARA (1983-1987). This involved extending the Abidjan-Ouagadougou line towards Niger by serving the Tambao phosphate mines. If the platform was built over most of the distance, the rails could only be laid over a hundred kilometres to reach Kaya. The railway nevertheless operated for several years before being abandoned following the deterioration of specific watercourse crossing structures. Operation of this line is currently limited to the Kossodo industrial zone on the northeastern outskirts of Ouagadougou.

 

However, this infrastructure could arouse new interest because it passes close to the future Donsin International Airport. Establishing a rail service to avoid traffic jams would be an avenue to explore, primarily as the work to be carried out would be limited.

 

Le chemin de fer est arrivé en 1930 à Bobo-Dioulasso puis en 1954 à Ouagadougou. Il était initialement exploité par la Régie Abidjan-Niger (RAN) de 1960 à 1989 avant d'être reprise par SITARAIL (Goupe Bolloré) en 1995. Malgré un ambitieux projet de relier les différents pays de la sous-région par le réseau ferré, quasiment rien de durable n'a été réalisé jusqu'à ce jour en dehors de deux tronçons actuellement à l'abandon.

 

Le premier est un tronçon qui devait relier Niamey à Parakou puis au réseau béninois entamé en 2013 et mis hors service en 2018 qui s'est limité à une centaine de kilomètres au sein du Niger.

 

Le second est un projet ambitieux réalisé par le peuple burkinabé sous le régime révolutionnaire du Capitaine Thomas SANKARA (1983-1987). Il s'agissait de prolonger la ligne Abidjan-Ouagadougou vers le Niger en desservant les mines de phosphate de Tambao. Si le terreplein a été réalisé sur une majeure parte de la distance, les rails n'ont pu être posés que sur une centaine de kilomètres pour atteindre Kaya. Le chemin de fer a néanmoins fonctionné durant un certain nombre d'années avant d'être abandonné suite à la dégradation de certains ouvrages de franchissement de cours d'eau. L'exploitation de cet ligne se limite actuellement à la zone industrielle de Kossodo dans la périphérie nord-est de Ouagadougou.

 

Pourtant, cette infrastructure pourrait susciter un nouvel intérêt du fait qu'elle passe à proximité du futur aéroport international de Donsin. La mise en place d'une desserte ferroviaire qui permettrait d'éviter les embouteillages serait une piste à explorer, d'autant que les travaux à réaliser seraient limités.

St Paul's is a lasting monument to the glory of God and a symbol of the hope, resilience and strength of the city of London and the United Kingdom. However, the old St Paul's was gutted in the Great Fire of London of 1666, just after it was built in 1630. The task of designing a replacement was officially assigned to Sir Christopher Wren in 1668.

 

The cathedral is built of Portland stone in a late Renaissance style, or in English terms: sober Baroque. Its impressive dome was inspired by St Peter's Basilica in Rome. It rises 365 feet (108 m) to the cross at its summit, making it a famous London landmark. The large dome is composed of three layers. The inner and outer layers are catenary curves, but the structural integrity to support the heavy stone structure on top of the dome is provided by an intermediary layer which is much steeper and more conical in shape. The dome is restrained by a wrought iron chain to prevent the base spreading and cracking.

 

The London Millennium Footbridge in front is from a more recent age. It’s a pedestrian-only steel suspension bridge crossing the River Thames; linking Bankside (Tate Modern) with the City (St Paul’s). The bridge is nicknamed “Wobbly Bridge” after crowds of pedestrians felt an unexpected swaying motion on the first two days after the bridge opened. The movements were caused by a 'positive feedback' phenomenon, known as synchronous lateral excitation. Anybody knows that, right! So, why not renowned architects at Arup, Foster and Partners and Sir Anthony Caro, who designed the bridge? After the discovery the bridge was closed and modified, and further modifications eliminated – and perhaps unfortunately - the wobble entirely.

 

In the past one could take great photos of St. Paul’s peeking though Peter’s Hill. But with the new Millennium Footbridge the peek hole has become smaller than before. So, after some careful positioning I took this photo, hoping to show both structures in their own grant way.

 

File name: 10_03_002038a

Binder label: Perfume/Hair Products

Title: Perfumed with Hoyt's German Cologne, the most fragrant and lasting of all perfumes. [front]

Copyright date: 1890

Physical description: 1 print : chromolithograph ; 8 x 14 cm.

Genre: Advertising cards

Subject: Adults; Perfumes; Flowers

Notes: Title from item.

Statement of responsibility: E. W. Hoyt & Co.

Collection: 19th Century American Trade Cards

Location: Boston Public Library, Print Department

Rights: No known restrictions.

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!

  

Some background:

In July 1967, the first Swedish Air Force student pilots started training on the Saab 105, a Swedish high-wing, twin-engine trainer aircraft developed in the early sixties as a private venture by Saab AB. The Swedish Air Force procured the type for various roles and issued the aircraft with the designation Sk 60.

 

The Sk 60 entered service in 1967, replacing the aging De Havilland Vampire fleet, and had a long-lasting career. But in the late Eighties, by which point the existing engines of the Swedish Air Force's Sk 60 fleet were considered to be towards the end of their technical and economic lifespan and the airframes started to show their age and wear of constant use, the Swedish Air Force started to think about a successor and/or a modernization program.

 

Saab suggested to replace the Saab 105’s original Turbomeca Aubisque engines with newly-built Williams International FJ44 engines, which were lighter and less costly to operate, but this was only regarded as a stop-gap solution.

In parallel, Saab also started work for a dedicated new jet trainer that would prepare pilots for the Saab 39 Gripen – also on the drawing boards at the time – and as a less sophisticated alternative to the promising but stillborn Saab 38, a collaboration between Saab and the Italian aircraft manufacturer Aermacchi.

 

In 1991 Saab presented its new trainer design to the Swedish Air Force, internally called "FSK900". The aircraft was a conservative design, with such a configurational resemblance to the Dassault-Dornier Alpha Jet that it is hard to believe Saab engineers didn't see the Alpha Jet as a model for what they wanted to do. However, even if that was the case, FSK900 was by no means a copy of the Alpha Jet. The Saab design had a muscular, rather massive appearance, while the Alpha Jet was more wasp-like and very sleek. The FSK900 was also bigger in length and span and had an empty weight about 10% greater.

 

The FSK900 was mostly made of aircraft aluminum alloys, with some control surfaces made of carbon-fiber/epoxy composite, plus very selective use of titanium. It had high-mounted swept wings, with a supercritical airfoil section and a leading-edge dogtooth. The wings had a sweep of 27.5°, an anhedral droop of 7°, and featured ailerons for roll control as well as double slotted flaps. The tailplanes were all-moving, and also featured an anhedral of 7°. An airbrake was mounted on each side of the rear fuselage.

The twin engines, one mounted in a pod along each side of the fuselage, were two Williams International FJ44-4M turbofans without reheat, each rated at 16.89 kN (3,790 lbst). The tricycle landing gear assemblies all featured single wheels, with both nose gear and main gear retracting forward into the fuselage, featuring an antiskid braking system.

 

Flight controls were hydraulic, and hydraulic systems were dual redundant. Instructor and cadet sat in tandem, both on zero-zero ejection seats, with the instructor's seat in the rear raised 27 cm (10.6 in) to give a good forward view. The cockpit was pressurized and featured a one-piece canopy, hinged open to the right, providing excellent visibility.

 

The FSK900 could be fitted with two pylons under each wing and under the fuselage centerline, for a total of five hardpoints. The inner wing pylons were plumbed and could carry 450 liter (119 US gallon) drop tanks. A total external payload of 2,500 kg (5,500 lb) could be carried.

 

External stores included a conformal underfuselage pod with a single 27 mm Mauser BK-27 revolver cannon (with 120 rounds), the same weapon that was also mounted in the Saab Gripen or the Eurofighter/Typhoon and which was originally developed in Germany in the 1960ies for the MRCA Tornado. Other external loads comprised a centerline target winch for the target tug role, an air-sampling pod for detection of fallout or other atmospheric pollutants, jammer or chaff pods for electronic warfare training, a camera/sensor pod and a baggage pod for use in the liaison role. Furthermore, the aircraft featured a baggage compartment in the center fuselage, which also offered space for other special equipment or future updates.

Other weapons included various iron and cluster bombs of up to 454 kg (1.000 lb) caliber, various unguided missiles and missile pods, pods with external 7,92mm machine guns or 30mm cannon, and Rb.24 (AIM-9L Sidewinder) AAMs. Originally, no radar was not mounted to the trainer, but the FSK900’s nose section offered enough space for a radome and additional, sophisticated avionics.

 

The Swedish Air Force accepted Saab’s design, leading to a contract for two nonflying static-test airframes and four flying prototypes. Detail design was completed by the end of 1993 and prototype construction began in the spring of 1994, leading to first flight of the initial prototype on 29 July 1994.

 

The first production Sk 90 A, how the basic trainer type was officially dubbed, was delivered to the Swedish Air Force in 1996. In parallel, a contract had been signed for the re-engining of 115 Saab Sk 60 aircraft in 1993; the number of aircraft to be upgraded was subsequently reduced as a result of cuts to the defense budget and the advent of the FSK900, of which 60 had already been initially ordered.

 

A total of 108 Sk 90s were built for Sweden, and at present the Swedish Air Force has no further requirement for new Sk 90s. The type is regarded as strong, agile, and pleasant to fly, while being cheap to operate. Upgrades are in planning, though, including the fit of at least some Sk 90s with a modern "glass cockpit" to provide advanced training for the Saab Gripen (which had entered service in June 1992), and a full authority digital engine control (FADEC) for the FJ44-4M turbofans. Integration of the Rb.75 (the AGM-65A/B Maverick in Swedish service) together with a pod-mounted FLIR camera system was also suggested, improving the Sk 90’s attack capability dramatically. These updates were started in 2000 and gradually introduced in the course of standard overhaul cycles.

 

The upgraded aircraft received the designation Sk 90 B, and until 2006 the complete Swedish fleet had been modified. Another variant for Sweden was the Sk 90 S, which had a camera nose and could perform tactical reconnaissance missions (these machines were otherwise also updated to Sk 90 B standard), and there were plans for a new two-seater variant with enhanced attack capabilities, the Sk 90 C. This variant was not adapted by the Swedish Air Force, though, but its elements were offered to export customers.

 

Despite its qualities and development potential, the Sk 90 did not attain much foreign interest. It basically suffered from bad timing and from the focus on domestic demands. In order to become a serious export success, the aircraft came effectively 10 years too late. Furthermore, the Sk 90 was very similar to the Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet (even though it was cheaper to operate), and Swedish trainer hit the market at a time when the German Luftwaffe started to prematurely phase out its Alpha Jet attack variant and flooded the market with cheap second hand aircraft in excellent condition. Another detrimental factor was that the Saab Sk 90 had with the BAe Hawk another proven competitor with a long and successful operational track record all over the world, and many countries preferred its more simple single engine layout.

 

Modest foreign sales could be secured, though: Austria kept up its close connection with Saab since the Seventies and procured 36 Sk 90 Ö in 2002, gradually replacing its ageing Saab 105 fleet. The Sk 90 Ö was comparable with the updated Sk 90 B, but the Austrian machines were newly produced and featured several modifications and additions in order to fulfill the Austrian Air Force’s demanding multi-role profile.

 

The Sk 90 Ö’s most distinct and obvious difference to the Swedish aircraft was a slightly more voluminous nose section for a weather radar system and its radome. This piece of equipment was deemed to be a vital asset in order to ensure operational safety in the type’s typical alpine theatre of operations, with frequent poor visibility.

 

Further avionics for the Sk 90 Ö included a Rockwell Collins Pro Line Fusion avionics suite, an Electronic Flight Instrument System (EFIS), Inertial Reference System (IRS), Integrated Flight Information System (IFIS) with electronic charts, Two Electronic Flight Bag (EFB), Synthetic Vision System for Situational Awareness (SVS), a Terrain Awareness and Warning System (TAWS), Dual Flight Management System (FMS), Surface Awareness System, Autothrottle and a Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS).

 

The Austrian machines were primarily intended to serve as advanced trainers for Eurofighter pilots (after initial training on Pilatus PC-7 trainers), but would also be capable of ground attack/CAS duties, much like the Austrian Saab 105. Due to the Austrian Air Force’s small size, the Sk 90 Ö was furthermore capable of limited QRA and airspace patrol duties, armed with up to four AIM-9 Sidewinder AAMs and a ventral gun pod.

Air space security and border patrols were a frequent task in the type's early service years, when the Austrian Air Force was still waiting for the delayed Eurofighter to become operational in this role and both the rented F-5Es from Switzerland as well as the aged Draken fleet had become more and more obsolete in this vital defense role, or even unserviceable.

From 2007 onwards, with starting Eurofighter deliveries, the Sk 90 Ö was gradually relegated to training and ground attack duties, but this could change again soon: In July 2017, the Austrian Defense Ministry announced that it would be replacing all of its Typhoon aircraft by 2020. The ministry said that continued use of its Typhoons over their 30-year lifespan would cost about €5 bln. with the bulk being used up for maintenance. It estimated that buying a new fleet of 15 single-seat and 3 twin-seat fighters would save €2 bln. over that period, and Austria plans to explore a government-to-government sale or lease agreement to avoid a lengthy and costly tender process with a manufacturer. Possible replacements include the Saab Gripen and the F-16. In this likely scenario, the Sk 90 Ö will probably once more have to fill airspace defense gaps.

 

Further potential export customers for the Sk 90 included Malaysia as well as Singapore, Myanmar, Finland, Poland and Hungary. The latest customer has been the Republic of Scotland in late 2017. After the country’s separation from the United Kingdom, the country started to build an independent air force with a supplier from a neutral country, and its first armed aircraft came from Saab in the form of early, second hand JAS 39 Gripen and Sk 90.

  

General characteristics:

Crew: two pilots in tandem

Length incl. pitot: 13.0 m (42 ft 8 in)

Wingspan: 9.94 m (32 ft 7 in)

Height: 4.6 m (15 ft 1 in)

Empty weight: 3,790 kg (8,360 lb)

Max. takeoff weight: 7,500 kg (16,530 lb)

 

Powerplant:

2× Williams International FJ44-4M turbofans without reheat, rated at 16.89 kN (3,790 lbst) each

 

Performance:

Maximum speed: 1,038 km/h (645 mph)

Range: 1,670 km (900 nm)

 

Armament:

No internal gun; five hardpoints for 2,500 kg (5,500 lb) of payload and a variety of ordnance,

including a conformal ventral gun pod with a 27mm Mauser BK-27 revolver cannon and up to

four AIM-9 Sidewinder AAMs

  

The kit and its assembly:

A simple kit travesty, and this one is the second incarnation of the basic idea. The fictional Saab Sk 90 is basically the 1:72 Kawasaki T-4 from Hasegawa, with little modifications. Originally, I wondered what an overdue Saab 105 replacement could or would look like? The interesting Saab 38 never saw the light, as mentioned above, there was also a stillborn A-10-style light attack aircraft, and I assume that neutral Sweden would rather develop its own aircraft than procure a foreign product.

 

Consideration of the BAe Hawk, Alpha Jet and the L-39 Albatros as inspirations for this project, I eventually came across the modern but rather overlooked Japanese Kawasaki T-4 trainer – and found that it had a certain Swedish look about it? Hmm... I had already built one with a camera nose in the famous “Fields & Meadows” scheme, but the concept offers more room for creative output.

One of the thoughts surrounding the aircraft was: what would be a potential replacement for the Austrian Saab 105 fleet, which had been in service for ages? Well, the Swedish successor would IMHO be a very plausible option, and so I built an Austrian derivative of the Sk 90 B, the Sk 90 Ö export variant.

 

Just like during the first build, I wanted to keep things simple. Consequently, the T-4 was mostly built OOB, including the cockpit with the dashboard decals, just with added handles to the ejection seats.

The only major change I made for the Austrian variant is the modified nose section: the T-4 nose was replaced by a slightly longer and wider alternative, and blended with the fuselage through PSR. The pitot was moved to starboard and replaced by a longer alternative from the scrap box.

 

The pair of underwing pylons are OOB, too, the ordnance in the form of an AIM-9 training/acquisition round (without steering fins) and an ACMI pod, together with launch rails, are spare parts. The ventral gun pod comes from an Italeri BAe Hawk, slightly trimmed in order to fit under the fuselage. Additionally, I added scratched chaff/flare dispensers and an IR jammer to the tail section.

 

As a side note: There are two different moulds for the Hasegawa T-4; one comes with two simple fuselage halves (from which I built the Swedish Sk 90 S, this mould was introduced in 1996), and this one here, AFAIK the first one from 1989, which comes with a separate cockpit section and other differences.

The kit is relatively simple, but fit is not perfect. My kit also featured surprisingly much flash and even some sinkholes (in the air intakes and ). IMHO, the newer mould is the better option – the new T-4 model is easier to assemble and overall fit is IMHO also better (only minimal PSR required, the old mould definitively requires body work almost on every seam).

  

Painting and markings:

Well, building the kit was not a true challenge, and the paint scheme I chose was also not truly demanding. However, I wanted something different from the Austrian Saab 105s' bare metal finish and also not a dull all-grey air superiority scheme. I eventually stumbled upon a scheme found on some Austrian helicopters, Shorts Skyvans and the Pilatus PC-7 trainers.

 

Basically, the pattern consists of a deep, dark forest green and an greyish olive drab, which almost appears like a brown, RAL 6020 (Chromoxydgrün) and RAL 7013 (Braungrau). RAL 7013 is the Austrian Army’s standard color, used on many ground vehicles, too.

For the dark green I used Humbrol 195, which is the authentic tone, and RAL 7013 was approached through a rough 1:1:1 mix of Humbrol 29 (Dark Earth), 155 (Olive Drab) and 66 (Olive Drab, too), based on some pictures of Austrian aircraft in good light.

 

Originally, the scheme is a uniform, all over RAL 7013 with RAL 6020 only added to the upper sides, But for my build I found this to be a little boring, so I added a personal twist. The pattern on the upper surfaces was roughly adapted from an Austrian Skyvan, but I painted the underwing surfaces in aluminum, so that the model would not appear too murky and dull (Revell 91).

 

A late addition were the orange wing and fin tips – originally taken from the T-4 decal sheet, but application went sour and I had to scrape them off again and replace them with painted alternatives (Humbrol 18, plus a thin coat with Humbrol 209, dayglow orange). Anyway, these marking suit the aircraft’ trainer role well and are a nice contrast to the red-and-white roundels.

 

The cockpit was painted in neutral grey, while the landing gear and the air intakes became white – very conservative.

 

The markings were kept simple, puzzled together from various sources, the 4th Jet Squadron is fiction. The Austrian roundels come from a TL Modellbau sheet, the tactical code consists of single, black letters from TL Modellbau, too.

The current Austrian practice for the 4-digit codes is quite complex, and the four-digit-code is based on a variety of aircraft information; the 1st digit (Arabic number) is associated with a max. TOW class, the second (a letter) denotes the type’s main purpose. The roundel divides the code, and the 3rd letter is allocated to a specific aircraft type (I re-used “S”, formerly used on Saab 91D trainers until 1993) and the last letter is a consecutive, individual identifier.

 

Stencils were mostly taken from the T-4 OOB sheet or gathered from the scrap box, e .g. from German Tornado and T-33 sheets (for dual language markings). The silver trim at the flaps and the fin’s rudder were created with generic decal stripes in various widths in silver. Similar, wider strips in black were used to create the de-icers on the fin’s and wings' leading edges.

Finally, the kit was sealed with matt acrylic varnish (Italeri).

 

Thanks to the sound basis and only cosmetic changes, this one was not a tough build. The result is pretty subtle, though – who’d suspect a Japanese aircraft in this rather exotic disguise? Anyway, just like the Swedish Sk 90 S, this T-4 under foreign flag looks disturbingly plausible, and the scheme works well over typical Austrian landscape.

 

How could Sweden (and in this case Austria, too) hide this aircraft from the public for so long...? It's certainly not the last T-4 in disguise which I will build. A Scottish aircraft, as mentioned in the background above, is another hot candidate... :-D

Bronze statues Oslo

Interesting facts: Widely known as French mulberry, even though it is neither French nor a mulberry, produces luminescent purple clusters of fruit. Flowers, while not especially showy, are perfect with male and female parts. Cross-pollination often provides for better fruit set come autumn. Shrub growing 6 to 8 feet tall and wide with a natural range from Virginia to East Texas. This is the only species of the 130 that have been described native to the continental United States. It is a member of the verbena family.

 

In the fall, beginning about the first of October and lasting until Thanksgiving, the bb-sized berries turn shades of purple and lavender.

 

Is a safe HERBAL BUG REPELLENT. One of the old ways of keeping biting insects off horses and mules as they plowed, was to place the branches and leaves of Beauty Berry under their collars. Agriculture Research Service managed to identify several chemicals in Beauty Berry which seem to hold the key to its activity – callicarpenal, intermedeol and spathulenol. Preliminary testing also indicates that these chemicals are as effective as DEET in repelling insects without the potential adverse side effects to the liver and nervous system in humans.

Beauty Berry is very easy to use. If you are out in the woods, simply grab a branch, crush the leaves and rub over all exposed skin.

 

One of the first, and most lasting machines to emerge from that mysterious militant nation, Tartrosia. After Tartrosia entered the war, these little tanks emerged by the millions and were seen all over the battlefield beneath the vertical city of Musina.

 

The Chubby tank boasts four powerful machine guns and a single pulse cannon. It seats one pilot who also is the gunner.

 

This MOC came about as I tried to manufacture a turret for my big airship (stay tuned! It'll be here by, hopefully, the end of the month.) The turret didn't work out, so I modified it.

THE CROW CITY CCS BREATHTAKING SIM... i felt completely happy this sim was amassing to visit Good Job Cobra just wow

 

Visit this location at THE CROW CITY / CCS SIM 16 xp in Second Life

We're take a look at how historic investments over seven years have helped USDA

build lasting partnerships to care for our nation’s unparalleled public lands and support producers as they

conserve our nation’s land, water and soil: www.medium.com/usda-results

The illusion is lasting

Such beautiful masking

We see it all the time

It's all just varying degrees of con-artistry

But no one seems to mind.

- Duncan Sheik, Varying Degrees of Con-Artistry

 

**Explored**

 

Am I really "hiding" when I use props and makeup and elaborate themes for my self portraits? Sure, granted, I don't walk around all day with sequins or glitter or outrageous eyeshadow caked onto my face. But I do wear makeup. And I do spend a decent chunk of time each morning doing my hair, picking out an outfit that flatters me, and doing my makeup to enhance my natural features. Isn't it all the same, really? People comment quite often when I post shots without anything stuck to my face that it's nice to see the "real" me. But is it really? Because I think the only people who have seen the "real" me are my parents, Andy and my best friend in the world, Kate. Everyone else sees the me that I choose to present to the world on any given day. So really, I'm just not going to worry anymore about whether I'm doing too many shots with face art (which I adore) or photo props (which make me laugh). Because it's all still me. I'm a goofball. I'm a wannabe diva. I'm a singer who wishes she was a rockstar. I'm vulnerable. I'm outgoing. I'm sweet. I'm mean. I'm angry. I'm happy. It's all me. Just presented in different packages.

 

Oh, and these rad dork glasses are another gift from the fabulous Kel-Z. Thanks, sweets!

 

365 Days (self portraits): Day 254

Descripción botánica

La ortiga es una planta arbustiva perenne, dioica, de aspecto tosco y que puede alcanzar hasta 1,5 m de altura.

Es característico de esta planta el poseer unos pelos urticantes que tienen la forma de pequeñísimas ampollas llenas de un líquido irritante que al contacto con la piel producen una lesión y vierten su contenido (ácido fórmico, resina, histamina y una sustancia proteínica desconocida) sobre ella, provocando ronchas, escozor y prurito. Este picor se debe a la acción del ácido fórmico, compuesto del que contiene una gran cantidad. Estos pelos son muy duros y frágiles en la punta, por lo que es suficiente el roce para provocar su rotura.

La raíz es muy rica en taninos, que le confieren una acción astringente.

Posee un tallo rojizo o amarillento, erguido, cuadrangular, ramificado y ahuecado en los entrenudos. Está dotado en todos los nudos de parejas de hojas, y esta recubierto de pelos urticantes.

Las hojas son de figura ovalada, rugosas, aserradas, puntiagudas, y de hasta 15 cm. Son color verde oscuras y con pétalos de color amarillo suave. Se encuentran opuestas y también están provistas, al igual que el tallo de los pelos que la caracterizan.

Florece del mes de julio en adelante.

Las flores son verde amarillosas con estambres amarillos, reunidas en panículas pendulares, asilares y terminales. Normalmente son unisexuales, pequeñas y dispuestas en racimos colgantes de hasta 10 cm. Las femeninas se encuentran en largos amentos colgantes y las masculinas en inflorescencias más cortas.

Sus frutos son aquenios (cápsulas) y secos.

La cocción de esta planta tiene beneficios en la salud humana y vegetal, conocimiento que se pasa de generación en generación.

es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urtica

 

Curiosidades

* En Colombia, por lo menos en la Costa Atlántica, la ORTIGA es conocida como "PRINGAMOSA", al igual que en Venezuela (en el estado Zulia), En el resto de Venezuela se le conoce como PICA PICA excepto en el Oriente de Venezuela se le da el nombre de Guaritoto.

* En Teruel (España) se le llama "PICASARNA".

* En Paraguay se la conoce con el nombre de Pyno´i y se utiliza como remedio refrescante para tomar en el terere.

* En algunas partes de esta Región Colombiana se consume como ensalada..

* También, para recolectarla o solo para tocarla sin que produzca la Picazon o Urticaria, simplemente se le golpea con un a vara o rama o con el pie y luego se recoge sin que produzca la picazón..

* En forma jocosa, cuando alguien se porta mal, se dice: "Te voy a dar una limpia o pela (Azotes) con una rama de Pringamosa"

* O se corta bien abajo y simplemente se pone en agua caliente.

* Esta planta es conocida en El Salvador y Guatemala como "Chichicaste"

* Para combatir las ortigaduras involuntarias:

o En los Pirineos se frotan las zonas dañadas con hojas del arroz del pardal o de paret.

o En otros sitios se usan las hojas de las malvas, frecuentes y fáciles de identificar.

* Según una creencia popular si alguien orina en el mismo lugar durante cierto tiempo, crece una ortiga.

* Antiguamente se usaban los azotes con ortigas para tratar el lumbago, parece ser que con resultados efectivos.

* Se utiliza también como materia prima para la obtención de clorofila en procesos industriales.

* Se cuenta que en la antigua Roma, se azotaba con un ramo de ortigas debajo del ombligo, riñones y nalgas a los hombres (sobre todo ancianos), para volver a dotarles del vigor perdido. Algo parecido hacían los antiguos griegos.

* Los campesinos cuando quieren cluecas las gallinas con el fin de empollar huevos, las azotan con la planta fresca en la parte ventral, a los días la gallina se encuentra con temperatura.

* Para supersticiosos, decir que el médico y alquimista del siglo XVI, Paracelso, recomendaba recogerla cuando la luna está en Escorpio y llevarla encima para obtener valentía y audacia.

* A Paracelso también le permitía saber si un enfermo moriría o saldría de su enfermedad de la siguiente forma: echaba ortigas en la orina del paciente y las dejaba 24 horas. Si la planta se seca, el paciente moriría casi con certeza; si permanece verde, sobreviviría. Así de sencillo.

* Más reciente es su uso, se ha utilizado para fabricar pasta de papel, como tinte para colorear telas y como fuente de fibras textiles para confeccionar cuerdas, redes, velas de barcos y ropas. Este último uso se remonta tan sólo a la Segunda Guerra Mundial, debido a la escasez de las fibras más habituales.

* Según una creencia popular si se aguanta la respiración, la ortiga puede tocarse sin que produzca picores ni irritación.

* En la ciudad de Coatzintla, Veracruz ,Mexico la ortiga es utilizada en "la corrida de los judios" celebrada cada año en Semana Santa.

____________________________

 

Vegetative characteristics

Nettle species grow as annuals or perennial herbaceous plants, rarely shrubs. They can reach, depending on the type, location and nutrient status, a height of 10–300 cm. The perennial species have underground rhizomes. The green parts have stinging hairs. Their often quadrangular stems are unbranched or branched, erect, ascending or spreading.

Most leaves and stalks are arranged across opposite sides of the stem . The leaf blades are elliptic, lanceolate, ovate or circular. The leaf blades usually have three to five, rarely up to seven veins. The leaf margin is usually serrate to more or less coarsely toothed. The often-lasting bracts are free or fused to each other. The Cystoliths are extended to more or less rounded.

 

Myths about health and wealth

Handmade soap with the extract of stinging nettle

Nettles in a pocket will keep a person safe from lightning and bestow courage.

Nettles kept in a room will protect anyone inside. (This may have arisen from common knowledge of the tremendous amount of nutrients nettles offer, making them a powerful plant in that sense.)

Arthritic joints were sometimes treated by whipping the joint with a branch of stinging nettles. The theory was that it stimulated the adrenals and thus reduced swelling and pain in the joint. A controlled study in the year 2000 supports the effectiveness of this treatment.

Nettles are reputed to enhance fertility in men, and fever could be dispelled by plucking a nettle up by its roots while reciting the names of the sick man and his family.

Turkey and other poultry (as well as cows and pigs) are said to thrive on nettles, and ground dried nettle in chicken feed will increase egg production.

A distillation of the flowers of the White Archangel, or white dead-nettle (Lamium album) is reputed "to make the heart merry, to make a good colour in the face, and to make the vital spirits more fresh and lively."

In 1926, the Royal Horticultural Society's recommendation for getting rid of nettles was to cut them down three times in three consecutive years, after which they will disappear.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nettle

Tour of Japan '13

#6 Tokyo Stage

in 26th May 2013

The April Lyrids are a meteor shower lasting from April 16 to April 26 each year. The radiant of the meteor shower is located in the constellation Lyra, near this constellation's brightest star, Alpha Lyrae (proper name Vega). Their peak is typically around April 22 each year.

 

The source of the meteor shower is particles of dust shed by the long-period Comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher. The April Lyrids are the strongest annual shower of meteors from debris of a long-period comet, mainly because as far as other intermediate long-period comets go (200 - 10,000 years), this one has a relatively short orbital period of about 415 years. The Lyrids have been observed for the past 2600 years.

 

The shower usually peaks on around April 22 and the morning of April 23. Counts typically range from 5 to 20 meteors per hour, averaging around ten. As a result of light pollution, observers in the country side will see more than observers in a city. Nights without a moon in the sky will reveal the most meteors. April Lyrid meteors are usually around magnitude +2. However, some meteors can be brighter, known as "Lyrid fireballs", cast shadows for a split second and leave behind smokey debris trails that last minute.

 

This is a stack of 110 images taken with a Canon T2i with a 8mm fisheye @ ISO 400 F3.5 Exposure time of 30 seconds.

WEARING MEMORIES... THE JEWELLERY

 

Wearing Memories jewellery is made from 100% high quality, tarnish resistant Australian Sterling silver, a quality comparable to any in the world. Manufactured and designed in Australia, individual pieces are polished and buffed to the highest quality shine glaze.

 

Bespoke pieces are individually designed and created for our clients by hand selecting the highest quality and most beautiful fresh water pearls and semi-precious stones. Our gold, rose gold, platinum and dark chrome series are plated with the highest quality metals and the maximum number of plates available.

 

Wearing Memories jewellery comes with a 12 month quality and breakage warranty. Please contact us if your piece has broken outside of this warranty period for repairs and possible replacement.

 

A message from the designer, “I only drink quality champagne and therefore, will only wear quality. I believe in old style manufacturing and heirloom quality… creating pieces that will last forever and will be passed down from mother to daughter and worn through the generations. A true lasting memory."

Such strange long lasting flowers, I was told to only give an ice cubes worth of water a week - how can it manage on that? and what an amazing structure! I reckon these things whisper -"Amazing God - how else".

We were not even half the way through of our never lasting trekking at Kudremukh; This vista seemed to be relaxing.. gave enough energy and confidence to continue to reach the peak.

 

Taken at Kudremukh, Karnataka, India.

 

series from Kudremukh.

 

Explore #384 on Saturday, December 13, 2008

 

Thank you all for this :)