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The top-seeded Army West Point Women’s Basketball team won its third Patriot League title with a 69-51 victory over No. 3 Loyola on Saturday evening at Christl Arena. Army secures the Patriot League’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and will make its third appearance in the dance, following trips in 2006 and 2014.
Army extends its winning streak to 19 games and improves to 29-2. The Black Knights’ 29 win tie the 2009-10 Lehigh squad for the most total wins in Patriot League history. Loyola finishes the year 16-16 after the setback.
Senior Kelsey Minato earned Patriot League Tournament MVP honors for the second time in her career after scoring 25 points and shooting 4-of-8 from beyond the arc. Classmate Aimee Oertner and sophomore Janae McNeal joined Minato on the league’s all-tournament team, as Oertner posted a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double, to go along with four blocks, and McNeal totaled 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting.
Sophomore Destinee Morris netted eight points off the bench, while classmate Aliyah Murray and freshman Madison Hovren each contributed four points.
Diana Logan led Loyola with 15 points, while Colleen Marshall and Bri Betz-White also scored in double figures, with 12 points and 11 points, respectively.
Minato knocked in a three-pointer 2:28 into the contest to give Army a 5-2 advantage before sinking all three free-throws after being fouled on a long-range attempt with 5:03 to play in the first quarter. Her three foul shots made the score 10-4.
Oertner registered three blocks in the first 2:19 of the evening to limit Loyola’s offense early, as the Greyhounds were held to nine points in the opening frame.
McNeal converted lay-ups on consecutive possessions to cap a 9-0 Army run and extend the margin to 10 points, 14-4, with 3:41 remaining in the first period. The Black Knights went on to outscore the Greyhounds, 13-5, over the final 6:48 of the opening frame, as the hosts led, 20-9, at the end of one.
Logan scored the first seven points of the second quarter to begin a 9-0 run that brought Loyola back to within two, 20-18, with 6:45 left until halftime. Logan buried her second triple of the half to extend the scoring run to 12-0 and give the Greyhounds their first lead of the game, 21-20, with 6:12 remaining in the second period.
Army answered back with 10 straight points of its own, including three-pointers from Minato and Morris, to build the advantage to nine points, 30-21, by the 2:39 mark. Morris drained her second three-pointer of the quarter with 19 seconds remaining in the half to make the score 33-23 heading into the break.
The Black Knights maintained a 10-point advantage until building the lead to 14 after a pair of free-throws from Minato and a bucket from Oertner that came with 4:04 on the clock in the third quarter.
McNeal added lay-ins 22 seconds apart to build the hosts’ lead to 17, 47-30, before seven unanswered points from Loyola brought the Greyhounds back to within 10, 47-37, entering the fourth period.
Oertner netted four quick points to begin the fourth quarter and Minato hit a triple at the 7:59 mark to bring the score to 54-41. Loyola didn’t come any closer than 11 for the last 7:59 of the contest.
“This team has never ceased to amaze me this year,” said head coach Dave Magarity. “It’s mind blowing that we are 29-2 and the way we got here, the teams we beat and we thought we put together a pretty tough schedule with Albany, the conference champion in the America East, Quinnipiac won the MAAC regular season and they were huge wins for us and put us in position to get the one-seed as things worked out for us with the tiebreaker over a great Bucknell team.
“This group of young ladies has just accomplished so much with 99 wins over four years at this level is incredible and they just continue to do what it takes. You don’t want it to turn into a cliché with being a team of destiny, but we put together the right pieces. Janae McNeal and the junior class with Aliyah Murray and the Morris twins, as well, and I consider my coaching staff the best in America. It’s the best coaching staff I’ve ever had and I’ve had some pretty good coaches."
Story by Harrison Antognioni/Army Athletic Communications. Photos by Eric S. Bartelt/Pointer View and John Pellino/DPTMS VID
Breakout Session "Securing the Internet of Things" .with Jane Allen, Partner/Principal, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP Sharon Anolik, President/Founder, Privacy Panacea and moderated by Bob Bragdon, Publisher, CSO magazine - CITE Conference + Expo at the Hilton Union Square in San Francisco Tuesday April 29, 2014.
The Consumerization of IT in the Enterprise Conference + Expo brings together the buyers and sellers of consumerized IT solutions to drive adoption and deployment in the enterprise. CITE Conference gives IT and business executives, venture capitalists and a wide array of business technology decision-makers, a holistic view of how personal technology is changing and infusing the workplace -- with the ability to drive innovation and productivity to new heights. Embracing this trend is critical not only for attracting and empowering the next generation workforce but for retaining customers and creating business advantage.
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I was walking down the street in downtown Vancouver and came across this parking/staging area for the new Deadpool movie. Here's what the front section of the secure transport vehicle looks like up close. I can hardly wait for the movie; the last one was so much fun, especially since we locals can play 'spot the landmark' as we watch the movie on the big screen.
A shebeen was originally an illicit bar or club where excisable alcoholic beverages were sold without a licence. The term has spread far from its origins in Ireland, to Scotland, Canada, the United States, England,[1] Zimbabwe, the English-speaking Caribbean, Namibia, and South Africa. In modern South Africa, many "shebeens" are now fully legal. The word derives from the Irish síbín, meaning 'illicit whiskey'.
F-Secure Corporation (formerly Data Fellows) is an online security and privacy company based in Helsinki, Finland. The company has 20 country offices and a presence in more than 100 countries, with Security Lab operations in Helsinki, Finland and in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Through more than 200 operator partners globally, millions of broadband customer use F-Secure services. F-Secure Corp. is publicly traded on the Helsinki Stock Exchange under the symbol FSC1V.
F-Secure claims that it was the first antivirus vendor to establish a presence on the World Wide Web. The F-Secure Labs weblog tracks global internet and mobile security threats.
F-Secure competes in the antivirus industry against Avast!, Kaspersky, McAfee, Panda Security, Sophos and Symantec among others.
Two brand new Range Rovers loaded by Wavecrest Ltd in a 40' container for export to the Far East.
www.wavecrest.co.uk for more information
Inside Denny Hall.
I was allowed to go inside the main hospital building of Northern State Hospital for the Insane, as well as the dorm for the training nurses and the chapel. I took over 200 pictures and its going to take me awhile to go through and sort out the good ones. But here are some of the best. I will be uploading more in the near future.
MP 44.... I was eyeing this piece for over a year because at 35,000 Yen plus a hefty shipping fee, it would have ended up being close to $500 CAD after shipping.
But as luck would have it, a few weeks ago I was able to secure this one at a local EB Games, which was about MSRP, but I was able to benefit from a trade in promotion. It wasn't as a pristine box, but hey it's Optimus Prime, and my MP 36 needed a playmate.
So here we have it... the highlights from this figure. Highlights because if I were going to go into full detail, this would probably be an hour long to read.
The set is packed with what you'd expect from an Optimus Prime set, along with a few extra surprises. You get Prime and his trailer, along with a die cast Matrix, Energon supply hose, Roller, and the Repair Bay drone thing that apparently is called an Anti-Aircraft gun this time around.
You also get the Whitwicky's Spike and Sparkplug, along with Carly, three additional heads (cartoon round faced, battle damaged, Starscream with air intakes), his blaster, a damaged waist effect piece,, Energon Axe, two Energon blast effects that double as thruster effects, and the jet pack itself. There's also an adapter so you can use the base that comes with MP Dinobot with this figure, which is yet another expensive one.
Overall, it felt like Takara Tomy decided to pull a Hybrid Convoy and throw the kitchen sink at the set this time, third time and all.
The small figures can be positioned to ride in Prime's cab, on Roller,, within the cockpit of the Repair Drone, as well as several magnet friendly surfaces within the Trailer. Decent articulation on them for the tiny size though they're not going to be winning any likeness awards.
Going kind of in reverse, I'll quickly go over the non robot stuff because quite frankly while it's neat, it's not really my thing when it comes to Prime,
Naturally, the Trailer can be hitched to Prime in Cab mode, and Roller along with the Remote Drone can combine with it in several variations, including the classic Repair Bay. Also like the MP 10 and the Hybrid Convoy trailers, there are legs under the trailer that deploy to give it more stability.
New to the formula is that Roller and the Remote Drone can be linked together, forming a mini Tractor Trailer, and the Remote Drone can be taken off it's arm and combined on top of Roller. Furthermore, this particular iteration of the Trailer comes with a removable under carriage so that you can store all his accessories without cluttering the interior of the Trailer itself.
His Ion Blaster can be folded up and attached to the various components in different ways.
So lets talk about the actual Prime figure itself.
With this relatively recent shift to producing more toon accurate bot modes, it would be an understatement to say that the transformations are becoming more and more complex, mostly because most bot modes don't have wheels hanging out, or other vehicle bits, really. As a result, you pretty much get some really elaborate shell movements along with what is best described as an "inside-out" transformation.
This was the case with the impressive MP 34 Megatron, and it's definitely the case here.
The instructions have the transformation officially pegged at 75 steps, which is why it took me an hour to get it done... well mostly.
Those who have handled MPs will understand it's not just the steps, but rather, how thing some of these parts can be, coupled with the Lord knows how many hinges and joints are in these things. All these factors put together, coupled with how well pretty much everything fits together, is a true testament to the design team, QC, material selection, and price tag. Build quality is generally not an issue with this figure, though I did have some difficultly swapping out heads and the pieces that make up Prime's pelvis are kind of rough. Since we're on Build Quality, joints don't have any issues either or parts finishes.
Paint wise, with the exception of unfortunate areas of paint rub, you're going to get an overall set with great paint applications, with colours chosen by someone who isn't colour blind... or maybe they know how to use the Dropper tool on Photoshop.
The chrome work is a bit uneven in that the surfaces can appear to be slightly warped, especially the silver parts on Prime's feet.
But hey... they're shiny!
When you've finished with transformation, you get a figure that's probably 90% of the way to being truly cartoon accurate. There's the larger than normal backpack, which leads to some back heaviness. Furthermore, proportion wise I feel that Megatron got it closer, as to me Prime's shoulders are bit too small. What makes it even more impressive is that Megatron had to create volume out of thin parts.
Functional Matrix chamber is also a nice touch.
Size wise, MP44 is probably 1/8" taller than MP10, so the sizes are very comparable.
From an articulation perspective, it's definitely no Three A sixth scale figure, but for a figure that can transform it's go pretty much all the right moves. You get ankle tilts and ankle rollers, double jointed knees, thigh twist, hips, waist, ab crunch by pulling the torso off the waist, shoulders with limited lateral movement, biceps swivels, single jointed elbows, rotating wrist with slight bending capabilities, and ball socket at the base of the head.
The hips have a neat design to them - you can't pull them down to get more range of motion, but the waist flap does rotate with the upper leg, so it will naturally move out of the way. Prime also has flaps all around the waist to facilitate maximum range of motion there.
The aforementioned shoulders unfortunately somewhat limit the forward posing capabilities of the arms, the wrists are really not that useful, and the actual waist movement is quite limited without popping the the torso up,
Small ankle spurs also limit the types of dynamic poses the figure can pull of because of the heavy backpack.
Hands are kind of neat, Like with other MP figures with fists (such as Arcee), the index figure is separate from the other three, which are moulded together. Joints are present where these digits meal the palm of the hand, and the fingers have functional joints at the first point outward from the palm. This overall allows you to get a competent looking gun holding hand, along with a decent looking closed fist.
Overall, you'll still have great time playing within the limits, but it's just somewhat of a letdown given how great Megatron turned out.
A few more notes before closing out here. The Prime heads all have functional points on them, and they're pretty thin too, so be mindful of that while handling them. There's also a battery pack, which I've yet to power up, but I believe it's a combination of lights and sounds.
I've been fortunate enough to possess all three MP Optimus Primes, though this is my first Takara version. MP 01 will always remain a classic, despite being a comparatively crude figure... I mean, the thing is about a foot tall transformed and has so much die cast in it you can use it as a weapon of mass destruction.
In the battle of MP 10 versus MP 44, it's really a tough call. It comes down to preference because they both represent high quality versions of the character, just that MP 10 is the toy aesthetic whereas MP 44 is all about that show accuracy. MP 44 undoubtedly pairs with MP 36 much better than MP 10.
I'd say if you got one of those MP 36+ figures, which mimics Megatron's classic toy appearance, you're probably alright sticking with MP 10 from a looks perspective, especially if all you're really into is the bot mode and aren't too fussed about having all those points of articulation.
It's a combination of taste, and price, though there are some insane resellers who are trying to sell MP10 for basically the same price as a MP 44.
Hopefully Toys R Us will do their usual thing, and bring some version of MP 44 to its stores, most likely pulling a Rodimus Prime and ditching the trailer. Still, it would be a good compromise to get the main figure and hopefully keep the glorious paint (it's Toys R Us... you never know).
Now if they'd only make that MP Wheelie that I've always wanted...
The fugitive slave law, commented a politician, was "the only measure of the Compromise [of 1850] calculated to secure the rights of the South."
To secure these rights, the law seemed to ride roughshod over the prerogatives of northern states.
Yankee senators had tried in vain to attach amendments to the bill guaranteeing alleged fugitives the rights to testify, to habeas corpus, and to a jury trial. Southerners indignantly rejected the idea that these American birthrights applied to slaves.
The fugitive slave law of 1850 put the burden of proof on captured blacks but gave them no legal power to prove their freedom.
Instead, a claimant could bring an alleged fugitive before a federal commissioner (a new office created by the law) to prove ownership by an affidavit from a slave-state court or by the testimony of white witnesses. If the commissioner decided against the claimant he would receive a fee of five dollars; if in favor, ten dollars. This provision, supposedly justified by the paper work needed to remand a fugitive to the South, became notorious among abolitionists as a bribe to commissioners.
The 1850 law also required U.S. marshals and deputies to help slaveowners capture their property and fined them $1000 if they refused.
It empowered marshals to deputize citizens on the spot to aid in seizing a fugitive, and imposed stiff criminal penalities on anyone who harbored a fugitive or obstructed his capture. The expenses of capturing and returning a slave were to be borned by the federal treasury.
from Battle Cry of Freedom, James McPherson
The Fugitive Slave Law or Fugitive Slave Act was passed by the United States Congress on September 18, 1850, as part of the Compromise of 1850 between Southern slave holding interests and Northern Free-Soilers. This was one of the most controversial acts of the 1850 compromise and heightened Northern fears of a 'slave power conspiracy'. It declared that all runaway slaves be brought back to their masters.
In response to the weakening of the original fugitive slave act, the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 made any Federal marshal or other official who did not arrest an alleged runaway slave liable to a fine of $1,000. Law-enforcement officials everywhere now had a duty to arrest anyone suspected of being a runaway slave on no more evidence than a claimant's sworn testimony of ownership. The suspected slave could not ask for a jury trial or testify on his or her own behalf. In addition, any person aiding a runaway slave by providing food or shelter was subject to six months' imprisonment and a $1,000 fine. Officers who captured a fugitive slave were entitled to a bonus or promotion for their work. Slave owners only needed to supply an affidavit to a Federal marshal to capture an escaped slave. Since any suspected slave was not eligible for a trial this led to many free blacks being conscripted into slavery as they had no rights in court and could not defend themselves against accusations.
The Fugitive Slave Law brought the issue home to anti-slavery citizens in the North as it made them and their institutions responsible for enforcing slavery. Moderate abolitionists were now faced with the immediate choice of defying what they believed to be an unjust law or breaking with their own consciences and beliefs. One response was the writing of Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe (1852).
Spa Gardens is a beautiful park right in the heart of Ripon. It has been recognised for its high-quality maintenance and facilities and has been awarded Green Flag status.
In the centre of the park is a splendid Victorian bandstand, where band concerts take place on Sunday afternoons throughout the summer. For birdwatchers, carefully sited nesting boxes have encouraged many varieties to make a home in the gardens. There is also a cafe serving home cooked food and cakes, and you can enjoy a round of crazy golf or try playing bowls.
Tree sculpture
The newest addition to Spa Gardens is a series of tree sculptures depicting characters from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Carroll spent time as a choirboy at Ripon Cathedral and is said to have been inspired to create the characters by the cathedral's animal carvings.
Chainsaw Mick was commissioned to create the carvings, using the trunks of a cypress tree. As well as a very lifelike Alice, these garden sculptures include the Caterpillar, Mad Hatter and the White Rabbit.
Restoration
In 2011, the Friends of Spa Gardens worked with us to secure funding for the restoration of the war memorial and the Marquess of Ripon statue.
The war memorial, at the entrance to Spa Gardens, has been named the best war memorial in the town class several times in the Yorkshire in Bloom awards.
Facilities include:
Sun Parlour café
Victorian bandstand
band concerts - Sunday afternoons from May to August
statue of the Marquess of Ripon
war memorial
colourful seasonal bedding displays
toilets with disabled access
nine-hole crazy golf
18-hole putting green
flat bowling green
three tennis courts in Spa Park
tree trail and quiz
Green Man trail - more than 30 Green Man plaques are hidden among trees and flowerbeds in the gardens. See how many you can find and record them on the trail sheet
refurbished play area in Spa Park
Ripon is a cathedral city and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. The city is located at the confluence of two tributaries of the River Ure, the Laver and Skell. Within the boundaries of the historic West Riding of Yorkshire, the city is noted for its main feature, Ripon Cathedral, which is architecturally significant, as well as the Ripon Racecourse and other features such as its market.
The city was originally known as Inhrypum. Bede records that Alhfrith, king of the Southern Northumbrian kingdom of Deira, gave land at Ripon to Eata of Hexham to build a monastery and the abbot transferred some of his monks there, including a young Saint Cuthbert who was guest-master at Ripon abbey. Both Bede in his Life of Cuthbert and Eddius Stephanus in his Life of Wilfred state that when Eata was subsequently driven out by Alhfrith, the abbey was given to Saint Wilfrid who replaced the timber church with a stone built church. This was during the time of the Anglian kingdom of Northumbria, a period during which it enjoyed prominence in religious importance in Great Britain. It was for a period under Viking control, and later suffered under the Normans. After a brief period of building projects under the Plantagenets, the city emerged with a prominent wool and cloth industry. Ripon became well known for its production of spurs during the 16th and 17th centuries, but would later remain largely unaffected by the Industrial Revolution.
Ripon is the third-smallest city in England and the smallest in Yorkshire, by population. According to the 2011 United Kingdom Census it had a population of 16,702, an increase on the 2001 United Kingdom Census figure of 15,922. It is located 11 miles (18 km) south-west of Thirsk, 16 miles (26 km) south of Northallerton and 12 miles (19 km) north of Harrogate. As well as its racecourse and cathedral, Ripon is a tourist destination because of its proximity to the UNESCO World Heritage Site which consists of the Studley Royal Park and Fountains Abbey.
During its pre-history the area which later became Ripon was under the control of the Brigantes, a Brythonic tribe. Three miles (5 km) north at Hutton Moor there is a large circular earthwork created by them. The Romans did not settle Ripon, but they had a military outpost around five miles (8 km) away at North Stainley. Solid evidence for the origins of Ripon can be traced back to the 7th century, the time of the Anglian kingdom of Northumbria. The first structure built in the area, known at the time as Inhrypum, was a Christian church dedicated to St Peter, with the settlement originating in 658.This was founded by a Northumbrian nobleman known as Wilfrid, who later became Archbishop of York; he was granted the land by King Alhfrith.
The earliest settlers were stonemasons, glaziers and plasterers that Wilfrid brought over to help construct the Ripon monastery, from Lyon in Francia and Rome which was then under Byzantine rule. The years following the death of Wilfrid are obscure in Ripon's history. After the invasion of the Great Heathen Army of Norse Vikings in Northumbria, the Danelaw was established and the Kingdom of Jórvík was founded in the Yorkshire area. In 937 Athelstan, then King of England, granted the privilege of sanctuary to Ripon, for a mile around the church. One of his successors was less well-disposed: after the Northumbrians rebelled against English rule in 948, King Edred had the buildings at Ripon burned. Prosperity was restored by the end of the 10th century, as the body of Saint Cuthbert was moved to Ripon for a while, due to the threat of Danish raids.
After the Norman conquest, much of the north rebelled in 1069, even trying to bring back Danish rule; the suppression that followed was the Harrying of the North, which resulted in the death of approximately one-third of the population of the North of England. Ripon is thought to have shrunk to a small community around the church following the suppression. The lands of the church were transferred to St Peter's Church at York as the Liberty of Ripon and it was during this time that a grand Collegiate Church was built on top of the ruins of Wilfrid's building. Eventually developed in the Gothic style, the project owed much to the work of Roger de Pont L'Evêque and Walter de Gray, two Archbishops of York during the Plantagenet era. During the 12th century Ripon built up a booming wool trade, attracting Italian trade merchants, especially Florentines, who bought and exported large quantities.
Ripon's proximity to Fountains Abbey, where the Cistercians had a long tradition of sheep farming and owned much grazing land, was a considerable advantage. After English people were forbidden from wearing foreign cloth in 1326, Ripon developed a cloth industry which was third in size in Yorkshire after York and Halifax. Due to conflict with Scotland, political emphasis was on the North during the time of Edward I and Edward II, as Scottish invaders attacked numerous northern English towns. Ripon had a wakeman to make sure the residents were safely home by curfew and law and order was maintained, yet it was forced to pay 1,000 marks to the Scots to prevent them from burning down the town on one occasion.
Ripon, which relied heavily on its religious institutions, was badly affected by the English Reformation under the Tudor king Henry VIII. The Abbot of Fountains, William Thirske, was expelled by Henry and replaced; Thirske went on to become one of the leaders of the Pilgrimage of Grace popular rising. The people of Northern England were quite traditional in their beliefs and were unhappy about Henry's intention to break with Rome; the Pilgrimage of Grace was the manifestation of this sentiment. The revolt failed and Henry followed through with the break from Rome and the Dissolution of the Monasteries, which included Fountains Abbey.
After Mary, Queen of Scots, fled Scotland to Northern England she stayed at Ripon on her journey. The mainly Catholic North supported her, and there was another popular rising known as the Rising of the North; this began six miles (10 km) away at Topcliffe and was led by Thomas Percy, the 7th Earl of Northumberland and Charles Neville, the 6th Earl of Westmorland. The rebels stayed at Ripon on 18 November 1569, but the rising eventually failed resulting in 600 people being executed, 300 of whom were hanged at Gallows Hill in Ripon during January 1570.
Plans were drawn up to make Ripon a centre of education, a University of the North, to rival Oxford and Cambridge. Although chief advisers Lord Burghley and Archbishop Sandys supported the idea, Elizabeth I did not follow it through. The scheme was revived in 1604 by Sandys' widow Cicely, under the patronage of Anne of Denmark and Bess of Hardwick without success.
Ripon replaced its old textiles industry with one for the manufacture of spurs during the 16th century. They were so widely known that they gave rise to the proverb "as true steel as Ripon Rowels". At the time, spurs did not just serve as functional riding accessories, they were also fashionable; an expensive pair was made for King James I when he stayed at Ripon in 1617 It was James who granted Ripon a Royal Charter in 1604 and created the first Mayor of Ripon. After the Bishops' Wars in Scotland, a treaty was signed at Ripon in 1640 to stop the conflict between Charles I and the Scottish Covenanters. Although Ripon was not in the main line of fighting which was to the east, it remained loyal and royalist during the English Civil War. There was an incident in 1643, when parliamentarian forces under Thomas Mauleverer entered Ripon and damaged the Minster, but John Mallory and the royalist forces soon settled the matter after a skirmish in the Market Place. The royalists were eventually defeated in the Civil War and Charles I spent two nights as a prisoner in Ripon. Oliver Cromwell visited the city twice on his way to battle, once on the way to the Preston and also on the way to the Battle of Worcester.
By the time of the English Restoration, several strains of non-conformist Christian practices had appeared, although they were not common in Ripon, the majority of people being Anglicans with a Catholic minority. After the Revolution of 1688 which overthrew James II, there were Jacobite risings in the British Isles; some Riponmen were jailed in February 1746 upon "suspicion of corresponding with Prince Charles Edward Stuart". The founder of Methodism, John Wesley, preached in Ripon and a small community of followers was established. During the Georgian era Ripon, unlike several other cities, was not significantly affected by the Industrial Revolution despite the existence of various guilds. Although more widely known for his activities outside of Ripon, John Aislabie, during his time as Member of Parliament for Ripon, created the Studley Royal Park with its water garden and erected the Ripon Obelisk (designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor). Newby Hall was also created during this period by Christopher Wren.
Communications were improved with the opening of Ripon railway station in May 1848. During the First World War a large military training camp was built in Ripon, the local community offering hospitality not only to soldiers' wives but to the Flemish refugees who became part of Ripon's community. The racecourse south-east of the city also served as an airfield (RFC Ripon) for the Royal Flying Corps (and latterly, the Royal Air Force). The racecourse was also used as a demobilisation centre for troops returning from France well into 1919.
The town had a similar though smaller role during the Second World War and, in recognition of this, the Royal Engineers were presented with the Freedom of the City in 1947. Since the War, Ripon has gone through some remodelling and has grown in size; it attracts thousands of tourists each year who come to see its famous buildings with their long Christian heritage, nearby Studley Park, Ripon Racecourse, and in recent times the theme park Lightwater Valley.
Ripon was the first Church of England diocese to be created after the English Reformation, as it was recognised that existing dioceses were unsuited for the large increases in population caused particularly by the Industrial Revolution of the 18th century in central England. It was deemed that new cathedral building on a national scale was not viable and so Ripon, containing a high status parish church, was created from the existing Chester and York dioceses in 1836, with the building promoted to cathedral status. Ripon council presumed this had elevated the town to the rank of city, and started referring to itself as such. The next diocese Manchester was promoted similarly, but doubts as to its use of the title were raised. With the subsequent clearer understanding of needing to petition the monarch, Manchester did so and obtained the status in 1853. Ripon was encouraged to follow suit, with its own status being recognised by the parliamentary City of Ripon Act in 1865.
In 1974 Ripon borough (see Governance) was abolished and a parish council established as part of wider local government reform. The award of city status is typically granted to a local authority, whose administrative area is then considered to be the formal borders of the city, the grant in this case being removed at the same time and bestowed onto the parish. By this definition, the whole parish council area of Ripon, including its settlement and surrounding rural area containing a tiny portion of the Nidderdale AONB to the north west, is considered to be the limits of the city. It contains the third lowest population of all the cities in England, however it falls to seventh place when taking the whole of the UK into consideration. Using 2011 ONS census statistics, Ripon has the third smallest city council area but the fourth lowest urban area of any city in England.
Ripon became a municipal borough of the West Riding of Yorkshire with its headquarters at Ripon Town Hall in 1835, and remained an independent borough until 1974. That year, following the Local Government Act 1972, the former area of Ripon borough was merged with Harrogate borough and several rural districts of the West Riding to form an enlarged Harrogate borough in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire.
The lowest tier of governance in Ripon is the Ripon City Council, a parish council with twelve members, three for each of four wards. In 2019, four councillors are Conservative, and the rest are independent.
Ripon was represented by the Member of Parliament for Yorkshire until it had its own parliamentary borough established on a permanent basis in 1553. Ripon was able to elect two MPs to represent its parliamentary borough; the right of election was vested not in the population as a whole, but in the burgesses (originally meaning freemen of the borough or freeholders) until the Great Reform Act of 1832. The next Reform Act which came into force at the 1868 election, reduced Ripon's representation from two MPs to one. Some of the more notable MPs of Ripon were John Aislabie, Frederick John Robinson and George Cockburn. The Reform Act of 1885 abolished the borough of Ripon, but the county constituency in which the town was placed as a result was named Ripon, and this continued as a single member constituency, albeit with some boundary changes, until it was abolished before the 1983 general election. Since 1983, Ripon has been part of the Skipton and Ripon constituency, a Conservative Party stronghold.
Ripon lies at the confluence of two rivers, the Laver and the Skell, which meet in the west of the city. As they flow through the city, the Skell feeds water into the basin of Ripon Canal. East of the city, the Skell meets the River Ure, and both the Ure and canal head south-eastwards towards Boroughbridge. The Ure was the traditional boundary between the old West and North Ridings of Yorkshire.
As the city is at the meeting point of three rivers, it has flooded often in the 20th and 21st centuries; notable floods have occurred in 1982, 1991, 1995, 2000, 2005 and 2007. This prompted spending over £14 million on the building of flood defences for the city and a storage area upstream of the city which can hold 53,000,000 cubic feet (1,500,000 m3) of water.
Much of the geology of the district is magnesian limestone, part of the Permian rocks which extend southwards from Darlington to Wetherby. The area has pockets of gypsum underlying the surface soils. Water has dissolved the gypsum, leaving the area prone to sinkholes, especially north of the city and on the northern side of the Ure.
The main feature of Ripon is an English Gothic style cathedral, originally founded by Irish monks but refounded by Saint Wilfrid in 672. It has been rebuilt many times, and the only original building is the Saxon crypt. It is home to Wilfrid’s grave.
Ripon is home to Ripon Grammar School which is a selective intake, state secondary school. The school claims to take roots from the school which was attached to the Collegiate Church, founded during the time of the Angle kingdom of Northumbria by Saint Wilfrid. The refoundation date for the school was during the reign of Queen Mary I in 1555. The school has several notable alumni, known as Old Riponians, including theologian Bishop Beilby Porteus, historian Bishop William Stubbs, fashion designer Bruce Oldfield and television presenter Richard Hammond. In the modern day the school hosts around 800 pupils, gaining engineering status in 2006, it receives favourable reports from the Ofsted, being either good or outstanding. Opposite Ripon Grammar on Clotherholme Road is the non-selective Outwood Academy Ripon (formerly Ripon College, a secondary comprehensive school), which was also known as Ripon City School until 1999. It has around 630 pupils and is exceeding the national average of GCSE and A-Level results.
On the site of the Old Ripon Racecourse in Whitcliffe Lane was St Olave's Preparatory School. This site was taken over by an independent co-ed preparatory school founded in 1960 called the Cathedral Choir School. The choir school closed in 2012 and the site has now had approval for the building of new residential dwellings. Ripon previously had higher education facilities in the form of the College of Ripon and York St John until 2001. This college had its roots in two Anglican teacher training colleges, which were founded in York in 1841 for men and 1846 for women. The women's college moved to Ripon in 1862. Over the next century, the colleges gradually diversified their education programmes. The colleges merged in 1974 to form the College of Ripon and York St John. The combined institution became a college of the University of Leeds in 1990. Between 1999 and 2001, all activities were transferred to York and the college received the name York St John University. One of York St John's buildings on its Lord Mayor's Walk campus was renamed 'Ripon' in June 2018 to commemorate Ripon Training College's "contribution to women's education" over 123 years of service.
Evolve, a small, inclusive post-16 college is based in the centre of Ripon, which works alongside Craven College, which is based in Skipton.
On the outskirts of Ripon there is the specialist autism education school called Spring Hill. The school offers day and boarding places. Current pupil numbers are 22. These include 17 boys, 5 girls, and 6 boarders. Spring Hill is owned by Cambian group PLC which is a large UK provider of specialist provision for children and adults. Spring Hill was previously in the ownership of the charity Barnardos. The current headteacher is Samantha Campbell, the head of care is Rebecca Sharp, The deputy headteacher is Christine Sherman, the head of education is currently vacant and the transitions and admissions coordinator is currently vacant.
Christianity is the largest religious affiliation in Ripon; 79.3% of the people in the area polled as part of the United Kingdom Census 2001 professed the Christian faith. Ripon Cathedral is the main religious building in the city and contains a tomb said to contain the bones of Saint Wilfrid who founded a monastery here and with it the town. The Venerable William Gibson is another noted local figure, a Catholic martyr who was one of the eighty-five martyrs of England and Wales.
The Church of England is in the majority, with two parishes: the ancient Ripon Cathedral and Holy Trinity Church. Ripon was the episcopal see of the Diocese of Ripon and Leeds represented by the Bishop of Ripon and Leeds, created in 1836 with just Ripon in its title but adapted to include Leeds in 2000. In 2014 it became part of the Diocese of Leeds, with Ripon Cathedral serving as one of its three cathedrals of equal status. During the time of the kingdom of Northumbria there was a short-lived Diocese of Ripon, with Eadhedus the only bishop. There is also a Medieval chapel located on Magdalens Road, which was once part of a leper hospital. The Chapel of St Mary Magdalen is still used for regular worship and is a grade I listed building.
There is a Roman Catholic parish in Ripon called St Wilfrid's; it is covered by the Diocese of Leeds in the Harrogate deanery and the church is an architecturally significant building. There are also around two places of worship for Methodism in Ripon, as well as a couple of evangelical churches including Bethel Church and Zion Baptist Church.
Market day is held on a Thursday, and there are 120 stalls.[76] In celebration of the city's founder the Wilfrid Procession is held every year; it originated in 1108 when King Henry I granted the privilege of holding a fair for him. At the procession there are various decorated floats which make their way through the city with locals in costume. Part of the tradition represents the return of Wilfrid to Ripon, a decorated dummy (sometimes a man in costume instead) dressed as Wilfrid is sat on a horse, accompanied by two musicians with another man carrying St Wilfrid's hat around. Ripon also has dancing traditions such as the Long Sword dance and Morris dance.
The market square is the site of the Ripon Obelisk, erected in 1702 by John Aislabie and designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor. It stands 80 ft (24 m) in height and is capped with a weathervane bearing a representation of the wakeman's horn. It is Grade I listed and reputed to be the oldest in England.
The tradition of the Ripon Hornblower has endured since 886 and continues on to this day. It originates with the wakeman of Ripon, whose job in the Middle Ages was similar to that of a mayor, although he had more responsibilities in the keeping of law and order. Every day at 9:00 pm the horn is blown at the four corners of the obelisk in Ripon Market. The horn has become the symbol of the city and represents Ripon on the Harrogate borough coat of arms. There are three museums in Ripon collectively known as the Yorkshire Law and Order Museums; it includes the Courthouse, the Prison and Police and the Workhouse Museums.
In terms of sport, the most noted field of participation is horse racing with the Ripon Racecourse. The sport has a long history in Ripon, with the first recorded meeting on Bondgate Green in 1664, while its current location has been used as a racetrack since 1900. Ripon staged Britain's first race for female riders in 1723. The city is also home to Ripon Rugby Union Football Club who were founded in 1886 and currently play in Yorkshire 2, the eighth tier of the English Rugby Union league.
Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC Yorkshire and BBC North East and Cumbria on BBC One & ITV Yorkshire and ITV Tyne Tees on ITV1. Television signals can be received from either Emley Moor or Bilsdale TV transmitters.
Local radio stations are BBC Radio York, Greatest Hits Radio Yorkshire (formerly Stray FM), 'Your Harrogate' which broadcast from Harrogate and BFBS that provides radio programmes for His Majesty's Armed Forces.
The city was previously served by Ripon railway station on the Leeds-Northallerton Line that ran between Leeds and Northallerton. It was once part of the North Eastern Railway and then London & North Eastern Railway. The Ripon to Harrogate Line was closed in the 1960s as part of the Beeching cuts. Today much of the route of the line through the city is now a relief road and although the former station still stands, it is now surrounded by a new housing development. The issue remains a significant one in local politics and there are movements wanting to restore the line. Reports suggest the reopening of a line between Ripon and Harrogate would be economically viable, costing £40 million and could initially attract 1,200 passengers a day, rising to 2,700.
By road Ripon is well connected; it is accessible from the north and south via the A1(M) motorway which connects to Ripon by the B6265. Ripon is accessible from the east and west via the A61 which is the main road running through the city.
Harrogate Bus Company's route 36 links the city to Harrogate and Leeds, and there are also regular bus routes to Boroughbridge, York, Thirsk, Northallerton, Leyburn, Richmond and others
The Ripon Canal was proposed by John Smeaton in 1766, to connect the city centre to part of the River Ure; it was used for the transportation of coal from the Durham coalfields into the city. Although abandoned in 1956, a conservationist campaign saw it partly reopened in 1988, and fully in 1996.
Town twinning
Foix in France 1957.
Freedom of the City
Individuals
Charles, Prince of Wales: 24 October 2002.
Military units
The Royal Engineers: 27 July 1949.
RAF Leeming: 14 September 2015.
With his feet secured on a platform connected to the Remote Manipulator System (RMS) robotic arm of the Space Shuttle Columbia, astronaut Michael J. Massimino, mission specialist, hovers over the shuttle's cargo bay while working in tandem with astronaut James H. Newman, mission specialist, during the STS-109 mission's second day of extravehicular activity (EVA). Inside Columbia's cabin, astronaut Nancy J. Currie, mission specialist, controlled the RMS.
Credit: NASA
A KAMAG transporter with Orbital ATK's CYGNUS pressurized cargo module secured on top slowly moves from the airlock into the high bay of the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Cygnus will be moved to a work stand for final propellant loading and late cargo stowage. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on March 19, 2017. CYGNUS will deliver thousands of pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
A firefighter works to secure a hose line being used to evacuate water that was flooding in Ralphs in Castaic, CA
A French Véhicule de l'Avant Blindé and Afghan police truck block the road after French and Afghan policemen secured the area for an inspection of local electrical infrastructure March 14. (Photo by Maitre Christian Valverde, French Navy)
Secure your place on one of the Cent Cols Challenge 2013 event here --> www.rapha.cc/cent-col-challenge-deposit
Edinburgh Airport - operating the shuttle service to their car park which also runs via the Holiday Inn Express hotel
Deboxing the Anna Mini Doll Wardrobe Set. First the box is opened, and the backing tray slid out. Anna is secured by wire around her waist and a plastic tie around her ankles. She is freed from the backing, and laid down on a counter to continue the deboxing process. The back of her dress is opened to make it easier to remove the wire around her waist.
Anna and Elsa Mini Doll Wardrobe Sets, by the Disney Store. Purchased from World of Disney in Downtown Disney, Disneyland Resort, on August 14, 2014. $29.95 each. I did not see the sets inside Disneyland Park itself. Not yet available online or in Disney Stores, as of Aug 14, 2014. Each set contains two full outfits for each doll, who are 5 1/2'' H.
Elsa wearing her Snow Queen outfit, and has her hair braided. Her Coronation outfit (including cape) is also included, as is a mini Olaf figure, a closet, shoes, tiara, hangers, stool, partition and dress form.
Anna is wearing her snow gear dress and has her hair in braids. Also included are her snow gear hat and cape, her coronation gown, mini Olaf figure, a closet, shoes, tiara, hangers, stool, trunk and dress form.
Members from the 341st Security Forces Group Tactical Response Force rappel during a training exercise Dec. 10 at Malmstrom Air Force Base. TRF members begin their training as assaulters and go on to acquire one of two additional skill sets in the fields of breaching systems or nuclear advanced designated marksmen, commonly referred to as snipers. (U.S. Air Force photo/2nd Lt. Annabel Monroe)
DAVOS/SWITZERLAND, 23JAN15 - Matthieu Ricard captured during the session Securing Open Societies in the congress centre at the Annual Meeting 2015 of the World Economic Forum in Davos, January 23, 2015.
WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM/Benedikt von Loebell
NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft, secured to the mobile launcher, is seen as it rolls out of the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B, Sat, Jan. 17, 2026, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s Artemis II test flight will take Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch from NASA, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen from the CSA (Canadian Space Agency), around the Moon and back to Earth no later than no later than April 2026. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
Enniscorthy edged by battling Bangor by Roger Corbett
Bangor produced an excellent performance against a strong Enniscorthy side to once again come from behind and secure a semi-final place by 14-10.
In contrast to last week, the weather and pitch conditions at Upritchard Park were good. However, Bangor’s preparations got off to a bad start when centre Mike Aspley aggravated an injury in the pre-match warm-up and was unable to play. A quick re-shuffle saw Chris Morgan come in from full back as his replacement, and Adam McCusker taking up the full back role. For Enniscorthy’s part, they came to this fixture on the back of a good run of results in the Leinster League Division 1A, and sitting in second place in that table.
A mistake by Bangor right from the referee’s whistle at kick-off looked to have handed the visitors an opportunity to take the initiative. However, having won the ball back, McCusker put a superb kick deep into the Enniscorthy twenty two that left the defence no option but to put it into touch. The Bangor line-out was taken cleanly by Curtis Stewart, and a maul was formed that surged towards the Enniscorthy line before Jamie Clegg dropped with the ball and scored the game’s first try after just 4 minutes. Mark Widdowson made the conversion, and the score was 7-0.
Within 3 minutes the lead could have been extended when Enniscorthy were penalised for a high tackle. However, this time Widdowson’s kick drifted wide of the posts.
If Bangor thought things were going their way, this soon changed as Enniscorthy gathered themselves and started to gain confidence through a lengthy period of possession, aided in some part by Bangor’s readiness to kick when in possession themselves. The Enniscorthy attack was now causing Bangor headaches, with the result that the penalty count started to rise. Eventually these repeated infringements around the breakdown led to a yellow card being shown to James Henly. Enniscorthy saw this as their opportunity to capitalise, and laid siege to Bangor’s line. Bangor doggedly held their line despite conceding further penalties, and having to defend the resulting line-out and drive combination by Enniscorthy. As Henly’s 10 minute period in the sin bin came to an end, Bangor had somehow managed to hold off the Enniscorthy attack, and had actually managed to turn over the ball, giving them a chance to clear their lines and gather their breath. However, in a bizarre series of events, Ricky Armstrong’s clearance kick was charged down and bounced back towards the Bangor line, only to be gratefully accepted by one of the big Enniscorthy forwards who was still getting to his feet from the preceding ruck. With barely two steps to the line, he touched down for the try, leaving the Bangor players confused and dejected after working so hard to prevent the score. The conversion was missed, keeping Bangor narrowly ahead by 7-5, after 23 minutes.
For most of the remainder of the first half, Enniscorthy kept play in Bangor’s half. Bangor looked dangerous on the counter attack, with some good runs by the wingers Davy Charles and Mark Widdowson. For Enniscorthy’s part, they had several good scoring opportunities but either knocked-on or missed a pass at the crucial moments. A half time score of 7-5 would have been gladly taken by Bangor but, as 40 minutes approached, a lapse in concentration while in their own twenty two, led to a missed tackle which was clinically exploited by Enniscorthy, allowing them to run in for their second try which, although unconverted, gave the lead by 7-10 as the sides turned around.
As has been the case in many other games, Bangor’s second half performance moved up a gear, and it was now the visitor’s line that was coming under attack. Within the first 10 minutes, Bangor looked to be in a good scoring position, but the Enniscorthy defence was equal to Bangor’s first half display. Although unable to break through at this time, Bangor were now looking more confident as the initial Enniscorthy charge appeared to be stuttering. This certainly looked the case when, after 25 minutes had elapsed, the Enniscorthy kicker elected to go for the posts from close to the half way line – a strange decision given the relatively poor conversion attempts earlier. Once again the kick was missed, but Bangor had at least been pushed back into their own half.
As the game entered the final 5 minutes, it was beginning to look like Enniscorthy would hold firm and take the win. However, in a repeat of the exemplary performance displayed at Clonmel in the previous round, Bangor simply lifted their game again and mounted a surge against their tiring opponents. With just 2 minutes of normal time remaining, Jamie Ball gathered the ball at the half way line, and then passed it to Clegg on his left. Leading by example, Clegg went straight, taking the ball past the 10 metre line and drawing the approaching Enniscorthy defender. A well-timed pass to his left was equally well-received by Widdowson on the wing, who rounded his opposite number and sprinted for the line. With little space to work with and the full-back still to beat, Widdowson produced the speed and footwork necessary to take him over the line, to the left of the posts. He then managed to add the icing on the cake with another well-struck conversion which put Bangor ahead by 14-10.
The moments immediately after scoring are particularly dangerous, and with Enniscorthy now throwing everything they had, the remaining couple of minutes were incredibly tense – for both sets of supporters. To Enniscorthy’s credit, they skilfully kept recycling the ball – almost like sevens rugby – bringing the game back into Bangor’s twenty two. But in the end, it was just too much, with Bangor eventually managing to turn the ball over and close out the game, bringing despair and delight in equal measure on the faces of the opposing players.
To the Bangor supporters who had been unable to travel to the game at Clonmel, and who had not fully appreciated the performance there, this brought everything that had been said into focus, and with it the realisation that Bangor now have the ability to go all the way in this competition. With Ulster rivals Clogher Valley and CIYMS, and Leinster high-fliers Dundalk now joining Bangor in the semi-finals, the next hurdle will be equally challenging, but having beaten two of the strongest junior sides in Ireland, confidence is high and everything is now to play for.
Bangor side: J Leary, A Jackson, P Whyte, G Irvine, J Henly, R Latimer, J Clegg (c), C Stewart, R Armstrong, J Morgan, M Widdowson, C Morgan, M Weir, D Charles, A McCusker
Subs: O McIlmurry, F Black, M Crockford, J Ball, M Thompson
Bangor scores: J Clegg (1T), M Widdowson (1T, 2C)
Powis Castle (Welsh: Castell Powys) is a medieval castle, fortress and grand country house near Welshpool, in Powys, Wales. The seat of the Herbert family, earls of Powis, the castle is known for its formal gardens and for its interiors, the former having been described as "the most important", and the latter "the most magnificent", in the country. The castle and gardens are under the care of the National Trust. Powis Castle is a Grade I listed building, while its gardens have their own Grade I listing on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales.
The present castle was built in the 13th century. Unusually for a castle on the Marches, it was constructed by a Welsh prince, Gruffydd ap Gwenwynwyn, rather than by a Norman baron. Gruffydd was prince of the ancient Kingdom of Powys and maintained an alliance with the English king Edward I during the struggles of the later 13th century. He was able to secure the position of his son, Owain, although the kingdom itself was abolished by the Parliament of Shrewsbury in 1283. After his father's death, Owain was raised to the peerage as Owen de la Pole, 1st Lord of Powis. Following his own death c. 1293, and the death of his only son, he was succeeded by his daughter, Hawys Gadarn, "the Lady of Powis". Hawys married Sir John Charlton in 1309.
In the late 16th century the castle was purchased by Sir Edward Herbert, a younger son of William Herbert, 1st earl of Pembroke, beginning a connection between the family and the castle that continues today. The Herberts remained Roman Catholic until the 18th century and, although rising in the peerage to earls, marquesses and Jacobite dukes of Powis, suffered periods of imprisonment and exile. Despite these setbacks, they were able in the late 17th and early 18th centuries to transform Powis from a border fortress into an aristocratic country house, and surround it with one of the very few extant examples of a British Baroque garden.
In 1784 Henrietta Herbert married Edward Clive, eldest son of Clive of India, a match which replenished the much-depleted Herbert family fortune. In the early 20th century, George Herbert, 4th Earl of Powis, redeveloped the castle with the assistance of the architect George Frederick Bodley. Herbert’s wife, Violet, undertook work of equal importance in the garden, seeking to turn it into "one of the most beautiful, if not the most beautiful, in England and Wales". On the 4th Earl's death in 1952, his wife and his sons having predeceased him, the castle passed into the care of the National Trust.
History
First castles at Welshpool: 1111–1286
Unlike the castles at Conwy, Caernarfon, Harlech and nearby Montgomery, which were built by the English to subdue the Welsh, the castles at Welshpool were built by the Welsh princes of Powys Wenwynwyn as their dynastic seat.[1] In addition to the current site, two motte-and-bailey castles and a set of earthworks are located nearby.[2] The names Trallwg/Tallwm and Pola are used interchangeably in early primary sources, and it is unclear which of these sites is being referred to.[3]
The earliest reference dates from 1111, when Cadwgan ap Bleddyn is mentioned as having planned to construct a castle at Trallwng Llywelyn,[3] the oldest record of a native Welsh castle.[4] Domen Castell, a motte-and-bailey near the modern railway station, is considered the most likely site of Cadwgan's castle, although it is uncertain whether it was completed as he was assassinated the same year.[5] The first documentary account of an extant castle at Welshpool is a description of the successful 1196 siege by an English army, although the castle was retaken by the Welsh within the year.[5][6]
The earliest castle at the current site may have been a timber building constructed by Owain Cyfeiliog or his son, Gwenwynwyn (r. 1197–1216).[7] The present masonry structure contains 13th-century fabric,[8] most likely the work of Gruffydd ap Gwenwynwyn (r. 1241–1287) – although historians are uncertain when this took place.[a][10] In 1274, Gruffydd's "first castle" at Welshpool was destroyed by Llywelyn ap Gruffudd as punishment for his involvement in a scheme to assassinate Llywelyn.[b] The castle was documented again in 1286, when it was listed amongst Gruffydd's possessions as "la Pole Castr".[12] A detailed examination of Powis Castle's extant masonry carried out between 1987 and 1989 revealed early stonework incorporated into the later structure, putatively the remains of an early stone shell keep.[13] At the end of Edward I's conquest of Wales in 1282–83, the king permitted Gruffydd to rebuild his castle at Welshpool as a reward for his loyalty.[14]
Early history: 1286–1644
Edward Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Cherbury[c]
In 1286, four years after the conquest of Wales, Gruffydd's son, Owain ap Gruffydd ap Gwenwynwyn became the last hereditary prince of Powys when he renounced his royal title, and was granted the barony of de la Pole, (i.e. "of the Pool", a reference to Welshpool, formerly called just "Pool").[d][16][17] The ancient Kingdom of Powys had once included the counties of Montgomeryshire, much of Denbighshire, parts of Radnorshire and large areas of Shropshire, but by the 13th century had been reduced to two independent principalities – Powys Wenwynwyn and Powys Fadog – roughly equivalent to Montgomeryshire and South Denbighshire (plus Maelor Saesneg), respectively; Welshpool had become the capital of Powys Wenwynwyn, of which Owain had been heir. On the death of Owain, the castle passed to his daughter Hawys, who married Sir John Charlton.[17] The Charltons continued to live at Powis until the fifteenth century when two daughters, Joyce Tiptoft and Joan Grey inherited the castle and estates. Both were equally divided, each daughter and her husband living in a portion of the castle.[18]
In 1578 an illegitimate son of the last Baron Grey of Powis, began leasing the lordship and castle to a distant relative – Sir Edward Herbert (d. 1595), second son of Sir William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke. Edward eventually bought the castle outright in 1587, beginning the connection between the Herberts and Powis Castle which continues today.[19] Sir Edward's wife was a Roman Catholic and the family's allegiance to Rome and to the Stuart kings was to shape its destiny for over a century.[16] Sir Edward began the transformation of Powis from a border fortress into an Elizabethan country house. The major remaining element of his work is the Long Gallery.[19]
Herbert's descendent William Herbert, 1st Baron Powis (c. 1573–1655), was a supporter of Charles I, and was granted the barony of Powis in 1629.[19] His loyalty during the English Civil War cost him his castle and his estates.[20] On 22 October 1644 Powis Castle was captured by Parliamentary troops and was not returned to the family until the restoration of Charles II in 1660.[21]
The Herberts: 1660–1800
The Hercules statue which stood originally in the Water Garden
On the restoration, the Herberts returned to Powis, and in 1674 William Herbert (c. 1626–1696) was created Earl of Powis (of the first creation). The state bedroom was installed in about 1665 and further improvements, including the construction of the Great Staircase followed in the 1670s. These developments were most probably carried out under the direction of William Winde, who may also have designed the terraced gardens. His employer, although restored to his estates, and raised in the peerage, was barred by his Catholic faith from high office under Charles II. On the accession of the King's brother, James in 1685, Herbert became one of the new king's chief ministers, and was again advanced in the peerage becoming Marquess of Powis in 1687, but fell at the Glorious Revolution of 1688 and followed James into exile in France.[e] William III granted the castle to his nephew, William Nassau de Zuylestein, 1st Earl of Rochford. Herbert died, still in exile, in 1696.[24]
Despite their 30-year exile, the Herberts were able to continue with developments at the castle and even to live there on an irregular basis, the Baroque water garden below the castle being completed at this time.[25] Their fortunes were also materially improved by the discovery of a lucrative lead mine on their Welsh estates.[24] The second Marquess, also William, was reinstated in 1722. On the death of his son, the third Marquess in 1748, the marquessate became extinct, while the castle and estates passed to a relative, Henry Herbert (c. 1703–1772), of Oakly Park in Shropshire, who was made 1st Earl of Powis (of the second creation) by George II.[26] Herbert married Barbara, the fifteen-year-old granddaughter of the 2nd Marquess, in 1751. Their eldest son, George Herbert, 2nd Earl of Powis (1755–1801), died unmarried and the earldom of the second creation became extinct.[f][27] Powis was much neglected during his tenure. John Byng, 5th Viscount Torrington, a diarist and traveller who chronicled his journeys into Wales in the 1780s and 1790s, described the castle in 1784, "In the gardens not even the fruit is attended to; the balustrades and terraces are falling down, and the horses graze on the parterres!!!"[28] The castle itself was in no better condition, a visitor in 1774 describing it as "in Neglect and Ruin".[27] Nonetheless, the potential of the site was recognised. George Lyttelton, the politician, poet and essayist, recorded his impressions in 1756, "About £3,000 laid out upon Powis Castle would make it the most august place in the Kingdom.
Herberts and Clives
In 1784, Henry Herbert's daughter, Henrietta, married Edward Clive (1754–1839), the eldest son of Clive of India.[30] Clive had followed his father to India, and served as Governor of Madras. Henrietta's brother died in 1801, whereupon the title lapsed; in 1804, her husband was created first Earl of Powis (of the third creation). The Clive fortune paid for long overdue repairs to the castle, which were carried out by Sir Robert Smirke.[31][32] Their son, Edward (1785–1848), inherited his late uncle's Powis estates on his 21st birthday, taking the surname Herbert in compliance with his uncle's will.[30] Edward Herbert served in a range of administrations as an Anti-Catholic Tory, his speeches in the House of Commons being "cautious and pertinent, although marred by dull delivery". He died in 1848, following a shooting accident at Powis in which he was fatally injured by his second son.[33] No further major changes were made to the Powis estate during his time, or in the long tenure of his eldest son Edward Herbert, 3rd Earl of Powis (1818–1891), although the castle was well maintained. In honour of his great-grandfather, the earl was offered the viceroyalty of India by Benjamin Disraeli but declined, writing "Not worth considering. Powis" on the envelope containing the invitation.[34]
The final alterations to Powis Castle were undertaken at the beginning of the 20th century by George Frederick Bodley for George Charles Herbert, 4th Earl of Powis (1862–1952). The rooms designed by Bodley remain his only extant decorative scheme; the longevity of the 4th Earl, the deaths of his heirs, and his bequest of the castle to the National Trust saw the early 20th-century remodelling remain largely unaltered.[g][36] The 4th earl's wife, Violet (nee Lane-Fox), undertook the final transformation of the gardens of Powis Castle, which she felt had the potential to be "the most beautiful in England and Wales".[37] The Countess died following a car accident in 1929, and Lord Powis outlived both his sons, who died on active service, Percy from wounds received at the Battle of the Somme in 1916,[38] and Mervyn in a plane crash in 1943.[39] On his own death in 1952, he bequeathed the castle and gardens to the National Trust...Wikipedia
Bike parking at MBK Mall. Right in front of the attendant for motorcycle parking. But your bike may get wet or get a suntan.
Albanian soldiers conduct fire phobia training during a Kosovo Force (KFOR) mission rehearsal exercise (MRE) at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, Germany, Jan. 22, 2014. The training prepares the unit to properly react to and mitigate the threat of improvised incendiary devices. The KFOR MRE is based on the current operational environment and is designed to prepare the unit for peace support, stability, and contingency operations in Kosovo in support of civil authorities to maintain a safe and secure environment. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Bryan Rankin/Released)