View allAll Photos Tagged Solidity
River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme.
These images were taken during the first week of October 2014. We tended to loose sight of the fact that (more) critically important has been on-going near the Silverbridge site, adjacent to the N11 carriageway.
Bank stabilisation works involving excavation, repair and building of a support wall structure are being carried out by JONS Construction also on behalf of the National Roads Authority.
We would occasionally catch sight of this work in the distance. One Friday afternoon I took a trip up there, walking back to the site along the side of the carriageway! Recognised some old faces. Quite an impressive little piece of structural engineering.
Having built a retaining concave wall, backfilled for solidity, they were also drilling, fixing and sealing ground anchors to pin the entire structure together.
River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme.
These images were taken during the second week of October 2016.
Meanwhile, at the Silverbridge site, adjacent to the N11 dual-carriageway:
We last visited here 2 years ago in November 2014, where bank stabilisation works involving excavation, repair and building of a support wall structure were being carried out by JONS Construction on behalf of the National Roads Authority.
We would occasionally catch sight of this work in the distance. Quite an impressive little piece of structural engineering.
Having built a retaining concave wall, backfilled for solidity, they were also drilling, fixing and sealing ground anchors to pin the entire structure together.
Now we see that further works are being undertaken.
Word has it that extra ‘stabilisation work’ has to be done to protect the integrity of the riverbank. At the section here we can see that there’s not much space between the edge of the rock face and the Armco at the side of the dual-carriageway.
Have yet to determine what precisely that will entail. Serious work to re-inforce the side access ramp down to the river.
Gabions consist of steel ‘baskets’ filled with rock pieces. They are filled and then fixed together to provide protection and strength to the existing river bank. They allow ground water to flow through them which helps prevent waterlogging of the bank behind them. Existing examples of these were used, back in 2012, to line the north bank of the existing riverbank adjacent to The Slang/Rehills stretch.
Long shallow versions of gabions, known as ‘mattresses’, were used to cover the excavated riverbed, and also to protect the edges of the river channel, particularly at bends in the river.
Working in these confined spaces puts a premium on safety and communication.
I particularly like the clever way in which the operator of the ‘Hitachi - Zaxis 130 LCN’ excavator is able to ‘slide’ laterally along the pipes without the need to crab sideways on the tracks.
commonly work with a curly hair dryerIfthiskind of water contained in the locks are minimized to assist here 10%,the head of hair develops directly into rough, bifurcation,likewise,the consequences often try a locks more dry dropping hair,the most effective could be to visit the seasoned shop hair stylist that will assist you emerge.while using hairspray perfumeDonotalways be donning fragrance from the your hair so as to are involved in layout,just about any wet condition aside scent would be your Kate Middleton glossy brunette human hair wigs hair,deliver seals more dry.Balding persons equally,hair loss that you experienced,a number of reasons for hair loss,there are lots of of things within the causes of hair thinning having people,wonderful locks plus discuss the trouble linked to similarly female and male thinning hair .The explanation hair thinning,the main cause of family genes,typically the operation for this particular passed down easy on the wallet.Gentleman human hormones likewise infiltration the quality of worsening plus squander out there inside the head of hair roots,resulting in baldness brings about.Hence,what the heck is the reason for loss of hair?Regardless of whether feminine or maybe males,the body provides gentlemen hormonal agent and glossy brunette feminine testosterone,as a consequence of take a look at regarding solidity with regards to the only two.Poor diet regime,a sleep disorder,panic,despression symptoms,high workloadsandseveral other exterior features,and can in addition directly affect on your junk food diet,permitting the discharge pertaining to extra oestrogen and even androgendisproportion,may well make improvements to hairloss.These represent the basis for hair loss.the real reason for damage the loss of hair:due to disease,can burn,expends,shock,together with electronic Kate Middleton wigs burns up on the the queen's health-related mark types,so that typically the locks hair foillicle ruin generate hair thinning.the reason why it all as well as management of illnesses initiated hair thinning:balding, high-doseradiationor perhaps radiotherapyactivated tweezingand also waxing systems as well as the hair thinning.seborrheicalopecia:A great longer precious time,women and men and also United states procedure for hair loss promote is not really still clearly seen,however as stated by Just one physical appearance.In which plenty of glossy brunette human hair wigs sufferers by utilizing thinning hair traveling way more acrylic secretion,phase program seborrheicalopecia,the fact is,several gas about the curly hair moisturizing advantage.
River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme.
These images were taken during the third week of October 2016.
Meanwhile, at the Silverbridge site, adjacent to the N11 dual-carriageway:
We last visited here 2 years ago in November 2014, where bank stabilisation works involving excavation, repair and building of a support wall structure were being carried out by JONS Construction on behalf of the National Roads Authority.
We would occasionally catch sight of this work in the distance. Quite an impressive little piece of structural engineering.
Having built a retaining concave wall, backfilled for solidity, they were also drilling, fixing and sealing ground anchors to pin the entire structure together.
Now we see that further works are being undertaken.
Word has it that extra ‘stabilisation work’ has to be done to protect the integrity of the riverbank. At the section here we can see that there’s not much space between the edge of the rock face and the Armco at the side of the dual-carriageway.
Have yet to determine what precisely that will entail. Serious work to re-inforce the side access ramp down to the river.
Gabions consist of steel ‘baskets’ filled with rock pieces. They are filled and then fixed together to provide protection and strength to the existing river bank. They allow ground water to flow through them which helps prevent waterlogging of the bank behind them. Existing examples of these were used, back in 2012, to line the north bank of the existing riverbank adjacent to The Slang/Rehills stretch.
Long shallow versions of gabions, known as ‘mattresses’, were used to cover the excavated riverbed, and also to protect the edges of the river channel, particularly at bends in the river.
Working in these confined spaces puts a premium of safety and communication.
The guys have hard-filled a working shelf on the riverbed, to allow machinery access to the rockface. Obviously some serious drilling is called for before some form of extra 'pinning' is put in place.
Part of the complete sequence of seven early 14th century windows preserving most of their original glass in the choir clerestorey.
The attractive town of Tewkesbury has been dominated by its superb abbey church since the beginning of the 12th century, and we can be forever grateful to its townspeople for purchasing the monastic church in 1540 for £453 for use as their parish church, saving it from the fate that befell countless similar great churches across the land during the turmoil of the Dissolution. It reminds us both how lucky we are to still marvel at it today, yet also how great a loss to our heritage the period wrought when many more such buildings were so utterly plundered as to have gone without trace (the fate of the monastic buildings here and even the lady chapel of the church whose footings are laid out in the grass at the east end).
Tewkesbury Abbey is thus rightly celebrated as one of our greatest non-cathedral churches, and remarkably much of the original Norman church remains substantially intact, most apparently in the great central tower, a fine example of Romanesque architecture adorned with rows of blind-arcading. The west front is dominated by a massive Norman-arched recess (enclosing the somewhat later west window) and the nave and transepts remain largely as originally built, though this is less clear externally owing to the changes made to the windows, nearly all of which were enlarged in the 14th century in the Decorated Gothic style. This century also saw the complete rebuilding of the eastern limb of the church, of a form less common in England with radiating chapels surrounding the eastern apse of the choir (the central lady chapel sadly missing since 1540).
The interior reveals far more of the Romanesque structure with mighty columns supporting the round Norman arches of the nave arcades giving the building a great sense of solidity. The space is further enlivened by the changes made during the 14th century by the stunning vault over the nave (adorned with a rewarding series of figurative bosses) which sits surprisingly well with the Norman work below. Beyond the apsidal choir beckons, and both this and the space below the tower are enriched with stunningly complex vaulted ceilings (replete with further bosses and gilded metal stars), all ablaze with colour and gilding.
There is much to enjoy in glass here, most remarkably a complete set of 14th century glazing in the clerestorey of the choir, seven windows filled with saints and prophets (and most memorably two groups of knights in the westernmost windows on each side). A few of the figures have fared less well over the centuries but on the whole this is a wonderfully rare and well preserved scheme. There is much glass from the 19th century too, with an extensive scheme in the nave of good quality work by Hardman's, and more recently a pair of rich windows by Tom Denny were added in one of the polygonal chapels around the east end.
Some of the most memorable features are the monuments with many medieval tombs of note, primarily the effigies and chantry chapels of members of the Despenser family around the choir (two of the chantries being miniature architectural gems in their own right with exquisite fan-vaulting). In one of the apsidal chapels is the unusual cenotaph to Abbot Wakeman with his grisly cadaver effigy, a late medieval reminder of earthly mortality.
Tewkesbury Abbey is not to be missed and is every bit as rewarding as many of our cathedrals (superior in fact to all but the best). It is normally kept open and welcoming to visitors on a daily basis. I have also had the privilege of working on this great building several times over the years (as part of the team at the studio I once worked for), and have left my mark in glass in a few discreet places.
This is not a gloat
This post might not impress everybody so I'm calling this an interesting find instead of a gloat.
I've always been fond of the smaller tool makers. So when I spotted an Aussie hand plane on a "Online auction site near you™, I had to make a run for it.
After a btalle with another curious yet uncertain buyer, I won the auction and a few days later arrived a Turner no 4 smoothing plane.
I won't show you any pictures before you have read far enough, as some of you might turn your eyes away in disgust. But I can assure you, there's no need for parental guiding the woodworking style.
Yes, it has plastic handles. Yes, it has a frog made of aluminum.
While you let tho sink in I will tell you the plane also has a very solid and well made body, the handles are translucent (á la MF permaloid) and that the plane is fitted with a Erik Anton Berg cutter made specifically for the Turner tool company.
I will not try to steal the show as all I know about this company is borrowed from the Village Woodworker down under:
thevillagewoodworker.blogspot.com/2012/11/turner-hand-pla...
What I can add is that I agree with his review. This is a very well made hand plane. The celluloid acetate handles feels good in my hands and bring a light smile to my face, much needed in the dark era of Finnish autumn awaiting the even worse. The aluminum frog is of course a slight concern. Will it hold up against had use? But as long as remember not to tighten either the lever cap or the frog screws too much I ought to be OK. And I just love having a Berg cutter made specifically for metal hand planes which can be used not in only in this plane but also my MF no 9.
This plane was purchased from an Englishman who says his father worked in Australia for a few years and who thinks his dad must have bought the plane during his stay. From what I know it hasn't been used for a long time. It's not unused but the scar tissue on the surface has more to do with being stored away improperly than from hard use. The plane has some shallow pitting on both sole and cheeks and I discovered rust on the handle bolts as well as the bolt housing. By the look of the bleached and very tatty box and the mildew stench coming from it, I would guess the plane has been stored in a outside shed but succumbed to sunshine and varying temperatures, which would very well explain why the plane has been corroded.
The handles are intact and I hope that adding some wax might help them to stay sound. Luckily the handles have not been subjected to direct sunlight.
There's a very nice addition t the fastening of the front knob. The raised housing on the body has a recess cut into it at the front side. The knob has a mating little toe which fits into the recess. This feature will keep the front knob from rotating and prevent the user from over tightening the knob. An ingenious invention which would be welcomed on other planes as well.
The plane has only been taken for a short spin on some ash, but it does feel promising. The cutter had been resharpened but not across its full edge so it needs a proper resharpening before I can provide a verdict.
What I can say is that I have compared the weight of this plane with a MF no 9 (Type 2) and a Stanley low knob no 4.
The Turner is the decidedly heaviest of them all, even considering this plane has plastic handles and a frog made of aluminum. It weighs in at 1750 grams.
The MF no 9 weighs 1680 grams and the Stanley no 4 a mer 1610 grams.
The difference are not mind blowing and might be moot for most users, but it does say something about the solidity of this plane.
Ferstel
(Pictures you can see by clicking on the link at the end of page!)
Ferstel and Café Central, by Rudolf von Alt, left the men's alley (Herrengasse - Street of the Lords), right Strauchgasse
Danube mermaid fountain in a courtyard of the Palais Ferstel
Shopping arcade of the Freyung to Herrengasse
Entrance to Ferstel of the Freyung, right the Palais Harrach, left the palace Hardegg
The Ferstel is a building in the first district of Vienna, Inner City, with the addresses Strauchgasse 2-4, 14 Lord Street (Herrengasse) and Freyung 2. It was established as a national bank and stock exchange building, the denomination Palais is unhistoric.
History
In 1855, the entire estate between Freyung, Strauchgasse and Herrengasse was by Franz Xaver Imperial Count von Abensperg and Traun to the k.k. Privileged Austrian National Bank sold. This banking institution was previously domiciled in the Herrengasse 17/ Bankgasse. The progressive industrialization and the with it associated economic expansion also implied a rapid development of monetary transactions and banking, so that the current premises soon no longer have been sufficient. This problem could only be solved by a new building, in which also should be housed a stock exchange hall.
According to the desire of the then Governor of the National Bank, Franz von Pipitz, the new building was supposed to be carried out with strict observance of the economy and avoiding a worthless luxury with solidity and artistic as well as technical completion. The building should offer room for the National Bank, the stock market, a cafe and - a novel idea for Vienna - a bazaar.
The commissioned architect, Heinrich von Ferstel, demonstrated in the coping with the irregular surface area with highest conceivable effective use of space his state-of-the art talent. The practical requirements combine themselves with the actually artistic to a masterful composition. Ferstel has been able to lay out the rooms of the issuing bank, the two trading floors, the passage with the bazar and the coffee house in accordance with their intended purpose and at the same time to maintain a consistent style.
He was an advocate of the "Materialbaues" (material building) as it clearly is reflected in the ashlar building of the banking institution. Base, pillars and stairs were fashioned of Wöllersdorfer stone, façade elements such as balconies, cornices, structurings as well as stone banisters of the hard white stone of Emperor Kaiser quarry (Kaisersteinbruch), while the walls were made of -Sankt Margarethen limestone. The inner rooms have been luxuriously formed, with wood paneling, leather wallpaper, Stuccolustro and rich ornamental painting.
The facade of the corner front Strauchgasse/Herrengasse received twelve sculptures by Hanns Gasser as decoration, they symbolized the peoples of the monarchy. The mighty round arch at the exit Freyung were closed with wrought-iron bare gates, because the first used locksmith could not meet the demands of Ferstel, the work was transferred to a silversmith.
1860 the National Bank and the stock exchange could move into the in 1859 completed construction. The following year was placed in the glass-covered passage the Danube mermaid fountain, whose design stems also of Ferstel. Anton von Fernkorn has created the sculptural decoration with an artistic sensitivity. Above the marble fountain basin rises a column crowned by a bronze statue, the Danube female with flowing hair, holding a fish in its hand. Below are arranged around the column three also in bronze cast figures: merchant, fisherman and shipbuilder, so those professions that have to do with the water. The total cost of the building, the interior included, amounted to the enormous sum of 1.897.600 guilders.
The originally planned use of the building remained only a few years preserved. The Stock Exchange with the premises no longer had sufficient space: in 1872 it moved to a provisional solution, 1877 at Schottenring a new Stock Exchange building opened. The National Bank moved 1925 into a yet 1913 planned, spacious new building.
The building was in Second World War battered gravely particularly on the main facade. In the 1960s was located in the former Stock Exchange a basketball training hall, the entire building appeared neglected.
1971 dealt the President of the Federal Monuments Office, Walter Frodl, with the severely war damaged banking and stock exchange building in Vienna. The Office for Technical Geology of Otto Casensky furnished an opinion on the stone facade. On the facade Freyung 2 a balcony was originally attached over the entire 15.4 m long front of hard Kaiserstein.
(Usage of Leitha lime: Dependent from the consistence and structure of the Leitha lime the usage differed from „Reibsand“ till building material. The Leitha lime stone is a natural stone which can be formed easily and was desired als beautiful stone for buildings in Roman times. The usage of lime stone from Eggenburg in the Bronze age already was verified. This special attribute is the reason why the Leitha lime was taken from sculptors and masons.
The source of lime stone in the Leitha Mountains was important for Austria and especially for Vienna from the cultur historical point of view during the Renaissance and Baroque. At the 19th century the up to 150 stone quarries of the Leitha mountains got many orders form the construction work of the Vienna „Ring road“.
At many buildings of Graz, such as the castle at the Grazer castle hill, the old Joanneum and the Cottage, the Leitha lime stone was used.
Due to the fact that Leitha lime is bond on carbonate in the texture, the alteration through the actual sour rain is heavy. www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC2HKZ9_leithagebirge-leithak...)
This balcony was no longer present and only close to the facade were remnants of the tread plates and the supporting brackets recognizable. In July 1975, followed the reconstruction of the balcony and master stonemason Friedrich Opferkuh received the order to restore the old state am Leithagebirge received the order the old state - of Mannersdorfer stone, armoured concrete or artificial stone.
1975-1982, the building was renovated and re-opened the Café Central. Since then, the privately owned building is called Palais Ferstel. In the former stock exchange halls now meetings and presentations take place; the Café Central is utilizing one of the courtyards.
A rich tapestry of gold-infused florals springs from a rugged stone base, symbolizing the phygital melding of the natural with the digital frontier.
River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme.
These images were taken during the first week of October 2014. We tended to loose sight of the fact that (more) critically important has been on-going near the Silverbridge site, adjacent to the N11 carriageway.
Bank stabilisation works involving excavation, repair and building of a support wall structure are being carried out by JONS Construction also on behalf of the National Roads Authority.
We would occasionally catch sight of this work in the distance. One Friday afternoon I took a trip up there, walking back to the site along the side of the carriageway! Recognised some old faces. Quite an impressive little piece of structural engineering.
Having built a retaining concave wall, backfilled for solidity, they were also drilling, fixing and sealing ground anchors to pin the entire structure together.
River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme.
These images were taken during the first week of October 2014. We tended to loose sight of the fact that (more) critically important has been on-going near the Silverbridge site, adjacent to the N11 carriageway.
Bank stabilisation works involving excavation, repair and building of a support wall structure are being carried out by JONS Construction also on behalf of the National Roads Authority.
We would occasionally catch sight of this work in the distance. One Friday afternoon I took a trip up there, walking back to the site along the side of the carriageway! Recognised some old faces. Quite an impressive little piece of structural engineering.
Having built a retaining concave wall, backfilled for solidity, they were also drilling, fixing and sealing ground anchors to pin the entire structure together.
River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme.
These images were taken during the second week of October 2016.
Meanwhile, at the Silverbridge site, adjacent to the N11 dual-carriageway:
We last visited here 2 years ago in November 2014, where bank stabilisation works involving excavation, repair and building of a support wall structure were being carried out by JONS Construction on behalf of the National Roads Authority.
We would occasionally catch sight of this work in the distance. Quite an impressive little piece of structural engineering.
Having built a retaining concave wall, backfilled for solidity, they were also drilling, fixing and sealing ground anchors to pin the entire structure together.
Now we see that further works are being undertaken.
Word has it that extra ‘stabilisation work’ has to be done to protect the integrity of the riverbank. At the section here we can see that there’s not much space between the edge of the rock face and the Armco at the side of the dual-carriageway.
Have yet to determine what precisely that will entail. Serious work to re-inforce the side access ramp down to the river.
Gabions consist of steel ‘baskets’ filled with rock pieces. They are filled and then fixed together to provide protection and strength to the existing river bank. They allow ground water to flow through them which helps prevent waterlogging of the bank behind them. Existing examples of these were used, back in 2012, to line the north bank of the existing riverbank adjacent to The Slang/Rehills stretch.
Long shallow versions of gabions, known as ‘mattresses’, were used to cover the excavated riverbed, and also to protect the edges of the river channel, particularly at bends in the river.
Working in these confined spaces puts a premium on safety and communication.
I particularly like the clever way in which the operator of the ‘Hitachi - Zaxis 130 LCN’ excavator is able to ‘slide’ laterally along the pipes without the need to crab sideways on the tracks.
Diego Rivera
Mexican, 1886-1957
The Flower Carrier [ formerly The Flower Vendor ]
1935
Oil and tempera on Masonite
In 1935 Albert M. Bender asked Rivera to select a work of art for the new San Francisco Museum of Art (Now SFMOMA). Rivera’s choice, The Flower Carrier , is a rhythmic, powerful image of peasants at work. As in many of Rivera’s depictions of Mexican campesinos, or agricultural workers, the painting conveys underlying Marxist convictions and a sympathetic respect for manual labor. Though the workers are heavily burdened, they are painted with a sculptural solidity that lends them a monumental dignity. One may interpret then as idealized representatives of their class, in harmony with each other and with the natural world.
Albert M. Bender Collection, gift of Albert M. Bender in memory of Caroline Walter
35.4516
From the placard: San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
45 The Strand, Whakatane
This impressive two-storey masonry building was erected for Bank of New Zealand in 1917. It included manager's accommodation on the first floor.
Corner sites and classical styles were traditionally chosen for NZ banks. This building was a major landmark on the corner site, visible as it was from both the main wharf and also the centre of trade at the time it was built. It was designed to make an impression of solidity and reliability, as befitted a bank.
In 1939, it became part of what was officially called the New Commercial Hotel (the OLD Commercial Hotel was the original wooden one, that sat on the site where the art deco block was built).
The Bay of Plenty Regional Council bought both buildings in 2003 when it was seeking more office space. More recently, the corner hotel had been leased while the 1939 building (regarded as an earthquake and fire risk) had remained vacant.
In 2017, it was reported that the Council planned to sell the hotel. Before the sale however, the 1939 art deco portion of the site (which was earthquake-prone and derelict) would be demolished. Then the entire site, including the historic 1917 corner hotel, would be resurveyed and sold.
Whakatane District Council said selling the Commercial Hotel "offered a great opportunity for sympathetic development" of the pub, and it did not want to see the town lose a valuable piece of history. There was however no heritage value in the 1939 art deco section...
River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme.
These images were taken during the second week of October 2016.
Meanwhile, at the Silverbridge site, adjacent to the N11 dual-carriageway:
We last visited here 2 years ago in November 2014, where bank stabilisation works involving excavation, repair and building of a support wall structure were being carried out by JONS Construction on behalf of the National Roads Authority.
We would occasionally catch sight of this work in the distance. Quite an impressive little piece of structural engineering.
Having built a retaining concave wall, backfilled for solidity, they were also drilling, fixing and sealing ground anchors to pin the entire structure together.
Now we see that further works are being undertaken.
Word has it that extra ‘stabilisation work’ has to be done to protect the integrity of the riverbank. At the section here we can see that there’s not much space between the edge of the rock face and the Armco at the side of the dual-carriageway.
Have yet to determine what precisely that will entail. Serious work to re-inforce the side access ramp down to the river.
Gabions consist of steel ‘baskets’ filled with rock pieces. They are filled and then fixed together to provide protection and strength to the existing river bank. They allow ground water to flow through them which helps prevent waterlogging of the bank behind them. Existing examples of these were used, back in 2012, to line the north bank of the existing riverbank adjacent to The Slang/Rehills stretch.
Long shallow versions of gabions, known as ‘mattresses’, were used to cover the excavated riverbed, and also to protect the edges of the river channel, particularly at bends in the river.
Working in these confined spaces puts a premium on safety and communication.
I particularly like the clever way in which the operator of the ‘Hitachi - Zaxis 130 LCN’ excavator is able to ‘slide’ laterally along the pipes without the need to crab sideways on the tracks.
Olympiastadion (Olympic Stadium) in Berlin was built to host the 1936 Olympic Games on behalf of Adolf Hitler. The stadium had to be an imposing structure to express the power of the Nazi regime. Designed to hold 100 000 spectators, the stadium served as the centrepiece of the Reichsportfield, an Olympic complex of enormous dimensions. Solidity and authority were at the basis of the stadium project. These are now characterized by a colonnade of neoclassical origin that is placed along an elliptical structure. From a geometrical point of view, the colonnade is 'pure' and defines the external look in a powerful way. The interior ring of the tiers is dug into the ground. This enables the pillars of the colonnade to reach the top level of the stadium. The colonnade was designed to impress the spectators when accessing the stadium.
At one side of the stadium, the main axis is expressed by two identical towers. They indicate the main entrance. The Olympic rings are suspended between the towers to symbolically complete the design of the portal. At the other side of the stadium, the continuity of the tiers along the elliptical perimeter is suddenly interrupted by the 'Marathon Gate'. It is defined by two robust blocs that served to welcome the Olympic flame. The Marathon Gate contains the winners names of the Olympic Games. The axis subsequently culminates with the 'Führerturm' which is highest tower in front of the Marathon Gate. It heightens 75 meters (246 feet).
However, Hitler wanted a more noble stadium and assigned another architect at the end of the construction. Architect Werner March was replaced by architect Albert Speer, the trusted architect of the Führer. Later in history, Albert Speer would be called 'Architect of the Devil'.
After three years of hard labour, in 1936, the Olympiastadion was opened to the public with a total capacity of 100 000 and a seating capacity of 65 000. During the second world war, the stadium - symbol of the Nazi power - was bombed by the Allies. Afterwards, the stadium was completely restored and renovated.
On occasion of the World Cup 1974, the Olympiastadion was partly covered for the first time. A roof existing of steel and Plexiglas was added on the main tribunes. At that time, these were modern and light materials and gave the stadium a completely new look.
On occasion of the World Cup 2006, the stadium was yet again completely renovated. Works started in September 2000. The project of the renovated stadium respected the original structure of the Thirties. However, this time the stadium was completed covered by a new roof. Just like the tiers, the roof also interrupts at the Marathon Gate. A membrane of semitransparent Teflon was used to create the roof structure, contrasting the robust volume of the stadium.
Ferstel
(Pictures you can see by clicking on the link at the end of page!)
Ferstel and Café Central, by Rudolf von Alt, left the men's alley (Herrengasse - Street of the Lords), right Strauchgasse
Danube mermaid fountain in a courtyard of the Palais Ferstel
Shopping arcade of the Freyung to Herrengasse
Entrance to Ferstel of the Freyung, right the Palais Harrach, left the palace Hardegg
The Ferstel is a building in the first district of Vienna, Inner City, with the addresses Strauchgasse 2-4, 14 Lord Street (Herrengasse) and Freyung 2. It was established as a national bank and stock exchange building, the denomination Palais is unhistoric.
History
In 1855, the entire estate between Freyung, Strauchgasse and Herrengasse was by Franz Xaver Imperial Count von Abensperg and Traun to the k.k. Privileged Austrian National Bank sold. This banking institution was previously domiciled in the Herrengasse 17/ Bankgasse. The progressive industrialization and the with it associated economic expansion also implied a rapid development of monetary transactions and banking, so that the current premises soon no longer have been sufficient. This problem could only be solved by a new building, in which also should be housed a stock exchange hall.
According to the desire of the then Governor of the National Bank, Franz von Pipitz, the new building was supposed to be carried out with strict observance of the economy and avoiding a worthless luxury with solidity and artistic as well as technical completion. The building should offer room for the National Bank, the stock market, a cafe and - a novel idea for Vienna - a bazaar.
The commissioned architect, Heinrich von Ferstel, demonstrated in the coping with the irregular surface area with highest conceivable effective use of space his state-of-the art talent. The practical requirements combine themselves with the actually artistic to a masterful composition. Ferstel has been able to lay out the rooms of the issuing bank, the two trading floors, the passage with the bazar and the coffee house in accordance with their intended purpose and at the same time to maintain a consistent style.
He was an advocate of the "Materialbaues" (material building) as it clearly is reflected in the ashlar building of the banking institution. Base, pillars and stairs were fashioned of Wöllersdorfer stone, façade elements such as balconies, cornices, structurings as well as stone banisters of the hard white stone of Emperor Kaiser quarry (Kaisersteinbruch), while the walls were made of -Sankt Margarethen limestone. The inner rooms have been luxuriously formed, with wood paneling, leather wallpaper, Stuccolustro and rich ornamental painting.
The facade of the corner front Strauchgasse/Herrengasse received twelve sculptures by Hanns Gasser as decoration, they symbolized the peoples of the monarchy. The mighty round arch at the exit Freyung were closed with wrought-iron bare gates, because the first used locksmith could not meet the demands of Ferstel, the work was transferred to a silversmith.
1860 the National Bank and the stock exchange could move into the in 1859 completed construction. The following year was placed in the glass-covered passage the Danube mermaid fountain, whose design stems also of Ferstel. Anton von Fernkorn has created the sculptural decoration with an artistic sensitivity. Above the marble fountain basin rises a column crowned by a bronze statue, the Danube female with flowing hair, holding a fish in its hand. Below are arranged around the column three also in bronze cast figures: merchant, fisherman and shipbuilder, so those professions that have to do with the water. The total cost of the building, the interior included, amounted to the enormous sum of 1.897.600 guilders.
The originally planned use of the building remained only a few years preserved. The Stock Exchange with the premises no longer had sufficient space: in 1872 it moved to a provisional solution, 1877 at Schottenring a new Stock Exchange building opened. The National Bank moved 1925 into a yet 1913 planned, spacious new building.
The building was in Second World War battered gravely particularly on the main facade. In the 1960s was located in the former Stock Exchange a basketball training hall, the entire building appeared neglected.
1971 dealt the President of the Federal Monuments Office, Walter Frodl, with the severely war damaged banking and stock exchange building in Vienna. The Office for Technical Geology of Otto Casensky furnished an opinion on the stone facade. On the facade Freyung 2 a balcony was originally attached over the entire 15.4 m long front of hard Kaiserstein.
(Usage of Leith lime: Dependent from the consistence and structure of the Leitha lime the usage differed from „Reibsand“ till building material. The Leitha lime stone is a natural stone which can be formed easily and was desired als beautiful stone for buildings in Roman times. The usage of lime stone from Eggenburg in the Bronze age already was verified. This special attribute is the reason why the Leitha lime was taken from sculptors and masons.
The source of lime stone in the Leitha Mountains was important for Austria and especially for Vienna from the cultur historical point of view during the Renaissance and Baroque. At the 19th century the up to 150 stone quarries of the Leitha mountains got many orders form the construction work of the Vienna „Ring road“.
At many buildings of Graz, such as the castle at the Grazer castle hill, the old Joanneum and the Cottage, the Leitha lime stone was used.
Due to the fact that Leitha lime is bond on carbonate in the texture, the alteration through the actual sour rain is heavy. www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC2HKZ9_leithagebirge-leithak...)
This balcony was no longer present and only close to the facade were remnants of the tread plates and the supporting brackets recognizable. In July 1975, followed the reconstruction of the balcony and master stonemason Friedrich Opferkuh received the order to restore the old state am Leithagebirge received the order the old state - of Mannersdorfer stone, armoured concrete or artificial stone.
1975-1982, the building was renovated and re-opened the Café Central. Since then, the privately owned building is called Palais Ferstel. In the former stock exchange halls now meetings and presentations take place; the Café Central is utilizing one of the courtyards.
‘Scene’ in Hebden Bridge, West Yorks 1.
on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’
Friend Peter Rose had one of his occasional breaks in Hebden recently and has forwarded these images. They are reproduced here with his permission and my thanks.
I have visited Hebden Bridge several times and I always like the stone buildings that are the backdrop to the images. To me, they signify solidity and strength.
New to ‘First Games Transport’.
I was looking for a cheap second-hand lens for my wife for Xmas and ended up trying a couple of older lenses. This Nikkor 35-135mm f/3.5-4.5 AF lens immediately impressed me with its sharpness and solidity. When the shop agreed to go from NT$3200 to NT$3000 (US$100), I snapped it up. These shots are from standing in front of the shop and seeing what the lens would do, and then fiddling with it while waiting for my lunch to come.
The ring... simple and infinite. A mystery lies in its eternal form. In the Ancient times of Kings and Emperors, the ring of the king held the sanction of his authority. When the king's subject saw the mere imprint of the ring in the sealing way of documents, they knew it came directly from the hands of their ruler.
Coming close to tradition in our present society, the academy's ring holds the same essence and invokes difference from anybody who recognizes its immense and symbolic value.
From individual to individual, the ring symbolizes a unique and meaningful part of their existence, Each individual carries with the ring a special history apart from it's own rich tale. Simple, yet profound. It is plain in its form yet it holds an esoteric enigma of its own.
In the mystery of its own circle, in the solidity of its own form, in the continuity of its infinite line - it binds you to the brotherhood. It transforms you into someone beyond what the powers of men unseasoned by the Academy could comprehend. It becomes your alterer, your connection to the eternal circuits of invaluable fraternity.
When the people see men wearing the Academy's ring, they will surely recognize power, will, discipline and legitimacy of your passage through the system. With the ring, you become legitimate brother in the entire fellowship of the Academy's alumni, You are welcome wherever you meet them in the corners of the world.
"PMMAérs"are not simply proud about the ring. They are fiercely religious abouit it. It is sacred as the ideals of any great institution. And it is personally profound as the experience it took to deserve it. The ring encircles the lawmen and even the great seaferer's in the world. He, who wears it, wears itt more proudly than anyy mere emperor or king, By wearing the bullring, you are taking a vow to be true and loyal to the brotherhood of the long blue line.
River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme.
These images were taken during the third week of October 2016.
Meanwhile, at the Silverbridge site, adjacent to the N11 dual-carriageway:
We last visited here 2 years ago in November 2014, where bank stabilisation works involving excavation, repair and building of a support wall structure were being carried out by JONS Construction on behalf of the National Roads Authority.
We would occasionally catch sight of this work in the distance. Quite an impressive little piece of structural engineering.
Having built a retaining concave wall, backfilled for solidity, they were also drilling, fixing and sealing ground anchors to pin the entire structure together.
Now we see that further works are being undertaken.
Word has it that extra ‘stabilisation work’ has to be done to protect the integrity of the riverbank. At the section here we can see that there’s not much space between the edge of the rock face and the Armco at the side of the dual-carriageway.
Have yet to determine what precisely that will entail. Serious work to re-inforce the side access ramp down to the river.
Gabions consist of steel ‘baskets’ filled with rock pieces. They are filled and then fixed together to provide protection and strength to the existing river bank. They allow ground water to flow through them which helps prevent waterlogging of the bank behind them. Existing examples of these were used, back in 2012, to line the north bank of the existing riverbank adjacent to The Slang/Rehills stretch.
Long shallow versions of gabions, known as ‘mattresses’, were used to cover the excavated riverbed, and also to protect the edges of the river channel, particularly at bends in the river.
Working in these confined spaces puts a premium of safety and communication.
The guys have hard-filled a working shelf on the riverbed, to allow machinery access to the rockface. Obviously some serious drilling is called for before some form of extra 'pinning' is put in place.
River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme.
These images were taken during the first week of November 2016.
Meanwhile, at the Silverbridge site, adjacent to the N11 dual-carriageway:
We last visited here 2 years ago in November 2014, where bank stabilisation works involving excavation, repair and building of a support wall structure were being carried out by JONS Construction on behalf of the National Roads Authority.
We would occasionally catch sight of this work in the distance. Quite an impressive little piece of structural engineering.
Having built a retaining concave wall, backfilled for solidity, they were also drilling, fixing and sealing ground anchors to pin the entire structure together.
Now we see that further works are being undertaken.
Word has it that extra ‘stabilisation work’ has to be done to protect the integrity of the riverbank. At the section here we can see that there’s not much space between the edge of the rock face and the Armco at the side of the dual-carriageway.
Have yet to determine what precisely that will entail. Serious work to re-inforce the side access ramp down to the river.
Gabions consist of steel ‘baskets’ filled with rock pieces. They are filled and then fixed together to provide protection and strength to the existing river bank. They allow ground water to flow through them which helps prevent waterlogging of the bank behind them. Existing examples of these were used, back in 2012, to line the north bank of the existing riverbank adjacent to The Slang/Rehills stretch.
Long shallow versions of gabions, known as ‘mattresses’, were used to cover the excavated riverbed, and also to protect the edges of the river channel, particularly at bends in the river.
Working in these confined spaces puts a premium of safety and communication.
The guys have hard-filled a working shelf on the riverbed, to allow machinery access to the rockface. Obviously some serious drilling is called for before some form of extra 'pinning' is put in place.
They have sunk a series of hollowed tubes/casings -- obviously to form the basis for . . . . . .?
And some investigative work around the transverse buttress of the access bridge, parallel to the heavy-duty pipeline carrying water down from the Vartry reservoir.
River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme.
These images were taken during the first week of November 2016.
Meanwhile, at the Silverbridge site, adjacent to the N11 dual-carriageway:
We last visited here 2 years ago in November 2014, where bank stabilisation works involving excavation, repair and building of a support wall structure were being carried out by JONS Construction on behalf of the National Roads Authority.
We would occasionally catch sight of this work in the distance. Quite an impressive little piece of structural engineering.
Having built a retaining concave wall, backfilled for solidity, they were also drilling, fixing and sealing ground anchors to pin the entire structure together.
Now we see that further works are being undertaken.
Word has it that extra ‘stabilisation work’ has to be done to protect the integrity of the riverbank. At the section here we can see that there’s not much space between the edge of the rock face and the Armco at the side of the dual-carriageway.
Have yet to determine what precisely that will entail. Serious work to re-inforce the side access ramp down to the river.
Gabions consist of steel ‘baskets’ filled with rock pieces. They are filled and then fixed together to provide protection and strength to the existing river bank. They allow ground water to flow through them which helps prevent waterlogging of the bank behind them. Existing examples of these were used, back in 2012, to line the north bank of the existing riverbank adjacent to The Slang/Rehills stretch.
The N11 carriageway runs adjacent to this sunken side of the riverbank -- barely 2 (large) paces divide the two. Even with twin strips of Armco along the roadside, it's perilously close. Traffic speeds along this stretch (maximum speed 100 kmp). Only needs a touch from a heavy veicle to cause secondary impact, which (worst possible scenario) could result in something going airborne.
Working in these confined spaces puts a premium of safety and communication.
The guys have hard-filled a working shelf on the riverbed, to allow machinery access to the rockface. Obviously some serious drilling is called for before some form of extra 'pinning' is put in place.
They have sunk a series of hollowed tubes/casings -- obviously to form the basis for . . . . . .?
And some investigative work around the transverse buttress of the access bridge, parallel to the heavy-duty pipeline carrying water down from the Vartry reservoir.
The attractive town of Tewkesbury has been dominated by its superb abbey church since the beginning of the 12th century, and we can be forever grateful to its townspeople for purchasing the monastic church in 1540 for £453 for use as their parish church, saving it from the fate that befell countless similar great churches across the land during the turmoil of the Dissolution. It reminds us both how lucky we are to still marvel at it today, yet also how great a loss to our heritage the period wrought when many more such buildings were so utterly plundered as to have gone without trace (the fate of the monastic buildings here and even the lady chapel of the church whose footings are laid out in the grass at the east end).
Tewkesbury Abbey is thus rightly celebrated as one of our greatest non-cathedral churches, and remarkably much of the original Norman church remains substantially intact, most apparently in the great central tower, a fine example of Romanesque architecture adorned with rows of blind-arcading. The west front is dominated by a massive Norman-arched recess (enclosing the somewhat later west window) and the nave and transepts remain largely as originally built, though this is less clear externally owing to the changes made to the windows, nearly all of which were enlarged in the 14th century in the Decorated Gothic style. This century also saw the complete rebuilding of the eastern limb of the church, of a form less common in England with radiating chapels surrounding the eastern apse of the choir (the central lady chapel sadly missing since 1540).
The interior reveals far more of the Romanesque structure with mighty columns supporting the round Norman arches of the nave arcades giving the building a great sense of solidity. The space is further enlivened by the changes made during the 14th century by the stunning vault over the nave (adorned with a rewarding series of figurative bosses) which sits surprisingly well with the Norman work below. Beyond the apsidal choir beckons, and both this and the space below the tower are enriched with stunningly complex vaulted ceilings (replete with further bosses and gilded metal stars), all ablaze with colour and gilding.
There is much to enjoy in glass here, most remarkably a complete set of 14th century glazing in the clerestorey of the choir, seven windows filled with saints and prophets (and most memorably two groups of knights in the westernmost windows on each side). A few of the figures have fared less well over the centuries but on the whole this is a wonderfully rare and well preserved scheme. There is much glass from the 19th century too, with an extensive scheme in the nave of good quality work by Hardman's, and more recently a pair of rich windows by Tom Denny were added in one of the polygonal chapels around the east end.
Some of the most memorable features are the monuments with many medieval tombs of note, primarily the effigies and chantry chapels of members of the Despenser family around the choir (two of the chantries being miniature architectural gems in their own right with exquisite fan-vaulting). In one of the apsidal chapels is the unusual cenotaph to Abbot Wakeman with his grisly cadaver effigy, a late medieval reminder of earthly mortality.
Tewkesbury Abbey is not to be missed and is every bit as rewarding as many of our cathedrals (superior in fact to all but the best). It is normally kept open and welcoming to visitors on a daily basis. I have also had the privilege of working on this great building several times over the years (as part of the team at the studio I once worked for), and have left my mark in glass in a few discreet places.
River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme.
These images were taken during the first week of October 2014. We tended to loose sight of the fact that (more) critically important has been on-going near the Silverbridge site, adjacent to the N11 carriageway.
Bank stabilisation works involving excavation, repair and building of a support wall structure are being carried out by JONS Construction also on behalf of the National Roads Authority.
We would occasionally catch sight of this work in the distance. One Friday afternoon I took a trip up there, walking back to the site along the side of the carriageway! Recognised some old faces. Quite an impressive little piece of structural engineering.
Having built a retaining concave wall, backfilled for solidity, they were also drilling, fixing and sealing ground anchors to pin the entire structure together.
River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme.
These images were taken during the first week of October 2014. We tended to loose sight of the fact that (more) critically important has been on-going near the Silverbridge site, adjacent to the N11 carriageway.
Bank stabilisation works involving excavation, repair and building of a support wall structure are being carried out by JONS Construction also on behalf of the National Roads Authority.
We would occasionally catch sight of this work in the distance. One Friday afternoon I took a trip up there, walking back to the site along the side of the carriageway! Recognised some old faces. Quite an impressive little piece of structural engineering.
Having built a retaining concave wall, backfilled for solidity, they were also drilling, fixing and sealing ground anchors to pin the entire structure together.
River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme.
These images were taken during the first week of October 2014. We tended to loose sight of the fact that (more) critically important has been on-going near the Silverbridge site, adjacent to the N11 carriageway.
Bank stabilisation works involving excavation, repair and building of a support wall structure are being carried out by JONS Construction also on behalf of the National Roads Authority.
We would occasionally catch sight of this work in the distance. One Friday afternoon I took a trip up there, walking back to the site along the side of the carriageway! Recognised some old faces. Quite an impressive little piece of structural engineering.
Having built a retaining concave wall, backfilled for solidity, they were also drilling, fixing and sealing ground anchors to pin the entire structure together.
River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme.
These images were taken during the first week of October 2014. We tended to loose sight of the fact that (more) critically important has been on-going near the Silverbridge site, adjacent to the N11 carriageway.
Bank stabilisation works involving excavation, repair and building of a support wall structure are being carried out by JONS Construction also on behalf of the National Roads Authority.
We would occasionally catch sight of this work in the distance. One Friday afternoon I took a trip up there, walking back to the site along the side of the carriageway! Recognised some old faces. Quite an impressive little piece of structural engineering.
Having built a retaining concave wall, backfilled for solidity, they were also drilling, fixing and sealing ground anchors to pin the entire structure together.
Within an hour of taking these photos, the rains began to fall with a vengeance. An Orange weather alert, with widespread flooding expected overnight. Non-essential work soon ceased.
Bauhaus Museum Weimar, Germany
German architect Heike Hanada designed a minimalist concrete museum to celebrate the Bauhaus in Weimar, where the design school was founded 100 years ago. The building is dedicated to the design school creates a physical cultural presence for the Bauhaus in the German city where it was based between 1919 and 1925. Located near the Nazi-era Gauforum square and the Neue Museum Weimar, the Bauhaus Museum is a simple five-storey concrete box broken only with its entrance and a couple of windows. The enclosing shell of light-grey concrete lends the cube stability and dynamic solidity. Equally spaced horizontal grooves run around the facades of the museum, with the words "bauhaus museum" repeated in a band near the top of the building. Hanada designed the museum to be a public building for the city and has attempted to clearly connect it to the neighbouring park. With elements such as plinths, fasciae, portals, stairways and a terrace to the park, the architecture incorporates classical themes that underscore its public character.
The museum contains 2,000 m2 of exhibition space, which will be used to display around 1,000 items from the Weimar Bauhaus collection. A shop and entrance hall is located on the ground floor, with a cafe and toilets below, and three floors dedicated to telling the story of the Bauhaus above. Each of the galleries overlooks double-height spaces and are accessed from a long ceremonial staircase that stretches the height of the building. The visitors ascend a succession of interchanging open spaces and staircases until they finally arrive at the top floor where they are presented with an unobstructed view of the park. The cascading staircases are encased by ceiling-high walls and function as free-standing, enclosed bodies in the interior space. The collection is arranged to inform visitors about the history of the design school, with the gallery on the first floor dedicated to its origins in Weimar and the Bauhaus manifesto that Walter Gropius wrote in 1919. The second floor has exhibits that show how these ideas were implemented, with galleries dedicated to each of the Bauhaus directors – Gropius, Hannes Meyer and Mies van der Rohe – at the top of the building.
The museum in Weimar has opened to coincide with the centenary of the Bauhaus, which was established in the city in 1919. The school was forced to relocate from Weimar to Dessau in 1925, where Gropius designed a new school building for the institution. Following a short time based in Berlin the school closed for good in 1933. Although only open for just over a decade, the Bauhaus is the most influential art and design school in history. The ideas and people associated with the school had an incredible impact on design and architecture, and to mark its centenary we created a series exploring its key works and figures.
Entrance foyer, the Plaza Theatre, which was below the Regent, Collins Street, Melbourne, opened on 10 May, 1929. It seated 1235 in its single-level Spanish-style auditorium, with its entrance adjacent to that of the Regent.
"Seating only twelve hundred people, and furnished in true old-world Spanish style, the Plaza provides the acme of comfort for every patron. Every seat is a luxurious lounge armchair. The entire floor space is covered with deep rich carpets. At every turn an objet d'art, never obtrusive but bringing a dash of old-world adventure and romance to the new world masterpiece of theatre construction." [Plaza Theatre advertisement (full-page), The Herald, 10 May, 1929, p. 11].
"Following the recent practice of designing theatres in accordance with the style of some particular period, the Plaza is Spanish in its decorative scheme. Entrance from Collins Street is by way of stairs leading to a court constructed after the manner of a Spanish close. the floor simulates the rough paving of a courtyard, and on one side a fountain pays. Through archways to the right is a rockery with orange trees, and here furniture of the appropriate Spanish period has been placed.
The auditorium also is decorated in a Spanish scheme, in which atmosphere rather than any particular period is suggested. On the roof a variegated design in which red, yellow and green are prominent, gives an appearance of solidity, and the scheme is extended to the leather chairs...
The 'talkies' provide their own accompaniment, and consequently an orchestra is unnecessary. An organ had been installed, however, to supplement the pictures when that is called for, and for solo items." [The Argus, 11 May, 1929]
In February, 1959, a new Cinerama screen and projection system were installed in the Plaza. The Regent Plaza Theatre is cited as one of the few cinemas adapted for Cinerama outside of North America.
The Cinerama screen was well forward of the proscenium, in front of the pit and the organ chambers. Although the organ was no longer able to be played in public, it was still operable, and was used by organists playing at the Regent for practice between the Cinerama sessions.
The Plaza closed in November, 1970. In December that year an auction was held at the theatre where everything that was not bolted down was auctioned off, raising a few thousand dollars.
Entrepreneur David Marinner earmarked the Regent for restoration when he established a revival movement for classical performing arts theatres in Melbourne during 1991. The Plaza Theatre was also fully and magnificently restored to its original ballroom format and reopened in 1996.
River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme.
These images were taken during the first week of November 2016.
Meanwhile, at the Silverbridge site, adjacent to the N11 dual-carriageway:
We last visited here 2 years ago in November 2014, where bank stabilisation works involving excavation, repair and building of a support wall structure were being carried out by JONS Construction on behalf of the National Roads Authority.
We would occasionally catch sight of this work in the distance. Quite an impressive little piece of structural engineering.
Having built a retaining concave wall, backfilled for solidity, they were also drilling, fixing and sealing ground anchors to pin the entire structure together.
Now we see that further works are being undertaken.
Word has it that extra ‘stabilisation work’ has to be done to protect the integrity of the riverbank. At the section here we can see that there’s not much space between the edge of the rock face and the Armco at the side of the dual-carriageway.
Have yet to determine what precisely that will entail. Serious work to re-inforce the side access ramp down to the river.
Gabions consist of steel ‘baskets’ filled with rock pieces. They are filled and then fixed together to provide protection and strength to the existing river bank. They allow ground water to flow through them which helps prevent waterlogging of the bank behind them. Existing examples of these were used, back in 2012, to line the north bank of the existing riverbank adjacent to The Slang/Rehills stretch.
The N11 carriageway runs adjacent to this sunken side of the riverbank -- barely 2 (large) paces divide the two. Even with twin strips of Armco along the roadside, it's perilously close. Traffic speeds along this stretch (maximum speed 100 kmp). Only needs a touch from a heavy veicle to cause secondary impact, which (worst possible scenario) could result in something going airborne.
Working in these confined spaces puts a premium of safety and communication.
The guys have hard-filled a working shelf on the riverbed, to allow machinery access to the rockface. Obviously some serious drilling is called for before some form of extra 'pinning' is put in place.
They have sunk a series of hollowed tubes/casings -- obviously to form the basis for . . . . . .?
And some investigative work around the transverse buttress of the access bridge, parallel to the heavy-duty pipeline carrying water down from the Vartry reservoir.
The attractive town of Tewkesbury has been dominated by its superb abbey church since the beginning of the 12th century, and we can be forever grateful to its townspeople for purchasing the monastic church in 1540 for £453 for use as their parish church, saving it from the fate that befell countless similar great churches across the land during the turmoil of the Dissolution. It reminds us both how lucky we are to still marvel at it today, yet also how great a loss to our heritage the period wrought when many more such buildings were so utterly plundered as to have gone without trace (the fate of the monastic buildings here and even the lady chapel of the church whose footings are laid out in the grass at the east end).
Tewkesbury Abbey is thus rightly celebrated as one of our greatest non-cathedral churches, and remarkably much of the original Norman church remains substantially intact, most apparently in the great central tower, a fine example of Romanesque architecture adorned with rows of blind-arcading. The west front is dominated by a massive Norman-arched recess (enclosing the somewhat later west window) and the nave and transepts remain largely as originally built, though this is less clear externally owing to the changes made to the windows, nearly all of which were enlarged in the 14th century in the Decorated Gothic style. This century also saw the complete rebuilding of the eastern limb of the church, of a form less common in England with radiating chapels surrounding the eastern apse of the choir (the central lady chapel sadly missing since 1540).
The interior reveals far more of the Romanesque structure with mighty columns supporting the round Norman arches of the nave arcades giving the building a great sense of solidity. The space is further enlivened by the changes made during the 14th century by the stunning vault over the nave (adorned with a rewarding series of figurative bosses) which sits surprisingly well with the Norman work below. Beyond the apsidal choir beckons, and both this and the space below the tower are enriched with stunningly complex vaulted ceilings (replete with further bosses and gilded metal stars), all ablaze with colour and gilding.
There is much to enjoy in glass here, most remarkably a complete set of 14th century glazing in the clerestorey of the choir, seven windows filled with saints and prophets (and most memorably two groups of knights in the westernmost windows on each side). A few of the figures have fared less well over the centuries but on the whole this is a wonderfully rare and well preserved scheme. There is much glass from the 19th century too, with an extensive scheme in the nave of good quality work by Hardman's, and more recently a pair of rich windows by Tom Denny were added in one of the polygonal chapels around the east end.
Some of the most memorable features are the monuments with many medieval tombs of note, primarily the effigies and chantry chapels of members of the Despenser family around the choir (two of the chantries being miniature architectural gems in their own right with exquisite fan-vaulting). In one of the apsidal chapels is the unusual cenotaph to Abbot Wakeman with his grisly cadaver effigy, a late medieval reminder of earthly mortality.
Tewkesbury Abbey is not to be missed and is every bit as rewarding as many of our cathedrals (superior in fact to all but the best). It is normally kept open and welcoming to visitors on a daily basis. I have also had the privilege of working on this great building several times over the years (as part of the team at the studio I once worked for), and have left my mark in glass in a few discreet places.
www.thingiverse.com/thing:1216 scaled 135% - about 200mm tall. Infill solidity = 0.0 with 2 shells.
Didn't come out very well.. The filament drive is overdue for a floss and 2 shells with 0 infill means some areas with large angles had holes.. :\
French collector card, series 2, no. 2. Image: Walt Disney - Mickey Mouse. Scene from The Three Little Pigs (1933). Caption: 'We're going to play a dirty trick on him...!'
The Three Little Pigs (Burt Gillett, 1933) is an American animated short film in the Silly Symphonies series produced by Walt Disney Studios and distributed by United Artists. It is based on the British folk tale 'The Three Little Pigs'. The Silly Symphony won the 1934 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.
Fifer Pig, Fiddler Pig and Practical Pig are three brothers who build their own houses. All three of them play a different kind of musical instrument – Fifer the flute, Fiddler the violin and Practical is initially seen as working without rest. Fifer and Fiddler build their straw and stick houses with much ease and have fun all day. Practical, on the other hand, "has no chance to sing and dance 'cause work and play don't mix", focusing on building his strong brick house. The Big Bad Wolf blows down the first two before coming up against the solidity of the third, in which the three pigs have taken refuge. He blows again until he loses his trousers. He then tries to get in through the chimney, but Practical Pig, the wisest of the little pigs, hears him and adds turpentine to a large pot of boiling water. The wolf climbs down and sits in the pot. He soaks his buttocks in the boiling water; in pain he screams, jumps up and flees into the forest, dragging his buttocks along the ground and howling as the little pigs laugh at his misfortune.
The Three Little Pigs (Burt Gillett, 1933) premiered on 25 May 1933 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City and was hugely successful. Cinemas ran the cartoon for months after its debut, to great financial response. The cartoon won an Oscar and spawned three sequels: The Big Bad Wolf (Burt Gillett, 1934), The Three Little Wolves (1936) and The Practical Pig (1939). Disney also made a large number of comic strips featuring the character of the Big Bad Wolf under the name Big Wolf. They also made appearances in war-time propaganda pieces and TV series. Adrian Danks at Senses of Cinema considers The Three Little Pigs to be the most successful animated short ever made: 'More so than in relation to the work of any other major American animation studio, it is now difficult to adequately account for and even imagine the pre-eminence the short Disney cartoon enjoyed in the 1930s. It is only when one places prominent examples of animated films produced by the various “Hollywood” studios at the same time side-by-side that an understanding of the significance and sophistication of Disney’s 1930s work comes clearly into view. Of all the short films produced by Disney in the 1930s, Three Little Pigs has some claims to being both the most significant and the most prescient. It is widely acclaimed as a breakthrough in character animation, leading the way for such indelible anthropomorphic creations as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Tom and Jerry, who dominated the various Hollywood animation studios from the late 1930s until the late 1950s.'
Sources: Adrian Danks (Senses of Cinema), Wikipedia (English and French) and IMDb.
And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.
The attractive town of Tewkesbury has been dominated by its superb abbey church since the beginning of the 12th century, and we can be forever grateful to its townspeople for purchasing the monastic church in 1540 for £453 for use as their parish church, saving it from the fate that befell countless similar great churches across the land during the turmoil of the Dissolution. It reminds us both how lucky we are to still marvel at it today, yet also how great a loss to our heritage the period wrought when many more such buildings were so utterly plundered as to have gone without trace (the fate of the monastic buildings here and even the lady chapel of the church whose footings are laid out in the grass at the east end).
Tewkesbury Abbey is thus rightly celebrated as one of our greatest non-cathedral churches, and remarkably much of the original Norman church remains substantially intact, most apparently in the great central tower, a fine example of Romanesque architecture adorned with rows of blind-arcading. The west front is dominated by a massive Norman-arched recess (enclosing the somewhat later west window) and the nave and transepts remain largely as originally built, though this is less clear externally owing to the changes made to the windows, nearly all of which were enlarged in the 14th century in the Decorated Gothic style. This century also saw the complete rebuilding of the eastern limb of the church, of a form less common in England with radiating chapels surrounding the eastern apse of the choir (the central lady chapel sadly missing since 1540).
The interior reveals far more of the Romanesque structure with mighty columns supporting the round Norman arches of the nave arcades giving the building a great sense of solidity. The space is further enlivened by the changes made during the 14th century by the stunning vault over the nave (adorned with a rewarding series of figurative bosses) which sits surprisingly well with the Norman work below. Beyond the apsidal choir beckons, and both this and the space below the tower are enriched with stunningly complex vaulted ceilings (replete with further bosses and gilded metal stars), all ablaze with colour and gilding.
There is much to enjoy in glass here, most remarkably a complete set of 14th century glazing in the clerestorey of the choir, seven windows filled with saints and prophets (and most memorably two groups of knights in the westernmost windows on each side). A few of the figures have fared less well over the centuries but on the whole this is a wonderfully rare and well preserved scheme. There is much glass from the 19th century too, with an extensive scheme in the nave of good quality work by Hardman's, and more recently a pair of rich windows by Tom Denny were added in one of the polygonal chapels around the east end.
Some of the most memorable features are the monuments with many medieval tombs of note, primarily the effigies and chantry chapels of members of the Despenser family around the choir (two of the chantries being miniature architectural gems in their own right with exquisite fan-vaulting). In one of the apsidal chapels is the unusual cenotaph to Abbot Wakeman with his grisly cadaver effigy, a late medieval reminder of earthly mortality.
Tewkesbury Abbey is not to be missed and is every bit as rewarding as many of our cathedrals (superior in fact to all but the best). It is normally kept open and welcoming to visitors on a daily basis. I have also had the privilege of working on this great building several times over the years (as part of the team at the studio I once worked for), and have left my mark in glass in a few discreet places.
River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme.
These images were taken during the first week of November 2016.
Meanwhile, at the Silverbridge site, adjacent to the N11 dual-carriageway:
We last visited here 2 years ago in November 2014, where bank stabilisation works involving excavation, repair and building of a support wall structure were being carried out by JONS Construction on behalf of the National Roads Authority.
We would occasionally catch sight of this work in the distance. Quite an impressive little piece of structural engineering.
Having built a retaining concave wall, backfilled for solidity, they were also drilling, fixing and sealing ground anchors to pin the entire structure together.
Now we see that further works are being undertaken.
Word has it that extra ‘stabilisation work’ has to be done to protect the integrity of the riverbank. At the section here we can see that there’s not much space between the edge of the rock face and the Armco at the side of the dual-carriageway.
Have yet to determine what precisely that will entail. Serious work to re-inforce the side access ramp down to the river.
Gabions consist of steel ‘baskets’ filled with rock pieces. They are filled and then fixed together to provide protection and strength to the existing river bank. They allow ground water to flow through them which helps prevent waterlogging of the bank behind them. Existing examples of these were used, back in 2012, to line the north bank of the existing riverbank adjacent to The Slang/Rehills stretch.
Long shallow versions of gabions, known as ‘mattresses’, were used to cover the excavated riverbed, and also to protect the edges of the river channel, particularly at bends in the river.
Working in these confined spaces puts a premium of safety and communication.
The guys have hard-filled a working shelf on the riverbed, to allow machinery access to the rockface. Obviously some serious drilling is called for before some form of extra 'pinning' is put in place.
They have sunk a series of hollowed tubes/casings -- obviously to form the basis for . . . . . .?
And some investigative work around the transverse buttress of the access bridge, parallel to the heavy-duty pipeline carrying water down from the Vartry reservoir.
River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme.
These images were taken on the last day of January 2017.
These are the critical stabilisation works at the Silverbridge site, adjacent to the N11 dual-carriageway:
Back in November 2014, we observed bank stabilisation works here involving excavation, repair and building of a support wall structure -- carried out by JONS Construction on behalf of the National Roads Authority.
We would occasionally catch sight of this work in the distance. Quite an impressive little piece of structural engineering.
Having built a retaining concave wall, backfilled for solidity, they were also drilling, fixing and sealing ground anchors to pin the entire structure together.
Now we see that further works are being undertaken.
Word has it that extra ‘stabilisation work’ has to be done to protect the integrity of the riverbank. At the section here we can see that there’s not much space between the edge of the rock face and the Armco at the side of the dual-carriageway.
Have yet to determine what precisely that will entail. Serious work to reinforce the side access ramp down to the river.
The N11 carriageway runs adjacent to this sunken side of the riverbank -- barely 2 (large) paces divide the two. Even with twin strips of Armco along the roadside, it's perilously close. Traffic speeds along this stretch (maximum speed 100 kmp). Only needs a touch from a heavy vehicle to cause secondary impact, which (worst possible scenario) could result in something going airborne.
Working in these confined spaces puts a premium of safety and communication.
The guys have hard-filled a working shelf on the riverbed, to allow machinery access to the rockface. Obviously some serious drilling is called for before a form of extra 'pinning' is put in place.
They have sunk a series of hollowed tubes/casings -- obviously to form the foundations of a more extensive structure.
And some investigative work around the transverse buttress of the access bridge, parallel to the heavy-duty pipeline carrying water down from the Vartry reservoir.
At a (rough) guess -- I'd say the foundations were sunk to a depth of approx 4+m.
With such secure foundations in place, they would then look to construct a substantial bank of material, and/or retaining wall (similar to that in place further along the roadside bank).
=================================================
Previously the guys drilled and sunk 4+metre deep reinforced tubing and rods along a newly laid concrete base. Those stubs were then used to attach steel rod cradles -- which, in turn, were filled with poured concrete. Result - the wall quickly rises. Variation on the method they've used elsewhere along this stretch of the river.
A continuous stretch of protective wall has now been poured, and joined up with the section originally erected back in 2014.
As we can see from the side-on shot, the base of the wall has pre-cut openings for the retaining pins that have been driven into the side wall of the roadside cliff. These have been sealed and capped.
Progress has been rapid, the full stretch of wall is completed, and the guys are now working on back-filling the empty space between the protective wall and the roadside rock face. You don't just throw in a few trucks loads of soil and hope for the best. You load, layer, level and compress.
Some repair/reinforcing work is going on here to protect the (old) buttress that supports the pipework carrying water to the Bray region.
I love the contrast between the straight diagonal lines of last year overgrown weeds and the arching brambles in the foreground. In the middle distance the two standing bins give a sense of mass and solidity but the overthrown one is an interesting and subtle counterpoint. But what absolutely makes this garden for me, are the bright splashes of colour and lines of the mattresses in the far distance. They provide such a great focal point and make a bold and uncompromising statement about the surrounding area and the nature of gardening in Walthamstow.
Ferstel
(Pictures you can see by clicking on the link at the end of page!)
Ferstel and Café Central, by Rudolf von Alt, left the men's alley (Herrengasse - Street of the Lords), right Strauchgasse
Danube mermaid fountain in a courtyard of the Palais Ferstel
Shopping arcade of the Freyung to Herrengasse
Entrance to Ferstel of the Freyung, right the Palais Harrach, left the palace Hardegg
The Ferstel is a building in the first district of Vienna, Inner City, with the addresses Strauchgasse 2-4, 14 Lord Street (Herrengasse) and Freyung 2. It was established as a national bank and stock exchange building, the denomination Palais is unhistoric.
History
In 1855, the entire estate between Freyung, Strauchgasse and Herrengasse was by Franz Xaver Imperial Count von Abensperg and Traun to the k.k. Privileged Austrian National Bank sold. This banking institution was previously domiciled in the Herrengasse 17/ Bankgasse. The progressive industrialization and the with it associated economic expansion also implied a rapid development of monetary transactions and banking, so that the current premises soon no longer have been sufficient. This problem could only be solved by a new building, in which also should be housed a stock exchange hall.
According to the desire of the then Governor of the National Bank, Franz von Pipitz, the new building was supposed to be carried out with strict observance of the economy and avoiding a worthless luxury with solidity and artistic as well as technical completion. The building should offer room for the National Bank, the stock market, a cafe and - a novel idea for Vienna - a bazaar.
The commissioned architect, Heinrich von Ferstel, demonstrated in the coping with the irregular surface area with highest conceivable effective use of space his state-of-the art talent. The practical requirements combine themselves with the actually artistic to a masterful composition. Ferstel has been able to lay out the rooms of the issuing bank, the two trading floors, the passage with the bazar and the coffee house in accordance with their intended purpose and at the same time to maintain a consistent style.
He was an advocate of the "Materialbaues" (material building) as it clearly is reflected in the ashlar building of the banking institution. Base, pillars and stairs were fashioned of Wöllersdorfer stone, façade elements such as balconies, cornices, structurings as well as stone banisters of the hard white stone of Emperor Kaiser quarry (Kaisersteinbruch), while the walls were made of -Sankt Margarethen limestone. The inner rooms have been luxuriously formed, with wood paneling, leather wallpaper, Stuccolustro and rich ornamental painting.
The facade of the corner front Strauchgasse/Herrengasse received twelve sculptures by Hanns Gasser as decoration, they symbolized the peoples of the monarchy. The mighty round arch at the exit Freyung were closed with wrought-iron bare gates, because the first used locksmith could not meet the demands of Ferstel, the work was transferred to a silversmith.
1860 the National Bank and the stock exchange could move into the in 1859 completed construction. The following year was placed in the glass-covered passage the Danube mermaid fountain, whose design stems also of Ferstel. Anton von Fernkorn has created the sculptural decoration with an artistic sensitivity. Above the marble fountain basin rises a column crowned by a bronze statue, the Danube female with flowing hair, holding a fish in its hand. Below are arranged around the column three also in bronze cast figures: merchant, fisherman and shipbuilder, so those professions that have to do with the water. The total cost of the building, the interior included, amounted to the enormous sum of 1.897.600 guilders.
The originally planned use of the building remained only a few years preserved. The Stock Exchange with the premises no longer had sufficient space: in 1872 it moved to a provisional solution, 1877 at Schottenring a new Stock Exchange building opened. The National Bank moved 1925 into a yet 1913 planned, spacious new building.
The building was in Second World War battered gravely particularly on the main facade. In the 1960s was located in the former Stock Exchange a basketball training hall, the entire building appeared neglected.
1971 dealt the President of the Federal Monuments Office, Walter Frodl, with the severely war damaged banking and stock exchange building in Vienna. The Office for Technical Geology of Otto Casensky furnished an opinion on the stone facade. On the facade Freyung 2 a balcony was originally attached over the entire 15.4 m long front of hard Kaiserstein.
(Usage of Leith lime: Dependent from the consistence and structure of the Leitha lime the usage differed from „Reibsand“ till building material. The Leitha lime stone is a natural stone which can be formed easily and was desired als beautiful stone for buildings in Roman times. The usage of lime stone from Eggenburg in the Bronze age already was verified. This special attribute is the reason why the Leitha lime was taken from sculptors and masons.
The source of lime stone in the Leitha Mountains was important for Austria and especially for Vienna from the cultur historical point of view during the Renaissance and Baroque. At the 19th century the up to 150 stone quarries of the Leitha mountains got many orders form the construction work of the Vienna „Ring road“.
At many buildings of Graz, such as the castle at the Grazer castle hill, the old Joanneum and the Cottage, the Leitha lime stone was used.
Due to the fact that Leitha lime is bond on carbonate in the texture, the alteration through the actual sour rain is heavy. www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC2HKZ9_leithagebirge-leithak...)
This balcony was no longer present and only close to the facade were remnants of the tread plates and the supporting brackets recognizable. In July 1975, followed the reconstruction of the balcony and master stonemason Friedrich Opferkuh received the order to restore the old state am Leithagebirge received the order the old state - of Mannersdorfer stone, armoured concrete or artificial stone.
1975-1982, the building was renovated and re-opened the Café Central. Since then, the privately owned building is called Palais Ferstel. In the former stock exchange halls now meetings and presentations take place; the Café Central is utilizing one of the courtyards.
River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme.
These images were taken during the third week of October 2016.
Meanwhile, at the Silverbridge site, adjacent to the N11 dual-carriageway:
We last visited here 2 years ago in November 2014, where bank stabilisation works involving excavation, repair and building of a support wall structure were being carried out by JONS Construction on behalf of the National Roads Authority.
We would occasionally catch sight of this work in the distance. Quite an impressive little piece of structural engineering.
Having built a retaining concave wall, backfilled for solidity, they were also drilling, fixing and sealing ground anchors to pin the entire structure together.
Now we see that further works are being undertaken.
Word has it that extra ‘stabilisation work’ has to be done to protect the integrity of the riverbank. At the section here we can see that there’s not much space between the edge of the rock face and the Armco at the side of the dual-carriageway.
Have yet to determine what precisely that will entail. Serious work to re-inforce the side access ramp down to the river.
Gabions consist of steel ‘baskets’ filled with rock pieces. They are filled and then fixed together to provide protection and strength to the existing river bank. They allow ground water to flow through them which helps prevent waterlogging of the bank behind them. Existing examples of these were used, back in 2012, to line the north bank of the existing riverbank adjacent to The Slang/Rehills stretch.
Long shallow versions of gabions, known as ‘mattresses’, were used to cover the excavated riverbed, and also to protect the edges of the river channel, particularly at bends in the river.
Working in these confined spaces puts a premium of safety and communication.
The guys have hard-filled a working shelf on the riverbed, to allow machinery access to the rockface. Obviously some serious drilling is called for before some form of extra 'pinning' is put in place.
Again in Civaux.
In 2008, the church was dark. For the light you had to press a button every 10 minutes. Very inconvenient if you want to photograph. Now everything is brightly lit with spotlights. A bit too much. It's never right.
Religious heritage: the Saint-Gervais-Saint-Protais church
The church is one of the oldest in France.
The cult of Saint Gervais and Saint Protais appears to have quickly developed after the discovery of relics in Milan in 386.
Front
The front has the shape of a quadrilateral surmounted by an imposing triangular gable. The decor is limited to the cornice that defines the sprocket. It consists of small arches resting on carved corbels. The facade is, moreover, supported by strong buttresses. The northern one was rebuilt in the fourteenth or fifteenth century.
In the center, the portal is no eardrum. It is decorated with a simple roll. It is topped with a bay semicircular arches and crowned with a thin cord that is based on sculpted caps.
Bedside
The polygonal sanctuary was built around the year 400. It is small cubic apparatus thick joints, resulting directly from the Roman tradition. It is associated with long blocks. Everything is arranged in regular courses. The angles are formed cut stones at each sitting.
Belfry
The bell tower is placed above the choir, which is a rare positioning. It was necessary to ensure the solidity of the building, cluttering the choir by huge piles.
The three upper levels of the tower are represented by cornices. The first level is blind and massive. At the corners, powerful buttresses consolidate all. The last two levels are lit by free bays. These second stages are part of a flat wall, while on the third floor, they are equipped with two rows of arch stones down along the legs and topped with a continuous molded cord on four faces.
The bell tower is topped by a pyramidal cover elegant stone.
Choir
The choir is from the Merovingian period. It is lit by three windows with arches are semicircular. The bows are made of thin archstones extradossed a cordon of tiles that extends back angle at the transom. Other tiles separate the quoins. The decoration is complemented by two diamond patterns placed on both sides of the axial window.
An early Christian monument is preserved in the choir (dated around 400), representing a chrism and an epitaph: "Aeternalis and Servilla Vivatis in Deo" is "Live in God." This stele is one of the oldest evidence of the presence of a Christian community in Poitou. It is contemporary of Saint Hilaire, Bishop of Poitiers from 342 to 368 and Saint Martin, founder of the Abbey of Ligugé (360-370).
Nef
The nave walls and the bell tower date from the eleventh century.
The walls of the nave consist of small irregular stones. They are punctuated by alternating flat buttresses and high windows. The berries are narrow. They are surmounted by a carved lintel semicircular thin lines that simulate a bow paired in a style popular before 1000, but tends to disappear when the construction of the building.
In the twelfth century, are implanted batteries in the nave to the stoop. The capitals that adorn it are from the same era, specifically the beginning of the twelfth century. They are reminiscent of Saint Pierre de Chauvigny but also clumsy. However, two capitals are exceptional: he says of marriage, and that of the Temptation. The other capitals are decorated with stylized floral or geometric patterns or fantastic beasts or birds drinking from a cup.
This image of birds drinking from a cup symbolizes the souls who drink from the source of the memory. This is a reference to the Eucharist. "You will draw water with joy the wells of salvation" (Isaiah 12-3). This is an iconography borrowed from the Roman tradition. It is found in many area churches: the Church of St. Peter Chauvigny, the priory of Villesalem, church Bonneuil-Matours or that of Liniers or to the Church of Our Lady of Lencloître .
Vaults and painted plaster date from the nineteenth century. The decor combines foliage and decorative motifs in false appliances. In 1886, Honoré Hivonnait painted at the entrance of the choir Saint Gervais and Saint Protais holding a palm, symbol of martyrdom.
Baptismal pool
During archaeological excavations directed by François Eygun in 1960, a baptismal pool Merovingian was unearthed. It is very rare to find outside of the episcopal see. Its discovery highlights the importance of Civaux at that time.
The baptismal pool has a similar type of construction of the church bedside is a polygonal structure with the use of an elongated device, process characteristic Merovingian poitevines constructions.
According to Brigitte Boissavit-Camus, head archaeologist of the excavations in the late 1980s, the entire building may have been surrounded by walls legacy of an ancient temple, which remains the foundation. these walls have delineated a circulation space reserved for worship.
wp
River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme.
These images were taken during the first week of October 2014. We tended to loose sight of the fact that (more) critically important has been on-going near the Silverbridge site, adjacent to the N11 carriageway.
Bank stabilisation works involving excavation, repair and building of a support wall structure are being carried out by JONS Construction also on behalf of the National Roads Authority.
We would occasionally catch sight of this work in the distance. One Friday afternoon I took a trip up there, walking back to the site along the side of the carriageway! Recognised some old faces. Quite an impressive little piece of structural engineering.
Having built a retaining concave wall, backfilled for solidity, they were also drilling, fixing and sealing ground anchors to pin the entire structure together.
Possibly the most impressive facade of any Egyptian temple, not in its size but in its solidity, with the colossi, and the great obelisk guarding the entrance
River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme.
These images were taken during the second week of October 2016.
Meanwhile, at the Silverbridge site, adjacent to the N11 dual-carriageway:
We last visited here 2 years ago in November 2014, where bank stabilisation works involving excavation, repair and building of a support wall structure were being carried out by JONS Construction on behalf of the National Roads Authority.
We would occasionally catch sight of this work in the distance. Quite an impressive little piece of structural engineering.
Having built a retaining concave wall, backfilled for solidity, they were also drilling, fixing and sealing ground anchors to pin the entire structure together.
Now we see that further works are being undertaken.
Word has it that extra ‘stabilisation work’ has to be done to protect the integrity of the riverbank. At the section here we can see that there’s not much space between the edge of the rock face and the Armco at the side of the dual-carriageway.
Have yet to determine what precisely that will entail. Serious work to re-inforce the side access ramp down to the river.
Gabions consist of steel ‘baskets’ filled with rock pieces. They are filled and then fixed together to provide protection and strength to the existing river bank. They allow ground water to flow through them which helps prevent waterlogging of the bank behind them. Existing examples of these were used, back in 2012, to line the north bank of the existing riverbank adjacent to The Slang/Rehills stretch.
Long shallow versions of gabions, known as ‘mattresses’, were used to cover the excavated riverbed, and also to protect the edges of the river channel, particularly at bends in the river.
Working in these confined spaces puts a premium of safety and communication.
I particularly like the clever way in which the operator of the ‘Hitachi - Zaxis 130 LCN’ excavator is able to ‘slide’ laterally along the pipes without the need to crab sideways on the tracks.
Roof boss in St Faith's chapel.
The attractive town of Tewkesbury has been dominated by its superb abbey church since the beginning of the 12th century, and we can be forever grateful to its townspeople for purchasing the monastic church in 1540 for £453 for use as their parish church, saving it from the fate that befell countless similar great churches across the land during the turmoil of the Dissolution. It reminds us both how lucky we are to still marvel at it today, yet also how great a loss to our heritage the period wrought when many more such buildings were so utterly plundered as to have gone without trace (the fate of the monastic buildings here and even the lady chapel of the church whose footings are laid out in the grass at the east end).
Tewkesbury Abbey is thus rightly celebrated as one of our greatest non-cathedral churches, and remarkably much of the original Norman church remains substantially intact, most apparently in the great central tower, a fine example of Romanesque architecture adorned with rows of blind-arcading. The west front is dominated by a massive Norman-arched recess (enclosing the somewhat later west window) and the nave and transepts remain largely as originally built, though this is less clear externally owing to the changes made to the windows, nearly all of which were enlarged in the 14th century in the Decorated Gothic style. This century also saw the complete rebuilding of the eastern limb of the church, of a form less common in England with radiating chapels surrounding the eastern apse of the choir (the central lady chapel sadly missing since 1540).
The interior reveals far more of the Romanesque structure with mighty columns supporting the round Norman arches of the nave arcades giving the building a great sense of solidity. The space is further enlivened by the changes made during the 14th century by the stunning vault over the nave (adorned with a rewarding series of figurative bosses) which sits surprisingly well with the Norman work below. Beyond the apsidal choir beckons, and both this and the space below the tower are enriched with stunningly complex vaulted ceilings (replete with further bosses and gilded metal stars), all ablaze with colour and gilding.
There is much to enjoy in glass here, most remarkably a complete set of 14th century glazing in the clerestorey of the choir, seven windows filled with saints and prophets (and most memorably two groups of knights in the westernmost windows on each side). A few of the figures have fared less well over the centuries but on the whole this is a wonderfully rare and well preserved scheme. There is much glass from the 19th century too, with an extensive scheme in the nave of good quality work by Hardman's, and more recently a pair of rich windows by Tom Denny were added in one of the polygonal chapels around the east end.
Some of the most memorable features are the monuments with many medieval tombs of note, primarily the effigies and chantry chapels of members of the Despenser family around the choir (two of the chantries being miniature architectural gems in their own right with exquisite fan-vaulting). In one of the apsidal chapels is the unusual cenotaph to Abbot Wakeman with his grisly cadaver effigy, a late medieval reminder of earthly mortality.
Tewkesbury Abbey is not to be missed and is every bit as rewarding as many of our cathedrals (superior in fact to all but the best). It is normally kept open and welcoming to visitors on a daily basis. I have also had the privilege of working on this great building several times over the years (as part of the team at the studio I once worked for), and have left my mark in glass in a few discreet places.
Under the clock at Waterloo it might not be but St Pancras will soon sport its own rendezvous point, a statue of a couple having a cuddle. London & Continental Railways, the company behind High Speed One and the £800m restoration of St Pancras International station, has unveiled the designs of ‘The Meeting Place’ – a bronze sculpture that will dominate the southern end of the magnificent Barlow train shed at St Pancras International. ‘The Meeting Place’ depicts a couple in romantic embrace and is the work of British sculptor, Paul Day. The nine metre high sculpture will stand on a specially commissioned plinth beneath the new station clock. Says Mr Day, ‘I have tried to understand the nature and spirit of the place to create a work that looks as if it should always have been there. I have given the figures a timeless solidity but also sought a quietness of form that doesn’t agitate the eye.
The attractive town of Tewkesbury has been dominated by its superb abbey church since the beginning of the 12th century, and we can be forever grateful to its townspeople for purchasing the monastic church in 1540 for £453 for use as their parish church, saving it from the fate that befell countless similar great churches across the land during the turmoil of the Dissolution. It reminds us both how lucky we are to still marvel at it today, yet also how great a loss to our heritage the period wrought when many more such buildings were so utterly plundered as to have gone without trace (the fate of the monastic buildings here and even the lady chapel of the church whose footings are laid out in the grass at the east end).
Tewkesbury Abbey is thus rightly celebrated as one of our greatest non-cathedral churches, and remarkably much of the original Norman church remains substantially intact, most apparently in the great central tower, a fine example of Romanesque architecture adorned with rows of blind-arcading. The west front is dominated by a massive Norman-arched recess (enclosing the somewhat later west window) and the nave and transepts remain largely as originally built, though this is less clear externally owing to the changes made to the windows, nearly all of which were enlarged in the 14th century in the Decorated Gothic style. This century also saw the complete rebuilding of the eastern limb of the church, of a form less common in England with radiating chapels surrounding the eastern apse of the choir (the central lady chapel sadly missing since 1540).
The interior reveals far more of the Romanesque structure with mighty columns supporting the round Norman arches of the nave arcades giving the building a great sense of solidity. The space is further enlivened by the changes made during the 14th century by the stunning vault over the nave (adorned with a rewarding series of figurative bosses) which sits surprisingly well with the Norman work below. Beyond the apsidal choir beckons, and both this and the space below the tower are enriched with stunningly complex vaulted ceilings (replete with further bosses and gilded metal stars), all ablaze with colour and gilding.
There is much to enjoy in glass here, most remarkably a complete set of 14th century glazing in the clerestorey of the choir, seven windows filled with saints and prophets (and most memorably two groups of knights in the westernmost windows on each side). A few of the figures have fared less well over the centuries but on the whole this is a wonderfully rare and well preserved scheme. There is much glass from the 19th century too, with an extensive scheme in the nave of good quality work by Hardman's, and more recently a pair of rich windows by Tom Denny were added in one of the polygonal chapels around the east end.
Some of the most memorable features are the monuments with many medieval tombs of note, primarily the effigies and chantry chapels of members of the Despenser family around the choir (two of the chantries being miniature architectural gems in their own right with exquisite fan-vaulting). In one of the apsidal chapels is the unusual cenotaph to Abbot Wakeman with his grisly cadaver effigy, a late medieval reminder of earthly mortality.
Tewkesbury Abbey is not to be missed and is every bit as rewarding as many of our cathedrals (superior in fact to all but the best). It is normally kept open and welcoming to visitors on a daily basis. I have also had the privilege of working on this great building several times over the years (as part of the team at the studio I once worked for), and have left my mark in glass in a few discreet places.