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Chilina, Alto Selva Alegre, Arequipa, Peru. Helios-103 (double-Gauss/Planar-type) • LAINA Zeiss-RF→Leica M + K&F Leica M→Sony E
Sydney Tower is Sydney's tallest free-standing structure, and the second tallest in Australia (with the Q1 building on the Gold Coast being the tallest).[1][2] It is also the second tallest observation tower in the Southern Hemisphere (after Auckland's Sky Tower, though Sydney Tower Eye's main observation deck is almost 50 m (164 ft) higher than that of Auckland's Sky Tower). The name Sydney Tower has become common in daily usage, however the tower is also known as the Sydney Tower Eye, AMP Tower, Westfield Centrepoint Tower, Centrepoint Tower or just Centrepoint. The Sydney Tower is a member of the World Federation of Great Towers.[3]
The tower stands 309 m (1,014 ft) above the Sydney central business district (CBD), located on Market Street, between Pitt and Castlereagh Streets.[4] It is accessible from the Pitt Street Mall, and sits upon the newly refurbished Westfield Sydney (formerly centrepoint arcade). The tower is open to the public, and is one of the most prominent tourist attractions in the city, being visible from a number of vantage points throughout town and from adjoining suburbs.[5][6]
While the shopping centre at the base of the tower is run by the Westfield Group, the tower itself is occupied by Trippas White Group, which owns and operates Sydney Tower Dining,[7] and Merlin Entertainments, which owns and operates the Sydney Tower Eye and Oztrek.[8]
(Be sure to press "L" on your keyboard)
Browsing through some photos from about two years ago I came upon a few I quite liked.
"Bridge 2"
STRUCTURES is a series of generative art pieces the explores the constructions of our world by taking photographs of man-made and natural structures and placing them into a new structure. This process semi-randomly fragments and rearranges the photographs into a grid of my design. I'll often run the images through this process several times, using various grid structures along the way.
Programs used: Lightroom, Photoshop, Processing
via Tumblr lawrence9gold.tumblr.com/post/107993948912
A T T E N T I O N:P S Y C H O A C T I V E______________________
INSTRUCTION IN THE SOMATIC ABILITY
TO DISSOLVE THE HIDDEN GRIP OF AFFLICTION
OR THE COMPULSION TO BE ANYTHING, IN PARTICULAR
— horse training —
— You’re the horse. | You’re the trainer. — Finding Ourselves Out
First thing: I should know about what I’m talking about. I’m an expert on identity formation, as I’ve been running and reforming this identity for years. One of these days, somebody’s going to find me out and we’ll all end up in show-biz.
In show-biz, to the degree that an actor/ess is free within his/her identity set and free to change, to that degree he or she can play different roles well.
(This could be a clue.)
No one of us has a single identity — and that doesn’t necessarily mean we all have Multiple Personality Disorder. It means that our identity changes (more or less), from moment to moment, and in the circumstances of the moment, as we resonate with our circumstances.
The one thing that persists in some way is the vague idea of “self” — the one to whom this identity purportedly belongs. People rarely talk about that one! (It’s our ‘sacred cow’ self — the one “outside it all” and viewing it all, the one who ostensibly never becomes hamburger, supra-Kosmic or otherwise.)
The expression of self changes, but the owner of it seems somehow the same: the secret identity. The Continuity of Memory.
But behaviors, and the provisional identity of the moment, fluctuate. Which one is the “real” identity? Ha-HAH!!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~and now, a very important disclaimer:
That doesn’t mean that we’re the political flip-flopper
who flips and who flops with every passing wind
whose words are as passing wind
and whose meaning has no reliable connection to a functional outcome
whose integrity has big gaps, or lots of little gaps
whose principles are weak
whose equilibrium is easily upset
who takes an unstable stand
the dependent
who has too little active capacity to bring order,
who is not yet educated enough
to create forms with integrity,
who has too little capacity to reverse the course of entropy
in his environment and himself
who uses the word, “fight”, instead of “create”
the secret nature of a mediocre nincompoop
in a position of responsibility beyond him
whose primary interest is
to get rich and avoid getting into trouble
to avoid any kind of crisis, lest he flub his response
he, in a position of visibility,
who fears to look like an incompetent
— or worse — have to face consequences.
Maybe it’s what makes him a schlimazl
for whom nothing good ever seems to happen
since he can’t marshal all the forces needed
to make it happen.
or makes him a shlemiele
(closely related to a no-account fool)
not good at much of anything,
fallen back into being a good-for-nothing freeloader,
an imbiber by days
and something of a hapless dimwit at twilight
walking into lampposts
or, alas, maybe he’s just a poor putz —
a person who’s a total loss
uneducated
unperceptive
incomprehending
wrong and insistent.
Maybe he’s a shmoygeh,
or its sillier version, shmegeggie
whatever that is
a slob
a nudnick (dumb-kopf!)
or a no-goodnick in our eyes
but look!
He has a nice suit!
NO! This is a smart person!
a wonderful person!
He cleans up after himself.
He picks up his clothes.
He can read.
He’s nice.
He’s also a clever person, having learned a thing or two.
He knows the difference between
“flip” and “flop”
knows when it’s OK to be flip
and knows when his flippancy has flopped.
Oh, most unflappable one,
I see you keep your equilibrium pretty well —
— most of the time.
You are intelligently mindful of how we are unavoidable affected by each other
and inextricably interconnected,
with everything unified in the present moment,
not as an idea or ideal, but as a perception
of how things actually are,
feeling and observing how we are affected by this moment
in a resonant and moving equilibrium
continuous in moment to moment experience
participating and yet mystified,
faithful in nothing in this life made of change,
in which the currents of our own existence
carry murky, turbulent memories
that shape and color our times.
You sound like a wise man (or woman).
How did that happen?
~~~~~~~~~~
So, when I speak of identity, I’m not speaking of socialization or role. I’m speaking of something much more fundamental, something that explains human behavior, how we get stuck in behavior, and how we may deliberately grow or evolve through an “unhooking” or “unlocking” process.
To the point:Four steps are involved in identity formation:
experience: the emergence of the “present” from the unknown: self, others and things, the momentary and total condition of “now” | Without the gathering and coalescing of attention and aggregations of memory, experience is void, without meaning, without significance, without object, just movements of the unknown
memory : persistence of experience, the experience of “now” (immediate memory), meaning, recognizable events, holding on to experience and experiences, having experience “be in your face”
identification: choosing to stick with a certain experience at any moment : assigning importance, assuming memory (persistence) is reality : taking remembered experiences of self as self and our perception of other things as “the way they really are.” (The Myth of Actuality = “The Myth of the Given”)
perpetuation: intending, inviting, seeking to make more, or refusing, seeking to make less, all motivation, all “go”, all “stop”, all spin, all involvement with, all imagining
The four Stages of Things Becoming a Priority. Obviously, I have to define my terms, so here goes.
EMERGING EXPERIENCE: ” BEING”, BECOMING
(“the One” multiplied by becoming “the Many”)
At every moment, we have a sense of “how things are”. It’s our most obvious sense of the plain-old present.
It consists of our experience of our situation and our sense of ourselves. Most of this sense of experience is submerged in subconsciousness. But we experience it every time we meet a new person and visit a new place. It’s our first impression — which fades with familiarity, into the background.
This first impression, or sense of the moment, is, at first, of “unknown" (yes, I wrote that rightly). Our first impression is of "unknown". Gradually, with enough time and enough exposure, "unknown" fades-in into "something known" — a memory is formed. Until a sufficiently vivid memory is formed, no experience is being had.
The motions of experience inscribe upon memory an ongoing trail, movements of attention from one thing to another.
MEMORY : THE BASIS OF THE MOVEMENT BETWEEN HARMONY AND DIS-HARMONY
We resort to memory as a proxy for (approximation of) actual experience, so we can more easily focus on experiences that have that pattern, and look for what’s changing, moving, happening. It’s beginning from a presumed base of knowledge.
As we get familiar with anything, we form a memory of it. That memory constitutes our knowing of “how things are”.
Then, the experience of the moment is seen always in terms of existing memories, which grow in a moving, changing pattern. The growing edge of memory is experiencing what is emerging out of the unknown, clothing it in imagination so it may seem known, then forming memories and bridging them with other memories. Impressions form over time about the “realities” of life, colored by memories brought to life by imagination, imagination informed by memory and going beyond.
We form our memories from our experiences of the moving moment of life, the changing harmonics of life. All sensory impressions that go into memory refer to movements and harmonics of life, memories of persons, places and things. Our memories of “the movements and harmonics of life” flavor or dress up all of our sense-impressions of the moment.
A memory of “a movement and a felt harmonic” gets called up every time we recall something and every time we put ourselves in a situation to experience anything familiar. Memory creates expectation.
A way of finding the force of a memory is to notice how much it matters to you.
ASSUMING MEMORIES are REALITY, TRUTH or SELF
We give our memories the status of “truth”, and memories of our own state the status of “self”.
To the degree that something feels, “in your face”, that’s the degree that you take it for truth, for reality, or as self. That’s how solidly set your / my attention is in memory, how solidly fixated, how ingrained, how entranced. That’s how much experience has “got us” by the ….. (ooch!) .
PERPETUATING and/or REFUSING THE EXPERIENCES WE REMEMBER
Persistence and resistance (or intending and refusing) are two forms of the same thing: one is “wanting to make it more” and the other is “wanting to make it less”; the difference, only one of direction; both are “wanting”.
When someone “knows” something, they want (to some degree — strongly or mildly) either to reinforce/assert their knowledge or to minimize/deny it. They want to rely upon it or they want to forbid it. Either way, they want to do that for themselves, for their own sake.
By those acts, they form an attitude, a key part of the ability of identity to express itself, a felt memory.
Once a person has an attitude, they want to impose it upon the world. (Even the idea of “not wanting to impose it on the world” is an attitude.)
That’s the activity of identity, of self-propagation, the genetic imperative that distinguishes itself from others on the basis of memories.
A case in point: Take, for an example, ten year old Jimmy.
experience
Jimmy has never been to a baseball game.
His father comes home with tickets to see the Cardinals.
They go on a Saturday.
At the ballpark, Jimmy takes it all in, eyes open wide.
Dizzy Dean is pitching.
He winds up. There’s the pitch.
Foul ball. Into the stands.
Jimmy catches the ball.
memories
Now, Jimmy has a story to tell the guys in the neighborhood.
What does that do for his social status?
Jimmy likes the attention. He brings the ball to school, he tells the story at Sunday School, around …
The more Jimmy tells the story,
the more he reinforces the memory of it
and his place in it.assuming memories are truth, reality, or self
Jimmy takes credit for catching the foul ball,
lays claim to special status, reason for pride.
casts himself into a self-image that he takes for himself
and shows around.perpetuating what we remember as extended forms of “self”
Soon, Jimmy is a fan.
He’s read up on Dizzy Dean, knows his statistics,
roots for the Cardinals,
feels the glory when they win
feels the humiliation when they lose.
He’s even gotten into a couple of fights over it.
He can’t help himself.
But then, he’s only ten.
That was a long, long time ago.
Now, Jimmy’s a Republican.
another case-in-point:
George enlists in the army.
Goes to war. It’s his patriotic duty.
He’s sent to the front. Wounded.
Now he has a limp. And a medal.
He’s honorably discharged and sent home. He gets special recognition, special privileges. (This was an earlier time.)
He’s sent to an innovative form of therapy that promises he can walk, again. In fact, he’ll lose the limp.
But now, George doesn’t know “who he’d be” without his war wound. He’d seem ordinary. He also can’t imagine walking normally, again. He’s forgotton his “pre-army” state. His wound and his status as a wounded war vet, based in memory and the seeming permanence of his wound, have made him into something else.
The therapy doesn’t work.
He gets into politics. Eventually, he runs for political office.
Now, he gets some mileage out of being a wounded war vet. His wound is his badge of courage. He cherishes the identity of “War Vet”, keeps it low-key on the campaign trail. He imagines that it is some of the basis of the respect with which people treat him, that it’s a “trump card”: On certain topics, no one dares challenge his position.
And, of course, years later, he’s a Republican.
An identity is a standpoint and general ways of operating based on memories of experience, a standpoint that wants to reinforce (or perpetuate) its way of operating in the world.
Everything we know, we want to continue to be “right knowledge”. That’s why people dislike “being wrong” and why “being made wrong” is such a politically incorrect social impropriety. It’s about what “wanting to be right” means — not having to change.
So, first we experience something. And then, as we experience it, we remember it. Then, we assume that memory represents and actually says something reliable about either oneself or something or someone other. We carry all the accumulated memory patterns that form out of the interaction of the world with our memoried self. We act as if life exists in terms of those memory patterns — and so act accordingly — either to perpetuate and reinforce or to refuse or counteract.
That explains how we form behavior patterns, how we get stuck in behavior patterns (egotism, arrogance, “anything goes” or cold-fish authoritarianism), and also how we learn to grow and evolve. It’s a spooky business.
Just as we form innumerable memories from moment to moment, we form innumerable identities for each moment — and hopefully they’re all well interconnected, so we don’t get trapped in one.
The tricky thing about all this is how to avoid getting stuck in the sheer mass and momentum of accumulated memories.
One answer is, to reverse the process. What would happen for Jimmy if he imagined himself going back up the chain of identity formation?
I present The Gold Key Release ( which a New Age Flower Child might call, “The Somatic Crystal Decrystallization Process”, a soul brother: “Da Big, Divine Kosmic Kiss” (mmmWAH!) or, an academic professor, rather stuffily, “A Somatic Faculty”) —- viz:
(NOTE: vizier = one who writes, “viz”.
“Vizier” is Arabic for “wise guy”.)
"Somatic Awakening" is not an "awakening to" or "awakening into"; it’s an awakening as and then an awakening from.
It’s “awakening as” what most ordinarily IS,
scanning it with attentiveness,
feeling it, inhabiting it,
enfolding it,
assessing its “charge”: how one feels implicated (i.e., compelled to act),
the force of memory,
detecting imagination in memory,
then awakening from imagining,
releasing the sense of “something there”, feeling it dissolve into the formless root of attention, feeling attention as no-self.
There. Which is Here.
It’s going backward through
the stages of priority
"upstream" of the creative process,
to awaken, undefined, as self-source — the Natural State, the experience of which feels like A Big, Divine Kosmic Kiss, which we may symbolize by the word,
"mmmmWAH!!!"
which is also what it feels like, as we dissolve into the undefined Condition.
See? No? You will.
He feels his position, attitude, standpoint, or whatever he is stuck with or is perpetuating — his knowledge, his chosen identity, his refuge to the immunity of rightness. Whatever it is, it’s a sensation, felt bodily, with a location, size, shape, and intensity in the overall body-sense (kinesthetic body, subtle body, etheric body, dream body). Feel each term. Pretty similar, huh?
It may occur to him that he may have “bought in to something” — assigning the status of “reality” to his memory-shaped-colored perspective in the world: “the truth” or “The Truth”, “oneself” or “the Self”. It may occur to him that, that he does not “have” it, but that it “has” him. That he lives “inside” it and is subject to its limitations, which he takes as a product of Reality and not a product of his way of remembering and seeing things, his perspective. To him, it’s solid, real, and consequential. The mood is, “This is real." or "This matters" (to a greater or lesser degree— but note: If something makes a difference to you, you’ve bought into it and it has you.)
He feels how much of this sense of “solid truth” or “things mattering with consequences” feels like memory and how much of memory feels like imagination. It’s a “feel” thing, not an “answer” that he comes up with. He traces the feeling from the sense of solid truth to memory to imagination.
He imagines the appearance of a scenario that’s developing and has expectations that are informed, in part, by memory, and so his perception is shaped by memory.
Remembering is re-imagining something into our experience. The seeming persistence, the solidity or reality of anything you can put your attention upon is memory. Memory fades unless refreshed by imagining. The denser the memory, the more persistent it is.The way we do it:
We put attention on the feeling of having some experience.
We sense the feeling of experience without words,
as a sensation someplace within us
We feel its size, shape, intensity.
We pump up our ability to sense our somatic state
with “attention maneuvers”.
We sense how much (not “what”) intention we have toward it
We notice how steadying attention solidifies intention.
We feel the whole package as a single, contained force:
the thing we are experiencing
and our intention toward it made solid by attention.
How intention + attention = memory.
Now, we feel how much it matters
in order to bring ourselves into the relationship
and acknowledge how much we are involved.
How much it matters has to do with our relation to the world.
Try it.
We may then own the intensity of the memory
even if we don’t know what the memory is
and we may sift that intensity
for the movements of imagining.
We feel how much it feels like “solid reality”, how much feels like memory, and how much of the memory feels a bit like imagining (or as we like to say, “daydreaming” or “being entranced”).
We feel “remembering” and “imagining” and alternate between them until we can zero in on each equally steadily and equally easily, and so can balance them. What makes it easier to alternate more to one side than the other is that we are more entranced by it. These words make sense with experience, but perhaps not before. Save yourself the brain-fog; instead of “trying to figure it out”, just do it. (Once.)
If you have trouble with this step, deliberately remember something. Feel what remembering feels like. Then imagine something. Feel what imagining feels like.
Now apply those distinctions to your sense of “solid truth”.
Feel the dissolution of his “fix” (or fixation) — the thing he has been perpetuating — as his discovery or sense of “how much of it is imagination” is “the little valve” through which the “air” that has inflated his sense of “solid truth” (and ego) escapes. Simpler if he just does Step 3. (Imagination is easier to let go than “solid truth”.)
He takes a breath, lets go and falls into his identity-less, natural state, at least for the moment. (Don’t do this while driving or try to understand this by reading it. Do the procedure. Do it well at least once.)
He checks the remaining intensity of the feeling. If anything is left, he starts at Step 1.
QUESTION: Would he quit being a Republican?
I ask you.
From here, we go to the first magical process for decrystallizing crystallized identity patterns:
The Gold Key Release
MORE:Other Magic Following Upon the Gold Key ReleaseThe Wish-Fulfilling Gem
Esoteric Somatics and Tibetan BuddhismSEARCH KEYWORDS:(to return to this entry again, later.
caring | | 42
harmony | 85 | 94
memory | | 89
identification | 7 | 148
perpetuation | 78 | 162
copyright 2014 Lawrence Gold
This writing may be reproduced only in its entirety
with accurate attribution of authorship.
Do it for yourself - somatics.com/page7-htm
ifttt.com/images/no_image_card.png via Blogger lawrencegoldsomatics.blogspot.com/2015/01/somatology-ulti...
Purana Qila (Hindi: पुराना क़िला, Urdu: پُرانا قلعہ, translation: Old Fort), is the oldest fort among all forts in Delhi and, the oldest known structure of any type in Delhi. It was rebuilt by the Afghan king Sher Shah Suri, on the same site, which was perhaps the site of Indraprastha, believed to be the capital of the Pandavas. Sher Shah raised the citadel of Purana-Qal'a with an extensive city-area sprawling around it. It seems that the Purana-Qal'a was still incomplete at Sher Shah's death in 1545, and was perhaps completed by his son Islam Shah or Humayun, although it is not certain which parts were built by whom. It's located at the site of the legendary city of Indraprastha, that was founded by Pandavas on the banks of perennial river Yamuna, which is revered by Hindus since ages, points to the possibility of this site's history dating back to nearly more than 5000 years old. Consequently the fort is considered by some, to be 'the first city of Delhi'. Researchers now confirm that up till 1913, a village called Indrapat existed within the fort walls. Excavations carried out by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) at Purana Quila in 1954-55 (trial trenches) and again 1969 to 1973 by its Director, B B Lal have unearthed Painted Grey Ware dating 1000 B.C., and with a continuous cultural sequence from Mauryan to Mughal through Sunga, Kushana, Gupta, Rajput and Sultanate periods, confirming the antiquity of the fort.
FORT IN MEDIEVAL PERIOD
Fort was called as the inner pitamdel of the city of Dina-panah during Humayun's rule who renovated it in 1533 and completed five years later. Purana Qila and its environs flourished as the "sixth city of Delhi".
The founder of the Suri Dynasty, Sher Shah Suri, defeated Humayun in 1540, naming the fort Shergarh; he added several more structures in the complex during his five-year reign until his death in 1545.
Subsequently Islam Shah took over the reins of North India from this fort, but shifted his capital to Gwalior, as it was supposed to be a safer capital in that period, leaving the charge of Delhi and Punjab to his Hindu Governor and military General Hemu. After Islam Shah's death in 1553, Adil Shah Suri took charge of North India and appointed Hemu as the Prime Minister-cum-Chief of Army and himself retired in Chunar fort in eastern UP. According to Abul Fazal, Hemu became virtual king and had all authority of appointments and other decisions making. Hemu was busy in quelling rebellion in east India and this fort remained neglected. Humayun, who was based in Kabul at this time, seized the opportunity to re-capture the citadel and the seat of Delhi in 1555, fifteen years after abandoning it following his defeats at the hands of the Suri Dynasty in the Battles of Chausa and Kannauj. Humayun's reign proved brief thereafter; he died following an accidental fall within the fort complex at Sher Mandal only a year later, in Jan. 1556.
Hearing about re-capture of Delhi by Humayun, Hemu, the Hindu Prime Minister – cum – Chief of Army of Adil Shah, rushed towards Delhi from Bengal, where he had just quelled a rebellion, defeating and killing Muhhamad Shah, the ruler of Bengal. After capturing Agra, Itawah, and Kanpur with relative ease, Hemu, who had won 22 battles spanning entire north India, met and defeated the forces of Akbar, which were led by Tardi Beg Khan, in the Battle for Delhi, which took place in the Tuglaqabad area on 5–6 October 1556. Hemu had his Rajyabhishek or Coronation at Purana Quila on 7 October 1556, declared 'Hindu Raj' in North India, and was bestowed the title of Samrat Hem Chandra Vikramaditya. Hemu, who later lost his life at the Second battle of Panipat in Nov. 1556, subsequently had his torso hung outside this fort to create terror among Hindus.
CONSTRUCTION
The walls of the Fort rise to a height of 18 metres, traverse about 1.5 km, and have three arched gateways: the Bara Darwaza (Big Gate) facing west, which is still in use today; the south gate, also popularly known as the 'Humayun Gate' (probably so known because it was constructed by Humayun, or perhaps because Humayun's Tomb is visible from there); and lastly, the 'Talaqi Gate', often known as the "forbidden gate". All the gates are double-storeyed sandstone structures flanked by two huge semi-circular bastion towers, decorated with white and coloured-marble inlays and blue tiles. They are replete with detailing, including ornate overhanging balconies, or jharokhas, and are topped by pillared pavilions (chhatris), all features that are reminiscent of Rajasthani architecture as seen in the North and South Gates, and which were amply repeated in future Mughal architecture. Despite the grandeurs of the exterior, few of interior structures have survived except the Qila-i Kuhna Mosque and the Shermandal, both credited to Sher Shah.
INDRAPRASTHA
Delhi is thought by some to be located at the site of the legendary city of Indraprastha founded by the Pandavas from Mahabharata period, which is consequently considered the 'First City of Delhi', In support of this, until 1913, a village called Indrapat existed within the fort walls.
Ironically, the dates in support of Indraprastha and said five thousand year old city clash directly with proof found in other sites in India, namely the Indus Valley Civilization
Cultural cross reference of the larger Indian sphere at the time, negates many modern commonly accepted theories.
EXCAVATIONS
Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) carried out excavations at Purana Qila in 1954–55 and again from 1969 to 1973 by B. B. Lal, and its findings and artefacts are exhibited at the Archaeological Museum, Purana Qila. This includes Painted Grey Ware, dating 1000 BC, and various objects and pottery signifying continuous habitation from Mauryan to Sunga, Kushana, Gupta, Rajput, Delhi Sultanate and Mughal periods.
HISTORY
Purana Qila, situated on the banks of Yamuna, was constructed by the Pandavas as Indraprastha 5,000 years ago, during the period of the Indus Valley civilization. It is where Humayun's capital Din Panah was located. Later it was renovated and named Shergarh by the first Afghan emperor of India, Sher Shah Suri. The Hindu king Hemu (Samrat Hem Chandra Vikramaditya), often referred to as the last Hindu emperor of India, was crowned there after defeating Akbar's forces in the Battle of Delhi (1556) on 7 October 1556. The Fort was supposed to be unlucky for rulers who occupied the site; Humayun, Sher Shah Suri, and Hemu all had but relatively brief tenures ensconced there - Humayun on two separate occasions, having lost the fort to Sher Shah only five years after erecting it, and dying within a year of recapturing it 15 years later. Akbar did not rule from here and Shahjahan built a new fort in Delhi known as Lal Qila ("Red Fort").
When Edwin Lutyens designed the new capital of British India, New Delhi in the 1920s, he aligned the central vista, now Rajpath, with Purana Qila.[13] During the Partition of India, in August 1947 the Purana Qila along with the neighbouring Humayun's Tomb, became the site for refuge camps for Muslims migrating to newly founded Pakistan. This included over 12,000 government employees who had opted for service in Pakistan, and between 150,000–200,000 Muslim refugees, who swarmed inside Purana Qila by September 1947, when Indian government took over the management of the two camps. The Purana Qila camp remained functional till early 1948, as the trains to Pakistan waited till October 1947 to start.
In the 1970s, the ramparts of Purana Qila were first used as a backdrop for theatre, when three productions of the National School of Drama were staged here: Tughlaq, Andha Yug and Sultan Razia, directed by Ebrahim Alkazi. In later decades it has been the venue of various important theatre productions, cultural events, and concerts. Today, it is the venue of a daily sound and light presentation after sunset, on the history of the "Seven Cities of Delhi", from Indraprastha through New Delhi.
QILA-I-KUHNA MOSQE
The single-domed Qila-i-Kuna Mosque, built by Sher Shah in 1541 is an excellent example of a pre-Mughal design, and an early example of the extensive use of the pointed arch in the region as seen in its five doorways with the 'true' horseshoe-shaped arches. It was designed as a Jami Mosque, or Friday mosque for the Sultan and his courtiers. The prayer hall inside, the single-aisled mosque, measures 51.20m by 14.90m and has five elegant arched prayer niches or mihrabs set in its western wall. Marble in shades of red, white and slate is used for the calligraphic inscriptions on the central iwan, marks a transition from Lodhi to Mughal architecture. At one time, the courtyard had a shallow tank, with a fountain.
A second storey, accessed through staircases from the prayer hall, with a narrow passage running along the rectangular hall, provided space for female courtiers to pray, while the arched doorway on the left wall, framed by ornate jharokas, was reserved for members of the royal family. On a marble slab within the mosque an inscription reads: "As long as there are people on the earth, may this edifice be frequented and people be happy and cheerful in it". Today it is the best preserved building in Purana Qila.
SHER MANDAL
The Sher Mandal named for Farid (sher shah) who had tried to finish what was ordered by Babur but had died during the initial phase and so construction was halted until the arrival of Humayun.
This double-storeyed octagonal tower of red sandstone with steep stairs leading up to the roof was intended to be higher than its existing height. Its original builder was Babur who ordered the construction and was used as a personal observatory and library for his son Humayun, finished only after he recaptured the fort. It is also one of the first observatories of Delhi, the first being in Pir Gharib at Hindu Rao at Ridge built in the 14th century by Firoz shah Tughlaq. The tower is topped by an octagonal chhatri supported by eight pillars and decorated with white marble in typical Mughal style.
Inside there are remnants of the decorative plaster-work and traces of stone-shelving where, presumably, the emperor's books were placed.
This was also the spot where, on 24 January 1556 Humayun fell from the second floor to his death. He slipped while hastening to the evening prayers, following his hobby of astronomical star gazing at the top of this private observatory. He fell headlong down the stairs and died of his injuries two days later. Entry inside the library is now prohibited.
OUTLYING MONUMENTS
Several other monument also lie around the complex, like Kairul Manzil, mosque built by Maham Anga, Akbar's foster-mother, and which was later used as a madarsa. Sher Shah Suri Gate or Lal Darwaza, which was the South Gate to Shergarh, the city he founded, also lies opposite the Purana Qila complex, across Mathura Road, south-east of the Kairul Manzil.
WIKIPEDIA
Angkor Wat or "Capital Temple" is a temple complex in Cambodia and the largest religious monument in the world. It was first a Hindu and later a Buddhist temple. It was built by the Khmer King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century in Yaśodharapura, present-day Angkor, the capital of the Khmer Empire, as his state temple and eventual mausoleum.
Breaking from the Shiva tradition of previous kings, Angkor Wat was instead dedicated to Vishnu. As the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious center since its foundation. The temple is at the top of the high classical style of Khmer architecture. It has become a symbol of Cambodia, appearing on its national flag, and it is the country's prime attraction for visitors. Angkor Wat combines two basic plans of Khmer temple architecture: the temple-mountain and the later galleried temple, based on early Dravidian architecture, with key features such as the Jagati. It is designed to represent Mount Meru, home of the devas in Hindu mythology: within a moat and an outer wall 3.6 kilometres long are three rectangular galleries, each raised above the next. At the centre of the temple stands a quincunx of towers. Unlike most Angkorian temples, Angkor Wat is oriented to the west; scholars are divided as to the significance of this. The temple is admired for the grandeur and harmony of the architecture, its extensive bas-reliefs, and for the numerous devatas adorning its walls.
The modern name, Angkor Wat, means "Temple City" or "City of Temples" in Khmer; Angkor, meaning "city" or "capital city", is a vernacular form of the word nokor (នគរ), which comes from the Sanskrit word nagara (नगर). Wat is the Khmer word for "temple grounds" (Sanskrit: वाट vāṭa ""enclosure").
HISTORY
Angkor Wat lies 5.5 kilometres north of the modern town of Siem Reap, and a short distance south and slightly east of the previous capital, which was centred at Baphuon. It is in an area of Cambodia where there is an important group of ancient structures. It is the southernmost of Angkor's main sites.
According to one legend, the construction of Angkor Wat was ordered by Indra to act as a palace for his son Precha Ket Mealea.
According to the 13th century Chinese traveler Daguan Zhou, it was believed by some that the temple was constructed in a single night by a divine architect. The initial design and construction of the temple took place in the first half of the 12th century, during the reign of Suryavarman II (ruled 1113-C. 1150). Dedicated to Vishnu, it was built as the king's state temple and capital city. As neither the foundation stela nor any contemporary inscriptions referring to the temple have been found, its original name is unknown, but it may have been known as "Varah Vishnu-lok" after the presiding deity. Work seems to have ended shortly after the king's death, leaving some of the bas-relief decoration unfinished.
In 1177, approximately 27 years after the death of Suryavarman II, Angkor was sacked by the Chams, the traditional enemies of the Khmer. Thereafter the empire was restored by a new king, Jayavarman VII, who established a new capital and state temple (Angkor Thom and the Bayon respectively) a few kilometers to the north.
In the late 13th century, Angkor Wat gradually moved from Hindu to Theravada Buddhist use, which continues to the present day. Angkor Wat is unusual among the Angkor temples in that although it was somewhat neglected after the 16th century it was never completely abandoned, its preservation being due in part to the fact that its moat also provided some protection from encroachment by the jungle.
One of the first Western visitors to the temple was António da Madalena, a Portuguese monk who visited in 1586 and said that it "is of such extraordinary construction that it is not possible to describe it with a pen, particularly since it is like no other building in the world. It has towers and decoration and all the refinements which the human genius can conceive of."
In the mid-19th century, the temple was visited by the French naturalist and explorer, Henri Mouhot, who popularised the site in the West through the publication of travel notes, in which he wrote:
"One of these temples - a rival to that of Solomon, and erected by some ancient Michelangelo - might take an honorable place beside our most beautiful buildings. It is grander than anything left to us by Greece or Rome, and presents a sad contrast to the state of barbarism in which the nation is now plunged."
Mouhot, like other early Western visitors, found it difficult to believe that the Khmers could have built the temple, and mistakenly dated it to around the same era as Rome. The true history of Angkor Wat was pieced together only from stylistic and epigraphic evidence accumulated during the subsequent clearing and restoration work carried out across the whole Angkor site. There were no ordinary dwellings or houses or other signs of settlement including cooking utensils, weapons, or items of clothing usually found at ancient sites. Instead there is the evidence of the monuments themselves.
Angkor Wat required considerable restoration in the 20th century, mainly the removal of accumulated earth and vegetation. Work was interrupted by the civil war and Khmer Rouge control of the country during the 1970s and 1980s, but relatively little damage was done during this period other than the theft and destruction of mostly post-Angkorian statues.The temple is a powerful symbol of Cambodia, and is a source of great national pride that has factored into Cambodia's diplomatic relations with France, the United States and its neighbor Thailand. A depiction of Angkor Wat has been a part of Cambodian national flags since the introduction of the first version circa 1863. From a larger historical and even transcultural perspective, however, the temple of Angkor Wat did not become a symbol of national pride sui generis but had been inscribed into a larger politico-cultural process of French-colonial heritage production in which the original temple site was presented in French colonial and universal exhibitions in Paris and Marseille between 1889 and 1937. Angkor Wat's aesthetics were also on display in the plaster cast museum of Louis Delaporte called musée Indo-chinois which existed in the Parisian Trocadero Palace from C. 1880 to the mid-1920s. The splendid artistic legacy of Angkor Wat and other Khmer monuments in the Angkor region led directly to France adopting Cambodia as a protectorate on 11 August 1863 and invading Siam to take control of the ruins. This quickly led to Cambodia reclaiming lands in the northwestern corner of the country that had been under Siamese (Thai) control since 1351 AD (Manich Jumsai 2001), or by some accounts, 1431 AD. Cambodia gained independence from France on 9 November 1953 and has controlled Angkor Wat since that time.
ARCHITECTURE
SITE AND PLAN
Angkor Wat, located at 13°24′45″N 103°52′0″E, is a unique combination of the temple mountain, the standard design for the empire's state temples and the later plan of concentric galleries. The temple is a representation of Mount Meru, the home of the gods: the central quincunx of towers symbolises the five peaks of the mountain, and the walls and moat the surrounding mountain ranges and ocean. Access to the upper areas of the temple was progressively more exclusive, with the laity being admitted only to the lowest level. Unlike most Khmer temples, Angkor Wat is oriented to the west rather than the east. This has led many (including Maurice Glaize and George Coedès) to conclude that Suryavarman intended it to serve as his funerary temple.Further evidence for this view is provided by the bas-reliefs, which proceed in a counter-clockwise direction - prasavya in Hindu terminology - as this is the reverse of the normal order. Rituals take place in reverse order during Brahminic funeral services. The archaeologist Charles Higham also describes a container which may have been a funerary jar which was recovered from the central tower. It has been nominated by some as the greatest expenditure of energy on the disposal of a corpse. Freeman and Jacques, however, note that several other temples of Angkor depart from the typical eastern orientation, and suggest that Angkor Wat's alignment was due to its dedication to Vishnu, who was associated with the west.
A further interpretation of Angkor Wat has been proposed by Eleanor Mannikka. Drawing on the temple's alignment and dimensions, and on the content and arrangement of the bas-reliefs, she argues that the structure represents a claimed new era of peace under King Suryavarman II: "as the measurements of solar and lunar time cycles were built into the sacred space of Angkor Wat, this divine mandate to rule was anchored to consecrated chambers and corridors meant to perpetuate the king's power and to honor and placate the deities manifest in the heavens above." Mannikka's suggestions have been received with a mixture of interest and scepticism in academic circles. She distances herself from the speculations of others, such as Graham Hancock, that Angkor Wat is part of a representation of the constellation Draco.
STYLE
Angkor Wat is the prime example of the classical style of Khmer architecture - the Angkor Wat style - to which it has given its name. By the 12th century Khmer architects had become skilled and confident in the use of sandstone (rather than brick or laterite) as the main building material. Most of the visible areas are of sandstone blocks, while laterite was used for the outer wall and for hidden structural parts. The binding agent used to join the blocks is yet to be identified, although natural resins or slaked lime has been suggested. The temple has drawn praise above all for the harmony of its design. According to Maurice Glaize, a mid-20th-century conservator of Angkor, the temple "attains a classic perfection by the restrained monumentality of its finely balanced elements and the precise arrangement of its proportions. It is a work of power, unity and style." Architecturally, the elements characteristic of the style include: the ogival, redented towers shaped like lotus buds; half-galleries to broaden passageways; axial galleries connecting enclosures; and the cruciform terraces which appear along the main axis of the temple. Typical decorative elements are devatas (or apsaras), bas-reliefs, and on pediments extensive garlands and narrative scenes. The statuary of Angkor Wat is considered conservative, being more static and less graceful than earlier work. Other elements of the design have been destroyed by looting and the passage of time, including gilded stucco on the towers, gilding on some figures on the bas-reliefs, and wooden ceiling panels and doors.
FEATURES
OUTER ENCLOSURE
The outer wall, 1024 by 802 m and 4.5 m high, is surrounded by a 30 m apron of open ground and a moat 190 m wide. Access to the temple is by an earth bank to the east and a sandstone causeway to the west; the latter, the main entrance, is a later addition, possibly replacing a wooden bridge. There are gopuras at each of the cardinal points; the western is by far the largest and has three ruined towers. Glaize notes that this gopura both hides and echoes the form of the temple proper. Under the southern tower is a statue of Vishnu, known as Ta Reach, which may originally have occupied the temple's central shrine.Galleries run between the towers and as far as two further entrances on either side of the gopura often referred to as "elephant gates", as they are large enough to admit those animals. These galleries have square pillars on the outer (west) side and a closed wall on the inner (east) side. The ceiling between the pillars is decorated with lotus rosettes; the west face of the wall with dancing figures; and the east face of the wall with balustered windows, dancing male figures on prancing animals, and devatas, including (south of the entrance) the only one in the temple to be showing her teeth. The outer wall encloses a space of 820,000 square metres, which besides the temple proper was originally occupied by the city and, to the north of the temple, the royal palace. Like all secular buildings of Angkor, these were built of perishable materials rather than of stone, so nothing remains of them except the outlines of some of the streets. Most of the area is now covered by forest. A 350 m causeway connects the western gopura to the temple proper, with naga balustrades and six sets of steps leading down to the city on either side. Each side also features a library with entrances at each cardinal point, in front of the third set of stairs from the entrance, and a pond between the library and the temple itself. The ponds are later additions to the design, as is the cruciform terrace guarded by lions connecting the causeway to the central structure.
CENTRAL STRUCTURE
The temple stands on a terrace raised higher than the city. It is made of three rectangular galleries rising to a central tower, each level higher than the last. Mannikka interprets these galleries as being dedicated to the king, Brahma, the moon, and Vishnu.
Each gallery has a gopura at each of the points, and the two inner galleries each have towers at their corners, forming a quincunx with the central tower. Because the temple faces west, the features are all set back towards the east, leaving more space to be filled in each enclosure and gallery on the west side; for the same reason the west-facing steps are shallower than those on the other sides.
The outer gallery measures 187 by 215 m, with pavilions rather than towers at the corners. The gallery is open to the outside of the temple, with columned half-galleries extending and buttressing the structure. Connecting the outer gallery to the second enclosure on the west side is a cruciform cloister called Preah Poan (the "Hall of a Thousand Gods"). Buddha images were left in the cloister by pilgrims over the centuries, although most have now been removed. This area has many inscriptions relating the good deeds of pilgrims, most written in Khmer but others in Burmese and Japanese. The four small courtyards marked out by the cloister may originally have been filled with water.
North and south of the cloister are libraries.
Beyond, the second and inner galleries are connected to each other and to two flanking libraries by another cruciform terrace, again a later addition. From the second level upwards, devatas abound on the walls, singly or in groups of up to four. The second-level enclosure is 100 by 115 m, and may originally have been flooded to represent the ocean around Mount Meru.
Three sets of steps on each side lead up to the corner towers and gopuras of the inner gallery. The very steep stairways represent the difficulty of ascending to the kingdom of the gods. This inner gallery, called the Bakan, is a 60 m square with axial galleries connecting each gopura with the central shrine, and subsidiary shrines located below the corner towers. The roofings of the galleries are decorated with the motif of the body of a snake ending in the heads of lions or garudas. Carved lintels and pediments decorate the entrances to the galleries and to the shrines. The tower above the central shrine rises 43 m to a height of 65 m above the ground; unlike those of previous temple mountains, the central tower is raised above the surrounding four. The shrine itself, originally occupied by a statue of Vishnu and open on each side, was walled in when the temple was converted to Theravada Buddhism, the new walls featuring standing Buddhas. In 1934, the conservator George Trouvé excavated the pit beneath the central shrine: filled with sand and water it had already been robbed of its treasure, but he did find a sacred foundation deposit of gold leaf two metres above ground level.
DECORATION
Integrated with the architecture of the building, and one of the causes for its fame is Angkor Wat's extensive decoration, which predominantly takes the form of bas-relief friezes. The inner walls of the outer gallery bear a series of large-scale scenes mainly depicting episodes from the Hindu epics the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Higham has called these, "the greatest known linear arrangement of stone carving".
From the north-west corner anti-clockwise, the western gallery shows the Battle of Lanka (from the Ramayana, in which Rama defeats Ravana) and the Battle of Kurukshetra (from the Mahabharata, showing the mutual annihilation of the Kaurava and Pandava clans). On the southern gallery follow the only historical scene, a procession of Suryavarman II, then the 32 hells and 37 heavens of Hindu mythology.
On the eastern gallery is one of the most celebrated scenes, the Churning of the Sea of Milk, showing 92 asuras and 88 devas using the serpent Vasuki to churn the sea under Vishnu's direction (Mannikka counts only 91 asuras, and explains the asymmetrical numbers as representing the number of days from the winter solstice to the spring equinox, and from the equinox to the summer solstice). It is followed by Vishnu defeating asuras (a 16th-century addition). The northern gallery shows Krishna's victory over Bana (where according to Glaize, "The workmanship is at its worst"). and a battle between the Hindu gods and asuras. The north-west and south-west corner pavilions both feature much smaller-scale scenes, some unidentified but most from the Ramayana or the life of Krishna. Angkor Wat is decorated with depictions of apsaras and devata; there are more than 1,796 depictions of devata in the present research inventory. Angkor Wat architects employed small apsara images (30–40 cm) as decorative motifs on pillars and walls. They incorporated larger devata images (all full-body portraits measuring approximately 95–110 cm) more prominently at every level of the temple from the entry pavilion to the tops of the high towers. In 1927, Sappho Marchal published a study cataloging the remarkable diversity of their hair, headdresses, garments, stance, jewelry and decorative flowers, which Marchal concluded were based on actual practices of the Angkor period.
CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES
The stones, as smooth as polished marble, were laid without mortar with very tight joints that are sometimes hard to find. The blocks were held together by mortise and tenon joints in some cases, while in others they used dovetails and gravity. The blocks were presumably put in place by a combination of elephants, coir ropes, pulleys and bamboo scaffolding. Henri Mouhot noted that most of the blocks had holes 2.5 cm in diameter and 3 cm deep, with more holes on the larger blocks. Some scholars have suggested that these were used to join them together with iron rods, but others claim they were used to hold temporary pegs to help manoeuvre them into place. The monument was made out of millions of tonnes of sandstone and it has a greater volume as well as mass than the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. The Angkor Wat Temple consumes about 6 million to 10 million blocks of sandstone with an average weight of 1.5 tons each. In fact, the entire city of Angkor used up far greater amounts of stone than all the Egyptian pyramids combined, and occupied an area significantly greater than modern-day Paris. Moreover, unlike the Egyptian pyramids which use limestone quarried barely half a km away all the time, the entire city of Angkor was built with sandstone quarried 40 km (or more) away. This sandstone had to be transported from Mount Kulen, a quarry approximately 40 km to the northeast. The route has been suggested to span 35 kilometres along a canal towards Tonlé Sap lake, another 35 kilometres crossing the lake, and finally 15 kilometres upstream and against the current along Siem Reap River, making a total journey of 90 kilometres. However, Etsuo Uchida and Ichita Shimoda of Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan have discovered in 2012 a shorter 35-kilometre canal connecting Mount Kulen and Angkor Wat using satellite imagery. The two believe that the Khmer used this route instead.
Virtually all of its surfaces, columns, lintels even roofs are carved. There are miles of reliefs illustrating scenes from Indian literature including unicorns, griffins, winged dragons pulling chariots as well as warriors following an elephant-mounted leader and celestial dancing girls with elaborate hair styles. The gallery wall alone is decorated with almost 1000 square metres of bas reliefs. Holes on some of the Angkor walls indicate that they may have been decorated with bronze sheets. These were highly prized in ancient times and were a prime target for robbers. While excavating Khajuraho, Alex Evans, a stonemason and sculptor, recreated a stone sculpture under 1.2 m, this took about 60 days to carve. Roger Hopkins and Mark Lehner also conducted experiments to quarry limestone which took 12 quarrymen 22 days to quarry about 400 tons of stone. The labor force to quarry, transport, carve and install so much sandstone must have run into the thousands including many highly skilled artisans. The skills required to carve these sculptures were developed hundreds of years earlier, as demonstrated by some artifacts that have been dated to the seventh century, before the Khmer came to power.
ANGKOR WAT TODAY
The Archaeological Survey of India carried out restoration work on the temple between 1986 and 1992. Since the 1990s, Angkor Wat has seen continued conservation efforts and a massive increase in tourism. The temple is part of the Angkor World Heritage Site, established in 1992, which has provided some funding and has encouraged the Cambodian government to protect the site. The German Apsara Conservation Project (GACP) is working to protect the devatas and other bas-reliefs which decorate the temple from damage. The organisation's survey found that around 20% of the devatas were in very poor condition, mainly because of natural erosion and deterioration of the stone but in part also due to earlier restoration efforts. Other work involves the repair of collapsed sections of the structure, and prevention of further collapse: the west facade of the upper level, for example, has been buttressed by scaffolding since 2002, while a Japanese team completed restoration of the north library of the outer enclosure in 2005. World Monuments Fund began conservation work on the Churning of the Sea of Milk Gallery in 2008 after several years of conditions studies. The project restored the traditional Khmer roofing system and removed cement used in earlier restoration attempts that had resulted in salts entering the structure behind the bas-relief, discoloring and damaging the sculpted surfaces. The main phase of work ended in 2012, and the final component will be the installation of finials on the roof of the gallery in 2013. Microbial biofilms have been found degrading sandstone at Angkor Wat, Preah Khan, and the Bayon and West Prasat in Angkor. The dehydration and radiation resistant filamentous cyanobacteria can produce organic acids that degrade the stone. A dark filamentous fungus was found in internal and external Preah Khan samples, while the alga Trentepohlia was found only in samples taken from external, pink-stained stone at Preah Khan. Angkor Wat has become a major tourist destination. In 2004 and 2005, government figures suggest that, respectively, 561.000 and 677.000 foreign visitors arrived in Siem Reap province, approximately 50% of all foreign tourists in Cambodia for both years. The site has been managed by the private SOKIMEX group since 1990, which rented it from the Cambodian government. The influx of tourists has so far caused relatively little damage, other than some graffiti; ropes and wooden steps have been introduced to protect the bas-reliefs and floors, respectively. Tourism has also provided some additional funds for maintenance - as of 2000 approximately 28% of ticket revenues across the whole Angkor site was spent on the temples - although most work is carried out by foreign government-sponsored teams rather than by the Cambodian authorities. Since Angkor Wat has seen significant growth in tourism throughout the years UNESCO and its International Co-ordinating Committee for the Safeguarding and Development of the Historic Site of Angkor (ICC), in association with representatives from the Royal Government and APSARA, organized seminars to discuss the concept of "cultural tourism". Wanting to avoid commercial and mass tourism, the seminars emphasized the importance of providing high quality accommodation and services in order for the Cambodian government to benefit economically, while also incorporating the richness of Cambodian culture. In 2001, this incentive resulted in the concept of the "Angkor Tourist City" which would be developed with regard to traditional Khmer architecture, contain leisure and tourist facilities, and provide luxurious hotels capable of accommodating large amounts of tourists. The prospect of developing such large tourist accommodations has encountered concerns from both APSARA and the ICC, claiming that previous tourism developments in the area have neglected construction regulations and more of these projects have the potential to damage landscape features. Also, the large scale of these projects have begun to threaten the quality of the nearby town's water, sewage, and electricity systems. It has been noted that such high frequency of tourism and growing demand for quality accommodations in the area, such as the development of a large highway, has had a direct effect on the underground water table, subsequently straining the structural stability of the temples at Angkor Wat. Locals of Siem Reap have also voiced concern over the charming nature and atmosphere of their town being compromised in order to entertain tourism. Since this charming local atmosphere is the key component to projects like Angkor Tourist City, local officials continue to discuss how to successfully incorporate future tourism without sacrificing local values and culture. At the ASEAN Tourism Forum 2012, both parties have agreed Borobudur and Angkor Wat to become sister sites and the provinces will become sister provinces. Two Indonesian airlines are considering the opportunity to open a direct flight from Yogyakarta, Indonesia to Siem Reap.
WIKIPEDIA
The terrace of "Nalbero" is signed EFESTO! Efesto's structure is characterized from elegance , versatility , safety and quality.
The chantry chapel of King Henry V (d.1422) encloses the eastern end of the Confessor's chapel and the lower part of the apse, forming an upper and lower structure that curiously straddles the ambulatory behind. The lower part contains the tomb of the King (his wooden effigy long since stripped of its original silver adornments around the time of the Reformation and had to wait till 1971 to recieve a new head) while above is a chapel (inaccessible to visitors) which retains most of its original medieval statuary (which again is frustratingly difficult to see in detail).
www.westminster-abbey.org/abbey-commemorations/royals/hen...
Westminster Abbey is perhaps the most significant church in English History, site of the coronation of monarchs since it was founded by Edward the Confessor, and burial place of the majority of them, along with many other historical figures of note. It is first and foremost a superlative work of medieval architecture, from its soaring 13th-14th century nave, transepts and choir (all in a curiously French inspired version of Decorated Gothic) to the masterpiece of English Perpendicular, the incredibly lacy fan-vaulted Henry VII's chapel at the east end.
The Abbey is also a treasure house of ecclesiastical art, most of it monumental sculpture on the numerous tombs and effigies of almost every date ranging from the entire medieval period through to the 20th century; a somewhat cluttered interior, crammed full of interest, there is simply nothing else quite like it, no other church contains so many monuments.
The Abbey's monastic ranges partially survive, most notably the cloisters and superb chapter house; a short summary of the Abbey's riches is simply impossible. The monastery itself was shut down during the Dissolution, after which the Abbey briefly became a cathedral until its diocesan rank was revoked merely a decade later. Today it is designated a 'Royal Peculiar' owing to its unique status.
The Abbey is a textbook in stone of British history, and thus a hugely popular tourist attraction. It currently has more limited opening hours in the post-Covid recovery period and entry is not cheap, but happily after decades of a strict prohibition against photographers the rules have now been relaxed at last and visitors are now welcome to fully enjoy this marvellous building with their cameras!
For further details (and restrictions) see below:-
Ruthwell is a village and parish on the Solway Firth between Dumfries and Annan in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.
Thomas Randolph, Earl of Moray, gave Ruthwell to his nephew, Sir William Murray, confirmed to Sir John Murray, of Cockpool, in 1509 by King James VI. He was later given the title Earl of Annandale: their landownings in Ruthwell passed by inheritance to Lord Stormont in 1658, and after 1792 to the Earls of Mansfield.
Ruthwell's most famous inhabitant was the Rev. Henry Duncan. He was a minister, author, antiquarian, geologist, publisher, philanthropist, artist and businessman. In 1810 Dr Duncan opened the world's first commercial savings bank, Ruthwell Savings Bank, paying interest on its investors' modest savings. The Savings Bank Museum tells the story of early home savings in Britain. The museum is on the site of the Ruthwell Savings Bank.
In 1818, Duncan restored the Ruthwell Cross, one of the finest Anglo-Saxon crosses in the United Kingdom, now in Ruthwell church, which had been broken up in the Scottish Reformation. This cross is remarkable for its sculpture and inscriptions in Latin and Old English, some in Anglo-Saxon runes, which include excerpts from The Dream of the Rood, an Old English poem. After the Disruption of 1843 in the Church of Scotland, Dr. Duncan became one of the founding ministers of the Free Church of Scotland.
During his youth, Robert Murray M'Cheyne spent summer holidays at Clarence Cottage in the hamlet of Clarencefield near Ruthwell, the home of his maternal aunt. During these visits he would often call to see "Uncle" Henry Duncan at the manse. M'Cheyne's parents were born in this part of Scotland.
Brow Well
The Brow Well is situated 3 km west of the village of Ruthwell. This well, stained reddish by the high levels of iron salts in the water, is the place where Scottish poet Robert Burns hoped to cure his final illness by drinking the iron-rich water.
The village was once served by Ruthwell railway station.
Dumfries and Galloway is one of the 32 unitary council areas of Scotland, located in the western part of the Southern Uplands. It is bordered by East Ayrshire, South Ayrshire, and South Lanarkshire to the north; Scottish Borders to the north-east; the English ceremonial county of Cumbria, the Solway Firth, and the Irish Sea to the south, and the North Channel to the west. The administrative centre and largest settlement is the town of Dumfries. The second largest town is Stranraer, located 76 miles (122 km) to the west of Dumfries on the North Channel coast.
Dumfries and Galloway corresponds to the historic shires of Dumfriesshire, Kirkcudbrightshire, and Wigtownshire, the last two of which are collectively known as Galloway. The three counties were combined in 1975 to form a single region, with four districts within it. The districts were abolished in 1996, since when Dumfries and Galloway has been a unitary local authority. For lieutenancy purposes, the area is divided into three lieutenancy areas called Dumfries, Wigtown, and the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright, broadly corresponding to the three historic counties.
The Dumfries and Galloway Council region is composed of counties and their sub-areas. From east to west:
Dumfriesshire County
the sub-area of Dumfriesshire – Annandale
the sub-area of Dumfriesshire – Eskdale
the sub-area of Dumfriesshire – Nithsdale
Kirkcudbrightshire County
the sub-area of Kirkcudbrightshire – Stewartry (archaically, Desnes)
Wigtownshire County
the sub-area of Wigtownshire – Machars (archaically, Farines)--divided into census areas (civil parish areas)
the sub-area of Wigtownshire – Rhins of Galloway divided into census areas (civil parish areas)
The term Dumfries and Galloway has been used since at least the 19th century – by 1911 the three counties had a united sheriffdom under that name. Dumfries and Galloway covers the majority of the western area of the Southern Uplands,[1] it also hosts Scotland's most Southerly point, at the Mull of Galloway in the west of the region.
Water systems and transport routes
The region has a number of south running water systems which break through the Southern Uplands creating the main road, and rail, arteries north–south through the region and breaking the hills up into a number of ranges.
River Cree valley carries the A714 north-westward from Newton Stewart to Girvan and Water of Minnoch valley which lies just west of the Galloway Hills carries a minor road northward through Glentrool village into South Ayrshire. This road leaves the A714 at Bargrennan.
Water of Ken and River Dee form a corridor through the hills called the Glenkens which carries the A713 road from Castle Douglas to Ayr. The Galloway Hills lie to the west of this route through the hills and the Carsphairn and Scaur Hills lie to the east.
River Nith rises between Dalmellington and New Cumnock in Ayrshire and runs east then south down Nithsdale to Dumfries. Nithsdale carries both the A76 road and the rail line from Dumfries to Kilmarnock. It separates the Carsphairn and Scaur Hills from the Lowther Hills which lie east of the Nith.
River Annan combines with Evan Water and the River Clyde to form one of the principal routes into central Scotland from England – through Annandale and Clydesdale – carrying the M74 and the west coast railway line. This gap through the hills separates the Lowthers from the Moffat Hills.
River Esk enters the Solway Firth just south of Gretna having travelled south from Langholm and Eskdalemuir. The A7 travels up Eskdale as far as Langholm and from Langholm carries on up the valley of Ewes Water to Teviothead where it starts to follow the River Teviot to Hawick. Eskdale itself heads north west from Langholm through Bentpath and Eskdalemuir to Ettrick and Selkirk.
The A701 branches off the M74 at Beattock, goes through the town of Moffat, climbs to Annanhead above the Devil's Beef Tub (at the source of the River Annan) before passing the source of the River Tweed and carrying on to Edinburgh. Until fairly recent times the ancient route to Edinburgh travelled right up Annandale to the Beef Tub before climbing steeply to Annanhead. The present road ascends northward on a ridge parallel to Annandale but to the west of it which makes for a much easier ascent.
From Moffat the A708 heads north east along the valley of Moffat Water (Moffatdale) on its way to Selkirk. Moffatdale separates the Moffat hills (to the north) from the Ettrick hills to the south.
There are three National scenic areas within this region.
Nith Estuary: this area follows the River Nith southward from just south of Dumfries into the Solway Firth. Dumfries itself has a rich history going back over 800 years as a Royal Burgh (1186). It is particularly remembered as the place where Robert the Bruce murdered the Red Comyn in 1306 before being crowned King of Scotland – and where Robert Burns spent his last years. His mausoleum is in St Michael's graveyard. Going down the east bank is the village of Glencaple, Caerlaverock Castle, Caerlaverock Wild Fowl Trust, an ancient Roman fort on Ward Law Hill and nearby in Ruthwell is the Ruthwell Cross and the Brow Well where Robert Burns "took the waters" and bathed in the Solway just before his death. On the west bank, there are several walks and cycle routes in Mabie Forest, Kirkconnell Flow for the naturalist, the National Museum of Costume just outside New Abbey and Sweetheart Abbey within the village. Criffel (569 metres) offers the hill walker a reasonably modest walk with views across the Solway to the Lake District. The house of John Paul Jones founder of the American Navy is also open to visitors near Kirkbean.
East Stewartry Coast: this takes in the coast line from Balcary Point eastward across Auchencairn Bay and the Rough Firth past Sandyhills to Mersehead. There are several coastal villages within this area – Auchencairn, Kippford, Colvend, Rockcliffe, and Portling. There is also a round tower at Orchardton and the islands of Hestan Isle and Rough Island can be reached at low tide outside the breeding season for birds. Mersehead is a wildfowl reserve. The area has a number of coastal paths.
Fleet Valley: this area takes in Fleet Bay with its holiday destinations of Auchenlarie, Mossyard Bay, Cardoness, Sandgreen and Carrick Shore. The area also includes the town of Gatehouse of Fleet and the historic villages of Anworth and Girthon – there is a castle at Cardoness in the care of Historic Scotland.
The region is known as a stronghold for several rare and protected species of amphibian, such as the Natterjack toad and the Great crested newt. There are also RSPB Nature Reserves at the Mull of Galloway, Wood of Cree (Galloway Forest Park), Ken Dee Marshes (near Loch Ken) and Mereshead (near Dalbeattie on the Solway Firth)
There are five 7Stanes mountain biking centres in Dumfries and Galloway at Dalbeattie, Mabie, Ae, Glentrool and Kirroughtree. The Sustrans Route 7 long distance cycle route also runs through the region. There is excellent hill walking in the Moffat Hills, Lowther Hills the Carsphairn and Scaur Hills and Galloway Hills. The Southern Upland Way coast to coast walk passes through Dumfries and Galloway and the 53-mile long Annandale Way travels from the Solway Firth into the Moffat hills near the Devil's Beef Tub. There is also fresh water sailing on Castle Loch at Lochmaben and at various places on Loch Ken Loch Ken also offers waterskiing and wakeboarding. The Solway Firth coastline offers fishing, caravaning and camping, walking and sailing.
Dumfries and Galloway is well known for its arts and cultural activities as well as its natural environment.[citation needed]
The major festivals include the region-wide Dumfries & Galloway Arts Festival, and Spring Fling Open Studios. Other festivals include Big Burns Supper in Dumfries and the Wigtown Book Festival in Wigtown – Scotland's national book town.
Places of interest
Galloway and List of Category A listed buildings in Dumfries and Galloway
Annandale distillery - Scotch Whisky
Bladnoch Distillery & Visitor Centre - Scotch Whisky
Caerlaverock Castle – Historic Scotland
Caerlaverock NNR (national nature reserve)
WWT Caerlaverock – a reserve of the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust
Cardoness Castle
Castle of St John, Stranraer
Corsewall Lighthouse, privately owned
Drumlanrig Castle
HM Factory, Gretna, Eastriggs – site of a munitions factory during World War I
Galloway Forest Park, Forestry and Land Scotland
Galloway Hydro Electric Scheme, Scottish Power
Glenlair – home of 19th century physicist James Clerk Maxwell
Glenluce Abbey
Hallhill Covenanter Martyrs Memorial - near Kirkpatrick Irongray Church.
Isle of Whithorn Castle
Kenmure Castle – a seat of the Clan Gordon
Loch Ken
MacLellan's Castle, Kirkcudbright
Motte of Urr
Mull of Galloway – RSPB/ South Rhins Community Development Trust
Ruthwell Cross
Samye Ling Tibetan Monastery
Southern Upland Way – long distance footpath
Sweetheart Abbey, New Abbey
Threave Castle
Prior to 1975, the area that is now Dumfries and Galloway was administered as three separate counties: Dumfriesshire, Kirkcudbrightshire, and Wigtownshire. The counties of Scotland originated as sheriffdoms, which were established from the twelfth century, consisting of a group of parishes over which a sheriff had jurisdiction. An elected county council was established for each county in 1890 under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889.
The three county councils were abolished in 1975 under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, which established a two-tier structure of local government across Scotland comprising upper-tier regions and lower-tier districts. A region called Dumfries and Galloway was created covering the area of the three counties, which were abolished as administrative areas. The region contained four districts:
Annandale and Eskdale, covering the eastern part of Dumfriesshire.
Nithsdale, covering the western part of Dumfriesshire and a small part of Kirkcudbrightshire.
Stewartry, covering most of Kirkcudbrightshire.
Wigtown, covering all of Wigtownshire and a small part of Kirkcudbrightshire.
Further local government reform in 1996 under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 saw the area's four districts abolished, with the Dumfries and Galloway Council taking over the functions they had previously performed. The council continues to use the areas of the four abolished districts as committee areas. The four former districts are also used to define the area's three lieutenancy areas, with Nithsdale and Annandale and Eskdale together forming the Dumfries lieutenancy, the Stewartry district corresponding to the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright lieutenancy, and the Wigtown district corresponding to the Wigtown lieutenancy.
The council headquarters is at the Council Offices at 113 English Street in Dumfries, which had been built in 1914 as the headquarters for the old Dumfriesshire County Council, previously being called "County Buildings".
The first election to the Dumfries and Galloway Regional Council was held in 1974, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new system came into force on 16 May 1975. A shadow authority was again elected in 1995 ahead of the reforms which came into force on 1 April 1996. Political control of the council since 1975 has been as follows:
Since 2007 the council has been required to designate a leader of the council. The leader may also act as the convener, chairing council meetings, or the council may choose to appoint a different councillor to be convener. Prior to 2007 the council sometimes chose to appoint a leader, and sometimes did not. The leaders since 2007 have been:
Palace of Fontainebleau
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Palace and Park of Fontainebleau
Name as inscribed on the World Heritage List
Location of Palace of Fontainebleau in France.
The Palace of Fontainebleau, located 55 kilometres from the centre of Paris, is one of the largest French royal châteaux. The palace as it is today is the work of many French monarchs, building on an early 16th-century structure of Francis I. The building is arranged around a series of courtyards. The commune of Fontainebleau has grown up around the remainder of the Forest of Fontainebleau, a former royal hunting park. This forest is now home to many endangered species of Europe.
The throne room, formerly the King’s bedroom from Henry IV to Louis XVI, it was converted into the throne room by Napoleon
The older château on this site was already used in the latter part of the 12th century by King Louis VII, for whom Thomas Becket consecrated the chapel. Fontainebleau was a favourite residence of Philip Augustus (Philip II) and Louis IX. The creator of the present edifice was Francis I, under whom the architect Gilles le Breton erected most of the buildings of the Cour Ovale, including the Porte Dorée, its southern entrance. The king also invited the architect Sebastiano Serlio to France, and Leonardo da Vinci. The Gallery of Francis I, with its frescoes framed in stucco by Rosso Fiorentino, carried out between 1522 and 1540, was the first great decorated gallery built in France. Broadly speaking, at Fontainebleau the Renaissance was introduced to France. The Salle des Fêtes, in the reign of Henry II, was decorated by the Italian Mannerist painters, Francesco Primaticcio and Niccolò dell'Abbate. Benvenuto Cellini's "Nymph of Fontainebleau", commissioned for the château, is at the Louvre.
Another campaign of extensive construction was undertaken by King Henry II and Catherine de' Medici, who commissioned architects Philibert Delorme and Jean Bullant. To the Fontainebleau of François I and Henry II, King Henry IV added the court that carries his name, the Cour des Princes, with the adjoining Galerie de Diane de Poitiers and the Galerie des Cerfs, used as a library. A "second school of Fontainebleau" decorators, less ambitious and original than the first, evolved from these additional projects. Henry IV pierced the wooded park with a 1200m canal (which can be fished today) and ordered the planting of pines, elms and fruit trees. The park stretches of an area more than 80 hectares, enclosed by walls and pierced rectilinear paths. Henry IV's gardener, Claude Mollet, trained at Château d'Anet, laid out patterned parterres. Preserved on the grounds is Henry IV's jeu de paume (real tennis court). It is the largest such court in the world, and one of the few publicly owned.
Philip the Fair (Philip IV), Henry III and Louis XIII were all born in the palace, and Philip died there. Christina of Sweden lived there for years, following her abdication in 1654. In 1685 Fontainebleau saw the signing of the Edict of Fontainebleau, which revoked the Edict of Nantes (1598). Royal guests of the Bourbon kings were housed at Fontainebleau, including Peter the Great of Russia and Christian VII of Denmark.
Revolution and Empire
By the late 18th century, the château had fallen into disrepair; during the French Revolution many of the original furnishings were sold, in the long Revolutionary sales of the contents of all the royal châteaux, intended as a way of raising money for the nation and ensuring that the Bourbons could not return to their comforts. Nevertheless, within a decade Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte began to transform the Château de Fontainebleau into a symbol of his grandeur, as an alternative to the empty Palace of Versailles, with its Bourbon connotations. Napoleon hosted Pope Pius VII there in 1804, when he came to consecrate the emperor, and again in 1812–1814, when he was Napoleon's prisoner. With modifications of the château's structure, including the cobblestone entrance wide enough for his carriage, Napoleon helped make the château the place that visitors see today. At Fontainebleau Napoleon abdicated for the first time, bade farewell to his Old Guard and went into exile in 1814.Fontainebleau was also the setting of the Second Empire court of his nephew Napoleon III.
Today
The château is now home to the Écoles d'Art Américaines, a school of art, architecture, and music for students from the United States. The school was founded by General Pershing when his men were stationed there during the First World War.
Palacio de Fontainebleau
Palacio y parque de Fontainebleau. Nombre descrito en la Lista del Patrimonio de la Humanidad.
Coordenadas48°24′07″N 02°41′53″E País Francia
La Sala de espectáculos del Palacio de Fontainebleau, en 1855.
El Palacio de Fontainebleau, en francés Château de Fontainebleau, es uno de los mayores palacios reales franceses. Está localizado en la ciudad de Fontainebleau, departamento de Sena y Marne, en el norte de Francia.
El palacio refleja, actualmente, las aportaciones constructivas y decorativas de varios monarcas franceses, a partir de una estructura inicial de Francisco I. El edificio se desarrolla alrededor de una serie de patios.
La ciudad de Fontainebleau creció en su entorno y en lo que restaba de la «floresta de Fontainebleau» (en español bosque de Fontainebleau), un antiguo parque real de caza.
Este palacio introdujo en Francia el Manierismo italiano, en la decoración de interiores y en los jardines, adaptándolo. El manierismo francés en la decoración de interiores del siglo XVI es conocido como «estilo Fontainebleau»: combina escultura, forja, pintura, estuco y carpintería. En jardinería supuso la introducción del parterre.
El ideal de belleza femenina en Fontainebleau es, también, manierista: una pequeña y graciosa cabeza en un cuello esbelto, torso y brazos exageradamente largos, pechos pequeños y altos; es casi un regreso a las bellezas del gótico tardío. Los nuevos ideales de Fontainebleau fueron plasmados en refinados y detallados grabados que circularon entre artistas y entendidos.
A través de los grabados realizados por la «Escuela de Fontainebleau», este nuevo estilo fue transmitido a otros centros del norte de Europa, especialmente en Amberes, Bélgica, Alemania y, más tarde, también Londres.
El viejo castillo que se erigía en este lugar ya era usado al final del siglo XII por el rey Luis VII, para quien Thomas Becket consagró la capilla. Fontainebleau fue una de las residencias favoritas de Felipe II y de Luis IX. El creador del edificio actual fue Francisco I, para quien el arquitecto Gilles le Breton construyó la mayor parte del Cour Ovale (Patio Ovalado), incluyendo la Porte Dorée (Puerta Dorada), en su entrada sur. Este rey también invitó a Sebastiano Serlio y Leonardo da Vinci. La Galería de Francisco I, con sus frescos hechos en estuco por Rosso Fiorentino, fue construida entre 1522 y 1540, siendo la primera gran galería decorada construida en Francia.
El Renacimiento fue introducido en Francia por el Palacio de Fontainebleau, por influencia de Enrique II y Catalina de Médici, que contrataron a los arquitectos Philibert Delorme y Jean Bullant, con los que llevaron a cabo una importante campaña de remodelaciones. La Salle des Fêtes (Salón de Baile) fue decorada por los pintores manieristas italianos Francesco Primaticcio y Niccolò dell'Abbate. La «Ninfa de Fontainebleau», de Benvenuto Cellini, encargada para el palacio, está en el Louvre.
Al Fontainebleau de Francisco I y Enrique II, Enrique IV añadió el patio que lleva su nombre, el Cour des Princes (Patio de los Príncipes), la Galerie de Diane de Poitiers (Galería de Diana de Poitiers) y la Galerie des Cerfs (Galería de los Ciervos), usada como biblioteca. Una «segunda escuela de decoradores de Fontainebleau», menos ambiciosa y original que la primera, estuvo involucrada en estos proyectos. Enrique IV perforó el parque forestal con un canal de 1200 metros, donde actualmente se puede pescar, y ordenó la plantación de pinos, olmos y frutales. Su jardinero, Claude Mollet, con habilidades ya probadas en el Château d'Anet, ejecutó los parterres.
Tres siglos después el palacio entró en decadencia; durante la Revolución francesa mucho del mobiliario original se dispersó en las ventas revolucionarias del contenido de todos los palacios reales, concebidas como una forma de conseguir dinero para la nación y asegurar que los Borbones no podrían volver a sus dominios. Dentro de la década siguiente, el emperador Napoleón Bonaparte comenzó a transformar el Château de Fontainebleau en un símbolo de su grandeza, como una alternativa al Palacio de Versalles que tenía connotaciones borbónicas. En Fontainebleau, Napoleón I de Francia firmó su abdicación, con el Tratado de Fontainebleau. Se despidió de su Vieja Guardia y partió al exilio.
Con modificaciones en la estructura del palacio, incluyendo la entrada de cantería suficientemente ancha para su carruaje, Napoleón ayudó a hacer del palacio el lugar que los visitantes conocen actualmente. Fontainebleau fue el escenario de la Corte del Segundo Imperio de su sobrino Napoleón III. Felipe IV, Enrique III y Luis XIII nacieron en este palacio, y el primer de estos reyes también murió aquí. Cristina de Suecia vivió en Fontainebleau durante varios años, después de abdicar en 1654. En 1685 Fontainebleau fue el escenario de la firma del Edicto de Fontainebleau, el cual revocó el Edicto de Nantes (1598). Huéspedes reales de los reyes de la dinastía de los Borbones fueron instalados en Fontainebleau: Pedro I de Rusia y Cristián VII de Dinamarca, y también, en la época de Napoleón, el Papa Pío VII, en 1804 cuando vino a consagrar a Napoleón como Emperador, y entre 1812 y 1814, cuando fue su prisionero.
Actualmente, parte del palacio alberga las Écoles d'Art Américaines (Escuelas de Artes Americanas), una escuela de arte, arquitectura y música para estudiantes de los EUA. Preservado en los campos está el jeu de paume (campo de tenis real) de Enrique IV. Es el mayor campo de tenis de este género en el mundo, y uno de los pocos de propiedad pública.
En 1981, el Château de Fontainebleau fue clasificado Patrimonio de la Humanidad por la Unesco.
Shot for the new group I joined last week, Strobist Sundays. The theme this week is shadows.
This is a model of the organic structure of CH3-CH2-OH, better known as Ethanol. The black balls are carbon, the white hydrogen, and the red oxygen.
Lighting: In this shot, I used a single 430EX II at 1/64, high camera right with a 10" DIY cardboard snoot, hence the selective lighting (not vignetting). Fired with PT-04 IS ebay triggers.
Flickr Explore #129 - December 7, 2009!
Thanks everyone!
Closed 5 September 2017 and mostly demolished since
Former Dental Hospital with demolition commencing
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The church of St Dunstan-in-the-West is in Fleet Street in London, England. An octagonal structure, it is dedicated to a former bishop of London and archbishop of Canterbury.
First founded between 988 and 1070 A.D., there is a possibility that a church on this site was one of the Lundenwic strand settlement churches, like St Martin's in the Fields, the first St Mary le Strand, St Clement Danes and St Brides. These may well pre-date any of the churches within the City walled area. It is not known exactly when the original church was built, but it was possibly erected by Saint Dunstan himself, or priests who knew him well. It was first mentioned in written records in 1185. King Henry III gained possession of it and its endowments from Westminster Abbey by 1237 and then granted these and the advowson to the 'House of Converts' i.e. of the converted Jews, which led to its neglect of its parochial responsibilities. This institution was eventually transformed into the court of the Master of the Rolls.
The church has been associated with the Worshipful Company of Cordwainers (old English for shoemakers) since the fifteenth century. Once a year the company holds a service here to commemorate the benefactors John Fisher and Richard Minge, after which children used to be given a penny for each time they ran around the church.
Samuel Pepys mentions the church in his diary. The church narrowly escaped the Great Fire of London in 1666. The Dean of Westminster roused forty scholars from Westminster School in the middle of the night, who formed a fire brigade which extinguished the flames with buckets of water only three doors away.
However, Pepys only knew the old medieval building, which was taken down in the early 19th century. The present building was built on its predecessor's churchyard to allow the widening of Fleet Street.
A fragment of the old churchyard remains near Bream's Buildings.
The new building was designed by John Shaw the Elder (1776–1832) who died before the church was completed so it was left in the hands of his son John Shaw the Younger (1803–1870) in 1833. It is based on the design of St Helen's Pavement in York. The Shaws were prominent architects of Fleet Street who designed two other buildings (now offices) close to the church. The communion rail is a survivor of the old church, having been carved by Grinling Gibbons during the period when John Donne served as vicar (1624-1631).
Apart from losing its stained glass, the church survived the London Blitz largely intact, however, bombs from German bombers did damage the open-work lantern tower.The building was restored in 1950.
The church was designated a Grade I listed building on 4 January 1950.
The church has often been associated with the legend of Sweeney Todd.
he church's facade holds an extraordinary chiming clock, with mannequins which strike the bells with their clubs. They perhaps represent Gog and Magog, the whole clock is mounted in a separate pavilion and dates from 1671 and adorned the previous church, perhaps commissioned to celebrate its escape from destruction in the Great Fire of 1666.[8] This was the first public clock in London to have a minute hand. The figures of the two giants strike the hours and quarters, and turn their heads. There are numerous literary references to the clock, including in Thomas Hughes’ Tom Brown's Schooldays, Oliver Goldsmith’s the Vicar of Wakefield and a poem by William Cowper. In 1828, when the medieval church was demolished, the clock was removed by Francis Seymour-Conway, 3rd Marquess of Hertford to his mansion in Regent's Park, which later became the St Dunstan's College for the Blind. It was returned by the generosity of Lord Rothermere, the press baron, in 1935 to ostensibly mark the Jubilee of King George V.
There is also a statue of Queen Elizabeth I, placed above the entrance to the old parochial school in 1766, which was taken from the front of the old Ludgate which had been demolished at that time. This statue dates from 1586 and hence contemporary with her, it is thought to be the oldest outdoor statue in London. Within the porch below are three statues of ancient Britons also from the gate which were probably meant to represent King Lud and his two sons.
Adjacent to the Virgin Queen is a bust of Lord Northcliffe, the newspaper proprietor; co-founder (together with Lord Rothermere) of the Daily Mail, first popular daily newspaper, and the Daily Mirror in 1903. Northcliffe acquired The Times in 1914, and is regarded as one of the founders of modern mass circulation journalism. Next to Lord Northcliffe is a memorial tablet to James Louis Garvin, another pioneering British journalist.
St Dunstan-in-the-West is the only church in England to share its building with the Romanian Orthodox community. The chapel to the left of the main altar is closed off by an iconostasis formerly from Antim monastery in Bucharest, dedicated in 1966.
Rieske [2Fe-2S] protein (green) docked at the Qo site of cytochrome b (white). Partial structure from 3CX5.pdb.
Former Pacific Electric 6th and Main Depot, now leased by Metropolitan Coach Lines (1953-1958), interior photos.