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1979
January 5, 1979
It was reported that the 1st Annual Bill McNeill Memorial Hockey Tournament was a big success. Over 600 players took part in the event. Kanata Standard, January 5, 1979:1.
January 5, 1979
Marianne Wilkinson, in her Commentary, announced that Kanata City Council had passed a resolution officially designating the names of the five existing communities in the City of Kanata. They were Bridlewood, Glen Cairn, Katimavik/Hazeldean, Beaverbrook, and March. Kanata Standard, January 5, 1979:1.
January 5, 1979
It was reported that the Kinette Club had donated a cart to a Glen Cairn family who had a young boy in a body cast. Robbie Boileau was due to be in the body cast another three weeks. Kanata Standard, January 5, 1979:2.
January 5, 1979
The newly formed Kanata Ski Club membership exceeded 100 families and a number of singles. Kanata Standard, January 5, 1979:3.
January 10, 1979
The first meeting of the Kanata Beaverbrook Community Association in 1979 was held. Approximately 30 residents attended. Newton Steacy stated: “The caliber of the executive and the new cluster directors is impressive.” The business of the meeting included a strongly supported motion to deliver the Standard to Glen Cairn for a four-month period. It was seen that this would allow time for the editorial board to urge Glen Cairn residents to submit articles and participate in the publication of a “community-owned” newspaper. Kanata Standard, January 16, 1979:2,6.
January 13, 1979
The Kanata Theatre presented “Everything in the Garden” to a large audience. Kanata Standard, January 19, 1979:15.
January 16, 1979
Kanata City Council decided to hold the first meeting of each month in different communities with the City of Kanata. Kanata Standard, January 19, 1979:1.
January 16, 1979
A debate continued in Kanata City Council over the appointment of an alderman to serve as Acting Mayor in the possible absence of Mayor Wilkinson. Alderman Rogers and Kingham were both nominated. The issue was resolved when Alderman Kingham withdrew from the contest, leaving Charles Rogers as Acting Mayor. Kanata Standard, January 19, 1979:1.
January 16, 1979
Kanata City Council discussed the Commissioners’ Report and decided to establish a Transportation Advisory Committee composed of a representative from each ward. Council agreed to the appointments of those representatives where only one name had been put forward. The balance was to be dealt with at the next meeting. Kanata Standard, January 19, 1979:1.
January 16, 1979
Kanata City Council agreed to hire a consultant to carry out a management study of the City of Kanata. Its purpose was to assist the municipality in detailing the numbers of employees required for 1979. Kanata Standard, January 19, 1979:6.
January 19, 1979
In a Standard feature article, Alan Seward reported that planning for a library branch in Glen Cairn was well under way. A temporary library was put in place for the time being. Kanata Standard, January 19, 1979:1.
January 19, 1979
Marianne Wilkinson, in her Commentary, announced that the Logo for the City of Kanata Contest would end on January 31. Kanata Standard, January 5, 1979:1.
January 19, 1979
The municipalities and hydro commissions in the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton agreed to carry out a Restructuring Study on their hydro service. Kanata Standard, January 19, 1979:6.
January 19, 1979
Dogbone Park family skating rink opened for its first season. Kanata Standard, January 19, 1979:6.
January 19, 1979
The March Sailing Club held a successful Annual General Meeting. New Directors were Harry Holdsworth, Gerry Holt, John Perry, Gary Caple, Harry Adderly, Keith Hooey, and Robert Wilkinson. Kanata Standard, January 19, 1979:11.
January 20, 1979
The Kanata Singles held a very successful dance, with more than 100 members and guests attending. Kanata Standard, February 2, 1979:5.
January 28, 1979
Tow truck drivers at Gallagher’s Garage were awakened by two nearby wolves. One of the wolves was shot and the other disappeared. Kanata Standard, February 2, 1979:1.
January 29, 1979
At a joint meeting of the March and Glen Cairn Soccer Clubs was held. Both clubs were both dissolved to form a new Kanata City Soccer Club. The Board of Directors and Executive for the newly formed club were Allan Wilson, Sid Johnson, Jim Burrows, Bart Jones, John Brunette, John Dowell, Barry Felstead, Norbett Hendrycks, Lloyd Mason, John Rahim, Keith Richardson, Norbett Riester, Phil Shea, and Alan Waltho. Kanata Standard, January 19, 1979:8; Kanata Standard, February 2, 1979:16.
January 31, 1979
Kanata City Council decided that a consulting engineering firm would be used to investigate structural problems in the Glen Cairn Community Centre. There had been crumbling walls in the building. Alderman Lund was upset that this could happen, and expressed the need to find the cause of the damage. Kanata Standard, February 2, 1979:2.
February 2, 1979
Stephanie Paul reported that progress on the Town Centre may be slowed due to a lack of a major retail tenant for the first portion of the development. Many recognized the importance of the construction of the centre, due the unique history of Kanata and the fact that it had grown “from the outside in,” and as a result had no real centre. Kanata Standard, February 2, 1979:1
February 2, 1979
The editors of the Kanata Standard announced that a new system of sub-editors was created to make the paper better and to “spread the activities of the paper to more helpers.” Kanata Standard, February 2, 1979:2.
February 2, 1979
Al Craig wrote an article for the Standard on SS No. 1, March Public School. Kanata Standard, February 2, 1979:2.
February 2, 1979
The results of two months of polling by the Glen Cairn Community Association executive indicated that a majority of the residents of Glen Cairn rejected the Kanata Standard. At the time, the Standard was a publication of the Kanata Beaverbrook Community Association. Kanata Standard, February 2, 1979:10.
February 2, 1979
Events and activities for the City of Kanata Winter Carnival 1979 were published in the Standard. Kanata Standard, February 2, 1979:20.
February 2, 1979
Doug Foster reported that the Winter Carnival ‘79 Duchess would be Marilyn Foster. Kanata Standard, February 16, 1979:3.
February 5, 1979
The first meeting of the City of Kanata Transportation Committee was held. It was primarily an advisory committee. A number of concerns that needed to be taken up with OC Transpo staff were discussed. Kanata Standard, February 2, 1979:1.
February 6, 1979
An open Kanata City Council meeting was held in Glen Cairn. A number of concerns were brought to Council’s attention, including snow removal and garbage collection. Stephanie Paul reported that the Council meeting was well attended and “the exchange between council members and the audience was lively.” Kanata Standard, February 16, 1979:2,5,6.
February 7, 1979
James Gillies, noted economist and MP for Don Valley, spoke at a public meeting at the John Mlacak Centre. Kanata Standard, February 2, 1979:9.
February 16, 1979
Newton Steacy, in his KBCA President Report, stated the association’s intent to expand the distribution of the Standard. Each community association had expressed an interest in this except for the Glen Cairn executive. Their sentiment was based on the results of a recent survey done in that community. Steacy claimed that “the Glen Cairn executive was quick to support the negative vote” when the results indicated otherwise. Kanata Standard, February 16, 1979:3.
February 16, 1979
Garry Thom reported on housing in Glen Cairn. Thom pointed out that building by the two major developers in the area, Costain and Sandbury, was leveling off. Kanata Standard, February 16, 1979:5.
February 16, 1979
It was announced by the Canadian Housing Design Council that a Community Design Award go to the early stages of Kanata, as the area was known prior the formation of the City of Kanata. It was awarded jointly to the City of Kanata and Campeau Corporation. While giving out the award, Jean Ouellet stated: “The early development of Kanata resulted from the vision and enterprise of William Teron. The continued growth of the town in more recent years is a great credit to the planning and design concepts which he introduced, as well as to the municipality (the Township of March) and to the Campeau Corporation, the present owner and developer.” Kanata Standard, February 16, 1979:11.
February 16, 1979
Kanata’s Mitel Corporation announced the appointment of Burns Fry Limited as its fiscal agents to underwrite the first issue of Mitel stock to the pubic. Kanata Standard, February 16, 1979:14.
February 16, 1979
The National Capital Equestrian Park held its Annual General Meeting. Over 70 people attended. A new Executive and Board of Directors was elected and an auditor’s statement presented. Kanata Standard, March 2, 1979:6.
February 17, 1979
The newly completed People Place recreation project officially opened. The John G. Mlacak Centre combined completion of the existing arena and the provision of new space for a variety of recreational pursuits. The project began in the spring of 1978. Kanata Standard, February 16, 1979:9.
February 20, 1979
Kanata City Council called for the provincial Minister of Revenue to reassess the value of all properties within the City of Kanata. Kanata Standard, March 2, 1979:1,4.
February 22, 1979
Earl of March boys’ and girls’ teams were overall winners in cross-country skiing in the Provincial Championships after two days of competition. Among those placing were Bernie Saneer, Dave Bennett, Carolyn Champion Venessa Daniel, Peter Eiselle, Jenny Labenek, Nancy Labenek, Scott Laughton, Anne McTaggart, Bill Mlacak, Rob Parsons, and Bernie Sander. Kanata Standard, March 2, 1979:12.
February 26, 1979
The Kanata Transportation Committee met with OC Transpo staff to exchange information and views related to some outstanding actions and key concerns of the Committee and local residents. Kanata Standard, March 2, 1979:2.
March 1, 1979
The Kanata Book Fair was opened by Mayor Marianne Wilkinson, Trustee J. D. Lyon, and Robin Skuce from the office of the Commissioner of Official Languages. As of February 20th, 18,498 used books had been collected. A larger than expected crowd turned up for the opening of the event. Kanata Standard, March 2, 1979:1; Kanata Standard, March 16, 1979:14.
March 2, 1979
A feature article appeared in the Standard discussing the need for a new school for Katimavik-Hazeldean. Kanata Standard, March 2, 1979:1,5.
March 2, 1979
The winners of the Kanata City Logo Contest were published in the Standard. First prize went to a joint submission by Wendy, Ian, Shaun and Mary Lou Kingham from Beaverbrook. Moderate changes in color were made to the logo, to then be used on all City vehicles, letterhead, etc. Kanata Standard, March 2, 1979:2.
March 2, 1979
Maurice Dubras began a series of articles appearing in the Standard on city matters discussed in City Council meetings. It was titled “Council in Action: Inside From the Outside”. Dubras reported this first Council meeting as a “quick and quiet affair.” Kanata Standard, March 2, 1979:1.
March 2, 1979
The results of the Kanata Winter Carnival 1979 were published in the Standard. Kanata Standard, March 2, 1979:13-15.
March 6, 1979
Kanata City Council held one of their “mobile meetings” in rural Kanata. Kanata Standard, March 2, 1979:1.
March 7, 1979
The Katimavik Beaverbrook Community Association held its Annual General meeting, combined with the regular monthly meeting. Twenty-seven cluster directors and 6 guests attended. The meeting focused on the management of 1978's money and budgeting for 1979. Kanata Standard, March 16, 1979:2,5.
March 13, 1979
Kanata City Council recommended that a fire station be built on the March Central School site to serve the rural areas of the City. The project, still needing ratification, was budgeted at $201,000. Kanata Fire Chief Jim Snider appeared at the meeting, to help make the case for the new station. Standard, March 30, 1979:2,5.
March 16, 1979
Marilyn Foster wrote a feature on a new Katimavik Co-operative Nursery School in Kanata. Kanata Standard, March 16, 1979:1.
March 16, 1979
It was announced that Kanata Scouts, Joe Nyenhuis and Alex Guruprasad, hoped to attend a mini-jamboree in Sweden. Fundraising events were planned. Kanata Standard, March 16, 1979:7.
March 16, 1979
Garry Thom reported in the Standard that Iber Homes intended to erect 31 single dwelling and 3 doubles at the corner of Highway 7 and Seabrooke Drive in Glen Cairn. Thom stated that this was “contrary to the Report on Housing Construction” that appeared in the previous issue of the Standard. Kanata Standard, March 16, 1979:16.
March 16, 1979
Al Craig wrote an historical piece in the Standard on the Hazeldean Rural Telephone Company. Kanata Standard, March 16, 1979:19.
March 25, 1979
Dunrobin resident Robert Conye’s car was vandalized after he left it on along the side of Highway 17 due to mechanical difficulties. All the windows were smashed, the body dented, and the contents looted, to the point were it was expected that the car would be a write-off. Kanata Standard, March 30, 1979:1.
March 25, 1979
Kim Woolford saved 5-year-old Trevor MacLean from near-drowning in Bluegrass Park. Trevor had slipped into the water when some ice gave way. Standard, March 30, 1979:1.
March 29, 1979
The Regional Planning Committee held a final series of hearings on the Conservation Lands Proposal, as revised by the Planning Committee. Kanata Standard, March 16, 1979:4.
March 30, 1979
Alderman Bob Kingham wrote, in his As I See It column, that Cadillac-Fairview was “exploiting the real issue” when they petitioned the Cabinet of Ontario to reverse an OMB decision that rejected their “energy conserving” community development proposal. A Standard editorial added: “This project is in the wrong place and at the wrong time. When Kanata has 93,000 population, a risk of this sort could perhaps be considered, certainly not now.” Subsequently, Kanata City Council gave its support for the project and the petition to the provincial government, though by a narrow vote of 4-3. Standard, March 30, 1979:1,2,4.
April 9, 1979
Kanata City Council approved the construction of a fire station in the rural part of the municipality, to be funded by money authorized by the former Township of March. Kanata Standard, April 12, 1979:14.
April 9, 1979
The Kanata Public Library opened a temporary facility in Glen Cairn, next to the Glen Cairn Arena. Kanata Standard, June 22, 1979:1.
April 10, 1979
The 1979 budget of $33,666,852 for the Carleton Separate School Board was approved. As William Broadfoot reported, this amount allowed for an expenditure up to the ceiling set by the Ministry of Education of $1409 per pupil. Difficult decisions were made during the budgetary process, however the Board managed to budget to maintain the current pupil-teacher ratio and the same quality of programs. Kanata Standard, April 27:9.
April 12, 1979
It was reported that Wayne Hutt, Manager of Thermocell Insulation, and Dan Ciona, Administrator for the City of Kanata, had met to discuss some of the difficulties with paper collection. The amount of paper collection had greatly exceeded the previous year, to the point where Thermocell’s collection ability was overloaded. Kanata Standard, April 12, 1979:1
April 12, 1979
Federal Conservative MP Paul Dick announced his candidacy for Lanark-Renfrew-Carleton. Dick was first elected in 1972. Kanata Standard, April 12, 1979:14.
April 12, 1979
The new Executive for Kanata Ladies Bowling was announced. It included Erm Boyd, Mich Gardner, Wafa Abov, Carol Redmond, Alana Schyburt, and Mina Blovin. Kanata Standard, April 12, 1979:15.
April 12, 1979
It was reported that Newton Steacy spoke to KBCA about the incorporation of the Kanata Standard, and expressed that it would be postponed because it was a very complicated task to be attempted at the time. Kanata Standard, April 12, 1979:1 Kanata Standard, April 12, 1979:6.
April 18, 1979
The March Sailing Club held its General Meeting. Members voted to make amendments to the constitution and change their name to the Kanata Sailing Club. Kanata Standard, April 27:16.
April 19, 1979
Students and staff at Earl of March School opened their production of “Swinging High.” Ron Andoff stated that they did a “bang up job” on the musical. Kanata Standard, April 12, 1979:1; Kanata Standard, April 27:1.
April 19, 1979
It was reported that after a successful campaign the Standard would be delivered in Glen Cairn to subscribers only. This marked a departure from the Standard’s concept of delivery to every household, which was the result of the Glen Cairn Community Association’s decision not to support a citywide distribution of the Standard. Kanata Standard, April 27:1.
April 26, 1979
A presentation by the Canadian Design Council honoured both the developers and residents of the community. Kanata had previously impressed a jury traveling across Canada visiting towns, city neighborhoods and prestigious areas of suburbia. Sharon Clayton stated that Kanata “impressed the judges with its landscaping, especially the rock outcroppings that have been used to dramatic advantages.” Three plaques were presented, one to Mayor Wilkinson, another to Ratan Rege of Campeau Corporation, and the third to William Teron, who was the driving force behind the creation of Kanata. Marianne Wilkinson later stated in her Commentary: “The award was not based solely on physical design of the community, but also on the evident interest of the residents and the active involvement between the residents and the municipal government in creating and maintaining the community design concepts.” Kanata Standard, May 11, 1979:1,2.
April 26, 1979
The Nepean Arts Association held its inaugural meeting. Its objectives included fostering public awareness of the visual and performing arts, encouraging co-operation among artistic groups, promoting future developments, facilities, and programs for artistic activities, and serving as a liaison with regional, provincial and national arts bodies. Kanata Standard, October 12, 1979:18.
April 27, 1979
Through an editorial in the Standard, the need for a pedestrian overpass to bridge the Queensway was questioned. Kanata City Council had previously promoted the construction of the bridge. In a letter to the Editor, Ihor Nakonecznyj also questioned the logic supporting the overpass, and concluded that more questions needed to be dealt with before spending over half a million dollars and “satisfying a need which may turn out to be a political illusion.” Kanata Standard, April 27:2.
April 27, 1979
Tony Jarvis introduced his new column for the Standard, The Kanata Industrial Scene. His goal was to increase the media coverage of the industrial sector. Kanata Standard, April 27:6.
April 27, 1979
It was reported that Operation Identification was underway in Glen Cairn. Engravers were making their rounds of homes to put identifying marks on valuable items. Kanata Standard, April 27:11,14.
April 27, 1979
A candidate profile for Paul Dick, PC MP for Lanark-Renfrew-Carleton, appeared in the Kanata Standard. Dick stated: “We must get Canada going again.” Kanata Standard, April 27:13.
April 27, 1979
The new executive for the South March Women’s Institute, the result of an Annual General Meeting, was published in the Standard. It included Brenda Turner, Donna Cummings, June Denys, Nicole Butler, Mary Noble, Nancy Medynski, Shirley Yakabuski, Myrt Nugent, Katie Vance, Angela Tucker, Ann Ward, and Joyce Arrowsmith. Kanata Standard, April 27:14.
April 27, 1979
Walter Baker, PC candidate in the riding of Nepean-Carleton, had an article published in the Standard. Baker stated that “Pierre Trudeau’s monuments clutter the landscape; low morale in the Public Service; a language policy intended to unite but which has in fact divided; young people worried about their futures; a tax system that burdens small business and drains incentive; a country that thinks more in terms of its parts than the sum of its parts — all of this created by a ‘leadership’ which is more style than substance.” Kanata Standard, April 27:18.
April 27, 1979
An article appeared in the Standard featuring Pat Carroll, former March Township Councillor and principal of AY Jackson Secondary School in Kanata, as the Liberal candidate for the riding of Lanark-Renfrew-Carleton. Carroll had been living and involved in Kanata since 1972. Carroll stated that Canada is not on the “brink of disaster,” and that the country had done well in the past decade in comparison with other OECD countries. Kanata Standard, April 27:21.
May 1, 1979
It was the official opening of the Katimavik Hazeldean Community Centre, concurrent with the first Kanata City Council meeting in that community. Murray Duke, Chairman of the Katimavik Hazeldean School Task Force, reviewed the findings and recommendations of the report to Council. Maurice Dubras stated in his Council In Action column: “The level of support Council gives to the Task Force findings will be critical when it comes to persuading the School Board to revise its construction schedule. There appeared to be very little doubt in the minds of those residents present or represented that a community school is very high on their priority list.” Kanata Standard, May 11, 1979:1,22.
May 11, 1979
It was reported that there were over 325 paid subscribers of the Kanata Standard in Glen Cairn. Gaining subscriptions in the area became a necessary move due to the lack of support for the Standard from the Glen Cairn Community Association. Kanata Standard, May 11, 1979:2.
May 11, 1979
A Standard editorial stated that not much was learned at a recent All Candidates Meeting and stated: “Paul Dick, the PC man attacked the Prime Minister, the Liberal hopeful, Pat Carroll attacked the Leader of the Opposition and Colin Gilhuly from the NDP spoke of the rosy future that we could have under that party, if by some miracle , they could form a Government.” Kanata Standard, May 11, 1979:2.
May 11, 1979
Carol Dougherty wrote an article on John Cabotto, a Kanata restaurant operated by Dominique and Angleo. She raved that they “set about to determine the gastronomical needs of the community and in my opinion have succeeded in meeting those needs.” Kanata Standard, May 11, 1979:9.
May 11, 1979
In his regular column, The Kanata Industrial Scene, Tony Jarvis featured Digital Equipment of Canada Ltd. Company president, Denny Doyle, commented on the decision to locate in Kanata that the protection of jobs for employees living in the area was a primary concern. Doyle stressed the high community involvement of the firm. Kanata Standard, May 11, 1979:10.
May 15, 1979
The Annual Meeting of the March Hockey Association was held at the Bill McNeill Memorial Hall. Kanata Standard, May 11, 1979:15.
May 20, 1979
The interior of the home of Joan Geeck on Jackson Court was damaged by a fire. The house was owned by Cathy Boyden. There was in excess of $10,000 damage to the house; the household pets, a Highland Terrier and several gerbils, were lost in the fire. Kanata Standard, May 25, 1979:1.
May 21, 1979
Mayfair 1979 and its various events began. The Rural area of Kanata won the annual Mayfair Lob-Ball Tournament. It was also the 14th Annual Dance and Casino. Over 400 people attended the dance May 26. Kanata Standard, May 11, 1979:12-13; Kanata Standard, June 8, 1979:6,7
May 22, 1979
In the federal election, Paul Dick was re-elected as MP in Lanark-Renfrew-Carleton and Walter Baker was re-elected MP in Nepean-Carleton.
May 25, 1979
Glen Cairn resident Jennifer Anne Waugh won the Jean Phillips, Campership to Camp Bitobi award. The camp, in Gracefield Quebec, was for explorers and other young girls looking for summer fun in a religious atmosphere. Kanata Standard, May 25, 1979:3.
May 28, 1979
Stephen Leacock School grade six students said their good-byes to Quebec exchange students on their return to Kanata. The exchange was part of an immersion program initially proposed by Principal Robert Bullock. Kanata Standard, June 8, 1979:1.
May 29, 1979
A public forum on Declining Enrolment and The Community was held to discuss reduced education funding by the Ontario government and enrolment issues. Kanata Standard, May 25, 1979:14.
May 29, 1979
The Annual General Meeting of the Local Association of Kanata Guides and Brownies was held. The new executive included H. Bennett, Sandra Plumley, P. Williams, J. Arrowsmith, J. Higgins, S. Lewis, V. Guy, O. Froud, R. Hooey, P. Gale, D. Lougheed, N. Mackay, J. Williams, V. Westmore, Y. Ludlow, B. Thamer, and P. Conacher. Kanata Standard, June 8, 1979:4.
June 4, 1979
Changes occurred to the No.73 bus schedule. The changes, approved by the Kanata Transportation Committee, also eliminated the No. 70, and extended the No. 46 route to Bridlewood. Kanata Standard, May 25, 1979:1,3.
June 5, 1979
Kanata City Council approved its 1979 budget. Expenditures were estimated at $3,208,074. The mill rate remained the same as it had been for March Township the previous year. Bridlewood mill rates decreased 40 percent. Glen Cairn Community experienced roughly a 12 percent decrease. Marianne Wilkinson later commented that the 1979 budget “should keep the City in a healthy financial state.” Kanata Standard, June 8, 1979:1,12.
June 8, 1979
In his column The Kanata Industrial Scene, Tony Jarvis featured Lumonics Research Ltd. Jarvis reported that since the inception of the laser firm in 1970, Lumonics had grown at a rate better than 50 percent annually, “developing a wide range of laser products for both scientific and industrial applications.” Kanata Standard, June 8, 1979:2.
June 8, 1979
The results of the Mayfair pet show were published in the Standard. Winners of the four main categories were Kirk Brant's tarantula, Alison Bill's cat Tiger, Rob Holt's spoodle Muffin, and Brenda Bedford's keeshound Dusty. Kanata Standard, June 8, 1979:5.
June 9, 1979
The Kanata Ballet School presented their bi-annual recital. Sharon Clayton, in a review of performance, stated that she was “impressed with the professional atmosphere on the stage, and behind the scenes.” Kanata Standard, June 22, 1979:9.
June 11, 1979
A new executive was selected at a Glen Cairn Community Association meeting. It included Colin Gillieson, Leon Asselstine, Barry Martin, Graham Ball, Joe Ryan, and Cathy Ireland. Kanata Standard, June 22, 1979:3.
June 13, 1979
A book-publishing celebration at a Katimavik home was held. Louise Reynolds, with the assistance of her husband Ralph, researched and wrote Agnes, the Biography of Lady Macdonald. Kanata Standard, June 22, 1979:9.
June 16, 1979
There was an official opening of the Glen Cairn Flood Control Works. Mayor Marianne Wilkinson and Councilors Charlie Rogers, and Bob Kingham attended. The Carp River, which had flooded the Glen Cairn area since the 1970's, was to be detained in a reservoir and released at a slow rate. Kanata Standard, June 22, 1979:1.
June 19, 1979
Final approval was given by Kanata City Council for the pedestrian overpass to bridge the Queensway. Kanata Standard, June 22, 1979:1.
June 19, 1979
Kanata City Council gave preliminary approval for the Hazeldean Centre, a shopping mall located on the northwest side of the intersection of Hwy. 7 and Young Road in Katimavik/Hazeldean. Kanata Standard, June 22, 1979:1.
June 19, 1979
Kanata City Council decided to adopt pay-as-you-go rates for the three Kanata pools. Kanata Standard, June 22, 1979:1.
June 19, 1979
The Town Centre Secondary Plan and the Rural Plan were both approved by Regional Council. There were only minor word changes to the Town Centre Plan, and development was expected to proceed on a limited basis later in the year. Kanata Standard, June 22, 1979:1,12.
June 25, 1979
Mayor Marianne Wilkinson was on hand to officially inaugurate the new Katimavik Pool. Kanata Standard, July 6, 1979:12.
July 3, 1979
Kanata Scouts Alex Guruprasad, Stephen Heard, Michael Nyenhuis, and Joe Nyenhuis began their travel to Denmark and Sweden, to attend an international camp in Sweden. Kanata Standard, July 20, 1979:20.
July 6, 1979
It was reported that the Ontario Municipal Board had approved Kanata’s request to debenture $200,000 towards the construction of the pedestrian bridge over the Queensway. The total cost was estimated at $438,000. Kanata Standard, July 6, 1979:1.
July 6, 1979
It was reported that the federal government had awarded a $30,000 contract to Mitel Corporation of Kanata to study silicon chip production for Telidon. Kanata Standard, July 6, 1979:11.
July 20, 1979
The Kanata Public Library Board announced that plans were underway for a new branch library in Kanata South. A sub-committee was struck for further investigation. Kanata Standard, July 20, 1979:2.
July 22, 1979
Two cars, driven by Bruce McLean and Steve Kominski, collided at the intersection of Teron and Beaverbrook Roads. There was extensive damage to both cars and only minor injury to a pedestrian. Kanata Standard, August 3, 1979:10.
July 28, 1979
Bridlewood held a birthday party to celebrate its second year of growth. Kanata Standard, July 20, 1979:7; Kanata Standard, August 3, 1979:1.
August 3, 1979
A proposed expansion for the March Montessori School was finalized. This was driven by a growing demand for Montessori education in the community. Kanata Standard, August 3, 1979:9.
August 8, 1979
As part of Project 4000, the first Vietnamese family arrived in Kanata. The Voong’s were set up in a house donated by Campeau Corporation for one year, including heat and hydro. Project 4000 had been previously launched by Ottawa Mayor Marion Dewer, who had also recommended that Kanata set up a committee to coordinate local efforts. Subsequently, a Co-ordinating Committee was struck. Kanata Standard, July 20, 1979:1,2; Kanata Standard, August 17, 1979:1.
August 14, 1979
Kanata City Council recommended that the Mayor’s annual salary would rise from $11,000 to $20,000 and the Aldermen’s from $4,500 to $6,500. It would come under final approval in September, 1979. Kanata Standard, August 17, 1979:1.
August 17, 1979
In a letter to the editor, Maurice Dubras and his family said their good-byes to Kanata. They stated: “We are about to embark on a very different life style in the knowledge that no other urban community could compare with Kanata. Kanata Standard, August 17, 1979:2.
August 28, 1979
Two Kanata youths, 17-year-old Douglas Conner and 16-year-old Chris Quinsey, were killed in an automobile accident. The incident took place on the Huntley Town Line Road, where the vehicle overturned into the Carp River. Kanata Standard, August 31, 1979:1.
August 31, 1979
It was reported that 17-year-old Kanata resident Lindsay Eltis had won an all-expense-paid trip to the Alberta oil sands. He had participated in the Canada-wide Science Fair in London Ontario, and was recognized as having the best environment-related project in the fair’s senior division. Kanata Standard, August 31, 1979:1.
August 31, 1979
Meetings between officials from the City of Kanata ad the Provincial Ministry of Culture and Recreation were held to discuss a proposed $12,000 recreation study for the City. It was to be completed by August, 1980. Kanata Standard, August 31, 1979:1.
September 8, 1979
A successful Glen Cairn Fun Fair was held. Kanata Standard, September 14, 1979:1.
September 12, 1979
Kanata City Council met in the Katimavik Community Centre, and asked residents for input on alterations to ward boundaries. Kanata Standard, September 14, 1979:1.
September 12, 1979
An extreme-noise by-law was proposed by Kanata City Council, which would prohibit many normal activities if they produced an audible sound. Only Alderman Bob Kingham objected. Activities prohibited at various hours or days would include racing the engine of a car, operating a lawn mower, operating a radio or hi-fi set, yelling, barking by a dog, ringing of Church bells, etc. Kanata Standard, September 14, 1979:1.
September 14, 1979
A Standard editorial emphasized that the newspaper, as a rather large community-owned operation, relied heavily on volunteers. The editors stated that recent editions had been lacking in “hard” news and investigative articles, due to their “cadre of volunteers” becoming “alarmingly small.” Kanata Standard, September 14, 1979:2.
September 14, 1979
The Interlangues School of Languages announced the opening of its West End School in Kanata. Kanata Standard, September 14, 1979:7.
September 14, 1979
It was reported that a group of residents, led by Alderman Jean Gubby, were pushing for a Committee to support the Ottawa Civic Hospital’s five year Development Plan. Kanata Standard, September 14, 1979:16.
September 16, 1979
A ceremonial sod-turning occurred at St. Paul’s Anglican Church to mark the beginning of construction of a new church hall. Kanata Standard, September 28, 1979:1.
September 16, 1979
A Kanata concert debut to begin the fall season was held at the Earl of March Auditorium. Kanata Standard, September 28, 1979:9.
September 22, 1979
The Kanata Singles began their fall season of dances. Kanata Standard, September 14, 1979:14.
September 28, 1979
In a Standard editorial, Isa Clayton criticized Council for spending valuable time on things like the recently proposed anti-noise by-law. Clayton stated: “As it stands Kanata has far too MANY restrictions” and that if Council “have nothing more constructive to do with OUR time, we employ them on a part-time basis.” Kanata Standard, September 28, 1979:2.
September 28, 1979
Bob Kingham stated in a Standard article that the noise by-law recently introduced by Kanata City Council had “evoked more public interest in our new city than any other single issue since the election.” He had received around 50 calls on the issue. Kanata Standard, September 28, 1979:1.
September 28, 1979
The City of Kanata and the Recreation Department opened a room in the John Mlacak Centre to be used as a Teen Centre. Kanata Standard, September 28, 1979:11.
September 29, 1979
The 7th Annual City of Kanata Oktoberfest was held. Kanata Standard, September 14, 1979:10-11.
October 3, 1979
The Kanata Beaverbrook Community Association held a General Meeting. It was reported as being a very “contentious” meeting, which eventually led to the adoption of a new constitution and set of by-laws. A motion was also passed to extend the term of the current Board of Directors and Executive to June 15, 1980. Kanata Standard, October 12, 1979:1.
October 9, 1979
In a Kanata City Council meeting, Mayor Wilkinson indicated that there may be potentially large increases in taxes. Kanata Standard, October 12, 1979:1.
October 12, 1979
The City of Kanata Auditor’s Report for 1979 was published in the Standard. Kanata Standard, September 28, 1979:12-13.
October 13, 1979
There was a musical performance by David Gailbraith and Friends. Fred Boyd reported that the presentation made for a “very enjoyable evening.” Kanata Standard, October 26, 1979:20.
October 15, 1979
A meeting was held to discuss the future of the Kanata Standard newspaper. Plans were put in place to ensure meeting growing needs and opportunities of the “enlarged” paper. Kanata Standard, October 26, 1979:1.
October 17, 1979
The Kanata Beaverbrook Community Association held its New Residents’ Night. Over 50 people attended. Kanata Standard, October 26, 1979:1.
October 17, 1979
Steinberg’s 9th and largest store was opened for business at Hazeldean Mall. Kanata Standard, October 26, 1979:5.
October 17, 1979
Towers Department Store opened in Hazeldean Mall. Kanata Standard, October 26, 1979:6.
October 18, 1979
The Stittsville and District Snowmobile Association held its Annual General Meeting. Kanata Standard, October 12, 1979:8.
October 20, 1979
The Kinsmen Club of West Carleton held their 1st Annual Lobster & Beef Night. Over 300 people attended the event.
October 24, 1979
The Kanata Theatre opened its season with Forty Carets. It was directed by Laurence Thornton and the cast included Marg Awthority, Murray Hayes, Rosie Keneford, Mary Mauger, Jennifer Jermyn, Paula Wilke, Liane Freedman, Bob Knight, Jim Ritchie, and Barrie Kirk. Kanata Standard, October 12, 1979:18.
October 26, 1979
A feature article in the Standard outlined events rendering a hydro utility possible in Kanata. Art Bowker was reported as stating that he was recommending that a hydro utility be established for the City, and that the final report would go to the Minister of Energy. Kanata Standard, October 26, 1979:1.
October 26, 1979
The Air Cadet League of Canada, in cooperation with the Kiwanis Club, announced their intent to form an Air Cadet Squadron in Kanata. Kanata Standard, October 26, 1979:11.
October 26, 1979
The New Amended Kanata Beaverbrook Community Association Constitution of October 3 was published in the Standard. Kanata Standard, October 26, 1979:14-15.
October 26, 1979
Regional Council held a Special Regional Council meeting to deal with the report on Environmental Lands, formerly called Conservation Lands for the Region. A provision was made to allow some use of plans of subdivision to permit both landowners and local municipalities to have a greater degree of flexibility in dealing with the use of environmental lands. Kanata Standard, October 26, 1979:18-19; Kanata Standard November 9, 1979:1,12; Kanata Standard, November 9, 1979:1,12.
October 26, 1979
Information on the new Kinsmen Participark was published in the Standard. Kanata Standard, October 26, 1979:21-3.
October 30, 1979
An official reception was held to celebrate the opening of Hazeldean Mall. Kanata Standard, November 9, 1979:10
November 6, 1979
The Carleton School Board Committee held a Whole Committee meeting to consider the five-year capital plan and the priorities for future school construction. Kanata Standard, November 9, 1979:2.
November 9, 1979
A feature in the Standard updated Project 4000 and the status of the first Vietnamese family sponsored in Kanata as part of the program. Kanata Standard, November 9, 1979:1,12.
November 20, 1979
There was a sod-turning ceremony to mark a major expansion of the Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, Commercial Products, located in the Kanata North Industrial Park. Kanata Standard, November 23, 1979:1.
November 22, 1979
Kanata youth Bill Casley was presented with a personal bravery award by the Kanata-Carleton Rotary Club. The previous August, Casley had pulled David Malloy from a burning car just before it exploded. November 23, 1979:11.
November 23, 1979
The President of the National Capital Equestrian Park announced that a Wintario grant approval was given to cover 50 percent, or $416,612, of an all-weather indoor riding arena. Kanata Standard, November 23, 1979:13.
November 26, 1979
A meeting was held in Rural March to discuss whether or not to remain part of Kanata or to become part of West Carleton.
November 27, 1979
Kanata City Council passed a by-law authorizing the acquisition of land, the design and construction of a library in Glen Cairn. It was estimated to cost $502,000. Kanata Standard, December 7, 1979:13.
November 27, 1979
Kanata City Council approved the acquisition of land and the architectural design fees for a new rural fire hall, estimated at $155,000.
November 30, 1979
Mitel officially opened its Kanata headquarters. The company was already planning further expansion to its Kanata, Ogdensburg and Puerto Rico plants. Kanata Standard, December 7, 1979:21.
December 1, 1979
The City of Kanata celebrated its 1st birthday. Approximately 400 people attended a the festivities at Glen Cairn Community Centre. Campeau Corporation provided several birthday gifts, including a Campeau University Scholarship, a giant outdoor skating rink, and a giant toboggan run. Kanata Standard, December 7, 1979:1.
December 1, 1979
Mayor Wilkinson presented the Kingham family with a mounted picture of their winning logo design for the City of Kanata at the City’s 1st birthday. Kanata Standard, December 7, 1979:31.
December 4, 1979
Kanata City Council opened their meeting with a tribute to Alderman Lund for his work on the Hydro Committees leading up to an agreement to set up a city Hydro Utility. Kanata Standard, December 7, 1979:1.
December 4, 1979
Kanata City Council approved a motion in principle to change the name of Highway 17 to March Road. Kanata Standard, December 7, 1979:4.
December 7, 1979
An article by Carol Dougherty, based on interview with Mayor Marianne Wilkinson with regard to the first year of the City of Kanata, was published in the Standard. Dougherty wrote: “Not unlike the parents of a first newborn, the mayor and council have frequently relied upon trial and error and upon their own judgment to make decisions. In fact the lack of precedent, policy or procedure has forced council to learn through experience and to grow with the city.” Kanata Standard, December 7, 1979:6.
December 7, 1979
Bob Kingham commented in an article in the Standard on the first year of the City of Kanata. Kingham stated: “...you cannot make a community by Law. First and foremost it takes people — not a faceless legion, but neighbours and friends whose membership in Kanata derives from a conscious sense of belonging.” Kanata Standard, December 7, 1979:7.
December 7, 1979
Doug Nash wrote A Year of Reflection, to commemorate Kanata’s birthday. He stated: “I count this first year as a beneficial learning experience. I now realize that the provincial government has a great deal of jurisdiction over how a municipality operates, and it has been a very revealing experience to study the fine points of the Ontario Municipal Act.” Kanata Standard, December 7, 1979:8.
December 7, 1979
Charlie Rogers’ article, A Year in Review, outlined his participation in the first year of the City of Kanata. Rogers stated: “We are suffering from growing pains (possibly some headaches still around from motherhood), but I feel that we are progressing at a reasonable rate considering the circumstances and I look forward to a better progress rate in the next twelve months.” Kanata Standard, December 7, 1979:9.
December 7, 1979
Marianne Wilkinson, in her Commentary, reflected on the past year as Mayor of the new City of Kanata. She stated that the year had been full of “challenges, of accomplishments, of frustrations, of pleasure, of hard work, of long hours, and of tremendous encouragement and assistance given to me by the residents of Kanata, the members of Council and particularly by the Kanata City Staff.” Kanata Standard, December 7, 1979:14.
December 7, 1979
It was reported that three new refugee families had arrived in the Kanata area, as part of the ongoing Project 4000 program. Kanata Standard, December 7, 1979:30.
December 11, 1979
The speed limit on Eagleson Road from Highway 7 to Timm Drive was lowered from 80 km/h to 60 km/h. Kanata Standard, Jan. 11, 1980:4.
December 21, 1979
In a letter to the Editor, E. C. Prince criticized Kanata City Council for allowing the construction of the Participark, calling it “another pillaging of the natural landscape and thus the loss of the pastoral scene.” Kanata Standard, December 21, 1979:2.
Those of you familiar with my stream will recognise this car from my other shots of it. It may be old school, but it's certainly a classic car.
One of my images, 'A minor portrait', has been selected for the Bath in Time - City on show exhibition this year. It is also due to be printed in this month's 'The Bath Magazine' amongst other images as part of a press release to advertise the exhibition. Hooray!
This photo got to #400 in Explore on Sunday, November 15th 2009.
The Blue Angels came back to Hawaii and were performing at Joint Base Pearl Harbor & Hickam on 27-28 September. I love watching and photographing these guys and attended both days, sort of. I actually didn't go on base--much too crowded--to the air show, but parked on the top floor of the Honolulu International Airport parking structure. This provided a great view of the aircraft lining up on approach as they sped down the runway towards the crowd at Hickam Airbase. But that's also why the smoke was missing--they use this to accentuate their movements--and wasn't on in a lot of these shots. But I was also shooting with the 200-400mm and the Sigmonster and could pull in some of the far off action, like the "too close fly by." So I got my "Angels" fix for the year, but here's the good news, they're coming back next year for Bayfest at Kaneohe!!! Two years in a row, I don't think they've ever done that before, WooHoo!!!
Those of us in born in the 60s, we only know the Elvis of the 70s and the rhinestones and the jumpsuits ... The overall magic of Graceland is understanding the large history of what he meant to the USA and the world from the 50s to his death in August 1977.
Graceland, Tennessee
December 2014
The Cadillac Eldorado is a personal luxury car that was manufactured and marketed by Cadillac from 1953 to 2002 over ten generations. Competitors and similar vehicles included the Lincoln Mark series, Buick Riviera, Oldsmobile Toronado and Chrysler's Imperial Coupe.
The Eldorado was at or near the top of the Cadillac line during early model years. The original 1953 Eldorado convertible and the Eldorado Brougham models of 1957–1960 were the most expensive models that Cadillac offered those years, and the Eldorado was never less than second in price after the Cadillac Series 75 until 1966. Eldorados carried the Fleetwood designation from 1965 through 1972.
NAME
The nameplate Eldorado is a contraction of two Spanish words that translate as "the gilded (i.e., golden) one" — and also refers to El Dorado, the mythical South American "Lost City of Gold" that fascinated Spanish explorers.
Chosen in an internal competition for a 1952 concept vehicle celebrating the company's golden anniversary, the name Eldorado was proposed by Mary-Ann Marini (née Zukosky), a secretary in Cadillac's merchandising department — and was subsequently adopted for a limited-edition convertible for model year 1953.
Palm Springs Life magazine incorrectly attributes the name to the Eldorado Country Club in Indian Wells, California, a favorite resort of General Motors executives in the Coachella Valley — though the resort opened in 1957, five years after Cadillac's own naming competition.
Cadillac began using the nameplates 'Eldorado Seville' and 'Eldorado Biarritz' to distinguish between the hardtop and convertible models (respectively) while both were offered, from 1956 through 1960 inclusively. The 'Seville' name was dropped when the hardtop was initially discontinued (1961), but the Biarritz name continued through 1964. Beginning 1965, the Eldorado became the 'Fleetwood Eldorado'. 'Biarritz' returned as an up level trim package for the Eldorado for 1977.
FIRST GENERATION (1953)
The Cadillac Series 62 Eldorado joined the Oldsmobile 98 Fiesta and Buick Roadmaster Skylark as top-of-the-line, limited-production specialty convertibles introduced in 1953 by General Motors to promote its design leadership. A special-bodied, low-production convertible (532 units in total), it was the production version of the 1952 El Dorado "Golden Anniversary" concept car. Along with borrowing bumper bullets (aka dagmars) from the 1951 GM Le Sabre show car, it featured a full assortment of deluxe accessories and introduced the wraparound windshield and a cut-down beltline to Cadillac standard production.
The expansive frontal glass and distinctive dip in the sheetmetal at the bottom of the side windows (featured on one or both of GM's other 1953 specialty convertibles) were especially beloved by General Motors' styling chief Harley Earl and subsequently widely copied by other marques. Available in four unique colors (Aztec red, Alpine white, azure blue and artisan ochre — the last is a yellow hue, although it was shown erroneously as black in the color folder issued on this rare model). Convertible tops were available in either black or white Orlon. AC was an option, as were wire wheels. The car carried no special badging other than a gold-colored "Eldorado" nameplate in the center of the dash. A hard tonneau cover, flush with the rear deck, hid the convertible top in the open car version.
Although technically a subseries of the Cadillac Series 62 based on the regular Series 62 convertible, sharing its engine, it was nearly twice as expensive at US$7,750. The 5,610 mm long, 2,030 mm wide vehicle came with such standard features as windshield washers, a signal seeking radio, power windows, and a heater. The Eldorado comprised only 5% of Cadillac's sales in 1953.
SECOND GENERATION (1954–1956)
In 1954, Eldorado lost its unique sheet metal and shared its basic body shell with standard Cadillacs. Distinguished now mainly by trim pieces, this allowed GM to lower the price and see a substantial increase in sales. The Eldorados had golden identifying crests centered directly behind the air-slot fenderbreaks and wide fluted beauty panels to decorate the lower rear bodysides. These panels were made of extruded aluminum and also appeared on a unique one of a kind Eldorado coupé built for the Reynolds Aluminum Corporation. Also included in the production Eldorado convertible were monogram plates on the doors, wire wheels, and custom interior trimmings with the Cadillac crest embossed on the seat bolsters. Two thousand one hundred and fifty Eldorados were sold, nearly four times as many as in 1953.
For 1955, the Eldorado's body gained its own rear end styling with high, slender, pointed tailfins. These contrasted with the rather thick, bulbous fins which were common at the time and were an example of the Eldorado once again pointing the way forward. The Eldorado sport convertible featured extras such as wide chrome body belt moldings and twin round taillights halfway up the fenders. Sales nearly doubled to 3,950.
For 1956, a two-door hardtop coupé version appeared, called the Eldorado Seville at which point the convertible was named the "Eldorado Biarritz". An Eldorado script finally appeared with fender crest on the car which was further distinguished by twin hood ornaments. An extra feature on the Eldorado convertible was a ribbed chrome saddle molding extending from the windshield to the rear window pillar along the beltline. With the addition of the Seville, sales rose yet again to 6,050 of which 2,150 were Sevilles. Eldorados accounted for nearly 4% of all Cadillacs sold.
THIRD GENERATION (1957-1960)
1957 saw the Eldorado (in both convertible and Seville hardtop bodystyles) with a revised rear-end design featuring a low, downswept fenderline capped by a pointed, in-board fin. The rear fenders were commonly referred to as "chipmunk cheeks". This concept was used for two years, but did not spawn any imitators. Series 62 Eldorados (as distinct from the Series 70 Eldorado Brougham) were further distinguished by the model name above a V-shaped rear deck ornament and on the front fenders. The rear fender and deck contour was trimmed with broad, sculptured stainless steel beauty panels. Also seen were "shark" style fins pointing towards the back of the cars. A three section built in front bumper was another exclusive trait of the Series 62 Eldorados, which came with a long list of standard features. Four specially-built 4-door hardtop Eldorado Sedan Sevilles were also built in 1957.
1957 was chiefly notable for the introduction of one of GM's most memorable designs, the Series 70 Eldorado Brougham. Announced in December 1956 and released around March 1957, the Eldorado Brougham was a hand-built, limited car derived from the Park Avenue and Orleans show cars of 1953-54. Designed by Ed Glowacke, it featured the first appearance of quad headlights and totally unique trim. The exterior ornamentation included wide, ribbed lower rear quarter beauty panels extending along the rocker sills and rectangularly sculptured side body "cove" highlighted with five horizontal windsplits on the rear doors. Tail styling treatments followed the Eldorado pattern. This four-door hardtop with rear-hinged rear doors was an ultra-luxury car that cost an astonishing $13,074 — twice the price of any other 1957 Eldorado and more than the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud of the same year. It featured a stainless steel roof, self leveling air suspension, the first automatic two-position "memory" power seats, a dual four-barrel V-8, low-profile tires with thin white-walls, automatic trunk opener, cruise control, high-pressure cooling system, polarized sun visors, electric antenna, automatic-release parking brake, electric door locks, dual heating system, silver magnetized glovebox, drink tumblers, cigarette and tissue dispensers, lipstick and cologne, ladies' compact with powder puff, mirror and matching leather notebook, comb and mirror, Arpège atomizer with Lanvin perfume, automatic starter with restart function, Autronic Eye, drum-type electric clock, power windows, forged aluminum wheels and air conditioning. Buyers of Broughams had a choice of 44 full-leather interior and trim combinations and could select such items as Mouton, Karakul or lambskin carpeting.
There were serious difficulties with the air suspension, which proved troublesome in practice. Some owners found it cheaper to have it replaced with conventional coil springs.
The 1957 Eldorado Brougham joined the Sixty Special and the Series 75 as the only Cadillac models with Fleetwood bodies although Fleetwood script or crests did not appear anywhere on the exterior of the car, and so this would also mark the first time in 20 years that a Fleetwood-bodied car was paired with the Brougham name. The 1957-58 Eldorado Brougham also marked the return of the Cadillac Series 70, if only briefly. Only 400 Eldorado Broughams were sold in 1957.
An all-transistor signal-seeking car radio was produced by GM's Delco Radio and was first available for the 1957 Eldorado Brougham models, which was standard equipment and used 13 transistors in its circuitry.
For 1958, GM was promoting their fiftieth year of production, and introduced Anniversary models for each brand; Cadillac, Buick, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, and Chevrolet. The 1958 models shared a common appearance on the top models for each brand; Cadillac Eldorado Seville, Buick Roadmaster Riviera, Oldsmobile Holiday 88, Pontiac Bonneville Catalina, and the all-new Chevrolet Bel-Air Impala.
On 1958 2-door Eldorados, a V-shaped ornament and model identification script were mounted to the deck lid. Two-door Eldorados also had ten vertical chevron slashes ahead of the open rear wheel housings and crest medallions on the flank of the tailfins. Broad, sculptured beauty panels decorated the lower rear quarters on all Series 62 Eldorados and extended around the wheel opening to stretch along the body sills. All-new was a special-order Series 62 Eldorado Seville, of which only one was actually built.
The major changes to the Eldorado Brougham in 1958 were seen inside the car. The interior upper door panels were finished in leather instead of the metal finish used in 1957. New wheel covers also appeared. Forty-four trim combinations were available, along with 15 special monotone paint colors. A total of 304 Eldorado Broughams were sold in 1958. 1958 was the last year for the domestic production of the handbuilt Brougham at Cadillac's Detroit factory, as future manufacturing of the special bodies was transferred to Pininfarina of Turin, Italy.
The 1959 Cadillac is remembered for its huge sharp tailfins with dual bullet tail lights, two distinctive rooflines and roof pillar configurations, new jewel-like grille patterns and matching deck lid beauty panels. In 1959 the Series 62 became the Series 6200. De Villes and 2-door Eldorados were moved from the Series 62 to their own series, the Series 6300 and Series 6400 respectively, though they all, including the 4-door Eldorado Brougham (which was moved from the Series 70 to Series 6900), shared the same 3,302 mm wheelbase. New mechanical items were a "scientifically engineered" drainage system and new shock absorbers. All Eldorados were characterized by a three-deck, jeweled, rear grille insert, but other trim and equipment features varied. The Seville and Biarritz models had the Eldorado name spelled out behind the front wheel opening and featured broad, full-length body sill highlights that curved over the rear fender profile and back along the upper beltline region. Engine output was an even 345 hp (257 kW) from the 6.4 L engine. Standard equipment included power brakes, power steering, automatic transmission, back-up lamps, windshield wipers, two-speed wipers, wheel discs, outside rearview mirror, vanity mirror, oil filter, power windows, six way power seats, heater, fog lamps, remote control deck lid, radio and antenna with rear speaker, power vent windows, air suspension, electric door locks and license frames. The Eldorado Brougham also came with Air conditioning, automatic headlight dimmer, acruise control standard over the Seville and Biarritz trim lines.
The 1960 Cadillacs had smoother, more restrained styling. General changes included a full-width grille, the elimination of pointed front bumper guards, increased restraint in the application of chrome trim, lower tailfins with oval shaped nacelles and front fender mounted directional indicator lamps. External variations on the Seville two-door hardtop and Biarritz convertible took the form of bright body sill highlights that extended across the lower edge of fender skirts and Eldorado lettering on the sides of the front fenders, just behind the headlamps. Standard equipment included power brakes, power steering, automatic transmission, dual back-up lamps, windshield wipers, two-speed wipers, wheel discs, outside rearview mirror, vanity mirror, oil filter, power windows, six-way power seats, heater, fog lamps, Eldorado engine, remote control trunk lock, radio with antenna and rear speaker, power vent windows, air suspension, electric door locks, license frames, and five whitewall tires. Technical highlights were finned rear drums and an X-frame construction. Interiors were done in Chadwick cloth or optional Cambray cloth and leather combinations. The last Eldorado Seville was built in 1960.
A different Eldorado Brougham was sold for 1959 and 1960. These cars were not quite so extravagantly styled but were very unusual pieces in themselves. Priced at $13,075, they cost $1 more, each, than their older siblings. The company contracted out the assembly to Pininfarina of Italy, with whom the division has had a long-running relationship, and these Eldorados were essentially hand-built in Italy. Ironically only now did it acquire Fleetwood wheel discs and doorsill moldings, presumably because the design work and final touches were still being done by Fleetwood. Discreet, narrow taillights integrated into modest tailfins, and a squared-off rear roof line with rear ventiplanes caused the Italian-built Brougham to contrast sharply to the rounded roof lines, and especially the new "rocketship" taillights and flamboyant fins of the standard 1959 Cadillacs, which are a feature only of that year. A vertical crest medallion with Brougham script plate appeared on the front fenders and a single, thin molding ran from the front to rear along the mid-sides of the body. It did not sport Eldorado front fender letters or body sill headlights. A fin-like crest, or "skeg," ran from behind the front wheel opening to the rear of the car on the lower bodysides and there were special crest medallions on the trailing edge of the rear fenders. The Brougham's styling cues would prove to indicate where standard Cadillac styling would head from 1960 through the early-mid-1960s. The standard equipment list was pared down to match those of other Eldorados, plus Cruise Control, Autronic Eye, air conditioning and E-Z Eye glass. The Brougham build-quality was not nearly to the standard of the Detroit hand-built 1957–1958 models, and thus the 1959–1960 Broughams did not sell as well as their forebears. However, collector interest and values for these cars remain high. The Eldorado Brougham was moved to its own unique Series 6900 for its remaining two years.
The 1960 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz 6467E is featured as Maurice Minnifield's vehicle in the 1990s television series Northern Exposure.
FOURTH GENERATION (1961–1964)
Cadillac was restyled and re-engineered for 1961. The Eldorado Biarritz convertible was technically reclassified as a subseries of the De Ville (Series 6300), a status it would keep through 1964. An Eldorado convertible would remain in the Cadillac line through 1966, but its differences from the rest of the line would be generally more modest. The new grille slanted back towards both the bumper and the hood lip, along the horizontal plan, and sat between dual headlamps. New forward slanting front pillars with non-wraparound windshield glass were seen. The Eldorado Biarritz featured front series designation scripts and a lower body "skeg" trimmed with a thin three quarter length spear molding running from behind the front wheel opening to the rear of the car. Standard equipment included power brakes, power steering, automatic transmission, dual back up lights, windshield washer, dual speed wipers, wheel discs, plain fender skirts, outside rearview mirror, vanity mirror, oil filter, power windows, 6-way power bench seat or bucket seats, power vent windows, whitewall tires, and remote control trunk lock. Rubberized front and rear coil springs replaced the trouble prone air suspension system. Four-barrel induction systems were now the sole power choice and dual exhaust were no longer available. With the Seville and Brougham gone sales fell to 1,450.
A mild face lift characterized Cadillac styling trends for 1962. A flatter grille with a thicker horizontal center bar and more delicate cross-hatched insert appeared. Ribbed chrome trim panel, seen ahead of the front wheel housings in 1961, were now replaced with cornering lamps and front fender model and series identification badges were eliminated. More massive front bumper end pieces appeared and housed rectangular parking lamps. At the rear tail lamps were now housed in vertical nacelles designed with an angled peak at the center. A vertically ribbed rear beauty panel appeared on the deck lid latch panel. Cadillac script also appeared on the lower left side of the radiator grille. Standard equipment included all of last year’s equipment plus remote controlled outside rearview mirror, heater and defroster and front cornering lamps. Cadillac refined the ride and quietness, with more insulation in the floor and behind the firewall.
In 1963 Eldorado Biarritz joined the Cadillac Sixty Special and the Cadillac Series 75 as the only Cadillac models with Fleetwood bodies and immediately acquired Fleetwood crests on its rear quarters[26] and Fleetwood rocker panel moldings. The 1963 Eldorado was also the first Fleetwood bodied convertible since the Cadillac Series 75 stopped offering four- and two-door convertible body styles and production of the Cadillac Series 90 (V16) ceased in 1941. In overall terms the 1963 Cadillac was essentially the same as the previous year. Exterior changes imparted a bolder and longer look. Hoods and deck lids were redesigned. The front fenders projected 4.625 inches further forward than in 1962 while the tailfins were trimmed down somewhat to provide a lower profile. Body side sculpturing was entirely eliminated. The slightly V-shaped radiator grille was taller and now incorporated outer extensions that swept below the flush-fender dual headlamps. Smaller circular front parking lamps were mounted in those extensions. The Eldorado also had a rectangular grid pattern rear decorative grille. A total of 143 options including bucket seats with wool, leather or nylon upholstery fabrics and wood veneer facings on dash, doors and seatbacks, set an all-time record for interior appointment choices. Standard equipment was the same as the previous year. The engine was entirely changed, though the displacement and output remained the same, 6.4 l and 325 hp (242 kW).
It was time for another facelift in 1964 and really a minor one. The main visual cue indicating an Eldorado Biarritz was simply the lack of fender skirts. New up front was a bi-angular grille that formed a V-shape along both its vertical and horizontal planes. The main horizontal grille bar was now carried around the body sides. Outer grille extension panels again housed the parking and cornering lamps. It was the 17th consecutive year for the Cadillac tailfins with a new fine-blade design carrying on the tradition. Performance improvements including a larger V8 engine were the dominant changes for the model run. Equipment features were same as in 1963 for the most part. Comfort Control, a completely automatic heating and air conditioning system controlled by a dial thermostat on the instrument panel, was introduced as an industry first. The engine was bumped to 7 l, with 340 hp (253.5 kW) available. Performance gains from the new engine showed best in the lower range, at 30 to 80 km/h traffic driving speeds. A new technical feature was the Turbo-Hydramatic transmission, also used in the De Ville and the Sixty Special.
FITH GENERATION (1965–1966)
The Eldorado became a Fleetwood sub-series in 1965, although there was strictly speaking no separate Fleetwood series at this time. It was consequently marketed as the Cadillac Fleetwood Eldorado, in a similar fashion to the Cadillac Fleetwood Series 75 and the Cadillac Fleetwood Sixty Special. The Biarritz nomenclature was finally dropped from sales literature, probably because there was no need to distinguish the convertible from the long absent Seville and Brougham. This was the last generation to be installed with rear wheel drive.
In 1966 changes included a somewhat coarser mesh for the radiator grille insert, which was now divided by a thick, bright metal horizontal center bar housing rectangular parking lamps at the outer ends. Separate rectangular side marker lamps replaced the integral grille extension designs. There was generally less chrome on all Cadillac models this year. Cadillac crests and V-shaped moldings, front and rear, were identifiers. Cadillac "firsts" this season included variable ratio steering and optional front seats with carbon cloth heating pads built into the cushions and seatbacks. Comfort and convenience innovations were headrests, reclining seats and an AM/FM stereo system. Automatic level control was available. Engineering improvements made to the perimeter frame increased ride and handling ease. Newly designed piston and oil rings and a new engine mounting system and patented quiet exhaust were used.
SIXTH GENERATION (1967–1970)
The Eldorado was radically redesigned in 1967 to capitalize on the burgeoning era's personal luxury car market. Promoted as a "personal" Cadillac, it shared the E-body with the second-generation Buick Riviera and the Oldsmobile Toronado, which had been introduced the previous year. To enhance its distinctiveness, Cadillac adopted the Toronado's front-wheel drive Unified Powerplant Package, adapted to a standard Cadillac 429 V8 coupled to a Turbo-Hydramatic 425 automatic transmission. Based on the Turbo-Hydramatic 400, the THM425 placed the torque converter next to the planetary gearbox, which it drove through a metal, motorcycle-style roller chain. Disc brakes were optional, and new standard safety equipment included an energy absorbing steering column and generously padded instrument panel. The Unified Powerplant Package was later shared with the GMC Motorhome starting in 1972.
The new Eldorado was a great departure from the previous generation, which had become little more than a dressed-up version of Cadillac's De Ville. Its crisp styling, initiated by GM styling chief Bill Mitchell, was distinctive and unique, more angular than the streamlined Riviera and Toronado. This was the only production Cadillac to be equipped with concealed headlights behind vacuum operated doors.
Performance was 0–60 mph (0–96 km/h) in less than nine seconds and a top speed of 120 mph (192 km/h). Roadability and handling were highly praised by contemporary reviews, and sales were excellent despite high list prices. Its sales of 17,930 units, nearly three times the previous Eldorado high, helped give Cadillac its best year ever.
In 1968, the Eldorado received Cadillac's new 375 hp (280 kW) (SAE gross) 7.7 L V8, and disc brakes became standard. Only slight exterior changes were made to comply with new federal safety legislation. Sales set another record at 24,528, with Eldorados accounting for nearly 11% of all Cadillacs sold.
In 1969 hidden headlamps were eliminated, and a halo vinyl roof was available as an option, joined later in the model year by a power sunroof.
In 1970 the Eldorado introduced the new 8.2 L V8 engine, the largest-ever production V8, rated SAE gross 400 hp (298 kW) and 550 lb·ft (746 N·m), which would remain exclusive until it became standard on all full size Cadillacs in the 1975 model year.
SEVENTH GENERATION (1971–1978)
The Eldorado underwent a substantial redesign in 1971, growing two inches in length but six in wheelbase. The result was a rounder, much heavier looking automobile, made even more rotund by the return of standard fender skirts. While Eldorado door glass remained frameless, the hardtop rear quarter windows were deleted, replaced by a fixed "opera window" in the widened "C" pillar. A convertible model rejoined the line-up. This 126.3-inch (3,210 mm) wheelbase version Eldorado would run through 1978, receiving facelifts in 1973 and 1975. Sales in 1971 set a new record at 27,368.
In 1972 sales rose to 40,074.
Performance was not competitive with contemporary premium personal luxury cars. However, none but the Lincoln were 6 passenger vehicles.
In 1973 the Eldorado was removed from the Fleetwood series and reestablished as its own series. The '73 models received a facelift featuring new front and rear bumpers, egg-crate grille, decklid, rear fenders and taillamps.
The Cadillac Eldorado was chosen as the pace car for the Indy 500 in 1973. Cadillac produced 566 of these special pace car convertibles. Thirty-three were used at the track during the race week, with the remainder distributed to U.S. Cadillac dealers one per dealership. Total sales soared to 51,451, over a sixth of all Cadillac sales.
1974 models featured a redesigned rear bumper, to meet the new 5 mile impact federal design regulation. Styling changes include horizontal taillamps, and a fine mesh grille. Inside, there was a new, redesigned instrument panel, marketed in sales literature as "space age" and shared with all 1974 Cadillacs.
For 1975, the Eldorado was given rectangular headlamps, full rear wheel openings sans fender skirts and crisper lines which resulted in a much sleeker appearance reminiscent of the 1967-70 models.
In 1976 GM heavily promoted the Eldorado convertibles as "the last American convertible". Some 14,000 would be sold, many purchased as investments. The final 200 were designated as "Bicentennial Edition" commemorating America's 200th birthday. These cars were white with a dual-color red/blue pinstripe along the upper bodyside. When GM reintroduced Eldorado convertibles for the 1984 model year, owners of 1976 Eldorados felt they had been deceived and launched an unsuccessful class action lawsuit.
In 1977 the Eldorado received a new grille with a finer crosshatch pattern. The convertible was dropped (although Custom Coach of Lima, Ohio converted a few new 1977 and 1978s Eldorados into coach convertibles using salvaged parts from earlier models). The 8.2L V8 of 1970-76 gave way to a new 7L V8 with 180 bhp (134 kW). For the first time in 1977 all GM E-body cars were front-wheel drive, as the Riviera underwent a two-year hiatus before joining them in 1979.
A new grille was the only major change in 1978. The Eldorado was totally redisigned for 1979.
ELDORADO BIARRITZ
Unlike the Cadillac Sixty Special and De Ville, Eldorado did not have a unique luxury package to provide it with a title change (such as the "d'Elegance" package). This was rectified in mid-year 1976 with the Biarritz package. A unique trim feature of Biarritz, a name that had not been used since the 1964 model year (although the Eldorado was Fleetwood bodied from the 1963 model year on, the Fleetwood designation was only applied to all Eldorados produced from the 1965 through 1972 model years) was a brushed stainless steel roof covering the front passenger compartment for model years 1979-1985. This was a styling cue reminiscent of the 1957/58 Eldorado Brougham. The rear half of the roof was covered with a heavily padded landau vinyl top accented with large "opera" lights. The interior featured "pillowed"-style, "tufted" velour or leather seating, with contrasting piping, along with an array of other options available.
The 1978 Biarritz option packages consisted of the Eldorado Custom Biarritz ($1,865.00); w/Astroroof ($2,946.00); w/Sunroof ($2,746.00) and Eldorado Custom Biarritz Classic ($2,466.00); w/Astroroof ($3,547.00); w/Sunroof ($3,347.00).
For the 1978 Eldorado model year only, 2,000 Eldorado Custom Biarritz Classics were produced in Two-Tone Arizona Beige/Demitasse Brown consisting of 1,499 with no Astroroofs or no Sunroofs; 475 with Astroroofs; 25 with Sunroofs and one (1) was produced with a Power Sliding T-Top. Only nine of the latter are known to have been retrofitted by the American Sunroof Company under the direction of General Motors' Cadillac Motor Division.
The Biarritz option stayed with the Eldorado through the 1991 model year. Some of the original styling cues vanished after the 1985 model year, such as the brushed stainless steel roofing and the interior seating designs, but the Biarritz remained unique just the same.
EIGHTH GENERATION (1979–1985)
A new, trimmer Eldorado was introduced for 1979, for the first time sharing its chassis with both the Buick Riviera and Oldsmobile Toronado. Smaller, more fuel efficient 350 and 368 in³ (5.7 and 6.0 L) V8's replaced the 500 and 425 in³ (8.2 and 7.0 L) engines. A diesel 350 was available as an option.
In 1980, the gas 350 was replaced with the 368 except in California, where the Oldsmobile 350 was used. In both the 1980 Seville and Eldorado (which shared frames) the 368s came with DEFI (later known as throttle body injection when it was later used with other GM corporate engines), whereas in the larger RWD Cadillacs it came only with a 4-barrel Quadrajet carburetor. Independent rear suspension was adopted, helping retain rear-seat and trunk room in the smaller body. The most notable styling touch was an extreme notchback roofline. The Eldorado Biarritz model resurrected the stainless-steel roof concept from the first Brougham. The Eldorado featured frameless door glass, and the rear quarter windows re-appeared as they did before 1971, without a thick "B" pillar. The cars were not true hardtops, as the rear quarter windows were fixed. Sales set a new record at 67,436.[citation needed]
For 1981, Cadillac offered the V8-6-4 variable displacement variant of the 368 engine, which was designed to deactivate some cylinders when full power was not needed, helping meet GM's government fuel economy ("CAFE") averages. It was a reduced bore version of the 1968 model-year 472, sharing that engine's stroke and also that of the model-year 1977–1979 425. The engine itself was extremely rugged and durable, but its complex electronics were the source of customer complaints.
Another engine was introduced for 1982. The 4.1 L HT-4100 was an in-house design that mated cast-iron heads to an aluminum block. Some HT-4100s were replaced under warranty.
From 1982 through 1985, Cadillac offered an 'Eldorado Touring Coupe', with heavier duty suspension, alloy wheels, blackwall tires, minimal exterior ornamentation and limited paint colors. These were marketed as 'driver's cars' and included bucket seats and a center console.
In 1984, Cadillac also introduced a convertible version of Eldorado Biarritz. It was 91 kg heavier featuring the same interior as other Biarritz versions. The model year of 1985 was the last year for the ASC, Inc., aftermarket conversion Eldorado convertible. Total sales set an all-time record of 77,806, accounting for about 26% of all Cadillacs sold.
Prior to the 'official' 1984 and 1985 Eldorado convertibles marketed by Cadillac, some 1979-83 Eldorados were made into coach convertibles by independent coachbuilders e.g. American Sunroof Corporation, Custom Coach (Lima, Ohio - this coachbuilder turned a few 1977 and 1978 Eldorados into convertibles), Hess & Eisenhardt. The same coachbuilders also converted the Oldsmobile Toronado and Buick Riviera into a ragtop.
Late in the 1985 model year, an optional 'Commemorative Edition' package was announced, in honor of the last year of production for this version of the Eldorado. Exclusive features included gold-tone script and tail-lamp emblems, specific sail panel badges, gold-background wheel center caps, and a "Commemorative Edition" badge on the steering wheel horn pad. Leather upholstery (available in Dark Blue or White, or a two-tone with Dark Blue and White) was included in the package, along with a Dark Blue dashboard and carpeting. Exterior colors were Cotillion White or Commodore Blue.
NINTH GENERATION (1986–1991)
The Eldorado was downsized again in 1986. In a fairly extreme makeover it lost about 16" in length and some 350 pounds in weight. Just like in previous generations, the Eldorado shared its chassis with the Oldsmobile Toronado and Buick Riviera, as well as Eldorado's four-door companion, the Cadillac Seville. However, the coupés from Buick and Oldsmobile both utilized Buick's 3.8 liter V6 engine, while Cadillac continued to use their exclusive 4.1 liter V8. The convertible bodystyle was ceded to the Cadillac Allanté roadster.
The $24,251 Eldorado was now the same size that GM's own compact cars had been only a few years earlier, and considerably smaller than Lincoln's competing Mark VII, and no similar offering from Chrysler as the Imperial coupe was discontinued in 1983. Its styling seemed uninspired and stubby, and in a final unfortunate flourish, for the first time the Eldorado abandoned its "hardtop" heritage and featured framed door glass. News reports later indicated that GM had been led astray by a consultant's prediction that gasoline would be at $3 per gallon in the U.S. by 1986, and that smaller luxury cars would be in demand. In fact, gasoline prices were less than half that. With a sales drop of 60%, seldom has any model experienced a more precipitous fall. Production was only about a fifth of what it had been just two years earlier.
Aside from a longer, 5 year/50,000 mile warranty, Eldorado received very few changes for 1987. A price drop, to $23,740, did not raise sales any, as only 17,775 were made this year (21,342 for 1986). The standard suspension, with new taller 75 series (previously 70) tires and hydro-elastic engine mounts, was slightly retuned for a softer ride, while the optional ($155) Touring Suspension, with deflected-disc strut valves and 15" alloy wheels, remained for those desiring a firmer ride. As part of a federal requirement to discourage "chop-shop" thieves, major body panels were etched with the VIN. Also new, a combination cashmere cloth with leather upholstery, and locking inertia seat belt reels for rear seat passengers, which allowed for child-seat installation in the outboard seating positions in back. The formal cabriolet roof was added this year. Available for $495 on the base Eldorado, it featured a padded covering over the rear half of the roof, and turned the rear side glass into smaller opera windows. One of Eldorado's most expensive singluar options was the Motorola cellular telephone mounted inside the locking center arm rest. Priced at $2,850, it had been reworked this year for easier operation, and featured a hidden microphone mounted between the sun visors for hands-free operation. Additionally, the telephone featured a clever radio mute control: activated when the telephone and radio were in use at the same time, it automatically decreased the rear speaker's audio volume, and over-rode the front music speakers to be used for the hands-free telephone. On an interesting note, the square marker lamp, located on the bumper extension molding just behind the rear wheel well on 1986 and '87 Eldorado models, would suddenly re-appear on the 1990 & '91 Seville (base models only) and Eldorado Touring Coupé.
1988 was met with an extensive restyle, and sales nearly doubled from the previous year, up to 33,210. While the wheelbase, doors, roof, and glass remained relatively unchanged, new body panels gave the 1988 model a more identifiable "Eldorado" appearance. Now available in just 17 exterior colors (previously 19), the new Eldorado was 3" longer than last year. Underneath the restyled hood was Cadillac's new 155 horsepower 4.5 liter V8. A comprehensive anti-lock braking system, developed by Teves, was newly available. Longer front fenders held "bladed" tips, and a new grille above the revamped front bumper. In back, new three-sided tail lamps - reminiscent of the 1987 Deville - appeared along with a new bumper and trunk lid. Bladed 14" aluminum wheels remained standard, while an optional 15" snowflake-pattern alloy wheel was included with the Touring Suspension option. The interior held wider front seat headrests and swing-away door pull handles (replacing the former door pull straps). New upholstery patterns, along with shoulder belts for outboard rear-seat passengers, appeared for both base and Biarritz models, with the latter bringing back the tufted-button design - last seen in the 1985 Eldorado Biarritz. A new vinyl roof option, covering the full roof top, featured a band of body color above the side door and windows - similar to the style used until 1978. This replaced the "cabriolet roof" option, which covered the rear half of the roof, introduced just a year earlier. With the Biarritz option package, the padded vinyl roof covered just the rear quarter of the roof top, behind the rear side windows. Biarritz also included slender vertical opera lamps, as in 1986 and '87, but now added a spear molding (similar to the style used on the 1976 - 1985 Eldorado Biarritz) that ran from the base of the roof top, continuing horizontally along the door, and down to the front fender tip. The standard power antenna was moved from the front passenger fender to the rear passenger fender. Pricing went up this year - to $24,891. This 1988 restyle would be the last, until the model was replaced by an all-new Eldorado for 1992.
TENTH GENERATION (1992–2002)
The 1992 Eldorado was all new, drawing both interior and exterior styling cues from the 1988 Cadillac Solitaire show car. It was significantly larger than its predecessor – approximately 11" longer, 3" wider, and substantially heavier. Window glass was once again frameless, and shortly after introduction Cadillac's new Northstar V8 became available in both 270 and 295 hp (220 kW) variants, replacing the 200 hp (150 kW) 4.9 L. Sales were up, though never again at record heights.
The Eldorado continued for the rest of the decade with incremental changes and tapering sales. A passenger side airbag was added as standard equipment in 1993. Styling was freshened in 1995, with updated bumpers front and rear, side cladding, and a new grille. In 1996, the interior received attention, with a new upholstery style, larger analog gauge cluster, relocated climate control system, updated stereo faces and standard daytime running lights. The ETC receives rain-sensing wipers called "Rainsense."
In 1997, the Integrated Chassis Control System was added. It involved microprocessor integration of engine, traction control, Stabilitrak electronic stability control, steering, and adaptive continuously variable road sensing suspension CVRSS, with the intent of improving responsiveness to driver input, performance, and overall safety. Similar to Toyota/Lexus Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management VDIM.
In the wake of declining sales, circulating reports that the Eldorado would get a redesign for 1999 — similar to that which the Seville underwent for 1998 — would prove false as the car soldiered on largely unchanged into the new millennium, although it did get some upgrades from the 1999 Seville.
The car was sold under Cadillac ETC (Eldorado Touring Coupe) and ESC (Eldorado Sport Coupe) trim.
In 2001 GM announced that the Eldorado's 50th model year (2002) would be its last. To mark the end of the nameplate, a limited production run of 1,596 cars in red or white - the colors available on the original 1953 convertible - were produced in three batches of 532, signifying the Eldorado's first year of production. These last cars featured specially tuned exhaust notes imitating their forerunners from a half-century earlier, and a dash-mounted plaque indicating each car's sequence in production.
Production ended on April 22, 2002, with the Lansing Craft Centre retooled to build the Chevrolet SSR.
WIKIPEDIA
Those will be some interesting views from the new condo building just east of the Belmont L stop.....
We left Queenstown to make our way to Milford Sounds. Stopped in Te Anau for morning tea and to buy some lunch for our day trip. We we will be staying at Te Anau for the night.
Arrived at Milford Sounds just in time for our boat trip on the 'Milford Sound Nature Cruise" on the 'Milford Marner': For More Info: www.realjourneys.co.nz/en/experiences/cruises/milford-sou...
Day five of our fast trip around the South Island with my friends from the UK. November 5, 2013 New Zealand.
Milford Sound (Māori: Piopiotahi) is a fjord in the south west of New Zealand's South Island, within Fiordland National Park, Piopiotahi (Milford Sound) Marine Reserve, and the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage site. It has been judged the world's top travel destination in an international survey (the 2008 Travelers' Choice Destinations Awards by TripAdvisor) and is acclaimed as New Zealand's most famous tourist destination. Rudyard Kipling had previously called it the eighth Wonder of the World.
Milford Sound is named after Milford Haven in Wales, while the Cleddau River which flows into the sound is also named for its Welsh namesake. The Māori named the sound Piopiotahi after the thrush-like piopio bird, now extinct. Piopiotahi means "a single piopio", harking back to the legend of Māui trying to win immortality for mankind - when Maui died in the attempt, a piopio was said to have flown here in mourning.
Milford Sound runs 15 kilometres inland from the Tasman Sea at Dale Point (also named after a location close to Milford Haven in Wales) - the mouth of the fiord - and is surrounded by sheer rock faces that rise 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) or more on either side. Among the peaks are The Elephant at 1,517 metres (4,977 ft), said to resemble an elephant's head, and The Lion, 1,302 metres (4,272 ft), in the shape of a crouching lion.
Milford Sound sports two permanent waterfalls all year round, Lady Bowen Falls and Stirling Falls. After heavy rain however, many hundreds of temporary waterfalls can be seen running down the steep sided rock faces that line the fiord. They are fed by rain water drenched moss and will last a few days at most once the rain stops.
With a mean annual rainfall of 6,813 mm (268 in) on 182 days a year, a high level even for the West Coast, Milford Sound is known as the wettest inhabited place in New Zealand and one of the wettest in the world. Rainfall can reach 250 mm (10 in) during a span of 24 hours. The rainfall creates dozens of temporary waterfalls (as well as a number of major, more permanent ones) cascading down the cliff faces, some reaching a thousand metres in length. Smaller falls from such heights may never reach the bottom of the sound, drifting away in the wind.
Accumulated rainwater can, at times, cause portions of the rain forest to lose their grip on the sheer cliff faces, resulting in tree avalanches into the sound. The regrowth of the rain forest after these avalanches can be seen in several locations along the sound.
Taken From and for More Info: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milford_Sound
Any one interested in following our trip around the South Island.. here is a map: <a href="http://www.wises.co.nz/l/lewis+pass/#c/-41.801671/172.516537/8/"
To have those beautiful display tanks in our showroom we need to do regular maintenance. Luckily our cleaning crew works 24/7 to support the maintenance team :)
A PICTORIAL ESSAY OF THE OLD SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA BEACHTOWNS BY BUD FRYE AS RELATED TO R.L.HUFFSTUTTER
SKETCHED HERE IS A PASSING GLANCE OF A MEMORY OF TIMES PAST: A TYPICAL SEASIDE TOWN IN 1960S SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. IT COULD BE SANTA MONICA, HERMOSA BEACH, REDONDO BEACH, MANHATTAN BEACH OR ANY OTHER SMALL BEACH COMMUNITY BETWEEN LA JOLLA AND SANTA BARBARA. "You could close your eyes when entering the town, open them once downtown and never really know which one you were in," stated Bud Frye, a retired desk clerk who has worked every hotel desk up and down the west coast. "It's not a bad thing," Bud continued, "what I am trying to say is that they all looked just about the same. There was the surf shop, the suds shop, the laundry mat, several small bars like the old Passport Inn in Manhattan Beach," he continued, his voice trailing into a low whisper as though he was lost in another time and place, a place like the west coast in the 60s. Snapping back to the present, Bud chuckled and shook his head. "Yes, that old Passport Inn--that was the place that rocked, a cool bar where the gals just kept coming in from the hot sandy beach and turning on the charm like crazy. Man, those were the days. We played darts, drank pitcher after pitcher, all the while bare-footed with the floor so covered with sand we sometimes thought we could feel the surf on our feet. Oh, for sure. It turned out to be a spilled pitcher of beer. And the smell of suntan lotion and beer? It was like heaven. Blondes, brunettes, firery redheaded chicks with so much tan they glowed. I mean, man, like there were blondes in bikinis, brunettes, hot women, for sure, with glowing tans. Yes, those were the days, for sure. Now, they all look the same again. But this time they are all a bunch of concrete instead of the old wooded shingle and planks, you know that old-style beach type buildings."
An-Naziat
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Surat Al-Naziʿat (Arabic: سورة النازعات) (Those Who Drag Forth, Soul-snatchers) is the 79th sura of the Qur'an with 46 ayat.
وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِ وَنَهَى النَّفْسَ عَنِ الْهَوَىٰ
And for such as had entertained the fear of standing before their Lord's (tribunal) and had restrained (their) soul from lower desires,
79:41 فَإِنَّ الْجَنَّةَ هِيَ الْمَأْوَىٰ
Their abode will be the Garden.
وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِ وَنَهَى النَّفْسَ عَنِ الْهَوَىٰ
And for such as had entertained the fear of standing before their Lord's (tribunal) and had restrained (their) soul from lower desires,
79:41 فَإِنَّ الْجَنَّةَ هِيَ الْمَأْوَىٰ
Their abode will be the Garden.
79:42 يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ السَّاعَةِ أَيَّانَ مُرْسَاهَا
They ask thee about the Hour,-'When will be its appointed time?
79:43 فِيمَ أَنْتَ مِنْ ذِكْرَاهَا
Wherein art thou (concerned) with the declaration thereof?
79:44 إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ مُنْتَهَاهَا
With thy Lord in the Limit fixed therefor.
79:45 إِنَّمَا أَنْتَ مُنْذِرُ مَنْ يَخْشَاهَا
Thou art but a Warner for such as fear it.
79:46 كَأَنَّهُمْ يَوْمَ يَرَوْنَهَا لَمْ يَلْبَثُوا إِلَّا عَشِيَّةً أَوْ ضُحَاهَا
The Day they see it, (It will be) as if they had tarried but a single evening, or (at most till) the following morn
ما تفسير قوله تعالى وأما من خاف مقام ربه ونهى النفس عن الهوى
أرجو لو تكرمتم تفسير قول الله سبحانه تعالى من سورة النازعات: ((وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِ وَنَهَى النَّفْسَ عَنِ الْهَوَى * فَإِنَّ الْجَنَّةَ هِيَ الْمَأْوَى))[النازعات:40-41]، وما هي الأمور التي تنهى النفس عن الهوى، وهل يكون عمل المرأة من هذه الأمور التي يجب نهي النفس عنها في حالة عدم احتياج المرأة للعمل مادياً؟
الآية عظيمة ومعناها واضح، يقول سبحانه: (وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِ وَنَهَى النَّفْسَ عَنِ الْهَوَى * فَإِنَّ الْجَنَّةَ هِيَ الْمَأْوَى) قبلها قوله سبحانه: (فَأَمَّا مَن طَغَى * وَآثَرَ الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا * فَإِنَّ الْجَحِيمَ هِيَ الْمَأْوَى * وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِ) (النازعات 37-40) يعني خاف مقامه بين يدي الله، فلهذا نهى نفسه عن هواها يعني هواها المحرم، (وَنَهَى النَّفْسَ عَنِ الْهَوَى) (ال) بدل المضاف إليه يعني عن هواها الذي حرم الله عليها، فهذا هو الذي له الجنة والكرامة، فإن النفس قد تميل إلى الزنا قد تميل إلى الخمر قد تميل إلى الربا قد تميل إلى ظلم الناس قد تميل إلى أشياء أخرى مما حرمه الله وتهوى ذلك لأسباب، فإذا وفق الله المؤمن أو المؤمنة لمحاربة هذا الهوى ومخالفته وعدم الانصياع إليه صار هذا من أسباب دخول الجنة، (وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِ وَنَهَى النَّفْسَ عَنِ الْهَوَى) يعني خاف وقوفه بين يدي الله فلهذا نهى نفسه عن هواها، يعني زجرها عن هواها، وخالفها وألزمها بالحق وكبح جماحها حتى لا تقع فيما حرم الله من الزنا أو شرب المسكر أو تعاطي الربا أو الغيبة أو النميمة أو العقوق للوالدين أو قطيعة الرحم أو ظلم الناس في أموالهم ودمائهم وأعراضهم إلى غير ذلك، فهذا الذي نهى نفسه عن هواها وألزمها بالحق خوفاً من الله وطلباً لمرضاته له الجنة والكرامة.
قال الله تعالى :
(فأما من طغى واثر الحياه الدنيا فإن الجحيم هى المأوى واما من خاف مقام ربه ونهى النفس عن الهوى فإن الجنه هى المأوى)
وايضا قوله جل وعلى:
(ولمن خاف مقام ربه جنتان )
قيل فى تفسير هذه الايه ان العبد يهوى المعصية فينكر مقام الله عز وجل ورقابته عليه
اخبر الله جل وعلا ان إتباع الهوى يضل عن سبيل الله فقال:
(يا داود ان جعلناك خليفه فى الارض فحكم بين الناس بالحق ولا تتبع الهوى فيضلك عن سبيله )
ايضا اخبر الله عز وجل ان لإتباع الهوى ممكن يطبع على القلب فقال سبحانه وتعالى:
(أولئك الذين طبع الله على قلوبهم واتبعوا أهوائهم )
الله عز وجل فى ايات كثيره فى القرآن حزر من اتباع اصحاب الاهواء فقال فى بعض ايات القران:
(ولن ترضى عنك اليهود ولا النصارى حتى تتبع ملتهم قل ان هدى الله هو الهدى ولإن اتبعت أهوآءهم بعد الذى جاءك من العلم مالك من الله من ولى ولا نصير )
كذلك الله عز وجل امر بعدم اتباع الهوى فى الحكم مما يعى ان اتباع الهوى يسبب الجور فى الحكم
(يأيها الذين امنوا كونوا قوامين بالقسط شهداء لله ولو على أنفسكم أو الوالدين والأقربين إن يكن
غنيا او فقيرا فالله أولى بهما فلا تتبعوا الهوى أن تعدلوا )
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:: وصف الجنة كما جاء في القران
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فالله سبحانه و تعالى يقول (( إِلا مَنْ رَحِمَ رَبُكَ وَ لِذلِك َخلقهُمْ )) و يقول جل و علا (( وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالإِنسَ إِلا لِيَعْبُدُونِ )) فالله سبحانه يبين لنا في هاتين الآيتين أنه خلقنا لنعبده فنسعد بعبادته فيرحمنا فالله سبحانه غني عن تعذيب عباده .. خلقنا ليرحمنا .. و يسعدنا و يسكننا جنته يقول تبارك و تعالى في الحديث القدسي (( أعددت لعبادي الصالحين ما لا عين رأت و لا أذن سمعت و لا خطر على قلب بشر )) و يقول سبحانه في محكم التنزيل (( فلا تعلم نفس ما أخفي لهم من قرة أعين جزاء بما كانوا يعملون )) ..
فالله سبحانه و تعالى أعد جنات عرضها كعرض السماوات و الأرض لمن أطاعه فيما أمر ، و انتهى عما نهى عنه و زجر ... و جاءت الآيات الكريمة و الأحاديث الشريفة لتصف لنا الجنة و ما فيها من النعيم ، و تصف لنا الطريق القويم للوصول إلى هذه الجنة ...و لتحثنا على الجد و العمل للوصول إلى الجنة .. قال تعالى : ((سَابِقُوا إِلَى مَغْفِرَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَجَنَّةٍ عَرْضُهَا كَعَرْضِ السَّمَاء والأَرْضِ أُعِدَّتْ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِ ذَلِكَ فَضْلُ اللَّهِ يُؤْتِيهِ مَن يَشَاء وَاللَّهُ ذُو الْفَضْلِ الْعَظِيمِ )) و قال تعالى : ((وَسَارِعُواْ إِلَى مَغْفِرَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَجَنَّةٍ عَرْضُهَا السَّمَاوَاتُ وَالأَرْضُ أُعِدَّتْ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ ))
و قبل أن نذهب في رحلتنا إلى الجنة لنتعرف أوصافها ، و طرقها ، علينا أن ننتبه أنها فوق ما نسمع و نقرأ ؛ فكل ما جاء في القرآن الكريم و السنة النبوية المطهرة من أوصاف الجنة و أنهارها و قصورها و طعامها و شرابها .. لا يشبه شيئاً من جنسه في الدنيا إلا في الاسم !!
1- أرضها وتربتها
روى الترمذيُّ عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه قال : قلت : يا رسول الله مِمَّ خُـلـِقَ الخَـلْـقُ قال: (( من الماء))، قلت : الجنَّة ما بناؤها قال)) :لِبنةٌ فضةٌ و لِبنةٌ ذهبٌ ، ومِلاطها المسك الأذفر ،وحصباؤها اللؤلؤ والياقوت , وتربتها الزَّعفران ,من يدخلها ينعم لا يبأس , ويخلد لا يموت , ولا تبلى ثيابهم ، ولا يفنى شبابهم)).
فالجنة ليست من الدنيا في شيء فبناؤها من الذهب و الفضة و طينها مسك يفوح رائحة عطرة و إذا تعثرت قدمك بشيء و أنت تسير في الجنة – جعلنا الله من أهلها – فلا تظن أبداً أنها حصاة صغيرة و إنما هي لؤلؤة ثمينة ، و أما التربة فهي زعفران يبهج المقلتين و يسعد الناظرين ...
2- أنهارها
قال تعالى : (( مَثَلُ الْجَنَّةِ الَّتِي وُعِدَ الْمتقونَ فِيهَا أَنْهَارٌ مِّن مَّاء غَيْرِ آسِنٍ وَأَنْهَارٌ مِن لَّبَنٍ لَّمْ يَتَغَيَّرْ طَعْمُهُ وَأَنْهَارٌ مِّنْ خَمْرٍ لَّذَّةٍ لِّلشَّارِبِينَ وَأَنْهَارٌ مِّنْ عَسَلٍ مُّصَفًّى وَلَهُمْ فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ الثَّمَرَاتِ وَمَغْفِرَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ كَمَنْ هُوَ خَالِدٌ فِي النَّارِ وَسُقُوا مَاء حَمِيمًا فَقَطَّعَ أَمْعَاءهُمْ))
و قال تعالى : (( وَبَشِّرِ الَّذِين آمَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ الصَّالِحَاتِ أَنَّ لَهُمْ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الأَنْهَارُ كُلَّمَا رُزِقُواْ مِنْهَا مِن ثَمَرَةٍ رِّزْقاً قَالُواْ هَذَا الَّذِي رُزِقْنَا مِن قَبْلُ وَأُتُواْ بِهِ مُتَشَابِهاً وَلَهُمْ فِيهَا أَزْوَاجٌ مُّطَهَّرَةٌ وَهُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ ))
فأنهار الجنة أربعة نهر من العسل المصفى لا شمع فيه ، و نهر من الماء الجاري الذي هو ألذ بكثير من ماء الدنيا ، ستقول لكن هل لماء الجنة طعم خاص نعم فهو ليس كماء الدنيا دون طعم !
و نهر من لبن لا يفسده لا صيف و لا شتاء بل تشعر و أنت تغترفه من النهر و كأنك تحلبه من ضرع لا ينضب و لا يتغير طعم ما فيه مهما طال الزمن عليه...و أما النهر الأخير فهو نهر الخمر الذي هو ألذ من خمر الدنيا و لا يفتك بالجسد كفتك الخمر الدنيوي ، و لا يسكر و لا يذهب بالعقل .. قال تعالى : (( لا يصدعون عنها و لا ينزفون )) و قال تعالى : (( لا فِيهَا غَوْلٌ وَلا هُمْ عَنْهَا يُنزَفُونَ))
3- قصورها ومساكنها
قال تعالى ( لـَكِنِ الذين اتـَّـقوا ربَّهم لـَهُمْ غُرفٌ مِنْ فَوْقِهَا غُرَفٌ مبنيَّة ٌ تجري مِنْ تـَحتِهَا الأنـْهَارُ وعْدَ اللهِ لا يُخْلِفُ الله ُ المِيعَادْ )).
و قال صلى الله عليه وسلم (في الجَنـَّة خَيْمَة من لؤلؤةٍ مجوَّفةٍ عرضُها سُتونَ ميلاً (( .
و من الطبيعي أن الجنة التي يكون ترابها زعفران و طينها مسك أن تكون خيامها لؤلؤاً و زبرجداً و قصورها فهي غرف تطل على الأنهار فلا تسمع فيها ضجيج السيارات أو صراخ الأطفال ... و إنما تسمع صوت المياه المترقرقة في أنهار الجنة الأربعة ... قال تعالى : (( لا يسمعون فيها لغوا ً و لا تأثيماً * إلا قيلاً سلاماً سلاماً))
4- الفـُـرُش والأوَانِي
قال تعالى : ((متـَّكِئِينَ فِيها على فـُرُشٍ بَطَائِنُها مِنْ اسْـتـَبْرَقْ ))
فإذا كانت البطائن من استبرق فما بالك بظاهر الفرش ! و أما عن الأواني : فقال تعالى : (( يُطاف عليهم بصحاف من ذهب ٍ و أكواب )). و قال تعالى : (( و َيُطَافُ عَلَيْهِم بِآنِيَةٍ مِّن فِضَّةٍ وَأَكْوَابٍ كَانَتْ قَوَارِيرَاً )) .؛ قال الإمام الطبري في تفسير هذه الآية : ( و يُطاف على هؤلاء الأبرار بآنية من الأواني التي يشربون فيها شرابهم، هي من فضة كانت قوارير، فجعلها فضة، وهي في صفاء القوارير، فلها بياض الفضة وصفاء الزجاج) .5-
5- الطعام والشراب
قال تعالى : (( و فاكهةٍ ممَّا يتخيـَّرون * ولحمُ طيرٍ ممَّا يشـْتهون((.
و قال سبحانه : (( وفاكهة كثيرة لامقطوعة ولاممنوعة ))
روى الترمذيُّ :عن أنس رضي الله عنه : قال : قال صلى الله عليه وسلم : (( إن في الجنة شجرةَ يسير الراكب في ظلِّها مئة عام لا يقطعها ،اقرؤوا إن شئتم - وظلٍ ممدود ) (
وعَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَبَّاسٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا قَالَ خَسَفَتْ الشَّمْسُ عَلَى عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَصَلَّى قَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ رَأَيْنَاكَ تَنَاوَلْتَ شَيْئًا فِي مَقَامِكَ ثُمَّ رَأَيْنَاكَ تَكَعْكَعْتَ قَالَ (( إِنِّي أُرِيتُ الْجَنَّةَ فَتَنَاوَلْتُ مِنْهَا عُنْقُودًا وَلَوْ أَخَذْتُهُ لأكَلْتُمْ مِنْهُ مَا بَقِيَتْ الدُّنْيَا))
6- نساؤها :
قال تعالى : (( كأنـَّهُنََّ بَيضٌ مَكْنونْ ))
و لنتأمل معاً هذه الآيات من سورة الرحمن
و قال تعالى : (( فِيهِنَّ قَاصِرَاتُ الطَّرْفِ لَمْ يَطْمِثْهُنَّ إِنسٌ قَبْلَهُمْ وَلاَ جَآنٌّ * فَبِأَيِّ آلاۤءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ * كَأَنَّهُنَّ الْيَاقُوتُ وَالْمَرْجَانُ * فَبِأَيِّ آلاۤءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ * هَلْ جَزَآءُ الإِحْسَانِ إِلاَّ الإِحْسَانُ * فَبِأَيِّ آلاۤءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ )) قاصرات الطرف أي تقصر طرفها على زوجها فلا تنظر إلى غيره و لا تطمح لسواه و هن كما قال تبارك و تعالى : (( عرباً أتراباً )) عرباً تعني غنجات متحببات إلى أزواجهنّ يحسنَّ التبعل و نساء الجنة أبكار لم يطمثهن إنس و لا جان و لكن مهما بلغن من الجمال و الروعة فإنهن لن يكن أبداً أجمل من النساء المؤمنات فتلك المرأة التي قامت الليل و صامت النهار و بكت و سجدت و استغفرت في الأسحار و استترت كما أمرها ربها بالخمار لا يمكن أن يساويها الملك العدل بحورية لم تفعل من هذا شيئاً ، و لذلك فخير الحور للرجل في الجنة هي زوجته في الدنيا ....
و قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : (( لو أن امرأة ً من نِسَاءِ أهل الجنة اطّلعتْ إلى الأرضِ لأضاءت ما بينهما و لملأت ما بينهما ريحاً )) .
و مهما أطلقنا العنان لخيالنا في تصور هذا الحديث الشريف ... و الحديث التالي أجمل و أروع فكلنا يحب الاستماع إلى الغناء و إلى ما يطرب النفس و ينشيها و لكن شتان بين غناء و غناء و شتان بين مستمع و مستمع .... فمن آثر غناء الدنيا و مغنوا و مغنيات الدنيا فله ما أراد و لكنه يحرم من سماع أصوات لم تسمع الخلائق مثلها ....
قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : ((إن في الجنة لمجتمعاً للحور العين يغنين بأصوات لم يسمع الخلائق مثلها ، يقلن نحن الخالدات فلا نبيد ونحن الناعمات فلا نبأس ونحن الراضيات فلا نسخط طوبى لمن كان لنا وكنا له )).7-
7- الخدم والغلمان
قال تعالى ( ويطوف عليهم ولدان مخلَّدون إذا رأيتهم حسبتهم لؤلؤاً منثوراً )).
و قال تعالى : (( يطوف عليهم ولدان ٌ مخلدون * بأكوابٍ و أباريق وكأس ٍ من معين)).
و قال تعالى: ((ويطوف عليهم غلمان ٌ كأنـَّهم لؤلؤ مكنون ))
و روي أن أطفال المشركين الذين يموتون دون سن البلوغ يكونون خدماً لأهل الجنة و هؤلاء الغلمان ليس لهم وظيفة إلا خدمة أهل الجنة ، و لكن قائلاً قد يقول : أو ليس كل ما في الجنة قريباً مني و القطوف دانية و الأكواب موضوعة و النمارق مصفوفة فما فائدة الخدم فنقول إن من إكرام الله لأهل الجنة أن خلق لهم خدماً فأغلب ملوك الدنيا قد لا يحتاجون لهذه الأعداد الكبيرة من الخدم و لكنه مظهر من مظاهر الترف و التكريم للملك و هكذا حال خدم أهل الجنة ...
8- لباسها وزينتها
قال سبحانه و تعالى ( عَالِيَهُمْ ثِيَابُ سُندُسٍ خُضْرٌ وَإِسْتَبْرَقٌ وَحُلُّوا أَسَاوِرَ مِن فِضَّةٍ وَسَقَاهُمْ رَبُّهُمْ شَرَابًا طَهُورًا))
روى الترمذي عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه : قال : قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم) ( أهل الجنة جُردٌ مُردٌ - ليس في وجوههم شعر بل شباب – كُحلٌ لا يفنى شبابهم ولا تبلى ثيابهم عليهم التيجان ،و إن لؤلؤة منها لتضيء ما بين المشرق والمغرب ((
روى الترمذيُّ عن سعد رضي الله عنه : قال عليه الصلاة والسلام ))لو أن رجلاً من أهل الجنة طلع فبدا أساوره لطمس ضوء الشمس ، كما تطمس الشمس ضوء النجوم(.)
9- حال أهلها
عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه عن النبي عليه الصلاة والسلام : (( أول زمرة تلج الجنة صورتهم على صورة القمر ليلة البدر ، لا يبصقون ولا يتمخطون ولا يتغوطون ))
و قال سبحانه : (( تحيَّتـُهم فيها سلام وآخر دعواهم أن الحمد لله رب العالمين)) 20-
وأعظم ثواب أهل الجنة
قال تعالى : (( وجوه يومئذ ناضرة إلى ربها ناظرة ))21-
أدنى أهل الجنة منزلة
قال صلى الله عليه وسلم : (( أدنى أهل الجنة منزلة ً ، الذي له ثمانون ألف خادم ، و اثنان وسبعون زوجة ، وتنصب له قبة ٌ من لؤلؤٍ وزبرجد وياقوت كما بين الجابية وصنعاء))
واما من خاف مقام ربه ونهى النفس عن الهوى فإن الجنة هي المؤوى
هذه الاية ملخص للاسلام باكمله فالخوف من الله وعدم اتباع هوى النفس هو السبيل لدخول الجنة لكن مفهوم هوى النفس يختلط عاى الناس حتى علماء الدين منهم ويزين لهم الشيطان ان الحق هو فيما هوته انفسهم فيخلصون لتحقيق الهوى وهم مقتنعون تدليسا ان هذا هو الحق الذي يجب اتباعه.
ترى عالم دين مثلا يخرج براي مخالف لاراء السابقين واللاحقين ويصاره في الدفاع عنه وكانه هو الراي الحق وتكون الحقيقة في بعض الاحيان ان ما دفعه الى ذلك او القوة الجاذبة له ليفعل ذلك هب حبه الخفي بالبروز وينسى ان هذا هو هوى نفسه
اذا كان عالم الدين كذلك فكيف بالناس العاديين ؟ ترى السواد الاعظم منهم يزين لهم الشيطان بان هوى انفسهم هو الحق فيضلون
هل نستطيع التمييز بين هوى انفسنا وبين ما يجب فنكبحها؟
وتايا تفسير الاية الكريمة
أَيْ حَذِرَ مَقَامه بَيْن يَدَيْ رَبّه . وَقَالَ الرَّبِيع : مَقَامه يَوْم الْحِسَاب . وَكَانَ قَتَادَة يَقُول : إِنَّ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مَقَامًا قَدْ خَافَهُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ . وَقَالَ مُجَاهِد : هُوَ خَوْفه فِي الدُّنْيَا مِنْ اللَّه عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عِنْد مُوَاقَعَة الذَّنْب فَيُقْلِع . نَظِيره : " وَلِمَنْ خَافَ مَقَام رَبّه جَنَّتَانِ " [ الرَّحْمَن : 46 ] . وَالْآيَتَانِ نَزَلَتَا فِي مُصْعَب بْن عُمَيْر وَأَخِيهِ عَامِر بْن عُمَيْر ; فَرَوَى الضَّحَّاك عَنْ اِبْن عَبَّاس قَالَ : أَمَّا مَنْ طَغَى فَهُوَ أَخ لِمُصْعَبِ بْن عُمَيْر أُسِرَ يَوْم بَدْر , فَأَخَذَتْهُ الْأَنْصَار فَقَالُوا : مَنْ أَنْتَ ؟ قَالَ : أَنَا أَخُو مُصْعَب بْن عُمَيْر , فَلَمْ يَشُدُّوهُ فِي الْوَثَاق , وَأَكْرَمُوهُ وَبَيَّتُوهُ عِنْدهمْ , فَلَمَّا أَصْبَحُوا حَدَّثُوا مُصْعَب بْن عُمَيْر حَدِيثه ; فَقَالَ : مَا هُوَ لِي بِأَخٍ , شُدُّوا أَسِيركُمْ , فَإِنَّ أُمَّهُ أَكْثَر أَهْل الْبَطْحَاء حُلِيًّا وَمَالًا . فَأَوْثَقُوهُ حَتَّى بَعَثَتْ أُمُّهُ فِي فَدَائِهِ . " وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَافَ مَقَام رَبّه " فَمُصْعَب بْن عُمَيْر , وَقَى رَسُول اللَّه صَلَّى اللَّه عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِنَفْسِهِ يَوْم أُحُد حِين تَفَرَّقَ النَّاس عَنْهُ , حَتَّى نَفَذَتْ الْمَشَاقِص فِي جَوْفه . وَهِيَ السِّهَام , فَلَمَّا رَآهُ رَسُول اللَّه صَلَّى اللَّه عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مُتَشَحِّطًا فِي دَمه قَالَ : [ عِنْد اللَّه أَحْتَسِبُك ] وَقَالَ لِأَصْحَابِهِ : [ لَقَدْ رَأَيْته وَعَلَيْهِ بُرْدَانِ مَا تُعْرَف قِيمَتهمَا وَإِنَّ شِرَاك نَعْلَيْهِ مِنْ ذَهَب ] . وَقِيلَ : إِنَّ مُصَعَّب بْن عُمَيْر قَتَلَ أَخَاهُ عَامِرًا يَوْم بَدْر . وَعَنْ اِبْن عَبَّاس أَيْضًا قَالَ : نَزَلَتْ هَذِهِ الْآيَة فِي رَجُلَيْنِ : أَبِي جَهْل بْن هِشَام الْمَخْزُومِيّ وَمُصْعَب بْن عُمَيْر الْعَبْدَرِيّ . وَقَالَ السُّدِّيّ : نَزَلَتْ هَذِهِ الْآيَة " وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَافَ مَقَام رَبّه " فِي أَبِي بَكْر الصِّدِّيق رَضِيَ اللَّه عَنْهُ . وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ أَبَا بَكْر كَانَ لَهُ غُلَام يَأْتِيه بِطَعَامٍ , وَكَانَ يَسْأَلهُ مِنْ أَيْنَ أَتَيْت بِهَذَا , فَأَتَاهُ يَوْمًا بِطَعَامٍ فَلَمْ يَسْأَلْهُ وَأَكَلَهُ , فَقَالَ لَهُ غُلَامه : لِمَ لَا تَسْأَلُنِي الْيَوْم ؟ فَقَالَ : نَسِيت , فَمِنْ أَيْنَ لَك هَذَا الطَّعَام . فَقَالَ : تَكَهَّنْت لِقَوْمٍ فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّة فَأَعْطَوْنِيهِ . فَتَقَايَأَهُ مِنْ سَاعَته وَقَالَ : يَا رَبّ مَا بَقِيَ فِي الْعُرُوق فَأَنْتَ حَبَسْته فَنَزَلَتْ : " وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَافَ مَقَام رَبِّهِ " . وَقَالَ الْكَلْبِيّ : نَزَلَتْ فِي مَنْ هَمَّ بِمَعْصِيَةٍ وَقَدَرَ عَلَيْهَا فِي خَلْوَة ثُمَّ تَرَكَهَا مِنْ خَوْف اللَّه . وَنَحْوه عَنْ اِبْن عَبَّاس . يَعْنِي مَنْ خَافَ عِنْد الْمَعْصِيَة مَقَامه بَيْن يَدَيْ اللَّه , فَانْتَهَى عَنْهَا . وَاَللَّه أَعْلَم .
أَيْ زَجَرَهَا عَنْ الْمَعَاصِي وَالْمَحَارِم . وَقَالَ سَهْل : تَرْك الْهَوَى مِفْتَاح الْجَنَّة ; لِقَوْلِهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ : " وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَافَ مَقَام رَبِّهِ وَنَهَى النَّفْس عَنْ الْهَوَى " قَالَ عَبْد اللَّه بْن مَسْعُود : أَنْتُمْ فِي زَمَان يَقُود الْحَقّ الْهَوَى , وَسَيَأْتِي زَمَان يَقُود الْهَوَى الْحَقّ فَنَعُوذ بِاَللَّهِ مِنْ ذَلِكَ الزَّمَان . وَالْآيَتَانِ نَزَلَتَا فِي مُصْعَب بْن عُمَيْر وَأَخِيهِ عَامِر بْن عُمَيْر ; فَرَوَى الضَّحَّاك عَنْ اِبْن عَبَّاس قَالَ : أَمَّا مَنْ طَغَى فَهُوَ أَخ لِمُصْعَبِ بْن عُمَيْر أُسِرَ يَوْم بَدْر , فَأَخَذَتْهُ الْأَنْصَار فَقَالُوا : مَنْ أَنْتَ ؟ قَالَ : أَنَا أَخُو مُصْعَب بْن عُمَيْر , فَلَمْ يَشُدُّوهُ فِي الْوَثَاق , وَأَكْرَمُوهُ وَبَيَّتُوهُ عِنْدهمْ , فَلَمَّا أَصْبَحُوا حَدَّثُوا مُصْعَب بْن عُمَيْر حَدِيثه ; فَقَالَ : مَا هُوَ لِي بِأَخٍ , شُدُّوا أَسِيركُمْ , فَإِنَّ أُمّه أَكْثَر أَهْل الْبَطْحَاء حُلِيًّا وَمَالًا . فَأَوْثَقُوهُ حَتَّى بَعَثَتْ أُمّه فِي فَدَائِهِ . " وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَافَ مَقَام رَبّه " فَمُصْعَب بْن عُمَيْر , وَقَى رَسُول اللَّه صَلَّى اللَّه عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِنَفْسِهِ يَوْم أُحُد حِين تَفَرَّقَ النَّاس عَنْهُ , حَتَّى نَفَذَتْ الْمَشَاقِص فِي جَوْفه . وَهِيَ السِّهَام , فَلَمَّا رَآهُ رَسُول اللَّه صَلَّى اللَّه عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مُتَشَحِّطًا فِي دَمه قَالَ : [ عِنْد اللَّه أَحْتَسِبُك ] وَقَالَ لِأَصْحَابِهِ : [ لَقَدْ رَأَيْته وَعَلَيْهِ بُرْدَانِ مَا تُعْرَف قِيمَتُهُمَا وَإِنَّ شِرَاك نَعْلَيْهِ مِنْ ذَهَب ] . وَقِيلَ : إِنَّ مُصْعَب بْن عُمَيْر قَتَلَ أَخَاهُ عَامِرًا يَوْم بَدْر . وَعَنْ اِبْن عَبَّاس أَيْضًا قَالَ : نَزَلَتْ هَذِهِ الْآيَة فِي رَجُلَيْنِ : أَبِي جَهْل بْن هِشَام الْمَخْزُومِيّ وَمُصْعَب بْن عُمَيْر الْعَبْدَرِيّ . وَقَالَ السُّدِّيّ : نَزَلَتْ هَذِهِ الْآيَة " وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَافَ مَقَام رَبّه " فِي أَبِي بَكْر الصِّدِّيق رَضِيَ اللَّه عَنْهُ . وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ أَبَا بَكْر كَانَ لَهُ غُلَام يَأْتِيه بِطَعَامٍ , وَكَانَ يَسْأَلهُ مِنْ أَيْنَ أَتَيْت بِهَذَا , فَأَتَاهُ يَوْمًا بِطَعَامٍ فَلَمْ يَسْأَل وَأَكَلَهُ , فَقَالَ لَهُ غُلَامه : لِمَ لَا تَسْأَلنِي الْيَوْم ؟ فَقَالَ : نَسِيت , فَمِنْ أَيْنَ لَك هَذَا الطَّعَام . فَقَالَ : تَكَهَّنْت لِقَوْمٍ فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّة فَأَعْطَوْنِيهِ . فَتَقَايَأَهُ مِنْ سَاعَته وَقَالَ : يَا رَبّ مَا بَقِيَ فِي الْعُرُوق فَأَنْتَ حَبَسْته فَنَزَلَتْ : " وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَافَ مَقَام رَبّه " . وَقَالَ الْكَلْبِيّ : نَزَلَتْ فِي مَنْ هَمَّ بِمَعْصِيَةٍ وَقَدَرَ عَلَيْهَا فِي خَلْوَة ثُمَّ تَرَكَهَا مِنْ خَوْف اللَّه . وَنَحْوه عَنْ اِبْن عَبَّاس . يَعْنِي مَنْ خَافَ عِنْد الْمَعْصِيَة مَقَامه بَيْن يَدَيْ اللَّه , فَانْتَهَى عَنْهَا . وَاَللَّه أَعْلَم .
At 21:47 GMT, the equinox happened, and so from then on, light is destined to win over darkness. Which meant, of course, that the day before then was the shortest "day", or amount of daylight.
This is the end of the year, the build up and excitement before Christmas, and at the same time, looking back at the year, and what has happened in the previous 50 or so weeks. So, a time of mixed emotions, good and bad, happy and sad.
But I was on vacation, or not going to work.
I am not up to date, but I did all the tasks I was supposed to do, threw a few electronic grenades over the walls, and was now happy not to think of that shit for two whole weeks.
For Jools, however, there was half a day to do, and then her employers paid for all those employed at the factory to go to a fancy place in Folkestone for lunch, drinks at the bar and a bottle of wine between four folks.
It was, in short, a time for celebration. Something I realise has not happened in my job since I left operational quality, to be happy and give thanks to those we work with. And be recognised for the good job we do.
So, I was to take Jools to work, and have the car for the day.
Jools was conscious that my plan for the day involved driving to the far west of Kent, so realised I needed an early start, and not dropping her off in Hythe at seven.
We left after coffee just after six, driving through Dover and Folkestone on the main road and motorway before turning over the downs into Hythe. I dropped her off in the town, so she could get some walking in. She always didn't walk, as waves of showers swept over the town, and me as I drove back home for breakfast and do all the chores before leaving on a mini-churchcrawl.
So, back home for breakfast, more coffee, wash up, do the bird feeders and with postcodes, set out for points in the extreme west. Now, Kent is not a big county, not say, Texas big, but it takes some time to get to some parts of the west of the county. Main roads run mainly from London to the coast, so going cross-country or cross-county would take time.
At first it was as per normal up the A20 then onto the motorway to Ashford then to Maidstone until the junction before the M26 starts. One of the reasons for going later was to avoid rush hours in and around Maidstone, Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells.
As it was, after turning down the A road, things were fine until I got to Mereworth, but from there the road began to twist and turn until it lead me into Tonbridge. Once upon a time, this was a sleepy village or small town. The the railways came and it became a major junction. The road to Penshurt took me though the one way system, then down the wide High Street, over the river Medway and up the hill the other side.
Two more turns took me to my target, through what were once called stockbroker mansions, then down a hill, with the village laid out before me just visible through the trees.
The village was built around the outskirts of Penshurst Place, home to the Sidney family since Tudor times. Just about everything is named the Leicester something, the village having its own Leicester Square, though with no cinemas, and all timber framed houses and painfully picturesque.
The church lays behind the houses, the tower in golden sandstone topped with four spirelets.
I parked the car, and armed with two cameras, several lenses and a photographer's eye, walked to the church.
The reason for coming was I can only remember a little about my previous visit, but the Leicester name thing triggered in my head the thought the memorials and tombs might be worth a revisit.
So there I was.
Gilbert Scott was very busy here, so there is little of anything prior to the 19th century, but the memorials are there. Including one which features the heads of the children of Robert Sidney (d1702) in a cloud. Including the eldest son who died, apparently, so young he wasn't named, and is recorded as being the first born.
This is in the Sidney Chapel where the great and good are buried and remembered, it has a colourful roof, or roof beams, and heraldic shields. It has a 15th century font, which, sadly, has been brightly painted so is gaudy in the extreme.
I go around getting my shots, leave a fiver for the church. Go back to the car and program Speldhurst into the sat nav.
Its just a ten minute drive, but there is no place to park anywhere near the church. I could see from my slow drive-by the porch doors closed, and I convinced myself they were locked and not worth checking out.
I went on to Groombridge, where there is a small chapel with fabulous glass. I had been here before too, but wanted to redo my shots.
It was by now pouring with rain, and as dark as twilight, I missed the church on first pass, went to the mini-roundabout only to discover that it and the other church in the village were in Sussex. I turned round, the church looked dark and was almost certainly locked. I told myself.
I didn't stop here either, so instead of going to the final village church, I went straigh to Tunbridge Wells where there was another church to revisit.
I drove into the town, over the man road and to the car park with no waiting in traffic, how odd, I thought.
It was hard to find a parking space, but high up in the parking house there were finally spaced. I parked near the stairs down, grabbed my cameras and went down.
I guess I could have parked nearer the church, but once done it would be easier to leave the town as the road back home went past the exit.
I ambled down the hill leading to the station, over the bridge and down the narrow streets, all lined with shops. I think its fair to say that it is a richer town than Dover because on one street there were three stores offering beposke designer kitchens.
The church is across the road from the Georgian square known at The Pantiles, but it was the church I was here to visit.
I go in, and there is a service underway. I decide to sit at the back and observe.
And pray.
I did not take communion, though. The only one there who didn't.
About eight elderly parishioners did, though.
I was here to photograph the ceiling, and then the other details I failed to record when we were last here over a decade ago.
I was quizzed strongly by a warden as to why I was doing this. I had no answer other than I enjoyed it, and for me that is enough.
After getting my shots, I leave and begin the slog back up to the car, but on the way keeping my promise to a young man selling the Big Issue that I would come back and buy a copy. I did better than that in that I gave him a fiver and didn't take a copy.
He nearly burst into tears. I said, there is kindness in the world, and some of us do keep our promises.
By the time I got to the car park, it was raining hard again. I had two and a half hours to get to Folkestone to pick up Jools after her meal.
Traffic into Tunbridge Wells from this was was crazy, miles and miles of queues, so I was more than happy going the other way.
I get back to the M20, cruise down to Ashford, stopping at Stop 24 services for a coffee and something to eat. I had 90 minutes to kill, so eat, drink and scroll Twitter as I had posted yet more stuff that morning. In other news: nothing changed, sadly.
At quarter past four I went to pick up Jools, stopping outside the restaurant. When she got in she declared she had been drinking piña coladas. Just two, but she was bubby and jabbering away all the way home.
With Jools having eaten out, and with snacks I had, no dinner was needed, so when suppertime came round, we dined on cheese and crackers, followed by a large slice of Christmas cake.
She was now done for Christmas too.
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A large sandstone church of nave, aisles, chancel and chapels that was restored by Sir George Gilbert Scott in 1864. It stands in an excellent position set back from the street in a large well-kept churchyard. The tower is of three stages with four pinnacles strangely set well back from the corners. Inside it is obvious that there have been many rebuildings and repairs, leaving a general character of the Victorian period. The good chancel screen is by Bodley and Garner and dates from 1897. Whilst it is well carved the florid design is more suited to a West Country church than to the Garden of England. The fifteenth-century font has been painted in bold colours in a way that can never have been imagined when it was new! Nearby is the Becket window designed by Lawrence Lee in 1970. It is quite unlike any other window in Kent and has an emphasis on heraldry - the figure of Becket and three knights are almost lost in the patchwork effect. Under the tower is the famous Albigensian Cross, a portion of thirteenth-century coffin lid with the effigy of a woman at prayer. The south chapel, which belongs to Penshurst Place, was rebuilt by Rebecca in 1820 and has a lovely painted ceiling. It contains some fine monuments including Sir Stephen de Pencester, a damaged thirteenth-century knight. Nearby is the large standing monument to the 4th Earl of Leicester (d. 1704) designed by William Stanton. It is a large urn flanked by two angels, above which are the heads of the earls children's floating in the clouds!
www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Penshurst
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PENSHURST.
THE next parish eastward from Chidingstone is Penhurst, called in the Textus Roffenfis, Pennesherst. It takes its name from the old British word Pen, the height or top of any thing, and byrst, a wood. (fn. 1) It is called in some antient records, Pen cestre, and more vulgarly, Penchester, from some sortified camp or fortress antiently situated here.
There is a district in this parish, called Hallborough, which is within the lowy of Tunbridge, the manerial rights of which belong to Thomas Streatfeild, esq. and there is another part of it, comprehending the estate of Chafford, which is within the jurisdiction of the duchy court of Lancaster.
THIS PARISH lies in the Weald, about four miles Southward from the foot of the sand hills, and the same distance from Tunbridge town, and the high London road from Sevenoke. The face of the country is much the same as in those parishes last described, as is the soil, for the most part a stiff clay, being well adapted to the large growth of timber for which this parish is remarkable; one of these trees, as an instance of it, having been cut down here, about twenty years ago, in the park, called, from its spreading branches, Broad Oak, had twenty-one ton, or eight hundred and forty feet of timber in it. The parish is watered by the river Eden, which runs through the centre of it, and here taking a circular course, and having separated into two smaller streams, joins the river Medway, which flows by the southern part of the park towards Tunbridge. At a small distance northward stands the noble mansion of Penshurst-place, at the south west corner of the park, which, till within these few years, was of much larger extent, the further part of it, called North, alias Lyghe, and South parks, having been alienated from it, on the grounds of the latter of which the late Mr. Alnutt built his seat of that name, from whence the ground rises northward towards the parish of Lyghe. Close to the north west corner of Penshurst-park is the seat of Redleaf, and at the south west corner of it, very near to the Place, is the village of Penshurst, with the church and parsonage. At a small distance, on the other side the river, southward, is Ford-place, and here the country becomes more low, and being watered by the several streams, becomes wet, the roads miry and bad, and the grounds much covered with coppice wood; whence, about a mile southward from the river, is New House, and the boroughs of Frendings and Kingsborough; half a mile southward from which is the river Medway; and on the further side of it the estate of Chafford, a little beyond which it joins the parish of Ashurst, at Stone cross. In a deep hole, in the Medway, near the lower end of Penshurst-park, called Tapner's-hole, there arises a spring, which produces a visible and strong ebullition on the surface of the river; and above Well-place, which is a farm house, near the south-east corner of the park, there is a fine spring, called Kidder's-well, which, having been chemically analized, is found to be a stronger chalybeate than those called Tunbridge-wells; there is a stone bason for the spring to rise in, and run to waste, which was placed here by one of the earls of Leicester many years ago. This parish, as well as the neighbouring ones, abounds with iron ore, and most of the springs in them are more or less chalybeate. In the losty beeches, near the keeper's lodge, in Penshurst-park, is a noted beronry; which, since the destruction of that in lord Dacre's park, at Aveley, in Effex, is, I believe, the only one in this part of England. A fair is held here on July I, for pedlary, &c.
The GREATEST PART of this parish is within the jurisdiction of the honour of Otford, a subordinate limb to which is the MANOR of PENSHURST HALIMOTE, alias OTFORD WEALD, extending likewise over parts of the adjoining parishes of Chidingstone, Hever, and Cowden. As a limb of that of honour, it was formerly part of the possessions of the see of Canterbury, and was held for a long time in lease of the archbishops, by the successive owners of Penhurst manor, till the death of the duke of Buckingham, in the 13th year of king Henry VIII. in the 29th year of which reign, Thomas Cranmer, archbishop of Canterbury, exchanging Otford with the crown, this, as an appendage, passed with it, and it remained in the hands of the crown till the death of king Charles I. 1648; after which the powers then in being, having seised on the royal estates, passed an ordinance to vest them in trustees, to be sold, to supply the necessities of the state; when, on a survey made of this manor, in 1650, it appeared that the quit-rents due to the lord, from the freeholders in free socage tenure, were 16l. 18s. 3½d. and that they paid a heriot of the best living thing, or in want thereof, 3s. 4d. in money. That there were copyholders holding of it, within this parish, by rent and fine certain; that there was a common fine due from the township or borough of Halebury, and a like from the township of Penshurst, a like from the townships or boroughts of Chidingstone, Standford, and Cowden; and that there was a court baron and a court leet. The total rents, profits, &c. of all which amounted to 23l. and upwards. (fn. 2) After this the manor was sold by the state to colonel Robert Gibbon, with whom it remained till the restoration of king Charles II. when the possession and inheritance of it returned to the crown, where it remains, as well as the honour of Otford, at this time, his grace the duke of Dorset being high steward of both; but the see farm rents of it, with those of other manors belonging to the above mentioned honour, were alienated from the crown in king Charles II.'s reign, and afterwards became the property of Sir James Dashwood, bart. in whose family they still continue.
SOON AFTER the reign of William the Conqueror Penshurst was become the residence of a family, who took their name from it, and were possessed of the manor then called the manor of Peneshurste; and it appears by a deed in the Registrum Roffense, that Sir John Belemeyns, canon of St. Paul, London, was in possession of this manor, as uncle and trustee, in the latter part of king Henry III.'s reign, to Stephen de Peneshurste or Penchester, who possessed it in the beginning of the reign of king Edward I. He had been knighted, and made constable of Dover castle and warden of the cinque ports by Henry III. in which posts he continued after the accession of king Edward I. (fn. 3) He died without issue male, and was buried in the south chancel of this church, under an altar tomb, on which lay his figure in armour, reclining on a cushion. He left Margery, his second wife, surviving, who held this manor at her death, in the 2d year of king Edward II. and two daughters and coheirs; Joane, married to Henry de Cobham of Rundale, second son of John de Cobham, of Cobham, in this county, by his first wife, daughter of Warine Fitz Benedict; (fn. 4) and Alice to John de Columbers, as appears by an inquisition, taken in the 3d year of king Edward II. His arms, being Sable, a bend or, a label of three points argent, still remain on the roof of the cloisters of Canterbury cathedral. Alice, above mentioned, had this manor, with that of Lyghe adjoining, assigned to her for her proportion of their inheritance; soon after which these manors were conveyed to Sir John de Pulteney, son of Adam de Pulteney of Misterton, in Leicestershire, by Maud his wife. In the 15th year of that reign he had licence to embattle his mansion houses of Penshurst, Chenle in Cambridgeshire, and in London. (fn. 5) In the 11th year of king Edward III. Thomas, son of Sir John de Columbers of Somersetshire, released to him all his right to this manor and the advowson of the chapel of Penshurst; (fn. 6) and the year following Stephen de Columbers, clerk, brother of Sir Philip, released to him likewise all his right in that manor and Yenesfeld, (fn. 7) and that same year he obtained a grant for free warren within his demesne lands within the former. He was a person greatly esteemed by that king, in whose reign he was four times lord mayor of London, and is noticed by our historians for his piety, wisdom, large possessions, and magnificent housekeeping. In his life time he performed several acts of public charity and munificence; and among others he founded a college in the church of St. Laurence, since from him named Poultney, in London. He built the church of Little Allhallows, in Thamesstreet, and the Carmelites church, and the gate to their monastery, in Coventry; and a chapel or chantry in St. Paul's, London. Besides which, by his will, he left many charitable legacies, and directed to be buried in the church of St. Laurence above mentioned. He bore for his arms, Argent a fess dancette gules, in chief three leopards heads sable.
By the inquisition taken after his death, it appears, that he died in the 23d year of that reign, being then possessed of this manor, with the advowson of the chapel, Lyghe, South-park, and Orbiston woods, with lands in Lyghe and Tappenash, and others in this county. He left Margaret his wife surviving, who married, secondly, Sir Nicholas Lovaine; and he, in her right, became possessed of a life estate in this manor and the others above mentioned, in which they seem afterwards jointly to have had the see; for Sir William Pulteney, her son, in his life time, vested his interest in these manors and estates in trustees, and died without issue in the 40th year of the same reign, when Robert de Pulteney was found to be his kinsman and next heir, who was ancestor to the late earl of Bath. The trustees afterwards, in the 48th year of it, conveyed them, together with all the other estates of which Sir John Pulteney died possessed, to Sir Nicholas Lovaine and Margaret his wife, and their heirs for ever. Sir Nicholas Lovaine above mentioned was a descendant of the noble family of Lovaine, a younger branch of the duke of Lorraine. Godfrey de Lovaine, having that surname from the place of his birth, possessed lands in England in right of his mother, grand daughter of king Stephen, of whose descendants this Nicholas was a younger branch. He bore for his arms, Gules, a fess argent between fourteen billets or; which arms were quartered by Bourchier earl of Bath, and Devereux earl of Essex. (fn. 8) He died possessed of this manor, leaving one son, Nicholas, who having married Margaret, eldest daughter of John de Vere, earl of Oxford, widow of Henry lord Beaumont, died without issue, and a daughter Margaret, who at length became her brother's heir.
Margaret, the widow of Nicholas the son, on his death, possessed this manor for her life, and was afterwards re-married to Sir John Devereux, who in her right held it. He was descended from a family which had their surname from Eureux, a town of note in Normandy, and there were several generations of them in England before they were peers of this realm, the first of them summoned to parliament being this Sir John Devereux, who being bred a soldier, was much employed in the wars both of king Edward III. and king Richard II. and had many important trusts conferred on him. In the 11th year of the latter reign, being then a knight banneret, he was made constable of Dover castle and warden of the cinque ports. In the 16th year of that reign, he had licence to fortify and embattle his mansion house at Penshurst, the year after which he died, leaving Margaret his wife, surviving, who had an assignation of this manor as part of her dower. She died possessed of it, with Yensfield, and other lands, about the 10th year of king Henry IV. and was succeeded in them by Margaret, sister and heir of her husband, Nicholas Lovaine, who was twice married, first to Rich. Chamberlayn, esq. of Sherburn, in Oxfordshire; and secondly to Sir Philip St. Clere, of Aldham, St. Clere, in Ightham. (fn. 9) Both of these, in right of their wife, seem to have possessed this manor, which descended to John St. Clere, son of the latter, who conveyed it by sale to John duke of Bedford, third son of king Henry IV. by Mary his wife, daughter and coheir of Humphry de Bohun, earl of Hereford, Essex, and Northampton.
The duke of Bedford was the great support and glory of this kingdom in the beginning of the reign of his infant nephew, king Henry VI. his courage was unequalled, and was followed by such rapid success in his wars in France, where he was regent, and commanded the English army in person, that he struck the greatest terror into his enemies. The victories he acquired so humbled the French, that he crowned king Henry VI. at Paris, in which city he died greatly lamented, in the 14th year of that reign, (fn. 10) and was buried in the cathedral church of Roan. He was twice married, but left issue by neither of his wives. He died possessed of the manors of Penshurst, Havenden-court, and Yensfield, as was then found by inquisition; in which he was succeeded by his next brother, Humphry duke of Gloucester, fourth son of king Henry IV. by Mary his wife, daughter and coheir of Humphry de Bohun, earl of Hereford, &c. who in the 4th year of king Henry V. had had the offices of constable of Dover castle and warden of the cinque ports, granted to him for the term of his life; and in the 1st year of king Henry VI. was, by parliament, made protector of England, during the king's minority; and the same year he was constituted chamberlain of England, at the coronation of that prince was appointed high steward of England.
The duke was, for his virtuous endowments, surnamed the Good, and for his justice was esteemed the father of his country, notwithstanding which, after he had, under king Henry VI. his nephew, governed this kingdom twenty-five years, with great applause, he was, by the means of Margaret of Aujou, his nephew's queen, who envied his power, arrested at the parliament held at St. Edmundsbury, by John lord Beaumont, then high constable of England, accompanied by the duke of Buckingham and others; and the night following, being the last of February, anno 25 king Henry VI. he was found dead in his bed, it being the general opinion that he was strangled; though his body was shewn to the lords and commons, with an account of his having died of an apoplexy or imposthume; after which he was buried in the abbey of St. Alban, near the shrine of that proto-martyr, and a stately monument was erected to his memory.
This duke married two wives; first Jaqueline, daughter and heir of William duke of Bavaria, to whom belonged the earldoms of Holand, Zeland, and Henault, and many other rich seignories in the Netherlands; after which he used these titles, Humphrey, by the grace of God, son, brother, and uncle to kings; duke of Gloucester; earl of Henault, Holand, Zeland, and Pembroke; lord of Friesland; great chamberlain of the kingdom of England; and protector and defender of the kingdom and church of England. But she having already been married to John duke of Brabant, and a suit of divorce being still depending between them, and the Pope having pronounced her marriage with the duke of Brabant lawful, the duke of Gloucester resigned his right to her, and forthwith, after this, married Eleanor Cobham, daughter of Reginald, lord Cobham of Sterborough, who had formerly been his concubine. A few years before the duke's death she was accused of witchcrast, and of conspiring the king's death; for which she was condemned to solemn pennance in London, for three several days, and afterwards committed to perpetual imprisonment in the isle of Man. He built the divinity schools at Oxford, and laid the foundation of that famous library over them, since increased by Sir Thomas Bodley, enriching it with a choice collection of manuscripts out of France and Italy. He bore for his arms, Quarterly, France and England, a berdure argent. (fn. 11)
By the inquisition, taken after his death, it appears, that he died possessed of the manors of Penshurst, Havenden-court, and Yensfield, in this county, and that dying, without issue, king Henry VI. was his cousin and next heir.
¶The manor of Penshurst thus coming into the hands of the crown, was granted that year to Humphrey Stafford, who, in consideration of his near alliance in blood to king Henry VI. being the son of Edmund earl of Stafford, by Anne, eldest daughter of Thomas of Woodstock, duke of Gloucester, sixth and youngest son of king Edward III. Mary, the other daughter and coheir, having married Henry of Bullingbroke, afterwards king Henry IV. and grandfather of king Henry VI. (fn. 12) as well as for his eminent services to his country, had been, in the 23d year of that reign, created duke of Buckingham. He was afterwards slain in the battle of Northampton, sighting valiantly there on the king's part. By the inquisition, taken after his death, it appears that he died in the 38th year of that reign possessed of this manor of Penshurst, among others in this county and elsewhere; which afterwards descended down to his great grandson, Edward duke of Buckingham, but in the 13th year of Henry VIII. this duke being accused of conspiring the king's death, he was brought to his trial, and being found guilty, was beheaded on Tower-hill that year. In the par liament begun April 15, next year, this duke, though there passed an act for his attainder, yet there was one likewise for the restitution in blood of Henry his eldest son, but not to his honors or lands, so that this manor, among his other estates, became forseited to the crown, after which the king seems to have kept it in his own hands, for in his 36th year, he purchased different parcels of land to enlarge his park here, among which was Well-place, and one hundred and seventy acres of land, belonging to it, then the estate of John and William Fry, all which he inclosed within the pale of it, though the purchase of the latter was not completed till the 1st year of king Edward VI. (fn. 13) who seems to have granted the park of Penshurst to John, earl of Warwick, for that earl, in the 4th year of that reign, granted this park to that king again in exchange for other premises. In which year the king granted the manor of Penshurst, with its members and appurtenances, late parcel of the possessions of the duke of Buckingham, to Sir Ralph Fane, to hold in capite by knight's service, being the grandson of Henry Vane, alias Fane, of Hilsden Tunbridge, esq. but in the 6th year of that reign, having zealously espoused the interests of the duke of Somersee, he was accused of being an accomplice with him, and being found guilty, was hanged on Tower-hill that year.
PENSHURST is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the diocese of Rochester, and being a peculiar of the archbishop of Canterbury, is as such within the deanry of Shoreham.
The church, which is a large handsome building, is dedicated to St. John Baptist. It consists of three isles, a cross isle, and three chancels, having a tower steeple at the west end.
Among other monuments and inscriptions in this church are the following:—In the middle isle, a grave-stone, with the figure of a man and his two wives, now torn off, but the inscription remains in black letter, for Watur Draynowtt, and Johanna and Anne his wives, obt. 1507; beneath are the figures of four boys and three girls, at top, arms, two lions passant, impaling or, on a chief, two lions heads erased; a memorial for Oliver Combridge, and Elizabeth his wife, obt. 1698. In the chancel, memorials on brass for Bulman and Paire; within the rails of the altar a gravestone for William Egerton, LL. D. grandon of John, earl of Bridgwater, rector of Penshurst and Allhallows, Lombard-street, chancellor and prebendary of Hereford, and prebendary of Can terbury, he left two daughters and one son, by Anne, daughter of Sir Francis Head, obt. Feb. 26, 1737; on the south side of the altar, a memorial in brass for John Bust, God's painful minister in this place for twenty-one years; on the north side a mural monument for Gilbert Spencer, esq. of Redleafe-house, obt. 1709, arms, Spencer, an escutcheon of pretence for Combridge; underneath is another stone, with a brass plate, and inscription for William Darkenol, parson of this parish, obt. July 12, 1596; on grave-stones are these shields in brass, the figures and inscriptions on which are lost, parted per fess, in chief two lions passant guardant in base, two wolves heads erased; on another, the same arms, impaling a chevron between three padlocks; another, a lion rampant, charged on the shoulder with an annulet, and another, three lions passant impaling parted per chevron, the rest defaced. In the south chancel, on a stone, the figures of a man and woman in brass, and inscription in black letter, for Pawle Yden, gent. and Agnes his wife, son of Thomas Yden, esq. obt. 1564, beneath is the figure of a girl, arms, four shields at the corner of the stone, the first, Yden, a fess between three helmets; two others, with inscriptions on brass for infant children of the Sidney family; a small grave-stone, on which is a cross gradated in brass, and inscription in black letter, for Thomas Bullayen, son of Sir Thomas Bullayen; here was lately a monument for lady Mary . . . . . . eldest daughter of the famous John, duke of Northumberland, and sister to Ambrose, earl of Warwick, Robert, earl of Leicester, and Catharine, countess of Huntingdon, wife of the right hon. Sir Henry Sidney, knight of the garter, &c. at the west end of the chancel, a mural monument for Sir William Coventry, youngest son of Thomas, lord Coventry, he died at Tunbridge-wells, 1686; on the south side a fine old monument of stone, under which is an altar tomb, and on the wall above it a brass plate, with inscription in black letter, for Sir William Sidney, knightbanneret, chamberlain and steward to king Edward VI. and the first of the name, lord of the manor, of Penshurst, obt. 1553; on the front are these names, Sir William Dormer, and Mary Sidney, Sir William Fitzwilliam, Sir James Haninngton, Anne Sidney, and Lucy Sidney; on the south side a handsome monument, with the arms and quarterings of the Sidney family, and inscription for lord Philip Sidney, fifth earl of Leicester, &c. obt. 1705, and was succeeded by John, his brother and heir; for John, sixth earl of Leicester, cosin and heir of Henry Sidney, earl of Romney, &c. obt. 1737, his heirs Mary and Elizabeth Sidney, daughters and heirs of his brother the hon. Thomas Sidney, third surviving son of Robert, earl of Leicester, became his joint heirs, for Josceline, seventh earl of Leicester, youngest brother and heir male of earl John, died s. p. in 1743, with whom the title of earl of Leicester expired; the aforesaid Mary and Elizabeth, his nieces, being his heirs, of whom the former married Sir Brownlow Sherard, bart. and Elizabeth, William Perry, esq. on the monument is an account of the several personages of this noble family, their descent, marriages and issue, too long by far to insert here; on the north side is a fine monument for several of the infant children of this family, and beneath is an urn and inscriptions for Frances Sidney, fourth daughter, obt. 1692, æt. 6; for Robert Sidney, earl of Leicester, &c. fourth earl of this family, who married lady Elizabeth Egerton, by whom he had fifteen children, of whom nine died young, whose figures, as cherubims, are placed above, obt. 1702; Robert, the eldest son, obt. 1680, æt. 6; Elizabeth, countess of Leicester, obt. 1709, and buried here in the same vault with her lord. In the same chancel is a very antient figure in stone of a knight in armour, being for Sir Stephen de Penchester, lord warden and constable of Dover-castle in the reign of king Edward I. It was formerly laid on an altar tomb in the chancel, but is now placed erect against the door on the south side, with these words painted on the wall above it, SIR STEPHEN DE PENCHESTER. In the fourth window of the north isle, are these arms, very antient, within the garter argent a fess gules in chief, three roundels of the second, being those of Sir John Devereux, K. G. lord warden and constable, and steward of the king's house in king Richard II's reign; near the former was another coat, nothing of which now remains but the garter. In the same windows are the arms of Sidney; in the second window is this crest, a griffin rampant or. In the east window of the great chancel are the arms of England. In the east window of the south chancel are the arms of the Sidney family, with all the quarterings; there were also, though now destroyed, the arms of Sir Thomas Ratcliff, earl of Sussex, and lady Frances Sidney.
This church was of the antient patronage of the see of Canterbury, and continued so till the 3d year of queen Elizabeth, when Matthew, archbishop of Canterbury, granted it to that queen in exchange for the parsonage of Earde, alias Crayford; and though in the queen's letters patent dated that year, confirming this exchange, there is no value expressed, yet in a roll in the queen's office, it is there set down, the tenth deducted, at the clear yearly value of 32l. 1s. 9d. (fn. 24)
¶Soon after which the queen granted the church of Penshurst to Sir Henry Sidney, whose descendants, earls of Leicester, afterwards possessed it; from whom it passed, in like manner as Penshurst manor and place, to William Perry, esq. who died possessed of it in 1757, leaving Elizabeth his wife surviving, who continued proprietor of the advowson of this church at the time of her death in 1783; she by her last will devised it to trustees for the use of her eldest grandson, John Shelley, esq who has since taken the name of Sidney, and is the present owner of it.
In the 15th year of king Edward I. this church was valued at thirty marcs. By virtue of the commission of enquiry into the value of ecclesiastical livings, taken in 1650, issuing out of chancery, it was returned that the tithes belonging to the parsonage of Penshurst were one hundred and ten pounds per annum, and the parsonage house and glebe lands about fifty pounds per annum, the earl of Leicester being patron, and master Mawdell, minister, who received the profits for his salary. (fn. 25)
The annual value of it is now esteemed to be four hundred pounds and upwards. The rectory of Penshurst is valued in the king's books at 30l. 6s. 0½d. and the yearly tenths at 3l. 0s. 7½d. (fn. 26)
John Acton, rector of this parish, in 1429, granted a lease for ninety-nine years, of a parcel of his glebe land, lying in Berecroft, opposite the gate of the rectory, containing one acre one rood and twelve perches, to Thomas Berkley, clerk, Richard Hammond, and Richard Crundewell, of Penshurst, for the purpose of building on, at the yearly rent of two shillings, and upon deaths and alienations, one shilling to be paid for an heriot, which lease was confirmed by the archbishop and by the dean and chapter of Canterbury. (fn. 27)
For those who are counting, this is the third different kind of brace that has been strapped onto my right leg in the last 6 weeks. It is definitely the most porsche-like of all braces . . . curved, custom-fitted plastic and metal, a hinge, ACL support, 6 different straps, and yet, the beauty of this brace is that it breathes. Like, My skin can taste air.
Not as comfortable as no brace, mind you, but a hell of a lot more comfy than a neoprene sleeve or a knee dislocation :)
i was told today that after surgery i will wear this brace again (round the clock for the first 4-6 months and then for an additional 18 to 24 months for activities), but that during the first two weeks of recovery there will be a fourth brace. WOW. Let this be a lesson to all y'all out there - don't tear two different ligaments and your meniscus and cartilage if you can help it.
On another note, i am kind of floored that i only have 100 days left on my 365 - that's just over 3 months! This pic is kind of appropriate because i have been thinking a lot about how, if i have surgery on July 22, that means i will finish my 365 still very much in the first month of recovery. i need to plan ahead a little and think of ways to illustrate the things i think are important to show about me and life mostly before then, and also think of things to show you aside from me sitting on the couch in pain during the post surgery days. On the back burner of my brain these thoughts are turning.
The National War Memorial is a monument in the South Australian capital of Adelaide, commemorating those who served in the First World War. Opened in 1931, the memorial is
located on the corner of North Terrace and Kintore Avenue, in the heart of the central business district and adjacent to the grounds of Government House. Memorial services are held
at the site throughout the year, with major services on both Anzac Day (25 April) and Remembrance Day (11 November).
First proposed in 1919, the memorial was funded by the Parliament of South Australia, making it the first Australian state war memorial to be confirmed after the war. The design of
the memorial was selected through two architectural competitions. The first competition, in 1924, produced 26 designs—all of which were lost before judging could be completed after
fire destroyed the building in which they were housed. A second competition, in 1926, produced 18 entries, out of which the design by the architectural firm Woods, Bagot, Jory &
Laybourne-Smith was selected as the winner. The design—effectively a frame for two scenes depicted through Rayner Hoff's marble reliefs and bronze statues—shows the prelude
and the epilogue to war, depicting both the willingness of youth to answer the call of duty and the extent of the sacrifices which they made. In this, the work is not displaying a material
victory, but instead a victory of the spirit. Bronzes line the walls of an inner shrine, on which are listed the names of all South Australians who died during the Great War.
History
The obverse face of the National War Memorial, as viewed from the corner of North Terrace and Kintore Avenue.Almost 35,000 South Australians served in the First World War. This
number amounted to 8.5% of the South Australian population at the time, or 37.7% of men between the ages of 18 and 44. Of those who served, over 5,000 South Australians died. In
response to these deaths, Archibald Peake, the premier of South Australia, asked the state parliament to fund a memorial commemorating the victory and the sacrifice of those who
had fought and fallen. The motion was presented in March 1919, and it received unanimous support in the House of Assembly and the Legislative Council. With the passing of this
motion, the South Australian Government became the first in Australia to elect to build a memorial to the soldiers of the First World War.
It was decided by parliament that the new memorial should be referred to as the "National War Memorial", even though it was to be a purely South Australian monument, and in spite
of the term already being used to describe the memorial to the South African War of 1899–1902. There have been at least two perspectives offered as to why the term "National" was
employed. First, as Donald Richardson observed, the name may have been chosen to emphasis the Government's intention that the memorial should commemorate all who served
during the war, not just those who came from South Australia; and second, Ken Inglis argued that the name may have reflected the perception, (still held in spite of federation), that the
"province is a nation".
1924 competition
The National War Memorial Committee was formed in order to bring the proposal to fruition, and in February 1924 the committee announced an architectural competition to find the
design of the new memorial. In the preamble to the conditions of entry, it was stated that the new memorial was to serve the purpose of "perpetually commemorating the Victory
achieved in the Great War, 1914–1918, the Supreme and personal sacrifice of those who participated in that War, and the National effort involved in such activities".
Entry was open to South Australians who were British subjects, and those intending to submit designs were required to
file a Statement of Intent prior to 29 February 1924. The competition closed on 30 September 1924, and there was a one guinea entry fee. Three assessors were nominated to judge
the entries: the South Australian Architect-in-Chief, A. E. Simpson; local architect Herbert Louis Jackman (representing the South Australian Institute of Architects); and Sir William
Sowden.
The committee specified a budget of £25,000, (previously figures of both £5,000 and £100,000 had been discussed), and the conditions of entry stated that the memorial was to be
situated at the entrance to Government House on the corner of King William Street and North Terrace, placing it just behind the existing memorial to the South African War. This
location was counter to previous suggestions: a 1919 survey of architects had proposed that the memorial should be built on Montefiore Hill, while in 1923 the plans for the memorial
involved erecting it at the rear of Government House, rather than at the front.
Significantly, the committee left open the form that memorial would take, beyond stating that the memorial was not to be "utilitarian in character", and debate over the form led to
the emergence of a number of suggestions, many of which were covered in the media of the day. These included Dame Nellie Melba's proposal to build a carillon of bells; a
suggestion by Simpson Newland to turn Anzac Highway into a "Way of Honour" by adding triumphal arches to each end; and Walter Charles Torode's plan to build a 30 meter high
"metal and marble" monument on the top of Mount Lofty with an electric car to carry people to the summit.
In the end a total of 28 architectural firms registered their intent to submit entries to the competition—a lower number than expected, but Richardson suggests this may have been due
to work on proposals for the new Adelaide Railway Station. Out of those 28, a total of 26 firms submitted designs by the deadline. Unfortunately, on 10 November 1924, before
judging could be completed, the Richards Building in Currie Street was destroyed by fire, taking with it all 26 proposals.
Although most of the judging had been completed before the fire, suggestions at the time that the committee could use what they had learned from the entrants to propose a new
competition with greater clarity as to the requirements led to naught: a 1925 letter to the then Premier John Gunn reveals that there was little to be learned from the competition, as the
assessors had found that none of the designs were suitable.
1926 competition
Louis Laybourne Smith, the architect who (along with Walter Bagot and Rayner Hoff) was largely responsible for the winning design.Little progress had been made on the memorial by
1926. While some debate occurred in respect to the form that the memorial would take, the focus of the discussions concerned the location of the memorial, and this centered on
the future of Government House and the role of the Governor. A number of left-wing politicians argued that the grounds of Government House should be turned over to the State and
used to build the memorial while the conservatives desired to retain the status quo. By 1925 the National War Memorial committee was prepared to accept the Government House
grounds as the site of the memorial, but they delayed making an announcement. This proved to be fortuitous, as legal issues prevented the plan from going ahead. Instead a
portion of the grounds, located at the corner of North Terrace and Kintore Avenue, was put aside for the purpose. (The plan to move the Governor and to use the grounds as part of
a larger war memorial were revisited, over 80 years later, in 2007).
In 1926, after pressure from the returned soldiers, a second competition was announced. Once again the budget was set at £25,000. As per the first competition, all entrants had
to be South Australian British subjects, and all entries were to be judged anonymously, but this time there was to be only one assessor: John Smith Murdoch, the chief architect for the
Commonwealth of Australia. In deference to the previous competition, the top five entrants from 1924 were each given £75 upon the submission of a new design, and all of the
designs were insured by the government for £100 each.
With entries restricted to South Australians, only 18 designs were received—a figure that was "correspondingly fewer" than those received in other states where the competitions
were open to all Australians. Nevertheless, in his Assessor's Report, Murdoch acknowledged that the quality of some of the proposals were such that they "probably would not
have been exceeded had the competition been more open". After examining the submissions, on 15 January 1927, the design by Louis Laybourne Smith, (one of the principals at
the architectural firm Woods, Bagot, Jory & Laybourne–Smith), was selected by Murdoch as the winner.
Woods, Bagot, Jory & Laybourne-Smith had entered the 1924 competition with an arch designed by Walter Bagot, but in 1926 Bagot was away in Europe. Thus Laybourne
-Smith was responsible for drawing and submitting the final design, although he was clear to highlight the role Bagot played in the "architectural conception" of the monument.
While the firm was to be awarded 6% of the cost of the memorial, they refused all but enough to cover their own expenses, asking instead that residues (approximately £1000) be
placed in a trust fund to pay for the upkeep of the work. While this is seen as an altruistic act, Richardson noted that Laybourne-Smith was both a member of the National War
Committee and sat on the sub-committee which drafted the rules of the competition, and thus it may have been considered "improper" to accept the money.
When announced to the public the design was "universally hailed as a masterpiece". Nevertheless, in writing his report on the result of the judging, Murdoch stated of the winning
architect that he "depends almost entirely on the sculptor to tell the story of the memorial, employing in his design no more architecture than that required to successfully frame and set
his sculptural subjects, and to provide accommodation to the extent asked for by the conditions". This view was echoed by Inglis, who described the architecture as "essentially a
frame for statuary"—an approach that he felt was "unusual" for an architect. As a result of this dependency on the sculpture, some of the other contestants expressed concerns,
arguing that the contest was about architectural works rather than sculptural ones, even though the conditions of the competition specifically allowed for sculpture in the proposals.
Construction
Construction of the memorial began in 1928 with the cut and placement of marble blocks from Macclesfield
and Angaston. The South Australian Monumental Works were chosen to work on the construction, with Alan Tillett as the principal. Although no sculptor was named in the winning
proposal, it did make mention of a possible candidate—who later proved to be Rayner Hoff, a Sydney-based sculptor born in England. Raynor Hoff produced the designs for the
sculptures from his Sydney studio, with the bronze castings from Hoff's plaster models being produced by the South Australian firm A. W. Dobbie and Company. (Hoff had expressed
reservations that a South Australian company would be capable of handling bronzes of the required size, but a test casting of the lion's head from the memorial was sufficient to
overcome his concerns). The two angel reliefs sculpted from the Angaston marble were produced by Julius Henschke in situ from Hoff's designs, expressed through one-third sized
plaster models which Henschke then scaled to suit.
Significant delays occurred during construction after a strike by the stonemasons. The stonemasons were demanding a 44 hour week and to be paid at "outside rates", (rates of pay
for stonemasons were based on whether or not the work was to be constructed on site in the open air, or inside under cover— Tillet was paying the lower "inside rates", even though
most of the work was to be conducted on the site). However, Tillet had tendered on the basis of a 48 hour week at inside rates, and paying extra would have caused significant
financial problems. Tillet eventually won after the dispute went before the courts, but the strike had caused considerable financial damage to Tillet's company, which went into
receivership in 1930 and stayed in that state until after the memorial was completed.
The South Australian Government had dedicated £25,000 for the memorial. It was estimated that bulk of the expense would be masonry at £15,300 with sculptural work and
landscaping requiring £8,500 and £1,200 respectively. However, the final cost of construction pushed this out to approximately £30,000.
Opening
The National War Memorial in South Australia became the fourth state World War I memorial to be opened when it was unveiled in 1931. Inglis notes that this is in keeping with the size of the constituency, arguing that
"the larger the constituency that each of these collective tributes had to represent, the later it was built". It was unveiled before a crowd of almost 75,000 on Anzac Day, 25 April
1931, (the 16th anniversary of the Gallipoli landing), by the Governor Sir Alexander Hore-Ruthven. The crowd, "as huge a crowd as anyone could remember assembling in the
city", was unable to fit in front of the memorial, so many thousands assembled at the Cross of Sacrifice in the Adelaide park lands to await a later ceremony. Hore-Ruthven was
introduced by the acting state premier, W. J. Denny, whose involvement in the unveiling, according to Inglis, was unusual for a Labor politician.
Restoration work
In 2001, the memorial's 70th anniversary year, a three-month remedial project was undertaken, restoring the bronze and stonework details and reinforcing the
foundations. The work was completed just days before the Remembrance Day services. In 2002 the architects responsible for the restoration, Bruce Harry & Associates, were
awarded a Heritage merit award for their work on the memorial by the Royal Australian Institute of Architects.
Design
The Spirit of Duty appearing before the youth of South Australia, as represented by the girl, the student and the farmer.The rules of the competition limited the space for the memorial
to the "one half acre" of land that was excised from the grounds of Government House.The design submitted by Woods, Bagot, Jory & Laybourne Smith easily met this
requirement, as the memorial was designed to fit on an ellipse with a major axis of 18.3 m (60 ft) in length and a minor axis of 15.5 m (51 ft).Standing at a height of over 14 m (46
ft), the structure was carefully placed back from North Terrace to provide space for "public gatherings of a ceremonial nature" and to allow for the proposed widening of the street.
The monument has two sides, referred to by the architects as the reverse and the obverse of the work, which they likened to the two sides of a coin. These two aspects represent
the prologue and the epilogue of war. Each side features a relief carved from Angaston marble and framed by the "rough-hewn" arch carved out of marble from Macclesfield,
while the granite steps leading up to the monument are constructed of Harcourt granite, as specified in the original proposal. (The architects had preferred the local West Island
granite, but acknowledged that the Harcourt granite was "the best available" unless the government would agree to reopen the quarry on West Island). The materials were chosen
in order to provide continuity with Parliament House, located a short distance away along North Terrace.
The Spirit of Compassion, bearing aloft the body of a dead soldier, symbolizes and commemorates the sacrifice of those who gave their lives in the war and the loss experienced by
those who loved them.To represent the prologue to the war, the obverse of the monument (the side facing North Terrace) features a relief of the Spirit of Duty appearing as a vision
before the youth of South Australia, represented in the work by a sculptural group consisting of a girl, a student and a farmer abandoning the "symbols of their craft". The three are
depicted in normal dress, as they are not yet soldiers and are currently unprepared for the war that is to come, and they are facing away from the world as they look to the vision
before them. In Bagot's original plan, submitted for the 1924 competition, there was to be but a single nude figure kneeling before the vision (for which Bagot posed while in
Europe), but Laybourne-Smith's 1926 submission became grander in its scope. In addition, Bagot's original designs were naturalistic, with the Spirit of Duty depicted as a female
figure, but under Hoff's direction the figure was changed to male, and the style of the reliefs was changed to Art Deco—a "radically new" art style for Australia at the time. Hoff,
however, presented the sculptural group in the original naturalistic style, thus providing a "bridge between the Renaissance-style architecture and the Art Deco of the reliefs".
On the reverse side of the monument, facing away from the traffic, is a relief carved into the marble representing the epilogue of the war and depicting the Spirit of Compassion as a
winged spirit of womanhood bearing aloft a stricken youth. Beneath the figure is situated the Fountain of Compassion, the flow of water representing the "constant flow of
memories", while the lion's head from which it emerges, (and which bears the Imperial Crown), is representative of the British Commonwealth of Nations.
The designers acknowledged that the symbolism—especially that of the reverse side—does not represent "victory" in the traditional sense. They stated that the "Arch of Triumph
which was built in honour of a Caesar, a Napoleon, no longer expresses the feelings of modern democracy after an international struggle". Instead, the memorial represented a
spiritual victory, in which was displayed a "willingness to serve and to sacrifice".
Detail of one of the bronzes inside the memorial, upon which is listed the names of the South Australians who died during the war.Within the memorial the architects added an inner
shrine, or Record Room, in which could be recorded the names of the South Australians who fell during the war. While the design did not specify the exact form that this would take,
in the completed memorial these names are inscribed in the bronzes that line the walls. The design also allowed for a cenotaph within the inner shrine, which the designers
suggested could either be used as a symbolic representation of the unknown soldier or as the marker to an actual grave, although this aspect was never realised.
The monument is designed to honour both the war dead and all who served in the war—one face being inscribed to those who died in the war, while the other is dedicated to "all who
served". On the obverse side is inscribed the words "To perpetuate the courage, loyalty, and sacrifice of those who served in the Great War 1914–1918", while the reverse states
"All honour give to those who, nobly striving, nobly fell that we might live". Above the two entrances to the inner shrine were to be inscribed the names of the major theaters in which
Australians served in the Great War. Originally it was suggested that this was to be Egypt, Gallipoli and Palestine on one side, with France on the other, but in the final work
Belgium was added to the list.
Although the central square mile of the City of Adelaide is designed to the points of the compass, the monument sits at a 45 degree angle to North Terrace. The architects
provided two reasons for this. First, it was observed that "monuments suffer materially from monotonous lighting" when they face to the south; and second, the placing of the
monument to face a north-west direction allows it to be in line with both the Cross of Sacrifice and St. Peter's Cathedral. In addition to these two arguments, Richardson also notes
that the diagonal positioning of the memorial permits the dawn sun to fall on the facade.
EOS Canon 5D, 24-70L. AEB
2014
IMG_3180_1_2
All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.
Nothing fancy here. Just something cathartic.
Lighting: Snooted SB-600 over subject, triggered via Cactus V4.
HAPPY EASTER to Those that Celebrate. I personally don't but, I respectfully appreciate that it is important to some people and so would like to wish those that do, a very pleasant and peaceful day wherever you are in the world :-)
Phoenix 200 iso 35mm Film
Harman Technology
Fujica ST605N
Fujinon 55mm 1:2.2
Inbuilt light meter
f4 1/700
Home developed with Bellini C41 Kit.
No Crop, No filter, No Post production.
PS. I didn't put the snail shell on the cross. haha. It was absolutely just sitting there, bang smack in the middle of it. Unfortunately, it was deceased upon further inspection *awkward*. And my eyes missed manual focusing on the snail as the focal point. Never mind.
I pretty much always use manual focusing on all my lenses. Always have. Habit and how I like it. I have been lucky enough to do so with my eyesight again recently without issues after a few years unable to due to a neurological problem causing vision issues. So it means the absolute world to me to be able to see the world like this again and enjoy my long loved passion. Never take your vision for granted! And enjoy every single moment you have it. It is soooo precious.
:-D
Was parked at a store in Cody, Wy while my wife was inside when this truck pulled up next to me. In the bed of the truck was this Aussie dog named "Jake". While it's master was gone , this dog was really crying & trying to climb out of the truck to get to it's master. Fearing that it might jump out, I started talking to it to distract it. When it turned & looked at me, I was jolted by it's eyes, it was quite a shock ! © Glenn Dickey Photography 2010
This is what I thought the chimp must be musing: "I still remember... she used to dance beautifully on those branches..with so many guyz around, in a jifee she could throw herself upside down and cast her killing glance at me all the way..sigh..if only I had the guts to tell her I wanted to live with her in the same tree forever and ever..sighhhhh!!!!"
Caught at Nehru Zoological park, Hyderabad, India.
Boy I wouldn't want to mess with those talons!!! LOL Sam said this nest is approx. 150 ft.....high and look how those things stand out!!!!! Yikes!!!! I'm so glad to see them back up here!!! Look at how wild that wingspan is on the first photo....the first photo is this same bird!!! :) It's a tad fuzzy...darn it!
Great bird day today and boy is that river ever high...it's starting to overflow some...hope they don't shut the park down like they did last year!!! :P
I was born in Norfolk and lived in Suffolk. So I thought I knew those two counties. But of course there is more to Norfolk than Norwich, Cromer, Yarmouth and Kings Lynn, as there is to Suffolk than Ipswich, Lowestoft, Stowmarket and Bury St. Edmunds. And so on My friend, Simon K, runs a fabulous website, which I link to on EA churches, and on his Suffolk Church page he has visited 707 Suffolk churches, and 909 Norfolk churches. That is a lot of churches for two counties to share, and many of those churches are ancient, flint built, round towered or have wall paintings, wooden roof angels or something worth the effort of going to see or seeking out the keyholder to gain access.
What I mean is that there is no way someone who only had their own car until 1984, and had little interest in churches or parishes could have heard of most of the parishes in the two counties, and so a parish church like St George.
I saw St George from the main road, I was taking a short cut to join the A14 and from there to the A12 and south on what I hoped my my last trip of the year to lowestoft as Mother is now out of hospital and in the care of district nurses in order to get put back on her feet.
So I saw the tower of St George from about half a mile away, and thought I had enough time to go over and see inside if I could.
I parked at the end of a cul-de-sac of new bungalows, and as I walk up the bank to the gate into the churchyard, the clean lines of the tower, well, towered over me.
In the porch I tried the door and found it locked, but the keyholder list made it clear that the nearest one, at Christmas Cottage, was just over the road. So, why not try, Ian?
I went to the cottage and rang the bell. I had to fill out my details in a ledger, a sensible measure. But I showed by driving licence to prove that I was who I claimed. Little did I know the small village I lived in had been noticed. More of that in a minute.
Inside St George, you eye is stolen by the fabulous pew ends; animals of all kinds, real and imaginary, and most had not been defaced, only those of obvious human form. One with the body of a chicken but a clear human face had been left alone, thus is the madness of the puritan's mind.
I decided that I would record every pew end figure, and many whole pew ends so wonderful that they were.
There is the feint outline of a huge wall painting, Simon says it was of St. Christopher. It would have been most impressive when freshly painted. There is also a fine set of misericords.
St George's glory is the altarpiece, into detail Simon goes below. It is alarmed, so you cannot look at them too closely, sadly, but such is a sign of the times.
I took the keys back, and the lady of the house came to speak to me as she had been told by her husband that I was from Cliffe in Kent, which is where her family is from. Sadly, I am not from, nor live in Cliffe. For once there was indeed two Cliffs in Kent, one on the Hoo Peninsular, where her family is from, and one near to Dover. Many years ago, Cliffe near to Dover was called WestCliffe to differentiate it from its namesake further north. I explained this to her, but said St Helen in Cliffe is one of my favourite Kent churches, built of alternate layers of black and light flints and stone, in sunlight it glistens and sparkles.
Although St George here in Stowlangtoft is a fine church, it is in a poor state of repair, and is due to be made redundant in the new year. Always sad when that happens to a parish church, but it is likely to be taken over by the CCT, but then who will volunteer to keep it tidy when the old wardens and keyholders are too old.
Stowlangtoft is a fabulous church and so glad am I that I spent 40 minutes of my time to visit it. Go to see it now before it is too late!
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In the summer of 2003, this website became a six-part series on BBC Radio Suffolk. Something I said in the fourth programme, about Hessett, generated a fair amount of correspondence. Referring to the way many churches were restored in the 19th century, I observed that when we enter a medieval church, we are encountering a Victorian vision of the medieval; even when the actual furnishings and fittings are medieval, the whole piece is still a Victorian conception.
People wrote to me and said things like "but in that case, Simon, how do we know what was there originally and what wasn't?". To which my reply was the enigmatic "assume that nothing is as it first appears, as Sherlock Holmes said". And if he didn't, then he should have done.
A prime example of a church that assumes a continuity that may not actually be the truth is here in the flat fields between Woolpit and Ixworth. This part of Suffolk can be rather bleak, especially in late October, but England's finest summer and autumn for decades had left the churchyard here verdant and golden, as beautiful a place as any I'd seen that year. The church is large, and sits on a mound that has been cut down on one side by the road. I walked up the slope, past the memorial to the art critic Peter Fuller and his unborn son, which never fails to move me. It is by the sculptor Glynn Williams, and Sister Wendy Beckett says of it that it cannot be pinned down and encapsulated, it defeats the categories of the mere mind and sings to us of our deeper self.
Overwhelmed as you may be by it, don't fail to spot the broken window tracery that has been used to build the wall here, for thereby hangs a tale.
St George, in case you don't know, is one of the great Suffolk churches. Although it may externally appear a little severe, and is by no means as grand as Blythburgh, Long Melford and the rest, it is a treasure house of the medieval inside. Unusually for a church of its date, it was all rebuilt in one go, in the late 14th century, and the perpendicular windows are not yet full of the 'walls of glass' confidence that the subsequent century would see. The tracery appears to have been repaired, and possibly even renewed, which may explain why there is broken medieval tracery in the churchyard wall. However, it doesn't take much to see that the tracery in the wall is not perpendicular at all, but decorated. So it may be that the broken tracery is from the original church that the late 14th century church replaced. But the wall isn't medieval, so where had it been all those years?
Another survival from the earlier church is the font. It also asks some questions. Unusually, it features a Saint on seven of the panels, Christ being on the westwards face. Mortlock dates it to the early 14th century, and the Saints it shows are familiar cults from that time: St Margaret, St Catherine, St Peter and St Paul, and less commonly St George. The cult of St George was at its height in the early years of the 14th century. Mortlock describes the font as mutilated, and it certainly isn't looking its best. But I think there is more going on here than meets the eye. Fonts were plastered over in Elizabethan times, and only relief that stood proud of the plaster was mutilated. These are all shallow reliefs, and I do not think they have been mutilated at all. To my eye at least, this stonework appears weathered. I wonder if this font was removed from the church, probably in the mid-17th century, and served an outdoor purpose until it was returned in the 19th century.
The story of this church in the 19th century is well-documented. In 1832, as part of his grand tour of Suffolk, David Davy visited, and was pleased to find that the church was at last undergoing repair. The chancel had been roofless, and the nave used for services. A new Rectory was being built. Who was the catalyst behind all this? His name was Samuel Rickards, and he was Rector here for almost the middle forty years of the 19th century. Roy Tricker notes that he was a good friend of John Henry Newman, the future Cardinal, and they often corresponded on the subject of the pre-Reformation ordering of English churches. It is interesting to think how, at this seminal moment, Rickards might have informed the thought of the Oxford Movement. Sadly, when Newman became a Catholic Rickards broke off all correspondence with him.
During the course of the 1840s and 1850s, Rickards transformed Stowlangtoft church. He got the great Ipswich woodcarver Henry Ringham in to restore, replicate and complete the marvellous set of bench ends - Ringham did the same thing at Woolpit, a few miles away. Ringham's work is so good that it is sometimes hard for the inexperienced eye to detect it; however, as at Woolpit, Ringham only copied animals here, and the wierder stuff is all medieval, and probably dates from the rebuilding of the church. The glory of Stowlangtoft's bench ends is partly the sheer quantity - there are perhaps 60 carvings - but also that there are several unique subjects; you can see some of them below.
The carvings appear to be part of the same group as Woolpit and Tostock - you will recognise the unicorn, the chained bear, the bull playing a harp, the bird with a man's head, from similar carvings elsewhere. And then hopefully that little alarm bell in your heard should start to go "Hmmmm....." because some of the carvings here are clearly not from the same group. It is hard to believe that the mermaid and the owl, for example, are from the same workshop, or even from the same decade. The benches themselves are no clue; it was common practice in the 19th century to replace medieval bench ends on modern benches, or on medieval benches, or even on modern benches made out of medieval timber (as happened at Blythburgh). Could it be that Samuel Rickards found some of these bench ends elsewhere? Could he have been the kind of person to do a thing like that?
Well, yes he could. As Roy Tricker recalls, the medieval roof at the tractarian Thomas Mozley's church at Cholderton in Wiltshire is one that Rickards acquired after finding it in storage in Ipswich docks. In the ferment of the great 19th century restoration of our English churches, there was loads of medieval junk lying around, much of it going begging. But was Samuel Rickards the kind of person to counterfeit his church's medieval inheritance?
Well, yes he probably was. Look at the medieval roundels in the middle window on the south side of the nave. The four evangelists are above and below two superb representations of the Presentation in the Temple and the Baptism of Christ. You can see them below; click on them to enlarge them. Unfortunately, they are not medieval at all, and it is generally accepted that they were painted by a daughter of Samuel Rickards himself. There is something similar the other side of Bury at Hawstead.
Truly medieval is the vast St Christopher wall-painting still discernible on the north wall. It was probably one of the last to be painted. The bench ends are medieval, of course, as is the fine rood-screen dado, albeit repainted. There is even some medieval glass in the upper tracery of some of the windows. The laughable stone pulpit is Rickard's commission, and the work of William White. What can Rickards have been thinking of? But we step through into the chancel, and suddenly the whole thing moves up a gear. For here are some things that are truly remarkable.
In a county famous for its woodwork, the furnishings of Stowlangtoft's chancel are breathtaking, even awe-inspiring. Behind the rood screen dado is Suffolk's most complete set of return stalls. Most striking are the figures that form finials to the stall ends. They are participants in the Mass, including two Priests, two servers and two acolytes. The figure of the Priest at a prayer desk must be one of the best medieval images in Suffolk; Mortlock thought the stalls the finest in England. I was here with my friend Aidan of Sylly Suffolk fame, and he had previously photographed and written about these carving a a couple of years ago. But even he found something new to photograph, and a hush fell on the chancel as we explored.
The benches that face eastwards are misericords, and beneath them are wonderful things: angels, lions and wodewoses, evangelistic symbols and crowned heads. A hawk captures a hare, a dragon sticks out its tongue. Between the seats are weird oriental faces. Some of them are below; click on them to enlarge them.
Now, you know what I am going to ask next. How much of this is from this church originally? It all appears medieval work, and there is no reason to believe it might not have been moved elsewhere in the church when the chancel was open to the elements. What evidence have we got?
Firstly, we should notice that the only other Suffolk church with such a large number of medieval misericords of this quality is just a mile away, at Norton. I don't ask you to see this as significant, merely to notice it in passing. Secondly, I am no carpenter, but it does look to me as though two sets of furnishings have been cobbled together; the stalls that back on to the screen appear to have been integrated into the larger structure of stalls and desks that front them and the north and south walls.
However, if you look closely at the figures of the two Deacons, you will see that they are bearing shields of the Ashfield and Peche families. The Ashfield arms also appear on the rood screen, and the Ashfields were the major donors when the church was rebuilt in the 14th century. So on balance I am inclined to think that the greater part of the stall structure was in this church originally from when it was rebuilt. And the misericords? Well, I don't know. But I think they have to be considered as part of the same set as those at Norton. In which case they may have come from the same church, which may have been this one, but may not have been. Almost certainly, the stalls at Norton did not come from Norton church, and folklore has it that they were originally in the quire of Bury Abbey. Hmm....
Other remarkable things in St George include FE Howard's beautiful war memorial in the former north doorway, and in the opposite corner of the nave Hugh Easton's gorgeous St George, which serves the same purpose. It is as good as his work at Elveden. Back up in the chancel is a delightful painted pipe organ which was apparently exhibited at, and acquired from, the Great Exhibition of 1851.
But St George at Stowlangtoft is, of course, most famous for the Flemish carvings that flank the rather heavy altarpiece. They were given to the church by Henry Wilson of Stowlangtoft Hall, who allegedly found them in an Ixworth junk shop. They show images from the crucifixion story, but are not Stations of the Cross as some guides suggest. They date from the 1480s, and were almost certainly the altarpiece of a French or Flemish monastery that was sacked during the French Revolution. I had seen something similar at Baumes-les-Messieurs in the French Jura a few weeks before. There, the carvings are brightly painted, as these once were, and piled up in a block rather than spread out in a line. The niches, and crowning arches above them, are 19th century. My favourite images are the Pieta and the Mouth of Hell. Click on the images below.
One cold winter's night in January 1977, a gang of thieves broke into this locked church and stole them. Nothing more was seen or heard of them until 1982, when they were discovered on display in an Amsterdam art gallery. Their journey had been a convoluted one; taken to Holland, they were used as security for a loan which was defaulted upon. The new owner was then burgled, and the carvings were fenced to an Amsterdam junk dealer. They were bought from his shop, and taken to the museum, which immediately identified them as 15th century carvings. They put them on display, and a Dutch woman who had read about the Stowlangtoft theft recognised them.
The parish instituted legal proceedings to get them back; an injunction was taken out to stop the new owner removing them from the museum. The parish lost the case, leaving them with a monstrous legal bill; but the story has a happy ending. A Dutch businessman negotiated their purchase from the owner, paid off the legal bills, and returned the carvings to Stowlangtoft. Apparently this was all at vast cost, but the businessman gave the gift in thanks for Britain's liberation of Holland for the Nazis. No, thank you, sir.
Today, the carvings are fixed firmly in place and alarmed, so they won't be going walkabout again. But a little part of me wonders if they really should be here at all. Sure, they are medieval, but they weren't here originally; they weren't even in England originally. Wouldn't it be better if they were displayed somewhere safer, where people could pay to see them, and provide some income for the maintenance of the church building? And then, whisper it, St George might even be kept open.
St George, Stowlangtoft, is in the village high street. Three keyholders are listed, two of them immediately opposite. I am told that Wednesday is not a good time to try and get the key - it is market day in Bury.
Simon Knott
"Ama chi ti ama,non amare chi ti sfugge,ama quel cuore che per te si strugge:Non t'ama chi amor ti dice ma t'ama chi guarda e tace".
"Love those who love you, do not love who escapes you, he loves the heart that yearns for you: Do not you love those who love tells you he loves you but who looks and silent".
- W. Shakespeare
Those that can act and remember the lines of the play get the best parts, everyone else is in the choir, if you can't remember the words, just make it look like you know them.
If you needed glasses, there were two types, a wire design as worn by the boy in front (typical British school boy of the 1950s to 1960s in glasses) often in either blue or pink, sometimes brown, or a plastic frame in brown or black, these normally broke after a short time either across the nose bar or at the hinge side, the method of repair was a piece of self adhesive sticking plaster, the repairs often had to last for up to a year.
A few children (not normally found in council schools) had parents who paid for private frames for their children's glasses, and some quite good designs could be found.
The standard NHS children's specs that were designed in the late 1940s lasted up to the mid 1970s Many children preferred to suffer and go without glasses due to the amount of teasing for any child wearing them received at the time.
Those Deadbeat Cats performing outside St Nicholas Church at North Walsham Children's Day, 7th May 2018 (c)John Newstead
Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-8 MAX N806AK "Honoring those that Serve" displays the updated paint scheme with the 6th gold stripe on the engine cowling for the United States Space Force as it rolls out on Runway 25L at Milwaukee General Mitchell International Airport as Alaska 366 from Seattle Tacoma International Airport
Those people running in? Venom. Symbiotes. Spider-Man is knocked out... "Gragh hah hah!!! Hello, people of the USA!!!! I am Venom..! And today... We will see the unmasking... OF SPIDER-MAN!!!" Venom cackles...
~Scarecrow
Those smart class 170's are used on most of the train services operating on Scotland's non electrified routes. This higher numbered batch is 2nd class only for local traffic.
In the midst of lockdown numero uno in Lahore over the weekend, I decided to head to my village in Radhan, a half an hour or so from Sargodha. Traffic in Lahore was beyond light, almost absent, so we hit the motorway quickly and reached Sargodha earlier than expected. I thought the drive through the city would have been a much desired breeze as well but the residents of the city seemed to be out and about per their normal routine. Clearly the rules set upon the larger cities hadn’t taken effect here yet. But it was the village that was the bubble existing above and beyond everything that seemed to be happening in the world.
Unlike the rest of it, or at least the West, Pakistan has taken the approach of slow roll-out in what was likely going to be a long-term lockdown. We had started with 2 days on March 21st, now we are at 15 and everyone assumes that will be extended in the same slots indefinitely. A few stories about the treatment of those who have revealed their state of being positive to the State have been frightening to the point that unless faced by death, I think people will stick it out in their rooms. And some might also prefer to die there.
There are articles abound about people in the north testing positive, then running away from the health facilities to God knows where. No one has a real clue what is happening of course and beyond the “We love China” anthem the PM is singing, what we are really hoping for is one of those hospitals our “all-weather friend” built in 8 days, (or was it 18), to pop up in at least one province each. Personally, I would rather the People's Republic ended the internment of a million Muslims but we seem to have already signed off on that being ok.
The poor are scared out of their wits because we have extremely high numbers of workers in the larger cities who earn their income on a daily basis and with the shutdown, they don’t have a clue as to how to feed their families. Those of the Sahib e Taufeeq are therefore anxiously and quickly trying to distribute ration for a month to as many families as possible. Meanwhile the Sahib e Maal contingent is interneting themselves to wherever that will lead, which we will soon discover.
In Lahore, if one meets someone, all one talks about is the virus. For a while at least. That has been my experience of the under 50 crowd. It’s like the greeting of “salam” changed to “yaar yeh kya cheez aa gayee hai?” which then moves forward into exchanges of updates and readings per each person’s interest and/or fear of death. Since I have been most influenced by my friends and elders who, while taking sensible precautions, believe in the “jiss ko hona hai, uss to hona hai” (whoever’s going to get it is going to get it) school of thought, I have little to offer.
While being holed up, I scan Drudge and get the scariest breaking updates of the world on a daily basis. It makes me smile that the US has already ingrained into the public that 18 months are on the horizon for this nightmare and we are going forward in 15 day increments. I guess if the Pakistani Government made a similar announcement of 180 days (plus), people would just be like “screw it” and brazen defiance would follow. The rest of my days are spent humming tunes to come up with melodies for the kalam in my book which I then share with my friend, Ustad Imran and we play with it till its ready for upload on a gorgeous insta page, courtesy of Hiba.
Meanwhile, the rumour mills are spewing out new suggestions daily. High on the list is bio-weaponary going out of hand. China-US-Israel are the three villains most frequently named. On the spiritual side a trusted spiritual master says it is the fasid jinns, who, in collusion with fasid humans, are creating this havoc. Like millions, I have all my hopes tied to the return of Imam Mahdi (as) who might appear to save the day.
The Saudis closing Umra, cancelling Haj and making the tawaaf practically void is what saddens the believers the most. As one who had intended to perform the Haj this year, it is no doubt tremendously disappointing. But then I had heard from my Mamu many years before he passed that the Haj would stop in the future. I just imagined that it would happen because of war, not a plague. The Naqshbandis were told by their Spiritual Master, Sheikh Nazim (ra), that blight would arise from China and spread into the world and would disappear one day just like it came. In the days through it, he had advised his disciples to give sadqa to express their gratitude for life.
But coming back to the story of the village. After having lunch and meeting Pathani, who worked for me for 20 some years and is now retired, I sat with the women who work in the house near their out-door kitchen. I began the conversation in the way I had been taught these past few days in Lahore. Except it was in Punjabi.
“Yaar eh ke shay saddey pichay peh gayee hai” (what is this strange thing that has come after us?)
The women looked at me but no one said anything. I waited but they seemed to be waiting also, I gathered, for me to continue. When I didn’t, they just went back to what they were doing. I gave it another shot.
“So everyone in Lahore is holed up in their houses and living in fear,” I attempted raising the bar from casual conversation to sensationalism. “No one goes anywhere and all the markets are closed.”
Again I received nothing.
I think one woman said, “Jiya” in a tone which best translates into a flat “I guess” or “Mmm hmmm.”
I started smiling. “You guys are really lucky,” changing gears yet again, this time offering praise of good fortune. “You can roam around and it’s so beautiful here. And clean. And the food is good and fresh. And there’s hardly any people.” I racked my brain for more positives. “And it hasn’t turned hot yet so the weather is perfect.”
This time instead of one, I got three “Jiyas” and one “Jiya Ji.” It made me give up. I’ll try again tomorrow I thought. I got a charpaaye and spend the rest of the day in the massive garden reading books I had brought with me from Lahore and again, humming the melody of the next tune. It was by Baba Farid Kot Mithan (ra) and I have to say it had an effect on my heart that was superbly softening. Sometimes the words made me smile and sometimes I cried. I love the range of the arc that poetry can make, going from the earth to the sky, from the sun to the moon, from the day to the night and from the heart to the heart.
The next day I went for a walk in the kinoo gardens. The fruit has been picked but the orange blossoms were in full bloom and deeply intoxicating. I sat under a tree brimming with the flowers and listened to music on my Ipod. At lunch the women sat nearby, possibly feeling bad for me that I always came all alone. I decided, incorrigibly, to mention the virus again.
“So to stay safe you have to wash your hands A LOT. My teacher, Qari Sahib, says to just stay in a state of wudu. Even if you are not going to pray soon.”
I looked at each woman one by one, this time awaiting their favoured response.
“Jiya,” said one. “This is a good suggestion.”
I was dying to ask if they did that or prayed but gained control of myself.
Usually the gate to the house is left open for people from the village, essentially women, to come in and say hello to the arrivals from the city. But this time Pathani had given strict instructions to the chawkidaar to not let anyone in.
“Not even Ghulam Biwi?” I asked. As I write this I wonder if her name is Ghulam Bibi re-pronounced Biwi in the village or if she was literally named “the wife of Ghulam.” Probably the former. How would anyone know the husband’s name at birth?
“No,” she decided. “Best to be safe. She roams around the whole village and God only knows where else all day.”
Amma Ghulam Biwi was an old woman in her 70s who was almost deaf. On every visit I had made in the last few years, she had come to see me. She had a lovely voice and knew tons of Punjabi songs, film and spiritual kalam, and would sing to me. She loved Nur Jahan tracks from the 60s and I enjoyed my time with her. The conversations were by sign of course. She loved me and I loved her.
She was the reason I had come to understand that the prayers of a poor person, who one is kind to, far exceed in their expression the prayers of even one’s own parents. “Takhtaan te bakhtaan,” is what she always asked for me. Thrones and best of fortunes! I’m pretty sure neither of my parents ever prayed for thrones for me! Plus I often heard her address God as “Takhtaan te bakhtaan aaliya,” which meant she was asking Him to give me of Himself and that which is His. Not to mention the ask of never-ending wealth and telling Allah to give me more and more and more. Again, I don’t think my parents asked for that either! If they did it would have indeed been strange. Then there was “Allah raazi howey iss tun,” the most elevated prayer of all, “God, be pleased with her.”
I was a little bummed that I was not going to see her but it seemed like the thing to do. But fortune had other plans. Later in the afternoon I went to the family graveyard, just outside the women’s house and adjacent to the haveli the men occupy. For the second time in my lifetime, I went to the graves inside the mosque where my grandfather, his brother and their father are buried. Usually I just sit in the area outside where the rest of our family, including my mother and sister are, but I had visited the village a month before with my Nani (kind of) who is in her 90s and had gone inside with her.
When we had arrived at the graveyard then, just the walk from the car to the graves, only a few feet away, had taken so long and seemed so tiring for her that I had told her to just pray from there and not walk the extra few feet to where her father and brothers were buried. She had waived me away as if I had suggested something beyond ludicrous and said, “Then why am I here?”
With her nurse holding her on one side and me on the other, we had gone into the small room where the three graves lay in a line. In the back was a large marble slab and on it was a Surah from the Quran. She had kept insisting she wanted to read it herself but when I asked if she wanted a chair brought in while she did so, she had waived me away again. Apparently it was another absurd idea. I told her I would read it for her and while she sat at the feet of her father, I recited the Surah.
It was Al-Mulk and I remember crying the whole way through it. I didn’t understand it all of course but I wept because of the lines addressing the ungrateful who will be asked if a warner came to them and they will say, yes, a warner did come but we rejected him. I cried because I didn’t understand why they rejected him and I hoped I wasn’t one of them because rejection has its own layers. And I sobbed because of those I love deeply who live restless lives in perpetuity but refuse to unhinge themselves from a position that they took for one reason, one incidence or another, that had now taken hold of them, replacing all their happiness with anxiety and paranoia to live a life lifeless.
But it was the second line that never left me from that first time I read it for it had triggered a significant part of my understanding of the Quran.
"He who created death and life, that He may test which of you is best in deed.
And He is the Bestower of Honor and Oft-Forgiving."
The revelation had formed a chunk of my address at the book launch: that the verses of deep consequence referencing “deed,” giving it a singular, exalted status repeatedly by God, tie in precisely and inextricably with the multitude of verses on Nabi Kareem (saw) as the one to follow and obey. Making his deed one’s own rendered one “best” indeed.
This was going to be the second time I would enter the room inside the mosque. I had heard earlier in the morning, quite randomly, that my mother used to take the Quran to her father’s grave every day after he passed while she was in the village. To read it for him, to send the blessings of her readings to him. I had never done that before even though my family members had died almost 23 years ago. But on this day that I did it I knew it meant the beginning, albeit a late one, of doing it for them in the future.
It was on my way back from the graveyard that I saw Amma Ghulam Biwi standing near the gate of the house with her cane and some cloth she was carrying. From a distance she didn’t recognize me even though I waived at her but when I got close, she threw the cane and cloth on the ground, raising her hand up in the air, letting out a cry of joy.
Normally she would greet me with her favourite song by Nur Jahan; "Chan mahiya teri rah pai takni aan. Tariyan tu puch le ve chan kolun puch leh, sareian tu puch le, mein sayn nahin sakni aan." The words translated into "Dearest sweetheart, I have been looking for you to come my way for so long. Ask the stars, go ask the moon. Ask them all, I haven't slept a night waiting for you." I always laughed at the intensity of the tone. It made me wonder if she was a Scorpio like me.
When I got close to her I tried to yell that it’s best we don’t meet like we normally do but of course she didn’t understand a word. Next thing I knew she had thrown her arms around me, pulled me towards her and planted a wet kiss on my cheek. I burst out laughing while I heard the gate-keeper doing his best to scream out that that was not the way to meet in these times. She walked at a snail’s pace so it took us a while to reach the house from the gate and someone brought a chair for her to sit on and some kinoo juice to drink.
She had once told me she would say prayers and breathe them on water, something we call “pani dumm karna,” meaning making a water have the capacity to heal through the effect of verse from the Quran. I had a half finished bottle of water with me so I handed it to her and gestured for her to make me one. But before that I played the part of a mime and explained that the whole world was under attack by a disease and people were sick and dying. That required a decent amount of touching my forehead and sticking my tongue out as if fatigued beyond belief. And it worked! “Bimari aa gayee ae?” she said. And I nodded in the affirmative vigourously, holding my palms up in the air, signaling for her to pray for all of us.
I listened as she spoke the prayers out one by one for the water. The prayers have to be recited in a specific number, usually 11 but she went over a few times so she must have different system. I recognized the prayers and each time I thought she was done and got up to take the bottle from her, she waived me away as if annoyed by my impatience. The wave of dismissal must be a thing of older women from Radhan. The prayer that struck me was “Qulna ya naaro, kuni bardan wa salaman ala Ibrahim (as).” “We (God) said, ‘Fire, be cool and safe for Ibrahim (as).’”
The verse was in my book in the chapter on Trust. Also I was studying deeply each mention of the Prophet Ibrahim (as) in the Quran these days with Qari Sahib. Each incidence was extraordinary for he was Khalil Allah, the Friend of God. His asks, his bestowings, every action, was spell-binding through the tafseer of Ghaus Pak (ra). I know he is the only one who gives the exegesis of the word Ibrahim in specific verses to be the soul. That itself changed everything entirely as suddenly it was about me. And everyone else!
Before Amma Ghulam Biwi left, she looked at me with deep anguish and said her heart ached that I kept bending over. I had been doing my stretches while she sat in the chair and was touching my toes over and over, holding the position and counting to eight. I wanted to tell her that I was fine so I tried giving her a thumbs up but she just looked extremely bewildered so I decided to leave it alone. We said our goodbyes. My info on the disease devouring the world had left no impact on her so she hugged and kissed me again, then shuffled out of the house.
On my last day at breakfast, one of the women who brought me my meal asked, “So what is the news from Lahore?”
I was thrilled that I had managed to pique enough interest that she had gotten some information on her own about it which she wanted to relay to me.
“You heard about the extension of the lockdown?” I asked expectantly.
She looked blasé.
“No. I’m just asking what is going on there?” As in “What’s up in Lahore?”
“Oh,” I said. “Nothing much,” I responded, taking on her indifference and expressing my capitulation. “It’s more of the same. Who knows what will happen?”
She smiled at me and left to go back to the kitchen.
The village! The simplicity of life is apparent always. In the scenery and the quietness, the apparel and the taste of the food cooked without any overwhelming flavours or colour of individual ingredients, yet incomparably delicious. But the glaring cut-off from the world is from lack of technology interceding in life, as relates specifically to the internet. And this applies of course to those of my age, 50 and above. Maybe even just the women since I don’t interact with any men at all while there.
My three days spent there left me happy and smiling as I gathered my stuff to return to a city that I also deeply love. I felt grateful that in these times of extreme gravity and not having a clue as to who will live another day, life can still have a lightness to it. Recently I saw a beautiful painting the famed British artist, David Hockney, made to life the spirits of the world in this time of gloom. “Do remember, they can’t cancel spring,” is what he said. In that vein, my motivation to make music set to words written by poets extraordinaire and spiritual masters had accelerated. I also wanted to alleviate the sadness of the world. Because I already knew the effect of sound on the soul. It was a major part of my new writing:
"In Risala Qusheria I had read page after page of what was said about the effect of sound on the heart. Imam Ali (ratu) and others like him attest to the fact that every single thing in the Universe is in a state of zikr, remembrance, of Allah As-Sami’, The Hearer of All. And most surprising of all, it wasn’t just elements of nature, the birds, the bees, water and wind. It was instruments when played without a voice, it was the wheel of the potter, it was the rope that pulled water from a well. Hazrat Abu Suleman Durani (ra) said, ''A beautiful voice does not insert anything into a heart. It only resonates with and makes alive that which lies in it already.'"
Who knows what lies inside hearts except those who occupy them but one line rings true for all of us and it comes most beautifully worded in Punjabi by my Pir Mehr Ali Shah Sahib (ra.) For the ask from God of those who know Him, as opposed to those who merely worship Him, focuses on what can be bestowed, as opposed to what can be withdrawn.
Sha Allah wat aawin uwa ghariaan
May those moments come back again.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0x2U1fWwS8&feature=youtu.be
kalam by Ustad Imran Jafri on insta @the.softest.heart
Studio Boise, a local photography studio, hosts a monthly shootout that's free to models and photographers. It is a nice event but very chaotic, you have to use their lighting and backdrops, can't move anything, and you're vying for the attention of models. Despite all this it is a good place to meet new models for future collaborations.
As soon as I spotted Roree I knew I wanted to shoot with her, as did all the other shooters. I asked, she accepted, but there was a queue to use the designated backdrop. I saw the makeup mirror was free so we started there, and then moved to the backdrop. Roree's personality matches her looks.She is a college student home on Thanksgiving vacation but she will be back for Christmas so we're already pondering shoots then. Wish me luck!
I took these photos in mid-November 2023.
OM SYSTEM M.Zuiko Digital ED 90mm f3.5 Macro IS PRO
27 stacking images
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I do sell my Work so if you’re interested in any photos, you can buy it with a good price!
Send me an email: kietbull@gmail.com and tell me which photo(s) you want.
Buy me a coffee: paypal.me/KietHuynh490
© All rights reserved.
Those are not black mattes, but the train window. This is not post processing, but the window tinted glasses.
--
Ce ne sont pas des bandes noires mais le train. Ce n'est pas un traitement des couleurs mais les vitres teintées.
...of AUTO on my D50, not understanding what the mystical word aperture meant. Bokeh? Never heard of such a thing...
Today I scrolled through some of my 'old' stuff, or let's say stuff from my former self, from the days I hardly knew anything about photographing. There were some keapers, and I even had bokeh in many of them, how peculiar. I learned to look for bokeh in September this year... Quite the newbie here, oh yeah.
This summery one is taken in the last days of May this year. I remember that day, it was my first visit to our summer house for this year. And that is always special.
It is so much fun to go through older photos, done with the knowledge you then had. Before this autumn, the only thing I was aware of was angles and composition, those I knew how to do, those were the things I went for. Everything else was a big question mark.
So why this rendevouz today, why now? Because I'm supposed to be cleaning my appartment, getting all the christmas stuff on their places. I really don't wan't to do that right now, so I just sit here, surfing the net and postponing the hidious thing called cleaning up.
Excellent choice Hannah.
(Edit: whazup with my spelling today.... here becomes hear and knew becomes new... oh dear, someone get me a new brain for today....)