Ludlow Castle

Heritage Category: Scheduled Monument

List Entry Number: 1004778

More information can be found on the link below:-

historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1004778

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Ludlow Castle, Castle Square, Ludlow, Shropshire

Ludlow Castle the standing structural remains

Heritage Category: Listed Building

Grade: I Listed

List Entry Number: 1291698

Summary

The standing structural remains of Ludlow Castle, an enclosure castle, begun in the late C11, and converted into a tower keep castle in the early C12.

Reasons for Designation

The standing structural remains of Ludlow Castle are listed at Grade I for the following principal reasons:

Historical: as one of England's finest castle sites, clearly showing its development from an enclosure castle into a tower keep castle in the C12; the castle played an important historical role particularly as seat of the President of the Council of the Marches; Architectural: the castle remains illustrate significant phases of development between the C11 and the C16; Survival: the buildings are in a ruinous condition, but nonetheless represent a remarkably complete multi-phase complex.

History

An enclosure castle is a defended residence or stronghold, built mainly of stone, in which the principal or sole defence comprises the walls and mural towers bounding the site. Enclosure castles, found in urban and in rural areas, were the strongly defended residence of the king or lord, sited for offensive or defensive operations, and often forming an administrative centre. Although such sites first appeared following the Norman Conquest, they really developed in the C12, incorporating defensive experience of the period, including that gained during the Crusades. Many enclosure castles were built in the C13, with a few dating from the C14, and Ludlow Castle is not alone in having begun as an enclosure castle and developed into a tower keep castle. At Ludlow, the large existing gate tower was converted into a tower keep in the early C12, providing more domestic accommodation, as well as defence.

Ludlow Castle occupies a commanding position at the steep-sided western end of a flat-topped ridge overlooking the valleys of the River Teme and the River Corve. The adjacent town of Ludlow, which was established by the mid-C12, lies to the south and east of the castle. The defences surrounding the medieval town are designated separately. The castle was probably founded by Walter de Lacy in about 1075 and served as the ‘caput' (the principal residence, military base and administrative centre) of the de Lacy estates in south Shropshire until the mid-C13. During the Anarchy of King Stephen's reign the castle was for Matilda until 1139, when it was besieged and captured by Stephen. The de Lacy family recovered the castle in the C12 and retained it, apart from occasional confiscations, until the death of Walter de Lacy in 1241. Ludlow Castle features in an ‘ancestral romance’ called ‘The Romance of Fulk FitzWarren', written in the late C13 about the adventures of a C13 knight. Other documentary sources indicate that when the castle was in royal control it was used for important meetings, such as that held in 1224 when Henry III made a treaty with the Welsh prince, Llewellyn. Following the death of Walter de Lacy in 1241 the castle came into the possession of the de Genevilles, and in the early C14, the castle passed through marriage to Roger Mortimer. Between 1327 and 1330 Roger Mortimer ruled England as Regent, with Edward II's widowed queen, Isabella. Mortimer had himself made Earl of March in 1328. In 1425 the Mortimer inheritance passed to Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York, who made Ludlow a favoured residence. His eldest son, who assumed the title of Earl of March, claimed the crown as Edward IV in 1461. Edward IV's son Edward was created Prince of Wales in 1471, and in 1473 was sent to Ludlow, where the administration of the principality known as the Council in the Marches was established. Both Edward and the Council remained at Ludlow until Edward IV's death in 1483. Ludlow Castle continued as an important royal residence and in 1493 the Council was re-established at Ludlow with Henry VII's son and heir, Prince Arthur as Prince of Wales. In 1501 Arthur was installed at Ludlow with his bride, Katherine of Aragon, and it was at Ludlow that Arthur died in 1502. In 1534 the Council in the Marches received statutory powers both to hear suits and to supervise and intervene in judicial proceedings in Wales and the Marches, and from that time until 1641, and again from 1660 to 1689, Ludlow's principal role was as the headquarters for the Council and, as such, the administrative capital of Wales and the border region. Milton’s mask, ‘Comus’, was first performed here in 1634 before John Egerton, 1st Earl of Bridgewater, in celebration of the earl’s new appointment as Lord President of Wales. On the dissolution of the Council the castle was abandoned and left to decay. Lead, window glass and panelling were soon removed for reuse in the town. In 1771, when the castle was leased to the Earl of Powis, many of the buildings were in ruins.

Since the late C18, the buildings have undergone repair and restoration at various times, as well as some further deterioration, with some rebuilding and replacement of stonework. Extensive archaeological excavations were undertaken by William St John Hope between 1903 and 1907. The castle is now open to the public.

Details

The standing structural remains of Ludlow Castle, an enclosure castle, begun in the late C11, and converted into a tower keep castle in the early C12.

MATERIALS: the castle is constructed of a variety of local stones; it appears that the greenish-grey flaggy calcerous siltstones that underlies the castle was used in its initial phase, with local sandstones being used thereafter.

PLAN: the castle consists of an elliptical INNER BAILEY, in the north-west corner of the site, representing the earliest area of development, with the OUTER BAILEY, created in the second half of the C12, to the south and east.

BUILDINGS:

The curtain wall of the inner bailey incorporates four mural towers and the former gatehouse, all thought to have been constructed by 1115. Three of the four towers are open at the back and would originally have contained wooden scaffolding supporting look-out and fighting platforms. The fourth tower, known as the POSTERN TOWER, on the western side of the enclosure, has small ground-floor postern doorways on its north and east sides. The former gatehouse, situated at the south-eastern part of the enclosure, is rectangular in plan and was originally three storeys in height. Remaining in the ground-floor of the building is part of a wall arcade, thought to be late-C11, with ornamented capitals. In the early C12 a fourth storey was added to provide more domestic accommodation, thus converting the gatehouse into a tower keep, known as the GREAT TOWER. In the later C12 the original gatehouse entrance passage was blocked (the location of the former arch remains visible on the south elevation) and an archway was cut through the adjacent part of the curtain wall to the north-east, reached by a stone bridge. This archway was partially infilled and a smaller arch constructed in the C14. Access to the upper floors of the tower is by a spiral stair to the east, reached by an ornamented doorcase, the Tudor arch having a trefoiled lintel flanked by cusped panelling and trefoiled lintel, which also gives access to rooms in the Judges’ Lodgings (see below). On the first floor is the hall, with a chamber and garderobe to the west. In the second half of the C15 the north wall of the Great Tower was rebuilt and internal floors added to create new rooms lit by enlarged windows. Adjoining the Great Tower, in the south-west section of the inner bailey, is the INMOST BAILEY, a walled enclosure constructed in the C12 and C13 to provide greater security and privacy to those living in the Great Tower. There is a well within this enclosure surrounded by a low stone wall.

Located in the north-eastern sector of the elliptical enclosure of the inner bailey are the remains of the CHAPEL OF ST MARY MAGDALENE. This was built in the first half of the C12, probably by Gilbert de Lacy, and was remodelled in the C16, probably in two phases. In the first phase, thought to have been undertaken circa 1502 for the installation of Arthur, Prince of Wales, a first floor was inserted in the circular nave, together with additional openings, including a first-floor doorway which gave access to a passage linking the chapel with the Great Chamber Block to the north. In the second phase, during the presidency of the Council in the Marches of Sir Henry Sidney (1560-86), the original presbytery and chancel were taken down and a new chancel, or chapel, built, stretching as far as the curtain wall. The crenellated circular nave, which measures 8.3m in diameter internally, survives to its full height as a roofless shell, and contains much original carving to the round-headed order arches of the door openings, with chevron and billet mouldings, and to the internal blind arcade with a variety of capitals and moulded arches.

Since the late C12, the castle site has been entered through the two-storeyed GATEHOUSE within the eastern part of the curtain wall of the outer bailey. The wall originally had two adjoining rectangular mural towers of which the one to the north of the gatehouse survives as a standing structure; this, together with the adjacent section of the curtain wall form part of the CASTLE HOUSE built in the C18 (listed separately at Grade I). Protruding from the curtain wall defining the western side of the outer bailey are the remains of a semi-circular tower known as MORTIMER'S TOWER, possibly built in the early C13; this originally consisted of a ground-floor entrance passage, with two floors above, and was used as the postern entrance to the outer bailey until the C15. In the south-west corner of the outer bailey are the remains of ST PETER’S CHAPEL, originally a free-standing rectangular structure, founded by Roger Mortimer to celebrate his escape from the Tower of London in 1324, following his rebellion against Edward II. The chapel served as the Court House and offices of the Council in the Marches, for which an adjacent building to the west was constructed. The south-east corner of the chapel is now attached to a wall which completes the enclosure of the outer bailey’s south-west corner. In the north wall of the chapel is a blocked two-light window, enlarged at the bottom when a floor was inserted for the court house; a second original window towards the eastern end now contains a first-floor blocked doorway.

At the end of the C13 or in the early C14 an extensive building programme was initiated, replacing existing structures within the inner bailey with a grand new range of domestic buildings, built along the inside of the north section of the Norman curtain wall. The construction of these new buildings indicates the changing role of Ludlow Castle from military stronghold to a more comfortable residence and a seat of political power, reflecting the more peaceful conditions in the region following the conquest of Wales by Edward I. The first buildings to be completed were the GREAT HALL and the adjoining SOLAR BLOCK (private apartments). The Great Hall, which was used for ceremonial and public occasions, consisted of a first floor over a large undercroft, reached through a moulded pointed arch in the south elevation. The Hall was lit on both south and north sides by three pointed-arched windows with sunk chamfers and ‘Y’ tracery formed of paired cusped trefoil-headed lights, under hoodmoulds; these originally had seats, now partially surviving. The central south window was converted to a fireplace, replacing the louver which formerly covered the open fire towards the east of the Hall, its position indicated by elaborate corbels. At the west end, a series of openings lead into the Solar Block, only one of these (that to the north) being of the primary phase. Within the Hall, at the western end, is a timber viewing platform, which is not of special interest.* The Solar Block is thought to have been begun as a two-storey building, and raised to three storeys shortly afterwards, at which time the adjacent NORTH-WEST TOWER was raised, with the new CLOSET TOWER being built in the angle between the two. Each of the three floors of the Solar Block extended into the North-West Tower, with each being linked to a room in the Closet Tower. All three floors of the Solar were heated, the ground floor having a fireplace which originally had a stone hood; the first-floor room has hooded fireplace, on nearly triangular-sectioned jambs; the room above has a plainer hooded fireplace. The windows include original openings with ‘Y’ tracery and trefoil-headed lights, similar to those in the Hall, and a ground-floor mullioned window probably dating from the late C16.

In the early C14 two additional buildings containing more private apartments were constructed by Richard Mortimer. The three-storeyed GREAT CHAMBER BLOCK was built in about 1320 next to the Great Hall to balance the Solar Block to the west of the Hall. The connecting four-storeyed GARDEROBE TOWER, which projects from the curtain wall of the inner bailey, was also probably built about the same time. As in the Hall and Solar blocks, the floors are now lost but features in the walls remain to indicate layout and function. The main entrance to this block is through a recessed doorway in the south-west corner, with a pointed two-light window above. The undercroft was heated, and is lit by two two-light windows with stone side seats in the south wall. The tracery of the eastern of these windows has been lost. The first-floor main room, or ‘Great Chamber’, contains a grand hooded fireplace carried on a fourfold series of corbels; to either side of the fireplace are large head corbels with leafwork. The Tudor transomed and mullioned window probably replaced an earlier window. The upper room also has a large hooded fireplace, and was lit principally by a large trefoil-headed window with head-stopped hoodmould in the southern wall.

Following the establishment of the headquarters for the Council in the Marches at Ludlow, new buildings were constructed and many existing buildings changed their use. Within the inner bailey the main room in the Great Chamber Block became the council chamber, with additional chambers above. A new adjoining residential block, now called the TUDOR LODGINGS, was built to the east, replacing earlier structures. The block consisted of two sets of lodgings both being of three storeys with attic rooms above. The south wall of this block cuts across openings in the east wall of the Great Chamber Block. Between the lodgings, projecting from the south wall, is a circular stair tower, entered through an ogee-headed arch. The windows in the south elevation are mullioned; several have been blocked. In the north wall of the western lodging, at ground-floor level, is an opening with double trefoil head, having a divided light above. Otherwise, the features of this range are plain, with pointed door openings, and straight lintels to fireplaces.

As the power of the Council grew, further domestic accommodation was needed. To the east of the entrance within the inner bailey, a three-storeyed range, known as the JUDGES LODGINGS, was completed in 1581. On the south side, this building extends the curtain wall upwards, with two gables, and piercing for fenestration, the earlier arched entrance to the inner bailey becoming visually part of the newer building, with rooms above; stone arms set immediately over the archway dated 1581 commemorate the Presidency of the Council of Sir Henry Sidney. Rooms set above the arch leave a gate-passage leading through a second archway to the inner bailey, and giving access to both the Great Keep and the Judges’ Lodgings. The rooms above the gate-passage appear to have been accessed by the embellished Tudor-arched doorway in the Keep at the north end of the passage. The north side of the Judges’ Lodgings, within the inner bailey, has a polygonal stair turret (which originally had a pyramidal roof), with mullioned and transomed eight-light windows set regularly to either side. Within, some indication is given of the arrangement and appearance of the rooms by the survival of numerous fireplaces of red sandstone backed by brick set in herringbone pattern. The adjoining building to the east, originally two-storeyed, is thought to date from the C17.

Other developments during the C16 included changes to the south-west corner tower, enclosed within the inmost bailey, with the installation of a large oven at ground-floor level, with residential rooms above; the tower became known as the OVEN TOWER. In 1522 the PORTER'S LODGE was built in the outer bailey to the south of the gatehouse. The shell of this building now contains the castle shop; the modern structure and fittings of the shop are not of special interest.* Also dating from 1522 is the PRISON, adjoining to the south, which retains square-headed windows with moulded frames and hoodmoulds, and the stable block, completed in 1597, with mullioned windows. Like the porter's lodge, these buildings remain as incomplete shells.

*Pursuant to s.1 (5A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 ('the Act'), it is declared that these aforementioned features are not of special architectural or historic interest.

Sources

Books and journals

Cathcart-King, D J, Castellarium Anglicanum, (1983)

Goodall, J, The English Castle, 1066-1650, (2011)

H M Colvin, D R Ransome, The History of the KIng's Works, vol 3, (1975)

Kenyon, J, Castles in Wales and the Marches Essays in honour of DJ Cathcart King, (1987), 55-74

Pevsner, N, Newman, J, The Buildings of England: Shropshire, (2006)

R Allen Brown, H M Colvin, The History of the King's Works, vol 2, (1963)

Shoesmith, R, Johnson, A (eds), Ludlow Castle. Its History and Buildings, (2000)

'' in Archaeological Investigations Ltd, Hereford archaeology series, (1991)

W. H. St John Hope, , 'Archaeologia' in The Castle of Ludlow, (1908)

Other

Pastscape Monument No. 111057,

Shropshire HER 01176,

historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1291698

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Ludlow Castle, Castle Square, Ludlow, Shropshire

Construction of Ludlow Castle began in the late 11th century by the de Lacy's and held by them until the 13th century. In the 14th century it was enlarged by the Mortimers. In the 15th century ownership transferred between the House of York and Lancashire during the War of the Roses. In Elizabethan times the castle was further extended by Sir Henry Sidney. After the civil war the castle declined. It is now owned by the Earl of Powys for the crown.

Grade I listed.

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Welcome to Ludlow Castle, one of the finest medieval ruins in England. Set in the glorious Shropshire countryside at the heart of the superb, bustling black & white market town of Ludlow. Walk through the Castle grounds and see the ancient houses of kings, queens, princes, judges and the nobility – a glimpse into the lifestyle of medieval society

The Castle, firstly a Norman Fortress and extended over the centuries to become a fortified Royal Palace, has ensured Ludlow’s place in English history – originally built to hold back unconquered Welsh, passing through generations of the de Lacy and Mortimer families to Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York. It became Crown property in 1461 and remained a royal castle for the next 350 years, during which time the Council of the Marches was formed with responsibility for the Government of Wales and the border counties. Abandoned in 1689 the castle quickly fell into ruin, described as ‘the very perfection of decay’ by Daniel Defoe

Since 1811 the castle has been owned by the Earls of Powis, who have arrested further decline, and allowed this magnificent historical monument to be open to the public. Today the Castle is the home to Ludlow’s major festivals throughout the year and open for all to enjoy.

www.ludlowcastle.com/the-castle/

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See also:-

www.britainirelandcastles.com/England/Shropshire/Ludlow-C...

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludlow_Castle

A blend of Rajput and Mughal architecture, the City Palace of Alwar dates back to the 18th Century. Presently, in the ground floor of the palace, government offices and district courts are functioning. The attractions of the City Palace, Rajasthan include an artificial lake constructed by Maharaja Vinay Singh in 1815. There are also a number of temples on the banks of the lake.

Inside the palace is a splendid chhatri, having Bengali roof and arches. It is known as Moosi Maharani ki chhatri. Located within this chattri is the Company garden, known as Purjan Vihar. The garden was built during the reign of Maharaja Shiv Dan Singh in the year 1868. Maharaja Mangal Singh made further additions to the garden in 1885. This garden is an ideal picnic spot in summers providing lush green surrounding, along with the cool shades of its numerous trees.( source bharat on Line)

About Thanjavur Brihadeeswara Temple

The Peruvudaiyar Kovil, also known as Brihadeeswara Temple, RajaRajeshwara Temple and Rajarajeswaram, at Thanjavur in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva and an of the work achieved by Cholas in Tamil architecture. The temple is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Great Living Chola Temples".

This temple is one of India's most prized architectural sites. The temple stands amidst fortified walls that were probably added in the 16th century. The vimana or (temple tower) is 216 ft (66 m) high and is among the tallest of its kind in the world. The Kumbam (Kalasha or Chikharam) (apex or the bulbous structure on the top) of the temple is carved out of a single stone as widely believed.

There is a big statue of Nandi (sacred bull), carved out of a single rock, at the entrance measuring about 16 feet long and 13 feet high. The entire temple structure is made out of granite, the nearest sources of which are close to Tiruchchirapalli, about 60 km to the west of Thanjavur, where the temple is. Built in 1010 AD by Raja Raja Chola I in Thanjavur, Brihadeeswarar Temple, also popularly known as the ‘Big Temple', turned 1000 years old in 2010.

Different ages, different looks. 1865 to 1982.

A monopteros is a circular colonnade supporting a roof but without any walls. In baroque and classicist architecture, the monopteros as a "muses' temple" is a popular motif in English and French gardens. The monopteros also occurs in German parks like her on top of the Neroberg in Wiesbaden

Konark Sun Temple ([koɳarəkə]; also Konârak) is a 13th-century Sun Temple at Konark in Odisha, India. It is believed that the temple was built by king Narasimhadeva I of Eastern Ganga Dynasty around 1250 CE. The temple is in the shape of a gigantic chariot elaborately carved stone wheels, pillars and walls. A major part of the structure is now in ruins. The temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has also featured on various list of Seven Wonders of India.

ETYMOLOGY

The name Konark derives from the combination of the Sanskrit words, Kona (corner) and Arka (sun), in reference to the temple which was dedicated to the Sun god Surya.

The monument was also called the Black Pagoda by European sailors. In contrast, the Jagannath Temple in Puri was called the White Pagoda. Both temples served as important landmarks for the sailors.

ARCHITECTURE

The temple was originally built at the mouth of the river Chandrabhaga, but the waterline has receded since then. The temple has been built in the form of a giant ornamented chariot of the Sun god, Surya. It has twelve pairs of elaborately carved stone wheels which are 3 meters wide and is pulled by a set of seven horses (4 on the right and 3 on the left). The temple follows the traditional style of Kalinga architecture. It is carefully oriented towards the east so that the first rays of sunrise strikes the principal entrance. The temple is built from Khondalite rocks.

The original temple had a main sanctum sanctorum (vimana), which was supposedly 70 m tall. Due to the weight of the super structure and weak soil of the area the main vimana fell in 1837. The audience hall (Jagamohana), which is about 30 m tall, still stands and is the principal structure in the surviving ruins. Among the structures, which have survived to the current day, are the dance hall (Nata mandira) and dining hall (Bhoga mandapa).

The Konark temple is also known for its erotic sculptures of maithunas.

Two smaller ruined temples have been discovered nearby. One of them is called the Mayadevi Temple and is located southwest from the entrance of the main temple. It is presumed to have been dedicated to Mayadevi, one of the Sun god's wives. It has been dated to the late 11th century, earlier than the main temple. The other one belongs to some unknown Vaishnava deity. Sculptures of Balarama, Varaha and Trivikrama have been found at the site, indicating it to be a Vaishnavite temple. Both temples have their primary idols missing.

A collection of fallen sculptures can be viewed at the Konark Archaeological Museum which is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India.

HISTORY

ANCIENT TEXTS

According to Bhavishya Purana and Samba Purana, there may have been a sun temple in the region earlier than current one, dating to the 9th century or earlier. The books mention three sun temples at Mundira (possibly Konark), Kalapriya (Mathura), and Multan.

According to the scriptures, Samba, the son of Krishna, was cursed with leprosy. He was advised by the sage, Kataka, to worship the sun god to cure his aliment. Samba underwent penance for 12 years in Mitravana near the shores of Chandrabhaga. Both the original Konark temple and the Multan temple have been attributed to Samba.

The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea (1st Century CE) mentions a port called Kainapara, which has been identified as current day Konark.

SUN DIAL AND TIME

The wheels of the temple are sundials which can be used to calculate time accurately to a minute including day and night.

SECOND TEMPLE

According to the Madala Panji, there was another temple in the region. It was built by one Pundara Kesari. He may have been Puranjaya, the 7th century ruler, of the Somavasmi Dynasty.

NARASIMHADEVA I

The current temple is attributed to Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty. His reign spanned from 1238 to 1264 CE. The temple may have been a monument to his victory against Tughral Tughan Khan.

DHARMAPADA´S TALE

According to local folklore, Narasimhadeva I had hired a chief architect called Bisu Maharana to build the temple. After a period of twelve years, a workforce of twelve thousand almost finished the construction. But, they failed to mount the crown stone. The impatient king ordered the temple to be finished in three days or the artisans be put to death. At the time, Bisu Maharana's twelve-year-old son, Dharmapada arrived at the site. Bisu Maharana had never seen his son, as he had left his village when his wife was still pregnant. Dharmapada successfully proposed a solution to mount the crown stone. But, the artisans were still apprehensive that the king will be displeased to learn that a boy succeeded where his best artisans failed. Dharmapada climbed onto the temple and leapt into the water to save his father and his co-workers.

COLLAPSE

There have been several proposed theories for the collapse of the main sanctum. The date of the collapse is also not certain.

The Kenduli copper plates of Narasimha IV (Saka 1305 or 1384 CE) states the temple to be in a perfect state.

In the 16th century Ain-i-Akbari, Abul Fazl also mentions Konark being in a proper state. The account also mentions the cost of construction being 12 years of revenue.

The cause of collapse is also placed on Kalapahad who invaded Odisha in 1568.

In 1627, the then Raja of Khurda had removed the sun idol from Konark and moved it to the Jagannath temple in Puri.

James Fergusson (1808–1886) had the opinion that marshy foundation had caused the collapse. But, the structure has shown no sign of sinking into its foundation. Fergusson, who visited the temple in 1837, recorded a corner of the main sanctum still standing. It also fell down in 1848 due to a strong gale.

According to Percy Brown (1872–1955), the temple was not properly completed and so it collapsed. This contradicts earlier recorded accounts of the temple being in a proper state.

In 1929, an analysis of a moss covered rock estimated the date of abandonment at around 1573.

Other proposed causes include lightning and earthquake.

ARUNA STAMBHA

In the last quarter of the 18th century, when worship had ceased in the temple, the Aruna stambha (Aruna pillar) was removed from the entrance of Konark temple and placed at the Singha-dwara (Lion's Gate) of the Jagannath temple in Puri by a Maratha Brahmachari called Goswain (or Goswami). The pillar is made of monolithic chlorite and is 10.26 m tall . It is dedicated to Aruna, the charioteer of the Sun god.

PRESERVATION EFFORTS

In 1803, requests were made for conservations by the East India Marine Board, but only removal of stones from the site was prohibited by the Governor General. As a result, a part of the main tower, which was still standing, collapsed in 1848.

The then Raja of Khurda removed some stones and sculptures to use in a temple he was building in Puri. A few gateways and some sculptures were destroyed in the process. In 1838, after the depredation of the Raja of Khurda, Asiatic Society of Bengal requested conservation, but the requests were denied and only preventative of human-caused damages were guaranteed. The Raja was forbidden to remove any more stones.

In 1859, Asiatic Society of Bengal proposed moving an architrave depicting the navagraha to the Indian Museum in Calcutta. The first attempt in 1867 was abandoned as the funds ran out.

In 1894, thirteen sculptures were moved to the Indian Museum.

In 1903 when a major excavation was attempted nearby, the then Lieutenant governor of Bengal, J. A. Baurdilon, ordered the temple to be sealed and filled with sand to prevent the collapse of the Jagamohana.

In 1906, casuarina and punnang trees were planted facing the sea to buffer the site against sand-laden winds.

In 1909, the Mayadevi temple was discovered while removing sand and debris.

The temple was granted World Heritage Site status by the UNESCO in 1984.

WIKIPEDIA

The town hall in Eisenstadt, the capital of the Austrian province of Burgenland, is located in the Main road no. 35. The building, dating back to the 17th century, is a listed one.

Architecture

The 27-meter-long street front of the two-storey building has mock-ashlar plaster up to the windows of the upper floor. The façade obtains its rhythmic structure through three bay windows and a large entrance portal framed by diamond ashlar plaster. The two outer round oriels rest on columns, the middle, box-shaped on three consoles. The central bay is adorned with a sundial and the coat of arms of Eisenstadt.

The areas between the windows of the upper floor are filled with pictorial representations. They depict symbolically, from the left to the middle bay, the virtues of loyalty, hope, charity, justice, wisdom, strength and moderation as female figures with the Latin inscription. To the right of the middle bay are scenes from the Old Testament for Judicial Wisdom (Solomon's Judgment), Homeland Love (Judith and Holofernes) and the renunciation of dignity in favor of wisdom and knowledge (Salomon and the Queen of Sheba).

The building is completed by a broad attic behind which a three-part grave roof hides. Protruding gable parts are concealed by curved ornamental gables.

History

The town hall was built around 1650, after Eisenstadt 1648 had become Royal free city. Some Renaissance parts, such as the ceiling in the entrance hall, date from this period. The present appearance dates from the rebuilding around 1760.

The murals, also from the Renaissance, were repainted in 1949 by Rudolf Holzinger (1898-1949) according to the old patterns. The interior of the house was rebuilt several times, most recently in 1959. On the occasion of the construction of the appropriate modern city hall building behind the historic one in the years 1999 to 2001, the latter was extensively renovated.

Das Rathaus in Eisenstadt, der Hauptstadt des österreichischen Bundeslandes Burgenland, befindet sich in der Hauptstraße Nr. 35. Das auf das 17. Jahrhundert zurückgehende Bauwerk steht unter Denkmalschutz.

Architektur

Die 27 Meter lange Straßenfront des zweigeschoßigen Gebäudes besitzt bis an die Fenster des Obergeschoßes Quaderputz. Die Fassade erhält ihre rhythmische Gliederung durch drei Erker und ein großes Eingangsportal, das von Diamantquaderputz eingefasst ist. Die beiden äußeren Runderker ruhen auf Säulen, der mittlere, kastenförmige auf drei Konsolen. Den Mittelerker zieren eine Sonnenuhr und das Stadtwappen von Eisenstadt.

Die Flächen zwischen den Fenstern des Obergeschoßes sind mit bildlichen Darstellungen gefüllt. Sie zeigen vom linken bis zum Mittelerker symbolisch die Tugenden Treue, Hoffnung, Mildtätigkeit, Gerechtigkeit, Weisheit, Stärke und Mäßigkeit als Frauengestalten, mit der lateinischen Beschriftung. Rechts des Mittelerkers folgen Szenen aus dem Alten Testament für die richterliche Weisheit (Salomonisches Urteil), die Heimatliebe (Judith und Holofernes) sowie den Verzicht auf Würde zugunsten der Weisheit und Erkenntnis (Salomon und die Königin von Saba).

Das Bauwerk wird abgeschlossen durch eine breite Attika, hinter der sich ein dreiteiliges Grabendach verbirgt. Überstehende Giebelteile werden durch geschwungene Ziergiebel kaschiert.

Geschichte

Das Rathaus entstand um 1650, nachdem Eisenstadt 1648 königliche Freistadt geworden war. Einige Renaissanceteile, wie die Decke in der Eingangshalle, stammen aus dieser Zeit. Das heutige Erscheinungsbild rührt von dem Umbau um 1760 her.

Die ebenfalls aus der Renaissance stammenden Wandmalereien wurden 1949 von Rudolf Holzinger (1898–1949) nach den alten Mustern neu gemalt. Das Innere des Hauses wurde mehrfach umgebaut, zuletzt 1959. Anlässlich der Errichtung des zweckgerechten modernen Rathaus-Neubaus hinter dem historischen in den Jahren 1999 bis 2001 wurde letzterer umfassend saniert.

de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rathaus_Eisenstadt

Following information from:-

www.stiveschurch.org.uk/Lady_Chapel.html

'The Lady of the chapel is, of course, the Blessed Virgin Mary, Jesus’s mother. Dame Barbara Hepworth carved the MADONNA AND CHILD for the church in memory of her son Paul, killed on active service with the RAF over Thailand in 1953.'

According to Wikipedia:-

'The church is dedicated to Saint Ia the Virgin, also known as Ives, supposedly an Irish holy woman of the 5th or 6th century. The current building dates to the reign of King Henry V of England. It became a parish church in 1826. It was built between 1410 and 1434 as a chapel of ease: St Ives being within the parish of Lelant. The tower is of granite and of four stages (over 80 ft high): the church is large but not particularly high and built in a Devonian rather than a Cornish style. An outer south aisle was added by the Trenwith family about 1500: this is now the Lady Chapel and contains a statue by Barbara Hepworth.

The font is of granite and probably of the 15th century. It is carved with four angels hold ing shields. There are bench ends of the standard design and also two complete benches in the chancel. There is a brass to a member of the Trenwith family, 1463, and a monument to the Hitchens family by Garland & Fieldwick, 1815.

The church of St. Ives, a beautiful structure of the age of Henry V, with a lofty tower, is dedicated to St. Ia the Virgin; the edifice is well worthy of the observation of those who are curious in ecclesiastical architecture: the living is part of the vicarage of Uny Lelant, but has lately been endowed, by a grant from Queen Anne's bounty, the maintenance of a perpetual curate; the present incumbent of the parish is Rev. Dr. Cardew, the curate is the Rev. C. Aldrich; the patronage of preferment is the diocesan bishop.–Pigot & Co.'s Directory of Cornwall, 1830.'

The Natadola Bay Championship Golf Course - is the home The Fiji International, a $1.2 million event jointly-sanctioned by the PGA Tour of Australasia and OneAsia Tour

Natadola Beach on Fiji’s Coral Coast is the site of a championship golf course - Natadola Bay. In October 2016 owners Natadola Bay Resort Limited re-invested in the course by bringing original designer Vijay Singh back in to make a few player-friendly changes. Along with the golf architect Greg Letsche they went about making changes to 10 of the 18 holes. Fifteen of the 18 holes have the dramatic backdrop of coral reefs and the Pacific Ocean. The clubhouse is styled in traditional South Pacific architecture. The tees boxes, fairways and greens are immaculately manicured with seashore paspalum - a salt-tolerant grass. Alongside the golf course is the Intercontinental Golf Resort and Spa. The course location is on Fiji’s Coral Coast, about 50 minutes’ drive south of Nadi International Airport on the main island of Viti Levu. Balabala tree figureheads beside each fairway mark 150 metres to the centre of the greens, while the tee markers are shaped like ‘neck-breakers’, which are tools used to crack open coconuts.

The course was developed by Natadola Bay Resort Ltd (NBRL), which is the commercial arm of the Fiji National Provident Fund (FNPF). NBRL invested US $125 million into the development – the largest of its kind ever undertaken in Fiji – which included the neighbouring five-star Intercontinental Resort. Construction is on-going on a residential development on land between the resort and the golf course.

aka Old Gamsjager Place

Doddridge County, WV

Listed: 09/04/1986

The Gamsjager-Wysong farm, with its 19th-century barn and cellar house and early 20th century house, is perhaps the only remaining intact representation of St. Clara community in its heyday. St. Clara itself was unique in a number of ways, chief of which lay in its founding as one of the few deliberate attempts at colonization in Western Virginia, and its promotion by, as well as homeplace of, Joseph H. Diss Debar, the state's first Commissioner of Immigration. Debar, a Frenchman by birth, became active in the development of early state legislation, is recognized as the father of the movement to establish a geological survey - so important in a state with such an abundance of natural resources - and was the artist who designed the West Virginia State Seal. His colony of St. Clara was also remarkable as a German settlement which attracted both Catholics and Lutherans. This German heritage is still notable today, particularly in the family names and the style of architecture, the latter aptly demonstrated in the design of the Gamsjager-Wysong house, which exhibits the strong German influence so typical in the rural farmhouse found throughout the region of northcentral West Virginia, eastern Ohio, western Virginia, and Pennsylvania.

Inch Abbey 'Mainistir na hInse' or in Ulster-Scots: Änch Abbey is a large, ruined monastic site near Downpatrick, County Down, on the north bank of the River Quoile in a hollow between two drumlins and featuring early Gothic architecture.

The site was originally on an island (Irish: Inis) in the Quoile Marshes. The pre-Norman Celtic monastic settlement here, known as Inis Cumhscraigh (or Inis Cuscraidh), was in existence by the year 800. In 1002 it was plundered by the Vikings led by Sitric, King of the Danes, who came up the Quoile with a fleet from the sea. The Vikings plundered the settlement again in 1149. Its large earthwork enclosure has been traced from aerial photographs. On the ground, the early bank and ditch can be followed along the line of trees on the eastern boundary of the site, and partly along the western boundary. The buildings of the early monastery would have been made of timber.

Inch Abbey was established as a Cistercian house by John de Courcy and his wife Affreca. Inch, or Iniscourcy, was erected as an act of repentance for the destruction of the Abbey at Erinagh (or Erenagh) by de Courcy in 1177. It was colonised directly by monks from Furness Abbey in Lancashire in 1180, along with some of the monks from Erinagh. The Cistercian monastery was located near to the river in the southern area of the Early Christian earthwork enclosure.

The Cistercian precinct was enclosed by a bank and ditch extending north and south from the parish graveyard to the river and east to west up the valley sides. The buildings are mainly of the late 12th century and the 13th century. The church was built about 1200, in the Cistercian cruciform plan with a low tower at the crossing, an aisled nave to the west and two projecting transepts each with a pair of chapels. Only the impressive east window remains. The chancel wall has three, well-proportioned, pointed windows, the middle one being 23 ft high. The chancel was 42 ft by 27 ft. There was an altar in each of the rib-vaulted transept chapels and in the north transept is a door out to the monk's cemetery and a tower with broken stairs in the north-west angle. On the stone plinth of the north transept's exterior north wall a number of incised symbols can be seen which are mason's marks. The high altar was under the east windows and in the south wall are the remains of a triple sedilia (seats for the priests) and a piscina for washing the altar vessels.

The community of monks was probably never very large, and this may have led to the decision to reduce the size of the church by walling off a smaller area to the east end. Some continuity was maintained with the 13th century work by reusing a fine door of that period as the west door of the reduced church. In the 15th century, when the monastic community was smaller, the church was altered. Through the walling in of the chancel and first bay of the nave, and blocking off the transepts, a much smaller church was created and the rest was abandoned. The cloister walks to the south have disappeared, but foundations of the east and south ranges remain, as well as outlying buildings toward the river. These include an infirmary and a bakehouse with two ovens and a well nearby.

Judged by medieval standards the abbey was wealthy. In 1380 Parliament tried to help waning English influence by restricting the membership of the Order at Inch to English or Anglicised Irish. Twenty-four years later, the abbey was burned and that, perhaps together with the collapse of a central tower and a dwindling community, gave the impetus to alter the size of the church. Monastic life continued, most likely on a small scale, until the 16th century, but the Abbey had been dissolved by 1541, when the abbey with about 850 acres of land was granted to Gerald, Earl of Kildare, along with other monasteries.

Inch Abbey Downpatrick, was the setting where Rob Stark was crowned King of the North, in the TV series Game of Thrones.

Bakong (Khmer: ប្រាសាទបាគង) is the first temple mountain of sandstone constructed by rulers of the Khmer empire at Angkor near modern Siem Reap in Cambodia. In the final decades of the 9th century AD, it served as the official state temple of King Indravarman I in the ancient city of Hariharalaya, located in an area that today is called Roluos.

The structure of Bakong took shape of stepped pyramid, popularly identified as temple mountain of early Khmer temple architecture. The striking similarity of the Bakong and Borobudur temple in Java, going into architectural details such as the gateways and stairs to the upper terraces, suggests strongly that Borobudur was served as the prototype of Bakong. There must had been exchanges of travelers, if not mission, between Khmer kingdom and the Sailendras in Java. Transmitting to Cambodia not only ideas, but also technical and architectural details of Borobudur, including arched gateways in corbelling method

The site of Bakong measures 900 metres by 700 metres, and consists of three concentric enclosures separated by two moats, the main axis going from east to west. The outer enclosure has neither a wall nor gopuram and its boundary is the outer moat, today only partially visibile. The current access road from NH6 leads at the edge of the second enclosure. The inner moat delimits a 400 by 300 metres area, with remains of a laterite wall and four cruciform gopuram, and it is crossed by a wide earthen causeway, flanked by seven-headed nāgas, such as a draft of nāga bridge . Between the two moats there are the remains of 22 satellite temples of brick. The innermost enclosure, bounded by a laterite wall, measures 160 metres by 120 metres and contains the central temple pyramid and eight brick temple towers, two on each side. A number of other smaller buildings are also located within the enclosure. Just outside of the eastern gopura there is a modern buddhist temple.

A statue of a lion guards the stairs on the central pyramid.

The pyramid itself has five levels and its base is 65 by 67 metres. It was reconstructed by Maurice Glaize at the end of the 1930s according to methods of anastylosis. On the top there is a single tower that is much later in provenance, and the architectural style of which is not that of the 9th century foundations of Hariharalaya, but that of the 12th-century temple city Angkor Wat.[4]

Though the pyramid at one time must have been covered with bas relief carvings in stucco, today only fragments remain. A dramatic scene-fra agment involving what appear to be asuras in battle gives a sense of the likely high quality of the carvings. Large stone statues of elephants are positioned as guardians at the corners of the three lower levels of the pyramid. Statues of lions guard the stairways.

nave of the main church

Granada Charterhouse (Spanish: Cartuja de Granada) is a (former) Carthusian monastery in Granada, Spain. It is one of the finest examples of Spanish Baroque architecture. The charterhouse was founded in 1506; construction started ten years later, and continued for the following 300 years. While the exterior is a "tame ember in comparison", the interior of the monastery's is a flamboyant explosion of ornamentation. - wikipedia

November 23, 2012

camera: Sony DSC H90

DSC02388

That is a modern but impressive example of Islamic architecture. The original mosque on the site was built by Algerians in 1767 over tomb of a 13th century Muslim saints. The present structure was erected in 1943 when the largely decayed original was demolished.

(further pictures you can see by clicking on the link at the end of page!)

Hütteldorfer parish

War memorial in front of the church

The church interior

The Hütteldorfer parish church is a Roman Catholic church building in the part of the 14th district of Vienna (Penzing), Hütteldorf. It is dedicated to the Apostle Andrew.

Location and architecture

The free-standing Gothic Sichtziegelbau (facing bricks construction method) at the Linzer Straße 424 is the work of architect Richard Jordan. The church complex is surrounded by a wall and two-storey outbuildings and is to Linzerstraße enclosed by a wrought iron grille. The war memorial soldier on guard at the forecourt of the church was created in the 1920s by Hans Fürst. To the west of the site is situated the Karl-Terkal Park, named after opera singer Karl Terkal.

The church building has in the south a façade tower and is in the north enclosed by a choir. In between is the nave with a transept. On the east wall there is a plaque in memory of Michael Denis with a by Vincenz Pilz created relief bust of the writer and on the west wall the Epitaph of Princess Leopoldine of Liechtenstein.

The paintings on glass and the interior equipment mostly stem from the construction period of the church (1881 /82), among them the seating, the font and the confessional as well as the with a neo-Gothic case equipped organ of Josef Ullmann and the neo-Gothic altars. The high altar has a row of arcades with figures representing the saints Francis, Elizabeth of Hungary, Leopold III. and Severin of Noricum. These are just like the characters of the two side altars work of the sculptor Rochus Haas, who also created the Stations of the Cross relief. Of earlier date is a probably from the 16th Century stemming crucifix in the church. The pulpit, however, was only created in 1959 by Alfred Balcarek. A relief of Hans Schwathe on the south wall of the transept dates from 1943 and represents a soldier with the Virgin Mary. A Pietà sculpture is the work of Franz Barwigs the Younger from the year 1956.

The two-storey rectory Hütteldorf is one of the outbuildings of the church. It is located to the east of the church building right at the Linzer Straße. Originally it was a farmhouse that was built in the 18th century, whose facade in the third quarter of the 19th Century has been partially remodeled.

History

The parish Hütteldorf was founded in 1356 by the then Hütteldorfer landlord Wernhard Schenk von Ried. On him reminds since 1964 a memorial plaque on the east wall of the church. In the 19th Century was the old Gothic parish church already so dilapidated that in 1864 its bell tower had to be removed. In 1873 priest Emanuel Paletz took over the parish and began with the plannings for a new church building.

Today's Hütteldorfer parish church was 1881/82 instead of the former farmyard of the parish built and on 9th November 1882 consecrated. The old parish church was demolished in 1887. Interior renovations were carried out in the years 1959 and 1980. The tower was restored in 1979 and 1995.

The parish in the St.-Joseph-am-Wolfersberg-Church in 1939 became independent of the parish Hütteldorf, those in the Kordonkirche in 1989. The parish Hütteldorf now as one of nine parishes belongs to Stadtdekanat (Municipal deanery) 14.

de.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%BCtteldorfer_Pfarrkirche

A sign outside an under-construction development in Sanlitun, Beijing.

He's well on the way to erasing Architecture: the "T" has already gone, only another 11 letters to go!

Inch Abbey 'Mainistir na hInse' or in Ulster-Scots: Änch Abbey is a large, ruined monastic site near Downpatrick, County Down, on the north bank of the River Quoile in a hollow between two drumlins and featuring early Gothic architecture.

The site was originally on an island (Irish: Inis) in the Quoile Marshes. The pre-Norman Celtic monastic settlement here, known as Inis Cumhscraigh (or Inis Cuscraidh), was in existence by the year 800. In 1002 it was plundered by the Vikings led by Sitric, King of the Danes, who came up the Quoile with a fleet from the sea. The Vikings plundered the settlement again in 1149. Its large earthwork enclosure has been traced from aerial photographs. On the ground, the early bank and ditch can be followed along the line of trees on the eastern boundary of the site, and partly along the western boundary. The buildings of the early monastery would have been made of timber.

Inch Abbey was established as a Cistercian house by John de Courcy and his wife Affreca. Inch, or Iniscourcy, was erected as an act of repentance for the destruction of the Abbey at Erinagh (or Erenagh) by de Courcy in 1177. It was colonised directly by monks from Furness Abbey in Lancashire in 1180, along with some of the monks from Erinagh. The Cistercian monastery was located near to the river in the southern area of the Early Christian earthwork enclosure.

The Cistercian precinct was enclosed by a bank and ditch extending north and south from the parish graveyard to the river and east to west up the valley sides. The buildings are mainly of the late 12th century and the 13th century. The church was built about 1200, in the Cistercian cruciform plan with a low tower at the crossing, an aisled nave to the west and two projecting transepts each with a pair of chapels. Only the impressive east window remains. The chancel wall has three, well-proportioned, pointed windows, the middle one being 23 ft high. The chancel was 42 ft by 27 ft. There was an altar in each of the rib-vaulted transept chapels and in the north transept is a door out to the monk's cemetery and a tower with broken stairs in the north-west angle. On the stone plinth of the north transept's exterior north wall a number of incised symbols can be seen which are mason's marks. The high altar was under the east windows and in the south wall are the remains of a triple sedilia (seats for the priests) and a piscina for washing the altar vessels.

The community of monks was probably never very large, and this may have led to the decision to reduce the size of the church by walling off a smaller area to the east end. Some continuity was maintained with the 13th century work by reusing a fine door of that period as the west door of the reduced church. In the 15th century, when the monastic community was smaller, the church was altered. Through the walling in of the chancel and first bay of the nave, and blocking off the transepts, a much smaller church was created and the rest was abandoned. The cloister walks to the south have disappeared, but foundations of the east and south ranges remain, as well as outlying buildings toward the river. These include an infirmary and a bakehouse with two ovens and a well nearby.

Judged by medieval standards the abbey was wealthy. In 1380 Parliament tried to help waning English influence by restricting the membership of the Order at Inch to English or Anglicised Irish. Twenty-four years later, the abbey was burned and that, perhaps together with the collapse of a central tower and a dwindling community, gave the impetus to alter the size of the church. Monastic life continued, most likely on a small scale, until the 16th century, but the Abbey had been dissolved by 1541, when the abbey with about 850 acres of land was granted to Gerald, Earl of Kildare, along with other monasteries.

Inch Abbey Downpatrick, was the setting where Rob Stark was crowned King of the North, in the TV series Game of Thrones.

The Ionic order (Greek: Ιωνικός ρυθμός) forms one of the three orders or organizational systems of classical architecture, the other two canonic orders being the Doric and the Corinthian. (There are two lesser orders, the stocky Tuscan order and the rich variant of Corinthian, the Composite order, added by 16th century Italian architectural theory and practice.)

The Ionic order originated in the mid-6th century BC in Ionia, the southwestern coastland and islands of Asia Minor settled by Ionian Greeks, where an Ionian dialect was spoken. The Ionic order column was being practiced in mainland Greece in the 5th century BC. The first of the great Ionic temples was the Temple of Hera on Samos, built about 570 BC–560 BC by the architect Rhoikos. It stood for only a decade before it was leveled by an earthquake. It was in the great sanctuary of the goddess: it could scarcely have been in a more prominent location for its brief lifetime. A longer-lasting 6th century Ionic temple was the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

The Ionic columns normally stand on a base which separates the shaft of the column from the stylobate or platform; The cap is usually enriched with egg-and-dart. Originally the volutes lay in a single plane (illustration at right); then it was seen that they could be angled out on the corners. This feature of the Ionic order made it more pliant and satisfactory than the Doric to critical eyes in the 4th century BC: angling the volutes on the corner columns, ensured that they "read" equally when seen from either front or side facade. The 16th-century Renaissance architect and theorist Vincenzo Scamozzi designed a version of such a perfectly four-sided Ionic capital; Scamozzi's version became so much the standard, that when a Greek Ionic order was eventually reintroduced, in the later 18th century Greek Revival, it conveyed an air of archaic freshness and primitive, perhaps even republican, vitality.

The Registan (Uzbek: Регистон, Registon) was the heart of the city of Samarkand of the Timurid Empire, now in Uzbekistan. The name Rēgistan (ریگستان) means "sandy place" or "desert" in Persian.

The Registan was a public square, where people gathered to hear royal proclamations, heralded by blasts on enormous copper pipes called dzharchis — and a place of public executions. It is framed by three madrasahs (Islamic schools) of distinctive Persian architecture. The square was regarded as the hub of the Timurid Renaissance.

The three madrasahs of the Registan are the Ulugh Beg Madrasah (1417–1420), the Sher-Dor Madrasah (1619–1636), and the Tilya-Kori Madrasah (1646–1660). Madrasah is an Arabic term meaning school.

Ulugh Beg Madrasah (1417–1420)

The Ulugh Beg Madrasah, built by Ulugh Beg during the Timurid Empire era of Timur, has an imposing iwan with a lancet-arch pishtaq or portal facing the square. The corners are flanked by high minarets. The mosaic panel over the iwan's entrance arch is decorated by geometrical stylized ornaments. The square courtyard includes a mosque and lecture rooms, and is fringed by the dormitory cells in which students lived. There are deep galleries along the axes. Originally the Ulugh Beg Madrasah was a two-storied building with four domed darskhonas (lecture rooms) at the corners.

The Ulugh Beg Madrasah (Persian: مدرسه الغ بیگ) was one of the best clergy universities of the Muslim Orient in the 15th century CE. Abdul-Rahman Jami, the great Persian poet, scholar, mystic, scientist and philosopher studied at the madrasah. Ulugh Beg himself gave lectures there. During Ulugh Beg's government the madrasah was a centre of learning.

Sher-Dor Madrasah (1619–1636)

In the 17th century Uzbek ruler of Samarkand, Yalangtoʻsh Bakhodir, ordered the construction of the Sher-Dor (Persian: شیردار) and Tillya-Kori (Persian: طلاکاری) madrasahs. The tiger mosaics with a rising sun on their back are especially interesting for their depiction of living beings and use of Turko-Persian motifs. The name of the madrasah comes from the patterns on the portal of the building as the word "Sher" means tiger.

Tilya-Kori Madrasah (1646–1660)

Ten years later the Tilya-Kori (Persian: طلاکاری, meaning "Gilded") Madrasah was built. It was not only a residential college for students, but also played the role of grand masjid (mosque). It has a two-storied main facade and a vast courtyard fringed by dormitory cells, with four galleries along the axes. The mosque building (see picture) is situated in the western section of the courtyard. The main hall of the mosque is abundantly gilded.

Mausoleum of Shaybanids

To the east of the Tilya-Kori Madrasah, the mausoleum of Shaybanids (16th century) is located (see picture). The real founder of Shaybanid power was Muhammad Shaybani—grandson of Abu'l-Khayr Khan. In 1500, with the backing of the Chaghataite Khanate, then based in Tashkent, Muhammad Shaybani conquered Samarkand and Bukhara from their last Timurid rulers. The founder of the dynasty then turned on his benefactors and in 1503 took old Tashkent. He captured Khiva in 1506 and in 1507 he swooped down on Merv (Turkmenistan), eastern Persia, and western Afghanistan. The Shaybanids stopped the advance of the Safavids, who in 1502 had defeated the Akkoyunlu (Azerbaijan). Muhammad Shaybani was a leader of nomadic Uzbek tribes. During the ensuing years they substantially settled down in oases of the Central Asia, Caspian shore, Tian Shan valleys, Russian steeps and Indostan . The one of the last and vast Uzbek invasion of the 15th century CE was the large component of today's Uzbek nation ethnogeny.

Chorsu trading dome

The trading dome Chorsu (1785) is situated right behind the Sher-Dor. Chorsu located at southeast of the Registan at the intersection of the cross-roads connecting Samarkand, Tashkent, Bukhara, and Shahrisabz. Chorsu is a word of Persian origin meaning "crossing roads," referring to this famous intersection of busy roadways. The building is old. It has a rather rich centuries-old history. At the moment, it is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List along with the rest of the historical part of the glorious city.

Chorsu was originally a bazaar constructed in the 15th century but was rebuilt in the 18th century, becoming a hat market. The current building was built during the reign of Amir Shahmurad, in 1785. Today, the bazaar which was previously located at Chorsu is nowadays the Siyob Bazaar near the Bibi-Khanym Mosque.

In 2005, ownership of Chorsu was transferred to the Academy of Arts of Uzbekistan. While renovating the building, three meters of dirt were removed from the building revealing the original base construction. Chorsu now serves as an art gallery which offers the work of artists both contemporary and historical. The art of in the Chorsu gallery displays the arts, culture, history, and diversity of the multi-national Uzbek people.

Chi Lin Nunnery (traditional Chinese: 志蓮淨苑) is Buddhist nunnery in Diamond Hill, New Kowloon, Hong Kong. The present-day buildings have been rebuilt and their style is of Tang architecture. The beautiful garden in front of the nunnery is open to the public free of charge.

Its buildings are the only ones to be built with wooden rooftops in modern Hong Kong, without the use of a single nail in its construction. This is based on a unique architectural style from the Tang Dynasty which uses special interlocking systems cut into the wood for construction.

Covering a space of 30,000 square meters, Chi Lin Nunnery has strikingly beautiful statues of the Sakyamuni Buddha, the goddess of mercy Guanyin and other bodhisattvas. These statues are made from gold, clay, wood and stone.

Monumental projects in Thailand are almost always community-based, usually undertaken by temples. Rarely are they undertaken by a single individual, other than the king. One of the few exceptions to this rule was the eccentric billionaire generally known as "Khun Lek." First, he conceived the Ancient City as a place for Bangkok residents to see the rich architectural heritage of Thailand. He also build a huge art museum in the shape of the mythical three-headed elephant Erawan. Then, about 20 years ago he started construction on a temple-like structure near Pattaya, which he christened "the Sanctuary of Truth."

Construction was only begun after many years of research by Khun Lek himself. Although the overall shape roughly follows traditional Thai architecture, the temple is richly detailed with wood carvings depicting the four major philosophical and artistic influences that can be seen in Thailand: Hindu, Khmer, Chinese and Thai. In fact, the building is being constructed entirely of wood. That's the main reason it is taking so long. A team of 250 woodcarvers are at work on the sanctuary at any given time, yet construction is not expected to be completed for another five years.

Each of the cruciform-plan building's four wings reflects a different one of the four styles. One wing recalls the monumental architecture of the Bayon Temple at Angkor Wat, while another is decorated with Chinese motifs. The wing forming the main entrance is stylistically Thai. Much of the exterior appears complete, although some parts now have to be repaired due to their long exposure to the elements. Most of the new work being done now is on the interior. The inside is being covered in the same rich carvings as the outside, and there's now a large altar in the center of the rotunda.

Sadly, Khun Lek passed away a few years ago, so he will never see the sanctuary completed. But the work goes on according to his meticulous plan.

Although incomplete, the building site is open to visitors who want to view the work in progress. The 500 Baht (15.50 USD) entrance fee is a bit steep, but that appears to be intended to keep the number of visitors low so that they do not interfere with the construction. You do get a personal guide to take you through the complex, although they are generally not well versed in English. Hard hats are provided to protect you when inside the building.

The Sanctuary of Truth (in Thai Prasat Sut Ja-Tum) is dramatically set on a rocky point of the coast just north of Pattaya, in the small town of Naklua. It's near the end of Naklua Soi 12. You could easily get a songtaew (a small pickup truck turned into a sort of taxi-bus) from Pattaya, as Pattaya 2 Road becomes the "main" street of Naklua. However, it's a long walk from the mouth of the soi to the temple. You would best be advised to rent a car or motorcycle to make your way to this place from Pattaya.

The "master plan" for the sanctuary complex originally called for additional small buildings and even guest houses to be built after the main sanctuary is completed. However, that's clearly been abandoned and the place now resembled an adventure park, with ATV courses, elephant rides and a dolphin show. Still, you can ignore all that and take in the fascinating construction project.

Massey Building, on the corner of 3rd Avenue North and 21st Street North, Birmingham, Alabama. From the Bhamwiki:

"Built in 1925, Massey Building was named for its original developer, R. W. Massey. It was designed by William Leslie Welton. Taking inspiration from Spanish Moorish architecture, the building features spiral-fluted columns and pointed elements atop the parapet meant to mimic minarets."

Thiru Parameswara Vinnagaram or Vaikunta Perumal Temple is a temple dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu, located in Kanchipuram in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, the temple is glorified in the Divya Prabandha, the early medieval Tamil canon of the Azhwar saints from the 6th–9th centuries AD. It is one among the 108 Divyadesam dedicated to Vishnu, who is worshipped as Vaikuntanathan and his consort Lakshmi as Vaikundavalli.

The temple is believed to have been built by the Pallava king Nandivarman II (720-96 CE), with later contributions from Medieval Cholas and Vijayanagar kings. The temple is surrounded by a granite wall enclosing all the shrines and water bodies of the temple. Vaikuntanathan is believed to have appeared to king Viroacha. The temple follows Vaikasana Agama and observes six daily rituals and two yearly festivals. The temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Endowment Board of the Government of Tamil Nadu.

LEGEND

As per Hindu legend, the region where the temple is located was called Vidarbha Desa and ruled by a king named Viroacha. Due to his misdeeds in preceding birth, Virocha had no heir. He prayed in Kailasanathar Temple and Shiva, the presiding deity of the temple gave a boon that the Dvarapalas (the gatekeepers) of the Vishnu temple will be born as sons to him. The princes were devoted to Vishnu and conducted yagna for the welfare of the people of their kingdom. Vishnu was pleased with the worship and appeared as Vaikundanatha to the princes.

TEMPLE

As per Dr. Hultzh, Parameswara Vinnagaram was constructed by the Pallava King Nandivarman II in 690 CE, while other scholars place it in the late 8th century. Pallavamallan was a worshipper of Vishnu and a great patron of learning. He renovated old temples and built several new ones. Among the latter was the Parameswara Vinnagaram or the Vaikunta Perumal temple at Kanchipuram which contains inscribed panels of sculpture portraying the events leading up to the accession of Pallavamalla to the throne. The great Vaishnava saint Thirumangai Alvar was his contemporary.

Three sanctuaries host the image of Vishnu in different postures - seated (ground floor), lying (first floor; accessible to devotees only on ekadashi days) and standing (second floor; inaccessible to devotees). The logical and complex plan of the temple provided a prototype for the much larger shrines to be constructed all over Tamil Nadu. The external cloisters, for instance, with their lion pillars, are predecessors of the grand thousand pillared halls of later temples.

This temple is revered in Nalayira Divya Prabandham, the 7th–9th century Vaishnava canon by Thirumangai Alvar in 10 hymns. The temple is classified as a Divyadesam, one of the 108 Vishnu temples that are mentioned in the Vaishnava canon. The temple is one of the fourteen Divyadesams in Kanchipuram and is part of Vishnu Kanchi, the place where most of the Vishnu temples in Kanchipuram are located.

FESTIVALS & RELIGIOUS PRACTICES

The temple follows Vaikasana Agama. The temple priests perform the pooja (rituals) during festivals and on a daily basis. Like other Vishnu temples of Tamil Nadu, the priests belong to the Vaishnavaite community, a Brahmin sub-caste. The temple rituals are performed six times a day: Ushathkalam at 7:30 a.m., Kalasanthi at 8:00 a.m., Uchikalam at 12:00 p.m., Sayarakshai at 5:00 p.m., Irandamkalam at 6:00 p.m. and Ardha Jamam at 7:30 p.m. Each ritual has three steps: alangaram (decoration), neivethanam (food offering) and deepa aradanai (waving of lamps) for both Vaikuntanathan and Vaikundavalli. During the last step of worship, religious instructions in the Vedas (sacred text) are recited by priests, and worshippers prostrate themselves in front of the temple mast. There are weekly, monthly and fortnightly rituals performed in the temple. The Vaikasi Brahmotsavam, celebrated during the Tamil month of Vaikasi (May-June), and Vaikunta Ekadashi celebrated during the Tamil month of Margazhi (December-January) are the two major festivals celebrated in the temple. Verses from Nalayira Divya Prabandham are recited by a group of temple priests amidst music with nagaswaram (pipe instrument) and tavil (percussion instrument).

WIKIPEDIA

The Katsura Imperial Villa (桂離宮 Katsura Rikyū), or Katsura Detached Palace, is a villa with associated gardens and outbuildings in the western suburbs of Kyoto, Japan (in Nishikyō-ku, separate from the Kyoto Imperial Palace). It is one of Japan's most important large-scale cultural treasures.

Its gardens are a masterpiece of Japanese gardening, and the buildings are even more important, one of the greatest achievements of Japanese architecture. The palace includes a shoin ("drawing room"), tea houses, and a strolling garden. It provides an invaluable window into the villas of princes of the Edo period.

The palace formerly belonged to the princes of the Hachijō-no-miya (八条宮) family. The Imperial Household Agency administers it, and accepts visitors by appointment.

History

The Katsura district of Kyoto has long been favored for villas, and in the Heian period, Fujiwara no Michinaga had a villa there. The members of the Heian court found it an elegant location for viewing the moon.

Prince Hachijō Toshihito (智仁; 1579–1629), the first of the Hachijō-no-miya line, established the villa at Katsura. The prince was a descendant of Emperor Ogimachi, and younger brother of Emperor Go-Yozei. Once adopted by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, he cancelled the adoption when Hideyoshi had a son, and founded the Hachijō-no-miya house.

The shoin of Katsura Imperial Villa is divided into three parts: the Old Shoin, the Middle Shoin, and the New Palace. The Old Shoin was built in around 1616.[1] The construction of the shoin, teahouse and garden continued in the time of the second prince, Toshitada (智忠; 1619–1662), and reached completion after some decades.

The Hachijō-no-miya house changed its name to Tokiwai-no-miya (常磐井宮), Kyōgoku-no-miya (京極宮), and finally Katsura-no-miya (桂宮), before the line died out in 1881.

The Imperial Household Ministry took control of the Katsura Detached Palace in 1883, and since World War II, the Imperial Household Agency has been in control.

Katsura Imperial Villa in spring

The Old Shoin, Middle Shoin and New Palace are each in the shoin style, with irimoya kokerabuki (柿葺) roofs. The Old Shoin shows elements of the sukiya style in places like the veranda. A space called the moon-viewing platform protrudes even farther from the veranda, and shows that the main theme of Katsura Detached Palace was moon-viewing.

The walls of the Middle Shoin and New Palace have ink-paintings by the school of Kanō Tan'yū (狩野 探幽). The shelving in the upper room of the New Palace is considered especially noteworthy.

The strolling garden takes water from the Katsura River for the central pond, around which are the Shōkintei (松琴亭), Shōkatei (賞花亭), Shōiken (笑意軒), and Gepparō (月波楼); tea houses, hill, sand, bridge, and lanterns. There is also a Buddhist hall, Onrindō (園林堂).

John and Isabel Burnham House

Long Beach, Indiana

Listed 08/01/2013

Reference Number: 13000085

The John and Isabel Burnham House is eligible under National Register Criterion C. Architecturally the house represents the work of an accomplished and nationally known architect, John Lloyd Wright. It retains its architectural design features and integrity and its association with John Lloyd Wright qualifies it for Criterion C. The house derives its importance under Architecture as an exceptional example of Wright's unique blending of the Prairie and International Styles. Its vertical organization and pent roofs earned this unusual house the popular name the Pagoda House. The property meets the associative and physical qualities specified in the registration requirements of the John Lloyd Wright in Northwest Indiana Multiple Properties Documentation Form.

National Register of Historic Places Homepage

John and Isabel Burnham House, Long Beach, Indiana, Summary Page

National Register of Historic Places on Facebook

Rotterdam is the 2nd largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, at the mouth of the Nieuwe Maas channel leading into the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta at the North Sea. Its history goes back to 1270, when a dam was constructed in the Rotte. In 1340, Rotterdam was granted city rights by the Count of Holland.[10] The Rotterdam–The Hague metropolitan area, with a population of approximately 2.7 million, is the 10th-largest in the European Union and the most populous in the country.

A major logistic and economic centre, Rotterdam is Europe's largest seaport. In 2020, it had a population of 651,446 and is home to over 180 nationalities. Rotterdam is known for its university, riverside setting, lively cultural life, maritime heritage and modern architecture. The near-complete destruction of the city centre in the World War II Rotterdam Blitz has resulted in a varied architectural landscape, including skyscrapers designed by architects such as Rem Koolhaas, Piet Blom and Ben van Berkel.

The Rhine, Meuse and Scheldt give waterway access into the heart of Western Europe, including the highly industrialized Ruhr. The extensive distribution system including rail, roads, and waterways have earned Rotterdam the nicknames "Gateway to Europe" and "Gateway to the World".

Patan Durbar Square is situated at the centre of Lalitpur city. It is one of the three Durbar Squares in the Kathmandu Valley, all of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. One of its attraction is The Ancient Royal Palace where Malla Kings of Lalitpur resided.

The Durbar Square is a marvel of Newa architecture. The Square floor is tiled with red bricks. There are many temples and idols in the area. The main temples are aligned opposite of the western face of the palace. The entrance of the temples faces east, towards the palace. There is also a bell situated in the alignment beside the main temples. The Square also holds old Newari residential houses. There are various other temples and structures in and around Patan Durbar Square build by the Newa People.

HISTORY

The history of the Durbar Square is not clear. Although the Malla Kings of Lalitpur are given credit for establishing the royal square, it is known that the site is an ancient crossroad. The Pradhanas who settled around the site before the Mallas have connections with the Durbar Square. Some chronicles hint that the hestory of patan Thakuri Dynasty built a palace and made reforms to the locality but the evidence is minute. Scholars are certain that Patan was a prosperous city since ancient times.

The Malla Kings did make important changes to the square. Most of the current architecture is from the 1600s, constructed during the reign of King Siddhinarasimha Malla and his son Srinivasa sukriti. Some of the notable Mallas Kings who improved the square include Purandarasimha, Sivasimha Malla and Yoganarendra Malla.

Patan is one of the oldest known Buddhist City. It is a center of both Hinduism and Buddhism with 136 bahals or courtyards and 55 major temples. Most of these structures are in the vicinity of the Durbar Square.

IMPORTANT STRUCTURES

KRISHNA MANDIR

Krishna temple is the most important temple in Patan Durbar Square. It is built in the Shikhara style imported from India although it is unique in its own way. The stone carvings along the bean above the first and second floor pillar is most notable. The first floor pillar carvings narrate the events of the Mahabharata, while on the second floor there are visual carvings from Ramayana.

The temple was built in 1637 by King Siddhinarasimh Malla. It is said that one night the King saw the gods Krishna and Radha standing in front of the royal palace. He ordered a temple to be built on the same spot. There are 21 golden pinnacles in the temple. Below the pinnacles are 3 stories. The first floor holds the main shrine of Krishna with shrines of Radha and Rukamani at each side. The second floor is dedicated to Shiva and the third to Lokeshwor (Lord Buddha).

The square is crowded with thousands of Hindu Pilgrims and devotees during Krishnastami.

BHIMSEN TEMPLE

Bhimsen temple was built by Srinivasa Malla in 1680. It is renowned for its three interconnected golden windows. Bhimsen is a great hero in Mahabharata. He was known to be very brave and strong. In Newa Tradition, he is worshipped as a god of business and trade. Tourists are not allowed inside the temple.

VISHWANATH TEMPLE

Vishwanath temple is dedicated to god Shiva. It was built in 1627 during the reign of Siddhinarasimha Malla. The roof supports are decorated with erotic carvings similar to imagery widespread in Shiva temples in India. The temple is guarded by two stone elephants in the front entrance. On the other side of the temple is the sculpture of a bull, Shiva’s vehicle. A stone linga is enshrined inside the temple.

TALEJU BHAWANI TEMPLE

Taleju temple was built by Siddhinarasrimha Malla in 1640 and rebuilt by Srinivasa Malla in 1667 after a fire. Taleju Bhawani was the personal deity of the Malla kings. It is a five-storey temple with triple-roofs. 14th Century chronicle of Gopala kings hint a Taleju temple was built by the Pradhanas before the Mallas.

Inch Abbey 'Mainistir na hInse' or in Ulster-Scots: Änch Abbey is a large, ruined monastic site near Downpatrick, County Down, on the north bank of the River Quoile in a hollow between two drumlins and featuring early Gothic architecture.

The site was originally on an island (Irish: Inis) in the Quoile Marshes. The pre-Norman Celtic monastic settlement here, known as Inis Cumhscraigh (or Inis Cuscraidh), was in existence by the year 800. In 1002 it was plundered by the Vikings led by Sitric, King of the Danes, who came up the Quoile with a fleet from the sea. The Vikings plundered the settlement again in 1149. Its large earthwork enclosure has been traced from aerial photographs. On the ground, the early bank and ditch can be followed along the line of trees on the eastern boundary of the site, and partly along the western boundary. The buildings of the early monastery would have been made of timber.

Inch Abbey was established as a Cistercian house by John de Courcy and his wife Affreca. Inch, or Iniscourcy, was erected as an act of repentance for the destruction of the Abbey at Erinagh (or Erenagh) by de Courcy in 1177. It was colonised directly by monks from Furness Abbey in Lancashire in 1180, along with some of the monks from Erinagh. The Cistercian monastery was located near to the river in the southern area of the Early Christian earthwork enclosure.

The Cistercian precinct was enclosed by a bank and ditch extending north and south from the parish graveyard to the river and east to west up the valley sides. The buildings are mainly of the late 12th century and the 13th century. The church was built about 1200, in the Cistercian cruciform plan with a low tower at the crossing, an aisled nave to the west and two projecting transepts each with a pair of chapels. Only the impressive east window remains. The chancel wall has three, well-proportioned, pointed windows, the middle one being 23 ft high. The chancel was 42 ft by 27 ft. There was an altar in each of the rib-vaulted transept chapels and in the north transept is a door out to the monk's cemetery and a tower with broken stairs in the north-west angle. On the stone plinth of the north transept's exterior north wall a number of incised symbols can be seen which are mason's marks. The high altar was under the east windows and in the south wall are the remains of a triple sedilia (seats for the priests) and a piscina for washing the altar vessels.

The community of monks was probably never very large, and this may have led to the decision to reduce the size of the church by walling off a smaller area to the east end. Some continuity was maintained with the 13th century work by reusing a fine door of that period as the west door of the reduced church. In the 15th century, when the monastic community was smaller, the church was altered. Through the walling in of the chancel and first bay of the nave, and blocking off the transepts, a much smaller church was created and the rest was abandoned. The cloister walks to the south have disappeared, but foundations of the east and south ranges remain, as well as outlying buildings toward the river. These include an infirmary and a bakehouse with two ovens and a well nearby.

Judged by medieval standards the abbey was wealthy. In 1380 Parliament tried to help waning English influence by restricting the membership of the Order at Inch to English or Anglicised Irish. Twenty-four years later, the abbey was burned and that, perhaps together with the collapse of a central tower and a dwindling community, gave the impetus to alter the size of the church. Monastic life continued, most likely on a small scale, until the 16th century, but the Abbey had been dissolved by 1541, when the abbey with about 850 acres of land was granted to Gerald, Earl of Kildare, along with other monasteries.

Inch Abbey Downpatrick, was the setting where Rob Stark was crowned King of the North, in the TV series Game of Thrones.

Thiru Parameswara Vinnagaram or Vaikunta Perumal Temple is a temple dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu, located in Kanchipuram in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, the temple is glorified in the Divya Prabandha, the early medieval Tamil canon of the Azhwar saints from the 6th–9th centuries AD. It is one among the 108 Divyadesam dedicated to Vishnu, who is worshipped as Vaikuntanathan and his consort Lakshmi as Vaikundavalli.

The temple is believed to have been built by the Pallava king Nandivarman II (720-96 CE), with later contributions from Medieval Cholas and Vijayanagar kings. The temple is surrounded by a granite wall enclosing all the shrines and water bodies of the temple. Vaikuntanathan is believed to have appeared to king Viroacha. The temple follows Vaikasana Agama and observes six daily rituals and two yearly festivals. The temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Endowment Board of the Government of Tamil Nadu.

LEGEND

As per Hindu legend, the region where the temple is located was called Vidarbha Desa and ruled by a king named Viroacha. Due to his misdeeds in preceding birth, Virocha had no heir. He prayed in Kailasanathar Temple and Shiva, the presiding deity of the temple gave a boon that the Dvarapalas (the gatekeepers) of the Vishnu temple will be born as sons to him. The princes were devoted to Vishnu and conducted yagna for the welfare of the people of their kingdom. Vishnu was pleased with the worship and appeared as Vaikundanatha to the princes.

TEMPLE

As per Dr. Hultzh, Parameswara Vinnagaram was constructed by the Pallava King Nandivarman II in 690 CE, while other scholars place it in the late 8th century. Pallavamallan was a worshipper of Vishnu and a great patron of learning. He renovated old temples and built several new ones. Among the latter was the Parameswara Vinnagaram or the Vaikunta Perumal temple at Kanchipuram which contains inscribed panels of sculpture portraying the events leading up to the accession of Pallavamalla to the throne. The great Vaishnava saint Thirumangai Alvar was his contemporary.

Three sanctuaries host the image of Vishnu in different postures - seated (ground floor), lying (first floor; accessible to devotees only on ekadashi days) and standing (second floor; inaccessible to devotees). The logical and complex plan of the temple provided a prototype for the much larger shrines to be constructed all over Tamil Nadu. The external cloisters, for instance, with their lion pillars, are predecessors of the grand thousand pillared halls of later temples.

This temple is revered in Nalayira Divya Prabandham, the 7th–9th century Vaishnava canon by Thirumangai Alvar in 10 hymns. The temple is classified as a Divyadesam, one of the 108 Vishnu temples that are mentioned in the Vaishnava canon. The temple is one of the fourteen Divyadesams in Kanchipuram and is part of Vishnu Kanchi, the place where most of the Vishnu temples in Kanchipuram are located.

FESTIVALS & RELIGIOUS PRACTICES

The temple follows Vaikasana Agama. The temple priests perform the pooja (rituals) during festivals and on a daily basis. Like other Vishnu temples of Tamil Nadu, the priests belong to the Vaishnavaite community, a Brahmin sub-caste. The temple rituals are performed six times a day: Ushathkalam at 7:30 a.m., Kalasanthi at 8:00 a.m., Uchikalam at 12:00 p.m., Sayarakshai at 5:00 p.m., Irandamkalam at 6:00 p.m. and Ardha Jamam at 7:30 p.m. Each ritual has three steps: alangaram (decoration), neivethanam (food offering) and deepa aradanai (waving of lamps) for both Vaikuntanathan and Vaikundavalli. During the last step of worship, religious instructions in the Vedas (sacred text) are recited by priests, and worshippers prostrate themselves in front of the temple mast. There are weekly, monthly and fortnightly rituals performed in the temple. The Vaikasi Brahmotsavam, celebrated during the Tamil month of Vaikasi (May-June), and Vaikunta Ekadashi celebrated during the Tamil month of Margazhi (December-January) are the two major festivals celebrated in the temple. Verses from Nalayira Divya Prabandham are recited by a group of temple priests amidst music with nagaswaram (pipe instrument) and tavil (percussion instrument).

WIKIPEDIA

The Crystals, also known as Crystals at CityCenter and Crystals Retail District, is CityCenter's 500,000 sq ft (46,000 m2) shopping mall and entertainment district that features fashionable clubs, gourmet restaurants, retailers, galleries, incidental offices and support areas. Located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, the neighborhood of retail shops, dining and entertainment venues forms the core of the CityCenter complex.

The retail district was designed by Studio Daniel Libeskind and interior architecture by Rockwell Group. For the interior architecture, the Rockwell Group created an experiential environment that complements the overall city scene.

In October, 2009, Crystals became the largest retail district to receive LEED+ Gold Core & Shell certification from the United States Green Building Council.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Crystals_(Las_Vegas)

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_Creative_Commons_...

Vitra Campus - Weil am Rhein (Germany) - VITRA DESIGN MUSEUM

Frank Gehry, 1989. Over the years, Vitra accumulated a growing collection of chairs and other furniture. With the aim of making the collection accessible to the public, a shed-like structure was initially envisioned for storage and exhibition purposes. Yet during the planning of Frank Gehry’s first building in Europe, the original function was expanded. A museum was established as an independent foundation dedicated to the research and popularization of design and architecture: the Vitra Design Museum. Despite its modest scale, the Vitra Design Museum building emerged as a programmatic work of Deconstructivism, a collage of towers, ramps and cubes. Its expressive forms are not arbitrary, but are determined by their function and the lighting. The exhibition area totalling some 700 square metres extends over two floors, with daylight entering the roof area through large windows. The factory hall to the rear corresponds in size and height to the adjacent building by Nicholas Grimshaw. The construction is characterized by clarity and spacious windows. Ramps and towers constitute a formal link with the museum building. Along with the production areas, the building also houses a showroom, the test laboratory, the cafeteria and offices. The gatehouse at the entrance to the grounds contains the reception and a multi-purpose room.

From 1955 to 1981, the Vitra site in Weil am Rhein saw the successive addition of various manufacturing and warehouse structures that yielded a somewhat coincidental and improvised architectural composite. In 1981, most of these buildings were destroyed by a major fire.

Although insurance funds only covered a six-month interruption in production, the company did not wish to settle for anonymous standardized industrial structures or a solution with temporary facilities. The architecture was to be functional and offer a pleasant work environment while also fulfilling aesthetic requirements. Assigned to the architect Nicholas Grimshaw, this first project was followed by further buildings over the years, resulting in a heterogeneous ensemble of contemporary architecture: the Vitra Campus.

Vitra stands for an architectural concept that unites buildings by some of the most influential architects in the world at the Vitra Headquarters in Birsfelden (Switzerland) by Frank Gehri and on the Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein (Germany). We have here buildings of Jean Prouvé, Buckminster Fuller, Frank Gehri, Tadao Ando, Alvaro Siza, Zaha Hadid, Sanaa and Herzog and De Meuron

Merchant's House Museum.

New York City.

"Merchant's House Museum, known formerly as Old Merchant's House and as the Seabury Tredwell House, is a Federal-style red-brick row house built in 1832 by Joseph Brewster. It is located at 29 East Fourth Street, between Lafayette Street and the Bowery, Manhattan, New York City. It was designed by Minard Lafever. It became a museum in 1936 and is the only nineteenth century family home in New York City preserved intact - both inside and outside.

In 1835 it became the home of Seabury Tredwell, a wealthy New York merchant, and his family. Tredwell's daughter, Gertrude, was born in 1840 and lived in the house until her death in an upstairs bedroom in 1933. Three years later, the perfectly preserved house opened to the public as a museum. The house was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1965.

The building's facade is reminiscent of earlier Federal-style homes, but the interior, especially the formal double parlors, represent New York's finest example of Greek revival architecture. The interior also contains the Tredwell family's original furnishings, including pieces from prominent New York cabinetmakers, like Duncan Phyfe and Joseph Meeks..

Considered one of the finest surviving Greek Revival rowhouses in America, the house is a miraculous survivor of old New York. Located in the once ultra-elegant Bond Street area, Tredwell purchased the house for the sum of $18,000 in 1835.

The house is important for its outstanding collection of original furnishings, decorative objects, magnificently preserved 19th century clothing and other personal effects of the Tredwell family. Stepping through the front portal is stepping into a time when New York City was becoming the most important seaport in North America and the house reflects these fortunate circumstances."

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merchant%27s_House_Museum

June 25, 2017 - A visit to the Potala Palace. "The Potala Palace, winter palace of the Dalai Lama since the 7th century, symbolizes Tibetan Buddhism and its central role in the traditional administration of Tibet. The complex, comprising the White and Red Palaces with their ancillary buildings, is built on Red Mountain in the centre of Lhasa Valley, at an altitude of 3,700m. Also founded in the 7th century, the Jokhang Temple Monastery is an exceptional Buddhist religious complex. Norbulingka, the Dalai Lama's former summer palace, constructed in the 18th century, is a masterpiece of Tibetan art. The beauty and originality of the architecture of these three sites, their rich ornamentation and harmonious integration in a striking landscape, add to their historic and religious interest.

Brief synthesis

Enclosed within massive walls, gates and turrets built of rammed earth and stone the White and Red Palaces and ancillary buildings of the Potala Palace rise from Red Mountain in the centre of Lhasa Valley at an altitude of 3,700 metres. As the winter palace of the Dalai Lama from the 7th century CE the complex symbolizes Tibetan Buddhism and its central role in the traditional administration of Tibet. The White Palace contains the main ceremonial hall with the throne of the Dalai Lama, and his private rooms and audience hall are on the uppermost level. The palace contains 698 murals, almost 10,000 painted scrolls, numerous sculptures, carpets, canopies, curtains, porcelain, jade, and fine objects of gold and silver, as well as a large collection of sutras and important historical documents. To the west and higher up the mountain the Red Palace contains the gilded burial stupas of past Dalai Lamas. Further west is the private monastery of the Dalai Lama, the Namgyel Dratshang.

The Jokhang Temple Monastery was founded by the regime also in the 7th century, in order to promote the Buddhist religion. Covering 2.5ha in the centre of the old town of Lhasa, it comprises an entrance porch, courtyard and Buddhist hall surrounded by accommodation for monks and storehouses on all four sides. The buildings are constructed of wood and stone and are outstanding examples of the Tibetan Buddhist style, with influences from China, India, and Nepal. They house over 3,000 images of Buddha and other deities and historical figures along with many other treasures and manuscripts. Mural paintings depicting religious and historical scenes cover the walls.

Norbulingka, the Dalai Lama's former summer palace constructed in the 18th century, is located on the bank of the Lhasa River about 2km west of the Potala Palace in a lush green environment. It comprises a large garden with four palace complexes and a monastery as well as other halls, and pavilions all integrated into the garden layout to create an exceptional work of art covering 36ha. The property is closely linked with religious and political issues, having been a place for contemplation and for signing political agreements.

The Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple and Norbulingka embody the administrative, religious and symbolic functions of the Tibetan theocratic government through their location, layout and architecture. The beauty and originality of the architecture of these three sites, their rich ornamentation and harmonious integration in a striking landscape, contribute to their Outstanding Universal Value.

Criterion (i): The Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace is an outstanding work of human imagination and creativity, for its design, its decoration and its harmonious setting within a dramatic landscape. The three-in-one historic ensemble of the Potala Palace, with Potala the palace-fort complex, Norbulingka the garden residence and the Jokhang Temple Monastery the temple architecture, each with its distinctive characteristics, forms an outstanding example of traditional Tibetan architecture.

Criterion (iv): The scale and artistic wealth of the Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace, which represents the apogee of Tibetan architecture, make it an outstanding example of theocratic architecture, of which it was the last surviving example in the modern world.

Criterion (vi): The Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace forms a potent and exceptional symbol of the integration of secular and religious authority.

Integrity

The Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace owns tens of thousands of collections of diverse cultural relics. The wall paintings are rich in themes, form the best of Tibetan painting art and precious material evidence for learning Tibetan history and the multi-ethnic cultural fusion. The historic scale, architectural typology and the historic environment remain intact within the property area and within the buffer zone, carrying the complete historic information of the property.

Authenticity

In terms of design, material, technology and layout, the historic ensemble of the Potala Palace has well retained its original form and characteristics since it was first built and from successive significant additions and expansions, convincingly testifying to its Outstanding Universal Value"

Previous text from the UNESCO website:

whc.unesco.org/en/list/707

Former Warehouse, 475 Tenth Avenue aka 501 - 509 West 36TH ST, New York, NY 10018 (Goldwin, Starrett and Van Vleck: 1913)

This is a "12-sty brick and stone warehouse, 98×175" per the DOB records. There is also a later penthouse addition. It is a minor masterpiece of terra cotta commercial architecture. The contrast between the white terra cotta and the black metal window frames has a powerful effect. The building is well maintained. The ground floor houses the Exit Art Gallery.

Architecturally, the Cathedral differs from St. Petersburg's other structures. The city's architecture is predominantly Baroque and Neoclassical, but the Savior on Blood harks back to medieval Russian architecture in the spirit of romantic nationalism.

Basilica of Saint-Denis

The Basilica of Saint-Denis (French: Basilique royale de Saint-Denis, now formally known as the Basilique-cathédrale de Saint-Denis,) is a large former medieval abbey church and present cathedral in the city of Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris. The building is of singular importance historically and architecturally as its choir, completed in 1144, was one of the first structures to employ all of the elements of Gothic architecture.

The site originated as a Gallo-Roman cemetery in late Roman times. The archaeological remains still lie beneath the cathedral; the people buried there seem to have had a faith that was a mix of Christian and pre-Christian beliefs and practices. Around 475 St. Genevieve purchased some land and built Saint-Denys de la Chapelle. In 636 on the orders of Dagobert I the relics of Saint Denis, a patron saint of France, were reinterred in the basilica. The relics of St-Denis, which had been transferred to the parish church of the town in 1795, were brought back again to the abbey in 1819.

The basilica became a place of pilgrimage and the burial place of the French Kings with nearly every king from the 10th to the 18th centuries being buried there, as well as many from previous centuries. (It was not used for the coronations of kings, that function being reserved for the Cathedral of Reims; however, French Queens were commonly crowned there.) "Saint-Denis" soon became the abbey church of a growing monastic complex.

In the 12th century, the Abbot Suger rebuilt portions of the abbey church using innovative structural and decorative features. In doing so, he is said to have created the first truly Gothic building. The basilica's 13th-century nave is the prototype for the Rayonnant Gothic style, and provided an architectural model for many medieval cathedrals and abbeys of northern France, Germany, England and a great many other countries.

The abbey church became a cathedral in 1966 and is the seat of the Bishop of Saint-Denis, Pascal Michel Ghislain Delannoy. Although known as the "Basilica of St Denis", the cathedral has not been granted the title of Minor Basilica by the Vatican.

The 86-metre (282-foot) tall spire, dismantled in the 19th century, is to be rebuilt. The project, initiated more than 30 years ago, was to have begun in May 2020, and is expected to take about 11 years at a cost of about €28 million.

Background

Saint Denis, a patron saint of France, became the first bishop of Paris. He was decapitated on the hill of Montmartre in the mid-third century with two of his followers, and is said to have subsequently carried his head to the site of the current church, indicating where he wanted to be buried. A martyrium was erected on the site of his grave, which became a famous place of pilgrimage during the fifth and sixth centuries.

More detail can be found here:-

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_St_Denis

Taken fron Oldham Road. Daily Express buildings?

Ordinary Architecture, The Chinese Pavilion, 11th International Architecture Exhibition, Venice Biennale

Ludlow Castle

Heritage Category: Scheduled Monument

List Entry Number: 1004778

More information can be found on the link below:-

historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1004778

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Ludlow Castle, Castle Square, Ludlow, Shropshire

Ludlow Castle the standing structural remains

Heritage Category: Listed Building

Grade: I Listed

List Entry Number: 1291698

Summary

The standing structural remains of Ludlow Castle, an enclosure castle, begun in the late C11, and converted into a tower keep castle in the early C12.

Reasons for Designation

The standing structural remains of Ludlow Castle are listed at Grade I for the following principal reasons:

Historical: as one of England's finest castle sites, clearly showing its development from an enclosure castle into a tower keep castle in the C12; the castle played an important historical role particularly as seat of the President of the Council of the Marches; Architectural: the castle remains illustrate significant phases of development between the C11 and the C16; Survival: the buildings are in a ruinous condition, but nonetheless represent a remarkably complete multi-phase complex.

History

An enclosure castle is a defended residence or stronghold, built mainly of stone, in which the principal or sole defence comprises the walls and mural towers bounding the site. Enclosure castles, found in urban and in rural areas, were the strongly defended residence of the king or lord, sited for offensive or defensive operations, and often forming an administrative centre. Although such sites first appeared following the Norman Conquest, they really developed in the C12, incorporating defensive experience of the period, including that gained during the Crusades. Many enclosure castles were built in the C13, with a few dating from the C14, and Ludlow Castle is not alone in having begun as an enclosure castle and developed into a tower keep castle. At Ludlow, the large existing gate tower was converted into a tower keep in the early C12, providing more domestic accommodation, as well as defence.

Ludlow Castle occupies a commanding position at the steep-sided western end of a flat-topped ridge overlooking the valleys of the River Teme and the River Corve. The adjacent town of Ludlow, which was established by the mid-C12, lies to the south and east of the castle. The defences surrounding the medieval town are designated separately. The castle was probably founded by Walter de Lacy in about 1075 and served as the ‘caput' (the principal residence, military base and administrative centre) of the de Lacy estates in south Shropshire until the mid-C13. During the Anarchy of King Stephen's reign the castle was for Matilda until 1139, when it was besieged and captured by Stephen. The de Lacy family recovered the castle in the C12 and retained it, apart from occasional confiscations, until the death of Walter de Lacy in 1241. Ludlow Castle features in an ‘ancestral romance’ called ‘The Romance of Fulk FitzWarren', written in the late C13 about the adventures of a C13 knight. Other documentary sources indicate that when the castle was in royal control it was used for important meetings, such as that held in 1224 when Henry III made a treaty with the Welsh prince, Llewellyn. Following the death of Walter de Lacy in 1241 the castle came into the possession of the de Genevilles, and in the early C14, the castle passed through marriage to Roger Mortimer. Between 1327 and 1330 Roger Mortimer ruled England as Regent, with Edward II's widowed queen, Isabella. Mortimer had himself made Earl of March in 1328. In 1425 the Mortimer inheritance passed to Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York, who made Ludlow a favoured residence. His eldest son, who assumed the title of Earl of March, claimed the crown as Edward IV in 1461. Edward IV's son Edward was created Prince of Wales in 1471, and in 1473 was sent to Ludlow, where the administration of the principality known as the Council in the Marches was established. Both Edward and the Council remained at Ludlow until Edward IV's death in 1483. Ludlow Castle continued as an important royal residence and in 1493 the Council was re-established at Ludlow with Henry VII's son and heir, Prince Arthur as Prince of Wales. In 1501 Arthur was installed at Ludlow with his bride, Katherine of Aragon, and it was at Ludlow that Arthur died in 1502. In 1534 the Council in the Marches received statutory powers both to hear suits and to supervise and intervene in judicial proceedings in Wales and the Marches, and from that time until 1641, and again from 1660 to 1689, Ludlow's principal role was as the headquarters for the Council and, as such, the administrative capital of Wales and the border region. Milton’s mask, ‘Comus’, was first performed here in 1634 before John Egerton, 1st Earl of Bridgewater, in celebration of the earl’s new appointment as Lord President of Wales. On the dissolution of the Council the castle was abandoned and left to decay. Lead, window glass and panelling were soon removed for reuse in the town. In 1771, when the castle was leased to the Earl of Powis, many of the buildings were in ruins.

Since the late C18, the buildings have undergone repair and restoration at various times, as well as some further deterioration, with some rebuilding and replacement of stonework. Extensive archaeological excavations were undertaken by William St John Hope between 1903 and 1907. The castle is now open to the public.

Details

The standing structural remains of Ludlow Castle, an enclosure castle, begun in the late C11, and converted into a tower keep castle in the early C12.

MATERIALS: the castle is constructed of a variety of local stones; it appears that the greenish-grey flaggy calcerous siltstones that underlies the castle was used in its initial phase, with local sandstones being used thereafter.

PLAN: the castle consists of an elliptical INNER BAILEY, in the north-west corner of the site, representing the earliest area of development, with the OUTER BAILEY, created in the second half of the C12, to the south and east.

BUILDINGS:

The curtain wall of the inner bailey incorporates four mural towers and the former gatehouse, all thought to have been constructed by 1115. Three of the four towers are open at the back and would originally have contained wooden scaffolding supporting look-out and fighting platforms. The fourth tower, known as the POSTERN TOWER, on the western side of the enclosure, has small ground-floor postern doorways on its north and east sides. The former gatehouse, situated at the south-eastern part of the enclosure, is rectangular in plan and was originally three storeys in height. Remaining in the ground-floor of the building is part of a wall arcade, thought to be late-C11, with ornamented capitals. In the early C12 a fourth storey was added to provide more domestic accommodation, thus converting the gatehouse into a tower keep, known as the GREAT TOWER. In the later C12 the original gatehouse entrance passage was blocked (the location of the former arch remains visible on the south elevation) and an archway was cut through the adjacent part of the curtain wall to the north-east, reached by a stone bridge. This archway was partially infilled and a smaller arch constructed in the C14. Access to the upper floors of the tower is by a spiral stair to the east, reached by an ornamented doorcase, the Tudor arch having a trefoiled lintel flanked by cusped panelling and trefoiled lintel, which also gives access to rooms in the Judges’ Lodgings (see below). On the first floor is the hall, with a chamber and garderobe to the west. In the second half of the C15 the north wall of the Great Tower was rebuilt and internal floors added to create new rooms lit by enlarged windows. Adjoining the Great Tower, in the south-west section of the inner bailey, is the INMOST BAILEY, a walled enclosure constructed in the C12 and C13 to provide greater security and privacy to those living in the Great Tower. There is a well within this enclosure surrounded by a low stone wall.

Located in the north-eastern sector of the elliptical enclosure of the inner bailey are the remains of the CHAPEL OF ST MARY MAGDALENE. This was built in the first half of the C12, probably by Gilbert de Lacy, and was remodelled in the C16, probably in two phases. In the first phase, thought to have been undertaken circa 1502 for the installation of Arthur, Prince of Wales, a first floor was inserted in the circular nave, together with additional openings, including a first-floor doorway which gave access to a passage linking the chapel with the Great Chamber Block to the north. In the second phase, during the presidency of the Council in the Marches of Sir Henry Sidney (1560-86), the original presbytery and chancel were taken down and a new chancel, or chapel, built, stretching as far as the curtain wall. The crenellated circular nave, which measures 8.3m in diameter internally, survives to its full height as a roofless shell, and contains much original carving to the round-headed order arches of the door openings, with chevron and billet mouldings, and to the internal blind arcade with a variety of capitals and moulded arches.

Since the late C12, the castle site has been entered through the two-storeyed GATEHOUSE within the eastern part of the curtain wall of the outer bailey. The wall originally had two adjoining rectangular mural towers of which the one to the north of the gatehouse survives as a standing structure; this, together with the adjacent section of the curtain wall form part of the CASTLE HOUSE built in the C18 (listed separately at Grade I). Protruding from the curtain wall defining the western side of the outer bailey are the remains of a semi-circular tower known as MORTIMER'S TOWER, possibly built in the early C13; this originally consisted of a ground-floor entrance passage, with two floors above, and was used as the postern entrance to the outer bailey until the C15. In the south-west corner of the outer bailey are the remains of ST PETER’S CHAPEL, originally a free-standing rectangular structure, founded by Roger Mortimer to celebrate his escape from the Tower of London in 1324, following his rebellion against Edward II. The chapel served as the Court House and offices of the Council in the Marches, for which an adjacent building to the west was constructed. The south-east corner of the chapel is now attached to a wall which completes the enclosure of the outer bailey’s south-west corner. In the north wall of the chapel is a blocked two-light window, enlarged at the bottom when a floor was inserted for the court house; a second original window towards the eastern end now contains a first-floor blocked doorway.

At the end of the C13 or in the early C14 an extensive building programme was initiated, replacing existing structures within the inner bailey with a grand new range of domestic buildings, built along the inside of the north section of the Norman curtain wall. The construction of these new buildings indicates the changing role of Ludlow Castle from military stronghold to a more comfortable residence and a seat of political power, reflecting the more peaceful conditions in the region following the conquest of Wales by Edward I. The first buildings to be completed were the GREAT HALL and the adjoining SOLAR BLOCK (private apartments). The Great Hall, which was used for ceremonial and public occasions, consisted of a first floor over a large undercroft, reached through a moulded pointed arch in the south elevation. The Hall was lit on both south and north sides by three pointed-arched windows with sunk chamfers and ‘Y’ tracery formed of paired cusped trefoil-headed lights, under hoodmoulds; these originally had seats, now partially surviving. The central south window was converted to a fireplace, replacing the louver which formerly covered the open fire towards the east of the Hall, its position indicated by elaborate corbels. At the west end, a series of openings lead into the Solar Block, only one of these (that to the north) being of the primary phase. Within the Hall, at the western end, is a timber viewing platform, which is not of special interest.* The Solar Block is thought to have been begun as a two-storey building, and raised to three storeys shortly afterwards, at which time the adjacent NORTH-WEST TOWER was raised, with the new CLOSET TOWER being built in the angle between the two. Each of the three floors of the Solar Block extended into the North-West Tower, with each being linked to a room in the Closet Tower. All three floors of the Solar were heated, the ground floor having a fireplace which originally had a stone hood; the first-floor room has hooded fireplace, on nearly triangular-sectioned jambs; the room above has a plainer hooded fireplace. The windows include original openings with ‘Y’ tracery and trefoil-headed lights, similar to those in the Hall, and a ground-floor mullioned window probably dating from the late C16.

In the early C14 two additional buildings containing more private apartments were constructed by Richard Mortimer. The three-storeyed GREAT CHAMBER BLOCK was built in about 1320 next to the Great Hall to balance the Solar Block to the west of the Hall. The connecting four-storeyed GARDEROBE TOWER, which projects from the curtain wall of the inner bailey, was also probably built about the same time. As in the Hall and Solar blocks, the floors are now lost but features in the walls remain to indicate layout and function. The main entrance to this block is through a recessed doorway in the south-west corner, with a pointed two-light window above. The undercroft was heated, and is lit by two two-light windows with stone side seats in the south wall. The tracery of the eastern of these windows has been lost. The first-floor main room, or ‘Great Chamber’, contains a grand hooded fireplace carried on a fourfold series of corbels; to either side of the fireplace are large head corbels with leafwork. The Tudor transomed and mullioned window probably replaced an earlier window. The upper room also has a large hooded fireplace, and was lit principally by a large trefoil-headed window with head-stopped hoodmould in the southern wall.

Following the establishment of the headquarters for the Council in the Marches at Ludlow, new buildings were constructed and many existing buildings changed their use. Within the inner bailey the main room in the Great Chamber Block became the council chamber, with additional chambers above. A new adjoining residential block, now called the TUDOR LODGINGS, was built to the east, replacing earlier structures. The block consisted of two sets of lodgings both being of three storeys with attic rooms above. The south wall of this block cuts across openings in the east wall of the Great Chamber Block. Between the lodgings, projecting from the south wall, is a circular stair tower, entered through an ogee-headed arch. The windows in the south elevation are mullioned; several have been blocked. In the north wall of the western lodging, at ground-floor level, is an opening with double trefoil head, having a divided light above. Otherwise, the features of this range are plain, with pointed door openings, and straight lintels to fireplaces.

As the power of the Council grew, further domestic accommodation was needed. To the east of the entrance within the inner bailey, a three-storeyed range, known as the JUDGES LODGINGS, was completed in 1581. On the south side, this building extends the curtain wall upwards, with two gables, and piercing for fenestration, the earlier arched entrance to the inner bailey becoming visually part of the newer building, with rooms above; stone arms set immediately over the archway dated 1581 commemorate the Presidency of the Council of Sir Henry Sidney. Rooms set above the arch leave a gate-passage leading through a second archway to the inner bailey, and giving access to both the Great Keep and the Judges’ Lodgings. The rooms above the gate-passage appear to have been accessed by the embellished Tudor-arched doorway in the Keep at the north end of the passage. The north side of the Judges’ Lodgings, within the inner bailey, has a polygonal stair turret (which originally had a pyramidal roof), with mullioned and transomed eight-light windows set regularly to either side. Within, some indication is given of the arrangement and appearance of the rooms by the survival of numerous fireplaces of red sandstone backed by brick set in herringbone pattern. The adjoining building to the east, originally two-storeyed, is thought to date from the C17.

Other developments during the C16 included changes to the south-west corner tower, enclosed within the inmost bailey, with the installation of a large oven at ground-floor level, with residential rooms above; the tower became known as the OVEN TOWER. In 1522 the PORTER'S LODGE was built in the outer bailey to the south of the gatehouse. The shell of this building now contains the castle shop; the modern structure and fittings of the shop are not of special interest.* Also dating from 1522 is the PRISON, adjoining to the south, which retains square-headed windows with moulded frames and hoodmoulds, and the stable block, completed in 1597, with mullioned windows. Like the porter's lodge, these buildings remain as incomplete shells.

*Pursuant to s.1 (5A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 ('the Act'), it is declared that these aforementioned features are not of special architectural or historic interest.

Sources

Books and journals

Cathcart-King, D J, Castellarium Anglicanum, (1983)

Goodall, J, The English Castle, 1066-1650, (2011)

H M Colvin, D R Ransome, The History of the KIng's Works, vol 3, (1975)

Kenyon, J, Castles in Wales and the Marches Essays in honour of DJ Cathcart King, (1987), 55-74

Pevsner, N, Newman, J, The Buildings of England: Shropshire, (2006)

R Allen Brown, H M Colvin, The History of the King's Works, vol 2, (1963)

Shoesmith, R, Johnson, A (eds), Ludlow Castle. Its History and Buildings, (2000)

'' in Archaeological Investigations Ltd, Hereford archaeology series, (1991)

W. H. St John Hope, , 'Archaeologia' in The Castle of Ludlow, (1908)

Other

Pastscape Monument No. 111057,

Shropshire HER 01176,

historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1291698

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Ludlow Castle, Castle Square, Ludlow, Shropshire

Construction of Ludlow Castle began in the late 11th century by the de Lacy's and held by them until the 13th century. In the 14th century it was enlarged by the Mortimers. In the 15th century ownership transferred between the House of York and Lancashire during the War of the Roses. In Elizabethan times the castle was further extended by Sir Henry Sidney. After the civil war the castle declined. It is now owned by the Earl of Powys for the crown.

Grade I listed.

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Welcome to Ludlow Castle, one of the finest medieval ruins in England. Set in the glorious Shropshire countryside at the heart of the superb, bustling black & white market town of Ludlow. Walk through the Castle grounds and see the ancient houses of kings, queens, princes, judges and the nobility – a glimpse into the lifestyle of medieval society

The Castle, firstly a Norman Fortress and extended over the centuries to become a fortified Royal Palace, has ensured Ludlow’s place in English history – originally built to hold back unconquered Welsh, passing through generations of the de Lacy and Mortimer families to Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York. It became Crown property in 1461 and remained a royal castle for the next 350 years, during which time the Council of the Marches was formed with responsibility for the Government of Wales and the border counties. Abandoned in 1689 the castle quickly fell into ruin, described as ‘the very perfection of decay’ by Daniel Defoe

Since 1811 the castle has been owned by the Earls of Powis, who have arrested further decline, and allowed this magnificent historical monument to be open to the public. Today the Castle is the home to Ludlow’s major festivals throughout the year and open for all to enjoy.

www.ludlowcastle.com/the-castle/

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See also:-

www.britainirelandcastles.com/England/Shropshire/Ludlow-C...

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludlow_Castle

From Wikipedia:

"La Sainte-Chapelle (The Holy Chapel) is a Gothic chapel on the Île de la Cité in the heart of Paris, France. It is often regarded as the high point of the Rayonnant period of Gothic architecture. The Sainte Chapelle was sponsored by King Louis IX of France. The date when building work started is unknown (some time between 1239 and 1243) but the chapel was largely complete at the time of its consecration on the 26th of April 1248.

The Sainte-Chapelle, the palatine chapel in the courtyard of what is now known as La Conciergerie but was, at that time, the royal palace on the Île de la Cité, was built to house precious relics: Christ's crown of thorns, the Image of Edessa and thirty other relics of Christ that had been in the possession of Louis IX since August 1239, when it arrived from Venice in the hands of two Dominican friars. Unlike many devout aristocrats who stole relics, the saintly Louis bought his precious relics of the Passion, purchased from the Latin emperor at Constantinople, Baldwin II, for the exorbitant sum of 135,000 livres, which was paid to the Venetians.

The entire chapel, by contrast, cost 40,000 livres to build and until it was complete the relics were housed at chapels at the Château de Vincennes and a specially built chapel at the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye. In 1241, a piece of the True Cross was added along with other relics. Thus the building in Paris, consecrated 26 April 1248, was like a precious reliquary: even the stonework was painted with medallions of saints and martyrs in the quatrefoils of the dado arcade, which was hung with rich textiles.

The most visually beautiful aspects of the chapel, considered the best of their type in the world, are its stained glass, for which the stonework is a delicate framework, and rose windows, added to the upper chapel in the fifteenth century.

Much of the chapel as it appears today is a re-creation, although nearly two-thirds of the windows are authentic. The chapel suffered its most grievous destruction in the late eighteenth century during the French Revolution, when the steeple and baldachin were removed, the relics dispersed (though some survive as the "relics of Sainte-Chapelle" at Notre Dame de Paris), and various reliquaries, including the grande châsse, were melted down. The Sainte-Chapelle was requisitioned as an archival depository in 1803. Two meters' worth of glass was removed to facilitate working light and destroyed or put on the market. Its well-documented restoration, completed under the direction of Eugène Viollet-le-Duc in 1855, was regarded as exemplary by contemporaries and is faithful to the original drawings and descriptions of the chapel that survive.

The Sainte-Chapelle has been a national historic monument since 1862."

(further pictures you can see by clicking on the link at the end of page!)

Hütteldorfer parish

War memorial in front of the church

The church interior

The Hütteldorfer parish church is a Roman Catholic church building in the part of the 14th district of Vienna (Penzing), Hütteldorf. It is dedicated to the Apostle Andrew.

Location and architecture

The free-standing Gothic Sichtziegelbau (facing bricks construction method) at the Linzer Straße 424 is the work of architect Richard Jordan. The church complex is surrounded by a wall and two-storey outbuildings and is to Linzerstraße enclosed by a wrought iron grille. The war memorial soldier on guard at the forecourt of the church was created in the 1920s by Hans Fürst. To the west of the site is situated the Karl-Terkal Park, named after opera singer Karl Terkal.

The church building has in the south a façade tower and is in the north enclosed by a choir. In between is the nave with a transept. On the east wall there is a plaque in memory of Michael Denis with a by Vincenz Pilz created relief bust of the writer and on the west wall the Epitaph of Princess Leopoldine of Liechtenstein.

The paintings on glass and the interior equipment mostly stem from the construction period of the church (1881 /82), among them the seating, the font and the confessional as well as the with a neo-Gothic case equipped organ of Josef Ullmann and the neo-Gothic altars. The high altar has a row of arcades with figures representing the saints Francis, Elizabeth of Hungary, Leopold III. and Severin of Noricum. These are just like the characters of the two side altars work of the sculptor Rochus Haas, who also created the Stations of the Cross relief. Of earlier date is a probably from the 16th Century stemming crucifix in the church. The pulpit, however, was only created in 1959 by Alfred Balcarek. A relief of Hans Schwathe on the south wall of the transept dates from 1943 and represents a soldier with the Virgin Mary. A Pietà sculpture is the work of Franz Barwigs the Younger from the year 1956.

The two-storey rectory Hütteldorf is one of the outbuildings of the church. It is located to the east of the church building right at the Linzer Straße. Originally it was a farmhouse that was built in the 18th century, whose facade in the third quarter of the 19th Century has been partially remodeled.

History

The parish Hütteldorf was founded in 1356 by the then Hütteldorfer landlord Wernhard Schenk von Ried. On him reminds since 1964 a memorial plaque on the east wall of the church. In the 19th Century was the old Gothic parish church already so dilapidated that in 1864 its bell tower had to be removed. In 1873 priest Emanuel Paletz took over the parish and began with the plannings for a new church building.

Today's Hütteldorfer parish church was 1881/82 instead of the former farmyard of the parish built and on 9th November 1882 consecrated. The old parish church was demolished in 1887. Interior renovations were carried out in the years 1959 and 1980. The tower was restored in 1979 and 1995.

The parish in the St.-Joseph-am-Wolfersberg-Church in 1939 became independent of the parish Hütteldorf, those in the Kordonkirche in 1989. The parish Hütteldorf now as one of nine parishes belongs to Stadtdekanat (Municipal deanery) 14.

de.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%BCtteldorfer_Pfarrkirche

If, despite all technological efforts, energy runs out one day, where should it be prioritized? School or industry? Stadium or theater? Who will decide? This political question is explored by the participants of "A sun architecture - The party is in full swing". The project received an Honorary Mention at the 2022 STARTS Prize.

Photo: Stéphane Bonnard, KompleX KapharnaüM

Built c. 1845 at no. 243 Highway 54, Haldimand County, Ontario.

"Overlooking the banks of the Grand River, Ruthven Park, located at 243 Highway 54 Cayuga, was modeled upon a nineteenth century English country estate. The Mansion, situated at the heart of the 1500-acre estate, is a fine example of Classic Greek Revival architecture. The estate also retains early farm buildings and the family cemetery.

It is designated for its historical and architectural value under the Haldimand County By-law 1483/98.

Ruthven Estate, including the main house and its wing was designed by master builder and architect John Latshaw in circa 1845. It is considered his masterpiece of residential design and one of Ontario's finest Greek Revival style homes. It is unique in Haldimand County and, quite possibly in Canada, in terms of the completeness of the estate and the size of the main house, which contains 36 rooms in 10,200 square feet of space.

Historically, the property is important for its connection with five generations of the Thompson family. They were entrepreneurs responsible for milling and related enterprises on this section of the Lower Grand River, as well as being involved in early improvements to the waterway. Earlier generations were involved in political, military, and community affairs. Granted some 1200 acres of land by the Crown in the early 1840s, the estate still has contiguous lands with important natural habitats of woodlands and wetlands, as well as an agricultural area.

The buildings, particularly the main house and its rear wing, contain many possessions such as decorative fittings, furniture and art, that are part of the Thompson family collection, as well as documents pertaining to the estate, local history and military and parliamentary affairs. Today, Ruthven Park consists of approximately 1500 acres, with 600 acres cultivated by local farmers. The remaining 900 acres are scientifically significant as they are located within a Carolinian forest, which forms part of the North Cayuga Slough Forest, containing wetlands that are home to many rare and endangered features of the Carolinian forest zone.

In the centre of the property stands the imposing three-storey, 36 room Classical Greek Revival mansion. American architect John Latshaw designed a typical symmetrical plan of ashlar stone. Rubble and cut stone were used for later building additions. A wide stone staircase with a closed railing leads to a large open porch, while columns and moulded piers support a simply decorated pediment. The frieze of alternating triglyphs and metopes is repeated in the pediment's moulding and on the fascia. Columns and piers are paired on either side of the main entrance and the fenestration on the main and second floors are of six over six sash windows. Three over three sash windows provide much needed light to the lower or basement level. Other buildings on the estate include the barracks or drill hall, built in 1867, the brick carriage way, a gatehouse, a coach house, the Hill House and an old piggery.

The interior is just as impressive as the exterior, with a double drawing room, two identical Italian black marble fireplaces and an elegant dining room which adjoins a parlour through etched glass doors. The most famous feature is the oval staircase that winds its way up to the skylight on the roof." - info from Historic Places.

Late June to early July, 2024 I did my 4th major cycling tour. I cycled from Ottawa to London, Ontario on a convoluted route that passed by Niagara Falls. During this journey I cycled 1,876.26 km and took 21,413 photos. As with my other tours a major focus was old architecture.

Find me on Instagram.

Cartmel was granted to the monks of Lindisfarne by the King of Northumbria in the 7th century. Today the village is dominated by the eccentric tower of its church. It has the curious feature of a belfry set diagonally to the base of the tower. The priory was a Norman foundation which, though often altered and rebuilt, survived the Reformation without extensive demolition, the reason being that the founders insisted from the start that the building also serve the local parish.

The Perpendicular nave is that of a small parish church, but everything changes at the crossing. Suddenly we are in the church of a great priory, with deep Norman windows and high Perpendicular ones, chamfered arches and blind doorways.

Even the crossing is outshone by the chancel, reached through a dark Jacobean screen pierced by delicate openings, the gift of George Preston, a local landowner. The whole chamber is a textbook in medieval architecture.

The Perpendicular choir stalls with their misericords are superb, including a Green Man, a mermaid and an elephant and castle. The backs are Jacobean. The tomb of the 1st Lord Harrington (d. 1347) divides the sanctuary from his chantry, known as the Town Choir.

View of Maria Laach's abbey church from the northwest. An exceptional example of German Romanesque architecture, the church was begun in 1093 and completed in 1177. The unique west porch (or "Paradise") was added in 1230.

More info: Maria Laach Abbey, Germany

More photos: Maria Laach Photo Gallery

"A large-scale sculpture by acclaimed British artist Cornelia Parker, inspired by the paintings of Edward Hopper and by two emblems of American architecture—the classic red barn and the Bates family's sinister mansion from Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film Psycho". It is set atop The Met, high above Central Park—providing an unusual contrast to the Manhattan skyline.'

The misericords, which date from between 1508 and 1517, seem to have been brought at a later date form La chapelle du chateau de Gaillon. The complete stalls are each “organic” masterpieces, If there’s a flat surface it is decorated with either relief carvings, paintings or marquetry, even the guide channels for the main seat show pictures. The misericords are of particularly fine quality carving - overall the misericords and stalls are breathtaking!

www.misericords.co.uk/st_denis.html

Country: France

Site: Paris, St Denis Basilica Cathedral

Sequence:

Subject:

Date: 1508 and 1517

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Basilica of Saint-Denis

The Basilica of Saint-Denis (French: Basilique royale de Saint-Denis, now formally known as the Basilique-cathédrale de Saint-Denis,) is a large former medieval abbey church and present cathedral in the city of Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris. The building is of singular importance historically and architecturally as its choir, completed in 1144, was one of the first structures to employ all of the elements of Gothic architecture.

The site originated as a Gallo-Roman cemetery in late Roman times. The archaeological remains still lie beneath the cathedral; the people buried there seem to have had a faith that was a mix of Christian and pre-Christian beliefs and practices. Around 475 St. Genevieve purchased some land and built Saint-Denys de la Chapelle. In 636 on the orders of Dagobert I the relics of Saint Denis, a patron saint of France, were reinterred in the basilica. The relics of St-Denis, which had been transferred to the parish church of the town in 1795, were brought back again to the abbey in 1819.

The basilica became a place of pilgrimage and the burial place of the French Kings with nearly every king from the 10th to the 18th centuries being buried there, as well as many from previous centuries. (It was not used for the coronations of kings, that function being reserved for the Cathedral of Reims; however, French Queens were commonly crowned there.) "Saint-Denis" soon became the abbey church of a growing monastic complex.

In the 12th century, the Abbot Suger rebuilt portions of the abbey church using innovative structural and decorative features. In doing so, he is said to have created the first truly Gothic building. The basilica's 13th-century nave is the prototype for the Rayonnant Gothic style, and provided an architectural model for many medieval cathedrals and abbeys of northern France, Germany, England and a great many other countries.

The abbey church became a cathedral in 1966 and is the seat of the Bishop of Saint-Denis, Pascal Michel Ghislain Delannoy. Although known as the "Basilica of St Denis", the cathedral has not been granted the title of Minor Basilica by the Vatican.

The 86-metre (282-foot) tall spire, dismantled in the 19th century, is to be rebuilt. The project, initiated more than 30 years ago, was to have begun in May 2020, and is expected to take about 11 years at a cost of about €28 million.

Background

Saint Denis, a patron saint of France, became the first bishop of Paris. He was decapitated on the hill of Montmartre in the mid-third century with two of his followers, and is said to have subsequently carried his head to the site of the current church, indicating where he wanted to be buried. A martyrium was erected on the site of his grave, which became a famous place of pilgrimage during the fifth and sixth centuries.

More detail can be found here:-

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_St_Denis

Blowing Rock, North Carolina

Listed 12/24/2013

Reference Number: 13000978

The historic district comprised of Flat Top Estate, now Moses H. Cone Memorial Park, is significant at the state level under National Register Criterion A as an example of a Country Place era estate. At Flat Top, Moses Cone established a gentleman's country retreat in the style of those established by American captains of industry of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The historic district is one of the largest and best preserved country estates in western North Carolina, incorporating a large manor house surrounded by orchards, pastures, meadows, lakes and other constructed water features, roads, and forests. The historic district is also significant at a state level under National Register Criterion B in the area of industry for its historic association with Moses Cone, who revolutionized textile manufacturing in the South, and particularly in North Carolina, during the late nineteenth century. In partnership with his brother Ceasar, Moses Cone reorganized the marketing of textiles by southern textile mills and introduced the manufacture of denim in the South. The entrepreneurial efforts of Moses Cone during the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries throughout the southeast region affected this industry throughout the country. The historic district is nationally significant under National Register Criterion C in the area of landscape architecture for the planning of the estate, in particular the extensive network of carriage roads and associated plantings designed by Moses Cone. The carriage roads are among very few such systems in private estates ofthis period in this country; represent extensive and careful design and planning; and remain nearly intact today. The historic district also includes the Colonial Revival style manor house, significant at the state level in the area of Architecture. The association of the Flat Top Estate Historic District with the Blue Ridge Parkway, and its role as a recreational area along the parkway, are not considered as part of this nomination. The structures of Flat Top Estate are closely related to the surrounding environment. Archeological remains, such as trash pits, privies, wells, and other structural remains which may be present, can provide information valuable to the understanding and interpretation of the contributing structures. Information concerning land-use patterns, agricultural practices, social standing and social mobility, as well as structural details, is often only evident in the archeological record. Therefore, archeological remains may well be an important component of the significance of the structures. At this time very limited investigation has been done to discover these remains, but it is likely that they exist, and this should be considered in any development of the property.