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Rodney Stoke is a small village and civil parish, located at grid reference ST486501, 5 miles north-west of Wells, in the English county of Somerset. The village is on the A371 between Draycott and Westbury-sub-Mendip.
The parish includes the larger village of Draycott. South of the A371 the parish includes an area of the Somerset Levels, extending to the River Axe. North of the A371 the southern slopes of the Mendip Hills rise to an area of the parish on the Mendip plateau. The parish is therefore an area of high biodiversity supporting local rare species of plants and animal life.
Close to the village is Westbury Camp, which represents the remains of an Iron Age enclosed settlement and has been designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument.
Rodney Stoke was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Stoches, meaning 'a stockaded settlement' from the Old English stoc. In 1291 the place name was recorded as Stokgifford. The Giffords were Saxon nobility at the time of Edward the Confessor with Walter Gifford (then spelt Gifard) as the Earl of Buckingham.
The parish was part of the Winterstoke Hundred.
The village was the home of, and is probably named after, Sir John Rodney (d. 1400). However Ekwall indicates that Stoke Gifford was held by Richard de Rodene in 1303.
The first Baron Rodney was George Brydges Rodney (1718/19–92), a British naval admiral of Napoleonic times.
It is one of the nine Thankful Villages in Somerset which suffered no fatalities during World War I. There is a memorial window in the Parish Church together with a new plaque that testifies to the village's enduring pride in their good fortune.
The parish council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council's operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council.
The village falls within the Non-metropolitan district of Mendip, which was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, having previously been part of Wells Rural District, which is responsible for local planning and building control, local roads, council housing, environmental health, markets and fairs, refuse collection and recycling, cemeteries and crematoria, leisure services, parks, and tourism.
Somerset County Council is responsible for running the largest and most expensive local services such as education, social services, libraries, main roads, public transport, policing and fire services, trading standards, waste disposal and strategic planning.
The village is in the 'Rodney and Westbury' electoral ward. The ward starts in the north west at Draycott and passes through Rodney Stoke to end at Westbury-sub-Mendip. The total population of the ward as at the 2011 census was 2,127.
It is also part of the Wells county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.
The land is noteworthy for its importance as a flight corridor and feeding ground for the Greater Horseshoe Bat. Cheddar Complex, a Site of Special Scientific Interest, lies to the north and Mascalls' Wood, an ancient woodland and Somerset Wildlife Trust Nature Reserve, lies to the west. The cross roads may be the site of an old Roman road.
Close to the village is the Rodney Stoke nature reserve, which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
The church of St Leonard, was built around 1175 and is a Grade I listed building. The interior of the church contains a screen, bearing the date 1624, the gift of Sir Edward Rodney, which includes a representation of the martyrdom of St Erasmus, who was killed by having his entrails removed.
Notable residents
Edward Rodney (1590–1657), MP for Wells and Somerset at various times between 1621 and 1642, lived in Rodney Stoke and was buried there.
John Rodney (died 1400), MP for Somerset, 1391–1393, lived in Rodney Stoke.
Frances Southwell (died 1659), courtier and wife of Edward Rodney, lived in Rodney Stoke.
Thomas Tremlett (1834–1894), first-class cricketer, was born in Rodney Stoke.
Somerset is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east and the north-east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. The largest settlement is the city of Bath, and the county town is Taunton.
Somerset is a predominantly rural county, especially to the south and west, with an area of 4,171 km2 (1,610 sq mi) and a population of 965,424. After Bath (101,557), the largest settlements are Weston-super-Mare (82,418), Taunton (60,479), and Yeovil (49,698). Wells (12,000) is a city, the second-smallest by population in England. For local government purposes the county comprises three unitary authority areas: Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset, and Somerset.
The centre of Somerset is dominated by the Levels, a coastal plain and wetland, and the north-east and west of the county are hilly. The north-east contains part of the Cotswolds AONB, all of the Mendip Hills AONB, and a small part of Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs AONB; the west contains the Quantock Hills AONB, a majority of Exmoor National Park, and part of the Blackdown Hills AONB. The main rivers in the county are the Avon, which flows through Bath and then Bristol, and the Axe, Brue, and Parrett, which drain the Levels.
There is evidence of Paleolithic human occupation in Somerset, and the area was subsequently settled by the Celts, Romans and Anglo-Saxons. The county played a significant part in Alfred the Great's rise to power, and later the English Civil War and the Monmouth Rebellion. In the later medieval period its wealth allowed its monasteries and parish churches to be rebuilt in grand style; Glastonbury Abbey was particularly important, and claimed to house the tomb of King Arthur and Guinevere. The city of Bath is famous for its Georgian architecture, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The county is also the location of Glastonbury Festival, one of the UK's major music festivals.
Somerset is a historic county in the south west of England. There is evidence of human occupation since prehistoric times with hand axes and flint points from the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic eras, and a range of burial mounds, hill forts and other artefacts dating from the Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages. The oldest dated human road work in Great Britain is the Sweet Track, constructed across the Somerset Levels with wooden planks in the 39th century BCE.
Following the Roman Empire's invasion of southern Britain, the mining of lead and silver in the Mendip Hills provided a basis for local industry and commerce. Bath became the site of a major Roman fort and city, the remains of which can still be seen. During the Early Medieval period Somerset was the scene of battles between the Anglo-Saxons and first the Britons and later the Danes. In this period it was ruled first by various kings of Wessex, and later by kings of England. Following the defeat of the Anglo-Saxon monarchy by the Normans in 1066, castles were built in Somerset.
Expansion of the population and settlements in the county continued during the Tudor and more recent periods. Agriculture and coal mining expanded until the 18th century, although other industries declined during the industrial revolution. In modern times the population has grown, particularly in the seaside towns, notably Weston-super-Mare. Agriculture continues to be a major business, if no longer a major employer because of mechanisation. Light industries are based in towns such as Bridgwater and Yeovil. The towns of Taunton and Shepton Mallet manufacture cider, although the acreage of apple orchards is less than it once was.
The Palaeolithic and Mesolithic periods saw hunter-gatherers move into the region of Somerset. There is evidence from flint artefacts in a quarry at Westbury that an ancestor of modern man, possibly Homo heidelbergensis, was present in the area from around 500,000 years ago. There is still some doubt about whether the artefacts are of human origin but they have been dated within Oxygen Isotope Stage 13 (524,000 – 478,000 BP). Other experts suggest that "many of the bone-rich Middle Pleistocene deposits belong to a single but climatically variable interglacial that succeeded the Cromerian, perhaps about 500,000 years ago. Detailed analysis of the origin and modification of the flint artefacts leads to the conclusion that the assemblage was probably a product of geomorphological processes rather than human work, but a single cut-marked bone suggests a human presence." Animal bones and artefacts unearthed in the 1980s at Westbury-sub-Mendip, in Somerset, have shown evidence of early human activity approximately 700,000 years ago.
Homo sapiens sapiens, or modern man, came to Somerset during the Early Upper Palaeolithic. There is evidence of occupation of four Mendip caves 35,000 to 30,000 years ago. During the Last Glacial Maximum, about 25,000 to 15,000 years ago, it is probable that Somerset was deserted as the area experienced tundra conditions. Evidence was found in Gough's Cave of deposits of human bone dating from around 12,500 years ago. The bones were defleshed and probably ritually buried though perhaps related to cannibalism being practised in the area at the time or making skull cups or storage containers. Somerset was one of the first areas of future England settled following the end of Younger Dryas phase of the last ice age c. 8000 BC. Cheddar Man is the name given to the remains of a human male found in Gough's Cave in Cheddar Gorge. He is Britain's oldest complete human skeleton. The remains date from about 7150 BC, and it appears that he died a violent death. Somerset is thought to have been occupied by Mesolithic hunter-gatherers from about 6000 BCE; Mesolithic artefacts have been found in more than 70 locations. Mendip caves were used as burial places, with between 50 and 100 skeletons being found in Aveline's Hole. In the Neolithic era, from about 3500 BCE, there is evidence of farming.
At the end of the last ice age the Bristol Channel was dry land, but later the sea level rose, particularly between 1220 and 900 BC and between 800 and 470 BCE, resulting in major coastal changes. The Somerset Levels became flooded, but the dry points such as Glastonbury and Brent Knoll have a long history of settlement, and are known to have been occupied by Mesolithic hunters. The county has prehistoric burial mounds (such as Stoney Littleton Long Barrow), stone rows (such as the circles at Stanton Drew and Priddy) and settlement sites. Evidence of Mesolithic occupation has come both from the upland areas, such as in Mendip caves, and from the low land areas such as the Somerset Levels. Dry points in the latter such as Glastonbury Tor and Brent Knoll, have a long history of settlement with wooden trackways between them. There were also "lake villages" in the marsh such as those at Glastonbury Lake Village and Meare. One of the oldest dated human road work in Britain is the Sweet Track, constructed across the Somerset Levels with wooden planks in the 39th century BC, partially on the route of the even earlier Post Track.
There is evidence of Exmoor's human occupation from Mesolithic times onwards. In the Neolithic period people started to manage animals and grow crops on farms cleared from the woodland, rather than act purely as hunter gatherers. It is also likely that extraction and smelting of mineral ores to make tools, weapons, containers and ornaments in bronze and then iron started in the late Neolithic and into the Bronze and Iron Ages.
The caves of the Mendip Hills were settled during the Neolithic period and contain extensive archaeological sites such as those at Cheddar Gorge. There are numerous Iron Age Hill Forts, which were later reused in the Dark Ages, such as Cadbury Castle, Worlebury Camp and Ham Hill. The age of the henge monument at Stanton Drew stone circles is unknown, but is believed to be from the Neolithic period. There is evidence of mining on the Mendip Hills back into the late Bronze Age when there were technological changes in metal working indicated by the use of lead. There are numerous "hill forts", such as Small Down Knoll, Solsbury Hill, Dolebury Warren and Burledge Hill, which seem to have had domestic purposes, not just a defensive role. They generally seem to have been occupied intermittently from the Bronze Age onward, some, such as Cadbury Camp at South Cadbury, being refurbished during different eras. Battlegore Burial Chamber is a Bronze Age burial chamber at Williton which is composed of three round barrows and possibly a long, chambered barrow.
The Iron Age tribes of later Somerset were the Dobunni in north Somerset, Durotriges in south Somerset and Dumnonii in west Somerset. The first and second produced coins, the finds of which allows their tribal areas to be suggested, but the latter did not. All three had a Celtic culture and language. However, Ptolemy stated that Bath was in the territory of the Belgae, but this may be a mistake. The Celtic gods were worshipped at the temple of Sulis at Bath and possibly the temple on Brean Down. Iron Age sites on the Quantock Hills, include major hill forts at Dowsborough and Ruborough, as well as smaller earthwork enclosures, such as Trendle Ring, Elworthy Barrows and Plainsfield Camp.
Somerset was part of the Roman Empire from 47 AD to about 409 AD. However, the end was not abrupt and elements of Romanitas lingered on for perhaps a century.
Somerset was invaded from the south-east by the Second Legion Augusta, under the future emperor Vespasian. The hillforts of the Durotriges at Ham Hill and Cadbury Castle were captured. Ham Hill probably had a temporary Roman occupation. The massacre at Cadbury Castle seems to have been associated with the later Boudiccan Revolt of 60–61 AD. The county remained part of the Roman Empire until around 409 AD.
The Roman invasion, and possibly the preceding period of involvement in the internal affairs of the south of England, was inspired in part by the potential of the Mendip Hills. A great deal of the attraction of the lead mines may have been the potential for the extraction of silver.
Forts were set up at Bath and Ilchester. The lead and silver mines at Charterhouse in the Mendip Hills were run by the military. The Romans established a defensive boundary along the new military road known the Fosse Way (from the Latin fossa meaning ditch). The Fosse Way ran through Bath, Shepton Mallet, Ilchester and south-west towards Axminster. The road from Dorchester ran through Yeovil to meet the Fosse Way at Ilchester. Small towns and trading ports were set up, such as Camerton and Combwich. The larger towns decayed in the latter part of the period, though the smaller ones appear to have decayed less. In the latter part of the period, Ilchester seems to have been a "civitas" capital and Bath may also have been one. Particularly to the east of the River Parrett, villas were constructed. However, only a few Roman sites have been found to the west of the river. The villas have produced important mosaics and artifacts. Cemeteries have been found outside the Roman towns of Somerset and by Roman temples such as that at Lamyatt. Romano-British farming settlements, such as those at Catsgore and Sigwells, have been found in Somerset. There was salt production on the Somerset Levels near Highbridge and quarrying took place near Bath, where the Roman Baths gave their name to Bath.
Excavations carried out before the flooding of Chew Valley Lake also uncovered Roman remains, indicating agricultural and industrial activity from the second half of the 1st century until the 3rd century AD. The finds included a moderately large villa at Chew Park, where wooden writing tablets (the first in the UK) with ink writing were found. There is also evidence from the Pagans Hill Roman Temple at Chew Stoke. In October 2001 the West Bagborough Hoard of 4th century Roman silver was discovered in West Bagborough. The 681 coins included two denarii from the early 2nd century and 8 Miliarense and 671 Siliqua all dating to the period AD 337 – 367. The majority were struck in the reigns of emperors Constantius II and Julian and derive from a range of mints including Arles and Lyons in France, Trier in Germany and Rome.
In April 2010, the Frome Hoard, one of the largest-ever hoards of Roman coins discovered in Britain, was found by a metal detectorist. The hoard of 52,500 coins dated from the 3rd century AD and was found buried in a field near Frome, in a jar 14 inches (36 cm) below the surface. The coins were excavated by archaeologists from the Portable Antiquities Scheme.
This is the period from about 409 AD to the start of Saxon political control, which was mainly in the late 7th century, though they are said to have captured the Bath area in 577 AD. Initially the Britons of Somerset seem to have continued much as under the Romans but without the imperial taxation and markets. There was then a period of civil war in Britain though it is not known how this affected Somerset. The Western Wandsdyke may have been constructed in this period but archaeological data shows that it was probably built during the 5th or 6th century. This area became the border between the Romano-British Celts and the West Saxons following the Battle of Deorham in 577 AD. The ditch is on the north side, so presumably it was used by the Celts as a defence against Saxons encroaching from the upper Thames Valley. According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, the Saxon Cenwalh achieved a breakthrough against the British Celtic tribes, with victories at Bradford-on-Avon (in the Avon Gap in the Wansdyke) in 652 AD, and further south at the Battle of Peonnum (at Penselwood) in 658 AD, followed by an advance west through the Polden Hills to the River Parrett.
The Saxon advance from the east seems to have been halted by battles between the British and Saxons, for example; at the siege of Badon Mons Badonicus (which may have been in the Bath region e.g. at Solsbury Hill), or Bathampton Down. During the 5th, 6th and 7th centuries, Somerset was probably partly in the Kingdom of Dumnonia, partly in the land of the Durotriges and partly in that of the Dobunni. The boundaries between these is largely unknown, but may have been similar to those in the Iron Age. Various "tyrants" seem to have controlled territories from reoccupied hill forts. There is evidence of an elite at hill forts such as Cadbury Castle and Cadbury Camp; for example, there is imported pottery. Cemeteries are an important source of evidence for the period and large ones have been found in Somerset, such as that at Cannington, which was used from the Roman to the Saxon period. The towns of Somerset seem to have been little used during that period but there continued to be farming on the villa sites and at the Romano-British villages.
There may have been effects from plague and volcanic eruption during this period as well as marine transgression into the Levels.
The language spoken during this period is thought to be Southwestern Brythonic, but only one or two inscribed stones survive in Somerset from this period. However, a couple of curse tablets found in the baths at Bath may be in this language. Some place names in Somerset seem to be Celtic in origin and may be from this period or earlier, e.g. Tarnock. Some river names, such as Parrett, may be Celtic or pre-Celtic. The religion of the people of Somerset in this period is thought to be Christian but it was isolated from Rome until after the Council of Hertford in 673 AD when Aldhelm was asked to write a letter to Geraint of Dumnonia and his bishops. Some church sites in Somerset are thought to date from this period, e.g., Llantokay Street.
Most of what is known of the history of this period comes from Gildas's On the Ruin of Britain, which is thought to have been written in Durotrigan territory, possibly at Glastonbury.
The earliest fortification of Taunton started for King Ine of Wessex and Æthelburg, in or about the year 710 AD. However, according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle this was destroyed 12 years later.
This is the period from the late 7th century (for most of Somerset) to 1066, though for part of the 10th and 11th centuries England was under Danish control. Somerset, like Dorset to the south, held the West Saxon advance from Wiltshire/Hampshire back for over a century, remaining a frontier between the Saxons and the Romano-British Celts.
The Saxons conquered Bath following the Battle of Deorham in 577, and the border was probably established along the line of the Wansdyke to the north of the Mendip Hills. Then Cenwalh of Wessex broke through at Bradford-on-Avon in 652, and the Battle of Peonnum possibly at Penselwood in 658, advancing west through the Polden Hills to the River Parrett. In 661 the Saxons may have advanced into what is now Devon as a result of a battle fought at Postesburh, possibly Posbury near Crediton.
Then in the period 681–85 Centwine of Wessex conquered King Cadwaladr and "advanced as far as the sea", but it is not clear where this was. It is assumed that the Saxons occupied the rest of Somerset about this time. The Saxon rule was consolidated under King Ine, who established a fort at Taunton, demolished by his wife in 722. It is sometimes said that he built palaces at Somerton and South Petherton but this does not seem to be the case. He fought against Geraint in 710. In 705 the diocese of Sherborne was formed, taking in Wessex west of Selwood. Saxon kings granted land in Somerset by charter from the 7th century onward. The way and extent to which the Britons survived under the Saxons is a debatable matter. However, King Ine's laws make provision for Britons. Somerset originally formed part of Wessex and latter became a separate "shire". Somersetshire seems to have been formed within Wessex during the 8th century though it is not recorded as a name until later. Mints were set up at times in various places in Somerset in the Saxon period, e.g., Watchet.
Somerset played an important part in defeating the spread of the Danes in the 9th century. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records that in 845 Alderman Eanwulf, with the men of Somersetshire (Sumorsǣte), and Bishop Ealstan, and Alderman Osric, with the men of Dorsetshire, conquered the Danish army at the mouth of the Parret. This was the first known use of the name Somersæte. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle reports that in January 878 the King Alfred the Great fled into the marshes of Somerset from the Viking's invasion and made a fort at Athelney. From the fort Alfred was able to organize a resistance using the local militias from Somerset, Wiltshire and Hampshire.
Viking raids took place for instance in 987 and 997 at Watchet and the Battle of Cynwit. King Alfred was driven to seek refuge from the Danes at Athelney before defeating them at the Battle of Ethandun in 878, usually considered to be near Edington, Wiltshire, but possibly the village of Edington in Somerset. Alfred established a series of forts and lookout posts linked by a military road, or Herepath, so his army could cover Viking movements at sea. The Herepath has a characteristic form which is familiar on the Quantocks: a regulation 20 m wide track between avenues of trees growing from hedge laying embankments. The Herepath ran from the ford on the River Parrett at Combwich, past Cannington hill fort to Over Stowey, where it climbed the Quantocks along the line of the current Stowey road, to Crowcombe Park Gate. Then it went south along the ridge, to Triscombe Stone. One branch may have led past Lydeard Hill and Buncombe Hill, back to Alfred's base at Athelney. The main branch descended the hills at Triscombe, then along the avenue to Red Post Cross, and west to the Brendon Hills and Exmoor. A peace treaty with the Danes was signed at Wedmore and the Danish king Guthrum the Old was baptised at Aller. Burhs (fortified places) had been set up by 919, such as Lyng. The Alfred Jewel, an object about 2.5 inch long, made of filigree gold, cloisonné-enamelled and with a rock crystal covering, was found in 1693 at Petherton Park, North Petherton. Believed to have been owned by Alfred the Great it is thought to have been the handle for a pointer that would have fit into the hole at its base and been used while reading a book.
Monasteries and minster churches were set up all over Somerset, with daughter churches from the minsters in manors. There was a royal palace at Cheddar, which was used at times in the 10th century to host the Witenagemot, and there is likely to have been a "central place" at Somerton, Bath, Glastonbury and Frome since the kings visited them. The towns of Somerset seem to have been in occupation in this period though evidence for this is limited because of subsequent buildings on top of remains from this period. Agriculture flourished in this period, with a re-organisation into centralised villages in the latter part in the east of the county.
In the period before the Norman Conquest, Somerset came under the control of Godwin, Earl of Wessex, and his family. There seems to have been some Danish settlement at Thurloxton and Spaxton, judging from the place-names. After the Norman Conquest, the county was divided into 700 fiefs, and large areas were owned by the crown, with fortifications such as Dunster Castle used for control and defence.
This period of Somerset's history is well documented, for example in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and Asser's Life of Alfred.
This is the period from 1066 to around 1500. Following the defeat of the Saxons by the Normans in 1066, various castles were set up in Somerset by the new lords such as that at Dunster, and the manors was awarded to followers of William the Conqueror such as William de Moyon and Walter of Douai. Somerset does not seem to have played much part in the civil war in King Stephen's time, but Somerset lords were main players in the murder of Thomas Becket.
A good picture of the county in 1086 is given by Domesday Book, though there is some difficulty in identifying the various places since the hundreds are not specified. The total population given for the county, which had different boundaries to those today, was 13,399, however this only included the heads of households, so with their families this may have been around 67,000. Farming seems to have prospered for the next three centuries but was severely hit by the Black Death which in 1348 arrived in Dorset and quickly spread through Somerset, causing widespread mortality, perhaps as much as 50% in places. It re-occurred, resulting in a change in feudal practices since the manpower was no longer so available.
Reclamation of land from marsh in the Somerset Levels increased, largely under monastic influence. Crafts and industries also flourished, the Somerset woollen industry being one of the largest in England at this time. "New towns" were founded in this period in Somerset, i.e. Newport, but were not successful. Coal mining on the Mendips was an important source of wealth while quarrying also took place, an example is near Bath.
The towns grew, again often by monastic instigation, during this period and fairs were started. The church was very powerful at this period, particularly Glastonbury Abbey. After their church burnt down, the monks there "discovered" the tomb of "King Arthur" and were able rebuild their church. There were over 20 monasteries in Somerset at this period including the priory at Hinton Charterhouse which was founded in 1232 by Ela, Countess of Salisbury who also founded Lacock Abbey. Many parish churches were re-built in this period. Between 1107 and 1129 William Giffard the Chancellor of King Henry I, converted the bishop's hall in Taunton into Taunton Castle. Bridgwater Castle was built in 1202 by William Brewer. It passed to the king in 1233 and in 1245 repairs were ordered to its motte and towers. During the 11th century Second Barons' War against Henry III, Bridgwater was held by the barons against the King. In the English Civil War the town and the castle were held by the Royalists under Colonel Sir Francis Wyndham. Eventually, with many buildings destroyed in the town, the castle and its valuable contents were surrendered to the Parliamentarians. The castle itself was deliberately destroyed in 1645.
During the Middle Ages sheep farming for the wool trade came to dominate the economy of Exmoor. The wool was spun into thread on isolated farms and collected by merchants to be woven, fulled, dyed and finished in thriving towns such as Dunster. The land started to be enclosed and from the 17th century onwards larger estates developed, leading to establishment of areas of large regular shaped fields. During this period a Royal Forest and hunting ground was established, administered by the Warden. The Royal Forest was sold off in 1818.
In the medieval period the River Parrett was used to transport Hamstone from the quarry at Ham Hill, Bridgwater was part of the Port of Bristol until the Port of Bridgwater was created in 1348, covering 80 miles (130 km) of the Somerset coast line, from the Devon border to the mouth of the River Axe. Historically, the main port on the river was at Bridgwater; the river being bridged at this point, with the first bridge being constructed in 1200 AD. Quays were built in 1424; with another quay, the Langport slip, being built in 1488 upstream of the Town Bridge. A Customs House was sited at Bridgwater, on West Quay; and a dry dock, launching slips and a boat yard on East Quay. The river was navigable, with care, to Bridgwater Town Bridge by 400 to 500 tonnes (440 to 550 tons) vessels. By trans-shipping into barges at the Town Bridge the Parrett was navigable as far as Langport and (via the River Yeo) to Ilchester.
This is the period from around 1500 to 1800. In the 1530s, the monasteries were dissolved and their lands bought from the king by various important families in Somerset. By 1539, Glastonbury Abbey was the only monastery left, its abbot Richard Whiting was then arrested and executed on the orders of Thomas Cromwell. From the Tudor to the Georgian times, farming specialised and techniques improved, leading to increases in population, although no new towns seem to have been founded. Large country houses such as at Hinton St George and Montacute House were built at this time.
The Bristol Channel floods of 1607 are believed to have affected large parts of the Somerset Levels with flooding up to 8 feet (2 m) above sea level. In 1625, a House of Correction was established in Shepton Mallet and, today, HMP Shepton Mallet is England's oldest prison still in use.
During the English Civil War, Somerset was largely Parliamentarian, although Dunster was a Royalist stronghold. The county was the site of important battles between the Royalists and the Parliamentarians, notably the Battle of Lansdowne in 1643 and the Battle of Langport in 1645. The castle changed hands several times during 1642–45 along with the town. During the Siege of Taunton it was defended by Robert Blake, from July 1644 to July 1645. This war resulted in castles being destroyed to prevent their re-use.
In 1685, the Duke of Monmouth led the Monmouth Rebellion in which Somerset people fought against James II. The rebels landed at Lyme Regis and travelled north hoping to capture Bristol and Bath, puritan soldiers damaged the west front of Wells Cathedral, tore lead from the roof to make bullets, broke the windows, smashed the organ and the furnishings, and for a time stabled their horses in the nave. They were defeated in the Battle of Sedgemoor at Westonzoyland, the last battle fought on English soil. The Bloody Assizes which followed saw the losers being sentenced to death or transportation.
The Society of Friends established itself in Street in the mid-17th century, and among the close-knit group of Quaker families were the Clarks: Cyrus started a business in sheepskin rugs, later joined by his brother James, who introduced the production of woollen slippers and, later, boots and shoes. C&J Clark still has its headquarters in Street, but shoes are no longer manufactured there. Instead, in 1993, redundant factory buildings were converted to form Clarks Village, the first purpose-built factory outlet in the United Kingdom.
The 18th century was largely one of peace and declining industrial prosperity in Somerset. The Industrial Revolution in the Midlands and Northern England spelt the end for most of Somerset's cottage industries. However, farming continued to flourish, with the Bath and West of England Agricultural Society being founded in 1777 to improve methods. John Billingsley conducted a survey of the county's agriculture in 1795 but found that methods could still be improved.
Arthur Wellesley took his title, Duke of Wellington from the town of Wellington. He is commemorated on a nearby hill with a large, spotlit obelisk, known as the Wellington Monument.
In north Somerset, mining in the Somerset coalfield was an important industry, and in an effort to reduce the cost of transporting the coal the Somerset Coal Canal was built; part of it was later converted into a railway. Other canals included the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal, Westport Canal, Grand Western Canal, Glastonbury Canal and Chard Canal.[9] The Dorset and Somerset Canal was proposed, but very little of it was ever constructed.
The 19th century saw improvements to Somerset's roads with the introduction of turnpikes and the building of canals and railways. The usefulness of the canals was short-lived, though they have now been restored for recreation. The railways were nationalised after the Second World War, but continued until 1965, when smaller lines were scrapped; two were transferred back to private ownership as "heritage" lines.
In 1889, Somerset County Council was created, replacing the administrative functions of the Quarter Sessions.
The population of Somerset has continued to grow since 1800, when it was 274,000, particularly in the seaside towns such as Weston-super-Mare. Some population decline occurred earlier in the period in the villages, but this has now been reversed, and by 1951 the population of Somerset was 551,000.
Chard claims to be the birthplace of powered flight, as it was here in 1848 that the Victorian aeronautical pioneer John Stringfellow first demonstrated that engine-powered flight was possible through his work on the Aerial Steam Carriage. North Petherton was the first town in England (and one of the few ever) to be lit by acetylene gas lighting, supplied by the North Petherton Rosco Acetylene Company. Street lights were provided in 1906. Acetylene was replaced in 1931 by coal gas produced in Bridgwater, as well as by the provision of an electricity supply.
Around the 1860s, at the height of the iron and steel era, a pier and a deep-water dock were built, at Portishead, by the Bristol & Portishead Pier and Railway to accommodate the large ships that had difficulty in reaching Bristol Harbour. The Portishead power stations were coal-fed power stations built next to the dock. Construction work started on Portishead "A" power station in 1926. It began generating electricity in 1929 for the Bristol Corporation's Electricity Department. In 1951, Albright and Wilson built a chemical works on the opposite side of the dock from the power stations. The chemical works produced white phosphorus from phosphate rock imported, through the docks, into the UK. The onset of new generating capacity at Pembroke (oil-fired) and Didcot (coal-fired) in the mid-1970s brought about the closure of the older, less efficient "A" Station. The newer of the two power stations ("B" Station) was converted to burn oil when the Somerset coalfields closed. Industrial activities ceased in the dock with the closure of the power stations. The Port of Bristol Authority finally closed the dock in 1992, and it has now been developed into a marina and residential area.
During the First World War hundreds of Somerset soldiers were killed, and war memorials were put up in most of the towns and villages; only a few villages escaped casualties. There were also casualties – though much fewer – during the Second World War, who were added to the memorials. The county was a base for troops preparing for the 1944 D-Day landings, and some Somerset hospitals still date partly from that time. The Royal Ordnance Factory ROF Bridgwater was constructed early in World War II for the Ministry of Supply. It was designed as an Explosive ROF, to produce RDX, which was then a new experimental high-explosive. It obtained water supplies from two sources via the Somerset Levels: the artificial Huntspill River which was dug during the construction of the factory and also from the King's Sedgemoor Drain, which was widened at the same time. The Taunton Stop Line was set up to resist a potential German invasion, and the remains of its pill boxes can still be seen, as well as others along the coast. A decoy town was constructed on Black Down, intended to represent the blazing lights of a town which had neglected to follow the black-out regulations. Sites in the county housed Prisoner of War camps including: Norton Fitzwarren, Barwick, Brockley, Goathurst and Wells. Various airfields were built or converted from civilian use including: RNAS Charlton Horethorne (HMS Heron II), RAF Weston-super-Mare, RNAS Yeovilton (HMS Heron), Yeovil/Westland Airport, RAF Weston Zoyland, RAF Merryfield, RAF Culmhead and RAF Charmy Down.
Exmoor was one of the first British National Parks, designated in 1954, under the 1949 National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act. and is named after its main river. It was expanded in 1991 and in 1993 Exmoor was designated as an Environmentally Sensitive Area. The Quantock Hills were designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in 1956, the first such designation in England under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949. The Mendip Hills followed with AONB designation in 1972.
Hinkley Point A nuclear power station was a Magnox power station constructed between 1957 and 1962 and operating until ceasing generation in 2000. Hinkley Point B is an Advanced Gas-cooled Reactor (AGR) which was designed to generate 1250 MW of electricity (MWe). Construction of Hinkley Point B started in 1967. In September 2008 it was announced, by Électricité de France (EDF), that a third, twin-unit European Pressurised Reactor (EPR) power station known as Hinkley Point C is planned, to replace Hinkley Point B which was due for closure in 2016, but has now has its life extended until 2022.
Somerset today has only two small cities, Bath and Wells, and only small towns in comparison with other areas of England. Tourism is a major source of employment along the coast, and in Bath and Cheddar for example. Other attractions include Exmoor, West Somerset Railway, Haynes Motor Museum and the Fleet Air Arm Museum as well as the churches and the various National Trust and English Heritage properties in Somerset.
Agriculture continues to be a major business, if no longer a major employer because of mechanisation. Light industries take place in towns such as Bridgwater and Yeovil. The towns of Taunton and Shepton Mallet manufacture cider, although the number of apple orchards has reduced.
In the late 19th century the boundaries of Somerset were slightly altered, but the main change came in 1974 when the county of Avon was set up. The northern part of Somerset was removed from the administrative control of Somerset County Council. On abolition of the county of Avon in 1996, these areas became separate administrative authorities, "North Somerset" and "Bath and North East Somerset". The Department for Communities and Local Government was considering a proposal by Somerset County Council to change Somerset's administrative structure by abolishing the five districts to create a Somerset unitary authority. The changes were planned to be implemented no later than 1 April 2009. However, support for the county council's bid was not guaranteed and opposition among the district council and local population was strong; 82% of people responding to a referendum organised by the five district councils rejected the proposals. It was confirmed in July 2007 that the government had rejected the proposals for unitary authorities in Somerset, and that the present two-tier arrangements of Somerset County Council and the district councils will remain.
Built sometime between 1877 and 1886, this Greek Revival-style industrial building was home to a cordage works and tobacco company early on in its history, with the longest tenant of the building being the John R. Green Company, which sold office and school furniture and supplies out of the building between the mid-20th Century and early 21st Century. The building is clad in red brick with three pairs of arched six-over-six double-hung windows on the second, third, and fourth floor separated by brick pilasters, with cast iron pillars separated by storefronts at the ground floor, a side gable roof, John R. Green Company ghost signs on the north and east facades, and an interior with wooden columns and beams, beadboard and brick walls, and a stone foundation. The building is a contributing structure in the West Side-Main Strasse Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. It was rehabilitated in 2021-2023, and today houses a restaurant and bar on the first floor and in the basement, with office space on the floors above in the former warehouse space.
My World Vision
-AroundTheWorld-
SPAIN
-Spain is awesome-
La Mancha
"Between flowers"
Yo que provoqué que volviera la primavera,
vi como volvieron las flores y la luz,
pero no volviste tú.
Ahora tanta soledad
me da alergia.
My World Vision:
Cuando te llevaste abril en la chistera.
MoOn
Carlos Infante Luna
Swaffham has both a town memorial and a church memorial, plus the war dead have been summarised on the Roll of Honour web-site.
However, there seems to be a great deal of discrepancy between all these sources of information.
www.roll-of-honour.com/Norfolk/Swaffham.html
*************************************************************************
John W Reeve - town memorial
John W Reeve 12 East Surreys 14th March 1918 France - Church memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=505137
Husband of Gertrude Reeve, of London St., Swaffham, Norfolk.
Norlink: No match
************************************************************************
George Regester - town memorial
George Regester - Rifle Brigade 23rd February 1918 Southampton - Church memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=2803478
Son of Charles Salisbury Regester and Emma Regester, of Station St., Swaffham. Born at Holme Hale.
Norlink: No match
***************************************************************************
William Regester - town memorial
William Regester City of London Rifles 6th July 1917 France - Church memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=160729
Roll of honour only has this only as a probably.
Norlink: No match
***************************************************************************
Leslie J Richardson - town memorial
Leslie J Richardson, Civil Service Rifles 15th September 1916 France - Church memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=261011
Son of James and Elizabeth Richardson, of Old Bank House, Swaffham, Norfolk
Norlink: No match
***************************************************************************
A Raymond N Smith - town memorial
A Raymond N Smith - 130th K C O Baluchis J R 10th July 1919 India - Church memorial
A Raymond Richardson on Roll of Honour is actually A Raymond N Smith on Church memorial
Name: SMITH, ALAN RAYMOND NOEL Initials: A R N Nationality: Indian Rank: Lieutenant Regiment/Service: 130th King George's Own Baluchis (Jacob's Rifles) Age: 19 Date of Death: 10/07/1919 Additional information: Son of Walter and Eleanor Smith, of "Oakleigh", Swaffham, Norfolk. Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead Grave/Memorial Reference: 2. C. 10. Cemetery: RAWALPINDI WAR CEMETERY
www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=909715
Norlink: No match
**************************************************************************
Clifford D Smith - town memorial
Clifford D Smith Norfolks 23rd October 1918(?) France - Church memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=40160
Lt Clifford D Smith, deceased 23rd October 1918. 5th Battalion attached 9th Battalion.
Norlink: No match
***************************************************************************
Donald G Smith - town memorial
Donald G Smith - Royal Fusiliers 18th October 1916 France - Church memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=505918
Son of Walter and Eleanor Smith, of "Oakleigh," Swaffham, Norfolk
Norlink: No match
***************************************************************************
Joseph Smith - town memorial
Joseph Smith Norfolks 9th May 1917 France - Church memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=1653722
Husband of Annie Elizabeth Tibbett (formerly Smith), of Northwell Pool, Swaffham, Norfolk.
Norlink: No match
***************************************************************************
Arthur Spencer - town memorial
Arthur Spencer Royal Engineers 19th December 1916 - Church memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=545064
Norlink: No match
***************************************************************************
Robert Squires - town memorial
Robert W Squires - Royal Fusiliers 19th August 1918 France - Church Memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=42634
Son of William and Clara Squires, of Little Thorns, Swaffham, Norfolk.
Norlink: No match
***************************************************************************
Frank Sterne - town memorial
Frank Sterne Middlesex Regiment 28th April 1917 France - Church memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=1671128
Son of Thomas and Clara Sterne, of 3, Jasper Cottages, London St;, Swaffham, Norfolk.
Norlink: No match
***************************************************************************
George Starling - town memorial
George Starling 2/5 London Regiment 28th July 1918 France - Church memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=273832
Son of Mrs. E. Starling, of 2, Cley Rd., Swaffham, Norfolk.
Norlink: No match
**************************************************************************
Herbert W Thompson - town memorial
Herbert W Thompson 7 Bedfords 16th November 1916 France - Church memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=815879
Roll of Honour - formerly of the Essex Regiment
Norlink: No match
***************************************************************************
Hubert W Thompson - town memorial
Hubert W Thompson 5 Norfolks 20th April 1917 Gaza - Church memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=645972
Son of Mr. W. H. Thompson, of Prince of Wales Rd., Swaffham, Norfolk
Norlink: No match
**************************************************************************
Herbert Trundle - town memorial
Herbert Trundle Royal Marine Light Infantry - Church memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=3056186
Deceased 7th June 1915 Buried Royal Navy Cemetery, Plymouth
Norlink: No match
**************************************************************************
Alfred Twaites - town memorial
Alfred Twaites 5 Middlesex 24th October 1918 Norwich - Church memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=2803474
Alfred Charles Twaites. Son of William and Anna Twaites, of Swaffham; husband of Ethel Marion Twaites, of London St., Swaffham.
Unit given as Labour Corps but formerly of the Middlesex regiment
Norlink: No match
**************************************************************************
Albert Turner - town memorial
Albert Turner - October 1918 France - Church memorial
CWGC: Too many possible matches - went through Turner’s for 1918 and no likely matches. Why no mention of unit on the church memorial - was he possibly a civilian contractor or a child
Roll of Honour - no further information
Census - too many Albert Turners (8+) born after 1889 either in Norfolk or now resident there - all bar two in Norwich. Nearest to Swaffham was one in Mildenhall.
Norlink: No match
***************************************************************************
John Warnes - town memorial
John Warnes 8 East Surreys 12th October 1917 France - Church memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=492256
Son of Samuel Warner, of London. St., Swaffham, Norfolk
Norlink: No match
*************************************************************************
William Watts - town memorial
William Watts 1/5th Norfolks 19th April 1917 Gaza - Church memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=651609
Norlink: No match
*************************************************************************
Edward Ward - town memorial
Edward W Ward R F Artillery 24th October 1918 France - Church memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=314089
Son of Henry and Clara Ward, of Watton Rd., Swaffham, Norfolk.
Norlink: No match
*************************************************************************
Walter Ward - town memorial
Walter Ward 7 Bedfords 16th November 1916 France - Church memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=819227
Son of William Ward, of Brewery Yard, White Hart Lane, Swaffham; husband of Harriet Ward, of 2, Albert Terrace, Swaffham, Norfolk
Norlink: No match
**************************************************************************
Albert H Ward - town memorial
Albert H Ward Norfolks 10th March 1917 France - Church memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=819087
Shown as Albert John, Son of Richard and Ann Ward, of Campingland, Swaffham, Norfolk.
Roll of Honour shown as Albert John
Norlink: No match
**************************************************************************
Reginald C Webster - town memorial
C Reginald Webster - 1/5 Norfolks 10th May 1917 Nazareth - Church memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=654288
Shown as Charles Reginald. A Company. Son of Charles and Elizabeth Webster, of 4, Station Terrace, Swaffham, Norfolk
Roll of Honour - shown as Charles Reginald.
Norlink: No match
***************************************************************************
Reginald West - town memorial
Reginald West 8 Norfolks 22nd October 1917 France - Church memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=876577
Shown as Reginald George West. Son of Richard and Ellen West, of Lynn Rd., Swaffham, Norfolk. Presumed brother of Sidney
Roll of Honour ; Reginald George West
Norlink: No match
***************************************************************************
Sidney West - town memorial
Sidney West 10 Lincolns 13th April 1918 = Church memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=867107
Shown as Sidney Thomas West. Son of Richard and Ellen West, of Lynn Rd., Swaffham, Norfolk. Presumed brother of Reginald.
Roll of Honour: Sidney Thomas West
Norlink: No match
***************************************************************************
Ernest Winter - town memorial
Ernest Winter - East Yorks 4th November 1917 France
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=526468
Norlink: No match
***************************************************************************
Ernest Wood - town memorial
Ernest Wood - Middlesex Regiment 29th August 1916 France - Church memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=245669
Shown as Frederick Edward Wood.
Roll of Honour; (Frederick) Ernest Wood, and then noted that CWGC states Frederick Edward
Norlink: No match
***************************************************************************
Walter Wright - town memorial
Walter Wright Shropshire Light Infantry 9th August 1915 France - Church memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=912216
Son of William Walter and Eliza Julia Wright, of Market Place, Swaffham, Norfolk
Norlink: No match
***************************************************************************
W G Leicester Young - town memorial
W G Leicester Young - Norfolks 7th February 1917 France - Church memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=252844
Son of Charles Valentine Young and Elizabeth Young, of Market Place, Swaffham, Norfolk.
Roll of Honour - formerly of the Norfolk Regiment
Norlink: No match
***************************************************************************
Arthur Youngs - town memorial
Arthur Youngs Norfolks 1st July 1917 France - Church memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=471512
Son of Arthur and Emma Youngs, of Oak Lodge, Swaffham, Norfolk.
Norlink: No match
**************************************************************************
Robert J A Davis - town memorial
Robert J A Davis 1st Beds Regiment 13th October 1914 France - Church memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=1559908
Name: DAVIS, ROBERT JAMES ALFRED Initials: R J A Nationality: United Kingdom Rank: Private Regiment/Service: Bedfordshire Regiment Unit Text: 1st Bn. Date of Death: 13/10/1914 Service No: 8503 Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 10 and 11. Memorial: LE TOURET MEMORIAL
Roll of Honour - not listed
Norlink: No match
***************************************************************************
Camera: Nikon Nikonos-V
Lens: W-Nikkor 35mm f/2.5
Film: Agfaphoto Vista Plus 200
Develop and Scan: Photo Hippo
It's strange that the island being disputed is called, Brazilian Island as the name makes it sound like there's no dispute at all. Information on the roots of the dispute are scarce. The island is at the confluence of the Quarai, Cuareim, and Invernada rivers. The rivers form a tripoint border with Argentina but the Argentinian border is not under dispute.
In an essay titled, "Islands in Between", Godfrey Baldacchino offers the following observation, "We should not be surprised: borders, in spite of conventional wisdom and official intent, are often porous, permeable features: they are liminal spaces with osmotic properties, important tools in a contemporary game of economic prosperity, military strategy or national security. Even here, islands ‘in between’can play a key role."
The same article quotes the Former Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago as saying that his country operates in a state of "betweenity" having been claimed by more than one nation. I like that word. It would have been a good way to describe my career on more than one occasion.
Constructed between 2000 and 2002, this mound houses the remains of about 200 Native Hawaiian people whom were buried on Waikiki prior to the introduction of foreign burial practices to Hawaii by christian missionaries from the United States in the 19th Century. The creation of the mound was spurred by an underground infrastructure project along Kalakaua Avenue around the turn of the millennium, which uncovered about 50 sets of human remains, which are now interred in the mound. Named Kahi Hali'a Aloha, "the place of cherished memories" in Hawaiian, the mound was designed by Keawe Keohokālole, whom is a descendant of High Chiefess Ane Keohokālole, the mother of King Kalākaua and Queen Lili‘uokalani. The mound features an octagonal footprint with a surface clad in lava rock, with room for a total of 1,400 sets of human remains, and is surrounded by a walkway, planting beds, a stone wall and high fence due to security concerns around the site being disrespected or desecrated, which is sadly an ever-present danger in the high-traffic location it sits in. The mound is maintained by the families and relatives of those buried in the mound.
The Peugeot 504 is a large family car manufactured by French automaker Peugeot between 1968 and 1983, with licensed production continuing until 2006.
Peugeot's flagship, the 504 made its public debut on 12 September 1968 at the Paris Salon. The press launch which had been scheduled for June 1968 was at the last minute deferred by three months, and production got off to a similarly delayed start because of the political and industrial disruption which exploded across France in May 1968.
The 504 was a sunroof-equipped four-door saloon, introduced with a carbureted 1,796 cc four-cylinder petrol engine 79 bhp (59 kW; 80 PS) with optional fuel injection. A column-mounted four-speed manual transmission was standard; a three-speed ZF 3HP12 automatic available as an upgrade.
The 504 was European Car of the Year in 1969, praised for its styling, quality, chassis, ride, visibility, strong engine and refinement.
The 504 Injection two-door coupé and two-door cabriolet were introduced at the Salon de Geneva in March 1969. The engine produced the same 97 bhp (72 kW; 98 PS) of output as in the fuel-injected saloon, but the final drive ratio was slightly revised to give a slightly higher road speed of 20.6 mph (33.2 km/h) at 1,000 rpm.
The 504 received a new four-cylinder 1971 cc engine, rated at 96 bhp (72 kW; 97 PS) (carburated) and 104 bhp (78 kW; 105 PS) (fuel-injected), and a four-cylinder 2112 cc diesel rated at 65 bhp (48 kW; 66 PS). The 1796 cc engine remained available.
In September 1970 an estate was added, featuring a higher rear roof, lengthened wheel base and solid rear axle with four coil springs. It was joined by the 7-seat "Familiale", which had all its occupants facing forward in three rows of seats.
In April 1973, because of the oil crisis Peugeot presented the 504 L. It featured a live rear axle and a smaller 1,796 cc engine rated at 79 bhp (59 kW; 80 PS) (81 bhp (60 kW; 82 PS) for Automatic).
At the 1974 October Motor Show Peugeot presented a more powerful engine for the 504 coupé and cabriolet, now fitted with a 2664 cc V6 unit developed in collaboration with Volvo and Renault. This was the same engine that would be used for the 604 berline, to be introduced at Geneva five months later, in March 1975. The engine incorporated various innovative features such as an aluminium cylinder block, and a fuel-feed system that employed carburetors of differing type, one (type 34 TBIA) featuring a single chamber controlled directly according to the movement of the accelerator pedal, and the second being a twin chamber carburetor (type 35 CEEI) designed to operate simultaneously with the first, using a pneumatic linkage. Maximum output for the 504 coupé and cabriolet fitted with this new V6 engine was given as 136 bhp (101 kW; 138 PS), supporting a top speed of 186 km/h (116 mph). During 1975, the first full year of production, 2,643 of these 6 cylinder 504 coupés and cabriolet were produced, which was considered a respectable number, although dwarfed by the 236,733 4 cylinder 504 "berlines" (saloons/sedans) and "breaks" (estates/station wagons) produced by Peugeot in France in the same year. Following launch of the six cylinder cars, the four cylinder versions of the coupé and cabriolet 504s were delisted: they returned to the showrooms in 1978 in response, it was reported, to customer demand.
At the Paris Motor Show of October 1976 the option of an enlarged diesel engine was introduced. The stroke of 83 mm (3.3 in) remained the same as that of the existing 2,112 cc diesel motor, but for the larger engine the bore was increased to 94 mm (3.7 in), giving an overall 2,304 cc along with an increase in claimed power output from 65 to 70 bhp (48 to 52 kW; 66 to 71 PS). The 2,112 cc diesel engine would also find its way into the Ford Granada since Ford did not at the time produce a sufficient volume of diesel sedans in this class to justify the development of their own diesel engine.
Peugeot 504 production in Europe was pruned back in 1979 with the launch of the Peugeot 505, and the last European example rolled off the production line in 1983, although the pick up version continued in production, and was available in Europe until 1993. Chinese production of the 504 pickup (more information below) only ceased in 2009. The 505 shared most of the Peugeot 504 mechanical parts, similarly to the Peugeot 604 and Talbot Tagora.
More than three million 504s were produced in Europe, ending in 1983. Manufacturing continued in Nigeria and Kenya until 2006, utilising the Peugeot knock down kits. Kenya production was 27,000 units and the car remained on sale to 2007, being described as "King of the African road". Egypt also had its own production facilities.
Redesigned Argentinian version of the 504
The car was assembled in various countries, under license of Peugeot. In Australia it was assembled by Peugeot's arch-rival Renault, and sold through Renault Australia's dealer network.
The Peugeot 504 is also one of the most common vehicles employed as a bush taxi in Africa. In China, the 504 was produced until 2009 in pickup form, with a four-door crew cab combination fitted, on an extended estate platform. These were built by Guangzhou Peugeot Automobile Company.
The Peugeot 504 was also produced in Argentina until 1999 by Sevel in El Palomar near Buenos Aires, in sedan, estate and pickup forms. The pickup was manufactured in single and double cab with payload of over 1 tonne (1.300 kg) from 1983-1997, and exported mainly to bordering countries. In 1991 the later models were slightly restyled at the front and rear, with the lamps and bumpers changing design. These cars were also given a new interior. Argentinian 504s offered the 1,971 cc petrol four-cylinder, or the 2,304 cc diesel.
The French company Dangel also produced Peugeot approved four-wheel drive Break (estate/station wagon) and pickup models.
Its engines and suspension were used in later models of the Paykan, the Iranian version of the Hillman Hunter.
[Text taken from Wikipedia]
This Lego miniland-scale Peugeot 504 Berline has been created for Flickr LUGNuts' 84th Build Challenge, our 7th birthday, to the theme, - "LUGNuts Turns 7…or 49 in Dog Years", - where all the previous challenge themes are available to build to, in this case challenge 69, - "The Summer of '69", - where vehicles from all through the 1960's can be built to the challenge theme.
Bain News Service,, publisher.
Earl of Crawford
[between ca. 1920 and ca. 1925]
1 negative : glass ; 5 x 7 in. or smaller.
Notes:
Title from unverified data provided by the Bain News Service on the negatives or caption cards.
Forms part of: George Grantham Bain Collection (Library of Congress).
Format: Glass negatives.
Rights Info: No known restrictions on publication. For more information, see George Grantham Bain Collection - Rights and Restrictions Information www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/274_bain.html
Repository: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA, hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print
Part Of: Bain News Service photograph collection (DLC) 2005682517
General information about the George Grantham Bain Collection is available at hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.ggbain
Higher resolution image is available (Persistent URL): hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ggbain.35268
Call Number: LC-B2- 5885-14
Channel Islands National Park is a United States national park that consists of five of the eight Channel Islands off the coast of the U.S. state of California, in the Pacific Ocean. Although the islands are close to the shore of densely populated Southern California, their isolation has left them relatively undeveloped. The park covers 249,561 acres (100,994 ha) of which 79,019 acres (31,978 ha) are owned by the federal government. The Nature Conservancy owns and manages 76% of Santa Cruz Island, the largest island in the park.
Channel Islands National Park is home to a wide variety of significant natural and cultural resources. It was designated a U.S. National Monument on April 26, 1938, and a National Biosphere Reserve in 1976. It was promoted to a National Park on March 5, 1980.
More than 2,000 species of plants and animals can be found within the park.
Annual visitation to the park's mainland visitor center is 300,000. Visitation to the islands and waters is low, with about 30,000 visitors traveling to the islands, and another 60,000 who go only into park waters. Although most visitation occurs in the summer, migrating gray whales and spectacular wildflower displays attract visitors in the winter and spring. Autumn is an excellent time to travel to the park, as well as for diving, as the days are usually sunny, with minimal winds and clear ocean water. Camping is a popular activity on Santa Cruz Island, with visitors arriving at Prisoners harbor on the north shore and staying in the valley beyond. A new island visitor center opened at Scorpion Ranch on Santa Cruz Island on April 6, 2009.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Channel_Islands_National_Park
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_Creative_Commons_...
Seen operating on service X28 between Edinburgh (Regent Road) and Bathgate.
Chassis: Volvo B5TL - YV3T9U224HA181412
Body: Wright Gemini 3 - AN873
Seating: H49/30F
New to Lothian Buses Ltd in January 2017, moving to Lothian Country Buses Ltd in April 2020 returning to Lothian Buses Ltd in September 2020, and back to Lothian Country Buses Ltd in February 2025.
At a conference - getting some air, some exercise and some me-time before dinner. Between the sets of lines are levels of a wonderful mini-put course. Couldn't find anyone to open it up to play - that was disappointing.
In between the rain, hail and blustery weather we grabbed a couple of Sun shots!
Prime focus single shot, Canon 600D attached to Maksutov 127mm telescope fitted with homemade Baader Solarfilm filter, captured in whitelight (cropped and colour added in iPhoto)
Views
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Hello Welcome to the land of magic and fantasy.
The land of the cradle of religions and the first civilizations.
The land of Egypt
Today you go to a spot of Bhalla diligent in seeking described by you and by the private Mattmiz from other spots.
It is a land of green in the inner Western Desert of Egypt it
. Bahariya Oasis.
(I) lines for the blogger ,,,,,,,
Dear reader
I know you myself .......
Name / Mohammed Abdullah Mohammed Abbas
Area of work / artist automorphic revelation of the nature
Place of Birth / Albawity Bahariya Oasis Giza, Egypt
Artist automorphic inspiring talent drew inspiration from nature. God has blessed me with great artistic talent from an early age and that helped me that I was born in the Oasis and I lived and grew up under the skies and on the soil and between the folds of mountains and sand Abott and drank water from groundwater wells may like it so loving. And I hope the remains Sewa and Volkolorha People by nature and by the habits and traditions carries with it the fragrance of small oases of history and a solid go along with urbanization and civil rights. As for my paintings art, I cut many of the valleys and paths until you get the natural raw materials as well as gum trees, as well as stones from the slopes of the mountains in order to Ichkeul my paintings by the technical nature of all raw materials so that they are expressing a model of the oasis and its people and their customs and traditions. God has helped me in that he created many works even earn any great admiration of the Egyptians and foreigners from all over the world. It is also vBExperience I Ichkeul sculpture on the stone figures of important people and oases to be expressed in the model house Ziafti realize my dream and now that I have obtained a great admiration for all lovers of nature.
This little to acknowledge it and impart a quick look, which collected the proceeds from scientific about this spot (Bahariya Oasis) while working and going to the valleys and roads and mountains on foot on foot for the acquisition of natural raw materials such as sand, full colors and stones from the mountains and the gum trees to the drawing boards to the oasis, the old to remain a memory in the history of Egypt .........
Welcome to the oasis of art and dreams ...............( Bahariya Oasis Committee of God in the home)
For communication
mop: +20124671367
mop: +20172993345
deserteagle121@hotmail.com
mo_5070@yahoo.com
Mohamed_12199@yahoo.com
(II) - geographic location
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Bahariya Oasis is located in Western Sahara, Arab Republic of Egypt
And away from Cairo, 360 km south west of the Nile Valley and about 220 km away with the alignment of the country west of the Nile Valley, such as Matay and Samalut at a latitude 0''21''28%''0''28 longitude & North Tropic of Cancer.
It is the third time of configurations as described geological maps.
(III) - Description of natural
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This oasis is a low rectangle extending from the northeast to the southwest and the length along the low-about 130 km 'and a maximum width of the north side of this low about 45 km' and expand in the northeast it has significantly expanded and gradually narrows towards the southwest until it is finished south of the space, which is Part of the Oasis 'The area around the low (4000 km) four thousand square kilometers and in expanding the region is populated metropolitan' and this low four entrances and exits of vehicles are: -
(1) - from the north east the main road leading to Cairo, about 360 km.
(2) - Nabq coracoid and this way Mudug Sandstone was formerly the main entrance to the oasis before the paved road which passes next to the chirp coracoid from the north south of the Qattara Depression and ends on the outskirts of low oases, as well as Mount coracoid and then passes the road next to the tomb of Sidi | Muhammad Gaddafi, and people were Oasis formerly make this the tomb of Sheikh comfort station at the coming and going to and from Cairo, where the travel takes more than a week of heavy transport vehicles on this road.
(3) - Nabq Siwa in the north west and this meant to the oasis of Siwa, about 420 km and this goes towards the western direction informed Gharwd jacket and an oasis of Siwa and the lame even
Oasis Jacket (located low and Oasis jacket on the progress of 225 k m from the Bahariya Oasis, 162 KM east of the Oasis of Siwa and 55 KM to the east of the Oasis of the lame, one of the surrounded break important caravan, which is located on the road to Siwa _ Bahariya Oasis, as cut off convoys the distance between them and the Bahariya Oasis in 4 days and between the jacket and the lame in the leap from the stability of the sun Mushargaha to the west and the oasis is low on the body and led a long rosette Lake area of 12 km, the depth of this lake is not more than 14:00 either eye jacket rises the water level on the level of surface lake, a little oasis plantations neglected palm poor resorted to the Bedouin in the case of lack of food during a crossing of the oasis and the area of grassland, but no one inhabited only by going through convoys to rest first, and provide water II in the case of having, as the water-metal situation makes it unfit for drinking ...
(4) - peace in the south west and this meant the way to Farafra Oasis, about 200 km and this passes on the continent of Sheikh Abdullah and then mount the crystal and then the White Desert ......
For this low-eleven trail and a corridor to the beauty of the past and they
(1) - from the south east
* Path Manfalouty
* Path Aldchloty
* Path Roby
* Darb El Bahnasawy
They are paths leading to the Nile Valley and pass on Ahtaya acacia and chirp Eboumhariq routes and Rayyan north valley, watermelon stone and the cave south note that routes the four mentioned above be on the path to one while crossing Pegrd Eboumhariq, which has a length of about 375 km in the maximum display a 3 km, which starts from the eye sea sand as far north end on the outskirts of the Valley to the south and Eboumhariq Kharga oasis away from the Navy about 60 kilometers to the east is the tallest grade sand in the desert of Egypt in general note that Grude Western Sahara start from the northwest and ends in the south east.
(2) - and to the north
* Path cupola and ladle
* Path Seiwy
* Rummage thirteen
They Mwdien to El Alamein, Matrouh and Siwa and pass the valley of Abu Abosnan Algradik Qattara Depression, which lies about 320 km from Bahariya Oasis and gave a description of this area, not to my arrival there.
(3) - from the west
* Path Aletbinip
* Path of the continent of Gallstone
They Mwdien to Siwa Oasis and the jacket and eye function and Farafra.
Eye function) known to the Bedouin into misguided as guided her convoy was misguided in the desert and away its location from the Farafra Oasis 72 km M and Oasis Bahrain 173 km m which is strange really as it explodes in the top of a hill of sand is composed of 3 degrees with a rise in the first one meter on the surface of easily located in the north either second-class-oriented production by 3 m above the first layer and the third rise 5:00 p.m. on the second and stem the eye in a low place about two meters on the top of the hill, which is almost repression around him prevented him from tear and water, this eye is the finest water the desert and no eye on the bushes of palms and tamarind and jungle station, excellent for convoys traveling between the oasis of Farafra and Siwa through the paths of jacket _ lame they are of the wonders of the desert they really the headquarters for the convenience of convoys and tourism and to provide some water them if necessary, but no one reward them.
(4) - from the south west
* Trail corridor continent Sheikh Abdullah Mohammed
* White cave trail
They are doing to the mountain crystal cave and Beer White as the cave and Beer White is located in the northwest of the desert white and along the plateau Rev. Abu Saeed Al-Western set in the middle through the eye of stray and this is the second cave and white desert and the oasis of Farafra, where the mountain crystal away from the lower Bahariya Oasis 30 km, a the pearl of the desert where it emits light after the impact of sunlight at noon and in the moon nights, especially in winter, when the moon is vertically resurrected light on the crystal reflects the light of the north and south and the White Desert 60 km ......
Albawity .. ..
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City Center is the Bahariya Oasis was named Albawity proportion to the name of the Sheikh of the righteous to accept the oases of the ancient lands of the East and he stayed. He has suffered a lot until he reached the oasis and had the generosity and love of the people of the oases and settled and his name (Sidi Hassan Abu Ya'qub Yusuf ibn Yahya Albuwayty), one of the disciples of Imam Shafie his doctrine may God bless him 'and when he passed away of Imam Shafie year 819 AH blessings Sidi Albuwayty people Amama He was among the worshipers of the homes Ms. Karima (Nafisa may Allah be pleased with her). The stability of the land of Oasis request of her family buried them when dies did not fail the people of the oasis on the implementation of his will and has already set up a shrine to him was buried at the time of his death there Balbauwayty and close to the three eyes of their secrets Pmaihm they are a cure for every disease and belongs also their names to him what he was doing where they are : -
Water and wells and springs
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Eye Prayer
************
Dubbed this name because he was wudoo including Sheikh Albawity and prayed beside her, because it close to him.
Appointed companion
************
And named after Sheikh Albuwayty because he was sitting is the people of the oasis after receiving prayer tool for science and religion to the day you see people sitting Oasis after the Asr prayer in this place.
Appointed bucket eye and spears
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Already are medicine and healing every disease, even if neglected them, but remaining so far as to walk one night and by the way stray finds lantern lights the way for him and guide him even up to safety and their many blessings and secrets ........ Aynak Iain bucket and spears ........
Appointed Alepeshmo
************
Roman is a term attributed to Sheikh Albuwayty means (00000000)
It is ironic that this hot Mjerian her eye on the boiling hot and cold stems from the earth from the same place and cold in its course, came from the south until it meets the hot and cold water in the course of one
That place is already Albawity oasis for hundreds of years old does not change Volklorh, customs and traditions, yet the old buildings where there are rocky hills, which was a natural oasis people exploit natural basis for their homes and taken them to the walls of the stones also.
There is this place the tomb of Shaykh (Ahmad Bin Ali) from the north.
It is the south west there is an area called the Western Wall, where the small hill called the continent blacksmiths because they are set up by some of the Accept from the west to Libya an ancient Vantsb name of that place to the title of this family blacksmiths, one of the oldest and largest families, the oasis and the area Albawity Indeed, so far, is the largest residence mismatch Sheikh (Sidi Mohammed Abbas) is a very Li Mohammed Abdullah. There is that area recently from the northern side resorts overlooking the orchards and palm trees directly from the old Oasis Hotel, which was established a few years this area has not changed from the folklore of this beautiful thing is our motto. There is also the oasis water springs from the eyes of groundwater and springs such as the ancient Roman male and listed their names
* Appointed Alepeshmo
* Appointed or snake
* Appointed Muftlp
Many of eyes Romanian old and modern groundwater wells of hot and cold.
After the study discovered that high ground water, sulfurous water treatment of some diseases.
There Trough Oasis sand dunes called chirp. Of which included his name, such as
* Grade debt
* Chirp horse
* Chirp or tippet
As well as the oasis there is a chain of mountains, and every mountain has a name, for example: -
Mount Hofuf
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This mountain is the tallest mountain oases Trough 12 kilometers long, and if you look a closer look you see snaking. It is apparent that the events with me his old Pharaohs. There are on this mountain paths of two-way and corridors, including the apparent meaning of them work there and there at the top of this mountain
Some of the stones heavy sand diabetes Iskhaddmunha apparent that the pharaohs in the making of their parentage .....
And you see there on the top of the mountain roads are paved from the top to the bottom of the visible than that of the easy workflow Abgal to flatten the stones mentioned earlier even Liato them to the place of their own making and see the many things that go on to explain the absence of the mind and pulls her thought and imagination and finally really a certificate of the Pharaohs and the ancient Egyptian.
oasesMount Pyramid
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And his name folks at Oasis cupola and ladle because they resemble cooking pots, three parts of this mountain fleece the first cupola and the eastern and western East scoop by scoop, and this configuration from God and not by humans.
Mount coracoid
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, Named so because it takes the form of a bird the crow, and this mountain is considered the main gate to the entrance of the oases of date by the way is paved as Zchrisabaka.
And the headquarters of this mountain in the northeast and on the outskirts of the entrance of low oases.
Mount Hammad
****************
Originally named Mount of Praise because convoys to express if they arrived to this area will praise the name of Allaah (God)
Maanoh because of the hardship in their travels.
Mount equitable
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And named this mountain of that name because it is located in the middle of the road between Albawity and space, therefore, called Mouncef.
Mount Giadp
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He called this name because it is different from the mountain, despite being the color black in the desert.
Mount Mtila Radwan
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This mountain, named so because the trail corridor as mentioned conducive to Grude jacket and Siwa. White and well appointed function and in the name of the original eye stray south of Farafra. Mark and has no known only to those knowledgeable ....
Mountain English
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It is situated Balbauwayty and called by that name, because this mountain, saw a lot of the suffering of the English up and down in the Second World War where she was their stay on this mountain black color steadfast and so far the remains of their buildings, it was called that name because he is a black box, which saw the course of things years of war and still tells us over the years about the events, which is formed by the configurations of factors, however, natural or man.
Effects.
*************
There are many of the Bahariya Oasis, the pharaonic, Coptic, and Romanian. Pharaonic it .......
Caves carved in the mountains, the bodies of the dead mummified in the coffins of pottery and stone valley, mummies, gold and Maqil of archaeologists that the oasis was inhabited (33) Thirty-three families in the era of the Pharaohs, Romans and were used as warehouses for grains, including wheat, had come to her arrivals request it. So far, and discovered by the Antiquities Authority, no more than (10%) ten percent and the rest in the ground and we conservers of him because he first civilizations of the world at large.
Heritage
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There are Roman ruins of buildings visible from and Coptic churches, it was a mud-brick and are found in the area of space and Mendicp. There are also oases ruins of buildings for the people of the old Oasis and that does not change the folklore arts of sculpture, drawing, art and customs and traditions. You see the buildings of each family and the shrine of sheikh mediates their buildings and see the ruins of buildings by Sqhob influenced by the gunshot wounds and of the ancients knew that it addressed the effects of the people of the oasis of Raiders of the target. There are also after the gates at the entrances to some of the areas and streets on the outside, which indicate that these places and streets were closed for fear of the invaders and intruders and bandits coming from the tracks and the mountains at night. There are also oases ancient mosques hundreds of years such as the Mosque Albawity and inclusive country and a mosque likeness and Elsafaip and inclusive angle Elsnose It was the first mosque raises his minaret of brick and this mosque is said to have been built at the hands of men (of the family Senussi) who Accept from the West, past and stayed here for several years and received a very generous and familiarity of the people of the oases and the intensity of their love
The people of the oases if one of them had a child called Senosy note that the oasis is famous generosity to all entrants, such as Mackerm by Sheikh and Sheikh Albuwayty obstacle
Many of the generosity of those who want oases best enjoyed where it is wanted by the evil out of them and so far there in the fields of the pulpit to the Eid prayer, as to condemn the people of Bahariya Oasis religion Islamic Blsttina and there is no other religions except arrivals from other countries There is no difference between Muslim and Christian and deals Oasis people with love and tolerance ...
Features singled out by God oases
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There are oases of marine black desert which is about rock formations and mountainous highlands, a black
Consists of the age of volcanoes. It is natural beauty you see white sand in the embrace of the black mountains. Highlands and ranges between 150 meters to 366 meters. There is a mountain rose mountain poses the problem of small pieces
And as if a rose and take her visitors already from the people of the oasis and different races. The generosity of the mountain and put a lot a lot every year.
There is also a mountain and the mystery of physical Rabbani, this mountain has a small door, if entered women who do not give birth took place about seven times the wrap sections give birth to the orders of God. If the newcomer wished him from the people of the oasis and anything outside of it and took some stones and Kara receive what he wants them on the orders of God and has many secrets and this is true from the mouths of veterans. There are white desert oasis, a beautiful landscape, a mountainous, white limestone composed by the nature of the problem Kalnkhalp, sentences, and the tent. Sahara and the white eye are green and the secret of long Idem. And there is a mountain crystal, mushrooms and whole landscapes. And there are oases Mnottaghat and tourist hotels Mjhzp fit for all arrivals from tourists and succession. Note that the oases and put on the tourist map by the competent authorities. And held for visitors from different races all necessary means of entertainment and comfort in order to be in safety and security, thanks so dear to our beloved Egypt.
Welcome to the oasis of my dreams ..............
[Unidentified soldier in Confederate first lieutentant frock coat]
[between 1861 and 1865]
1 photograph : ninth-plate tintype, hand-colored ; 9.5 x 8.3 cm (frame)
Notes:
Title devised by Library staff.
Frame: Berg, no. 7-51.
Gift; Tom Liljenquist; 2010; (DLC/PP-2010:105).
Subjects:
Confederate States of America.--Army--People--1860-1870.
Soldiers--Confederate--1860-1870.
Military uniforms--Confederate--1860-1870.
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Military personnel--Confederate.
Format: Portrait photographs--1860-1870.
Tintypes--Hand-colored--1860-1870.
Rights Info: No known restrictions on publication.
Repository: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA, hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print
Part Of: Ambrotype/Tintype filing series (Library of Congress) (DLC) 2010650518
Liljenquist Family collection (Library of Congress) (DLC) 2010650519
More information about this collection is available at hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.lilj
Persistent URL: hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.27181
Call Number: AMB/TIN no. 2328
Between 2014 and 2018 Australia will commemorate the Anzac Centenary, marking 100 years since our nation's involvement in the First World War.
These photos are almost 10 years old to the day (7 days away) as it will soon be Anzac day 2015.
I have attended quite a few dawn services but none quite as sobering as being a foreigner, walking fields where Australian soldiers died during wartime, and were burried.
I thought it was time to post my photos from Kranji.
I got up at 4 am along with many other of my Australian Microsoft and MVP friends. Bleary eyed, fighting the fog, we found our way to the bus.
We were in a daze as we were bumped about making our way to the killing fields of Kranji.
Kranji is a suburb in northwestern Singapore, located about 22 kilometres (14 mi) from the city centre.
The Kranji War Memorial in Singapore honours the men and women from the Commonwealth who died in the line of duty during World War II.
A very appropropriate and solem place for Anzac Day 2005.
Back then I was not interested in Photography and my cameras were not that great. Still, that is not the reason for the photos. I did want to try for a perfect shot. I just wanted memories.
It was humid, dark and very quiet as the service started. Bagpipes from overhead and marching in front.
Deep within this quiet neighbourhood, lies the Kranji War Memorial, a hillside cemetery that is quite beautiful in its serenity once you get there.
Every year, a memorial service is held to pay tribute to those who gave their lives.
The memorial honours the men and women from Britain, Australia, Canada, Sri Lanka, India, Malaya, the Netherlands and New Zealand who died in the line of duty during World War II.
Here, we see more than 4,400 white gravestones lined up in rows on the cemetery’s gentle slope. Many graves hold unknown soldiers.
The Chinese Memorial in plot 44 marks a mass grave for 69 Chinese servicemen who were killed by the Japanese when Singapore fell in February 1942.
Next to the Kranji War Memorial are the Kranji Military Cemetery and the Singapore State Cemetery, where Singapore’s first and second presidents are buried.
As we walked the short flight of steps to the hilltop terrace, we saw four memorials.
The largest is the Singapore Memorial, with its huge star-topped central pylon that rises to a height of 24 metres.
This memorial bears the names of more than 24,346 Allied soldiers and airmen killed in Southeast Asia who have no known grave. You can find the register, kept by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, at the entrance.
Every year, on the Sunday closest to Remembrance Day on 11 November, a memorial service is held to pay tribute to those who gave their lives.
Next to the Kranji War Memorial is the Kranji Military Cemetery, a non-world war site of more than 1,400 burials, as well as the Singapore State Cemetery, where the country’s first and second presidents, Encik Yusof Ishak and Dr Benjamin Henry
Sheares, are buried.
The Battle of Kranji was the second stage of the Empire of Japan's plan for the invasion of Singapore during the Second World War. On 9 February 1942 the Imperial Japanese Army assaulted the north-western front of the British colony of
Singapore. Their primary objective was to secure a second beachhead after their successful assault at Sarimbun Beach on 8 February, in order to breach the Jurong-Kranji defence line as part of their southward thrust towards the heart of
Singapore City. Defending the shoreline between the Kranji River and the Johor–Singapore Causeway was the Australian 27th Brigade, led by Brigadier Duncan Maxwell, and one irregular company.
On 10 February the Japanese forces suffered their heaviest losses while moving up the Kranji River, which caused them to panic and nearly aborted the operation. However, a series of miscommunications and withdrawals by Allied forces in the
ensuing battles allowed the Japanese to swiftly gain strategic footholds, which eventually led to the fall of Singapore on 15 February 1942.
The terrain around Kranji was primarily mangrove swamps and tropical forest intersected by streams and inlets. The shoreline between the Kranji River and the Johor–Singapore Causeway, nearly four kilometers long, was defended by the
Australian 27th Brigade, led by Australian Brigadier Duncan Maxwell. The 27th Infantry Brigade consisted of three battalions—the 2/30th, 2/29th, and 2/26th and was supported by the 2/10th Field Artillery Regiment, as well as one platoon from the
2/4th Machine Gun Battalion.
They were supported by one company from Dalforce (named after its commander, Lieutenant-Colonel John Dalley of the Malayan Police Special Branch), a local Chinese militia consisting of Communists, Nationalist supporters, and other
volunteers. As the war intensified, the Dalforce volunteers were given only three to four days of training and sent to the war front with elementary weapons. Lacking uniforms, the volunteers improvised by wearing a red triangle on their blue shirts to
avoid being mistaken for Japanese by the Australians.
The Allied forces at Kranji were to be assaulted by the Imperial Guards Division led by Major General Takuma Nishimura. 400 Imperial Guards had landed and taken Pulau Ubin, an island in the north-east of Singapore, in a feint attack on 7
February, where they encountered minimal resistance.
On 9 February, two divisions of the Japanese Twenty Fifth Army, led by Lieutenant General Tomoyuki Yamashita, landed on the northwestern coast of Singapore, in the Sarimbun area. Yamashita's headquarters (HQ) was in the Sultan of Johor's
palace on Istana Bukit Serene, which offered him and his officers a bird's eye view of virtually every key target in the northern sector of Singapore Island, only 1.6 kilometres (one mile) across the Straits of Johor. Sultan Ibrahim's palace was not fired
upon by the British because any damage caused would have extensive repercussions for British-Johor ties.
The primary objective of the Japanese at Kranji was to capture Kranji village; this would let them repair the demolished Causeway in order to facilitate easy flow of reinforcements and supplies down the roads of Woodlands and Mandai, and to the
rest of the island for their vanguard force. Once the leading wave of Japanese was safely ashore, the massed Japanese artillery switched their fire to the defensive positions at Kranji. Telegraph and telephone communications were destroyed in the
bombardment and communications between the front line and command HQ were broken. At 8:30pm that night, the men of the Imperial Guards Division began the crossing from Johor in special armoured landing-crafts, collapsible boats and by
swimming.
In the early hours of 10 February, Japanese forces suffered their heaviest losses during the Battle of Singapore. While moving up the Kranji River, advance landing parties from the 4th Regiment of the Imperial Guard Division found themselves
under heavy fire from Australian machine gunners and mortar teams. They also found themselves surrounded by oil slicks, which had been created by Allied personnel emptying the nearby Woodlands oil depot, to prevent its capture. A scenario
feared by Yamashita came to pass by accident; the oil was set alight by Allied small arms fire, causing many Japanese soldiers to be burnt alive. Sustaining heavy losses, Nishimura requested permission to abandon the operation. However,
Yamashita denied the request.
Maxwell, who had limited communications with his division headquarters, was concerned that his force would be cut off by fierce and chaotic fighting at Sarimbun and Jurong to the south west, involving the Australian 22nd Brigade. Maxwell's
force consequently withdrew from the seafront. This allowed the Japanese to land in increasing strength and take control of Kranji village. They also captured Woodlands, and began repairing the causeway, without encountering any Allied attacks.
Japanese light tanks, which had good buoyancy, were towed across the straits to Lim Chu Kang Road where they joined the battle at dusk. With reinforced troops and tanks advancing down Choa Chua Kang Road, the Australian troops were no
match for the tanks and fled to the hills of Bukit Panjang. The 5th Division (Imperial Japanese Army) captured Bukit Timah village by the evening of 11 February.
Lieutenant-General Arthur Percival, General Officer Commanding of HQ Malaya Command, drew a defence perimeter covering Kallang aerodrome, MacRitchie and Peirce reservoirs and the Bukit Timah supply depot area to ensure the integrity
of the city's defence. One line of the north-western defence perimeter was the Jurong-Kranji defence line, a narrow ridge connecting the sources of the Jurong and the Kranji Rivers, forming a natural defence line protecting the north-west
approach to the Singapore City. (Its counterpart was the Serangoon Line, which was sited between Kallang Airfield and Paya Lebar village on the eastern part of Singapore). The troops were to defend this Line strongly against the invading
Japanese force. The Line was defended by the 44th Indian Infantry Brigade which covered milestone 12 on Jurong Road, the 12th Indian Infantry Brigade and the reinforced 22nd Australian Brigade which guarded the northern part of the Line and
maintained contact with the 44th Indian Brigade. The 15th Indian Infantry Brigade was re-positioned near Bukit Timah Road to guard the island's vital food and petrol supplies. A secret instruction to protect this area was issued to Percival's
generals.
Percival's secret orders to withdraw to the last defence line around the city only if necessary were misunderstood by Maxwell, who took this to be an order for an immediate withdrawal to the Line. As a result, the 44th Indian Infantry Brigade, the 12th
Indian Infantry Brigade and the 22nd Australian Brigade, reinforced after their withdrawal from Sarimbun beach in the north-west, abandoned the Line on 10 February. Fearing that the large supplies depot would fall into Japanese hands should
they make a rush for Bukit Timah too soon, General Archibald Wavell, Allied commander-in-chief of the Far East sent an urgent message to Percival:
It is certain that our troops in Singapore Island heavily outnumber any Japanese who have crossed the Straits. We must destroy them. Our whole fighting reputation is at stake and the honour of the British Empire. The Americans have held out in the
Bataan Peninsula against a far heavier odds, the Russians are turning back the picked strength of the Germans. The Chinese with an almost lack of modern equipment have held the Japanese for four and a half years. It will be disgraceful if we
yield our boasted fortress of Singapore to inferior enemy forces.
By 11 February, the Jurong-Kranji Defence Line was left undefended which allowed the Japanese forces to sweep through the Line to attack Bukit Timah. On the same day, Percival finally moved his Combined Operations Headquarters in Sime
Road to the underground bunker, The Battle Box at Fort Canning.
Despite their fighting spirit, the Dalforce fighters suffered from poor training and the lack of equipment. A further blow was delivered when the 27th Australian Brigade withdrew southwards. As a result, the Japanese established a stronghold in the
northern Woodlands area and secured a relatively easy passage into the island. General Wavell left Singapore for Java early on 11 February and sent a cable to British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in London on his assessment of the war front
in Singapore:
Battle for Singapore is not going well... I ordered Percival to stage counter-attack with all troops possible... Morale of some troops is not good and none is as high as I should like to see... The chief troubles are lack of sufficient training in some
reinforcing troops and an inferior complex which bold Japanese tactics and their command of the air have caused. Everything possible is being done to produce more offensive spirit and optimistic outlook. But I cannot pretend that these efforts
have been entirely successful up to date. I have given the most categorical orders that there is to be no thought of surrender and that all troops are to continue fighting to the end...
By 12 February, the Imperial Guards had captured the reservoirs and Nee Soon village. The defending troops, by this time, were badly shaken. Thousands of exhausted and frightened stragglers left the fighting to seek shelter in large buildings. On
the same night, British forces in the east of the island had begun to withdraw towards the city.
On 13 February, the Japanese 5th Division continued its advance and reached Adam and Farrer Roads to capture the Sime Road Camp. Yamashita moved his HQ forward to the bomb-damaged Ford Factory in Bukit Timah. Heading southwards,
the Japanese 18th Division advanced into Pasir Panjang, where the last major battle of Singapore would be fought with the Malay Regiments at Bukit Chandu.
In 1995, the former battle sites of Kranji and the defence line were gazetted by the National Heritage Board as two of the eleven World War II sites of Singapore.
2005
Knoica Minolta
PICT0049
©Alan Yahnke
This is posted at about 32"x40" in the "original" size here. It was my 1st shot on Tmax 100. Last February if I remember correctly. Misty winter day.
1951 4x5 Graflex Crown Graphic - 1939 Kodak Anastigmat Lens - Compur Shutter - 4x5 Grafmatic Film Holder - Kodak TMax 100 - Epson V750 Scanner
...wildflower fields, actually....! ;-)
this is how part of the huge field seen before in bokeh status looks in focus...hues of yellow, pink orange, indigo, red and a few blues all under a dramatic Texas sky.
in Guadalupe County, Church Road @ Single Oak Road between New Berlin and Seguin, Texas...April 10, 2010
have a good weekend and take care!
These are photos I take between the official ones.
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Well, I survived my first snow storm of the season, mostly because I dodged the last few while on the West coast. Between the power outages and trying to avoid parental duties, I found time to take a look at another piece of Vancouver swag - Figma Tracer from Overwatch.. you know, in case all my recent Hentai Woody previews didn't give it away. Picked up off a Facebook seller for $45 CAD.
I used to be an avid gamer, but between work, getting married, and parental duties, the only real time I get to play these days is either while I'm supposed to be on the crapper, or when I'm supposed to be sleeping. As such, many of the current gaming trends have passed me by - I'm not bitter.. it's just not my time anymore. One such trend was something called Overwatch, which is an first person based arena shooter with a collection of characters I know nothing about (other than Widowmaker, the mostly naked one) with a collection of powers or abilities or something. One of the characters, Tracer, is pretty much the unofficial (or maybe it's official) mascot for the series, dressed in her crazy ski goggles and skin tight orange leggings. Much like most of the world, the character was introduced to me through controversy... people got upset over some overly sexual victory animations, Blizzard did some fixes, Tracer ended up still being the most featured character in animated porn.. so life basically went on.
With a retail price of about 6,300 Yen, Tracer is effectively entry level Figma in terms of the contents, though having not played the game, I honestly have no idea what is missing. There's the figure, three total face plates (smiling, laughing, neutral), trademark twin Pulse pistols, a Pulse bomb, a variety of hands for using these accessories, and of course the traditional Figma dynamic stand.
Based on some screen caps and official game art, it seems that Good Smile Company did a pretty good job at capturing the essence of the character. Her outfit has been faithfully recreated, including the fuzzy bits on her bomber jacket and detailing of the hair, The standard Figma body has a build that is generally a good match for Tracer, if not a bit on the lanky side. As with many Figma, the head is slightly undersized... strangely, Figma Tracer looks more "realistic" than actual tracer, who was created (along with many of the other cast members) with an very cartoonish aesthetic in place. Eyes are undersized as well across all sculpts.. or perhaps they're not quite expressive enough. Nitpicky, yes, but that's why I'm here.
Tracer, much like The Major, Angela Balzac, and of course, Black Widow, has an outfit that generally doesn't get in the way of the optimum articulation of the base Figma 2.0 body.. sort of. Most major points of articulation are present, which include full ankles, single jointed knees, full hips, mid torso, full shoulders including some chest collapse, bicep swivel, single jointed elbows, and head articulation. For those keeping score at home, you may notice that something is missing.. namely, a waist articulation point. In this case, the joint would have been where her jacket ends and her leggings begin. Not sure if this was a conscious choice for cost cutting reasons, or perhaps it was to avoid having continuity issues due to the presence of the straps at her side. Speaking of straps, the ones that go around her thigh do interfere with the articulation somewhat, but I feel it's more an interference with the easy of motion, rather than the quality of motion itself. At the end of the day, as established in a previous article, this body just isn't as articulated as the SH Figuarts current offering
Paint and decal work are generally up to Figma snuff. The work on the figure itself is pretty good. I love the light to dark orange fade on her pants as well as the paint work on the jacket itself. The various pieces of white and silver gear on her body are slightly weaker, most likely due to a need for multiple coats of paint. Typical paint masking errors and flaws are present, with the silvers being the worst examples (though there are also some really nice silver accents, like on her zipper). The translucent blue plastic used on her suit is a nice touch rather than simply a painted blue piece, as is the use of the translucent orange for Tracers goggles. Decal work is sharp, with excellent decals and a stead hand that applied them on nice and straight. Paint on the pistols, on the other hand, are kind of crude, most likely due to the killer combination of multiple coats of paint, small size, and lots of masking required. Crude as it is, the result is still better than the Hasbro version with most of the paint missing on those pistols.
Finally, we have build quality. As expected, the general product is quite good. The joints are strong, there are no tolerance issues with regards to fit of parts or limb length, nor are there any issues with articulation due to poor quality of workmanship. Assembly gaps are very well hidden on the upper body, but are somewhat visible on the legs. My biggest gripe is the crap QC on the tolerance of the cavity that holds in the front of Tracer's hair - it keeps falling off with the slightest jostle.
Figma Tracer is clearly your choice if you want a really good action figure of your favourite character. She's pretty much everything you'd want in an action figure except for perhaps the ability to do the most extreme of poses and, strangely, a waist joint. With the second game coming out, I'm guessing that unless one of the character didn't make it to the sequel, there will probably be Figma of the newer costumes which should trigger a sell off of original characters. From a design perspective, Tracer definitely has the ability to stand out on a shelf full of Figma due to her unique colour scheme and awesome orange pants.
Another solid entry into the Figma lineup.
Vishvanath Temple - dedicated to Lord Shiva, also called Vishwanath [master of the universe]. In the same premises, a temple dedicated to Nandi, holds a huge statue of Nandi [the Bull, the companion, attendant and closest aide of Lord Shiva].
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The Khajuraho Group of Monuments is a group of Hindu and Jain temples in Madhya Pradesh, India. About 175 kilometres southeast of Jhansi, they are one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India. The temples are famous for their nagara-style architectural symbolism and their erotic sculptures.
Most Khajuraho temples were built between 950 and 1050 CE by the Chandela dynasty. Historical records note that Khajuraho temple site had 85 temples by 12th century, spread over 20 square kilometers. Of these, only about 20 temples have survived, spread over 6 square kilometers. Of the various surviving temples, the Kandariya temple is decorated with a profusion of sculptures with intricate details, symbolism and expressiveness of ancient Indian art.
The Khajuraho group of temples were built together but were dedicated to two religions namely Hinduism and Jainism - suggesting a tradition of acceptance and respect for diverse religious views among Hindus and Jains.
LOCATION
Khajuraho group of monuments are located in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, in Chhatarpur District, about 620 kilometres southeast of New Delhi. The temples are in a small town also known as Khajuraho, with a population of about 20,000 people (2001 Census).
Khajuraho is served by Khajuraho Airport (IATA Code: HJR), with services to Delhi, Agra and Mumbai. The site is also linked by Indian Railways service, with the railway station approximately six kilometer from the monuments entrance.
The monuments are about 10 kilometres off the east-west National Highway 75, and about 50 kilometres from the city of Chhatarpur, that is connected to Bhopal - the state capital - by the SW-NE running National Highway 86.
HISTORY
The Khajuraho group of monuments were built during the rule of Rajput Chandela dynasty. The building activity started almost immediately after the rise of their power, throughout their kingdom to be later known as Bundelkhand. Most temples were built during the reigns of the Hindu kings Yashovarman and Dhanga. Yashovarman's legacy is best exhibited by Lakshmana temple. Vishvanatha temple best highlights King Dhanga's reign.:22 The largest and currently most famous surviving temple is Kandariya Mahadeva built in the reign of King Ganda from 1017-1029 CE. The temple inscriptions suggest many of the currently surviving temples were complete between 970 to 1030 CE, with few more temples completed in decades thereafter.
The Khajuraho temples were built about 35 miles from the medieval city of Mahoba, the capital of Chandela dynasty, in Kalinjar region. In ancient and medieval literature, their kingdom has been called Jijhoti, Jejahoti, Chih-chi-to and Jejakabhukti.
Khajuraho were mentioned by Abu Rihan-al-Biruni, the Persian historian who accompanied Mahmud of Ghazni in his raid of Kalinjar in 1022 CE; he mentions Khajuraho as the capital of Jajahuti. The raid was unsuccessful, and a peace accord was reached when the Hindu king agreed to pay a ransom to Mahmud of Ghazni to end the attack and leave.
Khajuraho temples were in active use through the end of 12th century. This changed in the 13th century, after the army of Delhi Sultanate, under the command of the Muslim Sultan Qutb-ud-din Aibak, attacked and seized the Chandela kingdom. About a century later, Ibn Battuta, the Moroccan traveller in his memoirs about his stay in India from 1335 to 1342 CE, mentioned visiting Khajuraho temples, calling them “Kajarra” as follows:
...near (Khajuraho) temples, which contain idols that have been mutilated by the Moslems, live a number of yogis whose matted locks have grown as long as their bodies. And on account of extreme asceticism they are all yellow in colour. Many Moslems attend these men in order to take lessons (yoga) from them.
— Ibn Battuta, about 1335 CE, Riḥlat Ibn Baṭūṭah, Translated by Arthur Cotterell
Central Indian region, where Khajuraho temples are, remained in the control of many different Muslim dynasties from 13th century through the 18th century. In this period, some temples were desecrated, followed by a long period when they were left in neglect. In 1495 CE, for example, Sikandar Lodi’s campaign of temple destruction included Khajuraho. The remoteness and isolation of Khajuraho protected the Hindu and Jain temples from continued destruction by Muslims. Over the centuries, vegetation and forests overgrew, took over the temples.
In the 1830s, local Hindus guided a British surveyor, T.S. Burt, to the temples and they were thus rediscovered by the global audience. Alexander Cunningham later reported, few years after the rediscovery, that the temples were secretly in use by yogis and thousands of Hindus would arrive for pilgrimage during Shivaratri celebrated annually in February or March based on a lunar calendar. In 1852, Maisey prepared earliest drawings of the Khajuraho temples.
NOMENCLATURE
The name Khajuraho, or Kharjuravāhaka, is derived from ancient Sanskrit (kharjura, खर्जूर means date palm, and vāhaka, वाहक means "one who carries" or bearer). Local legends state that the temples had two golden date-palm trees as their gate (missing when they were rediscovered). Desai states that Kharjuravāhaka also means scorpion bearer, which is another symbolic name for deity Shiva (who wears snakes and scorpion garlands in his fierce form).
Cunningham’s nomenclature and systematic documentation work in 1850s and 1860s have been widely adopted and continue to be in use. He grouped the temples into the Western group around Lakshmana, Eastern group around Javeri, and Southern group around Duladeva.
Khajuraho is one of the four holy sites linked to deity Shiva (the other three are Kedarnath, Kashi and Gaya). Its origin and design is a subject of scholarly studies. Shobita Punja has proposed that the temple’s origin reflect the Hindu mythology in which Khajuraho is the place where Shiva got married; with Raghuvamsha verse 5.53, Matangeshvara honoring ‘’Matanga’’, or god of love.
DESCRIPTION
The temple site is within Vindhya mountain range in central India. An ancient local legend held that Hindu deity Shiva and other gods enjoyed visiting the dramatic hill formation in Kalinjar area. The center of this region is Khajuraho, set midst local hills and rivers. The temple complex reflects the ancient Hindu tradition of building temples where gods love to play.
The temples are clustered near water, another typical feature of Hindu temples. The current water bodies include Sib Sagar, Khajur Sagar (also called Ninora Tal) and Khudar Nadi (river). The local legends state that the temple complex had 64 water bodies, of which 56 have been physically identified by archeologists so far.
All temples, except one (Chaturbhuja) face sunrise - another symbolic feature that is predominant in Hindu temples. The relative layout of temples integrate masculine and feminine deities and symbols highlight the interdependence. The art work symbolically highlight the four goals of life considered necessary and proper in Hinduism - dharma, kama, artha and moksha.
Of the surviving temples, 6 are dedicated to Shiva and his consorts, 8 to Vishnu and his affinities, 1 to Ganesha, 1 to Sun god, 3 to Jain Tirthanks. For some ruins, there is insufficient evidence to assign the temple to specific deities with confidence.
An overall examination of site suggests that the Hindu symbolic mandala design principle of square and circles is present each temple plan and design. Further, the territory is laid out in three triangles that converge to form a pentagon. Scholars suggest that this reflects the Hindu symbolism for three realms or trilokinatha, and five cosmic substances or panchbhuteshvara. The temple site highlights Shiva, the one who destroys and recycles life, thereby controlling the cosmic dance of time, evolution and dissolution.
The temples have a rich display of intricately carved statues. While they are famous for their erotic sculpture, sexual themes cover less than 10% of the temple sculpture. Further, most erotic scene panels are neither prominent nor emphasized at the expense of the rest, rather they are in proportional balance with the non-sexual images. The viewer has to look closely to find them, or be directed by a guide. The arts cover numerous aspects of human life and values considered important in Hindu pantheon. Further, the images are arranged in a configuration to express central ideas of Hinduism. All three ideas from Āgamas are richly expressed in Khajuraho temples - Avyakta, Vyaktavyakta and Vyakta.
The Beejamandal temple is under excavation. It has been identified with the Vaidyanath temple mentioned in the Grahpati Kokalla inscription.
Of all temples, the Matangeshvara temple remains an active site of worship. It is another square grid temple, with a large 2.5 metres high and 1.1 metres diameter lingam, placed on a 7.6 metres diameter platform.
The most visited temple, Kandariya Mahadev, has an area of about 6,500 square feet and a shikhara (spire) that rise
s 116 feet.
Jain templesThe Jain temples are located on east-southeast region of Khajuraho monuments. Chausath jogini temple features 64 jogini, while Ghantai temple features bells sculptured on its pillars.
ARCHITECTURE OF THE TEMPLES
Khajuraho temples, like almost all Hindu temple designs, follow a grid geometrical design called vastu-purusha-mandala. This design plan has three important components - Mandala means circle, Purusha is universal essence at the core of Hindu tradition, while Vastu means the dwelling structure.
The design lays out a Hindu temple in a symmetrical, concentrically layered, self-repeating structure around the core of the temple called garbhagriya, where the abstract principle Purusha and the primary deity of the temple dwell. The shikhara, or spire, of the temple rises above the garbhagriya. This symmetry and structure in design is derived from central beliefs, myths, cardinality and mathematical principles.
The circle of mandala circumscribe the square. The square is considered divine for its perfection and as a symbolic product of knowledge and human thought, while circle is considered earthly, human and observed in everyday life (moon, sun, horizon, water drop, rainbow). Each supports the other. The square is divided into perfect 64 sub-squares called padas.
Most Khajuraho temples deploy the 8x8 padas grid Manduka Vastupurushamandala, with pitha mandala the square grid incorporated in the design of the spires. The primary deity or lingas are located in the grid’s Brahma padas.The architecture is symbolic and reflects the central Hindu beliefs through its form, structure and arrangement of its parts. The mandapas as well as the arts are arranged in the Khajuraho temples in a symmetric repeating patterns, even though each image or sculpture is distinctive in its own way. The relative placement of the images are not random but together they express ideas, just like connected words form sentences and paragraphs to compose ideas. This fractal pattern that is common in Hindu temples. Various statues and panels have inscriptions. Many of the inscriptions on the temple walls are poems with double meanings, something that the complex structure of Sanskrit allows in creative compositions. All Khajuraho temples, except one, face sunrise, and the entrance for the devotee is this east side.
Above the vastu-purusha-mandala of each temple is a superstructure with a dome called Shikhara (or Vimana, Spire). Variations in spire design come from variation in degrees turned for the squares. The temple Shikhara, in some literature, is linked to mount Kailash or Meru, the mythical abode of the gods.
In each temple, the central space typically is surrounded by an ambulatory for the pilgrim to walk around and ritually circumambulate the Purusa and the main deity. The pillars, walls and ceilings around the space, as well as outside have highly ornate carvings or images of the four just and necessary pursuits of life - kama, artha, dharma and moksa. This clockwise walk around is called pradakshina.
Larger Khajuraho temples also have pillared halls called mandapa. One near the entrance, on the east side, serves as the waiting room for pilgrims and devotees. The mandapas are also arranged by principles of symmetry, grids and mathematical precision. This use of same underlying architectural principle is common in Hindu temples found all over India. Each Khajuraho temple is distinctly carved yet also repeating the central common principles in almost all Hindu temples, one which Susan Lewandowski refers to as “an organism of repeating cells”.
CONSTRUCTION
The temples are grouped into three geographical divisions: western, eastern and southern.
The Khajuraho temples are made of sandstone, with a granite foundation that is almost concealed from view. The builders didn't use mortar: the stones were put together with mortise and tenon joints and they were held in place by gravity. This form of construction requires very precise joints. The columns and architraves were built with megaliths that weighed up to 20 tons. Some repair work in the 19th Century was done with brick and mortar; however these have aged faster than original materials and darkened with time, thereby seeming out of place.
The Khajuraho and Kalinjar region is home to superior quality of sandstone, which can be precision carved. The surviving sculpture reflect fine details such as strands of hair, manicured nails and intricate jewelry.
While recording the television show Lost Worlds (History Channel) at Khajuraho, Alex Evans recreated a stone sculpture under 4 feet that took about 60 days to carve in an attempt to develop a rough idea how much work must have been involved. Roger Hopkins and Mark Lehner also conducted experiments to quarry limestone which took 12 quarrymen 22 days to quarry about 400 tons of stone. They concluded that these temples would have required hundreds of highly trained sculptors.
CHRONOLOGY
The Khajuraho group of temples belong to Vaishnavism school of Hinduism, Saivism school of Hinduism and Jainism - nearly a third each. Archaeological studies suggest all three types of temples were under construction at about the same time in late 10th century, and in use simultaneously. Will Durant states that this aspect of Khajuraho temples illustrates the tolerance and respect for different religious viewpoints in the Hindu and Jain traditions. In each group of Khajuraho temples, there were major temples surrounded by smaller temples - a grid style that is observed to varying degrees in Hindu temples in Angkor Wat, Parambaran and South India.
The largest surviving Saiva temple is Khandarya Mahadeva, while the largest surviving Vaishnava group includes Chaturbhuja and Ramachandra.
Kandarya Mahadeva temple plan is 109 ft in length by 60 ft, and rises 116 ft above ground and 88 ft above its own floor. The central padas are surrounded by three rows of sculptured figures, with over 870 statues, most being half life size (2.5 to 3 feet). The spire is a self repeating fractal structure.
TEMPLE NAME - DEITY - YEAR COMPLETED
Chausath Yogini - Devi, 64 Yoginis - 885
Brahma - Vishnu - 925
Lalgun Mahadev - Shiva - 900
Matangeshwar - Shiva - 1000
Varaha - Vishnu - 950
Lakshmana - Vaikuntha Vishnu - 939
Parshvanath - Parshvanath - 954
Visvanatha - Shiva - 999
Devi Jagadambi - Devi, Parvati - 1023
Chitragupta - Sun, Chitragupta - 1023
Kandariya Mahadeva - Shiva - 1029
Vamana - Vamana - 1062
Adinath Jain Temple - Rishabha - 1027
Javeri - Vishnu - 1090
Chaturbhuja - Vishnu - 1110
Duladeo (Duladeva) - Shiva - 1125
Ghantai - Jain Tirthankara - 960
Vishnu-Garuda - Vishnu - 1000
Ganesha - Shiva - 1000
Hanuman - Hanuman - 922
Mahishasuramardini - Devi - 995
ARTS AND SCULPTURE
The Khajuraho temples feature a variety of art work, of which 10% is sexual or erotic art outside and inside the temples. Some of the temples that have two layers of walls have small erotic carvings on the outside of the inner wall. Some scholars suggest these to be tantric sexual practices. Other scholars state that the erotic arts are part of Hindu tradition of treating kama as an essential and proper part of human life, and its symbolic or explicit display is common in Hindu temples. James McConnachie, in his history of the Kamasutra, describes the sexual-themed Khajuraho sculptures as "the apogee of erotic art":
"Twisting, broad-hipped and high breasted nymphs display their generously contoured and bejewelled bodies on exquisitely worked exterior wall panels. These fleshy apsaras run riot across the surface of the stone, putting on make-up, washing their hair, playing games, dancing, and endlessly knotting and unknotting their girdles . . Beside the heavenly nymphs are serried ranks of griffins, guardian deities and, most notoriously, extravagantly interlocked maithunas, or lovemaking couples."
The temples have several thousand statues and art works, with Kandarya Mahadeva temple alone decorated with over 870. Some 10% of these iconographic carvings contain sexual themes and various sexual poses. A common misconception is that, since the old structures with carvings in Khajuraho are temples, the carvings depict sex between deities; however the kama arts represent diverse sexual expressions of different human beings. The vast majority of arts depict various aspects the everyday life, mythical stories as well as symbolic display of various secular and spiritual values important in Hindu tradition. For example, depictions show women putting on makeup, musicians making music, potters, farmers, and other folks in their daily life during the medieval era. These scenes are in the outer padas as is typical in Hindu temples.
There is iconographic symbolism embedded in the arts displayed in Khajuraho temples. Core Hindu values are expressed in multitude of ways. Even the Kama scenes, when seen in combination of sculptures that precede and follow, depict the spiritual themes such as moksha. In the words of Stella Kramrisch,
This state which is “like a man and woman in close embrace” is a symbol of moksa, final release or reunion of two principles, the essence (Purusha) and the nature (Prakriti).
— Stella Kramrisch, 1976
The Khajuraho temples represent one expression of many forms of arts that flourished in Rajput kingdoms of India from 8th through 10th century CE. For example, contemporary with Khajuraho were the publications of poems and drama such as Prabodhacandrodaya, Karpuramanjari, Viddhasalabhanjika and Kavyamimansa. Some of the themes expressed in these literary works are carved as sculpture in Khajuraho temples. Some sculptures at the Khajuraho monuments dedicated to Vishnu include the Vyalas, which are hybrid imaginary animals with lions body, and are found in other Indian temples. Some of these hybrid mythical art work include Vrik Vyala (hybrid of wolf and lion) and Gaja Vyala (hybrid of elephant and lion). These Vyalas may represent syncretic, creative combination of powers innate in the two.
TOURISM AND CULTURAL EVENTS
The temples in Khajuraho are broadly divided into three parts : the Eastern group, the Southern Group and the Western group of temples of which the Western group alone has the facility of an Audio guided tour wherein the tourists are guided through the seven eight temples. There is also an audio guided tour developed by the Archaeological Survey of India which includes a narration of the temple history and architecture.
The Khajuraho Dance Festival is held every year in February. It features various classical Indian dances set against the backdrop of the Chitragupta or Vishwanath Temples.
The Khajuraho temple complex offers a light and sound show every evening. The first show is in English language and the second one in Hindi. It is held in the open lawns in the temple complex, and has received mixed reviews.
The Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development has set up kiosks at the Khajuraho railway station, with tourist officers to provide information for Khajuraho visitors.
WIKIPEDIA
Pansy between the chains of the hanging basket at the back door. These winter pansies have done nothing for months then all of a sudden they have burst into bloom. The rain was just a couple of minutes away.
'L' to view on black if you have time...OR...view me here: www.fluidr.com/photos/katiedee
THANKS FOR VISITING..........HAVE A NICE DAY