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"A phobia is an exaggerated fear of a particular situation or experience causing anxiety to spike". (Dr. Bourne - Coping with anxiety)
Norwich Castle was founded by William the Conqueror some time between 1066 and 1075. It originally took the form of a motte and bailey. Early in 1067, William the Conqueror embarked on a campaign to subjugate East Anglia, and according to military historian R. Allen Brown it was probably around this time that Norwich Castle was founded. The stone keep, which still stands today, was probably built between 1095 and 1110.
Its outer shell has been repaired repeatedly, most recently in 1835–9 by Anthony Salvin, with James Watson as mason, using Bath stone. None of the inner or outer bailey buildings survive, and the original Norman bridge over the inner ditch was replaced in about the year 1825. During the renovation, the keep was completely refaced based faithfully on the original ornamentation.
The castle keep, which had at one point been used as a gaol, is now a museum. This is the main entrance to the castle. The modern glass building on the left is the top of a small lift tower providing disabled access from the road below.
I took Maddie and friends for a hike to help prepare them for their "adventurous journey" for their Duke of Ed award. The trail was very technical/difficult and the girls made their way through like champs! It was a gorgeous day for it :)
I spent this day photographing at Westbourne Park and Paddington above is Class 50 50009 Conqueror running past with the 11:30 to Penzance. Loco's seen that day were : 31143/145/273/412/413/415. 47032/54/68/90/95/123/125/252/342/445/447/455/500/510. 50008/9/14/18/21/35/44/48. and Hst's 253001/6/9/10/11/13/15/16/17/18/19/20/22. 15/07/1978.
Kevin Connolly - All rights reserved so please do no use this image without my explicit permission
The incredible Potentate, a 1952 52' Chris-Craft Conqueror anchored in Princess Bay, Wallace Island, BC. This is the same model as our Sovereign but 3 years newer.
The kitties decided to play "New Moon" today and conquered Dracula. They fought hard and overwhelmed the Count just off the patio. They think their version is better than the movie. LOL! Sooty, the black cat, licks his paw in victory while Aggie rests awaiting a laurel wreath for her bravery.
The greatest of Earth's living forms,
Tall conquerors that laugh at storms;
Their challenge still unanswered rings,
Through fifty centuries of kings.
I chose the work conquer. To conquer something means to successfully overcome it. This photo represents balance and overcoming difficulties. When life gets you down, conquer them and stand back up.
It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles.
Then the victory is yours.
It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell.
Lord Buddha
This lady is called Sangmu, and I met her in India several years back. The gentleman next to her, well, I have no idea who he is! He saw us taking a picture and in true Tibetan style, just decided to step in. How could I say no to such a sweet face!
Sangmu's name means 'kind-hearted', and with her life, she's needed to be just that. Separated from her family my thousands of miles and a huge mountain range, she left Tibet looking for a better life. She misses her children terribly but says she refuses to feel sad for herself, or feel anger towards those who made her life so difficult she had to leave.
"If I'm angry," she said, "does it hurt my enemies? Does it make any difference to their life? None! It affects only me, makes me boil inside, ruins my happiness. What's the point? I try to hurt, destroy my own anger, not my enemies - only then can I be happy".
With these words of truth, I leave you.
Matt
Photo credit: Cindy Kurman, Kurman Communications, Inc. Freedom Golf Association’s First Annual “Honor Wounded Vets 5K Run/Walk” succeeds in showing how adaptive golf is aiding vets’ road to recovery
The enthusiasm and good will were palpable at McDonald’s corporate campus in Oak Brook, Illinois on Sunday, October 29 as the Freedom Golf Association’s (FGA) First Annual “Honor Wounded Vets 5K Run/Walk” succeeded in drawing attention to the fact that adaptive golf is clearly helping wounded vets return to normality after their military service. The more than 100 participants conquered the 5K course to show their support for the programs of the Freedom Golf Association, which is leading the way In Illinois in bringing the joy of golf to persons with physical, emotional and developmental needs.
“The 5K Run/Walk was a terrific way to honor Veterans who have been wounded in their service to the country and to acknowledge Illinois’ wounded vets, a growing number of whom have taken up golf to enjoy its many physical, emotional and social benefits,” said Sally Ruecking, FGA’s Vice President of Strategic Advancement. “Adaptive golf is bringing fun into the lives of people who are often left out due to their disabilities.”
Cheered on by the music of the Elmhurst College Jazz Band and with welcoming remarks from E.Q. Sylvester, Chairman of FGA; radio and TV personality Bob Sirott of event co-sponsor WLS-AM radio; and Ruecking, the runners and walkers took to the track with smiles and a sense of mission. Other event sponsors included Molex LLC, Rich Harvest Farms, KF Partners LLC, and Reebie Storage and Moving.
The overall men’s winner was 16-year old Matt Pierce of Alsip, Illinois, who ran the 5K course in 18:59. Second place went to Thomas Potaczek of Bensenville, IL, with a time of 19:23 and third place went to Andrew Pyle of Hinsdale, IL with a time of 22:14.
Among the women, the overall winner was Eileen Skisak of La Grange, IL with a time of 18:59. Eileen also ran in fifth place overall. The second-place women’s winner was 12-year old Alexandra Two, with a time of 25:36; third place went to 10-year old Kelly Fergus of Chicago, with a time of 27:27.
Winners by age group were:
•Male 10-14: James Mercurio, Hinsdale, IL
•Male 15-19: Thomas Mercurio, Hinsdale, IL
•Male 20-24: Ben Landress, Chicago, IL
•Male 30-34: (1st) Michael Bellino, Villa Park, IL; (2nd) Nick Bada, Villa Park, IL
•Male 45-49: (1st) Jim Mercurio, Hinsdale, IL; (2nd) Carmelo Aguinir, Joliet, IL
•Male 50-54: (1st) Bob Fergus, Chicago, IL; (2nd) Ross Hurst, Clarendon Hills, IL; (3rd) Randy Pyle, Hinsdale, IL; (4th) Roger Keys, Northbrook, IL
•Male 65-69: (1st) Jerome Getter, Oak Park, IL; (2nd) John Kosmatka, Valparaiso, IN; (3rd) Karl Johnson, Woodridge, IL
•Male 70-74: James Smith, Clarendon Hills, IL
•Female 15-19: Maria Meyer, Hinsdale, IL
•Female 40-44: Lori Kosmatka, Chicago, IL
•Female 45-49: (1st) Kimberly Mercurio, Hinsdale, IL; (2nd) Arlinda Nunez, Hinsdale, IL; (3rd) Christine Two, Wilmette, IL
•Female 50-54: (1st) Joy Hyzny, Burbank, IL; (2nd) Christie Bellino, Villa Park, IL
•Female 55-59: Jud Hrad, Chicago, IL
•Female 60-64: Sue Shepard, Elmhurst, IL
•Female 65-69: Carol Raska, Oak Park, IL
Freedom Golf Association leads the way in bringing adaptive golf to Illinois and is an integral part of the growing national movement, which has been embraced by major golf entities such as the PGA, LPGA and USGA.
“Freedom Golf Association encourages corporations with cause marketing programs that help the disabled to become FGA sponsors or corporate foundation grant providers and help us grow,” said Ruecking.
About Freedom Golf Association
Freedom Golf Association (FGA), a 501(C)3 non-profit charitable organization, is the leading adaptive golf organization in Illinois and is a charter member of the United States Adaptive Golf Alliance. FGA was founded in July 2012 by Edmund (E.Q.) Sylvester. E.Q. is a director of the Western Golf Association (WGA), member of the United States Senior Golf Association (USSGA), member of the United States Golf Association (USGA) and a triple amputee. FGA is dedicated to bringing joy and a sense of freedom to the special needs community through their inclusion in the game of golf.
FGA believes that all special needs individuals deserve a chance to accomplish the same things as any others do and work towards bringing a positive transformation to their lives. FGA contributes to the positive development of those with special needs through the magic of golf.
FGA works to assist individuals with disabilities in many ways:
•Provides professionally run adaptive golf instructional clinics and golf events
•Engages children, adults and veterans with special needs in FREE adaptive golf instruction with other classmates
•Conducts adaptive golf training workshops to increase the number of qualified adaptive golf coaches to instruct individuals with special needs
•Provides leadership and collaboration with nationally recognized organizations on how to expand/grow adaptive golf programs
Based on its growing understanding of the needs of disabled golfers, the FGA has developed a ground-breaking Adaptive Golf Enhancement Program™ that increases the golfing ability of special needs golfers. FGA’s golf coaches learn this six-step process, which helps them better understand and enhance the capabilities of special needs golfers.
To assist coaches and special needs golfers in determining what adaptive measures would be most beneficial, FGA recently invested in what they call a “personal swing sensors and computerized program” to 1) measure the disabled golfer’s initial swing path and limitations; 2) develop an appropriate exercise program to improve flexibility and range of motion; and 3) to chart the golfer’s progress, using the initial swing measurements as a baseline.
In 2016, FGA provided more than 1,300 adaptive golf lessons. In the same year, 110 special needs golfers went out and played on the course. Ten individuals became trained FGA Adaptive Golf Coaches, growing the total number to 42.
79 cents out of every dollar received goes to FGA’s special needs golf programs and events. FGA has led 40 Chicagoland courses in becoming accessible to the disabled community.
For more information about the Freedom Golf Association, please visit the official website at www.fgagolf.org and the online newsroom at www.newsline360.com/freedomgolfassociation. Contact FGA by phone at 855-342-4465 or 630-455-6018, or by email at playgolf@fgagolf.org. Donations to Freedom Golf Association can be made at www.fgagolf.org/donate.html.
Follow FGA on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FGA4Golf. Follow FGA on Twitter at www.twitter.com/FGA4Golf.
"When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free."
~ Wendell Berry, 2012
This image is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Please feel free to share, remix, and use it in your own creations, as long as you attribute the original source (preferably with a link here or to my website: Tinker & Rove). Thanks!
"Conqueror" decommisioned, this is the nuclear submarine that on 2-5-1982,almost 30 years ago,sank the "Belgrano" in the Falklands conflict,this was taken Sept.1991,it is still at Devonport i think.
At Pevensey Castle
Pevensey Castle: a Saxon Shore fort, Norman defences, a medieval enclosure castle, and later associated remains
The monument includes Anderita Saxon Shore fort, traces of later, Norman defences, an enclosure castle, a 16th century gun emplacement and World War II defences situated on a low spur of sand and clay which now lies around 2km north west of the present East Sussex coastline at Pevensey. During the Roman and medieval periods the spur formed a peninsula projecting into a tidal lagoon and marshland, but coastal deposition and land reclamation have gradually built up the ground around it so that it is now completely land-locked. The roughly oval, north east-south west aligned Roman fort is the earliest of the structures which make up the monument and has been dated to the first half of the fourth century AD. Covering almost 4ha, the fort survives in the form of substantial ruins and buried remains. It is enclosed by a massive defensive wall with a flint and sandstone rubble core faced by coursed greensand and ironstone blocks, interspersed with red tile bonding courses. The whole is up to 3.7m thick and survives to a height of up to 8.1m. The wall was originally topped by a wall walk and parapet. Part excavation in 1906-8 showed that the wall was constructed on footings of rammed chalk and flints underpinned by oak piles and held together by a framework of wooden beams. Investigation of the internal face indicated that this was stepped upwards from a wide base so as to provide extra strength and support. Despite these precautions, a landslip on the south eastern side of the fort has resulted in the destruction of a c.180m length of the perimeter walls and, although fragments of the fallen masonry do survive, most have been removed over the years. Smaller sections of wall have also collapsed along the north western and eastern stretches. The defensive strength provided by the perimeter wall was enhanced by irregularly-spaced, externally projecting semicircular bastions with diameters of around 5m. There were originally at least 15 of these, of which 10 survive today. The fort was entered from its south western, landward approach by way of the main gateway. In front of this a protective ditch 5.5m wide was dug, and, although this became infilled over the years, a 40m stretch located towards its south eastern end has been recut and exposed. The ditch would have been spanned originally by a wooden bridge, although this no longer survives. The main gateway takes the form of a rectangular gatehouse set back between two solid semicircular bastions 8m apart. The 2.7m wide, originally arched entrance is flanked by two oblong guardrooms and the whole gateway structure projects beyond the inner face of the perimeter wall into the fort and is thought to have been originally two or even three storeys high. On the eastern side of the fort is a more simply designed subsidiary gateway, originally a 3m wide archway entrance, giving access to part of the adjacent Roman harbour, now overlain by Pevensey village. The extant archway is a modern reconstruction of the Norman rebuilding of the original entrance. Traces of a wooden causeway which led from it into the fort have been found during partial excavation. Midway along the north western stretch of perimeter wall is a now ruined postern c.2m wide, approached by a curved passage set within the wall. Part excavation between 1906-1908 indicated that the internal buildings which housed the garrison of up to 1,000 men, along with their livestock and supplies, were constructed of timber infilled with wattle and daub. A c.1m sq timber-lined Roman well was found in the south western sector of the fort, at the bottom of which were the remains of the wooden bucket with rope still attached. The well was found to have been filled with rubbish in Roman times and the presence of the bones of cattle, sheep, red deer, wild boar, wild birds, domestic dogs and cats, along with sea shells, gives some indication of the diet and lifestyle of the fort's original inhabitants. Anderita is thought to have been abandoned by its garrison by the latter half of the 4th century AD, and although little is known of its subsequent history until the 11th century, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records a massacre of Britons by the invading Saxons at the fort in AD 491. The Bayeux Tapestry states that William the Conquerer landed at Pevensey in 1066, and the Norman army are believed to have made use of the Roman fort as one of their first armed camps. The defences at Pevensey and the surrounding land were granted to King William's half-brother Robert, Count of Mortain. The medieval defences then went through at least 300 years of development, culminating in the construction of a stone built enclosure castle within the largely intact walls of the earlier Roman fort. It is thought that the first Norman defences took the form of a wooden palisade surrounded by a bank and ditch, and a c.40m length of partially infilled ditch up to 9m wide which survives across the north eastern sector of the earlier fort may indicate their original extent. Limited excavations in 1993-94 showed that the ground surface in the south eastern sector of the fort, in the vicinity of the later stone-built keep, was artificially raised some time before 1200, suggesting that a motte may also have been constructed. The original Roman gateways were rebuilt and a new ditch dug in front of the south western gate. Most of the Norman defences and interior wooden buildings will now survive in buried form beneath the later medieval castle, although herringbone-pattern repairs to the Roman masonry, by then serving as the outer bailey of the medieval defences, also date from this time. Around 1100 the defences were strengthened and the accommodation improved by the addition of a masonry keep in the south eastern sector of the earlier fort. The subject of a complex history of alteration, collapse and repair, the keep utilises part of the earlier, Roman perimeter wall and bastions. It takes the form of a rectangular block measuring c.16.8m by c.9m internally, reinforced by apsidal projections on all sides. Now surviving in ruined form up to first floor level, the keep originally took the form of a tall tower with an entrance on the first floor. A rectangular building measuring 7.6m by 6m was later constructed in the south eastern angle between the keep and the Roman wall. At around 1200 work began on the construction of a smaller, stone-built inner bailey in the south eastern sector of the earlier fort. An L-shaped ditch around 20m wide was dug to define the new enclosure, and this retains water in its northern arm. The material excavated from the ditch and from the destruction of the earlier bank was spread over much of the outer bailey to a depth of up to 1.5m. The ditch was recut during extensive renovations carried out during the early 20th century. The first structure to be built in this phase was the gatehouse to the south west which has an arched entrance between twin, semicircular external towers, now ruined. The basement chambers beneath each tower have ashlar-faced walls and barrel-vaulted ceilings, the southern chamber being entered by way of a newel staircase, the northern by a trapdoor. Both were used to house prisoners. Many subsequent alterations included the replacement, during the 15th century, of the wooden bridge over the outer ditch by a stone causeway. The originally embattled curtain wall enclosing the inner bailey was built within the ditch and inner berm around 1250. This survives almost to its full original height and is faced with coursed Greensand ashlar. Three semicircular external towers provided flanking cover from the narrow embrasures which pierce their walls. Each has a narrow staircase to a basement, a branch staircase off it into the ditch and a room and garderobe, or latrine, at ground floor level. Upper rooms were entered by way of the wall walk and were heated by fireplaces. The basement of the northernmost tower has two rib-vaulted bays, the keeled ribs resting on stiff-leaf corbels. The interior castle buildings continued to be built mainly of wood and these will survive in buried form, although the stone foundations of a chapel were exposed during partial excavation of the northern sector of the inner bailey. Around 20m south east of the chapel is a large stone-lined well at least 15.5m deep, and near this is a pile of medieval stone missile-balls, a selection of those recovered from the ditch. These were thrown from trebuchets during the four sieges of the castle. William, Count of Mortain forfeited Pevensey after an unsuccessful rebellion against Henry I in 1101 and the castle, which remained in the royal gift until the later Middle Ages, passed into the hands of the de Aquila family. The most famous siege took place in 1264-65 when the supporters of Henry III, fleeing from their defeat by the Barons at Lewes, took refuge in the castle. In 1372 the castle was given to John of Gaunt, and during his period of office was used to imprison James I, King of Scotland, who had been seized in 1406, and Joan, Queen of Navarre, accused of witchcraft by her stepson, Henry V. By 1300, the sea had gradually begun to recede from around the castle and its military importance declined as a result. Contemporary records show that the castle walls were constantly in need of expensive repair and by the end of the 14th century were not being properly maintained, although the roof leads were kept intact until the middle of the 15th century. By 1500 the castle had ceased to be inhabited and fell rapidly into decay. The threat of the Spanish Armada led to some renewed interest in the defensive value of the site, and a survey of 1587 records that the castle housed two demi-culverins, or heavy guns. These were sited on the contemporary, south east orientated, M-shaped earthen gun emplacement situated in the outer bailey around 90m north east of the main Roman gateway. This takes the form of a raised level platform c.20m long bounded on the seaward side by a slight bank c.0.4m high and around 3m wide. One of the cast iron guns, manufactured in the East Sussex Weald, is now housed within the inner bailey on a modern replica carriage. From the 17th century the castle passed through the hands of various private owners. Valued as a picturesque ruin during the 18th and 19th centuries, it features in many contemporary engravings and illustrations. In 1925 the Duke of Devonshire presented the monument to the state, and extensive repairs began with a view to opening the monument to the public. These were interrupted by the outbreak of World War II, when the castle resumed its original military purpose of protecting the south coast. The castle was refortified in May 1940 as an observation and command post. It was continuously occupied by regular troops, including Canadian forces and the United States Army Air Corps, who used it as a radio direction centre, and by the Home Guard until 1944. The World War II defences include two pillboxes and three machine gun posts of concrete faced with rubble and flints, carefully concealed and camouflaged within the earlier Roman and medieval fabric. An internal tower was built just to the south of the Roman east gateway and a blockhouse housing anti-tank weapons was built in front of the main Roman gateway. The blockhouse no longer survives. Modifications carried out to the medieval mural towers included lining the interiors with brick and inserting wooden floors. In 1945 the monument was returned to peaceful use and is now in the guardianship of the Secretary of State and open to the public.
[Historic England]
Space, Conquer or Die - Swiatowid, a monumental metal sculpture weighing 7 tons and standing 36.5 feet high by 16-feet wide, was cast by sculptor Andrzej Pitynski in 2013 and installed at the Grounds for Sculpture in April 2014.
Swiatowid was a pagan god of the sun worshipped in pre-Christian Europe. It was believed that sun deity, lord of war, peace, and prosperity, represented with four faces, would ride his white horse across the sky rom East to West every day, his long sword in one hand and drinking horn in the other. Pitynski's piece bridges the deep past, present and future with the whole composition in the form of a space ship ready to launch. The top of the monument is in the form of a head, with four faces—each representing a different aspect of the one sun god, with a helmet carrying the 14 stars of the European Union. The youngest face is toward the East, and the oldest towards the North. The Eastern face has attributes of the god “Lada” lord of love, life, and happiness. The Southern face represents “Swarog” controller of the sun, the stars and the whole solar system. The face to the West is “Mokusz” god of prosperity, banquets and feasting, dance, music and art. Finally, the Northern face is “Perun” god of war, of thunder and lightning, and of natural catastrophes.
Beneath each of the faces are three reliefs portraying life, love, war, the passage of time, solar symbols and an image of Swiatowid on his horse amongst the stars and planets. Four monumental knights, legendary ancestors of the European people standing 13.5 feet high, surround the base of the column. Facing East stands the Amazon, Wanda, queen of the Scythians and Sarmatians. Facing South is Boleslaw the Great, the first Christian king of Poland bearing the spear of St. Moritz which was given to him by the Holy Roman Emperor Otto III. Looking West is Crak, the legendary king of the Sarmatians. Facing North is the first Christian Viking king, Canute the Great, who became king of England, Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
Grounds For Sculpture is a 42-acre sculpture park and museum located on the former site of the New Jersey State Fairgrounds in Hamilton Township. The grounds, which feature over 270 large scale contemporary sculptures, were founded in 1992 by John Seward Johnson II.
Clifford’s Tower is one of the best-loved landmarks in York. It is the largest remaining part of York Castle, once the centre of government for the north of England. The 11th-century timber tower on top of the earth mound was burned down in 1190, after York’s Jewish community, some 150 strong, was besieged here by a mob and committed mass suicide. The present 13th-century stone tower was probably used as a treasury and later as a prison.
Archaeological evidence shows that there was activity in this area in Roman times (with a Roman cemetery lying across the site) and perhaps even earlier, but it was William the Conqueror who first established a castle here. When he marched north in 1068 to suppress a rebellion against his rule, he built a series of castles as he went, including one here where Clifford’s Tower now stands.
The Norman motte-and-bailey castle saw several violent incidents during its earliest years, including further revolts and an attack by Danish invaders. As the political situation settled down in the 1070s, however, the damage of these early years was repaired, and the castle, built largely of earth and timber, probably survived relatively unaltered through most of the 12th century.
The Mass Suicide and Massacre of 1190
The castle of York was the setting for one of the most notorious events in English history: the mass suicide and massacre in March 1190 of York’s Jewish community.
Tensions between Christians and Jews had been increasing throughout England during the 12th century, partly because many people were in debt to Jewish moneylenders and partly because much crusading propaganda was directed not only against Muslims but also against Jews. Anti-Jewish riots in several cities followed the coronation of the crusader king Richard I in 1189, and a rumour (untrue) was put about that he had ordered a massacre of the Jews.
In York, as described by William of Newburgh and other contemporary chroniclers, about 150 people from the Jewish community were given protective custody in the royal castle, probably the site of Clifford’s Tower.
Somehow, though, trust between the royal officials and the Jews broke down. The officials, finding themselves shut out from the tower, summoned reinforcements to recapture it. These troops were joined by a large mob, which soon ran out of control, incited by both anti-Jewish preachers and local gentry eager to escape their debts.
On 16 March, the eve of the Sabbath before Passover, when the Jews realised that there would be no safe way out for them, a rabbi urged his fellow-inmates in the tower to commit suicide rather than fall into the hands of their persecutors. Heads of households killed their own families before killing themselves, and the wooden tower itself was set on fire.
According to several accounts a number of Jews did survive and came out of the tower under an amnesty, only to be murdered by the attackers. A plaque at the base of the mound, commemorating these events, was installed in 1978.
Though Jewish life did in fact revive in York within a few years of the massacre, it came to an end a hundred years later, in 1290, when Edward I expelled all Jews from England. This time their exile lasted until the 17th century.
The Medieval Castle
The tower burnt down in 1190 was rebuilt very shortly afterwards. Further repairs and rebuilding, some in stone, took place in the castle during the early 13th century. Then in the middle years of that century, as war with Scotland loomed, King Henry III decided to build a completely new stone tower on the mound.
A writ of March 1245 may refer to the construction of the tower. It orders Master Henry the mason and Master Simon the carpenter to advise the sheriff on strengthening the castle’s defences. Master Henry is often identified as Henry of Reyns, master mason of the new abbey at Westminster. At the abbey, as at Clifford’s Tower, English architectural detailing was applied to a plan influenced by French prototypes.
Documentary sources show that construction was intermittent and the tower was probably not finished until the 1270s, possibly not until the 1290s.
Despite the regional and national importance of York, its royal castle did not generally act as a royal residence. Together with Clifford’s Tower it was instead used chiefly for administrative purposes, notably for imprisonment, for storage and for judicial sessions. Occasionally it acted as a home for the Exchequer and its various treasuries when wars against the Scots caused the government to relocate to the north of England. It also housed an important royal mint.
The castle’s buildings, particularly Clifford’s Tower, whose mound was scoured by floods of the river Fosse, fell more than once into disrepair. By 1360, several of the structural defects which are visible today had already appeared.
The Tower in Decay
The history of the castle and Clifford’s Tower during the 15th and 16th centuries is obscure. Accounts of Henry VI, Richard III and Henry VIII suggest that several buildings were ruinous, and efforts were concentrated on maintaining a small number of them as gaols.[14] In 1540, just three years after Robert Aske (one of the leaders of the Pilgrimage of Grace) had been hanged ‘on the height of the castle dungeon’, John Leland wrote that the ‘arx is all in ruin’.
In 1596–7 a public scandal arose when the aldermen of York accused the gaoler, Robert Redhead, of trying to demolish the derelict tower and sell the stone for lime-burning. Contemporary correspondence about these events contains the first recorded use of the name ‘Clifford’s Tower’.
The name is sometimes interpreted as evidence that the Clifford family claimed the post of constable to be hereditary. Alternatively, it may refer to the rebel Roger de Clifford, who was executed after the Battle of Boroughbridge in 1322 and whose body was displayed on a gibbet at the castle.
War and Explosion
After a brief period when Clifford’s Tower passed out of royal ownership, in 1643 it was occupied again by a royal garrison during the Civil War. The building was re-roofed and re-floored, apparently at the behest of Queen Henrietta Maria, creating storage rooms for ammunition and a gun platform on the roof. The forebuilding was largely reconstructed.
The city fell to Parliamentarians the following year. The tower continued to be occupied by a garrison of between 40 and 80 men and it may also have served occasionally as a prison. The Quaker George Fox was imprisoned here for two nights in 1665, on his way to Scarborough Castle.
The garrison’s dissolute behaviour caused discontent among the citizens of York, who called for the demolition of the tower, scathingly nicknamed ‘the Minced Pie’. On 23 April 1684 the interior was partly gutted by fire, allegedly as a result of the firing of a ceremonial salute for St George’s Day. Destruction was not total, though, and parts of the building remained in use for storage, while cannon were still positioned on the roof.
By 1699, however, when Clifford’s Tower was released to freeholders, sketches of the interior by Francis Place show that it was completely roofless.
Gaol and Monument
The 18th century was a period of changing ownership for the tower and mound. Clifford’s Tower was treated as a garden folly and possibly as a stable or cattle shed.
In marked contrast, the former bailey of the castle was redeveloped as a prison. New courthouses and gaol buildings were built, until in the 1820s and 1830s the prison encompassed the entire castle area. The mound and tower were enclosed and effectively hidden from view. Clifford’s Tower was accessible only with permission from a magistrate.
In 1902 a radical campaign of repairs and investigations was undertaken by Mr Basil Mott, including the partial reconstruction of the mound in an effort to underpin the south-east lobe of the tower with buried concrete ‘flying buttresses’. During these works, the most detailed archaeological investigation to date of the internal structure of the mound was carried out.
On 30 March 1915, Clifford’s Tower was taken into state guardianship. The structure was repaired and public access improved in 1935 with the demolition of the surviving 19th-century prison buildings, notably the wall enclosing the mound on its north and west sides. The lower parts of the slope were restored to their presumed medieval profile, and a stairway leading up to the forebuilding in a straight line was created, replacing a spiral path.
Zaatari refugee camp, Jordan.
( Story by Hala Al Ayoubi )
‘It is not those who can inflict the most, but those who can suffer the most who will conquer’:
These words were spoken by Irish patriot, Terence McSweeney in 1920 when his native Ireland was being ripped apart by the War of Independence. Although directly referring to the struggle faced by his countrymen some 90 years ago McSweeney’s haunting words can be applied to the thousands forced to seek sanctuary in a Jordanian refugee camp to in order to escape Syria’s on-going internal conflict. As a native Syrian, born in Damascus, I found the graphic images of my fellow countrymen and women shown on various television news channels both disturbing and upsetting. I was so moved by their plight. I wanted to see for myself the suffering and horrors of the living in limbo scenario they now faced on a daily basis. I was literally driven by an internal emotion I had never experienced before. I simply had to see what was happening to my people. Within days my photographer and I were on our way to Jordan. What we saw and witnessed on our trip is difficult to put into words. However, it is important I do record what we saw in the hope it highlights the human tragedy that is currently the plight of the Syrian refugees – my people.
Just six miles over of the Jordan-Syria border is the UN run Zaatari refugee camp. Located in the middle of a barren, windswept desert Zaatari is the temporary home of thousands of men, women and children forced to flee their homes in Syria because of the continuing conflict. At first sight Zaatari is a desolate place. It exudes an air of isolation. Its heavy wire perimeter fencing is intimidating and immediately creates the impression of a prison. This feeling is compounded by the presence of Jordanian police and soldiers who guard main entrance to the camp. As our car pulls up guards watch us intently. Our driver takes our passports and passes to a camp official. Documents approved, we are given permission to enter Zaatari.
As we drive through the second gate the reality of Zaatari looms before us. To the left the French and Italian international field hospitals. On the right the countless rows of dust shrouded tents, home for the refugees, are draped across the harsh desert landscape. Despite the dust the letters UNHCR are clearly visible on each of the tents. As we begin to walk around the camp it is obvious the situation is really difficult. Living conditions are very basic. There is a lack of proper sanitation with people often standing in line to use toilets and bathrooms. There is barely enough water and electricity is almost non-existent. Clothing is at a premium. Food is mundane and repetitive. Dust is everywhere. Blasts of sand ravage the simple, thin tents and their occupants The swirls of suffocating sand ensure everyone in Zaatari carries a powdering of dust and grim. Residents are told on a daily basis ‘things will get better’. They never do.
As a Mum I was particularly moved by the plight of Mothers and their children living in Zaatari camp. This is not a ‘Child friendly Zone’ despite the presence of a tiny and very basic kids play area. The provision of a slide and a see-saw do little to resolve the suffering and trauma of kids who have witnessed horrendous scenes of brutality and violence in the on-going Syrian conflict. Many of these children are now mentally scarred for life! Their drawn and dusty faces say it all. Disease is also rife within the child population of Zaatari – measles and cholera top the list. Although officials plan to introduce a measles immunisation programme shortly it will do little, if anything, to relive a problem which is fast becoming a humanitarian catastrophe. The plight of Zaatari’s child population is particularly heart-breaking. They are the innocent victims of a situation they did not create. However, there is a faint glimmer of hope on the horizon for the refugee children. A hope their future will not be as desolate as their past. That hope is education. There are approximately some 4,000 children of school-age within Zaatari. The task of educating them is a considerable challenge. The majority of children have lost out on months of schooling through the violence in Syria. However, many have lost their entire families. They are totally alone and are cared for by organisations such as UNICEF and Save the Children.
When I visited Zaatari classes were held in temporary makeshift tented accommodation. The authorities plan to supply a more permanent type of classroom shortly but, in the interim kids simply have to make do with what is available. A retired teacher, now working in Zaatari told me education was vital for the refugee children. The routine of the classroom, he said, gave the children something to do on a regular basis. It also removed the biggest problem facing the kids – one of boredom. “We are not just educating these children”, he said “we are attempting to save a complete generation and give it a future”. As a Syrian and a Mother I hope that objective is achieved sooner rather than later.
As I toured the Zaatari camp it became obvious many people were too scared to talk. Despite the fact I was a fellow Syrian very few wanted to speak on camera or have their identities revealed. Although they have fled their homeland many refugees – should they return to Syria – are frightened they will be the targeted in revenge attacks by supporters of President Bashar al-Assad. There is also the very real fear members of the Syrian secret police – the Mukhabarat – are active within the Zaatari refugee camp. Fear of the Mukhabarat pervades the atmosphere of the camp. It intimidates the residents and stops the majority of them speaking out.
However, there are those who are prepared to speak on the condition their identity is protected. A mother of four told me she and her children fled Syria fearing they would be killed if they remained in the home. Although now living in the relative safety of Zaatari she told me she how longed to return to her own country: ‘Life in the camp is killing us. It’s unbearable. Dirt and dust are everywhere. We live, sleep and eat the dust. This is not life. It’s barely an existence’.
‘I just want to go back. Go back to my home, that’s all I want but, there is nothing there now. They destroyed everything in my town. What can we do? We have to stay here. We have nowhere else to go’.
Abdul and his family have been in Zataari for 27 days. He told me they fled their home in Syria to escape the constant bomb attacks and killings: ‘All my family is here, my wife and children. We had to leave. To stay in our home was too dangerous. People I knew were killed in the bomb attacks. If we had stayed we would have died’.
‘Getting to Jordan was difficult. But we had to get away from Bashar’s bombs. My wife and I just ran, we ran with our kids. We just took them and ran’.
‘But we are living like animals now. Conditions are really bad here. We have no clothes, food is always the same and we have very little water. Just look at us, look at my children. They are living in a tent and sleeping on the ground.’
With winter looming large on the horizon Zaatari’s residents will face additional problems in their struggle to survive. The desert is already very cold at night. With temperatures due drop to around freezing point in the next few weeks there is now a race against time to ensure the camp is properly prepared for the colder weather. Prime objectives for the Camp authorities are the distribution of heaters, thermal, blankets and the insulation of the refugees tented accommodation.
Abdul fear the arrival of the freezing winter weather: ‘We don’t know what it will be like in the winter. Will we get blankets and heaters – we just don’t know. How can little children survive the winter living in a tent. This is no way for them to live. When it gets cold and rains then it will be miserable here ’.
There is clearly a growing feeling within Zaatari’s refugee population that ‘Nobody cares about us’. A belief exists that until the world recognises and helps those interned behind the wire and barriers the suffering will continue and get worse. Actions do speak louder than words. However, words are cheap but human aid expensive!
Zaatari is meant to be a place of refuge for the countless displaced Syrians. However, the camp is quickly becoming the venue for escalating tensions between the refugees and their hosts, the Jordanians. Tensions which have already exploded into violence which has seen tents set on fire and property damaged in protests over living condition. Those tensions will increase and the prospect of further violence remains strong if living conditions do not improve drastically.
Refugees living in Zaatari are human beings. They are individuals with names, personalities and unique personal stories to tell. They are also my fellow countrymen and women. Until recently they were able to work, earn a living and support their families. Now their lives have been changed irrevocably through the violence in Syria. All these people want is to have their voices heard. To be acknowledge and accepted as people and not to be portrayed as parasites living off the Jordanian system. Above all they just want to go back to their homes in Syria and live their lives. Sadly, at this time and for the foreseeable future that is impossible.
As I left Zaatari Terrence McSweeney’s words: ‘It is not those who can inflict the most, but those who can suffer the most who will conquer’ flooded through my mind. Those words proved correct in respect of the people of Ireland. I believe these very same words do and will apply to the Syrian refugees in Zaatari. My hope is it the suffering they now endure on a daily basis will be short lived. Unlike my fellow countrymen and women I have been able to escape the suffering that is Zaatari refugee camp.
Hala Al Ayoubi.