Bomber Command Memorial
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My first OFFICIAL blog post back in blogging. Showcasing the wonderful designers Kokoro and Cazimi in Suicide Dollz event!
jadestrollbridge.wixsite.com/thetrollbridge/home/he-that-...
Another low key teaser. Big plans for the summer. Hopefully I'll have this finished one day. We'll see.
yoshaaaa!!!Tachibana Shito,Michiru Kita,and Akastuki Chika~!!
i LOVE LOVE LOVE chika-kun!!!<3and yuuta ish so adorable!!awwww!!
Anemone Canadensis (Canada anemone), Indian Lake, Upper Peninsula, Michigan - June 26 2025
-notes-
copper and pine.
Shologhar, Bangladesh, 2012
We owe her, in all the way of life.
From the very beginning to even after the end of our journey, it's impossible to pay her debt.
Which is just because she is a Mother.
Debt trap. Sounds almost like a death trap. It’s a bottomless hole, which you can fall into for the rest of your life
Kisimul Castle (Caisteal Chiosmuil, ‘castle of the rock of the small bay’) is testament to the nature of Gaelic lordship in the Middle Ages. The island fastness in Castle Bay was the residence of the chief of the Macneils of Barra, who claimed descent from the legendary Niall of the Nine Hostages. Tradition tells of the Macneils settling in Barra in the 11th century, but it was only in 1427 that Gilleonan Macneil comes on record as the first lord. He probably built the castle that dominates the rocky islet, and in its shadow a crew house for his personal galley and crew. The sea coursed through Macneil veins, and a descendant, Ruari ‘the Turbulent’, was arrested for piracy of an English ship during King James VI’s reign in the later 16th century.
The Macneils of Barra claimed Irish descent from the legendary Niall of the Nine Hostages, high king of Ireland in the 5th century and great-grandfather of St Columba. By the 15th century, their clan chief was part of an élite group of lesser lords who were members of the Council of the Isles. This body advised the MacDonalds, Lords of the Isles. They traditionally met at Finlaggan, on Islay, in the southern Hebrides. The Macneils may have had some control over Barra in earlier medieval times, but it wasn’t until 1427 that they emerged as lords of Barra, when Gilleonan Macneil was granted the island by Lord Alexander MacDonald.
Heavy debts eventually forced the Macneil chiefs to sell Barra in 1838. However, a descendant, Robert Lister Macneil, the 45th Chief, repurchased the estate in 1937, and set about restoring his ancestral seat. It passed into Historic Scotland’s care in 2000.
The castle dates essentially from the 15th century. It takes the form of a three-storey tower house. This formed the residence of the clan chief. An associated curtain wall fringed the small rock on which the castle stood, and enclosed a small courtyard in which there are ancillary buildings. These comprised a feasting hall, a chapel, a tanist’s (heir’s) house and a gokman’s (watchman’s) house. Most were restored in the 20th century, the tanist’s house serving as the family home of the Macneils. A well near the postern gate is fed with fresh water from an underground seam. Outside the curtain wall, beside the original landing-place, are the foundations of the crew house, where the sailors manning their chief’s galley had their quarters.
Historic Scotland
♫ Scottish Gaelic Music - Oganaich Uir A Rinn M'fhagail ♫
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Rollingstone1's most interesting photos on Flickriver
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On Thursday 30 June, as leaders of the world's richest countries prepare
to go to Scotland for the G8 summit, and tens of thousands of
campaigners prepare to rally in Edinburgh, thousands gathered in Dublin
to send this message to the G8 leaders:
Enough is enough.
We want trade justice, debt cancellation, and more and better aid for
the world's poorest countries.
THE COST: Real and Inhuman
600 million children live in absolute poverty.
Every year more than 10 million children die of hunger and preventable
diseases that's one child every three seconds.
But it doesn't have to be this way. Poverty doesn't occur by chance or
bad luck. Millions of people around the world are trapped in bitter,
unrelenting poverty because of man-made factors: a glaringly unjust
global trade system which favours the most powerful countries and
punishes the poorest; demands from rich countries and global
institutions for vast sums of money to service old debts, even those
incurred by oppressive regimes; insufficient aid which never gets to
where it is most needed.
Trade Debt - Aid
The gap between the world's rich and poor has never been wider.
Malnutrition, AIDS, conflict and illiteracy are a daily reality for
millions. But it isn't chance or bad luck that keeps people trapped in
bitter, unrelenting poverty. It's man-made factors like a glaringly
unjust global trade system, a debt burden so great that it suffocates
any chance of recovery and insufficient and ineffective aid.
Those with Power
Back in 2001 the governments of the eight wealthiest nations on the
planet said that they were going to do something about it - in what was
seen as a breakthrough, they promised to halve world poverty by 2015.
Four years later the world is failing dismally to reach those targets.
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Copyright for this photo belongs solely to UAE TRANS ©
Images may not be copied, downloaded, or used in any way without the expressed, written permission of the photographer
Taken By : UAE TRANS
Photo Story: I was walking I feel i want to do debt of feel technique so I tried and this is the result .
PLZ DONT VIEW PUT COMMENT
Lightbox view is highly recommended (press L or use the magnifier).
The sun was just coming up.
© Marc Duiker | www.underexposed.nl | Twitter | Facebook | 500px
Looking towards the Grade I Listed Gatehouse of Stokesay Castle a fortified manor house in Stokesay, near Craven Arms in Shropshire, which is managed by English Heritage.
It was built in the late 13th century by Laurence of Ludlow, then the leading wool merchant in England, who intended it to form a secure private house and generate income as a commercial estate. Laurence's descendants continued to own the castle until the 16th century, when it passed through various private owners. By the time of the outbreak of the English Civil War in 1641, Stokesay was owned by William Craven, the first Earl of Craven and a supporter of King Charles I. After the Royalist war effort collapsed in 1645, Parliamentary forces besieged the castle in June and quickly forced its garrison to surrender. Parliament ordered the property to be slighted, but only minor damage was done to the walls, allowing Stokesay to continue to be used as a house by the Baldwyn family until the end of the 17th century.
In the 18th century the Baldwyns rented the castle out for a range of agricultural and manufacturing purposes. It fell into disrepair, and the antiquarian John Britton noted during his visit in 1813 that it had been "abandoned to neglect, and rapidly advancing to ruin". Restoration work was carried out in the 1830s and 1850s by William Craven, the second Earl of Craven. In 1869 the Craven estate, now heavily in debt, was sold to the wealthy industrialist John Derby Allcroft who paid for another round of extensive restoration during the 1870s. Both of these owners attempted to limit any alterations to the existing buildings during their conservation work, which was unusual for this period. The castle became a popular location for tourists and artists, and was formally opened to paying visitors in 1908.
Allcroft's descendants fell into financial difficulties during the early 20th century, however, and it became increasingly difficult for them to cover the costs of maintaining Stokesay. In 1986 Jewell Magnus-Allcroft finally agreed to place Stokesay Castle into the guardianship of English Heritage, and the castle was left to the organisation on her death in 1992. English Heritage carried out extensive restoration of the castle in the late 1980s. In the 21st century, Stokesay Castle continues to be operated as a tourist attraction, receiving 39,218 visitors in 2010.
Architecturally, Stokesay Castle is "one of the best-preserved medieval fortified manor houses in England", according to historian Henry Summerson. The castle comprises a walled, moated enclosure, with an entrance way through a 17th-century timber and plaster gatehouse. Inside, the courtyard faces a stone hall and solar block, protected by two stone towers. The hall features a 13th-century wooden-beamed ceiling, and 17th-century carved figures ornament the gatehouse and the solar. The castle was never intended to be a serious military fortification, but its style was intended to echo the much larger castles being built by Edward I in North Wales. Originally designed as a prestigious, secure, comfortable home, the castle has changed very little since the 13th century, and is a rare, surviving example of a near complete set of medieval buildings. English Heritage has minimised the amount of interpretative material displayed at the property and kept the castle largely unfurnished.
Breakdancing
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£êð ßã®
Art installation at Grand Central. The Da Vinci Of Debt is billed as the world's most expensive piece of art as it uses 2,600 real diplomas representing the average cost of college - $180.000 for a total of $470 million. Created by Natural Light Beer to celebrate the return of the company's College Debt Relief Program giving away $1 million to help students and graduates reduce their student debt through a grant program. Natural Light paid people $100 to rent their diplomas for the installation.
Technique2012 is a Cincinnati original. His work is inspired by all manner of popular culture including movies, TV and comic books. He takes well know characters and makes up his own stories which can be found on his instagram page. For example, the woman in the green dress is Maria Von Trapp. She is shown carrying bags from Prado, Lancome and Nordstrom. In her apron pocket can be seen a slip from Salzburg Debt Collection indicating she owes $15,000. Hyde Park, Cincinnati.
I have 5 beautiful daughters, god.. I want to see them, I want to be there when they grow up but I can't let them see me, not like this.
I have a license to drive the fork lifts, I'm good at that. Problem is I have about $10,000 in tickets for panhandling. The cops took my license, and can't get that back until I pay off those fines.
It’s all by design! The Great Reset requires a currency crisis, so that we can Build Back Better. We must crash the economy and implement a fiat Central Bank Digital Currency, a Digital ID, and a Social Credit Score System—“Fascism on the Block Chain!” We will weaponize the whole currency system. We will reset the economy to a surveillance economy. It’s the surveillance era! Surveillance Capitalism/Data Capitalism: leading us down the road to Digital Feudalism. Techno-Feudalism…yay! This new Digital Economy will have programmable currency, which will be tied to vast databases that will surveil your behavior. Elvis has entered the building: “We’re caught in a trap! I can't walk out!” Step right up: get your Universal Basic Income Central Bank Digital Currency allowance. Then you can become a Global Citizen of the New World Order Digital Welfare state…woohoo! Please give me Digital Welfare!
We will be able to control every aspect of your lives. With programmable Central Bank Digital Currency we will eventually bar you from buying precious metals. Kiss your gold good-bye! You won’t be able to save your money, because it will have an expiry date. We will program your digital money, so that you can’t spend it outside your 15-minute city/neighbourhood/prison. Like the World Economic Forum mantra says: you will own nothing and be happy! You will literally rent everything you use. If you’re a good little doggy you’ll be rewarded, but if you’re a bad little doggy you’ll be punished. We will regulate who you can see, what you can eat, and where you can go. Digital slavery, here we come!
Trillions of dollars in debt: inflation, stagflation, and hyperinflation. “From dirty cash, to digital trash.” The banks will legally take money out of your bank account when everything collapses. Remember what happened in the Financial Crisis of Cyprus? The banks seized people’s money. Bye-bye savings. Bye-bye middle class. Bank run! Say what? The system’s locked up. Transactions have stopped. I can’t get my money out of the bank! I can’t use my debit card! I can’t use my credit card! My money is gone! Read ‘em and weep, boys; the writing is on the wall.
In a few years down the road we will microchip the sheeple. A new transhuman slave race…woohoo! This slave race will bow to the Image of the Beast—the ultimate ChatGPT. His image will be set up on a wing of the temple. If you can’t get to the temple to worship, his image will show up as a hologram in your transhuman mind. The Beast hologram will say: worship me or die! The AI Beast Computer will hit your kill switch if you don’t bow down to worship him. Watch out, he will know if you’re sincerely worshiping him or not. Isn’t it going to be fun when we’re living in the Book of Revelation? 666: you can’t buy or sell without the Mark of the Beast! Isn’t it interesting to watch as the Beast system is being put in place?
I wish that I had known in
That first minute we met
The unpayable debt
That I owed you
Because you'd been abused
By the bone that refused you
And you hired me
To make up for that
And walking in that room
When you had tubes in your arms
Those singing morphine alarms
Out of tune
They had you sleeping and eating
And I didn't believe them
When they called you
A hurricane thundercloud
When I was checking vitals
I suggested a smile
You didn't talk for a while
You were freezing
You said you hated my tone
It made you feel so alone
So you told me
I had to be leaving
But something kept me standing
By that hospital bed
I should have quit but instead
I took care of you
You made me sleep all uneven
And I didn't believe them
When they told me that there
Was no saving you
LOL.....actually my best friend Derek noticed this, but I took a picture too. We thought the life preserver was a cool metaphor with the casino visible behind it. The casino is across the Detroit River in Windsor, Canada. There was also a great gloomy sky here that turned out to be nice later on.
Igor has his paws out...
Subtitle: "Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth" - a non-fiction exploration of debt in history , myth and literature...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Dock
The Albert Dock is a complex of dock buildings and warehouses in Liverpool, England. Designed by Jesse Hartley and Philip Hardwick, it was opened in 1846, and was the first structure in Britain to be built from cast iron, brick and stone, with no structural wood. As a result, it was the first non-combustible warehouse system in the world.[1]
At the time of its construction the Albert Dock was considered a revolutionary docking system because ships were loaded and unloaded directly from/to the warehouses. Two years after it opened it was modified to feature the world's first hydraulic cranes.[2] Due to its open yet secure design, the Albert Dock became a popular store for valuable cargoes such as brandy, cotton, tea, silk, tobacco, ivory and sugar. However, despite the Albert Dock's advanced design, the rapid development of shipping technology meant that within 50 years, larger, more open docks were required, although it remained a valuable store for cargo.
During the Second World War, the Albert Dock was requisitioned by the Admiralty serving as a base for boats of the British Atlantic Fleet. The complex was damaged during air raids on Liverpool, notably during the May Blitz of 1941. In the aftermath of the war, the financial problems of the owners and the general decline of docking in the city meant that the future of the Albert Dock was uncertain. Numerous plans were developed for the re-use of the buildings but none came to fruition and in 1972 the dock was finally closed. Having lain derelict for nearly ten years, the redevelopment of the dock began in 1981, when the Merseyside Development Corporation was set up, with the Albert Dock being officially re-opened in 1984.
Today the Albert Dock is a major tourist attraction in the city and the most visited multi-use attraction in the United Kingdom, outside London.[3] It is a vital component of Liverpool's UNESCO designated World Heritage Maritime Mercantile City and the docking complex and warehouses also comprise the largest single collection of Grade I listed buildings anywhere in the UK.[4]
History
Grand beginnings and early history
The Albert Dock's design allowed ships to lay up and be loaded and unloaded directly from the large warehouses
The history of the Albert Dock dates back to 1837, when Jesse Hartley first began the development of plans for a combined dock and warehouse system.[1] The plans drawn up by Hartley and fellow civil engineer Philip Hardwick for the Albert Dock were at the time considered quite 'radical', as they envisioned the loading and unloading of ships directly from the warehouses.[5] However, this idea was not new, and as far back as the 1803 Warehousing Act, legislation had been passed to allow this form of development to occur, whilst the concept was first actually used in the construction of St Katharine's Dock in London, which was opened in 1828.[6] As part of the development process, Hartley was eager to test the fire resistance of any particular design by constructing an 18 ft (5.5 m) by 10 ft (3.0 m) dummy structure, filling it with timber and tar, and setting it alight. After testing several structural designs he settled on the combination of cast iron, brick, sandstone and granite.[7] The design was submitted for planning permission in 1839 although it wasn't until 1841, when the bill authorising the design of the dock was eventually passed by Parliament, that construction was allowed to begin.[8][9]
The site chosen for the dock to be built on was an area of land bordered by Salthouse Dock to the east, the entrance channel to Canning Dock to the north and by Duke's Dock to the south. The land earmarked for the site had to be cleared, with 59 tenants being evicted and numerous premises demolished including a pub, several houses and the Dock Trustee's Dockyard.[7] Upon the clearance of this land both the Salthouse and Canning dock's were drained to allow entrance passages into the Albert Dock to be constructed, whilst hundreds of 'Navvies' were employed to dig out the dock basin and construct the new river wall. The dock basin was completed by February 1845, allowing the first ships to enter the Albert Dock, although with the warehouses still under construction this was merely to allow these boats to 'lay-up'.[10]
The dock complex was officially opened in 1846 by Albert, Prince Consort, husband of Queen Victoria and the man in honour of whom it was named. This event marked the first occasion in Liverpool's history in which a member of the Royal Family had made a state visit to the city and as a result the occasion was marked with a major celebrations.[11] Many thousands of people turned out for the Royal visit with the newspaper The Pictorial Times noting the reception Prince Albert received:
"His reception was most enthusiastic; balconies were erected along the line of procession, and these and the windows of houses were filled with gay and animated parties. There was a most brilliant display of flags, banners & c. [sic]. All business is suspended. There are 200,000 strangers in town, and all the inhabitants are in the streets. All is gaiety and splendour." (The Pictorial Times, 1846).[12]
The Prince was taken on a processional tour through the city, including a visit to the town hall where the royal address was made, before departing aboard the ferry across to the Cheshire side of the Mersey and then northwards towards the Albert Dock.[12][13] Again this stage of the procession route was laden with onlookers with The Pictorial Times describing the Prince's entrance into the Albert Dock:
"From the Cheshire side of the river the Fairy crossed to the Liverpool side, and returned along the line of docks amidst the cheers of assembled thousands and the roar of artillery. The sight was really magnificent, all the ships in the docks were decked out in gayest colours and the river was crowded with boats filled with people. At half-past two the fairy entered the dock, where were assembled two thousand ladies and gentlemen, the elite of the town; they cheered enthusiastically, which his Royal Highness returned, and in order to gratify the crowd sailed round the dock." (The Pictorial Times, 1846).[13]
Despite the official opening occurring in 1846, the construction of the Albert Dock was not fully completed until 1847. In 1848, a new dock office was built and the dock itself was upgraded to feature a hydraulic cargo handling hoist system, the first of its kind in the world.[2] Over the next decade several more buildings where added including houses for the piermaster, his assistant & the warehouse superintendent; and a cooperage. Warehousing in the dock was also expanded to meet the increasing demand by joining together the eastern and western ends of the Southern Stack.[14]
Changing fortunes and role in the Second World War
The enclosed design of the Albert Dock and the direct loading and unloading of goods from warehouses meant that the complex was more secure than other docks within Liverpool. As a result it became a popular store for valuable cargoes including brandy, cotton, tea, silk, tobacco, ivory and sugar. At the same time their openness to natural light and well ventilated stores meant natural goods such as hemp or sugar could be kept fresher, for longer.[5] The dock came to dominate Liverpool's far eastern trade, with over 90% of the city's silk imports from China coming through it and more generally half of all the far eastern trade income.[15]
Despite the great prosperity the dock afforded the city, within 20 years of its construction the Albert Dock was beginning to struggle.[16] Designed and constructed to handle sailing ships of up to 1,000 tonnes, by the start of the 20th century only 7% of ships into the Port of Liverpool were sailing vessels.[9] The development of steam ships in the later 19th century meant that soon the dock simply wasn't large enough, as its narrow entrances prevented larger vessels from entering it.[15] Its lack of quayside was also becoming an issue. Generally steamships could be loaded and unloaded far quicker than sailing ships, and in a cruel twist of irony, the dockside warehouses that had once made the Albert Dock so attractive, were now hindering its future development.[5] Nonetheless the Albert Dock remained an integral part of the dock system in Liverpool and in 1878 the pump house was built as part of redevelopment that saw the majority of the cranes converted to hydraulic use, whilst in 1899, part of the north stack was converted to allow for ice production and cold storage.[17]
By the 1920s virtually all commercial shipping activity had ceased at the dock, although its warehouses did remain in use for the storage of goods transported by barge, road or rail.[17][18] The onset of the Second World War in 1939 saw the Albert Dock being 'requisitioned' by the Admiralty and used as base for the British Atlantic fleet including submarines, small warships and landing craft. During the war the dock was struck on several occasions including a bombing raid in 1940 that damaged ships within it, and more destructively during the May Blitz of 1941 when German bombing caused extensive damage to the south west stack.[18] By the end of the war almost 15% of the Albert Dock's floor space was out of use because of bomb damage.[19]
Post War history and decline
By the time the Second World War had finished the Albert Dock's future looked bleak. The owners of the dock, the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board (MDHB) were in financial crisis and chose not to repair any of the wartime bomb damage, adopting an attitude of 'if it's not broke don't fix it, and if it is broke we still won't fix it'.[20] At the same time a change in geo-political orientation towards Europe, coupled with the advent of containerisation meant the whole docking system in the city of Liverpool suffered as newer, stronger ports emerged elsewhere in the UK.[21] Nonetheless the architectural and technological value of the docks was recognised in 1952 when the Albert Dock was granted Grade I listed building status.[17]
Despite this recognition, the increasing debts of the MDHB meant that by the 1960s the company was eager to get rid of the Albert Dock. Having considered demolishing the buildings and redeveloping the land,[18] the MDHB soon entered negotiations to sell the land to Oldham Estates, a property developer owned by Harry Hyams.[20] Many plans for the site were developed including one that envisioned the development of a mini city that would provide 10m sq feet of letting space, hotels, restaurants, bars and underground parking in the drained dock basin.[22] With the council reluctant to allow such a grandiose development to occur and with the huge public opposition to it (inspired at least in part by the work of Quentin Hughes), Oldham Estates were forced into scaling-down the plan and so in 1970 returned with a new vision known as 'Aquarius City', which had as its centrepiece a 44-storey skyscraper. Once again the plan failed to develop and no sooner had it been announced, than the MDHB's financial problems reached crisis point, Oldham Estates withdrew their deposit and the whole scheme fell through.[20]
With the MDHB on the verge of bankruptcy a decision was taken to shut down and sell off the whole of the south docks system. The warehouses were emptied and in 1972 the Albert Dock finally closed down. The Brunswick Dock gates, which separated the South Docks system from the River Mersey, were opened allowing tidal movements in and the process of the clogging up the docks with sewage polluted silt began.[23][24] In many senses just as the Albert Dock's development had symbolised the prosperity in the Liverpool at the time of its construction, its subsequent decline after the Second World War symbolised the collapse of the local economy as a whole.[25]
Throughout the early 1970s plans continued to emerge for the redevelopment of the Albert Dock site and the whole of the south docks system in general. Many of these plans were quite extreme including Liverpool City Council's suggestion to use the dock basin as a landfill site. The Mersey Docks and Harbour Company (MDHC), the reincarnation of the now defunct Mersey Docks and Harbour Board, however felt it could get more money by filling in the dock basin with sand and selling it as developable land and not derelict land. One plan for the Albert Dock that was taken more seriously was the idea that it become the new home of Liverpool Polytechnic (now John Moores University). The government was even willing to provide £3m in funding but like so many other plans this too fell by the wayside.[26]
The creation of Merseyside County Council (MCC) in 1974 brought new hope that the Albert Dock could be redeveloped, with the MCC placing a high priority on its development. They soon entered negotiations with the MDHC and in 1979 eventually negotiated a deal to take over the running of the south docks.[27] Despite this seeming step forward political wrangling between the MDHC (the dock owners), Liverpool City Council (the local planning authority) and Merseyside County Council (the group now responsible for redeveloping the docks) continued to hinder any development plans.[26] Fed up with the in fighting the newly elected Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher decided that the city was incapable of handling regeneration initiatives itself and under the guidance of the 'Minister for Merseyside' Michael Heseltine, set up the Merseyside Development Corporation in 1981 to take over the responsibility of regenerating and redeveloping Liverpool's south docks.[25][28]
The MDC and regeneration of the Albert Dock[edit]
The creation of the Merseyside Development Corporation (MDC) in 1981 was part of a new initiative launched by the then Conservative government that earmarked the regeneration of some 800 acres (3.2 km2) of Liverpool's south docks, by using public sector investment to create infrastructure within an area that could then in turn be used to attract private sector investment. Thus the MDC was not directly responsible for regeneration programmes but rather acted as a spearhead, guiding the development process. Upon its formation it immediately created an initial strategy for the area placing a high priority on restoring those buildings that could be restored & demolishing the rest, restoring a water regime within the dock system (including the removal of up to 40 ft (12 m) of silt) and general environmental landscaping. As part of the strategy two flagship schemes were set up: the redevelopment of a site in Otterspool for the International Garden Festival and the regeneration of the Albert Dock.[28]
In 1982 the MDC entered into negotiations with London-based developers Arrowcroft in order to secure much needed private sector investment. On a visit to the site, Arrowcroft's chairman Leonard Eppel spoke of how the buildings "talked to him" and upon his return to London set about persuading the company's board to take on the project.[29] In September 1983 a deal was signed between Arrowcroft plc and the MDC leading to the creation of the Albert Dock Company, which could now start the process of regenerating the Albert Dock.[30]
One of the first priorities of the regeneration was the restoration of the dock system, which had deteriorated rapidly since the Brunswick Dock gates had been left open. Contaminated silt was removed from the dock basin, dock gates were replaced & bridges restored, whilst the dock walls were repaired.[31] The Albert Dock company appointed Tarmac to renovate the dock's vast warehouses and repair war time bomb damage.[32] Structural surveys carried out by the MDC found the brickwork and foundations to be in very good condition and it was considered a testament to the strict build quality of Hartley's design that a building almost 150 years old was still in such good condition.[31]
Development within the Albert Dock was rapid and the newly renovated Edward Pavilion (formerly north east stack) was ready in time for the 1984 Cutty Sark Tall Ship Race. The race was a big success for the city with over one million visitors into Liverpool over a period of four days, of which 160,000 visited the Albert Dock. In total it is estimated that the two flagship regeneration schemes of the MDC, the tall ships race and International Garden Festival, attracted over 3.5 million visitors to Liverpool in 1984. Also completed in 1984 was the renovation of the dock traffic office, which was fitted out and leased to Granada Television.[33]
Spurred by the success of the tall ships race and the International Garden Festival, Arrowcroft pushed on with the Albert Dock's renovation. With the Edward Pavilion refurbishment a success soon the company started on the Britannia and Atlantic pavilions (formerly the south and south east stacks), the latter of which required major structural repairs because of bomb damage it received during World War II. In 1986 the Merseyside Maritime Museum completed its move into the Albert Dock, having moved some exhibitions into the building in 1984. The museum, developed by Merseyside County Council had previously been located in the pilotage building and a salvage shed nearby.[30] Also in 1986 work began on the largest of the dock warehouses, the Colonnades (formerly west stack). Ground floor shops were created with office space on the mezzanine level and apartments on the remaining floors. The first 37 of these apartments were completed by 1988 and the speed with which they sold was likened to 'sales day at Harrods'.[34]
The Albert Dock was officially re-opened in 1988 by The Prince of Wales,[35] the great-great-great-grandson of Prince Albert, the man who had originally opened the docks.[36] It was timed to coincide with the opening of the newly finished Tate Liverpool, which was dubbed the 'Tate of the north' and at the time the only one outside London.[37] The decision to locate a Tate gallery in Liverpool was seen as a major success for the city, as it made Liverpool home to the National Collection of modern art in the North of England.[38]
In 1988 ITV's new morning television show This Morning, hosted by Richard and Judy, began broadcasting from a studio inside the Albert Dock. As part of the show weather presenter Fred Talbot used a floating map of the British Isles to report the forecast.[39] Two years later in 1990 The Beatles Story museum opened, the only Beatles themed visitor attraction in Britain, providing yet another draw to the Albert Dock.[35]
Throughout the 1990s development continued including a new hotel and the conversion of vacant space for use by larger companies such as Telewest (Now Virgin Media).[40] Finally in 2003, some 22 years after the renovation of the Albert Dock started, the last remaining undeveloped space was brought into use with the opening of a new Premier Lodge hotel in the Britannia Pavilion.[35]
Structural design and construction
When it was constructed the Albert Dock was considered a state of the art docking system.[15] Built almost entirely from cast iron, stone and brick, the Albert Dock was designed to be fireproof, and on completion was the world's first non-combustible warehouse system. It provided 1,290,000 square feet (120,000 m2) of warehouse space and its dock basin had a water area of 7.75 acres (3.14 ha). In its construction over 23 million bricks were used and 47,000 tonnes of mortar.[1] In total it cost £782,265 (approximately £41m today),[5] whilst today its estimated to be worth £230 million.[41]
The building's design complements many existing construction techniques with, what were considered at the time, radical solutions. The warehouses are supported by large load-bearing walls that range from being 3 feet (0.91 m) thick at the base to 19 inches (480 mm) on the fourth level. One of the most advanced architectural features is the use of stressed skin roofing, which at the time of construction was virtually unheard of. Huge iron trusses are crossed with rivetted and galvanised wrought iron plates, creating a shape similar to an upturned boat hull that acts to support the roof above.[42] The floors in the warehouses are supported by large iron columns and the spaces between were considered 'highly flexible', as new windows, stairwells and lift shafts could be added without risk to the building's structural integrity.[43]
The advanced design stretches far beyond what can be seen from the ground. The structures are free from wood, but their foundations contain 13,729 piles of timber, which would stretch for 48 miles (77 km) in length if laid end to end. Such heavily supportive foundations were needed because the construction land was reclaimed from the River Mersey to build on. Given the 'quicksand' nature of the Mersey's tidal silt the piles were needed to provide maximum stability. The resultant effect of the dock being constructed where it was is that the north and west stacks (now Merseyside Maritime Museum and Colonnades) rise and fall with every tide.[7]
One of the most notable features of the Albert Dock are the huge cast iron columns that line the quayside.[44] At 15 feet (4.6 m) high and almost 13 feet (4.0 m) in circumference, the columns are based upon the Greek Doric style of architecture.[45] Hartley's decision to use cast iron was an economic one as at the time it was cheaper than granite. Nonetheless, because of the huge dock walls that were built, the Albert Dock's construction required so much granite that the dock trustee's had to open their own mine in Kirkcudbrightshire in Scotland.[5][44] The quality of the build materials used as well as the docks sheer size are considered a strong illustration of the great prosperity that the Port of Liverpool afforded the city at the time and the building's style is described as cyclopean classicism.[45]
Albert Dock today
Today the Albert Dock is one of Liverpool's most important tourist attractions and a vital component of the city's UNESCO world heritage Maritime Mercantile City. As well as being the number one tourist attraction in Liverpool,[46] the Albert Dock is also the most visited multi-use attraction in the United Kingdom outside London, with in excess of four million visitors per year.[3] Amongst the many attractions at the Albert Dock are the Merseyside Maritime Museum, the Beatles Story and the Tate Liverpool. There are also two hotels within the Albert Dock: a Holiday Inn and Premier Inn both located in the Britannia Pavilion.[47] All the five warehouses around the dock, referred to as A, B, C, D and E, are Grade I listed buildings.[48][49][50][51] Also listed Grade I is the former dock traffic office.[52] Other buildings around the dock are listed Grade II; they are the former hydraulic pumping station,[53] and the swing bridge leading from the dock towards the Pierhead.[54]
In the aftermath of the dock's regeneration in the 1980s a policy had been adopted to try to attract retailers into the newly created premises within. However, after many years of struggling to compete with other major shopping areas in the city, the Albert Dock Company Ltd announced in 2007 a shift into attracting more bars and restaurants.[55] As of 2008, bars and restaurants resident in the Albert Dock include Panam Bar & Restaurant, Revolution Bar, Spice Lounge, and Whats Cooking?
This was taken at Union Station in Washington, DC. The ceiling tiles and patterns really caught my eye, but the experience can be overwhelming with all the designs.
I can only confess, I'm afraid. Of what, I don't know; of whom, or why, seems foreign to me. All the explanations in my mind have solutions. I have nothing tangible to fear - the future is looming but it will be okay, no matter what. The downs in life will be followed by ups. I'll carve my own path in the concrete and alter what is set in stone and I will be different, just like everybody else.
So why is the dread in the pit of my stomach so inescapable? Why does it consume me some nights and reduce me to tears at the foot of my bed and break down all honesty until even I don't know why I'm there? What am I scared of facing? I have not lied, nor stolen, nor broken. I have not taken anything that was not mine to take. There is no dues I owe or penance to be paid and yet I feel like something is coming for me, to collect a debt I cannot gather. It cannot be love, I'm sure. I've already paid the cost of that happiness when it took a piece of me and claimed it for its own. I have nothing left to give that repoman, should he come knocking at my door. It would require immeasurable happiness first, before I could have enough to lose. And even then, I'd have to muster courage to allow that happiness in. I don't want to be wary of footsteps on my bedroom floor yet isn't that inevitable? They can only be followed by the swift footsteps of another; the heavy pounding of the debt collector knocking for his price.
That cannot be what I'm afraid of, not today.
And yet,
maybe.
Yesterday, with Hannah, was the first time I've ever been caught tresspassing. "Quick! Should we just... jump the fence?!"
and today I was in a slightly public area, so I saw like, four people. A little couple walked up to me, possibly in their sixties, and the man said, "clearly a girl after our own hearts!" I laughed and asked if they were photographers, they said yes but they didn't have their cameras on them today. I explained my 365 etc and they were charming and then they left.
Hm. Struggling with a few things. Predominantly, right now, french. My exam's tomorrow. Perhaps a little late to begin revision.