Michelangelo's depiction of the Madonna and Child is located in the Church of Our Lady in Bruges, Belgium. She was the subject of the 2014 film "The Monuments Men". The statue has been removed twice from the church; once in 1794 during the French Revolution, and again in WWII.

 

The work is also notable in that it was the only sculpture by Michelangelo to leave Italy during his lifetime.

 

It is quite a serene and engaging sculpture; unfortunately, most of the church is currently in disarray due to an ongoing renovation.

Pioneer House:

 

Improved economic conditions and business confidence during the 1920s contributed to one of the CBD’s (central business district) most significant building booms. Built in 1924, Pioneer House is a surviving example of the changes wrought to the CBD as a result of this building boom.

 

Hoey, Fry Limited began commercial life as a Brisbane-based engineering supply company situated in 150 Edward Street in 1913. The firm’s establishment date is reflective of the development of the engineering profession in Brisbane. In 1874, the Queensland Post Office Directory (POD) listed only a handful of “Civil Engineers”. By 1890s, the number of engineers and the categories under which they fell had quadrupled. By 1900, there were six categories of engineers listed in the POD, occupying two pages. The categories included “milling”, “mining”, “refrigerating” and “electrical”. In the 1910 - 1911 POD, “Engineers’ Suppliers” is listed for the first time. This inclusion provides a useful context for the establishment of Hoey, Fry Ltd in 1913. The steady growth of the engineering profession reflected the broader growth and development of Brisbane in this period, especially the expansion of an electricity grid through the CBD and across into South Brisbane, the growth of secondary industry and the appearance and rise in popularity of the motorcar.

 

Hoey, Fry Ltd were clearly successful, for within a decade of its establishment, it was able to purchase the allotment adjacent to Invicta House, which was then under construction. The company planned to erect a multi-storey building in Edward Street at an approximate cost of £15,000. Construction on the building began in 1923 and was completed in 1924. Hoey, Fry Ltd was the exclusive representative of ‘Pioneer’ Belting & Mechanical Leathers, thus providing a likely explanation for the naming of the company’s building as ‘Pioneer House’.

 

The construction of the building contributed to the further development of the CBD’s principal warehouse precinct. The eastern portion of the CBD, roughly bounded by Elizabeth, Edward, Alice, and George Streets, developed as a warehouse and light industry precinct in the late nineteenth century. This section of the city was once known as Frogs Hollow because it was a low-lying, marshy area prone to flooding. In the mid to late nineteenth century the area was largely filled with small residences, boarding houses, and small businesses. From the 1880s, warehouses and small factories that were attracted to the area (as it was close to the wharf facilities located along the Town Reach of the river) progressively replaced many of these earlier buildings. This process reached its apogee in the 1920s.

 

Brisbane’s CBD also experienced a substantial building boom during the 1920s. According to the editor of the Architecture & Building Journal of Queensland, 1923 was the year that “The Building Boom” was manifestly apparent. Pioneer House, construction of which began in 1923, made an early contribution to this building boom.

 

As an important new building, Pioneer House was featured in some detail in an article that appeared in the Architecture & Building Journal of Queensland in July 1924. The article begins by describing the building’s height of five storeys and a basement. The floors and stairs were made with reinforced concrete and attention was drawn to how well lit the premises was. The building had an electric lift, which by “an ingenious device…will be able to serve the basement through the roof over the ground floor area”. Some attention was also paid also to the interior: “Handsome swing doors of silky oak and bevelled glass lead to each floor”. Pioneer House was the visible symbol of the company’s success, with even the Architecture & Building Journal of Queensland commenting that Hoey & Fry were “to be congratulated on their enterprise”.

 

The architectural firm of Atkinson & Conrad designed the building. This firm (1918 - 1937) was one of the more prominent architectural firms operating in Brisbane in this period and was responsible for a number of significant buildings in Brisbane, including the Masonic Temple in Ann Street (1930), Brisbane Boy’s College (1931), and the Courier-Mail Building in Queen Street (1937). Atkinson & Conrad also designed Invicta House, the building adjacent to Pioneer House. Walter Taylor, who is best known for construction of the Walter Taylor Bridge in Indooroopilly, constructed the building. The use of reinforced concrete in the construction of Invicta House was a hallmark of Taylor’s construction method in this period.

 

Hoey, Fry Ltd occupied the ground floor and continued to do so until at least the 1950s. The upper floors of Pioneer House were leased as offices to a variety of businesses over time. In 1986, Hoey, Fry Ltd was taken over by the major Australian company, Pacific Dunlop.

 

As with most retail premises within the CBD, Pioneer House has undergone a number of internal changes over the years to accommodate the requirements of its different commercial tenants. Alterations were carried out on the shop front in 1959 and office space in 1959 and 1979. Still, Pioneer House, along with Invicta House and the neighbouring Hotel Embassy (1928), give a distinctive, modern appearance to the Elizabeth and Edward Street intersection within the CBD.

 

The Brisbane History Group identified Pioneer House as part of Brisbane’s commercial heritage in 2002, when they included it in their publication Walking Tours – Brisbane’s Commercial Heritage 1900 - 1940. Of the nearly 90 buildings erected in the CBD during the important interwar building boom, more than half have since been demolished. Pioneer House is one of the few remaining buildings that is indicative of the changing landscape of the CBD that occurred during this period.

 

Invicta House:

 

Hooper & Harrison Ltd, woollen merchants, based in Sydney, operated from Elizabeth Street premises from 1895. The company was one of a number of woollen merchants operating in the city at this time. Initially, an agent represented the company. In 1919, however, the company opened a Queensland office and was thereafter known as Hooper & Harrison (Queensland) Ltd Woollen Merchants. By 1914, Queensland was the largest supplier of wool in Australia and Brisbane the principal centre for wool sales in the state, providing a reasonable explanation for the establishment of a Queensland office by the company in the CBD.

 

The company progressively purchased a parcel of land on the corner of Elizabeth and Edward Streets between 1919 and 1922, after which work was begun on the construction of a purpose-built warehouse building with office space. The building was completed in 1923 and was given the name of ‘Invicta House’ after the ‘Famous Invicta’ brand of clothing of which Hooper & Harrison was the sole proprietor in Brisbane.

 

The construction of the building contributed to the further development of the CBD’s principal warehouse precinct. The eastern portion of the CBD, roughly bounded by Elizabeth, Edward, Alice and George Streets, developed as a warehouse and light industry precinct in the late nineteenth century. This section of the city was once known as Frogs Hollow because it was a low-lying, marshy area prone to flooding. In the mid- to late-nineteenth century, the area was largely filled with small residences, boarding houses, and small businesses. From the 1880s, warehouses and small factories that were attracted to the area (as it was close to the wharf facilities located along the Town Reach of the river) progressively replaced many of these earlier buildings. This process reached its apogee in the 1920s.

 

Brisbane’s CBD also experienced a substantial building boom during the 1920s. According to the editor of the Architecture & Building Journal of Queensland, 1923 was the year that “The Building Boom” was manifestly apparent. The article stated: “Among the architects’ offices a very fine assortment of work is to be found either actually commenced or on the board” with Invicta House being one of the examples mentioned. The construction of Invicta House was considered integral to the beginning of the CBD building boom.

 

Following the construction of Invicta House, the Architectural & Building Journal of Queensland published an article drawing particular attention to the fact that the building was fireproof, serviced by a lift and particularly well lit, even in the basement. The qualities of the interior were thus described:

 

The reinforced concrete stairs are rendered to the first floor level in Terrazzo with wrot iron palisading and maple handrails. The entrance hall has a panelled dado in Queensland maple wax…The offices and mouldings to doors are similarly treated and give a most pleasing effect.

 

In February 1924, it was reported that Invicta House was a “handsome warehouse, occupying one of our most promising business centres.” The cost of the building was given as approximately £25,000. With its modern appearance, the building made a distinctive contribution to the warehouse precinct in the eastern part of the CBD.

 

The architectural firm of Atkinson & Conrad designed the building. This firm (1918 - 1937) was one of the more prominent architectural firms operating in Brisbane in this period and was responsible for a number of significant buildings in Brisbane, including the Masonic Temple in Ann Street (1930), Brisbane Boy’s College (1931) and the Courier-Mail Building in Queen Street (1937). Atkinson & Conrad also designed Pioneer House, the building adjacent to Invicta House. Walter Taylor, who is best known for construction of the Walter Taylor Bridge in Indooroopilly, constructed the building. The use of reinforced concrete in the construction of Invicta House was a hallmark of Taylor’s construction method in this period.

 

Hooper & Harrison continued to operate from the first floor of Invicta House until at least the 1950s, while the other floors were leased by a variety of different tenants. The most prominent kind of business activity was warehousing, consonant with the building’s original design. By the 1940s, however, an accountant and the real estate agent, Ray White had offices there.

 

Ownership of the building passed to Labor Enterprises Pty Ltd, the commercial arm of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), in 1961, though they occupied the building from 1958. The then Labor-owned radio station, 4KQ, also operated from Invicta House from the late 1950s. Invicta House was, until 1972, the state ALP headquarters. Political conditions for the ALP were mixed during their period of occupancy of Invicta House. On the one hand, the federal and state branches of the Party had fallen into disarray following a split in Labor ranks in the 1950s. This split effectively stymied ALP re-election both federally and in Queensland in this period. At local government level, however, the situation was much different. A Labor administration, headed by Clem Jones, was elected in 1961. The Jones era of municipal government (1961 - 1975) in Brisbane is historically significant. According to one historian: “Clem Jones will be remembered very much for bringing Brisbane into the modern era”. As Lord Mayor of a Labor administration, this legacy reflects the broader significance of the ALP and its state headquarters in Brisbane.

 

Source: Brisbane City Council Heritage Register.

 

So live your life, ay ay ay.

 

Instead of chasing that paper.

 

Just live your life (Oh!), ay ay ay.

 

Ain’t got no time for no haters

 

Just live your life (Oh!), ay ay ay.

 

No telling where it’ll take you.

 

Just live your life (Oh!), ay ay ay.

 

Cause I’m a paper chaser.

 

Just living my life.

 

I’m the opposite of moderate, immaculately polished with the spirit of a hustler

 

and the swagger of a college kid.

 

Allergic to the counterfeit, impartial to the politics.

 

Articulate but still would grab a nigga by the collar quick.

 

Whoever had problems, they reckonsile they just holla ‘tip.

 

If that don’t work and just fails, then turn around and follow ‘tip.

 

I got love for the game but ay I’m not in love with all of it.

 

I do without the fame and the rappers nowadays are comedy.

 

The hootin’ and the hollerin’, back and forth with the argueing.

 

Where you from, who you know, what you make and what kind of car you in.

 

Seems as though you lost sight of whats important with the positive.

 

And checks until your bank account, and you’re about poverted.

 

Your values is a disarrayed, prioritized are horribly.

 

Unhappy with the riches cause you pis-pone morraly.

 

Ignoring all prior advice and fore warning.

 

And we might be full of ourselves all of a sudden aren’t we?

 

Models: Moa+nono+Hayooy+yasmeen(yoyo)+nenos I poid

 

Piced by: Moa xD

 

Edit: Miss Flower <3

 

Autorack train Q234 shoots under the CP5 signal, as they sail trhough Little Ferry, on a warm June afternoon. If all goes well, they'll have the railroad all the way to Doremus Ave yard, since they just passed Q434, which is one of their Docks line obstacles. On the left is a collection of NYS&W power in various states of disarray. The 3806 has been tagged and shopped, with damage to the steps and handrails on both ends.

The Museum Club, Flagstaff, AZ

 

The Museum Club, a Route 66 icon in Flagstaff, Arizona, began its life as the boyhood dream of taxidermist Dean Eldredge in 1931. When Eldredge found a petrified frog as a child in Wisconsin, it spurred a lifetime as a sportsman, adventurer and collector. Dean began his taxidermy business in 1918. In the early 1930s Eldredge saw an opportunity when he purchased a piece of federal land, three miles east of Flagstaff on Route 66. Soon, he hired unemployed lumberjacks to cut trees, haul them to his property and built what he touted as "the biggest log cabin in the world.” Later he would revise his claim to "the biggest log cabin in the nation,” then to "the biggest log cabin in Arizona.” In any case, he finally had a showplace for his lifetime collection of stuffed animals, six-legged sheep, Winchester rifles, Indian artifacts, two-headed calves, and more than 30,000 other items. Operating as a museum, taxidermist shop, and a trading post, scores of Route 66'rs stopped in to visit Dean and his collection during the five years that he operated the museum. Before long, locals dubbed the museum "The Zoo,” a name that has stuck with the building to this day.

Unfortunately, when Eldredge died of cancer, most of his collection was sold and the building was purchased by a Flagstaff saddle maker named Doc Williams. In 1936, Williams, profiting from the many travelers of the Mother Road and the end of Prohibition, opened a night club that was an immediate success.

 

Over the years, the building passed through several owners and survived as a nightclub, recording studio and roadhouse. By the 1950s, the club had deteriorated to a rough and tumble roadhouse patronized by a crowd that often times preferred a little blood with its beer.

 

In 1963, Don Scott, a steel guitarist who’d spent time with Bob Wills’ Texas Playboys, bought the club and moved to Flagstaff along with his wife Thorna. Scott wasted no time turning the club into a country music dance hall and began to book old friends like Wills, and new ones, like Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson. "Pappy,” as Scott was called by his friends, had many contacts in the music industry and before long he put the club "on the map” in the western swing circuit. Wynn Stewart, Wanda Jackson and the Texas Playboys were just a few of the acts which appeared at The Museum Club. Many aspiring recording stars, making the pilgrimage from Nashville to Las Vegas, would book into The Museum Club. Some, like Barbara Mandrell, simply showed up, grabbed a guitar and played impromptu.

 

Living in an upstairs apartment in the building, both Don and Thorna Scott were active in running the successful club until 1973, when a tragedy ended Thorna’s life. After a long night, the couple had closed the club and Thorna headed up the stairs to retire for the evening, leaving Don behind on the first floor to finish up.

 

However, before she reached the apartment she apparently tripped and fell from near the top of the stairs. Breaking her neck, Thorna lapsed into a coma and a few weeks later she died. Don Scott became terribly despondent after her death, suffering from constant memories of the event and loneliness. Unable to endure the pain any longer, Don took his own life in 1975 by killing himself with a rifle in front of the fireplace.

 

In 1978 Martin and Stacie Zanzucchi bought the club, began extensive restorations, and added taxidermy mounts, antlers and period pieces to the club. Today, "The Zoo" continues to host the rising stars of country music and the new sounds of Nashville. Recent concert performers have included Asleep at the Wheel, Marty Brown, and the Clinton Category. Popular groups such as Mogollon, and Rednecks-The Band, play regularly at The Museum Club.

 

Interestingly, the club not only hosts its many country western musicians and fans, but also the ghosts of former owners Don and Thorna Scott. Signs that Don and Thorna never left are evident to employees as well as guests. Footsteps and creaks are often heard coming from the upstairs floor where they once lived, lights have a habit of flickering on and off, chairs rock back and forth on their own, and fires have been lit in the hearth when no one is around. Thorna apparently makes her appearance at all hours of the day, often seen on the back stairway and the back bar where confused patrons sometimes mistake her for a bartender. She's also been seen in dark corner booths too. Occasionally customers will buy her a drink only to find she has vanished when they return

 

One man, who lived in the upstairs apartment for a time, says he was pinned to the floor by a friendly female ghost. Evidently, Thorna has a sense of humor in her life beyond the living, as she stated to the man, while sitting on his chest, "You only need to fear the living." Then the apparition disappeared. Wasting no time, the tenant broke through the upstairs window, ran across the roof and disappeared, never to return.

 

One bartender, just starting her shift, was surprised to see the bar shelf disarrayed. Beer bottles were switched around, drink mixes were at the wrong end, and some liquor bottles had been knocked over. Because the bar area had been straightened up the night before, she had no choice but to blame it on the Scotts.

 

Many guests of the establishment have taken pictures and videos where they report ghost like images appearing on the film.

 

Recently, one employee of the Museum Club reports that though the power in the upstairs floor has been shut off, the lights have been coming on more and more often. Others have reported also seeing the lights from the street while driving by late at night.

 

Once located on the outskirts of town, this old highway watering hole is a Route 66 throwback now surrounded by present day Flagstaff. Today, the Museum Club is a popular roadhouse and dance club, offering the best in live country western and after hours entertainment. Check out the great music at the Museum Club and while you’re there, keep your eye out for a ghost or two lurking in the background.

 

From Legends of America.com

Compagnie ACIDU

 

NAGEUSES SUR BITUME

Cinq femmes en quête de synchronisation

 

Cinq nageuses synchronisées. Cinq femmes. « Interdites de piscine », elles se retrouvent à la rue et dans la rue, pour manifester leur désarroi, leur colère et leur désir ; sans piscine et sans eau, elles continuent d’avancer, de vivre… Nage ou crève ! Elles s’adaptent, s’inventent un monde afin de nager sur le bitume, dans une piscine remplie d’air, la rue ; aux côtés d’autres nageurs en eaux troubles, les spectateurs.

 

Company ACIDU

 

SWIMMERS ON BITUMEN

Five women in search of synchronization

 

Five synchronized swimmers. Five women. "Forbidden swimming pool", they find themselves in the street and in the street, to show their disarray, their anger and their desire; Without swimming pool and without water, they continue to advance, to live ... Swim or die! They adapt, invent a world in order to swim on the bitumen, in a pool filled with air, the street; Alongside other swimmers in troubled waters, the spectators.

 

Acidu Unternehmen

 

Schwimmer auf ASPHALT

Fünf Frauen auf der Suche für die Synchronisation

 

Fünf Synchronschwimmer . Fünf Frauen. „Forbidden Pool“, finden sie sich auf der Straße und auf der Straße ihre Bestürzung, Wut und den Wunsch zu zeigen; kein Pool und kein Wasser, sie weiterhin nach vorne zu bewegen, zu leben oder sterben ... Swim! Sie passen, erfinden eine Welt auf dem Asphalt schwimmen in einem Pool mit Luft gefüllt ist, die Straße; neben anderen Schwimmern in trüben Gewässern, Zuschauer.

rumpled patterns within

warmth in mood

imagination among the lines

 

iPhone 11 Pro; Halide Photo App; Image Post: Affinity Photo 1.7.3

 

2020-02-01-iOS-0692

 

(Creative Commons 2020) GT Cooper

Venetian lion of St. Mark in CROATIA

The first ruler to unite Pannonia and Dalmatia was Croatian king Tomislav, who was crowned in AD 925 and recognised by the pope as king. His territory included virtually all of modern Croatia as well as part of Bosnia and the coast of Montenegro.

 

By the mid-10th century, the country’s fragile unity was threatened by power struggles in its ruling class. Venice took advantage of the disarray to launch an invasion of Dalmatia at the turn of the 11th century that established its first foothold on the coast.

 

Krešimir IV (1058–74) regained control over Dalmatia with the help of the papacy, but the kingdom once again descended into anarchy upon his death. The next king, Zvonimir (1075–89), also cemented his authority with the help of the pope, but the independent land he forged did not survive his death.

*

Venetian rule in Dalmatia and Istria was a ruthless record of nearly unbroken economic exploitation. Early in their rule, the Venetians ordered the destruction of Dalmatian mulberry trees in order to kill the silk trade for no other apparent reason than to keep the region poor and dependent. Other trees also suffered as the Venetians systematically denuded the landscape in order to provide wood for their ships and building up Venecia. Olive oil, figs, wine, fish and salt were in effect confiscated, since merchants were forced to sell only to Venetians and only at the price the Venetians were willing to pay. Dalmatian fishermen were unable to salt their fish for preservation because salt was kept unreasonably expensive by a state monopoly. Shipbuilding was effectively banned since Venice tolerated no competition with its own ships. No roads or schools were built, and no investment was made in local industry. All manufactured articles had to be imported and, by the latter half of the 18th century, even agricultural products had to be imported to keep the population – barely surviving on roots and grass – from starving to death. In addition to Venice’s iron-fisted economic policies, the population was also subject to malaria and plague epidemics that ravaged the region.

  

.

Abandoned Abused Street Dogs.

 

Back Story .........................................

 

Lots of things have been going on around here.

Sometimes I zip out to the monkey temple in the

afternoon just to do a resupply for the nuns & monks.

 

Mamas skin problem seems to holding it's own and I've

made plans to take her in again on Thursday to see the

dog doctor.

 

Medical issues have put my normal schedule in a disarray.

Tomorrow is Wednesday and the dog doctor is always

closed on that day.The only day a week he takes off.

Point is that's why Mama is going to see him on Thursday.

 

From what I've been told the population of primates out here

has risen from 2000 to somewhere around 3000 . I've noticed

a tremendous amount of mother monkeys with babies on board.

 

Rabies is still an issue around Thailand and if it comes to the

monkey temple we'll have a huge problem to deal with !

The dogs all have their rabies shots and are now going

through their yearly booster program .

 

This inserted news article is about rabies in Thailand......................

 

Rabies is still an unresolved public health problem in Thailand. Approximately 300 cases of human rabies have been reported annually (Table 1) [1]. This number, however, is generally accepted to be under recorded. Half of the patients are below 15 years of age (Table 2). Rabies deaths have been reported all year round with slight increment in number during summer. For post-exposure prophylaxis against rabies, each year, about 80,000 people are treated at the health authority services throughout the country [2]. An underestimated number of patients have visited private clinics for the same purposes without any record.

 

Remember some time back I too was taking rabies shots ..;-(

 

Anyway for some good news, on the way home I purchased

3 kilos of fresh, sweet, organically grown mangoes...............;-)

 

Thank You.

Jon&Crew.

 

Please help with your donations here.

www.gofundme.com/saving-thai-temple-dogs.

 

Please,

No Awards, Invites, Large Logos or Copy an Pastes.

 

.

 

Fort Constantine, is one of many fortresses from the 19th century. It lies directly in the main channel to St. Petersburg.

 

Fort Constantin was a coastal artillery battery that covered southern waters of the fortified city of Kronstadt, Russia. The city is located on the Kotlin Island, Gulf of Finland, Baltic Sea. Currently the fort has no military use, the structures are in disarray, and the transport and tourism company 'Third Park' tries to develop the territory as a tourist destination.

Then out spake brave Horatius,

The Captain of the gate:

“To every man upon this earth

Death cometh soon or late.

And how can man die better

Than facing fearful odds

For the ashes of his fathers

And the temples of his gods,

 

From Horatius at the Bridge by Thomas Babington, Lord Macaulay (1800–1859)

 

In around 506 BC a large Etruscan army lead by Lars Poresna, King of Clusium, marched on Rome. Among their number was Rome’s recently deposed King, Tarquinius Superbus, who hoped that following a successful campaign, he would be returned to the city’s throne.

 

Having recently engaged an army of Tarquin’s in an indecisive battle at Aricia, the Romans were expecting an invasion and hastily attempted to construct a fort on the Janiculum, a hill on the western side of the Tiber. However, owing to inadequate scouting, the troops stationed at the fort were surprised and overcome by the Eutruscan force, which proceeded to occupy the hill.

 

From the Janiculum, Porsena’s army launched an attack and advanced on Pons Sublicius. The Roman forces were now in disarray and the future of the newly formed republic looked bleak. However, just as all seemed lost a soldier named Horatius Cocles, accompanied by two others, namely Titus Herminius Aquilinus and Spurius Lartius (which, intriguingly, are Etruscan names) stepped forward to defend the bridge, using its narrow width to reduce the effectiveness of the large enemy force that bore down upon them. There they fought while to their rear the citizens of Rome gathered and, using but hand axes, began to chop down the bridge. Herminius and Spurius retreated as the bridge was almost destroyed, but Horatius fought on until the bridge had fallen, leaping into the river in full armour and swimming its width while coming under enemy fire. The attack was thus repulsed and Porsena forced into an unsuccessful siege of the city.

 

That, at least, is how the story goes according to Rome’s poets and historians. There have however always been questions about the story’s veracity and even Livy, whose history was as much about promoting Augustus Caesar’s legitimacy as it was about recording past events, casts doubt over some of its claims. It’s likely that Porsena succeeded in capturing Rome, for a short period at least (though there is no evidence to suggest that Tarquin’s throne was ever restored), and that Horatius’ exploits were later invented as a means of masking past defeats and promoting the idea of Rome’s inherent superiority. The Romans were, after all, skilled in the art of propaganda, a modern Latin word with ancient roots.

 

Whatever the truth, I think it makes for a fun little MOC.

 

You may notice that I’ve avoided using the familiar Roman Minifigure helmets and armour. This is because during this period the Roman Army was still fighting in the Greco-Etruscan style, where the phalanx was the master of the battlefield. This is over a hundred years before Rome comes into conflict with the Samnites and subsequently adopts the maniple system and around 400 years before Marius implements his reforms. The army was therefore vastly different in appearance and style to the one most people are familiar with. This is why I’ve gone for the Corinthian helmets, Hoplon shields and bronze and Linothorax type armour.

 

Finally, I’d like to quickly thank my mate Tim, who put me onto the Babington poem and helped push me towards depicting this piece of Roman history / myth. He also helped me out with some superb advice on photographing the model. He has a Warhammer blog over at Blogger; which if you’re interested is well worth checking out as apparently he’s known to be a bit of a wizard with the painting and landscaping and stuff.

ANSH scavenger6 Disarray

If it wasn't for the four Tiny Turbo pioneers (all tagged), I wouldn't have had anyone to look up to in my early days of TT MOCing, and most likely wouldn't be where I am now. These people inspired and overall helped immensely, and hopefully won't mind the tagging. Right now I feel like I am in the same pot with everyone else, in the community, and that's what really matters to me. I follow people whose uploads interest me and we are having conversations. Not a thing I would change!

 

Well, on to the topic. Building fictional cars and having a personal car-manufacturing company are very closely related activities. Before I founded my own company, my car design process was in disarray, but once Urokko was born - it all fell into places. The majority of my cars are still independent, yet having a lasting trademark design helps tremendously. And I have another company emerging at a later point, Tiburron, which will boast shark-inspired designs instead of a common chassis.

 

So I decided that I should not keep the current line-up to myself. I just hope that you don't mind the virtual renders. Eventually, all of these will come to life - possibly with further tweaks, and new models will join the ranks! Now, some may find these to be trimmed to an unacceptable extreme, looking too dissimilar to actual cars. But hey, it is 200 years older Japan after all! Here are the descriptions to the 14 crazy contraptions produced by a group of Japanese engineers and designers. Pictures from left to right, top to bottom.

 

1. Ichi - the very first model - found here.

 

2. Fishbone - an unsafe-looking land speed record-breaker - here.

 

3. T1 - a track beast - already surfaced here.

 

4. T2 - another track beast - this one utilises an old sunroof piece. T-t-t-tear the t-t-t-tarmac!!!

 

5. MARS - this rover will be hauling your potatoes and stuff once we eventually land on Mars.

 

6. Hyper - a menacing hypercar. And it looks fancy. Need I say more?

 

7. Regal - a rolling chunk of swag, will take a peculiar backstory to justify its existence.

 

8. WIndstream - a rolling wind tunnel, even its headlights are wrapped around intakes.

 

9. (classified) - utilises some strange tech and the MightyMicro wheelbase. M-m-m-mighty!

 

10. ??? - holy guacamole what is this?!... Should be called DD-0 for "zero downforce deficit".

 

11. Police - this thing opens up mid-way during a pursuit and shoots electromagnetic bolts. Scary stuff.

 

12. T-RX - if this reminds you of a trike, then guess what, it is meant to do that!

 

13. Tigershark - an Urokko-Tiburron collaboration. A shark, obviously.

 

14. Midori - an eco-powered supercar. A small company could always use some positive publicity, right?

THE NIGHT THE MOUNTAIN FELL IN YELLOWSTONE

 

One late summer night, thousands awoke to a horrific nightmare: an enormous force rattling the ground beneath them. At 11:37 p.m. on Aug. 17, 1959, the 7.5-magnitude Hebgen Lake Earthquake hit southwest Montana. At its time, it was the second-largest recorded earthquake in the continental United States in the 20th century. It still is among the largest recorded in the United States, and the effects of the quake are still observed today.

 

Today, the Madison River Canyon stretches for several miles west of Hebgen Lake, a large, manmade reservoir. The Hebgen Dam, completed in 1914, sits at the head of the canyon barely out of sight of Highway 287. Flowing both in and out of the lake is the Madison River, world renowned for its blue-ribbon fly-fishing.

 

Prior to the quake, the Madison flowed from the dam outlet through a tucked-away canyon of the Madison range toward Ennis. On either side of the timber-laden valley sat steep slopes coated with rocky outcroppings and dense forest. At the foot of the canyon, the river dropped in elevation, entering the expansive Madison Valley. Just before the foot of the canyon sat Rock Creek Campground, a then-popular resting ground for tourists visiting Yellowstone National Park.

 

The initial quake lasted less than a minute. Within mere seconds, the ground plunged downwards along the fault line, leaving behind a sheer 20-foot wall of exposed earth. Shortly following the massive quake, an immense slab of weakly affixed material detached from the canyon’s north-facing slope and slid swiftly into the valley, snapping trees and tossing thousand-pound boulders in a fierce disarray. As debris plummeted to the canyon floor, a new natural dam formed at the foot of the canyon several miles downstream from Hebgen Dam. Behind the slide, the Madison River flooded the canyon, engulfing trees and campgrounds alike and forming the beginnings of what is now known as Earthquake Lake.

 

Meanwhile, sizable waves, or seiches, spilled over the Hebgen Dam, threatening to fracture the dam’s already weakened infrastructure. Residents downstream feared that the dam would fail, causing the community of Ennis to evacuate shortly thereafter. Highway 287 plunged into Hebgen Lake along the scarp. The Hillgard Fishing Lodge, located on the north shore of Hebgen Lake, fell into a gaping fissure caused by the displacement and plummeted into the lake – just moments after owner Grace Miller jumped from inside the building.

 

Following the quake, officials rescued hundreds of trapped victims from Refuge Point, a high but accessible promontory. The state cleared debris and repaired damaged roads and bridges. Within a couple of days, the majority of roads were reopened. The Hebgen Dam held and was repaired within several weeks. In total, 28 perished in the quake, slide and aftermath.

 

In Yellowstone National Park, thermal features experienced changes, including Old Faithful geyser, the park’s most visited attraction. Prior to the quake, Old Faithful’s average eruption interval was 65 minutes. Within two to three years following the earthquake, Old Faithful’s average eruption interval increased to 74 minutes.

 

Within a few days of the quake, Sapphire Pool, a previously quiet hot spring in Yellowstone’s Biscuit Basin, began erupting over 200 feet high. The eruptions destroyed the biscuit-like formations, the basin’s namesake. Steamboat, the world’s tallest geyser, located in Yellowstone’s Norris Geyser Basin, awoke from its 50-year dormancy when it erupted in 1961, less than three years after the 1959 earthquake.

 

Eight years after the earthquake, the U.S. Forest Service opened the Earthquake Lake Visitor Center. The center is located on Highway 287, directly across from the original slide, which is still visible today. The center is about 27 miles from West Yellowstone and is open from May through September.

 

Today, the fault scarp may be viewed north of Highway 287 at the Cabin Creek Scarp Area, which is 23 miles northwest of West Yellowstone, and in Red Canyon, about 17 miles northwest of the town. From the turnoff to Red Canyon, it is about a 10-minute drive to the trailhead and about a 20-minute hike to view the scarp.

 

Along the north shore of Hebgen Lake, the Building Destruction site is located 21 miles northwest of West Yellowstone. This under-frequented site offers a short drive on the old highway and a short walk to view the remnants of the sunken Hillgard Fishing Lodge.

 

A prominent spectacle of the canyon, the slide is still mostly barren with only dispersed tree regrowth. The raw, barren slope is completely visible from Highway 287. The trees that once lined the Madison River now stand gray and waterlogged at the bottom of Earthquake Lake, protruding from the surface as a memorial of the landscape that used to be.

 

Annie Jehle | Editor | This is Montana

The Postcard

 

A postally unused Mirro-Krome postcard that was published by the H. S. Crocker Co. Inc. of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on behalf of the Jefferson National Expansion Historical Association of St. Louis, Missouri.

 

Although the card was not posted, it bears recipients' names and an address:

 

To: Pete & Barbara,

(Prince Albert),

Newton Street,

Macclesfield,

Cheshire,

England.

 

Alas, the Prince Albert closed for good in January 2022. Plans are currently (2023) in place for the building to be converted into a 7-bedroomed house of multiple occupation.

 

The card also bore a message:

 

"Hello Pete & Barbara,

Weather is 80 degrees -

Phew!

Flight good. Been to top

of this arch - 630 feet -

lovely view.

Also been to Chicago -

smashing.

See you later,

BUGS!"

 

The St. Louis Gateway Arch

 

The Gateway Arch is a 630-foot (192 m) tall monument in St. Louis, Missouri. Clad in stainless steel and built in the form of a weighted catenary arch, it is the world's tallest arch, and Missouri's tallest accessible building.

 

Some sources consider it the tallest human-made monument in the Western Hemisphere. Built as a monument to the westward expansion of the United States and officially dedicated to "the American people", the Arch, commonly referred to as "The Gateway to the West", is a National Historic Landmark in Gateway Arch National Park.

 

It has become an internationally recognized symbol of St. Louis, as well as a popular tourist destination.

 

The Arch was designed by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen in 1947. Construction of the Arch began on the 12th. February 1963, and was completed on the 28th. October 1965, at an overall cost of $13 million (equivalent to $86.5 million in 2018).

 

The monument opened to the public on the 10th. June 1967. It is located at the 1764 site of the founding of St. Louis on the west bank of the Mississippi River.

 

Inception and Funding (1933–1935)

 

Around late 1933, civic leader Luther Ely Smith looked at the St. Louis riverfront area and envisioned that building a memorial there would revive the riverfront and stimulate the economy.

 

He suggested this to mayor Bernard Dickmann, who on the 15th. December 1933 raised it in a meeting with city leaders. They sanctioned the proposal, and the nonprofit Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Association (JNEMA -pronounced "Jenny May") was formed.

 

Smith was appointed chairman, and Dickmann vice chairman. The association's goal was to create:

 

'A suitable and permanent public memorial to the men who made possible the western territorial expansion of the United States, particularly President Jefferson, his aides Livingston and Monroe, the great explorers, Lewis and Clark, and the hardy hunters, trappers, frontiersmen and pioneers who contributed to the territorial expansion and development of these United States, and thereby to bring before the public of this and future generations the history of our development and induce familiarity with the patriotic accomplishments of these great builders of our country.'

 

Many locals however did not approve of depleting public funds for the cause. Smith's daughter SaLees related that:

 

"When people would tell him we needed

more practical things, he would respond

that 'spiritual things' were equally important."

 

The association expected that $30 million would be needed to undertake the construction of such a monument (about $508 million in 2021 dollars). It called upon the federal government to foot three-quarters of the bill ($22.5 million).

 

The suggestion to renew the riverfront was not original, as previous projects had been attempted, but lacked popularity. However the Jefferson memorial idea emerged amid the economic disarray of the Great Depression, and promised new jobs.

 

The project was expected to create 5,000 jobs for three to four years. Committee members began to raise public awareness by organizing fundraisers and writing pamphlets. They also engaged Congress by planning budgets and preparing bills, in addition to researching ownership of the land they had chosen:

 

"Approximately one-half mile in length

from Third Street east to the present

elevated railroad."

 

In January 1934, Senator Bennett Champ Clark and Representative John Cochran introduced to Congress an appropriation bill seeking $30 million for the memorial, but the bill failed to garner support due to the large amount of money solicited.

 

On the 15th. June 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a bill into law, instituting the United States Territorial Expansion Memorial Commission. The commission comprised 15 members. It first convened on the 19th. December 1934 in St. Louis, where members examined the project and its planned location.

 

Meanwhile, in December 1934, the JNEMA discussed organizing an architectural competition to determine the design of the monument, and by January 1935, local architect Louis LeBeaume had drawn up competition guidelines.

 

On the 13th. April 1935, the commission certified JNEMA's project proposals, including memorial perimeters, the "historical significance" of the memorial, the competition, and the $30 million budget.

 

Dickmann and Smith applied for funding from two New Deal agencies—the Public Works Administration (headed by Harold Ickes) and the Works Progress Administration (headed by Harry Hopkins). On the 7th. August 1935, both Ickes and Hopkins promised $10 million, and said that the National Park Service (NPS) would manage the memorial.

 

A local bond issue election granting $7.5 million (about $127 million in 2021 dollars) for the memorial's development was held on the 10th. September 1935 and passed.

 

On the 21st. December 1935 President Roosevelt signed an Executive Order approving the memorial, designating the 82-acre area as the first National Historic Site. The order also appropriated $3.3 million through the WPA, and $3.45 million through the PWA.

 

However some taxpayers began to file suits to block the construction of the monument, which they called a "boondoggle".

 

Initial Planning (1936–1939)

 

The NPS acquired the historic buildings within the historic site—through condemnation rather than purchase—and demolished them. By September 1938, condemnation was complete.

 

The condemnation was subject to many legal disputes which culminated on the 27th. January 1939, when the United States Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that condemnation was valid. A total of $6.2 million was distributed to land owners on the 14th. June.

 

Demolition commenced on the 9th. October 1939, when Dickmann extracted three bricks from a vacant warehouse.

 

Led by Paul Peters, adversaries of the memorial delivered to Congress a leaflet titled:

 

"Public Necessity

or Just Plain Pork".

 

In March 1936, Representative John Cochran commented during a House meeting that:

 

"I would not vote for any measure

providing for building the memorial

or allotting funds to it".

 

Peters and other opponents asked Roosevelt to rescind his Executive Order, and to redirect the money to the American Red Cross. Smith stated that:

 

"They are opposed to anything that

is ever advanced in behalf of the city."

 

Because the Mississippi River played an essential role in establishing St. Louis's identity as the gateway to the west, it was felt that a memorial commemorating it should be near the river. Railroad tracks that had been constructed in the 1930's on the levee obstructed views of the riverfront from the memorial site.

 

When Ickes declared that the railway must be removed before he would allocate funds for the memorial, President of the St. Louis Board of Public Service Baxter Brown suggested that:

 

"A new tunnel would conceal the

tracks and re-grading of the site

would elevate it over the tunnel.

These modifications would open

up the views to the river."

 

Although rejected by NPS architect Charles Peterson, Brown's proposal formed the basis for the ultimate settlement.

 

By May 1942, demolition was complete. The Old Cathedral and the Old Rock House, because of their historical significance, were the only buildings retained within the historic site.

 

The Old Rock House was dismantled in 1959 with the intention of reassembling it at a new location, but pieces of the building went missing. Part of the house has been reconstructed in the basement of the Old Courthouse.

 

Design Competition (1945–1948)

 

In November 1944, Smith asserted that:

 

"The memorial should be transcending

in spiritual and aesthetic values, best

represented by one central feature: a

single shaft, a building, an arch, or

something else that would symbolize

American culture and civilization."

 

In January 1945, the JNEMA announced a two-stage design competition that would cost $225,000 to organize. Smith and the JNEMA struggled to raise the funds, garnering only a third of the required total by June 1945. The passage of a year brought little success, and Smith frantically underwrote the remaining $40,000 in May 1946. In February 1947, the fund stood at $231,199.

 

On the 30th. May 1947, the contest officially opened. It comprised two stages—the first to narrow down the designers to five, and the second to single out one architect and his design. The design was required to include:

 

-- An architectural memorial or memorials to Jefferson.

 

-- Preservation of the site of Old St. Louis—landscaping, provision of an open-air campfire theater, re-erection or reproduction of a few typical old buildings, and provision

of a Museum interpreting the Westward movement.

 

-- A living memorial to Jefferson's 'vision of greater opportunities for men of all races and creeds.'

 

-- Recreational facilities, both sides of the river.

 

-- Parking facilities, access, relocation of railroads,

and placement of an interstate highway.

 

On the 1st. September 1947, submissions for the first stage were received by the 7-member jury. The submissions were labeled by numbers only, and the names of the designers were kept anonymous.

 

Upon four days of deliberation, the jury narrowed down the 172 submissions to five finalists, and announced the corresponding numbers to the media on the 27th. September 1947.

 

Eero Saarinen's design (No. 144) was among the finalists, and comments written on it included:

 

"Relevant, beautiful, perhaps inspired

would be the right word." (Roland Wank) (....Yes, really.)

 

"An abstract form peculiarly happy

in its symbolism." (Charles Nagel).

 

Eero Saarinen's father Eliel Saarinen also submitted a design; however the secretary who sent out the telegrams informing finalists of their advancement mistakenly sent one to Eliel rather than Eero.

 

The family celebrated with champagne, and two hours later, a competition representative called to correct the mistake. Eliel broke out a second bottle of champagne to toast his son.

 

Saarinen changed the height of the Arch from 580 feet to 630 feet (190 m), and wrote that:

 

"The Arch symbolizes the gateway

to the West, the national expansion,

and whatnot."

 

He wanted the landscape surrounding the Arch:

 

"To be so densely covered with trees

that it will be a forest-like park, a green

retreat from the tension of the downtown

city."

 

The deadline for the second stage arrived on the 10th. February 1948, and on the 18th. February, the jury chose Saarinen's design unanimously, praising its "profoundly evocative and truly monumental expression."

 

The following day, during a formal dinner at Statler Hotel that the finalists and the media attended, Saarinen was pronounced the winner of the competition, and awarded the checks—$40,000 to his team, and $50,000 to Saarinen. The competition was the first major architectural design that Saarinen had developed unaided by his father.

 

The design drew varied responses. Representative H. R. Gross opposed the allocation of federal funds for the Arch's development. Some local residents likened it to:

 

"A stupendous hairpin and a

stainless steel hitching post."

 

The most aggressive criticism emerged from Gilmore D. Clarke, whose February 26th. 1948, letter compared Saarinen's Arch to an arch imagined by fascist Benito Mussolini, rendering the Arch a fascist symbol.

 

This allegation of plagiarism ignited fierce debates among architects about its validity. Douglas Haskell from New York wrote that:

 

"The use of a common form is not

plagiarism. This particular accusation

amounts to the filthiest smear that

has been attempted by a man highly

placed in the architectural profession

in our generation."

 

The jury refuted the charges, arguing that:

 

"The arch form is not inherently fascist,

but is indeed part of the entire history

of architecture."

 

Saarinen considered the opposition absurd, asserting:

 

"It's just preposterous to think that a

basic form, based on a completely

natural figure, should have any

ideological connection."

 

By January 1951, Saarinen had created 21 drawings, including profiles of the Arch, scale drawings of the museums and restaurants, various parking proposals, the effect of the levee-tunnel railroad plan on the Arch footings, the Arch foundations, the Third Street Expressway, and the internal and external structure of the Arch. Fred Severud made calculations for the Arch's structure.

 

Final Preparations (1959–1968)

 

Moving the railroad tracks was the first stage of the project. On the 6th. May 1959, the Public Service Commission called for ventilation to accompany the tunnel's construction, which entailed placing 3,000 feet of dual tracks into a tunnel 105 feet west of the elevated railroad, along with filling, grading, and trestle work.

 

In August 1959, demolition of the Old Rock House was complete, with workers beginning to excavate the tunnel. In November, they began shaping the tunnel's walls with concrete. On the 17th. November 1959, trains began to use the new tracks.

 

Construction of the Arch

 

The MacDonald Construction Co. of St. Louis was awarded the contract for the construction of the Arch and the visitor center. The Pittsburgh-Des Moines Steel Company served as the subcontractor for the shell of the Arch.

 

In 1959 ground was broken, and in 1961, the foundation of the structure was laid. Construction of the Arch itself began on the 12th. February 1963, as the first steel triangle on the south leg was eased into place.

 

These steel triangles, which narrowed as they spiraled to the top, were raised into place by a group of cranes and derricks. The Arch was assembled with 142 twelve foot-long (3.7 m) prefabricated stainless steel sections. Once in place, each section had its double-walled skin filled with concrete, prestressed with 252 tension bars.

 

In order to keep the partially completed legs steady, a scissors truss was placed between them at 530 feet (160 m), later removed as the derricks were taken down. The whole endeavor was expected to be completed by fall of 1964, in observance of the St. Louis bicentennial.

 

Contractor MacDonald Construction Co. arranged a 30-foot (9.1 m) tower for spectators, and provided recorded accounts of the undertaking. In 1963, a million people went to observe the progress, and by 1964, local radio stations began to broadcast when large slabs of steel were about to be raised into place.

 

St. Louis Post-Dispatch photographer Art Witman documented the construction for the newspaper's Sunday supplement Pictures, his longest and most noted assignment. He visited the construction site frequently from 1963 to 1967, recording of every stage of progress.

 

With assistant Renyold Ferguson, he crawled along the catwalks with the construction workers up to 190m above the ground. He was the only news photographer on permanent assignment at the construction, with complete access. He primarily worked with slide film, but also used the only Panox camera in St. Louis to create panoramic photographs covering 140 degrees. Witman's pictures of the construction are now housed in the State Historical Society of Missouri.

 

The project manager of MacDonald Construction Co., Stan Wolf, said that a 62-story building was easier to build than the Arch:

 

"In a building, everything is straight up,

one thing on top of another. In this Arch,

everything is curved."

 

Delays and Lawsuits

 

Although an actuarial firm predicted that thirteen workers would die while building the Arch, no workers were killed during the monument's construction. However, construction of the Arch was nevertheless often delayed by safety checks, funding uncertainties, and legal disputes.

 

Civil rights activists regarded the construction of the Arch as a token of racial discrimination. On the 14th. July 1964, during the workers' lunchtime, civil rights protesters Percy Green and Richard Daly, both members of Congress of Racial Equality, climbed 125 feet (38 m) up the north leg of the Arch:

 

"To expose the fact that federal funds

are being used to build a national

monument that was racially

discriminating against black contractors

and skilled black workers."

 

As the pair disregarded demands to come down, protesters on the ground demanded that at least 10% of the skilled jobs should be given to African Americans. Four hours later, Green and Daly dismounted from the Arch to charges of trespassing, peace disturbance, and resisting arrest.

 

In 1965, NPS requested that the Pittsburgh-Des Moines Steel remove the prominent letters "P-D-M" (its initials) from a creeper derrick used for construction, contending that it was promotional, and violated federal law with regards to advertising on national monuments.

 

Although Pittsburgh-Des Moines Steel initially refused to pursue what it considered a precarious venture, the company relented after discovering that leaving the initials in place would cost $225,000 and after that, $42,000 per month.

 

On the 26th. October 1965, the International Association of Ironworkers delayed work to ascertain that the Arch was safe. After NPS director Kenneth Chapman gave his word that conditions were "perfectly safe," construction resumed on the 27th. October.

 

Topping out and Dedication

 

President Lyndon B. Johnson and Mayor Alfonso J. Cervantes decided on a date for the topping-out ceremony, but the Arch had not been completed by then. The ceremony date was reset to the 17th. October 1965; workers strained to meet the deadline, taking double shifts, but by the 17th. October, the Arch was still not complete.

 

The chairman of the ceremony then anticipated the ceremony to be held on the 30th. October 1965, a Saturday, to allow 1,500 schoolchildren, whose signatures were to be placed along with others in a time capsule, to attend. Ultimately, PDM set the ceremony date to the 28th. October.

 

The time capsule, containing the signatures of 762,000 students and others, was welded into the keystone before the final piece was set in place. On the 28th. October 1965, the Arch was topped out as Vice President Hubert Humphrey observed from a helicopter.

 

A Catholic priest and a rabbi prayed over the keystone, a 10-ton, eight-foot-long (2.4 m) triangular section. It was slated to be inserted at 10:00 a.m. local time, but was in fact done 30 minutes early, because thermal expansion had constricted the 8.5-foot (2.6 m) gap at the top by 5 inches (13 cm). To mitigate this, workers used fire hoses to spray water on the surface of the south leg to cool it down and make it contract.

 

The keystone was inserted in 13 minutes with only 6 inches (15 cm) remaining. For the next section, a hydraulic jack had to pry apart the legs six feet (1.8 m). By noon, the keystone was secured. Some filmmakers, in hope that the two legs would not meet, had chronicled every phase of construction.

 

The Gateway Arch was expected to open to the public by 1964, but by 1967 the public relations agency had stopped forecasting the opening date. The Arch's visitor center opened on the 10th. June 1967, and the tram began operating on the 24th. July.

 

The Arch was dedicated by Hubert Humphrey on the 25th. May 1968.He declared that the Arch was:

 

"A soaring curve in the sky that links

the rich heritage of yesterday with

the richer future of tomorrow. It brings

a new purpose and a new sense of

urgency to wipe out every slum.

Whatever is shoddy, whatever is ugly,

whatever is waste, whatever is false,

will be measured and condemned in

comparison to the Gateway Arch."

 

About 250,000 people were expected to attend the dedication, but rain canceled the outdoor activities, with the ceremony being transferred to the visitor center. After the dedication, Humphrey crouched beneath an exit as he waited for the rain to subside so that he could walk to his vehicle.

 

After Completion

 

The project did not provide 5,000 jobs as expected - as of June 1964, workers numbered fewer than 100. The project did, however, incite other riverfront restoration efforts, totaling $150 million. Building projects included a 50,000-seat sports stadium, a 30-story hotel, several office towers, four parking garages, and an apartment complex.

 

The idea of a Disneyland amusement park that included "synthetic riverboat attractions" was considered, but later abandoned. The developers hoped to use the Arch as a commercial catalyst, attracting visitors who would use their services. One estimate found that since the 1960's, the Arch has incited almost $503 million worth of construction.

 

Characteristics of the Arch

 

Both the width and height of the Arch are 630 feet (192 m). The Arch is the tallest memorial in the United States, and the tallest stainless steel monument in the world.

 

The cross-sections of the Arch's legs are equilateral triangles, narrowing from 54 feet (16 m) per side at the bases to 17 feet (5.2 m) per side at the top. Each wall consists of a stainless steel skin covering a sandwich of two carbon-steel walls with reinforced concrete in the middle from ground level to 300 feet (91 m), with carbon steel to the peak.

 

The Arch is hollow to accommodate a unique tram system that takes visitors to an observation deck at the top.

 

The structural load is supported by a stressed-skin design. Each leg is embedded in 25,980 tons of concrete 44 feet (13 m) thick and 60 feet (18 m) deep.

 

Twenty feet (6.1 m) of the foundation is in bedrock. The Arch is resistant to earthquakes, and is designed to sway up to 18 inches (46 cm) in either direction, while withstanding winds of up to 150 miles per hour (240 km/h).

 

The structure weighs 42,878 tons, of which concrete composes 25,980 tons; structural steel interior, 2,157 tons; and the 6.3mm thick grade 304 stainless steel panels that cover the exterior of the Arch, 886 tons.

 

This amount of stainless steel is the most used in any one project in history. The base of each leg at ground level had to have an engineering tolerance of 1⁄64 inch (0.40 mm), or the two legs would not meet at the top.

 

Mathematics of the Arch

 

The Arch is a weighted catenary - its legs are wider than its upper section. A hyperbolic cosine function describes the shape of a catenary. The catenary arch is the stablest of all arches, since the thrust passes through the legs and is absorbed in the foundations, instead of forcing the legs apart.

 

The Gateway Arch however is not a common catenary, but an inverted weighted catenary. Saarinen chose a weighted catenary over a normal catenary curve because it looked less pointed and less steep. In 1959, he caused some confusion about the actual shape of the Arch when he wrote:

 

"This Arch is not a true parabola, as is often

stated. Instead it is a catenary curve—the

curve of a hanging chain—a curve in which

the forces of thrust are continuously kept

within the center of the legs of the Arch."

 

Lighting the Arch

 

The first proposal to illuminate the Arch at night was announced on the 18th. May 1966, but the plan never came to fruition. However in July 1998, funding for an Arch lighting system was approved by St. Louis's Gateway Foundation, which agreed to take responsibility for the cost of the equipment, its installation, and its upkeep.

 

In January 1999, MSNBC arranged a temporary lighting system for the Arch so the monument could be used as the background for a visit by Pope John Paul II.

 

Since November 2001, the Arch has been bathed in white light between 10 p.m. and 1 a.m. via a system of floodlights. Designed by Randy Burkett, it comprises 44 lighting fixtures situated in four pits just below ground level.

 

On the 5th. October 2004, the U.S. Senate approved a bill permitting the illumination in pink of the Arch in honor of breast cancer awareness month. Both Estée Lauder and May Department Store Co. had championed the cause.

 

One employee said that the Arch would be:

 

"A beacon for the importance of

prevention and finding a cure."

 

While the National Park Service took issue with the plan due to the precedent it would set for prospective uses of the Arch, it yielded due to a realization that it and Congress were "on the same team," and because the illumination was legally obligatory; on the 25th. October 2004, the plan was carried out.

 

The previous time the Arch was illuminated for promotional purposes was on the 12th. September 1995, under the management of local companies Fleishman-Hillard and Technical Productions, when a rainbow spectrum was shone on the Arch to publicize the debut of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus' Wizard of Oz on Ice at the Kiel Center.

 

Public Access to the Arch

 

In April 1965, three million tourists were expected to visit the Arch annually after completion; 619,763 tourists visited the top of the Arch in its first year open. On the 15th. January 1969, a visitor from Nashville, Tennessee, became the one-millionth person to reach the observation area; the ten-millionth person ascended to the top on the 24th. August 1979.

 

In 1974, the Arch was ranked fourth on a list of "most-visited man-made attractions." The Gateway Arch is one of the most visited tourist attractions in the world, with over four million visitors annually, of which around one million travel to the top.

 

The Arch was listed as a National Historic Landmark on the 2nd. June 1987, and is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

 

The Visitor Center

 

The underground visitor center for the Arch was designed as part of the National Park Service's Mission 66 program. The 70,000-square-foot (6,500 m2) center is located directly below the Arch, between its legs.

 

Although construction of the visitor center began at the same time as construction of the Arch itself, it did not conclude until 1976 because of insufficient funding; however, the center opened with several exhibits on the 10th. June 1967. Access to the visitor center is provided through ramps adjacent to each leg of the Arch.

 

The center houses offices, mechanical rooms, and waiting areas for the Arch trams, as well as its main attractions: the Museum of Westward Expansion and two theaters displaying films about the Arch.

 

The older theater opened in May 1972; the newer theater, called the Odyssey Theatre, was constructed in the 1990's and features a four-story-tall screen. Its construction required the expansion of the underground complex, and workers had to excavate solid rock while keeping the disruption to a minimum so that the museum could remain open.

 

The museum houses several hundred exhibits relating to the United States' westward expansion in the 19th. century, and opened on the 10th. August 1977.

 

The visitor center and museum underwent a $176 million expansion and renovation that was completed in July 2018. The renovation included a 46,000-square-foot underground addition featuring interactive story galleries, video walls, a fountain and a café.

 

The Observation Area

 

Near the top of the Arch, passengers exit the tram compartment and climb a slight gradient to enter the observation area. This arched deck, which is over 65 feet (20 m) long and 7 feet (2.1 m) wide, can hold up to about 160 people, equivalent to the number of people from four trams.

 

Sixteen windows per side, each measuring 7 by 27 inches (180 mm × 690 mm), offer views up to 30 miles (48 km) to the east across the Mississippi River and southern Illinois with its prominent Mississippian culture mounds at Cahokia Mounds, and to the west over the city of St. Louis and St. Louis County beyond.

 

Modes of Ascent

 

There are three modes of transportation up the Arch: two sets of 1,076-step emergency stairs (one per leg), a 12-passenger elevator to the 372-foot (113 m) height, and a tram in each leg.

 

Each tram is a chain of eight cylindrical, five-seat compartments with a small window on the doors. As each tram has a capacity of 40 passengers and there are two trams, 80 passengers can be transported at one time, with trams departing from the ground every 10 minutes.

 

The cars swing like Ferris-wheel cars as they ascend and descend the Arch. This movement gave rise to the idea of the tram as "half-Ferris wheel and half-elevator."

 

The trip to the top takes four minutes, and the trip down takes three minutes.

 

The tram in the north leg entered operation in June 1967, but visitors were forced to endure three-hour-long waits until the 21st. April 1976, when a reservation system was put in place.

 

The south tram was completed in March 1968. Commemorative pins were awarded to the first 100,000 passengers.

 

As of 2007, the trams have traveled 250,000 miles (400,000 km), conveying more than 25 million passengers.

 

Incidents Associated With the Arch

 

-- July 1970

 

On the 8th. July 1970, a six-year-old boy, his mother, and two of her friends were trapped in a tram in the Arch's south leg after the monument closed. According to the boy's mother, the group went up the Arch around 9:30 p.m. CDT, but when the tram reached the de-boarding area, its doors did not open.

 

The tram then traveled up to a storage area 50 feet (15 m) above the ground, and the power was switched off. One person was able to pry open the tram door, and the four managed to reach a security guard for help after being trapped for about 45 minutes.

 

-- July 2007

 

On the 21st. July 2007, a broken cable forced the south tram to be shut down, leaving only the north tram in service until repairs were completed in March 2008. Around 200 tourists were stuck inside the Arch for about three hours because the severed cable contacted a high-voltage rail, causing a fuse to blow.

 

The north tram was temporarily affected by the power outage as well, but some passengers were able to exit the Arch through the emergency stairs and elevator. It was about two hours until all the tram riders safely descended, while those in the observation area at the time of the outage had to wait an additional hour before being able to travel back down.

 

An Arch official said the visitors, most of whom stayed calm during the ordeal, were not in any danger, and were later given refunds. The incident occurred while visitors in the Arch were watching a fireworks display, and no one was seriously injured in the event. However, two people received medical treatment: one person needed oxygen, and the other was diabetic.

 

-- March 2008

 

Almost immediately after the tram returned to service in 2008, however, it was closed again for new repairs after an electrical switch broke. The incident, which occurred on the 14th. March, was billed as a "bad coincidence."

 

-- February 2011

 

On the morning of the 9th. February 2011, a National Park Service worker was injured while performing repairs to the south tram. The 55-year-old was working on the tram's electrical system when he was trapped between it and the Arch wall for around 30 seconds, until being saved by other workers.

 

Emergency officials treated the injured NPS employee at the Arch's top before taking him to Saint Louis University Hospital in a serious condition.

 

-- March 2011

 

On the 24th. March 2011, around one hundred visitors were stranded in the observation area for 45 minutes after the doors of the south tram refused to close. The tourists were safely brought down the Arch in the north tram, which had been closed that week so officials could upgrade it with a new computer system.

 

The National Park Service later attributed the malfunction to a computer glitch associated with the new system, which had already been implemented with the south tram. No one was hurt in the occurrence.

 

-- June 2011

 

Around 2:15 p.m. local time on the 16th. June 2011, the Arch's north tram stalled due to a power outage. The tram became stuck about 200 feet (61 m) from the observation deck, and passengers eventually were told to climb the stairs to the observation area.

 

It took National Park Service workers about one hour to manually pull the tram to the top, and the 40 trapped passengers were able to return down on the south tram, which had previously not been operating that day because there was not an abundance of visitors.

 

An additional 120 people were at the observation deck at the time of the outage, and they also exited via the south tram. During the outage, visitors were stuck in the tram with neither lighting nor air conditioning. No one was seriously injured in the incident, but one visitor lost consciousness after suffering a panic attack, and a park ranger was taken away with minor injuries. The cause of the outage was not immediately known.

 

Stunts and Accidents Associated With the Arch

 

-- June 1966

 

On the 16th. June 1965, the Federal Aviation Administration cautioned that aviators who flew through the Arch would be fined, and their licenses revoked. At least ten pilots have disobeyed this order, beginning on the 22nd. June 1966.

 

-- December 1973

 

In 1973, Nikki Caplan was granted an FAA exception to fly a hot air balloon between the Arch's legs as part of the Great Forest Park Balloon Race. During the flight, on which the St. Louis park director was a passenger, the balloon hit the Arch and plummeted 70 feet before recovering.

 

-- July 1976

 

In 1976, a U.S. Army exhibition skydiving team was permitted to fly through the Arch as part of Fourth of July festivities, and since then, numerous skydiving exhibition teams have legally jumped onto the Arch grounds, after having flown their parachutes through the legs of the Arch.

 

-- June 1980

 

The Arch has been a target of various stunt performers, and while such feats are generally forbidden, several people have parachuted to or from the Arch regardless. In June 1980, the National Park Service declined a request by television producers to have a performer jump from the Arch.

 

-- November 1980

 

On the 22nd. November 1980, at about 8:45 a.m. CST, 33-year-old Kenneth Swyers of Overland, Missouri, parachuted onto the top of the Arch. His plan was to release his main parachute and then jump off the Arch using his reserve parachute to perform a base jump.

 

Unfortunately, after landing the wind blew him to the side, and he slid down the north leg to his death. The accident was witnessed by several people, including Swyers' wife, also a parachutist. She said that:

 

"My husband was not a hot

dog, daredevil skydiver. He

had prepared for the jump

two weeks in advance."

 

Swyers, who had made over 1,600 jumps before the incident, was reported by one witness as follows:

 

"He landed very well on the

top of the Arch, but had no

footing."

 

Swyers was reportedly blown to the top of the Arch by the wind and was unable to save himself when his reserve parachute failed to deploy. The Federal Aviation Administration said the jump was unauthorized, and investigated the pilot involved in the incident.

 

-- December 1980

 

On the 27th. December 1980, St. Louis television station KTVI reported receiving calls from supposed witnesses of another stunt landing. The alleged parachutist, who claimed to be a retired professional stuntman, was said to be wearing a Santa Claus costume when he jumped off an airplane around 8:00 a.m. CST.

 

He parachuted onto the Arch, grasped the monument's beacon, and used the same parachute to glide down unharmed. KTVI said it was told:

 

"The feat was done as an act of

homage to Swyers, and was a

combination of a dare, a drunk,

and a tribute."

 

However on the day after the alleged incident, authorities declared the jump a hoax. A spokesperson for the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department said no calls were received about the jump until after it was broadcast on the news, and the Federal Aviation Administration said the two calls it had received were very similar.

 

One caller also left an out-of-service phone number, while the other never followed up with investigators. Arch officials said they did not witness any such jump, and photos provided by the alleged parachutist were unclear.

 

-- February 1986

 

An appeal by stuntman Dan Koko to be allowed to jump from the Arch was turned away in February 1986. Koko, who was a stunt double for Superman, wanted to perform the leap during Fourth of July celebrations.

 

-- September 1992

 

On the 14th. September 1992, 25-year-old John C. Vincent climbed to the top of the Gateway Arch using suction cups, and proceeded to parachute back to the ground. He was later charged with two misdemeanors: climbing a national monument, and parachuting in a national park.

 

Federal prosecutor Stephen Higgins called the act a "great stunt" but said that:

 

"It is something the Park

Service doesn't take lightly."

 

Vincent, a construction worker and diver from Harvey, Louisiana, said:

 

"I did it just for the excitement,

just for the thrill."

 

He had previously parachuted off the World Trade Center in May 1991. He said that scaling the Arch "wasn't that hard," and that he had considered a jump off the monument for a few months.

 

In an interview, Vincent said he visited the Arch's observation area a month before the stunt, to see if he could use a maintenance hatch for accessing the monument's peak. Due to the heavy security, he instead decided to climb up the Arch's exterior using suction cups, which he had used before to scale shorter buildings.

 

Dressed in black, Vincent began crawling up the Arch around 3:30 a.m. CST on the 14th. September 1992, and arrived undetected at the top around 5:45 a.m., taking an additional 75 minutes to rest and take photos before finally jumping.

 

During this time, he was seen by two traffic reporters inside the One Metropolitan Square skyscraper.

 

Vincent was also spotted mid-air by Deryl Stone, a Chief Ranger for the National Park Service. Stone reported seeing Vincent grab his parachute after landing and run to a nearby car, which quickly drove away.

 

However, authorities were able to detain two men on the ground who had been videotaping the jump. Stone said 37-year-old Ronald Carroll and 27-year-old Robert Weinzetl, both St. Louis residents, were found with a wireless communication headset and a video camera, as well as a still camera with a telephoto lens.

 

The two were also charged with two misdemeanors: disorderly conduct, and commercial photography in a national park.

 

Vincent later turned himself in, and initially pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. However, he eventually accepted a guilty plea deal in which he testified against Carroll and Weinzetl, revealing that the two consented to record the jump during a meeting of all three on the day before his stunt occurred.

 

Federal magistrate judge David D. Noce ruled on the 28th. January 1993 that Carroll had been involved in a conspiracy, and was guilty of both misdemeanor charges; the charges against Weinzetl were dropped by federal prosecutors. In his decision, Noce stated:

 

"There are places in our country where the

sufficiently skilled can savor the exhilaration

and personal satisfaction of accomplishing

courageous and intrepid acts, of reaching

dreamed-of heights and for coursing

dangerous adventures.

However other places are designed for the

exhilaration of mere observation, and for the

appreciation of the imaginings and the works

of others. The St. Louis Arch and the grounds

of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial

are in the latter category."

 

After his guilty plea, Vincent was sentenced to a $1,000 fine, 25 hours of community service, and a year's probation. In December 1992, Vincent was sentenced to ninety days in jail for violating his probation.

 

-- 2013

 

In 2013, Alexander Polli, a European BASE jumper, planned to fly a wingsuit under the Arch, but had his demo postponed by the FAA.

 

Security

 

Two years after the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, $1 million was granted to institute a counter-terrorism program for the Arch. Park officials were trained to note the activity of tourists, and inconspicuous electronic detection devices were installed.

 

After the September 11 attacks on the WTC in 2001, security efforts became more prominent, and security checkpoints moved to the entrance of the Arch's visitor center. At the checkpoints, visitors are screened by magnetometers and x-ray equipment, devices which have been in place since 1997.

 

The Arch also became one of several U.S. monuments placed under restricted airspace during 2002 Fourth of July celebrations.

 

In 2003, 10-foot-long (3.0 m), 32-inch-high (81 cm), 4,100-pound (1,900 kg) movable Jersey barriers were installed to impede terrorist attacks on the Arch.

 

Later that year, it was announced that these walls were to be replaced by concrete posts encased in metal to be more harmonious with the steel color of the Arch. The movable bollards can be manipulated from the park's dispatch center, which has also been upgraded.

 

In 2006, Arch officials hired a "physical security specialist," replacing a law enforcement officer. The responsibilities of the specialist include risk assessment, testing the park's security system, increasing security awareness of other employees, and working with other government agencies to improve the Arch's security procedures.

 

Symbolism and Culture

 

Built as a monument to the westward expansion of the United States, the Arch is said to typify:

 

"The pioneer spirit of the men and women

who won the West, and those of a latter

day to strive on other frontiers."

 

On the 14th. December 2003, Robert W. Duffy wrote in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

 

"The Gateway Arch packs a significant symbolic

wallop just by standing there. But the Arch has a

mission greater than being visually affecting.

Its shape and monumental size suggest movement

through time and space, and invite inquiry into the

complex, fascinating story of America's national

expansion."

 

The Arch has become the iconic image of St. Louis, appearing in many parts of city culture. In 1968, three years after the monument's opening, the St. Louis phone directory contained 65 corporations with "Gateway" in their title and 17 with "Arch".

 

Arches also appeared over gas stations and drive-in restaurants. In the 1970's, a local sports team adopted the name "Fighting Arches"; St. Louis Community College later (when consolidating all athletic programs under a single banner) named its sports teams "Archers".

 

Robert S. Chandler, an NPS superintendent, said:

 

"Most visitors are awed by the size

and scale of the Arch, but they don't

understand what it's all about ... Too

many people see it as just a symbol

of the city of St. Louis."

 

The Arch has also appeared as a symbol of the State of Missouri. On the 22nd. November 2002, at the Missouri State Capitol, Lori Hauser Holden, wife of then-Governor Bob Holden, uncovered the winning design for a Missouri coin design competition as part of the Fifty States Commemorative Coin Program.

 

Designed by water colorist Paul Jackson, the coin portrays three members of the Lewis and Clark expedition paddling a boat on the Missouri River upon returning to St. Louis with the Arch as the backdrop.

 

Holden said that:

 

"The Arch is a symbol for the entire

state ... Four million visitors each year

see the Arch. The coin will help make

it even more loved worldwide."

 

A special license plate designed by Arnold Worldwide featured the Arch, labeled with "Gateway to the West." Profits earned from selling the plates funded the museum and other educational components of the Arch.

 

Louchheim wrote that although the Arch has a simplicity which should guarantee timeliness, it is entirely modern as well, because of the innovative design and its scientific considerations.

 

In The Dallas Morning News, architectural critic David Dillon opined that:

 

"The Arch exists not as a functional edifice,

but as a symbol of boundless American

optimism". The Arch has multiple "moods" -

reflective in sunlight, soft and pewterish in

mist; crisp as a line drawing one moment,

chimerical the next.

The Arch has paid for itself many times

over in wonder".

 

Some have questioned whether St. Louis really was - as Saarinen said - the "Gateway to the West". Kansas City-born "deadline poet" Calvin Trillin wrote:

 

"I know you're thinking that there are considerable

differences between T.S. Eliot and me. Yes, it is true

that he was from St. Louis, which started calling itself

the Gateway to the West after Eero Saarinen's

Gateway Arch was erected, and I'm from Kansas City,

where people think of St. Louis not as the Gateway to

the West but as the Exit from the East."

 

With renovations in the 2010's of the visitor center, the message of the Arch has been more inclusive in its historic perspective, highlighting the impact of colonialism, and particularly the effect of American frontierism on the environment, land and people of the First Americans, as well as Native Mexicans.

 

It furthermore exhibits the urban history of the site and the struggle of its people, as well as of its construction workers for more rights, during the civil rights movement era.

 

The Arch's futuristic style has been seen as a symbol for the automobile age and the surrounding automobile-centric urban and interstate infrastructure, promising a technological future of a new accessible frontier.

 

This outlook has seen continuation, lending the Gateway Arch's iconic shape and meaning to the name and logo of the future Lunar Gateway, with its purpose as a gateway to the Moon and Mars.

 

On the 29th. February 1969, in an article in The New York Times, Louchheim praised the Arch's design as:

 

"A modern monument, fitting,

beautiful and impressive."

 

Cultural References to the Arch

 

-- Dutch composer Peter Schat wrote a 1997 work, Arch Music for St. Louis, Op. 44. for the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. It premiered on the 8th. January 1999 at the Powell Symphony Hall.

 

Since Schat did not ascend the Arch due to his fear of heights, he used his creativity to depict in music someone riding a tram to the top of the Arch.

 

-- Paul Muldoon's poem, "The Stoic", is set under the Gateway Arch. The work, "An Elegy for a Miscarried Foetus", describes Muldoon's ordeal standing under the Gateway Arch after his wife telephoned and informed him that the baby they were expecting had been miscarried.

 

-- Percy Jackson encounters Echidna and the Chimera in the Gateway Arch in The Lightning Thief, after he, Grover Underwood, and Annabeth Chase visit the Arch during their trip to California to recover the Master Bolt. Percy faces the Chimera, jumps out of the Arch, and falls into the Mississippi River.

 

-- A damaged Gateway Arch is prominently featured in Defiance, a science fiction television series. The apex is used as a radio station studio, with the arch itself acting as the station's antenna.

 

Vandalism and Maintenance of the Arch

 

The first act of vandalism against the Arch was committed in June 1968: the vandals scratched their names on various parts of the Arch. In all, $10,000 was spent that year in order to repair damage from vandalism. The Arch was first targeted by graffiti artists on the 5th. March 1969.

 

In 2010, signs of corrosion were reported at the upper regions of the stainless steel surface. Carbon steel in the north leg has been rusting, possibly a result of water accumulation, a side effect of leaky welds in an environment that often causes rain to enter the skin of the structure.

 

Maintenance workers use mops and a temporary setup of water containers to ease the problem. According to NPS documents, the corrosion and rust pose no safety concerns.

 

A more comprehensive study of the corrosion had been suggested as early as 2006 by architectural specialists studying the Arch, and reiterated in a 2010 Historic Structure Report.

 

In September 2010, the NPS granted Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. a contract for a structural study that would:

 

"Gather data about the condition of the

Arch to enable experts to develop and

implement the right long-term solutions."

 

Stain samples were taken from the west face of the Arch on the 21st. October 2014 to determine the best way to clean it. The cleaning was estimated to cost about $340,000.

 

In 1984, structural engineer Tibor Szegezdy told the Smithsonian Magazine that:

 

"The Arch will stand for considerably

less than a thousand years before

collapsing in a wind storm."

Did I mention Hair Fair 2016 closes shortly? Like, in a couple hours now?

You should go toss your L$ around to help some kids.

 

feat.

Lelutka//HF03 @ Hair Fair 2016

Zibska//Riva:01 (eyes) & Morane:11 (lips) @ ULTRA

Slink//Physique:v1.3

Clef de Peau//Calum:T02

Arise//Lone Eyes:Fire

Plastik//Adraste Collar:Void

Lovely Disarray//Forgotten Nobility:Zircon (complete)

Adored//Chromed Out Highlight:Medium

Goth1c0//Leather Bondage Mask

Titzuki//Rangda Face Jewels:cheek

 

Model//Psyche Scribe

Shape//Self-Made

Pose//Exposeur

For information of what I'm wearing please visit my blog post @ The Spouge!.

 

<3

Astrexia

Lots of lovely vintage gardening items, once belonging to the Harpur- Crewe family but now a National Trust property.

  

Owned by the same family for 360 years little had been known about the lifestyle of the Harpur Crewes especially during the 20th century, but once the National Trust moved in they discovered a time capsule. The eccentric owners had kept everything, a lot of it being in disarray, and had many collections of stuffed animals and birds etc Little had changed since the mid 1800s.

  

Our back porch, off the master bedroom, is where the garish, kitschy things live. See the notes for a guide!

 

One nice thing about it is that it is situated under our main deck, so it's a great place to sit when it's raining out. Or it will be, once we get a heater for it...

 

For We're Here — The Porch.

 

Put some zing into your 365! Join We're Here!

 

Utah Beach - Normandy, France.

 

Utah beach is the codename for the westernmost of the 5 Allied landing zones during D-day. It is the only beach on the Cotentin peninsula and closest to the vital harbour city of Cherbourg. Together with Omaha beach it is the sector where the American forces were disembarked. The amphibious assault, primarily by the US 4th Infantry Division and 70th Tank Battalion, was supported by airborne landings of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Division. These Airborne troops were dropped on the Cotentin penisula.

 

In stark contrast with Omaha beach where the landing turned into a near disaster with most of the troops pinned down for hours with heavy losses in both men and material the landings at Utah went relatively smooth. This does not mean the GI's came ashore unopposed: some 200 casualties were suffered by the 4th division.

 

One of the factors that contributed to this success was that the preliminary bombing of the target areas here was accurate and the German forces - in contrast with what happened at Omaha beach - were in disarray at H-hour, 06:30, when the first wave of 20 landing craft approached the beach. The GI's of the 2nd Battalion, 8th Infantry landed on Uncle Red and Tare Green sectors. What they didn't know initially was that pushed to the south by strong currents they landed some 1.8 kilometres south of their designated landing spot!

 

Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. was the first high ranking officer that landed and , not discouraged by the dviation, he decided to "start the war from right here". He ordered further landings to be re-routed. As it was this was a good decision because the Americans landed on a relative weak spot in the German defenses. Only one "Widerstandsnest" (WN5) opposed them and it was severely affected by the preliminary bombardments. It took the GI's about an hour to clear the defenses. Today the remains of this German widestandsnest can still be seen and are partly incorporated into the Utah beach museum. Well worth a visit.

 

After the succesful landings the real difficulties started because of the inundated areas behind the beach and the increasing German resistance which lead to weeks of fighting on the Cotentin peninsula.

 

On the Photo:

German Tobruk stand - a defensive position for a MG or mortar crew. Part of the "Atlantic wall," just behind Utah beach.

 

Tonemapped using three (handheld) shots made with a Fuji X-T3 and Fujinon 16mm f/1.4 lens, september 2019.

 

A set of photo's with notes of Utah Beach and the Cotentin peninsula with the Airborne sectors.

 

Here's the complete set of photo's made on Pointe du Hoc over the past years

 

My Omaha beach photo's with several viewpoints, panorama shots and notes on the fighting

 

These are my photo's and notes of the British and Canadian sectors: Gold, Juno and Sword.

Konstantinovsky Palace is located in the Petrodvorets district of St. Petersburg in the village of Strelna. The Grand Palace in the southern Gulf of Finland, which was then called “the Konstantinovsky” was built almost the entirely during the eighteenth century. The Palace was intended for Peter the Great as his summer residence and construction was started in 1720. However in 1721 work was suspended as Peter the Great decided to build a residence at Peterhof because of its more favorable location. Architect Michetti took drawings of the palace and left the country. Elizabeth I eventually resumed construction of the palace and invited famous architect Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli. The present building of the Grand Palace eventually became the property of Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich. Since then, the palace became known as “Konstantinovsky”. The next owner of the palace was the son of Nicholas I, Konstantin. It was during this time the front of the royal residence was finally completed.

 

After the 1917 revolution Konstantinovsky Palace fell into disarray. Valuable books, documents, a rich collection of paintings and ceramics, and personal belongings of the royal family were scattered in various museums or even irretrievably lost. It was at this time the Palace hosted a school, a sanatorium, and finally a training center for the Navy.

 

During the World War II Konstantinovsky Palace was equipped with a German observation post. As a result of massive shelling and a fire the building was destroyed down to a stone skeleton. Eventually Russia took back the Palace from the Germans but the damage was already done.

 

The building gradually began to decline due to lack of interest in preservation. In 1990, the Palace and park complex were placed under the protection of UNESCO. Only 11 years later by declaration of then president of Russia Vladimir Putin, Konstantin Palace and Park were assigned to the presidential administration. For the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg Konstantinovsky Palace was restored and received a new status – the state complex “The Palace of Congresses.” It is now considered the Presidential Residence in St. Petersburg and has had comparisons made with the White House in America.

 

The renovated Konstantinovsky Palace hosted more than fifty heads of state during St. Petersburg tercentenary celebrations in 2003, with Berlusconi, Blair and Bush among them. Restoration of Strelna Palace and Park became a symbol of the revival of a great Russia and its national cultural heritage.

 

Today in the newly refurbished state rooms of the Konstantinovsky Palace regularly hosts meetings at the highest political level, scientific and political forums, corporate parties, banquets, cocktail parties, receptions, balls and fashion shows.

 

A wide range of excursions are offered to visitors. In the palace itself you can see the Blue, Marble and “Belvedere” halls, the various presidential suites, and you will be told about the events of the summits held there. In addition there are the following excursions (some of them are held only during the summer season):

- Peter the Great’s revitalized ideas

- The present and the past centuries

- The collection of the Konstantinovsky Palace.

- Russian Versailles

- The Consulate Village

- Visiting a wine cellar (including wine sampling)

- Riding the electric cars used by the world presidents during the G8 summit

Hayk is the legendary patriarch and founder of the Armenian nation.

 

The legend states that Hayk son of Torgoma gives birth to Armaneak while living in Babylon, but after the arrogant Titanid Bel makes himself king over all, Hayk emigrates to the Ararat region with an extended household of at least 300 and settles, founding a village he names Haykashen. On the way he also leaves a detachment in another settlement with his grandson Kadmos. Bel sends one of his sons to entreat him to return, but he is refused. Bel then marches against him with a massive force, but Hayk is warned by Kadmos of his approach. He assembles his own army on the shore of Lake Van and tells them they must defeat and kill Bel, or die trying, rather than become his slaves.

Hayk then discovers Bel's host in a mountain pass with Bel himself in the vanguard.

In the Battle of Dyutsaznamart, near Julamerk southeast of Lake Van, dated to August 11, 2492 BC, Hayk slays Bel with an impossible shot using a long bow, sending his force into disarray.

He establishes the castle of Haykaberd at the battle site and the town of Haykashen in the Armenian province of Taron (modern-day Turkey). He names the region of the battle Hayk‘ "Armenia", and the site of the battle Hayoc’ Jor, meaning gorge of the Armenians.

In the hill where Bel with his warriors fell Hayk embalmed the corpse of Bel and ordered it to be taken to Hark and to be buried in a high place in the view of his wives and sons.

 

"Armenian" (nationality) in Armenian is "hay/hi"

 

Thanks for your visit and have a great day!

the scavenger items-- the last one is actually 4 pictures (edible ovals) but the link isn't in the list.....

here it is: www.flickr.com/photos/muffett68/24207063909

1. what is that saying again??, 2. little cloud, thank you for passing by at just the right time ~grin~, 3. windmill, 4. juxtaposition, 5. windmill, 6. lavender-- can you smell it??, 7. when lance was out kayaking, he noticed some graffiti on a boulder in the lanesville river......, 8. disheveled disarray, 9. a queue, 10. january's calendar header, 11. descending in overcast, 12. blowing bubbles, 13. protected by God and rod, 14. white bark mural, 15. olives in couscous salad, 16. heading home again, 17. snowflake lights, 18. the quiet of second christmas, 19. monday morning bustle, 20. tea bag, 21. church collage, 22. mac & cheese, the ultimate comfort food, 23. word puzzle, 24. polar bear kisses, 25. how can you not love this face?

 

Created with fd's Flickr Toys

120 Eglinton Avenue East, Toronto

Hit 'L' to view on large.

 

This castle has it’s rumours. There are the stories about the man in the jeep and his accomplice on the scooter watching over this castle.

 

The castle was built in 1860 by an marquis who lived in the town and it still is in Royal’s hands. Apparently, the owners cannot agree about a plan to preserve the heritage and therefore the place is left abandoned without having anybody to care for it.

 

The impromptu 2 day tour with camerashy and host to France and Belgium, with some new places, a lot of travel with minimal sleep and some goals being accomplished by getting to a certain school.

 

Full set here:

 

www.flickr.com/photos/timster1973/sets/72157633897345028/

 

Also on Facebook:

 

www.Facebook.com/TimKniftonPhotography

 

My blog:

 

timster1973.wordpress.com

 

online store: www.artfinder.com/tim-knifton

 

In 486, during the war between Clovis the 1st, king of the Franks, and the Romans, Clovis' soldiers stole a vase of extraordinary beauty from a christian building in Soissons. But the bishop from Reims (a French town), hearing of the item being in the hands of Clovis' army, begged for the vase to be restored. The king invited him to follow him to Soissons, where the sharing of the spoils was to take place between all the soldiers and himself. Clovis intended to ask for the vase to be added to his share, in order to return it to the bishop. There, as promised, Clovis' army was assembled for the sharing of the treasure. When the king asked for the vase to be added to his share, his men said : "All that we see here is yours, glorious king, and we are under your power. Do as you will, no one can resist you." But, one soldier disagreed and broke the vase with his axe, saying :"You shall receive no more than your even share!".

A few months later, during a review of his army, Clovis recognized the insolent soldier. Seeing that his weapons were in disarray, the king took them from him and threw them on the ground. The man bent down to pick them up, but the king took advantage of this moment to break the soldier's skull with his axe, saying :"So did you break the vase at Soissons!".

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My "Historian" creation for the Summer Joust 2016!

Hope you like it!

There are so many things in bloom.This is not a time for orderly bouquet-like arrays but it is more like a time to enjoy pleasant disarray.

 

.

If you want to use or buy this image，please contact me. 版权所有，转载请联系本人。

Personal Blog: shewantstheb.wordpress.com/2014/03/11/do-you-want-me-for-...

  

Gthingtrendsetters Blog: gthingtrendsetters.wordpress.com/2014/03/11/do-you-want-m...

WN 126: "Blankenese Battery", Neville-sur-mer, Normandy, France.

 

The Blankenese battery is situated near Neville-sur-mer on the Cotentin peninsula in Normandy, some 10 miles east of Cherbourg. It was part of the "Atlantikwall" built by the Germans between 1941 and 1944 to stop an Allied invasion in Western Europe.

 

WN 126 had a main armament of 4 x 9.4cm Vickers M39 (e) Flak guns (British AA guns captured in the in Channel Islands in 1940).

 

It was manned by men of the Kriegsmarine and they probably blew up some of the casemates prior to the arrival of the American troops in june 1944. The americans also tried to demolish some of the bunkers ans left them in various stages of disarray. They have been lying there quitly for over 70 years now and the site is a nature preserve.

 

On the photo is the observation bunker. In the background to the right the "Phare the Gatteville" can be seen; the largest lighthouse of France. The photo was tonemapped using three differently exposed handheld shots, augustus 2017.

   

Even as on some black background full of night

And hollow storm in cloudy disarray,

The forceful brush of some great master may

More brilliantly evoke a higher light;

So beautiful, so delicately white,

So like a very metaphor of May,

Your loveliness on my life's sombre grey

In its perfection stands out doubly bright...

 

Mathilde Blind

More Details on My Blog

Suburban dystopian aesthetic on the violent patient ward.

 

[Lens: AI'd Nikkor-N 35mm f/1.4 ☢️]

Then out spake brave Horatius,

The Captain of the gate:

“To every man upon this earth

Death cometh soon or late.

And how can man die better

Than facing fearful odds

For the ashes of his fathers

And the temples of his gods,

 

From Horatius at the Bridge by Thomas Babington, Lord Macaulay (1800–1859)

 

In around 506 BC a large Etruscan army lead by Lars Poresna, King of Clusium, marched on Rome. Among their number was Rome’s recently deposed King, Tarquinius Superbus, who hoped that following a successful campaign, he would be returned to the city’s throne.

 

Having recently engaged an army of Tarquin’s in an indecisive battle at Aricia, the Romans were expecting an invasion and hastily attempted to construct a fort on the Janiculum, a hill on the western side of the Tiber. However, owing to inadequate scouting, the troops stationed at the fort were surprised and overcome by the Eutruscan force, which proceeded to occupy the hill.

 

From the Janiculum, Porsena’s army launched an attack and advanced on Pons Sublicius. The Roman forces were now in disarray and the future of the newly formed republic looked bleak. However, just as all seemed lost a soldier named Horatius Cocles, accompanied by two others, namely Titus Herminius Aquilinus and Spurius Lartius (which, intriguingly, are Etruscan names) stepped forward to defend the bridge, using its narrow width to reduce the effectiveness of the large enemy force that bore down upon them. There they fought while to their rear the citizens of Rome gathered and, using but hand axes, began to chop down the bridge. Herminius and Spurius retreated as the bridge was almost destroyed, but Horatius fought on until the bridge had fallen, leaping into the river in full armour and swimming its width while coming under enemy fire. The attack was thus repulsed and Porsena forced into an unsuccessful siege of the city.

 

That, at least, is how the story goes according to Rome’s poets and historians. There have however always been questions about the story’s veracity and even Livy, whose history was as much about promoting Augustus Caesar’s legitimacy as it was about recording past events, casts doubt over some of its claims. It’s likely that Porsena succeeded in capturing Rome, for a short period at least (though there is no evidence to suggest that Tarquin’s throne was ever restored), and that Horatius’ exploits were later invented as a means of masking past defeats and promoting the idea of Rome’s inherent superiority. The Romans were, after all, skilled in the art of propaganda, a modern Latin word with ancient roots.

 

Whatever the truth, I think it makes for a fun little MOC.

 

You may notice that I’ve avoided using the familiar Roman Minifigure helmets and armour. This is because during this period the Roman Army was still fighting in the Greco-Etruscan style, where the phalanx was the master of the battlefield. This is over a hundred years before Rome comes into conflict with the Samnites and subsequently adopts the maniple system and around 400 years before Marius implements his reforms. The army was therefore vastly different in appearance and style to the one most people are familiar with. This is why I’ve gone for the Corinthian helmets, Hoplon shields and bronze and Linothorax type armour.

 

Finally, I’d like to quickly thank my mate Tim, who put me onto the Babington poem and helped push me towards depicting this piece of Roman history / myth. He also helped me out with some superb advice on photographing the model. He has a Warhammer blog over at Blogger; which if you’re interested is well worth checking out as apparently he’s known to be a bit of a wizard with the painting and landscaping and stuff.

Reverse angle of the picture I posted yesterday of an abandoned time capsule house!

 

VIDEO EXPLORE HERE: youtu.be/VITILUpAAo8

 

It had been four years since my last visit here & I wasn't sure what to find. Things had gone down hill significantly however even on my first visit there were piles of stuff every where. Some things had not changed where as other others were it total disarray. Still an amazing explore!

 

Exploring is the mission, not a competition!

 

Be sure to subscribe & follow for more awesome adventures!

 

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twitter.com/RealRiddimRyder

www.youtube.com/c/RiddimRyder

Classes 20/31/45 in disarray.

 

Brand new Class 45s were frequent visitors to the Glasgow area starting in the early 1960s, arriving on such services as the Thames-Clyde, having taken over the service at Leeds. They might then be used by the local Glasgow depots (Polmadie & Corkerhill?) in between layovers before returning south.

 

It would have been hard to predict back then that some Class 45s would end their days in a Glasgow area scrapyard, but here we are!

 

Original photographer unknown.

MONSOON.

  

It’s been a few weeks since my grandmother’s first death anniversary. I wanted to post something on that day, but i refrained myself to come online and just be with family and meet my best friend. It was heartbreaking to see my father not able to cope up that day. I hugged him, but he didn’t look my way and tried to hide his tears and told me that he’s fine. I still remember last year like it was yesterday, numb.

It’s been a tough year for my family. No less than a storm. But as they say, the day after the storm, it always seemed like people were a little bit braver, a little bit stronger, a little bit more appreciative of family, of friends, of life.

  

This is also perhaps the reason I have developed a sense of calm. All thanks to badi ammi and people around me. The world outside may be in complete disarray, but there is a place inside me that no supertyphoon can ever tear down. Typhoons come and go. Sometimes, they leave nothing. Sometimes, they leave us with nothing. But through all these, life goes on. Life always goes on.

Thank you, Sana.

 

Instagram : www.instagram.com/bhumikab/

St Andrew and St Patrick, Elveden, Suffolk

 

As you approach Elveden, there is Suffolk’s biggest war memorial, to those killed from the three parishes that meet at this point. It is over 30 metres high, and you used to be able to climb up the inside. Someone in the village told me that more people have been killed on the road in Elveden since the end of the War than there are names on the war memorial. I could well believe it. Until about five years ago, the busy traffic of the A11 Norwich to London road hurtled through the village past the church, slowed only to a ridiculously high 50 MPH. If something hits you at that speed, then no way on God's Earth are you going to survive. Now there's a bypass, thank goodness.

 

Many people will know St Andrew and St Patrick as another familiar landmark on the road, but as you are swept along in the stream of traffic you are unlikely to appreciate quite how extraordinary a building it is. For a start, it has two towers. And a cloister. And two naves, effectively. It has undergone three major building programmes in the space of thirty years, any one of which would have sufficed to transform it utterly.

 

If you had seen this church before the 1860s, you would have thought it nothing remarkable. A simple aisle-less, clerestory-less building, typical of, and indistinguishable from, hundreds of other East Anglian flint churches. A journey to nearby Barnham will show you what I mean.

 

The story of the transformation of Elveden church begins in the early 19th century, on the other side of the world. The leader of the Sikhs, Ranjit Singh, controlled a united Punjab that stretched from the Khyber Pass to the borders of Tibet. His capital was at Lahore, but more importantly it included the Sikh holy city of Amritsar. The wealth of this vast Kingdom made him a major power-player in early 19th century politics, and he was a particular thorn in the flesh of the British Imperial war machine. At this time, the Punjab had a great artistic and cultural flowering that was hardly matched anywhere in the world.

 

It was not to last. The British forced Ranjit Singh to the negotiating table over the disputed border with Afghanistan, and a year later, in 1839, he was dead. A power vacuum ensued, and his six year old son Duleep Singh became a pawn between rival factions. It was exactly the opportunity that the British had been waiting for, and in February 1846 they poured across the borders in their thousands. Within a month, almost half the child-Prince's Kingdom was in foreign hands. The British installed a governor, and started to harvest the fruits of their new territory's wealth.

 

Over the next three years, the British gradually extended their rule, putting down uprisings and turning local warlords. Given that the Sikh political structures were in disarray, this was achieved at considerable loss to the invaders - thousands of British soldiers were killed. They are hardly remembered today. British losses at the Crimea ten years later were much slighter, but perhaps the invention of photography in the meantime had given people at home a clearer picture of what was happening, and so the Crimea still remains in the British folk memory.

 

For much of the period of the war, Prince Duleep Singh had remained in the seclusion of his fabulous palace in Lahore. However, once the Punjab was secure, he was sent into remote internal exile.

 

The missionaries poured in. Bearing in mind the value that Sikh culture places upon education, perhaps it is no surprise that their influence came to bear on the young Prince, and he became a Christian. The extent to which this was forced upon him is lost to us today.

 

A year later, the Prince sailed for England with his mother. He was admitted to the royal court by Queen Victoria, spending time both at Windsor and, particularly, in Scotland, where he grew up. In the 1860s, the Prince and his mother were significant members of London society, but she died suddenly in 1863. He returned with her ashes to the Punjab, and there he married. His wife, Bamba Muller, was part German, part Ethiopian. As part of the British pacification of India programme, the young couple were granted the lease on a vast, derelict stately home in the depths of the Suffolk countryside. This was Elveden Hall. He would never see India again.

 

With some considerable energy, Duleep Singh set about transforming the fortunes of the moribund estate. Being particularly fond of hunting (as a six year old, he'd had two tutors - one for learning the court language, Persian, and the other for hunting to hawk) he developed the estate for game. The house was rebuilt in 1870.

 

The year before, the Prince had begun to glorify the church so that it was more in keeping with the splendour of his court. This church, dedicated to St Andrew, was what now forms the north aisle of the present church. There are many little details, but the restoration includes two major features; firstly, the remarkable roof, with its extraordinary sprung sprung wallposts set on arches suspended in the window embrasures, and, secondly, the font, which Mortlock tells us is in the Sicilian-Norman style. Supported by eight elegant columns, it is very beautiful, and the angel in particular is one of Suffolk's loveliest. You can see him in an image on the left.

 

Duleep Singh seems to have settled comfortably into the role of an English country gentleman. And then, something extraordinary happened. The Prince, steeped in the proud tradition of his homeland, decided to return to the Punjab to fulfill his destiny as the leader of the Sikh people. He got as far as Aden before the British arrested him, and sent him home. He then set about trying to recruit Russian support for a Sikh uprising, travelling secretly across Europe in the guise of an Irishman, Patrick Casey. In between these times of cloak and dagger espionage, he would return to Elveden to shoot grouse with the Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII. It is a remarkable story.

 

Ultimately, his attempts to save his people from colonial oppression were doomed to failure. He died in Paris in 1893, the British seemingly unshakeable in their control of India. He was buried at Elveden churchyard in a simple grave.

 

The chancel of the 1869 church is now screened off as a chapel, accessible from the chancel of the new church, but set in it is the 1894 memorial window to Maharaja Prince Duleep Singh, the Adoration of the Magi by Kempe & Co.

 

And so, the Lion of the North had come to a humble end. His five children, several named after British royal princes, had left Elveden behind; they all died childless, one of them as recently as 1957. The estate reverted to the Crown, being bought by the brewing family, the Guinnesses.

 

Edward Cecil Guinness, first Earl Iveagh, commemorated bountifully in James Joyce's 1916 Ulysses, took the estate firmly in hand. The English agricultural depression had begun in the 1880s, and it would not be ended until the Second World War drew the greater part of English agriculture back under cultivation. It had hit the Estate hard. But Elveden was transformed, and so was the church.

 

Iveagh appointed William Caroe to build an entirely new church beside the old. It would be of such a scale that the old church of St Andrew would form the south aisle of the new church. The size may have reflected Iveagh's visions of grandeur, but it was also a practical arrangement, to accommodate the greatly enlarged staff of the estate. Attendance at church was compulsory; non-conformists were also expected to go, and the Guinnesses did not employ Catholics.

 

Between 1904 and 1906, the new structure went up. Mortlock recalls that Pevsner thought it 'Art Nouveau Gothic', which sums it up well. Lancet windows in the north side of the old church were moved across to the south side, and a wide open nave built beside it. Curiously, although this is much higher than the old and incorporates a Suffolk-style roof, Caroe resisted the temptation of a clerestory. The new church was rebenched throughout, and the woodwork is of a very high quality. The dates of the restoration can be found on bench ends up in the new chancel, and exploring all the symbolism will detain you for hours. Emblems of the nations of the British Isles also feature in the floor tiles.

 

The new church was dedicated to St Patrick, patron Saint of the Guinnesses' homeland. At this time, of course, Ireland was still a part of the United Kingdom, and despite the tensions and troubles of the previous century the Union was probably stronger at the opening of the 20th century than it had ever been. This was to change very rapidly. From the first shots fired at the General Post Office in April 1916, to complete independence in 1922, was just six years. Dublin, a firmly protestant city, in which the Iveaghs commemorated their dead at the Anglican cathedral of St Patrick, became the capital city of a staunchly Catholic nation. The Anglicans, the so-called Protestant Ascendancy, left in their thousands during the 1920s, depopulating the great houses, and leaving hundreds of Anglican parish churches completely bereft of congregations. Apart from a concentration in the wealthy suburbs of south Dublin, there are hardly any Anglicans left in the Republic today. But St Patrick's cathedral maintains its lonely witness to long years of British rule; the Iveagh transept includes the vast war memorial to WWI dead, and all the colours of the Irish regiments - it is said that 99% of the Union flags in the Republic are in the Guinness chapel of St Patrick's cathedral. Dublin, of course, is famous as the biggest city in Europe without a Catholic cathedral. It still has two Anglican ones.

 

Against this background then, we arrived at Elveden. The church is uncomfortably close to the busy road, but the sparkle of flint in the recent rain made it a thing of great beauty. The main entrance is now at the west end of the new church. The surviving 14th century tower now forms the west end of the south aisle, and we will come back to the other tower beyond it in a moment.

 

You step into a wide open space under a high, heavy roof laden with angels. There is a wide aisle off to the south; this is the former nave, and still has something of that quality. The whole space is suffused with gorgeously coloured light from excellent 19th and 20th century windows. These include one by Frank Brangwyn, at the west end of the new nave. Andrew and Patrick look down from a heavenly host on a mother and father entertaining their children and a host of woodland animals by reading them stories. It is quite the loveliest thing in the building.

 

Other windows, mostly in the south aisle, are also lovely. Hugh Easton's commemorative window for the former USAAF base at Elveden is magnificent. Either side are windows to Iveaghs - a gorgeous George killing a dragon, also by Hugh Easton, and a curious 1971 assemblage depicting images from the lives of Edward Guinness's heir and his wife, which also works rather well. The effect of all three windows together is particularly fine when seen from the new nave.

 

Turning ahead of you to the new chancel, there is the mighty alabaster reredos. It cost £1,200 in 1906, about a quarter of a million in today’s money. It reflects the woodwork, in depicting patron Saints and East Anglian monarchs, around a surprisingly simple Supper at Emmaus. This reredos, and the Brangwyn window, reminded me of the work at the Guinness’s other spiritual home, St Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin, which also includes a window by Frank Brangwyn commisioned by them. Everything is of the highest quality. Rarely has the cliché ‘no expense spared’ been as accurate as it is here.

 

Up at the front, a little brass plate reminds us that Edward VII slept through a sermon here in 1908. How different it must have seemed to him from the carefree days with his old friend the Maharajah! Still, it must have been a great occasion, full of Edwardian pomp, and the glitz that only the fabulously rich can provide. Today, the church is still splendid, but the Guinesses are no longer fabulously rich, and attendance at church is no longer compulsory for estate workers; there are far fewer of them anyway. The Church of England is in decline everywhere; and, let us be honest, particularly so in this part of Suffolk, where it seems to have retreated to a state of siege. Today, the congregation of this mighty citadel is as low as half a dozen. The revolutionary disappearance of Anglican congregations in the Iveagh's homeland is now being repeated in a slow, inexorable English way.

 

You wander outside, and there are more curiosities. Set in the wall are two linked hands, presumably a relic from a broken 18th century memorial. They must have been set here when the wall was moved back in the 1950s. In the south chancel wall, the bottom of an egg-cup protrudes from among the flints. This is the trademark of the architect WD Caroe. To the east of the new chancel, Duleep Singh’s gravestone is a very simple one. It is quite different in character to the church behind it. A plaque on the east end of the church remembers the centenary of his death.

 

Continuing around the church, you come to the surprise of a long cloister, connecting the remodelled chancel door of the old church to the new bell tower. It was built in 1922 as a memorial to the wife of the first Earl Iveagh. Caroe was the architect again, and he installed eight bells, dedicated to Mary, Gabriel, Edmund, Andrew, Patrick, Christ, God the Father, and the King. The excellent guidebook recalls that his intention was for the bells to be cast to maintain the hum and tap tones of the renowned ancient Suffolk bells of Lavenham... thus the true bell music of the old type is maintained.

 

This church is magnificent, obviously enough. It has everything going for it, and is a national treasure. And yet, it has hardly any congregation. So, what is to be done?

 

If we continue to think of rural historic churches as nothing more than outstations of the Church of England, it is hard to see how some of them will survive. This church in particular has no future in its present form as a village parish church. New roles must be found, new ways to involve local people and encourage their use. One would have thought that this would be easier here than elsewhere.

 

The other provoking thought was that this building summed up almost two centuries of British imperial adventure, and that we lived in a world that still suffered from the consequences. It is worth remembering where the wealth that rebuilt St Andrew and St Patrick came from.

 

As so often in British imperial history, interference in other peoples’ problems and the imposition of short-term solutions has left massive scars and long-cast shadows. For the Punjab, as in Ireland, there are no simple solutions. Sheer proximity has, after several centuries of cruel and exploitative involvement, finally encouraged the British government to pursue a solution in Ireland that is not entirely based on self-interest. I fear that the Punjab is too far away for the British to care very much now about what they did there then.

Kinglake National Park

Then out spake brave Horatius,

The Captain of the gate:

“To every man upon this earth

Death cometh soon or late.

And how can man die better

Than facing fearful odds

For the ashes of his fathers

And the temples of his gods,

 

From Horatius at the Bridge by Thomas Babington, Lord Macaulay (1800–1859)

 

In around 506 BC a large Etruscan army lead by Lars Poresna, King of Clusium, marched on Rome. Among their number was Rome’s recently deposed King, Tarquinius Superbus, who hoped that following a successful campaign, he would be returned to the city’s throne.

 

Having recently engaged an army of Tarquin’s in an indecisive battle at Aricia, the Romans were expecting an invasion and hastily attempted to construct a fort on the Janiculum, a hill on the western side of the Tiber. However, owing to inadequate scouting, the troops stationed at the fort were surprised and overcome by the Eutruscan force, which proceeded to occupy the hill.

 

From the Janiculum, Porsena’s army launched an attack and advanced on Pons Sublicius. The Roman forces were now in disarray and the future of the newly formed republic looked bleak. However, just as all seemed lost a soldier named Horatius Cocles, accompanied by two others, namely Titus Herminius Aquilinus and Spurius Lartius (which, intriguingly, are Etruscan names) stepped forward to defend the bridge, using its narrow width to reduce the effectiveness of the large enemy force that bore down upon them. There they fought while to their rear the citizens of Rome gathered and, using but hand axes, began to chop down the bridge. Herminius and Spurius retreated as the bridge was almost destroyed, but Horatius fought on until the bridge had fallen, leaping into the river in full armour and swimming its width while coming under enemy fire. The attack was thus repulsed and Porsena forced into an unsuccessful siege of the city.

 

That, at least, is how the story goes according to Rome’s poets and historians. There have however always been questions about the story’s veracity and even Livy, whose history was as much about promoting Augustus Caesar’s legitimacy as it was about recording past events, casts doubt over some of its claims. It’s likely that Porsena succeeded in capturing Rome, for a short period at least (though there is no evidence to suggest that Tarquin’s throne was ever restored), and that Horatius’ exploits were later invented as a means of masking past defeats and promoting the idea of Rome’s inherent superiority. The Romans were, after all, skilled in the art of propaganda, a modern Latin word with ancient roots.

 

Whatever the truth, I think it makes for a fun little MOC.

 

You may notice that I’ve avoided using the familiar Roman Minifigure helmets and armour. This is because during this period the Roman Army was still fighting in the Greco-Etruscan style, where the phalanx was the master of the battlefield. This is over a hundred years before Rome comes into conflict with the Samnites and subsequently adopts the maniple system and around 400 years before Marius implements his reforms. The army was therefore vastly different in appearance and style to the one most people are familiar with. This is why I’ve gone for the Corinthian helmets, Hoplon shields and bronze and Linothorax type armour.

 

Finally, I’d like to quickly thank my mate Tim, who put me onto the Babington poem and helped push me towards depicting this piece of Roman history / myth. He also helped me out with some superb advice on photographing the model. He has a Warhammer blog over at Blogger; which if you’re interested is well worth checking out as apparently he’s known to be a bit of a wizard with the painting and landscaping and stuff.

Hi everyone!

 

I have a touch of SL wanderlust, so I like to change houses quite often, and before leaving this one, I thought I'd share some of my favorite views.

 

This is a lovely area in the Trompe Loeil Tatum Cabin between the main room and the stairs to the upper floor. I thought it would be a fantastic area where I could use Apple Fall's fantastic Riley Bench and of course, I always love to throw in a bit of Nutmeg...

 

Yes, I would really love to live here.

 

Nutmeg. Disarray Chair Linen, PG

Nutmeg. Disarray Round Wooden Table

Nutmeg. Disarray Old Pitcher Lamp Soft Grey

Nutmeg. Silver Lemons & Wine

Apple Fall Open Book

West Village Theodore Rug - Botanical Trellis

Nutmeg. Disarray Newspapers & Hat

Nutmeg. Disarray Old Jar Plant

7. Apple Fall Oversized Horloge

Ayla. Kitchen Corner - Shelf

Contrast - Weekend Cotton Vase

RETRO VINTAGE RADIO - BROWN (Copiable/All access)

{vespertine}- sword fern / normal ver.

{vespertine} - lost and found pot 4

Apple Fall Stacked Books

Apple Fall Magazine Files

West Village Riley Bench - White

Ariskea[GoldFish] Giant Philodendron Plant[2]

AF Pheasant Feathers

West Village Field Wellingtons - Red

{what next} House Plant - Rubber Tree

14. Nutmeg. Garden Getaway Diary Dark

13. Nutmeg. Garden Getaway Leather Bag

Apple Fall Crumpled Newspaper

[Cinoe] Rain stops umbrella black

Apple Fall Hanging Wicker Basket

Nutmeg. Not too shabby flats, Olive

Nutmeg. Garden Getaway Clutter Exclusive

West Village Theodore Rug - Mudcloth

Trompe Loeil - Tatum Cabin V1.1

Medical/Surgical building.

An elegant octagonal church rises among the pointed and beveled rocks of a gorge between the mountains:

 

it is the Temple of Valadier, in Genga, Marche (Italy).

 

The visual contrast is outstanding: the neoclassic architecture in travertine designed by Giuseppe Valadier (Rome, 1762-1839) – with the luminous symmetry of its eight sides symbolizing the Resurrection of Jesus, which occurred “on the eighth day” – stands against the rough disarray of nature, near the magnificent Frasassi Caves dug in limestone by the Sentino river.

 

The local people very likely sought refuge in these hidden grottos around the 10th century, when tribes from today’s Hungary raided the area.

 

The temple was built in 1828 by pope Leone XII, born Annibale Sermattei della Genga, and once housed a statue of the Madonna and Child made in Antonio Canova’s workshop.

-- You don't want my demons, you don't want my sadness, you don't even want me when I am at my best. Everything you say is smoke now...drifting through the air past my ears. Forever searching for attention, and yes it is love you seek. But I am sorry if I crave the same, sorry for being human and needing substance...sorry if my demons, are your demons --

  

Body/Head/Skin: Maitreya Mesh Body w/ Bento Hands

Genesis Bento Head - Sofie RARE

04 HUD_Genesis_Lab_Skin_FLOR - SET 1 (Vanilla)

 

Hair/Makeup/Tattoo: Magika - 01 - Disarray

CHAIN - Gloria Lipstick Pack (Genesis Lab Applier) - Dark

28 Genesis_Lab_Smokey_Eyeshadows - Femme Fatale

{ Speakeasy } Batty Tattoo - Omega

Goth1c0: Dark Polish Collection Astralia - w/ Stiletto Nails

 

Outfit/Jewelry: [CX] Heel Hugger (Maitreya + Black)

FEMALE[MANDALA]Stretched EARS-OMIMI

*KOM - GATCHA - seyka blindfold - RARE D

Cae: Interlaced Collar

 

Props: Astralia - Horrorfest backdrops (Rest in Peace)

[CX] Red Bull's Breath (recolored to bright red)

everything

was circular

the meanings

of words

were circular

how the world

looked

from both

up close

and above

nonsensical

visual disarray

I didn’t worry

for the meaning

of any of it

 

Colonel Durnford was portrayed by Burt Lancaster in the film Zulu Dawn

  

The Defence of Rorke's Drift

 

A fully detailed account written by John Young, Trustee, Anglo-Zulu War Royal Research Trust.

 

Anthony William Durnford was born on 24th May, 1830, in Manor Hamilton, County Leitram, Ireland. The eldest son of Second Lieutenant Edward William Durnford, Royal Engineers, and his wife Elizabeth Rebecca, nee Langley.

  

Initially, Anthony was schooled in Ireland. At the age of twelve he was sent to Germany to pursue his further education.

In September, 1846, at the age of sixteen he entered the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, as a gentleman-cadet. In April, 1847, whilst Anthony was receiving his martial education, his father, who had achieved the rank of captain, was serving as the Executive Engineer in a maritime and land expedition, under the command of Admiral Inglefield and General D'Aguilar, up the Canton River in China. Edward Durnford's skilful assessment of the enemy's fortifications would lead to the capture of eight forts. The Chinese authorities sued for peace after the British force occupied the city of Canton on 25th June, 1847.

 

On completion of his studies, Anthony was commissioned into the Corps of the Royal Engineers with the rank of second lieutenant on 27th June, 1848. He then attended a course of further instruction at the Corps' Headquarters at Chatham, Kent.

 

His first posting was to Scotland, in December, 1849, where he served at Edinburgh Castle and Fort George. His next would be an overseas posting to Ceylon (Sri Lanka) in October, 1851. The monotony of this far-flung outpost of the British Empire proved too much for the young officer, in an effort to relieve the boredom he took to gambling.

 

On 17th February, 1854, he was promoted to the rank of first lieutenant. That same year he married Frances Catherine Tranchell, the youngest daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Trancell, formerly of the Ceylon Rifles, at Saint Stephen's Church, Trincomalee.

 

By 1855 in addition to his military duties Durnford would be appointed as Assistant Commissioner of Roads and Civil Engineer of Ceylon. Elsewhere in the world the British Army was engaged in less pacific duties - a bitter war was raging in the Crimea peninsular. British had allied itself with the French and Sardinian forces in support of the Turkish authorities, against Russian imperial expansion.

 

Durnford yearned to play his part in the campaign and applied for a transfer to the theatre of operations. Permission was not granted until November, 1855, however his departure was delayed by a bout of fever. Eventually he reached the island of Malta in March, 1856.

 

On the 31st of March, a peace treaty was concluded between the warring countries, by the end of April the war was officially over. There would be no chance of glory for Durnford, who had to content himself with the position of adjutant to his father, who commanded the Royal Engineers on Malta.

 

Whilst he serving in the Malta garrison, Frances Durnford gave birth to a* son, sadly the child died in infancy. Durnford was devastated by the loss. In 1857, that loss was softened by the birth of a daughter, Frances.

 

*He was born in Ceylon

 

Durnford returned to Britain in February, 1858. On the 18th of March, 1858, he was promoted to the rank of second captain. He served in Aldershot and at the Corps's Headquarters at Chatham. Whilst at Chatham he made the acquaintance of Captain Gharles George Gordon, who had recently returned from serving on the Turco-Russian Boundary Commission, in the wake of the Crimean War. Gordon was destined for martyrdom at Khartoum in 1885.

  

In 1860, a second child - a daughter would die in infancy. Distort with anger and self-guilt, Durnford and his wife parted company. In an effort to apparently lose himself in his work, Durnford accepted the command of 27th(Field) Company, Royal Engineers, which was stationed in Gibraltar.

 

On 5th January, 1864, he was promoted to the rank of first captain. In August of that year he returned again to Britain. By now Charles Gordon had achieved an international reputation at the head of his "Ever-Victorious Army" in China. Durnford was apparently intent on joining "Chinese" Gordon, and in the latter part of 1864 he sailed for the Orient. Wicked fate again intervened with Durnford's plans, he was taken ill with heat exhaustion and had to be disembarked at Ceylon. So severe was the complaint he remained hospitalised for three months. Durnford's biographer, his brother Edward, alleges that Gordon nursed Anthony back to health.

 

By January, 1865, he was considered fit enough to travel, and he was invalided back to Britain, where he spent the next five years on home postings. During this time that Durnford's father was promoted to the rank of Major-General, with effect from 6th March, 1868.

 

In 1871, Anthony Durnford was ordered to Cape Colony, he arrived at Cape Town on 23rd January, 1872, and from there he boarded another ship, Syria, for Port Elizabeth on the eastern seaboard of the colony. On disembarking he made for King William's Town.

 

Whilst serving in Cape Colony, Durnford became a keen observer of the African people who populated the area, paying particular attention to their habits and culture. On 5th July, 1872, he was promoted to the rank of major, following a revision of the ranking structure within the Corps of the Royal Engineers.

 

In January, 1873, he was ordered to return to Cape Town, and he was stationed at the Cape Castle. In May, 1873, he was posted to Fort Napier, Pietermaritzburg. It was in Pietermaritzburg, that Durnford made the acquaintance of The Right Reverend John William Colenso, D.D., the Bishop of Natal. Colenso was an indefatigable, if somewhat controversial Christian. The Zulus knew of him, they called him Sobantu - the father of the people. Durnford and Colenso appear to form a firm friendship. But the gossips of day inferred that a closer relationship was formed between Durnford and the Bishop's daughter, Frances.

 

In August, 1873, Durnford accompanied Theophilus Shepstone, the Secretary for Native Affairs, into KwaZulu. He was present as the senior British officer at the "coronation" of the new Zulu monarch, King Cetshwayo kaMpande, on 1st September, 1873.

 

Scarcely had Durnford returned KwaZulu when he was ordered to report to Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Milles, of the 75th (Stirlingshire) Regiment of Foot, the senior officer at Fort Napier. A potentially dangerous situation was developing in the foothills of the Drakensberg Mountains. A local chieftain, Langalibalele, of the amaHlubi, had refused to register a number of firearms, which his people had acquired whilst working in the Diamond Fields, to the local magistrate. The magistrate duly informed the Lieutenant-Governor of Natal, Sir Benjamin Pine of the matter, and Pine issued a summons for Langalibalele to report to Pietermaritzburg. This too went unheeded. Pine was now left with a military option to bring to heel this recalcitrant upstart, who had dared to challenge him.

 

The forces placed at Milles's disposal were:- two companies of the 75th; some one hundred and fifty European local volunteers and at least two thousand 'pressed' African levies. Durnford was appointed Chief of Staff. The whole force moved off to the vicinity of the amaHlubi reserve.

 

Milles, now with the rank of Colonel, planned to block the mountain passes with two mobile forces to prevent Langalibalele escaping into BaSotholand, thus turning the amaHlubi back towards Natal and into the main body of the troops. The conspect of the plan was sound, however knowledge of the terrain on which it was to enacted was somewhat flawed.

 

One of the mobile forces consisted of five hundred of the African levies.

 

Durnford was given command of the other. Durnford's unit was comprised of fifty-five Natal volunteers armed with breech-loading carbines, and twenty-five mounted Africans of baTlokwa people - of whom seventeen men carried a firearm of sorts, whilst the rest were armed with more traditional weapons. To enable Durnford to communicate with the African troops an interpreter was provided, his name was Elijah Kambule, a mission educated African.

 

At last Durnford had a field command, but it was a command marred by incompetence from the outset. Durnford had ordered the senior volunteer officer, Captain Charles Barter, of the Natal Carbineers, to ensure each of the Natal volunteers carried rations for three days and forty rounds of ammunition. Barter however had taken it upon himself to have the rations and the ammunition placed on packhorses. During the night of 2nd/3rd November, 1873, the baggage animals strayed off. Durnford sent off a search party to recover the lost animals, which in turn became detached from the command.

 

In the morning the baTlokwa were forced to share their rations with the white troops. Durnford pressed on towards his objective of the Giant's Castle Pass. The rugged terrain began to exact its toll on the men, some of who fell out with exhaustion.

 

Durnford's horse, 'Chieftain', lost its footing sending Durnford tumbling from the saddle, and onto the rocks. Over and over he fell for some fifty yards, until he landed heavily against a tree limb. His injuries were severe - a dislocated shoulder, two cracked ribs and a badly gashed head. Although racked with pain he was determined to fulfil his mission, to prove his worth, and so he pressed onwards and upwards.

  

As the force halted that night Durnford despatched six of the baTlokwa, to go on ahead to scout for the whereabouts of the amaHlubi.

 

In the early hours of 4th November, Durnford roused his men, their numbers were now depleted to some thirty-odd volunteers and some fifteen of the baTlokwa, they pressed onto the Bushman's River Pass, where they discovered a large body of the fugitive amaHlubi tending their cattle, Durnford recounted what happened next shortly after the event: -

 

Having reached the Bushman's Pass at 6.30 a.m., on the 4th November, with one officer, one sergeant, and thirty-three rank and file of the Carbineers, and a few Basutos, I at once formed them across the mouth of the pass, the natives in charge of cattle already in the mountain flying in every direction. Possibly there may have been one hundred at the outside, about half of whom were armed with shooting weapons.

 

Having posted my party, I went with my interpreter to reassure the natives. Calling for the chief man, I told him to assemble his people, and say that Government required their Chief, Langalibalele, to answer certain charges; that his people who submitted to Government should be safe, with their wives, children, and cattle; that all loyal people should go to Estcourt, where Mr. Shepstone, Minister for Native Affairs, was, and make submission, and they should be safe. My interpreter was recognised as one of Mr. Shepstone's attendants, and the Induna thanked me in the name of the people, saying they would all go down and tell my words to the tribe, who were not aware of the good intentions of Government and were afraid.

 

I told them to take their cattle and go down. The Chief said they would, but begged me to leave them, as he could not answer for the young men, who were excited, and might injure me. I left him exerting himself, so far as I could judge, in carrying out my wishes.

 

Seeing that the natives were getting behind stones commanding the mouth of the pass, I turned their position by sending my small party of Basutos on the one side, I taking half the Carbineers to the other - the other half guarding the mouth of the pass. All were then in such position, that had a shot been fired, I could have swept the natives down the pass. Their gestures were menacing, but no open act of hostility was committed.

 

About this time I was informed that many men were coming up the pass, and, on reaching the spot, found it was the case. On ordering them back, they obeyed sullenly. Matters now looked serious, and I was informed by the senior officer of volunteers present that the Carbineers, many of whom were young men, could not be depended upon.

 

They said they were surrounded, and would be massacred. I have reason to believe that this panic was created by their drill instructor, an old soldier of the late Cape Corps, up to whom they naturally looked. Upon this, as the only chance of safety, and in hopes of saving men's lives, although perfectly aware that it was a fatal line of policy, I drew in my outlaying party, and gave the order to retire. There was nothing else to be done. I had no support. As I was about to retire by alternate divisions, the first shot was fired by the natives, followed by two or three, when, seized with panic, the Carbineers fled, followed by the Basutos.

 

My interpreter and three Volunteers were killed. There were probably two hundred natives present at the time the first shot was fired. The firing was never heavy, and their ammunition soon became exhausted. The orders I received were "not to fire the first shot." I obeyed.

A.W. DURNFORD,

Major Royal Engineers.

 

During the course of the skirmish a spear had pierced Durnford's already injured left arm at the elbow severing the nerve, and a bullet had grazed his cheek. His baptism of fire was hardly an auspicious event, although he had attempted, in vain, to save the life of Elijah Kambule, and had shot two amaHlubi, his command had quit the field in disarray.

 

Nearly a fortnight after the skirmish Durnford led a burial detail to the Bushman's River Pass. The bodies were recovered and buried, the committal service being conducted by the Reverend George Smith, the Vicar of Estcourt and Honorary Chaplain of the Weenen Yeomanry, who would find lasting fame for his part in the Defence of Rorke's Drift.

 

Meanwhile resentment was growing in Pietermaritzburg, Durnford had criticized the mettle of the Carbineers who had been present in the action. He acquired the sobriquet of "Don't Fire" Durnford, and with the hindsight of the events of 1879, the colonial press would refer to the skirmish at Bushman's River Pass as "Durnford's First Disaster".

 

Rough justice was meted out on Langalibalele's adherents, and also exacted on the amaPutini, the indigenous people of the area. Shepstone had falsely accused them of supporting an act of treason. Two hundred amaHlubi were killed, five hundred prisoners were taken and pressed in forced labour for the local European farmers.

 

Langalibalele was betrayed and captured by elements of a Cape Colony force. He was led back to Pietermaritzburg in chains. In January, 1874, he was charged with murder, treason and armed insurrection. The trial turned into a farce and a travesty of justice, the outcome was a forgone conclusion - he was guilty no matter what! John Colenso voiced his concerns but justice as well as being blind, had also become conveniently deaf. Langalibalele was sentenced to life imprisonment on Robben Island.

 

In addition to his military duties Durnford had been given the post of Acting Colonial Engineer, with effect from 1st November, 1873. On 11th December, 1873 he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-colonel.

 

The year 1874 would see the implementation of the Confederation Policy, by the Earl of Carnarvon, the Secretary of State of the Colonies. It was a policy of unification of the whole region of southern Africa, which was then composed of fragmented tribal kingdoms and chieftainships, two Boer Republics and the British territories, together under the Union Flag. It was a policy, which would be met with resistance, by both black and ultimately white people.

 

Durnford was in the meantime tasked with blocking the Drakensberg passes, in order to prohibit in order preventing a repetition of the amaHlubi incident, and any possible incursion from the BaSothos on the other side of the mountains. He had an available labour force in the amaPutini men who had unjustly been accused of conspiracy with the amaHlubi. Durnford bargained for the rights of these tribespeople, urging the Colonial Administration to repatriate to their dispossessed lands.

 

Having successfully completed the task of blocking the mountain passes, the amaPutini set to road work, and the reputation of the work gang grow, so much so that Africans were actually volunteering to work for Durnford. Throughout 1874 they tolled.

 

Early in 1875 Sir Benjamin Pine was replaced by Major-General Sir Garnet Wolseley, that "Very model of a Modern Major-General", as he would later be personified by Gilbert and Sullivan.

 

Wolseley was in Natal to ring the changes and hasten the implementation of the confederation plans. His attitudes and bigotry would soon rankle Bishop Colenso; this in turn would have an effect on Durnford, because of his affinity with the bishop, and his alleged liaison with the bishop's daughter, Frances. Wolseley personally reprimanded him for siding with the liberal cleric. He added in a veiled threat unless Durnford conformed he would place his position of Acting Colonial Engineer in jeopardy.

 

Wolseley's machinations were coupled with a media inspired feeling of resentment still held against Durnford over the Bushman's River Pass affair. Neither did little to enhance his career or his prospects.

 

In September of 1875 Wolseley was replaced by Sir Henry Bulwer as Lieutenant-Governor of Natal, but the die was already cast for Durnford to be ousted. On 10th October, 1875 he was officially relieved of his civil appointment by Captain Albert Henry Hime, of the Royal Engineers. Durnford was acutely embarrassed at being relieved by a junior officer of his own corps, especially by one who had only been a captain for eighteen months.

 

In May 1876 he was replaced as Commanding Royal Engineer, Natal, by Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel Edward Thomas Brooke, another subordinate. On 27th May he embarked for Britain, it was his intention to seek specialist opinion on his disabled arm. On advice he "took the waters" at a spa in the Black Forest, Germany, but he found the regime tedious, and hastened to return to army life.

 

His next posting was uninspiring he was tasked with maintaining the three forts, which commanded Queenstown harbour, Ireland. The cold and the frequent Atlantic storms did little to relieve his physical suffering, to, which was added mental torment, as he grow more and more morose. It all proved to be too much and he collapsed with exhaustion. On medical advice he left Ireland.

 

Apparently with the help of the intercession of his old friend, Charles Gordon, he was re-appointed as the C.R.E., Natal. He departed from Southampton on 8th February, 1877 onboard the Danube, the same ship which two years later, almost to the day, the Prince Imperial of France would embark on to meet his destiny in KwaZulu.

 

When Durnford arrived in Pietermaritzburg on 23rd March, 1877, he found the colony in a state of excitement; the now ennobled Sir Theophilus Shepstone had left Natal in late January for Pretoria, the capital of the Boer Republic of the Transvaal. Accompanying him was a small escort of twenty Natal Mounted Police. Shepstone was acting with the full authority of the recently appointed Governor General of the Cape, and High Commissioner for southern Africa, Sir Henry Bartle Edward Frere, who had been directed to advance the Confederation Policy.

 

The Republic was financially weakened and attempt to suppress the warlike ambitions of the baPedi chieftain, Sekhukhune, had ended in defeat for a Boer commando.

 

The day after Durnford's arrival in Pietermaritzburg, five companies of the 1st Battalion, 13th (1st Somersetshire) Prince Albert's Light Infantry arrived at the town of Newcastle, close to the Transvaal border, and twenty-five men of the Natal Mounted Police.

Durnford together with Colonel Charles Knight Pearson, of the 2nd Battalion, 3rd (East Kent - "The Buffs") Regiment of Foot, arrived in Newcastle, on 10th April. It was apparent to all those present that Shepstone intended to annex the Transvaal, under the manifesto of the Confederation Policy.

 

On the following day, fearful for Shepstone's safety, Durnford entered the Boer republic covertly, in the guise of a property speculator. Durnford arrived in Pretoria on 15th April, only to discover that Shepstone had claimed the Transvaal as a British colony on 12th April. Shepstone asked Durnford to have the troops move on Pretoria, for although there had been no show of resistance from the Boers, he was uncomfortable that something might happen. Durnford rode back towards Newcastle, and was met by Pearson who was moving the forces at his disposal on towards the border. Durnford marshalled the remaining forces and supplies at Newcastle, before returning back into the Transvaal.

 

Having assured himself all was going well Durnford returned to Pietermaritzburg on 26th April, 1877. With the annexation of the Transvaal the British inherited a dispute over a strip of border territory between the Transvaal and the independent Kingdom of KwaZulu. Late in 1877 Frere launched an unprecedented propaganda campaign against King Cetshwayo. He labelled the king 'a despot', and his army were branded as 'man-slaying gladiators', Frere was attempting to draw the amaZulu into a war, but it was not the time as the British forces were already embroiled in the Ninth Cape Frontier War, against the amaXhosa in the Transkei.

 

In February, 1878, a boundary commission was formed to unravel the complexities of the claims and counter-claims of the Transvaal/Zulu dispute. Durnford was selected to serve as a member of the commission, together with John Wesley Shepstone, the acting Secretary for Native Affairs and the Natal Attorney-General Michael Gallwey.

 

The first meeting to consider evidence from the respective parties was convened to take place on the Natal side of the Buffalo River, at a former trading post, known to the Zulus as KwaJim, close to a river crossing called Rorke's Drift in early March of 1878. The commission heard the evidence from the respective claimants - Zulu and Boer.

 

The meeting at Rorke's Drift coincided with another event, the arrival in southern Africa of the newly appointed General Officer Commanding Her Majesty's Forces in southern Africa. Lieutenant-General (Local Rank) the Honourable Frederic Augustus Thesiger, replaced Lieutenant-General Arthur Cunynghame, who had been replaced as a consequence of political pressure.

 

For weeks the three commissioners heard and reviewed evidence from both parties, the submissions were finally concluded on 11th April, 1878. Despite differences of opinion between the members of the commission, they completed their report on 20th June, 1878. They found in favour of the Zulu claim of title to the land. Their conclusion was sent via Bulwer to Frere for approval. Frere conveniently shuffled the papers to the bottom of the pile; the findings did not quite gel with his own intentions towards the amaZulu.

 

There had been a change in Whitehall; Sir Michael Hicks Beach had replaced Lord Carnarvon as Colonial Secretary. Despite the change, or maybe because of it, Frere stepped-up his propaganda campaign against the Zulu.

 

In July, 1878, an event occurred that added credence to Frere's crusade. One of the wives of the border chieftain, Sihayo kaXongo, who lived on the Zulu side of the Buffalo River at Rorke's Drift, became pregnant by a lover.

 

The unfaithful woman and her lover fled into Natal. Shortly afterwards another unfaithful wife, also expectant, followed. The first wife took up residence in the kraal of a border guard, Mswaglele. The subsequent incursion into Natal by Methlokazulu kaSihayo and his followers, and the killing of the two women gave Frere the excuse he was looking for. The Natal Government sought reparation for the raid, and the surrender of the ringleaders. Sihayo offered to pay a fine of cattle, which his own monarch, King Cetshwayo, had levied on him, but this was dismissed as too lenient a penalty.

 

Durnford was tasked with completing a feasibility study of bridging the Tugela River, should the prospect conflict with the amaZulu become a reality.

 

Durnford also recommended the formation of an African pioneer corps. Bulwer however had other opinions, and began to frustrate the designs of Durnford and the General Officer Commanding. Bulwer had been instilled with a sense of distrust of armed, organized bodies of Africans by colonists who still harboured a sense of hatred after the Langalibalele affair. Thesiger had no option but to complain to Frere over Bulwer's lack of co-operation. The raising of two companies of Natal Native Pioneers was eventually permitted with the full knowledge of the Commander-in-Chief of the British Army, the Duke of Cambridge.

 

By October, 1878, Bulwer was still reticent to permit the general conscription of the African populace. Frere was aware that Thesiger, (who that same month become the 2nd Baron, Lord Chelmsford) desperately needed the additional manpower. These men were to be deployed as light skirmishers and scouts, as proposed by Durnford. Their local knowledge would be an asset or so it was thought.

 

Eventually after much debate and argument Bulwer permitted the raising of three regiments of a force which would be designated the Natal Native Contingent. Durnford was assigned to the overall command of the three battalions, which would compose the 1st Regiment.

  

It is not the purpose of this article to assess the worth of the N.N.C., merely the role of Durnford in their organisation. I believe it was the man's charisma, which caused many to flock to follow him. Hundreds of amaPutini came, as did the baTlokwa, even Langalibalele's amaHlubi came. Drawn to this man who unlike many did not appear to resent the colour of their skin.

  

A booklet was published for those Europeans who would be entrusted with the command of the

N.N.C. and published as GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF NATIVES, FOR THE GUIDANCE OF OFFICERS APPOINTED TO THE NATAL NATIVE CONTINGENT, AND OTHERS WHO MAY HAVE NATIVES PLACED UNDER THEM.

 

Some of these instructions are worthy of note:-

 

1, The Natal Zulu may be looked upon as an intelligent, precocious boy, with the physical strength of a man. ...

4, Insist on unquestioning obedience, and be careful that your order is carried out. Avoid, however, unreasonable, contradictory and when possible, unnecessary harassing orders....

6, Never use epithets of contempt such as niggers, Kafirs, &c. Call them "abantu"(people), "amadoda" (men), or "amabuti" (soldiers). ...

10, When drilling Zulus avoid all nagging - many of them are often stupid and inattentive, and much practise is required to teach them. ...

17, Esprit de corps is well understood by Zulus, and every use should be made of it. Each battalion should be given a native name, which, no doubt, the men themselves will soon select. ...

 

Sadly some of those tasked with the position of command were hardly worthy of such office. Some were drawn from the lower echelons of colonial manhood, and were no respecters of human life, black or white.

 

In addition to the N.N.C. and the Native Pioneers, mounted well-armed African volunteers were formed into troops of the Natal Native Horse. Numbered amongst these men, were those who had been present at the Bushman's River Pass, and their descendants. Langalibalele's own brother, John Zulu, rode at the head of the troop from the Edendale Mission Station. Such was the personal loyalty and affection to Durnford.

 

On 11th December, 1878, under the branches of a wild fig tree on the Natal side of the Lower Tugela River, an indaba had been called, King Cetshwayo sent his own emissaries to finally receive the findings of the boundary commission. The Zulus listened attentively as the result in their favour was announced. After this followed Frere's haughty ultimatum which was filled with great rhetoric which could only lead to war.

 

Durnford did his utmost to shape his regiment into a cohesive fighting force in the short time he had left. His force started to assemble at Greytown. Dalmaine's Farm, a short distance from Greytown was selected as his headquarters. From this position Durnford's force, now designated as Number 2 Column, could command the Middle Drift of the Tugela.

 

On 1st January, 1879, Durnford received orders from Lord Chelmsford ordering him to remain at the Middle Drift until the invasion, scheduled for the 11th January, was under way. When Durnford would be expected to co-operate between Pearson's Number 1 Column, which was to cross at the Lower Drift, and Colonel Richard Thomas Glyn's Number 3 Column, which was to ford the Buffalo River at Rorke's Drift.

 

On the afternoon of 11th January, Durnford paid a visit on Lord Chelmsford, who had now attached his headquarters to Glyn's force. He acquainted the General with some intelligence gleaned from messengers loyal to the Lutheran Bishop Hans Schreuder, before returning to his designated position.

 

At this time rumours and counter-rumours as to the Zulu dispositions were rife. Schreuder wrote to Durnford warning him of a threat of a Zulu incursion over the Middle Drift. Durnford received the message on 13th January. He hastily wrote a dispatch to Chelmsford apprising him of the supposed threat, and that he intended to meet the enemy on the Zulu side of the Middle Drift.

 

At 2 a.m. on 14th January, Durnford roused his men, and readied them for a forced march at 4 a.m. As Durnford was on the summit of Kranz Kop preparing to descend into the valley leading towards the drift a galloper from Lord Chelmsford met him.

 

The dispatch from Chelmsford was forthright and to the point:

 

Dear Durnford,

Unless you carry out the instructions I give you, it will be my unpleasant duty to remove you from your command, and to substitute another officer for officer for the commander of No. 2 Column. When a column is acting SEPARATELY in an enemy's country I am quite ready to give its commander every latitude, and would certainly expect him to disobey any orders he might receive from me, if information which he obtained showed that it would be injurious to the interests of the column under his command. Your neglecting to obey my instructions in the present instance has no excuse. You have simply received information in a letter from Bishop Schroeder[sic], which may or may not be true and which you have no means of verifying. If movements ordered are to be delayed because report hints at a chance of an invasion of Natal, it will be impossible for me to carry out my plan of campaign. I trust you will understand this plain speaking and not give me any further occasion to write in a style which is distasteful to me.

Chelmsford.

 

The following day Durnford was ordered to the vicinity of Rorke's Drift, with a few companies of his N.N.C., five troops of the N.N.H., and a rocket battery under the command of Brevet Major Francis Broadfoot Russell.

 

On 19th, Durnford received further orders to relocate the force under his immediate command to the Zulu bank of Rorke's Drift. On the 20th Number 3 Column reached Isandlwana.

 

On 21st, Lord Chelmsford sent out a two-pronged reconnaissance to ascertain the whereabouts of any Zulu forces. Elements of the reconnaissance came into contact with Zulu forces late in the afternoon. Messages were passed back to Chelmsford at Isandlwana requesting reinforcements.

 

In the early hours of the morning of Wednesday, 22nd January, 1879, Chelmsford made the decision to divide Number 3 Column, leaving one half at Isandlwana, whilst marching out with the other to meet the Zulu threat.

 

At 3 a.m., Lieutenant Horace Lockwood Smith-Dorrien, of the 95th (Derbyshire) Regiment of Foot, a special service officer detailed to transport duties, was ordered to return to Rorke's Drift. He carried orders for Durnford, instructing him to reinforce the camp at Isandlwana with the forces at his disposal.

 

Durnford received the orders at about 7 a.m. Durnford moved on towards Isandlwana with his mounted troops, having given orders for his infantrymen to follow on.

 

About a quarter of a mile from the camp at Isandlwana, he encountered a fellow Engineer officer moving in the opposite direction, his name was John Rouse Merriott Chard, a lieutenant from 5th (Field) Company. Chard informed Durnford that Zulus had been seen on the hills to the north of the camp. Durnford instructed Chard to inform the two N.N.C. companies to hurry on to Isandlwana.

 

Shortly after 10 a.m. Durnford arrived in the camp. He had with him some two hundred and fifty N.N.H., 'D' Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Regiment, followed on behind escorting Russell's rocket battery. Bringing up the rear was Captain Walter Stafford and his 'E' Company, 1st/1st N.N.C. acting as the baggage guard.

 

An obvious problem was presented with Durnford's arrival, who was in command? Durnford was a substantive Lieutenant-Colonel; it is feasible that he may not have been informed of his brevet promotion to the rank of colonel on 31st December, 1878. Lord Chelmsford had left behind in command of the encampment Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Pulleine of the 1st Battalion, 24th (2nd Warwickshire) Regiment of Foot. Pulleine had distinct orders to defend the camp.

 

Reports were coming in from outlaying piquets and vedettes of increasing Zulu activity. On e report stated that a Zulu column was moving off in the direction that Lord Chelmsford had taken his half column. Fearful that the General's force might be attacked on two fronts Durnford took matters into his own hands. He informed Pulleine that he intended to sweep the area thus drawing out the Zulus. He asked Pulleine for some of his imperial infantry to assist him in the task. Pulleine objected to the request, again stating his task was to defend the camp. Durnford then asked for support should his force encounter difficulties to which acquiesced.

 

Durnford sent two troops of his N.N.H. off on to the Nquthu plateau, under the command of Captain W. Barton. Whilst he himself went out with two troops of N.N.H. along the track the General's half column had taken. Following in the wake of the horsemen came Major Russell and his rocket battery, supported by 'D' Company, 1st/1st N.N.C. under Captain C. Nourse. Durnford had had the foresight to order Lieutenant Richard Wyatt Vause and his No.3 Troop of Sikali's Horse to reinforce the baggage guard.

  

It is not the purpose of this article to discuss the finer points of Isandlwana, and so what follows is only a synopsis of events.

 

Lieutenant Charles Raw commanding No.1 Troop, Sikali's Horse, chanced upon the concealed Zulu impi of some 25,000 warriors in Ngwebeni valley, thereby pre-empting the attack of the Zulus planned for the following day. Battle had commenced.

 

Durnford waged a fighting retreat in an effort to turn the Zulu left horn. He and his men took up a position in a donga on the right front of Isandlwana. Here he was seen exalting his men, and standing on the lip of the donga in total disregard for his personal safety. Lieutenant Alfred Henderson of Hlubi's Troop, N.N.H., was drawn to the conclusion that he had lost his head. Others would recall how Durnford would deftly free the fouled breeches of his men's carbines, with his one good hand.

 

Durnford's men were reinforced by detachments of the Natal Mounted Police, the Newcastle Mounted Rifles, the Buffalo Border Guard and the Natal Carbineers. At this moment in time, members of the corps who in the past had included Durnford's bitterest critics were at his side.

 

Desperately short of ammunition Durnford and his mounted men were compelled to abandon their position, just as Lieutenant Charles Pope, commanding 'G' Company, 2nd/24th, was endeavouring to reinforce him. The left horn crashed into the lines of red soldiers and they were soon swallowed up.

 

Durnford rallied his mounted men in one last desperate stand, but the sheer weight of Zulu numbers told and he died surrounded by the enemy.