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Documenting the process of creating Inlet Dance Theatre's new work, "Beauty in Tension" to be premiered at Cleveland Public Theatre's DanceWorks April 8-11, 2010.
By convention, the age of the Romanesque architecture and art is often described as having spanned the years 1000–1200. It makes it easy to memorize, but of course it is only “mostly right”, with lots of exceptions, as is the case every time one tries to set cutoff years to mark the transition between one historic period and the next.
Even if I limit myself to France (therefore ignoring all that happened previously in northern Italy), the “Comasque” architects and masons from the Lake Como region had crossed the Alps well before Year 1000, building churches such as the Saint Martin Basilica in Aime, on the French slopes of the mountain chain, or even a ways further West such as the Gellone Abbey near the French Pyrénées, which the same builders from Italy probably reached by boat on the coattails of merchants. Likewise, large regions such as most of southern France, continued to build churches in the Romanesque style way past Year 1200, even though Gothic architecture had begun to appear and blossom in Normandy or the area around Paris.
If that two-century time bracket is substantially inaccurate to frame the Age of the Romanesque, what other assumptions may be wrong about it and the Age of the Gothic, respectively?
First, there is the fact that the so-called “broken” or “pointy” arch, and the combination of several of those to create an intersecting pattern known as “rib vaulting”, were invented during the Gothic Age. Nothing could be more wrong, as I hope to be able to demonstrate one day —I haven’t yet been to the proper place to document the very first use of such arches, well before 1100, i.e., smack in the middle of the Romanesque period.
Then, there is stained glass, that marvelous art and technique which, combined with the pointy arch and the use of flying buttresses, allowed Gothic churches to let all that light flow in... That was a Gothic invention as well, wasn’t it? Well, no it wasn’t. And while I’m at it, if you think only Gothic builders knew how to let all that light flow in, just take a peek at the Romanesque basilica of Vézelay (built 1120–40)...
To go back to stained glass, it was indeed a Romanesque invention, or rather, it is during the Romanesque Age that the technique of coloring glass panes was refined: according to the writings of a Benedictine monk named Theophilus (in his Schedula diversarum artium), that technique was perfected around 1100, and the oldest stained glass windows, assembling such colored panes with rods of lead, still visible today, date back to that period and can be seen in the Augsburg Cathedral in Germany. Some even mention much older windows dating back from the end of the Carolingian period, during the 900s, in Magdeburg and Lorsch, also in Germany.
I may one day be able to go visit those places and bring back photographs, but today, I would like to take you to the city of Bourges, right in the middle of France. Its cathedral, dedicated to Saint Stephen, was built across the late Romanesque and early Gothic periods, from the late 1100s through the late 1200s. Its oldest parts, especially the apse, feature large windows with gorgeous late 1100s–early 1200s stained glass, probably made in the workshops of Chartres.
The cathedral is on the Via Lemovicensis Path to Compostela, and therefore a UNESCO World Heritage site.
We have now left the cathedral church of Bourges, but I wouldn’t want to leave that city without showing this superb Romanesque sculpted portal that is the only remnant of the collegiate church of Saint Ursin (Ursinus), destroyed in the 18th century.
Dating from around 1100 and listed as a Historic Landmark on the very first list of 1840, this portal was incorporated in the 19th century into a military compound so as to remain visible from the street. It stands but a short walk away from the cathedral.
The lower part of the tympanum shows the Works of the Months, while the center one depicts a hunting scene, an activity reserved to the nobles who used it (or pretended to use it) as combat training. Finally, the top part uses animal fables to illustrate the roles of the Church: teach (the donkey school master), heal (the heron picking out a bone from the wolf’s throat), bury the dead (the fake death of Renart the Fox). The tympanum thus illustrates the roles of the three orders of society in the Mediæval life: on top is the clergy, then the nobles who fight and defend, and at the bottom the peasants who work to feed the population.
Finally, there is a small insert at the base that reads Girauldus fecit istas portas, i.e., “Girauldus made those gates”. This is usually interpreted as the sculptor’s signature, and while this interpretation is indeed possible, it must also be kept in mind that such signing of one’s works was highly unusual in the Middle Ages and that it could also very well be a reminder of the person who paid for the making of the piece... Fecit in this case would have the meaning of “made it possible” [to create these gates by paying for them].
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Snowdonia, or Eryri is a mountainous region and national park in North Wales. It contains all 15 mountains in Wales over 3000 feet high, including the country's highest, Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa), which is 1,085 metres (3,560 ft) tall. These peaks are all part of the Snowdon, Glyderau, and Carneddau ranges in the north of the region. The shorter Moelwynion and Moel Hebog ranges lie immediately to the south.
The national park has an area of 823 square miles (2,130 km2) (the fourth-largest in the UK), and covers most of central and southern Gwynedd and the western part of Conwy County Borough. This is much larger than the area traditionally considered Snowdonia, and in addition to the five ranges above includes the Rhinogydd, Cadair Idris, and Aran ranges and the Dyfi Hills. It also includes most of the coast between Porthmadog and Aberdyfi. The park was the first of the three national parks of Wales to be designated, in October 1951, and the third in the UK after the Peak District and Lake District, which were established in April and May 1951 respectively. The park received 3.89 million visitors in 2015.
The name Snowdon means 'snow hill' and is derived from the Old English elements snāw and dūn, the latter meaning 'hill'. Snowdonia is simply taken from the name of the mountain.
The origins of Eryri are less clear. Two popular interpretations are that the name is related to eryr, 'eagle', and that it means 'highlands' and is related to the Latin oriri ('to rise'). Although eryri is not any direct form of the word eryr in the meaning 'eagle', it is a plural form of eryr in the meaning 'upland'.
Before the boundaries of the national park were designated, "Snowdonia" was generally used to refer to a smaller upland area of northern Gwynedd centred on the Snowdon massif. The national park covers an area more than twice that size, extending south into the Meirionnydd area.
This difference is apparent in books published before 1951. In George Borrow's 1907 Wild Wales he states that "Snowdon or Eryri is no single hill, but a mountainous region, the loftiest part of which is called Y Wyddfa", making a distinction between the summit of the mountain and the surrounding massif. The Mountains of Snowdonia by H. Carr & G. Lister (1925) defines "Eryri" as "composed of the two cantrefs of Arfon and Arllechwedd, and the two commotes of Nant Conwy and Eifionydd", which corresponds to Caernarfonshire with the exception of southwest Llŷn and the Creuddyn Peninsula. In Snowdonia: The National Park of North Wales (1949), F. J. North states that "When the Committee delineated provisional boundaries, they included areas some distance beyond Snowdonia proper".
Snowdonia National Park, also known as Eryri National Park in English and Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri in Welsh, was established in October 1951. It was the third national park in the United Kingdom, following the Peak District and Lake District in April and May of the same year. It covers 827 square miles (2,140 km2) in the counties of Gwynedd and Conwy, and has 37 miles (60 km) of coastline.
The park is governed by the Snowdonia National Park Authority, which has 18 members: 9 appointed by Gwynedd, 3 by Conwy, and 6 by the Welsh Government to represent the national interest. The authority's main offices are at Penrhyndeudraeth.
The park authority used Snowdonia and Snowdon when referring to the national park and mountain in English until February 2023, when it resolved to primarily use the Welsh names, Eryri and Yr Wyddfa. There will be a transitional period of approximately two years in which the authority will continue to use the English names in parentheses — for example "Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon)" — where the context requires.
Unlike national parks in other countries, national parks in the UK are made up of both public and private lands under a central planning authority. The makeup of land ownership in the national park is as follows:
More than 26,000 people live within the park, of whom 58.6% could speak Welsh in 2011. While most of the land is either open or mountainous land, there is a significant amount of agricultural activity within the park.
The national park does not include the town of Blaenau Ffestiniog, which forms a unique non-designated enclave within the park boundaries. The town was deliberately excluded from the park when it was established because of its slate quarrying industry. The boundaries of the Peak District National Park exclude the town of Buxton and its adjacent limestone quarries for a similar reason.
The geology of Snowdonia is key to the area's character. Glaciation during a succession of ice ages, has carved from a heavily faulted and folded succession of sedimentary and igneous rocks, a distinctive rocky landscape. The last ice age ended only just over 11,500 years ago, leaving a legacy of features attractive to visitors but which have also played a part in the development of geological science and continue to provide a focus for educational visits. Visiting Cwm Idwal in 1841 Charles Darwin realised that the landscape was the product of glaciation. The bedrock dates largely from the Cambrian and Ordovician periods with intrusions of Ordovician and Silurian age associated with the Caledonian Orogeny. There are smaller areas of Silurian age sedimentary rocks in the south and northeast and of Cenozoic era strata on the Cardigan Bay coast though the latter are concealed by more recent deposits. Low grade metamorphism of Cambrian and Ordovician mudstones has resulted in the slates, the extraction of which once formed the mainstay of the area's economy.
The principal ranges of the traditional Snowdonia are the Snowdon massif itself, the Glyderau, the Carneddau, the Moelwynion and the Moel Hebog range. All of Wales' 3000ft mountains are to be found within the first three of these massifs and are most popular with visitors. To their south within the wider national park are the Rhinogydd and the Cadair Idris and Aran Fawddwy ranges. Besides these well-defined areas are a host of mountains which are less readily grouped though various guidebook writers have assigned them into groups such as the 'Arenigs', the 'Tarrens' and the 'Dyfi hills'.
Snowdon's summit at 1085 metres (3560 feet) is the highest in Wales and the highest in Britain south of the Scottish Highlands. At 905 metres (2970 feet) Aran Fawddwy is the highest in Wales outside of northern Snowdonia; Cadair Idris, at 893 metres (2930 feet), is next in line.
Rivers draining the area empty directly into Cardigan Bay are typically short and steep. From north to south they include the Glaslyn and Dwyryd which share a common estuary, the Mawddach and its tributaries the Wnion and the Eden, the smaller Dysynni and on the park's southern margin the Dyfi. A series of rivers drain to the north coast. Largest of these is the Conwy on the park's eastern margin which along with the Ogwen drains into Conwy Bay. Further west the Seiont and Gwyrfai empty into the western end of the Menai Strait. A part of the east of the national park is within the upper Dee (Dyfrydwy) catchment and includes Bala Lake, the largest natural waterbody in Wales. A fuller list of the rivers and tributaries within the area is found at List of rivers of Wales.
There are few natural waterbodies of any size in Wales; Snowdonia is home to most. Besides Bala Lake, a few lakes occupy glacial troughs including Llyn Padarn and Llyn Peris at Llanberis and Tal-y-llyn Lake south of Cadair Idris. Llyn Dinas, Llyn Gwynant, and Llyn Cwellyn to the south and west of Snowdon feature in this category as do Llyn Cowlyd and Llyn Ogwen on the margins of the Carneddau. There are numerous small lakes occupying glacial cirques owing to the former intensity of glacial action in Snowdonia. Known generically as tarns, examples include Llyn Llydaw, Glaslyn and Llyn Du'r Arddu on Snowdon, Llyn Idwal within the Glyderau and Llyn Cau on Cadair Idris.
There are two large wholly man-made bodies of water in the area, Llyn Celyn and Llyn Trawsfynydd whilst numerous of the natural lakes have had their levels artificially raised to different degrees. Marchlyn Mawr reservoir and Ffestiniog Power Station's Llyn Stwlan are two cases where natural tarns have been dammed as part of pumped storage hydro-electric schemes. A fuller list of the lakes within the area is found at List of lakes of Wales. In 2023, the park standardised its Welsh language lake names, to be also used in English.
The national park meets the Irish Sea coast within Cardigan Bay between the Dovey estuary in the south and the Dwyryd estuary. The larger part of that frontage is characterised by dune systems, the largest of which are Morfa Dyffryn and Morfa Harlech. These two locations have two of the largest sand/shingle spits in Wales. The major indentations of the Dovey, the Mawddach and Dwyryd estuaries, have large expanses of intertidal sands and coastal marsh which are especially important for wildlife: see #Natural history. The northern tip of the national park extends to the north coast of Wales at Penmaen-bach Point, west of Conwy, where precipitous cliffs have led to the road and railway negotiating the spot in tunnels.
There are only three towns within the park boundary, though there are several more immediately beyond it. Dolgellau is the most populous followed by Bala on the eastern boundary and then Harlech overlooking Tremadog Bay. More populous than these is the town of Blaenau Ffestiniog, which is within an exclave, that is to say it is surrounded by the national park but excluded from it, whilst the towns of Tywyn and Barmouth on the Cardigan Bay coast are within coastal exclaves. Llanrwst in the east, Machynlleth in the south and Porthmadog and Penrhyndeudraeth in the west are immediately beyond the boundary but still identified with the park; indeed the last of these hosts the headquarters of the Snowdonia National Park Authority. Similarly the local economies of the towns of Conwy, Bethesda, and Llanberis in the north are inseparably linked to the national park as they provide multiple visitor services. The lower terminus of the Snowdon Mountain Railway is at Llanberis. Though adjacent to it, Llanfairfechan and Penmaenmawr are less obviously linked to the park.
There are numerous smaller settlements within the national park: prominent amongst these are the eastern 'gateway' village of Betws-y-Coed, Aberdyfi on the Dovey (Dyfi) estuary and the small village of Beddgelert each of which attract large numbers of visitors. Other sizeable villages are Llanuwchllyn at the southwest end of Bala Lake (Llyn Tegid), Dyffryn Ardudwy, Corris, Trawsfynydd, Llanbedr, Trefriw and Dolwyddelan.
Six primary routes serve Snowdonia, the busiest of which is the A55, a dual carriageway which runs along the north coast and provides strategic road access to the northern part of the national park. The most important north–south route within the park is the A470 running from the A55 south past Betws-y-Coed to Blaenau Ffestiniog to Dolgellau. It exits the park a few miles to the southeast near Mallwyd. From Dolgellau, the A494 runs to Bala whilst the A487 connects with Machynlleth. The A487 loops around the northwest of the park from Bangor via Caernarfon to Porthmadog before turning in land to meet the A470 east of Maentwrog. The A5 was built as a mail coach road by Thomas Telford between London and Holyhead; it enters the park near Pentrefoelas and leaves it near Bethesda. Other A class roads provide more local links; the A493 down the Dovey valley from Machynlleth and up the coast to Tywyn then back up the Mawddach valley to Dolgellau, the A496 from Dolgellau down the north side of the Mawddach to Barmouth then north up the coast via Harlech to Maentwrog. The A4212 connecting Bala with Trawsfynydd is relatively modern having been laid out in the 1960s in connection with the construction of Llyn Celyn. Three further roads thread their often twisting and narrow way through the northern mountains; A4085 links Penrhyndeudraeth with Caernarfon, the A4086 links Capel Curig with Caernarfon via Llanberis and the A498 links Tremadog with the A4086 at Pen-y-Gwryd. Other roads of note include that from Llanuwchllyn up Cwm Cynllwyd to Dinas Mawddwy via the 545 metre (1788') high pass of Bwlch y Groes, the second highest tarmacked public road in Wales and the minor road running northwest and west from Llanuwchllyn towards Bronaber via the 531 metre (1742') high pass of Bwlch Pen-feidiog.
The double track North Wales Coast Line passes along the northern boundary of the park between Conwy and Bangor briefly entering it at Penmaen-bach Point where it is in tunnel. Stations serve the communities of Conwy, Penmaenmawr, Llanfairfechan and Bangor. The single-track Conwy Valley Line runs south from Llandudno Junction, entering the park north of Betws-y-coed which is served by a station then west up the Lledr valley by way of further stations at Pont-y-pant, Dolwyddelan and Roman Bridge. After passing through a tunnel the passenger line now terminates at Blaenau Ffestiniog railway station. Prior to 1961 the route continued as the Bala and Ffestiniog Railway via Trawsfynydd to Bala joining another former route along the Dee valley which ran southwest via Dolgellau to join the still extant coastal Cambrian Line south of Barmouth. The Pwllheli branch of the Cambrian Line splits from the Aberystwyth branch at Dovey Junction and continues via stations at Aberdovey, Tywyn, Tonfanau, Llwyngwril, Fairbourne and Morfa Mawddach to Barmouth where it crosses the Mawddach estuary by the Grade II* listed wooden Barmouth Bridge, a structure which also provides for walkers and cyclists. Further stations serve Llanaber, Tal-y-bont, Dyffryn Ardudwy, Llanbedr, Pensarn and Llandanwg before reaching Harlech. Tygwyn, Talsarnau and Llandecwyn stations are the last before the line exits the park as it crosses the Dwyryd estuary via Pont Briwet and turns westwards bound for Pwllheli via Penrhyndeudraeth, Porthmadog and Criccieth.
Many sections of dismantled railway are now used by walking and cycling routes and are described elsewhere. The Bala Lake Railway is a heritage railway which has been established along a section of the former mainline route between Bala and Llanuwchllyn. Other heritage railways occupy sections of former mineral lines, often narrow gauge and are described in a separate section.
The national park is served by a growing bus network, branded Sherpa'r Wyddfa (formerly Snowdon Sherpa). Together with the TrawsCymru network of buses this provides a car-free option to tourists and locals wishing to travel across the National Park.
The network was relaunched in July 2022 with a new brand, Sherpa'r Wyddfa, to reflect the National Park's new push for the promotion of Welsh place names. As such the publicity and websites for the newly branded service only use these Welsh names, even for English language users.
Snowdonia is one of the wettest parts of the United Kingdom; Crib Goch in Snowdonia is the wettest spot in the United Kingdom, with an average rainfall of 4,473 millimetres (176.1 in) a year over the 30-year period prior to the mid-2000s. (There is a rainfall gauge at 713 metres, 2340' on the slopes below Crib Goch.)
The earliest evidence for human occupation of the area dates from around 4000–3000 BCE with extensive traces of prehistoric field systems evident in the landscape. Within these are traces of irregular enclosures and hut circles. There are burial chambers of Neolithic and Bronze Age such as Bryn Cader Faner and Iron Age hillforts such as Bryn y Castell near Ffestiniog.
The region was finally conquered by the Romans by AD 77–78. Remains of Roman marching camps and practice camps are evident. There was a Roman fort and amphitheatre at Tomen y Mur. Roads are known to have connected with Segontium (Caernarfon) and Deva Victrix (Chester) and include the northern reaches of Sarn Helen.
There are numerous memorial stones of Early Christian affinity dating from the post-Roman period. The post-Roman hillfort of Dinas Emrys also dates to this time. Churches were introduced to the region in the 5th and 6th centuries. Llywelyn the Great and Llywelyn ap Gruffudd had various stone castles constructed to protect their borders and trade routes. Edward I built several castles around the margins including those at Harlech and Conwy for military and administrative reasons. Most are now protected within a World Heritage Site. Some of Snowdonia's many stone walls date back to this period too. In the Middle Ages, the title Prince of Wales and Lord of Snowdonia (Tywysog Cymru ac Arglwydd Eryri) was used by Llywelyn ap Gruffudd; his grandfather Llywelyn Fawr used the title Prince of north Wales and Lord of Snowdonia.
The 18th century saw the start of industrial exploitation of the area's resources, assisted by the appearance in the late part of the century of turnpike trusts making it more accessible. The engineer Thomas Telford left a legacy of road and railway construction in and around Snowdonia. A new harbour at Porthmadog linked to slate quarries at Ffestiniog via a narrow gauge railway. At its peak in the 19th century the slate industry employed around 12,000 men. A further 1000 were employed in stone quarrying at Graiglwyd and Penmaenmawr. Mining for copper, iron and gold was undertaken during the 18th and 19th centuries, leaving a legacy of mine and mill ruins today. Ruins of the gold industry are found at Cefn Coch on the Dolmelynllyn estate.
The Snowdonia Society is a registered charity formed in 1967; it is a voluntary group of people with an interest in the area and its protection.
Amory Lovins led the successful 1970s opposition to stop Rio Tinto digging up the area for a massive mine.
The park's entire coastline is a Special Area of Conservation, which runs from the Llŷn Peninsula down the mid-Wales coast, the latter containing valuable sand dune systems.
The park's natural forests are of the mixed deciduous type, the commonest tree being the Welsh oak. Birch, ash, mountain-ash and hazel are also common. The park also contains some large (planted) coniferous forested areas such as Gwydir Forest near Betws-y-Coed, although some areas, once harvested, are now increasingly being allowed to regrow naturally.
Northern Snowdonia is the only place in Britain where the Snowdon lily (Gagea serotina), an arctic–alpine plant, is found and the only place in the world where the Snowdonia hawkweed Hieracium snowdoniense grows.
One of the major problems facing the park in recent years has been the growth of Rhododendron ponticum. This fast-growing invasive species has a tendency to take over and stifle native species. It can form massive towering growths and has a companion fungus that grows on its roots producing toxins that are poisonous to any local flora and fauna for a seven-year period after the Rhododendron infestations have been eradicated. As a result, there are a number of desolate landscapes.
Mammals in the park include otters, polecats, feral goats, and pine martens. Birds include raven, red-billed chough, peregrine, osprey, merlin and the red kite. The rainbow-coloured Snowdon beetle (Chrysolina cerealis) is only found in northern Snowdonia.
Snowdonia has a particularly high number of protected sites in respect of its diverse ecology; nearly 20% of its total area is protected by UK and European law. Half of that area was set aside by the government under the European Habitats Directive as a Special Area of Conservation. There are a large number of Sites of special scientific interest (or 'SSSIs'), designated both for fauna and flora but also in some cases for geology. Nineteen of these sites are managed as national nature reserves by Natural Resources Wales. The park also contains twelve Special Areas of Conservation (or 'SACs'), three Special Protection Areas (or 'SPAs') and three Ramsar sites. Some are wholly within the park boundaries, others straddle it to various degrees.
There are numerous SSSIs within the park, the most extensive of which are Snowdonia, Migneint-Arenig-Dduallt, Morfa Harlech, Rhinog, Berwyn, Cadair Idris, Llyn Tegid, Aber Mawddach / Mawddach Estuary, Dyfi, Morfa Dyffryn, Moel Hebog, Coedydd Dyffryn Ffestiniog and Coedydd Nanmor.
The following NNRs are either wholly or partly within the park: Allt y Benglog, Y Berwyn (in multiple parts), Cader Idris, Ceunant Llennyrch, Coed Camlyn, Coed Cymerau, Coed Dolgarrog, Coed Ganllwyd, Coed Gorswen, Coed Tremadog, Coedydd Aber, Coedydd Maentwrog (in 2 parts), Coed y Rhygen, Cwm Glas Crafnant, Cwm Idwal, Hafod Garregog, Morfa Harlech, Rhinog and Snowdon.
The twelve SACs are as follows: Snowdonia SAC which covers much of the Carneddau, Glyderau, and the Snowdon massif, Afon Gwyrfai a Llyn Cwellyn, Corsydd Eifionydd / Eifionydd Fens (north of Garndolbenmaen), the Coedydd Derw a Safleoedd Ystlumod Meirion / Meirionydd Oakwoods and Bat Sites - a series of sites between Tremadog, Trawsfynydd, and Ffestiniog and Beddgelert and extending up the Gwynant. It also includes many of the oakwoods of the Mawddach and its tributaries. Afon Eden – Cors Goch Trawsfynydd, Rhinog, Cadair Idris (in 2 parts), Migneint-Arenig-Dduallt, River Dee and Afon Dyfrdwy a Llyn Tegid (Wales), Mwyngloddiau Fforest Gwydir / Gwydyr Forest Mines (north of Betws-y-Coed) and a part of the Berwyn a Mynyddoedd De Clwyd / Berwyn and South Clwyd Mountains SAC. The Pen Llyn a'r Sarnau / Lleyn Peninsula and the Sarnau SAC covers the entire Cardigan Bay coastline of the park and the sea area and extends above the high water mark at Morfa Harlech, Mochras and around the Dovey and Mawddach estuaries.
The three SPAs are Dovey Estuary / Aber Dyfi (of which a part is within the park), Berwyn (of which a part is within the park) and Migneint-Arenig-Dduallt.
The three designated Ramsar sites are the Dyfi Biosphere (Cors Fochno and Dyfi), Cwm Idwal and Llyn Tegid (Bala Lake).
The area's economy was traditionally centred upon farming and from the early 19th century increasingly on mining and quarrying. Tourism has become an increasingly significant part of Snowdonia's economy during the 20th and 21st centuries.
The extensive farming of sheep remains central to Snowdonia's farming economy.
Significant sections of the park were afforested during the 20th century for timber production. Major conifer plantations include Dyfi Forest, Coed y Brenin Forest between Dolgellau and Trawsfynydd, Penllyn Forest south of Bala, Beddgelert Forest and Gwydyr (or Gwydir) Forest near Betws-y-Coed which is managed as a forest park by Natural Resources Wales.
The region was once the most important producer of slate in the world. Some production continues but at a much reduced level from its peak. The park boundaries are drawn such that much of the landscape affected by slate quarrying and mining lies immediately outside of the designated area.
Construction of a nuclear power station beside Llyn Trawsfynydd began in 1959 with the first power produced in 1965. The site was operational until 1991 though it continues as an employer during its decommissioning phase. Pumped storage hydroelectric schemes are in operation at Llanberis and Ffestiniog.
Research indicates that there were 3.67 million visitors to Snowdonia National Park in 2013, with approximately 9.74 million tourist days spent in the park during that year. Total tourist expenditure was £433.6 million in 2013.
Many of the hikers in the area concentrate on Snowdon itself. It is regarded as a fine mountain, but at times gets very crowded; in addition the Snowdon Mountain Railway runs to the summit.
The other high mountains with their boulder-strewn summits as well as Tryfan, one of the few mountains in the UK south of Scotland whose ascent needs hands as well as feet are also very popular. However, there are also some spectacular walks in Snowdonia on the lower mountains, and they tend to be relatively unfrequented. Among hikers' favourites are Y Garn (east of Llanberis) along the ridge to Elidir Fawr; Mynydd Tal-y-Mignedd (west of Snowdon) along the Nantlle Ridge to Mynydd Drws-y-Coed; Moelwyn Mawr (west of Blaenau Ffestiniog); and Pen Llithrig y Wrach north of Capel Curig. Further south are Y Llethr in the Rhinogydd, and Cadair Idris near Dolgellau.
The park has 1,479 miles (2,380 km) of public footpaths, 164 miles (264 km) of public bridleways, and 46 miles (74 km) of other public rights of way. A large part of the park is also covered by right to roam laws.
The Wales Coast Path runs within the park between Machynlleth and Penrhyndeudraeth, save for short sections of coast in the vicinity of Tywyn and Barmouth which are excluded from the park. It touches the park boundary again at Penmaen-bach Point on the north coast. An inland alternative exists between Llanfairfechan and Conwy, wholly within the park. The North Wales Path, which predates the WCP, enters the park north of Bethesda and follows a route broadly parallel to the north coast visiting Aber Falls and the Sychnant Pass before exiting the park on the descent from Conwy Mountain. The Cambrian Way is a long-distance trail between Cardiff and Conwy that stays almost entirely within the national park from Mallwyd northwards. It was officially recognised in 2019, and is now depicted on Ordnance Survey maps.
The use of the English names for the area has been divisive, with an increase in protests against their use since 2020; these led to the national park authority deciding to use Welsh names as far as legally possible in November 2022. An early example of pressure to deprecate Snowdon and Snowdonia was a 2003 campaign by Cymuned, inspired by campaigns to refer to Ayers Rock as Uluru and Mount Everest as Qomolangma.
In 2020 an e-petition calling for the removal of the English names was put forward to the Senedd, but rejected as responsibility lies with the national park authority. In 2021 an e-petition on the same topic attracted more than 5,300 signatures and was presented to the national park authority.
On 28 April 2021 Gwynedd councillor John Pughe Roberts put forward a motion to use the Welsh names exclusively, calling this a "question of respect for the Welsh language". The motion was not considered and delayed, as the national park authority already appointed a "Welsh Place Names Task and Finish Group" to investigate the issue. The park authority however cannot compel other bodies and/or individuals to stop using the English names, with the proposals facing some criticism.
In May 2021, following the dismissal of the motion, YouGov conducted a poll on Snowdon's name. 60% of Welsh adults supported the English name Snowdon, compared to 30% wanting the Welsh name Yr Wyddfa. Separating by language, 59% of Welsh speakers preferred the Welsh name, but 37% of these still wanted Snowdon to be used as well. 69% of non-Welsh speakers firmly supported Snowdon as the Mountain's name. The proposals to rename Snowdon are usually accompanied with proposals to rename Snowdonia.
On 16 November 2022, Members of the Snowdonia National Park Authority committee voted to use the Welsh names Yr Wyddfa and Eryri to refer to the mountain and the national park, rather than the English names, in materials produced by the authority. The national park authority described the decision as "decisive action" and the authority's head of culture heritage stated that Welsh place names were part of the area's "special qualities" and that other public bodies, English-language press and filming companies have used the Welsh-language names. Before the decision the park had already prioritised the Welsh names by using them first and giving the English names in parentheses. The name "Snowdonia" cannot be abandoned entirely, as it is set in law and so must be used in statutory documents. The authority announced a review of the authority's branding in 2023 to adapt to the new approach to Welsh place names.
Gwynedd is a county in the north-west of Wales. It borders Anglesey across the Menai Strait to the north, Conwy, Denbighshire, and Powys to the east, Ceredigion over the Dyfi estuary to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. The city of Bangor is the largest settlement, and the administrative centre is Caernarfon. The preserved county of Gwynedd, which is used for ceremonial purposes, includes the Isle of Anglesey.
Gwynedd is the second largest county in Wales but sparsely populated, with an area of 979 square miles (2,540 km2) and a population of 117,400. After Bangor (18,322), the largest settlements are Caernarfon (9,852), Bethesda (4,735), and Pwllheli (4,076). The county has the highest percentage of Welsh speakers in Wales, at 64.4%, and is considered a heartland of the language.
The geography of Gwynedd is mountainous, with a long coastline to the west. Much of the county is covered by Snowdonia National Park (Eryri), which contains Wales's highest mountain, Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa; 3,560 feet, 1,090 m). To the west, the Llŷn Peninsula is flatter and renowned for its scenic coastline, part of which is protected by the Llŷn AONB. Gwynedd also contains several of Wales's largest lakes and reservoirs, including the largest, Bala Lake (Llyn Tegid).
The area which is now the county has played a prominent part in the history of Wales. It formed part of the core of the Kingdom of Gwynedd and the native Principality of Wales, which under the House of Aberffraw remained independent from the Kingdom of England until Edward I's conquest between 1277 and 1283. Edward built the castles at Caernarfon and Harlech, which form part of the Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd World Heritage Site. During the Industrial Revolution the slate industry rapidly developed; in the late nineteenth century the neighbouring Penrhyn and Dinorwic quarries were the largest in the world, and the Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales is now a World Heritage Site. Gwynedd covers the majority of the historic counties of Caernarfonshire and Merionethshire.
In the past, historians such as J. E. Lloyd assumed that the Celtic source of the word Gwynedd meant 'collection of tribes' – the same root as the Irish fine, meaning 'tribe'. Further, a connection is recognised between the name and the Irish Féni, an early ethnonym for the Irish themselves, related to fían, 'company of hunting and fighting men, company of warriors under a leader'. Perhaps *u̯en-, u̯enə ('strive, hope, wish') is the Indo-European stem. The Irish settled in NW Wales, and in Dyfed, at the end of the Roman era. Venedotia was the Latin form, and in Penmachno there is a memorial stone from c. AD 500 which reads: Cantiori Hic Iacit Venedotis ('Here lies Cantiorix, citizen of Gwynedd'). The name was retained by the Brythons when the kingdom of Gwynedd was formed in the 5th century, and it remained until the invasion of Edward I. This historical name was revived when the new county was formed in 1974.
Gwynedd was an independent kingdom from the end of the Roman period until the 13th century, when it was conquered by England. The modern Gwynedd was one of eight Welsh counties created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. It covered the entirety of the historic counties of Anglesey and Caernarfonshire, and all of Merionethshire apart from Edeirnion Rural District (which went to Clwyd); and also a few parishes of Denbighshire: Llanrwst, Llansanffraid Glan Conwy, Eglwysbach, Llanddoged, Llanrwst and Tir Ifan.
The county was divided into five districts: Aberconwy, Arfon, Dwyfor, Meirionnydd and Anglesey.
The Local Government (Wales) Act 1994 abolished the 1974 county (and the five districts) on 1 April 1996, and its area was divided: the Isle of Anglesey became an independent unitary authority, and Aberconwy (which included the former Denbighshire parishes) passed to the new Conwy County Borough. The remainder of the county was constituted as a principal area, with the name Caernarfonshire and Merionethshire, as it covers most of the areas of those two historic counties. As one of its first actions, the Council renamed itself Gwynedd on 2 April 1996. The present Gwynedd local government area is governed by Gwynedd Council. As a unitary authority, the modern entity no longer has any districts, but Arfon, Dwyfor and Meirionnydd remain as area committees.
The pre-1996 boundaries were retained as a preserved county for a few purposes such as the Lieutenancy. In 2003, the boundary with Clwyd was adjusted to match the modern local government boundary, so that the preserved county now covers the two local government areas of Gwynedd and Anglesey. Conwy county borough is now entirely within Clwyd.
A Gwynedd Constabulary was formed in 1950 by the merger of the Anglesey, Caernarfonshire and Merionethshire forces. A further amalgamation took place in the 1960s when Gwynedd Constabulary was merged with the Flintshire and Denbighshire county forces, retaining the name Gwynedd. In one proposal for local government reform in Wales, Gwynedd had been proposed as a name for a local authority covering all of north Wales, but the scheme as enacted divided this area between Gwynedd and Clwyd. To prevent confusion, the Gwynedd Constabulary was therefore renamed the North Wales Police.
The Snowdonia National Park was formed in 1951. After the 1974 local authority reorganisation, the park fell entirely within the boundaries of Gwynedd, and was run as a department of Gwynedd County Council. After the 1996 local government reorganisation, part of the park fell under Conwy County Borough, and the park's administration separated from the Gwynedd council. Gwynedd Council still appoints nine of the eighteen members of the Snowdonia National Park Authority; Conwy County Borough Council appoints three; and the Welsh Government appoints the remaining six.
There has been considerable inwards migration to Gwynedd, particularly from England. According to the 2021 census, 66.6% of residents had been born in Wales whilst 27.1% were born in England.
The county has a mixed economy. An important part of the economy is based on tourism: many visitors are attracted by the many beaches and the mountains. A significant part of the county lies within the Snowdonia National Park, which extends from the north coast down to the district of Meirionnydd in the south. But tourism provides seasonal employment and thus there is a shortage of jobs in the winter.
Agriculture is less important than in the past, especially in terms of the number of people who earn their living on the land, but it remains an important element of the economy.
The most important of the traditional industries is the slate industry, but these days only a small percentage of workers earn their living in the slate quarries.
Industries which have developed more recently include TV and sound studios: the record company Sain has its HQ in the county.
The education sector is also very important for the local economy, including Bangor University and Further Education colleges, Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor and Coleg Menai, both now part of Grŵp Llandrillo Menai.
The proportion of respondents in the 2011 census who said they could speak Welsh.
Gwynedd has the highest proportion of people in Wales who can speak Welsh. According to the 2021 census, 64.4% of the population aged three and over stated that they could speak Welsh,[7] while 64.4% noted that they could speak Welsh in the 2011 census.
It is estimated that 83% of the county's Welsh-speakers are fluent, the highest percentage of all counties in Wales.[9] The age group with the highest proportion of Welsh speakers in Gwynedd were those between ages 5–15, of whom 92.3% stated that they could speak Welsh in 2011.
The proportion of Welsh speakers in Gwynedd declined between 1991 and 2001,[10] from 72.1% to 68.7%, even though the proportion of Welsh speakers in Wales as a whole increased during that decade to 20.5%.
The Annual Population Survey estimated that as of March 2023, 77.0% of those in Gwynedd aged three years and above could speak Welsh.
Notable people
Leslie Bonnet (1902–1985), RAF officer, writer; originated the Welsh Harlequin duck in Criccieth
Sir Dave Brailsford (born 1964), cycling coach; grew up in Deiniolen, near Caernarfon
Duffy (born 1984), singer, songwriter and actress; born in Bangor, Gwynedd
Edward II of England (1284–1327), born in Caernarfon Castle
Elin Fflur (born 1984), singer-songwriter, TV and radio presenter; went to Bangor University
Bryn Fôn (born 1954), actor and singer-songwriter; born in Llanllyfni, Caernarfonshire.
Wayne Hennessey (born 1987), football goalkeeper with 108 caps for Wales; born in Bangor, Gwynedd
John Jones (c. 1530 – 1598), a Franciscan friar, Roman Catholic priest and martyr; born at Clynnog
Sir Love Jones-Parry, 1st Baronet (1832–1891), landowner and politician, co-founder of the Y Wladfa settlement in Patagonia
T. E. Lawrence (1888–1935), archaeologist, army officer and inspiration for Lawrence of Arabia, born in Tremadog
David Lloyd George (1863–1945), statesman and Prime Minister; lived in Llanystumdwy from infancy
Sasha (born 1969), disc jockey, born in Bangor, Gwynedd
Sir Bryn Terfel (born 1965), bass-baritone opera and concert singer from Pant Glas
Sir Clough Williams-Ellis (1883–1978), architect of Portmeirion
Owain Fôn Williams, (born 1987), footballer with 443 club caps; born and raised in Penygroes, Gwynedd.
Hedd Wyn (1887–1917), poet from the village of Trawsfynydd; killed in WWI
This antique hand-painted document box, circa late 18th to early 19th Century, might have been part of a dowry. It ended up back where it came from, at the Allis Bushnell House. It was originally Chloe Scranton’s (Bushnell) box. We have a picture of her at flic.kr/p/SbCgS5.
Learn more about this wonderful box at www.shorelinetimes.com/articles/2014/02/25/news/doc530d11....
See other museum items at flic.kr/s/aHskgxX9We.
(Photo credit Bob Gundersen www.flickr.com/photos/bobphoto51/albums)
noticed documented present
Mit dem Auto durch den verschneiten Chiemgau fahren auf kurvenreichen Straßen ! Ciemgau Oberbayern Bayern Germany
Europa !
Apple iPhone 5s
Driving through the snow-covered Chiemgau region on winding roads! Chiemgau, Upper Bavaria, Bavaria, Germany
Europe!
Astronauts from five space agencies around the world take part in ESA’s CAVES training course– Cooperative Adventure for Valuing and Exercising human behaviour and performance Skills.
The three-week course prepares astronauts to work safely and effectively in multicultural teams in an environment where safety is critical.
As they explore caves they encounter caverns, underground lakes and strange microscopic life. They test new technology and conduct science – just as if they were living on the International Space Station.
The six astronauts have to rely on their own skills, teamwork and ground control to achieve their mission goals – the course is designed to foster effective communication, decision-making, problem-solving, leadership and team dynamics.
The six cavenauts of this edition of CAVES are ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst, NASA astronauts Joe Acaba and Jeanette Epps, Roscosmos’ cosmonaut Nikolai Chub, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Josh Kutryk and Japan’s space agency Takuya Onishi.
Credits: ESA – A. Romeo
RM Sotheby's
Place Vauban
Parijs - Paris
Frankrijk - France
February 2020
Estimated : € 60.000 - 80.000
Sold for € 50.600
Devotees of the Jaguar E-Type often debate which of the model’s three generations is best. Many favour Series 3 E-Types for drivability, and others enjoy the Series 1 cars for their stunning looks. Combining aspects of both would make for the ultimate driver’s E-Type, exactly like the Series 3 Fixed Head Coupé presented here.
Produced on 6 September 1972, this E-Type was shipped to British Leyland of New York equipped with an automatic gearbox and finished in Willow Green over black. While subsequent history is not known, in the 1990s a previous owner set out to update this car with Series 1 features. Although it cannot be confirmed, it could be that Jaguar carried out the work themselves earlier, due to the high-quality nature of the work itself and the authentic appearance of the special features. Off the record, employees were highly impressed with the car at Jaguar Land Rover Classic Deutschland, where the care was completely inspected and fine-tuned during the summer of 2019. In this regard we invite interested parties to have a closer look into the documents that come with the car.
Series 1–style seats, dashboard, bonnet, and an early centre console were installed, as were headlight covers and quad exhausts. Wider wheels were also fitted, along with uprated brakes and suspension, including Koni shocks. Importantly, the original automatic gearbox was replaced with a four-speed manual transmission with overdrive. The car’s original seats, as well as its original Koni shocks (dated May 1972) and period-correct Kangol harness are included in the sale. Acquired by the current Belgian owner in 2011, this would be an interesting acquisition for the individual looking for an E-Type in immaculate condition that stands out from the crowd.
Description: Thomas Smillie was the Smithsonian's first photographer and curator of photography. He and his studio staff were responsible for collecting and duplicating images brought back by scientists and curators traveling on business in other cities throughout the world, many of which often described the structures of other museums.
Creator/Photographer: Thomas Smillie
Birth Date: 1843
Death Date: 1917
Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1843, Thomas William Smillie immigrated to the United States with his family when he five years old. After studying chemistry and medicine at Georgetown University, he took a job as a photographer at the Smithsonian Institution, where he stayed for nearly fifty years until his death in 1917. Smillie's duties and accomplishments at the Smithsonian were vast: he documented important events and research trips, photographed the museum's installations and specimens, created reproductions for use as printing illustrations, performed chemical experiments for Smithsonian scientific researchers, and later acted as the head and curator of the photography lab. Smillie's documentation of each Smithsonian exhibition and installation resulted in an informal record of all of the institution's art and artifacts. In 1913 Smillie mounted an exhibition on the history of photography to showcase the remarkable advancements that had been made in the field but which he feared had already been forgotten.
Medium: Cyanotype
Culture: American
Date: 1890
Collection: Thomas Smillie Collection (Record Unit 95) - Thomas Smillie served as the first official photographer for the Smithsonian Institution from 1870 until his death in 1917. As head of the photography lab as well as its curator, he was responsible for photographing all of the exhibits, objects, and expeditions, leaving an informal record of early Smithsonian collections.
Repository: Smithsonian Institution Archives
Accession number: RU95_Box79_0010
This Documenting Yes photograph is being made available for publication by news organizations and/or bloggers for online news/editorial purposes only. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way and may not be used for commercial or party political purposes. For print, commercial or other use requests contact info@documentingyes.com
Accreditation must be attached when using this photograph and include:
Photo: Documenting Yes / Simon Baker
This Documenting Yes photograph is being made available for publication by news organizations and/or bloggers for online news/editorial purposes only. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way and may not be used for commercial or party political purposes. For print, commercial or other use requests contact info@documentingyes.com
Accreditation must be attached when using this photograph and include:
Photo: Documenting Yes / Peter McNally
Strafford, Vermont USA • The lifetime of Senator Justin Smith Morrill nearly spanned the 19th century, and many of the qualities that distinguish that American century were represented in the accomplishments of this self-educated native of Strafford, Vermont.
The son of a blacksmith, Morrill at the age of 15 had to leave school to work as a merchant’s clerk. He proved so successful that at the age of 38 he retired to devote his life to study and to the leisurely pursuits of a country gentleman.
The Morrill Homestead is an outstanding example of a Gothic Revival cottage. Designed and built by Justin Morrill before embarking upon his political career, he borrowed and adapted forms and details of the Gothic Revival to suit his own needs and vision.
Morrill was a serious student of landscape gardening as well. His designs are in the best traditions of the romantic landscape movement, formal yet Picturesque.
Senator Justin Smith Morrill's prominence, however, is not based on architecture and landscaping, but on his legislative accomplishments.
Inspired in large part by his own lack of a formal education, Morrill was the chief sponsor of the Land Grant Act, the most important educational legislation in the 19th century. The goal was to create a land grant college in each state to provide a liberal and practical education for farmers, mechanics, artisans and laborers.
The significance of the Land Grant Act was that it expanded higher education to include practical training in science, agriculture, and engineering, along with the classical studies traditionally offered only to clergymen, teachers, physicians and lawyers. – From the website of the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation.
Morrill was responsible for the Morrill Acts (1862, 1890), which provided for land grant colleges. He designed and constructed this Gothic Revival house in 1848-51, and retained ownership while in the Congress as a Representative (1855-67) and Senator (1867-98), and until his death in 1898. – From the NPS Statement of Significance.
☞ On September 22, 1960, the National Park Service designated this site a National Historic Landmark (#66000795) – the first in Vermont.
National Historic Landmarks are nationally significant historic places designated by the Secretary of the Interior because they possess exceptional value or quality in illustrating or interpreting the heritage of the United States. Today, fewer than 2,500 historic places bear this national distinction. – [And one of only 17 in Vermont.] – Working with citizens throughout the nation, the National Historic Landmarks Program draws upon the expertise of National Park Service staff who work to nominate new landmarks and provide assistance to existing landmarks.
National Historic Landmarks are exceptional places. They form a common bond between all Americans. While there are many historic places across the nation, only a small number have meaning to all Americans -- these we call our National Historic Landmarks. – from the National Park Service.
In July, 2010, I started a project to visit and document all seventeen Landmarks in Vermont. Here they are (in order of designation by the National Park Service):
[01] 09/22/60 – JUSTIN S. MORRILL HOMESTEAD, Strafford, Orange County
[02] 01/28/64 – TICONDEROGA (Side-paddle-wheel Lakeboat), Shelburne, Chittenden County
[03] 06/23/65 – CALVIN COOLIDGE HOMESTEAD DISTRICT, Plymouth Notch, Windsor County
[04] 12/21/65 – EMMA WILLARD HOUSE, Middlebury, Addison County
[05] 11/13/66 – ROBBINS AND LAWRENCE ARMORY AND MACHINE SHOP, Windsor, Windsor County
[06] 06/11/67 – GEORGE PERKINS MARSH BOYHOOD HOME, Woodstock, Windsor County
[07] 05/23/68 – ROBERT FROST FARM, Ripton, Addison County
[08] 12/30/70 – VERMONT STATEHOUSE, Montpelier, Washington County
[09] 11/28/72 – MOUNT INDEPENDENCE, Orwell, Addison County
[10] 12/20/89 – STELLAFANE OBSERVATORY, Springfield, Windsor County
[11] 11/04/93 – NAULAKHA (Rudyard Kipling House), Dummerston, Windham County
[12] 06/19/96 – OLD ROUND CHURCH, Richmond, Chittenden County
[13] 06/19/96 – ST. JOHNSBURY ATHENAEUM, St. Johnsbury, Caledonia County
[14] 12/09/97 – ROKEBY, Ferrisburgh, Addison County
[15] 05/16/00 – ROCKINGHAM MEETING HOUSE, Windham County
[16] 05/16/00 – SOCIALIST LABOR PARTY HALL, Barre, Washington County
[17] 01/03/01 – SHELBURNE FARMS, Shelburne, Chittenden County
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☞ More photos of this and other National Historical Landmarks.
☞ Here's a link to an explorable GoogleMap with locations (and photos) of all seventeen sites in Vermont with National Historic Landmark designations.
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☞ On October 15, 1966, this site was added to the National Register of Historic Places (#66000795).
☞ This location is also one of 12 Vermont State Historic Sites, which are owned and administered by the U.S. State of Vermont's Division for Historic Preservation, a part of the Vermont Agency of Commerce & Community Development. Vermont State Historic Sites reflect the cultural heritage of the state, and chronicle the state's history from earliest human settlement, through Native American tribes, French colonial settlement, the period of the Revolutionary War and Vermont Republic, two presidential birthplaces, a shipwreck, and covered bridges. – From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Note: Locations marked with *** are also National Historic Landmarks, so designated by the National Park Service.
[01] CHIMNEY POINT, Addison
[02] HYDE LOG CABIN, Grand Isle
[03] EUREKA SCHOOLHOUSE, Springfield
[04] *** MOUNT INDEPENDENCE, Orwell
[05] Hubbardton Battlefield, Hubbardton
[06] *** SENATOR JUSTIN MORRILL HOMESTEAD, Strafford Village
[07] OLD CONSTITUTION HOUSE, Windsor: The first constitution in America to prohibit slavery, allow men to vote without requiring property ownership, and authorize a public school system was adopted here in Windsor, Vermont in 1777.
[08] *** CALVIN COOLIDGE Homestead, Plymouth Notch
[09] BENNINGTON BATTLE MONUMENT, Bennington
[10] CHESTER A. ARTHUR HOMESTEAD, Fairfield
[11] UNDERWATER HISTORIC PRESERVES: Not all history happens on land. Lake Champlain, one of the nation’s most historic waterways, contains countless shipwrecks dating back to the 1700’s. These wrecks include military, commercial and private vessels—each providing a direct connection to the past. Today the state maintains five underwater historic sites for scuba divers—the Horse Ferry, the Phoenix, the Coal Barge, the General Butler and the Diamond Island Stone Boat. Each preserve is marked by yellow buoys with guidelines providing safe and easy access to the wrecks.
[12] COVERED BRIDGES: More than any other state, Vermont is known for its covered bridges. A total of 106 bridges remain, the roofs and walls continuing to protect the wooden trusses from rot and decay.
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• More info: The GeoHack for 43°51′46.4″N 72°22′33.4″W.
York Theatre Royal invited its community photographers to document the 'Secret Bank Holiday Play' project on 28-30 May 2016. On Friday evening 200 volunteers assembled and were told that the play they would perform was The Beggar's Opera. Over the weekend the cast rehearsed the play and all other preparations were made, then a single performance was staged on Monday evening to a paying audience.
An incredible achievement. My photos were taken on Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon.
www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk/event/secret_bank_holiday_play...
Review: www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/14533680.Review_The_Secret_Bank_...
Giovan Stefano Scotti (Milan, documented from 1485 to 1520) - Lamentation over the Dead Christ (1515-1520) - Accademia Carrara Bergamo
Proviene dalla chiesa di Santa Marta a Monza e fu staccato con la tecnica dello strappo da Giovanni Secco Suardo, restauratore bergamasco, autore del più letto manuale italiano di restauro della seconda metà dell’Ottocento. All’epoca il dipinto era attribuito a Bramantino, mentre ora è riferito a Giovan Stefano Scotto, artista lombardo dal profilo ancora incerto, titolare insieme al fratello Bernardino di una rinomata bottega pittorica, nella quale si formò Gaudenzio Ferrari.
It comes from the church of Santa Marta in Monza and was detached with the technique of tearing by Giovanni Secco Suardo, Bergamasco restorer, author of the most read Italian manual of restoration of the second half of the nineteenth century. At the time the painting was attributed to Bramantino, while now it refers to Giovan Stefano Scotto, a Lombard artist with an uncertain profile, owner together with his brother Bernardino of a renowned pictorial workshop, in which Gaudenzio Ferrari was formed.
This Documenting Yes photograph is being made available for publication by news organizations and/or bloggers for online news/editorial purposes only. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way and may not be used for commercial or party political purposes. For print, commercial or other use requests contact info@documentingyes.com
Accreditation must be attached when using this photograph and include:
Photo: Documenting Yes / Simon Baker
This Documenting Yes photograph is being made available for publication by news organizations and/or bloggers for online news/editorial purposes only. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way and may not be used for commercial or party political purposes. For print, commercial or other use requests contact info@documentingyes.com
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Photo: Documenting Yes / Simon Baker
A pictorial document (Aethergraph) from Bangkok circa 1891 ?
This image depicts a portal installation fashioned in the style of a temple sepulchre.
It houses artifacts & relics of the 'Phreno Fellowship'
It appears to be showing a tele-visual image describing theoretical methods of divination based on the misguided belief that mental faculties may be analysed by the configuration of skulls.
“It’s vital that this work is done; documenting the city and it’s people. There was a guy, I think he used to test cameras for someone, this was pre-digital film era. He used to just go out and shoot a roll or two and he did this over a period of 15 years. Importantly, he took a lot of pictures of where he lived and that’s now part of the historic archive of that Leeds suburb.”
This Documenting Yes photograph is being made available for publication by news organizations and/or bloggers for online news/editorial purposes only. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way and may not be used for commercial or party political purposes. For print, commercial or other use requests contact info@documentingyes.com
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Photo: Documenting Yes / Robyn Glendinning
This Documenting Yes photograph is being made available for publication by news organizations and/or bloggers for online news/editorial purposes only. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way and may not be used for commercial or party political purposes. For print, commercial or other use requests contact info@documentingyes.com
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Photo: Documenting Yes / Simon Baker
Su existencia se documenta en 1.375 cuando Berenguer Vicent, en nombre y representación de Pietro Corsini, Cardenal Rector de Santa María de Castellón, autoriza al Vicario Mayor para que pueda celebrar diariamente Misa y Oficios Divinos.
En la Edad Media el Santuario es centro de peregrinaciones. El templo existente era de una sola nave, con portal de piedra, arcos góticos y cubierta de madera a dos aguas.
En 1.599 se funda la primera Cofradía del Lledó.
En el Siglo XVII, condicionado por las pestes, guerras y revueltas, es habilitada como hospital de apestados.
Superada la crisis, transforma su vieja estampa medieval construyéndose un nuevo templo, iniciado en 1.659 por el arquitecto Joan Ibáñez y terminado en 1.670 por Pere Vilallave.
En 1.986 es declarado Basílica por el Papa Juan Pablo II.
This Documenting Yes photograph is being made available for publication by news organizations and/or bloggers for online news/editorial purposes only. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way and may not be used for commercial or party political purposes. For print, commercial or other use requests contact info@documentingyes.com
Accreditation must be attached when using this photograph and include:
Photo: Documenting Yes / Simon Baker
This Documenting Yes photograph is being made available for publication by news organizations and/or bloggers for online news/editorial purposes only. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way and may not be used for commercial or party political purposes. For print, commercial or other use requests contact info@documentingyes.com
Accreditation must be attached when using this photograph and include:
Photo: Documenting Yes / Peter McNally
I'd promised the husband-accountant that I would get my paperwork in order ahead of him sorting out my tax return for me.
Since I started out freelance at the beginning of the year he's promised me that all I needed to do was keep all my receipts together. I've done that and hopefully pulled together all the other bits of documentation I need, but have a horrible feeling there's something else I've forgotten.
This Documenting Yes photograph is being made available for publication by news organizations and/or bloggers for online news/editorial purposes only. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way and may not be used for commercial or party political purposes. For print, commercial or other use requests contact info@documentingyes.com
Accreditation must be attached when using this photograph and include:
Photo: Documenting Yes / Simon Baker
Black-crowned Night-Heron doing some passive bait fishing in the Canal at Ala Moana Beach Park in Honolulu. This and other birds at the park take advantage of park visitors tossing food into the canal to feed the fish. The birds will often jump down into the water from their canal-side perch to strike the fish as they surface to feed on the handouts. This passive bait fishing behavior has been documented at other locations in Hawaii and makes for some great photographic opportunities.
For someone like me, who has set himself the task to visit and document photographically as many as possible of those wonderful Romanesque churches and monasteries, a trip to Normandy is both cause for despair and for enchanted amazement. Despair, because the Norman architect, at the time of the Romanesque which coincided with the conquest of Britain by Duke William in 1066 and the tremendous influx of power and riches that ensued, that architect is above all focused on efficiency and the projection of power and majesty. For that architect, the absolute must, the beginning and the end of church building, is the wall. Sculpture doesn’t matter. When it exists at all, it is often relegated to simple modillions under the cornice that supports the roof. The bare wall, perfectly aligned and appareled, reigns as the undisputed king of Norman Romanesque. He who likes to smile and wonder at the ingenuity and inventiveness of Mediæval sculptors, is most of the time sorely disappointed by the utter lack of adornment of those great and tall Norman churches, next to which the barest Cistercian sanctuaries look positively alive and overflowing under the comparatively unbridled abundance of rinceaux, human figures and assorted creatures.
No sculpture to speak of, then, is the norm in Normandy. But on the other hand, the masterfulness of the architects and masons turns the job of putting one stone on top of another into a veritable art: it is here, in Normandy, that was first experimented the very innovation that would bring about the end of the Romanesque: the voûte d’ogives, the rib vaulting from which the whole world of Gothic derives. It is in Normandy that it was first imagined and implemented, even as the 11th century hadn’t yet come to a close. We will see where, and how.
Dedicated to the Holy Trinity, the Abbaye aux Dames stands not very far from the Abbaye aux Hommes in the city of Caen. Founded in 1060 by Duchess Mathilda, William’s wife, it was only completed in 1130.
Slightly shorter than the Mens’ Abbey, the Ladies’ church is much more decorated. Do not be fooled by the façade, however: it did take up the exact same concept of façade harmonique, and the sculpted tympanum you see above the main portal is an ugly 19th century “opus” that never existed in the Middle Ages, and sparked controversy even in the 1860s!
You will notice that the engaged pillars on the façade are ever so slightly tapered: the two middle ones are so shaped on both side, while the two on the sides are only tapered on the inside. It is a very clever trick that fools the eye. Let me underline once again that the camera was perfectly level before the photos of the façade were taken...
The abbey church was listed as a Historic Landmark on the very first list of 1840.
(More on the history of Duke William the Conqueror, his wife Mathilda and the two abbeys of Caen can be found in the captions under the photos of the Men’s Abbey, which I uploaded just before those of the Ladies’ Abbey.)
The nuns’ choir and the apse. This is the only place (with the confessions box!) where the Benedictine nuns were in close proximity with a man. It is a fact that is often overlooked but nuns always needed ordained men every single day to celebrate Mass (in addition to hearing confessions, administer last rites, etc.), as only priests could say it, and only men could be ordained...
In men’s monasteries, not all monks were ordained nor needed to be.
In the center of the choir is the very simple tomb of Duchess (and Queen of England) Mathilda of Flanders, which I will show in more detail tomorrow.
This Documenting Yes photograph is being made available for publication by news organizations and/or bloggers for online news/editorial purposes only. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way and may not be used for commercial or party political purposes. For print, commercial or other use requests contact info@documentingyes.com
Accreditation must be attached when using this photograph and include:
Photo: Documenting Yes / Alex Aitchison
中国国家主席胡锦涛先生
全国人大常委会委员长吴邦国先生
国务院总理温家宝先生：
我是中华人民共和国公民，持有中华人民共和护照，户口居住地是上海市。今年4月1日合法出国来日本短暂休养，6月7日回国遭到上海浦东机场的警察的禁止入境，继而连续7次回国都遭非法阻止。更严重的是，2009年11月3日我第八次回国，我已回到上海浦东，在浦东国际机场宾馆住了一宿，第二天上海警察伙同日本全日空航空公司上海支店的职员动用暴力手段，将我强行拖上日本飞机，绑架至日本。因此，我拒绝入境日本，坚守一个中国人的尊严，至今已露宿日本国门外第38天。
我相信，您们已知道这起事件。现在全世界主要媒体都在报道，国内的网络也在传播，一个中国公民不能回国的悲哀故事。以前每次回国之前，我都向中国政府的相关部门告知，2009年9月1日致国家主席胡锦涛的信也转发给中共政治局常委。而且，《中国公民冯正虎第八次回国的公告》已写明：“如果上海浦东的边防警察再次拒绝我入境回国，强行“遣返”我回日本，这是给日本制造麻烦，最后日本政府会依据国际公约及中日法律强迫中国政府负起责任，必须接受本国公民。这个结局的发生是中国威信危机的开始，中国将蒙受最大耻辱，我作为一个中国人是不愿接受这种羞辱的，但我已别无选择。“
为什么我的一再劝告，这些当官的视而不见呢？或许他们除了自己的私利和乌纱帽之外，根本不顾国家的利益与声誉，也不尊重其他公民的权利，终于制造了一个中国公民八次被拒绝回国、露宿日本国门外38天的世界奇闻，让一个合法的中国公民遭受精神上的羞辱与身体上的折磨，让中国蒙受耻辱，给日本的入境审查处添加很大麻烦。现在，我已与美国好莱坞影片“The
Terminal”（中文译名为“幸福终点站”）的维克多一样，已经适应在机场里的生活，等待回国。
我在这里只生活了一个多月，日本官员就没有耐心了。从12月3日起，每天发一个中日文的文件给我，还拍照为证。他们知道，这个文件发给我没有什么用处，或许是让我转交给中国政府。其实，我一回国，就不会妨碍他们工作了。现在很滑稽，日本的政府没有向中国政府或中国驻日大使馆提出抗议，而将日本官方的文件直接发给一个在日本国门外的中国公民，或许这是中日外交的新形式。一个中国公民三十几天露宿日本门外，中国政府漠不关心，中国驻日大使馆官员也不履行看望自己国民的责任，去沟通一个解决的方案。因此，日本政府对私下沟通已失去信心。
现在，我却暂时成了中国方的代表，接受日本政府部门的文件。与其是发给我，还不如说是发给中国政府。我收到一份，就会转呈中国政府。每天同一时间送达的日本政府部门文件，内容一样，仅是日期更改一下。我也按日本的要求，我致中国政府领导人的信件内容一样、日期改一下，并附上新日期的日本政府的部门文件。
今天转呈12月11日的日本官方文件，这是第9份。希望您们这些中国的最高领导人能关注，督促中国政府履行保护国民的责任，尽快结束我们中国人的国耻，让我回国，不要让日本政府为难了。
此致
敬意
中华人民共和国公民
冯正虎
2009年12月11日
请网络上网友与警察多多关照：
我这里不通邮政，只有靠现代化的网络技术传递文件。请帮助我传送文件的网络媒体，天天帮我刊登一下，这是官方文件，内容一样，日期不同，就是新文件。也请国内高层次的网络警察，尽快向中央报送。
附件：12月11日的日本官方文件（总第9份）
平成21年12月11日
冯正虎先生：
自从您于11月4日到达成田机场后，由于没有提出入国申请，而一直停留在入境审查处。入境审查处是来日外国人进行入境审查的场所，所以您不能长期在此停留。
由于您的行动，妨碍了本支局正常的业务工作，本支局工作人员已多次对您进行了提出入境申请，从而离开入境审查处的劝告。
在此，再一次以文件的形式通知您，请您提出入境申请，离开入境审查处。
东京入国管理局成田机场支局
支局长 藤冈 明
T正虎 殿
F殿は11月4日に成田空港に到着したにもかかわらず、上申を行うことなく上瞿冥肆簸蓼昃Aけておりますが、上訾系阶扭筏客夤摔详の申を行う鏊扦辍长长速F殿が居Aけることができません。
F殿の行椁稀⒌敝Ь证I账煨肖摔分Г蚶搐郡工长趣椤⒌敝Ь致Tから再三にわたり、F殿にし、上申を行い、退去することを申し渡しております。今般、改めて文颏猡盲啤⑸详申を行い、上訾橥巳イ工毪瑜ι辘范嗓筏蓼埂
|京入国管理局成田空港支局
支局L 藤∶
docs.google.com/View?id=d8xbpp6_56czgz42hq
中国国家主席胡锦涛先生
全国人大常委会委员长吴邦国先生
国务院总理温家宝先生：
我是中华人民共和国公民，持有中华人民共和护照，户口居住地是上海市。2009年4月1日合法出国来日本短暂休养，6月7日回国遭到上海浦东机场的警察的禁止入境，截止11月3日已连续8次不让回国。上海有关部门没有出示任何书面文件，没有任何法律依据，没有提出任何理由，只说是上级领导命令。2009年11月3日我第8次回国，已回到上海浦东机场，第二天上海警察伙同日本全日空航空公司职员使用暴力，将我强行拖上日本飞机，绑架至日本。因此，我坚守一个中国人的尊严，拒绝入境日本，至今已露宿日本国门外第90天。我抗议上海当局侵犯人权，要求中国政府履行保护本国公民的责任，让我回国回家。
我相信，您们已知道这起事件。现在全世界主要媒体都在报道，互联网在传播，国内民众在口口相传，一个中国公民不能回国的悲哀故事已经众所周知。以前每次回国之前，我都向中国政府的相关部门告知，2009年9月1日致国家主席胡锦涛的信也转寄给中共政治局常委。而且，《中国公民冯正虎第八次回国的公告》已写明：“如果上海浦东的边防警察再次拒绝我入境回国，强行“遣返”我回日本，这是给日本制造麻烦，最后日本政府会依据国际公约及中日法律强迫中国政府负起责任，必须接受本国公民。这个结局的发生是中国威信危机的开始，中国将蒙受最大耻辱，我作为一个中国人是不愿接受这种羞辱的，但我已别无选择。”
为什么我的一再劝告，这些当官的视而不见呢？或许他们除了自己的私利和乌纱帽之外，根本不顾国家的利益与声誉，也不尊重其他公民的权利，终于制造了一个中国公民八次被拒绝回国、露宿日本国门外90天的世界奇闻，让一个合法的中国公民遭受精神上的羞辱与身体上的折磨，让中国蒙受耻辱，也给日本的入境审查处添加很大麻烦。现在，我已与美国好莱坞影片“The Terminal”（中文译名为“幸福终点站”）的主角维克多一样，已经适应在机场里的生活，等待回国。
我在这里只生活了两个多月，日本官员就没有耐心了。从2009年12月3日起，每天向我提交一份中日两国语的日本官方文件，每次提交时都拍照为证。其实，我住在这里不妨碍他们的业务工作，但让他们操心添麻烦是肯定的，长久下去也让日本政府丢脸。他们知道，这个文件发给我没有什么用处，是让我转交给中国政府。
现在很滑稽，日本的政府没有向中国政府或中国驻日大使馆提出抗议，而将日本官方的文件直接发给一个在日本国门外的中国公民，或许这是中日外交的新形式。日本政府现在需要与中国政府谈恋爱，什么都可以忍一忍。但是，日本政府知道中国官员的不诚实，做事都会赖，所以它们已经取证，每天要拍一张照相。哪一天日本政府不搞友爱时，就会向中国政府提交一张证据十足的抗议书，让中国政府哑口无言、抬不起头。
现在，我暂时成了中国方的代表，接受日本政府部门的文件。与其是发给我，还不如说是发给中国政府。我收到一份，就会转呈中国政府。日本官员每天送达的日本政府部门文件，内容一样，仅是日期更改一下。我也按日本的要求，致中国政府领导人的信件内容一样、日期改一下，并附上新日期的日本政府的部门文件。
今天转呈2月1日的日本官方文件，这是第61份。希望您们这些中国的最高领导人能关注，督促中国政府履行保护国民的责任，尽快结束我们中国人的国耻，让我回国，不要让日本政府为难了。
此致
敬意
中华人民共和国公民
冯正虎
2010年2月1日
请网络上网友与警察多多关照：
我这里不通邮政，只有靠现代化的网络技术传递文件。请帮助我传送文件的网络媒体，天天帮我刊登一下，这是官方文件，内容一样，日期不同，就是新文件。也请国内高层次的网络警察，尽快向中央报送。
附件2月1日的日本官方文件（总第61份）
平成22年2月1日
冯正虎先生：
自从您于11月4日到达成田机场后，由于没有提出入国申请，而一直停留在入境审查处。入境审查处是来日外国人进行入境审查的场所，所以您不能长期在此停留。
由于您的行动，妨碍了本支局正常的业务工作，本支局工作人员已多次对您进行了提出入境申请，从而离开入境审查处的劝告。
在此，再一次以文件的形式通知您，请您提出入境申请，离开入境审查处。
东京入国管理局成田机场支局
支局长 藤冈 明
馮正虎 殿
貴殿は11月4日に成田空港に到着したにもかかわらず、上陸申請を行うことなく上陸審査場内に留まり続けておりますが、上陸審査場は到着した外国人が上陸の申請を行う場所であり、ここに貴殿が居続けることができません。
貴殿の行為は、当支局の業務遂行にし支を来たすことから、当支局職員から再三にわたり、貴殿に対し、上陸申請を行い、退去することを申し渡しております。今般、改めて文書をもって、上陸申請を行い、上陸審査場から退去するよう申し渡します。
東京入国管理局成田空港支局
支局長 藤岡 明
This Documenting Yes photograph is being made available for publication by news organizations and/or bloggers for online news/editorial purposes only. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way and may not be used for commercial or party political purposes. For print, commercial or other use requests contact info@documentingyes.com
Accreditation must be attached when using this photograph and include:
Photo: Documenting Yes / Simon Forsythe