It was the four 20mm cannon that provided the most precise punch of the night fighter Mosquito F.B. Mk. VI... and the bomb bay was right behind the cannon. So enjoy.

 

With the Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum (aka FHC, FHCAM) successfully having a first flight of their Mosquito as per Warbirds News w/ some of my photos at goo.gl/8U66BG , time on a "Military Monday" to backfill the Flickr page with photos on the Mosquito restoration project.

 

This photo is from 12 April 2017. The Flickr album tracking the progress of the FHCAM Mossie: flic.kr/s/aHskTgsaWJ . Please visit the album as I don't share to ALL Flickr groups every photo of there...

 

One can see the FHCAM Mosquito fly July 22nd at Skyfair. Details up at goo.gl/rdPaai on the FHCAM website.

 

PHOTO CREDIT: Joe A. Kunzler Photo, AvgeekJoe Productions, growlernoise-AT-gmail-DOT-com

Precise bricks texture

When was the world's first railway laid? No one is quite confident on a precise date but simple rails have been used to guide vehicles for centuries, definitely as far back as the middle ages and possibly even in ancient Greece.

 

What is certain is that in the early 1600s a Nottinghamshire businessman called Huntingdon Beaumont came to Northumberland and laid rails from collieries near Blyth to a shipping point on the coast.

 

His waggonway used horses hauling wooden waggons on wooden wheels on wooden rails, however this was not a financial success. It did though provide the spark of progression from primitive wooden rails over short distances, to a railway network which would change Britain and the world forever.

 

Tyneside Roads

 

From the mid 1600 onwards waggonways and the Tyneside coal industry became linked so closely that they were known throughout the rest of Britain as 'Tyneside Roads'. A network of lines linked collieries on both sides of the Tyne to the river.

 

It is no coincidence that the North East was the area where waggonways took greatest hold, because canal building was impossible due to deep valleys and steep hills. What set the rail systems of Tyneside apart from all others was its use of the flanged wheel - a key element of the modern railway as we know it.

 

A revelation

 

When the Tanfield Railway - or waggonway as it was known at the time - was built in 1725, it was a revelation. Its massive engineering was unlike anything else in its era, or even since the Roman Empire. It was a triumph of engineering over nature, a clear signal that a new industrial age was upon the world, and that railways would play a massive part.

 

First laid down more than a quarter of a century before the first railway officially sanctioned by government, over 75 years before the first steam locomotive and a whole 100 years earlier than the Stockton and Darlington Railway, the Tanfield Railway is the world's oldest railway. We will be the first railway to celebrate our tricentenary in 2025.

chapter 1...

 

this is vanity...vanity vivacious to be precise...vivacious being an understatement...

 

vanity can be best described as a vamp, a scamp but certainly NOT a tramp! intelligent, good looking and with a body that goes bumpity-bump into the night...her past life is none of our business but her future certainly will be...but there is one thing about her past life that you’d like to be aware of...the inheritance!!! but that’s it...we’ll not mention the drinking binges, opium dens, or the tanning booths...tattoos in forbidden places..the gambling...no, none of that...just the inheritance...oh and she’s tried to quit smoking 17 times...don't let her sad puppy dog eyes fool you...or the pouty lips for that matter...they get me all the time...

 

she has a twin sister...somewhere downtown...uptown...some town...

 

we used to date and still do from time to time...and this time...

 

let’s talk about the inheritance...it came from a long lost uncle/aunt/cousin (we’re not sure) someone who died/was killed (still not sure) who had lived and died/killed in a land far, far away (we’re not sure which land)...i’m not sure this part even matters in the slightest, but the inheritance was a lot...

 

it appears that other members of her family weren’t as lucky as vanity...vanity apparently was the favourite, somebody’s favourite, everybody's favourite...maybe it was the bumpity-bump body, maybe it was the intelligence...you’ll have to judge for yourself...

 

flaunting the inheritance in their faces and behind their backs, she spent the money in places that would make a grown woman cry...clothes, jewellery, more jewellery and yet more jewellery...tattoos in forbidden places and the tanning booths...and i almost forgot the gambling...and the smokes...and the drinking...

 

what does a woman want and need but more jewellery? and a fast car...

 

strangely this story is taking a twist...even before we start...

  

follow me to chapter 2

 

"photo courtesy bus shelter carlaw at queen st east"

This new ultimate wake boat combines amazing wakes, precise handling, aggressive looks and a shockingly refined interior. The view from overhead is elegance, while the water-level vantage point is complete intimidation. The SA350, SA450 and SA550 have Indmar power behind their names. These models protect and project with Supra's new Barrage Front End while the Battle Prep Transom prepares you for action. Specific hull design and perfectly matched underwater gear take wake boat handling beyond better. Elevate even further with Supra Ride System (SRS) components like 900 pounds of hard sub-floor Liquid Lead Ballast and the new loaded Roswell Pro Edge Tower. Opt for 1,300-pounds of additional Flex Ballast from the factory and swamp the competition. The epitome of convenience and customization the SA has snap-out carpet with a fiberglass floor. The intricate upholstery design is only matched by the plush feel and durability of the NANO Block Technology (NBT) Vinyl surrounding multiple densities of foam. Hand-covered accents finish the performance look and the luxurious feel. Experience SA350, SA450 and SA550 shock and awe in person at a Supra Boats dealer near you.

 

Overall Length w/o Platform: 22' 6"

 

Overall Length w/ Platform: 24' 6"

 

Overall Length w/ Platform & Trailer: 27' 2"

 

Width (Beam): 100"

 

Overall Width w/ Trailer: 102"

 

Draft: 26"

 

Weight - Boat only: 4,300 lbs

 

Weight - Boat and Trailer: 5,600 lbs

 

Capacity - Passenger: 10

 

Capacity - Weight: 1,400 lbs

 

Capacity - Fuel: 50 gals

 

Capacity - Ballast: 900 lbs (S) 1,300 lbs (O) = 2,200 lbs available from factory.

 

Engine - Electronic Fuel Injection: 345 HP-SA350, 450 HP-SA450, 550HP-SA550

FOR MORE OF MY ART, PLEASE VISIT MY WEB SITE AT WWW. NCRUZ.COM . Link below:

 

www.ncruz.com/

 

OR ON FACEBOOK

   

I have recently created my first Princess Diana repaint and this time I'm very pleased and excited to share my second Princess Diana repaint. Her wedding has got to be one of the most iconic moments in Royal history and it is for that reason that I created this doll - again out of a Franklin Mint Princess Diana doll.

 

Repaint is a new form of pop art, wherein the doll's face is treated like a three dimensional canvas, with the added challenge of painting within a very small area . Since dolls are basically miniature pieces, brush strokes and shading have to be very controlled and precise.

 

-- acrylic paint and ultra fine brushes

 

(Note: I am not in any way affiliated with Franklin Mint company)

Woodrow Wilson Hall, formerly known as the Shadow Lawn mansion, was built in 1929 at a cost of $10.5 million as the private residence of former F.W. Woolworth Co. president Hubert Templeton Parson and his wife Maysie. Philadelphia architect Horace Trumbauer and his assistant Julian Abele, the first African-American professional architect, designed the mansion in the neoclassical French tradition. The construction incorporates limestone quarried in Bedford, Indiana (also used in the Empire State Building), steel, concrete, and 50 varieties of Italian marble.

 

Wilson Hall

The mansion stands upon the precise site of the original Shadow Lawn, which was destroyed by fire in 1927, soon after $1 million had been spent on its refurbishing. That former colonial frame structure contained 52 rooms and was built in 1903 for John A. McCall, former president of the New York Life Insurance Co.

 

It was later purchased by Joseph B. Greenhut, the head of Siegel, Cooper Co., a New York department store. Greenhut loaned the mansion to President Woodrow Wilson during the campaign of 1916 as the presidential summer home. Thereafter it was known as the Summer White House.

 

The current mansion fell under municipal ownership in the Depression, and later served as the site of a private girls' school until the University (then known as Monmouth College) acquired the property in 1956.

 

The mansion underwent extensive restoration in the 1980s, beginning in 1984 as part of Monmouth's 50th anniversary. Funding for the $770,000 project came from the McMurray-Bennett Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the State of New Jersey, and private contributions.

 

In 1978, along with the University's Guggenheim Memorial Library, Wilson Hall was entered in the National Register of Historic Places. In 1985, the U.S. Department of the Interior designated it a National Historic Landmark.

 

The building encompasses some 130 rooms on three main floors, plus rooftop and lower-level rooms. In the main portion, there are 96 rooms, which include what once were 17 master suites and 19 baths. Each of the baths was decorated and furnished in a different period and had gold-plated or silver-plated fixtures.

 

Covering the parquet floors were 60,000 square feet of carpeting and 146 rugs specially designed and loomed in Europe and Asia. It took four years to complete the order. A rug woven in the Canary Islands and measuring 24 feet by 93 feet covered the main floor of the Great Hall, also known as Haslam Slocum Hall.

 

Wilson Hall has been described in newspapers throughout the world, is featured in many books on architecture and art, and has been used as backdrop for innumerable print ads and television commercials. It also served as the setting for the 1982 film version of Annie.

 

Woodrow Wilson Hall is the administrative center of the University, though classes are still held in the building.

Dynamic self-portrait. I'm not really that muscular but when lit correctly it sure can look that way. I love my abs! NOT Photoshopped just precise lighting. Canon 5d mkii 85mm f1.8 Paul C. Buff Einstein monolight stobes

The tree marks the precise spot of the southern 'portal' of the tunnel under Clifton Road which carried the tramway from the Clifton collieries to the gasworks/canal basin. The tree is, bizarrely, dead centre of the track bed. If you look over the wall you can make out the portal from above. Ground level access isn't possible.

Northern Premier League

Workington 1 Frickley 1

Atten 402

  

On two previous occasions i have got within touching distance of visiting Borough Park. To be precise it was 2.5 miles in 2013 and just two months ago only 2 miles. All this after many years of wanting to visit this historic non league ground. Well today i finally made it. I arrived in glorious Cumbrian sunshine only to see it looking fantastic.

The superb welcome given by the Clubs Officials made you feel at home immediately.

 

Borough Park is dripping in history. During the 1957/58 season they played the great Manchester United team known as the Busby Babes at home in the 3rd round of the FA Cup, attracting a record crowd of 21,000. This was just a month before eight of the United players lost their lives in the Munich air disaster, the same room a Frickley changed in today.

There are plenty of reminders of former manager Bill Shankly hanging proudly in the lounge. There is also plenty of fantastic steep terracing and spacious stands. I can only imagine what it would feel like to attend a big occasion night game here under the lights with a full house cheering the Reds on.

 

Frickley played really well, carrying on from their midweek thrashing of FCUM. In fact they they should have won it with three excellent chances in the last ten minutes, best of all the half-volley miss by goal machine Allott. It was just inches wide from sealing all three points for the team from the Yorkshire pit village.

 

Yes it has been a very long wait to visit Borough Park but it has been well worth it. Shame i did not have enough time to visit Workington Town Rugby League Club across the road, as it looks a fantastic ground. Not a problem really, as it gives me an excuse to return ...... as long as they call me "marra".

Workers laying asphalt and measuring the correct line and level using te most precise technique - one-handed string.

From the museum label: Saint Ursula is shown with some of the eleven thousand virgins with whom she is said to have been martyred by the Huns around 383 CE. A leading late Gothic painter in Venice, Niccolò seems to have had contact with northern, perhaps Bohemian, art, and was also deeply influenced by Michelino da Besozzo and Gentile da Fabriano, both of whom were active in the city. The decorative richness of Niccolò's paintings derives from Venice's trade with the Middle East and the importation of Islamic textiles.

Arthur Roessler, 1910

Schwarze Kreide/Black chalk

Albertina

 

Egon Schiele met the writer and collector Arthur Roessler in 1909. These two portrait studies testify to the artist's interest in his subject's precise physiognomy. Like in the portrait of Eduad Kosmack, the subtly worked eyes lend the portrayed subject a penetrading gaze. The tree-quarter pencil portrait drawing shows Schiele's paternal friend and patron as a person self-confidently at peace with himself with his hands places proudly on his hips: a kind of portrait traditionally characterizing a determined man of action.

 

Schiele lernt den Publizisten und Sammler Arthus Roessler im Jahr 1909 kennen. Die zwei Porträtstudien zeigen das Interesse des Künstlers an der präzisen Physiognomie. Wie beim Bildnis Eduard Kosmacks sind bei der Kopfstudie die Augen fein herausgearbeitet und geben dem Porträtierten einen eindringlichen Blick. Die dreiviertelfigurige Bleistiftzeichnung zeigt Schieles väterlichen Freund und Förderer als eine selbstbewusst in sich ruhende Persönlichkeit, die stolz die Arme in die Hüften stemmt. Ein Porträttypus, der in der traditionellen Auffassung einen entschlossenen Tatmenschen charakterisiert.

 

The Albertina

The architectural history of the Palais

(Pictures you can see by clicking on the link at the end of page!)

Image: The oldest photographic view of the newly designed Palais Archduke Albrecht, 1869

"It is my will that ​​the expansion of the inner city of Vienna with regard to a suitable connection of the same with the suburbs as soon as possible is tackled and at this on Regulirung (regulation) and beautifying of my Residence and Imperial Capital is taken into account. To this end I grant the withdrawal of the ramparts and fortifications of the inner city and the trenches around the same".

This decree of Emperor Franz Joseph I, published on 25 December 1857 in the Wiener Zeitung, formed the basis for the largest the surface concerning and architecturally most significant transformation of the Viennese cityscape. Involving several renowned domestic and foreign architects a "master plan" took form, which included the construction of a boulevard instead of the ramparts between the inner city and its radially upstream suburbs. In the 50-years during implementation phase, an impressive architectural ensemble developed, consisting of imperial and private representational buildings, public administration and cultural buildings, churches and barracks, marking the era under the term "ring-street style". Already in the first year tithe decided a senior member of the Austrian imperial family to decorate the facades of his palace according to the new design principles, and thus certified the aristocratic claim that this also "historicism" said style on the part of the imperial house was attributed.

Image: The Old Albertina after 1920

It was the palace of Archduke Albrecht (1817-1895), the Senior of the Habsburg Family Council, who as Field Marshal held the overall command over the Austro-Hungarian army. The building was incorporated into the imperial residence of the Hofburg complex, forming the south-west corner and extending eleven meters above street level on the so-called Augustinerbastei.

The close proximity of the palace to the imperial residence corresponded not only with Emperor Franz Joseph I and Archduke Albert with a close familial relationship between the owner of the palace and the monarch. Even the former inhabitants were always in close relationship to the imperial family, whether by birth or marriage. An exception here again proves the rule: Don Emanuel Teles da Silva Conde Tarouca (1696-1771), for which Maria Theresa in 1744 the palace had built, was just a close friend and advisor of the monarch. Silva Tarouca underpins the rule with a second exception, because he belonged to the administrative services as Generalhofbaudirektor (general court architect) and President of the Austrian-Dutch administration, while all other him subsequent owners were highest ranking military.

In the annals of Austrian history, especially those of military history, they either went into as commander of the Imperial Army, or the Austrian, later kk Army. In chronological order, this applies to Duke Carl Alexander of Lorraine, the brother-of-law of Maria Theresa, as Imperial Marshal, her son-in-law Duke Albert of Saxe-Teschen, also field marshal, whos adopted son, Archduke Charles of Austria, the last imperial field marshal and only Generalissimo of Austria, his son Archduke Albrecht of Austria as Feldmarschalil and army Supreme commander, and most recently his nephew Archduke Friedrich of Austria, who held as field marshal from 1914 to 1916 the command of the Austro-Hungarian troops. Despite their military profession, all five generals conceived themselves as patrons of the arts and promoted large sums of money to build large collections, the construction of magnificent buildings and cultural life. Charles Alexander of Lorraine promoted as governor of the Austrian Netherlands from 1741 to 1780 the Academy of Fine Arts, the Théâtre de Ja Monnaie and the companies Bourgeois Concert and Concert Noble, he founded the Academie royale et imperial des Sciences et des Lettres, opened the Bibliotheque Royal for the population and supported artistic talents with high scholarships. World fame got his porcelain collection, which however had to be sold by Emperor Joseph II to pay off his debts. Duke Albert began in 1776 according to the concept of conte Durazzo to set up an encyclopedic collection of prints, which forms the core of the world-famous "Albertina" today.

Image : Duke Albert and Archduchess Marie Christine show in family cercle the from Italy brought along art, 1776. Frederick Henry Füger.

1816 declared to Fideikommiss and thus in future indivisible, inalienable and inseparable, the collection 1822 passed into the possession of Archduke Carl, who, like his descendants, it broadened. Under him, the collection was introduced together with the sumptuously equipped palace on the Augustinerbastei in the so-called "Carl Ludwig'schen fideicommissum in 1826, by which the building and the in it kept collection fused into an indissoluble unity. At this time had from the Palais Tarouca by structural expansion or acquisition a veritable Residenz palace evolved. Duke Albert of Saxe-Teschen was first in 1800 the third floor of the adjacent Augustinian convent wing adapted to house his collection and he had after 1802 by his Belgian architect Louis de Montoyer at the suburban side built a magnificent extension, called the wing of staterooms, it was equipped in the style of Louis XVI. Only two decades later, Archduke Carl the entire palace newly set up. According to scetches of the architect Joseph Kornhäusel the 1822-1825 retreaded premises presented themselves in the Empire style. The interior of the palace testified from now in an impressive way the high rank and the prominent position of its owner. Under Archduke Albrecht the outer appearance also should meet the requirements. He had the facade of the palace in the style of historicism orchestrated and added to the Palais front against the suburbs an offshore covered access. Inside, he limited himself, apart from the redesign of the Rococo room in the manner of the second Blondel style, to the retention of the paternal stock. Archduke Friedrich's plans for an expansion of the palace were omitted, however, because of the outbreak of the First World War so that his contribution to the state rooms, especially, consists in the layout of the Spanish apartment, which he in 1895 for his sister, the Queen of Spain Maria Christina, had set up as a permanent residence.

Picture: The "audience room" after the restoration: Picture: The "balcony room" around 1990

The era of stately representation with handing down their cultural values ​​found its most obvious visualization inside the palace through the design and features of the staterooms. On one hand, by the use of the finest materials and the purchase of masterfully manufactured pieces of equipment, such as on the other hand by the permanent reuse of older equipment parts. This period lasted until 1919, when Archduke Friedrich was expropriated by the newly founded Republic of Austria. With the republicanization of the collection and the building first of all finished the tradition that the owner's name was synonymous with the building name:

After Palais Tarouca or tarokkisches house it was called Lorraine House, afterwards Duke Albert Palais and Palais Archduke Carl. Due to the new construction of an adjacently located administration building it received in 1865 the prefix "Upper" and was referred to as Upper Palais Archduke Albrecht and Upper Palais Archduke Frederick. For the state a special reference to the Habsburg past was certainly politically no longer opportune, which is why was decided to name the building according to the in it kept collection "Albertina".

Picture: The "Wedgwood Cabinet" after the restoration: Picture: the "Wedgwood Cabinet" in the Palais Archduke Friedrich, 1905

This name derives from the term "La Collection Albertina" which had been used by the gallery Inspector Maurice von Thausing in 1870 in the Gazette des Beaux-Arts for the former graphics collection of Duke Albert. For this reason, it was the first time since the foundation of the palace that the name of the collection had become synonymous with the room shell. Room shell, hence, because the Republic of Austria Archduke Friedrich had allowed to take along all the movable goods from the palace in his Hungarian exile: crystal chandeliers, curtains and carpets as well as sculptures, vases and clocks. Particularly stressed should be the exquisite furniture, which stems of three facilities phases: the Louis XVI furnitures of Duke Albert, which had been manufactured on the basis of fraternal relations between his wife Archduchess Marie Christine and the French Queen Marie Antoinette after 1780 in the French Hofmanufakturen, also the on behalf of Archduke Charles 1822-1825 in the Vienna Porcelain Manufactory by Joseph Danhauser produced Empire furnitures and thirdly additions of the same style of Archduke Friedrich, which this about 1900 at Portois & Ffix as well as at Friedrich Otto Schmidt had commissioned.

The "swept clean" building got due to the strained financial situation after the First World War initially only a makeshift facility. However, since until 1999 no revision of the emergency equipment took place, but differently designed, primarily the utilitarianism committed office furnitures complementarily had been added, the equipment of the former state rooms presented itself at the end of the 20th century as an inhomogeneous administrative mingle-mangle of insignificant parts, where, however, dwelt a certain quaint charm. From the magnificent state rooms had evolved depots, storage rooms, a library, a study hall and several officed.

Image: The Albertina Graphic Arts Collection and the Philipphof after the American bombing of 12 März 1945.

Image: The palace after the demolition of the entrance facade, 1948-52

Worse it hit the outer appearance of the palace, because in times of continued anti-Habsburg sentiment after the Second World War and inspired by an intolerant destruction will, it came by pickaxe to a ministerial erasure of history. In contrast to the graphic collection possessed the richly decorated facades with the conspicuous insignia of the former owner an object-immanent reference to the Habsburg past and thus exhibited the monarchial traditions and values ​​of the era of Francis Joseph significantly. As part of the remedial measures after a bomb damage, in 1948 the aristocratic, by Archduke Albert initiated, historicist facade structuring along with all decorations was cut off, many facade figures demolished and the Hapsburg crest emblems plunged to the ground. Since in addition the old ramp also had been cancelled and the main entrance of the bastion level had been moved down to the second basement storey at street level, ended the presence of the old Archduke's palace after more than 200 years. At the reopening of the "Albertina Graphic Collection" in 1952, the former Hapsburg Palais of splendour presented itself as one of his identity robbed, formally trivial, soulless room shell, whose successful republicanization an oversized and also unproportional eagle above the new main entrance to the Augustinian road symbolized. The emocratic throw of monuments had wiped out the Hapsburg palace from the urban appeareance, whereby in the perception only existed a nondescript, nameless and ahistorical building that henceforth served the lodging and presentation of world-famous graphic collection of the Albertina. The condition was not changed by the decision to the refurbishment because there were only planned collection specific extensions, but no restoration of the palace.

Image: The palace after the Second World War with simplified facades, the rudiment of the Danubiusbrunnens (well) and the new staircase up to the Augustinerbastei

This paradigm shift corresponded to a blatant reversal of the historical circumstances, as the travel guides and travel books for kk Residence and imperial capital of Vienna dedicated itself primarily with the magnificent, aristocratic palace on the Augustinerbastei with the sumptuously fitted out reception rooms and mentioned the collection kept there - if at all - only in passing. Only with the repositioning of the Albertina in 2000 under the direction of Klaus Albrecht Schröder, the palace was within the meaning and in fulfillment of the Fideikommiss of Archduke Charles in 1826 again met with the high regard, from which could result a further inseparable bond between the magnificent mansions and the world-famous collection. In view of the knowing about politically motivated errors and omissions of the past, the facades should get back their noble, historicist designing, the staterooms regain their glamorous, prestigious appearance and culturally unique equippment be repurchased. From this presumption, eventually grew the full commitment to revise the history of redemption and the return of the stately palace in the public consciousness.

Image: The restored suburb facade of the Palais Albertina suburb

The smoothed palace facades were returned to their original condition and present themselves today - with the exception of the not anymore reconstructed Attica figures - again with the historicist decoration and layout elements that Archduke Albrecht had given after the razing of the Augustinerbastei in 1865 in order. The neoclassical interiors, today called after the former inhabitants "Habsburg Staterooms", receiving a meticulous and detailed restoration taking place at the premises of originality and authenticity, got back their venerable and sumptuous appearance. From the world wide scattered historical pieces of equipment have been bought back 70 properties or could be returned through permanent loan to its original location, by which to the visitors is made experiencable again that atmosphere in 1919 the state rooms of the last Habsburg owner Archduke Frederick had owned. The for the first time in 80 years public accessible "Habsburg State Rooms" at the Palais Albertina enable now again as eloquent testimony to our Habsburg past and as a unique cultural heritage fundamental and essential insights into the Austrian cultural history. With the relocation of the main entrance to the level of the Augustinerbastei the recollection to this so valuable Austrian Cultural Heritage formally and functionally came to completion. The vision of the restoration and recovery of the grand palace was a pillar on which the new Albertina should arise again, the other embody the four large newly built exhibition halls, which allow for the first time in the history of the Albertina, to exhibit the collection throughout its encyclopedic breadh under optimal conservation conditions.

Image: The new entrance area of the Albertina

64 meter long shed roof. Hans Hollein.

The palace presents itself now in its appearance in the historicist style of the Ringstrassenära, almost as if nothing had happened in the meantime. But will the wheel of time should not, cannot and must not be turned back, so that the double standards of the "Albertina Palace" said museum - on the one hand Habsburg grandeur palaces and other modern museum for the arts of graphics - should be symbolized by a modern character: The in 2003 by Hans Hollein designed far into the Albertina square cantilevering, elegant floating flying roof. 64 meters long, it symbolizes in the form of a dynamic wedge the accelerated urban spatial connectivity and public access to the palace. It advertises the major changes in the interior as well as the huge underground extensions of the repositioned "Albertina".

 

Christian Benedictine

Art historian with research interests History of Architecture, building industry of the Hapsburgs, Hofburg and Zeremonialwissenschaft (ceremonial sciences). Since 1990 he works in the architecture collection of the Albertina. Since 2000 he supervises as director of the newly founded department "Staterooms" the restoration and furnishing of the state rooms and the restoration of the facades and explores the history of the palace and its inhabitants.

 

www.wien-vienna.at/albertinabaugeschichte.php

 

Angkor Wat or "Capital Temple" is a temple complex in Cambodia and the largest religious monument in the world. It was first a Hindu and later a Buddhist temple. It was built by the Khmer King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century in Yaśodharapura, present-day Angkor, the capital of the Khmer Empire, as his state temple and eventual mausoleum.

 

Breaking from the Shiva tradition of previous kings, Angkor Wat was instead dedicated to Vishnu. As the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious center since its foundation. The temple is at the top of the high classical style of Khmer architecture. It has become a symbol of Cambodia, appearing on its national flag, and it is the country's prime attraction for visitors. Angkor Wat combines two basic plans of Khmer temple architecture: the temple-mountain and the later galleried temple, based on early Dravidian architecture, with key features such as the Jagati. It is designed to represent Mount Meru, home of the devas in Hindu mythology: within a moat and an outer wall 3.6 kilometres long are three rectangular galleries, each raised above the next. At the centre of the temple stands a quincunx of towers. Unlike most Angkorian temples, Angkor Wat is oriented to the west; scholars are divided as to the significance of this. The temple is admired for the grandeur and harmony of the architecture, its extensive bas-reliefs, and for the numerous devatas adorning its walls.

 

The modern name, Angkor Wat, means "Temple City" or "City of Temples" in Khmer; Angkor, meaning "city" or "capital city", is a vernacular form of the word nokor (នគរ), which comes from the Sanskrit word nagara (नगर). Wat is the Khmer word for "temple grounds" (Sanskrit: वाट vāṭa ""enclosure").

 

HISTORY

Angkor Wat lies 5.5 kilometres north of the modern town of Siem Reap, and a short distance south and slightly east of the previous capital, which was centred at Baphuon. It is in an area of Cambodia where there is an important group of ancient structures. It is the southernmost of Angkor's main sites.

 

According to one legend, the construction of Angkor Wat was ordered by Indra to act as a palace for his son Precha Ket Mealea.

 

According to the 13th century Chinese traveler Daguan Zhou, it was believed by some that the temple was constructed in a single night by a divine architect. The initial design and construction of the temple took place in the first half of the 12th century, during the reign of Suryavarman II (ruled 1113-C. 1150). Dedicated to Vishnu, it was built as the king's state temple and capital city. As neither the foundation stela nor any contemporary inscriptions referring to the temple have been found, its original name is unknown, but it may have been known as "Varah Vishnu-lok" after the presiding deity. Work seems to have ended shortly after the king's death, leaving some of the bas-relief decoration unfinished.

 

In 1177, approximately 27 years after the death of Suryavarman II, Angkor was sacked by the Chams, the traditional enemies of the Khmer. Thereafter the empire was restored by a new king, Jayavarman VII, who established a new capital and state temple (Angkor Thom and the Bayon respectively) a few kilometers to the north.

 

In the late 13th century, Angkor Wat gradually moved from Hindu to Theravada Buddhist use, which continues to the present day. Angkor Wat is unusual among the Angkor temples in that although it was somewhat neglected after the 16th century it was never completely abandoned, its preservation being due in part to the fact that its moat also provided some protection from encroachment by the jungle.

One of the first Western visitors to the temple was António da Madalena, a Portuguese monk who visited in 1586 and said that it "is of such extraordinary construction that it is not possible to describe it with a pen, particularly since it is like no other building in the world. It has towers and decoration and all the refinements which the human genius can conceive of."

 

In the mid-19th century, the temple was visited by the French naturalist and explorer, Henri Mouhot, who popularised the site in the West through the publication of travel notes, in which he wrote:

 

"One of these temples - a rival to that of Solomon, and erected by some ancient Michelangelo - might take an honorable place beside our most beautiful buildings. It is grander than anything left to us by Greece or Rome, and presents a sad contrast to the state of barbarism in which the nation is now plunged."

 

Mouhot, like other early Western visitors, found it difficult to believe that the Khmers could have built the temple, and mistakenly dated it to around the same era as Rome. The true history of Angkor Wat was pieced together only from stylistic and epigraphic evidence accumulated during the subsequent clearing and restoration work carried out across the whole Angkor site. There were no ordinary dwellings or houses or other signs of settlement including cooking utensils, weapons, or items of clothing usually found at ancient sites. Instead there is the evidence of the monuments themselves.

 

Angkor Wat required considerable restoration in the 20th century, mainly the removal of accumulated earth and vegetation. Work was interrupted by the civil war and Khmer Rouge control of the country during the 1970s and 1980s, but relatively little damage was done during this period other than the theft and destruction of mostly post-Angkorian statues.The temple is a powerful symbol of Cambodia, and is a source of great national pride that has factored into Cambodia's diplomatic relations with France, the United States and its neighbor Thailand. A depiction of Angkor Wat has been a part of Cambodian national flags since the introduction of the first version circa 1863. From a larger historical and even transcultural perspective, however, the temple of Angkor Wat did not become a symbol of national pride sui generis but had been inscribed into a larger politico-cultural process of French-colonial heritage production in which the original temple site was presented in French colonial and universal exhibitions in Paris and Marseille between 1889 and 1937. Angkor Wat's aesthetics were also on display in the plaster cast museum of Louis Delaporte called musée Indo-chinois which existed in the Parisian Trocadero Palace from C. 1880 to the mid-1920s. The splendid artistic legacy of Angkor Wat and other Khmer monuments in the Angkor region led directly to France adopting Cambodia as a protectorate on 11 August 1863 and invading Siam to take control of the ruins. This quickly led to Cambodia reclaiming lands in the northwestern corner of the country that had been under Siamese (Thai) control since 1351 AD (Manich Jumsai 2001), or by some accounts, 1431 AD. Cambodia gained independence from France on 9 November 1953 and has controlled Angkor Wat since that time.

 

ARCHITECTURE

SITE AND PLAN

Angkor Wat, located at 13°24′45″N 103°52′0″E, is a unique combination of the temple mountain, the standard design for the empire's state temples and the later plan of concentric galleries. The temple is a representation of Mount Meru, the home of the gods: the central quincunx of towers symbolises the five peaks of the mountain, and the walls and moat the surrounding mountain ranges and ocean. Access to the upper areas of the temple was progressively more exclusive, with the laity being admitted only to the lowest level. Unlike most Khmer temples, Angkor Wat is oriented to the west rather than the east. This has led many (including Maurice Glaize and George Coedès) to conclude that Suryavarman intended it to serve as his funerary temple.Further evidence for this view is provided by the bas-reliefs, which proceed in a counter-clockwise direction - prasavya in Hindu terminology - as this is the reverse of the normal order. Rituals take place in reverse order during Brahminic funeral services. The archaeologist Charles Higham also describes a container which may have been a funerary jar which was recovered from the central tower. It has been nominated by some as the greatest expenditure of energy on the disposal of a corpse. Freeman and Jacques, however, note that several other temples of Angkor depart from the typical eastern orientation, and suggest that Angkor Wat's alignment was due to its dedication to Vishnu, who was associated with the west.

 

A further interpretation of Angkor Wat has been proposed by Eleanor Mannikka. Drawing on the temple's alignment and dimensions, and on the content and arrangement of the bas-reliefs, she argues that the structure represents a claimed new era of peace under King Suryavarman II: "as the measurements of solar and lunar time cycles were built into the sacred space of Angkor Wat, this divine mandate to rule was anchored to consecrated chambers and corridors meant to perpetuate the king's power and to honor and placate the deities manifest in the heavens above." Mannikka's suggestions have been received with a mixture of interest and scepticism in academic circles. She distances herself from the speculations of others, such as Graham Hancock, that Angkor Wat is part of a representation of the constellation Draco.

 

STYLE

Angkor Wat is the prime example of the classical style of Khmer architecture - the Angkor Wat style - to which it has given its name. By the 12th century Khmer architects had become skilled and confident in the use of sandstone (rather than brick or laterite) as the main building material. Most of the visible areas are of sandstone blocks, while laterite was used for the outer wall and for hidden structural parts. The binding agent used to join the blocks is yet to be identified, although natural resins or slaked lime has been suggested. The temple has drawn praise above all for the harmony of its design. According to Maurice Glaize, a mid-20th-century conservator of Angkor, the temple "attains a classic perfection by the restrained monumentality of its finely balanced elements and the precise arrangement of its proportions. It is a work of power, unity and style." Architecturally, the elements characteristic of the style include: the ogival, redented towers shaped like lotus buds; half-galleries to broaden passageways; axial galleries connecting enclosures; and the cruciform terraces which appear along the main axis of the temple. Typical decorative elements are devatas (or apsaras), bas-reliefs, and on pediments extensive garlands and narrative scenes. The statuary of Angkor Wat is considered conservative, being more static and less graceful than earlier work. Other elements of the design have been destroyed by looting and the passage of time, including gilded stucco on the towers, gilding on some figures on the bas-reliefs, and wooden ceiling panels and doors.

 

FEATURES

OUTER ENCLOSURE

The outer wall, 1024 by 802 m and 4.5 m high, is surrounded by a 30 m apron of open ground and a moat 190 m wide. Access to the temple is by an earth bank to the east and a sandstone causeway to the west; the latter, the main entrance, is a later addition, possibly replacing a wooden bridge. There are gopuras at each of the cardinal points; the western is by far the largest and has three ruined towers. Glaize notes that this gopura both hides and echoes the form of the temple proper. Under the southern tower is a statue of Vishnu, known as Ta Reach, which may originally have occupied the temple's central shrine.Galleries run between the towers and as far as two further entrances on either side of the gopura often referred to as "elephant gates", as they are large enough to admit those animals. These galleries have square pillars on the outer (west) side and a closed wall on the inner (east) side. The ceiling between the pillars is decorated with lotus rosettes; the west face of the wall with dancing figures; and the east face of the wall with balustered windows, dancing male figures on prancing animals, and devatas, including (south of the entrance) the only one in the temple to be showing her teeth. The outer wall encloses a space of 820,000 square metres, which besides the temple proper was originally occupied by the city and, to the north of the temple, the royal palace. Like all secular buildings of Angkor, these were built of perishable materials rather than of stone, so nothing remains of them except the outlines of some of the streets. Most of the area is now covered by forest. A 350 m causeway connects the western gopura to the temple proper, with naga balustrades and six sets of steps leading down to the city on either side. Each side also features a library with entrances at each cardinal point, in front of the third set of stairs from the entrance, and a pond between the library and the temple itself. The ponds are later additions to the design, as is the cruciform terrace guarded by lions connecting the causeway to the central structure.

 

CENTRAL STRUCTURE

The temple stands on a terrace raised higher than the city. It is made of three rectangular galleries rising to a central tower, each level higher than the last. Mannikka interprets these galleries as being dedicated to the king, Brahma, the moon, and Vishnu.

 

Each gallery has a gopura at each of the points, and the two inner galleries each have towers at their corners, forming a quincunx with the central tower. Because the temple faces west, the features are all set back towards the east, leaving more space to be filled in each enclosure and gallery on the west side; for the same reason the west-facing steps are shallower than those on the other sides.

 

The outer gallery measures 187 by 215 m, with pavilions rather than towers at the corners. The gallery is open to the outside of the temple, with columned half-galleries extending and buttressing the structure. Connecting the outer gallery to the second enclosure on the west side is a cruciform cloister called Preah Poan (the "Hall of a Thousand Gods"). Buddha images were left in the cloister by pilgrims over the centuries, although most have now been removed. This area has many inscriptions relating the good deeds of pilgrims, most written in Khmer but others in Burmese and Japanese. The four small courtyards marked out by the cloister may originally have been filled with water.

 

North and south of the cloister are libraries.

 

Beyond, the second and inner galleries are connected to each other and to two flanking libraries by another cruciform terrace, again a later addition. From the second level upwards, devatas abound on the walls, singly or in groups of up to four. The second-level enclosure is 100 by 115 m, and may originally have been flooded to represent the ocean around Mount Meru.

 

Three sets of steps on each side lead up to the corner towers and gopuras of the inner gallery. The very steep stairways represent the difficulty of ascending to the kingdom of the gods. This inner gallery, called the Bakan, is a 60 m square with axial galleries connecting each gopura with the central shrine, and subsidiary shrines located below the corner towers. The roofings of the galleries are decorated with the motif of the body of a snake ending in the heads of lions or garudas. Carved lintels and pediments decorate the entrances to the galleries and to the shrines. The tower above the central shrine rises 43 m to a height of 65 m above the ground; unlike those of previous temple mountains, the central tower is raised above the surrounding four. The shrine itself, originally occupied by a statue of Vishnu and open on each side, was walled in when the temple was converted to Theravada Buddhism, the new walls featuring standing Buddhas. In 1934, the conservator George Trouvé excavated the pit beneath the central shrine: filled with sand and water it had already been robbed of its treasure, but he did find a sacred foundation deposit of gold leaf two metres above ground level.

 

DECORATION

Integrated with the architecture of the building, and one of the causes for its fame is Angkor Wat's extensive decoration, which predominantly takes the form of bas-relief friezes. The inner walls of the outer gallery bear a series of large-scale scenes mainly depicting episodes from the Hindu epics the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Higham has called these, "the greatest known linear arrangement of stone carving".

 

From the north-west corner anti-clockwise, the western gallery shows the Battle of Lanka (from the Ramayana, in which Rama defeats Ravana) and the Battle of Kurukshetra (from the Mahabharata, showing the mutual annihilation of the Kaurava and Pandava clans). On the southern gallery follow the only historical scene, a procession of Suryavarman II, then the 32 hells and 37 heavens of Hindu mythology.

 

On the eastern gallery is one of the most celebrated scenes, the Churning of the Sea of Milk, showing 92 asuras and 88 devas using the serpent Vasuki to churn the sea under Vishnu's direction (Mannikka counts only 91 asuras, and explains the asymmetrical numbers as representing the number of days from the winter solstice to the spring equinox, and from the equinox to the summer solstice). It is followed by Vishnu defeating asuras (a 16th-century addition). The northern gallery shows Krishna's victory over Bana (where according to Glaize, "The workmanship is at its worst"). and a battle between the Hindu gods and asuras. The north-west and south-west corner pavilions both feature much smaller-scale scenes, some unidentified but most from the Ramayana or the life of Krishna. Angkor Wat is decorated with depictions of apsaras and devata; there are more than 1,796 depictions of devata in the present research inventory. Angkor Wat architects employed small apsara images (30–40 cm) as decorative motifs on pillars and walls. They incorporated larger devata images (all full-body portraits measuring approximately 95–110 cm) more prominently at every level of the temple from the entry pavilion to the tops of the high towers. In 1927, Sappho Marchal published a study cataloging the remarkable diversity of their hair, headdresses, garments, stance, jewelry and decorative flowers, which Marchal concluded were based on actual practices of the Angkor period.

 

CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES

The stones, as smooth as polished marble, were laid without mortar with very tight joints that are sometimes hard to find. The blocks were held together by mortise and tenon joints in some cases, while in others they used dovetails and gravity. The blocks were presumably put in place by a combination of elephants, coir ropes, pulleys and bamboo scaffolding. Henri Mouhot noted that most of the blocks had holes 2.5 cm in diameter and 3 cm deep, with more holes on the larger blocks. Some scholars have suggested that these were used to join them together with iron rods, but others claim they were used to hold temporary pegs to help manoeuvre them into place. The monument was made out of millions of tonnes of sandstone and it has a greater volume as well as mass than the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. The Angkor Wat Temple consumes about 6 million to 10 million blocks of sandstone with an average weight of 1.5 tons each. In fact, the entire city of Angkor used up far greater amounts of stone than all the Egyptian pyramids combined, and occupied an area significantly greater than modern-day Paris. Moreover, unlike the Egyptian pyramids which use limestone quarried barely half a km away all the time, the entire city of Angkor was built with sandstone quarried 40 km (or more) away. This sandstone had to be transported from Mount Kulen, a quarry approximately 40 km to the northeast. The route has been suggested to span 35 kilometres along a canal towards Tonlé Sap lake, another 35 kilometres crossing the lake, and finally 15 kilometres upstream and against the current along Siem Reap River, making a total journey of 90 kilometres. However, Etsuo Uchida and Ichita Shimoda of Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan have discovered in 2012 a shorter 35-kilometre canal connecting Mount Kulen and Angkor Wat using satellite imagery. The two believe that the Khmer used this route instead.

 

Virtually all of its surfaces, columns, lintels even roofs are carved. There are miles of reliefs illustrating scenes from Indian literature including unicorns, griffins, winged dragons pulling chariots as well as warriors following an elephant-mounted leader and celestial dancing girls with elaborate hair styles. The gallery wall alone is decorated with almost 1000 square metres of bas reliefs. Holes on some of the Angkor walls indicate that they may have been decorated with bronze sheets. These were highly prized in ancient times and were a prime target for robbers. While excavating Khajuraho, Alex Evans, a stonemason and sculptor, recreated a stone sculpture under 1.2 m, this took about 60 days to carve. Roger Hopkins and Mark Lehner also conducted experiments to quarry limestone which took 12 quarrymen 22 days to quarry about 400 tons of stone. The labor force to quarry, transport, carve and install so much sandstone must have run into the thousands including many highly skilled artisans. The skills required to carve these sculptures were developed hundreds of years earlier, as demonstrated by some artifacts that have been dated to the seventh century, before the Khmer came to power.

 

ANGKOR WAT TODAY

The Archaeological Survey of India carried out restoration work on the temple between 1986 and 1992. Since the 1990s, Angkor Wat has seen continued conservation efforts and a massive increase in tourism. The temple is part of the Angkor World Heritage Site, established in 1992, which has provided some funding and has encouraged the Cambodian government to protect the site. The German Apsara Conservation Project (GACP) is working to protect the devatas and other bas-reliefs which decorate the temple from damage. The organisation's survey found that around 20% of the devatas were in very poor condition, mainly because of natural erosion and deterioration of the stone but in part also due to earlier restoration efforts. Other work involves the repair of collapsed sections of the structure, and prevention of further collapse: the west facade of the upper level, for example, has been buttressed by scaffolding since 2002, while a Japanese team completed restoration of the north library of the outer enclosure in 2005. World Monuments Fund began conservation work on the Churning of the Sea of Milk Gallery in 2008 after several years of conditions studies. The project restored the traditional Khmer roofing system and removed cement used in earlier restoration attempts that had resulted in salts entering the structure behind the bas-relief, discoloring and damaging the sculpted surfaces. The main phase of work ended in 2012, and the final component will be the installation of finials on the roof of the gallery in 2013. Microbial biofilms have been found degrading sandstone at Angkor Wat, Preah Khan, and the Bayon and West Prasat in Angkor. The dehydration and radiation resistant filamentous cyanobacteria can produce organic acids that degrade the stone. A dark filamentous fungus was found in internal and external Preah Khan samples, while the alga Trentepohlia was found only in samples taken from external, pink-stained stone at Preah Khan. Angkor Wat has become a major tourist destination. In 2004 and 2005, government figures suggest that, respectively, 561.000 and 677.000 foreign visitors arrived in Siem Reap province, approximately 50% of all foreign tourists in Cambodia for both years. The site has been managed by the private SOKIMEX group since 1990, which rented it from the Cambodian government. The influx of tourists has so far caused relatively little damage, other than some graffiti; ropes and wooden steps have been introduced to protect the bas-reliefs and floors, respectively. Tourism has also provided some additional funds for maintenance - as of 2000 approximately 28% of ticket revenues across the whole Angkor site was spent on the temples - although most work is carried out by foreign government-sponsored teams rather than by the Cambodian authorities. Since Angkor Wat has seen significant growth in tourism throughout the years UNESCO and its International Co-ordinating Committee for the Safeguarding and Development of the Historic Site of Angkor (ICC), in association with representatives from the Royal Government and APSARA, organized seminars to discuss the concept of "cultural tourism". Wanting to avoid commercial and mass tourism, the seminars emphasized the importance of providing high quality accommodation and services in order for the Cambodian government to benefit economically, while also incorporating the richness of Cambodian culture. In 2001, this incentive resulted in the concept of the "Angkor Tourist City" which would be developed with regard to traditional Khmer architecture, contain leisure and tourist facilities, and provide luxurious hotels capable of accommodating large amounts of tourists. The prospect of developing such large tourist accommodations has encountered concerns from both APSARA and the ICC, claiming that previous tourism developments in the area have neglected construction regulations and more of these projects have the potential to damage landscape features. Also, the large scale of these projects have begun to threaten the quality of the nearby town's water, sewage, and electricity systems. It has been noted that such high frequency of tourism and growing demand for quality accommodations in the area, such as the development of a large highway, has had a direct effect on the underground water table, subsequently straining the structural stability of the temples at Angkor Wat. Locals of Siem Reap have also voiced concern over the charming nature and atmosphere of their town being compromised in order to entertain tourism. Since this charming local atmosphere is the key component to projects like Angkor Tourist City, local officials continue to discuss how to successfully incorporate future tourism without sacrificing local values and culture. At the ASEAN Tourism Forum 2012, both parties have agreed Borobudur and Angkor Wat to become sister sites and the provinces will become sister provinces. Two Indonesian airlines are considering the opportunity to open a direct flight from Yogyakarta, Indonesia to Siem Reap.

 

WIKIPEDIA

Exercise PRECISE RESPONSE, is an annual chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) exercise hosted by Defence Research and Development Canada at Canadian Forces Base Suffield where the Canadian Armed Forces along with NATO allies and partner Nations can practice essential CBRN defence skills in a multinational training environment.

An image used in a lecture given by Professor JR James at the Department of Town and Regional Planning at The University of Sheffield between 1967 and 1978.

The target area is only two meters wide. It's a small thermal exhaust port, right above the ticket windows. The shaft leads directly to the reactor system. A precise hit will start a chain reaction which should destroy the station. Only a precise hit will set off a chain reaction.

 

Michigan Central Station

Exercise PRECISE RESPONSE, is an annual chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) exercise hosted by Defence Research and Development Canada at Canadian Forces Base Suffield where the Canadian Armed Forces along with NATO allies and partner Nations can practice essential CBRN defence skills in a multinational training environment.

French Friday

 

Sorry, I could not resist the pun. You may throw any virtual vegetables you have at my computer.

 

Anyway, we are back in Europe in March 1980, in Nice, France to be precise. I'd arrived here on an overnight train from Rome, and was going to continue on to Paris on Le Mistral, but in the meantime, I had a bit of a layover and I hung out on the platform under the arched trainshed and watched trains. Duh, what else do you do for a couple of hours on the French Riviera...in March...when it is a bit too cool for the beach.

 

Le Mistral was France's train of trains at the time. A TEE made of Budd licensed stainless steel cars. It was a day train, so we can't really compare it to the Super Chief or 20th Century Limited, and as it was all first class, perhaps a comparison to the Daylight, Hiawatha or Senator is also not quite right, but it was as good of a train as you were going to find in regular service in 1980.

 

I was next in France in November 1981 and Le Mistral was gone. The first high speed LGV route had been opened between Paris and Lyon in the meantime and Le Mistral and other through Nice-Marseilles-Paris trains had been replaced with TGVs...several hours faster, but probably not quite the same.

 

The photos show a freight coming through the trainshed at Nice and then the stainless steel cars of Le Mistral at Marseilles.

An extremely precise and crisply detailed front panel is at odds with the rest of the cab which remains notably crude and lacking in much body work detailing. Made by Tian Hong and is a copy of one made by Summer though this company has been pretty inventive in its choices of body work. Part of a five vehicle set sourced recently from China. Mint and boxed.

Cleveland has something really neat: a lake. Lake Erie to be precise, "the fourth-largest lake (by surface area) of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the eleventh-largest globally if measured in terms of surface area" (Wikipedia). It's gorgeous, and its shoreline hosts a beautiful park, Edgewater park. The park includes a pier, used by wandering souls, tourists, and people who like to fish.

 

This pier has been battered by the world around it, by weather, has been repaired, remodeled many times, and in turn features great textures.

 

I took my trusty camera, and captured sixteen of these great textures. I gently edited them, color-corrected them, and here we are. The set includes the original textures, negative versions, transparent versions, Bitmap TIFF versions, and vector versions.

 

These can be used for backgrounds, distressing, to give depth. Use the negative versions as aging artifacts on photos, by changing their blending mode to screen, and lowering the opacity to 25-50%. Have fun!

 

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- Sixteen (16) raster textures, sized at 3264x2448 pixels

- Includes high contrast versions for softer effects

- Includes negative versions (screen textures)

- Includes Bitmap TIFF versions (ideal for vector work, without bogging down your machine)

- Includes transparent versions

- Includes vector versions (bonus vintage color palettes, sampled from 1960s-1970s packaging)

- Archive size: 3.42 GB

 

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You should add your name to the Shop's mailing list at https://mailchi.mp/de8bed089b59/theshop. On the menu: new release sneak peeks, deals information, and other general updates from the factory floor. No spam, guaranteed.

ESA’s 'Ice mission', CryoSat, is dedicated to precise monitoring of the changes in the thickness of marine ice floating in the polar oceans and variations in the thickness of the vast ice sheets that cover Greenland and Antarctica.

 

CryoSat’s primary payload is the Synthetic Aperture Interferometric Radar Altimeter (SIRAL).

 

CryoSat has been developed to address a particular issue identified by the scientific community – in this case, to understand exactly how Earth’s ice fields are changing.

 

For more information:

www.esa.int/esaLP/LPcryosat.html

 

Credit: ESA/P. Carril

 

High-res at: www.esa.int/esa-mmg/mmg.pl?b=b&keyword=cryosat&si...

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Tank Infantry Mark III, Valentine IX (E2000.577)

The precise identity of this tank is not clear, all identification marks having been removed many years ago. It stood outside the Army Base at Long Kesh in Northern Ireland for many years, subsequently moving to the Maze Prison and Lisanelly Camp, Omagh.

It was subsequently acquired by Vickers Defence Systems and restored to running order in Newcastle using the engine from our Valentine Archer (E1969.43). In due course it was offered to the Tank Museum on loan and ultimately, in March 2002 was gifted to the Museum.

The Valentine Mark IX was upgunned to fit a 57mm (six-pounder) gun into the turret although this did not leave enough room for a co-axial machine gun and in any case, with just a two-man turret crew the tank was very difficult to fight.

Our tank carried the number T123358 on the turret which is correct for the type but not necessarily for this actual vehicle. Mark IX Valentines saw service in North Africa and some may have been suppplied to Russia but by 1943 the Valentine had been replaced in front line service by more modern vehicles and was either being relegated to secondary roles or supplied to other countries such as Portugal.

The Valentine development started without a specification from the War Office (hence the absence of an army designation), as a private design by Sir John Carden, and was submitted on February, 10, 1938, to the authorities. By then, the Matilda II had been chosen for production, but the Valentine was something different.

Vickers engineers basically tried to enhance their A10 Cruiser tank design, with a dramatic increase in protection (up to 60 mm/2.36 in). This choice allowed the use most components and parts of the already produced Cruiser I and II, therefore creating an efficient and cheap solution to the need of new infantry tank models. By then, the Matilda II was found to be far costlier than the Matilda I, and not suitable for mass-production. Comparatively, the Valentine seemed a good compromise. The name itself still is a mystery. It could have originated either from Sir John Carden’s middle name, or the date of its first submission (St. Valentine day), or a composed Vickers factory codename, though most historians agree that Valentine was just a simple codename during development.

The Mark I set the tone for the entire series of eleven main variants, with many sub-variants, and a staggering total of 8300 units. The main armament and turret design, as well as the engine and protection, were continuously improved while keeping roughly the same general appearance until 1945. The Mk.I was recognizable by its original two-man turret and 2-pdr (40 mm/1.575 in) gun. From the start, a coaxial Besa machine-gun constitued the secondary armament. The crew consisted of only three men due to the cramped interior, and the commander was also busy as gun loader, machine-gunner and radio operator. The production was rushed to such point that many problems were later detected and fixed with the next Mk.II. The main engine was the AEG A189 petrol delivering only 135 hp, and the hull was riveted. 350 were delivered in all, most seeing action in Libya, while others stayed at home for training.

 

Tankfest by World of Tanks - 24.-25.6.2016

The Tank Museum - Bovington, UK

Worlds biggest and best live display of historic armour, living history, and much more at the Home of the Tank - The Tank Museum, Bovington, United Kingdom.

 

More from Tankfest:

www.flickr.com/photos/jukkaokauppinen2/albums/72157670621...

More from me:

www.flickr.com/photos/jukkaokauppinen

Tankfest videos:

www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIGRHBJyGQb3PpXwFlOKve2OUJ...

My Imgur galleries:

grendelb.imgur.com/

   

The Annual British Truck Racing Championship Made its way Back to The Brands Hatch Circuit for its Season Finale Marking the End of Motorsport for the Season.

 

With a Massive Firework Display on the Sunday and Plenty of on and Off Track Action The Weekend was Shaping up to be One to Remember.

 

Many Drivers and Support Races were also Present from the small Yet Nimble Legends Cars to the Much Bigger and more Powerful 1000 Break Horse Power Racing Trucks that will be doing Battle on the circuit Saturday was Looking like a Really Good Start to a Weekend of Speed Madness and Awesome Racing.

 

Speaking of which Lets take a Look and See what Qualifying will Hold for Each Support and Main Race and Find out who Will be Taking Pole for The First Races of The Weekend.

 

Legends Cars Championship (Qualifying)

 

First Up is the Famous and Fan Favourite Legends Cars Championship, Thease Little Tiny Machines Run Yamaha Motorbike Engines within them that run up to 1200/1250cc Depending on the Spec of Engine. They also are 120 Break Horse Power and with how Light Weight they are (1,325lbs Including The Driver) Thease Cars are Very Quick and Very Nimble.

 

Lets Find Out who came where in Qualifying and Who Will be Starting on the Front Row.

 

In First Place Taking Pole and The Fastest Lap was (Chris Needham) in his Legend Coupe 1250 with a Best Lap Time of 55.691 and a Top Speed of 78.08mph. Amazing Work there Chris Well Deserved and Super Job for Pole Position.

 

In Second Place was (Will Gibson) in his Legend 34 Ford Coupe 1250 with a Best Lap Time of 55.721 and a Top Speed of 78.04mph. Superb Job there Will Fighting Hard and Very Nearly Taking Pole from Chris.

 

In Third Place was (John Mickel) in his Legend 34 Ford Coupe 1250 with a Best Lap Time of 55.740 and a Top Speed of 78.01mph. Amazing Work John Pushing that Legend Hard and Securing P3 on the Gird for the Race Super Job.

 

Three Very Fast and Capable Drivers in Chris Will and John All Fighting it out with their Fellow Competitors for The Victory Come the First Race but who will be Brave enough to Take on the Top 3 Fastest Drivers out there? We will Have to Wait and See.

 

Junior Saloon Car Championship (Qualifying Part 1)

 

Next Up we Have The Junior Saloon Car Championship a Racing Series Designed for Much Younger Drivers (Between 14 and 17 Years of Age) who want to try their Hand in Motorsport from a Young Age.

 

Thease Drivers are Mostly Fearless and always Provide some Very Intense and Incredible Racing Due to their Competitive Nature and Determination to Win and Succeed.

 

The Cars Used for This Series are Citroen Saxo VTR'S that are 1600cc In Terms of Power Meaning that Every Driver is on a Level Playing Field when the Racing Starts making for some Close Wheel to Wheel Action and Really showing who the Most Skilled and Quickest Drivers out there are.

 

Speaking of Which Lets Get straight to Qualifying and see who was the Most Fearless and Managed to Clock an Incredible Lap During Qualifying.

 

In First Place Taking Pole Position and The Fastest Lap was (Charlie Hand) in his Citroen Saxo VTR 1600 with a Best Lap Time of 58.554 and a Top Speed of 74.26mph. In credible Driving there Charlie Very Precise and Controlled Thought the Entire Lap to Secure P1 on the Gird Amazing Job.

 

In Second Place was (Jamie Petters) in his Citroen Saxo VTR 1600 with a Best Lap Time of 58.661 and a Top Speed of 74.13mph. Great Work there Jamie Pushing Hard and Securing that P2 Spot on the Front Row of the Gird Superb Job.

 

In Third Place was (Harvey Caton) in his Citroen Saxo VTR 1600 with a Best Lap Time of 58.685 and a Top Speed of 74.10mph. Incredible Drive there Harvey Pushing The Car and Fighting All the While to Defend that P3 on the Gird.

 

What an Incredibly Talented array of Drivers in Charlie Jamie and Harvey All Battling it out with their Fellow Competitors to try and Win the Championship and get those All Important Points they Need which could make up the Difference. Qualifying Second Fastest is up Next so lets take a look and see Who will come out on Top.

 

Junior Saloon Car Championship (Qualifying Second Fastest)

 

Following the Results from The First Qualifying Session the Second Qualifying Session Will see all the Drivers Go out again to Better their Lap Times and Maybe even Allow some New Competitors to Move up the Order into the Podium Places.

 

Lets Take a Look and See if Charlie Hand has managed to Hold onto His P1 Position on the Grid.

 

In First Place Taking Pole Position and The Fastest Lap was (Charlie Hand) in his Citroen Saxo VTR 1600 with a Best Lap Time of 58.639 and a Top Speed of 74.15mph. Another Incredible Lap from Charlie Hand Putting Himself Once Again on Pole for The First Race for The Junior Saloon Car Championship. Congratulations Charlie.

 

In Second Place was (Will Redford) in his Citroen Saxo VTR 1600 with a Best Lap Time of 58.851 and a Top Speed of 73.89mph. Great Drive there from Will Securing P2 and Adding a New Driver to the Top of the Standings. Great Work.

 

In Third Place was (Jamie Petters) in his Citroen Saxo VTR 1600 with a Best Lap Time of 58.861 and a Top Speed of 73.87mph. Fantastic Work there Jamie Really Pushing the Car Hard and Taking that Third Position Away from Harvey on the Gird. Nice Job.

 

Another Really Intense Qualifying Session which has seen the Likes of Charlie Will and Jamie all Emerge Victoriously on the Front Row but out of All Three of Thease Very Talented Drivers only one of them Can take The Race Win but who is it going to be?

 

CTCRC Racing For Marshals (Qualifying)

 

Next Up was The CTCRC Racing For Marshals Race a Very Special Support Race added to the Weekend at the Last Moments to Congratulate and Commemorate the Important Safety and Work each and Every Marshal of the Circuit does where ever they go and What Ever the Circuit.

 

The Orange Army as they are Known as take out their Time on Weekends to Volunteer at Race Meets Marshalling the Races to ensure Driver Safety is a Top Priority in the Sport and that Rules are being Adhered to.

 

From Volunteers who Clean the Track after Each Race to Flag Wavers to Incident Respondents and even Vehicle Recovery The Orange Army is always on Standby For When Anything goes Wrong. They Have a Passion for Motorsport that Cannot be Matched and a Community that is still Going Strong to this Day all over the Country.

 

The Race itself Features a Wide Variety of Cars from Honda Civic EG2000 to Ford Escort MK1 Mexico's to even Aston Martin V8 Vantages. Each and Every Car has its Strengths and Weaknesses when it comes to Power and Control.

 

Lets take a Look at Qualifying and see who Managed to Taim their Beast and take that All Important P1 Spot on the Gird for Race 1.

 

In First Place taking Pole Position and the Fastest Lap was (Samuel Wilson) in his Aston Martin V8 Vantage with a Best Lap Time of 52.087 and a Top Speed of 83.48mph. Phenomenal Drive there Samuel Really Working Hard to Keep the Car on the Track and Utilise all that Important Horse Power.

 

In Second Place was (Gary Prebble) in his Honda Civic EG2000 with a Best Lap Time of 52.672 and a Top Speed of 82.56mph. Great Work there Gary Pushing Hard and Ensuring that P2 is Secure on the Gird. Great Driving.

 

In Third Place was (Mike Saunders) in his Ford MK1 Escort Mexico with a Best Lap Time of 52.837 and a Top Speed of 82.30mph. Fantastic Work there Mike Great Job and Well Done for Securing P3 on the Grid.

 

A Really Fantastic Trio of Drivers in P1 P2 And P3 in the Likes of Samuel Gary and Mike all Pushing Hard and Making their Mark Amongst their Fellow Drivers but will anyone Else be able to challenge them and Potentially take that All Important P1 Spot Right Out from Underneath them? Stay Tuned to Find Out.

 

Pickup Truck Championship (Qualifying Part 1)

 

Pickup Trucks made their way out onto the Circuit Next and With some Very Fast and Capable Machinery in each of thease Cars Expect to see Very Fast Lap Times and a Lot of High Speed Action.

 

The Pickup Trucks themselves are Made out of a Space Frame with the Bodies on all the Trucks Just being either Plastic or Fibreglass which Helps to Reduce Weight and Allows for some Very Quick Lap Times around the Circuit.

 

Engine Specifications for the Pickup Trucks Includes a 2.0 Litre Engine Capable of 220 Break Horse Power and Much like The Legends Cars they are Still Very Nimble at High Speeds Resulting in Full concentration and Skill to ensure Victory on the Race Track.

 

Lets Look to Qualifying and see what Happened and who will be On Pole for the First of Two Qualifying Sessions This is Part 1.

 

In First Place taking Pole and the Fastest Lap was (Matt Wills) in his Pickup Truck 2000 with a Best Lap Time of 52.358 and a Top Speed of 83.05mph. Great Drive there Matt Pushing Hard and Keeping the Truck Pointing in the Right Direction at All Times. Great Work.

 

In Second Place was (Matt Simpson) in his Pickup Truck 2000 with a Best Lap Time of 52.529 and a Top Speed of 82.78mph. Well Done Matt P2 and a Super Drive from you as well.

 

In Third Place was (Dean Tompkins) in his Pickup Truck 2000 with a Best Lap Time of 52.593 and a Top Speed of 82.68mph. Well Done Dean A Really Good Drive and Fending off David O' Regan to take that All Important P3 on the Grid.

 

Another Incredible Display of Car Control and High Speed Action from the Two Matt's and Dean for what I'm Sure will be a Fantastic First Race when the Lights Go Out but for Now its onto Qualifying Part 2 to see if Any of the Fastest Drivers Can Improve or Move their Positions on the Gird to a Better Starting Spot.

 

Pickup Truck Championship (Qualifying Part 2)

 

For Part 2 of This Qualifying Session the Top 20 Fastest Drivers Battle it out for Another Chance to either Improve or Defend their Position from the First Qualifying Session.

 

Lets take a Look and see How Dean and the Two Matt's go on Did they Stay where they Were or Have they Moved About a bit and Allowed a New Driver to take Pole for the Race?

  

In First Place taking Pole and The Fastest Lap was (Mark Willis) in his Pickup Truck 2000 with a Best Lap Time of 52.358 and a Top Speed of 83.05mph. Congratulations Mark P1 and a Front Row Start on the Gird for Race 1. Incredible Lap.

 

In Second Place was (Matt Simpson) in his Pickup Truck 2000 with a Best Lap Time of 52.529 and a Top Speed of 82.78mph. Another Fantastic Lap there Matt Hanging onto P2 on the Grid and Matching Your Previous Fastest Time. Great Stuff.

 

In Third Place was (Dean Thomas) in his Pickup Truck 2000 with a Best Lap Time of 52.593 and a Top Speed of 82.68mph. Fantastic Work there Dean Keep Hold of that P3 on the Grid and Defending Well from P4's David O' Regan.

 

What a Superb Bit of Driving from Each of the Top Three in Mark Matt and Dean Thease Three Really Know How to Push their Pickup Trucks to the Limit and Race them Right on the Edge of what is Possible Around this Circuit. Looking Forward to the First Race and to see who can make their Mark on the Weekend First.

 

British Truck Racing Championship (Qualifying)

 

Finally it was Time for The Heavy Weights to make their way out onto the Circuit and with 1000 Break Horse Power under each of the Drivers Right Foot This will Surely be a Qualifying Session of who is Brave Enough to Push their Truck to the Limit and Take Pole Position for Race 1 of the Weekend.

 

In First Place taking Pole Position and The Fastest Lap was (Ryan Smith) in his Mercedes Actros 12000 with a Best Lap Time of 1:00.232 and a Top Speed of 72.19mph. Brilliant Driving from Ryan Really Pushing on and Getting the Job Done to Secure the First Pole Position for Truck Racing this Weekend. Fantastic Drive.

 

In Second Place was (Stuart Oliver) in his Volvo VNL 13000 with a Best Lap Time of 1:00.949 and a Top Speed of 71.34mph. Well Driven there Stuart Keeping the Volvo Out of Trouble and Taking a Well Deserved P2 Spot on the Grid.

 

In Third Place was (David Jenkins) in his Man TGX 12000 with a Best Lap Time of 1:01.146 and a Top Speed of 71.11mph. Great Drive there David Really Well Done that's P3 on the Grid.

 

Three Incredible Drivers in Ryan Stuart and David all Pushing themselves Hard and Getting Ready for what Will be a Super First Race for the Trucks. To All the Other Truck Racers and Support Racers taking Part Good Luck and May the Best Man Win.

 

Legends Cars Championship (Race 1 Results)

 

After a Very Hectic Qualifying Session which saw Chris Needham Will Gibson and John Mickel in First Second and Third Place it was Time for Race 1 and to see out of the Top 3 Drivers as well as the Rest of the Drivers who could take that All Important Race Victory.

 

In First Place Taking the Win was (Sean Smith) in his Legend 34 Ford Coupe 1250 with a Best Lap Time of 56.515 and an Average Speed of 50.17mph. Congratulations Sean Really Well Driven and Held together for that Impressive Victory.

 

In Second Place was (Stephen Whitelegg) in his Legend Coupe 1250 with a Best Lap Time of 56.352 and an Average Speed of 50.17 mph. Superb Driving from Stephen and a Fantastic P2 Finish on the Podium.

 

In Third Place was (John Mickel) in his Legend 34 Ford Coupe with a Best Lap Time of 56.160 and an Average Speed of 50.16mph. Great Driving There John P3 and The Final Step on the Podium.

 

What an Amazing First Race that was for The Legends Cars Championship with the Likes of Sean Stephen and John all Taking Superb Victories and Battle Through the Field. Good Luck to all other Drivers and Lets see what Race 2 Brings.

 

Legends Cars Championship (Race 2 Results)

 

After a Really Intense Battle at the Top End of the Field it was Time once again for the Legends Cars and their Drivers to Head out onto the Circuit for Race 2.

 

In First Place Taking the Win was (Will Gibson) in his Legend 34 Ford Coupe with a Best Lap Time of 55.548 and an Average Speed of 77.28mph. Phenomenal Drive there Will Pushing Hard through the Field to take a Very Well Deserved Race Win. Congratulations.

 

In Second Place was (Miles Rudman) in his Legend 34 Ford Coupe with a Best Lap Time of 55.541 and an Average Speed of 77.25mph. Great Drive there Miles Pushing Yourself and The Car Thought the entire Race and Securing P2.

 

In Third Place was (Mike Schlup) in his Legend 34 Coupe with a Best Lap Time of 55.638 and an Average Speed of 77.07mph. Great Driving there Mike Nicely Done and P3 on the Podium Super Job.

 

Another Amazing Race which saw the Likes of Will Miles and Mike all Taking Victories with a Superb Display of Driving from Each of them and some Very Competitive Action thought the Race from other Drivers too. Race 3 is Up Next and who will take the Final Race Victory of the Day for The Legends Championship?

 

Legends Cars Championship (Race 3 Results)

 

The Final Legends Race of Saturday and with so Many Different Drivers Winning such as Will Gibson Sean Smith would anybody else be able to take on thease Top Level Drivers and Bring Home Glory to their Team?

 

Lets Find Out

 

In First Place taking the Victory was (John Mickel) in his Legend 34 Ford Coupe with a Best Lap Time of 56.016 and an Average Speed of 63.83mph. Amazing Job John Really Pushing the Car to its Limits in this Last Race and Taking Home the Spoils and The Glory. A Really Nice way to End The First Days Racing Congratulations.

 

In Second Place was (Paul Simmons) in his Legend 34 Ford Coupe with a Best Lap Time of 55.801 and an Average Speed of 63.81mph. Nice Work Paul A Really Solid Race and a Great Finish for a First Days Racing at Brands Hatch.

 

In Third Place was (Jack Parker) in his Legend 34 Ford Coupe with a Best Lap Time of 55.682 and an Average Speed of 63.54mph. Really Great Drive Jack 3rd Place and Fantastic to see a New Winner on the Podium for Legends Racing Really Well Deserved.

 

What an Incredible First Day of Racing it has been for the Legends Championship and with another Three Races to come on Sunday the Action will continue to Intensify. A Big Congratulations to all of the Race Winners in John Paul Jack Stephen Mike Miles and Sean who all Drove Insanely Well and Well Done to all of the other Drivers out there. Keep Pushing and Never Give Up.

 

Junior Saloon Car Championship (Race 1 Results)

 

The First Race for the Junior Saloon Cars Championship is Up Next and After seeing Charlie Hand Dominate the Field in Qualifying Will any other Driver be able to Stop Him.

 

Lets Find Out

 

In First Place taking the Victory was (Charlie Hand) in his Citroen Saxo VTR 1600 with a Best Lap Time of 58.995 and an Average Speed of 61.36mph. Phenomenal Job Once Again Charlie Putting on a Super Display of Driving Skill and Speed to Dominate Your way to Victory from Lights to Flag. Amazing Drive.

 

In Second Place was (Will Redford) in his Citroen Saxo VTR 1600 with a Best Lap Time of 58.981 and an Average Speed of 61.33mph. Really Well Driven there Will Chasing Down Charlie Right till the End and Still Finishing an Incredible Second Place. Congratulations.

 

In Third Place was (Jamie Petters) in his Citroen Saxo VTR 1600 with a Best Lap Time of 59.392 and an Average Speed of 60.74mph. Great Drive there Jamie A Lot of Hard work and Dedication to achieve that Third Position Fighting off Ruben Hage in a Thrilling Battling Side by Side. Well Done.

 

A Fantastic Opening Race for the Junior Saloon Car Championship with the likes of Charlie Hand coming out Victorious Once Again with Will Redford in Second Place and Jamie Petters in Third.

 

A Quick Mention of that Incredible Battle Between Jamie and Ruben for 3rd Place What a Phenomenal Bit of Driving from thease Two Young Drivers as they went Side by Side Continuously for Three Straight Laps before Jamie took that All Important P3 with a Move at Paddock Hill Bend. Great work to Ruben too a Phenomenal Drive for P4.

 

Looking Forward to some More Intense Racing Action from thease Two as Well as all the other Drivers in This Series on Sunday Until Then Good Luck and Keep Racing!

 

CTCRC Racing For Marshals (Race 1 Results)

 

After a Brilliant Qualifying Session which saw Samuel Wilson in his Aston Martin V8 Vantage take Victory Over Gary Prebble and Mike Saunders it was Time to see what the CRTC Drivers could get up to and who could take their First Victory in Race 1.

 

In First Place Taking Victory was (Scott Kirwan) in his Reno Clio 2000 with a Best Lap Time of 58.832 and an Average Speed of 72.98mph. Amazing Drive there Scott A Well Deserved Victory to take First Place.

 

In Second Place was (Keith Evans) in his Alpha Romeo Alpfasud with a Best Lap Time of 1:03.789 and an Average Speed of 67.70mph. Great Work there Keith Really Pushing Hard and Taking a Well Deserved P2 in the Race. Fantastic Work.

 

In Third Place was (Nathan Berrisford) in his BMW 1800ti with a Best Lap Time of 1:03.752 and an Average Speed of 67.53mph. Great Work from Nathan To Achieve Third Place and take that Final Step on the Podium Congratulations.

 

A Really Great First Race for the CTCRC Showcasing some Impressive Machinery and some Really Amazing Drivers in Scott Keith and Nathan All Taking Superb Victories on DAY 1. Good Luck to all of the other Drivers out their your Time Will Come, Keep Racing and Pushing your Team and Yourself to Go Further.

 

Pickup Truck Championship (Race 1 Results)

 

Next Up The Pickup Trucks Made their way out onto the Circuit and after Seeing what thease Drivers could do in Qualifying it was Mark Willis who took Pole Position in the Second Fastest Qualifying Category with Matt Simpson in Second Place and Dean Thomas in Third. Who Will be Able to Challenge each of the Top Three?

 

Lets Find Out

 

In First Place taking the Race Win and the Fastest Lap was (Dean Thompkins) in his Pickup Truck 2000 with a Best Lap Time of 52.051 and an Average Speed of 81.70mph. Congratulations Dean Really Well Done and a Fantastic Drive thought the entire Race.

 

In Second Place was (Paul Thompkins) in his Pickup Truck 2000 with a Best Lap Time of 52.402 and an Average Speed of 81.68mph. Superb Job there Paul Working Really Hard and Trying to Stay Close to Dean Most of The Time as Well.

 

In Third Place was (Matt Simpson) in his Pickup Truck 2000 with a Best Lap Time of 52.519 and an Average Speed of 81.65mph. Really Well Done Matt Fantastic Drive with a Few Sideways Moments and Securing P3 on the Podium.

 

A Really Exciting First Race for the Pickup Trucks as they Battled it out to see who could take that All Important Victory and become a Race Winner. Huge Congratulations to Dean Paul and Matt for putting on One Hell of a Great Race and to All the other Pickup Truck Drivers who showed their Skills and Racing Passion while Competing. Looking Forward to Sunday and More Track Action from This Lot.

 

British Truck Racing Championship (Race 1 Results)

 

Lastly for the Saturday was The British Truck Racing Championship and after a Really Aggressive Qualifying Session it was Time for each Driver to put their Skills to the Test and Battle it out for a Victory.

 

With Ryan Smith in Pole Position Stuart Oliver in Second and David Jenkins in Third This Race is Going to be One Hell of a Good Race to Witness.

 

In First Place taking the Victory was (Ryan Smith) in his Mercedes Actros 12000 with a Best Lap Time of 58.945 and an Average Speed of 72.21mph. Congratulations Ryan Really Well Deserved and a Fantastic Victory for Race 1.

 

In Second Place was (David Jenkins) in his Man TGX 12000 with a Best Lap Time of 1:00.159 and an Average Speed of 71.48mph. Amazing Job there David Taking your P3 Position in Qualifying and Turning it into a P2 Finish at the End of the Race Great Drive.

 

In Third Place was (John Newell) in his Man TGS 12000 with a Best Lap Time of 1:00.718 and an Average Speed of 70.64mph. Nice Work John Pushing the Truck Hard and Fending off Martin Gibson to take a Well Deserved Third Place.

 

Super Racing From the British Truck Racing Championship with Many Side by Side Battles Taking Place thought the Race and Lots of Sideways Action to Round off the Saturday Here at Brands Hatch.

 

A Big Congratulations to Ryan Smith David Jenkins and John Newell who all Drove Very Well and Showed what a True Championship Like Drive is in one of thease Monstrous Trucks. Well Done to all of the other Truck Racers who also Took Part Hoping to see some New Faces on the Top Step of the Podium Come Sunday.

 

For Now See You ALL Then!

The Postcard

 

A postcard that was published by Colourpicture of Boston 15, USA. The card was posted in 1919 using a One Cent stamp, although the precise date of posting and location are not legible.

 

The card was sent to:

 

The Saads,

27, Basswood Street,

Lawrence,

Massachusetts.

 

The message on the divided back of the card was as follows:

 

"Hi Kids,

Home soon.

Sue & Geo."

 

On the back of the card the publishers have printed the following:

 

'Leaning Tower of Pisa and

Stairway Leading to Bridal

Altar.

Howe Caverns, Near Cobleskill, N.Y.

A translucent stalagmite reminding one

of the famous Italian tower.

Modern passenger elevators, electric

lights, well-kept walks, pure air, large

passageways and high ceilings make the

trip through the most spectacular natural

wonder in Northeastern United States

easy and never-to-be forgotten.'

 

Howe Caverns

 

Howe Caverns are in Schoharie County, New York. They are a popular tourist attraction, providing visitors with a sense of caving or spelunking, without needing the advanced equipment and training usually associated with such adventures.

 

Howe Caverns are the second most visited natural attraction in New York State, after Niagara Falls.

 

Geology of Howe Caverns

 

The formation of the cave, which lies 156 feet (48 m) below ground, began several million years ago. The cave walls are composed mainly of two types of limestone (Coeymans and Manlius) from different periods in the Earth's early history, deposited hundreds of millions of years ago when the Atlantic Ocean stretched far inland.

 

The cave contains an underground lake, called the Lake of Venus, as well as many stalactites and stalagmites.

 

Discovery and Development of Howe Caverns

 

Howe Caverns are named after farmer Lester Howe, who discovered the cave on the 22nd. May 1842. Noticing that his cows frequently gathered near some bushes at the bottom of a hill on hot summer days, Howe decided to investigate.

 

Behind the bushes, Howe found a strong, cool breeze emanating from a hole in the Earth. Howe proceeded to dig out and explore the cave with his friend and neighbor, Henry Wetsel, on whose land the cave entrance was located. The cave maintains a constant temperature of 52 °F (11 °C), irrespective of the outside weather.

 

Howe opened the cave to eight-hour public tours in 1843, and, as business grew, a hotel was built over the entrance. When Howe encountered financial difficulties, he sold off parts of his property until a limestone quarry purchased the remainder. The quarry's purchase included the hillside, which encompassed the cave's natural entrance.

 

The cave was closed to the public, until an organization was formed in 1927 to re-open it. The organization spent the next two years undertaking development work to create an alternative entrance into the cave.

 

After completion of the work – including elevators, brick walkways, lighting, and handrails – the cave was re-opened to visitors on Memorial Day, May 1929.

 

The standard tour lasts about 80 minutes, and shows the majority of the cave. Visitors begin at the elevators and continue to the end of the Lake of Venus, which marks the end of the developed property. Beyond this point lie about 2,100 feet (640 m) of unconditioned and destroyed caverns, which led to the quarry and the natural entrance. After a boat ride, visitors turn around and walk back the way they came, with two additional stops.

 

More Recent Developments

 

In 2008, the cave was purchased by private owners. In 2011, an adventure park attraction was assembled, initially featuring only a rope course and zip line. Since then, an H2OGO ball has been added, along with a rock wall, an air jumper, and a gemstone mining building.

 

In May 2015, Howe Caverns officials re-opened the natural entrance of the cave to public tours. The newly-opened section of the cavern had not been seen since 1900. Guy Schiavone, Howe Cavern's specialty tour director has said:

 

"The caverns were closed to begin with

because the property had been previously

owned by several cement companies that

took over in the late 1800's."

 

On the 8th. July 2015, one of the H2OGO water attractions was stolen. Howe Caverns offered a reward to anyone providing information that might lead to an arrest of the thief or thieves.

 

The two-hour "Signature Rock Discovery Tour" simulates natural cave exploration with the assistance of a guide, in a section of the cave that had not previously been open to the public. There is no artificial lighting in this part of the cavern, so visitors are supplied with their own portable lamps, as well as a suit appropriate for the muddy and cold journey.

 

The expanded tour includes the remains of Howe's original tourist boat, and signatures along the rock left by cavern adventurers more than 100 years ago.

 

There is also a “Music Hall” where sound echoes exceptionally well. The tour usually ends at the "Lake of Mystery", as visitors would have to crawl through a muddy passage filled with water inches away from the ceiling, to proceed any further.

 

The store at Howe Caverns sells "cave aged" cheese that is stored in a locked room by the elevators.

 

Weddings are performed deep in the cave, on top of a calcite formation that resembles a heart shape.

 

Cave House Museum of Mining & Geology

 

The Cave House Museum of Mining & Geology is located next to the caverns in the former hotel. The museum features exhibits relating to the cave's geology and formation, along with rock and mineral specimens.

 

It also presents the history of the cave's discovery and tourism, wildlife found in the cave, and the area's cement industry.

Find the precise Tiger's Eye Mine location using the "Map" option of this photo.

The Mines are located 2 miles to the west of the Griquatown.

The Ubuntu Precise Pangolin Euforia

an elegant young businessman extracting an arrow from the quiver on his back

Sand mandala being created by Tibetan monks.

In the Red light District, Lange Niezelstraat, 1012 JD Amsterdam, to be precise.

 

Photographed from the window of my 'Whore's Perch'.

 

This Whore's Perch. (2008)

 

Titles are important to me, I like all the connotations. The whore was the one who plied her trade, here, before me. It has a bed, a bath, and a toilet all in one room, and nothing else (other than a sink). This was to facilitate, ingress, egress and evacuation, I believe, and the maintaining of a clean, and efficient, work area, on an in-and-out basis. I love the pragmatism of all the trade's people here.

 

I was the whore who arrived next. I still have the property rented to the end of the month, but find myself with an embarrassment of properties, one of which houses a whore, and the other which presently houses two cats, one of whom would be one (a whore, that is) given half the chance. A cat 'on heat' is a wondrous thing, but then so is a person. For the record, that slightly phallic shape in the middle of the foreground is this whore's foot.

 

The shoe is a gentleman's bespoke lace-up brogue from 'Foster & Son', London. There is an aspect of 'drag' there.

 

I have learnt a sort of trick, it's a bit of a coverall. When I really embarrass myself with an image or text, and I do, I have discovered that if I flood my stream with a new direction, say here with this group of geographic place-holders (lest I forget), then hopefully I have somewhat buried the 'offending article'. I might add that this idea, or image, does not embarrass me at all. I have loved many 'whores' in my lifetime. I have found them to be honest and good for the most part. I would rather have dinner and a few drinks with any of their number over the company of priests, nuns, bank managers, or market manipulators.

 

Call me old-fashioned.

  

Tried something new in Photoshop - adding an inset photo with very precise masking and partial cut-aways*. I think this worked well for my first attempt. Doesn't hurt to have a pretty subject to try this out on. :-)

 

*similar concept from another Flickr member, "San Diego Shooter."

This week, stonemasons are carrying out the precise and delicate work of hoisting into place four diamond-matched slabs of giallo reale marble, which will form the centerpiece of the main sanctuary retablo, as the backdrop for the crucifix.

 

Coordinating slabs of giallo reale marble will also be used in our new Altar of Sacrifice, as well as in the side shrines of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph.

 

Millions of years old and quarried earlier this year in Italy, these particular slabs of giallo reale were chosen for their warm tones of gold, yellow, cream, and auburn.

 

Learn more about our Christ at the Center project at: stcathtrumbull.com/christ-at-the-center

Where shall we go? Votes please

Tone plant to generate precise tones necessary with the advent of touchtome service. Everyhting is duplicated in case of failure.

Next up was a coach... MV08HVY of Roberts Coaches to be precise!

Utricularia minor L.

EN: Lesser Bladderwort, DE: Kleine Wasserschlauch

Slo.: mala mešinka

 

Dat.: June 10. 2008

Lat.: 45.90000 Long.: 14.10000 (coordinates not precise)

Code: Bot_270/2008_DSC9003

 

Habitat: nutrients poor, shallow standing water of a small march; next to a local road; flat terrain; mostly sunny; elevation 570 m (1.870 feet); average precipitations 1.800-2.000 mm/year, average temperature 8-9 deg C, borderline between Dinaric and prealpine phytogeographical region.

 

Substratum: soil, bottom of a shallow standing water.

 

Place: Žejna dolina valley, next to the local road from village Hotedršica toward the settlement Medvedje Brdo, (about 2 km north from the village Hotedršica), Notranska, Slovenia EC.

 

Comment: Utricularia minor is a very interesting carnivorous aquatic plant. It grows in standing and very slowly flowing waters. Only its flower stalks with yellow, bizarre looking flowers, resembling gluttonous mouth, rise above water surface. Long stolons and stalks with several times divided leaves having thin final segments live in water. The plant catches and digests small water animals like water fleas, nematodes, small fish fry and mosquito larvae with bladder-like traps situated on their leaves. Hundreds of these traps can be found on a single plant. Each bladder, which was initially thought to be a flotation device before its carnivorous nature was discovered, has a small mouth, 'trap door', surrounded by several branched protuberances looking like some kind of tentacles.

 

The functioning of these traps is ingenious – many agree the most sophisticated and simple at the same time carnivorous trapping mechanism to be found within plant kingdom. The bladder is a purely mechanical device without any sensory functions. The only active mechanism involved is the constant pumping of water out of the bladder through thin bladder's walls by cellular transportation mechanism. Since the mouth (trap door) is normally tightly closed, this pumping crates negative pressure within the bladder and squeezes it somewhat. The 'tentacles' are stiff and attached to the flexible mouth lip. If an animal touches these 'tentacles' they work simply as mechanical levers and deform the mouth lip a bit. The mouth loses its tightness and, because of the negative pressure inside the bladder, water instantly brakes into the bladder – together with the pray. This happens in about 10 ms only! The mouth closes and the pray is slowly digested by the plant. After the meal is finished the whole process starts again (Ref.: 4). Note: Picture of the bladder taken through a microscope shows similar bladder of Utricularia intermedia and not of Utricularia minor!

 

Utricularia minor is widely distributed all over the world (except Antarctica). In Slovenia it is rare, highly endangered and protected by law as all other four species of this interesting genus present in the country.

 

Pravilnik o uvrstitvi ogroženih rastlinskih in živalskih vrst v rdeči seznam, Uradni list RS, št. 82/2002 (Regulation of enlisting of endangered plant and animal species onto Red List, Official Gazette of Republic Slovenia, no. 82/2002) (2002). Enlisted in the Slovene Red List of rare and endangered species, marked by "V" representing a vulnerable species.

 

Ref.:

(1) Personal communication Mr. Branko Dolinar, www.orhideje.si

(2) M.A. Fischer, W. Adler, K. Oswald, Exkursionsflora für Österreich, Liechtenstein und Südtirol, LO Landesmuseen, Linz, Austria (2005), p 763.

(3) A. Martinči et all., Mala Flora Slovenije (Flora of Slovenia - Key) (in Slovenian), Tehnična Založba Slovenije (2007), p 583.

(4) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utricularia (accessed Oct.28. 2018)

(5) D. Aeschimann, K. Lauber, D.M. Moser, J.P. Theurillat, Flora Alpina, Vol. 2., Haupt (2004), p 300.

(6) K. Lauber and G. Wagner, Flora Helvetica, 5. Auflage, Haupt (2012), p 946.

   

This is walking & talking (well, it is screaming to be precise) Real Action Godzilla series Godzilla vs. Megaguirus version kit from Bandai in 2000. In short, the attempt was great, walking and screaming and thin rubber skin with movable frame and what not. However, the result was disaster! The outer rubber skin is too thick but weak, inside frame material is too brittle….. I did not play with it too long before it fell apart!! Now it is not walking but only screaming. It is a real pity that the kit could’ve been real swell but it is just hell. Shown is the inside frame – well, can you see the skull part is gone detached? Shameful indeed.

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These photos were shot during a multi-day driving trip through the Scottish Highlands. For a precise account of the route I used and additional information check virtualwayfarer.com.

 

If you have any questions about any of the photos please comment or reach out to me via twitter @AlexBerger.

 

Photos were shot on a Canon 600D/T3i using a 50mm f1.4, 18-135mm, and 55-250mm, lens.

 

A special thank you to www.carrentals.co.uk who partially sponsored my car rental and helped make this trip possible.

 

If you enjoyed these photos, please make sure you check out the color album as well.

 

I love your comments! So please don't be shy!

Diving into the water with eyelid shut. He does it with precise timing and impact angle otherwise he risk breaking his neck. Seen here just at the point of impact with tail and wings acting as air brake fully deployed.

see flying colors below

www.flickr.com/photos/lonesomecrow/sets/72157628556202093...

 

Black-backed Kingfisher bathing

This is one of the smallest and fastest king around capable of speed up to 6-8 meters per second. It's a huge challenge trying to catch it in action. This guy loves to bathe. He is thrilled with delight every time after he dip into the pool. It plunges into the pool with such high speed that it literally vaporise the water in front of it. The perfectly designed water-proofing plumage prevent it from drowning, it helps to keep the bird stays afloat every time after every dive and never fails. Another interesting thing i noticed was that despite the high intensity dive actions, the pool remained perfectly clear and the sediments was not disturbed at all. From observations he bathe even on rainy weather I'm unsure if this behaviour is confined to this species or otherwise

This yellow bellied version bathe from 1800 - 1815. The pale bellied bath from 1845 - 1900 both emit sharp calls before flying off signalling the end of the bath. Another question is why these birds do not dip themselves in the reservoir but instead choose to bathe in the tiny pools along the forest streams at the edge of the reservoir. One reason it might be the preferred shallow fast flowing cool water.

One complete sequence from ingress to egress from the water surface takes about 2 seconds. In human terms, it's a very compressed timeframe. For the kingfisher, it's a leisurely pace.

All sequence are remotely taken thus totally eliminating any possible stress to the bird

@mcritchie, sg

Exercise PRECISE RESPONSE, is an annual chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) exercise hosted by Defence Research and Development Canada at Canadian Forces Base Suffield where the Canadian Armed Forces along with NATO allies and partner Nations can practice essential CBRN defence skills in a multinational training environment.

details - themeforest

Public Domain Book: The history of magic : including a clear and precise exposition of its procedure, its rites and its mysteries

by Lévi, Eliphas, 1810-1875

 

Published 1922

 

archive.org/details/historyofmagicin00lv

 

"Brit uses precise words - and stunning images - to explain far beyond one's expectations the immaterial and complex processes, sensations, ideas, recollections, and feelings of the mosaic creative process. Mosaic: Finding Your Own Voice is the first, unique book to capture and explain the subliminal essence of 21st century mosaic art." - Françoise Moulet

 

Featured on p. 86 of MOSAIC: FINDING YOUR OWN VOICE.

Photo: artist.

Image shown with permission.

 

PREVIEW THE BOOK & BUY IT HERE.

 

Chester-le-Street is a market town in the County Durham district, in the ceremonial county of Durham, England. It is located around 6 miles (10 kilometres) north of Durham and is also close to Newcastle upon Tyne. The town holds markets on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. In 2011, it had a population of 24,227.

 

The town's history is ancient; records date to a Roman-built fort called Concangis. The Roman fort is the Chester (from the Latin castra) of the town's name; the Street refers to the paved Roman road that ran north–south through the town, now the route called Front Street. The parish church of St Mary and St Cuthbert is where the body of Anglo-Saxon St Cuthbert remained for 112 years before being transferred to Durham Cathedral and site of the first Gospels translation into English, Aldred writing the Old English gloss between the lines of the Lindisfarne Gospels there.

 

The Romans founded a fort named Concangis or Concagium, which was a Latinisation of the original Celtic name for the area, which also gave name to the waterway through the town, Cong Burn. The precise name is uncertain as it does not appear in Roman records, but Concangis is the name most cited today. Although a meaning "Place of the horse people" has been given, scholarly authorities consider the meaning of the name obscure.

 

Old English forms of the name include Cuneceastra and Conceastre, which takes its first two syllables from the Roman name, with the addition of the Old English word ceaster 'Roman fortification' The Universal etymological English dictionary of 1749 gives the town as Chester upon Street (and describes it as "a Village in the Bishoprick of Durham"). At some point this was shortened to the modern form.

 

There is evidence of Iron Age use of the River Wear near the town, but the history of Chester-le-Street starts with the Roman fort of Concangis. This was built alongside the Roman road Cade's Road (now Front Street) and close to the River Wear, around 100 A.D., and was occupied until the Romans left Britain in 410 A.D. At the time, the Wear was navigable to at least Concangis and may also have provided food for the garrisons stationed there.

 

After the Romans left, there is no record of who lived there (apart from some wounded soldiers from wars who had to live there), until 883 when a group of monks, driven out of Lindisfarne seven years earlier, stopped there to build a wooden shrine and church to St Cuthbert, whose body they had borne with them. While they were there, the town was the centre of Christianity for much of the north-east because it was the seat of the Bishop of Lindisfarne, making the church a cathedral. There the monks translated into English the Lindisfarne Gospels, which they had brought with them. They stayed for 112 years, leaving in 995 for the safer and more permanent home at Durham. The title has been revived as the Roman Catholic titular see of Cuncacestre.

 

The church was rebuilt in stone in 1054 and, despite the loss of its bishopric, seems to have retained a degree of wealth and influence. In 1080, most of the huts in the town were burned and many people killed in retaliation for the death of William Walcher, the first prince-bishop, at the hands of an English mob. After this devastation wrought by the Normans the region was left out of the Domesday Book of 1086; there was little left to record and the region was by then being run from Durham by the prince-bishops, so held little interest for London.

 

Cade's Road did not fall out of use but was hidden beneath later roads which became the Great North Road, the main route from London and the south to Newcastle and Edinburgh. The town's location on the road played a significant role in its development, as well as its name, as inns sprang up to cater for the travelling trade: both riders and horses needed to rest on journeys usually taking days to complete. This trade reached a peak in the early 19th century as more and more people and new mail services were carried by stagecoach, before falling off with the coming of the railways. The town was bypassed when the A167 was routed around the town and this was later supplanted by the faster A1(M).

 

The coal industry also left its mark on the town. From the late 17th century onwards, coal was dug in increasing quantities in the region. Mining was centred around the rivers, for transportation by sea to other parts of the country, and Chester-le-Street was at the centre of the coal being dug and shipped away down the Wear, so a centre of coal related communication and commerce. At the same time, the growth of the mines and the influx of miners supported local businesses, not just the many inns but new shops and services, themselves bringing in more people to work in them. These people would later work in new industries established in the town to take advantage of its good communications and access to raw materials.

 

One of the most tragic episodes in the town's history and that of the coal industry in NE England occurred during a miners' strike during the winter of 1811/12. Collieries owned by the Dean and Chapter of Durham Cathedral were brought to a standstill by the strike, causing much hardship amongst the people of the town. The strike was broken on New Year's Day, 1 January 1812, when the Bishop of Durham, Shute Barrington, sent a detachment of troops from Durham Castle to force a return to work. It is thought that this uncharacteristic act by Barrington was due to pressure from the national government in Westminster who were concerned that the strike was affecting industrial output of essential armaments for the Napoleonic Wars.

 

On the evening of 5 October 1936, the Jarrow Marchers stopped at the town centre after their first day's walk. The church hall was used to house them before they continued onward the following day.

 

From 1894 until 2009, local government districts were governed from the town. From 1894 to 1974, it had a rural district, which covered the town and outlying villages. In 1909, the inner rural district formed an urban district, which covered the town as it was at that time.

 

By 1974, the town expanded out of the urban district, during that year's reforms the urban and rural districts, as well as other areas formed a non-metropolitan district. It was abolished in 2009 reforms when the non-metropolitan county became a unitary authority.

 

The town has a mild climate and gets well below average rainfall relative to the UK. It does though experience occasional floods. To the east of the town lies the Riverside cricket ground and Riverside Park. They were built on the flood plains of the River Wear, and are often flooded when the river bursts its banks. The town centre is subject to occasional flash flooding, usually after very heavy rain over the town and surrounding areas, if the rain falls too quickly for it to be drained away by Cong Burn. The flooding occurs at the bottom of Front Street where the Cong Burn passes under the street, after it was enclosed in concrete in 1932.

 

Chester-le-Street's landmarks

A brick-red, elliptically curved arch, twice as wide as it is high, over an open area with a brick-red surface

Front of a three-storey building, six windows across, with a large-framed wood door at ground level and a painted sign with the words "THE QUEENS HEAD"

Square castle with square tower

A large railway viaduct made from red bricks, topped by railings and electric pylons

The general Post Office, the marketplace with the former Civic Heart sculpture (now demolished), the Queens Head Hotel on Front Street, Lumley Castle and Chester Burn viaduct

John Leland described Chester-le-Street in the 1530s as "Chiefly one main street of very mean building in height.", a sentiment echoed by Daniel Defoe.

 

The viaduct to the northwest of the town centre was completed in 1868 for the North Eastern Railway, to enable trains to travel at high speed on a more direct route between Newcastle and Durham. It is over 230m long with 11 arches, now spanning a road and supermarket car-park, and is a Grade II listed structure.

 

Lumley Castle was built in 1389. It is on the eastern bank of the River Wear and overlooks the town and the Riverside Park.

 

The Queens Head Hotel is located in the central area of the Front Street. It was built over 250 years ago when Front Street formed part of the main route from Edinburgh and Newcastle to London and the south of England. A Grade II listed building, it is set back from the street and is still one of the largest buildings in the town centre.

 

Chester-le-Street Post Office at 137 Front Street is in Art Deco style and replaced a smaller building located on the corner of Relton Terrace and Ivanhoe Terrace. It opened in 1936 and is unusual in that it is one of a handful[30] of post offices that display the royal cypher from the brief reign of Edward VIII.

 

Main article: St Mary and St Cuthbert, Chester-le-Street

St Mary and St Cuthbert church possesses a rare surviving anchorage, one of the best-preserved in the country. It was built for an anchorite, an extreme form of hermit. His or her walled-up cell had only a slit to observe the altar and an opening for food, while outside was an open grave for when the occupant died. It was occupied by six anchorites from 1383 to c. 1538, and is now a museum known as the Anker's House. The north aisle is occupied by a line of Lumley family effigies, only five genuine, assembled circa 1590. Some have been chopped off to fit and resemble a casualty station at Agincourt, according to Sir Simon Jenkins in his England's Thousand Best Churches. This and Lumley Castle are Chester-le-Street's only Grade I listed buildings.

 

The Bethel United Reformed church on Low Chare

The small United Reformed Church on Low Chare, just off the main Front Street, was built in 1814 as the Bethel Congregational Chapel and remodelled in 1860. It is still in use and is a Grade II listed building.

 

The Riverside Ground, known for sponsorship reasons as the Seat Unique Riverside, is home to Durham County Cricket Club which became a first class county in 1992. Since 1999, the ground has hosted many international fixtures, usually involving the England cricket team. The ground was also host to two fixtures at the 1999 Cricket World Cup, and three fixtures at the 2019 Cricket World Cup. The town also has its own cricket club, Chester-le-Street Cricket Club based at the Ropery Lane ground. They are the current Champions of the North East Premier League, won the national ECB 45 over tournament in 2009 and reached the quarter-final of the national 20/20 club championship in 2009.

 

Chester-le-Street Amateur Rowing Club is based on the River Wear near the Riverside cricket ground and has been there for over 100 years. During the summer months the club operate mainly on the river, but in the winter move to indoor sessions during the evenings and use the river at weekends.

 

The club has over 160 members of which 90 are junior members, with numbers increasing annually. The club are well thought of by British Rowing as a lead club for junior development with many juniors now competing at GB level, and some competing for GB at international events.

 

Medieval football was once played in the town. The game was played annually on Shrove Tuesday between the "Upstreeters" and "Downstreeters". Play started at 1 pm and finished at 6 pm. To start the game, the ball was thrown from a window in the centre of the town and in one game more than 400 players took part. The centre of the street was the dividing line and the winner was the side where the ball was (Up or Down) at 6 pm. It was played from the Middle Ages until 1932, when it was outlawed by the police and people trying to carry on the tradition were arrested. Chester-le-Street United F.C. were founded in 2020 and compete in the Northern Football League Division Two. In the 2022/23 season they finished above their local rivals Chester-le-Street Town F.C. who were founded in 1972 and compete in the Northern Football League Division Two and based just outside Chester-le-street in Chester Moor.

 

Chester-le-Street railway station is a stop on the East Coast Main Line of the National Rail network between Newcastle and Durham; it opened in 1868. The station is served by two train operating companies:

 

TransPennine Express provides services between Liverpool Lime Street, Manchester Piccadilly, Leeds, York, Durham and Newcastle;

Northern Trains runs a limited service in early mornings and evenings; destinations include Newcastle, Carlisle and Darlington.

The station is managed by Northern Trains.

 

The town is mentioned in the 1963 song "Slow Train" by Flanders and Swann:

 

No churns, no porter, no cat on a seat,

At Chorlton-cum-Hardy or Chester-le-Street.

 

Chester-le-Street's bus services are operated primarily by Go North East and Arriva North East; routes connect the town with Newcastle, Durham, Middlesbrough and Seaham.

 

The town is the original home of The Northern General Transport Company, which has since grown into Go North East; it operated from the Picktree Lane Depot until 2023 when it was demolished. It also pioneered the use of Minilink bus services in the North East in 1985.

 

Front Street first carried the A1 road, between London and Edinburgh, through the town. A bypass was built in the 1950s, which still exists today as the A167. The bypass road itself was partly bypassed by, and partly incorporated in, the A1(M) motorway in the 1970s.

 

The northern end of Front Street was once the start of the A6127, which is the road that would continue through Birtley, Gateshead and eventually over the Tyne Bridge; it become the A6127(M) central motorway in Newcastle upon Tyne. However, when the Gateshead-Newcastle Western Bypass of the A1(M) was opened, many roads in this area were renumbered; they followed the convention that roads originating between single digit A roads take their first digit from the single digit A road in an anticlockwise direction from their point of origin. Newcastle Road, which was formerly designated A1, is now unclassified. The A6127 was renamed the A167. Car traffic is now banned from the northern part of Front Street and it is restricted to buses, cyclists and delivery vehicles.

 

Education

Primary schools

Cestria Primary School

Bullion Lane Primary School

Woodlea Primary School

Lumley Junior and Infant School

Newker Primary School

Red Rose Primary School

Chester-le-Street CE Primary School

St Cuthbert's RCVA Primary School

Secondary schools

Park View School

Hermitage Academy

 

Notable people

Michael Barron, footballer

Aidan Chambers, children's author, Carnegie Medal and Hans Christian Andersen Award winner

William Browell Charlton, trade union leader, Durham County Colliery Enginemen's Association, National Federation of Colliery Enginemen and Boiler Firemen

Ellie Crisell, journalist and television presenter

Ronnie Dodd, footballer

Danny Graham, footballer

Andrew Hayden-Smith, actor and presenter

Grant Leadbitter, footballer

Sheila Mackie, artist

Jock Purdon, folk singer and poet

Adam Reach, footballer

Bryan Robson, former England football captain, and his brothers Justin and Gary, also footballers

Gavin Sutherland, conductor and pianist

Colin Todd, football manager and former England international player

Olga and Betty Turnbull, child entertainers of the 1930s who performed for royalty

Kevin "Geordie" Walker, guitarist of post-punk group Killing Joke

Peter Ward, footballer

Bruce Welch of pop group The Shadows

 

It is twinned with:

Germany Kamp-Lintfort in Germany.

 

County Durham, officially simply Durham is a ceremonial county in North East England. The county borders Northumberland and Tyne and Wear to the north, the North Sea to the east, North Yorkshire to the south, and Cumbria to the west. The largest settlement is Darlington, and the county town is the city of Durham.

 

The county has an area of 2,721 km2 (1,051 sq mi) and a population of 866,846. The latter is concentrated in the east; the south-east is part of the Teesside built-up area, which extends into North Yorkshire. After Darlington (92,363), the largest settlements are Hartlepool (88,855), Stockton-on-Tees (82,729), and Durham (48,069). For local government purposes the county comprises three unitary authority areas—County Durham, Darlington, and Hartlepool—and part of a fourth, Stockton-on-Tees. The county historically included the part of Tyne and Wear south of the River Tyne, and excluded the part of County Durham south of the River Tees.

 

The west of the county contains part of the North Pennines uplands, a national landscape. The hills are the source of the rivers Tees and Wear, which flow east and form the valleys of Teesdale and Weardale respectively. The east of the county is flatter, and contains by rolling hills through which the two rivers meander; the Tees forms the boundary with North Yorkshire in its lower reaches, and the Wear exits the county near Chester-le-Street in the north-east. The county's coast is a site of special scientific interest characterised by tall limestone and dolomite cliffs.

 

What is now County Durham was on the border of Roman Britain, and contains survivals of this era at sites such as Binchester Roman Fort. In the Anglo-Saxon period the region was part of the Kingdom of Northumbria. In 995 the city of Durham was founded by monks seeking a place safe from Viking raids to house the relics of St Cuthbert. Durham Cathedral was rebuilt after the Norman Conquest, and together with Durham Castle is now a World Heritage Site. By the late Middle Ages the county was governed semi-independently by the bishops of Durham and was also a buffer zone between England and Scotland. County Durham became heavily industrialised in the nineteenth century, when many collieries opened on the Durham coalfield. The Stockton and Darlington Railway, the world's first public railway to use steam locomotives, opened in 1825. Most collieries closed during the last quarter of the twentieth century, but the county's coal mining heritage is remembered in the annual Durham Miners' Gala.

 

Remains of Prehistoric Durham include a number of Neolithic earthworks.

 

The Crawley Edge Cairns and Heathery Burn Cave are Bronze Age sites. Maiden Castle, Durham is an Iron Age site.

 

Brigantia, the land of the Brigantes, is said to have included what is now County Durham.

 

There are archaeological remains of Roman Durham. Dere Street and Cade's Road run through what is now County Durham. There were Roman forts at Concangis (Chester-le-Street), Lavatrae (Bowes), Longovicium (Lanchester), Piercebridge (Morbium), Vindomora (Ebchester) and Vinovium (Binchester). (The Roman fort at Arbeia (South Shields) is within the former boundaries of County Durham.) A Romanised farmstead has been excavated at Old Durham.

 

Remains of the Anglo-Saxon period include a number of sculpted stones and sundials, the Legs Cross, the Rey Cross and St Cuthbert's coffin.

 

Around AD 547, an Angle named Ida founded the kingdom of Bernicia after spotting the defensive potential of a large rock at Bamburgh, upon which many a fortification was thenceforth built. Ida was able to forge, hold and consolidate the kingdom; although the native British tried to take back their land, the Angles triumphed and the kingdom endured.

 

In AD 604, Ida's grandson Æthelfrith forcibly merged Bernicia (ruled from Bamburgh) and Deira (ruled from York, which was known as Eforwic at the time) to create the Kingdom of Northumbria. In time, the realm was expanded, primarily through warfare and conquest; at its height, the kingdom stretched from the River Humber (from which the kingdom drew its name) to the Forth. Eventually, factional fighting and the rejuvenated strength of neighbouring kingdoms, most notably Mercia, led to Northumbria's decline. The arrival of the Vikings hastened this decline, and the Scandinavian raiders eventually claimed the Deiran part of the kingdom in AD 867 (which became Jórvík). The land that would become County Durham now sat on the border with the Great Heathen Army, a border which today still (albeit with some adjustments over the years) forms the boundaries between Yorkshire and County Durham.

 

Despite their success south of the river Tees, the Vikings never fully conquered the Bernician part of Northumbria, despite the many raids they had carried out on the kingdom. However, Viking control over the Danelaw, the central belt of Anglo-Saxon territory, resulted in Northumbria becoming isolated from the rest of Anglo-Saxon Britain. Scots invasions in the north pushed the kingdom's northern boundary back to the River Tweed, and the kingdom found itself reduced to a dependent earldom, its boundaries very close to those of modern-day Northumberland and County Durham. The kingdom was annexed into England in AD 954.

 

In AD 995, St Cuthbert's community, who had been transporting Cuthbert's remains around, partly in an attempt to avoid them falling into the hands of Viking raiders, settled at Dunholm (Durham) on a site that was defensively favourable due to the horseshoe-like path of the River Wear. St Cuthbert's remains were placed in a shrine in the White Church, which was originally a wooden structure but was eventually fortified into a stone building.

 

Once the City of Durham had been founded, the Bishops of Durham gradually acquired the lands that would become County Durham. Bishop Aldhun began this process by procuring land in the Tees and Wear valleys, including Norton, Stockton, Escomb and Aucklandshire in 1018. In 1031, King Canute gave Staindrop to the Bishops. This territory continued to expand, and was eventually given the status of a liberty. Under the control of the Bishops of Durham, the land had various names: the "Liberty of Durham", "Liberty of St Cuthbert's Land" "the lands of St Cuthbert between Tyne and Tees" or "the Liberty of Haliwerfolc" (holy Wear folk).

 

The bishops' special jurisdiction rested on claims that King Ecgfrith of Northumbria had granted a substantial territory to St Cuthbert on his election to the see of Lindisfarne in 684. In about 883 a cathedral housing the saint's remains was established at Chester-le-Street and Guthfrith, King of York granted the community of St Cuthbert the area between the Tyne and the Wear, before the community reached its final destination in 995, in Durham.

 

Following the Norman invasion, the administrative machinery of government extended only slowly into northern England. Northumberland's first recorded Sheriff was Gilebert from 1076 until 1080 and a 12th-century record records Durham regarded as within the shire. However the bishops disputed the authority of the sheriff of Northumberland and his officials, despite the second sheriff for example being the reputed slayer of Malcolm Canmore, King of Scots. The crown regarded Durham as falling within Northumberland until the late thirteenth century.

 

Following the Battle of Hastings, William the Conqueror appointed Copsig as Earl of Northumbria, thereby bringing what would become County Durham under Copsig's control. Copsig was, just a few weeks later, killed in Newburn. Having already being previously offended by the appointment of a non-Northumbrian as Bishop of Durham in 1042, the people of the region became increasingly rebellious. In response, in January 1069, William despatched a large Norman army, under the command of Robert de Comines, to Durham City. The army, believed to consist of 700 cavalry (about one-third of the number of Norman knights who had participated in the Battle of Hastings), entered the city, whereupon they were attacked, and defeated, by a Northumbrian assault force. The Northumbrians wiped out the entire Norman army, including Comines, all except for one survivor, who was allowed to take the news of this defeat back.

 

Following the Norman slaughter at the hands of the Northumbrians, resistance to Norman rule spread throughout Northern England, including a similar uprising in York. William The Conqueror subsequently (and successfully) attempted to halt the northern rebellions by unleashing the notorious Harrying of the North (1069–1070). Because William's main focus during the harrying was on Yorkshire, County Durham was largely spared the Harrying.

 

Anglo-Norman Durham refers to the Anglo-Norman period, during which Durham Cathedral was built.

 

Matters regarding the bishopric of Durham came to a head in 1293 when the bishop and his steward failed to attend proceedings of quo warranto held by the justices of Northumberland. The bishop's case went before parliament, where he stated that Durham lay outside the bounds of any English shire and that "from time immemorial it had been widely known that the sheriff of Northumberland was not sheriff of Durham nor entered within that liberty as sheriff. . . nor made there proclamations or attachments". The arguments appear to have prevailed, as by the fourteenth century Durham was accepted as a liberty which received royal mandates direct. In effect it was a private shire, with the bishop appointing his own sheriff. The area eventually became known as the "County Palatine of Durham".

 

Sadberge was a liberty, sometimes referred to as a county, within Northumberland. In 1189 it was purchased for the see but continued with a separate sheriff, coroner and court of pleas. In the 14th century Sadberge was included in Stockton ward and was itself divided into two wards. The division into the four wards of Chester-le-Street, Darlington, Easington and Stockton existed in the 13th century, each ward having its own coroner and a three-weekly court corresponding to the hundred court. The diocese was divided into the archdeaconries of Durham and Northumberland. The former is mentioned in 1072, and in 1291 included the deaneries of Chester-le-Street, Auckland, Lanchester and Darlington.

 

The term palatinus is applied to the bishop in 1293, and from the 13th century onwards the bishops frequently claimed the same rights in their lands as the king enjoyed in his kingdom.

 

The historic boundaries of County Durham included a main body covering the catchment of the Pennines in the west, the River Tees in the south, the North Sea in the east and the Rivers Tyne and Derwent in the north. The county palatinate also had a number of liberties: the Bedlingtonshire, Islandshire and Norhamshire exclaves within Northumberland, and the Craikshire exclave within the North Riding of Yorkshire. In 1831 the county covered an area of 679,530 acres (2,750.0 km2) and had a population of 253,910. These exclaves were included as part of the county for parliamentary electoral purposes until 1832, and for judicial and local-government purposes until the coming into force of the Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844, which merged most remaining exclaves with their surrounding county. The boundaries of the county proper remained in use for administrative and ceremonial purposes until the Local Government Act 1972.

 

Boldon Book (1183 or 1184) is a polyptichum for the Bishopric of Durham.

 

Until the 15th century, the most important administrative officer in the Palatinate was the steward. Other officers included the sheriff, the coroners, the Chamberlain and the chancellor. The palatine exchequer originated in the 12th century. The palatine assembly represented the whole county, and dealt chiefly with fiscal questions. The bishop's council, consisting of the clergy, the sheriff and the barons, regulated judicial affairs, and later produced the Chancery and the courts of Admiralty and Marshalsea.

 

The prior of Durham ranked first among the bishop's barons. He had his own court, and almost exclusive jurisdiction over his men. A UNESCO site describes the role of the Prince-Bishops in Durham, the "buffer state between England and Scotland":

 

From 1075, the Bishop of Durham became a Prince-Bishop, with the right to raise an army, mint his own coins, and levy taxes. As long as he remained loyal to the king of England, he could govern as a virtually autonomous ruler, reaping the revenue from his territory, but also remaining mindful of his role of protecting England’s northern frontier.

 

A report states that the Bishops also had the authority to appoint judges and barons and to offer pardons.

 

There were ten palatinate barons in the 12th century, most importantly the Hyltons of Hylton Castle, the Bulmers of Brancepeth, the Conyers of Sockburne, the Hansards of Evenwood, and the Lumleys of Lumley Castle. The Nevilles owned large estates in the county. John Neville, 3rd Baron Neville de Raby rebuilt Raby Castle, their principal seat, in 1377.

 

Edward I's quo warranto proceedings of 1293 showed twelve lords enjoying more or less extensive franchises under the bishop. The repeated efforts of the Crown to check the powers of the palatinate bishops culminated in 1536 in the Act of Resumption, which deprived the bishop of the power to pardon offences against the law or to appoint judicial officers. Moreover, indictments and legal processes were in future to run in the name of the king, and offences to be described as against the peace of the king, rather than that of the bishop. In 1596 restrictions were imposed on the powers of the chancery, and in 1646 the palatinate was formally abolished. It was revived, however, after the Restoration, and continued with much the same power until 5 July 1836, when the Durham (County Palatine) Act 1836 provided that the palatine jurisdiction should in future be vested in the Crown.

 

During the 15th-century Wars of the Roses, Henry VI passed through Durham. On the outbreak of the Great Rebellion in 1642 Durham inclined to support the cause of Parliament, and in 1640 the high sheriff of the palatinate guaranteed to supply the Scottish army with provisions during their stay in the county. In 1642 the Earl of Newcastle formed the western counties into an association for the King's service, but in 1644 the palatinate was again overrun by a Scottish army, and after the Battle of Marston Moor (2 July 1644) fell entirely into the hands of Parliament.

 

In 1614, a Bill was introduced in Parliament for securing representation to the county and city of Durham and the borough of Barnard Castle. The bishop strongly opposed the proposal as an infringement of his palatinate rights, and the county was first summoned to return members to Parliament in 1654. After the Restoration of 1660 the county and city returned two members each. In the wake of the Reform Act of 1832 the county returned two members for two divisions, and the boroughs of Gateshead, South Shields and Sunderland acquired representation. The bishops lost their secular powers in 1836. The boroughs of Darlington, Stockton and Hartlepool returned one member each from 1868 until the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885.

 

The Municipal Corporations Act 1835 reformed the municipal boroughs of Durham, Stockton on Tees and Sunderland. In 1875, Jarrow was incorporated as a municipal borough, as was West Hartlepool in 1887. At a county level, the Local Government Act 1888 reorganised local government throughout England and Wales. Most of the county came under control of the newly formed Durham County Council in an area known as an administrative county. Not included were the county boroughs of Gateshead, South Shields and Sunderland. However, for purposes other than local government, the administrative county of Durham and the county boroughs continued to form a single county to which the Crown appointed a Lord Lieutenant of Durham.

 

Over its existence, the administrative county lost territory, both to the existing county boroughs, and because two municipal boroughs became county boroughs: West Hartlepool in 1902 and Darlington in 1915. The county boundary with the North Riding of Yorkshire was adjusted in 1967: that part of the town of Barnard Castle historically in Yorkshire was added to County Durham, while the administrative county ceded the portion of the Borough of Stockton-on-Tees in Durham to the North Riding. In 1968, following the recommendation of the Local Government Commission, Billingham was transferred to the County Borough of Teesside, in the North Riding. In 1971, the population of the county—including all associated county boroughs (an area of 2,570 km2 (990 sq mi))—was 1,409,633, with a population outside the county boroughs of 814,396.

 

In 1974, the Local Government Act 1972 abolished the administrative county and the county boroughs, reconstituting County Durham as a non-metropolitan county. The reconstituted County Durham lost territory to the north-east (around Gateshead, South Shields and Sunderland) to Tyne and Wear and to the south-east (around Hartlepool) to Cleveland. At the same time it gained the former area of Startforth Rural District from the North Riding of Yorkshire. The area of the Lord Lieutenancy of Durham was also adjusted by the Act to coincide with the non-metropolitan county (which occupied 3,019 km2 (1,166 sq mi) in 1981).

 

In 1996, as part of 1990s UK local government reform by Lieutenancies Act 1997, Cleveland was abolished. Its districts were reconstituted as unitary authorities. Hartlepool and Stockton-on-Tees (north Tees) were returned to the county for the purposes of Lord Lieutenancy. Darlington also became a third unitary authority of the county. The Royal Mail abandoned the use of postal counties altogether, permitted but not mandatory being at a writer wishes.

 

As part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England initiated by the Department for Communities and Local Government, the seven district councils within the County Council area were abolished. The County Council assumed their functions and became the fourth unitary authority. Changes came into effect on 1 April 2009.

 

On 15 April 2014, North East Combined Authority was established under the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009 with powers over economic development and regeneration. In November 2018, Newcastle City Council, North Tyneside Borough Council, and Northumberland County Council left the authority. These later formed the North of Tyne Combined Authority.

 

In May 2021, four parish councils of the villages of Elwick, Hart, Dalton Piercy and Greatham all issued individual votes of no confidence in Hartlepool Borough Council, and expressed their desire to join the County Durham district.

 

In October 2021, County Durham was shortlisted for the UK City of Culture 2025. In May 2022, it lost to Bradford.

 

Eighteenth century Durham saw the appearance of dissent in the county and the Durham Ox. The county did not assist the Jacobite Rebellion of 1715. The Statue of Neptune in the City of Durham was erected in 1729.

 

A number of disasters happened in Nineteenth century Durham. The Felling mine disasters happened in 1812, 1813, 1821 and 1847. The Philadelphia train accident happened in 1815. In 1854, there was a great fire in Gateshead. One of the West Stanley Pit disasters happened in 1882. The Victoria Hall disaster happened in 1883.

 

One of the West Stanley Pit disasters happened in 1909. The Darlington rail crash happened in 1928. The Battle of Stockton happened in 1933. The Browney rail crash happened in 1946.

 

The First Treaty of Durham was made at Durham in 1136. The Second Treaty of Durham was made at Durham in 1139.

 

The county regiment was the Durham Light Infantry, which replaced, in particular, the 68th (Durham) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry) and the Militia and Volunteers of County Durham.

 

RAF Greatham, RAF Middleton St George and RAF Usworth were located in County Durham.

 

David I, the King of Scotland, invaded the county in 1136, and ravaged much of the county 1138. In 17 October 1346, the Battle of Neville's Cross was fought at Neville's Cross, near the city of Durham. On 16 December 1914, during the First World War, there was a raid on Hartlepool by the Imperial German Navy.

 

Chroniclers connected with Durham include the Bede, Symeon of Durham, Geoffrey of Coldingham and Robert de Graystanes.

 

County Durham has long been associated with coal mining, from medieval times up to the late 20th century. The Durham Coalfield covered a large area of the county, from Bishop Auckland, to Consett, to the River Tyne and below the North Sea, thereby providing a significant expanse of territory from which this rich mineral resource could be extracted.

 

King Stephen possessed a mine in Durham, which he granted to Bishop Pudsey, and in the same century colliers are mentioned at Coundon, Bishopwearmouth and Sedgefield. Cockfield Fell was one of the earliest Landsale collieries in Durham. Edward III issued an order allowing coal dug at Newcastle to be taken across the Tyne, and Richard II granted to the inhabitants of Durham licence to export the produce of the mines, without paying dues to the corporation of Newcastle. The majority was transported from the Port of Sunderland complex, which was constructed in the 1850s.

 

Among other early industries, lead-mining was carried on in the western part of the county, and mustard was extensively cultivated. Gateshead had a considerable tanning trade and shipbuilding was undertaken at Jarrow, and at Sunderland, which became the largest shipbuilding town in the world – constructing a third of Britain's tonnage.[citation needed]

 

The county's modern-era economic history was facilitated significantly by the growth of the mining industry during the nineteenth century. At the industry's height, in the early 20th century, over 170,000 coal miners were employed, and they mined 58,700,000 tons of coal in 1913 alone. As a result, a large number of colliery villages were built throughout the county as the industrial revolution gathered pace.

 

The railway industry was also a major employer during the industrial revolution, with railways being built throughout the county, such as The Tanfield Railway, The Clarence Railway and The Stockton and Darlington Railway. The growth of this industry occurred alongside the coal industry, as the railways provided a fast, efficient means to move coal from the mines to the ports and provided the fuel for the locomotives. The great railway pioneers Timothy Hackworth, Edward Pease, George Stephenson and Robert Stephenson were all actively involved with developing the railways in tandem with County Durham's coal mining industry. Shildon and Darlington became thriving 'railway towns' and experienced significant growths in population and prosperity; before the railways, just over 100 people lived in Shildon but, by the 1890s, the town was home to around 8,000 people, with Shildon Shops employing almost 3000 people at its height.

 

However, by the 1930s, the coal mining industry began to diminish and, by the mid-twentieth century, the pits were closing at an increasing rate. In 1951, the Durham County Development Plan highlighted a number of colliery villages, such as Blackhouse, as 'Category D' settlements, in which future development would be prohibited, property would be acquired and demolished, and the population moved to new housing, such as that being built in Newton Aycliffe. Likewise, the railway industry also began to decline, and was significantly brought to a fraction of its former self by the Beeching cuts in the 1960s. Darlington Works closed in 1966 and Shildon Shops followed suit in 1984. The county's last deep mines, at Easington, Vane Tempest, Wearmouth and Westoe, closed in 1993.

 

Postal Rates from 1801 were charged depending on the distance from London. Durham was allocated the code 263 the approximate mileage from London. From about 1811, a datestamp appeared on letters showing the date the letter was posted. In 1844 a new system was introduced and Durham was allocated the code 267. This system was replaced in 1840 when the first postage stamps were introduced.

 

According to the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1911): "To the Anglo-Saxon period are to be referred portions of the churches of Monk Wearmouth (Sunderland), Jarrow, Escomb near Bishop Auckland, and numerous sculptured crosses, two of which are in situ at Aycliffe. . . . The Decorated and Perpendicular periods are very scantily represented, on account, as is supposed, of the incessant wars between England and Scotland in the 14th and 15th centuries. The principal monastic remains, besides those surrounding Durham cathedral, are those of its subordinate house or "cell," Finchale Priory, beautifully situated by the Wear. The most interesting castles are those of Durham, Raby, Brancepeth and Barnard. There are ruins of castelets or peel-towers at Dalden, Ludworth and Langley Dale. The hospitals of Sherburn, Greatham and Kepyer, founded by early bishops of Durham, retain but few ancient features."

 

The best remains of the Norman period include Durham Cathedral and Durham Castle, and several parish churches, such as St Laurence Church in Pittington. The Early English period has left the eastern portion of the cathedral, the churches of Darlington, Hartlepool, and St Andrew, Auckland, Sedgefield, and portions of a few other churches.

 

'Durham Castle and Cathedral' is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. Elsewhere in the County there is Auckland Castle.

Precise measuring revealed it was too worn and needed to be replated.

Exercise PRECISE RESPONSE, is an annual chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) exercise hosted by Defence Research and Development Canada at Canadian Forces Base Suffield where the Canadian Armed Forces along with NATO allies and partner Nations can practice essential CBRN defence skills in a multinational training environment.