Thameslink Programme
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Red Kite - Milvus Milvus
Persecuted to near extinction in the UK, the Red Kite has made a tremendous comeback thanks to reintroduction programmes and legal protection. Seeing one of these magnificent birds soaring high in the sky is a true delight.
Once a very rare bird that could only be found in Central Wales, the Red Kite has been successfully reintroduced to several areas of the UK and can now be seen in Wales, Yorkshire, the East Midlands and the Chilterns. A large, graceful bird of prey, it soars over woods and open areas, its distinctive shape and 'mewing' calls making it easy to identify. Red Kites were routinely persecuted as hunters of game and domestic animals, but they are in fact scavengers, eating carrion and scraps, and taking only small prey like rabbits.
Red kites were common in Shakespearean London, where they fed on scraps in the streets and collected rags or stole hung-out washing for nest-building materials. Shakespeare even referred to this habit in 'The Winter's Tale' when he wrote: 'When the kite builds, look to lesser linen'. The nest of a red kite is an untidy affair, often built on top of an old Crow's nest. It is lined with sheep's wool and decorated with all kinds of objects like paper, plastic and cloth.
Thank to all who take the time to view, Comment or Fav, It is Always Appreciated.
Angkor Thom"Great City", located in present-day Cambodia, was the last and most enduring capital city of the Khmer empire. It was established in the late twelfth century by King Jayavarman VII.:378–382:170
It covers an area of 9 km², within which are located several monuments from earlier eras as well as those established by Jayavarman and his successors. At the centre of the city isJayavarman's state temple, the Bayon, with the other major sites clustered around the Victory Square immediately to the north.
Map of Central Angkor Thom
Angkor Thom was established as the capital of Jayavarman VII's empire, and was the centre of his massive building programme. One inscription found in the city refers to Jayavarman as the groom and the city as his bride.:121
Angkor Thom seems not to be the first Khmer capital on the site, however. Yasodharapura, dating from three centuries earlier, was centred slightly further northwest, and Angkor Thom overlapped parts of it. The most notable earlier temples within the city are the former state temple of Baphuon, and Phimeanakas, which was incorporated into the Royal Palace. The Khmers did not draw any clear distinctions between Angkor Thom and Yashodharapura: even in the fourteenth century an inscription used the earlier name.:138 The name of Angkor Thom—great city—was in use from the 16th century.
The last temple known to have been constructed in Angkor Thom was Mangalartha, which was dedicated in 1295. Thereafter the existing structures continued to be modified from time to time, but any new creations were in perishable materials and have not survived.
The Ayutthaya Kingdom, led by King Borommarachathirat II, sacked Angkor Thom, forcing the Khmers under Ponhea Yat to relocate their capital southeast.:29
Angkor Thom was abandoned some time prior to 1609, when an early western visitor wrote of an uninhabited city, "as fantastic as the Atlantis of Plato".:140 It is believed to have sustained a population of 80,000–150,000 people.
31412 passes Washwood Heath Sidings No.2 signal box while working the 0902 Cambridge to Birmingham New Street service.
A class 25 waits for the passenger train to pass before progressing east with a short set of coal hoppers.
In the late 19th century the Midland Railway challenged the orthodoxy of locomotive design with its small engine policy. Rather than building larger and larger engines, the Midland deliberately designed and built large numbers of small engines, mostly for freight work. The policy favoured simplicity and the 0-6-0 wheelbase.
Fast forward to the 1950s and the British Transport Commission's modernisation programme was clearly influenced by the Midland's small engine policy. While type 3 (1500hp-2000hp) and type 4 (2000hp-3000hp) locomotives were ordered, over 1,000 smaller locomotives were built, including the locomotives seen here.
Photograph by an unknown photographer, now part of my collection.
Hmm! Just having White Balance issues in Lightroom 6! I am VERY new to this programme and needed to check my EXIF info. Please excuse! Hah! I see I shot this with Auto WB. Could THAT be my problem because my WB never seems really out of whack and I cannot get the choices to show up on LR - sunny, cloudy, shade, tungsten etc! even though I have imported Raw files!! I'll work it out but if anyone has any brilliant suggestions, please advise! Thanks.
362/366: 2016
I am so sad that George Michael has been added to the long list of celebrities that have passed away this year. I was lucky enough to see him perform live on a couple of occasions, even luckier to have had VIP passes on both occasions. A friend of my close friend was his housekeeper and got us the passes. Have been listening to his music, he had such an amazing voice. The photo of George is on the programme from the concert.
I took this earlier as a just in case but we have come to visit our son and his fiancee and I haven't had time to do anything else so here is my tribute to a legend.
Les Suds in Arles
Drawing from world music all that is unique, and in the end, shared in common, this évent at once festive and pedagocic, boasts a globalization independent of any dominant culture.
Here, the programming openly crosses aesthetics, musical traditions and the most recent movements, space and time, to promote cultural diversity and distinction. Firmly rooted in a region naturally turned toward the Mediterranean and opened to the world, Les SUDS,à ARLES offers a platform of departure from contemporary creation. Fully assuming its southern roots, the compelling programme of this exceptional festival weaves a refined musical identity, within a setting that is no less amazing! Enlivening a unique architectural heritage, the most beautiful voices and sounds in the world- from the most famous to recent discoveries – are invited into the heart of this beautiful Provençale town that becomes, for seven days and six nights, a global city.
the-pier.co.uk/bournemouth-pier
Bournemouth Pier is a truly splendid pier, with its fairly unique and charismatic façade. A real treasure on the Dorset coast, she is a very well loved and quite genteel attraction, situated in the heart of Bournemouth, with all its sandy beaches.
Yet this wonderful and grand pier actually came from very humble origins. The very first pier in Bournemouth was a simple jetty that was finished in 1856. Yet a mere 6 years later the jetty was replaced, with a longer pier, of wooden construction. Due to infestation by teredo worm, cast iron piles were installed in 1866 to replace the wooden ones. But the structure of the pier was simply not sound and in 1866, the landing stage was blown away, literally overnight, in a gale.
The remainder of the pier was replaced and in use until 1876, when a storm demolished even more of it, rendering it too short to accommodate steamboat traffic. Eventually a new and more fit for purpose pier was erected in 1880, following a series of ‘temporary’ arrangements. This was specifically designed to be more durable than the other piers had been. To make this happen, Eugene Birch, who had designed amongst other things the West Pier at Brighton.
Whilst not as long as many piers of that era, the pier was a decent 255 metres (838 feet or so) in length. Two extensions were built later, which took her up to around 305 metres (just over 1,000 feet).
Bournemouth Pier did have some quite good facilities, which gradually grew over time and soon she was home to a bandstand with concerts given by military bands on a regular basis.
Closed, like so many other piers during the war, she was then to re-open in 1946, having undergone some substantial repair work. Part of the pier had been demolished or had fallen into disrepair during the war as all efforts were directed to the war effort.
In 1950, she was treated to a refurbishment and survived well, until in 1976, it was discovered that she had suffered quite extensive corrosion and as a result, a major restoration programme began in 1979, to demolish most of the remaining building and replace it with more modern and up to date facilities, which were to be built on solid foundations, that would resist corrosion. The corrosion was surprising, given that Eugene Birch had designed it, however, the disrepair experienced during the war may have allowed the corrosion to take hold.
And so the modern, updated pier that is still in use today came into being!
Bournemouth Pier is home to a fantastic pier theatre, which plays host to some traditional seaside resort entertainment, comedians, magicians and singers all perform on a regular basis, with shows run several times a week. Some of these are reminiscence shows, whilst others feature old classics such as Chas and Dave or Marty Wilde.
What’s On – Bournemouth Pier Theatre
The pier itself is also home to a good restaurant, Key West, which is a licensed bar and restaurant which welcomes children and offers a more healthy and gourmet type of menu than in traditional seaside resorts, with menus featuring game pie and beef with locally produced blue cheese.
Prices are also quite reasonable.
Children can have hours of fun at the Children’s Funfair and there are some very up to date games to be played in the arcade. You can even try your hand at jet skiing without even getting your feet wet.
Similar to Eastbourne, Bournemouth is not home to a wild theme park or any large fairground, which makes it just that little bit different from so many of its contemporaries. It is just that little bit less dramatic and is almost a throwback to another time.
The theatre and the classical design of Bournemouth give it a sense of gentle decorum and although it has the arcade and the usual opportunities to partake of fish and chips or ice cream, it is also a rather sedate pier, when set aside many others.
When at the pier, in season, you could take a ride on the fabulous Dorset Belle and have a trip around the bay. Nature lovers will love this, because not only do you get to see the pier and Bournemouth from the water, but also there are some really good opportunities to see different kinds of birds and perhaps even some kind of form of marine life? It is a trip not to be missed and steam enthusiasts will be delighted by the fact that the Dorset Belle is a paddle steamer.
Many people hold Bournemouth and Bournemouth Pier very close to their hearts. There is even a website dedicated to sharing memories of the pier, so that in some way there can be a recognition of the role that this pier has played in so many people’s lives.
Similar to Eastbourne, Bournemouth is more refined and perhaps just that little bit more refined than many seaside piers and this makes it just that little bit more special. Some people put this down to the fact that she has a theatre at the end of the pier and that this livens it up in a way that simply can’t happen in other piers.
Who knows if this is the case, but it is a great place to visit and somehow there always seems a little bit of nostalgia associated with Bournemouth. There is something very special about a slow walk down the pier, looking out towards the sea and the great expanse of water. At night somehow the pier takes on a life of her own and seems quite resplendent in her glory.
Open all year round, but with only limited shows in the theatre out of season, Bournemouth offers a tremendous day out for all the family and really shouldn’t be missed.
If you do want brash and loud then Bournemouth is not the place to come, but if you simply like the idea of quite a gentle and quite traditional pier, without the shrieks from the fairground, then Bournemouth Pier is sure to delight.
An unidentified Hitachi Intercity Express Programme Bi-Mode DMU crosses over the River Tamar from Devon to Cornwall.
Using a programme called Tilting Sun and taking the middle exposure imaging time from my Prominence captures of 20 August (www.flickr.com/photos/76699751@N07/29007261792/in/datetaken/), I can work out the tilt and rotation of the sun and where my image overlays at the time. Also shown here are the 109 Earth's stacked across the diameter of the sun in fairly even measure to arrive at the scaling for Earth (zoom in you will see them!). Taking the Sun as 861,800 miles (1,390,000 kilometers) in diameter and dividing that by Earth at 7909 miles (12,756 kilometers) gives 108.9 rounded to 109 Earths fitting across the diameter of the sun.
Who would have thought that thirty years after the start of the Class 50 withdrawal programme (50011 in February 1987 being the first condemned) that I would be seeing in the Nottingham/Derby area on a regular basis a Class 50 in service on general main line duties. That locomotive is of course 50008 Thunderer and here it is stabled at Derby between duties, 27th October 2017.
Locomotive History
50008 was originally D408 and was built at the English Electric Vulcan Foundry works, Newton-Le-Willows. It entered traffic, allocated to Western Lines (Crewe) in March 1968 on Crewe – Glasgow West Coast Main Line duties. With the completion of the West Coast Main Line electrification to Glasgow in 1974 thirty five class 50’s were transferred to the Western Region, however 50008 was one of the fifteen locomotives retained by the London Midland Region until finally transferred to the Western Region in May 1976. In 1978 it was decided to name the class after Royal Navy warships and on the on the 1st September 1978 50008 was named Thunderer with the plates being fitted without ceremony at Laira MPD. In the early 1980’s it was decided to refurbish the class 50 fleet and 50008 entered Doncaster works for refurbishment and was released back into traffic on the 21st December 1981. 50008 worked it last train in November 1991 but was not officially withdrawn until June 1992. Following withdrawal it was sold to Pete Waterman who resold it to Sea Containers in 1998 however neither owner undertook any real work on the locomotive and it quietly decayed stored in the open at LNWR Crewe. In 2006 it was sold to a private individual who has funded its overhaul and the locomotive is again operational.
The fourth ship to carry the name HMS Thunderer was the fourth Orion class battleship built for the Royal Navy and was the last vessel to be constructed by the Thames Iron Works. She was the last and largest warship ever built on the River Thames, and after her completion her builders declared bankruptcy. The Orion class battleships displaced 22,000 tons and were armed with ten 13.5 inch guns in five super-firing turrets, all mounted on the centreline. She was laid down on the 16th April 1910, launched on the 1st February 1911 and was commissioned in May 1912. HMS Thunderer was the first Royal Navy battleship fitted with the Dreyer fire-control table which was effectively the world's first automatic computer and ten years ahead of any other navy's developments. She was also the first of her class to carry Captain Percy Scott's new director firing system, which made her top-shooting ship in the 1912 trials. HMS Thunderer served with the Grand Fleet through out the First World War and was present at the Battle of Jutland on 31st May 1916, firing just 37 13.5" shells, she was not damaged by German fire. As a result of the Washington Naval Convention, she was decommissioned in 1921 and from 1922, she served as a seagoing training ship for cadets, the sole survivor of her class. In November 1926 she was sold for scrap and broken up at Blyth.
A programme on tv earlier this evening was broadcast from Holy Island in Northumberland. Watching it reminded me I had some images from Holy Island which were taken last year and not yet processed. A search through the hard drive found the pics. and here is one of them.
Hope you like it.
Thanks for all the inspiring comments on my last few posted images, I'm pleased you like them.
Tony
Enfin une framboise dessinée par un algorithme :)
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framboise
ANNONA MURICATA
A natural remedy for cancer treatment with out any common side effects caused by chemotherapeutic drugs. It is ten thousand times more potent than normal chemotherapeutic drug. It have its effect on dividing cells that have cancer property but no effect on normal dividing cell.
It is commonly seen in areas of North America, South America and Caribbean and known to as by graviola, paw-paw, guanabana. Which is commonly known as soursop.
Now a days most of the people In Kerala planting mullatha at their home (because of awareness programmes held by doctors and several organizations) and it also is available in Lulu hypermarket, Kochi as soursop. Commonly it is known as mullatha.
Each part of the plant like leaves, stem, bark, seeds and fruits are used as anti cancer agent or as a cytotoxic agent. Leaves extract of annona muricata has proved to be used in breast cancer.
Now a days doctors prescribe annona muricata fruit for various cancer especially prostrate cancer. Seeds have insecticidal action as well as cytotoxic action. It is not only know for its cytotoxic activity but also for anti malarial, anti spasmodic, anti bacterial, anti amoebic, anti fungal, anti hypertensive, anti hyperglycemic and insecticidal action. It is also effective in Adriamycin resistant tumour.
For cancer patients adjuvant therapy with soursop fruit juice is most effective.
it also highly effective for several other health issues:
Benefits of Soursop for Skin:
Heals eczema and leprosy:
People suffering from eczema and other such skin problems benefit a lot by using sousop leaves. Mash these leaves and use it as a poultice to treat such problems. Taking the juice of soursop while fasting is said to cure leprosy.
Treatment of skin irritations:
If you suffer from skin eruptions, apply fresh leaves of this fruit on the skin. This helps in healing them quickly. Boils can appear on any part of your body and can be painful also. You can place soursop leaves on the affected areas and soon these boils will be healed.
Young Glowing skin:
Vitamin C and ascorbic acid are found in high amounts in this fruit. These increase the amount of antioxidants in the body, which fight against the free radicals that are responsible for the ageing of the skin, like the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and pigmentation. As a result, you will get young looking and glowing skin without any blemishes.
Benefits of Soursop for Hair:
Natural Treatment of hair lice:
Soursop leaves are very useful for getting rid of parasites. So, it is great for getting rid of head lice, which can multiply fast and affect your health. Make a decoction with soursop leaves and apply this on your scalp. Wait for a few minutes and then wash off with water. This way you can get rid of hair lice.
Health and Medicinal Benefits of Soursop:
Acts as Natural diuretic:
About 84% of this fleshy fruit consists of water. This helps in hydrating your body. Hence it is a natural diuretic and helps in the treatment of edema or retention of water.
Beneficial for the heart and nerves:
Soursop is a rich source of Vitamin B1, which is very effective for improving your metabolism and to prevent nervous disorders. It is also good for increasing the circulation of blood. Vitamin B2 in it is essential for the production of energy in the body and for the storage of fat in the body. It is also needed for the proper functioning of the nervous system and to maintain the heart muscles.
Fights free radicals:
Soursop contains ascorbic acid, which increases the amount of antioxidants in your body. Antioxidants are vital for fighting against the free radicals and thus keeping your body safe from various infections and disorders.
Fever Treatment:
Make tea with the leaves of this fruit and have it. This can lower the body temperature and cure fever.
Increases energy and endurance:
Fructose is found in high amounts in soursop. This is a simple sugar and a good source of natural carbohydrates. This can helps in keeping you fresh and regain the lost energy within minutes. It also increases your endurance power as it is rich in Vitamin C.
Kills parasites inside the body:
Presence of various nutrients in soursop like amino acids, calcium, ascorbic acid, iron, phosphorous, carbohydrates, thiamine, riboflavin and fiber make it very effective for killing the parasites inside the body and for the overall development of the body.
Kills cancer causing cells:
Soursop leaves are very effective for preventing breast, colon, prostate, lung and pancreatic cancer as it has the ability to kill 12 types of cancer cells. They attack the cancer cells without causing any side effects like nausea, hair loss, weight loss and so on, as you find in the case of chemotherapy. It is also said to be 10000 times more effective than chemotherapy and adriamycin for slowing down the cancer cell growth.
Boil 10 old soursop leaves in 3 cup of water till only 1 cup remains. Let the patients have it twice a day for two weeks to get any visible results. These leaves help in killing the abnormal cancer cells and also allow the cells to grow normally.
Osteoporosis Prevention:
Calcium and phosphorous are found in high amounts in soursop and these are essential for keeping your bones healthy and strong, thus preventing osteoporosis.
Promotes restful sleep:
Soursop can help in inducing sleepiness and relaxation. This is because of the presence of a chemical called tryptophan in it. This fruit is also good for maintaining proper levels of blood pressure and to control hypertension.
Relieves constipation fast:
You can get relief from constipation by having soursop fruit regularly because it is rich in soluble as well as insoluble fiber.
Rich Vitamin C Benefits:
Soursop is loaded with Vitamin C, which is a powerful antioxidant. It can improve your endurance and slow down the signs of aging.
Relieves from pain:
The leaves of soursop have the ability to get you relief from pain because they have analgesic properties. You can chew these leaves or apply them on wounds to reduce pain and heal the wound. If there is excessive pain, then you can boil 20 leaves of this plant with 5 cups of water till it is reduced to 3 cups. Drink ¾ cup of this concoction once a day and you will get relief.
Treatment of mouth ulcers:
Mash soursop leaves with water and apply this paste on the boils inside your mouth. This helps in reducing the irritation and curing the mouth ulcer.
Treatment of urinary tract infections:
Soursop is high in water contents. So it is very effective for treating Urinary tract infections, hematuria and urethritis. Having the juice of this fruit regularly can treat urethritis, hematuria and liver issues.
Treats hypertension:
The high ratio of potassium (278 mg/100 mg) to sodium (14 mg/100 mg) in soursop makes it very effective for people who suffer from hypertension.
A giant tortoise at the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz
Galapagos Giant Tortoise
The Galápagos tortoise or Galápagos giant tortoise (Geochelone nigra) is the largest living tortoise, native to seven islands of the Galápagos archipelago. The Galápagos tortoise is unique to the Galápagos Islands. Fully grown adults can weigh over 300 kilograms (661 lb) and measure 1.2 meters (4 ft) long. They are long-lived with a life expectancy in the wild estimated to be 100-150 years. Populations fell dramatically because of hunting and the introduction of predators and grazers by humans since the seventeenth century. Now only ten subspecies of the original twelve exist in the wild. However, conservation efforts since the establishment of the Galápagos National Park and the Charles Darwin Foundation have met with success, and hundreds of captive-bred juveniles have been released back onto their home islands. They have become one of the most symbolic animals of the fauna of the Galápagos Islands. The tortoises have very large shells (carapace) made of bone. The bony plates of the shell are integral to the skeleton, fused with the ribs in a rigid protective structure. Naturalist Charles Darwin remarked "These animals grow to an immense size ... several so large that it required six or eight men to lift them from the ground.". This is due to the phenomenon of island gigantism whereby in the absence of natural predation, the largest tortoises had a survival advantage and no disadvantage in fleeing or fending off predators. When threatened, it can withdraw its head, neck and all forelimbs into its shell for protection, presenting a protected shield to a would-be predator. The legs have hard scales that also provide armour when withdrawn. Tortoises keep a characteristic scute pattern on their shell throughout life. These have annual growth bands but are not useful for aging as the outer layers are worn off. There is little variation in the dull-brown colour of the shell or scales. Physical features (including shape of the shell) relate to the habitat of each of the subspecies. These differences were noted by Captain Porter even before Charles Darwin. Larger islands with more wet highlands such as Santa Cruz and the Alcedo Volcano on Isabela have lush vegetation near the ground. Tortoises here tend to have 'dome-back' shells. These animals have restricted upward head movement due to shorter necks, and also have shorter limbs. These are the heaviest and largest of the subspecies.Smaller, drier islands such as Española and Pinta are inhabited by tortoises with 'saddleback' shells comprising a flatter carapace which is elevated above the neck and flared above the hind feet. Along with longer neck and limbs, this allows them to browse taller vegetation. On these drier islands the Galápagos Opuntia cactus (a major source of their fluids) has evolved a taller, tree-like form. This is evidence of an evolutionary arms race between progressively taller tortoises and correspondingly taller cacti. Saddlebacks are smaller in size than domebacks. They tend to have a yellowish color on lower mandible and throat. At one extreme, the Sierra Negra volcano population that inhabits southern Isabela Island has a very flattened "tabletop" shell. However, there is no saddleback/domeback dualism; tortoises can also be of 'intermediate' type with characteristics of both. The tortoises are slow-moving reptiles with an average long-distance walking speed of 0.3 km/h (0.18 mph). Although feeding giant tortoises browse with no apparent direction, when moving to water-holes or nesting grounds, they can move at surprising speeds for their size. Marked individuals have been reported to have traveled 13 km in two days. Being cold-blooded, the tortoises bask for two hours after dawn, absorbing the energy through their shells, then becoming active for 8–9 hours a day. They may sleep for about sixteen hours in a mud wallow partially or submerged in rain-formed pools (sometimes dew ponds formed by garua-moisture dripping off trees). This may be both a thermoregulatory response and a protection from parasites such as mosquitoes and ticks. Some rest in a 'pallet'- a snug depression in soft ground or dense brush- which probably helps to conserve heat and may aid digestion. On the Alcedo Volcano, repeated use of the same sites by the large resident population has resulted in the formation of small sandy pits. Darwin observed that: "The inhabitants believe that these animals are absolutely deaf; certainly they do not overhear a person walking near behind them. I was always amused, when overtaking one of these great monsters as it was quietly pacing along, to see how suddenly, the instant I passed, it would draw in its head and legs, and uttering a deep hiss fall to the ground with a heavy sound, as if struck dead." The tortoises can vocalise in aggressive encounters, whilst righting themselves if turned upside down and, in males, during mating. The latter is described as "rhythmic groans". The tortoises are herbivorous animals with a diet comprising cactus, grasses, leaves, vines, and fruit. Fresh young grass is a favorite food of the tortoises, and others are the 'poison apple' (Hippomane mancinella) (toxic to humans), the endemic guava (Psidium galapageium), the water fern (Azolla microphylla), and the bromeliad (Tillandsia insularis). Tortoises eat a large quantity of food when it is available at the expense of incomplete digestion. Its favorite food is grasses. The tortoise normally eat an average of 70 to 80 pounds a day. Tortoises have a classic example of a mutualistic symbiotic relationship with some species of Galápagos finch. The finch hops in front of the tortoise to show that it is ready and the tortoise then raises itself up high on its legs and stretches out its neck so that the bird can pick off ticks that are hidden in the folds of the skin (especially on the rear legs, cloacal opening, neck, and skin between plastron and carapace), thus freeing the tortoise from harmful parasites and providing the finch with an easy meal. Other birds, including Galápagos Hawk and flycatchers, use tortoises as observation posts from which to sight their prey. Mating occurs at any time of the year, although it does have seasonal peaks between January and August. When two mature males meet in the mating season they will face each other, rise up on their legs and stretch up their necks with their mouths open to assess dominance. Occasionally, head-biting occurs, but usually the shorter loser tortoise will back off, leaving the other to mate with the female. In groups of tortoises from mixed island populations, saddleback males have an advantage over domebacks. Frustrated non-dominant males have been observed attempting to mate with other males and boulders. The male sniffs the air when seeking a female, bellows loudly, and bobs his head. The male then rams the female with the front of his shell and bites her exposed legs until she withdraws them, immobilizing her. Copulation can last several hours with roaring vocalisations from the males. Their concave shell base allows males to mount the females from behind. It brings its tail which houses the penis into the female's cloaca. After mating (June-December), the females journey up to several kilometres to reach nesting areas of dry, sandy ground (often near the coast). Nest digging can last from hours to days and is elaborate and exhausting. It is carried out blindly using only the hind legs to dig a 30 cm deep hole, into which she lays up to sixteen hard-shelled eggs the size of tennis balls. The female makes a muddy plug for the nest hole out of soil mixed with urine and leaves the eggs to incubate. In rocky areas, the eggs are deposited randomly into cracks. The young emerge from the nest after 120 to 140 days gestation later (December-April) and may weigh only 80 grams (2.8 oz) and measure 6 centimetres (2.4 in). Temperature plays a role in the sex of the hatchling: if the nest temperature is lower, more males will hatch; if it is high, more females will hatch. When the young tortoises emerge from their shells, they must dig their way to the surface, which can take up to a month. All have domed carapaces, and subspecies are indistinguishable. Galápagos Hawk used to be the only native predator of the tortoise hatchlings, as Darwin remarked: "The young tortoises, as soon as they are hatched, fall prey in great numbers to buzzards". Sex can be determined only when the tortoise is 15 years old, and sexual maturity is reached at 20 to 25 years old. The tortoises grow slowly for about 40 years until they reach their full size. Reproductive prime is considered to be from the ages of 60–90. The shape of the carapace of some subspecies of the tortoises is said to have reminded the early Spanish explorers of a kind of saddle they called a "galápago," and for these saddle-shaped tortoises they named the archipelago. Up to 250,000 tortoises inhabited the islands when they were discovered. Today only about 15,000 are left.
The inhabitants...state that they can distinguish the tortoise from different islands; and that they differ not only in size, but in other characters. Captain Porter has described those from Charles and from the nearest island to it, namely Hood Island, as having their shells in front thick and turned up like a Spanish saddle, whilst the tortoises from James Island are rounder, blacker, and have a better taste when cooked.---Charles Darwin 1845
There were probably twelve subspecies of Geochelone nigra in the Galápagos Islands, although some recognise up to 15 subspecies. Now only 11 subspecies remain, five on Isabela Island, and the other six on Santiago, Santa Cruz, San Cristóbal, Pinzón, Española and Pinta. Of these, the Pinta Island subspecies is extinct in the wild and is represented by a single individual (Lonesome George). In the past, zoos took animals without knowing their island of origin. Production of fertile offspring from various pairings of tortoises largely confirmed that they are subspecies and not different species. All the subspecies of giant tortoise evolved in Galápagos from a common ancestor that arrived from the mainland, floating on the ocean currents (the tortoises can drift for long periods of time as they are buoyant and can stretch head upwards to breathe). Only a single pregnant female or breeding pair needed to arrive in this way, and then survive, for Galápagos to be colonised. In the seventeenth century, pirates started to use the Galápagos islands as a base for resupply, restocking on food, water and repairing vessels before attacking Spanish colonies on the South American mainland. The tortoises were collected and stored live on board ships where they could survive for at least a year without food or water, providing valuable fresh meat, whilst their diluted urine and water stored in their neck bags could also be used as drinking water. Of the meat, Darwin wrote: "the breast-plate roasted (as the Gauchos do 'carne con cuero'), with the flesh on it, is very good; and the young tortoises make excellent soup; but otherwise the meat to my taste is indifferent." In the nineteenth century, whaling ships and fur-sealers collected tortoises for food and many more were killed for high grade 'turtle oil' from the late 1800s onward. Darwin described this process thus: "beautifully clear oil is prepared from the fat. When a tortoise is caught, the man makes a slit in the skin near its tail, so as to see inside its body, whether the fat under the dorsal plate is thick. If it is not, the animal is liberated and it is said to recover soon from this strange operation." A total of over 15,000 tortoises is recorded in the logs of 105 whaling ships between 1811 and 1844. As hunters found it easiest to collect the tortoises living round the coastal zones, the least decimated populations tended to be those in the highlands. Population decline accelerated with the early settlement of the islands, when they were hunted for meat, their habitat was cleared for agriculture and alien mammal species were introduced. Feral pigs, dogs, cats and black rats are effective predators of eggs and young tortoises, whilst goats, donkeys and cattle compete for grazing. In the twentieth century, increasing human settlement and urbanisation and collection of tortoises for zoo and museum specimens depleted numbers even more. The Galápagos giant tortoise is now strictly protected. Young tortoises are raised in a programme by the Charles Darwin Research Station in order to bolster the numbers of the extant subspecies. Eggs are collected from places on the islands where they are threatened and when the tortoises hatch they are kept in captivity until they have reached a size that ensures a good chance of survival and are returned to their original ranges. The Galápagos National Park Service systematically culls feral predators and competitors where necessary such as the complete eradication of goats from Pinta. The conservation project begun in the 1970s successfully brought 10 of the 11 endangered subspecies up to guarded population levels. The most significant recovery was that of the Española Tortoise, whose breeding stock comprised 2 males and 11 females brought to the Darwin Station. Fortuitously, a third male was discovered at the San Diego Zoo and joined the others in a captive breeding program. These 13 tortoises gave rise to over 1000 tortoises now released into their home island. In all, 2500 individuals of all breeds have been reintroduced to the islands. However, persecution still continues on a much smaller scale; more than 120 tortoises have been killed by poachers since 1990 and they have been taken hostage as political leverage by local fishermen.
Santa Cruz
With the largest human population in the Galapagos archipelago, Isla Santa Cruz is the most important of the Galapagos Islands. Meaning Holy Cross in Spanish, this island is also known as Indefatigable, after the HMS Indefatigable landed here long ago. The second largest island terms of land area at 986 sq km, Isla Santa Cruz is home to the key town of Puerto Ayora, the Charles Darwin Research Station and the headquarters of the Galapagos National Park Service. With its own airport on Isla Baltra a few miles away, Isla Santa Cruz is where most visitors who come to the Galapagos Islands usually stay. With a number of bars, hotels, restaurants and shops in Puerto Ayora, most tours of the Archipelago also usually begin from here.
Galapagos Islands
The Galápagos Islands (official name: Archipiélago de Colón; other Spanish names: Islas de Colón or Islas Galápagos) are an archipelago of volcanic islands distributed around the equator in the Pacific Ocean, some 900 km west of Ecuador. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site: wildlife is its most notable feature. Because of the only very recent arrival of man the majority of the wildlife has no fear of humans and will allow visitors to walk right up them, often having to step over Iguanas or Sea Lions.The Galápagos islands and its surrounding waters are part of a province, a national park, and a biological marine reserve. The principal language on the islands is Spanish. The islands have a population of around 40,000, which is a 40-fold expansion in 50 years. The islands are geologically young and famed for their vast number of endemic species, which were studied by Charles Darwin during the voyage of the Beagle. His observations and collections contributed to the inception of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection.
1st June 2016 - OECD MCM 2016: Ceremony For the Launch of the OECD Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Programme
OECD, Paris, France.
Photo: OECD/Michael Dean
Sluishuis housing Amsterdam
At the place where urban, rural areas and water meet in Amsterdam IJburg, Sluishuis has been realised: the iconic housing project designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) and Barcode Architects. Sluishuis forms a welcoming entrance to Amsterdam IJburg. The volume is elevated on one side to allow the water into the courtyard and stepped down on the other side to make an inviting gesture towards IJburg with friendly green terraces. From every angle, you experience the Sluishuis volume differently. Whether you are standing on the dyke, motorway or bridge, walking across the jetties or public route over the roof, or even viewing the building from the air: Sluishuis knows how to surprise you from all sides. The residential programme consists of 442 apartments. Rental and owner-occupied homes alternate throughout the building and provide space for various target groups, income levels and age categories. All apartments are accessible via the central courtyard. There, the cantilever and the water welcome you to the building. Each home has optimal views and daylight thanks to the special shape of Sluishuis with its double-cut volume.
Sluishuis has a rich diversity of housing typologies, such as compact urban studios and water sports apartments. On the top two floors are duplex penthouses with both a relationship with the courtyard and a view over the IJmeer. Premium flats with luxurious and sunny wooden roof terraces with views over IJburg are located on the stepped part. Extra special are the apartments at the bottom of the cantilever, with stunning views over the IJ and directly on the water. What makes these apartments so unique is that they hang over the water and in the part of the floor that runs along with the sloping façade, there is a large window through which you can see the boats sail right underneath you. The plinth will accommodate a varied programme including a sailing school, water sports centre and restaurant with a spacious terrace in the sun. Residents and visitors enter through the courtyard. The walkway to the roof of Sluishuis offers visitors and residents a spectacular view of the water and the neighbourhood. There is also a jetty promenade with 34 houseboats around the building. The jetty landscape stimulates contact with the water with various mooring places, sitting decks, and floating gardens. The carefully designed landscape also stimulates flora and fauna with local plant species and a bird island. In this way, the plinth and the surrounding landscape form a high-quality addition to the environment.
In its materiality, the building seeks contrast but also a connection with its surroundings. In the material palette, natural materials have been chosen so that the building will have a rich and natural appearance over the years. The abstract, untreated aluminium of the façade reflects the water and gives the volume a different appearance at any time of day. In contrast, the stepped roof terraces and the jetty promenade are made of wood, which gives a tactile appearance. Sluishuis is one of the most sustainable buildings recently completed (2022). It has an energy performance coefficient (EPC) of -0.02. The building's heating requirements have been minimised by combining excellent insulation techniques, triple glazing and heat recovery from the ventilation systems and showers. The building is heated by a combination of energy-efficient district heating and heat pumps for hot water and cooling. The building's energy consumption for heating, heat pumps, ventilation and LED lighting is fully provided by approximately 2,200 m2 of solar panels. In addition to these technical aspects, a great deal of attention was paid to the greenery and water collection in the development of Sluishuis. At the front, sides and in the courtyard are gardens with local plant species. The greenery runs across the roof terraces upwards in built-in planters. On the roof, this creates a pleasant green atmosphere.
Client // Contractor
BESIX RED, VORM // Building consortium BESIX Nederland/VORM
Collaborators
BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group, BIG Landscape architecture, Van Rossum (structural engineer), Buro Bouwfysica (building physics), Klimaatgarant (sustainability), DWA
Year
2016 - 2022
Size
49.000m²
"Imagine" is a song written and performed by the English musician John Lennon. The best-selling single of his solo career, its lyrics encourage the listener to imagine a world at peace without the barriers of borders or the divisiveness of religions and nationalities, and to consider the possibility that the focus of humanity should be living a life unattached to material possessions.Lennon and Yoko Ono co-produced the song and album of the same name with Phil Spector. Recording began at Lennon's home studio at Tittenhurst Park, England, in May 1971, with final overdubs taking place at the Record Plant, in New York City, during July.Lennon and Ono co-produced the song and album with Phil Spector, who commented on the track: "We knew what we were going to do ... It was going to be John making a political statement, but a very commercial one as well ... I always thought that 'Imagine' was like the national anthem."[14] Lennon described his working arrangement with Ono and Spector: "Phil doesn't arrange or anything like that—[Ono] and Phil will just sit in the other room and shout comments like, 'Why don't you try this sound' or 'You're not playing the piano too well'... I'll get the initial idea and ... we'll just find a sound from [there]."[15]
Recording began at Ascot Sound Studios, Lennon's newly built home studio at Tittenhurst Park, in May 1971, with final overdubs taking place at the Record Plant, in New York City, during July.[15] Relaxed and patient, the sessions began during the late morning, running to just before dinner in the early evening. Lennon taught the musicians the chord progression and a working arrangement for "Imagine", rehearsing the song until he deemed the musicians ready to record.[4] In his attempt to recreate Lennon's desired sound, Spector had some early tapings feature Lennon and Nicky Hopkins playing in different octaves on one piano. He also initially attempted to record the piano part with Lennon playing the white baby grand in the couple's all-white room. However, after having deemed the room's acoustics unsuitable, Spector abandoned the idea in favour of the superior environment of Lennon's home studio.[5] They completed the session in minutes, recording three takes and choosing the second one for release.[16] The finished recording featured Lennon on piano and vocal, Klaus Voormann on bass guitar, Alan White on drums and the Flux Fiddlers on strings.[17]
Issued by Apple Records in the United States in October 1971, "Imagine" became the best-selling single of Lennon's solo career.[18] It peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100[19] and reached number one in Canada on the RPM national singles chart, remaining there for two weeks.[20] Upon its release the song's lyrics upset some religious groups, particularly the line: "Imagine there's no heaven".[21] When asked about the song during one of his final interviews, Lennon said he considered it to be as strong a composition as any he had written with the Beatles.[7] He described the song's meaning and explicated its commercial appeal: "Anti-religious, anti-nationalistic, anti-conventional, anti-capitalistic, but because it is sugarcoated it is accepted ... Now I understand what you have to do. Put your political message across with a little honey."[22] In an open letter to Paul McCartney published in Melody Maker, Lennon said that "Imagine" was "'Working Class Hero' with sugar on it for conservatives like yourself".[23] On 30 November 1971, the Imagine LP reached number one on the UK chart.[24] It became the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed album of Lennon's solo career. One month after the September release of the LP, Lennon released "Imagine" as a single in the United States; the song peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and the LP reached number one on the UK chart in November, later becoming the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed album of Lennon's solo career. Although not originally released as a single in the United Kingdom, it was released in 1975 to promote a compilation LP and it reached number six in the chart that year. The song has since sold more than 1.6 million copies in the UK; it reached number one following Lennon's death in December 1980.BMI named "Imagine" one of the 100 most-performed songs of the 20th century. The song ranked number 30 on the Recording Industry Association of America's list of the 365 Songs of the Century bearing the most historical significance. It earned a Grammy Hall of Fame Award and an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. A UK survey conducted by the Guinness World Records British Hit Singles Book named it the second best single of all time, and Rolling Stone ranked it number 3 in their list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Since 2005, event organisers have played it just before the New Year's Times Square Ball drops in New York City. Dozens of artists have performed or recorded versions of "Imagine", including Madonna, Stevie Wonder, Joan Baez, Elton John, and Diana Ross. Emeli Sandé recorded a cover for the BBC to use during the end credits montage at the close of the 2012 Summer Olympics coverage in August 2012. "Imagine" subsequently re-entered the UK Top 40, reaching number 18.A 1971 Billboard advertisement for "Imagine"
Lennon and Ono co-produced the song and album with Phil Spector, who commented on the track: "We knew what we were going to do ... It was going to be John making a political statement, but a very commercial one as well ... I always thought that 'Imagine' was like the national anthem."Lennon described his working arrangement with Ono and Spector: "Phil doesn't arrange or anything like that—[Ono] and Phil will just sit in the other room and shout comments like, 'Why don't you try this sound' or 'You're not playing the piano too well'... I'll get the initial idea and ... we'll just find a sound from [there]."Recording began at Ascot Sound Studios, Lennon's newly built home studio at Tittenhurst Park, in May 1971, with final overdubs taking place at the Record Plant, in New York City, during July. Relaxed and patient, the sessions began during the late morning, running to just before dinner in the early evening. Lennon taught the musicians the chord progression and a working arrangement for "Imagine", rehearsing the song until he deemed the musicians ready to record. In his attempt to recreate Lennon's desired sound, Spector had some early tapings feature Lennon and Nicky Hopkins playing in different octaves on one piano. He also initially attempted to record the piano part with Lennon playing the white baby grand in the couple's all-white room. However, after having deemed the room's acoustics unsuitable, Spector abandoned the idea in favour of the superior environment of Lennon's home studio. They completed the session in minutes, recording three takes and choosing the second one for release. The finished recording featured Lennon on piano and vocal, Klaus Voormann on bass guitar, Alan White on drums and the Flux Fiddlers on strings.Issued by Apple Records in the United States in October 1971, "Imagine" became the best-selling single of Lennon's solo career It peaked at number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. It reached number 1 in Canada on the RPM national singles chart, remaining there for two weeks.[16] Upon its release the song's lyrics upset some religious groups, particularly the line: "Imagine there's no heaven". When asked about the song during one of his final interviews, Lennon said he considered it to be as strong a composition as any he had written with the Beatles. He described the song's meaning and explicated its commercial appeal: "Anti-religious, anti-nationalistic, anti-conventional, anti-capitalistic, but because it is sugarcoated it is accepted ... Now I understand what you have to do. Put your political message across with a little honey." Lennon once told Paul McCartney that "Imagine" was "'Working Class Hero' with sugar on it for conservatives like yourself".[19] On 30 November 1971, the Imagine LP reached number one on the UK chart.[20] It became the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed album of Lennon's solo career.
Recognition and criticism
The John Lennon Peace Monument, Liverpool, England
Rolling Stone described "Imagine" as Lennon's "greatest musical gift to the world", praising "the serene melody; the pillowy chord progression; [and] that beckoning, four-note [piano] figure" Included in several song polls, in 1999, BMI named it one of the top 100 most-performed songs of the 20th century.] Also that year, it received the Grammy Hall of Fame Award and an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. Triple J ranked it number 11 on its Hottest 100 of All Time list. "Imagine" ranked number 23 in the list of best-selling singles of all time in the UK, in 2000.[32] In 2002, a UK survey conducted by the Guinness World Records British Hit Singles Book ranked it the second best single of all time behind Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody".[33] Gold Radio ranked the song number 3 on its "Gold's greatest 1000 hits" list.
Rolling Stone ranked "Imagine" number 3 on its list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time", describing it as "an enduring hymn of solace and promise that has carried us through extreme grief, from the shock of Lennon's own death in 1980 to the unspeakable horror of September 11th. It is now impossible to imagine a world without 'Imagine', and we need it more than he ever dreamed." Despite that sentiment, Clear Channel Communications included the song on its post-9/11 "do not play" list.On 1 January 2005, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation named "Imagine" the greatest song in the past 100 years as voted by listeners on the show 50 Tracks. The song ranked number 30 on the Recording Industry Association of America's list of the 365 Songs of the Century bearing the most historical significance. Virgin Radio conducted a UK favourite song survey in December 2005, and listeners voted "Imagine" number 1.[38] Australians selected it the greatest song of all time on the Nine Network's 20 to 1 countdown show on 12 September 2006. They voted it eleventh in the youth network Triple J's Hottest 100 Of All Time on 11 July 2009.Jimmy Carter said, "in many countries around the world—my wife and I have visited about 125 countries—you hear John Lennon's song 'Imagine' used almost equally with national anthems." On 9 October 2010, which would have been Lennon's 70th birthday, the Liverpool Signing Choir performed "Imagine" along with other Lennon songs at the unveiling of the John Lennon Peace Monument in Chavasse Park, Liverpool England. Beatles producer George Martin praised Lennon's solo work, singling out the composition: "My favourite song of all was 'Imagine'". Music critic Paul Du Noyer described "Imagine" as Lennon's "most revered" post-Beatles song. Urish and Bielen called it "the most subversive pop song recorded to achieve classic status."Fricke commented: "'Imagine' is a subtly contentious song, Lennon's greatest combined achievement as a balladeer and agitator."Authors Ben Urish and Ken Bielen criticised the song's instrumental music as overly sentimental and melodramatic, comparing it to the music of the pre-rock era and describing the vocal melody as understated. According to Blaney, Lennon's lyrics describe hypothetical possibilities that offer no practical solutions; lyrics that are at times nebulous and contradictory, asking the listener to abandon political systems while encouraging one similar to communism. Author Chris Ingham indicated the hypocrisy in Lennon, the millionaire rock star living in a mansion, encouraging listeners to imagine living their lives without possessions. Others argue that Lennon intended the song's lyrics to inspire listeners to imagine if the world could live without possessions, not as an explicit call to give them up Blaney commented: "Lennon knew he had nothing concrete to offer, so instead he offers a dream, a concept to be built upon."Blaney considered the song to be "riddled with contradictions. Its hymn-like setting sits uncomfortably alongside its author's plea for us to envision a world without religion." Urish and Bielen described Lennon's "dream world" without a heaven or hell as a call to "make the best world we can here and now, since this is all this is or will be." In their opinion, "because we are asked merely to imagine—to play a 'what if' game, Lennon can escape the harshest criticisms".Former Beatle Ringo Starr defended the song's lyrics during a 1981 interview with Barbara Walters, stating: "[Lennon] said 'imagine', that's all. Just imagine it."
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imagine_(John_Lennon_song)
Comment Imagine de John Lennon est devenu un hymne universel…Par Daniel Ichbiah Article écrit pour le magazine STARfan - janvier 2011
"Dans de nombreux pays du monde et j'en ai visité près de 125, vous pouvez entendre 'Imagine' presque aussi souvent que l'hymne national."Ainsi s'est exprimé l'ancien président américain Jimmy Carter en 2006.Comment la chanson de Lennon a-t-elle acquis ce statut mythique ?Au moment de sa sortie en 1971, le single Imagine a connu un joli succès. C'était une chanson agréable avec un jolie partie de piano, une mélodie agréable et un tempo lent.Tandis que la chanson passe alors sur les ondes du monde entier, peu d'attention est réellement prêtée à ses paroles. Or, "Imagine" , sous des dehors romantiques et calmes, est une chanson fortement subversive. Lennon y distille des propos qui vont à l'encontre des principales valeurs de la société Américaine..
"Imaginez qu'il n'y ait pas de pays"
"Ce n'est pas si difficile"
"Rien qui nécessite de tuer et de mourir"
"Et pas de religion non plus".
C'est dans un livre de poèmes publié par Yoko Ono, Grapefruit, que Lennon a dit avoir trouvé l'inspiration pour "Imagine". L'artiste japonaise y distillait des instructions pour une nouvelle vie, telles que "imagine que tu es un fruit."
"Imagine" se classe n°3 au hit parade américain et l'album atteint même la position n°1. Cet hymne à la paix atteint la troisième position du hit parade américain et lui permet de renouer avec le succès. Pourtant, sur le moment, son message semble se diluer dans la quiétude des harmonies. Une jolie chanson, voilà tout.
C'est au fil du temps que "Imagine" va acquérir un statut particulier. Plus le temps passe et plus il semble qu'elle représente davantage qu'une chanson, qu'elle soit un hymne à part entière avec un message transcendant le temps…
Le 8 décembre 1980, Lennon est interviewé par Dave Sholin, un DJ de la station RKO. Au même moment, un désaxé fait le guet devant l'immeuble Dakota où réside le couple Lennon, son revolver enfoui dans une poche de sa parka. Au terme d'un cheminement intérieur chaotique, Chapman a fini par se persuader qu'il lui fallait éliminer John…C'est en quittant ce monde que Lennon révèle combien il était précieux. Quelques jours après sa disparition, cent mille fans se réunissent dans Central Park et devant l'immeuble Dakota dans un ultime hommage au Beatle disparu. Tous chantent l'hymne pour la paix "Give peace a chance". 10 minutes de silence sont observées et des milliers de ballons blancs sont libérés dans le ciel.Pour sa part, la ville de New York tient à célébrer la mémoire de Lennon à plus grande échelle. À Central Park, près de l'immeuble où habitait Lennon, une mosaïque est placée sur le sol avec ce mot "Imagine".
En Angleterre, le single était sorti en 1975 mais n'avait atteint que la 6ème position. Peu après la mort de Lennon en 1980, il ressort et se classe classe n°1 durant trois semaines. Il n'est délogé que par Lennon lui-même et le single "Woman".
En 1982, WABC, l'une des principales radios américaine - elle est née en 1921 - décide de changer de format et de ne plus diffuser de chansons, uniquement des talk-shows. Un long débat est organisé en interne afin de décider de la toute dernière chanson qui sera jouée par la station. C'est "Imagine" qui est choisi.Au cours de l'année 1988, le film Imagine : John Lennon retrace l'histoire du chanteur et remet la chanson au goût du jour. Il inclut une séquence où Lennon interprète ce titre sur son grand piano blanc Steinway.
Dans le très populaire film Forrest Gump qui sort en 1994, grâce à la magie de l'image de synthèse, Tom Hanks se retrouve face à John Lennon dans un show télévisé et le chanteur parle d'un endroit où il n'y aurait "pas de possessions", "pas de religions". La référence à la chanson fétiche de Lennon apparaît explicite.
Plus les années s'écoulent et plus il apparaît que la popularité de "Imagine" est devenue universelle et ne cesse de grandir. À l'occasion du changement de millenium, alors que les classements se multiplient, il va progressivement ressortir que"Imagine"occupe une place particulière dans le cœur du public.En 2002, Guiness World Records organise une enquête pour connaître le single préféré des britanniques. "Imagine" termine n°2 derrière "Bohemian Rhapsody" du groupe Queen.Le 9 décembre 2004, le magazine Rolling Stone publie sa liste des 500 meilleures chansons de tous les temps. "Imagine" y est classé à la 3ème position derrière "Like a Rolling Stone"de Bob Dylan et "Satisfaction" des Rolling Stones, loin devant la première chanson des Beatles figurant dans ce classement, "Hey Jude" qui est à la 8ème position.Au Canada, un sondage est mené la même année afin de déterminer la meilleure chanson des 100 dernières années. C'est "Imagine" qui arrive en tête. Un an plus tard, Virgin Radio conduit un sondage auprès du public britannique et là encore, c'est "Imagine" qui se classe n°1, devant "Hey Jude" des Beatles. En Australie, rebelotte : le 12 septembre 2006, "Imagine" est votée meilleure chanson de tous les temps."La chanson fait par ailleurs l'objet de très nombreuses reprises et assez souvent au cours d'occasions de soutien à une cause humanitaire. Le 21 septembre 2001, Neil Young l'interprète au cours d'un télethon organisé au profit des victimes de l'attaque sur les deux tours. Madonna intègre la chanson "Imagine" au programme de son Re-invention Tour de 2004 et la chante lors d'un concert en aide aux victimes du tsunami, le 15 janvier 2005 à Londres, concert auquel participent Norah Jones, Mary J. Bilge, Elton John, Lenny Kravitz, Stevie Wonder… Pour l'occasion Madonnna cite Lennon parmi les personnalités auxquelles elle aimerait ressembler. La chanson est également reprise par Liza Minelli, Randy Crawford, Jack Johnson, Herbie Hancock et le groupe A Perfect Circle.Fait rare, la chanson obtient une reconnaissance de la part de politiciens et gouvernants. Le 8 décembre 2000, une statue de John Lennon est inaugurée au Havana Park de Cuba et pour l'occasion le président Fidel Castro rend hommage au chanteur en indiquant :"Je partage totalement ses rêves".
En 2003, pour célébrer le 80ème anniversaire de Shimon Peres, Bill Clinton chante"Imagine"en compagnie de 40 enfants israéliens et 40 enfants arabes. Trois ans plus tard, un autre ancien président américain, Carter déclare qu'au cours de ses parcours dans le monde, c'est "Imagine" qu'il entend le plus souvent, davantage que l'hymne national du pays !Lennon qui souhaitait laisser derrière lui un message de fraternité universel pouvait-il rêver mieux ?Daniel Ichbiah
Display in the Theatre of past Posters/Flyers/Programmes
The Winter Gardens Morecambe opened in 1897 as the Victoria Pavillion Concert Hall and Variety Theatre, as an extension to the existing Winter Gardens Complex which opened in 1878. Over the years it was the home of the internationally renowned Morecambe Music Festival, played host to Sir Edward Elgar, the Halle Orchestra and many others from variety, music and theatre. From The Who to Dame Julie Andrews, Chung Ling Soo to Lawrence Olivier, the venue’s history is a roll call of stars of popular music and variety theatre.
Built as both a concert hall and variety theatre, its 2500 capacity was one of the largest in the North West and it quickly became known as the Albert Hall of the North. With its lavish interiors, striking architectural features and a view to rival the bay of Naples, the Winter Gardens was at the heart of a thriving seaside resort. By the mid-1970s, its fortunes were in decline and by 1977, the decision was taken to close the whole complex, culminating in 1982 with the demolition of the original Winter Gardens leaving only the Theatre remaining and in a perilous position.
However, a group of dedicated people formed the Friends of the Winter Gardens and have worked together since then with one aim to reopen the building that was once at the heart of Morecambe both architecturally and as a centre for culture and entertainment. With the formation of the Preservation Trust in 2006, ownership of the Winter Gardens was transferred to the charitable body who have spent years cleaning, restoring, and fundraising to continue this aim. Now under new governance, the Preservation Trust with the help of our restoration volunteers and the Friends of the Winter Gardens are a step closer to those dreams of many decades ago to finally restoring this remarkable Grade II* listed building. [Winter Gardens Website]
[NB. Mouseover Photo to View Names]
Here in the UK, it's on 'channel 5 Mondays @ 22:00 and repeated on Friday @ 22:00. great programme. [Update]... [In June 2007 Sky has bought prision break of uk terrestial 'channel 5' and will be showing 'Prison Break 3' on 'Sky1'.]
Please Add your comment/s, views etc about *Prison Break*.... at the bottom of this page! NB.[Please NO swearing, cursing/cussing etc. Thank You!]
and for *LOST*, click link below ↓
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For Photo of Lost Cast: Click Here... Photo of Lost Cast.
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The real-life representation of the 'Fox River' Prison is... Joliet Prison More Info on Joliet Prison
And Brazil's Carandiru Penitentiary, was the inspiration for 'Sona' More info on Carandiru Penitentiary
So if you want to watch 'Prision Break 3' you'll have to buy yourself a satalite dish since ['Ntl now Virgin Media' ] viewers can't watch 'prison break 3' on cable tv anymore, because 'Sky' has fallen out with Virgin Media' ['Money reasons' what else?] and no longer shows free to view sky channels ie. 'sky1,sky2, etc. on cable tv. So there you have it folks. NO Prison Break 3 on Virgin Media, but you could always watch...
Watch Free Online: Prison Break Seasons: One Two Three & Four, Here
Also Watch: Prison Break Episodes Here 'Free Online'
[The best secular show on tv, if you agree say so in comment]
Summary on Prison Break, seasons One Two Three & Four [Wikipedia] Prison Break seasons 1, 2, 3 & 4 And Check here for more Info>>> IMDB on Prison Break<<<IMDB on Prison Break.
**UPDATE**... As from 13/11/08 Sky 1,2,3, etc. are back on Virgin Media. Sky & Virgin Media have come to some sort of an agreement... So Prision Break is on Sky One on Tuesdays @ 22:00-23:00 and repeated on: Wednesdays @ 23:00-00:00 & Mondays @ 01:00-02:00
**UPDATE**... On Tueday 19th May 2009 on Sky1 saw the end of prison break after running for 4yrs. Prison break came to a sad ending with the death of... Michael Scofield. Scene moves to 4 years later, with his girlfriend Sara Tancredi his son 'Michael Junior', his brother 'Lincoln Burrows', Fernando Sucre and Alexander Mahone visiting Michael Scofield grave. *BUT* is he really dead I'll have to watch the special series next week on the 4 missing years.
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Prison Break Cast
-------------------------
Wentworth Miller: Michael Scofield
Dominic Purcell: Lincoln Burrows
William Fichtner: Alexander Mahone
Robin Tunney: Veronica Donovan
Sarah Wayne Callies: Dr. Sara Tancredi
Peter Stormare: John Abruzzi
Amaury Nolasco: Sucre
Wade Williams: Bellick
Marshall Allman: LJ
Stacy Keach: Warden Pope
Robert Knepper: T-Bag
Muse Watson: Charles Westmoreland
Paul Adelstein: Agent Kellerman
Rockmond Dunbar: C-Note
Lane Garrison: Tweener
Silas Weir Mitchell: Charles `Haywire' Patoshik
John Heard: Gov. Frank Tancredi
Patricia Wettig: Vice President Caroline Reynolds
Frank Grillo: Nick Savrinn
Michelle Forbes: Samantha Brinker
Joseph Nunez: Manche Sanchez
Chris Vance: Whistler/Gary Miller
Jodi Lyn O'Keefe: Susan B./Gretchen Morgan
Robert Wisdom: Lechero/Norman St. John
Leon Russom: Gen. Jonathan Krantz (Pad Man)
Cress Williams: Wyatt
James Hiroyuki Liao: Roland Glenn
Michael Rapaport: Don Self
Prison Break Credits
----------------------------
Bobby Roth: Director
Brett Ratner: Executive Producer
Bryan Spicer: Director
Craig Ross Jr.: Director
Dawn Parouse: Executive Producer
Dean White: Director
Dwight Little: Director
Eric Laneuville: Director
Greg Yaitanes: Director
Guy Ferland: Director
Jonathan Glassner: Director
Karen Gaviola: Director
Kevin Hooks: Executive Producer
Mark Helfrich: Director
Marty Adelstein: Executive Producer
Matt Olmstead: Executive Producer
Michael Switzer: Director
Milan Cheylov: Director
Neal H. Mortiz: Executive Producer
Neal Moritz: Executive Producer
Nelson McCormick: Director
Paul T. Scheuring: Executive Producer
Peter O'Fallon: Director
Sergio Mimica-Gezzan: Director
Vincent Misiano: Director
Nicholas Wootton: Writer
Paul Scheuring: Writer
Prison Break Guest Cast
----------------------------------
Adina Porter: Leticia Barris
Al Sapienza: Philly Falzone
Al Vicente: Flaco
Alan Ackles: Manager
Alex Daniels: Cop
Alex Fernandez: Capt. Hurtado
Alex Meneses: Chi Chi
Alexandra Lydon: Ann
Alexandra Lydon: Cop/Ann
Amanda Tosch: Alexa
Amy Chaffee: Marjorie Swift
Andrew Borba: Dr. Peter Chaffin
Angela Martinez: Reporter
Anthony Azizi: Naveen Banerjee
Anthony Azizi: Naveen Benerjee
Anthony Starke: Sebastian
Barbara Eve Harris: Felicia Lang
Barbara Eve Harris: Lang
Beau Dremann: Chicago Cop
Bill Doyle: Lt. Bernitz
Bill Fichtner: Alexander Mahone
Bill Stevenson: Office Worker
Blaine Hogan: Seth
Bonnie Burroughs: Nurse
Brad Fleischer: Pop Pop
Brad Hawkins: Tough Guy No. 2
Brandon Smith: Warden Ed Pavelka
Brian Hamman: May Tag
Brian Poth: Brian Anderson
Bruno Gioiello: Miami Cop
Callie Thorne: Pam Mahone
Callie Thorne: Pamela Mahone
Camille Guaty: Maricruz
Camille Guaty: Maricruz Delgado
Carlo Alban: McGrady
Carlo Alban: McGrady/Luis Gallego
Carlos Navarro: Police Captain
Carlos Sanchez: Guard
Carol Farabee: Patty Wallace
Castulo Guerra: Gen. Zavala
Channon Roe: Robber
Charles Emmett: Casino Detective
Charles Van Eman: American Consul
Chelcie Ross: Bishop Morrow
Cheryl Bricker: Mrs. Edison
Chris Nelson Norris: Limo Driver
Christian Bowman: Agent
Christian Bowman: Agent King
Christian Bowman: Company Agent
Christopher Berry: Chuck
Clint Jung: Shan Xing
Conor O'Farrell: Agent Miller
Crystal Allen: Tia Hayden
Cullen Douglas
Dameon Clarke: Andrew Blauner
Damon Carney: Mysterious Man
Damon Carney: Young Man
Dan Sachoff: Aide
Dan Sachoff: Pad Man's Aide
Danay Garcia: Sofia
Danay Garcia: Sofia Lugo
Daniel Allar: Avocado
Daniel Allar: Avocado Balz-Johnson
Daniel J. Travanti: President Richard Mills
Daniel Zacapa: Priest
Danny McCarthy: Special Agent Hale
Darin Heames: Shep (Roland Winston Shepard)
Darryl Alan Reed: Attendant (Charlie)
David Clennon: Sen. Conrad Dallow
David Garza: Faretaker
David Grant Wright: Announcer
David Marriott: Agent No. 1
David Parker: Trucker
David Stokey: Junior Counsel
Deanna Dunagan: Judy Pope
Demi Lovato: Danielle Curtin
Denise Crosby: Doctor
Dennis Cockrum: Stember
Derek Phillips: Field Cop
Diana Scarwid: Jeanette Owens
Dominic Keating: Andrew Tyge
Dominic Keating: Tyge
Dominic Pace: Soldier
Dylan Kenin: Clozza
Elimu Nelson: Guard
Elise Ballard: Midwestern Mom
Eric A. Payne: Agent No. 1
Erin Spencer: Erica
F.J. Rio: Augusto
Gary Grubbs: Sen. Phil Lemon
Geoffrey Rivas: Sgt. Salinas
George LePorte: Tech
Gianni Russo: Smallhouse
Gocha Chertkoev: Russian Inmate
Graham McTavish: Ferguson
Grover Coulson: Guillermo Prismaticos
Gwendolyn T. Oliver: Passerby
Heather McComb: Rita
Hector Atreyu Ruiz: Bartender
Holly Valance: Nika Volek
Ian Bohen: Darrin Hooks
Ingrid Sanai Buron: Office Worker
Ivar Brogger: Vincent Sandinsky
J.B. Blanc: Jerry Curtin
J.D. Evermore: Kyle `Woody' Woodling
Jack Gould: Old Farmer Guy
Jack Watkins: Off. Grady
Jad Mager: Mark
Jamison Haase: Damani
Jason Davis: Mark Wheeler
Jason Davis: Wheeler
Jason Douglas: Highway Patrolman
Javon Johnson: C.O. J.J.
Jeff Perry: Terrence Steadman
Jennifer Hetrick: Elaine Baker
Jennifer Joan Taylor: Becky
Jessalyn Gilsig: Lisa
Jesse D. Goins: Hotel Manager
Joe Basile: Agent
Joe Holt: Pistachio/Stash
Joe Holt: Stash
Joe Inscoe: Lyle Sands
Joe Minoso: Chaz Fink
Joe Perez: Clerk
Joe Sikora
Joel Stoffer: Old Man Bagwell
John Billingsley
John Davies: Elliott Pike
John Elliott: Company Agent
John Getz: Dr. Roger Knowlton
John Judd: Ben Forsik
John Rosenfeld: Jason Lief
John S. Davies: Agent Elliot Pike
John S. Davies: Agent Elliott Pike
John Sanderford: Edison
John Turk: Turk
Jose Zuniga: Coyote
Jude Ciccolella: Howard Scuderi
Julio Cesar Cedillo: Gen. Mestas
K.K. Dodds
K.K. Dodds: Susan Hollander
Kaley Cuoco: Sasha
Karl Makinen: Derek Sweeney
Karly Rothenberg: Clerk
Kathleen Quinlan: Christina
Kathleen Quinlan: Christina Schofield
Kathleen Quinlan: Christina Scofield
Keith Diamond: Tim Giles
Keith Szarabajka: David Allen Baker
Kelli Kirkland Powers: Teller
Kelvin Han Yee: Surgeon
Kendall Clement: Cabbie
Kevin Dunn: Cooper Green
Kevin Kelly: Officer Phil Weston
Kevin Sizemore: Harlan
Kevin Will: Guard
Kim Coates: Richard Sullins
Kim Coates: Sullins
Kiran Rao: Embassy Guard
Kirk B.R. Woller: Richard Sooter
Kristin Lehman: Jane Phillips
Kurt Caceres: Hector
Kwame Amoaku: Stroker
Larry Brantley: Realtor
Laurence Mason: Sammy
Lee Reherman: Deckard
Leo Marks: Greg Rydenour
Linara Washington: Jenae Conlin
Marc Macaulay: Mr. Ives
Mark Berry: Detective
Mark Chaet: Bank Manager
Mark Harelik: Marty Gregg
Mark Morettini: C.O. Rizzo
Mark Oliver: Detention Center Official
Mark Pellegrino: Patrick Vikan
Mark Stoddard: Trooper No. 2
Marshall Manesh: Nandu Banerjee
Mat Greer: Ticket Checker
Matt DeCaro: C.O. Geary
Matt DeCaro: Roy Geary
Matthew Jones: Federal Agent
Melissa Marsala: Maricruz Delgado
Michael Bryan French: Gregory White
Michael Cudlitz: Bob
Michael Gaston: Quinn
Michael McGrady: Capt. Hutchinson
Michael O'Neill: Herb Stanton
Michael Stoyanov: Mark Fletcher
Michael Wiseman: Det. Conor Mara
Michelle Marsh: Constituent
Mike Gomez: Panama Jack
Mike Jones
Mike Jones: Darius
Mike Siegel: Pilot
Monti Sharp: Phil Stroger
Morgana Shaw: Ticket Agent
Morocco Omari: Ron
Naima Imani Lett: Receptionist
Nick Lopez: Newbie No. 1
Ora Jones: Wendy
Paul Mitchell Wright: Sasha's Father
Paul Taylor: Government Spook
Peter Reinemann: Gus
Ramon Franco: Raul Darinda
Raphael Sbarge: Ralph Becker
Ravil Isyanov: Wyatt
Reggie Lee: Bill Kim
Reno Wilson: Agent Wilson Wright
Reno Wilson: Agent Wright
Rey Gallegos: Cristobal
Rey Hernandez: Ernesto
Rich Komenich: Maggio
Richard Zavaglia: Mobster Thug
Roberto Sanchez: Rubin
Robin Robinson: Interviewer
Roderick Peeples: Fibonnaci
Romy Rosemont: Det. Kathryn Slattery
Ron Yuan: Feng
Ron Yuan: Feng Huan
Ron Yuan: Feng Yuan
Ryan Gesell: Public Defender
S.E. Perry: Bailiff
Sandra Marquez: Mrs. Delgado
Scott Jaeck: Trenchcoat
Sean Hennigan: Judge
Shannon Lucio: Tishanne
Shannon Lucio: Trishanne
Shaun Duke: Griffen Oren
Shaun Duke: Griffin Oren
Sky Soleil: Colorado Cop
Sonny Franks: Harold Jenkins
Stacy Haiduk: Lisa Tabak
Stacy Hall: Solo Uni
Steve Coulter: Detective
Steve Tom: Stuart Tuxhorn
Steve Tom: Tuxhorn
Stuart Greer: Grace's Father
Sylva Kelegian: Denise
T.A. Taylor: Pick-Up Driver
Tara Karsian: Georgie
Taylor Nichols: Dr. Erik Stammel
Ted King: Downey
Terry Woodberry: Orderly
Thomas Lumberg Jr.: Agent No. 2
Tim deZarn: Salty Vet
Tina Holmes: Kristine Pace
Titus Welliver: The Representative
Titus Welliver: The Representative/Scott Carruth
Todd Terry: Aide
Tom Choi: Driver
Tom Choi: Feng's Driver
Tom Clark: Keith
Tom McElroy: Reverend Mailor
Tommy G. Kendrick: Dive Shop Owner
Tony Denison: Aldo Burrows
Tony Denison: Dad/Aldo Burrows
Tracey Walter: Janitor
Travis Willingham: Soldier
Troy Ruptash: Jasper Potts
Van Quattro: Sheriff No. 1
Vince Davis: Priest
Wayne Lopez: Embassy Guard
Wilbur Fitzgerald: Bruce Bennett
William Charlton: Sam Middleton
William Mapother: Agent Chris Franco
William Mapother: Agent Franco
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My other Flickr Sites: Jimmy MacDonald [2] Jimmy MacDonald [3]
My Website: Jimmy MacDonald's Website
My YouTube Chanel: Jimmy MacDonald's YouTube
My Blog: Profiles Blog
My Flickr Group Photos: Christians in Prayer & Worship
Guestbook: View/Sign Guestbook
Photo Guestbook: View/Sign Photo Guestbook
Colibri à gorge rubis / Archilochus colubris / Ruby-throated Hummingbird
© Richard Dumoulin 2011 - Tous droits réservés
La programmation normale sur les renards reprendra sous peu.... veuillez nous excuser pour ce contretemps (trop d'oiseaux à photographier et il fait super beau :) ).
The normal programmation on the fox will be continued soon (too much bird to photography and the weather is perfect!)
Sluishuis housing Amsterdam
At the place where urban, rural areas and water meet in Amsterdam IJburg, Sluishuis has been realised: the iconic housing project designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) and Barcode Architects. Sluishuis forms a welcoming entrance to Amsterdam IJburg. The volume is elevated on one side to allow the water into the courtyard and stepped down on the other side to make an inviting gesture towards IJburg with friendly green terraces. From every angle, you experience the Sluishuis volume differently. Whether you are standing on the dyke, motorway or bridge, walking across the jetties or public route over the roof, or even viewing the building from the air: Sluishuis knows how to surprise you from all sides. The residential programme consists of 442 apartments. Rental and owner-occupied homes alternate throughout the building and provide space for various target groups, income levels and age categories. All apartments are accessible via the central courtyard. There, the cantilever and the water welcome you to the building. Each home has optimal views and daylight thanks to the special shape of Sluishuis with its double-cut volume.
Sluishuis has a rich diversity of housing typologies, such as compact urban studios and water sports apartments. On the top two floors are duplex penthouses with both a relationship with the courtyard and a view over the IJmeer. Premium flats with luxurious and sunny wooden roof terraces with views over IJburg are located on the stepped part. Extra special are the apartments at the bottom of the cantilever, with stunning views over the IJ and directly on the water. What makes these apartments so unique is that they hang over the water and in the part of the floor that runs along with the sloping façade, there is a large window through which you can see the boats sail right underneath you. The plinth will accommodate a varied programme including a sailing school, water sports centre and restaurant with a spacious terrace in the sun. Residents and visitors enter through the courtyard. The walkway to the roof of Sluishuis offers visitors and residents a spectacular view of the water and the neighbourhood. There is also a jetty promenade with 34 houseboats around the building. The jetty landscape stimulates contact with the water with various mooring places, sitting decks, and floating gardens. The carefully designed landscape also stimulates flora and fauna with local plant species and a bird island. In this way, the plinth and the surrounding landscape form a high-quality addition to the environment.
In its materiality, the building seeks contrast but also a connection with its surroundings. In the material palette, natural materials have been chosen so that the building will have a rich and natural appearance over the years. The abstract, untreated aluminium of the façade reflects the water and gives the volume a different appearance at any time of day. In contrast, the stepped roof terraces and the jetty promenade are made of wood, which gives a tactile appearance. Sluishuis is one of the most sustainable buildings recently completed (2022). It has an energy performance coefficient (EPC) of -0.02. The building's heating requirements have been minimised by combining excellent insulation techniques, triple glazing and heat recovery from the ventilation systems and showers. The building is heated by a combination of energy-efficient district heating and heat pumps for hot water and cooling. The building's energy consumption for heating, heat pumps, ventilation and LED lighting is fully provided by approximately 2,200 m2 of solar panels. In addition to these technical aspects, a great deal of attention was paid to the greenery and water collection in the development of Sluishuis. At the front, sides and in the courtyard are gardens with local plant species. The greenery runs across the roof terraces upwards in built-in planters. On the roof, this creates a pleasant green atmosphere.
Client // Contractor
BESIX RED, VORM // Building consortium BESIX Nederland/VORM
Collaborators
BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group, BIG Landscape architecture, Van Rossum (structural engineer), Buro Bouwfysica (building physics), Klimaatgarant (sustainability), DWA
Year
2016 - 2022
Size
49.000m²
The seventh issue of the Transport Age magazine, issued by the British Transport Commission and so covering all aspects of the BTC's remit that, at the time, included rail, bus and coach, road services, docks, harbour and canal services.
On British Railways there was in the mid-1950s onwards a period of heavy investment in 'modernising' the war-tired and utility starved post-war railway, newly nationalised in 1948. The impact of many elements of the 'Modernisation Plan' continue to be debated to this day but on the infrastructure side, as well as the ongoing closure programme, the BTC did authorise some large scale schemes of increasing capacity at pinch points on the railway such as on the East Coast Main LIne north of London and here, between Shortlands and Swanley on the Southern Region. The image shows the excavations for track widening being undertaken by contractors G Wimpey whilst a Southern Region (ex-Southern Railway) EMU travels past. An excavator digs back the shallow cutting, loading spoil into a lorry.
I suppose one startling element, to our 'modern eyes', is the relative lack of protection between the operational railway and the work!
The Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, is located on New Bridge Street West. The gallery was designed in the Baroque style with Art Nouveau elements by architects Cackett & Burns Dick and is now a Grade II listed building. It was opened in 1904 and is now managed by Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums and sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. In front of the gallery is the Blue Carpet. The building, which was financed by a gift from a local wine merchant, Alexander Laing, is Grade II listed.
The gallery collection contains paintings, watercolours and decorative historical objects, including Newcastle silver. In the early 1880s, Newcastle was a major glass producer in the world and enamelled glasses by William Beilby are on view along with ceramics (including Maling pottery), and diverse contemporary works by emerging UK artists. It has a programme of regularly rotating exhibitions and has free entry.
The gallery's collection of paintings includes John Martin's dramatic The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, as well as works by Sir Joshua Reynolds, Edward Burne-Jones (Laus Veneris), Isabella and the Pot of Basil from 1868 by William Holman Hunt, and Ben Nicholson. Local paintings include pictures by Ralph Hedley. There is also a collection of 18th- and 19th-century watercolours and drawings, including work by J. M. W. Turner and John Sell Cotman.[
Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle is a cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is located on the River Tyne's northern bank, opposite Gateshead to the south. It is the most populous settlement in the Tyneside conurbation and North East England.
Newcastle developed around a Roman settlement called Pons Aelius, the settlement became known as Monkchester before taking on the name of a castle built in 1080 by William the Conqueror's eldest son, Robert Curthose. It was one of the world's largest ship building and repair centres during the industrial revolution. Newcastle was part of the county of Northumberland until 1400, when it separated and formed a county of itself. In 1974, Newcastle became part of Tyne and Wear. Since 2018, the city council has been part of the North of Tyne Combined Authority.
The history of Newcastle upon Tyne dates back almost 2,000 years, during which it has been controlled by the Romans, the Angles and the Norsemen amongst others. Newcastle upon Tyne was originally known by its Roman name Pons Aelius. The name "Newcastle" has been used since the Norman conquest of England. Due to its prime location on the River Tyne, the town developed greatly during the Middle Ages and it was to play a major role in the Industrial Revolution, being granted city status in 1882. Today, the city is a major retail, commercial and cultural centre.
Roman settlement
The history of Newcastle dates from AD 122, when the Romans built the first bridge to cross the River Tyne at that point. The bridge was called Pons Aelius or 'Bridge of Aelius', Aelius being the family name of Roman Emperor Hadrian, who was responsible for the Roman wall built across northern England along the Tyne–Solway gap. Hadrian's Wall ran through present-day Newcastle, with stretches of wall and turrets visible along the West Road, and at a temple in Benwell. Traces of a milecastle were found on Westgate Road, midway between Clayton Street and Grainger Street, and it is likely that the course of the wall corresponded to present-day Westgate Road. The course of the wall can be traced eastwards to the Segedunum Roman fort at Wallsend, with the fort of Arbeia down-river at the mouth of the Tyne, on the south bank in what is now South Shields. The Tyne was then a wider, shallower river at this point and it is thought that the bridge was probably about 700 feet (210 m) long, made of wood and supported on stone piers. It is probable that it was sited near the current Swing Bridge, due to the fact that Roman artefacts were found there during the building of the latter bridge. Hadrian himself probably visited the site in 122. A shrine was set up on the completed bridge in 123 by the 6th Legion, with two altars to Neptune and Oceanus respectively. The two altars were subsequently found in the river and are on display in the Great North Museum in Newcastle.
The Romans built a stone-walled fort in 150 to protect the river crossing which was at the foot of the Tyne Gorge, and this took the name of the bridge so that the whole settlement was known as Pons Aelius. The fort was situated on a rocky outcrop overlooking the new bridge, on the site of the present Castle Keep. Pons Aelius is last mentioned in 400, in a Roman document listing all of the Roman military outposts. It is likely that nestling in the shadow of the fort would have been a small vicus, or village. Unfortunately, no buildings have been detected; only a few pieces of flagging. It is clear that there was a Roman cemetery near Clavering Place, behind the Central station, as a number of Roman coffins and sarcophagi have been unearthed there.
Despite the presence of the bridge, the settlement of Pons Aelius was not particularly important among the northern Roman settlements. The most important stations were those on the highway of Dere Street running from Eboracum (York) through Corstopitum (Corbridge) and to the lands north of the Wall. Corstopitum, being a major arsenal and supply centre, was much larger and more populous than Pons Aelius.
Anglo-Saxon development
The Angles arrived in the North-East of England in about 500 and may have landed on the Tyne. There is no evidence of an Anglo-Saxon settlement on or near the site of Pons Aelius during the Anglo-Saxon age. The bridge probably survived and there may well have been a small village at the northern end, but no evidence survives. At that time the region was dominated by two kingdoms, Bernicia, north of the Tees and ruled from Bamburgh, and Deira, south of the Tees and ruled from York. Bernicia and Deira combined to form the kingdom of Northanhymbra (Northumbria) early in the 7th century. There were three local kings who held the title of Bretwalda – 'Lord of Britain', Edwin of Deira (627–632), Oswald of Bernicia (633–641) and Oswy of Northumbria (641–658). The 7th century became known as the 'Golden Age of Northumbria', when the area was a beacon of culture and learning in Europe. The greatness of this period was based on its generally Christian culture and resulted in the Lindisfarne Gospels amongst other treasures. The Tyne valley was dotted with monasteries, with those at Monkwearmouth, Hexham and Jarrow being the most famous. Bede, who was based at Jarrow, wrote of a royal estate, known as Ad Murum, 'at the Wall', 12 miles (19 km) from the sea. It is thought that this estate may have been in what is now Newcastle. At some unknown time, the site of Newcastle came to be known as Monkchester. The reason for this title is unknown, as we are unaware of any specific monasteries at the site, and Bede made no reference to it. In 875 Halfdan Ragnarsson, the Danish Viking conqueror of York, led an army that attacked and pillaged various monasteries in the area, and it is thought that Monkchester was also pillaged at this time. Little more was heard of it until the coming of the Normans.
Norman period
After the arrival of William the Conqueror in England in 1066, the whole of England was quickly subjected to Norman rule. However, in Northumbria there was great resistance to the Normans, and in 1069 the newly appointed Norman Earl of Northumbria, Robert de Comines and 700 of his men were killed by the local population at Durham. The Northumbrians then marched on York, but William was able to suppress the uprising. That same year, a second uprising occurred when a Danish fleet landed in the Humber. The Northumbrians again attacked York and destroyed the garrison there. William was again able to suppress the uprising, but this time he took revenge. He laid waste to the whole of the Midlands and the land from York to the Tees. In 1080, William Walcher, the Norman bishop of Durham and his followers were brutally murdered at Gateshead. This time Odo, bishop of Bayeux, William's half brother, devastated the land between the Tees and the Tweed. This was known as the 'Harrying of the North'. This devastation is reflected in the Domesday Book. The destruction had such an effect that the North remained poor and backward at least until Tudor times and perhaps until the Industrial Revolution. Newcastle suffered in this respect with the rest of the North.
In 1080 William sent his eldest son, Robert Curthose, north to defend the kingdom against the Scots. After his campaign, he moved to Monkchester and began the building of a 'New Castle'. This was of the "motte-and-bailey" type of construction, a wooden tower on top of an earthen mound (motte), surrounded by a moat and wooden stockade (bailey). It was this castle that gave Newcastle its name. In 1095 the Earl of Northumbria, Robert de Mowbray, rose up against the king, William Rufus, and Rufus sent an army north to recapture the castle. From then on the castle became crown property and was an important base from which the king could control the northern barons. The Northumbrian earldom was abolished and a Sheriff of Northumberland was appointed to administer the region. In 1091 the parish church of St Nicholas was consecrated on the site of the present Anglican cathedral, close by the bailey of the new castle. The church is believed to have been a wooden building on stone footings.
Not a trace of the tower or mound of the motte and bailey castle remains now. Henry II replaced it with a rectangular stone keep, which was built between 1172 and 1177 at a cost of £1,444. A stone bailey, in the form of a triangle, replaced the previous wooden one. The great outer gateway to the castle, called 'the Black Gate', was built later, between 1247 and 1250, in the reign of Henry III. There were at that time no town walls and when attacked by the Scots, the townspeople had to crowd into the bailey for safety. It is probable that the new castle acted as a magnet for local merchants because of the safety it provided. This in turn would help to expand trade in the town. At this time wool, skins and lead were being exported, whilst alum, pepper and ginger were being imported from France and Flanders.
Middle Ages
Throughout the Middle Ages, Newcastle was England's northern fortress, the centre for assembled armies. The Border war against Scotland lasted intermittently for several centuries – possibly the longest border war ever waged. During the civil war between Stephen and Matilda, David 1st of Scotland and his son were granted Cumbria and Northumberland respectively, so that for a period from 1139 to 1157, Newcastle was effectively in Scottish hands. It is believed that during this period, King David may have built the church of St Andrew and the Benedictine nunnery in Newcastle. However, King Stephen's successor, Henry II was strong enough to take back the Earldom of Northumbria from Malcolm IV.
The Scots king William the Lion was imprisoned in Newcastle, in 1174, after being captured at the Battle of Alnwick. Edward I brought the Stone of Scone and William Wallace south through the town and Newcastle was successfully defended against the Scots three times during the 14th century.
Around 1200, stone-faced, clay-filled jetties were starting to project into the river, an indication that trade was increasing in Newcastle. As the Roman roads continued to deteriorate, sea travel was gaining in importance. By 1275 Newcastle was the sixth largest wool exporting port in England. The principal exports at this time were wool, timber, coal, millstones, dairy produce, fish, salt and hides. Much of the developing trade was with the Baltic countries and Germany. Most of the Newcastle merchants were situated near the river, below the Castle. The earliest known charter was dated 1175 in the reign of Henry II, giving the townspeople some control over their town. In 1216 King John granted Newcastle a mayor[8] and also allowed the formation of guilds (known as Mysteries). These were cartels formed within different trades, which restricted trade to guild members. There were initially twelve guilds. Coal was being exported from Newcastle by 1250, and by 1350 the burgesses received a royal licence to export coal. This licence to export coal was jealously guarded by the Newcastle burgesses, and they tried to prevent any one else on the Tyne from exporting coal except through Newcastle. The burgesses similarly tried to prevent fish from being sold anywhere else on the Tyne except Newcastle. This led to conflicts with Gateshead and South Shields.
In 1265, the town was granted permission to impose a 'Wall Tax' or Murage, to pay for the construction of a fortified wall to enclose the town and protect it from Scottish invaders. The town walls were not completed until early in the 14th century. They were two miles (3 km) long, 9 feet (2.7 m) thick and 25 feet (7.6 m) high. They had six main gates, as well as some smaller gates, and had 17 towers. The land within the walls was divided almost equally by the Lort Burn, which flowed southwards and joined the Tyne to the east of the Castle. The town began to expand north of the Castle and west of the Lort Burn with various markets being set up within the walls.
In 1400 Henry IV granted a new charter, creating a County corporate which separated the town, but not the Castle, from the county of Northumberland and recognised it as a "county of itself" with a right to have a sheriff of its own. The burgesses were now allowed to choose six aldermen who, with the mayor would be justices of the peace. The mayor and sheriff were allowed to hold borough courts in the Guildhall.
Religious houses
During the Middle Ages a number of religious houses were established within the walls: the first of these was the Benedictine nunnery of St Bartholomew founded in 1086 near the present-day Nun Street. Both David I of Scotland and Henry I of England were benefactors of the religious house. Nothing of the nunnery remains now.
The friary of Blackfriars, Newcastle (Dominican) was established in 1239. These were also known as the Preaching Friars or Shod Friars, because they wore sandals, as opposed to other orders. The friary was situated in the present-day Friars Street. In 1280 the order was granted royal permission to make a postern in the town walls to communicate with their gardens outside the walls. On 19 June 1334, Edward Balliol, claimant to be King of Scotland, did homage to King Edward III, on behalf of the kingdom of Scotland, in the church of the friary. Much of the original buildings of the friary still exist, mainly because, after the Dissolution of the Monasteries the friary of Blackfriars was rented out by the corporation to nine of the local trade guilds.
The friary of Whitefriars (Carmelite) was established in 1262. The order was originally housed on the Wall Knoll in Pandon, but in 1307 it took over the buildings of another order, which went out of existence, the Friars of the Sac. The land, which had originally been given by Robert the Bruce, was situated in the present-day Hanover Square, behind the Central station. Nothing of the friary remains now.
The friary of Austinfriars (Augustinian) was established in 1290. The friary was on the site where the Holy Jesus Hospital was built in 1682. The friary was traditionally the lodging place of English kings whenever they visited or passed through Newcastle. In 1503 Princess Margaret, eldest daughter of Henry VII of England, stayed two days at the friary on her way to join her new husband James IV of Scotland.
The friary of Greyfriars (Franciscans) was established in 1274. The friary was in the present-day area between Pilgrim Street, Grey Street, Market Street and High Chare. Nothing of the original buildings remains.
The friary of the Order of the Holy Trinity, also known as the Trinitarians, was established in 1360. The order devoted a third of its income to buying back captives of the Saracens, during the Crusades. Their house was on the Wall Knoll, in Pandon, to the east of the city, but within the walls. Wall Knoll had previously been occupied by the White Friars until they moved to new premises in 1307.
All of the above religious houses were closed in about 1540, when Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries.
An important street running through Newcastle at the time was Pilgrim Street, running northwards inside the walls and leading to the Pilgrim Gate on the north wall. The street still exists today as arguably Newcastle's main shopping street.
Tudor period
The Scottish border wars continued for much of the 16th century, so that during that time, Newcastle was often threatened with invasion by the Scots, but also remained important as a border stronghold against them.
During the Reformation begun by Henry VIII in 1536, the five Newcastle friaries and the single nunnery were dissolved and the land was sold to the Corporation and to rich merchants. At this time there were fewer than 60 inmates of the religious houses in Newcastle. The convent of Blackfriars was leased to nine craft guilds to be used as their headquarters. This probably explains why it is the only one of the religious houses whose building survives to the present day. The priories at Tynemouth and Durham were also dissolved, thus ending the long-running rivalry between Newcastle and the church for control of trade on the Tyne. A little later, the property of the nunnery of St Bartholomew and of Grey Friars were bought by Robert Anderson, who had the buildings demolished to build his grand Newe House (also known as Anderson Place).
With the gradual decline of the Scottish border wars the town walls were allowed to decline as well as the castle. By 1547, about 10,000 people were living in Newcastle. At the beginning of the 16th century exports of wool from Newcastle were more than twice the value of exports of coal, but during the century coal exports continued to increase.
Under Edward VI, John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, sponsored an act allowing Newcastle to annexe Gateshead as its suburb. The main reason for this was to allow the Newcastle Hostmen, who controlled the export of Tyne coal, to get their hands on the Gateshead coal mines, previously controlled by the Bishop of Durham. However, when Mary I came to power, Dudley met his downfall and the decision was reversed. The Reformation allowed private access to coal mines previously owned by Tynemouth and Durham priories and as a result coal exports increase dramatically, from 15,000 tons in 1500 to 35,000 tons in 1565, and to 400,000 tons in 1625.
The plague visited Newcastle four times during the 16th century, in 1579 when 2,000 people died, in 1589 when 1700 died, in 1595 and finally in 1597.
In 1600 Elizabeth I granted Newcastle a charter for an exclusive body of electors, the right to elect the mayor and burgesses. The charter also gave the Hostmen exclusive rights to load coal at any point on the Tyne. The Hostmen developed as an exclusive group within the Merchant Adventurers who had been incorporated by a charter in 1547.
Stuart period
In 1636 there was a serious outbreak of bubonic plague in Newcastle. There had been several previous outbreaks of the disease over the years, but this was the most serious. It is thought to have arrived from the Netherlands via ships that were trading between the Tyne and that country. It first appeared in the lower part of the town near the docks but gradually spread to all parts of the town. As the disease gained hold the authorities took measures to control it by boarding up any properties that contained infected persons, meaning that whole families were locked up together with the infected family members. Other infected persons were put in huts outside the town walls and left to die. Plague pits were dug next to the town's four churches and outside the town walls to receive the bodies in mass burials. Over the course of the outbreak 5,631 deaths were recorded out of an estimated population of 12,000, a death rate of 47%.
In 1637 Charles I tried to raise money by doubling the 'voluntary' tax on coal in return for allowing the Newcastle Hostmen to regulate production and fix prices. This caused outrage amongst the London importers and the East Anglian shippers. Both groups decided to boycott Tyne coal and as a result forced Charles to reverse his decision in 1638.
In 1640 during the Second Bishops' War, the Scots successfully invaded Newcastle. The occupying army demanded £850 per day from the Corporation to billet the Scottish troops. Trade from the Tyne ground to a halt during the occupation. The Scots left in 1641 after receiving a Parliamentary pardon and a £4,000,000 loan from the town.
In 1642 the English Civil War began. King Charles realised the value of the Tyne coal trade and therefore garrisoned Newcastle. A Royalist was appointed as governor. At that time, Newcastle and King's Lynn were the only important seaports to support the crown. In 1644 Parliament blockaded the Tyne to prevent the king from receiving revenue from the Tyne coal trade. Coal exports fell from 450,000 to 3,000 tons and London suffered a hard winter without fuel. Parliament encouraged the coal trade from the Wear to try to replace that lost from Newcastle but that was not enough to make up for the lost Tyneside tonnage.
In 1644 the Scots crossed the border. Newcastle strengthened its defences in preparation. The Scottish army, with 40,000 troops, besieged Newcastle for three months until the garrison of 1,500 surrendered. During the siege, the Scots bombarded the walls with their artillery, situated in Gateshead and Castle Leazes. The Scottish commander threatened to destroy the steeple of St Nicholas's Church by gunfire if the mayor, Sir John Marley, did not surrender the town. The mayor responded by placing Scottish prisoners that they had captured in the steeple, so saving it from destruction. The town walls were finally breached by a combination of artillery and sapping. In gratitude for this defence, Charles gave Newcastle the motto 'Fortiter Defendit Triumphans' to be added to its coat of arms. The Scottish army occupied Northumberland and Durham for two years. The coal taxes had to pay for the Scottish occupation. In 1645 Charles surrendered to the Scots and was imprisoned in Newcastle for nine months. After the Civil War the coal trade on the Tyne soon picked up and exceeded its pre-war levels.
A new Guildhall was completed on the Sandhill next to the river in 1655, replacing an earlier facility damaged by fire in 1639, and became the meeting place of Newcastle Town Council. In 1681 the Hospital of the Holy Jesus was built partly on the site of the Austin Friars. The Guildhall and Holy Jesus Hospital still exist.
Charles II tried to impose a charter on Newcastle to give the king the right to appoint the mayor, sheriff, recorder and town clerk. Charles died before the charter came into effect. In 1685, James II tried to replace Corporation members with named Catholics. However, James' mandate was suspended in 1689 after the Glorious Revolution welcoming William of Orange. In 1689, after the fall of James II, the people of Newcastle tore down his bronze equestrian statue in Sandhill and tossed it into the Tyne. The bronze was later used to make bells for All Saints Church.
In 1689 the Lort Burn was covered over. At this time it was an open sewer. The channel followed by the Lort Burn became the present day Dean Street. At that time, the centre of Newcastle was still the Sandhill area, with many merchants living along the Close or on the Side. The path of the main road through Newcastle ran from the single Tyne bridge, through Sandhill to the Side, a narrow street which climbed steeply on the north-east side of the castle hill until it reached the higher ground alongside St Nicholas' Church. As Newcastle developed, the Side became lined with buildings with projecting upper stories, so that the main street through Newcastle was a narrow, congested, steep thoroughfare.
In 1701 the Keelmen's Hospital was built in the Sandgate area of the city, using funds provided by the keelmen. The building still stands today.
Eighteenth century
In the 18th century, Newcastle was the country's largest print centre after London, Oxford and Cambridge, and the Literary and Philosophical Society of 1793, with its erudite debates and large stock of books in several languages predated the London Library by half a century.
In 1715, during the Jacobite rising in favour of the Old Pretender, an army of Jacobite supporters marched on Newcastle. Many of the Northumbrian gentry joined the rebels. The citizens prepared for its arrival by arresting Jacobite supporters and accepting 700 extra recruits into the local militia. The gates of the city were closed against the rebels. This proved enough to delay an attack until reinforcements arrived forcing the rebel army to move across to the west coast. The rebels finally surrendered at Preston.
In 1745, during a second Jacobite rising in favour of the Young Pretender, a Scottish army crossed the border led by Bonnie Prince Charlie. Once again Newcastle prepared by arresting Jacobite supporters and inducting 800 volunteers into the local militia. The town walls were strengthened, most of the gates were blocked up and some 200 cannon were deployed. 20,000 regulars were billeted on the Town Moor. These preparations were enough to force the rebel army to travel south via the west coast. They were eventually defeated at Culloden in 1746.
Newcastle's actions during the 1715 rising in resisting the rebels and declaring for George I, in contrast to the rest of the region, is the most likely source of the nickname 'Geordie', applied to people from Tyneside, or more accurately Newcastle. Another theory, however, is that the name 'Geordie' came from the inventor of the Geordie lamp, George Stephenson. It was a type of safety lamp used in mining, but was not invented until 1815. Apparently the term 'German Geordie' was in common use during the 18th century.
The city's first hospital, Newcastle Infirmary opened in 1753; it was funded by public subscription. A lying-in hospital was established in Newcastle in 1760. The city's first public hospital for mentally ill patients, Wardens Close Lunatic Hospital was opened in October 1767.
In 1771 a flood swept away much of the bridge at Newcastle. The bridge had been built in 1250 and repaired after a flood in 1339. The bridge supported various houses and three towers and an old chapel. A blue stone was placed in the middle of the bridge to mark the boundary between Newcastle and the Palatinate of Durham. A temporary wooden bridge had to be built, and this remained in use until 1781, when a new stone bridge was completed. The new bridge consisted of nine arches. In 1801, because of the pressure of traffic, the bridge had to be widened.
A permanent military presence was established in the city with the completion of Fenham Barracks in 1806. The facilities at the Castle for holding assizes, which had been condemned for their inconvenience and unhealthiness, were replaced when the Moot Hall opened in August 1812.
Victorian period
Present-day Newcastle owes much of its architecture to the work of the builder Richard Grainger, aided by architects John Dobson, Thomas Oliver, John and Benjamin Green and others. In 1834 Grainger won a competition to produce a new plan for central Newcastle. He put this plan into effect using the above architects as well as architects employed in his own office. Grainger and Oliver had already built Leazes Terrace, Leazes Crescent and Leazes Place between 1829 and 1834. Grainger and Dobson had also built the Royal Arcade at the foot of Pilgrim Street between 1830 and 1832. The most ambitious project covered 12 acres 12 acres (49,000 m2) in central Newcastle, on the site of Newe House (also called Anderson Place). Grainger built three new thoroughfares, Grey Street, Grainger Street and Clayton Street with many connecting streets, as well as the Central Exchange and the Grainger Market. John Wardle and George Walker, working in Grainger's office, designed Clayton Street, Grainger Street and most of Grey Street. Dobson designed the Grainger Market and much of the east side of Grey Street. John and Benjamin Green designed the Theatre Royal at the top of Grey Street, where Grainger placed the column of Grey's Monument as a focus for the whole scheme. Grey Street is considered to be one of the finest streets in the country, with its elegant curve. Unfortunately most of old Eldon Square was demolished in the 1960s in the name of progress. The Royal Arcade met a similar fate.
In 1849 a new bridge was built across the river at Newcastle. This was the High Level Bridge, designed by Robert Stephenson, and slightly up river from the existing bridge. The bridge was designed to carry road and rail traffic across the Tyne Gorge on two decks with rail traffic on the upper deck and road traffic on the lower. The new bridge meant that traffic could pass through Newcastle without having to negotiate the steep, narrow Side, as had been necessary for centuries. The bridge was opened by Queen Victoria, who one year later opened the new Central Station, designed by John Dobson. Trains were now able to cross the river, directly into the centre of Newcastle and carry on up to Scotland. The Army Riding School was also completed in 1849.
In 1854 a large fire started on the Gateshead quayside and an explosion caused it to spread across the river to the Newcastle quayside. A huge conflagration amongst the narrow alleys, or 'chares', destroyed the homes of 800 families as well as many business premises. The narrow alleys that had been destroyed were replaced by streets containing blocks of modern offices.
In 1863 the Town Hall in St Nicholas Square replaced the Guildhall as the meeting place of Newcastle Town Council.
In 1876 the low level bridge was replaced by a new bridge known as the Swing Bridge, so called because the bridge was able to swing horizontally on a central axis and allow ships to pass on either side. This meant that for the first time sizeable ships could pass up-river beyond Newcastle. The bridge was built and paid for by William Armstrong, a local arms manufacturer, who needed to have warships access his Elswick arms factory to fit armaments to them. The Swing Bridge's rotating mechanism is adapted from the cannon mounts developed in Armstrong's arms works. In 1882 the Elswick works began to build ships as well as to arm them. The Barrack Road drill hall was completed in 1890.
Industrialisation
In the 19th century, shipbuilding and heavy engineering were central to the city's prosperity; and the city was a powerhouse of the Industrial Revolution. Newcastle's development as a major city owed most to its central role in the production and export of coal. The phrase "taking coals to Newcastle" was first recorded in 1538; it proverbially denotes bringing a particular commodity to a place that has more than enough of it already.
Innovation in Newcastle and surrounding areas included the following:
George Stephenson developed a miner's safety lamp at the same time that Humphry Davy developed a rival design. The lamp made possible the opening up of ever deeper mines to provide the coal that powered the industrial revolution.
George and his son Robert Stephenson were hugely influential figures in the development of the early railways. George developed Blücher, a locomotive working at Killingworth colliery in 1814, whilst Robert was instrumental in the design of Rocket, a revolutionary design that was the forerunner of modern locomotives. Both men were involved in planning and building railway lines, all over this country and abroad.
Joseph Swan demonstrated a working electric light bulb about a year before Thomas Edison did the same in the USA. This led to a dispute as to who had actually invented the light bulb. Eventually the two rivals agreed to form a mutual company between them, the Edison and Swan Electric Light Company, known as Ediswan.
Charles Algernon Parsons invented the steam turbine, for marine use and for power generation. He used Turbinia, a small, turbine-powered ship, to demonstrate the speed that a steam turbine could generate. Turbinia literally ran rings around the British Fleet at a review at Spithead in 1897.
William Armstrong invented a hydraulic crane that was installed in dockyards up and down the country. He then began to design light, accurate field guns for the British army. These were a vast improvement on the existing guns that were then in use.
The following major industries developed in Newcastle or its surrounding area:
Glassmaking
A small glass industry existed in Newcastle from the mid-15th century. In 1615 restrictions were put on the use of wood for manufacturing glass. It was found that glass could be manufactured using the local coal, and so a glassmaking industry grew up on Tyneside. Huguenot glassmakers came over from France as refugees from persecution and set up glasshouses in the Skinnerburn area of Newcastle. Eventually, glass production moved to the Ouseburn area of Newcastle. In 1684 the Dagnia family, Sephardic Jewish emigrants from Altare, arrived in Newcastle from Stourbridge and established glasshouses along the Close, to manufacture high quality flint glass. The glass manufacturers used sand ballast from the boats arriving in the river as the main raw material. The glassware was then exported in collier brigs. The period from 1730 to 1785 was the highpoint of Newcastle glass manufacture, when the local glassmakers produced the 'Newcastle Light Baluster'. The glassmaking industry still exists in the west end of the city with local Artist and Glassmaker Jane Charles carrying on over four hundred years of hot glass blowing in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Locomotive manufacture
In 1823 George Stephenson and his son Robert established the world's first locomotive factory near Forth Street in Newcastle. Here they built locomotives for the Stockton and Darlington Railway and the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, as well as many others. It was here that the famous locomotive Rocket was designed and manufactured in preparation for the Rainhill Trials. Apart from building locomotives for the British market, the Newcastle works also produced locomotives for Europe and America. The Forth Street works continued to build locomotives until 1960.
Shipbuilding
In 1296 a wooden, 135 ft (41 m) long galley was constructed at the mouth of the Lort Burn in Newcastle, as part of a twenty-ship order from the king. The ship cost £205, and is the earliest record of shipbuilding in Newcastle. However the rise of the Tyne as a shipbuilding area was due to the need for collier brigs for the coal export trade. These wooden sailing ships were usually built locally, establishing local expertise in building ships. As ships changed from wood to steel, and from sail to steam, the local shipbuilding industry changed to build the new ships. Although shipbuilding was carried out up and down both sides of the river, the two main areas for building ships in Newcastle were Elswick, to the west, and Walker, to the east. By 1800 Tyneside was the third largest producer of ships in Britain. Unfortunately, after the Second World War, lack of modernisation and competition from abroad gradually caused the local industry to decline and die.
Armaments
In 1847 William Armstrong established a huge factory in Elswick, west of Newcastle. This was initially used to produce hydraulic cranes but subsequently began also to produce guns for both the army and the navy. After the Swing Bridge was built in 1876 allowing ships to pass up river, warships could have their armaments fitted alongside the Elswick works. Armstrong's company took over its industrial rival, Joseph Whitworth of Manchester in 1897.
Steam turbines
Charles Algernon Parsons invented the steam turbine and, in 1889, founded his own company C. A. Parsons and Company in Heaton, Newcastle to make steam turbines. Shortly after this, he realised that steam turbines could be used to propel ships and, in 1897, he founded a second company, Parsons Marine Steam Turbine Company in Wallsend. It is there that he designed and manufactured Turbinia. Parsons turbines were initially used in warships but soon came to be used in merchant and passenger vessels, including the liner Mauretania which held the blue riband for the Atlantic crossing until 1929. Parsons' company in Heaton began to make turbo-generators for power stations and supplied power stations all over the world. The Heaton works, reduced in size, remains as part of the Siemens AG industrial giant.
Pottery
In 1762 the Maling pottery was founded in Sunderland by French Huguenots, but transferred to Newcastle in 1817. A factory was built in the Ouseburn area of the city. The factory was rebuilt twice, finally occupying a 14-acre (57,000 m2) site that was claimed to be the biggest pottery in the world and which had its own railway station. The pottery pioneered use of machines in making potteries as opposed to hand production. In the 1890s the company went up-market and employed in-house designers. The period up to the Second World War was the most profitable with a constant stream of new designs being introduced. However, after the war, production gradually declined and the company closed in 1963.
Expansion of the city
Newcastle was one of the boroughs reformed by the Municipal Corporations Act 1835: the reformed municipal borough included the parishes of Byker, Elswick, Heaton, Jesmond, Newcastle All Saints, Newcastle St Andrew, Newcastle St John, Newcastle St Nicholas, and Westgate. The urban districts of Benwell and Fenham and Walker were added in 1904. In 1935, Newcastle gained Kenton and parts of the parishes of West Brunton, East Denton, Fawdon, Longbenton. The most recent expansion in Newcastle's boundaries took place under the Local Government Act 1972 on 1 April 1974, when Newcastle became a metropolitan borough, also including the urban districts of Gosforth and Newburn, and the parishes of Brunswick, Dinnington, Hazlerigg, North Gosforth and Woolsington from the Castle Ward Rural District, and the village of Westerhope.
Meanwhile Northumberland County Council was formed under the Local Government Act 1888 and benefited from a dedicated meeting place when County Hall was completed in the Castle Garth area of Newcastle in 1910. Following the Local Government Act 1972 County Hall relocated to Morpeth in April 1981.
Twentieth century
In 1925 work began on a new high-level road bridge to span the Tyne Gorge between Newcastle and Gateshead. The capacity of the existing High-Level Bridge and Swing Bridge were being strained to the limit, and an additional bridge had been discussed for a long time. The contract was awarded to the Dorman Long Company and the bridge was finally opened by King George V in 1928. The road deck was 84 feet (26 m) above the river and was supported by a 531 feet (162 m) steel arch. The new Tyne Bridge quickly became a symbol for Newcastle and Tyneside, and remains so today.
During the Second World War, Newcastle was largely spared the horrors inflicted upon other British cities bombed during the Blitz. Although the armaments factories and shipyards along the River Tyne were targeted by the Luftwaffe, they largely escaped unscathed. Manors goods yard and railway terminal, to the east of the city centre, and the suburbs of Jesmond and Heaton suffered bombing during 1941. There were 141 deaths and 587 injuries, a relatively small figure compared to the casualties in other industrial centres of Britain.
In 1963 the city gained its own university, the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, by act of parliament. A School of Medicine and Surgery had been established in Newcastle in 1834. This eventually developed into a college of medicine attached to Durham University. A college of physical science was also founded and became Armstrong College in 1904. In 1934 the two colleges merged to become King's College, Durham. This remained as part of Durham University until the new university was created in 1963. In 1992 the city gained its second university when Newcastle Polytechnic was granted university status as Northumbria University.
Newcastle City Council moved to the new Newcastle Civic Centre in 1968.
As heavy industries declined in the second half of the 20th century, large sections of the city centre were demolished along with many areas of slum housing. The leading political figure in the city during the 1960s was T. Dan Smith who oversaw a massive building programme of highrise housing estates and authorised the demolition of a quarter of the Georgian Grainger Town to make way for Eldon Square Shopping Centre. Smith's control in Newcastle collapsed when it was exposed that he had used public contracts to advantage himself and his business associates and for a time Newcastle became a byword for civic corruption as depicted in the films Get Carter and Stormy Monday and in the television series Our Friends in the North. However, much of the historic Grainger Town area survived and was, for the most part, fully restored in the late 1990s. Northumberland Street, initially the A1, was gradually closed to traffic from the 1970s and completely pedestrianised by 1998.
In 1978 a new rapid transport system, the Metro, was built, linking the Tyneside area. The system opened in August 1980. A new bridge was built to carry the Metro across the river between Gateshead and Newcastle. This was the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, commonly known as the Metro Bridge. Eventually the Metro system was extended to reach Newcastle Airport in 1991, and in 2002 the Metro system was extended to the nearby city of Sunderland.
As the 20th century progressed, trade on the Newcastle and Gateshead quaysides gradually declined, until by the 1980s both sides of the river were looking rather derelict. Shipping company offices had closed along with offices of firms related to shipping. There were also derelict warehouses lining the riverbank. Local government produced a master plan to re-develop the Newcastle quayside and this was begun in the 1990s. New offices, restaurants, bars and residential accommodation were built and the area has changed in the space of a few years into a vibrant area, partially returning the focus of Newcastle to the riverside, where it was in medieval times.
The Gateshead Millennium Bridge, a foot and cycle bridge, 26 feet (7.9 m) wide and 413 feet (126 m) long, was completed in 2001. The road deck is in the form of a curve and is supported by a steel arch. To allow ships to pass, the whole structure, both arch and road-deck, rotates on huge bearings at either end so that the road deck is lifted. The bridge can be said to open and shut like a human eye. It is an important addition to the re-developed quayside area, providing a vital link between the Newcastle and Gateshead quaysides.
Recent developments
Today the city is a vibrant centre for office and retail employment, but just a short distance away there are impoverished inner-city housing estates, in areas originally built to provide affordable housing for employees of the shipyards and other heavy industries that lined the River Tyne. In the 2010s Newcastle City Council began implementing plans to regenerate these depressed areas, such as those along the Ouseburn Valley.
An old image of mine reprocessed through a different programme, Taken at a street theatre performance in Sunderland.
13 February, First day of Spring in Bengali Year...
Location: Fine Arts Institute, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Launch of the IAEA Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship Programme held at the Agency headquarters in Vienna, Austria. 9 March 2020
Photo Credit: Dean Calma / IAEA
Moderator:
Sophie Boutaud de la Combe, Moderator and IAEA Director, Office of Public Information and Communication, Director General’s Office for Coordination
PANELISTS:
Ms Karen Hallberg, Principle Researcher, Bariloche Atomic Centre, National Atomic Energy Commission and Professor, Physics, Balseiro, Institute, Argentina
HE Mr Xavier Sticker, Resident Representative of France to the IAEA
HE Ms Dominika Anna Krois, Resident Representative of Poland to the IAEA
Ferrari Corse Clienti - XX Programmes - Ferrari FXX #99
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