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The Flannery O'Connor-Andalusia Foundation received a Save America's Treasures grant, a Georgia Heritage Grant, and numerous donations from Friends of Andalusia to restore the Hill house at Andalusia. andalusiafarm.org/andalusia/restoration.htm
Going to be a bigger job, thought I could get away with replacing the fronts but three rotten posts means starting again. Wore my Nora Dolomits sockless all day, 16,244 steps, 11 hours!
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!
Some background:
The Aero L-39 Albatros is a high-performance jet trainer aircraft developed in Czechoslovakia to meet requirements for a "C-39" (C for cvičný – trainer) during the 1960s to replace the L-29 Delfín as the main training aircraft. It was the first of the second-generation jet trainers, and the first turbofan-powered trainer produced.
The L-39 first flew on 4 November 1969. Serial production began in 1971. The basic trainer was not armed, but had two underwing pylons for drop tanks and practice weapons. Light-attack variants (e. g. the L-39ZO) had four underwing hardpoints for ground attack stores, the later ZA also had an underfuselage gun pod.
To date, more than 2.800 L-39s have served with over 30 air forces around the world. The Albatros is probably the most widely used jet trainer in the world; in addition to performing basic and advanced pilot training, it has also flown combat missions in a light-attack role. Atypically, it never received a NATO reporting name.
Germany became an operator of the L-39 through the demise of the GDR and its armed forces, the Nationale Volksarmee (NVA). The NVA's air arm, the Luftstreitkräfte (LSK), had been operating a considerable L-39 fleet, including 52× L-39ZO armed trainers plus two L-39V target tugs. In the wake of the unification of Western and Eastern Germany, the NVA was dissolved and almost all of its equipment retired - except for some specialized items like Mi-14 naval rescue helicopters (operated in the Baltic Sea region), a few MiG-29s as well as a small L-39 force.
The majority of the ex-NVA's Albatros fleet had been withdrawn from use in 1990 and partly sold to other countries, e.g. Hungary. But a total of eight L-39ZO airframes with low flying hours were retained and modified to serve as target tugs for the German Bundeswehr and its various forces in the air, at sea and on land. This heritage came as a timely and cost-effective opportunity, since the Luftwaffe just had retired its OV-10B Bronco target tug fleet after 20 years of service.
The dedicated target tug L-39V, with an internal winch and other specialized equipment, was refused because it was not compatible with Western target systems. Furthermore, the starting procedure with an aerial KT-04 Schleppziel target of Russian origin on a dolly behind the aircraft was deemed to be too hazardous by Bundeswehr officials – even though it had successfully been practiced by the NVA LSK fpr years.
Another fact that spoke against the L-39V was simply the limited number of available aircraft from the NVA heritage: there had only been two machines, formerly operated by the NVA-LSK’s ZDK-33 (Zieldarstellungskette) in Peenemünde. This lone couple had had to be augmented by further, externally procured machines in order to build and maintain a decent fleet and its respective infrastructure. Therefore, the L-39Vs were sold together with the NVA LSK L-39 fleet’s rest.
However, the opportunity to adopt the L-39 and benefit from the NVA air and ground crews’ experience with the type was too big to turn down, and consequently the aircraft was modified for specialized target tug and target simulation services by the Bundeswehr. Several modifications were made to the eight ex NVA L-39 ZOs, even though only few were actually visible. Most visible change was the deletion of the gun pod under the forward fuselage. Under the hood, many systems and cockpit instruments were replaced by Western equipment, and Martin Baker Mk. 10 ejection seats were mounted. Another fundamental modification was a new engine: the original Al-25 turbofan was replaced by a Garrett TFE731-2-2N turbofan with slightly less power, but much improved fuel economy, higher reliability and lower maintenance intensity.
Any tug towing equipment was carried externally under the wings, in various pods. Even though the machines were frequently operated with a single pilot only, the second seat and full dual controls were retained.
The revamped L-39s (plus three unpowered airframes for spares) were allocated to the German Navy's air arm, the Marineflieger, because hot weapon training for the Luftwaffe's F-4F Phantom II's would typically take place over the North and Baltic Sea. The machines lost their former NVA LSK livery and received instead a naval wrap-around paint scheme, with tactical codes in the 28+01 to 28+08 range. The official Bundeswehr designation of the type became L-39M(Z) (‘M’ for ‘modifiziert’ = modified, with an additional ‘(Z)’ for ‘Zieldarstellung’ = aerial target simulation).
Despite their trainer potential, the Marineflieger L-39s exclusively served in the target simulation role, either as aerial target tugs for air and ground crews, or, alternatively and outfitted with special radar reflectors, for low-level cruise missile simulations. Most of the machines received additional orange high visibility markings during their career, even though their placement and size varied between individual airframes. Curiously enough, 28+01 and 28+03 were left in the original three-tone camouflage paint scheme.
The L-39M(Z)s were initially allocated to MFG1 at Jagel, but this squadron was soon disbanded and partly integrated into MFG2. In late 1993 the small Albatros fleet moved to MFG2's Eggebek AB. The machines were not only used over German territory, but also deployed to foreign NATO bases, including Decimomannu AB on Sicily, where German and other NATO forces’ aircraft crews frequently practiced hot weapon fire as a part of NATO Dissimilar Air Combat Training (DACT).
The machines served faithfully until 2003, when the fleet was completely retired, the airframes having expended their structural lifetime, only 28+04 having been lost prematurely in 1996 due to a bird collision, though. The retirement was further promoted by the fact that the German defense budget had been massively reduced after the end of the Cold War, and as one of the consequences the Naval Air Arm was about to lose its offensive elements, e.g. the complete Tornado fleet.
General characteristics:
Crew: 2 (even though frequently operated by only a single pilot in the front seat)
Length: 12.13 m (39 ft 9½ in)
Wingspan: 9.46 m (31 ft 0½ in)
Height: 4.77 m (15 ft 7¾ in)
Wing area: 18.8 m² (202 ft²)
Wing loading: 250.0 kg/m² (51.3 lb/ft²)
Thrust/weight: 0.37
Airfoil: NACA 64A012 mod
Empty weight: 3,455 kg (7,617 lb)
Max. take-off weight: 5,275 kg (11.618 lbs.)
Powerplant:
1× Garrett TFE731-2-2N turbofan, 15.57 kN (3,500 lbf)
Performance:
Maximum speed: 750 km/h (405 knots, 466 mph) at 5,000 m (16,400 ft)
Never exceed speed: Mach 0.80 (609 mph, 980 km/h)
Range: 1.300 km (593 nmi, 683 mi) on internal fuel
2.000 km, (944 nmi, 1,087 mi) ferry range with drop tanks
Endurance: 2 hr 50 min (internal fuel), 4 hr 30 min (internal and external fuel)
Service ceiling: 11,000 m (36,100 ft)
Rate of climb: 21 m/s (4,130 ft/min)
Climb to 5,000 m (16,400 ft): 5 min
Take-off roll: 530 m (1,740 ft)
Landing roll: 650 m (2,140 ft)
Armament:
4x underwing hardpoints for up to 2.425 lb (1.100 kg) of weapons,
including bombs, rocket pods, gun pods, a five-camera reconnaissance pod, or two fuel drop-tanks
The kit and its assembly:
Maybe the final contribution for the 2016 “In the Navy” Group Build at whatifmodelers.com – issued through the GB’s deadline extension by two weeks into September. :D
This is another idea/build I had on the long idea list, with the kit already stashed away long time ago and basically all other ingredients at hand, too. Again, the GB was a good trigger to dig out the parts and finally start the target tug project.
The kit is the Eduard Aero L-39ZA Albatros (Weekend edition, without PE parts or masks): a nice and simple offering with good detail and engraved panel lines. But for a modern mould (from 2002, AFAIK) I am amazed that it features some avoidable weak points like massive (and poorly fitting) wing trailing edges or sinkholes in the (massive!) wing tip tanks or above the exhaust? But, nevertheless, it’s probably the best L-39 around at the moment.
As a side note, the completely closed landing gear wells appear like a flaw, too, but this detail is correct: the real aircraft encloses its wheel-wells when the undercarriage is extended! Looks very clean.
The kit was mostly built OOB, I just replaced the election seats and mounted an aerial target pod. Originally, this was to be the TDU-10B "Dart" from Hasegawa’s "Aircraft Weapons: IV" set, since it was used by the Luftwaffe, too - and finally a good use for that huge kite! The whole target pod package was placed under the port wing’s inner pylon, while an original Albatros drop tank was placed on the other side.
Painting and markings:
The more interesting part of the build. The German Marineflieger, as well as the Luftwaffe, experimented a lot with different and sometimes exotic and complex camouflage schemes during the late 70ies and in the 80ies. And while the late low-viz Luftwaffe machines looked similar, almost each type carried its own scheme and colors, in some cases there were even alternative patterns with the same tones.
For the L-39 I used the definitive Westland Sea King scheme as benchmark (Norm '87), which were (until today) painted with all-over blotches of RAL 7030 (Steingrau), 7009 (Grüngrau) and 7012 (Basaltgrau) – the latter two tones are hard to differentiate. I used Revell acrylics, since the authentic tones are available.
For some color contrast and the aircraft’s supportive role I added orange hi-viz markings on the wings and the tail. These were made from generic decal sheet from TL Modellbau. This works very well and is less hazardous than trying to paint these markings, with an extra coat of white primer and probably a rather uneven finish through brush application.
As standard procedure, the kit received a thinned black ink wash, emphasizing the engraved panel lines, and some panel shading with lighter tones of the basic camouflage colors.
The cockpit was painted in Dark Gull Gray and a greenish blue-gray (instead of the original Soviet non-fatigue teal), with black ejection seats. The air intake interior and the inside of the main landing gear covers became Chromate Yellow.
The winch pod became white, for some contrast, while the target was painted with dayglow orange on a yellow primer base. The counterweight drop tank received, as a remnant of the aircraft’s origins, the type’s NVA camouflage in Ochre and Olive Drab with a pale gray underside (Humbrol 83, 155 and 129, respectively). Looks odd and adds diversity. :D
The Luftwaffe markings were puzzled together from various sheets, primarily from a Tornado aftermarket sheet. Most stencils came from the Eduard OOB sheet. Finally the kit was sealed with a coat of matt acrylic varnish.
REPLACED: Some quality improvements necessary for larger printing, and a less panoramic crop.
I got up early today (Wednesday 9/26) and went out on the beach at the north end of Pea Island just below the bridge. If you walk out a ways there is a jetty with a remote automated weather station on it.
I got these out there just before the sun came up.
Another one that looks like HDR, but the light was just right to capture it as a single image.
Olympus OM-D E-M5 and M.Zuiko 9-18mm f/4-5.6 lens and 32x ND filter.
Please visit the Entropic Remnants website or my Entropic Remnants blog -- THANKS!
UPDATE: I've printed this at 36x24 inches on metallic paper and it's hanging in my living room and it's lovely as a large print. One of my favorite landscapes I've taken with the OM-D E-M5.
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!
Some background:
The Grumman F6F Hellcat was a carrier-based fighter aircraft conceived to replace the earlier F4F Wildcat in United States Navy (USN) service. The Hellcat was an erstwhile rival of the faster Vought F4U Corsair for use as a carrier based fighter. However, the Corsair had significant issues with carrier landing that the Hellcat did not, allowing the Hellcat to steal a march as the Navy's dominant fighter in the second part of World War II, a position the Hellcat did not relinquish. The Corsair instead was primarily deployed to great effect in land-based use by the U.S. Marine Corps.
Although the F6F resembled the Wildcat in some ways, it was a completely new design, much bigger and powered by a 2,000 hp Pratt & Whitney R-2800, the same powerplant used for both the Corsair and the United States Army Air Force's (USAAF) Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighters. Some military observers actually tagged the Hellcat as the "Wildcat's big brother".
The F6F series were designed to take damage and get the pilot safely back to base. A bullet-resistant windshield and a total of 212 lb (96 kg) of cockpit armor was fitted, along with armor around the oil tank and oil cooler. A 250 gal (946 l) self-sealing fuel tank was fitted in the fuselage. Consequently the F6F was best known for its role as a rugged, well-designed carrier fighter which was able, after its combat debut in early 1943, to counter the Mitsubishi A6M Zero and help secure air superiority over the Pacific Theater.
The design proved to be very balanced, even though attempts were made to improve the Hellcat's performance. Late prototypes in the F6F series included the XF6F-4 (02981, a conversion of the XF6F-1 powered by an R-2800-27 and armed with four 20mm M2 cannon) which first flew on 3 October 1942 as the prototype for the projected F6F-4. This version never entered production and 02981 was converted to an F6F-3 production aircraft.
Another experimental prototype was the XF6F-2 (66244), an F6F-3 converted to use a Wright R-2600-15, fitted with a Birman manufactured mixed-flow turbocharger, which was later replaced by a Pratt & Whitney R-2800-21, also fitted with a Birman turbocharger. The turbochargers proved to be unreliable on both engines, while performance improvements were marginal. As with the XF6F-4, 66244 was soon converted back to a standard F6F-3.
Other experiments were more successful: Two XF6F-6s (70188 and 70913) were later converted from F6F-5s and used the 18-cylinder 2,100 hp (1,567 kW) Pratt and Whitney R-2800-18W two-stage supercharged radial engine with water injection, driving a Hamilton-Standard four-bladed propeller to cope with the extra power. The XF6F-6s were the fastest version of the Hellcat series during wartime, with a top speed of 417 mph (671 km/h vs. the F6F-5's 391 mph/629 km/h). In order to ensure directional stability at high speed the F6F-6 received a slightly taller tail fin, beyond the four blade propeller another external detail that set new variant apart from its older brethren. The armament was beefed up to four 20mm M2 cannons in the wings, while the F6F-5's standard external ordnance (including unguided missiles, iron bombs and drop tanks) could be carried, too.
The F6F-6 was cleared for production in September 1944 and entered service with both US Navy and Royal Navy (as F6F-6 and Hellcat F Mk.III, respectively) in early 1945. Small numbers of the “Double Six” were also delivered to New Zealand and the Netherlands. The latter were operated by former NL-KNIL units in the Pacific theatre that were at that time under Royal Air Force command. The machines arrived at the Dutch East Indies in June 1945 and carried Dutch markings (in the form of flags instead of RAF SEA roundels), serials and camouflage, but British codes. They effectively arrived too late to become involved in serious combat missions against the retreating Japanese forces. Despite their carrier capabilities the Dutch Hellcats were exclusively operated from land bases.
The roundabout forty, quasi-Dutch Hellcats were allocated to RAF 321 Squadron and primarily employed as escort fighters for transporters that carried out relief flights and supply drops to thousands of internees in the POW camps in the Java and Sumatra regions. Another important task were long-range air surveillance missions with occasional attacks against ground targets and shipping. Air combat did hardly occur at all so that the unit only claimed three air victories. In July 1945 the 321 Squadron air echelon moved, supplemented with B-24 Liberators, from Java to Cocos Island in preparation for the proposed invasion of Malaya, but the hostilities ended before this reprisal was carried out.
On 8 December 1945, the Dutch RAF squadrons were passed to the control of the Dutch Naval Aviation Service, while keeping the same squadron numbers. After WWII, the Hellcats were kept in service, but they were quickly phased out because the Netherlands were also operating the British Hawker Sea Fury, and in 1947 the Netherlands Royal Navy decided to keep only a single fighter aircraft type for the two of their aircraft carriers operational. Since it was common practice for Royal Netherlands Navy vessels to operate alongside Royal Navy ships, with the consequence that Dutch Sea Furies regularly operated from FAA land bases and RN carriers, the Hellcats were sorted out. Most of the Dutch F6F-6s were sold to South American operators, where they, together with surplus Hellcats from US Navy surplus stock, soldiered on until the Sixties.
General characteristics
Crew: 1
Length: 33 ft 7 in (10.24 m)
Wingspan: 42 ft 10 in (13.06 m)
Height: 13 ft 1 in (3.99 m)
Wing area: 334 ft² (31 m²)
Airfoil: NACA 23015.6 mod root; NACA 23009 tip
Empty weight: 9,238 lb (4,190 kg)
Loaded weight: 12,598 lb (5,714 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 15,415 lb (6,990 kg)
Internal fuel capacity: 250 US gal (950 l)
Zero-lift drag coefficient: 0.0211
Drag area: 7.05 ft² (0.65 m²)
Aspect ratio: 5.5
Powerplant:
1× Pratt & Whitney R-2800-18W "Double Wasp" two-row radial engine with a two-speed two-stage supercharger, delivering 2,100 hp (1,566 kW) at 2,800 rpm at 1,000 ft (305 m) and 1,800 hp (1,342 kW) at 2,800 rpm at 25,500 ft (7,772 m), driving a Hamilton Standard four-blade propeller of 13 ft 1 in (4.0 m) diameter
Performance:
Maximum speed: 330 kn (417 mph, 671 km/h)
Stall speed: 73 kn (84 mph, 135 km/h)
Combat radius: 820 nmi (945 mi, 1.520 km)
Ferry range: 1,330 nmi (1,530 mi, 2.460 km)
Service ceiling: 39,305 ft (12.000 m)
Rate of climb: 3,800 ft/min (19,5 m/s)
Wing loading: 37.7 lb/ft² (184 kg/m²)
Time-to-altitude: 7.0 min to 20,000 ft (6,100 m)
Lift-to-drag ratio: 12.2
Takeoff roll: 799 ft (244 m)
Armament:
4× 0.79 in (20 mm) M2 cannons with 250 RPG in the outer wings
Up to 4,000 lb (1,814 kg) of external loads, including 6× 5 in (127 mm) HVARs, 2× Tiny Tim unguided rockets, 1× 2,000 lb (907 kg) bomb or 1× Mk.13-3 torpedo on the fuselage centerline rack, or 2× 1,000 lb (450 kg), 4× 500 lb (227 kg) or 8× 250 lb (110 kg) bombs on two weapon racks on either side of fuselage under the wing center-section, or up to 3× 150 US gal (570 l) external drop tanks
The kit and its assembly:
This fictional Hellcat was inspired some years ago, when I came across pictures of a Dutch F6F model at FlickR, built by a modeler called "Carl". I liked the concept and it already inspired my more radical F6F-7 build (with a different engine and a bubble canopy), but the Netherlands as a potential Hellcat operator stuck to the back of my mind.
When I recently came across paint schemes for Dutch WWII aircraft I found an interesting option (see below) and eventually decided to build another Hellcat - this time an in-service F6F-6, a type that actually existed, but only as a prototype with no series production.
The kit I used is Revell's F6F-5, which is actually a re-boxed Italeri kit from 2001. A nice offering, even though I find the solution with a single lower wings part, which includes a ventral fuselage section, too, a little impractical (much like the Hasegawa kit). On the plus side, the kit comes with separate flaps (even though these massive parts have small sinkholes) and fine surface and interior details.
My conversion measures were limited and circled around the propulsion system: I implanted a new engine block (a resin piece, left over from an Art Model F8F) and a 4-blade propeller (left over from a Hobby Boss P-47). Since I wanted some more external difference to the F6F-3/5, I decided to extend the fin at the tip. It's just a subtle change, maybe 3mm net, done with 1mm plastic sheet and PSR. But it's a good visual counterbalance to the slightly more massive propeller at the front end. The gun barrels are aftermarket brass pieces. For long-range escort missions in the PTO I gave the Hellcat a pair of cardboard drop tanks (from an Academy P-51) on the inner wing stations.
Painting and markings:
Even though the inspiring F6F in a uniform Dark Sea Blue late WWII USN livery with Dutch neutrality triangles from FlickR looked good, I found at least the triangles and other orange markings to be outdated for the era when the type would have been operated.
Therefore, I went for something completely different: The paint scheme came from Dutch Do 24 and PBY Catalina flying boats, which had been operated in South East Asia in 1942 and 1943. The camouflage consisted of a very dark blue and a dark grey on the upper sides - very similar to USN Sea Blue (FS 35042, Testors 1718) and FAA Extra Dark Sea Grey (Humbrol 123), respectively - and, in this case, British Sky (Revell 59, which is a rather greenish hue, more similar to Humbrol 23 than 90) underneath, even though some machines were AFAIK alternatively painted in light Sky Blue. A unique combination and IMHO quite effective as a sea camouflage. The camouflage pattern was adapted from a Dutch 1943 Do 24, quite different from the more even FAA pattern.
Being operated late in the PTO I gave the Hellcat typical ID markings - the white bands come from the OOB sheet and add some excitement to the overall rather dull aircraft. As an RAF unit, I gave the aircraft a typical three-letter code in Sky, but instead of RAF SEA roundels I rather used Dutch flags in six positions, a common practice of late NL-KNIL units until 1946.
The odd serial number was inspired by Dutch post-war P-51Ds operated in Indonesia, created with single TL Modellbau 3mm size letters.
The kit received a light black ink wash, some light post-panel-shading and weathering (leading edges, exhaust and gun smoke stains), and was finally sealed with matt acrylic varnish (Italeri).
Another relatively simple project without major surgery, but I find the result quite convincing. I actually like the blue/grey camouflage a lot – it’s based on well-known colors, yet a unique combination. And together with the Dutch flags and the British tactical codes, the whif has a distinctive look to it.
Monday.
And time has came to leave Causeway House. A sad moment. We have enjoyed our stay, slept well, relaxed and seen some great things.
I have one final coffee, before the packing begins, and we manage to fitit all in the car, with room for us to spare. Jools programs the sat nave to Rosslyn, the sat nave tells us our route, and we are off. It decides we should go via Carlisle and then up the motorway, which would have been OK were it not for the pouring rain, but then I guess all roads would have been horrible to drive on. Along the A69, round Carlisle and up the M6 to Scotland. But, as we crossed the border, the rain began to ease, and we thought we sensed some brightness overhead.
We took the scenic route alongside the trackbed of the old Waverly Line, through green valley, past the source of the River Tweed, over passes and down the other side. It is a beautiful route, even in list drizzle and mist, but after a while we began to wish for some straighter roads.
We stop at a greasy spoon some 20 minutes shy of Rosslyn, I have square sausage in a bun, Jools has bacon. And we still have six days of holiday left.
It is some 11 years since I was last at Rosslyn, back then Da Vinci Code fever had only just begun; but now it is a world famous place, and with ample parking. And nine of your Scottish pounds to get in! And only once we paid did we see the sign informing all that photography was banned inside. For £9, a small, if bonkers, church?
We looked round, I took some exterior shots, and we left, leaving visitors of all nations behind.
Thanks to my good friend, John, our next port of call was Linlithgow, where the Scottish Stewart Royal family had their home, and Mary, Queen of Scots was born. He recommended we go, and who I am I to argue with John?
The rain threatened again, but stayed dry, at least for a while. Round the Edniburg by-pass towards Glasgow, and there were the signs, all simple. Into the town, and then the road to the palace was closed, and there were no alternative signs.
We drove up and down the high street, all the long term parking was full, until just as we were about to give up, we see signs for another, a little further out, and so do find a place to park.
It was a 5 minute walk to the centre of town, past the bowls centre, Tesco and the railway station. We were hungry, and there was a fine looking Italian place just there, should we go in? I think we should.
It is very nice, we have Insalata Caprese again, and some bread. And some olives. All is nice, so we are not tempted by the desserts. Well, we are but resist.
The rain had begun to fall again as we walked to the old palace, up the cobbled street and through the ornamental gateway: the parish church is on the right, so we go in and once again are delighted. But the most stunning aspect is a modern south window, which is just spectacular and takes my breath away.
The castle next door is mostly complete, except for the roof, which in the steady rain would have been nice. But we get in for free, our favourite price, and have the place almost to ourselves. I follow a spiral staircase up, and end up at the top of one of the towers, with views across the castle and rooftops of the town behind.
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"St Michael is kinde to strangers". So runs the motto of the Ancient and Royal Burgh of Linlithgow. St Michael is the patron saint of the town and, in the form of the ancient church of that name, he still stands guard above its inhabitants, both residents and strangers alike.
Although it is undoubtedly of earlier origin the first mention of "the great church of Linlithgow" is in a charter of 1138 in which King David I gifted it "with all its chapels, lands and other rights" to the Cathedral of St Andrews.
On 22nd May 1242, the Church of St Michael of Linlithgow was consecrated by David de Bernham, Bishop of St Andrews. Whether he was hallowing a new building or rededicating an established House of God, is not certain. What is clear is that the ancient kirk has for centuries been recognised as a place of worship and as an historical memorial without equal in Scotland.
In 1301 King Edward I of England arrived and requisitioned the Church as a garrison storehouse in which to house the war provisions required for his fortified palisade or "Peel".
After the Scottish Victory at Bannockburn, and the recapture of the Linlithgow fortifications, St Michael’s stood in need of considerable restoration.
Whatever reconstruction work was done in the 14th century was not long-lived as, in 1424, a great fire occurred which caused massive damage to the church and neighbouring palace.
Over the next 115 years St Michael’s was largely rebuilt although many of the old stones were incorporated in the new construction. Several local strategies were enforced to finance the rebuilding of the Kirk. Taxes were imposed on ale and leather and the money from fines for chimney or overpricing at the market also swelled the church coffers.
ll the Stewart kings from James I to V donated revenue to St Michael’s "kirk werk" and not until 1540 was the church’s completion celebrated with the granting of a new royal charter and, with it, the right to appoint a town Provost. The man chosen was Henry Forrest of Magdalenes who had himself been active in the "kirk werk" and had personally ensured that the masons received their "drinksilver". They certainly earned it for under their expert hands emerged the beautiful Medieval church we have today. First the nave and transepts were transformed; then the chancel and the apse. Outside, twenty niches were filled with carvings of saints and, inside, each of the 8 bays was graced with an altar, attended by a staff of chantry priests. The solid, square tower was furnished with a magnificent stone crown, topped with a weathervane, bearing the favourite emblem of King James III. The church was further adorned with the erection of a beautiful oak roof bearing the arms of George Crichton, vicar of St Michael’s and later Bishop of Dunkeld. The ecclesiastical masterpiece which resulted was much favoured as a place of worship by the Scottish monarchs, most notably Mary Queen of Scots who was born in Linlithgow Palace on December 8th 1542 and was baptised in St Michael’s church.
The font which carried the holy water used to baptise the royal baby did not survive for many years longer. In 1559 the Protestant Lords of the Congregation arrive to obliterate all traces of the Roman Catholic religion from the Church. They smashed the holy water stoop along with the statues and altars. Occasionally fragments of this orgy of destruction are found in and around the church.
The first Protestant minister of St Michael’s was Patrick Kinloquy and his parish kirk was equipped with new galleries (including those for the town magistrates and the monarch) and a stone pulpit on the north side of the chancel. The town did try to uphold its obligations to its church and considerable money was spent on equipping it as a fitting House of God. However the church was also to be used for other purposes. In 1620 part of it served as a wood store while in 1645 it became for a brief time the University of Edinburgh when the students and professors escaped to Linlithgow form the plague-stricken capital.
The year 1646 saw the arrival of the roundhead troops of Oliver Cromwell. St Michael’s found itself incorporated in the general defences of the town with horses stabled in the nave and soldiers billeted in the triforium. By the time the Cromwellian army left Linlithgow the church had deteriorated and the heritors estimated that £1000 Scots was required to repair the roof and windows.
The 18th century church of Linlithgow followed the general Scottish pattern. It was dominated by the minister and his Kirk Session who rigorously guarded the community’s moral life and enforced fines for any breach of church discipline. The money collected was used to help the poor of the parish. The church was equipped with a repentance stool, on which any wrongdoer had to sit in full view of the congregation, and a set of jougs at the church door to chain up by the neck anyone guilty of repeated transgressions. The Kirk Session minutes are full of references to such moral lapses: drunkenness, adultery, whistling, working or washing clothes on the Lord's Day or not "keeping elders’ hours". A typical church service lasted up to four hours. A sand-glass was attached to the ministers pulpit in order to ensure that he spoke (extempore, for all notes were frowned upon) for at least two hours. Singing was led by the precentor and was unaccompanied as music in the church was frowned on and an organ was referred to scathingly as a "kist o’ whistles".
In 1768 a storm damaged the steeple and blew down the weather cock and in 1773 the "old bell" cracked and had to be recast at Three Bells Foundry at Whitechapel.
In 1808 there was a panic when it was discovered that the old ceiling beams were rotten at the ends and that the "crazy roof" was about to collapse. In 1812, the 16th century "Crichton" ceiling was removed and replaced with a plaster one, partly due to the fact that oak was unavailable due to the shipbuilding demands of the Napoleonic War. The interior was also remodelled: a "restoration" generally regarded now as an act of colossal vandalism, especially the removal of the old dividing arch between chancel and nave and the whitewashing of the walls.
It was a grim church which emerged in the early 19th century and they were grim times. On February 19th 1819 a Linlithgow Mortsafe Society was established to hire out a huge metal cage which was placed over a recent grave to deter the grave robbers from "resurrecting" the body and selling it to the anatomy lecturers in Edinburgh. In addition, a watchman’s hut was erected in 1823 against the south wall of the churchyard and a watch of three men was appointed to prevent any "nocturnal activities".
In 1820 there occurred one of the most unfortunate episodes in the history of the church. A report concluded that the old stone crown was in danger of collapse. Despite the reluctance of the town and the church authorities there was no denying the fact that something had to be done. Local tradesmen all agreed that the crown was too heavy for the tower. It was reluctantly decided that the only course was demolition and, in the summer of 1821, the old crown was removed.
In 1885 the splendid centre window of the apse was fitted out with stained glass in memory of Charles Wyville Thomson, the locally born oceanic explorer who died in 1882. It features a fleet of ships such as that which accompanied the explorer on his charting of the world’s oceans in HMS Challenger from 1872-76.
In 1992 the Society of Friends of St. Michael's Church celebrated the church's 750th anniversary with the installation of a new stained glass window in the St. Katherine's Aisle. The window, created by Crear McCartney is designed around the theme of Pentecost.
Built 1879 as 3 shops for William Kither, architect Rowland Rees, replacing earlier premises on site. One shop was Kither’s butcher shop and the remaining two were occupied by various businesses, including dining rooms, fancy goods, confectioner, tailor, etc.
William Kither arrived in SA 1855 with his parents & siblings. He first worked for a draper before becoming an apprentice butcher. Later he encouraged his father to purchase the butcher shop. After his father’s death 1869 William with his mother Sarah ran the business as “S Kither & Son” until her death in 1875 when it was known as “W Kither”. He was the first to install refrigeration in 1884. After William’s death the business was carried on by his son Clarence Maturin Kither. The building was sold 1932 when Kither’s moved to King William Street.
Re-opened as Clarkson Ltd showrooms 5 Dec 1932, with architects Woods, Bagot, Laybourne-Smith & Irwin making the transformation, building purchased by Commonwealth Bank 1958, Clarksons leadlight & stained glass department closed 1960.
This building originally had the date MDCCCLXXX (ie 1880) and “Kither’s Buildings” on the facade. The ornate balcony has also been removed.
“Mr. W. Kither, Butcher, 13 and 117, Rundle-street, begs to inform his numerous Customers and the public in general that he has Taken the Business hitherto carried on by Mr. Hince, next the Red Lion, 13, Rundle-street, which will be continued in connection with his old established Shop at 117, Rundle-street. . . continuing to supply Meat of Prime Quality, at the lowest remunerative rates for cash payments.” [Adelaide Express 10 Aug 1866 advert]
“Butchers, Rundle-street. In returning their sincere thanks to the public for their liberal support bestowed on the late W. Kither for so many .years, beg respectfully to intimate that they will still carry on the business on the same premises in the name of S. Kither & Son.” [Express & Telegraph 13 Sep 1869 advert]
“William Kither, Late of the Firm of S. Kither & Son, 117 Rundle-Street, Butchers and Sausage Makers. In tendering my sincere thanks to the customers and the public generally for the very liberal support accorded to our old-established business for the last 20 years, I beg to intimate that I will in future carry on the said business in my own name.” [Register 9 Nov 1875 advert]
“On Saturday evening the first three shops of the block of buildings in Rundle street to be known hereafter as Kither's Buildings were lighted up and opened for the inspection of the public. . . The principal shop of the three is intended for Mr. W. Kither, and is one of the best-appointed butcher's establishments we have ever seen. The shop is thirty feet long by nineteen wide and fourteen in height. A very pleasing effect is secured by the introduction of Minton's hexagon glazed white enamelled tiles, with which the walls are entirely lined. . . There is to be an icehouse in this cellar in which to keep meat during the summer, and the accommodation otherwise is well adapted for the curing and export trade Mr. Kither carries on with Mauritius. Above and behind Mr. Kither's shop there is a substantial residence. The two adjoining shops are eighty-six feet long by twelve feet wide, and have above them rooms of the same dimensions.” [Evening Journal 14 Jul 1879]
“the style adopted being Italian renaissance of very ornate character, forming a striking addition to the architecture of Adelaide. The verandahs are of noble proportions, and the effect is greatly added to by the artistic pencils of Messrs. Vosz & Son and their workmen.” [Chronicle & Weekly Mail 19 Jul 1879]
“William Kither, Butcher and Sausage Maker, has the honour to announce that he will Open His Elegant and Commodious Premises, recently rebuilt at great expense under the supervision and from the designs of a well known architect, at Kither’s Buildings, Rundle-Street on Saturday, July 19, 1879, where he trusts his numerous customers and friends will favour him by a continuance of their support, which he has enjoyed for so many years past.” [Evening Journal 18 Jul 1879 advert]
“To Let Two New Shops (Kither’s Buildings), each 70 feet long, with Corresponding Rooms above, and Good Cellars.” [Register 15 Jul 1879 advert]
“Wanted, a Slaughterman. Apply at W. Kither's, Rundle-street.” [Register 29 Jul 1879 advert]
“We are requested to call the attention of the Public of the east part of the City to those cool and well ventilated Rooms, opened by J. Jackman, which was so much needed in that locality, where Tea, Coffee, or Cooca, 3d. per cup, can be had at any time from 7 a.m. till 8 p.m.; also Breakfast, consisting of Meat Bread and Butter, 2 cups of Tea or Coffee, 1s.; Dinner — three courses, 1s, Soup Joint, Pastry, or Cheese; Tea, according to bill of fare, with Bread and Butter and 2 cups of Tea, 1s. Ice Drinks, Ice Creams during the season.— Jackman's Dining Rooms,48 and 59, King William-street, and 117, Rundle-street, Kither’s Buildings.” [Advertiser 8 Mar 1880 advert]
“J. Menkens & Son . . . have Removed from 167 to 117a Rundle-street (Kither’s New Buildings), Invite inspection of their Stock of Fancy Goods, Bohemian and other Glassware, Crockery, Accordeons of the celebrated Lyre Brand, &c., &c. Motto — ‘Small Profits and Quick Returns’.” [Evening Journal 7 Dec 1880 advert]
“The Adelaide Cash Grocery Store, 117A, Rundle-Street. Just opened. . . Kither’s Buildings, nearly opposite the Plough and Harrow.” [Register 10 Jul 1882 advert]
“On Tuesday from noon until 2 o'clock in the afternoon the first free distribution of soup and bread to the distressed poor was made at the premises of Alderman Kither, who on that occasion provided both articles. . . there is a great deal of distress in the city. Altogether about thirty gallons of soup and forty loaves of bread were carried off by eager and indigent and genuinely grateful applicants, and the average daily demand will probably be about double that quantity. . . The soup and the bread were distributed by three private gentlemen who have interested themselves in the movement, and they were assisted by two of the City Missionaries and Miss Green.” [Evening Journal 28 May 1884]
“A refrigerating machine, the invention of Mr. Edmund Taylor — the first of the kind ever introduced into this colony — has just been erected under the superintendence of the inventor on the premises of Mr. W. Kither, butcher, of Rundle-street. . . In the very hot weather it is impossible by any ordinary process to keep meat more than a few hours, and to many it is equally difficult to eat it when newly killed. . . sufficient cold air can be stored to keep the compartments cool for thirty-six hours without recourse to the machine, an advantage which enables the butcher to dispense with Sunday work, and which allows the slaughterman a clear rest from Saturday noon to Monday morning.” [Evening Journal 23 Jul 1884]
“Salvatore Lazza, French, Italian, and English Confectioner, late of Adelaide Exhibition. . . has Removed to those commodious Buildings known as Kither’s Buildings, 117 Rundle-street. . . All Goods of the choicest, quality retail at wholesale prices. . . French Cocoanut and Cocoanut Chips fresh daily.” [Express & Telegraph 28 Jan 1888 advert]
“Defrie’s Lamps, Chimneys, and Wicks, Chair Seats, all sizes, only from H. L. Newman, Kither’s Buildings, Rundle-street.” [Evening Journal 25 Feb 1892 advert]
“Suits. . . Hats. . . High Class Tailoring. . . All Wool Materials, Thoroughly Shrunk. . . Hepworth’s Ltd. The London, Leeds, and Edinburgh Tailors and manufacturers, 117, Rundle-st. (Kither’s Buildings).” [Register 8 May 1895 advert]
“The Co-operative Coupon Company Limited. Have Leased those Extensive Premises at 117a, Rundle-street, known as Kither's Buildings, and have opened them as Showrooms for the display of their Goods, which consist of Silverware, Lamps, Furniture, Clocks, Musical Instruments, Japanese Goods, &c., &c. The novel feature of this Company is that the Goods are Given Away Free in Exchange for Co-operative Coupons, which are obtained from the various Tradesmen in the City and Suburbs issuing them.” [Evening Journal 1 Nov 1898 advert]
“Quality Meat. New Season’s Lamb. 7½d. Paddock-fed Beef. Kither’s Quality Butchers, Rundle St.” [Register 31 Oct 1924 advert]
“Clarkson Limited has purchased the freehold of the building in Rundle street, in which the business known as W. Kither, butcher, is conducted. The premises have a frontage of 63 ft. to Rundle street and a depth of 160 ft. to Twin street. It is understood that the purchase price is in the vicinity of £40,000.” [News 14Jun 1926]
“At the Abattoirs sales on Wednesday a consignment of spring lambs, which, was sold by Messrs. Elder, Smith and Co., Limited, on account of the Roseworthy College, provided an interesting example of the type and growth of various breeds and crosses. . . All the lambs were purchased by W. Kither, butcher, of Rundle-street, and will be exhibited at this shop later in the week.” [Chronicle 23 Jul 1931]
“Auction. . . To Butchers, Engineers. Dealers, &c. . . at Kither’s Old Premises, 135 Rundle Street. . . Sale of Surplus Plant and Equipment Owing to Expiration of Lease and Change of Address.” [Advertiser 16 Mar 1932 advert]
“Tenders are invited . . . for Remodelling and Extending Premises, Rundle Street, for Clarkson Limited. . . Woods, Bagot, Laybourne Smith and Irwin, Architects.” [News 8 Jul 1932 advert]
“From very small beginnings in 1848. . . The originator was Mr. H. L. Vosz, the Pioneer Painter and Plumber of South Australia. He first imported Glass to the colony, and a small shop was opened at 88 Rundle street, where the business was carried on until long after his death in 1886. . . The present Managing Director, Mr: A. E. Clarkson, entered the business in 1890. . . In 1915 the business assumed the name of Clarkson Limited. . . Clarkson Limited will open new premises .in Rundle street on Monday, December 5, on the site formerly known as Kither's Buildings, and the new showrooms will be up to date and modern in every respect. There is a frontage of 63 ft. and a floor space of over 30.000 square feet. . . It is the Company's intention to specialise, as in the past, in the requirements of the Building and allied trades, viz., Paints, Glass, Mirrors, Leaded Lights, Wallpapers, Artistware, Builders' Hardware, Plumbingware, etc., and domestic electrical appliances and refrigerators have also been added to the Company's stocks.” [News 1 Dec 1932]
“Clarkson Limited — Adelaide glass, paint and hardware merchants — this year celebrates its centenary of trading in South Australia. . . The business was founded 100 years ago by Mr. H. L. Vosz, who arrived from Europe in 1848 and started work as a carpenter and painter in Ackland street. . . Soon afterwards he rented premises in Rundle street and he was the first to import plate glass into SA. Mr. Vosz died in 1886 and for some years the business was carried on by those who had been closely associated with him. In 1904 the firm was incorporated . . . and in 1915 the name of the company was changed from H. L. Vosz Limited to Clarkson Limited, assuming the name of its managing director, the late Mr. A. E. Clarkson, who died in 1936. . . The company has occupied its present premises in Rundle street since 1932.” [Advertiser 17 Feb 1948]
WILLIAM KITHER
“Mr. William Kither, of Adelaide. . . was the proprietor of one of the oldest businesses in Rundle street; he had lived 55 years in South Australia. . . Mr. Kither had been married more than 40 years, and his wife, formerly Miss Elizabeth Morcom, was the daughter of an Adelaide coachbuilder well known in the early days of the State. . . Mr. Kither was a Londoner, born at Bow, in 1843. . . came to South Australia in 1855 with his father, mother, and six brothers and sisters in the ship Constance. . . his first duty was to weigh pins into 1-oz. packets. Ere long Master Kither apprenticed himself to a butcher. . . the apprentice persuaded his father to reopen the shop. That was about 1857. . . For two or three years the son and the widow were in partnership, then Mr. Kither began business on his own account. His operations rapidly expanded, and he found it necessary to pull down the old shop, and build the more commodious place which still bears his name. . . Mr. Kither became Councillor for Hindmarsh Ward in the City Council, and in 1883 was chosen as Alderman. . . a stanch advocate of asphalting in preference to woodblocking for street pavements.” [Register 25 Jan 1911]
“The citizens of Adelaide will remember his goodness all through the severe winter of 1884. when he proved his practical nature by keeping open a soup kitchen for the benefit of those who were in need. In support of organised philanthropic institutions and bodies, Mr. Kither's name always figured. He was a life governor of the Children's Hospital, and also of the Blind. Deaf and Dumb Asylum, and he served for ten years on the board of management of the Adelaide Hospital.” [Express & Telegraph 24 Jan 1911]
“Mr. Kither has left a widow and nine children. The sons are Messrs. J. M. Kither, H. Kither, of Messrs. Bennett and Fisher, J. S. Kither, and C. M. Kither. . . The daughters are Mesdames J. Vicars (Sydney), H. L. Jackman, Leslie Taylor, and Roy Taylor. The widow is in London.” [Evening Journal 24 Jan 1911]
“Probate has been granted in the will of the late Mr. William Kither, of Mount Lofty, who died at Knightsbridge, London, on January 23 last, while on a visit to England. . . The executors are Elizabeth Jane Kither (widow of the testator), and Herbert Kither and Clarence Maturin Kither (sons). . . The butchering business so successfully carried on under the direction of the deceased has been transferred to Clarence Maturin Kither, who managed it in his father's absence.” [Register 21 Mar 1911]
The internet and mobile technology has revolutionised the way we live, for both good and bad. At the touch of a button you can buy just about anything (!), though it has turned the younger generation into zombies – a generation that's never known any other way of communicating.
Information for people under 25 – this is the inside of a telephone kiosk, those odd glass boxes you occasionally see on roadsides (some are red, with lots of little windows in). Think of it as a Tardis, just in REAL life? Try texting (or sexting!) on one of these!! Also, you have to insert coins, real ones not bitcoins, and it's not paid for by mum and dad... no contract either!
Sadly, this is not the sort of WEB the 'phone box was designed for – this example in Upper Lydbrook, Gloucestershire, is a prime example of how we've fallen out of favour with the dated technology that the phone box has become. This one still works, though no one has used it in ages, by the looks. Another example in nearby Stowfield was just the same – working but overgrown and forgotten...
de Havilland Heron outside Airport House, Croydon Airport
Taken with my mobile... Sorry about the quality...
Croydon Airport (ICAO: was EGCR, which has since been reassigned) was an airport in South London straddling the boundary between what are now the London boroughs of Croydon and Sutton. It was the main airport for London before it was replaced by Northolt Aerodrome, London Heathrow Airport and Gatwick Airport. The terminal building and entrance lodge are Grade II listed buildings.
Much of the site has been built over, but some of the terminal buildings near Purley Way (the A23 road) are still visible, clearly identifiable as to their former purpose. The former terminal building is called Airport House, and the former control tower houses a visitors' centre.
A de Havilland Heron (a small propeller-driven British airliner of the 1950s), is displayed outside Airport House on struts flanking the entry path (as of November 2009). The Heron is painted to represent an example registered G-AOXL of Morton Air Services, which was the aircraft that flew the last passenger flight from Croydon on 30 September 1959. A memorial to those lost in the Battle of Britain stands slightly to the south.
Aviators, pioneers and aircraft:
The aerodrome was known the world over, its fame being spread by the many aviators and pioneers who touched down at Croydon, such as:
- Alan Cobham, who flew from Croydon to Cape Town and back in 1925-6;
- Charles Lindbergh, who flew into Croydon in 1927 shortly after completing the first solo trans-Atlantic flight;
- Bert Hinkler, who made the first flight from Croydon to Darwin, Australia in 1928;
- Charles Kingsford Smith, who beat Hinkler's record;
- Amy Johnson, the first woman to fly from Croydon to Australia, later to return to Croydon to a jubilant welcome.
- Winston Churchill, who took extensive flying lessons at Croydon and was nearly killed during a crash at take-off in 1919.
- Tom Campbell Black, who with C. W. A. Scott won the MacRobertson London to Melbourne Air Race in 1934;
- Juan de la Cierva, the Spanish inventor of the autogyro, who died in an aviation accident on 9 December 1936.
Accidents and incidents:
- On 15 March 1923, Farman F.60 Goliath F-AEIE of Compagnie des Messageries Aériennes overran the runway on landing and collided with a building. The aircraft was later repaired and returned to service.
- On 22 January 1924, Goliath F-GEAO of Air Union was destroyed by fire following an accident when landing.
- On 24 December 1924 (1924 Imperial Airways de Havilland DH.34 crash), Imperial Airways de Havilland DH.34 G-EBBX crashed and caught fire shortly after take-off from Croydon, killing the pilot and all seven passengers.
- On 6 November 1929, the Deutsche Lufthansa Junkers G 24bi Oberschlesien (registration D-903) crashed after striking trees on a bill in Marden Park, Surrey, while attempting to return to Croydon in thick fog after taking off for a flight to Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Three of the four crew members and four of the five passengers died.
- On 19 May 1934, a Wibault 280 of Air France crash-landed on a cricket pitch adjacent to Croydon Airport due to running out of fuel. Only one of the ten people on board was injured.
- On 31 May 1934 an Air France aircraft carrying newspapers to Paris crashed after hitting the mast of an aircraft radio navigation beacon that had been erected off the end of the white-line takeoff path, killing the two crew.
- On 9 December 1936 (1936 KLM Croydon accident), a KLM Douglas DC-2 crashed on take off at Croydon Airport on a flight to Amsterdam. The accident killed 15 out of 17 on the DC-2
- On 25 January 1947 (1947 Croydon Dakota accident), a Spencer Airways Douglas Dakota failed to get airborne on a flight to Rhodesia. The aircraft struck another parked and empty aircraft, killing 11 passengers and the pilot.
During 1916 the British born Australian architect Walter Richmond Butler (1864 – 1949) designed a new Anglican Mission to Seamen to be built on an oddly shaped triangular block of land at 717 Flinders Street on the outskirts of the Melbourne central city grid, to replace smaller premises located in adjoining Siddeley Street, which had been resumed by the Harbour Trust during wharf extensions.
The Missions to Seamen buildings, built on reinforced concrete footings, are in rendered brick with tiled roofs. Walter Butler designed the complex using an eclectic mixture of styles, one of which was the Spanish Mission Revival which had become a prevalent style on the west coast of America, especially in California and New Mexico during the 1890s. The style revived the architectural legacy of Spanish colonialism of the Eighteenth Century and the associated Franciscan missions. The revival of the style is explicit in the Mission’s small, yet charming chapel with its rough-hewn timber trusses, in the bell tower with its pinnacles and turret surmounted by a rustic cross and in the monastic-like courtyard, which today still provides a peaceful retreat from the noisy world just beyond the Missions to Seamen’s doorstep. The chapel also features many gifts donated by members of the Harbour Trust and Ladies’ Harbour Lights Guild, including an appropriately themed pulpit in the shape of a ship's prow and two sanctuary chairs decorated with carved Australian floral motifs. Some of the stained glass windows in the chapel depict stories and scenes associated with the sea intermixed with those Biblical scenes more commonly found in such places of worship.
The adjoining Mission to Seamen’s administration, residential and recreational building shows the influence of English domestic Arts and Crafts architecture, with its projecting gable, pepper pot chimneys and three adjoining oriel windows. The lobby, with its appropriately nautically inspired stained glass windows, features a large mariner's compass inlaid in the terrazzo floor. Built-in timber cupboards, wardrobes, paneling and studded doors throughout the buildings evoke a ship's cabin.
Walter Butler, architect to the Anglican Diocese in Melbourne, had come to Australia with an intimate knowledge and experience of the Arts and Crafts movement and continued to use the style in his residential designs of the 1920s. The main hall has a reinforced concrete vaulted ceiling. Lady Stanley, wife of the Mission's patron, Governor Sir Arthur Lyulph Stanley, laid the foundation stone of the complex in November 1916. The buildings were financed partly by a compensation payment from the Harbour Trust of £8,500.00 and £3,000.00 from local merchants and shipping firms. The Ladies' Harbour Lights Guild raised over £800.00 for the chapel. Most of the complex was completed by late 1917 whilst the Pantheon-like gymnasium with oculus was finished soon afterwards. The substantially intact interiors, including extensive use of wall paneling in Tasmanian hardwood, form an integral part of the overall design.
The Missions to Seamen buildings are architecturally significant as a milestone in the early introduction of the Spanish Mission style to Melbourne. The style was to later find widespread popularity in the suburbs of Melbourne. The choice of Spanish Mission directly refers to the Christian purpose of the complex. The Missions to Seamen buildings are unusual for combining two distinct architectural styles, for they also reflect the imitation of English domestic architecture, the Arts and Crafts movement. Walter Butler was one of the most prominent and progressive architects of the period and the complex is one of his most unusual and distinctive works.
The Missions to Seamen buildings have historical and social significance as tangible evidence of prevailing concerns for the religious, moral, and social welfare of seafarers throughout most of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries. The complex has a long association with the Missions to Seamen, an organisation formed to look after the welfare of seafarers, both officers and sailors, men "of all nationalities". It had its origins in Bristol, England when a Seamen's Mission was formed in 1837. The first Australian branch was started in 1856 by the Reverend Kerr Johnston, a Church of England clergyman, and operated from a hulk moored in Hobsons Bay; later the Mission occupied buildings in Williamstown and Port Melbourne. In 1905 the Reverend Alfred Gurney Goldsmith arrived at the behest of the London Seamen's Mission to establish a city mission for sailors working on the river wharves and docks. The building reflects the diverse role played by the Mission with its chapel, hall and stage, billiards room, reading room, dining room, officers' and men’s quarters, chaplain's residence, and gymnasium. It is still in use to this day under the jurisdiction of a small, but passionate group of workers, providing a welcome place of refuge to seamen visiting the Port of Melbourne.
Walter Butler was considered an architect of great talent, and many of his clients were wealthy pastoralists and businessmen. His country-house designs are numerous and include “Blackwood” (1891) near Penshurst, for R. B. Ritchie, “Wangarella” (1894) near Deniliquin, New South Wales, for Thomas Millear, and “Newminster Park” (1901) near Camperdown, for A. S. Chirnside. Equally distinguished large houses were designed for the newly established Melbourne suburbs: “Warrawee” (1906) in Toorak, for A. Rutter Clark; “Thanes” (1907) in Kooyong, for F. Wallach; “Kamillaroi” (1907) for Baron Clive Baillieu, and extensions to “Edzell” (1917) for George Russell, both in St Georges Road, Toorak. These are all fine examples of picturesque gabled houses in the domestic Queen Anne Revival genre. Walter Butler was also involved with domestic designs using a modified classical vocabulary, as in his remodelling of “Billilla” (1905) in Brighton, for W. Weatherley, which incorporates panels of flat-leafed foliage. Walter Butler also regarded himself as a garden architect.
As architect to the diocese of Melbourne from 1895, he designed the extensions to “Bishopscourt” (1902) in East Melbourne. His other church work includes St Albans (1899) in Armadale, the Wangaratta Cathedral (1907), and the colourful porch and tower to Christ Church (c.1910) in Benalla. For the Union Bank of Australia he designed many branch banks and was also associated with several tall city buildings in the heart of Melbourne’s central business district such as Collins House (1910) and the exceptionally fine Queensland Insurance Building (1911). For Dame Nellie Melba Butler designed the Italianate lodge and gatehouse at “Coombe Cottage” (1925) at Coldstream.
Quotations have replaced events posters during lockdown.
This image was taken during the Covid-19 pandemic and phase one of moving out of lockdown in Scotland.
www.gov.scot/news/route-map-for-moving-out-of-lockdown/
Grade A listed concert hall on Lothian Road, Edinburgh. Foundation stone laid in 1911 by George V and Queen Mary.
The Usher Hall opened in March 1914 and was gifted as a music hall to the city of Edinburgh by Andrew Usher one of the three founders of the North British Distillery. It was designed by architects James Stockdale Harrison and Howard H Thomson of Leicester.
The hall is a three-storey building in a Beaux Arts style in a horseshoe form and was designed to seat 3,000. Its construction used advanced concrete methods for the time. It has a saucer dome with a steel frame clad in copper. Darney sandstone with the ground floor in Kemnay granite.
Refurbishment and new entrance extension designed by LDN Architects (2007-10).
www.usherhall.co.uk/about/history
Listing: portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/LB27780
Usher: www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/article/usher-hall-edinburgh
www.ajbuildingslibrary.co.uk/projects/display/id/2752
Design plan: www.scottishconstructionnow.com/5186/lost-architectural-d...
Advie War Memorial
The memorial was damaged beyond repair in 2006 and replaced in 2008.
The memorial has been moved to NJ 12506 34385, the position shown above is right on the main road so perhaps it was hit by a vehicle that would fit with the damage on the original which is in the cemetery (NJ 1418 3528).
There appears to be a church hall across the road from memorial.
LET US GIVE
OUR MOST HUMBLE
AND HEARTY THANKS
TO ALMIGHTY GOD
FOR HAVING GIVEN
US AND OUR ALLIES
THE VICTORY OVER
OUR ENEMIES
MAY WE REMEMBER
THAT THE SAFETY
OF OUR EMPIRE
IS NOT OWING TO
THE STRENGTH OF MAN
BUT TO THE POWER
OF GOD
GOD SAVE THE KING
AMEN
.
SONS OF THIS PLACE
LET THIS OF YOU
BE SAID
THAT YOU WHO LIVE ARE
WORTHY OF YOUR DEAD
THESE GAVE THEIR
LIVES THAT YOU
WHO LIVE MAY REAP
A RICHER HARVEST
ERE YOU FALL
ASLEEP
.
SEAFORTH HIGHLANDERS
2nd BATTALION
SGT ALEX WILLIAMSON DC.M.
Pte DANIEL MUNRO
Pte DUNCAN L. MACKENZIE DIED OF WOUNDS 4.11.15
3rd BATTALION
SGT BENJAMIN PRITCHARD
Pte WILLIAM BREMNER
4th BATTALION
SGT JAMES ANDERSON
Pte ALEXANDER STUART
Pte DAVID FERGUSON
Pte JAMES McGLASHAN
C.Q.M.S. ROBERT RAE
...
SEAFORTH HIGHLANDERS
6th BATTALION
Cpl AINSLIE WOODKILLED IN ACTION 31.7.17
Pte ALEX MACKENZIEKILLED IN ACTION 28.4.18
PIPER WILLIAM McBAIN
Pte THOMAS H. DUNBAR
Pte DONALD GEDDES
Pte CHARLES MUNRO
Pte JAMES GRUBB
Pte WILLIAM MUNRO
Pte DONALD GRANT
7th BATTALION
Pte PETER STUARTKILLED IN ACTION 4.5.17
Pte GEORGE GRANTKILLED IN ACTION 19.4.17
...
ROYAL FIELD ARTILLERY
CAPTAIN RONALD LIDDELL M.C.
ROYAL GARRISON ARTILLERY
SIGNALLER DAVID LEIGHTON
GUNNER THOMAS MACPHERSON
GUNNER GEORGE R. GRANT
MACHINE GUN CORPS
Pte WILLIAM J. GRANT
ROYAL ARMY MEDICAL CORPS
SERGEANT THOMAS W. MACKENZIE
SOUTH AFRICAN FIELD AMBULANCE
Pte WILLIAM McINTOSH
ROYAL AIR FORCE
Pte GEORGE INNES
AUSTRALIANS
SERGEANT ALEXANDER DEAN
PRIVATE WILLIAM J. MACKENZIEKILLED IN ACTION 5.5.15
Pte GEORGE WOOD
Pte JOHN GRANT
CANADIANS
LIEUT JOHN SHAW
STAFF SERGEANT JOHN CLARKKILLED IN ACTION 7.8.18
SGT JAMES STEWART
Pte ALFRED DINNIEKILLED IN ACTION 7.4.17
Pte DUNCAN STEWART
Pte ARTHUR STEWART
Pte CHARLES WILLIAMSON
CAMERON HIGHLANDERS
1st BATTALION
SGT AINSLIE WOOD
4TH BATTALION
SGT ANGUS AMAKENZIE
Pte PETER GOW
PTE WILLIAM MACDONALDDIED 28.12.14
Pte JOHN MACDONALD
5TH BATTALION
Pte HUGH HOGG
Pte JOHN MACDONALD
HIGHLAND LIGHT INFANTRY
12th BATTALION
Pte THOMAS ROBERTSON
ARGYLL & SUTHERLAND HIGHLANDERS
12TH BATTALION
Pte MUNRO GRANTKILLED IN ACTION 19.9.18
NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILLIERS
24th BATTALION
Pte CUTHBERT ALLAN
HERTFORDSHIRE REGIMENT
1st BATTALION
SGT ALEXANDER GRANTKILLED IN ACTION 7.9.18
Pte ERNEST BROCKS
GLOUCESTERSHIRE REGIMENT
6th BATTALION
Pte JOSEPH MANNDERS
ROYAL ENGINEERS
SAPPER ARTHUR S. CURRALL
ROYAL ARMY SERVICE CORPS
STAFF QR MASTER SERGEANT JOHN O. PETERKIN
Pte JOHN MUNRO
Pte JOHN CAMERON
Pte ROBERT TREVOR
18TH HUSSARS
CAPTAIN JOHN LOCKHART WOOD D.S.O.DIED OF WOUNDS 11.6.15
GORDON HIGHLANDERS
3rd BATTALION
Pte JAMES MACKENZIEKILLED IN ACTION 15.10.14
Pte GEORGE MACDONALDKILLED IN ACTION 11.4.17
Pte JOHN McCULLOCH
GORDON HIGHLANDERS
3rd BATTALION
Pte WILLIAM DUNBAR
Pte ARCH MACDONALD
6th BATTALION
CAPTAIN DONALD DUFF
BLACK WATCH ROYAL HIGHLANDERS
3rd BATTALION
Pte PETER DUNBAR
8th BATTALION
Pte JOHN G. COOPERKILLED IN ACTION 2.10.18
9th BATTALION
Pte WILLIAM KEITH
12th BATTALION
Pte JAMES BREMNER
...
THIS WAR MEMORIAL ERECTED IN 2008
REPLACES THE ORIGINAL MEMORIAL
WHICH WAS DAMAGED BEYOND REPAIR IN 2006.
THE REMAINS OF THE ORIGINAL MEMORIAL
CAN BE VIEWED IN THE GROUNDS OF ADVIE CEMETERY
Advie War Memorial
The memorial was damaged beyond repair in 2006 and replaced in 2008.
The memorial has been moved to NJ 12506 34385, the position shown above is right on the main road so perhaps it was hit by a vehicle that would fit with the damage on the original which is in the cemetery (NJ 1418 3528).
There appears to be a church hall across the road from memorial.
LET US GIVE
OUR MOST HUMBLE
AND HEARTY THANKS
TO ALMIGHTY GOD
FOR HAVING GIVEN
US AND OUR ALLIES
THE VICTORY OVER
OUR ENEMIES
MAY WE REMEMBER
THAT THE SAFETY
OF OUR EMPIRE
IS NOT OWING TO
THE STRENGTH OF MAN
BUT TO THE POWER
OF GOD
GOD SAVE THE KING
AMEN
.
SONS OF THIS PLACE
LET THIS OF YOU
BE SAID
THAT YOU WHO LIVE ARE
WORTHY OF YOUR DEAD
THESE GAVE THEIR
LIVES THAT YOU
WHO LIVE MAY REAP
A RICHER HARVEST
ERE YOU FALL
ASLEEP
.
SEAFORTH HIGHLANDERS
2nd BATTALION
SGT ALEX WILLIAMSON DC.M.
Pte DANIEL MUNRO
Pte DUNCAN L. MACKENZIE DIED OF WOUNDS 4.11.15
3rd BATTALION
SGT BENJAMIN PRITCHARD
Pte WILLIAM BREMNER
4th BATTALION
SGT JAMES ANDERSON
Pte ALEXANDER STUART
Pte DAVID FERGUSON
Pte JAMES McGLASHAN
C.Q.M.S. ROBERT RAE
...
SEAFORTH HIGHLANDERS
6th BATTALION
Cpl AINSLIE WOODKILLED IN ACTION 31.7.17
Pte ALEX MACKENZIEKILLED IN ACTION 28.4.18
PIPER WILLIAM McBAIN
Pte THOMAS H. DUNBAR
Pte DONALD GEDDES
Pte CHARLES MUNRO
Pte JAMES GRUBB
Pte WILLIAM MUNRO
Pte DONALD GRANT
7th BATTALION
Pte PETER STUARTKILLED IN ACTION 4.5.17
Pte GEORGE GRANTKILLED IN ACTION 19.4.17
...
ROYAL FIELD ARTILLERY
CAPTAIN RONALD LIDDELL M.C.
ROYAL GARRISON ARTILLERY
SIGNALLER DAVID LEIGHTON
GUNNER THOMAS MACPHERSON
GUNNER GEORGE R. GRANT
MACHINE GUN CORPS
Pte WILLIAM J. GRANT
ROYAL ARMY MEDICAL CORPS
SERGEANT THOMAS W. MACKENZIE
SOUTH AFRICAN FIELD AMBULANCE
Pte WILLIAM McINTOSH
ROYAL AIR FORCE
Pte GEORGE INNES
AUSTRALIANS
SERGEANT ALEXANDER DEAN
PRIVATE WILLIAM J. MACKENZIEKILLED IN ACTION 5.5.15
Pte GEORGE WOOD
Pte JOHN GRANT
CANADIANS
LIEUT JOHN SHAW
STAFF SERGEANT JOHN CLARKKILLED IN ACTION 7.8.18
SGT JAMES STEWART
Pte ALFRED DINNIEKILLED IN ACTION 7.4.17
Pte DUNCAN STEWART
Pte ARTHUR STEWART
Pte CHARLES WILLIAMSON
CAMERON HIGHLANDERS
1st BATTALION
SGT AINSLIE WOOD
4TH BATTALION
SGT ANGUS AMAKENZIE
Pte PETER GOW
PTE WILLIAM MACDONALDDIED 28.12.14
Pte JOHN MACDONALD
5TH BATTALION
Pte HUGH HOGG
Pte JOHN MACDONALD
HIGHLAND LIGHT INFANTRY
12th BATTALION
Pte THOMAS ROBERTSON
ARGYLL & SUTHERLAND HIGHLANDERS
12TH BATTALION
Pte MUNRO GRANTKILLED IN ACTION 19.9.18
NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILLIERS
24th BATTALION
Pte CUTHBERT ALLAN
HERTFORDSHIRE REGIMENT
1st BATTALION
SGT ALEXANDER GRANTKILLED IN ACTION 7.9.18
Pte ERNEST BROCKS
GLOUCESTERSHIRE REGIMENT
6th BATTALION
Pte JOSEPH MANNDERS
ROYAL ENGINEERS
SAPPER ARTHUR S. CURRALL
ROYAL ARMY SERVICE CORPS
STAFF QR MASTER SERGEANT JOHN O. PETERKIN
Pte JOHN MUNRO
Pte JOHN CAMERON
Pte ROBERT TREVOR
18TH HUSSARS
CAPTAIN JOHN LOCKHART WOOD D.S.O.DIED OF WOUNDS 11.6.15
GORDON HIGHLANDERS
3rd BATTALION
Pte JAMES MACKENZIEKILLED IN ACTION 15.10.14
Pte GEORGE MACDONALDKILLED IN ACTION 11.4.17
Pte JOHN McCULLOCH
GORDON HIGHLANDERS
3rd BATTALION
Pte WILLIAM DUNBAR
Pte ARCH MACDONALD
6th BATTALION
CAPTAIN DONALD DUFF
BLACK WATCH ROYAL HIGHLANDERS
3rd BATTALION
Pte PETER DUNBAR
8th BATTALION
Pte JOHN G. COOPERKILLED IN ACTION 2.10.18
9th BATTALION
Pte WILLIAM KEITH
12th BATTALION
Pte JAMES BREMNER
...
THIS WAR MEMORIAL ERECTED IN 2008
REPLACES THE ORIGINAL MEMORIAL
WHICH WAS DAMAGED BEYOND REPAIR IN 2006.
THE REMAINS OF THE ORIGINAL MEMORIAL
CAN BE VIEWED IN THE GROUNDS OF ADVIE CEMETERY
Built to replace the then fastest production car in the world, the XK140 took many of the previous styling of the XK120 and made the general look somewhat larger, but still maintaining an overall beauty that would come to define the Jaguar brand.
The XK140 was introduced in late 1954 and sold as a 1955 model. Exterior changes that distinguished it from the XK120 included more substantial front and rear bumpers with overriders, and flashing turn signals (operated by a switch on the dash) above the front bumper.
The grille remained the same size but became a one-piece cast unit with fewer, and broader, vertical bars. The Jaguar badge was incorporated into the grille surround. A chrome trim strip ran along the centre of the bonnet (hood) and boot (trunk) lid. An emblem on the boot lid contained the words "Winner Le Mans 1951–3".
The interior was made more comfortable for taller drivers by moving the engine, firewall and dash forward to give 3 inches more legroom. Two 6-volt batteries, one in each front wing were fitted to the Fixed Head Coupe, but Drop Heads and the Open Two Seater had a single 12-volt battery, which was installed in the front wing on the passenger side.
The XK140 was powered by the Jaguar XK engine with the Special Equipment modifications from the XK120, which raised the specified power by 10hp to 190hp as standard. The C-Type cylinder head, carried over from the XK120 catalogue, and producing 210hp was optional equipment.
The result was that this powerplant gave the car a 0-60 time of 8.4 seconds, with a top speed of 120mph in the regular model, and 1250mph in the SE.
When fitted with the C-type head, 2-inch sand-cast H8 carburettors, heavier torsion bars and twin exhaust pipes, the car was designated XK140 SE in the UK and XK140 MC in North America.
In 1956 the XK140 became the first Jaguar sports car to be offered with automatic transmission. As with the XK120, wire wheels and dual exhausts were options, and most XK140's imported into the United States had wire wheels. Cars with the standard disc wheels had spats (fender skirts) over the rear wheel opening.
The XK140 remained in production until 1957, whereupon it was replaced by the XK150, a car which, although styled to look similar to its 120 and 140 brothers, revised the Jaguar look to incorporate the style of the Mark I, which would later go on to be added into the legendary Mark II and the original S-Type.
Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 29-May-20.
'Brasil 500 years' special livery.
This aircraft was delivered to Itochu Airlease BV and leased to VARIG Brasil as PP-VOK in Jun-90. It was returned to the lessor as N483TC in May-05. The aircraft was leased to LOT Polish Airlines as SP-LPE in Jul-05, painted in 'Star Alliance' livery. It was permanently retired at Middlesborough-Teesside Airport, UK in Jul-13.
Note: The United Boeing 777-222ER in the background is N797UA.
Clementine: Avrei voluto che fossi rimasto.
Joel: E io vorrei averlo fatto. Ora vorrei essere rimasto. Vorrei aver fatto molte cose. Vorrei... vorrei essere rimasto. Davvero.
Clementine: Tornai subito di sotto, ma non c'eri!
Joel: Ero uscito, me n'ero andato via.
Clementine: Perché?
Joel: Non lo so! Ero come un bambino spaventato e... era una cosa più grande di me. Non lo so...
Clementine: Avevi paura?!
Joel: Sì... pensavo che l'avessi capito.
Replaced my M-stem with a H-stem, Aberhallo stem adapter and straight handle bars (58 cm)
It is about 2cm lower now. Brake/shifter cables are not modified.
Oyster pond footbridge at Newhaven Harbour. March 2015. Now demolished and replaced by a modern monstrosity.
There is an Atlas-F rocket on display at Kennedy Space Center with a dummy Agena stage on top. In reality, almost all Atlas-Agena rockets were “Atlas-D” models.
Atlas-Agena
The Atlas-Agena was an American expendable launch system derived from the SM-65 Atlas missile. It was a member of the Atlas family of rockets, and was launched 109 times between 1960 and 1978. It was used to launch the first five Mariner unmanned probes to the planets Venus and Mars, and the Ranger and Lunar Orbiter unmanned probes to the Moon. The upper stage was also used as an unmanned orbital target vehicle for the Gemini manned spacecraft to practice rendezvous and docking. However, the launch vehicle family was originally developed for the Air Force and most of its launches were classified DoD payloads.
The Atlas-Agena was a two-and-a-half-stage rocket, with a stage-and-a-half Atlas missile as the first stage, and an RM-81 Agena second stage. Initially, Atlas D missiles, re-designated as the LV-3, were used as the first stage. These were later replaced by the standardized Atlas SLV-3, and its derivatives, the SLV-3A and B. The final Atlas-Agena launch used an Atlas E/F.
The earliest Agena variant was the Agena A in 1959-60, which did not have restart capability. Most of these were flown on Thor-Agena boosters for the Discoverer program and only four used Atlases (Midas 1, Midas 2, Samos 1, and Samos 2), two of which failed.
Late in 1960, Lockheed introduced the uprated Agena B stage which was restartable and had longer propellant tanks for more burn time. It first flew on the Thor and did not make its maiden voyage on an Atlas for months, when Midas 3 launched on July 12, 1961. Atlas-Agenas were then used for DoD and NASA programs, but proved a reliability nightmare as one failure after another happened. In late 1962, after Ranger 5 suffered another booster malfunction (albeit a minor one that ground controllers were able to work around), NASA convened a review board which undertook a wholesale reevaluation of the Atlas-Agena as a launch vehicle. The board found that quality control and checkout procedures were poor, and that this situation was exacerbated by the several dozen configurations of the booster, as each individual DoD and NASA program necessitated custom modifications to the Atlas and Agena, and the latter also differed in its Atlas and Thor variants. The board recommended improved quality control, better hardware, and also establishing one standardized launch vehicle for all space programs.
The end result was the Atlas SLV-3 and Agena D, standardized versions of the Atlas D core and Agena B which would be the same on every launch (at least as far as the Atlas was concerned, Agena Ds often still had customized setups, especially for DoD payloads). The Agena D first flew in July 1963 for DoD launches, but NASA continued using Agena Bs for the remaining Ranger missions. The Atlas SLV-3 meanwhile first flew in August 1964. Dozens of Atlas SLV-3/Agena D boosters were flown over the following years, mostly for the KH-7 Gambit program, also for a few NASA missions. The last Atlas-Agena was flown in 1978 to launch SEASAT, but on a repurposed Atlas F missile rather than the SLV-3.
Launches were conducted from Launch Complexes 12, 13 and 14 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, and Launch Complexes 1 and 2 at Point Arguello (now SLC-3 and 4 at Vandenberg Air Force Base).
•General Specifications
oFunction: Expendable launch system
oManufacturer: Convair; General Dynamics
oCountry of Origin: United States
•Size
oHeight: 118.0 feet (36.0 m)
oDiameter: 10.0 feet (3.0 m)
oWidth: 16.0 feet (4.9 m)
oMass: 341,000 pounds (155,000 kg)
oStages: 2½
•Capacity
oPayload to LEO: 2,200 pounds (1,000 kg)
oPayload to GEO: 1,540 pounds (700 kg)
oPayload to TLI: 850 pounds (390 kg)
oPayload to Escape: 575 pounds (261 kg)
•Launch History
oStatus: Retired
oLaunch Sites: LC-12, 13 & 14, CCAFS; SLC-3 & 4, Vandenberg
oTotal launches: 109
oSuccesses: 93
oFailures: 13
oPartial Failures: 3
oFirst Flight: February 26, 1960
oLast Flight: June 27, 1978
•Boosters
oNo. Boosters: 1
oWidth: 16.0 feet (4.9 m)
oEngines: 2
oThrust: 233,000 pounds-force (1,040 kN)
oBurn Time: 134 seconds
oFuel: RP-1/LOX
•First Stage
oDiameter: 10.0 feet (3.0 m)
oEngines: 1
oThrust: 67,000 pounds-force (300 kN)
oBurn Time: 5 minutes
oFuel: RP-1/LOX
•Second Stage – Agena D
oLength: 248 inches (6.3 m)
oDiameter: 5.0 feet (1.5 m)
oEngines: 1 Bell Aerospace 8247
oThrust: 16,000 pounds-force (71 kN)
oBurn Time: 265 seconds
oFuel: UDMH/IRFNA
Variants
•Atlas LV-3 Agena-A
oFirst Launch: 1960-02-26
oLast Launch: 1961-01-31
oLaunches: 4
oSuccesses: 2
oFailures: 2
oPartial Failures: 0
oRemarks: Early Atlas-Agena variant flown four times for the Midas and Samos programs
•Atlas LV-3 Agena-B
oFirst Launch: 1961-07-12
oLast Launch: 1965-03-21
oLaunches: 28
oSuccesses: 21
oFailures: 5
oPartial Failures: 2
oRemarks: Enhanced, restartable Agena. Used for a variety of NASA and Air Force programs, including Ranger, Mariner, Samos, and Midas.
•Atlas LV-3 Agena-D
oFirst Launch: 1963-07-12
oLast Launch: 1965-07-20
oLaunches: 15
oSuccesses: 15
oFailures: 0
oPartial Failures: 0
oRemarks: Standardized Agena B used for a variety of NASA and Air Force programs, including Ranger, Mariner, Midas, and Gambit.
•Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D
oFirst Launch: 1964-08-14
oLast Launch: 1967-11-05
oLaunches: 47
oSuccesses: 41
oFailures: 5
oPartial Failures: 1
oRemarks: Standardized SLV-3 Atlas+Agena D used for a variety of NASA and Air Force programs, including Mariner, Vela, and Gambit.
•Atlas SLV-3B Agena-D
oFirst Launch: 1966-04-08
oLast Launch: 1966-04-08
oLaunches: 1
oSuccesses: 1
oFailures: 0
oPartial Failures: 0
oRemarks: One-off Atlas variant used for the first OAO satellite.
•Atlas SLV-3 Agena-B
oFirst Launch: 1966-06-07
oLast Launch: 1966-06-07
oLaunches: 1
oSuccesses: 1
oFailures: 0
oPartial Failures: 0
oRemarks: One-off Atlas variant used for OAO-3
•Atlas SLV-3A Agena-D
oFirst Launch: 1968-03-04
oLast Launch: 1978-04-08
oLaunches: 12
oSuccesses: 11
oFailures: 1
oPartial Failures: 0
oRemarks: Extended tank Atlas. Used for OGO-5 and Canyon/Rhyolite SIGNIT satellites.
•Atlas E/F Agena D
oFirst Launch: 1978-06-27
oLast Launch: 1978-06-27
oLaunches: 1
oSuccesses: 1
oFailures: 0
oPartial Failures: 0
oRemarks: One-off Atlas variant mating the last Agena stage flown to a refurbished Atlas F missile for the launch of Seasat.
Destruct System
All Atlas-Agena vehicles contained an Inadvertent Separation Destruct System to destroy the Agena in the event that it separated prematurely from the Atlas, a situation that could be caused by a booster hard-over or if the Atlas self-destructed in flight. The ISDS charges were mounted on the adapter section between the two vehicles and would activate if a series of tripwires were broken. During the coasting period between staging, the ISDS charges were disabled. The Atlas’s own RSO charges were also wired so that they would destroy both vehicles if activated. Most Agenas also had their own separate RSO charges, although NASA planetary probes omitted them for weight-saving reasons and due to the flight trajectory used, which meant that destruct of the Agena was no longer possible following staging.
Two Atlas-Agena flights involved an intentional destruct of the Atlas (Mariner 1 and Canyon 4) while two others (Midas 6 and Midas 8) resulted in an ISDS destruction of the Agena following in-flight malfunction and self-destruct of the Atlas.
The Gemini-Agena Target Vehicle had a specially modified Range Safety destruct system designed to fire slugs into the propellant tanks rather than the conventional method of rupturing them externally, since an inadvertent activation of the RSO system in orbit could endanger the Gemini astronauts.
The very first Atlas-Agena flight, Midas 1 in February 1960, failed when the unproven ISDS system mistakenly activated at staging, rupturing the Atlas’s LOX tank and causing the breakup of the Agena. The ISDS system was redesigned afterwards and this failure mode did not repeat itself.
Production Launches
Ranger
Ranger block I spacecraft bus was used for the first two Rangers, and also for the first two Mariner interplanetary probes.
The Ranger spacecraft were designed to impact the Moon, returning photographs of the lunar surface until their destruction. The spacecraft was designed in three Blocks, all similar in appearance with a forward antenna and magnetometer, supported by a boom, with more sensors and two solar panels and a dish antenna mounted at the base. The first two Block I spacecraft, Ranger 1 and Ranger 2, were launched on August 23 and November 18, 1961, not to the Moon, but in intended high Earth orbits to test the Atlas-Agena and spacecraft capabilities. However, the Agena malfunctioned on both flights and left the probes trapped in a useless low Earth orbit from which they soon decayed.
The Block II missions, Ranger 3, Ranger 4, and Ranger 5, were launched away from Earth in January, April, and October 1962, but all three failed due to either malfunctions of the probe or launch vehicle difficulties. Ranger 3 missed the Moon entirely. Ranger 4’s solar panels failed to deploy, and the navigation system failed, sending the probe to impact the lunar far side without returning any pictures or data. Ranger 5 suffered an unknown failure which deprived it of power, and it missed the Moon by 725 kilometers (391 nautical miles).
Ranger 6, launched January 30, 1964, successfully impacted the Moon but its cameras failed to return pictures. The last three Rangers were finally successful: Ranger 7 in July 1964, Ranger 8 in February 1965, and Ranger 9 in March 1965.
Mariner
The Mariner spacecraft were built by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Mariner 1 and Mariner 2 were twins, launched on July 22 and August 27, 1962, to fly by the planet Venus. The first two craft used the same spacecraft bus as the Block I Rangers, each weighing 446 pounds (202 kg) and instrumented to perform radiometric temperature measurements of the planet, and to measure interplanetary magnetic fields and particles. Mariner 1’s Atlas-Agena malfunctioned and went off course, requiring its destruction approximately 5 minutes after liftoff. Mariner 2 successfully made the 3½-month flight, becoming the first spacecraft to fly by another planet. It carried microwave and infrared radiometers, and sensors for cosmic dust, solar plasma and high-energy radiation, and magnetic fields.
Mariner 3 and Mariner 4 used a redesigned spacecraft bus weighing 575 pounds (261 kg), and were launched on November 5 and November 28, 1964 to fly by the planet Mars. Mariner 3 failed after a successful launch when its payload shroud failed to open. These Mariners carried cameras, and Mariner 4 successfully returned pictures of Mars as it flew by.
The 540-pound (240 kg) Mariner 5 was successfully launched to Venus on June 14, 1967 and flew by in October, probing Venus’ atmosphere with radio waves, scanning its brightness in ultraviolet light, and sampling solar particles and magnetic field fluctuations above the planet.
Gemini
The Agena rocket stage was used as the passive docking target for the Gemini manned space program. After docking, the Agena could also be fired by the astronauts to raise the combined Gemini-Agena spacecraft into a higher orbit. The first attempt at such a docking mission was made for the Gemini 6 mission on October 25, 1965, but the Agena suffered an engine failure and did not reach orbit. This forced postponement and replanning of the Gemini 6A mission, which performed rendezvous with Gemini 7 without docking.
The GATV was first successfully launched for Gemini 8 on March 16, 1966, permitting the first successful docking in space. GATV-8 was later used as the secondary Agena target for Gemini 10, which also docked with its own GATV. GATV-9 failed to orbit when the Atlas suffered a control malfunction, forcing a similar reschedule of the Gemini 9A mission using a backup Augmented Target Docking Adapter atop an Atlas, but with no Agena rocket stage. Two more GATVs were successfully launched and used on Gemini 11 and Gemini 12.
Lunar Orbiter
A series of five Lunar Orbiter spacecraft were launched from August 1966 through August 1967, to help select landing sites for the Apollo manned lunar landing program by mapping the Moon’s surface. Each spacecraft weighed 850 pounds (390 kg) and was 4.9 feet (1.5 m) in diameter, minus the four extended solar panels. All launches were successful, and a total of 99 percent of the surface of the Moon (near and far side) was mapped with resolution as high as 3 ft. 3 in (1 meter). Altogether the Orbiters returned 2180 high resolution and 882 medium resolution frames. The spacecraft also carried micrometeroid sensors, which showed the average micro-meteoroid flux near the Moon to be two orders of magnitude greater than in interplanetary space, but slightly less than the near-Earth environment.
OAO
Orbiting Astronomical Observatory was a series of NASA satellites flown between 1966 and 1972 for astronomy studies. The first OAO (launched April 8, 1966) used a one-off Atlas variant, mating an Agena D to the LV-3C variant of the Atlas and encased in a Centaur-type payload shroud. The remaining three launches used actual Atlas-Centaur vehicles.
ATS
Applications Technology Satellite was a series of NASA satellites flown in 1967-69 to perform various technology tests. Only the first ATS was launched on an Atlas-Agena, the remainder using Atlas-Centaurs. ATS-1 was a partial failure when the Agena failed to restart, leaving it in LEO.
OGO
Orbiting Geophysical Observatory was a series of NASA satellites flown between 1964 and 1969 for magnetosphere studies. These satellites used several different booster types, including Thor-Agenas. Five of them used Atlas-Agenas, and OGO 5 (launched March 4, 1968) was the sole civilian use of the Atlas SLV-3A Agena.
Midas
Missile Defense Alarm System was a series of Air Force satellites flown between 1960 and 1966 for infrared detection of ballistic missile exhaust plumes on Atlas-Agena A, B, and D. There were several failures and overall program performance was poor, but it would give way to the more successful DSP satellites.
Samos
Samos was a series of Air Force satellites flown between 1960 and 1962 for photoreconnaissance on Atlas-Agena A and B. There were several failures, including an on-pad explosion of an Atlas, and the program was cancelled at the end of 1962 without ever demonstrating any operational capability.
Gambit
KH-7 Gambit was a series of Air Force satellites flown between 1963 and 1966 for photoreconnaissance on Atlas-Agena D. Although there were a number of mission failures, Gambit overall was highly successful in comparison with the bungled Samos program and it returned high-value area reconnaissance of the USSR and China before giving way to KH-8 Gambit in 1967.
Rhyolite/Canyon
Rhyolite/Canyon was a series of Air Force satellites flown between 1968 and 1978 for SIGNIT intelligence on Atlas SLV-3A Agena. One Canyon mission failed when its Atlas went off course and had to be destroyed. These were the final launches of Atlas-Agena vehicles aside from the one-off Atlas F/Agena used to launch Seasat.
Vela
Vela consisted of two sets of Air Force satellites flown in 1964-65 to monitor Soviet compliance with the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty on Atlas-Agena Ds.
Snapshot
Snapshot was a one-off Air Force test of a nuclear satellite flown in 1965 on an Atlas-Agena D.
Replaced those glass leaves with flowers I like it much better - now to grout and put a few other things on her!
Replaced some more old parts with fresh new parts. Replaced the old distributor cap, distributor rotor and the cabling with fresh new ones :)
Car is smooth again, as it showed some jerkiness onder WOT.
We had a weekend in Borrowdale recently, a Christmas present that we tagged a day on to. After calling at work on Saturday morning to open for business we headed up the motorway to Penrith. The road through the central lakes was washed away in the recent floods and it is going to be a long job replacing it. This made the diverted journey around 145 miles but we had a good run up there. We wanted to get walking ASAP so we pulled in at Threlkeld with a view to heading up Clough Head, and subject to conditions, head over the Dodds and back by the Old Coach Road. We had left appalling weather at home, wind, rain, fog and sleet on the tops. Thankfully it was better further north. There was laying snow on the summits, it was fairly calm low down and some summits were cloud free.
We left the car at 11.10 in our winter gear, straight up through the quarries and the steep scree slope (another Red Screes), by now we were into the snow line. The cloud was down, the wind gale force and the summit frozen hard – a different world up here. South next to Calfhow Pike, the wind made it difficult to talk and it was around -4 so the there was a fair wind-chill factor. It was tough going to our next top – Great Dodd, part of the Helvellyn massif – It was to icy to walk in places which meant deviating from the path, and losing our bearings, visibility was around ten yards with spindrift creating a whiteout at times. We battled on to the top and found the summit cairn. Great Dodd isn’t the easiest top to find your way off in low visibility, we would have gone further but in these conditions it was pointless so we retraced our steps to Calfhow and clear conditions. From here we followed Mosedale beck to Mariel Bridge, which is on the Old Coach Road, this gave us a circular route back to our start. The Old Coach Road has been wrecked by the floods and the 4x4 off roaders are making it a lot worse. 9.25 miles in 3 ¼ hours and we were in Brysons Tearooms in Keswick for Coffee and cake by 3.45pm. We carried on to Borrowdale and checked in at our hotel, not a bad day really.
After a poor night in a poor bed we were breakfasted and out for 8.30. We drove the few miles up to Seatoller and we were kitted up and away at 9.10. A bitterly cold and icy morning, there was some sun but not as much as promised. We could see the summit of Great End covered in cloud, we were heading up there on to the Sca Fell massif. We followed the valley to the east of Seathwaite Fell, a new path for us. Once in the snow the going was very icy with the path ice covered in places. The snow was dry and powdery and in places it had blown over the underlying ice. At this point I might add, we do own crampons. After a winter of splashing around soaked we didn’t expect to need them and they were at home – very clever! This was our first real winters day this winter, other than an hour on Sca Fell Pike on Christmas Day, we haven’t seen winter conditions this winter. By the time we got to Esk Hause it was difficult to stay upright and on our way to Great End we had to pick our way very carefully around the worst of the ice. The spindrift made it difficult to see the ground at times, spinning around our feet in a mist. Once on the summit the cloud was thick and the wind speed high. We had been here fairly recently so I knew the layout of the summit and we had little difficulty finding the summit cairn. We were cursing our lack of crampons and the cloud. Instead of heading into the cloud along the Sca Fell Pike path we decided to get under the cloud, back to Esk Hause and head over Allen Crags and Glaramara. At this point we both took some heavy falls, as did others up there, a lot turned around and headed back down, it was deadly. The cloud had thickened, there wasn’t a ray of sun to soften things. Our chosen route was one of the hardest afternoons we had ever had. Everywhere was frozen solid, we had to kick toe or heel holes to move on slopes that we wouldn’t have broken stride on normally. Minor rock scrambles down steep crags had become life threatening in places and we proceeded with extreme care. The knees were creaking on the long descent to Seathwaite. 10.3 miles in six hours, almost half the speed of yesterday. We made it Keswick for afternoon tea – and bought some Micro Spikes for unfinished business to deal with tomorrow. A beautiful day was forecast so fingers crossed we headed back for a soak in the tub.
Day three, a gorgeous icy, sunny winters day. Things looked promising. We left along yesterday’s route at the same start time – with walking poles and Micro Spikes! At the top of the valley we met a guy who had set off before us, two guys known to him were picking their way through the crags, tiny specks on the 800 foot rocky crag. Some appeared to have tried to climb the snow filled chimney that runs to the summit but we heard later that conditions weren’t suitable. Even though it was minus four the sun had softened the snow just enough to get a grip and it was easier to avoid the worst of the ice, unlike yesterday. The summit of Great End was incredible with never ending vistas. We could see a steady stream of walkers on every path by now. Word had got out that we were in for a rare treat today, plus it was school half term so a lot of people were off work. I visited every possible viewpoint as we went to the summit of Ill Crag , Broad Crag and finally Sca Fell Pike. It was 1.00 PM by now and a steady stream of elated walkers were arriving on England’s highest point. It was bitter but beautiful. We had around five miles back to the car along the Corridor Route to Styhead, Stockley Bridge and Seathwaite. Part of this route we had covered recently on Christmas Day and despite the snow and ice we powered along. We would have been back in two hours but! A mile from the car, following the manmade path down Taylorgill Force to Stockley Bridge Jayne Stumbled. It’s not often she walks in front. I normally lead and relay instructions and warnings back to her. She hit the rock path with her head and face really hard, stunned, she rolled off the path over a drop. She was vertical, resting on a rock on her knees and clinging on to the edge of the path with her fingertips. I grabbed her rucksack and held her whilst I checked her injuries. She had a bad bump on her temple, another on her forehead, split the bridge or her nose, her glasses had gone flying but would straighten. Being left handed she had stuck her left hand out and it had been bent back, it was swelling and discolouring pretty fast. When I had established that nothing was serious enough to stop her moving I got her back on to the path to see to her injuries. The pain initially made her think that she was in a worse state than ( I thought) she really was. She could move her fingers and wrist, albeit with some pain but not enough for it to be broken. The wound to the bridge of her nose although very painful wasn’t going to be a problem. The bumps on her head were turning into eggs by now. I gave her Ibuprofen and Paracetemol and she sat and composed herself for the final mile. We made it to the café in Keswick and got a slightly later afternoon break, our first of the day again. 11.3 miles today in 6 ¼ hours and fairly tough going. It was nothing more than a careless, tired perhaps, stumble on one of the horrible ( our own opinion, I might add) manmade paths made out of irregular stones which are laid at odd angles and are a nightmare to descend when wet on tired legs. A few days later and Jayne is sat on reception at the doctors looking like she’s been boxing, with a purple eye and nose, her left hand swollen and purple – otherwise she’s OK. I came down with mild food poisoning during the night and had to drive 145 miles home at 8.00 the morning after feeling extremely ill. I was due to start fasting for a Colonoscopy in three days. I ended up eating six slices of toast over a four day period – Monday evening to Thursday evening- Having had over 40 stomach endoscopies in twenty years the colonoscopy was nothing more than uncomfortable and , subject to biopsy results, everything looked OK. The trapped wind was another matter – for two days! All in all a very traumatic week. Needless to say we didn’t use the Micro Spikes.
He is here, G2 Maethor has arrived after much work. G2 Maethor has also replaced G1 Maethor as my Primary Self-MOC. I do have plans to make a V3 of G1 Maethor but that will be much later. Here's the stuff:
Name: Maethor
Race: Demigod Toa
Element: Ice
Weapons/Equipment: Sword, Dagger, Magic Cloak
Powers/Abilities: Control of Ice, Dragon powers (tough skin, hand to hand combat leaves claw marks on opponents), near invincibility, expert swordsman, magic cloak makes him invisible in any shadow.
Titles: Disinherited King (rarely used), Ranger, My liege (formerly)
Occupation: Roaming the forest, killing animals, generally being a bad***
Personality: Very closed off from others, likes to be alone, easily provoked into a fight, willing to make the tough choices.
Theme: Requiem of Spirit (Rock version) youtu.be/EA2thLa6gi8
Bio: (Prologue to my G2 story)
On the island of Tolgur six kingdoms existed; each of six elements having a realm. The rulers of the six kingdoms were Toa, and the lordship of the realm was passed from parent to child for many generations. It happened that Kerauth, ruler of the Ice Kingdom, was seduced by Daemlu, Goddess of the Dragon and the king slept with her. She bore Maethor, firstborn of the King.
Had circumstances remained unchanged, Maethor would have been next in line for the kingship however less than a year later, the king took a wife and eventually she bore him three sons. Due to Maethor being an illegitimate child, the sons of the King’s wife were to inherit the throne, rendering Maethor’s claim to the kingdom meaningless.
After eighteen years, word spread that Ekimu and Makuta, the greatest mask makers in the universe, had killed each other. Soon after this news had reached Tolgur, Maethor left the island to make his way in the wilds of anywhere he could find.
Due to the fact his mother was a goddess Maethor was considered a demigod and thus was immortal. He spent the next 1,997 years sharpening his skills in the wilds and learning control over the Dragon powers he had inherited from his mother.
During those years, the state of affairs on Tolgur deteriorated as the Toa rulers become more and more greedy, and the villagers were struggling to survive. A strange being who called himself Gavorenth came and assisted the villagers in launching a rebellion. Gavorenth was able to overpower the rulers and imprison them. He then placed a villager in charge of each Kingdom although they were mere puppet rulers, only carrying out the commands given to them. Over time, Gavorenth became more open about his rule until he deposed the rulers of the six realms and named himself dictator of Tolgur, enslaving the rest of the villagers.
Creator's Notes:
I'm quite satisfied with this version of Maethor, he will be keeping this look for a while and stuff and there will be upgrades. The only things I'm really not pleased with are the gunmetal, the back armoring and the top of the torso which is flat as heck. Otherwise this is probably my best MOC of all time.
And that's it for this post. Oh yes, this is the final post with Inika Man. G2 has come and the Inika has no place in this world. RIP in Pieces
Brief note, November 2010: I have replaced the original shot with a reworked copy. This tries to remove some of the yellow spots, and various colour casts that were on the original. The new Photoshop Auto Align Layers works much better than previously, and seems to be able to conform the plates to one another much better, correcting for some of the distortion that can be introduced by the differential shrinkage of the emulsions. I've also done a slight bit of re-contrasting here and there, and changed the title to reflect Slava's comments (Tkx!).
There still is a town called Gunib in Dagestan, and interestingly, it is the place where Shamil (third imam of Dagestan and leader of a rebellion against the Russians) surrended to Russian forces, and was for a while imprisoned. SPG has several photographs depicting Shamil's place of imprisonment, and shows again his fondness for juxtaposition; Gunib is a part of the Russian Empire, but also a site commemorating rebellions against the autocracy.
What's interesting about the composition, for me, are the strong verticals of the poplar trees, clearly planted as windbreaks to shelter the houses, and the verticals of the deeply eroded gullies in the mountainous background, criss-crossed with many many terraced fields. For this is, in spite of what a cursory look might argue, a deeply socialized landscape, with the land back as far as one can see being worked, and clearly having been worked for a long time.
The light is afternoon, so we are likely facing south, and the (relatively) long shadows allow us to guess that it is getting on towards the later end of the day, closing in on suppertime. And in spite of much minute examination of the shot, I still can't see the Church which Slava says he can see.
Delivered today to the Transdev York yard are two new additions to the fleet in the shape of Plaxton President bodied Dennis Tridents V519 ESC and V520 ESC. These ex-Lothian open topper's are for the citysightseeing tour route and are to replace Leyland Olympians originally from the same source - Ironically these Presidents are replacing exactly the same buses here and now that they did a few years ago in Edinburgh. These particular two are currently still diesel-powered and have been sent to York simply so that the tour can be run by low floors vehicles and thus the two Olympians that have been working the tour for the month so far can be retired, these Presidents are expected in service in the coming day or two.... in the last week or March a delivery of 2 or 3 is expected, these will have been fully converted by Magtech to electric traction and their arrival will mean a boost to the electric buses for the tour just in time for easter and then 4019 and 4020 will leave York temporarily to be converted. East Lancs bodied Tridents 4010 and 4011 will remain diesel-powered.
This set of photos is taken on board 4020 and shows the work undertaken to ready this for its new life here. The lower saloon is smartly appointed, whilst the rearward-facing seats at the back have been removed as they'd be pointless for tour bus work. All seat pairs have an electronic console for selecting an audio commentary guide when this bus is running the multi-language tour service, of which passengers will plug in a set of headphones so as to listen to the commentary (the headphones will be provided in a box to the right as passengers enter the bus, and a 'used headphones' bin is provided on the cab door for passengers leaving the bus). Warning notices are provided upstairs reminding passengers not to put up umbrellas or to stand up whilst the bus is moving due to overhead hazards (the photo I took of the umbrella warning notice amuses me, because the way the sun is falling on the notice makes it look as though it has been given the 'triangle chunk' effect that is part of current Transdev branding). The upper deck has Grammar moulded plastic seating, which is very hard and certainly is only suited for hop-on and hop-off tour work, only the very back bench seat upstairs has any padding - and unlike some of the Olympians these Presidents will replace, the upper deck is fully open top with no partial canopy to provide shelter from the rain. Each pair of seats also has an audio speaker fitted alongside for when either the driver or a seperate guide is providing live commentary - provision for a live tour guide has been made by means of a pair of rearward-facing seats at the front of the upper deck, in addition there are two other locations where a microphone can be plugged in (the first offside seat pair after the staircase upstairs, and also beside the main door downstairs) whilst the driver is also provided with a hands-free microphone. An LCD monitor is also provided downstairs - I would like to think this will be used to show a live feed from a camera mounted upstairs of views outside the bus so as to go along with the commentary. Behind the drivers seat is a digital tachograph, for some reason, and a box under the ticket machine looks as if it is used to jog the pre-programmed commentary forward or backward to points along the route.
Cathedral Rd, Calcutta.
This Anglican cathedral replaced St John's Church (see my photo at flickr.com/photos/23268776@N03/2584732902/in/set-72157606... ) as the establishment place of worship in colonial Calcutta. Completed in the "Indo-Gothic" style, so described by Bishop Cotton as "spurious Gothic adapted to the exigencies of the Indian climate", it was designed by Major William Nairn Forbes of the Bengal Engineers.
The British Library online gallery has a photo of the Cathedral taken in 1851 by Frederick Fiebig at :-
www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/photocoll/s/019pho0...
The photo shows that the original structure was topped by a spired tower; this was damaged by earthquakes in 1897 and 1934, after which it was finally removed. The renovated spire-less tower was modelled on that of Canterbury Cathedral in England, known as the Bell Harry Tower. Another old photo can be seen on the pages of fellow flickrite wobblyturkey at www.flickr.com/photos/wobblyturkey/257081248/in/set-72157... .
The interior of the Cathedral is a beautiful and evocative place to visit. It pays tribute to a very British Calcutta (with its statues of notable residents, plaques commemorating heroic deeds in long-forgotten wars, stained-glass and wonderful mosaics) and it is a world away from the chaos of modern Kolkata. It sits at the southern end of the Maidan, close to the Victoria Memorial and in a calm,green and shaded oasis, it is far removed from the chaos of the city.
Native copper-replaced cross-bedded sedimentary rocks from the Precambrian of Michigan, USA. (CMNH 20309, Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Cleveland, Ohio, USA)
A mineral is a naturally-occurring, solid, inorganic, crystalline substance having a fairly definite chemical composition and having fairly definite physical properties. At its simplest, a mineral is a naturally-occurring solid chemical. Currently, there are over 5500 named and described minerals - about 200 of them are common and about 20 of them are very common. Mineral classification is based on anion chemistry. Major categories of minerals are: elements, sulfides, oxides, halides, carbonates, sulfates, phosphates, and silicates.
Elements are fundamental substances of matter - matter that is composed of the same types of atoms. At present, 118 elements are known. Of these, 98 occur naturally on Earth (hydrogen to californium). Most of these occur in rocks & minerals, although some occur in very small, trace amounts. Only some elements occur in their native elemental state as minerals.
To find a native element in nature, it must be relatively non-reactive and there must be some concentration process. Metallic, semimetallic (metalloid), and nonmetallic elements are known in their native state as minerals.
Copper is the only metallic element that has a "reddish" color - it’s actually a metallic orange color. Most metallic elements, apart from gold & copper, are silvery-gray colored. Copper tends to form sharp-edged, irregular, twisted masses of moderately high density. It is moderately soft, but is extremely difficult to break. It has no cleavage and has a distinctive hackly fracture.
The unbelievable copper specimen shown above comes from northern Michigan's White Pine Mine, which is developed in the Precambrian-aged Nonesuch Shale (~1.07 to 1.08 Ga). At this mine, native copper is usually encountered filling fractures (joints). This large, 70-pound specimen represents actual sedimentary rock that has been replaced by native copper. The irregular layers are crossbeds, which formed as the original sediments were deposited by a one-directional current. The small black-colored patches are bits of the unaltered sedimentary host rock. White Pine Mine copper mineralization occurred at 1.05 to 1.06 billion years ago.
Stratigraphy: lower Nonesuch Shale (near the contact with the Copper Harbor Conglomerate), late Mesoproterozoic, ~1.07-1.08 Ga
Locality: near the southwestern shaft at the 2500 foot level, White Pine Mine, Upper Peninsula of Michigan, USA
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Photo gallery of copper:
I have to feather back the paint edges, apply some primer , then color and blend in the clear coats. There will be some baking and sanding mixed in there also.
At Wembley 66067 was replaced by two class 90s numbers 037 and 021 the wagons continuing on to Daventry under headcode 6B41.
DB Schenker Rail (UK) Ltd's class 66 (JT42CWR) number 66067 in English, Welsh and Scottish Railway maroon livery with zigzag gold band, large number and EWS logo works 6B20 from Dollands Moor to Wembley European Freight Operations Centre on 20 January 2015 hauling 27 Tonne (tare du wagon) G.E. Rail Services owned IZA (GE117CT Hfirrs 3) semi-perminantly coupled 4-wheeled CARGOWAGGON vans with shared running numbers built by Duewag. Having started out in France and passed through the channel tunnel each pair of vans is used to transport approximately 59,000 litters (59 Tonnes) of Danone bottled mineral water (eau minerale) in crates of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles such as Evian imported from Évian-les-Bains in the French Alps and Volvic from the Massif Central. Evian bottled at the SAEME plant Post is transported by train (for a map of the route click here) from Évian-les-Bains to the UK via Publier, (Bellegarde Longeray or Annemasse?), Culoz, Ambérieu-en-Bugey, Bourg-en-Bresse, Louhans, Gevrey-Chambertin, Dijon-Perrigny, Chalons-en-Champagne, Reims, Longueau and Calais-Frethun. For Volvic the route is thought to be from the SEV bottling plant in Riom to the UK via Gannat, Saincaize, Vierzon, Valenton (Paris), Longueau and Calais Frethun. From Wembley this train continues on route to Crick under headcode 6B41 and is ultimately unloaded at a distribution warehouse at Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal (DIRFT).
A similar set of cargowaggon vans was photographed by Nicolas Villenave on 9 May 2014 returning empty passing through Écaillon (department Nord) on their way from Calais Frethun to Culoz railway junction in the Ain department in the Rhône-Alpes region of France, by Mattias Catry at Boisleux-au-Mont on 9 September 2012 and by Laurent Knop at Béthisy-St.-Pierre, Picardie in the Oise department on 12 March 2014. 66067 (works number 968702-067) was built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division, London, Ontario, Canada in 1998 and unloaded from the Heavy Lift Ship MV "Fairlift" at Newport Docks on 5 February 1999.
According to Realtime Trains the route and timings for 6B20 were;
Dollands Moor Sidings .........0707.........0727..........20L
Ashford International UML...0723.........0746 3/4..23L
Maidstone East [MDE] 1.........0750 1/2..0814 1/4....23L
Otford Junction[XOT]............0817 1/2....0839 1/2...22L
Swanley [SAY] 1.......................0829 1/2..0851...........21L
St Mary Cray Junction...........0835.........0856 1/4....21L
Bickley Junction[XLY]............0836 1/2..0859 1/4...22L
Bromley South [BMS].............0840.........0904 1/2...24L
Shortlands [SRT].....................0842.........0907.........24L
Shortlands Junction...............0843.........0909 1/2...26L
Voltaire Road Junction.........0906 1/2..0922..........15L
Latchmere Junction...............0911 1/2....0931 1/2....20L
Imperial Wharf [IMW] 2..........0915 1/2...0934 1/4....18L
West Brompton [WBP] 4.......0918..........0936 1/4....18L
Kensington Olympia .............0922........0938 3/4...16L
Shepherds Bush [SPB] 2.......0923.........0942..........19L
North Pole Signal Vc813.......0924 1/2..0944..........19L
North Pole Junction...............0925........0943 1/2....18L
Mitre Bridge Junction............0926 1/2..0946..........19L
Willesden West Londn Jn.....0928.........0947 1/2....19L
Wembley Eur Frt Ops Ctr.....0939.........0952..........13L
At Wembley 66067 was replaced by two class 90s numbers 037 and 021 the wagons continuing on to Daventry under headcode 6B41.
Wembley Eur Frt Ops Ctr................1143..........1308...........85L
Wembley Central [WMB] 5..............1148 1/2...1312 1/2......84L
Harrow & Wealdstone 5..................1154 1/2...1317 1/2......83L
Watford Junction [WFJ] 8................1202........1323 1/2......81L
Apsley [APS] 3....................................1209 1/2..1329 1/2.....79L
Hemel Hempstead [HML] 3............1211 1/2....1331.............79L
Bourne End Junction(Herts) ...........1213..........1332............79L
Berkhamsted [BKM] 3.......................1216 1/2...1335............78L
Tring [TRI] 3.........................................1222........1340 1/4.....78L
Ledburn Junction[XOD]...................1228.........1347............79L
Leighton Buzzard [LBZ] 3................1230.........1351 3/4......81L
Bletchley [BLY] 3...............................1237.........1400...........83L
Denbigh Hall South Junction.........1238 1/2..1401 1/4......82L
Denbigh Hall North Junction..........1240.........1402 1/4.....82L
Milton Keynes Central 3..................1242.........1403 3/4.....81L
Hanslope Junction[XHN].................1248.........1410 1/4......82L
Northampton [NMP] 1.......................1259........1428 1/2.....89L
Northampton Mill Lane Junction...1300 1/2..1501 1/4....120L
Long Buckby [LBK]............................1311...........1511 3/4....120L
Daventry South Junction.................1318..........1520 3/4..122L
Replacing the alternator while on the camp site
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Photographer:- TimLarge
Location:- Woolacombe, Devon, England, UK
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def need #new #shoes #converse #ratchet #ass #kicks need #replaced and have been at #tjmaxx for a measly $25 yup I am a bo$$ #selflove
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Replacing an earlier digital pghoto with a better version 24-Dec-19.
Suffering from some heat shimmer...
Originally built as Boeing 747-243B/M Combi with a side cargo door, this aircraft was capable of carrying both passengers and cargo in the main cabin. It was delivered to Alitalia as I-DEMC in Nov-80. It was sold to a lessor in Feb-94, converted to full freighter configuration and leased back to Alitalia Cargo. It was sold back to Alitalia in Sep-04. The aircraft was due to be leased to Belgian Cargo operator 'Cargo B' in Oct-07 but the lease was cancelled. It was sold to Adventar Ltd and leased to Air Bridge Cargo/Volga-Dnepr Airlines as VP-BIB in Oct-04. The aircraft was returned to the lessor in May-08 and stored at Chateauroux, France. It was leased to Southern Air (USA) as N795SA in Sep-08. It was sold to Air Mobility Inc in Jan-09 while the lease to Southern Air continued. It was permanently retired and stored at Mojave, CA, USA in Oct-10 after 30 years service. It was last noted still at Mojave in Oct-13.
Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 11-May-18, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 20-Apr-24
Fleet No: '348'.
This aircraft was delivered to Continental Airlines as N69348 in Jul-87. It was sold to a lessor in Sep-87 and leased back to Continental.
It spent it's life with Continental and was permanently retired at Walnet Ridge, AR, USA in Sep-09. It was sold back to Continental the following month and the registration was cancelled a few weeks later.
It was last noted still at Walnut Ridge in Mar-10 in basic Continental livery.
The Lockheed P-2 Neptune (designated P2V by the United States Navy prior to September 1962) was a maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft. It was developed for the US Navy by Lockheed to replace the Lockheed PV-1 Ventura and PV-2 Harpoon, and was replaced in turn by the Lockheed P-3 Orion. Designed as a land-based aircraft, the Neptune never made a carrier landing, but a small number were converted and deployed as carrier-launched, stop-gap nuclear bombers that would have to land on shore or ditch. The type was successful in export, and saw service with several armed forces.
Design and development-
Development of a new land-based patrol bomber began early in World War II, with design work starting at Lockheed's Vega subsidiary as a private venture on 6 December 1941. At first, the new design was considered a low priority compared to other aircraft in development at the time, with Vega also developing and producing the PV-2 Harpoon patrol bomber. On 19 February 1943, the U.S. Navy signed a letter of intent for two prototype XP2Vs, which was confirmed by a formal contract on 4 April 1944 with a further 15 aircraft being ordered 10 days later. It was not until 1944 that the program went into full swing. A major factor in the design was ease of manufacture and maintenance, and this may have been a major factor in the type's long life and worldwide success. The first aircraft flew in May 1945. Production began in 1946, and the aircraft was accepted into service in 1947. Potential use as a bomber led to successful launches from aircraft carriers.
Beginning with the P2V-5F model, the Neptune became one of the first operational aircraft fitted with both piston and jet engines. The Convair B-36, several Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter, Fairchild C-123 Provider, and Avro Shackleton aircraft were also so equipped. To save weight and complexity of two separate fuel systems, the Westinghouse J34 jet engines on P2Vs burned the 115–145 Avgas fuel of the piston engines, instead of jet fuel. The jet pods were fitted with intake doors that remained closed when the J-34s were not running. This prevented windmilling, allowing for economical piston-engine-only long-endurance search and patrol operations. In normal US Navy operations, the jet engines were run at full power (97%) to assure takeoff, then shut down upon reaching a safe altitude. The jets were also started and kept running at flight idle during low-altitude (500-foot (150 m) during the day and 1,000-foot (300 m) at night) anti-submarine and/or anti-shipping operations as a safety measure should one of the radials develop problems.
Normal crew access was via a ladder on the aft bulkhead of the nosewheel well to a hatch on the left side of the wheel well, then forward to the observer nose, or up through another hatch to the main deck. There was also a hatch in the floor of the aft fuselage, near the sonobuoy chutes.
We had a weekend in Borrowdale recently, a Christmas present that we tagged a day on to. After calling at work on Saturday morning to open for business we headed up the motorway to Penrith. The road through the central lakes was washed away in the recent floods and it is going to be a long job replacing it. This made the diverted journey around 145 miles but we had a good run up there. We wanted to get walking ASAP so we pulled in at Threlkeld with a view to heading up Clough Head, and subject to conditions, head over the Dodds and back by the Old Coach Road. We had left appalling weather at home, wind, rain, fog and sleet on the tops. Thankfully it was better further north. There was laying snow on the summits, it was fairly calm low down and some summits were cloud free.
We left the car at 11.10 in our winter gear, straight up through the quarries and the steep scree slope (another Red Screes), by now we were into the snow line. The cloud was down, the wind gale force and the summit frozen hard – a different world up here. South next to Calfhow Pike, the wind made it difficult to talk and it was around -4 so the there was a fair wind-chill factor. It was tough going to our next top – Great Dodd, part of the Helvellyn massif – It was to icy to walk in places which meant deviating from the path, and losing our bearings, visibility was around ten yards with spindrift creating a whiteout at times. We battled on to the top and found the summit cairn. Great Dodd isn’t the easiest top to find your way off in low visibility, we would have gone further but in these conditions it was pointless so we retraced our steps to Calfhow and clear conditions. From here we followed Mosedale beck to Mariel Bridge, which is on the Old Coach Road, this gave us a circular route back to our start. The Old Coach Road has been wrecked by the floods and the 4x4 off roaders are making it a lot worse. 9.25 miles in 3 ¼ hours and we were in Brysons Tearooms in Keswick for Coffee and cake by 3.45pm. We carried on to Borrowdale and checked in at our hotel, not a bad day really.
After a poor night in a poor bed we were breakfasted and out for 8.30. We drove the few miles up to Seatoller and we were kitted up and away at 9.10. A bitterly cold and icy morning, there was some sun but not as much as promised. We could see the summit of Great End covered in cloud, we were heading up there on to the Sca Fell massif. We followed the valley to the east of Seathwaite Fell, a new path for us. Once in the snow the going was very icy with the path ice covered in places. The snow was dry and powdery and in places it had blown over the underlying ice. At this point I might add, we do own crampons. After a winter of splashing around soaked we didn’t expect to need them and they were at home – very clever! This was our first real winters day this winter, other than an hour on Sca Fell Pike on Christmas Day, we haven’t seen winter conditions this winter. By the time we got to Esk Hause it was difficult to stay upright and on our way to Great End we had to pick our way very carefully around the worst of the ice. The spindrift made it difficult to see the ground at times, spinning around our feet in a mist. Once on the summit the cloud was thick and the wind speed high. We had been here fairly recently so I knew the layout of the summit and we had little difficulty finding the summit cairn. We were cursing our lack of crampons and the cloud. Instead of heading into the cloud along the Sca Fell Pike path we decided to get under the cloud, back to Esk Hause and head over Allen Crags and Glaramara. At this point we both took some heavy falls, as did others up there, a lot turned around and headed back down, it was deadly. The cloud had thickened, there wasn’t a ray of sun to soften things. Our chosen route was one of the hardest afternoons we had ever had. Everywhere was frozen solid, we had to kick toe or heel holes to move on slopes that we wouldn’t have broken stride on normally. Minor rock scrambles down steep crags had become life threatening in places and we proceeded with extreme care. The knees were creaking on the long descent to Seathwaite. 10.3 miles in six hours, almost half the speed of yesterday. We made it Keswick for afternoon tea – and bought some Micro Spikes for unfinished business to deal with tomorrow. A beautiful day was forecast so fingers crossed we headed back for a soak in the tub.
Day three, a gorgeous icy, sunny winters day. Things looked promising. We left along yesterday’s route at the same start time – with walking poles and Micro Spikes! At the top of the valley we met a guy who had set off before us, two guys known to him were picking their way through the crags, tiny specks on the 800 foot rocky crag. Some appeared to have tried to climb the snow filled chimney that runs to the summit but we heard later that conditions weren’t suitable. Even though it was minus four the sun had softened the snow just enough to get a grip and it was easier to avoid the worst of the ice, unlike yesterday. The summit of Great End was incredible with never ending vistas. We could see a steady stream of walkers on every path by now. Word had got out that we were in for a rare treat today, plus it was school half term so a lot of people were off work. I visited every possible viewpoint as we went to the summit of Ill Crag , Broad Crag and finally Sca Fell Pike. It was 1.00 PM by now and a steady stream of elated walkers were arriving on England’s highest point. It was bitter but beautiful. We had around five miles back to the car along the Corridor Route to Styhead, Stockley Bridge and Seathwaite. Part of this route we had covered recently on Christmas Day and despite the snow and ice we powered along. We would have been back in two hours but! A mile from the car, following the manmade path down Taylorgill Force to Stockley Bridge Jayne Stumbled. It’s not often she walks in front. I normally lead and relay instructions and warnings back to her. She hit the rock path with her head and face really hard, stunned, she rolled off the path over a drop. She was vertical, resting on a rock on her knees and clinging on to the edge of the path with her fingertips. I grabbed her rucksack and held her whilst I checked her injuries. She had a bad bump on her temple, another on her forehead, split the bridge or her nose, her glasses had gone flying but would straighten. Being left handed she had stuck her left hand out and it had been bent back, it was swelling and discolouring pretty fast. When I had established that nothing was serious enough to stop her moving I got her back on to the path to see to her injuries. The pain initially made her think that she was in a worse state than ( I thought) she really was. She could move her fingers and wrist, albeit with some pain but not enough for it to be broken. The wound to the bridge of her nose although very painful wasn’t going to be a problem. The bumps on her head were turning into eggs by now. I gave her Ibuprofen and Paracetemol and she sat and composed herself for the final mile. We made it to the café in Keswick and got a slightly later afternoon break, our first of the day again. 11.3 miles today in 6 ¼ hours and fairly tough going. It was nothing more than a careless, tired perhaps, stumble on one of the horrible ( our own opinion, I might add) manmade paths made out of irregular stones which are laid at odd angles and are a nightmare to descend when wet on tired legs. A few days later and Jayne is sat on reception at the doctors looking like she’s been boxing, with a purple eye and nose, her left hand swollen and purple – otherwise she’s OK. I came down with mild food poisoning during the night and had to drive 145 miles home at 8.00 the morning after feeling extremely ill. I was due to start fasting for a Colonoscopy in three days. I ended up eating six slices of toast over a four day period – Monday evening to Thursday evening- Having had over 40 stomach endoscopies in twenty years the colonoscopy was nothing more than uncomfortable and , subject to biopsy results, everything looked OK. The trapped wind was another matter – for two days! All in all a very traumatic week. Needless to say we didn’t use the Micro Spikes.
Including warning: The batteries are next to the 200V capacitor for the flash.
I've not got new batteries yet, but they are only 3V litium ones so should be dead easy to replace.
I replaced the fuzzy, night time photo with this clear, daylight view. MUCH better!. I'll stare at it for a few days and clean it up until a name pops into my head. About 20 x 9 inches. Layered, stacked, and embellished glass mosaic
Pisa Baptistery, Pisa Cathedral and Leaning Tower of Pisa
Baptisterium, Dom zu Pisa und Schiefer Turm von Pisa
The Piazza dei Miracoli (Italian: [ˈpjattsa dei miˈraːkoli]; English: Square of Miracles), formally known as Piazza del Duomo (English: Cathedral Square), is a walled 8.87-hectare area located in Pisa, Tuscany, Italy, recognized as an important centre of European medieval art and one of the finest architectural complexes in the world.Considered sacred by the Catholic Church, its owner, the square is dominated by four great religious edifices: the Pisa Cathedral, the Pisa Baptistry, the Campanile, and the Camposanto Monumentale (Monumental Cemetery). Partly paved and partly grassed, the Piazza dei Miracoli is also the site of the Ospedale Nuovo di Santo Spirito (New Hospital of the Holy Spirit), which houses the Sinopias Museum (Italian: Museo delle Sinopie) and the Cathedral Museum (Italian: Museo dell'Opera del Duomo).
The name Piazza dei Miracoli was coined by the Italian writer and poet Gabriele d'Annunzio who, in his novel Forse che sì forse che no (1910), described the square as the "prato dei Miracoli", or "meadow of miracles". The square is sometimes called the Campo dei Miracoli ("Field of Miracles"). In 1987, the whole square was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
(Wikipedia)
The Pisa Baptistery of St. John (Italian: Battistero di San Giovanni) is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical building in Pisa, Italy. Construction started in 1152 to replace an older baptistery, and when it was completed in 1363, it became the second building, in chronological order, in the Piazza dei Miracoli, near the Duomo di Pisa and the cathedral's free-standing campanile, the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa. The baptistery was designed by Diotisalvi, whose signature can be read on two pillars inside the building, with the date 1153.
Description
The largest baptistery in Italy, it is 54.86 m high, with a diameter of 34.13 m. The Pisa Baptistery is an example of the transition from the Romanesque style to the Gothic style: the lower section is in the Romanesque style, with rounded arches, while the upper sections are in the Gothic style, with pointed wimpergs and a rich figurative program. Like the cathedral and the campanile the Baptistery is built of bichromatic Carrara marble, white with recurring horizontal lines in blueish-grey stone, also used for abstract floral and graphic decoration, a unique trait of some of the most important religious buildings in Tuscany (In the neighboring Florence and Pistoia the dark marmo verde from Prato was used).
The east portal from probably around 1200 is facing the facade of the cathedral. The door is flanked by two columns with foliage decoration, a direct copy of a classical model. Engaged with the portal frame are two smaller three-quarter columns with a simpler, less deep floral ornamentation. The inner jambs between each pair of columns are decorated each with eleven figurative reliefs executed in Byzantine style. On the left there are depictions of the months (with September and October combined in one panel), beginning with January at the bottom. On the right it begins at the top with the Ascension of Christ, then angels, Mary with lifted hands, then the Apostels depicted in pairs looking up, and second to the bottom the Harrowing of Hell; the lowermost relief shows King David. The tripartite form is conveyed in the arch with three retreating archivolts with the Twenty-Four Elders in medaillons and the Lamb as the keystone.
The architrave is divided in two tiers. The upper one is slightly tilted and shows Christ between the Mary and St. John the Baptist, flanked by angels and the evangelists. The lower tier depicts several episodes in the life of St. John the Baptist, the natural patron of the baptistery: his sermon, the baptism of Christ, his imprisonment on behalf of Herod, Salome dances before Herod, his subsequent beheading and his burial. The architraves are probably by the same artists who also did the foiled columns and the reliefs on the jambs.[2]
Only the north portal has also figurative decoration on its architrave, picturing the Annunciation to Zechariah and St. Elizabeth, the parents of St. John, flanked by two prophets and two angels in light armour with swords.
The interior
The interior is overwhelming and lacks decoration. The octagonal font at the centre dates from 1246 and was made by Guido Bigarelli da Como. The bronze sculpture of St. John the Baptist at the centre of the font is a work by Italo Griselli.
The famous pulpit was sculpted between 1255-1260 by Nicola Pisano, father of Giovanni, the artist who produced the pulpit in the Duomo. The scenes on the pulpit, and especially the classical form of the nude Hercules, show Nicola Pisano's qualities as the most important precursor of Italian Renaissance sculpture by reinstating antique representations: surveys of the Italian Renaissance often begin with the year 1260, the year that Nicola Pisano dated this pulpit.
Constructed on the same unstable sand as the tower and cathedral, the Baptistery leans 0.6 degrees toward the cathedral. Originally the shape of the Baptistery, according to the project by Diotisalvi, was different. It was perhaps similar to the church of Holy Sepulchre in Pisa, with its pyramidal roof. After the death of the architect, Nicola Pisano continued the work, changing the style to the more modern Gothic one. Also, an external roof was added giving the shape of a cupola. As a side effect of the two roofs, the pyramidal inner one and the domed external one, the interior is acoustically perfect, making of that space a resonating chamber.
The exterior of the dome is clad with lead sheets on its east side (facing the cathedral) and red tiles on its west side (facing the sea), giving a half grey and half red appearance from the south.
An inscription, currently undeciphered, is located to the left of the door jamb of the Baptistery.
(Wikipedia)
Pisa Cathedral (Italian: Cattedrale Metropolitana Primaziale di Santa Maria Assunta; Duomo di Pisa) is a medieval Roman Catholic cathedral dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, in the Piazza dei Miracoli in Pisa, Italy, the oldest of the three structures in the plaza followed by the Pisa Baptistry and the Campanile known as the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The cathedral is a notable example of Romanesque architecture, in particular the style known as Pisan Romanesque. Consecrated in 1118, it is the seat of the Archbishop of Pisa. Construction began in 1063 and was completed in 1092. Additional enlargements and a new facade were built in the 12th century and the roof was replaced after damage from a fire in 1595.
History
Construction on the cathedral began in 1063 (1064 according to the Pisan calendar of the time) by the architect Buscheto, and expenses were paid using the spoils received fighting against the Muslims in Sicily in 1063. It includes various stylistic elements: classical, Lombard-Emilian, Byzantine, and Islamic, drawing upon the international presence of Pisan merchants at that time. In the same year, St. Mark's Basilica began its reconstruction in Venice, evidence of a strong rivalry between the two maritime republics to see which could create the most beautiful and luxurious place of worship.
The church was erected outside Pisa's early medieval walls, to show that Pisa had no fear of being attacked.[citation needed] The chosen area had already been used in the Lombard era as a necropolis and at the beginning of the 11th century a church had been erected here, but never finished, that was to be named Santa Maria.[citation needed] Buscheto's grand new church was initially called Santa Maria Maggiore until it was officially named Santa Maria Assunta.
In 1092 the cathedral was declared primatial church, archbishop Dagobert having been given the title of Primate by Pope Urban II. The cathedral was consecrated in 1118 by Pope Gelasius II, who belonged to the Caetani family which was powerful both in Pisa and in Rome.
In the early 12th century the cathedral was enlarged under the direction of architect Rainaldo, who increased the length of the nave by adding three bays consistent with the original style of Buscheto, enlarged the transept, and planned a new facade which was completed by workers under the direction of the sculptors Guglielmo and Biduino. The exact date of the work is unclear: according to some, the work was done right after the death of Buscheto about the year 1100, though others say it was done closer to 1140. In any case, work was finished in 1180, as documented by the date written on the bronze knockers made by Bonanno Pisano found on the main door.
The structure's present appearance is the result of numerous restoration campaigns that were carried out in different eras. The first radical interventions occurred after the fire of 1595, following which the roof was replaced and sculptors from the workshop of Giambologna, among whom were Gasparo Mola and Pietro Tacca, created the three bronze doors of the facade. In the early 18th century began the redecoration of the inside walls of the cathedral with large paintings, the "quadroni", depicting stories of the blesseds and saints of Pisa. These works were made by the principal artists of the era, and a group of citizens arranged for the special financing of the project. Successive interventions occurred in the 19th century and included both internal and external modifications; among the latter was the removal of the original facade statues (presently in the cathedral museum) and their replacement with copies.
Other notable interventions include: the dismantling of Giovanni Pisano's pulpit between 1599 and 1601 that only in 1926 was reassembled and returned to the cathedral (with some original pieces missing, including the staircase); and the dismantling of the monument to Henry VII made by Lupo di Francesco that was found in front of the door of San Ranieri and later substituted by a simpler, symbolic version.
Description
The original building plan was a Greek cross with a grand cupola at the crossing, but today the plan is a Latin cross with a central nave flanked by two side aisles on each side, with the apse and transepts having three naves. The inside offers a spatial effect similar to that of the great mosques thanks to the use of raised lancet arches, the alternating layers of black and white marble, and the elliptical dome, inspired by the Moors. The presence of two raised matronea in the nave, with their solid, monolithic columns of granite, is a clear sign of Byzantine influence. Buscheto welcomed Islamic and Armenian influence.
Exterior
The rich exterior decoration contains multicolored marble, mosaic, and numerous bronze objects from the spoils of war, among which is the griffin. The arrival of the griffin in Pisa has been attributed to numerous Pisan military victories of the 11th and 12th centuries, including the 1087 Mahdia Campaign and the 1113-1115 Balearic Expedition. The griffin was placed on a platform atop a column rising from the gable above the apse at the east end of the roof, probably as continuation of the original construction that started in 1064. In the early 19th century the original sculpture, which can now be seen in the cathedral museum, was removed from the roof and replaced with a copy. The high arches show Islamic and southern Italian influence.Ref? The blind arches with lozenge shapes recall similar structures in Armenia. The facade of grey and white marble, decorated with colored marble inserts, was built by Master Rainaldo. Above the three doorways are four levels of loggia divided by cornices with marble intarsia, behind which open single, double, and triple windows.
The cathedral was heavily damaged by a fire in 1595. The heavy bronze doors of the façade were newly designed, executed and completed in 1602 by sculptors around Giambologna on the expense of Ferdinando I de' Medici, the Grand Duke of Tuscany. At the top there is a Madonna and Child and, in the angles, the four evangelists. The tomb of Buscheto is found to the left of the north door of the facade.
Contrary to what might be thought, from the beginning the faithful entered the cathedral through the Gate of Saint Rainerius, found in the south transept of the same name, which faces the bell tower. For townsfolk approaching by via Santa Maria it was the shortest way to enter the cathedral. The door wings were cast about 1180 by Bonanno Pisano, and it is the only door not destroyed in 1595. The 24 bronze reliefs show stories of the New Testament. This bronze portal is one of the first produced in Italy during the Middle Ages, and is a forerunner of the bronze doors created by Andrea Pisano for the Baptistery in Florence (1329–1336).
Of further interest
At the end of the 10th century Pisa established March 25 as the beginning of its new year. This date was considered very important because it is both the Feast of the Annunciation (occurring nine months before Christ's birth on December 25) and it falls very close to the spring equinox. To mark the beginning of the Pisan new year a system was devised in the cathedral whereby a beam of light shines through a round window on the south side of the nave and, precisely at noon on March 25, lands on the same spot every year: on top of a shelf affixed to a pylon on the opposite side of the church. This shelf rests on a marble egg, a symbol of birth and new life. In 1750 the first day of the new year was officially changed to January 1, but this event is still celebrated every year accompanied by solemn religious and civic celebrations.
The lamp at the center of the nave is called Galileo's lamp, because a legend says that the great scientist formulated his theory of isochronism of the pendulum while watching its oscillations from the roof of the nave. The original, however, smaller and very different than this one, is found today in the Camposanto.
On the north side, to the left side of the facade in front of the Camposanto at about eye level, is an original piece of Roman marble (as testified to by its decoration that can still in part be seen), on which are a series of small black marks. Legend says that these marks were left by the devil when he climbed up to the dome attempting to stop its construction, and so they are referred to as the scratches of the devil. (The legend also says that out of spite the number of scratches always changes when counted.)
Legend has it that the amphora placed on a small column on the right side of the apse was used by Christ at the wedding feast of Cana when he turned water into wine.
Pope Gregory VIII is buried in the cathedral.
(Wikipedia)
The Leaning Tower of Pisa (Italian: torre pendente di Pisa), or simply, the Tower of Pisa (torre di Pisa [ˈtorre di ˈpiːza; ˈpiːsa], is the campanile, or freestanding bell tower, of Pisa Cathedral. It is known for its nearly four-degree lean, the result of an unstable foundation. The tower is one of three structures in the Pisa's Cathedral Square (Piazza del Duomo), which includes the cathedral and Pisa Baptistry.
The height of the tower is 55.86 metres (183 feet 3 inches) from the ground on the low side and 56.67 m (185 ft 11 in) on the high side. The width of the walls at the base is 2.44 m (8 ft 0 in). Its weight is estimated at 14,500 tonnes (16,000 short tons). The tower has 296 or 294 steps; the seventh floor has two fewer steps on the north-facing staircase.
The tower began to lean during construction in the 12th century, due to soft ground which could not properly support the structure's weight. It worsened through the completion of construction in the 14th century. By 1990, the tilt had reached 5.5 degrees. The structure was stabilized by remedial work between 1993 and 2001, which reduced the tilt to 3.97 degrees.
Architect
There has been controversy surrounding the identity of the architect of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. For many years, the design was attributed to Guglielmo and Bonanno Pisano, a well-known 12th-century resident artist of Pisa, known for his bronze casting, particularly in the Pisa Duomo.[citation needed] Pisano left Pisa in 1185 for Monreale, Sicily, only to come back and die in his home town. A piece of cast bearing his name was discovered at the foot of the tower in 1820, but this may be related to the bronze door in the façade of the cathedral that was destroyed in 1595. A 2001 study seems to indicate Diotisalvi was the original architect, due to the time of construction and affinity with other Diotisalvi works, notably the bell tower of San Nicola and the Baptistery, both in Pisa.
Construction
Construction of the tower occurred in three stages over 199 years. On 5 January 1172, Donna Berta di Bernardo, a widow and resident of the house of dell'Opera di Santa Maria, bequeathed sixty soldi to the Opera Campanilis petrarum Sancte Marie. The sum was then used toward the purchase of a few stones which still form the base of the bell tower. On 9 August 1173, the foundations of the tower were laid. Work on the ground floor of the white marble campanile began on 14 August of the same year during a period of military success and prosperity. This ground floor is a blind arcade articulated by engaged columns with classical Corinthian capitals. Nearly four centuries later Giorgio Vasari wrote: "Guglielmo, according to what is being said, in the year 1174, together with sculptor Bonanno, laid the foundations of the bell tower of the cathedral in Pisa".
The tower began to sink after construction had progressed to the second floor in 1178. This was due to a mere three-metre foundation, set in weak, unstable subsoil, a design that was flawed from the beginning. Construction was subsequently halted for the better part of a century, as the Republic of Pisa was almost continually engaged in battles with Genoa, Lucca, and Florence. This allowed time for the underlying soil to settle. Otherwise, the tower would almost certainly have toppled. On 27 December 1233, the worker Benenato, son of Gerardo Bottici, oversaw the continuation of the tower's construction.
On 23 February 1260, Guido Speziale, son of Giovanni Pisano, was elected to oversee the building of the tower. On 12 April 1264, the master builder Giovanni di Simone, architect of the Camposanto, and 23 workers went to the mountains close to Pisa to cut marble. The cut stones were given to Rainaldo Speziale, worker of St. Francesco. In 1272, construction resumed under Di Simone. In an effort to compensate for the tilt, the engineers built upper floors with one side taller than the other. Because of this, the tower is curved. Construction was halted again in 1284 when the Pisans were defeated by the Genoese in the Battle of Meloria.
The seventh floor was completed in 1319. The bell-chamber was finally added in 1372. It was built by Tommaso di Andrea Pisano, who succeeded in harmonizing the Gothic elements of the belfry with the Romanesque style of the tower. There are seven bells, one for each note of the musical major scale. The largest one was installed in 1655.
History following construction
Between 1589 and 1592, Galileo Galilei, who lived in Pisa at the time, is said to have dropped two cannonballs of different masses from the tower to demonstrate that their speed of descent was independent of their mass, in keeping with the law of free fall. The primary source for this is the biography Racconto istorico della vita di Galileo Galilei (Historical Account of the Life of Galileo Galilei), written by Galileo's pupil and secretary Vincenzo Viviani in 1654, but only published in 1717, long after his death.
During World War II, the Allies suspected that the Germans were using the tower as an observation post. Leon Weckstein, a U.S. Army sergeant sent to confirm the presence of German troops in the tower, was impressed by the beauty of the cathedral and its campanile, and thus refrained from ordering an artillery strike, sparing it from destruction.
Numerous efforts have been made to restore the tower to a vertical orientation or at least keep it from falling over. Most of these efforts failed; some worsened the tilt. On 27 February 1964, the government of Italy requested aid in preventing the tower from toppling. It was, however, considered important to retain the current tilt, due to the role that this element played in promoting the tourism industry of Pisa.
Starting in 1993, 870 tonnes of lead counterweights were added, which straightened the tower slightly.
The tower and the neighbouring cathedral, baptistery, and cemetery are included in the Piazza del Duomo UNESCO World Heritage Site, which was declared in 1987.
The tower was closed to the public on 7 January 1990, after more than two decades of stabilisation studies and spurred by the abrupt collapse of the Civic Tower of Pavia in 1989. The bells were removed to relieve some weight, and cables were cinched around the third level and anchored several hundred meters away. Apartments and houses in the path of a potential fall of the tower were vacated for safety. The selected method for preventing the collapse of the tower was to slightly reduce its tilt to a safer angle by removing 38 cubic metres (1,342 cubic feet) of soil from underneath the raised end. The tower's tilt was reduced by 45 centimetres (17+1⁄2 inches), returning to its 1838 position. After a decade of corrective reconstruction and stabilization efforts, the tower was reopened to the public on 15 December 2001, and was declared stable for at least another 300 years. In total, 70 metric tons (77 short tons) of soil were removed.
After a phase (1990–2001) of structural strengthening, the tower has been undergoing gradual surface restoration to repair visible damage, mostly corrosion and blackening. These are particularly pronounced due to the tower's age and its exposure to wind and rain. In May 2008, engineers announced that the tower had been stabilized such that it had stopped moving for the first time in its history. They stated that it would be stable for at least 200 years.
Earthquake survival
At least four strong earthquakes have hit the region since 1280, but the apparently vulnerable tower survived. The reason was not understood until a research group of 16 engineers investigated. The researchers concluded that the tower was able to withstand the tremors because of dynamic soil-structure interaction (DSSI): the height and stiffness of the tower, together with the softness of the foundation soil, influences the vibrational characteristics of the structure in such a way that the tower does not resonate with earthquake ground motion. The same soft soil that caused the leaning and brought the tower to the verge of collapse helped it survive.
Technical information
Elevation of Piazza del Duomo: about 2 metres (6 feet, DMS)
Height from the ground floor: 55.863 m (183 ft 3+5⁄16 in),[37] 8 stories
Height from the foundation floor: 58.36 m (191 ft 5+1⁄2 in)
Outer diameter of base: 15.484 m (50 ft 9+5⁄8 in)
Inner diameter of base: 7.368 m (24 ft 2+1⁄16 in)
Angle of slant: 3.97 degrees[40] or 3.9 m (12 ft 10 in) from the vertical
Weight: 14,700 metric tons (16,200 short tons)
Thickness of walls at the base: 2.44 m (8 ft 0 in)
Total number of bells: 7, tuned to musical scale, clockwise:
1st bell: L'Assunta, cast in 1654 by Giovanni Pietro Orlandi, weight 3,620 kg (7,981 lb)
2nd bell: Il Crocifisso, cast in 1572 by Vincenzo Possenti, weight 2,462 kg (5,428 lb)
3rd bell: San Ranieri, cast in 1719–1721 by Giovanni Andrea Moreni, weight 1,448 kg (3,192 lb)
4th bell: La Terza (1st small one), cast in 1473, weight 300 kg (661 lb)
5th bell: La Pasquereccia or La Giustizia, cast in 1262 by Lotteringo, weight 1,014 kg (2,235 lb)
6th bell: Il Vespruccio (2nd small one), cast in the 14th century and again in 1501 by Nicola di Jacopo, weight 1,000 kg (2,205 lb)
7th bell: Dal Pozzo, cast in 1606 and again in 2004, weight 652 kg (1,437 lb)
Number of steps to the top: 296
About the 5th bell: The name Pasquareccia comes from Easter, because it used to ring on Easter day. However, this bell is older than the bell-chamber itself, and comes from the tower Vergata in Palazzo Pretorio in Pisa, where it was called La Giustizia (The Justice). The bell was tolled to announce executions of criminals and traitors, including Count Ugolino in 1289. A new bell was installed in the bell tower at the end of the 18th century to replace the broken Pasquareccia.
The circular shape and great height of the campanile were unusual for their time, and the crowning belfry is stylistically distinct from the rest of the construction. This belfry incorporates a 14 cm (5+1⁄2 in) correction for the inclined axis below. The siting of the campanile within the Piazza del Duomo diverges from the axial alignment of the cathedral and baptistery of the Piazza del Duomo.
Guinness World Records
Two German churches have challenged the tower's status as the world's most lopsided building: the 15th-century square Leaning Tower of Suurhusen and the 14th-century bell tower in the town of Bad Frankenhausen. Guinness World Records measured the Pisa and Suurhusen towers, finding the former's tilt to be 3.97 degrees. In June 2010, Guinness World Records certified the Capital Gate building in Abu Dhabi, UAE as the "World's Furthest Leaning Man-made Tower"; it has an 18-degree slope, almost five times more than the Tower of Pisa, but was deliberately engineered to slant. The Leaning Tower of Wanaka in New Zealand, also deliberately built, leans at 53 degrees to the ground.
(Wikipedia)
Die Piazza dei Miracoli (italienisch Platz der Wunder), wie die Piazza del Duomo im Volksmund auch genannt wird, ist der Domplatz der toskanischen Stadt Pisa. Der Name stammt vom italienischen Dichter und Schriftsteller Gabriele D’Annunzio. Er beschrieb in seinem Buch Forse che sì forse che no den Platz als Wiese der Wunder. Die Piazza dei Miracoli ist eine Grünfläche nahe der Stadtbefestigung im nordwestlichen Teil der Altstadt. Die dezentrale Lage am Rande des Historischen Stadtkerns ist ungewöhnlich. Auf dem Platz steht das berühmte Ensemble, bestehend aus dem Baptisterium als größte Taufkirche der Welt, dem Friedhof Camposanto Monumentale und dem kreuzförmigen Dom Santa Maria Assunta mit seinem Campanile, dem Schiefen Turm. Sie gehören zu den Meisterwerken der mittelalterlichen Architektur und hatten einen großen Einfluss auf die monumentalen Kunst in Italien vom 11. bis zum 14. Jahrhundert. Seit 1987 gehört der Platz zum UNESCO-Welterbe.
(Wikipedia)
Der frei auf der Piazza dei Miracoli stehende Bau wurde 1152 von Diotisalvi als Ergänzung zum Dom im romanischen Stil auf kreisförmigem Grundriss nach dem Vorbild der Anastasis Rotunde des Heiligen Grabes in Jerusalem begonnen. Es ist die mit insgesamt 54 Meter Höhe und einem Umfang von 107 Meter größte Taufkirche in der christlichen Geschichte.
Architektur
Nach einem finanziell bedingten Baustopp am Ende des 12. Jahrhunderts wurde die Außenverkleidung erst 1270 von Niccolò Pisano und nach dessen Tod 1278 von seinem Sohn Giovanni Pisano fortgeführt. Während die Fassade der ersten Etage noch mit rundbogigen Blendarkaden im Stil des Doms ausgeführt wurde, gestaltete man die zweite Etage zwar auch mit einer Galerie, wie sie vielstöckig die Domfassade prägt, setzte dieser jedoch gotische Fialen und Ziergiebel, sogenannte Wimperge, aus Maßwerk auf und stattete diese mit einem bis dahin auf Außenwänden seltenen und erstmals so reichen Figurenprogramm aus. Je drei Bögen entsprechen dem Abstand zwischen zwei Säulen der Blendarkade. Wie am Dom liegt dem Kapitellkelch jeweils ein aus der Wand ragender Gebälkblock auf, auf dem wiederum ein kleiner Kämpfer den Brustteil für die kleinen Frauen- und Männerköpfe bildet, die zwischen den Bogenanfängern liegen, 60 an der Zahl und 45–50 cm groß. Die 60 Schlusssteine der Bögen sind mit etwas kleineren Männer- und Tiermasken verziert. Über jeweils zwei Säulen der Galerie stehen die Wimperge, die mit Krabbenkämmen dekoriert und von insgesamt 30 eineinhalb Meter hohen Skulpturen bekrönt werden, 27 ganzfigurigen Heiligen und über dem Hauptportal drei Halbfiguren von Christus, Maria und Johannes dem Täufer. Die Giebel fassen Dreipassbögen auf stilisierten ionischen Säulchen ein, die als Rahmen für die immensen, 160–180 cm großen, Halbfiguren dienen. Die Skulpturen stellen Heilige mit ihren Attributen dar und stehen, wie auch die viergliedrigen Fialen, auf dekorativen Konsolen. Der Stil der Halbfiguren ist heterogen. Zum Teil weisen sie starke klassische Züge auf, andere wirken französisch (speziell Reims). Man ist sich weitestgehend einig, dass die meisten Köpfe von Nicolà Pisano stammen, wenn auch nur teilweise von ihm ausgeführt, so doch zumindest im Entwurf. Auch John Pope-Hennessy sieht Nicolà als Autor mindestens der zentralen großen Halbfiguren der Jungfrau mit Kind, des Johannes und der sich ihm anschließenden vier Evangelisten. Allgemein jedoch werden die Halbfiguren in den Giebeln seinem Sohn Giovanni und dessen Werkstatt zugeschrieben und auf die Zeit datiert, nachdem dieser mit der Arbeit an der Fontana Maggiore in Perugia fertig war, also nach 1278.
Der Bau hat innen einen zweigeschossigen Stützenkranz aus 12 Pfeilern und Säulen, der einen kreuzgratgewölbten Umgang vom Mittelbereich unter der Innenkuppel trennt. Diese Innenkuppel besteht aus einem Kegelstumpf, der zunächst oben offen blieb. Die äußere Segmentkuppel, die die Innenkuppel teils überdeckt, wurde erst 1358 von Cellino di Nese und von Zibellinus, einem Baumeister aus Bologna, errichtet. Dabei fügte man dem Bau ein drittes Außengeschoss hinzu. 1394 schloss man die offene Mitte der alten Kegelkuppel mit einem kleinen Gewölbe, was den Bau auf seine heutige Gesamthöhe brachte.
Auf der Spitze der Kirche steht eine drei Meter hohe Bronzestatue von Johannes dem Täufer, die am Anfang des 15. Jahrhunderts dort befestigt wurde. Das Hauptportal ist von zwei mit Reliefs verzierten Säulen eingerahmt. Zwei Architrave liegen über dem Portal, das obere, leicht geneigte zeigt Jesus flankiert von Maria und Evangelisten alternierend mit Engeln. Der untere gibt Szenen aus der Lebensgeschichte von Johannes dem Täufer wieder. Im Giebelfeld steht eine Kopie der Maria mit Kind von Giovanni Pisano (um 1295).
Ausstattung im Innenraum
In der Mitte des Kirchenraums steht ein achteckiges Taufbecken, das von Guidobono Bigarelli da Como 1246 vollendet wurde. 1929 wurde eine Statue von Johannes dem Täufer durch Italo Griselli hinzugefügt.
Die Marmorkanzel Niccolò Pisanos
Die freistehende Marmorkanzel im Baptisterium stammt von Niccolò Pisano und ist von ihm mit dem Jahr 1260 signiert. Toskanischer Stil vereinigt sich hier erstmalig mit französischer Gotik und antiken Einflüssen aus Süditalien, wo Niccolò vermutlich herkam und am Hof Friedrichs II. mit französischer wie antiker Skulptur vertraut wurde. Die Kanzel gilt mit ihrer Verwendung dieser antiker Vorbilder in der Kunstgeschichte als früher Markstein auf dem Weg zur Renaissance (siehe auch Protorenaissance).
Sieben Säulen tragen das sechseckige Kanzelbecken, auf dem das Lesepult von einem Adler getragen wird. Die Kapitelle sind mit gotischem Blattwerk verziert, drei der Säulen sind verkürzt und werden von naturalistisch gehauenen Löwen getragen, während die Basis der Mittelsäule von grotesken Figuren und Tieren gesäumt wird. An der Brüstung der Kanzel befinden sich fünf Reliefs mit den neutestamentarischen Szenen Maria Verkündung/Geburt Jesu/Verkündung an die Schäfer, Anbetung der heiligen drei Könige, Darstellung im Tempel, Kreuzigung und Jüngstes Gericht. In den Zwickeln sind gepaart Propheten zu sehen, unter der Kreuzigung und dem Jüngsten Gericht sind es Evangelisten. Über den Kapitellen sind die fünf Tugenden und unter dem Pult Johannes der Täufer dargestellt. Die Stärke findet ihr Vorbild in einem nackten Herkules.
Über Treppen kann man sowohl auf den Emporen-Umgang als auch unter das Kuppeldach gelangen. Auf dem Umgang sind Skizzen der größtenteils zerstörten Fresken aus dem Camposanto ausgestellt.
Das Baptisterium hat durch seine zylindrische Bauweise ein besonderes Echoverhalten. Gelegentlich stimmt einer der Wächter mehrere verschiedene Gesangstöne an, die in Kombination miteinander durch das Echo im Gebäude zu einem Klangerlebnis werden.
Wie in vielen mittelalterlichen Sakralgebäuden wird auch im Pisaner Baptisterium der Zahlensymbolik bezüglich der Zahl von Architekturelementen (zum Beispiel Säulen, Stützen usw.) eine besondere Bedeutung beigemessen und ihre Anzahl mit Zahlen, die in der Bibel vorkommen, in Zusammenhang gebracht. Im Baptisterium sind besonders die Vier, die Acht und die Zwölf vertreten.
(Wikipedia)
Der Dom Santa Maria Assunta (italienisch Cattedrale Metropolitana Primaziale di Santa Maria Assunta) ist eine Kirche in Pisa, zu der der weltweit berühmte Schiefe Turm von Pisa gehört. Sie ist die Kathedrale des Erzbistums Pisa.
Der Dom steht auf dem weitläufigen Rasenplatz der Piazza del Duomo, auf dem sich auch die drei dazugehörenden Bauwerke Baptisterium, Camposanto Monumentale und der Campanile („Der Schiefe Turm von Pisa“) befinden. Dieser Platz wurde vom Dichter D’Annunzio als Piazza dei Miracoli (Platz der Wunder) bezeichnet und wird noch heute so genannt. Trotz einer Bauzeit von über 200 Jahren wurde durch den gleichbleibenden Baustoff Carrara-Marmor und die einheitliche Fassadengestaltung ein zusammenhängendes Bild geschaffen. Der Dom wurde zum Vorbild für spätere Dombauten wie z. B. in Florenz und Siena und galt jahrhundertelang als monumentalster Bau der christlichen Geschichte.
Papst Gelasius II. weihte 1118 den damals noch unvollendeten Dom ein. Er trägt das Patrozinium der Himmelfahrt Mariens.
Baugeschichte
Buscheto di Giovanni Giudice begann mit dem Bau des Doms im Jahre 1063 auf dem Schwemmboden vor der alten Stadtmauer. Finanziert wurde das Bauwerk mit den im gleichen Jahr von den Sarazenen vor Palermo eroberten Schätzen. Durch den weichen Untergrund sank auch der Dom im Osten leicht ein. Die kreuzförmige Grundfläche des Doms war zu diesem Zeitpunkt in Italien neu. Über der Vierung der fünfschiffigen Basilika mit dem dreischiffigen Querhaus erhebt sich eine elliptische Kuppel mit einem oktogonalen Ansatz. Sie wurde erst 1380 durch Lupo di Gante und Puccio di Gadduccio im gotischen Stil nachträglich hinzugefügt.
Die Fassade wurde am Ende des 12. Jahrhunderts von Rainaldo geschaffen und wurde als Pisaner Romanik in der gesamten Toskana zum Vorbild. Bei der westlichen Fassade erheben sich über den sieben Blendarkadenbögen im Erdgeschoss mit seinen drei Portalen vier Galerien mit insgesamt 52 Säulen. Auf dem Giebel der 35,5 m breiten und 34,2 m hohen Fassade steht eine Madonna mit Kind von Andrea Pisano. An ihrer Seite stehen Engel, die zusammen mit den beiden Evangelisten auf der ersten Galerie durch Schüler von Giovanni Pisano entstanden. Das mittlere Portal ist dem Leben Marias gewidmet. Im linken Bogen der Fassade ist das Grab des ersten Dombaumeisters Buscheto mit einer antiken Sarkophagspolie und einer langen Huldigung in die Wand eingefasst.
Die drei Bronzetore aus dem 17. Jahrhundert ersetzen die von Bonanno Pisano geschaffenen Tore von 1180, die bei einem schweren Feuer 1595 zerstört wurden. Die neuen Türen mit umfangreichen Reliefszenen wurden bis 1602 durch Schüler Giambolognas, Francavilla, Mocchi und Tacca, in loser Anlehnung an das alte Vorbild gegossen. Die Porta di San Ranieri am südlichen Seitenschiff ist dem Campanile zugewandt. Hier ist das restaurierte Original des Meisters Bonanno Pisano von 1186 noch erhalten. Es ist nach dem Schutzpatron Pisas benannt und stellt u. a. Szenen aus dem Leben Christi dar.
Am gesamten Gebäude findet man vielfach zusammenhanglose Zeichen auf den Außenwänden. Der Grund dafür liegt darin, dass man antike Baumaterialien wiederverwendete oder Materialien aus eroberten Städten holte.
Datierungsprobleme
Im Hinblick auf die Datierung des Baus und die historische Herleitung ihrer einzelnen Bauformen gibt es in der Forschung seit langem unterschiedliche Ansichten. Eine verbreitete Theorie nennt konkrete Zahlen und die Namen verschiedener Baumeister. Andere Kunsthistoriker halten diese Geschichten für bereits im Mittelalter erfundene Legenden.
Nach der ersten Theorie war der Seesieg bei Palermo über die damals im Mittelmeer herrschenden Sarazenen im Jahr 1063 Anlass zum Bau der Gesamtanlage. In Venedig spielten diese sarazenischen Seeräuber ebenfalls eine Rolle. Auch dort war die Abwendung dieser Gefahr Anlass gewesen, den Markusdom neu zu bauen, und zwar im selben Jahr 1063, in dem die Anlage in Pisa möglicherweise begonnen wurde. Auch die Pisaner hatten durch diesen Seesieg reiche Beute gemacht und den Ertrag zur Glorifizierung ihrer Stadt genutzt; Pisa war im 11. Jahrhundert die mächtigste Stadt der Toskana.
Nach der zweiten Ansicht ist lediglich erwiesen, dass im Jahr 1118 die Kathedrale im Bau befindlich war. Das sei das einzige zuverlässige Datum. Man habe damals die eher zufällige Anwesenheit des Papstes Gelasius II. genutzt, um eine angemessene Weihe zu vollziehen. Der Bau musste für diesen Fall schon weit genug fortgeschritten gewesen sein, so dass sich die angesetzten Entstehungszeiten der beiden Theorien nicht wesentlich unterscheiden.
Die Kathedrale gehört zusammen mit dem Markusdom in Venedig zu den ersten Monumentalbauten des mittelalterlichen Italiens. Daher stellt sich die Frage, auf wen die entscheidenden Bauideen zurückgehen. Die Stadt Pisa popularisierte schon sehr früh eine eigene lokalpatriotische Version, die dem Baumeister die gesamte Anlage als geniale, völlig eigenständige Idee zuschrieb, ohne dass fremde Einflüsse eine Rolle spielten. Demzufolge soll der erste Baumeister der Kathedrale Buscheto gewesen sein, über den nur sehr wenig bekannt ist. Vasari berichtet in seinen Vite, "Busketos" sei griechischer Herkunft gewesen – also kein geborener Pisaner. Dies wird mancherorts bestritten und vor allem lokal dadurch unterstrichen, dass man ihn „Buscheto Pisano“ nennt. Belegt ist seine Eigenschaft als Prokurator der Pfarre und als Mitglied der Dombauhütte.
Keine Einigkeit besteht in der Forschung, wer die Idee zu der Kathedrale hatte und was seine stilistischen Vorbilder waren. Pisa hatte – wie Venedig – als Seemacht intensive Handelsbeziehungen im östlichen Mittelmeer. Deshalb liegt es nahe, dass die östliche Baukunst hier Einfluss ausüben konnte. Auf jeden Fall war der Baumeister mit dem byzantinischen Kulturraum vertraut. Seine Baukunst nimmt Anleihen auf bei persischen Moscheen und bei frühchristlichen Kirchen in Armenien und Georgien. Zudem vereint sie Elemente der italienischen Romanik mit Motiven aus der Stadtmauer von Kairouan. Inschriften im Dom belegen die Mitarbeit von Heiden: Türken, Afrikanern, Persern und Chaldäern.
Auch wenn sich die Bauzeit des Pisaner Doms lange hinzog, ist der Gesamteindruck einheitlich. Der ersten Theorie zufolge verlief die weitere Entwicklung folgendermaßen: Vor Fertigstellung des Doms habe der neue Baumeister Rainaldus um 1100 den ursprünglichen Grundriss geändert. Er ließ das Langhaus verlängern, den Obergaden erhöhen – die ursprüngliche Höhe ist noch am Querhaus erkennbar – und das untere Geschoss der Fassade errichten. Vollendet worden soll der Bau bis 1160 durch den Innsbrucker Meister Wilhelm gen. Guglielmus (auch Guilielmus)., der um diese Zeit auch die erste Kanzel für den Dom schuf.
Rechts über dem mittleren Portal der Westfassade sind zwei Inschriften in die Wand eingelassen, deren erste Rainaldo als Bauherrn rühmen. Als demütige Replik folgt ein Bibelzitat aus der Vulgata (Psalm 21, Vers 22):
Hoc opus eximium tam mirum tam pretiosum
Rainaldus prudens operator et ipse magister
constituit mire sollerter et ingeniose
De ore leonis libera me domine et
a cornibus unicornium humilitatem meam
Dieses hervorragende Werk, ebenso wunderbar wie kostspielig,
errichtete Rainald, der kluge Erbauer und selbst [Bau]meister,
in wundervoller, kunstvoller und erfinderischer Weise.
Aus dem Rachen des Löwen befreie mich, o Herr,
und von den Hörnern der Einhörner meine Niedrigkeit.
Bedeutung der Fassade für die Datierung
Die Westfassade des Doms stellt für die abendländische Architekturgeschichte eine entscheidende Neuerung dar, den Übergang von der glatten Wand zur plastisch gestalteten Schaufläche. Daher ist auch die Frage ihrer genauen Datierung wichtig, denn ähnlich gestaltete Fassaden wurden auch andernorts gebaut, etwa in Lucca an der Kathedrale San Martino, dessen Baumeister Guidetto da Como, der auch in Pisa tätig war, auf der Fassade mit dem Datum 1204 verewigt wurde.
Die kritischere zweite Theorie akzeptiert lediglich, dass in der zweiten Hälfte des 12. Jahrhunderts im Westen des Hauptschiffes drei Joche angefügt und die heutige Fassade begonnen wurden. Namen werden in dieser Theorie nicht genannt. Demnach könnte die gesamte Fassade auch erst um 1200 fertig und möglicherweise von Anfang an in ihrer heutigen Form geplant gewesen sein. Andere Schätzungen nehmen sogar erst die Mitte des 13. Jahrhunderts an – also hundert Jahre nach dem Datierungszeitraum der ersten Theorie.
Trotzdem spricht viel dafür, dass man zwei verschiedene Phasen in der Entwicklung des Dekorationssystems unterscheiden kann. Die ursprüngliche Konzeption hätte demnach vorgesehen, die Außenmauern im Erdgeschoss durch folgende Elemente zu gliedern: erstens durch Blendbögen, sodann durch waagerechte Streifen aus farbigem Marmor – nach dem Vorbild des Baptisteriums in Florenz – und durch eingelegte Ornamente und Medaillons. Dieses Schema gilt für das ganze Kathedraläußere, an den Seitenwänden auch für die oberen Geschosse. Doch in den über dem Erdgeschoß liegenden Etagen der Westfassade übertraf man diesen Formenreichtum noch um ein Vielfaches. Statt flächiger Aufblendung ließ man in vier Galerien übereinander eine plastische Dekorationsschicht aus Säulen und verzierten Bögen vor der eigentlichen Kirchenmauer deutlich hervortreten.
Legenden
Im Hauptschiff hängt ein bronzener Leuchter von Vincenzo Possenti aus dem Jahre 1587, der Entwurf stammt aber von Giovanni Battista Lorenzi. Es gibt die Geschichte, dass an dem Leuchter Galileo Galilei die Gesetze der Pendelschwingung gefunden haben soll. Sollte es ein Leuchter in dieser Kirche gewesen sein, der ihn auf das Gesetz brachte, kann es allerdings nicht dieser Leuchter gewesen sein, da Galileo Galilei das Gesetz um 1584 veröffentlicht hat.
Zwischen dem nördlichen Seitenschiff und der westlichen Fassade findet man an der Außenwand des Doms an einem Pfeiler einen Stein mit vielen schwarzen Punkten. Von diesem Stein erzählt man sich, dass er vom Teufel sei. Zählt man zweimal hintereinander die Punkte nach, so kommt man jeweils auf ein anderes Ergebnis.
(Wikipedia)
Der Schiefe Turm von Pisa (italienisch Torre pendente di Pisa) ist das wohl bekannteste geneigte Gebäude der Welt und Wahrzeichen der Stadt Pisa in Italien.
Der Turm war als freistehender Glockenturm (Campanile) für den Dom in Pisa geplant. 12 Jahre nach der Grundsteinlegung am 9. August 1173, im Jahr 1185, als der Bau bei der dritten Etage angelangt war, begann sich der Turmstumpf in Richtung Südosten zu neigen. Daraufhin ruhte der Bau rund 100 Jahre. Die nächsten vier Stockwerke wurden dann mit einem geringeren Neigungswinkel als dem bereits bestehenden gebaut, um die Schieflage auszugleichen. Danach musste der Bau nochmals unterbrochen werden, bis 1372 auch die Glockenstube vollendet war.
Der Grund für seine Schieflage liegt in dem Untergrund aus lehmigem Morast und Sand, der sich unter dem Gewicht verformt. Neuesten Ausgrabungen zufolge steht der Turm am Rande einer ehemaligen Insel direkt neben einem antiken, zur Bauzeit bereits versandeten Hafenbecken. Die Schieflage des Turms beträgt nach dem Ende der Sanierungsarbeiten rund vier Grad, entsprechend einer Auslenkung an der Spitze von 3,9 m (bei rund 55,8 m Höhe). Im Inneren des Turmes hängt ein Pendel, das oben in der Mitte befestigt ist und durch die Schieflage unten beinahe die Seitenwand berührt.
Der Legende nach hat der aus Pisa stammende Galileo Galilei bei Fallversuchen vom Turm die Fallgesetze entdeckt.
Im Jahre 1987 wurde das Ensemble auf der Piazza del Duomo aus dem Turm, dem Dom, dem Baptisterium und dem Camposanto von der UNESCO zum Weltkulturerbe erklärt.
Architektur
Der 56 Meter hohe und 12 Meter durchmessende Campanile besteht aus 14.500 Tonnen weißen Carrara-Marmors und hat sieben Glocken, die aber längere Zeit wegen der Einsturzgefahr nicht läuten durften. Er sollte der Höhepunkt der ganzen Anlage der Piazza dei Miracoli sein. Er unterscheidet sich von den üblichen quadratischen Türmen Mittelitaliens und steht in einem großen Gegensatz zu den spitz zulaufenden Türmen des nördlichen Europa. Er ruht auf einem spiralförmigen Fundament aus 700 m³ Bruchstein und Mörtel. Neben dem Eingang sind Monat und Jahr des Baubeginns eingemeißelt: August 1173. In Urkunden wird jedoch stets 1174 genannt, denn für die Pisaner begann nach damaligem Kalender das neue Jahr bereits am 25. März. Giorgio Vasari bezeichnete Bonanno Pisano und einen gewissen Guglielmo als ursprüngliche Architekten des Turms.
Der Campanile hatte – außer dass er die Glocken tragen sollte – noch eine andere Funktion. Bei äußerer Gefahr flüchtete damals der Klerus in den Turm. Maueröffnungen und -vorsprünge im Zylinderschacht machten es möglich, bei Bedarf in jedem Stockwerk Gebälk und Fußböden einzuziehen.
Jedes Stockwerk hat eine Tür hinaus auf die Säulengalerie, die aus jeweils 30 Säulen besteht. Auf der Südseite führen oben sechs Stufen zur Glockenstube hinauf, auf der Nordseite nur vier. Die Treppe zur obersten Aussichtsterrasse soll Brunelleschi inspiriert haben, einen ähnlichen Aufgang zur Laterne auf der Kuppel des Doms in Florenz zu bauen.
Vom 7. Januar 1990 an musste der 14.500 Tonnen schwere Turm für Besucher gesperrt werden, da die Schräglage zu gefährlich wurde. Es gab eine weltweite Aufforderung an Baustatiker, die besten Lösungen zur Stabilisierung auszuarbeiten und einzureichen.
Nach 13-jährigen Sanierungsmaßnahmen, bei denen der Turm wieder um 44 Zentimeter aufgerichtet wurde, ist er seit Dezember 2001 wieder für Touristen geöffnet. Besucher können gegen Entgelt den Turm in Gruppen von maximal 40 Besuchern für eine Dauer von 15 Minuten besteigen.
Der Schiefe Turm von Pisa ist nicht das schiefste Gebäude bzw. der schiefste Turm der Welt, wie häufig vermutet wird. Dennoch gehört er zu den schiefsten Bauwerken, die – aufrecht geplant – unabsichtlich in eine Schieflage geraten sind.
Glocken
Die sieben Kirchenglocken des Domes werden aus statischer Vorsicht nur noch mittels innenliegender elektromagnetischer Schlaghämmer angeschlagen, und zwar mittags um 12 Uhr und jeweils vor den Messen.
Zuvor wurden die Glocken entsprechend ihrer Namen liturgisch eingesetzt, so etwa die Terza zur Terz, der dritten Stunde des liturgischen Tages, also um 9 Uhr vormittags, oder die Vespruccio zur Vesper, 18 Uhr. Das Läuten erfolgte von Hand; an Festtagen wurden die Glocken voll – a slancio – ausgeschwungen.
Die kleinste Glocke von 1501, Vespruccio genannt, hat eine sehr schlanke, zuckerhutartige Form. Die Glocke Del Pozzo ist ein originalgetreuer Nachguss der Vorgängerin, 1606 von Nicolaus Castellum gegossen.
Sanierungsmaßnahmen
Versuche im Mittelalter, den Bau durch besondere Baumaßnahmen wie geneigte Böden sowie dünnere und leichtere Mauern auf der überhängenden Seite zu retten, zeigten keine ausreichende Wirkung, so dass von den ursprünglich geplanten 100 Metern Höhe nur 54 Meter gebaut wurden.
Seit dem Beginn exakter Messungen 1911 nahm die Neigung stetig zu, und die Rate der Zunahme verdoppelte sich von den 1930er-Jahren bis 1990. In diesem Jahr betrug die jährliche Zunahme der Neigung 6 Bogensekunden. Außerdem zeigte die Vermessung, dass es sich um eine Rotationsbewegung handelte, wobei das Zentrum des Kreises in Höhe des Bodens der ersten Galerie senkrecht über dem Mittelpunkt des Turms auf Bodenebene liegt, der selbst keine vertikale Bewegung ausführte. Bei zwei heftigen Starkregenereignissen konnte 1995 eine Neigungszunahme in der Größenordnung einer Bogensekunde in wenigen Stunden festgestellt werden. Daraus wurde geschlossen, dass die Ursache nicht – wie üblicherweise angenommen – im Kriechen der weichen marinen Tonschicht (Horizont B ab einer Tiefe von etwa 10 m bis zu einer Tiefe von 40 m, wo Horizont C mit dichtem marinen Sand beginnt) lag, sondern an dem darüberliegenden Horizont A (Sand, sandige und tonige Schluffe), in der regelmäßig im September bis Dezember auftretende Unwetter mit heftigen Niederschlägen eine verstärkte Rotationsbewegung auslösten.
Seit der vorübergehenden Schließung 1990 waren diverse Sanierungsmaßnahmen unternommen worden. Im Mai 1992 wurde der Campanile mit Stahlreifen im zweiten Geschoss gesichert, da sich dort gefährliche Risse im tragenden Marmor gezeigt hatten. Insgesamt wurden 18 dieser Reifen angebracht. Zusätzlich wurden im Juli 1993 im Fundament 600 Tonnen Bleibarren als Gegengewicht auf der Nordseite eingelagert. Dadurch konnte die Schieflage des Turmes 1993 um eine Bogenminute verringert werden. 1995 wurden weitere Sanierungsmaßnahmen (Bodenvereisung und Stahlkabel-Verankerung) durchgeführt, da man die Bleigewichte als störend empfand. In der Folge erhöhte sich dabei allerdings die Neigung. Daraufhin wurde die höhere Seite des Fundaments an seinem Vorsprung außen am Turm im September 1995 erneut, diesmal mit 900 Tonnen Bleibarren, beschwert (siehe Bild), was die Neigung stoppte.
Ein Komitee internationaler Fachleute, das über die Sanierungsmaßnahmen des Turmes befinden sollte (1990 bis 2001 unter Leitung von Michele Jamiolkowski), konnte sich auf keine bestimmten Maßnahmen festlegen und wurde deshalb zum Ende 1996 von der italienischen Regierung aufgelöst. Nach dem großen Erdbeben vom September 1997 wurde das Komitee jedoch wieder eingesetzt. Man einigte sich im Herbst 1998 mehrheitlich auf eine neue Maßnahme zur Sanierung des Campanile, die sogenannte Bodenextraktions-Methode (geplant von John Burland nach einer Idee des Ingenieurs Fernando Terracina aus dem Jahr 1962). Dazu wurden im folgenden Jahr schräge Löcher in den Boden (Tiefe rund 4 bis 5 m, innerhalb von Horizont A) unter dem nördlichen Teil des Turmes gebohrt, so dass etwa 50 m³ Material entfernt wurde. Das Erdreich sackte langsam nach, schließlich auch der Boden des Turmes, und der ganze Turm richtete sich zunehmend nach Norden auf. Die Gesamtneigung des Turmes wurde von 5,5 Grad vor dem Beginn der Sanierungsarbeiten (um 1990) auf etwa vier Grad verringert. Damit ist der Turm voraussichtlich für die nächsten 300 Jahre gesichert. Nach dem Abschluss der Sanierungsmaßnahmen wurde der Turm am 15. Dezember 2001 wieder zur Besichtigung freigegeben.
Zur Sicherung während dieser Arbeiten wurde der Turm 1998 mit zwei starken Stahlseilen von 103 Metern Länge so befestigt, dass er nicht durch unerwartete Bewegungen einstürzen konnte.
Bei Bauarbeiten zur Sicherung des Gebäudes ist eine alte Römerstraße entdeckt worden, die noch in alten Plänen verzeichnet war, außerdem ein mittelalterliches Grab samt vollständigem Skelett.
(Wikipedia)