Category A listed historic building.

 

"Old College is a building of the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located on South Bridge, and presently houses parts of the University's administration, the University of Edinburgh School of Law, and the Talbot Rice Gallery. Originally called the "New College", it was designed by Robert Adam to replace a number of older buildings.

 

In 1789 subscriptions were raised to fund a new university building in Edinburgh to a plan prepared by Robert Adam, to replace an existing collection of dilapidated buildings of the University. The foundation stone was laid in November of that year for what was proposed as a building with a "First Court", giving access to professor's lodgings, followed by a Great Court, around which the main academic halls and lecture rooms would be arranged. By the end of 1791 several apartments were in use, but in the following year the death of Robert Adam and the outbreak of the Napoleonic Wars and the imposition of income tax slowed, then halted progress. In 1815 further funds were raised, and work recommenced. Plans were submitted by nine architects showing their proposals to continue the design work, with the outcome that William Henry Playfair was appointed architect in 1817. Playfair's design clove close to Adam's but combined the two courts into a single large quadrangle. By 1827 the building was virtually complete with the exception of fitting out the library, and construction of a dome which Adam had proposed at the east end of the building. This was left out as a cost saving, and the work was completed about four years later. The dome was added in 1887, to a design by Sir Robert Rowand Anderson, and funded by a donation from Gorgie industrialist and politician, Robert Cox. The gilded statue of Youth which crowns the dome is by John Hutchison.

 

The large bronze war memorial at the west end of the quadrangle was designed by Sir Robert Lorimer in 1922 and sculpted by Pilkington Jackson the following year.

 

The quadrangle was never completed at the time the College was originally constructed. However, based on a proposal from architects Simpson & Brown the quadrangle now contains a central grass lawn encircled by a paved terrace of honey-coloured stone. The new quadrangle is both a venue for graduation celebrations and festival events, as well as providing a more inviting entrance for the Talbot Rice Gallery.

 

The Old Town (Scots: Auld Toun) is the name popularly given to the oldest part of Scotland's capital city of Edinburgh. The area has preserved much of its medieval street plan and many Reformation-era buildings. Together with the 18th/19th-century New Town, it forms part of a protected UNESCO World Heritage Site.

 

Edinburgh (/ˈɛdɪnbərə/; Scots: Edinburgh; Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Èideann [ˈt̪uːn ˈeːtʲən̪ˠ]) is the capital of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the Firth of Forth's southern shore.

 

Recognised as the capital of Scotland since at least the 15th century, Edinburgh is the seat of the Scottish Government, the Scottish Parliament and the supreme courts of Scotland. The city's Palace of Holyroodhouse is the official residence of the monarch in Scotland. The city has long been a centre of education, particularly in the fields of medicine, Scots law, literature, philosophy, the sciences and engineering. It is the second largest financial centre in the United Kingdom (after London) and the city's historical and cultural attractions have made it the United Kingdom's second most visited tourist destination attracting 4.9 million visits including 2.4 million from overseas in 2018.

 

Edinburgh is Scotland's second most populous city and the seventh most populous in the United Kingdom. The official population estimates are 488,050 (2016) for the Locality of Edinburgh (Edinburgh pre 1975 regionalisation plus Currie and Balerno), 518,500 (2018) for the City of Edinburgh, and 1,339,380 (2014) for the city region. Edinburgh lies at the heart of the Edinburgh and South East Scotland city region comprising East Lothian, Edinburgh, Fife, Midlothian, Scottish Borders and West Lothian.

 

The city is the annual venue of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. It is home to national institutions such as the National Museum of Scotland, the National Library of Scotland and the Scottish National Gallery. The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1582 and now one of four in the city, is placed 20th in the QS World University Rankings for 2020. The city is also known for the Edinburgh International Festival and the Fringe, the latter being the world's largest annual international arts festival. Historic sites in Edinburgh include Edinburgh Castle, the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the churches of St. Giles, Greyfriars and the Canongate, and the extensive Georgian New Town built in the 18th/19th centuries. Edinburgh's Old Town and New Town together are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, which has been managed by Edinburgh World Heritage since 1999." - info from Wikipedia.

 

Summer 2019 I did a solo cycling tour across Europe through 12 countries over the course of 3 months. I began my adventure in Edinburgh, Scotland and finished in Florence, Italy cycling 8,816 km. During my trip I took 47,000 photos.

 

Now on Instagram.

 

Become a patron to my photography on Patreon.

I have been through the village many times, but not found the church ope, but after driving by recently, I saw the west porch door open, so found a place to park nearby.

 

The church stands on high ground over the village's famous ford, and beside what was once the high road, but is still busy.

 

The porch is underneath the tower on the west end of the church, and upon entering the building is filled with light. The pews have been replaced by modern seating, an there is a fairly new alter, but the apse is clean and light.

 

A couple were visiting from up north, and were delighted to have met another visitor, especially one who has visited close to 350 Kentish churches.

 

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Sitting on high ground above the famous ford, this is a light and well cared for church. Saxon in origin, but with a character now of the thirteenth century, it is currently (2005) being reordered to make it more adaptable. Already the north aisle is not part of the church but proposals to remove pews and change the layout will result in an even more flexible space. The finest part of the church is the south transept - with its very tall lancet windows and modern altar.

 

www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Eynsford

 

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EYNSFORD.

SOUTHWARD from Farningham lies Eynsford, sometimes written Aynsford, so named from a noted ford here over the river Darent.

 

THIS PARISH extends about four miles from east to west, and about three miles from north to south; on the north side it reaches almost up to the village of Farningham, near to which stood the antient mansion of Sibell's; and towards the west, over the hills, by Wested-farm and the obscure and little known hamlet of Crockenhill, both within its bounds, among a quantity of woodlands. The soil is in general chalky, except towards the west, where there is some strong heavy land. The village of Eynsford, through the eastern part of which the high road leads from Dartford through Farningham, and hence towards Sevenoke, is situated near the south-west bounds of the parish, in the valley on the banks of the Darent; over it there is a bridge here, repaired at the public charge of the county. At the north end of the village, near the river, are the remains of Eynsford castle, (fn. 1) and at the south end of it the church; beyond which this parish extends southward, on the chalk hills, a mile and an half; where, near the boundaries of it, is Afton lodge.

 

THIS PLACE was given to Christ church, in. Canterbury, in the time of archbishop Dunstan, who came to the see in 950, by a certain rich man, named Ælphege; after whose death one Leossune, who had married the widow of Eadric, Elphege's nephew, retained this land as his own, notwithstanding this devise of it. Upon which the trial of it was appointed at Ærhede, before Uulsi, the priest seir-man, or judge of the county, in presence of archbishop Dunstan, the parties themselves, the bishops of London and Rochester, and a multitude of lay people; and there, in the presence of the whole assembly, the archbishop taking the crossin his hand, made his oath upon the book of the ecclesiastical laws to the scir-man, who then took it to the king's use, as Leossune himself refused to receive it, that the right use of these lands was to Christ church; and as a farther confirmation of it to future times, it had the ratification of a thousand of the choicest men out of Suthex, Westsex, Middlesex, and Eastsex, who took their oaths also on the cross to the truth of it after him. (fn. 2)

 

At the time of taking the general survey of Domesday, Eynesford was held of the archbishop of Canterbury, by knight's service, and accordingly it is thus entered, under the general title of Terra Militum Archiepi, in that record.

 

Ralph Fitz Unspac holds Ensford of the archbishop. It was taxed at six suling. The arable land is. In demesne there are five carucates and 29 villeins, with nine borders, having 15 carucates. There are 2 churches and nine servants, and two mills of 43 shillings, and 29 acres of meadow; wood for the pannage of 20 hogs. In the time of king Edward the Confessor it was worth 16 pound, and now it is worth 20 pounds.—Of this manor Richard de Tonebridge holds as much wood as 20 bogs may go out from, and one mill of five shillings, and one fishery in this lowy.

 

In the reign of king Henry II. a family of the name of Eynsford was in the possession of this place, one of whom. William de Eynesford, was sheriff of London in that reign. (fn. 3) They bore for their arms, A fretty ermine, which coat is carved on the roof of the cloisters, at Canterbury. William de Eynesford, whether the same as above mentioned does not appear, held the MANOR and CASTLE of Eynsford of the archbishop, at which time archbishop Becket, having given the church of Eynsford to one Laurence, William de Eynesford dispossessed him of it, for which he was excommunicated by the archbishop, which offended the king exceedingly; (fn. 4) another of the same name possessed this manor and castle in the 12th and 13th years of king John. (fn. 5) In the reign of king Edward I. this estate was become the property of the family of Criol, in the 21st year of which, as appears by the Tower records, John de Criol and Ralph de Sandwich claimed the privileges of a manor here; Nicholas de Criol, a descendant of this John, died possessed of it, anno 3 king Richard II. (fn. 6) after which it passed by sale to the Zouches, of Harringworth. William Zouche died possessed of it in the 5th year of that reign, and left three sons, Sir William le Zouche of Braunfield, Edmund. and Thomas; which last and this castle and manor, of which he was possessed at his death, anno 6 king Henry IV. (fn. 7) After which it passed into the name of Chaworth; and Elizabeth, wife of William Chaworth, was found to die possessed of it in the 17th year of king Henry VII. Soon after which, it was conveyed by sale to Sir Percival Hart, of the body of Henry VIII. His son, Sir George Hart, died anno 22 queen Elizabeth possessed of this castle and manor, with the mill, called Garsmill, holding them of the king, as of his manor of Otford, by knights service; (fn. 8) since which they have descended in the same manner that Lullingstone has, to Sir John Dixon Dyke, bart. the present possessor of them.

 

There are large ruins still remaining of Eynsford castle. The walls, which are built of squared flint, are near four feet thick, being entire for near forty feet in height. The circuit of these walls are of a very irregular form, and contain about three quarters of an acre of ground, in the middle of them is a strong keep or dungeon. It stands at a small distance eastward from the river Darent, between which and the castle, as well as for the same space about it, there is much rubbish and foundations of buildings, and there are remains of a broad moat round it, now quite dry.

 

Many lands in Eynsford are held of this manor by annual quit rents. A constable is chosen at the court leet, held for it, for the liberty of Eynsford, which extends over the parish of Eynsford, and great part of the south side of Farningham-street.

 

SOUTH-COURT is a manor here, which was antiently part of the estate of the family of Eynesford, already mentioned, and was formerly parcel of Eynsford-castle. John de St. Clere possessed this manor in the 20th year of king Edward III. at which time he paid aid for it. In the reign of king Henry VII. it was come into the name of Dinham; and John Dinham died possessed of the manor of South-court, with its appurtenances, in Eynsford, which he held of the archibshop, as of his manor of Otford, by knights service, in the 17th of king Henry VIII. (fn. 9) From Dinham it passed by sale to Sir Thomas Wyatt of Allington-castle, from which family it was sold to Hart; and Sir John Hart, son and heir of Sir Percival Hart, knight of the body to king Henry VIII. (fn. 10) died possessed of it in the 22d year of queen Elizabeth, holding it of the queen, as of her manor of Otford, by knight service.

 

Since this unity of possession, the style of these manors has been, the castle and manor of Eynsford cum Southcourt; by which title they have descended, in the same manor as Lullingstone, to Sir John Dixon Dyke, bart. the present possessor of them.

 

The MANOR of ORKESDEN, the mansion of which is now called, by corruption, Aston-LODGE, was antiently possessed by a family, who took their surname from their residence here. William de Orkesden, in the 12th and 13th years of king John's reign held half a knight's see in Eynsford, by knight's service of the archbishop. He was one of the Recognitores Magna Assise, or justices of the Great Assize. (fn. 11)

 

In the reign of king Edward III. Reginald de Cobham was become possessed of this manor; in the 14th year of which he obtained a charter of free warren in all the demesne lands within his lordship of Orkesdenne; and in the next year he obtained licence to castellate his house here. He was son of Reginald de Cobham, who was son of John de Cobham of Cobham, by his second wife, Joane, daughter of Hugh de Nevill. (fn. 12)

 

This Reginald de Cobham was a great warrior; and in the 18th year of king Edward III. was constituted admiral of the king's fleet, from the Thames mouth westward. In the 20th of king Edward III. he paid aid for one quarter of a see in Orkesden, which he held of William de Eynesford, as of his manor of Eynsford. He died of the pestilence in the 35th year of that reign possessed of this manor, leaving Regihald his son and heir, and Joane his wife, daughter of Sir Maurice de Berkeley surviving, who possessed this manor at her death, anno 43 king Edward III. (fn. 13) Her son, Reginald, was lord of Sterborough, castle, in Surry, from whence this branch of the Cobhams was henceforward called, Cobhams of Sterborough-castle. (fn. 14)

 

His grandson, Sir Thomas Cobham, left a sole daughter and heir, Anne, who carried this manor in marriage to Sir Edward Borough, who survived him, and died possessed of it in the 20th year of king Henry VIII. then holding it of the lord Zouche, as of his manor of Eynsford, by knights service. (fn. 15)

 

Thomas, their son and heir, was summoned to parliament, as lord borough, anno 21 Henry VIII. He left Thomas his son and heir, who bequeathed this manor of Orkesden to his youngest son, Sir William Borough; and he, in the beginning of queen Elizabeth's reign, passed it away by sale to Francis Sandbache, esq. who sold it to John Lennard, esq. custos brevium of the court of common-pleas, who purchased it for his second son, Samuel Lennard, who was afterwards knighted, and was of West Wickham, in this county. On his death, in 1618, he was succeeded here by his son, Sir Stephen Lennard, who was created a baronet in 1642; he sold it to Richard Duke, esq. from whom it passed to Nathaniel Tench, esq. who died in 1710, and was buried at Low Leyton, in Essex. His only surviving son, Fither Tench, was created a baronet in 1715. (fn. 16) and died possessed of Orkesden manor in 1736; soon after which it was conveyed by sale to Percival Hart. esq. of Lullingstone, whose grandson, Sir John Dixon Dyke, bart. is the present owner of it.

 

Many lands in Eynsford, Lullingstone, and Sevenoke, are held of this manor by small annual quit rents.

 

On the western side of this parish, next to St. Mary Cray, lies the HAMLET of CROCKENHILL, which, as appears by a writ, Ad quod damnum, brought against the prioress of Dartford, in the 11th year of king Edward IV. was in the possession of that prioress and convent; with whom it staid till their suppression, in the reign of king Henry VIII. when their lands and revenues were surrendered into the king's hands; all which were confirmed to him and his successors by the general words of the act of the 31st of his reign, the year after which the king granted to Percival Hart, esq. among other premises, the manor of Crekenhill, alias Crokenhill, with its appurtenances, to hold of him in capite by knights service. (fn. 17) His son, Sir George Hart, of Lullingstone, died possessed of it, being then stiled Crockenhill, alias Court-hawe, in the 22d year of queen Elizabeth, holding it by the above tenure. Since which it has descended, in the same manner as the rest of his estates in this parish, to Sir John Dixon Dyke, bart. the present possessor of it.

 

This manor pays a yearly fee-farm rent to the crown of eleven shillings and five-pence.

 

LITTLE-MOTE and PETHAM-COURT are two manors, situated at the two opposite sides of this parish; the former being at the north east corner of it, near Farningham; and the latter at the north-west corner of it, near adjoining to Crokenhill and St. Mary Cray. These manors were, for many generations, part of the possessions of the family of Sibell, who resided at a mansion, called after them Sibell's, situated in Little or Lower Mote, and bore for their arms, Argent, a tiger gules, viewing himself in a glass or mirror, azure. Their estate here was much increased in the reign of king Henry VIII. by one of them marrying the female heir of Cowdale. These Cowdales bore for their arms, Argent, a chevron gules between three cows heads caboshed sable; which coat, both impaled and quartured with Sybill, Philipott says was remaining in the mansion here, both in painted glass and carved work, in his time. (fn. 18)

 

One of this family, John Sibell, died in the 17th year of queen Elizabeth, possessed of these estates, and also of the demesne lands of the manor of Hiltes bury; all which were held of the manor of Eynsford. He left an only daughter and heir, Elizabeth, and Jane his wife surviving, who held these estates for her life, and afterwards married Francis Hart, esq.

 

Elizabeth Sibell, the daughter, in the 24th year of queen Elizabeth, married Robert Bosevile, esq. afterwards knighted, the younger brother of Henry Bosevile of Bradborne, and son of Ralph Bosevile, of that place, clerk of the court of wards; and he, on her mother's death, became, in her right, possessed of Sibell's, with the manors of Littlemote and Petham. His descendant, Sir Thomas Bosevile, was of Littlemote, and had been a colonel in the king's army, and knighted by king Charles I. at Durham, in May 1642. He died the next year, and was buried in St. Mary's church, Oxford. (fn. 19) By Sarah, his wife, who afterwards married Col. Richard Crimes, he had a son, Thomas, who possessed these manors and Sibell's on his father's death. He married Elizabeth, only daughter of Sir Francis Wyat, of Boxleyabbey, and died in 1660, leaving an only daughter and heir, Margaretta, who carried the manor of Petham-court in marriage to Sir Robert Marsham, bart. of Bushey-hall, in Hertfordshire; and his great grand son, the Right Hon. Charles Marsham, lord Romney, is the present possessor of it.

 

But the manor of Littlemote, with Sibell's, became the property of Sir Henry Bosevile, who died in 1702, (fn. 20) without issue, and devised this manor and estate to his kinsman, Robert Bosevile, esq. of Staffordshire, whose family was originally of Ardesley, in Yorkshire, in the reign of queen Elizabeth, a younger branch of them settled in Kent, at Bradborne, in Sevenoke, and here at Eynsford; and a younger branch of these again in Staffordshire; they bore for their arms, Argent, a fess lozengy gules, in chief three bears heads erased sable.

 

His son of the same name, in the year 1755, sold it, in several parcels, to different persons, since which it has been of no consequence worth mentioning, and the old mansion of Sibell's has been pulled down some years ago, and two tenements have been erected on the scite of it.

 

Charities.

PERCIVAL HART, esq. gave by will, for the benefit of the poor, an annuity out of lands, vested in Sir John Dyke, bart. and of the annual produce of 2l.

 

AN UNKNOWN PERSON gave for the like use, a house, let by the parish to Philip Weller, and of the annual value of 4l.

 

SIR ANTHONY ROPER and . . . . . . . . HATCLIFF, esq. (as is supposed) gave for the benefit of the same, lands and houses in Greenwich, the rents to be divided, to the parish of Farningham threefifths, to Horton Kirkby one-fifth, and to this parish of Eynsford one-fifth, the annual produce being to this parish, on an average, 7l.

 

EYNSFORD is in the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION OF THE diocese of Rochester, and being a peculiar of the archbishop, it is as such in the deanry of Shoreham. The church, which is dedicated to St. Martin, is situated at the south-east end of the village.

 

It seems from the form of it to be one of our early Norman structures, and coeval with the castle. It is built in the form of a cross, with two large wings or side chancels; that on the south side belonged to the Sibell's, and afterwards to the Bosevile's, many of whom lie buried in it, several of whose gravestones and inscriptions are now so covered with fifth and rubbish that they are illegible; and the place itself, through continued neglect, is hastening to a total ruin. The north chancel is kept in good repair, and is filled with pews and a neat vestry room. In this chancel, according to Weever, was a stone, on which was engraved, in wondrous antique characters, Ici gis. la famme de la Roberg de Eckisford, perhaps it may have been so spelt for Einesford, or one of his mistakes for it, and if so, this chancel might belong to the Eynesfords, lords of this manor and castle; the stone is now hid by the wooden flooring over it. At the west end of the church is a spire steeple, underneath which is a curious circular door way of Saxon or very early Norman architecture. (fn. 21)

 

Among other monuments and inscriptions in this church, in the chancel, a gravestone, arms, a lion passant guardant, in chief three stirrups, for George Gifford, esq. obt. 1704, æt. 85; another for Thomas Gifford, esq. obt. 1705, æt. 59. In the chancel, on the south side of the church, a gravestone for lady Sarah Bosevile, wife of Col. Richard Crimes, obt. 1660; another for Tho. Bosevile, esq. of Littlemote, in Eynsford, only son of Sir Thomas Bosevile; he married Elizabeth, only daughter of Sir Francis Wiat of Boxley-abbey, by whom he left Margaretta, his sole daughter and heir; obt. 1660; another, arms, five lozenges in fess, in chief three bears heads erased, impaling two bends engrailed, and a canton, for Sir Henry Bosevile, of Littlemote, and dame Mary his wife; she died 1693, he died 1702. On the south wall, a monument with the above arms, for Mrs. Margaret Bosevile, only daughter and heir of Sir Henry Bosevile, of Littlemote, ob. 1682, æt. 26. (fn. 22)

 

William de Eynesford, lord of this parish, gave the church of Eynsford to the monks o Christ-church, in Canterbury, when he became a monk there; which was confirmed by William de Enysford, his grandson. (fn. 23) Archbishop Richard, in the reign of king Henry II. appropriated this church to the almonry of Christ church. (fn. 24) In the time of Stephen Langton, archbishop of Canterbury, there was a dispute, whether the church of Farningham was a chapel to the church of Eynsford or not ?

 

In consequence of which, the archbishop, by his decree, made with the consent of all parties in 1225, ordained, that the rector of Eynsford and his successors, should possess entirely the whole church of Eynsford, with all its tythes, as well great as small, houses, lands, gardens, and all other things belonging to it, which the rector of it was wont to have before; and that the almoner of Christ-church, and not the monks, should possess, to the use of the almonry, the chapel of Farningham, with its appurtenauces, &c. belonging to it, as is therein mentioned; and that the rector of this church of Eynsford should, on a vacancy, present to the vicarage of this church; and that further than this, neither should intermeddle, or claim a right in the above premisess. (fn. 25)

 

Thus this rectory became a fine cure, the parson of this church from that time having presented to the vicarage, the incumbent of which has had the cure of souls, in which situation the rectory still remains, being esteemed as a donative of the patronage of the archbishop of Canterbury.

 

In the 15th year of king Edward I. this church was valued at thirty marcs. (fn. 26) In 1575, Henry Withers, clerk, parson of the parish church and benefice of Eynsford, leased this rectory to Thomas Dunmoll, yeoman, at 12l. 6s. 8d. per annum. In 1633, John Gifford, D. D. rector, let the same to Thomas Gifford, his son, at forty pounds per annum rent.

 

By virtue of the commission of enquiry into the value of church livings, in 1650, issuing out of chancery, it was returned, that Eynsford was a donative, with a house, and one hundred acres of glebe, and the great tythes, worth altogether one hundred and ten pounds per annum, then in the possession of George Gifford, esq. that the vicarage had a house, but no glebe land, and was worth thirty-five pounds per annum, one master Heriot enjoying it, and preaching there. (fn. 27)

 

Francis Porter, rector in 1674, let to George Gifford, esq. of Pennis, this rectory, or parsonage of forty pounds per annum, and of twenty pounds to the vicar, Edward Tilson, which last sum is mentioned to be an augmentation made in pursuance of the king's letters recommendatory, which lease was confirmed in 1707, in pursuance of like letters of queen Anne.

 

¶George Gifford, esq. of Pennis, continued lessee till his death, in 1704, when his interest in it devolved to his son, Thomas Gifford, who died the next year, and left three daughters and coheirs, viz. Margaret, married to Thomas Petley; Mary to John Selby, and Jane to Finch Umsrey; this parsonage being let by them at one hundred and forty-five pounds per annum.

 

The interest of this lease passed by sale from them to Percival Hart, esq. of Lullingstone, whose grandson, Sir John Dixon Dyke, bart. a few years ago, suffered the lease to expire.

 

The rectory of Eynsford is valued in the king's books at 12l. 16s. 8d. and the yearly tenths at 1l. 5s. 8d. the vicarage at twelve pounds, and the tenths at 1l. 4s. (fn. 28)

 

www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-kent/vol2/pp527-539

 

Goodrich Castle is a Norman medieval castle ruin north of the village of Goodrich in Herefordshire, England, controlling a key location between Monmouth and Ross-on-Wye. It was praised by William Wordsworth as the "noblest ruin in Herefordshire"[1] and is considered by historian Adrian Pettifer to be the "most splendid in the county, and one of the best examples of English military architecture".[2]

 

Goodrich Castle was probably built by Godric of Mappestone after the Norman invasion of England, initially as an earth and wooden fortification. In the middle of the 12th century the original castle was replaced with a stone keep, and was then expanded significantly during the late 13th century into a concentric structure combining luxurious living quarters with extensive defences. The success of Goodrich's design influenced many other constructions across England over the following years. It became the seat of the powerful Talbot family before falling out of favour as a residence in late Tudor times.

 

Held first by Parliamentary and then Royalist forces in the English Civil War of the 1640s, Goodrich was finally successfully besieged by Colonel John Birch in 1646 with the help of the huge "Roaring Meg" mortar, resulting in the subsequent slighting of the castle and its descent into ruin. At the end of the 18th century, however, Goodrich became a noted picturesque ruin and the subject of many paintings and poems; events at the castle provided the inspiration for Wordsworth's famous 1798 poem "We are Seven". By the 20th century the site was a well-known tourist location, now owned by English Heritage and open to the public.

 

Architecture

A castle, with a large circular tower facing the viewer, with an angular spur jutting out from the base of the tower; a metal fence is in the foreground, with green vegetation around it.

The south-eastern tower shows the characteristic right-angled "spur", designed to prevent its undermining during a siege.

Goodrich Castle stands on a high rocky sandstone outcrop overlooking the River Wye. It commands a crossing of the river, known as Walesford or Walford, Ross-on-Wye, about 26 kilometres (16 mi) from Hereford and 6.4 kilometres (4.0 mi) from Ross-on-Wye.[3] The castle guards the line of the former Roman road from Gloucester to Caerleon as it crosses from England into Wales.[4]

 

At the heart of the castle is an early Norman square keep of light grey sandstone, with Norman windows and pilaster buttresses.[5] Although the keep had thick walls, its relatively small size – the single chambers on each floor measure only 5.5 by 4.5 metres (18 by 15 ft) internally[6] – would have made it more useful for defence than for day-to-day living.[7] The keep originally had a first-storey door for safety, this was later turned into a window and the entrance brought down to the ground floor.[2] The keep would originally have had an earth mound built up against the base of it to protect against attack, and the stone work remains rougher in the first few courses of masonry.[7]

 

Around the keep is an essentially square structure guarded by three large towers, all built during the 1280s from somewhat darker sandstone.[1] On the more vulnerable southern and eastern sides of the castle, ditches 27 metres (90 ft) long and 9 metres (28 ft) deep have been cut into the rock,[8] exploiting a natural fissure.[5] These towers have large "spurs", resulting from the interface of a solid, square-based pyramid with the circular towers rising up against the walls. This feature is characteristic of castles in the Welsh Marches, including St Briavel's and Tonbridge Castle, and was intended to prevent the undermining of the towers by attackers.[9]

 

A castle, with a flat fronted tower facing the viewer with a stained glass window in the middle of it; a stone causeway is on the right of the picture, leading to a gateway to the right of the tower – a partially filled arch is supporting the causeway.

The gatehouse is reached by an exposed causeway covered by the barbican to the right of the picture. The chapel window can be seen in the left-hand tower.

The castle's fourth corner forms its gatehouse. Here the classic Edwardian gatehouse design has been transformed into an asymmetrical structure, with one tower much larger than the other.[10] The gatehouse included portcullises, murder-holes and a drawbridge. Beyond the gatehouse lies a large barbican, inspired by a similar design of the period at the Tower of London and possibly built by the same workmen, designed to protect the causeway leading to the gatehouse.[11] The barbican today is only half of its original height, and includes its own gate, designed to trap intruders within the inner defences.[12] The gatehouse and barbican are linked by a stone causeway.

 

The gatehouse's eastwards-facing tower contains the chapel, an unusual arrangement driven by a lack of space, with a recently restored east window of reset 15th-century glass designed by Nicola Hopwood, which illuminates the priest's seat, or sedile.[13] The 15th-century window frame itself replaced an even taller, earlier 13th-century window.[14] The chapel's west window is modern, and commemorates the British scientists, engineers and servicemen involved in radar development who died between 1936 and 1976.[nb 1] The altar itself is particularly old, possibly pre-dating the castle.[15]

 

The bailey was designed to include a number of spacious domestic buildings. These include a great hall, a solarium, kitchen, buttery and pantry,[10] with a luxuriously large number of garderobes and fireplaces.[16] The large towers provided additional accommodation.[10] The design of the domestic buildings was skilfully interlocked to support the defensive arrangements of the bailey.[16] The great hall for example, 20 by 9 metres (66 by 30 ft), was placed in the strongest position overlooking the river Wye, allowing it to benefit from multiple large windows and a huge fireplace without sacrificing defensive strength.[15] Water for the castle was originally raised from the courtyard well, but was later piped in from a spring across the valley;[17] the castle kitchens had acquired running water by the beginning of the 17th century.[1] The design of the buildings ensured that the servants and nobility were able to live separately from one another in the confined space of the castle, revolutionary at the time.[18]

 

Beyond the main bailey walls lies the stable block, now ruined but with a visible cobble floor.[19] The stables and the north and west sides of the castle were protected by another, smaller curtain wall, but this is now largely ruined.[20] Accounts suggest that the original stables could hold around 60 horses, although by the 17th century they had been expanded to accommodate more.[21]

 

History

Medieval history

11th and 12th centuries

A square stone keep dominates the picture, sat behind a patch of green grass; the keep has a doorway at ground level, with two windows irregularly placed above it.

The Great Keep replaced Godric of Mappestone's original earth and timber fortification on the site in the mid-12th century.

Goodrich Castle appears to have been in existence by 1101, when it was known as Godric's Castle, named probably after Godric of Mappestone, a local Anglo-Saxon thane and landowner mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086.[5] Victorian historians, however, believed the castle to date back further to the pre-Norman conquest days of King Canute,[22] and the site may have been among a small number of Saxon fortifications along the Welsh border.[23] By Norman times, Goodrich formed part of the Welsh Marches, a sequence of territories granted to Norman nobles in, and alongside, Wales. Although Goodrich lay on the safer, English side of the border, the threat of raids and attacks continued throughout most of the period.[24]

 

During the 12th century the attitudes of the English nobility towards the Welsh began to harden; the policies of successive rulers, but especially Henry II, began to become more aggressive in the region.[25] In the mid-12th century Godric's original earth and timber fortification was dismantled and replaced by a tall but relatively small square keep built of stone,[2] sometimes known as "Macbeth's Tower".[26] The keep was designed to be secure and imposing but relatively cheap to build.[27] It is uncertain, however, precisely who was responsible for this rebuilding or the date of the work, which may have been between 1120 and 1176.[28]

 

At the beginning of the 12th century, the castle had passed from Godric to William Fitz Baderon, thought to be his son-in-law, and on to his son, Baderon of Monmouth, in the 1120s.[29] England descended into anarchy, however, during the 1130s as the rival factions of Stephen and his cousin the Empress Matilda vied for power. Baderon of Monmouth married Rohese de Clare, a member of the powerful de Clare family who usually supported Stephen, and there are records of Baderon having to seize Goodrich Castle during the fighting in the region, which was primarily held by supporters of Matilda.[30] Some suspect that Baderon may have therefore built the stone keep in the early years of the conflict.[2][nb 2] Stephen went on, however, to appoint Baderon's brother-in-law, Gilbert de Claire, the Earl of Pembroke, and Gilbert de Clare eventually acquired Goodrich Castle himself.[29] Gilbert's son, Richard de Clare, known as "Strongbow", succeeded him in 1148, and Richard is another candidate for the construction of the keep.[28] In 1154 Richard fell out of favour with King Henry II because of the de Clares' support for Stephen, and the castle was taken into royal hands. Some argue that the king himself may have ordered the construction of the great keep.[1]

 

13th and 14th centuries

Part of a castle, with a huge semi-circular arch containing two smaller Norman arches dominating the picture. Through the arches, a ruined pillar can just be made out.

The private solarium was incorporated into the defensive walls during the expansion under William de Valence.

During the following reigns of King Richard I and his brother John, the castle and manor were held by the Crown. King John, however, lost many of his lands in France which in turn deprived key English nobles of their own estates – John became concerned about possible opposition to his rule. Accordingly, in 1203 John transferred Goodrich Castle and the surrounding manor to William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke, to partially compensate him for his lost lands on the continent.[31] Marshal was a famous English knight with reputation as a heroic warrior, and he expanded Goodrich by building an additional towered curtain wall in stone, around the existing keep.[5] Marshal had to intervene to protect Goodrich Castle from Welsh attack, most famously in 1216 when he was obliged to leave Henry III's coronation feast in Gloucester to hurry back to Goodrich to reinforce the castle.[32]

 

Marshal's sons inherited the castle after their father's death; Marshal left the castle to his eldest son, William, who in turn gave it to his younger brother, Walter.[32] After William's death, however, Marshal's second son, Richard, took over the castle. Richard led the baronial opposition to Henry III and allied himself with the Welsh, resulting in King Henry besieging Goodrich Castle in 1233 and retaking personal control for a period.[32] Walter was eventually given Goodrich back once more, but died shortly afterwards in 1245.[33]

 

The castle briefly reverted to the Crown again, but in 1247 passed by marriage to William de Valence, half brother to Henry III.[34] De Valence was a French nobleman from Poitiers and a noted soldier who spent most of his life fighting in military campaigns; Henry arranged his marriage to Joan de Munchensi, one of the heiresses to the Marshal estate. The marriage made Valence immensely rich and gave him the title of Earl of Pembroke.[33]

 

A massive castle tower, sat on top of a rugged rock outcrop; a massive angular stone spur juts out from the base of the tower towards the viewer.

The massive south-east tower

The Welsh border situation remained unsettled however, and in the decades after 1250 security grew significantly worse, as the Welsh prince Llywelyn ap Gruffudd conducted numerous raids into English territories.[24] The Wye valley and Goodrich were particularly affected by these raids.[35]

 

Accordingly, William de Valence began to build a much larger castle around the original keep from the 1280s onwards, demolishing Marshal's earlier work.[35] As part of the extremely expensive construction work, Valence used oak trees drawn from several royal forests.[36] Valence was building at the same time that his nephew Edward I was constructing his major castles in the north of Wales, and the concentric castle that he built at Goodrich is both very similar in design and a rarity in England itself.[2] Valence's son, Aymer de Valence built an additional line of outer defences before his death in 1324, including the external barbican,[10] inspired by that at the Tower of London, and for which the earlier Valence barbican at Pembroke may have been an experimental forerunner.[12] The effect was an early success in converting a fortress into a major dwelling, without damaging its defensive arrangements, and influenced the later castle conversion at Berkeley.[37]

 

The castle then passed to Aymer's niece, Elizabeth de Comyn, a well-connected young noblewoman. By the middle of the 1320s, however, England was in the grip of the oppressive rule of the Marcher lords Hugh le Despenser the older and his son Hugh Despenser the younger, the royal favourites of King Edward II.[38] As part of a "sweeping revenge" on their rivals, especially in the Marches, the Despensers illegally seized a wide range of properties, particularly from vulnerable targets such as widows, wives whose husbands were out of favour with the king or unmarried women.[39] Upon her inheritance, Hugh le Despenser the younger promptly kidnapped Elizabeth in London and transported her to Herefordshire to be imprisoned in her own castle at Goodrich.[1] Threatened with death, Elizabeth was finally forced to sign over the castle and other lands to the Despensers in April 1325.[40] Elizabeth then married Richard Talbot, the 2nd Baron Talbot, who seized back the castle in 1326 shortly before Queen Isabella of France landed in England and deposed both the Despensers and her husband Edward II; Talbot and Elizabeth regained their legal title to the castle the following year.[41] Richard later received permission from Isabella's son Edward III to create a dungeon under the keep for holding prisoners.[42]

 

15th and 16th centuries

An stained glass window, with three columns and some curved pieces of glass at the top, surrounded by blackness. A blue river traces its way through the glass, surrounded by yellow, orange and red background glass.

The current stained glass window in the chapel was designed in 2000 but used 15th-century glass.

Goodrich remained the favourite home of Richard Talbot's descendants for many years. During the early years, the security situation in Wales remained of concern. Owain Glyndŵr rebelled against English rule in 1402 and Welsh forces invaded the Goodrich area in 1404 and 1405. Gilbert Talbot was responsible for fighting back the Welsh advance and securing the castle.[43] As time went on, however, the threat began to diminish. During the 15th century the Talbots considerably expanded the size of the lord's quarters in the castle[15] and provided additional accommodation for servants and retainers.[43]

 

The Talbots became the Earls of Shrewsbury in 1442, shortly before the Wars of the Roses in which they supported the Lancastrian faction.[10] The wars meant that the Talbots were frequently fighting elsewhere in England, and often staying at their castle in Sheffield.[36] John Talbot died in the Lancastrian defeat at Northampton in 1460, and the castle was forfeited and transferred to the Yorkist William Herbert. John's son, also called John Talbot, later made his peace with the king, however, and regained control of his lands and Goodrich Castle before his death in 1473.[44]

 

By the 16th century the castle was becoming less fashionable as a residence. Goodrich was too distant from London to be a useful power base, and was gradually abandoned in favour of more stylish residences,[45] Goodrich continued to be used as a judicial centre however; the antiquarian John Leland noted that some of the castle was used to hold prisoners for the local court during the 1530s, and the castle ditch was sometimes used to store confiscated cattle taken from local farmers.[46]

 

In 1576 Gilbert Talbot and his wife Mary stayed at Goodrich Castle and sent his father a gift of local produce, a Monmouth cap, Ross boots, and perry.[47] Gilbert Talbot died in 1616 with no male heir and Goodrich passed into the hands of Henry Grey, Earl of Kent.[44] The Greys chose not to live at Goodrich, but instead rented the castle to a series of tenants.[48]

 

English Civil War

Ruined foundations of buildings, some patches of ground covered in cobblestones; at the far and near ends of the foundations the stonework is built up to around a metre tall; a castle wall can be seen in the background left.

What remains of the stables, destroyed by Colonel John Birch during a night attack in May 1646

Goodrich Castle became the scene of one of the most desperate sieges during the English Civil War in the 1640s, which saw the rival factions of Parliament and the king vie for power across England. In the years before the war, there had been a resurgence of building at the castle. Richard Tyler, a local lawyer, became the tenant and constable of the castle, and during the early 1630s there had been considerable renovation work.[48]

 

Shortly after the outbreak of war, the Earl of Stamford, with support from Tyler, garrisoned the castle for Parliament until December 1643, when increasing Royalist pressure in the region forced his withdrawal to Gloucester.[49] The castle was then occupied by a garrison led by the Royalist Sir Henry Lingen.[50] The occupation was not peaceful, with Royalist troops burning surrounding farm buildings – Tyler himself was imprisoned by Lingen, although not before he had begun to sell off his livestock and other moveable property.[51] Some references to Goodrich Castle during this period refer to it as Guthridge Castle, a variant on the name Goodrich.[52]

 

As the Royalist situation deteriorated, the south-west became one of the few remaining Royalist strongholds.[53] Lingen, with 200 men and 90 horses at Goodrich Castle, conducted raids on Parliamentary forces in the region, representing a continuing challenge.[54] No action had been taken, however, to strengthen the castle's defences with more modern 17th-century earthworks, and the castle remained essentially in its medieval condition.[55]

 

In 1646, the Parliamentary Colonels John Birch and Robert Kyrle marched south from their successful Siege of Hereford and besieged the castle, with the aim of eliminating one of the few remaining Royalist strongholds.[50] There was some personal animosity between Lingen and Birch, and both were outspoken, impulsive men.[54] Birch's first move was to prevent further attacks from Lingen, and on 9 March he burned the weakly defended stables in a surprise night attack, driving away the Royalist horses and temporarily denying the Royalist forces' mobility.[56] Birch was unable to press home his advantage however, and over the next few months Lingen succeeded in replacing some of his horses and resumed his attacks on Parliamentary forces.[57]

 

A squat black mortar, the end gapped with a wooden plug on which is carved "Roaring Meg"; the mortar has wooden supports with black metal brackets.

The "Roaring Meg" mortar used against the castle in March 1646

In June, Birch returned and besieged the castle itself.[55] He found that it was too strong to be taken by direct attack, and instead began laying down trenches to allow him to bring artillery to bear on the structure.[57] Parliamentary attacks broke the pipe carrying water into the castle, and the cisterns in the courtyard were destroyed by exploding shells, forcing the garrison to depend on the older castle well.[55] With the castle still holding out, Colonel Birch built an enormous mortar called "Roaring Meg", able to fire a gunpowder-filled shell 85–90 kilograms (187–198 lb) in weight, in a local forge.[58]

 

Birch concentrated his efforts on the north-west tower, using his mortar against the masonry and undermining the foundations with his sappers.[59] Lingen responded with a counter-mine dug out under Parliament's own tunnel.[60] This would probably have succeeded, but Birch brought his mortar forward under the cover of darkness and launched a close-range attack on the tower, which collapsed and buried Lingen's counter-mine.[57] Down to their last four barrels of gunpowder and thirty barrels of beer, and with a direct assault now imminent, the Royalists surrendered.[61] According to tradition, the garrison left to the tune of "Sir Henry Lingen's Fancy".[26]

 

Despite the damage, Tyler was able to move back into his castle, which was now protected by a small Parliamentary garrison.[62] After investigation by Parliamentary agents Brown and Selden, however, the castle was slighted the following year, which rendered it impossible to defend.[63] The Countess of Kent, the new owner of the castle, was given £1,000 in damages, but chose not to rebuild the fortification as it was by then virtually uninhabitable.[26]

 

18th and 19th-century history

A watercolour painting, with a dark castle in the middle surrounded by dark green painting and a swirling, dark sky.

The picturesque ruins of the castle inspired many artists' work, including David Cox, who produced this watercolour in 1815.

After the Civil War, Goodrich Castle remained with the Earls of Kent until 1740, when it was sold by Henry Grey to Admiral Thomas Griffin.[64] Griffin undertook some restoration of the castle but retained it as a ruin.[1]

 

During the 1780s the concept of the picturesque ruin was popularised by the English clergyman William Gilpin. Goodrich Castle was one of the ruins he captured in his book Observations on the River Wye in 1782, writing that the castle was an example of the "correctly picturesque" landscape.[65] By this time, the castle was in a slow state of decay. Theodore Fielding, an early Victorian historian, noted how the "castle's situation, far from human dwellings, and the stillness which that solitude, insures to its precinct, leaves contemplation to all the solemnity, that is inspired by the sight of grandeur sinking in dignity, into decay".[66] The Regency and Victorian watercolour artists David Cox and William Callow also captured Goodrich Castle and its landscape in paint, again invoking the picturesque, romantic mood of the setting at the time.[67]

 

The castle was praised by William Wordsworth as the "noblest ruin in Herefordshire".[1] Wordsworth first visited Goodrich Castle in 1793, and an encounter with a little girl he met while exploring the ruins led him to write the poem We are Seven in 1798.[68] Other poets from this period were also inspired by the castle, including Henry Neele in 1827.[69]

 

By the 1820s, visitors could purchase an early guidebook at the site outlining the castle's history,[70] and Victorian tourists recorded being charged six-pence to wander around the castle.[71] In the early 1820s, the antiquarian Sir Samuel Rush Meyrick attempted to purchase the site, with the aim of converting the castle back into a private dwelling, but was unable to convince the owners to sell.[72] Instead, Meyrick built the neo-gothic Goodrich Court in a similar style next door, which greatly displeased Wordsworth when he returned to Goodrich in 1841 and found the view spoilt by the new building.[73][nb 3] The new bridge over the river Wye, built in 1828, and the 1873 railway line added to the number of visitors.[74][nb 4]

 

Goodrich Castle then passed through various hands, until in 1915 the Office of Works began discussions with its then owner, Mrs Edmund Bosanquet; large-scale collapses of parts of the north-west tower and curtain wall in 1919 contributed to Bosanquet's decision to grant the castle to the Commissioner of Works in 1920. The Commissioners began a programme of repairs to stabilise the ruin in its current state.[1]

Replaced one of our thermostats with a wifi enabled one. A few hours later the setup is all complete and I have decided to go ahead and replace the thermostat for the upstairs zone too.

 

Pictured is the iPad interface. There is also an iPhone interface and a good ol' website which I'll be using a bit until an Android version is released.

73 Washington St; opened in 1933. Not sure when closed or if it was replaced by another store; currently Dave's Service Center.

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version.

 

This aircraft was visiting for Manchester Airport's 50th Anniversary celebrations.

CENTRAL HALL

Renshaw Street, Liverpool 1

 

Opened 5 December 1905

 

The Central Hall of the Liverpool Methodist Mission was built in 1904-5 to replace premises in Mount Pleasant. It was designed by the architects, Bradshaw and Gass.

 

The old Central Hall (in Mount Pleasant) was built in 1790 as a Wesleyan Methodist Chapel. In 1889 it was handed over to the Wesleyan Mission and became Central Hall. After the new Central Hall opened it was sold, and on 14 December 1908 it opened as The New Century Picture Hall, one of Liverpool's first cinemas.

 

The formal opening of the Liverpool Central Hall (Charles Garrett Memorial) in Renshaw Street took place on Tuesday, 5 December 1905. Sir Henry H. Fowler opened the Large Hall and the Lord Mayor was present. On the following Saturday the first Saturday Night Popular Concert took place, and right from the start a film show was included. Admission was only 2d, and the Saturday night concerts were a great success.

 

In the Liverpool Echo, dated 28 October 1922, the mixing of religious services with cinema shows was explained thus by the Reverend T.A. Turney:

"Cinematograph entertainments are given every Saturday night from the first Saturday in October to the last in March. They were designed to introduce "down-and-outers" to the (Methodist) Mission. Our prices of admission are 3d and 5d. We have an organ recital, a hymn, and short prayer, and then a concert, followed by one long picture.

"Though we select our pictures very carefully, we have no difficulty in finding those of the right type. The films include such as "Torn Sails", "All Sorts and Conditions of Men", by Walter Besant, and "Andy Hardy".

"We have very large crowds at the concerts, and also at the Sunday night services. We can seat 2300, but often we are packed so early that I have to begin the service a quarter of an hour before time.

"As I have said, the concerts and services are designed for those whom others might term "undesirables", and a great deal of good is being done."

 

By the 1930s the Central Hall advertised these shows as the Saturday Cinema, and they continued right up to the 1940s.

 

In 1933 the old Philharmonic Hall was destroyed in one of Liverpool's most spectacular fires, and until 1939, when the new hall opened, the Liverpool Philharmonic Society played at the Central Hall.

 

The Central Hall Saturday Cinema reopened on 1 January 1944.

 

In May 1990 the Methodists put the hall up for sale because they could no longer afford the upkeep of the building. Merseyside Film Institute then wanted to use the Grade II Listed Building as a Regional Film Theatre. The building would have been perfect (if a trifle large). It still contained a built-in projection room. However, nothing came of this, and the hall has changed hands.

 

Major restoration work was undertaken on the building in 1997/8, which reopened in November 1998 as licensed premises called Grand Central.

 

It was reopened in Aug 2006 by some of the traders from Quiggins.

 

Text researched by Philip G Mayer from original sources.

 

Update, April 2017.

The entire building is covered in scaffolding.

Let's hope it's just restoration and removal of the Buddlea bushes.

 

But knowing the present Mayor's dislike of Liverpool's Heritage, who knows?

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

 

Pisa Baptistery of St. John (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. It is largest baptistery in Italy and 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 arches. The Baptistery is constructed of marble, as is common in Italian architecture. The portal, facing the facade of the cathedral, is flanked by two classical columns, while the inner jambs are executed in Byzantine style. The lintel is divided in two tiers. The lower one depicts several episodes in the life of St. John the Baptist, while the upper one shows Christ between the Madonna and St John the Baptist, flanked by angels and the evangelists. 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 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. In 1987, the whole square was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site / Pisa is a city and comune in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno River just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower (the bell tower of the city's cathedral), the city of over 100,000 residents contains more than 20 other historic churches, several medieval palaces, and various bridges across the Arno. Much of the city's architecture was financed from its history as one of the Italian maritime republics. The city is also home of the University of Pisa, which has a history going back to the 12th century and also has the Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa, founded by Napoleon in 1810, and its offshoot, the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, as the best-sanctioned Superior Graduate Schools in Italy

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.

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a (slightly) better version 09-Apr-14..

 

First flown as G-14-3068 with Short Brothers & Harland, the aircraft was leased to Inter City Airlines in Apr-81 as G-BITV. It was sub-leased to BAF British Air Ferries in Aug-83 and repossessed by Short Brothers in Nov-83. It was leased to Air Ecosse the following month. In Mar-85 it was sub-leased to Brymon Airways, returning to Air Ecosse in Sep-85. It was returned to Short Brothers in Sep-86 and then leased, short-term, to Syd-Aero between Oct/Dec-86. In May-87 it was leased to Connectair and operated on behalf of British Caledonian Commuter/Caledonian Link. Returning to Short Brothers in Jan-89, it was re-registered G-OGIL and leased to Gill Air the following month. On 10-Jul-92 the aircraft was damaged beyond repair at Newcastle during a taxiing accident. Gill Air bought it from the Insurers in Oct-92 and it was used for spares. The remains were later preserved at the North East Aircraft Museum, Sunderland, UK.

 

Note: The aircraft taxied into a vehicle and a hangar at Gill Air's base at Newcastle, UK, striking another Shorts 330, G-BIFH. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

 

I also have a photo of this aircraft in Inter City Airlines/Guernsey Airlines livery at www.flickr.com/photos/kenfielding/6925478533

+++ 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.

+++ 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 Temco Model 63 "Buckskin" trainer was designed by Texas Engineering & Manufacturing Company (TEMCO) as a private venture to replace the US Navy's piston-engine, land-based Beech Model B45 'Mentor' primary trainers in the mid 1960ies, but with better performance and more likeliness to modern jet fighters.

The Model 63’s forerunner, the Temco Model 51, had been initially proposed to the US Air Force in response to an Air Force competition for a jet-powered primary trainer, which was eventually won by the Cessna T-37 Tweet. A small number of the Model 51 were built and put into service, powered by a Continental Motors J69-T-9 (a license-built Turbomeca Marboré) jet engine and officially designated TT-1 ‘Pinto, but only saw a limited career.

 

Like the Pinto, the Model 63 was a mid-wing, tricycle landing gear trainer with an enclosed cockpit. What made the Model 63 unusual was a pull/push tandem engine arrangement, similar to the Cessna 336/337 that was under development at the same time. The Temco Model 63 was driven by two small Turbomeca Bastan IV turboprop engines, each developing 650 shp (485 kW).

 

The rationale behind this layout were the compact dimensions, actually, the aircraft was not bigger than the single engine TT-1. Studies undertaken during the early design stages had shown that a classic layout with wing-mounted engines would have necessitated a considerably higher wing span and a longer fuselage, too. Another benefit was the improved safety of two engines, esp. during envisioned long navigation flights over the open sea, and the Bastan engines gave the Model 63 the ability to fly safely even with one of the engines shut down.

 

Compared with the TT-1’s small jet engine, the propellers gave the Model 63 a better responsiveness to pilot input and the turboprop engines offered a very good fuel economy, while enabling almost the same performance as the single jet precursor. Furthermore, the two engines gave instructors the option to simulate different flight regimes, while the tandem arrangement helped avoid torque and asymmetrical thrust issues. Besides, the T2T was equipped with many of the same features found in contemporary operational jets, including ejection seats, liquid oxygen equipment, speed brakes, along with typical flight controls and instrument panels.

 

Anyway, the unusual layout came at a price: it necessitated a totally different tail section with twin tail booms and a single, high stabilizer connecting them at the tips of the fins. Despite familiar outlines, only parts of the TT's outer wings and the cockpit could be used on the Model 63 - the rest had to be re-designed and/or strengthened, so that the aircraft's overall weight became markedly higher than the TT's. Despite this drawback, officials became interested enough in the turboprop trainer program to procure a pre-series for trials and direct comparison with jet- and piston-engine alternatives.

 

The aircraft received the official designation T2T. Like the Pinto, the T2T was intended as a primary trainer, so it carried no internal armament but could be outfitted with wing tip tanks and had two underwing hardpoints for 500 lb each, placed outside of the strengthened landing gear. These hardpoints were reserved for auxiliary tanks, cargo boxes, smoke generators or camera pods.

 

The first XT2T maiden flight took place in summer 1959. Flight characteristics were considered good, and, compared with the earlier TT-1, the machine was not as underpowered (which was a problem during landing abortions and touch-and-go manoeuvers). After initial tests with two more prototypes in summer 1960, a batch of five YT2T-1 pre-production aircraft, which were updated to the intended serial production standard and incorporated some minor modifications, was ordered and directly sent to the Naval Air Test Center (NATC) Patuxent River.

 

Results were generally positive, so that a further batch of 24 aircraft were produced as T2T-1s between 1962 and 1963. These aircraft served in the Air Training Command at Pensacola, Florida and used in a training program demonstration testing the feasibility of using jet- and turboprop-powered trainer for primary flight training.

 

The tests were not conclusive, though, and no further T2Ts ordered. The 'Buckskin', how the aircraft was christened unofficially, was pleasant to fly and offered very good performance. But the aircraft was – esp. for its limited role – complex. Maintenance costs were high, and the authorities were never really happy about the French engines on board of the home-grown trainer type.

 

The US Navy liked the turboprop engine, though, but wanted a less complex aircraft. This eventually materialized in the early Seventies with the T-34C Turbo-Mentor. After a production hiatus of almost 15 years, the Beech Model 45 returned, powered by a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-25 turboprop engine. Mentor production restarted in 1975 for deliveries of T-34Cs to the USN and of the T-34C-1 armed version for export customers in 1977, this version featuring four underwing hardpoints. Since the late 1970s, T-34Cs have been used by the Naval Air Training Command to train numerous Naval Aviators and Naval Flight Officers for the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Coast Guard, and numerous NATO and Allied nations - and the small T2T fleet was phased out by 1979.

  

General characteristics:

Crew: two

Length: 32 ft 7 in (9.93 m)

Wingspan (incl. tip tanks): 29 ft 10 in (9.09 m)

Height: 8 ft 1 1/2 in (2.48 m)

Wing area: 150 sq ft (13.9 m2)

Empty weight: 2,848 lb (1,292 kg)

Loaded weight: 5,400 lb (2,448 kg)

 

Powerplant:

2× Turbomeca Bastan IV turboprop engines, rated at 650 shp (485 kW) each

 

Performance:

Maximum speed: 345 mph (300 knots, 556 km/h) at 15,000 ft (4,600 m)

Never exceed speed: 518 mph (450 knots, 834 km/h)

Cruise speed: 247 mph (215 knots, 398 km/h) at 25,000 ft (7,600 m)

Stall speed: 69 mph (60 knots, 111 km/hr)

Endurance: 2.5 hr

Service ceiling: 30,000 ft (9,145 m)

Rate of climb: 1,900 ft/min (9.7 m/s)

 

Armament:

2x underwing hardpoints for a total load of up to 1.000 lb (454 kg)

2x optional wing tip tanks

  

The kit and its assembly:

The final entry for the 2016 "In the Navy" Group Build at whatifmodelers.com, and a close call since I started work on this conversion only 5 days before the GB's deadline!

 

The original inspiration was the photoshopped picture of a private TT-1 in all-blue USN markings, created by artist "Stéphane Beaumort" in 2010 (check this illustration originally posted at AviaDesign: aviadesign.online.fr/images/temco-buckskin2.jpg).

 

A slightly bizarre aircraft with the tandem propellers and the twin tail booms, and IMHO with some fishy details in the CG rendition, e.g. including the idea of driving both propellers with a single engine through shafts and gearboxes. But the concept looked overall feasible and Special Hobby offers a very nice TT-1 Pinto kit, which I was able to procure from Poland an short notice. As a bonus, this kit comes with markings for this specific, blue aircraft (“13/S”), actually a re-constructed, privately owned machine.

 

The Special Hobby kit became the basis for my personal interpretation of the T2T, and it underwent some conversions, being outfitted with a variety of donation parts:

- The front engine once was a cut-away Merlin from a Hobby Boss Hawker Hurricane

- The tail booms and fins come from a Revell Focke Wulf Flitzer

- The stabilizer was created from two Hobby Boss He 162 tail elements

- Propellers come from a vintage, box scale Revell Convair Tradewind

- In order to attach them, styrene tubes were implanted and the props mounted on metal axis’

- The front wheel also belongs to a Hobby Boss He 162, longer than the OOB parts

- The main wheels are bigger, from a Matchbox Folland Gnat

 

Work started with the central fuselage, the added front engine and conversions for the rear pusher engine. Once the wings were in place and the propeller diameter clear, attachment points for the tail booms were scratched from styrene tube and added to the wings' upper sides (leaving the lower surface free, so that the OOB landing gear could be used). Then the tail booms and the tailored stabilizer were mounted, as well as the wing tip tanks.

 

The landing gear came next; the main struts and covers were used, but slightly bigger wheels chosen from the scrap box. For the front wheel well, a "hole" had to be dug out of the massive new nose section (consisting of 2C putty and lead beads) - the OOB covers were used, though, and a longer and more massive front wheel was mounted.

 

Sounds simple and conclusive, but things evolved gradually and the job involved a lot of body work - under dire time pressure. The fact that the kit fell from my workbench after day #2 and hit the floor in a nasty angle, so that the tails suffered severely and needed repair, did not help either...

Another issue became the canopy. I am not certain where the problem lies, but the canopy turned out to be 2mm too short for the fuselage? Could be the result of the massive rhinoplasty with the added front engine, but I am also a bit worried about the position of the cockpit tubs – when I mounted them, the appeared to be in the correct position, but once the fuselage was closed both seat positions appear to be too far to the back – even though the dashboards seem to be correct?

  

Painting and markings:

I used the CG drawing as benchmark, also because the Special Hobby kit came with the right decal set for an all-blue USN livery, which historically was about to be changed in the late Fifties to brighter schemes.

 

The interior surfaces, both cockpit and the landing gear, were painted in a very light gray (FS 36495, Humbrol 147), just as on the real world TT-1. All outside surfaces became Sea Blue FS 35042 (ModelMaster). Very simple, and some panel shading with was done for a more dramatic look on the otherwise uniform airframe.

 

The silver leading edges on wings and stabilizer, as well as the yellow canopy framing, were created from decal strips. The propeller spinners became, as a small highlight, bright red, and some of the OOB sheet’s red trim for “13/S” were used, too. No more weathering was done, and, finally, everything sealed under a coat of gloss acrylic varnish, except for the propeller blades and the black anti-glare panel, which became matt.

  

An odd creation, and taking into account the four and a half days time frame from sprues to beauty pics (including background research and text), as well as the body work involved in the building process with the new front engine and the tail booms, I am quite happy with the result. Could have been better, sure, but it was finished in time, just as planned/hoped for. ;)

 

Anyway, the T2T looks interesting; my build slightly differs from the benchmark CG renditions, but remains true to Stéphane Beaumort’s basic idea. Cheers!

+++ 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 Ling-Temco-Vought A-7 Corsair II was a carrier-capable subsonic light attack aircraft introduced to replace the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk. The A-7 airframe design was based on the successful supersonic Vought F-8 Crusader, although it was somewhat smaller and rounded off. The Corsair II initially entered service with the United States Navy during the Vietnam War. It was later adopted by the United States Air Force, including the Air National Guard, to replace the Douglas A-1 Skyraider and North American F-100 Super Sabre. The aircraft was also exported to several foreign countries, including Greece, Portugal, Thailand and New Zealand.

 

For the latter operator, the Corsair II was part of a major modernization campaign in the early 1970s. For instance, in 1970 14 McDonnell Douglas A-4 Skyhawks were purchased to replace the Vampire FB5's, which had been the primary light attack aircraft for the RNZAF for years, but the type was hopelessly outdated.

Furthermore New Zealand was also looking for a replacement of its similarly ageing Canberra fleet. These 31 aircraft were also phased out of service in mid 1970, and the A-7 chosen as the RNZAFs new fighter bomber because of its proven all-weather strike capability and advances avionics.

 

The RNZAF bought and operated 22 LTV A-7 Corsair II aircraft primarily in the coastal defense/anti-ship and sea patrol roles, air interdiction and air defense roles being secondary duties. The RNZAF Corsair II was very similar to the US Navy’s A-7E, even though the machines would only be operated form land bases. Designated A-7N, the machines featured an AN/APN-190 navigational radar with a Doppler groundspeed and drift detector plus an AN/APQ-128 terrain following radar. For the deployment of smart weapons, the machines were outfitted with a Pave Penny laser target acquisition system under the air intake lip, similar to the USAF’s A-7D, and could carry a wide range of weaponry and sensors, including AN/AAR-45 FLIR pods for an improved all-weather performance. Against enemy ships and large ground targets, visually guided smart bombs (AGM-62 and the more modern GBU-8 HOBOS) were bought, as well as AGM-65 Maverick against smaller, high priority targets.

 

Active service lasted between 1975 and 1999, and the A-7Ns were originally allocated between RNZAF 2 and 75 Squadron at Ohakea, where they were operated together with A-4K and TA-4K. The latter were also emplyed for A-7N pilot conversion training, since the RNZAF did not operate any Corsair II two seaters.

Several times the Squadron deployed to Clark Air Base in the Philippines and to Hawaii with both of the Corsair IIs and Skyhawks to exercise with the United States Air Force. Furthermore, the annual deployments as part of the Five Power Defence Agreement (called Exercise Vanguard) had the Squadron visit Australia, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand to practice with those countries. Two RNZAF A-7s of 75 Squadron even made visits to Great Britain.

 

In the early Nineties the Corsair IIs started to suffer from numerous maintenance and logistic problems due to the lack of spare parts and general financial problems. This also prevented a major avionics update and the procurement of AGM-84 Harpoon missiles for the A-7Ns and the RNZAF P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft. The maintenance situation became so dire that several aircraft were cannibalized for spare parts to service other fighters. In 1992 only sixteen A-7Ns remained operational. This resulted in the available fighters no longer being assigned and dedicated to one specific squadron, but shared and assigned to one of the RNZAF combat squadrons (2, 14 and 75 Squadron, respectively), as needed.

 

During its 24 years of duty in the RNZAF, the A-7 fleet suffered 8 severe accidents with aircraft losses (and two pilots being killed). Nevertheless, the introduction of the A-7 was seen as a success due to the evolution that it allowed the Air Force in aircraft maintenance, with focus in modern computer and electronic systems, and in the steady qualification of pilots and technicians.

 

In 1999, the National Government selected an order of 28 F-16A/B Fighting Falcon aircraft to replace the complete fleet of A-4 Skyhawks and A-7 Corsair IIs, but this procurement plan was cancelled in 2001 following election by the incoming Labour Government under Helen Clark. This was followed by the disbanding of several fixed wing aircraft squadrons, with the consequence of removing the RNZAF's air combat capability. The last A-7 flight in RNZAF service took place on 1st of October 2001. Subsequently, most of the RNZAF's fighter pilots left New Zealand to serve in the Royal Australian Air Force and the Royal Air Force.

 

General characteristics:

Crew: 1

Length: 46 ft 2 in (14.06 m)

Wingspan: 38 ft 9 in (11.8 m), 23 ft 9 in (7.24 m) wings folded

Height: 16 ft 1 in (4.9 m)

Wing area: 374.9 sq ft (34.83 m²)

Airfoil: NACA 65A007 root and tip

Empty weight: 19,127 lb (8,676 kg)

Max takeoff weight: 41,998 lb (19,050 kg) overload condition.

Fuel capacity: 1,338 US gal (5,060 l; 1,114 imp gal) (10,200 lb (4,600 kg)) internal

 

Powerplant:

1 × Allison TF41-A-2 non-afterburning turbofan engine, 15,000 lbf (66.7 kN) thrust

 

Performance:

Maximum speed: 600 kn (690 mph; 1,111 km/h) at Sea level

Range: 1,070 nmi; 1,231 mi (1,981 km) maximum internal fuel

Ferry range: 1,342 nmi; 1,544 mi (2,485 km) with maximum internal and external fuel

Service ceiling: 42,000 ft (13,000 m)

Wing loading: 77.4 lb/sq ft (378 kg/m²)

Thrust/weight: 0.50

Take-off run: 1,705 ft (519.7 m) at 42,000 lb (19,000 kg)

 

Armament:

1× M61A1 Vulcan 20 mm (0.787 in) rotary cannon with 1,030 rounds

6× under-wing and 2× fuselage pylon stations (for mounting AIM-9 Sidewinder AAMs only)

with a total ordnance capacity of 15,000 lb (6,803.9 kg)

  

The kit and its assembly:

An idea that had been lingering on my project list for some years, and a recent build of an RNZAF A-7 by fellow modeler KiwiZac at whatifmodelers.com eventually triggered this build, a rather simple alternative livery whif. I had this idea on the agenda for some time, though, already written up a background story (which was accidently deleted early last year and sent the project into hiatus - until now) and had the kit as well as decals collected and stashed away.

 

The basis is the Hobby Boss A-7, which is available in a wide range of variant in 1:72 scale. Not cheap, but IMHO the best Corsair II kit at the moment, because it is full of ample surface details, goes together nicely and features a complete air intake, a good cockpit tub and even some maintenance covers that can be displayed in open position, in case you want to integrate the kit in a diorama. In my case it’s the A-7E kit, because I wanted a late variant and the US Navy’s refueling probe instead of the A-7D’s dorsal adapter for the USAF refueling boom system.

 

For the fictional RNZAF A-7N no fundamental changes were made. I just deliberately used OOB parts like the A-7D’s Pave Penny laser targeting pod under the air intake. As a personal addition I lowered the flaps slightly for a more lively look. Around the hull, some blade antennae were changed or added, and I installed the pair of pitots in front of the windscreen (made from thin wire).

 

The FLIR pod came with the kit, as well as the drop tank under the inner starboards wing pylon and the AIM-9Bs. Only the GBU-8s were externally sourced, from one of the Hasegawa USAF ordnance sets.

 

For the finalized kit on display I mounted the maintenance covers in open position, but for the beauty pics they were provisionally placed in closed position onto the kit’s flanks. The covers had to be modified for this stunt, but since their fit is very good and tight they easily stayed in place, even for the flight scenes!

 

Painting and markings:

This was the more interesting part – I wanted „something special“ for the fictional RNZAF Corsair II. Upon delivery, the USAF SEA scheme would certainly have been the most appropriate camouflage – the A-4K’s were painted this way and the aforementioned inspiring build by KiwiZac was finished this way.

 

Anyway, my plan had been from the start a machine in late service with low-viz markings similar to the A-4Ks, which received an attractive three-tone wrap-around scheme (in FS 34102, 34079 and 36081) or a simple all-around coat of FS 34079.

 

Both of these schemes could have been a sensible choice for this project, but… no! Too obvious, too simple for my taste. I rather wanted something that makes you wonder and yet make the aircraft look authentic and RNZAF-esque.

 

While digging for options and alternatives I stumbled upon the RNZAF’s C-130 Hercules transporters, which, like Canadian machines, carry a wrap-around scheme in two tones of grey (a light blue grey and a darker tone with a reddish hue) and a deep olive green tone that comes close to Dark Slate Grey, together with low-viz markings. A pretty unique scheme! Not as murky as the late A-4Ks and IMHO also well suited for the naval/coastal environment that the machine would patrol.

 

I was not able to positively identify the original tones on the CAF and RNZAF Hercs, so I interpreted various aircraft pictures. I settled upon Humbrol 163 (RAF Dark Green) 125 (FS 36118, Gunship Grey) and Revell 57 (RAL 7000, similar to FS 35237, but lighter and “colder”). For the wraparound scheme I used the C-130s as benchmark.

 

The cockpit became Dark Gull Grey (Humbrol 140) while the landing gear and the air intake duct became – behind 5mm of grey around the intake lip - white. The maintenance hatches’ interior was painted with a mix of Humbrol 81 and 38, for a striking zinc chromate primer look.

 

After a light black ink wash the kit received some panel post-shading for more contrast esp. between the dark colors and a slightly worn and sun-bleached look, since the aircraft would be depicted towards the end of its active service life.

 

Decals were the most challenging task, though: finding suitable RNZAF roundels is not easy, and I was happy when Xtradecal released an appropriate sheet that offers kiwi roundels for all positions (since motifs for port and starboard have to be mirrored). The Kiwi squadron emblem actually belongs to an RNZAF A-4K (from an Old Models sheet). The serial codes were puzzled together from single letter (TL Modellbau), most stencils come from the Hobby Boss OOB sheet.

  

A simple build, yet a very interesting topic and in the end also an IMHO very cool-looking aircraft in its fictional livery. Building the Hobby Boss A-7 was easy, despite some inherent flaws of the kit (e .g. totally blank dashboard and side consoles, and even no decals included!). The paint scheme lent from the RNZAF Hercs suits the SLUF well, though.

Replaced the shadow and added a checkered flag.

I just replaced a CRT TV in the bedroom with a more discreet flat-panel, resulting in less power consumption and noise/hum. Having a TV in the bedroom was already a contentious topic with my wife- but she sees the benefits of what a Media Center can do.

 

We actually rarely use this system for TV other than in the morning when we're watching the news. More regularly I use it for listening to music, and more recently, Podcasts in the morning.

 

Some mornings when our son wakes up cranky, I put on a photo slideshow or home movie for him here to watch while he's drinking his morning bottle. He really seems to like it.

 

And yes, this picture made me realize we need to hang more pictures on the walls ;)

The Burgoyne Bridge in downtown St Catharines, Ontario is about to be replaced. After more than 100 years of service, the time has come to recognize the old bridge is now past its design life and the costs of keeping it in use are no longer acceptable. So a new bridge it will be. Along with two of my Bando de Kvar (www.flickr.com/groups/2472126@N24/) compatriots on our weekend photo exploration of St Kitts (the local term of endearment for St Catharines), we headed of for a (possibly) last look at the underside of the bridge on the downtown end. Here you can find graffiti on the surfaces of the pier walls and the girders, as well as garbage. Clearly the area has been used not simply as shelter for people 'living rough', but also by drug users. The area is littered with used needles and condoms as well as the odd spoon and pieces of cord, souvenirs of drug use and possibly other activities. The construction equipment now beginning to take over the area will no doubt put at least a temporary damper on these activities. But even in all that, there is a sort of beauty-in-decay look to it all. - JW

 

Date Taken: 2014-03-23

 

Tech Details:

 

This is a hybrid HDR image. The original image series spaced at EV+/-2 stops was used to create three HDR versions: light, medium and dark. Using the medium version as the base, selected elements from the light and dark versions were used to improve detail and colour in certain areas. Hence the result is a hybrid creation based on three HDR variants of the original HDR image.

 

The original three image set was taken using a tripod-mounted Nikon D7100 fitted with a Nikkor 12-24mm lense set to 16mm, ISO100, Aperture priority mode, f/5.6, three auto-bracketed images spaced at EV+-2 around a base exposure of 1/13 sec with an EV-0.67 exposure bias. HDR processing was done using free Open Source Luminance/Qtpfsgui with base settings as indicated below (to get good detail, colour and tonality in the graffiti-covered areas) and then modified settings to produce two variants on the base to produce one lighter version to bring out the darker girder details and a darker variant to bring down the brightness of the light foreground, each disregarding the impact on the rest of the image. The Fatal tone-mapping operator was used to emphasize colour over texture. PP in free Open Source GIMP: The three variants were loaded as layers named medium (the base for all further work), dark and light, the medium layer was adjusted using the tone curve to optimize (to my liking anyway) the detail colour and tonality in the central area bearing the graffiti on the wall and girders disregarding the impact on the rest of the frame and then slightly warmed the colour balance, the dark layer was then adjusted to further darken the brightly lighted foreground and rear left bright areas somewhat and also colour balance adjusted to reduce the excess blue cast, using a large soft-edged eraser tool the foreground area of the medium layer was removed and a new working layer created from the visible result, then the area in the upper girders in the lighter layer was made visible by using a large soft-edged eraser tool to remove the corresponding area from the working layer and a new working layer created from the visible result, slight additional tweaks to contrast and colour balance, sharpen, add fine black and white frame, add bar and text on left, scale to 1800 wide for posting.

 

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Luminance HDR 2.3.0 tonemapping parameters:

Operator: Fattal

Parameters:

Alpha: 1

Beta: 0.85

Color Saturation: 0.85

Noise Reduction: 0

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PreGamma: 0.8

 

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D7B_1902_stkittsburgoynebrdgunder3xHDRmedblendmedltdrkadjbarsigx1800_pregamma_0.8_fattal_alpha_1_beta_0.85_saturation_0.85_noiseredux_0_fftsolver_1

Chrissie Hammond, Russell Hitchcock, and Graham Russell met in May 1975 while performing in the Australian production of the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice musical, Jesus Christ Superstar.With Hammond and Hitchcock on vocals and Russell on guitar, they formed a harmony vocal group in Melbourne, while the show was still playing. Hammond left the vocal group to form Cheetah and was replaced by Jeremy Paul (ex-Soffrok and later Divinyls) on bass guitar and vocals in 1976. Together, Hitchcock, Russell and Paul formed Air Supply. The group's first single, "Love and Other Bruises", was released in November, 1976 and peaked at No. 6 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart in January 1977. It was followed by Air Supply, their debut album, in December, which reached No. 17 on the Kent Music Report Albums Chart and achieved gold in Australia The album was produced by Peter Dawkins (Spectrum, Ross Ryan) with Air Supply line-up as Hitchcock, Paul, Russell and drummer Jeff Browne, guitarist Mark McEntee and keyboardist, arranger Adrian Scott. Other singles were "If You Knew Me", "Empty Pages" and "Feel the Breeze" but none reached the Top 40. A national tour followed with Hitchcock, Paul, Russell and Scott joined by Nigel Macara (ex-Tamam Shud, Ariel) on drums and Brenton White (Skintight)on guitar.Brenton White rehearsed but did not perform with Air Supply

 

Their second album, The Whole Thing's Started, also produced by Dawkins,[3] was released in July 1977 with White replaced on lead guitar by Alan Kendall.[1] The album spawned the singles "Do What You Do" (June), "That's How the Whole Thing Started" (October) and "Do It Again" (February 1978) but neither album nor singles charted into the Top 40.[4] From late 1977, the group supported Rod Stewart during his tour of Australia—he invited them to continue to the United States and Canada. Their third album, Love & Other Bruises, included re-recordings of some earlier tracks, was made mid-tour in Los Angeles in July–August and released later that year in the US on Columbia Records with Jimmy Horowitz producing.[3] During the tour, Paul left the band with a new line-up of Hitchcock, Macara, and Russell, plus Rex Goh on guitar, Joey Carbone on keyboards, Robin LeMesurier on lead guitar and Howard Sukimoto on bass guitar.[2] Paul, in 1980, recruited fellow former Air Supply bandmate McEntee in the lineup of Divinyls, fronted by Chrissie Amphlett. Air Supply performed in London supporting Chicago and Boz Scaggs.[1]

 

Although their music had some commercial success, Russell claimed, on a 1995 DVD, that he and Hitchcock were so poor that they checked the backs of hotel sofas for change so that they could buy bread to make toast. By early 1978, the line-up was Hitchcock, Russell, and Macara with George Terry and Joey Murcia on guitar, George Bitzer on keyboards and Harold Cowart on bass guitar.[1][2] However, by mid-1978, only Hitchcock and Russell remained in the line-up, backed by Ralph Cooper (Windchase) on drums and former Sailor members Brian Hamilton on bass guitar and vocals and David Moyse on guitar.[1][2]

 

In April 1979, the band released Life Support, a concept album which included a picture disc on its first printing. The album was recorded at Trafalgar Studios in Sydney, Australia. The album had a five-and-a-half minute version of "Lost in Love", written by Graham Russell in 15 minutes; it was released as a single and peaked at No. 13 in Australia and No. 13 in New Zealand.[4][5] The track caught the attention of Arista Records boss Clive Davis, who remixed the song and released it as a single in the US early the next year. In late November 1979 Russell was embroiled in a bitter court case with Samuel Nay over accusations of assault at a backstage meet and greet in Oklahoma. Nay would later pass away during the court case and all charges were dropped. The lineup for the album kept Hitchcock, Russell, Cooper, and Moyse, and added Criston Barker (bass) and Frank Esler-Smith (keyboards/orchestra arrangements) with help from other session musicians. Esler-Smith had previously known Hitchcock and Russell from working with them in Jesus Christ Superstar.

A re-recorded and remixed version of "Lost in Love" was released internationally as a single in January 1980 on Arista Records. The associated album, Lost in Love, appeared in March and contained three US Top 5 singles, including the title track which peaked at No. 3 on Billboard Hot 100 and No. 11 in the United Kingdom Singles Chart.[6][7] The other US Top 5 singles were "Every Woman in the World" (No. 5) and "All Out of Love" (No. 2).[6] Both singles were Top 10 in Australia with "All Out of Love" reaching No. 17 in the Netherlands.[4][8] The album kept the same lineup as before, with Hitchcock, Russell, Cooper, Moyse, Barker and Esler-Smith. The album sold three million copies in the US and peaked at No. 22 on Billboard 200.[9]

1981–1990

 

In 1981, Air Supply released The One That You Love, produced by Russell, David Foster and Harry Maslin with the title track issued as a single which went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.[6] It also featured two other Top 5 hits, "Here I Am (Just When I Thought I Was Over You)" and "Sweet Dreams". A fourth single, "I'll Never Get Enough" was released in Japan and achieved Top 10 status. By the recording for this album, Barker left and was replaced by David Green. Also, previous Air Supply guitarist Rex Goh returned for the album, co-writing "I'll Never Get Enough" with Russell.

 

Russell and Hitchcock also from time to time were relief hosts on the music program Solid Gold. It is believed that they initially filled in when Andy Gibb was a no show for an episode that they performed on. However, Gibb's "no shows" soon became more frequent, which resulted in his termination. Even though this was not their usual job, the duo made an impression on producers and the audience who enjoyed their accents, and they were asked to host every so often until the show was cancelled.

 

Their next album Now and Forever, released in 1982 with the same seven-piece lineup (Hitchcock, Russell, Moyse, Goh, Esler-Smith, Green and Cooper), continued the group's popularity with the Top 5 hit "Even the Nights Are Better" and two Top 40 singles, "Young Love" and "Two Less Lonely People in the World".

 

In 1983, they released their Greatest Hits album with a new single, "Making Love Out of Nothing at All", written by Jim Steinman. The song was one of their biggest hits ever spending three weeks at No. 2, and the album eventually sold 7 million copies.

 

That same year, Air Supply also released their first live video, Air Supply Live in Hawaii. In 1984, their song "I Can Wait Forever" was featured in a scene of the blockbuster movie Ghostbusters, and was included in the soundtrack album.

Replaced this on 5-9-11 with a slightly re-processed version that was also cropped better to remove clutter around the edge of the frame. I think the colors now have more realistic reds.

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

 

A selection of buses in Athlone Garage, 19/05/2012. The coaches are SC23, VP340, VC309 (in the far left), VP303, VP307, VP308 and VG7.

 

Particularly noteworthy buses are VWLs 161 and 162. VWL161 is between VP340 and SC23, and VWL162 is next to the VPs. These buses were new to Galway and were allocated to route 9 (renumbered to 409 in March 2012) along with VWL160 and VWL163. DD11 and 12 partially replaced these in late 2010, and in March 2012 DDs 14-16 also transferred to Galway for the 409.

 

As you can see, VWL161 still has its Galway decals and its route 9/409 branding!

 

VWL160 has also transferred to Athlone.

The County of Santa Clara Animal Care and Control Department needed to replace their makeshift former residence with several additions and portables into an adequate home for the area’s needy animals.

 

Dreyfuss + Blackford Architecture — working with animal care designer, The Bacon Group — created the County’s new Animal Services Center campus with state-of-the-art animal care functions in a park-like setting, providing innovative and sustainable building systems and amenities in the 24/7 facility.

 

The new Animal Services Center has capacity for 54 dogs and 90 cats, with spaces for other types of animals including rabbits, horses, and goats. To house and showcase larger animals, a barn is sited along the main building frontage, increasing visibility.

 

Taking a distinct departure from traditional shelter design, dog kennels are organized around an outdoor landscaped courtyard named “The Park”. Together with surrounding “Get Acquainted” pods, the experience offers a bright and open area to meet and greet potential pets in a natural park-like environment.

 

In addition to animal adoption, a primary objective of the Animal Services Center is to educate the public about the benefits of spaying and neutering. The County is taking a proactive approach to overpopulation by educating the public on reducing the number of animals ending up at the Animal Services Center through the use of the public surgery suite, located inside the facility’s clinic.

Another key solution the Animal Services Center provides is its large Educational Meeting facility. Not only will animal-specific community events be held there, but other County agencies will also be able to utilize the assembly space for conferences and gatherings up to 150 occupants—a resource they previously lacked.

 

The County of Santa Clara Animal Services Center is designed to achieve LEED Silver certification.

 

Photo by Tim Griffith.

- St. BLAISE CHURCH -

St Blaise is a baroque church built in between 1705 and 1717 (to replace the building of 1368 that was lost by fire) by Venetian architect and sculptor Marino Gropelli. The extended interior, modeled on San Maurizio in Venice, is rectangular with a central dome, and preserves some of the treasures from the earlier church. At the church's main altar there is the golden statue of St. Blaise (Sv.Vlaho) - patron of Dubrovnik holding a model of the Town from 16th C.

The painted organ loft behind the high altar is by Petar Mattel Matejeviæ (early 18th C); the glass windows by lvo Dulèiæ (1971). High on the walls are stone statues of Saints Peter and Jerome, by Nikola Lazanid of Braè (late 16th C), and above the side door a wooden figure of St. Anthony, of unknown date.

  

- S P O N Z A or DIVONA P A L A C E -

In the end of Placa (Stradun) street, beside Luža, on the left side of the square centered with Orlando column the monumental Gothic-Renaissance Sponza Palace found its rightful place. Sponza is one of the most beautiful palaces in the City, which has preserved its original form. Built 1516-1522, its form suggests possible appearance of the majority of public and private palaces in Dubrovnik before the earthquake of 1667.

Sponza palace derived it's name from the word for the spot where rainwater was collected (Spongia-”alluvium”) according to the former use of the spot it was built on.

In the time of the Republic this palace housed the custom office and bonded warehouse, hence it was often referred to as Divona (from dogana - ”customs”).

The Sponza Palace was the seat of a number of state offices. The palace also housed the mint, the bank, the treasury, and the armoury.

This complex palace was designed by protomagister (chief architect) Paskoje Miličević. The project was completed in 1522. It is a large rectangular building with an inner courtyard. An open porch communicates with the square in front; another porch opens on the first floor in front.

The building is a mixture of Gothic and Renaissance styles, which was typical for the conservative Dubrovnik Republic of those times.

The porch and the sculptural ornaments of the building were made after 1516 by the brothers Andrijić, masters from Korčula, and by other less known stone-cutters.

A beautiful medal with Jesus' monogram and 2 angels was carved by the sculptor Beltrand Gallicus on the back wall.

Individual custom bonded warehouses have names of saints inscribed in capital on the arch of the atrium from which a balance was suspended.

The fact that the city measures were true is captured on the inscription on the arch:

FALLERE NOSTRA VETANT; ET FALLI PONDERA: MEQUE PONDERO CVM MERCES: PONDERAT IPSE DEVS

(Our weights do not permit cheating or being cheated. When I measure the commodities the Lord measures with me.)

The Sponza Palace was not damaged in the earthquake of 1667 and this fact probably saved the Dubrovnik Republic. Affairs of state could continue notwithstanding heavy destruction.Members of the Academia dei Concordi founded at the close of 16th century by the group of poets, met in the large hall of the first floor. That was Dubrovnik's first institution of literary life.

Nowadays the Sponza Palace is the home of the most important cultural institution of Dubrovnik - the archive. The archive found its home on the first floor.

Sponza palace has a unique role during the special opening ceremony of the Dubrovnik Summer Festival. Actors inpersonating the Rector and the members of the Council Minor sit on the upper porch of the Sponza palace and greet the actors that have come to the City to entertain and amuse the public with their music shows and theatre plays. After many skill demonstrations by the actors and a long discussion from the side of the council, the ceremony always ends as the Rector grants the actors free access to the City and gives them the keys of the City in order for them to put up their shows and entertain the public.

About Sponza Palace & Dubrovnik (Ragusa):

1. Michelozzo's City belfry mechanism along with the original Maro and Baro popularly known as zelenci - "the green ones", two bronze statues that used to hit the town's bell on each passing hour, founded by Michele di Giovanni da Fiescole, are exhibited in the Sponza palace. The City bell tower is now manned by two younger zelenci statues which still sound the bell founded in 1509, original work by the world renowned master craftsman Ivan Krstitelj Rabljanin - Johannes Baptista Arbensis de la Tolle.

2. The Sponza palace hosts a memorial room dedicated to defenders killed during the siege of Dubrovnik (1991 --1992).

3. Dubrovnik archive contains 7000 volumes and about 100000 individual scripts. The earliest charter in the archives is from 1022. It is a decree by the pope Benedict VIII in which he grants Dubrovnik the seat of an Archbishop. From 1278 Dubrovnik introduced compulsory registration and filing of all public and private legal documents. Thus, today Dubrovnik archives are an important reference and a rich historical resource.

  

- RECTOR's PALACE -

Between the Town Hall and the Church of St. Blaise on one side and the Cathedral on the other side the Rector's Palace, an outstanding monument of secular architecture, is found.

The Rector's palace is a harmonious Gothic and Renaissance palace with certain Baroque additions. The palace owes its present shape to many additions and reconstructions throughout its turbulent history. From time to time it happened that the palace was destroyed or heavily damaged by either fires, gunpowder explosions or earthquakes which required a total or partial reconstruction or repair of the building. Each architect had it's own view of how the building should look so nowadays we can enjoy the unique mixture of styles blended perfectly across this monumental structure.

A defence building stood at the site of the present palace in early middle ages and in the statutes of Dubrovnik from 1272 it was referred to as castrum. In 1296 the building is referred to as castellum. The term palatium - palace first occurs in the documents in 1349, and the later documents use the term palazzo maggiore - major palace.

As the document sometimes specify certain parts of the building, it could be deduced that it was a building with corner towers, two wings, and the high wall which enclosed the yard. After the fire of 1435 which gutted the building and its towers the government decided to build the new and more beautiful palace. The important job of rebuilding the palace was entrusted to Onofrio di Giordano della Cava of Naples, master builder that had been already contracted to build the water supply system. The water supply system was completed in 1436.

After Onofrio della Cava had completed his project, the Rector's palace rose as a smart and harmonious two story gothic building with a pillar porch between two side towers which were slightly higher.

The column of the porch and the most beautiful capitals with figural representations, and sculpture ornaments of the palace were made by master Pietro di Martino of Milano.

Only a semi capital in the figure of Asclepius built into the southern angle of the porch and the capital with the scene of the judgment of the Solomon (now kept inside the Rector's Palace as an exhibit) and figural wall brackets on the front porch have survived to the present days.

Although the arrangement of the figures was gothic they could show evidence of the early Renaissance spirit.

In 1463 there was a gunpowder explosion of the palace armoury which heavily damaged the whole structure of the Rector's palace. The renewal was entrusted to the famous architect Michelozzo di Bartolomeo Michelozzi of Florence who was working on the fortification of the City walls. However, his plans, new and vibrant with Renaissance spirit, were not according to the taste of the notoriously conservative major council so the the plans were rejected on May 5 1464. Michelozzo left Dubrovnik soon after and the work was continued by other builders.

The arches in the porch were reshaped according to the principles of the Renaissance with completely new Renaissance capitals. The modernization of the sculptural decoration was probably the work of the Florentin master Salvi di Michele who directed the reconstruction from 1467 on.

The main changes of Onofrio's building were made on the western and southern fronts where the former simple windows were replaced by a large biforas, 8 on the western front and 3 on the southern front. The biforas were carved by local masters Radivoj Bogosalić and Nikola Marković while the relief ornaments and the portal were made by master Pavko Antoje Bogičević.

In 1520 there was a strong earthquake and the palace suffered yet another misfortune. One of the masters who has been working on the repairs was Petar Andrijić of Korčula.

The Great earthquake of 1667 was no exception and damaged the palace extensively. The earthquake broke down the southern front of the palace with biforas. The wing was rebuilt in Baroque style.

Furthermore, a new Baroque flight of stairs was built in the atrium of the palace in place of the old one which was damaged. About the same time a bell was set up on the first floor of the atrium. The bell stand is decorated with rich Rococo ornaments. The stand was connected to a clock mechanism below which struck the hours.

On the ground floor of the atrium between the two pillars in the eastern wing the senate had a monument erected in 1638 to Miho Pracat, the citizen of merit.

Miho Pracat was a rich ship owner from Lopud who left his immense wealth to the Republic for the charitable cause. Because of this most generous gesture the Republic was indebted to honour him. The government conferred for thirty years before they thought up an adequate way to honour him. The tribute should have been evident, but not too public. Ingenious solution was to erect a bust in the atrium of the Rector's palace and this is how Miho Pracat became the only citizen of Dubrovnik republic with a monument in over a 1000 years of Dubrovnik's existence. The bust was made by Pietro Giacometti of Recanati. The monument was also damaged in the great earthquake of 1667 but was repaired and returned to the same place in 1731.

The eastern front looking forward towards the harbour underwent great changes after the earthquake. Originally representative in form, with the porch and the loggia, it was never restored to its previous shape.

Today the Rector's palace is the home to the history department to museum of Dubrovnik. The majority of the halls have styled furniture so as to recreate the original atmosphere of these rooms. In addition to style furniture numerous portraits and coats of arms of the noble families, paintings of old masters, coins minted by the Republic, the original keys of the city gates, and the number of important state documents are on permanent exhibit in the palace.

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.

 

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...

Please check out my VW Jetta 12V Car Battery Replacement Guide.

to replace the pre-war CO/CP Stock and post-war R stock on the District line (apart from High Street Kensington and Edgware Road), the D78 underground stock were the oldest subsurface trains in operation on the London Underground.

  

Massive thanks to Jason Cross for all his help with locations for today's farewell tour

 

All todays photos of the underground tour by Jamie - www.jamiesquibbs.com

I began the Kent church project back in 2008, and Barham was one of the first dozen I visited. I took a few shots, and from then I remember the window showing a very fine St George and a balcony from where the bells are rung giving great views down the church.

 

I have not stepped foot inside a Kent church since the end of September, and so I felt I needed to get back into it, as the orchid season is possibly just four months away, and then I will be lost for months.

 

Barham is like an old friend; it lies on a short cut from the A2 to the Elham Valley, so I pass down here many times a year, zig-zaggin at its western end as the road heads down towards the Nailbourne.

 

You can see the spire from the A2, nestling in the valley below, and yet being so close to a main road, the lane that winds it way through the timber framed and clapboard houses is wide enough to allow just one car to pass at a time.

 

Unusually, there is plentiful parking on the south side of the church, and from there there is a great view of the southern face of the church with its magnificent spire.

 

As hoped, it was open, and the church has so much more than I remember from what, eight years back.

 

Rows of modern chairs have replaced pews, but it looks good like thet. The church has a good collection of Victorian glass, some better than others, and there is that St George window at the western end of the north wall.

 

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A long and light church, best viewed from the south. Like nearby Ickham it is cruciform in plan, with a west rather than central, tower. Sometimes this is the result of a later tower being added, but here it is an early feature indeed, at least the same age (if not earlier) than the body of the church. Lord Kitchener lived in the parish, so his name appears on the War Memorial. At the west end of the south aisle, tucked out of the way, is the memorial to Sir Basil Dixwell (d 1750). There are two twentieth century windows by Martin Travers. The 1925 east window shows Our Lady and Child beneath the typical Travers Baroque Canopy. Under the tower, affixed to the wall, are some Flemish tiles, purchased under the will of John Digge who died in 1375. His memorial brass survives in the Vestry.

 

www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Barham

 

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Many churches in Kent are well known for their yew trees but St. John the Baptist at Barham is noteworthy for its magnificent beech trees.

 

The Church guide suggests that there has been a Church here since the 9th Century but the present structure was probably started in the 12th Century although Syms, in his book about Kent Country Churches, states that there is a hint of possible Norman construction at the base of the present tower. The bulk of the Church covers the Early English, Decorated and Perpendicular periods of building. Many of the huge roof beams, ties and posts are original 14th Century as are the three arches leading into the aisle..

 

In the Northwest corner is a small 13th Century window containing modern glass depicting St. George slaying the dragon and dedicated to the 23rd Signal Company. The Church also contains a White Ensign which was presented to it by Viscount Broome, a local resident. The Ensign was from 'H.M.S. Raglan' which was also commanded by Viscount Broome. The ship was sunk in January, 1918 by the German light cruiser 'Breslau'.

 

The walls contain various mural tablets. Hanging high on the west wall is a helmet said to have belonged to Sir Basil Dixwell of Broome Park. The helmet probably never saw action but was carried at his funeral.

 

The floor in the north transept is uneven because some years ago three brasses were found there. According to popular medieval custom engraved metal cut-outs were sunk into indented stone slabs and secured with rivets and pitch. In order to save them from further damage the brasses were lifted and placed on the walls. The oldest dates from about 1370 is of a civilian but very mutilated. The other two are in good condition and dated about 1460. One is of a woman wearing the dress of a widow which was similar to a nun. The other is of a bare headed man in plate armour. These are believed to be of John Digges and his wife Joan.

 

At the west end of the church is a list of Rectors and Priests-in-Charge - the first being Otho Caputh in 1280. Notice should be made of Richard Hooker (1594), the author of the Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity. The tiles incorporated into the wall were originally in place in the Chancel about 1375. They were left by John Digges whose Will instructed that he was to be buried in the Chancel and "my executors are to buy Flanders tiles to pave the said Chancel".

 

The 14th century font is large enough to submerse a baby - as would have been the custom of the time. The bowl is octagonal representing the first day of the new week, the day of Christ's resurrection. The cover is Jacobean.

 

The Millennium Window in the South Transept was designed and constructed by Alexandra Le Rossignol and was dedicated in July 2001. The cost of the project (approximately £6,500) was raised locally with the first donation being made by the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr George Carey.

 

The porch contains two wooden plaques listing the names of men from the village who were killed in the Great Wars - among them being Field Marshall Lord Kitchener of Broome Park.

 

www.barham-kent.org.uk/landmark_church.htm

 

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ANTIENTLY written Bereham, lies the next parish eastward. There are five boroughs in it, viz. of Buxton, Outelmeston, Derrington, Breach, and Shelving. The manor of Bishopsborne claims over almost the whole of this parish, at the court of which the four latter borsholders are chosen, and the manors of Reculver and Adisham over a small part of it.

 

BARHAM is situated at the confines of that beautiful country heretofore described, the same Nailbourne valley running through it, near which, in like manner the land is very fertile, but all the rest of it is a chalky barren soil. On the rise of the hill northward from it, is the village called Barham-street, with the church, and just beyond the summit of it, on the further side Barham court, having its front towards the downs, over part of which this parish extends, and gives name to them. At the foot of the same hill, further eastward, is the mansion of Brome, with its adjoining plantatious, a conspicuous object from the downs, to which by inclosing a part of them, the grounds extend as far as the Dover road, close to Denne-hill, and a costly entrance has been erected into them there. By the corner of Brome house the road leads to the left through Denton-street, close up to which this parish extends, towards Folkestone; and to the right, towards Eleham and Hythe. One this road, within the bounds of this parish, in a chalky and stony country, of poor barren land, there is a large waste of pasture, called Breach down, on which there are a number of tumuli, or barrows. By the road side there have been found several skeletons, one of which had round its neck a string of beads, of various forms and sizes, from a pidgeon's egg to a pea, and by it a sword, dagger, and spear; the others lay in good order, without any particular thing to distinguish them. (fn. 1)

 

In the Nailbourne valley, near the stream, are the two hamlets of Derrington and South Barham; from thence the hills, on the opposite side of it to those already mentioned, rise southward pretty high, the tops of them being covered with woods, one of them being that large one called Covert wood, a manor belonging to the archbishop, and partly in this parish, being the beginning of a poor hilly country, covered with stones, and enveloped with frequent woods.

 

BARHAM, which, as appears by the survey of Domesday, formerly lay in a hundred of its own name, was given anno 809, by the estimation of seven ploughlands, by Cenulph, king of Kent, to archbishop Wlfred, free from all secular demands, except the trinoda necessitas, but this was for the use of his church; for the archbishop, anno 824, gave the monks lands in Egelhorne and Langeduna, in exchange for it. After which it came into the possession of archbishop Stigand, but, as appears by Domesday, not in right of his archbishopric, at the taking of which survey, it was become part of the possessions of Odo, bishop of Baieux, under the title of whose lands it is thus entered in it:

 

In Berham hundred, Fulbert holds of the bishop Berham. It was taxed at six sulings. The arable land is thirty two carucates. In demesne there are three carucates, and fifty two villeins, with twenty cottagers having eighteen carucates. There is a church, and one mill of twenty shillings and four pence. There are twentlyfive fisheries of thirty-five shillings all four pence. Of average, that is service, sixty shilling. Of herbage twenty six shillings, and twenty acres of meadow Of pannage sufficient for one hundred and fifty hogs. Of this manor the bishop gave one berewic to Herbert, the son of Ivo, which is called Hugham, and there be has one carucate in demesne, and twelve villeins, with nine carucates, and twenty acres of meadow. Of the same manor the bisoop gave to Osberne Paisforere one suling and two mills of fifty sbillings, and there is in demesne one carucate, and four villeins with one carucate. The whole of Barbam, in the time of king Edward the Confessor, was worth forty pounds, when be received it the like, and yet it yielded to him one hundred pounds, now Berhem of itself is worth forty pounds, and Hucham ten pounds, and this which Osberne bas six pounds, and the land of one Ralph, a knight, is worth forty shillings. This manor Stigand, the archbishop held, but it was not of the archbishopric, but was of the demesne ferm of king Edward.

 

On the bishop's disgrace four years afterwards, and his estates being confiscated to the crown, the seignory of this parish most probably returned to the see of Canterbury, with which it has ever since continued. The estate mentioned above in Domesday to have been held of the bishop by Fulbert, comprehended, in all likelihood, the several manors and other estates in this parish, now held of the manor of Bishopsborne, one of these was THE MANOR AND SEAT OF BARHAM-COURT, situated near the church, which probably was originally the court-lodge of the manor of Barham in very early times, before it became united to that of Bishopsborne, and in king Henry II.'s time was held of the archbishop by knight's service, by Sir Randal Fitzurse, who was one of the four knights belonging to the king's houshould, who murdered archbishop Becket anno 1170; after perpetrating which, Sir Randal fled into Ireland, and changed his name to Mac-Mahon, and one of his relations took possession of this estate, and assumed the name of Berham from it; and accordingly, his descendant Warin de Berham is recorded in the return made by the sheriff anno 12 and 13 king John, among others of the archbishop's tenants by knight's service, as holding lands in Berham of him, in whose posterity it continued till Thomas Barham, esq. in the very beginning of king James I.'s reign, alienated it to the Rev. Charles Fotherbye, dean of Canterbury, who died possessed of it in 1619. He was eldest son of Martin Fotherby, of Great Grimsby, in Lincolnshire, and eldest brother of Martin Fotherby, bishop of Salisbury. He had a grant of arms, Gules, a cross of lozenges flory, or, assigned to him and Martin his brother, by Camden, clarencieux, in 1605. (fn. 2) His only surviving son Sir John Fotherbye, of Barham-court, died in 1666, and was buried in that cathedral with his father. At length his grandson Charles, who died in 1720, leaving two daughters his coheirs; Mary, the eldest, inherited this manor by her father's will, and afterwards married Henry Mompesson, esq. of Wiltshire, (fn. 3) who resided at Barhamcourt, and died in 1732, s. p. and she again carried this manor in marriage to Sir Edward Dering, bart. of Surrenden, whose second wife she was. (fn. 4) He lest her surviving, and three children by her, Charles Dering, who married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Thomas Farnaby, bart. since deceased, by whom he has an only surviving daughter, married to George Dering, esq. of Rolling, the youngest son of the late Sir Edw. Dering, bart. and her first cousin; Mary married Sir Robert Hilyard, bart. and Thomas Dering, esq. of London. Lady Dering died in 1775, and was succeeded by her eldest son Charles Dering, esq. afterwards of Barhamcourt, the present owner of it. It is at present occupied by Gen. Sir Charles Grey, bart. K. B. commanderin chief of the southern district of this kingdom.

 

THE MANORS OF BROME and OUTELMESTONE, alias DIGGS COURT, are situated in this parish; the latter in the valley, at the western boundary of it, was the first residence in this county of the eminent family of Digg, or, as they were asterwards called, Diggs, whence it gained its name of Diggs-court. John, son of Roger de Mildenhall, otherwise called Digg, the first-mentioned in the pedigrees of this family, lived in king Henry III.'s reign, at which time he, or one of this family of the same name, was possessed of the aldermanry of Newingate, in Canterbury, as part of their inheritance. His descendants continued to reside at Diggs-court, and bore for their arms, Gules, on a cross argent, five eagles with two heads displayed, sable, One of whom, James Diggs, of Diggs-court, died in 1535. At his death he gave the manor and seat of Outelmeston, alias Diggs-court, to his eldest son (by his first wife) John, and the manor of Brome to his youngest son, (by his second wife) Leonard, whose descendants were of Chilham castle. (fn. 5) John Diggs, esq. was of Diggs-court, whose descendant Thomas Posthumus Diggs, esq. about the middle of queen Elizabeth's reign, alienated this manor, with Diggs-place, to Capt. Halsey, of London, and he sold it to Sir Tho. Somes, alderman of London, who again parted with it to Sir B. Dixwell, bart. and he passed it away to Sir Thomas Williams, bart. whose heir Sir John Williams, bart. conveyed it, about the year 1706, to Daniel and Nathaniel Matson, and on the death of the former, the latter became wholly possessed of it, and his descendant Henry Matson, about the year 1730, gave it by will to the trustees for the repair of Dover harbour, in whom it continues at this time vested for that purpose.

 

BUT THE MANOR OF BROME, which came to Leonard Diggs, esq. by his father's will as above-mentioned, was sold by him to Basil Dixwell, esq. second son of Cha. Dixwell, esq. of Coton, in Warwickshire, then of Tevlingham, in Folkestone, who having built a handsome mansion for his residence on this manor, removed to it in 1622. In the second year of king Charles I. he served the office of sheriff with much honour and hospitality; after which he was knighted, and cveated a baronet. He died unmarried in 1641, having devised this manor and seat, with the rest of his estates, to his nephew Mark Dixwell, son of his elder brother William, of Coton above-mentioned, who afterwards resided at Brome, whose son Basil Dixwell, esq. of Brome, was anno 12 Charles II. created a baronet. He bore for his arms, Argent, a chevron, gules, between three sleurs de lis, sable. His only son Sir Basil Dixwell, bart. of Brome, died at Brome,s. p. in 1750, and devised this, among the rest of his estates, to his kinsman George Oxenden, esq. second son of Sir Geo. Oxenden, bart. of Dean, in Wingham, with an injunction for him to take the name and arms of Dixwell, for which an act passed anno 25 George II. but he died soon afterwards, unmarried, having devised this manor and seat to his father Sir George Oxenden, who settled it on his eldest and only surviving son, now Sir Henry Oxenden, bart. who is the present owner of it. He resides at Brome, which he has, as well as the grounds about it, much altered and improved for these many years successively.

 

SHELVING is a manor, situated in the borough of its own name, at the eastern boundary of this parish, which was so called from a family who were in antient times the possessors of it. John de Shelving resided here in king Edward I.'s reign, and married Helen, daughter and heir of John de Bourne, by whom he had Waretius de Shelving, whose son, J. de Shelving, of Shelvingborne, married Benedicta de Hougham, and died possessed of this manor anno 4 Edward III. After which it descended to their daughter Benedicta, who carried it in marriage to Sir Edmund de Haut, of Petham, in whose descendants, in like manner as Shelvington, alias Hautsborne, above-described, it continued down to Sir William Haut, of Hautsborne, in king Henry VIII's reign, whose eldest daughter and coheir Elizabeth carried it in marriage to Tho. Colepeper, esq. of Bedgbury, who in the beginning of king Edward VI.'s reign passed it away to Walter Mantle, whose window carried it by a second marriage to Christopher Carlell, gent. who bore for his arms, Or, a cross flory, gules; one of whose descendants sold it to Stephen Hobday, in whose name it continued till Hester, daughter of Hills Hobday, carried it in marriage to J. Lade, esq. of Boughton, and he having obtained an act for the purpose, alienated it to E. Bridges, esq. of Wootton-court, who passed away part of it to Sir George Oxenden, bart. whose son Sir Henry Oxenden, bart. of Brome, now owns it; but Mr. Bridges died possessed of the remaining part in 1780, and his eldest son the Rev. Edward Timewell Brydges, is the present possessor of it.

 

MAY DEACON, as it has been for many years past both called and written, is a seat in the southern part of this parish, adjoining to Denton-street, in which parish part of it is situated. Its original and true name was Madekin, being so called from a family who were owners of it, and continued so, as appears by the deeds of it, till king Henry VI's reign, in the beginning of which it passed from that name to Sydnor, in which it continued till king Henry VIII.'s reign, when Paul Sydnor, who upon his obtaining from the king a grant of Brenchley manor, removed thither, and alienated this seat to James Brooker, who resided here, and his sole daughter and heir carried it in marriage, in queen Elizabeth's reign, to Sir Henry Oxenden, of Dene, in Wingham, whose grandson Sir Henry Oxenden, bart. sold it in 1664, to Edward Adye, esq. the second son of John Adye, esq. of Doddington, one of whose daughters and coheirs, Rosamond, entitled her husband George Elcock, esq. afterwards of Madekin, to it, and his daughter and heir Elizabeth carried it in marriage to Capt. Charles Fotherby, whose eldest daughter and coheir Mary, entitled her two successive husbands, Henry Mompesson, esq. and Sir Edward Dering, bart. to the possession of it, and Charles Dering, esq. of Barham-court, eldest son of the latter, by her, is at this time the owner of it. The seat is now inhabited by Henry Oxenden, esq.

 

There are no parochial charities. The poor constantly maintained are about forty, casually fifteen.

 

THIS PARISH is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the diocese of Canterbury, and deanryof Bridge.

 

The church, which is dedicated to St. John Baptist, is a handsome building, consisting of a body and side isle, a cross or sept, and a high chancel, having a slim tall spire at the west end, in which are four bells. In the chancel are memorials for George Elcock, esq. of Madeacon, obt. 1703, and for his wife and children; for Charles Bean, A. M. rector, obt. 1731. A monument for William Barne, gent. son of the Rev. Miles Barne. His grandfather was Sir William Barne, of Woolwich, obt. 1706; arms, Azure, three leopards faces, argent. Several memorials for the Nethersoles, of this parish. In the south sept is a magnificent pyramid of marble for the family of Dixwell, who lie buried in a vault underneath, and inscriptions for them. In the north sept is a monument for the Fotherbys. On the pavement, on a gravestone, are the figures of an armed knight (his feet on a greyhound) and his wife; arms, A cross, quartering six lozenges, three and three. In the east window these arms, Gules, three crowns, or—Gules, three lions passant in pale, or. This chapel was dedicated to St. Giles, and some of the family of Diggs were buried in it; and there are memorials for several of the Legrands. There are three tombs of the Lades in the church-yard, the inscriptions obliterated, but the dates remaining are 1603, 1625, and 1660. There were formerly in the windows of this church these arms, Ermine, a chief, quarterly, or, and gules, and underneath, Jacobus Peccam. Another coat, Bruine and Rocheleyquartered; and another, Gules, a fess between three lions heads, erased, argent, and underneath,Orate p ais Roberti Baptford & Johe ux; which family resided at Barham, the last of whom, Sir John Baptford, lest an only daughter and heir, married to John Earde, of Denton.

 

¶The church of Barham has always been accounted as a chapel to the church of Bishopsborne, and as such is included in the valuation of it in the king's books. In 1588 here were communicants one hundred and eighty; in 1640 there were two hundred and fifty.

 

www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-kent/vol9/pp350-358

Replacing a normal King County Metro bus on route 7

White-bellied Sea Eagle (Juvenile)

 

The white-bellied sea eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster), also known as the white-breasted sea eagle, is a large diurnal bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. Originally described by Johann Friedrich Gmelin in 1788, it is closely related to Sanford's sea eagle of the Solomon Islands, and the two are considered a superspecies. A distinctive bird, the adult white-bellied sea eagle has a white head, breast, under-wing coverts and tail. The upper parts are grey and the black under-wing flight feathers contrast with the white coverts. The tail is short and wedge-shaped as in all Haliaeetus species. Like many raptors, the female is slightly larger than the male, and can measure up to 90 cm (35 in) long with a wingspan of up to 2.2 m (7.2 ft), and weigh 4.5 kg (9.9 lb). Immature birds have brown plumage, which is gradually replaced by white until the age of five or six years. The call is a loud goose-like honking.

 

Resident from India and Sri Lanka through Southeast Asia to Australia on coasts and major waterways, the white-bellied sea eagle breeds and hunts near water, and fish form around half of its diet. Opportunistic, it consumes carrion and a wide variety of animals. Although rated as Least Concern globally, it has declined in parts of southeast Asia such as Thailand, and southeastern Australia. It is ranked as Threatened in Victoria and Vulnerable in South Australia and Tasmania. Human disturbance to its habitat is the main threat, both from direct human activity near nests which impacts on breeding success, and from removal of suitable trees for nesting. The white-bellied sea eagle is revered by indigenous people in many parts of Australia, and is the subject of various folk tales throughout its range.

 

The white-bellied sea eagle has a white head, rump and underparts, and dark or slate-grey back and wings. In flight, the black flight feathers on the wings are easily seen when the bird is viewed from below. The large, hooked bill is a leaden blue-grey with a darker tip, and the irides are dark brown. The cere is also lead grey. The legs and feet are yellow or grey, with long black talons (claws). Unlike those of eagles of the genus Aquila, the legs are not feathered. The sexes are similar. Males are 66–80 cm (26–31 in) long and weigh 1.8–3 kg (4.0–6.6 lb). Females are slightly larger, at 80–90 cm (31–35 in) and 2.5–4.5 kg (5.5–9.9 lb). The wingspan ranges from 1.78 to 2.2 m (5.8 to 7.2 ft). A 2004 study on 37 birds from Australia and Papua New Guinea (3 °S to 50 °S) found that birds could be sexed reliably on size, and that birds from latitudes further south were larger than those from the north. There is no seasonal variation in plumage. The moulting pattern of the white-bellied sea eagle is poorly known. It appears to take longer than a year to complete, and can be interrupted and later resumed from the point of interruption.

 

The wings are modified when gliding so that they rise from the body at an angle, but are closer to horizontal further along the wingspan. In silhouette, the comparatively long neck, head and beak stick out from the front almost as far as the tail does behind. For active flight, the white-bellied sea eagle alternates strong deep wing-beats with short periods of gliding.

 

A young white-bellied sea eagle in its first year is predominantly brown, with pale cream-streaked plumage on their head, neck, nape and rump areas. The plumage becomes more infiltrated with white until it acquires the complete adult plumage by the fourth or fifth year. The species breeds from around six years of age onwards. The lifespan is thought to be around 30 years.

 

The loud goose-like honking call is a familiar sound, particularly during the breeding season; pairs often honk in unison, and often carry on for some time when perched. The male's call is higher-pitched and more rapid than that of the female. Australian naturalist David Fleay observed that the call is among the loudest and furthest-carrying of all Australian bird calls, in stark contrast to the relatively quiet calls of the wedge-tailed eagle.

 

Adult white-bellied sea eagles are unmistakable and unlikely to be confused with any other bird. Immature birds can be confused with wedge-tailed eagles. However, the plumage of the latter is darker, the tail longer, and the legs feathered. They might also be confused with the black-breasted buzzard (Hamirostra melanosternon), but this species is much smaller, has white patches on the wings, and has a more undulating flight. In India, the Egyptian vulture has white plumage, but is smaller and has a whiter back and wings. The white tail of the white-bellied sea eagle in flight distinguishes it from other species of large eagles. In the Philippines, it can be confused with the Philippine eagle, which can be distinguished by its crest; immature white-bellied sea eagles resemble immature grey-headed fish eagles, but can be identified by their more wholly dark brown underparts and flight feathers, and wedge-shaped tail.

 

The white-bellied sea eagle is found regularly from Mumbai (sometimes north to Gujarat, and in the past in the Lakshadweep Islands) eastwards in India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka in southern Asia, through all of coastal Southeast Asia including Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Indochina, the main and offshore islands of the Philippines, and southern China including Hong Kong, Hainan and Fuzhou, eastwards through New Guinea and the Bismarck Archipelago, and Australia. In the northern Solomons it is restricted to Nissan Island, and replaced elsewhere by Sanford's sea eagle. In Victoria, where it is otherwise scarce, it is locally more common at Corner Inlet and Gippsland Lakes. Similarly in South Australia, it is most abundant along the north coast of Kangaroo Island. The range extends to the islands of Bass Strait and Tasmania, and it is thought able to move between the islands and the mainland. There is one unconfirmed record from Lord Howe Island and several from New Zealand.

 

They are a common sight in coastal areas, but may also be seen well inland (It is reportedly seen at the Panna Tiger Reserve in central India, nearly 1,000 km (621 mi) away from the sea shore) The white-bellied sea eagle is generally sedentary and territorial, although it may travel long distances. They have been reported travelling upriver to hunt for flying foxes (Pteropus). Populations in inland Australia move around as inland bodies of water appear and then dry up. In one instance, a pair came to breed at Lake Albacutya in northwestern Victoria after the lake had been empty for 30 years. The species is easily disturbed by humans, especially when nesting, and may desert nesting sites as a result. It is found in greater numbers in areas with little or no human impact or interference.

 

The white-bellied sea eagle is an opportunistic carnivore and consumes a wide variety of animal prey, including carrion. It often catches a fish by flying low over the water and grasping it in its talons. It prepares for the strike by holding its feet far forward (almost under its chin) and then strikes backwards while simultaneously beating its wings to lift upwards. Generally only one foot is used to seize prey. The white-bellied sea eagle may also dive at a 45 degree angle from its perch and briefly submerge to catch fish near the water surface. While hunting over water on sunny days, it often flies directly into the sun or at right angles to it, seemingly to avoid casting shadows over the water and hence alerting potential prey.

 

The white-bellied sea eagle was important to different tribes of indigenous people across Australia. The guardian animal of the Wreck Bay aboriginal community, it is also the official emblem of the Booderee National Park and Botanic Gardens in the Jervis Bay Territory. The community considered localities around Booderee National Park to be connected with it. A local Sydney name was gulbi, and the bird was the totem of Colebee, the late 18th century indigenous leader of the Cadigal people. The white-bellied sea eagle is important to the Mak Mak people of the floodplains to the southwest of Darwin in the northern Territory, who recognised its connection with "good country". It is their totem and integrally connected to their land. The term Mak Mak is their name for both the species and themselves. The Umbrawarra Gorge Nature Park was a Dreaming site of the bird, in this area known as Kuna-ngarrk-ngarrk. It was similarly symbolic to the Tasmanian indigenous people—Nairanaa was one name used there.

 

Known as Manulab to the people of Nissan Island, the white-bellied sea eagle is considered special and killing it is forbidden. Its calls at night are said to foretell danger, and seeing a group of calling eagles flying overhead is a sign that someone has died. Local Malay folk tales tell of the white-bellied sea eagle screaming to warn the shellfish of the turning of tides, and a local name burung hamba siput translates as "slave of the shellfish". Called Kaulo in the recently extinct Aka-Bo language, the white-bellied sea eagle was held to be the ancestor of all birds in one Andaman Islands folk tale. On the Maharashtra coast, their name is kakan and its call is said to indicate the presence of fish in the sea. They sometimes nest on coconut trees. Owners of the trees destroy the nest to avoid attacks when harvesting the coconuts.

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.

 

36 Park Row, Civic Center, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States

 

Summary

 

The eleven-story Potter Building was commissioned by Orlando B. Potter, a prominent figure in New York politics with prime commercial real estate holdings in Manhattan, and constructed in 1883-86 to the design ofN.G. Starkweather, an architect who had formerly practiced in Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Built to replace Potter's World Building, destroyed by fire in January 1882, the Potter Building had the most advanced fireproofing then available. With its vertically-expressed design executed in red brick and brownstone-colored terra cotta above a cast-iron-clad base, and picturesque, flamboyant fusion of Queen Anne, neo-Grec, Renaissance Revival, and Colonial Revival motifs, the Potter Building was distinguished stylistically from most downtown buildings.

 

Several aspects of the Potter Building make it today one of New York's most significant surviving tall office buildings of the period prior to the full development of the skyscraper. Its brickwork is among the handsomest in New York City. An early building to employ extensive exterior architectural terra cotta, it is a rare survivor of that period of development of terra cotta in New York. The highly sculpted terra cotta, produced by the Boston Terra Cotta Co., was employed in a notable "constructive" manner in the loadbearing walls.

 

The Potter Building is also an important surviving example of a New York office building with interior framing mostly of iron, as well as one of the earliest surviving examples of an office building having a C-shaped plan with a major light court facing the street. Its significance is enhanced by the fact that its original design is nearly intact , and its visibility is heightened by its prominent location facing City Hall Park and by its three fully articulated facades.

 

Orlando B. Potter

 

Orlando Bronson Potter commissioned the Potter Building in 1882. A Massachusetts lawyer, Potter moved to New York City in 1853 to assist in the development of a sewing machine business; he was president of the Grover & Baker Sewing Machine Co. until 1876. A prominent figure in New York Democratic politics, he achieved recognition by developing a plan for a national banking system and currency that was adopted by Congress in 1863, served as a U.S. Representative in 1883-85, and was a member of the Rapid Transit Commission in 1890-94.

 

Potter became extremely wealthy, due largely to his commercial real estate holdings in Manhattan upon which he concentrated after 1876. Besides purchasing existing structures, Potter commissioned a number of notable buildings, among them: 444 Lafayette Street ; 746-750 Broadway ; Potter Building , 35-38 Park Row; 808 Broadway , adjacent to Grace Church; and 4-8 Astor Place . In 1886, Potter founded the New York Architectural Terra Cotta Co. with his son-in-law Walter Geer. At the time of his sudden death in January 1894, Potter was thought to have been the wealthiest man in New York City to have died intestate.

 

The Architect

 

The Potter Building was designed by Norris Garshom Starkweather. Born in Vermont the son of a farmer-carpenter, N.G. Starkweather was apprenticed to a builder in 1830 and fifteen years later became a contractor on his own in Massachusetts. By the mid-1840s he had established an architectural practice, moving by the mid-1850s to Philadelphia where he specialized in church designs.

 

The construction of the Gothic Revival style First Presbyterian Church , Baltimore, Starkweather's finest church, was apparently the reason for his relocation to Baltimore in 1856. The 273-foot spire of the church, built of masonry, necessitated "the most massive and scientifically arranged iron framework ever done in this country, or in any other, to our knowledge," according to a contemporary account.5 Achieving some renown for his ecclesiastical and institutional commissions in the Gothic Revival, Italianate, and Romanesque Revival styles, Starkweather also designed some of the most notable Italianate style villas in Maryland and Virginia.6 By 1860 he opened an office in Washington, D.C., and after the Civil War became the partner of Thomas M. Plowman in the architectural and engineering firm of Starkweather & Plowman .

 

Starkweather continued to be listed in Washington directories until 1881, though nothing is known of his career during the period following the Panic of 1873. His letterhead in 1877 read "Architect, Engineer, and Superintendent, All kinds of House Decorations Promptly Attended to."

 

Baltimore architect George Frederick reminisced that "after an erratic career . . . [Starkweather] moved to New York."

 

Arriving in New York City by the middle of 1880, Starkweather was a partner of Robert Napier Anderson in the firm of Starkweather & Anderson, "architects and superintendents," at 106 Broadway.

 

From 1881 until about 1884 he was the partner of Charles E. Gibbs; the office of Starkweather & Gibbs in 1881 was in the World Building, owned by O.B. Potter, at 37 Park Row. Besides the Potter Building, only two other commissions by Starkweather in New York City are known, both with Gibbs: the previously-mentioned 746-750 Broadway , also for Potter, and the Second Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church at 321 East 118th Street, a Victorian Gothic style composition with flanking asymmetrical towers, executed in brick and terra cotta. Starkweather died in New York in December 1885, prior to the completion of the Potter Building, and was buried in Bridgeport, Conn.

 

The Tall Office Building in New York City in the 1880s

 

During the nineteenth century, commercial buildings in New York City developed from four-story structures modeled on Italian Renaissance palazzi to much taller skyscrapers. Made possible by technological advances, tall buildings challenged designers to fashion an appropriate architectural expression. Between 1870 and 1890, nine- and ten-story buildings transformed the streetscapes of lower Manhattan between Bowling Green and City Hall. During the building boom following the Civil War, building envelopes continued to be articulated largely according to traditional palazzo compositions, with mansarded and towered roof profiles.

 

The period of the late 1870s and 1880s was one of stylistic experimentation in which commercial and office buildings in New York incorporated diverse influences, such as the Queen Anne, Victorian Gothic, Romanesque, and neo-Grec styles, French rationalism, and the German Rundbogenstil, under the leadership of such architects as Richard M. Hunt and George B. Post. New York's tallest buildings — including the seven-and-one-half-story Equitable Life Assurance Co. Building at Broadway and Cedar Street, the ten-story Western Union Building at Broadway and Liberty Street, and the ten-story Tribune Building on Park Row, all now demolished — incorporated passenger elevators, iron floor beams, and fireproof building materials.

 

Cage construction, employed in the 1880s in tall buildings in New York and Chicago, was characterized by the Record and Guide as "a frame work of iron or steel columns and girders which carry the floors only, and do not carry the outer walls. In the cage construction the outer walls are independent walls, from the foundation to the extreme top, sustaining themselves only, and therefore, the walls are made less in thickness than if they had to bear the floors as in ordinary buildings such walls would have to do."12 Ever taller skyscrapers were permitted by the increasing use and refinement of the metal skeleton frame, in which the metal columns and girders support both the floors and the outer walls.13 In addition, several hybrid structural forms were used in tall buildings, such as the combination of both masonry and metal for interior vertical supports. Fireproofing was of paramount concern as office buildings grew taller, and by 1881-82 systems had been devised to "completely fireproof' them.

 

While tall buildings in New York City often had interior light courts,15 George B. Post is credited as one of the first architects to introduce and popularize major light courts that faced the street, a solution to providing office towers with maximum light and air, in the Post Building , 16-18 Exchange Place, and Mills Building , 59 Exchange Place, both of which had C-shaped plans.16 The Potter Building utilized the successful design, construction, fireproofing, and planning techniques of these earlier buildings.

 

Park Row: "Newspaper Row"

 

The vicinity of Park Row, Nassau Street, and Printing House Square,18 roughly from the Brooklyn Bridge to Ann Street, was the center of newspaper publishing in New York City from the 1840s through the 1920s, while Beekman Street became the center of the downtown printing industry.

 

Beginning in the 1870s, this area was redeveloped with tall office buildings, most associated with the newspapers, and Park Row and adjacent Nassau Street acquired a series of important late-nineteenth-century structures: Tribune Building , 154-170 Nassau Street; Morse Building , 140 Nassau Street; Temple Court Building , 7 Beekman Street; Potter Building ; New York Times Building , 40 Park Row; World Building , 53-63 Park Row; American Tract Society Building , 150 Nassau Street; and Park Row Building , 15 Park Row.

 

Construction of the Potter Building

 

The Potter Building's lot, at Park Row and Beekman Street, had been the location of the Brick Presbyterian Church . When the church built a new edifice uptown, the church site was divided into two lots; the building erected on the northern lot housed the New York Times. Orlando B. Potter, with Boston friends John and Uriah Ritchie, purchased the southern lot in 1857 for around $350,000, and put up a five-story Italianate style stone structure that became the home of the New York World . Potter became the sole owner of this building in 1867.22 Destroyed by a fire on January 31, 1882, in which several people died, the World Building

 

"made itself notorious the country over for burning up in the shortest time on record."23 The Real Estate Record & Guide speculated that "the ground is so valuable that it will no doubt be immediately built upon, and a structure will take its place that will vie with the several superb buildings in its neighborhood."24 Potter, understandably determined to replace the World Building with a structure having the most advanced fireproofing then available, had suffered heavy financial loss in the fire.25 The Record & Guide announced on February 18, 1882, that

 

Mr. O.B. Potter proposes to erect on the site of the structure so recently destroyed by fire . . . one of the largest office buildings yet erected in New York. Mr. Potter proposes to have this building absolutely fireproof inside as well as outside . . . The building will be eleven stories high, the fronts being constructed of pressed brick and terra cotta . . . It is proposed to fit up the first floor for banking houses, while the upper stories will be devoted to offices for lawyers and general business purposes. It is the intention of the owner to make this structure an ornament to the neighborhood and in keeping with the numerous handsome buildings by which it will be surrounded.26 Costs, however, delayed construction until the next year.27 The Record & Guide finally indicated in April 1883 that foundation work on Potter's building had commenced: "The structure is to be made absolutely fire-proof.

 

A furnace will be put up on the premises to test the various building materials that Mr. Potter has under consideration. Mr. Starkweather's plans have been adopted, and the work will be pushed as rapidly as good building will permit."28

 

The World Building fire had occurred while Potter's 746-750 Broadway building was under construction, and the firms working on that project were retained for the construction of the Potter Building.29 The day after architect N.G. Starkweather filed his plans for the Potter Building, the New York Times announced that the eleven-story office building, with ground-story commercial spaces, was to cost $700,000, and that "the materials used in the construction of the walls and front will be the best bricks, pressed bricks, terra cotta, and iron . . . The roof and floor beams will be of rolled iron, and all floors, except the basement, will be laid on iron girders."30 The Record & Guide in March 1884 reported that "the Potter building is going forward rapidly."31 Five companies apparently supplied the exterior cast

 

iron and interior structural ironwork for the building , while Thomas Armstrong was the mason.32 The Fireman's Herald thought that "the new structure will be famous as the result of much thought and many experiments in order to put up an ideal fireproof building, and it will endure for ages . . . The work is not done by contract, but by the day, and every detail undergoes inspection."33 In addition, there was a bricklayers' strike in 1884,34 thus the estimated cost of the project in May 1885 rose to 1.2 million dollars. Construction was completed at the end of June 1886.

 

Today the Potter Building is recognized as an important and rare surviving example of an 1880s fireproofed New York office building with interior framing mostly of iron. The independent exterior brick walls vary in thickness from forty inches on the ground story to twenty inches on the upper stories. Interior hollow cast-iron structural columns are encased in wire netting covered with "lime water," fire brick, and plaster; flanged wrought-iron joists, set into the brick walls, carry wrought-iron beams; flat-arch tile fireproofing ,35 between and encasing the joists, is coated with plaster; and floors are laid with concrete and pieces of stone and brick. In each of the building's wings an interior masonry wall is set perpendicular to the court, for additional floor support and bracing of the building.36 The Fireman's Herald opined that "on the floors and ceilings depend the whole theory and practice of fire-proofing."

 

King's Handbook of New York in 1892 called the Potter Building "one of the most substantially constructed and absolutely fireproof among the office buildings in the metropolis."38 Besides the eleven above-ground stories, the building has two basement stories; four passenger elevators were originally located in a lobby that extended through the north end of the building.

 

Design of the Potter Building

 

The Potter Building, designed by a non-New York architect with a picturesque, flamboyant fusion of Queen Anne, neo-Grec, Renaissance Revival, and Colonial Revival motifs, was distinguished stylistically from most downtown Manhattan office buildings.

 

The vertically- expressed design, executed in red brick and brownstone-colored terra cotta above a cast-ironclad base, is organized by continuous piers flanking paired fenestration. The northernmost bay on both the Park Row and Nassau Street facades is narrower, corresponding functionally to the interior elevator halls. Articulation on all three facades is similar, the walls elaborated by ornamental terracotta capitals, pediments, segmental arches, panels, and corbelling. The building's brickwork, incorporating molding and patterns, is among the handsomest in New York City. The quadrilateral shape of the lot and the acute angle created by the juncture of Park Row and Beekman Street were skillfully adapted into the design, which features a dramatic, colossal three-quarter-round column terminating in a pinnacle on this primary corner. The roofline is further punctuated by finials and broken scroll pediments with urns.

 

Several elements of the Potter Building can be seen in Starkweather's earlier work, such as an overall picturesqueness, exploitation of a dramatic corner, the use of prominent pinnacles and pediments, and elaboration of windows. The Potter Building provided an interesting contrast with its adjacent neighbors, the slightly earlier Temple Court and Morse Buildings.

 

Contemporary comment on the Potter Building was decidedly mixed . A critic with the Record & Guide in 1885 was particularly scathing, stating that "there is not an interesting or refined piece of detail in the whole building . . . All the good work that has been done in recent architecture has been thrown away on the designer of the Potter building, which is coarse, pretentious, overloaded and intensely vulgar."39 Interestingly, this critic also viewed unfavorably the verticality of the design :

 

There is no effort visible anywhere to broaden the fronts and keep them down. There is not an emphatic horizontal line anywhere, with the single exception of the main cornice. Even the demarcation between the principal divisions is not brought out, while the vertical lines are everywhere emphasized so as to make the building look spindling.40 Carpentry and Building in 1885 remarked, how ever, that one of the most conspicuous new buildings in the lower part of New York City is the Potter

 

Building . . . noticeable to the casual visitor particularly on account of its hight [sic], and also on account of the combined use of iron and brick on the outside walls . . . A prominent feature of the building is the extensive use of terra-cotta . . . The front of the principal story and the story immediately above it are of cast iron. Iron trimmings are also used in some of the stories above these, and a judicious combination of iron with brick, and iron with terra-cotta, is a marked feature of the exterior treatment.41

 

King's Handbook in 1892 thought that "the really noble proportions of the Potter Building, and the impressive character of its architecture, make it one of the great and illustrious monuments of commercial success in the Empire City."42 And in 1899 the History of Architecture and the Building Trades of Greater New York found that the building "as a design is unusual and perhaps excessive in detail, but has great interest in the disposition of its masses."

 

The Potter Building is an early example, and one of the earliest surviving, of a New York office building having a C-shaped plan with a major light court facing the street . The Record & Guide noted that the court was "similar to those of the Post and Mills buildings," while the Fireman's Herald thought the building "is so divided that it looks almost like two buildings."44 Today the Potter Building is one of New York's most notable surviving tall office buildings of the period prior to the full development of the skyscraper. Its significance is enhanced by the fact that its original design is nearly intact . Its visibility is heightened by its prominent location on Park Row facing City Hall Park and by its three fully articulated facades.

 

The Potter Building and Architectural Terra Cotta in New York City

 

While there were several attempts in the 1850s to employ terra cotta for architectural ornament in New York,46 it was after the Chicago and Boston fires of 1871-72 that terra cotta began to be used as a significant interior and exterior building material in the United States. Walter Geer observed that "by these fires it was conclusively demonstrated that fire-proof buildings could not be made of unprotected stone or iron, and that only brick and terra-cotta walls were practically fire-proof.

 

This increased use of brick work, and of terra-cotta as a constructive and decorative material in connection with brick work, revived the demand for the manufacture of this material in or near New York."47 Advantages seen in terra cotta for both exterior architectural ornament and interior fireproofing included its fireproof properties, strength, durability, lower cost and weight in shipping and handling, the relative ease w ith which elaborate decoration could be molded, and the retention over time of crisp ornamental profiles compared to stone. In the 1870s and early 1880s architectural terra cotta was often a color that matched stone that could be employed in pleasant juxtaposition with brick, or as a substitute for brownstone. The Record & Guide remarked that during this period "terra cotta is most generally used for the trimming and ornamentation of buildings, taking the form of panels, courses, friezes, small tiles, roofing tiles and paving blocks."

 

George B. Post was the leader in New York City in the use of exterior terra cotta, in his designs for the Braem House , 15 East 37th Street;49 Long Island Historical Society , 128 Pierrepont Street, Brooklyn, for which a contemporary said "the material has been employed, for the first time in the United States, both for the building material and for all decorative details";50 New York Produce Exchange , 2 Broadway; and Mills Building. Among other contemporary architects who employed terra cotta were Silliman & Farnsworth, in the Morse Building, then considered the first prominent New York office building to employ exterior terra cotta , and Temple Court Building; and Kimball & Wisedell, designers of the Casino Theater , 1400 Broadway, an early New York building having highly intricate, exotic terra-cotta ornament.

 

The Potter Building was an early and significant building to employ extensive exterior architectural terra cotta. To day the building is a rare survivor of that period of development of terra cotta in New York. The terra cotta on the Potter Building, highly sculpted in comparison to the lower relief terra-cotta panels and more judicious use of terra cotta found more typically on contemporary buildings, was produced by the Boston Terra Cotta Co.52 One of the first terra cotta firms on the East Coast, the Boston company featured the Potter Building in its 1885 catalogue, declaring that the terra cotta was "used constructively -- fully demonstrating the great bearing strength of the work made by the Boston Terra Cotta Co."

 

The term "constructively" refers to the manner in which the terra cotta was fully integrated into the exterior brick bearing walls of the Potter Building.

 

Some 540 tons of terra cotta were employed in the Potter Building, which was further called in 1888 an example of the best use of terra-cotta, both for constructive and ornamental purposes . . . No building yet erected in this country is more solidly constructed, and the weight supported by the piers and arches is simply enormous. If stone had been used in place of terra-cotta, the weight to be supported would have been more than doubled, and the risk and cost of handling would have been greatly increased, to say nothing about the first-cost of stone work, as heavily carved and richly ornamented as the terra-cotta work used in this building.5 James Taylor , "the father of American terra cotta,"55 was superintendent of the Boston Terra Cotta Co. during construction of the Potter Building.

 

First rising to superintendent of J.M. Blashfield's terra cotta works in Stamford, England, Taylor left and later superintended the Chicago Terra-Cotta Works in 1870-76, the period during which Chicago was the leading location for American terra cotta manufacturing. He advised the establishment of the A. Hall & Sons Fire Brick Works in 1877 in New Jersey. After the owner of the Chicago firm collaborated with the Boston Fire Brick Co. after 1876, to meet the demand for terra cotta on the East Coast, this plant subsequently became the Boston Terra Cotta Co. in 1880 and Taylor became superintendent there. Geer reported that Taylor "was frequently in New York supervising the setting of the terra cotta [for the Potter Building], and had numerous opportunities of meeting Mr. Potter, who always personally looked after the construction of his buildings."

 

O.B. Potter decided to organize his own firm, the New York Architectural Terra Cotta Co., which was launched in January 1886 with Walter Geer and his father, Asahel Clarke Geer; Taylor was superintendent until he retired in 1893. Ill-starred

 

to say the least, Potter saw his new terra cotta works in Long Island City totally destroyed by fire in July 1886 .58 The company, the only major architectural terra cotta firm in New York City, became one of the largest such manufacturers in the United States, remaining in business until bankruptcy in 1932. Walter Geer credited George B. Post and Orlando B. Potter as the two men most responsible for the promotion of terra cotta in New York City, praising Potter for having "employed terra cotta largely in all of the numerous buildings which he erected, and [who] did much by his example, and also by his advocacy of the material on all occasions, to promote and encourage its use."59

 

Early Tenants

 

King's Handbook mentioned that there were two hundred offices in the Potter Building, "including those of several newspaper and periodical publishers, insurance and other companies, lawyers and professional men."61 Among its newspaper tenants were the editorial and business offices of The Press, a popular penny newspaper founded in 1887 with ties to the Republican party, and the New York-Observer, the oldest American religious newspaper, started in 1823 and previously located in the World Building until the fire. Other tenants included Peter Adams Co. and Adams & Bishop Co., manufacturers of fine papers for printing, maps, photography, etc.; the Mutual Reserve Fund Life Association, established in 1881 and the then-largest assessment insurance firm in the world;62 the business offices of Otis Brothers & Co., manufacturers of elevators since 1855 and the leading maker of passenger elevators; the New York Architectural Terra Cotta Co. offices; and O.B. Potter himself, on the top floor.

 

Later History

 

After Orlando B. Potter's death in 1894, the Potter Building was conveyed to the O.B. Potter Trust ,64 then in 1913 to O.B. Potter Properties, Inc. Frederick Potter , a lawyer who had assisted his father with family real estate since 1880, became administrator of the estate and later served as president of O.B. Potter Properties.65 The firm sold the Potter Building in 1920 to Aronson Investing Co., Inc., "relinquished in the best interests of the [Potter] Estate with the changes brought about in the city's development."66 O.B. Potter's daughter,

 

Blanche, stated that, due to financial worries in 1919, the family sold some of its real estate, including the Potter and Empire Buildings.67 In 1923 the Potter Building was conveyed to Parbee Realty Corp., then to Gening Realty Corp. in 1929, to 38 Park Row Corp. in 1931, and back to Parbee in 1932. Seaman's Bank for Savings foreclosed on the property in March 1941, holding it until 1945, when it was purchased by Beepark Estates, Inc. . The majority of twentieth-century office tenants were lawyers and accountants. The 38 Park Row Corp. acquired the building in 1954 and held it until 1973, when it was sold to Pace College, which intended to demolish four adjacent buildings for the construction of a large office tower on Park Row. After this scheme fell through, Pace sold the Potter Building in 1979 to 38 Park Row Associates, a joint venture of the East River Savings Bank with the BOMA, Ltd., partnership .

 

The building was converted into a cooperative with loft apartments and the property was conveyed to the 38 Park Row Residence Corp. in 1981.

 

Description

 

The eleven-story Potter Building has three principal facades, on Park Row, Beekman Street, and Nassau Street; the C-shaped plan of the building allows for a major light court above the third story on Beekman Street. The building, of fireproofed construction with mostly iron framing, is clad in cast iron on the two stories of the base, and red brick and brownstone-colored terra cotta on the upper stories. Articulation on the three facades is similar, organized by continuous piers alternating with paired fenestration; there is a high degree of ornamentation in the cast iron, brick, and terra cotta. A colossal three-quarter-round column is placed on the acute primary corner of Park Row and Beekman Street. Windows have one-over-one double-hung wood sash . An exterior restoration, performed in 1992-93 by Siri & Marsik, architects, with Henry Restoration, included overall repointing, patching of the terra cotta with Jahn mortar, and some brick replacement.

 

Base

 

The two-story base is clad in cast iron. The entire ground story was originally capped by spandrel

 

panels with segmental arches with bosses, while the second story is capped by spandrel panels with pediments. Shopfronts were originally framed with thin cast-iron colonnettes, and had a display window and a doorway to the right, surmounted by a two-part transom. Historic photographs indicate that doors and entrance transoms were of the multi-pane Queen Anne style. All of the shopfronts have been altered several times over the years, and no historic fabric survives. Shopfronts are currently framed in metal with rolldown gates.

 

Base: Park Row The northernmost bay of the ground story was originally the entrance to the elevator lobby; it had shallow steps, columns supporting a heavy broken scroll pediment, and double doors. This entrance received a surround with a veneer of polished granite, the entrance steps were removed, and a shop was installed in the former entrance and western portion of the elevator lobby. The ground-story spandrel panels, originally with segmental arches, were covered by cast-stone panels . Base: Beekman Street The center of this facade corresponds to the light court above: the ground story originally had an entrance through a triple-arched portico with a projecting pediment supported by bracketed columns ; the second story has three windows flanked by colonnettes. This is the only facade with its original ground-story spandrel panels with segmental arches exposed.

 

A Duclos & Co. iron founder's plate is located on the first pier at the southwest corner of the building. Base: Nassau Street The northernmost bay of the ground story was originally the entrance to the elevator lobby; it is now the residential entrance, with metal and glass doors and transom . The ground-story spandrel panels, originally with segmental arches, were covered with cast-stone panels in 1941.

 

Midsection

 

The midsection consists of seven stories, the ninth story acting as a transition to the upper section. The spandrels above the third, fifth, sixth, and seventh stories are ornamented by corbelling, and the fourth and eighth stories by segmental arches, all of terra cotta. The piers of the eighth story have heavy terra-cotta stylized composite capitals, the corner column at Park Row and Beekman Street having an eagle. The ninth story is capped by a bracketed terra-cotta cornice. Window sills are cast iron. Beekman Street: Light Court The center section of the Beekman Street facade is the light court. On the third story are three windows flanked by cast-iron colonnettes, surmounted by a cast-iron pediment with an acroterion. A T-shaped fire escape was added across the center of the court in 1916-18. The fire escape was extended to the roof, enclosed with parged masonry walls, and braced with steel beams .

 

The remaining light court configuration is thus an enclosed interior light court to the north and an exposed southern portion, within which extends the enclosed stairway. The northernmost sections of the side walls of this latter portion of the court still exposed are clad in cream brick.

 

Upper Section

 

The two-story upper section has corbelled spandrels above the tenth story and segmental-arched windows with segmental terra-cotta hoods on the eleventh story. Alternate bays are surmounted by pediments. The roofline is punctuated by finials, broken scroll pediments with urns, and a prominent pinnacle above the primary corner column. The roof has later penthouse and service structures.

 

- From the 1996 NYCLPC Landmark Designation Report

Replaced with a different edit.

Model is Becca.

Replaced all of the sound proofing under the cab

Replaced bonnet so no advert holder

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.

Replacing an earlier scanned 6"x4" print with a better version 30-Dec-14, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 31-Mar-23.

 

This aircraft was delivered to Bavaria Fluggesellschaft as D-BIBI in May-64. It was sold back to Handley Page Aircraft as G-AVPN in Jun-67 and leased to Itavia as I-TIVB the following month. Itavia bought it in Jul-70.

 

It was sold to BIA British Island Airways as G-AVPN in Jul-73 and BIA was merged into AirUK in Jan-80. It was wet-leased to 'Skyguard' in Aug-85 and returned to AirUK in Sep-85. In Feb-86 the aircraft was sold to Nordic Oil Services and leased to Business Air Centre.

 

In Mar-86 it was sub-leased to Euroair Transport and returned to Business Air Centre in Sep-86. The aircraft was returned to Nordic Oil Services in Aug-87 and stored at Norwich, UK.

 

It was leased to British Air Ferries as a small package freighter in Nov-89 and then sold to Channel Express Air Services in Nov-91. It was sold to The Dart Group PLC (owners of Channel Express and later Jet2.com) in Feb-92 and leased back to Channel Express.

 

After 33 years in service the aircraft was permanently retired at Bournemouth, UK in Jul-97. It was donated to the Yorkshire Air Museum in Oct-97 and placed on display at Elvington, Yorkshire. I was advised in Apr-19 that over the intervening years the airfame had suffered from extensive corrosion and at that time only the nose section survived.

No, the Princeton girls were not given the boot from the sidelines, these Princeton students (they are guys, not East German women) were probaby pledging a fraternity on campus and part of their initation was to go around Princeton Stadium and cheer on the Tigers.

 

Either that or they really love to show off their stuff....and their blonde wigs.

 

*** Many people believe all Swedish women are blonde, that Sweden is populated by blonde bombshells more than any other country. However, True Blondes make up only approximately 50% of Sweden's 9 million population ***

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.

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

The DISNEY MAGIC Leaving Liverpool Cruise Terminal,

for a very short Cruise.

With the Mananan Ferry following it,

Also the Floating Platform Crain LARA 1

which is dismantling the Seacombe ferry terminal

and replacing it with a new one.

This video is taken at 1 frame per second,

and it has been reduced in size to 720p.

Created using Linux and WinFF.

© Kevin A Urquhart Photography.

Replacing rail ties and spikes. www.dailydieseldose.com for more!

Replaced componants.

Replace the blue parts.