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Rushton Triangular Lodge, Northamptonshire.
This delightful triangular building was designed by Sir Thomas Tresham (father of one of the Gunpowder Plotters) and constructed between 1593 and 1597. It is a testament to Tresham’s Roman Catholicism: the number three, symbolising the Holy Trinity, is apparent everywhere. There are three floors, trefoil windows and three triangular gables on each side.On the entrance front is the inscription ‘Tres Testimonium Dant’ (‘there are three that give witness’), a Biblical quotation from St John’s Gospel referring to the Trinity. It is also a pun on Tresham’s name; his wife called him ‘Good Tres’ in her letters.
An extraordinary piece of symbolic architecture sits along a lonely country lane, about a mile from the village of Rushton. From a cursory glance at this small but ostentatious building, it bears all the hallmarks of being nothing more than a folly. Upon a closer inspection of both its structure and its history, however, a deeper explanation for the existence of this building gradually reveals itself.
The Rushton estate was the principal seat of the Tresham family from 1437, and a large, country manor house was built in the late 15th century. With a staunchly Catholic background, Sir Thomas Tresham experienced a difficult and troubled life during the last two decades of the 1500s, and was imprisoned for much of the time because governments of the day felt threatened by his religious persuasion. It was during his prolonged captivity that Sir Thomas formulated the idea of making a covert declaration of his faith, having already smothered his cell walls with symbolic letters, dates, numbers and other religious scribbles.
It was not uncommon for the Elizabethans and Jacobeans to incorporate 'messages' within their elaborate buildings, but to emblazon a house with so many clear references to the Trinity was an outrageous notion. Nonetheless, on his release in 1593, Tresham began designing the triangular lodge, as something of a shrine dedicated to his long suffering. The result was this small, colourful house adorned with dates, emblems, biblical passages, shields and skilfully carved gargoyles. Constructed on the basis of an equilateral triangle, the symbolism is apparent throughout the entire building, and all features relate back to the Holy Trinity and the Mass. On the three walls, there are three windows on each of the three floors, three roof gables, and even a triangular chimney adorned with Tresham trefoils.
Inside the house is remarkably plain, providing compact and simple accommodation for a gamekeeper or someone of similar status. The building is often referred to in the Rushton estate documents as The Warryners Lodge. Not a lavish palace, an impressive stately home, or a romantic country manor house, just a bizarre little dwelling created by the imaginative, perhaps slightly eccentric, mind of a devout Catholic man. Even if the religious connotations seem a bit heavy going and difficult to interpret, the fascination of identifying some of the emblems, and trying to understand how Thomas Tresham's mind worked, invites a compelling investigation of the lodge.
Shorter version of my Triangular Knitting Needle Case published in Sew Gifts!, book by Martingale. Blogged herel.
I love the geometric feel to this shot. Granted, dress shots are not always my forte, but I'm a little partial to this one, because of the awesome windows behind it.
A Cottonmouth Water Moccasin is pictured here. The triangular shaped head is evident even at rest, set off with distinct elliptical 'cat-eye' pupils and a dark facial line extending through the eye. Powerful jaws support this snake's habit of latching on during a bite rather than the quick strike and release pattern of its cousin the Copperhead.This 'Cottonmouth' or 'trapjaw' can snap shut with lightening speed instantly when touched, and can deliver a large venom dose to prey or victims alike! The Cottonmouth derives its name from the habit of lying in a sprawled coil, head flung back, with the mouth resting in an ominous open position exposing the white inner surface of the mouth almost straight up. Anyone care for a little dip?
"Rejuvenating" older pieces including this. Covered some parts that I didn't like & added this beautiful stamp.
From the August 2016 return trip to Siem Reap and the Angkor complex:
I love the Angkor complex, Siem Reap, and the Cambodian people so much that I returned again for about a week to photograph as much of the “non-major” sites as I could. Some of them are slightly far from Angkor Wat (by that, I mean to say more than 10 kilometers away), and usually require a little more money to get to. Also, some of the sites (Beng Mealea, Phnom Kulen) are not included in the Angkor ticket price and have an additional admission fee.
I don’t know if there’s a set number of how many sites belong in the Angkor complex, though I’m sure it would vary. (Do you only count the major sites like Angkor Wat, Bayon, Ta Prohm? Do you add the sites that aren’t included in the standard “Angkor Pass,” but are clearly of the same era? Do you include sites that aren’t even named (as are one of the sites in this series)? All in all, I’ll put a very rough number at…50 sites in the Siem Reap area, and that includes the sites that are about 100 km away. Of those, I would say I’ve been to all but 5-10 now. All are included here with the exception, obviously, of the sites that I didn’t visit. (Off the top of my head, I can say they include Koh Ker & that respective group, which is about 120 km ENE of Siem Reap; Phnom Krom, one of the three “mountains” with temples; Ta Prohm Kel; and Mangalartha.)
In practical terms, I’m afraid that with the volume of shooting (about 1,500 frames in the past 7 days), photos will start to look redundant to those who don’t have the same interest in ancient/historical architecture or Angkor as I do. That being said, there are a few things besides temples here. The Old Market area (now Night Market/Pub Street) is represented – a little – and Phnom Kulen has a pretty nice waterfall which is also in this series. Also, I tried to catch a few people in here, though didn’t get as many as I would’ve liked.
I had my friend Mao (tuktuk driver) take me around for 5 of these 7 days this time around. As I mentioned last time, he may cost a little more than what you can arrange through a hotel/guesthouse, but he’s well worth the money (and, in the grand scheme of things, not too expensive; I paid less than $200 for the five days, two of which were “long” trips). He loves his country and heritage, he knows what he’s showing you, he’s flexible, he gives you enough ice water to keep you hydrated, and he’s just a good guy. (He even bought me a birthday cake for cryin’ out loud…) Anyway, I highly recommend Mao. You can find him here: www.facebook.com/mao.khvan (or on Trip Advisor: www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g297390-d10726821-R... )
Now that shameless plugs and other assorted rhetoric are out of the way, it’s time to get on to the temples, ruins, and other miscellany.
Banteay Srei (Citadel of the Women, or Citadel of Beauty) is, from what I can tell, the most attractive temple in terms of intricate details. The details are so intricate, in fact, that when this temple was “discovered” in the 20th century, it was thought to be from the 13th or 14th centuries (late Angkor period). During restoration, it was discovered that this temple was actually begun in 967 AD…and finished not too long afterwards.
A few things to note about this temple are that it was not commissioned by a king, but by a brahman. (I believe it’s the only temple in the Angkor complex that wasn’t commissioned by a royal.) Also, the name Banteay Srei is not its original name, though I don’t know who bestowed that name or when. The original name is Tribhuvanamahesvara, which means “Great Lord of the Threefold World.” (This is taken from an inscription on its central linga.)
Apart from that, things to note are its size (rather small) and its detail. The current saying is that, “This is a temple that must have been built by women as it is so beautiful.” It is carved from a slightly pinkish stone and the stone carvings are arguably among the best in the world.
Some of the carvings of note show delicate women with lotus flowers in hand in traditional skirts and recreations of scenes from the Ramayana above the main doors of the libraries. In addition, there are mythical guardians standing watch over the temple, though these are recreations. (The originals are in the National Museum in Phnom Penh.)
Banteay Srei is not a temple that is included in either the standard mini circuit or grand circuit tours of Angkor as it’s a bit farther afield. It’s 21 km northeast of Bayon (or about 35-40 km northeast of Siem Reap). Because of that, it’s necessary to arrange for a tuktuk driver to take you here, and it’s best if you do this in conjunction with other “far” sites in the area – Phnom Kulen, Phnom Bok, Banteay Samre, Kbal Spean, or even Beng Mealea. In my case, the second day consisted of sunrise at Sra Srang, Banteay Srei, Phnom Kulen, and Banteay Samre.
This is a temple that, like almost every one at Angkor, faces east. There are east and west entrances – with the eastern entrance along a causeway – that are both easily accessible. Mao & I trampled through the woods (a “shortcut,” and it really was only about a 2 minute walk from where we parked) to the back of the temple. The sun finally came out after having been at Banteay Srei for about half an hour, so some of the shots should have some nice lighting.
After visiting in May, this temple is definitely one of the ones I most wanted to see upon returning and I wasn’t disappointed. I would highly recommend it to anyone who visits Angkor.
As always, I hope you enjoy this set. I appreciate you taking time to look. If you have any questions, please feel free to send me a message or leave it via comment.
I found a few of these as we travelled around the N-W of Tasmania, all on Boobyalla (Coastal Wattle). This particular one was at Narawntapu NP (most Tasmanians know it as the Asbestos Ranges NP) , but the first was at Gunns Plains.
Explore: January 8, 2009
This is a photograph of a tatty old print of a photograph I took that was published in The Observer in the late 1980’s.
Part of a glass and stainless steel work of art, it has unfortunately been vandalised, thus the pitting on some of the sheet metal.
Just saw a photo on flickr ( www.flickr.com/photos/miss-sarah/400323580 ) that made me think of this pic I took in China in the city of Bao Ji.
Some strange designs are present in ancient Chinese artifact. This was the strangest one I came across though!