Nigel's Photo Blog

  This evening, I am providing information on Belas   Knap , a prehistoric Long Barrow dating from the early Neolithic period and which is around 5500 years old. Facts and information: Located near the small town of Winchcombe in the English Cotswolds. Access entails an approximate 20 min climb via a rough track up Cleeve Hill. The barrow is of a type known as a Cotswold Severn Cairn. Similar extant examples can be found along the Severn Valley. Excavations have occurred over the period 1863-1963. Comprises an elaborate false entrance with four burial chambers. The latter were formed of upright stone slabs linked by dry-stone walling. Remains of thirty-eight people have been found within the four chambers. Analysis reveals deaths occurred around 3700-3600 BC. The site is seventy miles due north of Stonehenge.Belas Knap is at 1,97 degrees W whilst Stonehenge is 1.82 degrees W.      Entrance    Entrance

  Landscape view of Sudeley Castle, England. This evening I am focusing on Sudeley Castle & Gardens in the English Cotswolds which in turn are a popular tourist destination about 100 miles north of London. Sudeley  is not a ruin but the lived in home of Lady Ashcombe . The castle, which dates from the 15th century, possibly on an earlier castle site,  is rich in heritage with spells under Royal control including Richard III, Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth I and Charles I having involvement over the centuries. Some physical damage was caused during the English Civil War, in the 17th century. Sudeley Castle and Gardens Within the grounds of Sudeley is buried Katherine Parr, the last of Henry VIII’s six wives. The 15th century church where she lies entombed is open to visitors. Parts of the castle interior are open to the public including the following exhibits on three floors: A letter from Charles I Roman Altar. Bed hangings. Items belonging to Katherine Parr, last wife of He

  Winchcombe, Cotswolds This evening, I am posting information on the pleasant town of Winchcombe (pop 5347)  in the Cotswolds region of Central England. A visit here can cover sites spanning 6000 years of history plus scenery and other attractions. Winchcombe has a recorded history dating back to AD 810 and is mentioned in the 1086 Domesday Book. The name is derived from Old English and means 'valley with a bend in'. Summary information on Winchcombe and environs: Wealth derived from wool growing and trading in medieval period, as manifested in impressive church which was rebuilt in the 15th century. About 10 miles from Cheltenham. Belas Knap Long Barrow (image immediately below) dates from around 3800 BC. Sudeley Castle is a visitor attraction dating from 15th century. Stanway House and Fountain, a well-preserved Jacobean Manor House. Cotswold Farm Park with emphasis on rare breeds. Cleeve Common, an Area Of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Centre for walking including the Cotswo

  Stall at Borough Market, London Borough Market is a dynamic and vibrant wholesale and retail food market located in Southwark, London, England. It is one of the largest and oldest food markets in London, with a market on the site dating back to around 1014 AD. Here can be found over one hundred stalls selling a wide range of artisan food products including gourmet foods, cheeses, patisseries, etc. Location is just south of the River Thames, within about half a mile of the Globe Theatre and Southwark Cathedral.   Fruit and veg Gourmet Foods Fruit and Veg Choice meats Vegetables Food to go Wine     Turkish Delight     Sandwiches to go.

  Elgin Marbles at British Museum Tonight, I am reporting on the link between Scotland's surviving Bruce family, with a direct link to King Robert the Bruce, victor of the Battle of Bannockburn near Stirling, Scotland) in 1314, and an extensive collection of high quality marble statues and carvings dating back nearly 2500 years which were taken by Thomas Bruce (Earl of Elgin) from the Parthenon in Athens, which at the time was in a ruinous state, and shipped same to London between 1801 and 1805 where they were displayed to the public before transfer to the British Museum in 1817 where they remain to this day. More Information: The current living blood connections with Robert the Bruce are the nonagenarian Earl and his son, Lord Charles Bruce whose family seat is Broomhall near Edinburgh, Scotland. Lord Charles Bruce is descended from Edward, the brother of Robert the Bruce. Robert's line died out after one generation. Since the 1980s Greek governments have lobbied for return o

  Detail from West front of Wells Cathedral This afternoon I am reprising a tour of historic sites in Somerset, West of England Glastonbury Abbey This was a former monastery founded in the 7th century then enlarged in the 10th century in the 14th Destruction by fire occurred in 1184 followed by rebuilding in the 14th century. At its peak, the monastery complex was very wealthy. Life at the Abbey came to an end in 1539 on orders of Henry VIII with last abbot hung, drawn and quartered as a traitor. Lady Chapel View from High Altar of Glastonbury Abbey Glastonbury Tor  This is a small hill within walking distance of Glastonbury Abbey which rises to a height of 521 feet above the surrounding Somerset Levels. Atop the hill sits St Michael's Tower. The summit of the tower has a long history of  religious activity with the tower representing all that remains of the Church of St Michael which was built on the site in the 14th century. Glastonbury Tor Somerset Levels viewed from Glasto

  West Front This evening, I am posting summary information on Wells Cathedral in Somerset, England. Location is 128 miles west of London. Built between 1175 and 1490 in the Gothic style. Features included iconic West Front and ‘scissor arches’ supporting the central tower. Home to one of the largest collections of stained glass in England, including the 14th century Jesse window. Treasures include the famous Wells Clock (which is considered to be the second oldest clock mechanism in Great Britain), the fascinating octagonal Chapter House and one of only four chained libraries in the UK.   Detail-West Front Nave Lady Chapel l    Scissor Arches Tower.

  Southwark Cathedral, London, England Southwark Cathedral is an Anglican place of worship tucked away on the South bank of the River Thames, close to Borough Market and London Bridge Station. Until the Reformation in 1539 the building would have been used for Roman Catholic worship. The first records of a 'minster' on the site can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086 but it is quite possible that the site was used for religious purposes as far back as the 7th century AD. A brief chronology of the site/building is as follows: Refounded in 1106 by two Norman knights and the Bishop of Winchester as a priory. Church dedicated to St Mary which was later styled as St Mary Overie with latter word meaning 'over the water', i.e from the City of London on the North bank of the Thames. After the Reformation in 1539 Henry VIII rented the church to the local congregation. By this time the church had been re-named St Saviour's. In 1611 members of the congregation purchased the

  Poulnabrone Portal Tomb, Burren, Ireland This afternoon, I am dipping into prehistory with information on the Poulnabrone Portal Stone  in the Burren region of County Clare, Ireland. This is also known as a Dolmen.Such can be defined as a megalithic tomb with a large flat stone laid on upright ones,. These structures are found chiefly in the British Isles and France. Location is about 40 miles south of Galway in the west of Ireland. The tomb which may date back about 6000 years and is one of 90 megalithic tombs in the Burren region. This tomb is situated in a karst limestone plateau 150 meters above sea level. Here archaeologists have discovered the remains of 22 people the bones of which have been analysed in detail to provide insight into life and death during the Neolithic period. Side elevation of Poulnabrone Portal Tomb, Ireland Poulnabrone in context of karst landscape.