Nigel's Photo Blog

  High Force Waterfall This evening, I am reprising a tour of aspects of County Durham from July 30th 2018. ( The ceremonial county is officially named Durham, but the county has long been commonly known as County Durham and is the only English county name prefixed with "County" in common usage (a practice common in Ireland). Today, I was based in Bishop Auckland, a pleasant town in N.E. England whose main claim to fame is that a young Stan Laurel (of Laurel & Hardy) lived here in the early 20th century before moving to America. Bishop Auckland I had specifically selected this location in order to visit the nearby Roman Fort of Binchester ( Vinovia),  a massive site which is being progressively excavated. Indeed, a team of volunteers was at work during my visit. The fort at Binchester was one of a south-north chain of such forts linking with Hadrian's Wall about fifty miles to the north. The first fort on the Binchester site dates from AD 75 when it was one of the la

  Sage, Gateshead, England This evening, I am posting information and images relating the Sage, an eclectic sort of building located in Gateshead on the south bank of the River Tyne, opposite Newcastle-upon-Tyne in N.E.England.  Image of the Sage taken from the Newcastle side of the River Tyne. This building, locally known as the 'slug', was designed by Foster & Partners and completed in 2004. It was specifically designed as a centre for musical education, performances and conferences. Inside are three discrete, and acoustically segregated, performance venues with an aggregate seating capacity of 2725. Another image taken from the Newcastle side of the Tyne. In a wider context, the Sage is part of the Gateshead Quays Development project which includes the nearby BALTIC Centre and Millennium Bridge. Clearly, a good location for architects and engineers.  Baltic Centre Millennium Bridge

Reconstructed Neolithic Hut at Stonehenge , England This evening, I am providing information on a selection of domestic dwellings in Britain spanning a period of about 4500 years, from the Early Neolithic to the Iron Age. Neolithic Period ( 4500-2200 BC) Reconstructed Neolithic hut at Stonehenge, England Reconstructed Neolithic hut at Stonehenge, England Skara Brae , Orkney, Scotland Skara Brae, Orkney, Scotland. Bronze Age (2200 BC to 800 BC) Reconstructed Bronze Age Hut, Brodick Castle, Scotland. Interior of Bronze Age Hut, Brodick, Scotland I ron Age (800 BC to 43 AD) The two images immediately below are age remains of brochs. Brochs are unique to Scotland with the majority dating from around 100 BC to 100 AD. There are over 500 known sites of these structures in Scotland, but it is only in the Highlands and Islands that brochs are to be found in any numbers. The brochs are tall, windowless towers,cleverly engineered, they represent the peak of dry-stone wall building and are

  Thatched House, Chipping Campden This evening, I am posting a portfolio of images of the English Cotswolds, a popular visitor site located about 100 miles N.W. of London. Here can be found a wide variety of sites and sights including: Rolling hills and farmland. Elaborate gardens. Thatched houses. Medieval churches. Honey-coloured stone houses. Prehistoric sites dating back c. 5000 years. Chedworth Villa and other Roman remains. Quaint villages such as Bourton-on-the-Water . Stratford-upon-Avon and Shakespeare's Birthplace. Grand and historic houses. Colourful fields. Intriguing back roads. Ancient market towns such as Chipping Campden and Stow-on-the-Wold . Bourton-on-the-Water   Red Deer, Broadway   View from Broadway Tower   Shakespeare's Birthplace, Stratford-upon-Avon   Painswick Rococo Garden   Mosaic at Chedworth Roman Villa   Hidcote Manor Garden  Market Hall, Chipping Campden   Chastleton House, Chipping Norton     Charlecote Park   Stow-on-the-Wold   Traitors Fo