Nigel's Photo Blog

  Ennis Street Scene Tonight, I am reporting on the town of Ennis (pop 25,000 ) which is located in County Clare in the west of Ireland, between Galway and  Limerick . Here are things for the visitor to consider: Franciscan Friary dating from 1242, Clare Museum with its emphasis on local history. Interesting residential and commercial architecture. Courthouse and cathedral. Shopping: Many boutiques plus eateries, bars and restaurants. Live traditional music in local pubs. Glor Theatre for entertainment including concerts. Refer this link for information on Daniel O'Connell, a 19th century campaigner for catholic emancipation who was MP for Clare. Visitors can chose from a wide range of accommodation providers.  

    O'Connell Monument, Ennis, County Clare. This evening, I am reporting on Daniel O'Connell, a famous figure from the 19th century who became a lawyer, politician and banker whose underlying objective was Catholic emancipation. Dublin's famous O'Connell Street is named after the said Daniel. Key milestones in O'Connell's life and career. Born 1775 near Carhen, County Kerry, the eldest of ten children.  Benefited form education in Ireland and France. Qualified as a lawyer in 1796 and entered King's Inn, Dublin.His skills were noted and he quickly rose to a sought-after barrister. Established bodied for Catholic emancipation in 1811 and 1823. Won County Clare seat in U.K. parliament in 1828 and eventually took it up in 1830 following relaxation of anti-Catholic discrimination in Parliament. Between 1834 and 1841 actively campaigned to end the union between U.K. and Ireland.This culminated in his imprisonment. Campaigned for mobilisation of the working classe

Tonight, I am reporting on a memorial to a thwarted attempt by a group of English emigrants who planned to sail to sail to America in 1607 in pursuit of religious freedom. Location of the memorial is five miles S.E.of the Lincolnshire town of Boston in eastern England, close to the estuaries of the rivers Haven and Welland. More information on access and location can be found on this TripAdvisor report.    The inscription reads: "Near this place in 1607 those later known as the Pilgrim Fathers were thwarted in their first attempt to sail to find religious freedom across the seas. Memorial re-worded by the generous gift of the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches and the First Congregational Church of Wauwatosa, WI USA-2009."

  Emmanuel College Garden  This evening, I am reprising a private tour of Cambridge.Unfortunately, some of the images are of sub-optimal quality. First, we first visited Emmanuel College which has an excellent garden open to the public as illustrated in images above and below. Carp Sculpture   Emmanuel College After concluding our visit to Emmanuel College we joined the sightseeing tour bus which took us around the key city sights and sites.   Cambridge Street Scene We departed the tour bus to visit the University of Cambridge Botanic Garden images of which are shown below.  Botanic Garden Botanic Garden  Botanic Garden Dawn Redwood at Cambridge University Botanic Garden  Botanic Garden Magnolia at Cambridge University Botanic Garden Next to join a punt trip on the River Cam, which took about 45 minutes. Punting at Cambridge, England After a light lunch we went to the Institute of Astronomy for a private tour led by Mark, the very helpful librarian. This establis

    Corsham Court Tonight, I am reporting on the quintessentially English town on Cosham in NW Wiltshire about 100 miles directly west of London. Population is 13,370. The town is probably of Saxon origin and translates as 'homestead of village of man named Cosa or Cossa'. The architecture, augmented by beautiful countryside and strolling peacocks, attrracts film makers. The town  has featured in Poldark.  Street scene Prosperity was driven by wool and stone. The former was used by Flemish weavers whilst the locally quarried stone was used in many of the town's buildings. Places to see include: Corsham Court, a grand house which can trace back to Saxon times and which houses a collection of celebrated paintings.There are gardens designed by Capability Brown plus extensive parkland. The Pound, Corsham's gallery, theatre and cafe-bar. A wide range of independent shops. Eateries such as the Flemish Weaver and Methuen Arms. Just 10 miles to the SW is the popular city of B

  View of Polperro Harbour, Cornwall Introduction This evening, I am reporting on Polperro which is a large village and fishing harbour within the Polperro Heritage Coastline in south Cornwall, England. Population of the village is around 1600 persons. Information on Polperro  Most of the following narrative has been sourced from The Cornwall Guide A surfeit of touristy gift shops do not quite manage to spoil this quaint old Cornish fishing village whose narrow streets and pretty cottages remain undeniably attractive. Many of the cottages are covered with a profusion of flowers in summer and the streets are so narrow they are banned to cars, which makes Polperro an ideal place to explore on foot. There are shops selling paintings, pottery, jewellery and lots more souvenirs for the visitor. There are also newsagents, bakeries and other shops selling everyday requirements. In addition, there are galleries and arts and crafts exhibitions. Polperro holds an   Arts Festival   in June each y

Introduction Tonight I am reporting on the popular Cornish coastal holiday resort of Looe. This name translates at 'pool' or 'inlet'.   Image of Looe Harbour Information on Looe Population is about 5280. It is divided in two by local rivers. Location is 20 miles west of Plymouth in SW England and 7 miles south of Liskeard. This seaside town combines all year round visitor facilities whilst retaining a working fishing port.Sea food is widely available at local eateries. For the active there are distance walking routes whilst children can enjoy a safe, sandy beach with rockpools. Proud seagull at Looe Harbour  Specific Interests for the Visitor Outdoor adventure activities Harbour Heritage Centre Zip wires and Go karting Area of Outstanding Natural beauty runs from Par along the coast towards Looe and inland up the river Fowey as far as St Winnow.  Self-guided treasure trails. Looe Island, a marine nature reserve. The Looe Valley Railway Line links the historic market tow

 This post follows on from yesterday's report on the town of Hexham. Interior looking east For persons who wish to connect with English ecclesiastic, cultural, and architectural history then a visit to Hexham Abbey is essential. This building is a time capsule packed with artefacts (many unique) which enables the visitor to connect with about 1800 years of English history. Christian worship continues here today under auspices of the Anglican Church. Hexham is 25 miles west of Newcastle upon Tyne. The Abbey has evolved over a long period of time. Elements of the architecture/masonry date variously from the7th, 12th, 13th, 15th, 16th,19th, 20th and 21st centuries. This building long predates the establishment of a unified English state which occurred in the 10th century AD. It is currently located in the county of Northumbria ( N.E. England) which for most of the second half of the first millennium was-or purported to be- an independent kingdom. In fact the Abbey had its origins

Today, I achieved my objective of learning more about the Northumbrian town of Hexham which has a population of 13.100 and lies just 25 miles west of Newcastle upon Tyne and 6 miles south of Hadrian's Wall. Landscape view of Hexham Despite proximity to the Wall the Hexham district was never settled by the Romans although nearby Corbridge was, being 4 miles to the east. Hexham seems to date from the early Saxon period in the second half of the first millennium. The name translates as 'Warrior's Homestead' which is apposite because the early Saxon period was violent with multiple and competing mini-kingdoms often engaged in conflict.On the plus side this was a time of immigration from Germany, Holland and Scandinavia which proved a linguistic melting pot and emergence of the basic building block of the English language. For persons who wish to connect with English ecclesiastic, cultural, and architectural history then a visit to Hexham Abbey is essential. This buildi