Nigel's Photo Blog

Royal Crescent, Bath, England This evening, I am reporting on the architecturally important structure known as the Royal Crescent in Bath , England. Location is about 115 miles west of London. Bath is best known for (a) it's Roman history, particularly the famous hot water baths and (b) it's Georgian architecture to which the Royal Crescent relates.  The 500 foot long Royal Crescent dates from 1767-1775 and stands out as one of Bath's most iconic landmarks. It was designed by John Wood the Younger. It is primarily comprised of privately owned town houses one of which is the 5 star, Royal Crescent Hotel The structure is arranged around a perfect lawn and overlooks the Royal Victoria Park. Over it's long life the Royal Crescent has been home to many notable persons and has proved popular for films and period dramas such as those inspired by Jane Austen. Here is a video clip

 Tonight, I am posting a brief report on the Roman Baths at Bath , S.W. England. This public facility was originally constructed around AD 60 and was in use through to the end of Roman rule in AD410, possibly longer. At the heart of the facility is one of the few hot water springs in the British Isles.  Image of the Great Bath Key features are set out below. The Roman Spring which was formed by surrounding the natural spring with an irregular stone chamber lined with lead. In the second century it was enclosed with a barrel vaulted building. The Temple, which was dedicated to the Roman goddess, Sulis Minerva. The Temple courtyard, a sacred area surrounding the Temple. The Great Bath, a pool lined with fort five sheets of lead and filled with hot spring water. This was once contained within a barrel-vaulted hall rising to a height of forty metres. The bath is 1.6m deep. The East Baths which contained heated rooms, swimming pools and changing rooms. This facility was probably patro

This afternoon I re-discovered a Roman coin which I first found in a field in Hertfordshire, central England in the 1980s.It is actually quite tiny being about 1.75cm at widest .Fortunately, I am able to enlarge the coin using latest technology. Bearing in mind the coin may have been in the earth for about 1500 years it is not surprising that clarity of the design is average at best. What could be the reverse of the coin, as shown immediately below, may indicate a bull whilst the obverse seems to be a full length female, possibly pregnant. The overall message could be to do with fertility. When I first found the coin I took it to a numismatist who confirmed it was Roman but I can't recall any details. If any reader can provide more information I will be pleased to learn more.   Reverse?      Obverse?  

Here is a video-clip of an unusual sheep movement near Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog, North Wales. I have titled it as a round-up but can't see any evidence of farmers or dogs on the scene. Maybe something just spooked the flock and off they went. Sheep farming   has been important to the Welsh economy. Sheep farms are most often situated in the country's mountains and moorlands, where sheepdogs are employed to round up flocks. Sheep are also reared, however, along the south and west coasts of Wales. There are currerntly about 10 million sheep in Wales and the total flock made up nearly 33% of the British total. In 2011 sheep farming accounted for 20% of agriculture in Wales.Historically sheep were raised for their wool but today lamb meat is the key product.

Tonight, I am reporting on Eskdale in Cumbria, N.W. England. The name translates as 'valley of the river Esk' with the 'dale' element dating from Norwegian settlers of the first millennium. Eskdale is a glacial valley in England's Lake District National Park which is located about 55 miles SW of Carlisle . Key attractions are the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway and Muncaster Castle. There is also the Roman for t situated on the remote Hardknott Pass from which vantage point the above video clip was taken. Muncaster Castle  Video clip of drive along the Hardknott Pass   The famous walking guide, Wainwright, describes Eskdale as "One of the loveliest of Lakeland's valleys, descends from the highest and wildest mountains in the district to the Sands of Ravenglass in a swift transition from bleak and craggy ridges to verdant woodlands and pastures watered by a charming river." Upper Eskdale is a remote wilderness surrounded by Sca Fell, Scafell Pike, Esk

Tonight, I am reporting on the Bogside district which lies outside the city walls of Derry in Northern Ireland. The large gable-wall murals by the Bogside Artists, Free Derry Corner and the Gasyard Feile (an annual music and arts festival held in a former gasyard) are popular tourist attractions. The Bogside is a majority Catholic/Irish Republican area which shares a border with the Protestant/Ulster loyalist enclave of the Fountain. Thew area became a catalyst for a long period of discontent known as the Troubles.For a period between 1969 and 1972 the Bogside became a no-go area for the British Army and local police.This culminated in Bloody Sunday on January 30th 1972 when 26 unarmed civilians engaged on a protest march were shot dead by British soldiers.. A peace agreement was signed in Belfast on April 10th 1998 which resulted in a largely peaceful conclusion to the long-running tensions in Northern Ireland.  Peace Bridge, Londonderry Wall Mural Wall Mural Bloody Sunday Memorial Hi

This evening, I am reporting on the medieval siege machine known as the trebuchet. One key use was to pound away at castle walls with massive rocks until their defensive capabilities were severely weakened. In addition to rock type projectiles the trebuchet could be used for germ and psychological warfare by  lobbing into castles rotting animals and the bodies of captured deceased defenders. The video below shows a trebuchet in action at Warwick Castle , England. This still image is of the trebuchet at Castle Urquhart at Loch Ness, Scotland.   Technical information A trebuchet is a type of catapult that uses a long arm to throw a projectile. It was a common powerful siege engine until the advent of gunpowder . The design of a trebuchet allows it to launch projectiles of greater weights and further distances than that of a traditional catapult. There are two main types of trebuchet. The first is the   traction trebuchet , or mangonel , which uses manpower to swing the arm. It first

  Recently, by chance, I noticed on Google Maps reference to a historic stone carving on a local golf course. Following research and a visit to the club this morning, I was provided with the above  image of discovery of the site in 1937. The carvings were discovered during construction of a new green. They have not been moved or damaged and are usually covered in natural vegetation. I was promised access to the site in November when the season ends. The carvings are usually classified as 'cup and ring' with underlying purpose not known. They seem to have originated deep in history, possibly during the Neolithic period or even earlier, maybe 5000 years ago. This type of carving is widespread across the U.K. and Ireland.They may have been created  by peoples who occupied the landscape before arrival of our ancestors around 2100 BC. See this link for more information. In common with many similar sites the examples illustrated have been carved on exposed rock surfaces which have

  Capelrig Cross at Rouken Glen Visitor Centre, Glasgow, Scotland. This evening, I am reporting on a very ancient link with Scotland’s distant history, namely an early medieval cross.  The cross is represented by the remaining shaft as illustrated above and immediately below. It is constructed of sandstone and for about one thousand years was exposed to the elements in a fixed open landscape position which explains the extensive weathering and loss of the cross-bar. The structure, together with base, was rescued from an open field as recently as 1926. Video clip of the cross More information (from Canmore.org.uk): Measurements: H 2.35m above base, W 0.48m, D 0.20m; base c H 0.70m, W 1.09m by 0.61m Stone type: sandstone Evidence for discovery: recorded in the early 1920s standing in a field on Holm Farm and taken to the museum in Glasgow in 1926 after excavation around its base. Present condition: severely weathered and broken at the top (cross-head is missing). Description Al

   Bridge over part frozen burn (stream). During the past few days various regional pockets of the U.K. have been subject to arctic weather conditions entailing heavy snowfalls.  Whilst the worst of the weather bypassed SW Scotland we did experience temperatures at or below freezing coupled with a light, overnight snow covering. This morning I ventured out with intention of obtaining images influenced by the brilliant, low angle winter sun and snow cover.  Snow at lower levels with hills in the distance snow free. Footprints (mainly dog walkers) This image of parallel strips at a golf course indicate land management from hundreds of years ago. In the Middle Ages each strip was managed by one family, within large open fields held in common, and the locations of the strips were the same each year. The movement of soil year after year gradually built the centre of each strip up into a ridge, leaving a dip, or "furrow" between each ridge (this use of "furrow" is differe

 Tonight, I am reprising a small group tour of the English Cotswolds. Cotswold Landscape at Long Compton First, we departed our lodgings in Moreton in Marsh and drove for about 15 minutes to the nearby Rollright Stones ,a prehistoric stone circle dating from around 2000 BC. Rollright Stones Next to Stratford-upon-Avon to visit Shakespeare’s Birthplace .Here we encountered reenactment period actors and musicians from the Tudor period. Alas, poor Yorick! Actor at Shakespeare’s birthplace, Stratford Shakespeare’s Birthplace, Stratford Outside Shakespeare’s Birthplace at Stratford Tudor musicians at Shakespeare’s Birthplace Video clip of musicians playing Tudor period music.(1485-1603)     Tudor Wife Next, to nearby Anne Hathaway’s Cottage (home of Shakespeare’s wife who he married at age 18 when she was 26 years). Anne Hathaway’s Cottage Final visit was Warwick Castle , a well presented visitor attraction which has its origins in the 11th century but gradually evolve

 Effigy of Robert Neville at Brancepeth Church. Died 1319. This evening, I am reprising a small group, one-day tour of sites in northern England. The weather was characterised by unseasonally low temperatures, rain and a hint of snow in mid-afternoon. We departed our lodgings in York after breakfast and drove north to the village of Brancepeth in County Durham.Prime purpose of this visit was to connect with the formerly prominent Neville family. We parked close to the huge castle which is still privately owned, not a visitor attraction, and then visited the adjacent parish church dedicated to St Brandon. Brancepeth Castle, England St Brandon’s Church was a typical Church of England Parish Church, dating back to Saxon times but mainly from 12th-15th centuries.Unfortunately, the building suffered massive fire damage in 1998 and came within a whisker of total destruction. However, the church was able to be sympathetically rebuilt, at cost of  GBP3.2m, a project which was comp