Nigel's Photo Blog

  Architectural detail at Plas Newydd, Llangollen, Wales. This evening, I am posting information on Plas Newydd in Llangollen , N.E. Wales which is located about twenty five miles S.W. of Chester. Plas Newydd  , which translates as New Hall or New Mansion, was made famous by two aristocratic ladies of Irish origin whose lives straddled the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The two ladies were Lady Eleanor Charlotte Butler (1739-1829) and Sarah Ponsonby (1755-1831) who, between 1798 and 1814. transformed a nondescript small cottage into an elaborate, Gothic themed home with planned garden. Subsequent owners undertook modifications, additions and alterations culminating in the current building and grounds. More information: During the late 18th and early 19th centuries Llangollen was an emerging tourist destination. In tandem with this development, the ladies attracted many eminent visitors including aristocracy, military men and William Wordsworth (poet). Pri...

 Introduction This evening, the focus on my blog is the Findhorn Community which is based in the north of Scotland near the town of Forres about 32 miles NE of Inverness. . This follows media reports that the community is no longer viable. Background Over a period of 50 years Findhorn developed as a coastal ‘eco’ commnity based on guiding principles of: Spirituality Holistic Education Sustainable Living. The community evolved from a very modest beginning by a small group living in a single caravan (trailer) who found early success in growing vegetables in a very sandy soil. Previously the (not for profit) Foundation ran some 200 workshops each year predicated on an underlying spiritual development process which eschews conventional religion. Membership was not restricted to the confines of  the Findhorn site but extended out into communities in the Findhorn ‘hinterland’. Visitors were encouraged and commercial B&B accommodation was available in the various ho...

 This afternoon, I am reprising a one-day section of an extended tour focused on steam trains. First, we departed our lodgings in Porthmadog , Wales and drove east, across mountainous, heather clad scenery, landscapes populated by sheep and small farms and then into industrial north-western England. Unfortunately, we were delayed by about 45 mins due to an accident on the motorway but eventually reached our destination of Locomotion Railway Museum a little late at about 3.00pm. Part of the group were deposited at Locomotion whilst others spent time exploring Bishop Auckland , a nearby country town with a long history. The museum is sited near Timothy Hackworth's Soho Works on the world's first public railway, the Stockton and Darlingtom Railway (opened on 27 September 1825 with a train hauled by   Locomotion No 1   which took 2 hours to complete the 12-mile (19 km) journey from Shildon to Darlington ). The town was to become a major centre for British rai...

 Introduction This afternoon, I am reporting on Vindolanda, one of the most important archaeological sites in Britain.    Landscape view of Vindolanda Location Near Bardon Mill, Northumberland.Twenty eight miles east of Carlisle and thirty four miles west of Newcastle-upon-Tyn e. Roman Bathhouse Importance of the Site Together with sister sites at Carlisle , Carvoran and Corbridge Vindolanda formed part of an early 'open' northern frontier in northern Britain.These sites were aligned on early, east-west, Roman road called Stanegate.Vindolanda was constructed around AD85 and for around forty years thereafter (until construction of Hadrian's Wall) was a key, front line fort in a hostile environment. Upon completion of Hadrian's Wall, just to the north of the Stanegate, Vindolanda remained an integral part of the northern defences whilst not physically forming part of the famous wall. Vindolanda has many similarities with other forts on Hadrian's Wall, i.e.a well c...

  Market Cross This evening, I am reporting on the delightful market town of Corbridge (pop 3000) in northern England. Location is about 42 miles east of Carlisle. The name translates as 'Bridge near Corchester' with latter being derived from the old Roman town of Corstopitum nearby. Directly and indirectly the settlement at Corbridge can be traced back to AD79 when a Roman fort was established nearby. Over about 330 years the original Roman fort morphed into a civilian settlement which came to an end around AD410 when the Romans abandoned Britain.It seems the incoming Saxons established a new settlement about one mile to the east of the Roman town from which the current town has evolved.  This image shows the Roman town with modern town in distance. A summary of Corbridge's history can be viewed in the image below. Overview of Corbridge's post-Roman history Overall, Corbridge impresses as an attractive and prosperous English market town with a wide variety of shops an...

  Corbridge Lion in Museum at Corbridge Site This morning I was able to re-visit the Roman site of Corbridge which is located about 20 miles west of Newcastle-upon-Tyne in Northern England. Here is a summary of the site’s evolution from a military frontier post to a prosperous town: A fort just to the west of the present site was established in AD 79. A new fort on the current site was constructed in AD 84, probably for unit of cavalry. This was destroyed by fire in AD 105. A new fort was built in context of the open frontier then prevailing. This lasted until AD 120. A new fort, contemporary with the construction of Hadrian’s Wall and 4 km south of the Wall,was built to house an infantry garrison. A stone fort was built in AD 139 coinciding with the  frontier centred on the newly constructed Antonine Wall. Corbridge ceased to be used as a base for auxiliary troops in AD 163, contemporary with re-commissioning of Hadrian’s Wall as the Northern Frontier of the Empire....

   View east from the fort with Hadrian's Wall (remains of) visible in top centre of the image. This afternoon, I indulged my passion for the Roman period in Britain by paying a visit to the Housesteads site on Hadrian's Wall in northern England. To put this in perspective, for a period of nearly 300 years the Wall formed the North-West frontier of the Roman Empire. Housesteads fort was begun c. AD124 and occupied for about 280 years by up to 800 auxiliary soldiers.For much of the time the fort was served by a vicus (see below) plus an extensive field system for growing produce and pasturing animals.  Below is an artist's impression of the fort in the late 4th century AD. This features new chalet barracks, new towers erected on the defences and abandonment of the adjacent vicus (civilian settlement) probably due to deteriorating safety and security concerns.  My visit coincided with very strong, blustery winds which were exacerbated by the exposed postion of the fo...