Nigel's Photo Blog

This evening, I am posting information on Canterbury, a historic English cathedral city which is located about sixty three miles S.E. of London. The settlement can be traced back to Roman times but the name is a blend of ancient Celtic and Old English. In AD 900 the name was Cantwaraburg which translates as 'Stronghold or fortified town of the people of Kent'. (Kent is a county which was settled by Scandinavian peoples in the 5th century following the collapse of Roman power in Britain.) Canterbury skyline with Cathedral tower The focus of this post is a one day visit with emphasis on the famous Cathedral, the centre of Anglican (Episcopalian) Christianity. Information on Canterbury Cathedral Richly decorated entrance gate This is the centre of the worldwide Anglican Communion. As a place of Christian worship the site dates from AD 597 when the king of Kent was converted to Christianity and Augustine consecrated as Archbishop. Since that time the Cathedral has been the...

  Corbridge Lion in Museum at Corbridge Site This evening, I am posting information on 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 E...

  Chatsworth House, Derbyshire This evening, I am focusing on Chatsworth, one of Britain’s grandest houses. Summary facts and information:- Founded in the 16th century by Bess of Hardwick and her second husband, Sir William Cavendish.Chatsworth has remained in the Cavendish/Duke of Devonshire family ever since with current stewardship resting with the 12th Duke of Devonshire, Peregrine Cavendish. Surrounded by 400 hectares of working landscape much of which was the creation of Capability Brown ( 1716-83). Extensively rebuilt 1687-1707 by the 1st Duke of Devonshire (1673-1729). The house is home to the extensive Cavendish Collection which includes paintings, portraits,sculpture, furniture, precious metals, ceramics, books, minerals and textiles. Principal interior rooms include the Painted Hall, Chapel, State Apartment, Great Chamber, State Drawing Room,State Music Room,State Bedroom, Great Dining Room,  Galleries and Bedrooms. All the foregoing being rich...

  Bakewell, Derbyshire, England This evening, I am focusing on the northern English town of Bakewell which is located in the Derbyshire Dales, about 31 miles S.E. of Manchester. Facts and information on Bakewell: Market town with a history dating back to Saxon times, around 8th century AD. Population about 4000 persons. Located on banks of River Wye. Church dates from 9th century and impressive stone bridge over the river from 13th century. Both of these point to the commercial importance of Bakewell in the Early Medieval period. Popular with tourists and close to Chatsworth House, also a popular visitor attraction. Famous for being home of the Bakewell Pudding which is believed to have been made by accident in 1820 using a mixture of jam, egg and almond paste. A market is held every Monday which attracts large numbers of visitors and local people. Name: Despite the town's culinary links, the name has nothing to do with baking.Back in AD 949 the settlement was known as Bad...

  Batsford Arboretum This evening, I am posting information on Batsford Arboretum which is close to Moreton-in-Marsh  in the English Cotswolds which in turn is about ninety miles N.W. of London. Adjacent to the site is the Cotswold Falconry Centre which offers excellent flying displays of various raptors. This is a site for persons interested in trees, photography or just a pleasant, quite walk in natural surroundings. At this fifty-six acre site can be found 2850 plant specimens including 1300 trees, shrubs and bamboo. Specimens have been sourced from around the world with emphasis on the Far East. The collection includes Japanese Flowering Cherries and a project focused on conifer conservation, including conifers from Chile. Here is a seasonal chronology of what the site has to offer: Winter and early Spring: Snowdrops, Aconites, Hellebores and Cyclamen. Spring: Daffodils, Hellebores, Yoshino Cherries, Primroses, Magnolias, Wood Anemones, Bluebells and Violets. Ear...

  Educational talk at Cotswold Falconry Centre This evening, I am reporting on the Cotswold Falconry Centre at Batsford, near Moreton-in-Marsh which is about ninety miles N.W. of London, England. The Centre is an educational facility and aviary with falcons, eagles, owls and other birds of prey including such species as Eagle Owl, Tawny Eagle, Bateleur Eagle, Barn Owl and Peregrine Falcon. A key part of a visit is to watch the flying displays as illustrated in the video clips below. A visit to the site can be extended to include the adjacent extensive arboretum.. Visitor participation. Video clips      

This afteroon, prompted by reports in the media, I went off to the nearby Battlefield district of Glasgow to inspect a wide range of domestic window displays linked to the upcoming 'celebration' of Halloween on October 31st. Add caption The portfolio of images an be seen below.  Here is some background information: Battlefield is so named because here took place in 1568 the Battle of Langside at which Scotland's famous Queen, Mary Queen of Scots, s uffered a major defeat which forced her to flee to England where she was eventually executed in 1587. Now a high density urban area, Battlefield was an open farming landscape at time of the battle. Readers will observe that virtually all the properties photographed are constructed of sandstone. This is a local resource dating from the Permian Period (250m-290m years ago) when the west of Scotland was somewhere near the location of the Sahara Desert today and experienced desert conditions for a prolonged poeriod resul...