London Olympics 1908 – A 77 year legacy

Held in a purpose built stadium in the White City area of London was the 1908 Olympic Games.

Originally the Games were to be held in Rome however they were transferred to London with only 18 months notice.

The venue change came about because of financial pressures on the Italian Authorities following a recent eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 1906.

The new stadium

With a capacity of just under 70,ooo seated and 17,000 undercover the new stadium was an all in one venue. At the centre of the arena was a large water tank, 100m long, for the swimming events.

This was surrounded by a running track measured so that three laps were equal to one mile.

Beyond this track and before the spectators was a banked cycle track.

As happens in modern times, some of the events such as sailing and tennis were held away from the main stadium complex and one event, the 12m yacht class even took place on the Clyde in Scotland.

This was the first and only time an Olympic event has been held in Scotland.

An Olympic Games of firsts

The London 1908 Games saw a number of sporting firsts and putting in place of rules, some of which are still used today.

Motorboating was an event which took place at Southampton. A first for mechanisation.

London also saw the first opening ceremony where the flags of nations were paraded before the start of competition.

The modern distance for the marathon was set at 26 miles 384 yrds. This came about because of the distance between the start, inside the grounds of Windsor Castle to the finishing point in front of the Royal box within the stadium.

These Games were also the first to award bronze, silver and gold medal awards.

Sporting achievement

At the end of the games Great Britain came out on top of the medals table with 56 gold, 51 silver and 38 bronze medals.  This is the highest medals total, so far, for Team GB.

The stadium was taken over by the Greyhound Racing Association in 1927 after many years of disuse. It also became the home of British athletics between 1932 and  1971.

The last event held in the stadium was a greyhound race on 22 September 1984.

Legacy

Nothing now remains of the stadium that was finally demolished in 1985 to make way for the building of facilities currently occupied by the BBC.

On the side of one of the new buildings is a memorial to sporting achievement, unveiled by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge.

The finishing line of the old athletics track is marked just in front of the wall mounted medal table.

Further information

BBC History photo gallery of the 1908 Olympics in London

History of White City and the Franco-British exhibition

BBC News – Queen marks the 1908 Olympics

BBC Sport - London’s first Olympics

History and pictures of the White city area

Arthuret Church, Cumbria

Arthuret Parish Church also known as St Michael and All Angels, dominates the hillside in the village, about half a mile from Longtown. Said to be the resting place of the legendary King Arthur, the present gothic style church was erected in 1609, during the reign of King James I.

The site is known to have had a church since the 6th Century AD, often laid to ruins by the invading Scots Border Raiders.

This church was built as a result of a national fund raising to benefit the parishioners, who mainly rejecting Christ’s teachings and were considered to be “without faith”.  This, at this time, was the debatable lands of the Border Reiver.

During construction, the custodian of the collected funds absconded with a considerable sum. With resources weakened, the tower was left unfinished and was not completed until 1690 when Dr. Todd took over rectorship of the church.

The church tower stones are unusual in that many of them have masons marks which are clearly visible.

The main church building consists of nave, chancel, aisles, and tower. In 1750 it was re-roofed, slated, and flagged by the Hon. Mary Graham.

1868 saw a complete restoration costing about £1,000.  This was when the new east window was inserted in memory of the late Sir J.R.G. Graham, Bart. His monogram can be seen in the upper portion of the window.

In 1896 a new organ was installed and the chancel restored and fitted with oak stalls at a total cost of about £1,500, which was raised by subscripion.

The Graham Family
In the church are eleven monuments and tablets to members of the Graham family; Sir George Graham, Bart., who died in 1657 and the Rev. Robert Graham, D.D., who died in 1782. There is also a memorial plaque to the Right Hon. Sir J.R.G. Graham, Bart., M.P., who died at Netherby on 25th October, 1861.

In the churchyard is the tomb of Lieut. William Graham, who served the crown of England from the reigns of Elizabeth I to Charles II.

An ancient cross with pierced capital, in the form of a Maltese cross, is thought to have been erected by one of the Knights of Malta.

Nearby is said to be the unmarked grave of Archie Armstrong, court jester, to James I and Charles I, buried on All Fools’ Day (April 1st).

St. Michael’s Well
Steep steps at the west of the church, lead down to St. Michael’s Well.  A stone canopy is fronted by a moderately sized, rectangular pool, from which the water runs under another set of steps to seep into the land below.

The well was used for baptisms until the 1970s.

Famous Battlegrounds
A wood to the east of the church is said to be the site of the Dark Age battle of Arfderydd, fought by Urien of Rheged and the invading Saxons.

Nearby Solway Moss is the site of the Battle, fought between the English and the Scots on 24th November, 1542. The devastating “Battle of Solway Moss” resulted in English victory over the Scots.

Arthuret Parish
A description from T. Bulmer & Co’s History, Topography and Directory of East Cumberland, 1884 reads;

“Arthuret parish has a length of seven miles and a breadth of four. It lies between the rivers Esk, Lyne, and Liddel, and is bounded on the west, north and east sides by the parish of Kirkandrews.

Also on the east by Stapleton and on the south by Kirklinton. The parish is divided into the four townships of Brackenhill, Lynside, Longtown and Netherby and contains territory once known as the debatable lands.”

King Arthur
The area is steeped in Arthurian legend and a plaque explaining the history of Arthuret Church lays strong claim to this being the place of his burial.

Arthuret church was built under instruction of the monarch and the building is certainly not reflective of other village churches of the same age in the region.  It is indeed a statement and would have been and still is, an imposing landmark.

More information
BBC – Arthurian Legend in Cumbria.
Parishes of the Esk
About the parish of Arthuret
English Heritage – Battle of Solway Moss
The battle of  Arfderydd
Lands beyond the Wall – The debatable lands

Rev. Thomas Woodrow house in Carlisle

A simple blue plaque screwed to the outside of 83 Warwick Road , Carlisle, Cumbria  is all that indicates the connection of this building and an American President.

Cavendish House was the former residence of Rev. Thomas Woodrow the Grandfather of Woodrow Wilson, the 28th President of the United States.

His mother, Janet, was born in Carlisle, in 1826, the fifth child of the Reverend Thomas Woodrow and his first wife, Marion Williamson from Glasgow.

This house was built in 1831.

Woodrow visited Carlisle as part of his ‘Pilgrimage of the Heart’ in 1918.

The blue plaque was installed by the Carlisle and District Civic Trust in 2000.

Rev. Thomas Woodrow was born in Paisley, Scotland. He moved, via Carlisle, to New York in 1836.

Industrial past in Carlisle

Opened in the Summer of 2001 the subway linking the grounds of Carlisle Castle with the Tullie House side of Castle Way in Carlisle is filled with items from an industrial past.

Attached to a 40 meter long and 3m  high steel wall running along one side of the underpass are steel and metal objects that relate to the industry and people of Carlisle and its surrounding areas .

The work, by Russell Coleman, was commissioned by Carlisle City Council in conjunction with the Millennium Commission.

Each of the items has a number nearby. Download a copy of a list of the items and see how many of them you identified.

The underpass also contains a clock and the Cursing Stone.

The Cursing Stone – Carlisle

Since the installation of the ‘Cursing Stone’ in Carlisle it has become the focus for many things going wrong or for events of biblical magnitude in the local area.

Installed as part of the Millennium Gallery underneath Castle Way, the granite art work has been blamed for the outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease, the Carlisle floods and many other local tragedies.

The artwork  was made by Andy Altman and  designed by artist Gordon Young.

It sits at the end of an 80 metre path which bears the names of all the Reiver families.

Gordon was born in Carlisle and is from an ancient Reiver family.

It features just over 300 words from a 1,069 word curse which dates back to the 16th Century,  a curse made against robbers, blackmailers and highwaymen who blighted the area 500 years ago.

This text comes from what is said to be one of the worlds longest curses.

The curse was first invoked by the Archbishop of Glasgow, Gavin Dunbar, in 1525 against cross border families, known as the “reivers”, who lived by stealing cattle, rape and pillage.

It is known as the ‘Monition of Cursing’.

Priests in all of the parishes of the border lands were required to read out the curse.

During 2005 Carlisle City Council discussed the removal of the stone to outside the City boundary or even to destroy it.

It is not clear how much the stone weighs as reports vary from between 7-tons and 14-tonnes.

Further information

‘Lost garden’ of Elford Hall saved

The ‘lost garden’ of Elford Hall, near Lichfield in Staffordshire, is to be saved for the local community, thanks to a confirmed grant of £248,400 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and the efforts of dedicated volunteers.

The walled kitchen garden and gardeners cottage is all that remains of the Georgian Elford Hall Estate, built in approximately 1825 by Henry Bowes, Earl of Berkshire and Suffolk.

Remaining in the family until 1936, the hall, garden and outbuildings were then donated to Birmingham City Council (BCC) as a gift for local residents.

After falling into disrepair the hall was demolished in the 1960s and now the remaining garden wall and associated outbuildings are Grade II listed.

Half a mile of trees

The 12ft high wall, measuring 350ft by 300ft, encloses a space that has been largely neglected for the past 50 years and once housed half a mile of fruit trees.

The Elford Hall Gardens Management Committee is a voluntary community organisation formed in 2007 by local people determined to rescue it for community use.

They will now be able to start work restoring it to its former glory, giving local people the chance to get involved in the work and to cultivate allotments there.

Anne Jenkins, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund in the West Midlands, said:

“The community has come together in support of this project to conserve an historic walled garden that will be brought back to productive use after so many years of neglect.

Volunteers will be able to gain new skills and schoolchildren learn about nature, local heritage and the environment.”

Allotments

The HLF funded project to restore the walled garden is part of a larger initiative that will see the former head gardener’s cottage restored to provide space for a coffee shop, toilets and a classroom.

There will be educational activities linked to local schools who have already expressed interest in using the garden for visits.

The Victorian gardens, herbaceous borders and orchard will be re-created, and allotments – a feature of the original gardens – will also be established giving the community an opportunity to take an active part in ensuring the site’s sustainability.

A bowling green and tennis courts will also be constructed within the garden walls, original structure and pathways restored, and routes made accessible to picnicking areas along the adjacent River Tame.

Local people have expressed their enthusiasm for this approach. Just some of the exciting volunteering and educational opportunities that the HLF project offers are:

• training and opportunities for participants to learn skills including path laying, fencing, horticultural planning, and learning about environmentally friendly methods of food production
• a gardening club for all ages with talks, events, and workshops
• a series of lectures on rural crafts from hedge laying to basket weaving
• creation of a local schools heritage trail
• working with three local schools to produce new site interpretation
• a 12 week Princes Trust training programme for fifteen young people who will help plant the orchard and herb garden

Dave Watton, Chair of the Elford Hall Gardens Management Committee said:

“We are all delighted to receive such substantial backing from the Heritage Lottery Fund which will enable us to deliver this exciting project to maintain an element of Elford’s rural heritage for the benefit of so many people in the years to come.”

When completed it will be an amazing asset not only for Elford but for the whole of Staffordshire and the wider region.

Boston Castle in Rotherham to be restored

Occupying one of the highest points in Rotherham and visible for many miles around, Boston Castle is to be saved and transformed into a new visitor centre thanks to confirmation of a £590,000 Heritage Lottery Fund grant.

Semi-derelict and out of use for the past decade, the Grade II listed castle originally dates back to 1775 and was built by the Earl of Effingham as a hunting lodge.

It is situated in the centre of 23 acre Boston Park, which has long been popular for walking activities and enjoying the spectacular views.

Fiona Spiers, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund in the Yorkshire and the Humber region, said:

“The grant is a welcome New Year boost for Rotherham residents who can now look forward to a revitalised Boston Castle. The project, totalling £1.7million, will see Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council (RMBC) transform the Castle and its surrounding landscape into an attractive and accessible experience for everyone to enjoy.”

Salvaged

The castle will be fully restored and a new low level extension built.

The site will become a visitor centre from which people can explore the heritage of the Victorian park and town below.

It will feature exhibition areas, an education room, toilets, a function room, a first-floor viewing platform and an outside café terrace.

The battlements will be reinstated in original salvaged stone, and the windows repaired with 18th century designs.

A programme of stimulating and interesting activities will be developed that will target school children, family groups and adults.

The project will also see the creation of three new jobs.

There will be exhibitions and guided tours for visitors, and new opportunities for volunteers to take part.

Janet Worrall from The Friends of Boston Castle and Parklands said:

“The Friends group are delighted that after eight years of campaigning and some disappointments along the way, funding through Rotherham Borough Council and the Heritage Lottery Fund has been secured for the restoration of Boston Castle.  This important building, which has been Rotherham’s landmark since 1776, will now be preserved for future generations to enjoy and its story not forgotten.”

The works to Boston Castle are due to start in Spring 2010.

Maryport ‘Camp Farm’ could be developed

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has given the green light to Hadrian’s Wall Heritage Ltd (HWHL) to work up plans to transform and excavate Camp Farm at Maryport in west Cumbria.

Development funding was awarded to HWHL to help them progress their plans for Camp Farm, which is one of the most significant but least researched sites along the Roman frontier in the north of England.

The HLF first-round pass means that HWHL can now progress to the second stage of the HLF application process for the £3.75 million of HLF support, including £165,600 development funding,  that it is seeking for its £11 million project.

Hadrian’s Wall Heritage Ltd said the award was a solid endorsement of the national and international significance of Roman Maryport.

Hadrian’s Wall Heritage Ltd is the company that was set up in 2006 to help look after, protect and conserve the World Heritage Site and to increase its contribution to the local and regional economy.

The Chief Executive of Hadrian’s Wall Heritage Ltd, Linda Tuttiett, said:

“This first round HLF funding award is great news for Roman Maryport and the rest of the Hadrian’s Wall World Heritage Site.  This important site now has the potential to be developed as a world class museum throwing more light on the story of Roman life in Britain and the role of Maryport in the frontier system.

“This project is for the people of Maryport and we are committed to making sure everyone in Maryport who wishes to be involved can be.

“We’re now a step further in a £11 million scheme that will bring an additional 50,000 visitors to Maryport every year, spending between £3 and £4 million and supporting around 76 full time jobs directly in the Museum and the surrounding town through tourism revenues.”

Sara Hilton, Head of Heritage Lottery Fund North West, said:

“The first-round pass is an important step towards the future development of the Roman Maryport site. This project has the potential to transform this internationally recognised heritage site, by making it accessible to the public for the first time.

“Although this announcement does not guarantee that at second-round an award will be made, HLF will offer Hadrian’s Wall Heritage full support in taking their application further.”

Maryport vicus

The Roman fort at Maryport, was the focus of the Roman’s coastal defences in Cumbria.

The Maryport vicus is the biggest and also one of the most complete and best-preserved civil settlements surveyed along the northern Roman frontier.  A geophysical survey has confirmed the outline of more than 170 buildings, suggesting that over 500 people lived within the settlement.

Eric Robson, who is a board member of Hadrian’s Wall Heritage Ltd and lives in West Cumbria, said:

“Camp Farm is an exciting historical site for archaeologists and visitors alike, offering a fascinating insight both into the way the Roman’s operated in Britain and to the social and cultural life outside the forts.

“It will also show people that there was more to Rome’s northern frontier than just the Wall.  As we can see from this site, the defences that stretched down the coast from the end of the Wall at Bowness-on-Solway to Ravenglass were a vitally important part of the Roman military infrastructure in the north of England.”

Hadrian’s Wall Heritage Ltd hopes to secure the full £11m funding package in time for the work starting on the site in September 2010.  The visitor facilities are expected to open to the public by 2012.

New museum

The plans for the new museum include galleries examining the purpose of the northern frontier, Maryport’s role in the western sea defences, life at the fort and vicus, and themes such as religion, ethnic diversity, migration and career paths.

There will also be viewing galleries to enable people to view the parts of the dig that are underway and a Roman farm attraction.

The new museum will be home to the collection of Roman military altar stones and Romano-British religious sculpture that can currently be seen at Senhouse Roman Museum, which is next to Camp Farm.

The fort and settlement at Maryport provided most of the contents of Senhouse Roman Museum, one of the most important collections of Roman altars and sculptures from Britain, and indeed the Roman Empire.

The excavation of the site will enable this collection to be better understood.

Archaeological excavation

This key heritage development involves the restoration and conversion of historic farm buildings into galleries, where there will be rich, varied, and complementary interpretation emphasising the relevance of the story of Roman Maryport.

The project will create a continuous programme of live archaeological excavation and provide access to the archaeology of the site, creating learning opportunities for local volunteers and students and bringing together the collection and site so that they can be managed and safeguarded together.

Hadrian’s Wall Heritage Ltd also expresses its thanks to the Northwest Regional Development Agency, Britain’s Energy Coast West Cumbria, European Regional Development Fund, Cumbria County Council and the Senhouse Museum Trust with whom it is working to make the investment in Roman Maryport possible.

Further information

Options for the Development of Roman Maryport – Nov 2004 – Allerdale Council

Research document about Maryport by Durham University

The Senhouse Museum Trust Registered Charity No 516491 – Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31st March, 2007