Hadrain’s Wall Illuminated

Saturday 13th March saw the spectacular illumination of Hadrian’s Wall, bringing to life Britain’s longest, and greatest, historic monument.

500 individual points of light, at roughly 250 metre intervals, marked the way along the route of the 84 mile Hadrian’s Wall Path National Trail.

The volunteer Illuminators included hundreds of people from the communities around Hadrian’s Wall, as well as enthusiasts from across the country, including places like London, Edinburgh, Birmingham and Manchester, and even a number of people from overseas.

Anniversary

Some of the Illuminators were marking key moments in their own lives such as birthdays and anniversaries.

Carol Bell, Head of Culture and Major Events for culture10 at Newcastle Gateshead Initiative, said:

“The development of this project has been an incredible journey that could not have been possible without the extraordinary commitment of so many partners. It is a fitting tribute to our unique landscape, and a celebration of its history.”

The Ignition event for Illuminating Hadrian’s Wall started at Segedunum Roman Fort at Wallsend in the North East of England at 5.15pm with a performance by Berlin based Theatre Anu.

Angels appeared around the ruins of the fort to tell the story of ‘The Winged Boy’ as the skies began to dim.  The first of the lights were illuminated half an hour later.

Procession

The line of light then began its journey westwards.

Along the way it passed through the vibrant cities of Newcastle and Carlisle, and some of England’s most beautiful countryside, from rolling fields to rugged moorland.

In Carlisle thousands of people took part in a torchlight procession, leaving the city centre at about 6pm to meet the line of light as it passed through Bitts Park.

The final gas beacon was lit at Bowness-on-Solway on the Cumbrian coast at about 6.50pm and the full line of light remained illuminated until about 7.15pm.

Tourism week

It’s the first time that the full length of Hadrian’s Wall from Wallsend in the North East to Bowness-on-Solway in the North West has been illuminated in more than 1,600 years.

Illuminating Hadrian’s Wall was an ambitious project led by Hadrian’s Wall Heritage Ltd which forms part of the world-class programme of festivals and events developed by the culture10 team based at Newcastle Gateshead Initiative and the Lakes Alive programme in Carlisle presented by Kendal Arts International and Manchester International Arts.

Illuminating Hadrian’s Wall is also a flagship event of British Tourism Week 2010.

To get more information about the event visit www.illuminatinghadrianswall.com.

Carbon offset

Calor Gas provided official sponsorship by providing 550 gas cylinders and just under half of the 515 torches used to light the wall.

Drawing on its 75 year history of innovation, Calor and manufacturer Bullfinch worked together to create bespoke torches which could produce a safe, controllable and sizeable flame.

Hadrian’s Wall Heritage Ltd will be calculating the carbon cost of the event and offsetting the carbon emissions through a programme of tree planting. However, a voluntary blackout will also make an additional contribution towards offsetting the carbon costs.

World Heritage Site

Hadrian’s Wall formed the Roman frontier across the north of England for almost 300 years.

It was built in AD122 by the Roman army on the orders of the Emperor Hadrian.

In 1987 it was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and in 2005 became part of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage Site.

Today it attracts visitors from all over the world.

The Hadrian’s Wall National Path closely follows the original line of Hadrian’s Wall.

Potholes expose hidden past

Recent bad weather has left many of our roads dimpled with assorted sized potholes.

A report from the cyclist organisation CTC estimates that there is an average of one pothole for every 110m of road.

Many councils have embarked on the massive challenge of repairing the road surfaces in their areas. Since January 2010 Gloucestershire County Council alone have repaired over 15,000 potholes.

With the top layer of road surface broken away our road heritage is revealed below and often this takes the form of cobbles or sets.

Rather than rip up the millions of shaped stone blocks, road builders simply lay the asphalt over the existing road surface.

Cobblestones or sets

Applying cobblestones or sets to a road dates back many hundreds of years and was done to improve the durability of mud tracks in bad weather.

The stones allowed for carts to travel over a solid road surface rather than a mud or sandy surface where frequently the track would churn up in bad weather.

A road made of cobblestones has a very random surface, whilst one made of the regular shaped granite or sandstone block work has a uniform pattern.

“Cobblestone” is derived from the very old English word “cob”, a small rounded object.

Rectangular setts are often between 75mm and 100mm wide, with lengths between 150mm and 300mm.

The cube shaped setts are often made from granite 100mm cubed.

Each stone needed to be placed individually into a bed of sand with more sand or a grout placed around it to keep it in place.

Local stones are frequently used in place of granite to savework, time and costs.

Block paving is in some ways the modern equivalent of the granite setts and can now be seen on many driveways and in public spaces throughout the world.  However, the granite sett still has a use as it lasts a lot longer than the fired brick and is more resistant to modern date dirt such as chewing gum

Recycled

Many roads constructed with cobbles or setts have preservation orders placed upon them.  This ensures that if they are lifted to allow access to underground pipes or works that they are returned.

Many dealers specialise in supplying recycled setts which are used on driveways or for historical restoration. Prices are currently around £100 per ton.

Potholes

Many websites have sprung up in response to the increasing number of potholes, however not all are a rallying call to arms or a way of getting at the assorted road maintenance organisations.

Mypotholes.com has been set up by Montreal artists Claudia Ficca and Davide Luciano and  showcases rural craters in a comedic and creative fashion.

Further information

The Sett makers of Dartmoor – The very hard life of the rock shapers high on Dartmoor.

Fill that hole – Website from the CTC.

Potholes.co.uk – Warranty based website highlighting potholes.

Pothole gardens - An ongoing series of public installations highlighting the problem of surface imperfection.

Lost Country Houses of England

The Lost Heritage website is a memorial to the lost country houses of England and is the dedicated work of one man, who’s fascination with these great buildings has brought them to our attention.

It has been said that Britain’s greatest contribution to the history of architecture is that of our country houses. Millions of people every year visit the stately homes that either through good fortune, wise management, the National Trust or sheer good luck managed to avoid demolition.

Hopefully by highlighting those we have already lost, we will appreciate more those that remain, and fight harder to save those under threat.

As a nation we are now proud of these monuments to our past. However, many didn’t survive. Whilst some houses are inevitably lost to urban development and fire, in a previous, less conservation-minded age, the greatest danger was that there were few limits as to what the owners did with their properties.

Houses which had been passed down through many years, and the associated family collections, could be lost within a generation.

The site lists over 1700 of the many significant English country houses which have been demolished or severely reduced. Though it mainly focuses on those lost since 1800, houses which were lost before then may also appear in the list.

A majority of those listed would now be classified as Grade I, Grade II* or II – but others have been also included where they were likely to be of importance within a local area. These houses range in style from the smaller manor houses to the Classical mansions to the vast Victorian Gothic palaces.

The aim is to list and provide an ‘architectural biography’ comprising a full history including who built the house, when and why it was demolished and to have an image of the house – be it a photo or a print.

The list also uses the county names and geographical boundaries from before the 1972 local government re-organisation which removed or significantly altered many of the historic counties.

Much of the research and documentation relating to the houses naturally refers to the pre-1972 boundaries, locations and names.

If you have any information or images which you feel would be useful for this important database, then contact Matt at lostheritage.org

Visit the Lost Heritage website

Unknown history

Have you ever come across an object, article, building or thing that you are not sure what it is or what it was used for?

This has happened many times whilst we have been out and about and no doubt will happen in the future.

So rather than leave the pictures sitting on a hard drive, we will add things to the gallery below to see if you know what they are.

To make life easier we will number each item and make a form available at the bottom of the page for you to get in touch.

Item gallery

Feedback

All Saints Church, Cockermouth

All Saints Church has an elevated, commanding view over Cockermouth main street.  The original 14th century church was considered ‘the most ancient and beautiful specimen of Gothic architecture in the North of England’.  However, some suggest that a church has been on this site since the 11th Century, thought to have been erected by Waltheof of Allerdale.

This church was replaced in 1711 by what is described as a “plain building”. Following a fire which destroyed the church in 1850, and a third church was built in the Early English style in 1854.

All Saints spire can be seen from outlaying villages, reaching a height of 180 feet, with exceptional carving of the pillar capitals. The church tower, designed by Mr. Joseph Clarke, architect, of London, contains a peal of six bells, and a clock and chimes by J. Blacklock, of Carlisle.

A Bible and Prayer Book from the dedication ceremony in 1854 are preserved and on display within the church.  The skillfully worked pulpit and font are made of Caen stone.

Fine examples of Victorian stained glass
The east window was erected by subscription in 1853 by John Hardman as a memorial window to William Wordsworth who was baptised here, and whose father John is buried in the churchyard. It consists of five lights and a head, filled in with tracery. The window is extremely rich in Scriptural subjects and symbolism.

On the south side are four memorial windows dedicated to Eldred Green, the vicar from 1874 to 1881, erected by his family and public subscription.

Songs of Praise
On February 21st, BBC Songs of Praise will come from All Saints Church and Sally Magnusson visited Cumbria to talk to

those people whose lives were been turned upside down by the November floods and see the work to rebuild Cockermouth town centre and recover the roads and bridges of the town and outlaying villages.

All Saints Church renaissance appeal website
The aim is to transform the interior of this important Wordsworth Church into a major community facility as well as an inspiring spiritual centre.

The Saints Rooms have already redefined the standards for West Cumbrian social venues. Refurbishing Cockermouth’s ‘cathedral’ will create a vibrant cultural centre.

More information
About Cockermouth – Cumbria Travel Guide
19th Century history of Cockermouth All Saints Church - Images of Cumbria website
Cockermouth gravestone inscriptions recorded - Article on Gravestonepix.com

Memories of rural life in Hambleton

People who live in or have a connection to the Hambleton and Howardian Hills are being asked to look through old photo albums, letters and family mementos to help plug a knowledge gap about rural life and the culture and traditions of this area.

The finds will be used by the Lime and Ice Project, awarded just under £500,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), to raise awareness among local communities and further afield about the heritage of the area and people’s impact on its dramatic landscape.

A special drop-in session has been arranged for Tuesday 16 February at the World of James Herriot museum in Thirsk between 11am to 4pm and from 6pm to 8pm for people to bring their finds.

These will be scanned or photographed that day and, with the owner’s permission, used throughout the Lime and Ice Project in displays and interpretation including an exhibition to be held at the World of James Herriot in the autumn.

Jennifer Smith, Lime and Ice Project Officer, said:

“We have a good understanding of the natural forces such as glaciation that have shaped the land in this area but have only limited knowledge of the more subtle changes brought about by changes in agriculture and farming.

We would be grateful if people could have a rummage in their lofts and cupboards for any photos, postcards, newspapers, letters or anything else that would give us some information about changes to the landscape and villages as well as anything depicting cultural events such as festivals.”

Anyone unable to make the drop-in session can bring their mementos to the North York Moors National Park Authority’s head office in Helmsley. Please call Jennifer Smith or Nick Lishman on 01439 770657 to arrange a convenient time.

New funding scheme for North Yorks Moors

A small scale enhancement scheme for villages and communities in the North York Moors National Park has been established to provide funding for regeneration and environmental projects up to the value of £5,000.

The Scheme, a subsidiary to the North York Moors Coast & Hills LEADER Programme, has £150,000 to spend on rural development projects between now and December 2011.

Projects need to have community support and fall into one of two themes:

• Village renewal and development – aimed at projects that enhance the local village environment, strengthen and generate community cohesion or encourage community activities and village events.
• Conservation and upgrading of the rural heritage – aimed at increasing the understanding of the working landscape and helping to protect traditional skills by raising awareness through interpretation, appreciation and maintenance of local heritage and cultural features.

Successful projects will be implemented by the North York Moors National Park Authority with responsibility reverting back to the owner or parish once the work has been completed.

Clair Shields, the Small Scale Enhancement Scheme Coordinator, said:

“Parish plans often highlight a wish list of small scale improvement projects that don’t get off the ground due to a lack of time, skills, guidance or the financial resources to develop them further. The Scheme provides a fantastic opportunity to implement these ideas benefiting communities and the wider National Park.”

To find out more about the Scheme or to discuss an idea, contact Clair Shields or Rebecca Thompson on 01439 770657 or email ssescheme@northyorkmoors-npa.gov.uk

The North York Moors, Coast and Hills LEADER Programme is a partnership of local organisations, community groups and individuals who have secured £3.1 million in total from Defra and the European Union through Yorkshire Forward and One North East as part of the Rural Development Programme for England.

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.

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