|
|
|
|
Church of the Holy Spirit, Lake Forest, IL. The director of the Choir is Don Horisberger Web Link Harewood House
This magnificent
18th Century mansion planned by Robert
Carr and
decorated by
Robert
Adam
is situated in landscaped grounds completed by
Capability
Brown
in 1772 and set in rolling countryside. York
The fascinating
townscape of this walled city illustrates much of its nearly 2,000 years
history. York possesses in its Minster the largest medieval church in
Northern Europe, the general scale of its building is small and human.
Even today York seems more medieval than almost any other English town.
The compact core is a treasure house for anyone interested in history,
architecture or ancient crafts, and is best seen on foot. The Romans
called the place Eboracum, and built a fort in AD.71. Under the Angles,
York was capital of their Kingdom of Deira. King Edwin was baptised here
by Paulinus, who became the first Archbishop of York in 634. The Danes
captured and burnt York in 867 and it was their capital in England for nearly
100 years, they called it Jorvik and it is from this that the present name
derives. There is nothing left to see of Anglo Saxon and Danish York, but
the use of the word gate for street is a reminder that the Danes did settle
here. The Norman's found a thriving little trading centre and burnt it in
1069 during their frightful ravaging of the North, and then rebuilt the walls,
expanding them to take the present 263 acres. Medieval York is everywhere,
not least in the web of narrow streets. The Shambles and Stonegate are two
of the best preserved examples. Too the East of the Minster is the half
timbered St William's College. Three of the nine Guildhalls still survive.
All the city walls are medieval rebuilt on the Roman and Norman foundations in
the 13th Century. A 2.5 mile footpath on the walls gives a circular tour
of the city. In the middle ages, York was England's second city a great
religious and commercial centre. A lovely city with much to see and enjoy. York Minster
The Minster is York's chief
glory, appropriate to the dignity of an Archbishopric, built between 1220 and
1470, it contains England's greatest concentration of medieval stained glass,
principally from the 13th and 14th Centuries. The two most famous windows
being the five sisters and the magnificent 15th Century east window, the largest
in the world. The Ministers length is 518ft and is 241ft wide at the
transept. The central tower rises 198ft and is the largest lantern tower
in Britain. The 14th Century Chapter House with seven lovely window walls
has no central support for its conical roof, just the great buttresses on the
eight sides. The Choir was completed by 1400 and its great climax the east
window with 2,000 sq ft of ancient glass by John Thornton of Coventry was
finished in 1408, the massive towers came last. Fountain Abbey (Declared a world heritage site)
The
majestic ruins of possibly the Greatest Abbey in England, stand in this scenic
valley of the River Skell. Just a few miles South West of Ripon.
Even today so much of the building is still visible. From very humble
beginnings, a rise to power then total Dissolution under Henry VIII. It
was from St Mary`s Abbey York, that the prior and some followers left to
establish a new Cistercian order here at Fountains in 1132. They started
to build and over the years the community grew in property, prosperity &
recruits. Unfortunately this power and wealth replaced the original Cistercian
ideals and was a great prize for Henry VIII during the Dissolution. He
sold it to Sir Richard Gresham in 1540. One can clearly see from the ruins
the picture of what life in a Monastic institution was like during the middle
ages. The tower stands a remarkable 168ft in height with the church
extending some 360ft. In 1738 William Aisdale who owned the adjoining
Studley Royal Estate purchased Fountains and continued to mould the two
together. Landscaping and gardening as he went along. Today the
Cistercian Abbey ruins are the largest in Britain blending in naturally with a
landscape of ornamental lakes, cascades, bridges, river walks and eye catching
vistas. A 500 head deer colony live in the deer park and at night the
whole area of the ruins are floodlit. Durham It is not only the lover of architecture who will be thrilled by Durham. It is one of the most visually exciting cities in Britain. The magnificent Norman Cathedral and the Castle stand proudly on a sandstone hill almost enclosed by a steep banked wooded bend of the River Wear. It is a scene well worth looking at from every vantage point. The best views are obtained from the railway station, Prebends Bridge, South Street, Silesgate and also Palace Green. The Castle was built in 1069 by the Norman invaders and the town grew up under the Castle walls between the two river crossings at Elvet and Framwellgate. Durham is not a large city but is a centre of local government and education (Durham University was created as the third university in England by an act of Parliament in 1832) Durham Cathedral
The Cathedral was
founded as a shrine for the body of St Cuthbert. When Viking raids forced
the monks
on Lindisfarne to flee in
875. They carried with them the body of the saint, they reached Durham in
995 after time at Chester le Street and Ripon. In Durham the coffin seemed
to become rooted to the ground and the spot for the new shrine was revealed in a
vision. By 998 they had built a church (nothing remains of this early
building) it quickly became a place of pilgrimage. The Bishops became
Prince Bishops of Durham giving the city the right to raise armies, own
nobility, coinage and courts. All these privileges were ended in 1836.
The present Cathedral Church of Christ and blessed Mary the Virgin was built
between 1093 and 1133 to a plan of Bishop William of Calais. He died but
the work continued under Bishop Flambard. It is possibly the finest Norman
building in Europe. St Cuthberts body was brought to his shrine behind the
high altar in 1104. The Cathedral was the first in Northern Europe to be
covered with stone ribbed vaulting and it has the earliest pointed transverse
arches in England. There are few monuments because of a long held rule
that no one should be buried in the shrine of st cuthbert. From the South
side aisle a door leads to the monks dormitory, a great timbered hall 194ft by
39ft where some of
the Cathedrals prized possessions can be seen, they include St Cuthberts
illuminated manuscripts. In front of the font is a line of marble, the
nearest point that women were allowed to get to the altar. Almost no
amount of time is to long to spend in this unique place of worship. Hadrians wall The most important monument built by the Romans in Britain. It is a world heritage site and is by far the best known frontier in the entire Roman Empire. Built by order of Emperor Hadrian on his visit to Britain in 122AD. It took 6 years to build and is 73 miles in length, 15ft high and runs from Wallsend in the East to Bowness on Solway in the West. It was built to separate the Romans from the Barbarians. When the Romans left in about 400AD the wall became derelict and stones where used in buildings and walls all, over the area.Housesteads
Fort (Vercovicium)
Possibly the remains of the most complete Roman Fort in Britain. Superb position
with commanding views all round, spectacular scenery. See the foundations
of the fort, granaries, barrack blocks, hospital, latrines. Excellent views of
the wall as it joins the fort. Brancepeth Church
The
Church
of St
Brandon
one of the finest
Medieval
buildings in the country, stands in the shadow of the
Saxon
stronghold of
Brancepeth
Castle.
The
castle and its inhabitants are a part of the history of
England
but the church is entwined with them all.
The
oldest part is the tower thought to date from the
Norman
era of 1170. Harrison & Harrison (Organ Makers) The firm was started by Thomas Harrison in Rochdale in 1861 and moved to Durham in 1872. After 124 years in the city centre the firm moved in 1996 to a new purpose built workshop on the city boundary. Holy Island (Lindisfarne)
Lindisfarne is famed as the
birthplace of English Christianity. A 3 mile causeway connects the island
with the mainland at low tide and can be crossed during six hour spells between
tides. approx 300 people live on the island, with fishing and tourism the main
employment. In 635 A.D. St Aidan came on the invitation of King Oswald
from Iona on the West Coast of Scotland to teach Christianity to the Angles of
Northumbria. Linidsfarne Monastry was established and the first English
diocese founded. The Sixth Bishop was St Cuthbert who came to the island
in 664A.D. and was buried here until the monks fled
with his coffin ahead of the Danes in 875A.D. The Danes destroyed the
Abbey and the island lay deserted until a Priory was founded by a Benedictine
order in the 11th Century. Alnwick Still looks like a
stronghold of the Earls and Dukes of Northumberland. You may enter from
the South through the narrow medieval arch of Hotspur Tower and within moments
confront the great barbican guarding the gateway to Alnwick Castle. Within
the town, age speaks for itself from the narrow streets, cobblestones,
passageways, sturdy grey buildings and monuments. The town grew up on the
River Aln beside the great border castle whose walls enclose 7 acres.
Below and around the castle are grounds landscaped by Capability Brown in 1765
which now form a beautiful park. In the town a broad main street with slopping tree shaded
cobblestone parking space alongside, passes near a market square. A free
standing 18th Century hall has an arcade for shops on the ground floor and
assembly rooms above. A very interesting town steeped in history and the
ravages of this wild border country. Alnwick Castle
The main seat of
the Duke of Northumberland. this great border castle whose walls enclose 7 acres
of park has survived many battles during its chequered history. Below and
around the castle are grounds landscaped by Capability Brown in 1765 which now
form a beautiful park. The castle was begun by the Vesci family in the
early 12th Century. When the last legitimate member of the family line
died in 1297 the castle was held in trust by the then Bishop of Durham who
subsequently sold it on to Henry Percy in 1309. The family Percy
eventually became Dukes of Northumberland and have lived here ever since.
Outwardly the castle has altered little since the 14th Century. However it
was severely damaged during the border wars and stood as a ruin for nearly 200
years before the 1st Duke restored it in the 18th Century.
Some of the state rooms in the castle are open to the public displaying superb
paintings by Titian, Tintoretto, Canaletto & Van Dyck. Augmented by
collections of Meissen pottery and superb furniture the fine library is the
largest room in the castle and the main staircase exquisite.
Barnard castle
Certainly
owes its existence to its unique position above the
River
Tees.
A natural fortification lending itself to a mighty castle which dominates the
town.
Built in 1150 in 6.5
acres of ground by Bernard,
son of Guy
De
Balliol,
and one of the knights who fought alongside
William
the Conqueror.
The
town takes its name from this most important benefactor.
The town which grew
up outside the castle walls has two main thoroughfares,
Galgate
and Market
place.
The market hall built in 1747 and the
ancient Kings Head Hotel
where Charles Dickens stayed
in 1838 when writing Nicholas Nickleby,
together with St Mary`s
Church founded in the 12th Century
are just some of the gems which make this town one of the 51 historically and
architecturally important towns in Great Britain
Bowes Museum
A surprise, what
is a French
Chateau
doing in the English
countryside.
Designed by
Jules
Pellechet
in the French
style for John
Bowes
and his French
wife Josephine.
Work
started in 1862 and was completed in 1892.
Sadly
neither John
or Josephine
lived to see the completed work.
John was
the illegitimate son of the 10th
Earl
of Strathmore.
When
the Earl
died he inherited all the family fortune but not the title which went to his
Uncle.
John
Bowes
and his wife who had no children of their own therefore set about putting
together a remarkable collection of artefacts over a period of nearly 15 years
intending that the public should be able to see and enjoy them.
This
was the purpose of the building, to house the collection.
Although
the collection does have a strong
European
influence, more English
displays have now been added.
The
collection is said to feature 10,000 objects in 22 exhibition rooms in a home
which stands in a 21-acre park.
Ceramics,
textiles, furniture, tapestries, paintings, clocks, objet d`art,
English
furniture, silver, costume, toys etc.
|
|
|
|
|
