ITALY – SIENA II

More shots from Siena

IHS Christogram, Palazzo Publico, Piazza del Campo, Siena, Tuscany, Italy


Date Clock, Torre del Mangia, Palazzo Publico, Piazza del Campo, Siena, Tuscany, Italy

San Pietro in Castelvecchio, Via San Pietro, Siena, Tuscany, Italy

Loggia della Mercanzia, Via di Città, Siena, Tuscany, Italy

Two statues on the outer pillars of the loggia depict St. Peter and St. Paul and are from Vecchietta (1458 - 1462); the other three statues depict three of the four ancient patron saints of the city, San Savino, Sant'Ansano and San Vittore, and are by Antonio Federighi (1458-1459). (not all included here)

Entrance, Palazzo Chigi Zondadari, Banchi di Sotto, Siena, Tuscany, Italy

Duomo di Siena, Piazza del Duomo, Siena, Tuscany, Italy

Old Staircase, Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Piazza del Duomo, Siena, Tuscany, Italy

  Exhibits Beneath Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Piazza del Duomo, Siena, Tuscany, Italy

 Beneath Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Piazza del Duomo, Siena, Tuscany, Italy

Doorway, 18 Via Fusari, Siena, Tuscany, Italy

Courtyard, La Terrazza Sul Campo, Via di Città, Siena, Tuscany, Italy

Passageway, Via di Città, Siena, Tuscany, Italy

Wine Shop, Via di Città, Siena, Tuscany, Italy

Key Hole & Knocker, Via dei Pellegrini, Siena, Tuscany, Italy

Cellar Stairs, Il Battistero Siena Residenza d' Epoca, Piazza San Giovanni, Siena,Tuscany, Italy

The four-storey Il Battistero Siena Residenza d' Epoca is an historic palace on St. Giovanni Square in front of the Cathedral Baptistery. A Pope, famous authors, artists and architects have all stayed here. Below the Palace and Square is a stone cellar and medieval aqueduct – a secret path once used by Pope Alexander VII.

Morning Frost, Via Fosso di Sant'Ansano, Siena, Tuscany, Italy

A New Friend, Via di Città, Siena, Tuscany, Italy

Stone Framed Window, Via dei Pittori, Siena, Tuscany, Italy

Old Statue, Palazzo Pubblico, Piazza del Campo, Siena, Tuscany, Italy

Torre del Mangia, Palazzo Pubblico, Piazza del Campo, Siena, Tuscany, Italy

Window & Arch, Palazzo Pubblico, Piazza del Campo, Siena, Tuscany, Italy

Ferro di Facciata, Palazzo Pubblico, Piazza del Campo, Siena, Tuscany, Italy

RP 1746, Piazzetta dell'Indipendenza, Siena, Tuscany, Italy

Unity Commemoration, Piazzetta dell'Indipendenza, Siena, Tuscany, Italy

Bust, Piazzetta dell'Indipendenza, Siena, Tuscany, Italy

ITALY – SIENA I

The next leg of our journey is spending four nights in Siena, staying in a wonderful old building that once accommodated popes.


Basilica Cateriniana San Domenico, Piazza San Domenico, Siena, Tuscany, Italy


Battistero di San Giovanni Battista, Piazza San Giovanni, Siena, Tuscany, Italy

Siena Baptistery of San Giovanni – built between 1316-1325. This is right outside our front door.


Bust of Francesco di Giorgio Martini, Piazza San Giovanni, Siena, Tuscany, Italy

Francesco di Giorgio Martini…1439-1501 was an Italian architect, engineer, painter, sculptor, and writer.


Stairs, Il Battistero Siena – Residenza d’epoca, Piazza San Giovanni, Siena, Tuscany, Italy


Old Door, Piazza Del Duomo, Siena, Tuscany, Italy


Doorway, Via Del Capitano, Siena, Tuscany, Italy


Hand Painted Ceramic Plate, Ceramiche Antica Siena, 29 Il Campo, Siena, Tuscany, Italy


Fountain & Christmas Tree, Piazza di Postierla, Siena, Tuscany, Italy


Costa Larga, Siena, Tuscany, Italy

See Google Street View


Wall Point, Via di Città, Siena, Tuscany, Italy

See Google Street View


Vicolo di Tone, Via di Città, Siena, Tuscany, Italy


Statue of Pope Julius III, Chigi Saracini Palace, Via di Città, Siena, Tuscany, Italy


Water Well, Santuario Casa di Santa Caterina, Costa Sant’Antonio, Siena, Tuscany, Italy


Door, Palazzo Chigi Saracini, Via di Città, Siena, Tuscany, Italy


Chiasso del Bargello, Siena, Tuscany, Italy


Historic Building, Siena, Tuscany, Italy


Ferro di Facciata, Via dei Pellegrini, Siena, Tuscany, Italy


Ditta Lombardi, Piazza del Campo, Siena, Tuscany, Italy


Palazzo Pubblico, Piazza del Campo, Siena, Tuscany, Italy

The Town Hall


Piazza del Campo, Siena, Tuscany, Italy

This is the site where the Palio di Siena is held twice yearly


Romulus & Remus, Palazzo Publicco, Piazza del Campo, Siena, Tuscany, Italy


Security Patrol, Piazza del Campo, Siena, Tuscany, Italy

These patrols are everywhere you go in Italy


Former Taverna, Via Sant’Agata, Siena, Tuscany, Italy


View over Town, Via di Fontarella, Siena, Tuscany, Italy

The church tower in the distance is San Clemente in Santa Maria dei Servi


San Pietro in Castelvecchio, Via San Pietro, Siena, Tuscany, Italy

Initially built in the 12th century, this parish church was completely rebuilt in a Baroque style in the 17th century; the brick facade has a portal with a depiction of Glory of St Peter. The belltower dates to 1699, and the facade to 1706.


Exhibit, Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Piazza del Duomo, Siena, Tuscany, Italy


ITALY – PISA III

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Birthplace of Vincenzo Galilei at the junction of Via Mercanti & Borgo Stretto in Pisa, Italy

Vincenzo Galilei (3 April 1520, c. 1520, or late 1520s – buried 1 or 2 July 1591) was an Italian lutenist, composer, and music theorist, and the father of astronomer and physicist Galileo Galilei and the lute virtuoso and composer Michelagnolo Galilei. He was a seminal figure in the musical life of the late Renaissance and contributed significantly to the musical revolution which demarcates the beginning of the Baroque era.

In his study of pitch and string tension, Galilei produced perhaps the first non-linear mathematical description of a natural phenomenon known to history. It was an extension of a Pythagorean tradition but went beyond it. Many scholars credit him with directing the activity of his son away from pure, abstract mathematics and towards experimentation using mathematical quantitative description of the results, a direction of utmost importance for the history of physics and natural science.





Originally built from 1440 & reconstructed after taking damage, this fortress now houses a garden




Inscription:

A ULISSE DINI
MATEMATICO INSIGNE
ONORE DELLO STUDIO PISANO
GLORIA D’ITALIA
CITTADINO BENEMERITO
PISA RICONOSCENTE
1845-1918».

Translation:

TO ULISSE DINI
NOTABLE MATHEMATICIAN
HONOR OF PISAN STUDY
GLORY OF ITALY
WORTHY CITIZEN
GRATITUDE OF PISA
1845-1918



Part of the Museo delle Sinopie used as the ticket office for the attractions.


Constructed in 1278, the Camposanto was established to safeguard the burial sarcophagi that were in the Cathedral in a new building. As such, it has a collection of sarcophagi from Roman, medieval, and Renaissance times. It is decorated with an amazing collection of frescoes that you can see reconstructed in pictures in the museum. It was one of the first burial structures that became a museum.



Taken from the upper dome of the Baptistery.





This pulpit dating to 1310, survived a fire in 1595. Having been packed away during the redecoration, it was not rediscovered and restored until 1926. The pulpit is supported by plain columns (two of which are mounted on lion’s sculptures) on one side and by caryatids and a telamon on the other: the latter represent Saint Michael, the Evangelists, the four cardinal virtues flanking the church, and a bold, naturalistic depiction of a naked Hercules. A central plinth with the liberal arts supports the four theological virtues.

The present-day pulpit is a reconstruction of the original. It does not lie in its original position, which was nearer the main altar, and the columns and panels are not original. The original stairs (perhaps of marble) were lost.



Construction began on 17 April 1565 in order to build a church for the Order of Knights of St Stephan, founded by the Grand Duke Cosimo de’ Medici to fight Saracen piracy in the Mediterranean.


A long history dating to1061 but is now the official church of the University of Pisa.


Grand Duke Pietro Leopoldo bought this tower in 1785 and merged a new bell by Alessandro Tognozzi to mark the hours of study for the students of the University, starting at 7.30 in the morning.

The bell was inscribed:-

Audite disciplinam et et estote sapientes.

Translated:- Hear instruction and be wise.


Cassetta Per le Lettere = Mailbox


ITALY – PISA II

Ruins of Largo del Parlascio, Largo Parlascio, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy


Porta a Lucca, Largo Parlascio, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy


Monument to Paolo Savi, Orto e Museo Botanico, Via Roma, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy


26-28 Via Santa Maria, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy


Dingy Lane, Via Santa Maria, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy


Across the River Arno, Lungarno Antonio Pacinotti, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy


Ponte Solferino, River Arno, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy


River Arno, Ponte Solferino, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy


Vicolo del Ricciardi, Lungarno Gambacorti, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy

[“Vicolo” = Alley]


Vicolo del Mecherini, Lungarno Gambacorti, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy


Lungarno Gambacorti, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy


Ponte Mezzo, River Arno, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy


Palazzo Pretorio, Piazza XX Settembre, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy


Logge dei Banchi, Piazza XX Settembre, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy


River Arno, Ponte di Mezzo, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy


Palazzo Pretorio (L) & Logge dei Banchi(R), Piazza XX Settembre, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy



Alfresco Dining, Vicolo del Vigna, LLungarno Antonio Pacinotti, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy


Cinema Lumiere, Vicolo del Tidi, Lungarno Antonio Pacinotti, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy


Shutter of Closed Shop, Via Bernardo Tanucci, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy


Via Santa Maria, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy


Torre di Pisa, Piazza del Duomo, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy


Ferro di Facciata, Via Santa Maria, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy

[Used in medieval time for tethering horses – see more]


Chiesa di San Sisto, Piazza Francesco Buonamici, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy

[Constructed between 1087 and 1133]


Stone Bordered Doorway, Chiesa di San Sisto, Via Corsica, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy

Stone Bordered Doorway, Via Corsica, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy


Vintage Street Lamp, Cnr Via Ulisse Dini & Via delle Sette Volte, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy


Street Lamp, Borgo Street, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy


ITALY – PISA

We caught a train from Rome to begin the planned part of our holiday. We will spend the next four nights in Pisa. Our hotel was wonderfully located a very short walk from the Piazza Delle Duomo.


Rooftops of Pisa, Tuscany, Italy

(Taken from the balcony of our hotel)


Cattedrale di Pisa, Piazza del Duomo, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy

(Taken from the balcony of our hotel)


Bells of Chiesa di San Giorgio dei Tedeschi, Via Santa Maria, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy

(Taken from the balcony of our hotel)


Entrance, Collegio Ferdinando, Via Santa Maria, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy

In 1593, the Ferdinand College was inaugurated at 102 via Santa Maria. The great portal in marble and the bust of the Grand Duke are works by Raffaele Pagni. Ferdinand I wanted to open its doors to all deserving students, even those who did not have the opportunity to pay for their studies.


Inner Courtyard Door, Università di Pisa – Biblioteca di Antichistica, Via Santa Maria, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy


Doorway, 2 Via dei Mille, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy


Chiesa di San Sisto, Piazza Francesco Buonamici, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy


Antica Trattoria Antonietta Pisa, Via Santa Maria, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy


The Tower at Night, Piazza del Duomo, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy


Battistero di San Giovanni & Cattedrale di Pisa, Piazza del Duomo, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy


Battistero di San Giovanni, Piazza del Duomo, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy


Entrance of Tourist Information Office, Piazza del Duomo, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy

Part of the Museo delle Sinopie used as the ticket office for the attractions.


Via Roma, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy


Fontana dei Putti, Piazza Arcivescovado, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy


Christmas Lights, Via Santa Maria, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy


Street Lamp, Via Santa Maria, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy


Battistero di San Giovanni & Leaning Tower, Piazza del Duomo, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy

(Taken from the balcony of our hotel)


Torre di Santa Maria, Via Contessa Matilde, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy


Tower Gate, Torre di Santa Maria, Via Contessa Matilde, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy


Battistero di San Giovanni, Piazza del Duomo, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy


On the Old City Wall Walkway, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy


Within The Wall, City Wall, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy


ITALY – 2024-2025

The beginning of our trip to Tuscany, Italy. We had booked flights to take us to Pisa to begin the trip and thus made all of the arrangements around this. Unfortunately, Emirates decided to remove their scheduled flight from Dubai to Pisa leaving us with a bit of a problem. We ended up having to leave a couple of days earlier than planned and fly to Rome and then catch a train to Pisa to start our holiday, hence we spent only a single day in Rome. Below is from that day.


Views of The Colosseum


Archaeological Excavation, via Luigi Petroselli, Rome, Italy


Circus Maximus, Viale Aventino, Rome, Italy


Chiesa di San Rocco all’Augusteo, Via di Ripetta, Rome, Italy

(Built between 1499 – 1832)


Chiesa del Santissimo Nome di Maria al Foro Traiano, Foro Traiano, Rome, Italy


Distressed Wall, Chiesa di San Sebastiano al Palatino, Via di San Bonaventura, Rome, Italy


Ornate Statuette Lamp. Grand Hotel Palace, Via Vittorio Veneto, Rome, Italy


Gateway, Chiesa di San Sebastiano al Palatino, Via di San Bonaventura, Rome, Italy

The site was originally for a temple built by the emperor Elagabalus in the third century. The temple was replaced by a church and an attached monastery in the tenth century. It was dedicated to the Virgin Mary, Saint Sebastian, and Saint Zoticus, which can be read in an inscription that also contains the name of the founder of monastery, a physician named “Peter”. Originally the church was known as Santa Maria in Pallara, after the Palladium, the ancient image of Athena from Troy which – along with some of the most sacred objects in pagan Rome – was allegedly kept in a pagan temple on the same site. In 1061, the church was given to the abbot of Montecassino. It was then dedicated to Saint Sebastian. The structure that stands today is the result of a rebuilding in 1624.


Terme di Elagabalo, Via di S. Gregorio, Rome, Italy

Roman Baths adjacent to The Colosseum.


Shrine, Via di San Bonaventura, Rome, Italy


Side Wall of Chiesa San Bonaventura al Palatino, Via di San Bonaventura, Rome, Italy


Ruins, via Filippo Turati, Rome, Italy


Ruins behind Circus Maximus, Viale Aventino, Rome, Italy


Overgrown Gateway, Via di San Bonaventura, Rome, Italy


Courtyard, via Cairoli, Rome, Italy


Colonnade, via Giovanni Giolitti, Rome, Italy


Colonnade, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II, Rome, Italy


Poignant Message, Colonnade, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II, Rome, Italy


Doorway, Frati Cappuccini (Capuchin Friars), San Fedele Convent, via Cairoli, Rome, Italy


Street Sign, Via Machiavelli, Rome, Italy


Birra Moretti IPA, Hotel Napoleon, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II, Rome, Italy


Oops!, Via di Porta Maggiore, Rome, Italy


99 Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II, Rome, Italy


THE FINAL COUNTDOWN

After all this time, this is the final post of our 2023 sojourn. After a night in Birstwith we spend a couple of days in historic Banbury and Bath  before returning to London to fly home to Australia.

Weir on River Nidd, Wreaks Road, Birstwith, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England UK


River Nidd, Wreaks Road, Birstwith, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England UK


Town Hall, Bridge Street, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK


“Lamprey’s Buildings”, Bridge Street, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK

Very hard to find information on this heritage building.

Alamy Stock Photos quotes:-

“Lampreys Building. In 1834 John Lamprey bought the corn merchandising business of R. Edmunds and Son. He lived above his shop here and the building became the company headquarters.”

This building bears the date of 1839 so I can only guess that the business was established elsewhere prior to construction of these premises.


Post Box, High Street, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK

-*-*-*-Image 1-*-*-*-Image 2-*-*-*-


HSBC Bank, Market Place, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK


Cornhill Corn Exchange (Castle Shopping Centre), Market Place, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK


The Wine Vaults, Parsons Street, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK

A Grade II Listed Building


Parson’s Street, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK

Ye Olde Reine Deer Inn on the right – said to have hosted both William Shakespeare and Oliver Cromwell in their days.


Bar Door, The Cromwell Hotel, North Bar Street, Banbury, Oxfordshire,England UK


No. 1 Parson’s Street, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK

Originates in the 17th century and is a grade II Listed Building


Doorway, No. 1 Parson’s Street, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK


Abraxas Cookshop, Market Place, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK

The dark bit between the buildings is a separate individual place.


JT Davies Bar & Restaurant, Cornhill, Market Place, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK


“Capri”, 24 Cornhill Market Place, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK

Now an Italian restaurant


Nationwide Building Society, Market Place, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK


Heritage Buildings, Market Place, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK


Old Sign, Mill Lane, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK


Lock 29, Banbury Lock, Oxford Canal, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK

Oxford Canal, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK

Tooley’s Boatyard, Oxford Canal, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK

Tooley’s Boatyard is a Scheduled Ancient Monument!

Tooley’s was established in 1778 and is the oldest continuous working dry dock in Britain. It was established to build and repair the wooden horse-drawn narrow boats which regularly travelled up and down the newly constructed Oxford Canal network which was completed in 1790 and was vital to the development of the Industrial Revolution in Banbury.


Narrow Boats, Oxford Canal, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK


“Fine Lady” Statue, South Bar Street, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK


Pepper Alley, High Street, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK


White Lion Walk, High Street, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK


White Lion Shopping Walk, High Street, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK


The Old Wine House, Cnr High Street & Marlborough Road, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK

A Grade II Listed building dating to the early 16th century as a house but now utilised as commercial premises.


The Banbury Cross, South Bar, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK

Banbury Cross. 1858 by J. Gibbs of Oxford to comemmorate the marriage of Victoria, Princess Royal, to the Crown Prince of Prussia. Additions made in 1914 include the figures of Queen Victoria, Edward VII and George V. Carved by Boulton and Sons. Limestone. In the style of an Eleanor Cross with niches, statues and small spire. 3 medieval crosses are mentioned in Banbury. There is no evidence that a medieval cross stood in Horse Fair but the site was probably selected for the 1858 cross because the historian Alfred Beesley writing in 1841 considered that it had been the site of the principal cross at Banbury. From medieval times onwards Banbury Cross has assumed significance as a local landmark.


Heritage Building, Child First Nursery, Horse Fair, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK

8 Horsefair, overlooking Banbury Cross. This historic building, originally built for Banbury’s Poor Law Guardians and is dated 1900. It was once home to the Banbury Museum until 1999.

The street name “Horse Fair” probably dates from the 16th century when there was a leather market, a horse market, a sheep market, a cattle market, a swine market, a leather market, a corn market and a flax market. There were also specialized annual fairs in Banbury. There was a leather fair, a horse fair, a cow fair, a fish fair, a cheese fair and a wool fair. Banbury cakes were first mentioned in 1586.


Solicitors Offices, South Bar Street, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK

On a previous visit in 2016, this was a private residence up for sale.


The Old Vicarage, Horse Fair, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK

Dates to 1649, is Grade II Listed and built for Samuel Wells the Vicar of Banbury.


Whately Hall Hotel, Horse Fair, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK

A Grade II Listed building dated 1652


St Mary’s Church, Horse Fair, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK

St Mary’s Church was built in the 1790s to replace the Medieval one damaged during the English Civil War. It is Banbury’s only Grade I listed building and its most conspicuous landmark .


The Church House, Horse Fair, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK

Grade II Listed building dated 1905 now in use as a Bar, Restaurant, Café.


Thai Orchid Restaurant, North Bar Street, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK


White Horse, North Bar Street, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK


The Coach & Horses, Butcher’s Row, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK


Bust of William Shakespeare, Sheila’s Sweets, Parson’s Street, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK


Flowers, Caffè Nero, High Street, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK


Banksy Tribute Mural, Butcher’s Row, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England UK


The Bell, Park Street, Stow on the Wold, Gloucestershire, England UK


Residential, Maugersbury Road, Stow on the Wold, Gloucestershire, England UK


Park Street, Stow on the Wold, loucestershire, England UK


Dining Room, The Salutation Inn, The Gibb, Castle Combe, Wiltshire, England UK


The Lamb & Lion, Lower Borough Walls, Bath, Somerset, England UK


Ghost Sign, Lulu Caffe, Hot Bath Street, Bath, Somerset, England UK


Door, Holy Trinity Church, Cnr Chapel Row & Monmouth Place, Bath, Somerset, England UK


Views from our Window at The Black Fox, St James’s Parade, Bath, Somerset, England UK


The Bar, The Crown Hotel, Cnr High & Church Streets, Alton, East Hampshire, England UK


White Knight on White Horse, High Street, Guildford, Surrey, England UK


Aston Martin Dealership, New Zealand Avenue, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England UK


Gate & Door, 258 High Street, Guildford, Surrey, England UK


“Hadleigh Gate”, High Street, Guildford, Surrey, England UK


Old Building, High Street, Guildford, Surrey, England UK


“GR” Mailbox, High Street, Guildford, Surrey, England UK


A Few Drinks Along The Way


Pub Signs Along the Way


Our Hired Car – Vauxhall Grandland



 

MOVING ONWARDS

After leaving Holy Island, we are heading towards Banbury with just a couple of stops on the way. A quick stop for coffee in Alnwick, Northumberland, a visit to the famous Fountains Abbey (next post) and a night at the Station Hotel in Birstwith, North Yorkshire.

Entrance to Greenwell Lane, Bondgate Within, Alnwick, Northumberland, England UK


The George, 63 Bondgate Within, Alnwick, Northumberland, England UK


Robertson’s Fountain, Cobbles, Bondgate Within, Alnwick, Northumberland, England UK

Minor Image 1     <><><><>     Minor Image 2


Pauperhaugh Bridge, River Coquet, Pauperhaugh, Longframlington, Northumberland, England UK

This is an old bridge built by the Duke of Northumberland and then adopted by the County in 1888. With its five stone arches is one of the most attractive on the Coquet and is a Grade II Listed Building.

During the months of October and November when the Coquet is in full spate,  the salmon and sea trout leaping onto the stone apron and swimming with grim deternination upstream to their spawning beds can be witnessed.


Sheep, River Coquet, Pauperhaugh, Longframlington, Northumberland, England UK


River Coquet, Pauperhaugh, Longframlington, Northumberland, England UK


Church of St Mary, Studley Royal, Chair Walk, Ripon, North Yorkshire, England UK

The Church of St Mary, Studley Royal, is a Victorian Gothic Revival church built in the Early English style. It is located in the grounds of Studley Royal Park at Fountains Abbey, in North Yorkshire, England. It was commissioned by the 1st Marquess of Ripon as a memorial church to Frederick Grantham Vyner, his brother-in-law. It is one of two such churches, the other being the Church of Christ the Consoler at Skelton-on-Ure.

Frederick Vyner had been murdered by Greek bandits in 1870 in an event known as the Dilessi massacre. A significant ransom had been demanded, and in part collected, before his death. His mother, Lady Mary Vyner, and his sister, Lady Ripon, used the unspent ransom to build the two churches in his memory.


Pheasant, Fountains Abbey Grounds, Ripon, North Yorkshire, England UK


Majestic Tree, Fountains Abbey Grounds, Ripon, North Yorkshire, England UK


The Bar, The Station Hotel, Birstwith, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England UK


First View of The Abbey, Fountains Abbey, Ripon, North Yorkshire, England UK


BAMBURGH CASTLE

Whilst staying on Holy Island, it was a short drive down the coast to the village of Bamburgh where we were able to visit the historic castle.

Bamburgh Castle, is on the northeast coast of England, by the village of Bamburgh in Northumberland and is a Grade I listed building.

The site was originally the location of a Celtic Brittonic fort known as Din Guarie and may have been the capital of the kingdom of Bernicia from its foundation c. 420 to 547. In that last year, it was captured by King Ida of Bernicia. After passing between the Britons and the Anglo-Saxons three times, the fort came under Anglo-Saxon control in 590. The fort was destroyed by Vikings in 993, and the Normans later built a new castle on the site, which forms the core of the present one. After a revolt in 1095 supported by the castle’s owner, it became the property of the English monarch.

In the 17th century, financial difficulties led to the castle deteriorating, but it was restored by various owners during the 18th and 19th centuries. It was finally bought by the Victorian era industrialist William Armstrong, who completed its restoration. The castle still belongs to the Armstrong family and is their private home. It is open to the public.

[Wikipedia]

The view of the village from the castle walls

Etched into the walls of the “dungeon”

ImageImage 1     -*-*-*-     Image 2

Nesting birdUhtred of Bebbanburg

Bamburgh, under its Saxon name Bebbanburg, is the home of Uhtred Uhtredson, the main character in Bernard Cornwell’s The Saxon Stories. He is one of the few characters in the show “The Last Kingdom”to be fictional. The book series became a TV series and this character, Uhtred of Bebbanburg is loosely based on Uhtred the Bold, an ealdorman of all Northumbria from 1006 to 1016.