This afternoon, I have decided to feature some unusual, possibly 10th century, stone carvings from the Church of St. Helen's, Bilton-in-Ainsty, Yorkshire, which I recently visited. These unusual carvings can be found in the Lady Chapel of this church which has origins dating back to Saxon times. Being of possible 10th century AD date, the carvings could be from the Viking era. The vertical stone immediately above may have been the shaft of across. This and the other stones may have been re-used as grave-markers at various times. I find these carvings pleasantly primitive and striking. In their day they were intended to convey messages at a time when most of the population would have been illiterate and Christianity a relatively new introduction.

Elsewhere today, I have been busy:

• Designing a new web page for my main catswhiskerstours website.
• Responding to various tour enquiries (one confirmation).
• Posting information to my separate GlasgowAncestry blog on Brown family history.

As regards the ancestry blog, in the case of one posting, this has turned into a message board for an extended family of descendants now residing in the U.S., Australia and New Zealand. Its pleasing to see the blog functionality being used in this way.

Weather in Glasgow today is cold but dry with vestiges of snow lingering on in sheltered spots.

Labels: Historic Churches Yorkshire

posted by Nigel Cole @ 7:13 AM  0 comments

This morning, I went off to visit the stunning Burrell Collection in Glasgow. In total there are some 8,000 objects which were assembled by a former shipping magnate names Sir William Burrell. This unique and wide-ranging collection was donated to the City of Glasgow by Sir William and Lady Burrell in 1944. The collection comprises paintings, sculpture, tapestries, ceramics, stained glass, furniture, silver, metalwork and objects d'art from many time periods.

The collection can be categorised as follows:

Ancient Civilisations: Art and objects from Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Greece, and Italy.

Oriental Art: Chinese ceramics, Chinese bronzes, Chinese furniture, Chinese jade and, Japanese prints.

Central Asian Embroideries.

Near Eastern Ceramics

Near Eastern Carpets

Medieval Europe: sculpture and church art, tapestries, stained glass, lace and domestic arts.

Decorative Arts: silver.

Arms and Armour

European Ceramics

Treen.

Glass

Needlework

Furniture

Paintings: early paintings, Dutch and British paintings, the Hague School, French paintings.

Prints and Drawings

Sculpture

Below is provided images of a selection of items from the Collection.

The Thinker by Rodin (Bronze).

Furniture from the 17th and 16th centuries.

Rhyton (drinking horn). This is 4th century BC and emanates from Southern Italy.

Official from Ming Dynasty-AD 1609.

Caucasian carpets-17th and 18th centuries AD

Kimberley Throne, English 1578. Velvet with applied gold and silver tissue.

Stained glass from Cathedral of Notre-Dame, about AD 1280.

Transplanted room from Hutton Castle, former residence of sir William Burrell.

Amphora from Greece dated 550 BC. Attic figure in black.

Warwick Vase. This is 2nd century AD Roman and was found at Hadrian's Villa at Tivoli.

Portal and door from Hornby Castle, Yorkshire. 16th century AD.


This is an excellent and world-class collection located in the south part of Glasgow. Entrance is free.

Labels: Glasgow Burrell Collection

posted by Nigel Cole @ 6:34 AM  0 comments

This evening, the focus of my blog is on the historic Church of St. Mary the Virgin at Alne, Yorkshire, England and in particular the ancient Viking and Norman carvings which attract a lot of visitor interest.

There has been a church on this site for about 850 years. The current church has many interesting facets but I am going to focus on just three which are discussed and illustrated below.

Firstly, there is the massive 12th century stone font which is still used for baptisms. This close up shows the classic Green Man image which may relate to a pre-Christian natural deity. Note the branches or vines sprouting from the mouth.

Here is the font.

This image shows shows a lintel over a Anglo-Saxon era priests door. The well worn carving may well be from the Viking era.
Finally, this video clip shows the Norman era carved arch over the main door. This is very significant and attracts many visitors. The carvings represent beasts from the Bible although there are also some secular ones.

Elsewhere, the weather today in Glasgow has proved quite miserable and not conducive to getting out for pics. However, have received quite a number of interesting private tour enquiries which I am hopeful will convert to committed tours.

Posted to my separate GlasgowAncestry blog information on McLean family history. Also did some more work on my main website.

Labels: Historic Churches Yorkshire

posted by Nigel Cole @ 2:15 PM  0 comments

This morning started damp and wet with a good layer of snow and more snow forecast. I had the idea of going into Glasgow Centre to obtain some images of George Square covered in snow, but such was not be as upon arrival there was no snow to be seen. However, took the opportunity to walk around and take some interesting pictures of Glasgow which are discussed below.

Here is an aspect of Central Station, Glasgow's largest, which dates from 1876-79 with a viaduct added in 1901-6.

This is a gateway to the Merchant City, once an area where tobacco merchants reigned supreme in the 18th century and now home to upscale shops such as Armani and Ralph Lauren. Many of the buildings date back to the 18th century and are attributed to famous architects such as Robert Adam.

Former bank building designed by Elliot and Black in 1820s and 1830s.


Inside Gallery of Modern Art. This building is of architectural interest as was once a mansion house built by the wealthy trader William Cunninghame in the late 18th century.

Another display in the Gallery.
Duke of Wellington Statue which is located outside the Gallery of Modern art. This was erected by Baron Marochetti in October 1844.

One of the twelve statues in George Square. Whilst walking on Glasgow Green in 1765 James Watt had the inspiration to improve the efficiency of the newly developed steam engine by using a separate condenser and a steam jacket.


This is Glasgow City Chambers ( City Hall) which houses the largest local government authority in Scotland. This is a grand building dating from 1888 which reflects Glasgow's status at the time as second city of the British Empire.

Statue of Robert Peel. He was Prime Minister 1834-5 and instituted the modern police force. He was also Rector of Glasgow University from 1836-8.

Atop this very high plinth is a statue of Sir Walter Scott, famous novelist of the late 18th/early 19th century . He wrote the Waverley Novels, Kenilworth and much more. The plinth was originally designed for a statue of King George III but this monarch lost favour with the Glasgow elite due to a combination of intermittent madness and loss of the American colonies which impacted severely on the trade of the Glasgow tobacco merchants.

The following two pics show Queen Street Station which is noted for its fine, flat arched roof and dates from 1842.

Labels: Glasgow

posted by Nigel Cole @ 12:28 PM  0 comments

You scratch my neck and I'll scratch yours!


Here's looking at you, kid.
This afternoon, heavy and persistent snow curtailed my activities. I hear that many roads around Scotland are blocked or restricted. We are certainly having a tough time this winter! Certainly glad I am not out touring in this weather.

Notwithstanding the snow storm, I decided to get out on my bike and photograph specimens of a very photogenic herd of Highland Cattle. These animals are docile and allow photographers to get close without so much as batting an eyelid. It could be this particular herd is very used to humans gawping at them.

Although not immediately evident, the above pics were in fact during a snowstorm and it will be noticed that the animals' coats are damp. However, Highland Cattle are extremely hardy and will thrive in harsher conditions than today. In fact, they are an ancient and hardy breed which emanate from the Scottish Highlands and Islands; they are hardy grazers and live out in all weathers. Apart from Britain/Scotland this breed is popular in Australia and North America. I do understand they are not particularly efficient as beef animals due to their relatively slow rate of growth vis-a-vis more modern beef breeds.

In the course of my private, Scotland tours I usually come across a herd or specimen somewhere. Small herds are usually kept near grand houses or castles to attract visitors.

Here is a video clip of a herd closer to their natural habitat in Glen Nevis, near Fort William in the Highlands. Great little beasts!

Labels: highland cattle

posted by Nigel Cole @ 9:30 AM  0 comments

This morning, we experienced continuity of another cold spell. As the skies were clear I went out to a local park to obtain a few pics from nearby Rouken Glen. Below are some chunky icicles close to a waterfall and below that are a couple swans navigating around the ice on their frozen pond. The cold weather is forecast to continue with heavy snow for the Shetland Islands and temperatures as low as minus 15C in the Highlands.



Most of the day I was preoccupied with tour related matters including:

• Detailed itinerary for a group tour scheduled for September.
• A short tour of Perthshire in June.
• A Whisky Tour.
  

Ancestry Research: This is an interesting sideline for me. I posted information on Morrison family history to my separate GlasgowAncestry blog which, sadly, recorded the deaths of three young children at a major rail accident in Yorkshire in 1913.

Website: Working away with additional and replacement content.

Plan to have an early night tonight as may have a cold coming on!

Labels: rouken glen

posted by Nigel Cole @ 12:14 PM  0 comments

This evening, my focus is on an Anglo-Saxon era ( AD410-1066) carving which is located above the altar at the Church of the Holy Redeemer, York. See image below. During this period Christianity became firmly established in England. These sort of carvings would have had a combined propaganda and teaching role at a time when most of the population would have been illiterate.

This 1960s era church was built using materials and carvings transported from the demolished St. Mary the Elder Church at Bishophill which results (see this video clip) is an unusual but effective juxtaposition of 1960s and 12th century interior design which seems to work well.

Elsewhere today, I have been busy arranging various tours of Scotland. I also paid a visit to a nearby cemetery and found a memorial stone recording the deaths of 3 children in a major railway accident dating from 1913, at Ais Gill in Yorkshire, which resulted in a total of 14 fatalities.

The weather here in Glasgow has remained clear and dry but very cold, probably around freezing for most of the day. More cold weather forecast!

Labels: Historic Churches Yorkshire

posted by Nigel Cole @ 1:55 PM  0 comments

This trip was motivated by crisp, clear visibility with good sunlight.Object was to venture out to the highly elevated Eaglesham Moor, south of Glasgow, with aim of obtaining images of the city of Glasgow bathed in the sunlight. However, this did work out quite as I had hoped, principally due to the low elevation of the sun at this time of year. However, my trip was not entirely in vain as I did manage to secure some reasonable images of other vistas.

Firstly, I should mention that Eaglesham Moor has two main claims to fame,viz:

1. It is where the Nazi leader, Rudolph Hess crash landed on May 10th 1941 in context of a hair brained scheme to end World War 2.
2. It hosts one of Europe's largest wind farms..

The top of the moor is usually wet and boggy but was frozen firm which aided my mobility.

Here is an aspect of the wind farm showing the frozen ground surface.

Here is a view of Glasgow (from the south).

Another, view of the wind farm.

Frozen hillocks with wind turbines in background.

 

This shows the wind farm BUT the shadow in the foreground is deceptive. It is actually Dunwan Hill, an ancient site, originally thought to be Iron Age but more likely a high status homestead of the first millennium AD. I have climbed this hill in the past, when the terrain was very wet underfoot.

Overall, a productive trip which produced a useful portfolio of images.

.

Labels: EAGLESHAM

posted by Nigel Cole @ 9:14 AM  0 comments

This evening, my theme is the Nunburnholme Cross, one of many such ancient carved crosses I encounter on my travels around Scotland and England. More on this below. First an update on today:

Glasgow Weather: Bright, dry but very cold with temperature at or below freezing for most of the day.

Tour Arranging: Very busy with a whole range of new tour enquiries, which is nice. Spent more time adding micro detail to a 2 week round Britain self-drive tour which I am arranging.

Ancestry Research: Posted information on Thomson family history to my separate GlasgowAncestry blog. Interestingly, one of the family actually died in the Chilean seaport of Valparaiso.

Nunburnholme Cross: Now for the interesting bit! This is a stone cross with carvings on all four sides straddling the late Saxon, Viking and Norman periods and as such is of great antiquity and interest. It was discovered during 1873 building work in the church of the same name, it was incorporated into the church porch but subsequently damaged by the iron fittings which held it in place. It was effectively cut in two but reconstructed the wrong way round. Very briefly:

• Two sides are Late Saxon with focus on the Virgin Mary and Christ. See image above.
  
• One side appears to be of Viking era date and may depict a local Viking lord plus a scene form the Norse Sigurd story which features a dragon .
• The remaining side is a mixture of both Viking and Norman.

A video clip of the Cross can be found here. Fascinating!

Labels: Historic Churches Yorkshire

posted by Nigel Cole @ 12:54 PM  0 comments

This evening, I am posting images of York Minster, a famous Cathedral located in Northern England.

Christianity in York dates back to Roman times but can be traced for certain from AD 625 under Bishop Paulinus. The current building dates from 1080-1110 under the Norman archbishop Thomas of Bayeux. This building was subsequently modified, extended and embellished on numerous occasions, viz:

• 1220- present building begun.
• 1253-north transept completed.
• 1291 - work on nave begun.
• rebuilding of quire and east end over period of 250 years.
• 1407 - central tower partially collapsed
• 1829 and 1840 saw two serious fires.
• 1967 witnessed start of 5 yr rescue operation to stabilise the building.
• 1984 witnessed another fire which destroyed roof of the south transept.

This is a truly magnificent building which is also a popular visitor attraction receiving a million visitors each year. It is also possible to climb up the tower for a helicopter view of the Minster and York .


Astronomical Clock dedicated 1955

Famous Rose window restored after the 1984 fire.


Vaulting over the nave

Processional Cross, 1912

Clerestory Windows

Chapel of St. John
South Quire Aisle


Flying buttresses on exterior
View from the Tower

Labels: York Minster

posted by Nigel Cole @ 1:40 PM  0 comments