Trapani

Trapani ( , ; ; ; ) is a city and municipality ("comune") on the west coast of Sicily, in Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Trapani. Founded by Elymians, the city is still an important fishing port and the main gateway to the nearby Egadi Islands.
History.
Drepana was founded by the Elymians to serve as the port of the nearby city of Eryx (present-day Erice), which overlooks it from Monte Erice. The city sits on a low-lying promontory jutting out into the Mediterranean Sea.
It was originally named "Drépanon" from the Greek word for "sickle", because of the curving shape of its harbour. Carthage seized control of the city in 260BC, subsequently making it an important naval base, but ceded it to Rome in 241BC following the Battle of the Aegates in the First Punic War.
Two ancient legends relate supposed mythical origins for the city. In the first legend, Trapani stemmed from the sickle which fell from the hands of the goddess Demeter while she was seeking for her daughter Persephone, who had been kidnapped by Hades. The second myth features Kronos, who eviscerated his father Ouranos, god of the sky, with a sickle which, falling into the sea, created the city. In ancient times, Saturn (i.e., the Punic god Baal Hammon) was the patron god of Trapani. Today, Saturn's statue stands in a piazza in the centre of the city.
After its Roman, Vandal, Ostrogoth, Byzantine and (from 827) Arab conquests, Trapani was taken by the Normans of Roger I in 1077, flourishing under their dominations and having also a role in the Crusades as one of the most important ports in the Mediterranean Sea. In the 17th century, the city decayed due to revolts, plagues, and famines, but in the following century, it grew from 16,000 to 30,000 inhabitants; commerce remained of local importance, while its military position in the Kingdom of Naples remained notable.
The city was badly damaged during World War II, when it was subjected to intense Allied bombardments. It has grown greatly since the end of the war, sprawling out virtually to the foot of Monte San Giuliano. Tourism has grown in recent years due to the city's proximity to popular destinations such as Erice, Segesta, and the Egadi Islands.
Government and demographics.
The "comune" of Trapani consists of two discontiguous parts separated by the "comune" of Paceco. The northern part includes much of the city and some rural area; the much larger southern part includes the area of Marausa, half of Trapani-Birgi Airport and a large rural area. The "comune" does not include the north-eastern suburbs of the urban area, such as Casa Santa, which are part of the "comune" of Erice. The "comune" of Trapani has a population of 70,000, less than the 80,000 of Marsala, the most populous "comune" in the province. The entire urban area of Trapani, including those parts in the "comune" of Erice, has over 90,000 residents.
Economy.
Much of Trapani's economy still depends on the sea and fishing and canning are the main local industries. Coral is also an important export, along with salt, marble, and marsala wine. The nearby coast is lined with numerous saltworkers formed by the evaporation of seawater situated majestically along the coast road between Trapani and Marsala.
The city is also an important ferry port, with links to the Egadi Islands, Pantelleria, Sardinia, France and Tunisia. It also has its own airport, the Trapani-Birgi Airport.
Fishing.
Tuna fishing in Trapani has an ancient tradition () used in the city and in the surroundings: (San Giuliano, San Cusumano, Isola di Formica, Favignana, Bonagia, San Vito Lo Capo, Scopello, Capo Granitola). Today, this technique is forbidden but the fishing port is very active and hosts 142 small and medium fishing boats, for a total of 2805 GRT (gross tonnage)
The old fish market, renovated in 1998, is now used for cultural events and a new one, large and modern, more functional to fishing activities has been located near the port. It represents the only market in the Province and its recent restructuring, with European funds, places it at the forefront in the national level both in terms of marketing and product traceability.
Coral processing.
Between the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries Trapani fishermen began to practice coral fishing, and coral craftmen started to develop its processing succeeding throughout the Mediterranean. A network of prestigious commissions was consolidated throughout Europe and it was thus possible to produce ever richer and more elaborate works. Today, however, fishing has almost completely disappeared, while coral processing is limited to few craftsmen.
Saltworks.
Windmills and saltworks are evidence of industrial archeology. Saltworks are located in the area of Natural Reserve of Saline di Trapani and Paceco managed by the WWF and characterized by a remarkable flora and fauna. Thanks to the protection guaranteed by the Reserve, the activity of the saltworkers and the production of salt have increased, favoring the return and reproduction of dozens of species of migratory birds, including the pink flamingo.
Tourism: notable monuments to include:.
The old city of Trapani dates from the later medieval or early modern periods; there are no more remains of the ancient city and many of the city's historic buildings are designed in the Baroque style.
Culture.
The city is renowned for its Easter related Holy Week activities and traditions, culminating between Good Friday and Holy Saturday in the Processione dei Misteri di Trapani, colloquially simply the "Misteri di Trapani" (in English the Procession of the Mysteries of Trapani or the Mysteries of Trapani), a day-long passion procession organized and sponsored by the city's guilds, featuring twenty floats of wood, canvas and glue sculptures, mostly from the 17th and 18th centuries, of individual scenes of the events of the Passion.
The "Misteri" are among the oldest continuously running religious events in Europe, having been played every Good Friday since before the Easter of 1612. Running for at least 16 continuous hours, but occasionally well beyond the 24 hours, they are the longest religious festival in Sicily and in Italy. Important also to the cult of the Madonna of Trapani.
The city gives its name to a variety of pesto – "pesto alla trapenese" – made using almonds instead of the traditional pine nuts in Ligurian pesto.
Transport.
Trapani-Birgi Airport is a military-civil joint use airport (third for traffic on the island). Recently the airport has seen an increase of traffic thanks to low-cost carriers from all parts of Europe (i.e. London-Stansted and London-Luton, Paris Beauvais, Dublin, Bruxelles, Munich, Frankfurt, Eindhoven, Stockholm, Malta).
Sport.
From September 28 to October 9, 2005, Trapani was the location of Acts 8 and 9 of the Louis Vuitton Cup. This sailing race featured, among other entrants, all the boats that took part in the 2007 America's Cup.
The town is also the base for the local football team Trapani Calcio. Founded in 1905, they are nicknamed the Granata (the Maroons) after their kit colour. In 2010, Trapani Calcio was admitted into the 2010–11 Lega Pro Seconda Divisione (formerly Serie C2), ending the club's 13-year absence from the professional ranks. Subsequently, it made debut in Serie B in the 2013–14 season. It currently plays in Serie B with the coach Fabrizio Castori.
Climate.
Trapani has a hot-summer mediterranean climate with hot and dry summers coupled with moderately wet and mild winters. Summer lows are cooler than in other places of Sicily and Calabria, while at the same time remaining significantly warm for several months.
International relations.
Twin towns and Sister cities.
Trapani is twinned with:


Saint Francis Xavier Church, Dublin

Saint Francis Xavier Church, popularly known as Gardiner Street Church, is a Roman Catholic Church on Upper Gardiner Street, near Mountjoy Square. The church is run by the Jesuits.
History.
Designed by Father Bartholomew Esmonde SJ and erected by the architect Joseph B. Keane as a Classical cut granite stone essay, the first stone was laid on 2 July 1829, the year of Catholic Emancipation. The church was opened on 3 May 1832, though the parish website says "The High Altar ... was designed and assembled in Rome by Fr. B. Esmonde ... who with Mr John B. Keane was the architect of the church". Architectural critic Christine Casey describes it in her book, "Dublin", as "the most elegant church of the period in Dublin". The building is known for its collection, sculpted altar piece, and paintings, mostly Italian in origin and dating from the Victorian period. The design of St Francis Xavier Church reflects Father B. Esmonde's knowledge of the temples of Italy acquired during his residency there.
In 1889 the funeral was held here for the poet Gerard Manley Hopkins.
The church features in James Joyce's short story "Grace" from "Dubliners" and in the 1991 film "The Commitments" where the church organ is used to play "A Whiter Shade of Pale".
The Latin text on the pediment reads, which translates in English as, "to God one and Three under the invocation of St Francis Xavier".
The remains of the Blessed John Sullivan are enshrined in the church.


Hamm (Westf) Hauptbahnhof

Hamm (Westf) Hauptbahnhof (often abbreviated Hamm (Westf) or simply Hamm (W)) is a railway station situated in the city of Hamm in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
It is notable for its station building inspired by art deco and Gründerzeit building styles. The station is one of the important InterCityExpress rail hubs in the eastern Ruhr area and is among the high-profile buildings of Hamm.
Until the decline of rail freight after the Second World War, it featured one of Europe's largest marshalling yards.
History.
The station at Hamm was opened on 2 May 1847, when the first train of the Köln-Mindener Eisenbahn reached the city. It had been planned from the very beginning to make Hamm a railway hub, therefore the line to Münster (1848) and the line to Paderborn via Soest (1850) were opened soon thereafter. Both lines were built and operated by the Königlich-Westfälische Eisenbahn. Finally, in 1866, the Bergisch-Märkische Eisenbahn connected their line to Hagen via Unna to the growing station.
Due to the explosive increase in traffic at the height of the industrial age, the station was soon unable to cope with the growing demand. A separate marshalling yard was built in the 1880s, situated on the southern side of the passenger station. However, this did not provide real relief, and therefore the station area underwent major reconstruction starting in 1911 and finishing by 1929. The railway lines were laid on elevated embankments and the trackbed inside the station was raised, the old station building, originally built as an island platform, was torn down and replaced by the current building, the construction of which was finished by 1920.
The original marshalling yard was replaced by a new structure further south, consisting of three hump yards. The yard serving the East-West trains (operated from signal box "Hvw") was one of the first to receive a mechanised hump in 1925. Two new depots were also built near the station, "Hamm P" for passenger services and "Hamm G" for freight operations.
Over the years, Hamm prospered and grew quite notably due to its newfound role as a railway town.
During World War II, the station was a prime target due to its strategic location and its large marshalling yard and suffered from numerous air attacks. Most of these were carried out by the British RAF Bomber Command. Over 80% of Hamm lay in ruins after the war, and the station was no exception. Passenger services resumed on 18 June 1945 on the line to Dortmund and Duisburg, and on June 20 of the same year on the lines to Bielefeld, Münster and Soest.
The first line to be electrified was the line from Hamm to Düsseldorf Hbf on May 10, 1957. Electrification continued over the next decades, and was finished in December 1970 with the line to Paderborn.
In 1984, Hamm started to see InterCity services calling at the station, and since the early 1990s InterCityExpress trains call at the station as well.
The marshalling yard, despite having been renovated in the 1960s, was partly closed after Deutsche Bundesbahn became the private Deutsche Bahn AG. Of the three humps originally present in the yard, two of them (near signal boxes Hro and Vmo) were closed. The marshalling yard nowadays operates at only 10% of its original 10,000 wagon per day capacity. The two depots and the maintenance works are also operating at reduced capacity. The mail station, which even had its own hump, has been completely closed as mail trains were abolished soon after the privatization of the former Deutsche Bundespost in the early 1990s. The access tracks have been removed and the area was sold off to investors.
Station building.
The current station hall was opened on 14 October 1920. It is a good example of the "historism" building style, reminiscent of the German Gründerzeit style and incorporating Jugendstil elements, designed by an unknown architect.
The building sustained damage to parts of the roof and the vault during World War II, but was swiftly rebuilt after the war.
In 1985, the station hall was modernised in a contemporary style, and the front walls were clad with sheet metal. A new ticket hall made of glass was also added into the main station hall. Public opinion, however, was not in favour of the typical 1980s building style, and the topic of renovation resurfaced as early as the mid-1990s. The station therefore was properly restorated to its original state. Since the station hall had meanwhile become a listed building (in 1990), great attention was paid to detail. The station received the Europa Nostra Award in 2001 for the restoration effort.
Operational usage.
Services at the station.
The station building is fully accessible to the disabled and features lifts to all platforms except to tracks 12 and 13.
The ticket hall is open Mon to Fri 6:00 to 19:30, Sat 7:30 to 18:00 and Sun 9:30 to 19:00. There also is a service desk in the station hall, as well as a bistro, a bakery, a pharmacy and a bookshop. The railway mission is situated near platform 3.
With the exceptions of lines 7, and 17, all of Hamm's city buses call at the stop in front of the station. There are 220 free park and ride spaces for commuters. Local car parks have 800 bays, with another 200 to be added in a newly built car park at the western exit. There also is a guarded bicycle stand which can hold 780 bicycles.
Trains.
The station is an important hub with frequent services to Bielefeld, Münster, Dortmund, Hagen and Soest.
Hourly InterCityExpress services run to Berlin Ostbahnhof via Berlin Hbf, with trainsets coming from Cologne Bonn Airport (via Köln-Deutz, Düsseldorf, Duisburg, Essen Hauptbahnhof and Dortmund Hauptbahnhof) and Bonn Hbf (via Wuppertal and Hagen Hbf). The individual trainsets are then coupled together to continue their journey to Berlin via Bielefeld and Hannover.
A bi-hourly InterCity line runs from the Ruhr valley to Magdeburg Hbf via Hannover. Another IC line connects Hamm to Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe and Erfurt.
Furthermore, many local services call at the station. The RE lines 1, 3 and 13 terminate at Hamm, whilst RE lines 6, 7 and 11 as well as RB line 69 and 89 call at the station.
Hamm is also the terminus of the Hamm-Osterfelder Bahn, which lost its passenger traffic in 1983 but is still a notable freight railway.


Hardwick Hall

Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire is an architecturally significant country house from the Elizabethan era, a leading example of the Elizabethan prodigy house. Built between 1590 and 1597 for Bess of Hardwick, it was designed by the architect Robert Smythson, an exponent of the Renaissance style. Hardwick Hall is one of the earliest examples of the English interpretation of this style, which came into fashion having slowly spread from Florence. Its arrival in Britain coincided with the period when it was no longer necessary or legal to fortify a domestic dwelling.
After ownership for centuries by the Cavendish family and the line of the Earl of Devonshire and the Duke of Devonshire, ownership of the house was transferred to the Treasury in 1956 and then to the National Trust in 1959. The building was ruinous and required stabilisation and a subsequent restoration.
The Hall is fully open to the public and received 298,283 visitors in 2019.
History.
16th century.
Sited on a hilltop between Chesterfield and Mansfield, overlooking the Derbyshire countryside, Hardwick Hall was designed by Robert Smythson in the late 16th century. Ordered by Bess of Hardwick, Countess of Shrewsbury and ancestress of the Dukes of Devonshire, it was owned by her descendants until the mid-twentieth century.
Bess of Hardwick was the richest woman in England after Queen Elizabeth I, and her house was conceived to be a conspicuous statement of her wealth and power. The windows are exceptionally large and numerous at a time when glass was a luxury, leading to the saying, "Hardwick Hall, more glass than wall." The Hall's chimneys are built into the internal walls of the structure, in order to give more scope for huge windows without weakening the exterior walls.
The house's design also demonstrated new concepts not only in domestic architecture, but also of a more modern way in which life was led within a great house. Hardwick was one of the first English houses where the great hall was built on an axis through the centre of the house, rather than at right angles to the entrance.
Each of the three main storeys has a higher ceiling than the one below, the ceiling height being indicative of the importance of the rooms' occupants: least noble at the bottom and grandest at the top.
A wide, winding, stone staircase leads up to the state rooms on the second floor; these rooms include one of the largest long galleries in any English house. There is also a tapestry-hung great chamber with a spectacular plaster frieze illustrating hunting scenes; the room has been little altered.
Hardwick was but one of Bess's many houses. Each of her four marriages had brought her greater wealth. She was born in her father's manor house on the site of the later, now old Hall at Hardwick, which today is a ruin beside the 'new' hall.
17th century.
After Bess's death in 1608, the house passed to her son William Cavendish, 1st Earl of Devonshire. His great-grandson, William, was created 1st Duke of Devonshire in 1694. The Devonshires made Chatsworth, another of Bess's great houses, their principal seat. Hardwick thus was relegated to the role of an occasional retreat for hunting and sometime dower house.
As a secondary home, it escaped the attention of modernisers and received few alterations after its completion.
The famed political philosopher Thomas Hobbes died at the Hall in December 1679. For the previous four or five years, Hobbes had lived at Chatsworth House, also owned by William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Devonshire. Hobbes had been a friend of the family since 1608 when he first tutored William Cavendish. After his death, many of Hobbes' manuscripts were found at Chatsworth House.
19th century.
From the early 19th century, the antique atmosphere of Hardwick Hall was consciously preserved. A low, 19th-century service wing is fairly inconspicuous at the rear.
In 1844, William Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire published a book called "Handbook to Chatsworth and Hardwick". It was privately printed and provided a history of the Cavendish family's two estates.
20th century.
In 1950, the unexpected death of the 10th Duke of Devonshire, with the subsequent death duties (rated at 80%), caused the sale of many of the Devonshire assets and estates. At this time, Hardwick was occupied by Evelyn, Duchess of Devonshire, the widow of the 9th Duke. The decision was taken to hand the house over to HM Treasury in lieu of Estate Duty in 1956. The Treasury transferred the house to the National Trust in 1959. The Duchess remained in occupation of the house until her death in 1960. Having done much, personally, to conserve the textiles in the house as well as reinstating the traditional rush matting, she was to be its last occupant.
Today.
Hardwick Hall contains a large collection of embroideries, mostly dating from the late 16th century, many of which are listed in the 1601 inventory. Some of the needlework on display in the house incorporates Bess's monogram "ES", and may have been worked on by Bess herself. There is a large amount of fine tapestry and furniture from the 16th and 17th centuries. A remarkable feature of the house is that much of the present furniture and other contents are listed in an inventory dating from 1601. The Sea Dog Table is an especially important piece from around 1600, and the Eglantine Table has an inlaid top of interest to musical historians.
Hardwick is open to the public. It has a fine garden, including herbaceous borders, a vegetable and herb garden, and an orchard. The extensive grounds also contain Hardwick Old Hall, a slightly earlier house which was used as guest and service accommodation after the new hall was built. The Old Hall is now a ruin. It is administered by English Heritage on behalf of the National Trust and is also open to the public. Many of the Old Hall's major rooms were decorated with ambitious schemes of plasterwork, notably above the fireplaces. Remarkably, impressive fragments of these are still to be seen (protected by preservative coatings and rain-shields), though most of the building is unroofed.
Both Hardwick Hall and the Old Hall are Grade I listed (the highest designation) by Historic England.
Dan Cruickshank, an historian specialising in architecture, selected the Hall in 2006 as one of his five choices for "Britain's Best Buildings", a documentary series made by the BBC for television. Innovative in its own time, it would serve, three centuries later, as a source of inspiration for the enormous Main Exhibition Building at the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition of 1876. Hardwick Hall was an ideal model for a building which was intended to merge historicism with the large expanses of glass that had become "de rigueur" for the main exhibition halls at international expositions and fairs in the wake of the success of The Crystal Palace constructed for the 1851 London Exhibition.
In March 2012, a £6.5m restoration was completed; this included the addition of a large restaurant. In December 2020, three years of additional restoration had been completed and further work was being planned.
In modern media.
Hardwick Hall was the setting for the 10-part BBC series "Mistress of Hardwick", broadcast in 1972, which followed the life of Bess of Hardwick. Most of the episodes are now lost.
Hardwick Hall was used in the "Connections" TV series to illustrate a long series of changes that occurred in home design as a result of the Little Ice Age.
Hardwick Hall was used to film the exterior scenes and some interior scenes of Malfoy Manor in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1".


Upper Lodge Water Gardens

The Upper Lodge Water Gardens are a partially restored complex of early eighteenth century Water Gardens in Bushy Park,
England.
Originally built for Charles Montagu, 1st Earl of Halifax between 1709 and 1715 when he was ranger of Bushy Park and lived in Upper Lodge, they fell into disuse over subsequent centuries, but part of the complex was restored in the early 21st century and opened to the public in 2009.
The complex originally ran for 960 metres across the park from the entry point of the Longford River (now the Pantile bridge) in the Hampton Hill end of Bushy Park to what is now the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) in Teddington.
The two ends of the complex remain in Bushy Park as part of the route of the Longford river and the canal plantation. the central sections were modified or even filled in, and the Upper Lodge they were built for was rebuilt in 1840. The Octagonal Upper pond and, the lower pond and the cascade that separate them were restored and are now open to the public. Another restored pond lies in the private gardens of Upper Lodge.
The partial restoration was part of a major £7,200,000 refurbishment of Bushy Park, of which about 60% came from the Heritage Lottery Fund.


Temple Emanu-El (Staten Island, New York)

Temple Emanu-El is a Conservative synagogue in Port Richmond, Staten Island, New York. Designed by Pelcher and Zobel and constructed in 1907, its building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.
The domed, wooden, clapboard-sided synagogue is built in Classical style. A Pedimented front porch is supported by a pair of columns, a design that repeats inside in the design of the Torah Ark. The modest building is topped by a dome that supports a Star of David. The dome is supported by an octagonal drum. The dome was originally painted gold and is said to have been visible from miles away.


Richmond Palace

Richmond Palace was a royal residence on the River Thames in England which stood in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Situated in what was then rural Surrey, it lay upstream and on the opposite bank from the Palace of Westminster, which was located nine miles (14 km) to the north-east. It was erected about 1501 by Henry VII of England, formerly known as the Earl of Richmond, in honour of which the manor of Sheen had recently been renamed "Richmond". Richmond Palace therefore replaced Shene Palace, the latter palace being itself built on the site of an earlier manor house which had been appropriated by Edward I in 1299 and which was subsequently used by his next three direct descendants before it fell into disrepair.
In 1500, a year before the construction of the new Richmond Palace began, the name of the town of Sheen, which had grown up around the royal manor, was changed to "Richmond" by command of Henry VII. However, both names, Sheen and Richmond, continue to be used, not without scope for confusion. Curiously, today's districts of East Sheen and North Sheen, now under the administrative control of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, were never in ancient times within the manor of Sheen, but were rather developed during the 19th and 20th centuries in parts of the adjoining manor and parish of Mortlake. Richmond remained part of the County of Surrey until the mid-1960s, when it was absorbed by the expansion of Greater London.
Richmond Palace was a favourite home of Queen Elizabeth, who died there in 1603. It remained a residence of the kings and queens of England until the death of Charles I in 1649. Within months of his execution, the Palace was surveyed by order of Parliament and was sold for £13,000. Over the following ten years it was largely demolished, the stones and timbers being re-used as building materials elsewhere. Only vestigial traces now survive, notably the Gate House. (51°27'40.52"N 0°18'32.53"W). The site of the former palace is the area between Richmond Green and the River Thames, and some local street names provide clues to existence of the former Palace, including Old Palace Lane and Old Palace Yard.
History.
Norman.
Henry I divided the manor of Shene from the royal manor of Kingston and granted it to a Norman knight. The manor-house of Sheen was established by at least 1125.
1299 to 1495.
In 1299 Edward I took his whole court to the manor-house at Sheen, close by the river side. In 1305, he received at Sheen the Commissioners from Scotland to arrange the Scottish civil government.
It returned to royal hands in the reign of Edward II and after his deposition it was held by his wife, Queen Isabella. When the boy-king Edward III came to the throne in 1327 he gave the manor to his mother Isabella. After her death he extended and embellished the manor house and turned it into the first Shene Palace. Edward III died at Shene on 21 June 1377. In 1368 Geoffrey Chaucer served as a yeoman at Sheen.
Richard II was the first English king to make Sheen his main residence in 1383. He took his bride Anne of Bohemia there. Twelve years later Richard was so distraught at the death of Anne at the age of 28, that he, according to Holinshed, "caused it [the manor] to be thrown down and defaced; whereas the former kings of this land, being wearied of the citie, used customarily thither to resort as to a place of pleasure, and serving highly to their recreation." For almost 20 years it lay in ruins until Henry V undertook rebuilding work in 1414. The first, pre-Tudor, version of the palace was known as "Sheen Palace". It was positioned roughly at , in what is now the garden of Trumpeters' House, between Richmond Green and the River. In 1414 Henry V also founded a Carthusian monastery there known as Sheen Priory, adjacent on the N. to the royal residence.
Henry VI continued the rebuilding in order that the palace might be worthy of the reception of his queen, Margaret of Anjou. Edward IV granted it to his queen for life.
Tudor.
Henry VII, builder of Richmond Palace.
In 1492, a great tournament was held at the Palace by Henry VII. On 23 December 1497 a fire destroyed most of the wooden buildings. Henry rebuilt it and named the new palace "Richmond" Palace after his title of Earl of Richmond. The earldom was seated at Richmond Castle, Yorkshire, from which it took its name. In 1502, the new palace witnessed the betrothal of Princess Margaret, daughter of Henry VII, to King James IV of Scotland. From this line eventually came the House of Stuart. In 1509 Henry VII died at Richmond Palace.
The fire of 1497.
At Christmastide 1497 a great fire broke out in the king's private chambers, destroying a large portion of the palace. The Milanese ambassador, Raimondo Soncino, witnessed the blaze, and estimated the damage at 60,000 ducats, in modern money about $10 million or approximately £7 million. The fire lasted three hours and tore through the rest of the palace, causing panic and hundreds to flee. Hammerbeam roofs of the Middle Ages were a structural necessity as much as they were pretty architecture as they kept the heavy timbered roofs from caving in; they were the carpenter's equivalent of the stone vaulting found in Gothic cathedrals of the Middle Ages because as in famous examples, like Westminster Hall, they allowed the architect greater ability to achieve higher heights with thinner walls and evenly distributed the lateral weight. In as large a fire as described by Soncino the English oak beams of the great hall, a centrepiece of a royal Christmas, would have stood no chance of remaining upright and intact. They would have been engulfed in flames in the high temperatures well exceeding 270 °C. Much of the tapestry work of earlier ages was burnt to cinders, and losses included crown jewels and much of the royal wardrobe including a large amount of cloth of gold, at this time a luxury item only wearable by royalty and in the case of Sheen Palace it was a feature of the bedding.
Accounts refer to Henry Tudor, his mother, Margaret Beaufort, and his wife, Queen Elizabeth, running for their lives, with the king barely making it out in time: one of the corridors nearly collapsed on top of him. As it was the time of the Christmas revels, also present during the disaster were all but one of the royal children, and all under the age of 10: Margaret, Mary, and a six-year-old Henry VIII, each of them described as being hurried out in the arms of their nursemaids. For Queen Elizabeth, this would have been a horrible blow: records show that as a child in the 1470s this was where she spent much of her childhood and otherwise this palace would have had strong associations with her mother Elizabeth Woodville: Edward IV left Sheen to his wife in his will. Soncino reports all of the events outlined above, and also states in his accounts that the king "does not attach much importance to this loss. He purposes to build the chapel all in stone, and much finer than before."
The new Richmond Palace.
Construction on the new palace began in 1498. Henry named his creation Richmond Palace, in honour of the title he held before acceding to the throne and the title he inherited from his father: Earl of Richmond. Though the palace did not survive the English Civil War, fragments of the edifice still remain along the bank of the Thames, as does Richmond Park, originally a royal hunting reserve that Henry Tudor and all members of the Tudors and early Stuarts used for their personal entertainment. Henry Tudor built a large and grand palace that became the centre of royal life for many years to come, a very important centre of the court of each Tudor monarch and James I. Drawings and descriptions of the palace survive as does the documentation of a 1970s excavation of the grounds, thus posterity has a fairly accurate idea of what the contents and features of the building were.
Richmond Palace was largely a building of brick and white stone in the latest styles of the times, with geometric octagonal towers, pepper-pot chimney caps, and ornate weathervanes made of brass. Though it retained the layout of Sheen Palace, new additions that would mark the Renaissance were to be found in this palace, for example, long galleries to display sculpture and portraiture. Henry VII also established a library and a richly appointed chapel. The windows were panelled, built to bring in more light than the tiny slit-like windows of a castle, built for defence. From its earliest it had inner courtyards designed for leisure, with several portions built for the royal family overlooking a large green. Richmond Palace covered ten acres of land and was large and well appointed enough to have its own orchards and walled gardens. It is known that Henry Tudor decorated his home with many gifts he accepted from Italian bankers in Venice, and the evidence for this and the other accoutrements survives in a 17th-century inventory taken of the palace that is now located in the British National Archives. The inventory also describes new tapestries he commissioned to replace the ones lost in the fire.
Henry VIII.
Later the same year, Henry VIII celebrated Christmas to Twelfth Night at Richmond with the first of his six wives, Catherine of Aragon. During those celebrations, says Mrs. A. T. Thomson, in her "Memoirs of the Court of Henry the Eighth":
On the night of the Epiphany (1510), a pageant was introduced into the hall at Richmond, representing a hill studded with gold and precious stones, and having on its summit a tree of gold, from which hung roses and pomegranates. From the declivity of the hill descended a lady richly attired, who, with the gentlemen, or, as they were then called, children of honour, danced a morris before the king. On another occasion, in the presence of the court, an artificial forest was drawn in by a lion and an antelope, the hides of which were richly embroidered with golden ornaments; the animals were harnessed with chains of gold, and on each sat a fair damsel in gay apparel. In the midst of the forest, which was thus introduced, appeared a gilded tower, at the end of which stood a youth, holding in his hands a garland of roses, as the prize of valour in a tournament which succeeded the pageant!"
Henry's son, Henry, Duke of Cornwall, was born there on New Year's Day, 1511, but died on 22 February. Some years later, the king received a present of Hampton Court from Wolsey, and in return the cardinal received permission to reside at the royal manor of Richmond, where he kept up so much state as to increase the growing ill-feeling against him. When he fell into disfavour he took up his residence at the Lodge in the 'great' park, and subsequently moved to the Priory.
In 1533 Richmond became the principal residence of Henry's daughter Mary after she was evicted from her previous residence of Beaulieu. Mary stayed at the palace until December of that year when she was ordered to Hatfield House to wait on the newly born Princess Elizabeth.
In 1540 Henry gave the palace to his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, as part of her annulment settlement.
Mary I.
In 1554 Queen Mary I married Philip II of Spain. Forty-five years after her mother Catherine of Aragon had spent Christmas at Richmond Palace, they spent their honeymoon there (and at Hampton Court). Later that same year, her sister Elizabeth was taken to Richmond as a prisoner on her way to Woodstock.
Elizabeth I.
Once Elizabeth became queen she spent much of her time at Richmond, as she enjoyed hunting stags in the "Newe Parke of Richmonde" (now the Old Deer Park). Elizabeth died there on 24 March 1603.
Stuart.
James I.
King James I preferred the Palace of Westminster to Richmond, but his eldest son Prince Henry was able to commission water-works for the garden designed by the French Huguenot, Salomon de Caus, and the Florentine Costantino de' Servi, shortly before his death in 1612. Before he became king, Charles I owned Richmond Palace and started to build his art collection whilst living there. Like Elizabeth, James enjoyed hunting stags, and in 1637 created a new area for this now known as Richmond Park, renaming Elizabeth's "Newe Parke" the "Old Deer Park". There continue to be red deer in Richmond Park today, possibly descendants of the original herd, free from hunting and relatively tame.
Charles I and Commonwealth.
The king gave the palace with the manor to Queen Henrietta Maria, probably in 1626, and it became the home of the royal children. Within months of the execution of Charles I in 1649, Richmond Palace was surveyed by order of Parliament to see what it could fetch in terms of raw materials, and was sold for £13,000. Over the next ten years it was largely demolished, the stones being re-used as building materials.
Restoration of the monarchy.
Following the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660, the Palace and manor were restored to Queen Henrietta Maria (d.1669), the mother of King Charles II and widow of the beheaded King Charles I, who during the Civil War had lived in exile in France. It was then in a dismantled condition, having suffered much dilapidation during the inter-regnum. The ruined palace was never rebuilt.
Architecture and internal decoration.
All the accounts which have come down to us describe the furniture and decorations of Richmond Palace as superb, exhibiting in tapestries the deeds of kings and heroes.
Survey of 1649.
The survey taken in 1649 affords a minute description of the palace. The great hall was in length, and in breadth, having a screen at the lower end, over which was "fayr foot space in the higher end thereof, the pavement of square tile, well lighted and seated; at the north end having a turret, or clock-case, covered with lead, which is a special ornament to this building." The prince's lodgings are described as a "freestone building, three stories high, with "fourteen turrets" covered with lead," being "a very graceful ornament to the whole house, and perspicuous to the county round about." A round tower is mentioned, called the "Canted Tower," with a staircase of 124 steps. The chapel was long and broad, with cathedral-seats and pews. Adjoining the prince's garden was an open gallery, long, over which was a close gallery of similar length. Here was also a royal library. Three pipes supplied the palace with water, one from the white conduit in the new park, another from the conduit in the town fields, and the third from a conduit near the alms-houses in Richmond.
Archaeology.
During 1997 the site was investigated in the Channel 4 programme "Time Team" which was broadcast in January 1998.
Lavatory innovation.
This palace was one of the first buildings in history to be equipped with a flushing lavatory, invented by Elizabeth I's godson, Sir John Harington. Henry VIII had earlier installed flushing latrines at Hampton Court.
Richmond Palace today.
Structures of the former palace that have survived include the Wardrobe, Trumpeters' House and the Gate House, all three of which are Grade I listed. The Gate House was built in 1501, and was let on a 65-year lease by the Crown Estate Commissioners in 1986. It has five bedrooms.


Balham station

Balham is an interchange station formed of a range of underground entrances for the London Underground ('tube') and a shared entrance with its National Rail station component. The station is in central Balham in the London Borough of Wandsworth, south London, England. The tube can be accessed on each side of the Balham High Road (A24); National Rail on the south side of the road leading east, where the track is on a mixture of light-brick high viaduct and earth embankment, quadruple track and on a brief east–west axis.
On the National Rail network it is from .
It is in Travelcard Zone 3. The conjoined stations are owned and operated separately with different ticket machines and gatelines.
National Rail station.
The National Rail station is on the Brighton main line, four stops from London Victoria. On a north–south route, the tracks pass through Balham on an approximate east–west axis, with Victoria towards the west. The station is managed by Southern. The platforms are on embankment between bridges over Balham High Road and Bedford Hill. Access to the platforms is via an underpass beneath them. There are four tracks and four platforms. The station is between and either , or . The 05:27 to Milton Keynes Central also starts here.
History.
The West End of London and Crystal Palace Railway opened a station named "Balham Hill" on 1 December 1856, at which time the line ran between Crystal Palace and Wandsworth Common. From the outset the line was worked by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway, which purchased the line in 1859 after it had been extended to Pimlico.
The original station was on the west side of Balham High Road; it was re-sited by the LB&SCR in 1863 as part of works to widen the line, and improve the route between East Croydon and Victoria. Further remodelling of the line was undertaken in 1890 and 1897 to increase capacity. It was named "Balham" then renamed "Balham and Upper Tooting" on 9 March 1927, reverting to "Balham" on 6 October 1969.
The lines through the station to Crystal Palace were electrified in 1911, by means of the LB&SCR 'Elevated Electric' overhead system. Work on electrifying the remaining services through the station had begun in 1913 but was interrupted by the First World War and not completed until 1925. By this time the LB&SCR had been absorbed into the Southern Railway following the 1921 Railways Act. In 1925 the Southern Railway decided to adopt a third rail electrification system and the lines through the station were converted between June 1928 and September 1929.
When sectorisation was introduced in the 1980s, the national rail lines were served by Network SouthEast until the privatisation of the British Railways in the 1990s to the Connex South Central franchise, replaced by the current operator in 2000.
The station has a high brick wall along Balham Station Road on which are four cold cast bronze reliefs, "Impressions of Balham". These depict local residents and everyday scenes. They were conceived and constructed by Christine Thomas and Julia Barton and installed in 1991 by Wandsworth Borough Council.
London Underground station.
The station opened on 6 December 1926 as part of the Morden extension of the City and South London Railway south from . The line and other stations on the extension had opened earlier, on 13 September 1926. The station is between and stations.
Along with the other stations on the Morden extension, the building was designed by architect Charles Holden. They were Holden's first major project for the Underground. He was selected by Frank Pick, general manager of the Underground Electric Railways Company of London (UERL), to design the stations after he was dissatisfied with designs produced by the UERL's own architect, Stanley Heaps. The Underground station buildings are listed Grade II.
The station has entrances on the east and west sides of Balham High Road linked by a pedestrian subway. The modernist designs of each building take the form of double-height screens clad in white Portland stone with three-part glazed screens in the centres of the façades divided by columns of which the capitals are three-dimensional versions of the Underground roundel. The central panel of the screens contain a large version of the roundel. Balham is the only station on the Morden branch of the Northern Line conjoined to a National Rail station.
Second World War.
During the Second World War, Balham was one of many deep tube stations designated for use as a civilian air raid shelter. On the evening of 14 October 1940, a 1400 kg semi-armour piercing fragmentation bomb fell on the road above the northern end of the platform tunnels, creating a large crater into which an out of service bus then crashed. The northbound platform tunnel partially collapsed and was filled with earth and water from the fractured water mains and sewers above, which also flowed through the cross-passages into the southbound platform tunnel, with the flooding and debris reaching to within of . According to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC), sixty-six people in the station were killed – although some sources report 64 shelterers and four railway staff were killed, and more than seventy injured. The damage at track level closed the line to traffic between and ; the closed section and station were reopened on 12 January 1941.
In October 2000 a memorial plaque commemorating this event was placed in the station's ticket hall. It stated that 64 lives were lost, which differed from the CWGC register at the time, and other sources. On 14 October 2010 this was replaced with a new commemorative plaque which does not state the number of fatalities. This second plaque was again replaced with an official memorial stone in Welsh slate commissioned by London Underground and that was unveiled on 14 October 2016. The second removed plaque was again deposited with the London Transport Museum.
The bombing of the station during the war is briefly mentioned in Ian McEwan's novel "Atonement", while the film based on the book depicts the station's flooding, in which a main character is killed. Both the novel and the film date the event incorrectly, with the novel placing it in September 1940, and the film dating it as 15 October rather than the previous day. The film also refers to the fracturing of gas mains, as well as water. The bombing of the station is also featured in the children's novel "Billy's Blitz" by Barbara Mitchelhill when Billy and his family are sheltering in the tube station on the night of 14 October 1940. Ben Aaronvitch's novel "Whispers Under Ground" also mentions the flooding.
Connections.
London Buses routes 155, 249, 255, 315, 355 and N155 serve the station.


Monreale Cathedral

The Cathedral of Monreale (Italian: Duomo di Monreale) is a church in Monreale, Metropolitan City of Palermo, Sicily, southern Italy. One of the greatest existent examples of Norman architecture, it was begun in 1174 by William II of Sicily. In 1182 the church, dedicated to the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, was, by a bull of Pope Lucius III, elevated to the rank of a metropolitan cathedral. Since 2015 it is part of the Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalù and Monreale UNESCO Heritage site.
The church is a national monument of Italy and one of the most important attractions of Sicily. Its size is 102 meters long and 40 meters wide.
History.
According to a legend, William II of Sicily fell asleep under a carob tree while hunting in the woods near Monreale. The Holy Virgin appeared to him in dream, suggesting him to build a church here. After removing the tree, a treasure was found in its roots, whose golden coins were used to finance the construction. It is more likely that the church was part of a plan of large constructions in competition with the then bishop of Palermo, Walter Ophamil, who had ordered the large Cathedral of Palermo. The construction of Monreale, started in 1172, was approved by Pope Alexander III with a bull on 30 December 1174. Works, including an annexed abbey, were completed only in 1267 and the church consecrated at the presence of Pope Clement IV. In 1178 Pope Lucius III established the archdiocese of Monreale and the abbey church was elevated to the rank of cathedral. The archbishops obtained by the kings of Sicily a wide array of privileges and lands in the whole Italian peninsula.
In 1270 Louis IX, King of France, brother of King Charles I of Naples, was buried here.
In 1547-1569 a portico was added to the northern side, designed by Giovanni Domenico Gagini and Fazio Gagini, in Renaissance style, covered by a cross vault and featuring eleven round arches supported by Corinthian columns. In 1559 most of the internal pavement was added.
Description.
The archiepiscopal palace and monastic buildings on the south side were of great size and magnificence, and were surrounded by a massive precinct wall, crowned at intervals by twelve towers. This has been mostly rebuilt, and but little now remains except ruins of some of the towers, a great part of the monks' dormitory and frater, and the splendid cloister, completed about 1200.
The latter is well preserved, and is one of the finest Italian cloisters now extant both for size and beauty of detail. It is about 2,200 m2, with pointed arches decorated with diaper work, supported on pairs of columns in white marble, 216 in all, which were alternately plain and decorated by bands of patterns in gold and colors, made of glass tesserae, arranged either spirally or vertically from end to end of each shaft. The marble capitals are each carved with foliage, biblical scenes and allegories, no two being alike. At one angle, a square pillared projection contains the marble fountain or monks' lavatorium, evidently the work of Muslim sculptors.
The church's plan is a mixture of Eastern Rite and Roman Catholic arrangement. The nave is like an Italian basilica, while the large triple-apsed choir is similar to one of the early three-apsed churches, of which so many examples still exist in Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East. It is like two quite different churches put together endwise.
The basilican nave is wide, with narrow aisles. On each side, monolithic columns of grey oriental granite (except one, which is of cipolin marble) support eight pointed arches much stilted. The capitals of these (mainly Corinthian) are also of the classical period. There is no "triforium", but a high clerestory with wide two-light windows, with simple tracery like those in the nave-aisles and throughout the church, which give sufficient light.
The other half, eastern in two senses, is both wider and higher than the nave. It also is divided into a central space with two aisles, each of the divisions ending at the east with an apse. The roofs throughout are of open woodwork very low in pitch, constructionally plain, but richly decorated with colour, now mostly restored. At the west end of the nave are two projecting towers, with a narthex (entrance) between them. A large open atrium, which once existed at the west, is now completely destroyed, having been replaced by a Renaissance portico by Giovanni Domenico and Fazio Gagini (1547–1569).
The main internal features are the vast (6,500 m2) glass mosaics, executed in Byzantine style between the late 12th and the mid-13th centuries by both local and Venetians masters. The tomb of William I of Sicily (the founder's father), a porphyry sarcophagus contemporary with the church, under a marble pillared canopy, and the founder William II's tomb, erected in 1575, were both shattered by a fire, which in 1811 broke out in the choir, injuring some of the mosaics and destroying all the fine walnut choir-fittings, the organs and most of the choir roof. The tombs were rebuilt, and the whole of the injured part of the church restored a few years after the fire. The present organ, revised in 1967 by Ruffatti, has six manuals and 102 stops.
On the north of the choir are the tombs of Margaret of Navarre, wife of William I, and her two sons Roger and Henry, together with an urn containing the viscera of Saint Louis of France, who died in 1270. The pavement of the triple choir, though much restored, is a specimen of marble and porphyry mosaic in "opus alexandrinum", with signs of Arab influence in its main lines. The mosaic pavement of the nave was completed in the 16th century, and has disks of porphyry and granite with marble bands intermingled with irregular lines.
Two Baroque chapels were added in the 17th and 18th centuries, which are shut off from the rest of the church. The bronze doors of the mosaic-decorated portal on the left side was executed by Barisano da Trani in 1179.


Vyborg Library

Vyborg Library () is a library in Vyborg, Russia, built during the time of Finnish sovereignty (1918 to 1940-44), before the Finnish city of Viipuri was annexed by the former USSR and its Finnish name was changed to Vyborg by the Soviet authorities.
The building, built from 1927 to 1935, is an internationally acclaimed design by the Finnish architect Alvar Aalto and one of the major examples of 1920s functionalist architectural design. The library is considered one of the first manifestations of "regional modernism". It is particularly famous for its wave-shaped ceiling in the auditorium, the shape of which, Aalto argued, was based on acoustic studies. On completion the library was known as Viipuri Library, but after the Second World War and Soviet annexation, the library was renamed the Nadezhda Krupskaya Municipal Library. Nowadays, integrated in the Russian Federation city of Vyborg, the library is officially known as the Central City Alvar Aalto Library.
The library restoration project lasted almost two decades from 1994 until late 2013. The restoration work was awarded with the World Monuments Fund / Knoll Modernism Prize in 2014 and the Europa Nostra Award in 2015.
History.
Aalto received the commission to design the library after winning first prize (with his proposal titled 'WWW') in an architectural competition for the building held in 1927. Aalto's design went through a profound transformation from the original architectural competition proposal designed in the Nordic Classicism style (owing much to Swedish architect Gunnar Asplund, especially his Stockholm City Library) to the severely functionalist building, completed eight years later in a purist modernist style. Such architectural solutions as a sunken reading-well, free-flowing ceilings and cylindrical skylights, first tested in Viipuri, would regularly appear in Aalto's works. Aalto differed from the first generation of modernist architects (such as Walter Gropius and Le Corbusier) in his predilection for natural materials: in this design, "wood was first introduced into an otherwise modernist setting of concrete, white stucco, glass, and steel".
World War II marked a turning point in the history not only of the library but the city of Vyborg itself, as it was ceded to the Soviet Union. The building had been damaged during World War II, and plans by the new Soviet authorities to repair it were proposed but never carried out. The building then remained empty for a decade, causing even more damage, including the destruction of the wave-shaped auditorium ceiling. During the 1950s schemes were drawn up for its restoration — including a version in the Stalinist classical style typical of the time — by architect Aleksandr Shver.
Until the coming to power of Mikhail Gorbachev, few people from Finland, let alone other Western countries, visited Vyborg, and there were many different accounts in Western architectural texts about the condition of the library, including erroneous reports of its complete destruction. The building is now included in the Russian Federation's list of objects of historical and cultural heritage.
Restoration.
Russian and Finnish committees have been founded to promote the restoration of the building, which has been progressing piecemeal, while the building remains in public use. The restoration is being directed by the Alvar Aalto Academy, under the direction of architect Tapani Mustonen, together with input from architect Maija Kairamo (formerly of the Finnish National Board of Antiquities) and ex-Aalto employees, architects Eric Adlercreutz, Vazio Nava and Leif Englund. In 1998, to mark the 100th anniversary of Aalto's birth, a 2×10-metre section of the auditorium ceiling was reconstructed, but it was taken down in 2008 to enable the reconstruction of the ceiling proper.
In September 2003 an international seminar and workshop was held at the library, under the auspicies of DOCOMOMO, to discuss the restoration of the library, as well as its role within the local community. Experts in restoration from around the world attended.
In the first phase (until 2009), the following parts of the building have been restored: the large glass wall in front of the main stairs; the roofs (including the cylindrical roof-lights); the steel windows and external doors; entrance to the children's library; the former janitor's flat; the periodicals reading room; the auditorium, including reconstruction of the undulating suspended ceiling. Due to piecemeal funding, the restoration has progressed slowly. The restorers have emphasised that the work has progressed in terms of greatest urgency; thus, to the casual observer, the interior walls still have flaking paint, giving an impression of lack of maintenance; but the restorers argue that this is the least important aspect of the work, compared to significant structural repairs. To mark the progress of the restoration, a book outlining both the history of the building and the restoration work was published in 2009, "Alvar Aalto Library in Vyborg: Saving a Modern Masterpiece", edited by Kairamo, Mustonen and Nava.
The restoration project gained speed in 2010 when Finnish president Tarja Halonen met with then-Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin and asked about the library. Shortly after this the project received 6,5 million euros funding from Moscow. In late 2013 the restoration was finally finished, having cost nearly 9 million euros altogether. Architect Maija Kairamo praised the end result and said she wasn't sure whether the building was in as fine a condition even when it was originally opened.
In 2014, the restoration committee and the library received the World Monuments Fund / Knoll Modernism Prize for the restoration work. In 2015 it also received the Europa Nostra Award, the jury calling the restoration "exceptionally well-researched and highly sensitive" and commending the project's transnational collaboration.
In art.
The Vyborg Library has also been the starting point for a very different kind of art project, a film titled "What's the time in Vyborg?" (2002) by Finnish-American artist Liisa Roberts. Roberts was challenging the introspective view Finns have of their former city, by organising and filming writing workshops arranged for local Vyborg youths.
Quotes.
When I designed the Viipuri City Library (and I had plenty of time, a whole five years), I spent long periods getting my range, as it were, with naive drawings. I drew all kinds of fantastic mountain landscapes, with slopes lit by many suns in different positions, which gradually gave rise to the main idea of the building. The architectural framework of the library comprises several reading and lending areas stepped at different levels, with the administrative and supervisory centre at the peak. My childlike drawings were only indirectly linked with architectural thinking, but they eventually led to an interweaving of the section and ground plan, and to a kind of unity of horizontal and vertical construction. (Alvar Aalto, "The Trout and the Stream", 1947)


Blackwoods Campground

Blackwoods Campground is located on the east side of Mount Desert Island, off Maine State Route 3 in Acadia National Park. Construction on the site was begun by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1935, and reaching its present appearance (with modest alterations since) around 1961, with the completion of Loop B. The campground has 306 individual campsites, several group campsites, and offers only limited amenities, which include potable water and restrooms, but not showers or electrical hookups. Campsites may be reserved up to six months in advance. The portion of the campground built by the CCC, which includes its core and Loop A, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.
Description.
Acadia National Park is located on Mount Desert Island, just off the coast of central Maine. The island has two large lobes separated by Somes Sound, with the park occupying a large part of the eastern lobe, and a smaller part of the western one. Blackwoods Campground is located at near the southeasternmost point of the eastern lobe, on the western side of Otter Cove, and is accessible via Maine State Route 3.
The campground has a winding access road, which runs south and then west from SR 3, leading to the central administration area, with a checkin station and the camp's "central court". From there, Loop A is located to the west, while Loop B is located to the north. An amphitheater, used for ranger-led activities, is located between the two loops, and there is a short trail leading from Loop A down toward the shore. The campground is separated from the shore by the park's loop road. Loop A has 160 campsites (although this number has historically varied and is subject to change), and is served by six comfort stations. Loop B has about 140 sites, and is served by 5 comfort stations. The campground's water is provided from a tank north of Loop B.
History.
Acadia National Park was created in 1916 as the Sieur de Monts National Monument. Master planning for the park in the 1920s included provision for the establishment of campgrounds, reflecting a growing trend in the popularity of camping at that time. Between 1927 and 1932 the park established Beark Brook Campground. Funding for other campgrounds did not arrive until the 1930s, when the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was established to provide jobs and to improve the nation's park infrastructure. Funding for the construction of Blackwoods Campground was secured in 1936. The Blackwoods area, on land given to the park by John D. Rockefeller, Jr., was surveyed by a CCC crew and a plan was drafted that included the central court and three loops containing 400 campsites. The design reflected the latest thinking on campground layout, and included provisions for trailer camping, then a relatively recent innovation. Between 1938 and 1942 the CCC built the camp road, the central court, and 100 sites on Loop A. Due to the onset of American participation in World War II, the checkin station was left unfinished.
After the war ended, a few comfort stations were added, as was an amphitheater (which was replaced by the present one in 1975). Loop B was built in the 1960s as part of a funding program celebrating the 50th anniversary of the National Park Service. Since then, only modest changes have been made to the campground. Its access road was widened, and a new checkin station was built in 1978 after the old one was destroyed by fire. The number of campsites has fluctuated over the years, as new sites have been added to the existing loops, and extant sites have in some cases been abandoned, and in other cases been combined. The planned third loop has not been built.


IBM Hursley

IBM Hursley is a research and development laboratory belonging to International Business Machines in the village of Hursley, Hampshire, England. Established in Hursley House, an 18th-century Queen Anne style mansion in 1958, the facility has been instrumental in the development of IBM's software technologies since the 1950s. It is still the home of development for CICS and MQ technology. Among the software developed by IBM Hursley is the Customer Information Control System (CICS), used in ATMs, which was the first Hursley product with a billion dollars in annual revenue.
Initially, IBM just used the House and its grounds. In 1963 it purchased 100 acres (405,000 m2) of land surrounding the house and has since erected a large modern office complex employing over 1500 people.
The facility is host to the IBM Client Centre, which offers potential clients a secure environment where they can test company software and work with staff experts on best practices, proof of concept, and proof of technology.
Hursley House itself, a Grade II* listed building, is still used as an Executive Briefing Centre. The lower ground floor of the house is home to the IBM Hursley Museum, a computing museum that covers the history of IBM Hursley Park, IBM United Kingdom, and IBM Corporation.


Milion

The Milion ( or , "Míllion"; ) was a monument erected in the early 4th century AD in Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul, Turkey). It was the Byzantine zero-mile marker, the starting-place for the measurement of distances for all the roads leading to the cities of the Byzantine Empire. It thus served the same function as the Golden Milestone ("") in Rome's forum. The domed building of the Milion rested on four large arches, and it was expanded and decorated with several statues and paintings. It survived the Fourth Crusade and Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453 but had disappeared by the start of the 16th century. During excavations in the 1960s, some partial fragments of it were discovered under houses in the area.
Location.
The remains of the monument are located in Istanbul, in the district of Eminönü, in the neighborhood of Cağaloğlu, at the northern corner of the square of Hagia Sophia, and close to the Basilica Cistern.
History and description.
When Emperor Constantine I the Great rebuilt the city of Byzantium to make it his new imperial capital, which he named "Nova Roma" ("New Rome"), he consciously emulated many of the features of "Old Rome". Among these was the Milion: it was a tetrapylon surmounted by a dome, built in the first Region of the city, near the old Walls of Byzantium, at the very beginning of the main thoroughfare of the new city, the Mese (Μέση Οδός), which at that point formed a bend. The new building fulfilled the same role as the Milliarium Aureum in Rome: it was considered as the origin of all the roads leading to the European cities of the Byzantine Empire, and on its base were inscribed the distances of all the main cities of the Empire from Constantinople. The monument was just west of the Augustaeum, and was much more complex than its Roman counterpart. It can be described as a double triumphal arch surmounted by a dome, which was carried by four arches. It was crowned by the statues of Constantine and his mother Helena with a cross, looking towards the east, between them. A statue of the "Tyche" of the City stood behind them.
From the beginning of the sixth century, the building became an increasingly important station of the imperial ceremonial. Justinian I added to it a Sundial, while Justin II adorned the lower part with the statues of his wife Sophia, his daughter Arabia and his niece Helena . The monument was also adorned with equestrian sculptures of Trajan, Hadrian, Theodosius II and a bronze Quadriga of Helios.
During the first half of the eighth century, the vaults of the building were adorned by Emperors Philippikos and Anastasios II with paintings of past ecumenical councils, but during the Iconoclastic Age, Emperor Constantine V replaced them with scenes from the Hippodrome.
During the Comnenian Age, the Milion, due to its strategic position, witnessed fights in the city, like those between Nikephoros III and Alexios I, or those between imperial troops and Empress Maria of Antioch, who from this position was controlling the Augustaeum.
In the period 1268 to 1271, after the end of the Latin Empire, the Milion—together with the Augustaeum—became the property of the church of Hagia Sophia.
After the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople (1453), the building remained intact up to the end of the fifteenth century.
It disappeared possibly at the beginning of the sixteenth century because of the enlargement of the nearby aqueduct and the subsequent erection of the nearby "suterazi" (Turkish: "water tower", lit. "water scale").
In the years 1967 and 1968, following theoretical studies about the location of the monument and after the demolition of the houses placed above it, excavations revealed some foundations and a fragment (now re-erected as a pillar) belonging to the building. These remains could be positively identified as belonging to the Milion thanks to their vicinity to a part of bent Byzantine canalization. This seems to indicate the angle of the disappeared Mese, as reported by the literary sources.


Church of St Cyriac and St Julitta, Swaffham Prior

The Church of St Cyriac and St Julitta is a redundant Anglican church in the village of Swaffham Prior, Cambridgeshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. The church stands in an elevated position above the village street, the B1102 road, some northeast of Cambridge. It is less than from the adjoining Church of St Mary, and both churches share the same churchyard.
History.
The church has a dual dedication to Saints Cyriac and Julitta (Quiricus and Julietta), Saint Julitta being the mother of Saint Cyriac. Both this church and the adjacent church of St Mary were established by the early 13th century. Initially separate parishes, their benefices were united in 1667. In 1743 the nave and chancel of St Cyriac's were restored, but by 1783 the church was in a dilapidated state, and services were being held in St Mary's. By the 1790s the roof of St Cyriac's was collapsing, and it was overgrown with ivy. However, in 1779 the tower of St Mary's had been struck by lightning, and in 1802, when builders were working on the tower, part of it collapsed. It was then decided to demolish St Cyriac's church, other than the tower, and rebuild it.
Work began in 1806 to designs by Charles Humfrey of Cambridge. The cost of the work was over £3,100 (equivalent to £ in ), and the church was re-consecrated in 1809. Towards the end of the century, work was carried out to restore St Mary's. St Mary's was re-opened in 1903, and it then became the sole parish church. The fabric of St Cyriac's was left to decay, and by the 1960s its ceiling was collapsing. Its tower was restored in 1959–60, and in 1974 the Redundant Churches Fund, the forerunner of the Churches Conservation Trust, spent £10,000 (equivalent to £ in ) on repairing and restoring the rest of the church. Since then, it has been used occasionally for exhibitions and concerts. Since 2017, it has been available as a 'champing' church, one of 27 churches in England and Scotland in which you can camp overnight.
Architecture.
The tower is constructed in clunch and flint with limestone dressings. The rest of the church is in gault brick with stone dressings. The roof is slated. Its plan consists of a three-bay nave with north and south aisles, north and south transepts, a chancel, and a west tower. The tower is in three stages with buttresses. The lower two stages are square, and the top stage is octagonal. At the northeast angle is a staircase. The tower is set on a plinth with a frieze decorated in a chequerboard pattern in brick and stone. In the bottom stage of the tower is a west doorway, and above this is a three-light window. The top stage contains two-light bell openings on each face. The parapet is decorated with flushwork. At the west end of the church is a gallery. There is a ring of six bells, all cast in 1791 by John Briant. Although St Mary's also has a fine Romanesque tower, only the tower of Ss. Cyriac & Julitta contains bells, and so they are still rung every Sunday for services at St Mary's. As of February 2019, the tenor bell has been deemed 'unringable'.


Feathers Hotel, Ludlow

The Feathers Hotel, The Bullring, Ludlow, Shropshire is an historic inn. Its imposing half-timbered frontage was constructed in 1619, over an earlier core, for a local lawyer, Rees Jones. John Newman describes the hotel as a "prodigy" of Tudor architecture and it is noted for its Jacobean furnishings. It is a Grade I listed building, listed on 15 April 1954, and is one of approximately 500 listed buildings in Ludlow, but one of its best known.
Etymology.
The timber facade has motifs of Prince of Wales's feathers, from which the inn's name derives.
History.
The building was completed in 1619 by Rees Jones, practising attorney from Pembrokeshire who had come to Ludlow to pursue his profession at the “Council of the Marches”. The Cambrian Archaeological Association said in 1899, "this is much the most picturesque of all the half-timbered houses now remaining in Ludlow. In adapting it for use as a hotel, none of the old work has been tampered with." The "New York Times" reportedly named it the "most handsome inn in the world".
Architecture.
The half-timbered black and white building was listed on 15 April 1954. The front dates to the early 17th century, with a timber-frame and plaster; brick; double-depth plain tile roof, with three gables to front and brick end stacks to rear. The hotel is three storeys high excluding the cellar, and has a three-bay plan, with bays which are moulded and carved mullions and transoms, with cast diamond glazing. The central entrance contains a porch with pillars and consoles supporting the 1st floor balcony. The studded plank door is the original. The ground floor room to right of entrance has panelling, mantelpiece and wall paintings and rooms on the first floor have panelling, plaster ceiling and over mantel, with rustic bare Elizabethan timber-framing and ceiling beams in several of the rooms. The dark oak paneling reaches the ceiling of the dining room. Its diamond paneled windows open towards churches and Ludlow Castle. The mantle pieces are richly carved. Another feature is that the chimes of the church tower are clearly heard in the hotel rooms, which also ring at midnight and 4 AM. As of 2007, the hotel had 40 en-suite rooms. Twelve of the rooms were renovated in the late 2000s in the Georgian style and several of the rooms contain four poster beds. Among the other features noted in the hotel is the lock plate with inscriptions of the name of Rees Jones. The lintels of the doors have fine carvings. When it was converted to an inn in 1670 alterations made included a balcony which was added for “electioneering.”
Robert Pancheri, famous for his wooden architectural sculptures and carvings for churches and public buildings was involved in the restoration of wooden carvings of Feathers Hotel. He received many awards for his works, which included Civic Trust Award 1970 for his work for the Feathers Hotel.
Rivalry with The Bull.
On the opposite side of the street is the Bull Hotel and the two hostelries partake in a tug-of-war competition every Boxing Day across the street itself.


Castillo de Coca

The Castle of Coca is a castle located in the Coca municipality, central Spain. The castle was constructed in the 15th century and has been considered to be one of the best examples of Spanish Mudejar brickwork which incorporates Moorish Muslim design and construction with Gothic architecture. A scale model of the castle has been built in the Mudéjar theme park and another replica built at a ratio of 1:25 is placed in the Minimundus miniature park in Klagenfurt, Austria.
Location.
Coca Castle is located on the outskirts of the town of Coca, about 45 kilometers (30 miles) to the north of Segovia, on a slope. It overlooks the meander of the River Voltoya, a tributary of River Eresma. It is one of the few Spanish castles that have not been constructed on hilltops; rather it has been constructed on a steep esplanade. Coca is the birthplace of the Roman Emperor Theodosius I. The site has been inhabited since the second century BC when the Arevaci arrived and settled here. The castle is surrounded by a deep and wide moat that is one of the fortifying features as well.
Ownership.
Coca castle was owned by the well-known Spanish aristocratic family the House of Alba de Tormes (sometimes known as the House of Alba) until the mid-twentieth century. They handed over the property to Ministry of Agriculture in 1954. It has been declared a Spanish National Monument and is under protection.
Construction and architecture.
The castle was constructed under the supervision of a Moorish architect and engineer. Such Moorish engineers were routinely commissioned to construct large buildings during the medieval times and were called "Alarife" (one who understand the art of construction). Brick has been used for most of the construction. However, the bricks used in the castle are different from ordinary bricks used to build houses. These are hardened bricks that are capable of withstanding enemy onslaught during sieges. The bricks have been laid smooth with the mortar, so the lines of the brickwork are clearly visible along with the mortar. This creates a distinctive pattern on the castle. The castle has been constructed in classic Mudéjar fashion. Brickwork and plaster work have been used to create geometrical patterns depicting a hybrid of Moorish Muslim and Christian Gothic architecture. While the main construction is of brick, limestone and plaster have been used in the balistraria, the embrasures. White limestone has also been used to decorate columns in the courtyard and the keep, as well as numerous other features on the facade of the keep.
Design and fortifications.
The ground plan of the castle is rectangular, and it has a three-tiered defence system consisting of wall circuits enclosed within a moat and a central keep. The central keep is situated in the northern part of the castle and is known as the Tower of Homage. There are two curtain walls that enclose the enceinte, but the outer curtain wall is not intact. Today there are traces of the outer curtain wall, as well as a number of towers – some in ruins others standing – that mark the boundary where the outer moat circled the castle. All of the outer towers were rectangular in shape. The second curtain wall has a gate near the inner keep with a high brick arch enclosed by a geometric border, the alfiz, which is a classic Moorish design feature. The inner curtain wall has several towers and a talus as well. It has centered cylindrical towers on each side and smaller turrets between them, while the talus is constructed all the way down to the moat.
The towers on the corners of the walls are rectangular. The surviving wall is machicolated. This coupled with the talus served as a formidable defence. The battlements on the walls have been constructed as both ornament and as defensive fortifications, so they have been built with crests that jut out from the walls. Brickwork in Mudejar has been used here as well.
History.
Early history.
The oldest settlements in Coca date back to the Chalcolithic era, around 2,500–2,300 BC. The abundance of natural water and the geographical features were important for early settlers. In the fifth century CE, the village grew substantially, forming the historic city of Coca. The town of Coca was first established during Roman rule. It was called Cauca at that time. In 1439 Coca came under the control of Marquis of Santillana. In 1451 negotiations between Santillana and Fonseca families started. These would later culminate in 1453 with Coca being exchanged for Saldaña. Construction of the Coca Castle began as soon as the treaty was ratified by Juan II.
Medieval history.
Alonso de Fonseca y Avellaneda has been credited with the construction of the castle. The castle was built under the supervision of a master builder and most of the work had been completed by 1493. In 1502 it was decreed that castle and the town could only be passed down to male heirs, so after Alonso's death it passed on to Antonio de Fonseca. In 1512 a number of extra ornamental features were added to the keep and the castle exterior under the supervision of engineers. The castle came under attack during the Revolt of the Comuneros in 1521. Communeras troops attacked the castle in retaliation to the burning of Medina del Campo. Medina del Campo had been previously attacked by the Royalists as it housed a large number of artillery pieces, and it had subsequently been razed after Royalists met heavy resistance. In 1645, Gaspar Alfonso Pérez de Guzmán, 9th Duke of Medina Sidonia was accused to treachery after he instigated the Andalusian independentist conspiracy of 1641, and was imprisoned in the castle.
The castle went through a period of repairs and renovations from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century CE. Most notable among these renovations was the addition of the Patio de Armas in sixteenth century, the construction of a gallery between the Keep (Torres del Homenaje) and Pedro Mata Tower in the seventeenth century CE and the extensive renovations of 1715. After 1730 the castle suffered a long period of neglect that led to it falling into disrepair, and subsequently many important artifacts were either lost or destroyed. During the Peninsular War, Coca Castle was captured by the French, who occupied the castle in 1808 and vacated it in 1812. During these four years the castle further deteriorated and much of it fell into ruin. The French troops were, obviously, not concerned with the upkeep of the castle and many ornamental features fell into ruin during this time. Another incident that led to the castle falling further into ruin was the 1828 sale of materials by the administrator of the castle. As the castle was under the ownership of the House of Alba at that time, the owners tore away a number of columns, marble pieces and other ornamental features and sold them off to the highest bidder.
Modern history.
Coca Castle was declared a national monument of Spain by Decree-Law on August 9, 1926. By the same decree, it was nationalized. The control of the castle itself and the adjoining land was taken over by the government of Spain from the House of Alba. No major restorative work was done until 1954 when state-sponsored repairs and renovations were started. The Ministry in charge of the castle wanted to restore it so that they could open a school of forestry training. The repair and renovation work was conducted under the supervision of the Spanish avante garde architect Miguel de los Santos Nicolás. The team of architects, which included Francisco Pons Sorolla was given carte blanche by the General Directorate of Fine Arts. The renovations took four years and were completed in 1958. After the renovations the "Escuela de Capacitación Forestal" (Forestry school) was opened in 1958.
Locations open to tourists.
There are several rooms in Coca Castle that are open for tourists. These include the following:
Chapel.
The ceiling of the chapel was destroyed in a fire during the French occupation of the castle. However it was restored later on and has now been completely renovated. There are various art objects present in the chapel that are of historic importance. These include:
Weapons room.
The armory is also open to public viewing. It contains metal armor and weapons belonging to the fifteenth, sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The furniture displayed in the armory is original and dates back to the fifteenth and sixteenth century CE. Most of it is made from walnut wood, with bone and ivory columns.
Central keep.
Also known as the Torre del Homenaje, it contains the Gallery and the 25-meter high tower. The circuitry walkway 'Paseo de Ronda' is also connected to the keep. It contains the defensive structures that were used in active defence such as pulleys and oil smelters.
Rebuilt portions.
Columns from the balustrade were sold off by the administrators when the castle was in disrepair in order to pay for the upkeep. Eight of these were bought back from Olmedo and Iscar in 1952 for 35,000-40,000 pesetas, each. The balustrade has now been completely rebuilt identical to the original one.


Trikala Castle

The Trikala Castle () is the Byzantine-era citadel of the city of Trikala in western Thessaly, Greece.
History.
The castle lies on a hill at the northeastern side of the city, and was first built, according to Procopius of Caesarea, by Emperor Justinian I (r. 527–565) on the ruins of the acropolis of the ancient city of Trikke. In its current form it largely dates from the Palaiologan period, where it was extensively rebuilt and remodelled. The citadel suffered much damage during its conquest by the Ottoman Turks in 1393/4, but the city's importance as a bulwark against the restless inhabitants of the Pindus mountains and the Agrafa region, as well as being the centre of the Ottoman administration in Thessaly, meant that it was quickly repaired and strengthened. The castle suffered damage and was repaired after the failed rebellions of 1854 and 1878 against Ottoman rule.
Description.
The castle is, according to the archaeologist Krystallo Mantzana, a "typical Byzantine fortification", with an elongated shape along an axis from southwest to north, strengthened by square towers. The castle comprises three distinct enceintes on different levels of the hill: the lower fortress on the southern slope of the hill; the middle fortress, which is the largest of the three; and the inner fortress, also known by its Turkish name "Its Kale" (Ιτς Καλέ), which lies on the northeastern corner of the castle is protected by four particularly large and tall towers. Traces of the original Justinianian fortification have been found in the southern slopes, as well as the area of the inner citadel.
On the eastern side of the castle is the Clock Tower of Trikala, originally erected in the mid-17th century by the Ottomans. The original tower was destroyed by the Germans during World War II, and was rebuilt after the war.


St Mary Magdalene Chapel, Dingli

Saint Mary Magdalene Chapel () is a Roman Catholic chapel in the limits of Dingli, Malta, dedicated to Mary Magdalene. It overlooks the Dingli Cliffs, and is therefore commonly known as il-kappella tal-irdum (chapel of the cliffs). The chapel was built in 1646 on the site of an earlier one which had existed since at least the 15th century. Its simple architecture is typical of Maltese wayside chapels.
History.
The date of construction of the chapel is not known, but the oldest reference to the building was made in 1446. It is located on the Dingli Cliffs, far from the town itself, and it was used by farmers who lived in nearby farms. The chapel was in a state of disrepair by 1575, and it later collapsed. It was rebuilt in the 17th century, being reopened by Bishop Miguel Juan Balaguer Camarasa on 15 April 1646. The reconstruction is commemorated by a Latin inscription above its doorway.
In 1777, a plaque stating "non gode l'immunita ecclesias" was installed near the doorway to indicate that the chapel did not enjoy ecclesiastical immunity.
The chapel was deconsecrated by Bishop Gaetano Pace Forno in the 19th century, but it was later reconsecrated. It was hit by lightning on 4 February 1936, damaging the circular window on the façade, but it was later repaired.
In May 2005, the chapel began to be restored by the Restoration Unit of the Ministry of Resources and Infrastructure, under the supervision of architect David Vassallo. Restoration works included the strengthening of the roof, the replacement of old cement with hydraulic lime, and installing new paving for the chapel and its parvis. A replica "non gode l'immunita ecclesias" plaque was also installed, after the original had been stolen. The Dingli parish also commissioned a new altar, while Dun Ġwann Abela and his family donated an altarpiece. The restored chapel was inaugurated on 20 May 2007.
The chapel was hit again by lightning during a thunderstorm on 10 December 2014, damaging the window and the top part of the façade. Some debris hit the altar, damaging the altarpiece. The damage was subsequently repaired by the Restoration Directorate, and the chapel reopened in April 2015.
The chapel is listed on the National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands.
Architecture.
St. Mary Magdalene Chapel has a simple design, typical of Maltese wayside chapels. It has a rectangular structure, with its façade containing a single doorway and a circular window. A Latin inscription is located just above the door, while a slab originally containing a coat of arms is located above the window. A small parvis () is located outside the church, and a railing is located nearby to protect visitors to the chapel from falling down the cliffs.
The church has an altar built of Maltese limestone. The altarpiece is "The Risen Christ" by Paul Camilleri Cauchi, depicting Jesus forgiving a penitent Mary Magdalene after his resurrection.


Devon House

Devon House, built in 1881, is the former residence of (1820–1896), Jamaica’s first black millionaire, in St. Andrew. He gained his wealth in Venezuela and returned to Jamaica. He was appointed as the Custos, a high civic post, of St. Andrew. His residence has been restored and is operated as a house museum and National Heritage Site.


Paradise Inn (Washington)

Paradise Inn is a historic hotel built in 1916 at on the south slope of Mount Rainier in Mount Rainier National Park in Washington, United States. The inn is named after Paradise, the area of the mountain in which it is located. The Henry M. Jackson Visitor Center and the 1920 Paradise Guide House are also at this location. The inn and guide house are where many climbers start their ascent of the mountain. The inn is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and is a major component of the Paradise Historic District. Additionally, it is part of the Mount Rainier National Historic Landmark District, which encompasses the entire park and which recognizes the park's inventory of National Park Service rustic architecture.
History.
The inn was designed by Frederick Heath of Heath, Gove & Bell in 1915. It was initially planned to be built at Longmire. The National Park Service moved the planned location to Paradise when the original financier, John Reese, backed away from the project. The inn was built by the Rainier National Park Company, founded by Steven T. Mather, assistant to the Secretary of the Interior.
Native building materials were used including cedar shingles, native rock and weathered timbers salvaged from a fire in 1885. After 30 years of aging the timbers had developed a silver sheen. The original plan called for a red roof but the Park Service vetoed this in favor of a green roof which blended in with the natural environment. This is in keeping with the National Park Service Rustic style of architecture. The inn opened on July 1, 1917 and cost between $90,000 and $100,000.
The lodge is built with exposed cedar logs that provide its structural framework. It includes French doors in 14 bays to "allow summer breezes to enter" and dormer windows for natural lighting to enter on the second story, "augmented by hanging lamps".
In 1920 a four-story Paradise Annex was added. It was designed by RNPC architect Harlan Thomas and contained 100 rooms (85 with private baths).
In 1931 a golf course was designed by Roy H. Dobell and built at the lodge and in 1936 a ski rope tow was installed.
In 1942 to 1943 the US Army used the inn to house troops training for winter mountain conditions.
The extreme elements took their toll on the inn. In 1952 the Rainier National Park Company sold the inn to the National Park Service who contracted with concessionaires to operate the inn. The Park Service considered demolishing the inn but relented after a public outcry. US$1.75 million was spent in 1979 to strengthen and restore the building.
The building was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987.
Architecture.
The original building is two stories tall. Two rooms, the great hall and the dining room take up most of the ground floor. A three-story section on the building's east side makes the building a T-shape and contains additional guest rooms.
The great hall is 50 by 112 feet (15 m by 34 m) and has a wrap-around mezzanine level. There are 4-by-6 foot (1.2 m by 1.8 m) stone fireplaces at both ends of the room. The mezzanine level was added in 1925.
The dining room is 51 by 105 feet (15.5 m by 32 m) and has a 50 feet (15 m) high stone fireplace. The original guest rooms are above the dining room and are only 8 by 8 feet (2.4 m by 2.4 m). Each one fits between a set of rafters which support the roof.
Hans Fraehnke, a German-born carpenter created furniture from local materials for the inn including two 1,500 pound (680 kg) tables, a 14 feet (4 m) tall grandfather clock and a rustic piano which President Harry S. Truman played on during a visit to the inn in 1945. More tables and chairs are from the Old Hickory Company of Indiana.
Two Year Closure.
The inn was closed in 2006 for two years to perform renovations and structural work to allow the inn to withstand a large earthquake. This was done as part of a US$30 million project which also included the groundbreaking for a new visitor center at Paradise. The inn reopened in May 2008.


Tooting Bec tube station

Tooting Bec, originally Trinity Road (Tooting Bec), is a London Underground station in Tooting, South London. The station is on the Northern line, between Balham and stations. It is located on the junction of Trinity Road (heading north-west), Upper Tooting Road (south-west), Balham High Road (north-east), Tooting Bec Road (south-east) and Stapleton Road (also south-east). The station is in Travelcard Zone 3.
History.
The station was designed by Charles Holden and opened on 13 September 1926 as part of the Morden extension of the City & South London Railway, which is now part of the Northern line. Originally known as Trinity Road (Tooting Bec), it was given its present name on 1 October 1950.
The narrow satellite building on the east side of the junction provides pedestrian subway access to the station and is unusual in that it has a large glazed roundel on each of the three panels of its glazed screen, as normally the Morden extension stations have the roundel in just the centre panel. For many years the northern panel of the screen was the sole example on any of the Morden extension stations to retain the 1920s "UD" lettering, the other stations' screens having been replaced with plain glass over the years. All the stations have now had the original motif replaced along with the flag-pole-mounted roundels that had been removed in the 1950s.
On the platforms the station has two examples of clocks from the Self Winding Clock Company of New York City.
Connections.
London Buses routes 155, 219, 249, 319 and 355 and night route N155 serve the station.


Abraham Castetter House

The Abraham Castetter House is a historic house in Blair, Nebraska. It was built in 1876 for Abraham Castetter, who served as Washington County's county clerk and later founded The Banking House of A. Castetter. The house was designed in the Second Empire and Eclectic architectural styles. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since June 25, 1982.