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Showing posts from 2017

Sex Pistols - the Uxbridge Gig

Johnny Rotten remembers it as a terrible gig in a huge sports hall with an inadequate sound system, and an incapable Sid Vicious in front of a largely uncomprehending audience. I should have been there but I couldn't be bothered to travel all the way out to Uxbridge on a cold Dec night in 1977. (16th December, Cost £1.75) Pictures: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.153253181495781.35035.148548651966234&type=3 Description

Diffusion Choir art versus nature

Diffusion Choir.   This is, what you might call,  atrium art. And it is a beautiful composition which subtly changes mimicing flocking birds. Beautiful it is but interesting that it is nowhere near as beautiful as flocking birds. https://www.treehugger.com/culture/diffusion-choir-sculpture-soso-limited-plebian-design-hypersonic.html

Barging through London

This is a film following a trip along the Regent's Canal in 1924. Shows Limehouse, Mile End, Whitechapel, Hackney,Camden, Kings Cross. https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/watch-barging-through-london-1924-online

The Arts for Health and Wellbeing

This is a useful Parliamentary Report It includes links to download the full report; a summary report and videos. http://www.artshealthandwellbeing.org.uk/appg-inquiry/

Is this the meaning of London

There are some people who think German was spoken in Eastern Britain before the Romans. For them the meaning of the words Thames and London given by modern linquists are wrong. Thames - Dark River London - indo-european for Plowonida (Richard Coates - meaning settlement by the Dark or flowing river) These should be replaced by  (according to:  http://www.proto-english.org/l10.html)  Thames: 'Etymology of Thames: 'a T (the) ames ' = 'inhabited place where the estuary begins'. The Romans wrote: Tamisa or Tamesa. [4] The river would later (before the Romans came!) be named similar to 'the London river' as 'the Thames river'.  ' They make the point that the name originates as reference to the land and then gets transferred to the River. London 'Landen , if one accepts that the place-name was originally proto-English. 'Land-en' (aphonic 'e') is an ancient English, but still u

Did Beaker Fold replace the Neolithic population

The claim is that the British Neolithic population are 90% replaced by Bell Beaker people in the Bronze Age.  Can't quite see how such a genocide can have taken place at this period in history, but maybe its more of a statistical replacement rather than with death and horror? You can download the paper or read the abstract here. https://www.biorxiv.org/content/early/2017/05/09/135962

The Wooden Roads of London

This is a great article about the surfaces of London Roads.  It focuses on the use of wooden setts in the 19th Century. They can still be seen in Islington and Farringdon. https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/blog/2015/01/10/the-time-when-londons-streets-were-paved-with-wood/

The City still pays rent to the Queen

In October there is a ceremony where the City pays its rent to the Queen. The rent consists of:  an axe, a knife, 6 horseshoes, and 61 nails.   https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/london-is-still-paying-rent-to-the-queen-on-a-property-leased-in-1211

How does it feel to survive Execution?

Well John Half-Hanged Smith survived in 1705  to be revived and pardoned. This is link includes his memoire of what it was like to be hanged. http://www.executedtoday.com/2008/12/24/1705-john-half-hanged-smith-half-hanged/

The Swinging Sixties. 'You want to get a f***ing joint, they're coming out of your earholes. You want a cup of tea, you've got no f***ing chance!' Cecil Beaton on the set of Performance

  Performance was largely filmed in Powis Square, near Portobello Road in Notting Hill.   Some good quotes come from it but my favourits is by Cecil Beaton, fed up on the set of the film,  said  'You want to get a fucking joint, they're coming out of your earholes. You want a cup of tea, you've got no fucking chance!'  This is an interesting post about Powis Square and Performance.   http://www.nickelinthemachine.com/2009/01/donald-cammells-performance-at-powis-square/
This gives images of some of London's leading post-modern buildings - by no means comprehensive but a few of the most notable. Click here for link

Main Wheel Decider for Narrative Environments Lecture

This was a test for the device I used to run my Practice Lecture at Central St Martin#'s M.A. for Narrative Environments Course.  In the event I had more options. It would be good if you could click through to a picture or a web site. Otherwise an easy to use tool. Click to make your own at Wheel Decide

The Canals in Autumn

Smells of Autumn on the Canal

Story Shapes in Museum displays

This is a short video by Tim Gardom of an idea I first came across in Saying it Differently A handbook for museums refreshing their display Alison Grey, Tim Gardom and Catherine Booth The video is here:  https://vimeo.com/243303263 The handbook is here https://www.swfed.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Saying-It-Differently.pdf

Charles Roach Smith

Interesting article on the pioneer archaeologist. 19th Century and worked in London. http://intarch.ac.uk/journal/issue45/6/5.html

All Saints Road,Portobello Rd and its history

Everything you want to know about the formation of Girl Band All Saints. http://www.allsaintsroad.co.uk/our-history/

The True Facts about the Christine Keeler Chair

It wasn't an Arne Jacobson Chair it was a knock-off copy possibly by Heals. And the V&A have it and the famous photo. Read all about it here. http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/c/christine-keeler-photograph-a-modern-icon/

Bloomberg, Walbrook - a review

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 My review on facebook. I walked around the new Bloomberg Building yesterday. I have contradictory thoughts. But what is clear is what an impact it has. Its huge, its restrained, elegant, perhaps timeless and brings out its neighbours. It places you face to face with great architecture by Wren, Koolhaas, Stirling, Lutyens, Dance and so on. It reinstates part of Watling Street. it creates a sense of space. So it many ways it is a magnificent achievement. And by far the best Foster building in the City for a very long time. But and there are a few buts for me.  The public space it creates is not great. Yes, it does give it a sense of space around the building but there is no great new public square. just quite nice small spaces. The building lets down Cannon Street. The facade along Cannon Street could have helped make Cannon Street into a better retail street but it is given over to a services entry which is surely very wrong for Cannon Street. But mostly, it
 This is an excerpt of an interview with me about the canal at Kings Cross. https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/activity:6336844589701431296/?midToken=AQGvXGqxQZn2UA&trk=eml-email_mentions_individual_single_01-hero-11-check_update_cta&trkEmail=eml-email_mentions_individual_single_01-hero-11-check_update_cta-null-mj5ag%7Eja286l4w%7Esv-null-neptune%2Ffeed%2Eupdate&lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Aemail_email_mentions_individual_single_01%3BYezvU9FyTgSmbtXVvWNJjw%3D%3D

Evidence of world's earliest winemaking uncovered by archaeologists | Science | The Guardian

This is quite interesting because Georgie has always claimed to be the original wine producing area. Evidence of world's earliest winemaking uncovered by archaeologists | Science | The Guardian

Viennese Modernism 2018 - Be ahead of your time

Interesting web site which is, I assume, advertising Vienna. Short videos on Klimt and Schiele. Viennese Modernism 2018 - Be ahead of your time

The Making of the London Mithraeum

A billion pound building by Norman Foster has allowed the rebuilding of the Mithraeum.  It is the 3rd one.  The first was built in the 3rd Century in the Roman Period, the second one in 1954, and that one was then moved back to its original place. So how much is it an original? The Making of the London Mithraeum - YouTube here is a second film a bit longer

National Army Museum Transformation

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 I went to see the National Army Museum for the first time since its HLF scheme opened.  I always remember the  building as being in a cramped little space with no sense of place.  The architectural transformation by BDP is a resounding success. It now has a decent frontage on Royal Hospital Street and inside has a rational and open countenance that is a pleasure to inhabit.. The displays are less of a success.  The only section that really works is the 'Soldier' exhibition. It works very well to introduce the experience of being a soldier with a nice mix of object, interactive, quotation and image.  However the Battle section is very disappointing. It really gives neither an interesting insight into the wars Britain has fought, not does it give a view of experience of war in the various periods or the hardware of war. I left this section feeling I had learnt nothing.  I had similar experiences in the Army and Society sections. I think the problem is that the displays com

Cuseum — Life & Death of QR Codes in Museums

This is a very useful and short summary of the life and death of the QR Code - a method of directing people to extra online content that sounded great but which was never taken up in any significant number. Also has useful links to other material re digital engagement. Cuseum — Life & Death of QR Codes in Museums

Britain's First Museum Catalogue - Musaeum Tradescantianum, or, A collection of ra...

For some reason this is not on display at the new Ashmolean museum Founders Room Musaeum Tradescantianum, or, A collection of ra...

Ancient Pictures as inspiration for Storyboarding.

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As part of the M.A for Narrative Environments at Central St Martins we use storyboards as a technique for developing narrative projects.  Tutors on the course collected examples.  I looked at inspiration from ancient sources. Bayeaux tapestry The tapestry moves through time and space with a clear narrative. Different narrative layers are used. Simple conventions make it easier to read – the English for example have moustaches while the Normans have pudding basin hairstyles. Text is limited for example to crucial identification of leading characters. Places are not spelt out though can be identified by those who know by context and form.  The narrative structure is  linear and has beautiful clarity. The top and bottom strips allow additional information often decorative but often individual stories or symbols. The following shows a scrolling video of the Tapestry:   https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=08zVsxjVEJY Charles Duke of Orleans in the Tower This is a s

Izi.Travel Museum guided tour

I tested a museum's izi.travel guided tour. These were my conclusions. The app worked very well as far as navigation was concerned. It provides a GPS based mapped route around the system.  There was a slight uncertainty as to how to start the tour but otherwise, mechanically, it looked professional and worked well. The scripting was very professionally read by actors.  I think the main problem was that each stop was too long.  Some of them were 10 minutes long and this seemed like a bit of a slog to get through. I think it should be split up into 2 - 3 sections with optional extras if any one wants to explore.  I don't know if this is possible with the app. I would have liked to have seen more images and less audio. The script did not make it clear whether the spoken material by the characters was made up by the script- writer or quotes from a contemporary source.  I guess a mixture of both but the uncertainty devalued the quotations. Another problem was that it wasn

Record ID: NMS-63179C - EARLY MEDIEVAL inscribed object

'Dead is the Dwarf'  This is a Saxon runic inscription. It appears to be a medical inscription to be worn as a talisman and references a illness characterized in the Saxon period as 'the dwarf'.  Presumably the 'dwarf' was driven out of the body and this runic plaque stops it coming back. More information in the notes section at the bottom of the record in this link. and in British Archaeology Nov/Dec 2017. Page 52

Must Farm Documentary - Britains Pompeii - YouTube

Maybe that is an exaggeration but still very interesting documentary. ᴴᴰ [Documentary] Britains Pompeii - YouTube

Archaeology and history walks upcoming!

These are the walks I am doing for London Walks for the forthcoming winter season: Sat 10.45 4th Nov 2017 The Archaeology & History of the Bankside - from London Bridge to the Globe  - London Bridge  Tooley Street Entrance A walk  looking at the Archaeology and History of Southwark and the Bankside.  This area, to the South of London Bridge, has more prehistoric remains that the City of London and a set of important Roman buildings that suggest it was more than just a suburb of Roman London.  On the walk we look at the origins and history of London's most famous Bridge, and its importance for the development of London's most famous suburb.  The walk will explore the Roman settlement, its decline in the so-called 'Dark Ages' and its reappearance in the 9th Century as a new Bridge was erected.  We investigate the area in and around Southwark Cathedral. The walk ends  looking at the archaeology of Shakespeare's Stage. Sat 2.30 18th Nov 2017 The Ar

ZepplinEvents!

Here is a series of Zepplin themed events in London. The raid on Calmington Road by Zepplin in 1917 killed 12 people and destroyed 3 houses.     http://www.bridgetonowhere.friendsofburgesspark.org.uk/the-story-of-burgess-park-heritage-trail/heritage-trail-a-l/bomb-damage/  Events Listing | Bridge to Nowhere

English Heritage needs Interim Listing to avoid destruction of priceless heritage survival. oid potential listing

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England needs Interim listing powers to prevent philistines like the developer who destroyed a 17th Century Building. English Heritage were able to do absolutely nothing about it because it was not listed, and it was demolished before they could list it.  Press release: Developer mutilates Jacobean ceiling to avoid potential listing

Bronze Age Runnymede: Excavations at Runnymede Bridge - YouTube

Film on the excavations at Runymede - the story being told is that it is London's the Bronze Age Glastonbury. Its a very opinionated documentary with very little in the way of presentation of the data. It is more an archaeological reflection on the Bronze Age than an analysis of the Runymede site and the viewer gets very little in the way of evidence that they can weigh up.  I also came away with little idea of the geography of the site. Bronze Age Runnymede: Excavations at Runnymede Bridge - YouTube

Spy themed pop up bar The Bletchley opens in Chelsea, London | Metro News

Opened in March.  To get your cocktails you have to decipher the code. Spy themed pop up bar The Bletchley opens in Chelsea, London | Metro News

A Hackney Autobiography / Home

This is a project to record the history of Centerprise - a Dalston radical institution set up in opposition to mainstream bookshops, cafes, education and so on.  There are interesting links to many projects they did before they closed in 2012. Reading the archive it seems very 2017. A Hackney Autobiography / Home

The Archaeology of Greater London online map

This an online map of finds in the London area. The Archaeology of Greater London online map : The Archaeology of Greater London online map

1982 El Vino in Fleet Street lifted ban on women standing with male colleagues at bar | From the Guardian | The Guardian

I had no idea this was so recent - I thought it was about 1972. 30 years ago today: El Vino lifted ban on women standing with male colleagues at bar | From the Guardian | The Guardian

Essex Hoodie

The portable antiquities scheme has recorded a figure wearing what is thought to be a birrus britannicus ,which is listed as one of Britain's leading exports in the reign of Diocletian. Excellent to think the Essex Hoodie has such a pedigree Record ID: ESS-33D3A2 - ROMAN figurine

Tunnel: The Archaeology of Crossrail - Tunnel: The Archaeology of Crossrail - Crossrail Archaeology Museum

Videos are well worth looking at. Tunnel: The Archaeology of Crossrail - Tunnel: The Archaeology of Crossrail - Crossrail Archaeology Museum

The Elizabethan Court Day by Day - Folgerpedia

This is an amazing resource which gives a day to day account of Queen Elizabeth's reign compiled by: Marion Colthorpe’s The Elizabethan Court Day b y Day , published online in May and hosted by Folgerpedia The Elizabethan Court Day by Day - Folgerpedia

Atlas of Hillforts

Just published  Atlas of Hillforts and to go on a walking tour: https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2017/aug/07/walking-ancient-hillforts-wiltshire-downs-england-atlas-of-hillforts?utm_source=esp&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=GU+Today+main+NEW+H+categories&utm_term=238419&subid=1563368&CMP=EMCNEWEML6619I2

Going underground: London’s new Postal Museum and subterranean mail train | Travel | The Guardian

Reopened museum in Clerkenwell. Going underground: London’s new Postal Museum and subterranean mail train | Travel | The Guardian

Story boards and the past

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Story Boards examples from the Past Story boards began as a tool for film makers but are now being used by a range of design disciplines. At CSM we use them extensively for the MA for Narrative Environments.  My question was are there any example from the past which might be useful for my students to consider.  These are my examples: Bayeaux tapestry The tapestry moves through time and space with a clear narrative. Different narrative layers are used. Simple conventions make it easier to read – the English for example have moustaches while the Normans have pudding basin hairstyles. Text is limited to crucial identification of leading characters. Places are not spelt out though can be identified by those who know by context and form.It is linear and has beautiful clarity. The top and bottom strips allow additional information often decorative but often individual stories or symbols. The following shows a scrolling video of the Tapestry:   https://www.youtube.com/w

The V& A new entrance

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The V & A has revealed its new entrance.    The architect is the Amanda Levete Architect. It provides a new entrance from Exhibition road, and a lovely white open space courtyard with good views of the Henry Cole Wing.  Below is a new temporary exhibition Gallery, and it integrates various routes through the Museum. On a personal level it is great to see the blight caused by the work coming to an end and allows my V&A guided walk to be restored.  I'm particularly pleased to see the Ceramic Staircase restored. I hope it isn't long before the Cast Court is reopened. This is what the V&a says about the project:  https://www.vam.ac.uk/info/exhibition-road-building-project. And here the Guardian.  The V&A

Neolithic people wiped out by Bell Beaker folk.

The latest study of DNa suggests Beaker folk are not a distinct people in Europe but in Britain Bell Beaker DNA replaces Neolithic DNA.   Ancient-genome study finds Bronze Age ‘Beaker culture’ invaded Britain : Nature News & Comment

Days in the Archives

This looks like a really nice set of archive sessions in the archives at the Bishopsgate Institute. http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/course/3080/An-Excursion-to-the-Great-Exhibition-(1851)?utm_source=Events+and+courses+list+-+newsletter+subscribers+and+visitors%2Fstudents&utm_campaign=d135b8c65d-Summer+Term+at+Bishopsgate+Institute&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_3732698dac-d135b8c65d-127520037

Virtual Auto-Icon

Have fun rotating Jeremy Betham, and remember its for the Greater Good. Virtual Auto-Icon

The World's first land Survey - Cromwell's Ireland

Homepage of The Down Survey Project

Watch this video of a discovery of a 17th Century interior

This is an amazing handheld vid of an exploration of an ordinary house which turns out to be 17th Century. Watch it! (7) A hidden treasure is revealed.. - YouTube

Remains of five 'lost' Archbishops of Canterbury found - BBC News

Amazing images of the los crypt in St Mary at Lambeth. Remains of five 'lost' Archbishops of Canterbury found - BBC News

Huge collection of Celtic warrier images

(164) Pinterest • The world’s catalog of ideas Huge collection of Celtic warrier images

Introducing the Freud Museum - YouTube

New introductory film on the Freud Museum Introducing the Freud Museum - YouTube

Eric Gill exhibition to confront child sex abuse | Museums Association

This is an important issue - can you show work by artists who did despicable acts?  Can we dance to Gary Glitter?  or go to an Eric Gill exhibition?  The last question will be answered if you go to this exhibition. Eric Gill exhibition to confront child sex abuse | Museums Association

“In with a bang and out like fools!” Sheep farming

Now that I am taking some country tours I'm trying to find out about farming.  This is very useful Year on a Sheep Farm | National Sheep Association : “In with a bang and out like fools!”

Crackdown spells the end of 'free' walking tours where the guides force you to tip

Some, and only some, walking tour companies don't follow good practice. Crackdown spells the end of 'free' walking tours where the guides force you to tip London Walks by contrast are brilliant.

Spy report that criticised Marlowe for 'gay Christ' claim is revealed online | Stage | The Guardian

This is the document a spy recorded about Elizabethan Playwright (and spy) Christopher Marlowe a few days before he was murdered with a knife through the eye in a Tavern in Deptford. It provides a motive. Spy report that criticised Marlowe for 'gay Christ' claim is revealed online | Stage | The Guardian

Chelsea Buns

To my mind, with Lardy Cake (and Worcestershire Dripping Cake) the king of pastries. If I were a Little Englander I would blame the Belgian Bun and the Danish Pastry for their disappearance from mainstream bakers and Cafes.  Occasionally, they have them at the British Library Cafe and Cafe Oto.  Fragrant as honey and sweeter in taste! As flaky and white as if baked by the light, As the flesh of an infant soft, doughy and slight. Swift London Food History: Chelsea Buns | Londonist

An ancestor at Agincourt?

John Flude listed as an archer with the Earl of Salisbury fought in France in 1417. The battle took place in 1415 but I'm hoping the date might be when the record was made not when he served. Have a look for your own Medieval Soldier

Stonehenge a healing centre - tribute to Geoff Wainwright who died recently.

The Healing Stones of Dyfed - YouTube

The Destruction of the Country House

Salon IFA had an interesting report on the export of British Heritage. 'In 1974 Harris, Roy Strong FSA and Marcus Binney FSA co-curated the Destruction of the Country House exhibition at the V&A, which encouraged the founding of SAVE Britain's Heritage, of which Binney is currently Executive President and Harris a Trustee. Now, according to the Observer , Strong and Harris are hoping Britain’s ‘lost heritage’ can be tracked down. From the 1880s to the 1940s entire historic interiors were shipped across the Atlantic, to be bought by the likes of William Randolph Hearst, John D Rockefeller, JP Morgan and Henry Frick. The owners of Gwydir Castle, Conwy, have been searching for 16th-century decorative carved oak panelling, stripped from the castle and sold to Hearst in 1921, without success. Strong told the Observer : ‘There were ship-loads of early English portraits exported, not just grand things. There’s English sculpture – how much of that went to America? We don’t

Roadkill and lawnmower exhibitions: The weird ways museums are finding funding - BBC News

Interesting ideas. Roadkill and lawnmower exhibitions: The weird ways museums are finding funding - BBC News : London's Museum of Curiosities.

Ministry of Stories & Parliament’s Education Service team up

Ministry of Stories Parliament’s Education Service has teamed  up with the Ministry of Stories, based in Hoxton, to help promote the art of writing  and delivering speeches. As part of its Young People Speak Up  scheme, aimed at promoting confidence in public speaking, students from the Bridge Academy were asked to turn their passions into speeches, which they presented in Parliament. Meg Hillier MP said ' I was proud to hear the fantastic speeches delivered by the students'.

STAND UP FOR STONEHENGE WITH TONY ROBINSON! - YouTube

STAND UP FOR STONEHENGE WITH TONY ROBINSON! - YouTube

The Commonwealth Institute becomes the Design Museum - magnificent but.....

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 I think the Guardian sums it up nicely - The Design Museum review – a magnificent achievement, but… It is an achievement to preserve it.  Wait a minute. This is one of the great London Modernist buildings - in some ways the only great London Modernist building. and we are gratefully that it was not demolished or ruined. Instead it has been saved, against the odds. So magnificent achievement. But. bits of it demolished, the surviving block squashed between two dull modern buildings.  On entry the fantastic roof slab is hidden behind a square set of wooden floors. It looks like what it is, modern structures squatting in a wonderful interior. You glimpse the wonderful interior from the front. From the front the original roof is not show cased.   This is very disappointing if you are interested in the Commonwealth Institute building. If you are interested in the Design Museum building then what a great entry. Up the stairs crowded displays and in between glimpses of a magnific

The Royal Exchange Murals!

If you have a spare moment pop into the Royal Exchange at Bank, go upstairs and wander around the perimeter to look at these paintings. Save The Royal Exchange Murals! | Spitalfields Life

What's the Moon doing at Stonehenge

I take a lot of people to Stonehenge. I have a fairly good idea what the sun does in relation to the landscape and the stones. But the moon has been beyond me.  So I have been trying to work it out.  draw a little diagram with the sun over to the left, the earth over to the right and put the moon orbiting the earth, with the new moon between the earth and the sun and the full moon on the other side of the earth and the half moons at right angles. That really helps Moonrise The moon takes a month to go around the Earth. At new moon the moon is near the Sun, and it therefore rises at Sunrise and sets at Sunset but is not very visible because it is near the sun. At full moon by contrast the moon is on the opposite side of the earth to the Sun – hence we see the entire moon reflecting the sun light. Therefore the moon rises at sunset, and sets at sunrise. In between these times the moonrise gradually changes. So waxing crescent moon the moonrise

Why are England's heritage bodies supporting the Stonehenge Bypass? - Apollo Magazine

Good article explaining that the proposed tunnel should extend the entire length of the World Heritage Site, not just the NT property. Please take the time to object to these proposals and suggest a longer tunnel. 'What is certain is that Stonehenge needs a revised proposal that tackles its traffic problem. This might loop the route of a new bypass wholly outside the boundaries of the WHS, or bore a longer tunnel below its full width. What is uncertain, as they face this fir st test, is whether England’s new frameworks for heritage protection are robust enough to meet this need. Highways England’s six-week public consultation on the Stonehenge Bypass closes on 5 March. You can contribute your views through their website. ' https://highwaysengland.citizenspace.com/c…/a303-stonehenge/ ' Why are England's heritage bodies supporting the Stonehenge Bypass? - Apollo Magazine

The Window Tax - a tax on light and air

You paid tax for 10 windows or more, and a higher rate for 20 windows or more.  At some point it was lowered to 6 then raised again to 8, then abolished in 1851 as it was felt to be a tax on 'light and air. What was the The Window Tax? : It was a banded tax. For instance, in 1747 for a house with ten to fourteen windows, the tax stood at 6d. per window, fifteen to nineteen windows, 9d., and exceeding twenty or more, 1s.. The tax was raised six times between 1747 and 1808. By then the lowest band started at six windows. This was raised in 1825 to eight windows.

What to do with your slides

Paul Stamper FSA has a useful proposal: (.Salon380 The Society of Antiquaries of London Online Newsletter (Salon) ‘In part’, he writes, ‘it’s the sheer number of slides which can be so daunting. I’d suggest the only way forward is to be ruthless, and to do a rapid triage. First, family slides, including ones where offspring are providing scale against ruins, should be passed to relatives. The great mass which might be termed “Where I went on my holidays” – views of Exeter cathedral or the Leaning Tower of Pisa – plus slides copied from books for lecture purposes, could (and should) be binned with the clearest of consciences. This would then leave the third category, which is material potentially of interest to posterity such as pictures of excavations, or of lost or changed vernacular buildings, townscapes and industrial landscapes.

Introduction to Select Bibliography of Published London Diaries | British History Online

Here are a few London diaries to get through. Introduction to Select Bibliography of Published London Diaries | British History Online

Did the Mona Lisa have syphilis? | Art and design | The Guardian

The Guardian quotes the Old Operating Theatre Museum as its source for Snail - water which the Mona-Lisa is recorded as purchasing.  And as the Snail Water at the Museum was used for syphillis then makes the case that she had syphillis. I think this is very much a distant maybe. Because firstly does a woman buying a medicine always buy it for herself? Secondly, snail water was not just used for syphilis, it was used for a variety of ailments in that region of the body. This is part of what the Guardian says. Did the Mona Lisa have syphilis? | Art and design | The Guardian : Perhaps it was the disgusting, punitive nature of this concoction that made it seem a pungent cure. Snail water was still being used in the 18th century; books from the time are very specific about its medicinal value. The Pharmacopœia pauperum (1718) gives this recipe: Take Garden-Snails cleansed and bruised 6 Gallons, Earth-Worms washed and bruised 3 Gallons, of common Wormwood, Ground-Ivy, and Cardu

Portraits of Female Scientists at the Geology Society.

This looks like fun! Raising Horizons is a photographic exhibition organised by TrowelBlazers, in collaboration with photographer Leonora Saunders and supported by Prospect Union. The exhibition consists of 14 contemporary female scientists photographed as their historical counterpart. The portraits show the real diversity of women working today, at the same time as drawing striking visual connections to their forebears. The Geological Society

The Kiosks Of Whitechapel | Spitalfields Life

Excellent photos o the The Kiosks Of Whitechapel | Spitalfields Life in an article by the Gentle Author

Mobile Devices: engaging your audience on the go.

Digital Futures Training Programme Museum of London Mobile Devices: engaging your audience on the Go. I attended a half day training course at the Museum of London. These are some notes I made, It was give by Rhiannon Looseley, and Josh Blair from Museum of London Digital Learning and organised by Alec Ward. Any mistakes in these notes are mine and this has not been proof read or approved by them. Summary – the training showed how easy it was to include a digital element to educational workshops. There are lots of free apps which can be used for creative elements of a workshop. The apps are so simple that they hardly need to be taught, and in a 20 minute section of a workshop can help reinforce learning in a fun way and which will allow the participants to take something home to show or share with friends and parents. Ideas were also given as to how additional content to a visit can be created using digital. Don't do Digital for Digital's Sake Why its g

Agatha Christie in the Isokon building

This surprised me Agatha in this temple of Modernism. Quite a surprise. Isokon building - Wikipedia

"A Pioneer and a Founder": Remembering Ivor Noël Hume | Making History

"A Pioneer and a Founder": Remembering Ivor Noël Hume | Making History

London museum told to stop displaying skeleton of Charles Byrne | Daily Mail Online

Interesting issue on the display of human remains. Although in this case, given that we know Byrne's wishes, the case is stronger. London museum told to stop displaying skeleton of Charles Byrne | Daily Mail Online

Lockwood Kipling: Punjab and London

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The image below is one that has intriqued me for a long time.  Every since I worked at the V&A and started giving Guided tours I have looked at this and wondered who they all are.   Henry Cole, the first Director is the third person from the left.  This article identifies others as Francis Fowke and Godfrey Sykes. I imagine others include Gamble and Poynter.  The fifth person is thought to be Kiplings Father.   Salon IFA wrote this about him.   Lockwood Kipling: Punjab and London John Lockwood Kipling (1837–1911), writes Julius Bryant FSA introducing a weighty book which accompanies a new exhibition, ‘is part of the fabric of the Victoria and Albert Museum.’ Artist, writer, museum director, teacher, conservationist and influential Arts and Crafts figure, Lockwood has been the subject of a three-year international research project led by V&A Senior Research Fellow Sandra Kemp. Bryant, who is Keeper of Word and Image at the V&A, and Susan Weber FSA , f