The above illustration marks the terrible scene on 16 October 1834 when fire consumed the Palace of Westminster, which had been there, gradually expanding in various styles, since the 11th century. Then, in one night, it was destroyed. The cause, it’s believed, was the careless disposal of tally sticks in a furnace; the result was… Continue reading The end of much of historic Westminster Palace…..
Tag: Charles Barry
We sailed against the Spanish Armada flying the Union Jack….
Oh, puLEEEZE! Not English ships flying the Union Jack when fighting the Spanish Armada! The offending source of this blooper? One of the Drain the Ocean series of TV documentaries (Series 2, episode 7, entitled Secrets of the Spanish Armada) . The picture above is from the episode, but I couldn’t find one of… Continue reading We sailed against the Spanish Armada flying the Union Jack….
London’s Greatest Bridges (with Rob Bell)
The series began at London Bridge itself. From an engineering perspective, Bell explained that the wooden Claudian bridge was the first across the Thames , built on no fewer than twenty-nine artificial islands, making it very difficult to negotiate. It was replaced with a very similar stone unit by Henry II. The Haberdashers were very… Continue reading London’s Greatest Bridges (with Rob Bell)
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