An Eclectic Appreciation of Things Old, Stately, Quirky or Simply of Historical Interest
Overlook Mountain in Ulster County offers a unique hiking experience with abandoned hotel ruins and a historic fire
Murder%2C%20mystery%20and%20music%20-%20that%20is%20the%20ongoing%20life%20of%20Steven%20Murray.%20In%20this%20his%20third%20outing%2C%20we%20finds%20DS%20Sandra%20Kerr%20promoted%20to%20Inspector%20whilst%20death%20and%20destruction%20reign%20down%20all%20around%20her.%20No%20one%20appears%20to%20be%20safe.%20From%20the%20murky%20cobbled%20streets%20of%20Leith%20to%20the%20beautiful%2C%20bright%20sunshine%20of%20leafy%20Lanark%2C%20people%20are%20literally%20'dropping%20like%20flies.'When%20a%20body%20is%20discovered%20on%20the%20outskirts%20of%20Edinburgh%2C%20a%20story%20from%20thirty%20years%20previous%20comes%20back%20to%20the%20surface%20to%20haunt%20each%20of%20those%20involved%20in%20its%20demise.The%20plot's%20many%20planted%20bombs%20explode%20unpredictably%20throughout.Political%20scandals%2C%20sordid%20sex%20acts%20and%20gunrunning%20are%20all%20in%20the%20news%20headlines.%20However%2C%20can%20they%20be%20believed%3F%20Or%20are%20they%20just%20the%20tip%20of%20the%20iceberg.%20Members%20of%20the%20Scottish%20judiciary%20are%20taken%20out!%20Financial%20whizz%20kids%20are%20despatched%20without%20delay!%20And%20lowly%20bar%20staff%20will%20never%20ever%20'eye%20up'%20the%20opposition%20in%20quite%20the%20same%20way%20again!Forthcoming%20Vengeance%20is%20a%20suspense%20filled%20novel%2C%20guaranteed%20to%20take%20you%20on%20a%20winding%20motorcycling%20journey%20of%20twists%2C%20turns%20and%20deceptions.%20DI%20Murray%20is%20on%20the%20road%20again.%7C%20Author%3A%20Michael%20D%20Patterson%7C%20Publisher%3A%20Independently%20published%7C%20Publication%20Date%3A%20Sep%2008%2C%202019%7C%20Number%20of%20Pages%3A%20313%20pages%7C%20Language%3A%20English%7C%20Binding%3A%20Paperback%7C%20ISBN-10%3A%201691633216%7C%20ISBN-13%3A%209781691633210
About a century before the Byzantine Empire toppled, the signs of its impending demise were already visible — and its destruction was written in trash.
An Eclectic Appreciation of Things Old, Stately, Quirky or Simply of Historical Interest
Michael McCutcheon | Last week, Pope Francis and church officials encouraged everyone to consume less and think more about our impact on the environment. It's a timely warning because the next six months will be...
Sherman tank has met its demise in the streets of Villers-Bocage, France, June 1944. This must have been an extraordinary shot by the Germans: the Sherman's gun barrel along with the base armored shield have been blown clear off the turret; the shield can be seen on the sidewalk next to what looks like a broken wooden pole (or, perhaps, is it the tank's gun barrel ?).
We have no reason to celebrate an invasion that caused the demise of so many of our people and is still causing destruction today. —Suzan Shown Harjo (Cheyenne and Creek)
Photograph by MARTIN KLIMAS When cheap, cut-rate porcelain figurines hit the ground they shatter. Photographer Martin Klimas captures this transformative and fleeting moment right bef…
“It is a thousand pities that so great a house should disappear. That being inevitable, one must hope for the preservation and adequate use of the splendid materials and choice fitments….” So wrote the auctioneers upon the final sale of Scotland’s great Hamilton Palace in 1919. While the remaining contents had previously been auctioned off it was the rooms themselves which were now for sale. Being the ancestral seat of the Dukes of Hamilton since at least the 16th century, substantial rebuilding around 1591 then again by James Smith after 1693 substantially altered the appearance of the palace to that shown below. Hamilton Palace South Front, as rebuilt after 1684 The Tenth Duke undertook further – and substantial – building work to the north front, being completed in 1842 using plans having been drawn up by the noted Architect William Adam in 1730. The new 264 feet long edifice included a Corinthian portico which emphasized the splendour and magnificence of his new palace. The North Front, as completed in 1842 [Source : Wikipedia] An established art collector himself, the Tenth Duke also married Susan, the daughter of William Beckford, “one of the greatest art connoisseurs of the age”. Thus in 1844 the Duke inherited the fabulous “Beckford Collection” of art and objects d’art. The palace thus contained one of the finest art collections in Britain including a significant and valuable library. A solid silver medal given by "His Grace The [12th] Duke of Hamilton" to the Hamilton, Blantyre and Cambuslang Agricultural Society and awarded in 1869 as first prize in the ploughing competition to John Watson of Muirhead Dalserf But the ‘unravelling’ and eventual demise of this sumptuous palace was no sudden phenomenon. In 1882 the 12th Duke was obliged to sell off a substantial amount of the palace treasures – including much of the Beckford Collection - to raise funds to repay debt. The sale at Christies in London lasted 17 days. While now unfortunately stripped of much of their fabulous objects d’art the palace rooms themselves remained striking. However, the raison d’être for the palace itself as a showcase of treasures had now been substantially diminished. In 1895 The 12th Duke died without a male heir, the title then passing to a fourth cousin, Alfred. Whilst respectful of the Hamilton family heritage and title as well as carrying out his new duties responsibly, inherited debts of £1 million pounds and the loss of much family land by inheritance proved a considerable hurdle for the family fortunes. Having not been brought up in the palace any family sentimentality for this ancestral pile may also have been diminished. Alfred, The 13th Duke of Hamilton, Duchess Nina & their son Douglas, The Marquis of Douglas & Clydesdale, c. 1904 In 1908 the well respected 13th Duke and Duchess visited my family, being tenant farmers on Hamilton owned property, arriving in a covered car described as "a beauty". Additionally, the coal fields that had fuelled the Hamilton’s fabulous wealth and collecting also lay around – and under - the Palace. The large Bent Coal Mine lay within sight of the palace somewhat ruining the general demesne. Subsidence of the substantial grounds from the underground mining had also become apparent. A Lanarkshire Farmers' Society solid silver medal awarded at the 1903 show by Herbert Webster of Fencehouses to John Watson of Caudermains (sic Candermains) for the best colt or filly got by the [13th] Duke of Hamilton's premium horse. The reverse of the above medal The palace now remained little used by the family with only a skeleton staff but still maintained to traditionally high Hamilton family standards. The final flourish was a reception for King George V and Queen Mary in 1914. Douglas, The Marquis of Douglas & Clydesdale and the future 14th Duke of Hamilton, c.1905 The final blow fell with the First World War. The 12th Duke offered the palace as a naval hospital however when it was returned after the war the Duke had discovered that he “rightly prefers a house of moderate size”, choosing then to remain at Dungavel House [later becoming an open prison and now a dentention facility!]. The palace, which lacked guest bathrooms and electricity, had now become deeply unfashionable and the cost of post war restoration and maintenance prohibitive. The 10th Duke’s “improvements” to the 17th century palace interiors left Scotland with very little appreciation that they were losing such a substantial and historic heritage. Letterhead Paper from the Hamilton Estate Factor's Office, circa 1910 The oft quoted subsidence of the house itself due to coal mining underneath appears to be spurious and to simply have been a convenient excuse to justify the disposal of this seeming white elephant. The coal under where the house itself stood was not in fact mined until the 1950’s. The trustees arranged for a final sale of the remaining contents of the house, of the significant rooms themselves, and then to demolish the house itself. The sales took place in 1919 with demolition being completed about 1922. From the 1882 and 1919 sales a multitude of significant and historically valuable treasures found their way into museums around the world. Many would now be almost priceless. The 1882 sale included two pieces of inlaid furniture by Jean-Henri Riesener which had been in the Palace of Versailles and owned by Queen Marie-Antoinette. From the 1919 sales two rooms from the 17th century palace are known to be extant, Smith’s 17th century Great Dining Room in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and Smith’s Withdrawing Room has been acquired by the National Museums of Scotland. The 17th century carved oak staircase balustrades have been quoted as appearing in Scarlett & Rhett Butler's Atlanta mansion in the film “Gone With The Wind”. Personally I think viewed close up that they are dissimilar but if this is in fact correct the Atlanta mansion set is still in storage at The Culver Studio's in Culver City California where the movie was originally filmed. Lennoxlove House in East Lothian, the current seat of the Dukes of Hamilton, contains a number of treasures previously in Hamilton Palace. Chatelherault Hunting Lodge (Source : Wikipedia) Of other buildings on the former grounds William Adam’s “Chatelherault” hunting lodge (also known as the “Ducal Dog Kennel”) built in 1732-1744, including the Banqueting Room complete with the renowned Thomas Clayton’s detailed plasterwork, has been restored after subsidence and fire damage. Hamilton Mausoleum, built 1842 [Source : SLLC] The Hamilton family mausoleum of 1842 also sits forlornly in the former palace grounds. Having substantially subsided at an alarming angle, the mausoleum has miraculously settled on the level without structural cracking. Hamilton Mausoleum Interior, built 1842 (Source : Wikipedia) But ninety years on, the loss of this great house all just seems an unnecessary tragedy. Had it survived the vicissitudes of fluctuations in the Hamilton family fortunes, punitive death duties, coal mining activity, neglect and/or damage during another world war, and the post war backlash against ostentatious family seats, then the house and its now priceless treasures would stand today as a unique showcase for Scotland. Bibliography and Sources : - All images & artefacts (unless otherwise stated) are from my own collection - "Hamilton Palace - A Photographic Record" by G Walker, post 1974 - "Scottish Houses and Gardens From the Archives of Country Life" by Ian Gow, 1997 - "Scotland's Lost Houses" by Ian Gow, 2006 - "Wikipedia"
Global warming isn't the only thing to worry about. Overpopulation, pollution, poaching and mining are just a few of mankind's other harms that are leaving the Earth scorched and ruined.
L'appel des profondeurs.... 📷 Adam Pretty
Michael McCutcheon | Last week, Pope Francis and church officials encouraged everyone to consume less and think more about our impact on the environment. It's a timely warning because the next six months will be...
Christopher Columbus did NOT discover America. There, I said it. The first thing we are told about our nation in our early childhood is a complete fabrication of the truth. But, that is only the beginning of the secret atrocities that shaped the nation that we know today. By Guest Writer Irwin Ozborne You can follow Irwin on Facebook via TakingTheMaskOff
Postato su suzanneliephd.blogspot.com il 31.10.2014 (traduzione mia) C'è una frequenza bassa della Terra che Gaia "lascerà andare" facendo uscire il suo corpo planetario dalle enormi restrizioni della Matrice 3D. Questa Matrice è stata creata durante la caduta di Atlantide, quando la Terra stava rischiando di essere completamente distrutta. La Matrice 3D è servita come "rete" per trattenere la Terra nella sua caduta dentro frequenze sempre più basse. Purtroppo, la rete che ha salvato la Terra l'ha anche intrappolata. Poi, lentamente, la "rete" di bassa frequenza ha assorbito il corpo planetario di Gaia ed è penetrato nelle profondità del Suo corpo planetario. Solo il nucleo di Gaia, protetto dai Lemuriani della Terra Interna, rimase al sicuro dalla frequenza di terza/quarta dimensione della stessa rete 3D che era servita come salvezza. Così come gli umani che hanno subito una grave ferita al corpo, per esempio, ad una gamba, la gamba che ha subito quella ferita potrebbe rimanere definitivamente più debole rispetto a quella che invece è rimasta sana. Cioè "definitivamente" finché non risplendono nel Corpo di Luce. Quando la persona risplende nel Corpo di Luce, la gamba del Corpo di Luce, che risuona alla quinta dimensione ed oltre, sostituisce la gamba fisica. Allo stesso modo, quando Gaia risplende nel "pianeta di Luce", che Lei diventerà, la rete della matrice 3D verrà abbandonata. Il distacco da ciò che è stata una protezione è molto comune in natura. Infatti è un componente molto importante dell'ecosistema della Terra. Il fiore protegge il frutto, poi cade a terra e la buccia del frutto protegge il nucleo tenero. I Lemuriani e altri membri della Terra Interna hanno protetto il nucleo morbido di Gaia con continue somministrazioni di amore incondizionato ed armonia a tutta la vita. Anche voi, amati Emissari, potete proteggere la dolcezza della nostra carissima amica Gaia con il vostro amore incondizionato ed essendo in armonia con tutta la vita. Come abbiamo detto nella nostra ultima trasmissione, l'amore incondizionato è la vostra miglior difesa contro gli attacchi degli oscuri. Essi sanno che il loro regno tra giungendo al termine. Quindi sono disperati e sentono di non aver nulla da perdere. Questa disperazione crea grande paura tra loro, che a loro volta essi vogliono proiettare sugli altri. Questa paura li rende imprudenti e irrequieti, cosa che li rende più pericolosi. Ma la loro paura li rende anche più aperti al cambiamento. Quando dominavano nel silenzio e nell'ombra, creando guerre e supportando entrambe le parti, così che alla fine erano loro a vincere, essi si sentivano fiduciosi e forti. Tuttavia il potere basato sulla manipolazione è completamente limitato al piano fisico e ai mondi astrali inferiori della quarta dimensione. Quando gli abitanti della Terra che stanno ascendendo espanderanno la frequenza oltre il piano astrale inferiore, essi saranno oltre la "portata" dei tentacoli oscuri di quelli che si sono persi. Il vostro stato di coscienza è il "guscio" che protegge il Corpo d Luce che sta emergendo. Quando arriverà la "primavera", cioè presto, voi sarete in grado di abbandonare il guscio fisico per tornare al vero stato di Corpo di Luce multidimensionale. Comprendete ora perché dovete circondarvi sempre di amore incondizionato in questo periodo di grande trasmutazione? NON esiste buio che non possa essere guarito dall'amore incondizionato. Quindi, mandando amore a Gaia per la guarigione del Suo corpo planetario, lo mandate anche a coloro che perpetrano le ferite sul Suo corpo planetario. Noi sappiamo che vi chiediamo molto. Però la chiave dell'ascensione è di amare incondizionatamente, perdonare incondizionatamente e accettare incondizionatamente TUTTA la vita. Sappiamo che amare incondizionatamente coloro che fanno del male a voi ed al vostro mondo è difficoltoso. Però solo l'amore incondizionato risuona ad una frequenza di coscienza che è abbastanza elevata da accendere il Corpo di Luce. Del resto potete emanare fuori solo ciò che avete dentro. Quindi potete emanare amore incondizionato solo quando amate il vostro sé incondizionatamente. Tutti i condizionamenti negativi degli oscuri sono basati sul NON amare il sé. Quando amate il sé, o meglio, quando amate incondizionatamente il sé, voi create il "fiore" che protegge il "frutto tenero" dentro di voi. Avete BISOGNO di questa protezione perché vi viene chiesto un servizio attivo. Tutti voi state ricevendo la Chiamata d'Appello per agire ADESSO. Vi chiediamo innanzitutto e soprattutto di mantenere un elevato stato di coscienza. Stando in uno stato di espansione di coscienza, potete chiaramente ricevere dei messaggi da parte nostra, espressioni superiori del vostro SE' Multidimensionale. Vi invitiamo amorevolmente ad entrare in situazioni collettive, gruppi, di persone con gli stessi interessi, per creare un sistema di supporto che vi aiuti durante l'esperienza difficoltosa di abbandonare la vostra stessa Matrice 3D per risplendere nel vero Corpo di Luce. Cari emissari inter-dimensionali di luce, ricordatevi che noi, vostre espressioni superiori del SE', siamo infinitamente DENTRO il nucleo della vostra struttura fisica. Vi chiediamo di sentire consapevolmente le emanazioni del SE' Multidimensionale mentre fluisce attraverso il nucleo della vostra colonna vertebrale per entrare nel cervello fisico. Mentre il cervello fisico risuona al flusso di quinta dimensione del Corpo di Luce interiore, voi avete accesso alla Mente Multidimensionale. Connettendovi con la Mente Multidimensionale, voi siete collegati al SE' Multidimensionale. Ci rendiamo conto che molti ostacoli della vita di terza dimensione possono temporaneamente abbassare la coscienza. Però SAPPIAMO anche che voi siete NOI e NOI siamo VOI. Quindi noi siamo in collegamento costante con voi e SEMPRE con voi per aiutarvi quando voi avete bisogno di noi. Usate il "telefono inter-dimensionale" per chiamarci e noi vi invieremo la nostra luce multidimensionale e l'amore incondizionato. La vostra Famiglia, Gli Arturiani e Membri della Federazione Galattica
Beekeepers from around the country met to talk about the state of the industry, while new information strengthens the case for the role of pesticides in bees' decline.
Pieces of wisdom that you should remember.
The demise of a leading conservative magazine was destructive, stupid and cruel.
Stay connected to family and friends by sharing the LittleThings that spark joy.
