Image of the Day

Manchester Cathedral Clock Tower by Andy Marshall

ARCHIPEDIA - M is for....

Mausoleum - a free standing tomb dedicated to one particular individual or individuals which are normally buried inside. Deriving from the ancient tomb of Mausolus, the remains of which can be seen in the British Museum. The photo was taken in 2004 and is a mausoleum in the grounds of the Anglican Cathedral at Liverpool UK.

The Making of the English Landscape

Would it be sad to say that one of my 'comfort' books is 'The Making of the English Landscape' by W G Hoskins. I think I read in the flyer that one critic said that it was rare that a single book comes along and heightens your consciousness of your surroundings. That's why every now and then I have to dip back into it to bring me back to that ethereal state of awareness - or else I'm in danger of being numbed by the effects of today's busy and stressful lifestyle.

I think the book was originally written in the 1950's but it is still revolutionary in its outlook - with its main tenet that even the wildest moors of Britain have been shaped by the hand of man. Even more remarkable is the fact that with a little insight you can still see the marks that our ancestors left over 10,000 years ago.

Boundaries are one of the most lasting features in our landscape, as are some field systems.

The photo above of Cheesden Pasture in Heywood Lancs shows a largely rural scene which most would expect to be completely natural. But we have a field boundary of stone; a cultivated pasture to the right; a tree (which is at the base of the ruins of a house and probably planted by man); just off photo, some larger humps and bumps were created in the late C18th and early C19th when water was diverted to a lodge to run a water powered mill. On the side of the hill in the background there survives a series of ridge and furrows which are only visible when the sun is low (from what period I don't have a clue). The main ridge in the photo leads to a hill which has had human activity for thousands of years with stone age flints being found (possibly a place of ritual) Nearby across the Edenfield Road we have a bronze age burial site which lifts the field boundary aloft like the dip of a roller coaster. Only a matter of yards away the head of a bronze age axe was found during excavations for a reservoir.

Indeed it wouldn't surprise me to find out that this area of North Pennine Moors was teaming with life several thousand years ago and that the location of my home town would have been no more than a clearing swamped and surrounded by trees.

Beverley Saturday Market

The Saturday Market developed to the north of Beverley Minster and there has been a market on this location since the C13th. Further south the Wednesday Market (which still exists) lies upon the site of the original market designed to serve the religious community of the Minster.

Around the life of the Minster the town grew and the Saturday Market was established to serve the secular community. The market is full of life with colourful awnings, rich aroma's and plenty of noise. European bread and olive stalls are contrasted against, jewellery and tool stalls. Whilst you walk around you do get a sense of the history of the place and your part in the tradition of commerce which has been alive for over 800 years. The vista's are remarkable - to the north we have the beautifully complete Perpendicular Gothic of Saint Mary's and to the south we have the aspiring twin towers of the Minster. On the wester boundary of the market the Green Dragon public house now takes up the full length of the original medieval burgage plot.

Here's a whole raft of Beverley images taken over a period of several years

Housing Market - Insider Knowledge

Is my latest sale to a consumer magazine a sign of a pick up in the housing market?