Geograph IrelandLatest Images by Jo and Steve Turner
https://www.geograph.ie/
2024-03-28T20:51:46+00:00text/html2024-03-28T10:18:55+00:00https://www.geograph.ie/profile/14389Jo and Steve Turner53.718695 -2.062848SD9524 : Shaw Wood Bridge 25 and Shaw Plains Lock 15, Rochdale Canal
https://www.geograph.ie/photo/7735647
Both the bridge and lock are Grade II Listed. This section of canal was built 1794 to 1799, dating the bridge to this period. At the time of this photo the canal was isolated, open only between Sowerby Bridge and the summit level (about lock 35).text/html2024-03-27T10:37:17+00:00https://www.geograph.ie/profile/14389Jo and Steve Turner52.880674 -2.937898SJ3631 : Rowsons Bridge 70 (now 1W), Frankton Junction, Llangollen Canal
https://www.geograph.ie/photo/7735005
Grade II Listed bridge of about 1801 by William Jessop (engineer) and Thomas Telford (general agent). The Llangollen Canal is an arm of the Ellesmere Canal Company that amalgamated with the Chester Canal Company in 1813 and became part of the Shropshire Union Canal in 1846. The bridge has been re-numbered to 1W.text/html2024-03-26T16:12:13+00:00https://www.geograph.ie/profile/14389Jo and Steve Turner53.186326 -2.889633SJ4065 : The Bear & Billet, 94 Lower Bridge Street, Chester
https://www.geograph.ie/photo/7734542
Grade I Listed town house, later public house of 1664 for the Earl of Shrewsbury. A blue plaque tells us that it may have replaced an earlier house destroyed in the civil war. It was also probably used as a grain warehouse because in the gable are double doors and a bracket for a hoist. Owned by the Shrewsbury family until 1867 it became an inn in the 18th century. An 1820 drawing shows it as Bridgegate Tavern. In the 1789 directory I couldn't find Bear & Billet or Bridgegate Tavern but often, if it was just an 'Ale House', directories wouldn't give the name. A search of my directories found; 1822 William Jones Bowen Bear & Billet; 1828 Edward Stocker; 1850 Robert Hand; 1857 W Rimmer; 1864-1868 Mrs Mary Ann Rimmer; 1880 Couldn't locate Bear & Billet; 1896 Mrs Annie Hewitt; 1902 Mrs Alice Jones and 1914 Frederick Johnson. The listing tells us that it was ' Unoccupied during change of ownership in 1991-2'. A photograph dated c.1860s shows a different ground floor arrangement of doors and fenestration and a no windows in the gable. Another photograph from June 1887 shows it in its present fenestration as possibly two establishments. The right hand (north) half has its door marked '96 Offices' with a name board '96 Birkenhead Brewery Co. Limited Offices-Stores 96' and the pub appears to be entered by the left hand door. Reportedly it is the birthplace of Beatles’ legend John Lennon’s grandmother Annie Jane Milward in 1873.text/html2024-03-26T13:30:19+00:00https://www.geograph.ie/profile/14389Jo and Steve Turner53.185524 -2.888718SJ4065 : River Dee and Old Dee Bridge, Chester
https://www.geograph.ie/photo/7734415
Grade I Listed bridge and Scheduled Monument. Possibly the location of a Roman bridge, it seems to have been replaced by a ferry by the 10th century. However, the Domesday Book (1086) makes reference to a bridge. A largely timber structure, it was said to have been swept away in 1227, 1280, 1297 and 1353. Reputedly King Edward I decreed that if a stone bridge was not constructed he would sack the city and that this was done by his second 1280 crossing. Certainly by 1551 it appears to be a stone structure as 'There arose in the night a mighty great wind and the flood came to such a height that many trees were left by the ebb, on the top of Dee Bridge'. Further repairs were carried out in the mid 14th century until in 1357 Edward, the Black Prince ordered the mayor and citizens of Chester to make '...with all speed their part of the bridge of Dee... in the same manner and style as the remainder of the bridge which has been newly made'. This build, variously dated as 1357 to 1387, is probably the core of the existing bridge but in 1825–26 the bridge was widened by Thomas Harrison to provide a footway on the upstream side. The only Chester bridge until 1834, in 1773 it had been described as 'very narrow and dangerous'. Early in 2024 the bridge was closed for replacement of the traffic lights and re-surfacing of both the carriageway and footway.text/html2024-03-25T14:14:06+00:00https://www.geograph.ie/profile/14389Jo and Steve Turner52.927901 -3.062392SJ2837 : Chirk Aqueduct, Shropshire Union Canal (Llangollen Canal - Main Line) and Chirk Viaduct
https://www.geograph.ie/photo/7733706
Grade II* Listed aqueduct designed by Thomas Telford in 1796 for the Ellesmere Canal Company. The foundation stone was laid by Richard Myddleton of Chirk Castle in June 1797. The canal is a Scheduled Ancient Monument (by CADW and Historic England) that also covers architectural structures such as an aqueduct or tunnel. The 710 foot (220 m) long aqueduct which cost £20,898 and was opened in 1801, spans the valley of the River Ceiriog and is partly in Wales and partly in England, the border bisecting the structure roughly 51%-49%. The 100 feet high railway viaduct standing some 30ft above the aqueduct was built to the design of Henry Robinson, chief engineer to the Shrewsbury to Chester Railway, in 1846-1848. Thomas Brassey was the general contractor. It had partial rebuilding with a further 3 masonry arches at either end in 1858-9 to replace the earlier laminated timber arches. The line became part of the Great Western Railway system in 1854. Most of the viaduct is in Wales with roughly 150ft (45m) in England.text/html2024-03-25T13:02:02+00:00https://www.geograph.ie/profile/14389Jo and Steve Turner52.967927 -3.118764SJ2441 : Bryn Howel Bridge 38W, Llangollen Canal
https://www.geograph.ie/photo/7733686
Grade II Listed accommodation bridge for Bryn Howel Farm. The feeder canal was constructed under the direction of William Jessop (engineer) and Thomas Telford (general agent); work was begun in 1804 and completed in 1808 dating the bridge to this period. The canal, a Scheduled Ancient Monument, was only kept open because of its importance as a supplier of water into the main canal system from a new weir on the River Dee at Llantysilio.text/html2024-03-25T11:29:56+00:00https://www.geograph.ie/profile/14389Jo and Steve Turner54.403280 -1.738244NZ1700 : Richmond from the Castle
https://www.geograph.ie/photo/7733630
text/html2024-03-24T14:28:42+00:00https://www.geograph.ie/profile/14389Jo and Steve Turner52.247712 -1.330580SP4561 : Napton Windmill from the Oxford Canal
https://www.geograph.ie/photo/7732867
Grade II Listed windmill. A Windmill was originally built on this location and can be traced as far back as 1543 and possibly existed in the 15th century. This windmill was built around 1835 and it ceased to be worked with sails and was converted to steam circa 1900 which powered it until about 1909. The unused Mill fell into disrepair by 1966 when it was being rented by the Gill family as a small holding. The mill lay derelict until, according to most sources, about 1972 when it was restored, converted into a house, and fitted with four patent sails. However Listed Building Consent wasn't decided until 24th May 1979 for Mousley Trucking Co. Ltd. One of the conditions was that 'Permanent sails and cupola shall be provided to the reasonable satisfaction of the District Planning Authority'. Reportedly in January 1976 two of the sails blew off in a gale and were later restored. Originally a tarred brick tower on a stone foundation it had 2 common and 2 spring sails and three pairs of stones.text/html2024-03-24T13:25:10+00:00https://www.geograph.ie/profile/14389Jo and Steve Turner52.286055 -1.118164SP6065 : Canal Cottages, Norton Junction, Long Buckby, Grand Union Canal
https://www.geograph.ie/photo/7732836
A semi-detached pair of dwellings on the side of the Grand Union Canal main route. The eastern (left hand) section is addressed 154 Norton Junction and on the front elevation comprises both the eastern and central bays. Based on the lock-keeper's cottage being 153, I assume the western section, that extends to the side and rear, is 155 Norton Junction and I can find no information on this. Planning approved a two storey side extension to 154 in March 2012 although I can't see this was implemented.text/html2024-03-23T13:24:13+00:00https://www.geograph.ie/profile/14389Jo and Steve Turner52.638395 -1.144347SK5804 : Soar Lane Bridge 3, Grand Union Canal
https://www.geograph.ie/photo/7732372
Grade II Listed 1879 canal bridge built for the Midland Railway Co. Around the time of the construction of the Soar Navigation in 1790, a wooden bridge was constructed over the Soar to give access to the towpath from the end of Soar Lane. This accommodation bridge was just for pedestrians and horses. The Midland Railway built three bridges in the 1880’s when a Flood Scheme was implemented, realigning the river channels. Soar Lane now crossed both the navigation and the much deeper Soar. A railway lifting bridge had been in that position on the navigation since 1834 and its permanent height above the water of the navigation on the east side meant that no boats could pass under it and pilings and rails were installed to direct the boat traffic through the correct channel. Soar Lane road bridge from its construction has never been able to allow traffic through its east arch even after the railway bridge was removed. This is due to the foundations to the lifting platform’s frame being too extensive to allow economic removal.text/html2024-03-22T14:15:17+00:00https://www.geograph.ie/profile/14389Jo and Steve Turner52.077355 -0.844599SP7942 : Solomons bridge 65, Grand Union Canal
https://www.geograph.ie/photo/7731876
Also known as Cosgrove Bridge being on Bridge Road Cosgrove it has been additionally called the Ornamental Bridge and Samson’s Bridge. It is Grade II* Listed and is one of only two stone ornamental bridges on the Grand Junction Canal. The listing speculates that Cosgrove Priory is in sight of the bridge and it was built on their land to allow the canal to cut through Cosgrove Village and whilst it seems likely it was of the landowner’s own design this is not supported by any documentary evidence. Architect John Soanes designed for local landowners and was involved in Tyringham House for Mr Praed who was Chairman of the Grand Junction Canal Committee. It seems possible therefore he was involved in the bridge design but again no firm evidence exists. The Grand Junction Canal was built between 1793 and 1805 dating the bridge to this period and probably after 1796 when it was extended south from Weedon. In 1927 the canal was bought by the Regent's Canal Company and, since 1 January 1929, has formed the southern half of the Grand Union Main Line from London to Birmingham. In 2020 a 5m length of parapet was demolished when it was hit by a car. The Canal and River Trust spend in excess of £1m each year repairing bridges damaged by vehicles.text/html2024-03-22T12:24:12+00:00https://www.geograph.ie/profile/14389Jo and Steve Turner54.301190 -0.916620SE7090 : Stang End Cruck Cottage, Ryedale Folk Museum, Main Street, Hutton-le-Hole
https://www.geograph.ie/photo/7731848
Founder Bert Frank was offered the cottage, originating from Danby, in the autumn of 1965. On 11th June 1967 they were raising the crucks of the first building to be erected at Ryedale Folk Museum, Bert commenting on the 15th July that ‘rearing of the crucks went without a hitch’. Crucks were curved timbers used to support a roof by sloping inwards to form a ridge. This style was particularly popular in the region for longhouses built before about 1700. The restoration reflects the life of John and Anne Huntley who lived and worked in Stang End from 1704.text/html2024-03-22T11:06:25+00:00https://www.geograph.ie/profile/14389Jo and Steve Turner51.066102 -1.799584SU1429 : The Rifles (Berkshire and Wiltshire) Museum, The Wardrobe, 58 The Close, Salisbury
https://www.geograph.ie/photo/7731821
Grade II* Listed house replacing a 1254 building. It was heightened in the 17th century and the listing says it had a 'lath enlargement' in 1705. I understand lath and plaster construction but I'm not sure what a 'lath enlargement' is. It was inevitably altered in the 19th century. The building seems to have started life as residence for a cathedral canon. It is probable that use as a storehouse and administrative base for the bishop’s household led to its name of The Wardrobe, a title first recorded in 1543. Let to a number of non-clerical tenants from 1568, it was saved from ruination by the Crooke family in the late 17th, early 18th century. The front obtained its gables, barge boards and gothic portico in the 1830s. Later in the 18th century the Coles family divided up the building, presumably to make it more homely. It ceased to be a private residence in early 1941 although used in the war as a hostel of the Auxiliary Territorial Service. In 1945 it was rented to the Diocesan Training College for Schoolmistresses who used it until 1969. It remained empty and deteriorated until The Landmark Trust offered The Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Regiment a contribution to the significant cost of repairs and alterations in return for a flat in The Wardrobe. Building work finally started on 2 July 1979 after a 99 year lease had been purchased from the Dean and Chapter of Salisbury Cathedral. In addition to the trusts flat and museum, a curator’s flat, administrative offices and social rooms for the Regiment were accommodated. Following a trial season in the summer of 1981 the Museum was officially opened by HRH The Prince Philip, Colonel-in-Chief of the Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Regiment, on 29 July 1982. The building was thought to be mostly 15th century but the restoration work carried out in 1979 showed that the existing building dates back to late 14th century when it probably comprised a central aisled hall with cross wings at the north and south ends.text/html2024-03-21T13:06:30+00:00https://www.geograph.ie/profile/14389Jo and Steve Turner56.128556 -3.936976NS7994 : Stirling Old Bridge over the River Forth
https://www.geograph.ie/photo/7731441
A Scheduled Monument. Believed to be of late 15th or early 16th-century date probably replacing an earlier wooden bridge. It is possible the first Roman crossing was at the ancient ford of Kildean a mile or so up the river but it could equally have been here. No remains have been found in either location. An unreliable chronicler Boece Records Northumbrian princes having thrown up a stone bridge with a crucifix in 855 but a 13th-century Common Seal of the Burgh of Stirling appears to show a wooden bridge with a crucifix. No firm evidence seems to exist although there are other casual reference to the Bridge at Stirling in the early 13th century. 'Pons Estruelin' apparently the only Forth bridge was destroyed in 1297 at the Battle of Stirling Bridge. None of the ancient historians is helpful about the precise location of the bridge. In 1905 the remains of two ancient bridge piers were revealed lying below water level some 60 yards upstream of the present medieval bridge. There are many references to the 1415 (wooden?) bridge built by Robert III. In 1598 the bridge was ruinous. We know that by 1600 there were large masonry over-arches at both ends of the decking with an iron gate at the northerly arch. In the 1745 rebellion Governor Blakeney, from the castle, had the south arch blown up for protection and whist it had wooden beams across the breach in 1746 it was not repaired until 1749. The dating of the present bridge is contentious. It can be found on all the old maps, and is most often considered to be an early 15th century bridge from the time of Robert III. The old medieval bridge closed to traffic in 1831 to become a pedestrian pathway and tourist attraction having been replaced by Stevenson's bridge built in 1829 some 100m downstream. It is now managed by Historic Scotland.text/html2024-03-20T13:02:13+00:00https://www.geograph.ie/profile/14389Jo and Steve Turner56.184872 -4.050195NN7201 : Doune Castle, Castle Hill, Doune
https://www.geograph.ie/photo/7730995
Scheduled Monument that consists of Doune Castle, its defences and earthworks. Probably on the site of an earlier castle, the present building was built for Robert Duke of Albany between 1361 and 1381 when the castle is mentioned in a charter for the first time. Previously part of the earldom of Menteith in 1424 it was annexed to the Crown and was frequently used as a dower house to the queens of Scotland and as a hunting lodge. When James VI visited, he declared that it was 'most pleasant for our pastime'. He also paid just under £320 for repairs to be carried out to the tower head in 1580. It has also acted from the end of the 16th century as a state prison and was used to house prisoners during the 1745 Jacobite uprising when occupied by Charles Edward Stuart, commonly known as 'Bonnie Prince Charlie', and his Jacobite Highlanders. The design of the castle is unusual, combining simplicity with considerable defensive strength. It did not follow the contemporary fashion by relying on a defensive wall-head and projecting towers, but gained its strength from a high, simple curtain wall and an ingeniously planned keep-gatehouse. By the end of the 18th century it was roofless, but was restored between 1883 and 1886 when the 14th Earl of Moray commissioned the architect Andrew Kerr to carry out the works. Doune was planned and constructed in one phase and is one of the largest and best-preserved 14th-century castles in Scotland. In 1974, the film 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail' was filmed at Doune Castle.