I love the rugged terrain and coastline of Portland but also the fact that wherever you go you cannot get away from evidence of the extraction of Portland Stone.
Archive for May, 2016
Tower of London (14): The Royal Mint
Posted: May 27, 2016 in History, London, UKTags: Royal Mint, Tower of London
Coins minted at Tower mint
In 1279, William de Turemine was appointed Master Moneyer and the mint was moved from the city to more secure premises within the Tower of London. The minting of coins continued at the Tower until 1804 when a decision was taken to build a new purpose built mint on Tower Hill, just outside the walls of the Tower. This was completed and opened in 1810 and production was moved from the mint buildings inside the Tower to the new site.
A Coin press
The history of the mint in the Tower is fairly unremarkable. But there was one attempt at robbery which nearly succeeded. On 20th December 1798, James Turnball, an ex-soldier working in the mint, locked a supervisor in a cupboard and made off with 2,000 newly minted guinea coins (a guinea was 1/4 oz of gold). He was able to make his escape from the Tower and went into hiding. No news of his whereabouts was known until on 5th January 1799 he was recognised, from a wanted poster, trying to purchase a berth on a boat from Dover to France. He was arrested, tried and was executed on 15th May 1799.
Sandsfoot Castle
Posted: May 26, 2016 in Dorset, History, Medieval History, UKTags: Sandsfoot Castle, Weymouth
Sandsfoot castle
Sandsfoot castle was built in Wyke Regis on the north side of Portland Harbour by order of Henry VIII, fearful of attacks by Spanish and French forces. It was built at the same time as Portland Castle on the southern point of the bay and was completed in 1539. It is said that much of the stone for the castle came from the dissolved abbey at Blandon near Wool.
Looking from Sandsfoot castle towards Portland castle
During the English civil war it was held by the Royalists until 1644, when following a siege it was captured by the Parliamentarians, who used it as a storehouse. It continued in this role until around 1691, when coastal erosion was threatening to undermine the cliff on which the castle stands. This was addressed by the building of the Portland breakwater in 1849, but by this time the castle was in a dangerous state and had been abandoned.
It was purchased by Weymouth Council in 1902 for the sum of £150 and Tudor gardens were laid out on the adjoining land and a public park created. It was not until 2009-2010 that in a joint project with a local community trust that funds became available to carry out the works needed to allow public access to the castle buildings.
The Sparrowhawk is probably now the commonest bird of prey in the UK replacing the Kestrel which seems to have declined significantly over the past decade. Even so it is most often seen in flight, often soaring to a great height. so, it was really pleasing on the recent trip to Dorset to get a chance to photograph a bird perched on a deserted building on Portland.
The Bank of England Museum (4): The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street
Posted: May 24, 2016 in History, London, UKTags: Bank of England, Old Lady of Threadneedle Street
Threadneedle St facade
The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street has become known as a nickname for the Bank of England, but what is the origin of it.
In 1811 Phillip Whitehead, who worked at the bank, was found guilty of forgery and executed. His sister, Sarah, suffered a breakdown as a result and every day for the next 25 years she would make her way to the entrance of the bank and ask to see her brother. She became known as the Old Lady of Threadneedle Street. When she died she was buried in a nearby churchyard and it is said that you can still see her ghost making its way along the street towards the bank.
Soane’s banking hall
Sarah Whitehead’s tragic story has been forgotten but her nickname transferred to the institution she used to visit daily.
Portland landscape (2)
Posted: May 23, 2016 in Dorset, Landscape, Natural History, UKTags: Portland
Some more photos of the wonderful landscape of Portland in Dorset
Looking south towards the Bill with the Old and New lighthouses
Tower of London (13): The Line of Kings
Posted: May 20, 2016 in History, London, Medieval History, UKTags: Tower of London
From 1692 one of the public attractions at the Tower was the Line of Kings, a display in chronological order of the armour of the Kings of England.
Artists impression of Line of Kings
A modern version is currently on display in the White Tower featuring some of the armour used in the original display.
Armour of Henry VIII
Originally displayed from 1690 as armour of Edward VI, son of Henry VIII. Now believed to be Prince Henry, son of James I
Armour of young Charles I
Portland, Dorset (1)
Posted: May 19, 2016 in Dorset, History, Landscape, UKTags: Portland, Portland Stone
Portland in Dorset is not an island but an isthmus, as it remains connected to the mainland by a narrow spit of land. It is 4.5 miles long and 1.7 miles wide and rises to 400 ft above sea level at the northern end.
Chesil Beach which connects Portland to the mainland
It is a large piece of limestone of exceptional quality and is much in demand as building stone. Portland stone was used By Sir Christopher Wren for the rebuilding of London, including St Paul’s Cathedral and around 50 other churches, following the Great Fire in 1666. It was also used for the Cenotaph in Whitehall; War grave headstones in France and Belgium and the UN building in New York.
Portland coast
Loading Station – Portland stone loaded directly into barges below for transportation
It has a strong military connection dating from 1539 when Henry VIII built a castle on Portland (together with Sandersfoot castle at Wyke Regis on the opposite side of Portland bay) to defend the bay from the French and Spanish. In 1872 the newly enclosed Portland harbour became a naval base, which it remained until recent years when facilities were transferred to other ports.
Portland castle (from Sandersfoot Castle)
Portland Harbour
More recently the bay has been developed as watersports venue and was the location of the 2012 Olympics sailing competitions.
Olympic Rings on Portland heights commemorating the 2012 Olympics venue
During our recent trip to Dorset Keith and I witnessed some wonderful skies. Here are some of my photos.
The Bank of England Museum (3): The early history of banknotes
Posted: May 17, 2016 in History, London, UKTags: Bank of England, banknotes
The first notes were receipts for deposits made in the bank and were made out to the amount deposited.
In 1725 the bank began issuing pre-printed notes in set denominations ranging from £5 to £1000. In 1725 the value of issued notes was £3 million, but by 1795 this had risen to £13 million.
The fabled million pound bank note did actually exist, but was never issued to the public and was only used for internal accounting purposes.
The Bank of England was not the only bank in England issuing notes at this time. As they were promissory notes issued in return for deposits, many banks had their own bank notes.
