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
Storage of Weapons and armour has always been part of the function of the Tower. Originally located in the White Tower the armouries were later moved to specialised buildings within the Tower complex. In 1667 it was recorded that 10,000 barrels of gunpowder were stored in the White Tower.
The New Armouries building was built in 1683 and now serves as a restaurant. The Grand storehouse which stood on the North side of the White Tower was burnt down in 1841 and replaced by the Waterloo Block which now houses the Crown Jewels.
New Armouries
Waterloo Block
The Armouries has a fine collection of guns from across British History.
Turkish Cannon c1530 -captured at Aden 1839
British Mortar 1808 -probably used as a saluting gun
Bronze 6 pounders captured at Battle of Waterloo 1815
Chinese Cannon – Captured from Canyon fort during 2nd Chinese war 1856-61
a brilliant picture of a Tiger Swallowtail, just to remind us that summer is only a few months away
A Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly.
Butterfly #35 — talainsphotographyblog
Interesting to see this article about Tyneside. I only know of one such lamp that has survived in London, in Carter Lane (renamed by some ‘Farter Lane’) near the banks of the Thames – Pete
They were nicknamed ‘fart lamps’ in Edwardian times and caused quite a stink in their day. The gas sewer lamps of North Tyneside were unusual engineering wonders.
The ‘Stinky’ Gas Light Tour: Tyneside’s ‘Fart’ Lamps — Tammy Tour Guide
Rochester Castle
The first castle on this important site where the London Road crosses the River Medway was built by Odo, the half-brother of William the Conqueror shortly after their victory in 1066. In 1088, following Williams death, Odo supported the King’s eldest son Robert for the crown and the castle was besieged by forces supporting the eventually successful son William Rufus. Records show that the following year repairs were made to the castle by Gandalf, Bishop of Rochester. The tower keep, much as it is seen today, was built in 1127 by William, Archbishop of Canterbury, who had come into possession of the castle.
The Keep at Rochester Castle
In 1215 the castle was taken by the rebel barons and was subsequently besieged by the forces of King John. The defenders held out for two months but eventually, starving, they had to surrender the castle. It was besieged again in 1264, this time holding for the King against rebel barons although the outcome was different as the castle was relieved after a week by Royal forces.
The Castle Keep
In 1381 the castle was captured and ransacked during the peasant’s revolt. It was badly damaged and this seems to have made it turning point in the castle’s history as although repairs were carried out and people continued to live in the keep, the records show that the amount of repair work done was insufficient to keep the castle in a fully functional state and eventually it fell out of use. Much of the stone from the external walls and outbuildings was carried away and used on other building projects such as nearby Upnor Castle.
One of the few remaining portions of the external walls of Rochester Castle
In 1870, the site was opened as a public park and eventually passed into the hands of the local authority, then the ministry of public works and finally to English Heritage.
I haven’t been able to visit the RSPB reserve at Minsmere since February so it was good to reconnect, even if only virtually and to hear how the expansion of the nuclear power plant at Sizewell is threatening to seriously affect this, the single reserve with the most diverse habitats in the UK.
Some more pictures of Canterbury Castle
Canterbury Castle in Kent built as one of the earliest Norman castles in 1066. Originally a woodern castle it was replaced by the surviving stone structure between 1100 -1135. Its highpoint in history (or indeed its low point) was when it was captured and held by the invading French army in 1380.
A plan of the interior
A model of what it looked like in 1135
The standing exterior wall
I haven’t been able to get out to photograph many monuments recently but here are some pictures of the London Troops Memorial near the Bank of England in the City of London.
It was originally unveiled in November 1920 as a memorial to the troops from the London regiments who had died during the 1st world war. An inscription was added after the end of the second world war to commemorate those in the London Regiments who had died in that conflict.
It stands outside the Royal Exchange near the Bank of England. In order for the memorial to be placed here the city corporation had to move a water fountain. The site they chose for the water fountain was already occupied by a statue of Sir Rowland Hill, founder of the modern postal system, which they then had to relocate.
Some more photos from my archive. This time of a Sunset taken from a train one evening in 2017
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