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Britain
Update #50 Welcome friends, its time to put the kettle on, settle into a comfortable armchair, and enjoy the best of Britain with Britain Update. But before you do, please take the time to forward this newsletter to someone who loves Britain as much as you do. *******************
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Denbigh Castle was begun in 1282 by Henry de Lacy for Edward I during Edward's great push to subdue Wales. De Lacy, perhaps symbolically, built his fortress on top of an earlier Welsh castle occupied by the Welsh prince Dafydd ap Grufudd. Every trace of the Welsh castle was destroyed, and the walls of the new Norman English building were extended to include a new English settlement, the town of Denbigh. Long sections of the town walls still remain. [Note: That first town of Denbigh at the foot of the castle was burned during the Wars of the Roses, and Denbigh was rebuilt in an entirely new location] The Welsh temporarily took the castle during the uprising of 1294. When the Normans resumed work after retaking Denbigh, they used a different coloured stone and built more substantial walls, so that the later work is easily distinguished from the earlier foundations at Denbigh. Denbigh's most striking feature is the Great Gatehouse, comprised of no less than three towers. The gatehouse is probably the work of Edward's master builder, James of St. George, who, despite the name, was a Savoyard (from modern Italy). James was responsible for many of Edward's most impressive Welsh castles. Denbigh
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The second church on the site was built by Hugh "Lupus" (the Wolf), Earl of Chester, in 1092, perhaps as expiation for his worldly excesses. Anselm of Bec, later Archbishop of Canterbury, helped found Hugh's monastic settlement at Chester. Beginning in 1250 yet a third church was begun, this time in Norman Gothic style. The monks of Chester built the new church over the top of the old church, which they dismantled from the inside! The church was raised to cathedral status by Henry VIII. In the interim Chester gained magnificent woodcarving in the choirstalls (about 1380). Look closely at the carvings on the misericords and bench ends; aside from the obvious (St. Werburgh), there are details of Arthurian legend, Aesop's fables, and fabulous mythical beasts. At the shrine to St. Werburgh you can see the niches where medieval sufferers rested their heads while spending the night in a prayer for healing. The Cathedral hosts ongoing "Chester Cathedral Classics" concerts by the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. Tickets are available from the Booking Office of the Chester Summer Music Festival in 8 Abbey Square, Chester (telephone 01244 320722). Concert details at the cathedral web site Chester
cathedral online ******************************
NEW DOCKLANDS
MUSEUM THE FROGMORE
MAUSOLEUM ANTARCTIC
HEROES ****************************** David
Ross
Contents © 2001 David Ross and Britain Express |
HISTORY CORNERName the Historic attractionBritish Heritage AwardsCelebrate the best of British Heritage in our annual British History QuizThis Day in British History13 February, 1689 William and Mary jointly crowned monarchs of England Only the previous day Parliament declared a Declaration of Rights, making James II's constitutional reforms illegal Monarch Mayhem
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