In the Great Hall at Tamworth Castle is an example of a continental suit of full plate armour. Dating to between 1630-1650, the suit is made up of various pieces of different armour – a common practice in the English Civil War (1642-49). Such suits were worn by the commanders of Charles I (Royalists) and Oliver Cromwell’s (Parliamentarian) armies. The elaborate engraving is a Victorian addition.
Daily Archives: January 29, 2015
Zadar: Fosa Harbour
Ancaster Quarry
Located in rural Lincolnshire is Ancaster Quarry. The oolitic limestone has been quarried in the area since Roman times.
The quarry produces three distinctive rock beds of Weatherbed, Hard White and Basebed and Freestone.
Extraction methods used at the quarry include a two metre chainsaw and plug and feathers which ensure more regular shaped blocks. The stone quarried at Ancaster features in buildings such as Lincoln Cathedral and Windsor Castle.
Zadar: Roman Forum
Located in front of the church of St Donat is a municipal square from the Roman era. In the second half of the first century BC, Zadar became a Roman colony. As such, Zadar was developed in the typical Roman tradition used in the design of military camps (castra).
The centre of public urban life was the Forum which in Zadar, was started by the first Roman Emperor Augustus. The open central square (lastricat) was the largest on the eastern Adriatic coast measuring 95x45m.
During the period of late antiquity, the foundations of Christian buildings were laid which later developed into an episcopal complex consisting of several buildings built from the 4th to the 19th centuries.
There was a temple dedicated to the Capitoline Triad, Jupiter, Juno and Minerva which were supreme deities worshipped by the Romans. The temple would have been located in the middle of the capitolium (worship area).
Surviving fragments of beautifully decorated capitals remain on display