Dhamma hall, Dhamma Dipa
Date
23 April 2017
Location
Dhamma Dipa Vipassana Meditation Centre, Herefordshire
SO 50815 26707; 51.93667°N, 2.71684°W
Dhamma Dipa
Tag Archives: Architecture
Waddesdon Manor
Waddesdon Manor
Date
27 October 2016
Location
Waddesdon, Buckinghamshire
SP 73135 16674; 51.84388°N, 0.93979°W
Information
A member of the Austrian family of bankers, Ferdinand James Anselm Freiherr von Rothschild (1839-1898) was born in Paris and lived in Vienna before moving to Britain. He was a hereditary baron (freiherr) in the lower Austrian nobility and in Britain was known as Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild. He served as Liberal MP for Aylesbury from 1885 until 1898.
In 1874 Ferdinand bought the Buckinghamshire estate near Waddesdon village. Designed by French architect Gabriel-Hippolyte Destailleur (1822-1893) in a style based on 16th-century French châteaux, the Manor at Waddesdon was built from 1874 to 1889 to house Ferdinand’s art collection and for entertaining.
Ferdinand left the property to his younger sister Alice Charlotte de Rothschild (1847-1922) and it was subsequently inherited by their great-nephew James Armand de Rothschild (1878-1957), who left it to the National Trust. Although owned by the National Trust, Waddesdon is run semi-independently by investment banker Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild (b 1936) through the Rothschild charity The Alice Trust.
As well as being the National Trust’s second most popular visitor attraction, Waddesdon Manor is also used as a wedding venue and is hired out for location filming. The manor has featured in a variety of films and series, from Carry on… Don’t Lose Your Head and Never Say Never Again to Downton Abbey and The Crown.
Further Reading
Waddeson Manor (waddesdon.org.uk);
Waddesdon Manor (Wikipedia)
Dover Castle
Inside the Keep, or Great Tower, built by Henry II c 1181-88
Date
25 October 2016
Location
Dover, Kent
TR 32666 41886; 51.12896°N, 1.32391°E
Information
Dover Castle – the largest in England – is a Grade I listed building and is owned by English Heritage. Its strategically important location on a clifftop overlooking Dover Strait in the English Channel was the site of an Iron Age hillfort. A lighthouse – the oldest still surviving in the UK – was also built there by the Romans in the 2nd century. Much of the existing castle was built by Henry II in the 12th century. Major additions were built at the end of the 18th century during the Napoleonic Wars and a network of tunnels beneath the clifftop were excavated to serve as barracks to house the extra troops stationed there at that time. During World War II the tunnels housed an underground hospital and a command centre, from where Vice-Admiral Ramsay led Operation Dynamo to rescue British and French troops stranded at Dunkirk.
Further Reading
Dover Castle (Wikipedia);
Dover Castle (English Heritage);
More posts in the Dover series
Hughenden Manor
Hughenden Manor
Date
24 October 2016
Location
High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire
SU 86120 95395; 51.65075°N, 0.75660°W
Information
Located in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, Hughenden Manor is a Grade I listed building in the care of the National Trust and was the country residence of Victorian Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881), 1st Earl of Beaconsfield.
The estate dates back to the 11th century and the present house was built in the late 18th century. Disraeli inherited Hughenden in 1848 from his father Isaac, who had purchased it in 1847. The property was remodelled in 1862 by architect Edward Buckton Lamb (1806-1869).
Hughenden was sold by the Disraeli family in 1937 and it was used as a secret intelligence base during World War II. It was given to the National Trust in 1947.
Further Reading
The Hill House, Helensburgh
The Hill House
Date
24 August 2016
Location
Upper Colquhoun Street, Helensburgh
NS 30044 83893; 56.01770°N, 4.72818°W
Information
The Hill House was designed in 1902 by artist, architect and designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868-1928) for Glasgow publisher Walter Blackie (1860-1953). Mackintosh was also responsible for the interior design of the residence, which the Blackie family moved into in 1904. The house is a Category A listed building and was donated to the National Trust for Scotland in 1982.
Further Reading
The Hill House (National Trust for Scotland);
The Hill House (Wikipedia)
Perth Museum and Art Gallery
Perth Museum and Art Gallery
Date
23 August 2016
Location
Bridge Lane, Perth
NO 11972 23814; 56.39833°N, 3.42776°W
Information
With its roots dating back to the founding of the Antiquarian Society of Perth in 1784, Perth Museum and Art Gallery is one of the oldest museums in the UK. The museum owns a collection of more than half a million items. The museum building, originally known as The Monument, was designed by amateur architect David Morison (c1792-1855), who was Secretary of the Perth’s Literary and Antiquarian Society. The building opened in 1824 and was donated by the Society to the city of Perth in 1915 on the condition that it remained in use as a public museum or library. An extension, designed by Perth architects Smart Stewart Mitchell, to the original building was completed in 1935.
Further Reading
Perth Concert Hall
Perth Concert Hall
Date
23 August 2016
Location
Horse Cross, Perth
NO 11901 23750; 56.39773°N, 3.42887°W
Information
Perth Concert Hall was designed by architects BDP Glasgow and opened in 2005. Construction of the £12.5 million arts and conference venue started in 2003 and the facility is operated by Horsecross Arts Ltd. The main auditorium seats 1,200 and the glass-fronted foyer houses the Glassrooms café-bar and restaurant.
