Discover Top Posts Tagged with #avon river

Longford Castle

Longford Castle is located on the banks of the Avon River in the Village of Bodenham in Wiltshire County, England. Sir Thomas Gorges built the castle in the late 16th century. The Elizabethan country house was constructed in a triangular plan with three ranges, three towers at each angle, and a double loggia, one of the first built in England. In 1641, the castle and property were purchased by Lord Coleraine. In 1717, the castle was purchased by Sir Edward des Bouveries and succeeded to his brother Jacob in 1736 and Jacob’s son William in 1761. William became the 1st Earl of Radnor in 1765. The Elizabethan castle has served as the seat of the Earl of Radnor family for nearly 300 years. The castle was reconstructed into a hexagonal palace in the 18th century by the 2nd Earl of Radnor. The ambitious project was abandoned partway through and wasn’t completed until the 4th Earl of Radnor finished it. Londford Castle sits on roughly 300 acres with two formal gardens, a stable block, a carriage house, an 18th century house, and other 19th and 20th century glasshouses and outbuildings. The castle has an extensive art collection, including works by Jan de Beer, Hans Holbein the Younger, and Sebastiano del Piombo, which are on loan to the National Gallery in London. Aerial shots of the castle were used in the Princess Diaries movies. Longford Castle is open to the public and offers guided tours.

#CASTLES #longford castle #england #wiltshire county #bodenham village #avon river

Central Christchurch

I hadn't been to Christchurch since I was four or five years old, so when I found return flights for under $70, I jumped at the opportunity.

Upon arrival I took one of the every 30-minute buses from the (rather modern) airport through the suburbs to the (also rather modern) Central Bus Interchange. Located in the heart of the city centre, it was only a short stroll to the Cathedral Square – where the ruins of the Christchurch Cathedral still sit, almost ten years on from the earthquakes.

It appears they are ramping up the reinstatement of the Cathedral as by the time I left just a couple days later, the fence in the photo above had been moved much further forward into the Square. Presumably to give more space for works to accelerate?

Christchurch has a relatively extensive network of physical tram lines around the central city, however there is only a heritage tourist service line in operation.

As a consequence of the earthquakes, there are a lot of very new public buildings in Christchurch, such as the already mentioned airport terminal and bus interchange. However, by far my favourite was 'Turanga', the central library. This massive building had a beautiful design sense, and was by far one of the best libraries I've seen in terms of amenities – recognising the vital role of libraries not only for education, but for amusement, social integration and technology access as well.

From the fourth floor terraces of Turanga, you can a little bit of a view over Cathedral Square. I think this angle highlights just how badly hit the central city was by the earthquakes. There are construction fences and gravel car parks all over Christchurch, acting as a reminder of the devastation.

There are also some really lovely little heritage buildings still standing, such as this theatre, or the 1930s Spanish Mission-style strip of shops below (New Regent Street).

With the Cathedral out of comission, the church built a 'Transitional Cathedral' which is quite well known for being built out of cardboard. It's situated just outside the new city boundaries, but has quite a cool A-frame design. I certainly wouldn't guess that cardboard was a dominant material from the outside.

Pre-earthquakes, Christchurch had a very spread out city centre, with uncoordinated single high rises dotted about. Post-quake, the redevelopment has tried to adhere to a more consistent urban planning framework, and one that also enhances liveability and walkability. As a result, the 'new' city centre (still in the same spot) is just a third of the size of the original, with the edges 'framed' by strips of parkland or public space.

Beyond these frames are new medium-density residential developments, such as the terraces above, or the units below. The hope is that by integrating urban living with the commercial centre of the city, it'll be livelier and more sustainable economically.

It's a sound plan, and all the infrastructure is right - there are so many bike lanes and well designed bus stops, with excellent parks and public spaces dotted around these developments as well. However, there still seems to be an absence of people?

I've heard it said that in the aftermath of the quake, everyone fled to the suburbs, and life began to centre on suburban shopping centres, and with the city centre just now finding its feet again, people have been slow to return.

Another excellent feature of Christchurch, is the way the Avon River has been integrated into the city, with very well done riverside parklands.

How a city makes the most of it's river is something very interesting to compare across regions. Of course it partly depends on the size of the river, with a place like Brisbane and it's massive river having a much harder task in connecting both banks – whereas Christchurch is lucky theirs adds amenity without being a nuisance.

After spending an afternoon

After spending my first day just walking around the city, I was faced with this really cool view back towards Cathedral Square where I started.

#christchurch #earthquake #cathedral #urbanism #numtot #urbanist #urban design #avon river #tram #new zealand #aotearoa #canterbury #chc20

Blomidon

#blomidon #avon river #nova scotia #avonport

Rijn Confidence

MV Rijn Confidence fire; no injuries #avonmouth #uk #maritime

Photo: Avon Fire & Rescue (x.com) On October 2, the 180 meter long, 33328 dwt cargo vessel Rijn Confidence (IMO: 9635248) caught fire while berthed on the Avon River at the port of Avonmouth, England. The vessel was loading a cargo of scrap metal at the Royal Edward Dock when a fire broke out in cargo hold number 2. The crew alerted the local fire brigade who responded with some 60 fire fighters…

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#Avon River #Avonmouth #Cargo Vessel #England #Fire #Rijn Confidence