BATH

The Roman Baths are a historical site in the town of Bath. Rain water falling on nearby Mendip Hills drains through to deep below the earth where it is heated and pushed back to the surface through fissures in the rocks. It reaches the surface at a constant 46 degrees Celsius. A shrine was built here by the Celts to honour their god, Sulis. When the Romans came they continued to use the name Aquae Sulis, meaning "waters of Sulis". They constructed a temple here between 60 and 70 AD, and over the next 300 years a bathing complex was also developed. This included the cadarium (hot baths), tepidarium (warm baths) and frigidarium (cold baths). When the Romans left Britain in the 5th century, the baths eventually silted up and fell into disrepair. 

The remains of these Roman Baths are all below the modern street level. The museum at the Baths display items which have been found during excavations. These include over 12,000 Roman coins recovered from the Sacred Springs here, probably as offerings to the gods. There are also about 130 curse tablets. These were curses written on a piece of lead and thrown into the pool so that the gods would bring bad luck to the person named. Most of these curses relate to the theft of bathing clothes. There is a wide assortment of other artefacts on display.

The impressive structures above ground date from the 19th century. They include Roman statues to give the atmosphere of the original Roman Baths. The Baths were closed for bathing in in 1978 after a young girl died from contracting meningitis from bacteria in the water. New facilities nearby allowed bathers to use the Baths and the water coming from the spring can be drunk for the high levels of minerals contained in it. 

View of the Baths

View of originalRoman section of the Baths.

Part of the Roman tiled floor

Guides in costume show what the Baths were like.

Underfloor structures now revealed in the Roman 'drying' room

Part of the carvings which decorated the Roman buildings on the site.

Head of Minerva recovered from the pool

Shops in the area using the Roman theme

YORK

Part of York Castle in the centre of the city.

The city of York lies at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. In AD 71 the Roman Ninth Legion conquered the local Brigantes tribe and built a wooden fort on the site. This was later rebuilt in stone and housed some 6,000 soldiers. A town grew up around the fort and was known as Eboracum. The Roman Emperors Hadrian, Septimus Severus and Constantius I all stayed here at some time. Severus proclaimed it the capital of Britannia Inferior. In 306 AD Constantius died while at York and the garrison soldiers there proclaimed his son as the new Emperor, Constantius the Great. Foundations of the Roman fort lie under the York Minster.

After the Romans left the city declined as it was affected by flooding. It was occupied by the Angles. In the 7th century flooded parts of the city were reclaimed and King Edwin of Northumbria proclaimed it his main city. A minster was built here in 627 for the baptism of Edwin, King of Northumbria. It was replaced by a stone structure a few years later but this soon fell into disrepair and was destroyed by fire in 741. A large structure was built. Over the years the Minster was destroyed, rebuilt and expanded and remodelled a number of times. It is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe. It is the seat of the Archbishop of York, the second highest position in the Church of England.

In 866 the Vikings captured York and it eventually developed as a major river port servicing Viking trade routes through-out Europe. It became known as  Jórvík (over time this was shortened to York). The last Viking ruler, Eric Bloodaxe was driven out in 954. York has a terrific Viking museum where tourists can see Viking artefacts and a recreation of what life was like in Jórvík when the Vikings lived there.

York has many features for the tourist. There are a number of museums and old historical buildings. York Castle is a good example of a motte and bailey castle and stands in the middle of the city. York also has more city walls then any other city in Britain. Although these are referred to as the Roman walls, little actually remains of the fortifications built by the Romans. There is also the Shambles, an area of York which is mostly retail shops but where the twisting turning lane ways criss cross and building lean out over the street. And no visit would be complete without afternoon tea at Betty's, a tea room established in the early 1900s.

Constantine the Great

York Minster

Inside York Minster

Diorama of York under the Vikings

A guide at the Jorvik museum

Medieval Guild hall

City walls around York

The Shambles

Betty's tea Rooms

A York squirrel

The river at York

School students in York

MANCHESTER

Soccer fans get ready for today's match and give me a welcome to Manchester

Many department stores in Australia have a manchester section. This contains cotton goods such as sheets, pillow cases and table cloths. It is called a manchester section after the city of Manchester in England, as Manchester was once the world leader in the manufacture of cotton goods. The city of Manchester owes its prosperity to a period in the 19th century when they were the biggest importer of cotton and supported a large textile manufacturing industry.

The bee has been adopted as a symbol of Manchester

During the Industrial Revolution Manchester became the world largest trading centre for cotton. Many of its large and ornate buildings today began life as cotton warehouses. The buildings are huge and intricate carvings decorate the outside, carvings of ships' prows or symbols of empire. One of these in Portland Street is the huge Britannia Motel, so large you have to ask for a room with a window if you what a room on an outside wall. Other building are reminiscent of Manchester's glory days. The old Railway storage buildings, the Corn Exchange, the Free Trade Hall and the Cotton Trade Centre. The Cotton Trade Hall is now a theatre, The Royal Exchange theatre. It is huge inside and has been refurbished after sustaining damage during bombings in World War II. The theatre part is suspended on huge girders so that it won't fall through the old floor. It is a theatre in the round and looks to hold about 6-700 people for a performance. I went to a production there, The Day We Sang. It was entertaining and funny.

Manchester also has a cathedral. It was built in the Middle Ages and is one of Manchester's oldest buildings. It is renowned for its wooden furnishings and stain glass. It received a lot of damage during World War II and was repaired in 1952. The second Bishop at the cathedral was born in Australia.

Throughout the city there are a number of historical and interesting sites. The National Football museum, libraries built by millionaires' wives and left to the city, a statue of Abraham Lincoln, a statue of Queen Victoria, and a Town Hall, which is key shaped and ornately decorated. There are an amazing number of small pubs. I have always liked the signs which hang out the front of these pubs. There is also the remains of a Roman fort, Mamucium, and a replica of part of this fort, the North Gate. And through the city winds a canal. TheManchester Ship Canal was extended to the sea in 1894 so that Manchester could break the stranglehold Liverpool had on it charging high import taxes on the cotton trade. The canal is 36 miles long and was virtually all dug by hand.

The Department Store here is called House of Fraser but the locals still call it Kendalls. It was originally called Kendalls Milne and Co.. This may be the longest department store in existence in the world. This was also the first store to use the word 'SALE'. It was based on the French word for soiled. Soiled clothes were sold off cheap, now the word 'sale' is in common usage and at the moment the christmas sales are on here.

The Town Hall (from the back)

Kendall's, first store to use the word 'SALE'

This letter box survived an IRA blast 

Typical inn sign

Skateboaders in the city

Gargoyles decorate many buildings

Inside Manchester cathedral

Manchester cathedral

One of the oldest buildings in Manchester, it has been moved twice

Inn sign

Private lib ray donated to the city by the wife of Manchester's first millionaire

Section of the canal

The Britannia Motel, once a cotton store shed

Details of carving on cotton store shed

ST FRANCIS

I am sure its just coincidence but after leaving Mount Gibson Sanctuary and its animals behind I set out for Shark Bay. The roads took me via Geraldton and as I drove into town I was impressed by the large church, which I later found out was the cathedral. The coincidence was that it was dedicated to St Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals!

The church was designed by Monsignor haws who arrived there as parish priest in 1915. The building commenced in 1916 and it was completed in 1938. What caught my attention was that it seemed to be a mixture of different architectural styles. There were elements that were Roman, Mexican mission church and even classical Florence. Inside the cathedral it is just as striking with column, the cupola dome and a colour scheme of grey and orange stripes.

 

NOTE:  OK so I got it wrong. In my feeble attempt to make a tenuous link between the church and the wildlife work I ascribed this church to Francis of Assisi. However it is actually St Francis Xavier.