Edinburgh Castle 28/04/2014 16h46
This part of the castle houses the Scottish National War Memorial. No photography was allowed inside this building which we respected of course.
The Scottish National War Memorial
The Scottish National War Memorial occupies a converted barrack block on the north side of Crown Square. It stands on the site of the medieval St. Mary's Church which was rebuilt in 1366, and was converted into an armoury in 1540. It was demolished in 1755, and the masonry reused to build a new North Barrack Block on the site. Proposals for a Scottish National War Memorial were put forward in 1917, during the First World War, and the architect Sir Robert Lorimer was appointed in 1919. Construction began in 1923, and the memorial was formally opened on 14 July 1927 by the Prince of Wales. The exterior is decorated with gargoyles and sculpture, while the interior contains monuments to individual regiments. The stained-glass windows are by Douglas Strachan.
The memorial commemorates Scottish soldiers, and those serving with Scottish regiments, who died in the two world wars and in more recent conflicts. Upon the altar within the Shrine, placed upon the highest point of the Castle Rock, is a sealed casket containing Rolls of Honour which list over 147,000 names of those soldiers killed in the First World War. After the Second World War, another 50,000 names were inscribed on Rolls of Honour held within the Hall, and further names continue to be added there. The memorial is maintained by a charitable trust.
[ Source and more information: Wikipedia – Edinburgh]
Tags: Europe United Kingdom UK Scotland City of Edinburgh Edinburgh Dùn Èideann City Urban April 2014 Meteorry Edinburgh Castle Castle Scottish National War Memorial Memorial War Barrack Block Medieval Castle Rock Hall Honour Facade
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Princes Street Gardens 29/04/2014 09h38
A Spring morning in Princes Street Gardens.
Princes Street Gardens
Princes Street Gardens is a public park in the centre of Edinburgh, Scotland, in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle. The Gardens were created in two phases in the 1770s and 1820s following the long draining of the Nor Loch and building of the New Town, beginning in the 1760s. The loch, situated on the north side of the town, was originally an artificial creation forming part of its medieval defences and made expansion northwards difficult. The water was habitually polluted from sewage draining downhill from the Old Town. In 1846 the railway was built in the valley to connect the Edinburgh-Glasgow line at Haymarket with the new northern terminus of the North British line from Berwick-upon-Tweed at Waverley Station.
The gardens run along the south side of Princes Street and are divided by The Mound. East Princes Street Gardens run from The Mound to Waverley Bridge, and cover 34,000 m2. The larger West Princes Street Gardens cover120,000 m2 and extend to the adjacent churches of St. John's and St. Cuthbert's, near Lothian Road in the west.
The Gardens are the best known park in Edinburgh, having the highest awareness and visitor figures for both residents and visitors to the city. Various concerts and other events are held at the Ross Bandstand including the Festival Fireworks Concert and during the city's Hogmanay celebrations.
[ Source and much more information: Wikipedia - Princes Street Gardens ]
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Forth Road Bridge 29/04/2014 12h58
Cruising under the suspension road bridge which crosses the Firth of Forth like the railway bridge a bit further to the East. This bridge carries the A90, 4 lanes (2 per direction), pedestrians and cyclists.
Forth Road Bridge
The Forth Road Bridge is a suspension bridge in east central Scotland. The bridge, opened in 1964, spans the Firth of Forth, connecting West Lothian, at South Queensferry, to Fife, at North Queensferry. It replaced a centuries-old ferry service to carry vehicular traffic, cyclists, and pedestrians across the Forth; rail crossings are made by the adjacent and historic Forth Bridge.
Issues regarding the continued tolling of the bridge, and those over its deteriorating condition and proposals to have it replaced or supplemented by an additional crossing, have caused it to become something of a political football for the Scottish Parliament, which eventually voted to scrap tolls on the bridge with effect from 11 February 2008.
FACTS & FIGURES:
Crosses: Firth of Forth
Total length: 2,512 metres
Total width: 33 mmeters, dual two-lane carriageway, two cycle/footpaths
Height: 156 metres
Longest span: 1,006 metres
Clearance: 44.3 meters
Opened: 4 September 1964
Average daily traffic: 65,000 vehicles
[ Source & more Info: Wikipedia - Forth Road Bridge ]
Tags: Europe United Kingdom UK Scotland City of Edinburgh Edinburgh Dùn Èideann City Urban April 2014 Meteorry South Queensferry Bridge Pont Forth Firth Fjord Forth Road Bridge Suspension Sir William Arrol & Co West Lothian A90 Road Forth Bridge North Queensferry Firth of Forth
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Scottish Parliament Building 28/04/2014 13h06
The debating chamber, where seating is arranged in a hemicycle rather than the adversarial layout of other Westminster style legislatures.
Scottish Parliament Building
The Scottish Parliament Building (Scottish Gaelic: Pàrlamaid na h-Alba), is the home of the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood.
Construction of the building commenced in June 1999 and the Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) held their first debate in the new building on 7 September 2004. The formal opening by Queen Elizabeth took place on 9 October 2004. Enric Miralles, the Catalan architect who designed the building, died before its completion.
[ Source & much more Info: Wikipedia - Scottish Parliament Building ]
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Princes Street Gardens 29/04/2014 09h28
A quiet morning in the gardens along Princes Street.
Princes Street Gardens
Princes Street Gardens is a public park in the centre of Edinburgh, Scotland, in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle. The Gardens were created in two phases in the 1770s and 1820s following the long draining of the Nor Loch and building of the New Town, beginning in the 1760s. The loch, situated on the north side of the town, was originally an artificial creation forming part of its medieval defences and made expansion northwards difficult. The water was habitually polluted from sewage draining downhill from the Old Town. In 1846 the railway was built in the valley to connect the Edinburgh-Glasgow line at Haymarket with the new northern terminus of the North British line from Berwick-upon-Tweed at Waverley Station.
The gardens run along the south side of Princes Street and are divided by The Mound. East Princes Street Gardens run from The Mound to Waverley Bridge, and cover 34,000 m2. The larger West Princes Street Gardens cover120,000 m2 and extend to the adjacent churches of St. John's and St. Cuthbert's, near Lothian Road in the west.
The Gardens are the best known park in Edinburgh, having the highest awareness and visitor figures for both residents and visitors to the city. Various concerts and other events are held at the Ross Bandstand including the Festival Fireworks Concert and during the city's Hogmanay celebrations.
[ Source and much more information: Wikipedia - Princes Street Gardens ]
Tags: Europe United Kingdom UK Scotland City of Edinburgh Edinburgh Dùn Èideann City Urban April 2014 Meteorry Princes Street Gardens Garden Park Parc Jardin Princes Street Morning Matin Boy Mec Homme Lad Nor Loch New Town Royal Scottish Acedemy Scottish National Gallery
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