THE RADCLIFFE CAMERA, OXFORD

 

The circular dome and drum of the Radcliffe Camera provides one of Oxford's most iconic sights, and is a distinctive landmark in a city full of distinctive landmarks! The camera (the word means simply "room") was built 1737-1749 with £40,000 bequeathed by Dr John Radcliffe, the royal physician. Radcliffe was the most successful physician in England, and in his will he left money to purchase land, build a library, purchase books, and pay a full-time librarian. A site was purchased north of University Church (St Mary's), on a new square created when old houses were torn down.

THE KELPIES, SCOTLAND

The Kelpies are 30-metre-high horse-head sculptures depicting kelpies (shape-shifting water spirits), standing next to a new extension to the Forth and Clyde Canal, and near River Carron, in The Helix, a new parkland project built to connect 16 communities in the Falkirk Council Area in Scotland. The sculptures were designed by sculptor Andy Scott and were completed in October 2013. The sculptures form a gateway at the eastern entrance to the Forth and Clyde canal, and the new canal extension built as part of The Helix land transformation project. The Kelpies are a monument to horse-powered heritage across Scotland. The sculptures were opened to the public in April 2014. As part of the project, they have their own visitor centre, and sit beside a newly developed canal turning pool and extension. This canal extension reconnects the Forth and Clyde Canal with the River Forth, and improves navigation between the East and West of Scotland.

BURREN COUNTY CLARE (IRELAND)

The Burren National Park is located in the southeastern corner of the Burren and is approximately 1500 hectares in size. It contains examples of all the major habitats within the Burren: Limestone Pavement, Calcareous Grassland, Hazel scrub, Ash/Hazel Woodland, Turloughs, Lakes, Petrifying Springs, Cliffs and Fen. The word “Burren” comes from an Irish word “Boíreann” meaning a rocky place. This is an extremely appropriate name when you consider the lack of soil cover and the extent of exposed Limestone Pavement. However it has been referred to in the past as “Fertile rock” due to the mixture of nutrient rich herb and floral species.
In 1651 a Cromwellian Army Officer named Ludlow remarked, “of this barony it is said that it is a country where there is not water enough to drown a man, wood enough to hang one, nor earth enough to bury them. This last is so scarce that the inhabitants steal it from one another and yet their cattle are very fat. The grass grows in tufts of earth of two or three foot square which lies between the limestone rocks and is very sweet and nourishing.” The highest point in the park is Knockanes (207 metres) which continues as a curving terraced ridge to Mullaghmór to the south. East of this ridge is an area of extensive, low lying limestone pavement containing a number of semi-permanent lakes. West of this ridge the pavement sweeps down to partially drift-covered ground which gradually rises again to reach the foot of a rocky escarpment. To the south of the park the limestone bedrock disappears under a layer of glacial till. This till area is far more intensively managed for pasture and silage.

CAMBRIDGE, KING'S COLLEGE

One of the 31 constituent Colleges that make up the University of Cambridge, King's College was founded by King Henry VI in 1441 and has continuously striven to uphold Henry’s love for ‘education, religion, learning and research’. A visit to King's College Chapel is a truly inspirational experience. It is the largest and most spectacular of the college chapels in Cambridge.

The Chapel is the grandest and most beautiful building in Cambridge and ranks amongst the most important examples of perpendicular (late gothic) architecture. Stone, wood and glass combine with music to provide an unforgettable experience under Rubens' Adoration of the Magi. The famous service of the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols has been broadcast on the radio since 1928.

NEWGRANGE, IRELAND

 Newgrange is a prehistoric monument in County Meath, Ireland, located 8 kilometres (5 miles) west of Drogheda on the north side of the River Boyne. It is an exceptionally grand passage tomb built during the Neolithic period, around 3200 BC, making it older than Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids.Newgrange is the best known Irish passage tomb and dates to c.3,200BC. The large mound is approximately 80m in diameter and is surrounded at its base by a kerb of 97 stones. The most impressive of these stones is the highly decorated Entrance Stone.