MUSSENDEN TEMPLE, CASTLEROCK, NORTHERN IRELAND

Mussenden Temple is located in the beautiful surroundings of Downhill Demesne near Castlerock in County Londonderry in Northern Ireland. It perches dramatically on a 120 ft cliff top, high above the Atlantic Ocean on the north-western coast of Northern Ireland.  The Temple of Mussenden was built in 1785 under the leadership of Frederick-Augustus Hervey, 4th Earl of Bristol and Bishop of Derry. The Temple was built on the model of the Temple of Vesta, located in Italy, and was to collect large religious manuscripts. The Temple is named Mussenden in memory of Frideswide Mussenden, cousin of Fredrick-Augustus. Over time, erosion of the cliff on which the Temple is built has become a cause for concern and threatens the building itself. For this reason, the National Trust carried out a series of works in 1997 to stabilize the cliff. Since then, the building remains and seems to be preserved from any risk. visit is free of charge, and you can then admire a first inscription located in the Temple, with a quotation from Lucrecius, a poet and high Roman philosopher: “How pleasant and safe it is to see the shore, the roll, and to hear the roar of the storm“. The view is superb, with unrivalled panoramic views over Magilligan Point, County Donegal and the beaches of Castlerock. A view so sublime, that the place is a great classic for organizing weddings in Northern Ireland!

THE MALL, LONDON

The Mall (/ˈmæl/) is a road in central London, between Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square via Admiralty Arch.  The Mall began as a field for playing pall-mall. In the 17th and 18th centuries it was a fashionable promenade, bordered by trees. It was envisioned as a ceremonial route in the early 20th century, matching the creation of similar ceremonial routes in other cities such as Berlin, or Paris. These routes were intended to be used for major national ceremonies. A new façade was constructed for Buckingham Palace, and the Victoria Memorial was erected. The Victoria Memorial is immediately before the gates of the Palace, whilst Admiralty Arch at the far end leads into Trafalgar Square. The length of The Mall from where it joins Constitution Hill at the Victoria Memorial end to Admiralty Arch is exactly 0.93 km. St. James's Park is on the south side of The Mall, opposite Green Park and St James's Palace, on the north side. Running off The Mall at its eastern end is Horse Guards Parade, where the Trooping the Colour ceremony is held. The surface of The Mall is coloured red to give the effect of a giant red carpet leading up to Buckingham Palace. This colour was obtained using synthetic iron oxide pigment from Deanshanger Oxide Works (Deanox), which was created using the Deanox Process devised by chemist Ernest Lovell. It was David Eccles's decision, as Minister of Works from 1951 to 1954, to make The Mall red. On Victory in Europe Day (8 May 1945), the Palace was the centre of British celebrations, with the King, Queen and Princess Elizabeth (the future queen) and Princess Margaret appearing on the balcony, with the Palace's blacked-out windows behind them, to the cheers from a vast crowd on The Mall. During state visits, the monarch and the visiting head of state are escorted in a state carriage up The Mall and the street is decorated with Union Flags and the flags of the visiting head of state's country. During the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Queen Elizabeth II in 2002, over one million people packed The Mall to watch the public displays and the appearance of the Royal Family on the palace balcony.

CALTON HILL, EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND

 The panoramic views from Calton Hill have astonished and inspired visitors for centuries. Major landmarks can be seen from a bird’s eye view: Arthur’s Seat with the Crags behind Holyrood Palace and the Parliament, Leith and the Firth of Forth, Princes Street in its New Town grid and the Royal Mile climbing up towards the Castle. Calton Hill is also famous for its collection of historic monuments, which form some of the most important landmarks of the city. One of the most striking is the National Monument, inspired by the Parthenon in Athens. Intended to commemorate the Scottish servicemen who died in the Napoleonic Wars, it was never completed leaving just the twelve columns you see today. Also look out for the Nelson Monument, shaped like an up-turned telescope. Completed in 1816 the monument commemorates the death of Admiral Lord Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. However in 1852 a time ball was added to the top to enable ships moored in the Firth of Forth to set their time-pieces accurately. The Nelson Monument is open to the public, and the Time Ball still drops at one o’clock six days a week. The City Observatory is also located here, a Greek temple styled building designed by William Henry Playfair in 1818. It was here that Professor Thomas Henderson, appointed first Astronomer Royal for Scotland in 1834, discovered how to measure parallax and the distance of the stars in this building. Calton Hill is a favourite spot with locals for enjoying the Hogmanay fireworks and many of the August festival events take place here. The last day of April also sees the Beltane Fire Festival reviving an old Celtic tradition.

BIRMINGHAM, TOWN HALL, MIDLANDS

Birmingham’s oldest venue. It was designed by Joseph Hansom and Edward Welch and modelled on a classical temple, hence the columns on the outside. It opened in 1834.

Its debut as a rock and pop venue came in the late 1950s and 1960s. Buddy Holly, The Rolling Stones, Black Sabbath and numerous bands and solo artists have appeared there. It closed in 1996 for a make over and refurbishment and re-opened in 2007. It is now one of the city’s more “posher” venues and tends to attract the more sedate kind of acts, although it was the site of an Ozzy Osbourne homecoming concert!

 

St MICHAEL'S MOUNT, CORNWALL

Most famous landmark in UK? This tidal island sits just on the edge of Cornwall and has become an iconic landmark in the area. St Michael’s Mount is a tiny island with a church and a castle which date back to the 12^th century. Visitors from all over the world have visited St Michael’s Mount to experience the unique atmosphere. Today, the island is still home to a living community, with the St Aubyn family living in the castle. St Michael’s Mount can be reached on foot at low tide or by a short boat trip.

 

RECULVER TOWER, KENT

 

The imposing twin towers of the medieval church at Reculver dominate the skyline of Herne Bay, acting as a navigation marker for ships at sea. This was the site of one of the earliest Roman forts built against Saxon raids on the 'Saxon Shore'. It later became the site of an Anglo-Saxon monastery before becoming the parish church for Reculver. The tall towers were built in a remodelling of the church in the 12th century. Much of the site has been lost to coastal erosion, but alongside the twin towers are the ruined remains of the early Roman fort.

The old village of St Nicholas-at-Wade lies hidden in plain view in the flat farmlands near the Kentish coast, its flint church tower rising among red-brick houses. The royal-blue flowers of green alkanet brightened the dusty clay verges of the track I followed from the village through fields of barley and rape towards the distant twin towers of Reculver