Jan 23, 2023
Last year (2022) I visited the excellent exhibition at the British Museum called ‘The World of Stonehenge’. It was less about Stonehenge and more about the world at the time of Stonehenge in Europe. It brought together objects from across Britain and...
Aug 31, 2022
Following the development of the elite country house from the medieval period onwards, it is evident there is a discontinuity in architectural function from the Romano-British culture. The break is the influence of Anglo-Saxon culture, who have a preoccupation with...
Aug 7, 2022
I recently visited the reconstructed Villa Ventorum at The Newt near Castle Cary in Somerset. It is an amazing reconstruction, and great museum. As part of the visit, you can taste Roman food, use a Roman loo, and experience the villa through a virtual reality suite....
May 31, 2022
Baptism is a key, and usually the initial, sacrament in the life of a Christian. Early Christians performed the rite with immersion in water. In the medieval Christian church, the process of infusion was practiced – the pouring of water on the head of the new...
Apr 22, 2022
It is useful, I find, when examining civic architecture and the architecture of the English country house to remember the classical arch, of which there are key examples in Rome. The triumphal arch and the triumphal column were testament to the dominance of...
Apr 22, 2022
When studying the columns of Trajan (113 AD) and Marcus Aurelius (c. 190 AD), I cannot help thinking of them as the inspiration for the Bayeux Tapestry. Although, there is no record to my knowledge of Bishop Odo visiting Rome. The spiralling upwards bas relief reads...
