Thursday, December 27, 2012

Hawkshead Church in Cumbria, seen through the trees

Church through the trees by Etrusia UK
Church through the trees, a photo by Etrusia UK on Flickr.

One of the churches I visited in 2009 in the Lake District. This medieval church sits on a raised hill in the middle of this little town. Etruria UK has captured a delightful view of St Michael's. More about the church here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Michael_and_All_Angels_Church,_Hawkshead

Thursday, December 20, 2012

All Saints, Pilham, Lincolnshire

Via Flickr:What a bizarre looking church! This is the Church of All Saints, one of the smallest complete churches in the country, the nave being only 21 feet long . Built c1750 on the site of a medieval church recorded from 1240.

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Peterborough Cathedral

Peterborough Cathedral by fotofacade
Peterborough Cathedral, a photo by fotofacade on Flickr.

What a truely awesome photograph from Andy Marshall of one of England's great Norman cathedrals.
The view shown is taken looking west from the walkway above the east end

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

St Peter at Arches, Lincoln

I have been neglecting this blog of late, but I hope to now get back into the habit of posting pictures of interest I have found.

This picture comes from Jack Hall's Revival Heritage photostream on flickr. It shows St Peter at Arches in Lincoln being "de-contructed" at its city centre site in 1932. It was subsequently reassembled (with improvements) as a suburban church in the city, St Giles.

I have long had an archive shot of St Peter's and actually went looking for it on my first visit to Lincoln, obviously without success!

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

St Denis, Aswarby, Lincolnshire

aswarby by mym
aswarby, a photo by mym on Flickr.

One of the best photos I have seen all year and just wanted to share it.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Manila Cathedral could collapse

14th February 2012
Church officials said a study conducted by engineering firm Angel Lazaro & Associates, Inc. that this version of Manila Cathedral, rebuilt in 1958 after being destroyed during World War II, does not comply with the National Structural Code.

Stress tests conducted on cement samples showed some withstanding pressures of only 600 pounds per square inch (psi), well below the minimum 3,500 psi required for cement from 1958. Steel reinforcing bars that failed confinement tests were also cited as a concern.

What is even more worrisome is that the cathedral sits on soft ground or "potentially liquefiable soils", Fr. Reyes said, which means it could collapse in the event of an earthquake. "As it is, [Manila Cathedral] is not safe," he said.

Angel Lazaro has initially suggested "grouting," or pouring cement into the ground, to prevent liquefaction. Other options include increasing the building’s footing or installing piles of at least 38 meters. The structure of the cathedral itself will have to be retrofitted with carbon rods.

Initial estimates place the repair costs at P150 million but this figure could balloon depending on the extent of structural damage.

The Manila Cathedral Basilica Foundation has promised to help raise funds for the renovation-cum-restoration project, which is now in the design phase.

No drastic changes will be done to the facade, said Fr. Reyes. "We will, as much as possible, return it to what it is now."

This is the first time that the Manila Cathedral’s entire structure will undergo major repairs since it was completed in 1958. The last time it was partially renovated was after the 1990 Baguio earthquake, which caused the cathedral’s bell tower to lean

Wednesday, January 04, 2012

Interior of Belleville cathedral

On the 4th January 1912 St Peter's Cathedral in Belleville, Illinois, was gutted by fire. The temeperature was so cold that firemen's hoses could not reach the eighty-feet high roof which was totally lost. However firemen stopped the fire reaching the bell tower which continued to toll the quarter hours and strike the hours during the fire.
This fine photograph shows the interior of the rebuilt cathedral