ROYAL ARMOURIES LEEDS.( part one ).

The Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, is a National Museum which displays the National collection of Arms and Armour. The Royal Armouries Museum is a £42.5 million purpose built museum located in Clarence Dock that opened in 1996. The museum is five floors in height.

Knight.

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Knight on horse back.

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Men at Arms.

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Pikeman`s Armour

Dutch, about 1630 - 40. It is of superior quality, decorated with pairs of engraved lines and brass fittings and rivets. Like many Dutch Pikeman`s Armour, it has a high - necked Cuirass, making a separate collar unnecessary.

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War Elephants.

Elephants played a significant part in warfare from 1000 BC until the 19th century. They were mainly used in India and South - East Asia but occasionally in Western Asia, North Africa, Spain and Italy. Elephants were valued for their strength, Intelligence and their ability to be trained. Their main role was as fighting animals but they were also used for moving heavy loads such as artillery pieces and forest timber.They could trample men and horses or pick up and throw a man and horse together. They could also wield swords attached to their tusks, the reputation of elephants was so fearsome that their true military value is difficult to assess. This is the only example of an almost complete elephant armour in any public collection in the world.

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Maximilian I.  Holy Roman Emperor.

Tournaments featured the finest sportsmen - skilled contestants who trained from a young age -  and were often held to celebrate marriages, births, alliances and victories. They had become fashionable , courtly displays of power with glittering parades of rulers and nobleman. Maximilian was Europe`s most powerful ruler and a famous tournament competitor.

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Gatling Machine Gun.

British, dated 1873. One of the drawbacks of the design of the Gatling was the black - powder ammunition, which fouled the chambers and jammed the mechanism. This Armstrong - made example fires the large .65 calibre cartridge adopted by the Royal Navy in 1874.

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Gatling Machine Gun - British about 1876.

Early Gatling guns were used in much like artillery pieces although their .45 calibre cartridges had less power and range. This example is mounted on the navel landing - party carriage and has it`s transit chest for the Broadwell Drum Magazine. Guns of this type were used during the battle of Tel - El - Kebir in 1882.

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Machine Gun.

General Electric Corporation M134 GAU 2B/A American, about 1980. Known as the Minigun, this weapon was the primary armament for Helicopter Gunships during the Vietnam War. Driven by a 28 volt motor, this 7.62mm gun had an adjustable rate of fire of 300 to 6000 rounds per minute. It`s ammunition box contained 1200 cartridges. 

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Nordenfelt Machine Gun.

Calibre 1inch, British about 1884.This machine gun was designed and patented by two Swedish Engineers in 1873, with the financial backing of Thorsten Nordenfelt. It is an important representative of the hand - operated machine guns which were developed following the success of the Gatling Gun. Ammunition contained in a hopper mounted on top of the gun, was fed into the gun and fired automatically when the firing lever was moved backwards and forwards. These 1inch calibre guns were  designed specifically for use against Torpedo Boats. Trials at Portsmouth in 1880 showed that their solid steel projectiles could penetrate iron plates up to an inch thick, enough to disable a small boat completely.

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To be continued.

PEAK DISTRICT ---- DERBYSHIRE.

A world of contrasting natural beauty is the Peak District National Park, Derbyshire in England with it`s Moors, Dales, and Rivers. Loved by millions for it`s breath taking landscapes. Here are a few of the photo`s I have taken in this beautiful National Park.

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TRINITY BRIDGE.

Trinity bridge is a unique three way stone arch bridge that stands in the centre of Crowland, Lincolnshire, England. It once spanned the confluence of the river Welland and a tributary of the river Witham, the rivers have been re - routed and now the bridge spans nothing. The bridge dates to the 14th century, built between 1360 and 1390 and replaced previous wooden bridges. The earliest known mention of the bridge was by King Ethelbald of Mercia in 943. The bridge is now a scheduled monument and grade 1 listed. The bridge is built from Barnack stone, which was quarried about 16km to the west of Crowland and transported by boat on the Welland. The bridge has three stairways that converge at the top. The bridge was an unusual and economical solution to the crossing of two watercourses at their confluence, reducing the need for three separate bridges. This bridge is one of only a few bridges in the world that no longer spans any kind of physical obstacle.

The seated figure is thought to be that of Christ or of King Ethelbald and is possibly from the west front of Crowland Abbey.

Close up of the plaque on the bridge.

MOUNTING BLOCK.

Near the bridge is this mounting block which is for the assistance for mounting and dismounting a horse. They were especially useful for women riding sidesaddle. Mounting Blocks were usually made from stone, but sometimes you can come across wooden ones. They were very common prior to the era of motor cars.

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HOLY TRINITY COLLEGIATE CHURCH.

The church of the Holy Trinity at Tattershall in Lincolnshire, England was completed in 1500 AD having been endowed in 1439 by King Henry VI with collegiate status. A collegiate church is one that has attached to it, a chapter of canons and prebendaries - priests whose livings are paid through endowments and by the income from land or tithes. Holy Trinity Church, or to give it it`s correct title, The Collegiate Church of the Holy Trinity, The Blessed Virgin Mary, ST Peter the Apostle, ST John the Baptist and ST John the Evangelist stands on the site of an earlier Norman Church. It is considered by many experts to be one of the finest examples of English Perpendicular Architecture and is also one of the largest Collegiate Churches in the country. The east window contains some of the best examples of Medieval Painted Glass, and a small tomb stone can be found in the floor close to the font bearing the inscription T.Thumb died 1620 aged 101.           I would have loved to have taken a photograph of this but unfortunately there was something happening in the church and i did not want to get in their way. Visitors are often surprised by the size and height of the church as it is a mini cathedral both in size and layout.

A Tomb seen in the graveyard.

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TIDESWELL CHURCH.

The church of ST John the Baptist in Tideswell is rightly known as the Cathedral of the Peak, for it is one of the largest and certainly the most perfect church in the area. I have covered the outside photographs of this magnificent church in a previous blog. This blog is photographs I have taken of the inside, the blog is a bit long but I think you will enjoy it--- Thanks.
The Nave, Aisles and transepts were begun about 1340 in the late Gothic style and the Chancel and Tower were added at the end of the century in a Perpendicular style.

Looking down the centre aisle towards the Alter.

Tower Screen is by John Oldrid Scott from 1904.

The Organ dates from 1895 and is by the builder Forster and Andrews of Hull.

Pulpit.

Part of the Bower Chapel.

In the Bower Chapel is the Tomb of Sir Thurstan De Bower and his wife Margaret (about 1395 ) the alabaster figures of the couple on the tomb are worn by the ravages of time, but still give a strong impression of the couple.

Tree of Jesse East Window is by Heaton, Butler and Bayne of Nottingham and dates from 1875.

14th century Font, fortunately retrieved after having been left in the churchyard for a time and used for mixing paint.

The Alter.

Stalls.

Pew Carvings by Advent Hunstone.

Tomb of Sir Sampson Meverill ( 1388 - 1462 ) allegedly one of the Victors of Agincourt and later served in France with the Duke of Bedford struggling to retain English control of France against Joan of Arc.

The North Door.---- this old door is thought to have been made about 1500, constructed without mortise and tenon joints by nailing sets of planks at right angles, the inner skin of horizontal planks and the main outer skin vertical planks. By 1997 a lot of the decoration on the door was falling off, wood splitting and gaps appearing between the planks so the Parish proposed to replace the door but preserve and display it within the building where it is now on display.

These two Statues are either side of the Alter.

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