Bamburgh Castle

Alnwick Castle

The Presbytery Ceiling

An intricate pattern of ribs and bosses adorns the vaulted ceiling of the presbytery.  The central boss positioned directly above the high alter is a representation of the Holy Trinity attended by two angels.  To the west is St Andrew holding the cross and reading clockwise are St Bartholomew holding the flaying knife, St Peter with the keys, St Thomas with the spear, St James the Less grasping the bludgeon, St James the Greater holding his staff and a scrip or costrel, St Paul with a sword, and St Matthias with an axe.  To the south of St Andrew is a saint holding a book.  Another boss has an angel and other bosses are carved with roses and leaves.*

*From the Historic Scotland guidebook to Melrose Abbey.

Melrose Abbey

Melrose Abbey, in the heart of the beautiful Scottish Border country, was founded in the twelfth century by the Cistercian order of monks. They were drawn to this fertile spot beside the River Tweed through its intimate associations with the holy men St Aidan and St Cuthbert. The Abbey grew to be one of the most wealthiest and most majestic medieval monasteries of Scotland, and its abbey church is one of the finest expressions of the order’s ‘architecture of solitude’.*

*From the Historic Scotland guidebook to Melrose Abbey

St Cuthbert's Church – Norham

NORHAM is the place where St Aidan crossed the Tweed on his way from Iona to establish his monastery at Lindisfarne or Holy Island in A.D. 635.

It is said that when a stone church was built at Lindisfarne the wooden structure was transferred to Norham.  the preaching cross on the village green may be on the site of this church.

The first stone church in Norham was founded in A.D. 830.  The site of this church is probably to the east of the present church where there is now a clump of large yew trees in the churchyard.

Celtic stones found in the churchyard have been cemented into a square pillar which may be seen beside the fount.  They include parts of more than one cross shaft as well as a cross head.

The coffin of St Cuthbert was brought from Lindisfarne to Norham in a A.D. 875 when Danish invaders were threatening the monastery (the burnt it shortly afterwards).  After many wanderings the coffin was finally buried at Durham and the cathedral was built over it.  The bones of ST Ceolwulph, King of Northumbria and later a monk, were brought from Warkworth and buried in the porch of the first stone church of Norham, which was dedicated to St Peter,  St Cuthbert and St Ceolwulph.  Later, Gosperic, first Earl of Northumberland, was buried in the same church.*

*From church information leaflet.

LadyKirk – The Architecture

Wightwick Manor – Some Details

Powis Castle in Winter

Architecture 100 :: 39 Amrein's House

This ‘historic chalet’ was built in 1874 and is the former residence of the  Amrein-Troller family.  It is now a musem displaying many interesting historical facts (in particular the historical geology) of the region.

Architecture 100 :: 38 Mountain Chalet