Tag: ruins

Ruins of Roman Barracks

Caerleon, Wales

After the baths and the museum, we walked up the road a piece to the ruins of the Roman barracks. See more images below (click on them to see larger). The long trench you see was a Roman toilet where soldiers would sit and defecate communally, using a sponge on a stick to wipe themselves, then dipping it in a flowing water channel in front of them before soaking in vinegar to disinfect it for the next use.

From the Heugh

Holy Island, Northumberland

Next we wandered up to the Heugh, a rocky ledge that may hold the foundations of the earliest church on the site (7th century). The panorama below is a gigantic file, stitched together from 14 separate shots. If you enlarge it you can see incredible detail throughout.

The Tree

Waverley Abbey, Farnham, Surrey

I think I probably posted a picture of this tree last time I visited Waverley Abbey but it really does stand out from its surroundings. This time we brought our US visitors on our hike to the ruined abbey and I took a bunch more shots – I hope not too similar to those I posted last time. Click any of the images below to see them enlarged (you may have to click into the post title first for this to work if you’re seeing this in email or on social media).

St Augustine’s Abbey

Our final stop was at the ancient Canterbury Abbey, home to St Augustine in the mission which established Christianity in Britain, dating to the 6th century CE. It fell victim to Henry the VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries in the 1530s, alluded to by Shakespeare in the highlighted line of the sonnet below, and fell into ruin. It was subsequently rebuilt as a royal palace, a poorhouse, a gaol and a school, before lapsing again into ruin.

This concludes our trip to Canterbury and Margate of a month ago (!) Click any of the images to see all of them full-sized.

Sonnet 73
By William Shakespeare

That time of year thou mayst in me behold
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
Bare ruin’d choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.
In me thou see’st the twilight of such day
As after sunset fadeth in the west,
Which by and by black night doth take away,
Death’s second self, that seals up all in rest.
In me thou see’st the glowing of such fire
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,
As the death-bed whereon it must expire,
Consum’d with that which it was nourish’d by.
This thou perceiv’st, which makes thy love more strong,
To love that well which thou must leave ere long.

Rock of Cashel

from Wikipedia: The Rock of Cashel (Irish: Carraig Phádraig[ˈcaɾˠəɟ ˈfˠaːd̪ˠɾˠəɟ]), also known as Cashel of the Kings and St. Patrick’s Rock, is an historic site located at Cashel, County Tipperary, Ireland. Click any image to see them all enlarged (if you’re in your browser – doesn’t work in email).