Photos
Mreh posted a photo:
Also known as the spot where I lost my last bit of faith in humanity after seeing someone have their picture taken here, right before asking "Wait, who is this?".
Silanov posted a photo:
Portal of Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire
Some background information:
Blenheim Palace is a monumental stately home situated in Woodstock, Oxfordshire. It’s the residence of the dukes of Marlborough and the only non-royal as well as non-episcopal country house in England to hold the title of palace. The palace, England's largest one, was built between 1705 and circa 1724 on Queen Anne’s orders for John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, in recognition of his victory over French forces at the Battle of Blenheim in 1704.
However, it soon became the subject of political infighting, which led to the Duke of Marlborough's exile, the fall from power of his duchess, and irreparable damage to the reputation of its architect Sir John Vanbrugh.
Designed in the rare and short-lived English Baroque style, architectural appreciation of the palace is as divided today as it was in the 1720s. It’s unique in its combined usage as a family home, mausoleum and national monument.
The building of the palace was a minefield of political intrigue by Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough. Following the palace's completion, it became the home of the Churchill family for the following 300 years, and various members of the family have in that period wrought various changes, in the interiors, park and gardens. At the end of the 19th century the palace and the Churchills were saved from ruin by an American marriage. Thus, the exterior of the palace remains in good repair and exactly as completed.
The palace is also notable as the birthplace and ancestral home of the British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill. He was born at Blenheim Palace on the 30th November 1874. Blenheim may never have been Churchill’s home, for the estate and family title passed to his cousin, the 9th Duke, but for five years in the 1890’s Churchill was heir presumptive to the dukedom, and it was always where his roots remained. His birth room, which is set west of the Great Hall in the suite of apartments once allotted to the 1st Duke of Marlborough’s domestic chaplain, is on view to visitors.
It was during the summer of 1908 when the gardens of Blenheim beared upon Winston Churchill: At the Temple of Diana overlooking the lake, he proposed to Miss Clementine Hozier, who was to become his devoted wife.
In the Churchill Exhibition, near the birth room, can be seen a bronze of Sir Winston and Lady Churchill as well as Sir Winston’s painting of the Great Hall at Blenheim. Other interesting exhibits include several of his lively letters, a collection of first day covers commemorating Sir Winston Churchill and many photographs of this great man at Blenheim Palace.
Sir Winston Churchill’s love of Blenheim remained to his dying day and when he passed away in 1965, he chose to be buried beside his parents Lord and Lady Randolph Churchill, in the churchyard at Bladon the tower of which, may be seen from the saloon in Blenheim Palace. When Lady Churchill died in 1977, her remains were laid to rest beside those of her husband, as they would both have wished.
Today the palace is still the home of the Dukes of Marlborough - the present incumbent of the title being John George Vanderbilt Spencer-Churchill, 11th Duke of Marlborough. Like his forebears he lives for part of the year in the palace, with his family occupying the same suite of rooms as the 1st Duke and Duchess.
Blenheim palace, park, and gardens are open to the public. Other than the Winston Churchill exhibition tourist attractions include the butterfly house, a maze, a plant centre, and cafeteria. But the atmosphere is still that of a large country house. Unfortunately visitors are not allowed to take pictures of the palace’s interior.
The gardens:
Blenheim sits in the centre of a large undulating park, a classic example of the English landscape garden movement and style. When John Vanbrugh first cast his eyes over it in 1704, he immediately conceived a typically grandiose plan: Through the park trickled the small River Glyme and Vanbrugh envisaged this marshy brook traversed by the "finest bridge in Europe". Thus the marsh was channeled into three small canal-like streams and traversed by a bridge of huge proportions - so huge it was reported to contain some 30-odd rooms.
Also in the park, completed after the 1st Duke's death, is the Column of Victory. It is 41 metres high and terminates a great avenue of elms leading to the palace, which were planted in the positions of Marlborough's troops at the Battle of Blenheim.
Following the 1st Duke's death the Duchess concentrated most of her considerable energies on the completion of the palace itself, and the park remained relatively unchanged until the arrival of Capability Brown in 1764. The 4th Duke employed Brown, who immediately began an English landscape garden scheme to naturalise and enhance the landscape, with tree planting, and man-made undulations.
However, the feature with which he is forever associated is the lake, a huge stretch of water created by damming the River Glyme and ornamented by a series of cascades where the river flows in and out. The lake was narrowed at the point of Vanbrugh's grand bridge, but the three small canal-like streams trickling underneath it were completely absorbed by one river-like stretch. Brown's great achievement at this point was to actually flood and submerge beneath the water level the lower stories and rooms of the bridge itself, thus reducing its incongruous height and achieving what is regarded by many as the epitome of an English landscape. Brown also grassed over the great parterre and the Great Court. The latter was re-paved in the early 20th century.
The 5th Duke of Marborough was responsible for several other garden follies and novelties such as the swivelling boulder, which would suddenly roll across a path, to supposedly thrill the walker. And the ornamental gardens seen today close to the palace, the Italian as well as the water gardens, are entirely the design of the 9th Duke.
In 1987 UNESCO recognised the palace as a World Heritage Site.
PS: Sorry for my long-term absence. Being busy with work and vacation kept me from updating my own photostream and viewing the ones of my contacts. I’m a bad boy, I know, but now I'll try to do my best to catch up.
Billy McDonald posted a photo:
turtlemom4bacon posted a photo:
~ Winston Churchill (British Orator, Author and Prime Minister during World War II. 1874-1965) ~
The vibrant golden color on this Golden Lion Tamarin was outstanding and seen at the Lowry Zoo, Tampa ~
They were behind a thick screen so the quality isn't that good ~
Golden Lion Tamarin ~
Wikipedia
The golden lion tamarin (Leontopithecus rosalia, Portuguese: Mico-leão Dourado) also known as the golden marmoset, is a small New World monkey of the family Callitrichidae. Native to the Atlantic coastal forests of Brazil, the golden lion tamarin is an endangered species with an estimated wild population of "more than 1,000 individuals" and a captive population maintained at approximately 490 individuals.
The golden lion tamarin gets its name from its fiery orange or red pelage and the extra long hairs that form along its cheek, throat and ears, giving it a distinctive mane. Its face is dark and hairless. It is believed that the hair color of the tamarin is due to exposure to sunlight or the carotenoids in its diet. The golden lion tamarin is the largest of the callitrichines. It is 261 mm (10.3 in) tall on average and has an average weight of 620 g (1.37 lb). There is almost no size difference between males and females. As with all callitrichines, the golden lion tamarin has tegulae, which are claw-like nails, instead of ungulae or flat nails found in all other primates, including humans. Tegulaes enable tamarins to cling to the side of tree trunks. They may also move quadrupedally along the smaller branches, whether through walking, running, leaping or bounding.This gives it a locomotion more similar to squirrels than primates.
The golden lion tamarin has a very limited distribution range. It is found only in Brazil where it lives in 14 highly fragmented forests remnants totaling 154 km square (59.5 mi square). Tamarins live along the far southeastern border of the country in the municipalities of Silva Jardim, Cabo Frio, Saquarema, and Araruama. However, that have been successfully reintroduced to the municipalities of Rio das Ostras, Rio Bonito, and Casimiro de Abreu. Tamarins live in coastal lowland forests below 300 m (984 ft) above sea level. They can be found in hilltop forests and swamp forests.
Golden lion tamarins are active 12 hours a day. They leave their nesting sites around dawn and establish new nighttime dens before dusk. The early morning is spent traveling and feeding on fruits. As the afternoon nears, tamarins focus more on insects and spend much of the early afternoon feeding on them. The late afternoon is spent traveling to their nighttime dens. Tamarin groups sleep in hollow tree cavities or in dense vines or epiphytes. They do not sleep in the same spot on consecutive nights, but use site within their home range. Sites that are between 11 and 15 m (36.1 and 49.2 ft) off the ground are preferred. Tamarins tend to start their activities earlier and cease later in warmer, wetter times of the years as the days are longer. During drier times, tamarins forage for insects longer as they become more scarce. The golden lion tamarin has a diverse, omnivorous diet consisting of fruits, flowers, nectar, bird eggs, insects and small vertebrates. Microhabitats are important for foraging and other daily activities and tamarins will use bromeliads, palm crowns, palm leaf sheaths, woody crevices, lianas, vine tangles, tree bark, rotten logs, and leaf litters.
Tamarins use their fingers to catch prey hiding in crevices, under leaves, and in dense growth. It is made possible by elongated hands and fingers. Insects make up to 10-15% of their diet. Much of the rest is made of small, sweet, pulpy fruits. During the rainy season, fruit makes up to 80% of the golden lion tamarin’s diet, however during drier times, it must supplant its diet with other foods like nectar and gums. Small vertebrates are also consumed more at these times as insects become more scarce.
D. S. Hałas posted a photo:
A memorial to the first and second Quebec Conferences, held in 1943 and 1944 between the British, American, and Canadian governments. Both conferences were attended by Churchill and Roosevelt, who face each other on the two busts, as well as by Mackenzie King. During the conferences, decisions were made on the plans for the invasion and postwar administration of Germany. The monument was unveiled in 1998.
steveco36 posted a photo:
St Martins Church, Bladon, Oxfordshire, home of Sir Winston Churchills Grave
tombarnes20008 posted a photo:
One of the rooms on the second floor of the Rod and Gun Club in Everglades City. It appears as though the sewing machine is in use. While I probably wasn't supposed to be upstairs, the way up was left perfectly open. It would be nice to see the second floor restored, but that might be unlikely in the near future. Various regulations and requirements would make renovating the second floor a proposition which might possibly disfigure the building. Perhaps some day a solution may be found. The hotel is a must-visit for anyone who cares for the history of Florida.
DesertBlooms posted a photo:
This is an image from the Imperial War Museum Collection. WINSTON CHURCHILL DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR IN THE UNITED KINGDOM© IWM (H 6946)
Original photo link here - www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205196627#
Winston Churchill shakes hands with 16 year old George Smith at Portsmouth dockyard on 31 January 1941. Smith claimed to be the youngest worker on the premises.
DesertBlooms posted a photo:
This is an image from the Imperial War Museum Collection. WINSTON CHURCHILL IN EGYPT DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR© IWM (MEM 2179)
Original photo link here - www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205191605#
Winston Churchill sits with King Abdul-Aziz of Saudi Arabia during lunch at Auberge due Lac, Fayoum, in February 1945. The King's interpreter is standing behind him.
DesertBlooms posted a photo:
This is an image from the Imperial War Museum Collection. THE ROYAL NAVY DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR© IWM (A 25254)
Original photo link here - www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205187298#
Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Mr Patterson (US Under-Secretary for War), and (on right, behind, with binoculars) General Somerville (US Army) watching the progress of the invasion of Southern France from the bridge of a destroyer.
DesertBlooms posted a photo:
This is an image from the Imperial War Museum Collection. WINSTON CHURCHILL DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR© IWM (A 16710)
Original photo link here - www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205186424#
The Prime Minister gives the Victory sign in reply to the good wishes of the sailors, airmen etc aboard as he disembarks from SS QUEEN MARY on arrival in the USA. In the rear is Admiral Adolphus Andrews of the US Navy.
DesertBlooms posted a photo:
This is an image from the Imperial War Museum Collection. THE ROYAL NAVY DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR© IWM (H 32941)
Original photo link here - www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205206284#
Winston Churchill wearing leather ear defenders watches gunnery practice on board HMS RENOWN whilst he was returning from Canada, September 1943.
origamidon posted a photo:
Toronto, Ontario, Canada • On the southwest corner of Nathan Phillips Square, Oscar Nemon's statue of Sir Winston Churchill, former Prime Minister of Great Britain is located. ∞ The plaque beneath Nemon's statue reads: "Winston Churchill 1874-1965 ~ His faith and leadership inspired free men to fight in every quarter of the globe for the triumph of Justice and Liberty. ~ Presented to the City of Toronto by the Churchill Memorial Committee aided by the generosity of Henry R. Jackman, O.C., K.St.U., Q.C., October 23, 1977, David Crombie, Mayor, David P. Smith, President of City Council." – From City's walking tour guide.
In 1977 due to the generosity of the late Henry R. Jackman a statue of Churchill was erected in Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto and was unveiled by Churchill's grandson, Winston Spencer Churchill, MP. To commemorate the 25th anniversary in 2002, ICS Canada together with the Toronto based Churchill Society for the Advancement of Parliamentary Democracy commenced a fund raising drive to refurbish the area around the statue which had fallen into neglect. $30,000 was raised from donors in six Provinces and the area was improved with eight park benches, trees and four plaques covering Churchill's life and achievements and formally rededicated by Mayor David Miller on June 6th 2004 the 60 anniversary of D-Day. – From International Churchill Society, Canada.
origamidon posted a photo:
Toronto, Ontario, Canada • On the southwest corner of Nathan Phillips Square, Oscar Nemon's statue of Sir Winston Churchill, former Prime Minister of Great Britain is located. ∞ The plaque beneath Nemon's statue reads: "Winston Churchill 1874-1965 ~ His faith and leadership inspired free men to fight in every quarter of the globe for the triumph of Justice and Liberty. ~ Presented to the City of Toronto by the Churchill Memorial Committee aided by the generosity of Henry R. Jackman, O.C., K.St.U., Q.C., October 23, 1977, David Crombie, Mayor, David P. Smith, President of City Council." – From City's walking tour guide.
In 1977 due to the generosity of the late Henry R. Jackman a statue of Churchill was erected in Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto and was unveiled by Churchill's grandson, Winston Spencer Churchill, MP. To commemorate the 25th anniversary in 2002, ICS Canada together with the Toronto based Churchill Society for the Advancement of Parliamentary Democracy commenced a fund raising drive to refurbish the area around the statue which had fallen into neglect. $30,000 was raised from donors in six Provinces and the area was improved with eight park benches, trees and four plaques covering Churchill's life and achievements and formally rededicated by Mayor David Miller on June 6th 2004 the 60 anniversary of D-Day. – From International Churchill Society, Canada.