History On Your Doorstep

How well do you know the area that you were born in or now live?

I was brought up in the Medway Towns in Kent and was fortunate enough to have an abundance of history on my own doorstep but even now 55 years on I am still discovering new and fascinating things about the region. Here are three of the Medway Towns most famous landmarks, I shall write about some of the more unusual sites in a future post.

ROCHESTER CASTLE

Strategically placed astride the London Road, guarding an important crossing of the River Medway, this imposing fortress has a complex history of destruction and rebuilding. Its mighty Norman tower-keep of Kentish ragstone was built c. 1127 by William of Corbeil, Archbishop of Canterbury, with the encouragement of Henry I. Consisting of three floors above a basement, it still stands 113 feet high. Attached is a tall protruding forebuilding, with its own set of defences to pass through before the keep itself could be entered at first floor level.

In 1215, garrisoned by rebel barons, the castle endured an epic siege by King John. Having first undermined the outer wall, John used the fat of 40 pigs to fire a mine under the keep, bringing its southern corner crashing down. Even then the defenders held out within the building, until they were eventually starved out after a resistance of nearly two months.

Rebuilt under Henry III and Edward I, the castle remained a viable fortress in the 15th century, but a century later it was decaying. Today it stands repaired as a proud reminder of the history of Rochester, along with the nearby cathedral and Dickensian cobbled streets.

ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL

The Second Oldest - Rochester Cathedral is England's second oldest, having been founded in 604AD by Bishop Justus. The present building dates back to the work of the French monk, Gundulf, in 1080. The glorious Norman architecture of the nave, parts of the crypt, as well as one of the finest Romanesque facades in England, make this an inspirational place to visit. The Cathedral is blessed with some fine examples of later Gothic styles as well as the magnificent 14th century Chapter Library door. Hidden from view (although it can be viewed by special appointment) is one of the oldest doors in England.

CHATHAM NAVAL DOCKYARD

Nelson's Flagship HMS Victory was built at Chatham so its a shame it is on display in Portsmouth.......

"This day will be launched his majesties ship the Victory, estimated the largest and finest ship ever built. Several of the Lords of the Admiralty, Commissioners of the Navy, and many persons of quality and distinction, are expected to be present, for whose receptions great preparations are making through the Town"

London Public Advertiser 7th May 1765

The order for the Victory to be built at Chatham was signed by the Navy Board on the 7th July 1759. Work started almost immediately and the first timbers, those for the keel were brought together at the Old Single Dock on the 23rd July 1759 in a ceremony that even have been attended by William Pitt the Elder - the then Prime Minister, and the future Earl of Chatham.

Once her frame was complete she was left to ‘season in frame’ - a process that would normally take six to twelve months - but in the case of Victory lasted form many years - until the Seven Years War had ended - before work restarted on her. Launched on 7th May 1765 she was completed and fitted out - not for war but for the reserve fleet.

It was not until 1778 that she left Chatham for sea service - as Augustus Keppel’s flagship. Following the Battle of Cape St Vincent (1797) she returned to Chatham where she underwent a Great Repair - before returning to sea as Nelson’s flagship and the battle of Trafalgar

The Dockyard is now a historic theme park well worth a tour.

These are just snippets from the history of the Medway Towns, probably somewhere you hadn't thought of visiting, hopefully this will have changed your mind.

So, why not rediscover the history on your doorstep.

Steve

www.rediscovering-history.com

www.discovering-england.com

Olympic History - The Flag

The 2008 Olympic games are almost upon us and I suspect most of you will be like me, going to work bleary eyed from staying up far too late watching it on your TV. Here is the history of the flag we all know and love but probably know little about............

On the Olympic flag, the rings appear on a white background.

The flag reinforces the idea of the Olympic Movement's universality, as it brings together all the countries of the world.

Pierre de Coubertin, the father of the modern Olympic Games, explains the meaning of the flag:

"The Olympic flag has a white background, with five interlaced rings in the centre: blue, yellow, black, green and red. This design is symbolic; it represents the five continents of the world, united by Olympism, while the six colours are those that appear on all the national flags of the world at the present time." (1931)

Textes choisis II, p.470.

Combined in this way, the six colours of the flag (including the white of the background) represent all nations.

It is wrong, therefore, to believe that each of the colours corresponds to a certain continent !

At the Olympic Games, the flag is brought into the stadium during the opening ceremony. Since the 1960 Games in Rome (Italy), it has been carried horizontally by a delegation of athletes or other people well known for their positive work in society.

After its arrival, the flag is hoisted up the flagpole. It must fly in the stadium during the whole of the Games. When the flag is lowered at the closing ceremony, it signals the end of the Games.

The mayor of the host city of the Games passes the Olympic flag to the mayor of the next host city of the Games.

History Even though Pierre de Coubertin intended the Olympic Games to be an international event from the time of their re-establishment in 1896 in Athens (Greece), it was only at the 1912 Games in Stockholm (Sweden) that, for the first time, the participants came from all five continents. One year later, in 1913, the five rings appeared at the top of a letter written by Pierre de Coubertin. He drew the rings and coloured them in by hand. He then described this symbol in the Olympic Review of August 1913.

It was also Coubertin who had the idea for the Olympic flag. He presented the rings and flag in June 1914 in Paris at the Olympic Congress.

The First World War prevented the Games from being celebrated in 1916 in Berlin (Germany) as planned. It was not until 1920 in Antwerp (Belgium) that the flag and its five rings could be seen flying in an Olympic stadium.

The universality conveyed by the rings and the flag was a new idea at the beginning of the 20th century. Nationalism was very strong and tension between certain countries was high. It was in this climate, however, that Coubertin proposed a symbol which aimed to encourage world unity.

Enjoy the games - Come on GB

Steve

www.rediscovering-history.com

www.discovering-england.com

Blood and Guts

I don't know about you but I have a dread of hospitals and having to undergo surgery, and recently I was diagnosed as having Peripheral Arterial Disease (P.A.D for short and it sounds friendlier) and was told that if I didn't get it under control, which thankfully I have, it could lead to the amputation of a foot or leg!

On my visits to the local hospital I always had the thought of going through surgery at the back of my mind and I dreaded the Consultant having to tell me the bad news and being admitted there and then!

Why am I sharing this with you? Because I just spotted a TV programme coming up on BBC Four called "Blood and Guts - A History of Surgery." Having read about the programme I am not sure whether I ought to watch it or not, but I probably will out of morbid fascination.

Michael Mosley is our guide through the trial and error procedures of the past that lead to the introduction of modern day surgery and the Blood and Guts that which were the norm in the Victorian era, so if you are interested I should make a note that it starts on Thursday 21st August, check it out in your TV guide for more details.

Whilst on the subject, if Blood and Guts is your sort of thing or you have an interest in medical history here is somewhere you may want to visit.

The Old Operating Theatre & Museum

The Operating Theatre (operating or emergency room) is found in the roof space of an English Baroque Church. At first glance this placement seems bizarre. But it makes more sense when it is realised that the wards of the South Wing of St. Thomas's Hospital were built around St. Thomas's Church. Dorcas was the women's surgical ward. Before 1822, the women were operated on in the ward - this must have caused some considerable distress. In 1815 the Apothecary's Act, which required apprentice apothecaries to attend at public hospitals, meant that hordes of students poured in to watch operations. Placing the Theatre in the Herb Garret of the Church provided a separation from the ward. It gave a separate entrance for students, and afforded a measure of sound proofing. It was also approximately at the same level as the women's surgical ward which aided the transport of patients to the theatre. The Theatre was purpose built to maximise the light from above, with a large skylight. Although not heated or ventilated, it provided an ideal, albeit small, area for demonstrating surgical skills.

Until 1847, surgeons had no recourse to anaesthetics and depended on swift technique (surgeons could perform an amputation in a minute or less), the mental preparation of the patient and alcohol or opiates to dull the patient's senses. Thereafter ether or chloroform started to be used. The Operating Theatre had closed down before antiseptic surgery was invented. The majority of cases were for amputations or superficial complaints as, without antiseptic conditions, it was too dangerous to carry out internal operations.

Hope you enjoyed this Blog, now go out and have some fun rediscovering history.

Steve

www.rediscovering-history.com

www.discovering-england.com

Why I Love History

My love for history grew when I was at school, history in itself now, but not through the history text books I had to trawl my way through. All they gave were lists of Kings & Queens, dates of events and to be honest that wasn't what I wanted to learn.

What I wanted to know was the inside gossip, what made people tick, how they lived and why events happened..... I wanted to live inside their worlds, know what they ate, what sports and interests they had and how their presence affected the way we live and act today.

So at the age of about thirteen and promise me you wont tell anyone about this, I started to miss school and went instead to museums and historic buildings and taught myself so much more than I ever would have sitting in the classroom.

History become a bug, when asked where I wanted to go on a day out instead of the seaside or amusement parks which other kids always seemed to choose I opted for Dover Castle, Canterbury Cathedral or some other historical place. Being brought up in Kent the choice was wide and varied

.

Visiting these places made history came alive, the dank and musty smell of a castles dungeons, the touch and feel of some ancient artefact all made my senses tingle, I loved it and I still get a buzz when I visit them nowadays. That is what I want to bring to as many of you as I can, the realization that history is not just reading about dates and names, apart from 1066 and all that I probably couldn't give you an accurate date for a historical event if you asked me.

It isn't the precise date that is important but the time and period that matters. So join me on my history travels and find out how much fun rediscovering history can really be.

Remember, you are making history today for others to enjoy in the future!

Steve

www.rediscovering-history.com

www.discovering-england.com