Latest news from the Middle Ages
Here are a few articles from recent days:
Wall history is revealed
Steve Carroll
30 August 2006
York Press
A NEW project aiming to help tourists and residents better understand one of York's greatest historical treasures is to be officially launched tomorrow.
Council chiefs have spent nearly £175,000 on an "interpretative scheme" for York's city walls - which will explain the history of the most intact medieval walls in England.
Using funding from Yorkshire Forward, City of York Council, as part of the First Stop York tourism partnership, has installed interpretative panels along the two-mile route.
A multi-media installation created by York designer, Joe Cutting, has also been created inside Bootham Bar, taking visitors on a race around the walls.
Situated at 16 key points, including Micklegate Bar, Lendal Tower and Walmgate Bar, the panels are made from vitreous enamel and stainless steel.
The new £174,000 scheme is aimed at encouraging visitors and reisdents to walk the full length of the city walls. Twelve plaques of stone and metal have also been inserted into the wall walk around the city and brass pavement markers make it easier for visitors to navigate the walls circuit. These have been produced by York-based Continuum Group.
Gillian Cruddas, chief executive of York Tourism Bureau, said: "Walking around York is the best way to get to know the city.
"We're delighted that the walls are now more accessible to visitors than ever before and hope this new interpretation will encourage yet more people to discover the delights of this important scheduled monument."
Ian Tempest, City of York Council's tourism manager, said: "York's Bar Walls are the finest and most complete of any town in England and encapsulate the city's new character.
"This new initiative will greatly improve the educational and amenity value of the walls."
Other phases of the project include a £35,000 programme of cleaning and repairs and new self-closing gates for Bootham Bar, designed by blacksmith Chris Topp.
Round table hall find - Castle yields medieval secrets
Chris Greenwood
29 August 2006
The Courier-Mail
EVIDENCE of a building linked to the myth of King Arthur and the knights of the round table was found yesterday at Windsor Castle.
The circular structure was built by Edward III in the 14th century to house the round table intended to seat the original 300 Knights of the Garter.
Archeological proof of the 61m-diameter building was uncovered by members of Channel 4's Time Team in the castle's quadrangle.
Although the stones have been removed, ghost walls -- rubble in-fill where they were originally located -- remained undisturbed.
Presenter Tony Robinson said the discovery could help settle years of debate among historians over the building's existence.
"The round table building is one of our most significant ever archeological finds," he said.
"We set out to uncover the walls of the building, and they are just where we hoped.
"Experts have speculated about the structure for centuries, but they have never been able to find the actual building."
The discovery was one of several remarkable finds made by archeologists given unprecedented access to three royal residences.
Huge teams of experts moved into Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse, in Edinburgh, Scotland, for a mammoth three-day dig.
At Buckingham Palace, finds ranged from a small piece of pre-Roman flint to a gold earring or piece of necklace, possibly from the Victorian era.
"We found a tiny lead toy horse, and it's easy to imagine a prince, or even a future king, losing the toy whilst playing on the lawn," Robinson said.
Presenter Neil Oliver said archeologists had also unearthed some of the foundations of a 12th century monastery at Holyroodhouse, the Queen's official Scottish residence.
"The monastery was progressively destroyed, and now all that remains of it lies under the neatly manicured Holyrood lawns," he said.
The Time Team dig has also been trying to find Mary Queen of Scot's real tennis court, but has so far been unable to uncover it.
The digs were allowed to go ahead only after months of negotiations with royal family representatives. A spokesman for Buckingham Palace said all the findings would be catalogued and the survey results added to the royal archive at Windsor. "We have been able to answer some of the questions that the royal family had about their own back gardens," Robinson said.
Age of Camelot
* Popular myth says Camelot was the home of the semi-legendary King Arthur.
* Over the centuries, it has been said to have been located at Cadbury Castle, Colchester, Winchester, Tintagel, Camelfod and Caerleon.
* Windsor Castle was first built by William the Conquerer about 1070.
* Every English monarch since, with the exception of King Stephen who ruled from 1135 to 1154, has lived at the castle for at least a short time.
Wall history is revealed
Steve Carroll
30 August 2006
York Press
A NEW project aiming to help tourists and residents better understand one of York's greatest historical treasures is to be officially launched tomorrow.
Council chiefs have spent nearly £175,000 on an "interpretative scheme" for York's city walls - which will explain the history of the most intact medieval walls in England.
Using funding from Yorkshire Forward, City of York Council, as part of the First Stop York tourism partnership, has installed interpretative panels along the two-mile route.
A multi-media installation created by York designer, Joe Cutting, has also been created inside Bootham Bar, taking visitors on a race around the walls.
Situated at 16 key points, including Micklegate Bar, Lendal Tower and Walmgate Bar, the panels are made from vitreous enamel and stainless steel.
The new £174,000 scheme is aimed at encouraging visitors and reisdents to walk the full length of the city walls. Twelve plaques of stone and metal have also been inserted into the wall walk around the city and brass pavement markers make it easier for visitors to navigate the walls circuit. These have been produced by York-based Continuum Group.
Gillian Cruddas, chief executive of York Tourism Bureau, said: "Walking around York is the best way to get to know the city.
"We're delighted that the walls are now more accessible to visitors than ever before and hope this new interpretation will encourage yet more people to discover the delights of this important scheduled monument."
Ian Tempest, City of York Council's tourism manager, said: "York's Bar Walls are the finest and most complete of any town in England and encapsulate the city's new character.
"This new initiative will greatly improve the educational and amenity value of the walls."
Other phases of the project include a £35,000 programme of cleaning and repairs and new self-closing gates for Bootham Bar, designed by blacksmith Chris Topp.
Round table hall find - Castle yields medieval secrets
Chris Greenwood
29 August 2006
The Courier-Mail
EVIDENCE of a building linked to the myth of King Arthur and the knights of the round table was found yesterday at Windsor Castle.
The circular structure was built by Edward III in the 14th century to house the round table intended to seat the original 300 Knights of the Garter.
Archeological proof of the 61m-diameter building was uncovered by members of Channel 4's Time Team in the castle's quadrangle.
Although the stones have been removed, ghost walls -- rubble in-fill where they were originally located -- remained undisturbed.
Presenter Tony Robinson said the discovery could help settle years of debate among historians over the building's existence.
"The round table building is one of our most significant ever archeological finds," he said.
"We set out to uncover the walls of the building, and they are just where we hoped.
"Experts have speculated about the structure for centuries, but they have never been able to find the actual building."
The discovery was one of several remarkable finds made by archeologists given unprecedented access to three royal residences.
Huge teams of experts moved into Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse, in Edinburgh, Scotland, for a mammoth three-day dig.
At Buckingham Palace, finds ranged from a small piece of pre-Roman flint to a gold earring or piece of necklace, possibly from the Victorian era.
"We found a tiny lead toy horse, and it's easy to imagine a prince, or even a future king, losing the toy whilst playing on the lawn," Robinson said.
Presenter Neil Oliver said archeologists had also unearthed some of the foundations of a 12th century monastery at Holyroodhouse, the Queen's official Scottish residence.
"The monastery was progressively destroyed, and now all that remains of it lies under the neatly manicured Holyrood lawns," he said.
The Time Team dig has also been trying to find Mary Queen of Scot's real tennis court, but has so far been unable to uncover it.
The digs were allowed to go ahead only after months of negotiations with royal family representatives. A spokesman for Buckingham Palace said all the findings would be catalogued and the survey results added to the royal archive at Windsor. "We have been able to answer some of the questions that the royal family had about their own back gardens," Robinson said.
Age of Camelot
* Popular myth says Camelot was the home of the semi-legendary King Arthur.
* Over the centuries, it has been said to have been located at Cadbury Castle, Colchester, Winchester, Tintagel, Camelfod and Caerleon.
* Windsor Castle was first built by William the Conquerer about 1070.
* Every English monarch since, with the exception of King Stephen who ruled from 1135 to 1154, has lived at the castle for at least a short time.
posted by Peter Konieczny | 5:21 PM
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