Medieval News - Dublin's walls, Robin Hood, and church bells

Second Opinion - Castlegate, Sheffield
13 October 2006
Regeneration & Renewal

Name of scheme: Castlegate Masterplan. Published: March 2006. Commissioned by: Sheffield City Council. Produced by: Edaw.

Scope/purpose: To reconnect the site of Sheffield's castle and the riverside, introduce new uses, transform the area around the castle remains, improve public transport and build on the city's strengths.

Glyn Roberts comments: A focus of traditional working class life in Sheffield city centre, Castlegate is one of the city's oldest areas - the site of a Norman fortress and the original settlement's marketplace.

The masterplan, developed by Edaw and approved by the city council's cabinet in March 2006, provides a guide for future development. It marks the shift in Sheffield's political and economic fortunes - and progress in the rebirth of the city - by proposing to transform Castlegate from a secondary shopping area to a mix of uses that are less dependent on retail aimed at lower income residents.

The markets and castle have dominated the character of the area for over 700 years. This was the site of the original Sheffield Castle at the confluence of the Rivers Don and Sheaf, and so marks the birthplace of the city and has always been key to its development. Markets have existed on the site since 1297, culminating in the current buildings built in the 1960s and 1970s. It is agreed that the area will lose its markets, but possibly regain its historic castle remains. Castlegate now needs to find a non-market-related role.

The plan seeks diversity and interest - offices, homes, leisure, entertainment and retail uses, with high-quality public realm developments, including riverside terraces and public spaces. The pedestrianisation of key streets, partial opening out of the River Sheaf to reveal the medieval castle's remains, and the creation of a riverside walk are key environmental elements and attractive proposals.

The plan proposes to unite and focus a number of existing and planned regeneration initiatives by celebrating the Rivers Don and Sheaf, connecting the city centre to its waterfront. As well as creating important new public spaces, it seeks to achieve this by converting congested highways to pedestrian and cycle routes, public realm and development sites.

The highly ambitious vision is dependent on funding and delivery of a lot of crucial major capital schemes, the management of technical feasibility issues, and an element of luck. The radical change envisaged for Castlegate is predicated on the completion of the Inner Relief Road and the relocation of Castle Market. There are inherent political and financial risks, but the benefits could be impressive if the city can deliver.

If excavation reveals visual as well as historic interest, the unique identity created by the castle's remains and the rivers Don and Sheaf could help to re-brand Castlegate and the city centre. Removal of the 'budget shopping' image should promote higher values to support quality design and public realm.

- Glyn Roberts is development director for Renew North Staffordshire and member of the RTPI's Regeneration Network Steering Group and General Assembly.


Analysis - Robin Hood hits the mark.
13 October 2006
Broadcast

BBC1's new Robin Hood had more pros than cons while Jane Horrocks took overnight success in her stride in The Amazing Mrs Pritchard, says James Burstall.

On the Box

Judging by its first outing, Robin Hood (BBC1, 7 October, 7.05pm), Tiger Aspect's new family drama, has yet to get into its groove. There were plenty of bow-and-arrow stunts and last-minute rescues from the gallows, but the drama has yet to find its heart.

Michelle Guish cast the piece sexy and young, but Jonas Armstrong in the lead role seems too inexperienced to be a nobleman back from the Crusades. He's best when in amorousmood, rebuffed bythe sassy modern Marian with the words: "Five years and you're still peddling the same old drivel." We have to hope that he will become more convincing.

Keith Allen makes an unpleasant bullyboy Sheriff, but the star in episode one is Robin's servant Much, played with emotional depth and sharp comic timing by Sam Troughton. Mike Gunn's production design is superb - especially the thatched manor house Knighton Hall - and John McKay's edgy direction combines with a cinematic shooting style to make the drama both broad-sweeping and accessible. Dominic Minghella's script at times threatens to fall into medieval pastiche but saves itself by cutting back to the protagonists' political and personal battle with evil. There's a shiver of anxious anticipation when you realise Robin is going to have to fight the Sheriff and his men - to the death. Despite a few shortcomings I can see the audience sticking with this band of outlaws for all 13 episodes. Current affairs has been trying and failing to make politics interesting for years, so it was a smart move by the BBC to get drama to do it instead in The Amazing Mrs Pritchard (BBC1, 3 October, 9pm). Written by Sally Wainwright and directed with a deft lightness of touch by Declan Lowney, Kudos's series is a classy and entertaining watch. Mrs Pritchard, played by a measured Jane Horrocks, runs a supermarket in the north and is compelled to take action when she witnesses two foolish middle-aged male politicians break into fisticuffs. Believing politics needs an injection of common sense, off she goes to become PM within a few short weeks. This romp's bright and shiny production design and catchy score make it fresh and appealing, but it's not all saccharine. Pritchard's spineless husband Ian, well underplayed by Steven Mackintosh, lays the seeds of her future woes and makes you want to come back for more. At the heart of the piece is a timely debate on the battle of the sexes and who is most fit to govern a country. James Burstall is chief executive of Leopard Films and Leopard drama.


Historic heart is given a boost
733 words
12 October 2006
Bristol Evening Post
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English
Copyright (c) 2006 Bristol Evening Post & Press Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Developers hoping to revitalise the former historic heart of Bristol into one of the city's most important places for living, working and shopping have revealed their plans.

In a move set to knit back together the old city with Broadmead and Redcliffe, they have come up with a favoured option that they said would produce maximum benefits for the rest of Castle Park.

It would also give Bristol a permanent food quarter similar to the renowned Borough Market in London, with a wide range of locally produced food making it a major attraction.

New homes, offices, public open space, restaurants and cafes are also proposed in what developers Deeley Freed said was a "vibrant mix" of uses.

The option is one of four approaches to the masterplanning of the five-acre St Mary le Port site, which people will be able to see for the first time when an exhibition opens in the park on Saturday.

Ideas put forward reflect the variety of opinions from a first round of consultation, ranging from a redevelopment of only the redundant office buildings right through to the preferred option, which could release a £2 million package of improvements to pay for much of Bristol City Council's Castle Park improvement plan.

The favoured option would also create a new public square surrounding the ruins of St Mary le Port Church, new paths and cycle routes and recreate the medieval St Mary le Port Street linking St Nicholas Market with St Mary le Port Church and the ruins of the bombed St Peter's Church.

A footbridge across the river from Castle Park to the redeveloped former Courage Brewery site will connect Broadmead with Redcliffe and a large south-facing grassed sitting area will overlook the Floating Harbour.

The proposals also include a new exhibition area for outdoor events, a children's play trail around the park, new seating, lighting and planting and a new St Peter's Square around the church with gardens and sitting areas, including stepped grassed seating with views across the water.

David Freed, director of developers Deeley Freed, said: "St Mary le Port is a pearl of a site and we really want to create something of quality.

"The regeneration of St Mary le Port provides a unique opportunity to create a new heart for the historic centre of Bristol.

"We are proposing a development that builds on the city's growing reputation as Britain's capital of food and delivers a vibrant mix of homes, shops, cafes and offices, which will act as a real magnet for people living and working in the area.

"It will help knit the area back into the city and fund major improvements to the park, which will become a place which far more people can use and enjoy.

"We are very excited about these proposals and hope people will take time to consider the potential a development like this can offer the city when they visit the exhibition."

Councillor Anne White, the city council's executive member for regeneration, said: "The proposals being presented by Deeley Freed offer exciting plans for St Mary le Port, giving us a real opportunity to transform this area at the heart of our city. It is vitally important that development is well thought through and responds to the views of people who live and work in the area.

"We also need to make sure that we consider the development in a rounded way, taking into account the effect on Castle Park and the wider area. I hope people will use this opportunity to put forward their views and help shape the future of the site."

The exhibition, which opens on Saturday, will continue until Friday, October 20, in the ruins of St Peter's church and will outline the four proposals.

It will be open on Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 5pm; from Monday to Wednesday and on Friday from 10am to 6pm and on Thursday from 10am to 7pm.

There will be two sessions where members of the public can meet representatives of Deeley Freed, their project team and the council on Thursday from 12.30pm to 2pm and again from 5pm to 7pm.


U. Nebraska: U. Nebraska lecture series examines medieval-era religions
12 October 2006
U-Wire

By Tanika Cooper, Daily Nebraskan (U. Nebraska)

LINCOLN, Neb. -- If a student didn't want to page through ancient texts

in a climate-controlled library to learn about relationships between different religions, a lecture series produced by the University of Nebraska's Medieval and Renaissance Studies Program may impart just as much knowledge.

Robert Haller, a professor of English and director of the Medieval and Renaissance Studies Program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, will begin a series of lectures tonight.

Sahar Amer, an author and professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, will give a speech as part of the series concerning Christian, Jewish and Muslim relations.

Amer will speak from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the Bailey Library in Andrews Hall on UNL's City Campus.

"It's free and the public is welcome to attend," Haller said.

Students and faculty members in the Medieval and Renaissance Studies Program made slight changes to their activities for this year, Haller said. Normally, he said, the group, consisting of faculty members and students, conducts meetings and sponsors conferences.

Because many faculty members in the group are interested in the relationships of Christians, Muslims and Jews between the 900s-1700s, Haller said he decided to do a series instead of what they've done in the past.

Amer is going to discuss the connection between French and Arabic themes using writings in both languages, he said.

Robert Clark, a French professor at Kansas State University, was invited to introduce Amer and participate in the discussion.

"I have a lot of respect for her (Amer's) work and I'm delighted they invited me to come and introduce her," he said.

Amer first began her studies in French and later went on to study Arabic, Haller said, and Clark studied French. They are going to discuss their work and make a connection between their findings, he said.

The discussion will be open for questions.

The goal of the series is to help people realize that the different worlds of Christians, Muslims and Jews have been in conflict for some time, Haller said. The conflict didn't just recently begin.

From the 900s-1700s, he said, more similarities existed among Muslims, Jews and Christians than do now.

During that time, the different religions all used the Old Testament, he said. Even so, he said, the people of different religions didn't focus on their few differences.

The different religions were very close and the influence they had on each other is what the group is trying to examine, Haller said.

"Everyone knows there's relations between them (the different religions) and hostility," he said.

Ringing up funds for new bells
12 October 2006
Surrey Mirror

A SPONSORED bell ringing to provide money for vital repairs at a medieval church has been hailed as a great success.

The Horley Bellringers held their event at St Bartholomew's Church in Horley on Saturday to raise money to repair the parish church's eight 17th century bells.

Tower captain Hazel Spring said: "They rang 5,040 changes and it took three hours. I think we are looking at about £500 raised so far."

The bells need maintenance costing £11,500 plus VAT.

No date has been set for the repairs, which involves taking down the bronze bells.

All the clappers, which make the pealing sound when they bang the side of the bell, need to be replaced while the ballbearings have to be regreased.

But if enough volunteers are found to help out, the cost will be reduced by £3,450.

For details about the fundraising, ring 01293 782218.


Built on the ashes of history
12 October 2006
El Pais - English Edition

Madrid's Royal Palace stands on the site of a castle destroyed by fire, writes Rafael Fraguas

A s the sun sets over Madrid, its sidelong rays cut out the silhouette of a medieval castle with tall towers topped by a steep roof covered in black slate and long needles that stretch up into the sky. This is what the western skyline of Madrid would look like today had a fire not destroyed that royal fortress three centuries ago. The now forgotten castle actually stood on a hill overlooking the Manzanares River for 600 years, until on the cold Christmas Eve of 1734, the flames turned it and the many treasures it held into a pile of scorched rubble.

The fire started in the quarters of court painter Jan Ranc. Apparently, a group of servants, drunk from the seasonal celebrations, forgot to attend a blazing log fire. A spark flew to a nearby curtain that was soon ablaze, together with the wooden window frames, the furniture, the bedding, the doors and then the chests lining the castle's corridors.

Servants and members of the court rushed in and out of the castle trying to save some of the treasures held in it. The fire was of such magnitude that nobody tried to put it out. Five horse-drawn carts were loaded "with gold, silver, jewels and coins belonging to the princes, and then rushed out," according to accounts from the time.

Among other things, the once Moorish fortress was home to 2,000 canvases that represented the world's most valuable painting collection, with pieces dating back to the days of the 15th century Queen Isabella. Works by Titian, Tintoretto, Ribera, Durer, Leonardo Da Vinci and Brueghel formed part of this collection that grew under the rule of King Philip II, followed by his son Philip III, and that kings Philip IV and Charles II completed with the acquisition of several paintings by Velázquez, Rubens, Claudio Coello and Lucas Jordán.

Up to 500 of these works were lost forever, including canvases such as Rubens' mounted portrait of Philip IV and Velázquez's Expulsion of the Moors, as well as his mythological painting Apollo, Adonis and Venus. And although the people of Madrid were not allowed to help save some of the castle's more valuable belongings for "fear of looting," it seems that more than 1,000 paintings were successfully pulled out undamaged from the bonfire the building soon became. As a few priests from the nearby San Gil convent struggled to help servants bring out the works of art, however, thousands of relics, religious ornaments, furniture and princely garments were destroyed by the fire.

Known as the Alcázar - the name the Moors gave to their castles in Spain - because it was built upon the foundations of an old Moorish fortress, the ill-fated royal castle housed among other things the dwellings of King Philip V, the first of Spain's Bourbon kings. Born in France and used to the vast open spaces of Versailles, however, Philip V disliked the Alcázar, which he saw as a symbol of the Habsburgs, the dynasty that preceded him. Instead, he preferred the Buen Retiro Palace, which stood in today's downtown Retiro Park.

In 1734 the Alcázar was a rectangular building with two central, square courtyards, known as the king's and queen's patios. They were linked by the royal chapel, a heavily ornamented space housing dozens of valuable objects, mostly of religious origin. Two hundred years earlier Emperor Charles I had transformed the building's facade and several of its rooms. During the reign of Philip III, between 1599 and 1625, the palace attained its maximum splendor - largely thanks to the generous donations to the court made by Madrid dwellers in order to convince the king to move the court from Valladolid to Madrid. Philip III invested a considerable amount of those donations in refurbishing the palace. But Philip V, the Bourbon king, always associated the castle with what he deemed as the old-fashioned Habsburg dynasty, looking upon it with utmost disdain. In the end, the fire came to embody that royal disdain.


Welcome to medieval quarter
Paul Melia
12 October 2006
Irish Independent

Old city wall rebuilt in plan to rejuvenate heritageof capital

DUBLIN city bosses plan to resurrect the capital's heritage and create a medieval quarter between Christchurch and St Patrick's Cathedral.

An ambitious new plan hopes to restore parts of the city wall and build a civic museum and new open spaces in an effort to reinvigorate the city centre.

The walled city remained at the heart of Dublin until the 18th century when it fell gradually into economic decline as the city grew.

Now Dublin City Council want to restore what's left of the walls and build heritage in an effort to overcome the "uneven quality" of recent development.

The plan sees the creation of a new route linking Dublin Castle with Nicholas Street, following the line of the city wall and go past Geneval's Tower, off Bride Road, which is not accessible to the public.

Five sites which could be redeveloped had been identified which would help re-create a medieval setting and include provision of new public spaces. The sites are between Christchurch and St Patrick's, and Patrick Street and Dublin Castle.

The plan envisages creating routes through the area as well as public spaces and a city museum on St John's Lane, which would partially obscure the north front of Christ Church Cathedral.

The proposals are contained in the Ship Street/ Werburgh Street Urban Framework Plan, which says the key area at the historic core of Dublin has "significant historic fabric" but a "poor physical environment" with little connection to the city.

It says that the green spaces in that part of the city are not linked in a "useful way", and that pedestrian links are also poor.

However, it notes there are sites of "interesting local potential", and that this area of Dublin requires some special effort to recover what was once a strong physical character.

"Special efforts should be expended to recover lost history and building fabric in the area", it says. "Naming the extensive historic elements and activities of the quarter would have a beneficial effect on its future."

Other proposals include:

* Removing St Audoen's Park on the corner of High Street and Bridge Street and reinstating a sense of enclosure by building up the street frontages.

* Removal of the Peace Garden at the corner of Christchurch Place and Nicholas Street installed in 1991, but retain green space behind a new building planned for the site.

The Office of Public Works and Dublin City Council have agreed to a series of land swaps to implement the plan, which is hoped to attract more people into the area.

"It's to try and bring back the wall to the citizens of the city and recreate a sense of inside and outside the city", Dublin City Council Heritage Officer Donncha O'Dulaing said yesterday.

Some of the work may start next year.


Council plans to create 'cathedral quarter' in heart of medieval Dublin.
Frank McDonald, Environment Editor
11 October 2006
Irish Times

Dublin City Council is planning to create a new "cathedral quarter" in the heart of the medieval city, centred on Christ Church and St Patrick's and surviving remnants of the old city walls.

The plan envisages creating new routes through the area, following the line of the walls where possible, as well as new public spaces and a city museum on St John's Lane, partially obscuring the north front of Christ Church Cathedral.

Other proposals in the plan, which was drawn up by McCullough Mulvin Architects, include eliminating St Audoen's Park on the corner of High Street and Bridge Street to reinstate a sense of enclosure by building up the street frontages.

The sunken Peace Garden at the corner of Christchurch Place and Nicholas Street - installed in 1991 - is also being targeted for similar treatment, though an element of green space would be retained behind a new building on the frontage.

Implementation of the plan, which has the support of city archaeologist Ruth Johnson and heritage officer Donncha Ó Dulaing, will start with the creation of a new public space in front of the longest intact section of the city wall in Great Ship Street.

Architect Niall McCullough said the aim would be to provide a new route linking Dublin Castle with Nicholas Street following the line of the city wall, including the little-known Geneval's Tower, off Bride Road, which is currently inaccessible to the public.

The Office of Public Works and Dublin City Council have agreed to a series of land swaps to facilitate the plan, according to the city council's chief planning officer, Dick Gleeson, who said the aim was to "reinterpret the history and meaning of the city walls".

He conceded that the historic core of Dublin had become "extremely fragmented", largely due to the damage caused by major road-widening schemes that turned High Street/Cornmarket and much of Nicholas Street/Patrick Street into dual-carriageways.

"The cathedral quarter plan makes a big strong gesture towards repairing the damage done to the city core," Mr Gleeson said. "It will also create multiple routes from St Stephen's Green and Trinity College to bring more tourists into the Liberties." At present, many tourists "get lost and confused in the city core, suffering a huge amount of angst crossing roads" in what Ms Johnson described as a "noisy, dirty, unfriendly pedestrian environment". What they should be getting is a "real experience".

Under the plan, some road space will be "reclaimed" to make more room for pedestrians. "Cornmarket is so blown apart that we have to be very bold looking at the options to reinstate it while creating a new public amenity for local people," Mr Gleeson said.

According to Mr McCullough, the whole area needed the urban design equivalent of "mouth-to-mouth resuscitation". The creation of new pedestrian routes would provide a "different way of going round the city that nobody has used for hundreds of years".

He stressed that the plan aimed to "keep every fragment" of the city wall because the urban grain of the area is based on it. "We're at the point in Dublin where you have to hang on to things like that ferociously, because there isn't much of it left". Asked about the potentially contentious proposal to build a city museum in front of Christ Church Cathedral, he said medieval cathedrals "should be seen over roofs", rather than being exposed. "These roofs were there until 40 or 50 years ago," he added.

Mr Gleeson said Dublin badly needed a city museum that would "fill out" the site of the Civic Offices.


You have seen the TV show ...Now do the degree
ALISTAIR HARRIS
10 October 2006
Nottingham Evening Post

A Post-graduate course has been set up in Robin Hood studies at the University of Nottingham.

It is the world's first master's degree course to investigate the truth behind Nottingham's most famous legend.

Academics will have access to 600-year-old manuscripts at the university's school of history to investigate the story.

The course starts next year and should cost about £2,930 - the same as most of the university's history MAs for 2007-08.

Dr Rob Lutton, lecturer in medieval history and pathway leader in Robin Hood studies, said: "The new MA in Robin Hood studies at Nottingham is an exciting opportunity for anyone with an interest in the origins and development of England's most enduring legendary figure to ask searching questions about the relationships between popular culture and history."

The course will involve stories, songs, plays and literature from the 16th and 17th Centuries, and will examine the wider historical context of the medieval Robin Hood stories.

Students will also look at claims by Nottingham, Doncaster and Wales that they are the real home of the historical Robin. They will look at modern manifestations of the hero - including romantic novels and Robin's latest BBC incarnation.

Dr Colin Heywood, head of the school of history, said: "The University of Nottingham has a long tradition of researching late 12th-century society in England and Normandy, making it the perfect environment for students to understand the context for the Robin Hood legends. Those taking the course will look at the wider social and cultural perspectives on the subject, using 600-year-old manuscripts as their source material."

A university spokeswoman said: "Postgraduate qualifications like this are a good grounding for careers in historical research and teaching.

"They compliment undergraduate qualifications and allow students to gain extra knowledge in their chosen subject as well as adding to their research experience and building their confidence."

But a modern-day Robin Hood might look for a different sort of MA course.

"If Robin Hood were operating in Sherwood Forest today, he might choose a bigger target than the sheriff," the university spokeswoman added.

"Battling social injustice would still play a big part, so he might sign up to a course at the university's new centre for the study of social and global justice. The MA in social and global justice includes modules on international relations, war crimes, justice beyond borders and democracy and democratisation."

She suggested Robin might enjoy an MA in international security and terrorism or an MBA in corporate social responsibility at the universtity's business school.

For more information, visit www.nottingham.ac.uk