Blenheim Palace is a monumental country house in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England. It is the principal residence of the Dukes of Marlborough, and the only non-royal, non-episcopal country house in England to hold the title of palace. The palace, one of England’s largest houses, was built between 1705 and 1722, and designated a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site in 1987.
Category Archives: History
Landmarks & History: ‘The Pantheon – Rome’ (Video)
“Anyone who steps inside the Pantheon immediately feels the crushing weight of human history, but also the incredible lightness of human creativity,”
If Rome is the Eternal City, the Pantheon is its eternal building, still in use after 2,000 years and attracting six million visitors a year.
The Pantheon is a former Roman temple, now a Catholic church, in Rome, Italy, on the site of an earlier temple commissioned by Marcus Agrippa during the reign of Augustus. It was rebuilt by the emperor Hadrian and probably dedicated about 126 AD.
Gardens & Landscapes: ‘Downhill Demesne’ In Northern Ireland (Video)
Experience the beauty and mystery of County Londonderry’s Downhill Demesne in this video tour of the vast landscape – fascinating ruins, an intriguing clifftop temple, unusual plants and trees, plus much more. We’ll be shedding light on the eccentric bishop that lived here and treating you to dramatic views of the North Atlantic.
The Mussenden Temple and Downhill Demesne is a National Trust property consisting of Downhill Castle and its estate, which includes the Mussenden Temple.
Travel In The Cotswolds: ‘Stroud To Tetbury’ (Video)
We’re continuing our journey south in this episode, having been to Painswick and the Slad Valley in episode five. We begin in Stroud, and move through the golden valley to Minchinhampton, high up on the escarpment and then down to Cirencester, before moving through Malmesbury and onto Tetbury.
Stroud is a market town and civil parish in the centre of Gloucestershire, England. It is the main town in Stroud District. Situated below the western escarpment of the Cotswold Hills at the meeting point of the Five Valleys, the town is noted for its steep streets, independent spirit and cafe culture.
Tetbury is a town and civil parish inside the Cotswold district in England. It lies on the site of an ancient hill fort, on which an Anglo-Saxon monastery was founded, probably by Ine of Wessex, in 681.
Catastrophic Events: History’s ’15 Largest Tidal Waves & Tsunamies’ (Video)
The largest tidal waves, tsunamis, and other types of waves throughout history. Never turn your back to the sea.
- #1 Lituya Bay, Alaska – On the night of July 9, 1958, an earthquake along the Fairweather Fault in the Alaska Panhandle loosened about 40 million cubic yards (30.6 million cubic meters) of rock high above the northeastern shore of Lituya Bay. This mass of rock plunged from an altitude of approximately 3000 feet (914 meters) down into the waters of Gilbert Inlet (see map below). The impact force of the rockfall generated a local tsunami that crashed against the southwest shoreline of Gilbert Inlet. The wave hit with such power that it swept completely over the spur of land that separates Gilbert Inlet from the main body of Lituya Bay. The wave then continued down the entire length of Lituya Bay, over La Chaussee Spit and into the Gulf of Alaska. The force of the wave removed all trees and vegetation from elevations as high as 1720 feet (524 meters) above sea level. Millions of trees were uprooted and swept away by the wave. This is the highest wave that has ever been known.
- #2 Krakatoa tsunami – The 27 August 1883 explosion of Krakatau Volcano in Indonesia is one example of an eruption-caused tsunami. The eruption generated a 30m tsunami in the Sunda Strait which killed about 36,000 people, as it washed away 165 coastal villages on Java and Sumatra.
- #3 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami occurred at 07:58:53 in local time on 26 December, with an epicentre off the west coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia. It was an undersea megathrust earthquake that registered a magnitude of 9.1–9.3 Mw, reaching a Mercalli intensity up to IX in certain areas.
World History: ‘The Decline And Fall Of The League Of Nations’ (Video)
This film is the history of the League of Nations from 1930 to the onset of the Second world War: that 10-year span ending when Geneva, surrounded by Axis Powers, almost faded into memory.
Tour Of Italy: ‘Four Top Villas In Tuscany’ (Video)
Tuscany is a region in central Italy. Its capital, Florence, is home to some of the world’s most recognizable Renaissance art and architecture, including Michelangelo’s “David” statue, Botticelli’s works in the Uffizi Gallery and the Duomo basilica. Its diverse natural landscape encompasses the rugged Apennine Mountains, the island of Elba’s beaches on the Tyrrhenian Sea and Chianti’s olive groves and vineyards.
Borgo San Felice – An Ancient Tuscan Stone Village Dating Back to Medieval Times in the Heart of Tuscany, in 1992 It Was Converted Into a Luxury Hotel Following a Lengthy Conservative Restoration Project.
Borgo Vendita – Near Siena, and About Half an Hour From Arezzo and Florence, Between the Banks of the Arno and the Soft Hills of Chianti. A Medieval Village With an Ancient Flavor, but With a Modern Layout, Surrounded by Unspoiled Countryside.
Castello Di Leonina – In the Heart of the Famous Crete Senesi, Surrounded by the Most Evocative Views of the Tuscan Countryside, Stands Castello Di Leonina, a Thirteenth-century Fortress That Was Formerly the Residence of the Chigi Family and the Country Residence of Future Pope Alexander Vii, and is Today an Exclusive 4-star Hotel Just Outside Siena.
Villa Antinori – One of Tuscany’s Most Famous Villas A Villa That Once Belonged to the Mona Lisa’s Presumed Model is Up for Sale in Italy. The Villa Antinori Was Once Owned by the Family of Silk Merchant Francesco Del Giocondo, Whose Wife Lisa Gherardini is Widely Believed to Have Sat for Leonardo Da Vinci’s World-famous Portrait.
Cocktails with a Curator: Clodion’s “Dance of Time”
In this week’s episode of “Cocktails with a Curator,” toast the new year with Deputy Director and Peter Jay Sharp Chief Curator Xavier F. Salomon as he examines a masterpiece of both sculpture and clockmaking: “The Dance of Time,” by Clodion (Claude Michel) and Jean-Baptiste Lepaute. In this 18th-century timepiece, three terracotta nymphs or Hours dance in a circle around an exquisite mechanism enclosed in a glass globe. The Frick has one of the country’s most important collections of clocks, many of which came to the museum through a gift from Winthrop Kellogg Edey. Welcome 2021 by raising a Metropolitan cocktail—Happy New Year!
Archaeology: ‘Legends Of Atlantis’ (NatGeo Video)
Exciting evidence emerges of civilizations lost for centuries under the waves, from mysterious underwater pyramids off the coast of Japan to the fabled city of Atlantis itself. Using cutting-edge graphics to reveal what’s actually lying on the seafloor, and insight from the world’s top marine archaeologists, Drain the Oceans finds the answers.
Books: ‘Forbidden City – The Palace at the Heart of Chinese Culture’ (Video)
For more than six centuries, the Forbidden City has awed all those who have travelled from near and far to explore its 900 golden-roofed buildings, set amid moats, gardens, and plazas, where thousands of people lived and worked in service of the world’s largest and most sophisticated pre-modern empire. Marco Polo called it “the greatest Palace that ever was;” Simon Leys praised its architectural genius; and Franz Kafka viewed it as an impressive yet alarming symbol of power.
In this compelling addition to Assouline’s Ultimate Collection, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Ian Johnson guides readers through the magnificent and storied palace built by China’s Yongle Emperor to serve as the seat of the Ming dynasty. Weaving in history and events of the past six centuries and featuring more than 100 photographs, artworks, and historical artifacts, this luxury tome conjures life in this imperial sphere—a small city unto itself, in which soldiers, eunuchs, concubines, and merchants resided alongside the royalty they served. A stunning homage to the grand beauty of one of the most complex structures in all of history, Forbidden City reveals that 600 years after its construction, this royal monument endures as the physical and spiritual heart of Chinese civilization. This volume is presented in a regal, glossy red box reminiscent of traditional Chinese lacquerware, and that features a delicately carved map of the Forbidden City’s grounds.
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