Scottish clans and tartans

                 What is a tartan? In its structure, a tartan is essentially a checked pattern. In Scotland the earliest surviving example is the so-called Falkink sett, which dates from the 3rd century AD used for centuries, both in the Lowlands and the Highlands, by shepherds for their plaids and "mauds"or "wraps", and came known as "the shepherd´s plaid". Originally, the tartan was worn as a single piece of cloth, drawn in at the waist and thrown over the shoulders. The kilt did not become popular until the beginning of the 18th century.
Each clan has its own tartan. The Gaelic word "clan" means "family" or "descendants" and the great clans of the 16th and 17th centuries were indeed very similar to enormous families, ruled by powerful chiefs. Sometimes there were fierce battles between different clans but nowadays they all live in peace with each other. Modern tartans have been issued for many diverse reasons such as the commemoration of historical events, the promotion of corporative names, sport teams and also to raise funds for worthy causes. The international scope of new tartan designs strengthens and promotes Scottish culture around the world.

The Union Jack

           The flag of the United Kingdom, known as "the Union Jack", is made up of three crosses. The upright red cross is the cross of St George, the patron saint of England. The white diagonal cross (with the arms going into the corners) is the  cross of St Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland. The red diagonal cross is the cross of St Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. St David is the patron saint of Wales but it is not represented on the Union Jack because when the first Union Jack was created in 1606, Wales was already united with England since it was conquered by Edward I in the 13th century. In 1536, under Henry VIII, the Act of Union joined England and Wales officially and they both came under the flag of England.

The Tower of Hercules

            The Tower of Hercules is an ancient Roman lighthouse in A Coruña, in the north-western Spain. Until 20th century, the tower itself was known as the "Farum Brigantium". Today, it is the oldest Roman lighthouse that it is still used for maritime signalling. The Tower is a national Monument of Spain, and since June 27, 2009, has been a UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE.      
            The Tower of Hercules dates back to the Roman period. It is believed to have been built around the late 1st or early 2nd century by the architect Gaius Sevius Lupus during the time of the Emperor Trajano. An inscription which was found on its base reads MARTI AVG. SACR G. SEVIVS LVPVS ARCHITECTVS AEMINIENSIS LVSITANVS. EX. VO. The Tower was known by FARUM BRIGANTIUM till it changed to TOWER OF HERCULES. Farum Brigantium was derived from the Greek world (Pharos) meaning the lighthouse of Alexandria which became such a model for other countries to imitate it. But in the 20th century, it was Tower of Hercules after a Greek mythological legend created in Spain.
             The area where the lighthouse was built was part of a kingdom of Brigantia that existed before the Roman invasion and extended over the Artabrian Gulf and county Bergantiños. It is believed that its capital city was Brigantia which at that time was a busy trading port with the British Isles. It is likely there were several small watchtowers in the estuary to alert the city in case of danger. One of them (the most strategic of them all) could have been replaced by the Farum Brigantium lighthouse.
             The earliest representation of the lighthouse is found in the Burgo de Osma Codex from 1086 AD which shows it in Gallaecia, next to the shrine of Santiago and facing the island of Britain and Ireland.
The largest medieval map of the world (Hereford Mappamundi, made in England about 1300 AD) also shows the Brigantium Tower prominently located on the coast near Santiagode Compostela, with a fire burning at the top of the lighthouse in order to guide the ships in the Atlantic.
             The history of the Tower of Hercules involves a combination of myths and facts. Many legends surround its history from the Middle Ages to the 19th century. They try to explain in mythical and popular terms the Tower´s origins and its construction, regardless of many historical and archaeological understanding.
  A Castilian legend, written by Alfonso X in the 13th century, said that the Greek hero Hercules fought with a Trojan giant known as "Geryon". At the end of his battle, Hercules buried the giant´s head and decreed that a town had to be built on that spot and so the Roman city of "Brigantia" (A Coruña) came to be.
  The Leabhar Gabha´la Eireann or Book of Invasions of Ireland is an ancient book of Irish history and folklore written in Ireland circa 1050 AD. It tells that Breoghain, a king of the city of Brigantium, built a watchtower called Tor Breoghain or Tower of Breoghain from where he could see a new unexplored land. His descendants, Ith and Mil, gathered an army and left to conquer the new island, which they called Ireland. The Irish legend was known on the Gallician side as well because there were ancient trade relations between Galicia and the British Isles.
  A Galician legend recounts how a monk called Trezenzonius climbed up the Tower of Brigantia, saw a wonderful island very far at sea, and went to explore the island in the same way that Ith and Mil did in the Irish legend. When he returned to Galicia, he found the tower in a semi-ruinous condition and the city inhabited.
          Today, the visitors can climb its 242 steps for magnificient views of the coastline and enjoy the Tower since it is the only lighthouse of Greco-Roman antiquity to have retained a measure of structural integrity and functional continuity.

Saint George´s Chapel

          Saint George´s Chapel at Windsor Castle was begun by Edward IV (1461-70 and 1471-83) and completed by Henry VIII. It is dedicated to the patron Saint of the Order of the Garter, Britain´s highest order of Chivalry. Garter knights have their crests and coat of arms flags over their assigned stalls which are rich in history, tradition and heraldy.
          On the one hand, ten British monarchs lie buried in the Chapel: Edward IV, Henry VI, Henry VIII,Charles I, George III, George IV, William IV, Edward VII, George V and George VI and also their Queen consorts (including Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother).
           The Chapel is a Royal Peculiar, that is, a chapel which is not subject to a bishop or archbishop but which owes its allegiance directly to the sovereign. The Queen appoints its clergy.
          On the other hand, it ranks among the finest examples of late medieval architecture in Western Europe. It is one of the supreme achievements of English Perpendicular Gothic design. It was built in two stages: the choir and its aisles being completed and roofed by 1483 and the nave by 1496. But the stone vaulting was not finished until 1528. The large West Window with its late 15th-century stained glass and the painted roof bosses are among other remarkable features of the chapel.
       I was thrilled with the interior. Really beautiful! I appreciate the few moments I had when I found myself in St George Chapel. Very stunning interior!

Burns Night

Giovanni Antonio Canal

                Commonly known as Canaletto, Giovanni Antonio Canal was considered the finest landscape painter of his time. He was good at capturing natural light in such a way that he could make the sun shine in his paintings.
                In 1746, he moved to England where he produced views of London during a time of great change. He included the building of Westminster Bridge, residences and parks. He transposed his taste for topography to views of England, especially of London. He stayed for nine years, painting upwards of 48 views, mostly of the city and the Thames. We can see how Londoners wander, meet and part. They walk singly and in pairs. They stand and chat. Our eye wanders between them.
                In Canaletto´s London, the atmosphere is always clear, the river sparkling. It never rains, the light is mild and the clouds are decorative. This, of course, was deliberate.
                Obviously, he enjoyed observing and recording the world around him, so now take time to enjoy some of his paintings.

                                   The old Horse Guards and Banqueting Hall from St James

                                                          The Thames and The City

                                                                 Eaton College

                                                               Greenwich Hospital

                                                Henry VII´s Chapel in Westminster Abbey

                                                                 Lamberth Bridge  

                                          London seen from an Arch of Westminster Bridge

                                                The Interior of the Rotunda at Ranelagh

                                                   The Grand Walk, Vauxhall Gardens

                                                       The Monument and Fish Street Hill

                                                            The Thames and The City

Westminster Abbey

                                                            Northumberland House

                                                                 Windsor Castle

                                                               Warwick Castle

                                                       View from Somerset Garden

                                                      Whitehall and New Horse Guards
                                                 
             

The first journey on London's underground took place 150 years ago from Paddington to Farringdon.
Transport for London and the London Transport Museum will celebrate with a number of activities throughout the year. We are Welcome!