Latest news with #NormanConquest
Scottish Sun
3 days ago
- Health
- Scottish Sun
England's largest medieval hospital is unearthed inside a SINKHOLE in huge breakthrough – and no one knew it was there
The historic site was uncovered unexpectedly during emergency repairs BREAKING GROUND England's largest medieval hospital is unearthed inside a SINKHOLE in huge breakthrough – and no one knew it was there A ROAD in the heart of York gave way to a sinkhole and exposed a vital part of the city's past. Archaeologists have found the remains of one of England's largest medieval hospitals buried beneath a bustling street. Advertisement 3 A sinkhole opened up in the road outside the 18th-century York Theatre Royal Credit: Getty 3 Buried beneath the road, archaeologists uncovered remains of the 11th-century St Leonard's Hospital Credit: YouTube/York City Council The remains - dating back to the 12th and 13th centuries - are thought to belong to St Leonard's Hospital. The huge healthcare facility is said to have once stretched from the Museum Gardens to the Theatre Royal site. Though built shortly after the Norman Conquest in the late 11th century, the site sits on top of even older Roman remains - at a time when York was a major Roman city and military base called Eboracum. St Leonard's Hospital played a vital role in the community of medieval York - not only as a healthcare centre but also as a charitable institution. Advertisement It ran an orphanage and provided food for prisoners at York Castle. The hospital was destroyed during the 16th-century English Reformation, when Henry VIII broke away from the Catholic Church. This brought an end to countless religious institutions across England. The site then became home to the Royal Mint, earning the name Mint Yard. Advertisement It later transformed into the Georgian street that stands there today. Incredibly, the hospital was excavated by chance earlier this month during emergency repairs to the road on St Leonard's Place. Danish archaeologists unearth 50 Viking skeletons City of York Council officials said the sinkhole in the road outside the 18th-century theatre was made safe by contractors before archaeologists were called in. Structural and stone masonry remains were unearthed by a team of archaeologists. Advertisement While the discovery has temporarily halted roadworks, city officials expect repairs to resume shortly. The archaeological team has carefully documented every find, following the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists' standards. Further analysis of the remains is being conducted. It comes as abandoned medieval villages were uncovered during roadworks on the A47. Advertisement The settlements are thought to have been abandoned after the Black Death - the bubonic plague that swept through the UK between 1348 and 1350, killing an estimated 35 to 40 percent of the population. Archaeologists made the discoveries during work to convert 5.5 miles of road between Easton and North Tuddenham into a dual carriageway. Headland Archaeology also found 31kg of pottery. 3 A metal spearhead, once used in hunting and battles, was discovered during roadworks on the A47 Credit: Headland Archaeology
The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- Health
- The Irish Sun
England's largest medieval hospital is unearthed inside a SINKHOLE in huge breakthrough – and no one knew it was there
A ROAD in the heart of York gave way to a sinkhole and exposed a vital part of the city's past. Archaeologists have found the remains of one of England's largest medieval hospitals buried beneath a bustling street. 3 A sinkhole opened up in the road outside the 18th-century York Theatre Royal Credit: Getty 3 Buried beneath the road, archaeologists uncovered remains of the 11th-century St Leonard's Hospital Credit: YouTube/York City Council The remains - dating back to the 12th and 13th centuries - are thought to belong to St Leonard's Hospital. The huge healthcare facility is said to have once stretched from the Museum Gardens to the Theatre Royal site. Though built shortly after the Norman Conquest in the late 11th century, the site sits on top of even older Roman remains - at a time when York was a major Roman city and military base called Eboracum. St Leonard's Hospital played a vital role in the community of medieval York - not only as a healthcare centre but also as a charitable institution. Read more UK news It ran an orphanage and provided food for prisoners at York Castle. The hospital was destroyed during the 16th-century English Reformation, when Henry VIII broke away from the Catholic Church. This brought an end to countless religious institutions across England. The site then became home to the Royal Mint, earning the name Mint Yard. Most read in The Sun It later transformed into the Georgian street that stands there today. Incredibly, the hospital was excavated by chance earlier this month during emergency repairs to the road on St Leonard's Place. Danish archaeologists unearth 50 Viking skeletons City of York Council officials said the sinkhole in the road outside the 18th-century theatre was made safe by contractors before archaeologists were called in. Structural and stone masonry remains were unearthed by a team of archaeologists. While the discovery has temporarily halted roadworks, city officials expect repairs to resume shortly. The archaeological team has carefully documented every find, following the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists' standards. Further analysis of the remains is being conducted. It comes as The settlements are thought to have been abandoned after the Black Death - the bubonic plague that swept through the UK between 1348 and 1350, killing an estimated 35 to 40 percent of the population. Archaeologists made the discoveries during work to convert 5.5 miles of road between Easton and North Tuddenham into a dual carriageway. Headland Archaeology also found 31kg of pottery. 3 A metal spearhead, once used in hunting and battles, was discovered during roadworks on the A47 Credit: Headland Archaeology
Daily Mirror
06-06-2025
- Daily Mirror
Underrated but 'unloved' UK seaside town named among the best in Britain
A beautiful seaside village in the UK has been named one of the best in the country despite it being 'underrated' - and it's the perfect holiday retreat for this summer A town in the UK "that doesn't get the love it deserves" has been named among the best places in the country. Hastings in Sussex is a beautiful seaside town on the south coast of England. It has a population of 91,000 people and a convenient one hour 23 minute train ride to the capital. It is also a good holiday destination for those who don't want to hop on a plane and travel hundreds of miles from home. For a bit of context and history, the town's name comes from the Battle of Hastings, which took place in 1066. The battle resulted in a Norman victory, which marked a turning point in English history and the start of the Norman Conquest. Despite being a great spot for those seeking a coastal holiday, it seems to be quite underrated despite the many good things it has to offer, such as its extensive history and beaches. Travel company Rough Guides has included Hastings in the list of 30 best seaside towns in the UK. The site said: 'Whether you want nice beaches in England, pebble bays in Wales or coastal artists' retreats in Scotland, the UK certainly doesn't disappoint when it comes to seaside towns.' The site also claimed that despite its rank on the list, the town 'doesn't get the love it deserves'. Things to do in Hastings, Sussex One thing about Hastings is that you'll never get bored of it. There are so many activities, both for children and adults, to suit all different preferences. The main attractions are the Hastings Castle, the Hasting Piers and, of course, a visit to the Old Town. For those who like history, there are plenty of museums where visitors can learn about the town's history and the shipwrecks in the English Channel. Some of the key places are the Shipwreck Museum, Hastings Fishermen's Museum Hastings Museum and Art Gallery. However, if you're looking to relax in the sounds of the beach waves, the beach stretches from the Old Town to Bulverhythe and has a mixture of sand and pebbles. For example, Pelham Beach is a popular spot for those travelling with small children. Alternatively, Stade Beach and St Leonards On Sea Beach are great for sunbathing and other water activities. Hastings also has the UK's largest beach-based fishing fleet, and the town praised for its 'ultra-fresh seafood'. Many restaurants specialise in fresh, locally sourced seafood, offering the best fish and chips to other delicious platters, ensuring that locals and visitors have a wide variety of things to eat. Despite being 'underrated', Hastings welcomes around 63,000 visitors a year with around 3.8 million tourism day trips, as the Hastings Town Deal reported. So, if you're thinking of visiting a new place that doesn't involve taking a plane and has a lot of things to do, Hastings is the place for you.
The Herald Scotland
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
He is Scotland's greatest novelist but no-one reads him now. Why?
With originality and verve, he illuminated the turbulent past, mainly of Scotland, but also England and France. Scott's phenomenal productivity was in part the result of finding himself almost bankrupt in 1825. Yet he had been drawn to stories of the great events that shaped Scotland since he was a boy. Despite the demands of his roles as Sheriff-Depute of Selkirkshire and Clerk of the Court of Session in Edinburgh, Scott turned to fiction with such energy it was as if he were an uncorked bottle of champagne. Read more In the space of 18 years, 27 novels fizzed out of him in a seemingly unstoppable stream, intoxicating readers worldwide and changing forever the face of his homeland. The more vivid the period, the livelier his imagination: Waverley was about the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion; Woodstock about the Cavaliers and Roundheads; Ivanhoe took place in England after the Norman Conquest, while Old Mortality was about the Covenanters. The Heart of Midlothian is based on the Porteous Riots of 1736; Kenilworth was set in Elizabethan England, Quentin Durward in 15th-century France and The Talisman in Palestine during the Crusades. In tribute to his continuing influence, the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction was founded 16 years ago by the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch, with the winners announced at the Borders Book Festival in Melrose in June. Previous winners include Hilary Mantel, Robert Harris, Robin Robertson and Tan Twan Eng, and this year's shortlist features novels set in Sicily in 412 BC, the 19th-century American frontier and England in the winter of 1962–3. As a genre, the historical novel appears to be thriving, its perennial success directly attributable to the Laird of Abbotsford. Scott's literary career had begun first as a collector of Border Ballads – Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border – and then with epic poems such as Marmion and The Lady of the Lake. Only in his forties did he turn to fiction. Learning of his change of direction, Jane Austen wrote: "Walter Scott has no business to write novels, especially good ones. "It is not fair. "He has fame and profit enough as a poet, and should not be taking the bread out of other people's mouths. Sir Walter Scott's home in Abbotsford (Image: free) "I do not like him, and do not mean to like Waverley if I can help it – but I fear I must." Scott's fame crossed continents. Eager to see the locations he so vividly described, tourists flocked to Scotland to visit the scenes of his stories and explore his stately home, which was opened to the public in 1833, the year after his death. His evocation of bygone times turned a country once deemed primitive and inhospitable into the alluring backdrop for drama, intrigue and heroism. Thanks to the appeal of his swashbuckling plots and unforgettable characters, and to the romance surrounding the author himself, Scott put Scotland on the map. A natural storyteller, whose grasp of social and political history was profound and enlightened, Scott's impact on literature was transformational. Across Europe and America, writers took their cue from him, notably Balzac, Alessandro Manzoni, Victor Hugo, Alexandre Dumas, Jules Verne, James Fennimore Cooper, Theodor Fontane, Pushkin, Tolstoy and Turgenev, all of whom acknowledged their debt. Not everyone, however, was a fan. Mark Twain believed his novels exerted a "malign" influence on "the character of the Southerner". By diverting Southerners' attention from the present and future to an idealised past, wrote a frothing Twain, he helped foment the American Civil War. Until the present era, familiarity with Scott's novels was essential for anyone who wished to be considered well-read. To admit never having broached The Heart of Midlothian or Ivanhoe (Tony Blair's desert island book) was to invite derision. Today, sadly, Scott is barely read in his home country. Whereas there have been recent translations of his work in Croatia, Albania, Bosnia and Catalonia, here he has become the Great Unread. Read more People wouldn't thank you for a set of his novels; I doubt if even charity shops would accept them. But although his stories are consigned to library bookshelves, where they gather dust, his legacy endures. The rocket-like Scott Monument in Princes Street is within earshot of the tannoy system at Waverley Station. What other city has named its main railway station after a novel? And all across the UK streets, houses and pubs are called after his books or characters: Marmion Road, Durward Avenue, Waverley Place, Ivanhoe Avenue, Woodstock Road, Peveril Street, Kenilworth Terrace... It is one of literature's great injustices that a writer whose purpose was to bring history alive for as wide an audience as possible is now deemed dry and dull. Neither accusation is fair. Scott has fallen from favour not because of changing taste, although that plays a part; nor because he is now as historic as his subjects, although that too is true. It is not because of his rich, occasionally antique language, or his love of dialect, or his leisurely digressions. The biggest enemy of Scott is time itself—not its passing but readers' lack of it. Modern bestsellers are written to catch the attention quickly and not overstay their welcome. It's a brave writer who produces a novel as long as Peveril of the Peak. But for some of us, the heft of Scott's stories is part of their appeal. In fact, right now I'm off to continue Rob Roy, which had me hooked from the opening page. I may be some time. The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction shortlist: The Heart in Winter, Kevin Barry; The Mare, Angharad Hampshire; The Book of Days, Francesca Kay; Glorious Exploits, Ferdia Lennon; The Land in Winter, Andrew Miller; The Safekeep, Yael van der Wouden. The winner will be announced on Thursday 12 May at 5pm. For details and tickets go to:
The Age
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
Writers, I'm on your side – now here's my list of complaints
Reading is my favourite hobby. What's not to like about it? It can be done sitting down and can be combined with other hobbies such as drinking a beer or patting the dog. And, while unwilling to put myself forward to test the theory, I'm convinced it makes you smarter. I'm a kindly reader, by which I mean 'largely undiscriminating'. I consider myself on the writer's side, wanting to cheer their endeavours in any project, however unlikely. Yet, even with a forgiving reader, there are quibbles. With Sydney crammed with authors for the annual Sydney Writers' Festival, could I mention some ways they could do better? Non-fiction books that go on too long Long novels are terrific – you sink into the world of Proust, Doris Lessing or Anthony Powell and want the pleasure to never end. With non-fiction, I'm not so sure. I'm interested to know about the Norman Conquest, I really am, but do I need the six-volume, 5000-page account by Edward Augustus Freeman (as recently reviewed on The Rest is History podcast)? I'm interested, also, in Lyndon Baines Johnson, a consequential president whose biographer, Robert Caro, is considered a genius. But do I definitely want to read four volumes, with a combined 3000 pages, and a fifth still to come? With Caro endlessly extending his efforts – see the recent documentary Turn Every Page – there's the danger, for a slow reader, that the life could take longer to read than it took to live. The fashion to eschew quote marks Some of our arty novelists are dispensing with quotation marks. I'm sure there's a reason, although they have yet to whisper that reason into my trusting ear. In these novels, the characters still speak, and sometimes they think, and – if it's a first-person narrator – they often describe things, and into this lumpy soup wades the reader, unequipped with the usual tools for discerning whether actual speech is occurring. At some point – I imagine it was in 1689 or maybe 1723 – some genius printer thought up the quote mark as a useful concession to the reader. I don't believe this useful invention should be so casually thrown away. I'm on the side of writers! I really am! I'm just trying to understand what's going on!!!
