Thursday 27 June 2013

The Air Loom, Madness and the Landscape Legacy of War

Last Tuesday lecture room
"Last Tuesday" lecture... http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidsankey/9151602532/
I went to a lecture by Mike Jay on James Tilly Matthews and the influencing machine http://mikejay.net/books/the-influencing-machine-2/  -- which remnded me of signal stations I saw in Ireland......
the air loom
Air Loom influencing machine gang using fluids and humours (gasses) to control James Tilly Matthew http://www.theairloom.org/about.html

James Tilly Matthews is considered by some to be the earliest documented example of paranoid schizophrenia. He was committed to Bethlem (Bedlam) hospital in London, against his will, in 1797 believing himself to be controlled by the "Air Loom gang" who operated a machine in a basement in Moorgate, using the stinking effluvia of the district to control his thoughts.  Earlier h had traveled to revolutionary France to prevent the onset of war between Britain and the Girondist government. His association with Girondists led to his arrest when they were overthrown by their Jacobin successors. Thrown in jail by Jacobins, he was released when they considered him mad. returning to the UK he was committed to an asylum after being arrested for shouting "Treason" in parliament. His case documented by Apothecary John Haslam (who drew the above illustration). Matthew's relatives considered him sane and tried top get him released under a writ of Habeus Corpus. there is some evidence of political influence on Bedlem and Haslam argued he was a danger to authorities and the public.Whilst being documented by Haslam - Matthews kept notes on him - which formed evidence to a parliamentary Select Committee on conditions in Bedlam, leading to the dismissal of Haslam! --- The key importance of Matthews is that prior to this time, intrusive thoughts were more likely to be ascribed to spirits, demonic possession, or the voice of angels (think St Joan). But Matthews lived at the birth of scientific modernity, machines, gasses, and remote communications were the zeitgeist.

How mad was he? Revolutionary wars led to the elevation of Napoleon Bonapart and his reactionary nemesis - Alnglo-Irish - Wellington... Fear of invasion aiding the rebellion of nationalist Irish led to a chain of signalling stations, around the Irish coast and through England. Remote communications became a reality, as did competing "kite-ed" ideas of democracy and authority. The physical legacy is a chain of towers in visual communication over vast distances, which link the two nations subsequently divided. Sometimes, it is the difficulty of reconciling competing thoughts and interests in a single mind that leads to an outburst of metaphorical conception. The line between savant, seer, artist and lunatic is exceedingly thin, -the idea of madness being an attack of "unreason" as opposed to demonic possession, or divine inspiration, arose during the Age of Reason, when Asylums were invented (according to Foucault) . As Matthews example shows, madness is not an irrational construct, but an attempt to rationalise invasive thoughts and sensations, hallucinations, etc. The Air Loom conformed to cutting-edge scientific rationality - as best he could understand it. Whilst Matthews may well have been mad - he was nowhere near as insane as the warring states and their attempts to impose ideologies.
Admiralty in 1790 -- the centre of the UK semaphore Telegraph in 1790s (from http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/Admiralty_building_Whitehall_1790_.jpg 

Chatley Heath Semaphore station

Ireland's Napoleonic era signal towers
Ireland's 81 signal stations  http://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/ireland-s-napoleonic-era-signal-towers-1.1253929


Signal Station on Mutton Island
Just visible - Napoleonic signal station on Mutton Island, Co Clare, Ireland http://www.panoramio.com/photo/27162274
Ireland's signal stations were completed in 1806 -- 8 years after the 1798 rebellion.... (Matthews was committed in 1797)
Lord Camden's Dragoons
Lord Camden's Dragoons 1798 9From the National Library of Ireland  All Rights Reserved  http://www.flickr.com/photos/yournlireland/9139964073/


Development of Franch telegraph http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22909590

Tuesday 25 June 2013

More Matchwomen's festival

Further to my earlier post on the festivals of matchwomen and women chainmakers festival http://londonlandscapeobservatory.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/match-womens-festival-and-chainmakers.html  

Wilton's Music Hall (well worth visiting on its own account) and walking tours have joined in celebrating the 125th anniversary of the Matchmakers Trades Union Strike


The Matchgirls


Wednesday 3rd - Friday 5th July, 7:30pm, matinees 1pm,
full price £12, concession £10, under 16s £6


125 years ago this July in Bow, East London, a group of ordinary women did the extraordinary and walked out of the Bryant & May match factory, changing British history forever. Frighteningly relevant and perfectly placed at Wilton's Music Hall, which lies streets away from the site of the original strike, this 60s West End hit is given new life with a cast of professional and East End community actors.

A riotous and gritty play with stomping show tunes that captures the spirit and energy of these extraordinary women, this is the story of the Matchgirls as they take on one of the largest industrial forces of the era and sing through it against all the odds.

Wilton's Music Hall is proud to be supporting this important occasion by donating the theatre and all its services for free for this week. 
Come and celebrate this remarkable moment in history with us!

Arranged and staged by award winning actor musician company Dumbwise, this production is co-produced by Unite the Union and Red Ladder Theatre Company as part of The Matchgirls Festival. 
Also as part of the The Matchgirls Festival

Walking Tours

2nd - 7th July, £10, click here to see start times and themesThese tours have been organised by Unite the Union, celebrating the 125th anniversary of the Matchgirls Strike. Some of the best Blue Badge Tourist Guides serving the area will give you a great insight in to the history of the East End, exploring themes such asThe Changing Community from the 1800’s and The Labour Movement, Women's Rights, the Social Context of the Matchgirls,there will also be a tour on the Ripper murders. These tours will show you around local relevant landmarks and last approximately 2 hours.

Saturday 15 June 2013

The Joy of Snickets - and the end of the Bloody Assize

Snickets, Ginnells (with either hard or soft G), passages, entries, bóithrín, ,are always exciting elements in a landscape - allowing you to squeeze between proscribed places and go from one zone to another . They allow for a dramatic sense of arrival...

Cart/carriageway to the beach at Spanish PointCarriage-cart route to the beach near Bealaclogga Bridge

Wapping Old Stairs are one such - allowing passageway between realms.
Wapping Old Stairs
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/4945302
Wapping Old Stairs
http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidsankey/8890716873/



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The Hanging Judge - Baron Jeffreys of Wem - notorious for cruel punishments under James II, fell from power during the Glorious Revolution, when James II fled the country, Jeffreys stayed in London until the last moment, being the only high legal authority in James's abandoned kingdom to perform political duties. When William III's troops approached London, Jeffreys tried to flee and follow the King abroad. He was captured in a public house in Wapping, now named The Town of Ramsgate. he was trying to get a boat to take him to a ship from Wapping Old Stairs. This narrow passage still leads to the stairs.  Reputedly he was disguised as a sailor, and was recognized by a surviving judicial victim. Jeffreys was in terror of the public when dragged to the Lord Mayor and then to prison "for his own safety". He begged his captors for protection from the mob.

Muna Zuberi's stained glass

Muna Zuberi's stuff at Parallax show at Mile End Park Art PavillionGreater London MapVenn DiagramI am Here (Crystal Palace map by Muna Zuberi)Star Map

Muna Zuberi's stained glass, a set on Flickr.

Muna Zuberi's stained glass is fascinating - dealing with landscape - place and identity. See http://www.munazuberi.co.uk/index.html for more

Greater London Map

Of "Only Happy Round the Edges" she writes, "This piece is based on the Happiness and Wellbeing data published following a survey carried out by the governemnt. The range of data available at the time of making (2013) was 2006 - 2010. The map shows the 2006 figures in colour coded form. The figures for 2010 are overlaid on a second layer of glass - showing the changes in the data. Red/orange is unhappy - yellow, neutral and green is happy. I decided to call it 'Only Happy Round the Edges'. This is almost true - the only place in central London that got happier over the years of the survey was the City of London - go figure, eh?? "



If slideshow above isn't working you might not have the right version of "Flash" - in which case see it in Flickr
http://www.flickr.com//photos/davidsankey/sets/72157634140127784/show/ 

Friday 7 June 2013

Garden Barge Square at Downings Roads Moorings - Open Gardens weekend 8-9th June 2013

Garden Barge Square at Downings Roads Moorings
(Photo: Drew Bennellick) 
More photos

Garden Barge Square is situated at Tower Bridge Moorings, Downings Roads, Southwark. These historic moorings date back 200 years or more. Gardens have been created on the decks of many of the barges to form an ‘inside-out' floating garden square.


Gardener: Corinne Chater

Wednesday 5 June 2013

The view from Suicide Bridge

Original Photo b y Louis Berk http://www.flickr.com/photos/louisb/8753696624/

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This is the view from a bridge over a cutting taking the A1 - North Road . The name Archway Bridge referred to the original...
Original Bridge
...and because so many Londoners are "blow-ins" from outside, the name transferred to an area via its adoption for the former Highgate London Underground Station. Its other name "Suicide Bridge" refers to the unfortunate individuals who jumped to their deaths there.

The road heads directly toward the City of London. The former walled area of which can be seen by the distribution of high-rise office blocks, in what might be termed a "Hiddenscape", much as the hight of tower blocks in New York reflects the solid geology beneath the ground. Though in the City of London's case, it reflects a desire to maintain the City as a Central Business District of global significance - and one that retains a unique electoral system. Power and historical processes being at least as significant as  natural geology

Archway 1912. The scene is still dominated by horse traffic.

....from an earlier post:
The reason why London exists, why it is here and not there, and what it is, rarely comes to the mind of the millions of  Londoners, still less into the mind of policy chiefs, planners and politicians. Essentially, it is historical. London grew from the lowest point downstream that Romans could build a bridge  across the Thames - a difficult task since it involved not just the bridge over the river but also a causeway and smaller bridges crossing islands in a periodically flooded floodplain along the line of the Borough, in Southwark. It also coincides with the then highest point upstream that Roman boats could use the tide to bring goods upstream. The line of the North - South crossing can still be seen, as the Roman Road from the north followed a shallow ridge to the river, it has now sprouted enormous buildings. The deep historical structure is still a pervading influence
Click for a map of Roman London imposed on modern street map Picture below is of the road entering the City from Bishopsgate
The line of the Roman  road to Lincoln and York - Ermine Street - as it enters the walled city (marked by tall buildings today) and heads towards the river crossing to Southwark (Shard, under construction, now finished)

Map showing direction of photograph photo by Howard Kingsnorth (website)  http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/picture/2011/jan/28/london#zoomed-picture http://www.howardkingsnorth.com/urban.html

Tuesday 4 June 2013

Chinese Business District in London's Royal Docks - most recent in long line of business enclaves



:


The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has announced details of a £1bn (approx. €1.17 bln) deal to transform London’s historic docklands into the capital’s next business district, forging new trade links with China and other economies in the Asia-Pacific region and securing billions of pounds of inward investment in the UK economy.  from http://europe-re.com/mayor-of-london-announces-1-bln-deal-to-transform-royal-albert-dock-into-capitals-next-business-district-uk/ Wednesday, May 29, 2013



"...Owned by the Greater London Authority aAAAAAAAAAnd situated in the heart of Royal Docks Enterprise Zone, the 35-acre site at Royal Albert Dock is set to be transformed by ABP Chinese (Holding), a successful commercial developer, into a gateway for Asian and Chinese business seeking to establish headquarters in Europe as well as other businesses wanting to set up in the capital.


Royal Albert Dock from GQ Design on Vimeo.
Historically the trading heartland of the capital, the deal will re-instate the Royal Docks as a commercial and trading center for the 21st century, delivering around 20,000 full-time jobs and boosting local employment in Newham by 30%. When complete the site will become London’s third business district and, according to initial projections, be worth £6bn to the UK economy, generating £23 million (approx. €26.8 million) in business rates annually and acting as a catalyst for further development in the area.


The largest development of its kind in the UK, the state-of-the-art business district will act as a platform for financial, high-tech and knowledge driven industries looking establish and drive forward their business in UK and European markets. The deal represents one of the first direct investment by a Chinese developer in London’s property market and will eventually be home to over 3.2 million ft² of high quality work, retail and leisure space, including 2.5 million ft² of prime office space, creating a new, vibrant 24/7 district on London’s waterways.

An experienced developer in China, this is ABP’s first development project in Europe. With a track record of investing in and transforming large areas in need of regeneration, the company specializes in delivering projects of significant scale. ABP have recently completed a large development of around 15 million ft² in Beijing, while their Shenyang project in north-eastern China is even larger, with plans for 75 million ft² when complete.

Working with UK developer Stanhope and architects and masterplanners Farrells, ABP have a commitment to developing a minimum of 600,000 ft² in the first phase, with strong interest for office space already being shown by Chinese companies, including some of the country’s top banks. The first occupiers are due to move in in 2017.

The deal is a key part of the Mayor’s on-going commitment to regenerate London’s docklands, bringing jobs and homes back to the capital’s waterways and builds on the momentum of the development of the Olympic Park and Stratford City. It is the latest in a string of investments in the area including the Siemens Crystal Centre, the UK’s first urban cable car, Emirates Air Line and new homes at Great Eastern Quay, as well as upcoming developments at Silvertown Quays and the plans to create the UK’s largest floating village at Royal Victoria Dock.

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “For centuries the waterways of east London were the throbbing arteries of UK trade and commerce. This deal symbolizes the revival of that great era, continuing the re-invention of this once maligned part of the capital into a 21st century center of trade and investment. Creating a third financial district in the capital, this development will act as a beacon for eastern investors looking west, bringing with it tens of thousands of jobs and billions of pounds of investment for the UK economy.”

Chairman of ABP, Mr Xu, said: “I am very pleased and very proud that my company ABP has reached this agreement for the Royal Albert Dock with the Greater London Authority. This project will be hugely significant for both the Chinese and UK economies. My vision is to develop a world class international business district which will initially target Asian businesses to help them secure a destination in London, which in China is seen as the gateway to both the United Kingdom and the wider European economy. Our plans aim to strengthen trade between east and west, provide new local jobs and deliver benefits for the wider London and UK economy.”...."

Close up of 1553 map of Bishopsgate in London showing buildings and roads as if viewed from an oblique birds eye view This is but the latest of a long list of ethnic/business enclaves. Medieval Bishopsgate was leased by the powerful North German and Baltic Hanseatic League - an elite of chaste but acquisitive merchant fraternity. Lombard Street took its name from the North Italian Renaissance merchants and their backers. And Medieval Jewish Quarter (Old Jewry) was near to the seat of local government, London Guild Hall

photo shows excavated stone bath with steps approaching it
Medieval Mikvah - or ritual bath, Milk Street 
http://untoldlondon.org.uk/blog/read/jewish_medieval_london

Particularly Jews - by being concentrated - opened themselves up to pogroms and even a war of extermination

PERHAPS, Chinese Communist Billionaires should not -also- put all their eggs in one basket