New Light on Thomas Becket’s Window at Canterbury

Recent research has revealed the true story behind stained glass windows at Canterbury which had been reassembled wrongly.

The story is told here:

And if you cannot get through the pay wall here:

I am doing a Chaucer Walk on Sunday 31st 2021 at 6:30 which will feature the pilgrimage to Canterbury.

For more on Becket and London see my post here.

Life Scientific vindicates Florence Nightingale’s Wards

Cath Noakes, an expert on ventilation and Covid talking on Life Scientific today on BBc Radio 4 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000rcnl) reported on experiments using a Nightingale Ward design and found it was likely to cut down the spread of infection by 4 times.
This was by

1. use of high ceilings

2. Big Windows that could open top and bottom

3. Radiators with ventilation grills behind them

She noted that most Florence Nightingale wards have since been modernised with low ceilings, smaller sealed windows and radiators replaced.


Her message was that ventilation is, with distance, one of the best ways of cutting the spread of infection.

Here is an image of Dorcas Ward st St Thomas’s Hospital, London.

Black and white photograph of Dorcas Ward, St Thomas Hospital showing high ceilings.

Lighting a Fire at Tudor Hampton Court

This short video shows you all you need to know to light a fire in Tudor times. All you need is a piece of flight, a piece of steel, some tinder and kindling.

Watching the demo I can’t help feeling that some damage must have been done to the fingers if you were not skilled and careful.

Click here to view

PODCAST FOR ROMAN LONDON – A LITERARY & ARCHAEOLOGICAL VIRTUAL WALK

To book click here

SULAWESI WARTY PIG PAINTING 44,000 YEARS AGO

This is the oldest animal art found, and it takes the focus of early art from Europe to the Far East. What is remarkable about it is that it isn’t a scribble. It is clearly done by someone who knows how to make a likeness and a pleasing piece of art.

The hands created using the human hand as a stencil and by blowing paint from the mouth are a feature found all over the world.

Cave Painting of the Pig found Leang Tedongnge cave on Sulawesi.

The BBC has an excellent article about the subjects here:

Sulawesian Warty Pig Cave painting