[AJR]

If you are searching for information on a particular English castle and cannot find any details listed here, try the following procedure:

1. At the bottom of the list of topics you will probably find that the only topics listed are those for which there have been entries within the last 30 days.
Click on the "down arrow" at the right-hand end of the box containing the phrase the last 30 days, click on the beginning and then Go!.

2. If you still cannot find details on the castle for which your require information, then leave a message detailing your request, and someone will endeavour to answer your enquiry as soon as possible.

[AJR]

Now that the Gallery has been installed, I can start to exhibit some of my vintage postcards. I am working through my collection, but if there are any particular castles you would like to see pictures of, let me know, and I'll see if I have something.
Andrew

[Laureen]

speaking of postcards....did you ever find the software you were looking for?



I can give you hand if you need it...I do digital photo restoration for a living.

[AJR]

I put it on "hold" for the moment, due to the need to spend money on more important things - such as a new set of dining chairs. I've also had to spend out on decorating materials - the hallway, stairs and upstairs landing need doing, and it's not just a matter of slapping on a coat of paint.

I've also just had to buy (or start at least) a new filing system for my older pictures, as a friend advised that my current albums are not "acid-free", and if left, could do irreparable damage to my collection. That means another £800 approximately for the pages, plus more for the actual albums.

Furthermore, Duncan said his Gallery might be able to perform these tasks. Thanks for the offer though. I may get round to e-mailing you a couple of pics to try out. I'll need to get a b/w film for my camera too, as converting the colour pics on the computer to b/w does not produce good results.

All the best
Andrew

[Laureen]

you should be able to get good results converting to B&W......send me a file and I'll do a test for you....also, I have experience in museum/archival framing and preservation of art if you have any questions.

[AJR]

Thanks Laureen.

With regards to the museum and archival side of thimgs, the company I work for has a whole department devoted to such matters - hence the advice about "acid free" mounts. You'd be amazed the number of different things I've had to turn my hand to with my employer over the last 18 years - but that's another story best suited to another topic elsewhere.

See ya
Andrew

[Laureen]

Whatcha do for work Andrew?

[AJR]

A local (to me) website owner approached me after hearing about my castle collection. The antique print and vintage postcard section of Kentish castles is now available for a wide local audience.

http://www.theweald....sp?bookid=kc000

As I said to Ralph, the introduction is not entirely accurate, but the owner tells me it leaves it open for me to submit further (modern as well as vintage) images in the future.

And no - I've not deviated from CD, just expanded my viewer base.

[Gordon]

Congratulations, well presented, and I'm sure it will provide a fascinating resource for many a local historian and teacher, not to mention castle enthusiasts from everywhere.

[AJR]

From The Daily Telegraph, 15th June 2009

Coastal castles could be moved inland

Castles on the coast could be moved brick by brick and rebuilt inland as part of plans to save Britain's coastal heritage from climate change. As sea levels threaten a number of historic properties, the government is considering ways to protect them.

Historic monuments that are threatened with destruction could be moved in exceptional circumstances to a "more sustainable location", according to a consultation paper released by the Department for the Environment. Coastal defences should be improved in less severe cases and valuable assets recorded in case they are lost forever, it says.

Owners of homes which will be lost to the sea could receive grants to cover demolition and moving costs.
This week the Met Office will warn of the threat of rising sea levels to Britain over the next 80 years.

It is expected to warn that sea levels could rise by as much as 80cm (31 inches) around the British coast by 2100, causing the flooding of low lying areas such as Norfolk. Storm surge events around the coast could occur 20 times more frequently for some coastal areas making erosion damage worse.

There is precedent for historic buildings to be dismantled and rebuilt elsewhere. The 17th Century Clavell Tower, at Kimmeridge Bay, Dorset was recently moved 25 metres inland at a cost of £898,000. At St Fagans National History Museum in Cardiff buildings a school, chapel, Workmen's Institute, farms and houses have been re-erected.

Hundreds of monuments around the British coast are at risk of sea level rises and erosion and could be candidates for relocation. St Michael's Mount in Cornwall which is currently reached by a causeway could become an inaccessible island, Westbury Court Garden in Gloucestershire could be flooded by the River Severn and Dunstanburgh Castle in Northumbria is under threat from erosion.

An English Heritage spokesman said: "Future sea-level rise as a result of climate change and associated coastal erosion and flooding will threaten many historic buildings, sites and landscapes. While it may be possible to protect some of these, others will need to be adapted to withstand changing conditions and, over time, others will be lost."

Defra also launched an £11 million Coastal Change Fund for local authorities to help local communities adapt to coastal erosion where it is not possible to hold the sea back with defences.

Councils could pay for houses that could be lost to the sea to be demolished and offer a further £1,000 to help people move house. Local authorities could also buy properties at risk and then lease them back to the owners to prevent coastal homes becoming neglected or abandoned as people are afraid of the long term risks.

According to Defra, some 200 homes could be lost to the sea over the next 20 years, though more are likely to be at risk over the longer term as a result of climate change.

Hilary Benn, the Environment Secretary, said coastal communities need to be prepared.

"Coastal change and erosion threatens our coastal communities – and with a changing climate, those risks will only increase. We will defend where we can, and we're investing record amounts in protecting people and property. But the sea will inevitably shape and mould our coastline, as it has always done, and we need the views of those who will be directly affected by the changing coastline on how we can adapt."

The consultation, which runs until September, also invites views on how to protect the natural landscape and coastal heritage. The Environment Agency welcomed the proposals as a "step in the right direction" to help the homes and businesses threatened by coastal erosion, but said the Coastal Change Fund should have been developed further.