Whitby Abbey - North Yorkshire

Whitby Abbey was founded in 657 AD by the Saxon King of Northumbria, Oswy as Streanshalh.  The name Streoneshalh is thought to signify Fort Bay or Tower Bay in reference to a supposed Roman settlement or Roman Signal Station that previously existed on the site. He appointed Lady Hilda, niece of Edwin, the first christian king of Northumbria, as Abbess. The double monastery of Benedictine monks and nuns was also home to the great Saxon poet Caedmon. In 664, the abbey, built on the east cliff overlooking the Esk and town of Whitby, was the site of the Synod of Whitby, at which the Northumbrian Celtic church was reconciled to Rome. In 867, the abbey fell to Viking attack, and was abandoned until 1078, when it was re-founded by Regenfrith (Reinferd) a soldier monk, under the orders of his protector, the Norman, William de Percy. The second monastery lasted until it was destroyed by Henry VIII in 1540. The abbey buildings fell into ruins, and were mined for stone, but remained a prominent landmark for sailors.

Whitby - a seaside town, North Yorkshire

Whitby's skyline is dominated by the ruins of St. Hilda's Abbey, high on Whitby's East Cliff. Spreading below Whitby, a maze of alleyways and narrow streets run down to the busy quayside. From the old town of Whitby, 199 steps lead up to the parish church of St. Mary, whose churchyard on Whitby's East Cliff gave Bram Stoker the inspiration to write his world famous book, Dracula.

Staithes - a seaside village, North Yorkshire

Staithes was once one of the largest fishing ports on the north east coast of North Yorkshire and an important source of the minerals Jet, Iron, Alum and Potash. At the turn of the 20th century, there were eighty full time fishing boats putting out from Staithes (or Steers as it is known by the locals). A hundred years later there is only one. Still a father and son fishing operation, three generations of the Hanson family currently work the lone full time fishing boat. There is a long tradition of using the coble (a traditional locally made fishing vessel) in Staithes.

In 1745-1746, Staithes's most famous resident, the young James Cook (born in Marton near Middlesbrough), worked in Staithes as a grocer's apprentice where he first gained his passion for the sea. He later moved to nearby Whitby where he joined the Royal Navy. William Sanderson's shop, where Cook worked, was destroyed by the sea, but parts were recovered and incorporated into "Captain Cook's Cottage". This has been the residency of a local Staithes family for several generations.

Today, Staithes is a very attractive tourist destination.

Chinese New Year - the year of the rabbit

The Chinese New Year began on 3 February 2011. This marked the start of the current Year of the Rabbit, 4709 on the Chinese Calendar. The date of the next Chinese New Year will be 23 January 2012 when it will be the Year of the Dragon. Chinese New Year is also known as the Spring Festival. 

The Chinese calendar is different from that used in the UK. It is made up of a cycle of twelve years, each of them being named after an animal. This is very like our signs of the zodiac. Some people believe that people born in a particular year such as the year of the Dog will have some of the characteristics of that animal. 

The year of the Rabbit - Affectionate, gentle with strong family ties. Caring and hates conflict. Peace-makers with lots of friends. Dislike being the centre of attention and enjoy the good things of life.

Fog

Plymouth

Plymouth Hoe, referred to locally as the Hoe, is a large south facing open public space in the city of Plymouth. The Hoe is adjacent to and above the low limestone cliffs that form the seafront and it commands magnificent views of Plymouth Sound, Drake's Island, and across the Hamoaze to Mount Edgcumbe in Cornwall.
Smeaton's Tower is the third and most notable Eddystone Lighthouse. It marked a major step forward in the design of lighthouses. In use until 1877, it was largely dismantled and rebuilt on Plymouth Hoe in the city of Plymouth, where it now stands as a memorial to its designer, John Smeaton, the celebrated civil engineer.

The early port settlement of Plymouth, called "Sutton", approximates to the area now referred to as the Barbican and has 100 listed buildings and the largest concentration of cobbled streets in Britain. The Pilgrim Fathers left for the New World in 1620 near the commemorative Mayflower Steps in Sutton Pool. Also on Sutton Pool is the National Marine Aquarium which displays 400 marine species and includes Britain's deepest aquarium tank.

Robert Lenkiewicz (1941– 2002) was one of the South West England's most celebrated artists of modern times. Perennially unfashionable in high art circles, his work was nevertheless popular with the public. He painted on a large scale, usually in themed Projects investigating hidden communities or difficult social issues.

On The House That Jack Built is a mural known as "The Last Judgement" a collaboration piece painted by Robert Lenkiewicz and incorporated a stained glass window created by Adele Nash, containing over 4,000 pieces of glass.

70th Anniversary of the Sheffield Blitz

The Moor turned back the clock 70 years to mark the anniversary of the Sheffield Blitz. With people in period costume, air raid sirens and a tea dance. There was also displays of World War II memorabilia such as gas masks and ID cards.

British Heart Foundation Santa Jog

Clifton Suspension Bridge

The Clifton Suspension Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Avon Gorge, and linking Clifton in Bristol to Leigh Woods in North Somerset. Designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, it is a landmark that is used as a symbol of Bristol. It is a grade I listed building.

For more information see Clifton Suspension Bridge

Bristol

SS Great Britain was an advanced passenger steamship designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel for the Great Western Steamship Company's transatlantic service between Bristol and New York. While other ships had previously been built of iron or equipped with a screw propeller, Great Britain was the first to combine these features in a large ocean-going ship. She was the first screw steamer to cross the Atlantic, which she did in 1845.
For more information see SS Great Britain

Samuel Plimsoll was a British politician and social reformer, now best remembered for having devised the Plimsoll line (a line on a ship's hull indicating the maximum safe draft, and therefore the minimum freeboard (nautical) for the vessel in various operating conditions).

M Shed
For more information see M Shed

Watershed Media Centre and Arnolfini Gallery
For more information see Arnolfini Gallery

The Vintage Mobile Cinema company brings you a unique slice of cinema and automotive history, combined together to give the audience an exciting film viewing experience unavailable anywhere else. The 22 seat movie theatre is in the sound treated, fully upholstered and climate controlled rear of the vehicle, with carefully tiered seating to ensure everyone gets maximum viewing pleasure. All films are shown on the high definition (HD) digital projection unit, complete with Dolby 7:1 surround sound for the full cinema experience.
For more information see Vintage Mobile Cinema

Spooktackular Fireworks - Rother Valley Country Park

originally uploaded by mikesm.