Today's featured article
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Norton Priory is an historic site in
Norton,
Runcorn,
Cheshire,
North West England, comprising the remains of an
abbey complex dating from the 12th to 16th centuries, and an 18th-century country house. The remains are a
scheduled ancient monument and have been designated by
English Heritage as a Grade I
listed building. They are considered to be the most important monastic remains in Cheshire. In 1966 the site was given in trust for the use of the general public. Excavation of the site began in 1971, and became the largest to be carried out by modern methods on any European monastic site. It revealed the foundations and lower parts of the walls of the monastery buildings and the abbey church. Important finds included: a
Norman doorway; a finely carved
arcade; a floor of
mosaic tiles, the largest floor area of this type to be found in any modern excavation; the remains of the
kiln where the tiles were fired; a bell pit used for casting the bell; and a large medieval
statue of Saint Christopher. The site, including a
museum, the excavated ruins, and the surrounding garden and woodland, was opened to the public in the 1970s. In 1984, a redesigned
walled garden was also opened. Norton Priory is now a visitor attraction, and the museum trust organises a programme of events, exhibitions, educational courses, and outreach projects. (
more...)
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Did you know...
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On this day...
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1485 –
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Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, defeated
Yorkist forces under
Richard III of England at the
Battle of Bosworth Field (pictured), decisively ending the
Wars of the Roses.
1639 – The
British East India Company bought a small strip of land on what is today
Chennai, the capital city of the
Indian state of
Tamil Nadu, from the King of the
Vijayanagara Empire,
Peda Venkata Raya.
1791 – A slave rebellion erupted in the
French colony of
Saint-Domingue, starting the
Haitian Revolution.
1864 – The
Red Cross movement led by
Henry Dunant officially began when twelve
European nations signed the
First Geneva Convention, establishing the
International Committee of the Red Cross.
1910 –
Korea was annexed by
Japan with the signing of the
Japan–Korea Annexation Treaty, beginning
a period of Japanese rule of Korea that lasted until the end of
World War II.
More anniversaries:
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