And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
I find it amazing that they built this without using calculus, modern engineering principles and computers. Just by hand, knowledge and experience....Just beautiful.
As a civil/sanitary engineer, I agree. The main function of modern structural engineering is to minimize the amount of materials required for a stable structure. The esthetics is not a consideration, hence our brutally ugly built environment.
The x-brace shown in the picture is an addition to the church after it was built. The building was sinking into the ground on one side, due to a very high water table, and the brace was the remedy. The cathedral is huge and beautiful.
Been thru many English churches and cathedrals, I think the best is in the old town of Sarum, for centuries the tallest man made stone structure, incredible museum flows under ground and up into series of surface buildings, just a crazy mixed up myriad of wonderful exhibits, my fave is the very old grave if a warrior and his weapons, plus there is the Wedgwood museum, and the Lace Factory Museum, weeks of interesting wonderful exhibits to see. The town is near one of the oldest continuously inhabited places on earth, there are older spots, but Sarum is the largest. Beautiful area, all sorts of Stonehedge like stone circles and tiny stone churches saturate the geography. Spent one two week period, and still could not see everything.
I find it amazing that they built this without using calculus, modern engineering principles and computers. Just by hand, knowledge and experience....Just beautiful.
ReplyDeleteIf that's the case, then you mean those you mention are not necessary to build something so exquisite and durable.
DeleteAs a civil/sanitary engineer, I agree. The main function of modern structural engineering is to minimize the amount of materials required for a stable structure. The esthetics is not a consideration, hence our brutally ugly built environment.
DeleteAnon at 7;44. wow an honest man.
DeleteMy highly trained eye tells me it's off by an eighth of an inch.
DeleteThe x-brace shown in the picture is an addition to the church after it was built. The building was sinking into the ground on one side, due to a very high water table, and the brace was the remedy. The cathedral is huge and beautiful.
ReplyDeleteBeen thru many English churches and cathedrals, I think the best is in the old town of Sarum, for centuries the tallest man made stone structure, incredible museum flows under ground and up into series of surface buildings, just a crazy mixed up myriad of wonderful exhibits, my fave is the very old grave if a warrior and his weapons, plus there is the Wedgwood museum, and the Lace Factory Museum, weeks of interesting wonderful exhibits to see. The town is near one of the oldest continuously inhabited places on earth, there are older spots, but Sarum is the largest. Beautiful area, all sorts of Stonehedge like stone circles and tiny stone churches saturate the geography. Spent one two week period, and still could not see everything.
ReplyDeleteThis makes me think of "The Pillars of the Earth"--one of my favorite books.
ReplyDelete