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 Smith Tower Seattle, Fourth tallest building in the world in 1914 (44 stories) Great decorative work throughout. Indigenous American inspired decoration in the lobby and Chinese inspired decoration in the top floor restaurant. All beautifully conserved and lit with fine views from the top floor along 6th Street to the Space Needle. The original Otis lifts are, however, the best part of the conservation work. In polished brass with ornate detail they are beautiful objects lovingly restored.
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 The Space Needle, Seattle (View from 6th Avenue and Stewart Street).
This was constructed for the 1962 World Fair and despite the ever increasing height of downtown, remains a dominant landmark in the city. Two lifts give access to the viewing floors at its upper level and these have been carefully conserved to retain their 1960'S styling. The lower viewing floor rotates and has recently had a glass floor installed. This is quite an experience and fully in keeping with the futuristic design. At the base of the tower a shop captures those exiting but it is of high quality and well laid out.  Downtown Seattle. Most buildings have been constructed in the last 10 years. In this view south west from Boren Avenue only the curved Marriot Hotel to the far right and the concrete clad tower to the far left appear to be older. Seattle has seen an increase in population of around 40% in the last 30 years and this is reflected in an increasing density of its downtown.  I was recently in Seattle. This is a view from the Pike Place Market across Puget Sound towards the Olympic Mountains which shelter the port from the Pacific Ocean beyond. The market is a very interesting place. Built in 1907 as a general market it was subject to a city sponsored demolition proposal in 1963 to be replaced by garages and apartments. This led to major protests and, as a result, the area was formally protected in 1971. Unlike most other protected structures the function of this building as well as the building is protected. This means that even though it is now the city's top tourist attraction rents are reasonable and it thrives as a farmer and craft market. It is all managed by the Pike Place Market Preservation & Development Authority, a group established under State law. This is overseen by a 12-member volunteer council. Careful conservation works since the 1970's have maintained the place's character. Most noticeable are the tiles along the main market floor inscribed with the names of donors for work carried out in the late 1980's. A nice place for some lunch and to admire the beautiful setting of this booming city.
My cousin Andrew recently asked me to do a drawing of his house. I did a bit of research as well, his family is the fourth generation of Deery's to have lived here over the last 105 years. That is quite some time. Long may you continue to live there Andy! Here is the detail: 'Built between 1889 and 1896 as part of a wider development to cater for craftsmen employed at Bigger’s Shipyard on the Strand Road (where Sainsbury’s is located today), Argyle Terrace has a Scottish name because many of the original ship workers were from Scotland. The yard operated from 1887 to 1892 and then from 1889 to 1904 and from 1912 to 1922. The 1901 Census reflects this history with John Harold (63), a Master Mariner, living in the house with his wife, two daughters (Seamstresses- probably shirt factory workers) and a boarder William Boggs (shipwright). In 1911 the occupants were no longer associated with ships. Patrick Deery (35), a tailor, was head of a house occupied by his wife Susan (30) and six children under the age of 7. He had been married for 7 years (1904) a date that coincides with the closure of the shipyard and may indicate that the Deery’s took up the tenancy at that time. If true, this was to be the start of a long and continuing association of family and house which has now passed 105 years. Patrick went on to have 13 children and is understood to have bought the leasehold in the 1920s. By the late 1950s he was in ill health and nursed by his second son Manassas (Nassi) (a joiner) and wife Rose (Rosie) (seamstress- definitely in the shirt factories). They inherited the house around 1960 and moved in with their three children. In 1994 a third generation of Deery's moved into the house: Nassi’s son John (a joiner) with his wife May (community worker) and son Andrew. He carried out a significant renovation before moving in. Andrew (a baker) inherited the house following the death of his mother in 2013 and currently lives there with his wife Shauna (retail assistant) and children Shannon and John. They are the fourth generation of Deery’s to live in the house.'  Happy St Patrick’s Day. The Tripartite Life of the saint (7th century) says that he crossed the Foyle and stayed for seven weeks in the neighbourhood of the Faughan Valley and that during this time he laid the foundation of seven churches. If true these would all have been timber churches but would have been replaced in stone from around the tenth century. Linking the names given in the saint’s life to modern places is difficult but some have suggested the following surviving sites as potential candidates: Faughanvale (first sketch above); Enagh Lough (second sketch); Clondermott (third sketch); Straidarran; and Banagher (final sketch).     634.www.Marksoftime.com
Balteagh Parish Drumsurn Road Limavady was constructed in 1815 and is a typical Church of Ireland ‘tower and hall’ church. Classical influences are apparent in the pitch of its roof and the return of the cornice line to form a pediment but the windows are Gothic and the tower battlemented with spikes. Opposite is the ruin of its predecessor -the medieval church which is thought to have been early. It is mentioned in a valuation of 1306 and was reported in the Ordnance Survey Memoirs of 1833 to have been standing and in use until 1777 when it was damaged by storms. In the 1830′s a tudor like window with three mullions was recorded on the end gable. Today church and graveyard make an atmospheric group and stand sentinel to the long history of Christianity in this area.  Back along the Windyhill Road towards Limavady and off to one side is Largantea Wedge Tomb. This is thought to be around 4,000 years old. The south facing ‘Wedge Tomb’ has been disturbed by excavation but has a large stone cap over one end. When archeologically excavated in 1936 it was found to contain the cremated remains of several adults and two infants. A bone dagger pommel and bronze blade were also recovered. The excavation was important for the time because it was the first discovery of ‘beaker’ pottery in an Irish megalith, This helped to establish that such tombs dated from or were at least used in the bronze age. When built the tomb would have been covered by a cairn of stones. Today, it is an overgrown group of large stones in a bog, but these are stones which are full of history and that speak of the long human occupation of this place.
 On the far side of Binevenagh guarding the Windyhill Road as it descends from the Roe Valley into the flat plain surrounding Coleraine, the Giant’s Sconce or Dun Ceithirn was another important Iron Age Fort. From here there are extensive views across the Antrim Plateau almost all the way to Belfast. The only hill is Slemish Mountan near Ballymena far in the distance. It feels like the edge of the world. The name the fort is supposed to relate to grianan-of-aileach.htmlthe son of a Uliad king and the site was the location of a battle, predicted by St Columba, between the Uliad - the men of Ulster - and the Ciannachta who were based in the Roe Valley in 681AD. Like the more famous Grianan in Co Donegal, this fort is reported to have had very thick walls with a passage down the centre. The walls are now tumbled but the curve of the fortification can still be understood. It is a very atmospheric place, well worth the visit.  Above St Aidan’s and just below Binevenagh is this fascinating hillfort. Craigbolie Castle, also known as Dun Crutheni, is a D shaped fort commanding expansive views over Magilligan. The boundary wall is made of stone though time has covered it in vegetation. Near the centre is a circular raised area thought likely to indicate the site of a former structure. The Cruthin were the dominant power in this area at the start of recorded history (the 5th century), and have been linked by some to the Picts in Scotland (though this link has been dismissed by others). An asteroid was named after them in 1986 - ‘3753 Cruithne’. The form of the fort has been noted to resemble fortifications on the west coast of Scotland so there may have been some link across the water. Today it is a powerful reminder of a time long past.
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Marks of Time
Sketches of buildings in the North West and further afield with a little information about their history. Categories
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May 2019
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