#steventon street

[peanutparade]

Happy Valentines Day! For the next week, the Steventon Street DLC is on sale for only $3.75 USD.

Get it here: https://peanutparade.itch.io/steventon-street-dlc

[ebby-bebby]

You may now kiss the bride... ✨💐

Play Steventon Street by @peanutparade

[surrealistnyc]

A Spark in Search of a Powderkeg

Rebellion is its own justification, completely independent of the chance it has to modify the state of affairs that gives rise to it. It’s a spark in the wind, but a spark in search of a powder keg.

André Breton

If only one thing has brought me joy in the last few weeks, it began when the matriarchs at Unist’ot’en burned the Canadian flag and declared reconciliation is dead. Like wildfire, it swept through the hearts of youth across the territories. Reconciliation was a distraction, a way for them to dangle a carrot in front of us and trick us into behaving. Do we not have a right to the land stolen from our ancestors? It’s time to shut everything the fuck down!

Tawinikay (aka Southern Wind Woman)

The toxic cargo carried in Canadian pipelines, whether it be tar sands oil or fracked liquid natural gas (LNG), is, according to all serious climate scientists, a major, perhaps even decisive contribution to global warming, i.e. ecological catastrophe.   Meant to fuel industrial expansion, the pipelines have themselves become fuel for revolt. Designed to move these dirty fossil fuels from one location to another, they are a crucial element in normalizing the dubious paradise of unlimited growth in awe of which all obedient consumer/citizens are supposed to genuflect. In what the colonial mapmakers have called British Columbia (BC), resource extraction has always been the name of the game. However, the emergence in February of this year of a widespread oppositional network ranging from “land back” Indigenous warriors to elder traditionalists and from Extinction Rebellion activists to anarchist insurrectionaries was heartening. Railways, highways and ferries were blockaded, provincial legislatures, government administrative offices, banks and corporate headquarters were occupied. The catalyst for this rebellion was a widespread Indigenous uprising that refused the illusory promises of reconciliation. Together, these rebel forces disrupted business as usual in solidarity with the Unist’ot’en Big Frog clan of the Wet’suwet’en tribal house.

       ​As objective chance would have it, the primary Indigenous land defense camp is situated not far from the same Hazelton, B.C. area to which surrealist Kurt Seligmann and his wife Arlette had journeyed in 1938. During that time, they visited Gitxsan and Wet’suwet’en villages, marveled at the imaginative power of the totem poles and ceremonial objects, made field notes, shot 16mm film, collected stories and recorded mythic histories. Now, in 2020, growing numbers of these same Indigenous peoples have been threatening to bring the Canadian economy to a grinding halt. Unwilling to be bought off by corporate petrodollars or mollified by a legal system that has never done anything but pacify, brutalize, or betray them in the process of stealing their land, Indigenous peoples passionately fought back against the forces of colonial law and order in a radical whirlwind of willful disobedience and social disruption. One action built upon another in creating a rolling momentum that seemed unstoppable. When one railroad blockade would be busted by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), another would spring up in its place elsewhere extending the frontlines of the battle all across the continent. Then the debilitating Covid-19 virus arrived to compound the damage that had previously been done to the capitalist economy by the incendiary virus of revolt. The resistance of these Indigenous communities against the pipelines concerns all of us, worldwide, since they are on the front lines of the struggle to prevent cataclysmic climate change.

       ​In the future, a key question will be whether Canadian authorities can successfully put the genie of Indigenous rebellion back in the colonial bottle of “reconciliation”. As surrealists, we hope they will not, and we stand in solidarity with the unreconciled insurgent spirit of defiant Indigenous resistance. A new reality is to be invented and lived instead of the one that today as yesterday imposes its environmental miserabilism and its colonialist and racist hierarchies.  As surrealists, we honor our historical affinity with the Kwakwaka’wakw Peace Dance headdress that for so long had occupied a place of reverence in André Breton’s study during his lifetime before being ceremoniously returned in 2003 to Alert Bay on Cormorant Island by his daughter, Aube Elléouet, in keeping with her father’s wishes. With this former correspondence in mind, we presently assert that our ongoing desire to manifest the emancipation of the human community as distinctively undertaken in the surrealist domain of intervention is in perfect harmony with the fight of the Indigenous communities of the Americas against globalized Western Civilisation and its ecocidal folly.

                                                                                                               Surrealists in the United States: Gale Ahrens, Will Alexander, Andy Alper, Byron Baker, J.K. Bogartte, Eric Bragg, Thom Burns, Max Cafard, Casi Cline, Steven Cline, Jennifer Cohen, Laura Corsiglia, David Coulter, Jean-Jacques Dauben, Rikki Ducornet, Terri Engels, Barrett John Erickson, Alice Farley, Natalia Fernandez, Brandon Freels, Beth Garon, Paul Garon, Robert Green, Maurice Greenia, Brigitte Nicole Grice, Janice Hathaway, Dale Houstman, Karl Howeth, Joseph Jablonski, Timothy Robert Johnson, Robin D.G. Kelly, Paul McRandle, Irene Plazewska, Theresa Plese, Michael Stone-Richards, David Roediger, Penelope Rosemont, LaDonna Smith, Tamara Smith, Steve Smith, Abigail Susik, Sasha Vlad, Richard Waara, Joel Williams, Craig S. Wilson

Surrealists in the UK: Jay Blackwood, Paul Cowdell, Jill Fenton, Rachel Fijalkowski, Krzysztof Fijalkowski, Merl Fluin, Kathy Fox, Lorna Kirin, Rob Marsden, Douglas Park, Michel Remy, Wedgwood Steventon, Frank Wright, the Leeds Surrealist Group (Gareth Brown, Stephen J. Clark, Kenneth Cox, Luke Dominey, Amalia Higham, Bill Howe, Sarah Metcalf, Peter Overton, Jonathan Tarry, Martin Trippett), the London Surrealist Group (Stuart Inman, Philip Kane, Timothy B. Layden, Jane Sparkes, Darren Thomas) and the surrealists of Wales (Jean Bonnin, Neil Combs, David Greenslade, Jeremy Over, John Richardson, John Welson)

Surrealists in Paris: Ody Saban and The Surrealist Group of Paris (Elise Aru, Michèle Bachelet, Anny Bonnin, Massimo Borghese, Claude-Lucien Cauët, Taisiia Cherkasova, Sylwia Chrostowska, Hervé Delabarre, Alfredo Fernandes, Joël Gayraud, Régis Gayraud, Guy Girard, Michael Löwy, Pierre-André Sauvageot, Bertrand Schmitt, Sylvain Tanquerel, Virginia Tentindo, Michel Zimbacca)

Surrealists in Canada: Montréal (Jacques Desbiens, Peter Dube, Sabatini Lasiesta, Bernar Sancha), Toronto (Beatriz Hausner, Sherri Higgins), Québec City (David Nadeau), Victoria (Erik Volet), the Ottawa Surrealist Group (Jason Abdelhadi, Lake, Patrick Provonost) and the Inner Island Surrealist Group (as.matta, Jesse Gentes, Sheila Nopper, Ron Sakolsky)

The Surrealist Group of Madrid: Eugenio Castro, Andrés Devesa, Jesús Garcia Rodriguez, Vicente Gutiérrez Escudero, Lurdes Martinez, Noé Ortega, Antonio Ramirez, Jose Manuel Rojo, María Santana, Angel Zapata

Surrealists in Sweden: Johannes Bergmark, Erik Bohman, Kalle Eklund, Mattias Forshage, Riyota Kasamatsu, Michael Lundberg, Emma Lundenmark, Maja Lundgren, Kristoffer Noheden, Sebastian Osorio

Surrealists in Holland: Jan Bervoets, Elizé Bleys, Josse De Haan, Rik Lina, Hans Plomp, Pieter Schermer, Wijnand Steemers, Laurens Vancrevel, Her de Vries, Bastiaan Van der Velden

Surrealists in Brazil: Alex Januario, Mário Aldo Barnabé, Diego Cardoso, Elvio Fernandes, Beau Gomez, Rodrigo Qohen, Sergio Lima, Natan Schäfer, Renato Souza

Surrealists in Chile: Jaime Alfaro, Magdalena Benavente, Jorge Herrera F., Miguel Ángel Huerta, Ximena Olguín, Enrique de Santiago, Andrés Soto, Claudia Vila

 The Middle East and North Africa Surrealist Group: Algeria (Onfwan Foud), Egypt (Yasser Abdelkawy, Mohsen El-Belasy, Ghadah Kamal), Iraq (Miechel Al Raie), Syria (Tahani Jalloul), and Palestine (Fakhry Ratrout)

Surrealists in Prague: Frantisek Dryje, Joe Grim Feinberg, Katerina Pinosova, Martin Stejskal, Jan Svankmajer

The Athens Surrealist Group (Elias Melios, Sotiris Liontos, Nikos Stabakis, Theoni Tambaki, Thomas Typaldos, Marianna Xanthopoulou)

Surrealists in Costa Rica: Gaetano Andreoni, Amirah Gazel, Miguel Lohlé, Denis Magarman, Alfonso Peña

Surrealists in Buenos Aires: Silvia Guiard, Luís Conde, Alejandro Michel

Surrealists in Australia: Anthony Redmond, Michael Vandelaar, Tim White

Surrealists in Portugal: Miguel de Carvalho, Luiz Morgadinho

Surrealists in Bucharest (Dan Stanciu), Mexico (Susana Wald), and the Canary Islands (Jose Miguel Perez Corales)

 Postscript: During the process of gathering signatures for the above declaration, we were inspired to see its uncompromising stance against white supremacy and police repression reflected in the brightly sparkling flames of the Minneapolis uprising that lit a powder keg of pent-up rage and incited an earth-shaking eruption of spontaneous rebellion in the streets of America. It was only fitting that in solidarity with the uprising about police brutality kicked off by George Floyd’s execution/lynching at the hands of the police, anti-racism protestors in the United States would take direct action by beheading or bringing down statues of Christopher Columbus, genocidal symbol of the colonial expropriation of Native American lands. (Guy Girard, Michael Löwy, Penelope Rosemont, and Ron Sakolsky, June 18, 2020).

[salexanderbriggs]

Frances Street Wives

York, 27th July 1900

Turning on the cold tap, Isabella held a glass under the running water, the tap emitting a high-pitched screech as she twisted it closed again. Taking a sip, she swilled it around her mouth and spat into the sink, moments earlier having suddenly felt the need to be sick.

“Mama, what’s wrong?” Said the little girl who had appeared at the kitchen door, having heard her mother’s retching.

“I’m fine, Ethel, go join your sister outside,” said her mother with a false tone of positivity, hardly opening her mouth in case the sickness wasn’t over.

“Okay, Mama,” the young girl said carefree and skipped to the back door to find Hilda, playing in the backyard.

Isabella breathed deeply and picking up the tea towel she had dropped in the hurry to the sink, wiped away the beads of sweat that had formed on her forehead. The noise of her daughter’s laughter drifting through the open window as she readjusted her tied up, thick brown hair. Then, with a lurch in her stomach, she instinctively bent double and grasped the waistband of her skirt, readjusting it to give herself some relief.

She had had terrible morning sickness with all five of her pregnancies, and already at the age of twenty-eight had developed such acute mother’s instinct, that she knew a new child had begun to grow inside. Many women may rejoice at having such confidence, but though she loved her daughters unconditionally, pregnancy had always been a burden for Isabella. Her marriage to Walter, though happy, had taken place during her fourth month of carrying Florence. She was fertile, just like her mother before her. The prospect of a sixth pregnancy and another mouth to feed was ridden with anxiety for her already struggling young family, for it had only been the same amount of time since they had lost not their first but second child.

The Dearlove family May 1904 in the garden of their second home in Dale Street, York. Pictured here from left to right; Ethel, Isabella holding Violet, Florence (behind), Ivy (front), Walter Snr, Hilda. There would still be two more children to come.

She slumped down into a wooden chair at the kitchen table and glanced at the wall clock, two hours until Walt would be home. She took another sip of water. The worst of it was over and she gently stroked her stomach, sitting back and closing her water-filled eyes.

Jennie had been born premature. That had been her most difficult birth and the thoughts of the pain made her grimace. When she had first held her new baby, she had known even then that the tiny girl was fighting to live. It took just four days for the fight to become too brutal, and her daughter was gone.

It had been seven years ago that after just seven months of her birth, Elsie May had died. Isabella and Walter, though married and already with their first daughter Florence, had not even been able to afford to live together, and Isabella had still been needed to help care for her younger siblings, only three years separating her first child with her youngest sister, the newlyweds had remained living with their respective parents.

The christening photograph of Elsie May Dearlove, 1893. This was to be the first and only photograph and clearly treasured by my family to still be in such a wonderful state.

Living conditions had worsened when Elsie had been born with epilepsy. Isabella vividly remembered, with regret, the cold February evening that her baby had started shaking and seeing the whites of her eyes as they had rolled back in her delicate head. The eighteen-year-old had screamed for her mother’s help, but Elsie had already taken her last breath by the time her stiff matriarchal grandmother had made it up the stairs. Money had even been so tight that they hadn’t even been able to afford a proper burial for either of her tiny angels and retrieving a handkerchief she allowed herself to cry silently, conscious not to allow her surviving daughters to hear her. Full of sorrow for the daughters she never knew, their own cries of merriment absent from the sounds outside. But she could be comforted to know that hope was blooming inside her. And though she did not know it then, she would later call that hope, Ivy.

But this had been a rare relapse now since moving to Frances Street, upon the news of becoming pregnant with Hilda. Frances Street had been the welcome change she needed, that Walt had needed too. Like all the terraced roads in this area the houses were robustly packed in methodical straight lines, an orderly army of buildings for the ever-growing working class of the city of York.

Isabella knew Frances Street was for her, as she had particularly enjoyed that at night you could hear the River Ouse gushing onwards to the North Sea, it being merely metres from their front door. That allowed her to have dreams of fresh sea air, lazy tides, and ice cream all a world away from the industrial cacophony that now thrived throughout the city.

To be a woman on Frances Street made her a better mother, and though she did not see it, a stronger woman. As a still recent build, in Frances Street, Isabella had found herself amongst friends, as all the homes were filled with young families all starting out on the journey of parenthood. Husbands worked, wives stayed home, and families were expected to be big. Having helped raise five siblings and given birth twice already, with a third on the way she was somewhat of an authority on childbirth and cared for those struggling mothers around her. When Isabella and Walter had returned home without their precious Jennie, the Frances Street wives had already assembled and kept the Dearlove family eating for a month. It was Hettie from number forty-one who had cared for her daughters when she couldn’t, Sarah from seventy three who dried her tears over a cup of tea and Jane from forty-four who sat by her bedside during the days when she couldn’t bring herself to leave it, and sang Celtic lullabies to ease her mind.

Like most other Frances Street wives, Isabella’s husband worked for the North East Railway, while the other Frances Street husbands were military. She had met the bold young Scottish wife, Annie, of next door within thirty seconds of arriving to their new home. With a loud blustery welcome, Annie had quickly turned to her own daughter and yelled.

‘Well, Hell mend ya Brenda Steventon, what’ya done now, yer black as the Earl of Hell’s waistcoat. Git inside and clean yer sen up!’ And instantly a bond was made.

Often Annie would tell Isabella of the lush green highlands of her native Scotland. But the stories Isabella craved to hear most were from Annie’s lodger Jane. Jane was not a Yorkshire native either, hailing instead from Cork in Ireland. Isabella listened intently to these stories, for her great grandfather had been Irish and she had longed to visit it’s wild countryside and Jane would fill out those dreams with landscapes of the Giant’s Causeway, fiddle music of folk songs and fantastical visions of leprechauns, banshees and fairies.

And on this day, as Isabella composed herself, she thought she had heard a legendary banshee wail from the yard next door. It had taken her a moment to realise that the wail had been her name.

‘BELLA!’ Came the Irish voiced cry. ‘Hilda, chuckaboo, where’s your Mam?’ Jane called frantically at the playing girls.

‘’Ere Jane, I’m ‘ere,’ she called out, rushing into the yard from the kitchen. ‘Whatever’s got you worked up?’

‘Rosa! It’s wee Rosa, I don’t know, quick Bella you have to come!’ She screeched loud enough for the street to have heard. Her dark panic-stricken eyes quivering, her already alabaster skin almost now transparent in fear.

‘I’m comin’,’ Isabella said without hesitation and rushed back through the house.

‘Ma? is Mrs. Bynoe alright?’ Florence asked from the foot of the stairs as her mother burst into the hall.

‘Something about little Rosa. Florrie, get your sisters in from outside and upstairs and come back and wait here, I might need you.’

‘Yes Ma,’ and Florence scuttled to fetch in her sisters.

The knocker clattered from the force of Isabella coming through the front door and she didn’t stop to close it. Turning immediately left and without looking stormed into the house next door. Before she had made it passed the threshold though, she collided with another of the Frances Street wives leaving.

‘Hettie! I’m sorry!’ said Isabella taken aback.

‘Oh Bella,’ sobbed Hettie ‘I ... I had no idea... Inside... Bella it’s... Poor Rosa...’

‘Hettie, get with it, what’s happened?’

‘Outside, and let me close the door,’ Hettie said, trying to calm herself. ‘Annie says Dr. Flood came last night and said it’s Scarlet Fever, but that ain’t no fever I’ve ever seen. Whole girl’s covered in blisters Bella, and the house. Don’t look like she’s cleaned it in months, can’t find any fresh clothes for the babes. I mean, I know they’ve looked grubby recently, but it’s kids ain’t it, my two attract mud like the pub does our Eddie’s wages. They’re knee deep in muck in there, Bella. Did you know they were struggling this badly?’

‘No, I mean, I know the lad’s service leave had been delayed but that’s all. Where are you going then?’

‘To see if Lottie’s lad is in, I’ll send him to fetch Dr. Flood. Why she didn’t take Rosa to the Fever Hospital last night I’ll never know!’

‘Go, I’ll take over inside,’ said Isabella. And with a nod of agreeance Hettie marched purposefully on.

***While this story is based on real people and true events, character and narrative are purely fictional.***

[william-t-sickofyourshit]

William absolutely loved all those photos that they took. Once Sebastian showed them to him on the camera display screen, William couldn't stop smiling. They looked so cute together, and the street sign was giving those pictures such funny twist. They both also looked really good and happy here, so William already decided that at least one of those photos must go into their album.

So once the photos were done, and William was satisfied with commemorating this hilarious street name, they headed to the Jane Austen museum next. The building looked already so classy and vintage from the outside, but the moment they walked inside - William gasped. It was beautiful in here! Shiny wooden floors, big glass chandeliers, historical paintings on the walls. The interior was gorgeous. A lady in Regency clothing was sitting behind a classy wooden desk near the door, and they could purchase tickets from her. William loved it already, everything here was so pretty!

The lady who sold tickets explained to them that the exhibition at the museum is interactive, so unless something is in a glass case, they can touch things, or sit on the furniture. And, at the end of the tour, she invited them to visit the Regency Tea Room, where they can have tea and try traditional desserts from the Regency period. William of course perked up at that. He so wanted to try those desserts.

Well then, once they got their tickets, they could start their tour now. They entered the first room, where they could learn a little about Jane Austen's family, her youth and education, and how she first started writing already as a teenager. The room was filled with manuscripts of her early poems, drawings depicting landscapes of Steventon in Hampshire county where Jane Austen grew up, and of course examples of period clothing that a young girl would wear back then. William was fascinated with all of this, admiring with wide eyes.

For I have sinned...

The principal cleared his throat, eyes scanning the notes that he had wrote down before this meeting. It already lasted an hour, and the teachers gathered in the faculty room were becoming restless and bored. But indeed there were some things to discuss, with the concert that the senior class was supposed to perform at the end of the semester, and with recent staff changes. 

William glanced down at his watch, sighing softly. His class was starting in 15 minutes, so at least, whether the meeting will be done soon or not, he will get to excuse himself. He looked out of the window, his mind wandering. Principal’s voice turned into white noise in the background. It was a pleasant day, late summer. But William was looking forward to a slightly cooler weather. Wearing all black could really be bothersome at times. 

“And lastly, I am pleased to announce that we have finally found replacement for the violin teacher. Dear Mr Tanaka, may he rest in peace, was with us for so many years that I’ve been concerned we won’t be able to find someone as good as to fill this position.” the principal spoke. “But Mr… Michaelis, was highly recommended to me, and he indeed has impressive references. He will be starting this week, so please welcome him warmly once he will arrive. Ah yes… about that. He will arrive today at noon, I need someone to pick him up from the train station and bring over for the tour around the school. Any volunteers?” 

William was barely listening, and definitely not paying much attention. He glanced at his watch again, and saw that it was time to leave, as his class was about to start. He raised his hand to excuse himself, and little did he know, he just volunteered.

“Father William! Excellent!” the principal exclaimed. “Just don’t be late, the train arrives at noon.”

“Train…?” William questioned, raising his brow. He had a feeling he was missing something…

***

Right after the meeting, William had to run for the class, so he had little time to clarify what exactly he had volunteered for. He was a piano teacher in this Music Academy, but also he served as a priest in local church. Well respected, and rather liked. So when he later found out it was about the new violin teacher, he didn’t refuse. Who, other than himself, would be a better choice to introduce a newcome to their community?

So even though he raised his hand by accident, he accepted this fate.

After classes, at noon, William took a taxi and drove to the train station, to pick up their new teacher. Wearing black trousers, and a black shirt with a thin tie, was absolutely dreadful in this weather, so William quickly found shelter under the roof of the station platform, that provided some shade.

The train had just arrived. William had no idea how Mr Michaelis looked like, but he figured he will just look for someone carrying a violin case with them. 

He was in for a bit surprise.

@crazyvik97

[fassicranes]

A Fassi F545RA.2.26 crane takes down a Banksy

A heavy-duty FASSI F545RA.2.26 hydraulic crane was commissioned to take down a work by Banksy from the side of a house in Bristol, UK

Bristol (UK) - The Bristol-based company Mass Group Ltd recently had the high-pressure job of removing a Banksy mural titled "Aachoo!!" from the side of a semi-detached house in the City. The artwork depicts a woman sneezing so hard that she loses her false teeth. Mass Group’s FASSI 545RA.2.26 with L324 jib was used to lift the work from the wall in mid-March after the house was sold. Coincidentally, the Italian art restorer Federico Borgogni was also on-hand to help. While Federico may be an expert in removing frescos, the FASSI crane was the perfect choice for this type of work as its versatility combined with power allows for greater manoeuvrability when lifting and transporting large items. Although the company are well accustomed to a wide-range of lifts, there were particular challenges associated with this one as Managing Director Mark Steventon-Smith explains: ‘It was a tough job, not least because the house is on one of the steepest roads in the UK. But we had every faith in the crane and that combined with the skill of the driver ensured a successful lift. The hard bit was being watched by the public, filmed by local and national press and live streamed on YouTube. Obviously, the piece was insured, but I was happy to see it finally on the ground!’ The work will be transported to an undisclosed location, as secretive as the artist themself. (Courtesy of Fassi UK)

Una gru articolata Fassi F545RA.2.26 L324 di Mass Group Ltd rimuove un’opera dell’esponente internazionale di street art Banksy da una parete a Bristol

Bristol (Regno Unito) – L’azienda Mass Group Ltd, con sede a Bristol, è stata recentemente impegnata in un’operazione particolarmente complessa: la rimozione di un murale di Banksy dalla parete laterale di un’abitazione bifamiliare in città. L’opera, intitolata "Aachoo!!", raffigura una donna mentre starnutisce con una forza tale da perdere la dentiera. La gru Fassi F545RA.2.26 con jib L324 di Mass Group è stata utilizzata intorno alla metà di marzo per sollevare il murale a seguito della vendita dell’immobile. Anche il restauratore d’arte italiano Federico Borgogni si è offerto di dare il suo contributo, mettendo a disposizione la sua esperienza nella rimozione di affreschi. Proprio come lui, la gru Fassi si è rivelata perfetta per questo tipo di lavoro, in quanto rappresenta un connubio di versatilità e potenza, a garanzia di una maggiore manovrabilità nel sollevamento e nel trasporto di materiali di grandi dimensioni. Sebbene per Mass Group le varie operazioni di sollevamento siano all’ordine del giorno, alcuni aspetti di questo lavoro hanno rappresentato una vera e propria sfida per l’azienda. Il Direttore Generale Mark Steventon-Smith ha infatti dichiarato che “si è trattato di un’operazione complessa, soprattutto perché la strada in cui si trova la casa è una tra le più ripide di tutto il Regno Unito. Confidavamo tuttavia nelle caratteristiche della gru che, anche grazie all’abilità dell’operatore, ha permesso di portare a termine il compito egregiamente. La parte più difficile è stata lavorare sotto gli occhi del pubblico e in presenza di telecamere della televisione locale e nazionale, nonché in diretta YouTube. Ovviamente il murale era coperto da assicurazione, ma mi sono sentito molto sollevato quando è stato posto a terra!” L’opera verrà trasportata in un luogo segreto, una scelta che rispecchia la riservatezza dell’artista. (Per gentile concessione di Fassi UK)

Une grue hydraulique Fassi F545RA.2.26, pertinente a la gamme lourde, a été chargée de démonter une œuvre de Banksy de le côté d'une maison à Bristol, Royaume-Uni

Bristol (Royaume-Uni) - Basée à Bristol, l’entreprise Mass Group Ltd s’est récemment chargée d’une opération à haute pression : le retrait d’une peinture murale de Banksy intitulée « Aachoo!! » de la façade latérale d’une maison mitoyenne dans la ville. L’œuvre d’art représente une femme éternuant si fort qu’elle en perd son dentier. Munie d’un jib L324, la Fassi F545RA.2.26 de Mass Group a servi à lever la peinture du mur à la mi-mars, après la vente de la maison. Le restaurateur d’art italien Federico Borgogni était disponible pour fournir son aide. Federico est sans doute un expert dans l’art de démonter des fresques, et la grue Fassi est le choix idéal pour ce type d’intervention dans la mesure où sa polyvalence, combinée à sa puissance, permet une meilleure manœuvrabilité pour le levage et le transport d’éléments de grande taille. Bien que l’entreprise soit habituée à l’exécution d’une vaste gamme de levages, cette opération présentait des défis particuliers, comme l’explique le directeur général Mark Steventon-Smith : « Ce travail s'est avéré particulièrement difficile, ne fût-ce qu’en raison de l’emplacement de la maison, dans l’une des rues les plus escarpées du Royaume-Uni. Cependant, nous avions toute confiance en la grue et en les compétences de l’opérateur, qui ont permis la réussite de ce levage. L’aspect le plus compliqué résidait dans le fait d’être observés par le public, filmés par la presse locale et nationale et transmis en temps réel sur YouTube. L’œuvre d’art était bien évidemment assurée, mais j’ai été très heureux de la voir enfin au sol ! » La fresque sera transportée vers un lieu non-déclaré, aussi confidentiel que l’artiste lui-même. (Avec l’aimable autorisation de Fassi UK)

Der artikulierte Fassi-Kran F545RA.2.26 L324 der Mass Group Ltd entfernt ein Wandgemälde des bekannten Straßenkünstlers Banksy von einer Wand in Bristol.

Bristol (Vereinigtes Königreich) - Das in Bristol ansässige Unternehmen Mass Group Ltd hatte kürzlich die anspruchsvolle Aufgabe, ein Banksy-Wandgemälde mit dem Titel „Aachoo!!“ von der Giebelseite eines Doppelhauses in der Stadt zu entfernen. Das Kunstwerk zeigt eine Frau, die so stark niest, dass sie ihr künstliches Gebiss verliert. Der Fassi F545RA.2.26 mit JIB L324 der Mass Group wurde eingesetzt, um das Kunstwerk Mitte März von der Wand abzuhängen, nachdem das Haus verkauft worden war. Auch der italienische Kunstrestaurator Federico Borgogni war vor Ort, um zu helfen. Auch wenn Federico ein Experte für das Entfernen von Fresken ist, war der Fassi-Kran die perfekte Wahl für diese Art von Arbeit, da seine Vielseitigkeit in Kombination mit seiner hohen Leistung eine größere Manövrierfähigkeit beim Heben und Transportieren großer Gegenstände ermöglicht. Obwohl das Unternehmen an eine Vielzahl von Hebevorgängen gewöhnt ist, gab es bei diesem Auftrag besondere Herausforderungen, wie Geschäftsführer Mark Steventon-Smith erklärt:„Es war eine schwierige Aufgabe, nicht zuletzt, weil das Haus an einer der steilsten Straßen in Großbritannien steht. Aber wir hatten volles Vertrauen in den Kran, und das in Kombination mit dem Geschick des Fahrers sorgte für einen erfolgreichen Hebeeinsatz. Das Schwierige war, dass die Öffentlichkeit zuschaute, die lokale und nationale Presse filmte und ein Live-Stream auf YouTube zu sehen war. Natürlich war das Kunstwerk versichert, aber ich war froh, es endlich auf dem Boden zu sehen!“ Das Kunstwerk wird an einen ungenannten Ort transportiert, geheimnisumwoben wie der Künstler selbst. (Mit freundlicher Genehmigung von Fassi UK)

Una grúa hidráulica Fassi F545RA.2.26, perteneciente a la gama pesada, se encargó desmontar una obra del artista Banksy desde la pared de una casa en Bristol, Reino Unido

Bristol (Reino Unido) - La empresa Mass Group Ltd, con sede en Bristol, se ocupó recientemente del duro trabajo de eliminar un mural de Banksy titulado "Aachoo!!" del lateral de una casa adosada en la ciudad. La obra de arte muestra a una mujer estornudando con tanta fuerza que pierde la dentadura postiza. La grúa articulada Fassi F545RA.2.26 de Mass Group con jib L324 se utilizó para levantar la obra de la pared a mediados del pasado mes de marzo después de que se vendiera la casa. El restaurador de arte italiano Federico Borgogni también ofreció su disponibilidad para ayudar. Del mismo modo que Federico es un experto en remover frescos, la grúa Fassi resultó ser la elección perfecta para este tipo de trabajo, ya que su versatilidad combinada con su potencia ofrece una mayor maniobrabilidad al elevar y transportar artículos grandes. Aunque la empresa esté acostumbrada a gestionar una amplia gama de elevaciones, esta presentó algunos desafíos particulares, tal y como explica el director general Mark Steventon-Smith: “Fue un trabajo duro, sobre todo porque la casa está en una de las calles más empinadas del Reino Unido. Pero teníamos toda nuestra fe en la grúa y eso, combinado con la habilidad del operador, aseguró una elevación sin problemas. Lo difícil fue trabajar con público, ser grabados por la prensa local y nacional y aparecer en vivo en YouTube. Obviamente, la pieza estaba asegurada, ¡pero me alegró verla finalmente en el suelo!”. La obra será transportada a un lugar que no se ha revelado, tan secreto como el propio artista. (Cesión de Fassi UK)

[legit9ja]

VIDEO: Cixqo - Street Ft. Yunqblood X Steventones X Pompay

The Wait is Over!!! Cixqo has dropped #StreetByCixqoVideo aka Welcome To The Street Video. #StreetByCIxqo is the most talked about song in the south south and the most played song in the south south, Cixqo drops his First Official Music Video to his debut single Street (Welcome To The Street) which features upcoming stars like pompay, yunqblood and the future of the south south, Man of the Moment- Steven Tones. The song is produced by Oso and the video is directed by DaTwist and cameos from lots of ballers from the south south including Vibes Fm 97.3 /south south Finest OAP satoEDK aka Dat upper boy, and the best Dj in the south Dj T Monie..

DOWNLOAD AUDIO

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[franzgigs]

2017

21st May 2017    Hangout Music Festival (19th - 21st May), Gulf Shores

22nd May 2017     Exit/In, Nashville

23rd May 2017     The Underground, Charlotte

25th May 2017    Lincoln Theatre, Raleigh

26th May 2017   Orange Peel, Asheville

27th May 2017   Stage AE, Pittsburgh  

28th May 2017    Newport Music Hall, Columbus

30th May 2017    Mercury Ballroom, Louisville

31st May 2017    House Of Blues, Cleveland

02nd Jun 2017    Danforth Music Hall, Toronto

03rd Jun 2017   Metropolis, Montreal

04th Jun 2017   Governors Ball, New York

05th Jun 2017     Warsaw, Brooklyn

07th Jun 2017   College Street Music Hall, New Haven

08th Jun 2017   Pearl Street, Northampton

10th Jun 2017   Live 105's BFD, Mountain View

11th Jun 2017 Oceanside Pier Amphitheater, Oceanside

12th Jun 2017    The Regent Theater, Los Angeles 

14th Jun 2017   Rams Head Live!, Baltimore

15th Jun 2017    Jefferson Theater, Charlottesville

16th Jun 2017    Firefly Music Festival, Dover

17th Jun 2017 Alternative Buffalo's Kerfuffle, Buffalo

12th Jul 2017    Electric Castle (12th - 16th July), Cluj, Romania

21st Jul 2017   Truck Festival (21st - 23rd July), Steventon, UK

22nd Jul 2017   Welcome To The Village Festival, Leeuwarden

27th Jul 2017    Kendal Calling (27th-30th July), The Lake District

28th Jul 2017    Low Festival (28th - 30th July), Benidorm

3th Aug 2017    A Summer's Tale (3rd - 5th Aug), Luhmuhlen

05th Aug 2017    Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival, Inverness-shire

12th Aug 2017 Rock Oz'Arenes, Avenches 

19th Aug 2017   Parken Festivalen  Bodo Norge

25th Aug 2017    Rock En Seine, Paris

th26th Aug 2017    Cabaret Vert, Charleville Mezieres

27th Aug 2017     Victorious Festival, Portsmouth

29th Aug 2017     Paradiso, Amsterdam

30th Aug 2017     Rivierenhof, Antwerp

01st Sep 2017     Beat Festival, Empoli

2nd Sep 2017     Arena Alpe Adria, Lignano Sabbiadoro

05th Sep 2017     Den Atelier, Luxembourg

07th Sep 2017   Tohu-Bohu Festival, Veyras

08th Sep 2017   Ocean Climax Festival (7th - 10th Sept), Bordeaux

09th Sep 2017   DCODE 2017, Madrid

22th Oct 2017  Rum Shack, Glasgow

25th Oct 2017 Le Point Ephemere Paris

27th Oct 2017  Plaza de Toro Murcia

28th Oct 2017 BIME Live Bilbao

04th Dec 2017 Showbox at the Market, Seattle

05th Dec 2017 Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver 

06th Dec 2017 Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver

07th Dec 2017  Theater of the Clouds (947FM Portland DEC2REM), Portland

9th Dec 2017  The Glass House Pomona 

10th Dec 2017   The Forum (KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas), Los Angeles

11th Dec 2017 Franz Ferdinand at The Echo, Los Angeles, CA, USA

22th Dec 2017 The Flame (Studio Brussels De Warmste Week) - Brussels, Belgium

54 concerts ( with FFS: 993 only FF:952)

[chriskarrtravelblog]

A tour of Jane Austen’s Hampshire

A new adaptation of Emma was released in February 2020. We visited the novelist’s home village and discovered her much-loved local haunts

A lofty lime tree marks the spot where Steventon Rectory once stood – the place where the country’s favourite author, second only to Shakespeare, spent the first 25 years of her life. Jane Austen’s roots run deep in this pretty part of the world, known for its traditional thatched cottages, gently rolling hills and chalk streams. It was in Chawton, a small, picturesque village in east Hampshire, that Jane was happiest, and most prolific. She was proud to call herself “a Hampshire-born Austen”, and the county shares its pride in its literary daughter with a host of sights, attractions and trails.

Of course, Jane Austen’s six novels (seven, if you count the unfinished Sanditon) are cherished the world over, and each new film or TV adaptation introduces her work to a fresh audience. Recently, Emma has enjoyed another silver-screen outing for Emma, directed by Autumn de Wilde and scripted by Man Booker Prize-winning author Eleanor Catton. Filming did not actually take place in Hampshire, but Chavenage House in nearby Gloucestershire was used as a location (Poldark fans may recognise the Elizabethan country pile). In fact, dear as the county was to Jane’s heart, actual Hampshire place names rarely crop up in her novels; Portsmouth features in Mansfield Park but Emma is set in the fictional Highbury.

The 2017 bicentenary of Austen’s death heralded a wave of new events, exhibitions and publications, but dedicated fans from every corner of the globe have long been making the pilgrimage to Jane Austen’s House Museum in Chawton.

Chawton House referred to as the ‘Great House’ Credit: Graham Prentice/ Alamy

It was in this modest, rust-red brick cottage that Jane lived with her sister Cassandra, their mother, and family friend Martha Lloyd, from 1809 to 1817. The move was made possible by Jane’s brother, Edward, who had become heir of the wealthy Knight family and inherited nearby Chawton House and estate. For Jane it was a welcome return to countryside life after her father’s retirement, and later death, had prompted moves first to Bath, then to Southampton. While these livelier environs may have provided ample material for her work, Jane was only able to pick up her quill in earnest again once she had settled at Chawton.

The museum celebrated its 70th year in 2019 – its collection was launched in 1949 with an appeal in local newspapers for Austen-related items – and provides a charming insight into daily life for the Austen household. If you’re lucky, your visit may coincide with volunteer guide Jeremy Knight, Jane’s great-great-great-great nephew, being on duty. Either way, it’s a delight to wander round the house and garden, admiring treasures such as the bookcase that once belonged to the Reverend George Austen, the topaz crosses given to Jane and Cassandra by their brother Charles, and the small, twelve-sided walnut table on which Jane wrote Emma, Mansfield Park and Persuasion.

The famous writing table is positioned at the dining parlour window, where Jane preferred to work. While she may have benefited from the daylight (as well as the opportunity for people watching), the present-day country road was at that time the main Winchester to London thoroughfare, with carriages noisily rattling past. For a change of scenery, Jane could stroll up to the ‘Great House’, her brother’s residence, only a short walk from the cottage but representing an entirely different way of life.

Jane Austen’s writing table.

While the Austen women dwelled in genteel yet straitened circumstances, Edward had joined the ranks of the Regency rich. Chawton House is a Grade II-listed Elizabethan manor with gardens featuring formal terraces, a cultivated ‘wilderness’ and shrubbery. The contrast between the two homes is clear – and no doubt provided a rich seam of material for Jane’s novels. As you make your way from the museum, past diminutive thatched cottages and lush green meadows, before turning left to glimpse the sweeping drive and handsome 16th-century facade of Chawton House, it’s hard not to think of Elizabeth Bennett catching sight of Pemberley for the first time.

The house has been developed over the centuries, with additions such as wood panelling for enhanced Tudor appeal, but still exudes the warmth and comfort of a family home. Indeed, it was lived in until the late 20th century (the aforementioned Jeremy Knight remembers Edward’s silk suit, now on display, being in the dressing-up box). Family lore has it that Jane liked to sit in the Oak Room – the cosy alcove with a view over the drive certainly looks inviting.

Today the house throws open its doors to ‘Janeites’ and academics alike – its library is dedicated to women’s writing. It seems fitting that Jane’s books now sit on the shelves of her brother’s house, alongside other female writers including Aphra Behn, Frances Burney and Mary Shelley, as well as less well-known names. After a ramble around the house, you can continue to soak up the atmosphere over tea and cake in the Old Kitchen Tearoom before visiting St Nicholas Church, where Jane’s mother and sister are buried.

Bluebell wood at Hinton Ampner. Credit: Paul Heinrich/Alamy

The nearby market town of Alton – now location for the Jane Austen Regency Week every June – would have been a regular shopping haunt for the Austen sisters. Nowadays, Alresford (pronounced Allsford) is a more popular shopping destination – pastel-coloured buildings along Broad Street house independent boutiques and watering holes – as well as being the UK’s capital of watercress farming. The best way to cover the ten miles southwest from Alton is by steam train, aboard the heritage Watercress Line. This patch of Hampshire has no shortage of stately homes and attractive landscapes, descriptions of which could be lifted from the pages of Austen’s novels.

In springtime, don’t miss the beautiful bluebell wood at the National Trust’s Hinton Ampner, near Alresford. Elsewhere, the beech woods and flower meadows of Selborne Common provided inspiration for Gilbert White (1720–1793), the pioneering naturalist who lived in the village of Selborne, south of Chawton. His record of the local landscape and wildlife, The Natural History of Selborne, published in 1789, has never been out of print. But to faithfully continue in Jane’s footsteps, head a little further north to The Vyne, another National Trust property, near Basingstoke. Many illustrious visitors have called at this impressive Tudor manor, one of the most grand and least altered in the county: King Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, Catherine of Aragon, Horace Walpole, and Jane Austen. Growing up in nearby Steventon, Jane was acquainted with The Vyne’s owners, the Chute family, and she attended dances here.

Jane was working on her seventh novel, Sanditon, when her deteriorating health demanded a move away from her beloved Chawton to Winchester, to be closer to her doctor. A blue plaque at 8 College Street marks the place where she took her final breaths in July 1817, aged only 41, but the house itself is not open to the public. Jane was buried in nearby Winchester Cathedral; her tombstone makes no mention of her writing – the books released during her lifetime were all published anonymously – but the later additions of a brass plaque and commemorative stained-glass window make some amends.

The Saloon at The Vyne. Credit: National Trust Images/Andreas von Einsiedel

Needless to say, other figures loom large in Winchester, from Alfred the Great to King Arthur. After admiring the soaring Gothic lines of the cathedral, and the Antony Gormley sculpture in its crypt, wander through the evocative ruins of Wolvesey Castle before heading for the Great Hall. The sole surviving remnant of Winchester Castle, it is here where King Arthur’s legendary Round Table has hung for centuries. You’d think a 1,200kg medieval tabletop might outshine the small wooden occasional table given pride of place at Jane Austen’s House Museum, but legions of Janeites would surely disagree.

www.visit-hampshire.co.uk

Due to the coronavirus pandmic, Emma was released early and has already been made available to view from home. More details can be found here: www.focusfeatures.com/emma 

The post A tour of Jane Austen’s Hampshire appeared first on Britain Magazine | The official magazine of Visit Britain | Best of British History, Royal Family,Travel and Culture.

Britain Magazine | The official magazine of Visit Britain | Best of British History, Royal Family,Travel and Culture https://www.britain-magazine.com/features/a-tour-of-jane-austens-hampshire/

source https://coragemonik.wordpress.com/2020/04/16/a-tour-of-jane-austens-hampshire/

[peanutparade]

Wyatt’s surprisingly sweet on his route. 💕

For the next week, the Steventon Street DLC is only $4.00 USD on itch.io, but if you become my patron, you can get the DLC for as little as a dollar. There’s also an exclusive extended demo of Promise & Prophecy over there, as well as a demo for the Aurore: Five Princes remaster, and early images of my upcoming VN, Stormrider, which will have a Patreon Exclusive demo sometime in January. Now is a really great time to become a patron!

[ebby-bebby]

The wonderful and talented Lynn McKenzie of @peanutparade was kind enough to make me a character in her new game Steventon Street! Words can not describe how honored and overjoyed I am for this wonderful homage!

Thank you Lynn, you are an inspiration! Steventon Street is a wonderful, heartwarming game that means so much more to me now that you did this! Thank you, thank you THANK YOU 🙏🏾

PLEASE PLAY STEVENTON STREET!!!

[andybodders]

Network Rail thinks Ludlow is in Oxfordshire – it’s a joke – oh no, it’s not!

Network Rail thinks Ludlow is in Oxfordshire – it’s a joke – oh no, it’s not!

In what must be one of the most bizarre actions by an office bound railway official, Network Rail has written to residents in Steventon on the outskirts of Ludlow telling them that it needs to undertake work on parish’s railway bridge.

So far, so good. But Ludford residents became suspicious when they read references to the High Street. A High Street in Steventon, a hamlet on the outskirts of…

[megajustbarstoolsworld]

Man harmed his family, four firefighters and two canines by cleaning his fish tank

Man harmed his family, four firefighters and two canines by cleaning his fish tank

In any case, the following day he, his better half, mother, father, sister and her beau all fell sick with influenza like manifestations. Indeed, even their mutts fell sick, enduring shortness of breath, hacking and a fever which Chris portrayed as being 'as terrible as pneumonia'. Dreading the family had been harmed he called 999 and they were taken to the doctor's facility. There was a substantial scale crisis reaction to the house in Steventon, Oxfordshire, with the street being shut and a police cordon being set up.  #JustBarStools

[marianagaro-19-blog]

Jane Austen, Autora de la obra Orgullo y Prejuicio

Jane Austen, fue una escrito inglesa la cual nació en la Rectoría de Steventon el 16 de Diciembre de 1775 y falleció en College Street en Winchester, el 18 de Julio de 1817 a los 41 años de edad. Nació en steventos, Inglaterra en una familia de buena economía. Su padre era un clérigo y tenía una hermana y seis hermanos, vivió cómodamente y tranquilamente hasta la muerte de su padre. Creció con una gran biblioteca en la cual pasaba la mayoría del tiempo, por lo cual fue donde comenzó su afición por la literatura permitiéndole desarrollar su amor hacia esta área arrancando con sus propios escritos.   Se enamoro dos veces aunque ninguna termino bien, su persona más cercana era su hermana razón por la cual varios de sus personajes estaban basados en ella. Finalmente público seis novelas largas y tres cortas, por las cuales tuvo un alto reconocimiento, haciendo de ella una escritora inolvidable.

[esepress-com]

Imagen| Flickr

Este 2017 se cumplen 200 años de la muerte de Jane Austen, una de las escritoras británicas más idolatradas a lo largo y ancho del planeta que en vida fue conocida como “la señorita que escribe”.

Con motivo del bicentenario en diversos lugares del país se prepararon para homenajear a la autora con exposiciones, conferencias, rutas turísticas y otras actividades relacionadas con su figura y su obra.

En caso de que seas fan de las novelas de Jane Austen, acompáñanos en esta ruta por lo pueblos y ciudades en los que vivió la escritora.

Imagen| Visit Hampshire

Steventon

Éste es el pueblo natal de Jane Austen y donde vivió hasta los 25 años. Aquí llevó una vida apacible propia de una mujer perteneciente a la pequeña burguesía rural: una educación básica, picnics al aire libre, visitas a parientes y amigos y tiempo libre que dedicar a otros quehaceres como la costura o la escritura, algo por lo que Jane Austen sintió debilidad desde una temprana edad.

En Steventon comenzó a escribir novelas como Lady Susan, La abadía de Northanger, Sentido y sensibilidad u Orgullo y Prejuicio. Obras literarias que estaban llenas de observaciones acerca del mundo que le rodeaba y de la situación de la mujer en su tiempo, donde a menudo carecían de su propio dinero y quedaban a expensas de un gentil pariente o una ventajosa boda que les permitiese sobrevivir.

La casa de la familia Austen desapareció hace mucho tiempo en este pueblecito pero paseando por sus calles podemos imaginar cómo sería su mundo y la sociedad georgiana de aquel entonces.

Bath

Cuando en 1805 su padre se retira, la familia se retira a Bath. Un lugar que en principio no agradó a la escritora por ser una ciudad muy popular por su balneario pero que aprendió a querer en los cinco años que allí pasó.

Recorrer las calles de Bath es sentirse parte de una de las novelas de Jane. Ciudad Patrimonio de la Humanidad por la Unesco, en la actualidad existen tours temáticos para conocer al detalle, su vida y su obra en este lugar.

Mención especial merece el Centro Jane Austen en el 40 de Gay Street, un edificio dedicado a celebrar el universo creado por la literata. Durante la visita podremos observar un vídeo introductorio y algunos fragmentos de las películas inspiradas en sus novelas que nos explican cómo era la vida en aquella época y cuál era la relación de Jane con Bath.

Durante la visita, los voluntarios sirven de guía y nos muestran la colección de muebles de la época, el vestuario de algunas de las exitosas adaptaciones para televisión de sus obras e incluso una figura de cera en colaboración con el Madame Tussaud’s para hacerse una idea de cómo sería Jane Austen en la vida real. Como curiosidad, en este centro también podemos encontrar uno de los cinco billetes de 10 libras que tienen un mensaje secreto en homenaje a la escritora.

La visita al Centro Jane Austen no puede finalizar sin conocer la tienda de regalos, en donde comprar un recuerdo de vuestra autora favorita.

En la misma calle donde se ubica el Centro Jane Austen estuvo también la vivienda de los Austen en la que residieron un tiempo. No obstante, el progresivo empobrecimiento del padre la obligó a diversas mudanzas hacia zonas más humildes.

Pese a no gustarle Bath, en esta ciudad situó varios pasajes de sus novelas como es el caso de la Abadía de Northanger y Persuasión. De modo que éste es uno de los mejores lugares para empaparse del espíritu de la obra de Austen.

Chawton

Tras una estancia de tres años en Southampton tras la muerte de su padre, Jane Austen se mudó a Chawton, a una casita que le cedió su adinerado hermano Edward, junto a su madre, su hermana Cassandra y una amiga.

En la actualidad, la casa se puede visitar. De aspecto sencillo conserva esa dignidad y elegancia de la época de la Regencia. En ella se exhiben muebles, cartas y objetos que pertenecieron a la autora e incluso la mesa en la que Jane solía sentarse a escribir y donde dio forma a muchas de sus novelas como Mansfield Park o Persuasión, entre otras.

Winchester

A este pueblo iría la novelista en sus últimos años de vida para recuperarse de una enfermedad de la que ella misma era consciente que no se recuperaría. Poco tiempo después de trasladarse allí Jane falleció y fue enterrada en la maravillosa catedral de Winchester, un imponente edificio de estilo gótico.

La visita a la catedral cuesta alrededor de 6,50 libras pero por 3 libras más es posible acceder a la torre desde donde se tienen unas vistas espectaculares de la ciudad.

Junto a la tumba de Jane Austen hay unas placas colocadas en su honor y una exposición sobre su vida que acompaña al visitante.

[austenmarriage]

New Post has been published on Austen Marriage

New Post has been published on http://austenmarriage.com/austen-cathedral-interment-signal-honor/

Austen and the Cathedral: Was Interment a Signal Honor?

July 18, 2017, marks the 200th anniversary of the death of Jane Austen. At that date, the official commemoration begins. Tributes will flow through any number of activities, readings, evensongs, and events, leading to July 24, the date of her funeral. In the UK, public benches are being dedicated to Austen, and the “Rain Jane”  program will have Austen’s words appear in public places throughout Hampshire whenever there is precipitation. These are just a few of the many events scheduled throughout the year.

Winchester Cathedral, where she is interred, will be the focus of many of the activities. One of these will be the unveiling of the £10 note graced with her face (above, by headline). As she is also on the £2 coin, Austen will be the first person other than a monarch to appear on more than one form of British currency at the same time. Cathedral bells will toll 41 times to mark each of her years on this earth.

Her burial raises an interesting question: Why, when this comparatively obscure spinster died in 1817, was she buried in a cathedral which houses the bones of Saxon kings and saints? This, in fact, is the subject of a talk scheduled by Professor Michael Wheeler at the cathedral on July 21.

It seems highly unusual for an ordinary citizen to be buried in a place normally reserved for secular and religious leaders. According to Jo Bartholomew, curator and librarian at the cathedral, the mortuary chests hold such dignitaries as: Cynigils and Cenwalh, two Christian kings from the seventh century; Kings Egbert and Ethelwulf (grandfather and father of King Alfred); King Cnut (Canute) and his Queen Emma; two bishops, Alwyn and Stigand; and king William Rufus. Most had been originally buried in Old Minster, the predecessor to Winchester Cathedral, which was just to the north and partially beneath it.

Was it common for an ordinary citizen to be buried there in

King Cnut (Canute) is one of the ancient kings and bishops interred at Winchester Cathedral, along with Jane Austen.

1817, or was this an extraordinary honor? In those days, not so extraordinary after all. Indeed, Jane was the third and last person buried there that year. Cost, rather than rank, may have been the limiting factor for a cathedral interment. Jane’s funeral expenses came to £92, a significant amount for someone of her means. Clearly, she or her family was determined to make a statement–after all, none of her brothers, including Frank, who died the highest-ranking naval officer in England, received such a burial.

Elizabeth Proudman, vice chairman of the Jane Austen Society and an expert on Jane Austen, said in a letter that the location was likely Austen’s choice: “I believe that she is buried there, because she wanted to be. It was up to the Dean in those days to decide who could and who could not be buried in the Cathedral. Usually it was enough to be respectable and ‘gentry.’ This, of course, she was as her late father and two of her brothers were in the church.” 

Jane’s father, George, had been the rector at Steventon, fourteen miles away, until he retired in 1801. He was succeeded by James, his oldest son, who still held that position in 1817. Henry, who had taken up the cloth after his bank collapsed in the recession of 1816, also had a clerical position nearby. It probably did not hurt that Jane’s brother Edward was the wealthy inheritor of the Knight estate, with extensive holdings in Steventon and Chawton, which was sixteen miles away. From his recent ordination, Henry knew the Bishop, according to Claire Tomalin; and the Dean, Thomas Rennell, was a friend of the important Chute family who were relatives of the Austens.

Having lived at Chawton for nine years, where she wrote or significantly revised her oeuvre, Jane was taken to Winchester for unsuccessful medical treatment. “She had been ill in Winchester for about two months, and I think her burial must have been discussed,” Proudman says. “I like to think that her family would have talked about it with her, and that they followed her wishes. … It may be that she had no particular attachment to the village [of Chawton]. We know that she admired Winchester Cathedral, and she knew several of the clergy. When she died she had some money from her writing, and her funeral expenses were paid from her estate. It was a tiny funeral, only 3 brothers and a nephew attended, and it had to be over before the daily business of the Cathedral began at 10.00 am.” 

In fact, most funerals were relatively small in those days, and women did not attend. Cassandra, with their friend Martha Lloyd (James’ sister-in-law), “watched the little mournful procession the length of the street & when it turned from my sight I had lost her for ever.” In that letter to their niece Fanny in the days after Jane’s death, Cass added: “I have lost a treasure, such a Sister, such a friend as can never be surpassed. … She was the sun of my life, the gilder of every pleasure, the soother of every sorrow, I had not a thought concealed from her, & it is as if I have lost a part of myself. … Never was [a] human being more sincerely mourned … than was this dear creature.”

Edward, Francis, and Henry were the brothers who attended. Charles was too far away to come. James was ill (he died two years later), but his son, James Edward, rode from Steventon to Winchester for the service. Thomas Watkins, the Precentor (a member of a church who facilitates worship), read the service. Jane was interred in a brick-lined vault on the north side of the nave.

While Jane is interred at a grand cathedral, her mother (left) and sister are buried in the churchyard at Chawton, close to the cottage where all three women lived.

Tomalin believes it was Henry who “surely sought permission for their sister to be buried in the cathedral; splendid as it is, she might have preferred the open churchyard at Steventon or Chawton.” One suspects it was Henry who pushed for the cathedral, and Jane would have been happy to be at rest anywhere. Yet, modest as she was in many ways, she understood the worth of her writing. She may have made the decision with a view to posterity. In any event, Cassandra was pleased with the decision. “It is a satisfaction to me,” she said, that Jane’s remains were “to lie in a building she admired so much. … her precious soul I presume to hope reposes in a far superior mansion.” 

Henry arranged for a plaque to be installed in the cathedral to commemorate Jane’s benevolence, sweetness, and intellect, but curiously enough, not her writing. As the popularity of her novels grew over time, officials were baffled by the pilgrims coming to visit the crypt of a woman the church knew not as a brilliant novelist but only as the daughter of a rural clergyman.