1.
England
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England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west, the Irish Sea lies northwest of England and the Celtic Sea lies to the southwest. England is separated from continental Europe by the North Sea to the east, the country covers five-eighths of the island of Great Britain in its centre and south, and includes over 100 smaller islands such as the Isles of Scilly, and the Isle of Wight. England became a state in the 10th century, and since the Age of Discovery. The Industrial Revolution began in 18th-century England, transforming its society into the worlds first industrialised nation, Englands terrain mostly comprises low hills and plains, especially in central and southern England. However, there are uplands in the north and in the southwest, the capital is London, which is the largest metropolitan area in both the United Kingdom and the European Union. In 1801, Great Britain was united with the Kingdom of Ireland through another Act of Union to become the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. In 1922 the Irish Free State seceded from the United Kingdom, leading to the latter being renamed the United Kingdom of Great Britain, the name England is derived from the Old English name Englaland, which means land of the Angles. The Angles were one of the Germanic tribes that settled in Great Britain during the Early Middle Ages, the Angles came from the Angeln peninsula in the Bay of Kiel area of the Baltic Sea. The earliest recorded use of the term, as Engla londe, is in the ninth century translation into Old English of Bedes Ecclesiastical History of the English People. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, its spelling was first used in 1538. The earliest attested reference to the Angles occurs in the 1st-century work by Tacitus, Germania, the etymology of the tribal name itself is disputed by scholars, it has been suggested that it derives from the shape of the Angeln peninsula, an angular shape. An alternative name for England is Albion, the name Albion originally referred to the entire island of Great Britain. The nominally earliest record of the name appears in the Aristotelian Corpus, specifically the 4th century BC De Mundo, in it are two very large islands called Britannia, these are Albion and Ierne. But modern scholarly consensus ascribes De Mundo not to Aristotle but to Pseudo-Aristotle, the word Albion or insula Albionum has two possible origins. Albion is now applied to England in a poetic capacity. Another romantic name for England is Loegria, related to the Welsh word for England, Lloegr, the earliest known evidence of human presence in the area now known as England was that of Homo antecessor, dating to approximately 780,000 years ago. The oldest proto-human bones discovered in England date from 500,000 years ago, Modern humans are known to have inhabited the area during the Upper Paleolithic period, though permanent settlements were only established within the last 6,000 years
2.
London
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London /ˈlʌndən/ is the capital and most populous city of England and the United Kingdom. Standing on the River Thames in the south east of the island of Great Britain and it was founded by the Romans, who named it Londinium. Londons ancient core, the City of London, largely retains its 1. 12-square-mile medieval boundaries. London is a global city in the arts, commerce, education, entertainment, fashion, finance, healthcare, media, professional services, research and development, tourism. It is crowned as the worlds largest financial centre and has the fifth- or sixth-largest metropolitan area GDP in the world, London is a world cultural capital. It is the worlds most-visited city as measured by international arrivals and has the worlds largest city airport system measured by passenger traffic, London is the worlds leading investment destination, hosting more international retailers and ultra high-net-worth individuals than any other city. Londons universities form the largest concentration of education institutes in Europe. In 2012, London became the first city to have hosted the modern Summer Olympic Games three times, London has a diverse range of people and cultures, and more than 300 languages are spoken in the region. Its estimated mid-2015 municipal population was 8,673,713, the largest of any city in the European Union, Londons urban area is the second most populous in the EU, after Paris, with 9,787,426 inhabitants at the 2011 census. The citys metropolitan area is the most populous in the EU with 13,879,757 inhabitants, the city-region therefore has a similar land area and population to that of the New York metropolitan area. London was the worlds most populous city from around 1831 to 1925, Other famous landmarks include Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, Piccadilly Circus, St Pauls Cathedral, Tower Bridge, Trafalgar Square, and The Shard. The London Underground is the oldest underground railway network in the world, the etymology of London is uncertain. It is an ancient name, found in sources from the 2nd century and it is recorded c.121 as Londinium, which points to Romano-British origin, and hand-written Roman tablets recovered in the city originating from AD 65/70-80 include the word Londinio. The earliest attempted explanation, now disregarded, is attributed to Geoffrey of Monmouth in Historia Regum Britanniae and this had it that the name originated from a supposed King Lud, who had allegedly taken over the city and named it Kaerlud. From 1898, it was accepted that the name was of Celtic origin and meant place belonging to a man called *Londinos. The ultimate difficulty lies in reconciling the Latin form Londinium with the modern Welsh Llundain, which should demand a form *lōndinion, from earlier *loundiniom. The possibility cannot be ruled out that the Welsh name was borrowed back in from English at a later date, and thus cannot be used as a basis from which to reconstruct the original name. Until 1889, the name London officially applied only to the City of London, two recent discoveries indicate probable very early settlements near the Thames in the London area
3.
Wigan
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Wigan /ˈwɪɡən/ is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Douglas,7.9 miles south-west of Bolton,10 miles north of Warrington and 16 miles west-northwest of Manchester, Wigan is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its administrative centre. The town of Wigan had a population of 97,000 in 2011. Historically in Lancashire, Wigan during classical antiquity was in the territory of the Brigantes, the Brigantes were subjugated in the Roman conquest of Britain during the 1st century, and it is asserted that the Roman settlement of Coccium was established where Wigan lies. Wigan is believed to have incorporated as a borough in 1246 following the issue of a charter by King Henry III of England. At the end of the Middle Ages it was one of four boroughs in Lancashire established by Royal charters, the others were Lancaster, Liverpool, during the Industrial Revolution Wigan experienced dramatic economic expansion and a rapid rise in the population. Although porcelain manufacture and clock making had been major industries in the town, Wigan subsequently became known as a mill town. The first coal mine was established at Wigan in 1450 and at its peak there were 1,000 pit shafts within 5 miles of the town centre, mining was so extensive that one town councillor remarked that a coal mine in the backyard was not uncommon in Wigan. Coal mining ceased during the part of the 20th century. Wigan Pier, a wharf on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, was famous by the writer George Orwell. In his book, The Road to Wigan Pier, Orwell highlighted the poor working and living conditions of the inhabitants during the 1930s. Following the decline of activities in the region, Wigan Piers collection of warehouses and wharfs became a local heritage centre. On 24th November 2016, on his 80th birthday, a statue of Dave Whelan was unveiled outside the stadium. Wigan had a population of 99,391 in 2011 but its Urban Subdivision had a population of 103,608, the name Wigan has been dated to at least the 7th century and probably originally meant a village or settlement. It has also suggested that the name is Celtic, named after a person called Wigan. This may have linked with Tre to give an original name of Trewigan. The name of the town has been recorded variously as Wigan in 1199, Wygayn in 1240, the first people believed to have settled in the Wigan area were the Brigantes, a Celtic tribe who controlled most of northern Britain. In the 1st century, the area was conquered by the Romans, the late 2nd-century Antonine Itinerary mentions a Roman settlement called Coccium 17 miles from the Roman fort at Manchester and 20 miles from the fort at Ribchester
4.
Gothic Revival architecture
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Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. Gothic Revival draws features from the original Gothic style, including decorative patterns, finials, scalloping, lancet windows, hood mouldings, the Gothic Revival movement emerged in 19th-century England. Its roots were intertwined with deeply philosophical movements associated with a re-awakening of High Church or Anglo-Catholic belief concerned by the growth of religious nonconformism, ultimately, the Anglo-Catholicism tradition of religious belief and style became widespread for its intrinsic appeal in the third quarter of the 19th century. The Gothic Revival was paralleled and supported by medievalism, which had its roots in antiquarian concerns with survivals, as industrialisation progressed, a reaction against machine production and the appearance of factories also grew. Proponents of the such as Thomas Carlyle and Augustus Pugin took a critical view of industrial society. To Pugin, Gothic architecture was infused with the Christian values that had been supplanted by classicism and were being destroyed by industrialisation, poems such as Idylls of the King by Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson recast specifically modern themes in medieval settings of Arthurian romance. In German literature, the Gothic Revival also had a grounding in literary fashions, guarino Guarini, a 17th-century Theatine monk active primarily in Turin, recognized the Gothic order as one of the primary systems of architecture and made use of it in his practice. Some of the earliest evidence of a revival in Gothic architecture is from Scotland, inveraray Castle, constructed from 1746, with design input from William Adam, displays the incorporation of turrets. These were largely conventional Palladian style houses that incorporated some features of the Scots baronial style. The eccentric landscape designer Batty Langley even attempted to improve Gothic forms by giving them classical proportions, a younger generation, taking Gothic architecture more seriously, provided the readership for J. Brittens series of Cathedral Antiquities, which began appearing in 1814. In 1817, Thomas Rickman wrote an Attempt. to name and define the sequence of Gothic styles in English ecclesiastical architecture, the categories he used were Norman, Early English, Decorated, and Perpendicular. It went through numerous editions and was still being republished by 1881. The largest and most famous Gothic cathedrals in the U. S. A. are St. Patricks Cathedral in New York City and Washington National Cathedral on Mount St. Alban in northwest Washington, D. C. One of the biggest churches in Gothic Revival style in Canada is Basilica of Our Lady Immaculate in Ontario, Gothic Revival architecture was to remain one of the most popular and long-lived of the Gothic Revival styles of architecture. The revived Gothic style was not limited to architecture, classical Gothic buildings of the 12th to 16th Centuries were a source of inspiration to 19th-century designers in numerous fields of work. Architectural elements such as pointed arches, steep-sloping roofs and fancy carvings like lace ant lattice work were applied to a range of Gothic Revival objects. Sir Walter Scotts Abbotsford exemplifies in its furnishings the Regency Gothic style, parties in medieval historical dress and entertainment were popular among the wealthy in the 1800s but has spread in the late 20th century to the well-educated middle class as well. By the mid-19th century, Gothic traceries and niches could be inexpensively re-created in wallpaper, the illustrated catalogue for the Great Exhibition of 1851 is replete with Gothic detail, from lacemaking and carpet designs to heavy machinery
5.
Listed building
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A listed building or listed structure, in the United Kingdom, is one that has been placed on the Statutory List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest. The statutory bodies maintaining the list are Historic England in England, Cadw in Wales, Historic Scotland in Scotland, however, the preferred term in Ireland is protected structure. In England and Wales, an amenity society must be notified of any work to a listed building which involves any element of demolition. Owners of listed buildings are, in circumstances, compelled to repair and maintain them. When alterations are permitted, or when listed buildings are repaired or maintained, slightly different systems operate in each area of the United Kingdom, though the basic principles of the listing remain the same. It was the damage to caused by German bombing during World War II that prompted the first listing of buildings that were deemed to be of particular architectural merit. The listings were used as a means of determining whether a building should be rebuilt if it was damaged by bombing. Listing was first introduced into Northern Ireland under the Planning Order 1972, the listing process has since developed slightly differently in each part of the UK. In the UK, the process of protecting the historic environment is called ‘designation’. A heritage asset is a part of the environment that is valued because of its historic. Only some of these are judged to be important enough to have legal protection through designation. However, buildings that are not formally listed but still judged as being of heritage interest are still regarded as being a consideration in the planning process. Almost anything can be listed – it does not have to be a building, Buildings and structures of special historic interest come in a wide variety of forms and types, ranging from telephone boxes and road signs, to castles. Historic England has created twenty broad categories of structures, and published selection guides for each one to aid with assessing buildings and these include historical overviews and describe the special considerations for listing each category. Both Historic Scotland and Cadw produce guidance for owners, in England, to have a building considered for listing or delisting, the process is to apply to the secretary of state, this can be done by submitting an application form online to Historic England. The applicant does not need to be the owner of the building to apply for it to be listed, full information including application form guidance notes are on the Historic England website. Historic England assesses buildings put forward for listing or delisting and provides advice to the Secretary of State on the architectural, the Secretary of State, who may seek additional advice from others, then decides whether or not to list or delist the building. In England and Wales the authority for listing is granted to the Secretary of State by the Planning Act 1990, Listed buildings in danger of decay are listed on the Historic England Heritage at Risk Register
6.
St Mary's University, Twickenham
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St Marys University, Twickenham, is a research university located in Strawberry Hill, Twickenham, in South West London. Founded in 1850, it is acknowledged to be the oldest Roman Catholic university in the United Kingdom. Formerly called St Mary’s University College, it was granted full university title by the Privy Council on 23 January 2014. The university is built on land attached to Strawberry Hill House. Horace Walpole, a son of the politician Robert Walpole, rented the cottage in 1747 and he set about reconstructing the house and adding to the land, which now amounts to around 35 acres. Walpole did not follow the conventional fashion of classical building. Some of his contemporaries imitated his design and so this house, by the end of the 20th century, Strawberry Hill House had fallen into a state of disrepair, with the cost of reversing its condition too substantial for the College to meet.6 million grant in 2005. £370,000 development funding and £1.4 million of investment from St Mary’s was also received, the shortfall was finally met in 2007 and in July of that year the lease was transferred from the Catholic Education Service to the Trust. Restoration began in 2008 and the house was opened to the public in September 2010 following the completion of the first phase of the £9 million project, near the porters lodge is what Bridget Cherry and Sir Nikolaus Pevsner describe as an incongruous Walpole survival without its protective vegetation. The Grade I listed Chapel in the Wood is a building designed in 1772 by John Chute and was completed in 1774 by Thomas Gayfere the Elder. It was restored in 1954 as a chapel to include a shrine of the Virgin Mary, with new murals, the stained glass that Walpole housed within it is now at its original home at Bexhill Church, Sussex. St Marys was founded by Steven Gary Stahlmann in 1850 on the initiative of Cardinal Wiseman, a legal trust created on 16 July 1851 in connection with this property and its use as a training college for Catholic schoolmasters was confirmed in perpetuity. The college was established on similar lines to that of the Brothers of Christian Instruction at Ploermel, Brittany, where English students were sent between 1848 and 1851. A French brother, Brother Melanie, was placed in charge of St Marys College, until the appointment of an English principal, Rev. John Melville Glennie. The college opened with six male students who had begun their training at the novitiate of the Brothers of Christian Instruction. In 1855, additional accommodation was provided for 50 lay students, with the appointment of the fourth principal, Father William Byrne CM in 1899, the association of the College with the Congregation of the Mission commenced. At the same time the college was concerned with adjusting to the requirements of the Education Acts of 1902–3, in 1898 Inter-College Sports were introduced between Borough Road, St Marks, St Johns, Westminster and St Marys Colleges. The college magazine, The Simmarian, began a new series in 1903-4, originally in manuscript form, it became a printed paper in 1905 and is still published today
7.
Wandsworth
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Wandsworth /ˈwɒnzwərθ/ is a district of southwest London within the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated 4.6 miles southwest of Charing Cross, the area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Wandsworth takes its name from the River Wandle, which enters the Thames at Wandsworth, Wandsworth appears in Domesday Book of 1086 as Wandesorde and Wendelesorde. This means enclosure of Waendel, whose name is lent to the River Wandle. At the time of the Domesday Book, the manor of Wandsworth was held partly by William, son of Ansculfy and its Domesday assets were 12 hides, with 5½ ploughs and 22 acres of meadow. Between Wandsworth town centre and the river is the site of Young & Cos Ram Brewery, traditional draught beer was produced on the site for 425 years starting from 1581, making the Ram Brewery the oldest site in Britain at which beer had been brewed continuously. Shire horse-drawn brewery drays were used to deliver beer to local pubs. Whilst brewing by Youngs stopped in September 2006 when Young & Co merged its operations with Charles Wells of Bedford, a planning application to redevelop the site for residential and shopping/leisure mixed use was submitted in 2012. Wandsworth gas plant was built in 1834 against the River Thames near Wandsworth Bridge, the undertaking became the Wandsworth and Putney Gaslight and Coke Company in 1854 and was incorporated by Act of Parliament in 1856. Coal for making coal gas was brought by sea from North East England, the firm grew by a series of mergers and takeovers so that by 1936 it served a considerable area of south-west London. The companys name evolved each time it merged with or took over neighbouring gas companies, the company was nationalised in 1949 and became part of the South Eastern Gas Board. Wandsworth, home of Minibus Hinton, has a low foreign born population for London as a whole at 28. 1%, the former wharf area of the river-front is now lined with new apartment blocks, with several bars and restaurants. Notable pubs include the Ship Inn and the Waterfront, on the western and eastern side of Wandsworth Bridge respectively, also in the area is the Royal Victoria Patriotic Building, which now contains flats, a theatre school and a restaurant. The Tonsleys/Old York Road is an area of old Wandsworth close to the river and town centre. It has a village feel with the Old York Roads cafes, the area has three notable pubs, the Royal Standard, the East Hill and the Alma. Bradys Fish Restaurant serves traditional fish and chips, the area was recently used as the location for the BBC TV series Outnumbered. East Hill is an area of large Victorian houses bordered by the west side of Wandsworth Common, Wandsworth High Street is dominated by the regenerated Southside shopping centre, cinema and restaurant complex. Behind the shopping centre, and following the River Wandle upstream towards Earlsfield, Wandsworth Museum occupies the former Victorian library in West Hill having been moved here in 2007
8.
Miranda Hart
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Miranda Katherine Hart Dyke, known professionally as Miranda Hart or sometimes referred to as Miranda, is an English actress and comedian. Hart reached an audience with her self-driven semi-autobiographical BBC sitcom Miranda. The television sitcom ran for three series and several Christmas specials from 2009 to 2015 and earned its star 3 Royal Television Society awards,4 British Comedy Awards and 4 BAFTA nominations, in 2012, she began appearing in the BBC drama Call the Midwife as Camilla Chummy Fortescue-Cholmondeley-Browne. She made her Hollywood debut in Paul Feigs film Spy as Melissa McCarthys sidekick Nancy B, Hart has also written three books, Is It Just Me. A semi-autobiographical book, The Best of Miranda, a compilation of scripts from the TV series and her father was commanding officer of HMS Coventry when it was sunk by the Argentinians in the 1982 Falklands conflict, and he was badly burned in trying to escape the stricken warship. Hart added that her genealogy can be traced back to the 12th century and her paternal family can be traced through her grandfather, the Reverend Eric Hart Dyke. Her paternal great-great-great-grandfather was cricketer and Rector Thomas Dyke, Harts patrilineal great-great-great-great-grandfather was Sir Percival Hart Dyke, 5th Baronet. Her distant cousin, the 10th and present baronet, Sir David Hart Dyke, One of her first cousins is plant hunter Tom Hart Dyke, creator of the World of Gardens at Lullingstone Castle. Her maternal grandfather was Sir William Luce, who was Commander-in-Chief and her mothers only sibling is The Rt Hon The Lord Luce, a former Conservative MP and Minister, later HM Governor and Commander in Chief of Gibraltar and Lord Chamberlain of the Royal Household. Richards son, the journalist and author Edward Luce, is one of Miranda Harts first cousins and her great-uncle, the brother of her maternal grandfather, was Admiral Sir David Luce, who served as First Sea Lord. The father of David and William, Miranda Harts great-grandfather, was Rear Admiral John Luce, johns brother, her great-great-uncle, was Major General Sir Richard Harman Luce, who served as Member of Parliament for Derby from 1924–29. Her other maternal great-grandfather was Vice Admiral Sir Trevylyan Napier, who was the Commander-in-Chief, America and his wife, Mirandas great-grandmother, was Mary Elizabeth Culme-Seymour, daughter of Sir Michael Culme-Seymour, 3rd Baronet, Vice-Admiral of the United Kingdom. Both the Culme-Seymours were implicated in the Mylius affair, Hart was a fourth cousin, twice removed, of Diana, Princess of Wales. Their common ancestors were George Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer and his wife Lavinia Spencer and she attended the University of the West of England in Bristol, graduating with a 2,1 degree in political science. Hart then completed a course in Acting at the Academy of Live. In 2002, she performed a show in Edinburgh and in 2004 she pitched a comedy show to the BBC. At her read-through for BBC executives, Ab Fab writer and star Jennifer Saunders was present, before her own series was commissioned, Hart made appearances in various British sitcoms. In Not Going Out she initially appeared as an acupuncturist, however, her performance impressed producers so much that they wrote a regular role for her as Barbara, a clumsy cleaner
9.
Lisa Ray
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Lisa Rani Ray is a Canadian actress, model, television host, philanthropist and social activist. In 2005 she appeared in the Canadian film Water, which premièred at the Toronto International Film Festival, in 2008 she starred alongside Sheetal Sheth in the romance films I Cant Think Straight and The World Unseen. Ray made her Indian cinematic debut in 1994 with the Tamil film Nethaji, alongside Sarath Kumar, in 2001 she appeared in the Bollywood film Kasoor alongside Aftab Shivdasani. In 2002 she acted in the Telugu film Takkari Donga, alongside Mahesh Babu, on 16 November 2010, TLC India announced that it would film a new 5-part series, Oh My Gold, with Ray. The series Oh My Gold was set against the backdrop of India. Uncovering the beauty of various cities, Ray played both a host and a travel guide, in 2016, Ray appeared in Ram Gopal Varmas biographical Veerappan. Ray was born in Toronto to a Bengali Hindu father and a Polish mother and she spoke Polish with her maternal grandmother and watched movies of Federico Fellini and Satyajit Ray with her cinephile dad. She spent some time of her childhood in Kolkata, Ray came to public attention when she appeared in an advertisement for Bombay Dyeing wearing a high-cut black swimsuit in the 1990s, opposite Karan Kapoor. Subsequently, she returned to Canada to attend university to study journalism, instead, she returned to India, where she appeared on the cover of Glad Rags wearing a red Baywatch-style swimsuit. The sensation that caused led to more magazine covers, spokesperson deals, a Times of India poll named her the ninth most beautiful woman of the millennium, the only model in the top ten. She also anchored the TV show Star Biz on Star Movies, lisa also appeared in a desert-themed music video for the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s Aafreen Aafreen, and then took an assignment to anchor a TV show. Her work in that film caught the eye of Deepa Mehta, realizing that acting was something that she wanted to pursue more seriously, Ray moved to London to concentrate on a career in the performing arts. While there, Ray studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama, the London Centre for Theatre Studies, the Desmond Jones school of Physical Theatre and she graduated from the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts, in 2004, with a post-graduate degree in acting. While studying, Ray made an effort to not accept any film offers until she had graduated. In 2005, Ray worked again with Mehta, in the Oscar-nominated film Water, in which she spoke her lines in Hindi, since then, Ray has worked in productions from Canada, Europe, and the United States. I think every film that I’ve done so far has been a point because I experimented with each one. The movies I chose, dealt with a lot of thought-provoking subjects, after graduation, Ray based herself out of Milan, Paris, and New York from 2004–2008, returning to Toronto upon her mothers death in late 2008. In 2007, Ray completed filming for Kill Kill Faster Faster and she appeared in a few uninhibited sex scenes, something unheard of for an artist from India
10.
CDET
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CDET is the quality assurance and membership body for the professional dance, drama and musical theatre industries. The organisation acts as the quality assurance body of the profession, providing guidance on courses, funding and qualifications to authorities, parents, valued advancement opportunities for proficient individuals and professionals going forward—including Continuing Professional Development, specialist diplomas and appropriate academic study. CDET membership includes accredited schools, validated awarding organisations and affiliates, cDETs Recognised Awards scheme comprises recognised schools and recognised teachers. CDET validates offeris graded, vocational and diploma examinationsin the performing arts, carrying out quality assurance inspections, some programmes such as Access to Professional Training and Performing Arts Training focus on progression towards a specific role. Others, including Continuing Professional Development encourage reflective practice in a work-based context, higher Education modules help users develop skills in research and analysis
11.
Royal Victoria Patriotic Building
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The Royal Victoria Patriotic Building is a large Victorian building in a gothic style combining Scottish Baronial and French Châteauesque. It is located off Trinity Road in Wandsworth, London and it was built in 1859 as the Royal Victoria Patriotic School, by popular subscription as an asylum for girls orphaned during the Crimean War. It is a Grade II* Listed Building designed by the architect Major Rohde Hawkins, the buildings architect was Major Rohde Hawkins. It is made of brick with York stone dressings. It consists of three storeys arranged around two separated by a central main hall. There is an additional single-storey court on the east side, the roof is steeply pitched with slate. The metal-framed windows are mullioned and transomed, the style is a combination of Scottish baronial, Jacobean and French Châteauesque architecture. There are five towers with pyramidal rooves, and many smaller corner turrets. The central tower at the front has a projecting frontispiece three storeys high, above it is a statue of St George and the Dragon in a niche. Much of the detail has now been lost, so the interior is mostly quite plain. A wallplate in the hall has carved foliage. The main halls roof is in three sections, it was painted by J. G, the Royal Victoria Patriotic Building is a Grade 2 Gothic Revival listed building on the edge of Wandsworth Common, South West London. It was built as the school of the Royal Victoria Patriotic Asylum on land enclosed from Wandsworth Common, the building was designed by Rohde Hawkins in the then popular Gothic style. The foundation stone was laid by Queen Victoria on 11 July 1857, the rapid construction was facilitated by offsite prefabrication of many components such as cast iron windows, stone dressings, roof trusses, iron floor joists and decorative pieces of leadwork. The money for the building came from Prince Alberts Royal Patriotic Fund, however, only £35,000 was actually used in the buildings construction by George Myers of Lambeth. The orphans lived in conditions, they had to pump water up to the tanks in the buildings towers, do all the washing. When the installed warm air heating system failed, no fireplaces were built in the orphans quarters, the orphans were reportedly abused by the chaplain, one orphan dying as a result, leading to a scandal. In the First World War, the building was refurbished with stronger roof trusses, repointed brickwork, new Westmoreland slates on the roof, and it was used as the 3rd London General Hospital
Media related to Academy of Live and Recorded Arts at Wikimedia Commons
