Didn't the ancient Romans use bricks? I ask in shameful ignorance, but at least it's genuine.
The General Chat Room
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Originally posted by Pianorak View PostWhen visiting Albi and its Cathedral many years ago I was surprised to learn that it was begun in 1282, took 200 years to complete and is the largest brick building in the world.
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Fired brick go back to around 3,000 BC in the Indus Valley. I was not surprised to find the Chinese had them even earlier.
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Originally posted by Bryn View PostFired brick go back to around 3,000 BC in the Indus Valley. I was not surprised to find the Chinese had them even earlier.
The bricks in that photograph of the crypt look relatively modern but maybe "looks" are a little deceptive in this instance ... and, of course, the walls may have been repaired somewhat following the initial discovery.
I admit I don't know very much about bricks, only that the English once loved using bricks for their joined-up little dwellings. When I used to travel regularly down the East Coast on business in the 1970s I rarely failed to be struck at how the buildings suddenly changed from stone to brick as soon as one crossed the Tweed at Berwick.
However, I had no idea Anglo brick-enthusiasm started as far back as it appears to have done, and I certainly think those clearly expert ancient bricklayers responsible for building the walls of that crypt deserve a very special mention for the results of their most impressively-enduring brickwork !
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Originally posted by Pianorak View PostWhen visiting Albi and its Cathedral many years ago I was surprised to learn that it was begun in 1282, took 200 years to complete and is the largest brick building in the world.
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Originally posted by Ferretfancy View PostMy visit to Albi was a very long time ago. It is of course famous as the birthplace of Toulouse Lautrec, and I remember a rather splendid museum which featured the art of lithography with examples of his work. I hope it's still there!
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Originally posted by Ferretfancy View PostMy visit to Albi was a very long time ago. It is of course famous as the birthplace of Toulouse Lautrec, and I remember a rather splendid museum which featured the art of lithography with examples of his work. I hope it's still there!My life, each morning when I dress, is four and twenty hours less. (J Richardson)
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Well, my music loving chums, I find myself strangely compelled to share on this thread, since it seems to include peoples health news, that I am at home recovering from hernia surgery. It seems to have gone well, despite being a somewhat complex operation, as I had already had one earlier repair.
My treatment seems to encapsulate all the best, and some of the less desirable elements of the NHS. Sadly, hernia repair is your genuine postcode lottery. Ten years ago when I first developed two hernias, ( and was self employed with all the income implications) I was more or less refused surgery, despite being in a pretty incapacitated and very uncomfortable state . Consequently, I had to pay for private surgery, which although it was with a highly reputable surgeon, didn't go entirely to plan.
Last year I started getting some more symptoms, and this time, with the help of a highly sympathetic GP, ( who had recently been on a course specialising in these conditions) and a specialist NHS surgeon, I went from scan and diagnosis to having the surgery in four months. I really can't imagine how surgeons do their job,incredible skill and no little bravery.
Hopefully this time he has nailed it.
One thing almost everybody in this country agrees on, whatever their political views, is that we should cherish and properly fund the NHS. Quite how a few politicians and lobby groups can thwart what the vast majority want, is beyond me.
( On the postcode lottery thing, I have a colleague whose partner has two hernias, and has been refused treatment for both. Another colleague's partner, living in the same area, had his done in a matter of weeks.)I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed or numbered. My life is my own.
I am not a number, I am a free man.
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Originally posted by teamsaint View PostWell, my music loving chums, I find myself strangely compelled to share on this thread, since it seems to include peoples health news, that I am at home recovering from hernia surgery. It seems to have gone well, despite being a somewhat complex operation, as I had already had one earlier repair.
My treatment seems to encapsulate all the best, and some of the less desirable elements of the NHS. Sadly, hernia repair is your genuine postcode lottery. Ten years ago when I first developed two hernias, ( and was self employed with all the income implications) I was more or less refused surgery, despite being in a pretty incapacitated and very uncomfortable state . Consequently, I had to pay for private surgery, which although it was with a highly reputable surgeon, didn't go entirely to plan.
Last year I started getting some more symptoms, and this time, with the help of a highly sympathetic GP, ( who had recently been on a course specialising in these conditions) and a specialist NHS surgeon, I went from scan and diagnosis to having the surgery in four months. I really can't imagine how surgeons do their job,incredible skill and no little bravery.
Hopefully this time he has nailed it.
One thing almost everybody in this country agrees on, whatever their political views, is that we should cherish and properly fund the NHS. Quite how a few politicians and lobby groups can thwart what the vast majority want, is beyond me.
( On the postcode lottery thing, I have a colleague whose partner has two hernias, and has been refused treatment for both. Another colleague's partner, living in the same area, had his done in a matter of weeks.)
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