Author Archives: DannyB

Marx & Engels at the Seaside – Ramsgate Part One

Karl Marx and his family – Jenny his wife, their children Jennychen, Laura and Tussy (Eleanor) and live-in help and long-term family friend, Helene Demuth (Lenchen), all spent time at the seaside. Friedrich Engels too, with his long term partner Lizzie Burns and her niece Mary Ellen, known as ‘Pumps’. Marx sometimes went alone toContinue reading “Marx & Engels at the Seaside – Ramsgate Part One”

The quality without a name

In his book, ‘The Timeless Way of Building’, Christopher Alexander introduces the idea of ‘the quality without a name’. “There is a central quality which is the root criterion of life and spirit in a person, a town, a building or a wilderness. This quality is objective and precise, but it cannot be named”. AlexanderContinue reading “The quality without a name”

Dover Western Docks Revival

Let us for a moment set aside technological determinism and instead consider technology as a determinant. The earliest archeological evidence for the wheelbarrow is in Chengdu in 118AD. It took about 1,000 years for wheelbarrows to make their way to medieval Europe. References to artefacts which could be wheelbarrows starts to appear around 1170. AnyoneContinue reading “Dover Western Docks Revival”

Miracle Window – Jordan, son of Eisulf

Canterbury Cathedral is an enormously complex artifact in many different dimensions of time, space and thought. Guides and guidance are needed to understand it. But not all guidance is the same. Even the ‘facts’ are often disputed and there are multiple layers of analysis often at tension and contradiction with each other. This is oneContinue reading “Miracle Window – Jordan, son of Eisulf”

In search of the Premonstratensians

This was not particularly planned. At the last minute I decided to take the train to Walmer and then, should the day work along with me, I would try and find the remains of Langdon Abbey. It felt a great luxury to be able to do something that felt so spontaneous after months of lock-down.Continue reading “In search of the Premonstratensians”

Luxury apartments with sea view

Mermaid beach in Folkestone is the site of new luxury apartments with sea views. Solar Suzanne, oil/ chemical tanker sailing from Rotterdam to Houston. Steel railings with sea view. Sea view without railings. Sea view without luxury apartments The container ship on the left is the Wec Vermeer sailing from Antwerp to Lexixoes. The containerContinue reading “Luxury apartments with sea view”