The Dublin Spire was erected between December 2002 and January 2003 on Dublin’s main thoroughfare, O’Connell Street. Nothing of note had been erected on this spot since the removal of Nelson’s Pillar in 1966. The Spire was designed by Ian Ritchie Architects and is a stretched cone shape which tapers from a 3m diameter at the foot to 15cm at the summit. The Spire is constructed from 8 hollow tubes of stainless steel which were assembled on site on O’Connell Street using a complicated crane and pulley system.

It had been originally hopped that the Spire would be completed by 2000 and erected to mark the millennium, but planning and environmental regulations resulted in a delay of 3 years. The Spire is not without its critics, but in general it has been very well received in Dublin and is seen as a fitting replacement for Nelson’s Pillar. Since its construction, the Spire has been nominated for multiple architectural awards, including the Stirling Architectural Prize in 2004.

Nelson’s Pillar, which preceded the Spire was a controversial granite pillar with a statue of Lord Nelson erected at the summit. The Pillar was built in 1808 to honor Admiral Lord Nelson and the Battle of Trafalgar. Ireland was always a very independent nation, and did not appreciate having a monument to a British Soldier thrust upon them by their British occupiers. The Pillar was by far the tallest building in Dublin at the time, and until its demise in 1966, became a popular meeting place for the people of Dublin. The Pillar had an internal staircase to a viewing platform that gave unrivaled views over Dublin City and Bay.

Despite several attempts to have the pillar removed, including one by the then An Taoiseach Sean Lemass in 1960 who wanted to replace the statue of Admiral Lord Nelson with one of Saint Patrick, the pillar still remained. On March 8 1966 the pillar was blown up by a group of former IRA men to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. This had not been the first attempt by the IRA to have the pillar removed. In April 1954 the IRA called on Dublin corporation to seek legislation to remove the pillar, but the city fathers decided to take no action.

Today the Spire is one of Dublin’s most visited tourist attractions. One of the most endearing aspects of the Spire is the fact that it reflects light so beautifully no matter what time of day. There are stunning views of the Spire from Henry Street as it seems to fill a void in the cityscape of Dublin.

Ronan Menton is the webmaster for a number of travel related websites and has been for some time in Ireland, associated with search engine optimisation in the Irish travel industry. He spends two months a year in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and now sees it as his second home. Among the many sites he is currently working on are the following: thrifty.ie/ Ireland Car Rental, and malonecarrental.com/ Car Rentals in Ireland.

Does your Charleston home need cleaning out? Do you have a lot of things you do not use but don’t have space for? Then you need a mobile storage company in Charleston. Just pick up the phone and you watch your storage problems disappear.

Mobile storage companies in Charleston go the extra mile that regular storage companies do not – they actually come to your house and give you a storage unit in which you can pack and secure at your convenience, and then pick up the unit and store it in their facility. Do you need your package back? They’ll deliver it to your doorstep the minute you call.

Many mobile storage companies Charleston provide free pick up and delivery as an extra incentive. That means you never have to spend for costly truck rentals, gas or mileage fees. All you have to pay is a reasonable monthly storage fee.

They will typically let you choose what size of storage you need, but the average is about 5 feet by 8 feet. They bring your storage unit to their high-tech, climate-controlled facilities that are protected with spray insulation and equipped with video security units. Need extra boxes or locks? You can purchase these from them, too.

Most mobile storage companies in Charleston do not require you to get insurance for your items, but experts will advise you to go the safe side and get coverage, especially if your items are precious heirlooms or collectibles.

Never put liquids, hazardous items or flammable materials into your storage unit, because they could leak overtime and damage your other items, or worse, cause huge destruction in the storage site and other people’s properties.

e-CharlestonSC.com Charleston SC provides detailed information on Charleston SC, Charleston South Carolina Hotels, Charleston South Carolina Real Estate, Charleston South Carolina Restaurants and more. Charleston SC is affiliated with i-SanAntonio.com San Antonio Jobs.

Westminster Abbey, in London’s Parliament Square, is probably best known to tourists as the site of royal coronations, funerals, and the final resting place of many of England’s royals and political leaders. An amazing amount of history can be found by visiting this impressively-beautiful working church and house of remembrance.

Founded originally in the year 616, the stone abbey that originated on the site was built and consecrated in the 11th century. Every coronation that has occurred since 1066 has taken place at the Abbey. St. Edward’s Chair, last used when Elizabeth II took the throne, is where the monarch sits at the very moment of coronation. It sits in the Chapel of Edward the Confessor, where he is entombed. Many people find it the highlight of their tour, although there is so much more to take in during a walk around the building and its surroundings.

Nearly all of the Kings and Queens of England are buried on site, as are many of Britain’s famous: poet Geoffrey Chaucer, evolution theorist Charles Darwin, scientist Sir Isaac Newton, writers Charles Dickens and Rudyard Kipling, actor Laurence Olivier and composer George Frederick Handel. In 1997, Princess Diana’s funeral was held in the Abbey. Additionally, there are many famed British citizens (like Winston Churchill and William Shakespeare) who are “remembered” and memorialized with plaques of recognition. The Henry VII Chapel and Poet’s Corner are also must-see stops along the tour.

Admission price is £10, with discounts for families, students and seniors. Audio guides are offered for an additional £3, and guided tours are available for an additional £4. Photography and filming are prohibited. The Abbey usually opens at 9:30 AM, but times vary because services, worship and other events are held. It’s best to check before you go.

This Historic Town was founded in 1679 by Simon van der Stel became the second governor of the Cape Colony, at this time the Cape Colony consisted of a fort and a few small farms clustered around the Table Bay region.

The colony had been established to provide a provisioning point for the eastward bound ships of the Dutch East India Company and Simon van der Stel felt that wine would make a welcome addition to the supplies he was charged to supply.

Expeditions were sent out to the mountain slopes and valleys inland and one night after camping in the bush along the Eerste River (First River) he announced that he would have a town built there. The town was duly established and named after his nights camp in the bush – Stellenbosch.

Every year on his birthday Simon van der Stel would preside over a fair held in his honor, in those days Stellenbosch was a rough frontier town where hunters traders and adventurers would mingle with the farmers and the celebrations included competitions of hunting and shooting, games, feasting, and no doubt a certain amount of imbibing of the local product.

The town that Simon van der Stell began is to be seen to advantage today, He had spacious streets laid out and oak trees planted along them for shade (The trees are full grown now – they had a longer view of town planning in those days).

As the years passed by, the frontier moved further inland and Stellenbosch lost the rough edges of a frontier town and the farmers became more prosperous and genteel, today central Stellenbosch contains streets of the finest examples of Cape Dutch architecture. The Stellenbosch Village museum is a group of well preserved buildings, each restored and furnished to give you a look at a different period in the history of this fascinating town.

Today Stellenbosch is at the heart of South Africa’s wine producing region.

Lest you think that Stellenbosch is a dusty old display cabinet, be aware that it is also home to one of South Africa’s finest universities, so parts of town have a young trendy feel with nightclubs and cafes.

Historical Buildings and Landmarks:

The Kruithuis
Built by the mason Michael Rambusch in 1777, this old powder magazine and arsenal has survived from the days when the Cape was a possession of the Dutch East India Company.

It is now a museum that has a collection of military items from the history of the Stellenbosch, including a collection of 17th century cannon.

Historical Buildings and Landmarks

Oom Samie se winkel
Oom Samie se winkel – (Uncle Sammies shop) has remained the same since it was first opened over 150 years ago. As you duck through the low doorways you step back in time to a period in the past.

The rooms of this frontier era general dealer are packed full of a wide variety of goods for sale, these range from tools and antiques to wine, clothing and food, a glimpse into the days when these shops had to provide all the requirements of their small communities.

Moederkerk
The original church was one of the foundations of the town of Stellenbosch, burnt down in 1710 a series of dificulties prevented the rebuilding until 1722. In 1814 the church was enlarged.

Finaly in 1863 the current church was completed. The community of Stellenbosch had been able to secure the services of the German architect Carl Otto Hagar who designed a neo-gothic masterpiece. The sheer beauty and history of this Stellenbosch landmark attract many visitors.

Village Museum
This group of four well preserved and carefully restored buildings represent examples of the housing and lives of the settlers of Stellenbosch.

The earliest of the houses dates back to the original pioneering time when Stellenbosch was a frontier town. The Last dates from the Victorian period when Stellenbosch was more established and sedate.

Architecture:

The Wine Industry The early houses in this area were built in the Cape Dutch style, this style is unique to the Cape and is unquestionably beautiful. The style has roots in mediaeval Holland, Germany, France and Indonesia.

The early houses were single-storied. They usually consisted of three rooms in a row with steep roofs supported by rafters. Houses were generally built of local materials, thick walls were made of clay or rubble cemented with a lime-mortar, restios were used for thatching the roofs.

In 18th century, with increasing prosperity, houses began to grow larger and more ornate. They began to reflect the growing wealth and ostentation of their owners. It was then that the front gable made its appearance, the front gable is one of the most distinctive features of the mature Cape Dutch Style.

These houses were built to a symmetrical plan with a central door flanked by an even number of windows. Most houses had a central front room (voorkamer) into which the entrance led, from here doors led into the rooms on either side and sometimes to a back room (agterkamer)

Later wings were added to the wealthier homes giving rise to U-plan and H-plan designs.

Wonderful examples of these styles are to be found in and around Stellenbosch.

Irrespective of the period, all the Cape Dutch houses were painted with whitewash, which when combined with the gray of the thatched roofs and the green of the trees and vines which have been planted around many of them gives them all a particular charm and beauty.

Central Stellenbosch has many well preserved houses of this style, the majority of them are still in use, and there is a series of four buildings that have been made into a museum where you can see the furnishings and styles of different periods.

If you have an eye for architecture and history, or if you just enjoy beautiful buildings and towns, then a walk through the heart of Stellenbosch is an experience that is sure to give you great pleasure.

Gerald Crawford was born in South Africa, studied electronics, telecommunication, eco-travel and african travel concepts. He taught responsible tourism in South Africa. If you have any questions or comments please e-mail me on. E-mail Address: mailto:southafricantravelarticles@12234455.co.za southafricantravelarticles@12234455.co.za Website Address: 12234455.co.za 12234455.co.za