Showing posts with label construction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label construction. Show all posts

Saturday, 22 May 2021

Margam Castle -The 19th Century Tudor Gothic Mansion

 This 19th Century Tudor Gothic Mansion was designed by the architect Thomas Hopper for Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot.

The house was built in 1830 – 40 at a cost of £50,000 using sandstone from nearby Pyle quarry. Listed Grade I as a mansion of exceptional quality, the Castle has some spectacular features such as the vast staircase hall and octagonal tower.

One frequent visitor to Margam was Talbot’s cousin, Henry Fox Talbot of Lacock. A pioneer photographer, he succeeded in taking one of the earliest photographic views 

Until 1942, the Castle and estate remained in the ownership of the Talbot family when it was acquired by a local landowner, Sir David Evans Bevan, and in 1974 by the County Council, the present owners, when it was of ruinous state.

A disastrous fire in 1977 gutted the interior. 







Wednesday, 11 November 2020

Ouse Valley Viaduct

 Located between Haywards Heath and Balcombe, the Ouse Valley Viaduct offers quite a dramatic view. A structural marvel, the viaduct was originally built in 1838 to pass the London-Brighton line across the River Ouse.