Spitbank Fort Luxury Hotel | Victorian Sea Fort-England

Spitbank Fort Luxury Hotel | Victorian Sea Fort

Spitbank Fort or Spitsand Fort or simply Spit Fort is a sea fort is one of four located in the Solent, near Portsmouth, England. Spitbank Fort was built in the Victorian era to protect Britain from French invasion, and now serves for peaceful purposes as a luxury hotel. It is located in the Solent , near Portsmouth, England. The fort was built 1867 to reflect the occurrence of French troops and ultimately was not used as intended, as the French have not attacked but they still played an important role during the Second World War, when confronted by the Nazi ships. As a result, the ships were destroyed. But during the bombing of the fort was damaged by Nazi bombs and Spitbank Fort was decommissioned by the Ministry of Defence in 1982. Currently Fort is privately owned and once opened as a museum. It has 50 rooms, its own dance hall, restaurant, and was once available for private functions with limited accommodation available. It was the venue for the Coalition Festival in the summer of 2009, and other psytrance and hard dance parties. In 2009, he was put up for sale for 800,000 pounds, but sold at auction for more than 1 million pounds.

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Currently Spitbank owned by Clarenco LLP (owners of Horse Sand Fort and No Man's Land Fort), and has been renovated for use as a small luxury spa hotel and retreat with 8 bedroom suites., which has created here, this luxurious hotel now, but the uniqueness and character of this military fort was abandoned, all rooms walls and ceiling were uncovered trim, brick. Holes through which the outside were exposed guns are now windows that offer great views of the sea, and loopholes are cozy niches. Once lived in this place 150 soldiers who slept in hammocks, but now guests arrived here on vacation can relax in eight luxurious and spacious bedrooms. All conversion fort hotel took invest 3 million pounds.

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On the top of the fort is a swimming pool and a sauna where guest can relax and enjoy the views of the Strait, Isle of Wight, and two other neighboring fort. At the top of the fort is located, modern room with a beautiful view of 360 degrees, called "Crow's Nest" overlooking the Solent and Portsmouth Harbour. This is perhaps the most romantic room, it has a luxury double sofa bed, bar, doors open directly onto the terrace.

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The hotel has eight luxurious double bedrooms with bathroom and another bedroom suite, each modern design intertwined with ancient walls, historic arches, the rooms have modern furniture, chandeliers. There is a cinema in the hotel, library, gym and rest rooms in the basement of the fort, where you can play darts, billiards, pinball, poker. Hungry you will not leave here, too, there are three private dining rooms, three bars and a wine cellar where you can taste wine. In Fort Spitbank recently even went shooting to the James Bond film "007. Coordinates: "Skayfoll" "(English Skyfall). Owner Spitbank Fort also has plans to turn the neighboring forts in the spa and Naval Museum.

Image credit images © Sam Brooks www.e-architect.co.uk

Image credit amazingvenues.co.uk

Image credit amazingvenues.co.uk

Image credit amazingvenues.co.uk

Image credit amazingvenues.co.uk

Image credit amazingvenues.co.uk

Image credit amazingvenues.co.uk

Image credit amazingvenues.co.uk

The Magnificent Structure of Ancient Step well, Chand Baori | Rajasthan India

The Magnificent Structure of Ancient Step well, Chand Baori | Rajasthan India

Chand Baori is a stepwell situated in the village of Abhaneri near Jaipur in the Indian state of Rajasthan.  Abhaneri is a village in the Dausa district of Rajasthan state in India. It is situated at a distance of 95 km from Jaipur, on the Jaipur-Agra road. It is located opposite Harshat Mata Temple and was constructed in 800 AD. Chand Baori is one of the oldest and is considered to be among the biggest in the world, even most attractive landmarks in Rajasthan. It was built by King Chanda of the Nikumbha Dynasty between 800 and 900 AD and was dedicated to Hashat Mata, Goddess of Joy and Happiness upon completion.

Image credit MARÍA VICTORIA GUERRERO CATALÁN Trujillo, Extremadura, Spain

The Chand Baori is built on a square plan with 3,500+ symmetrically laid out steps going down 13 levels (and likely a few more levels below the water table) to a depth of 20 meters. The steps surround the well on three sides while the fourth side has a set of pavilions built one atop another. The side that has the pavilions have niches with beautiful sculptures including religious carvings. There is even a royal residence with rooms for the King and the Queen and a stage for the performing arts. There is  a pool of green water at the bottom that can be reached by a descending set of steps. Some have described the overall visual effect is that of an Egytian pyramid turned upside down. Chand Baori is now a treasure managed by the Archeological Survey of India ("ASI").  While there is a palace that flanks the baori, it is in a state of disrepair and the star attraction is clearly the baori itself. There is no Entrance Fee to visit this monument. 

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Image credit Chili Temple

Image credit Chili Temple

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Image credit Martok

UK Aerial Photography by Jason Hawkes

UK Aerial Photography by Jason Hawkes

Photographer Jason Hawkes has been making fascinating aerial images since 1991. With a gyro-stabilized camera, he takes photos directly from the open door of a helicopter. Hawkes has covered subjects around the world like DUBLIN NEW YORK LIBYA but i like the some aerial shots of the United Kingdom. 

An offshore wind farm standing in the North Sea off the coast of Kent.

An illuminated Emirates Stadium at night during a match between Arsenal and Crystal Palace, London.

China clay pits near Trethurgy, Cornwall.

Farmers working beneath wind turbines, Wales.

Longships Lighthouse stands just West of Land's End, Cornwall.

Paths through Hyde Park, one of the largest parks in London.

Planes awaiting take off at Gatwick Airport Terminal at night.

The Brecon Beacons mountain range in South Wales.

The domed greenhouses at the Eden Project in St. Blazey, Cornwall.

The lifeboat shed in the coastal town of Tenby, Wales.

View of pigs on a farm in Narborough, Norfolk.

The largest Solar Furnace | Odeillo in Pyrénées-Orientales, Franc

The largest Solar Furnace | Odeillo in Pyrénées-Orientales, France

The largest Solar Furnace is at Odeillo in the Pyrénées-Orientales in France, opened in 1970. It employs an array of plane mirrors to gather sunlight, reflecting it onto a larger curved mirror. Solar  furnace  consists of 10000 concave mirrors that reflect and focus the sun's rays on the square diagonal of 40 inches. Diameter mirror construction is 54 meters. An array of mirrors acts as a parabolic reflector, concentrating light into focus. Temperature is in focus, as if in this place at the same time sent 22,000 suns. It can reach 3500 ° C (all depends on the position of the mirrors). Solar furnace used for industrial purposes. With its help generate electricity, melt steel, creating hydrogen fuel and nano-materials.

Image credit Florian

The ancient Greek / Latin term heliocaminus literally means "solar furnace" and refers to a glass-enclosed sunroom intentionally designed to become hotter than the outside air temperature. During the Second Punic War (218 - 202 BC), the Greek scientist Archimedes is said to have repelled the attacking Roman ships by setting them on fire with a "burning glass" that may have been an array of mirrors. An experiment to test this theory was carried out by a group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2005. It concluded that although the theory was sound for stationary objects, the mirrors would not likely have been able to concentrate sufficient solar energy to set a ship on fire under battle conditions. The first modern solar furnace is believed to have been built in France in 1949 by Professor Félix Trombe. It is now still in place at Mont Louis, near Odeillo. The Pyrenees were chosen as the site because the area experiences clear skies up to 300 days a year. Another solar furnace was built in Uzbekistan as a part of a Soviet Union "Sun" Complex Research Facility impulsed by Academician S.A. Asimov.

Image credit Joseph Giral

Image credit Joseph Giral

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The longest tree-lined avenue in the world | Cedar Avenue of Nikkō, Japan

The longest tree-lined avenue in the world | Cedar Avenue of Nikkō, Japan

The Cedar Avenue of Nikko is a street in Japan lined with approximately 13,000 cryptomeria trees, known as Sugi, the national tree of Japan. Consisting of three parts converging on the city of Imaichi, the Cedar Avenue of Nikko is 35.41 kilometers long and is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest tree-lined avenue in the world. The Cedar Avenue of Nikko is the only cultural property designated by the Japanese Government as both a Special Historic Site and a Special Natural Monument. The cedar trees were planted approximately 400 years ago by Matsudaira Masatsuna, a feudal lord serving Tokugawa Ieyasu, who donated them to the Nikko Tosho-gu. This monumental project was begun around 1625 and required about 20 years to be completed. It is estimated that some 200,000 cedars were planted at this time.

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The Rhine Falls, Switzerland | The largest plain waterfall in Europe

The Rhine Falls, Switzerland | The largest plain waterfall in Europe

The Rhine Falls (Rheinfall in German) is the largest plain waterfall in Europe, The falls are located on the High Rhine between the town council of Neuhausen am Rheinfall and Laufen-Uhwiesen, near the town of Schaffhausen in northern Switzerland, between the cantons of Schaffhausen and Zürich. They are 150 m (450 ft) wide and 23 m (75 ft) high. In the winter months, the average water flow is 250 m³/s, while in the summer, the average water flow is 700 m³/s. The highest flow ever measured was 1,250 m³/s in 1965; and the lowest, 95 m³/s in 1921.

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The Rhine Falls were formed in the last ice age, approximately 14,000 to 17,000 years ago, by erosion- resistant rocks narrowing the riverbed. The first glacial advances created today's landforms approximately 500,000 years ago. Up to the end of the Wolstonian Stage approximately 132,000 years ago, the Rhine flowed westwards from Schaffhausen past Klettgau. This earlier riverbed later filled up with gravel. About 132,000 years ago the course of the river changed southwards at Schaffhausen and formed a new channel, which also filled up with gravel. Part of the Rhine today includes this ancient riverbed. During the Würm glaciation, the Rhine was pushed far to the south to its present course, over a hard Late Jurassic limestone bed. As the river flowed over both the hard limestone and the easily-eroded gravel from previous glaciations, the current waterfall formed about 14,000 to 17,000 years ago. The Rheinfallfelsen, a large rock, is the remnant of the original limestone cliff flanking the former channel. The rock has eroded very little over the years because relatively little sediment comes down the Rhine from Lake Constance. 

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Image credit Anita

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Image credit d.traveller