Returning after a gap to #ironworkthursday, here are some lovely 17th-century firebacks from last weekend’s visit to Penshurst Place. Descriptions are in ALT text.

Flying visit to East Sussex yesterday to drop Inspector Sidell off at an excavation at Bodiam, followed by a chance to commune with the ghosts of excavations past at Battle Abbey.

A few minutes too late for #IronworkThursday, but here’s a highlight of Glasgow Neceopolis, the striking Egyptian Vaults of 1837, designed by David and James Hamilton and beautifully restored by the Friends of Glasgow Necropolis.

For #ironworkthursday here are my favourite gates, at the entrance to the Glasgow Necropolis. Designed by David Hamilton and cast by Thomas Edington’s Phoenix Foundry, 1838. Conserved and gilded in 2011 - see www.glasgownecropolis.org/main-entranc... for more information.

For #ironworkthursday, here’s a rather nice cast-iron plaque on no 83 High Street, Steyning, bearing the date 1710. The building is listed, grade II.

As a late entry for #ironworkthursday, here’s a gate manufactured by A & J Main & Co of Glasgow, now blocked by an old coppiced sweet chestnut tree that is starting to absorb it. This is in the hills near Haslemere, in part of what was the Witley Park estate.

It doesn't end with trans people; it never did. www.attitude.co.uk/news/reform-...

The purpose of yesterday’s trip to Wemyss Bay was to catch a ferry to Bute so that I could revisit the amazing Rothesay Castle. This makes an excellent and cost-effective day-trip from Glasgow, using Scotrail and CalMac. If you get the chance, do it.

Wemyss Bay railway station is famous, but nothing prepares you for the magnificence of its cast-iron interior. Doon the watter in #IronworkThursday style for a trip to Rothesay.

For #IronworkThursday, I was very taken with these protective cast-iron grilled on pavement-level windows in Hope Street, Glasgow.

This week last year (2024) the sun was shining at Viroconium Cornoviorum (Wroxeter Roman City, Shropshire) too! And here is an animation of the Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) data set we collected. #geophysics #archaeology #groundpenetratingradar

For #ironworkthursday, here is the well-maintained iron enclosure around the tomb of the noted political writer and MP William Cobbett (1762-1835) in Farnham churchyard.

Great thread.

A cast iron mortsafe and stone watchhouse in the Cadder Parish Churchyard on the outskirts of Glasgow. Cont./ #glasgow #cadder #church #glasgowchurches #mortsafe #bodysnatchers #glasgowhistory

This is a shocking thread even by Reform UK standards

A good long walk on a glorious late afternoon at Hindhead, where @nationaltrust.bsky.social have been doing good work in maintaining views and clearing scrub to restore heathland.

Perhaps we can stop being so parochial about Starmer's trip to Washington now. It was a failure. We are in a battle against fascism. And every decision we make is judged by whether it assisted or opposed it.

“Experts are part of this winning formula. It is their knowledge that English Heritage, and other organisations, rely on when designing an experience […] or updating displays to reflect contemporary concerns.” www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

A good sunny morning for a visit to #RHSWisley in search of portents of Spring. Less welcome were signs of rock cake shrinkflation.

New radiocarbon dating report on the early Neolithic timber building and long barrow known by the lovely name of Cat's Brain in Vale of Pewsey, Wiltshire: historicengland.org.uk/research/res...

For #IronworkThursday, here’s a fine row of grave enclosures along the south wall of the Kirk at Fyvie, Aberdeenshire.

For #IronworkThursday, here’s the iron yett and a window grille from Drum Castle, Aberdeenshire.

It’s #IronworkThursday again - remember to share your #metalwork images, modern or historic. These #castiron railings from a former public toilet in London Road #Glasgow were cast at Walter Macarlane and Co Ltd's Saracen Foundry. Now in Kelvingrove #Museum.

Still trying to make #IronworkThursday a thing here. This week, a splendid grave enclosure from the Kirkyard at Fyvie, Aberdeenshire.

Read this last night, and needed a stiff whisky to get through it. A moving and unflinching report. Well done to all involved in this vital work.

Great to see esteemed former colleagues from Historic England joining this platform, but is there any sign of the organisation taking the plunge? It would be particularly good to see HE_Archaeology on here.

It looks as though National Trust for Scotland are joining. @n-t-s.bsky.social

Well worth a follow.

Without doubt the finest historic shopfront in #Glasgow and one of my all-time favourites! Made for Ciro Pearls in 1926. Now well looked after by Jo Malone. Hello to new Scottish followers👋 - a lot of Scottish shops will feature in my forthcoming book, 'Chain Stores'.

For Ironwork Thursday, here’s a fetching lamp and bracket on a pub called The Volunteer, in Wharf Street, Godalming.

For IronworkThursday, here’s a splendid tomb enclosure/mortsafe I saw at Elgin Cathedral recently. According to the inscription it was erected by John Forsyth, the Ironmonger in Elgin, in 1810, in memory of his wife and other family members.

Yesterday’s stops en route to friends in Inverness: the gorgeous Huntly Castle, and Spynie Palace with its enormous towerhouse.

Visited a couple of bucket-list castles on this trip. The remains of the great Kildrummy Castle, and the precarious ruin of Old Slains Castle.

Day one of my week of excavation at a RB site somewhere in deepest Wiltshire. Spent it helping to uncover a layer of rubble from the collapse or demolition of a building.

One for Norn Irn chums, a wee bit of Belfast in deepest Surrey. These are the remains of the Temple of the Four Winds, built c. 1910 for Viscount Pirrie (of Harland & Wolff/Titanic fame) overlooking his Witley Court estate. Demolished in 1966, leaving an archaeological puzzle in its paved floor.

Amazing results of GPR survey at Helmsley Castle by my esteemed former colleagues. historicengland.org.uk/research/res...

What Stephen said. Over 60, never voted Tory, will vote tactically against them.

Historic England needs your help to understand the future management needs of CUCAP, the Cambridge University Collection of Aerial Photography (www.geog.cam.ac.uk/facilities/c... ), which has been closed since 2016. There is a short user survey here: www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/CUCAPusers...

For Ironwork Thursday, some more firebacks from the Mitford collection displayed in the service wing at NT Petworth House. More about the collection at www.wealdeniron.org.uk/wp-content/u...

Before the storms - images from a recent walk at Frensham, with sunset over the frozen Little Pond (a medieval fishpond associated with Farnham Castle).

A nice afternoon for a stroll around Midhurst. Cowdray House was a bit wetter than usual.

For Ironwork Thursday, here are the early 19th century cast-iron gates from the gardens to the park to the SW of NT Petworth House. Listed Grade II.

For Ironwork Thursday, some lovely historic cast-iron firebacks from the Mitford Collection on display at Petworth House, West Sussex. (National Trust).

The town council in our street has hung plain scarlet and gold banners from the lamp-posts. Does this mean that our corner of Surrey has twinned with Gryffindor?

For IronworkThursday, a Royal Oak cast-iron fireback from the National Trust Acorn Bank near Temple Sowerby, Cumbria.

New #HeritageCounts data is now available online from Historic England. An incredibly valuable source for those wanting to demonstrate the value of heritage. Access the latest evidence on the state of the historic environment now: bit.ly/HeritageCounts

Historic England have opened a consultation on an update to the 2011 Environmental Archaeology guidelines. Comments are welcomed from colleagues in the archaeological sector. historicengland.org.uk/about/what-w...

For Ironwork Thursday, here are some Georgian military fireplaces. I first came across these at Fort Cumberland, where there were several George III examples. I’ve shown other examples from Corgarff Castle and Blackness Castle.

I would say this I guess but the more I think about this the more I think it’s a complete scandal. The U.K. government has just created the perfect conditions for a dark money election

Another oldie but goodie for #IronworkThursday - an iron grill that was found during underpinning of the Round Tower at Windsor in 1989-92. This was sited at the mouth of the drain from the kitchen. We think it dates to the construction of the present tower in the 1220s.