Mysterious Majolica Beasts

On my travels I have visited a number of places that have Majolica floor tiles on display. Majolica pottery is a distinctive Italian style of pottery which dates from the Renaissance period. Majolica pottery is typified by its bright colours that are set over a white background. The name Majolica is believed to have been derived from a medieval Italian word for the island of Majorca, the rational being that Spanish Moorish potters would have originally brought the pottery style from Majorca to Italy.

Majolica floor tiles are usually interesting as they often depict weird and wonderful creatures that are either creations of the artists mind or real beasts that are not known to man (well not known to me at least). Below is a selection of some of the Majolica floor tiles that I have come across, these are either 14th Century Majolica tiles from the Palais Des Papes in Avignon or 16th Century Flemish Majolica tiles from The Vyne near Basingstoke.

Please feel free to post in the comment section if you know what animals the tiles are supposed to represent.

A scaled beast.

Two freaky beasts getting it on?

An odd human-like skull.

A shelled creature.

A 16th century elf?

A weird fish ready for a kiss?

Some form of dog?

A bird?

A young Nessie?

Pictures, France (October 2012) & Hampshire (July 2013).

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Alcatraz’s Weird Residents

The former prison on Alcatraz Island is well known for some of its famous residents, which included Al Capone, Robert “Birdman” Stroud and George “Machine Gun” Kelly (amongst others). The prison closed in 1963 and by the end of that decade the island had become home to a number of Native American activists who stayed for around two years. The island is also reported to be home to a number of ghosts of the former prison inmates.

The weirdest Alcatraz Island resident by far however, is far smaller and more inconspicuous than any of these.

Back in 2012 the island was suffering from a rat infestation, and in a bid to control this problem a dye that fluoresces under ultraviolet light was put into bait. The plan being that the rat’s droppings could then be tracked using UV lights and the rats could be found and eliminated. However, the pest controllers found more than just glowing rat droppings, they found glowing millipedes. It seems that by accident the pest controllers had found an unusual trait of the island’s known species of millipedes, that when illuminated by UV light, that they fluoresce. It is not entirely clear why a mostly nocturnal and blind animal would evolve to emit light, but one theory is that it could be a mechanism to warn predators not to eat them (as they are toxic).

Alcatraz Island in San Fransisco Bay.

Alcatraz Island up close.

The prison. 

The prison.

Graffiti from the Native American Occupation.

A cell block.

A cell.

An example "tunnel" from the Alactraz prison escape.

The "service tunnel" behind the cells into which the escapees fled.

Prison Medical Ward.

A cell block.

San Fransisco at night as seen from Alcatraz Island.

Pictures, California (2008).

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The Camberley Obelisk - Signalling Hellfire

Having lived and worked in the Camberley area for a number of years in my 20's I had often wondered why the town had a street called “Obelisk Way”. It was only after visiting the Hellfire Caves and the Dashwood Mausoleum in West Wycombe that it all became clear to me.

If you ever visit Camberley look out for Knoll Road and the Council Offices, behind which you will find the small Camberley Park. At the back of this park on top of a small hill there is an interesting structure, which is known as the Camberley Obelisk.

The Obelisk is the remains of a brick tower that today is about 30 ft high. Originally the tower would have been around 100 ft high, and would have consisted of a number of storeys with access provided by an internal staircase. The Obelisk was built by John Norris around 1765 to 1770 (before Camberley existed), and in that era the surrounding land would have been open heathland, allowing for good visibility from the top of the Obelisk for a number of miles.

It is not fully known why the Obelisk was built, but the most popular theory was that is was built on the top of the hill as a signalling tower. Some believe that this particular tower was a heliograph, a signalling tower that reflects sunlight to send messages. One of John Norris' known friends was Sir Frances Dashwood (founder of the Hellfire club), and in 1751 Dashwood built St Laurence's Church atop the Hellfire Caves in West Wycombe, around 20 miles away from Camberley. St Laurence's church is adorned with a large golden ball (for a picture see my previous blog post “The Home of Hellfire”) and one interesting, but unproven, theory is that the golden ball on St Laurence's church and the Obelisk at Camberley were used to relay messages between the two friends. One theory suggests that they used the heliographs to pass bets to each other and another suggests that they were involved in an espionage network and used the system to exchange secret messages.

What ever the truth, the history of this well hidden building is likely to be interesting.

Entering Camberley Park from the Council Offices car park.

The Obelisk at the back of the park, hiding behind trees.

First view of the Obelisk.

The Obelisk.

A peek around the back.

Inside, looking up.

View over Camberley, from the base of the Obelisk.

Some coincidental graffiti.

The information board in the park.

Pictures, Camberley - Surrey (July 2013).

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Finding Sweethaven

If you have ever wondered where Popeye’s home of Sweethaven is located, then you need look no further than the Mediterranean Island of Malta. Sweethaven (or Popeye Village as it is known) is located on the north western coast of Malta in Anchor Bay. The village was originally built as the set for the 1980 Robin William’s film "Popeye", and the village now continues life as a tourist attraction. The village of Sweethaven consists of about 20 wooden buildings and presents a very striking sight when seen from a distance. Up close however, the appearance is somewhat different with most of the buildings being very rundown and in a poor state of repair, giving the village a much more sinister air.

Popeye as a character began life in a comic book way back in 1929 and, like any good comic book character, some of his adventures over the years have included Fortean themes. One of Popeye's cryptid encounters that caught my attention was his encounter with the "Desert Yeti". The Desert Yeti is a hairy orange beast with an appearance that is vaguely reminiscent of the "Honey Monster" of Sugar Puff cereal fame. The concept of a Desert Yeti is not one that I had come across before, and perhaps Popeye is the first person to have reported an encounter with such a beast?

Pictures, Malta (2010).

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A Handful of Hill Forts

Living on the Wiltshire – Hampshire border, one thing that the local countryside offers me in abundance is ancient hill forts. Below is a quick look at some of those that I have visited recently.

Sidbury Hill, Wiltshire

Sidbury Hill (also known as Sidbury Camp) is the remains of an Iron Age hill fort that consists of rampart earthworks supported by a double ditch system. Sidbury Hill is northwest of the military town of Tidworth in Wiltshire (home of the Demon Drummer) , and is part of the MoD Salisbury Plain training area. The Sidbury Hill site is approximately 17 acres in area, and excavations in the 1950s indicate that the Iron Age hill fort may have been built on the site of a previous neolithic settlement.

Sidbury Hill from a distance.

Sidbury Hill earthworks & ditches.

 Sidbury Hill earthworks & ditches.

View from Sidbury Hill.

Fosbury Camp, Wiltshire

Fosbury Camp, is the site of an Iron Age hill fort in Wiltshire, located a couple of kilometres west of the village of Vernham Dean. Fosbury Camp  sits atop the steep Knolls Down and has a similar rampart earthworks and ditch system to that of Sidbury Hill. The site is oval in shape, and is reported to be approximately 26 acres in area.

Fosbury Camp earthworks & ditches.

 Fosbury Camp earthworks & ditches, with opposite hillside in the distance. 

Fosbury Camp - looking towards the centre.

Bury Hill, Hampshire

Bury Hill is the site of another former Iron Age hill fort, which lies just west of the village of Upper Clatford (just outside of Andover). The site is about 22 acres in area and the earthworks are mostly hidden by the trees that encircle the site. Some sources suggest that Bury Hill was used as a camp by the Danish invader Cnut the Great (careful spelling required there) in 1016 during his campaign to gain control of the country from the then King of England (Edmund Ironside), although some sources also refute this claim.

Mrs J walking the footpath along the inner rampart.

Looking back along the inner rampart.

Looking from the inner rampart to the outer rampart.

The centre of the site is guarded by a solitary tree.

Danebury, Hampshire

By far the most famous of the hill forts that I have visited is the one at Danebury, which is near the village of Nether Wallop, about 10 miles south of Andover. Like the other hill forts mentioned here, Danebury dates to the Iron Age. Danebury covers an area of about 12 acres, and is believed to have been built in the 6th century BC and to have been in use for about 500 years. Danebury was believed to have been home to a community of 300 - 400 people, and excavations between 1969 - 1988 uncovered extensive evidence of occupation including over 180,000 pieces of pottery and 240,000 pieces of animal bone. Like most hill forts, Danebury was abandoned around 100 BC. The reason for the general abandonment of hills forts in this era is still a matter of debate.

The entrance to Danebury.

The inner rampart.

Looking towards the centre of Danebury.

Pictures, Wiltshire & Hampshire (June 2013).

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Dead Man’s Plack

Just outside of Andover in Hampshire, hidden inside the Harewood Forest (near Longparish), a 19th century stone cross can be found. The cross was erected in 1825 by Lt. Col. William Iremonger.  The inscription on the cross commemorates an event that was believed to have occurred within the Forest in 963 and perhaps even at the very location of the cross.

As the story goes, King Edgar (great grandson of Alfred the Great), who was also known as “Edgar the Peaceful”, was looking for a Queen and had heard about the beauty of a lady called Elfrida. The King dispatched his adviser Earl Athelwold of Wherwell to check if the claims of Elfrida’s beauty were true, and if so, he was ordered to present the King’s offer of marriage. However, after meeting Elfrida, Athelwold (presumably enraptured by her beauty) decided to marry her himself and to report to the King that she was not suitable for him to marry. King Edgar, not being easily duped, found out about the deception and by way of repayment killed Athelwold during a hunt in Harewood Forest. Whether this story is true or not is hard to tell but it lends an interesting reason to search out this isolated spot.

The monument.

The monument from behind.

Inscription on the monument.

Close-up of cross.

Alfred the Great in Winchester.

Information board.

Pictures, Hampshire (June 2013).

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