St Cuthbert's Green Plaque
Here is the unusual plaque aformentioned in the post'St Cuthbert's Green Arch'...it seems to be of a man with 4 arms and 4 legs...anyone any idea what it might be about?...
(It is to the left of the beautiful arch...)
Kenton Bar Pyramid - The Icon of Kenton Bar Estate
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It looks like it says something on it in a crescent, the first word might be "winner", but it isn't sharp enough to tell. I imagine it is an architectural or civic award of some kind but I don't recognise it.
ReplyDeleteI didnt spot that..I will investigate... thanks for flagging it up Shades...
ReplyDeleteMy better half thinks the word might be "Member".
ReplyDeleteA good find Shades-pity its connelly-I find him most unfunny and most unsavoury... but nevertheless the imagery of the 4 legged/4 armed man again must have some symbolism...I must make enquiries re this St Cuthbert plaque-unless any architectural type can shed some light?...
ReplyDeleteHi everyone,
ReplyDeleteThe symbol is the Vitruvian Man by Leonardo da Vinci. As used famously by ITV's World in Action programme - long since cancelled in favour of chat shows where someone who never goes outside the M25 interviews someone else who never goes outside the M25 but who also - importantly - always seems to have just written a new book which they just happen to mention.
Anyway, at first glance, "Vitruvian Man" is nothing but a useful diagram, depicting the proportions of a typical human so an artist can more easily draw him. The wooden "anatomically correct" mannekins are another example.
There is also some less obvious symbolism in the diagram, given the circle and square. The term "squaring the circle" has connotations with the Freemasons. In connection with which, have a look at the symbols on a US 1 dollar bill. Does anything look familiar?
Squaring the circle also refers to a long-standing mathematical problem that has obsessed scientists for thousands of years: How can the mathematical and geometrical definitions of the circle and square, two very different shapes, be accurately put in relation to one another? "Vitruvian man" is one well-known attempt.
The other famous attempt to square the circle, raises the most interesting question of all. Because the other famous attempt to "square the circle", resulted in the pyramid. The height/length ratio of the typical Egyptian pyramid is based on the number PI (3.141592654 etc) - PI is the ratio between the circumference of a circle and its diameter.
A cynic would say that a pyramid is only the shape it is because it is completely self supporting, so that a primitive culture could build a tall building, secure in the knowledge it could not collapse. But if that was the only objective, why get the dimensions so precise? Most of the later Egyptian pyramids have identical proportions, based on PI.
Because of this, there is good reason to believe that the ancient Egyptians knew more maths than they previously were given credit for.
Also - we know that Ryder and Yates were interested in 'elemental' geometry - not only pyramids, but also cones and cylinders, appear in their standard works.
The above comments seem to have raised some interesting questions that I don't have the answers to, but hopefully it will assist with our collective desire for enlightenment - so I'll leave it there for now.
Most informative and thought provoking thank you Andrew!
ReplyDeleteSee also the Wikipedia encyclopedia for more information re the Vitruvian_Man :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitruvian_Man
note the St Cuthberts plaque has a like'net' in the shape of the Delta Flyer(Star Trek Voyager) added to the Da Vinci Vitruvian Man...why?...
Rutter Carroll, author of the book'Ryder & Yates' informs us that:
ReplyDelete'The housing scheme at St Cuthberts Green(and the pilot for the Kenton(Bar) Estate won two awards for housing design,a Civic Trust Commendation in 1966 and a Good Design in Housing medal also in 1966 and the plaque commemorates this'
Thank you for the information Rutter!
Civic Trusts tend to put up simple triangular plaques (or occasionally blue ones) so I googled "Good Design in Housing Medal" and got this site: http://www.hdawards.org/awards_archive.php but they only go back to 1997.
ReplyDeleteWent back to see what is written on the plaque...it says:
ReplyDelete'ministry of housing and local government'...
PS:The plaque is placed very high up on the wall, presumably to stop it being vandalised/stolen...wonder what it is made of?...