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Dalkeith

Dalkeith (Dail Cheith, ) is a town in Midlothian, Scotland, on the River Esk. It was granted a burgh of barony in 1401 and a burgh of regality in 1540. The settlement of Dalkeith grew southwestwards from its 12th-century castle (now Dalkeith Palace). Dalkeith has a population of 12,342 people according to the 2011 census.

The town is divided into four distinct areas: Dalkeith proper with its town centre and historic core; Eskbank (considered to be the well-heeled neighbourhood of Dalkeith with many large Victorian and newer houses) to its west; Woodburn (primarily a working class council estate with pockets of new housing developments) to its east; and Newbattle (a semi-rural village with its abbey) to the south.

Dalkeith is the main administrative centre for Midlothian. It is twinned with Jarnac, France. In 2004, Midlothian Council re-paved Jarnac Court in honour of Dalkeith and Jarnac's long standing link.

On the north-eastern edge of Dalkeith at Woodburn is the Dalkeith Campus (completed 2003) – housing both Dalkeith High School and St David's Roman Catholic High School plus community leisure facilities.

Etymology
Dalkeith is understood to be a Cumbric name, cognate with Welsh ddôl 'meadow, plateau, valley' + coed 'wood'.

Prehistory and archaeology
During the construction of the Dalkeith Northern Bypass in 1994-95 and 2006-08 (final construction was delayed for over a decade) archaeologists, working for CFA Archaeology, uncovered many archaeological features and information on the prehistory and history of the area. Their findings included two ring-groove structures, two pit alignments, a Roman temporary camp, a post-medieval building, an 18th-century designed landscape, and two industrial sites with a brick and tile works and a coal pit engine house. Given the wide area covered they were able to surmise the general settlement patterns of Dalkeith over the centuries. Settlement and land use was concentrated on the sands and gravels of the river terraces and only a bit of human occupation on the compacted clays that are found throughout the area. They also determined that people had been living in the Dalkeith area since the Neolithic.

History
One of the earliest historical references to Dalkeith is found in the Chronicles of Jean Froissart, who stayed at Dalkeith Castle for fifteen days. He writes of the Battle of Otterburn and the death of James Douglas, 2nd Earl of Douglas: "'I, author of this book, in my youth had ridden nigh over all the realm of Scotland, and I was then fifteen days in the house of earl William Douglas, father to the same earl James, of whom I spake of now, in a castle of five leagues from Edinburgh which is called in the country Dalkeith. The same time I saw there this earl James, a fair young child, and a sister of his called the lady Blanche.'"

In 1650, Oliver Cromwell's army came to Dalkeith. His officer General George Monck was Commander in Scotland, and the government of the country was based out of Dalkeith Castle.

In 1831, Dalkeith was linked to Edinburgh by the Edinburgh and Dalkeith Railway, which transported coal, minerals, and agricultural produce. Two decades later, in 1853, a Corn Exchange, at the time the largest indoor grain market in Scotland, was built.

In 1879, Dalkeith was where William Ewart Gladstone started his campaign for British Prime Minister, which became known as the "Midlothian campaign".

Notable buildings
The Collegiate Church of St Nicholas Buccleuch, formerly known as Dalkeith Parish Church, stands on High Street. Dedicated to St Nicholas, this medieval church became a collegiate establishment in 1406, founded by Sir James Douglas. The nave and transepts date from 1854, when the inside of the church was greatly altered. The chancel was abandoned in 1590, walled off from the rest of the church, and is now ruinous. Sir James Douglas, 1st Earl of Morton, and his wife Joanna, daughter of James I, are buried in the choir and have stone effigies. St Nicholas Buccleuch Church remains one of the two Church of Scotland parish churches in Dalkeith, the other being St John's and King's Park Church. The Episcopal Church, St Mary's is on High Street, at the entrance to Dalkeith Country Park. St David's Church, on Eskbank Road, is the only Roman Catholic church in the town, it is a category A listed building and was built in 1854.

Dalkeith Palace which replaced the castle in the late 16th century and was rebuilt in the early 18th century, lies at the north-east edge of the town. It is a former seat of the Duke of Buccleuch, surrounded by parkland and follies.

The building on High Street now known as the Tolbooth began to be used as a tolbooth for the administration of the town in the early 18th century. The plaque above the door reads '1648' but this was taken from another building and does not denote when the Tolbooth was built. It incorporated prison cells in the basement, a weigh house on the ground floor and a courtroom on the first floor. In front of the building there is a circle of stones to mark the spot where the last public hanging in Dalkeith took place. William Thomson was hanged here for highway robbery in 1827. The Municipal Buildings in Buccleuch Street were completed in 1882.

Other notable buildings include a Watch Tower at the cemetery (1827), a water tower and early 19th-century iron mills and the Masonic Temple or Lodge Rooms of the Dalkeith Kilwinning Masonic Lodge No.10 situated next to The Collegiate Church of St Nicholas Buccleuch in the high street completed in 1766.

Edinburgh College has its Midlothian Campus in Eskbank, close to the railway station.

There is a modern Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also known as Mormon) meeting house on Newbattle Road.

Midlothian Community Hospital is just outside Dalkeith, located off the A7 road on the eastern edge of the neighbouring town of Bonnyrigg.

Notable people

 * Robert Aitken (1734–1802), Bible publisher
 * Thomas Alison (1860–1931), painter
 * Sir John Anderson (later 1st Viscount Waverley) (1882–1958), Home Secretary 1939–1940, Chancellor of the Exchequer 1943–1945
 * Edmund Thornton Crawford (1806–1885), artist
 * Beetty Dick (1693–1773) one of a series of female town criers peculiar to Dalkeith
 * Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville (1742–1811), politician
 * Fish (born Derek Dick) (b. 1958), former singer with Marillion
 * Darren Fletcher (b. 1984), footballer with Manchester United, West Bromwich Albion and Stoke City
 * John Kay (1742–1826), artist
 * Robert Ker (1824–1879), First Auditor General of the Province of British Columbia
 * Robert Macpherson (1814–1872), photographer
 * David Mushet (1772–1847), pioneer of iron production
 * Bob Pringle (1851–1902), professional golfer
 * Henry Scott, 3rd Duke of Buccleuch (1746–1812), Scottish nobleman
 * Walter Montagu Douglas Scott, 5th Duke of Buccleuch (1806–1884), nobleman, landowner and politician
 * James Small (1740–1793), inventor
 * Bobby Smith (1953–2010), footballer with Hibernian and Leicester City
 * Robert Smith (1722–1777), American architect
 * James Stagg (1900–1975), D-Day meteorologist
 * Peter Guthrie Tait (1831–1901), mathematical physicist
 * Aiden Moffat (1996–), racing driver
 * Ryan Porteous (1999–), footballer with Hibernian and Watford

Transport
Until 2008, Dalkeith was on the A68, one of the main routes south from Edinburgh to Jedburgh and across the border to Darlington. A bypass to take traffic away from the town centre was completed in September 2008; this then took the A68 number, and the old route of the A68 is now the A6106.

Other main roads serving Dalkeith are:

 * 1) A6094 — leads SW towards Bonnyrigg and Peebles, and NE towards Musselburgh
 * 2) A768 — leads west from Eskbank to Lasswade and Loanhead
 * 3) B6373 — a road wholly within Dalkeith, leaving and rejoining the A6106
 * 4) B6414 – leaves the A6094 on the NE edge of Dalkeith (at Woodburn) and leads NE to Tranent
 * 5) B6392 – runs north–south through Eskbank, and used to be the route of the A7 which leads from Edinburgh to Galashiels and Hawick
 * 6) B703 – leads south from Eskbank, through Newbattle, to Newtongrange
 * 7) B6482 – leaves the A6106 on the SE edge of Dalkeith (at Woodburn) and leads into Easthouses and Mayfield.

The re-building of the northern section of the Waverley Railway Line re-connected Dalkeith to the national rail network after a gap of more than 40 years, with a station at Eskbank on the western edge of Dalkeith. Construction commenced in late 2012, and the line re-opened to passenger services on 6 September 2015.

Bus services in Dalkeith are mostly run by Lothian Buses; East Coast Buses and Borders Buses also serve the town.

For walkers, the Penicuik–Dalkeith Walkway passes close by.

Football
The town is home to Dalkeith Thistle F.C., based at King's Park. The club was formed in 1892 and now plays in the East of Scotland Football League, having spent most of its history in the Scottish Junior Football Association.

The established club is affiliated to Dalkeith Thistle Community Football Club, based at Cowden Park, Woodburn; The club is 'SFA Quality Mark' accredited and run by volunteers.

Rugby
Dalkeith RFC play in the Scottish Rugby Union East Leagues. The club was the first in Midlothian to open full membership to women and the first in the county to run a women's side. Notable former players include Sir David Murray, whose car crash on the way back from a match in North Berwick ended his rugby career and led to him focusing on his business empire. Adam Robson, who went on to become President of the Scottish Rugby Union, also played for the club.

Twin town

 * 🇫🇷 Jarnac

title: Dalkeith


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Dingwall

Dingwall (Dingwal, Inbhir Pheofharain ) is a town and a royal burgh in the Highland council area of Scotland. It has a population of 5,491. It was an east-coast harbour that now lies inland.

Dingwall Castle was once the biggest castle north of Stirling. On the town's present-day outskirts lies Tulloch Castle, parts of which may date back to the 12th century. In 1411 the Battle of Dingwall is said to have taken place between the Clan Mackay and the Clan Donald.

Early history
Its name, derived from the Scandinavian Þingvöllr (field or meeting-place of the thing, or local assembly; compare Tynwald, Tingwall, Thingwall in the British Isles alone, plus many others across northern Europe), preserves the Viking connections of the town; Gaels call it Inbhir Pheofharain, meaning "the mouth of the Peffery" or Baile Chàil meaning "cabbage town".

The site of the Þingvöllr, and of the medieval Moothill, thought to have been established by the Vikings after they invaded in the 8th century, lies beneath the Cromartie memorial.

Early middle ages
In the early Middle Ages Dingwall Castle, which was established in the 11th century, was reputed to have the largest castle north of Stirling. King Alexander II created Dingwall a royal burgh in 1226, the burgh becoming the seat of the Earls of Ross. James IV renewed its royal burgh charter in 1497. On the top of Knockfarrel (Cnoc Fhearghalaigh), a hill about 3 mi to the west, stands a large and very complete vitrified fort with ramparts.

An obelisk, 51 ft high, was erected over the grave of George Mackenzie, 1st Earl of Cromartie, near the parish church of St Clement after he died in 1717. It was affected by subsidence, becoming known as the "Leaning Tower", and was later replaced by a much smaller replica. Dingwall Town Hall, which dates back to 1745, still survives.

The Ferry Road drill hall was completed in 1910. Dingwall formerly served as the county town of Ross and Cromarty: the headquarters of Ross and Cromarty County Council, established in 1889, was County Buildings in Dingwall.

James Gillanders of Highfield Cottage near Dingwall, was the Factor for the estate of Major Charles Robertson of Kincardine and, as his employer was then serving with the British Army in Australia, Gillanders was the person most responsible for the mass evictions staged at Glencalvie, Ross-shire in 1845. A Gaelic-language poem denouncing Gillanders for the brutality of the evictions was later submitted anonymously to Pàdraig MacNeacail, the editor of the Canadian Gaelic column in which the poem was later published in the Nova Scotia newspaper The Casket. The poem, which is believed either to be or to draw upon eyewitness accounts, is believed to be the only Gaelic language source of information relating to the evictions in Glencalvie.

Recent history
The town has a pedestrian Heritage Trail, which launched in March 2023, with information boards at key historical sites around the town.

As a result of storms in late October 2006, Dingwall was subject to widespread flooding the aftermath of which left the town and much of the Highlands north of Inverness, including the A9 and Far North Line, cut off for a time In August 2019 the town was once again flooded.

Dingwall's Post Office was named the UK's most improved delivery office of the year in Royal Mail's 2021 Awards.

Geography and transport
Dingwall lies near the head of the Cromarty Firth where the valley of the Peffery unites with the alluvial lands at the mouth of the Conon, 14 mi northwest of Inverness. The town contains a particularly short canal, the Dingwall Canal, also known locally as the River Peffery. Dingwall railway station has been on what is now called the Far North Line since about 1865. It also serves the Kyle of Lochalsh Line.

Dingwall is on the former main road route to the north Highlands (A9). Since the completion of the Cromarty Bridge in 1979, the main road has bypassed Dingwall. Heading west, the A834 joins the A835 road which is the main route to the north west Highlands, including Ullapool.

Sport and media
Dingwall is the home of football team Ross County, who won promotion to the Scottish Premier League in 2012 and finished the 2012/13 season in fifth place. Despite the town's small population, Ross County attract sizeable crowds to Victoria Park from across the whole surrounding area. The team reached the 2010 Scottish Cup Final, having knocked out Celtic in the previous round. Ross County won their first piece of major silverware in 2016, winning the Scottish League Cup by beating Hibernian 2–1 in the final.

Television signals are received from the Rosemarkie TV transmitter and the local relay transmitter situated in Fodderty.

Radio stations are provided by BBC Radio Scotland on 94.0 FM and BBC Radio nan Gàidheal (for Gaelic listeners) on 104.9 FM, MFR Radio on 96.7 FM and Highland FM on 107.1 FM which is an all-volunteer based community radio station.

The town is served by the local newspaper, Ross-shire Journal.

Education
Dingwall has a primary school, Dingwall Primary, serving the town.

Dingwall Academy is the secondary school serving the town and the wider area, including communities such as Strathpeffer, Contin, Conon Bridge, Maryburgh and Muir of Ord.

The Highland Theological College is located within the town, housed in a former Scottish Hydro Electric office. It is part of the University of the Highlands and Islands. Its focus is upon Theological Education, and is an accredited university for training Church of Scotland and United Free Church ministers and workers.

Parliamentary Burgh

Dingwall was a parliamentary burgh, combined with Dornoch, Kirkwall, Tain and Wick in the Northern Burghs constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1708 to 1801 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1918. Cromarty was added to the list in 1832. The constituency was a district of burghs known also as Tain Burghs until 1832, and then as Wick Burghs.

It was represented by one Member of Parliament (MP). In 1918 the constituency was abolished and the Dingwall component was merged into the county constituency of Ross and Cromarty which was itself abolished in 1983.

Religion
Churches include:

 * Dingwall and Strathpeffer Free Church of Scotland
 * Dingwall Baptist Church
 * Dingwall: Castle Street Church of Scotland
 * Dingwall Evangelical Church
 * Dingwall: Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland, opened in the mid/late 1890s, current building 1959.
 * Dingwall: St Clement's Church of Scotland
 * St James the Great Scottish Episcopal Church
 * St Lawrence's Church, Roman Catholic Church, opened in 1902.

Notable people

 * James Fraser of Brea theologian and prisoner on the Bass Rock
 * Prof James Alexander MacDonald (1908–1997) botanist, born and raised in Dingwall.
 * Major General Sir Hector Archibald MacDonald, Son of a local Crofter at Rootfield, Dingwall.
 * John M'Gilligen of Fodderty who held conventicles in houses throughout the county
 * John Kennedy of Dingwall, Free Church of Scotland minister
 * Rev Duncan Leitch, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Free Church of Scotland in 1952
 * Julie Fowlis, a folk singer and multi-instrumentalist
 * Kate Forbes, Deputy First Minister of Scotland and member of the Scottish Parliament for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, was born and went to school in Dingwall.
 * Thomas Simpson (explorer), Arctic explorer and accused murderer (1808–1840)
 * Willie Logan, civil engineer and founder of aviation company Loganair
 * Colin Calder, founder of the Club Atletico Rosario Central - Argentina on December 24, 1889

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Dingwall


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Dufftown

Dufftown (Baile Bhainidh ) is a burgh in Moray, Scotland. While the town is part of the historic Mortlach parish, the town was established and laid out in the early 19th century as part of a planned new town settlement. The town has several listed 19th century buildings and serves as a regional centre for agriculture, tourism and services. The town is well known for its whisky based economy, as it produces more whisky than any other town in Scotland and is home to several existing and former distilleries.

History
Historically part of Banffshire, Dufftown is in the ancient parish of Mortlach (Mòrthlach). There is evidence of Pictish settlement in the area and in approximately 566 AD, St. Moluag established the first Christian church in the area, the site of the present Mortlach Parish Church. In the Middle Ages, Mortlach (in Latin Murthlacum) was an episcopal see. The Diocese of Mortlach was one of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics. The names of four bishops of the see are known: Beóán of Mortlach (fl. 1012), "Donercius", "Cormauch", and Nechtan, who transferred the see to Aberdeen in April 1132, during the reign of King David I of Scotland.

Balvenie Castle dates from the 13th century and is the second oldest building in the area, having been restored by John Comyn, Earl of Buchan and existing in use until 1746 when it was abandoned following the Jacobite Rebellion. Another building of historical significance is the primarily 15th century Castle of Auchindoun, which towers within the earthworks of an earlier prehistoric hill fort.

While there was an earlier hamlet at Laichie and Mortlach, Dufftown as a Burgh was founded in 1817 by James Duff, 4th Earl Fife and was named after him. The town was established to help develop the Earls estate and provide both housing and employment for soldiers returning home from the Napoleonic War. The new town included the historic Mortlach settlement. The town was planned in the form of a right-angled cross or grid, with the streets running north, south, east and west from a square in the middle. This was in a similar format to other earlier Highland new town settlements such as nearby Grantown-on-Spey and Tomintoul. Properties were allocated on a Feu basis, with farming strips running away from each property, the first feu was number 3 Balvenie St.

By 1841, the town had grown to a population of 770 and the Clock Tower was built for use as a gaol and as the Burgh chambers between 1839 and 1847. A public hall was built in 1879 and this became a picture house (cinema) in the 20th century in the 1930s, before closing in the 1970s (the building survives as a restaurant). In 1890, Stephens cottage hospital was founded with funds from Lord Stephen and in 1902, a new public school was built for the town. The town continued to grow into the 19th century, reaching 1,823 people by 1901. However, by 1952, the population of Dufftown had decreased to 1,460.

Geography
Dufftown lies in the centre of a long glen (valley) amid the surrounding hills, which include the granite mountain of Ben Rinnes (841 m) to the southeast. The River Fiddich (Fiodhach / Abhainn Fhiodhaich) is a right bank tributary of the River Spey that runs through the glen, giving its name to the whisky Glenfiddich. The Fiddich is joined on the eastern edge of the town by the Dullan Water which drains Glen Rinnes.

The geological composition beneath most of Dufftown is that of metamorphosed Dalradian sedimentary rocks with subsidiary volcanic rocks.

The Isla Way is a 21 km walking path that links Dufftown and the surrounding area with Keith.

Climate
Dufftown has an oceanic climate typical of Northern Scotland, characterised by relatively mild, damp winters and cool cloudy summers. The area averages 76 air frosts a year. Like much of Europe, Dufftown's climate is insulated somewhat by the Gulf Stream, a warm ocean current originating near the Gulf of Mexico. This warm ocean current makes Dufftown's climate significantly milder during the winter than expected for its latitude.

Whisky in Dufftown
Dufftown is located on the River Fiddich and is the location of several Scotch whisky distilleries. It produces more malt whisky than any other town in Scotland and lays claim to the assertion that it is the “Whisky Capital of the World”, as the term is widely found in news and tourism media and can also be found on signposts on the way into the town. Accordingly, there is a popular rhyme that goes ‘Rome was built on seven hills, Dufftown stands on seven stills.’

The largest and best known of the many surrounding distilleries is the Glenfiddich distillery that distills Glenfiddich single malt Scotch whisky. The Glenfiddich distillery is owned by William Grant & Sons, Dufftown's largest employer. This proliferation puts it on the famed Malt Whisky Trail, which also includes Keith, Glen Grant Distillery, Marypark, and Tomintoul.

The town has a small whisky history museum and heritage centre, which is currently undergoing restoration, as the museum extends into a neighbouring property.

The following distilleries have produced whisky in Dufftown:

Active distilleries

 * Balvenie
 * Dufftown
 * Glendullan
 * Glenfiddich
 * Kininvie
 * Mortlach

Former distilleries

 * Convalmore
 * Parkmore
 * Pittyvaich

Culture and Community
Dufftown hosts a highland games event every July which attracts many tourists.

The town acts as the epicentre for an annual whisky festival called The Spirit of Speyside.

In April 2021, a new regeneration project for the town entitled Destination Dufftown was launched. In response to recent economic decline in the town, the project aims to encourage new visitors to the town through a plan for new facilities for the town including a leisure centre, new accommodation for visitors, camping facilities and new shops.

Community facilities
The Stephen Hospital is a local community hospital serving the town under the responsibility of NHS Grampian. The hospital has 20 beds, was built in 1890 and extended in 1976 and 1984, including the addition of a local health centre.

Dufftown library is a small community library on Balvenie Street in the town. The library was scheduled for closure in 2013 but the council decided to keep the library open following a legal challenge from the public.

Tininver Park is a local community park in Dufftown with a play area that was upgraded in 2021.

Dufftown Golf Club is an 18 hole course located on the south-western edge of the town.

Popular culture
According to the third film in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Hogwarts, the main setting of the series, is said to be close to Dufftown by Hermione Granger, when the town is mentioned in an article in The Daily Prophet.

Landmarks

Dufftown's notable buildings include Balvenie Castle, which was partly built with stones from the ruins of nearby Auchindoun Castle. The street plan of Dufftown is mainly four main roads meeting at the Dufftown Clock Tower. Built in 1839, the Clock Tower is in square form, with three floors and a crenulated roof. It was previously used as a prison but is now a tourist information centre.

The town contains many Victorian era buildings, some of which are Category B and C listed in status. As well as the Clock Tower, notable examples include the former Clydesdale Bank at Number 1 Balvenie Street (built 1880), a three bay house at 49 Fife Street (built 1830–40), the Police Station and House on York Road (built 1897), the B-listed Maravale House at 68 Fife Street (mid 19th century) and 51 Fife Street (an early 19th century house with walls and gatepiers).

The Dufftown War Memorial to persons killed in the First World War and Second World War is located on Balvenie Street. The memorial is in the form of a bronze gothic cross on a granite-ashlar pillar and there is a garden of remembrance adjacent to the memorial.

Transport
The railway reached Dufftown in 1862 when the Keith and Dufftown Railway opened a station in the settlement. The station closed to passengers in 1968 with goods traffic coming to an end around 1991. In 2003, the Keith and Dufftown Railway Association reopened the station and the line as a preserved railway and set up their headquarters at the station. The nearest station with mainline services is Keith railway station.

The primary road through the town is the A941 (the north/south portion is locally named Balvenie St and the east portion is named Fife Street). The A941 bisects the town and meets the B9009 at the clock tower junction, where another road, Church St heads to Mortlach Parish Church.

Education
Mortlach Primary School provides education to primary school age children in the town. The school was built in 1902 and was originally the parish school serving Mortlach.

Dufftown does not have its own secondary school, the nearest is Speyside High School in Aberlour.

Religion
The old Kirkton of Mortlach, with the historic Mortlach Parish Church, is on the southern outskirts of the present town.

Today, the Diocese of Mortlach, under its Latin name of Murthlacum, is a titular see of the Catholic Church. A Catholic Church, St Mary’s, was built in the town in 1824 by the priest and musician George Gordon on Fife Street.

Notable people

 * Leslie Benzies the former president of Rockstar North, which produces the famous Grand Theft Auto game series amongst other games, was born in Aberdeen and grew up in Dufftown.
 * Dame Helen Carruthers Mackenzie, health campaigner, was born here in 1859.
 * George Stephen, 1st Baron Mount Stephen, one of the founders of the Canadian Pacific Railway was born in Dufftown.
 * William Grant, Lord Grant (1909–1972), Unionist Members of Parliament (MPs), Lord Advocate and Lord Justice Clerk, born in Dufftown
 * William Robertson Nicoll, writer and Free Church Minister in Dufftown

title: Dufftown


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The Darkness (band)

The Darkness is a British rock band that formed in Lowestoft, England in 2000. The band consists of Justin Hawkins (lead vocals, lead guitar), his brother Dan Hawkins (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Frankie Poullain (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Rufus Tiger Taylor (drums, backing vocals).

The Darkness came to prominence with the release of their debut album, Permission to Land, in 2003. Backed by the singles "I Believe in a Thing Called Love", "Growing on Me", "Get Your Hands off My Woman", and "Love Is Only a Feeling", the album was certified quadruple platinum in the United Kingdom, with sales of over 1.3 million. In 2004 the band won three Brit Awards: Best British Group, Best British Rock Act, and Best British Album. After extensive touring in support of their debut album, Poullain left the band in 2005, and was replaced by former guitar technician Richie Edwards. The band's second studio album, One Way Ticket to Hell... and Back, was released in November 2005. The following year, Justin Hawkins departed from the band after successfully completing a course of rehabilitation from alcohol and cocaine abuse. This, combined with the poor sales of the album, resulted in Atlantic dropping the band in October 2006. After the split, the remaining members formed Stone Gods, and continued to perform and record without Hawkins, who subsequently fronted his own project, Hot Leg.

In March 2011, the Darkness announced reunion shows, with original bassist Frankie Poullain, including Download Festival 2011, and the Isle of Wight Festival 2012. Their third album, Hot Cakes, was released in August 2012. Original drummer Ed Graham then left the band. A fourth studio album, Last of Our Kind, was released in 2015. A fifth album, Pinewood Smile, was released in 2017, followed by a live album, Live at Hammersmith, in 2018. Their sixth studio album, Easter Is Cancelled, was released in 2019. After the COVID-19 pandemic put a stop to their world tour in 2020, the band ended the year with a one-off streamed live show titled "Streaming of a White Christmas", which was also recorded as a new live album. Their seventh studio album, Motorheart, was released in 2021, followed by an extensive UK tour through November and December.

Early years
Justin and Dan Hawkins played together as teenagers in a band which, according to Dan Hawkins, "did a lot of Marillion covers, Bruce Springsteen, Genesis" and were "a bit prog-y". Justin Hawkins had been initially inspired to play guitar by Brian May of Queen, as he loved his tone and vibrato.

Originally known as Empire, the band generated some music industry buzz through their manager Sue Whitehouse, who was based at Savage & Best in Camden. Whitehouse had managed them since Justin Hawkins' time as a creator of music jingles.

Renamed the Darkness they became renowned for their live show, and such was the popularity of the band, they had a Carling Homecoming gig booked for the London Astoria before they had even signed a record deal.

Joe Taylor, Aled Jones and Paul Scaife at The Tip Sheet first heard about the band through a post on The Tip Sheet message board, and featured Love Is Only a Feeling in January 2002. They started Record of the Day, and featured the song again around the time of SXSW in March 2003. They wanted to feature Friday Night too but they were told the band was saving it for an album.

According to A&R Nick Raphael in an interview with HitQuarters, there was no initial clamour to sign the band, "There couldn't have been less of a buzz, and only two record labels showed any interest in them." He believes the reason for lack of interest was that "The business as a whole thought they were uncool. In fact, people were saying that they were a joke and that they weren't real." Raphael continued: "Now, 3.5 million records later, they're one of the greatest of all bands in the world, and that's because what they did was real; they weren't copying anyone. If they were copying, then they were copying someone from twenty years ago, and no-one else was doing that."

Throughout their career, critics around the world would label them as a "joke band". As part of Sony Music UK, Raphael had attempted to sign them, but the band instead opted to go with Atlantic Records. The band were hired to open for Disturbed on 1 December 2002 at Brixton Academy in which Justin Hawkins recalled numerous fans of Disturbed who threw bottles, shoes, and trash out of disgust at their stark contrast of Disturbed's music. Singer David Draiman later attacked the band for their handling of the ordeal, with Hawkins recounting the issue on his youtube channel in 2022. Draiman later apologized for the incident, and to Hawkins following the video.

Permission to Land and commercial success (2003–2005)
Their debut album, Permission to Land, went straight up to number two in the UK charts upon its release on 7 July 2003, before going to number one and staying there for four weeks, eventually going on to sell 1.5 million copies in the UK.

The Darkness took inspiration for some of their work from the local north Suffolk area, including "Black Shuck" which mentions the nearby village of Blythburgh.

The success of the album led to heavy touring for the band over the next two years, including European portions of Metallica's Summer Sanitarium Tour 2003. The band would later be added to the 2004 Big Day Out festival tour, performing alongside Metallica, Muse, The Strokes, Lostprophets, The Mars Volta, and The Black Eyed Peas. They then went on to headline the Carling Festival in 2004. The band won three BRIT Awards in 2004 in response to the album, Best Group, Best Rock Group and Best Album. They also won two Kerrang! awards in 2004 for Best Live Act and Best British Band. The third single from the album, "I Believe in a Thing Called Love", was a smash hit in the UK and the United states, becoming the second highest charting single of 2003 released by a UK band in America. The band also managed a Christmas 2003 number 1, "Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End)", which only just fell short, both singles reaching number 2 in 2003.

One Way Ticket to Hell... And Back and decline (2005–2006)
In October 2005, a month before the album was to be officially released, Justin Hawkins won an eBay auction for a copy of One Way Ticket to Hell ...and Back for £350 under the username 'turbogunhawk'. He claimed he did this so that he could track down whoever sold the digitally-marked advance copy of the album and try to prevent it from happening again.

"One Way Ticket", the first single from their second album, was released on 14 November 2005, debuting and peaking at number 8 on the UK Singles Chart. The album itself was released on 28 November 2005 to mixed reviews. The album was produced by rock producer Roy Thomas Baker, best known for his work with Queen. Early sales figures in the UK showed the album had not sold as well as its predecessor, Permission to Land. The album debuted at number 11, and fell to number 34 in the second week of its release. Although it has since reached platinum status, this contrasts with their debut's five-time platinum status.

The second single taken from their second album was "Is It Just Me?", released on 20 February 2006. The single gained a preliminary position of No. 6 all that week, but finally charted at number 8. The album's third single, "Girlfriend", was Released 22 May and charted at number 39.

Justin Hawkins' departure and breakup (2006)
In August 2006, lead singer Justin Hawkins was admitted to a rehabilitation clinic in concern of his health, which caused the band to cancel several concerts. Around this same time the band confirmed that they were to start working on their third album to be released early 2007. Tabloid rumours held that Justin Hawkins was leaving the band after completing his course of rehabilitation from alcohol and cocaine problems, and the band would continue without him, possibly with Richie Edwards as the front man. In response to the story being reported by the media, the Darkness confirmed on their official forum: "'We're sorry that you had to find this out through the newspapers, but we were hoping until the last minute that this – Justin's exit – wasn't going to happen. We – Dan, Ed and Richie – are still in total shock and can't say at this stage what the future holds. We would like to thank all our fans, partners and family for their continuous support. You will hear from us, once we know what we want to do...'"

Hawkins departure, and the lacklustre sales of One Way Ticket to Hell... (which had only gone gold compared to the previous album's four-times platinum status), led to Atlantic dropping the band from the label.

Using the pseudonym British Whale, Hawkins went on to release a cover version of the Sparks song "This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us", reaching No. 6 in the UK Singles Chart. In 2007, he launched a failed attempt to represent the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest.

In 2011, Hawkins gave a different explanation for his departure from the band, saying he had left because he felt the band had stopped being creative.

Other projects (2006–2011)
On 9 November 2007, it was announced on The University of East Anglia's student union website that a new band had been created comprising Dan Hawkins (lead guitar), Toby MacFarlaine (bass), Ed Graham (drums) and Ritchie Edwards (vocals/guitar). The name of the band was The Stone Gods.

In 2008, Justin Hawkins formed a new band, Hot Leg with Pete Rinaldi (of Anchorhead), Samuel SJ Stokes (formerly of The Thieves) and Darby Todd (from Protect the Beat). In 2009 Hot Leg released an album, Red Light Fever, which failed to make a dent on the charts (#81). Three singles were taken from it with two of them failing to chart.

By December 2010, both Hot Leg and The Stone Gods were in hiatus.

Reunion and Hot Cakes (2011–2013)
In March 2011, the four original band members reunited. They played three warm-up shows in Norwich, Leamington and at London's Shepherd's Bush Empire, before performing at the 2011 Download Festival. This was followed by an "intimate" show at London's 100 Club, which featured support from Dark Stares and notable appearances from Queen guitarist Brian May and comedian Rufus Hound. The band then toured Japan, the UK and Ireland.

A new song, "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us", was released in February 2012 as a free download. They toured North America, playing with Crown Jewel Defense and Foxy Shazam, then performed at the Sweden Rock Festival in Sölvesborg, Sweden and the 18th Przystanek Woodstock. Singles "Every Inch of You" and "Everybody Have a Good Time" were released in May and June 2012, respectively, ahead of their third album, Hot Cakes, which came out in August. Throughout the summer the Darkness played a series of festival dates, including headlining the Big Top Tent at the 2012 Isle of Wight Festival, and were the opening act for the European, Latin American and African leg of Lady Gaga's The Born This Way Ball world tour.

A new non-album song, "The Horn", was released in late 2013 as a digital download.

Last of Our Kind and new line-up (2014–2017)
The band began work on their fourth studio album in September 2014, with Emily Dolan Davies replacing Ed Graham on drums. The new album, Last of Our Kind, was released on 2 June 2015, on the band's own label Canary Dwarf Records via Kobalt Label Services with a single, "Open Fire", released on 23 March. The first track from the album to be premiered was "Barbarian", which was released with an accompanying animated music video on 23 February.

On 21 April 2015, the band issued a statement saying that drummer Davies had left the band. On 25 April 2015, it was announced via the band's official Facebook page that Rufus Taylor, the son of Queen drummer Roger Taylor, was to join the band as Davies' replacement on drums.

They were announced as the first headline act for Planet Rockstock 2015, taking place at Trecco Bay in South Wales from 4 to 7 December 2015. The Darkness closed the event on 6 December.

On 20 November 2015, the band released a music video for a new Christmas single, entitled "I Am Santa" on their YouTube Channel, which it was announced would be included in the deluxe edition of the Last of Our Kind album.

Pinewood Smile (2017–2019)
The Darkness worked on a feature-length documentary, directed by Simon Emmett. In a 2016 interview, Frankie Poullain said, "We are currently over a year in to a feature-length documentary which will surprise a lot of people."

In March 2017, the Darkness announced that their fifth studio album would be released in 2017. This was confirmed in a July issue of Planet Rock, and later on the band's Facebook page. The album's title was later revealed as Pinewood Smile, and was due to be released on 6 October of the same year. The first single from the album 'All The Pretty Girls' was released on 22 July of that year. The band embarked on a winter tour of the UK in November and December 2017.

In May 2017, the Darkness performed at the Australian touring music festival Groovin' the Moo, performing at six regional cities across Australia. They performed as a de facto opening act for the "headline act" of the festival, Violent Soho, and supported Guns N' Roses on the European leg of their tour.

In December 2017, Justin & Dan Hawkins were contestants on the Pointless Celebrities Christmas special.

In 2018, the band supported US supergroup Hollywood Vampires on their European tour, which included their first performances in UK arenas in several years. They also announced their first live album, Live at Hammersmith, a recording of their December 2017 concert at the Eventim Apollo in London. This was released on 15 June 2018.

The band contributed theme music to the British children's television programme Catie's Amazing Machines which premiered on CBeebies in October 2018.

Easter Is Cancelled (2019–2021)
In 2019, the Darkness released their sixth studio album Easter Is Cancelled on 4 October 2019 through Cooking Vinyl. Easter Is Cancelled became the band's fourth UK Top 10 album and topped the Official Charts Top 40 Rock And Metal Chart and the iTunes Rock Chart, while the record has achieved over 3 million streams on Spotify alone.

The album was released to a generally positive response from music critics while the previous singles "Heart Explodes" and "Rock and Roll Deserves to Die" proved a radio hit on the playlists of Radio 2, Absolute, Kerrang and more. The comedic video for "Rock and Roll Deserves to Die" has also individually surpassed 1 million views.

In January 2020, the Darkness released a new video for "In Another Life" which featured model Abbey Clancy. The track then made the BBC Radio 2 B-List.

The band commenced their UK tour of the Easter Is Cancelled album on 25 November 2019 in Ireland, culminating on 20 December at London's Roundhouse.

In 2020, the band attempted a worldwide tour across Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and North America. The tour abruptly ended in Adelaide, Australia on 15 March as the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent stay-at-home orders set in. The band returned to the UK for occasional shows and live streams where possible, with an aim to reschedule the remainder of the postponed New Zealand and North American dates in the future.

In December the band played a one-off show at The IndigO2 in London. Initial plans to open the show and sound check to a limited audience were shut down at the last minute due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The show still went ahead but only accessible by live stream. The whole show was recorded for a live album titled Streaming Of A White Christmas, scheduled to be released on CD and vinyl in early 2021.

Motorheart (2021–present)
For most of the first half of 2021 the band remained largely quiet on social media. On 4 June 2021, the band announced they were set to release their seventh studio album Motorheart in October. The album was eventually released on 19 November 2021. The album's cover was also unveiled in the announcement. The first single, "Motorheart", was released in August 2021. Along with the album release, the band announced an extensive list of UK tour dates to take place throughout November and December in support of the release of the album.

In January and February 2023, the band played UK arenas with Black Stone Cherry for the band's first UK arena tour since 2006.

In November 2023, the band released a feature documentary film called Welcome To The Darkness, for a one night cinema release. It was available on DVD by December 2023.

Band members
Current members
 * Dan Hawkins – rhythm and lead guitar, backing vocals (2000–2006, 2011–present); drums, percussion (2005)
 * Justin Hawkins – lead vocals, lead and rhythm guitar, keyboards (2000–2006, 2011–present)
 * Frankie Poullain – bass, backing vocals (2000–2005, 2011–present)
 * Rufus Tiger Taylor – drums, backing vocals (2015–present)

Former members
 * Ed Graham – drums (2000–2006, 2011–2014)
 * Chris McDougall – lead and rhythm guitar (2000)
 * Richie Edwards – bass, backing vocals, keyboards (2005–2006)
 * Emily Dolan Davies – drums (2014–2015)

Former touring musicians
 * Darby Todd – drums (2012)

Studio albums

 * Permission to Land (2003)
 * One Way Ticket to Hell... and Back (2005)
 * Hot Cakes (2012)
 * Last of Our Kind (2015)
 * Pinewood Smile (2017)
 * Easter Is Cancelled (2019)
 * Motorheart (2021)

Awards and honours
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" ! scope="col" | Award ! scope="col" | Year ! scope="col" | Nominee(s) ! scope="col" | Category ! scope="col" | Result ! scope="col" class="unsortable"| Ref. ! scope="row" rowspan=2|Classic Rock Roll of Honour Awards ! scope="row" rowspan=4|Kerrang! Awards !scope="row"|Mercury Prize !scope="row" rowspan=2|Pop Factory Awards
 * 2013
 * Themselves
 * Showman of the Year
 * Won
 * rowspan=2|
 * 2015
 * Last of Our Kind
 * Album of the Year
 * Nominated
 * Nominated
 * rowspan=2|2003
 * Themselves
 * Best Live Act
 * Won
 * rowspan=2|
 * Permission to Land
 * Best Album
 * Won
 * rowspan=2|2004
 * rowspan=2|Themselves
 * Best British Band
 * Won
 * rowspan=2|
 * Best Live Band
 * Won
 * Best Live Band
 * Won
 * Won
 * 2003
 * Permission to Land
 * Album of the Year
 * Nominated
 * rowspan=2|2002
 * rowspan=2|Themselves
 * Best Pop Factory Performance
 * Nominated
 * rowspan=2|
 * Best Pop Factory Debut
 * Nominated
 * Nominated

2003

 * Metal Hammer 'Golden God' for Best Single (Get Your Hands off My Woman)

2004

 * Metal Hammer 'Golden God' for Best Video ("Love Is Only a Feeling")
 * Ivor Novello Award for Songwriters of the Year
 * BRIT Award for Best British Group
 * BRIT Award for Best Rock Act
 * BRIT Award for Best British Album (Permission to Land)
 * MTV Europe Music Award for Best UK & Ireland Act and Best Rock
 * IFPI Platinum Europe Award for sales in Europe in excess of 1,000,000 (triple Platinum) (Permission to Land)
 * Elle Style Award for Most Stylish Band
 * Meteor Ireland Award for Best Album (Permission to Land)
 * Smash Hits! Pollwinners' Party for Best Rock Award
 * RIAA Digital Sales Certifications Gold Award for 100,000 downloads ("I Believe in a Thing Called Love")
 * European Border Breakers Award for debut albums of European acts achieving the best sales outside of their country of origin in 2003 (Permission to Land)
 * Denmark GAFFA Award for Best Foreign New Act (nominated)
 * Denmark GAFFA Award for Best Foreign Hit ("I Believe in a Thing Called Love") (nominated)

2005

 * ASCAP Award for one of the Most Performed Works in the USA ("I Believe in a Thing Called Love")

2006

 * MTV Australia's Best Man Rock Video award ("One Way Ticket")

2008

 * VH1 The 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" (94)

2011

 * VH1 The 100 Greatest Songs of '00s "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" (87)

2020

 * Classic Rock magazine awarded "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" the number one spot on their Greatest Songs of the Century (so far) reader poll.

title: The Darkness (band)


text:
HMPS

HMPS may be:

 * His Majesty's Prison Service, of the United Kingdom
 * Hansraj Morarji Public School, in Andheri, Mumbai, India
 * His/Her Majesty's Pakistani Ship, of the 1947-1957 Royal Pakistan Navy, a variant of the His Majesty's Ship ship prefix; see 1947 Royal Indian Navy

title: HMPS


text:
Vinča symbols

The Vinča symbols or Vinča–Turdaș signs, Old European script, Danube script (among other names) are a set of untranslated symbols found on Neolithic era artifacts from the Vinča culture and other related "Old European" cultures of Central and Southeastern Europe. Whether this is one of the earliest writing systems or simply symbols of some sort is disputed. They have sometimes been described as an example of proto-writing. The symbols went out of use around 3,500 BC.

Discovery
In 1875, archaeological excavations directed by the Hungarian archaeologist Baroness Zsófia Torma (1840–1899) at Tordos (present Turdaș, Romania) unearthed marble and fragments of pottery inscribed with previously unknown symbols. At the site, on the Mureş river, a feeder into a tributary of the Danube, female figurines, pots, and artifacts made of stone were also found. In 1908, a similar cache was found during excavations directed by Serbian archaeologist Miloje Vasić (1869–1956) in Vinča, a suburb of Belgrade (Serbia), some 245 km from Turdaș. Later, more such fragments were found in Banjica, another part of Belgrade. Since 1875, over 150 Vinča sites have been identified in Serbia alone, but many, including Vinča itself, have not been fully excavated.

The discovery of the Tărtăria tablets in Romania by a team directed by Nicolae Vlassa in 1961 revived debate regarding the inscriptions. Vlassa believed them to be pictograms. Other items found at the site of the discovery were subsequently radiocarbon-dated to before 4,000 BC, around 1,300 years earlier than the date Vlassa expected and pre-dating the writing systems of the Sumerians and Minoans. However, the circumstances of their discovery and authenticity of the tablets themselves is disputed.

The Gradeshnitsa tablets are clay artefacts with incised marks. They were unearthed in 1969 near the village of Gradeshnitsa in the Vratsa Province of north-western Bulgaria. The tablets are dated to the 4th millennium BC and are currently preserved in the History Museum of Vratsa.

Corpus

Although a large number of symbols are known, most artifacts contain so few symbols that they are very unlikely to represent a complete text.

Most of the inscriptions are on pottery, with the remainder appearing on ceramic spindle whorls, figurines, and a small collection of other objects. The symbols themselves consist of a variety of abstract and representative pictograms, including zoomorphic (animal-like) representations, combs or brush patterns and abstract symbols such as swastikas, crosses and chevrons. Over 85% of the inscriptions consist of a single symbol. Other objects include groups of symbols, of which some are arranged in no particularly obvious pattern, with the result that neither the order nor the direction of the signs in these groups is readily determinable. The usage of symbols varies significantly between objects; symbols that appear by themselves tend almost exclusively to appear on pots, while symbols that are grouped with other symbols tend to appear on whorls. Quantitative linguistic analysis leads to the conclusion that 59% of the signs share the properties of pottery marks, 11.5% are part of asymmetric ornaments typical for whorls of the Vinča culture, and 29.5% may represent some sort of symbolic (semasiographic) notation.

A database of Vinča inscriptions, DatDas, has been developed by Marco Merlini:

"DatDas organizes a catalogue of 5,421 actual signs. These are recorded from a corpus of 1,178 inscriptions composed of two or more signs and 971 inscribed artifacts (some finds have two or more inscriptions)."

Dating
These findings are important because the bulk of the Vinča symbols were created between 4,500 and 4,000 BC, with the symbols on the Tărtăria clay tablets possibly dating back to around 5,300 BC (controversially dated by association). This means that the Vinča finds predate the proto-Sumerian pictographic script from Uruk (modern Iraq), which is usually considered to be the oldest known writing system, by more than a thousand years. Analyses of the symbols showed that they have little similarity with Near Eastern writing, resulting in the opinion that these symbols and the Sumerian script probably arose independently.

Interpretations
The nature of the symbols is unknown. Attempts to interpret the symbols have been made, but have not led to any agreement among scholars. It is unlikely that they represent a writing system. However, use of proto-writing systems featuring ideographic symbols may date as early as the Lower Paleolithic. The Vinča symbols may have served a range of purposes, such as representing ownership, individual or communal identities, or themes of a sacred or religious nature.

Property
Some researchers, such as Milutin Garašanin (archaeologist) and Dragoslav Srejović, have suggested that the symbols were potters' marks or owners' marks, meaning "this belongs to X". Some symbols, principally those restricted to the base of pots, are wholly unique and such signs may denote the contents, the provenance or destination, or the manufacturer or owner of the pot. However, some of the symbols have been repeatedly found throughout the territory of the Vinča culture, dated hundreds of years apart, and in locations kilometers away from each other.

Numerals

Some of the "comb" or "brush" symbols, which collectively constitute as much as a sixth of all the symbols so far discovered, may represent a form of prehistoric counting. The Vinča culture appears to have traded its wares quite widely with other cultures, as demonstrated by the widespread distribution of inscribed pots, so it is possible that the "numerical" symbols conveyed information about the value of the pots or their contents. Other cultures, such as the Minoans and Sumerians, initially developed their scripts as accounting tools; the Vinča symbols may have served a similar purpose.

Religious symbolism
The symbols may have been used for ritual or commemorative purposes. If this was so the fact that the same symbols were used for centuries with little change suggests that the ritual meaning and culture represented by the symbols likewise remained constant for a very long duration, undergoing little further development during that time. However, the use of the symbols seems to have been abandoned (along with the objects on which they appear) at the start of the Bronze Age, suggesting that the new technology brought with it significant changes in social organization or population, and beliefs.

The anthropologist Marija Gimbutas interpreted the inscribed objects as votive offerings. One argument in favour of the ritual explanation is that the objects on which the symbols appear do not seem to have had much long-term significance to their owners – they are commonly found in pits and other refuse areas. Certain objects, principally figurines, are most usually found buried under houses. This is consistent with the supposition that they were prepared for household religious ceremonies in which the signs incised on the objects represent expressions: a desire, request, vow, etc. After the ceremony was completed, the object would either have no further significance (hence would be disposed of) or would be buried ritually.

Proto-writing
It is unlikely that the Vinča symbols represent an early writing system. It is not likely that the stateless societies of Neolithic Europe would have had cause to independently invent writing, which was developed in Mesopotamia to facilitate accounting as required for the administration of political and economic systems in early state societies. There is no evidence that such institutions existed in the Vinča culture.

Some researchers, such as Marija Gimbutas and archaeo-semiologist Marco Merlini, have argued that the Vinča symbols belonged to a wider tradition of literacy in Old Europe, which they referred to the "Old European script" and the "Danube script" respectively. Gimbutas reconstructed a hypothetical pre-Indo-European "Civilization of Old Europe", defined as having occupied the area between the Dniester valley and the Sicily-Crete line. She incorporated the Vinča markings into her model of Old Europe, suggesting that they might either be the writing system for an Old European language, or more probably a system of proto-writing. This view has been generally been met with skepticism. The symbols themselves have not been discovered outside of an area comprising Serbia (i.e., Vinča itself), southeastern Hungary, western Romania, and western Bulgaria.

title: Vinča symbols


text:
Slant-top desk

The slant-top desk, also called secretary desk, or more properly, a bureau, is a piece of writing furniture with a lid that closes at an angle and opens up as a writing surface. It can be considered related, in form, to the desk on a frame, which was a form of portable desk in earlier eras.

History
The first pieces that not only resembled the bureau, but also carried the bureau name, were manufactured in France in the middle of the 17th century. Both the name (that comes from the Medieval French and hints at the type of the linen used as a pad for writing) and antecedents are much older. A medieval example is provided by a Swedish desk with a sloped surface made at the turn of the 13th century, although writing boxes, and not freestanding furniture, were typical prior to Renaissance, when cabinets with a drop-leaf board for writing started to appear in Italy and Spain (cf. Bargueño desk).

The 17-th century France bureau Mazarin had inspired a bureau brisé, where the hinged decorative top can be lifted to reveal a space for writing. While French went on to creating a regular four-legged writing desk under a name "bureau plat", in England designs acquired the sloping flap that covered the interior and doubled as a writing surface when opened. By 1700 the English bureaus switched from supporting legs to set drawers all the way to the floor; one of the most popular versions was the bureau-cabinet with a tall cabinet above the desk. The designs from England quickly spread throughout the Northern Europe and Italy, in the process getting elaborate outlines.

In the USA
In the United States, the slant-top desk is sometimes called a Governor Winthrop desk, in memory of John Winthrop, the 17th century governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. As Winthrop died in 1647, he had no actual connection to this style of desk, which originated in the 18th century and is especially associated with Chippendale. The name "Winthrop" was attached to this kind of desk by the Winthrop Furniture Co. of Boston, Massachusetts, who offered their "Gov. Winthrop" desk in 1924, during the colonial revival period.

Like the Wooton desk, the fall-front desk and others with a hinged desktop (and unlike closable desks with an unmovable desktop like the rolltop desk or the cylinder desk), all documents and various items must be removed from the work surface of the slant-top desk before closing up.

The slant-top desk has been handcrafted in a variety of styles, one of them being the block front seashell desk of the 18th century which was popular among the well-to-do of Colonial America.

Modern
The slant-top desk has also been mass-produced in a great quantity of sub-forms and materials. For instance, some slant-top desks have very crude chains or levers to hold the desktop in an open working position, while others have elegant sliders ("lopers") which are manually or automatically extended to give support.

title: Slant-top desk


text:
Bonneville Dam

Bonneville Lock and Dam consists of several run-of-the-river dam structures that together complete a span of the Columbia River between the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington at River Mile 146.1. The dam is located 40 mi east of Portland, Oregon, in the Columbia River Gorge. The primary functions of Bonneville Lock and Dam are electrical power generation and river navigation. The dam was built and is managed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. At the time of its construction in the 1930s it was the largest water impoundment project of its type in the nation, able to withstand flooding on an unprecedented scale. Electrical power generated at Bonneville is distributed by the Bonneville Power Administration. Bonneville Dam is named for Army Capt. Benjamin Bonneville, an early explorer credited with charting much of the Oregon Trail. The Bonneville Dam Historic District was designated a National Historic Landmark District in 1987.

History
In 1896, prior to this damming of the river, the Cascade Locks and Canal were constructed, allowing ships to pass the Cascades Rapids, located several miles upstream of Bonneville.

Prior to the New Deal, development of the Columbia River to provide flood control, hydroelectricity, navigation, and irrigation was deemed to be important. In 1929, the US Army Corps of Engineers published the Columbia River 308 Report that recommended ten dams on the river, but no action was taken until the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration and the New Deal. During this period, America was in the Great Depression, and the dam's construction provided jobs and other economic benefits to the Pacific Northwest. Inexpensive hydroelectricity gave rise to a strong aluminum industry in the area (which has totally shut down since then). With funding from the Public Works Administration in 1934, two of the larger projects were started, the Grand Coulee Dam and the Bonneville Dam. Working in non-stop eight-hour shifts, 3,000 laborers from the relief or welfare rolls were paid 50 cents an hour for the work on the dam and raising local roads for the reservoir.

To create the Bonneville Locks and Dam, the Army Corps of Engineers first built one of the largest scale models in history of the proposed dam, the section of river on which it was to be located, and its various components to aid in the study of the construction. First a new lock and a powerhouse were constructed on the south (Oregon) side of Bradford Island, and a spillway on the north (Washington) side. Cofferdams were built to block half of the river and clear a construction site where the foundation could be reached. These projects, part of the Bonneville Dam, were completed in 1937.

Both the cascades and the old lock structure were submerged by the Bonneville Reservoir, also known as Lake Bonneville, the reservoir that formed behind the dam. The original navigation lock at Bonneville opened in 1938 and was, at that time, the highest single-lift lock in the world, with a vertical lift of 60 feet. Although the dam began to produce hydroelectricity in 1937, commercial electricity began its transfer from the dam in 1938.

A second powerhouse and dam structure were started in 1974 and completed in 1981. The second powerhouse was built by widening the river channel on the Washington side, creating Cascades Island between the new powerhouse and the original spillway. The combined rated capacity electrical output of the two power houses at Bonneville is now 1.2 gigawatts.

Despite its world record size in 1938, Bonneville Lock became the smallest of eight locks, including seven built subsequently at different locations upstream on the Columbia and Snake rivers. Eventually a new lock was needed at Bonneville; this new structure was built on the Oregon shore, opening to ship and barge traffic in 1993. The old lock is still present, but it is no longer used.

The largest fish hatchery in Oregon, called Bonneville Fish Hatchery, is located next to Bonneville Dam. It is a tourist destination that is often connected to Bonneville Dam tourism.

Dimensions and statistics

 * Owner: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District
 * Location: On Columbia River about 40 miles upstream from Portland, Oregon
 * First Powerhouse – Constructed in 1933–37; Dam 313 m long x 77 ft high forebay; 10 generators with a nominal total output capacity of 526.7 MW; Overload capacity 577 MW.
 * Spillway – Constructed 1933–37; 18 gates over a length of 442 m; maintains the reservoir (upriver) usually 18 m above the river on the downstream side;
 * Second Powerhouse – Constructed 1974–82; Dam 300.5 m long x 77 ft high forebay; 8 generators (plus two at fish ladders) with a nominal total generating capacity of 558.2 MW; Overload capacity 612 MW.
 * Bonneville Lock – Constructed from 1987 to 1993 at a cost of $341 million; 26 m wide, 206 m long; transit time is approx. 30 minutes. Replaced earlier smaller lock built 1938.
 * Lake Bonneville – 77 km long reservoir on the Columbia River created by Bonneville Dam; part of the Columbia-Snake Inland Waterway.

It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987.
 * both powerhouses - output capacity: 1.2 GW

Environmental and social implications
The Bonneville Dam blocked the migration of white sturgeon to their upstream spawning areas. Sturgeon still spawn in the area below the dam, and the lower Columbia River supports a healthy sturgeon population. Small, very depressed populations of white sturgeon persist in the various reservoirs upstream.

To cope with fish migration problems, the dam features fish ladders to help native salmon and steelhead get past the dam on their journey upstream to spawn. The large concentrations of fish swimming upstream serve as a tourist attraction during the spawning season. California sea lions are also attracted to the large number of fish, and are often seen around the base of the dam during the spawning season. By 2006, the growing number of sea lions and their impact on the salmon population had become worrisome to the Army Corps of Engineers and environmentalists. Historically, pinnipeds such as sea lions and seals have hunted salmon in the Columbia River as far as The Dalles and Celilo Falls, 60 mi farther upstream from Bonneville, as remarked upon by people such as George Simpson in 1841.

Electricity controversy
Creating electricity was a sensitive issue at the time of the Bonneville Dam's construction, which was funded with federal dollars. The Franklin D. Roosevelt administration wanted the electricity produced to be a public source of power and prevent energy monopolies. Advocates for private sale of the electricity were opposed to this, and they did not want the government to interfere. In 1937, the Bonneville Project Act was signed by Roosevelt, giving the dam's power over to the public and creating the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA). A rate of $17.50 per kilowatt-year (about 0.2 cents/kWh) was maintained by the BPA for the next 28 years.

Power production is the primary function of the Bonneville Dam. The two Bonneville powerhouses generate about 5 billion kWh of electricity each year. The Bonneville Dam supplies nearly 500,000 homes with electricity, assuming each household consumes 10,000 kWh of electricity per year. In 1998, its generation costs were about 1.2 cents/kWh, which was much higher than historic costs mainly because the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) was still paying off the second powerhouse which was built in 1982. Consumers were charged 2.3 cents/kWh to account for transmission and other costs.

title: Bonneville Dam


text:
List of stations in London fare zone 2

Fare zone 2 is an inner zone of Transport for London's zonal fare system used for calculating the price of tickets for travel on the London Underground, London Overground, Docklands Light Railway and, since 2007, on National Rail services.

Background
London is split into six approximately concentric zones for the purpose of determining the cost of single fares and Travelcards. Every London Underground line—except for the Waterloo & City line—has stations in zone 2. It was created on 22 May 1983 and extends from approximately 2 to 5 mi from Piccadilly Circus.

List of stations
The following stations are in zone 2:

Changes

 * January 1999: East India and Pudding Mill Lane (DLR) from Zone 3 to Zone 2/3 boundary
 * January 2008: Hampstead Heath from Zone 3 to Zone 2, Willesden Junction from Zone 3 to Zone 2/3 boundary and Acton Central from Zone 2 to Zone 3
 * January 2016: Stratford, Stratford High Street, Stratford International DLR station, West Ham, Canning Town, Star Lane and Abbey Road from Zone 3 to Zone 2/3 boundary.
 * May 2021: Kennington from Zone 2 to Zone 1/2 boundary

title: List of stations in London fare zone 2