Northumberland

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/20033375

> > A rare and pristine example of gladiator memorabilia found in the River Tyne is to go on display, shining light on a 2,000-year-old culture of celebrity and sex appeal. > > > >English Heritage said the copper alloy figurine would have been a decorative handle on a folding knife. Found near Corbridge, Northumberland, it provides proof that the superstar status of gladiators extended to the far edges of the Roman empire. > > > >“It is amazing, it’s absolutely pristine,” said Frances McIntosh, English Heritage’s collections curator for Hadrian’s Wall. It is rare to find any example of gladiator memorabilia in Britain but “to find such a well-preserved and interesting piece is remarkable”. > > > >“This beautifully made knife handle is a testament to how pervasive this celebrity culture was, reaching all the way to Hadrian’s Wall at the very edge of the Roman empire.” > > > >McIntosh said successful gladiators became celebrities and had sex appeal. “There are lots of rumours that you see of high society women falling in love with gladiators,” she said. “Often a slur on somebody was that they had been fathered by a gladiator, that they were the son of a gladiator because their mother was … you know.”

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/9337297

> A scheme to restore habitats at a nature reserve has been handed £750,000. > > The money will be used to fund a two-year project in Druridge Bay on the Northumberland coast. > > The project, overseen by Northumberland Wildlife Trust (NWT), is being funded by the government and National Lottery’s Species Survival Fund. > > Duncan Hutt, NWT’s director of conservation, said it hoped to restore several habitats to aid species recovery.

Cragside in wet grey weather has a special kind of beauty.

!Natural looking stone archway over footpath

!Looking out from the stone archway