Latest news with #Fitzwilliam
Telegraph
7 days ago
- General
- Telegraph
Forget Bath and Bloomsbury – the greatest Georgian architecture is found in Dublin
The clearest memory of my first visit to Dublin, nearly 40 years ago, is my initial sight of Merrion Square. It is – whatever the claims of Bloomsbury, Bath, or the New Town in Edinburgh – the finest Georgian architectural spectacle in the British Isles. For those who do not know it, Merrion Square is a vast rectangle of terraced houses in the centre of the Irish capital, surrounding a superb park – originally a private space for residents, now open to the public. The original landlord was the 6th Viscount Fitzwilliam, whose family had been in Ireland since the 13th century and was then the biggest landowner in the Dublin area. Both he and his son, the 7th Viscount, undertook extensive property development, of which Merrion Square is the foremost jewel. The 7th Viscount served for a time as an MP in Wiltshire, and left the bequest that founded the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge. The decision to lay out the square was taken in 1762 and began with the west side: the original plan was devised by two local architects, John Smyth and Jonathan Barker, and in 1780 the plan for the east side was drawn up by a third, Samuel Sproule. Benjamin Simpson won a competition to design the gardens in 1792, and by the early 19th century almost all the houses had been built. It quickly became a fashionable address, sought after by the 'quality' of Dublin. When I first walked around the square in the 1980s, many of the properties were still residential; now, it is dominated by offices and embassies, though some private houses remain. In the past, some of Ireland's most glittering names lived there: Oscar Wilde's father, William, had a house where Wilde (a statue of whom reclines in the park) lived until he was 22. Later, W B Yeats was a resident of the square; as were, in earlier times, Daniel O'Connell, the nationalist leader, and Sheridan Le Fanu, the gothic novelist. The original conception remains mostly intact – one sizeable property on the North Terrace was, however, demolished almost a century ago and the National Maternity Hospital was built on the site. Everything else on the east, south and north sides is conventional late-Georgian townhouses of three storeys, an attic and a basement, built in red brick, with the traditionally fenestrated sash windows and solid front doors with varieties of semi-circular fanlights above them. The west side contains two museums and the gardens of Leinster House. Looking up the south side there is in the distance at the end of Mount Street (which carries on from the square) a fine Georgian church, St Stephen's, designed by John Bowden, and known as the Pepper Canister after the distinctive shape of its spire. The view from the bottom of Merrion Square along the terraces of the square and of Mount Street, with this gem at the end, is one of the finest townscapes one could wish to see. It is something of a marvel that the square looks as good as it does. The uniformity is remarkable, given the length of time over which the houses were built, by a variety of labourers and craftsmen. Some of the 92 houses are narrower than others; and one of the great joys of walking round is to compare the different designs of fanlight and the colours of the handsome front doors. In some, the fenestration of 12 small panes (six in the top frame and six in the bottom) has been replaced by one large single pane in each frame, which detracts from the uniformity, but luckily is rare; and most houses are of three bays but some are of two bays. Nor are the heights of the houses always uniform, but the line of the terraces and the effect of the patina of the brick is what captures the eye. The growing wealth of 19th-century Dublin after the 1801 Act of Union led to the embellishment of some of the houses, notably with wrought-iron balconies on the first floor. The square is also blessed with tall and ornate lamp standards that complement the houses. Architectural guides – including the excellent Buildings of Ireland volume on Dublin – speak rapturously of the interiors of many of the houses, such as their ceilings, cornices, mantelpieces and staircases. But the great joy about Merrion Square is that even from the outside it is astonishingly special.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Brian O'Driscoll Rejected by Exclusive Tennis Club as Katja Mia Shares Scary Gym Experience
This weekend in Irish celebrity news, we saw a mix of heart warming moments, nerve-wracking encounters, and one of the country's greatest sporting legends getting a surprise rejection. Life is a Rollercoaster after all…let's get into it! Irish rugby legend Brian O'Driscoll may have conquered the world of sport, but it seems his skills on the pitch haven't impressed the gatekeepers of one of Ireland's most exclusive tennis clubs. The former Ireland captain has been denied membership at Dublin's prestigious Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club (FLTC), leaving many of its 2,000 members scratching their heads. The club, known for its strict and secretive membership process, refused to comment on why O'Driscoll didn't make the cut. When pressed, a spokesperson responded with a firm 'Nothing,' as if delivering a final-set tiebreak shutout. It's speculated that the rugby great fell short of the club's 'rackets-focused' ethos, which prioritizes a strong background in tennis or squash. While O'Driscoll has recently taken up padel, it appears that swinging a smaller racket isn't enough to ace an FLTC membership. With an €8,000 joining fee and annual dues of over €2,500, Fitzwilliam is a club where once you're in, you never leave—because, well, you'll never get back in. But if O'Driscoll can survive Six Nations battles, surely a little tennis club rejection won't break his serve! TV presenter Katja Mia has shared a frightening experience that left her 'shaking' while working out in her apartment complex's gym. She was exercising alone when she spotted a man in a tracksuit hopping over the fence separating the gym from the outside. Instead of using the main entrance, he went straight to the fire escape door—one that should only open from the inside in emergencies. Without knocking or hesitating, he repeatedly pulled at the handle, trying to get in. Despite feeling panicked, Katja stayed calm and motioned through the soundproof glass that the door was locked. She tried to act natural but felt an overwhelming urge to leave. Her heart was racing, and her hands were shaking as she quickly gathered her things and ran back to the safety of her apartment. While she acknowledged the man could have had a reason for being there, she questioned why he would climb a fence and attempt a locked door instead of using a proper entrance. The unsettling encounter left her deeply shaken, and her story has resonated with many online, serving as a reminder to us all to always trust your instincts in uncomfortable situations. Stay safe out there folks! Ronan Keating has been hit right in the dad feels as his youngest daughter, Coco, turned five over the weekend. The former Boyzone star took to Instagram to share a heartfelt tribute to his little girl, proving once again that, no matter what, being a dad is the best thing in the world. Posting an adorable throwback snap alongside a recent pic, Ronan gushed about how fast time is flying, leaving fans wondering if he's been lovin' each day as if it's the last! 'Sitting on Bondi beach with Stormy laughing at ya while you do cartwheels and wondering where the 5 years have gone. Happy birthday our baby girl.' he wrote, while presumably weeping into a cool pint of Rockshore. Fans were quick to flood the comments with love and well wishes for Coco and her family. A heartfelt tribute that proves love will save the day! Ronan, of course, isn't just a chart-topping legend; he's also a doting dad who proves that words aren't always enough to describe the love he has for his kids. One thing's for sure—Coco has her dad wrapped around her tiny little finger. And while she may be five now, Ronan's baby girl is one step closer to swapping cuddles for eye-rolls. Happy birthday Coco! It's been a weekend of celebrations, shocks, and sporting snubs—proving once again that nothing at all is guaranteed in the world of Irish celebrity news!
Telegraph
29-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Cambridge museum offers reflection room for ‘triggering' slavery exhibit
Cambridge's leading museum has provided a reflection room for visitors 'triggered' by an exhibition about the slave trade. The university's Fitzwilliam Museum has launched a flagship exhibition titled Rise Up Resistance, Revolution, Abolition, which explores the fight to end transatlantic slavery. The show's accompanying book has caused an academic row at Cambridge over claims that Prof Stephen Hawking benefited financially from slavery. In addition to a content warning on entry to the exhibition, curators have provided a room for those who 'may feel overwhelmed or triggered by this subject matter'. The Fitzwilliam will also host events designed to facilitate dialogue and centre on key themes in the exhibition. The first of these will cover issues including the 'transmission of cultures by people of the African diaspora in response to empire, colonialism and the slave trade'. The room in the Fitzwilliam provides pamphlets to guide visitors to 'wellbeing' material and other resources. These include the websites of mental health charities, including specialists with the Black African and Asian Therapists Network, and curriculum material covering black history. The guide also directs visitors to citizens' advice. The large room is furnished with tables and soft chairs and filled with books covering issues of race, including volumes by TV historian David Olusoga. Also available is Richard Dyer's set of essays, White, which looks at the 'representation of whiteness by whites in Western visual culture'. The Fitzwilliam website states that the exhibition is suitable for children and 'for everyone' because 'all live with the consequences of transatlantic slavery, and we cannot understand today's world or the legacies of structural racism and inequalities without knowledge of it'. It covers everything from abolition movements to modern-day racist injustices and has an accompanying book-length catalogue. A central claim in the catalogue is that 'slave trade financial instruments shaped the intellectual life of the university by supporting the country's most renowned mathematicians and scientists'. This states that men including Hawking, Charles Darwin's scientist son George, and physicist Arthur Eddington benefited financially from the slave trade. It says that their professorships were paid for through an initial request in 1768 of £3,500 from a mathematician and university vice-chancellor named Robert Smith. This was from stock bound up in 'South Sea Annuities', stock the Fitzwilliam has claimed was linked to investments in the slave trade. Leading British men of science are therefore linked to what the book exhibition terms 'dark finance'. However, the research has been disputed by leading historians, including Lord Andrew Roberts, Sir Noel Malcolm, and Cambridge professors David Abulafia, Lawrence Goldman, and Robert Tombs. Prof Tombs criticised the work of Cambridge to attach historic guilt, saying that 'we are sadly accustomed to seeing our great institutions damaging themselves and the country that supports them'. 'This case is doubly dispiriting as a great university institution shows itself resistant to argument and indifferent to evidence.' The Rise Up exhibition was launched in February to document the history of black and white abolitionists, particularly those linked to Cambridge. It offers an overview of life on plantations and the move toward abolition and states that some African merchants participated in the slave trade. The book created for the exhibition contains a number of academic contributions on the slave trade and opens with a statement that the 'fight for true equality, justice and repair continues'. The Fitzwilliam said the research was correct and important. A spokesman said: 'The Rise Up reflection space gives the opportunity for visitors to explore, create, read, learn and reflect after viewing the exhibition.'
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Cambridge causes bitter row by linking scientists such as Stephen Hawking to slavery
Cambridge University has become embroiled in a row over claims that scientists including the late Professor Stephen Hawking benefited from slavery. The university's Fitzwilliam Museum is holding an exhibition titled Rise Up, which covers abolition movements, rebellions and modern-day 'racist injustices'. It claims that figures including George Darwin, Charles Darwin's son, were supported by investments in the slave trade. A catalogue that accompanies the exhibition also states that Hawking and others benefited from slavery-derived funds given to Cambridge two centuries before the physicist was born. But Cambridge professors and leading historians have hit back at the claims. Dons have insisted that the claims are based on a misreading of history and have asked Cambridge to correct the record – a request which the university has refused. The foreword to the exhibition book states that while 'facts continue to matter' in discussions of slavery, 'anger, frustration and sadness – historic and present – are also important considerations'. A central claim in the book is that 'slave trade financial instruments shaped the intellectual life of the university by supporting the country's most renowned mathematicians and scientists'. The museum itself welcomes visitors with a sign setting out its own links to the slave trade. Hawking, Darwin, physicist Arthur Eddington, and 'father of the computer' Charles Babbage held Lucasian and Plumian professorships respectively. The accompanying book for the exhibition in Cambridge states that funding for these positions was derived in part from the gift in 1768 of £3,500 from a mathematician and university vice-chancellor named Robert Smith. This was from stock bound up in 'South Sea Annuities', stock the Fitzwilliam has claimed was linked to investments in the slave trade. Leading British men of science are therefore linked to what the book exhibition terms 'dark finance', the exhibition material claims. The claims have been disputed by leading historians, including Lord Andrew Roberts, Sir Noel Malcolm and Cambridge professors David Abulafia, Lawrence Goldman and Robert Tombs. They argue that their own research has revealed South Sea Annuities to be unrelated to investments in the slave trade. The group of academics have submitted a signed letter of protest to the director of the Fitzwilliam, Dr Luke Syson, urging him to take action over the alleged falsehoods. Dr Syon, whose foreword to the exhibition book sets out a commitment to tackle 'unaltered power structures', has refused their request. Prof Tombs said: 'We are sadly accustomed to seeing our great institutions damaging themselves and the country that supports them. 'This case is doubly dispiriting as a great university institution shows itself resistant to argument and indifferent to evidence. 'There seems to be this unbelievable determination to tarnish the reputation of people we are proud of, even when they are completely innocent, like Stephen Hawking.' The Rise Up exhibition was launched in February to document the history of black and white abolitionists, particularly those linked to Cambridge. The exhibition at the Fitzwilliam Museum, which greets visitors with a trigger warning upon entering, gives an overview of life on plantations and the move toward abolition. It states that 'some' African merchants participated in the slave trade. The book created for the exhibition, which also begins with a trigger warning about 'violence against black people', contains a number of academic contributions on the slave trade. The volume opens with a statement that the 'fight for true equality, justice and repair continues'. A spokesman for Fitzwilliam Museum said: 'We believe that it is profoundly damaging to ignore or minimise the impact of the Atlantic slave trade as a source of wealth for both individuals and institutions in 17th- and 18th-century Britain, and thereafter. 'The academic research on this important matter presented in the Rise Up catalogue is factually correct. 'But history should always be a place of debate and we therefore welcome thoughtful discussion and encourage multiple perspectives, which we see as essential to deepening understanding of these important and often challenging histories in all their nuance and complexity. 'Among the aims of the Rise Up exhibition and catalogue are to explore the current complexities of historically tainted investments and to illuminate the contradictions in the biographies of individuals whose lives are considered here more completely than has usually been the case.' Under the directorship of Dr Syson, the Fitzwilliam rehung its art collection and introduced a warning suggesting that paintings of the British countryside can evoke dark 'nationalist feelings'. Dr Syson said of the move in 2023: 'I would love to think that there's a way of telling these larger, more inclusive histories that doesn't feel as if it requires a pushback from those who try to suggest that any interest at all in [this work is] what would now be called 'woke'.' Signage states that pictures of 'rolling English hills' can stir feelings of 'pride towards a homeland'. The University of Cambridge was contacted for comment. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
22-03-2025
- Science
- Telegraph
Cambridge causes bitter row by linking scientists such as Stephen Hawking to slavery
Cambridge University has become embroiled in a row over claims that scientists including the late Professor Stephen Hawking benefited from slavery. The university's Fitzwilliam Museum is holding an exhibition titled Rise Up, which covers abolition movements, rebellions and modern-day 'racist injustices'. It claims that figures including George Darwin, Charles Darwin 's son, were supported by investments in the slave trade. A catalogue that accompanies the exhibition also states that Hawking and others benefited from slavery-derived funds given to Cambridge two centuries before the physicist was born. But Cambridge professors and leading historians have hit back at the claims. Dons have insisted that the claims are based on a misreading of history and have asked Cambridge to correct the record – a request which the university has refused. The foreword to the exhibition book states that while 'facts continue to matter' in discussions of slavery, 'anger, frustration and sadness – historic and present – are also important considerations'. A central claim in the book is that 'slave trade financial instruments shaped the intellectual life of the university by supporting the country's most renowned mathematicians and scientists'. The museum itself welcomes visitors with a sign setting out its own links to the slave trade. Hawking, Darwin, physicist Arthur Eddington, and 'father of the computer' Charles Babbage held Lucasian and Plumian professorships respectively. The accompanying book for the exhibition in Cambridge states that funding for these positions was derived in part from the gift in 1768 of £3,500 from a mathematician and university vice-chancellor named Robert Smith. This was from stock bound up in 'South Sea Annuities', stock the Fitzwilliam has claimed was linked to investments in the slave trade. Leading British men of science are therefore linked to what the book exhibition terms 'dark finance', the exhibition material claims. The claims have been disputed by leading historians, including Lord Andrew Roberts, Sir Noel Malcolm and Cambridge professors David Abulafia, Lawrence Goldman and Robert Tombs. They argue that their own research has revealed South Sea Annuities to be unrelated to investments in the slave trade. 'This case is doubly dispiriting' The group of academics have submitted a signed letter of protest to the director of the Fitzwilliam, Dr Luke Syson, urging him to take action over the alleged falsehoods. Dr Syon, whose foreword to the exhibition book sets out a commitment to tackle 'unaltered power structures', has refused their request. Prof Tombs said: 'We are sadly accustomed to seeing our great institutions damaging themselves and the country that supports them. 'This case is doubly dispiriting as a great university institution shows itself resistant to argument and indifferent to evidence. 'There seems to be this unbelievable determination to tarnish the reputation of people we are proud of, even when they are completely innocent, like Stephen Hawking.' The Rise Up exhibition was launched in February to document the history of black and white abolitionists, particularly those linked to Cambridge. The exhibition at the Fitzwilliam Museum, which greets visitors with a trigger warning upon entering, gives an overview of life on plantations and the move toward abolition. It states that 'some' African merchants participated in the slave trade. The book created for the exhibition, which also begins with a trigger warning about 'violence against black people', contains a number of academic contributions on the slave trade. The volume opens with a statement that the 'fight for true equality, justice and repair continues'. 'We welcome thoughtful discussion' A spokesman for Fitzwilliam Museum said: 'We believe that it is profoundly damaging to ignore or minimise the impact of the Atlantic slave trade as a source of wealth for both individuals and institutions in 17th- and 18th-century Britain, and thereafter. 'The academic research on this important matter presented in the Rise Up catalogue is factually correct. 'But history should always be a place of debate and we therefore welcome thoughtful discussion and encourage multiple perspectives, which we see as essential to deepening understanding of these important and often challenging histories in all their nuance and complexity. 'Among the aims of the Rise Up exhibition and catalogue are to explore the current complexities of historically tainted investments and to illuminate the contradictions in the biographies of individuals whose lives are considered here more completely than has usually been the case.' Under the directorship of Dr Syson, the Fitzwilliam rehung its art collection and introduced a warning suggesting that paintings of the British countryside can evoke dark 'nationalist feelings'. Dr Syson said of the move in 2023: 'I would love to think that there's a way of telling these larger, more inclusive histories that doesn't feel as if it requires a pushback from those who try to suggest that any interest at all in [this work is] what would now be called 'woke'.' Signage states that pictures of 'rolling English hills' can stir feelings of 'pride towards a homeland'.
