Started re-watching the box set of the truly glorious The West Wing. Difficult to believe now that there was a time when this was even remotely plausible. Almost brought me to tears.

Thank you. Grim reading.

Any chance you could screen-shot the article?

What I Saw Inside the Kennedy Center I spent 10 months working at the institution because I thought I could help protect it. What I observed there is far worse than the public knows.

Heartbreaking description of the pointless, thoughtless damage being done to the Kennedy Center. It was such an important part of life in Washington, and is now being destroyed for no reason

www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026...

I'm guessing wartime damage. That area was heavily Blitzed in 1941 and St Stephen's itself took a direct hit. There was a building hard up against the church on both north & south sides. The attached photo shows the north one in the (?) '20s.

To be fair to Wren, other buildings stood right up against the south side (hence the rubble wall) and the other sides were on very narrow lanes where the face of the church could not easily be seen.

I must recommend this brilliant book to anyone interested in the churches of Norwich and their history. Recently published, large format, loads of photos, maps etc, 500 pages, surprisingly a very reasonable price on line.

Chatting with the sacristan, I said I would take the Henry Moore altar out if I could. She said it was impossible because they had to breach a hole in the wall to bring it in & that wouldn't be allowed now. "That's alright", I said, "it doesn't have to go out in one piece." ... If looks could kill.

There are one or two images which are not bad but the bulk are dreadful.

Tudor Palaces That Vanished From History YouTube video by Mike's POV History

While I hesitate to promote AI slop, this is hysterically funny. www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4bH... I especially like Elizabeth I with Wren's St Paul's Cathedral in the background, the way that each building is completely different in each scene & the way warships move at speed with no sails.

Is that Harold Macmillan on the corbel?

The problem I have with this story is that I find it vanishingly unlikely that anybody in the Trump administration would have heard of the Avignon papacy. Other than that, the attitude is entirely plausible.

"Captured like a fly in amber". Chef's kiss.

An excellent thread. And he has spent the last 18 months purging generals who might stand in his way - 20 sacked so far (I think).

"He wanted it big. He wanted lots of gold, lots of marble. He wanted visitors awestruck by his architectural expansion of the country’s symbolic seat of power."

{gift link} www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

Read about Two Bodley Churches: a study in contrast

www.ecclsoc.org.uk/news/two-bod...

This.

I agree, though I can imagine HM successfully being able to note how NATO answered the call of Article 4 in defence of the US on the one and only time it has been triggered.

I do wonder how good a portraitist Goya was. Were the Borbons really that strange-looking? And compare his portrait of Wellington with Thomasa Lawrence's one here.

Might be the greatest opening paragraph of anything ever.

Definitely. Humility is one of his defining characteristics.

I loved the way the gold thing in the frieze doesn’t align with the one above the door. Hysterical.

Palladian?!?!

WWJD - Who Would Jesus Deport?

Fears for future of church organs amid neglect

Pipe Up for Pipe Organs has published a disturbing report: Silencing the King? The future of Britain's pipe organs.

Download the report here:

www.ecclsoc.org.uk/news/fears-f...

I love the little pebbles embedded in the pointing.

DWP have written to me to tell when my birthday is and that I will turn 67 in 5 years time. I can't help feeling there are better ways to spend public money.

Badenoch has a talent for being very forceful while also being completely unclear about what she means.

I think it will be OK. Most of the material in the choir stalls is C19 and, as I understand it, the plan is for them to be put on movable plinths, so that they will still be in their normal place most of the time.

There are big restoration plans at St Mary Abchurch which should improve the look of the place greatly. Some details here: www.stmaryabchurch.org.uk/abchurch-ren...