Cats
I was going to post this in a comment to a friend who's just lost one of her cats after an illness, but then saw that another is thinking about adopting new feline friends, so I thought I'd put it here for all interested to share.
We went to Liverpool last weekend for our grandchildren's Baptism (described by ephemera, a weekend that also included a trip to Port Sunlight and the Lady Lever Art Gallery and to the beach at New Brighton - so for the first time in years and years on was on a beach on Bank Holiday Monday, and indeed on two beaches inside a single month. I think I finally adjusted to inland living, but still "I do like to be beside the seaside".
On the way home we stopped off at Shugborough in Staffordshire, a working estate and mildly stately home owned by the National Trust. There are sundry monumnets and follies scattered around the truly magnificent grounds, including the Cat monument, which commemorates an 18th-century cat.
I wanted to add a full-length image too, but LJ is not cooperating!
The Cat’s Monument
Date: 1750 - 1775 (c.) The
Cat's monument is situated on an island accessed by the bridge beside
the Chinese House. It was probably designed by Thomas Wright, who also
worked on the Ruin.
There are two theories behind the purpose
of the monument; one is that it commemorates a cat which travelled
around the world with Admiral Anson on the 'Centurion'. The second is
that it was built as a memorial to Kouli-Khan, a Persian cat kept by
Thomas Anson. Anson also kept a herd of Corsican goats, a favourite
breed of the family, which feature around the base of the monument.
The monument was possibly built against
another structure, as the rear of the monument is of rough stonework.
The tablet on the front was added c.1770 and is of Codestone.
So there you have it a monument to a cat, representing all much loved cats, adventurers or lap-cats! :-)
We went to Liverpool last weekend for our grandchildren's Baptism (described by ephemera, a weekend that also included a trip to Port Sunlight and the Lady Lever Art Gallery and to the beach at New Brighton - so for the first time in years and years on was on a beach on Bank Holiday Monday, and indeed on two beaches inside a single month. I think I finally adjusted to inland living, but still "I do like to be beside the seaside".
On the way home we stopped off at Shugborough in Staffordshire, a working estate and mildly stately home owned by the National Trust. There are sundry monumnets and follies scattered around the truly magnificent grounds, including the Cat monument, which commemorates an 18th-century cat.
I wanted to add a full-length image too, but LJ is not cooperating!
The Cat’s Monument
Date: 1750 - 1775 (c.) The
Cat's monument is situated on an island accessed by the bridge beside
the Chinese House. It was probably designed by Thomas Wright, who also
worked on the Ruin.
There are two theories behind the purpose
of the monument; one is that it commemorates a cat which travelled
around the world with Admiral Anson on the 'Centurion'. The second is
that it was built as a memorial to Kouli-Khan, a Persian cat kept by
Thomas Anson. Anson also kept a herd of Corsican goats, a favourite
breed of the family, which feature around the base of the monument.
The monument was possibly built against
another structure, as the rear of the monument is of rough stonework.
The tablet on the front was added c.1770 and is of Codestone.
So there you have it a monument to a cat, representing all much loved cats, adventurers or lap-cats! :-)