medieval Archives - Mechtraveller

Dondi’s Astrarium

Alastair — Thu, 22 Aug 2024 12:02:59 +0000

Dondi’s Astrarium is considered to be the very first mechanical planetary clock. It was designed in Italy at the end of the 14th century by Giovanni Dondi (1330-1388) who created this large brass mechanism, roughly a metre tall, to automate the complex calculations necessary to create horoscopes. During the Renaissance, horoscopes and their interpretation were […]

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Battle of Agincourt Museum

Alastair — Mon, 02 Aug 2021 13:01:02 +0000

The Battle of Agincourt Museum, or le ‘Centre Azincourt 1415’ as it is officially named, was redesigned, expanded and improved, a couple of years ago. It is now a centre of discovery and learning for all age groups with a mission to explain the background and events of October 1415 in as much detail as […]

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Review: Guédelon – a medieval castle in the making

Alastair — Sat, 08 Aug 2020 11:31:33 +0000

Guédelon is a 13th century castle under construction from scratch using only medieval tools, materials and techniques. It is a fascinating project in experimental archaeology that began in 1995 – a quarter century ago! Construction began two years later* in a former quarry in the middle of a forest near Treigny in Burgundy, France. The […]

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The Armouries at Schloss Ambras, Innsbruck

Alastair — Sat, 14 Jul 2018 15:40:53 +0000

It’s not just the amazing suits of medieval armour in this collection that make this small museum so special. It’s the way they were meticulously displayed and catalogued in the middle of the 16th century, that makes this and the castle’s other curiosities, the world’s oldest museum! Schloss Ambras, on the hills outside Innsbruck in […]

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The World’s Oldest Working Clock

Alastair — Tue, 20 Feb 2018 14:47:58 +0000

This clock in Salisbury Cathedral is thought to be the world’s oldest… that is still working! Once again it was the Dutch who were working at the cutting edge of technology (remember, their engineers were all over the UK at the start of the middle ages building canals, locks and drainage systems) when Bishop Ralph […]

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Review: Fortified Mill at Cougnaguet

Alastair — Tue, 26 Jul 2016 09:27:29 +0000

What's not to like about the pure application of turbines, gears and cogs?

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