The following landmarks across the UK have had geocoins produced to commemorate them these include:
Angel of the North
The idea of the Angel of the North came from Gateshead Council which wanted a landmark to reflect the character of the region. In 1994 the winning design by Antony Gormley was selected. Construction of the sculpture was undertaken at a workshop and construction on site took 24 hours in February 1998. The sculpture is 20 meters high and measures 54 meters between wingtips, with an estimated weight of 200 tonnes. The location of the sculpture is on a panoramic hilltop beside the A1 in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England.
The geocoin connected to the Angel of the North is:
REFERENCES
Information on Angel of the North
Information on Angel of the North
Blackpool Tower
Blackpool Tower was seen as a business opportunity by John and Tom Bickerstaffe and saw them charge visitors to go the top. The tower was designed by James Maxwell and Charles Tuke from Manchester and construction was undertaken by Heenan and Froude. The construction started on the 29th of September 1891 and was opened to the public on the 14th of May 1894. The total height of the tower is 158 meters making it the tallest artificial structure within Britain at the time. It is located at Blackpool’s seafront in Lancashire, England.
The geocoin connected to the Angel of the North is:
REFERENCES
Clifton Suspension Bridge
The idea of the Clifton Suspension Bridge was started by a Bristol alderman and wine merchant William Vick which left money on his death in 1753 to construct a toll free stone bridge across the Avon Gorge. Unfortunately, in 1829 not enough funds had been raised, so the first competition which had no successful entrants was launched. A second completion was launched in 1830 with the winner announced as William Hawkes. Isambard Kingdom Brunel who came second altered his plans and convinced the judges his was the only design to meet weight specifications. The plans of the suspension bridge were for it to be built at 74.7 meters above the River Avon at a span of 214 meters. The bridge design has abutments at each end with main deck between which is suspended by vertical cables. Additionally, cables are attached between the two towers and abutments. Construction started on the 21st of June 1831 however, due to setbacks the bridge was not completed till after the death of Brunel in 1859. The Clifton Suspension Bridge the became a memorial to Brunel by the Institute of Civil Engineers and engineers Sir John Hawkshaw and William Henry Barlow. The project was finished in 1864. The tolled bridge remains in use, in Bristol, England.
The geocoin associated with the Clifton Suspension Bridge is:
REFERENCES
Dunrobin Castle
Dunrobin Castle started as a square keep dating back to the 14th century serving as a defensive fortress. Although several changes have taken place across the castle it has conserved the original square keep design and the 14th century walls can still be seen. The owners of the castle Clan Sutherland go back to the first Earldom of Sutherland in 1235 and has remained in their family ever since. The name Dunrobin means “Robin’s Hill” or “Robin’s Fort” in Gaelic and could refer to Robert, the 6th Earl of Sutherland. The castle remains the largest in the Northern Highlands with 189 rooms. Today the castle is a home but also a museum and is in Golspie, Sutherland, Scotland.
The geocoins associated with Dunrobin Castle are:
REFERENCES
Information on Dunrobin Castle
Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben)
The Elizabeth Tower is a clock tower and Big Ben is inside. The clock was designed through a competition in 1846, with one of the requirements being the clock had to strike the hour within a second. The design was produced by Edmund Beckett Denison a lawyer and amateur clock maker. The construction of the tower was undertaken by Edward John Dent. The tower is 96 meters high and contains five bells with the biggest bell weighing 13.7 tonnes and named Big Ben. All the bells are stationary and struck externally by hammers with Big Ben having the musical note “E”. The location of the tower is The Palace of Westminster, London, England.
The geocoins connected to the Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben) are:
REFERENCES
Information on The Elizabeth Tower and Big Ben
Information on The Elizabeth Tower and Big Ben
Lincoln Cathedral
The Lincoln Cathedral (Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary) is a Roman Catholic religious building. The Cathedral started construction under Bishop Remigius in 1071 and was completed in 1311. When it was completed it was the tallest building in the world at 160 meters for 238 years. The location of the cathedral is Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England.
The geocoins associated with the Lincoln Cathedral are:
REFERENCES
London Eye
The idea of the London Eye came from David Marks and Julia Barfield of Marks Barfield Architects in 1993, which was submitted to a competition. The competition was looking for a new landmark to mark the millennium, however no competition winner was announced. As no competition winner was announced Marks and Barfield took on the project with funding from British Airways. The wheels construction started in 1998 above the river and measures 135 meters tall, making it the world’s tallest Ferris wheel till 2006. The Prime Minister Tony Blair officially opened the London Eye on the 31st of December 1999 and opened to paying customers on the 9th of March 2000. Although the original plan was for it to be dismantled after 5 years its continued popularity has allowed it to remain in place. The location of the London Eye is the South Bank of the River Thames, London, England.
The geocoins which are connected to the London Eye are:
REFERENCES
Police Call Box
The idea of the Police Call Box mirrors traditional telephone boxes. The boxes allowed police officers to keep in contact with their station. The boxes were designed by Gilbert Mackenzie Trench and the first were introduced in Glasgow in 1891. However, the Metropolitan Police Service boxes introduced in 1929 became the most recognisable through the science-fiction series “Doctor Who”. The main difference is that the early Glasgow boxes were painted red, compared to the Metropolitan boxes being painted blue. Over time the radio communication technology improved, and the police boxes became redundant in 1969.
The geocoins associated with the Police Call Box are:
REFERENCES
Post Boxes
Post boxes are use throughout the British Isles as a collection system for post. The first post boxes appeared in 1853, following the 1840 postal reform. Since then they have become an iconic part of street furniture and easily recognisable by there red colour. The design of the post boxes and Royal Cyphers vary greatly, with the most common being “E II R” for Elizabeth II.
The geocoins associated with the Post Boxes are:
REFERENCES
Information on Post Boxes
Prime Meridian
The Prime Meridian (Greenwich Meridian) is an imaginary line which marks 0° longitude and was established in 1851. It passes through Greenwich, London, England and terminates at both the North and South Poles. The line was used as a basis to measure distances around the Earth in both an east and west direction. The first Prime Meridian in England passed through The Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London and although the line has been updated several times still remains in the same location. The Royal Greenwich Observatory was an used in practical astronomical observatory, between 1675 and its closure in 1998.
The geocoins associated with the Prime Meridian are:
REFERENCES
Information on the Prime Meridian
Information on The Royal Greenwich Observatory
Staffordshire Bottle Kiln
Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire is the world capital of ceramics and has been shaped by the production of pottery since the 18th century. To produce the ceramics a bottle oven or bottle kiln was used to fire the pottery.
The geocoin connected to the Staffordshire Bottle Kiln is:
REFERENCES
Information on (Stoke-on-Trent) The Potteries
Information on The Bottle Kilns of Stoke-on-Trent
Stonehenge
Stonehenge is a prehistoric stone circle monument, cemetery, and archaeological site. Although the reason it was built is unknown, it is believed to be aligned with the sun and could have been used to observe the sun and moon, allowing the farming calendar to be worked out. In the present day it is closely associated with the solstice. The location of Stonehenge is on the Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire and England.
The geocoins which are connected to Stonehenge are:
REFERENCES
The Iron Bridge
The idea of The Iron Bridge came from Thomas Farnolls Pritchard an architect from Shrewsbury which saw the need to transport goods across the River Severn. The design would combine engineering expertise and new iron-casting techniques developed by Abraham Darby. After it had been approved by an Act of Parliament in 1777 construction commenced and was completed in 1779, opening to traffic in 1781. The construction process was overseen by Abraham Darby’s grandson Abraham Darby III after the death of Thomas Farnolls Pritchard. The bridge spans 30 meters with five main semi-circular ribs and used 378 tons of iron. The location of the bridge is over the River Severn in Ironbridge, Shropshire, England.
The geocoin connected to the Angel of the North is:
REFERENCES
Information on The Iron Bridge
Information on The Iron Bridge