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STAINED GLASS WINDOWS HARLOW

STAINED GLASS WINDOWS HARLOW Acknowledge Wilkipedia for the following information

As a material the term stained glass generally refers to glass that has been coloured by adding metallic salts during its manufacture. The coloured glass is crafted into stained glass windows in which small pieces of glass are arranged to form patterns or pictures, held together (traditionally) by strips of lead and supported by a rigid frame. Painted details and yellow stain are often used to enhance the design. The term stained glass is also applied to windows in which all the colours have been painted onto the glass and then annealed in a furnace. Stained glass, as an art and a craft, requires the artistic skill to conceive an appropriate workable design, and the engineering skills necessary to assemble the decorative piece, traditionally a window, so that it will fit snugly into the window frame for which it is made and also, especially in the larger windows, is capable of supporting its own weight and surviving the elements. Many large windows have withstood the test of time and remained substantially intact since the late Middle Ages. In Western Europe they constitute the major form of pictorial art to have survived. In this context, the purpose of a stained glass window is not to allow those within a building to see the world outside or even primarily to admit light but rather to control it. For this reason stained glass windows have been described as 'illuminated wall decorations'.

Etymology The name Harlow derives from the Anglo-Saxon words 'here' and 'hlaw', meaning "army hill", probably to be identified with Mulberry Hill, which was used as the moot or meeting place for the district. The original village, mentioned in the Domesday book, developed as a typical rural community around what is now known as Old Harlow, with many of its buildings still standing. [edit] Early history There was a Roman fort or settlement dating from around the 3rd century. Archaeological excavations during the 1970s unearthed a Roman temple and a mosaic floor, itself built on top of an earlier Iron Age temple. The oldest finds in the town were axe heads made in about 6000 BC.[3] [edit] The new town The new town was built after World War II to ease overcrowding in London at the same time as the similar orbital developments of Basildon, Stevenage and Hemel Hempstead. The master plan for the new town was drawn up in 1947 by Sir Frederick Gibberd.[4] The development incorporated the market town of Harlow, now a neighbourhood known as Old Harlow, and the villages of Great Parndon, Latton, Tye Green, Potter Street, Churchgate Street, Little Parndon and Netteswell. The town is divided into neighbourhoods, each self supporting with their own shopping precincts and community facilities. Harlow has one of the most extensive cycle track networks in the country, connecting all areas of the town to the town centre and industrial areas. The cycle network is composed mostly of the original pre-new town roads. The town centre is notable being the location of Britain's first pedestrian precinct,[5] and first residential tower block, The Lawn,[6][7] constructed in 1951; it is now a Grade II listed building. From 1894 to 1955 the Harlow parish formed part of the Epping Rural District of Essex.[8] From 1955 to 1974 Harlow was an urban district.[9] The town centre, and many of its neighbourhood shopping facilities have undergone major redevelopment, along with many of the town's original buildings. Most of the town's buildings, built at a time when concrete was widely used in construction, now suffer from conditions relating to this, both practical and aesthetic. Subsequently, many of the original town buildings, including most of its health centres, the Staple Tye shopping centre and many industrial units have been rebuilt. The most notable of these has been the demolition of Gibberd's original town hall, a landmark in the town, and its replacement of a new civic centre and shopping area.

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