durham

Ok, it might seem that I'm overstretching the "beyond" of the "bits on bombay and beyond." But how was I to know when I started the blog that I'd end up in Durham (UK) some months later. I was settling into the idea of being in Bombay for quite some time. Well, life always turns in directions we don't anticipate. Still, Bombay is present for it is a research project in Bombay that has brought me to Durham in the first place. When I'm back in Bombay in October, perhaps there will be opportunities to write here about Bombay and maybe the research project. For now, I'm exploring Durham and its environs...

GREY TOWERS OF DURHAM
YET WELL I LOVE THY MIXED AND MASSIVE PILES
HALF CHURCH OF GOD HALF CASTLE 'GAINST THE SCOT
AND LONG TO ROAM THESE VENERABLE AISLES
WITH RECORDS STORED OF DEEDS LONG SINCE FORGOT

Durham is the site of the Durham Cathedral, a majestic church and a shrine to the medieval saint, St. Cuthbert. Since the north-east (of England) was so far from Westminister (well, at least it seemed so in the 11th, 12th, 13th centuries...), the bishops of Durham enjoyed extraordinary powers: they could hold their own parliament, raise their own army, etc, etc, and the city played an important role in the defence of England against the Scots. Thus, HALF CHURCH OF GOD HALF CASTLE 'GAINST THE SCOT...