UK and KENYA to host major Education Summit 2021
Uhuru Kenyatta, President of the Republic of Kenya, and Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the United Kindgdom. (Kindgdom, sic. misspelt on the website!)
The summit will take place in the U.K. in mid-2021 and will convene key global players and decision makers, with the aim of getting all children into school and learning.
The Sala dei Notari
Before the 'Summit' begins, we at Ellys Manor House (EMH), urge all leaders and partners of the summit to define what education actually means and remind them to think wisely on the significance of the Humanities and Art History.
This 'Summit' ought perhaps to be held at the Palazzo dei Priori' in Perugia, where some of the symbols adorning the walls and ceiling might inspire these leaders and politicians to think on the vital importance and significance of the humanities and of art history.
We say to all leaders and their partners in this 'Summit', if you, as a 'body', are unable to understand the meaning of the word 'sacrosanct' in relation to the Humanities and Art History, how can you be trusted as guardians of education for the future?
'YOU'RE 'AVIN' A GIRAFFE!!' ('laugh', Cockney rhyming sarcasm)
Why are the historic landmarks of Britain's cultural heritage in the unqualified hands of Local Authority Planning Departments?
The nation's Art History, and the Humanities are being desecrated by unqualified and uninformed people paid from our taxpayers' monies in government employ. It is a Crime! Yes, it is Criminal! And must be stopped!
Britain's historic environment must be removed from the remit of Local Authority Planning Departments and placed in the care of an independent authority which is not subject to the pressures and interferences of Local Authority bias toward commercial advantage and one better qualified to safeguard our cultural heritage.
Typically, neither the 'Politicians' nor the 'Philosophers' were listening, as today we could not be further from those ideals.
The access road for the chicken farm, the 'High Dyke' (Ermine street), is an already hazardous 'B Road' which meanders and undulates with no run-offs where traffic moves far too quickly. To introduce more traffic into that area will make it even more hazardous.
Our future generation's education should be paramount; they are our future. In public, Government of all persuasion spouts their mantra: Education! Education! Education! In practice they allow commercial considerations to override public welfare, safety and conservation interests.
It is all very well for leaders, government Ministers, and their partners in public to say, 'We must have children in school learning'; no one in their right mind would disagree with that, however, we say this to you all, 'Children learn best when they are happy and feel cared for. Making a misery of their lives is not conducive to learning.' Children should not suffer the consequences of commercial pressures and neither should the nation's heritage.
Often, we hear that hackneyed saying, 'We will learn from our mistakes.' We say, 'Let the class of 2016 produce reports on what they believed to be the responsibilities of their jobs'.
We at EMH have sent a lot of information about Ellys Manor House and the Holy Cross Church to South Kesteven District Council during the past five years to help them understand the cultural value and the historic significance of both buildings. We have even invited Ian Wright (a member of Gatewayaffiliated to Heritage England) and the English Heritage representative for the East Midlands, Dr. Dale Dishon, into our home.
They both stood in the painted chamber, completely dumbfounded, as if they were being asked to decipher Newton's Principia!
Can you imagine talking with people with M.A.s in Art History and PhDs who do not know the basics of symbolism? That is like a medical doctor not knowing what a stethoscope is! And they are far from unique among academics. Our wall paintings at Ellys Manor House evoke early Christian symbols; much to our surprise, when we recently sought to have our findings about the images corroborated we found that the Christians at our greatest cathedrals are also largely oblivious to their own historic symbolism. We understand this might cause some degree of embarrassment to them, but surely that is better than the constant erosion of the Humanities and of Art History!
Ellys Manor House and the adjacent church of the Holy Cross together, are two of the most historically important buildings in Europe. Ian Wright - Principal Planning and Conservation Officer and South Kesteven District Council (SKDC) Planning and Conservation Department, must explain why they have chosen to desecrate them! It is essential to know that Ellys Manor House has had a physical, historical curtilage ( enclosed by a dry-stone wall) for over six centuries (long before the subservient working buildings that are the barns). One has only to check the ordnance survey maps.
I believe Confucius said (and I stand to be corrected) 'an argument derives from a lack of facts.'
I urge you all to visit the EMH website: https://www.ellysmanorhouse.com
Go to the navigation bar and click on news, and the library, and read the articles posted. See this link: https://youtu.be/WtHIEDpQAek and other videos.
Surf the site; there is much to learn and know that what you find barely scratches the surface of what is to come. We have a massive amount to bring to your attention. We must not let down our future generations; that must be our pledge to them!
It is now time for the government to admit that it is their policy to pay untrained and unknowledgeable staff in their employ to destroy our human story. They are paying people that are willing to destroy the historic and cultural fabric of our society in favour of dubious commercial interest and they wonder why our society is breaking down!
Actions brought about by Ian Wright and South Kesteven District Council Planning and Conservation Department have exposed flawed planning laws. Both he and South Kesteven District Council must explain and justify their decisions.
There are other planning issues to be investigated in and around the village of Great Ponton. Know that on our website, there is a fact checklist of names.
We want to add that these are not inexperienced staff-they are head of department and CEO.
Steve Ingram, Strategic Director and President of Planning Officers Society in 2018.
The moment he signed off on us going to the Ombudsman, he resigned at SKDC.
Aiden Rave - CEO.
One wonders what he might have done to have been given our tax money before being relieved of his duties and shown the door? SKDC will still not discuss his actions with the other councillors!
About the time of the CEO being relieved of his duties, I was at Grantham police station with a lawyer defending myself against accusations made by my neighbours at the barns, 'That I was hiding in the bushes to take photos of their four or five-year-old boy.' Needless to say, these accusations were unfounded. It was their way of stopping me from gathering evidence - many photos and video(s). We further point out, the Welhams are very familiar with some of the staff at SKDC.
Within a few months of the Welhams arriving at the Barns - a single domestic dwelling. Mr & Mrs. Welham, started to send copies of my Land Registry to me. They later informed me that I did not own the hedgerow/boundary between the two properties, but it is a shared boundary.
This was contrary to my understanding since the purchase of EMH nearly four decades ago.
Since arriving at the Barns, the Welhams have been surreptitiously digging within the buildings with their tractor. This would sometimes continue throughout the night and into the morning (2 am). It became blatantly obvious to me they were 'in the know' where it mattered. Cllr Bob Adams (resides in Ponton) -Chairman of the Planning Committee and former leader of SKDC, has always been adamant that the Welhams had planning permission for the work that was being carried out, and yet others at SKDC, said that planning permission was not needed. Which is it?
Their company - Heatsource, is a limited company (along with other companies they seem to have).
Local authority planning departments are clearly neither fit nor qualified to be the guardians of Britain's historic environment and cultural heritage.
At EMH, we are appealing to the government to allow independent engineers to gain access to the inside of the adjacent Barns to ascertain what has been introduced into the space with no plans, no archaeological investigation, no planning permission. ('Building Control' know nothing of what has or is taking place inside the Barns -contrary to what is said by Jonathan Short -Senior Enforcement Officer). We are experiencing tremors at EMH, and our Grade 1 listed church, equidistance from the Barns must also be experiencing the same. That said, we must also establish the short and long-term damage to these two ancient and significant buildings. We do feel the 'Barns' and the 'Chicken Farm' are not unrelated.
We think this is premeditated. Bear in mind that we went through the Local Government Ombudsman process and were told SKDC did nothing wrong! This demands a thorough investigation. It is criminal!
Massive amounts of money are granted to an abundance of Arts organisations nationwide. Ellys Manor House not only suffers from a lack of financial assistance but is now under attack from our own Local Authority!
The whole system is an utter mess! I should stop for now, as I am getting angry.
CM Taylor (Mr)
Understanding Ellys Manor House.
Heritage and Culture
Due to eminent people associated with the Ellyses, the significance of Ellys Manor House and the adjacent church of the Holy Cross, is more than the sum of either of their individual parts.
Louis XV of France, Cardinal Fleury (Tutor to the young Louis XV, served as defacto first minister from 1 726 until he died in 1743), Charles Stanhope (1595 -1675), Richard Cromwell (Oliver's son), Lord Protector (4th October, 1626 - 12th July, 1712), Horatio Walpole, 4th Earl of Oxford - Known as Horace Walpole
(wrote a Latin ode to Sir Richard Ellys), to list but a few of the notables.
The Northern European architectural language of the building is itself an historic document. I urge you all to see this link: Click here. It is but a fraction of the historical worth of these two magical buildings.
The symbolism in the late medieval wall paintings on the walls of Ellys Manor House have an accurate timeline back to around 1st century B.C. They demonstrate our evolution from an agrarian/agricultural society.
At EMH, we argue that we stand shoulder to shoulder with 'Ara Pacis' and the 'Medici Villa di Poggio a Caiano' (Ambra). The failure, by scholars and heritage professionals to understand this is an international disgrace and a scandal. They make a mockery of the whole system. Intellectual desecration of not just the nation's heritage but that of the Humanities and Art history.
I will also share with you all (below) just how confused church magazines are about the scallop shell and the acanthus leaf.
See the article in the Wall Street Journal that follows: -
MONEYBOX
Master's Degrees Are the Second Biggest Scam in Higher Education and elite universities deserve a huge share of the blame.
By JORDAN WEISSMANN
July 16, 2021, 12:57pm
It is a breath of fresh air to know that there are people out there with the courage to speak out.
Credit Where Credit is Due: - Mike Higginbottom.
"Until a few years ago, most people would have walked or driven straight past Ellys Manor House in the village of Great Ponton, off the Al in Lincolnshire without giving it more than a second glance. It's a simple, beautiful vernacular house, distinguished by its crow-stepped gables."
To learn more, follow this link
We thank Mike Higginbottom (author and lecturer for around forty years) for his observation and kind words.
Our thanks also to De Montfort University -
'Understanding the Allegorical Language ... ' -Presidents' Medals.
The house was used as a rectory house from 1921 to 1984 (63 years) and many of the symbols are synonymous with early Christian signs, and not one single churchman recognised an ancient Christian image in the wall paintings or on the house or church in all those years.
One such symbol (left of the image above) in the wall paintings is a shield bearing a cross, this shield, they liken to the George Cross, which is so idiotic, the Cross would have to be red and if it had been red it would still be red! Red is the strongest colour of the earth pigments - the last to fade. The Cross is clearly a square cross, yellow on white (both the 'Greek' and 'Latin' cross) They were both carried by Fredrick Barbarossa 1, Holy Roman Emperor.
Wall Paintings example (right of the image above)
The late medieval wall paintings at EMH were discovered nearly one hundred years ago and misinterpreted by eminent scholars; and still today, the same piece of information is being regurgitated by scholars, until 2019, when I began to break the code in the paintings symbolism. There is still a massive amount of work to be carried out.
The artichoke as a symbol
A detailed section of the wall painting showing the artichoke at EMH to the right Artichoke artistically enhanced for readability. by Stephen Underwood
History and Legends of Artichokes:
And incidentally, we know some consider themselves scholars among the Leaders and Ministers (scholars in the classics); thus, we hope what follows will resonate with them.
'According to an Aegean legend and praised in song by the poet Quintus Horatius Flaccus, the first artichoke was a lovely young girl who lived on the island of Zinari. The god, Zeus was visiting his brother Poseidon one day when, as he emerged from the sea, he spied a beautiful young mortal woman. She did not seem frightened by the presence of a god, and Zeus seized the opportunity to seduce her. He was so pleased with the girl, who's name was Cynara, that he decided to make her a goddess, so that she could be nearer to his home on Olympia. Cynara agreed to the promotion, and Zeus anticipated the trysts to come, whenever his wife Hera was away. However, Cynara soon missed her mother and grew homesick. She snuck back to the world of mortals for a brief visit. After she returned, Zeus discovered this un-goddess-like behavior. Enraged, he hurled her back to earth and transformed her into the plant we know as the artichoke.'
The origins of the Artichoke date back to the time of the Greek philosopher and naturalist, Theophrastus (371-287 B.C.), who wrote of them being grown in Italy and Sicily.
Pedanius Dioscorides (40-90 A.D.), a 1st century A.D. Greek physician of Anazarbus, Cilicia, wrote about artichokes at the time of Christ. While traveling as a surgeon with the Roman army of Emperor Nero, he collected information on the remedies of the period and wrote a work on The Greek Herbal of Dioscorides. Originally written in Greek, Dioscorides' herbal was later translated into Latin as De Materia Medica. It remained the authority in medicinal plants for over 1500 years. Ancient Greeks and Romans considered artichokes a delicacy and an aphrodisiac. In Ancient Greece, the artichoke was attributed to being effective in securing the birth of boys.
In 77 A.D., the Roman naturalist Caius Plinius Secundus, called Pliny the Elder (23-79 A.D.), called the choke "one of the earth's monstrosities." Evidently he and his colleagues continued to enjoy eating them. Wealthy Romans enjoyed artichokes prepared in honey and vinegar, seasoned with cumin, so that the treat would be available yearround.
Margaret Beaufort, mother to our first Tudor King,
(zoom in on the image to see the drapery covered in the artichoke symbol, which is also a sign of fertility.)
It is sad that our scholars, church people, and heritage professionals - paid from our taxpayers' money, are oblivious to the signs and symbols of our journey. However, it is a double sadness that this should be taking place now, on the watch of a Prime Minister most people think of as a classical scholar, and Robert Jenrick Former Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government of the United Kingdom who read history and law at St John's Cambridge (said to be the finest Tudor building in the land), one of the colleges created by Lady Margaret Beaufort, a descendant of Edward III, who pulled off the siege of Calais, France (1346- 1346). Sadly, until Mary 1st, in 1558, she lost it, famously saying, 'You shall find Calais lying in my heart'. We hasten to add, for us at EMH, 'it will be April 14, 2021 '.
That government (these bright young sparks, with their impressive C.V.s from some of the world's most prestigious universities) is denying a cultural education to our future generations for sake of a chicken farm! Why don't they just tell us if their wish is for us all to become savages feasting on a copious amount of chicken? It is so sad that nothing of the above resonates with them.
It is also sad that we have a collection of all the emails from the newspapers (local and national) and the news programmes that would not and will not give us the 'column space' or 'air time' to voice our plight.
'The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch and do nothing.'
Albert Einstein.
P.S. The paintings at Ellys Manor House must be restored, mapped, and studied; a task which now is doubly problematic as the business we have worked so long and hard to create, with no financial assistance, has been destroyed by all of these events. We are unable even to open Ellys Manor House to educate, which is a disgrace to the Humanities - our human story.
Below: Details of the wall paintings at Ellys Manor House, c. 1500.
Pomegranate with surrounding foliage and to the right The Crane and the Fox
We feel from the above article, you all will appreciate our travails. However, know that up at EMH, it would be very mean not to extend our good wishes to South Kesteven District Council (SKDC) those cultural beavers: -
SKDC Shortlisted for National Award
The Council will hear this month if it is a winner in a national awards scheme that celebrates the best of Local Government services and staff.
The successful creation of a new company to deliver improved leisure services in South Kesteven has been shortlisted for a prestigious national award.
South Kesteven District Council is down to the last six in the Workforce Transformation category of the MuniGipal Journal Local Government Achievement Awards after setting up LeisureSK Ltd in just four months.
The awards celebrate the best of local government services and staff, with the winners being announced this month.
Key elements for the Council in setting up LeisureSK Ltd were:
- The smooth transfer of 115 staff to the company
- Investing in the workforce through training and apprenticeships
- Developing an agile and flexible workforce through training and development
The Council Leader, Cllr Kelham Cooke, said: "I am incredibly proud of the LeisureSK team who have really bought into the new company's aims and ambitions, and naturally delighted that South Kesteven District Council has been shortlisted in what is one of the biggest and most prestigious award schemes for local government."
The Chairman of LeisureSK and Deputy Leader of the Council, Cllr Barry Dobson, said:
"An almost overnight transformation has been achieved despite the very challenging conditions faced by all within the leisure industry during the times of Covid restrictions.
"The greatest focus was given to developing and delivering
a plan for engaging with and investing in the 115 staff who would form the LeisureSK team and I'm delighted to say that we have a positive, motivated, forward-thinking workforce dedicated to the provision of leisure services across the district.
"I am genuinely excited about the opportunities LeisureSK presents for the employees, the Council, and for the whole district."
Left to right: SKDC Director of Growth and Culture, Nicola McCoyBrown; Chairman of LeisureSK and Deputy Leader of SKDC, Cllr Barry Dobson; SKDC Cabinet Member for Culture and Visitor Economy, Cllr Rosemary TrollopeBellew; SKDC Head of Leisure, Karen Whitfield; Leader of SKDC, Cllr Kelham Cooke; SKDC Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources, Cllr Adam Stokes; LeisureSK Contracts Manager Lee Gaskin.
SKDC has also been shortlisted by the Association of Public Service Excellence for setting up LeisureSK. The Council is in the running for 'Best Efficiency and Transformation' in the Annual Service Awards.
