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https://easypeasyartschool.com.au/portfolio/new-great-wall/

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Great Wall of China - Easy Peasy Art School

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Great Wall of China Art Lesson by Easy Peasy Art School. Step by step online art lesson plan for teachers, students and kids at home.

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trial-by-separation-barrier/2015/07/17/ed224cba-2c3f-11e5-a5ea-cf74396e59ec_graphic.html

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A separation barrier/defensive wall is designed to limit the movement of people across a certain line or border, or to separate lands in order to protect people or cultures. They have been used for many thousands of years and built in a variety of materials, shapes and scales. Here are some famous examples and their maximum height to scale:

[ Story: Trump says building a U.S.-Mexico wall is 'easy.' But is it really? ]
July 17, 2015

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From the Great Wall of China to the Southwest border: Ahistorical guide to separation walls

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A separation barrier/defensive wall is designed to limit the movement of people across a certain line or border, or to separate lands in order to protect people or cultures. They have been used for many thousands of years and built in a variety of materials, shapes and scales.

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Isambard Kingdom Brunel Scheme of Work KS1

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Isambard Kingdom Brunel Scheme of Work KS1

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Songs About Walls and Bridges

Another Brick In The Wall by Pink Floyd
Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon & Garfunkel
Under The Bridge by Red Hot Chili Peppers
Band On The Run by Paul McCartney & Wings
Within You, Without You by The Beatles
The Sound of Silence by Simon & Garfunkel
Ode To Billie Joe by Bobbie Gentry
Walls by Tom Petty
Seven Bridges Road by The Eagles
London Bridge by Fergie
Behind The Wall of Sleep by The Smithereens
Tonight I Climbed the Wall by Alan Jackson
The Wall by Johnny Cash
Fortress Around Your Heart by Sting
The 59th Street Bridge Song by Simon & Garfunkel, also Harper's Bizarre
Wonderwall by Oasis
Off The Wall by Michael Jackson
The Walls Came Down by The Call
Hello Walls by Faron Young
Deep Purple by April Stevens and Nino Tempo
Flowers On The Wall by Statler Brothers
Crumblin' Down by John Mellencamp
Sugar Walls by Sheena Easton
Dancing On The Berlin Wall by Rational Youth
Burning Bridges by Brooks & Dunn
The Brooklyn Bridge by Frank Sinatra
Jesus Jones - Right Here, Right Now
David Bowie - Heroes
Philip Bailey - Walking On The Chinese Wall
Stabilizers - One Simple Thing
Badfinger - No Matter What
Behind the Wall of Sleep by The Smithereens
The Bridge Washed Out by George Jones
On The Bridge by Christy Moore
Love Can Build a Bridge by The Judds
Climbing The Walls by They Might Be Giants
London Bridge by Bread
Look On Down From the Bridge by Mazzy Star
The Walls of Red Wing by Bob Dylan
Burning Bridges by Jason Mraz
Sitting On The Fence by The Rolling Stones
Bridges by Tracy Chapman
Buildings and Bridges by Ani DiFranco
My Eyes Adored You by Frankie Valli
Through These Walls by Phil Collins
Another Bridge by Everything But the Girl
Over The Bridge by Tangent Sunset
Behind The Wall by Tracy Chapman
A Poem On The Underground Wall by Paul Simon
Hello Walls by Willie Nelson
Fly On The Wall by Miley Cyrus
Brothers Under The Bridge by Bruce Springsteen
Bridges Burning by The Mission
View From a Bridge by Kim Wilde
Cross Over the Bridge by Patti Page
Do The Walls Come Down by Carly Simon
Four Walls by Miley Cyrus
Floating Bridge by Gregg Allman
Back Against the Wall by Cage The Elephant
The Bridge by Scott Walker
The Wall by Kansas
Bridge by Queensryche
The Wall by Willie Nelson
Four Walls of Raiford by Lynyrd Skynyrd
Don't Hold the Wall by Justin Timberlake
Bedlam Bridge by Midnight Oil
When the Walls Came Tumbling Down by Def Leppard
Mood To Burn Bridges by Neko Case
Will by Living Colour
Walls by Glen Campbell
Paper Walls by Yellowcard
Walls by Beck
Misty Morning, Albert Bridge by The Pogues
The Wall Song by David Crosby
Chelsea Bridge by Duke Ellington
The Bridge Song by Dishwalla
Bridge of Sighs by Robin Trower
Don't Fence Me In by Cole Porter

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Songs About Walls and Bridges Another Brick In The Wall by Pink Floyd Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon & Garfunkel Under The Bridge by Red Hot Chili Peppers Band On The Run by Paul McCartney & Wings Within You, Without You by The Beatles The Sound of Silence by

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Fort Albert | South East | Castles, Forts and Battles

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Fort Albert was constructed to defend against the wooden hulled sailing Ships of the Napoleonic era but, just three years after completion, it was rendered obsolete by the launch of a French Ironclad warship that revolutionised naval warfare. Finding a new role as barracks and a Brennan Torpedo inst…

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People have been building walls for various reasons since the beginning of human history. While most of these ancient walls are gone forever, many of the world's earliest and most impressive defensive walls still exist. All of the walls on this list exist in some capacity today. Some of these walls even look relatively untouched.

10. Walls of Constantinople

photo source: Wikimedia Commons

The Walls of Constantinople are a series of defensive walls that were built to protect Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) since the city was ruled by Constantine the Great. Throughout the centuries, Constantinople's walls were modified by various rulers. The most famous part of the walls, the Theodosian Walls, were built in the 5 th century by Emperor Theodosian II. The Theodosian Walls were impregnable for several centuries and are the most well-preserved section of the Walls of Constantinople.

Did You Know?

Despite a lack of maintenance, many parts of the Walls of Constantinople are still standing today because of how well-made they were. A large-scale restoration of the walls has been underway since the 1980s.

9. Aurelian Walls

photo source: Wikimedia Commons

The Aurelian Walls were built between 271 - 275 CE in Rome during the reign of the Roman Emperors Aurelian and Probus. These walls were built to replace the earlier Servian Walls and served as defensive fortifications surrounding all seven of Rome's hills plus the Campus Martius and, on the right bank of the Tiber, the Trastevere district. Parts of the Aurelian Walls were later remodeled and doubled in height from 26 feet (8 meters) to 52 feet (16 meters). Surprisingly, much of the Aurelian Walls have been well-preserved.

Did You Know?

The Aurelian Walls continued as a significant military defense for the city of Rome until September 20, 1870, when the Bersaglieri of the Kingdom of Italy breached the wall near the Porta Pia and captured Rome.

8. Antonine Wall

photo source: geograph.org.uk via Philip Halling

The Antonine Wall, which is located in central Scotland, was built on the orders of Roman Emperor Antoninus Pious, who took over the throne following Hadrian's death. Unlike the larger Hadrian's Wall, the Antonine Wall was used as an imperial frontier for only a few decades while Antoninus ruled. The Roman army mostly abandoned the Antonine Wall around the early 160s CE. Following Antoninus' death, his successor, Marcus Aurelius, pulled the Roman frontier back to Hadrian's Wall.

Did You Know?

During medieval times, the Antonine Wall was known as Gryme's dyke or Graham's dyke because of the Pictish legend.

7. Hadrian's Wall

photo source:Wikimedia Commons

Besides the Great Wall of China, Hadrian's Wall is one the best-known historical walls in the world. Hadrian's Wall dates back to the Roman conquest of Britain, specifically when Emperor Hadrian arrived in 122 CE. Hadrian's Wall ran from coast to coast in northern Britain at a length of 73 miles (120 kilometers). Due to the size and position of Hadrian's wall, its believed that it wasn't built for defense, but rather as a show of force by the Romans. In fact, one of Hadrian's biographers said that he built the wall to "separate the Romans from the barbarians (the inhabitants of Britain)." However, there were defensive fortifications built along the wall.

Did You Know?

The initial preservation of what remains of Hadrian's Wall was carried out by one man, antiquarian John Clayton, who bought up the land around the wall and got other people interested in the wall's history.

6. Serpent's Wall

photo source:Wikimedia Commons

Not too much is known about the Serpent's Wall located in the Kiev Oblast area of Ukraine. No one knows who built the walls or when exactly they were built. Carbon dating puts the construction of the Serpent's Wall between the 2 nd century BCE to the 7 th century CE. There are three theories as to who built the Serpent's Wall: either the Sarmatians against the Scythians, or the Goths of Oium against the Huns, or the Early East Slavs against the nomads of the southern steppes.

Did You Know?

The Serpent's Wall gets its name from a legend that says a mythical Slavic hero Kozmodemian (or Borysohlib) attached a plow to a dragon (serpent) in order to kill it and earthwork walls were a result of the fight.

5. Servian Wall

photo source:Wikimedia Commons

The Servian Wall is the earliest existing defensive wall found in Rome. It was built in the early 4 th century BCE and is named for a later Roman king, Servius Tullius. Originally, the Servian Wall was built from large blocks of Cappellaccio tuff (a volcanic rock), which was later restored in the late 390s BCE. The Servian Wall was well-maintained into the Roman Empire, but was later replaced by the better-built Aurelian Walls.

Did You Know?

A remaining section of the Servian Wall is located inside of a McDonald's at Termini Station, the main railway station in Rome.

4. Great Wall of Qi

photo source:Wikimedia Commons

While the earliest parts of the Great Wall of China were built as early as the 7 th century, none of these first sections have survived. However, remnants of the Great Wall of Qi are still standing and they are the oldest existing parts of China's Great Wall. Depending on the source, the Great Wall of Qi was built as far back as the 7 th century BCE during the reign of Lord Huan of Qi. The Great Wall of Qi spanned over 398.5 miles (641.32 kilometers) and ranged over the mountain ridges of central Shandong Province.

Did You Know?

Despite being of great historical importance, the Great Wall of Qi is not properly protected and stones from the wall have been stolen and used to build houses and livestock pens

3. Broad Wall

photo source:Wikimedia Commons

The Broad Wall is located in what is now the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. The wall dates back to the 8 th century BCE and was most likely built by Hezekiah, King of Judah. According to archaeologists, the Broad Wall was part of a fortification of an Israeli wall. The discovery of the Broad Wall revealed that the Old City of Jerusalem at the time was much larger than previously thought.

Did You Know?

Archaeologists believe that King Hezekiah built the Broad Wall in anticipation of an invasion of Judea by Sennacherib.

2. Walls of Jericho

photo source:Wikimedia Commons

The Walls of Jericho are the oldest known city walls in the world and date back to at least 8000 BCE, but were most likely built much earlier. By this time, Jericho had grown into a large settlement surrounded by a massive stone wall. Along the wall was a stone tower, that is the second oldest tower in existence. While its natural to think that the Walls of Jericho were created for defense, there is no evidence that the city was at war at the time the walls were constructed. Most archaeologists believe that the walls were built to protect Jericho from floods and that the tower was used for ceremonial purposes.

Did You Know?

The Walls of Jericho were 11.8 feet (3.6 meters) tall and 5.9 feet (1.8 meters) wide at the base.

1. Theopetra Cave Wall

photo source:Wikimedia Commons

Theopetra Cave is a 130,000-year old prehistoric archaeological site that is home to the world's oldest wall, which was built around 21000 BCE. Before being excavated by archaeologists, the wall partially blocked off the entrance to Theopetra Cave. The age of the Theopetra Cave wall suggests that the wall was built during the last ice age. It is believed that the Paleolithic inhabitants of the cave built the wall to protect them from the cold.

Did You Know?

In addition to being home to one of the oldest man-made structures in the world, Theopetra Cave is a treasure trove of ancient artifacts, including the oldest human footprints in Europe that have been dated to about 135,000 years ago.

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10 Oldest Walls in the World - Oldest.org

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People have been building walls for various reasons since the beginning of human history. While most of these ancient walls are gone forever, many of the world's earliest and most impressive defensive walls still exist. All of the walls on this list exist in some capacity today.

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The Wall of Love ( French: Le mur des je t'aime, lit. the I Love You Wall) is a love-themed wall of 40 square metres (430 sq ft) in the Jehan Rictus garden square in Montmartre, Paris, France. The wall was created in 2000 by calligraphist Fédéric Baron and mural artist Claire Kito and is composed of 612 tiles of enamelled lava, on which the phrase 'I love you' is featured 311 times in 250 languages. Each tile is 21 by 29.7 centimetres (8.3 in × 11.7 in).

The wall includes the words 'I love you' in all major languages, but also in rarer ones like Navajo, Inuit, Bambara and Esperanto. The wall is open to the public free of charge.[citation needed ]

Frédéric Baron first asked his brother, and later his foreign neighbours, to write words of love in their languages, then collected 'I love you' in this way in over 300 languages and dialects of the world.[citation needed ]

Claire Kito, a calligrapher, then assembled them in a work to be realised on enamel plates.

The symbolism of the wall was a personal choice of the artist. A wall is, of course, a symbol of division and separation, and here Fédéric Baron wished that a wall could also be a support for the most beautiful of human feelings.[citation needed ]

The red splashes on the wall symbolize parts of a broken heart and can be gathered to form a full heart.

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The Wall of Love ( French: Le mur des je t'aime, lit. the I Love You Wall ) is a love-themed wall of 40 square metres (430 sq ft) in the Jehan Rictus garden square in Montmartre, Paris, France.

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Graffiti which used to be considered vandalism and delinquent behavior has now become a well-respected art form. Graffiti artists have, in recent years, used their skills to make art that stops people in their tracks, and some of these artists have made a name for themselves in the more "prestigious" art scenes.

Graffiti artists like Banksy, Shepard Fairey, Zephyr, Blade, David Choe, Saber, and others have been incredibly influential for the genre, and even artists we know and love, like Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring, got their start as more traditional artists from experimenting with graffiti.

It's only been about 30 years that graffiti has been taken seriously, and it's been an exciting step toward making art more accessible. So here, we're talking about eleven of the most iconic graffiti wall artworks that have sprung up on streets all around the world. Let's see how many you recognize.

Os Gemeos, 2012
Located at Dewey Square Park in Boston, Massachusetts

Created by the twin duo Otavio and Gustavo Pandolfo from Brazil, The Giant of Boston was a temporary piece made as part of an exhibition for the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston. This massive graffiti work took up 70 square feet and depicts a large, yellow character as he seems to be squeezing himself between the buildings that surround him. The Pandolfo brothers, known as Os Gemeos, masterfully account for the curves in their unconventional canvas, and, although it did spark some controversy, the piece was incredibly popular.

11. Etnias (Ethnicities)

Eduardo Kobra, 2016
Located at Port District in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Using his signature technique of squares and triangles, world-renowned graffiti artist Eduardo Kobra created Etnias for the 2016 Rio Olympics. This impressive feat took two months to finish and covers an area of nearly 30,000 square feet. In fact, it broke the Guinness World Record for the world's largest graffiti art. Etnias depicts five faces from the five continents to spread the message of us all being one. It included the faces of the Huli people from New Guinea, the Mursi people of Ethiopia, the Kayin people from Thailand, the Supi people from Europe, and the Tapajos people from the Americas.

10. The Purple Shall Govern

Shepard Fairey, 2014
Located at Juta Street in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, South Africa

This iconic graffiti art by Shepard Fairey was created to remember the 25th anniversary of what would later be called the Purple Rain Protest for the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa. The protest got its name after police officers sprayed the protesters with water dyed purple so they could be later identified. Standing ten stories high and covering more than 2,000 square feet, this piece overlooks the Nelson Mandela Bridge.

Fun fact: Fairey is the same artist to create the "Hope" poster from Barack Obama's presidential campaign.

Pavlos Tsakonas, 2011

Located at Pireaus st., Athens

Inspired by Albrecht Dürer's Praying Hands (1508), the Greek artist Pavlos Tsakonas created this mural in 2011, near the square of Omonoia at the center of Athens, Greece. The mural quickly became a favorite of the public not only because of its impressive nature but also its symbolism, as amid the Greek economic crisis, it was thought to reflect the public sentiment. Depending on who you ask, its either just praying hands, or the hands of god praying to humanity.

8. Robbo Incorporated

King Robbo, 1985
Located at Regent's Canal in Camden, London, England

John Robertson, known as King Robbo, was a British graffiti artist, and in 1985, he created Robbo Incorporated next to Regent's Canal just underneath the London Transportation Police Headquarters. It became the oldest piece of graffiti in London since all his other work was removed by authorities, except for this one which was only accessible by water. Interestingly, Banksy, another British graffiti artist, painted over much of King Robbo's art, which began what was known as a graffiti war. It was only under Robertson suffered a fatal head injury that Banksy ceased fire.

7. Facebook Murals

David Choe, 2005
Located at Facebook Headquarters in Palo Alto, California

Sean Parker, the original Facebook president was a huge fan of David Choe's graffiti art and asked him to paint a mural at Facebook's first offices in Silicon Valley. Choe obliged and created a piece that was rather graphic and sexual - all normal themes for the artist. Parker offered Choe two options for payment. Either $60,000 or the equivalent in Facebook stock. Although Choe wasn't convinced that Facebook would be a hit at the time, now almost 15 years ago, it's lucky that he took the stocks since now they'd be worth well over $200 million. Later, Mark Zuckerburg asked Choe to paint the Facebook headquarters again once they were moved, but using more subtle themes this time.

Various Artists, 1980 (ongoing)
Located in Velkopřevorské Square, Prague, Czechia

While the Lennon Wall has been decorated with anti-establishment messages since the 1960s, it took on a strong cultural meaning after the assassination of Beatles' singer John Lennon in 1980. After an initial image of John Lennon was painted on the wall, it became a mural wall dedicated to the singer, a western symbol of liberation, creativity and modernity. The wall has since then been decorated with numerous political and peaceful Beatles-themed messages and artworks. Police have tried to whitewash and cover the artwork on the Lennon Wall, but artists continue to decorate it with political messages.

5. Tuttomondo

Keith Haring, 1989
Located at the Church of Sant'Antonio Abate in Pisa, Italy

Featuring the iconic figures that were prominent in much of Keith Haring's work is Tuttomundo which means "all world" in Italian. Haring met a friend in New York from Pisa who invited him to the city where this mural was created. The figures are intertwined and connected to symbolize unity and world peace. It is the largest mural in Europe, measuring about 180 square meters, and was the last public work Keith Haring would create as he passed away a year later in 1990.

4. My God, Help Me to Survive This Deadly Love

Dmitri Vrubel, 1990
Located at the Berlin Wall in Berlin, Germany

In the 1980s, the Berlin Wall that separated East and West Germany was a popular spot for graffiti artists to present their work. Not only was this piece, which is also known as Fraternal Kiss, one of the most famous works to ever hit the wall, but it's also one of the most famous pieces of graffiti art of all time. It depicts an embrace between communist leaders Leonid Brezhnev and Erich Honecker although you might recognize the recent remake called Make Everything Great Again featuring Donald Trump kissing Vladimir Putin.

Banksy, 2003
Located in Jerusalem, Israel

This black and white (except for the flowers) stencil graffiti by Banksy spreads a powerful message. Located in Jerusalem, an area riddled with war, the piece depicts a rioter poised to throw a bouquet of flowers instead of a bomb. The image is so popular that it's been reproduced on T-shirts, as prints, and was featured on the 2005 compilation book of Banksy's work called Banksy Wall and Piece.

2. Crack is Wack

Keith Haring, 1986
Located at East 128th Street in New York, New York

Here, we're revisiting a Haring piece with his best-known graffiti art. Crack cocaine was a huge problem in the New York City area in the mid-1980s, and Haring experienced the pain of addiction through his friend Benny who was using the drug heavily. It was painted near the Harlem River Drive but was arrested since he didn't have permission. But Haring was a popular artist at the time, and the mural itself was all over TV - Ronald Reagan's "War on Drugs" campaign was in full swing - and so when people found out he was in jail, they rallied behind him. Haring was released with a $100 fine. Crack is Wack was vandalized with pro-drug messaging, and so eventually, the city allowed Haring to recreate the mural with its original purpose.

1. Balloon Girl

Banksy, 2002
Located in Shoreditch, London, England

Last but not least, we have another piece of Banksy graffiti art. Banksy is arguably the most famous graffiti artist of all time and he's broken more barriers for the art form than anyone else has. So at the number one spot, we have the most famous graffiti artist's most famous graffiti artwork of all time - Balloon Girl. It shows a young girl with her hair and dress blowing forward, reaching for a heart-shaped balloon that's being blown away. In 2014, the mural was removed from the east London shop it was created on and sold for £500,000. In 2015, a print of the image sold for £56,250. And in 2017, a poll showed that it was the United Kingdom's favorite artwork. All of these accomplishments are incredible for a bit of graffiti.

If you know of other Graffiti Wall Art that should be on this list, let us know at editor@thecollector.com

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12 Iconic Graffiti Art Murals That Will Make You Stop

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Here, we're talking about 12 iconic graffiti wall art that have sprung up on streets all around the world. Let's see how many you recognize.

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LONDON: Stunning street 🎨 art (wall murals) in BRICK LANE (England)

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HEARING VOICES OVER 100M AWAY - Whispering Wall ADELAIDE | Barbster360 Travel Vlog

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Please be aware that resources have been published on the website in the form that they were originally supplied. This means that procedures reflect general practice and standards applicable at the time resources were produced and cannot be assumed to be acceptable today. Website users are fully responsible for ensuring that any activity, including practical work, which they carry out is in accordance with current regulations related to health and safety and that an appropriate risk assessment has been carried out.

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These activities from Cre8ate maths sets challenges which require pupils to be constructive, creative and think strategically about simple structures. Working in groups of 3 or 4, students create structures from a single sheet of A4 paper, the tallest free-standing tower and the longest possible span between two end supports.

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Learning About Bridges - Rochester Bridge Trust

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Learning About Bridges Langdon the Lion is pleased to present his education kit - Learning about Bridges! Learning about Bridges contains twelve sessions on the basics of bridge building, aimed at children aged 8-11 years. Each session can be completed in about an hour and the activities are ideal for afterschool clubs and home-schooling as...

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Throughout the ages, man has been using architecture to bridge the gaps between physical obstacles, for the purpose of providing an easy passage. Most of these bridges are also regarded as landmarks and are a vital part of the infrastructures of regions around the world. Some have even become city icons because of their influence and engineering wonder. Below is a list of the most famous bridges in the world.

The Great Belt bridge is actually two bridges - an Eastern and a Western section, split by the small island of Sprogø. The East Bridge, a 1,624 meter (5,328 feet) long suspension bridge crosses the deepest part of Storebælt between the island of Zealand and Sprogø. It has the third longest main span in the world. At 254 meter (833 feet) above sea level, the East Bridge's two pylons are the highest points in Denmark. The West Bridge is a 6,611 meter (21,689 feet) long combined rail and road bridge between Sprogø and Funen.

The Chapel Bridge is a 204 meter (670 foot) long bridge crossing the Reuss River in the city of Lucerne in Switzerland. It is the oldest wooden covered bridge in Europe, and one of Switzerland's main tourist attractions. The covered bridge, constructed in 1333, was designed to help protect the city of Lucerne from attacks. Inside the bridge are a series of paintings from the 17th century, depicting events from Luzerne's history. Much of the bridge, and the majority of these paintings, were destroyed in a 1993 fire, though it was quickly rebuilt.

Chengyang Bridge (also known as Wind and Rain Bridge) was built in 1916, and it is the most famous among the wind and rain bridges in the Dong Minority Region in China. The bridge stretches across the Linxi River and it still in heavy use. It is constructed of wood and stone without nails or rivets and is the largest of all the wind and rain bridges. It is 64.4 meters long, 3.4 meters wide and 10.6 meters high.

Completed in 1883, Brooklyn Bridge connects Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River. At the time it opened, and for several years, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world and it has become a famous and iconic landmark of New York. The bridge has a wide pedestrian walkway open to walkers and cyclists. This walkway takes on a special importance in times of difficulty when usual means of crossing the East River have become unavailable as happened during several blackouts and most famously after the September 11, 2001, attacks.

Crossing the Tagus River at Alcántara in Spain, the Alcántara Bridge is a masterpiece of ancient Roman bridge building. The bridge was built between 104 and 106 by an order of the Roman Emperor Trajan in 98 AD, who is honored by a triumphal arch in the center of the bridge and a small temple at one end. The Alcántara Bridge has taken more damage from war than from the elements. The Moors destroyed the smallest arch on one side while the second arch on the other side was destroyed by the Spanish to stop the Portuguese.

Sydney Harbour Bridge is one of Australia's most well known and photographed landmarks. It is the world's largest (but not the longest) steel arch bridge with the top of the bridge standing 134 meters (440 feet) above Sydney Harbour. It took eight years to build and opened in March 1932. Because the steel expands or contracts depending on whether it is hot or cold the bridge is not completely stationary and can rise or fall up to 18 cm (7.1 inch).

Stari Most ("The Old Bridge") is a famous bridge crossing the river Neretva in the city of Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was built by the Ottaman Turks in 1566 and stood for 427 years, until the bridge was destroyed in 1993 during the Bosnian War. Subsequently, a project was set in motion to rebuild it, and the new bridge opened in 2004. It is traditional for the young men of the town to leap from the bridge into the Neretva. As the river is very cold, this is a very risky feat and only the most skilled and best trained divers will attempt it.

Si-o-se Pol (The Bridge of 33 Arches) is a famous bridge in the Iranian city of Isfahan. It is highly ranked as being one of the most famous examples of Safavid bridge design. Commissioned in 1602 by Shah Abbas I, the bridge is build of bricks and stones. It is 295 meters long and 13.75 meters wide. It is said that the bridge originally comprised 40 arches however this number gradually reduced to 33.

The Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge, also known as the Pearl Bridge, is the longest suspension bridge at 1,991 meters (6,532 feet) in the world. It spans the Akashi Strait in Japan connecting Kobe on the mainland and Iwaya on Awayi Island. The bridge took almost 12 years to build and was opened for traffic in 1998. The central span was originally only 1,990 meter but the Kobe earthquake on January 17, 1995, moved the two towers so that it had to be increased by 1 meter.

The Rialto Bridge is one of the four bridges spanning the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy. It is the oldest bridge across the canal. The present stone bridge, a single span designed by Antonio da Ponte, was completed in 1591 and was used to replace a wooden bridge that collapsed in 1524. The engineering of the bridge was considered so audacious that some architects predicted a future collapse. The bridge has defied its critics to become one of the architectural icons of Venice.

The Charles Bridge is a famous is a stone Gothic bridge that crosses the Vltava river in Prague, Czech Republic. Its construction started in 1357 under the auspices of King Charles IV, and finished in the beginning of the 15th century. As the only means of crossing the river Vltava, the Charles Bridge was the most important connection between the Old Town and the area around Prague Castle. connection made Prague important as a trade route between Eastern and Western Europe. Today it is one of the most visited sights in Prague with painters, owners of kiosks and other traders alongside numerous tourists crossing the bridge.

Tower Bridge is a combined bascule and suspension bridge in London, over the River Thames. It is close to the Tower of London, which gives it its name and has become an iconic symbol of London. Construction started in 1886 and took eight years to build. The bridge consists of two towers which are tied together at the upper level by means of two horizontal walkways which are designed to withstand the forces of the suspended sections of the bridge.

The Millau Viaduct is an enormous cable-stayed road-bridge that spans the valley of the river Tarn near Millau in southern France. It is the tallest vehicular bridge in the world, with the highest pylon's summit at 343 meters (1,125 ft) - slightly taller than the Eiffel Tower. The speed limit on the bridge was reduced from 130 km/h (81 mph) to 110 km/h (68 mph) because of traffic slowing down, due to tourists taking pictures of the bridge from the vehicles. Shortly after the bridge opened to traffic, passengers were stopping to admire the landscape and the bridge itself.

The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the strait between San Francisco and Marin County to the north. The masterwork of architect Joseph B. Strauss, whose statue graces the southern observation deck, the bridge took seven years to build, and was completed in 1937. The Golden Gate Bridge was the longest suspension bridge span in the world when it was completed, and has become one of the most popular tourist attractions in San Francisco and California. Since its completion, the span length has been surpassed by eight other bridges. The famous red-orange color of the bridge was specifically chosen to make the bridge more easily visible through the thick fog that frequently shrouds the bridge.

The Ponte Vecchio (literally "old bridge") is a Medieval bridge over the Arno River in Florence; the only Florentine bridge to survive WW2. The bridge is famous for still having shops built along it, as was common in the days of the Medici. Butchers initially occupied the shops; the present tenants are jewelers, art dealers and souvenir sellers. It is said that the economic concept of bankruptcy originated here: when a merchant could not pay his debts, the table on which he sold his wares (the "banco") was physically broken ("rotto") by soldiers, and this practice was called "bancorotto" (broken table).

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Throughout the ages, man has been using architecture to bridge the gaps between physical obstacles, for the purpose of providing an easy passage. Most of these bridges are also regarded as landmarks and are a vital part of the infrastructures of regions around the world.

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Isambard Kingdom Brunel - Pushing the Boundaries

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The Impressive Engineering of the Roman Arch

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Man has used brick for building purpose for thousands of years. Bricks date back to 7000 BC, which makes them one of the oldest known building materials. They were discovered in southern Turkey at the site of an ancient settlement around the city of Jericho.

The first bricks, made in areas with warm climates, were mud bricks dried in the sun for hardening.
Ancient Egyptian bricks were made of clay mixed with straw. The evidence of this can be seen today at ruins of Harappa Buhen and Mohenjo-daro. Paintings on the tomb walls of Thebes portray Egyptian slaves mixing, tempering and carrying clay for the sun dried bricks.

The greatest breakthrough came with the invention of fired brick in about 3,500 Bc. From this moment on, bricks could be made without the heat of sun and soon became popular in cooler climates.

The Romans prefered to make their bricks in spring, then they stored them for two years before selling or using them. They only used white or red clay to manufacture bricks.
The Romans succeeded in introducing fired bricks to the entire country thanks to mobile kilns. These were bricks stamped with the mark of the legion who supervised the brick production. Roman bricks differed in size and shape from other ancient bricks as they were more commonly round, square, oblong, triangular and rectangular. The kiln fired bricks measured 1 or 2 Roman feet by 1 Roman foot, and sometimes up to 3 Roman feet with larger ones. The Romans used brick for public and private buildings over the entire Roman empire. They built walls, forts, cultural centre, vaults, arches and faces of their aqueducts. The Herculaneum gate of Pompeii and the baths of Caracalla in Rome are examples of Roman brick structures.

During the period of the Roman Empire, the Romans spread the art of brickmaking throughout Europe and it continued to dominate during the medieval and Renaissance period.

When the Roman Empire fell, the art of brickmaking nearly vanished and it continued only in Italy and the Bizantine Empire. In the 11th century, brickmaking spread from these regions to France.

During the 12th century bricks were reintroduced to northern Germany from northern Italy. This created the brick gothic period with buildings mainly built from fired red clay bricks. The examples of the Brick Gothic style buildings can be found in the Baltic countries such as Sweden, Denmark, Poland, Germany, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Belarus and Russia. This period lacks in figural architectural sculptures which had previously been carved from stone. The Gothic figures were virtually impossible to create out of bricks at that time, but could be identified by the use of split courses of bricks in varying colours, red bricks, glazed bricks and white lime plaster. Eventually custom built and shaped bricks were introduced which could imitate the architectural sculptures. In the 16th century, Brick Gothic was replaced by Brick Renaissance architecture.

In medieval times, the clay for making bricks often was kneaded by workers with their bare feet. They clay was shaped into brick by pushing it into a wooden frame placed on a table, which was covered with sand or straw to prevent the clay from sticking. After excess clay was wiped off with a stick, the brick was removed from the frame.

In England the remains of buildings prove that the art of brickmaking was highly advanced by the time of Henry VIII. After the great fire of London in 1666, the city was rebuilt with mainly bricks.

Adobe brick, which is sundried brick made of clay and straw, has been made for centuries in Central America, particularly in Mexico. Some Aztec adobe structures still exist, one example is the Pyramid of the Sun, built in the 15th century.

Bricks crossed the Atlantic with Dutch and British immigrants with some brickmasons among them. In Virginia brick structures were built as early as 1611. At that time it was common for brickmasons to make the bricks on the jobsite. It is known that bricks were transported from Virginia to Bermuda in 1621 in exchange for food and oil.

Many early American skyscrapers are clad in brick or terracotta. It took 10 million bricks to build the Empire State Building.

During the Renaissance and Baroque periods, exposed brick walls became less and less popular, consequently brickwork was covered in plaster. Only during the mid 18th century brick walls started to regain their popularity.

Bricks were made by hand until about 1885. Once the Industrial Revolution broke out, the brickmaking machinery was introduced. Consequently, the number of clays that could be made into brick was greatly increased which influenced the production capacity. Handmade brick production ranged up to 36,000 bricks per week but by 1925 a brickmaking machine made 12,000 bricks a day.

As brick structures could be built much quicker and cheaper, they replaced other raw materials like stone or rock.

During the building boom of the 19th century, when more than 10 billion bricks were produced annually, many American cities like Boston and New York favoured locally made bricks.

In Victorian London, due to the heavy fog, bright red bricks were chosen which made buildings much more visible. Although the amount of red pigment was reduced in bricks production, red remained the most desired colour for the brick and still does to this day.

It was used by some of the 20th century's most famous architects like Le Corbusier, F. L. Wright and Louis Khan.
Nowadays, apart from wood, bricks seem to be commonly used building material. Consequently, brick and terracotta architecture is dominant in its field with a great development in brick industry.

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Man has used brick for building purpose for thousands of years. Bricks date back to 7000 BC, which makes them one of the oldest known building materials. They were discovered in southern Turkey at the site of an ancient settlement around the city of Jericho. The first bricks, made in areas wit...

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Cross the road from the church in the peaceful and ancient town of Newtown on the Isle of Wight and you will see Myrtle Cottage. It is now a holiday let, but this cottage was once a show home for the renowned local brick makers: the Prangnells of Newtown.

Their brick works was tucked away on the Elmsworth Peninsula on the far side of Newtown Harbour. However there is no public access as it very close to a cadet firing range. The story of brick making at Newton makes for a fascinating story.

There is a long history of brick making on the Isle of Wight. Clay of suitable quality was easily accessible, and it was economical to deliver the finished bricks by boat.

Brothers William, Henry and Alfred Prangnell first set up their business here in Newtown in 1866, but a big storm washed away the whole brickyard soon after it opened. Undaunted, they found good deposits of white and red clay which could be used to produce high-quality yellow and red bricks not far away at Elmsworth on the east side of the estuary, and they started all over again.

The Prangnell brothers built a more permanent brick-lined coal-fired kiln after their enforced move. They lived a remote and self-sufficient existence nearby in newly built Brickfields Cottage, and they used an individual dialect that was often difficult to understand.

Even though they were considered to be eccentric, they were undeniably experts at brick making and their intricate products were much sought after. Their cottage contained many decorative bricks for customers to see, including a magnificent barley sugar twist chimney in the scullery (see the photograph taken in 1953) which can now be seen in Newtown Old Town Hall.

Making high-quality bricks at Newtown

Throughout the 50 years of production, Prangnell's Newtown bricks were all made by hand. In fact, the only machinery on the site appears to have been a horse-driven clay mixer. Finished bricks were taken away by the barges that brought in coal for the kiln from Cowes.

Part of the kiln is still standing, but it is unstable and hazardous so we don't encourage visitors to the site. It was unusual in that it combined a highly efficient design with style and ornamentation.

Brick making at Newtown ceased shortly before the First World War, and Annie, the last of the Prangnell family, moved away in 1954, leaving little but memories. But their legacy lives on in the houses like Myrtle Cottage, built with their recognisably elaborate but functional yelllow and red bricks.

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Cross the road from the church in the peaceful and ancient town of Newtown on the Isle of Wight and you will see Myrtle Cottage. It is now a holiday let, but this cottage was once a show home for the renowned local brick makers: the Prangnells of Newtown.

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The Island's brick collection was started by the late Brian Evans. Jill Reilly added to it and
conducted most of the research herein. Additional material was supplied by Rob Martin,
Alan Stroud and other members of the Isle of Wight Industrial Archaeology Society

For centuries bricks were moulded by hand in wooden moulds. These were four sided and rectangular in shape with no base or lid. Moulds were placed either directly on the ground or on a roughly made brickmakers table. Bricks made on the ground are generally pre 19th cent. They were known as 'place' bricks and often contain grass impressions. From the 19th cent rectangular block of wood, smaller than the mould dimensions, would be screwed on the table which created the brick's 'frog'. Sometimes letters were carved in the frog to identify the brickyard owner.

With the advent of steam power brickmaking became mechanized wherever volume justified it. Steam driven extrusion plants with nine overhead wire cutters produced ten bricks every few minutes.

Firing by Clamp
One of the oldest methods of firing is by clamp. A clamp is a temporary construction of unfired or green bricks which is dismantled after firing and could be erected near the clay source.

Clamps varied from yard to yard but there were general rules which most followed. The floor had to be level and was made of burnt brick. Channels were often made in the floor and filled with fuel, usually breeze (crushed coke) but any fuel would suffice and wood, furze, charcoal were also used.
Next came three or four layers of green bricks which were placed on edge and then another layer of fuel was added. After this, green bricks were packed closely together to a height of 14 or 15 feet. The bricks were 'dished' or tilted inward to prevent injury to workmen during firing.
Sometimes the outside was sealed with wet pug. Most clamp bricks had a small percentage of breeze added to the clay during manufacture. This helped to 'self fire' them and ensured that a good temperature was reached.
Clamps contained 30,000 to 150,000 bricks. An average size would take two or three weeks to burn out, although larger ones could take as much as ten or twelve weeks.

Firing by Updraught Kiln
Updraught kilns may be as old as clamps. These were known as Scotch kilns and were permanent structures with one or more firing chambers.

The kilns were built of burnt brick. Flues ran under the perforated floor from one end to the other. Green bricks were stacked on the chamber floor with small gaps between them to allow the heat to circulate.
The open top was covered with old burnt bricks and turf or pug to help conserve the heat and prevent draughts that would cause uneven firing. The kilns had to be stoked regularly day and night for at least three or four days.
It was quite common to see flames rising from the top of these kilns when firing. The death knell sounded for many small yards in 1939 when Blackout Regulations were brought into force.
A later development came to be known as a Suffolk kiln. These were fired on the same principle but smaller and set into a bank. One reason for this was to provide ease of access for loading or setting, another was for insulation

Firing by Downdraught Kiln
The downdraught kiln was far more efficient than the Scotch or Suffolk. Firing was much easier to control. They were often circular in structure with about eight fire holes.

Inside the fireholes were baffles or 'bag' of firebricks. It had a domed roof and a perforated floor under which ran a flue leading to the chimney stack.
The circular or 'beehive' kiln had a capacity of about 12,000 green bricks. Coal was lit inside the firehole grates and hot gases were directed upward from the baffles and then downwards from the underside of the dome and through the stacked bricks by the draught from the chimney.
Altogether it took fourteen days or so to operate, with two days for loading or setting, three days for 'curing', two days for heating to full temperature, one day at full heat, then another three or four days to cool down and a further day to unload or draw.

Other Products of the Brickmaker
Bricks were not the only product made by the brickmaker. Ridge tiles, finials, chimneys and utility items such as drainage pipes were all part of the terracotta range of the brickmaker's art. Many products required expert modelling and an eye to the fashions of the day.

This finial was modelled by Island brickmaker Harry Pritchett in the 1920's

DATING BRICKS
Bricks which form all or part of a building may have their date fixed by the history of the building. Loose bricks with a maker's mark in the frog can often be dated if the brickmaker is identified. Bricks without these guides are difficult to date with any precision. With a few exceptions, raw materials and firing temperatures have remained the much same for hundreds of years. What pointers there are merely typify a particular period, rather than confirm it.
Brick Dimensions
Brick size is often used as a guide to the general period in which they were made. In the course of time bricks have evolved through different dimensions, the most crucial dimension being thickness. Time has seen a gradual increase in the thickness of bricks but trends may have existed in some regions longer than others or even coexisted within the same district.

On the Island the earliest known bricks, of the 16th century, are generally around 1 3/4in (4.45cm) thick. There were increases in size towards the end of the 18th century to 2 1/4in ( 5.7cm), although there is little Island evidence of changes as a direct result of the 1784 brick tax. Thereafter gradual size increases throughout the 19th century met, and sometimes exceeded, the modern standard thickness of 2 5/8in (6.3cm). These are only general guidelines and there may be plenty of buildings which demonstrate exceptions, particularly if the bricks were imported.
Bricklaying Bonds
Many different bonds are used in bricklaying: some of the main ones are shown here. Although bonds are not a reliable guide for dating, their variations can give an indication of the trends of time and place.

Bonds were selected for reasons of aesthetics, strength or economy. English was one of the first to be used and was common throughout the 16th and 17th centuries. Flemish became popular in the 18th century, particularly when used as a design feature with alternate coloured bricks. Rat trap is not a strong bond but fewer bricks went further and its use may have been encouraged by the 18th century brick tax.

The Pritchett Family

In the late 1760s Pritchetts, who were a brickmaking family in the New Forest area, contracted to supply bricks and tiles for the building of the House of Industry at Parkhurst. The yard was set up a short distance from the site. (The remains of the old clay pit now form the duckpond at the back of St Mary's Hospital). After completion of the Workhouse in 1770, Pritchett set up another yard at Kitbridge to supply bricks and rebate tiles for the erection of Parkhurst Barracks.

The tiles that Pritchett made were sometimes known in the trade as mathematical or brick tiles. They had a 'face' that corresponded with that of a laid brick, and when hung and pointed looked exactly like them. These were no cheaper to buy than bricks and they were still subject to the 1784 Brick Tax. They were, however, easier to use than bricks which required skilled labour to lay.

In 1800 Pritchett and his young son George, who acted as his pug boy (clay boy), opened a yard at Bierley near Niton. Over the years there followed many more, at Newbridge, Wellow, Ningwood, Tapnell, Gurnard, Cowes, Northwood, Sandford, (near Godshill), Gunville and Rookley.

William Pritchett, who was the great grandson of the original Pritchett to settle on the Island, had a flourishing yard at Hillis near Cowes. In 1905 he produced an illustrated catalogue which offered over 130 artefacts for use in building. These included ridge tiles, key stones, arches, chimney pots, terra cotta 'enrichments' for the garden, gate posts and finials fashioned as dragons, lions and eagles. His sons, William, Francis and Harry helped in the running of the yard until they too set up on their own. Harry was artistic like his father and many of the artifacts were modelled by him.

In this century the two brothers, Francis and Harry, together with Francis' sons, continued to run yards at Northwood and Rookley. They eventually closed Northwood and concentrated entirely on Rookley. In the late 1940s it became a Limited Company and by 1951, when Francis died, the Pritchett family were no longer majority shareholders. The Company continued operating until 1974 when Rookley Brickworks, the last remaining yard on the Island, closed.

Francis Pritchett's booklet on the family's brickmaking history -1798 to 1939 (pdf)

Illustrated price list from 1905

Examples of decorative products

Because there has always been a good supply of easily accessible clay, there have been kilns on the top of Arreton Down throughout the centuries. A few miles along the ridge towards Knighton there was a Medieval pottery kiln. In the early 19th century a brickyard was established close to the site of a Roman villa whose building materials had been fired and dug on the site. Oral tradition suggests that the brickyard was established in 1835. The 1861 Census lists Joseph Butcher (34) brickburner, his wife Jane(35) and their five children living at Downend.

It was not until 1926 that Downend Brick Manufacturing Company took over the small yard. By this time it had four brickmakers who worked only in the summer months. The Directors of the Company were Frank Moore, his son Martin, W.C.Smith of Smith and Whitehead, a small engineering firm in Newport, Frederick P.Spencer, a sportsman of Newport, and G.Cooper, manager of Wood and Co Ltd., Coal Merchants, also of Newport. Downend Brick Manufacturing Company continued to run the yard until 1957 when it was bought by the adjacent Fleming Estate. It operated under the new ownership for just over a year before closing in 1959.

There are several 'lost' yards along the west bank of the river Medina.These are found in old field names such as, Brickyard Butt, Upper Brick Kiln Ground, Lower Brick Kiln Ground. Since these yards are not shown on 19th century maps they must have been some of the first yards in the Island to make bricks.

On the Ward Estate map published in 1812 a brickyard is shown on the river bank on land owned by Werrar farm which at that time still belonged to Queen's College. Nothing is known of the family that ran it and it must have closed long before 1866 when Albert Edward Flux decided to open a brickyard there. His brother ran Werrar Farm and lived in the old farmhouse. Albert built himself a house and began a career in brickmaking. He discovered that there were two types of clay on the site, one firing red and the other cream which was an added advantage. Albert built two quays for barges to lay alongside to offload coal for firing and to take on bricks for the return journey to Southampton. These found a ready market among local builders.

It was not until 1920 when his son Sidney Albert joined him that the works bought the first lorry for Island deliveries. Since it had solid tyres and an open cab, it must have been a boneshaking and dusty business. Sidney's son, Raymond Sidney, joined the firm after the Second World War. Competition from large highly mechanized companies, together with mounting transportation costs and dwindling clay supplies, finally forced Werrar Brickyard to close in 1958.

Jacob was one of thirteen children born to the Kent family who were builders in Shanklin. In 1869 he leased a piece of land from the White Popham Estate on the outskirts of town known as Batts Ground and set up a brickyard next to the slaughter house. It was not unusual for builders to make their own bricks as transportation was a difficult and costly business. Yards were sited as close to the building activity as possible, although Town By-Laws did not allow firing to take place near houses because of the risk of fire. Jacob and his brothers made bricks during the summer and built rows of houses in the rapidly expanding town in the autumn and winter.

By 1900 Jacob was running another yard at Cliffe Farm. He had also opened a yard at Sandown in 1880 which was situated at Street End, a triangular piece of ground lying between the two railway lines near Sandown Station. This yard had the advantage of a siding which solved delivery problems as bricks could be dispatched by rail to any Island station. Jacob died in 1913 and Alfred, one of his three sons, took over Sandown and Cliffe yards. By this time the lease had expired on Batts ground and was not renewed.

Cliffe yard probably closed before World War 1, possibly after Jacob's death in 1913. The Sandown yard continued until the late 1920s as there is a letter written by Alfred to a customer dated January 1927. In the years of depression following the General Strike transportation and fuel costs soared. This, coupled with mass mechanization, made handmade brickmaking uneconomic and Alfred sold his remaining yard about 1930.

Henry Dowty set up in business as a blacksmith. Over the years he expanded his interests to cover china, ironmongery, house furnishing, farming, estate agency and brickmaking. He operated two brickmaking sites. The first, from the 1870s, was at Totland, while his Newbridge site was established in 1905. By this time, Dowty was one of the largest employers in West Wight

His product was sold locally and exported. At Totland the ships were loaded at Kings Manor quay on the River Yar. The Newbridge site was alongide the railway and was served by a siding. It was connected to the road by a track through Cook's Copse. Bricks were handmade or wire cut and, along with tiles, were fired in a Hoffmann kiln.

All traces of the Newbridge Hoffmann kiln were lost when the North Sea gas main to Freshwater was laid right through the site.

More about Henry Dowty

There were three brickyards on Newtown Creek during the last century. The earliest was set up by architect John Nash in the late 1820s. His brickmaker was Isaac Sims.

Nash had acquired the Lower Hampstead estate in 1803 but did not build Hampstead House until much later. In 1832 a tramway was constructed which ran from the house to the brickworks quay. It took the form of a rectangular loop giving two routes to the shore. Wagons towed by horses conveyed building materials to the house and farm. Gravel and timber came from Southampton and Lymington by sea. The returning barges carried bricks for mainland builders. Bricks for the estate were loaded straight from the kiln into the wagons.

Although John Nash died in 1835 the brickyard continued to operate. In 1863 the church register records that a son, John James, was born to a brickmaker George Lindsay and his wife, Mary Anne. In 1884 John James emigrated to America. His son, George Nelson Lindsay, rose from a Wall Street messenger to become President of a bank. In turn his son, Congressman John V. Lindsay, became Mayor of New York.

When Lower Hampstead yard closed three brothers from a local family decided to explore the clay resources on the eastern side of the creek with a view to brickmaking. Henry Prangnell with his twin brother William and younger brother Alfred already ran a yard near Lymington on a stretch of coast directly opposite Newtown harbour entrance. They must have known that the seam of clay surfaced at Newtown harbour mouth.

They set up a yard at Fish House Point using a clamp to fire their bricks which did not require a permanent kiln. This site was short lived. In 1866 a ferocious storm broke through the narrow isthmus on which the brickfield stood and washed away the footing of the clamp. The brothers moved further up the creek to Lower Elmsworth, a low plateau on the inner side of the spit. They built a two chambered kiln on the edge of Clammerkin creek and a rough quay. A house soon followed.

The bricks they made became well known along the south coast. They found two types of clay which enabled them to produce both yellow (known as 'whites') and red bricks. These were transported by barge to Shoreham, Littlehampton, Chichester, Portsmouth and Southampton. The Prangnell home contained many decorative bricks for customers to see. On the lean to scullery at the back of the house was a magnificent barley sugar twist chimney which could be supplied if required.

Thomas Prangnell, son of Henry (one of the original brothers), was the last brickmaker. He lived on the site in the four roomed cottage with his wife and eight children. The family ceased brickmaking just before the First World War. Four of the children, Annie, Mary, Ned and Billy, none of whom married, lived there until 1954 without electricity, main water or drainage.

Jill Reilly's interview with Annie Prangnell (pdf)

Jill Reilly's interview with Bernie Hayward (pdf)

County Press article from 1953 (pdf)

Key elements of the Elmsworth site

Intricate detail in local yellow and red bricks at East Cowes.

Elegant use of brick and stone at Rookley School House.

Chimney bricks used in a cottage wall at Yarmouth Quay.

18th century granary at a Brading farmhouse.

Fireplace in Carey's Mansion at Carisbrooke Castle. Built in 1584.

Barley sugar twist chimneys at Yarmouth ferry booking office.

Barley sugar twist chimneys at Shide

Terracotta detail at Whitecroft Hospital.

Gould Hibberd & Randall trademark on Charter House, Newport.

Downdraft kiln at Hillis. The Island's only remaining extant brick kiln.

Kiln remains at Carpenter's Lane, St Helens.

The brickmaker's table.

Scotch kiln at Dowty's yard, Ningwood.

Gunville brickworks and siding.

Building a clamp at Burnt House Lane, Shide.

Clamp at the end of Chale Terrace, circa 1900.

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The Island's brick collection was started by the late Brian Evans. Jill Reilly added to it andconducted most of the research herein. Additional material was supplied by Rob Martin,Alan Stroud and other members of the Isle of Wight Industrial Archaeology Society For centuries bricks were moulded by hand in wooden moulds.

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Brunel's Britain, a fun interactive guide to Brunel

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Brunel's Britain - fun design game for kids by GridClub

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Choose from a range of activities, factfiles and videos, clearly accessible via dropdown menus. These cover aspects of Brunel's life and his engineering legacy.

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How Brunel changed the way people lived during his lifetime and helped make Britain rich. Find out more with Bitesize KS1 History.

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IkBrunel.org.uk Information regarding the life achievements of the great Victorian engineer.

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STEAM Lesson Plans for All Ages | LEGO® Education

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Bring hands-on learning to your classroom with LEGO® Education lesson plans. Find everything you need to make a great class using standards-aligned resources.

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The Beginnings of LEGO: How It All Started 🧱📖 Documentary for Kids | LEGO Mini Movie | LEGO

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Great Zimbabwe has been described as "one of the most dramatic architectural landscapes in sub-Saharan Africa."[1] It is the largest stone complex in Africa built before the modern era, aside from the monumental architecture of ancient Egypt. The ruins that survive are a four-hour drive south of Zimbabwe's present-day capital of Harare. It was constructed between the 11th and 15th centuries and was continuously inhabited by the Shona peoples until about 1450 (the Shona are the largest ethnic group in Zimbabwe). But Great Zimbabwe was by no means a singular complex-at the site's cultural zenith, it is estimated that seven comparable states existed in this region.

The word zimbabwe translates from the Bantu language of the Shona to either "judicial center" or "ruler's court or house." A few individual zimbabwes (houses) have survived exposure to the elements over the centuries. Within these clay structures, excavations have revealed interior furnishings such as pot-stands, elevated surfaces for sleeping and sitting, as well as hearths. Taken together, the settlement encompasses a cluster of approximately 250 royal houses built of clay, which in addition to other multi-story clay and thatch homes would have supported as many as 20,000 inhabitants-a exceptional scale for a sub-Saharan settlement at this time.

The stone constructions of Great Zimbabwe can be categorized into roughly three areas: the Hill Ruin (on a rocky hilltop), the Great Enclosure, and the Valley Ruins (map below). The Hill Ruin dates to approximately 1250, and incorporates a cave that remains a sacred site for the Shona peoples today. The cave once accommodated the residence of the ruler and his immediate family. The Hill Ruin also held a structure surrounded by 30-foot high walls and flanked by cylindrical towers and monoliths carved with elaborate geometric patterns.

The Great Enclosure was completed in approximately 1450, and it too is a walled structure punctuated with turrets and monoliths, emulating the form of the earlier Hill Ruin. The massive outer wall is 32 feet high in some places. Inside the Great Enclosure, a smaller wall parallels the exterior wall creating a tight passageway leading to large towers. Because the Great Enclosure shares many structural similarities with the Hill Ruin, one interpretation suggests that the Great Enclosure was built to accommodate a surplus population and its religious and administrative activities. Another theory posits that the Great Enclosure may have functioned as a site for religious rituals.

The third section of Great Zimbabwe, the Valley Ruins, include a number of structures that offer evidence that the site served as a hub for commercial exchange and long distance trade. Archaeologists have found porcelain fragments originating from China, beads crafted in southeast Asia, and copper ingots from trading centers along the Zambezi River and from Central African kingdoms.[2]

A monolithic soapstone sculpture of a seated bird resting on atop a register of zigzags was unearthed here. The pronounced muscularity of the bird's breast and its defined talons suggest that this represents a bird of prey, and scholars have conjectured it could have been emblematic of the power of Shona kings as benefactors to their people and intercessors with their ancestors.

Conical tower

All of the walls at Great Zimbabwe were constructed from granite hewn locally. While some theories suggest that the granite enclosures were built for defense, these walls likely had no military function. Many segments within the walls have gaps, interrupted arcs or elements that seem to run counter to needs of protection. The fact that the structures were built without the use of mortar to bind the stones together supports speculation that the site was not, in fact, intended for defense. Nevertheless, these enclosures symbolize the power and prestige of the rulers of Great Zimbabwe.

The conical tower (above) of Great Zimbabwe is thought to have functioned as a granary. According to tradition, a Shona ruler shows his largess towards his subjects through his granary, often distributing grain as a symbol of his protection. Indeed, advancements in agricultural cultivation among Bantu-speaking peoples in sub-Saharan Africa transformed the pattern of life for many, including the Shona communities of present-day Zimbabwe.

Wealth and trade

Archaeological debris indicate that the economy of Great Zimbabwe relied on the management of livestock. In fact, cattle may have allowed the Shona peoples to move from subsistence agriculture to mining and trade. Iron tools have been found on site, along with copper, and gold wire jewelry and ornaments. Great Zimbabwe is thought to have prospered, perhaps indirectly, from gold that was mined 25 miles from the city and that was transported to the Indian Ocean port at Sofala (below) where it made its way by dhow (sailing vessels), up the coast, and by way of Kilwa Kisiwani, to the markets of Cairo.

By about 1500, however, Great Zimbabwe's political and economic influence waned. Speculations as to why this occurred point to the frequency of droughts and environmental fragility, though other theories stress that Great Zimbabwe might have experienced political skirmishes over political succession that interrupted trade, still other theories hypothesize disease that may have afflicted livestock.[3]

Great Zimbabwe stands as one of the most extensively developed centers in pre-colonial sub-Saharan Africa and stands as a testament to the organization, autonomy, and economic power of the Shona peoples. The site remains a potent symbol not only to the Shona, but for Zimbabweans more broadly. After gaining independence from the British, the nation formerly named after the British industrialist and imperialist, Cecil Rhodes, was renamed Zimbabwe.

Additional resources:

Peter S. Garlake, Great Zimbabwe (Stein & Day Pub, 1973).

Want to join the conversation?

what two other civilizations using Persian elements are similar to the Great Zimbabwe?

Who built the Great Zimbabwe? Was it based off of slave labor or a large labor force like that which built the Great Wall of China?

Great question!
In the mid 15th century, overcrowding and soil depletion led to the dispersion of the Zimbabwean population. This led to the abandonment of Great Zimbabwe.

However, during the European colonization of Africa, racist colonial officials claimed that the city couldn't be of African origin. Without a detailed record of Great Zimbabwe, the colonial officials relied on myths to explain the magnificence of Great Zimbabwe. Some claimed it proved the Bible story of the Queen of Sheba who lived in the city of riches. Others would argue that it was built by ancient Greeks. In the early 20th century, however, after extensive excavation at Great Zimbabwe, archaeologist David Randall- MacIver presented clear evidence that Great Zimbabwe was built by indigenous peoples.

Still, the country's white minority colonial government tried to discredit this theory because it challenged their rule. The government, in fact, actively encouraged historians to produce accounts that disputed the city's African origins.

Overtime, however, an extremely overwhelming amount of evidence showed that Great Zimbabwe was an African city built by Africans. Hope this answers your question! :)

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Great Zimbabwe (article) | Southern Africa | Khan Academy

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Great Zimbabwe has been described as "one of the most dramatic architectural landscapes in sub-Saharan Africa."[1] It is the largest stone complex in Africa built before the modern era, aside from the monumental architecture of ancient Egypt. The ruins that survive are a four-hour drive south of Zimbabwe's present-day capital of Harare.

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Resource

ENCYCLOPEDIC ENTRY

Great Zimbabwe was a medieval African city known for its large circular wall and tower. It was part of a wealthy African trading empire that controlled much of the East African coast from the 11th to the 15th centuries C.E.

Subjects

Geography, Human Geography, Social Studies, Ancient Civilizations, World History

Image

Great Zimbabwe's Great Enclosure

Great Zimbabwe is the name for the stone remains of a medieval city in southeastern Africa. It is composed of three parts, including the Great Enclosure (shown here). It is believed to have been a royal residence or a symbolic grain storage facility.

Photograph by Christopher Scott

Great Zimbabwe is the name of the stone ruins of an ancient city near modern day Masvingo, Zimbabwe. People lived in Great Zimbabwe beginning around 1100 C.E. but abandoned it in the 15th century. The city was the capital of the Kingdom of Zimbabwe, which was a Shona (Bantu) trading empire. Zimbabwe means "stone houses" in Shona.

Great Zimbabwe was part of a large and wealthy global trading network. Archaeologists have found pottery from China and Persia, as well as Arab coins in the ruins there. The elite of the Zimbabwe Empire controlled trade up and down the east African coast. However, the city was largely abandoned by the 15th century as the Shona people migrated elsewhere. The exact reasons for the abandonment are unknown, but it is likely that exhaustion of resources and overpopulation were contributing factors.

The archaeological site at Great Zimbabwe consists of several sections. The first section is the Hill Complex, a series of structural ruins that sit atop the steepest hill of the site. This is generally believed to have been the religious center of the site. The Hill Complex is the oldest part of Great Zimbabwe, and shows signs of construction that date to around 900 C.E.

The ruins of the second section, the Great Enclosure, are perhaps the most exciting. The Great Enclosure is a walled, circular area below the Hill Complex dating to the 14th century. The walls are over 9.7 meters (32 feet) high in places, and the enclosure's circumference is 250 meters (820 feet). The walls were built without mortar, relying on carefully shaped rocks to hold the wall's shape on their own. Inside the enclosure is a second set of walls, following the same curve as the outside walls, which end in a stone tower 10 meters (33 feet) high. While the function of this enclosure is unknown, archeologists suggest it could have been a royal residence or a symbolic grain storage facility. It is one of the largest existing structures from ancient sub-Saharan Africa.

The third section is the Valley Ruins. The Valley Ruins consist of a significant number of houses made mostly of mud-brick ( daga) near the Great Enclosure. The distribution and number of houses suggests that Great Zimbabwe boasted a large population, between 10,000-20,000 people.

Archaeological research has unearthed several soapstone bird sculptures in the ruins. These birds are thought to have served a religious function, and may have been displayed on pedestals. These birds appear on the modern Zimbabwean flag and are national symbols of Zimbabwe.

The ruins of Great Zimbabwe were designated a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site in 1986. There have only been a limited number of archaeological excavations of the site. Unfortunately, significant looting and destruction occurred in the 20th century at the hands of European visitors. Although they were all too happy to explore and loot the ruins of Great Zimbabwe, in their racism, European colonists thought the city was too sophisticated to have been built by Africans, and instead thought it had been built by Phoenicians or other non-African people. However, despite the damage done by these colonial looters, today, the legacy of Great Zimbabwe lives on as one of the largest and most culturally important archaeological sites of its kind in Africa.

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Great Zimbabwe was a medieval African city known for its large circular wall and tower. It was part of a wealthy African trading empire that controlled much of the East African coast from the 11th to the 15th centuries C.E.

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The Great Wall of China can't be seen from space. That's a common misconception. And it is actually fairly recent. The stretches of brick walls that most tourists see weren't built until the 16th century A.D. But the Chinese had a history of wall building that goes back much longer than that, to the Bronze Age. The first true wall, though, was constructed in the late third century B.C. by the first Emperor of China. This is the birth of the Chinese state and the birth of the long wall, and the two events occur simultaneously and are very much connected. In English, we would say they were trying to keep out the Huns. Chinese sources would say the Hsiung-nu. They also built walls in southern China against various other peoples, like the Miao, from Vietnam.

It's interesting that the sorts of complaints that were made about the ancient wall, in particular in China, always had to do with how much work was required. At times, millions of Chinese were displaced and forced to go north to these dangerous regions where they were worked like slaves. Many of them were never able to return home but were forced to settle in the new cities that were built along the wall to support the troops.

This is encapsulated in a folk legend about the first of the great walls of China: the story of the weeping widow. Her husband is drafted to go off and work on the wall but finds the conditions too difficult. He's beaten daily by a supervisor and tries to escape. When he returns, his supervisors put him to death. His widow comes to the wall in search of him, where she hears of his death and immediately begins to gush tears. Those don't relent for 10 days, until the wall has been washed away.
Another famous barrier dates back to Roman times. Why was Hadrian's Wall constructed, and how did it fit into the Roman view of the world? The walls of Byzantium, or Constantinople as it is also known, played a crucial role in defending western, Christian civilization. Explain why, and how "The most famous wall of modern times was, unusually, built to keep people in, rather than out. Describe the Berlin Wall's historical context -the Iron Curtain-and the mythology it inspired in books and movies. I was surprised to read, at the end of your book, that, far from declining, wall-building is enjoying a renaissance in modern times. Tell us about today's walls and why Americans are "forting up." The Horrible Bombard" effectively made walls as defensive structures obsolete. This interview was edited for length and clarity. Simon Worrall curates Book Talk. Follow him on Twitter or at simonworrallauthor.com.
Amongst historians there is some debate over the purpose of Hadrian's Wall. In the surviving ancient sources it's clear that it was built to keep the barbarians out. It runs across the neck of Britain, about two-thirds of the way up the island, and its narrowest point is about 80 miles from end to end. It was originally about 15 feet high.

It was built by the Emperor Hadrian around 120 A.D. That's when the Romans became wall builders. Of course, they had built walled cities. Rome, itself, was walled. But in terms of border walls, that was a policy that originated with Hadrian and briefly became very important. We have this beautiful oration by the Roman writer Aristides, where he is talking about how the empire has become a paradise, how war no longer exists and how Romans no longer believe that war ever existed. They have come to see it as a sort of myth created by old men, while they go about happily to their gymnasiums, theaters, and libraries. It's all peace within the empire. And Aristides attributed those conditions to the walls that girded it.

[Laughs] The city of Constantinople was the capital of the Byzantine Empire. When Islamic armies first spread out of Arabia, in the seventh century A.D., and started heading west, they were able to sweep aside the defenses of most of the Byzantine Empire and, in the early eighth century, cross into Spain. The city of Constantinople proved a tougher nut to crack, though. It held out for hundreds of years, becoming the headquarters of the defense of the Western world against Islam.

But when the Sultan Mehmed II besieged Constantinople in 1453 he had a new weapon. There had been various techniques of siege craft before, but they were very difficult and slow. Cannons changed all that, ultimately making city walls obsolete. They had been around for about 100 years but there had never been a cannon like this before. The sultan had a Hungarian foundryman make for him an enormous cannon that could fire stone balls seven feet in circumference from a distance of a mile. This was referred to as the Horrible Bombard by one of the sources and it relentlessly battered the city walls of Constantinople in the spring of 1453, when the city eventually fell.

The Berlin Wall was constructed for an unusual purpose, which was to stem the flow of emigration from East Germany into West Germany. There were barriers between East and West Germany except in the city of Berlin, which was partially controlled by Western powers and partially controlled by East Germany. Until 1960, people could freely cross from one side to the other as part of their daily shopping or commute. But the East German economy was on the verge of collapse because of all the people that were fleeing to the West. So, in August 1961, they roll out the barbed wire, all in one night. It became known as Barbed Wire Sunday, when the people of Berlin woke up to this new feature of their landscape.

But the Berlin Wall was originally regarded by Western leaders with some relief. John F. Kennedy said, "A wall is a hell of a lot better than a war."

What they were worried about in 1961 was that something could spark thermonuclear war. It was the journalists who had a different point of view because many happened to be in Berlin when the barbed wire was rolled out. David Brinkley was there, for example, and was taking film footage of the crowds swarming the train stations, trying to get out of East Berlin at the last minute. So it was journalists who turned this into a worldwide cause celebre. The next thing you know, it was appearing in magazine articles, books, detective novels, and movies. The Berlin Wall became one of the most famous pieces of architecture on Earth.

That's not my expression, I took "forting up" from some earlier authors. The short answer is that, as people become more accustomed to security, they have a lower threshold for what triggers their insecurity. When you talk about forting up, you're talking about the proliferation of gated neighborhoods, homes with security fences, hedges, guard dogs, and even guns, around them.

The funny thing about so many of the walls today is that they're being built for the same purpose walls were constructed 2,000 years ago, which is to keep out emigrating Syrians. The first border walls ever constructed were fortifications against invading Syrians. Today, we're seeing the same thing in Turkey, Hungary, Bulgaria, and across southern Europe, because of mass emigration and fear of terrorism. We're even seeing walls in Saudi Arabia, India, Tunisia, Libya, Jordan, and Ecuador. All around the world countries are building walls. In all, over 70 different countries have fortified their borders.

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Building walls may have allowed civilization to flourish

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The Great Wall of China can't be seen from space. That's a common misconception. And it is actually fairly recent. The stretches of brick walls that most tourists see weren't built until the 16th century A.D. But the Chinese had a history of wall building that goes back much longer than that, to the Bronze Age.

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Hadrian's Wall Teaching Resources.

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Get the most from your visit by checking out the resources on offer.

This website's learning resources

Image Gallery - browse through photos which you are welcome to use for your educational projects

Campaign! - Make an Impact - an adaptation of the British Library's initiative that uses history to inspire young people into active citizenship

Wallface: a different view of portraits - KS3 Art and Design looking at Roman artefacts and National Portrait Gallery images

The Eagles Have Landed looks at the Roman Invasion of Britain as an exploration into identity and image. It explores power and resistance, regime change and the impact upon one culture when it is subjugated by another. This is looked at in an historical context and more recent human history.

Hadrian's Cavalry - covers armour, tactics, caring for horses and more.

Diary of a Hadrian's Cavalry Artist - links to some fantastic community art created by groups and schools.

Make a Roman Standard - includes instructions and diagrams.

Not just history!

The World Heritage Hadrian's Wall Site can help your students explore Citizenship, Art and Design, Geography, Design and Technology as well as Science, English and Maths. Take a look at National Curriculum topics that you could use:

Useful information for planning

Hadrian's Wall World Heritage Site

UNESCO World Heritage: Our Heritage in Young Hands promotes discussion and listening to others. It aims to reaffirm identities whilst promoting mutual respect and respect for diversity.

Useful sites with downloadable resources

Images and information

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Get the most from your visit by checking out the resources on offer.This website's learning resources teaching1.jpg Image Gallery - browse through photos which you are welcome to use for your educational projectsCampaign!

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Antonine Wall Resources

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Berlin Wall 25th anniversary: Newsround's special programme - CBBC Newsround

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A special Newsround marking 25 years since the Berlin Wall came down, presented by Jenny from the German capital, Berlin.

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When the Berlin Wall was put up in Germany in 1961, it meant lots of people were cut off from their friends and relatives for many years.

Many people died trying to get across it, others managed to escape by tunnelling under it.

Sunday will mark 25 years since the wall was torn down.

But why was it built in the first place?

Jenny's been to Berlin to find out.

There's more on this in .

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The history behind the Berlin Wall - CBBC Newsround

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When the Berlin Wall was put up in Germany in 1961, it meant lots of people were cut off from their friends and relatives for many years. Many people died trying to get across it, others managed to escape by tunnelling under it. Sunday will mark 25 years since the wall was torn down.

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Walls have been built since ancient times, to mark borders, to keep enemies out or to keep people in. In more recent times walls have also been built to serve as memorials and structures of art. But no matter what purpose they serve, walls dominate the landscape wherever they stand.

The Walls of Ston are a series of defensive stone walls situated on the peninsula Peljesac in southern Croatia. At the peninsula's narrowest point, just before it joins the mainland, a wall was build from the towns of Ston to Mali Ston. The 5.5 kilometer (3.5 mile) long wall that links these two small communities was completed in the 15th century, along with its 40 towers and 5 fortresses. It was meant as a second line of defense for the city of Dubrovnik and to protected the precious salt pans that contributed to Dubrovnik's wealth. It is the second longest wall in Europe, surpassed only by Hadrian's Wall between Scotland and England.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a national war memorial in Washington, D.C. It is often described as the most moving memorial in the city, the Vietnam Memorial stands as tribute to those who died or went missing, intended to transcend political controversy in remembrance of the soldiers who gave the ultimate sacrifice. Its centerpiece, the Memorial Wall designed by Maya Lin, is made up of two black granite walls engraved with the 58,256 names of each soldier.

Troy is a legendary city in what is now northwestern Turkey, made famous in Homer's epic poem, the Iliad. According to Iliad, this is where the Trojan War took place. The archaeological site of Troy contains several layers of ruins. The layer Troy VIIa was probably the Troy of Homer and has been dated to the mid- to late-13th century BC. Portions of the famous walls of Troy are still visible. Today, a large number of tourists visit Troy each year. The visitor sees a highly commercialized site, with a large wooden horse built as a playground for children, then shops and a museum.

Hadrian's Wall was built by the Romans to protect their colony Britannia from the tribes in Scotland. It stretches for 117 kilometers (73 miles) across the north of England from the Irish Sea to the North Sea. Construction started in 122 AD following a visit by Roman Emperor Hadrian, and was largely completed within six years. The wall was garrisoned by around 9,000 soldiers, including infantry and cavalry. Although only stretches of this famous wall are still visible today it it is among the most popular tourist attractions in England. There is a national path that follows the whole length of the wall from Wallsend to Bowness-on-Solway.

Construction of the Berlin Wall began in 1961. It was a desperate but effective move by East Germany to stop East Berliners escaping from the Soviet-controlled East German state into the West of the city, which was then occupied by the Americans, British and French. During the Wall's existence, around 5,000 people attempted to escape circumventing the wall, with estimates of the resulting death toll varying between 98 and 200. As the Iron Curtain cracked in 1989 hundreds of citizens began physically tearing down the concrete division. Today remnants of the famous wall in Berlin can be found at Bernauer Strasse and in front of the Neiderkirchnerstrasse, the former Prussian Parliament and current Berlin Parliament.

The Great Zimbabwe, is a complex of stone ruins spread out over a large area in modern-day Zimbabwe, which itself is named after the ruins. The word "Great" distinguishes the site from the many hundred small ruins, known as Zimbabwes, spread across the country. Built by indigenous Bantu people, the construction started in the 11th century and continued for over 300 years. At its peak, estimates are that Great Zimbabwe had as many as 18,000 inhabitants. Its most formidable edifice, commonly referred to as the Great Enclosure, has walls as high as 11 meters (36 ft) extending approximately 250 meter (820 ft), making it the largest ancient structure south of the Sahara Desert.

Sacsayhuamán is an Inca walled complex high above the city of Cusco in Peru. The imperial city Cusco, was laid out in the form of a puma, the animal that symbolized the Inca dynasty. The belly of the puma was the main plaza, the river Tullumayo formed its spine, and the hill of Sacsayhuamán its head. There are three parallel walls built in different levels with lime stones of enormous sizes. It is suggested that the zigzagging walls represent the teeth of the puma's head.

The boulders used for the first or lower levels are the biggest. The largest is 8.5 meter high (28 ft) and weights about 140 metric tons. The wall is built in such a way that a single piece of paper will not fit between many of the stones. This precision, combined with the variety of their interlocking shapes, and the way the walls lean inward, is thought to have helped the ruins survive the devastating earthquakes in Cuzco.

The Walls of Babylon, the city-state of ancient Mesopotamia, was one of the original wonders mentioned by Antipater of Sidon. His poem begins: "I have gazed on the walls of impregnable Babylon along which chariots may race". Another ancient version of the Seven Wonders included the Ishtar Gate. Constructed around 575 BC it was part of the famous Walls of Babylon. Both the gate and walls were constructed of blue glazed tiles with alternating rows of bas-relief dragons and aurochs. In 1983, Saddam Hussein started both a restoration and new constructions on top of the old ruins. If visiting Iraq sounds to risky: The Pergamon Museum in Berlin contains a reconstruction of the Ishtar Gate and walls partly made out of material excavated at Babylon.

The Western Wall, sometimes referred to as the Wailing Wall is a famous Jewish religious site located in the Old City of Jerusalem. Just over half the wall, including its 17 courses located below street level, dates from the end of the Second Temple period, being constructed around 19 BC by Herod the Great. The remaining layers were added from the 7th century onwards. In Judaism, the Western Wall is venerated as the sole remnant of the Holy Temple. It has become a place of pilgrimage for Jews, as it is the closest permitted accessible site to the holiest spot in Judaism, namely the Foundation Stone, which lies on the Temple Mount.

The Great Wall of China was built, rebuilt, and maintained between the 5th century BC and the 16th century to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire from the attacks of nomadic tribes from the north. Several walls have been built that were referred to as the Great Wall. One of the most famous wall is the one built between 220-206 BC by the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang but little of that wall remains. The majority of the existing wall were built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD).

The most comprehensive archaeological survey has recently concluded that the entire Great Wall, with all of its branches, stretches for 8,851.8 kilometers (5,500.3 miles). The condition of the Great Wall ranges from excellent to ruined. While some portions near tourist centers have been preserved and even extensively renovated, in many locations the Great Wall is in disrepair due to erosion and vandalism.

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Walls have been built since ancient times, to mark borders, to keep enemies out or to keep people in. In more recent times walls have also been built to serve as memorials and structures of art. But no matter what purpose they serve, walls dominate the landscape wherever they stand.

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Walls have been built for thousands of years for many different reasons.

More recently, one wall in particular has been making headlines - US President Donald Trump's proposed wall to be built along the US-Mexico border.

The world leader wants to build a 3,000km-long, concrete wall along the border between the two countries. The idea is that it will be between nine and 16 metres high, and will prevent people from illegally crossing the border.

Newsround has been to the area to speak to the people who will be affected by the wall.

You can watch the films in a special series on BBC iPlayer.

Read on to find out about other famous walls that have left their mark on history.

The Berlin Wall was one of the most famous walls in modern history, dividing a nation for 28 years and playing a significant role in a conflict called the Cold War.

Back in the 1950s, Germany was split into two - East Germany and West Germany.

The country's capital Berlin was actually located in East Germany, but the city was portioned up between east and western powers too - and a wall put up between the two.

At first, it was just a fence, but it was soon filled with concrete and was up to 3.6 metres tall in some places.

The idea was the wall would stop people fleeing from poorer, Communist East Berlin (and Soviet rule) into Western Europe.

Many hundreds of people died trying to cross it in the hope of a better life on the other side.

The Berlin Wall became a symbol of oppression and control inflicted by East Germany and the Soviets on its citizens.

The arrival of US President Ronald Reagan in 1980 and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1985 saw the east and west start to work together more in order to sort their differences and learn to coexist.

In November 1989, the border was declared open and people in Berlin began to tear the wall down.

To this day, the Berlin Wall - and what is left of it - remains a powerful symbol of the impact of division. Millions of tourists visit what's left of the wall each year.

In 122 AD, Emperor Hadrian ordered a wall to be built between the Solway and the Tyne to guard the north-west boundary of the Roman Empire. It was called Hadrian's Wall - and nowadays you can find it near to England's border with Scotland.

It was built within about six years and was around 120km long, separating the Romans from the Caledonian tribes north of the wall, with whom they didn't get on.

There were special forts at intervals along the wall so that Roman soldiers could protect their border.

'Graffiti' markings in rocks near to Hadrian's Wall have told archaeologists a great deal about the Roman soldiers who used to be stationed there.

Today, Hadrian's Wall is a World Heritage site.

The Antonine Wall in Scotland is perhaps not as famous as Hadrian's Wall, but is an important part of British history.

For a brief period, it marked the northernmost point of the Roman Empire.

It was built in around 142AD, but it was abandoned within 20 years.

The Antonine Wall is 60km long and stretches across central Scotland from Old Kilpatrick in the west to Bridgeness in the east.

In October 2018, it was announced that both Hadrian's Wall and the Antonine Wall - both World Heritage Sites - would be given £2m of funding to restore and protect the landmarks for future generations.

Part of the money will be spent trying to find missing stones that have been taken over the last 1,500 years to build things like houses and churches.

Ros Kerslake, from the Heritage Lottery Fund, said: "These internationally important ancient monuments, and the fascinating history they tell, will be better understood and cared for by their communities well into the future."

The Great Wall of China is one of the most impressive feats of building on Earth. Like the previous two walls on this list, it is also a World Heritage Site.

It is difficult to know exactly how long it is, but it is believed that it was once over 20,000km long.

Just as Hadrian's Wall created a barrier between the Romans and northern tribes, the Great Wall of China was erected to create a barrier between the civilised world and apparently less civilised tribes beyond.

It started to be built as early as 481 BC and is more than seven metres high in most places. But it is the Ming Dynasty (between 1368 and 1644) which is credited for the incredible landmark as we know it today.

You can see where different sections have been built over the years, with some stretches made from stone, and others from earth and wood.

The Great Wall of China stretches from the Yellow Sea in the east near to Beijing, to the Gobi Desert, making it the world's longest man-made monument. There is a rumour that it is so big that you can see it from space, but this isn't actually true.

Nowadays, about one-third of the wall has disappeared due to, for example, erosion or people taking the building materials.

Drones are now being used to map out the wall and analyse weak points or areas that need restoring.

Another modern 'wall' that often makes headlines is a barrier erected by the Israeli government to separate Israel from the Palestinian population.

It is part-wall and part-fence, and is due to be 712km long, as it is still being constructed. According to UN figures, it is around 65% complete.

The Israeli government calls it a separation barrier, rather than a wall. It started to build it in 2002 after a wave of violence, saying that it was needed for security reasons to protect Israeli citizens from Palestinian violence.

But the barrier has proved controversial and its construction is regularly challenged by international law. Palestinians say the barrier is a way for Israel to grab land and the International Court of Justice has called it illegal.

Israel and Palestine have a long history of conflict which has gone on for decades - and arguing over territory is at their heart of it.

In 1947, the UN voted for Palestine (which was under British rule at the time) to be split into two separate Jewish and Arab states, but the Arab side did not accept this. One year later, Jewish leaders declared the creation of the state of Israel and there has been fighting ever since.

Since the barrier started to be put up 15 years ago, security checks have become an ordinary - and sometimes difficult - part of everyday life for thousands of Palestinians needing to cross it to work in Israel.

Some say that the wall is punishing many people for the actions of a few and that it is creating more problems than it solves.

It remains controversial to this day. Both the West Bank barrier and the Berlin Wall have become famous for the graffiti and art that cover them - a lot of which references resistance and division.

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Six famous walls that have made history - CBBC Newsround

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Walls have been built for thousands of years for many different reasons. More recently, one wall in particular has been making headlines - US President Donald Trump's proposed wall to be built along the US-Mexico border. The world leader wants to build a 3,000km-long, concrete wall along the border between the two countries.

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A visit to the Western (Wailing) Wall

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Religious Studies KS2: Visiting Jerusalem

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14-year-old Jewish girl Dalia is taking a school trip to Jerusalem, and uses her video camera to record her experiences.

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"The Wall in the Middle of the Book " by Jon Agee - Mr. Wil's Read Alouds

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Children's books - THE WALL by Eve Bunting and Ronald Himler - PV - Storytime

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Unit 6 Resources The Wall Text for Teachers

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OML Story Time: Humpty Dumpty Lived Near a Wall by Derek Hughes, Nathan Christopher (Illustrations)

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Sometimes A Wall: Kids books read aloud by Books with Blue

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The Great Wall of China Construction Area Challenge Cards

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Hadrian's Wall Fact Finding - Teacher Notes

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Hadrian's Wall Fact Finding - Hadrian's Wall Facts

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Hadrian's Wall Fact Finding -  Fact sheet 