Henry Cavill

Cavill is a British actor who began his acting career starring as Albert Mondego in the 2002 film adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo. He would later star in minor and supporting roles in television shows such as BBC’s The Inspector Lynley Mysteries, Midsomer Murders and The Tudors before transitioning to more mainstream Hollywood films such as Tristan & Isolde, Stardust and Immortals.

In 2008, Cavill became the face and official spokesperson of the Dunhill fragrance collection for men campaign. He was also cast in the main ensemble of the 2007 Showtime series The Tudors, starring as Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk until the series’ end in 2010. He would gain further prominence and international fame playing the titular superhero Superman in the 2013 reboot film Man of Steel, a role that he will reprise in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League.

Early Life
Cavill was born the fourth of five boys on the Bailiwick of Jersey in the Channel Islands. His mother, Marianne, was a secretary in a bank, and his father, Colin, a stockbroker. He was educated at St. Michael’s Preparatory School in Saint Saviour, Jersey, before attending Stowe School near Buckingham, north Buckinghamshire, England.

Career
He began his film career with a role in Laguna (2001) and the following year in Kevin Reynolds’ 2002 adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo. He continued with appearances in BBC’s The Inspector Lynley Mysteries (2002), the television film Goodbye Mr. Chips (2002) and the television series Midsomer Murders (2003). In 2003, he had a supporting role in I Capture the Castle, followed by Hellraiser: Hellworld (2005), Red Riding Hood (2006) and Tristan & Isolde (2006). He had a minor role in Matthew Vaughn’s adaptation of Stardust (2007).
From 2007 to 2010, Cavill had a leading role in Showtime’s television series, The Tudors, as Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk. The series was well-received: it was nominated for a Golden Globe in 2007 and won an Emmy in 2008.

Cavill had been set to play Superman in McG’s 2004 film,Superman: Flyby. However, McG pulled out of the project and direction was taken over by director Bryan Singer, who recast Brandon Routh as the lead in Superman Returns. Cavill was also the cause of a write-in effort from fans to see him cast as Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005). The role eventually went to Robert Pattinson. In 2005, Cavill was a final choice for the role of James Bond in Casino Royale. The producers and director Martin Campbell were torn between him and Daniel Craig; reportedly Campbell supported Cavill but the producers preferred an older Bond. Craig ultimately landed the role.

In early 2008, Cavill became the face of Dunhill fragrances. He starred in director Joel Schumacher’s horror film, Blood Creek (2008), and in 2009, he had a minor role in Woody Allen’s comedy film, Whatever Works.

Cavill played the lead role of Theseus in Tarsem Singh’s mythological, big-budget special effects film, Immortals, released 11 November 2011. In 2012, Cavill starred, alongside Bruce Willis, in The Cold Light of Day.

On 30 January 2011, it was announced that Cavill had been cast in the role of Clark Kent/Superman in director Zack Snyder’s Man of Stell. Cavill will reprise the role of Superman in a Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, a 2016 sequel which will feature a crossover withBatman and Wonder Woman.
Cavill has expressed interest in taking over the role of James Bond when Daniel Craig gives it up.

Personal life
In 2009, Cavill began dating British equestrian rider Ellen Whitaker after they had met at the Olympia London International Horse Show . They became engaged in May 2011 and in May 2012, the pair ended their engagement.
Cavill is a spokesman for the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, and an ambassador for The Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund. He launched the running phase of the Royal Marines 1664 Challenge and took part in The Gibraltar Rock Run 2014.

Nottingham

Is a city in Nottinghamshire, England, 30 miles (48 km) south of Sheffield and 30 miles (48 km) north of Leicester.

Nottingham has links to the legend of Robin Hood and to the lace-making, bicycle (notably Raleigh bikes) and tobacco industries. It was granted its city charter in 1897 as part of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations. Nottingham is a tourist destination; in 2011, visitors spent over £1.5 billion – the sixth highest amount in England.

In 2013, Nottingham had an estimated population of 310,837 with the wider urban area, which includes many of the city’s suburbs, having a population of 729,977. Its urban area is the largest in the East Midlands and the second largest in the Midlands. Its metropolitan economy is the seventh largest in the United Kingdom with aGDP. The city is also ranked as asufficiency-level world city by theGlobalization and World Cities Research Network.

History

In Anglo-Saxon times the area was part of the Kingdom of Mercia, and was known in the Brythonic language as Tigguo Cobauc, meaning Place of Caves. When it fell under the rule of a Saxon chieftain named Snot it became known as «Snotingaham»; the homestead of Snot’s people (Inga = the people of; Ham = homestead).

Nottingham Castle was constructed in the 11th century on a sandstone outcrop by the River Leen. The Anglo-Saxon settlement developed into the English Borough of Nottingham and housed a Town Hall and Law Courts. A settlement also developed around the castle on the hill opposite and was the French borough supporting the Normans in the castle. Eventually, the space between was built on as the town grew and the Old Market Square became the focus of Nottingham several centuries later.
On the return of Richard the Lionheart from the Crusades, the Castle was occupied by supporters of Prince John, including the Sheriff of Nottingham. It was besieged by Richard and, after a sharp conflict, was captured. In the legends of Robin Hood, Nottingham Castle is the scene of the final showdown between the Sheriff and the hero outlaw.

By the 15th century Nottingham had established itself as a centre of a thriving export trade in religious sculpture made from Nottingham Alabaster. The town became a county corporate in 1449 giving it effective self-government, in the words of the charter, «for eternity». The Castle and Shire Hall were expressly excluded and remained as detached Parishes of Nottinghamshire.

During the Industrial Revolution, much of Nottingham’s prosperity was founded on the textile industry; in particular, the city became an internationally important centre of lace manufacture. In 1831 citizens rioted in protest against the Duke of Newcastle’s opposition to the Reform Act 1832, setting fire to his residence, Nottingham Castle.

In common with the UK textile industry, Nottingham’s textile sector fell into decline in the decades following World War II. Little textile manufacture now takes place in Nottingham, however, many of the former industrial buildings in the Lace Market district have been restored and put to new uses.

Nottingham was one of the boroughs reformed by the Municipal Corporations Act 1835, and at that time consisted of the parishes of St Mary, St Nicholas and St Peter. It was expanded in 1877 by adding the parishes of Basford, Brewhouse Yard, Bulwell, Radford, Sneinton, Standard Hill and parts of the parishes of West Bridgford, Carlton, Wilford (North Wilford). In 1889 Nottingham became a county borough under the Local Government Act 1888. City status was awarded as part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of Queen Victoria, being signified in a letter from the prime minister, the Marquess of Salisbury to the mayor, dated 18 June 1897. Nottingham was extended in 1933 by adding Bilborough and Wollaton, parts of the parishes of Bestwood Park and Colwick, and a recently developed part of theBeeston Urban District. A further boundary extension was granted in 1951 when Clifton and Wilford (south of the River Trent) were incorporated into the city.

Architecture

The geographical centre of Nottingham is usually defined as the Old Market Square, the largest city square in the UK. The square is dominated by the Council House, which replaced The Nottingham Exchange Building, built in 1726. The Council House was built in the 1920s to display civic pride, ostentatiously using baroque columns and placing stone statues of two lions at the front to stand watch over the square. The Exchange Arcade, on the ground floor, is an upmarket shopping centre containing boutiques.

Tall office buildings line Maid Marian Way. The Georgian area around Oxford and Regent Streets is dominated by small professional firms. The Albert Hall faces the Gothic revival St Barnabas’ Roman Catholic Cathedral by Pugin. Nottingham Castle and its grounds are located further south in the western third of the city. The central third descends from the University district in the north, past Nottingham Trent University’s Gothic revival Arkwright Building. The University also owns many other buildings in this area. The Theatre Royal on Theatre Square, with its pillared façade, was built in 1865. King and Queen Streets are home to striking Victorian buildings designed by such architects as Alfred Waterhouse and Watson Fothergill.

To the south, is Broadmarsh Shopping Centre. The Canal-side further south of this is adjacent to Nottingham railway station and home to numerous redeveloped 19th-century industrial buildings, reused as bars and restaurants.

The eastern third of the city centre contains the Victoria Shopping Centre, built in the 1970s on the site of the demolished Victoria Railway Station. All that remains of the old station is the clock tower and the station hotel, now the Nottingham Hilton Hotel. The 250 feet-high Victoria Centre flats stand above the shopping centre and are the tallest buildings in the city. The eastern third contains Hockley Village where many of Nottingham’s unique, independent shops are to be found. It is also home to two alternative cinemas.

Education

Over 61,000 students attend the city’s two universities, Nottingham Trent and the University of Nottingham, both of which have several campuses in the city. Three further education colleges are located in Nottingham. Bilborough College is solely a sixth form college. Central College was formed from the merger of South Nottingham College and Castle College. New College was formed from a merger of four smaller further education colleges.

Nottingham also has dozens of sixth-form colleges and academies that provide education and training for adults aged over 16, has a number of independent schools, with Nottingham High School – which was founded in 1513 –being the city’s oldest educational establishment.

Economy

In 2010, Nottingham City Council announced that as part of their economic development strategy for the city, their target sectors would include low-carbon technologies, digital media, life sciences, financial and business services and retail and leisure.

Nottingham is home to the headquarters of several companies. One is Boots the Chemists (now Alliance Boots), founded in the city byJohn Boot in 1849 and substantially expanded by his son Jesse Boot, 1st Baron Trent and grandson John Boot, 2nd Baron Trent. Other large companies include Chinook Sciences, GM (cricket bats), Pedigree pet food company, American clothing VF Cooperation, Chinese-made automobiles Changan, the credit reference agency Experian, the energy company E.ON UK, the tobacco company Imperial Tobacco, the betting company Gala Group, the amusement and gambling-machine manufacturer Bell-Fruit-Games, the engineering company Siemens, the sportswear manufacturers Speedo, the high-street opticians Vision Express and Specsavers, the games and publishing company Games Workshop, the PC software developer Serif Europe, the Web hosting provider Heart Internet, the American credit card company Capital One, and the national law firm Browne Jacobson.

Among the science based industries within the city is BioCity. Founded as a joint venture between Nottingham Trent University and the University of Nottingham, it is the UK’s biggest bioscience innovation and incubation centre, housing around 80 science-based companies.

Until recently cycle manufacturing was a major industry, the city being the birthplace of Raleigh Cycles in 1886, later joined by Sturmey-Archer, the developer of three-speed hub gears. However, Raleigh’s factory on Triumph Road, famous as the location for the filming of Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, was demolished in Summer 2003 to make way for the University of Nottingham’s expansion of its Jubilee Campus. The schools and aerial photographers, H Tempest Ltd were Nottingham-based for many years, until relocating to St. Ives (Cornwall) around 1960.

In 2015, Nottingham was also ranked as being in the top 10 UK cities for job growth (2004–13), in the public and private sectors.

Sports

Nottingham is home to two professional football clubs: Notts County and Nottingham Forest. Their two football grounds, on opposite sides of the River Trent, are noted for geographically being the closest in English league football. Notts County, formed in 1862, is the oldest professional football club in the world. They were also among the Football League’s founder members in 1888. For most of their history they have played their home games at Meadow Lane, which currently holds some 20,000 spectators, all seated. They currently play in Football League One – the third tier of English league football – and most recently played top division football in May 1992.

Nottingham Forest, who currently play in the Football League Championship, were English league champions in 1978 and won the European Cup twice over the next two seasons under the management of Brian Clough, who was the club’s manager from January 1975 to May 1993, leading them to four Football League Cup triumphs in that time. They have played at the City Ground, on the south bank of the River Trent, since 1898. Nottingham Forest joined the Football League in 1892, four years after its inception when it merged with the rival Football Alliance, and 100 years later, they were among the FA Premier League’s founder members in 1992 – though they have not played top division football since May 1999. The City Ground played host to group stage games in the 1996 European Football Championships.

Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club play at Trent Bridge – an international cricket venue. The club were 2010 Cricket County Champions. Trent Bridge cricket ground is a host of Test Cricket, and was one of the venues for the 2009 ICC World Twenty20.

The Rugby team, Nottingham R.F.C., have played their home games at League One, Notts County’s Meadow Lane stadium since 2006. In January 2015 they started playing home matches at their training base, Lady Bay Sports Ground. Nottingham Outlaws are an amateur Rugby League club who play in the Rugby League Conference National Division.

The city was the birthplace and training location for ice dancers Torvill and Dean, who won Gold at the 1984 Sarajevo Olympics.

Other sporting events in the city include the annual tennis Aegon Trophy (which is staged at the City of Nottingham Tennis Centre), the Robin Hood Marathon, Milk Race, the Great Nottinghamshire Bike Ride and the Outlaw Triathlon. Nottingham also has three Roller derby teams: Nottingham Roller Girls, the Hellfire Harlots (women’s teams).

Maggie Smith

Dame Margaret Natalie»Maggie» Smith, (born 28 December 1934) is an English actress. She made her stage debut in 1952 and has had an extensive, varied career in stage, film and television spanning over sixty years. Smith has appeared in over 50 films and is one of Britain’s most recognisable actresses. She was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 1990 New Year Honours for services to the performing arts, andMember of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH) in the 2014 Birthday Honours for services to drama.

Early Life

Smith was born in Ilford, Essex, but moved with her family to Oxford when she was four years old. She is the daughter of Margaret (née Hutton), a Glasgow-born secretary, and Nathaniel Smith, a Newcastle upon Tyne-born public health pathologist who worked at Oxford University.

As a child, Smith’s parents used to tell her the romantic story of how they had met on the train from Glasgow to London via Newcastle. She has older twin brothers, Alistair and Ian, who went to architecture school. She attended Oxford High School until age sixteen, when she left to study acting at the Oxford Playhouse.

Career

Smith began her career on stage at the Oxford Playhouse in 1952 and made her Broadway debut in New Faces of ’56. For her work on the London stage, she has won a record five Best Actress Evening Standard Awards: for The Private Ear and The Public Eye(1962), Hedda Gabler (1970), Virginia (1981), The Way of the World(1984) and Three Tall Women (1994). In New York, she received Tony Award nominations for Private Lives (1975), Night and Day (1979) and Lettice and Lovage (1990). For the latter, she won the 1990 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play. Other stage roles include Stratford Shakespeare Festival productions of Antony and Cleopatra (1976) and Macbeth (1978), and West End productions of Edward Albee’s A Delicate Balance (1997) and David Hare’s The Breath of Life (2002), both at the Theatre Royal Haymarket.

On screen, she first drew praise for the crime film Nowhere to Go (1958), for which she received her first BAFTA Award nomination. Her 1965 film role as Desdemona, in William Shakespeare’s Othello, earned her an Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe nomination. Since then Smith has worked consistently in film, television and stage.

Smith has won two Academy Awards, winning Best Actress for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969) and Best Supporting Actress for California Suite (1978) opposite Michael Caine. She is one of only six actresses to win the Academy Award in both Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress categories. A six-time nominee, her other Academy Award nominations were for Travels with My Aunt (1972), A Room with a View (1986) and Gosford Park (2001). She has also won a record four Best Actress BAFTA Awards: for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, A Private Function (1984), A Room with a View and The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne (1987). She would add a fifth competitive BAFTA for the 1999 film Tea with Mussolini, this time as Best Supporting Actress.

Other notable films include Love and Pain and the Whole Damn Thing (1973), Death on the Nile (1978), Clash of the Titans (1981), Evil Under the Sun (1982), Hook (1991), Sister Act (1992), The First Wives Club (1996), The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012), and as Professor Minerva McGonagall in the highly successful Harry Potter film series (2001–2011). She currently stars as Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, on Downton Abbey, for which she has won a Golden Globe, two Screen Actors Guild awards and two consecutive Emmy awards. She previously won an Emmy for the 2003 TV film My House in Umbria.
As well as her numerous competitive awards for acting in theatre, film and television, including two Academy Awards, five BAFTA Awards, three Emmy Awards, three Golden Globes, four Screen Actors Guild Awards and a Tony Award, Smith has also received several honorary awards, including two more BAFTAs, the Special Award in 1993 and theBAFTA Fellowship in 1996. She also received the Honorary Olivier Award in 2011. Smith is one of the few actresses to have achieved theTriple Crown of Acting. In September 2012, she was awarded the Stratford Shakespeare Festival’s Legacy Award, which she accepted from Christopher Plummer, who presented it to her in a ceremony at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto ON, Canada.

Personal Life

Smith has been married twice. She married actor Robert Stephens on 29 June 1967 at Greenwich Register Office, ten days after the birth of their first child. The couple had two sons, actors Chris Larkin (born 1967) and Toby Stephens (born 1969),[and divorced on 6 May 1974. Maggie Smith has five grandchildren.

She married playwright Beverley Cross on 23 August 1975 at the Guildford Register Office; he died on 20 March 1998.

In January 1988, she was diagnosed with Graves’ disease, for which she underwent radiotherapy and optical surgery.

In 2007, the Sunday Telegraph disclosed she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. She was subsequently reported to have made a full recovery.

In September 2011, she offered her support for raising the $4.6 million needed to help rebuild the Court Theatre, Christchurch, New Zealand, after the earthquake in 2011 which caused severe damage to the area. In July 2012, she became a patron of the International Glaucoma Association, hoping to support the organisation and raise the profile of glaucoma. On 27 November 2012, she contributed a drawing of her own hand to the 2012 Celebrity Paw Auction, to raise funds for Cats Protection.

Plymouth

Plymouth is a city on the Routh coast of Devon, England. Its early history extends to the Bronze Age, when a first settlement emerged at Mount Batten.

History

This settlement continued as a trading post for the Roman Empire, until it was surpassed by the more prosperous village of Sutton, now called Plymouth. In 1620, the Pilgrim Fathers departed Plymouth for the New World and established Plymouth Colony – the second English settlement in what is now the United States of America. During the English Civil War the town was held by the Parliamentarians and was besieged between 1642 and 1646.

Throughout the Industrial Revolution, Plymouth grew as a commercial shipping port, handling imports and passengers from the Americas, and exporting local minerals (tin, copper, lime, china clay and arsenic) while the neighbouring town of Devonport became a strategic Royal Naval shipbuilding and dockyard town. In 1914 three neighbouring independent towns, viz., the county borough of Plymouth, the county borough of Devonport, and the urban district of East Stonehouse were merged to form a single County Borough.

The combined town took the name of Plymouth which, in 1928, achieved city status. The city’s naval importance later led to its targeting and partial destruction during World War II, an act known as the Plymouth Blitz. After the war the city centre was completely rebuilt and subsequent expansion led to the incorporation of Plympton and Plymstock along with other outlying suburbs in 1967.

Today the city is home to around 250,000 people, making it the 27th most populous built-up area in England and Wales. It is governed locally by Plymouth City Council and is represented nationally by three MPs. Plymouth’s economy remains strongly influenced by shipbuilding and seafaring including ferry links to France (Roscoff and St Malo) and Spain (Santander), but has tended toward a service-based economy since the 1990s. It has the ninth largest university in the United Kingdom by number of students, the University of Plymouth, and the largest operational naval base in Western Europe.

Geography

Plymouth lies between the River Plym to the east and the River Tamr to the west; both rivers flow into the natural harbour of Plymouth Sound. Since 1967, the unitary authority of Plymouth has included the, once independent, towns of Plympton and Plymstock which lie along the east of the River Plym. The River Tamar forms the county boundary between Devon and Cornwall and its estuary forms the Hamoaze on which is sited Devonport Dockyard.

The River Plym, which flows off Dartmoor to the north-east, forms a smaller estuary to the east of the city called Cattewater. Plymouth Sound is protected from the sea by the Plymouth Breakwater. In the Sound is Drake’s Island which is seen fromPlymouth Hoe, a flat public area on top of limestone cliffs. The topography rises from sea level to a height, at Roborough, of about 509 feet (155 m) above Ordnance Datum (AOD).

Geologically, Plymouth has a mixture of limestone, Devonian slate,granite and Middle Devonian limestone. Plymouth Sound, Shores and Cliffs is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, because of its geology. The bulk of the city is built upon Upper Devonian slates and shales and the headlands at the entrance to Plymouth Sound are formed of Lower Devonian slates, which can withstand the power of the sea.

A band of Middle Devonian limestone runs west to east from Cremyll toPlymstock including the Hoe. Local limestone may be seen in numerous buildings, walls and pavements throughout Plymouth. To the north and north east of the city is the granite mass of Dartmoor; the granite was mined and exported via Plymouth. Rocks brought down the Tamar from Dartmoor include ores containing tin, copper, tungsten, lead and other minerals.

Education

The University of Plymouth is the 9th largest university in the United Kingdom by total number of students (including the Open University). It has over 30,000 students, almost 3,000 staff and an annual income of around £160 million. It was founded in 1992 from Polytechnic South West (formerly Plymouth Polytechnic) following theFurther and Higher Education Act 1992. It has courses in maritime business, marine engineering, marine biology and Earth, ocean and environmental sciences, surf science, shipping and logistics. The university formed a joint venture with the fellow Devonian University of Exeter in 2000, establishing the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry.

The University of St Mark & St John (known as «Marjon» or «Marjons») specialises in teacher training, and offers training across the country and abroad.

The city is also home to two large colleges. The City College Plymouth provides courses from the most basic to Foundation degrees for approximately 26,000 students. Plymouth College of Art offers a selection of courses including media. It was started 153 years ago and is now one of only four independent colleges of art and design in the UK.

The city was also home to the Royal Naval Engineering College; opened in 1880 in Keyham, it trained engineering students for five years before they completed the remaining two years of the course at Greenwich. The college closed in 1910, but in 1940 a new college opened at Manadon. This was renamed Dockyard Technical College in 1959 before finally closing in 1994; training was transferred to the University of Southampton.

Plymouth is home to the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom (MBA) which conducts research in all areas of the marine sciences. The Plymouth Marine Laboratory is an offshoot of the MBA. Together with the National Marine Aquarium, the Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Sciences, Plymouth University’s Marine Institute and the Diving Diseases Research Centre, these marine-related organisations form the Plymouth Marine Sciences Partnership.

Economy

Because of its coastal location, the economy of Plymouth has traditionally been maritime, in particular the defence sector with over 12,000 people employed and approximately 7,500 in the armed forces.

The Plymouth Gin Distillery has been producing Plymouth Gin since 1793, which was exported around the world by the Royal Navy. During the 1930s, it was the most widely distributed gin and has a controlled term of origin. Since the 1980s, employment in the defence sector has decreased substantially and the public sector is now prominent particularly in administration, health, education, medicine and engineering.

Devonport Dockyard is the UK’s only naval base that refits nuclear submarines and the Navy estimates that the Dockyard generates about 10% of Plymouth’s income. Plymouth has the largest cluster of marine and maritime businesses in the south west with 270 firms operating within the sector.

Plymouth has a post-war shopping area in the city centre with substantial pedestrianisation. At the west end of the zone inside a grade II listed building is the Pannier Market that was completed in 1959 – pannier meaning «basket» from French, so it translates as «basket market». In terms of retail floorspace, Plymouth is ranked in the top five in the South West, and 29th nationally.

Plymouth was one of the first ten British cities to trial the new Business Improvement District initiative. The Tinside Pool is situated at the foot of the Hoe and became a grade II listed building in 1998 before being restored to its 1930s look for £3.4 million.

Culture and sports

Built in 1815, Union Street was at the heart of Plymouth’s historical culture. It became known as the servicemen’s playground, as it was where sailors from the Royal Navy would seek entertainment of all kinds. During the 1930s, there were 30 pubs and it attracted such performers as Charlie Chaplin to the New Palace Theatre. It is now the late-night hub of Plymouth’s entertainment strip.

Outdoor events and festivals are held including the annual British Firework Championships in August, which attracts tens of thousands of people across the waterfront. Since 1992 the Music of the Night has been performed in the Royal Citadel by the 29 Commando Regiment and local performers to raise money for local and military charities.

The city’s main theatres are the Theatre Royal (1,315 capacity), its Drum Theatre (200 capacity), and its production and creative learning centre, The TR2. The Plymouth Pavilions has multi uses for the city staging music concerts, basketball matches and stand-up comedy. There are also three cinemas: Reel Cinema at Derrys Cross, Plymouth Arts Centre at Looe Street and a Vue cinema at the Barbican Leisure Park.

The Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery is operated by Plymouth City Council allowing free admission – it has six galleries. The Plymouth Athenaeum, which includes a local interest library, is a society dedicated to the promotion of learning in the fields of science, technology, literature and art.

Plymouth is the regional television centre of BBC South West. A team of journalists are headquartered at Plymouth for the ITV West Country regional station. The main local newspapers serving Plymouth are The Herald and Western Morning News with Radio Plymouth, BBC Radio Devon, Heart South West, and Pirate FM being the main local radio stations.

Sports

Plymouth is home to Plymouth Argyle F.C., who play in the fourth tier of English football league known as Football League Two. The team’s home ground is called Home Park and is located in Central Park. It links itself with the group of English non-conformists that left Plymouth for the New World in 1620: its nickname is «The Pilgrims».

Other sports clubs include Plymouth Albion R.F.C. and the Plymouth Raiders basketball club. Plymouth Albion Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club that was founded in 1875 and are currently competing in the third tier of Professional English Rugby . They play at the Brickfields. Plymouth is an important centre for watersports, especially scuba diving and sailing. The Port of Plymouth Regatta is one of the oldest regattas in the world, and has been held regularly since 1823. In September 2011, Plymouth hosted the America’s Cup World Series for nine days.

Landmarks and public attractions

After the English Civil War the Royal Citadel was built in 1666 on the east end of Plymouth Hoe, to defend the port from naval attacks, suppress Plymothian Parliamentary leanings and to train the armed forces. Guided tours are available in the summer months. Further west is Smeaton’s Tower, which was built in 1759 as a lighthouse on rocks 14 miles (23 km) off shore, but dismantled and the top two thirds rebuilt on the Hoe in 1877. It is open to the public and has views over the Plymouth Sound and the city from the lantern room. Plymouth has 20 war memorials of which nine are on The Hoe including: Plymouth Naval Memorial, to remember those killed in World Wars I and II, and the National Armada memorial, to commemorate the defeat of the Spanish Armada.

The early port settlement of Plymouth, called «Sutton», approximates to the area now referred to as the Barbican and has 100 listed buildings and the largest concentration of cobbled streets in Britain. The Pilgrim Fathers left for the New World in 1620 near the commemorative Mayflower Steps in Sutton Pool. Also on Sutton Pool is the National Marine Aquarium which displays 400 marine species and includes Britain’s deepest aquarium tank.

To the west of the city is Devonport, one of Plymouth’s historic quarters. As part of Devonport’s millennium regeneration project, the Devonport Heritage Trail has been introduced, complete with over 70 waymarkers outlining the route.

Plymouth is often used as a base by visitors to Dartmoor, the Tamar Valley and the beaches of south-east Cornwall. Kingsand, Cawsand and Whitsand Bayare popular.

The Roland Levinsky building, the landmark building of the University of Plymouth, is located in the city’s central quarter. Designed by leading architect Henning Larsen, the building was opened in 2008 and houses the University’s Arts faculty. It has been consistently considered one of the UK’s most beautiful university buildings

Notable people

People from Plymouth are known as Plymothians or less formally as Janners.

– The Elizabethan navigator, Sir Francis Drake was born in the nearby town of Tavistock and was the mayor of Plymouth. He was the first Englishman to circumnavigate the world and was known by the Spanish as El Draco meaning after he raided many of their ships.

– His cousin and contemporary John Hawkins was a Plymouth man.

– Painter Sir Joshua Reynolds, founder and first president of the Royal Academy was born and educated in nearby Plympton, now part of Plymouth.

– William Cookworthy born in Kingsbridge set up his successful porcelain business in the city and was a close friend of John Smeaton designer of the Eddystone Lighthouse.

– Notable athletes include swimmer Sharron Davies, diver Tom Daley, dancer Wayne Sleep, and footballer Trevor Francis. Other past residents include composer journalist and newspaper editor William Henry Wills, Ron Goodwin, and comedian Dawn French.

Ian McShane

Ian David McShane (born 29 September 1942) is an English actor, director, producer and voice artist.

Despite appearing in numerous films, McShane is best known for his television roles, particularly BBC’s Lovejoy and HBO’s drama series Deadwood. McShane starred as King Silas Benjamin in the NBC series Kings, Bishop Waleran in The Pillars of the Earth, Tai Lung in Kung Fu Panda, and as Blackbeard in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

Early life

McShane was born in Blackburn, Lancashire, on 29 September 1942, the son of Irene and footballer Harry McShane. His father was Scottish and his mother, who was born in England, was of Irish and English descent.

McShane grew up in Urmston, Lancashire, and attended Stretford Grammar School.
He studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and was still a student there when he appeared in his first film, 1962’s The Wild and the Willing. He also was a member of National Youth Theatre.

Carrer

In Britain, McShane’s best known role may be that of antiques dealer Lovejoy in the hit BBC drama series of the same name. He also enjoyed fame in the United States as English cad Don Lockwood in the soap opera Dallas and as an English cockfighting aficionado in the miniseries Roots. Even before Lovejoy, McShane was a pin-up as a result of appearances in television series such as Wuthering Heights (as Heathcliff), If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium (as Charlie), Jesus of Nazareth (as Judas Iscariot), and Disraeli—as well as films like Sky West and Crooked and Battle of Britain.

In the United States, he is perhaps best known for the role of historical figure Al Swearengen in the HBO series Deadwood,for which he won the 2005 Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Drama. He was also nominated for at the 2005 Emmy Award and Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Since 2010, McShane has narrated the opening teases for each round of ESPN’s coverage of The Open Championship.

In 2012, McShane had a guest role for two episodes as Murder Santa, a sadistic serial killer in the 1960s in the second season of American Horror Story, alongside Jessica Lange and Zachary Quinto.

In 2016 he will join the cast of the HBO series Game of Thrones in Season 6.

Personal life

McShane has been married three times: he first married and divorced Suzanne Farmer in the 1960s. In 1977, McShane began a relationship with actress Sylvia Kristel (star of the sex film Emmanuelle) after meeting her on the set of The Fifth Musketeer. The affair ended his marriage to his second wife, the model Ruth Post, who is the mother of his two children, Kate and Morgan. In 1980, he married actress Gwen Humble. They live in the Venice Beach community of Los Angeles.

Southampton

Southampton s the largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated 75 miles (121 km) south-west of London and 19 miles (31 km) north-west of Portsmouth.
This city is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest. It lies at the northernmost point of Southampton Water at the confluence of the River Test and River Itchen, with the River Hamble joining to the south of the urban area.
The local council is Southampton City Council, which is a unitary authority. The city represents the core of the Greater Southampton region, and the city itself has an estimated population of 253,651. The city’s name is sometimes abbreviated in writing to «So’ton» or «Soton», and a resident of Southampton is called a Sotonian.

History

Archaeological finds suggest that the area has been inhabited since the stone age. Following the Roman invasion of Britain in AD 43 and the conquering of the local Britons in 70 AD the fortress settlement of Clausentum was established. It was an important trading port and defensive outpost of Winchester, at the site of modern Bitterne Manor. Clausentum was defended by a wall and two ditches and is thought to have contained a bath house. Also, it was not abandoned until around 410.

The Anglo-Saxons formed a new, larger, settlement across the Itchen centred on what is now the St Mary’s area of the city. The settlement was known as Hamwic, which evolved into Hamtun and then Hampton. Archaeological excavations of this site have uncovered one of the best collections of Saxon artefacts in Europe. It is from this town that the county of Hampshire gets its name.

Viking raids from 840 onwards contributed to the decline of Hamwic in the 9th century, and by the 10th century a fortified settlement, which became medieval Southampton, had been established.

Following the Norman Conquest in 1066, Southampton became the major port of transit between the then capital of England, Winchester, and Normandy. Southampton Castle was built in the 12th century and by the 13th century Southampton had become a leading port, particularly involved in the import of French wine in exchange for English cloth and wool.

Southampton has been used for military embarkation, including during 18th-century wars with the French, the Crimean war, and the Boer War. Southampton was designated No. 1 Military Embarkation port during the Great War and became a major centre for treating the returning wounded and POWs. It was also central to the preparations for the Invasion of Europe in 1944.

A Royal Charter in 1952 upgraded University College at Highfield to the University of Southampton. Southampton acquired city status, becoming the City of Southampton in 1964.

Geography
The geography of Southampton is influenced by the sea and rivers. The city lies at the northern tip of the Southampton Water, a deep water estuary, which is a ria formed at the end of the last Ice Age. Here, the rivers Test and Itchen converge. The Test—which has salt marsh that makes it ideal for salmon fishing-runs along the western edge of the city, while the Itchen splits Southampton in two-east and west. The city centre is located between the two rivers.

Town Quay is the original public quay, and dates from the 13th century. Today’s Eastern Docks were created in the 1830s by land reclamation of the mud flats between the Itchen & Test estuaries. The Western Docks date from the 1930s when the Southern Railway Company commissioned a major land reclamation and dredging programme. Most of the material used for reclamation came from dredging of Southampton Water, to ensure that the port can continue to handle large ships.

Southampton Water has the benefit of a double high tide, with two high tide peaks, making the movement of large ships easier. This is not caused as popularly supposed by the presence of the Isle of Wight, but is a function of the shape and depth of the English Channel. In this area the general water flow is distorted by more local conditions reaching across to France.

Southampton is divided into council wards, suburbs, constituencies, ecclesiastical parishes, and other less formal areas. It has a number of parks and green spaces, the largest being the 148 hectareSouthampton Common, parts of which are used to host the annual summer festivals, circuses and fun fairs. The Common includes Hawthorns Urban Wildlife Centre on the former site of Southampton Zoo, a paddling pool and several lakes and ponds.

Council estates are in the Weston, Thornhill and Townhill Park districts. The city is ranked 96th most deprived out of all 354 Local Authorities in England.

Climate

As with the rest of the UK, Southampton experiences an oceanic climate. Its southerly, low lying and sheltered location ensures it is among the warmer, sunnier cities in the UK. It has held the record for the highest temperature in the UK for June at 35.6 º C (96.1 ºF) since 1976.

Culture, music and sports

The city is home to the longest surviving stretch of medieval walls in England, as well as a number of museums such as Tudor House Museum, reopened on 30 July 2011 after undergoing extensive restoration and improvement; Southampton Maritime Museum; God’s House Tower, an archaeology museum about the city’s heritage and located in one of the tower walls; the Medieval Merchant’s House; and Solent Sky, which focuses on aviation. The SeaCity Museum museum is located in the west wing of the civic centre, formerly occupied by Hampshire Constabulary and the Magistrates’ Court, and focuses on Southampton’s trading history and on the RMS Titanic.

The largest theatre in the city is the 2,300 capacity Mayflower Theatre (formerly known as the Gaumont), which, as the largest theatre in Southern England outside London, has hosted West End shows such as “Les Misérables”, “The Rocky Horror Show” and “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”, as well as regular visits from Welsh National Opera and English National Ballet. There is also the Nuffield Theatre based at the University of Southampton’s Highfield campus, which provides a venue for the Nuffield Theatre Company, touring companies, and local performing societies such as Southampton Operatic Society, the Maskers and the University Players.

There are many innovative art galleries in the city. The Southampton City Art Gallery at the Civic Centre is one of the best known and as well as a nationally important Designated Collection, houses several permanent and travelling exhibitions. The Millais Gallery atSouthampton Solent University, the John Hansard Gallery atSouthampton University as well as smaller galleries including the Art House in Above Bar Street provide a different view. The city’s Bargate is also an art gallery run by the arts organisation «a space». A space also run the Art Vaults project, which creatively uses several of Southampton’s medieval vaults, halls and cellars as venues for contemporary art installations.

Talking about music, Southampton has two large live music venues, the Mayflower Theatre (formerly the Gaumont Theatre) and the Guindall. The city has also several smaller music venues, including the Brook, The Talking Heads, The Soul Cellar, The Joiners and Turner Sims.

The city is home or birthplace to a number of contemporary musicians such as R’n’B singer Craig David, Coldplay drummer Will Champion, former Holloways singer Rob Skipper as well as 1980s popstar Howard Jones. Several rock bands were formed in Southampton, including Band of Skulls, The Delays, Bury Tomorrow, Heart in Hand, Thomas Tantrum and Kids Can’t. James Zabiela, a highly regarded and recognised name in dance music, is also from Southampton.

Southampton is home to Southampton Football Club—nicknamed «The Saints»—who play in the Premier League at St Mary’s Stadium, having relocated in 2001 from their 103-year-old former stadium, «The Dell». They reached the top flight of English football for the first time in 1966, staying there for eight years. They lifted the FA Cup with a shock victory over Manchester United in 1976, returned to the top flight two years later, and stayed there for 27 years (becoming founder members of the Premier Leage in 1992) before they were relegated in 2005. The club was promoted back to the Premier League in 2012 following a brief spell in the third-tier and severe financial difficulties..Notable former managers include Ted Bates, Lawrie McMenemy, Chris Nicholl, Ian Branfoot and Gordon Strachan. There is a strong rivalry between Portsmouth F.C. («South Coast derby») which is located only about 30 km (19 mi) away.

The city hockey club, Southampton Hockey Club, founded in 1938, is now one of the largest and highly regarded clubs in Hampshire, fielding 7 senior men’s and 5 senior ladies teams on a weekly basis along with boys’ and girls’ teams from 6 upwards.
The city is also well provided for in amateur men’s and women’s rugby with a number of teams in and around the city, the oldest of which is Trojans RFC who were promoted to London South West 2 division in 2008/9. Tottonians are also in London South West division 2 and Southampton RFC are in Hampshire division 1 in 2009/10, alongside Millbrook RFC and Eastleigh RFC. Many of the sides run mini and midi teams from under sevens up to under sixteens for both boys and girls.

Education

The city has a strong higher education sector. The University of Southampton and Southampton Solent University together have a student population of over 40,000.

The University of Southampton, which was founded in 1862 and received its Royal Charter as a university in 1952, has over 22,000 students. The university is ranked in the top 100 research universities in the world in the Academic Ranking of World Universities 2010. The university considers itself one of the top 5 research universities in the UK and it has a global reputation for research into engineering sciences, oceanography, chemistry, cancer sciences, sound and vibration research,computer science and electronics, optoelectronics and textile conservation at the Textile Conservation Centre (which is due to close in October 2009.) It is also home to the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton (NOCS), the focus ofNatural Environment Research Council-funded marine research.

Notable people

Notable people who either hail from Southampton or who have lived in the city include:

– R&B singer Craig David was brought up on the Holyrood estate in the city centre.

– SKY & International Radio Presenter Andy Collins and naturalist TV presenter Chris Packham are natives and Oscar-winning director of animated films Suzie Templeton grew up in Highfield.

– Coldplay drummer, Will Champion, whose father and late mother taught at the university.

– Aqualung, musician was born in the city.

– Matt Cardle winner of the 2010 series of X Factor, was born in Southampton.