Hasting Promenade - Pick of the Week

The pick of the week from OldeWorldGifts at Zazzle is this great vintage print of Hastings Promenade in Sussex, England - showing people standing along the promenade looking out at the ocean as the waves crash against the sea wall.

Hastings Promenade, Hastings, Sussex, England 

by OldeWorldGifts

  

Vintage Photomechanical print of the promenade at Hastings, Sussex, England, which was taken towards the end of the 19th century. The photograph shows a view of the promenade towards East Cliff, taken from the pier. Photograph courtesy of LOC (LC-DIG-ppmsc-08428). 

Visit OldeWorldGifts to see the range of products featuring this wonderful historic image.

Dunnottar Castle, Scotland

Dunnottar Castle is a ruined medieval castle which is located on the north-east coast of Scotland near Stonehaven, on a rocky headland with steep cliffs that drop to the North Sea 50 metres below.


The site is believed to have been an early fortress of the Dark Ages, however the surviving buildings are mainly from the 15th and 16th centuries. 


From the Middle Ages, Dunnottar Castle played an important strategic role throughout Scotland's history due to its location. It overlooked the shipping lanes to northern Scotland and was situated on a narrow coastal terrace that controlled access via land to the south coast dueing the medieval period.

Dunottar Castle, Stonehaven, Scotland by OldeWorldGifts

Vintage photomechanical print of Dunottar Castle in Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, which was taken at the end of the 19th century. Photograph courtesy of LOC (LC-DIG-ppmsc-07682). Visit OldeWorldGifts to see the full range of products featuring this beautiful vintage print.

Castle Street, Aberdeen, Scotland

A view of Castle Street in Aberdeen Scotland - which shows the old municipal buildings, the Market Cross and the back of the statue of the Fifth Duke of Gordon.

This area would be filled with market stalls and throngs of people coming to buy all that they need. It was the hub of all activity in the town. Today, Castle Street continues to be a thriving part of Aberdeen with businesses, bars and restaurants.

Castle Street, Aberdeen, Scotland by OldeWorldGifts

Vintage photomechanical print of Castle Street and Municipal Buildings in Aberdeen, Scotland, which was taken at the end of the 19th century. Photograph courtesy of LOC (LC-DIG-ppmsc-07513). Visit OldeWorldGifts to see the full range of products featuring this beautiful vintage print.

Balmoral Castle, Scotland

Balmoral Castle is well known as the summer royal residence for Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh. It has been a royal residence since 1848, when Queen Victoria and Prince Albert leased it from the trustees of Sir Robert Gordon, who had died in 1847. In 1852, they paid approximately £30,000 for full ownership of the estate. 

Prince Albert, with William Smith, made immediate plans to extend the existing castle. The new castle was partly designed by Prince Albert and was built close to the original castle.

Queen Victoria laid the foundation stone on 28 September 1853, which can be found at the foot of the wall, adjacent to the west face of the entrance porch. Before the stone was laid, a bottle containing a parchment signed and dated by Queen Victoria and each of the current coins of the realm, was inserted into a cavity below the stone. Balmoral Castle was completed in 1856.

Balmoral is privately owned by the Queen and is not part of the royal estate which is owned by the English Government. Following the abdication of Edward VIII, his brother, King George VI, had to buy Balmoral in order to keep them as residences of the monarch.

Balmoral Castle, Royal Deeside, Scotland by OldeWorldGifts

Vintage photomechanical print of Balmoral Castle in Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, which was taken at the end of the 19th century. Photograph courtesy of LOC (LC-DIG-ppmsc-07532). Visit OldeWorldGifts to see the full range of products featuring this beautiful vintage print.

Isola Bella, Lake Maggiore, Piedmont, Italy

Isola Bella is one of the Borromean Islands in Lake Maggiore in Piedmont, Italy. It is 320 metres long and 400 metres wide and is entirely occupied by the Palazzo Borromeo and its surrounding gardens. The island is situated approximately 400 metres from the town of Stresa.


Prior to 1632 the island, then known as isola di sotto or l'isola inferiore, was a rocky crag with a small fishing village. In 1632, Carlo III of the House of Borromeo began construction of a palace dedicated to his wife, Isabella D'Adda. The island is now named after this Isabella.


The Milanese architect, Angelo Crivelli, was responsible for the construction of the palazzo, as well as the planning of the gardens. The palazzo was not completed due to an outbreak of the plague in the Duchy of Milan around the middle of the century. 


Building of the palace resumed when the islands were passed onto Carlo's sons, Cardinal Gilberto III and Vitaliano VI. The completion of the works were the responsibility of the Milanese architect Carlo Fontana. The completed palace became a place of parties and theatrical events for the nobility of Europe.


Gilberto and Vitaliano left the completion of the gardens to their nephew, Carlo IV, which were inaugurated in 1671. The island continued to be a place to visit for the nobility right through to the middle of the nineteenth century.

Isola Bella III, Lake Maggiore, Piedmont, Italy by OldeWorldGifts

Vintage photomechanical print of Isola Bella, Lake Maggiore in Piedmont, Italy, which was taken towards the end of the 19th century. Photograph courtesy LOC (LC-DIG-ppmsc-06533). Visit OldeWorldGifts to see the full range of products featuring this beautiful vintage print.

The Arch of Peace, Milan, Italy

The Arch of Peace, Arco della Pace in Italian, is located in the Piazza Sempione in Milan. It was contructed at the request of Napolean to signify his triumphant victory in 1801 when the walls around the Castello Sforzesco were destroyed.

The construction of the Arch started in 1807 under the supervision of the neoclassicist architect Luigi Cagnola, who was inspired by the Arch of Settimo in Rome. The arch was only two-thirds completed when Napolean was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo, at which time the construction stopped.

In 1826 Franz I of Austria ordered that construction of the arch be finished in dedication to the European Peace which was reached in 1815. The Arch was finished by Francesco Peverelli and Francesco Londonio following the death of Cagnola in 1833. It was inaugurated by Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria on 10 September 1838.

The Arch of Peace is one of the best examples of Milanese Neoclassical art. It is a structure of four columns with two isolated boxes at each side. It is decorated with bas-reliefs and scenes illustrating the many events before the fall of Napoleon.

The Arch of Peace, Milan, Lombardy, Italy by OldeWorldGifts

Vintage photomechanical print of the Arch of Peace in Milan, Lombardy, Italy, which was taken at the end of the 19th century. Photograph courtesy of LOC (LC-DIG-ppmsc-06554). Visit OldeWorldGifts to see the range of products available with this vintage print of the Arch of Peace.

Trevi Fountain, Rome, Italy

The Trevi Fountain, Fontana di Trevi in Intalian, is the largest Baroque fountain in Rome. In 1732, Pope Clement XII commissioned Nicola Salvi to create a large fountain in Trevi Square. Previously Gian Lorenzo Bernini had undertaken the construction of a fountain which did not continue after the death of Pope Urban VIII. Salvi's design carried many features of the Bernini fountain. Salvi died before the fountain was completed. The Trevi Fountain was finally finished in 1762 by Giuseppe Pannini.


Legend has it you will return to Rome if you throw a coin into the water. You should toss it over your shoulder with your back to the fountain.

Trevi Fountain, Rome, Lazio, Italy by OldeWorldGifts

Vintage photomechanical print of Trevi Fountain in Rome, Lazio, Italy, which was taken towards the end of the 19th century. The Photograph courtesy LOC (LC-DIG-ppmsc-06614).

Bellagio I, Lake Como, Lombardy, Italy

Bellagio, also known as "the pearl of Lake Como", is a town located on Lake Como in Lombardy, Italy. It is well known for its location on the intersection of the three branches of the Y-shaped lake - with Bellagio located on the tip of the peninsula which separates the lake's two southern arms.

There is evidence which suggests that there was a human presence in Bellagio and surrounding areas in the Paleolithic Period (about 30,000 years ago), in the 7th to 5th centuries BC there was a place of worship and trade for the many small villages along the side of the lake.

During Roman times, Lake Como took on an important role. Olive trees and the laurel were introduced to the area by the Romans, which are still found in abundance on the shores of Lake Como.


The Romans were responsible for the town's development as a holiday resort which has continued to this day. In letters by Pliny the Younger (c61AD - 112AD), he describes the time he spent in his Bellagio villa where he enjoyed the pleasures of hunting and fishing.

Bellagio I, Lake Como, Lombardy, Italy by OldeWorldGifts

Browse more Lake Posters

Vintage photomechanical print of Bellagio on Lake Como, Lombardy, Italy, which was taken at the end of the 19th century. Photograph courtesy of LOC (LC-DIG-ppmsc-06439). Visit OldeWorldGifts to see the range of products featuring this beautiful vintage photochrom.

Interior of the Church of the Annunciation in Genoa, Italy

The Church of the Annunciation, known as the Basilica della Santissima Annunziata del Vastato in Italian, is a Catholic Cathedral located in Genoa, Liguria, Italy. 

The church was first begun in 1520 by the Franciscan monks on a site where the small church, Santa Maria del Prato, previously stood. Work on the church was stopped in 1537, then in 1591 the construction was continued.

The Cathedral employed the major baroque artists in Genoa in the early 17th century for its amazing decoration, with Andrea Ansaldo in charge of completing the works.


The Neoclassicist facade of the church dates to the early to mid 18th century and was designed by Carlo Barabino. 


During World War II the church was damaged during bombings by the Allied forces, and the restoration of the church continues to this day.

Church of the Annunciation, Genoa, Liguria, Italy by OldeWorldGifts

Create your own Custom postcard with zazzle

Vintage photomechanical print of the interior of the Church of the Annunciation in Genoa, Liguria, Italy, which was taken at the end of the 19th century. Photograph courtesy of LOC (LC-DIG-ppmsc-06516). Visit OldeWorldGifts to see the full range of products featuring this incredible vintage photochrom.

Latest News from OldeWorldGifts

This week OldeWorldGifts has been searching through the beautiful old photochrom prints for Scotland and has started adding some of these images to the store.

The first additions have been from Aberdeenshire and have included Aberdeen, Banff, Stonehaven and Banchory. There are some amazing pictures in this selection, such as those shown below.

New images are being added daily, with the focus this week on the beautiful Scottish towns and cities. Visit OldeWorldGifts to see the full range of products featuring an extensive selection of vintage images from around the world.