History Shorts: snippets of local history

I recently enjoyed a tour of the former Crumlin Road Gaol in Belfast so was interested to see the following sketches from Sir Charles Lanyon when they appeared among recent Flickr uploads from PRONI. The prison opened in 1846 and only closed in 1996, having fallen into considerable disrepair. The building, which has 'accommodated' in one form or another some of Ireland's most famous politicians, now has Grade A listed status. Here's one of my own photos from the yard just before a cloud burst! Hopefully I'll sort out some more soon, including from inside the tunnel: See more about the gaol, including details of tours

According to Wikipedia, this is a Palladian villa built in the 1750s-60s for Simon Harcourt, 1st Earl Harcourt, a British diplomat and general, with grounds later landscaped by Capability Brown. The old village of Nuneham Courtenay was uprooted to make way for the house and grounds and was recreated a mile away on the Oxford to Dorchester road (now the A4074). Destruction of the old village has been linked to the Deserted Village, in the poem of that name by Oliver Goldsmith. During World War II, it was used by the RAF, home to a photographic reconnaissance interpretation unit. It is now owned by Oxford University (their Harcourt Arboretum is also nearby) and the building used as a retreat centre.