Red White & British | Division and Unity Louise Norris
Red White & British | Division and Unity Louise Norris
Introduction |
11th September 1297. 24th June 1314. These two dates in history probably hold very little or no relevance to the people of Britain in their everyday lives. But of course, why would it? We were not present on these dates so how could they possibly effect how we live our daily lives? Actually, these dates, along with so many others, hold importance in British history and how we see ourselves now. Are we English? Are we Scottish? Or are we simply, British? The first date, 11th September 1297, marks the date of the Battle of Stirling Bridge. A battle fought by William Wallace for Scottish Independence. Stirling Bridge is a well known victory for the Scots, leaving many English soldiers dead on the battlefield. William Wallace became an iconic Scottish leader, fighting for the independence to free his country of English oppression. Although this period of independence was cut short when the Scots were slaughtered in the Battle of Falkirk by the English in 1298, which later lead to the capture and killing of William Wallace in 1305. Charged with allegations of being an outlaw and traitor, which of course Wallace denied, lead to his brutal execution and mutilation. As a warning to the Scots, Wallace’s head was set on a pole on London Bridge for all to see. This was not the end for Scotland, as the second date, the 24th June 1314 marked an even bigger historical event; the battle of Bannockburn. Again this was a battle for Independence for Scotland against the laws of English rule. Now lead by Robert the Bruce, the small army of six thousand Scots fought against two thousand English horse and a further two thousand five hundred English infantry in what is now remembered as Robert the Bruce’s finest hour, only seventeen years after William Wallace had done the same. The battle ended in victory for Scotland, leaving Robert the Bruce in complete control of the Scottish army meaning that as far as politics went, Scotland had won. Now, as we slowly approach 2014, seven hundred years after the Battle of Bannockburn, politically these hostilities have not changed. It is in fact, still a British law that an Englishman can kill a Scotsman within the Great city walls with a bow and arrow. What’s more as we once again await the vote whether Scotland should be an independent nation, we begin to question
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what we have in separation and unity. Of course, as we all know, Britain or the United Kingdom is made up of four separate countries. England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales; Though it seems that while these separate nations exist, the ideology behind the word ‘United’ seems to stand so much stronger. I was born in Scotland. I come from a Scottish family yet I have been raised in England. Travelling between the two countries from a young age I have seen similarities and differences. I have seen agreements and disagreements. I have seen beautiful landscapes and remarkable cities; but there is no separate nation I really call home. Britain is my home. While these political hostilities occur in parliaments in both countries, the average everyday person appears to be forgotten. If Scotland gains Independence, what will this mean for someone like me? How will it be established what my true nationality really is? It begs something of an identity crisis, and not just for me, but for a whole nation. The photographs presented in this book are a visual investigation into the political and cultural division of the biggest rivalries in British history; England and Scotland. The aim of these photographs was to look into both countries and what makes them unique, and in doing this I found that this made the bigger picture of Britain so much clearer. Taking these photographs was not just an exploration of my own identity; it was also a visual exploration of a British identity, too. It doesn’t matter the food or the national accent or anthem, the photographs in this book aim to celebrate the differences and unities of each country for what they are and what they contribute to, and find that we perhaps aren’t as separate as we once thought. When choosing the images to fill the content of this book, I neither became nostalgic about England or Scotland, but I became passionate about Britain. I truly believe that the colours that make up the iconic Union flag that represent the British nation stand for something; they stand for division and they stand for unity, and they stand for Britain.
Louise Norris
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‘Unity’ London, England
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‘Division’ Birmingham, England | Stirling, Scotland
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‘Captured’ National Wallace Monument, Stirling, Scotland | London Bridge, London, England
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‘The Fields of Bannockburn’ Bannockburn, Stirling, Scotland |
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‘Trapped’ The Ancient City Walls, York, England | River Forth, Stirling, Scotland
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‘Remains’ Clifford's Tower, York, England | National Wallace Monument, Stirling, Scotland
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‘Viewpoint at The Wallace Monument’ National Wallace Monument, Stirling, Scotland |
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‘Six’ Bannockburn, Stirling, Scotland | The Lamb and Flag, Ripon, England
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‘Cathedrals’ The Necropolis, Glasgow Cathedral, Glasgow, Scotland | Ripon Cathedral, Ripon, England
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‘Home’ Ripon, England |
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‘Bikes’ York, England | Glasgow, Scotland
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‘Blue & Red’ Glasgow, Scotland | York, England
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‘The Crescent’ Ripon, England |
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‘Fish 'n' Chips’ Ripon, England | Glasgow, Scotland
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‘National Breakfast’ Glasgow, Scotland | Ripon, England
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‘The White Horse’ Ripon, England |
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‘Afternoon Tea’ Glasgow, Scotland | Birmingham, England
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‘British Dinners’ Birmingham, England |
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‘On The Go’ London, England |
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‘Public Transport’ London, Englang | Glasgow, Scotland
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‘Homophone’ Glasgow, Scotland | London, England
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‘Pigeon in George Square’ Glasgow, Scotland |
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‘Thatcher’ Birmingham, England | Glasgow, Scotland
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‘Tourist’ Glasgow, Scotland | London, England
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‘Red Brick’ Ripon, England |
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‘Weather’ Birmingham, England | Glasgow, Scotland
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‘Habitat’ Glasgow, Scotland | Ripon, England
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‘White Van’ Birmingham, England |
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‘Rebuilding’ Glasgow, Scotland | London, England
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‘The State of Things to Come’ Glasgow, Scotland | Birmingham, England
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‘Building for the Future’ Hamley's Toy Shop, London, England |
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‘Independence Line’ Scottish Border, M6 Motorway, England |
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Appendix |
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'Unity' Union Flag, London, England.
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'Division' St. George's Cross, Birmingham, England | St. Andrews Cross, Stirling, Scotland.
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'Captured' William Wallace Statue, Wallace Monument, Stirling, Scotland | London Bridge, London, England London Bridge was the location William Wallace's head was placed on a pole after his capture as a warning to the Scots, 1305.
11 'The Battlefields of Bannockburn' Bannockburn, Stirling Scotland. The battle in which Robert the Bruce fought and won independence for Scotland, 1314 13 'Trapped' The Ancient City Walls of the City of York, York, England. | The River Forth Stirling, Scotland. It is still legal to kill a Scotsman with a bow and arrow within the Ancient City Walls of York. The River Forth is the location where the Scots trapped and killed the English at the Battle of Stirling Bridge, 1297 15 'Remains' Clifford's Tower, York, England | The National Wallace Monument, Stirling, Scotland. Clifford's Tower is the only remaining part of York Castle and The National Wallace Monument is the remaining legacy of Scottish legend William Wallace. 17
'Viewpoint at the Wallace Monument' Stirling, Scotland.
19 'Six' Battlefields of Bannockburn, Stirling, Scotland | Lamb and Flag Pub, Ripon, England. Six trees in a line on the fields of Bannockburn and six hanging baskets outside an English pub.
21 'Cathedrals' The Necropolis, Glasgow Cathedral, Glasgow, Scotland | Ripon Cathedral, Ripon, England. 23
'Home' Ripon, England. The home of a returning soldier.
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'Bikes' York, England | Glasgow, Scotland.
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'Blue & Red Boxes' Glasgow, Scotland | York, England
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'The Crescent' Ripon, England.
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'Fish 'n' Chips' Ripon, England | Glasgow, Scotland.
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'Thatcher' Birmingham, England | Glasgow, Scotland. Chip papers after the death of Baroness Margaret Thatcher and a protest poster for the removal of 'Trident'.
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'Tourist' Glasgow, Scotland | London, England. City Chambers in George Square, Glasgow and two tourists at the London Eye, London.
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'Red Brick' Ripon, England. Union Flag flies in a garden.
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'Weather' Birmingham, England | Glasgow, Scotland.
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'White Van' Birmingham, England.
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'Rebuilding' Glasgow, Scotland. | London England.
'Habitat' Glasgow, Scotland | Ripon, England.
'National Breakfasts' Glasgow, Scotland | Ripon, England. 'The White Horse' Ripon, England.
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'Afternoon Tea' Glasgow, Scotland | Birmingham, England Two Scottish pineapple cakes and Two English Bakewell Tarts.
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'British Meals' Birmingham, England. 'Bangers & Mash' and Shepherds Pie.
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'On the Go' London, England. Discarded underground map in McDonald's.
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'Public Transport' London, England | Glasgow, Scotland Iconic Underground Roundel and Glasgow Central Station.
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'Homophone' Glasgow, Scotland | London, England. Argyle St. Station, Glasgow and Argyll St., Westminster.
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'Pigeon in George Square' Glasgow, Scotland.
63 'The State of Things to Come' Glasgow, Scotland. | Birmingham England. 'Chavs' graffiti in Glasgow and fallen bunting in Birmingham. 65
'Building for the Future' Hamley's Toy Shop, London, England Models of members of the Royal Family built out of Lego.
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'Independence Line' Scottish Border, M6 Motorway, England.
Acknowledgements & Sources |
Front cover image: Lyons, J. Hailed and Hated Lyons, J. (2013) Hailed and Hated. The Daily Mirror, 9th April, p.6-7. Introduction Information: BBC - Scotland's History - William Wallace Bbc.co.uk (2010) BBC - Scotland's History - William Wallace. [online] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/history/articles/william_wallace/ [Last Accessed: 8 May 2013].
BBC - Scotland's History - The Battle of Stirling Bridge, 1297 Bbc.co.uk (2010) BBC - Scotland's History - The Battle of Stirling Bridge, 1297. [online] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/history/articles/battle_of_ stirling_bridge/ [Last Accessed: 8 May 2013]. BBC - Scotland's History - The Battle of Bannockburn Bbc.co.uk (2010) BBC - Scotland's History - The Battle of Bannockburn. [online] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/history/articles/battle_of_ bannockburn/ [Last Accessed: 8 May 2013]. BBC - Scotland's History - Robert the Bruce, King of Scots Bbc.co.uk (2010) BBC - Scotland's History - Robert the Bruce, King of Scots. [online] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/history/articles/robert_ the_bruce/ [Last Accessed: 8 May 2013]. NTS Places to visit - Bannockburn Nts.org.uk (2013) NTS Places to visit - Bannockburn. [online] Available at: http:// www.nts.org.uk/Property/Bannockburn/ [Last Accessed: 8 May 2013].
The Battle of Bannockburn Battleofbannockburn.com (2013) The Battle of Bannockburn. [online] Available at: http://www.battleofbannockburn.com/Home/ [Last Accessed: 8 May 2013].
Photograph Locations All photographs have been taken in the following locations January-April 2013 Ripon, North Yorkshire, England York, North Yorkshire, England London, England Birmingham, West Midlands, England Bannockburn, Stirling, Scotland National Wallace Monument, Stirling, Scotland Glasgow, Scotland All Photography by Louise Norris Book Design by Jonathan Martin For more work by the photographer visit: www.louisenorrisworks.co.uk