Mark Kirby
@markkirby.bsky.social
Architectural historian, C17 church architecture & furnishings. Chairman of Council of the Ecclesiological Society.
I had the pleasure of trialling this app. For any church crawler, church historian or ecclesiologist, it really is a must have.
Introducing the Parish Churches App: a photographic archive and guide to England's parish churches. Available on Android, Apple iOS, Windows and Apple Mac. parishchurches.org/parishchurch... 1/6
September 18, 2026 at 2:00 PM
I had the pleasure of trialling this app. For any church crawler, church historian or ecclesiologist, it really is a must have.
Reposted by Mark Kirby
📣'Mentmore Towers is an astonishing building capable of modern use. There's no good reason why it should be allowed to fall down as it waits for a purpose'
@countrylifemag.bsky.social on #Batman house.
It praises @buckscouncil.bsky.social for its stand
👉 t.co/fiOoSLm2L1
📸 Jigsaw Aerial Imagery
@countrylifemag.bsky.social on #Batman house.
It praises @buckscouncil.bsky.social for its stand
👉 t.co/fiOoSLm2L1
📸 Jigsaw Aerial Imagery
September 14, 2026 at 12:37 PM
📣'Mentmore Towers is an astonishing building capable of modern use. There's no good reason why it should be allowed to fall down as it waits for a purpose'
@countrylifemag.bsky.social on #Batman house.
It praises @buckscouncil.bsky.social for its stand
👉 t.co/fiOoSLm2L1
📸 Jigsaw Aerial Imagery
@countrylifemag.bsky.social on #Batman house.
It praises @buckscouncil.bsky.social for its stand
👉 t.co/fiOoSLm2L1
📸 Jigsaw Aerial Imagery
Reposted by Mark Kirby
The Fourth Brandwood Lecture: "English Churches in Switzerland" given by James Bettley
Tuesday, 15th December 2026 at St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe, London EC4
Book here:
www.ecclsoc.org.uk/events/fourt...
Tuesday, 15th December 2026 at St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe, London EC4
Book here:
www.ecclsoc.org.uk/events/fourt...
September 14, 2026 at 2:02 PM
The Fourth Brandwood Lecture: "English Churches in Switzerland" given by James Bettley
Tuesday, 15th December 2026 at St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe, London EC4
Book here:
www.ecclsoc.org.uk/events/fourt...
Tuesday, 15th December 2026 at St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe, London EC4
Book here:
www.ecclsoc.org.uk/events/fourt...
This.
I'd vote for the future where there's the option of a box that pops up when lazy nonsense appears and says "this looks like AI slop. Would you like me to find a piece written by a thoughtful human on this topic - something that's valued by other humans and is actually worth reading?"
September 11, 2026 at 6:43 AM
This.
Reposted by Mark Kirby
I am the very model
of a modern day typographer
I know the type tonalities
from elegant to jocular
I am a master tracker
and my kerning is harmonical
I know the sacred swatches
and can name the hues Pantonical
(Full version of Modern Day Typographer now on my YouTube channel)
of a modern day typographer
I know the type tonalities
from elegant to jocular
I am a master tracker
and my kerning is harmonical
I know the sacred swatches
and can name the hues Pantonical
(Full version of Modern Day Typographer now on my YouTube channel)
Modern Day Typographer - Elle Cordova
YouTube video by Elle Cordova
youtu.be
September 8, 2026 at 10:34 PM
I am the very model
of a modern day typographer
I know the type tonalities
from elegant to jocular
I am a master tracker
and my kerning is harmonical
I know the sacred swatches
and can name the hues Pantonical
(Full version of Modern Day Typographer now on my YouTube channel)
of a modern day typographer
I know the type tonalities
from elegant to jocular
I am a master tracker
and my kerning is harmonical
I know the sacred swatches
and can name the hues Pantonical
(Full version of Modern Day Typographer now on my YouTube channel)
An excellent thread.
90 years ago, Parliament responded to the rise of Oswald Mosley's Blackshirts by passing the Public Order Act, which banned political uniforms, private militias and the threat of force for political objects.
The debates make very resonant reading today. Here's the Liberal Robert Bernays. (Short 🧵)
The debates make very resonant reading today. Here's the Liberal Robert Bernays. (Short 🧵)
September 8, 2026 at 6:58 AM
An excellent thread.
Reposted by Mark Kirby
📢 3 days to OBJECT to stop the adoption of part of the draft local plan for Buckinghamshire which proposes to build 7,450 new houses on the countryside around Grade I-listed Mentmore Towers & two surrounding villages🧵
Object to @buckscouncil.bsky.social Local Plan by 6th Sept tinyurl.com/4kujdeev 🧵
Object to @buckscouncil.bsky.social Local Plan by 6th Sept tinyurl.com/4kujdeev 🧵
September 4, 2026 at 12:54 PM
📢 3 days to OBJECT to stop the adoption of part of the draft local plan for Buckinghamshire which proposes to build 7,450 new houses on the countryside around Grade I-listed Mentmore Towers & two surrounding villages🧵
Object to @buckscouncil.bsky.social Local Plan by 6th Sept tinyurl.com/4kujdeev 🧵
Object to @buckscouncil.bsky.social Local Plan by 6th Sept tinyurl.com/4kujdeev 🧵
Good to see the government naming and shaming firms who failed to pay staff even the paltry, de-humanising minimum wage. That 5 of the top 10 offenders are heal care providers is an indictment of where those firms (and we) place our values. Shameful.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
B&Q and Five Guys among firms which paid staff below minimum wage
More than 600 companies underpaid staff, with £4m returned to workers, according to the government.
www.bbc.co.uk
September 3, 2026 at 7:14 AM
Good to see the government naming and shaming firms who failed to pay staff even the paltry, de-humanising minimum wage. That 5 of the top 10 offenders are heal care providers is an indictment of where those firms (and we) place our values. Shameful.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Visited the Carshalton Water Tower on Sunday. Built c.1719-20, possibly by Henry Joynes, who was Vanbrugh's Comptroller of Works at Blenheim & seems to have applied some Blenheim features here. Not bad for a bath house & pumping station. The house is now a school.
August 25, 2026 at 9:01 AM
Visited the Carshalton Water Tower on Sunday. Built c.1719-20, possibly by Henry Joynes, who was Vanbrugh's Comptroller of Works at Blenheim & seems to have applied some Blenheim features here. Not bad for a bath house & pumping station. The house is now a school.
Our public services aren’t for a secretive profit-hungry US tech firm. Sign the petition to tell the Government to scrap all contracts with secretive US tech firm Palantir. you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/st...
Stop Palantir taking over our public services!
Our public services aren’t for a secretive profit-hungry US tech firm. Sign the petition to tell the Government to scrap all contracts with secretive US tech firm Palantir.
you.38degrees.org.uk
August 25, 2026 at 6:33 AM
Our public services aren’t for a secretive profit-hungry US tech firm. Sign the petition to tell the Government to scrap all contracts with secretive US tech firm Palantir. you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/st...
Wow. High Octane return of Slow Horses. www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZbJ...
Slow Horses — Season 6 Official Trailer | Apple TV
YouTube video by Apple TV
www.youtube.com
August 18, 2026 at 2:55 PM
Wow. High Octane return of Slow Horses. www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZbJ...
Reposted by Mark Kirby
Brilliant letter from Stuart Thompson to Jeremy Clarkson about his comments that benefit claimants should write weekly thank you letters to tax payers detailing how they spend their benefits each week.
August 3, 2026 at 5:54 PM
Brilliant letter from Stuart Thompson to Jeremy Clarkson about his comments that benefit claimants should write weekly thank you letters to tax payers detailing how they spend their benefits each week.
Reposted by Mark Kirby
Please sign this UK government petition to compel AI companies to reveal whose books they used to train their data petition.parliament.uk/petitions/76...
Petition: Protect creators' rights: require AI firms to disclose training data
We ask the Government to introduce a statutory duty requiring AI developers to disclose the copyrighted works used to train generative AI in enough detail for creators to identify use of their work, e...
petition.parliament.uk
July 28, 2026 at 2:42 PM
Please sign this UK government petition to compel AI companies to reveal whose books they used to train their data petition.parliament.uk/petitions/76...
One of my proudest achievements is working on the Bank of England's CREST Project - to build a new securities settlement system for the UK. I headed the legal work & designed the stock borrowing & lending functionality. Today is the 30th anniversary of CREST's launch.
July 15, 2026 at 11:50 AM
One of my proudest achievements is working on the Bank of England's CREST Project - to build a new securities settlement system for the UK. I headed the legal work & designed the stock borrowing & lending functionality. Today is the 30th anniversary of CREST's launch.
Not sure what it says about the Bluesky UK demographic that The Archers ranks No. 3 in Bluesky's global trending list.
July 13, 2026 at 6:53 PM
Not sure what it says about the Bluesky UK demographic that The Archers ranks No. 3 in Bluesky's global trending list.
Reposted by Mark Kirby
If art critics talked like football pundits.
July 11, 2026 at 8:34 PM
If art critics talked like football pundits.
Thrilled that the Bayeux Tapestry has arrived in London. Looking forward to seeing it.
July 10, 2026 at 7:59 AM
Thrilled that the Bayeux Tapestry has arrived in London. Looking forward to seeing it.
Such a hoot that Count Binface is in the "Trending" box. Is this worldwide or only on UK users' pages? Please tell me it's worldwide. 😀
July 9, 2026 at 1:45 PM
Such a hoot that Count Binface is in the "Trending" box. Is this worldwide or only on UK users' pages? Please tell me it's worldwide. 😀
Hurrah!
EThOS platform restored!
'Following restoration work, all metadata records previously available on EThOS have now been restored, along with an additional 14,000 records added since the service was taken offline' - more to come
www.bl.uk/stories/news...
'Following restoration work, all metadata records previously available on EThOS have now been restored, along with an additional 14,000 records added since the service was taken offline' - more to come
www.bl.uk/stories/news...
EThOS records restored
We are pleased to share that EThOS (E-Theses Online Service) is now available again following restoration work after the cyber-attack.
www.bl.uk
July 8, 2026 at 3:34 PM
Hurrah!
This is my niece, Jess. She sang this at a concert yesterday and it brought a lump to my throat. This recording is from a year ago, when she was 15. Proud uncle. www.instagram.com/reel/DWtLm1I...
Instagram
Create an account or log in to Instagram - Share what you're into with the people who get you.
www.instagram.com
July 4, 2026 at 11:34 AM
This is my niece, Jess. She sang this at a concert yesterday and it brought a lump to my throat. This recording is from a year ago, when she was 15. Proud uncle. www.instagram.com/reel/DWtLm1I...
Reposted by Mark Kirby
Reposted by Mark Kirby
Reposted by Mark Kirby
Explore the Extraordinary at Castletown House, Ireland’s finest Palladian-style country house. Discover magnificent interiors, historic collections, stunning parklands and Ireland’s only fully intact 18th-century print room.
Plan your visit: heritageireland.ie
#ExploreTheExtraordinary
Plan your visit: heritageireland.ie
#ExploreTheExtraordinary
June 20, 2026 at 8:01 AM
Explore the Extraordinary at Castletown House, Ireland’s finest Palladian-style country house. Discover magnificent interiors, historic collections, stunning parklands and Ireland’s only fully intact 18th-century print room.
Plan your visit: heritageireland.ie
#ExploreTheExtraordinary
Plan your visit: heritageireland.ie
#ExploreTheExtraordinary
This is outstanding.
🗣️ Medievalists! 🏰
Check out this page, we’ve done a reconstruction the medieval chapel at Chester Castle!
www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places...
Please share widely! There’s loads of info and *lovely* images from the repertoire of medieval art - and also more reconstructions!
Check out this page, we’ve done a reconstruction the medieval chapel at Chester Castle!
www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places...
Please share widely! There’s loads of info and *lovely* images from the repertoire of medieval art - and also more reconstructions!
The Chester Castle Chapel Wall Paintings
The walls of the medieval chapel in the Agricola Tower at Chester Castle were richly painted around 1240 with scenes including miracles of the Virgin Mary and St Edward the Confessor. From the fragmen...
www.english-heritage.org.uk
June 18, 2026 at 1:46 PM
This is outstanding.
I've just had the results of an MRI scan on my head.
Described my brain as "unremarkable".
Feeling hurt.
Described my brain as "unremarkable".
Feeling hurt.
June 16, 2026 at 8:23 AM
I've just had the results of an MRI scan on my head.
Described my brain as "unremarkable".
Feeling hurt.
Described my brain as "unremarkable".
Feeling hurt.