#OTD in 1455 the War of the Roses began with the First Battle of St Albans. King Henry VI and his army held the town centre, and the Duke of York's army attacked from the east. Fierce fight took place on Sopwell Lane, the Yorkists attack here led by the Earl of Salisbury. 1/7 The lane was stoutly defended by Lord Clifford, with a large wooden bar thrown across it. Even now it's still quite a narrow lane with little room for manoeuvre. 2/7

The Second Battle of St Albans was fought #OTD in 1461. The first battle started the War of the Roses in 1455, with the Yorkists victorious due to outflanking attacks on the Lancastrians. Yet in 1461, the Yorkists fell for the same trick themselves by Queen Margaret's army. 1/5 The Yorkists set up their main position north of the town, facing east. The Lancastrians initially attacked from the southwest of the town, up Fishpoole St & Romeland. They were driven back by a hail of arrow from archers positioned in the clock tower & town centre buildings. 2/5

Really interesting information coming out about St Mary's Abbey in Dublin in recent years. @IrishRailArch kicked this off with an architectural survey of the abbey area, presented to @FMDublin in 2019: Upstanding remains and post-Dissolution documents show its later years. 1/4 The southern parts of the Abbey including the precinct boundary down by the Liffey were uncovered by @CathyMoore_Arch, presented to @FMDublin in 2021. 2/4

Defence survey p4: the fortified barracks at Shannonbridge, built c. 1811 as part of a tête-de-pont, or fortified bridgehead. Three guns on the roof pointed westward. The front faced the bridge while the rear, complete with musket loops, guarded the western approach. Shannonbridge was the closest crossing of the river, in the event of a French invasion of Connacht. You can see from the map board and aerial photo (📸 NMS) the sheer scale of the site and remarkably it mostly survives. Apparently this is a unique site in Ireland and Britain.