Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Humanities/2021 September 29

= September 29 =

Camelford House and Tintagel House, Albert Embankment
Camelford House and Tintagel House on the Albert Embankment form an attractive pair of buildings. They were designed by TP Bennett Architects, and Tintagel House was occupied by the Metropolitan Police for many years. I don't know who had Camelford House. My question is - why were they named after Camelford and Tintagel, two towns in Cornwall? Bennett's middle name was Penberthy, which is a Cornish name, which may be a clew. Thank you, DuncanHill (talk) 03:18, 29 September 2021 (UTC)
 * "By Tre, Pol and Pen / Shall ye know all Cornishmen" Alansplodge (talk) 13:55, 29 September 2021 (UTC)
 * I can't find anything about why they're named, sorry but... Camelford House was BT, BT owned both at one point. Both buildings were the original 'wiretap' locations for BT, the Police and SIS, before they moved those services to Gresham Street and now Broggyntyn Hall. Nanonic (talk) 03:43, 29 September 2021 (UTC)
 * Thomas Pitt, 2nd Baron Camelford Thomas Pitt, 1st Baron Camelford? fiveby(zero) 04:57, 29 September 2021 (UTC)
 * Both the mean and dingy brick house and "Tintagil, half in sea, and high on land, A crown of towers." seem unlikely but hard to avoid. fiveby(zero) 06:06, 29 September 2021 (UTC)
 * Perhaps a link to the Arthurian legends? Tintagel Castle is said to be Arthur's birthplace and Slaughterbridge near Camelford Station is one purported site of the Battle of Camlann - an ancient inscribed stone on the riverbank marks the supposed site of Arthur's death. Alansplodge (talk) 13:49, 29 September 2021 (UTC)
 * DuncanHill, they are probably named after Cornish towns because they were built for the Duchy of Cornwall. A statement from the duchy in a Lambeth Council conservation area consultation document says the buildings were "Designed by TP Bennett with input from Louis de Soissons as consultant for the Duchy of Cornwall." TSventon (talk) 14:51, 29 September 2021 (UTC)
 * Thanks - that looks very likely. Rather a shame to see from that document that the Duchy was opposed to including them in the conservation area. I can't see any link between them and Pitt, but I enjoyed the linked article about Park Lane. What a sorry state it is in now. I read a lot of Tennyson as a boy, always a pleasure to see him quoted.  I lived at Treknow as a young boy, I know Slaughterbridge - and we'll have none of this "purported" nonsense here, Camlann it was and Camlann it is!  Thanks - I knew the Met had their computer at Tintagel House, the connexion with BT would have made a lot of sense. DuncanHill (talk) 15:16, 29 September 2021 (UTC)

Quebec
Does Quebec have the right to 'self determination' ? CactusRoy 🏴󠁣󠁡󠁱󠁣󠁿 ( talk ) 17:46, 29 September 2021 (UTC)


 * Legally or morally? We might have something to say about the former, but the latter is out of the Desk's scope. —Tamfang (talk) 18:36, 29 September 2021 (UTC)


 * Apparently yes. "[Quebec Superior] Court upholds Quebec law on self-determination but says it doesn't give unilateral right to secede", according to the National Post. Clarityfiend (talk) 22:38, 29 September 2021 (UTC)


 * But of course that ruling is subject to possible appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada. --184.144.99.72 (talk) 02:56, 30 September 2021 (UTC)
 * So it may depend on who has the last word. “The question is,” said Humpty Dumpty, “which is to be master—that’s all.” --Lambiam 07:53, 30 September 2021 (UTC)
 * Until then, it's the law (or loi). Clarityfiend (talk) 01:52, 1 October 2021 (UTC)