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Grey Towers

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A battlement , in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles , comprises a parapet (a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at intervals to allow for the launch of arrows or other projectiles from within the defences. These gaps are termed embrasures , also called crenels or crenelles , and a wall or building with them is described as crenellated ; alternative older terms are castellated and embattled . The act of adding crenels to a previously unbroken parapet is termed crenellation.

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59-608: Grey Towers was a crenellated mansion with 85 acres of grounds on Hornchurch Road in Hornchurch , England. It was built in 1876 and brought into public use as the New Zealand Convalescent Hospital during the First World War. In the interwar period Hornchurch was developed as a suburb and Grey Towers was demolished to be used for housing. The gothic mansion was built in 1876 for Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Holmes,

118-636: A Metropolitan Police report showed that in 2008 only one crime was solved per 1000 cameras. In some cases CCTV cameras have become a target of attacks themselves. Cities such as Manchester in the UK are using DVR -based technology to improve accessibility for crime prevention. In October 2009, an "Internet Eyes" website was announced which would pay members of the public to view CCTV camera images from their homes and report any crimes they witnessed. The site aimed to add "more eyes" to cameras which might be insufficiently monitored. Civil liberties campaigners criticized

177-468: A "stepped" form, with each merlon shaped like an inverted 'T'. European architects persistently used battlements as a purely decorative feature throughout the Decorated and Perpendicular periods of Gothic architecture. They not only occur on parapets but on the transoms of windows and on the tie-beams of roofs and on screens, and even on Tudor chimney-pots. A further decorative treatment appears in

236-402: A basic deterrent against wandering bands of thieves, and it is suggested that the function of battlements was comparable to the modern practice of householders fitting highly visible CC TV and burglar alarms, often merely dummies. The crown usually did not charge for the granting of such licences, but occasionally charged a fee of about half a mark . Battlements may be stepped out to overhang

295-473: A gap of any kind, for example a parking space at the side of the road between two cars, interval between groups of marching troops or a timeslot in a broadcast. In medieval England and Wales a licence to crenellate granted the holder permission to fortify their property. Such licences were granted by the king, and by the rulers of the counties palatine within their jurisdictions, e.g. by the Bishops of Durham and

354-416: A limited set of monitors. It differs from broadcast television in that the signal is not openly transmitted, though it may employ point-to-point, point-to-multipoint (P2MP), or mesh wired or wireless links . Even though almost all video cameras fit this definition, the term is most often applied to those used for surveillance in areas that require additional security or ongoing monitoring ( videotelephony

413-430: A number of uses. For example, as a new form of surveillance in law enforcement, with cameras located on a police officer's chest or head. Many cities and motorway networks have extensive traffic-monitoring systems, using closed-circuit television to detect congestion and notice accidents. Many of these cameras however, are owned by private companies and transmit data to drivers' GPS systems. Highways England has

472-549: A particular event. A more advanced form of CCTV, using digital video recorders (DVRs), provides recording for possibly many years, with a variety of quality and performance options and extra features (such as motion detection and email alerts). More recently, decentralized IP cameras , perhaps equipped with megapixel sensors, support recording directly to network-attached storage devices, or internal flash for completely stand-alone operation. The deployment of this technology has facilitated significant growth in state surveillance,

531-535: A patent for the design of a CCTV-based home security system in 1969. ( U.S. patent 3,482,037 ). Another early appearance was in 1973 in Times Square in New York City . The NYPD installed it to deter crime in the area; however, crime rates did not appear to drop much due to the cameras. Nevertheless, during the 1980s video surveillance began to spread across the country specifically targeting public areas. It

590-508: A publicly owned CCTV network of over 3000 Pan-Tilt-Zoom cameras covering the British motorway and trunk road network. These cameras are primarily used to monitor traffic conditions and are not used as speed cameras . With the addition of fixed cameras for the active traffic management system, the number of cameras on the Highways England's CCTV network is likely to increase significantly over

649-529: A resolution of a hundred lines. Having been commandeered by Kliment Voroshilov , Theremin's CCTV system was demonstrated to Joseph Stalin , Semyon Budyonny , and Sergo Ordzhonikidze , and subsequently installed in the courtyard of the Moscow Kremlin to monitor approaching visitors. Another early CCTV system was installed by Siemens AG at Test Stand VII in Peenemünde , Nazi Germany in 1942, for observing

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708-551: A shift toward Internet-based products and systems, and other technological developments. Early CCTV systems were installed in central London by the Metropolitan Police between 1960 and 1965. By 1963, CCTV was being used in Munich to monitor traffic. Closed-circuit television was used as a form of pay-per-view theatre television for sports such as professional boxing and professional wrestling , and from 1964 through 1970,

767-639: A substantial rise in the methods of advanced social monitoring and control, and a host of crime prevention measures throughout the world. An early mechanical CCTV system was developed in June 1927 by Russian physicist Léon Theremin (cf. Television in the Soviet Union ). Originally requested by CTO (the Soviet Council of Labor and Defense ), the system consisted of a manually-operated scanning-transmitting camera and wireless shortwave transmitter and receiver, with

826-405: Is detected, an alert can be sent to a phone. Criminals may use surveillance cameras to monitor the public. For example, a hidden camera at an ATM can capture people's PINs as they are entered, without their knowledge. The devices are small enough not to be noticed, and are placed where they can monitor the keypad of the machine as people enter their PINs. Images may be transmitted wirelessly to

885-510: Is seldom called "CCTV" ). Surveillance of the public using CCTV is common in many areas around the world. Video surveillance has generated significant debate about balancing its use with individuals' right to privacy even when in public. In industrial plants , CCTV equipment may be used to observe parts of a process from a central control room , especially if the environments observed are dangerous or inaccessible to humans. CCTV systems may operate continuously or only as required to monitor

944-459: Is that battlements became an architectural status-symbol much sought after by the socially ambitious, in Coulson's words: "Licences to crenellate were mainly symbolic representations of lordly status: castellation was the architectural expression of noble rank". They indicated to the observer that the grantee had obtained "royal recognition, acknowledgment and compliment". They could, however, provide

1003-445: Is to crenellate the tops of church towers, and often the tops of lower walls. These are essentially decorative rather than functional, as are many examples on secular buildings. The solid widths between the crenels are called merlons . Battlements on walls have protected walkways, termed chemin de ronde behind them. On tower or building tops, the often flat roof is used as a protected fighting platform . The term originated in about

1062-469: Is to protect the defenders by giving them part of the parapet to hide behind, from which they can quickly expose themselves to launch projectiles, then retreat behind the parapet. A defensive building might be designed and built with battlements, or a manor house might be fortified by adding battlements, where no parapet previously existed, or cutting crenellations into its existing parapet wall. A distinctive feature of late medieval English church architecture

1121-499: Is transmitted with a description, allowing detailed monitoring of all actions of the operator. Some systems allow the user to search for a specific event by time of occurrence and text description, and perform statistical evaluation of operator behaviour. This allows the software to predict deviations from the standard workflow and record only anomalous behaviour. In the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, CCTV

1180-399: Is widely regarded by anti-terrorist officers as a fundamental tool in tracking terrorist suspects. Large-scale CCTV installations have played a key part of the defenses against terrorism since the 1970s. Cameras have also been installed on public transport in the hope of deterring crime. A more open question is whether most CCTV is cost-effective. While low-quality domestic kits are cheap,

1239-585: Is widely used in schools due to its success in preventing bullying , vandalism , monitoring visitors and maintaining a record of evidence of a crime. There are some restrictions, cameras not being installed in areas where there is a "reasonable expectation of privacy ", such as bathrooms, gym locker areas, and private offices (unless consent by the office occupant is given). Cameras are generally acceptable in hallways, parking lots, front offices where students, employees, and parents come and go, gymnasiums, cafeterias, supply rooms, and classrooms. Some teachers object to

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1298-570: The Arabs had a more decorative and varied character, and were continued from the 13th century onwards not so much for defensive purposes as for a crowning feature to the walls. They serve a function similar to the cresting found in the Spanish Renaissance architecture . "Irish" crenellations are a distinctive form that appeared in Ireland between the 14th and 17th centuries. These were battlements of

1357-577: The Earls of Chester and after 1351 by the Dukes of Lancaster . The castles in England vastly outnumbered the licences to crenellate. Royal pardons were obtainable on the payment of an arbitrarily-determined fine by a person who had fortified without licence. The surviving records of such licences, generally issued by letters patent , provide valuable evidence for the dating of ancient buildings. A list of licences issued by

1416-485: The Indianapolis 500 automobile race. Boxing telecasts were broadcast live to a select number of venues, mostly theaters, with arenas, stadiums, schools, and convention centers also being less often used venues, where viewers paid for tickets to watch the fight live. The first fight with a closed-circuit telecast was Joe Louis vs. Joe Walcott in 1948. Closed-circuit telecasts peaked in popularity with Muhammad Ali in

1475-484: The 14th century from the Old French word batailler , "to fortify with batailles " (fixed or movable turrets of defence). The word crenel derives from the ancient French cren (modern French cran ), Latin crena , meaning a notch, mortice or other gap cut out often to receive another element or fixing; see also crenation . The modern French word for crenel is créneau , also used to describe

1534-670: The 1960s and 1970s, with " The Rumble in the Jungle " fight drawing 50   million CCTV viewers worldwide in 1974, and the " Thrilla in Manila " drawing 100   million CCTV viewers worldwide in 1975. In 1985, the WrestleMania I professional wrestling show was seen by over one million viewers with this scheme. As late as 1996, the Julio César Chávez vs. Oscar De La Hoya boxing fight had 750,000 viewers. Although closed-circuit television

1593-577: The English Crown between the 12th and the 16th centuries was compiled by Turner & Parker and expanded and corrected by Philip Davis and published in The Castle Studies Group Journal . There has been academic debate over the purpose of licensing. The view of military-focused historians is that licensing restricted the number of fortifications that could be used against a royal army. The modern view, proposed notably by Charles Coulson,

1652-548: The UK during the 1970s and 1980s, including outdoor CCTV in Bournemouth in 1985, led to several larger trial programs later that decade. The first use by local government was in King's Lynn , Norfolk, in 1987. A 2009 systematic review by researchers from Northeastern University and University of Cambridge used meta-analytic techniques to pool the average effect of CCTV on crime across 41 different studies. The studies included in

1711-421: The actions of workers. Every action is recorded as an information block with subtitles that explain the performed operation. This helps to track the actions of workers, especially when they are making critical financial transactions, such as correcting or cancelling of a sale, withdrawing money, or altering personal information. Actions which an employer may wish to monitor could include: Each of these operations

1770-442: The capability to recognize facial features and moving objects, sending the data automatically to government authorities. However, the widespread tracking of individuals through video surveillance has raised significant privacy issues. CCTV can also be used to help solve crimes. In London alone, six crimes are solved each day on average using CCTV footage. In recent years, the use of body worn video cameras has been introduced for

1829-703: The criminal. Even lawful surveillance cameras sometimes have their data go into the hands of people who have no legal right to receive it. Theft is a huge concern for many department stores and shopping malls. CCTV helps to protect stores' assets, and ensures the safety of employees and customers. Material collected by surveillance cameras has been used as a tool in post-event forensics to identify tactics, techniques, and perpetrators of terrorist attacks . Furthermore, there are various projects − such as INDECT − that aim to detect suspicious behaviours of individuals and crowds. It has been argued that terrorists will not be deterred by cameras, that terror attacks are not really

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1888-713: The defender might stand so as to gain complete protection on one side. Loop-holes were frequent in Italian battlements, where the merlon has much greater height and a distinctive cap. Italian military architects used the so-called Ghibelline or swallowtail battlement, with V-shaped notches in the tops of the merlon, giving a horn-like effect. This would allow the defender to be protected whilst shooting standing fully upright. The normal rectangular merlons were later nicknamed Guelph. Many South Asian battlements are made up of parapets with peculiarly shaped merlons and complicated systems of loopholes, which differ substantially from rest of

1947-434: The effectiveness of CCTV for policing is around uptime of the system; in 2013 City of Philadelphia Auditor found that the $ 15M system was operational only 32% of the time. There is strong anecdotal evidence that CCTV aids in detection and conviction of offenders; for example, UK police forces routinely seek CCTV recordings after crimes. Moreover, CCTV has played a crucial role in tracing the movements of suspects or victims and

2006-412: The elaborate paneling of the merlons and that portion of the parapet walls rising above the cornice , by the introduction of quatrefoils and other conventional forms filled with foliage and shield. Closed-circuit television Closed-circuit television ( CCTV ), also known as video surveillance , is the use of closed-circuit television cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on

2065-566: The entrance gates were moved to Hylands Park . Towers Cinema opened on part of the site on 3 August 1935. Some residential streets in South Hornchurch were named after places in New Zealand by Hornchurch Urban District Council in 1947 in reference to the use of the house. The two lodges, built in the same crenellated style as the house survived to the 1960s and were used as dwellings. Crenellated The function of battlements in war

2124-516: The existence of battlements. The Great Wall of China has battlements. In the European battlements of the Middle Ages the crenel comprised one-third of the width of the merlon: the latter, in addition, could be provided with arrow-loops of various shapes (from simply round to cruciform), depending on the weapon being utilized. Late merlons permitted fire from the first firearms . From the 13th century,

2183-440: The feed to a central control center where a producer selects feeds to send to the television monitors that fans can view. CCTV monitors for viewing the event by attendees are often placed in lounges, hallways, and restrooms. In a trial with CCTV cameras, football club fans no longer needed to identify themselves manually, but could pass freely after being authorized by the facial recognition system. Organizations use CCTV to monitor

2242-484: The flow of crowds. In the Philippines, barangay San Antonio used CCTV cameras and artificial intelligence software to detect the formation of crowds during an outbreak of a disease . Security personnel were sent whenever a crowd formed at a particular location in the city. On a driver-only operated train, CCTV cameras may allow the driver to confirm that people are clear of doors before closing them and starting

2301-410: The idea as "a distasteful and a worrying development". In 2013, Oaxaca hired deaf police officers to lip read conversations to uncover criminal conspiracies. In Singapore, since 2012, thousands of CCTV cameras have helped deter loan sharks, nab litterbugs, and stop illegal parking, according to government figures. Russia has implemented a video surveillance system called 'Safe City', which has

2360-530: The installation of cameras. A study of high school students in Israeli schools shows that students' views on CCTV used in school are based on how they think of their teachers, school, and authorities. It also stated that most students do not want CCTV installed inside a classroom. Many homeowners choose to install CCTV systems either inside or outside their own homes, sometimes both. CCTV cameras are an effective deterrent to potential intruders as their use increases

2419-467: The launch of V-2 rockets . In the United States, the first commercial closed-circuit television system became available in 1949 from Remington Rand and designed by CBS Laboratories , called "Vericon". Vericon was advertised as not requiring a government permit, due to the system using cabled connections between camera and monitor rather than over-the-air transmission. The earliest video surveillance systems involved constant monitoring because there

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2478-433: The merlons could be connected with wooden shutters ( mantlets ) that provided added protection when closed. The shutters were designed to be opened to allow shooters to fire against the attackers, and closed during reloading. The Romans used low wooden pinnacles for their first aggeres ( terrepleins ). In the battlements of Pompeii , additional protection derived from small internal buttresses or spur walls, against which

2537-401: The meta-analysis used quasi-experimental evaluation designs that involve before-and-after measures of crime in experimental and control areas. However, several researchers have pointed to methodological problems associated with this research literature. First, researchers have argued that the British car park studies included in the meta-analysis cannot accurately control for the fact that CCTV

2596-516: The next few years. The London congestion charge is enforced by cameras positioned at the boundaries of and inside the congestion charge zone, which automatically read the number plates of vehicles that enter the zone. If the driver does not pay the charge then a fine will be imposed. Similar systems are being developed as a means of locating cars reported stolen. Other surveillance cameras serve as traffic enforcement cameras . In Mecca , CCTV cameras are used for monitoring (and thus managing )

2655-571: The owner of the Hornchurch Brewery. The grounds included the pitch used by Hornchurch Cricket Club . The house was put up for sale in June 1914 after the death of the owners. During the First World War it was purchased by the Army Council . From November 1914 it was used as a military depot, housing first the 23rd Royal Fusiliers and then the 26th Middlesex Regiment . In January 1916 it

2714-561: The professional installation and maintenance of high definition CCTV is expensive. Gill and Spriggs did a Cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) of CCTV in crime prevention that showed little monetary saving with the installation of CCTV as most of the crimes prevented resulted in little monetary loss. Critics however noted that benefits of non-monetary value cannot be captured in a traditional Cost Effectiveness Analysis and were omitted from their study. A 2008 Report by UK Police Chiefs concluded that only 3% of crimes were solved by CCTV. In London,

2773-474: The review found that CCTV reduced crime by 24–28% in public streets and urban subway stations. It also found that CCTV could decrease unruly behaviour in football stadiums and theft in supermarkets/mass merchant stores. However, there was no evidence of CCTV having desirable effects in parking facilities or suburban subway stations. Furthermore, the review indicates that CCTV is more effective in preventing property crimes than in violent crimes. Another question in

2832-526: The risk of identification through the camera footage. If someone scouts through an affluent suburb seeking the easiest house to break into, having an obvious CCTV system, alarm or another security measure, makes the house appear to be a more difficult target so they will likely move on to the next house. Modern CCTV systems can be monitored through mobile phone apps which allows people to view live footage of their house from anywhere they have internet coverage. Some systems provide motion detection so when movement

2891-475: The subject of the current use of video surveillance and that terrorists might even see it as an extra channel for propaganda and publication of their acts. In Germany calls for extended video surveillance by the country's main political parties, SPD , CDU , and CSU have been dismissed as "little more than a placebo for a subjective feeling of security" by a member of the Left party. About 65% of CCTV cameras in

2950-402: The train. A trial by RET in 2011 with facial recognition cameras mounted on trams made sure that people who were banned from them did not sneak on anyway. Many sporting events in the United States use CCTV inside the venue, either to display on the stadium or arena's scoreboard , or in the concourse or restroom areas to allow fans to view action outside the seating bowl. The cameras send

3009-635: The wall below, and may have openings at their bases between the supporting corbels , through which stones or burning objects could be dropped onto attackers or besiegers; these are known as machicolations . Battlements have been used for thousands of years; the earliest known example is in the fortress at Buhen in Egypt . Battlements were used in the walls surrounding Assyrian towns, as shown on bas reliefs from Nimrud and elsewhere. Traces of them remain at Mycenae in Greece , and some ancient Greek vases suggest

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3068-411: The wall). Sometimes a merlon was pierced with two or three loopholes, but typically, only one loophole was divided into two or three slits by horizontal or vertical partitions. The shape of loopholes, as well as the shape of merlons, need not have been the same everywhere in the castle, as shown by Kumbhalgarh . In Muslim and African fortifications, the merlons often were rounded. The battlements of

3127-452: The world. Typical Indian merlons were semicircular and pointed at the top, although they could sometimes be fake: the parapet may be solid and the merlons shown in relief on the outside, as is the case in Chittorgarh . Loopholes could be made both in the merlons themselves, and under the crenels. They could either look forward (to command distant approaches) or downward (to command the foot of

3186-587: Was decided that Grey Towers would become the command depot of the New Zealand Contingent , although was later changed, and from July 1916 it was used as the New Zealand Convalescent Hospital, with 1,500 beds. In the interwar period Hornchurch developed as a suburb of London and land was required for house building. Grey Towers was demolished in 1931. The driveway to the house is now a road of suburban houses called Grey Towers Avenue and

3245-482: Was gradually replaced by pay-per-view home cable television in the 1980s and 1990s, it is still in use today for most awards shows and other events that are transmitted live to most venues but do not air as such on network television, and later re-edited for broadcast. In September 1968, Olean, New York was the first city in the United States to install CCTV video cameras along its main business street in an effort to fight crime. Marie Van Brittan Brown received

3304-825: Was introduced simultaneously with a range of other security-related measures. Second, some have noted that, in many of the studies, there may be issues with selection bias since the introduction of CCTV was potentially endogenous to previous crime trends. In particular, the estimated effects may be biased if CCTV is introduced in response to crime trends. It has been argued that problems of selection bias and endogeneity can be addressed by stronger research designs such as randomized controlled trials and natural experiments . A 2017 review published in Journal of Scandinavian Studies in Criminology and Crime Prevention compiles seven studies that use such research designs. The studies included in

3363-412: Was no way to record and store information. The development of reel-to-reel media enabled the recording of surveillance footage. These systems required magnetic tapes to be changed manually, which was a time-consuming, expensive and unreliable process, with the operator having to manually thread the tape from the tape reel through the recorder onto a take-up reel. Due to these shortcomings, video surveillance

3422-452: Was not widespread. VCR technology became available in the 1970s, making it easier to record and erase information, and the use of video surveillance became more common. During the 1990s, digital multiplexing was developed, allowing several cameras to record at once, as well as time lapse and motion-only recording. This saved time and money which then led to an increase in the use of CCTV. Recently CCTV technology has been enhanced with

3481-670: Was seen as a cheaper way to deter crime compared to increasing the size of the police departments. Some businesses as well, especially those that were prone to theft, began to use video surveillance. From the mid-1990s on, police departments across the country installed an increasing number of cameras in various public spaces including housing projects, schools and public parks. CCTV later became common in banks and stores to discourage theft, by recording evidence of criminal activity. In 1997, 3,100 CCTV systems were installed in public housing and residential areas in New York City. Experiments in

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