Derelict Sunday: "Rust" (well, just!).

Freespiral would like us to take a rusty photo for this week's DS. This was the nearest I could get. We visited Herculaneum today, the Roman town which was engulfed in a 16 metre-thick layer of molten lava when Vesuvius erupted in AD79. If you've ever been you'll know that (nothwithstanding the fair amount of restoration work) it's most impressive. The degree of preservation is apparently the result of the solidified lava keeping oxygen away from the remains for centuries.

The main blip shows a water trough being explained by our entertaining (Belgian!) guide. The rust-looking stain below the input pipe would seem to me to indicate that it was fed by an iron pipe. Also, the guide said that the metal braces holding the corners together were made of iron, but to prevent RUST they were covered with a layer of lead.

The extra shows (according to the guide) an original wooden door, lintel and window blinds. The wood is black as it was carbonised by the heat of the lava all those centuries ago.