tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32876751417459376762024-03-14T20:26:26.934+00:00Caroline's MiscellanyDEPTFORD - LONDON - BRITTANY - RANDOM BITS OF HISTORYCarolineLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00197813252586559665noreply@blogger.comBlogger1634125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287675141745937676.post-31093987207344785462023-12-22T14:01:00.027+00:002023-12-22T14:01:00.137+00:00Myths in concrete<p>In Rainham Marshes, at the edge of the Thames, lie strange and abandoned craft. These odd survivors are concrete barges, stranded by the shore and surrounded by myth. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJY16DUoDHFwrnic2MzahWQmMyCa6lh1x-tFxqPBSENBLgqJRY1l1H0p0lNF6o-FJSi-99JJVyvCqVxo2DIKkvA1fq-1fk-KNuyLL3-4JsBoH0H2sYS0L6SNlLjeOj4lp5y5YwkDuK7-bZ8XoqCZT3fmh8cg1V1ujuTngbIleIPhnzjbDc_mlt792nIufbQqroz73E-w/s1234/DSC08869.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="All the photos in this post show decaying, lichen-covered concrete barges at the edge of a river. Across the river and past the barges, industrial works are visible." border="0" data-original-height="823" data-original-width="1234" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJY16DUoDHFwrnic2MzahWQmMyCa6lh1x-tFxqPBSENBLgqJRY1l1H0p0lNF6o-FJSi-99JJVyvCqVxo2DIKkvA1fq-1fk-KNuyLL3-4JsBoH0H2sYS0L6SNlLjeOj4lp5y5YwkDuK7-bZ8XoqCZT3fmh8cg1V1ujuTngbIleIPhnzjbDc_mlt792nIufbQqroz73E-w/w400-h266/DSC08869.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>Why were they built? It's not certain, but evidence suggests that they were constructed during World War II. Given the shortage of steel for wartime construction, concrete vessels were a tempting alternative. They had been <a href="https://www.concreteships.org/history/" target="_blank">developed in the nineteenth century</a> for use on European rivers and canals. In the 1890s, engineer Carlo Gabellini was building small ships. By the end of the First World War, ocean-going boats were being built in Norway and the United States. In World War II, the United States built concrete ships and barges; the latter did not have their own engines but were towed by other ships. </p><p>But what of British barges? Almost 300 open barges were constructed, as well as 201 petrol barges including the Rainham Marshes craft. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZaIRIlsh9qVWQLaV2VkWPkA7heeXAKdlWJUtSHM9GuQfPcCs6fyytCBPYpaikHuBUhc4iSfc8dcZhAHmDyeOYMXedfVMthWM2rYrVurtb4gIkf-ae3Ni2USpM4mVNR-QTKiDIDkrAUcFzj-oW2x_sFlBvARDsaHFNvhvBYevZHK_LqEDhuDHrmZnpqVNHgXd6CPlqzQ/s1234/DSC08862.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="823" data-original-width="1234" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZaIRIlsh9qVWQLaV2VkWPkA7heeXAKdlWJUtSHM9GuQfPcCs6fyytCBPYpaikHuBUhc4iSfc8dcZhAHmDyeOYMXedfVMthWM2rYrVurtb4gIkf-ae3Ni2USpM4mVNR-QTKiDIDkrAUcFzj-oW2x_sFlBvARDsaHFNvhvBYevZHK_LqEDhuDHrmZnpqVNHgXd6CPlqzQ/w400-h266/DSC08862.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>It is said that many were used during D-Day, bringing fuel and supplies for - and even forming part of - the Mulberry harbours, and legend has it that the Rainham barges were among them. However, there is <a href="https://thecretefleet.com/concrete-ship-blog/f/the-concrete-barges-of-rainham-marshes---fact-check" rel="nofollow">a lack of evidence</a> to support either claim. The open barges were used on inland waterways and <a href="https://thecretefleet.com/wwii-uk" target="_blank">did not make the crossing to Normandy</a>. Some had been used as pontoons in earlier tests in Scotland but an alternative was chosen. Indeed, those built in London were intended to replace metal Thames lighters now being used as landing craft. It is uncertain how many of them actually fulfilled that role. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVa6nZvN0rHEX4k9_fU6x9tZ4zMtlhEjjyzaoMqqouVkVthHp2fq1GuglIlfDF1Nua-k6PORnCuztrF0y6OzgqW8buQyWeKX_Yg6dTnXa8O9ObUeBJ3I4EDkRKW_XABlD115MVzOWup9IA2mmZpurOiqkZXSYr1ci2grocnc75NdKbw3z7t4H__ZFS7clV8hKKmJZzfA/s1234/DSC08865.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="823" data-original-width="1234" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVa6nZvN0rHEX4k9_fU6x9tZ4zMtlhEjjyzaoMqqouVkVthHp2fq1GuglIlfDF1Nua-k6PORnCuztrF0y6OzgqW8buQyWeKX_Yg6dTnXa8O9ObUeBJ3I4EDkRKW_XABlD115MVzOWup9IA2mmZpurOiqkZXSYr1ci2grocnc75NdKbw3z7t4H__ZFS7clV8hKKmJZzfA/w400-h266/DSC08865.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>Petrol barges, like those at Rainham, were indeed originally intended to be used for D-Day. However, that did not happen. They did not perform well in sea tests, and alternatives were used - most famously the PLUTO pipeline. <br /></p><p>Whatever their wartime role, another question remains: how did the barges end up here? They were <a href="https://www.londonriversidebid.co.uk/news-and-events/local-history-concrete-barges-and-the-diver" target="_blank">moved here in 1953</a>. The Thames estuary's flood defences had been damaged by storms, so the barges were sunk at Rainham to provide some extra protection. However, they did not return from their mythical trip to Normandy - they were being stored nearby on the Thames.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqcJ7LWmuEAp8iCeKTeuCEO5gC3mjfj_Gix1p1irH57XnAkTkBGJdAz7qlhKwkp25eqVgXE81nzFV50HhJh0vFkmt-CxEVqt1_5u88I4HIxy4HPDvODy448QHC_K2FKqrlsyRnqloGTeA3j_CcyHqVBDEDNre6dyJIeo324ku7EWLPm2gtIfq65kVLBHecT4AzR9GMQw/s1234/DSC08856.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="823" data-original-width="1234" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqcJ7LWmuEAp8iCeKTeuCEO5gC3mjfj_Gix1p1irH57XnAkTkBGJdAz7qlhKwkp25eqVgXE81nzFV50HhJh0vFkmt-CxEVqt1_5u88I4HIxy4HPDvODy448QHC_K2FKqrlsyRnqloGTeA3j_CcyHqVBDEDNre6dyJIeo324ku7EWLPm2gtIfq65kVLBHecT4AzR9GMQw/w400-h266/DSC08856.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>So we know that the Rainham concrete barges had no role in D-Day. They never left Britain, but they have served several and now serve another - providing a nesting site for birds. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdB_AyXrf5IWDzA_g4O1UjMfFKfquGFUipcPiT3rqgQh7BcV8x9mnml3oj06k0uay8nRuolkwitsO7gO-cJqMDkhvjmCllqQ_K6EfEQdNrY51ZPlXaar5f__59kEo8EHIFYIMOBnYfHVwTOk6goUnDOQQhfUCNCzNPoddfi7WLdvzhrL0p3CJS87KPdr5U4vw4c6ErAg/s1234/DSC08860.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="823" data-original-width="1234" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdB_AyXrf5IWDzA_g4O1UjMfFKfquGFUipcPiT3rqgQh7BcV8x9mnml3oj06k0uay8nRuolkwitsO7gO-cJqMDkhvjmCllqQ_K6EfEQdNrY51ZPlXaar5f__59kEo8EHIFYIMOBnYfHVwTOk6goUnDOQQhfUCNCzNPoddfi7WLdvzhrL0p3CJS87KPdr5U4vw4c6ErAg/w400-h266/DSC08860.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><p></p>CarolineLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00197813252586559665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287675141745937676.post-85245591329911607882023-12-15T16:10:00.003+00:002023-12-15T16:10:00.131+00:00Bains de Chateaudun<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEesGANFe9uzPM7VR1mElS0P6XWEtKS6I9udeH_JjpUejHPKVGEdAcl1xHVORe2ucgvuq2DvuwkPiVXBQGCDCpm8qDHKbYlxmE2ETnxjiLdRPG-y0lzm6iKYIoj9UWUA5DHjWkUoKk70UTdKHWGwmVsq2kuQxMwLZ8_XVOImUq8pWeN0aeRN4VpM2OEpmWa-1Lk_O2YA/s3929/DSC09124.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A building facade with ornate, blue-painted woodwork; tiling says 'Hydrotherapie' and 'Bains de Chateaudun'." border="0" data-original-height="3925" data-original-width="3929" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEesGANFe9uzPM7VR1mElS0P6XWEtKS6I9udeH_JjpUejHPKVGEdAcl1xHVORe2ucgvuq2DvuwkPiVXBQGCDCpm8qDHKbYlxmE2ETnxjiLdRPG-y0lzm6iKYIoj9UWUA5DHjWkUoKk70UTdKHWGwmVsq2kuQxMwLZ8_XVOImUq8pWeN0aeRN4VpM2OEpmWa-1Lk_O2YA/w400-h400/DSC09124.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I'm very fond of this Paris facade, on the rue du Faubourg Montmartre. It advertises hydrotherapy at the Chateaudun Baths, now long gone. There doesn't seem to be much information about what services were offered here - hydrotherapy is a general term for a whole range of therapies, popular from the mid-nineteenth century onwards, involving water. Some form of bathing seems the most likely in these Paris premises, although therapies could also involve sea water, thermal mineral springs, and so on. <br /></p><p>If anyone has more information on this little Parisian mystery, do leave a comment!<br /></p><p> </p><p> </p>CarolineLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00197813252586559665noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287675141745937676.post-18798378893803853392023-12-08T22:03:00.001+00:002023-12-08T22:08:52.547+00:00Seeds of success<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ev8rbdCffaxSxNfotXDQGPsM7O8R_uCxueha7cY3yBLr_VYCYxnIq7kUdCw0kDpUfmVyjqiG48jATSfcdI8cCD_DhgX0hPjsdDuoNVhVQXAEZlDUdvNqlxBj_-CFO8G_lqcEVekOkaXKFdnqFsADbaRfuK3Wy1kDeioGlFGwSSvBe0A4qLJI7J8yc9tCfB_VT7ZhSQ/s6000/DSC07933.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A white-painted building with a cross-shaped, curved glass roof." border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ev8rbdCffaxSxNfotXDQGPsM7O8R_uCxueha7cY3yBLr_VYCYxnIq7kUdCw0kDpUfmVyjqiG48jATSfcdI8cCD_DhgX0hPjsdDuoNVhVQXAEZlDUdvNqlxBj_-CFO8G_lqcEVekOkaXKFdnqFsADbaRfuK3Wy1kDeioGlFGwSSvBe0A4qLJI7J8yc9tCfB_VT7ZhSQ/w400-h266/DSC07933.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>If you don't know this building in St Albans, you might not guess its original purpose. The best clue is perhaps not the stained glass, or the curved gables, but the glass roof. </p><p>The building was <a href="https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/101103013-27a-holywell-hill-st-albans-st-peters-ward" target="_blank">designed in 1930</a> by <a href="https://www.stalbanshistory.org/publications/recent-sahaas-publications/st-albans-architect-percival-blow-from-arts-and-crafts-to-gothic-revival-and-art-deco" target="_blank">Percival Blow</a> for <a href="http://www.sryder.com/about-samuel-ryder.html" target="_blank">Samuel Ryder</a>, owner of the Ryder seed company. It was an exhibition hall, used to display their seeds and plants. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiRMeSYrkN_JVUEdhWIoPv-cqkOLw_lVoQabscYmiWwX9R29ZkN9LA3rxW433OxL3RTumwHrarmj5iPDJnjtn7FrrMhO-tI6BSoCydBkMDVFsUxUWUffMCXXKhn7mgozlCWg-LjNqbY4yw6dffZvSoG_DT9qwY6cgZcM2tKaNT7dC6nYuIvTQqYBPH42HXgmkoy2W1Gg/s6000/DSC07931.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A red brick building with terracotta and light-brown stone details including reliefs around round first-florr windows, stone reliefs under leaded rectangular first-floor windows, and a semi-circular stone pediment above the front door." border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiRMeSYrkN_JVUEdhWIoPv-cqkOLw_lVoQabscYmiWwX9R29ZkN9LA3rxW433OxL3RTumwHrarmj5iPDJnjtn7FrrMhO-tI6BSoCydBkMDVFsUxUWUffMCXXKhn7mgozlCWg-LjNqbY4yw6dffZvSoG_DT9qwY6cgZcM2tKaNT7dC6nYuIvTQqYBPH42HXgmkoy2W1Gg/w400-h266/DSC07931.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>The hall was next to the company's head office, built in 1911 on the site of a 16th-century coaching inn. While it had been designed by the same architect, and both are Grade II listed, the two have little in common. The hall has the simple curves and clean lines of its era while the offices draw upon a range of influences, with arts and crafts notes, classical accents and terracotta reliefs. The listing text describes it as a 'combination of Arts and Crafts and Wrenaissance styles.'</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizmkgicOP1O4ndUhb_P_CGu3UB7CX66yhavvH1iYY_lLwLl7uOJZb4gL0_EHffNMfMZIRL0FJcXkaWYDHaOsjmf3Red6ZcChJ_TlUDl0W99FsmPBZhBAUGRQJbmnkWggZjhl3mB2YcXdMQupgtQY0cssUabs4LbZe9sr0JB11VBpuk7z3aqEli84yUyQSuVzegY-qykw/s6000/DSC07934.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Stone relief of an agricultural scene and scantily draped goddess." border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizmkgicOP1O4ndUhb_P_CGu3UB7CX66yhavvH1iYY_lLwLl7uOJZb4gL0_EHffNMfMZIRL0FJcXkaWYDHaOsjmf3Red6ZcChJ_TlUDl0W99FsmPBZhBAUGRQJbmnkWggZjhl3mB2YcXdMQupgtQY0cssUabs4LbZe9sr0JB11VBpuk7z3aqEli84yUyQSuVzegY-qykw/w400-h266/DSC07934.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />The stone reliefs, aptly, show agricultural scenes. (They also have a scantily clad god and goddess in the foreground.) <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTs2VMoPEIHHs_FIv9tq0J3OiTwaHeZ78qrTu4P76akhS7iPVSEluFFAxqCz-pSQv1eZSRc38DWJ6aZSmSP3pHGbqROUz7ni6v85F83E9vwt_r1fliRlkyFnauwYFIySqHjmu2eaiYdmALNiLo8PFL-AWuA3oijQIwTPfcCFHnapPhrZAcbjsOiucMITrfIF-jnuTJCg/s6000/DSC07935.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Stone relief of an agricultural scene and a naked god." border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTs2VMoPEIHHs_FIv9tq0J3OiTwaHeZ78qrTu4P76akhS7iPVSEluFFAxqCz-pSQv1eZSRc38DWJ6aZSmSP3pHGbqROUz7ni6v85F83E9vwt_r1fliRlkyFnauwYFIySqHjmu2eaiYdmALNiLo8PFL-AWuA3oijQIwTPfcCFHnapPhrZAcbjsOiucMITrfIF-jnuTJCg/w400-h266/DSC07935.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Ryder was not a St Albans native: he was born and grew up in the North West of England and only moved to the town in his thirties. The son of a market gardener, he realised that gardening was too expensive for many people and had an inspired idea. He sold penny packets of seeds by post, which proved both affordable for his customers and successful as a business. It had started in his garden shed in 1895; by 1903 it had 90 employees and had moved to Holywell Hill. Ryder chose St Albans for its good transport links and made it his permanent home. He served on the council, was an alderman and magistrate, and even mayor. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirwEHNWDdMckoHkRwXCsGwKlh6INqBYbKbH_soRL4aCCDe00WKda8kS18YCLk47sjksqnkrnUIs19Mp4mKATZ04d1DjTprpacxOla6rv8cBwyR5DHhc072UDSTjiSlw3_jVfVIHeqDBcM501UKQ0fbT6ufXCDSGKLONP2B_s83rbt2_RcLW54zGxfseg3MuI9tSjv2Fw/s1655/HH-Book-of-Herbs-1929-Back-e1526224205904.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Vintage advertisment: a woman holds a shield marked 'Herbs', which the tagline says are 'a sure shield'." border="0" data-original-height="1655" data-original-width="1055" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirwEHNWDdMckoHkRwXCsGwKlh6INqBYbKbH_soRL4aCCDe00WKda8kS18YCLk47sjksqnkrnUIs19Mp4mKATZ04d1DjTprpacxOla6rv8cBwyR5DHhc072UDSTjiSlw3_jVfVIHeqDBcM501UKQ0fbT6ufXCDSGKLONP2B_s83rbt2_RcLW54zGxfseg3MuI9tSjv2Fw/w255-h400/HH-Book-of-Herbs-1929-Back-e1526224205904.jpg" width="255" /></a></div><br />In 1920, Ryder and his brother set up another business, <a href="https://www.heathandheather.co.uk/about/?action=wpfastestcache&token=clearfat" target="_blank">Heath and Heather</a>, which continues to provide herbal teas and infusions today. (It also developed a chain of shops, later sold and now known as Holland Barrett.) The original seed business, meanwhile, would be taken over by Suttons Seeds. However, Ryder's name is best known today through his hobby. He took up golf at the age of 49, became passionaately interested in it and turned the Heath and Heather business over to his daughter. Soon, he was golf club captain and began to sponsor tournaments. In 1927, he went on to found the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryder_Cup" target="_blank">Ryder Cup</a>. <br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>CarolineLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00197813252586559665noreply@blogger.com129 Holywell Hill, St Albans AL1 1XU, UK51.7494797 -0.340281823.439245863821156 -35.4965318 80.059713536178847 34.8159682tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287675141745937676.post-48587140617633160872023-11-05T15:38:00.004+00:002023-11-05T16:43:11.177+00:00Inside the chapel dome: Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdNQXUjoL9X_gbAKUKe3hepNnq1XFP_by1SiNWN8IlL_QBdEdlb13KaZZ8rExainKZR89uV07YzmH1a3Xc_KEurvzwm-cXdRYPnA_a5Pxm6HUQSXpGG6bsgXR2PR6wTZ8kgErwEytUwJkY7J5DIJLZczhKbh1RtFgBmhQer7RiLfFSK0NG4uVpkfeUaBbzr5AwCy9myA/s6000/chapel%20exterior.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Exterior view of ORNC Chapel, a tall neoclassical building topped by a dome." border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdNQXUjoL9X_gbAKUKe3hepNnq1XFP_by1SiNWN8IlL_QBdEdlb13KaZZ8rExainKZR89uV07YzmH1a3Xc_KEurvzwm-cXdRYPnA_a5Pxm6HUQSXpGG6bsgXR2PR6wTZ8kgErwEytUwJkY7J5DIJLZczhKbh1RtFgBmhQer7RiLfFSK0NG4uVpkfeUaBbzr5AwCy9myA/w266-h400/chapel%20exterior.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><p></p><p>The elegant buildings of the <a href="https://ornc.org/" target="_blank">Old Royal Naval College</a>, Greenwich are a familiar landmark beside the Thames, and the stunning interiors of the Painted Hall and chapel are a popular tourist desination. However, the dome above the chapel has been firmly closed to visitors ... until now. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidG29VCeaav-3Ep21XUwOJrgcs2_bQKKNe-zDG_uOpvJ0_cAYDk2_03hJOYMiCSFaWrg8K4-xeLuHTigLW6oGw13Pl9xa_aOCK7inZvY9W-ztczl0EXuRwNbBqLHtkdBeiMCvDAQ_2ucctgOA1CBYhAmaEnoZmFz4utwHR4vIVug1JaO9Ppxemkhh4by3nATjG24Z-LA/s1234/Main%20staircase.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Section of the main spiral staircase (not the narrow one)." border="0" data-original-height="823" data-original-width="1234" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidG29VCeaav-3Ep21XUwOJrgcs2_bQKKNe-zDG_uOpvJ0_cAYDk2_03hJOYMiCSFaWrg8K4-xeLuHTigLW6oGw13Pl9xa_aOCK7inZvY9W-ztczl0EXuRwNbBqLHtkdBeiMCvDAQ_2ucctgOA1CBYhAmaEnoZmFz4utwHR4vIVug1JaO9Ppxemkhh4by3nATjG24Z-LA/w320-h213/Main%20staircase.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> The tour involves climbing 125 steps - some narrow and steep spirals, one even steeper flight of stairs.However, there are plenty of pauses and points of interest along the way. <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-KXY0ws6oooKL4bTFKf51hPKm4xlVYfGhYWF9Qlm_N_fP-gqzVqdvZ8ISPHIISzQ35nHhmaf51Am5uENVRphGjXU8UlH90kAEEtCg5KPZk0a7I4lYB6O2tlNAbZcY-PtwwWl1q-Pe3yfGyc2EbcXjs0nSIYLhyphenhyphen5MbqTm0ETgLfafmSyUuZ7M831cOGMQcnH3VWPKkTA/s1234/capital.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A stone column capital seen through a small-paned window." border="0" data-original-height="823" data-original-width="1234" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-KXY0ws6oooKL4bTFKf51hPKm4xlVYfGhYWF9Qlm_N_fP-gqzVqdvZ8ISPHIISzQ35nHhmaf51Am5uENVRphGjXU8UlH90kAEEtCg5KPZk0a7I4lYB6O2tlNAbZcY-PtwwWl1q-Pe3yfGyc2EbcXjs0nSIYLhyphenhyphen5MbqTm0ETgLfafmSyUuZ7M831cOGMQcnH3VWPKkTA/w400-h266/capital.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> After all, the Chapel of St Peter and St Paul has had a fairly eventful history. Originally designed by Sir Christopher Wren, it had to be rebuilt after a fire in 1779. The flames destroyed the upper part of the building, so the dome is part of the eighteenth-century rebuilding by James 'Athenian' Stuart, pioneering neoclassical architect. <br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhy898csXNfQVYtIjnWzGZr2qa1pNgXeywWDLDGqHeyBR8XAV_5JXPQ1YJGhsgUPEUJLwcWXKBUYd5Vg396o7umXo2A4IIH-YK-8_xayZmB0ujYSKiuJ1Z-eXL7uV2yfdHNSaUe26gNSVRG_u3vBQf0mZcklEKvUQyOvpOW1BN6EjpFdHVyagAdQVJWiMuC9UMB6IrPA/s1234/Painted%20Hall%20dome%20sunset.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="View of the matching Painted Hall dome in evening light" border="0" data-original-height="1234" data-original-width="823" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhy898csXNfQVYtIjnWzGZr2qa1pNgXeywWDLDGqHeyBR8XAV_5JXPQ1YJGhsgUPEUJLwcWXKBUYd5Vg396o7umXo2A4IIH-YK-8_xayZmB0ujYSKiuJ1Z-eXL7uV2yfdHNSaUe26gNSVRG_u3vBQf0mZcklEKvUQyOvpOW1BN6EjpFdHVyagAdQVJWiMuC9UMB6IrPA/w266-h400/Painted%20Hall%20dome%20sunset.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><p>The building requires plenty of maintenance, and sometimes more extensive restoration, so these areas have seen plenty of workers over the years. And quite a number of them have left graffiti on its walls and woodwork. Some glaziers have been even more creative, etching their names and dates into windowpanes.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimUd2HJ3wcUtYbuPM0sqxDpIo11nx4coN_qzMTxBu9s4KKCWDRPvMrSc-sXBbzSfwDlCjZWkY-XSwpzZy28knt42DgxIno628iSVlXbHRKIiDDUqrZS4f-_1J3bapDp4o_e-dMtxG1kIInTj8U_sBxaU0A7dmQ4OM9Kwwx_g3VtfIDSgf02979ix31OU5sTngxNYCKPQ/s1234/graffiti%20(2).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Graffiti on wood saying 'Harvey 1895' and JK Paris, Plumber, 1971" border="0" data-original-height="823" data-original-width="1234" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimUd2HJ3wcUtYbuPM0sqxDpIo11nx4coN_qzMTxBu9s4KKCWDRPvMrSc-sXBbzSfwDlCjZWkY-XSwpzZy28knt42DgxIno628iSVlXbHRKIiDDUqrZS4f-_1J3bapDp4o_e-dMtxG1kIInTj8U_sBxaU0A7dmQ4OM9Kwwx_g3VtfIDSgf02979ix31OU5sTngxNYCKPQ/w400-h266/graffiti%20(2).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz0BqfgfcOvj19mqUPNx9fMIvN7TGoRSeCeVkSsngkeM88JgEIpAQGNfzmR4R98GvaYCH8luwVgqaIeS5nRZr4RlD6kopmzw-rTjV3M7xPpFhyphenhyphen-QM-cTDvNfKtullYtOlDVTnbNgXSijJIWPFUga99jypoNZO9lCp4jSXzJlp9Me05fuA7pKHGP28GeEDLUCBj1ybwMg/s1234/graffiti.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Graffiti on wood including 'HR, JH, Painters 1824' in flowing script." border="0" data-original-height="823" data-original-width="1234" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz0BqfgfcOvj19mqUPNx9fMIvN7TGoRSeCeVkSsngkeM88JgEIpAQGNfzmR4R98GvaYCH8luwVgqaIeS5nRZr4RlD6kopmzw-rTjV3M7xPpFhyphenhyphen-QM-cTDvNfKtullYtOlDVTnbNgXSijJIWPFUga99jypoNZO9lCp4jSXzJlp9Me05fuA7pKHGP28GeEDLUCBj1ybwMg/w400-h266/graffiti.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitA5OssO_d7yPGufkzcDJDGtzh1JRheH4BHvUoG03e9-HMCV5x8CXzgZY0JHFyZnUOtvRk2ewsZrdbnnR2R4XUEa_DXY6BX7dNiU6043sOWCa0f2GBRBh6nijVqCE_mkQ8Sbdk2iJKs4vIPBsAfNmBrZcUK0VP0EEw8yRUIbqAnCSCf-_H0lS8umlD98Ymx312I3G2cw/s6000/window%20graffiti.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Graffiti etched on a window pane including names of glaziers and the years 1794, 1860, 1885." border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitA5OssO_d7yPGufkzcDJDGtzh1JRheH4BHvUoG03e9-HMCV5x8CXzgZY0JHFyZnUOtvRk2ewsZrdbnnR2R4XUEa_DXY6BX7dNiU6043sOWCa0f2GBRBh6nijVqCE_mkQ8Sbdk2iJKs4vIPBsAfNmBrZcUK0VP0EEw8yRUIbqAnCSCf-_H0lS8umlD98Ymx312I3G2cw/w400-h266/window%20graffiti.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>The rooms above the chapel hold many discarded items. One has a row of organ pipes, which have buckled or broken over the years. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgfvzsMfWguttBISjpfPmzh6HNffQ1WyqsoA9g9tzYTRXAZbVRE3_QhxGjrXDlsIXT7NqZgkivtbxsnSrEbloK-GanGlFfGBFUS-tkAaWJvfPCVudmP9HKm6_KlbLpHjQMOas6QZuCERKggbwADYUdOck34oVq32pegxKBtMev33oWYvCE3ZVFQi9NKi0hgoLSfZh6ug/s1234/damaged%20organ%20pipes.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A row of damaged organ pipes on a wooden floor, in front of an arched window with many small panes." border="0" data-original-height="823" data-original-width="1234" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgfvzsMfWguttBISjpfPmzh6HNffQ1WyqsoA9g9tzYTRXAZbVRE3_QhxGjrXDlsIXT7NqZgkivtbxsnSrEbloK-GanGlFfGBFUS-tkAaWJvfPCVudmP9HKm6_KlbLpHjQMOas6QZuCERKggbwADYUdOck34oVq32pegxKBtMev33oWYvCE3ZVFQi9NKi0hgoLSfZh6ug/w400-h266/damaged%20organ%20pipes.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>Another holds woodwork including parts of the former pulpit. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg45_-EZuSllcljHlLIcUaSQ-e6EM15TyubAq2BR0fbQiePaJched04UlE39XKuqJcGeCkClHzZZsY-RuQP7BNjvNEn4_FWxdBD9APX5lPSuJUNHJmuQyklkoep5p-j8Fh5PPUe2MHuOxvMkm5Q9lvx5yylQCUvBBVKDMJO7syDnRJbjRGXb_HAvFMUNhGwsuzCuCTOuw/s1234/interior%20view.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Discarded woodwork including some pulpit steps, in a room lined with tall windows." border="0" data-original-height="1234" data-original-width="823" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg45_-EZuSllcljHlLIcUaSQ-e6EM15TyubAq2BR0fbQiePaJched04UlE39XKuqJcGeCkClHzZZsY-RuQP7BNjvNEn4_FWxdBD9APX5lPSuJUNHJmuQyklkoep5p-j8Fh5PPUe2MHuOxvMkm5Q9lvx5yylQCUvBBVKDMJO7syDnRJbjRGXb_HAvFMUNhGwsuzCuCTOuw/w266-h400/interior%20view.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><p></p><p>In the back of the room, a chair sits with a coat over it, both worn and aged. They are left from when fire watchers sat here during World War II, using its circle of high windows to observe the surrounding area. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhASD7PUbGizX_EeGaHcKlygt_McXJxbjZl7Isx-qdd6jl3TuUC5PAuifsRoK9giIg4uibpXQNHN2IfDlpK_YHaj1qRE9lpr9el6BPkoAwFB7naBzrYkbr5RmooZ-iAJ9QLCbL8K6FogfYIoYLTyzQVTUyFiCO71GkcGNiKL-k1Gl8hDpKkn3Gt8EZdmKzDjbleuqhVFA/s1234/fire%20warden%20chair%20and%20coat.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A battered chair, its cane seat unravelling, draped with a worn, pale brown coat." border="0" data-original-height="1234" data-original-width="823" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhASD7PUbGizX_EeGaHcKlygt_McXJxbjZl7Isx-qdd6jl3TuUC5PAuifsRoK9giIg4uibpXQNHN2IfDlpK_YHaj1qRE9lpr9el6BPkoAwFB7naBzrYkbr5RmooZ-iAJ9QLCbL8K6FogfYIoYLTyzQVTUyFiCO71GkcGNiKL-k1Gl8hDpKkn3Gt8EZdmKzDjbleuqhVFA/w266-h400/fire%20warden%20chair%20and%20coat.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><p></p><p>Up even higher, we enter the 'drum'. The ceiling of this round room is lower, and an inconveniently low, long beam bisects the room. On closer examination, it is not a solid beam but trunking, linking the clockwork to the clock face on this side of the dome. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZxydr9fd2whl2ckTfyEbUDa57TK3-ryRorq_Cuc6Z73MS9WF4amTVSRZPTWumPvU3vfYfBBNZFHOwRPFHsbYofg3XDOS5LnpV1UhilezGNQF5rkHRdsPDWDGIBHC39-Ej-jI5MCmmJTZLTB4Dp2np2Lnormg9NurUfXNGdL7OAJhd2kPKkZwSWIYgGdKi9yFdeOWFYw/s1234/Drum%20interior.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A low room with extensive woodwork on the ceiling and a 'beam' running across at shoulder height." border="0" data-original-height="823" data-original-width="1234" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZxydr9fd2whl2ckTfyEbUDa57TK3-ryRorq_Cuc6Z73MS9WF4amTVSRZPTWumPvU3vfYfBBNZFHOwRPFHsbYofg3XDOS5LnpV1UhilezGNQF5rkHRdsPDWDGIBHC39-Ej-jI5MCmmJTZLTB4Dp2np2Lnormg9NurUfXNGdL7OAJhd2kPKkZwSWIYgGdKi9yFdeOWFYw/w400-h266/Drum%20interior.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicPu8GOYGBGGVOl5y6VmIq19aWfwPOFw6EAMSxnsdsnPYGzo4FlXPvKQwlkijnJ3HX7D-7vSGqsSgFrcpAesVTMKBJ571I84IaARN70HZZ0sx5QdM3e4e2luKl8KmT0NwX9ePgvYSjgmJwGtLuUDw9TibD5uk-cA4nMcYwwDQNqt3mV03mVytoZg5mde3KsX8RYnYPjA/s1234/clock%20work.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Clockwork including large golden cogs and green metalwork." border="0" data-original-height="823" data-original-width="1234" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicPu8GOYGBGGVOl5y6VmIq19aWfwPOFw6EAMSxnsdsnPYGzo4FlXPvKQwlkijnJ3HX7D-7vSGqsSgFrcpAesVTMKBJ571I84IaARN70HZZ0sx5QdM3e4e2luKl8KmT0NwX9ePgvYSjgmJwGtLuUDw9TibD5uk-cA4nMcYwwDQNqt3mV03mVytoZg5mde3KsX8RYnYPjA/w400-h266/clock%20work.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>A final, steep flight of steps takes us into the dome itself. This is as high as we go - although a pair of ladders lead to a hatch which opens onto the weathervane. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYrvGuFkTN89f_D9wLRCLIyTT6zjgOvlvgGQgiyVrpVPBt-7Li5IqzKbV9BBMRwdpz5bx2EnQjhxu0jn2RgdQv-e1qQ1Sw6wXabLXRVbPu9a80IGFPYwxgSLjnf1U-WnHwBHGpYB3jYF1-m8Lm8ctrgN9X4KvknTrli4qQf_AXD_20pj0Q6SKa6FcaspYrvcyKTOLfrA/s1234/Dome%20interior.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Section of the dome interior, with much woodword, and circular windows low on the walls." border="0" data-original-height="1234" data-original-width="823" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYrvGuFkTN89f_D9wLRCLIyTT6zjgOvlvgGQgiyVrpVPBt-7Li5IqzKbV9BBMRwdpz5bx2EnQjhxu0jn2RgdQv-e1qQ1Sw6wXabLXRVbPu9a80IGFPYwxgSLjnf1U-WnHwBHGpYB3jYF1-m8Lm8ctrgN9X4KvknTrli4qQf_AXD_20pj0Q6SKa6FcaspYrvcyKTOLfrA/w266-h400/Dome%20interior.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2-PGtreR3_dNsxWeIDnBn1hzurlDqzZjGSVW5EdzY6cMMZ6__X7SqcyAxVrC3-Gmo4TqyXLlPP_07OeYn2PRYQZXAPCMs60lPPq413OrclRii587DmnWtn9XfE4T8KEQZcd2tbfgwLt74o2vblDfLsnjabWFimHunPNY3lA2c-vZqSHsW-OQdw6HBxRtwiAuZCIVwog/s1234/Dome%20view%20to%20weathervane%20hatch.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="View looking up to top of dome, including many vertical beams and a ladder." border="0" data-original-height="823" data-original-width="1234" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2-PGtreR3_dNsxWeIDnBn1hzurlDqzZjGSVW5EdzY6cMMZ6__X7SqcyAxVrC3-Gmo4TqyXLlPP_07OeYn2PRYQZXAPCMs60lPPq413OrclRii587DmnWtn9XfE4T8KEQZcd2tbfgwLt74o2vblDfLsnjabWFimHunPNY3lA2c-vZqSHsW-OQdw6HBxRtwiAuZCIVwog/w400-h266/Dome%20view%20to%20weathervane%20hatch.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>The views are fantastic - and best of all, we have arrived in time for sunset. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjZYqAekTSf5ZKyxEpZFik6CUTSUNpmt3yrbS0v8QTjzWz4NS_GKHBQalIwE1-bmtY6b0FMKB59tyMFtRcgpvgBxh27Vtc2QtkDTyJk-tIEfcBjmEKzp5cdtwpJ2eq7_pz-rlWduqX_AiQ79AZTf0UYlc0tq_2NZnQ9Xm-NqfE7tZwYirevgYkcid6iFz8IdDMd4voeA/s1234/Painted%20Hall%20dome.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Painted Hall dome outlined against an orange sunset." border="0" data-original-height="1234" data-original-width="823" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjZYqAekTSf5ZKyxEpZFik6CUTSUNpmt3yrbS0v8QTjzWz4NS_GKHBQalIwE1-bmtY6b0FMKB59tyMFtRcgpvgBxh27Vtc2QtkDTyJk-tIEfcBjmEKzp5cdtwpJ2eq7_pz-rlWduqX_AiQ79AZTf0UYlc0tq_2NZnQ9Xm-NqfE7tZwYirevgYkcid6iFz8IdDMd4voeA/w266-h400/Painted%20Hall%20dome.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJdgtr1pojiqusU0o0QuG3A2oAS6eAzIH2W0q1XD6GBe-sECRRMu-yWdqgI995nyPX5OIf958_j3tcjrU8CqGJe21k_87-xYt43rqaeY4s8I6xtNWZhXayDdwVlJ2VOuk6ay_ALi8vRB1elDTlUnPAc0BfMaOM3CH7ez-gk2LyostpB_SAct2tcIOAoH40kETQcHTluQ/s1234/Thames%20view.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="View across Old Royal Naval College to the Thames." border="0" data-original-height="1234" data-original-width="823" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJdgtr1pojiqusU0o0QuG3A2oAS6eAzIH2W0q1XD6GBe-sECRRMu-yWdqgI995nyPX5OIf958_j3tcjrU8CqGJe21k_87-xYt43rqaeY4s8I6xtNWZhXayDdwVlJ2VOuk6ay_ALi8vRB1elDTlUnPAc0BfMaOM3CH7ez-gk2LyostpB_SAct2tcIOAoH40kETQcHTluQ/w266-h400/Thames%20view.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYzQQs4Q3updWaT6bEZPdxo6mY-S94uSggfJNXv07qC0Rd-AUwWMO1Cgb6P7Y9SoMwStyFY1bMlHGsdkNaNaFji7C3RdEj0KyVA3dbkq3lbYgCjAcQ8DxG86jcxWZ9B8eyEiiEscUjibZArolf0pulWtyTSvZBROT050Yyrrb5FsT3G95LkZZxMqAEuIuXeSr6tX60eg/s1234/view%20of%20Queen's%20House%20and%20observatory.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="View of the Quee's House and Royal Observatory." border="0" data-original-height="823" data-original-width="1234" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYzQQs4Q3updWaT6bEZPdxo6mY-S94uSggfJNXv07qC0Rd-AUwWMO1Cgb6P7Y9SoMwStyFY1bMlHGsdkNaNaFji7C3RdEj0KyVA3dbkq3lbYgCjAcQ8DxG86jcxWZ9B8eyEiiEscUjibZArolf0pulWtyTSvZBROT050Yyrrb5FsT3G95LkZZxMqAEuIuXeSr6tX60eg/w400-h266/view%20of%20Queen's%20House%20and%20observatory.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>After the tour, there is time for a look inside the chapel itself (open to visitors daily). Its original design was relatively plain, but it was rebuilt more decoratively after the 1779 fire. It deserves a visit in its own right - but I'd definitely recommend booking a tour to the secret spaces above it as well. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpVP-6ClHEsTO6ZP3DfTgdY_9tbDgNOBglR5SZTKjF-E2RPd40ggIsAme5ImIGl0HbiyAonvnvKSf2gwV-CAV4uWlVux6c7hx6RaVd1shvFRQsWS5Z1-EkI9Xqr49R4MkrpAgq_V_IMPAjlsTbyLbMkeZM5X0b06gE9l4OmvTanRo4CZmIM86fmFJcL9qoH9pZs0o6rw/s6000/chapel%20interior.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Richly decorated chapel interior." border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpVP-6ClHEsTO6ZP3DfTgdY_9tbDgNOBglR5SZTKjF-E2RPd40ggIsAme5ImIGl0HbiyAonvnvKSf2gwV-CAV4uWlVux6c7hx6RaVd1shvFRQsWS5Z1-EkI9Xqr49R4MkrpAgq_V_IMPAjlsTbyLbMkeZM5X0b06gE9l4OmvTanRo4CZmIM86fmFJcL9qoH9pZs0o6rw/w266-h400/chapel%20interior.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><br />CarolineLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00197813252586559665noreply@blogger.com1Old Royal Naval College, London SE10 9NN, UK51.4827142 -0.006696423.172480363821151 -35.1629464 79.792948036178842 35.1495536tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287675141745937676.post-51013637562570225512022-06-14T20:02:00.000+01:002022-06-14T20:02:09.180+01:00Ghost signs (143): York found and - nearly - lost again<p>Piccadilly in York is less fancy than its London counterpart, but full of interest. If you look carefully, you can even spot the large and bright ghost sign for Foxton's Garage. The reason that care is needed is that the sign is now facing a hotel wall!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKzJiTTMCHL501_g9FZ6CAbce8Pg-8U8wqIqqaqys5UAPDY6oB_O73XY0iNgSNHbkWA7-8f5lK_0N96yZV3oIA6HAG0m5C5vCtk4a_q2Ygt3e8RmPcxS4m5YGDFiDy9Ggw8RmhUn2TONyBrsEPhEazvpye18ICuJfYhtdUSLcfi-Ppa3j4kGY98n5RfYVxqPSBEVQ/s6000/Foxton's%20Garage%20(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photograph showing a recently built brick building on the left and a much older brick building on the right. There is a small gap between them, with a painted ghost sign visible on the older building's side wall." border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKzJiTTMCHL501_g9FZ6CAbce8Pg-8U8wqIqqaqys5UAPDY6oB_O73XY0iNgSNHbkWA7-8f5lK_0N96yZV3oIA6HAG0m5C5vCtk4a_q2Ygt3e8RmPcxS4m5YGDFiDy9Ggw8RmhUn2TONyBrsEPhEazvpye18ICuJfYhtdUSLcfi-Ppa3j4kGY98n5RfYVxqPSBEVQ/w400-h266/Foxton's%20Garage%20(2).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Foxton's Garage was here from the 1930s until 1975. <a href="https://images.exploreyork.org.uk/Respages/Search.aspx?stype=2&sword=garage&filefilter=" target="_blank">Old photographs</a> show a different version of the sign, so it post-dates the 1930s: back then, 'Saloon Buses for Pleasure Parties' were being advertised. <br /></p><p>The current sign says 'Foxton's Garage Ltd. Morris cars sales and service'. Its light blue lettering and cream background have survived, looking relatively fresh, thanks to being covered by other buildings until 2019. It was exposed again when the nearest buildings were demolished, and immediately attracted <a href="https://yorkmix.com/campaign-launched-to-save-recently-rediscovered-ghost-sign/" target="_blank">attention and calls for it to be saved</a>. Sure enough, it has survived - even if it does seem to be hiding shyly behind the hotel next door!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>CarolineLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00197813252586559665noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287675141745937676.post-7034956327247975542022-05-21T21:47:00.001+01:002022-05-21T21:47:13.562+01:00Bath Humane Society: a history and an ode<p>Alongside the Kennett and Avon Canal in Bath is Top Lock Cottage, a former canal lock-keeper's cottage. It also used to hold rescue equipment on behalf of the Bath Humane Society, as a sign on its wall still attests. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_22Jy1zJB-sSb9NBW9bTEwd7GkJpDwLvBCDFuL_y17G1M8hw4NCOLhq0yFeypxvV1oCAYlUeyx0SLFEeZ2uoWOmbhRUEmlhE8X49hzVgr4FSmqK3xJz0-tOawEZhyEV_Jg86Ief-QMJyTm4gIljoTDRFU3H5GqOVidIfouDUVIQSF7ouLqmS-LN8B2g1UxryXf1Q/s6000/DSC00984.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photograph showing a small stone building with a pitched roof and gothic-arched windows. On the side wall is a blue enamel notice with the words 'Bath Humane Society's Station for Lifebuoys and Drag-Poles' visible. In the foreground is a hedge." border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_22Jy1zJB-sSb9NBW9bTEwd7GkJpDwLvBCDFuL_y17G1M8hw4NCOLhq0yFeypxvV1oCAYlUeyx0SLFEeZ2uoWOmbhRUEmlhE8X49hzVgr4FSmqK3xJz0-tOawEZhyEV_Jg86Ief-QMJyTm4gIljoTDRFU3H5GqOVidIfouDUVIQSF7ouLqmS-LN8B2g1UxryXf1Q/w400-h266/DSC00984.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><p>This society made life-saving equipment available to the public to rescue people from water. A booklet from 1806 <a href="https://wellcomecollection.org/works/byxzsnvq/items?canvas=20" target="_blank">now in the Wellcome Library</a> gives more information about how the Society operated. </p><p>It aimed to provide assistance with all stages of the rescue process. Grappling poles allowed people to be rescued from the water and brought to dry land; rewards encouraged the public to make the effort to use them; and printed 'Directions'for performing rescues were distributed among the 'lower classes'. Receiving houses provided spaces to attempt resuscitation. A number of local doctors were willing to provide medical treatment. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0TO8oYJAYMNm14HC26wcaAUscE8_vh_eqKQSs7EaJclaLL2ck2-xrxuxd73eRFqjGS3T6JqvcEf8OA4ThnbsVptzQc29PuGJ0lnoRVKohHH7xMtddItCKvG1xJDAvcpD6mJilHxE4EoPRbFe202qHy5vEWLP07E6fKeIesq8DaU5QDFM1Ia_z2gFsTY6D_3xkhX0/s6000/DSC00983.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photograph showing a closer view of the blue enamel sign in the previous image." border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0TO8oYJAYMNm14HC26wcaAUscE8_vh_eqKQSs7EaJclaLL2ck2-xrxuxd73eRFqjGS3T6JqvcEf8OA4ThnbsVptzQc29PuGJ0lnoRVKohHH7xMtddItCKvG1xJDAvcpD6mJilHxE4EoPRbFe202qHy5vEWLP07E6fKeIesq8DaU5QDFM1Ia_z2gFsTY6D_3xkhX0/w400-h266/DSC00983.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>The pamphlet is not so much celebratory as reproachful in tone. It reproaches the city for not having established this system sooner; the canal builders for not making their sluices and locks safer; parents for letting their children play by the water; the working classes, who had formerly assumed assistance was futile; and reckless young ice-skaters. Those last are advised to 'make it a practice ... of holding a staff or a strong walking-stick, of a convenient length, in both hands in a horizontal direction' so that in case of accident, they would stay 'suspended' until help arrived. I suspect that this recommendation was rarely followed. </p><p>The rescues of 1805 and 1806 - successful or not - are detailed. In its first year, the Bath Humane Society paid out rewards for those involved in recovering 'a young lad' who seems not to have survived; a six-year-old boy; a pregnant woman; two children (one of whom did not survive); and a woman who threw herself in the river. All these incidents occurred in August and September. The following June, premiums were paid for recovery of the body of a young woman; a chimney-sweep in 'a fit of desperation'; a boy working for masons who fell and could not be saved; a 6-year-old who recovered fully; and two young brothers, the younger of whom could not be revived. In July, a 7-year-old boy survived; an 8-year-old did not; a 5-year-old was retrieved with some difficulty; two unnamed boys were recovered lifeless by the same man, three days apart; another boy was successfully rescued the next day, as was a young man with his horse a day after that. </p><p>After much discussion of drag and grappling-hook design, and a list of subscribers, the booklet ends with an ode:</p><div style="margin-left: 80px; text-align: left;">RESUSCITATION HAIL! whose potent breath</div><div style="margin-left: 80px; text-align: left;">Can wrest the Victim from impending Death; </div><div style="margin-left: 80px; text-align: left;">Type of the World's great Saviour! him whose hand</div><div style="margin-left: 80px; text-align: left;">Could make the still, cold breast again expand; </div><div style="margin-left: 80px; text-align: left;">And, list'ning to the Widow's piercing cries, </div><div style="margin-left: 80px; text-align: left;">Command to life her bier-stretch'd Son to rise;</div><div style="margin-left: 80px; text-align: left;">Oh! glorious attribute of pow'r divine!</div><div style="margin-left: 80px; text-align: left;">To shield, to succour, and to save be thine!</div><div style="margin-left: 80px; text-align: left;"> </div><div style="margin-left: 80px; text-align: left;">The treach'rous stream, that stilly winds</div><div style="margin-left: 80px; text-align: left;">Around old Badon's walls,</div><div style="margin-left: 80px; text-align: left;">Lures to its bosom youthful minds, </div><div style="margin-left: 80px; text-align: left;">And by its smile enthrals.</div><div style="margin-left: 80px; text-align: left;"> </div><div style="margin-left: 80px; text-align: left;">One, fearless of its surface green, </div><div style="margin-left: 80px; text-align: left;">Adventures from the shore:-</div><div style="margin-left: 80px; text-align: left;">Through eddies strong, or depths unseen, </div><div style="margin-left: 80px; text-align: left;">He sinks - to rise no more!</div><div style="margin-left: 80px; text-align: left;"> </div><div style="margin-left: 80px; text-align: left;">And scorning Heav'n's first law, ah! wretch accurs'd!</div><div style="margin-left: 80px; text-align: left;">"His Maker braves, and dares him to the worst!"</div><div style="margin-left: 80px; text-align: left;">Meet consolation, with reprovals kind, </div><div style="margin-left: 80px; text-align: left;">Cheer'd, sooth'd, and reconciled the chasten'd mind.</div><div style="margin-left: 80px; text-align: left;">Whilst mild RELIGION ev'ry effort tries,</div><div style="margin-left: 80px; text-align: left;">To crush DESPAIR, and point to happier skies.</div><div style="margin-left: 80px; text-align: left;">Oh! then, ye Promoters of this hallow'd plan, </div><div style="margin-left: 80px; text-align: left;">Who the embers of life thus successfully fan; </div><div style="margin-left: 80px; text-align: left;">Proceed in your labours, so nobly begun,</div><div style="margin-left: 80px; text-align: left;">And be to mischance, like the beams of the sun, </div><div style="margin-left: 80px; text-align: left;">Whose heat can invig'rate the senseless cold clod!</div><div style="margin-left: 80px; text-align: left;">And bid the sunk spirit rejoice in its God!</div><div style="margin-left: 80px; text-align: left;">Keep from obloquy's stain, what too long has been said</div><div style="margin-left: 80px; text-align: left;">- In Avon once sunk - irretrievably dead; </div><div style="margin-left: 80px; text-align: left;">Be the slaying of thousands the boast of the Brave -</div><div style="margin-left: 80px; text-align: left;">Your triumphs are greater - your boast is - TO SAVE! <br /></div><p> The author was <a href="http://www.coalcanal.org/history/Shareholders/Meyler.php">William Meyler</a>, a local bookseller and newspaper editor. Born in Anglesey, he had been apprenticed to a bookshop owner in Bath before opening his own shop and later becoming a publisher. He was also known as a poet, performing addresses and works at the theatre, and in 1792 launched the <i>Bath Herald and General Advertiser</i>. He was by 1806 a prominent citizen, member of many charitable and other societies, City Councillor, and Deputy Provincial Grand Master of Somerset in the Freemasons. A decade later, Mary Godwin and her future husband Percy Bysshe Shelley lodged at Meyler's shop while she completed <i>Frankenstein</i>.<br /></p><p>Bath's smaller organisation had been inspired by the <a href="https://royalhumanesociety.org.uk/the-society-history-and-archives/history/notable-dates/">Royal Humane Society</a>, whose original full title was the 'Humane Society for the recovery of persons apparently dead by drowning'. It had been founded in London in 1774 and promoted resuscitation of the drowned. While it apparently impressed the Bath author with its success in restoring people in whom 'every spark of vitality appeared to have been extinguished', they had to concede that the local organisation's successes lay in rescuing people who still showed signs of life. A better result, but a less dramatic one!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>CarolineLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00197813252586559665noreply@blogger.com4Kennet & Avon Canal, Bathwick, Bath BA2 6DH, UK51.380497 -2.349212951.379827364253472 -2.350285783605957 51.381166635746524 -2.3481400163940429tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287675141745937676.post-41016720278323700082022-05-17T21:04:00.000+01:002022-05-17T21:04:12.711+01:00Elizabeth Line: behind the barriers at Tottenham Court Road<p>With the Elizabeth Line/Crossrail project due to open to passengers next week, here is a sneak preview of what's behind the barriers at the Tottenham Court Road Station! </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5P-QffkSZbwa-fykDGDjbBXYqzfHTIuBzFOblOAa6CSHbxnwgVH_6NEqfFRY2v1sSbDVEVkRhN4DUTbYw2Igl8rC-hAxTSBPCLNB4h1GVKket2vozgzGGBtljkmoblKm6JGE1jK08LVOYyoEDssnek5HTnLstryPyIMvzYlVVDdA9kbPv_1PFkW9yNHmqB3yClaI/s6000/TCR%2015.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photograph showing a yellow concertina barrier across the entrance to the Crossrail platforms inside the station" border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5P-QffkSZbwa-fykDGDjbBXYqzfHTIuBzFOblOAa6CSHbxnwgVH_6NEqfFRY2v1sSbDVEVkRhN4DUTbYw2Igl8rC-hAxTSBPCLNB4h1GVKket2vozgzGGBtljkmoblKm6JGE1jK08LVOYyoEDssnek5HTnLstryPyIMvzYlVVDdA9kbPv_1PFkW9yNHmqB3yClaI/w266-h400/TCR%2015.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><p></p><p>The new station is full of carefully-designed details, designed to reflect the area above ground. Look closely at the rather abstract pattern of dots on the wall panels and you can see it is in fact a stylised map: spot Soho Square and the roundels marking the station entrances. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga5hMJR_e0m1g153GscinDvxCdZMzwTU_2ux40v41PwEzXlI4rkfieoSTjiprqtBqSm8SKMQv1D5655MpS78V7Pnn4uDiO2KVlBn_LGx9YT_m1cVoQmaWACR8Ok-NPvCx6mHmK-qloDxXR5V90n4wgZqYnju3PvuQD1aXu8aG0s3sRk_1ZQIkEXtifFlng6HjMnDw/s6000/TCR%209.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photograph of a shiny red panel with white dots in a grid pattern. There is a square gap in the dots, with an outline of a house shape in the centre, representing Soho Square. Some of the dots are in fact Underground roundels." border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga5hMJR_e0m1g153GscinDvxCdZMzwTU_2ux40v41PwEzXlI4rkfieoSTjiprqtBqSm8SKMQv1D5655MpS78V7Pnn4uDiO2KVlBn_LGx9YT_m1cVoQmaWACR8Ok-NPvCx6mHmK-qloDxXR5V90n4wgZqYnju3PvuQD1aXu8aG0s3sRk_1ZQIkEXtifFlng6HjMnDw/w400-h266/TCR%209.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>The new tunnels and platforms are full of curves, light, and the distinctive 'totems' which will be a feature of all Elizabeth Line stations. They serve multiple functions including signage and lighting. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi5UvTNBpugCe5FosLYMhq5XD2SSE_T3LK3InQwxQLm4_wp51pSmJ7bebDoeYV-XhPwccC-tFKR-FNGSfF6CDvYbSxtGjKuE0CwaohS53Ls-iE-4x5OMrMOAWGZfYLo0bPORZXINy6Cdg7dBbNs5cboYhlkBqMzu1ov63FePPLhmVaOQi05pFNxQZEP169cI_-Snk/s6000/TCR%208.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi5UvTNBpugCe5FosLYMhq5XD2SSE_T3LK3InQwxQLm4_wp51pSmJ7bebDoeYV-XhPwccC-tFKR-FNGSfF6CDvYbSxtGjKuE0CwaohS53Ls-iE-4x5OMrMOAWGZfYLo0bPORZXINy6Cdg7dBbNs5cboYhlkBqMzu1ov63FePPLhmVaOQi05pFNxQZEP169cI_-Snk/w400-h266/TCR%208.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>The opening of the central section on 24 May 2022 will be a giant step towards completion of a project which began in 2009. When I <a href="https://carolineld.blogspot.com/2014/03/halfway-railway.html">visited the construction site at Woolwich Arsenal</a> in 2014, it was apparently at its halfway point - but there have been a few delays since then, unsurprising in work of this magnitude. When the line is fully open, it will run from Reading to Shenfield and be over 100km long. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTDSaTqnjCNcbWX-NIrQYYevSNE9hKT0m0yF2Et42scsVl--gLKalQ9xXMVzDmiz0Qj1HnBDh_ymXQ_bCzzMfLgZDBacBvwHVC_yjomy1NS4X1PPyWXl_SqObR11TJBtqfAUc97IaGXKuNLtj44t6q49u_reRaDwDJjQ6kkFVrwq9egP-SyLycP7p5sc3PTZZGTIk/s6000/TCR%2014.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTDSaTqnjCNcbWX-NIrQYYevSNE9hKT0m0yF2Et42scsVl--gLKalQ9xXMVzDmiz0Qj1HnBDh_ymXQ_bCzzMfLgZDBacBvwHVC_yjomy1NS4X1PPyWXl_SqObR11TJBtqfAUc97IaGXKuNLtj44t6q49u_reRaDwDJjQ6kkFVrwq9egP-SyLycP7p5sc3PTZZGTIk/w400-h266/TCR%2014.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>All that work has not only brought much-needed new transport infrastructure. It was accompanied by a <a href="https://carolineld.blogspot.com/2015/04/beyond-bedlam.html">huge archaeology programme</a> which brought exciting discoveries. It also reminded us that <a href="https://carolineld.blogspot.com/2012/07/mushroom-ketchup-in-soho-square.html">Crosse and Blackwell</a> originally had a factory a few steps away in Soho Square!<br /><p></p><p></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii0ouxJ-R7LQNsRy4XlLm9fH3aimHrima6RRPA3TS6ElcSuW0nQkVjL_VQcfeG3VTqkfA5pB4PSt25_ZrymtUF3p6sNxhciljB2z2D0jea0eHS_7vS6fQyMzm0OLPjwu6nz4KEsYiBpEpjyeZFc94q17lEwD1she6TFCXC23RmGJgfZG9UvvKIRXMuTTgP4q4SbMA/s6000/TCR%2012.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii0ouxJ-R7LQNsRy4XlLm9fH3aimHrima6RRPA3TS6ElcSuW0nQkVjL_VQcfeG3VTqkfA5pB4PSt25_ZrymtUF3p6sNxhciljB2z2D0jea0eHS_7vS6fQyMzm0OLPjwu6nz4KEsYiBpEpjyeZFc94q17lEwD1she6TFCXC23RmGJgfZG9UvvKIRXMuTTgP4q4SbMA/w266-h400/TCR%2012.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><p></p><p>Inside the new Tottenham Court Road station, finding your way through its generous spaces is made easier through some clever colour-coding. The eastern side, with the St Giles Circus entrance, features red glass walls; at the western, Dean Street end they are black.Above our heads, the lights are modelled on stage lights - a reference to the many theatres above. <br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKBWZcXdCyhhdQI30MF3aW-c49hnetIeU7VxUYZh_Udmwq45Z9ptSZt0Sg1rE0EIpFZfA44LqkLOjpTk3Ovto_GlRrip1vfepxs2iZxFJ7DGtAIaGz_luyJ6UsGntey6qiC6fzd0oDRKa6JvSOcx1nIbsuZCZ_fHCPyo1BKqL_SpUycKdupgLGTFcA0ROMkPHNA9A/s6000/TCR%2013.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKBWZcXdCyhhdQI30MF3aW-c49hnetIeU7VxUYZh_Udmwq45Z9ptSZt0Sg1rE0EIpFZfA44LqkLOjpTk3Ovto_GlRrip1vfepxs2iZxFJ7DGtAIaGz_luyJ6UsGntey6qiC6fzd0oDRKa6JvSOcx1nIbsuZCZ_fHCPyo1BKqL_SpUycKdupgLGTFcA0ROMkPHNA9A/w400-h266/TCR%2013.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>In fact, all that was missing on this visit were the passengers and trains ... but they will soon be here too!<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoVBQWSnbXwbOEAkAW44IWLQbYOK4NqDN6g4DMVuVrTDfklme6OIAxs8ZWz0YXjYbcanrGkCssygWNPx5y8wdmrN4yjGSgOY1G0Tx0kqjyG__9j6kL6laGeummS3n_HEADySsit3htqVAzOqZnRQ9EcRg0WDKvmedAWLco5aKxG5KTZGmjkqZEsb11vra9bXB2HiI/s6000/TCR%2011.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoVBQWSnbXwbOEAkAW44IWLQbYOK4NqDN6g4DMVuVrTDfklme6OIAxs8ZWz0YXjYbcanrGkCssygWNPx5y8wdmrN4yjGSgOY1G0Tx0kqjyG__9j6kL6laGeummS3n_HEADySsit3htqVAzOqZnRQ9EcRg0WDKvmedAWLco5aKxG5KTZGmjkqZEsb11vra9bXB2HiI/w266-h400/TCR%2011.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimhc9houjsk7erl7ukUx7uplKS7KTomyPbi6w-Y3Vg2AnrVgev_sqxjDoVSUj7iiGpIo_YxFPhnIh0WotmdPRCzbVX3kaR8SVFgFLiyv8tGnnVLWBqXykEjVYL94i_oFuWqIubn-ie-njqaMY5SqI06kPWm0cFchPKz5WNuAm6P1WVG-oQrMXs03k1dXhXHJ2E57M/s6000/TCR%207.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimhc9houjsk7erl7ukUx7uplKS7KTomyPbi6w-Y3Vg2AnrVgev_sqxjDoVSUj7iiGpIo_YxFPhnIh0WotmdPRCzbVX3kaR8SVFgFLiyv8tGnnVLWBqXykEjVYL94i_oFuWqIubn-ie-njqaMY5SqI06kPWm0cFchPKz5WNuAm6P1WVG-oQrMXs03k1dXhXHJ2E57M/w400-h266/TCR%207.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWrwN_0z6WkXLy4Ev4qj6HW64OMa-Ha9ueDtPhKMPvScz4XVCwZN_8YA3eX17v7NZGyXQyJj5aXkva3QRB5GLcI21hYQ6Mzh8ktpur9y33KkV5lPF4xi6DphOMpkrptuXXbHCrD6NaSp3eILXk4fF39GM7o8DMlaPtHu9039BUt-emQu8rBJ_OV6A8LR0rsqN1Plo/s5923/TCR%205.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3949" data-original-width="5923" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWrwN_0z6WkXLy4Ev4qj6HW64OMa-Ha9ueDtPhKMPvScz4XVCwZN_8YA3eX17v7NZGyXQyJj5aXkva3QRB5GLcI21hYQ6Mzh8ktpur9y33KkV5lPF4xi6DphOMpkrptuXXbHCrD6NaSp3eILXk4fF39GM7o8DMlaPtHu9039BUt-emQu8rBJ_OV6A8LR0rsqN1Plo/w400-h266/TCR%205.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh04v7muJnPIcnwgr_Nm8l9o4WRuhZtNkNcC_ymMw95VLCdJ4lyNSLRSc3eTuIDZ8zjlPrgUq0Fndz2Z-VafrpyHHxKR8COn7RAKuonSVmPRya-cuVjNMantNEpt-cPVVIHm3PeJbPBfKGmYL06I7pO5R4ly-cZIVL0gxbnSmiQw0-_c_2czx9JMJ1bBYuFEqGz-2Q/s6000/TCR%204.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh04v7muJnPIcnwgr_Nm8l9o4WRuhZtNkNcC_ymMw95VLCdJ4lyNSLRSc3eTuIDZ8zjlPrgUq0Fndz2Z-VafrpyHHxKR8COn7RAKuonSVmPRya-cuVjNMantNEpt-cPVVIHm3PeJbPBfKGmYL06I7pO5R4ly-cZIVL0gxbnSmiQw0-_c_2czx9JMJ1bBYuFEqGz-2Q/w400-h266/TCR%204.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTHHnDVxzzGhqxYu011HV_7wYJZ_J6bLZ1soYXvXwBgWBK8Sn8C0RkXpdwL1uYR9zUHWeSNPC29o9ophmLlAMfi1FdJ_yu7VXxXT9wYnmDu7rInces2mXp2XA3Nq1E6iGIqDQRZdhpk7VILC5g1SSCBIOF252gjaw_YkaDBwn2trIS8X0ABD1GNqn6boiX8bBQ7fw/s6000/TCR%2010.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTHHnDVxzzGhqxYu011HV_7wYJZ_J6bLZ1soYXvXwBgWBK8Sn8C0RkXpdwL1uYR9zUHWeSNPC29o9ophmLlAMfi1FdJ_yu7VXxXT9wYnmDu7rInces2mXp2XA3Nq1E6iGIqDQRZdhpk7VILC5g1SSCBIOF252gjaw_YkaDBwn2trIS8X0ABD1GNqn6boiX8bBQ7fw/w266-h400/TCR%2010.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>CarolineLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00197813252586559665noreply@blogger.com2Tottenham Court Road, Oxford St, London W1T 7RJ, UK51.5162811 -0.130040623.206047263821155 -35.2862906 79.826514936178853 35.0262094tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287675141745937676.post-60163747925060041022021-12-28T17:32:00.002+00:002021-12-28T17:32:44.596+00:00Molly and Morris<p><br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEibrIAxPrLzBj-75wysq_i4tJhU7nzcPGlLqNhIw6klALBcJrgWujC0bmjCeva3yQHmzIt7daAjKzfq7LAph0sUbhgkZGWjaIw84WUTGCWuyecSV0aqlyoaiI6UW8P7trTyNm-hsaCkVwJzid2CHGOmTJU70pNIX9TvbyLeDYGP8kkpqUewSrutD26WG4wQyBJh_M8=s5567" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photograph of dancers and two musicians stood in the street" border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="5567" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEibrIAxPrLzBj-75wysq_i4tJhU7nzcPGlLqNhIw6klALBcJrgWujC0bmjCeva3yQHmzIt7daAjKzfq7LAph0sUbhgkZGWjaIw84WUTGCWuyecSV0aqlyoaiI6UW8P7trTyNm-hsaCkVwJzid2CHGOmTJU70pNIX9TvbyLeDYGP8kkpqUewSrutD26WG4wQyBJh_M8=w400-h184" width="400" /></a></div> <p></p><p>If you walked down Deptford High Street, through the market and towards the station, on 11 December then you would have seen <a href="https://www.facebook.com/fowlersmolly/" target="_blank">Fowler's Molly Dancers</a> performing in the street. As is usual for morris dancing, the day's stops were all outside pubs! However, this was not just an excuse for a few pints, but the continuation of an older tradition. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgHhK6vZ3JW7Ob6dPS8uXBNmISY3M0y1E-1JP0Z7JeRrv1zVfuHR9_cJWmatChs6NDBFxUF5684y-0tM40yAQ7kVp6JSNh5-Gn6AWNLQTPKsfWdPRiPnLAQnJAURpeovd3XfNdBCYkrER8KJ03B63jG7N3w3zPGxqXwpbbw4S_AS3JRv4TEnnQwb9gBPl-vPx_djUE=s6000" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photograph of three dancers standing in the street in molly dancing dress." border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgHhK6vZ3JW7Ob6dPS8uXBNmISY3M0y1E-1JP0Z7JeRrv1zVfuHR9_cJWmatChs6NDBFxUF5684y-0tM40yAQ7kVp6JSNh5-Gn6AWNLQTPKsfWdPRiPnLAQnJAURpeovd3XfNdBCYkrER8KJ03B63jG7N3w3zPGxqXwpbbw4S_AS3JRv4TEnnQwb9gBPl-vPx_djUE=w266-h400" width="266" /></a></div><p></p><p><a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Truculent_Rustics.html?id=B586Po7KduYC&printsec=frontcover&source=kp_read_button&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false" target="_blank">Molly dances, a form of morris dance, were performed in winter in East Anglia</a> by agricultural workers. They disguised themselves in various ways including by painting their faces and wearing women's clothes. They performed parodies of familiar dances in return for tips and refreshments, traditionally dancing on Boxing Day and Plough Monday (the first Monday after Twelfth Night). Originally, the Plough Monday collections went to the church who had blessed the ploughs that day; but the blessings largely ended with the Reformation and by the nineteenth century, the dancers kept their takings. Their disguises were those traditionally favoured by rioters as well,
and they were often associated with 'plough gangs' who threatened to plough up the properties of those who did not contribute money. Their behaviour had been tolerated as part of the 'misrule' permitted over
the Christmas season but attitudes and agricultural life changed and the molly dances began to disappear. Unsurprisingly, these dancers were viewed as rowdier, their antics more anti-social, than the summertime morris dancers and little effort was made to preserve the tradition. It effectively died out by the start of the Second World War. </p><p>However, molly dances have undergone a revival from the late 1970s onwards. The dances collected a ccentury ago (fewer than for the morris, given their poorer reputation) are danced again, and others have been added to the repertoire. Today, Fowler's Molly - founded in 2000 - are one of many troops performing them over the winter months. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhK5pmVixd4b1Bhm47Gzdc8QNuRGTXGe2vWmcxA0gTV8_oFE1VRi6KkdWGJ-Wu9OlbBTCYQWpd1KXkYD8OHQbO2YM9YVbgemUHZByggQLZotEP5qzp99WidxXu1cDd81YtEQKicmE7Aj3vk_xkd9i7cSqIU15SJS4oKLSGMc-Dwgln3iDcRg0zaeKYr-QQ0OSyizAg=s6000" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photograph of two men, one holding a fiddle and the other playing an accordion" border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhK5pmVixd4b1Bhm47Gzdc8QNuRGTXGe2vWmcxA0gTV8_oFE1VRi6KkdWGJ-Wu9OlbBTCYQWpd1KXkYD8OHQbO2YM9YVbgemUHZByggQLZotEP5qzp99WidxXu1cDd81YtEQKicmE7Aj3vk_xkd9i7cSqIU15SJS4oKLSGMc-Dwgln3iDcRg0zaeKYr-QQ0OSyizAg=w266-h400" width="266" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>CarolineLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00197813252586559665noreply@blogger.com2120-122 Deptford High St, London SE8 4NP, UK51.4783605 -0.025898523.168126663821155 -35.1821485 79.788594336178846 35.1303515tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287675141745937676.post-59596821818196399712021-10-31T19:04:00.002+00:002021-10-31T19:04:55.754+00:00Cutty Sark updated!<p> If you look at the figurehead of the Cutty Sark at Greenwich, you may notice that she looks shiny and new. Indeed, Nannie - the cutty sark-wearing main character in Robert Burns' poem <a href="http://www.robertburns.org/works/308.shtml" target="_blank"><i>Tam O'Shanter</i></a>, - has been reborn recently. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPCFYl8d3xayAUEiEWwpHX4MwcIgUZaWrw3BBMhaBzjF5A7xpRKqwSlGWcvuxzLFcW15CCXm18YGhypxGzsTAW_xW6We0hgcgKg8TDkC5CipOMMBYpu3st6kSvKlhSGGIqn9BRYOzljqUPCwbY/s850/Cutty+Sark+new+figurehead.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Photograph of a carved white figurehead of a woman in a shift dress holding a horse's tail in her outstretched hand." border="0" data-original-height="567" data-original-width="850" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPCFYl8d3xayAUEiEWwpHX4MwcIgUZaWrw3BBMhaBzjF5A7xpRKqwSlGWcvuxzLFcW15CCXm18YGhypxGzsTAW_xW6We0hgcgKg8TDkC5CipOMMBYpu3st6kSvKlhSGGIqn9BRYOzljqUPCwbY/w400-h266/Cutty+Sark+new+figurehead.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The new figurehead<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span lang="EN-GB">In the poem, farmer Tam O’Shanter was riding home from market (and the pub) when he
saw witches and warlocks dancing around a bonfire in the churchyard.
One, Nannie, was wearing a cutty sark: a short petticoat or shift. When
Tam O’Shanter couldn’t resist calling out, the witches and warlocks ran
after him. Luckily, his mare carried him to the River Doon: as we all
know, witches can’t cross water. However, Nannie ran at great speed and
caught hold of the horse’s tail just as they reached the bridge.
Luckily for Tam O'Shanter, the tail came away in Nannie’s hand and he made good
his escape. </span></p><p><span lang="EN-GB"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRGfn2sL6cgfV1mTdd0_9NhGcq8W_r44jGkwZb-vcixNtxDu5S59lkDNfGl2UWhAKtjhbQONOXTf5t3_Vx5zSKmZ7ZsM3kKX7oULUWH1bQhB1O0bCRC0fZtI3TWLb6JdSn1H4bu8fiom2oXYmd/s850/Cutty+Sark+old+figurehead.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Earlier photograph of a similar figurehead, but her looser shift shows signs of wear and damage." border="0" data-original-height="468" data-original-width="850" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRGfn2sL6cgfV1mTdd0_9NhGcq8W_r44jGkwZb-vcixNtxDu5S59lkDNfGl2UWhAKtjhbQONOXTf5t3_Vx5zSKmZ7ZsM3kKX7oULUWH1bQhB1O0bCRC0fZtI3TWLb6JdSn1H4bu8fiom2oXYmd/w400-h220/Cutty+Sark+old+figurehead.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The old figurehead<br /></td></tr></tbody></table> </span></p><p><span lang="EN-GB">Nannie had her own escape in 2007: when a fire badly damaged the ship, she was safely in storage elsewhere. However, by 2019 it was obvious that this wooden figurehead - itself a 1957 replacement - was suffering from rot and a new version was needed. The old Nannie has retired to the National Maritime Museum, and a new incarnation was carved from Swedish redwood by woodcarver Andy Peters. She was installed on the ship in June 2021: a crane lifted her into place, she was carefully attached, and as a finishing touch the 'tail' was placed in her hand. </span></p><p><span lang="EN-GB">If you'd like to see more about the process, there are plenty of videos on the <a href="https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/new-figurehead-cutty-sark" target="_blank">Greenwich museum's website</a>. <br /></span></p><p><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></p><p><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></p>CarolineLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00197813252586559665noreply@blogger.com1King William Walk, London SE10 9HT, UK51.4828646 -0.009591723.172630763821154 -35.1658417 79.793098436178838 35.1466583tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287675141745937676.post-10115397017020991372021-09-24T20:03:00.000+01:002021-09-24T20:03:02.558+01:00A saint and a scandal<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiypUTh0mUn7BdjfTRMWmuOgQgpnnVkvg8zYRwpqskuchv1p-DivfZ7ftt2e3r3crNNnbendVeZsXGv6_5FlThPJnz4XJuce3LTHk6buufv34oEcbm3SOHlX2pDtq35znVhV1_xhQIEJvf34qO/s850/Saint+Bartholomew+House.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photograph showing part of a doorway arch carved in pale golden stone, and a metal sign with the words 'Saint Bartholomew House' which extends at right angles from the facade" border="0" data-original-height="668" data-original-width="850" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiypUTh0mUn7BdjfTRMWmuOgQgpnnVkvg8zYRwpqskuchv1p-DivfZ7ftt2e3r3crNNnbendVeZsXGv6_5FlThPJnz4XJuce3LTHk6buufv34oEcbm3SOHlX2pDtq35znVhV1_xhQIEJvf34qO/w400-h314/Saint+Bartholomew+House.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Between two shopfronts on Fleet Street is the entrance to Saint Bartholomew House, an office building. It has some rather fine details: not only a metal sign extending over the pavement, but a carved entrance including the building name and cipher, two putti, and a frieze of foliage. It is no wonder that the architect and sculptor were proud enough to include their own names. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEght-xTderng1bLzfL_dNcQrQLlpAIvKoqoq-AnMrdhBIHutHg9sd0nTMidmYjTq6WuS-zrzpLxP4hq5-jC95J45xcdXBMocviZfaRJQDTgkqH_5DYYnl1u1rUOnGyYqgFcpnyBVmnZqK3atfCk/s850/Saint+Bartholomew+House+facade.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photograph showing the carved doorway arch from a different angle. To either side, carved putti are visible." border="0" data-original-height="567" data-original-width="850" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEght-xTderng1bLzfL_dNcQrQLlpAIvKoqoq-AnMrdhBIHutHg9sd0nTMidmYjTq6WuS-zrzpLxP4hq5-jC95J45xcdXBMocviZfaRJQDTgkqH_5DYYnl1u1rUOnGyYqgFcpnyBVmnZqK3atfCk/w400-h266/Saint+Bartholomew+House+facade.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>The sculptor was <a href="https://sculpture.gla.ac.uk/view/person.php?id=msib1_1271966107" target="_blank">Gilbert Seale</a> - full name John Hugh Gilbert Seale. Born in South London, he was the son of an architectural sculptor and followed in his father John Wesley Seale's footsteps - and his own son would continue the business in turn. He worked on the nearby Old Bailey as well as buildings ranging from churches to department stores. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJxxkFaoInKRrqa-6sX0Nv4ztBufR0lpfc52viDYUtN9lXlL8teCmAiYW1XiZULSVGh2paLagGma81xoEZEy87dz857GxWyhl_3Ug3kuuPGzjEfUy3QOqzc0uc-LvJLyyWmVNPTne15GR2vVvl/s850/Saint+Bartholomew+House+-+Seale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photograph showing a carved detail: the name 'Gilbert Seale, Sculptor'" border="0" data-original-height="567" data-original-width="850" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJxxkFaoInKRrqa-6sX0Nv4ztBufR0lpfc52viDYUtN9lXlL8teCmAiYW1XiZULSVGh2paLagGma81xoEZEy87dz857GxWyhl_3Ug3kuuPGzjEfUy3QOqzc0uc-LvJLyyWmVNPTne15GR2vVvl/w400-h266/Saint+Bartholomew+House+-+Seale.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>On the other side of the arch, the year it was built - 1900 - is given below the name of its architect H Huntly Gordon. Herbert Huntly Gordon was a speculative builder as well as an architect - but eight years after completing this building, also became a subject of scandal. He and his wife each sought to divorce the other - he accused her of adultery with a naval officer, while she accused him of the same with a governess - but the court found the allegations to be unfounded and the couple had to stay unhappily married. They (unsurprisingly) lived apart, and their elder daughter stayed with Huntly Gordon while the younger lived with his estranged wife. <br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Ljak1SRsC1USGwz2OsX0FRvL7n7cy1Sn70gB650Np2DWla-FoouG0or3nLVw7I2vEi4jnPGTh5CL49iuEWCngDPB5tLDIq6CW607eKbRwtW5it96hPW-DNnEwWsv0o_aJid0ZJjkMbFl6fIB/s850/Saint+Bartholomew+House+architect.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photograph showing a carved detail: the name 'H Huntley Gordon, Architect'" border="0" data-original-height="567" data-original-width="850" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Ljak1SRsC1USGwz2OsX0FRvL7n7cy1Sn70gB650Np2DWla-FoouG0or3nLVw7I2vEi4jnPGTh5CL49iuEWCngDPB5tLDIq6CW607eKbRwtW5it96hPW-DNnEwWsv0o_aJid0ZJjkMbFl6fIB/w400-h266/Saint+Bartholomew+House+architect.jpg" width="400" /><p></p><p></p><p></p></a><div style="text-align: justify;">Three years later, the couple <a href="https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WC19110627.2.24.4">returned to court</a> as Mrs Huntly Gordon petitioned for restitution of conjugal rights (ie to return to the marital home). The prospect apparently appealed neither to her husband nor to her elder daughter, now eighteen, who wrote to her mother than before the separation, her parents had 'quarrelled and disagreed over every small thing': they were 'better apart'. The judge sent the couple and their lawyers to discuss the matter in private, and a deed of separation was drawn up instead. <br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Ljak1SRsC1USGwz2OsX0FRvL7n7cy1Sn70gB650Np2DWla-FoouG0or3nLVw7I2vEi4jnPGTh5CL49iuEWCngDPB5tLDIq6CW607eKbRwtW5it96hPW-DNnEwWsv0o_aJid0ZJjkMbFl6fIB/s850/Saint+Bartholomew+House+architect.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><p></p><p></p><p></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnUE4ajrJY7yh7wUmzcQzV8sv3-tb_7v2-ngRg1ZAxPdEq4h09u9PAtZs0dgHBDRbUvkzsi48I_PwmhGK1h-86Blj7hPkRffqEHFKv0c60YtEjLrUNvdTdZDb2EIvSfekV_0vwUGXbcM7vhGzD/s850/Saint+Bartholomew+House+-+putti+detail.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photograph of one of the carved putti, with butterfly-like wings and flowers in its hair" border="0" data-original-height="850" data-original-width="850" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnUE4ajrJY7yh7wUmzcQzV8sv3-tb_7v2-ngRg1ZAxPdEq4h09u9PAtZs0dgHBDRbUvkzsi48I_PwmhGK1h-86Blj7hPkRffqEHFKv0c60YtEjLrUNvdTdZDb2EIvSfekV_0vwUGXbcM7vhGzD/w400-h400/Saint+Bartholomew+House+-+putti+detail.jpg" width="400" /></a><p></p><p></p><p></p></div></div><p>However, that was all in the future when the architect designed the stylish and playful Saint Bartholomew House. Let's finish by noting the unusual putto on the right of the doorway: as Chris Partridge of <a href="https://ornamentalpassions.blogspot.com/2012/05/st-bartholomew-house-fleet-street-ec4.html" target="_blank">Ornamental Passions</a> points out, this charcater appears to have butteryfly-style wings and flowers in their hair. <br /><br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p>CarolineLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00197813252586559665noreply@blogger.com392 Fleet St, London EC4Y 1PB, UK51.5140567 -0.10537423.203822863821152 -35.261624 79.824290536178836 35.050876tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287675141745937676.post-53931011034594805092021-09-01T18:28:00.003+01:002021-09-01T18:28:46.436+01:00Durham Cathedral: seeking sanctuary<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxiHol9_CsnOuTC7rtOTmwTAYXQwps4B4gtLRNxAg50n9uRjSeYq9RYvYMyqXivw8x9jwXUa4ZojJu86h_XsXixqBI36RIFBltoja6taFmn3LRypyBGzz1jK2gESbqx4isTwQqGiC2-VewWnVW/s850/sanctuary+knocker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photograph of the Durham Cathedral sanctuary knocker: a metal face, demonic in appearance, with a ring in its mouth, on a heavy wooden door." border="0" data-original-height="850" data-original-width="567" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxiHol9_CsnOuTC7rtOTmwTAYXQwps4B4gtLRNxAg50n9uRjSeYq9RYvYMyqXivw8x9jwXUa4ZojJu86h_XsXixqBI36RIFBltoja6taFmn3LRypyBGzz1jK2gESbqx4isTwQqGiC2-VewWnVW/w266-h400/sanctuary+knocker.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><p></p><p>The rather demonic-looking monster might seem an unlikely face to find on the door of Durham Cathedral. The metal knocker was designed to deter evil from the Cathedral, maintaining it as a place of sanctuary. </p><p>In fact, the name of this sanctuary knocker refers to the very specific concept of sanctuary in the middle ages. A person who had committed an offence could seek sanctuary in the church for a relatively short period - weeks rather than months - during which they could choose either trial or exile. In other words, it was a time to get their affairs in order and decide on their future rather than an indefinite escape from the consequences of their actions. <a href="https://sanctuaryseekers.ca/2020/06/22/durham/" target="_blank">Only in the fifteenth century</a> would Durham Cathedral be able to offer permanent sanctuary to debtors and wrongdoers - a privilege limited to certain important <a href="https://sanctuaryseekers.ca/explainer/" target="_blank">churches who held a royal charter</a>. However, it was a sort of imprisonment: the sanctuary-seeker was only immune from arrest while within the cathedral precincts, and had to have the means to support themselves there since they were unlikely to find work. <br /></p><p>The knocker now on the door is a replica of the twelfth-century original - still in the cathedral, but now kept in its museum rather than exposed to the elements. <br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p>CarolineLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00197813252586559665noreply@blogger.com0Durham DH1 3EH, UK54.7732329 -1.576392126.462999063821151 -36.7326421 83.083466736178849 33.5798579tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287675141745937676.post-28880224994975270692021-07-23T15:40:00.001+01:002021-07-23T15:40:14.241+01:00Porlock Hill's listed AA box<p style="text-align: justify;"> The AA box was once a familiar sight to Britain's motorists. When cars were both less numerous and more unreliable, these distinctive black and yellow structures offered help and reassurance to members of the Automobile Association. From their introduction in 1912 until 1919, each box was staffed by a sentry who would assist motorists with directions, first aid, and roadside repairs. Thereafter, the boxes had several functions, acting as shelters for road patrols, numbered landmarks for stranded motorists to pinpoint their location when calling for help from the dedicated phone inside, and stores for helpful items such as lights, fire extinguishers and maps. (Members had a key to access them.)</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis2AB_M6vnYWuSdt-v8PHIU69x9jhxXhOERfy5fY_ubCAnuISNn4tELTlCZneqI3szgBkhkKKCt9sbK9FIo8VFxS2EBxjtFrW_WEI5JWYNyaVtO3lQZpYiu6ldV8Aryv24Q_NMvdSw6vnnzkyc/s1234/Porlock+Hill+AA+box+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photograph of a square, black wooden structure with yellow-painted edges, set behind a low wall with trees behind it. There are signs on it including an AA logo, 'PORLOCK HILL', and 'BOX 137'" border="0" data-original-height="1234" data-original-width="823" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis2AB_M6vnYWuSdt-v8PHIU69x9jhxXhOERfy5fY_ubCAnuISNn4tELTlCZneqI3szgBkhkKKCt9sbK9FIo8VFxS2EBxjtFrW_WEI5JWYNyaVtO3lQZpYiu6ldV8Aryv24Q_NMvdSw6vnnzkyc/w266-h400/Porlock+Hill+AA+box+%25283%2529.jpg" width="266" /></a></div> <p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">From 1927, the boxes were of <a href="http://www.the-telephone-box.co.uk/furniture/aa-sentry-box/" target="_blank">a standard design</a>, made of wood painted in black gloss. Their apparent decoration was also functional: plaques with distinctive yellow accents included logos, the box number, and the name of its location. Edges of the walls and door were also picked out in bright yellow strips. Even the roof finial doubled as ventilation for the interior. The examples in this post are the newer, 'Ennam' model introduced after the Second World War: still black and yellow, but without the highly tapered walls of its predecessor, and with internal panels made of melamine. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzwh1kfJStjQlbELMC__lhzxhvkwE4kisUSWZBpJZMMh-3TSVh-Pzz1nnaVySA3uiu7TgpkIib9a39R5x8ZfrfE3iETkiQ5PU-VJSQt8FDfJ6jf_TaL1-thZ1IghX4COlHUiwdsfE8M5eN3jYl/s850/Porlock+Hill+AA+box+top+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photograph showing the top of the AA box in detail: 'PORLOCK BOX' is clearly legible." border="0" data-original-height="567" data-original-width="850" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzwh1kfJStjQlbELMC__lhzxhvkwE4kisUSWZBpJZMMh-3TSVh-Pzz1nnaVySA3uiu7TgpkIib9a39R5x8ZfrfE3iETkiQ5PU-VJSQt8FDfJ6jf_TaL1-thZ1IghX4COlHUiwdsfE8M5eN3jYl/w400-h266/Porlock+Hill+AA+box+top+detail.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p style="text-align: justify;">In their mid-century heyday, over 1000 AA boxes were installed in Britain (with close to 800 in operation at their peak). As public telephones became more readily accessible, and patrol officers had well-equipped vans, so the boxes became increasingly redundant and by the 1970s, their numbers began to decline. The AA abandoned boxes in favour of telephones on poles, most familiar along motorways. Today, only a very few boxes remain - <a href="https://www.breakdowncover.org.uk/the-aa/aa-call-boxes/" target="_blank">fewer than two dozen are known, of which three are in museums</a>. One of the finest and best-known survivors is the one at the top of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porlock_Hill">Porlock Hill</a>, Exmoor, whose notoriously steep road must have brought plenty of customers in overheated vehicles! It is now Grade-II listed and was <a href="http://offthebeatentrackinsomerset.blogspot.com/2015/03/aa-box-pittcombe-head-top-of-porlock.html" target="_blank">recently restored </a>so it looks particularly fine. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8BL-zzzjb2-YiQrbZMx869NW3XGq42n95AvjPVPEnRpveUBqMPH4VnsOp0iKI3sAr3Y71mpvvQKK92oDGpl4CmvZ0doSbu2mXf51y7PdwwGx92x9klOk74flA4IWDk_AjnrKfhwVLBoUFL_Ou/s850/No+longer+in+use.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photograph showing close-up detail of the AA box: a sign, 'CALL BOX NO LONGER IN USE AND HAS BEEN CLEARED OF ALL COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT'" border="0" data-original-height="567" data-original-width="850" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8BL-zzzjb2-YiQrbZMx869NW3XGq42n95AvjPVPEnRpveUBqMPH4VnsOp0iKI3sAr3Y71mpvvQKK92oDGpl4CmvZ0doSbu2mXf51y7PdwwGx92x9klOk74flA4IWDk_AjnrKfhwVLBoUFL_Ou/w400-h266/No+longer+in+use.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The AA's original activities were perhaps a little questionable. Founded in <a href="https://www.theaa.com/about-us/aa-history" rel="nofollow">1905 as the Motorists' Mutual Association</a>, it dates from a time when cars were not only a rarity but also subject to highly restrictive laws, <a href="https://carolineld.blogspot.com/2009/11/london-to-brighton-veteran-car-run.html">particularly around speed</a>. Teams of cyclists were employed by the association to alert drivers to speed traps so that they could avoid being caught and penalised by the police! Its services quickly changed and expanded to include motor insurance, road signage, hotel ratings (still much used today), and roadside repairs. Its competitor, the Royal Automobile Club (RAC) is even older, having been founded in 1897 and becoming 'Royal' a decade later. It had its own network of (rather less stylish) boxed, and by the 1960s members of either organisation could use each other's boxes. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhStfodOyHq3g8mUE8nXHt3aqLJxaLnDEaWhIpNrsn2rXhTdLqqBJPs2QCL3_zyN2pVEM8NJakCBsQZEm-PCKHAmky0bJGfN0fWVLWtePfpVzkdLb7HaJ7eXmnNF0uAMLHjSsz69PDCwlhIQ0DU/s850/Porlock+Hill+AA+box+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photograph showing the full length of the AA box" border="0" data-original-height="850" data-original-width="567" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhStfodOyHq3g8mUE8nXHt3aqLJxaLnDEaWhIpNrsn2rXhTdLqqBJPs2QCL3_zyN2pVEM8NJakCBsQZEm-PCKHAmky0bJGfN0fWVLWtePfpVzkdLb7HaJ7eXmnNF0uAMLHjSsz69PDCwlhIQ0DU/w266-h400/Porlock+Hill+AA+box+%25281%2529.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">Today, motorists are expected to use their mobile phones to call for help. The demise of these boxes has removed more than telephones, however: as well as shelter and simple equipment, we have lost a reassuring landmark along our roads. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Bs7CV1IpG5YnMk7AkruAv40wAXR2yC6XQixb42Ztj8gftJtqxTymKoCVUeUxLA34jrVINdIbNX9Un89sewvCWWMsVLTWJAJj5T9BpuZhda9FkMAqwDx5FtZE9qpoxHF_bOTSdp4q05RkVTfo/s850/Porlock+Hill+AA+box+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Full-length photograph of one side of the AA box" border="0" data-original-height="850" data-original-width="567" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Bs7CV1IpG5YnMk7AkruAv40wAXR2yC6XQixb42Ztj8gftJtqxTymKoCVUeUxLA34jrVINdIbNX9Un89sewvCWWMsVLTWJAJj5T9BpuZhda9FkMAqwDx5FtZE9qpoxHF_bOTSdp4q05RkVTfo/w266-h400/Porlock+Hill+AA+box+%25282%2529.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>CarolineLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00197813252586559665noreply@blogger.com3Porlock Hill, Minehead TA24, UK51.2037247 -3.611429828.969652764117686 -38.767679799999996 73.437796635882322 31.5448202tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287675141745937676.post-30499366898365636702021-07-11T13:25:00.000+01:002021-07-11T13:24:19.788+01:00Tin boxes, trade unions, and tiling<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhicE6DQVqzh_eVakrD6uj01-7IqGug0fdNETEj7Q2TeBWZfEOHXBDEvQlNSnr6qaAjxgTg2EL8TZTvU4-3mhB2JSVBW2ZhkDMpRhRKSV41wUD_hgdun2z5yZzm1Paof6ZUHvRUURgW3Wg97CEq/s850/A+G+Scott+and+Co.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photograph of a section of brick facade. There is a tiled sign: inside a green border is a blue background with white lettering saying 'A. G. SCOTT'. Above the sign are the bottoms of two windows and the brick is in red and white stripes. Below are the tops of two windows with curved top edges, and the wall is all red brick." border="0" data-original-height="567" data-original-width="850" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhicE6DQVqzh_eVakrD6uj01-7IqGug0fdNETEj7Q2TeBWZfEOHXBDEvQlNSnr6qaAjxgTg2EL8TZTvU4-3mhB2JSVBW2ZhkDMpRhRKSV41wUD_hgdun2z5yZzm1Paof6ZUHvRUURgW3Wg97CEq/w400-h266/A+G+Scott+and+Co.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>This Deptford sign is so bright and colourful that it is almost surprising to find the company A G Scott made something as prosaic as tin boxes! Their headed notepaper emphasised that they made plain tins and fuel cans as well as the decorative containers for products such as tea and biscuits. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9S5zQpAK-Uprf_gvMCh6juv8P7GWA0chMzBlnejj1elRm2dNi1b9FQjrZn6Wsp_hRKLLCHJR0N7FwUePEt2gQRWH36W3NexMOfph3N7t4-arbYyY_6sLgv-XzBV0zN-T236MipOmmKZpoKdsY/s850/A+G+Scott+and+Co+facade.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photograph showing a wider view of the building. The top three storeys are visible: the higher strorey has small rectangular windows and striped brickwork while the lower storeys have large rectangular windows with curved tops. The tiled sign is at the centre, and this central section has a triangular pediment with the same striped brickwork as the top storey." border="0" data-original-height="567" data-original-width="850" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9S5zQpAK-Uprf_gvMCh6juv8P7GWA0chMzBlnejj1elRm2dNi1b9FQjrZn6Wsp_hRKLLCHJR0N7FwUePEt2gQRWH36W3NexMOfph3N7t4-arbYyY_6sLgv-XzBV0zN-T236MipOmmKZpoKdsY/w400-h266/A+G+Scott+and+Co+facade.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">The bright colours also distract from a darker story. Tin box making was unpleasant, dangerous and poorly paid work done mostly by young women. They used power presses to stamp out the box shapes, and sometimes lost fingers to the machinery. The shapes then had to be soldered together - but were very sharp on their cut edges. The box would then be decorated, ready to be filled: a pretty product showing no trace of the poverty and injuries experienced by those producing it. <br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The company was established in 1890 and as they expanded, added this building - Scott House - in about 1906. Wage rates at A G Scott for 1911 survive. Pieceworkers made around 3d per hour - a little under £1 at today's values; many workers earned 5/6 a week - about £21 in current terms, and less than a skilled tradesman would have earned in a single day. The Trade Board Act 1909 allowed minimum wages to be set for 'sweated'
trades: ie those with excessively long hours, poor pay, and insanitary
working conditions. In response to the sweatshop conditions of many tin
box factories, a minimum wage was imposed through the Tin Box Trade
Board established in 1914. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Improvements in pay and conditions were hard-fought, with prominent trade unionist Mary Macarthur involved in the campaign for better working conditions in tin box
factories. The <a href="https://wdc.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p21047coll2/id/1224" target="_blank">1914 Annual Report for the National Federation of Women Workers</a> included details of strikes in Deptford. A.C. Scott's workers appealed to the Federation after going on strike for higher wages, and 'in less than a week considerable increases were obtained which included a minimum wage of 6/6 for girls of 14 and a minimum wage of 12/- to 15/- for women of 21' depending on their work. All the women at Scott's joined the Federation: some 600 of them. The neighbouring Lloyd's tin box factory soon followed their example, and Francis & Sons on Trundley Road were not far behind; later joined by Dyson's, who also made tin boxes. Unsurprisingly, this upsurge of trade union activism was described in the report as 'the Deptford uprising'. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Today, few traces remain of Deptford's tin box industry. Scott's moved out of the building in 1922 and it has since been a sack factory, laundry and, now, housing. This sign, then, is not just an attractive feature but a clue to the building's complex past. <br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p>CarolineLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00197813252586559665noreply@blogger.com1Scott House, 185 Grove St, London SE8 3SH, UK51.4885203 -0.03484923.178286463821152 -35.191099 79.798754136178843 35.121401tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287675141745937676.post-71075894287439213692021-07-04T14:37:00.000+01:002021-07-04T14:37:09.955+01:00Ghost signs (143): ghost bus stops<p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-37yACAUlnIPaGQKGbYqy7dAZ6l1OIsR3w7ZGozFqKCupFMhQE-1ZaJL3838p0oBemGctSWrqNtnJEWbo904VAQJKmu_UcF0EoMmPaV0A3STqcnCkaatBCUzfLR5haA-sXXQhCpfVAAtXOx99/s6000/DSC08388.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photograph of a wall sign. It has black text reading 'MAGPIE HALL ROAD' on an off-white background. The sign is on a red brick wall topped with broken glass and loops of barbed wire." border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-37yACAUlnIPaGQKGbYqy7dAZ6l1OIsR3w7ZGozFqKCupFMhQE-1ZaJL3838p0oBemGctSWrqNtnJEWbo904VAQJKmu_UcF0EoMmPaV0A3STqcnCkaatBCUzfLR5haA-sXXQhCpfVAAtXOx99/w400-h266/DSC08388.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">These ghost signs are rather unusual: they are not signs for businesses
but for bus stops. They also have rather more barbed wire and broken
glass above them than most examples, because they are on a wall of
Chatham Dockyard. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho8JSsCQy4Z8RHhI6fUEImA2XD5mMy2xl3jZuISYsZ8UZQk5BWSa5lfQ5DX6nXd0232LyNHsvW0yp1msPG87LcZVuvONNemkecms7FnoIMhbAWHo0p-OSjY6dm8YT9IuIvT2lBQs8n08uh1y3q/s6000/DSC08383.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A similar sign saying 'CHATHAM STATION'" border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho8JSsCQy4Z8RHhI6fUEImA2XD5mMy2xl3jZuISYsZ8UZQk5BWSa5lfQ5DX6nXd0232LyNHsvW0yp1msPG87LcZVuvONNemkecms7FnoIMhbAWHo0p-OSjY6dm8YT9IuIvT2lBQs8n08uh1y3q/w400-h266/DSC08383.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">A plaque below 'Chatham Station' explains that the signs, which have been restored, date from the days when the dockyard employed thousands of people. Many travelled to and from work by buses which stopped along Dock Road. The routes extended as far as Gravesend, Rochester, and Maidstone as well as more local destinations. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijo5LIAYUuRim0wpMd64vXpufDSfUXwMneHGO1lalh3_RQ7HVqwnBfNTEanybDknFjcJjAS_tI80R9BVF8Q6c0JbRa_XWc55GYT0OE-t2Zi9atQucVtFwKkdNb0CWhITpng-f_KJOajMUB50Ur/s6000/DSC08389.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A similar sign saying 'MAIDSTONE'" border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijo5LIAYUuRim0wpMd64vXpufDSfUXwMneHGO1lalh3_RQ7HVqwnBfNTEanybDknFjcJjAS_tI80R9BVF8Q6c0JbRa_XWc55GYT0OE-t2Zi9atQucVtFwKkdNb0CWhITpng-f_KJOajMUB50Ur/w400-h266/DSC08389.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"></p>
<p>
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">One of the stops has an intriguing name: Jezreels. In fact, this is still the name of a bus stop in Gillingham today. However, the building which inspired its name was demolished in 1961: the extraordinary Jezreel's tower. <br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI0bYB5TChoshWVFVKbhwzqDncHvmbHMkrdxwQCxvY30QnaoOgrKqMrvT_4CffAfLvvyOQWvIHX5sYLLFD9rysAYSjQcbiy-SB7TTKG7aPYYhQwYBcToCEZo73wJORixJLWMqz-PNKKFiql_pT/s6000/DSC08387.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A similar sign saying 'JEZREELS VIA CANTERBURY STREET'" border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI0bYB5TChoshWVFVKbhwzqDncHvmbHMkrdxwQCxvY30QnaoOgrKqMrvT_4CffAfLvvyOQWvIHX5sYLLFD9rysAYSjQcbiy-SB7TTKG7aPYYhQwYBcToCEZo73wJORixJLWMqz-PNKKFiql_pT/w400-h266/DSC08387.JPG" width="400" /> </a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">James Roland White was a soldier in the 16th Regiment of Foot, based in Chatham. He became interested in Joanna Southcott's teachings in the late 1870s and joined a local sect devoted to them. He soon became its leader, changed his name to James Jershom Jezreel, and wrote a manuscript, the <i>Flying Roll</i>. In 1881, he left the army and began building a new headquarters for the sect, which had grown in numbers and means. <a href="https://eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2009/10/jezreels-tower-a-huge-structure-that-could-not-be-removed/" target="_blank">His followers</a> - who included people in North America, Australia and New Zealand - gave their money to the cause; the Chatham community had its own businesses including a bakery, grocery, joinery and printing workshop, so there was money available and the plans were certainly ambitious. The building was to be a steel and concrete construction 124 feet on each side and 120 feet high (a compromise between his desire for a perfect cube and the architects' attention to practical constraints). In the basement would be printing presses; an assembly room or amphitheatre would hold 5,000 people, with a round stage lifted by hydraulic power on which the preachers and choir would rotate 30 feet above the congregation; and the roof would be a giant glass dome. Around it would be fine gardens, as well as the shops and businesses run by the community. </p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/Jeztow2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="A large, square building with empty windows and no roof." border="0" data-original-height="561" data-original-width="800" height="280" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/Jeztow2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Jezreel's Tower in the 1920s</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Unfortunately, the leader of this teetotal sect was himself a heavy drinker and died in 1885. His wife continued the building plans, although costs had become a significant issue by the time she died suddenly of peritonitis three years later. Work stopped with her death, and the building was never completed: it had walls, the basement and ground floor, as well as girders ready to support the meeting hall interior, but no roof. Nonetheless, some followers continued to occupy the building even after its sale in 1893; they were finally evicted in 1905 after falling behind with the rent. An attempt at that point to demolish the unfinished building failed, and it became a local landmark (even appearing on <a href="http://visualarts.britishcouncil.org/collection/artists/hillier-tristam-1905/object/jezreels-temple-gillingham-kent-hillier-1936-m382" target="_blank">tourist posters</a>) but grew increasingly derelict. Nonetheless, it survived for over half a century more before it was finally successfully demolished - in a process which took over a year. </p><p> </p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Image credit:</b> Jezreel's Tower in the 1920s by Cunningham, CC BY-SA 3.0 <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/>, via Wikimedia Commons</span> </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><br /><br /></p>CarolineLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00197813252586559665noreply@blogger.com0St George's Centre, Chatham ME4 4AF, UK51.397102 0.5333709999999999351.394424416317015 0.5290794655761718 51.399779583682978 0.537662534423828tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287675141745937676.post-85636210821293310582021-05-30T15:15:00.002+01:002021-05-30T15:15:43.113+01:00International Hall<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPLpKvtKQOV65loH4DVkV8rNKk4Nn7Bbgt5wuePy3X1gEDiIrxHphQnpQlzBoWTYOJxSzocCLmBL_jnVacNEhh9RCwzBqWiFDfyI9KfVQIVrtUJn9lvfPiUnKzq1nW7HL0bp3k6czbKEP8ucs4/s850/International+Hall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="567" data-original-width="850" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPLpKvtKQOV65loH4DVkV8rNKk4Nn7Bbgt5wuePy3X1gEDiIrxHphQnpQlzBoWTYOJxSzocCLmBL_jnVacNEhh9RCwzBqWiFDfyI9KfVQIVrtUJn9lvfPiUnKzq1nW7HL0bp3k6czbKEP8ucs4/w400-h266/International+Hall.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">On Lansdowne Terrace, Bloomsbury, is a large hall of residence for University of London students. International Hall was opened in 1962, and remains a major hall of residence today. However, we are not looking at the accommodation, but at the decoration on its exterior. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbP_-G3zxNYcqGcA06hgZo3eJaz_Gt3byjYL-yzrPWfhuXar-khBM1zUxjpO2LW-xKEcwYIAqttU2MONW5u1YFPRdAtJRJxAecNXpX0hQ112Dwjs2DcDI18JRylY2IG2iK6btKgNMC_YSg2Cxp/s850/Austria%252C+Barbados%252C+Uganda%252C+Northern+Rhodesia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="567" data-original-width="850" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbP_-G3zxNYcqGcA06hgZo3eJaz_Gt3byjYL-yzrPWfhuXar-khBM1zUxjpO2LW-xKEcwYIAqttU2MONW5u1YFPRdAtJRJxAecNXpX0hQ112Dwjs2DcDI18JRylY2IG2iK6btKgNMC_YSg2Cxp/w400-h266/Austria%252C+Barbados%252C+Uganda%252C+Northern+Rhodesia.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The walls are adorned with shields, each representing a country. They offer a snapshot of the time: India, for example, was independent, but Northern Rhodesia was still two years away from becoming Zambia. Malaya had achieved independence in 1957 but would not form the federation of Malaysia until the following year. In other words, this hall does not only illustrate the international membership of the University of London but also the changing place of London and the UK in a wider, and decolonising, world. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmLpxFI92LbqnNYVHzMshDMiUfZ9Klq7wsPdtdFxyHO7XW8cA2GE66Y2UDEX57hLKGdl6U2xUFhEU1HVYTJ2Ohr_EJsTAhkr2JhLjDFSkbznyxCxd2KdvSH-tic7-ySrBpOfcIqG0l0BQjdq4B/s850/Hong+Kong%252C+Cyprus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="850" data-original-width="567" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmLpxFI92LbqnNYVHzMshDMiUfZ9Klq7wsPdtdFxyHO7XW8cA2GE66Y2UDEX57hLKGdl6U2xUFhEU1HVYTJ2Ohr_EJsTAhkr2JhLjDFSkbznyxCxd2KdvSH-tic7-ySrBpOfcIqG0l0BQjdq4B/s320/Hong+Kong%252C+Cyprus.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgopPMPerWYv69bkBfpRiEpbI53fkl207xjWzCn6yA06zh6xxJRBvFxF-lvJHzKWiwaN21OtVPO9Pb5Fudf2VE2Dhzj_XiuEb7QxgEWWhRusphGZQeF62g_zdK5w2ilvGCgf_KbClZbDXeaBZxZ/s850/India.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="850" data-original-width="567" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgopPMPerWYv69bkBfpRiEpbI53fkl207xjWzCn6yA06zh6xxJRBvFxF-lvJHzKWiwaN21OtVPO9Pb5Fudf2VE2Dhzj_XiuEb7QxgEWWhRusphGZQeF62g_zdK5w2ilvGCgf_KbClZbDXeaBZxZ/s320/India.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7XImIhLW6pigh8ZOB1iikwNDCJsHRCJJN7S_Zs_yO_qcBdLLrpYl0bnCavAotedZkX2GSdkz6aj0MipVPjY7LCaQ69UQFVDg6dHYXs3JObjlKiDK4wA3wWppmwwRfltMqslL-lrlu8EfCWGfc/s850/Malaya%252C+Sudan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="850" data-original-width="567" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7XImIhLW6pigh8ZOB1iikwNDCJsHRCJJN7S_Zs_yO_qcBdLLrpYl0bnCavAotedZkX2GSdkz6aj0MipVPjY7LCaQ69UQFVDg6dHYXs3JObjlKiDK4wA3wWppmwwRfltMqslL-lrlu8EfCWGfc/s320/Malaya%252C+Sudan.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6kAHFRVkc71LYHItmh9kpJVFSdxFBfL693j4n9zHloDVQt-fd7-zuE3FeAY7J42UCLz8GMXec9XR7giir9EZ0lKBdymO2oi7Oz07yJm3sEJUgEz34o2WI7pVroKyjjKQb6CSLhyxNsCDMgWSw/s850/New+Zealand%252C+Mauritius.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="850" data-original-width="567" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6kAHFRVkc71LYHItmh9kpJVFSdxFBfL693j4n9zHloDVQt-fd7-zuE3FeAY7J42UCLz8GMXec9XR7giir9EZ0lKBdymO2oi7Oz07yJm3sEJUgEz34o2WI7pVroKyjjKQb6CSLhyxNsCDMgWSw/s320/New+Zealand%252C+Mauritius.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQoKRBrCxQtWaxX8lJWlbWv3ksxk9WwOjI556q1lQb9I_hvZlr-ZhyTWimkts8onTEJ_NwqnYzXN6ahAWqeV_CaVV4jlkNHG5zlzoZCXH59C7b-FcZU3QVr8AvYCcN_BO-QEcx-iIoHwjK6gje/s850/Nigeria%252C+Ghana.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="850" data-original-width="567" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQoKRBrCxQtWaxX8lJWlbWv3ksxk9WwOjI556q1lQb9I_hvZlr-ZhyTWimkts8onTEJ_NwqnYzXN6ahAWqeV_CaVV4jlkNHG5zlzoZCXH59C7b-FcZU3QVr8AvYCcN_BO-QEcx-iIoHwjK6gje/s320/Nigeria%252C+Ghana.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxgN5p6DKkXfxTjNu5NLFrZspVdnitla068EoA69QCo0Y27tlwrHGjoMO-G1x-ZuzSXH6z84JA2WG4HMH3lS6nsWCLtmiYNXU5GdsrkX9MH4A_zBFs828QimdTTEg2PL2MJRmoh9x3LQes5IRR/s850/Sierra+Leone%252C+Singapore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="850" data-original-width="567" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxgN5p6DKkXfxTjNu5NLFrZspVdnitla068EoA69QCo0Y27tlwrHGjoMO-G1x-ZuzSXH6z84JA2WG4HMH3lS6nsWCLtmiYNXU5GdsrkX9MH4A_zBFs828QimdTTEg2PL2MJRmoh9x3LQes5IRR/s320/Sierra+Leone%252C+Singapore.jpg" /></a></div> <p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">That is also illustrated by the stone commemorating the building's opening by Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, who had until the previous year been India's High Commissioner in the UK. Part of the prominent Nehru/Gandhi family - her brother, niece, and grand-nephew were all Prime Ministers of India - she had been widowed in 1944 when her husband died following his imprisonment for supporting independence. Already a senior politician who had been imprisoned three times for her work in the independence movement, Pandit became an ambassador in 1947 and first woman president of the United Nations General Assembly in 1953. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit4HhglBdEm-UNMQwuXV4I874KGJoIaeVpRMS2xaqlaLacA4Kl_LuRAvB4xw7nrx129KfE44uGW4eoBYCz4vATCTy_OPx7UESVciSykYloJ6OuR4YrNxQes7XYVKbodUx5DGoJeXVDSVTTaQ0p/s850/Opening+stone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="567" data-original-width="850" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit4HhglBdEm-UNMQwuXV4I874KGJoIaeVpRMS2xaqlaLacA4Kl_LuRAvB4xw7nrx129KfE44uGW4eoBYCz4vATCTy_OPx7UESVciSykYloJ6OuR4YrNxQes7XYVKbodUx5DGoJeXVDSVTTaQ0p/w400-h266/Opening+stone.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1C48-7HHdNVb7xKZrYNeVLZ53nIU4r2zgIa9Qe-2X3BD3flT7zZJGsyudntON052aaW244F-op-mx83xFKTeohLy_oYRdghyez7w34tvg-HWcBK0JVrLAy9v0nFk67sQU_4bKXM_YRTPWuTRw/s850/Gibraltar%252C+Gambia%252C+Windward+Islands%252C+British+Guiana.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="567" data-original-width="850" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1C48-7HHdNVb7xKZrYNeVLZ53nIU4r2zgIa9Qe-2X3BD3flT7zZJGsyudntON052aaW244F-op-mx83xFKTeohLy_oYRdghyez7w34tvg-HWcBK0JVrLAy9v0nFk67sQU_4bKXM_YRTPWuTRw/w400-h266/Gibraltar%252C+Gambia%252C+Windward+Islands%252C+British+Guiana.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>CarolineLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00197813252586559665noreply@blogger.com2Lansdowne Terrace, London WC1N 1AS, UK51.5237085 -0.121102223.213474663821152 -35.2773522 79.833942336178836 35.0351478tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287675141745937676.post-8313627551163107022021-05-15T14:27:00.004+01:002021-05-15T14:27:23.461+01:00London ghost signs get their book!<p style="text-align: justify;">If, like me, you love both <a href="https://carolineld.blogspot.com/search/label/ghost%20signs">ghost signs </a>and books then you have probably felt the lack of a dedicated volume on London's signs. While some other places have books - <a href="https://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/publication/liverpool-ghost-signs/9780752465708/" target="_blank">Liverpool Ghost Signs</a> is a lovely example - the capital doesn't... but soon, it will. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDAvRax7kEl6kyPSWwTfB3sA74YQEjw-jbItAU2P-QkJfRVPPFoLmjv5IiutQ13bZSI6MCVP_vR9oaqaUPKC0ZI_q72Sw7O4jzYl5WVoL2h9Zp4_GZPlkIuWvd8KwInJE_2ik3NeOGbhDATICm/s2048/Ghost+Signs+A+London+Story+Cover+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photograph of the Ghost Signs cover mock-up, showing a palimpsest ghost sign painted onto a cream wall, with a blue sky above." border="0" data-original-height="1357" data-original-width="2048" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDAvRax7kEl6kyPSWwTfB3sA74YQEjw-jbItAU2P-QkJfRVPPFoLmjv5IiutQ13bZSI6MCVP_vR9oaqaUPKC0ZI_q72Sw7O4jzYl5WVoL2h9Zp4_GZPlkIuWvd8KwInJE_2ik3NeOGbhDATICm/w400-h265/Ghost+Signs+A+London+Story+Cover+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Sam Roberts, the leading expert on London's signs and instigator of the fantastic (UK-wide) <a href="https://www.hatads.org.uk/catalogue/search.aspx?reset=1&titleType=Ghostsigns" target="_blank">Ghostsigns Archive</a>, has created <i>Ghost Signs: A London Story</i> with photographer Roy Reed. As well as images of about 250 signs, it includes their stories, historical images, and introductory essays. It <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/isolapress/ghost-signs-a-london-story" target="_blank">launched on Kickstarter</a> a few days ago, and it's no surprise that it became fully funded almost immediately - but you can still take advantage of the opportunity to <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/isolapress/ghost-signs-a-london-story" target="_blank">pre-order your copy</a> (and get other rewards). </p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC80WIL5NRCPVf1OhychsSPBTw5l7ZztKQf98e35ke59kE_1f_8XqVvkUDthRt59lI9gguSuUTG0OLhPKvyPchcgwGp7Vd6A_KVQp-GdA9SaKIS3_aUgvf2nI2nAkbpMhtYUUhDwWfViXl1iv_/s1200/Detail+-+Redferns+-+Stanstead+Road+-+Roy+Reed+-+DS1_3890.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photograph showing a detail from a Redferns ghost sign: a scroll with the words 'In an old sole' on a blue background, painted onto a brick wall." border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC80WIL5NRCPVf1OhychsSPBTw5l7ZztKQf98e35ke59kE_1f_8XqVvkUDthRt59lI9gguSuUTG0OLhPKvyPchcgwGp7Vd6A_KVQp-GdA9SaKIS3_aUgvf2nI2nAkbpMhtYUUhDwWfViXl1iv_/w400-h266/Detail+-+Redferns+-+Stanstead+Road+-+Roy+Reed+-+DS1_3890.jpg" title="Photograph: Roy Reed" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Then, we just have to wait patiently for delivery in November - a Christmas present to look forward to!<br /></p>CarolineLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00197813252586559665noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287675141745937676.post-54982671653338749402021-05-09T16:34:00.000+01:002021-05-09T16:34:12.176+01:00Cathedral lights<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtIWAvbJyRjm900CTM19QQTpGisXjrQCsT4s5ZiCvR1hECdi3gHESpU2l__QQOJv7l5gdVGD1sNiOqKE-bh0LpNrDDS0t8oYk7VHKy0GNLMe-a3hkH83GrMTPpbjSODOe9pIhiw6uaO49OxsFy/s850/St+Paul%2527s+Cathedral+west+facade.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photograph of the west facade of St Paul's Cathedral, taken from the north-west. The steps leading up to the cathedral doors are empty. In the foreground to the right is the statue of Queen Anne." border="0" data-original-height="567" data-original-width="850" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtIWAvbJyRjm900CTM19QQTpGisXjrQCsT4s5ZiCvR1hECdi3gHESpU2l__QQOJv7l5gdVGD1sNiOqKE-bh0LpNrDDS0t8oYk7VHKy0GNLMe-a3hkH83GrMTPpbjSODOe9pIhiw6uaO49OxsFy/w400-h266/St+Paul%2527s+Cathedral+west+facade.jpg" width="400" /></a></p><p style="text-align: left;">The
pandemic has spawned a small photography genre: London looking empty. I
hadn't contributed much to it as I've hardly been into central London
in the last year, but a recent library trip was a good excuse for a walk
which took me past St Paul's Cathedral. For the first time, I saw its
steps without people! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhez8ULNM-QoC5HaPX__oYWlrviRJqcTxUHja9yEgJ_RCk4O5yTsJLV3fm3OlE-63z9ph3rHff_-VV8xDuye24fqr_jRfSVlu4CBSkY8j2VxfiEFFyR8q_Fsf38GtF46I4cY9UFl5m04ZRX0wKd/s850/St+Paul%2527s+Cathedral+lamp+post.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photograph of an elaborate cast-iron lamp post in front of the west facade of the cathedral. Its appearance is described more fully in the text." border="0" data-original-height="850" data-original-width="538" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhez8ULNM-QoC5HaPX__oYWlrviRJqcTxUHja9yEgJ_RCk4O5yTsJLV3fm3OlE-63z9ph3rHff_-VV8xDuye24fqr_jRfSVlu4CBSkY8j2VxfiEFFyR8q_Fsf38GtF46I4cY9UFl5m04ZRX0wKd/w254-h400/St+Paul%2527s+Cathedral+lamp+post.jpg" width="254" /> </a></div><p>A
more constant, but nonetheless interesting, presence are the
streetlamps in front of the Cathedral. With space and leisure for a
closer look, we can see that they are dated 1874 and rich in details.
The cast iron posts include the Dean and Chapter's coat of arms, with
cherubs above. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEcgdAGkbQ_JF8MNwqBk0bTbGMAMyt-uLN6JmPkS1Ml8ZTZtJqoz5FCDOko9F9J_VzWlCoNA91IXkvbLn45gOcRCWzXzLYxtAm5tl97SHgiPjsc9K5E_TN5ryP2O0JbMAqLUHtODpN0p_0VONM/s850/St+Paul%2527s+Cathedral+lamp+post+detail.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photograph showing detail on the cast iron lamp post, including the coat of arms and cherubs described in the text." border="0" data-original-height="850" data-original-width="567" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEcgdAGkbQ_JF8MNwqBk0bTbGMAMyt-uLN6JmPkS1Ml8ZTZtJqoz5FCDOko9F9J_VzWlCoNA91IXkvbLn45gOcRCWzXzLYxtAm5tl97SHgiPjsc9K5E_TN5ryP2O0JbMAqLUHtODpN0p_0VONM/w266-h400/St+Paul%2527s+Cathedral+lamp+post+detail.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">In
fact, these lamp posts are Grade-II listed in their own right. They
were designed in 1874 by the Cathedral Surveyor, architect FC Penrose,
as part of wider improvements to the space in front of the cathedral's
west end. Although nearby Holborn Viaduct would get electric lighting
four years later, these were gas lamps. (They have since been converted
to electricity.) </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTjhs-OgyxWyIzRtyq7U5LDYOfWnN_RvNI1HMt_S-0Mvz15bl5iDP7mmWF61CX9sqcE6MuanCfXfJ_wYbKmKLq9CE-Xwr5KNsVduifjbz3qbuCjm9mW7V-FkqvUDZfTgFyyjje9v0-Ff5QGJlq/s850/St+Paul%2527s+Cathedral+south+side.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photograph of St Paul's cathedral taken from the south-east. The south facade and famous dome are visible. In the foreground is a lawn bordered by flower beds filled with pink and purple flowers including tulips, and small, shaped conifers. The far wall of this garden has a row of bronze lion heads spouting water." border="0" data-original-height="850" data-original-width="567" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTjhs-OgyxWyIzRtyq7U5LDYOfWnN_RvNI1HMt_S-0Mvz15bl5iDP7mmWF61CX9sqcE6MuanCfXfJ_wYbKmKLq9CE-Xwr5KNsVduifjbz3qbuCjm9mW7V-FkqvUDZfTgFyyjje9v0-Ff5QGJlq/w266-h400/St+Paul%2527s+Cathedral+south+side.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"> While
this area is decorated with lamps and statutes, the south side of the
cathedral has flower beds and fountains. A note of springtime to finish
upon!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2K1mBRPPx3E5HHTvACtP__6DeIWWHXrjtGFuYj1-i0GyUeMt5_9rBmHoUJU-GarX6DsG4wCsSh2iUkPSLWThI7QJ0dqaRS3ESLiRy7qWToMqFnBUxUp4OpYuvGr6wXfSWlpnz1FuWmwvyEfYb/s850/Flower+bed+detail.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photograph showing detail of the flower bed. A purple tulip is in the foreground. Behind it are the blurred images of other flowers in similar colours." border="0" data-original-height="850" data-original-width="567" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2K1mBRPPx3E5HHTvACtP__6DeIWWHXrjtGFuYj1-i0GyUeMt5_9rBmHoUJU-GarX6DsG4wCsSh2iUkPSLWThI7QJ0dqaRS3ESLiRy7qWToMqFnBUxUp4OpYuvGr6wXfSWlpnz1FuWmwvyEfYb/w266-h400/Flower+bed+detail.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp-g2DG-vkBnmw3VuAtk1D7wVPpSicLyWoQuuov2geOaX3aHfL4LPytNE4aQW8-Jq_h6s6mYbjS9HXKM1qQNr9sa6P66uDmJQJMyXLQSpTBZmncTbEl6g8_Rqzdurld0ZA7rmfknFDIT3nIPVl/s850/fountain+detail.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photograph showing detail of a textured concrete wall with bronze lion heads attached, each spouting water from its mouth. One lion head fills the foreground; another is visible but blurred behind it, and more thin streams of water stream above them." border="0" data-original-height="850" data-original-width="567" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp-g2DG-vkBnmw3VuAtk1D7wVPpSicLyWoQuuov2geOaX3aHfL4LPytNE4aQW8-Jq_h6s6mYbjS9HXKM1qQNr9sa6P66uDmJQJMyXLQSpTBZmncTbEl6g8_Rqzdurld0ZA7rmfknFDIT3nIPVl/w266-h400/fountain+detail.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /><br /></p>CarolineLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00197813252586559665noreply@blogger.com35 Paternoster Row, London EC4M 7DX, UK51.5136798 -0.09968089999999998951.513012113654625 -0.10075378360595702 51.514347486345372 -0.098608016394042958tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287675141745937676.post-20416440501258036562021-04-25T10:34:00.002+01:002021-04-25T10:34:00.613+01:00Burnham-on-Sea's tin tabernacle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5R6f28UVTNNol61mTC_dWjrCQDfRTDzcuM9vfypHYC5dDhQ8z314Vffc4T3gTqvKCRaLSO-9BYbERz4Ol0V7NwWefAQh7J6o06TiHwgODbF3cQ8NLjkw_pHbzc7KVF-HB-Rmw3skGZusdYtRX/s2048/165521764_129869032422845_621992671761759005_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photograph of a small, corrugated iron building painted light grey with white windows and trim. It is rectangular, with three rectangular windows and a small porch to the left with a door facing the viewer. The roof, bowed downwards in the middle, has a little steeple with a cross on top. The building has a lawn and path in front of it, with a white gate and hedge in the foreground; next to the gate is a sign saying 'Parish of St Andrew's, Edithmead Church' with a notice for service times. Behind, trees and fields are visible." border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5R6f28UVTNNol61mTC_dWjrCQDfRTDzcuM9vfypHYC5dDhQ8z314Vffc4T3gTqvKCRaLSO-9BYbERz4Ol0V7NwWefAQh7J6o06TiHwgODbF3cQ8NLjkw_pHbzc7KVF-HB-Rmw3skGZusdYtRX/w400-h300/165521764_129869032422845_621992671761759005_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Edithmead Church, just outside Burnham-on-Sea, is a small, slightly wonky-roofed building of a special kind: a 'tin tabernacle'. These fascinating buildings are made not of tin but of corrugated iron on wooden frames. They were bought by Victorian congregations from catalogues, delivered in flat-pack form, and usually intended to be temporary. However, Edithmead's celebrated its <a href="https://www.burnham-on-sea.com/news/100-years-old-this-weekend-edithmeads-tin-church-celebrates-with-flower-festival/">centenary </a>in 2019! </p><p style="text-align: justify;">In fact, its story is even longer than that since it was an Adult School in nearby East Brent before moving to its current location for a new, and long, life as a church. <a href="http://history.eastbrentparishcouncil.org.uk/article/36/a-journey-along-lifes-path" target="_blank">A resident of East Brent recalled</a>, much later, how the Adult School was used for tea parties, Bible readings, and a Sunday service. 'Then one day there came a shock, a big lorry came with two horses and
several men, and took our beloved Adult School away to Edithmead.' That unusual origin explains the rectangular windows: many tin tabernacles had suitably gothic arched windows, some even with instant 'stained glass' supplied as a ready-made film. <br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The Church is actually a chapel of ease to <a href="http://standrewsbos.co.uk/buildings/history.html" target="_blank">St Andrew's Church</a> in Burnham-on-Sea - a much older and more solid building. It even has a London connection: a little group of angels who were originally part of an altarpiece in Westminster Abbey. The <a href="https://www.burnham-on-sea.com/news/photos-edithmead-church-celebrates-its-centenary-with-colourful-flower-festival/" target="_blank">interior of Edithmead Church</a> is plain and simple by contrast. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-_AtHPqDI-daxAS1gTxdhMmcIQDhvQkHtx0mKQIYpNsgmowKa4bSOrPpo6cqq2YvEqPQYUYQkzbWX4xh2M7OOBbyWR7qxXgIcM7MTwUCpVlEVo7WStwi05ru9WHJ2KqBSMccslgwOCmJngw9Y/s2048/165795190_785798102042633_227013229066565611_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A photograph showing a closer view of the building in the previous photograph." border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-_AtHPqDI-daxAS1gTxdhMmcIQDhvQkHtx0mKQIYpNsgmowKa4bSOrPpo6cqq2YvEqPQYUYQkzbWX4xh2M7OOBbyWR7qxXgIcM7MTwUCpVlEVo7WStwi05ru9WHJ2KqBSMccslgwOCmJngw9Y/w400-h300/165795190_785798102042633_227013229066565611_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Unusually, this post is about a building I haven't yet visited myself (although I will before too long, pandemic permitting): thank you to Shaun Derry for the lovely photographs. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Tin tabernacles I have photographed in person include the smart, green church in <a href="https://carolineld.blogspot.com/2009/01/tin-tabernacles-old-and-new.html">Littlebury Green, Essex</a>; the mission church in <a href="https://carolineld.blogspot.com/2017/07/hackneys-tin-tabernacle.html">Shrubland Road, Hackney</a>; a <a href="https://carolineld.blogspot.com/2014/06/tin-tabernacle-battleship.html">chapel-turned-battleship</a> in Kilburn; and the mission hall in <a href="https://carolineld.blogspot.com/2018/06/ganllwyd-last-ironclad-mission-hall-in.html">Ganllwyd</a>.<br /></p>CarolineLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00197813252586559665noreply@blogger.com2Stoddens Ln, Edithmead, Highbridge TA9 4HD, UK51.2392184 -2.964108222.928984563821153 -38.1203582 79.549452236178837 32.1921418tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287675141745937676.post-20122412431656652812021-04-17T20:00:00.001+01:002021-04-17T20:02:14.671+01:00Street signs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh441hpVmrx28ZeR2DliizdgNZSH4MtRo407Y9szpqXzUOcLRvqqM7XhqTQ4EtdmAlTA1TOKhhVmzv1kn9eia7WJytnk5OwaI2viz1TNqDvf_7o-5f80aajiE1MK6Zx4yXOpr6bZNi3rp8S9eOZ/s850/Edward+Street+sign.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photograph of part of a Victorian brick wall with a sign reading 'EDWARD STREET S.E.8' in the centre. The metal sign is rusted and damaged at the edges; the writing is in black on dirty white, with the postcode in red. Above it is a window. Below is the top of a bricked-up arched window. To the left are three arched windows, now bricked up, and part of a white sign with blue text, for a food and wine shop." border="0" data-original-height="567" data-original-width="850" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh441hpVmrx28ZeR2DliizdgNZSH4MtRo407Y9szpqXzUOcLRvqqM7XhqTQ4EtdmAlTA1TOKhhVmzv1kn9eia7WJytnk5OwaI2viz1TNqDvf_7o-5f80aajiE1MK6Zx4yXOpr6bZNi3rp8S9eOZ/w400-h266/Edward+Street+sign.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">London has an impressive diversity of street signs, as I was reminded today when this example on Deptford High Street caught my eye (much to the bemusement of a passing cyclist!). It's a little tattered and rusted around the edges, and dirty all over, but still boldly proclaims 'EDWARD ST. S.E.8'. That makes three more full stops than are found on the modern sign. <br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY1m_DxxblOHJK6KBmlnw1kE9MFDCD6vwfe8uSbzuC9Icd8CNie7PoCrWJDjzhHhFCINBEQ5sraSTXralEauZuobord-3kqa4rEnzuZ_rmL71WIdiN4ffcxqUN4YQ7HscJDuKW4n0dIIrThm1L/s850/Edward+Street+sign+detail.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Detail of the central section of the previous photograph, showing the 'DEPTFORD S.E.8' sign." border="0" data-original-height="567" data-original-width="850" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY1m_DxxblOHJK6KBmlnw1kE9MFDCD6vwfe8uSbzuC9Icd8CNie7PoCrWJDjzhHhFCINBEQ5sraSTXralEauZuobord-3kqa4rEnzuZ_rmL71WIdiN4ffcxqUN4YQ7HscJDuKW4n0dIIrThm1L/w400-h266/Edward+Street+sign+detail.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">There are so many other variations to be found on the city streets. Below are just a few from my collection. However, if you would like to see many more signs, and learn a lot more about them, then there is now a dedicated book by Alistair Hall, <a href="https://www.londonstreetsigns.info/" target="_blank"><i>London Street Signs: A visual history of London's street nameplates</i></a>. I would strongly recommend it: there is so much wide-ranging information, from the development of the London postal district to the creation of alphabets; from official regulations to the materials and manufacture of signs. And of course, lots and lots of photographs. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi327ZDepDDoYmZ7xcJIDMEJ2qQbZODL0C42ahA0Pg6Eif2pN0oouuB1XJpPXoVSLNJNy2fb99Smk_PCTt9zObHGv4q2Qc6VF-FUSIg2XGwnFVEqc4pI9v3t8Qfjc-0MruLPIlPg7bB8CYRTiEc/s2048/Braithwaite+Street.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photograph of a street sign in front of a wire fence. The modern sign is white, with black text saying 'BRAITHWAITE STREET E1 formerly Wheler Street, LONDON BOROUGH OF TOWER HAMLETS'" border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi327ZDepDDoYmZ7xcJIDMEJ2qQbZODL0C42ahA0Pg6Eif2pN0oouuB1XJpPXoVSLNJNy2fb99Smk_PCTt9zObHGv4q2Qc6VF-FUSIg2XGwnFVEqc4pI9v3t8Qfjc-0MruLPIlPg7bB8CYRTiEc/w400-h266/Braithwaite+Street.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaNUMolOgyUvFkQBEoHW_WQ4zAn3YQMskXWSUzURB9vGQKoh2Zx5izTHo7QY8lLc0EcYf1Ad8-j4bzYKJ5hph-o2ateo355eBGjnth-L6ByWJUb4PTeD6sQZ7xVHv2y_k8_KX7KlwfZab8lKEC/s850/Broad+Court.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photograph of a sign mounted on a concrete alleyway roof, white with faded lettering saying 'City of Westminster' in a gothic-type typeface, 'BROAD COURT' in thick, narrow typeface, and 'W.C.' in faded italic type." border="0" data-original-height="567" data-original-width="850" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaNUMolOgyUvFkQBEoHW_WQ4zAn3YQMskXWSUzURB9vGQKoh2Zx5izTHo7QY8lLc0EcYf1Ad8-j4bzYKJ5hph-o2ateo355eBGjnth-L6ByWJUb4PTeD6sQZ7xVHv2y_k8_KX7KlwfZab8lKEC/w400-h266/Broad+Court.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje13UlaBNa3kBkaWWvGg3DSTnaem2-I0BIFUuk3OSP72H4HSm6KLsaqRC48crOVpfFVD7-pvdFK1BqLCwfwsSRDfJ4p6g4JCAUf-VzRzse7PLdWpVvBbB_X9ZVPLOSzUI6vnV0XNWjjhxRKOfM/s6000/Church+Court.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photograph of a pale stone wall with carved decoration. A modern street sign with a City of London crest says 'ST. MARGARET'S CLOSE EC2'. Below, painted directly onto the wall, are the words 'CHURCH COURT' in fading black paint." border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje13UlaBNa3kBkaWWvGg3DSTnaem2-I0BIFUuk3OSP72H4HSm6KLsaqRC48crOVpfFVD7-pvdFK1BqLCwfwsSRDfJ4p6g4JCAUf-VzRzse7PLdWpVvBbB_X9ZVPLOSzUI6vnV0XNWjjhxRKOfM/w400-h266/Church+Court.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTVgVlP-88pShsva6_ha4pw6vr-nil6yOu66c4rkpAkf9fVoKYpSmt0KrezY1lWXPIkL5DS5CKs6cNvMRbtAhrYDoGDrE9mQlPcqCJCXm0deki3OMMAAFTLwvOlP5GNif0EmBf1Q5temAFL9Lv/s850/Loman+Street.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photograph of the corner of a brick building. On one wall are two signs, both saying LOMAN STREET SE1'. The upper sign is older and smaller; it says 'Borough of Southwark' at the top, abbreviates 'street' to 'St' and writes 'SE1' as 'S.E.1'. The lower sign is a modern one. On the other wall is a tall, narrow arched window divided into many small panes." border="0" data-original-height="567" data-original-width="850" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTVgVlP-88pShsva6_ha4pw6vr-nil6yOu66c4rkpAkf9fVoKYpSmt0KrezY1lWXPIkL5DS5CKs6cNvMRbtAhrYDoGDrE9mQlPcqCJCXm0deki3OMMAAFTLwvOlP5GNif0EmBf1Q5temAFL9Lv/w400-h266/Loman+Street.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR9A-dGZ-mgCtmV6O2KcJECDcSQ3hzeRVarP7yVs2XcXwUxZ__WIufjrebqL5wfvWR-YVvfl8N5jfVS55Y9i_Sukhwr_xmdp1QI4SoHrYm2xR8PG6bF6sIRMOlMbwyP2uBr7dAYzj_szl628M_/s850/Sclater+Street.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photograph of a section of brick wall. In the left half of the picture is a fancy cream tablet with leaf and flower decoration, cracked and with 'SCLATER STREET' barely legible; it is surrounded by a red brick frame. To the right, in the lower part of the image, are two smaller rectangular signs. The upper one says 'SCLATER ST. E.1.'; the lower one, smaller and a little battered, is in Bengali script." border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="850" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR9A-dGZ-mgCtmV6O2KcJECDcSQ3hzeRVarP7yVs2XcXwUxZ__WIufjrebqL5wfvWR-YVvfl8N5jfVS55Y9i_Sukhwr_xmdp1QI4SoHrYm2xR8PG6bF6sIRMOlMbwyP2uBr7dAYzj_szl628M_/w400-h291/Sclater+Street.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhELTCYByz1J6XYJJFCyaWmfeJDyFfIa4mPadX3ggnQflY1RXKolsAwbuX-jZczj1XOGZCgjj0p1dH0tq_oixsQ8JAB3cddcw_KWLKaD1IGO1DTrqt-bxfJvkoQvFAE0sHfJTokg7sjLF1Dl3zg/s850/Thornhaugh+Street+leading+to+Woburn+Square.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A photograph of a brick wall with a black, metal drainpipe and large bracket on the right-hand edge. There are two signs, similar in age and style. The upper one has a cracked white background and says 'BOROUGH OF HOLBORN' in red, 'THORNHAUGH STREET' in black, and 'W.C.1' in red italics. The lower one has black text reading 'LEADING TO WOBURN SQUARE'" border="0" data-original-height="567" data-original-width="850" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhELTCYByz1J6XYJJFCyaWmfeJDyFfIa4mPadX3ggnQflY1RXKolsAwbuX-jZczj1XOGZCgjj0p1dH0tq_oixsQ8JAB3cddcw_KWLKaD1IGO1DTrqt-bxfJvkoQvFAE0sHfJTokg7sjLF1Dl3zg/w400-h266/Thornhaugh+Street+leading+to+Woburn+Square.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p>CarolineLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00197813252586559665noreply@blogger.com4215 Deptford High St, Deptford, London SE8 3NT, UK51.4809287 -0.026473251.480594617097722 -0.027009641802978514 51.481262782902277 -0.025936758197021483tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287675141745937676.post-13684012999695109412021-02-12T09:18:00.001+00:002021-02-12T09:18:32.337+00:00The India Club, hidden treasure<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp1uf4Nsx-823_KHmLEZr-ziXdEKF_qMWFW3xNLa6w0qoyYeWsUVZA7JPPD8d-XLTyLpJDLCfuAtqpf08uniUDnU66xPoKuZMO7F-Isxoend1A_nZoQeeiju1kVOZr_LSKBVHufec06o3eHUkX/s850/Interior+sign.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Individual black letters on pale gold backgrounds are stuck onto a cream wall. They say INDIA CLUB RESTAURANT and to their right is stuck a gold arrow on a black background, pointing right." border="0" data-original-height="567" data-original-width="850" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp1uf4Nsx-823_KHmLEZr-ziXdEKF_qMWFW3xNLa6w0qoyYeWsUVZA7JPPD8d-XLTyLpJDLCfuAtqpf08uniUDnU66xPoKuZMO7F-Isxoend1A_nZoQeeiju1kVOZr_LSKBVHufec06o3eHUkX/w400-h268/Interior+sign.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">You could walk along Strand and never realise it's there: unlike the grand gentlemen's clubs of Pall Mall, <a href="https://www.theindiaclub.co.uk/" target="_blank">the India Club</a> is tucked away upstairs in a hotel. And that hotel doesn't have the grand entrance of the nearby Savoy, but a discreet door leading directly onto a flight of stairs. Yet the India Club has real historical significance - and lots of retro charm. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9tUZZNC0Oo4LZ7R97oHX-LQ2YD08TmhypE1LwhdEpIaHiqRu0V38K2kusC-weK80OxEpmvOVAjBjkIFE_nJXnlC81_5PLF4TB2QqbMXbBreA6DUi6i_1umxaEHDvDv-WqcMJD8DwSx9Lrsyut/s850/India+Club+entrance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Two black doors with large glass panels are open, leading to a tiled hallway with a short flight of stairs. There is a closed, unmarked door directly ahead; the stairs continue to the right." border="0" data-original-height="850" data-original-width="638" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9tUZZNC0Oo4LZ7R97oHX-LQ2YD08TmhypE1LwhdEpIaHiqRu0V38K2kusC-weK80OxEpmvOVAjBjkIFE_nJXnlC81_5PLF4TB2QqbMXbBreA6DUi6i_1umxaEHDvDv-WqcMJD8DwSx9Lrsyut/w300-h400/India+Club+entrance.jpg" width="300" /></a></div> <p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Spot the doorway at 143 Strand, and see that the Club is on the first and second floors. The first floor is the bar, as much of a time capsule as the dining room which we are visiting today. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNRTid5oeiZd-gVnvHB3eba01Mf05x5hhArDSM-tWBCa9j0R9cxJpsIAw6NIVO3buYKH6fuP8ezr1Yj6oIFDoN7tXduppCfavLZkJFeseQknR4oOcFfKSz2tooc1RpkvvVdbdc83hr7Cm9zW3q/s850/Interior+sign+on+stairs.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="At the corner of two cream-painted walls, a round metal tube protrudes with a sign hanging from it. Both are dark brown, although marked on the right edge by cream paint left when the walls were repainted, and the sign says 'DINING ROOM' in pale letters with an arrow pointing left." border="0" data-original-height="638" data-original-width="850" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNRTid5oeiZd-gVnvHB3eba01Mf05x5hhArDSM-tWBCa9j0R9cxJpsIAw6NIVO3buYKH6fuP8ezr1Yj6oIFDoN7tXduppCfavLZkJFeseQknR4oOcFfKSz2tooc1RpkvvVdbdc83hr7Cm9zW3q/w400-h300/Interior+sign+on+stairs.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"> The menu is cheap and cheerful: a handy place to know about in the heart of theatreland and tourist London. However, we are not really here for the food. <br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeFwfRswKEINFQvpZty6Y46ax91uChPn8RGmKFsfLed339vW_ZncIuPjT4OzcWAt3KR4oT2x9q94I61T2ZOqwYx3MLbCbArgeO5oLkLIq5d36MUkNe9eoNbm0W7kaNCrE7Y0-hPvhIjuafzRP7/s850/India+Club+food.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="849" data-original-width="850" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeFwfRswKEINFQvpZty6Y46ax91uChPn8RGmKFsfLed339vW_ZncIuPjT4OzcWAt3KR4oT2x9q94I61T2ZOqwYx3MLbCbArgeO5oLkLIq5d36MUkNe9eoNbm0W7kaNCrE7Y0-hPvhIjuafzRP7/s320/India+Club+food.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Sat in the vintage interior, we are in a time capsule of Indian history. This club was founded by the India League in 1947, first at Craven Street before it moved here; it still has its Independence-era decor. In these surroundings, the League aimed to further friendship between Britain and India after Independence, and also offered legal advice and a research unit. The Club was a centre for the Indian community in London and hosted groups including the Indian Journalist Association, Indian Workers Association and Indian Socialist Group of Britain; its founders included the High Commissioner, Krishna Menon, President Nehru, and Lady Mountbatten. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaKELXGzum_gLlsSDXv-NUsulE3Qpgkvx-tTlDpq01Z_CdjSoN-lslxfsb1jxp_8KGam4jBuuAH9FXbrJaS05LHjUuOPRv2evySmyoo-2ATt1LfNasSzBl-LLBLv1ab5NJ89CjEJGUh4fftE_B/s850/India+Club+interior+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="849" data-original-width="850" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaKELXGzum_gLlsSDXv-NUsulE3Qpgkvx-tTlDpq01Z_CdjSoN-lslxfsb1jxp_8KGam4jBuuAH9FXbrJaS05LHjUuOPRv2evySmyoo-2ATt1LfNasSzBl-LLBLv1ab5NJ89CjEJGUh4fftE_B/s320/India+Club+interior+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>The National Trust held a pop-up exhibition, <i>A Home Away From Home</i>, here in 2019, and the oral histories it collected can be explored on the <a href="https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/features/a-home-away-from-home-the-india-club" target="_blank">exhibition website</a>. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf7qFsohFD6wXzV12pE1nHUUEOTJA5OBakZP0LnafH8fYDwTsJB7UW71m_n_fOdetBIn3G_xDXAQWcOt_wTCbmRQ3PZfjhen5vdvHtJgxQ-oejcxX5srhgmV-loDY34oX_fxoSaDM_i8rbmPoM/s850/India+Club+interior+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="850" data-original-width="850" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf7qFsohFD6wXzV12pE1nHUUEOTJA5OBakZP0LnafH8fYDwTsJB7UW71m_n_fOdetBIn3G_xDXAQWcOt_wTCbmRQ3PZfjhen5vdvHtJgxQ-oejcxX5srhgmV-loDY34oX_fxoSaDM_i8rbmPoM/s320/India+Club+interior+%25282%2529.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>The India Club is a unique space, and an irresistible combination of working restaurant and living history. These photographs were taken a few years ago, when the Club was under threat from developers. It saw off that challenge, but is now threatened again. As it struggles to meet a huge rent rise in the midst of a pandemic, it is raising funds to safeguard its fututure: <a href="https://www.theindiaclub.co.uk/save-india-club" target="_blank">find out more on its website</a>. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>CarolineLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00197813252586559665noreply@blogger.com0143 Strand, London WC2R 1JA, UK51.5113889 -0.118333323.201155063821155 -35.2745833 79.821622736178853 35.0379167tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287675141745937676.post-89710505154229829072021-01-20T17:02:00.001+00:002021-01-21T16:33:51.348+00:00London history on demand<div style="text-align: justify;"></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Lockdown has been, to put it kindly, a mixed blessing. However, one of the bright spots is that talks previously only available to those who could listen in person are now available to all. The Greenwich Industrial History Society is one of the organisations to have made the move online, launching a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXLzCeUEJl2ezpBeL-vkw1g" target="_blank">YouTube channel for their fantastic lectures</a>. So far, these include a fascinating exploration of global telecoms in Greenwich, Charlton and Woolwich by Alan Burkitt-Gray; a lecture from notable local historian Mary Mills; Greenwich's contribution to the first telegraph line linking Britain to India; and underground Greenwich. </p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/le2Q01Y0BXI" width="560"></iframe>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Another highly worthwhile YouTube channel is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ9P1rTxAjg5oPmvtEMjlxQ" target="_blank">London Historians</a>. This fantastic society has been sharing its annual lectures for some years, but now has monthly lectures and shorter presentations too. Definitely worth exploring!</p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LFMsMJB5jd0" width="560"></iframe>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Do you have any other channels you would recommend? </p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p>CarolineLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00197813252586559665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287675141745937676.post-25401164207469437082021-01-13T17:16:00.002+00:002021-01-13T17:16:18.541+00:00Olympia Warehouse sunset<div style="text-align: justify;"></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://carolineld.blogspot.com/2012/03/convoys-consultation.html" target="_blank">Discussion </a>about the development of Olympia Warehouse, part of Convoys Wharf in Deptford, has been <a href="https://carolineld.blogspot.com/2011/11/alternative-visions.html" target="_blank">going on </a>for <a href="https://carolineld.blogspot.com/2009/11/changes-at-convoys-wharf.html" target="_blank">well over</a> a decade. Visions of the building being reused as a cultural space, a celebration of the former Royal Dockyard's history, and so on have not come to fruition: on a recent walk, it still stood in lonely splendour. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMTR7ALLF58x2NzSuW0jfc3yRdq9sZMWILTQvTmI83fa1UItvTfuJMQ5EDA2o78YKJFLA56m09lqpfZ0IUrGLex5T1qHo_FtJN4uwSMvzIhvG2agPxnwKe6yGp-_YYePoh6_VivVbUpvWup4Gl/s2048/IMG_20201227_230737.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photograph taken in late afternoon light. A single-lane private road leads to a warehouse, whose two gables are distinctively curved. Its first and second floors are of rusty corrugated iron, pierced with rows of windows. The ground floor storey is painted cream with large garage-type doors. In front of it and to the side of the road is bare soil interspersed with scrubby vegetation. Behind the warehouse, a high-rise block of flats is visible." border="0" data-original-height="2047" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMTR7ALLF58x2NzSuW0jfc3yRdq9sZMWILTQvTmI83fa1UItvTfuJMQ5EDA2o78YKJFLA56m09lqpfZ0IUrGLex5T1qHo_FtJN4uwSMvzIhvG2agPxnwKe6yGp-_YYePoh6_VivVbUpvWup4Gl/w400-h400/IMG_20201227_230737.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The long and sorry history of the development of Convoys Wharf has been well covered by the <a href="https://deptforddame.blogspot.com/2020/06/convoys-wharf-development-plans.html" target="_blank">Deptford Dame</a>. The Warehouse itself has survived thanks to being a Grade II listed building - not just for its distinctive curved roofline, but because it is an important piece of industrial heritage. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div style="text-align: justify;">Built in 1846 by George Baker & Son, it is of distinctive <a href="http://www.glias.org.uk/news/245news.html#A">iron-framed construction</a>:
the original wrought- and cast-ironwork is still visible inside.
Originally, the two spans covered slipways, allowing ships to be
constructed within. They led into the dockyard basin (now filled in)
rather than directly into the river. While the building now has a
concrete floor and its more recent use was simply as a warehouse, the
slipways are intact a little below current ground level. Only one other
such shipbuilding shed survives, at Chatham.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">Thw warehouse has survived long beyond its original working life. It was originally part of the royal naval dockyard, first established by
Henry VIII on a site used for trading since before Roman times - and closed in 1869, less than a quarter of a century after the warehouse was completed. <a href="https://carolineld.blogspot.com/2011/10/convoys-wharf-uncovered.html" target="_blank">Convoys Wharf </a>was
therefore the site of a huge amount of maritime history; much was lost last
century, with more to be sacrificed to the current (forthcoming?)
development. <br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />The following photographs are from a visit (part of one of those many consultations) back in 2011.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiySYBdwHyNBcXEheJjULXWQj2WHKt4bzqwdkH9w8uVo2J1XwXIKauXXFUNwD7hr5RPleeslqBxRRQptskPh4X42DkX-Z5-0592rLYFiOeQW8S0MYr7oN4J0Movvja5gV-cIItdkqNe9GjNd8yt/s400/Olympia+Warehouse+exterior+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Detail of the front gable wall. The photograph shows a section of corrugated iron, pierced with windows. Each window is subdivided by metal frames into numerous small, rectangular pains. Towards the bottom of the image, a sign shows the letters O, Y and PIA." border="0" data-original-height="266" data-original-width="400" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiySYBdwHyNBcXEheJjULXWQj2WHKt4bzqwdkH9w8uVo2J1XwXIKauXXFUNwD7hr5RPleeslqBxRRQptskPh4X42DkX-Z5-0592rLYFiOeQW8S0MYr7oN4J0Movvja5gV-cIItdkqNe9GjNd8yt/w400-h266/Olympia+Warehouse+exterior+detail.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYv1NZ93gDedOQmG0eyoHc_58GYGI4pzT1fPQK8dh_f8d8Qab6kzlYXIMxw2pzsvMK1sPOU2E-FzW7Bgfz9EduxsxuBbXpefiJwSAyJmPaiGz1L7BQeomfOozaIECasZ21z_eJq20hsnvpj0Z-/s850/Olympia+Warehouse+exterior.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Exterior photograph of the warehouse. The view of the buildling is similar to that in the photograph above, but there is no road leading up to the building: instead, the foreground shows bare earth." border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="850" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYv1NZ93gDedOQmG0eyoHc_58GYGI4pzT1fPQK8dh_f8d8Qab6kzlYXIMxw2pzsvMK1sPOU2E-FzW7Bgfz9EduxsxuBbXpefiJwSAyJmPaiGz1L7BQeomfOozaIECasZ21z_eJq20hsnvpj0Z-/w400-h271/Olympia+Warehouse+exterior.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirx6fbLxgwJE-WQQVtcae-TnbpZnuiGxj2uv75XFZxJLHr3bA2IJnFI8IoYI-lOJ8trzQsr9JUQYECqA7ZAQnFuE-jE9qgEYd56TXGRQPHo8YCZn6au7z4ft3lN4pB0jXaOvLYJ2_drkM89Nc6/s320/Olympia+Warehouse+interior+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photograph of the interior with steel pillars and struts and a corrugated iron roof. The interior is otherwise empty; the front gable wall and windows are visible in the distance." border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="209" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirx6fbLxgwJE-WQQVtcae-TnbpZnuiGxj2uv75XFZxJLHr3bA2IJnFI8IoYI-lOJ8trzQsr9JUQYECqA7ZAQnFuE-jE9qgEYd56TXGRQPHo8YCZn6au7z4ft3lN4pB0jXaOvLYJ2_drkM89Nc6/w261-h400/Olympia+Warehouse+interior+%25282%2529.jpg" width="261" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivuQ4XmL5xN0z9J6UUoar7UZgjL28vGzU2jztTrD1QzJ_LLBXxawDCcNgfcBarqxp8XawhLY2ecwDDG3NU6rFOTcn_5P6zUpNhvwn1jG647WouJ2CwnBbZ1JN_W-UT7_5jO_gaJ1tMUPWShHuW/s400/Olympia+Warehouse+interior.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Interior photograph showing the roof including steel beams and struts and a corrugated iron roof." border="0" data-original-height="267" data-original-width="400" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivuQ4XmL5xN0z9J6UUoar7UZgjL28vGzU2jztTrD1QzJ_LLBXxawDCcNgfcBarqxp8XawhLY2ecwDDG3NU6rFOTcn_5P6zUpNhvwn1jG647WouJ2CwnBbZ1JN_W-UT7_5jO_gaJ1tMUPWShHuW/w400-h268/Olympia+Warehouse+interior.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /> </p><p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><p style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></p>CarolineLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00197813252586559665noreply@blogger.com0Deptford, London SE8 3JE, UK51.4834292 -0.027013229.355953384962682 -35.1832632 73.610905015037332 35.1292368tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287675141745937676.post-66191499981997749042021-01-05T09:56:00.001+00:002021-01-05T09:56:00.840+00:00Ghost signs (142): Fortescue Bros of Reading<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMqlHzoK8croW9K948PnhZIKXSe0SmvIXNOV4udz9ghBeA1t6jcqKllvwLKh6sGP_fwWeepx07nG6jlk_rDeP6FMs6rwavsRnhNY09PenDjf5zFnFVmJyc7-5D5X1EMbfU4XYfNYaI3HQjB8Hg/s850/Fortescue+Bros+Ltd%252C+Reading.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A ghost sign painted on red brick: a white background, with black text reading 'FORTESCUE BROS LTD CYCLE MAKERS. A manicule points left, with the text 'TO WORKSHOPS'" border="0" data-original-height="567" data-original-width="850" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMqlHzoK8croW9K948PnhZIKXSe0SmvIXNOV4udz9ghBeA1t6jcqKllvwLKh6sGP_fwWeepx07nG6jlk_rDeP6FMs6rwavsRnhNY09PenDjf5zFnFVmJyc7-5D5X1EMbfU4XYfNYaI3HQjB8Hg/w400-h266/Fortescue+Bros+Ltd%252C+Reading.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><p style="text-align: justify;">This ghost sign is tucked inside a covered alleyway off West Street, Reading - but it was worth stepping around the bins for. </p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOL4FrKdxMWPjEt9cxb22d8WtZpPXZiWT-0go-NL0p8fXlkx-IbUYjNp6TCKAQxfQjgTw25oEFIr4qMSANIYFJOgWc0sb2hCQ7p3v8d9FYHTV-lZhyphenhyphenu24lCZq2-IA41-762gEyjSQFVG4Y1XHP/s1234/Fortescue+Bros+Ltd%252C+Reading+context.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A photograph of the ghost sign and surrounding alleyway: the red brick wall, covered with graffiti tags, joins onto a flat concrete roof. To the left of the picture, a daylit yard is visible; to the right, a colourful shop front. In the foreground is the top of a large red commercial bin, bleached pink by the sun." border="0" data-original-height="823" data-original-width="1234" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOL4FrKdxMWPjEt9cxb22d8WtZpPXZiWT-0go-NL0p8fXlkx-IbUYjNp6TCKAQxfQjgTw25oEFIr4qMSANIYFJOgWc0sb2hCQ7p3v8d9FYHTV-lZhyphenhyphenu24lCZq2-IA41-762gEyjSQFVG4Y1XHP/w400-h266/Fortescue+Bros+Ltd%252C+Reading+context.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">It (literally) points passers-by to the workshops of Fortescue Bros Ltd, cycle makers. In business by <a href="https://onlinebicyclemuseum.co.uk/1930s-zephyr-tricycle/" target="_blank">1898</a>, they continued through at least the <a href="https://oldbike.wordpress.com/1936-approx-kendrick-tws-tricycle/" target="_blank">first half </a>of the twentieth century but are now long gone. The workshop may be defunct, but a jaunty manicule gestures on, jacket sleeve flashing a strip of cuff and cufflink, nails forever neatly trimmed. </p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj3giBc48HyrVSulhl63pBo2RERWkrHZJnlSIwmjLYx_tDI65JqSJT6rkKZ4oOFW_iIB8-aWVkM6k9LZU4qo7yTD_4R6B9tnXGufKdG0xs5ggv9bA3lsrAOsUp8Zlqg4yP5pFO3PGPLCLARhAL/s1234/manicule+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A detail of the ghost sign: a photograph of the manicule." border="0" data-original-height="823" data-original-width="1234" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj3giBc48HyrVSulhl63pBo2RERWkrHZJnlSIwmjLYx_tDI65JqSJT6rkKZ4oOFW_iIB8-aWVkM6k9LZU4qo7yTD_4R6B9tnXGufKdG0xs5ggv9bA3lsrAOsUp8Zlqg4yP5pFO3PGPLCLARhAL/w400-h266/manicule+detail.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>There is even a local London connection for me! Another branch of the Fortescue family were part of Saunders and Fortescue, who made and sold cycles in Lewisham, Peckham and Croydon. <br /><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p>CarolineLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00197813252586559665noreply@blogger.com01 West St, Reading RG1 1TT, UK51.4563571 -0.9758119000000000723.146123263821153 -36.1320619 79.766590936178844 34.1804381tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287675141745937676.post-4527179473485168252021-01-04T19:50:00.005+00:002021-01-04T19:50:50.773+00:00Straight to the point<p> Today, just a little teaser for a forthcoming ghost sign post - because who could resist this lively manicule? Those fingernails! The thumb wrinkles! The cuff and cufflink!<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO1cfpLFjST0q6N03eQrxKyyMxQRLdxY-vrr-JIYlz5c5_DFU27DVOvpgEF8VCLUSBYRTZyx7uAmB2wPy13XSJtZeaXBmmsI8jRQsv8IVwulLew3zBHF8LJ_59laoHAq6x2_XcenBprFX5n68E/s1234/manicule+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A small section of a red brick wall, painted grey-white wiht a painted outline of a pointing hand, incuding fingernail and cuff details." border="0" data-original-height="823" data-original-width="1234" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO1cfpLFjST0q6N03eQrxKyyMxQRLdxY-vrr-JIYlz5c5_DFU27DVOvpgEF8VCLUSBYRTZyx7uAmB2wPy13XSJtZeaXBmmsI8jRQsv8IVwulLew3zBHF8LJ_59laoHAq6x2_XcenBprFX5n68E/w400-h266/manicule+detail.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>CarolineLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00197813252586559665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287675141745937676.post-865095176727217122021-01-03T09:40:00.005+00:002021-01-03T09:40:08.303+00:00A stroll through Sables-d'Or-les-Pins<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuQQ26fjOiN4M1FLFeg74AC30-qWTqQCGQnTcrOx-sCNuqlOqIVaBtBcohItcCmE-s9gUCse3vpI7Zl1sGvelhpVSEZr8a4XTxCSvs45spjLZdSQNpIVf_QXBfyNAt-lH8iQJOo2zJjV8j4KCx/s1080/Screenshot_20210102_213759.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A bright blue sky with scattered white clouds, over a golden beach in the centre of the image and dunes covered with grasses in the foreground." border="0" data-original-height="1077" data-original-width="1080" height="399" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuQQ26fjOiN4M1FLFeg74AC30-qWTqQCGQnTcrOx-sCNuqlOqIVaBtBcohItcCmE-s9gUCse3vpI7Zl1sGvelhpVSEZr8a4XTxCSvs45spjLZdSQNpIVf_QXBfyNAt-lH8iQJOo2zJjV8j4KCx/w400-h399/Screenshot_20210102_213759.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Let's go back to late summer, and stroll down the broad boulevard and elegant side streets of Sables-d'Or-les-Pins. This seaside resort in Brittany, France, was created in the 1920s by Roland Brouard. This estate agent from Saint Malo wanted to build a resort to compete with La Baule and Deauville. Behind the sand dunes, he built a fashionable and stylish town which hosted fashionable events including horse and sports car races, and jazz concerts. <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyC1Z9p8Of-Au9ITwOaOEhB5ggPBx-Tyy2rRnjlOtq6liyFd-YLpnJLMlzi5RIHHXfBnyr-s1YS7RcHNxKEvzVGvxAr7vO3dOau7T7NSNd3fJc2Ju3STMVkRqKiw3jrCD-ICtYmf_tUdEmBLmG/s1440/IMG_20201004_113116_100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photograph of a long building with a stone ground floor and two half-timbered gables, painted cream with rust-red woodwork. A sign says 'Garage'." border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyC1Z9p8Of-Au9ITwOaOEhB5ggPBx-Tyy2rRnjlOtq6liyFd-YLpnJLMlzi5RIHHXfBnyr-s1YS7RcHNxKEvzVGvxAr7vO3dOau7T7NSNd3fJc2Ju3STMVkRqKiw3jrCD-ICtYmf_tUdEmBLmG/w400-h400/IMG_20201004_113116_100.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Its amenities included a casino and a high-class restaurant, as well as a garage for those sports cars - but also a chapel. The original building was a temporary wooden structure, described by the local newspaper in 1928 as <a href="https://frehel.info/fr/rb/109553/la-chapelle-de-sables-dor-les-pins" target="_blank">more shed than place of worship</a> - albeit appealing and well-attended. However, plans for its replacement came to an abrupt end when the Wall Street Crash and subsequent depression, followed closely by Brouard's death, brought the town's heyday to an end. Only in 1956 was the current chapel inaugurated - by which time Sables-d'Or had begun its new life as a family resort. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8rzVDHE37YINVnV1Gem3Ts1KBVYZLDNATS2EwtaXJ6phKJnR6jltrj2AbkiOhyphenhyphenQGz3cyZVAnK8BXHV9FmWDOuFCf2Q6jBQ72mZymfsxN15pIhf_Mbzi0cjeT7gCINyAv-rUfF0XEjcWDLAsV4/s1080/Screenshot_20210102_213853.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photograph of a small white chapel with steeply pitched grey roof and spire; its blue front door is sheltered by a porch which also has a steeply-pitched roof. In the foreground is the trunk of a tree." border="0" data-original-height="1077" data-original-width="1080" height="399" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8rzVDHE37YINVnV1Gem3Ts1KBVYZLDNATS2EwtaXJ6phKJnR6jltrj2AbkiOhyphenhyphenQGz3cyZVAnK8BXHV9FmWDOuFCf2Q6jBQ72mZymfsxN15pIhf_Mbzi0cjeT7gCINyAv-rUfF0XEjcWDLAsV4/w400-h399/Screenshot_20210102_213853.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The resort has a distinctive architectural style: stone and half-timbered buildings, some with sea-themed decoration, are well-spaced along wide streets. It remains a popular and attractive seaside town, even if the heady days of its glamorous prime have never quite been recaptured. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiShVFoET_YrkfF-oOXy0aKNcl5Qhib5XMP5LOfOG35pT6DROW3iW_UoMe8NEWQ9qeB7heAM3m3R1yiyWxF5QIioI-RmYAGB9kFMTJ4tFQau6tZ_zMySDKuy__UWym_1atJ8M9mrXZJbg86F-En/s1440/IMG_20201004_113116_101.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photograph of a large building on the corner of a road; its first two floors are stone, with doors and shuttered windows. The upper floors are half-timbered, with timbers painted in bright colours, and a hipped mansard roof with several steeply-pitched gables." border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiShVFoET_YrkfF-oOXy0aKNcl5Qhib5XMP5LOfOG35pT6DROW3iW_UoMe8NEWQ9qeB7heAM3m3R1yiyWxF5QIioI-RmYAGB9kFMTJ4tFQau6tZ_zMySDKuy__UWym_1atJ8M9mrXZJbg86F-En/w400-h400/IMG_20201004_113116_101.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>This blog previously visited Sables-d'Or to take a look at some<a href="https://carolineld.blogspot.com/2011/06/i-scream-you-scream.html" target="_blank"> slightly scary ice cream cones</a>!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglbtLhTG2e5CZsGSy-EaY1ycyDDuRifaoUDN4r-sM6rjxeVFyfDcVgsm3FWz0DE1rQMziaXb1jH92nLbxYH_X8TDP_K4nQfJA-IvW_4uGZ4gaFcDpI-7WYDS0KfkAy4DAR5eQiwmdssqcB0MGz/s1600/Ice+cream+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photo showing part of a large fibre-glass ice cream cone with swirls of soft-serve ice cream and a disturbing face with the tongue poking out." border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglbtLhTG2e5CZsGSy-EaY1ycyDDuRifaoUDN4r-sM6rjxeVFyfDcVgsm3FWz0DE1rQMziaXb1jH92nLbxYH_X8TDP_K4nQfJA-IvW_4uGZ4gaFcDpI-7WYDS0KfkAy4DAR5eQiwmdssqcB0MGz/w266-h400/Ice+cream+3.jpg" width="266" /></a></div> <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3mJipdgefDfRrCaPZh_kGNFzrZsWOLy7jcvSRYOqIZqbtiS_79yaUw57mZdKhrl9sPBJULvuO8kMVh0IYpa4Q__8Wahf6bgSCXMU7oZ4f2Bpjx6eQyFHy_iwDNvZfOdads1EMz_g3N7yf-tzM/s1440/IMG_20201004_113116_115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A photograph of a golden beach and turquoise blue sea, below a blue sky; in the foreground are plants and grasses on a sand dune." border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3mJipdgefDfRrCaPZh_kGNFzrZsWOLy7jcvSRYOqIZqbtiS_79yaUw57mZdKhrl9sPBJULvuO8kMVh0IYpa4Q__8Wahf6bgSCXMU7oZ4f2Bpjx6eQyFHy_iwDNvZfOdads1EMz_g3N7yf-tzM/w400-h400/IMG_20201004_113116_115.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>CarolineLDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00197813252586559665noreply@blogger.com0Sables-d'Or-les-Pins, 22240 Fréhel, France48.6392359 -2.40384920.329002063821157 -37.560099 76.949469736178855 32.752401