Bluebells August 2, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in British Isles, England.Tags: bluebell, bulbous plant, Common Bluebells, County Durham, deciduous, Durham, England, European Beech, Fagus sylvatica, ground cover, Hyacinthoides hispanica, Hyacinthoides non-scripta, North of England, Spanish Bluebell, whitebells, Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981
add a comment
This area of woodland near the city of Durham, in the north of England consists of mixed deciduous species, with the European Beech (Fagus sylvatica) predominating.
The ground cover is fairly diverse, but in spring it is carpeted with Common Bluebells (Hyacinthoides non-scripta). Although the Common Bluebell was, well, common when I was young, the status of this bulbous plant has changed somewhat. Hybridisation with the introduced Spanish Bluebell (Hyacinthoides hispanica) has meant that this stronger hybrid strain has taken over in some locations. Since the Spanish species produce less scent, you lose the heady perfume of a typical bluebell wood in full bloom. In order to protect this quintessentially British landscape, it has been necessary to enact legislation, and since 1981, under the Wildlife and Countryside Act (and a further prohibition to trade in bulbs and plants enacted in 1998) it is offence to remove these lovely flowers from their native habitat.
One item of note, bluebells don’t have to be blue! There is a very attractive, naturally occuring, white varient and these ‘whitebells’ can be seen mixed in amongst the drifts of flowers in many bluebell woods.
May blossom, near Wittering June 6, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in British Isles, England, Great Britain.Tags: 'cast not a clout 'til may is out', 55BC, Cambridgeshire, Common Hawthorn, Crataegeus monogyna, diverse habitat, farm-stock, farming, Flanders, ground cover, haws, hawthorn, hedgelaying competition, hedgerows, Hedges, Julius Caesar, mammals, May blossom, National Hedgelaying Society, Nervi tribe, nesting sites, Wittering
add a comment
- May blossom
The Common Hawthorn bush (Crataegeus monogyna) is a common sight in the British countryside; this example is growing near Wittering, Cambridgeshire. It grows wild of course, but it is also ’semi-cultivated’, in that it is planted and managed, in some cases by ‘laying’ – an ancient farming skill. Indeed, Julius Caesar, in 55BC, noted that the Nervi tribe, in Flanders, were skilled in layering and interweaving hedges.
There are many plants which can be planted to form a hedgerow, of course, but the hawthorn is amongst the most popular, in that it grows relatively quickly, to a good size, and gives a natural thorny barrier to farm-stock as well as providing shelter in bad weather. The work of the National Hedgelaying Society, and its members, ensures that ancient skills will not be lost. Indeed, you can watch hedgelaying competitions in most areas of the British Isles, if you know when and where to look for them.
If skilfully tended and trimmed, a layed hedge will last for 50 years before needing major attention – if left alone, the hedge would evolve into a series of individual trees, some up to 30 feet tall. Hedgelaying also makes for a thicker hedge, as wel as one which is more beneficial to wildlife, with more potential nesting site for birds, more ground cover, and a more diverse habitat. Other plant species arrive over the course of time, and the hawthorn provides a copious supply of red haws – the name for the fruit of the hawthorn – which are a major source of winter food for birds, and small mammals.
One of the reasons I love the English countryside in late spring, is the arrival of the May blossom (the hawthorn’s flower). Carried in clusters, it gives a frothy, dense appearance to many roadsides, and reminds me of my youth. An old English saying, ‘Caste not a clout, ’til may is out’ – an admonishment to retain winter clothing or face the chills - does not refer to the month, but rather the flower of the same name!
Snake Pass, Peak District National Park May 23, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in British Isles, Derbyshire, England, Peak District, Royal Air Force, South Yorkshire.Tags: Derbyshire, Peak District National Park, Snow, winter, South Yorkshire, Sheffield, ICAO, UK, A57, Glossop, Manchester Airport, EGCC, stream, Pennines, National Park
add a comment
Snake Pass, A57 Glossop to Sheffield
I am from Derbyshire, and intensely proud of that fact. I am fortunate enough to be able to travel back fairly often, and visit friends and relations in the region. A few weeks ago, I landed at Manchester Airport (ICAO code, EGCC), the third-busiest airport in the UK and only a few miles from the boundary of the Peak District National Park. I have family in Sheffield on the other side of the Pennines.
I chose to travel the A57 road which runs from Glossop in Derbyshire to Sheffield in South Yorkshire. Part of this road forms the notorious Snake Pass, which winds it’s way through the National Park from west to east. Here you can see a typical piece of Peak District scenery on the A57, complete with pines and a rushing stream.
One thing the Snake Pass is notorious for is becoming blocked by snow, almost every winter, and its easy to see why!
The Blacksmith’s Head, Lingfield April 20, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in British Isles, Great Britain, London, railways.Tags: bar, beam, bed & breakfast, blacksmith, brass, brick fireplace, donkey, East Grinstead, fire tongs, forge, four star hotels, framed print, Gatwick Airport, gin, glass bottles, home cooked food, horse brasses, hotels, Lingfield, London, mantle, public house, shoeing a horse, spirits, stoneware, stove, Surrey, The Blacksmith's Head, toasting fork, train service, Victorian, village inn, vintage
add a comment
The fireplace, The Blacksmith's Head
During my travels around the UK, I stay in a great variety of establishments , from four star hotels to modest ‘bed and breakfast’ accommodation. I am a great enthusiast for the ‘village inn’ type of public house, where the food is usually home-cooked and the company convivial.
‘The Blacksmith’s Head’ at Lingfield on the Surrey border is convienient for both Gatwick Airport and East Grinstead, which has a useful train service into the centre of London.
Here we see the brick fireplace in the public bar of this Victorian building. A modern stove sits where an open fire would once have done, but it still has some nice vintage touches. Horse brasses and a brass toasting fork hang from the mantle, and a set of brass fire tongs stand alongside the stove. On the shelves either side of the fireplace are displayed a number of Victorian glass bottles, and also a ‘bottle’ made from stoneware – many spirits were stored in such containers, including gin. The framed print depicts a blacksmith shoeing a horse, with a donkey close by; donkey’s do have a genuine calming affect on horses, which is why they are still sometimes used like this, today.
Although this building has Victorian roots, the orginal forge on this site was considerably older. There is an ancient oak beam above the bar with the date ‘1676′ carved deeply into it.
I found the place to be quite enjoyable after the hustle and bustle of the city, and would stay again, if I am ever in this part of the world.
Dry-stone walls, Derbyshire April 6, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in British Isles, Derbyshire, England, New England, Peak District, Prehistory.Tags: agriculture, architectural design, caravan, Carl Giles, cartoon, cartoonist, cattle, cattle pen, cultural link, Derbyshire, Dry Stone Walling Association, dry-stone wall, England, field boundaries, fields, flocks, foundation, France, frost, garden design, Germany, Giles family, Great Britain, harsh weather, herders, horizontal 'key', ice, key, livestock, maze, Middleton by Wirksworth, Millenium Wall, mobile studio, National Stone Center, Neolithic, New England, Peak District, Peak District National Park, predators, sheep, sheep folds, Sweden, thorn hedge, tour
add a comment
- Dry-stone walls, Derbyshire
Since Neolithic times, herders of sheep and cattle have sought to construct sheep folds and cattle pens to defend their livestock against predators. They also wished to define the limits of their own fields. Planting thorn hedges worked to an extent, but in harsh weather a dry-stone wall is best.
Romanesque font, Avebury March 23, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in British Isles, England, Wiltshire, World Heritage Site.Tags: 12 century, 9th century, aisles, Avebury, bishop, carving, church, crosier, dragons, font, font cover, mythical beast, nave, Norman, Romanesque, Saxon, St James, stone circles, tub font, village, Wessex, Wiltshire, World War Two, WW2, wyvern, wyverns
add a comment
Romanesque font, Avebury
The church of St James, Avebury, Wiltshire, is an old one, with a nave that is part Saxon. It dates from around 1000AD and has had Norman aisles added to the original struture (there are still two Saxon windows high up in the nave). You could say that Christianity was the minor religion of this tiny village at the time the church was founded, as it is likely that veneration of the nearby massive stone circles continued for some time.
In the church is a splendid example of a tub font, which would have originally been plain, but has been carved in the Romanesque style. There is great debate on the dating of this font, with some authorities giving an estimate of the 12th century, and others a date of 880-890. I think that the carving may have been added during the 12th century, to the much earlier plain font. The carved wooden font cover is very pleasing, and is dates from 1941, the very darkest period of World War Two.
The design appears to be composed of flowing elements, including the figure of a bishop; he is carrying a crosier, and is either being attacked by two wyverns, or is treading on their heads! Some say that the animals are dragons, but the use of wyverns would be most appropriate, as that mythical beast is the symbol often used for Wessex, in which this church stands. It could be that this represents the church’s triumph over the primitive religion of the stone circles, which are very close at hand.
Hadrian’s Wall – on the edge of Empire March 19, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in British Isles, England, Great Britain, Museums, Scotland, World Heritage Site.Tags: 'a-viking', 'Eagle of the Ninth', 'mile castle', 'On the Wall', ancient monument, Antonine Wall, ballista, basaltic, bathhouse, battleground, border marker, Bowness, Britannia, British, British tribes, cavalry, Danish, decree, deep ditch, Emperor, Emperor Hadrian, engineers, English Heritage, faced stone blocks, farmers, fort, fortifications, forts, Hadrian's Wall, Housesteads, infantry, Irish Sea, Legions, levies, linear fortress, longboat, military road, museum, Museums, Norse, North Sea, Oceanus Germanicus, Pictish, Picts, provincial boundary, quarried stone, quarry, Roman, Roman Legion, Roman mile, Roman occupation, Romanized, Romans, Rome, Rosemary Sutcliffe, rubble core, Rudyard Kipling, Segedunum, siege engines, Solway Firth, tourist, tourist destination, UNESCO, Vercovicum, Wallsend, watchtower, World Heritage Site
add a comment
Hadrian's Wall - looking west
Hadrian’s Wall has been many things in its long life – linear fortress, border marker, provincial boundary, casual quarry, battleground, ancient monument, tourist destination and the setting for many tales (Rosemary Sutcliffe’s ‘Eagle of the Ninth’, and Rudyard Kipling’s ‘On the Wall’ spring to mind). It runs from the Roman fort of Segedunum (Wallsend) to Bowness on the Solway Firth, and is just over 73 miles long.
Brought into being by decree of the Emperor Hadrian, during his tour of Britain in 120AD, the main purpose of the wall was to prevent the northern areas of the Roman province of Britannia being over-run by Pictish tribes from the north, and also spasmodic sea-borne attacks by Danish and Norse raiding parties, who went ‘a-viking’ when the spring brought better sea conditions for their longboats. The best known of the three wall-like fortifications built across the province of Britannia, Hadrian’s Wall had (for the most part) a rubble core and faced stone blocks to a height of some 12 feet, in places. The more northern Antonine Wall, (built c. 142AD) at the shortest distance between the east and west coasts, was a constructed of mostly earth and timber. It is a little known fact that each Roman Legion carried its own engineers, and these were quite capable of undertaking major building works, such as Hadrian’s Wall, using local stone; three Legions undertook to build the wall, and traces of their handiwork can be identified to this day. When completed, the wall stretched from the North Sea (Oceanus Germanicus) to the Irish Sea. It was fortified each Roman mile, with so-called ‘mile castles’, strong watchtowers, which could hold a detachment of fighting men, and siege engines, including ballistas, capable of firing heavy dart-like spears at any attacking force. There was a deep ditch immediately in front of the Wall, which was strewn with thorn bushes and jagged rocks to make any approach from the northern side difficult. There were also some fortifications to the south, in parts, to prevent attacks from the rear, as well as a military road behind the wall running parallel to the fortifications.
As well as the mile castles, there were major forts immediately behind the wall, like the one at Housesteads, which has been preserved (especially the bathhouses), and which has a delightful museum about the Roman occupation. A number of outlying forts, north of the wall, were intended to subdue and control the Picts, locally.
The grip of the Romans on this area waxed and waned over the centuries, and the commanders had to rely on British auxiliaries to man Hadrian’s Wall. These auxiliary units would have included both infantry and cavalry, and would have been recruited, in the main, from local Romanized British tribes. When Rome finally withdrew the last of the Legions in 410AD, the Wall ceased to have a great deal of meaning – although some historians suggest that local ‘levies’ still manned some of the forts for a time.
This view, from just north of the wall and looking west, shows the natural, basaltic outcropping, which the Legions used as the basis for their structure, wherever possible (the western half did not have easily available stone). The remains – close to the fort of Vercovicum (Housesteads) – are still impressive, despite the ravages of time, and the depredations of local farmers through the centuries, and 18th century road-builders, who regarded the wall as a great source of quarried stone. Hadrian’s Wall is, of course, a UNESCO World Heritage Site – it attained that status in 1987, and is managed by English Heritage.
Leopoldoff Colibri – romantic, obscure, and very French (or is that, Russian?) March 16, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in Aviation, British Isles, England, France, Great Vintage Flying Weekend, Second World War, aircraft.Tags: Abingdon, aircraft, Aviation, Aviation Federation of Morocco, biplane, Bolshevik Revolution, British, British register, coelcanthe, Continental Motors Corporation A65-8S engine, D'Arcy Aviation, diamond, Dr Saugnes, drawings, E.T.S.Leopoldoff, emigres, England, F-PCZX, First World War, fishermen, France, French, French register, G-AYKS, General Juin, genus, German, gold, Great Vintage Flying Weekend, hummingbird, Imperial Court, Imperial Russia, interplane struts, L'Amicale Jean Baptiste Salis, L.3, L.7 Colibri, La Ferte-Alais, Latimeria chalumnae, Leopoldoff, lower wing, M.J. Rousseau, Malagasy, Morocco, navigation instruments, nets, Paris, post-war, Prince Moulay Hassan, prototype, Rabat, Resident General de la France au Maroc, Russian, Russian aristocracy, salesmen, Salmson, Salmson 9Adb radial engine, Second World War, Sensenich W72CK, sesquiplane, shopkeepers, Societe des Avions Leopoldoff, Societe des Constructions Aeronautiques du Maroc, taxi driver, upper wing, William Cooper, wing dihedral, wooden propeller, WW1 markings
1 comment so far
- Leopoldoff L.7 Colibri
Sometimes you find something that surprises you – immensely. It is rather like panning for gold, and coming up with a huge, rough diamond. At Abingdon, during an early phase of the GVFWE event, I came across this pretty aircraft; it was rather like some Malagasy fishermen hauling up their nets and finding a coelcanthe (Latimeria chalumnae).
The genesis of the Leopoldoff is shrouded in the mists of the Bolshevik Revolution. It is said that the plans of the original aircraft were drawn up prior to 1917 by E.T.S. Leopoldoff, who, when the Imperial Russian regime fell, hurriedly left the country. Like many other Russian emigres, he ended up in Paris (French had been the preferred language of the Imperial Court, and most of the Russian aristocracy). There, the Russian community scratched out a living as best they could; some were shopkeepers, some salesmen, and some, as in Leopoldoff’s case, became taxi drivers. He finally persuaded a French company to build a prototype to his drawings, which flew in September, 1933. Progress was slow, with the first production machine appearing in 1937. Minor variations gave rise to changes in designation, with the main version being the L.3. Leopoldoff had formed his own company by now (Societe des Avions Leopoldoff), which undertook to build this pretty aircraft as a two seater for club or touring purposes. Just over 30 aircraft were produced before the Second World War broke out.
The L.7 Colibri (named after a genus of hummingbird) is a post-war modification of an L.3. The original aircraft would have been fitted with a Salmson 9Adb radial engine of 45hp, leaving it rather underpowered. Instead, the L.7 now has the ubiquitous Continental Motors Corporation A65-8S engine, of 65hp, driving a wooden Sensenich W72CK propeller – a much better proposition. You can just make out that the L.7 is a sesquiplane (or unequal span biplane). Some Leopoldoff aircraft were ‘normal’ biplanes, and you can see that this has given rise to an odd appearance. The attachment points for the interplane struts on the upper wing have stayed the same, which means the struts now make an acute angle with the shorter, lower wing. Note the pronounced wing dihedral. There are echoes of WW1 aircraft in this design; indeed, one of the few examples still extant (in the collection of L’Amicale Jean-Baptiste Salis, at La Ferte-Alais in France) is painted in German WW1 markings.
Post-war, six more aircraft were built in Morocco by Societe des Constructions Aeronautiques du Maroc, and one of these made a noteworthy flight on the 3rd July 1948, when it successfully completed a 600km course as part of an aviation rally organised by the Aviation Federation of Morocco. The Leopoldoff (powered by a Salmson radial) landed safely back at Rabat, where the crew of Dr Saugnes and M J Rousseau were greeted by the Resident General de la France au Maroc, General Juin and Prince Moulay Hassan. It was the smallest aircraft in the rally, and had no special navigation instruments!
This L.7 is the only one on the British register, and was owned by D’Arcy Aviation in the 1970s (it had been on the French register, at one stage, as F-PCZX). It is now in the capable hands of Mr William Cooper. Long may she grace British skies.
Avebury Manor – history and yet more history March 14, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in British Isles, England, Great Britain, World Heritage Site.Tags: 'clipping', 'timed tickets', 'white lady', 12th century, 16th century, 90 degree bend, abbey, apparition, Avebury, Avebury Manor, Benedictine, Bristol, businessman, chamberlain, Chamberlain of Normandy, Civil War, coinage, colonel, Colonel L.C.D. Jenner, ecclesiastical, Edwardian, Edwardian gardens, Elizabethan, English Civil War, gardens, ghost, ghost stories, glazing, Henry III, history, instruments of torture, ivy, Ken King, leaded glazing, limestone, manor, Master of the Mint, National Trust, Normandy, Oliver Cromwell, parking, Priory, property, religious house, rendered walls, roses, Rule of Saint Benedict, Saint Benedict, Saint-George de Boscherville, sarsen stone, Sir John Stavell, Sir William Sharington, tenants, theme park, through road, topiary, torture, UN-designated, village, waxworks, William de Tankerville, William Durch, Wiltshire, World Heritage Site
add a comment
- Avebury Manor
The National Trust owns the delightful Avebury Manor in Wiltshire; however, as with some of their other properties, it is leased by tenants, so only some of the property may be viewed and since access is limited, ‘timed tickets’ are issued.
Street signs – advertising as art March 11, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in British Isles, England, Museums.Tags: Beamish Open Air Museum, Victorian Era, County Durham, steel, Rowntree's, cocoa, Sunlight Soap, Berina Malted Milk Food, Oxo, Carter's Seeds, Milkmaid's Milk, Sun Insurance, neon tube, billboards, paper posters, metal street signs, industrial buildings, commercial buildings, railings, fences, railway stations, corner shops, advertisements, Pear's Soap, Nipper, terrier, Painting, His Master's Voice, The Gramophone Company, HMV, rolled tin, mild steel, screen printed, rusted, oxygen cell corrosion, paint, dyestuff, screw holes, enamel, galvanized, zinc, paint adhesion, tin signs, Scottish, Ovaltine, Holdfast Boots, Swan Ink, Stephen's Blue-Black Ink, brand leader, Thorley's Food, pigs, Burnard & Alger's, Plymouth, manures, crops, Cooper's Sheep Dipping Powder, King of Spades, playing card, king, shepherd's crook, sceptre, sheep dip, keds, lice, scab, blood-sucking, wingless fly, Melophagus ovinus, tick, loss of weight, damage to hide, damage to fleece, irritation, reproduction signs, commercial images, byegone age, art form, Stanley
1 comment so far
Street signs, Beamish Open Air Museum, Stanley, County Durham
Before the flickering neon tube invaded our senses, before the massive billboards with their ephemeral, multi-sectioned, paper posters, there were metal street signs. A step up from the simple manufacturer’s notices and such, which were generally painted in one or two colours on the blank walls of industrial or commercial buildings, metal signs were screwed onto the walls, railings and fences of everything from railway stations to ‘corner shops’.
In their heyday, from the Victorian era through to the 1950s, images on street signs rose from the commonplace to the iconic. The children used in the advertisements for ‘Pear’s Soap’ were famous, and Nipper, the terrier in the painting ‘His Master’s Voice’ (originally from The Gramophone Company, now HMV) is still with us in a modified form, to this day. Many signs were made from metal, for durability; either of rolled tin or mild steel. The images on the signs are usually screen-printed, although some were painted.
The steel signs rusted, of course, by a process called oxygen cell corrosion, usually at the point were the paint/dyestuff layers were incomplete or damaged, such as at the screw holes. Some signs received a layer of enamel on the steel so they would have a longer life, or were galvanised for the same reason, and also because this thin layer of zinc gave better paint adhesion. The tin signs were more fragile than those made from steel.
The images you can see here are in the foyer of the Beamish Open Air Museum, and represent a selection of manufacturers and products, from those with national reach to those with strictly local appeal. Some, like Oxo, Carter’s Seeds, and Rowntree’s Cocoa are still with us today; others such as ‘Milkmaid’s Milk’ have faded into obscurity. ‘Berina’ Malted Milk Food appears to be a Scottish equivalent of Ovaltine, and ‘Holdfast Boots’ have walked off into the distance. Sadly, ‘Swan’ Ink lost out to Stephen’s Blue-Black Ink, the brand leader into the 1960s. Minor brands included ‘Thorley’s Food’ for pigs, and ‘Burnard & Alger’s’ a local company in Plymouth, who produced ‘ well known special manures for all crops’. My favourite though, is ‘Cooper’s, Sheep Dipping Powder’, which uses the image of a King of Spades playing card, showing the king carrying a shepherd’s crook instead of a sceptre. The sheep dip claims to cure keds, lice and scab; keds are a particularly nasty blood-sucking, wingless fly (Melophagus ovinus) which looks like a tick and causes loss of weight, damage to the hide and (indirectly) damage to the fleece as the sheep rub against fence posts and the like, because of irritation.
Needless to say, there is a flourishing market for these original signs; so much so that there is also a considerable trade in reproduction signs, even commercial images which were never previously issued in this form! I happen to like these colourful images immensely; they are cheerful reminders of a byegone age, and are now, quite correctly, regarded as a true art form.
