Sculpted in Brick

"To Build a Community" and "Dome in the Sky" at Winston-Salem, North Carolina, U.S.A

the work of artist Brad Spencer

Detail from another piece by Brad Spencer

Not so comfortable perhaps, this sofa by Rod Harris in Bristol

Appropriate that this 40 metre long locomotive should be in Darlington, home of the steam railway. The sculpture contains 180,000 bricks

A 5m long scupture by John McKenna depicts the history of Rugby

"Taliesin" by Gwen Heeney a public bench outside the leisure centre in the

 Powis village of  Llanfair Caereinion.

Also in Wales is the "Sirhowy Wyvern" a scuplture by Rebecca Buck. Designeed in collaboration with the people of Tredegar.

Standing to Attention

A Swedish soldier standing to attention in the southern town of Simrishamn. I walked past twice before I noticed this art installation. Few people seemed to see him.

Cromer

Cromer in North Norfolk was largely developed as a resort in the Victorian period. The town perhaps reached the height of its popularity in the 50's and 60's when large numbers of visitors from London and the Midlands holidayed there. Cromer was once important enough to have two railway stations with direct services from many parts of the country. This is not a large town, the population is less than eight thousand so it must have seemed quite crowded in the summer time. Cromer has a pier, a lifeboat station and a few boats still go out fishing. Crab has always been an important catch and there were once many shops and stalls selling fresh or dressed crab to locals and visitors.
Fewer visitors come these days although new attractions have been introduced to try to revive the trade. Many of the former hotels and guest houses now provide accommodation for social services.
This is still a very attractive town, the rolling countryside is quite different from the flat plains of much of Norfolk.
Out of season Cromer can be cold. The vicious east wind seems to carry shards of ice which penetrate the heaviest of clothing.

Watercolour painting by David Easton

San Giorgio Maggiore

This scene will be familiar to all who have been to Venezia. The busiest part of the city is the waterfront near Piazza San Marco. Here gondoliers may be hired to transport you through the picturesque canals, taxis are for hire for a speedy journey across the lagoon or a vaporetto boarded for it's waterbus journey around town.
This is the view across to San Giorgio Maggiore, a small island dominated by the 16th century church designed by Palladio. The frontage is of gleaming white marble. The campanile or bell tower was rebuilt in 1791 after the original 15th century tower collapsed. There is a lift to the top in addition to a ramped walkway. The interior is bright with natural light and contains large canvasses by Tintoretto: "The Last Supper", "The Fall of Manna" and "The Entombment of Christ". Tintoretto was an important renaissance style painter who lived in Venezia between 1518 and 1594.
There was originally an important Benedictine monastery here although in 1806 the monks were expelled by Napoleon's army and the buildings became an artillery depot. Since the 1950's the monastery has been occupied and restored by the Cini Foundation. This organisation was founded by Count Cini ,a World War II concentration camp inmate. His release had been secured by his son through bribary with valuable jewels. The buildings now house literary and theatrical archives and an important library. The civilisation of the former Venetian republic is studied in teh Foundation's school. La Foresteria is the luxury guest house established by Count Cini which continues to be used by notable visitors including many heads of state. The building contains an important art collection.

watercolour painting by David Easton

The Church of Agios Lazarus, Larnaca

Lazarus of Bethany was a devoted follower of Jesus. The Gospel according
to John gives an account of a miracle. On hearing of Lazarus's illness, Jesus
travelled to Bethany only to find that he had died and had already been
entombed for four days. John tells us that "Jesus Wept"; the origin of that
expression. Jesus is said to have visited the tomb and ordered the entrance to be opened. After a prayer, he called upon Lazarus who came out still
wrapped in his burial cloth. This resurrection caused anger amongst Jewish priests as it increased Jesus's following.

According to Greek Orthodox tradition, Lazarus was forced to flee to Cyprus
where he was appointed Bishop of Kition (present day Larnaca) by Paul and Barnabas. He was to live on the island for a further thirty years. The Church of St. Lazarus was built on the site of his burial and the tomb is to be seen in the crypt.

Another tomb claimed to be that of Lazarus is to be found in Palestine. The
site has long been occupied by a Mosque although Roman Catholic and
Greek churches have been built alongside.

The Byzantine Church in Larnaca was founded in the 9th century. For some
time during Venetian rule, this became a Roman Catholic place of worship and then under the Osmanli Empire, it was converted into a mosque. It was sold back in the late 16th century to the Orthodox Church who shared it with the Roman Catholics. Outside the church are monastic buildings and cells. The latter were sometimes rented to tradesmen and craftsmen. The buildings also house a museum.

A watercolour painting by David Easton

 

He felt those icy fingers reach out to touch him.

William Terriss was murdered. Due to perform in the play "Secret Service" on a December evening in 1897 he was stabbed by a jealous rival actor at the stage door of London's Adelphi Theatre.

Richard Arthur Prince had been helped on many occassions by Terriss both in finding acting roles and with gifts of money. He started drinking heavily, became erratic and could not find employment. He and Terriss started to argue and on 13th December, unable to raise any funds, Prince waited at the stage door. As Terriss arrived, he was stabbed in the back, his side and chest . He died in the arms of his lover, Jessie Milward, a member of the same company of actors. His dying words were "I'll be back".

Tried at the Old Bailey, Prince made the most of the publicity. He claimed that he murdered Terriss out of revenge. His defence tried to prove insanity calling on the evidence of doctors and family. He was found guilty and sent to Broadmoor. Here his stage career was more successful for he regularly entertained the inmates until his death in 1936.

William Terriss was as good as his last words for he has been back many times. He regularly haunts not only the Adelphi but has been seen many times at Covent Garden underground station across the road. He looks quite distinguished wearing a grey suit an old fashioned collar and white gloves. At other times he has been witnessed wearing a sombrero hat and flowing tie and once dressed as a soldier. He has been seen by a number of actors and has even appeared on stage. Often he will knock on the door of the dressing room that was occupied on the fateful night by Jessie Millward. On one such occassion he even attacked the occupant, a young actress.

One member of staff at the station has met him 40 times and has grown quite used to the apparition although one of his colleagues was terrified when in the dark, he felt those icy fingers reach out to touch him.

Terriss is at least in good company at the Adelphi for Ivor Novello also treads the boards of this theatre.

 

The Great London Beer Flood

 Last year was the 200th anniversary of a tragic London event when 8 died in a huge flood of beer.

 Henry Meux and Company had been established in 1764 as the Horseshoe brewery at the corner of Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road in London. It had been purchased by Sir Henry in 1807 and was one of London's major suppliers of porter. On the death of Sir Henry, his son took over the business until being declared insane in 1858. The company continued to operate until through mergers they became Friary Meux in 1956. They were acquired by Allied Breweries in 1961.

 The brewery had a number of enormous fermenting vats, the largest being 22 feet high and holding over half a million litres of porter. On 17th October 1814 a storehouseman reported that on of the iron hoops had fallen off of the vat. There were 29 hoops in all and it was not uncommon for one to fail. On this occassion however there were serious consequenses. About an hour later he was standing close to the vat when it burst. He found himself standing in beer which reached above his knees and first had to rescue his brother and a labourer who had become trapped. The force of the escaping beer caused a number of hogsheads to burst open (large barrels) and to knock out the cock of an adjacent vat which was almost as large. In all, almost one and a half million litres of beer escaped. A brewery wall 25 feet high collapsed as did the side of a nearby pub, the Tavistock Arms where a barmaid was buried in the rubble. Two houses were completely demolished. Many people in this poor locality lived in cellar rooms which were quickly inundated by the 15 ft tidal wave. A mother and her daughter were taking tea and were drowned. A funeral wake was submerged. Eight people died in this tragedy and many more had to be rescued.

 Stories abounded of people lapping up the beer in the streets, collecting it in pots and pans and fighting over it. These tales proved to be no more than rumour.

 The brewery had already paid duty on this vast amount of beer but Parliament allowed a refund in order that the business might survive.

Tunel and the Tram. Transport in Istanbul

Although part of Istanbul's transport system the Tunel and the historic tram offer an enjoyable journey from Karakoy to Taksim.

Tunel is the second oldest underground railway in the World having opened in 1875. It is perhaps also the shortest being just 550 metres in length. This is a funicular railway climbing 62 metres up the steep Galata hillside. Modernised in 1971 it is now electric powered and the cars run on pneumatic tyres, guided by traditional rails.

Emerging from the upper station in Tunel Meydani, one can board the heritage tram waiting at the terminus for the trip along Istiklal Cadessi, the city's bustling main shopping street. Istanbul's extensive tram network closed in 1966 but a number of cars were kept in storage. Route T5 was restored in 1990 and runs along a single track 1.6 kilometres to the transport interchange at Taksim. There is a passing place at Galatasaray and several stops en route although passengers jump on and off at will. Children are often seen taking a free ride by hanging on to the back of the cars.

Ferries constantly ply the Bogazici linking European Istanbul with the Asian suburbs. Take the boat to Kadikoy for another tram ride. Route T3 is a restored line which follows a 2.6 kilometre circuit serving Moda and the terminus of a new Metro line. The trams on this line originated in Germany. This is a residential district which sees few tourists so the trams are really for the benefit of the local population.

Trams pass at Galata

 

Cars wait outside the upper station of the Tunel

 

The Kadikoy to Moda tram

Kadikoy Ferry

What The Papers Said

John Allen sold his wife for 3s 6d; the electric fluid entered a cottage and smashed the furniture; a bear and a deer absconded from a boat and The Bugsworth Nick Club terrified local women.

One Saturday evening, not long ago, a man who had been making a little too free with "John Barleycorn", had to pass through Taxal churchyard where a deep grave had been dug (for an interment on the morrow), close to the footpath over which the jolly fellow had to pass on his way home; and being rather unsteady in his gait, and not quite able to maintain his true perpendicular, he unfortunately fell into the grave; and being unable to get out again, he quietly resigned himself to his fate and went to sleep. Shortly afterwards, one of his boon companions, in passing the same way, had the misfortune to fall into the same grave and rouse the first occupant from his sleep, who feeling himself offended at the intruders visit, muttered out in an angry growl "It's strange one cannot lie quietly in the grave".

Read about these and other curious stories in "What The Papers Said" a selection of news reports from the 19th and 20th centuries about the Derbyshire villages of Bugsworth, Furness Vale and Whaley Bridge.

Lutyens in Manchester

A Lutyens Masterpiece in Manchester

The former Midland Bank Building, now known as 100 King Street is the only Manchester building to be designed by architect Edwin Lutyens and it is one of his masterpieces. This art deco office on an island site is faced with portland stone and was constructed between 1933 and 1935. The design is precisely proportioned, a typical Lutyens feature. It ceased to be used as a banking office in 2008.

The ground floor banking hall is now a Jamie Oliver Italian restaurant. The upper floors have been fully restored and converted to a luxury 5* boutique hotel to a standard that the owners claim will be unique in Europe. Hotel Gotham is being billed as "The Sexiest Hotel in Europe"

Gotham Hotel Suite

Lutyens only other work in Manchester is the Cenotaph in St Peters Square. Erected in 1924, this is similar to that in London also to his design. These structures were something of a speciality of Lutyens as he built several around the World. The Cenotaph has recently been re-located to a more spacious site on the opposite side of St Peters Square to allow for rebuilding of the tram stop.

 

A fashionable address in Manchester

Mosley Street in the city centre was laid out in the 1780’s and named after the lord of the manor. The area was entirely residential and very fashionable. Here lived Manchester’s greatest merchants and businessmen. Hugh Birley was a cotton spinner and manufacturer of rubber goods. S. L. Behrens was the founder of the firm of shipping merchants and Nathan Meyer Rothschild
was of the banking family.

Mosley Street

In 1827 Henry Charles Lacy converted a house at the corner of Mosley Street and Market Street into an hotel and allowed rooms in the building to be used for warehousing. A rash of house conversions and warehouse building
followed over the next decade and property values soared. One house was
sold in 1832 for eight thousand guineas, twice its’ value of only five years earlier. By the end of the thirties, Mosley Street consisted almost entirely of
warehouses, the former residents having moved to the new suburbs such as Victoria Park and Didsbury.

Victoria Park was opened in 1837. An area of 140 acres had been obtained
by a company of gentlemen in order to build villas which would be let for between £100 and £250 per annum. The notable architect, Richard Lane was
engaged to design the park, laying out roadways, boundaries and landscaping and designing the gate lodges. The park had its’ own tollgates, walls and police.

By December of the following year only nine houses had been completed and the company was bankrupt. A new group, The Victoria Park Trust was
founded. Within the next five years a further sixty five houses had been built.
These were often large mansions with extensive gardens and required a
sizeable staff to maintain them. By the end of the nineteenth century, these
villas were already being converted into hotels, colleges and nursing homes.
Their weathy residents had been tempted to move further from the city to the newly fashionable area such as Bowden and Alderley Edge.

The building of Victoria Park was by a number of architects in addition to
Lane, Edward Salomons built "Hirstwood" and his own home, “The Gables”. In Daisy Bank Road is the Grade 1 listed “First Church of Christ, Scientist” built by Edgar Wood in 1903 and on Lower Park Road the Xaverian College by Alfred Waterhouse, now a Roman Catholic school for 2000 pupils. St Chrysostom's Church in Oxford Place is by Redmayne.

Daisy Bank Road

The park was home to a number of notable residents. 102 Daisy Bank Road
was the house of Charles Halle and was later occupied by Ford Madox Brown at
the time when he was painting the murals in Manchester Town Hall.
Richard Cobden was a calico printer and political activist. In Newton Street lived Emmeline Pankhurst, leader of the suffragette movement and in nearby
Plymouth Grove was the home of author Elizabeth Gaskell. Marie Nordlinger and Martin Solibakke were both writers; Elias Bancroft, a painter and George
Hadfield a lawyer and radical polititian who played a leading role in
establishing the Anti Corn Law League. People from a number of nationalities
lived in Victoria Park including a large chinese merchant community.

Nearby in Hathersage Road is Victoria Baths. Opened in 1906, the building
contained three swimming pools, private baths, a turkish bath, laundry and
jacuzzi. The main pool could be covered to provide a dance floor. Closed in
1993, this magnificently decorated building was subject of an appeal, which
culminated in winning the BBC restoration programme and a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The baths are now in the process of being renovated.

Today many of the buildings are used as university residences whilst others
have been converted into flats. Victoria Park is a conservation area and twenty of its buildings are listed. There is still an hotel and The Park is the location of the Chinese and Pakistani consulates.

Walking his elephant Maharajah from Edinburgh to Belle Vue Zoo, the
handler got into an argument with the toll keeper over the appropriate charge
for the animal to pass through Victoria Park. The confrontation ended when
Maharajah simply removed the toll bar and continued on his way.

For further information, the Rusholme Archive has an extensive illustrated history which includes Victoria Park : http://rusholmearchive.org/

The Pankhurst Centre in Newton Street.

 

Victoria Baths

 

Church of Christ Scientist, Victoria Park by architect Edgar Wood

 

Victoria Park

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Victoria Park Gates

 

Ancoats and TheNorthern Quarter

Manchester's Northern Quarter is the place to be seen right now and street art is flourishing. A selection of scenes old and new from the streets around Stevenson Square and nearby Ancoats. This was Manchester's clothing district and the old warehouses still reflect the past. Ancoats, just to the north is fast becoming a fashionable place to live. Redevelopment is fast catching up with a few remnants of an earlier age.

A reminder of a former occupier.

 

 

 

An advertising hoarding promotes apartments in a nearby mill conversion. A door set into the panel seems incongruous

 

 

A further reminder of the past

 

A Most Dramatic Station

Oxford Road is Manchester's second busiest station handling over 7 million passengers annually. Rebuilt in 1960 to a design by W.R.Headley and Max Clendinning, it is one of Britain's most
distinctive railway stations. The concourse has a triple conoid shaped roof built from laminated timber. The span ranges from 13 to 29 metres and is supported on a cruck frame. The curved platform canopies compliment the design as do the timber booking office, buffet and staff rooms. Timber was chosen due to weight considerations as the station is elevated on a lengthy viaduct; it was also a cheap material at that time. Close scrutiny of the structure will reveal the skill employed in its construction. The structure has needed frequent maintenance due to leaking and in recent years was supported by scaffolding although this has now been removed. It has been Grade II listed since 1995.

As part of the Northern Hub proposals, Oxford Road is to have considerable investment. The platforms will be lengthened to accommodate 8 coach trains and Platform 5 taken out of use. The concourse will be extended to provide more facilites and new entrances provided from Whitworth Street and the new "Home" arts complex on First Street. The station is set to become busier, handling many more trains and passengers. Network Rail promise to take good care of the famous roof. The buildings around the station approach are soon to be redeveloped in an extensive mixed use project following the re-location of "Cornerhouse"with its cinemas and galleries.

Jumper works at Oxford Road Station where he keeps the pigeons and rodents at bay. He has three companions but they work behind the scenes. Jumper is popular with passengers and famously had a huge amount of food donated when staff made an appeal. One of the cats jumped on a train to Wigan where he was recognised. He was soon sent back to Manchester.

  

St. Mary's Island

St. Mary's Island is just off the Tyneside coast near to Whitley Bay. It is connected to the shore by a causeway, accessible at low tide. The lighthouse was constructed in 1898 and continued to operate until 1984; it is now a visitor centre.

The island was originally called Bates Island after its owners. A medieval chapel dedicated to St. Helen once stood here and a graveyard alongside was the burial ground of monks. In the 19th century George Ewen ran an inn, the Square and Compass. Complaints about trespass and rowdy behaviour led the then landlord to evict the publican.
During the 1930' and 40's there was a cafe and shop for the visitors. The owners lived on the island as did the two lighthouse keepers. Facilities were very basic. Lighting was by oil lamps and water came either from a well or was collected from the rooftops.

Visiting the island is free of charge but be aware of the tides. You may have a three or four hour wait if you are stranded. There is small admissin fee for the visitor centre


Watercolour painting by David Easton

Poet's Corner, Manchester

Poet's Corner, Long Millgate, Manchester.
In the nineteenth century, the Sun Inn became the meeting place for a group of poets who came to be known as "The Sun Inn Group". They went on to launch the Lancashire Author's Association and published an anthology "The Festive Wreath" in 1842 which included contributions from more than a dozen writers. Licensee at that time was William Earnshaw, a well educated gentleman who encouraged his literary patrons. The Sun was opposite what is now the main entrance to Chethams. Just a little further along on the left stood The Old Swan.
The photograph has been digitally coloured from a black and white image.

Consall Forge, Staffordshire

The decrepit station buildings still stood alongside the line at Consall in Staffordshire. Occasional quarry trains would rumble through the narrow valley.
This was many years before heritage steam trains returned and long after passenger services had ceased. One of the waiting rooms and the platform precariously overhung the Caldon Canal which ran alongside the railway.

Consall Station

The Black Lion pub saw few customers, mostly walkers at the weekends. Road access was through private land, forbidden to strangers and usually even to the publican.
Beer had once been delivered by passenger train. After calling at the station, the train would reverse to the doors of the pub where driver andfireman would refresh themselves while the barrels were unloaded and passengers waited patiently.

Nearby was the old flint mill which was used to grind materials for Stoke on Trent's pottery industry. Built in 1830 by John Leigh, this had originally been driven by three waterwheels.  Modernisation had seen these replaced by water turbines, the source of power
being the Caldon Canal.  Curiosity got the better of me and a few turns of a handle saw the ancient machinery spring into life. In the 1970's the mill was still in regular production.

Consall Flint Mill

There is a further relic of the past in the form of four limekins. These date from the early 19th century, the coal and limestone having been delivered by canal. 

The Caldon canal, opened in 1778 had fallen into disuse. At Consall it joined with the river Churnet. It was restoreed to full navigation in the 1970's.