tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66559745542676508932024-03-18T18:09:04.219+00:00Eclectic EphemeraA web log, an æthereal scrap-book if you will, with a somewhat vintage flavour. News items, occurrences, experiences, thoughts and opinions related to Victoriana through to Fifties Americana can all be found here.Bruce Partington-Planshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11336280062885272950noreply@blogger.comBlogger656125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655974554267650893.post-2447045421449442332024-03-15T12:27:00.005+00:002024-03-15T12:27:44.042+00:00Ukraine finds British WW2 Hurricane planes outside Kyiv<iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/D38SXIO6ejA?si=79j8FnuRtazp3HRl" width="480"></iframe><p><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-65955365" target="_blank">Ukraine finds British WW2 Hurricane planes outside Kyiv</a></p><p>Back to Hawker Hurricanes again for this next story, featuring the extraordinary recovery of eight airframes that have been found buried in woodland just outside Kyiv, Ukraine. While the almost-too-good-to-be-true story of <a href="https://eclecticephemera.blogspot.com/2012/10/british-aeroplane-enthusiast-wins-right.html" target="_blank">Spitfires and Mosquitoes buried in Burma</a> a few years ago turned out to be just that, with no physical evidence of such aircraft being found, this tangible discovery - as first reported back in July 2023 - is far more promising and all the more remarkable since it is occurring in the middle of an active warzone.</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 data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ajw1970/38035998204/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Hawker Hurricane II ’11 white’"><img alt="Hawker Hurricane II ’11 white’" height="267" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/4542/38035998204_bf33e46e0f_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Hawker Hurricane II ’11 white’ recreation, on display in ‘Victory Park’, <br />Museum of the Great Patriotic War, Poklonnaya Hill, Moscow, Russia.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>That has not deterred the members of the <a href="https://aviamuseum.com.ua/en" target="_blank">National Aviation Museum of Ukraine</a> who took advantage of an unexploded bomb disposal nearby to locate the remains of the eight aircraft and begin excavations, with the aim to retrieve as many parts as possible in order to hopefully recreate one complete aeroplane. How far they have progressed in the intervening eight months it is not possible to say; the museum is unsurprisingly closed for the duration so I expect work is severely limited but it would be nice to think that the parts could eventually be reassembled into a full-scale display once all the unpleasantness is over. </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://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFVDhnlzCXPi2Mkm39NMT8G6DN4Ji7w72ypDwTXoaGRq52cLb_llu-ID5pnwMPXlCyzm23DXueOVDOJSLdaYrizwEa4VeUrdomnhmYCD6BpPirUaDw5kP2QXPbpEPNxB8te4v3fK6w-cq_C2MspJKTixRbD5bVp9SOJuElQozDw52q6kfvRjd7oQlPemtG/s1024/a-hawker-hurricane-mk-iib-of-no-134-squadron-raf-taxies-out-past-russian-sentries-fbb161.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1010" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFVDhnlzCXPi2Mkm39NMT8G6DN4Ji7w72ypDwTXoaGRq52cLb_llu-ID5pnwMPXlCyzm23DXueOVDOJSLdaYrizwEa4VeUrdomnhmYCD6BpPirUaDw5kP2QXPbpEPNxB8te4v3fK6w-cq_C2MspJKTixRbD5bVp9SOJuElQozDw52q6kfvRjd7oQlPemtG/w395-h400/a-hawker-hurricane-mk-iib-of-no-134-squadron-raf-taxies-out-past-russian-sentries-fbb161.jpg" width="395" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">A Hawker Hurricane Mark IIB, Z5253 'GA-25' of No. 134 Squadron RAF <br />taxies out past Russian sentries at Vaenga, near Murmansk, October 1941. <br />Several British squadrons were originally sent out to train Russian pilots <br />before handing the Hurricanes over to them.</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br />I take my hat off to the museum's volunteers, who must have been working under immense pressure - and probably not a little danger - to get these relics to safety and so begin the job of sorting through the parts needed to create a complete Hurricane. Cleaning, repairing and cataloguing are strenuous undertakings at the best of times but what it must be like with the evils of war hanging over you is almost unimaginable. That these men are driven to rescue these long-abandoned machines, with the desire to return one to period condition in honour of the brave [Ukrainian] pilots who flew them on the Eastern Front during the German invasion of Russia, is more than admirable and I wish them every success in their endeavour (when the situation permits) - stay safe, gentlemen!</p>Bruce Partington-Planshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11336280062885272950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655974554267650893.post-70896730409693160952024-03-13T11:00:00.149+00:002024-03-13T11:30:58.179+00:0091-year-old car enthusiast, teen bond over restoring vintage Model A Ford<iframe src="https://sinclairstoryline.com/resources/embeds/jw8-embed.html?client=googima&file=https://content.uplynk.com/50e89f3491534dc1a206dcbd510504e3.m3u8&autostart=false" width="480" height="270" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" loading="lazy"></iframe><p><a href="https://cwomaha.tv/news/offbeat/91-year-old-car-enthusiast-teen-bond-over-restoring-vintage-model-a-ford-george-sage-samuel-mpare-model-a-ford-club-of-america-shared-passion" target="_blank">91-year-old car enthusiast, teen bond over restoring vintage Model A Ford</a></p><p>We resume normal service now on Eclectic Ephemera with this heart-warming story from Washington state in America and which initially appeared in June 2023. Proof, if proof were needed, that age is no barrier to friendship - especially if interests are shared as in the case of the two gentlemen who form the subject of the article.</p><p>Serendipitous events like the one which brought this pair of enthusiasts together are the sort of thing that make the world seem a little bit of a brighter place, where two people at the opposite ends of the age spectrum can meet by chance and hit it off in such a splendid manner beneficial to them both. Quite apart from the obvious rapport that they enjoy Mr Sage gets to pass on his <a href="https://youtu.be/DH4mH0VFbfU?si=nInePJZgMS7Psdj6" target="_blank">extensive knowledge</a> on the subject of Model A Fords <i>(see below for an example) </i>to the younger generation and so ensure its ongoing perpetuation while Mr Mpare learns valuable skills - both of the life and the mechanical variety - that he has already put to good use building his very own Model A from parts sourced by the <a href="https://www.mafca.com/" target="_blank">Model A Ford Club of America</a> no less! It is simply joyous to read of how an unexpected meeting has led to this firm friendship, the passing of the torch of experience, the obvious enthusiasm shown by both men for their common interest. It goes to show that one never knows what Fate has in store for us and that unlooked-for opportunities should be embraced whenever possible - who can tell where they might lead? Once again it is also splendid to read of another "old soul" - one with a nonetheless very mature outlook on past, present and future, who understands and appreciates the importance of traditional know-how such as this and the rewards he has gained as a result - the companionship of a responsible and grounded gentleman with a lifetime of experience, which in and of itself can be of great benefit to a teenager just starting out in life (a fact that young Mr Mpare and his family clearly appreciates) and, if that wasn't enough, his own antique motor car built with his own hands! Well done and congratulations to Messrs Sage and Mpare, indeed! May their friendship continue to blossom and may many more Model A's ultimately get back on the road as a result.</p><p> <a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/smith/81141/" title="Dan's Model A"><img alt="Dan's Model A" height="332" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/1/81141_a3f7d37fb9_w.jpg" width="400" /></a></p><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>Bruce Partington-Planshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11336280062885272950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655974554267650893.post-14650808817589160892024-03-11T10:38:00.004+00:002024-03-11T16:28:14.118+00:00I couldn't possibly comment...<p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5XDwQZQdwYgNKLkLDVg4Cu2ATSYo1lhyphenhyphen4GQ7uOnIYyJLXDKBOXquuFR9XMXEmeCH7JyGf-7dDKr5iKCybafpSOS543N5mZ0UBdP3JsCN2XxERDY-PJpJjxgmT1jjzZlebeX1VVtJWMzvayEJFfJib6vggziVuGnsK4C_o98Ov7MjfoTaDMxdVV55eavar/s393/11163.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="393" data-original-width="310" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5XDwQZQdwYgNKLkLDVg4Cu2ATSYo1lhyphenhyphen4GQ7uOnIYyJLXDKBOXquuFR9XMXEmeCH7JyGf-7dDKr5iKCybafpSOS543N5mZ0UBdP3JsCN2XxERDY-PJpJjxgmT1jjzZlebeX1VVtJWMzvayEJFfJib6vggziVuGnsK4C_o98Ov7MjfoTaDMxdVV55eavar/s320/11163.jpg" width="252" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">"What's that - you'd like to leave a comment? <br />Let me just get a pen and some paper..."</span></td></tr></tbody></table>Hello all. This is by way of a bit of "housekeeping" between posts (I suppose this is a post in itself, though, but you know what I mean I hope! Not my usual fare, shall we say). It's just that I've been informed that some of you may have been experiencing difficulties posting comments recently, with some sort of message along the lines of <i><b>"An error occurred while trying to publish your comment" </b></i>stopping one from leaving a friendly remark or somesuch. If this has been affecting you I am heartily sorry, as I do value all positive and chummy comments that you may wish to send my way on the subject of my (hopefully our) interests and witterings thereon. Should it be the case, and if you'd care to, perhaps you might drop me a wire at the address on the postcard <i>(right column)</i> and I will see if I can do anything to help. To be truthful I'm afraid my technical know-how is slim to non-existent though, so I can't guarantee I'll be of any use I'm afraid! Having had a poke about amongst the cogs and gears below stairs - and although I do have comment moderation switched on - I don't believe it's got anything to do with the Comments settings on Blogger (but who knows with Google these days), however with a bit of a hunt around the æther I can at least suggest the following:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgVXyYKtA5E8b6b7z75j22x_SMuhjHRJDperW3CI8IFNzG2wq_FZ8Z4D3HCs3YQs6WKxyNV0hFSaAi9d14OSOHyE5aZQVxoTucGyVv0tsu4gnD_X3Yxa-57JUfEBNRPEyY1IzcIYT-nGh633Ba4dR5JJpS2-EaKbgrTNtM2_3uvneGFzWaBTB2T1js3PrP/s350/YOF_083L.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgVXyYKtA5E8b6b7z75j22x_SMuhjHRJDperW3CI8IFNzG2wq_FZ8Z4D3HCs3YQs6WKxyNV0hFSaAi9d14OSOHyE5aZQVxoTucGyVv0tsu4gnD_X3Yxa-57JUfEBNRPEyY1IzcIYT-nGh633Ba4dR5JJpS2-EaKbgrTNtM2_3uvneGFzWaBTB2T1js3PrP/s320/YOF_083L.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>Check your anti-virus software settings. Some anti-virus programs include anti-tracking as standard and this can apparently interfere with third-party cookies that are required by most websites (including Blogger) for comments etc. to be allowed. I myself experienced something along these lines (stopping me from commenting on my own blog, no less - the cheek of it!) the other day and it turned out to be my anti-virus software, Bitdefender, being rather overzealous on the blocking front. It might be worth checking your own provider to see what the settings are for the Anti-tracker, if you have it switched on (with Bitdefender you can choose which browsers it is active on, so I have it switched off for all of them).</li><li>Likewise you can check the third-party cookie settings on your browser of choice directly to confirm whether or not they are switched on and/or create a custom list of which websites are allowed to use them (in Chrome this is under Settings/Privacy and security/Third-party cookies).</li><li>It might also help to do the old trick of emptying your cache and/or deleting your browsing history and cookies but for how far back I could not say (again in Chrome this is in Settings/Privacy and security/Clear browsing data). You will likely lose all your logins across the interweb and have to sign in again, though. </li><li>It may be a nuisance but perhaps try a different browser and see if that helps (quite what to do after that I couldn't say though - perhaps check and compare the settings?).</li><li>Again a bit of a pain, however you could switch to Incognito mode in Chrome or open a Private window in Edge or Firefox (Ctrl+Shift+N in all cases, I believe) and see if that makes a difference. </li><li>As a last resort you may want to try uninstalling and reinstalling your browser - that might reset everything, although again you will probably have to sign in to any websites you were previously logged in to. </li></ul><p></p><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://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCAfKeFVgJG0I0MZ8nwUHNO3nmBhri7YnhaU0k8YgjqXgY60q5LKvab7o41JeZ6xagSyfOVhxXXIUKQDzzPhV3UMWXbguxiLaBZneT8VtrWc5XcUFyXtEU4LcTvySdQSWnyQRVeH6Wziynpp4D11xWvePNze2DY9wes9fUqhxoZ1ZxmlxZsVs2ZLcx-sCO/s255/smf045.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="255" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCAfKeFVgJG0I0MZ8nwUHNO3nmBhri7YnhaU0k8YgjqXgY60q5LKvab7o41JeZ6xagSyfOVhxXXIUKQDzzPhV3UMWXbguxiLaBZneT8VtrWc5XcUFyXtEU4LcTvySdQSWnyQRVeH6Wziynpp4D11xWvePNze2DY9wes9fUqhxoZ1ZxmlxZsVs2ZLcx-sCO/w400-h314/smf045.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">"This would be so much easier if we had a working comments section..."</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>
Well apologies for that rather dull, instructional post but as I do enjoy and encourage any and all pleasant comments I would be sad to think that you, my readers, were being stopped from doing so for any reason. I hope my limited knowledge on the subject has been of some use should you have encountered this issue and I look forward to reading all your lovely comments again in the future!Bruce Partington-Planshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11336280062885272950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655974554267650893.post-31531450520034709872024-03-07T18:31:00.003+00:002024-03-09T10:13:23.023+00:00Airships around the world!<iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/zelwvtWp1To?si=7H6DV_tX2QDVox-a" width="480"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://alcalde.texasexes.org/2023/01/don-hartsell-world-sky-race/" target="_blank">Texas Man Has Sky-High Dreams of an Airship Race Around the World</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Going back a mere <a href="https://eclecticephemera.blogspot.com/2012/08/man-seeks-to-stage-around-world-airship.html" target="_blank">12 years</a> for the origins of this next post we switch from the road to the air and a mode of transport <a href="https://eclecticephemera.blogspot.com/search/label/airship" target="_blank">oft-championed by this blogger</a>; one that is slowly (as is its wont!) continuing its renaissance in a new 21st-century reimagining but still with positive links to its past - the airship.</div><div><br /></div><div>Even more of an enthusiast of this form of lighter-than-air travel than yours truly (and in a far better position to do something to promote it!), Texas native Don Hartsell has spent over 40 years dreaming and nearly 20 years planning the inaugural <a href="https://www.worldskyrace.com/" target="_blank">World Sky Race</a> for airships. As reported back in 2012, Hartsell had been attempting to raise commercial and financial interest for his fantastic scheme since at least 2006, with the nascent plan to have the race ready to begin from London in 2014. Alas, as is often the way with these sorts of huge undertakings, that vision was forced to go by the wayside (as had an earlier start date of 2011) due sadly to a lack of necessary funds. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7OglJYmNNa8" width="480" youtube-src-id="7OglJYmNNa8"></iframe></div><br /><div>Now, however, Mr Hartsell seems confident enough to speak again publicly about his marvellous idea - with what would seem to be some credible expressions of interest from a variety of parties representing all different sorts of markets and the advantage of a far more advanced airship industry that looks poised to take on this epic challenge to their (and the world's) benefit. Things seem to have progressed to such a degree that Mr Hartsell has even bought six(!) airships for use by any entity who might wish to join the race and I genuinely wish him the very best of luck in his search for entrants into his World Sky Race. The chances of that seem all the more heightened thanks to the remarkable number of airship manufacturers that have sprung up over the last fifteen years or so and the progress they have all made in that time.</div><div><br /></div><div><iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/ssZK4O1IZZ4?si=BCGHps6Zoafz5kcz" style="background-image: url(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ssZK4O1IZZ4/hqdefault.jpg);" width="480"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.aerotime.aero/articles/french-airship-to-fly-around-the-world-nonstop-fossil-fuel-free">French airship to fly around the world nonstop, fossil fuel-free</a></div><div><br /></div><div>French concern <a href="http://www.euroairship.com/index.php/en/welcome/" target="_blank">Euro Airship</a> is just one of several companies at an advanced stage of airship development and to promote their latest vessel <i>Solar Airship One</i> have, in a similar vein to Mr Hartsell, announced their intention to undertake a 20-day long nonstop flight around the world without using any fossil fuels whatsoever (as the name suggests, the airship is 100% solar-powered). Wouldn't it be a wonderful thing if the two were to team up, or at least for Euro Airship to enter the World Sky Race?! What a boost it would be for the industries involved - not only airship design and application but all the associated machinery that goes with it; a true melding of old and new technologies, a showcase for 21st-century know-how in a long-neglected pre-war ideal! I look forward to continuing to follow the progress of Euro Airships as they gear up for the planned 2026 launch - they certainly seem to be well set to succeed, with some experienced aviators signed up to the project (not least famed French adventurer Bertrand Piccard). This is definitely one to watch! </div><div><br /></div><div><iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/xaQcOwwRoWw?si=5Rtpo_gpiw3-YUOZ" width="480"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.airport-technology.com/features/flying-whales-eyes-cargo-revolution-with-a-familiar-solution/?cf-view&cf-closed" target="_blank">Flying Whales eyes cargo revolution with a familiar solution</a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Likewise, fellow Gallic airship engineering business <a href="https://www.flying-whales.com/en/home/" target="_blank">Flying Whales</a> (great name!) seem well on their way to becoming airborne, their new Large Capacity Airship scheduled to gain its type certification within the year with the aim to be fully operational by 2027. They already have an eye on the international cargo market with plans to set up production plants in Canada and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/feb/21/flying-whales-airships-helium-object-transport-cargo" target="_blank">Australia</a> to complement their Bordeaux HQ; I wouldn't bet against them either!</div><div><br /></div><div><div><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/AVvXsEhs-Pl0PHzG_sSiKUMsZOJiqBOBzFuRvzyjto4Uhk1uvQSRa0CxBARfCZAruGk_KGwWzOJF-VvQxK5xWkJFtz9fbtfH9Ny9l34YEM0mqC36ux3aES6VwMXyHSGSDaLQd7MNe1UUejjzWAyZ7EWAQ8TnsZGgGsngjknTRNyh47-17tABuyIUlYg7gCqzAiGC/s1280/Airlander_10_Grand_Canyon_CGI.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="597" data-original-width="1280" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs-Pl0PHzG_sSiKUMsZOJiqBOBzFuRvzyjto4Uhk1uvQSRa0CxBARfCZAruGk_KGwWzOJF-VvQxK5xWkJFtz9fbtfH9Ny9l34YEM0mqC36ux3aES6VwMXyHSGSDaLQd7MNe1UUejjzWAyZ7EWAQ8TnsZGgGsngjknTRNyh47-17tABuyIUlYg7gCqzAiGC/w400-h186/Airlander_10_Grand_Canyon_CGI.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/Airlander_10_Grand_Canyon_CGI.jpg" target="_blank">source - Wikimedia Commons</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.aerospacetestinginternational.com/news/industry-news/hybrid-air-vehicles-kicks-off-airlander-10-certification.html">Hybrid Air Vehicles kicks off Airlander 10 certification</a><br /><br /></div><div>British-based <a href="https://www.hybridairvehicles.com/" target="_blank">Hybrid Air Vehicles,</a> working out of the old airship hangers at Cardington in Bedfordshire (where the R.101 was built and departed from on its ill-fated maiden flight to India in 1930), is another airship manufacturer that has spent the last fifteen years refining its own designs into the Airlander 10. Now they have finally reached the exciting stage of applying for type certification with the UK's Civil Aviation Authority which, if given, should allow HAV to begin full-scale production with commercial flights envisaged to start in around four years' time. Airships gracing the skies of Britain (and the world) again before the end of the decade? What's not to like?!</div></div><div><br /></div><div><iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/WjQ8PL1Y6SU?si=NvTIrsC70d6QBVz3" style="background-image: url(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/WjQ8PL1Y6SU/hqdefault.jpg);" width="480"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div>Never ones to be left behind in any race - technological or otherwise - American expertise is also working on its own airship design with the <a href="https://aeroscraft.com/blog/aeros-launches-site-selection-for-airship-assembly-facility" target="_blank">US company Aeros'</a> <i>Dragon Dream</i> concept having been in development since 2013 and although the prototype suffered a setback in 2015 when it was damaged in a hanger accident it would seem the company is still pushing ahead with the search for a production site; I see no reason why we should not see their eVBAs criss-crossing the globe again within a similar timescale. </div><div><br /></div><div><div><iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/xiE1frf4qCU?si=WvnP1HTtMEW6Yknc" style="background-image: url(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/xiE1frf4qCU/hqdefault.jpg);" width="480"></iframe></div><br /></div><div><a href="https://techcrunch.com/2023/11/08/the-worlds-largest-aircraft-breaks-cover-in-silicon-valley/?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubHRhcmVzZWFyY2guY29tLw&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAALiRxqBWsuzxDWzLATd14jyf8p7I8l-mrLgaCKxZAGaY5AvJbY7mkbeNID10bGeIFtFo2Y5GY7Kn3v19M0UzzLuXjl9iKMmu831PXz8A0Kf2pb7Nqqz50LTd0KFV1WQlLMlKNlVbfX5m_VEPnvjYpNcSgFh4U401ct43hYtzYZoG" target="_blank">The world’s largest aircraft breaks cover in Silicon Valley</a> </div><div><br /></div><div><i>EDIT 09/03/24: I knew I'd forgotten one - and how embarrassing that it should be the largest of the lot!</i>😳 <i>(I say, emojis - are they new? Sorry, I'm digressing!) Apologies to <a href="https://www.ltaresearch.com/" target="_blank">LTA (Lighter Than Air) Research</a>, the brainchild of Google co-founder Sergey Brin, whose Pathfinder 1 prototype has recently taken its initial steps towards regular test flights over its California base after 10 years in development. Once again utilising the very latest in aeronautical technology the Pathfinder nevertheless retains much of the traditional airship design and will doubtless make a mightily impressive sight sailing over the San Francisco Bay area. That an even larger Pathfinder 3 is planned - and to be headquartered at Akron, Ohio (to the USA what Cardington is to Britain) - is almost too much to imagine but I'll wager that, with this level of backing, if anyone can do it these chaps can! A fleet of Pathfinders, joining with the other airships mentioned above to deliver urgently-needed cargo to inhospitable areas, carry passengers to anywhere in the world - or even just take part in an around-the-globe World Sky Race! </i>😉 <i>- feels more and more like an attainable goal if these projects achieve their potential, as I'm sure they must. </i></div><div><br /></div><div>As well as the many commercial enterprises that are pursuing the 21st-century airship concept, so smaller businesses and private designers have also recently been reimagining them for modern personal use in the wonderfully futuristic form of "air yachts" - the term dating from the golden age of pre-war flying boats, especially the smaller private variety, but now meaning an airship/boat hybrid! While admittedly the idea of superyachts in this day and age is understandably looked upon in some circles as vulgar and unnecessary one has to admit the engineering, not to mention the execution, can still stir the soul and remind one of the technical skills and spirit of adventure that mankind possesses.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.boatinternational.com/yachts/news/airyacht-airship-superyacht-unveiled" target="_blank">AirYacht reveals radical 52m airship-yacht crossover concept</a></div><div><br /></div><div><iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/fS8dbOkEnHo?si=gshF_BezZvdrP9MP" width="480"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div>Swiss-based company AirYacht (a relative newcomer formed in 2017), is one of the few airship designers to be exclusively targeting the passenger market with its AirYacht concept. Attractively billed as "the sky's cruise ship" and again harking back to the glory days of international luxury travel, the AirYacht seems to be intended for private owners or select travellers wishing to take small group holidays and sightseeing tours to otherwise remote places - as with all of these ventures much being made of the sustainability, advancements and slower pace afforded by the application of modern technology to these incredible craft. Although I fear that, at least initially, a flight in the AirYacht will be beyond the reach of most of us mere mortals it is to be hoped that again success will lead to similar, more accessible craft taking to the skies and so to greater economies of scale in the future. I certainly wouldn't say no, given the opportunity!</div><div><br /></div><div><iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/BfMf4yijthw?si=yU2p8QUqdAZwfm5m" width="480"></iframe><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://interestingengineering.com/photo-story/colossea-in-photos-airship-with-detachable-upper-structure-to-set-sail#the-colossea-conceptualised-by-perpaolo-lazzarini-still-in-development">Colossea in photos: Airship with detachable upper structure to sail</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Another airship enthusiast (witness his reference to the 1924 airship <i>Norge, </i>which I also <a href="https://eclecticephemera.blogspot.com/2015/01/space-zeppelins-of-future.html" target="_blank">previously blogged</a> about) and imaginer of airship-yacht crossovers, Perpaolo Lazzarini's <i>Colossea</i> is his second design following his <a href="https://youtu.be/fPbz8VMJQdo?si=-u93advaWk8Hll1g" target="_blank">2022 concept</a> but, whereas that was intended to land directly on the water, so the <i>Colossea</i> has a separate airship attached to a boat's superstructure, able to detach at will to fly independently! Again aimed at the ultra-luxury mega-yacht market the <i>Colessea </i>nevertheless boasts some fantastic modern engineering again married to traditional airship design and - if one must have these things - I can't help but again feel enthusiastic that such a project even exists. </div><div><br /></div><div>With all these at various advanced stages of development I can't see why Mr Hartsell's World Sky Race shouldn't have a whole slew of entrants from across the private and commercial sectors lining up to take part. What amazing publicity it would be for all these airship manufacturers to be involved in such a great adventure, circumnavigating the globe and showing whole new generations the wonderful potential of airships and so finally throwing off the terrible images of the <i>Hindenburg</i> and R.101 - tragic though they were - that have unfairly dogged this mode of transport for too long. The airship cannot - must not - go on being judged in such outdated fashions (to be fair, I feel that these have been somewhat overrated in recent times - I fancy that the younger generation will be far more open to this revised mode of transport, particularly given its new ecological credentials) and a World Sky Race featuring the best current lighter-than-air design has to offer has to go some way towards continuing the revival of this splendid form of travel. Could the 2020s be the decade that airships finally enjoy their long-overdue resurgence? With all this positive development I think we can do more than hope! </div>Bruce Partington-Planshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11336280062885272950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655974554267650893.post-33651517717395006592024-03-04T13:09:00.001+00:002024-03-04T13:13:27.463+00:00Alvis resurrects 1920s Grand Prix racing car<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqQfR2VozbxMX6-mOgKEyW4N4uGFwe-wDBKm-TMHYMZbNBmjSq-ujp2Tjkm_RyrL_38D2zmvVLGoDgnfdJIvpRbVZzHiu6E6qVnWx5aBkkfn6YC54GaccSUYLkXxMxEmGOua44CTGaNgJoSqlH1Hc2jtKntnQKzt37eidAeZNfWgwxNaokgmP1x-jJmfsb/s2079/1-SideProfile-Enhancedtighter.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="965" data-original-width="2079" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqQfR2VozbxMX6-mOgKEyW4N4uGFwe-wDBKm-TMHYMZbNBmjSq-ujp2Tjkm_RyrL_38D2zmvVLGoDgnfdJIvpRbVZzHiu6E6qVnWx5aBkkfn6YC54GaccSUYLkXxMxEmGOua44CTGaNgJoSqlH1Hc2jtKntnQKzt37eidAeZNfWgwxNaokgmP1x-jJmfsb/w400-h186/1-SideProfile-Enhancedtighter.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/news/everything-else/2023-04/alvis-resurrects-1920s-grand-prix-racing-car/" target="_blank">Alvis resurrects 1920s Grand Prix racing car</a><div><br /></div><div>Nearly 14 years ago now (yikes, where on earth has the time gone?!) I <a href="https://eclecticephemera.blogspot.com/2010/07/legendary-1930s-alvis-heads-back-into.html" target="_blank">reported</a> on the then-new owners of the classic British motoring manufacturer Alvis and their simply wonderful scheme to put some of their vintage models back into [limited] series production at their workshop in Kenilworth, Warwickshire - including the stunning 1935 <a href="https://thealviscarcompany.co.uk/the-vehicles/vehicle-model-4/" target="_blank">Bertelli</a> Sports Coupé and 1938 <a href="https://thealviscarcompany.co.uk/the-vehicles/vehicle-model-2/" target="_blank">Lancefield</a> Concealed Hood in addition to the original <a href="https://thealviscarcompany.co.uk/the-vehicles/vehicle-model-1/" target="_blank">Vanden Plas</a>. Since that time Alvis have also broadened out into some of their post-war models such as the <a href="https://thealviscarcompany.co.uk/the-vehicles/vehicle-model-3/" target="_blank">Park Ward</a> Drophead Coupé and the <a href="https://thealviscarcompany.co.uk/the-vehicles/graber/" target="_blank">Graber</a> Coupé/Cabriolet but for their most recent project (a definite one-off this time) they have returned to their pre-war motorsport days thanks to the remarkable rediscovery of a truly unique, much-storied racing car that very nearly ended up on a scrapheap - the 1927 Alvis Grand Prix.</div><div><br /></div><div><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/AVvXsEhlLc0IOH8j23ACGWs9m9jfDZR095FpSgeFDJegUb-glCS0Hqd1CCHLUmaYPy8p4x6VRo3-xa9hEvMQvHJ5m8H4X3nLPjNVlndlMQ0X2UaH3h3meLWhADQfPMWaYUvFyy6h2gedeii-qPWiIuYO5SYYqCF2rgVbOQ7Gf6gzrSAlWwQU4PbicIH5M8rxby2g/s1782/4-1927GP200MilesRaceDuller-Enhanced.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1248" data-original-width="1782" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlLc0IOH8j23ACGWs9m9jfDZR095FpSgeFDJegUb-glCS0Hqd1CCHLUmaYPy8p4x6VRo3-xa9hEvMQvHJ5m8H4X3nLPjNVlndlMQ0X2UaH3h3meLWhADQfPMWaYUvFyy6h2gedeii-qPWiIuYO5SYYqCF2rgVbOQ7Gf6gzrSAlWwQU4PbicIH5M8rxby2g/w400-h280/4-1927GP200MilesRaceDuller-Enhanced.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">With driver George Duller in the cockpit, Number 2 Alvis is readied<br />for the 1927 Junior Car Club 200 Miles race at Brooklands</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br />The Alvis GP caused a stir right from the start thanks to its then-innovative mechanical layout, being front-wheel drive at a time when almost all cars, both for road and racing, were driven from the rear. But this was not its most notable technical advance - the front axle, instead of being the solid variety (that is, connecting the wheels with a rigid beam), was composed of four independently-mounted elliptical leaf springs allowing for an equally remarkable eight-cylinder, 1.5-litre supercharged engine to be placed lengthways behind the gearbox thus giving the car an unusual (for the time) long-nosed appearance.</div><div><br /></div><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/AVvXsEinH3gNM2vxcZmBPIjs8g4_vvptbkHpz7kUGpcidsPjAX-XQ14tvUl1winW5A12dSwY3UMa1mjaAEvsODl18wuEfGlBktyZ0d3gD4c7KsY5DUK8np2lo2eV_veo73KfCELKd_xYEjHjQ_aFGT55pFZD2lzaYiOdDH17aONqmGce4p1YVtNWMP9GFMGU1Ms_/s1321/5-1927GP200MilesRacestartBrooklands-Enhanced.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="763" data-original-width="1321" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinH3gNM2vxcZmBPIjs8g4_vvptbkHpz7kUGpcidsPjAX-XQ14tvUl1winW5A12dSwY3UMa1mjaAEvsODl18wuEfGlBktyZ0d3gD4c7KsY5DUK8np2lo2eV_veo73KfCELKd_xYEjHjQ_aFGT55pFZD2lzaYiOdDH17aONqmGce4p1YVtNWMP9GFMGU1Ms_/w400-h231/5-1927GP200MilesRacestartBrooklands-Enhanced.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Alvises Numbers 1 & 2 (bottom centre), their distinctive low-slung stance and <br />long bonnets contrasting noticeably with the other cars', head off at the start of the <br />1927 JCC 200 Miles at Brooklands, October 1927</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Two cars were produced with the intention of both being entered in eligible events of the period, however the advanced engine in particular suffered from reliability issues right from the beginning. After both failed to make the start of the 1927 British Grand Prix at Brooklands on the 1st October, they took part in the 1927 Junior Car Club 200 Miles race at the same track two weeks later; both cars qualified well - the Number 2 car lapping in excess of 120mph in the hands of experienced racer George Duller to start second, while the similarly proficient Maurice Harvey would be third on the grid in car Number 1. Initially setting an impressive pace (Number 2 being in the lead at the start before dropping back to third due to a spark plug change) both cars experienced crippling mechanical failures, with Duller having to retire with a shattered conrod (<i>below</i>, now on display at Alvis' in-house museum) on the 52nd lap.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoVB8BLh5KiAD5Pdq7gsJJqHKl53ffqN2C5QiUsjGuCP7r1LUsxZKbXH0ckMfFdkG36txAw0ukDmvklqVJhHnBATanqY_G71aXoHjjNk8iBUp4jllDIcJ8pPkFyRxJ_UBv4B7Qrs46h8e0MjBWLJSi6Kt9BPHbWS_OMC66qWV4j9CrVwpqegUFlTyP5wpn/s5184/6-BrokenPistonConRodfromGPCarCrashSmaller.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoVB8BLh5KiAD5Pdq7gsJJqHKl53ffqN2C5QiUsjGuCP7r1LUsxZKbXH0ckMfFdkG36txAw0ukDmvklqVJhHnBATanqY_G71aXoHjjNk8iBUp4jllDIcJ8pPkFyRxJ_UBv4B7Qrs46h8e0MjBWLJSi6Kt9BPHbWS_OMC66qWV4j9CrVwpqegUFlTyP5wpn/w400-h266/6-BrokenPistonConRodfromGPCarCrashSmaller.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>Having removed the engine to diagnose the problem back at the factory, Alvis kept Number 2 in storage for over 10 years, never to be reunited with its original powerplant. In the late 1930s they decided to cut their losses and sell the car to Coventry-based scrap merchants Roach Brothers, with the firm instruction that it had to be broken up and <b><u>not</u></b> sold on. Thankfully someone at Roach Bros. completely ignored this order and sold the car intact to Bill Pitcher, a motorcycle dealer and Alvis enthusiast from Rugby. Pitcher's intention was to convert the car to rear-wheel drive - he sourced a 1929 Alvis TT or Le Mans engine and gearbox for the purpose but ended up having to sell the car on in the mid-'50s following the failure of his business. Another FWD Alvis enthusiast, Nic Davies, picked up the reins and toured the world with the GP before embarking on a full-scale restoration project in 1990. It took until 2003 for the car to be in a condition to run under its own power for the first time in nearly three-quarters of a century; three years after that it was acquired by current owner of Alvis Alan Stote and Tony Cox, an authority on FWD Alvises.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmej8fEHYd5BU0pU8Zx9ifD6yD5kl1XRo_c4JgCVXZ-zF45SLdmcfCL5Bz3s4rhCs9UK_4aRjgv7m1iYAoSwXTNEXCpsXJtHHbkNRbT58kiPYjJniCHak4DHex1I3svun55tpMdDC8xPvzJC0guXnEGyR_jrF9eY2JW2Avyy1OFqXF64Tj2oKCjCoNssj8/s2048/9-IMG-0479-Enhanced.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1718" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmej8fEHYd5BU0pU8Zx9ifD6yD5kl1XRo_c4JgCVXZ-zF45SLdmcfCL5Bz3s4rhCs9UK_4aRjgv7m1iYAoSwXTNEXCpsXJtHHbkNRbT58kiPYjJniCHak4DHex1I3svun55tpMdDC8xPvzJC0guXnEGyR_jrF9eY2JW2Avyy1OFqXF64Tj2oKCjCoNssj8/w335-h400/9-IMG-0479-Enhanced.jpg" width="335" /></a></div><br /><div>It has taken a further 17 years, with many an advance in CAD and manufacturing techniques to help along the way, but now I am delighted to see that Alvis GP Number 2 has been fully restored to 1927 racing trim - including a newly-built period-correct engine and gearbox! Rightly taking pride of place among Alvis's already exceptional collection of original and recreated cars, the GP was publicly revealed at the Automobile Council in Chiba City, Japan in April 2023 with the intention being to have it fully completed and running at Brooklands in time for its 100th birthday in 2027. All the more reason, I think, to start planning my long-overdue return to that great race track. A hearty well done to everyone involved in this mammoth project and I hope to see it in the metal in a few years time!</div><div><br /></div><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/AVvXsEgwThsqbpIlw4v1XIscY2rkxoxKSEKMtgXHdy14cxCRId-BLcHa2_noDn_VT9lpWmy7f_c4XncdU8D32qlXHOwHtxeKWTM_dQ83BPXbkd0pub1olNN4D9XkX_gGdXMJXQS6RjClhozLuXpg4T-4WT01gM2P1veUxUStI3MS6JvqOvJ11V3G-pnnl8JdHbiy/s4312/Alvis%20Gp%201927-2023.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1671" data-original-width="4312" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwThsqbpIlw4v1XIscY2rkxoxKSEKMtgXHdy14cxCRId-BLcHa2_noDn_VT9lpWmy7f_c4XncdU8D32qlXHOwHtxeKWTM_dQ83BPXbkd0pub1olNN4D9XkX_gGdXMJXQS6RjClhozLuXpg4T-4WT01gM2P1veUxUStI3MS6JvqOvJ11V3G-pnnl8JdHbiy/w400-h155/Alvis%20Gp%201927-2023.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">With its designer Captain G. T. Smith-Clarke in 1927 <i>(left</i>) and fully-restored<br />today <i>(right)</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table>Bruce Partington-Planshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11336280062885272950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655974554267650893.post-30958137256694699572024-02-28T16:46:00.002+00:002024-02-28T21:04:19.203+00:00Jersey veteran pilot flies WW2 plane for 101st birthday present<iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/8eaRiOgcyZc?si=j2hy5rcn2w74zjII" width="480"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.itv.com/news/channel/2023-04-06/veteran-pilot-flies-ww2-plane-for-101st-birthday-present?fbclid=IwAR1gWsyRqYGJlqY-Xzi5IpDuI2KRzCzzw-MPOr-Y3J2TIZrEQht22RKl5g4&mibextid=uc01c0">Jersey veteran pilot flies WW2 plane for 101st birthday present</a></div><div><br /></div><div>A heart-warming story from April 2023 now, featuring remarkable WWII RAF veteran Bernard Gardiner who, for his 101st birthday, took a flight - and what's more after nearly 80 years, the controls! - of the world's only two-seater Hawker Hurricane.</div><div><br /></div><div>As well as being a well-deserved and very apt gift for Mr Gardiner's milestone this was also something of a "thank you" not only for his admirable service during the war but also his role as a patron of the <a href="https://hawkertyphoon.com/" target="_blank">Hawker Typhoon Preservation Group</a>, a charity set up in 2016 with the aim of returning an example of another of Hawker's famous Second World War aircraft - the Typhoon fighter-bomber - to airworthy status.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Iffnw_rbB1Q?si=4589oNTZLbI7kFqh" title="YouTube video player" width="480"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div>The Typhoon, which first flew in February 1940 and entered service in 1941, was intended to be the replacement for the Hurricane and was initially deployed as a pure fighter to counteract the German Focke-Wulf 190 which was outclassing almost everything the Allies could put up against it. Although it proved to be the equal of the Fw190, especially at low level, some early structural design flaws held it back and it was subsequently switched to the roles of low level ground attack and interception. Armed initially with six .303in machine guns, then later four 20mm cannons, the Typhoon was also able to carry up to 2,000lbs in bombs or eight wing-mounted rockets making it a formidable foe against German armour and reinforced positions. The Typhoon continued in this multi-role function for the remainder of the war, finally being retired in October 1945. Prior to that however, in September 1942, it begat the Tempest - a development of the original Typhoon design (indeed early examples were referred to as the Typhoon II) that was intended to be more of a true fighter aircraft than the Typhoon (or "Tiffie" as it was affectionately known). The Tempest would go on to become one of the most powerful piston-engined aircraft of the war - at low level the fastest single-seat propellor-driven aircraft of the time, so fast that it was easily able to deal with V1 flying bombs and even Messerschmitt's jet-powered 262. </div><div><br /></div><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/AVvXsEh0nLfc7cqQeLKntIRnUyPFxpoVU4bDfFFcpr0eeRESgLZ2aar6mTpdOznTMXSapV-YqjEWYmY-P6bZ5yrLHOtNMG6ttpE8SVgPv-A4z4NyStc0tLZZuTllfIofPNSfkgLnwsBs_kQoZIQ4Qifgq0CSt2HwQeYAy5MKGVwx4vgqisBzu30MlhyphenhyphenW6ARYJO7G/s1024/aircraft-of-the-royal-air-force-1939-1945-hawker-typhoon-ch9289-48f0a8.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="1024" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0nLfc7cqQeLKntIRnUyPFxpoVU4bDfFFcpr0eeRESgLZ2aar6mTpdOznTMXSapV-YqjEWYmY-P6bZ5yrLHOtNMG6ttpE8SVgPv-A4z4NyStc0tLZZuTllfIofPNSfkgLnwsBs_kQoZIQ4Qifgq0CSt2HwQeYAy5MKGVwx4vgqisBzu30MlhyphenhyphenW6ARYJO7G/w400-h270/aircraft-of-the-royal-air-force-1939-1945-hawker-typhoon-ch9289-48f0a8.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flight Lieutenant Walter Dring, commander of "B" Flight, No. 183 Squadron RAF, <br />with his Typhoon Mark IB, <i>R8884 </i>"HF-L", in a dispersal at Gatwick, Sussex.<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /><a href="https://www.iwm.org.uk/" target="_blank">source - IWM</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Unlike the Tempest, of which there is one airworthy survivor (which made its <a href="https://youtu.be/w_Zn9NyQtxw?si=yZLIZM8f0NsYOW97" target="_blank">maiden flight</a> only last October following seven years of restoration) and at least three around the world currently undergoing restoration to flying condition, there is currently only one extant (static) example of a Typhoon - <i>MN235</i>, which over the last few years has been on display at the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum in Washington D.C., the RAF Museum at Hendon, the Canada Aviation & Space Museum in Ottawa and - at the moment - the RAF Museum London. All that will hopefully change soon, though, thanks to the hard work of Hawker Typhoon Preservation Group which is aiming to restore Typhoon MkIB <i>RB396 </i>to airworthy condition so that people can see this remarkable (and, in relation to the Spitfire or Hurricane, somewhat forgotten) Second World War aeroplane take to the skies again in honour of those, like Bernard Gardiner, who flew them. After a pause of a couple of years due to the pandemic work has restarted and continues apace; with luck and thanks to the HTPG we (and hopefully Mr Gardiner!) may yet see a Tiffie in the air once more.</div><div><br /></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/47-sKojq8NU?si=we2Ig_GggI1MO8fG" title="YouTube video player" width="480"></iframe>Bruce Partington-Planshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11336280062885272950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655974554267650893.post-68398644654850388932024-02-25T12:56:00.001+00:002024-02-25T12:56:47.682+00:00Cierva C.4 Autogiro Replica Flies in Spain<div>Hello. Yes, it's me again, begging forgiveness once more for allowing six months to elapse between posts! I have been a bad blogger and there is no excuse. I could blame my <a href="https://sheridanclub.freeforums.net/" target="_blank">new forum</a> for taking up more of my time than I anticipated, or just life getting in the way, but I shan't because we all have different calls upon our time and I dare say I could have made more space for this dear old blog. Anyway, we'll cast a veil over all that, I think, and get back to the fun business of writing about interesting vintage-themed news (and goodness knows we need that more than ever, I should think). Something that should be even easier for me now having recently splashed out on a new PC (the laptop was all very well and has provided sterling service for the last seven years, but there is still something to be said for a desktop setup especially when writing like this) - there can really be no excuse for not posting more often now (he says)! </div><div><br /></div><div>Without further ado, then, I'll take us back to the beginning of 2023 for this first story about a machine close to my heart - the autogiro. </div><div><br /></div><a href="https://www.outono.net/elentir/2023/01/19/the-spanish-air-force-will-fly-again-a-c-4-autogyro-a-century-after-its-first-flight/">Cierva C.4 Autogiro Replica Flies in Spain</a><div><br /></div>
<iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/UqPXezL_HgE?si=qrG53wBUaMnfkAOs" width="480"></iframe><div><br /></div><div>Last year marked the centenary of the first flight of the autogiro, the brainchild of Spanish engineer Juan de la Cierva and the precursor to all modern helicopters. After several abortive designs his C.4 autogiro made a controlled ascent at the Getafe aerodrome near Madrid on the 17th January 1923 in the hands of experienced test pilot Captain Alejandro Gómez Spencer. </div><div><br /></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4f/Ciervas_1st_autogiro.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="179" data-original-width="294" height="179" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4f/Ciervas_1st_autogiro.jpg" width="294" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4f/Ciervas_1st_autogiro.jpg" target="_blank">source - Wikipedia</a></span> </td></tr></tbody></table>Cierva autogiros would go on to be developed throughout the '20s and '30s, regularly being touted as the next big advance in aviation before reaching something of a technological dead-end by the start of the Second World War, after which advancements in vertical take-off heralded the beginning of the helicopter and relegated the autogiro to that of a light, leisure aircraft (now known as the gyrocopter). You can read more about the history of Cierva autogiros in <a href="https://inretrospectmagazine.com/article/windmills-in-the-sky/" target="_blank">this article</a> I wrote for <i>In Retrospect</i> magazine a few years back.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now, however, I'm delighted to see that a group of Spanish aviation enthusiasts have put the finishing touches to a full-scale flying replica of that first C.4, the maiden flight of which took place once again at Getafe aerodrome (where it will be operated by the Club de Ultraligeros Getafe) back in April 2023 - a fitting tribute to Juan de la Cierva, Captain Gomez and the history not only of the autogiro but of early Spanish aviation in general. What a wonderful sight it is to see one of these fantastic machines take to the air once more!</div>Bruce Partington-Planshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11336280062885272950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655974554267650893.post-90070260599923779862023-08-11T12:39:00.005+01:002023-09-06T13:51:40.893+01:00A funny thing happened on the way to the forum<p>No, not the 1962 stage musical. Not even the 1966 film adaptation. No, this is actually about a forum that I regularly frequent and the not-so-funny thing that has recently happened to it.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3sk1e9dzMhFOv_k6x4AhNc5b3QgrivlaovDfc9qgV_JrYBRXaKh2UPqWSYStYzwpmv1PKQEouH1GpKtmCYl38zy4q4XbZGCOrCwatfkMBv8nHBAs_hHOGfzWz7Sv2pYTCQbxV4IFRxytLFYBLp3Ss_p68_MnWXHq4pNNwolIso4FHwf5DlH8_DalG2KQK/s181/theclubafar.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="181" data-original-width="143" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3sk1e9dzMhFOv_k6x4AhNc5b3QgrivlaovDfc9qgV_JrYBRXaKh2UPqWSYStYzwpmv1PKQEouH1GpKtmCYl38zy4q4XbZGCOrCwatfkMBv8nHBAs_hHOGfzWz7Sv2pYTCQbxV4IFRxytLFYBLp3Ss_p68_MnWXHq4pNNwolIso4FHwf5DlH8_DalG2KQK/w316-h400/theclubafar.gif" width="316" /></a></div><br />The forum in question is <a href="http://www.sheridanclub.co.uk/" target="_blank">The Sheridan Club</a>, a discussion board for gentlemen and ladies like you and me who extol the vintage lifestyle in all its various aspects; who still value the manners and etiquette of bygone times and enjoy confounding the modern world with it on suitable occasions. It was, as far as my understanding goes, originally affiliated with <a href="https://thechap.co.uk/" target="_blank">The Chap</a> magazine when it was first created in circa 2004 and drew much of its early membership from readers of that periodical who embraced something of the Dadaist absurdism that it represented. However it later separated from that organ, while still retaining a link to its views and principles, and subsequently begat <a href="https://www.newsheridanclub.co.uk/" target="_blank">The New Sheridan Club</a> - a London-based in-person social club that I'm pleased to say still flourishes. <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAHJYZtjJRz5aYC8GZYgiiJ6u2jUEjwZdujP8jwATNUy3ZDERCPWmFxPVbCOX-DiNqmBTg56_ZHozSgyS0P4eI9tjn2otDcQ5qVygnZZRraucZV2H4PPrNVEdUbY9G73Te3DAN_Sq9DdPsXH5ztM9nNdCV1QuZGSG9I3TnDm5qhG7bPFxBMrFQFw2C5I9M/s778/Uprising.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="730" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAHJYZtjJRz5aYC8GZYgiiJ6u2jUEjwZdujP8jwATNUy3ZDERCPWmFxPVbCOX-DiNqmBTg56_ZHozSgyS0P4eI9tjn2otDcQ5qVygnZZRraucZV2H4PPrNVEdUbY9G73Te3DAN_Sq9DdPsXH5ztM9nNdCV1QuZGSG9I3TnDm5qhG7bPFxBMrFQFw2C5I9M/s320/Uprising.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>To provide some personal background, I first stumbled across The Sheridan Club back in October 2006 when I was but a fresh-faced youth of 23. My involvement in The Chap movement began around the same period although how I came to find it is lost to the mists of time. However since the age of about 9 I had had an interest in the silent comedies of Laurel & Hardy and Harold Lloyd, as well as the era of the Second World War thanks to my grandparents who were of that generation. Over subsequent years my interests grew to encompass all aspects of the interwar period, until by the time I came to The Chap I had a thorough appreciation of the time (as well as the late Victorian and Edwardian eras). The subversive, absurdist nature of the original ethos of Chappism also appealed and so I became a convert to the cause. Somewhere out of that I discovered The Sheridan Club, requested my membership card and the rest, as they say, is history. My name there – and here – is not my own as Chappist pseudonyms were encouraged, thus my open copy of <i>The Illustrated Sherlock Holmes Collection </i>provided me with the sobriquet I continue to use to this day. Two years later I finally joined The New Sheridan Club, membership of which I still maintain.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVNCZKsGxyfzbMmWIA0okVxpNmK7A46MPu9JdBkL3sEQ6-YAalFuvOW8vQBRoUhSGwZaBkRQ7hJHTTG3DeQ3JC5-JLAaXRpCXyoZ_h1te_UjoBJKuOetQm_PTIVe9G7Gp4ojq-kX5f3Vl7ZOQWqkjhtrCFA16NP5ZrZYg4dPvqXSmgYhgx8FvIfP5rU9LT/s372/sheridan.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="60" data-original-width="372" height="52" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVNCZKsGxyfzbMmWIA0okVxpNmK7A46MPu9JdBkL3sEQ6-YAalFuvOW8vQBRoUhSGwZaBkRQ7hJHTTG3DeQ3JC5-JLAaXRpCXyoZ_h1te_UjoBJKuOetQm_PTIVe9G7Gp4ojq-kX5f3Vl7ZOQWqkjhtrCFA16NP5ZrZYg4dPvqXSmgYhgx8FvIfP5rU9LT/s320/sheridan.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br />The Sheridan Club has therefore played an important part in my life, helping shape me into the man I am today (for better or worse!). It has helped me through some dark times personally and has been a haven from the madness of the modern world, where one could discuss all aspects of Chappism, good manners, fashion tips and shared interests with friendly and knowledgeable individuals from around the globe. <p></p><p>However, as the world sleep-walked ever further into the welcoming arms of Messrs Zuckerberg, Dorsey and Musk et al., so The Sheridan Club forum slowly declined from being a place of multiple daily, erudite conversations to a ghostly shell populated only by myself and one or two other stalwarts. Think of it now as the online chatroom equivalent of <i>The Last Man on Earth</i>. Thankfully the moderator/ site owner continued to pay the bills to keep the old place running, until a couple of weeks ago when things started to go awry and ended with multiple Internal Server Error messages making the site unusable. The host provider has been informed and although I still have hopes that things will be put right ere long, this has now happened too many times in recent years. The fact that the owner does not answer their e-mails does not bode well either.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsY0jEy7nXX_P2D_8kjlu_cRm8xXz-49ArPkqWLLke_Fs3RklUr9-YzNtYqkQqnZW7v1aTP5e3pzodoKXlJlUNzpENHO9LPjUkbKx4swcrxN_LsAIF6cenaK61cs80KbkidvDhJmlcvpEBa_-iing3not9op3kSKtG-o2rUx7QK3xK5wlWE03n7fJFvlEQ/s1032/The%20Elegant%20Alternative.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="774" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsY0jEy7nXX_P2D_8kjlu_cRm8xXz-49ArPkqWLLke_Fs3RklUr9-YzNtYqkQqnZW7v1aTP5e3pzodoKXlJlUNzpENHO9LPjUkbKx4swcrxN_LsAIF6cenaK61cs80KbkidvDhJmlcvpEBa_-iing3not9op3kSKtG-o2rUx7QK3xK5wlWE03n7fJFvlEQ/s320/The%20Elegant%20Alternative.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Therefore I've taken it upon myself to create <a href="https://sheridanclub.freeforums.net/" target="_blank">a new Sheridan Club </a>(but not The New Sheridan Club, for obvious reasons - nor even the <i>New </i>New Sheridan Club!) forum as either a temporary back-up or a new permanent site - depending on what happens - and I would be delighted if you would come over and join me for a chat. Please note that I do not intend for it to replace my ramblings on here (infrequent though they currently are) but rather to supplement it as a place to discuss things that may not quite fit the ethos of this blog or are too insubstantial to make a standalone post. <p></p><p>I do hope you will forgive this blatant promotion but I have long valued my interactions on the forum and would hate to see it consigned to the dustbin of history, so please feel free to step in to <a href="https://sheridanclub.freeforums.net" target="_blank">The Sheridan Club 2.0</a>!</p>Bruce Partington-Planshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11336280062885272950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655974554267650893.post-11369807187228028632023-06-24T12:11:00.003+01:002023-06-24T12:46:23.600+01:00Nostalgic telegram service is proving popular in Leamington and Warwick<iframe frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://youtube.com/embed/VKrGCn167I4" style="background-image: url(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/VKrGCn167I4/hqdefault.jpg);" width="480"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.leamingtoncourier.co.uk/news/people/nostalgic-telegram-service-is-proving-popular-in-leamington-and-warwick-during-lockdown-3198808">Nostalgic telegram service is proving popular in Leamington and Warwick</a><div><br /><div>The last of my backlog of posts from 2021 features another piece of "obsolete" technology that is anything but, especially in Warwickshire it seems - the humble telegram. And no, I don't mean the instant messaging app (about which I know little other than that it is an instant messaging app). Long one of my favourite forms of archaic communication (as an aficionado of analogue machinery and typewriters especially, how could it not be?) reports of the telegram's demise - to paraphrase Mark Twain - have been grossly exaggerated, as I hope this post will go on to show.</div><div><br /></div><div>While it is true that here in the U.K. British Telecom ceased offering traditional telegrams in the 1980s, as did Western Union in America, there are still several private companies and individuals in both these countries and dozens of others around the world striving to keep alive the romance and connectedness of a simpler age - albeit mainly now in the role of "greetings telegrams".</div><div><br /></div><div><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/AVvXsEgMG6TZ5vKr5Zdnu1jHEs3R96736bANSMZYFumbegighXAS5uMJ3p-lI9h3fsD1MPP_arKK4emj0KwXb2P-FkIClGmRGNP-DnwkJW2kDYFWi0YCVIo7yrmgAC3wlUBFQ2qWDBGm3llqX65DIgPqRcJmvuMKfEwg2p-yGPp2vuUz8GLlAe9tJ8ygJCc5Uv7V/s3888/BLW_Telegram_Table%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2588" data-original-width="3888" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMG6TZ5vKr5Zdnu1jHEs3R96736bANSMZYFumbegighXAS5uMJ3p-lI9h3fsD1MPP_arKK4emj0KwXb2P-FkIClGmRGNP-DnwkJW2kDYFWi0YCVIo7yrmgAC3wlUBFQ2qWDBGm3llqX65DIgPqRcJmvuMKfEwg2p-yGPp2vuUz8GLlAe9tJ8ygJCc5Uv7V/w400-h266/BLW_Telegram_Table%20(1).jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">source - <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BLW_Telegram_Table.jpg" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><a href="http://www.telegramsonline.co.uk/index1.asp" target="_blank">Telegrams Online</a> is the oldest of the three such entities known to the author here in the U.K. (not including the chap in this lead article, to whom we shall come later), emerging out of the ashes of British Telecom's operation. Although BT stopped providing standard telegraphy services in the Eighties, it continued to offer "telemessaging" - the ability to dictate a message to an operator over the 'phone, which was then transcribed and sent as a regular telegram - right up until 2003. Only then did BT finally pull the plug, with Telegrams Online manfully (and womanfully) stepping up to fill the void. Their website is delightfully old-school, looking like it hasn't been updated in those twenty years, but still appears fully functional (although I haven't gone through the whole process, so cannot speak authoritatively on that point - nor can I confirm the prices). In any event, I am delighted to see that they still exist and hope that Telegrams Online will continue to provide telegrams to those who require them for the next 20 years and beyond. </div><div><br /></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg16X3kqWFHLpjrUeVSgDLRwDSdCKRrHUqZd0YvREAPTWMvWhNMjLSa8ngMSXWFyye3GoWkxQNQcDNqmbJo0aOlJWknFtMQv8ZzRnlV-A2oSJTF38LFcyEYcO3eRDOxl7Z1Z23io4kJqyUpRrkc6O2WHCa6BNbuu9u6HX-b9SxsiFYHHsGpEGI4Bfk12rkq/s4072/Two_part_telegram_to_F._Crick,_reg._Nobel_Prize_Wellcome_L0033044.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4072" data-original-width="3256" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg16X3kqWFHLpjrUeVSgDLRwDSdCKRrHUqZd0YvREAPTWMvWhNMjLSa8ngMSXWFyye3GoWkxQNQcDNqmbJo0aOlJWknFtMQv8ZzRnlV-A2oSJTF38LFcyEYcO3eRDOxl7Z1Z23io4kJqyUpRrkc6O2WHCa6BNbuu9u6HX-b9SxsiFYHHsGpEGI4Bfk12rkq/s320/Two_part_telegram_to_F._Crick,_reg._Nobel_Prize_Wellcome_L0033044.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Two_part_telegram_to_F._Crick,_reg._Nobel_Prize_Wellcome_L0033044.jpg" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">source - Wikimedia Commons</span></a></td></tr></tbody></table>Going for almost as long as Telegrams Online, <a href="https://www.notonthehighstreet.com/imperialtelegrams" target="_blank">Imperial Telegrams</a> has to my knowledge been in business since at least 2006. Originally running their own website they have more recently moved under the Not On The High Street umbrella but this does not seem to have affected the quality of their offerings, which are very much of the "special occasion" variety and by far the most authentically vintage of those I have encountered. For Imperial Telegrams go to the extra effort of printing the words on to individual strips of paper before sticking them to the telegram, just as would have been the case in its heyday <i>(such as this 1962 message to scientist Francis Crick, above)</i>, as well as using genuine pre-decimal stamps on the hand-written envelope! Quite the personalised service and very reasonable for what it is, considering the price of some generic greetings cards these days. </div><div><br /></div><div>The last of the UK-based "online" telegram providers that I am aware of is <a href="https://www.thetelegramoffice.com/" target="_blank">The Telegram Office</a>, a relative new-comer to the scene having only been established in 2015. Operating in a similar vein to Imperial Telegrams, The Telegram Office provides a selection of different templates for one to personalise albeit not to the same extent. Nevertheless the effect is still a realistic one and the price is even more affordable although perhaps reflective of the more limited options available.</div><div><br /></div><div>Official telegram services still exist in North America, I understand, provided by the company which took over from Western Union following its bankruptcy in 1991 - <a href="https://www.itelegram.com/" target="_blank">iTelegram</a>. Trading also as <a href="https://telegrams.ca/" target="_blank">Telegrams Canada</a> it offers a similar facility in that country and, indeed, to over 180 other countries around the world. Very much the more traditional, basic telegram, it is still heartening to see that such an old-fashioned means of communication continues to have an important place in the world.</div><div><br /></div><div><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/AVvXsEgqR12lLcZwNG-Gx_IdsmiochER9ER_9x4iabjdgjWV2HcQ4cXBAhtbvN_TtN03tg2MrT_MLkFFjwOBUz96GgwWyso9_BfDeGfPRjE9hOp4CMJJCDvCabPc83bIP36IGtCNfNQJPyNUSL2u0uRGPTt-9pBxlMzvznVkQ--x6GbueVwJomc9ZJUfly34Og5B/s640/barclay-telegraph-instrument-stamping-machine-with-woman-operator.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="640" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqR12lLcZwNG-Gx_IdsmiochER9ER_9x4iabjdgjWV2HcQ4cXBAhtbvN_TtN03tg2MrT_MLkFFjwOBUz96GgwWyso9_BfDeGfPRjE9hOp4CMJJCDvCabPc83bIP36IGtCNfNQJPyNUSL2u0uRGPTt-9pBxlMzvznVkQ--x6GbueVwJomc9ZJUfly34Og5B/w400-h294/barclay-telegraph-instrument-stamping-machine-with-woman-operator.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://picryl.com/media/barclay-telegraph-instrument-stamping-machine-with-woman-operator" target="_blank">source - picryl</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br />There is, of course, one other way you can send telegrams for a fraction of the cost of the aforementioned options - you can create one yourself! It is far easier and less onerous than you might imagine, ironically thanks in part to its modern usurper - the Internet. This admittedly wonderful invention has allowed like-minded individuals to upload various templates of different telegram designs that can be printed and in some cases edited on one's computer. </div><div><br /></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPASQDrCpf5JvMjv9yOWRjQ5Ywrjxg6GKwcB3XWyixJneTtjuH2pb3yyBMYz4GTULoXIEg-6D-xHERJSmKiEnKJ0Zp-5zyvFbBstAvDbIzaHv1zyg0fnpBz8jwbCeAlaOGwZDf0CUtUrCawzyPzzTUDdVkz7fBnWvuyXWIq31T4-TJ68UGjwtovX1DmQ2t/s2000/EU%20telegram%20form.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1446" data-original-width="2000" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPASQDrCpf5JvMjv9yOWRjQ5Ywrjxg6GKwcB3XWyixJneTtjuH2pb3yyBMYz4GTULoXIEg-6D-xHERJSmKiEnKJ0Zp-5zyvFbBstAvDbIzaHv1zyg0fnpBz8jwbCeAlaOGwZDf0CUtUrCawzyPzzTUDdVkz7fBnWvuyXWIq31T4-TJ68UGjwtovX1DmQ2t/s320/EU%20telegram%20form.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">source - <a href="https://openclipart.org/detail/218767/telegram-paper" target="_blank">Open Clipart/ j4p4n</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table>Chief among these, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, are fans of American science fiction writer H. P. Lovecraft. In particular it seems they enjoy role-playing and table-top games around the subject of his Cthulhu mythos; because of the period in which the stories were written/set, telegrams play an important part - hence why the <a href="https://www.hplhs.org/resources.php" target="_blank">H. P. Lovecraft Historical Society</a> and the <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/mountcthulhu/tools/telegram-forms" target="_blank">Mount Cthulhu</a> gaming site provide excellent examples of telegram papers from both sides of the Atlantic. Fully downloadable and in some cases editable they provide the perfect starting point for the creation of your own telegrams! If Lovecraft is a bit too esoteric for your tastes, templates can also be found throughout t'web on various creative commons sites like Wikimedia and <a href="https://openclipart.org/detail/218767/telegram-paper" target="_blank">Open Clipart</a>. To add the finishing touch websites like <a href="https://www.1001freefonts.com/" target="_blank">1001 Free Fonts</a> offer a smorgasbord of suitable fonts in their <a href="https://www.1001freefonts.com/typewriter-fonts.php" target="_blank">Typewriter </a>and <a href="https://www.1001freefonts.com/retro-fonts.php" target="_blank">Retro</a> sections, in addition to those on the Lovecraft sites.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://leamingtonobserver.co.uk/news/leamington-optician-raises-funds-for-guide-dogs-with-local-telegram-service/" target="_blank">Leamington Optician raises funds for Guide Dogs with local telegram service</a></div><div><br /></div><div>You need not bother with the latter however if, like me, you own one (or more!) actual working typewriters - in which case what's stopping you from just printing off a template and tapping out a message in the approved manner?! This is clearly what occurred to Russell Peake of Warwickshire in the height of lockdown when, inspired by original telegrams kept by his own family and with everyone needing just that little extra bit of personal contact, he acquired a typewriter and a bicycle to start <a href="https://www.spatelegram.com/" target="_blank">Spa Telegram</a>. As the newspaper reports of the time explain, the venture was set up partly to provide a still-important social interaction for the people of Warwick and Leamington Spa but also to raise money for Guide Dogs for the Blind. Both laudable aims for which I congratulate Mr Peake and am very happy to see are continuing nearly three years later - for Spa Telegrams is still going strong. By the look of things typewritten and hand-delivered telegrams are even now flying around the Warwickshire area (and on request by post further afield) - a testament to the enduring appeal of this personal, unpretentious form of communication in an otherwise digital world. </div></div></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>***Have you sent or received a telegram recently? Do you know of any other providers that I have missed? Let me know in the comments!***</i></div>Bruce Partington-Planshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11336280062885272950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655974554267650893.post-88078639675665686572023-06-17T13:12:00.001+01:002023-06-17T13:12:00.135+01:00 How One Photographer Gets All Of Her Inspiration From The '30s<iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qygT4UG4h5o" width="480"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bustle.com/life/this-blogger-is-inspired-by-vintage-menswear">How One Photographer Gets All Of Her Inspiration From The '30s</a></div><div><br /></div><div>A nice little article now, the last of my 2020 drafts and a pleasing showcase of a fellow vintage aficionado from Brooklyn who lives a full 1930s life with her partner. </div><div><br /></div><div>As the accompanying video also explains, Rose Callahan has not only embraced the Thirties lifestyle and fashions but has also incorporated it into her work as a professional photographer and author. One can clearly see both her enthusiasm for the era and its fashions and the way in which her photography is imbued with the same degree of passion. That she as found in her husband Kelly Bray someone so in tune with her own interests and way of life is really lovely to see and much of what she says regarding the appeal of the interwar years, including the clothing and general style of the period, once again strikes a chord with this blogger (and I suspect, a good many other vintagistas). Their books on the subject of dandies sound most intriguing and I have a feeling I must look them up with a view to adding them to my library! In the meantime I wish Rose and Kelly continued success with their way of life and journalistic endeavours, both of which I think it safe to say are a welcome addition to the international vintage scene.</div>Bruce Partington-Planshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11336280062885272950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655974554267650893.post-88028467545058345422023-06-14T11:31:00.036+01:002023-06-14T11:31:00.133+01:00Women Detectives: Meet The Victorian Female Super Sleuths<a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/enola-holmes-sherlock-netflix-millie-bobby-brown-victorian-detective-b618868.html" target="_blank">Women Detectives: Meet The Victorian Female Super Sleuths</a><div><br /></div><div><iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/1d0Zf9sXlHk" width="480"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div>As promised/ threatened, delving back into my Drafts archive has unearthed this post, originally written in November 2020. The subject: a then-recent feature film which would perhaps normally have appeared on this blog at the time of its release in September of that year - <i>Enola Holmes</i>.<i> </i> Instead it almost passed me by on its way to Netflix (as so many otherwise cinema-bound movies have, my not having a subscription to these things). Perhaps it is just as well, as having viewed the trailer I cannot help but have some misgivings about this particular foray into Victorian society and the Holmsian and despite its largely glowing reviews I find myself more in agreement with the few mixed responses I have read, for reasons that I will go on to explain.</div><div><br /></div><div>I daresay I'm not the core target audience - the film being based on the Young Adult books by Nancy Springer and directed by <i>Fleabag</i>'s Harry Bradbeer - and anything that encourages the younger generation to discover the joys of Conan Doyle's writing should be welcomed, but I cannot help but feel that the filmmakers are once again engaged in what amounts to an unnecessary degree of cultural revisionism. </div><div><br /></div><div>It is one of the more debatable characteristics of this self-styled enlightened, modern society that the prevailing - and one might almost say arrogant - belief is that we are in every way better than the generations that have gone before. For my own part I have on multiple occasions <a href="https://eclecticephemera.blogspot.com/2010/12/what-does-vintage-mean-to-me.html" target="_blank">put down</a> <a href="https://eclecticephemera.blogspot.com/2011/11/vintage-unhealthy-fantasy-world.html" target="_blank">on this blog</a> <a href="https://eclecticephemera.blogspot.com/2020/09/living-in-past-lifestyles-from-bygone.html" target="_blank">my own thoughts</a> on the subject of mixing the positive, still-valued elements of my preferred era with the undoubtedly welcome advancements of the modern day while at the same time recognising the more insupportable aspects. Although the need to keep defending this outlook continues to bother me I do feel it bears repetition. </div><div><br /></div><div>Yes, a great deal of what went on centuries (or even decades) ago - in this instance the treatment of women in 19th century Britain - is in hindsight reprehensible but as the saying goes hindsight is a wonderful thing and it is unfair to judge (one might almost say to find those unable to defend themselves guilty by default) past cultures by modern standards. I wonder how we would we feel if our social mores - attitudes which we would not give a second thought to being anything but normal - were subject to such levels of criticism by a 23rd-century observer, to whom they might be an anathema?</div><div><br /></div><div>Being as morally superior as possible will make no difference to what has occurred lifetimes ago. Deplore it, absolutely, learn from it, certainly, but stop applying 21st-century morals to previous eras. The past cannot be altered, so better to dismount from that moral high horse and focus on changing the present to make the future an even better place.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, with that particular rant over I will only say one further thing on the subject of <i>Enola Holmes </i>going by what little I have seen and read. While I repeat my hope that the appearance of this character on the [small] screen will inspire a new generation [of young women] and motivate them to seek out the works of Conan Doyle I cannot summon the level of enthusiasm I would have hoped a film like this might have instilled in me, mainly for the reasons I have outlined above. The characters of Sherlock and Mycroft, whom I might be more readily expected to relate with, have inevitably been altered to become more akin to antagonists to the main character. So much so, in fact, that in the case of Sherlock it has attracted the ire of the Conan Doyle Estate (who one might have assumed would have welcomed anything that would swell their coffers) to the point where they have instituted legal proceedings on the basis that Henry Cavill's characterisation of the Great Detective is too emotional and not in keeping with the character. While as a traditional Sherlockian I can appreciate their point of view (although not to the point of a lawsuit) I can understand the filmmakers' desire to give the character more depth for a modern audience for whom the idea of an unemotional man simply wouldn't scan. In any event if they do invest in the original stories off the back of this film they may be surprised to find any number of strong-willed female characters contained therein. Just off the top of my head I can think of half a dozen such examples, including Helen Stoner in <i>The Adventure of the Speckled Band</i>, Violet Hunter in <i>The Adventure of the Copper Beeches</i>, Violet Smith in <i>The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist</i>, Lady Hilda Trelawney Hope in <i>The Adventure of the Second Stain</i>, and of course Irene Adler in <i>A Scandal in Bohemia</i>.</div><div><br /></div><div><iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/4F27uedpt-I" width="480"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8PhG6Ql78R4Vg-p_Bh4ZZYzUJgZeKMAKypjsgU0Jui_X-pWmmYGNps7j6g840_OCY4-TkjmKY-Lyl-8Qj-6_r89WeaUxBz7ZkjeSiqo8AgbhvnNf5cZQMu-szzcGqKqICZJVidst43LN_6w5TaTRyjpKS34Rqunrrl_kyItQrgMP7Llvb3sMoHmKbcA/s820/Maud_West_as_Salvation_Army_worker_c.1920.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="550" data-original-width="820" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8PhG6Ql78R4Vg-p_Bh4ZZYzUJgZeKMAKypjsgU0Jui_X-pWmmYGNps7j6g840_OCY4-TkjmKY-Lyl-8Qj-6_r89WeaUxBz7ZkjeSiqo8AgbhvnNf5cZQMu-szzcGqKqICZJVidst43LN_6w5TaTRyjpKS34Rqunrrl_kyItQrgMP7Llvb3sMoHmKbcA/s320/Maud_West_as_Salvation_Army_worker_c.1920.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Maud_West_as_Salvation_Army_worker_c.1920.jpg" target="_blank">source - Wikimedia Commons</a></span><br />Maud West, a female detective active in London <br />from 1905 to 1939, here photographed disguised as <br />a Salvation Army worker, circa 1920.</td></tr></tbody></table>Hmmm, it seems I rather "went off on one" as a result of that film - I do apologise! It obviously touched a nerve at the time! I still stand by my comments though - they remain as true to me now as they did two years ago. Anyway, the article that forms the primary subject of this post highlights a fascinating and oft-overlooked aspect of Victorian society - the existence of real-life female detectives (or "inquiry agents", to use the quaint terminology of the time). Surely the brave, independent and resourceful women mentioned in this piece are deserving of having their own adventures and achievements chronicled for today's audiences, be that in documentary or fictionalised form. Even the few stories touched upon in the article sound most intriguing and thrilling and could doubtless be adapted or retold for modern viewers with little difficulty (and in a way that would no doubt appeal to modern values). Admittedly there have been recent adaptions of <i>The Sally Lockhart Mysteries </i>by Philip Pullman, starring Billie Piper, and four series of PBS-Alibi original <i>Miss Scarlet & The Duke </i>(sometimes available on the Drama channel for UK viewers) but even judging from what little one reads here there remains a mine of real-life incidents worth retelling. I note that since I first started writing this post <i>Enola Holmes 2</i> was released on Netflix last year so obviously the character has proved a success; as happy as I am that this is the case, I still can't help feeling that there remains a missed opportunity for the long-forgotten achievements of actual Enola Holmeses to be properly celebrated. </div></div>Bruce Partington-Planshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11336280062885272950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655974554267650893.post-6959875574027783502023-06-11T13:54:00.005+01:002023-06-11T14:16:05.660+01:00Of Aristocrats and Good Companions (plus other "types" of news)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCSk2gmRPs2k56KeSVJZizlaiKv7GiENDN7l65j0W3-Wv9etReBxG_WO3S1WT0AzQYnEd1DVu7SjSSFiRCIAij4G9XqbbAxnmg_8eWDIpSNd4bud8uv8450imePCPV-6FW6XN6vz5JjlUIlNHaOWE1se8b1JThtQytMcNGeNb2ZGNuseB3ZRzKj7xvoQ/s4240/Typecast%20050423.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4240" data-original-width="3411" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCSk2gmRPs2k56KeSVJZizlaiKv7GiENDN7l65j0W3-Wv9etReBxG_WO3S1WT0AzQYnEd1DVu7SjSSFiRCIAij4G9XqbbAxnmg_8eWDIpSNd4bud8uv8450imePCPV-6FW6XN6vz5JjlUIlNHaOWE1se8b1JThtQytMcNGeNb2ZGNuseB3ZRzKj7xvoQ/w514-h640/Typecast%20050423.jpg" width="514" /></a></div><br /><div>I wrote the above typecast back at the beginning of April, which shows just how much life intervened that I am only just now able to get round to posting it here! Those 78s will have to wait for another day, I think, as instead I intend to focus on the aforementioned Empire Aristocrat - as well as a couple of more recent arrivals. Sprinkled around them will also be some more typewriter-related news stories that I hope will be of interest.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ13qJIQvRhNk-TCp2usvM8u9geiOdYriT7G9rmmRJij4URXi7PqD4gcrjRK6JYf671XrpB2uJkWXsPcImWpHZuMkEM-2HoK3Q0DwGjY4KhfFeMVGu3lZ0Aqk3cZZ03IMFRYPs7thW8JgNRg6Gyn3SHnpITDp4GoZ-zQoQ-a4gSSmYIp2dLvf0B4yEyA/s11664/AristoAll.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="11664" data-original-width="5184" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ13qJIQvRhNk-TCp2usvM8u9geiOdYriT7G9rmmRJij4URXi7PqD4gcrjRK6JYf671XrpB2uJkWXsPcImWpHZuMkEM-2HoK3Q0DwGjY4KhfFeMVGu3lZ0Aqk3cZZ03IMFRYPs7thW8JgNRg6Gyn3SHnpITDp4GoZ-zQoQ-a4gSSmYIp2dLvf0B4yEyA/w178-h400/AristoAll.jpg" width="178" /></a></div>Let's have a closer look at this first little typer that I bagged at the beginning of the year from a local garden/ antiques centre. I clocked it almost as soon as we went in (my typer-sense is now well-honed enough to spot even the smallest of machines sitting among the usual vintage/ antique fare!) even though its case was in place and therefore the machine itself not visible. It may have been the £20 price tag that piqued my interest further and on removing the lid I felt it more than justified the sum. A quick Google seemed to confirm it so after a brief test (as always seems to be the case in these instances) I passed over the lolly and returned home a happy chap. As mentioned I've found it a lovely little thing, with just one or two little foibles since discovered (such as a slightly recalcitrant spacebar) that I hope to iron out with practice over the coming year.</div><div><br /></div><div><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/AVvXsEhVYpRnC51WMQFKKqs6kI6-mH4-U9s-iGeuqHDbUV_uSkmuwlZKx0QyMZCmMmpFtVRWd1mI6sFnJk854S1rOPx4DsgXDp38VqX8yW5Z7iUdAAU4l0b1ZEE-8Zi9ZY7vMWv11Q54gzoQVYwOF2rsWQg9KA2nu0MRbq2iQcjKGbABSCYDxoF7aFK1nWbatA/s1202/OliverTypewriterCompanyNo9Museum.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1082" data-original-width="1202" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVYpRnC51WMQFKKqs6kI6-mH4-U9s-iGeuqHDbUV_uSkmuwlZKx0QyMZCmMmpFtVRWd1mI6sFnJk854S1rOPx4DsgXDp38VqX8yW5Z7iUdAAU4l0b1ZEE-8Zi9ZY7vMWv11Q54gzoQVYwOF2rsWQg9KA2nu0MRbq2iQcjKGbABSCYDxoF7aFK1nWbatA/w400-h360/OliverTypewriterCompanyNo9Museum.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:OliverTypewriterCompanyNo9Museum.jpg" target="_blank">source - Wikimedia Commons/Royalbroil</a></span><br />An Oliver No. 9, similar to the one restored by Patton Horton</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><a href="https://tamaractalk.com/an-old-soul-at-heart-tamarac-teen-repairs-24453">An 'Old Soul' at Heart, Tamarac Teen Repairs Antique Typewriter for Florida History Museum</a></div><div><br /></div></div><div>To show how behind I am with the posting of interesting articles, this one has been sitting in my drafts since February <i>2021</i> (and that's not even the oldest one - there are some going back to 2020 that I need to get round to posting!). Still, the subject suits this post and I am sure the young fellow mentioned in it is still repairing typewriters in the Tamarac, FL area and continuing to plough his own furrow as an "old soul at heart". Here we see again a phrase I'm sure we're all more than familiar with and which no doubt has been directed at ourselves more than once, along with the feeling (whether through our own emotions and actions or ascribed to us by others) of somehow being a reincarnation or just "born in the wrong time". In any event, this has led to (the by now) 20-year-old Patton Horton already being a <i>de facto</i> professional typewriter repairman judging by this news item. To take on a 100-year-old Oliver 9 as one of your first jobs shows a great deal of promise and kudos must also go to the <a href="http://www.ourbackyardmuseum.org/" target="_blank">Our Backyard Museum</a> (which looks well worth a visit!) for having the faith and open-mindedness to let the plucky lad take on the challenge of fixing it. I hope he makes a success of what is obviously a passionate hobby for him and that he continues to find pleasure and enlightenment in the vintage lifestyle that he has chosen to pursue. </div><div><br /></div><div><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/AVvXsEgSjUra3sLfoBktw9_K3jdmp1Qnhcu0Bw8uUGYeiXETuZWe_Hrtw2ydD8e31LtFhWcRGSvoRhwdA1BPUWLR9V0EkSDZzh9k7l9WRERht_Pm4lHzFrlckuf3y3l_4SwymglmCAGtrt6M5INOTVpGsOhVym7-g7nwBzx1CT9agw_VhF0vPRDdqwG5jY5wWA/s3264/2710014519_d63a50031c_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSjUra3sLfoBktw9_K3jdmp1Qnhcu0Bw8uUGYeiXETuZWe_Hrtw2ydD8e31LtFhWcRGSvoRhwdA1BPUWLR9V0EkSDZzh9k7l9WRERht_Pm4lHzFrlckuf3y3l_4SwymglmCAGtrt6M5INOTVpGsOhVym7-g7nwBzx1CT9agw_VhF0vPRDdqwG5jY5wWA/w400-h300/2710014519_d63a50031c_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">A 1952 Remington Quiet-Riter, similar to one owned by Maximilian Wein<br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/mpclemens/2710014519" target="_blank">source - Flickr/mpclemens</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.knightcrier.org/top-stories/2023/02/01/a-connection-to-the-past-north-penn-student-keeps-typewriters-and-pcs-alive/">“A connection to the past” – North Penn student keeps typewriters and PCs alive</a></div><div><br /></div><div>The future maintenance of typewriters (plus early PCs and laptops) in Lansdale, Pennsylvania seems assured if this next article is anything to go by, featuring another teenager who has been bitten by the typewriter bug and looks to have the skills necessary to ensure their survival. It is splendid to read of Max Wein's enthusiasm for his hobby - which I am sure, as he says, will become a lifetime's interest - his appreciation of its tangible link to times past and how he manages to successfully integrate it into his schooling. Stories like this continue to show that typewriters, not to mention early computers, still have a purpose and can be used as they were intended. I salute young Mr Wein and wish him well as he starts his journey into the world of typewriters and related "obsolete" technology.</div><div><br /></div><div><iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/x43ud0U9d8g" width="480"></iframe> </div><div><a href="https://www.abqjournal.com/2580182/typewriters-type-in-albuquerque-library.html" target="_blank">Type-In at the library: Public invited to discover, or re-discover, typewriters</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Type-ins are still going strong across the Pond - or at least in Albuquerque, NM, where the brilliantly-named ABQwerty Type Writer Society holds regular events at a local library according to this article. One of the founder members, Joe Van Cleave (a well-known name in the typosphere, I believe), is the main subject of the piece and once again it is clear that we are dealing with a true typewriter enthusiast. A splendid collection of typers adorns Mr Van Cleave's home and judging from things he has been a driving force behind the local type-ins and the resurgence of typewriters and typecasting on the Internet in general. Long may he continue to be so and I look forward to hearing more of his influence, both in New Mexico and further afield, as we are sure to do.</div><div><br /></div><div>We're I ever to attend a type-in in the UK (and believe me, if I knew of any within striking distance I would be off like a shot) I would now be somewhat spoilt for choice of which machine(s) to take along, as my collection of portable typewriters has <i>doubled </i>in this year alone thanks not only to the Aristocrat but also two more that both came into my possession within days of each other. That they are both the same model would, I fear, be something only really understood by true collectors(!), although the lay-person should notice some differences as well.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNrUSPdploED3COS-GAYAAe83OzLzNppS37gfufTrvH-gCxbGmVjgHq4DxoQXkhqQXQRIdsF3wZxMQQ8c7oumJk9A-WaIhVU-9Re3Rvt13wIPBCqn20WZw4sCGvk-CrJSn54KMPemNeYgDPH0XaxZhGzxGjlxjIlfcOkY5THV3DZl9qIqjIblhg8oiyw/s23328/IGC39Black.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="23328" data-original-width="5184" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNrUSPdploED3COS-GAYAAe83OzLzNppS37gfufTrvH-gCxbGmVjgHq4DxoQXkhqQXQRIdsF3wZxMQQ8c7oumJk9A-WaIhVU-9Re3Rvt13wIPBCqn20WZw4sCGvk-CrJSn54KMPemNeYgDPH0XaxZhGzxGjlxjIlfcOkY5THV3DZl9qIqjIblhg8oiyw/w89-h400/IGC39Black.jpg" width="89" /></a></div>To start at the beginning I have always been what I call an "Imperial Man", inasmuch as I tend to focus my attention (so far!) on typewriters manufactured by Imperial Typewriters Ltd. of Leicester. I suppose this is because the first typer I encountered was the 1956 Model 66 that Dad brought home from work one day when the company was going to throw it out as being "beyond economical repair". It has always been a part of my life and started me on the road to being... well, I suppose a collector(!), so Imperials have always been my first passion. That they are sturdy, well-made British machines (even the portables!) that epitomise the style and mechanical design of their 1930s heyday merely adds to their appeal for me. Thus is my affection for British-made Imperials of the 1930s-50s. However, with space even in a 3-bedroom house at a premium and my strength not up to hefting weighty desktop models about, my focus recently switched to the portables and in particular the "Good Companion" models of the '30s & '40s. Having done some research I established that, over the years from its introduction in 1932 to its final iteration in 1957, the original Model No. 1 went through several changes during its lifetime. Clearly one could go overboard collecting versions from every single year and easily fill one's home with Good Companions and nothing else, so I decided early on to keep it simple and get an early model with white keys and a later one with black keys. I bided my time and kept my eyes peeled at local vintage fairs and on eBay. On the latter I missed out on several examples (as one does) but my hopes remained buoyant and one day two weeks ago my perseverance paid off and a deal was struck on eBay for a black-keyed No. 1 in good condition, complete with some original accessories including cleaning brush, oil can, cleaning fluid bottle (empty), ribbon tin (with a "dead" ribbon!) and leather carry pouch (so dry and cracked I feared for it, however liberal applications of lanolin and leather restoring cream have managed to bring some life back to it). The machine itself seems to be in working order but in need of a good clean and what service my little knowledge can provide. New ribbons have also been procured and await fitting.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiayAMMoawMm2fomONBP36Hz2k2EiGAufIr70IPBfeT2LTJnPqqBRYAn5teikEUPzK4RR-RLEFD6RJSoQ-a1bJJjKAYyV5FFpi3jotEuy--rNIzCaNTd0OKbXfy31sS1uAHbF9UWH91-gi181xaZc7KPY4r_ya2QGC8brbZ7hV6l4YyknzEKPibuhWCjA/s14688/Accessories.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="14688" data-original-width="5184" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiayAMMoawMm2fomONBP36Hz2k2EiGAufIr70IPBfeT2LTJnPqqBRYAn5teikEUPzK4RR-RLEFD6RJSoQ-a1bJJjKAYyV5FFpi3jotEuy--rNIzCaNTd0OKbXfy31sS1uAHbF9UWH91-gi181xaZc7KPY4r_ya2QGC8brbZ7hV6l4YyknzEKPibuhWCjA/w141-h400/Accessories.jpg" width="141" /></a></div>You'll notice I put "ribbon<i>s</i>". Well not two days after I had sealed the deal for the first one (and before it had even arrived), the very second one I was after crossed my path in one of those serendipitous events that sometimes makes you wonder about a Higher Power. On a fleeting weekend outing to Rochester, Mrs P-P and I were returning to the car when we passed a charity shop that we had clocked at the beginning of our visit. A lovely, typical old chazza that is now sadly becoming all too rare (an Aladdin's Cave-cum-Tardis of items - that now tend to be the preserve of specific vintage emporia - slung all over the place) its siren call made us want to stop in even though our parking ticket was on the point of expiration. And there, just inside the door and partly hidden behind some wooden packing cases and a fencing mask (so as to discourage [little ]people from playing with it, so the lady behind the till informed me (and a not unreasonable idea as I'm sure many collectors will know), was an early-model No. 1 with <i>white</i> keys!). Following a quick request to test it out (and the removal of the aforementioned impediments) and an equally quick zoom around the rest of the shop to check it out and have a think, the decision was made, money changed hands, the wife ran off to get the car and my quest was complete. Two 1930s Imperial Good Companion No. 1s - one with black keys and one with white - were mine!</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQetIoAAKZhg7YxTHkTDtKv3UVlS2lOm3Ysit3wruSIzr5oOeG8oGWHQC3rQtk4DafZk4_O0cjOyOVDsiIking5Zf5Oe64t9WnwvzPcQJuKrz6K5GnOv1bPRkuH8VTWlQ5hvduvtErJ3szhxGUpb6qvCYEBKtqKD5zKTle8tvl5peezJ_BATTSkQXy-A/s23328/IGC33White.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="23328" data-original-width="5184" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQetIoAAKZhg7YxTHkTDtKv3UVlS2lOm3Ysit3wruSIzr5oOeG8oGWHQC3rQtk4DafZk4_O0cjOyOVDsiIking5Zf5Oe64t9WnwvzPcQJuKrz6K5GnOv1bPRkuH8VTWlQ5hvduvtErJ3szhxGUpb6qvCYEBKtqKD5zKTle8tvl5peezJ_BATTSkQXy-A/w89-h400/IGC33White.jpg" width="89" /></a></div>If anything the second one - a 1933 example according to its serial number - is in even better condition than the first (undated as no serial no. is visible - a common occurrence on some later examples I understand - but I would guess at late '30s, maybe 1939-ish). It could still use a freshen-up and definitely a new ribbon but, regardless of their conditions, the fact that I can now tick off this particular typewriting wish (and perhaps shift my focus to other portables!) makes me a very happy chappie and I am very much looking forward to putting them to use. Watch this space! (Although I won't be using them on my lap any time soon, I can promise you that - they still weigh a flippin' ton!) </div><div> </div><div><a href="https://spectrumlocalnews.com/tx/south-texas-el-paso/news/2023/01/13/typewriter-collector#" target="_blank">Austin, TX man boasts typewriter collection</a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjej-EYdy5DXsgDQMaLqlUY1h7kYoYOUvEgBMFi0f7EzQZlmcOu-O2cFE5MgVDwAo4za6RZgKYPxGDmdzbmjzOGtNznf7wFYeCOseaDINp5ND_r8jLgLGaXeyx4AR4XTt_w_Gyd-LpnUAlIdpvOnr53N7JeSW4dZUGd3_kjW_m54PPlEZVDFXFLSLfqPA/s828/igc%20legs.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="828" data-original-width="576" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjej-EYdy5DXsgDQMaLqlUY1h7kYoYOUvEgBMFi0f7EzQZlmcOu-O2cFE5MgVDwAo4za6RZgKYPxGDmdzbmjzOGtNznf7wFYeCOseaDINp5ND_r8jLgLGaXeyx4AR4XTt_w_Gyd-LpnUAlIdpvOnr53N7JeSW4dZUGd3_kjW_m54PPlEZVDFXFLSLfqPA/s320/igc%20legs.jpg" width="223" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">"Why can't I feel my legs...?"</span></td></tr></tbody></table>My own collection of typers now numbers a total of six - the Imperial 66, the two Good Companions, the Empire Aristocrat, the <a href="https://eclecticephemera.blogspot.com/2012/08/you-speak-imperial-court.html" target="_blank">Litton-Imperial 200n</a> and the <a href="https://eclecticephemera.blogspot.com/2020/04/tom-hanks-donates-typewriter-to-bullied.html" target="_blank">Corona Model 3</a> (not to mention my wife's two desktops - types unknown - that are apparently still somewhere in the loft at my in-laws!) - so I still have some way to go to match Mr Van Cleave. We both have a <i>looooong</i> way to go, though, to catch up with Mr Everett Henderson of Austin, TX, the subject of this next item and who has over 100 machines and counting in his collection. As with Joe Van Cleave and his fellow Albuquerquian collectors so has Mr Henderson helped to set up a series of local type-ins with a like-minded friend under the title of Austin Typewriter, Ink group. That same desire to share the tangible, mechanical experience of using a typewriter is equally as evident in Texas as it is in New Mexico and it pleases me no end to know that there is another enthusiastic restorer and fellow collectors out there connecting with each other, both physically and virtually, to help keep the enjoyment of typewriters alive.</div><div><br /></div>
<iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/Nnht5HmkzZ8" width="480"></iframe> <div><br /></div><div>The final typewriter-related news in this now-gargantuan post (and then, you'll be pleased to know, I shall probably disappear again for another couple of months) takes the form of this recent video report from the Irish Times detailing the work of typewriter restorer Leo Molloy. There's really nothing I can add to what he says, so I'll just sign off by leaving the last words - words that we typosphereans know so well - to Mr Molloy. </div>Bruce Partington-Planshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11336280062885272950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655974554267650893.post-87168357626697169242023-04-09T08:30:00.048+01:002023-04-09T08:30:00.180+01:00Wishing Easter joy to you all<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://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKXMUXl8PGQGleF4E0K8xBifQXRQK-Ws7Px3EQexC0xxzPBulclrTWWHtn1fz6zkDCE1Cas9-lDLzFfM7c7OWnP23IZ1_4CV_300ylDg5d-aKUKLkKFjaij2qpZR-mGoNOU1fPaKpJiqN8ybqqe7X_rIxd-XwQQbiIxtFo81Rwxeeu6DIwAKAQJ8_UoQ/s1664/TilmanImperialStandard66.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1664" data-original-width="1026" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKXMUXl8PGQGleF4E0K8xBifQXRQK-Ws7Px3EQexC0xxzPBulclrTWWHtn1fz6zkDCE1Cas9-lDLzFfM7c7OWnP23IZ1_4CV_300ylDg5d-aKUKLkKFjaij2qpZR-mGoNOU1fPaKpJiqN8ybqqe7X_rIxd-XwQQbiIxtFo81Rwxeeu6DIwAKAQJ8_UoQ/w395-h640/TilmanImperialStandard66.jpg" width="395" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://www.wikitree.com/photo/jpg/Vintage_Family_Postcards-148" target="_blank">source - wikitree</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> To all my readers, followers and visitors old & new, may you all have a a very</div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">H</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">a</span><span style="color: #cc0000;">p</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">p</span><span style="color: #cc0000;">y</span> <span style="color: #cfe2f3;">E</span><span style="color: #cc0000;">a</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">s</span><span style="color: #cc0000;">t</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">e</span><span style="color: #cc0000;">r</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">and I look forward to seeing you around the blogosphere into the Spring and beyond.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/aQMiAvS7Tec" width="480"></iframe>Bruce Partington-Planshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11336280062885272950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655974554267650893.post-30633209444820865412023-03-24T09:30:00.448+00:002023-03-24T09:30:00.184+00:00Bessie Coleman, pioneering pilot, now has her own Barbie<div><a href="https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/bessie-coleman-barbie-doll-cec/index.html" target="_blank">Bessie Coleman, pioneering pilot, now has her own Barbie</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Well, this is something I never thought I'd be blogging about. Not that I'm an expert on such things as dolls, you understand (although while we're at it, who else remember <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sindy" target="_blank">Sindy</a>?). Anyway, this is more a case of the subject within a subject being of interest (hopefully!) to my readers, with the news that Mattel, maker of the Barbie doll, has honoured one of the pioneers of early aviation with the latest addition to their range.</div><div><br /></div><div><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/AVvXsEgQKrQO_ZwwV6jMo9YqxxjJTZ_xn37omPaK-QxSe3PRIEcyHoSzOpjEXK7pOsBNQUHFKpbXpxOJNZyLM-Fbrmr12B_JVP_OYciqe57wqSYZIXSPsVNhlxFeACGgY6CZ_74Ym1OULNBR7-xTWMs78wWxEZv2tKF-J9EQgtFitlNKWPd-_-kH5XJTLnwguA/s1024/Coleman-licens.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1024" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQKrQO_ZwwV6jMo9YqxxjJTZ_xn37omPaK-QxSe3PRIEcyHoSzOpjEXK7pOsBNQUHFKpbXpxOJNZyLM-Fbrmr12B_JVP_OYciqe57wqSYZIXSPsVNhlxFeACGgY6CZ_74Ym1OULNBR7-xTWMs78wWxEZv2tKF-J9EQgtFitlNKWPd-_-kH5XJTLnwguA/w400-h313/Coleman-licens.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coleman-licens.jpg" target="_blank">source - Wikimedia Commons</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br />The aviatrix in question is Elizabeth "Bessie" Coleman, who made history in 1921 when she became the first black person to obtain an international pilot's licence. Her story is one that frankly deserves more recognition and I can only hope that this acknowledgement by Mattel goes some way towards achieving that. </div><div><br /></div><div>Born in Atlanta, Texas in 1892 Bessie Coleman seemed all set to follow in her parents' footsteps as a cotton picker. However from an early age she proved to be an academic student, fond of reading and a whizz at maths, such that she was given a scholarship by the local Baptist church that eventually enabled her to attend what is now the Langston University in Oklahoma. The money did not last, though, and she was only able to complete a single term before she was forced to return to Texas.</div><div><br /></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVe8_I1radZ5SJsvv092YvDwo0W9n70KZmKPrV_zJBK7eZcG5Rrn1sY2TWxy6qAMsjia3eRGHX9biVz5GfYC71ON1kJmeF8Js5pcNk-xzWayF8ZeqkchfJglLcv1l3sDF42ljngbBctvgfo4pPH54fEiBUjAGusCrdZZ4bm15irKhy0K0VQo_g4FT0LQ/s300/24453342460_6b68dba4a7_o.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="244" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVe8_I1radZ5SJsvv092YvDwo0W9n70KZmKPrV_zJBK7eZcG5Rrn1sY2TWxy6qAMsjia3eRGHX9biVz5GfYC71ON1kJmeF8Js5pcNk-xzWayF8ZeqkchfJglLcv1l3sDF42ljngbBctvgfo4pPH54fEiBUjAGusCrdZZ4bm15irKhy0K0VQo_g4FT0LQ/s1600/24453342460_6b68dba4a7_o.jpg" width="244" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bessie_Coleman,_First_African_American_Pilot_-_GPN-2004-00027.jpg" target="_blank">source - Wikimedia Commons/NASA</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table>At the age of 23 Bessie found herself living in Chicago with her brothers, working as a manicurist in a local barbershop. It was here that she was first exposed to the wonders of early flight, listening to the stories returning air force pilots would tell whilst getting a trim. Inspired by these thrilling stories she took a second job in a chili restaurant to help pay for flying lessons, despite neither black people nor women being allowed to join flying schools. Fortunately she was able to gain support from the editor of a Chicago-based African-American newspaper, Robert S. Abbott of the <i>Chicago Defender</i>, and prominent African-American banker Jesse Binga, who between them helped publicise and pay for her flying lessons. To get over the hurdle of the U.S. flying school bans it was recommended that Coleman travel to France, where there were no such restrictions. In an early example of her strong-minded and intellectual nature, she immediately attended a French language school in Chicago and having learnt the language promptly left the United States for Europe. Arriving in Paris at the end of November 1920 she spent the next 6 months learning to fly before finally achieving what no black woman had done before - obtaining a pilot's licence. Determined to be the best flyer she could, Bessie continued to take flying lessons under the tutelage of an unnamed ex-WW1 French ace before returning to America in September 1921.</div><div><br /></div><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/AVvXsEhF5MlUxEVN5vG4a2Hw9Fo3CFdydmN0tgYiowKwxV_MvhILwVSsZLwBgboWW8JhGsdNpmyoFP0_Br68Va-3KS6WChqg6pxPMHUr8j5MrXqsFUyW4p_nsST_mqlt_aEhrwoboglW5Ardf3A1eLEF9A7PpXCt46EBLDpWDGPxzuqmUwqif_8X7Sd-azB3yg/s640/bessie-coleman-aviatrix-snapped-in-berlin-germany-9028c7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="491" data-original-width="640" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF5MlUxEVN5vG4a2Hw9Fo3CFdydmN0tgYiowKwxV_MvhILwVSsZLwBgboWW8JhGsdNpmyoFP0_Br68Va-3KS6WChqg6pxPMHUr8j5MrXqsFUyW4p_nsST_mqlt_aEhrwoboglW5Ardf3A1eLEF9A7PpXCt46EBLDpWDGPxzuqmUwqif_8X7Sd-azB3yg/w400-h308/bessie-coleman-aviatrix-snapped-in-berlin-germany-9028c7.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bessie and a <span style="text-align: left;">Pathé </span>cameraman during a visit to Berlin in 1925<br /><a href="https://nypl.getarchive.net/media/bessie-coleman-aviatrix-snapped-in-berlin-germany-9028c7" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">source - New York Public Library</span></a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Despite widespread media attention in America at her achievement, Bessie was quick to realise that if she were to make a living as a civilian pilot in her home country then barnstorming was pretty much the only way to go. Again showing remarkable prudence Coleman, still having found no-one in the U.S. willing to teach her the advanced flying skills she would need, returned to France to undertake further lessons. Touring Europe she met famous Dutch aircraft designer Anthony Fokker and visited his factory in Germany where she was given more training by the chief test pilot. Now fully versed in all aspects of advanced flight, she once again returned to the U.S.A. where, billed as "Queen Bess", she wowed crowds around the country in various Curtiss JN-4 "Jenny" biplanes - earning her the well-deserved title of "The World's Greatest Woman Flier". Resolute in her desire to perform the most difficult stunts and understandably vocal in promoting African-American aviation she toured the country for the next 4 years giving lectures and exhibition flights. During a visit to Orlando, Florida she befriended a local vicar and his wife, who all but adopted her as a daughter; remaining in Orlando Bessie opened her own beauty parlour with the aim of making enough money to buy her own aeroplane. </div><div><br /><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/AVvXsEjOTrB3pV3luXOiWHYWYi7SQx1tdAk81GWdG3viUNci0nDXOoCYJ6uhfrqYXYZztmyfbBObpF7cgBdCWluuvW0sMN28APTtmxIbYEDz6BWm4yNPRfpuw6jF1ubX52wHXl1lAZcTa0qL5UkqWvh6GSoJKoldOKuIXRzFhfXxdJI0gTmB3KnxO0P0bETxfA/s1000/39207181535_b5d788a4c5_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="671" data-original-width="1000" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOTrB3pV3luXOiWHYWYi7SQx1tdAk81GWdG3viUNci0nDXOoCYJ6uhfrqYXYZztmyfbBObpF7cgBdCWluuvW0sMN28APTtmxIbYEDz6BWm4yNPRfpuw6jF1ubX52wHXl1lAZcTa0qL5UkqWvh6GSoJKoldOKuIXRzFhfXxdJI0gTmB3KnxO0P0bETxfA/w400-h269/39207181535_b5d788a4c5_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bessie and one of her Curtiss JN-4's, c.1922<br /><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bessie_Coleman#/media/File:Bessie_Coleman_and_her_plane_(1922).jpg" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">source - Wikimedia Commons</span></a></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div>In April 1926 this she finally did, purchasing another Curtiss JN-4 in Dallas, Texas. Sadly, however, it was this aircraft that would be her downfall. Bessie was in Jacksonville, Florida, at the time of the purchase so the aeroplane was flown back from Dallas by her 24-year-old mechanic and publicity agent William D. Wills. He was reportedly forced to land three times along the journey due to the terrible condition the aircraft had been kept in by its previous owner. Despite its obviously dangerous shortcomings and against all the advice of friends and relatives, Bessie went up (as a passenger) in the Jenny with Wills on the 30th April 1926 to practice for a parachute jump she intended to perform the following day. At 3,000ft the aircraft suddenly went into an uncontrollable dive and spun into the ground. Bessie was thrown from the cockpit and sadly died on the ground; Wills was also killed instantly when the Jenny impacted the ground and exploded. Detailed examination of the wreckage subsequently revealed a wrench for maintaining the engine had been left in the machine, causing the controls to jam.</div><div><br /></div><div>
<iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/wckEiKzCBqc" style="background-image: url(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/wckEiKzCBqc/hqdefault.jpg);" width="480"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div>Bessie Coleman's tragically early death at the age of 34 was, despite her undoubted fame, largely ignored by all but the African-American press. In spite of this, over ten thousand mourners turned out for her funeral in Chicago and over the many years following she was honoured with several roads, schools and other public buildings being named after her, to say nothing of various museum exhibits, commemorative stamps etc.</div><div><br /></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhir08PHknBqeXlEwxhviLFmkqio_1MKW5jDsym9ESXa7PC3IdWdzLbZvz_TcxVcyQoc4DNOn_AearxJuWnhpK_rBSiC_T7lDcpsCBhZe3ER9tLqBH5NoBC09dUPX7iTmi7N1vuMvzwR92BULiRH8mHVEuWJp1oYMUKU6YtIi8hPeEy3VMbj6OIXwqm8g/s640/bessie-coleman-aviatrix-f9a4c2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="515" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhir08PHknBqeXlEwxhviLFmkqio_1MKW5jDsym9ESXa7PC3IdWdzLbZvz_TcxVcyQoc4DNOn_AearxJuWnhpK_rBSiC_T7lDcpsCBhZe3ER9tLqBH5NoBC09dUPX7iTmi7N1vuMvzwR92BULiRH8mHVEuWJp1oYMUKU6YtIi8hPeEy3VMbj6OIXwqm8g/s320/bessie-coleman-aviatrix-f9a4c2.jpg" width="258" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bessie in a Chicago press photo, 1925<br /><a href="https://nypl.getarchive.net/media/bessie-coleman-aviatrix-f9a4c2" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">source - New York Public Library</span></a></td></tr></tbody></table><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/barbie-celebrates-pioneering-pilot-bessie-235454649.html" target="_blank">Barbie celebrates pioneering pilot Bessie Coleman with new doll</a><div><br /></div></div><div>Now can be added to that list a Barbie doll designed in her image (I have to admit not seeing much of a likeness, although as I said at the top of this post dolls are not really my metier), with a snappy-looking aviatrix get-up featuring flying suit, boots and initialled cap. It is splendid to see such a previously-overlooked trailblazer of (black) women's aviation marked in this way and I commend Mattel for choosing to highlight this historically important woman. If it can also encourage young girls of any colour to take an interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) Learning and aviation in particular, then so much the better.</div>
Bruce Partington-Planshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11336280062885272950noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655974554267650893.post-45806930900565976922023-03-21T12:45:00.002+00:002023-03-21T21:22:41.605+00:00Vintage loco comes to the rescue after popular Snowdonia path washed away by floods<iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/5EfEl-i0prM" width="480"></iframe> <div><a href="https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/vintage-loco-comes-rescue-after-26286746">Vintage loco comes to the rescue after popular Snowdonia path washed away by floods</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Another welcome return to this blog for one of my favourite sort of happenings - the "vintage machinery comes to the rescue" story. We have seen it before, mainly with <a href="https://eclecticephemera.blogspot.com/2020/06/demolition-firm-puts-vintage-steam.html">steam traction engines</a> and <a href="https://eclecticephemera.blogspot.com/2011/02/vintage-steamroller-used-to-repair-road.html">road rollers</a> but sometimes with <a href="https://eclecticephemera.blogspot.com/search?q=train+rescue">steam trains</a> and here is another instance of the latter.</div><div><br /></div><div>On this occasion the engine in question is <i>Lilla</i>, a feisty mid-sized 0-4-0 quarry locomotive originally built in 1891 for hauling slate from the Nantile Valley near Gwynedd in North Wales. This she continued to do for the next sixty-four years, moving a few miles northeast to the Penrhyn quarry at Bethesda in 1928, before finally being retired in 1955 following a failed boiler test. Purchased by a private individual in 1963 <i>Lilla </i>spent the following 9 years undergoing restoration before returning to the heritage railway network in 1972. Moving around the country she finally found herself in her current home at the <a href="https://www.festrail.co.uk/" target="_blank">Ffestiniog & West Highland Railway</a> in 1993 where she has been well cared-for over the intervening three decades. This has included numerous overhauls and replacement of worn parts, with a brand new boiler being fitted in 2004. </div><div><br /></div><div><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/AVvXsEg-4KgFUGEmOWTwO__hbJVQ2a2bhOGr1xZ2gzr2lYPegO4SH-pL0ZxQQshSF3TTj0jdRdq3la25O74AxW1Gebps0AC_8U9zyhuJXcOz5AuKB9zqYoYn3IuN6Xhj32GjZ10_piY2zi6dERdzLRfilG_v_25RC-8o4cp6jql6z66oKM014qupnxRM37_gwQ/s1600/FR_Lilla_at_Super_Power_2018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-4KgFUGEmOWTwO__hbJVQ2a2bhOGr1xZ2gzr2lYPegO4SH-pL0ZxQQshSF3TTj0jdRdq3la25O74AxW1Gebps0AC_8U9zyhuJXcOz5AuKB9zqYoYn3IuN6Xhj32GjZ10_piY2zi6dERdzLRfilG_v_25RC-8o4cp6jql6z66oKM014qupnxRM37_gwQ/w400-h300/FR_Lilla_at_Super_Power_2018.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FR_Lilla_at_Super_Power_2018.jpg" target="_blank">source - Wikimedia Commons/Hefin Owen</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br />It is no doubt this high level of preservation that allowed <i>Lilla </i>to step up and come to the aid of the National Trust when recent flooding caused part of a nearby tourist trail to be washed away. Already a common sight on the F&WHR line pulling everything from quarry wagons to carriages full of children, <i>Lilla</i> seemed the obvious choice to haul the 30 tons of aggregate needed to repair the damaged path and I am delighted to see that she performed the task as though she'd never been away, proving once again how - provided they are maintained in good condition - vintage machines can still fulfil their original purpose. Kudos must also go to the National Trust Cymru for approaching the F&WHR with the idea of using <i>Lilla</i> to help out - the sort of thinking one is glad to see in a heritage (or indeed any) organisation and one which I hope we will continue to see more of, as people realise that machines like <i>Lilla </i>still have a lot left to give.</div>Bruce Partington-Planshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11336280062885272950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655974554267650893.post-28593310415129681072023-03-18T15:59:00.005+00:002023-03-21T12:51:39.928+00:00Hull’s cream-coloured phone boxes given Grade II-listed status<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://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqhHcV83SZr8Z0Ydn7R0hXslxPKmUMeeySJZELMf6UMB9CcwYmhuQSM4aLgHd4GjyK7Zw-QNxdXgkZiSHLAs-uVPvnNAxlI3msH9Aa5rQb5yg79YevrQIL4DKc4AiuoM-c9_06lJCJrQKNh6YbffwMJBj8tKgWbXJXiM6ghIMjebMUFxtor8Q1kHuhsQ/s2818/K8_Kiosk_-_KCOM,_Hull_-_50237061918.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2818" data-original-width="1954" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqhHcV83SZr8Z0Ydn7R0hXslxPKmUMeeySJZELMf6UMB9CcwYmhuQSM4aLgHd4GjyK7Zw-QNxdXgkZiSHLAs-uVPvnNAxlI3msH9Aa5rQb5yg79YevrQIL4DKc4AiuoM-c9_06lJCJrQKNh6YbffwMJBj8tKgWbXJXiM6ghIMjebMUFxtor8Q1kHuhsQ/w444-h640/K8_Kiosk_-_KCOM,_Hull_-_50237061918.jpg" width="444" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:K8_Kiosk_-_KCOM,_Hull_-_50237061918.jpg" style="font-size: x-small;" target="_blank">source - Wikimedia Commons/kitmasterbloke</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/mar/03/hull-cream-coloured-phone-boxes-given-grade-ii-listed-status" target="_blank">Hull’s cream-coloured phone boxes given Grade II-listed status</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Well here we go, straight back in the saddle with this latest article about a rare variant of an already-endangered piece of technology - the public call box.</div><div><br /></div><div>In this instance the phone boxes in question are not the earlier, more famous Giles Gilbert Scott-designed glass-and-metal K2 to K6 series of red boxes but rather the later K8 design from the pen of architect Bruce Martin, which were introduced across Great Britain in the late 1960s to supplement the existing 50,000-odd K2 and K6 boxes that were still prevalent at the time.</div><div><br /></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPcns8TU1sGIoj3rp1_064l2D45yiQ-kux1m1RZu5vpKV-kYYplaBz4PSJ7BC5bysH8yXG3IijY6ig4cHKXfAXgUgvtKt0nNbRByg6lVgzfdJHv62668nH_aQgmU2F8X1oC8YpboQ8yWm4byK0P96_bJ-oK3zpkjDPlhxcCJFvm5cII0Un3dK48acVWA/s3648/K8_Telephone_Box_Amersham_station_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3648" data-original-width="2736" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPcns8TU1sGIoj3rp1_064l2D45yiQ-kux1m1RZu5vpKV-kYYplaBz4PSJ7BC5bysH8yXG3IijY6ig4cHKXfAXgUgvtKt0nNbRByg6lVgzfdJHv62668nH_aQgmU2F8X1oC8YpboQ8yWm4byK0P96_bJ-oK3zpkjDPlhxcCJFvm5cII0Un3dK48acVWA/s320/K8_Telephone_Box_Amersham_station_2.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:K8_Telephone_Box_Amersham_station_2.jpg" style="font-size: x-small;" target="_blank">source - Wikimedia Commons/Oxyman</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Markedly different from the designs that had come before it, the K8 boasted a modern light and airy Sixties feel thanks to large single panes of glass bereft of any intricate metalwork. Intended to be easier to repair and maintain, over 11,000 K8s were installed up and down the country - only replacing existing K2s and K6s where absolutely necessary. While many continued in service over the next 20 years or so, the design ultimately never gained as much appeal as the iconic red boxes that came before it. It's only really lasting claim to fame is that it sported a slightly different shade of crimson - "Poppy Red" - one which went on to become the standard colour and was retrospectively applied to all existing boxes throughout the country. However, the design's supposed strength over its predecessors - its ease of maintenance - was ultimately outweighed by the frequency of repairs as a result of vandalism. Allied to the fact that it actually cost more to manufacture than the older models, a great number were subsequently replaced by the (rightly) unloved KX-series following the creation of British Telecom after the privatisation of the GPO in the 1980s. As of 2023, a mere fifty-odd K8s still exist around Britain - some, I'm pleased to note, already with listed status.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-64824013" target="_blank"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz9xwYL3g4-BbhEMsccpp2wTJ6_6bu3534VaILPE6nV7wKtNZ8CgeXE0xzY2lISq1Vl-5Jw4gkWwuJKsvb4-4Fu9mv3NA0wS59Eh-dYRYErQ5kpmNW3S3NQzoQ27jAaMyAmI6Y4EhFX4xZunkj6qP3V_AeOqSQeEZ77vlRSbg08rSJSQ_sTSj2Ah6fYg/s2843/Hull_telephone_box_(27857173504).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2843" data-original-width="2312" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz9xwYL3g4-BbhEMsccpp2wTJ6_6bu3534VaILPE6nV7wKtNZ8CgeXE0xzY2lISq1Vl-5Jw4gkWwuJKsvb4-4Fu9mv3NA0wS59Eh-dYRYErQ5kpmNW3S3NQzoQ27jAaMyAmI6Y4EhFX4xZunkj6qP3V_AeOqSQeEZ77vlRSbg08rSJSQ_sTSj2Ah6fYg/s320/Hull_telephone_box_(27857173504).jpg" width="260" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hull_telephone_box_%2827857173504%29.jpg" style="font-size: x-small;" target="_blank">source - Wikimedia Commons/Tim Green</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Rare K8 phone boxes in Hull awarded listed status</a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Unusual among these few remaining K8s are the handful still to be found in the city of Hull, which was (and still is) the only place in England where the telephone network was run by either the local council or a private provider and not the GPO/ BT. As a result, all Hull's phone boxes were painted not the traditional red but a rather fetching shade of cream to reflect their independence from the national network. Now I am pleased to see that nine of these surviving boxes have been given Grade-II listed status by Historic England, hopefully preserving them for future generations to at least see what we used - and sometimes <i>still </i>use - before the advent of the mobile telephone (for, I am delighted to note, these particular boxes continue to fulfil their original function, containing as they do working telephones which must also now be preserved in working order). </div><div><br /></div><div>I join with the Twentieth Century Society and the people of Hull in celebrating this decision, which gives me great hopes for the future of all the remaining 10,000 or so phone boxes in this country, that there will never come a time when we have none left. </div><p></p>Bruce Partington-Planshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11336280062885272950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655974554267650893.post-90552147865974310042023-03-02T16:19:00.002+00:002023-03-02T16:25:01.682+00:00Boo!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTABIDuRLvk-rCwOKPFIeBIaDI1jupxBAcaDQKQVKpTd5fS-zSf7DPugJ3OLbrePVrPF28iEhK-ge4V6xFINFAQViNE6QPTsc3yAWclmB7G1SlkFBA_QDNjcEAUMHdAn5hh5hJczExOi7qydyukKtv9z81r9mmU0-fAmYNfeVtqwuelcWK0-jGtA3wAw/s2048/pxfuel.com%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1363" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTABIDuRLvk-rCwOKPFIeBIaDI1jupxBAcaDQKQVKpTd5fS-zSf7DPugJ3OLbrePVrPF28iEhK-ge4V6xFINFAQViNE6QPTsc3yAWclmB7G1SlkFBA_QDNjcEAUMHdAn5hh5hJczExOi7qydyukKtv9z81r9mmU0-fAmYNfeVtqwuelcWK0-jGtA3wAw/w400-h266/pxfuel.com%20(1).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />I say, it's been a while, hasn't it (where have we heard that before)?! Crikey, even the Blogger interface has changed since my last post! I've almost forgotten how all this works. I fancy I shall also have to do a bit of Spring cleaning around the old thing. Has it really been nearly <b>3 years?!</b> Does anyone still do this blogging malarkey any more or has everyone moved on to InstaTwitFaceWhatsTok, wearing funny goggles and waving to each other over the aether? Anyway, do feel free to say "What ho!" in the comments if you are still following this cobwebbed corner of the Internet and although I won't <s><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">threaten </span></s>promise anything it is my intention to start posting again (in the same vein as before) as time, sources and health allows. In the meantime, it's good to be back!<p></p><p></p><p></p>
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Bruce Partington-Planshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11336280062885272950noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655974554267650893.post-78290765256800093812020-11-19T14:24:00.002+00:002020-11-19T18:05:46.634+00:00Live action Tintin film reportedly on the way<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="giphy-embed" frameborder="0" height="204" src="https://giphy.com/embed/NxFjUG1zOriDu" width="480"></iframe><p><a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/cheezburger-tintin-animation-drawing-NxFjUG1zOriDu">via GIPHY</a></p><a href="https://www.filmstories.co.uk/news/live-action-tintin-film-reportedly-on-the-way/" target="_blank">Live action Tintin film reportedly on the way</a><div><br /></div><div>Just when I was <a href="https://eclecticephemera.blogspot.com/2020/05/a-tintin-video-game-in-works.html" target="_blank">recently lamenting</a> the lack of a sequel to 2011's <i>The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn </i>from either Peter Jackson or Steven Spielberg along comes the news of a new Tintin film in the works - but not from the source, nor in the format, that one might expect. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://movieweb.com/tintin-movie-the-castafiore-emerald-director-patrice-leconte/" target="_blank">Tintin Live-Action Film Is in the Works, Won't Be Connected to Spielberg's Movie</a></div><div><br /></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjvVNUeoS1Gt1WlSctQ3TofPMLlUXTPLZubB9Hd7-CcgvDD9jgohcV8vDyXMw6z7LsxqyczgwEfFPSvqlfvC3B6JEcQTAmEG3joOEE6c4SUXMER1F4vPZWHDNo6vtCxgWwTcGioDsaCYGj/s817/Blue+Oranges+7.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="817" data-original-width="550" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjvVNUeoS1Gt1WlSctQ3TofPMLlUXTPLZubB9Hd7-CcgvDD9jgohcV8vDyXMw6z7LsxqyczgwEfFPSvqlfvC3B6JEcQTAmEG3joOEE6c4SUXMER1F4vPZWHDNo6vtCxgWwTcGioDsaCYGj/w134-h200/Blue+Oranges+7.jpg" width="134" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">source - <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058663/" target="_blank">IMDb</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>No, with the promise of a follow-up to <i>Secret of the Unicorn </i>still not forthcoming from either Mr Jackson or Mr Spielberg the door has potentially been left open for a new production (or a "reboot", to use the modern parlance). Through that door, according to the accompanying articles, may come the little-known (outside of France) director Patrice Leconte and his plans for a <u>live-action</u> Tintin film - the first time such an undertaking has been mooted since <i>Tintin and the Blue Oranges </i>was released nearly 60 years ago in 1964.</div><div><br /></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjinrdwV7nvj2Wo0gPZiCa1BTQMGumVBWYj1aK1PU166jRpg7v8gaC34UGUAZPqvC6SXeW12DynsvEQTQ9oLEl4sdhV53nyvtueRbTpoFMnSPcFrIFHIEVDr69zHlgRfbJDE6Xa-jYBu05B/s762/Golden+Fleece.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="762" data-original-width="567" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjinrdwV7nvj2Wo0gPZiCa1BTQMGumVBWYj1aK1PU166jRpg7v8gaC34UGUAZPqvC6SXeW12DynsvEQTQ9oLEl4sdhV53nyvtueRbTpoFMnSPcFrIFHIEVDr69zHlgRfbJDE6Xa-jYBu05B/s320/Golden+Fleece.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">source - <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055526/" target="_blank">IMDb</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>That film was in fact the second of a planned trilogy of live-action Tintin stories, beginning with 1961's <i>Tintin and the Golden Fleece</i>. Both films had original storylines not featured in any of the books but featured all the main characters including Tintin, Captain Haddock, Professor Calculus, Thomson & Thompson and of course Snowy(!). The title character was played by a young (then aged only seventeen) unknown Belgian Jean-Pierre Talbot who, while working as a sports instructor on an Ostend beach, had been spotted by a talent scout who noticed the useful resemblance to the boy reporter. Introduced to the great Hergé himself the two quickly became firm friends and Talbot's role was assured (although this was to be his only foray into acting; after <i>The Blue Oranges </i>he returned to relative obscurity and later became a teacher. Now aged 77 and retired, he still lives in his home town of Spa). He was the only actor to play the same character across both films, with Captain Haddock being portrayed by Georges Wilson in <i>The Golden Fleece</i> and Jean Bouise in <i>The Blue Oranges</i>. Professor Calculus likewise was played by Georges Loriot in the first film and by Félix Fernández in the second. Some confusion still surrounds the actor(s) who played Thomson & Thompson in the first film as they were only listed in the credits as "Incognito", while IMDb would have us believe they were both played by the same man - the mysteriously-named "Gamonal" (although there is some suggestion that they may have been Les Frères Gamonal (i.e. the brothers Gamonal). Certainly they appear to be two separate actors in the film.) In the case of each movie all the supporting actors were made-up to some extent so as to better approximate the look of their characters while still retaining the live-action æsthetic - the success (or otherwise) of which I will leave for you to decide, both films being currently available on YouTube <a href="https://youtu.be/GvakXafS5W8" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="https://youtu.be/uI9xrfDlTFM" target="_blank">here</a>.</div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><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/AVvXsEiphw3Gl6btwh_G4AvhGamCEVzElKAaj3ZPA1I02Ajb6T5UBpx4nGPReOTVBlKQ7UTe46Y-YFUmMdi4UURLmNvfuIatFyPJzI98iSZ38vCqITt70M7VPnpuCqmkoMzVjY9fbTbPNV6nY6lV/s836/Golden+Fleece+3.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="760" data-original-width="836" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiphw3Gl6btwh_G4AvhGamCEVzElKAaj3ZPA1I02Ajb6T5UBpx4nGPReOTVBlKQ7UTe46Y-YFUmMdi4UURLmNvfuIatFyPJzI98iSZ38vCqITt70M7VPnpuCqmkoMzVjY9fbTbPNV6nY6lV/w400-h364/Golden+Fleece+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">source - <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055526/" target="_blank">IMDb</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />The Golden Fleece </i>sees Captain Haddock inherit a ship (the <i>Golden Fleece </i>of the title) from a recently deceased friend, which soon leads to all sorts of adventure in the search for lost treasure (so although ostensibly a stand-alone plot it does seem have been inspired by the two-parter stories <i>The Secret of the Unicorn </i>and <i>Red Rackham's Treasure</i>). Following that movie's success the second film, <i>The Blue Oranges</i>, was released three years later and - in an adventure that definitely owes nothing to the books - sees our heroes come to the aid of Professor Calculus and his friend who have hit upon an invention to cure world hunger<i>, </i>which needless to say soon attracts the attention of some villainous types! A third film was to have been made for release in 1967 but due to the less than positive reviews of <i>The Blue Oranges</i> it was cancelled and so these two cinematic oddities remain for now the only attempts at a live-action Tintin movie.</div><div><br /></div><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/AVvXsEhwzNgyl-TvBET3zCipdRnULwNDwmmtj6sDD1eabjJjwSx9j_DNvIdHyCBx7yRAg7_KXCXKFxAI3lIa7aKcpKwiYYZZ4XDL4ZJ4ciokAWQf1KJQQu_4QvegzdbxIt85qHbfRiuabB7qVZ58/s799/Golden+Fleece+4.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="508" data-original-width="799" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwzNgyl-TvBET3zCipdRnULwNDwmmtj6sDD1eabjJjwSx9j_DNvIdHyCBx7yRAg7_KXCXKFxAI3lIa7aKcpKwiYYZZ4XDL4ZJ4ciokAWQf1KJQQu_4QvegzdbxIt85qHbfRiuabB7qVZ58/w400-h254/Golden+Fleece+4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">source - <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055526/" target="_blank">IMDb</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><a href="https://www.flickeringmyth.com/2020/10/live-action-tintin-movie-in-development/" target="_blank">Live-action Tintin movie in development</a></div><div><br /></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi56bSaztzqfnOvmI1ooYYnk84hPJFYqfZHciucY9SRJwhpDrR667weBmiDfViRs3ZHlsm5xIdB-7-_pYKfxDbLDWKTFCfvVP8MB2RCHOdxU-NglWqs1eztqj5NvHRtdnrZWs1qf8X0ajbp/s363/The_Adventures_of_Tintin_-_21_-_The_Castafiore_Emerald.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="363" data-original-width="275" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi56bSaztzqfnOvmI1ooYYnk84hPJFYqfZHciucY9SRJwhpDrR667weBmiDfViRs3ZHlsm5xIdB-7-_pYKfxDbLDWKTFCfvVP8MB2RCHOdxU-NglWqs1eztqj5NvHRtdnrZWs1qf8X0ajbp/s320/The_Adventures_of_Tintin_-_21_-_The_Castafiore_Emerald.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">source - <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_Adventures_of_Tintin_-_21_-_The_Castafiore_Emerald.jpg" target="_blank">Wikipædia</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Until now, that is, with the exciting news that veteran French director <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrice_Leconte" target="_blank">Patrice Leconte</a> has expressed an interest in producing just such a film - this time to be based on one of the actual books, namely <i>The Castafiore Emerald. </i> Intriguingly this particular story would be very much a set-bound piece, taking place exclusively at Marlinspike Hall - the home of Captain Haddock - and is essentially more of a "who-dunnit" rather than an out-and-out adventure. How successful that will prove to be remains to be seen (the book itself, a later release published in 1963, was not well-received on account of Hergé breaking with the traditional adventure-style storyline for the first time), especially as M. Leconte is still in early negotiations with Paramount Pictures for the copyright which still lies with Spielberg (look man, if you're not going to do anything with it after nearly ten years at least give somebody else a chance!). For this reason alone, thrilled though I am at the prospect of a new Tintin film and buoyed by M. Leconte's arthouse credentials (which includes stints as a comic strip writer), I don't hold out much hope for one seeing the light of day any time in the next few years. I know from previous experience how long it takes for a film that has only just been tentatively announced and may not even be in pre-production to finally make it to our cinema screens and I expect that - if it hasn't died a death in the meantime - I'll still be blogging about its progress well into this decade. Still, hope springs eternal and despite all this negativity it seems M. Leconte is confident enough to announce some degree of progress - having claimed production has started - although to what level is not clear - and the parts of Captain Haddock and Bianca Castafiore have already been cast. I wish M. Leconte every success and will be keeping a close eye on this production in the profound hope that we Tintin fans will not be disappointed by a <i><b>third </b></i>director!</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.darkhorizons.com/leconte-to-helm-live-action-tintin-film/" target="_blank">Leconte To Helm Live-Action “Tintin” Film?</a></div><div><br /></div><div>As this looks likely to be a French-led production (although Paramount may well demand some input in return for the copyright and distribution rights) one imagines that the cast will probably be a largely European one, unknown outside the Continent - although perhaps with one or two big names to aid its popularity. With that being the case and with M. Leconte allegedly having found his Captain Haddock and Bianca Castafiore, my own ideas on casting for a live-action Tintin film seem even more redundant than they did previously. However I'm not a man to let that stop me so I will plough ahead and finish this post with my casting director's hat on and my thoughts and suggestions for actors and actresses to play the major roles in any forthcoming live-action production.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.tvovermind.com/a-tintin-live-action-movie-is-in-development/" target="_blank">A Tintin Live-Action Movie is in Development</a></div><div><br /></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivx2RFMyVWs8dAJvSdlkvTmiIQr-7NHq34Pj_SjtjKkln_YoeTtTHtELnCMwkh12Ptz2KwlOSIW2fj7fsiaQqCS-JFYlPInj8DmgYB3RpmPWxR8mvt_Igocd4CcFwF8FVn4YZQO6p9jjIf/s2048/Tom_Holland_by_Gage_Skidmore.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1387" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivx2RFMyVWs8dAJvSdlkvTmiIQr-7NHq34Pj_SjtjKkln_YoeTtTHtELnCMwkh12Ptz2KwlOSIW2fj7fsiaQqCS-JFYlPInj8DmgYB3RpmPWxR8mvt_Igocd4CcFwF8FVn4YZQO6p9jjIf/s320/Tom_Holland_by_Gage_Skidmore.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">source - <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=50404093" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons / <br />Gage Skidmore</a></td></tr></tbody></table>The difficulty in finding an actor to portray Tintin is that they must by necessity be quite young - our hero is a "boy reporter" of only fifteen, don't forget - or still be possessed of petite, boyish looks despite being well into their twenties or older. Think Daniel Radcliffe of Harry Potter fame, for instance - although I wouldn't necessarily choose him as I don't think he would have quite the right appearance even with make-up/ prosthetics. In the case of a series of films this in turn leads to the problem of needing to anchor the character's age over the course of a short period of time in the story arc against the actor's natural aging process during the years of each film's production. A classic example of this can be seen in the <i>Spider-Man </i>films, beginning with Sam Raimi's trilogy of 2002-07 starring Tobey Maguire, through Andrew Garfield's tenure in <i>The Amazing Spider-Man 1 </i>&<i> 2</i>, to the current incumbent Tom Holland (<i>above</i>). The character of Peter Parker is in many ways similar to that of Tintin (barring the superhuman strength, ability to stick to walls and web-slinging skills, of course) - a teenage reporter/ photographer getting into all sorts of scrapes and adventures - and so requires the same sort of actor to pull the role off, hence the reason why there have been so many reboots of that particular franchise in little under twenty years. I happen to rate Tom Holland very highly and for that reason, as well as his matching the criteria I mentioned above, I certainly think he could be an excellent Tintin.</div><div><br /></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2drALUYWe6x4ifV1KXBLdQqJcc02XykX0KEXXRLB7xnPY9_uTipCX-qOPq5vkQlQslDHIZaVuarkOGFv_djC0KhQQy_WZOGzjhxvaX5kiGlK2r2WFv84CWcxQ0XxeSdtLasfv1xu-4rpX/s2048/Asa_Butterfield_in_2019_%2528cropped%2529.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1359" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2drALUYWe6x4ifV1KXBLdQqJcc02XykX0KEXXRLB7xnPY9_uTipCX-qOPq5vkQlQslDHIZaVuarkOGFv_djC0KhQQy_WZOGzjhxvaX5kiGlK2r2WFv84CWcxQ0XxeSdtLasfv1xu-4rpX/s320/Asa_Butterfield_in_2019_%2528cropped%2529.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Give him a quiff and you're all set.<br />source - <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asa_Butterfield_in_2019_(cropped).jpg" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons / <br />Greg2600</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table>My first choice for the part of Belgian's famous fictional son, though, would be one of Mr Holland's fellow young British actors - Asa Butterfield (<i>left</i>). Perhaps best known for his breakthrough role in 2008's <i>The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas </i>and as the eponymous <i>Hugo</i> in that excellent Thirties-set, Steampunkesque film, young Butterfield has for me just the right look about him for the character and has impressed me in everything I have seen him in. Like Tom Holland I can see him keeping his fresh-faced appearance well into his thirties (both actors being in their mid-twenties now) which would hold him in good stead for any sequels.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv2cfoUBhNKExvu1AwtF_8mbWUH4a-3cwdkAdIa6mAU_BWAoWLChc9C6x7sPXqDoM-ffLe6YMC8voM7VrG4zsisjj9xdHrLJXEJX4ozCY-2jPj8au8VPR0iff4-IhExYlBB_JFhQRAts8G/s3843/haddock.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3843" data-original-width="818" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv2cfoUBhNKExvu1AwtF_8mbWUH4a-3cwdkAdIa6mAU_BWAoWLChc9C6x7sPXqDoM-ffLe6YMC8voM7VrG4zsisjj9xdHrLJXEJX4ozCY-2jPj8au8VPR0iff4-IhExYlBB_JFhQRAts8G/s320/haddock.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">sources - <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Haddock" target="_blank">Wikipædia</a>/ <br /><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Kiefer_Sutherland#/media/File:Kiefer_Sutherland_2_SDCC_2014.jpg" target="_blank">Gage Skidmore</a>/ <br /><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Russell_Crowe_in_2017#/media/File:Russell_Crowe_(33994020424).jpg" target="_blank">Eva Rinaldi</a><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table>Having ummed and aahhed a bit my pick for Captain Haddock would come down to two established actors who I feel could really relish in the part. The first is Kiefer Sutherland, who I feel is now of an age at and stage in his career where he could channel some of his father Donald's eccentricities into a challenging character like the good captain. Just try and imagine him with a bushy black beard and see if you don't get what I mean. The second - and again my top choice - would be Russell Crowe. The gravelly voice, the stocky build, the intensity of his acting ability could all be brought to bear with great success in a more light-hearted role that would still test him. (Honourable mention should also go to Andy Serkis, I feel, who voiced Captain Haddock in the 2011 Spielberg film. He's very good at playing a broad range of characters and again with a full beard I could easily see him in the role.)</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><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/AVvXsEh4fPnOUI99SL9RWQ24nmQLTzMS74571BCpWnXysvB1pwkVLKQCH0e5XDuk10T4BeWPqttidOSFgLd8dgKGQIkW7niEmb25v-mHfUq-QqJbeliEf_zPoIuQ77jDnoZVj4rKUNfYtSZl_Wb0/s1767/calculus.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="764" data-original-width="1767" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4fPnOUI99SL9RWQ24nmQLTzMS74571BCpWnXysvB1pwkVLKQCH0e5XDuk10T4BeWPqttidOSFgLd8dgKGQIkW7niEmb25v-mHfUq-QqJbeliEf_zPoIuQ77jDnoZVj4rKUNfYtSZl_Wb0/w400-h173/calculus.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sources - <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058663/?ref_=ttmi_tt" target="_blank">IMDb</a>/ <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professor_Calculus" target="_blank">Wikipædia</a>/ <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ben_Kingsley_by_Gage_Skidmore.jpg" target="_blank">Gage Skidmore</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />For Professor Calculus only one actor comes to mind - Sir Ben Kingsley. Frankly, to use a modern expression, I think he would smash it out of the park and after Tintin his is probably the one part I would most like to see essayed. Calculus is arguably the most difficult character to approximate, having such a unique look about him (he was modelled on the eccentric Swiss scientist and aeronaut Auguste Piccard - another subject for a standalone post, methinks!) so as well as being close in terms of looks and stature, requiring less make-up, I reckon Sir Ben's superb acting skills should be more than up to doing justice to the part. </div><div><br /></div><div><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/AVvXsEiLdoClDLFRmsQSqQD6-rbVyftb2iUW3fle1GZeIGroig9jdObnCUW9IVjO2EsnW_GNYlZWprJ2pZ_vdgXr9o6zdfGmV4QUJpAl2nh0OaWOYTwiw6DaJKXx48fVYwQndubhQoNKiAcCvnmv/s2859/thomsons.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1100" data-original-width="2859" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLdoClDLFRmsQSqQD6-rbVyftb2iUW3fle1GZeIGroig9jdObnCUW9IVjO2EsnW_GNYlZWprJ2pZ_vdgXr9o6zdfGmV4QUJpAl2nh0OaWOYTwiw6DaJKXx48fVYwQndubhQoNKiAcCvnmv/w400-h154/thomsons.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sources - <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomson_and_Thompson" target="_blank">Wikipædia</a>/ <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Simon_Pegg#/media/File:Simon_Pegg_by_Gage_Skidmore_2.jpg" target="_blank">Gage Skidmore</a>/ <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Michael_Sheen#/media/File:Michael_Sheen_at_PaleyFest_2014.jpg" target="_blank">iDominick</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />The characters of Thomson & Thompson are equally difficult to cast, I feel, not only for their distinctive appearance but also for the fact that they look identical despite not being twins (that being the joke). So does one go with a pair of brother actors like the Wilsons (Owen, Luke and Andrew), the Hemsworths (Chris, Liam and Luke) or the McGanns (Stephen, Joe, Paul and Mark) or two unrelated chaps who resemble one another (and more so with the aid of make-up/ prosthetics)? On balance I favour the latter option and in this instance I would stick with Simon Pegg, who played one half of the "Twins" with long-standing comedy partner Nick Frost in the 2011 film, but this time pair him with noted Welsh actor Michael Sheen. Both actors have the comedy credentials to really bring the characters to life and I have a suspicion the two would really spark off each other in the roles.</div><div><br /></div><div><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/AVvXsEimiVuPCEbJcGeso0A3gfx8zKo3MjZSjMS3F-I1ikhZSSs_5m-szp6IIxjSmdCQ5QM7RChsK_VLKGGhw4cAjXhK4PRsqiTZByzfNN_3VzrozbRkkVCdGnSqxQnAcZTHHk5BPwoP3lQvVnBh/s2573/castafiore.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1222" data-original-width="2573" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimiVuPCEbJcGeso0A3gfx8zKo3MjZSjMS3F-I1ikhZSSs_5m-szp6IIxjSmdCQ5QM7RChsK_VLKGGhw4cAjXhK4PRsqiTZByzfNN_3VzrozbRkkVCdGnSqxQnAcZTHHk5BPwoP3lQvVnBh/w400-h190/castafiore.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sources - <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bianca_Castafiore" target="_blank">Wikipædia</a>/ <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Emma_Thompson_in_2014#/media/File:Emma_Thompson_at_climate_march.jpg" target="_blank">Garry Knight</a>/ <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jennifer_Saunders_2014.jpg" target="_blank">Diggies99</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Two actresses again spring to mind as "The Milanese Nightingale", aka Bianca Castafiore and Captain Haddock's constant nuisance. Top of the list would be Emma Thompson, whose great range includes a healthy dose of comedy and whimsy which could be brought to bear perfectly in the role. Her ability to play character parts (e.g. Nanny McPhee) also makes her a shoo-in for this kind of portrayal I fancy. Second choice would be Jennifer Saunders, who likewise has many of the same qualities and would be equally adept at applying them to the character of Señora Castafiore.</div><div><br /></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3iJmrNfjioZeU9E7UCXnk-kATdq2GwEvHq6CG0poOhZeyXOVb-PbBnNpCP9a2XzDhhYKa934p4yy9da1nzYJ0EUlZ9hRjtNGsSHKIVfAvEtVID32nNjyc9Ow6Vh9xss0saNYHo2udbMT5/s2563/milou2.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2563" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3iJmrNfjioZeU9E7UCXnk-kATdq2GwEvHq6CG0poOhZeyXOVb-PbBnNpCP9a2XzDhhYKa934p4yy9da1nzYJ0EUlZ9hRjtNGsSHKIVfAvEtVID32nNjyc9Ow6Vh9xss0saNYHo2udbMT5/w156-h400/milou2.jpg" width="156" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/47498971059114527/" target="_blank">source</a> - <a href="https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/21673641930887478/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Alas I am not up to speed on my canine actors so dear old Snowy (or Milou in the original French), important though he may be, will regrettably have to be side-lined at least until a specialist doggy talent scout can come up with the goods, which it has to be admitted will be more difficult for a live-action production than a CGI or cartoon one. Needless to say terriers, as with any other dog, can be trained to appear on TV and in film (I'm thinking in particular of "Eddie" in <i>Frasier</i> and "Jack" in <i>The Artist</i>) and I've no doubt a suitable contender could easily be found. In the meantime, here's a picture of Tintin's faithful companion and the sort of dog (a wire-haired fox terrier) that could portray him.</div><div><br /></div><div>Those, then, would be my choices for the main cast of a live-action Tintin flick (and if you're reading this, M. Leconte - no charge). Regardless of who does play the roles of Tintin & Company I sincerely hope that this latest production has legs and makes a successful transition to the big screen sooner rather than later, bringing everyone's favourite boy reporter back into the limelight - maybe in time for his 100th birthday in 2029. <i>Bon chance</i>, M. Leconte - I shall be watching the progress of this one with a great deal of interest.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>***Would you look forward to a new live-action Tintin film? What do you think of my Tintin & Co casting choices? Who would you like to see have a go at essaying Hergé's colourful characters? Let me know in the comments below!*** </i></div>Bruce Partington-Planshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11336280062885272950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655974554267650893.post-67219694995791998182020-11-17T16:52:00.000+00:002020-11-17T16:52:27.399+00:00Victorian road signs in Cartmel restored by local lengthsman<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/AVvXsEgQ3_MGCLoJO04AL70xEg2MfD3Ywn478QiaOoPbp_9JO4dXEVUxa7JoxM47uOWsZs8aVztbadMlFwRUgd_UhNKZiHOyXilaaVuGbuQgQ0kPWQ53iLMnwClPmnyMz-_PBok5QWp02yGggUrA/s1800/264748732.jpg.gallery.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ3_MGCLoJO04AL70xEg2MfD3Ywn478QiaOoPbp_9JO4dXEVUxa7JoxM47uOWsZs8aVztbadMlFwRUgd_UhNKZiHOyXilaaVuGbuQgQ0kPWQ53iLMnwClPmnyMz-_PBok5QWp02yGggUrA/w426-h640/264748732.jpg.gallery.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">source - <a href="https://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/18853674.victorian-road-signs-cartmel-restored-lengthsman-archie-workman/" target="_blank">North-West Evening Mail</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div> <a href="https://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/18853674.victorian-road-signs-cartmel-restored-lengthsman-archie-workman/" target="_blank"><br />Victorian road signs in Cartmel restored by local lengthsman</a></div><div><br /></div><div>When I blogged back in July about <a href="https://eclecticephemera.blogspot.com/2020/07/northumberland-village-heritage-group.html" target="_blank">the restoration of some traditional finger post road signs</a> in the village of Glanton, Northumberland, I ended that post with an expression of gladness that such work was still being carried out, that it was inspiring other communities to do the same and that I hoped another eight years would not elapse before a similar news item came up again for me to mention on here (having <a href="https://eclecticephemera.blogspot.com/2012/01/vintage-overstrand-road-sign-becomes.html" target="_blank">previously posted</a> about an antique 1904 road sign in Overstrand, Norfolk, in 2012). Well I'm happy to say that a mere four months separate the Glanton article from this next, comparable story from the charming Cumbrian village of Cartmel, which lies just north of Morecambe Bay between the towns of Barrow-in-Furness and Kendal.</div><div><br /></div><div><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/AVvXsEgDyqdLQFXyZCWVwj15Iv_3MY_vD4J_Cgij_pnFXuLXeGsLsQZSDB9Oxo1DThfeI0SpLfAAYkWDBXhFsuV0z3ZpEpuWXSlDadRF1J9PYMreLkiSHldtWt6eGhV0cPVJSfXXRe6aMep5bTYy/s2048/Sticky_toffee_in_Cartmel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDyqdLQFXyZCWVwj15Iv_3MY_vD4J_Cgij_pnFXuLXeGsLsQZSDB9Oxo1DThfeI0SpLfAAYkWDBXhFsuV0z3ZpEpuWXSlDadRF1J9PYMreLkiSHldtWt6eGhV0cPVJSfXXRe6aMep5bTYy/w400-h300/Sticky_toffee_in_Cartmel.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">source - <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Cartmel" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />In this instance the signs are of the "bladed" village name variety as opposed to the directional finger post designs featured in the previous post. Dating back even further to the Victorian era, some are even as old as 1837. In other respects though they are largely identical to the later types as seen in Glanton, being of cast iron construction and painted in contrasting black and white to stand out clearly on the rural highway for the weary traveller to see - a role they performed admirably for over a century and which they continue to do today despite the advent of the newer Warboys designs in the 1960s.</div><div><br /></div><div><iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gFLMFZHx6As" width="480"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div>As with the Glanton fingerposts the Cartmel signs - four of them dotted around and on the outskirts of the village - have been afforded a new lease of life, ensuring their continued survival well into the future, thanks again to the efforts of the parish council and in this case the services of local lengthsman Archie Workman (surely one of the best examples of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nominative_determinism" target="_blank">nominative determinism</a> I've seen in a long while) and a fellow <a href="https://twitter.com/OldSignPainter" target="_blank">unnamed road sign enthusiast</a> with a passion for restoring these few remaining links to past travel. (As an aside this article has been a welcome source of education for your author as it is the first time I've come across the term <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lengthsman" target="_blank">"lengthsman"</a>, which I've discovered is a traditional old English term dating back to beyond the 18th century used to describe anyone employed by parish councils or local landowners to keep a "length" of road clear and passable and which I'm delighted to learn is a job still being carried out today by the likes of Mr Workman.)</div><div><br /><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/AVvXsEgkutZIqxDBUdovZT_ntN_gYk_yYNrrJiBvHz6S2lUE7SvY7Ps5nh_Q1k1d0G9N8aQQgWbkEh9bMFNlwrJ5tfR1S8LzpJchl8GBnZ66ehVHC1Sg86ucsavuYVC0-cG4fH5Y6mMQ9D8S81iG/s2610/Clipboard2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1205" data-original-width="2610" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkutZIqxDBUdovZT_ntN_gYk_yYNrrJiBvHz6S2lUE7SvY7Ps5nh_Q1k1d0G9N8aQQgWbkEh9bMFNlwrJ5tfR1S8LzpJchl8GBnZ66ehVHC1Sg86ucsavuYVC0-cG4fH5Y6mMQ9D8S81iG/w400-h185/Clipboard2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">source - Twitter / <a href="https://twitter.com/OldSignPainter" target="_blank">@OldSignPainter</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div>This sterling work is just one part of Mr Workman's aim to restore all such remaining signposts in the Furness area - 26 in all (including another seven around Cartmel), featuring the age-old Lancastrian blade and nipple-top design and originally produced by local steelworkers Thomas Graham & Sons of Preston (who I'm pleased to see are still operating). It is again wonderful to see these vintage road signs appreciated by locals and visitors alike; that there are still people out there with the interest and more importantly the skills to ensure that they can continue to be both enjoyed and made use of in their original function. I hope and believe that other local parish councils will be equally as keen as Allithwaite and Cartmel to see their Victorian-era village signs restored to their former glory by Mr Workman and his colleagues and I wish them every success in their time-honoured work.</div>Bruce Partington-Planshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11336280062885272950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655974554267650893.post-12469770341517083792020-11-13T13:13:00.060+00:002020-11-13T13:13:05.314+00:00Friday the Thirteenth (1933)<iframe frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OBkpxfsggMc" width="480"></iframe><div><br /></div><div>I would class myself as being slightly superstitious - I have a mild dislike of the number 13 (but don't go out of my way to avoid it), try not to walk under ladders and have been known to salute and wish a "Good morning" to a <a href="https://www.birdspot.co.uk/culture/magpies-and-superstition" target="_blank">lone magpie</a> but otherwise I tend not to give much thought to other irrational beliefs and especially not to the most notoriously superstitious day of the year - today, Friday the 13th, in other words.</div><div><br /></div><div>Instead I will just leave you with the above film - not one of the many instalments of the eponymous horror franchise, I'm pleased to say, but rather a pip of a British ensemble film from 1933 starring the likes of Ralph Richardson, Jessie Matthews and Max Miller which follows the lives of several different groups of people who Fate throws together on a bus journey through London that ends in - well, I won't spoil it for you, you'll just have to watch and find out what happens on <i>Friday the Thirteenth</i>!</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>***What are your feelings about today and what - if any - superstitions do you observe? Let me know in the comments below.***</i></div>Bruce Partington-Planshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11336280062885272950noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655974554267650893.post-14035081015830238382020-11-11T14:20:00.001+00:002020-11-11T14:20:54.985+00:00100-year-old carrier pigeon message found in France<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/AVvXsEjL-6MSY6jA_dUkiiwAeP7_n8WMReNiDdRImAejo0AbnF2F30cIl0010h-FssGnnFtO8qNj3Ag633PDtQb6lOKLoMZnWWPxvja_hbF1D99Ldm6pBA4o9OFVTfg8w-b5iK6fvNMnXElPSeZN/s1225/6048.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="735" data-original-width="1225" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL-6MSY6jA_dUkiiwAeP7_n8WMReNiDdRImAejo0AbnF2F30cIl0010h-FssGnnFtO8qNj3Ag633PDtQb6lOKLoMZnWWPxvja_hbF1D99Ldm6pBA4o9OFVTfg8w-b5iK6fvNMnXElPSeZN/w400-h240/6048.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">source - <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/09/super-rare-100-year-old-carrier-pigeon-message-found-in-france" target="_blank">The Guardian</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/09/super-rare-100-year-old-carrier-pigeon-message-found-in-france" target="_blank"><br />100-year-old carrier pigeon message found in France</a></div><div><br /></div><div><div>It seems suitably fitting on this Remembrance Day to feature this fascinating article detailing the remarkable discovery of a tiny First World War relic that has defied the ravages of time to be unearthed by chance in a French field a century on.</div><div><br /></div><div>This is the frankly incredible story of a small metal capsule, as used to send messages by carrier pigeon and no larger than a cigarette end, being found by a couple out walking in the French countryside back in September. Having remained undiscovered for over 100 years it had against all odds survived in the mud of eastern France where it fell until, as with many remnants of the Great War, the movement and turning over of the earth revealed it to some people of today who happened by. The miraculousness doesn't end there, however, for preserved within the miniscule container, which continued to protect it from ten decades of decay, is the original message sent off via carrier pigeon by an unknown German soldier.</div><div><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRzgTFGTCF6E3mIWyO4e4qIOcYZB8c5NllcmIVgfimIOuua7Y67OG1TIla6rAYfBs_A6SyxUsovjcJkgTrcMBMvfDbIEQH_gT5QSbuCbHduG3hEQp0H3_F6aXVk9jbaSBBRjv8sPysZsrY/s918/_115324909_gettyimages-1229534541.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="918" data-original-width="800" height="562" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRzgTFGTCF6E3mIWyO4e4qIOcYZB8c5NllcmIVgfimIOuua7Y67OG1TIla6rAYfBs_A6SyxUsovjcJkgTrcMBMvfDbIEQH_gT5QSbuCbHduG3hEQp0H3_F6aXVk9jbaSBBRjv8sPysZsrY/w558-h640/_115324909_gettyimages-1229534541.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">source - <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-54870322" target="_blank">B.B.C. News</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-54870322" target="_blank"> Pigeon message found over a century after being sent by German soldier</a></div></div><div><div><br /></div><div>That this little slip of paper has managed to survive for so long is nothing short of extraordinary and despite being understandably extremely fragile and barely legible it still offers a fascinating insight into the activities of a small section of the German Army during the era of the Great War. Sent from the town of Ingersheim - at the time part of Germany but now in the Alsace region of France - it details for the benefit of an unnamed staff officer the movements of "Platoon Plotthof", which seemed to be advancing and retreating under heavy fire in an area referred to as "Fechtwald". So faint is some of the writing that unfortunately the precise date cannot be determined, with only the 16th July being clear while the year is still up for debate - either 1910 or 1916. While on the face of it 1916 would seem the more likely - being in the middle of the war when German troops would have been engaged in battle - the curator of the museum to which the couple took their find, M. Jardy from the Linge Museum in nearby Orbey, is inclined more towards the 1910 date. On consideration I can understand why since Ingersheim was within German territory at the time and reference is made in the message to a parade ground, which suggests that it was sent as a part of some military training manoeuvres. Even so that is a striking fact in itself, since it adds to the knowledge that Germany was practising for war years before it finally broke out (and indeed as any student of military history will know, with its <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schlieffen_Plan" target="_blank">Schlieffen Plan</a> Germany had been prepared for another conflict with France for decades - practically since the end of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, in fact). </div></div><div><br /></div><div><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/AVvXsEh_AhuOlxA4qycdIWyih7nV3nnKC5lZTJ_yIOslQzTTlWOuZwRtCmF06976TEGB9KLaECS_RSGk2F4AFzsZ0zwfmqsll2CknUnlMqiw1DVOlO71JrTi6elOdwWUr4lhsb3Bcep3tcv2q3Th/s800/_115324908_gettyimages-1229534614.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_AhuOlxA4qycdIWyih7nV3nnKC5lZTJ_yIOslQzTTlWOuZwRtCmF06976TEGB9KLaECS_RSGk2F4AFzsZ0zwfmqsll2CknUnlMqiw1DVOlO71JrTi6elOdwWUr4lhsb3Bcep3tcv2q3Th/w400-h225/_115324908_gettyimages-1229534614.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">source - <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-54870322" target="_blank">B.B.C. News</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />This noteworthy find has proved to be a timely yet sombre reminder during this period of remembrance of the build-up to "the war to end all wars" and the sacrifices made in the four years of bloody battles that ensued over one hundred years ago. It also gives one to wonder just what other interesting artefacts are still lying beneath the mud of France waiting to be rediscovered in a similar manner. In the meantime I remain astounded by this particular discovery and delighted that it has found its way to a local museum dedicated to remembering the fallen from both sides in battles both near and far and hope that it can be preserved for the benefit of generations to come. </div>Bruce Partington-Planshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11336280062885272950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655974554267650893.post-81810975175041422512020-11-09T17:53:00.002+00:002020-11-09T17:53:37.476+00:00Fog!A recent combination of cold nights and mild, damp mornings in this corner of Britain led to one of my favourite weather conditions manifesting itself over the weekend and served as a welcome reminder of why autumn is the season I enjoy most - fog! From Friday through to Sunday there were varying degrees of pea-soupiness as the days progressed, with a particularly fine and atmospheric curtain of thick fog occurring first thing in the morning and materialising again in the evening, with wisps of mist lasting well into the day (and sometimes still in evidence even now).<div><br /><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAqzyCUIX5t-CrZqNEU0PpIvwV9omXKzo0YlLML2oEV5wjtFL2hziuP3C4JC30sWiqFv5m7HtsJL1xV2-a65vmXY7nJ9R_o7VVMpmZfcuTJ7T7KHTh7X6VpTGI1S1ae29eb_76hqOUEuF2/s748/5af10691191892ccd30ef128908b8e6f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="748" data-original-width="530" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAqzyCUIX5t-CrZqNEU0PpIvwV9omXKzo0YlLML2oEV5wjtFL2hziuP3C4JC30sWiqFv5m7HtsJL1xV2-a65vmXY7nJ9R_o7VVMpmZfcuTJ7T7KHTh7X6VpTGI1S1ae29eb_76hqOUEuF2/w284-h400/5af10691191892ccd30ef128908b8e6f.jpg" width="284" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">source - <a href="https://imgur.com/gallery/FCRMmwO" target="_blank">imgur</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>I do love me a bit of fog (in case you hadn't guessed) and got terribly excited when glancing out of the window on Saturday night to see - well, not much really beyond a wall of dim white haze but the realisation that this was the first proper ground cloud of autumn practically made my day. It's all I can do to stop myself from going out into it for a walk and sometimes I do give in to the temptation to venture forth and embrace the murkiness. There's just something about fog and mist that really gets in amongst me - the way in envelops everything and gives it an eerie, otherworldly appearance that no other weather can replicate; the manner in which it is inextricably linked to this time of year, when the ground is covered with fallen leaves and the trees become gaunt, shadowy figures thrusting their branches out from the brume. People and cars appear and disappear almost out of nowhere (in the case of cars sometimes unnecessarily so if the driver hasn't deigned to put on any lights - one of my few frustrations related to foggy conditions) and places one knows and recognises in clear conditions become strange and unfamiliar, all thanks to the interaction of cold and warm, moist air/ ground.</div><div><br /></div><div><iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IQQcRpeIlkA" style="background-image: url(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/IQQcRpeIlkA/hqdefault.jpg);" width="480"></iframe><div><div><br /></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl0agmFAcCMu0CPJkbqPwBgj96lvFmCO_jNxGGDRDHCzryHDYTH3W5XAPUPmMNPYB9fZKNdlt86ONpTjV6IVhIXhS4yWn5-d9vS_Riv7rOeRUAim2MSJJJT6Fl8_sYA4REydTLlLgwoghX/s616/Smog-Masks-017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="616" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl0agmFAcCMu0CPJkbqPwBgj96lvFmCO_jNxGGDRDHCzryHDYTH3W5XAPUPmMNPYB9fZKNdlt86ONpTjV6IVhIXhS4yWn5-d9vS_Riv7rOeRUAim2MSJJJT6Fl8_sYA4REydTLlLgwoghX/w320-h250/Smog-Masks-017.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Women wear "smog masks" in London on the 17th<br />November 1953<br />source - <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2012/dec/05/60-years-great-smog-london-in-pictures" target="_blank">The Guardian</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Of course fog has not always had a harmless, inoffensive air (ahem!) about it, especially when it mixes with air pollution brought about by car fumes and the like to create the dreaded smog, much of which plagued many parts of Britain right up to the 1960s (as the above footage shows) - the most famous being the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Smog_of_London" target="_blank">Great Smog of London</a> during 1952 and 1953 which resulted in over 4,000 deaths and 100,000 people suffering from respiratory illnesses as a direct result. Thankfully things have moved on in the subsequent 68 years and we are now able to go out in the fog without having to worry about catching a respiratory disease - at least not from that source! In other respects however we are seeing a repeat of events from nearly seventy years ago, with masks once again being very much a necessity in all weathers.</div><div><br /></div><div><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/AVvXsEibkrCI1stLLOx9lbiSKUdnnfzTC4rF56SIQn8n-z45a7dXZQ4a9V-DIhgfMkJYh3fEHqrpXENzBJjsla5Ta6C16OCLjDbOtQQaz-Ore8sLfMRpNFjbtLhM19GNTRGFrBb8ZUd9aDYcy9Rw/s626/Fog-at-Ludgate-Circus-011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="626" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibkrCI1stLLOx9lbiSKUdnnfzTC4rF56SIQn8n-z45a7dXZQ4a9V-DIhgfMkJYh3fEHqrpXENzBJjsla5Ta6C16OCLjDbOtQQaz-Ore8sLfMRpNFjbtLhM19GNTRGFrBb8ZUd9aDYcy9Rw/w400-h306/Fog-at-Ludgate-Circus-011.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A smoggy Ludgate Hill, London, captured in November 1922<br />source - <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2012/dec/05/60-years-great-smog-london-in-pictures" target="_blank">The Guardian</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />But we're not here to dwell on the past horrors of smog but rather the joyful ghostliness of natural fog and what better way to celebrate it and the coming of autumn than with a selection of songs from my favourite era, the 1920s and '30s, all of which reference that most vaporous form of weather. </div><div><br /></div><div><iframe frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zO86nFQ9b68" width="480"></iframe><div><br /></div><div>We start in 1927 with a recording composed by the famous American cornetist and piano player Bix Beiderbecke who is on fine form in this 9th September 1927 New York performance where we find ourselves <i>In A Mist.</i></div><div><br /></div><div><iframe frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NReQCLyCXOo" style="background-image: url(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/NReQCLyCXOo/hqdefault.jpg);" width="480"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div>Skiping forward to 1929 and the great Duke Ellington & his Cotton Club Orchestra perform a tune that is particularly evocative of a hazy dawn breaking over the rural farm on a brisk autumnal day - <i>Misty Mornin'</i>, recorded here on the 3rd May 1929. Ellington first cut this haunting melody on the 22nd November 1928 and would go on to make several different versions over the years so I am sure this will not be the last time it appears on this blog in one form or another.</div><div><br /></div><iframe frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5gyB0MMiUoM" width="480"></iframe><div><br /></div><div>The most famous fog-based song from the Thirties is of course George and Ira Gerswhin's <i>A Foggy Day</i>, which will forever be linked with the incomparable Fred Astaire and his consummate performance of it in the 1937 film <i>A Damsel In Distress</i>. Having featured that recording back when I last did a <a href="https://eclecticephemera.blogspot.com/2010/11/foggy-day.html" target="_blank">fog-derived post</a> in 2010(!) I thought I would feature another version of it this time by the British dance band leader Geraldo (real name Gerald Bright) and his Orchestra, with vocalist Cyril Grantham doing a good job with the lyrics in this recording made some time in 1938. </div><div><br /></div><iframe frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wVYN2xIs4x0" width="480"></iframe><br /></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div>We finish with this 1934 recording of <i>Lost In A Fog</i>, another standard of the day that was recorded by various different artists including Cassino Simpson, Coleman Hawkins and The Dorsey Brothers. On this occasion however we hear it sung by well-known American singer and band leader Rudy Vallée, in a version that reached Number 4 in the U.S. charts in that year.</div><div><br /></div><div><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/AVvXsEj4xZwXP5gRbJUJLP0kUdIQ8ETpaQsm0yC0K7YP3dnaZM70mYi95-fbEhsYjajFpifABYqKzWwtMKc7duVGViW6t8plTfWmnJoMDA_ZL2_mtQNCusDFIx5vxrwOViqErceUrg0rwvLyeD9u/s564/a743c9f3ddc24f975c2f316bcbeec313.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="376" data-original-width="564" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4xZwXP5gRbJUJLP0kUdIQ8ETpaQsm0yC0K7YP3dnaZM70mYi95-fbEhsYjajFpifABYqKzWwtMKc7duVGViW6t8plTfWmnJoMDA_ZL2_mtQNCusDFIx5vxrwOViqErceUrg0rwvLyeD9u/w400-h266/a743c9f3ddc24f975c2f316bcbeec313.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A beautiful shot of a fog-covered Richmond Bridge, London<br />source - <a href="https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/419116309041916639/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Well that's it for this mist-enshrouded post - I hope you've enjoyed reading my thoughts on this most mesmerising of meteorological conditions, or at the very least had your toes tapping along to the accompanying musical miasma. Is it foggy where you are? Let me know what the weather's doing where you are and what your favourite type is in the comments below!</div>Bruce Partington-Planshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11336280062885272950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655974554267650893.post-25441401600817399252020-11-07T17:11:00.002+00:002020-11-07T17:42:41.295+00:00Berkeley Bandit: Sports car production to restart after 60 years<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/AVvXsEi-rTQsQbbDK1_g7w390ZJWLMtN2whigmiMnYybevVz-0zNpdZkayKEN-AQKR8QlhtIrfMyhs6DZ5UAbxoZBU1RhjDMunUE6wWDwfpcqAcW7hUd4Skhozik75PhgKyEQ14fxtWgLlK8ipVc/s865/927a12_3845ab66983f4f899a92bbedcc7c7441_mv2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="436" data-original-width="865" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-rTQsQbbDK1_g7w390ZJWLMtN2whigmiMnYybevVz-0zNpdZkayKEN-AQKR8QlhtIrfMyhs6DZ5UAbxoZBU1RhjDMunUE6wWDwfpcqAcW7hUd4Skhozik75PhgKyEQ14fxtWgLlK8ipVc/w400-h201/927a12_3845ab66983f4f899a92bbedcc7c7441_mv2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">source - <a href="https://www.berkeleysportscars.com/bandit-roadster" target="_blank">Berkeley Coachworks</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-54729631" target="_blank"><br />Berkeley Bandit: Sports car production to restart after 60 years</a></div><div><br /></div><div>News from Bedfordshire now of the revival of a sports car company you've probably never heard of, which is a shame as Berkeley Cars had the potential to be one of the foremost lightweight sports car manufacturers to have emerged from the fashion for microcars as a result of the Suez oil crisis of the late 1950s, and could have been a real competitor to the likes of Lotus and Austin-Healey going into the 1960s.</div><div><br /></div><div><iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9vhyxeHsAq8" width="480"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div>Berkeley Cars began life as a between British automotive engineer and designer Lawrence "Lawrie" Bond, who is best known in the U.K. for the three-wheeled microcars that bore his name - the Bond Minicars of the '50s and early '60s, the Model 875 from the late '60s and the quirky Bug that was the company's last bizarre hurrah following its acquisition by rivals Reliant in the 1970s - and Charles Panter, owner of Berkeley Coachworks, then one of the largest manufacturers of caravans in Britain. Panter has been enjoying much success with the use of glass-reinforced fibre - otherwise known as fibreglass - in the construction of his caravans and was keen to employ it in sports cars, as a supplement the seasonal caravan market. His collaboration with Bond began in 1956 with the creation of the Berkeley Sports (officially designated the Type SA322, in reference to the engine capacity), a pretty little two-seat roadster that debuted at the London Motor Show in September of that year - 12 months before the similarly-conceived Lotus Elite.</div><div><br /></div><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/AVvXsEikjmUHFARw4NPln7P67L15Q5NgfA2sYkGEpWZLpZt0oaYFYyC338Oh-SY3h7HogaZOTUCQmTvKi31cCCiM7TmFINeZaqsvcQwc5ty0blPiBTu_wGVmUqmC3H1RrTySVT2R_PJZ-jqCMg9v/s1217/Berkeley_SA322_side_view.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="1217" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikjmUHFARw4NPln7P67L15Q5NgfA2sYkGEpWZLpZt0oaYFYyC338Oh-SY3h7HogaZOTUCQmTvKi31cCCiM7TmFINeZaqsvcQwc5ty0blPiBTu_wGVmUqmC3H1RrTySVT2R_PJZ-jqCMg9v/w400-h188/Berkeley_SA322_side_view.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A 1956 Berkeley SA322 Sports (with a Bond Minicar of similar <br />vintage in the background.<br />source - <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berkeley_Cars#/media/File:Berkeley_SA322_side_view.jpg" target="_blank">Wikipædia</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>As with all microcars of the period the Berkeley was powered by a motorcycle engine - in the case of the SA322 a two-cylinder, two-stroke, air-cooled British Anzani motor of 322cc that put out all of 15bhp. While this may sound laughably low for any car even of that time and especially for something purporting to be a sporty roadster, the benefit of the fibreglass used in the three-piece monocoque bodyshell (which did away with the need for a conventional chassis) meant that the Sports weighed in at an incredibly light 274kg - barely ¼ of a ton - with the result of impressive acceleration and a top speed of 70mph (which I'm sure would have felt substantially faster in a little thing like that!). </div><div><br /></div><div><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/AVvXsEhMfL31M3l0Bdx8zAn-Pbf-JNPF9gzNdUkjk4PIkbosvQ9-QN9rJWFxWMLvxkBEKPaViRtGjQ_sgpVjIlv27aMEglPX_p4eukwanm9SUeHyvOFreHIMJr_8n1QXbcsYKZtrdjfoOqdAwPdx/s2048/Berkeley_Sports_Car_492cc_1961_-_Flickr_-_mick_-_Lumix.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1267" data-original-width="2048" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMfL31M3l0Bdx8zAn-Pbf-JNPF9gzNdUkjk4PIkbosvQ9-QN9rJWFxWMLvxkBEKPaViRtGjQ_sgpVjIlv27aMEglPX_p4eukwanm9SUeHyvOFreHIMJr_8n1QXbcsYKZtrdjfoOqdAwPdx/w400-h248/Berkeley_Sports_Car_492cc_1961_-_Flickr_-_mick_-_Lumix.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1958 Berkeley Foursome<br />source - <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Berkeley_SE492#/media/File:Berkeley_Sports_Car_492cc_1961_-_Flickr_-_mick_-_Lumix.jpg" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />The Berkeley Sports was gradually refined over the course of the following three years mainly through the use of more powerful engines, from the 18hp 3-cylinder Excelsior found in the 1957 SE328 model to the heady 30hp version of the same motor that powered the Twosome and Foursome (SE492) of 1958 - the latter a stretched four-seat variant of the original Sports model. Top speeds rose progressively to over 80mph while fuel consumption still hovered around the 50-60mpg mark - a useful and welcome performance balance as fuel restrictions continued to bite. Berkeleys even enjoyed some achievements in international rallies, with Stirling Moss’s sister Pat racing a SE328 in the 1958 Liège-Brescia-Liège Rally. The brand proved popular in the U.S. export market too, with many examples finding their way across the Pond to America where the small British sportscar was also experiencing much success and where several still survive to this day as the accompanying video (top) shows.</div><div><br /></div><div><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/AVvXsEj9Fm_o4IjcXRvUD6eabNAbczqTKmGn4zofKsgsTzsOAsiDCLjbwv4cTTBM7FeXVJlI0LB7NVonFELWG_ZPBAiak8J1OrDd9NMl8fIPUUat1pywT7IiL-8GYs7SUZCSSaobRbsZALiUZrox/s500/B95.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Fm_o4IjcXRvUD6eabNAbczqTKmGn4zofKsgsTzsOAsiDCLjbwv4cTTBM7FeXVJlI0LB7NVonFELWG_ZPBAiak8J1OrDd9NMl8fIPUUat1pywT7IiL-8GYs7SUZCSSaobRbsZALiUZrox/w400-h300/B95.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A 1960 Berkeley B95<br />source - <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berkeley_Cars#/media/File:B95.jpg" target="_blank">Wikipædia</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />March 1959 saw the biggest departure from the traditional Berkeley formula to date with the introduction of a new design - the B95 (above) and B105 - at the Geneva Motor Show. This was the first to use a series of four-stroke 2-cylinder engines again borrowed from a motorcycle manufacturer, this time Royal Enfield's 40bhp Super Meteor for the B95 and their 50bhp Constellation in the B105 (allowing the latter to exceed 100mph for the first time - both cars' names deriving from their official top speeds).</div><div><br /></div><div><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/AVvXsEj4hQdG6GTn_KPWItDPZ6_dGIZY8Qji3CWJU6UKjctpHivrkPdIYtYkMjHVjQJr-2tvaufW2kQaem7n3yplPwqPQQ7Q21c6SLh__rxm6PV3MyN4n7Rdp3E6Wz3UMDggtyJq4jj_VxM_YqCi/s1024/Berkeley_T60_%25281959%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4hQdG6GTn_KPWItDPZ6_dGIZY8Qji3CWJU6UKjctpHivrkPdIYtYkMjHVjQJr-2tvaufW2kQaem7n3yplPwqPQQ7Q21c6SLh__rxm6PV3MyN4n7Rdp3E6Wz3UMDggtyJq4jj_VxM_YqCi/w400-h266/Berkeley_T60_%25281959%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A 1960 Berkeley T60<br />source - <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Berkeley_T60" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Later in 1959 Berkeley launched perhaps its quirkiest vehicle but one that so successfully tapped into the prevailing motoring conditions of the time that it became the marque's single most popular model (discounting the combined production of the various Sports versions) with over 1800 built - the quaint little three-wheeled T60. With the effects of the Suez Crisis still biting and with British motoring law classing any three-wheeled vehicle under a certain weight and engine size as a motorcycle & sidecar, the fact that cars like the T60 could be driven on a motorcycle licence and taxed more cheaply than its four-wheeled competitors made it the sports car of choice for the enthusiast on a budget. A year on and the T60 was joined by the T60/4 which, like the Foursome, was a stretched version with two occasional seats in the back</div><div><br /></div><div><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/AVvXsEhVdwJHMiIrMXj2dQ-87RlCN8MBd3zuWp-oNw-mwrgNQ2-MLzrp5x65E3oECCjiJbGXkAXRlBuzTKWO2O7xQlC3_zZ-kIiRVtINtbayHUMqZbqV7Ifa3mWcweNIk4vo0vkIru3ZfEZuWmLg/s480/Bandit.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVdwJHMiIrMXj2dQ-87RlCN8MBd3zuWp-oNw-mwrgNQ2-MLzrp5x65E3oECCjiJbGXkAXRlBuzTKWO2O7xQlC3_zZ-kIiRVtINtbayHUMqZbqV7Ifa3mWcweNIk4vo0vkIru3ZfEZuWmLg/w400-h300/Bandit.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sole surviving 1960 Berkeley Bandit<br />source - <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berkeley_Cars#/media/File:Bandit.jpg" target="_blank">Wikipædia</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Unfortunately by the end of 1960 Berkeley Coachworks' fortunes were on the wane, the victim of a downturn in the caravan market that year (combined with the cars' complex engineering and the false perception of the two-stroke engines' unreliability - particularly in the States) which eventually saw the company cease manufacturing entirely and enter administration in December. Just before the axe fell Berkeley was working on its most mainstream project yet - the Bandit (above), a smart-looking 2-seat roadster that would have used the 1-litre four-cylinder Ford engine also found in the Anglia. Another advanced fibreglass design the Bandit also had the direct input of Ford's industrial might but this was not enough to save the company from liquidation and only two prototypes were produced (one of which still survives today) before the business collapsed. Attempts to sell Berkeley as a going concern to Bond Cars' owners Sharps' Commercials Ltd came to naught and although replicas and "continuation models" were produced by various different companies in both Britain and New Zealand into the 1990s the marque has languished in relative obscurity.</div><div><br /></div><div><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/AVvXsEjOE4qrwvAZ_ijzUi91d-_HN7ZFjAkA7RDTP3UecDRudiueNVRmAm1h9MSL-jRjt1zSoyQJJmXaAjy5WKjPHrO5rRVBfidyP2StEQkyCJKpokgoWDO-6cqDgUKGZrGFSrLgX7QdQjJzwisc/s1006/927a12_2c54a50ae37644f4aa6773e7fc8dc703_mv2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="471" data-original-width="1006" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOE4qrwvAZ_ijzUi91d-_HN7ZFjAkA7RDTP3UecDRudiueNVRmAm1h9MSL-jRjt1zSoyQJJmXaAjy5WKjPHrO5rRVBfidyP2StEQkyCJKpokgoWDO-6cqDgUKGZrGFSrLgX7QdQjJzwisc/w400-h188/927a12_2c54a50ae37644f4aa6773e7fc8dc703_mv2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">source - <a href="https://www.berkeleysportscars.com/bandit-gt" target="_blank">Berkeley Coachworks</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Until now, that is, with the welcome news that Berkeley Cars has returned to its original home base of Biggleswade in Bedfordshire amid plans to produce a limited number of handsome-looking new sports cars that look to pay homage to the original racy microcars of the '50s both in performance and design. The company appears to be aware of the limitations inherent in the niche sportscar market with its aim to make no more than sixty examples of the new Bandit and although £40-60k may sound a lot for a relatively unknown start-up it is about right for the market particularly given the advanced nature of the construction and powertrains. I'm especially interested to note the proposed use of plant-based substances in place of more common modern lightweight materials such as carbon-fibre, which should give the new Bandit a very competitive kerb weight and thus excellent performance. On that front there are more exciting-sounding forward-looking plans, with the suggestion of electric, fuel cell and even hydrogen power being offered alongside more conventional petrol options. </div><div><br /></div><div>All in all it looks to be a very interesting proposal and one that I hope succeeds and then some. An advanced, lightweight roadster which uses modern, sustainable technology while still nodding to its past would be a welcome addition to the British sportscar ranks and I wish the new Berkeley Coachworks business well, with better fortunes than its innovative and inspirational predecessor.</div>Bruce Partington-Planshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11336280062885272950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655974554267650893.post-19713750780814038442020-11-04T14:33:00.001+00:002020-11-04T17:03:44.186+00:00The write type of news<div>I'm going to let you in on a little behind-the-scenes secret to the workings of Eclectic Ephemera in this next post. If any of you were ever wondering where I find all these vintage-inspired news items from around the massive network that is the World Wide Web, well, I'll tell you - <whispers> I do make a fair bit of use out of Mr <span style="color: #3d85c6;">G</span><span style="color: red;">o</span><span style="color: #fcff01;">o</span><span style="color: #3d85c6;">g</span><span style="color: #6aa84f;">l</span><span style="color: red;">e</span><span style="color: #fcff01;">'s </span>Alert function. In case you don't know what that is, it's a handy little tool that allows you to set up e-mail alerts every time a specified keyword appears in news reports (or other sources of your choice) on any website that shows up through <span style="color: #3d85c6;">G</span><span style="color: red;">o</span><span style="color: #fcff01;">o</span><span style="color: #3d85c6;">g</span><span style="color: #6aa84f;">l</span><span style="color: red;">e</span>. It's jolly clever and I have quite a few on the go to help supplement the more traditional surfing methods that I also employ. Without giving too much more away one of those keywords is "typewriter" and over the last couple of month in particular it has resulted in the motherlode of all related news items. So, rather than publish each article separately - in which case I would still have been posting them well into next year - I thought I would do what I believe in modern blogging parlance is called a "linkdump" and combine them all into one post. ("Oh no, not another massive essay Bruce!" I hear you cry. Well, I'm afraid so. Sorry.) </div><div><br /></div><div>Stand by then for a selection of typewriter-based reports, featuring various typosphereans from across the North American continent - all of whom still work to repair and restore these wonderful machines so that they can continue to be used and enjoyed by young and old alike. </div><div><br /></div><iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NzhTTvCGPzo" width="480"></iframe><p><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/typewriter-repairman-receives-personal-letter-from-tom-hanks-1.5702286" target="_blank">Saskatoon typewriter repairman receives personal letter from Tom Hanks</a></p><p>We begin with this wonderful story from Saskatoon, Western Canada, where local typewriter repairman Tom Cholowski has been busy restoring typewriters and related machinery for both the local and national typer community. Clearly a man after our own hearts - and not just in the matter of typewriters, as his attire and overall demeanour in all of his appearances makes clear! - Mr Cholowski has been fortunate enough to be recognised for his work by one of the most famous proponents of the typewriter - actor and collector Tom Hanks. </p><p><a href="https://panow.com/2020/08/31/saskatoon-man-with-a-passion-for-old-typewriters-corresponds-with-actor-tom-hanks/" target="_blank">Saskatoon man with a passion for old typewriters corresponds with actor Tom Hanks</a></p><p>Having written to Mr Hanks to express his gratitude in helping to preserve and further the cause of the humble typewriter as a well-known aficionado, Mr Cholowski was surprised and delighted to receive a response from the great man himself thanking him in turn for his work keeping the typewriters of Canada in a functioning state for the people of that country to enjoy. Confirming the widely-held opinion (shared by this blogger, who has featured his <a href="https://eclecticephemera.blogspot.com/2020/04/tom-hanks-donates-typewriter-to-bullied.html" target="_blank">typewriter-related deeds</a> on here before) that Tom Hanks is an all-round splendid fellow as well as a fine actor, the charming letter is full of praise as well as the promise of a visit to Mr Cholowski's shop the next time the former is in the neighbourhood. </p><div><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/AVvXsEj1Zj_eoLnORw1V51o1U9C9dsQzESBf9myfBuEKiTcLDHcc7Xs8Xz2_fvN58ILEc9emqvjadj_p8eFXGsDCkl8c5Hr37GJdQoT9w4-UxwOpm0UT5C_Zf3WBILo_c6uu8uGJWxZOwJyNiZrD/s780/thom.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="439" data-original-width="780" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Zj_eoLnORw1V51o1U9C9dsQzESBf9myfBuEKiTcLDHcc7Xs8Xz2_fvN58ILEc9emqvjadj_p8eFXGsDCkl8c5Hr37GJdQoT9w4-UxwOpm0UT5C_Zf3WBILo_c6uu8uGJWxZOwJyNiZrD/w400-h225/thom.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">source - <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/saskatoon-man-gets-vintage-typewriter-as-gift-from-tom-hanks-1.5730506" target="_blank">cbc.ca</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.ckom.com/2020/09/18/saskatoon-man-receives-typewriter-from-actor-tom-hanks-collection/" target="_blank">Saskatoon man receives typewriter from actor Tom Hanks’ collection</a></div><div><br /></div><div>The story doesn't end there, though, I'm pleased to say, for in addition to his kind words Mr Hanks offered up one of his own typewriters as thanks for Mr Cholowski's work repairing Western Canada's broken typing instruments.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://saskatoon.ctvnews.ca/tom-hanks-makes-good-on-offer-to-send-saskatoon-man-a-typewriter-1.5107475" target="_blank">Tom Hanks makes good on offer to send Saskatoon man a typewriter</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Thus a few weeks after the initial correspondence began, by now one of Canada's most famous typewriter repairmen was thrilled to receive a 1940 Remington Noiseless portable - complete with original manual and typewritten provenance - that was once part of Tom Hanks' collection and which is now safely ensconced in Saskatoon, where it rightly takes pride of place even among the hundreds of other machines that form Mr Cholowski's own collection. </div><div><br /><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/saskatoon-man-gets-vintage-typewriter-as-gift-from-tom-hanks-1.5730506" target="_blank">Saskatoon man gets vintage typewriter as gift from Tom Hanks</a> </div><div><br /></div><div>This has been a heart-warming story from start to finish, featuring two topping gents - including one who from all appearances especially embraces the Chap spirit - with a shared interest in keeping the marvellous machines that are typewriters alive and in the public consciousness for years to come. Quite apart from the celebrity factor of Mr Hanks' involvement, Tom Cholowksi simply comes across as a jolly nice gentleman who has been able to turn his hobby into a business to the benefit of his local community as well as typewriter enthusiasts throughout the country and beyond. His attitude is a welcome one in this day and age and his very existence makes the world a better place, not only for typosphereans and Chaps but for everyone. Well done, sir! </div><p><iframe allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="350" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="https://uw-media.tennessean.com/embed/video/5685165002?placement=snow-embed" title="TENNESSEAN- Embed Player" width="480"></iframe></p><p><a href="https://eu.tennessean.com/story/money/2020/09/06/manual-typewriters-handyman-kirk-jackson-sets-out-save-them-extinction/5651189002/" target="_blank">Tennessee handyman sets out to save manual typewriters</a></p><p>We head to Nashville, Tennessee for this next article where once again we find a passionate typewriter repairman intent on rescuing as many machines as he can from his local area and around the country. This is Kirk Jackson, whose ethos is remarkably similar to that of Tom Cholowski's - and, indeed, seems to be a common thread linking many a typewriter enthusiast together. Like so many of us a fan of mechanical items, old-fashioned ephemera and antiquated technology, Mr Jackson was inevitably drawn to the workings of manual typewriters following a chance encounter in 2016 with a 1954 Remington (the model isn't specified) at an antique shop in the nearby city of Goodlettsville. From then on it has clearly been a journey of discovery resulting in a new-found love for these old machines that has led to him becoming Tennessee's premier typewriter repairer with his own shop and Instagram page. Not only is it a gladdening tale, but the appeal of typewriters to Mr Jackson on a personal level is clearly apparent and the way in which he speaks of them, of their tangibility, their clarity of purpose and their ability to provide an intimate connection to the act of writing is a familiar theme that pops up throughout the Typosphere and among collectors the world over. It is as ever good to see another younger person with the skills and the mindset to keep typewriters going, as well as appreciating similar devices from the same eras. I applaud Mr Jackson for being so ardent an advocate for their cause; the city of Nashville - and the wider typewriting world - is fortunate to have him.</p><div><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/AVvXsEhadHwbci3vu64DSWIPeD1Q8P91AGaAPS7juMS_OB1PeeeNR0rLc9awhBiMSyWY9g1NYWDBz5zAlH3y-U_eeAaFkqKpzUGQaa4QqMw3sHFvWh9dzne7Fjvip_P_Usvr_Iz8ccgPxaFpTVJk/s1280/CILOZU25RZCWBILFI2U7JS5HLM.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhadHwbci3vu64DSWIPeD1Q8P91AGaAPS7juMS_OB1PeeeNR0rLc9awhBiMSyWY9g1NYWDBz5zAlH3y-U_eeAaFkqKpzUGQaa4QqMw3sHFvWh9dzne7Fjvip_P_Usvr_Iz8ccgPxaFpTVJk/w400-h300/CILOZU25RZCWBILFI2U7JS5HLM.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">source - <a href="https://www.al.com/life/2020/09/meet-the-alabama-man-who-makes-old-typewriters-new-again.html" target="_blank">al.com</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><a href="https://www.al.com/life/2020/09/meet-the-alabama-man-who-makes-old-typewriters-new-again.html" target="_blank">Meet the Alabama man who makes old typewriters new again</a></div><div><div><br /></div></div><div>Moving a little further south now to the state of Alabama we're invited to meet William Lee, a typewriter repairman operating out of a little shop in the capital city of Montgomery. Once again his story mirrors in many respects that of Messrs. Cholowski and Jackson, with the same sentiments coming to the fore and a clear love of typewriters and their mechanical nature very much in evidence. Unlike the other chaps mentioned so far, however, Mr Lee's introduction to typewriter repair took place much earlier at a time when they were still a commonplace technology and this - combined with the attraction to and enthusiasm for his work, something which is shared with his fellow repairers - has understandably stood him in good stead over the years. While that work has changed somewhat from when he first started out in 1973 it is nevertheless still pleasing to note the number of younger people coming to him either with typewriters for repair or to buy a restored one from him and even more of a welcome surprise to find that there are businesses in the area still in need of his services. He is certainly providing a valuable resource to the people of the south-eastern United States and I can only hope he is wrong in his lament that he will be the last of his profession. Mr Lee's passion, knowledge and experience is a credit to him and judging from what we've seen so far, I remain positive that with his help the folks of Alabama will continue to have a typewriter repairman handy for some time to come. </div><div><br /></div><div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://webapps.9c9media.com/vidi-player/1.9.14/share/iframe.html?currentId=2055371&config=ctvnews/share.json&kruxId=&rsid=bellmedianewsprod,bellmediaglobalprod&siteName=CTVNews&cid=%5B%7B%22contentId%22%3A2055371%2C%22ad%22%3A%7B%22adsite%22%3A%22ctv.ctvnews%22%2C%22adzone%22%3A%22embed%22%7D%7D%5D" width="480"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/until-i-drop-dead-meet-one-of-ontario-s-last-typewriter-repairmen-1.5145259" target="_blank">Meet one of Ontario's last typewriter repairmen</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Having met Mr Lee of Alabama we head back north of the border to Canada - this time to the south-east and the city of Kitchener, Ontario where we are encouraged again to make the acquaintance of Manfred Aulich, known throughout the region as "The Typewriter Guy".</div><div><br /></div><div>Here once more we see the same story of a fellow typewriter aficionado who got bitten by the bug as a young boy and in the intervening years has used his skills to provide an increasingly valuable service to typewriter owners across the Canadian south-east. Despite his advancing years I'm pleased to note that Mr Aulich has no intention of stopping any time soon and I only hope that as with the other older repairmen featured in this post he is able to continue for some time to come and maybe even impart some of his knowledge to the younger generation (who again get a positive mention as showing an interest in old typewriters). It's cheering to see in how high esteem Mr Aulich is held not only by the locals but folk as far away as Toronto and Waterloo, so much so that - as the article states - his business is booming. Tom Hanks even gets another mention (the man's fast becoming part of the thread of the typewriter story) with Mr Aulich intending to send him a machine he is currently restoring (the Continental Wanderer 35 pictured in the report). I now have visions of typewriters flying back and forth through the mail to and from Mr Hanks and other collectors around the world! Has a new version of the hobby just been invented - typewriter exchanges, perhaps? Either way, Mr Aulich also gets my approbation for being a further champion of the typewriter in his corner of Canada.</div><div><br /></div><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/AVvXsEhsKEI02x8ymc17F36zoFRGKasrq1EhbhyPfZVIoUD7HCN75-0OmjKwkiuM3gfe5GpFhhPh2tY04ygXTqkRBGp_beu27BlyTw74TibXU3a1EQIWUT3JMkpS9SPMTPeGBdGjgO2ThbLTPA4T/s576/lfw-Typewriter-102020-1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="442" data-original-width="576" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsKEI02x8ymc17F36zoFRGKasrq1EhbhyPfZVIoUD7HCN75-0OmjKwkiuM3gfe5GpFhhPh2tY04ygXTqkRBGp_beu27BlyTw74TibXU3a1EQIWUT3JMkpS9SPMTPeGBdGjgO2ThbLTPA4T/w400-h308/lfw-Typewriter-102020-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">source - <a href="https://newspress.com/the-typewriter-guy/" target="_blank">Santa Barbara News-Press</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><a href="https://newspress.com/the-typewriter-guy/" target="_blank">The Typewriter Guy shares vintage machines with community</a></div><div><br /></div><div>We're over on the west coast of the United States for this next story now and yet another "Typewriter Guy" - enthusiast Simon Kiefer. A slightly different take on the sort of typewriter narratives we have seen so far, but by no means any less commendable, Mr Kiefer's efforts see him lend out restored typers to his local community for use in creative workshops (type-ins, in other words), that I'm happy to note are [currently] sponsored by various local Santa Barbara institutes. Here then is another aspect to typewriter collecting and repairing, similar in experience to that of Kirk Jackson in Nashville - the sharing of this supposedly "outdated" technology with the wider community as a means of reconnecting with the art of writing and of using these delightful machines for the singular purpose for which they were intended. It is a thoroughly laudable enterprise and one that I hope Mr Kiefer can continue to provide especially through these difficult times. Although no mention is made in this particular case of any typewriter repair skills <i>per se</i>, the tale of how Mr Kiefer came to love these old machines (once more very much an echo of Mr Jackson's introduction to the world of typewriters), the fact that he has over 100 in various conditions dotted throughout his home (with people even leaving examples on his doorstep!) and his experience growing up with them gives me to think that he must be adept at repairing them as well. In any event, once more I applaud Mr Kiefer for his work in bringing the joys of typewriters and the typewritten word to the people of California. </div><div><br /></div><iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bivEtDCOL60" width="480"></iframe>
<div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://downeast.com/maine-made/maines-only-typewriter-repairman/" target="_blank">Typewriter Repairman Is Still Clattering Away</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Up to the very north-east of the United States and on the border with Canada again for this penultimate article from the town of Winthrop, Maine and the story of the state's only typewriter repairman, Pat Costigan. Like Mr Lee in Alabama Mr Costigan started out servicing typewriters as a young man in the 1970s when the machines were still prevalent and has continued to provide a sterling service to the people of Maine and beyond to this day, having seen the fortunes of the typewriter wax and wane down the years. But as we have seen throughout all these news items (and know well) the fascination with and enduring quality of typewriters is undying and transcends the generations, with Mr Costigan also speaking of younger people showing an interest in these timeless machines and providing him with a welcome and hopefully long-lived fresh clientele. It's nice to read of the interest that exposure to typewriters creates manifesting itself as a desire to study journalism or a similar writing-based vocation, as again we see much made of the intrinsic, hands-on aspect of typewriter use. While he may be styled, like so many of his cohorts, as "the last typewriter repairman...[north of Boston]" the fact that his business is also doing well and with 20% of it accounted for by typewriters means I am sure Mr Costigan will be providing his services to those still reliant on and enjoying the use of typewriters for many years to come. Another hearty "well done!" comes from this side of the Pond.</div><div><br /></div></div><div><iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/t8K8vcM2S38" width="480"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/30/nyregion/coronavirus-letter-writing-brooklyn.html" target="_blank">Why This Professor Is Writing Letters for People Feeling Blue</a></div><div><br /></div><div>We end this post in New York City with another heartening typewriter-based story with a bit of a difference, in this case highlighting the work of English Literature professor and self-styled "performance artist" Brandon Woolf, who has spent the last few weeks sitting on a street corner in Brooklyn with a chair, a table, a 1940s Remington portable typewriter and reams of paper, envelopes and stamps offering a free letter-writing service for passers-by. This is part of his latest concept art which he calls "post-dramatic theatre" but which again also owes much to type-ins and especially the idea of condolence notes (from which Professor Woolf's performance - The Console - derives its name) and letter-writing in general. All in all it sounds a most intriguing exercise, yet one which again brings the typewriter and its unique abilities into the public consciousness in a direct and engaging way. While the theory may be to tap in (see what I did there?) to the uneasiness and melancholia that seems so much a part of the world at the moment I like to see the personal nature of this performance as providing a much-needed boost to people's interactions especially in this time of Covid - and there is nothing better than a typewriter for that. </div><div><br /></div><div>Seven uplifting typewriter stories from around America and Canada, then, which prove that there are many out there still devoted to keeping these terrific contraptions going well into the 21st century. My only disappointment is that there is not nearly enough similar coverage of typewriter repairers here in Britain (well-known typospherean <a href="http://writingball.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Richard Polt</a>'s website has <a href="https://site.xavier.edu/polt/typewriters/tw-repair.html" target="_blank">a very handy list</a> not only of British-based menders but worldwide ones too, which is a great resource) - perhaps something for this enthusiast to investigate for a future post...! I hope you have enjoyed reading these pieces as much as I have (and of blogging about them) and that - especially for my fellow typosphereans out there - it serves as a reassurance that for every "last repairman" one hears about there is doubtless another out there carrying on what Tom Hanks rightly describes as "God's labour". </div>Bruce Partington-Planshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11336280062885272950noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655974554267650893.post-21283090764553815812020-11-02T17:34:00.001+00:002020-11-02T17:34:36.706+00:00Planetarium planned for underground Victorian reservoir<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/AVvXsEhyFgPVYGjHWPwKPicZnNlS5JyxkEb4dSDuRClgubX4y1-Au_g3ZGwzwjCjia79KjLOjw7OjNpQxIiIsa6_yJkHdGEq6dTkCtzm7pjINKAGl4ICZbsM6f6Dl6aVEr9u3p4X_7FBFaodKkuf/s800/_114829137_collage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyFgPVYGjHWPwKPicZnNlS5JyxkEb4dSDuRClgubX4y1-Au_g3ZGwzwjCjia79KjLOjw7OjNpQxIiIsa6_yJkHdGEq6dTkCtzm7pjINKAGl4ICZbsM6f6Dl6aVEr9u3p4X_7FBFaodKkuf/w400-h225/_114829137_collage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">source - <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-54477535" target="_blank">B.B.C. News</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-54477535" target="_blank">Planetarium planned for underground Victorian reservoir</a><div><br /></div><div>Some welcome news coming out of the East Midlands in this next article, which details the fascinating-sounding plan by a Nottinghamshire-based observatory to make use of a long-dormant bit of Victorian engineering in the creation of a new visitor attraction.</div><div><br /></div><div>This is the volunteer-run Sherwood Observatory in Sutton-on-Ashfield, owned by the <a href="https://sherwood-observatory.org.uk/203-discovery-centre-fundraising" target="_blank">Mansfield & Sutton Astronomical Society</a>, which also has as part of the land next to the observatory the remains of an old disused 19th century reservoir. Now the plan, judging by this recent report from the B.B.C., is for what is left of this long-forgotten facility to be turned into a new planetarium that will complement the existing building and its telescope.</div><div><br /></div><div>The proposed design looks jolly interesting and I am pleased to note the way in which they intend to keep the existing Victorian structure while merging it with some forward-looking, 21st century space-age motifs - both of which are in keeping with and sympathetic to the building's heritage as well as its new-found purpose. All-in-all it looks to be a successful fusion of old and new and I look forward to hopefully seeing it become reality. </div><div><br /></div><div><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/AVvXsEj_yp6RRRrjjPUHhpg-YARahP7J9zw84DdM_Jp5I0lVr9WJ7zUD5NQdTSrTiZqPJQ2If7X0fm2CQjL-ibIUj1E1ynqWt5u4ELo_hdUJhRj2nZoPByEgewhQ-oDi8YuFA00F41goLFbLhXyW/s800/_114829135_planetariumoutsideview.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_yp6RRRrjjPUHhpg-YARahP7J9zw84DdM_Jp5I0lVr9WJ7zUD5NQdTSrTiZqPJQ2If7X0fm2CQjL-ibIUj1E1ynqWt5u4ELo_hdUJhRj2nZoPByEgewhQ-oDi8YuFA00F41goLFbLhXyW/w400-h225/_114829135_planetariumoutsideview.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">source - <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-54477535" target="_blank">B.B.C. News</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />The provision for teaching areas has also been considered in the design of the new building - a remarkable-looking domed structure that will sit partly above ground as well as within the large cavity that once formed the reservoir - with part of the underground area to be given over to classrooms that would give visitors further insight into the work of the society, the exhibitions and information gleaned from the observatory on the cosmos in general. </div><div><br /></div><div>The importance of this to the furtherance of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science,_technology,_engineering,_and_mathematics" target="_blank">STEM</a> learning in the <a href="https://www.stem.org.uk/about-us" target="_blank">U.K.</a>, especially among young people, cannot be overestimated and I am glad to see that the Heritage Lottery Fund recognises this as well and has put £36,000 towards helping realise the project. It sounds like there is still some way to go, with more funding yet required, a firm design plan to be formulated and more talks with the HLF in the offing but hopefully with luck the Mansfield & Sutton Astronomical Society can make good on their aim to have this splendid new building up and open by their 2023 target. That they regularly had over 3,000 visitors a year before Covid struck is a testament both to the work of the volunteers and the attraction of the stellar sciences in general and I sincerely hope that they can reach their goal, build their Victorian-based planetarium and attract many more visitors from Nottinghamshire and beyond - perhaps even including the next generation of astronomic scientists - from 2023 onwards.</div>Bruce Partington-Planshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11336280062885272950noreply@blogger.com0