Bertie in the Middle East: online showing for first royal tour photographs

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Bertie in the Middle East: online showing for first royal tour photographs

Museums, art galleries, heritage sites and the like are regrettably having a tough time of things at the moment, with lock-down having seriously impacted many excellent institutions.  Despite this risk to their very existence the vast majority seem to have stepped up to the crease with remarkable initiative, with some superb online curatorial videos and similar displays available on YouTube and the like.  The exhibition mentioned in this article, although photographic rather than audiovisual in nature, is no less fascinating featuring as it does the first photographic record of a royal tour of the Middle East.

This was Edward, the Prince of Wales' (later to become King Edward VII) 1862 trip to Greece, the then Ottoman Empire, the Holy Land and finally to Egypt - partly designed to bolster Britain's relations with those countries and but also it seems to deflect attention from one of Bertie's many flings with a female member of the British theatre scene(!).  In a very modern and what would nowadays be called a "damage-limitation exercise", the experienced and highly-respected photographer Francis Bedford was sent along as one of the party to document the tour in the new medium of photography.

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Now thanks to the Barber Institute of Fine Arts the photos from that tour are available to view online as part of its Sights of Wonder exhibition.  Originally intended to be a physical display at the Institute's Birmingham location it has been swiftly and expertly switched to a web-based digital exhibit and jolly well done it is too.  Not only does it showcase Bedford's remarkable pictures of historic sites that had previously only been seen (if at all) as paintings or drawings, but it also includes excerpts from Edward's personal diary and contemporary news reports - all of which add to the overall fascination immeasurably.

Everyone involved is worthy of congratulation on creating such an interesting and absorbing exhibit during these difficult times and I'm particularly pleased to note the involvement of some University of Birmingham history students - I hope this will benefit and inspire them to future endeavours in preserving these important aspects of our history.  In the meantime although it is heartening to see how well some museums are adapting to the ongoing situation there are of course many that are still closed and facing an uncertain future.  I'm sure you don't need me to tell you how important it is that we support those institutions that are struggling through these hard times, if only by visiting them again when circumstances are such that they are able to reopen.

Tata Steel wins nostalgic order for steam loco No 2007 Prince of Wales

Tata Steel wins nostalgic order for steam loco No 2007 Prince of Wales 

As I'm so excited about this particular news item I can't leave you - or me! - in suspense any more; here's that first promised post.  This news is hot off the press today!

Some readers will doubtless be aware of Tornado (or to give it its full designation, LNER Peppercorn Class A1 60163 Tornado), which in 2008 became the first new-build steam locomotive to be constructed in this country since 1960 and the only existing example of its type.  It has appeared on this blog several times before (in news items here, here and here) and in the intervening 6 years has become a roaring success - breaking records, making innumerable heritage railway & mainline appearances (where it is allowed to travel at speeds commensurate with modern trains) and generally winning the hearts of all who see it.

So successful has Tornado been, in both construction and service, that the people responsible for creating it - the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust, based at Darlington Locomotive Works - began seriously contemplating the building of another engine.  Now I'm delighted to see that - under the name P2 Steam Locomotive Company - they're going "full steam ahead" with their plan to construct a Gresley Class P2 locomotive, to be named 2007 Prince Of Wales in honour of HRH's 65th birthday.

Gresley Class P2 2001 Cock O' the North, c.1934source

Like Tornado's original Peppercorn Class none of the Gresley P2s (which numbered six) have survived, meaning that the Prince Of Wales will again be the sole example when it is completed (although it takes the 2007 number in deference to the original six).  The P2s, designed by famous railway engineer Sir Nigel Gresley, were the most powerful engines in the country when they were introduced in 1934.  Built to be able to pull over 600 tons of railway carriages on the London-Aberdeen route they, like so many locomotives from the early '30s, were soon eclipsed by the more glamorous A1s (Mallard et al).  Sidelined by the Second World War they were extensively rebuilt between 1943-44 and eventually scrapped in the switch to electrification during the Sixties.

Thanks to modern computing and design technologies, as used and refined in the building of Tornado, the construction of the Prince Of Wales should go ahead well - provided the funds can continue to be found (see here and here, or e-mail enquiries@p2steam.com to find out how to contribute).  This latest news shows that work is already underway at the Tata Steel Scunthorpe facility to create the engine frames, with many more parts set to be produced by this valued partner.  It is also fortunate (although doubtless intentional) that P2s shared around 70% of their design with A1s, so the majority of parts will be easily replicated with the equipment to do so now very much in place.  Even so, the project is estimated to take 7 years - still a vast improvement on the 14 years it took to bring Tornado to fruition.  As much as I hardly can, I'm sure it will be well worth the wait nonetheless.  One of the most powerful express locomotives ever once again running full chat along our national rail network?  And maybe yet more new steam engines after that?  Yes please with knobs on! 

Prince Charles: wear 'vintage'

Prince Charles: wear 'vintage' I always find time for His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, particularly when he gives such sage advice as this. Who better an advocate of elegant and stylish dress - clothing from the past to boot - than the future King? Much of what he says in this article (an abridged version of which can be found here) and elsewhere on the subject makes excellent sense and His Highness is to be applauded for championing such a worthwhile cause. I find myself agreeing with everything he says. I love trawling second hand shops (or "thrift stores" as I believe our American cousins charmingly describe them) on the lookout for vintage clothing because not only do I prefer the fashions of an earlier period but I appreciate the craftsmanship and, as the Prince of Wales hints at, the enjoyment of giving new life to an old garment and the satisfaction of knowing it is saved for another generation. When I have to buy new clothes I always check the label to see what material(s) go to make up the fabric and wherever possible I eschew man-made fibres such as polyester (shudder). Some people seem to think this is a kind of sartorial snobbery but not only is there an environmental angle to choosing natural over synthetic, but by and large the former just looks better. I baulk at the idea of going out in shiny, plasticky, cheaply-made poor quality clothes that disintegrate after a couple of years when there is a wealth of second-hand items of vastly superior style and manufacture just waiting to be snapped up if one knows where to look. If more people thought like this we might even see an improvement in the current standard of dress with, as the article mentions, modern designers already seizing on the growing passion for vintage style and creating new twists on classic designs. We could be on the verge of seeing a better-dressed, more environmentally- and sartorially aware society (oh, how I wish!). So at the risk of preaching to the converted, if I read my audience right, go forth to your local second-hand emporium dear readers and scour the clothing racks - you never know what you might come across! Gentleman, I direct your attention to the likes of Savvy Row and Tweedmans; ladies, umm... womenswear is not really my area of expertise(!). A quick perusal of my blogroll should lead you to a few vintage-inclined ladies whose posts cover this sort of thing much more thoroughly and expertly than I could ever hope to. Happy hunting, and here's to a well-dressed future with Prince Charles at its head!