158 Events in Manchester
June 2006
Saturday 3 June
157 Events in Leicestershire
August 2006
Saturday 5 August
Novelettathon Workshop - Sir John Moore School
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156 Events in Derbyshire
July 2006
Tuesday 13 July
Animal Magic - Catton Estate, Walton-upon-Trent
September 2006
Friday 29 September
UK Bloodstock Festival - Assembly Rooms
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153 Seaton Tramway
In the post-war years, a new tram system was being born. Although tramway were being dismantled all over the United Kingdom, tram enthusiast Claude Lane, who owned a factory which made battery-electric milk floats, adapted his manufacturing techniques to build a scaled-down double-deck tram, to run on a 15-inch gauge track.
Lane’s miniature tram ran off batteries, and the minimum-gauge was easily portable. So, Lane was able to amortise some of the costs of building his miniature tram by exhibiting it at rallies, fairs and the like.
The tram proved so successful that Lane decided to set up a more permanent tramway and, in 1953, set up a short (2/3 of a mile) tramway at Eastbourne. This, like a full-sized tramway, was powered by mains electricity from an overhead cable, rather than pulling a battery in a trailer, as the ‘prototype’ tram did.
The new line was built to the two-foot gauge, which was used by many mining, quarrying and industrial railways – some of which survive as tourist attractions today. With the new gauge, adults could now ride the trams in relative comfort!
The cars were built at Lane’s factory in Barnet, and later, in the tramway’s own works at Eastbourne. The designs were based upon those of ‘full-sized’ tram-cars from all over the country, and many of them are still in service.
During the 1960s, planned development at Eastbourne began to threaten the operation of the line. Lane felt that its future would be better assured if it could be operated on its own freehold site. And, at that time, the infamous ‘Beeching Axe’ was making many redundant British Railways lines available.
In Devon, a particularly attractive stretch of former line was on offer. It ran along the banks of the estuary of the River Axe into the seaside resort of Seaton. Since the estuary is particularly rich in bird-life, this would be a further incentive for people to ride on the trams – indeed, they frequently run ‘bird-watchers’ specials’, but outside their normal operating hours, so the tram can stop if anything interesting is seen.
The new line would run about two miles, between Seaton and Colyton. It was thought that a broader gauge would be desirable, to allow for even greater passenger comfort, and it was decided that 2ft. 9in (believed to be unique) was the widest which would permit the 2 ft. gauge cars to be converted without the trucks protruding beyond the bodies. An additional bonus was that ‘real’ tram-cars, built for 3ft. 6in, and even standard gauge tracks could be obtained and converted.
But first, the existing cars, now numbering about half a dozen, needed to be brought from Eastbourne by road; a formidable task carried out Almost entirely by Claude Lane and his assistant, Allan Gardner.
The service at Eastbourne had closed in late 1969, but enough track had been laid at Seaton by the end of August 1970 to run a limited service – towing a battery trailer, as the overhead mains cable had yet to be installed. The line reached the intermediate station at Colyford the following Spring, and, shortly afterwards, Claude Lane suffered a fatal heart attack.
By now, the little tramway had a hard core of enthusiasts, and work continued under the direction of the new General Manager, Allan Gardner. Colyton, the terminus, was reached in 1980, after re-laying a level crossing and building flood defences.
The line is single track, but trams can operate with a frequency of only ten minutes apart. There are six passing loops along the route, where trams can wait until the opposing car has passed, the way being controlled by possession of a staff, supplemented by verbal messages from passing drivers.
There are many types of car in service, and the best ones suited to the weather conditions are brought out. There are single-deck, completely enclosed cars … many of these are cut-down full-scale trams; there are open-topped double-deckers, with the lower deck either open at the sides or fully enclosed and there’s one open single-decker, based on a popular design used at Blackpool. This, in my opinion, is the best one for photography. Sit on the right-hand side on the way back to Seaton to get the best pictures of oncoming trams in the passing loops.
In 2002, the English Tourism Council named the tramway as ‘Small Visitor Attraction of the Year’ for the South-Western Region. It’s not surprising – the ‘small visitors’ I took with me loved it!
The Seaton Tramway is about 20 miles east of Exeter … nearest railway station is Axminster (5 miles) Frequent buses from there.
Seaton Tramway, Harbour Road, Seaton, Devon EX12 2NQ. Tel: 01297 620375.
152 Ransome Notes and Ransomes Boats
Few readers will need any introduction to ‘Swallows and Amazons’, the story of four children, holidaying with their mother and baby sister by a lake in the Lake District. Most of Arthur Ransome’s subsequent books were sequels to ‘Swallows and Amazons,’ which he always recommended should be read first.
When first published in 1929, ‘Swallows’ was an immediate success, as were the sequels, which followed at the rate of approximately one a year. In 1935, Ransome moved from the Lake District to East Anglia; the books’ locations moved there, too, with the publication of Coot Club, set in the Norfolk Broads. But, the ‘Swallows’ and the ‘Amazons’ returned to the Lakes frequently, as did Ransome, who settled there permanently in 1955, until his death in 1966.
Many Ransome memorabilia are exhibited in the Abbot Hall Museum of Lakeland Life and History, in nearby Kendal. It may be thought more appropriate to display them somewhere where he lived and worked, but all his Lakeland homes are still private residences; Low Ludderburn, in particular, is reached by means of a narrow country lane, and there’s nowhere to park when you get there.
Many people like, instead, to visit the various places mentioned in the Swallows and Amazons books. But, there’s a catch. Ransome’s lake (henceforth called The Lake) existed only in his imagination. But, it’s easy to see it contains recognisable features from Windermere and Coniston Water, although many have been ‘geographically misplaced’.
Ransome didn’t help. ‘All the places in the books are to be found’ he wrote ‘but not arranged quite as in the ordnance maps’. The only clues he gave outright were that ‘Rio’ was Bowness on Windermere, and ‘Kanchenjunga’ was Coniston Old Man.
I suspect that he wished readers to identify his scenarios with what they knew. For me, Blake Holme, in Windermere, was always ‘Wild Cat Island’, where the children camped, and ‘Dixon’s Farm’, where they obtained their supplies, was the nearby Blakeholme Farm … where I lived at the time!
The location fitted, and people still remembered the charcoal burners working in the nearby woods. Among them was a father and son, both named William Lishman, upon whom Ransome is believed to have based his characters Old Billy and Young Billy.
Most people think that ‘Dixon’s farm’ was, in fact, Low Yewdale Farm, transplanted from about a mile to the north of Coniston Water to the south-eastern shore of The Lake. And, ‘Wild Cat Island’ was largely based upon Coniston’s Peel Island … although there were, I discovered, some bits of Blake Holme in it. Peel Island doesn’t have Blake Holme’s tall trees, and ‘landing place’, both necessary to the plot..
Most Ransome experts … and there are many … believe that Bank Ground Farm, overlooking Coniston Water, was the model for Holly Howe, where the Swallows stayed on their holidays. The River Amazon was Coniston’s outflow, the Crake, which also has a pool filled with lilies, but moved from Coniston’s southern tip to flow into the north-western part of The Lake.
‘Beckfoot’, home of the Amazons, is harder to identify. Ransome’s drawings, some of which illustrate the books, are vague sketches of a large, Palladian-styled house … which could be any one of a dozen around the two lakes!
But, it doesn’t really matter, although it’s pleasant to take a cruise on either of the lakes, which make up The Lake, and explore the bays, islands, rivers and hills that Ransome knew. But, if you just read the books, any island you know can be Wild Cat Island … who’s to say otherwise?
Serious students of the ‘Swallows and Amazons’ genre like to study Ransome’s letters and notes, to try to find the real people who inspired his characters. It’s usually said, for instance, that the ‘Swallows’ were based upon the children of his long-time friend Dora Collingwood, and her husband, Dr. Ernest Altounyan. ‘Based upon’ probably isn’t the right expression, though. He used the names of most of the Altounyan children, and some of their characteristics, but all the Ransome characters seem to have been composites of many young people of his acquaintance.
In the Ransome books, the boats play as large a part as any of the human characters do, and here, we’re on safer ground. It doesn’t matter if you couldn’t name two of Ransome’s books, or can’t tell the gaff from the pintles, you can still admire these lovely old boats for the craftsmanship that’s gone into them, and the care that’s gone into preserving or restoring them.
Three ‘Ransome Boats’ are on display at the Windermere Steamboat Museum, just outside Rio … I mean, Bowness-on-Windermere. Esperance, a steam launch once belonging to industrialist H.W. Schneider, and later used as a houseboat, lies in the wet dock. This was probably the model for ‘Captain Flint’s Houseboat’, and is equipped with a brass cannon. The cabin is laid out for the tea party which ‘Captain Flint’ (based upon Ransome himself) gave for the Swallows and Amazons as a reward for recovering his ‘treasure’.
Inside the museum are Ransome’s own ‘Coch-y-Bonddhu’ (‘Cocky’ to its friends), which appears as ‘Scarab’ in ‘Picts and Martyrs’. This little boat is now on loan to the Museum from the Arthur Ransome Society, who recently restored it from a derelict condition.
But, the pride of the Museum’s Ransome Collection is ‘Amazon’. This was originally, and still is, owned by the Altounyan family. Originally, it was called ‘Mavis’ after the third Altounyan daughter (nicknamed ‘Titty’ and so immortalised in the books.). It’s almost certainly the boat upon which ‘Amazon’ was modelled, and, at the inaugural meeting of the Arthur Ransome Society in 1990, ‘Mavis’ became ‘Amazon’ … and, of course, still flies the appropriate skull and cross-bones flag!
Of ‘Swallow’, named after the boat on which Ransome may have learnt to sail as a young man, no sign remains; the last ‘definite sighting’ was around the outbreak of World War II. But, I did hear rumours of a plan to build a replica, using Ransome’s descriptions as a guide.
Ransome used to describe another of his boats, bought when he moved to Suffolk, as ‘the best little boat I ever had.’ It’s a 28-foot Bermuda-rigged cutter, with a cabin, which can sleep four, and a little galley. So fond of this boat was he that he named it after his favourite ‘Swallows and Amazons’ character … the Captain of the Amazon, Terror of the Seas, Nancy Blackett! And, like the other boats, she made an appearance in the books, as ‘Goblin’ in ‘We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea’
‘Nancy Blackett’ was re-discovered almost derelict in Scarborough Harbour in 1988, and brought back to the River Orwell, where Ransome used to sail her, to be restored. Over £60,000 was spent on her restoration by her owners, and later, by the Nancy Blackett Trust, an offshoot of the Arthur Ransome Society.
Today, ‘Nancy Blackett’ appears almost as Ransome knew her. I found her at the International Festival of the Sea at Portsmouth, where the crew (wearing the ‘official Amazons red hat’, of course!) told me that Red Fox, a subsidiary of Random House, was launching a new edition of all twelve of the Swallows and Amazons books.
So, it seemed that yet another generation was going to meet Ransome and his timeless characters … and the Lake District, the Norfolk Broads and beyond … and, of course, the boats!
151 Hatless on Rombalds
You’ll only walk about three miles and achieve a height of just over 1000 ft., so you might think a south to north traverse of Rombald’s Moor a rather slight undertaking. But it’s a walk often regarded as a classic, for it’s one on which many walkers from Leeds and Bradford have cut their teeth over the years.
Sixty years ago, Alfred J. Brown, a well-known Yorkshire walker, author and poet recorded in Moorland Tramping that ” … this great, sprawling ridge of a moor … has trained more trampers than any other moor in the shire.”
Rombald’s Moor is also famous for something which happened there over 100 years ago. We still sometimes celebrate that incident in song. Frequently, though, it’s only because it’s the only song suitable for mixed company which everybody knows all the words to!
One summer day in 1886, a horse-drawn charabanc came to the Cow and Calf Rocks, above Ilkley. On board were members of a Huddersfield church choir on a day-trip. As the day wore on, the prolonged absence of a young couple in the party was noted.
When the young man eventually returned with the lady, he was questioned about his whereabouts, as befits a good choir, in song. To the hymn tune “Cranbrooke”, they sang:”Wheer were ta bahn when Ah saw thee…” or, roughly translated: “I say, old chap! What were your intentions at our previous encounter?” Rather a silly question, really, considering the circumstances!
I’m reliably informed that the more usual rendering “Where asta bin sen’ Ah saw thee?” is a Southern affectation, and the true Yorkshireman will have none of it. The “bah’tat” business should properly be written “bar t’ ‘at”, or, as they say in Harrogate, “devoid of one’s headgear”.
For anyone who loves Yorkshire, these facts turn a simple walk into a pilgrimage. It’s appropriate, therefore, to approach the shrine with reverence; on foot, and with your head decently covered!
The starting point is the Fleece at High Eldwick, just outside Bingley. Don’t, however, enquire for the Fleece by its official name. Dick Hudson held the licence from 1850 until 1878; since then, the place has been known far and wide simply as “Dick Hudson’s”.
J.B. Priestley wrote: “The moors are there … You have only to squeeze through the little hole in the wall, just beyond Dick Hudson’s, to take your fill of them…”
Priestley’s little hole in the wall is still there. Nowadays, it has a gate made from a sheet of steel, which I think might once have given access to the footplate of a railway engine. Beyond it, a narrow, stone-walled footpath takes you gently uphill to Bingley Moor, which, like the more famous Ilkley Moor is just one sector of the high ground called Rombald’s Moor.
It’s an old and well-trodden way. Part of the path beyond the moor wall is a flagged causeway through the heather. Heather flowers in August, making that the best time to visit, although there’s plenty of bracken for a splash of colour later in the year.
The over-the-shoulder view of Airedale behind you is too built-up to be called inspiring, but it’s good in the sense that you can see a long way. The old-time walkers had an unwritten rule not to look back until a prominent landmark called Lister’s Chimney was well out of sight.
On each hand, there are wide tracts of moor, and always an easy path to guide you across. Soon, you’ll come upon a large milestone, which shows the former importance of the old path.
Actually, it’s a Neolithic standing stone, which someone thought would make a good milestone. Its tombstone-like shape brings to mind the fourth and fifth verses of The Song, which remind Man of his humble place in the food-chain!
Just as old is the Twelve Apostles, a stone circle on your right-hand side as you approach the watershed between the Aire and the Wharfe. If you saw “Stone Circle” on your map, and expected to see something like Stonehenge or Avebury, you may be disappointed. The Twelve Apostles are only about knee-high, and barely a dozen feet across. But it’s an attraction nevertheless. You can tell by the well-beaten path which makes the slight diversion necessary to reach it.
At the highest point of the path, there’s a boundary stone to tell you that you’ve passed from Bingley Moor and on to the famous Ilkley Moor. Here, the ground is softer, but there are duck-boards to ease your passage. Or, are they possibly there to prevent t’ducks form eating up t’worms?
You’ll find the only water on the walk at Gill Head, where the path divides. Take the narrower path on the right, which follows the beck downhill, until you see the Cow and Calf Rocks on the skyline to your right.
I’ve never been able to find out if the Cow and Calf Rocks were simply named for their shape (the Calf is the big boulder at the foot of the crag), or named after the nearby Cow and Calf Hotel.
You probably already admired the view of Wharfedale on the way to the top of the crags, so there doesn’t seem to be a lot more to do, except walk back to Dick Hudson’s, if you left your car there. You could visit the coffee stall or the pub, and if you want to walk on down the hill, Ilkley is rather nice. Other possible pursuits are rock-climbing, or watching the rock-climbers.
But, maybe you brought Mary Jane with you. Don’t forget your hat!
Note: Since I wrote this piece, an American friend pointed out that, to him, ‘courting Mary Jane’ had a slightly different connotation. Try translating her name into Spanish, and you get ‘Maria-Juana’! Instead of dallying with his lady friend, could the lad have possibly been having a spliff behing the Cow and Calf Rocks? Surely not!
150 Grey’s Monument - Newcastle
TOWERING 135ft over Newcastle, Earl Charles Grey’s monument overlooks a city that has seen many changes since he was Prime Minister in the middle of the 19th Century.
The Second Earl Grey, he was responsible for the abolition of African slavery, British electoral reform and introducing the refreshing tea that uses his name.
Born in 1764 at Falloden, near Embleton, Northumberland, Earl Grey was the son of a British general who had won several battles in the American Wars of Independence. He was elected as Whig MP for Northumberland at the age of only 22.
As foreign secretary in 1806 Grey carried through the abolition of the African slave trade and as Prime Minister abolished slavery throughout the British colonies.
During his term as PM, which started in 1830, his most remarkable achievement was the Reform Act of 1832, which set in train a gradual process of electoral change. It sowed the seeds of the system we recognise today.
Around 130 years of parliamentary reform began with this act and culminated in universal suffrage for men and women over 18, secret ballots and legitimate constituencies. The battle to pass the historic act was a difficult one.
Grey resigned after the Lords rejected it but he returned to office when Wellington found himself unable to form an administration. Wellington then consented and Grey was able to push the bill through.
Other reforming measures included restrictions on the employment of children and the abolition of slavery in the British Empire in 1833.
Despite his political achievements, his name is best known these days for Earl Grey tea. Grey was once sent a diplomatic mission to China and by chance the envoy saved the life of a Chinese Mandarin. In gratitude, the Mandarin sent Grey a specially scented tea, flavoured with oil of Bergamot. Today, Earl Grey is the world’s most popular blend of tea.
Grey’s Monument was erected in the heart of the City of Newcastle between 1837 and 1838 as a testimony to the Earl’s popularity amongst the people. You can still climb the 167 steps inside the Doric column when it occasionally opens to the public.
The monument was designed by Benjamin Green, who won a Town Commission competition for the unmistakeable piece of art.
The Earl’s statue was made by Edward Hodges Baily but the head was knocked off by lightning one stormy night during the Second World War. In 1947 local artist Roger Hedley replaced the head.
After watching the city’s thriving heavy industry disappearing, the Grey’s Monument has overseen Newcastle become a cultural destination that’s also a haven for shoppers and fun-seekers alike.
149 It’s Bloom Time
Think Leicester, think flowers.
The trees already sport a fresh green look, the flowers debuting in vibrant hues. Leicester is the place to be in summer. It holds the East Midlands In Bloom crown. And this year the city will take a shot at the national Britain In Bloom title as well.
Little wonder then that preparations are on in a big way, in particular in and around the city centre. Planters in Horsefair Street, Bowling Green Street and Applegate are being cleared of the previous season’s remains. The fresh displays will be on a part of the route judges will take through the city centre in July.
The planting and seeding work is being done by the city parks gardening teams. Work will continue over the next eight weeks, so that the displays are well established, in full bloom and look their best come judgment time.
For the city dwellers this is the time to look forward to every year for a clean walk around the centre streets. That’s because bloom time is broom time too as graffiti on walls are erased and street furniture given a fresh coat of polish and paint.
Councillor John Mugglestone, Cabinet link for regeneration and culture, is quite enthusiastic before the media: “The preparations have to start early to make sure everything is ready on time. A lot of planning and behind-the-scenes work has been going on. This is the first preparation on the city centre route. Our staff will be working hard over the coming weeks to ensure the displays are at their best for the judging,” he told Leicester Mercury.
Move away from the city centre and what you see are roads and side streets lined with trees aflame in a riot of colours. The side-walks, the round-abouts the friendly gardens in front of detached or semi-detached houses sparkle the eye just as well, bursting with daffodils, tulips, bluebells and violas.
Shops and offices too enjoy the colour code. You will rarely find a bleak window this time of the year. The window sills stacked with pots of every size containing flowers of every kind. A particular favourite is the magnolia which can be seen hanging in abundance from the overhead flower pots.
Not to be left behind are the pubs, in particular those which have play areas for children. The Old Horse Pub on London Road, opposite the vast and beautiful Victoria Park, is one such. Its sprawling façade, with several flower pots hanging from the eaves, got a complete makeover on Wednesday, bringing much cheer to the regulars.
However purist flower lovers have a grouse which may not be entirely misplaced. They say that most of the planted flowers are hybrid and grown in controlled conditions. This is to make them disease free. Understandable, yes. But it has led to a big loss. Fragrance. Ask the bees!
However, do not despair. Just make a petal pilgrimage to the Botanical Gardens opposite the Race Course. And breathe in the heady scents to your heart’s content. The organic displays remind you of those meadowy greens and the dales of your childhood.
By the way, the Gardens re-open on June 5.
Sudha Vemuri - Editor for Leicester
148 St Peters Church - Sunderland
YOU could be forgiven for thinking that the only religion in Sunderland is the football club – even though they have the worst Premiership record!
But it’s in this city where you’ll find one of Britain’s oldest churches and a massively important site of early Christianity.
Like the rest of the north east, Sunderland is steeped in Christian history because it was this region that introduced Britain to the religion.
Sunderland itself was a small area in what is now known as Hendon. It was given the name because that was where the bishops on one side of the River Wear (a lot narrower than it is now) and monks on the other would often meet. They were ‘sundered’ from each other, hence Sunderland.
The two areas outside of Sunderland were Bishopwearmouth and Monkwearmouth, but Sunderland grew because of its importance as a port. And it’s in the Monkwearmouth area where you’ll find St Peter’s Church.
Christians have gathered at this bend in the Wear for more than 1,300 years, although the building has moved further from the water’s edge over the years thanks to the amount of ship’s ballast that has been dumped there.
St Peter’s was built in 674AD by Benedict Biscop and it was one of the first stone buildings to be erected in the country after the Roman’s left in the 4th Century.
Benedict was a pioneering monk and he was given a grant of land by the Northumbrian King, Egfrith. He built an important complex of church and monastic buildings and brought glaziers from Gaul (France) to create the windows for the church.
As a result, they established Monkwearmouth as the birthplace of British stained glass. The trade of glass-making continues close to the church at the National Glass Centre. It was once a massive industry in Sunderland and Pyrex still makes products in the city today.
The work of Benedict continued and was expanded by his successor Ceolfrid, the second Abbot. Ceolfrid expanded the library and supervised the making of three copies of the Latin Bible, one of which, the Codex Amiatinus, survives today in Florence.
Ceolfrid’s pupil Bede began his monastic life here at the age of seven and he grew up to be a gifted writer.
St Peter’s is now a parish church and the area could be in line to become a World Heritage Site with its sister church of St Bede’s at Jarrow. Campaigners are currently waiting to hear if their attempts to be awarded the accolade are successful.
Much of the interior dates from a major restoration carried out in the 1870s, though medieval stonework is visible at the south side of the chancel arch. Following an arson attack in 1984, there were more changes during which the nave sanctuary and exhibition area were built. The chancel ceiling was also repainted and a fine Copeman-Hart organ was installed.
Situated off Dame Dorothy Street, St Peter’s Church is well signposted and you can take in magnificent views of Wearmouth Bridge and see the banks of the Wear which was once the centre of a massive shipbuilding industry. Now, you’ll find apartments, yachts in the marina and a sprawling university campus.
146 Warndon Wood
By Lisa Ventura
Documented in the Doomsday Book of 1086, and then known as ‘Warmedun’, Warndon Wood is in the ancient county parish of Warndon. It lies directly beside the Salt Way, leading to Droitwich, famous for its brine. In early times Warndon Wood was held by Urso of Abetot the then Sheriff of Worcester.
The wood is immediately accessible from Junction 6 of the M5 and is a famous local beauty spot for walkers, family outings and dog walkers. Although no immediate parking is available, parking close to the verges nearby on the Warndon Villages enables a short walk up to the Wood. Local residents regularly use the variety of footpaths in the Villages that ultimately lead through the woodland itself. They offer a pleasant rural stroll, albeit with the hum of motorway traffic in the background.
The wood is one of the finest bluebell woods in Worcestershire and during April to May is ablaze with bluebells, the wonderful truly English flower that carpets our woodland floors in Spring. There are few finer smells than the sweet scent of the bluebell and Warndon Woods offer one of the finest arrays during the flowering period.
A short way marked walk leads directly through the woodland and pleasant at any time of year. A particular favourite of mine, besides bluebell time, are crisp Autumn days with a slight chill in the air. With the leaves gently falling it is always fun to walk among the fallen leaves, kicking them along as children love to do. The rustle, the smell, and the thick leafy carpet reminds us that winter is almost upon us. Trees hang bare but offer a promise that Spring will once again return and the woodland floor will be ablaze with colour once more.