Accordion and A Vowel

If anyone thought I had mined my two day visit to the Tour de France in Yorkshire last year for various ABC Wednesday letters to the maximum here is my last hurrah, possibly.  I had this in mind for the letter A and then forgot, but it is now making a belated appearance for the start of  Round 17 and playing a happy tune - on the Accordion.  I would never have the coordination to play this instrument but here it is being played on the move and sat in a British registered 1939 Citroen 15 Roadster.  The French theme completed by the flag and both driver and passenger wearing berets. The accordion is an instrument loved by radio and film sound editors for indicating "hey folks we are in Paris"  the only other sound I can think of so overused is the kookaburra's 'laugh' for signposting the Australian outback;  unless you can think of some more.

From the joy of music to the drudge of housework

which today with labour saving devices is a breeze compared to when this Victress Vowel Washing Machine was in use.  As can be seen on the side this is -  The Vowel "A" model used in the late 19th and early 20th century and manufactured by Thomas Bradford of Salford.. (They went up in size with different vowel indicators)  The company started out as makers of butter churns and dairy appliances so I suppose the agitation of water to wash clothes would have been a natural development from butter churns. The Vowel "A" machine was one of the cheapest they produced and their advertising said "equal to 12 shirts".  I'm not sure if that means you could get 12 shirts into it or if the cost was equal to buying 12 shirts, whatever, its price was £3 10s 0d.  The auctioneers Christies were selling what is now an antique a few years ago with an estimated price of £400 to £600 and at auction it actually sold for £1,315.  You could buy about five modern ones for that price, but would they last as long? 

If I turn down the colour and the wear marks it could be new!  Its location is the backyard of a recreated Victorian workman's house, in particular a foreman's house who would be earning enough to be able to afford it. Unfortunately I omitted to take a photo of the turning handle on the other side because my butterfly mind was distracted by this

adorable little dog which was scampering in and out of the house.

An entry to ABC Wednesday, a journey through the alphabet this week starting anew again here 

    

Inclined Planes

Historically Inclined Planes were used extensively in the Ironbridge Gorge to move heavy objects up and down slopes but mostly all that endures are indentations and grooves running down forested hillsides; however for those interested in Industrial archaeology the Hay Inclined Plane remains to show the infrastructure required to move tug boats up and down a hill.  I believe from rail buffs that these are not the originally rails that would have been used from 1792-1894 but some British Rail cast offs from the national railway system.  Also we need a modicum of imagination for I have been unable to find photographs or drawings of the box shaped tug boats being moved the 207 feet (63m) by gravity, one ascending and one descending on roped up wheeled cradles on the rails from here -

the Blists Hill waterway down to the

Coalport Canal (part of the Shropshire Canal system)

 

This is the point the tug boats would have run down and into the canal, still on the tracks, which looks rather dishevelled today.  Although the loaded boats were travelling downhill by gravity the brakes were operated by a winding drum operated by a small steam engine in this engine house

And here is a view of the unreconstructed rail system of the other track

It would be nice to see it running but from the Blists Hill miners track you can take a ride down an other inclined plane in another direction  

from the upper waterway whatever the weather in comfort sat in a trolley which leads to a re-creation of a Victorian Fair where one can indulge in a variety of rides.

An entry to ABC Wednesday, a journey through the alphabet, this week sojourning at I here

Manoeuvring

Ah, life on the open road chugging along on 'Billy' the steamroller built in 1903

and still steaming at Blists Hill Victorian Town. Having done its rolling for the day it was time to manoeuvre it into the shed for the night

Through the gate, oh no, just too much to the right

Better reverse back to take another run at it. Left hand down a bit and then

full steam ahead with room to spare.

The driver took more than one run at the gates but I admired his manoeuvring ability on a machine that was built to go in a straight line.  I also rather liked the handle on the wheel that you spun it around with.   

The Steamroller was built by Wallis and Steevens of Basingstoke in Hampshire who started manufactured agricultural machinery from the 1840s and then expanded into road making equipment, it ceased to trade in 1981.  The steamroller's home is now Blists Hill, an Open Air Museum on an old industrial site recreating a Victorian town in the late 19th and early 20th century located near the Shropshire Canal.

An entry to ABC Wednesday, a journey through the alphabet, this week parking at M here.