Ing, Inn and In

A late summer's day on the Leeds-Liverpool Canal with a narrow boat leaving St Ann's Ing Lock, which has the smallest rise on the canal of 4 foot and six inches so it must be one of the quickest locks to get through. Ing or ings means a meadow near a watercourse, the unsaid is that it is probably a very wet meadow.  This one is between canal and river.  I wondered about the St Ann connection but could find nothing but I know there many sacred spring wells named after her throughout the country. Perhaps she is associated with freshwater.

 

If you wanted more than freshwater then The Boathouse Inn might be just the place to imbibe something else.  I mentioned the nearby river.  What might be found there?

Well surprisingly a cat in a bath.  This is one of the sculptures on the River Aire Sculpture Trail.

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

 

   

The Queens

A liner floats in the sky above a building in Birkenhead which stands on the junction of two roads

and is named after the Queens who are the Cunard liners.  These are not their modern cruise ships whose design looks like a human container ship but the iconic lines of the Queens from the 1930s who vied with other vessels to make the fastest crossing of the Atlantic from Southampton to New York.

The building is a pub and hotel owned by Admiral Taverns (continuing the nautical theme).  I'm assuming the name is related to the fact that Cunard headquarters were originally in Liverpool and their beautiful old building forms one of the 'Three Graces' on the city's waterfront.  The Queens however is tucked away on the other side of the Mersey by Birkenhead Park. In the early afternoon on an April day the area seemed quite deserted, maybe the chill and grey skies had something to do with it.

To make up for the lack of activity on the photograph here is an interior shot of the Queen Mary (the first of the Queens), being fitted out on Clydeside in Art Deco style in about 1935.  (The photographer is Yevonde Middleton (Madam Yevonde) a pioneer of colour photographer)

The joiners are busy behind the bar.  The two 'customers' may have a long wait for any liquid refreshment.

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

  

Lets Linger in Llandudno

Glimpse through the buddleia bush where no butterflies lingered on this autumnal day is the seaside resort of Llandudno in Wales.

The seats on the promenade were empty under showery skies and as can be seen by the flag, it was a windy day.  The Victorians dubbed the promenade "The Parade" and I imagine there are lots of old postcards of the era showing people in their finery parading leisurely up and down.   

Anoraks were the apparel of choice on this day whether on The Parade or

on the beach. Llandudno was originally a small village of fisher-folk, farmers and copper miners but all that changed when the idea of turning it into a seaside resort was made and much of the centre of the town and front with its hotels was developed from 1857-1877.  No resort being complete without a pier this one arrived in 1878.

And by the side of the pier is the magnificent Grand Hotel with its view over the bay and the Little Orme.

Pier and Little Orme

 The pier is 2,295 ft (700m) long and from it you can not only see the bay and the Little Orme but also I believe, the mountains of Snowdonia, but not on this day for the entrance was locked.  I had to be content with

 taking a photograph of the outside and the

t

empty slide, although by this point the rain had arrived so we headed for shelter

but on the way this building caught my eye. It was built at the end of Llandudno's twenty years of construction, (in 1875) and is known in the local lingo as Y Tabernacl but the building inscription is the 'Wesleyan Welsh Baptistery' and its unique feature inside is a "drainage" dressing room for baptismal candidates in the full immersion font.  The building nowadays is used as a heritage and exhibition centre.   I believe it was designed by the prolific chapel architect Richard Owen who it is said built up to 250  in his lifetime.  Time to head indoors;

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although a pub called "The London" is not something one would expect to see in Welsh speaking Wales but I suspect it may be because there is a direct train from London Euston to Llandudno which in the past, and still today, brings holidaymakers to the Welsh coast.

An entry to ABC Wednesday a journey through the alphabet sojourning this week at L

Aye Eye

I thought I would rest the London Eye on the Shell Building for this photograph and handily for an ABC Wednesday letter E its branding at the moment is the EDF Energy London Eye.  135 metres high its 30 minute whirl  is a popular destination.  The Shell Building is clad in Portland Stone which has meant that it has weathered better than other high rises built in 1961. London's new year countdown is projected onto the tower.   While taking this photograph I was stood on the Victoria Embankment

where an eagle flies.  Perhaps it may soar away north to York where

 the Euston railway station gates have made the journey.  Here at the National Railway Museum it is a popular resting area, maybe the essence of railway entrances lingers as a meeting place.  I wondered where they were on the original station and found this photograph from the 1950s

and they can be glimpsed by the columns. Euston was the world's first capital terminal and to mark the opening in 1837 this 70 feet high entrance was constructed of Portland Stone as a scaled up replica of a Doric Portico such as might have been seen in ancient Greece, but on a colossal scale.  Demolished in the 1960s when a lot of Victorian London was lost it was replaced by what has been described as "mundane modernism" and the dark uninviting station it is today. The Victorians also built outside the station four small lodges in matching Portland Stone for parcel collection and two of them survive but cast adrift with no purpose

I had no idea of their original use and took this photo only because of the interesting list of northern towns, one of which I sometimes change at to take the train down to London. Now knowing the original purpose I realise these are the names of the towns served by the railway.  The only other reminder of the old stations is

the reimagining of the Doric Arch on Euston's pub sign.  

An entry to ABC Wednesday - a journey through the alphabet

All Aboard for Appleby and ABC Wednesday

Let me take you on a journey to Appleby -  arriving by train, which is really just an excuse for me

Union of South Africa A4 Locomotive moves off after taking water at Appleby.

to show once again an A4 Pacific locomotive.  This one is, at the moment, halted in York and rests on a turntable in the National Railway Museum, joined by the iconic Mallard (the fastest steam locomotive in the world reaching 126mph in 1936) and the Bittern which became the fastest steam locomotive of the preservation era in June this year reaching 92½ mph.  The Dominion of Canada and Dwight D Eisenhower have crossed the Atlantic from Canada and the USA, been painted. cleaned and rebuilt at the Shildon workshop and become part of the Great Gathering of the six surviving A4s, including of course the one named after the great designer himself Sir Nigel Gresley.

But its time to leave Appleby Station and walk down the hill although perhaps pausing awhile to look

at the plaque commemorating Eric Treacy (1907-1978) railway photographer extraordinaire who died on the station of a heart attack while waiting to take photographs of the 'Evening Star', the last steam locomotive to be built by BR.

And it seems to be market day by the Low Cross which is an 18th Century copy of one from the 1600s there is also a 17th Century one at the top of the hill called, you've guessed it, the High Cross

This view is down the wide street of Broughgate and its Lime Trees which as this was taken in March have yet to acquire their intense green leaves

Going round the other side there is some writing from the 17th Century which says "Retain your loyalty, preserve your rights" which I presume is a reference the English Civil War. I wonder if it was put there by Lady Ann Clifford who was, as her title infers, a loyalist to the crown.  She is better known for her tenacious fight for the right to inherit her father's property against the prevailing male line of inheritance.

She is buried in a rather grand tomb in the St Lawrence Church for on obtaining her inheritance on the death of her father's brother she went on to repaired churches and built almshouses. The St Lawrence church dates from the 12th Century but was rebuilt in the 14th Century after being burnt down by the Scots in the Border Wars. The porch is 1300 but the dog tooth moulding is 100 years older, the church itself has been continued to be altered throughout the 17th-19th centuries. With regard to the Ann Clifford's tomb I appear only to have taken a photograph of the sheep

on her mother Margaret's tomb but I think it is rather sweet.

Maybe if I had called in at the Tourist Information (located in the 16th Century Moot Hall) they would have said take more photographs, although my long suffering partner would probably not agree with that last statement.

I could also have taken photographs of the Alms Houses built by Lady Clifford to the right of this white building but of course the white took my eye. If my memory is right it is the Masons Lodge.

 Time to take another photograph you never know when an A might needed for ABC Wednesday and an Astral Circus parked in Appleby might come in handy!  Time for a rest?

 
Then take your ease in the ABoard Inn (like the High Cross also dating from the 17th Century), and join these two enjoying drinking and playing draughts.

An entry to ABC Wednesday - join the journey through the alphabet now starting its 13th Round

A Good Innings

On our way past Poolside, the home of Haverigg Cricket Club we noticed a full car park and a crowd one afternoon last September so we went to investigate and found the final of the Cumbria Cup in full flow.  This was the first innings with Barrow winning the toss and opting to field.  Here the Barrow wicket keeper is catching the ball and trying to keep the run rate down however

Workington proceeded to hit the ball around the ground with impunity.  We left to continue our walk but the rest of the day went like this: After tea rain interrupted play so the Duckworth-Lewis scoring system had to be brought into play.  This is a mathematical formula designed to calculate the target score for the team batting second in a weather affected limited over match.  A method impenetrable to all but the most dedicated cricket watcher, and statisticians (the explanation here). Barrow were unable to hit the target as they were all out for 114, well off target, so Workington took the cup.

Rain affected play and inclement weather  was a common feature of 2012 and those competing in the Cumbria Cup may have a professional player and groundsmen to look after the pitch.  Those teams that just played in their local pub league in 2012 experienced a year that broke all rain records and

found their water logged pitches and rainy weekends made the season a wash out. Time to repair to the pub and  imbibe a pint or two

Cricketers Arms, St Helens

and dream of a better summer in 2013. 

An entry to ABC Wednesday - a journey through the alphabet