Xmas Star

I had nothing for this week's ABC Wednesday's Letter X until this shone into view on Saturday evening, an Xmas star. 

Well it must be said I could hardly miss as star standing 25ft high with 19,000 twinkling lights.

Wishing everyone a Happy Christmas and Winter Solstice 

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

 

Water of Life

For the 900th Anniversary of the foundation of the Benedictine Abbey of St Werburgh in 1092 in Chester a sculpture was placed in the Cloister Garden of  what is now a cathedral but is where once monks walked and drew their water supply at the centre of the abbey.

The inspiration is the story of Jesus and the woman of Samaria  and a quote from the Gospel of John is inscribed around the outside of the plinth - Jesus said "the water I shall give will be an inner spring always welling up for eternal life"

The cathedral cloister passage windows can be seen in the background.

and the garden is as popular place to sit and walk as I imagine it was all those hundred of years ago for the monks. 

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

 

 

Unknown

 Here is Ellis O'Connell's "Capsule for destinies unknown" (2017) and a little girl with a balloon is starting her own journey.  This object was in the grounds of Chester Cathedral as part of their ARK exhibition and O'Connell made a sculpture for the event that she thought was relevant to the idea of shelter and refuge in these uncertain times.  It references the refugee crisis and also the sale of arms to repressive regimes.  So it could be a torpedo or escape pod take your pick.  The start of the apocalypse or the escape from it.  The material is corrugated galvanised steel and polycarbonate sheeting and as she says "humble everyday materials often used to make temporary living spaces".

Or perhaps this object has brought visitors from another dimension for nearby

are two of Lynn Chadwick's steel Beasts. In the foreground, Rising Beast (1989) and Duttan's Beast (1990) named after one of Chadwick's friends.

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

   

Zest

I zeroed in on this sign while walking by the Chester Canal and knew that the last, and one of the difficult,  letters of ABC Wednesday, was in the bag.  The sign is advertising a kitchen/bathroom design company called Zest.  I imagine you could still deliver goods by water to the rear of this property judging from the large doors.

although the growth along the banking tells me that in actuality it will be delivered to the other side by road. Yes the canal nowadays is for leisure pursuits whether on or

by the side of the water.  These retirees with a zest for life have stopped for a chat with the zealous fisherman as the canal moves away from Chester past Boughton.

An entry to ABC Wednesday, a journey through the alphabet now at its natural end -Z

Queens and Quids

When I spot a letter my first thought is "where is my camera", especially if it is one of those tricky ones towards the end of the alphabet. These big Qs were irresistible especially as behind the gates was a lovely building in Tudor Gothic style and a berried Rowan tree. Founded as the Chester School for Girls in 1878 it changed its name in 1882 when Queen Victoria became its patron and they moved here and became, the Queens School. The building stands by City Walls Rd (on the site of what was the old City Gaol and House of Correction) and was built between 1881-1883. The architect, EA Ould (1852-1909), was a pupil of John Douglas whose style influenced Ould's early buildings like these. He would become an expert on half timbered houses and indeed jointly authored a book on the subject. The building is constructed of Ruabon brick when that area of Wales was at the hight of production employing thousands of people.  With the high quality Etruria Marl clay the area also made Ruabon quarry tiles (and still does).  I wonder if there any of those inside?

The Queens School is an fee-paying independent school for girls of 4-18 and  its most recognisable ex pupil is the Gymnastic World Champion gold medallist and Olympian Beth Tweddle.

Opposite the school is the Chester Racecourse

where I hung over the low wall and took this picture of people waiting for the last race of the day.  Under the umbrellas are the bookies and small queues of people placing their last bet. some may have even made a profit on the day but one thing I can guarantee is that the bookies will be quids in.

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

ABC Wednesday - Bridge Inn

 The Bridge Inn, Boughton on the Chester stretch of the Shropshire Union Canal.  I was fascinated by the chimneys of this pub which as you get closer

 enclose the sign that proclaims the the date 1899.  It was not the only ornate sign because going round to the front

 two putti celebrate the name and

the pub sign celebrates the chimneys.

I could find no other information of the history of the pub but it is near a canal mooring point and canal bridge number 123. You can always depend on lots of pubs on a canal.  I find it interesting that it was built at this late date when most canals were in decline (the railways were taking the trade) but perhaps the reason this canal was different because of rivalry.  The canal was leased to the LNWR (London and North Western Railways) and operated energetically because a large portion of the canal ran through the area of their great rival the Great Western Railway.  In 1895 there were about 400 boats operating on this stretch. By the 1920s the days of bulk water transport were ended.    But to bring up to date more of interest to me is that it was in last years Good Beer Guide and has a wide selection of real ale.  How did I miss that?  Next time we are down in this area I will have to shepherd my companions through the door and find out what is inside, apart from a Pub Quiz which I notice is on Sundays.

UPDATE:Thanks to the Landlord commenting here is the story of the Bridge Inn:
 "There are 6 fire places throughout the building, I think two more have been covered up in two of the bedrooms.The original Bridge Inn was one hundred meters up the road where a hump back bridge once crossed the canal, but was lost when the bridge was replaced with a bridge that trams could cross,that is the reason the pub was built when it was. I think the original pub was built a 50 or 60 years earlier".

Well that has certainly satisfied by historical curiosity and next time I am down in Chester I will have to satisfy my liquid curiosity and call in. The outside is to be painted in the spring so I suspect there is also another photo opportunity with canal to be taken.  

An entry to ABC Wednesday, a journey from A to Z now at the beginning of Round 10 

ABC Wednesday - VR

Travelling around Britain one of the things often seen are the letters VR on objects of a certain age. This ones glistens on one of the sides of the ornate Eastgate clock in Chester. The initials stand for Victoria Regina, and the clock was made for the occasion of  Queen Victoria's 60 years on the throne, the Diamond Jubilee in 1897.  The clock stands above the old Roman east entrance into the city which was widened in Georgian times but is still on the Roman wall route if you wish to walk around the walls.

Not easy to spot this VR in Ulverston until getting closer

perhaps to post some cards. And there it is on top of the wall box.  You can always tell the age of a post box by which royal reign it was made as the royal cypher is displayed on them.  These cast iron boxes are painted every three years and it looks as though this one has been recently done. The first Post Office wall boxes (which are mainly for rural areas) were installed in 1857 and went through many designs (mainly to try to prevent the rain getting inside) before eventually in 1887 the so called jubilee box was the end result. The jubilee referred to is Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee (50 years on the throne).

An entry to ABC Wednesday, a journey from A to Z which this week has reached the letter V

ABC Wednesday - Peregrination

For the perfect peregrination sometimes a little effort is required, gets the heart palpitating when winding

for water filling up the lock, two barges parked in parallel

but lots of other mechanical things to do while the pooch is patrolling along the top, meanwhile the driver

is relaxing having a powwow with a fellow peripatetic bargee on their rise up to the next part of the Chester Canal

The gates open and the journey continues. This canal has lots of possible destinations because it is is part of the Shropshire Union Canal, and as its name implies it is a union of many.  We walked a small stretch at the weekend and

on the way back another two barges were going the other way.  The Lock Keepers cottage (c1800) is a listed building, including its walled yard and privy which used to drain into the sluice-way under the house. Happily the latter aspect is not listed, modern plumbing rules.

 

 The object of our peregrination was to walk around the medieval walls of the city of Chester , our entry point being by the side of this dovecote which was in possession of pigeons who suddenly flew into the air as I snapped my photograph.

Pop over to ABC Wednesday for more words beginning with P

ABC Wednesday - Arch

The Imperial Arch, entrance to Chinatown in Liverpool. This used to be the largest Chinese population in Europe but the area has declined in recent times. Liverpool's trading links with Shanghai in the past was the start of Chinese immigration. It was a rainy day when I took this photo so the 200 dragons don't really stand out. The arch was shipped piece by piece from Shanghai and constructed in 2000 for the Chinese new year festival which take place here every year. The characters in the middle say "Zhong Guo Cheng" meaning simply, Chinatown.

Travelling inland to the city of Chester

and Eastgate. This gate has three arches. Can't see them?  There are two small pedestrian arches at the sides, hidden by people walking through them.  Eastgate also carries the walkway forming Chester City Walls.  The clock on the top was constructed in 1897 to celebrate Queen Victoria's Jubilee and is one of the famous sites of Chester.  In contrast to this elaborate clock the arch in the city's park by the riverside is

 quite rustic and is one of the entrances into the park with its Arcadian lawns, trees and flowers.  The view through the next arch is not of flowers

but architecture. The ruined arches at the rear of the church in Tinténiac, France provides a admirable frame for the many towers of the present church. 

A new round of ABC Wednesday with lots of letters in front of us. Visit the participants of Round 8, words starting with the letter A will abound.  

All The Fun of the Fair

In the run up to Christmas in the dark December nights the crowds descend on the square by the castle to Chester's "Victorian Christmas Fayre" where there is bustle round the stores

and a few people looking up in anticipation of the other attraction,

the Ferris Wheel. We went on at dusk to views across the city in all directions but the wheel looked prettier later,  lit up in the dark. Unlike our Victorian forebears we were in enclosed carriages rather than the wind whistling round you swinging in a chair. Much more civilized. There was ice skating at ground level and  

a merry-go-round at full tilt and of course the obligatory Santa's grotto, the door looked it little low even for me. The only thing was to go off for mulled wine and fire roasted chestnuts.

The Wirral in Black & White

Despite the airports on the west coast being closed because of volcanic dust the last few days have been full of blue skies. A perfect weekend to head south to visit Al and Claire on the Wirral peninsula, Merseyside. One of the things that struck me when downloading my photographs was I seem to have a superabundance of black and white images, in fact I could have had may camera on a black and white setting.  Not really, I cannot resist a blue sky background.

  The pub at the far end of Parkgate looking over the Dee Estuary.  In the last century this are was a popular seaside resort but over time the shoreline silted up until it became marshgrass and now a wonderful place for birds rather than people.

It is still a popular place for its famous ice cream, eating, drinking and a wander along the front. A view of the Ship Inn and Mostyn House School.

Further inland at Willaston, do you notice a theme, another pub you can sit outside and take in the sunshine. This  building is from 1745 but altered in the early 20th century. The centre round the village green is of 17th and 18th century farm houses which is a typical medieval fashion dating from when farmland would have been held as strips in communal fields.  A very quaint place.

Leaving the peninsula a visit to Chester, also full of pretty black and white building, and shoppers.

Who  then relaxed and chilled out in the park.

Time to admire the Horse Chestnut trees in flower

Catch a view of a grey squirrel having a nibble. But not everything was black, white or grey

for our weekend was also shared with a chocolate brown Labrador.