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Quand ce ne sera pas de la photo, ce sera du tricot... Tout plein de belles chaussettes colorées à réaliser.
Taken in Moore Street electricity substation - the venue for the installation "A boy and his atom" a work by Steven Claydon - a still-working brutalist edifice and my favourite Sheffield building. Check out the exhibition here and the remarkable building here.
The Advanced Passenger Train programme was all about creating a world beating tilting train for the future, without having to spend billions on new dedicated track for high speed running. It should have followed in the steps of the HST, and put the UK in the forefront of railway innovation. It was scrapped, and the technology sold to the Italians who produced, the Pendolino! Scrapped by a government who lacked backbone and vision, and a hostile press who excelled in the maxim of not letting un truths get in the way of a good story. Nothing new there then, you may say? During its short life in scheduled service, No. 370003 speeds through Lichfield Trent Valley with a Glasgow Central to London Euston service on 19th April 1985. Copyright Photograph John Whitehouse - all rights reserved
The excavated remains of the Forum can be seen in the foreground. In the back ground is the replica Roman Town House constructed using traditional tools in 2010/11 for a Channel 4 documentary series.
For more photographs of Wroxeter Roman City, please click here: www.jhluxton.com/England/Shropshire/Wroxeter-Roman-City/
Roman Wroxeter, near the end of the Watling Street Roman road that ran across Romanised Celtic Britain from Dubris (Dover), was a key frontier position lying on the bank of the River Severn whose valley penetrated deep into what later became Wales, and also on a route south leading to the Wye valley.
Archaeology has shown that the site of the later city first was established about AD 55 as a frontier post for a Thracian legionary cohort located at a fort near the Severn river crossing. A few years later a legionary fortress (castrum) was built within the site of the later city for the Legio XIV Gemina during their invasion of Wales.
The local British tribe of the Cornovii had their original capital (also thought to have been named *Uiroconion) at the hillfort on the Wrekin. When the Cornovii were eventually subdued their capital was moved to Wroxeter and given its Roman name.
This legion XIV Gemina was later replaced by the Legio XX Valeria Victrix which in turn relocated to Chester around AD 88. As the military abandoned the fortress the site was taken over by the Cornovians' civilian settlement.
The name of the settlement, meaning "Viroconium of the Cornovians", preserves a native Brittonic name that has been reconstructed as *Uiroconion.
Viroconium prospered over the next century, with the construction of many public buildings, including thermae and a colonnaded forum. At its peak, it is thought to have been the 4th-largest settlement in Roman Britain, with a population of more than 15,000.
Following the Roman withdrawal from Britain around AD 410, the Cornovians seem to have divided into Pengwern and Powys. The minor Magonsæte sub-kingdom also emerged in the area in the interlude between Powysian and Mercian rule. Viroconium may have served as the early post-Roman capital of Powys prior to its removal to Mathrafal sometime before 717, following famine and plague in the area.
The Roman city was rediscovered in 1859 when workmen began excavating the baths complex. A replica Roman villa was constructed in 2010 for a Channel 4 television programme called Rome Wasn't Built in a Day and was opened to the public on 19 February 2011.
Port Meirion in North Wales. Architecture by Clough William Ellis, he constructed the village using building salvage from around the world. The late sixties programme The Prisoner with Patrick Mcgoohan was also filmed here. The prisoners catch phrase was "I am not a number, I am a free man".
This prominent vantage point and strategic site was quickly recognised by the Normans, who built a huge timber fortress here by 1100 AD. Originally built by Robert de Toeni, (later known as Robert of Stafford),
in the Norman period, Stafford Castle has dominated the local skyline for over 900 years.
In the years shortly after the Norman invasion of 1066, William the Conqueror is believed to have ordered defences to be built against a still hostile and rebellious native community. The fortunes of the castle and its owners, the Stafford family, fluctuated greatly.
An impressive example of the motte and bailey system, Stafford Castle enjoyed mixed fortunes throughout the medieval period. In the 14th century Ralph, a founder member of the Order of the Garter, became the1st Earl of Stafford. He ordered the building of a stone keep on top of the motte in 1347 and the following year was granted a licence to crenellate and so constructed the battlements.
In 1444 Humphrey Stafford was created Duke of Buckingham and the castle entered its heyday. By the early 17th century however the condition of the castle had deteriorated and during the English Civil War the Parliamentary Committee in Stafford ordered it to be demolished.
By the early 17th century, the castle's fortunes waned. During the early part of the Civil War it was defended by the Gallant Lady Isabel but was eventually abandoned and demolished. Extensively rebuilt in the Gothic Revival Style in 1813, the castle fell into ruin through this century. Rebuilt by the Jerningham family in the early 19th Century using the same foundations the keep was again a magnificent four storey structure. However, given over to caretakers and then abandoned again in the 1950s it became derelict once more.
Now after recent restoration work and a programme of archaeological investigation Stafford Castle is considered one of the best surviving examples of Norman earthworks in the country. A programme of archaeological excavations has gradually revealed many of its secrets. Visitors can follow an informative trail of interpretation panels to discover the castle's history. Today, the remains of the castle, together with the surrounding grounds, give visitors a fascinating insight to the 900 year history of this important site.
An inventory taken in 1537 shows how herbs were an important part of daily life at Stafford Castle. They were widely used for their medicinal, aromatic and edible properties. From this detailed inventory, a herb garden was planted in the castle grounds. Great faith was placed in the use of herbs and they still have an important role to play today. This garden has been designed with sixteen beds, each containing herbs related to specific illnesses. As well as being extremely enjoyable to walk around, the herb garden provides a unique insight into living history.
The Audi Sport Quattro S1 was a Quattro programme car developed for homologation for Group B rallying in 1984, and sold as a production car in limited numbers.[1] It featured an all aluminium alloy 2,133 cc (130.2 cu in) (2.1 L) 20v DOHC engine slightly smaller than that of the Audi Quattro (in order to qualify for the 3-litre engine class after the scale factor applied to turbo engines). In road-going form, the engine was capable of producing 225 kW (306 PS; 302 bhp),[1] with the competition cars initially producing around 331 kW (450 PS; 444 bhp).[1]
The vehicle also featured a body shell composed of carbon-kevlar[1] and boasting wider arches, wider wheels (nine inches as compared to the Ur-Quattro's optional 8-inch-wide (200 mm) wheel rim), the steeper windscreen rake of the Audi 80 (requested by the Audi Sport rally team drivers to reduce internal reflections from the dashboard for improved visibility) and, most noticeably, a 320 mm (12.6 in) shorter wheelbase.
In addition to Group B competition in rallying, the Sport Quattro won the 1985 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb with Michèle Mouton in the driving seat, setting a record time in the process.[21] 224 cars of this "short version" Sport Quattro were built, and were offered for sale for 203,850 German Marks.[1]
Another participant in the D Day revival weekend in the village of Southwick, Hampshire. This young lady was dressed in clothes from the period and selling event programmes. Nice smile!
Here in the UK there has been a programme recently broadcast on Channel 4 television called ‘Drag SOS’. Naturally, I will admit I was drawn to watch this due to my own transvestism. I’m not sure quite what I was expecting apart from I assumed it was going to be high camp and full of competitive bitchiness. I have to say I’m not comfortable with such attitudes between drag performers yet I could not resist the pull of the programme title. I braced myself for some truly nasty moments and pressed play…
What followed was one of the kindest and heart-warming programmes I had seen on television in recent years. The Drag Queens, a troupe known as ‘The Family Gorgeous’ were indeed out there but were genuinely lovely and full of empathy and understanding and I felt not only encouraged the people that decided to give drag a go and become a Queen but gave them a huge boost in self esteem. The participants were not what you may expected. The core of the programme was about encouragement, confidence, boosting self esteem, bringing about greater understanding of self and others and full of genuine love. Drag was the vehicle that allowed people to do this, it provided the key to unlock people to be more expressive of themselves and brought them closer to their loved ones.
For me watching it I found it was unlocking me as well, the programme surprised me by giving me new confidence and direction with my own transgender activities. I acknowledge that may all sound rather grand for what was an entertaining yet highly encouraging programme that never gets too deep, though it does have some emotive moments that resonate yet instils positive feelings for the future.
I am not about to become a Drag Queen with a stage act though I’ll admit seeing the participants go for it on stage truly inspired me and I did imagine myself swapping places and daring to push myself as they did. The Drag Queens overseeing the whole process of encouragement and helping people to be open and true to themselves were inspiring. I should clarify this is not simply a coming out film as most of those who take on the opportunity to become a Queen are not (so far) Gay or Transgender, in fact some of them are women with families, it was about all about love and freeing oneself.
The impact of this programme on me was incredibly positive and to my surprise brought about a new feeling of inner peace and resolve. The core message that came from the programmes was unlock yourself and set yourself free, cast off your inhibitions!
I should now explain why I’m posting this video. Firstly, I have previously posted a shorter version of this video here on Flickr. It was within the last year when the maximum running time for a video on Flickr was three minutes. The original edit of the video was five minutes. Running time has now increased to a maximum of ten minutes so this has enabled me to post the original version (I did also post this on my You Tube channel). I’m posting it again as the opening of the video was something I dared myself to do. I did think about editing it out of the video as I was a bit embarrassed and taken aback at what I had done then I thought ‘hang on’ as my usual inhibitions were gaining control so I left it in as the truth is when I filmed the beginning part I was feeling incredibly free about expressing myself. I then go onto my usual store of consciousness musings about my cross-dressing so if you do watch the video you will be sure to be bored. The video was really an indulgent outlet to talk openly about my feelings on my transvestism.
I can see now what I was experiencing on the evening I filmed the video was something that was highlighted in the ‘Drag SOS’ programmes about releasing oneself and casting off a lifetime of inhibition. After watching ‘Drag SOS’ I felt a new inner freedom abut my desire to dress as a woman and enjoying time as my female alter-ego. It’s because I am encouraged and enthused by what came out of the programmes that I am posting the longer version of my video. It felt amazing to appear on camera as a woman and pour out things I have locked up in my head for years and years. As a man I am incredibly strait-laced and full of inhibitions. I am still shocked by my own video! It may not even appear radical to anyone watching it but for me it was really out there!
The video repost here on Flickr is all because of the heart-warming encouragement I witnessed in the Drag SOS programme and I feel grateful to the ‘Queens’ of ‘The Family Gorgeous’ who have given me renewed confidence to express myself more openly in the future; to them I offer a big ‘Thank You!’.
I think the programmes can only be viewed online in the UK should you be interested in watching them. Here is the direct link: www.channel4.com/programmes/drag-sos
This was one of the competitors in the 50's Sports Car Race at theVintage Sports Car Club's meeting at Oulton Park in June 2006. It's the 1956 Lotus Eleven of Malcolm Ricketts, which the programme of the event says has a 1,480cc engine. The Lotus Eleven was a completely new car, unlike the previous production Lotuses, the Mk VIII, Mk IX and Mk X which were all based on the Lotus Mk VI. The Eleven had a steel tubular space-frame with stressed aluminium panels, and the aerodynamic body was designed by Frank Costin and was hinged at both ends to give complete access to the engine and other mechanical parts. The car was mainly designed to run in the 1,100cc class of racing, but other engines of up to 2½ litres were also used.
All the parts in this image were not officially released to the public. I have obtained them through other collectors and resellers. From left to right:
• prototype SNOT plates
• a test print
• a Q-Element
• a Grangemouth test brick
• a Satin-Light blue minifigure
These items have been collected because of a genuine hobbyist interest in, and enthusiasm for, LEGO history, production, engineering and quality control. Finding and understanding these items, is like an ongoing treasure hunt that is shared with a community of like-minded LEGO fans.
The items
Prototype parts
Prototype parts, like the prototype SNOT plates in the photo, are "early models" of part designs. The parts never made it into production in this form. They are generally used to evaluate the part design (for example to evaluate the concept, visual appearance, user-experience testing, ...). The parts are usually discarded afterwards.
The parts that I own have been sold in LEGO's internal shop for employees or have been given away in lots that LEGO donated, for example for promotional purposes.
Test bricks
LEGO required that the chemical companies and manufacturers followed a strict quality control programme using test bricks. They often manufactured other plastic products also. The quality control process that was in place for their work for LEGO, was frequently also applied to their other plastic products. As a result, test bricks can be found in a wide range of materials and colours that were never used by LEGO itself.
Initially, old production moulds were used. These bricks have the LEGO logo on all studs. Later specific test brick moulds were made. Initially, those also had the LEGO logo on all studs. After that, bricks with the letters ABCD with varying stud size were used. Later those were replaced by bricks with the letter C on the studs. These days, several other letters are seen.
Nightshift Grangemouth test bricks
In the late 1970s some employees at Borg-Warner wanted to experiment with some of the excess plastic from the regular LEGO production and used the mould to produce bricks with a "granite effect", like the multicoloured brick in the photo. The bricks they produced were given to children. They did not see this as a problem, because the marbled "granite" bricks could be clearly distinguished from real LEGO products. This might have been done with permission within the factory, or they might have been produced during night shifts, but LEGO was not pleased about it. As the story was told on BrickLink, the bricks were eventually spotted by a LEGO representative and the mould was taken away.
It looks like soon after, the test moulds with LEGO logos were replaced with test moulds without LEGO markings. From now on, if any unofficial products that might not meet all quality standards made their way to the general public, it would be clear that these were not official LEGO products.
Test prints
A lot can go wrong while printing on LEGO parts. That is why LEGO has a quality control process for printing. We find both print alignment calibration parts and parts that are printed on the "wrong" base colour, like the minifigure head in the photo.
We assume that these wrong-coloured parts are usually test prints, made on whatever colour was available in the machine at the time but not on the intended colour. This way, the final print design can be evaluated while any test parts can easily be separated from the later actual production parts. That way, there can be no confusion and only the correct parts can be included into sets. Even with all that care, things can still go wrong. Technology can fail, printers can run out of ink, etc. As a result, incomplete prints or misaligned prints are also found.
These parts used to be very rare, but in recent year many have found their way to resellers. They have been included in charity gifts that LEGO made, and some German resellers that seem to have access to LEGO's leftovers get them.
Q-elements
Q-Elements are parts that are made by LEGO for use in model shops. The model shops can request certain parts in unusual colours when they need them. That is how the transparent dark blue brick in this photo was made. They are intended to be used by these model shops only, and as a result they probably do not have to meet all the strict quality requirements that the parts that are released in sets have to meet. That would explain why transparent parts are available to model shops but not in sets. Leftovers from these model shops are sometimes sold or given away.
Mould test runs
Moulds require maintenance. After a mould has been disassembled, maintained and reassembled, a test is needed to ensure that everything works properly. Traditionally, red and transparent material has been used for these tests because some flaws are more visible using these colours.
Few of these parts have shown up, although the number seems to be increasing. These parts used to be rare, but are not hard to find now (finding a random part is easy, finding a specific part is still nearly impossible).
The parts are still often sold as "rare prototypes" by resellers who wish to increase the price.
"Nightshift minifigures"
Before 2020, only very few transparent minifigures were known to exist. They were probably really part of initial mould testing (looking for hidden flaws in the first parts made in a new mould). These were extremely rare. Also, a red Darth Vader helmet was known. That part was probably also made during a first mould test. It sold for such a high value, that later clone brands made "replica prototype helmets" and sold those on Ebay.
In 2020, several transparent minifigures found their way to online sales platforms. The figures were made with genuine LEGO parts, made in unreleased colours. As far as we could tell, the parts originated in the Mexico factory. They were received with enthusiasm by several collectors who were willing to pay serious amounts of money for them. Soon, more minifigures became available. In order to increase collectability and related value, soon accessories like helmets/headgear and weapons were added to the minifigures. Minifigures related to themes like Star Wars and Batman became available in a wide range of colours. When these figures were first made, I expected LEGO to stop them soon. For some reason, LEGO has not done that or has not been able to. By 2022, the range of colours has increased to include 9 or 10 colours with glitter and 11 colours with satin have been made or announced (including the figure in this photo). Many of those colours were never released with those additions in officially released LEGO products.
Because the quality standards that normally apply to LEGO parts did not fully apply to these figures, deviations could occur. Several transparent parts are already known to crack. There is a good reason why LEGO does not release full-transparent minifigures. The available combination of material and design is not suitable for this application. This is an important quality consideration for LEGO products, but it does not appear to be for these unofficial released parts.
I would guess that these parts are made in small quantities during mould testing after maintenance. That would keep them out of the regular LEGO production lines, and possibly out of strict supervision.
Replicas and clones
Finally, there are replica's and clones, which are parts that were "inspired" by actual LEGO bricks. Made with "Is no fake, is copy"-ethics. For example, we have seen
• Replica stickers or replica prints on genuine (unprinted) LEGO parts, especially for expensive collectible sets
• Replica Plant Leaves 6 x 5 (part 2417) that were made "only in colours that LEGO did not make", until LEGO made some of those colours later...
• Replica train wheel rubber, to replace old parts that have deteriorated over time.
• Custom chromed parts, making it difficult to find the parts that were actually chromed by LEGO
• And finally last year there was a story that Chinese clone bricks were found that used the LEGO logo. As far as I know, this is the first time that suspected clone bricks might actually have used the LEGO logo. Usually, people just think that parts made in another mould version must be fake.
These fake parts often violate the intellectual property rights of LEGO (and franchises like Star Wars when those stickers/prints are copied). For collectors, they can make things very difficult. How to separate genuine or even rare valuable items from cheap knock-offs?
I don't have any of these in my collection, but I would probably be interested in a few of those rumoured Chinese Fake-LEGO-2x4-bricks with LEGO logo...
Reasons to collect
Treasure hunt and the community - It's a fun hobby
People still frequently find items that have never been seen by our community before. Finding them, sharing them online, and engaging the community bring both joy and social interaction with fellow collectors. The new items provide an opportunity to everyone to learn something new and to gain new insights or better understanding.
There is also fun in the chase. Figuring out what is out there and where to find it. Gotta catch 'em all!
And, finally.... Ohhh, Look how beautiful this new brick is!
Understanding history and product design
Through collecting these items, we can learn about LEGO's history. By comparing them, or thinking about why things are the way they are, we can learn about the evolution of technology and ideas. Every brick tells a story, about when and how it was made, about the challenges that had to be overcome or about the people that made and used them.
Conservation of knowledge and unique items
By finding, collecting and conserving items that are otherwise unobtainable and that might otherwise be scrapped and destroyed, we preserve tangible items that tell us the stories behind them in a visible way. When we find these items, we are often also finding the stories relating to these items.
Telling a story
Finally, when the items and their information become available, we can use those to tell a story. We can share what we have found in exhibitions or online, like on this Flickr page. Through these items and their stories, we can help people understand their rich history.
Ethical considerations
Collecting unreleased items?
While collecting, a collector should consider the implications of his or her actions.
We could consider several aspects:
1) Why the parts were made;
2) How the parts became available;
3) Who benefits from them;
4) Confidentiality and conflicts of interest.
Most of these parts were made as part of LEGO's design or quality control processes. They were made by LEGO or by their suppliers because they were needed.
Although the parts were not made to be released to the general public, most parts that do find their way out of the factories seem to do so by legitimate routes. They are, for example, included in sales or donations of leftover parts. There are stories where chemical companies have given test parts to their employees.
In most cases the person who made the parts did not personally benefit from them. The parts were often seen as unusable leftovers that could be donated or as interesting gifts to contacts or people who were involved in their development, or simply as toys for children of employees. Only later, often decades later when these children were grown up or when the employees died, did these parts make it to the secondary market. Resellers make some money by finding and selling these items.
As far as I know, confidentiality and conflicts of interest have not caused any issues yet. Considering confidentiality, we might happen to find information that could (still) be confidential. The basic principle should be that we, as fans of LEGO, do not wish to do any harm to LEGO. As a result, intellectual property and proprietary information should remain confidential. We can, however, share all publicly available information (including when it takes some effort of specialist knowledge to get it) about the items we find and our thoughts about them. Collectors might have personal friendships with people in the professional communities. We can ask for information, but we should respect their professional limits in what they can or cannot share and respect confidentiality when they ask us to remain silent about something.
Stimulation of illegitimate behaviour
In the case of the minifigure, a new situation seems to have occurred. It looks like someone, or probably a small group of people, is actively benefiting from an illegitimate activity. They have discovered the LEGO AFOL collectors market, and have found that serious money can be made by selling "unreleased prototypes", especially of minifigures related to collectable themes like Star Wars or Batman.
We cannot be certain as long as no official statements are made by LEGO, but it seems like these parts are made using LEGO moulds and LEGO materials without proper authorisation and without financial benefits for LEGO. This might be a form of theft, by the employee(s) who used the facilities and materials for personal gain. When buying these items, we might support and stimulate this kind of behaviour.
I consider the "nightshift minifigures" an interesting example of how LEGO employees and LEGO collectors deal with these items. Because of that, I do think that some of these parts have a place in my collection. I do however do not wish to stimulate the production of these figures much. That is why I choose to limit myself to a few parts. I will not buy any for resale or trade. That is just my approach though, every collector will have to make his or her own choices here.
Courir, jouer, nager, le programme de Lewis l'infatigable
Running, playing, swimming, Lewis'program, he is tireless
F-15E Strike Eagles, assigned to the 494th Fighter Squadron from Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, rest on the flightline at Los Llanos Air Base, Spain, Sept. 16, 2016. During Tactical Leadership Programme 16-3, U.S. service members trained side by side with NATO allies and partners, preparing them to meet future security challenges as a unified force. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Emerson Nuñez)
St Andrew and St Patrick, Elveden, Suffolk
As you approach Elveden, there is Suffolk’s biggest war memorial, to those killed from the three parishes that meet at this point. It is over 30 metres high, and you used to be able to climb up the inside. Someone in the village told me that more people have been killed on the road in Elveden since the end of the War than there are names on the war memorial. I could well believe it. Until about five years ago, the busy traffic of the A11 Norwich to London road hurtled through the village past the church, slowed only to a ridiculously high 50 MPH. If something hits you at that speed, then no way on God's Earth are you going to survive. Now there's a bypass, thank goodness.
Many people will know St Andrew and St Patrick as another familiar landmark on the road, but as you are swept along in the stream of traffic you are unlikely to appreciate quite how extraordinary a building it is. For a start, it has two towers. And a cloister. And two naves, effectively. It has undergone three major building programmes in the space of thirty years, any one of which would have sufficed to transform it utterly.
If you had seen this church before the 1860s, you would have thought it nothing remarkable. A simple aisle-less, clerestory-less building, typical of, and indistinguishable from, hundreds of other East Anglian flint churches. A journey to nearby Barnham will show you what I mean.
The story of the transformation of Elveden church begins in the early 19th century, on the other side of the world. The leader of the Sikhs, Ranjit Singh, controlled a united Punjab that stretched from the Khyber Pass to the borders of Tibet. His capital was at Lahore, but more importantly it included the Sikh holy city of Amritsar. The wealth of this vast Kingdom made him a major power-player in early 19th century politics, and he was a particular thorn in the flesh of the British Imperial war machine. At this time, the Punjab had a great artistic and cultural flowering that was hardly matched anywhere in the world.
It was not to last. The British forced Ranjit Singh to the negotiating table over the disputed border with Afghanistan, and a year later, in 1839, he was dead. A power vacuum ensued, and his six year old son Duleep Singh became a pawn between rival factions. It was exactly the opportunity that the British had been waiting for, and in February 1846 they poured across the borders in their thousands. Within a month, almost half the child-Prince's Kingdom was in foreign hands. The British installed a governor, and started to harvest the fruits of their new territory's wealth.
Over the next three years, the British gradually extended their rule, putting down uprisings and turning local warlords. Given that the Sikh political structures were in disarray, this was achieved at considerable loss to the invaders - thousands of British soldiers were killed. They are hardly remembered today. British losses at the Crimea ten years later were much slighter, but perhaps the invention of photography in the meantime had given people at home a clearer picture of what was happening, and so the Crimea still remains in the British folk memory.
For much of the period of the war, Prince Duleep Singh had remained in the seclusion of his fabulous palace in Lahore. However, once the Punjab was secure, he was sent into remote internal exile.
The missionaries poured in. Bearing in mind the value that Sikh culture places upon education, perhaps it is no surprise that their influence came to bear on the young Prince, and he became a Christian. The extent to which this was forced upon him is lost to us today.
A year later, the Prince sailed for England with his mother. He was admitted to the royal court by Queen Victoria, spending time both at Windsor and, particularly, in Scotland, where he grew up. In the 1860s, the Prince and his mother were significant members of London society, but she died suddenly in 1863. He returned with her ashes to the Punjab, and there he married. His wife, Bamba Muller, was part German, part Ethiopian. As part of the British pacification of India programme, the young couple were granted the lease on a vast, derelict stately home in the depths of the Suffolk countryside. This was Elveden Hall. He would never see India again.
With some considerable energy, Duleep Singh set about transforming the fortunes of the moribund estate. Being particularly fond of hunting (as a six year old, he'd had two tutors - one for learning the court language, Persian, and the other for hunting to hawk) he developed the estate for game. The house was rebuilt in 1870.
The year before, the Prince had begun to glorify the church so that it was more in keeping with the splendour of his court. This church, dedicated to St Andrew, was what now forms the north aisle of the present church. There are many little details, but the restoration includes two major features; firstly, the remarkable roof, with its extraordinary sprung sprung wallposts set on arches suspended in the window embrasures, and, secondly, the font, which Mortlock tells us is in the Sicilian-Norman style. Supported by eight elegant columns, it is very beautiful, and the angel in particular is one of Suffolk's loveliest. You can see him in an image on the left.
Duleep Singh seems to have settled comfortably into the role of an English country gentleman. And then, something extraordinary happened. The Prince, steeped in the proud tradition of his homeland, decided to return to the Punjab to fulfill his destiny as the leader of the Sikh people. He got as far as Aden before the British arrested him, and sent him home. He then set about trying to recruit Russian support for a Sikh uprising, travelling secretly across Europe in the guise of an Irishman, Patrick Casey. In between these times of cloak and dagger espionage, he would return to Elveden to shoot grouse with the Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII. It is a remarkable story.
Ultimately, his attempts to save his people from colonial oppression were doomed to failure. He died in Paris in 1893, the British seemingly unshakeable in their control of India. He was buried at Elveden churchyard in a simple grave.
The chancel of the 1869 church is now screened off as a chapel, accessible from the chancel of the new church, but set in it is the 1894 memorial window to Maharaja Prince Duleep Singh, the Adoration of the Magi by Kempe & Co.
And so, the Lion of the North had come to a humble end. His five children, several named after British royal princes, had left Elveden behind; they all died childless, one of them as recently as 1957. The estate reverted to the Crown, being bought by the brewing family, the Guinnesses.
Edward Cecil Guinness, first Earl Iveagh, commemorated bountifully in James Joyce's 1916 Ulysses, took the estate firmly in hand. The English agricultural depression had begun in the 1880s, and it would not be ended until the Second World War drew the greater part of English agriculture back under cultivation. It had hit the Estate hard. But Elveden was transformed, and so was the church.
Iveagh appointed William Caroe to build an entirely new church beside the old. It would be of such a scale that the old church of St Andrew would form the south aisle of the new church. The size may have reflected Iveagh's visions of grandeur, but it was also a practical arrangement, to accommodate the greatly enlarged staff of the estate. Attendance at church was compulsory; non-conformists were also expected to go, and the Guinnesses did not employ Catholics.
Between 1904 and 1906, the new structure went up. Mortlock recalls that Pevsner thought it 'Art Nouveau Gothic', which sums it up well. Lancet windows in the north side of the old church were moved across to the south side, and a wide open nave built beside it. Curiously, although this is much higher than the old and incorporates a Suffolk-style roof, Caroe resisted the temptation of a clerestory. The new church was rebenched throughout, and the woodwork is of a very high quality. The dates of the restoration can be found on bench ends up in the new chancel, and exploring all the symbolism will detain you for hours. Emblems of the nations of the British Isles also feature in the floor tiles.
The new church was dedicated to St Patrick, patron Saint of the Guinnesses' homeland. At this time, of course, Ireland was still a part of the United Kingdom, and despite the tensions and troubles of the previous century the Union was probably stronger at the opening of the 20th century than it had ever been. This was to change very rapidly. From the first shots fired at the General Post Office in April 1916, to complete independence in 1922, was just six years. Dublin, a firmly protestant city, in which the Iveaghs commemorated their dead at the Anglican cathedral of St Patrick, became the capital city of a staunchly Catholic nation. The Anglicans, the so-called Protestant Ascendancy, left in their thousands during the 1920s, depopulating the great houses, and leaving hundreds of Anglican parish churches completely bereft of congregations. Apart from a concentration in the wealthy suburbs of south Dublin, there are hardly any Anglicans left in the Republic today. But St Patrick's cathedral maintains its lonely witness to long years of British rule; the Iveagh transept includes the vast war memorial to WWI dead, and all the colours of the Irish regiments - it is said that 99% of the Union flags in the Republic are in the Guinness chapel of St Patrick's cathedral. Dublin, of course, is famous as the biggest city in Europe without a Catholic cathedral. It still has two Anglican ones.
Against this background then, we arrived at Elveden. The church is uncomfortably close to the busy road, but the sparkle of flint in the recent rain made it a thing of great beauty. The main entrance is now at the west end of the new church. The surviving 14th century tower now forms the west end of the south aisle, and we will come back to the other tower beyond it in a moment.
You step into a wide open space under a high, heavy roof laden with angels. There is a wide aisle off to the south; this is the former nave, and still has something of that quality. The whole space is suffused with gorgeously coloured light from excellent 19th and 20th century windows. These include one by Frank Brangwyn, at the west end of the new nave. Andrew and Patrick look down from a heavenly host on a mother and father entertaining their children and a host of woodland animals by reading them stories. It is quite the loveliest thing in the building.
Other windows, mostly in the south aisle, are also lovely. Hugh Easton's commemorative window for the former USAAF base at Elveden is magnificent. Either side are windows to Iveaghs - a gorgeous George killing a dragon, also by Hugh Easton, and a curious 1971 assemblage depicting images from the lives of Edward Guinness's heir and his wife, which also works rather well. The effect of all three windows together is particularly fine when seen from the new nave.
Turning ahead of you to the new chancel, there is the mighty alabaster reredos. It cost £1,200 in 1906, about a quarter of a million in today’s money. It reflects the woodwork, in depicting patron Saints and East Anglian monarchs, around a surprisingly simple Supper at Emmaus. This reredos, and the Brangwyn window, reminded me of the work at the Guinness’s other spiritual home, St Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin, which also includes a window by Frank Brangwyn commisioned by them. Everything is of the highest quality. Rarely has the cliché ‘no expense spared’ been as accurate as it is here.
Up at the front, a little brass plate reminds us that Edward VII slept through a sermon here in 1908. How different it must have seemed to him from the carefree days with his old friend the Maharajah! Still, it must have been a great occasion, full of Edwardian pomp, and the glitz that only the fabulously rich can provide. Today, the church is still splendid, but the Guinesses are no longer fabulously rich, and attendance at church is no longer compulsory for estate workers; there are far fewer of them anyway. The Church of England is in decline everywhere; and, let us be honest, particularly so in this part of Suffolk, where it seems to have retreated to a state of siege. Today, the congregation of this mighty citadel is as low as half a dozen. The revolutionary disappearance of Anglican congregations in the Iveagh's homeland is now being repeated in a slow, inexorable English way.
You wander outside, and there are more curiosities. Set in the wall are two linked hands, presumably a relic from a broken 18th century memorial. They must have been set here when the wall was moved back in the 1950s. In the south chancel wall, the bottom of an egg-cup protrudes from among the flints. This is the trademark of the architect WD Caroe. To the east of the new chancel, Duleep Singh’s gravestone is a very simple one. It is quite different in character to the church behind it. A plaque on the east end of the church remembers the centenary of his death.
Continuing around the church, you come to the surprise of a long cloister, connecting the remodelled chancel door of the old church to the new bell tower. It was built in 1922 as a memorial to the wife of the first Earl Iveagh. Caroe was the architect again, and he installed eight bells, dedicated to Mary, Gabriel, Edmund, Andrew, Patrick, Christ, God the Father, and the King. The excellent guidebook recalls that his intention was for the bells to be cast to maintain the hum and tap tones of the renowned ancient Suffolk bells of Lavenham... thus the true bell music of the old type is maintained.
This church is magnificent, obviously enough. It has everything going for it, and is a national treasure. And yet, it has hardly any congregation. So, what is to be done?
If we continue to think of rural historic churches as nothing more than outstations of the Church of England, it is hard to see how some of them will survive. This church in particular has no future in its present form as a village parish church. New roles must be found, new ways to involve local people and encourage their use. One would have thought that this would be easier here than elsewhere.
The other provoking thought was that this building summed up almost two centuries of British imperial adventure, and that we lived in a world that still suffered from the consequences. It is worth remembering where the wealth that rebuilt St Andrew and St Patrick came from.
As so often in British imperial history, interference in other peoples’ problems and the imposition of short-term solutions has left massive scars and long-cast shadows. For the Punjab, as in Ireland, there are no simple solutions. Sheer proximity has, after several centuries of cruel and exploitative involvement, finally encouraged the British government to pursue a solution in Ireland that is not entirely based on self-interest. I fear that the Punjab is too far away for the British to care very much now about what they did there then.
Organised jointly by Arthur Howes and Brian Epstein.
Among supporting acts were Gerry and the Pacemakers, Gene Pitney, Marianne Faithfull The Kinks and Cilla Black
On 30 March 2025 the European commercial rocket Spectrum, developed and operated by Isar Aerospace, took flight from Andøya Spaceport in Norway and flew for 30 seconds, clearing the launch pad and proving the launch vehicle can achieve one of the hardest parts of space transportation: liftoff.
Isar Aerospace’s two-stage launch vehicle Spectrum is 28 m tall, 2 m in diameter and, with its ten engines, it is targeting to launch payloads of up to 1000 kg to low Earth orbit.
The flight allows Isar Aerospace engineers to analyse all the data they need to tweak their Spectrum launcher for a next flight.
“Our first test flight met all our expectations, achieving a great success”, said Isar Aerospace CEO Daniel Metzler, “We had a clean liftoff, 30 seconds of flight and even got to validate our Flight Termination System.”
“A test-flight is exactly that: a test to gather data, learn and improve. Everything Isar Aerospace achieved today is remarkable and they will have lots of data to analyse. I applaud the teams for getting this far and I am confident that we will see the next Spectrum on the launch pad ready for test-flight 2 liftoff soon,” said ESA’s Director General Josef Aschbacher.”
Isar Aerospace is a German-based company, building their Spectrum launch vehicle in state-of-the-art production facilities relying on in-house manufacturing.
Initially supported by ESA’s Business Incubation Centre, the company is supported by as part of the Boost! programme that helps commercial initiatives offering transportation services to space, in space, and returning from space.
Credits: Isar Aerospace/Wingmen Media–S. Fischer
Launch of the IAEA Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship Programme held at the Agency headquarters in Vienna, Austria. 9 March 2020
Photo Credit: Dean Calma / IAEA
Moderator:
Sophie Boutaud de la Combe, Moderator and IAEA Director, Office of Public Information and Communication, Director General’s Office for Coordination
PANELISTS:
Ms Karen Hallberg, Principle Researcher, Bariloche Atomic Centre, National Atomic Energy Commission and Professor, Physics, Balseiro, Institute, Argentina
HE Mr Xavier Sticker, Resident Representative of France to the IAEA
HE Ms Dominika Anna Krois, Resident Representative of Poland to the IAEA
If you would like to see some of my friends, please click "here"!
The White Park is a rare breed of horned cattle with ancient herds preserved in Great Britain. It includes two very rare types often regarded as distinct, the Chillingham and the Vaynol cattle. The White Park is a medium-large, long-bodied bovine. A programme of linear assessment, including 200 bulls and 300 cows, has been carried out in the UK since 1994 to define its size and conformation. Mature bull weights vary from 800 to 1,000 kilograms, depending on the quality of grazing, but bulls in good condition may weigh 1,250 kilograms. Average withers height is 146 centimetres, chest depth 88 centimetres, body length (point of withers to point of pin bone (tuber ischii) 167 centimetres, hip (tuber coxae) width 64 centimetres, and scrotal circumference 45 centimetres. The relevant corresponding measurements for adult cows are 500 to 700 kilograms, 132 centimetres, 76 centimetres, 148 centimetres and 60 centimetres. The colour is distinctive, being porcelain white with coloured (black or red) points, namely ears, nose, eye rims, hooves, and teats and tips of the long horns. The colour pattern is dominant to other colours. The horns of the cows vary in shape, but the majority grow forwards and upwards in a graceful curve. The horns of bulls are thicker and shorter, and not so uplifted. In their native environment in Britain, White Park cattle are noted not only for their distinctive appearance, but also for their grazing behaviour, where they show a preference for coarser herbage. They are well-suited to non-intensive production and some herds are kept outside throughout the year on rough upland grazing without shelter or supplementary feed. They are docile, easy-calving, and have a long productive life. Some traits may vary a little in other countries, but the basic type is the same. They are beef animals noted for the quality of their meat.They are capable of converting coarse herbage into high quality meat, and of gaining weight at over 1 kg per day in good conditions. Until relatively recently they were a triple-purpose breed – meat, milk and draught. The 3rd Lord Dynevor (1765–1852) kept a team of draught oxen, and the practice continued up to 1914. The records of one plough ox that was killed in 1871 at 14 years of age, show that he stood 183 centimetres at the withers and weighed 1,171 kilograms. They were used as dairy cattle even more recently. Some cows were being milked in the Dynevor herd in 1951, but yields were moderate. Beef became the main product during the twentieth century, and gained a reputation as a textured meat, with excellent flavour and marbling, which commanded a significant premium in speciality markets. The best quality beef comes from 36-month-old animals, and fine marbling is the key to its eating quality, while the low cholesterol content adds to its attraction for the health-conscious consumers. Several blood typing and DNA studies have revealed the genetic distinctness of White Park cattle and the Oklahoma State University web site confirms the White Park is not closely related to two breeds of the same colour, but which are hornless, namely the American White Park (which actually is British White) and the British White and is genetically distinct from them. The colour-pointed coat pattern also appears in other cattle breeds such as the Irish Moiled, the Blanco Orejinegro, the Berrenda, the Nguni and the Texas Longhorn. The breeds most closely related seem to be the Highland cattle and Galloway cattle of Scotland, but the White Park "is genetically far distant from all British breeds". The Chillingham has diverged from the main White Park population and various stories have grown up around them. Hemming references the work of Hall in the following excerpt: "- – In other words, since the Chillingham cattle, wherever they came from, cannot be aurochsen, they must be Bos taurus just like Jerseys or Herefords or any other breed. They do look more like miniature aurochsen, but that is because they have not been selectively bred for beef or milk, and cattle that have been left to their own devices will tend to revert to ancestral type. Although both the late president and the patron have quoted genetic work done on the cattle to support their arguments, the zoological reports in fact make it quite clear that the Chillingham herd does not have any special relationship to the aurochs whatsoever (Hall 1982-3, 96; 1991, 540)."
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Jaguar programme began in the early 1960s, in response to a British requirement (Air Staff Target 362) for an advanced supersonic jet trainer to replace the Folland Gnat T1 and Hawker Hunter T7, and a French requirement (ECAT or École de Combat et d'Appui Tactique, "Tactical Combat Support Trainer") for a cheap, subsonic dual role trainer and light attack aircraft to replace the Fouga Magister, Lockheed T-33 and Dassault Mystère IV. In both countries several companies tendered designs: BAC, Hunting, Hawker Siddeley and Folland in Britain; Breguet, Potez, Sud-Aviation, Nord, and Dassault from France. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed in May 1965 for the two countries to develop two aircraft, a trainer based on the ECAT, and the larger AFVG (Anglo-French Variable Geometry)
Cross-channel negotiations led to the formation of SEPECAT (Société Européenne de Production de l'Avion d'École de Combat et d'Appui Tactique – the "European company for the production of a combat trainer and tactical support aircraft") in 1966 as a joint venture between Breguet and the British Aircraft Corporation to produce the airframe. Though based in part on the Breguet Br.121, using the same basic configuration and an innovative French-designed landing gear, the Jaguar was built incorporating major elements of design from BAC – notably the wing and high lift devices.
Production of components would be split between Breguet and BAC, and the aircraft themselves would be assembled on two production lines; one in the UK and one in France, To avoid any duplication of work, each aircraft component had only one source. The British light strike/tactical support versions were the most demanding design, requiring supersonic performance, superior avionics, a cutting edge nav/attack system of more accuracy and complexity than the French version, moving map display, laser range-finder and marked-target seeker (LRMTS). As a result, the initial Br.121 design needed a thinner wing, redesigned fuselage, a higher rear cockpit, and after-burning engines. While putting on smiling faces for the public, maintaining the illusion of a shared design, the British design defacto departed from the French sub-sonic Breguet 121 to such a degree that it was for all intents and purposes a new design.
A separate partnership was formed between Rolls-Royce and Turbomeca to develop the Adour afterburning turbofan engine. The Br.121 was proposed with Turbomeca's Tourmalet engine for ECAT but Breguet preferred the RR RB.172 and their joint venture would use elements of both. The new engine, which would be used for the AFVG as well, would be built in Derby and Tarnos.
Previous collaborative efforts between Britain and France had been complicated – the AFVG programme ended in cancellation, and controversy surrounded the development of the supersonic airliner Concorde. Whilst the technical collaboration between BAC and Breguet went well, when Dassault took over Breguet in 1971 it encouraged acceptance of its own designs, such as the Super Étendard naval attack aircraft and the Mirage F1, for which it would receive more profit, over the Anglo-French Jaguar.
The initial plan was for Britain to buy 150 Jaguar "B" trainers, with its strike requirements being met by the advanced BAC-Dassault AFVG aircraft, with France to buy 75 "E" trainers (école) and 75 "A" single-seat strike attack aircraft (appui). Dassault favoured its own Mirage G aircraft above the collaborative AFVG, and in June 1967, France cancelled the AFVG on cost grounds. This left a gap in the RAF's planned strike capabilities for the 1970s at the same time as France's cancellation of the AFVG, Germany was expressing a serious interest in the Jaguar, and thus the design became more oriented towards the low-level strike role.
The RAF had initially planned on a buy of 150 trainers; however, with both TSR2 and P.1154 gone, the RAF were looking increasingly hard at their future light strike needs and realizing that they now needed more than just advanced trainers with some secondary counter insurgency capability. The RAF's strike line-up was at this point intended to consist of American F-111s plus the AFVG for lighter strike purposes. There was concern that both F-111 and AFVG were high risk projects and with the French already planning on a strike role for the Jaguar, there was an opportunity to introduce a serious backup plan for the RAF's future strike needs - the Jaguar.
While the RAF had initially planned to buy 150 trainers, the TSR2 and p.1154 were gone, and believing that both the US F-111 and AFVG were high-risk programs, and with the French already planning a strike role for their Jaguar, the MOD suddenly realized they were in bad need of a new light strike aircraft capable of delivering tactical nuclear weapons. As a result, by October 1970, the RAF's requirements had changed to 165 single-seat strike aircraft and 35 trainers.
The Jaguar was to replace the McDonnell Douglas Phantom FGR2 in the close air support, tactical reconnaissance and tactical strike roles, freeing the Phantom to be used for air defence. Both the French and British trainer requirements had developed significantly, and were eventually fulfilled instead by the Alpha Jet and Hawker Siddeley Hawk respectively. The French, meanwhile, had chosen the Jaguar to replace the Aeronavale's Dassault Étendard IV, and increased their order to include an initial 40 of a carrier-capable maritime version of the Jaguar, the Jaguar M, for the Aeronavale. From these apparently disparate aims would come a single and entirely different aircraft: relatively high-tech, supersonic, and optimised for ground-attack in a high-threat environment.
Damn I can never remember my access code. Its either 69696969 or 96969696.
Who'd give a code like that to a dyslexic!
If you like my work and fav it spend the time to comment please.
STILL LOOKING
I am looking for young male and female volunteer gritty, punky or just plain funky models
I would really like to photo you personally, however unless you live in West Yorkshire, UK that will not be possible. But it may be possible to direct you and then post your shots for editing. You will need to sign a model release form which I will supply. You can keep a set of finished shots but beware that I will own copyright of the finished images. If this interests you then please contact me through flickr.
thanks
The Trade Facilitation Programme (TFP) currently includes over 100 Issuing Banks in the EBRD region and more than 800 Confirming Banks worldwide. The event gave EBRD partner banks the opportunity to review and discuss industry challenges, pricing, limits and trade opportunities with key industry specialists, regulators and representatives from the World Trade Organization, the International Chamber of Commerce HQ and local National ICC Committees.
It also featured the highly popular award ceremony for ‘The Most Active EBRD TFP Banks’ and ‘The Best Transaction of 2016’.
For many years I have tried to photograph this laneway but with little success mainly because of limited space and poor lighting.
On Monday I purchased a Voigtlander 15mm which is an ultra-wide-angle lens so I decided to give it a try within the alleyway and here is one of the images. The lens is fully manual so it it is not easy to use without introducing high levels of distortion. White balance was another major problem.
Walking down Essex Street East it’s easy to miss the entrance to this hidden laneway, but for those in the know it is a handy shortcut between Temple Bar and Dame Street.
If you look down the dark laneway beside the Dublin Theatre Festival Office and you will see original artwork by Dublin street artist Maser ‘I’d Rather Trust a Dealer on a Badly Lit Street Corner, than a Criminal in a Three Piece Suit’.
If you are brave enough to walk down the lane you will see various items of street art and you will be surprised when this narrow lane opens out onto a small square, framed by the Olympia Theatre. Continue along the laneway by the side of the Olympia Theatre
and pass under the sign for Brogan’s Bar, before Crampton Court opens out onto Dame Street.
Anna Doran, a Dublin Street Artist, tried to re-invent one end of the lane as ‘Love Lane’. I have been a fan of Anna for a number of years ... ever since I saw her painted traffic control cabinet on Bolton Street. You can also some of her work on the walls of the "Hungry Mexican" restaurant in Bodkin's on Bolton Street.
Be aware that this laneway attracts some anti-social behaviour particularly in the lane on the Temple Bar side.
Love the Lanes is a joint initiative between Dublin City Council and the Temple Bar Company to pilot solutions and interventions to address issues in the laneways of Temple Bar. Over the years these lanes have fallen into disuse and have become magnets for anti-social behaviour. The stated goal is to reactivate these lanes for people to use and enjoy through creative intervention.
The project was launched on 21st March 2014 with an open call for new ideas. The response from the public was remarkable and shows that there is a real desire by the public to bring life back into the laneways in this historic part of the city. The main focus for the project was Adair and Bedford Lanes, Copper Alley and Crampton Court. 10 proposals were shortlisted and are being developed for implementation on the Laneways of Temple Bar with the support of residents and businesses.
A number of ideas were trialled in 2015 while others require financial investment and a longer timeline.