View allAll Photos Tagged accessibility
Norwegen - Briksdalsbreen
Briksdalsbreen (English: the Briksdal glacier) is one of the most accessible and best known arms of the Jostedalsbreen glacier. Briksdalsbreen is located in the municipality of Stryn in Vestland county, Norway. The glacier lies on the north side of the Jostedalsbreen, in Briksdalen (the Briks valley) which is located at the end of the Oldedalen valley, about 25 kilometres (16 mi) south of the village of Olden. It is located inside Jostedalsbreen National Park. Briksdalsbreen terminates in a small glacial lake, Briksdalsbrevatnet, which lies 346 metres (1,135 ft) above sea level.
The size of Briksdalsbreen depends not only on temperature, but is also strongly affected by precipitation. Measurements since 1900 show small changes in the first decades, with advances in the glacier front in 1910 and 1929. In the period from 1934 to 1951 the glacier receded by 800 metres (2,600 ft), exposing the glacial lake. In the period from 1967 until 1997 the glacier expanded by 465 metres (1,526 ft) and covered the whole lake, with the glacier front ending at the lake outlet. The glacier attracted international attention in the 1990s, as it was growing at a time when other European glaciers were in decline.
After the year 2000, the glacier once again receded. In 2004 it had receded to 230 metres (750 ft) behind the lake outlet and in 2007 the glacier front was on dry land behind the lake. In this regard, its position approximated the situation in the 1960s. However, glaciologists speculate that the size of the glacier was at its smallest since the 13th century.
In 2008, the glacier front had only receded by 12 metres (39 ft) since the 2007 measurement. The slower melting is explained by the glacier being completely on dry land. The winter of 2007–2008 saw an increase in glacier mass, which was expected to move the glacier front forward around 2010. This was confirmed in the fall of 2010, when measurements showed that the glacier had advanced 8 metres (26 ft) over the last year This was however in comparison with the 2009 measurements, which saw the glacier being the most receded since measurements started in 1900.
As the winter of 2009–2010 saw little snow and the summer temperature in 2010 was 2.5 to 3 °C (4.5 to 5.4 °F) above average, Professor Atle Nesje predicts that further strong receding will be seen in 2013.[6] As Briksdalsbreen is now very narrow at some stretches, it is possible that it will temporarily disconnect from the larger Jostedalsbreen.
(Wikipedia)
Der Briksdalsbre (norwegisch Briksdalsbreen, -en = männlicher bestimmter Artikel) in Norwegen ist ein westlicher Nebenarm des größten Festlandsgletschers in Europa, des Jostedalsbreen.
Er liegt im Gebiet der Gemeinde Stryn im Norden der Provinz Vestland nördlich des Sognefjords im Jostedalsbreen-Nationalpark.
Der höchste Punkt des Briksdalsbre liegt etwa 1900 m über dem Meer. Der Gletscher endete bis 2008 in 346 m Höhe in einem kleinen Schmelzwassersee, Briksdalsvatn (norwegisch: Briksdalsvatnet). Seitdem hat er sich noch weiter zurückgezogen.
Seit 1900 wird jährlich ausgemessen, wo sich die Vorderkante des Gletschers befindet. Der Gletscher hatte um die Jahre 1910 und 1930 Vorstöße, schmolz aber zwischen den Jahren 1932 und 1951 um etwa 800 m zurück. In dieser Zeit entstand das Briksdalsvatn. Die Vorderkante hat seitdem mehrere Vorstöße und Perioden mit Rückgängen vollführt. Während eines Vorstoßes zwischen den Jahren 1987 und 1997 wurde der See vom Gletscher völlig zugedeckt. Nach 1999 schmolz der Gletscher rasch ab, so dass 2008 der See wieder vollkommen frei lag. Die Messungen werden vom norwegischen Wasserlauf- und Energieamt (Norges vassdrags- og energidirektorat, NVE) durchgeführt.
Der Gletscher ist seit dem 19. Jahrhundert ein bekanntes Tourismusziel und zieht jährlich 300.000 Besucher an.
Drei Kilometer unterhalb des Gletschers gibt es seit 1891 den Berggasthof Briksdal fjellstove mit Restauration und Übernachtungsmöglichkeiten.
(Wikipedia)
Περιτριγυρισμένο από πανύψηλα ασβεστολιθικά πετρώματα που λαξεύτηκαν πριν από 10000 χρόνια απ' τα νερά των παγετώνων που έλιωναν, το φαράγγι του ποταμού Aare (Aareschlucht) έχει μέγιστο πλάτος 30 μέτρα και ελάχιστο μόλις 1 μέτρο!!
Το 1889 τελείωσε η κατασκευή του ξύλινου διαδρόμου στηριγμένου πάνω σε μεταλλικά πλαίσια που κρέμονται στα τοιχώματα και που μαζί με κάποια τούνελ και γαλαρίες έκανε δυνατή την πρόσβαση του κοινού σε όλο το μήκος των 2χλμ του φαραγγιού.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Surrounded by huge limestone walls that were eroded 10000 years ago by the waters from the melting glaciers, the Aare gorge (Aareschlucht) has a variable width from 30 meters to just 1 meter!!
In 1889 a wooden walkway on a metal frame cantilevered from the rock walls was constructed, which along with some galleries and tunnels made the whole 2 km long gorge accessible to the public.
Accessible par le funiculaire, qui relie la Basse-Ville à la terrasse Dufferin, le Petit-Champlain rappelle un coquet village au bord du fleuve.
Depuis la fondation de Québec en 1608, ce secteur a évolué en un petit village portuaire doté de postes de traite et d'élégantes habitations. Il a connu ensuite des périodes de déclin et reprise. Aujourd'hui, à la suite d'une restauration générale, on retrouve dans le Petit-Champlain des rues étroites bordées de boutiques de produits exclusifs et des bistros uniques.
Son décor légendaire, été comme hiver, en fait un des sites les plus prisés de Québec. Vous pouvez y voir la résidence de Louis-Jolliet (découvreur du Mississipi) datant de 1683, la Maison historique Chevalier, où sont reconstitués des intérieurs typiques des XVIIIe et XIXe siècles ainsi que la fameuse fresque du Petit Champlain.
Accessible by cable car, which connects the Lower Town to the Dufferin Terrace, the Petit-Champlain resembles a quaint village on the river.
Since the founding of Quebec City in 1608, this sector has evolved into a small port village with trading posts and elegant homes. He then experienced periods of decline and recovery. Today, following a general restoration, found in the Petit-Champlain narrow streets lined with exclusive products and unique bistros shops.
His legendary scenery, summer and winter, in fact one of the most popular sights of Quebec. You can see the residence of Louis-Jolliet (discoverer of the Mississippi) dating from 1683, the historic Maison Chevalier, which are reconstituted typical interiors of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and the famous fresco of the Petit Champlain.
Dans un village Masaï proche du parc animalier de Masaï Mara, danse traditionnelle des hommes de l'ethnie Masaï, caractérisée par les sauts impressionnants des guerriers de l'ethnie, Kenya
Les Masaï ou Maasaï, les plus connus car les plus accessibles des tribus du Kenya et vivant à proximité des parcs animaliers fréquentés par les touristes, constituent une population d’éleveurs et de guerriers semi-nomades d'Afrique de l'Est, répartie principalement dans le centre et le sud-ouest du Kenya et au nord de la Tanzanie.
De langue nilotique, ils sont apparentés à l'ethnie Turkana qui vivent plus au nord, près du lac du même nom et dont je parlerai prochainement.
"Il y avait cette démarche princière, paresseuse et cependant ailée, cette façon superbe de porter la tête et le morceau d'étoffe qui, jeté sur une épaule, drapait et dénudait le corps à la fois. [ ... ] Et surtout cette liberté orgueilleuse, absolue, indicible d'un peuple qui n'envie rien ni personne parce que les solitudes hérissées de ronces, un bétail misérable [ ... ] comblent tous ses soins et qu'il est assez fier pour ne point laisser sur la terre ni maison, ni tombeau"
Joseph Kessel, à propos des Massaï dans le roman "Le lion".
In a Maasai village near the Masai Mara Wildlife Park, a traditional dance of the Maasai men, characterized by the impressive leaps of the ethnic group's warriors, Kenya
The Maasai, or Maasai, the best known because they are the most accessible of Kenya's tribes and live near the wildlife parks frequented by tourists, are a population of semi-nomadic herders and warriors from East Africa, distributed mainly in central and southwestern Kenya and northern Tanzania.
Speaking Nilotic, they are related to the Turkana ethnic group who live further north, near the lake of the same name, about whom I will discuss shortly.
"There was this princely, lazy yet winged gait, this superb way of carrying the head and the piece of cloth which, thrown over one shoulder, both draped and exposed the body. [...] And above all, this proud, absolute, indescribable freedom of a people who envy nothing and no one because the solitudes bristling with brambles, a miserable cattle [...] fulfill all their cares and they are proud enough to leave neither house nor tomb on the earth."
Joseph Kessel, on the Maasai in the novel "The Lion."
Spurn is a narrow sand tidal island[1] located off the tip of the coast of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England that reaches into the North Sea and forms the north bank of the mouth of the Humber Estuary.
It was a spit with a semi-permanent connection to the mainland, but a storm in 2013 made the road down to the end of Spurn impassable to vehicles at high tide.
The island is over 3 miles (5 kilometres) long, almost half the width of the estuary at that point, and as little as 50 yards (46 m) wide in places.
The southernmost tip is known as Spurn Head or Spurn Point and is the home to an RNLI lifeboat station and two disused lighthouses.
Over time, the whole spit, length intact, slips back – with the spit-head remaining on its glacial foundation.
This process has now been affected by the protection of the spit put in place during the Victorian era.
This protection halted the wash-over process and resulted in the spit being even more exposed due to the rest of the coast moving back 110 yards (100 m) since the 'protection' was constructed.
The now crumbling defences will not be replaced and the spit will continue to move westwards at a rate of 2.2 yards (2 m) per year, keeping pace with the coastal erosion further north.
SPURN POINT sea defences...
or what is sadly left of it...
We were there when it was still accessible!
After a job that took us around Hull, we decided to push through to Spurn-point.
Spurn is a very unique place in the British Islands.
It is a nature reserve.
Three and a half miles long and only fifty meters wide in places on the left side of the estuary of the river Humber.
There are a series of sea defence works built by the Victorians and maintained by the Ministry of defence, till they sold Spurn to the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust in the 1950s.
The defences are in a poor state, breaking down and crumbling, making Spurn a very fragile place wide open to the ravages of the North Sea.
It is a unique place, qua fauna and flora, very protected; there weren't many people on that Good Friday.
This is what is left of the sea defences on the North Sea side, eerie, tragic, but extremely photogenic...
The light was sweet.
Have A GREAT day and thank you for viewing, M, (*_*)
For more of my work: www.indigo2photography.com
Please do not use any of my images on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit permission. © All rights reserved
Spurnpoint, Humber, "tidal island", sea-defences, Yorkshire, ropes, wood, England, "United Kingdom", colour, horizontal, Nikon F4, "Magda indigo"
#AbFav_PHOTOSTORY
#AbFav_ROCKS_💎
Milwaukee Art Museum Locked Down; MAM behind bars; chanined and locked down from public access, Milwaukee, WI USA
The brightest and most accessible to photography cluster in the constellation of Coma Berenices.
336 million light years from earth. Contains over a thousand different galaxies (most of them are elliptical) and huge amount of dark matter.
One of the few places in the sky where most objects are galaxies and not stars
------------------------------------------------------
• Sky-Watcher BK P2001 with TS Optics 2" Dual Speed Focuser
• EQ6-R Pro
• ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro
• ZWO L: 167x120s
• ZWO R, G, B: 60x120s bin2
(total integration 7.5h)
• -20° sensor temp., Gain 0 (HDR)
• Baader MPCC Mark III coma corrector
• 60x240 guide scope, ZWO ASI290Mini guide cam
Captured with ZWO EFW, ZWO EAF, ZWO ASIAIR, Pegasus Astro Powerbox
Saint Petersburg, Russia. Red light pollution zone, balcony
the X-Elders say Make Pride Accessible and POLY RIGHTS
Magda carries the Poly flag. Magneto carries the JewishPride flag and the Bi flag.
Xavier carries the gay men flag.
Local fundraising efforts were pushed and enough funds were in the bank in the city of Lake Worth Beach to begin construction of the new library in 1940. Architect Edgar S. Wortman received the commission for the library building. His design was a Mediterranean-style building that would complement other buildings in the downtown Lake Worth area. Just as construction began, two longtime winter residents, twin brothers James D. Strait and William S. Strait, made a $10,000 donation to the library board for the erection of a museum. A museum wing was added to the library plans, and the Strait Museum added to the cultural offerings of the town.
Ground was broken on October 7, 1940; by February, 1941, the building was substantially complete. Although funds were not available for air-conditioning the building was constructed to allow for its eventual installation with ducts and a small room for the plant. The dedication took place on August 12, 1941.
The Lake Worth Art League took up residence in the Strait Museum, and patrons enjoyed may years of art instruction and exhibitions. The design of the building, with its high ceilings and open spaces, also made it a wonderful venue for paintings and other forms of art, including the R.Sherman Winton collection of paintings, and many other paintings depicting historic and colorful subjects.
During the 1950's the Lake Worth Library had the highest number of patrons and circulation among all Palm Beach County libraries by a wide margin, and seasonal patrons especially enjoyed its spacious rooms and customer service.
By the early 1960s, sufficient funds were collected to install a heating and air-conditioning plant. This would keep patrons more comfortable, especially in the hot Florida summers, but more importantly allowed the book collection to be kept under better conditions for preservation.
As the decades passed, the library kept up with the needs of patrons. LP vinyl records were replace by cassettes and CDs; books on tape became books on CD. Lake Worth installed one of the first library security systems to reduce theft of library materials, and in 1982 the library became handicapped accessible. In the 1990s, computers for patron use were introduced, and soon the Internet became a service the library offered its patrons.
As the City of Lake Worth celebrated it centennial in 2013, the library played a central role in the festivities. A groundbreaking look into the city's hidden history revealed the town's original inhabitants, Samuel and Fannie James, and resulted in the publication of Pioneers of Jewell. All proceeds from the book benefited the library.
The evolution continues into the twenty-first century. Most recently the library opened its "CreatE-Lab" were children and teens can study and explore technology to support their studies and interests.
Over its more than one hundreds years, the Lake Worth Public Library has served thousands of patrons, from locals to winter residents. The library building is the focal point of downtown Lake Worth, as it has been for more than seven decades, and it will continue to serve its patrons with information and services for education, entertainment, and enjoyment that only a good book, or new knowledge, can bring.
Credit for the data above is given to the following websites:
friendsoflwbl.org/history-of-the-library
www.pbcgov.org/papa/Asps/PropertyDetail/PropertyDetail.as...
© All Rights Reserved - you may not use this image in any form without my prior permission.
This very accessible and stunning waterfall 12km from Catemaco, Veracruz is where part of Mel Gibsons film "apocalypto" was filmed. Its no wonder that crowds of tourists and locals alike, flock here at weekends to appreciate this waterfall and the lush scenery that surrounds it. #veracruz #mexico
Returning from 2022 (when I couldn't go), Lightscape transformed the Royal Botanical Gardens of Melbourne/Naarm.
In past light exhibitions (I specifically recall their fire events), the art displays have been somewhat interactive. This exhibition kept you on a specific path you could not wander off from. Therefore I felt detached from the artworks. Whilst there were a couple of highlights in the first half (starting from the main gate entrance), I felt the real excited began after the midway point.
I went to the relaxed session, but their idea of lower numbers, is ridiculous. we started the trail right on go time, but within 45mins, the grounds were swarming with people. There should have been a much longer lead time for the relaxed session - lower numbers is the biggest draw card for people with disability and neurodiversity. PLUS the volume of the music playing was not at relaxed levels. Accessibility isn't hard, so why do so many venues continue to fail?! Not that buying an accessible ticket was accessible - Ticketek is really a sh!t show when it comes to accessibility - it took six weeks to book a ticket that could have been purchased in 15mins (not to mention the stress involved in having to get someone to organise to take a call at a time that suited all parties - with my brand of autism I do not speak over the phone).
The official blurb: "Be mesmerised by a six metre orb made of thousands of LEDs, singing trees and a flickering fire garden amongst colour-changing installations, soundscapes and large-scale illuminated sculptures. Experience the new two kilometre trail around the lake and celebrate the beauty of nature after dark."
A Praia da Rocha é mais do que um espaço balnear predileto, mas também um centro desportivo, e um complexo de entretenimento, não deixe de a visitar.
Esta praia possui mais de 1 kilometro de areal dourado com vários equipamentos de apoio aos banhistas. Nesta praia, onde a temperatura é elevada durante o verão e amena durante todo o ano, poderá relaxar mas também divertir-se praticando diferentes atividades e desportos.
Nesta praia realiza-se anualmente o campeonato Mundialito de Futebol de Praia e, nas redondezas poderá encontrar inúmeros bares, restaurantes, hotéis e muitas lojas onde poderá passar bons tempos de diversão.
Esta é uma praia limpa, com muitas condições e que atrai milhares de pessoas de todo o mundo.
www.feriasemportugal.com/praia-da-rocha-algarve
Praia da Rocha (English: "Rock Beach") is a beach and built up area on the Atlantic Ocean in the southern section of the concelho of Portimão, Algarve, southern Portugal. On the eastern edge of the beach stands the Fort of Santa Catarina (Portimão). A 17th century fortress built to defend the mouth of the Arade River. Now a popular tourist attraction accessible directly from the beach or the road above.
Nearby Praia dos Três Castelos beach is well known for the bizarre and dramatic limestone rock formations that stand along the water. In some places, the cliffs are sheer and drop straight down to the beach, but in others, erosion has left fanciful shapes likened to castles or pyramids.
The beach soccer tournament, Mundialito de Futebol de Praia, which hosts some of the world's best national teams, took place here annually from 2005 to 2012.
Algarve Tourism lists a number of attractions in the region (including marine and waterparks), as well as the area's restaurants and bars, nightlife and marina complex.
In July 2022, the beach will be the host of the large hip-hop music festival Rolling Loud. Headliners include American rappers J. Cole, A$AP Rocky, and Future.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Praia_da_Rocha
www.portugaltravel.org/praia-da-rocha-beach
Praia da Rocha (en español: "Playa de la Roca") es una playa y zona urbanizada en el Océano Atlántico en la sección sur del concelho de Portimão, Algarve, sur de Portugal. En el extremo oriental de la playa se encuentra el Fuerte de Santa Catarina (Portimão). Una fortaleza del siglo XVII construida para defender la desembocadura del río Arade. Ahora es una popular atracción turística a la que se accede directamente desde la playa o por la carretera de arriba.
La cercana Praia dos Três Castelos es conocida por las extrañas y espectaculares formaciones rocosas de piedra caliza que se alzan a lo largo del agua. En algunos lugares, los acantilados son escarpados y caen directamente a la playa, pero en otros, la erosión ha dejado formas extravagantes parecidas a castillos o pirámides.
El Mundialito de Futebol de Praia, que acoge a algunas de las mejores selecciones nacionales del mundo, se celebró aquí anualmente entre 2005 y 2012.
Turismo del Algarve enumera una serie de atracciones en la región (incluyendo parques marinos y acuáticos), así como los restaurantes y bares de la zona, la vida nocturna y el complejo del puerto deportivo.
En julio de 2022, la playa acogerá el gran festival de música hip-hop Rolling Loud. Entre los cabezas de cartel figuran los raperos estadounidenses J. Cole, A$AP Rocky y Future.
A new reed bed walk has opened at Martin Mere which is accessible from the Harrier Hide. It adds a new dimension to the reserve giving you access to an area which we would have not had other wise.
www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/martin-mere/
WWT Martin Mere Wetland Centre
Fish Lane, Burscough
Lancashire
L40 0TA
T: 01704 895181
F: 01704 892343
E: info.martinmere@wwt.org.uk
Opening times
Open 7 days a week, except 25 December
Winter (27 October to February)
9.30am to 5.00pm
Early Closing on 24 December (last admission 2pm)
Summer (March to 27 October)
9.30am to 5.30pm
Facilities
Eating
The brand new Mere Side cafe offers a delicious selection of hot and cold food, a variety of coffees and chilled drinks, and tempting home-made cakes. From healthy vegetarian salads to hearty meat dishes, all can be enjoyed overlooking the beautiful wetlands.
Small Breakfast menu available from 10am -11.30am. Hot food served from 11.45am - 2.30pm.
Shopping
The gift shop stocks a wide range of wildlife books, outdoor clothing, bird feeders/boxes, postcards and stationary, children’s gifts and souvenirs of your visit to the centre, including a unique range of products featuring the artwork of WWT founder Sir Peter Scott.
There is also an In Focus optics shop at the centre selling everything you will ever need to watch wildlife – from budget binoculars starting at around £15 to deluxe telescopes at over £1000. In Focus is the ideal place to get honest, friendly advice about buying your first pair of binoculars and test them in what must be the best location anywhere in the North West of England.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Visitor information and associated terms and conditions of entry
We hope you have a great day with us. Our Wetland Centres are designed to give you an unforgettable experience getting close to nature. Your safety is paramount, as is the safety of the wildlife that visits or lives at our Wetland Centres. To ensure everyone has a safe and enjoyable day, we have terms and conditions of entry that everyone needs to observe.
1. Visitors are asked to respect the habitats and wildlife of the centre by keeping to the paths and defined tracks at all times and keeping loud noise to a minimum as this may cause stress to wildlife.
2. Contrary to popular belief, birds should not be fed bread as they cannot digest it. Please feed them grain instead - you will be able to purchase grain at centres where feeding is permitted.
3. Please ensure that children are supervised at all times and please be aware that some of our ponds and lakes are deep. Children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
4. Safety signs are there for your protection - please obey the signage and do not attempt to go beyond any enclosure barriers. Please do not: Climb on any trees or shrubs
Prune or pick any flowers or vegetation
Enter any water body
5. The last admission to the Centre is 30 minutes prior to the advertised closing time.
6. Due to the limited availability of car parking spaces, vehicles may only be left for the duration of the visit to the centre.
7. Mobility scooters are very welcome on site. For more information on what we offer for people with disabilities, please see www.wwt.org.uk/visit/visit/accessibility/
8. Unfortunately we can't allow dogs or pets of any kind on site, with the exception of assistance dogs on duty, as our wildlife may become distressed. Assistance dogs must be kept on the lead and under control and harnesses must state "working or assistance dog". Please ensure any dog waste is removed. If any of our birds/animals behaviour is affected by the presence of your dog, we may have to ask you to move away from the area.
9. So we don't distress our wildlife, we do not allow the following on site: Scooters, bicycles, tricycles, roller skates/blades/wheelies or skateboards
Barbecues
Footballs or frisbees
10. Pond dipping is not allowed on our wildlife reserve ponds. This is to prevent the spread of invasive non-native plants and the chytridiomycosis disease which affects amphibians. Pond dipping in the grounds may only be undertaken with equipment provided by WWT.
11. In accordance with UK law smoking is prohibited in all buildings (including hides). Visitors who wish to smoke are asked to consider the welfare and comfort of other visitors, especially children, by not smoking in or around picnic areas, play areas or areas where children's activities are being held. In periods of extreme dry weather WWT reserves the right to designate the whole site non-smoking in order to reduce the risk of fire.
12. Photography is permitted on site for personal use only. All commercial/stock library photography, filming, recording, etc. must be agreed in advance with the centre. Please contact Nick Brooks on 01704 891 227 for any commercial filming or photographic enquiries.
13. WWT reserves the right to ask for additional identification to aid proof of membership.
2013 admission prices
Prices are shown inclusive of Gift Aid and without. The Gift Aid admission price includes a voluntary donation, which enables us to claim the tax back as part of the Government's Gift Aid scheme. For further information on Gift Aid click here.
Pricing
Adult
Gift Aid £11.10
No Gift Aid £10.09
Concession (65+, full-time students, unemployed)
Gift Aid £8.20
No Gift Aid £7.45
Child (4-16 years)
Gift Aid £5.40
No Gift Aid £4.91
Family (2 adults and 2 children, 4-16 years)
Gift Aid £29.80
No Gift Aid £27.09
Children (under 4 years) Free Free
Essential helpers assisting disabled visitors Free Free
Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult.
Accessibility
WWT Martin Mere Wetland Centre has the following facilities:
Free accessible car parking provision – 2 designated spaces
Trained assistance dogs welcome
Hearing induction loop in reception
Maps can be enlarged, please ask ahead of your visit
Manual wheelchair available to loan
The paths around the site are level access
Roaming volunteers, grounds and reception staff on hand if you require assistance
There is step-free entry to all our hides
Accessible toilets
Restaurant staff are friendly and helpful and will carry trays to the table if required
Pond-dipping with station for wheelchair-users
Accessible boat safari – maximum 2 manual wheelchair-users per trip
Waterplay – accessible (boardwalks / gravel) for children using wheelchairs
Eco Garden – a great sensory experience
In addition we have friendly and helpful staff, so if you need restaurant staff to carry a tray to your table or help open a gate – please just ask!
Eat, drink, refresh
The visitor centre is the heart of Martin Mere and the central place to find information on what to see, to buy seed to feed to the birds, to browse our retail shop and to eat (at the Mere Side Cafe).
The Mere Side Cafe has a selection of hot and cold food, sandwiches, cakes and drinks. Childrens boxes are available as well as high chairs and the option to heat up a baby's bottle. Additionally in the building there are disabled toilets and baby changing facilities.
The building has six indoor rooms where there’s always plenty to see and do in the warmth. Films will often be shown in our theatre about beavers or swans and there is a free activity room where families can play and learn in comfort.
The main foyer is home to a bio-diversity exhibition that was kindly donated to us to allow us to have an interactive display promoting the diversity of nature and life. The exhibition has a mixture of touch screen displays, hand held objects, an introductory DVD and large displays to read and learn about bio-diversity.
In addition, at weekends and during holidays there is another craft room where children can design then purchase crafts such as badges, pencil cases and themed activities depending on the season.
Shopping
Gift shop
The retail shop has a wide selection of gifts and souvenirs from small gifts for children to jewellery and display items, as well as a bird care and book area.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In Focus shop
Established over 30 years ago, In Focus are the UK’s leading binocular and telescope specialists.
The In Focus shop at Martin Mere has arguably the best testing facilities for binoculars and telescopes in Britain, and carries an extensive range of binoculars and telescopes from beginners’ compacts for £15 to top end kit.
They also stock tripods, hide clamps, digiscoping kits and a wide range of bird watching accessories.
All of the In Focus staff are expert birders who work commission-free to give non-biased advice about choosing binoculars and telescopes. All sales support WWT’s conservation work.
If you wish to visit In Focus but not Martin Mere, you pay the admission price and this can be refunded when you leave if you get your receipt stamped by a member of staff at In Focus.
Group visits
What is there for groups?
Martin Mere Wetland Centre provides a perfect destination for groups, from keen wildlife enthusiasts, photographers or conservation and environmental groups to those just wanting a relaxing day out.
There are beautiful walks around the grounds where you can view birds from around the world, and a nature trail with ten lookout hides from which to watch wildlife throughout the seasons, including summer wading birds and the wintering swans and geese. We also have a visitor centre with spectacular views across the Swan Lake and we have a gift shop and the Mere Side Cafe, which serves food and drinks.
You are welcome to visit at your leisure but for those wanting a little more structure we offer guided walks tailored to your group’s requirements.
Activities
A range of seasonal guided tours and events are available to groups year round at Martin Mere Wetland Centre. Tours are priced at £10 and must be pre-booked.
Among those available are duckling nursery tours in the spring, summer waders walks in the summer and swan feeds in the winter. Guided tours of the waterfowl gardens and a community reedbed walk are also run year-round.
Contact the centre to find out which events
will be available when you visit.
Benefits for groups
Reduced entry prices for groups of 12 or more (payable as one payment on arrival)
Free familiarisation visit for the group leader
Complimentary admission for group organiser
Free coach parking
Free entry for the coach driver
Voucher for use in the Coffee Shop for the driver
Guided tour available for small additional cost for groups that have pre-booked
Meet and greet with complimentary welcome pack
Group admission prices 2012
Free to WWT members
The following discounted rates apply to groups of 12 or more:
Adult: £9.50
Concession: £7.00 (over 65 years, full-time students, unemployed)
Child: £4.60 (4-16 years)
No deposit is required and groups will be asked to pay at the admissions desk on the day of visit.
Accessibility
The centre has level access and hard-surfaced paths with tarmac on main routes (and compacted gravel on minor paths)
All hides are accessible to wheelchairs
Low-level viewing windows and level access to ground floor bird hides.
Free wheelchair loan
Trained assistance dogs only (i.e. Guide dogs). No other dogs permitted
Accessible toilets in car-park and throughout the visitor centre
Free car parking on site. Tarmac surface and reserved bays for disabled visitors
Making a booking
For further information or to make a group booking, please contact Belinda on 01704 895181, or email: info.martinmere@wwt.org.uk
School visits
At WWT Martin Mere we provide unique and unforgettable learning experiences for schools.
To find out more about what’s on offer for you and your pupils,
Venue hire
If you would like to hire a room at Martin Mere call Belinda on 01704 891238 or email: info.martinmere@wwt.org.uk for further information or to obtain a quote.
The centre can be hired during the day for corporate meetings or conferences, or in the evening for functions. Rooms can also be hired for children's birthday parties.
Children's parties are available at the following prices:
Children under the age of 4 is £6.00 per child (1 parent free and then a ration of 1 adult free per 3 children).
Children aged 4 - 12 is £8.00 per child (1 parent free and then a ratio of 1 adult free per 5 children)
Lunches boxes can also be purchased for £3.95 per child and they include a sandwich, fruit drink, crisps and a piece of fruit
Rooms available to hire:
Meeting Room - Maximum of 15 delegates
Lecture Theatre - Maximum of 100 delegates
Half of Greenwood Building - 20 to 30 delegates
Full Greenwood Building - Maximum of 60 delegates
How to find us
WWT Martin Mere Wetland Centre
Fish Lane, Burscough
Lancashire
L40 0TA
T: 01704 895181
F: 01704 892343
E: info.martinmere@wwt.org.uk
Martin Mere Wetland Centre is located six miles from Ormskirk and 10 miles from Southport. It is easily accessible by public and private transport.
WWT Martin Mere is now offering a scheme where visitors who travel to the Centre without a car can receive discount entry on admission.
The reduced admission prices are:
Adult: £9.50
Child: £4.60
Concession: £7.00
By car
Situated off the A59, the Centre is signposted from junction 8 on the M61, junction 3 on the M58 and junction 27 on the M6. It is free to park at the Centre.
By rail
There are three railway stations in close proximity to Martin Mere: Burscough Bridge Interchange (on the Southport - Manchester line) is approximately two miles, New Lane (on the Southport – Manchester line) is approximately 0.8 miles and Burscough Junction (on the Liverpool to Preston line via Ormskirk) is approximately three miles.
Visit: www.traveline-northwest.co.uk for details of North West timetables and journey planner.
By foot
Martin Mere has created a new trail from Burscough Bridge Interchange. The well signposted two mile trail is along local footpaths and includes walking over agricultural land so may not be suitable for prams or wheelchairs. It is also advised to wear good walking boots. The trail begins from behind the Manchester platform at Burscough Bridge Interchange and incorporates local tea rooms and the new Martin Mere reedbed walk. The signs are made out of recycled plastic.
Please be aware that at certain times of the year, summer in particular, the footpath can become overgrown in certain places and it is advised to call the Centre prior to walking it at this time of year. If the path at the station is overgrown you can use an alternative route: Walk down the side of the house on the platform and turn left onto the road, turning left down Moss Nook Road. At the top of Moss Nook Road you walk straight ahead onto the public footpath and you will pick up the fingerposts to Martin Mere.
If there is an issue with the signage on this walk please call Martin Mere on 01704 891220
If there is an issue with the footpath i.e. overgrown or litter, please call Burscough Parish Council on 01704 894914
Click here for information on the Countryside Code
Hire a bike
The Martin Mere Wetland Centre welcomes cyclists as an environmentally friendly and pleasant way to arrive at the centre.
Jack Parker Cycles, in partnership with Martin Mere, now offer cycle hire from the Burscough shop. The hire fleet consist’s of a selection of gent’s, ladies, boys & girls junior bikes all fitted with puncture proof tires, also child seats & tag along bikes are available. All persons hiring will be supplied with helmets, locks and a map of area.
The costs to hire are £8.00 per bike and £4.00 for child seats and tags. All bikes must be booked in advance by telephone on 01704 892442 or by calling into the shop at 62 - 64 Liverpool Road North, Burscough L40 4BY
Cycle stations are located at Burscough Wharf, Burscough Fitness and Racquets Centre and The Ship Inn in Lathom.
All you need to hire a bike is your mobile phone and a debit or credit card and cycle hire is from £1 per hour
Minimum 6 hour initial purchase required however this can be carried forward to your next hire until your membership expires.
Top up your account with more hours anytime either through the website or by calling our automated number 01704 340025.
Thirty day temporary memberships are instantly available when you hire a bike however you can upgrade or pre-join on our website.
Easy to follow instructions are available at all stations.
You are able to hire at one station and leave your bike at another (specific locations only).
Check our website for locations of other cycle hire centres or to check if bikes are available at your chosen station
Further information on bike hire and how to travel without a car around Sefton and West Lancashire, please click on the following link: www.visitseftonandwestlancs.co.uk
The Centre is situated on two cycle routes in West Lancashire: the New Lane Circuit (approximately 23.5 miles) and A Grand Tour of West Lancashire (approximately 37.8 miles). Details of the routes can be found at: www.lancashire.gov.uk/environment/cycling/pdf/West%20lanc...
By coach
The centre has parking facilities for large coaches. Parking is free for coaches bringing visitors to the centre.
By air
Manchester Airport is just an hour drive from the Martin Mere Wetland Centre and Manchester Airport Train Station is on the Southport to Manchester train line, providing a direct route to New Lane Train Station, 0.8 miles from the Centre.
WWT's environmental policy
WWT is committed to environmental excellence and the continuous improvement of our environmental performance as part of our overall goal of implementing the pronciples of sustainability in all areas of work.
We recognise that many of our activities have some negative impact on the local, regional, national and global environment. As a consequence, we aim to conduct our business and operations in a way that minimises this impact and mitigates for it whenever possible, reflecting sustainable practices. Specifically we endeavour to:
Review all activities, operations and procedures to identify, quantify and evaluate environmental impact.
Set priorities and targets for environmental improvements in key areas, such as water, waste and energy.
Measure improvements against targets and report progress annually.
Adopt a philosophy of 'reduce, re-use and recycle' in our use of resources, and minimise the environmental impacts associated with our activities.
Meet or exceed all statutory regulations and approved codes of practice on the environment at all locations where possible.
Set our own standards and targets where no relevant Government regulation or code of practice exists.
Incorporate environmental responsibilities and sustainable practices into job descriptions, staff training and appraisals.
Raise awareness of environmental issues amongst staff and volunteers, and encourage individuals to adopt sustainable practices.
Communicate the value of environmental awareness and sustainability to members, supporters and local communities.
Encourage third parties, particularly suppliers and receivers of goods and services, to adopt environmental standards comparable to those of WWT.
Adopt a policy of sale and purchase of goods and services that minimises negative environmental impacts where possible.
Invest in accordance with our environmental policies and regularly review investments to ensure that they do not conflict with the Articles of the Trust.
Implement an environmental action plan to support our environmental policy.
Martin Mere visitor code
Wherever we go and whatever we do, we have an impact.
There are many ways in which you can get involved during your visit to help look after our beautiful area and ensure it is just as special on your next visit. This will also support our commitment to sustainable tourism.
1. Why not get out of the car - walking, riding and cycling are great ways to explore the area without adding to the traffic and you'll find there are fantastic places to visit right on your doorstep!
2. Stay local, eat local, buy local and see local - Lancashire has gained a reputation for fine food and local produce, so why not seek out famers' markets, village stores, pubs and cafes and make a real difference to the local communities.
3. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - support us in our efforts to reduce waste.
4. Switch off... and save energy - in rural Lancashire you can see the stars at night! Help us reduce energy use and C02 emissions by switching off lights and standby buttons when you don't need them. Help us reduce water consumption by using just the water you need.
5. Follow the Countryside Code - the Countryside Code reminds us all to protect, respect and enjoy: look after plants and animals, take litter away; leave gates and property as you find them; keep dogs under close control; and consider other people.
The Basodino is the vastest, most studied and most accessible of the approximately 90 glaciers in Ticino. It represents a precious heritage of a glacier's natural evolution South of the Alps. The glaciological trail (an itinerary that requires good training) offers an insight to discover this spectacular high altitude region, an exclusive environment with very rich flora and fauna. The Alpe Robiei (Robiei Pasture) tells a remote and recent tale of Bavona: a beautiful valley that can be crossed all the way to San Carlo, departure station of the cableway that goes up to Robiei.
The cableway that leads to Robiei was designed by the hydroelectric company of Maggia. More than half a century ago the company also built the dams that accumulate the water necessary for the region's hydroelectric power plants.
The glacier of Basodino has a surface of 2 square kilometers and it is located at an altitude between 2,500 and 3,120 meters. As with most Alpine glaciers, we are witnessing a rapid reduction of their surface and volume. They are shrinking so much that, according to experts, their time is ticking. In approximately twenty years – they claim – only a few residues of ice will remain on the highest mountain crests.
The ideal time to enjoy the rich flora of the area is between the months of July and August. The region is populated by numerous animals: ibexes, chamois, groundhogs, hares, ermines (rare), country mice and numerous birds including the Royal Eagle. Some mountain huts, farmsteads and sprügh (spaces obtained under large boulders) remind us of the vital importance of pastures on these mountains. Also the glaciers exercise their charm. In fact, already at the end of the 19th century Federico Balli ordered the Hôtel du Glacier to be built in the village of Bignasco. Located at the doorstep of the valley it was meant for tourists attracted by the Alps and the perennial snows of Basodino.
source: www.ticinotopten.ch/en/trekking/robiei-glaciological-trail
One of the many advantages we enjoy at our cottage near Little Girl's Point in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan is having nearby access to beautiful sunsets over Lake Superior. This was taken only about a 1/4 mile away from our place.
A cool way to view mine or anyone else's photostream is on fluidr.
This was my final stop in Siskiyou County. McCloud Falls is a 3 tiered waterfall and I only had enough time to check out middle falls after visiting Hedge Creek and Mossbrae. If your ever in Northern California, these falls are easily accessible as each is about a 5 minute walk from the parking lot. I would have loved to photograph middle falls from different angles but it was freezing and trekking across the rocks was very unsafe. The rocks were covered in ice and it was impossible to walk on them without slipping. I learned that mistake very early on when trying to climb to a higher vantage point around Hedge Creek falls.
Egmont Key, accessible by boat at the mouth of Tampa bay, is home to the remains of Fort Dade, which along with Fort Desoto used to guard the entrance to Tampa Bay. Now Egmont Key is a popular place to snorkel, enjoy a scenic beach, and take in a bit of history with remains of the fort and an old ghost town scattered around the island.
A sand spit reaches out from Chesterman Beach to Frank Island and is accessible only at low tide. Vancouver Island, BC
This second scrapyard was not accessible before, our visit was short lived as it was still quite radiated but seemed to be full of interesting vehicles and different types compared to the other scrapyard we visited last year.
Other set of Pripyat Scrapyard here: www.flickr.com/photos/timster1973/sets/72157645592320313/
Named for the nearby Pripyat River, Pripyat was founded on 4 February 1970, the ninth nuclear city in the Soviet Union, for the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. It was officially proclaimed a city in 1979, and had grown to a population of 49,360 before being evacuated a few days after the 26 April 1986 Chernobyl disaster.
Though Pripyat is located within the administrative district of Ivankiv Raion, the abandoned city now has a special status within the larger Kiev Oblast (province), being administered directly from Kiev. Pripyat is also supervised by Ukraine's Ministry of Emergencies, which manages activities for the entire Chernobyl Exclusion Zone.
Access to Pripyat, unlike cities of military importance, was not restricted before the disaster as nuclear power stations were seen by the Soviet Union as safer than other types of power plants. Nuclear power stations were presented as being an achievement of Soviet engineering, where nuclear power was harnessed for peaceful projects. The slogan "peaceful atom" (Russian: mirnyj atom) was popular during those times. The original plan had been to build the plant only 25 km (16 mi) from Kiev, but the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences, among other bodies, expressed concern about it being too close to the city. As a result, the power station and Pripyat were built at their current locations, about 100 km (62 mi) from Kiev. After the disaster the city of Pripyat was evacuated in two days.
online store: www.artfinder.com/tim-knifton
instagram: instagram.com/timster_1973
Mount Grace Priory, in the parish of East Harlsey, North Yorkshire, England, within the North York Moors National Park, is today the best preserved and most accessible of the ten medieval Carthusian houses (charterhouses) in England.
Set in woodlands, it was founded in 1398 by Thomas Holland, 1st Duke of Surrey, the son of King Richard II's half-brother Thomas, Earl of Kent, it was the last monastery established in Yorkshire, and one of the few founded anywhere in Britain in the period between the Black Death (1349–50) and the Reformation. It was a fairly small establishment, with space for a prior and twenty-three monks.
Mount Grace Priory consisted of a church and two cloisters. The northern cloister had sixteen cells whilst the southern had five cells, Frater and Prior's house and the Chapter House. To the west stood the lay brothers' quarters and the guest house.
Upon the abdication of King Richard II, Holland and others of the king's supporters attempted to assassinate his recently crowned successor, Henry IV, at New Year, 1400, but were captured and executed. Holland's body was eventually recovered and, in 1412, re-buried in the charterhouse that he had founded. The orphaned priory of Mount Grace, bereft of its founder and the income that had been granted to it by Holland and King Richard, depended upon royal largesse for its income for more than a decade
A new reed bed walk has opened at Martin Mere which is accessible from the Harrier Hide. It adds a new dimension to the reserve giving you access to an area which we would have not had other wise.
www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/martin-mere/
WWT Martin Mere Wetland Centre
Fish Lane, Burscough
Lancashire
L40 0TA
T: 01704 895181
F: 01704 892343
E: info.martinmere@wwt.org.uk
Opening times
Open 7 days a week, except 25 December
Winter (27 October to February)
9.30am to 5.00pm
Early Closing on 24 December (last admission 2pm)
Summer (March to 27 October)
9.30am to 5.30pm
Facilities
Eating
The brand new Mere Side cafe offers a delicious selection of hot and cold food, a variety of coffees and chilled drinks, and tempting home-made cakes. From healthy vegetarian salads to hearty meat dishes, all can be enjoyed overlooking the beautiful wetlands.
Small Breakfast menu available from 10am -11.30am. Hot food served from 11.45am - 2.30pm.
Shopping
The gift shop stocks a wide range of wildlife books, outdoor clothing, bird feeders/boxes, postcards and stationary, children’s gifts and souvenirs of your visit to the centre, including a unique range of products featuring the artwork of WWT founder Sir Peter Scott.
There is also an In Focus optics shop at the centre selling everything you will ever need to watch wildlife – from budget binoculars starting at around £15 to deluxe telescopes at over £1000. In Focus is the ideal place to get honest, friendly advice about buying your first pair of binoculars and test them in what must be the best location anywhere in the North West of England.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Visitor information and associated terms and conditions of entry
We hope you have a great day with us. Our Wetland Centres are designed to give you an unforgettable experience getting close to nature. Your safety is paramount, as is the safety of the wildlife that visits or lives at our Wetland Centres. To ensure everyone has a safe and enjoyable day, we have terms and conditions of entry that everyone needs to observe.
1. Visitors are asked to respect the habitats and wildlife of the centre by keeping to the paths and defined tracks at all times and keeping loud noise to a minimum as this may cause stress to wildlife.
2. Contrary to popular belief, birds should not be fed bread as they cannot digest it. Please feed them grain instead - you will be able to purchase grain at centres where feeding is permitted.
3. Please ensure that children are supervised at all times and please be aware that some of our ponds and lakes are deep. Children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
4. Safety signs are there for your protection - please obey the signage and do not attempt to go beyond any enclosure barriers. Please do not: Climb on any trees or shrubs
Prune or pick any flowers or vegetation
Enter any water body
5. The last admission to the Centre is 30 minutes prior to the advertised closing time.
6. Due to the limited availability of car parking spaces, vehicles may only be left for the duration of the visit to the centre.
7. Mobility scooters are very welcome on site. For more information on what we offer for people with disabilities, please see www.wwt.org.uk/visit/visit/accessibility/
8. Unfortunately we can't allow dogs or pets of any kind on site, with the exception of assistance dogs on duty, as our wildlife may become distressed. Assistance dogs must be kept on the lead and under control and harnesses must state "working or assistance dog". Please ensure any dog waste is removed. If any of our birds/animals behaviour is affected by the presence of your dog, we may have to ask you to move away from the area.
9. So we don't distress our wildlife, we do not allow the following on site: Scooters, bicycles, tricycles, roller skates/blades/wheelies or skateboards
Barbecues
Footballs or frisbees
10. Pond dipping is not allowed on our wildlife reserve ponds. This is to prevent the spread of invasive non-native plants and the chytridiomycosis disease which affects amphibians. Pond dipping in the grounds may only be undertaken with equipment provided by WWT.
11. In accordance with UK law smoking is prohibited in all buildings (including hides). Visitors who wish to smoke are asked to consider the welfare and comfort of other visitors, especially children, by not smoking in or around picnic areas, play areas or areas where children's activities are being held. In periods of extreme dry weather WWT reserves the right to designate the whole site non-smoking in order to reduce the risk of fire.
12. Photography is permitted on site for personal use only. All commercial/stock library photography, filming, recording, etc. must be agreed in advance with the centre. Please contact Nick Brooks on 01704 891 227 for any commercial filming or photographic enquiries.
13. WWT reserves the right to ask for additional identification to aid proof of membership.
2013 admission prices
Prices are shown inclusive of Gift Aid and without. The Gift Aid admission price includes a voluntary donation, which enables us to claim the tax back as part of the Government's Gift Aid scheme. For further information on Gift Aid click here.
Pricing
Adult
Gift Aid £11.10
No Gift Aid £10.09
Concession (65+, full-time students, unemployed)
Gift Aid £8.20
No Gift Aid £7.45
Child (4-16 years)
Gift Aid £5.40
No Gift Aid £4.91
Family (2 adults and 2 children, 4-16 years)
Gift Aid £29.80
No Gift Aid £27.09
Children (under 4 years) Free Free
Essential helpers assisting disabled visitors Free Free
Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult.
Accessibility
WWT Martin Mere Wetland Centre has the following facilities:
Free accessible car parking provision – 2 designated spaces
Trained assistance dogs welcome
Hearing induction loop in reception
Maps can be enlarged, please ask ahead of your visit
Manual wheelchair available to loan
The paths around the site are level access
Roaming volunteers, grounds and reception staff on hand if you require assistance
There is step-free entry to all our hides
Accessible toilets
Restaurant staff are friendly and helpful and will carry trays to the table if required
Pond-dipping with station for wheelchair-users
Accessible boat safari – maximum 2 manual wheelchair-users per trip
Waterplay – accessible (boardwalks / gravel) for children using wheelchairs
Eco Garden – a great sensory experience
In addition we have friendly and helpful staff, so if you need restaurant staff to carry a tray to your table or help open a gate – please just ask!
Eat, drink, refresh
The visitor centre is the heart of Martin Mere and the central place to find information on what to see, to buy seed to feed to the birds, to browse our retail shop and to eat (at the Mere Side Cafe).
The Mere Side Cafe has a selection of hot and cold food, sandwiches, cakes and drinks. Childrens boxes are available as well as high chairs and the option to heat up a baby's bottle. Additionally in the building there are disabled toilets and baby changing facilities.
The building has six indoor rooms where there’s always plenty to see and do in the warmth. Films will often be shown in our theatre about beavers or swans and there is a free activity room where families can play and learn in comfort.
The main foyer is home to a bio-diversity exhibition that was kindly donated to us to allow us to have an interactive display promoting the diversity of nature and life. The exhibition has a mixture of touch screen displays, hand held objects, an introductory DVD and large displays to read and learn about bio-diversity.
In addition, at weekends and during holidays there is another craft room where children can design then purchase crafts such as badges, pencil cases and themed activities depending on the season.
Shopping
Gift shop
The retail shop has a wide selection of gifts and souvenirs from small gifts for children to jewellery and display items, as well as a bird care and book area.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In Focus shop
Established over 30 years ago, In Focus are the UK’s leading binocular and telescope specialists.
The In Focus shop at Martin Mere has arguably the best testing facilities for binoculars and telescopes in Britain, and carries an extensive range of binoculars and telescopes from beginners’ compacts for £15 to top end kit.
They also stock tripods, hide clamps, digiscoping kits and a wide range of bird watching accessories.
All of the In Focus staff are expert birders who work commission-free to give non-biased advice about choosing binoculars and telescopes. All sales support WWT’s conservation work.
If you wish to visit In Focus but not Martin Mere, you pay the admission price and this can be refunded when you leave if you get your receipt stamped by a member of staff at In Focus.
Group visits
What is there for groups?
Martin Mere Wetland Centre provides a perfect destination for groups, from keen wildlife enthusiasts, photographers or conservation and environmental groups to those just wanting a relaxing day out.
There are beautiful walks around the grounds where you can view birds from around the world, and a nature trail with ten lookout hides from which to watch wildlife throughout the seasons, including summer wading birds and the wintering swans and geese. We also have a visitor centre with spectacular views across the Swan Lake and we have a gift shop and the Mere Side Cafe, which serves food and drinks.
You are welcome to visit at your leisure but for those wanting a little more structure we offer guided walks tailored to your group’s requirements.
Activities
A range of seasonal guided tours and events are available to groups year round at Martin Mere Wetland Centre. Tours are priced at £10 and must be pre-booked.
Among those available are duckling nursery tours in the spring, summer waders walks in the summer and swan feeds in the winter. Guided tours of the waterfowl gardens and a community reedbed walk are also run year-round.
Contact the centre to find out which events
will be available when you visit.
Benefits for groups
Reduced entry prices for groups of 12 or more (payable as one payment on arrival)
Free familiarisation visit for the group leader
Complimentary admission for group organiser
Free coach parking
Free entry for the coach driver
Voucher for use in the Coffee Shop for the driver
Guided tour available for small additional cost for groups that have pre-booked
Meet and greet with complimentary welcome pack
Group admission prices 2012
Free to WWT members
The following discounted rates apply to groups of 12 or more:
Adult: £9.50
Concession: £7.00 (over 65 years, full-time students, unemployed)
Child: £4.60 (4-16 years)
No deposit is required and groups will be asked to pay at the admissions desk on the day of visit.
Accessibility
The centre has level access and hard-surfaced paths with tarmac on main routes (and compacted gravel on minor paths)
All hides are accessible to wheelchairs
Low-level viewing windows and level access to ground floor bird hides.
Free wheelchair loan
Trained assistance dogs only (i.e. Guide dogs). No other dogs permitted
Accessible toilets in car-park and throughout the visitor centre
Free car parking on site. Tarmac surface and reserved bays for disabled visitors
Making a booking
For further information or to make a group booking, please contact Belinda on 01704 895181, or email: info.martinmere@wwt.org.uk
School visits
At WWT Martin Mere we provide unique and unforgettable learning experiences for schools.
To find out more about what’s on offer for you and your pupils,
Venue hire
If you would like to hire a room at Martin Mere call Belinda on 01704 891238 or email: info.martinmere@wwt.org.uk for further information or to obtain a quote.
The centre can be hired during the day for corporate meetings or conferences, or in the evening for functions. Rooms can also be hired for children's birthday parties.
Children's parties are available at the following prices:
Children under the age of 4 is £6.00 per child (1 parent free and then a ration of 1 adult free per 3 children).
Children aged 4 - 12 is £8.00 per child (1 parent free and then a ratio of 1 adult free per 5 children)
Lunches boxes can also be purchased for £3.95 per child and they include a sandwich, fruit drink, crisps and a piece of fruit
Rooms available to hire:
Meeting Room - Maximum of 15 delegates
Lecture Theatre - Maximum of 100 delegates
Half of Greenwood Building - 20 to 30 delegates
Full Greenwood Building - Maximum of 60 delegates
How to find us
WWT Martin Mere Wetland Centre
Fish Lane, Burscough
Lancashire
L40 0TA
T: 01704 895181
F: 01704 892343
E: info.martinmere@wwt.org.uk
Martin Mere Wetland Centre is located six miles from Ormskirk and 10 miles from Southport. It is easily accessible by public and private transport.
WWT Martin Mere is now offering a scheme where visitors who travel to the Centre without a car can receive discount entry on admission.
The reduced admission prices are:
Adult: £9.50
Child: £4.60
Concession: £7.00
By car
Situated off the A59, the Centre is signposted from junction 8 on the M61, junction 3 on the M58 and junction 27 on the M6. It is free to park at the Centre.
By rail
There are three railway stations in close proximity to Martin Mere: Burscough Bridge Interchange (on the Southport - Manchester line) is approximately two miles, New Lane (on the Southport – Manchester line) is approximately 0.8 miles and Burscough Junction (on the Liverpool to Preston line via Ormskirk) is approximately three miles.
Visit: www.traveline-northwest.co.uk for details of North West timetables and journey planner.
By foot
Martin Mere has created a new trail from Burscough Bridge Interchange. The well signposted two mile trail is along local footpaths and includes walking over agricultural land so may not be suitable for prams or wheelchairs. It is also advised to wear good walking boots. The trail begins from behind the Manchester platform at Burscough Bridge Interchange and incorporates local tea rooms and the new Martin Mere reedbed walk. The signs are made out of recycled plastic.
Please be aware that at certain times of the year, summer in particular, the footpath can become overgrown in certain places and it is advised to call the Centre prior to walking it at this time of year. If the path at the station is overgrown you can use an alternative route: Walk down the side of the house on the platform and turn left onto the road, turning left down Moss Nook Road. At the top of Moss Nook Road you walk straight ahead onto the public footpath and you will pick up the fingerposts to Martin Mere.
If there is an issue with the signage on this walk please call Martin Mere on 01704 891220
If there is an issue with the footpath i.e. overgrown or litter, please call Burscough Parish Council on 01704 894914
Click here for information on the Countryside Code
Hire a bike
The Martin Mere Wetland Centre welcomes cyclists as an environmentally friendly and pleasant way to arrive at the centre.
Jack Parker Cycles, in partnership with Martin Mere, now offer cycle hire from the Burscough shop. The hire fleet consist’s of a selection of gent’s, ladies, boys & girls junior bikes all fitted with puncture proof tires, also child seats & tag along bikes are available. All persons hiring will be supplied with helmets, locks and a map of area.
The costs to hire are £8.00 per bike and £4.00 for child seats and tags. All bikes must be booked in advance by telephone on 01704 892442 or by calling into the shop at 62 - 64 Liverpool Road North, Burscough L40 4BY
Cycle stations are located at Burscough Wharf, Burscough Fitness and Racquets Centre and The Ship Inn in Lathom.
All you need to hire a bike is your mobile phone and a debit or credit card and cycle hire is from £1 per hour
Minimum 6 hour initial purchase required however this can be carried forward to your next hire until your membership expires.
Top up your account with more hours anytime either through the website or by calling our automated number 01704 340025.
Thirty day temporary memberships are instantly available when you hire a bike however you can upgrade or pre-join on our website.
Easy to follow instructions are available at all stations.
You are able to hire at one station and leave your bike at another (specific locations only).
Check our website for locations of other cycle hire centres or to check if bikes are available at your chosen station
Further information on bike hire and how to travel without a car around Sefton and West Lancashire, please click on the following link: www.visitseftonandwestlancs.co.uk
The Centre is situated on two cycle routes in West Lancashire: the New Lane Circuit (approximately 23.5 miles) and A Grand Tour of West Lancashire (approximately 37.8 miles). Details of the routes can be found at: www.lancashire.gov.uk/environment/cycling/pdf/West%20lanc...
By coach
The centre has parking facilities for large coaches. Parking is free for coaches bringing visitors to the centre.
By air
Manchester Airport is just an hour drive from the Martin Mere Wetland Centre and Manchester Airport Train Station is on the Southport to Manchester train line, providing a direct route to New Lane Train Station, 0.8 miles from the Centre.
WWT's environmental policy
WWT is committed to environmental excellence and the continuous improvement of our environmental performance as part of our overall goal of implementing the pronciples of sustainability in all areas of work.
We recognise that many of our activities have some negative impact on the local, regional, national and global environment. As a consequence, we aim to conduct our business and operations in a way that minimises this impact and mitigates for it whenever possible, reflecting sustainable practices. Specifically we endeavour to:
Review all activities, operations and procedures to identify, quantify and evaluate environmental impact.
Set priorities and targets for environmental improvements in key areas, such as water, waste and energy.
Measure improvements against targets and report progress annually.
Adopt a philosophy of 'reduce, re-use and recycle' in our use of resources, and minimise the environmental impacts associated with our activities.
Meet or exceed all statutory regulations and approved codes of practice on the environment at all locations where possible.
Set our own standards and targets where no relevant Government regulation or code of practice exists.
Incorporate environmental responsibilities and sustainable practices into job descriptions, staff training and appraisals.
Raise awareness of environmental issues amongst staff and volunteers, and encourage individuals to adopt sustainable practices.
Communicate the value of environmental awareness and sustainability to members, supporters and local communities.
Encourage third parties, particularly suppliers and receivers of goods and services, to adopt environmental standards comparable to those of WWT.
Adopt a policy of sale and purchase of goods and services that minimises negative environmental impacts where possible.
Invest in accordance with our environmental policies and regularly review investments to ensure that they do not conflict with the Articles of the Trust.
Implement an environmental action plan to support our environmental policy.
Martin Mere visitor code
Wherever we go and whatever we do, we have an impact.
There are many ways in which you can get involved during your visit to help look after our beautiful area and ensure it is just as special on your next visit. This will also support our commitment to sustainable tourism.
1. Why not get out of the car - walking, riding and cycling are great ways to explore the area without adding to the traffic and you'll find there are fantastic places to visit right on your doorstep!
2. Stay local, eat local, buy local and see local - Lancashire has gained a reputation for fine food and local produce, so why not seek out famers' markets, village stores, pubs and cafes and make a real difference to the local communities.
3. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - support us in our efforts to reduce waste.
4. Switch off... and save energy - in rural Lancashire you can see the stars at night! Help us reduce energy use and C02 emissions by switching off lights and standby buttons when you don't need them. Help us reduce water consumption by using just the water you need.
5. Follow the Countryside Code - the Countryside Code reminds us all to protect, respect and enjoy: look after plants and animals, take litter away; leave gates and property as you find them; keep dogs under close control; and consider other people.
The 25th Alton Bus Rally & Running Day took place in Anstey Park on July 21st 2019. Over 150 visiting buses and coaches, both new and preserved, descended on the Hampshire market town for what turned out to be another great event.
Seen in Anstey Park is Alexander Dennis Enviro200 demonstrator YX19OWA.
YJ67 FYO is an Optare Solo M7900SE new to Accessible Transport, Aston (t/a iGo) in February 2018. It joined the McNairn of Coatbridge fleet in 2019 for their SPT contracts and is seen here in Airdrie working service 212 to Caldercruix.
Ushguli is a community of four villages located at the head of the Enguri gorge in Svaneti, Georgia. Recognized as the Upper Svaneti UNESCO World Heritage Site, Ushguli is one of the highest continuously inhabited settlements in Europe. Ushguli isn't in an accessible location, which has preserved many of the village's most charming characteristics.
Ushguli is located at an altitude of 2,100 metres (6,900 ft) near the foot of Shkhara, one of the highest summits of the Greater Caucasus mountains. About 70 families (about 200 people) live in the area, enough to support a small school. The area is snow-covered for 6 months of the year, and often the road to Mestia is impassable.
Typical Svaneti defensive tower houses are found throughout the village. The Ushguli Chapel located on a hilltop near the village dates back to the 12th century.
King Tamar's castle originally had 4 defensive stone towers, of which one survives, connected by a curtain wall. The castles three other towers were destroyed by the Soviets in the 1930’s. The stones were used to build farms and other buildings.
Queen Tamar, also known as Tamar the Great ruled Georgia from 1184 to 1213, at the summit of the Georgian Golden Age. She was the first woman to govern Georgia in her own right.
A member of Bagrationi Dynasty and the only daughter of George III, King of Georgia, Tamar was born in 1160. Her youth corresponded with a significant outbreak in Georgia. In 1177 George III faced a rebellious group of local nobles, who planned to dethrone him in favor of his nephew Demna.
George III was able to defeat the uprising. Once the revolt was suppressed and eliminated, George started to include Tamar in government and crowned her as a co-ruler in 1178, when she was only 18 years old. This action was intended to stop any controversy after his death and legitimize his family on the throne of Georgia.
Tamar and her father co-ruled for six years, and when George died in 1184, she continued as sole ruler of the country by being crowned for the second time in Gelati Cathedral in Kutaisi.
However, her reign wasn’t met with full support. Another opposition came, perceiving her gender as weakness. As the country had never had a female ruler before, the nobles questioned her legitimacy and tried to use her age against her. The young queen was pushed into making important concessions to the nobility, including the removal of King George’s appointees. Thus, the aristocracy came into the center of power again.
Slowly Tamar started to gain confidence in her rights as a queen. The death of the persuasive Catholicos-Patriarch Michael, who was not a big supporter of Tamar played a big role in her future governance. She appointed her advocate Anton Gnolistavisdze as a chancellor and gradually increased her own power-base to high positions at the court.
After an unsuccessful arranged first mariage to Prince Yuri, son of the assassinated prince Andrei I Bogolyubsky of Vladimir-Suzdal, Tamar divorced Yuri and sent him off to Constantinople.
She then chose her second husband herself – David Soslan, an Alan prince and a great military commander, who became Tamar’s primary advocate and was effective in crushing the rebellious aristocracy united behind Yuri.
King Tamar and David had two children; Lasha-Giorgi, the future King George IV; and Rusudan, who later replaced her brother as a monarch of Georgia.
Tamar’s kingdom extended from the Greater Caucasus to Erzurum, and from the Zygii to the proximity of Ganja building a pan-Caucasian empire. The royal title increased and reflected not only her power over the regular subdivisions of the Georgian Kingdom but also introduced new elements that highlighted the Georgian crown’s authority over the neighboring lands.
Besides expanding Georgian territories, her governance brought a golden age in culture. Locals continued to identify themselves with the Byzantine West, rather than Islamic East. This period brought architectural development to the country when a great number of impressive domed cathedrals were built.
Tamar continued to be identified among Georgia’s ‘King of the Kings’, as the language has no grammatical genders, unlike ‘king’ in English, it does not significantly imply a male connotation.
TeilnehmerInnen lauschen weiterhin den Eröffnungsworten
[Fotorechte: Andreas Hafenscher, webnfoto.com]
PADDY: "Oh Scout! Please stop squirming!"
SCOUT: "Why?" *Squirming .* "I want to get down from Daddy's grasp Paddy, and be a tenacious bear! Daddy, please don't squeeze us so tightly so I can get down and go and look at the view!"
PADDY: "Don't listen to him Daddy! Hold tightly to us please, and don't let go!"
DADDY: "Never fear Paddy, I have a tight grip on you both."
SCOUT: "But why, Daddy?" *Disappointed.* "I want to go and look at the view and climb the railings Daddy! I am a tenacious bear!"
DADDY: "And that's why I'm not letting you go, Scout."
SCOUT: "But I thought you liked me being a tenacious bear, Daddy!"
DADDY: "Oh I do little Scout, just not from this altitude! I should be so upset if you fell through the railing."
PADDY: "How far up are we Daddy?"
DADDY: "Oh that's a three hundred metre drop over there, Paddy."
SCOUT: "Three hundred metres, Daddy?" *Gulps.*
DADDY: "Yes Scout. That is why I am standing back here away from the edge, at a highly respectable distance."
SCOUT: "Alright Daddy, don't let go of us! Quickly take our photo to prove that we were here, and then let's go play somewhere much safer!"
PADDY: "Now you are speaking sense, Scout!"
DADDY: *Carefully takes photo of Paddy and Scout.*
Paddy, Scout and I recently took a trip to the Alpine region of Victoria to take in the autumnal colours. This included a visit to the beautiful Mount Buffalo National Park, where we visited Bent's Lookout and Echo Point. Being slightly colder up there, both Paddy and Scout are wearing hand knitted scarves and Paddy is wearing hand knitted hat by Lorna's Lovely Looks. Paddy sports a strawberry pin and Scout insisted on wearing a Hungry Caterpillar one, which seems most appropriate. Both were gifts from a good friend who is very fond of Paddy and Scout.
My Paddington Bear came to live with me in London when I was two years old (many, many years ago). He was hand made by my Great Aunt and he has a chocolate coloured felt hat, the brim of which had to be pinned up by a safety pin to stop it getting in his eyes. The collar of his mackintosh is made of the same felt. He wears wellington boots made from the same red leather used to make the toggles on his mackintosh.
He has travelled with me across the world and he and I have had many adventures together over the years. He is a very precious member of my small family.
Scout was a gift to Paddy from my friend. He is a Fair Trade Bear hand knitted in Africa. His name comes from the shop my friend found him in: Scout House. He tells me that life was very different where he came from, and Paddy is helping introduce him to many new experiences. Scout catches on quickly, and has proven to be a cheeky, but very lovable member of our closely knit family.
Mount Buffalo National Park is located in the Australian Alps, around 350 kilometres north east of Melbourne. In November 1898, an area of 1,166 hectares was reserved on the Mount Buffalo plateau around the Eurobin Falls to form the Mount Buffalo National Park. This makes it one of the oldest national parks in Australia. In 1908 was expanded to 10,406 hectares, before being expanded again in 1980 to its current size. The park exists on a high elevation around the top of the mountain, and it has striking granite boulders, outcrops and rock formations which make the landscape look striking and in some places, almost alien. This is enhanced by many dead trees which were a result of a bushfire that tore through the Mount Buffalo National Park in late 2006 and early 2007. It features The Horn, Cathedral Mountain and Lake Catani amongst other beautiful places to see. The Horn is the highest accessible peak on Mount Buffalo and it offers wonderful views from the top. Lake Catani is a man made ornamental lake which is very tranquil and beautiful. A road into the Mount Buffalo National Park was opened in 1908, and so the alpine tourist trade began. Visitor accommodation was made available at the historic guest house, the Mount Buffalo Chalet, built in 1910, until January 2007. Parks Victoria and the Victorian Government undertook restoration work on the exterior and gardens of the Chalet in 2017 and 2018. The chalet overlooks large sheets of granite and has views of the Ovens Valley and Buckland Valley below. During the winter season, Mount Buffalo is a destination for cross-country skiing. There are a number of cross-country ski trails near the Cathedral, and toboggan runs at Dingo Dell and Cresta Valley, both of which are used by beginners. The Mount Buffalo National Park was added to the Australian National Heritage List in 2008, listing it as one of eleven sites that make up the Australian Alpine National Parks and Reserves.
Cell door #3 in the maximum security side of the West Virginia State Penitentiary. The story I was told was that a inmate came to the prison in a wheelchair, because the maximum security side was not accessible for someone in a wheelchair he was placed in the minimum security side, after a few years of being a jerk to every employee of the prison one day the guards were fed up with him, a cutting torch and welder were dispatched to the maximum security side and the doorway was modified so as to make the cell accessible, by the end of the day he inmate was in his new residence. Rumor has it when he was released they wheeled him out the front door and he stood up from his chair, to everyones suprise he had never been handicapped at all. The Prison is now a retired, gothic style prison located in Moundsville, WV. It operated from 1876 to 1995. It closed after a riot broke out in 1988 resulting in the deaths of 3 inmates and exposing the facility to the fact that it was not designed for what had become modern day criminals.
120 second exposure, protomachines set to green, aquamarine, white and a little orange.
Click on the image, because it's best BIG on BLACK!!!
Yellowstone is a fantastic place of beauty and every American should make at least one trip there in their lifetime. These waterfalls are all easily accessible as is Tower Falls which we did not have enough time to see.
The island of Evia lies along the Eastern coast of Central Greece, and is accessible to the mainland via two bridges, an old wooden bridge and a contemporary suspension bridge. There are also frequent ferries to several parts of the island. It is 175 km long and is the second largest island in Greece, and the third largest in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Taken on the weekend of February 14-15, 2015 while my English wife Theresa Jane Brown and I were visiting friends.
Thanassis Fournarakos - Θανασης Φουρναρακος
Professional Photographer, retired.
Athens, Greece
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
None of my images may be downloaded, copied, reproduced, manipulated or used on websites, blogs or other media without my explicit written permission. THANK YOU!
www.rspb.org.uk/reserves-and-events/find-a-reserve/reserv...
This popular reserve on the north Norfolk coast has something for everyone. A walk from the visitor centre down to the sandy beach takes you past reedbeds and shallow lagoons, which are often full of birds. You can sit on benches or watch from spacious, wheelchair-accessible hides.
In summer, marsh harriers float over the reeds, where bearded tits nest. On the lagoons are avocets, gulls and terns. In autumn and winter you can see up to 20 species of wading birds and lots of ducks and geese.
A well-stocked shop has a wide range of RSPB gifts and books and a large selection of telescopes and binoculars. We have a servery and inside eating area selling a selection of hot and cold food and drinks, as well as snacks and locally-made cakes.
Opening times
The reserve is open every day of the year. The visitor centre and shop are open daily from 10.00 am to 5 pm (closing at 4 pm from November to February). They're closed Christmas Day and Boxing Day. The cafe is open daily from 10.00 am to 4.30 pm (closing at 4 pm from November to February). It's also closed Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
Entrance charges
There is a charge of £5 per car for non members.
Information for families
There are lots of exciting activities for families to do during the school holidays. Call the visitor centre on 01485 210779 to find out what is happening today.
Information for dog owners
Dogs are only permitted on the west bank path, which is a public right of way. They must be kept on a lead and under close control.
For more information
Contact us
Tel: 01485 210779
E-mail:
titchwell@rspb.org.uk
Star species
Our star species are some of the most interesting birds you may see on your visit to the reserve.
Marsh harrier
Look for marsh harriers gliding over the reedbed with their wings held upwards in a shallow 'v'. In spring, pairs perform their breathtaking 'skydancing' displays high in the sky.
Bittern
Keep your eyes peeled for bitterns making short, low flights over the freshwater reedbed. You may be lucky enough to find one fishing on the edge of a channel. In late winter and spring, listen out for the mating call: a deep, resonant 'boom'.
Bearded tit
You will often hear bearded tits before you see them. Listen for their bell-like 'pinging' calls, then watch them whizzing across the tops of the reeds. They perch up on the stems in calm weather and feed on fallen seeds on the mud at the base of the reeds.
Avocet
Watch elegant avocets 'scooping up' microscopic, aquatic life in their amazing, sickle shaped beaks. They nest in mini colonies on the islands of the brackish marsh.
Redshank
You can see redshanks wading in fresh and salt water throughout the year at Titchwell. Watch for their towering display flights over the saltmarsh as you walk along the main path in spring.
Seasonal highlights
Each season brings a different experience at our nature reserves. In spring, the air is filled with birdsong as they compete to establish territories and attract a mate. In summer, look out for young birds making their first venture into the outside world. Autumn brings large movements of migrating birds - some heading south to a warmer climate, others seeking refuge in the UK from the cold Arctic winter. In winter, look out for large flocks of birds gathering to feed, or flying at dusk to form large roosts to keep warm.
Spring
This is one of the most exciting times of the year. The first spring migrants, such as swallows and sand martins, can be seen over the lagoons with wheatears along the beach. In April and May, the lagoons can be full of migrating waders, including ruffs, black tailed godwits, spotted redshanks and dunlins. Marsh harriers can be seen performing their 'sky dancing' display and the reedbeds are alive with singing reed and sedge warblers. If you are lucky, you may also hear the 'booming' of the bittern, which has recently returned to breed at Titchwell.
Summer
Mid-summer is the quietest time for birds but the best for some of the more elusive reserve species. It is possible to see the rare water vole on the pools around the meadow trail and, if the conditions are suitable, up to ten species of dragonfly and damselfly. By mid-July, the breeding marsh harriers will have flying young and up to 15 birds have been seen in a day. In these quiet months, the reserve staff carry out essential management work on the lagoons. While every effort is made to avoid disturbance, it may sometimes be encountered during a visit.
Autumn
Autumn is the time for waders when, with luck, over 20 species could be seen around the reserve. Species such as curlew sandpiper, little stint and black-tailed godwit stop on the lagoons to feed on their return migration from their Arctic breeding grounds to their African wintering grounds. With the high spring tides, large numbers of waders can often be seen roosting on the lagoons. September is one of the best months to view bearded tits. The young gather in small flocks and can show very well feeding on seeds blown onto the mud near the Island Hide.
Winter
Winter is the time for wildfowl at Titchwell. Large numbers of ducks and geese winter in North Norfolk and most of these species can be seen on the lagoons. The commonest species are teal, wigeon, mallard, gadwall and shoveler, with smaller numbers of pintails and goldeneyes. Offshore from the reserve, large 'rafts' of common scoters, long tailed ducks and eiders can be seen. In the evenings, thousands of pink-footed geese can be seen flying to their roost sites along the coast. Hen harriers, marsh harriers and occasionally barn owls can be seen over the reedbed at dusk. In the evenings, thousands of pink-footed geese may be seen flying to their roost sites along the coast.
Facilities
Visitor centre
Information centre
Car park
Toilets
Disabled toilets
Picnic area
Binocular hire
Group bookings accepted
Guided walks available
Good for walking
Pushchair friendly
Viewing points
The viewing platform on the edge of the dunes is an excellent spot from which to watch an array of waders on the beach and fishing terns, migrating skuas and wintering sea ducks, divers and grebes at sea.
Island Hide gives views over the bird-filled freshwater marsh and along the edge of the freshwater reedbed where you can watch bearded tits and water rails feeding.
We now have a new Parrinder Hide as part of this project.
Fen hide overlooks the freshwater reedbed and is the perfect spot from which to see bitterns, bearded tits and marsh harriers.
Nature trails
There are three trails on the reserve and all are accessible to wheelchairs/pushchairs.
The main path is approximately 1 km long and runs from the visitor centre to the beach.
The Fen Trail was extended in September 2012, along with the East Trail and Autumn Trail. To the end of the East Trail is 700 m and to the end of the Autumn Trail is 1.2 km.
Please note that the Autumn trail is only open between 1 August to 31 October to avoid disturbing the marsh harrier roost.
Coming back from these trails you can rejoin the main path via the Meadow Trail, which is 100 m long.
Sorry, dogs are only allowed on the main path (a public right of way).
Tearoom
We have a servery and inside eating area selling a selection of hot and cold food and drinks, as well as snacks and locally-made cakes.
Refreshments available
Hot drinks
Cold drinks
Hot meals
Cold meals
Snacks
Shop
There is a large selection of optics and books, plus daily optics demonstrations.
The shop stocks:
Binoculars and telescopes
Books
Bird food
Bird feeders
Outdoor clothing
Gifts
Accessibility
10 September 2014
This is a Summary Access Statement. A full access statement is available to download from this page.
Before you visit
Entry to the reserve and the hides is free. Parking charges apply for non-members. Free parking for carer or essential companion with disabled visitor
The visitor centre and shop are open daily from 9.30 am to 5 pm (November to February closes at 4 pm) except Christmas Day and Boxing Day. The cafe is open daily from 9.30 am to 4.30 pm (November to February closes 4 pm) except Christmas Day and Boxing Day
Registered Assistance Dogs welcome. Other dogs are only permitted on the west bank path, which is a public right of way. They must be kept on a lead and under close control
Two pushed wheelchairs for hire free of charge
Check accessibility for events and activities.
How to get here
King's Lynn Railway Station is 22 miles (35 km away)
Bus stop outside the reserve.
Car parking
Eight Blue Badge spaces 130 metres from visitor centre entrance
120 spaces and a short walk along a gravel path from the visitor centre
Surface is bonded gravel
No lighting
No formal drop off point
No height restriction
Visitor centre and shop
Entry by double doors and a shallow slope. There is an entrance at the front and back to the visitor centre - both have shallow slopes. The entrance doors are manual, outward-opening light doors without a threshold.
Level, tiled floor throughout. No seating. Good lighting. Magnifying glasses, pens and paper available. Binoculars hire. Small children’s binoculars free hire. Information displayed in clear print format. Staff available to assist. Shop is in the visitor centre. Level throughout. Some tall or deep displays. Staff available to assist.
Nature trails
Three signposted trails. Mostly flat, boardwalks and rolled sand and gravel surface. A short, steep slope over the sea defence bank near the beach.
Viewing facilities
Four hides. Ramp or slope access with a mix of large windows or solid wood viewing slots which require opening - can be difficult as they are stiff. The new Parrinder Hides are spacious modern and all level throughout.
Toilets and baby changing facilities
A unisex accessible toilet in the main toilet block near car park 200 metres from the visitor centre.
Catering
Café serving hot and cold food and drinks, snacks and locally-made cakes. Step-free entry. Level throughout. Non-slip flooring. Colour-contrasted crockery. Staff available to assist. Nearest accessible toilet is 200 m from café in the car park.
Picnic area
Two picnic areas, five tables and one bench outside the visitor centre one bench with all tables having wheelchair spaces. 60m from the visitor centre toward the car park is a second picnic area with four benches and three tables with space for wheelchair access. Visitors are welcome to consume their own food and drink here.
Education facilities
No dedicated provision
Help us improve accessibility by sending feedback to the Site Manager.
For more information
Titchwell Marsh Visitor Centre
E-mail: titchwell@rspb.org.uk
Telephone:01485 210779
Cafe
The 'feeding station' is warm and friendly with a reasonably-priced menu. We serve a wide selection of hot and cold snacks and light lunches. Takeaway drinks and food also available. Freshly-baked home-made scones daily. Locally-made ice-creams.
We serve our own exclusive coffee that is grown, imported and roasted by us. It's Fairtrade, organic and certified bird-friendly by the Smithsonian Institute, so now you can help save nature simply by enjoying a great cup of coffee!
Opening hours
10 am to 4.30 pm (we close at 4 pm from November to February)
Highlights from our menu
A selection of cold, filled wraps
Freshly-made sandwiches
Our famous bacon baps
Home-made cheese and fruit scones
Carrot and walnut cake, made by our local bakers, Krusty Loaf
Access to the cafe
Our cafe is on the ground floor - no stairs and easy access for wheelchairs.
Children welcome
We have two highchairs available. Children’s corner selection on the menu.
We use local ingredients
We sell locally-made Norfolk ice-creams. We use Fair Trade products where possible.
Dietary requirements
There are vegetarian, vegan, wheat-free and gluten-free options.
How to get here
By bicycle (Sustrans cycle route)
National route number 1 is within two miles of the reserve.
By train
King's Lynn - 22 miles.
By bus
On the main road outside the reserve.
By road
Take the first left after driving eastwards along the A149 through Thornham village. The reserve is signposted with a brown tourist sign.
Archaeology and history
Titchwell Marsh is a wonderful place for wildlife today but there is fascinating story to tell about how the landscape has evolved. Visitors can see remains that illustrate the two major events that have shaped the landscape - sea level rise after the last ice age and military use during the Second World War.
The advance of the sea
It wasn't always open marsh at Titchwell - there was a time more than 9,000 years ago when this area was covered in forest and was part of coastal plain that stretched out into what is now the North Sea.
Flint artefacts from this Mesolithic era have been found on the reserve, evidence that people were hunting and gathering, probably following animal herds for long distances. It has been suggested that at this time they could have walked as far as Denmark whilst staying on dry land!
A wetter climate led to the formation of peat, causing the trees to fall and be preserved in the wetland deposits. Gradual sea level rises throughout this post-glacial period then inundated and preserved the peat beds. Today the remains of the trees and peat beds can be seen eroding on the coastal foreshore at low tide.
Once the sea level rose, the coastal plains were inundated and by the Late Bronze Age, around 3,000 years ago, sea levels would have been much the same as today. Archaeologists have found evidence that people were living on the edge of the wetland at this time so there must already have been a settled community here - it would have been a good location to farm the dry land and exploit wetlands for fishing and fowling.
Today the challenges of climate change mean we expect more coastal inundation and our engineering works will ensure the preservation of important wildlife and cultural heritage for the future.
The Second World War
These wetland and intertidal areas would have been exploited by human communities for millennia for hunting and farming, but it is the 20th century that has seen the biggest changes at Titchwell and left an indelible mark on the reserve that can be seen during your visit.
During the Second World War, the quiet marshes were turned into a firing range
During the Second World War, the quiet marshes were turned into an Armoured Fighting Vehicle (AFV) firing range and the coast was reinforced against invasion. Part of these defences would have included a reversal of drainage and encouraging flooding as a defence against invasion - helping to re-establish wetland biodiversity.
The main banks, including the Parrinder bank were constructed for firing practice, with targets set at 1,000 yard intervals. Today these banks ensure that freshwater wildlife can be protected from inundation by saltwater. Rare breeding species such as the bittern, bearded tit and marsh harrier rely on freshwater reedbeds for there continued existence in the UK.
The remains of a 'firing loop' where tanks drove up to fire at the targets is still preserved as well as pillboxes where machine gun practice was also taking place. Many of the islands in the marsh were built to house 'pop-up' targets for gunnery practice and today these are important for breeding and roosting birds.
Occasionally the remains of two Covenanter tanks can be seen at low tide on the foreshore, their appearance depending on the shifting sands. These two were probably used for target practice.
More information about these heritage sites can be obtained from reserve staff during your visit.
Metal detecting and the collection and removal of objects from the reserve is not permitted.
Our work here
Titchwell Marsh is specially protected as part of the North Norfolk Coast Area of Outstanding Natural beauty.
The RSPB has helped create a mosaic of wetland and coastal habitats on the reserve in order to attract a diversity of bird species. These include nationally important numbers of avocets, bearded tits, marsh harriers and bitterns, and internationally important populations of wintering waders.
We are working to keep these habitats in good condition, and also to provide a key visitor attraction and a good example of our management practices.
Reedbed success
Our freshwater reedbed is important for threatened wildlife such as bitterns, bearded tits, marsh harriers and water voles.
In 2005 our three-year project to rehabilitate the reedbed for bitterns proved successful when the first pair bred on the reserve for 18 years.
Living lagoons
We are managing the freshwater lagoon and its islands for the benefit of breeding and wintering waders and wildfowl, among other wildlife.
We are also managing the brackish marsh as a saline lagoon. This provides suitable breeding conditions for avocets, as well as feeding grounds for other waders and wildfowl.
Natural habitats
We are allowing natural processes to maintain other coastal habitats, including saltmarsh, shingle and sand dunes. This provides habitat for a variety of birds, including wintering brent geese and wigeon, breeding little terns and redshanks, and high tide wader roosts.
We are also managing woodland and grassland areas around the reserve for their wildlife.
Rising tide
The coastline at Titchwell is eroding and we know that the site is becoming more vulnerable to damage caused by surge tides and storms. The RSPB is working to ensure the freshwater habitats are protected and will continue to support species such as the bittern and bearded tit.
We are examining options for flood defences at the seaward end of the reserve and will provide further information as soon as it becomes available.
Reaching people
Titchwell is one of the most-visited RSPB reserves. We will continue to maintain and improve our facilities. We will also use the reserve to demonstrate our management practices, and will continue to develop our positive relationships with key audiences and local communities.
Coastal Change Project
Titchwell Marsh is an exceptional nature reserve in a special area. It is part of a network of outstanding wildlife sites across Europe called Natura 2000.
The nature reserve has been under threat from the effects of coastal change, the impact of sea level rise and increasing storm events. The Titchwell Coastal Change Project was designed to save the reserve from the effect of these coastal changes.
We are pleased to say we have now successfully completed the project.
We have realigned the sea defences to the north and reinforced the sea banks around parts of the reserve to the west and east. The future of the reserve and its wildlife is assured for at least the next fifty years.
We could not have achieved this without support and funding received from the EU Life+ Nature Fund, WREN, The SITA Trust, Marine Communities Fund, and the many individuals and RSPB supporters who donated and enabled this project to take place.
The project took several years to plan and three years to deliver. A summary of what has been achieved appears below:
A new northern sea defence was built along the line of the Parrinder wall. The completed Parrinder wall will protect the reserve’s freshwater habitats to the south
The sea wall and west bank path were re-built and improved from the visitor centre northwards to the Parrinder wall. This sea wall will protect the freshwater habitats for years to come
Improvements were made to the freshwater marsh islands and reed bed to benefit nesting birds such as avocet and bittern
The fabulous new Parrinder hides opened in December 2010
A breach was made in the east bank to the north of the new Parrinder wall. This has allowed saltwater on to the brackish marsh which will change over time into tidal saltmarsh. The new saltmarsh will in turn protect the new Parrinder wall. This new marsh will be known as Volunteer Marsh
A section of the south-east corner of the east bank was improved, enabling it to better protect the freshwater habitats which lie to the west
The sluice on the east bank, which lets freshwater off the marsh, was replaced. This will enable us to control water levels on the freshwater marsh more effectively than we can at present
A new reedbed area was shaped and formed in the grazing meadow east of Fen hide
Two new trails were developed to the east of Fen hide. These trails will open in 2012.
The project has protected and improved the conservation value of the reserve and has ensured that it will remain one of the most outstanding and valuable wildlife sites in Europe.
This photo is taken on the balcony of a big souvenir boutique in one of Spain's most famous tourist attraction; *The Fortress of Guadalest* or just Guadalest.
This Guadalest fortress was built by the Moors nearly 1,300 years ago, and it was then only accessible through a 15 meter long tunnel through solid rock, which still to this day is the only point of access.
The fortress was a look-out point for the ‘Moors’ (Muslims) who occupied the majority of Spain in the 12th century. In later times, it was conquered *in turns* by the Kings of Spain and the Moors until eventually in 1609, Felipe the third, ordered all the Moors to be expelled, which led to yet another uprising in Guadalest. After this uprising the Moors were defeated and fled from Spain.
After an explosion in 1848, when the powder reserves blew up, the fortress was abandoned. To this day, it is unknown if the explosion was an accident or planned. Guadalest, which is set on a pinnacle, is unique in Spain [and certainly most of Europe]. Because of aforementioned circumstances it has a most unique appeal.
The houses creep up towards the top in a most fascinating way. The little array of caves winding up to the top of Guadalest are now museums and quaint little shops selling fine leather handbags, gifts, crafts, wines of the area, honey, lace table covers, porcelain etc.
----
Guadalest is some 25 kilometres inland, in the foothills of the Sierra de Aitana mountain range. Closest cities - on the Costa Blanca coast - are the touristitc Benidorm, Altea, and Albir.
[www.needahandspanishproperties.com/guadalest.html]
~*~*~
See even these links from this visit in my photostream www.flickr.com/photos/coldpix/5456081092/
EGSU 18/09/12 Built 1965
G-ASGC is one of the more accessible of the VC10s these days as it is one of several airframes currently preserved in museums. Since 1980 she can be seen at Duxford, in the care of the Duxford Aviation Society (DAS).
Obviously life didn't start out for her that way. G-ASGC was built for BOAC as the third Super VC10 ordered by BOAC and flew for the first time on the first day of the year 1965. Most of the development work for the Super VC10, which still was a new type even though there is a lot of commonality with the Standard model, was done by G-ASGA, which first flew in May 1964. Even so the next Supers to emerge from the production line were also needed in this program, with G-ASGC flying 20,5 hours in 8 seperate flights. On 29th January 1965 'GC was issued with a Certificate of Airworthiness and along with G-ASGD was loaned to BOAC (the official delivery date for G-ASGC is 27 March 1965) for initial crew training at Shannon, arriving there on 8th February 1965. But before she left Wisley 'GC was extensively photographed to star in the extensive advertising campaign that BOAC mounted before service entry of the Super.
Crew training on the Super VC10 was pretty straightforward, because of the similarities between the Standard and Super VC10s BOAC crews were licensed to fly either version, something that may seem normal now but which wasn't all that common then, and probably saved BOAC a lot of money in those days. Compared to the Standard, the Super will handle slightly differently in overspeed situations and because of the different engines (Conway 550 instead of the Conway 540) power settings were different. Apart from that the pilots obviously had to learn a new set of weights and speeds but they also soon found out that the excellent flying qualities of the Standard were also present in the Super VC10.
The major reason for developing the Super VC10 were the relatively high seat-mile costs of the Standard VC10 when compared to the main competitors. It did meet up to the specification that BOAC had put out, but at a cost. With the Super VC10 some of the 'hot-and-high' performance of the Standard was traded against a higher capacity, which made it a more economical aircraft. It was still a bit more costly than a 707 but a strange thing happened: the load factors of the VC10 turned out to be significantly higher than on the 707 fleet. A sign that the BOAC advertising campaign but also the appeal of the VC10 to the travelling public was paying off. The first Super VC10 scheduled commercial service taxied out at London Heathrow on 1st April 1965 under the command of Captain Norman Todd. After an unfortunate delay of 57 minutes after the aircraft taxied over an iron bar and two tires needed to be changed, the aircraft took off for New York. After a 6hr 36min flight the Super VC10 continued on under the command of Captain Harry Nichols to San Francisco, thus completing the first service. With the Super's entry into service the North Atlantic became one of the areas in which the Super VC10's better seat-mile costs compared to her little sister the Standard VC10 were soon exploited. By 1968 there were three flights a day between London and New York, all serviced by Super VC10s. G-ASGC was delivered to Heathrow on 30th April 1965 and entered service on the North Atlantic route four days later.
The BOAC-Cunard titles on G-ASGC stem from a cooperation scheme between the airline and the shipping line. With the decline in liner travel across the Atlantic the Cunard Steamship Company applied for a license to operate scheduled air services from the UK to the USA, and ordered two 707s to fly under the Cunard-Eagle Airways flag. After an appeal by BOAC this license was revoked soon after its issue. BOAC then approached Cunard to talk about a joint venture, marrying Cunard's prestige to BOAC's airline experience. From 1962 to 1966 this scheme worked well, initially operating 707s, but with G-ASGD flying the type's first revenue flight to New York under the BOAC-Cunard flag in 1965. For a short while several Super VC10s, including 'GC, were registered to 'BOAC-Cunard Limited'. In 1966 BOAC warned Cunard that more money was needed to order more and larger aircraft for the North Atlantic. Cunard was unable to provide the capital needed, and BOAC then bought Cunard's shares which ended the joint company.
The Super VC10 fleet flew on longer than the Standards, which were taken out of service in 1974. Since 1971 many routes, amongst which the North Atlantic, had been taken over by the 747 and the VC10s were moved to less prestigious routes. Still, at the end of 1971 'GC was taken out of service to have Elliot blind landing equipment fitted by BAC at Filton. In September 1972 BOAC and BEA merged to become British Airways and initially the titling on the fuselage was changed to 'British Airways', by 1974 the aircraft was repainted into full British Airways colours. The aircraft flew on for another 5 years, ending its career on some European routes. G-ASGC's last commercial flight was on 22nd October 1979 from Amsterdam to London Heathrow, where it was stored pending its delivery to Duxford. On 15 April 1980 G-ASGC made her last flight to Duxford Airfield to be included in the collection of the Duxford Aviation Society. The Captain on that flight was Bill Outram, who, soon after take off, decided to shut down one engine as a precaution when vibration was felt. On three engines it made its last of 16.415 landings at Duxford, ending a career with a total of 54.623 hours in its logbooks. Between April 1987 and March 1988 the British Airways colors that had been applied after the merger of BOAC and BEA were covered with the white and blue of the revised 'Golden Speedbird' scheme and BOAC - Cunard titles.
Since then many visitors have walked through the VC10 and admired the interior, perhaps reliving experiences from the days when VC10s flew their daily services.
In 2011 a new BA advertising campaign brought film crews to Duxford and in preparation for this the Super VC10 received a good clean and a paint touch-up
La Monne est une petite rivière torrentueuse qui prend sa source dans les Monts-Dore à 1300m d'altitude près du col de la croix Morand au dessus du village de Mareuge. Elle coule ensuite vers l'Est en direction de l'Allier.
Le site naturel remarquable des gorges le la Monne est classé depuis 1979 aussi bien pour sa qualité paysagère que pour sa richesse floristique et faunistique (voir carte). Ce site resté sauvage est uniquement accessible à pieds, il se partage entre les communes d'Olloix et de Cournols. Source www.olloix.fr/Gorges.html
Monne is a small torrential river which takes its source in the Monts -Dore at 1300m altitude near the neck of the cross Morand above the village of Mareuge. It then flows eastwards towards the Allier.
The remarkable natural site of the gorge Monne ranked since 1979 both for its landscape quality as for its rich flora and fauna ( see map). This site remained wild is only accessible on foot, it is divided between the municipalities and Olloix Cournols.Source www.olloix.fr/Gorges.html
Monne ist eine kleine reißenden Fluss , der seine Quelle in der Monts- Dore in 1300m Höhe in der Nähe des Halses der Quer Morand über dem Dorf Mareuge nimmt. Es fließt dann nach Osten in Richtung der Allier.
Die bemerkenswerten natürlichen Standort der Schlucht Monne Platz seit 1979 sowohl für die Landschaftsqualität wie für seine reiche Flora und Fauna ( siehe Karte). Diese Website wild geblieben ist nur zu Fuß erreichbar , wird zwischen den Gemeinden und Olloix Cournols unterteilt.Source www.olloix.fr/Gorges.html
Monné es un pequeño río torrencial que toma su fuente en el Monts- Dore en la altitud 1300m , cerca del cuello de la Morand cruz encima del pueblo de Mareuge. Luego fluye hacia el este hacia el Allier.
El sitio natural extraordinario de la garganta Monné clasificado desde 1979 , tanto por su calidad paisajística como por su rica flora y fauna ( ver mapa). Este sitio se mantuvo silvestre es sólo accesible a pie, se encuentra dividido entre los municipios y Olloix Cournols.Source www.olloix.fr/Gorges.html
Monne estas malgranda torenta rivero kiu prenas lian fonto en la Monts - Dore , je 1300m alteco proksime al la kolo de la kruco Morand supre la vilagon de Mareuge. Gi tiam fluas orienten al la Allier.
La rimarkinda naturan lokon de la rompita Monne klasifikita ekde 1979 ambau por lia pejzago kvalito kiel por lia rica flauro kaj fauno ( vidi mapon ). Ci tiu retejo restis sovagxa estas nur atingebla piede , gi estas dividita inter la komunumoj kaj Olloix Cournols.Source www.olloix.fr/Gorges.html
Monne è un piccolo fiume torrentizio che prende la sua sorgente nel Monts Dore a 1300m di altitudine vicino al collo del Morand croce sopra il villaggio di Mareuge. E poi scorre in direzione est verso l' Allier.
Il sito naturale della gola Monne classificato dal 1979 sia per la qualità del paesaggio e per la ricca flora e fauna ( vedi mappa). Questo sito è rimasto selvaggio è accessibile solo a piedi , si è diviso tra i comuni e Olloix Cournols.Source www.olloix.fr/Gorges.html
Monne é um pequeno rio caudaloso que tem sua origem no Monts -Dore em altitude 1300m perto do pescoço do Morand cruz acima da aldeia de Mareuge. Em seguida, ele flui para o leste em direção ao Allier.
O notável sítio natural do desfiladeiro Monne classificado desde 1979, tanto pela sua qualidade como pela sua paisagem rica flora e fauna (ver mapa). Este site permaneceu selvagem só é acessível a pé, ele é dividido entre os municípios e Olloix Cournols.Source www.olloix.fr/Gorges.html
Good day to all. Thank you for your visits and comments.
Guten Tag an alle. Vielen Dank für Ihre Besuche und Kommentare.
Buenos días a todos. Gracias por sus visitas y comentarios.
Bonan tagon al cxiuj. Dankon pro viaj vizitoj kaj komentoj.
Buona giornata a tutti. Grazie per le vostre visite e commenti.
Bom dia para todos. Obrigado por suas visitas e comentários.
Yay, Flickr is accessible again after a short issue this afternoon.
Saturday, 15 June 2024. We are undergoing a forecast thunder storm, with rain and wind right now, as I type. Might end up turning off my computer, if it doesn't stop.
UPDATE on water restrictions in Calgary. 14 June 2024: the city is now in a State of Emergency!
"Calgary Emergency Management Agency Chief Susan Henry said water restrictions will be needed for at least three to five more weeks." The break occurred on 5 June, as more pipe damage has been found, so we have already been going through it for 10 days. I would imagine that the heavy rain we are getting this afternoon could make a muddy mess of the whole repair area.
Tuesday, 11 June 2024: LIMIT YOUR WATER USAGE! The water main breakage issue started on 5 June 2024.
"As work to repair a break in a major feeder water main continued Tuesday, Calgarians can expect limitations on their water use to last through the weekend and into next week.
Nancy Mackay, Calgary's water services director, says the work is going to take longer than officials first expected.
"We do not have a date for the restoration of the service. Based on the information we have now, I expect to be able to share a closer date mid-next week," Mackay said on Tuesday." From the Weather Network.
Thursday, 13 June 2024:
"Work to fix a critical water main break that has triggered outdoor water restrictions has been stalled due to injuries on the work site on Wednesday night, Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek said during an 8:30 a.m. update on Thursday morning. The injured workers were taken to hospital and neither is in critical condition."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Did a drive SW of Calgary on 13 June 2024. All familiar roads. Hadn't really planned exactly where to go. Not a whole lot to see, but was happy to see two Wilson's Snipe. I was surprised at how few Mountain Bluebirds I came across on this drive, but was thankful to see the few that I did see. The sun was so bright and all but one photo were blown out.
Driving along a main road, I made a spur-of-the-moment decision to turn off on to one of the back roads. Almost immediately, I happened to glance down at the valley floor where a distant White-tailed deer caught my eye.
At one location, I thought I heard a Bobolink, which was confirmed by Merlin. This was the very first time that I had ever had a Bobolink in this area. Later on, I saw one of these rare birds at a different location, where I had seen one in May and in previous years. I waited and waited, hoping I might see or hear something. Finally, I zoomed in on a bird perched on a fence post way down the road and, sure enough, it was just what I had hoped for. Could only get a dreadful photo through the windscreen! Posted the photo just for the record. Shortly after this, I heard a Bobolink singing loudly somewhere in the trees right by my car. I looked but couldn't find it anywhere, now that the dense leaves are all out.
Posters | FB | Soundcloud | Insta | Twitter | G+ | Blog | Ben Heine
View the full photo report on my blog (photos of the opening, making of the colorful outfit, visitors, friends...)
Find a selection of my best photos here (prints/posters available). Please also subscribe to my Instagram page to see more.
PS: All my images are copyrighted, please do not use them without permission, thank you. If you wish to use this photo or concept for commercial purposes or for other requests, please contact info@benheine.com
For more info about my projects, contact: info@benheine.com
Case Study 113 : Warning, these are the raw, bare unusual occurrences as originally chronicled. Some names, times, places and some facts have been, of course, altered.
Name: Angelica D circa 192__
Subject: an unscrupulous light-fingered body thief
Event: Posh Wedding Reception
Place: Upstate New York
Time: Warm early Autumn Saturday
Angie Being Receptive
Story line:
Angie had heard about the affair, a wedding, from a list of prospective functions provided by a discreetly paid contact. It was being given for the only daughter of a wealthy politician (as if there were any non-wealthy ones!) Angie had happily invited herself to the affair, carefully dressing up in her best for the special occasion!
**
Wedding receptions were by far Angie’s favorite hunting grounds. During the season there could be anywhere from upwards of 20 high end affaires every weekend in the bigger cities, and always 2 or 3 in even the smallest of towns.
Wedding s were usually easy pickings: free food, drink and entertainment, and seldom worn jewelry made for a ready-made mix for Angie to ply her trade. For Angelica D. was a uniquely skilled pickpocket, specializing in the removal for profit of the expensive jewelry worn by the (usually be -gowned) women and young ladies’ who hauntingly dwelt in societies upper crust!
So Weddings, by their nature, were the desirable choice for Angie. One only had to avoid the Bride, her Bridesmaids, and their court, which were usually the major focus of any security present. However, there were plenty of opportunities to be had by employing her special bag of tricks on the outlaying fringe.
Angie had arrived early at the mammoth facility, to scout out the establishment and to scope out who was wearing what. Used to these affairs either being feast or famine, she could quickly tell that in this one there was cooking up a devouring banquet.
**
After Angie had entered the mammoth reception room it did not take her long to spy her first plump prospect, nicely loaded with possibilities. It was a lady, bearing a haughty look, who had been making a b-line through the crowd as way was parted for her. She was wearing a luxuriously long rusty coloured sable fur coat that hid most of her long crimson -red satin gown. What Jewels were visible, ears, fingers and wrist, were all flashing with pricy fire. In tow she held the hand of a young girl, obviously her daughter, wearing actual makeup, which, along with her fetching gown and brite jewelry, made her appear far older than she was. A handsome man , looking like the actor William Powell in a tux, followed behind the pair, husband and father, Angie presumed. She shadowed the little family as they swished their way to a corner table, conveniently located by a rear exit, for a better look over. Her fingers had started with an all too familiar tingle as she took it all in.
**
The husband helped his wife out of the sable, laying it carefully along a bench against the wall. Angie was not disappointed. A silver necklace of large matched diamonds gracefully encircled her throat. A dazzling blood ruby and diamond brooch held up the center of her gown, positioned just below the bust line. Brooches, like this one, were worth a lot once fenced, but its placement required a little more dexterity and skill than she was willing to risk. In actuality, Angie had only attempted twice before to take a brooch pinned to a gown in this fashion. She had only been successful one of those times, only to find out it was a pretty piece of paste.( Years later, as Angie’s talents became more polished, relieving ladies of their dangling brooches, like this blood ruby, became her specialty.. the Eds.) Angie’s eyes moved on. The rest of the snooty lady’s jewels matched her necklace. Long earrings, free clipped, dangling brightly from her earlobe s. A pair of wide ruby bracelets clasped tightly home around elegant red elbow length satin gloves, sparkled devastatingly, matching her brooch. Her long fingers were home to a pair of ruby and diamond rings and a third ring set with a gold band and a vulgarly large solitaire diamond.
**
Angie’s attention turned to the daughter, whom had been helped by her Father , squirming, from the chocolate coloured satin cape that she had been wearing. The youngster, all of about 10, was wearing a cream coloured long puffy sleeved dress with a brown satin sash encircling her waist that matched her Cape. The young lady possessed impossible large bright eyes. The only thing that held more shine than those doe like eyes had been the antique rhinestone diamond necklace that fell dripping ever so invitingly down the front of the precious little imp’s rich glossy gown. The rest of her matching rhinestones (obviously belonging to the child’s mother) consisted of an engaging display of a bracelet, pair of dangling, screwed on clasp earrings, and matching rings encircling a chubby finger one on each hand. It all gleamed brightly, invitingly from her svelte girlish figure. A large round pin held her sash up in place; it sparkled with what looked like a ring consisting of one caret diamonds, as unlikely as it was they could be real.
**
The two females of the family presented a pretty package indeed. Not one to pass up an invite that alluring, Angie walked by , with the pretext of heading to a back exit behind the table the little family had staked, just so she could get a closer peek.
**
Angie’s practiced eye took in a wealth of information during the few seconds it took her to walk up and pass the group, so involved with themselves they never even looked her way. Her attention focused upon the young mother first scoping head to toe.
**
Angie scrutinized the brooch; it was definitely worth the effort. In her mind’s eye, Angie envisioned the mother as a stumbling drunk “bumping into” Angie. Fingers whisking along the slippery lustrously softness of the gown, as the lady was steadied. Angie would accept the women apologies and the pair would part their ways, Angie from the young mother, and the magnificent brooch from the rich satiny red gown. But then the mother raised her head, looking up past Angie, towards a commotion being made behind her. Typical Angie thought, she doesn’t recognize me, so I don’t exist, like some sort of servant. But it was as she caught the young mother in full profile that she realized this lady looked strikingly similar to another woman who had been wearing an expensive dress of teal charmeuse that Angie had had been having a long conversation with, while relieving the woman’s finger of a costly diamond sapphire ring. It had happened only just last weekend at a formal function, and Angie figured she may have not recognized her in passing, but may if Angie were to use one of her approaches again with the intent of taking some of her jewelry, he memory may be jarred, and she may remember her missing ring. This was why Angie only allowed herself to ply her trade for no more than a month in any given place per year. This was from a lesson she had learned early on in her career. And so, for that reason alone, Angie decided to, at least temporarily, abandon any designs she had on the young mother’s brooch, allowing her devious intentions to evaporate from her mind like smoke on the wind. There were plenty more fish in the sea she told herself.
**
Angie still allowed herself a quick appraisal of the squirming 10 year old. She admired the glossy dress of slippery satin that her mother had conveniently dressed her daughter up in, as it fell spilling down to her black open toed shoes. Angie’s fingers started to tingle; this was a perfect tickling gown. Angie liked to think of any long dress or gown that swept down to a females heels as a” tickling gown”. All it took was a strategically placed foot timed with a well place nudge to send the chosen victim tumbling. During the ensuing diversion, Angie would use her long subtle fingers to swiftly probe along the gowned figure, tickling she like to call it due to the tingling sensation of the usually rich material of the victim’s attire. In this fashion, a pre-targeted piece of valuable jewelry could then be easily acquired, no matter what its placement had been on the unfortunate female. If only the chatty youngster had something on better than rhinestones. It was a crying shame to have a child that young dolled up like an adult, but not wearing adult jewels.
**
Angie continued to walk past, unseen, and went out the door. She found herself in a large serenity garden of roses and shrubs, surrounded by a 10 foot high well-trimmed hedge. The sort of garden one usually found in those days around upscale Churches. The only exit was a gate leading onto the parking lot on the side of the church. Here was positioned a solitary, lonely guard in a neat little guard hut. In the opposite, far corner was a statue of Cupid, arrow drawn, standing above a display of blooming moss roses at the end opposite to the gate. There was always potential in places like these.
**
Angie had started to walk over to the Cupid statue when she heard the exit door open. Turning, she saw the young girl, whose mother’s brooch Angie had been scoping out, looking out the door. She snuck through, running out alone, silky tickling gown swishing out behind her. Her heart leapt to her throat as she watched the girls rhinestones sparkle radiantly. She actually turned to head towards the path the unsuspecting child was running up, flexing her fingers as she contemplating a little warm up practice. Angie watched as the dolled up imps necklace flashed with pinpricks of coloure as it bounced to and fro as she ran happily up the path .Angie turned her back to the girl, waiting to hear the telltale click of her heels come up just behind her. She would then move, bumping into the girl as she passed, tripping her to the ground. After which Angie would help her up, removing the girl’s fancy necklace in the process. Come to Mama Angie whispered under her breath, waiting to make her move as the skipping heels grew ever louder.
**
But then Angie froze, hearing the clicking of the exit door again opening behind her. She checked her stride letting the daughter slither past without a glance. She headed again towards the statue, watching her prize move on ahead. Then she heard the father in the background calling out to his little princess. The youngster turned, and ran back, beaming at Angie as she passed. Angie smiled back, her eyes again traveling to the girls neckline, and the sparkling jewelry the outlined her throat. It had been a silly thought she chided herself, as the girl passed from view. If only the necklace had been real, and the father about ten minutes later in discovering his daughter absence. It would have been an unbelievably easy pluck and she could be out the gate before anyone was the wiser. And the best part was that they would probably believe the scampering girl had just lost it in the garden. And, while the parents were looking about, Angie would have been free to renter to ply her trade again. As it was, it was silly of Angie, risking her opportunity on a child’s bauble worth a mere pittance compared to some of the other offerings so readily being flaunted this evening by her adult counterparts.
**
Angie continued her casual stroll through the Garden, happily playing over in her mind some of the jewels that she would like to see adorning the female guests inside, and the scenarios she may be using to acquire them
**
Finding herself approaching the guard hut, she allowed herself a glance back. Jealously she watched the father, who had caught and was carrying his slippery attired daughter, heading back inside. How Angie wished she had been the one carrying the squirming little imp, it would have been like a smorgasbord, with jewels instead of food. Pity her mother had not put the good stuff on the daughter, she sighed to herself. Tonight she would have to work for her butter. She walked past the bored guard, nodding at him, receiving a rather lecherous look in return. A smile was forming across her cunning face, for now it was time to get down to the real business at hand.
**
The affair turned out to be quite a showcase for the very rich. Who were indiscreetly flaunting their riches, trying to outdo one another, probably for the benefit of the politicians’ attention? Certainly not for the attention of the designer satin gowned and flashy diamonded daughter, whom most of the guests hardly knew, or had ever met.
**
Angie always felt like a little kid in a candy shoppe at these lavish affairs.
She spent the first part of the reception mingling and thoroughly enjoying the show her the reception’s guests were u wittingly putting on. Angie, wearing no jewels herself, was something of an anomaly compared to her fellow guests.
**
There were over a thousand luxuriously coloured, squawking female birds and their young chicks pompously displaying valuable finery, oblivious of the cat amongst them waiting to pounce. Angie patently mingled, watching as the adult guests had their fill of food and drink.
Once their guard began to relax, Angie raised hers’, her probingly skillful fingers now more than prepared to begin and ply her trade. For the more they imbibed, the less guarded they were, both about themselves and their female offspring. Angie would start with the adults, 2 or 3 of the right pieces of jewelry, once acquired, and would mean she could call it a night and have enough to support her for a solid month. If she came up empty in that department, her back up would then center on the female off-spring, daughters and nieces.
Most of said offspring would be by then scattered about, aware that their parents were no longer paying them any heed, exploring and playing, sporting their fancy satin gowns, silken dresses, and their dainty jewelry, ripe for the picking. Giving pickpockets like Angie endless opportunity to ply their trade on them, once they had finished working through the adults. Or if the thieves were beginners, plenty of easy practice while “learning the ropes!”
**
Now, when Angie herself was just starting out as a young pickpocket, she stumbled across a treatise written by a man using the pseudonym “Gaston Monescu”. Written around 1826, entitled the Cutpurse: skilles, artes and Secretes of the Dip, it covered the various tactics and moves used by master pickpockets.
Angie had studied it religiously, especially a ploy called the “Necklace Flimp.” This tactic was primarily used for body thieves working alone. Angie had been surprised to learn that a pickpocket could raise his/her skill level above just acquiring wallets. Having the ability to lift a woman’s necklace amazed her, not to mention the profit that could be realized. With practice, Angie had found that not only was it a good technique for acquiring necklaces, but it worked for other pieces of worn jewelry as well.
It was relatively simple process, but took a long time to master.
First part was to employ psychology and watch the potential victim for the unique movements and quirks in their personality and actions that could provide an opportunity for her skills. Then observe the selected piece the victim wore, for value, type of clasp, make, and accessibility. The second part was to employ a bump, slip, or grasp, and in one motion, flick open the studied clasp and send the piece away from the body by either pulling and palming, or dropping it to the floor or ground for retrieval later. If she was noticed, it was “sorry, miss, very clumsy of me” “here let me get if for you, no harm done?” Then walk away and let the waters settle before trying yet again (sometimes even on the same person!)
Angie had practiced the jewelry flimp until she had the technique totally mastered. Starting out first on specially dressed up mannequins in her apartment, than trying it on small pieces of cheap baubles worn by real women in crowded streets and stores. Then on younger, less guarded, better jewelry wearing young girls attending proms and social dances. Young looking for her age at the time, Angie had fit right in amongst them. Then, finally, she graduated to lifting the better jewels of the older, wealthy women attending society’s finer parties and receptions. And it was this path that led her here today, and would also lead several unlucky females to report missing jewelry to their respective insurance companies.
**
See Album “Angie having a Ball” for additional background on our master thief with the light fingers.
**
Angie now eagerly employed those useful talents learned from monsieur Monescu’s little pamphlet at the wedding reception. She mingled freely, carrying around a drink that never touched her lips. She watched and learned, her trained eyes missing very little. Soon, like that hypothetical kid in a candy shoppe, Angie’s head was spinning from so much to choose from that she really could not make any easy choice. So, she waited and watched patiently, knowing opportunity would knock.
**
Then, like it usually happened with Angie, the first genuine opportunity unexpectedly presented herself. Angie literally was run into a rather awkward, spindly lady in thick glasses clad in a fetchingly expensive costume consisting of a thick silver satin blouse with hanging ruffles down its front, combined with a long rustling tiered skirt that swept down to the top of her open toed silver high heels. Her diamond jewelry shone with exuberant flames as they caught the light from the many chandeliers that hung from the vaulted ceiling. The lady expressed frantically her apologies, placing a hand with well ringed fingers on Angie’s shoulder, where they sparkled merrily. No worries Angie said smiling, her eyes taking it all in without appearing to move. She let the frazzled lady leave, allowing her a head start, it was only sporting to do so.
**
Angie shadowed her quarry for a while, seemingly rewarded for her efforts when the lady managed to spill a bit of her drink down on her skirt. In a show of flashing silvery satin and diamonds ,she retreated and disappeared into a nearby powder room, with Angie following eagerly, opportunity knocking.
**
As Angie grabbed onto the closing powder room door, a mid- twenty something girl in a deep green velvet gown came out. Her only jewelry was a wide diamond bracelet wrapped around a wrist of the matching long green gloves she wore. Angie caught it out of the corner of her eye, realizing that it was as expensive as it was bright. But it was her friend, a willowy short haired pretty young thing in a glamorous Chocolate Satin gown that made Angie’s jaw drop. Her jewels, like her friends, were also sparse, but enormously pricy. The long white satin gloves that graced her hands and arms also held matching bracelets, thin, but each one worth the effort. But her real eye catcher was the row of authentic, one caret white diamonds that were rippling exquisite fire along her throat. Angie held the door for them, nodding to as they passed. Noses in the air, they did not appear to notice Angie. Then, with the ladies backs to her, Angie abandoned Miss silver satin and turned to follow. Angie got in behind the two with the intention of getting a closure examination of the clasp of the fiery diamond necklace Miss Chocolate satin was wearing.
**
However, Angie never got her closer look. For at that moment the tossing of the bride’s boutique was announced and Angie was overwhelmed by a mad dash of single ladies heading for the bride. On a lark she allowed herself to be swept along, losing sight of Miss Chocolate satin, but found herself right smack behind Miss Green velvet and her cheerfully sparkling diamond bracelet, a beautifully expensive piece that would have cost someone a king’s ransom. Angie’s fingers began their all too familiar tingling, eager for a chance to acquire jewelry that valuable, but not for any king, just for herself!
**
Though the night was still relatively early, and Angie still had visions of those exquisite rippling diamonds of the pretty Miss in chocolate satin on her mind, she simply could not pass up this opportunity. Angie wedged herself close behind her chosen victim as the multitude of hopeful young women pressed forward to try their luck. As the Bride teased her guests before getting ready to toss her bouquet of white and red roses, Angie expertly scrutinized the bracelet as it dangled from the green velvet glove. When the bride finally turned her back and raised her arms every one of the richly clad single women’s eyes was focused on the bride’s bouquet, Angie’s eyes were fixated on the bracelet. With the music playing loud, the crowd giggling and laughing, and all eyes focused on the gorgeously outfitted young long haired bride, Angie again felt opportunity knocking. Her pulse beating in rhythm with the music, she made ready to seize the chance when it presented itself. The roses flew through the air and all the women raised their hands high, looking all for the world like being involved in a stick-up. Angie timed it perfectly, snapping the clasp, and snatching the bracelet easily away from the gloved wrist of its owner as she raised her arms high to grab at the boutique. In her excitement, shared by everyone, Miss Green velvet ( who did not catch the bouget of roses) never felt a thing. Angie had smirked as she left the giggling group, stowing securely the purloined diamonds, as she imagined what it would have been like to watch that group robbed in a mass stick-up. The money that some enterprising soul could have made from that haul would have been astronomical.
**
She went to the open bar, lighting her first cigarette; she ordered her first real drink of the night. She could feel the coolness of the weighty bracelet in its hiding spot, and Angie, pleased with herself, calmly sipped her drink as she relished in the moment. The toss of the Brides Boutique was, in Angie’s experienced opinion, one of the three common events occurring during a wedding reception that were fertilely prime times for pickpocketing. (Editor’s note.. Miss D. mysteriously never divulged what she considered the other two prime events to be….)
**
She looked about without a worry in the world, coolly watching the antics of some of the younger women on the dance floor. She spied the young miss in the green velvet gown over in a corner talking in an animated fashion with several other women. Green velvet gown’s now bare velvet glove, apparently not noticed by anyone but Angie. One of her group was displaying some bright emeralds peeking through the long silver fur she was wearing, obviously she was leaving, and she was talking excitedly about something to the group formed around her! Nowhere in sight was Miss chocolate satin, too bad, Angie would have loved another peek before leaving.
Angie watched around the room causally, as the cold bracelet pressed expensively against her figure from its hiding spot. She eventually lost track of green velvet and her friends while finishing her drink. Setting down the empty glass, she decided it was time to call it a night. The bracelet now in her possession was easily worth as much as the 2 or 3 separate pieces she usually acquired at functions like these, added together! And, she needed her rest, Angie had a couple of plans the next day, one revolving around the female guests who would be attending an upscale afternoon prom fashion show a, the other, an evening opera performance (invited guests only, and her contact had managed to supply a ticket, at a hefty price!) No rest for the wicked, Angie told herself.
**
On her way out of the main lobby, she found herself leaving behind the very lady in green velvet whose bracelet was now in Angie’s possession. She was with the same gaggle of her similarly dressed friends, including the one exhibiting the emeralds. However, miss chocolate satin was still not visible. They were laughing and joking as they collected their assorted pretty wraps, obviously heading for a nightclub. If she had not already relieved one of them of a bauble, Angie might have invited herself along, if only to have a go at some emeralds. Angie hesitated about leaving withy them, then shrugged, followed the group out the door past the pair of bored rent a cops.
**
She remembered thinking, as she followed the elegant young princesses ,their fluid gowns peeking from under their various furs and wraps, how shallow the very rich could be. She wondered if Miss Green velvets friends had even noticed that she had had diamonds around the wrist of her glove, let alone that they were now missing. She wondered how long it would be before the bracelets loss was discovered. She figured it would be several hours, long enough for its owner not to be sure what place they had been lost. As young Miss Green velvet fancy gown and her friends turned right outside the exit, Angie turned left, heading towards the guard hut at the entrance to the garden.
She decided not to follow them but rather circle around the outside of the garden to give her victim time to leave.
**
That simple decision to make a left turn proved to be a major turning point in Angie’s fortunes that evening.
**
As Angie passed the hut guarding the entrance to the serenity garden, she noticed it was deserted.
It was as she was looking it over, that she heard the sounds of clicking heels moving fast, followed by the sounds of a young girl giggling. On the alert she stole to the backside of the hut, soon spying a splash of something blue and silky between the gaps of a couple of large bushes. Her senses on their highest peak, she began to move cautiously in, hoping the female making the noise would be in need of aid and comfort perhaps.
**
She soon spotted a young lady of about 14 bending over, hands on her knees as she panted heavily. Her back was to Angie, and what pretty back it was. She was nicely attired in a long gown of shiny material dyed deep blue like an afternoon, cloudless summer sky. The gown cascaded down along her petite figure, spilling out on the ground around her feet. Her hair was pulled back, easily displaying a pair of small diamond and sapphire earrings, not rhinestones for this one, but the real McCoy. Around one finger was a gold ring with sapphires, and from her left wrist dangled a thin silver bracelet with a row of diamond chips, both pretty, both valuably real. But it was her last piece of visible jewelry that stole the show. It hung, swinging to and from her neck on a thick braided chain of solid silver. On its end, like a hypnotists prism, was a silver pendent in the shape of a flower, with 1 inch long, pear shaped real diamonds as petals and a fully 2 inch in circumference center stone of deep sea blue. Angie watched it, her eyes following it for a full minute, its expensive fire sealing its own fate as Angie began flexing her fingers. Angie took her eyes off of it and looked around to see why the princess had been running. But all was still as the girl continued to peek through the branches towards the back door leading into the hall. Angie silently approached, and walking up to the pretty miss she bent down and in a friendly tone, asked who she was running from.
**
I played a joke on my sister, and now I’m hiding from her, piped the girl breathlessly, as Angie placed a hand upon the girls shoulder in a conspiratorial fashion, said shoulder made silky soft by the gowns half sleeve.
**
I know a better place where you can hide from her, Angie whispered in the girl’s ear, the dangling earring ever so close to her lips. The girl looked up, smiling, and Angie pointed towards the guard hut, and as the girl looked, Angie’s fingers glided up along the silky shoulder and lifted the thick silver chain up from the back of the gowns’ scooped collar. Come Angie said, and as the girl rose Angie’s fingers nimbly flicked open the chains’ lobster clasp, holding onto the clasp as the other end of the chain slipped down, allowing the pendent to slide free and fall onto the grass at the girls feet, where it lay shimmering. Angie moved her hand to the girls shoulder, squeezing it, while slipping off the braided silver chain with her other hand, whisking it back and away from the guileless young girl. Angie led her princess away from the spot and walked with her to the guard’s hut, still empty, where she had her hide neath the counter.
**
Angie turned and went back to claim the pendent, there still was no sign of any sister. She secured the pendent, joining it with the chain and bracelet, and headed deeper into garden. Her plan was to watch the hut and see which way the girl went after getting bored waiting. But as she skirted the perimeter her plans were changed when, upon rounding a corner of the path at the far end, she saw yet another back belonging to a solitary lady in her late thirties, clad in a long slinky yellow coloured gown of expensively shiny taffeta, bending over to smell the yellow roses on a bush. Instinctively Angie knew two things about her. One was that whatever jewels this lady would be wearing, they would be expensive, and the other was that with an expensive gown like that; the lady would undoubtedly be wearing her jewels. Angie suddenly became aware that her fingers were tingling, as an all too familiar whelming feeling again delightfully washed over her.
**
Angie found herself automatically turning back onto the garden path. She headed around the women and went down to the cupid’s statue, where now out of sight, she carefully hid the purloined bracelet, and still warm fiery pendent and its ‘fancy silvery braided chain..
**
She then headed towards the unsuspecting flower admirer. The ladies’ long brunette hair had fallen, flowing down the backside of her shiny taffeta gown. Angie could see rings and a bracelet gleaming as she was holding up the rose to her face. A long double rope of pearls hung swaying deliciously from her throat. Coming up behind her Angie stood watching; calculating until the lady rose and with a start realized she was not alone.
**
Pretty Angie said, her eyes on the pearls now draping down the front of her marks yellow gown. They are lovely, are they not? The damsel responded thinking Angie was referring to the roses. Just like the ones in the park, my husband and I walked through on our way to catch a cab today. Actually, I meant your dress Angie said complimentary. Thank you the lady practically squealed, I love the way it flows, and she swirled it about to show Angie, who got an eyeful of sparkly jewelry for her efforts. As she continued engaging the women in conversation, Angie decided upon attempting for the woman’s necklace of pearl. Seeing opportunity knocking when Yellow Taffeta pulled her long hair forward so it hang down the front of her gorgeous gown, laying silkily over one shoulder, nicely exposing the pricy necklaces clasp. Angie looked around, they were alone, out of site of the opposite end of the garden where the inside door was, and the guards hut with it’s pretty occupant.
**
Angie, using the marks interest in roses to her advantage, managed to steer the capricious damsel in shiny yellow over to the cupid’s statue. There, she placed a hand upon a silky taffeta covered shoulder, and pointed down to the shrub of moss roses growing at the foot of the statue . When she stooped down to get a closer look, Angie’s fingers whisked from her marks shoulder to the clasp, in a single effort with two fingers, lifted it by the clasp, and snapped it open. At that moment the mark cried “spider” and jumped up, backing into Angie, who watched helplessly as the pearls fell down from the damsel’s throat and slipped along the front of the yellow taffeta gown. They fell with a soft plop unto the ground at their mistress’s feet. Angie tried to lead her away, hoping to come back and reclaim the necklace. But as Angie pointed to another rose bush some distance away, the lady took a step forward, instead of back, planting her feet right onto the pearl necklace. Hey she exclaiming, what’s that, looking down to her high heeled foot? Oh, my pearls the lady squealed again, a glittering hand shooting to feel around her throat. Angie reached down, and reluctantly retrieved them from the base of the rose bush for the squealing lady in yellow . My husband would not have been pleased if I had lost these, she said as Angie held them, feeling their pricey smoothness.
**
She asked if Angie could help her put them on, my maid usually does this sort of thing, you know. Angie reluctantly complied, re- hanging the pearls as the pretty damsel held up her hair, and reluctantly redid the clasp. The Damsel thanked Angie by embracing her in a full hug, her diamond and pearl earring hitting Angie’s cheek. But Angie’s arms were being held by the hugging woman, so Angie was able to only watch the tantalizingly close earring sway free. Angie left yellow-gowned damsel in the garden, getting nothing for her efforts other than the feel of an expensive gown of the likes she could probably never afford to own.
**
With the pretty damsel hovering around the cupid statue, Angie decided to go back into the reception hall until the coast was clear. She carefully looked towards the Guards hut, and seeing that the guard had returned, figured the girl, so fetchingly clad in blue, had been rousted out, so that loose end was probably tied up. She just had to keep a careful eye out. The quite valuable bracelet and pricy necklace with its pendent were well hidden; there was absolutely no danger of someone stumbling over it.
**
Truth was, Angie had found her appetite wetted and once again visions of a lady in chocolate brown satin exhibiting a row of flashy diamonds, teased her thoughts. An accomplished pickpocket like herself had a couple of well-practiced ploys she could utilize to obtain a tight fitting necklace from its mistress. In addition, Angie was now determined to find her and to risk a try. She had really nothing to lose.
**
It took almost an hour of hunting amongst the now well liquored, gaily mingling crowd before Angie could admit to herself that there was absolutely no sign of the willowy lady in the stunning chocolate satin gown. Damn she thought to herself, those diamonds were something special. She shrugged it off, reciting in her mind a wicked little mantra of hers, “Another one who got away, a chance to lose her jewels to Angie on another day!” She strolled about pondering on what her next course of action could be. There had been no sign of the pretty girl in blue whose necklace Angie now had hidden away, and Miss Green Velvet was definitely out of the picture, so she felt that it was still safe to try to pluck one last bird or chick. In her hunt for the brown, Angie had seen several inviting prospects; one lady(purple satin, diamonds), two girls( ivory silk, pearled pin; red satin, gold necklace set with chips of precious stones), and now was weighing the risks.
It was at that point she once again espied the thickly bespectacled awkwardly introverted young lady invitingly wearing the thick silver satin ruffled blouse, which she had been tailing much earlier. And as Angie watched here, she again accepted the invitation. Her prey had appeared on the dance floor, being led around by a rather charming young man. That would make a dandy consolation prize Angie drooled to herself happily as she took in the sparkling show put on by the dancers jewels.
**
Angie looked her over, reacquainting herself with the jewels she so nicely was displaying. A pair of long earrings cascaded down from her earlobes where they precariously held on by antique silver claps. Angie relished the opportunity to “flimp” pairs of earrings like these. Heavily jeweled, each one was worth a tidy sum. Angie mulled this as she continued to study the jewels of her appealingly dressed new target.
**
The girl’s only ring was a solitaire diamond of at least 3 carets on a thick solid gold band worn vulnerably loose on her un-gloved, bare ring finger. A wide silver cuff bracelet with what appeared to be at least seven rows of matching, shimmering diamonds was dangling around her left wrist (she was right handed Angie observed) . The bracelet had a habit of lying over her sleeve, and Angie could see that it was a costly tiffany piece, whose clasp was exceptionally easy to flick open. A diamond pendent hung swinging from her satiny ruffles, held by an extravagantly thick silver chain with a simple , small eye in hook clasp. The Diamonds in the pendent were as shimmery as stars plucked from the night’s sky.
Angie remembered reading that in a poem from a book she had picked up years earlier in a library, while stalking a young mother in a satin dress, wearing an authentic Gruen Watch on one wrist, and a bracelet of diamonds on the other, that had gone into the library in pursuit of her young son running inside. Like that young mother, It was obvious that this lady in silver satin was not accustomed to wearing jewels, and that set probably spent most of their days lying in a safe. Angie licked her lips as she imagined what the other contents of that safe might look like
**
Angie moved in to allow herself a much closer appraisal of her potential victim’s jewels.
The young lady was totally oblivious to anything but the rather surprisingly strikingly handsome man who to all appearances was her Fiancée, who was holding her ever so close. But Angie was able to see enough of what she wanted to. The young Ladies’ thick satin blouse shone richly in the lights, moving like glistening wet liquid silver, while from her waist spilled the long black skirt with satiny tiers that swished and swayed nicely along her figure as she uneasily danced. Her jewels were bursting with colour as they played hide and seek with Angie’s watchful eyes. From all appearances, they were a mismatched couple. He seemed to know everyone and moved with a confident air, she was just the opposite. It made an enticingly intriguing package indeed for someone with Angie’s skills.
**
Silver Satin was the perfect “Gaston Monescu” type of mark, a perfect combination of classic mannerisms, clothing and Jewels worth anyone’s efforts to take. This was the only fly in the ointment that Angie observed. For by the bar she could see that two other sets of eyes were watching the same young lady in shiny satin and blazing diamonds. Angie intuitively knew they were drooling over acquiring jewels she was wearing.
**
She had noticed the pair of young men in loose fitting suits when they had entered a little earlier about the same time as Angie’s reappearance. They were obviously casing the jewels of any woman, young, or old, who walked past them. Angie knew their type, simple thieves, with no real skills outside of holding a knife in a dark alley to the throat of their victim while they unceremoniously searched and stripped them of their treasures. Angie saw that they were whispering amongst themselves and instinctively knew they were watching and waiting for the fetchingly clumsy silver clad lady clad loaded with diamonds, to leave the “establishment”.
**
She is mine Angie whispered, possessively snarling the words under her breath. She looked around as she thought about how best to handle the situation. Her eyes opened wide as she saw a familiar woman waiting by the coat checkroom. Perfect she purred, placing an unlit a cigarette in her mouth and heading over the bar.
**
She sauntered up next to them and ordered a drink, catching their eyes she asked for a light. As they obliged she took a pull and puffed out smoke, asking in a casual tone, “how about my jewels? Boys!” They could see perfectly well that she was not wearing any, and one snarled, “What’s your game, sister?” Angie snarled back in her best cop like manner, “We know what you boys are up to, and we suggest you both call it a night!” “Yer no cop sister”, they challenged, calling her bluff,” what’s your angle!” Angie calmly looked towards the entrance, perfect she mused as she saw their eyes follow hers, “Maybe not” she stated, “but see that lady being helped into the black mink?” “The shiny yellow dame?” one of em asked? “ “yes”, Angie replied taking a puff on her cigarette before going on, “ well that man’s she’s with used to be mine .” “ Now, I aint one to hold a grudge, but, those pearls she’s waltzing around with are worth plenty. And her rings, they are an easy two grand alone.”
**
Angie could tell she had captured their interest, and that they were now paying rapt attention to the lady in the thick yellow taffeta gown whose necklace Angie had almost acquired in the serenity garden. One of them looked at Angie, a suspicious look crossing his mug, “What’s innit for you sister?!” He demanded. Angie looked at him, dripping with sarcastic innocence. “Nothing brother, other than to make sure the jewels of the dame who stole my husband get home safely .” “I just worry,’ Angie went on, “there is a park in front of their residence and that dame in yellow likes to stroll through it to smell the roses after their cab drops them off.” They watched the couple leave, her expensive yellow gown sweeping provocatively at her gold high- heeled shoed feet. Angie looked them in the eyes and said smoothly, “ Gentlemen such as yourselves may want to do a good deed and follow them home to make sure some miscreant doesn’t spot her in those valuable jewels and mink. Not to mention her man’s gold watch and three hundred sawbucks in his wallet!” Angie winked at the pair, “If you catch my drift.” She added.
**
Still not totally convinced about what Angie was selling them, but equally unsure over who Angie was, both men got up and quickly headed towards the main exit as the last slip of an expensive yellow taffeta gown disappeared through the door. Smugly, Angie puffed on her cigarette as she watched them leave.
**
It was then that a hand was placed on Angie’s shoulder from behind.
**
She froze for a split second, before becoming aware of the soft mummer of satin, and of a slender finger was home to a sparkling sapphire ring. Angie smiled and turned around, facing the girl. Pardon me ma’am, she says politely, but do you remember me? Of course dear, Angie gushes while beaming at the forlorn looking miss in the fetching blue gown; I met you in the garden. Yes she confirms, but I lost my necklace somewhere and I was wondering if you remember if I had it on when we met? Angie’s heart leapt, bless this babe in the woods, thinking her necklace had merely been lost, never suspecting that someone like, say, Angie could have been the cause. She absolutely adored the trusting nature of rich girls this age. For that aspect of their purity had allowed Angie, far too easily sometimes, to lift many a jewel from well attired unsuspecting young princesses like this one. Who was now standing before her, miserable, her desirable diamond and sapphire earrings dangling ever so beckoningly, her sad puppy eyes pleading ever so sweetly, and her missing necklace closer than she could ever imagine.
**
No dear, I did not see you with a necklace, Angie lied coolly, as she reached out and stroked the girl tenderly alongside her face, her fingers touching one of the earrings. Angie was looking her fully in the eye, you didn’t lose anything else, and did you dear she asked with a concerned tone. The girl checked her earrings, bracelet and ring (Angie smiled to herself, silently thinking thanks for the info kid!) But when she spoke, it was with hopeful words laced with honey, If you want, I can help you look, my dear. The girl’s eyes lit up for a second, thank you ma’am, I wanted to, but papa said to wait until tomorrow when the light is better.
Angie smiled winningly, don’t worry dear, I’m sure its somewhere in the garden. Someone will find it, she promised, thinking to herself maliciously, and keep it for their own profit!
**
Thank you Ma’am she chirped, at the encouraging words that had been spoken, luckily she could not hear the ones Angie was thinking to herself, and turning moved off, her scrumptious gown swishing pleasantly around her silver heels. Angie watched, as the girl disappeared in the crowd Angie marked her direction.
**
Angie Imagined if the girl had accepted her offer, and she had left with the vulnerable, unguarded princess to search in the garden, and in the process help relieve her of her remaining jewels. There would be enough light with the gas lamps that lined the paths in the garden. Enough light, so that as Angie helped the princess look, her fingers could slip ever so delicately slip in and search along her shiny sky blue gown.
**
Angie licked her lips slowly as she fantasied about the search. The girl bending down to look under a bush, Angie placing her knee sharply in a certain spot below the girl’s armpit, temporarily numbing her upper body. Allowing Angie enough time to pull off both her earrings without feeling it,( this also worked well on working off broaches placed in upper parts of gowns and dresses, not to mention necklaces!) The bracelet would be no problem; it would be the easiest and probably the first, snatched off while the rich girl’s attention was easily diverted away. Since she was not wearing silky gloves, her ring would be the trickiest, but manageable, by either having her walk too close to a water fountain and hopefully having her get her fingers wet, or by simple holding onto her hand and tripping her by stepping on her gowns hem. And just like that, Angie would become that much richer, the rich girl that much poorer. And it all would be done without giving the girl any additional stress, like say she had run into the two muggers Angie had chased off. They may not have been content with just the jewels of a girl dressed as she was that they had found wandering alone in the gardens at night.
**
As Angie excitedly thought about these things, she had trained her focus back upon her original meal ticket, whom for the second time that evening had almost been allowed to slip through Angie’s light fingers. Watching with half lidded eyes, the still dancing couple not unlike a wolf watches lambs, waiting for one to make an ill-fated move away from the flock. The lamb’s fate was sealed, when a vivacious blonde in a long wispy silken dress cut in on the dancing couple. Asking miss silver satin’s fiancé for a dance. He obliged, leaving his shimmering fiancée unaccompanied, nakedly exposed to the wolf that was Angie.
**
More than one way to skin a cat Angie thought, tingling from the thrill of the hunt her prey, now in a reachable situation. She happily headed towards the spot where Miss silver satin had moved off to. A small table, located conveniently by a powder room. One the way she grabbed a half full glass of red wine off a table. Angie circled around young miss silver satin, taking a position up about two table lengths behind her. She casually scoured the area; most of the nearby tables were deserted.
Knowing the band would stop playing soon for the evening; most of the couples were out on the dance floor. All in all, the situation presented the perfect opportunity for some one of Angie’s persuasion.
**
Angie watched as the young lady picked up a glittery silver clutch and opening it, started to search inside. Angie moved swiftly, catching up behind her , tripping intentionally into her, splashing some wine onto the front of the silver satin blouse as the unfortunate lady dropped her purse in surprise. Oh my gosh, I did not see you, miss silver satin pleaded apologetically to Angie, more concerned over Angie’s feelings than her soiled satin blouse. Angie accepted her apology and, producing a lacey silk handkerchief, began to wipe themselves both down.
Angie’s practiced eyes swiftly took it all in. Miss silver satin’s pretty earrings swaying out vulnerably from her long straggly hair as it fell into her face. The clasp of her necklace was also exposed and within easy grasp. A s she reached out for the floor to steady herself, Angie’s eyes took in the sparkling ring on her now wetted finger and then watched the wide bracelet with its’ easily open able clasp slip up glitteringly over her sleeve.
The girl, now thoroughly flustered, started to rise, tripping over her slippery long skirt( with no help from Angie) Angie caught her, taking advantage of the split second opening she had been waiting for and Angie took it, making her selection as she steadied the poor thing with one hand, as the other caressed along a slick silver satin back. Angie’s long supple fingers darted in and deftly did their trick, this time with no spiders interfering. She quickly removed her chosen glittery prize from the distracted lady, who never noticed so much as a prick as Angie removed the expensive piece from her person in the confusion.
**
Angie secreted he shiny jewel as she helped miss silver satin collect herself. Than they rose, and Angie happily accepted miss silver satin profuse and obviously well used, apology. Then, as she fumbled nervously with her thick glasses, Angie laid a calming hand upon her shoulder, her fingers relishing in the richness of her victims sleek ruffled blouse. Miss silver satin was by now so distracted and embarrassed that Angie was all but assured of a clean get away.
However, as an extra measure of caution Angie intentionally jarred silver satin’s elbow of the hand steadying her eye glasses. Thus sending her glasses falling from her face to the floor with a small clatter, then Angie kicked them under a table before the startled lady could react. Angie offered to help, but the lady implored that she was okay, just needed to find her glasses. Angie left as Miss silver satin started to frantically grope around for her glasses, her silver blouse and remaining jewels shimmering brightly along their miserable mistress..
Angie took her leave, knowing that once she found her glasses, Miss silver satin would flee for sanctuary into the ladies powder room, buying her more than enough time for Angie to make her escape. Taking one last look over the dance floor, she blithely saw that miss silver satins fiancé was still in the clutches of the vivacious blonde-haired girl, still safely out of the picture. Angie made her way with purpose to the rear exit leading to the garden that she had used earlier, intending to head out into the serenity garden to collect the hidden bracelet and pendent, adding them to her purloined plunder.
**
As she walked amongst the mostly deserted tables, her mind went to the woman in yellow taffeta and imagined that right about now she would be standing with raised arms and a forlorn look. Ruefully wincing as the man who was holding her mink busily stripped those luscious pearls from the neckline of her tight gown, as the shiny yellow material gleamed in the moonlight! Serves her right for being afraid of spiders, Angie thought unforgivingly.
***
Angie’s mind also went to the poor young princess in blue with the missing necklace. She looked towards the area she had headed, opposite of the back exit to the garden. She reluctantly decided not to push her luck, there was a sister and parents to contend with, and she really had no time left. So she decided to call it a day, a rather successful day, and made her way to retrieve her loot.
**
Angie had now reached the now deserted table by the back exit where the lady in the crimson gown and blood red rubies had been earlier, along with her rhinestone encumbered 10 year old daughter and handsome husband.
**
She paused between the table and the bench, something was not quite right, She eyed the area around the dance floor for any signs of trouble that may be centered on the quite valuable jewels now in her possession. All was quiet, except for a little murmur behind her. Turning she looked at the bench and was shocked to discover the soundly asleep ten year old, using the long rusty sable fur as a blanket. What have we here, Angie thought, licking her lips wickedly?
**
Angie pursed her lips, checking the coast; spotting the young girl’s parents, still on the dance floor, a safe distance away the other side of the room. No sign of miss silver satin. No one else was nearby. Perfect. She went over, bending down so the table hid her. The child looked so vulnerably innocent, sound asleep as she lay on her side, facing Angie. She was clutching an arm of the sable like a warm fuzzy teddy bear, her ring sparkling. Angie gently tugged the mink from the girl’s clasp, and gradually pulled until the fur swished away from along the inert silken figure on the bench, where it fell into a pile on the floor. The child looked very innocent, very vulnerable, like a sleeping princess. An earring lay exposed over one shoulder, her necklace dangled down slightly askew from her slender throat, the pin holding her sash, all of which shone brightly now that it was exposed to the low lights of the ballroom, still called out. Too bad, Angie thought to herself, too bad the mother had not dressed her little doll in real diamonds.
**
Angie again looked to the dance floor; she could see the mother’s jewelry twinkling brightly as the child’s parents danced close, very unaware of anything else but themselves. She looked back over the girl, contemplating. But the song was winding down, Angie stooped to pick up the sable, bird in hand she thought, and placing the rich fur over her arm, stood just as the song ended. Looking at the exit door, so near and yet so far, she started to hasten to it, but checked herself as the band immediately started another, rather slow song that Angie knew quite well.
**
She hesitated, incredibly, everyone was staying on the floor for the final dance, she looked back at the bench, and the sleeping imps exposed jewels still shined, tempting her to come for them. Angie knew that she would only have about four minutes. Always open to new challenges, Angie chose to answer that sweet little invite that the necklace was extending out to her. Checking once again to make sure the parents was still obliviously dancing; she laid the mink down by the door and eased back to the bench. Kneeling down, Angie began to perform the delicate operation.
**
Lifting up the necklace she gently tugged it loose from around the sleeping child’s neck until the clasp appeared. She subtly flicked open the clasp, then shamelessly slipped the necklace from around its perch on the little whelp’s throat. It flickered like some slithering shiny snake, glittering as it came away. Like taking candy from a baby, Angie drooled happily, as she let the necklace run along her fingertips while watching the sleeping princess for a few seconds.
**
Her fitted cream coloured dress shimmered with expensive richness in the shadowy light. The poor thing was so soundly asleep after her long exhausting day that Angie figured she could have peeled the dress off her without causing a stir. This for a pickpocket would be the ultimate test, the pinnacle of her criminal class. But, Angie thought; if she ever had the opportunity to do so, it would have to be worth her while, like a shiny gown, an appealing sky blue gown with half sleeves and scooped collar. And the jewels would be sapphire drop earrings, bracelet and ring, not plain rhinestones. She licked her lips at the enticing thought of such a perfect “coup fera”, than told herself to get back to work, time was money.
**
She slipped her hand along the satin cape being used as a pillow and felt under the girls head until she felt the cold earring she was laying upon. Deftly undoing the screw she pulled it free, watching with delight as it came out from underneath.
**
Angie than, gently lifted, and nimbly stroked back the girl’s ultra-soft hair, exposing her long silvery earring. She pulled the jewel out and laid it out upon the child’s shoulder, where it lay, shimmering vibrantly. Then she reached in with her fingers and began unscrewed its clasp. Pulling it free she added it to her growing collection. She next lifted the hand that had held the warm sable, gently prying open her clenched fingers. The sleeping child never stirred. Angie gently slipped off the glittering ring. She then peeled back a silky sleeve, checking for the bracelet, finding her wrist was bare. The rest of the jewels were hiding securely on the side she was laying upon. Smiling wickedly to herself, an idea popped into Angie’s head.
**
The music was now almost to the halfway point, and Angie thought for a brief second that she should leave . Another quick scan assured her the coast was still clear, and Angie decided to press her luck, eagerly going back to work, putting her idea into motion.
Angie fingers felt along the sleeping child’s waist until she located the brooch. Quickly unfastening the brooch from the chocolate satin sash, she pulled it out. Watching as the diamonds caught fire and burst into vibrant life, unusually vivid for plain rhinestones she thought contemplatively. Angie plopping it in with the growing pile of the sleeping girls purloined baubles. Again reaching in along the warm waist, Angie gradually tugged at the now undone sash. The sleeping girl, unconsciously obliged by turning over on her other side, as the sash was pulled away.
**
Her arm with the ring and bracelet was now exposed. Lifting the arm , and peeling back the puffy sleeve, Angie found and unclasped the bracelet, slipping it away, then allowing it to dangle in triumph before letting it join its purloined mates. Then lifting the child’s hand she pulled at the ring, it was a little tight. Angie licked her fingers, and moistened the girls finger, than began slipping the ring off ever so gently from the along her finger. Almost there, Angie thought, as the ring joined its abducted companions in her pocket.
**
As Angie finished pocketing the last of the girls jewels, her victim whimpers something discernible in her sleep, her small hand feeling to pull up the missing warm sable she had been using as a blanket. Angie quickly looked around, spying a cheap linen coat hanging on a nearby hook, she grasped it and laid it over the stirring girl, stroking her for a precious few seconds. Then rising, calmly Angie snatched a shiny purse from the table, and moved off, unbelieving of her luck. She reclaimed the sable fur, and strolled out the door without looking back.
**
As Angie closed the door she heard the last notes of the song waning from inside. She licked her lip, that was close, but her luck had held. Now all that remained was to visit the Cupid Statue In the garden to reclaim her other prizes. As she reached the statue, Angie realized that she still had the child’s satin sash in her hand.
She smiled as she tied it, blindfolding the cupid statues eyes. Retrieving and pocketing the now stone cold diamond bracelet, and the young Princess in blue’s necklace with its shimmering pendent, she slowly looked around, the cost was clear. Angie coolly made her way to the gate, the bored guard offering to help her with the mink she was carrying. , Angie stopped, and handed it to him. Then turning, allowed him to help her on with it. He puffed out his chest as Angie gave him a sweet smile; she thanked him, then turned and disappeared into the darkness of the night.
**
Angie disappeared from view into the foggy evening, relishing the warmth of the sensuous sable. Happily contemplating the small fortune in jewels it had been in contact with earlier that evening, and also the small fortune she had walked out of the reception with in her possession.
**
The guard watched the spot for some time where the pretty lady in the expensive fur had vanished in the mists. He fantasized for a good few minutes, wondered what had been behind the enchantingly secret smile she had given to him.
Excuse me, sir?, a female voice coming from the garden startles him, he had never heard anyone coming.
He turns, catching an eyeful of a long glamourous, brown satin gown, worn fetchingly by a willowy short haired pretty young thing. Diamonds blazed from around her throat, caught by the gas lights, and from around her white satin gloved wrists as she raised her hands in a pleading fashion.
She continues, pointing to a young girl in a smashing blue satin gown, bending over looking for something in the bushes. My sister lost her necklace and pendent while playing around here earlier, did you or anyone find it? She asked in a rather seductive tone of voice9 not a common, it was her regular voice)
No lady, no one turned in a necklace. Thank you sir, and she turns away, her gown flowing out behind her.
He watches for a minute as she and her sister both move elegantly down the path, continuing their search.
He sighed, and turns away, babysitting rich dames he mutters under his breath, what a dismal way to make a living. Why won’t this affair ever end he asked himself, as he reached for his silver pocket watch to check the time. Damnations he said, not finding it nor its chain and fob, must have dropped it in the alley earlier where I had gone for a nipper from his flask. He sauntered off quickly to the alley located in the direction Angie had disappeared, abandoning his post.
Soon after, a pair of dark figures who had been walking on the opposite side of the street, and had stopped to loiter when they spied the guard talking to some posh broad in a shiny brown dress, saw the guard leaving his post. They quickly stole with sinister intent across the road and entered into the gardens, disappearing into the darkness.
*********************************************************************************
This ended up being Angie’s first big score, She got more for the rhinestone set then she had imagined, the small brooch taken off the brown satin sash had proved to have real diamonds in its center! Also the princess in silky sky blue’s pendent and chain had fetched a nice tidy sum. The jewels lifted from the ladies in Green and Silver also realized quite a handsome profit, as did the sable and purse.
if one includes the real diamond ring slipped off the finger of a silky dressed debutante from the prom show and her rather nice haul of a slim pearl necklace and diamond pin from the Opera, the whole weekend was unimaginably successful.
**
From the profit realized, she had been able to spend a pleasant month away in Monte Carlo, even indulging in the purchase of a rich red wine coloured taffeta gown to wear.
Which she pleasantly found that, when paired with her deftly acquired collection of dripping rhinestone diamond jewelry, she attracted wealthy young males with expensive gold watches and fat wallets like honey bee drones to a bright moss rose.
**
She also enticed a long raven haired, Miss, richly clad in emerald silk, to enter into her snare.
But Angie did not make an entirely clean get away. For the last jewel to be taken was the girl’s brooch , and before Angie could hide it with the rest, the girl spotted its’ glitter in Angie’s hand, and with a gasp had looked down on her dress at the now vacant spot where it had been dangling ever so provocatively for Angie all evening.. Angie smiled at the girl as she had looked up in confusion. The girl had placed a hand to her throat, startled when feeling it bare of her necklace. She looked at Angie in hurt confusion, her eyes wide with fright. Angie placed a finger to the girl’s lips, hushing any fuss she may have been thinking of making over her missing jewelry, and turning her back to the forlorn miss, Angie left, not looking back….
**
But that was a story for another day, so we were promised by Angie, giving us an all too familiar look of devious satisfaction at making us wait.
.************************************************************************************
Editor’s Notes:
Our Thanks to Mr. J. Gardner for pointing out the existence of Mr. Monescu’s 1826 guide
If you enjoyed our little story, please like and leave a comment.
And if you wish, describe what intrigued you the most about it…
Thank You
************************************************************************************
Courtesy of Chatwick University Archives
All rights and copyrights observed by Chatwick University, Its contributors, associates and Agents
No Part of this can reprinted, duplicated, or copied be without the express written permission and approval of Chatwick University.
These photos and stories are works of fiction. Any resemblance to people, living or deceased, is purely coincidental.
As with any work of fiction or fantasy the purpose is for entertainment only, and should never be attempted in real life.
We accept no responsibility
This second scrapyard was not accessible last year, our visit was short lived as it was still quite radiated but seemed to be full of interesting vehicles and different types compared to the other scrapyard we visited last year.
Other set of Pripyat Scrapyard here: www.flickr.com/photos/timster1973/sets/72157645592320313/
Named for the nearby Pripyat River, Pripyat was founded on 4 February 1970, the ninth nuclear city in the Soviet Union, for the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. It was officially proclaimed a city in 1979, and had grown to a population of 49,360 before being evacuated a few days after the 26 April 1986 Chernobyl disaster.
Though Pripyat is located within the administrative district of Ivankiv Raion, the abandoned city now has a special status within the larger Kiev Oblast (province), being administered directly from Kiev. Pripyat is also supervised by Ukraine's Ministry of Emergencies, which manages activities for the entire Chernobyl Exclusion Zone.
Access to Pripyat, unlike cities of military importance, was not restricted before the disaster as nuclear power stations were seen by the Soviet Union as safer than other types of power plants. Nuclear power stations were presented as being an achievement of Soviet engineering, where nuclear power was harnessed for peaceful projects. The slogan "peaceful atom" (Russian: mirnyj atom) was popular during those times. The original plan had been to build the plant only 25 km (16 mi) from Kiev, but the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences, among other bodies, expressed concern about it being too close to the city. As a result, the power station and Pripyat were built at their current locations, about 100 km (62 mi) from Kiev. After the disaster the city of Pripyat was evacuated in two days.
My blog:
timster1973.wordpress.com
Also on Facebook
www.Facebook.com/TimKniftonPhotography
online store: www.artfinder.com/tim-knifton
instagram: instagram.com/timster_1973
Posters | FB | Soundcloud | Insta | Twitter | G+ | Blog | Ben Heine
View the full photo report on my blog (photos of the opening, making of the colorful outfit, visitors, friends...)
Find a selection of my best photos here (prints/posters available). Please also subscribe to my Instagram page to see more.
PS: All my images are copyrighted, please do not use them without permission, thank you.
For more info about my projects, contact: info@benheine.com
The full video is available on YouTube via link.
studio.youtube.com/video/fRXAQvsD5d4/edit/basic
Text revised and up-dated on 27 Dec 2022.
McKinney’s Old (GNRI) Railway Bridge
The Great Northern Railway (Ireland) (GNR(I) or GNRI) was an Irish gauge (1,600mm - 5'- 3") railway company in Ireland. It was formed in 1876 by a merger of the Irish North Western Railway (INW|), Northern Railway of Ireland, and Ulster Railway. The governments of Ireland and Northern Ireland jointly nationalised the company in 1953, however the company was liquidated in 1958.
The Great Northern Railway (GNR) which ran from Omagh to L/Derry crossed the island of Island More (Corkan) via two metal railway bridges. The 'Red Bridge' which is located
to the North of the island at Glenfad near Porthall and is still accessible but predominately used by the farming community and the river bed aggregate extraction company while the bridge onto Island More to the South was demolished by the British Army during the Northern Ireland 'Troubles' as where many small cross-border unapproved) roads.
Known locally as 'McKinney's Bridge' it crosses the River Foyle which forms the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, hence the reason why the bridge was demolished and is now unusable as a crossing point.
Anthony Freire Marreco (b.26th Aug 1915 d.4th June 2006, aged 90)
When growing up, I knew Islandmore or Corkan Island as 'Marreco's Island', named after Anthony Freire Marreco who was a British barrister and who had maintained a georgian
house at Porthall, near Lifford, Co. Donegal, on the banks of the River Foyle overlooking the island.
Anthony Blechynden Freire Marreco was born in Leiston, Suffolk, England on 26th Aug 1915 where his father's regiment was stationed at the time. The only son of Geoffrey Algernon Freire Marreco (b.25 Feb 1882 d.15 Sept 1969) of The Old Court House, St Mawes, Cornwall and his wife, nee Hilda, Gwendoline Beaufoy Francis (b.1 Dec 1887 d.9th June 1967) from Hampshire. Both parents are buried at St. Lucadius Church of Ireland, Clonleigh Parish, Lifford, Co. Donegal, Ireland.
The Freire Marreco’s were of Portuguese origin; Antonio Joaquim Freire Marreco (b.1787 d.1850), Anthony's great-grandfather was an interesting fellow. Born in Penafiel in
Northern Portugal he left for Brazil in 1808, together with King João VI and the Portuguese Court, who fled the invading Napoleonic troops and settled in Rio de Janeiro.
In 1820, the King returned to Portugal and Marreco returned with him. Antonio established himself in business in England in the early 1820s as a wine importer and in July 1834 married Anna “Annie” Laura Harrison (born in 1806) of Newcastle, the daughter of his English business partner, William Harrison, at St. Botulph's Church, Aldgate in London. He became a naturalised British subject. Freire was the original Portuguese surname, Marreco was added by the grandfather after a trip to Brazil were at that time it was popular to add the names of flowers and bird, Marreco being a type of duck.
Geoffrey, Anthony’s father worked for Richard Garrett & Sons a manufacturer of agricultural machinery, steam engines and trolleybuses, the factory was located in Leiston, Suffolk, England being founded by Richard Garrett in 1778.
Education
Anthony initially attended a private school, Allen House in Woking (founded in 1871), before attending the Royal College of St Peter's, Westminster from 1929 to 1934 where his lifelong interest in human rights began. His headmaster, Dr. Crossley-White had invited leading personalities of the day to dinner. At the age of 17, Marreco met his childhood hero, T.E. Lawrence (b.1888 d.1935) and also Mahātmā Ghandi (b.1869 d.1948).
Stage Career
In 1934 he joined the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), but was expelled after being spotted by the principal's wife at the Epsom Downs Derby, when he should have been attending classes. From 1935 to 1937, he began a career on the stage, playing in Shakespeare and forming friendships with figures such as Noel Coward (b.1899 d.1973) and
Johnny Weismuller (b.1904 d.1984). He joined Northampton Repertory and was stage manager at Crewe Repertory and later the London shows at His Majesty's Theatre, Daly's
Theatre, the Arts Theatre and the Theatre Royal.
Military Career
In 1940 he joined Royal Navy as a rating, Commission, Sub-Lieutenant (A) Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve R.N.V.R. and when the Admiralty learned that he had a pilot's licence,
Certificate No:14851 issued on 24 April 1937 by the Great Britain, Royal Aero Club Aviators at Airwork School of Flying, Heston Airport, Hounslow, Middlesex, which was taken
using an Avro Club Cadet Gipsy Major 130. He was later commissioned to fly a Fairey Swordfish (a biplane torpedo bomber). He received his wings on 6th October 1940 and was
appointed to train observers at R.N.A.S. Arbroath in Scotland.
In 1941 he was temporarily released from Naval duties on appointment, as Assistant Counsel to the legal department of the Industrial Export Council and was later promoted to
Lieutenant. In the same year he was appointed to the Royal Naval Air Service (R.N.A.S.) at Yeovilton in Somerset as Instructor, Fighter Direction School.
In January 1942 Marreco was appointed Fleet Fighter Direction Officer, Staff Commander-in-Chief, H.M.S. King George V (41) the flagship of both the British Home Fleet and
Pacific Fleets. In May 1941, along with HMS Rodney, King George V was involved in the hunt and pursuit of the German battleship Bismarck, eventually inflicting severe battle
damage which led to her being scuttled in the North Atlantic on 27 May 1941.
In April, Marreco was lent to US Carrier Wasp as Flight Deck Officer (FDO) to fly Spitfires off to Malta and in June 1942 was appointed to the Naval Night Fighter Development Unit.
In June 1943 he was appointed Flight Deck Officer (FDO) on an American built 'Attacker class' Escort Aircraft Carrier, which took part in “Operation Avalanche”, the codename for the Allied landings near the port of Salerno which was executed on 9 September 1943, part of the Allied invasion of Italy.
In December 1943 he was appointed Flight Deck Officer (FDO) of the American built Aircraft Carrier, USS Pybus (CVE-34) which was renamed Emperor (D98) by the Royal Navy.
In January 1944 he was promoted to Lieutenant Commander and appointed Flight Deck Officer (FDO) Aircraft Carrier Formidable (67), which was involved in Operation Mascot, an
unsuccessful air raid against the German battleship Tirpitz at her anchorage in Kaafjord, Norway, on 17 July 1944. The attack was one of a series of strikes against the battleship, launched from british aircraft carriers between April and August 1944. Tirpitz, was eventually sank during Operation Catechism on 12 November 1944 off Håkøy Island near Tromsø, Norway.
Formidable was subsequently assigned to the British Pacific Fleet (BPF) in 1945 where she played a supporting role during the Battle of Okinawa, codenamed Operation Iceberg
where the Allies assembled the most powerful naval force in history. Formidable. later attacked targets in the Japanese Home Islands. She was hit twice by kamikaze aircraft
on the 4th and 9th of May. In both instances, she was saved by her armoured deck and was able return to flight operations rapidly. The ship was used to repatriate liberated Allied prisoners of war and soldiers after the Japanese surrender and then ferried British personnel across the globe through 1946.
Later in June 1945 Marreco was discharged for passage to the UK to take up an appointment at the Admiralty as advisor on Kamikaze suicide fighters during the pending final assault on Japan. He left his ship and flew to Sydney, Australia and as Senior Naval Officer, he boarded an old P&O liner call the 'Randi' which requisitioned by the Admiralty on 27 August 1939 and converted on 23 October 1939 to an armed merchant cruiser to carrying Japanese prisoners of war back to Southampton. Marreco, as part of his job aboard,
describes the trip, "I had to get up at 5.00am and bury my brother's and sister's who had not survived the night”.
In 1946, Marreco was demobilised and return to civvy street, he soon accepted an offer to attend the Nuremburg War Crimes Tribunal as part of the British delegation where he
spent a number of months. During October 1946 he was appointed Chief Assistant to Deputy Chairman, Government Sub-Committee (Control Commission) for Berlin and later in April 1947 was appointed Director of the same.
In October 1947 was appointed British member, Directorate of Internal Affairs and Communications; Chief Staff Officer to Political Adviser to Military Governor. During December 1948 he resigned from the Control Commission.
Legal Career
Having passed his first Bar Examination in 1938, he was called to the Bar (Inner Temple) in 1941 during his absence on war service. He continued his law studies and took his Bar Finals at Twatt on a remote island in the Orkneys, invigilated by a chief petty officer. He was later a pupil of the distinguished Irish lawyer Brian McKenna in Walter Monckton's chambers in the Temple located at 2, Paper Buildings, London. Marreco never returned to the Bar, and instead went on to become a human-rights advocate, helping co-found Amnesty International.
Publishing & Banking
In the 1950s he was a director of Weidenfeld & Nicolson, established 1949, a British publisher of fiction and reference books. He also worked as an investment banker for SG
Warburg & Co founded in 1946 by Siegmund Warburg (b.1902 d.1982) and Henry Grunfeld (b.1904 d.1999).
Olympic Games – Germany 1936
Anthony received an invitation from Otto Christian von Bismarck (b.1987 d.1976) who was counsellor at the German Embassy in London (1929 to 1937) to attend the 1936 Summer
Olympic games in Germany as part of an official party. On attendance with some others were, John Beverley Nichols (b.1898 d.1983) English author, playwright, journalist,
composer, and public speaker and Mangal Heppeelipol (New Zealander) there was a mix up with their seats and it looked like they would not get in, however a German SS officer
frantically beckoned them upstairs to some fine seats. Minutes later Adolf Hitler, Hermann Göring and Joseph Goebbels along with their respective wives arrived and took up their seats directly in front. The party was in the charge of Ernst Hanfstaengl (b.1887 d.1975), nicknamed "Putzi", who was a German-American businessman and became an
intimate friend and confidant of Adolf Hitler who enjoyed listening to "Putzi" play the piano. Hitler was the godfather of Hanfstaengl's son Egon (b.1921 d.2007).
Marreco witnessed the display of fury that Hitler showed when Jessie Owens (b.1913 d.1980) won the 100 meters (Owens won four gold medals, the long jump, 100 meters, 200 meters and 4 × 100m relay). Marreco also remarked how Helene Bertha Amalie “Leni” Riefenstahl (b.902 d.2003) who was a German film director, actress and Nazi sympathizer
jumped up with her camera and filmed Hitler from every conceivable angle every time he spoke. She was commissioned by the German Olympic Committee for $7 million to film the Games and directed the Nazi propaganda films “Triumph des Willens” (Triumph of the Will) and “Olympia” (video documentary of the games). Both movies are widely considered to be the most effective, and technically innovative, propaganda films ever made. Adolf Hitler was in close collaboration with Riefenstahl during the production of at least three important Nazi films during which they formed a friendly relationship. Some have suggested that Riefenstahl's visions were essential in the carrying out of the Holocaust?
Nuremberg War Crimes Tribunal (1945 to 1949)
Marreco takes up the story. "I had returned from the Navy and I was back in my London chambers when one day in March 1946 after coming out of the dining hall of the Inner
Temple, about three months into the trial, Hartley Shawcross (b.1902 d.2003), the Attorney-General, (he was a sailing acquaintance of my father), fell into step beside me and
he said, "Good to see you Marreco, how are getting on? I’m fine”, and then he asked, "Would you like to go to Nuremberg?" Marreco replied, “Give me 24 hours”, I went back to my chambers and discussed the proposition with my colleagues who advised me to go. He arrived in Germany, just as U.S. Chief of Counsel, Robert Houghwout Jason
(b.1892 d.1954) was cross-examining Hermann Göring (18 March 1946). Marreco was briefed by the head of the British team, Sir David Maxwell Fyfe (b.1900 d.1967), 1st Earl of
Kilmuir.
Members of the British Prosecuting Counsel at Nuremberg included: Chief Prosecutor: Attorney General Sir Hartley Shawcross, Deputy Chief Prosecutor: Rt. Hon. Sir David Maxwell Fyfe, Leading Council: Mr. Geoffrey ('Khaki') Dorling Roberts (b.1886 d.1967), Junior Council: Major J. Harcourt Barrington (b.1907 d.1973), Major Frederick Elwyn Jones
(b.1909 d.1989), Mr Edward George G Robey (b.1900 d.1983), Lieut Col. John Mervyn Griffith-Jones (b.1909 d.1979), Colonel Henry Josceline Phillimore (b.1910 d.1974), Mr. Airey
Middleton Sheffield Neave (b.1916 d.1979), Sir Clement Raphael Freud (b.1924 d.2009) & Peter John Ambrose Calvocoressi (b.1912 d.2010).
In all, six organisations, including the SS, the Gestapo and the high command of the German army were also accused. 199 defendants were tried, 161 were convicted and 37 were
sentenced to death, including 12 of those tried by the International Military Tribunal (IMT).
From March to Sept 1946 Marreco was Junior Counsel of the British Delegation, his first task was to join a subsidiary tribunal to sort out the witnesses, convened under Airey
Neave who was the first British officer to escape from Colditz Castle on 12 May 1942. The defence called more than 400 witnesses. Marreco was present when they made their
depositions and cross-examined them on behalf of the prosecution. He also describes how he helped draft the trials' forensic closing speech delivered by the head of the
British team, Sir Hartley Shawcross.
Marreco recalls, "In the six months I was in Nuremberg, I got to know each of the Nazi defendants, and with one notable exception, I never liked any of them. Particularly, Joachim von Ribbentrop, the former ambassador to Britain who sat ashen-faced and was the most unpalatable character. Wilhelm Frick (Reich Minister of the Interior) was a horrible little man, Walther Funk (Reich Minister for Economic Affairs) was another dirty little shit”. He loathed Rudolf Höss, the commandant of Auschwitz whom he vividly remembered being "brought into the courtroom clanking in chains" and who paced up and down, giving the impression of a madman. But with Hermann Göring, Hitler's number two, there was something about his attitude and the way he took charge of all the defendants that was, for me, totally compelling."Göring, who sangfroid throughout the judicial process and on one occasion when a particularly attractive military wren was standing next to the dock, Göring reached out and pinched her bottom. "She was so incensed and complained to the judge, but Göring knew he was going to die and he didn't care".
Britain’s legal team was tiny compared with the 300-plus American one, but Maxwell Fyfe told Marreco that the American's had got bogged down because the German defence counsel had surprisingly called more than 400 witnesses, many of them SS guards who had previously been at the extermination camps of Auschwitz and Belsen.
The International Military Tribunal (IMT) announces it's verdicts on November 1946. It imposed the death sentence on 12 defendants, Hermann Göring, Joachim von Ribbentrop,
Wilhelm Keitel, Ernst Kaltenbrunner, Alfred Rosenberg, Hans Frank, Wilhelm Frick, Julius Streicher, Fritz Sauckel, Alfred Jodl, Arthur Seyss-Inquart, and Martin Bormann.
3 are sentenced to life imprisonment, Rudolf Hess, Walther Funk and Erich Raeder. The only one of them to serve their entire life in prison was Rudolf Hess who died on 17 Aug 1987, he was found strangled to death in a cabin in the exercise yard at Spandau Prison, Berlin. Apparently, he choked himself to death with an electrical cord. Some suspected foul play.
4 receive prison terms ranging from 10 to 20 years, Karl Dönitz, Baldur von Schirach, Albert Speer, and Konstantin von Neurath. The court acquits 3 defendants: Hjalmar Schacht (Economics Minister), Franz von Papen (German politician who played an important role in Hitler's appointment as chancellor), and Hans Fritzsche (head of Press and Radio).
The death sentences were carried out on 16 October 1946, with two exceptions: Hermann Göring committed suicide shortly before his scheduled execution, and Martin Bormann,
who was sentensed but was absent during the trial. The other 10 defendants were hanged, their bodies cremated at Ostfriedhof, Munich, and their ashes deposited in the Iser
River.
Video - Nuremberg Executions 1946 - What Happened to the Bodies? (Mark Felton Productions)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=At7IA19fXHc&ab_channel=MarkFe...
Video - Joachim von Ribbentrop (Mark Felton Productions)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-q6pdTyE0Q&ab_channel=MarkFe...
Video - Hermann Göring's Mysterious Death (Mark Felton Productions)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IMhFW7539s&ab_channel=MarkFe...
Hermann Göring's Special Train - Exclusive New Footage (Mark Felton Productions)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMc3Kw9aNEs&ab_channel=MarkFe...
Video - Rudolf Hess: The Last Prisoner of Spandau (Mark Felton Productions)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9lM-aaCHJU&ab_channel=MarkFe...
Video - The hanging of Rudolf Höss at Auschwitz (Alan Heath)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3C4njP5J2o&ab_channel
Post in Germany
As Chief Staff Officer to the Political Adviser to the British Military Government of Germany, and as British Member of the Directorate of International Affairs and Communications, Allied Control Authority, Berlin, from 1946 to 1949, Marreco assisted in the creation of new democratic and legal institutions in Germany.
Political Career
Marreco contested Wells in Somerset as a Liberal candidate in the 23 February 1950 general election obtaining 9,771 votes however, he was unsuccessful being beaten by the
Conservative representative Dennis Boles (b.1885 d.1958) with 20,613 votes. Again, in Goole in the West Riding of Yorkshire in the 25 October 1951 general election he obtained 17,073 votes being beaten by the Labour representative George Jeger (b.1903 d.1971) with 26,088 votes.
Amnesty International
In 1960 Flora Solomon (b.1895 d.1984), his neighbour in Shepherd Street, told Marreco that her son, Peter Benenson (b.1921 d.2005) was founding an organisation which was
later to become Amnesty International. Marreco, who had twice stood as a Liberal candidate for Parliament, supported him vigorously.
In 1968 he became Honorary Treasurer and had set up an Amnesty International Development Inc. (AID Inc.) in 1970 in the United States, which was totally separate from Amnesty
International and which could send funds to families of Greek prisoners. This was strongly opposed by Amnesty International USA. Outspoken in all his opinions, Marreco
conducted several investigations for Amnesty, notably during the regime of the Greek Colonels, when he went to Athens to interview Stylianos Pattakos (b.1912 d.2016), one of the Junta leaders of 1967 to 1974, about allegations of torture and the curtailing of civil liberties.
In 1971, Marreco investigated allegations of torture by British troops in Northern Ireland and subsequently resigned. Amnesty, he said, "refused to go to Belfast and even see these people", he added that "it was also a bizarre circumstance" that Amnesty's chairman, Sean MacBride (b.1904 d.1988), was the leader of Clann na Poblachta (Irish
republican political party) from 1946 to 1965 and was a former Chief of Staff of the IRA from 1936 to 1939. He also implied that he had received treats from the IRA when living at Porthall, County Donegal.
Mayfair Residents Association
For 13 years he was chairman of the Residents Association of Mayfair (RAM), steering it through turbulent times when it was opposed by the Association of Residents of Mayfair (ARM). When the two merged in 2004 he was appointed Honorary Present of the Residents’ Society of Mayfair and St James’s. He resigned on 13 January 2004. He was also a member
of the Royal Institute of International Affairs and of the Garrick Theatre, the Royal Thames Yacht Club and the Beefsteak Club. He was also a Director of Aldbourne Craft Trust
from 4 August 2000 until he resigned on 4 June 2006.
Institute of International Criminal Law
In 1983 he proposed setting up an Institute of International Criminal Law, to be established in association with the Irish Universities. He offered Port Hall to the Irish government as a study centre, where "the hideous violations of human rights, which had disfigured the 20th century" could be researched. His ambition was to set up a television archive of the Nuremberg Trials to be used by lawyers and peace researchers from all over the world. The Institute never came to fruition, possibly because Marreco also remained energetically committed to sorting out the legal and domestic problems of the Mayfair intelligentsia.
In his last years Marreco retired to Greenhill Bank Cottage, Aldbourne, in Wiltshire, with his wife, Gina, who was a brilliant hostess and an unforgettable cook.
Relationships
Anthony Marreco was married four times, but to only three women and had numerous affairs with other women but he had no children.
Lady Ursula Isabel Manners (b.1916 d.2017)
Lady Ursula Isabel Manners was born 8th November 1916, being the elder daughter of five children of John Manners, (b.1886 d.1940) 9th Duke of Rutland, by his wife the former
Kathleen Tennant (b.1894 d.1989, aged 95). As a 20-year-old she acted as one of Queen Elizabeth's trainbearers in Westminster Abbey and received international media attention after a photograph of her from the coronation on 12 May 1937, standing alongside the British royal family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace which was circulated in the news.
The reports, focused on her beauty and distinctive widow's peak, leading to her being nicknamed "the cygnet" by Winston Churchill while she accompanied the king and queen on a 5-day royal tour to France in 1938.
On 25 July 1943, Lady Ursula married Anthony Marreco in the chapel at Belvoir Castle, Grantham, Leicestershire, a man she barely knew and who threatened to commit suicide if
she refused to do so. The swiftness in which a wedding was organised prompted the minister to place a chair for her to sit on at the altar as he assumed, she was pregnant, this, she admitted, had infuriated her. Marreco left her to serve in the British Armed Forces in Asia and lost communication with her until 1946. During this time she had entered into a brief relationship with Man Singh II (b.1912 d.1970), the Maharaja of Jaipur, whom she met through her friend Jawaharlal Nehru (b.1889 d.1964). Lady Ursula and Marreco divorced in 1948.
Lady Ursula resumed her maiden name, and married secondly on 22 Nov 1951, Robert Erland Nicolai d'Abo (b.1911 d.1970), the elder son of Gerard Louis d'Abo (b.1884 d.1962), by whom
she had two sons and a daughter. In 2014 she published her memoir titled “The Girl with the Widow's Peak: The Memoirs”.
Lady Ursula died on 2 November 2017, aged 100, she was one of the last surviving aristocrats to have participated at the Coronation of King George VI & Queen Elizabeth on 12 May 1937.
Louise de Vilmorin (b.1902 d.1969)
Marreco also became involved with Louise de Vilmorin through the late 1940s until 1951 who was a French novelist, poet and journalist. Born in the family château at Verrières-le-Buisson, Essonne, a suburb southwest of Paris, she was heir to the fortune of the great French seed company, that of 'Vilmorin'. (The 4th largest seed company in the world).
Louise was the younger daughter of Philippe de Vilmorin (b.1872 d.1917) by his wife Berthe Marie Mélanie de Gaufridy de Dortan (b.1876 d.1937)
From a child, she was afflicted with a slight limp, the result of Tuberculosis of the hip, however she compensated for her frailty with a flamboyant personality. She was a spellbinding talker who craved the limelight that she once flung a butterball to the ceiling when another guest at a dinner party wouldn’t allow her to tell a story.
De Vilmorin was never wholly sure of Marreco's devotion, as in Venice, in July 1950 her doubts were realised when Marreco went in successful pursuit of the somewhat unstable
Queen Alexandra of Yugoslavia (b.1921 d.1993), who had fellen madly in love with him and who then took an overdose of sleeping pills and slipped into a coma, but recovered
after two days, allegedly after de Vilmorin removed him to Sélestat in France at the end of the holiday.
De Vilmorin's diaries are peppered with references to him. She was much taken by his style of dress, on one occasion a shirt with narrow blue and white stripes, a black silk tie with white spots, a black jacket and waistcoat, spongebag trousers, and black leather ankle boots. When he went out, he perched his bowler hat at a rakish angle, and carried a furled umbrella. Above all, she was impressed by Marreco's adonis-like looks, impressed that he could return from a fashionable ball at six in the morning, neither drunk nor tired, but invigorated with life, talking of beautiful women, fortune, society and success. "Beauty likes to shine, to dazzle," wrote de Vilmorin, "and above all to be recognised!" She was deeply saddened when he left her in New Year in 1951, conscious that she was 13 years his senior and that his career might place demands on him that would take him away from her. These concerns were replicated as Marreco at this time had political aspirations.
Again, De Vilmorin's fears were realised while she was staying with Paul-Louis Weiller (b.1893 d.1993), at his villa, La Reine Jeanne, with Marreco in tow. She awoke one morning and found him gone. He had set off to Brazil in pursuit of Lali Horstmann, whose book had recently been published to great acclaim.
Vilmorin's first husband was an American real-estate heir, Henry Leigh Hunt (b.1886 d.1972), the only son of Leigh S. J. Hunt (b.1855 d.1933), a businessman who once owned
much of Las Vegas, Nevada and his wife, Jessie Nobel (b.c.1862 d.1960). They married in c.1925, moved to Las Vegas, and divorced in the 1930s. They had three daughters,
Jessie, Alexandra, and Helena.
Her second husband was Count Paul Pálffy ab Erdöd (b.1890 d.1968), a much-married Austrian-born Hungarian playboy, who had been second husband to the Hungarian countess better known as Etti Plesch (b.1914 d.2003), owner of two Epsom Derby winners. Palffy married Louise as his 5th wife in 1938, but the couple soon divorced.
Vilmorin was the mistress of another of Etti Plesch's husbands, Count [Maria Thomas] Paul Esterházy de Galántha (b.1901 d.1964), who left his wife in 1942 for Vilmorin. They
never married. For a number of years, she was the mistress of Duff Cooper (b.1890 d.1954), British ambassador to France.
Louise spent the last years of her life as the companion of the French Cultural Affairs Minister and author André Malraux (b.1901 d.1976), calling herself "Marilyn Malraux". She died on 26 Dec 1969 aged 67 and is buried in Verrières-le-Buisson (Essonne) cemetery also the initial resting place of André Malraux.
Léonie (Lally or Lali) Horstmann (b.1898 d.1954)
While serving in Germany, Marreco, then aged 36, became the lover of Lali Horstmann, who came from a distinguished German banking family, the von Schwabachs, her father was
the banker and historian Paul von Schwabach (b.1867 d.1938) and her mother Eleonor (Elli) Schröder (b.1869 d1942). Lali was the widow of Alfred (Freddy) Horstmann (b.1979 d.1947) who was a retired diplomat, art collector and later the head of the English department at the German Foreign Office. Freddy resigned his diplomatic duties in 1933, the year Hitler came to power, rather than work for the Nazis.
As Germany collapsed in the face of the allied invasion, the Horstmann’s decided, against the trend of fleeing from the Russian advance, by staying at their Kerzendorf estate,
East of Berlin, an elegant eighteenth-century house which contained numberous antiquities, had a small park, avenues, statues and a garden. The house was destroyed one night
by allied bombers and the Horstmann's moved into the agent's little house in the park.
At first, the Horstmann's were able to anaesthetise themselves from the worst excesses through their wealth and possessions, but soon the valuable objets sought by Russian
soldiers ran out as they lived in constant fear of rape and pilliage. One day in March 1946, Freddy was taken away by the Russian Secret Police for questioning about his
diplomat duties, stating, "It is now Saturday, six o'clock, you will probably be back tomorrow at the same time, Tuesday at the latest."
Almost, two and a half years later, August 1948 at Berlin station, Lali was told that Freddy had died of starvation in a Russian concentration camp, (No.7 Sachsenhausen,
Oranienburg, Germany, which was only a few miles from their home) a year after his arrest and that he was buried at the edge of the camp with many of his companions. Others
had survived, a few had been released for no apparent reason, many of them were still, and are now, in captivity. My husband, like all the others, had never been questioned
or tried. He had never been given any opportunity to defend himself.
Lali later wrote a moving account of her search for him, 'Nothing for Tears' (1953), which has been described as "one of the most remarkable personal documents to come out of
Germany at the end of 2nd World War". Marreco's relationship ended in Berlin, but they remained friends, both in Berlin and later when Lali moved to London.
They met again in 1954 in Brazil only when Lali made her first trip to Brazil to meet friends who had settled in Paraná in the south of the country. Lali asked Anthony to drive her from Rio to Paraná. They stopped overnight in São Paulo, where Lali was found the following morning, unconscious in her hotel room, having suffered a massive heart attack. She was rushed to hospital where she died the next day, aged 56. Lali Horstmann was buried in São Paulo. Marreco inherited part of her substantial fortune, derived from her ownership of real estate in Berlin and her late husband's family publishing buisness, the newspaper the 'Frankfurter General-Anzeiger', which was published in Frankfurt from 1876 to 1943 under various names. As a result of this Marreco bought Port Hall in Lifford, Co Donegal in 1956 where he lived and farmed until 1983 when he sold the house as his money was running out.
Loelia, Duchess of Westminster (b.1902 d.1993)
Marrero was subsequently the lover of Lady Loelia Mary Lindsay of Dowhill, Duchess of Westminster who was a British peeress, needlewoman and magazine editor. Loelia was the
only daughter of the courtier Sir Frederick Ponsonby (b.1867 d.1935), later 1st Baron Sysonby, and Lady Victoria Lily (Kennard) Sysonby (b.1874 d.1955), the well-known cook
book author. Loelia spent her early years at St James's Palace in London, Park House at Sandringham and Birkhall in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. As one of the "Bright Young
People", she met the twice divorced Hugh Grosvenor (b.1879 d.1953), 2nd Duke of Westminster. They were married on 20 February 1930 in a blaze of publicity, with Winston Churchill as the best man, but were unable to have children. Her marriage to the enormously wealthy peer failed and was dissolved in 1947 after years of separation.
Loelia's private diaries were likewise filled with anxious questions as to Marrero's love and loyalty. She encouraged Marrero to invest in Weidenfeld & Nicolson, and for some
years in the 1950s he was a financial supporter of George Weidenfeld (b.1919 d.2016).
Lindsay's 2nd marriage, to the divorced explorer Sir Martin Lindsay (b.1905 d.1981), 1st Baronet. The couple were married on 1st August 1969. Sir Martin, a devoted husband, died in 1981, and Lady Lindsay chose to spend her last years in nursing homes. Her memoirs, written in 1961 and titled 'Grace and Favour: The Memoirs of Loelia, Duchess of Westminster', a significant record of aristocratic life between the First and Second World Wars.
Regina de Souza Coelho (b.1927 - ?)
In 1954 Marreco went to Brazil for S G Warburg and while in Brazil he met Regina (Gina) de Souza Coelho, only daughter of Dr. Roberto and Roberto de Souza Coelho of Rio de
Janeiro. Marreco, consummated his second marriage with Gina on 19th November 1955, but the marriage was dissolved in 1961.
Anthony and Gina resumed their relationship in 1990, buying a cottage in Aldbourne, Wiltshire in 1997 and re-marrying in 2004. Very little is known about Regina.
Anne Wignall (née Acland-Troyte) b.1912 d.1982
Daughter of Major Herbert Acland-Troyte (b.1882 d.1943) and Marjorie Florence Pym (b.1891 d.1977). Anne was born in Kensington, London and had previously been married to the
5th Lord Ebury, Rennie Hoare (b.1901, d.1981), and also Lt-Col Frederick Wignall (b.1906 d.1956)
Anne first married, Robert Egerton Grosvenor (b.1914 d.1957), 5th Baron Ebury, son of Francis Egerton Grosvenor (b.1883 d.1932), 4th Baron Ebury and Mary Adela Glasson
(b.1883 d.1960), on 1 July 1933. She and Robert were divorced in 1941. Anne & Robert had two sons:
1. Francis Egerton Grosvenor, 8th Earl of Wilton (b.8th Feb 1934)
2. Hon. Robert Victor Grosvenor (b.1936 d.1993)
A keen racing driver, Lord Ebury died in an accident at Prescott, Gloucestershire on 5 May 1957, aged 43, while driving a Jaguar C-type - XKC 046 (Registration MVC630). He
was cremated at Oxford Crematorium, where there is a plaque to him and his 3rd wife Sheila, who died in 2010.
Anne's 2nd marriage on 23 December 1941 was to, Henry Peregrine Rennie Hoare (b.1901 d.1981) son of Henry Hoare (b.1866 d.1956) and Lady Geraldine Mariana Hervey
(b.1869 d.1955). Anne and Henry were divorced in 1947.
Anne's 3rd marriage on 13 November 1947 was to Lt.Col. Frederick Edwin Barton Wignall (b.1906 d.1956). He gained the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in The Life Guards and died
9 November 1956 and was buried in the churchyard of St Michael and All Angels, Poulton, Gloucestershire.
Anne's 4th marriage on 25 September 1961 was to Anthony Freire Marreco (his 3rd marriage) and as Anne Marreco she was the biographer of “Constance Markievicz - The Rebel
Countess” (1967). She changed her name back to Wignall by deed poll in 1969 and died on 23 June 1982 in Tiverton, Devon and was buried in the churchyard at All Saints Church,
Huntsham, close to her father's ancestral seat, Huntsham Court.
Port Hall House
At Port Hall Marreco bred a fine herd of Charolais cattle and was immediately accepted by that flamboyant section of Irish society known as "The Donegal Group". Anthony was a
convivial host, a considerable raconteur, his hospitality was legendary being a generous host at Port Hall, with it's spacious library and hand-painted wallpaper and at his summer house parties in Greece and in his book-lined flat in Shepherd Market in Mayfair in London.
His many guests ranged from Henry MacIlhenny (b.1910 d.1986), millionaire owner of Glenveagh Castle, Co. Donegal to historian R.B McDowell (b.1913 d.2011), who for 13 years
(1956 to 1969) was dean of discipline at Trinity College, Dublin and once castigated future President Mary Robinson.
Port Hall house was owned by Anthony Marreco from 1956 until 1983. He had a strong interest in building conservation and carefully repaired and conserved Port Hall during the
1960s. This important building is one of the most significant elements of the built heritage of Donegal, and forms the centrepiece of a group of related structures along with
the warehouses to the rear, the walled garden to the south, and the other surviving elements of the site.
Port Hall House was built in 1746 on the banks of the River Foyle, for Judge John Vaughan (b.1603 d.1674) also of Buncrana Castle, who served as a Grand Juror for County
Donegal which was based at Lifford a short distance to the south-south-west of Port Hall. The house design is attributed to Michael Priestley (d.23 September 1777), an architect who was also responsible for the designs of the county court house and gaol (Old Courthouse) in Lifford’s Diamond (were John Half-Hung MacNaghten was held), Strabane Canal, Prehen House on the outskirts of Derry City and possibly First Presbyterian Church in Magazine Street, Derry City.
Marreco strenuously opposed salmon poaching, then running at a value of £1 million of fish a year. He became chairman of the Foyle Fisheries Commission (now known as the ‘Loughs Agency’) and immersed himself in every aspect of Ireland's cultural and political life. In the last year of his life, he had wished to make his own documentary, The Rule of Law, tracing the development of international law from the time of Grotius, the 17th century philosopher, to the present day.
Anthony Freire Marreco died on 4th June 2006 aged 90 years and was buried in the graveyard of St. Michael's Church, Aldbourne, Wiltshire, England. Donations were requested for
the RSPCA.
A video interview with Anthony Marreco recalling moments from his life at aged 82 is available on YouTube via link.