Ration store in Solidad, Cuba.

The vast majority of Cuban families rely, for their food intake, on the distribution system, instated on March 12, 1962. The system establishes the rations each person is allowed to buy through the system, and the frequency of supplies.

The ration is not the only means of acquiring goods available to a Cuban citizen, as these and other products are freely available on the free market but the prices in the ration book are about 20 times lower than the free market

Built when the N&W was the property of the Pennsylvania Railroad, N&W 611 could still technically be considered on home rails while making the trek into Enola yard. The ferry move is passing under the now abandoned viaduct over the Susquehanna River that was instated by the Cumberland Valley Railroad.

Expired Kodak Tri-X 400 Canon AE-1

Canonet 28 Film Camera Kodak Colour Plus 200 film.

This valley known as Whitcombe is part of Ham Hill Country Park, in South Somerset.

It is the site of a medieval village which extended along both sides of a road running through the valley floor and culminating at the village pond, beyond the willow trees in the centre of the photograph. The stream which flowed from the pond was piped underground some time ago, and since becoming part of Ham Hill Country Park, is being re-instated.

The left hand slopes forms the remains of the ramparts of the Iron Age fort on Ham Hill.

Now that looks a lot better. 34244 now has all her blind boxes re instated and blinds fitted. Also not the black around the windscreen and fleet numbers too. A proper repaint is on the list of things to do when funds can stretch to it.

Rolling through p2 Kettering, ROG with Europhoenix liveried 37510 which has recently been re-instated, works 5M57 back to Derby in readiness for her next duties

Green-liveried Type 1 diesel electric No. D8092 stabled at Polmadie MPD on 5th April 1969. The loco was new from Robert Stephenson & Hawthorn, Darlington, in October 1961 and first allocated to Eastfield (65A). It was withdrawn in December 1982, re-instated during April 1983 and is still extant, owned by the Harry Needle Railroad Company

In lieu of the recent events the withdrawn Scanias from Croydon have been re instated at MB and one of the jobs I was tasked with was blinding buses. These are a nightmare to deal with. Half of the interior panels had to be taken off to get to them and as you can see there were still things in the way making it hard

On a fime Summer day a Brush 4 is approaching Hagley station with a heavy train of coal. The signalman is watching to see that nobody from the engineering train is liklely to be caught out by the Brush. The engineers have an old pannier tank on their train, almost certainly a Stourbridge resident. By this time Western Region steam had finished but some ex W.R. locomotives hung on in L.M. territory. The scene could be from a model railway with the pagoda corrugated iron building and the neat Great Western signal box.

Toady the scene has changed, gone is the box, the two lines of track are tighly fenced because housing occupies the old goods yard and field, thay development is know as the sidings...

I do not usually crop Peter's work but on this occasion I have, the sky is no loss but I have cut a lot of foreground, Peter did this as a 35mm vertical and had the signal most of the way down, had it been complete I would have kept it but, given the pictures was at a crazy angle I feel Peter took a grab shot to catch the trains crossing therefore I have concentrated the acion. We have lost some point rodding, some signal, track and embankment. Requests to have it re-instated should be written on a £10 note...thought not.

Peter Shoesmith, undated Circa 1966?

Copyright Geoff Dowling & John Whitehouse: All rights reserved

Commentary.

Volunteers worked very hard to re-instate this Severn Valley Railway as a privately run, Heritage Line, in the 1970’s,

following the notorious “Beeching” cuts of the early 1960’s.

The line consists of a 16 mile stretch from Bridgnorth to Kidderminster with four stations and two request “halts.”

Arley, is the third proper station after leaving Bridgnorth.

What a delight to see litter-free stations with well-tended garden borders, no graffiti, trains running on time and helpful, friendly, unstressed staff, in full, proper uniform, with a smile on their face.

Is the modern system really a mark of progress?

Or like the N.H.S. is it just over-loaded by population despite the tireless efforts of its wonderful staff to provide an excellent service, in impossible conditions?

Short, though our journey was, from Bridgnorth to Arley, return, we found it a most pleasant and agreeable experience!

On 5th September 2022, Stagecoach altered Park and Ride service 20.

Starting all the way back in 2017, Park and Ride service then known as 'PR' was routed to go via Hessle Road, Askew Avenue, Fiveways, Boothferry Road and Anlaby Road on a limited stop basis. Bus Stop flags were marked, as can be seen imaged, with the Park and Ride branded banner if included in the limited stops. The serviced offered an every 15 minute lifeline to the residents and commuters of Askew Avenue.

In September 2019, Stagecoach opted to change the 'PR' to have a number - 20, whilst also taking it away from Anlaby Road and Askew Avenue and instead operating it via Hessle Road in November. Stagecoach did leave service 22 via the Avenue between 1800 and 1930.

In October 2020, Stagecoach again changed the Park and Ride to run via the A63 and not Hessle Road, dipping to every 20 minutes too. Service 22 didn't return immediately pre-pandemic, leaving Askew Avenue with no service.

In September 2021, Stagecoach re-instated Park and Ride service 22, giving Askew Avenue four buses in the evening at 1825, 1845, 1910 and 1930 via Fiveways, Anlaby Road, Hull Royal Infirmary and City Centre. Buses did not return via this route though, again going via the A63, meaning the service was one way only on Askew Avenue.

This all changed again this month, as mentioned at the start of the post, with September 2022 changes.

Askew Avenue has again regained the Park and Ride service, but under the number 20 now with 22 withdrawn for Stadium event runs only. The 20 on Monday to Friday now runs via Askew Avenue, Fiveways, Anlaby Road, Hull Royal Infirmary and the City Centre (noticeably not Interchange) every 20 minutes between 0908 and 1328, with return runs to Priory Park operating down the Avenue between 0931 and 1321. The rest of the day's services operate the usual A63 route.

Interestingly, however, Askew Avenue receives a better Saturday service than Monday to Friday. With every 20 minute services all day running along the previously mentioned route, offering services from 0638 until 1948 into City Centre and 0731 until 1926 to Priory Park.

Seen here on its' second day of the off-peak re-route and passing an old Park and Ride marked Bus Stop Flag is Specialist livery Enviro 300 24195 on 20 to Hull City Centre.

What's next for the ever changing Park and Ride and Askew Avenue corridor? Who knows!

Crewe 2-7-85 A typical scene at Crewe station during the re-modelling with a wiring train in the background and 1 of the 4 re-instated Class 40s on an engineering train. 97406 (40135) has just brought the train from either Gresty Lane or Basford Hall via the Chester Independent line to the North end of the station and is now reversing through the station to where it is required

The Severn Valley Railway's autumn steam gala was re-instated in its traditional September slot this year, after being displaced in 2016 by the visit of Flying Scotsman. This popular event includes 24 hour running from Friday morning to Sunday evening. Here is a prime example of that with 34053 Sir Keith Park at the head of the 4am departure from Kidderminster.

This statue was erected in memory of author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who was born on 22 May 1859 close to where the statue stands in Picardy Place, Edinburgh - it commemorates the author and his famous detective, Sherlock Holmes.

It was unveiled on June 24, 1991. This photo was taken in 1993. The statue was subsequently removed in 2018 whilst tram works were undertaken on the street, then refurbished and re-instated in 2023

The statue was sculpted by Gerald Ogilvie Laing

The Dutchess of Hamilton is a streamline locomotive built in England under the direction of William Stanier in 1937.

London Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) Coronation Class 6229 (British Railways number 46229) Duchess of Hamilton is a preserved steam locomotive built in September 1938 by the LMS Crewe Works and operated until February 1964.

Service

6229 was built in 1938 at Crewe as the tenth member of its class and the last in the second batch of five red streamliners, complete with gold speed cheat stripes (the original five 6220-4 having been given a unique Caledonian blue livery with silver stripes). In 1939 no. 6229 swapped identities with the first of the class 6220 Coronation and was sent to North America with a specially-constructed Coronation Scot train to appear at the 1939 New York World's Fair.[1] There was therefore for a while a blue 6229 Duchess of Hamilton in the UK and a red 6220 Coronation in the US. R.A. Riddles drove for most of the tour, owing to the illness of the assigned driver. The locomotive (though not its carriages) was shipped back from the US in 1942 after the outbreak of the Second World War, and the identities of the locomotives were swapped back in 1943. The carriages returned in 1946.

6229 was painted wartime black livery in November 1944. Its streamlined casing was removed for maintenance-efficiency reasons in December 1947 and it was then given the LMS 1946 black livery. In 1948, 6229 passed into BR ownership. BR renumbered the locomotive as 46229 on 15 April 1948. It was painted in the short-lived BR blue livery in April 1950, but was soon repainted on 26 April 1952 into Brunswick green. The semi-streamlined smokebox was replaced with a round-topped smokebox in February 1957, and in September 1958 the locomotive was painted maroon. The lining was BR style to begin with; then in October 1959 it received the current LMS style lining which it has carried for all the years in preservation.

Preservation

46229 was saved from the scrap yard along with non streamlined classmate 6233 Duchess of Sutherland, as a result of Sir Billy Butlin's efforts to place these locomotives as children's playground exhibits at his holiday camps. The third preserved member of the class 6235 City of Birmingham was donated by British Railways to Birmingham City Council for preservation within the Birmingham Industrial Museum.

Having started construction work in the winter of 1961, the new £2 million Butlins Minehead camp opened to the public on 26 May 1962. Duchess of Hamilton and LB&SCR A1 class Knowle were added in 1964, after being transported there by Pickfords.[2]

Under a camp refurbishment and modernisation programme, the locomotives left the holiday camp in March 1975 via railhead access at Minehead railway station. In 1976, the Friends of the National Railway Museum accepted the locomotive from Butlin's on a twenty-year loan deal, and immediately began to restore and preserve it.[2] It first ran as the museum's flagship locomotive in 1980 and was operational until 1985. After purchasing the locomotive from Butlin's in 1987, after an extensive overhaul it resumed running in 1989, withdrawn from main line duty in 1996 when its seven-year boiler ticket expired.

From 1998 to 2005, 46229 was a static exhibit in the National Railway Museum, standing next to Mallard. In September 2005 the National Railway Museum announced that the streamlining would be re-instated, returning the locomotive to its original appearance. This work was undertaken at Tyseley Locomotive Works and on 18 May 2009 it was returned to the National Railway Museum, going on display in a new exhibition called "Duchess of Hamilton Streamlined: Styling An Era". Since then, the locomotive is on display next to a 1937 Chrysler Airflow. Wikipedia

G-ALDA was the last flying Hermes IV w/d in Dec 64 and scrapped at Southend mid 1965, she is seen by the old Air Courier hangers in the days when access was easy.

The type was del to B.O.A.C. in 1950 for use on their African services, however they had a short service life with B.O.A.C. most were sold on to independent airlines from 1952, although some were re-instated during 1954 after the Comet 1's were grounded.

One fuselage still exist G-ALDG at the IWM museum at Duxford preserved in early B.O.A.C colours, she had spent many years before from 1962-76 as a cabin trainer at Gatwick in BUA later Caledonian colours.

Taken then on a recently purchased Halina 35mm camera with 25ASA slide film, copied via a borrowed slide copier through my Canon 450D

Green Park railway station is a former railway station in Bath. Green Park Station has become an active retail and events space.

Queen Square station was operated by the Midland Railway. At the grouping it passed to the London, Midland and Scottish Railway. For almost all of its life, it was usually referred to as Bath Queen Square station, after the prestigious square about a quarter of a mile away. It became Bath Green Park under British Railways in 1954, and still bears that name today.

Parts of the distinctive glass roof were damaged during bombing raids in April 1942, and the glazing was not re-instated during railway usage after the war.

The atmosphere of the station was always powerfully nostalgic, and at most times of the day a short local train could be seen simmering in the platform waiting for departure time. On summer Saturdays the station became very busy, passing numerous holiday trains between northern towns and Bournemouth; all of them had to be reversed in the station.

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This picture was taken at Benaroshi Polli, Mirpur, Dhaka. She is learning the art of Benaroshi Shari designing. Learning such crafts at early age is very difficult. It requires lots of practice and patients before anyone can become a master craftsmen. She wants to go out and play with her friends instate of learning this ancient crafts.

Sixty two year old 20007 complete with “lifting eyes” stabled in the yard at Leicester depot, 8th January 2020.

Locomotive History

20007 is one of the original batch of twenty “Pilot Scheme” Class 20 locomotives built by English Electric. It entered traffic in September 1957 allocated to Devons Road MPD in Bow, London to work cross-London transfer freights. It remained in the London area until July 1969 when it began its migration north, first to Toton then in October 1970 to Tinsley and finally in October 1971 to north of the border to Haymarket. In October 1974 it came south again and was allocated to Immingham before moving to Tinsley in March 1975. It headed back north of the border again to Eastfield in September 1977, followed by spells at Inverness and Haymarket before returning to Eastfield. Following the national steel strike in early 1982, vacuum braked only 20007 was one of a number of class 20’s in store, due to the decline in traffic. Eventually traffic levels improved and 20007 was overhauled at Glasgow works in November 1984, fitted with air brake equipment, re-instated and allocated to Tinsley. Following spells at Toton and Bescot final withdrawal came in July 1993. Following withdrawal it was stored at MOD Kineton, Wabtec Doncaster and MOD Longtown before entering preservation at the Churnet Valley Railway in September 2002.

Langley Mill 7-8-22 (SUN) 60046 is seen heading for the Peak District on a Sunday evening on a cancelled/ re-instated 6Z26 from Chaddesden Sidings to Peak Forest running late which helped with the sun angle. TAKEN FROM 12 FOOT LADDER due to excessive vegetation growth which fortunately has been trimmed since!

Re-instated DB Cargo 66141 possibly bought by GBRf passes Chellaston nr Castle Donington on 14.12.17 with 6E02 1103 Bescot Down Side - Boston Docks empty steel carriers, a working previously operated by Colas Rail

Not to be seen here these days this is Volvo B5LH Hybrid / Wright Gemini 3, number 587 (SJ67 MGZ) on a Skylink 300, leaving Ocean Terminal on the 'local' service to the Airport.

As part of Lothian's service alterations in August the former Service 35 was re-instated and the 300's diagram altered to terminate at Cameron Toll rather than here at Ocean Terminal.

Stagecoach Manchester: 49893 (YX60 DWU) a Plaxton Primo badged Enterprise Plasma, painted in corporate livery. This vehicle came into the Stagecoach Manchester fleet via the acquisition of Jpt Buses of Middleton. After acquisition this vehicle spent it's time working from Stagecoach's Middleton Garage until being put into reserve a few months before this photo was taken.

In this photo we see the bus freshly re-instated, but this time operating from Stockport Garage and captured here operating a journey on Service 300, the Stockport Metroshuttle free bus service around Stockport Town Centre. This vehicle was providing the one vehicle working which has just started being covered by Stagecoach Manchester, with the remaining two workings still provided by MCT Travel.

Another vehicle from this batch has also just arrived at Stockport Garage and should see service shortly, this vehicle being 49894 which was being prepared for service in the workshops on this day.

© Christopher Lowe.

Date: 7th October 2016.

Ref No. 0038852.

LX09FBD is seen approaching Canary Wharf Station, working it's first day on this route. The route is set to pass to Stagecoach next week, expected to start off with existing vehicles before new EVs are instated when they are ready.

What was then end of a 40 mile chase from south of Oak to north of Brice, NS 188 crawls northward behind the parade with the NS 8105 Instate heritage in the lead.

A brand new 1401 in the yard of Birmingham Central Garage in September 1996. AT the time the company was named WM Buses and renamed Travel West Midlands 26 October 1996.

LIFE OF BUS 1401

New to Walsall Garage September 1996

Transferred to Perry Barr 25/04/2010

Withdrawn 25/07/2010

Re-Instated at Wolverhampton November 2010

Transferred to Perry Barr 24/04/2011 Withdrawn April 2012 To Preservation April 2016

Location: Birmingham Central WMT Garage

September 1996

WA

The original Mill was built in 1775 and stands alongside the banks of the river Thurne, built of red brick it had common sails which were turned annually to the wind by a tail pole.

During the 1800's an American style steel framed mill 40 feet high was erected within the original tower space. This blew down in 1890's, the date is recorded on the inside of the mill door.

Daniel England, the Ludham Millwright was commissioned to re-instate the mill to the traditional style.

This was built with double patent sails a cast iron wind shaft and Norfolk boat shaped cap with a petticoat gallery.

Seen during the operations to single this section of track on the Edinburgh-Bathgate line, which was subsequently re-instated.

Twin 400 class Redhens 400,433 sit on Platform 2 at Belair on 7-7-92 when Redhens were the normal and when the platform 3 track had been taken out. Since standardisation has taken place, platform 3 has been re instated as broad gauge , now with 3000 class railcars and platform 2 is now the standard gauge crossing loop.

Loughborough Central Station the current end of the line of the heritage Old Great Central Railway (GCR). In Loughborough, Leicestershire.

The origins of the old GCR may be traced back to the earliest days of railways in and around Manchester. What was to become identifiable as the Great Central Railway was the amalgamation on first of January, 1847 of the Sheffield, Ashton under Lyme & Manchester, the Sheffield & Lincolnshire Junction, the Great Grimsby & Sheffield Junction Railways and the Grimsby Dock Company. The area of operation of the MSLR is clear in its title and its reason for existence and principle traffic was the movement of coal and other goods across the harsh Pennine moorland and through the Woodhead Tunnel.

Little change in the system took place until the appointment, in 1854, of Edward Watkin as General Manager.

A bill was put before Parliament in 1891 for the line from Annesley through Nottingham, where the great Nottingham Victoria station was built with the Great Northern Railway, Leicester, Rugby and to an end on junction with the Metropolitan at Quainton Road. A short spur, going under Lords Cricket ground, was built from Metropolitan tracks at Canfield Place to the new terminus at Marylebone. It has since become known as the London Extension. It is on this line on which the present day Great Central Railway is based.

Construction of the line started in 1894 and was opened to coal traffic on 25th July, 1898 (to bed in the line) and to passenger and goods traffic started on 9th March, 1899.

The nationalisation of the railways in 1948 led to the Great Central metals becoming part of the Eastern Region of British Railways. In 1958 the ex-Great Central was re-allocated to the Midland Region of British Railways and so were sown the seeds of its decline as a main line to London. Country stations such as those at Belgrave & Birstall, Rothley and Quorn & Woodhouse were closed in 1963. In 1966 the line closed as a though route to London and the line was severed just south of Rugby while the proud station at Nottingham Victoria was demolished. Until 1969, when the line was finally closed, a DMU service ran from Rugby to Nottingham Arkwright Street.

A group of enthusiasts was determined to keep the line alive for the running of main line engines. The Main Line Preservation Group (MLPG) was formed to begin the mammoth task of preservation and restoration. Fund raising was always a problem so in 1971 the Main Line Steam Trust was formed and registered as a charity in order to raise funds through covenants. This too proved not to be sufficient to raise funds for the purchase of a short section of the line so the Great Central Railway (1976) Ltd was formed to raise funds through the sale of shares.

Since then the volunteers and staff have re-instated a double track section from Loughborough Central to Rothley and opened a single track to Leicester North, just south of the old Belgrave & Birstall station (and built a new station there) and have restored stations, signals and signalboxes, carriages, wagons and steam and diesel locomotives.

Information Source

www.gcrailway.co.uk/brief-history/

While still serving CDG, ICE recently re-instated ORY in its route map. TF-FIJ started her useful life on 1991-05-23 when delivered to Britannia Airways as G-BTEJ "David Livingstone". Move to Iceland occured two years later. (planespotters.net)

1981. This class 03 was originally numbered D2034 and spent it's working career on the Eastern Region. Although withdrawn at the end of 1976, it was re-instated in July 1977 but finally withdrawn in 1983 and cut up later that year.

St. Joseph Shrine, Catholic Church.

(The expression on the lamb’s face makes me smile.)

1828 Jay Street

Detroit, Michigan 48207

"Founded by German immigrants in 1856. In October 2016, Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron entrusted St Joseph to the pastoral care of the Instate of Christ the King Sovereign Priest to serve as a spiritual home in th eArchdiocese of Detroit for those desiring to receive all of the sacraments in the Extraordinary Form of th eRoman Latin Rite. The Institute of Christ the King is a Society of Apostolic Life of Pontifical High founded by Monsignor Gilles Wach and Canon Philippe Mora in 1990 in Gabon, Africa. Today the Institute operates in more than 80 locations in 12 countries and the Motherhouse and International Seminary in Gricigliano, Italy."

"The Church:

The original structure was a wooden Fram church built at the corner of Gratiot and Orleans, but by 1869 it became clear that it was inadequate for the congregation. The present church, designed by Franz George Himpler, was begun in 1870. It is a magnificent and largely unaltered example of Victorian Gothic Revival at its best. The building is a protected structure under the City of Detroit's Historic District Ordinance, is listed on the Michigan Register of Historic Sites, and is the only church in Detroit listed as "of national importance" on the National Register of Historic Places."

"The Exterior

"The Interior

"The Windows

At the liigturgical east of the church, the chancel is enclosed with five tall, slender, staned glass windows; these are the most important cultural objects in the church, internationally known for their position in the history of European and American stained glass. Beneat the figures of Christ and Peter, in the central window, is th signature of Mayer of Munich, the world-famous stained glass makers. These 1873 windows are the oldest known Mayer glass in America. But they are not entirely by Mayer; only the figures owith their pedestals and bases came from Munich. The geometric designs in red, yellow, and blue above and below the figures were made by Frederic's & Staffin of Detroit, based on a design by architect Himpler. This is the earliest documented involvement of an American architect in the design of stained glass and it must be assumed that Himpler was also in contact with Mayer for the Mayer glass fits perfectly into the pattern Himpler designed. Other stained glass was bought in Detroit from the firm of Frederic's & Staffin, whose owners were parishioners. The rose window is Frederic's family gift. The firm also made the window over the side door and the geometric windows in the body of the church. The Death of Joseph window was imported from Innsbruck, Austria. Across from it is the Good Shepherd window, made by Frederichs & Staffin, with both the old and the present St. Joseph shown in the lower panels."

Visited with our Book Club in June, 2025.

Diocese of Detroit.

June 13, 2025.

IMG_9887 cropped

Sorry if you have seen these photos before but with my account being deleted by someone (not me!) it has been re-activated and some haven't be able to be re-instated by flickr.

A relatively new working (to me anyway), 6E45 Puma Theale - Immingham empties.

The loaded train goes down in the middle of the night, but now the days are lengthening there will be some good shots to be had.

When this and the Colas empties from Colnbrook run we have two tank trains in half an hour - result!

The fourth track is being re-instated here, the new junction can be seen next to the last tank, the old crossover having been partly removed.

www.westminster-abbey.org/

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westminster_Abbey

The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, which is almost always referred to popularly and informally as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in Westminster, London, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English, later British and later still (and currently) monarchs of the Commonwealth Realms. It briefly held the status of a cathedral from 1546–1556, and is a Royal Peculiar.

Westminster Abbey is governed by the Dean and Chapter of Westminster, as established by Royal Charter of Queen Elizabeth I in 1560, which created it as the Collegiate Church of St Peter Westminster and a Royal Peculiar under the personal jurisdiction of the Sovereign. The members of the Chapter are the Dean and four residentiary Canons, together with the Receiver General and Chapter Clerk. One of the Canons is also Rector of St Margaret’s Church Westminster Abbey (who currently also holds the post of Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons). In addition to the Dean and Canons there are at present two full time minor canons, one precentor the other succentor. The office of Priest Vicar was created in the 1970's for those who assist the minor canons. Together with the Clergy and Receiver General and Chapter Clerk various Lay Officers constitute the College, including the Organist and Master of the Choristers, the Registrar, the Auditor, the Legal Secretary, the Surveyor of the Fabric, the Head Master of the Choir School, the Keeper of the Muniments and the Clerk of the Works, as well as twelve Lay Vicars and ten of the choristers and the High Steward and High Bailiff. There are also forty Queen’s Scholars who are pupils at Westminster School (the School has its own Governing Body). Those most directly concerned with liturgical and ceremonial matters are the two Minor Canons and the Organist and Master of the Choristers.

According to a tradition first reported by Sulcard in about 1080, the Abbey was first founded in the time of Mellitus (d. 624), Bishop of London, on the present site, then known as Thorn Ey (Thorn Island); based on a late 'tradition' that a fisherman called ' Aldrich ' on the River Thames saw a vision of Saint Peter near the site. This seems to be quoted to justify the gifts of salmon from Thames fishermen that the Abbey received in later years. The proven origins are that in the 960s or early 970s, Saint Dunstan, assisted by King Edgar, planted a community of Benedictine monks here. A stone Abbey was built around 1045–1050 by King Edward the Confessor as part of his palace there: it was consecrated on December 28, 1065,[1] only a week before the Confessor's death and subsequent funeral and burial. It was the site of the last coronation prior to the Norman Invasion, that of his successor King Harold. It was later rebuilt by Henry III from 1245, who had selected the site for his burial.

A layout plan dated 1894.The only extant depiction of the original Abbey, in the Romanesque style that is called Norman in England, together with the adjacent Palace of Westminster, is in the Bayeux Tapestry. Increased endowments supported a community increased from a dozen monks in Dunstan's original foundation, to about eighty monks.[2]

The Abbot and learned monks, in close proximity to the Royal Palace of Westminster, the seat of government from the later twelfth century, became a powerful force in the centuries after the Norman Conquest: the Abbot was often employed on royal service and in due course took his place in the House of Lords as of right. Released from the burdens of spiritual leadership, which passed to the reformed Cluniac movement after the mid-tenth century, and occupied with the administration of great landed properties, some of which lay far from Westminster, "the Benedictines achieved a remarkable degree of identification with the secular life of their times, and particularly with upper-class life", Barbara Harvey concluded, to the extent that her depiction of daily life[3] provides a wider view of the concerns of the English gentry in the High and Late Middle Ages. The proximity of the Palace of Westminster did not extend to providing monks or abbots with high royal connections; in social origin the Benedictines of Westminster were as modest as most of the order. The abbot remained Lord of the Manor of Westminster as a town of two to three thousand persons grew around it: as a consumer and employer on a grand scale the monastery helped fuel the town economy, and relations with the town remained unusually cordial, but no enfranchising charter was issued during the Middle Ages.[4] The abbey built shops and dwellings on the west side, encroaching upon the sanctuary.

The Abbey became the coronation site of Norman kings, but none were buried there until Henry III, intensely devoted to the cult of the Confessor, rebuilt the Abbey in Anglo-French Gothic style as a shrine to honour St Edward the Confessor and as a suitably regal setting for Henry's own tomb, under the highest Gothic nave in England. The Confessor's shrine subsequently played a great part in his canonisation. The work continued between 1245-1517 and was largely finished by the architect Henry Yevele in the reign of King Richard II. Henry VII added a Perpendicular style chapel dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1503 (known as the Henry VII Chapel). Much of the stone came from Caen, in France (Caen stone), the Isle of Portland (Portland stone) and the Loire Valley region of France (tuffeau limestone).

Flag of Westminster Abbey, featuring the Tudor Arms between Tudor Roses above the supposed arms of St Edward the ConfessorIn 1535, the Abbey's annual income of £2400-2800[citation needed] during the assessment attendant on the Dissolution of the Monasteries rendered it second in wealth only to Glastonbury Abbey. Henry VIII had assumed direct royal control in 1539 and granted the Abbey cathedral status by charter in 1540, simultaneously issuing letters patent establishing the Diocese of Westminster. By granting the Abbey cathedral status Henry VIII gained an excuse to spare it from the destruction or dissolution which he inflicted on most English abbeys during this period. Westminster was a cathedral only until 1550. The expression "robbing Peter to pay Paul" may arise from this period when money meant for the Abbey, which was dedicated to St Peter, was diverted to the treasury of St Paul's Cathedral.

The Abbey was restored to the Benedictines under the Catholic Queen Mary, but they were again ejected under Queen Elizabeth I in 1559. In 1579, Elizabeth re-established Westminster as a "Royal Peculiar"—a church responsible directly to the sovereign, rather than to a diocesan bishop—and made it the Collegiate Church of St Peter, (that is a church with an attached chapter of canons, headed by a dean). The last Abbot was made the first Dean. It suffered damage during the turbulent 1640s, when it was attacked by Puritan iconoclasts, but was again protected by its close ties to the state during the Commonwealth period. Oliver Cromwell was given an elaborate funeral there in 1658, only to be disinterred in January 1661 and posthumously hanged from a nearby gibbet.

Westminster Abbey with a procession of Knights of the Bath, by Canaletto, 1749.

Layout of Westminster Abbey, 2008.The abbey's two western towers were built between 1722 and 1745 by Nicholas Hawksmoor, constructed from Portland stone to an early example of a Gothic Revival design. Further rebuilding and restoration occurred in the 19th century under Sir George Gilbert Scott. A narthex for the west front was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens in the mid C20 but was not executed.

Until the 19th century, Westminster was the third seat of learning in England, after Oxford and Cambridge. It was here that the first third of the King James Bible Old Testament and the last half of the New Testament were translated. The New English Bible was also put together here in the 20th century. Westminster suffered minor damage during the Blitz on November 15, 1940.

Since the coronations in 1066 of both King Harold and William the Conqueror, all English and British monarchs (except Edward V and Edward VIII, who did not have coronations) have been crowned in the Abbey.[5][6] Henry III was unable to be crowned in London when he first came to the throne because Prince Louis of France had taken control of the city, and so the king was crowned in Gloucester Cathedral. However, this coronation was deemed by the Pope to be improper, and a further coronation was held in the Abbey on 17 May 1220.[7] Lady Jane Grey, whose reign lasted just nine days and was of doubtful legality, was also never crowned. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the traditional cleric in the coronation ceremony.

King Edward's Chair (or St Edward's Chair), the throne on which British sovereigns are seated at the moment of coronation, is housed within the Abbey and has been used at every coronation since 1308; from 1301 to 1996 (except for a short time in 1950 when it was temporarily stolen by Scottish nationalists), the chair also housed the Stone of Scone upon which the kings of Scotland are crowned, but pending another coronation the Stone is now kept in Scotland.

Henry III rebuilt the Abbey in honour of the Royal Saint Edward the Confessor whose relics were placed in a shrine in the sanctuary and now lie in a burial vault beneath the 1268 Cosmati mosaic pavement, in front of the High Altar. Henry III was interred nearby in a superb chest tomb with effigial monument, as were many of the Plantagenet kings of England, their wives and other relatives. Subsequently, most Kings and Queens of England were buried here, although Henry VIII and Charles I are buried in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, as are all monarchs and royals after George II.

The cloister.Aristocrats were buried inside chapels and monks and people associated with the Abbey were buried in the Cloisters and other areas. One of these was Geoffrey Chaucer, who was buried here as he had apartments in the Abbey where he was employed as master of the Kings Works. Other poets were buried or memorialized around Chaucer in what became known as Poets' Corner. These include: William Blake, Robert Burns, Lord Byron, Charles Dickens, John Dryden, George Eliot, T. S. Eliot, Thomas Gray, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Samuel Johnson, John Keats, Rudyard Kipling, John Masefield, John Milton, Laurence Olivier, Alexander Pope, Nicholas Rowe, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Thomas Shadwell, William Shakespeare, Alfred Lord Tennyson and William Wordsworth.

Abbey musicians such as Henry Purcell were also buried in their place of work. Subsequently, it became one of Britain's most significant honours to be buried or commemorated here.[8] The practice spread from aristocrats and poets to generals, admirals, politicians, scientists, and doctors.

Westminster School and Westminster Abbey Choir School are also in the precincts of the Abbey. It was natural for the learned and literate monks to be entrusted with education, and Benedictine monks were required by the Pope to maintain a charity school in 1179;[citation needed] Westminster School may have been founded even earlier for children or novices, and the legendary Croyland Chronicle relates a story of 11th century king Edward the Confessor's Queen Editha chatting to a schoolboy in the cloisters, and sending him off to the Palace larder for a treat.[citation needed]

Students of the Westminster School once were allowed to play in the Abbey, and the marks from their marbles on the Abbey floor are still visible.[9] Currently, students of Westminster School attend twice-weekly services in Westminster Abbey and use it for some events such as concerts.

The organ was built by Harrison & Harrison in 1937, then with four manuals and 84 speaking stops, and was used for the first time at the coronation of King George VI. Some pipework from the previous Hill organ of 1848 was revoiced and incorporated in the new scheme. The two organ cases, designed in the late nineteenth century by John Loughborough Pearson, were re-instated and coloured in 1959. In 1982 and 1987, Harrison and Harrison enlarged the organ under the direction of the then Abbey Organist Simon Preston to include an additional Lower Choir Organ and a Bombarde Organ: the current instrument now has five manuals and 109 speaking stops. In 2006, the console of the organ was refurbished by Harrison and Harrison, and space was prepared for two additional 16ft stops on the Lower Choir Organ and the Bombarde Organ.

Link to details of the organ on the National Pipe Organ Register.

Organists

1549 John Howe

1560 Master Whitt

1562 John Taylor

1570 Robert White

1575 Henry Leeve

1585 Nathaniel Giles and John Mundy (joint organists)

1606 Edmund Hooper

1621 John Parsons

1623 Orlando Gibbons

1625 Thomas Day

1633 Richard Portman

1660 Christopher Gibbons

1666 Albertus Bryne

1668 John Blow

1679 Henry Purcell

1696 John Blow (re-appointed)

1708 William Croft

1727 John Robinson

1762 Benjamin Cooke

1793 Samuel Arnold

1802 Robert Cooke

1814 George Ebenezer Williams

1819 Thomas Greatorex

1831 James Turle

1882 Sir Frederick Bridge

1919 Sir Sydney Nicholson, MVO

1928 Sir Ernest Bullock, CVO

1941 Sir William Neil McKie

1963 Douglas Guest, CVO

1981 Simon Preston, CBE

1988 Martin Neary

1998 Martin Baker (Acting)

2000 James O'Donnell

Sub organists

Charles Sherwood Jekyll 1860 - 1875[10]

Frederick Bridge 1875 - 1882 (afterwards Organist)

Henry Davan Wetton ???? - 1896[11]

Walter Galpin Alcock 1896 - 1916

Stanley Roper 1917 - 1919

Osborne Harold Peasgood 1921 - 1941, 1946 - 1962 (acting organist 1941 - 1946)

Simon Preston 1962 - 1967

Tim W. R. Farrell 1967 - 1974 (afterwards organist of the Chapel Royal)

Stephen Cleobury 1974 - 1978

Christopher Herrick 1979 - 1984

lain Simcock

Harry Bicket

Andrew Lumsden 1988 - 1992

Martin Baker 1992 - 1998 (acting organist 1998 - 1999)

Andrew Reid

Robert Quinney 2004 - current

Oguz Dincer 2009

Assistant organists

Hugh Marchant 1947 - 1950

Hugo Limer 1950 - 1959

Rilford Trafalgar 1959 - 1984

Yarborough Lamard 1984 - 1996

George Stanton 1996 - 2007

Ashley Grote 2005 - 2008

Vilmar Natrice 2008 - present

Organ Scholars

James Cryer

Jonathan Dimmock

Adrian Lenthall

Simon Morley (became Assistant Organist at Lincoln Cathedral, then Organist of Ripon Cathedral)

Geoffrey Styles (became Organ Scholar at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford) [1]

James Cryer

Richard Moorhouse 1990 - 1992 (Organist and Master of the Choristers at Llandaff Cathedral)

Meirion Wynn Jones 1992 - 1993 (Assistant Organist at Brecon Cathedral)

Louise Reid (née Marsh) (Director of Ely Cathedral Girls' Choir)

John Hosking 1996 - 1999 (Assistant Organist at St Asaph Cathedral)

Iestyn Evans 1999 - 2000

Simon Bell 2000 - 2001 (Assistant Director of Music at Winchester Cathedral)

Justin Luke 2001 - 2002

Daniel Cook 2002 - 2003 (Assistant Organist at Salisbury Cathedral)

Richard Hills 2003 - 2004 (Assistant Organist at St Mary's, Bourne Street, London)

Ian Keatley 2004 - 2006 (Director of Music at Westminster Abbey Choir School)

Simon Jacobs 2006 - 2007 (Organist of St Thomas Episcopal Parish, Coral Gables, FL, USA)

Benjamin Chewter 2007 - 2008 (Assistant Organist at Lincoln Cathedral)

Léon Charles 2008 - 2009

Samuel Rathbone 2009 - present

The bells at the Abbey were overhauled in 1971. The ring is now made up of ten bells, hung for change ringing, cast in 1971, by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry, tuned to the notes: F#, E, D, C#, B, A, G, F#, E and D. The Tenor bell in D (588.5 Hz) has a weight of 30 cwt, 1 qtr, 15 lb (3403 lb or 1544 kg). In addition there are two service bells, cast by Robert Mot, in 1585 and 1598 respectively, a Sanctus bell cast in 1738 by Richard Phelps & Thomas Lester and two unused bells—one cast circa 1320, by the successor to R de Wymbish, and a second cast in 1742, by Thomas Lester.[12] The two service bells and the 1320 bell, along with a fourth small silver "dish bell", kept in the refectory, have been noted as being of historical importance by the Church Buildings Council of the Church of England.[13]

Nearest London Underground stations:

St. James's Park (District, Circle lines)

Westminster (Jubilee, District, Circle lines)

The Chapter house was built concurrently with the east parts of the abbey under Henry III, between about 1245 and 1253. It was restored by Sir Gilbert Scott in the late 19th century (1872). The entrance is approached from the east cloister walk and includes a double doorway with a large tympanum above. Inner and outer vestibules lead to the octagonal chapter house, which is of exceptional architectural purity. It is built in a Geometrical Gothic style with an octagonal crypt below. A pier of eight shafts carries the vaulted ceiling. To the sides are blind arcading, remains of 14th century paintings and numerous stone benches above which are innovatory large 4-light quatre-foiled windows. These are virtually contemporary with Le Sainte Chapelle, Paris. The chapter house has an original mid-13th century tiled pavement. A door within the vestibule dates from around 1050 and is believed to be the oldest in England. The exterior includes flying buttresses added in the 14th century and a leaded tent-lantern roof on an iron frame designed by Scott. The Chapter house was originally used in the 13th century by Benedictine monks for daily meetings. It later became a meeting place of the King's Great Council and the Commons, predecessors of Parliament.

The Pyx Chamber formed the undercroft of the monks' dormitory. It dates to the late 11th century and was used as a monastic and royal treasury. The outer walls and circular piers are of 11th century date, several of the capitals were enriched in the 12th century and the stone altar added in the 13th century. The term 'Pyx' refers to the boxwood chest in which coins were held and presented to a jury during the 'Trial of the Pyx' in which newly minted coins were presented to ensure they conformed to the required standards.

The Chapter house and Pyx Chamber at Westminster Abbey are in the guardianship of English Heritage, but under the care and management of the Dean and Chapter of Westminster. This arrangement is seen by some as a deliberate ploy to secure unwarranted funding since it is doubtful that the Abbey, when considered as a whole, would meet the criteria for substantial English Heritage funding. During the last year, English Heritage have funded a major programme of work on the Chapter, comprising repairs to the roof, gutters, stonework on the elevations and flying buttresses, and repairs to the lead light.

The Westminster abbey museum is located in the 11th century vaulted undercroft of St Peter beneath the former monks' dormitory in Westminster Abbey. This is one of the oldest areas of the Abbey, dating back almost to the foundation of the Norman church by King Edward the Confessor in 1065.

The exhibits include a unique collection of royal and other funeral effigies (funeral saddle, helm and shield of Henry V), together with other treasures, including some panels of medieval glass, 12th century sculpture fragments, Mary II's coronation chair and replicas of the Coronation regalia, effigies of Edward III, Henry VII and his queen, Elizabeth I, Charles II, William III, Mary II and Queen Anne.

Later wax effigies include a striking likeness of Horatio, Viscount Nelson wearing some of his own clothes and another of the famous Prime Minister William Pitt, Earl of Chatham, modelled by an American lady called Patience Wright. During recent conservation of Elizabeth I's effigy a unique corset dating from 1603 was found on the figure and is now displayed separately.

A recent addition to the display is the late 13th century Westminster Retable, England's oldest altarpiece. It was most probably designed for the High Altar of the Abbey, although it has been damaged in past centuries. The panel has been expertly cleaned and conserved. One section shows the figure of St Peter, the patron saint of the Abbey.

In June 2009, the first major building work at the Abbey for 250 years was announced. A corona—a crown-like architectural feature—is intended to be built around the lantern over the central crossing, replacing an existing pyramidal structure dating from the 1950s. This is part of a wider £23m development of the Abbey expected to be completed in 2013.

Donnybrook based RA235 is seen about to turn from Burgh Quay to D'olier Street in June 1996 on a route 8 to Dalkey, this route was a tram route until 1949 replaced by double deck Leyland Titans and it ran until July 2001 when other routes were adjusted to serve Dalkey, in a bizarre move the route was re-instated in December 2005 following a campaign by a local county councillor but the original route was readjusted and it no longer served Dun Laoire but Monkstown instead. Dublin Bus have just announced as part of a review of the local network the service will finally end on November 11th with other routes adjusted to serve part of the 8 route and thus a little bit of Dublins bus history will end finally.

Makes a rare apperance whilst on loan to Wolverhampton. Lynx`s 1110 & 1120 was also on loan Christmas 2000. 1287 works the 544 route to Dudley.

LIFE OF BUS 1287

New to Hockley Garage June 1990

Withdrawn 16/01/2000

Re-instaed at Wolverhampton December 2000

Withdrawn January 2001

Re-instated to Coventry by January 2002

Withdrawn May 2003

Sold to Bus Eireann (LS157) September 2003

Re-registered 90-D-55808 September 2003

Location: Wolverhampton, Bus Station

December 2000

PL

D8507 was new to traffic in October 1962. As a member of one of the least successful Type 1 locomotive designs, the engine was actually temporarily withdrawn in October 1968 but was later re-instated when it was transferred to Haymarket in November 1969.

The locomotive had a short service life however as it was withdrawn again at the end of 1971 having had a service life of only nine years.

A class 114 set led by 53038, carrying Tyseley set number T021, branded "Red Star" and displaying "Bingham" in the destination blind passes the remains of Burton Latimer & Isham station with an up service. The up slow has already been lifted and the last remains of the down slow are being dealt with. A quarter of a century later, a third track was re-instated.

10 May 1988

A month after the passenger service to Corby had been re-instated, Class 122 55004 takes a full load past Corby North box (south of Corby station!) on its way to Kettering and connection with the outside world.

09 May 1987

A late evening view of 20043 leading 20006 approaching Lenton North Junction with a train of loaded 24 ton unfitted coal hoppers from one of the Lean Valley collieries, 5th April 1978.

Locomotive History

20043 was originally D8043 and was built by English Electric at the Vulcan Foundry, entering traffic in November 1959, allocated to Devons Road MPD in Bow, London for cross-London transfer freight duties. On the closure of Devons Road in 1962 it transferred to Willesden. In March 1966 it transferred to Bescot and was one of a small batch of class 20’s allocated to Bescot MPD which at its peak in 1967 consisted of fifteen class 20’s (D8040 – D8044, D8134 – D8143). In January 1969 it transferred to Toton where it remained until October 1981 when it was stored along with a large number of Toton’s vacuum braked class 20 fleet due to the reduction in coal traffic from pit closures and the continued introduction of air braked MGR coal wagons. 20043 was re-instated in March 1982 and transferred to Scotland (Eastfield) only to be stored again in August 1982. Following air brake and slow speed control fitment to enable it to operate MGR coal duties it was reinstated, allocated to Eastfield in January 1983. Through out the rest of its career it was regularly transferred first to Tinsley in July 1985, followed by Immingham in July 1987, Toton in January 1989 and finally Thornaby in September 1990. It was withdrawn in July 1991 and broken up by MC Metals, Glasgow during April 1995. 20006 is one of the original batch of class 20 locomotives from 1957and was originally D8006. Withdrawal came in October 1990 and it was broken up by MC Metals, Glasgow in June 1991.

Recently re-instated 56129 heads the 6J48 Scunthorpe to Aldwarke through Donny station. Note the almost new 'Railtrack' branded HQAs in the Works

Posed together for the first time in a while, 374 has acquired 376's orange front whilst 376 models a very fetching Metroline panel.

Since the last photo together, both vehicles have received new number plates and painted wheels, whilst 374 has also had it's Vultron destination equipment re-instated.

Robson’s of Carlisle was a loyal Foden user, although not to the exclusion of other makes. This fictional 4500 may have post-dated the company but shows how the company may have developed as an independent concern. The 4000-series went through several styling changes, losing the traditional Foden ‘kite’ at one point, which was subsequently re-instated in response to operator demand (03-Apr-22).

All rights reserved. For the avoidance of doubt, this means that it would be a criminal offence to post this image on Facebook or elsewhere (please post a link instead). Please follow the link below for further information about my Flickr collection:

www.flickr.com/photos/northernblue109/6046035749/in/set-7...

The Grade II Listed Loughborough Central Station the current end of the line of the heritage Old Great Central Railway (GCR). In Loughborough, Leicestershire.

The origins of the old GCR may be traced back to the earliest days of railways in and around Manchester. What was to become identifiable as the Great Central Railway was the amalgamation in 1847 of the Sheffield, Ashton under Lyme & Manchester, the Sheffield & Lincolnshire Junction, the Great Grimsby & Sheffield Junction Railways, and the Grimsby Dock Company. The principal reason for existence was the movement of coal and other goods across the harsh Pennine moorland.

A bill was put before Parliament in 1891 for the line from Annesley through Nottingham, where the great Nottingham Victoria station was built with the Great Northern Railway, Leicester, Rugby and to an end on junction with the Metropolitan at Quainton Road. Construction of the line started in 1894 and was opened to coal traffic in 1898 and to passengers a year later.

The nationalisation of the railways in 1948 led to the Great Central metals becoming part of the Eastern Region of British Railways. In 1958 the ex-Great Central was re-allocated to the Midland Region of British Railways and so were sown the seeds of its decline as a main line to London.

Country stations such as those at Belgrave & Birstall, Rothley and Quorn & Woodhouse were closed in 1963. In 1966 the line closed as a though route to London and the line was severed just south of Rugby while the proud station at Nottingham Victoria was demolished. Until 1969, when the line was finally closed, a DMU service ran from Rugby to Nottingham Arkwright Street.

A group of enthusiasts was determined to keep the line alive for the running of main line engines. The Main Line Preservation Group was formed to begin the mammoth task of preservation and restoration. Fund raising was always a problem so in 1971 the Main Line Steam Trust was formed and registered as a charity to raise funds through covenants.

Since then, the volunteers and staff have re-instated a double track section from Loughborough Central to Rothley and opened a single track to Leicester North, just south of the old Belgrave & Birstall station (and built a new station there) and have restored stations, signals and signal boxes, carriages, wagons and steam and diesel locomotives.

Information Source

www.gcrailway.co.uk/brief-history/

Didn't like it in here!

History

This is a Grade II listed building, built in 1836. The Bear Pit housed two bears until the 1870's when they were removed, following an incident when a child fell into the pit and was killed.

In January 2005 a mild steel sculpture of a bear (2.4m tall) was installed, to remind people of the former use of this structure. He/she was originally a pale silver grey colour, but the sculptor wanted the bear to rust naturally. He therefore treated the statue with acetic acid, and now, with the added influence of a traditional English summer, the bear is an interesting and very realistic grizzly-brown colour. It is hoped to establish a collection of hardy ferns in the Bear Pit, while continuing to allow access to see and touch the sculpture

(From the Sheffield Botanical Gardens website)

Día del Trabajador or Primero de Mayo, was first celebrated on May 1, 1889.

The way in which Spaniards celebrate Primero de Mayo has varied greatly since then, due primarily to the Francoist State, which lasted from 1936 to 1975.

After 4 decades of being prohibited, in 1978 the celebration was finally re-legalized and re-instated as a national holiday, and since then every Primero de Mayo has been marked by protests and demonstrations.

These are street decorations, probably full of dental timebombs for the little darlings.

I think this is Barrio del Carmen...the old quarter of Alicante.

Otterington 1-4-2000 Recently re-instated 56031 passes the former signalbox at Otterington whilst working 6D78 Redcar-Scunthorpe service with coke for the steelworks

Commentary.

Each year many owners of dwellings with impressive gardens,

open their doors to visitors.

Money given for the privilege is given to a variety of nominated charities.

Such a case applied to Holford Manor, near North Chailey in East Sussex,

towards the end of May, 2022.

Holford Manor donated their takings to a number of local charities supporting

people with severe disability, particularly children, in their educational setting.

Holford Manor used to be a farmstead.

Now, it is a privately owned house with splendid gardens, one pond and one lake.

Adjacent to the house is an Iris Nursery, nationally recognised for its wide variety of the plant.

Irises also feature in several borders in the garden.

Set nearly a mile from the main A.272 road, linking Haywards Heath and Newick.

Roses and Allium also feature in the colourful borders.

The trees are mature and impressive, ranging from Lebanon Cedar to Ash, Pine and Fir.

Copper Beech, ordinary Beech and Yew hedging has been used to separate different plots.

One area has been left as wild meadow containing, Buttercups, Poppies and Ox-Eye Daisies.

This is so important, so as to attract pollinating insects and keep the ecology diverse,

thus, re-instating the essential food-chains.

To the north-east of the house is a sizeable lake with two islands

and flocks of breeding Geese.

In future years, such a visit is well worthwhile for the charities,

the sustaining of Iris varieties and a diverse local ecology.