Eclectic Ephemera: Norfolk

Showing posts with label Norfolk. Show all posts

Thursday, 13 February 2014

Vintage lorry more than 60 years old makes it through flood waters

Vintage lorry more than 60 years old makes it through flood waters

Readers outside the U.K. may or may not be aware that this country is currently going through what has variously been described as an "unparallelled natural crisis" and "the worst storm in 100 years" (taking the title from 2013's "worst storm in 100 years) as continual heavy rain and strong winds leave whole communities in the [south] coastal regions of the country badly flooded, wind-damaged and generally counting the cost of severe weather that shows no signs of letting up. The low-lying Somerset Levels have been among the worst-hit; Surrey, Berkshire and Worcestershire are also feeling the effects with the Rivers Severn and Thames, amongst others, at their highest levels since records began. Yesterday the Bristol-Somerset Clifton Suspension Bridge was closed for the first time in its 150-year history due to high winds. I doubt many of us will forget the images from Dawlish in a hurry either.

It makes the roof leak in my flat's building pale in comparison and I'm forever thankful that the part of the country I live in has remained largely unaffected. My thoughts go out to all those who are going through tough times, whose homes are flooded and livelihoods turned upside-down.

Amid all the doom and gloom the "Dunkirk Spirit" lives on, however, and there are one or two positive stories to be found. It is looking increasingly likely that old sections of railway branch line on the main Devon and Cornwall route, dormant since the Beeching Cuts of the 1960s, may be rebuilt and reinstated while the Dawlish section is repaired (and possibly continue on afterwards to help mitigate any further potential damage).

source

While in Norfolk the Locks Inn pub near Beccles, close to the River Waveney, has also experienced flooding. Instead of being cut off and starved of oil fuel for the pub, however, the landlords were saved by a local supplier and his 1952 lorry! In shades of the 2010 Tornado steam train snow rescue, Berry Oils Ltd's 62-year-old Morris Commercial LC4 was able to cross the depths of floodwater with ease and save the Lock Inn from a nasty situation.

Proof once again that old technology can still have its uses in times of crisis, this titbit of vintage-related news is a welcome piece of positivity in these damp and sodden times.

Monday, 15 July 2013

Film of 1930s Birmingham school life found

Watch more video from the Top Picks channel on Frequency

Film of 1930s Birmingham school life found

To Birmingham (via Suffolk/Norfolk) in 1935 we go now, thanks to this recently-discovered footage of the Saltey School, Birmingham - found in that establishment's library archive while an 85th anniversary celebration was being arranged.

The footage contains remarkable images of 1930s school life including P.E. classes and summer holiday camps, with happy smiling children (and teachers!) seemingly enjoying breaks to the Suffolk/Norfolk countryside. Perhaps more noticeable, to our modern eyes, is the synchronised movement that formed part of the school's physical education. A healthy and coordinated body was held up very highly as an ideal in 1930s, as so many documentary films of large groups of men and women exercising in perfect harmony go to show (and not to mention its ultimate perversion into the idea of eugenics), but there is something startlingly immediate and mesmeric in seeing a class of young children running, jumping and bending in perfect unison.

Today's Saltey School pupils certainly appear to have found this glimpse into the past an impressive one, with considered comments and opinions aired. The unearthing of this cinefilm looks to be a welcome addition to Saltey's 85th birthday celebrations and I'm very pleased to see it take pride of place in the annals of the school's history after having lain dormant for so long.

Thursday, 12 April 2012

Pulham St Mary airship photographs saved from skip

Pulham St Mary airship photographs saved from skip

What-oh, everyone! I hope you all had a splendid Easter (or equivalent festival) and are fully recovered from the glut of chocolate, hot-cross buns and whatnot. I've been so busy-busy this last week it seems Easter was an age ago, and I am grateful for the chance to finally sit down and blog.

Back in November rare photographs of Tower Bridge under construction were found in a London skip and now more unusual pictures, this time of WW1-era airships based in the Norfolk town of Pulham St Mary, have been recovered from another London skip. I'm thinking we're going to have to organise a "skip crawl" of the capital at this rate; I doubt I'll ever be able to pass a skip without having a rummage now(!). Once again it amazes me that such historic items were on the verge of being chucked out with the rubbish.

These certainly are pictures of historical importance, too, as they detail the early years of airship development in Britain during and after the First World War. Showing the R.33 and R.34 airships, precursors to the later R.100 and R.101, undergoing tests (including attempts to use the R.33 as a flying aircraft carrier) and flying from their Norfolk base they are of both national and local significance. They are also of such high quality that aviation historians have been able to discern aspects of these machines in greater detail than ever before.

Due to its distinctive topography (i.e. as flat as a pancake) Norfolk was the ideal place to base dirigibles and one can just imagine these airships sailing over fields and broads during the 1920s as the area around Pulham St Mary became a hive of lighter-than-air activity. Would that it were still possible to see these craft soaring above the East Anglian countryside, but at least there are now even more valuable photographs in the possession of the local museum to remind us of that incredible period of British aviation history.

Tuesday, 31 January 2012

Vintage Overstrand road sign becomes Norfolk’s latest Grade II listed building

British road signs c.1904

Vintage Overstrand road sign becomes Norfolk’s latest Grade II listed building

A quaint little story from Overstrand, North Norfolk now which reminds me of the fun that can be had keeping an eye out for old road signs and street furniture.

This particular sign looks to have fully deserved its preservation status as its 1904 date must make it one of the oldest in the country and it joins a further forty-nine such road signs around Britain that have obtained listed status.

Road signs that were designed prior to the 1957 Anderson Committee on traffic signage (which gave us the designs we see today) are getting rarer by the day, although some still remain dotted throughout the UK and hopefully like the one in this article will be preserved in future. Many local authorities often already take care of any such signs in their area, as can be seen in the traditional "finger post" signs that still exist in rural areas. I don't know about you, but I love seeing these old signposts when I'm in the countryside and the older-style signs from the '20s through to the '50s look positively delightful (although perhaps not easy to read at speed, hence the 1957 redesign). Some of them look unfamiliar to us today - how many people would understand the "Flame of Knowledge" symbol used in the "School" sign? - but many of them remain largely recognisable, a testament to the original designs that were drawn up between 1904 and 1933.

source - Roads.org.uk

Until the Second World War motoring organisations like the AA and the RAC were also allowed to erect signs of their own design to complement the official ones. They were mainly simple worded warnings with a triangular badge sign above, or circular when giving distances and place names.

It is wonderful to see a small yet important aspect of British motoring history recognised in this manner and I hope it leads to more rare signposts being saved by local councils and interested groups before they disappear altogether. North Norfolk District Council are to be applauded for taking such a stance on its vintage street furniture and I think their suggestion of looking out for further examples of important historic road signs is an excellent one. I shall continue to keep my eye out for such rarities when travelling through East Anglia, and elsewhere.

Saturday, 12 February 2011

Video reveals life on the Broads in 1930s

Video reveals life on the Broads in 1930s

Another wonderful find thanks to the tireless efforts of a devoted archivist, who has uncovered these delightful cine films of a family's holidays on the Norfolk Broads in the early 1930s.

Even this 3½-minute clip contains myriad delights, some sadly long since vanished but others seemingly unchanged from today, so what unseen attractions the whole 45 minutes must contain one can scarcely imagine. I suppose I'll have to buy the DVD to find out!

Then again, I have a rough idea as a lot of my family reside in Norfolk and we went on a tour of the Broads ourselves back in the mid-90s (note to self: must go back again soon!). So a lot of the places featured in this clip I am familiar with, places like Oulton Broad, Stokesby and Wroxham (the bridge at Wroxham, from 2:38 in the film, I have gone both over and under on more than one occasion!).

As I've said some of the things have long since vanished such as the row-boats laden with hay and the hand-cranked water pumps, not to mention the working drainage windmills. Yet on the other hand, as the article mentions, parts of the film contain footage that those of us who know the area would still recognise.

In fact, this has spurred me to dig out some old photographs that I took at the time of our Broads holiday and to which, using my [very] limited knowledge of Photoshop, I have attempted to approximate the same Thirties look. You can see them dotted about this post, and I hope you agree that some haven't turned out too badly and that they give a good idea of what I mean when I say that some aspects of the Broads have changed little in 80 years.

The Norfolk archivist, Mrs Carol Gingell, who came into possession of these films is to be commended for creating a valuable collection of local historic images and for taking such good care of this important footage by seeing that it is preserved on DVD for others to enjoy. It has certainly brought back happy family holiday memories for me, as well as enchanting me with excerpts of brilliant Thirties living and another generation's enjoyment of the same trip.

Wednesday, 16 June 2010

Norfolk's magnificent autogyro specialist has sights on new record

Norfolk's magnificent autogyro specialist has sights on new record

A fantastic article about an amazing man and the equally amazing machines that he flies. Wing Commander Wallis sounds every inch the plucky British aviator and the fact that he is 94 years old and still flying - and what's more, keen to break the autogyro speed record - is a wonderful testament to the man and his life in the air. His past history and experiences sound incredible and I shall now seek out his biography forthwith. I wish him every success in his attempt on the 4th of July and hope he can overcome the mindless bureaucracy he's facing (the man's probably got more knowledge in his little finger than in the whole of the CAA, but that's pen-pushers for you...). I'm sure he will be successful and that the event will become yet another feather in his cap.

As to the machine, the autogyro has always held a particular fascination for me. Widely regarded as the "missing link" between aeroplanes and helicopters, I find their unique appearance and flying characteristics most interesting. Personally I much prefer the earlier pre-war designs rather than the later types (also known as gyrocopters) but generally speaking they are extraordinary machines. Here are two Youtube videos of early autogyros; the first shows their invention and refinement by the Spaniard Juan de la Cierva and the second is some wonderful recent footage of the Pitcairn PA-18, which was the American licence-built version of the Cierva autogyro.

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