tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10831355319353379362024-03-18T20:28:42.957-07:00London RamblingsMalcolm Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02316694673470444938noreply@blogger.comBlogger79125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1083135531935337936.post-9157626974091853762019-01-19T17:05:00.003-08:002019-01-19T17:05:41.558-08:00An Identified Floating Object<blockquote style="background-color: white; color: #26282a; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; padding: 8px;" type="cite">
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I noticed today that the former sorting office next to Paddington Station,<span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"> has been reduced to a pile of rubble and a few sections of steel framework. It will be replaced by a 14 story office block perched on 12 metre columns and a large central podium. The podium itself will house eateries, retail units and a new entrance to the Bakerloo line. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">The Royal Mail sorting office was built by Sir Henry Tanner in 1892, in 1907 it was extended by Jasper Wager. From 1927 to 2003 it was also the western terminus of the Post Office Railway. Although it had been disused for many years the Victorian Society considered it important enough to protest its demolition claiming <span style="color: #404040; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">“The proposals entail the complete loss of the existing handsome building and would cause substantial harm to the setting of nearby listed buildings and the conservation area". They also agreed with Historic England's statement that "whatever its detailing, a building of this scale will have a seriously detrimental impact on the character and heritage assets of this part of London".</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">The architect of the new building is the, love him or hate him, Renzo Piano the man who gave us the Shard and the multi coloured Central St Giles development. He has said of this building </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">"when you exit the station you will see a clear floating cube levitating above the ground". If you close one eye and squint heavily with the other perhaps!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">The original plan for this site was announced in December 2015. The proposed building, also by Mr Piano, was a 254 metre, 72 story, cylindrical skyscraper. Nicknamed the Paddington Pole, it was condemned by Sir Terry Farrell as "opportunistic and piecemeal" Unsurprisingly locals protested about its effect on the area and the Skyline Campaign fought against its impact on London's horizon.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">Further protests from locals, SAVE Britains Heritage and Historic England among others, led to a withdrawal of the planning application in February 2016.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">By July of the same year the plan for the new building was in place and despite continuing controversy, Westminster Council gave its approval in December. The decision made simpler perhaps by an offer from the developers to build, and pay for, a new ambulance access road to St Mary's hospital.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">But it didn't end there. Following constant campaigning the then UK Communities Secretary, Sajid Javid, issued an Article 31 direction, preventing Westminster City Council from granting formal planning permission for the project. Ultimately, of course, that was overturned which brings us to where we are now.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">So, like it or not, there will soon be a shiny glass cube hovering alongside Paddington Station. At least it won't be casting a giant shadow, like some kind of humongous gnomon, across West London.</span></div>
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Malcolm Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02316694673470444938noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1083135531935337936.post-56463966792839316702017-05-20T12:24:00.001-07:002017-05-21T14:11:06.359-07:00The Painted Hall Project<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVZvDoI9jAvr7AP7rLGE8D97SwvPVsfBid5XDxRt9WuABAoJctSaK1mZuYyfhlQXR7yPiUeBqXdZhCdP1hOjD9SOD3nZE1Vn9H2hHLAsJM7DkPa9AqNgqKM-lOrv5u8EDyqPXkrD5G-jU/s1600/GreenwichOldRoyalNavalCollege-150517_0005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVZvDoI9jAvr7AP7rLGE8D97SwvPVsfBid5XDxRt9WuABAoJctSaK1mZuYyfhlQXR7yPiUeBqXdZhCdP1hOjD9SOD3nZE1Vn9H2hHLAsJM7DkPa9AqNgqKM-lOrv5u8EDyqPXkrD5G-jU/s320/GreenwichOldRoyalNavalCollege-150517_0005.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The <a href="https://www.ornc.org/history-of-the-painted-hall"><span style="color: red;">Painted Hall</span> </a>of the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich has what is considered one of most impressive and important baroque interiors in Europe. Originally built at the instigation of Queen Mary II, it formed part of the Royal Hospital for Seamen which was intended to offer care to sailors invalided out of the navy.The Hospital was designed by Sir Christopher Wren and Nicholas Hawksmoor, and was built on the site of the <a href="http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/The-Palace-of-Placentia-Greenwich/"><span style="color: red;">Palace of Placentia</span></a>, more often known as Greenwich Palace, which had been the birthplace of Henry VIII and his daughters, Mary I and Elizabeth I.<br />
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The Painted Hall itself was originally intended to be the dining hall for the inhabitants but from the start it was felt to be too grand by the pensioners themselves, who preferred to eat in more humble surroundings. It very quickly became a space for ceremonial occasions and other special functions but was also an early "tourist" attraction, open to paying visitors! In 1806, the lying in state of Admiral Lord Nelson took place in the Painted Hall, following his death at the battle of Trafalgar. Huge crowds queued to view the body over a three day period before he was taken to his State funeral and internment in St Paul's Cathedral.<br />
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The decoration of the Hall was carried out by <a href="https://www.ornc.org/blog/our-celebrated-countryman-a-talk-by-jeremy-barker"><span style="color: red;">James Thornhill</span></a> between 1707 and 1726. For this the agreed payment was £3/square yard for the ceiling and £1.00/square yard for the walls. However, when it came to actual payment, there were the inevitable delays and disagreements with those holding the purse strings! Eventually, Thornhill received a total payment of £6,685.00. This was a princely sum in the early 18th Century but when looked at a little more deeply does seem a tad miserly. This was a 19 year project, during which he had provide his own materials and the scaffolding. Plus, as this was not a single handed operation, he had pay the team of assistants required to get the job done.<br />
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On the plus side, a prestigious commission like this also led to work from other sources. During the period that he was working in the Painted Hall he also carried out a number of other important projects including a number of walls and ceilings at Chatsworth House, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grisaille"><span style="color: red;">grisaille</span></a> panels inside the dome of St Paul's Cathedral and the ceiling of the New Council Chamber of the Guildhall in the City of London!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSTvrXgFuHOhU7Ws6hyphenhyphenZ9ROnNnV85NoNDEv3foaDo_T8WbTvcdwkgPOegmoyWO8MHa8VLMqBlHHnuzabRcDJbd2HKvbFxw6DPjcHMJqnIY8VByOr8zsjRKUVn1-oibAMjl4RG44aQIkLU/s1600/PaintedCeilingTour-110517_0015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSTvrXgFuHOhU7Ws6hyphenhyphenZ9ROnNnV85NoNDEv3foaDo_T8WbTvcdwkgPOegmoyWO8MHa8VLMqBlHHnuzabRcDJbd2HKvbFxw6DPjcHMJqnIY8VByOr8zsjRKUVn1-oibAMjl4RG44aQIkLU/s320/PaintedCeilingTour-110517_0015.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Also within the same period he opened a school of drawing (twice) where one of his pupils was William Hogarth who also later became Thornhill's son in law.<br />
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Oh yes, he was also a fine portrait painter and the Member of Parliament for Melcombe Regis in Dorset. This man was a seriously good at multitasking!<br />
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The painted ceiling is a massive and important work. It emphasises Britain's naval power and international trading success but also reflects the political, social and scientific achievements of the age. It is an incredible cocktail of around 200 contemporary, historical and allegorical figures, musical and scientific instruments, warships and weapons, and a pretty hefty chunk of the animal kingdom!<br />
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One of the problems with working on a project of this length was that things change. Thornhill had to keep on top of the shifts in political power and social values and, of course, changes in the monarchy. He was clearly a man who knew which side his bread was buttered, so he frequently modified his design as the years went on. Britain went through a series of royal changes over the 19 years. Starting with the joint monarchs William III and Mary II, followed by Queen Anne and finally George I. He made sure that they were all well presented in a respectful and flattering manor, unlike Louis XIV who is shown being trampled under King William's foot!</div>
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This political tiptoeing paid off when, on 2nd May 1720, he was knighted by King George I, the first British artist to receive such an honour.</div>
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I have to be honest here, and admit that I didn't know anything about <a href="http://www.william-hogarth.de/DorsetThornhill"><span style="color: red;">James Thornhill</span></a> before I started researching this article. Why is his name not mentioned in the same breath as Constable or Turner? Perhaps it is because the majority of his great works grace walls and ceilings rather than canvas but, whatever the reason, he deserves more recognition.<br />
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The Painted Hall is currently part way through a major project. The emphasis is on cleaning and conservation, rather than restoration. The plaster is in remarkably good condition, with very few cracks, all of which seem to be minor and easily stabilised. The painting itself is also in very good shape, the real problem being the various layers of varnish that have been applied over the years. Darkened and crazed in some areas. As much as is possible, it will be cleaned and treated sympathetically, without disturbing the actual painted surface.<br />
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Until September 2017, you have the <a href="https://www.ornc.org/painted-hall-ceiling-tours-tickets"><span style="color: red;">once in a lifetime opportunity</span></a> to get up close and personal with the ceiling of the lower hall. Measuring 15 by 30 metres, it towers over 18 metres above floor level. The extraordinary scaffolding (around 7 miles of tubing and weighing roughly the same as the Space Shuttle........apparently!) enables you to get within touching distance of this amazing art work. To be honest, the majority of the detail and 18th century symbolism would be beyond the comprehension to most of us in the 21st century but, fortunately, the wonderful guides are there to help you through this visual minefield. Plus you get to wear a hi viz waistcoat and a hard hat. What more could you want?<br />
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It is a fascinating and beautiful piece of British history and all of the money raised through ticket sales goes into the conservation fund, so you also get that warm feeling , knowing that you have done your bit towards preserving this treasure for future generations to enjoy.<br />
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Check out Janeslondon's post on the Ceiling Tour <a href="http://www.janeslondon.com/2017/05/get-up-close-to-painted-hall-ceiling-at.html"><span style="color: red;">here</span></a>, it also includes a good tip of where to eat if you are visiting Greenwich!<br />
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More photographs in my Flickr album <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/malcnhg/albums/72157680749113883"><span style="color: red;">here</span></a>.<br />
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Malcolm Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02316694673470444938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1083135531935337936.post-88107658310064953462017-02-23T07:50:00.001-08:002017-02-23T18:28:52.233-08:00The Repentant Magdalene<blockquote id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1487859138340_2474" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; background-color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; margin: 1em;" type="cite">
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Yesterday I went to see the <a href="http://www.nortonsimonartfoundation.org/collections/browse_artist.php?name=Cagnacci%2C+Guido"><span style="color: red;">Repentant Magdalene</span></a> at the <a href="https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/cagnaccis-repentant-magdalene"><span style="color: red;">National Gallery</span></a>. What a lovely thing it is!<br />
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Commissioned by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopold_I,_Holy_Roman_Emperor"><span style="color: red;">Emperor Leopold 1</span></a>, it was painted , in Vienna, by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guido_Cagnacci"><span style="color: red;">Guido Cagnacci</span> </a>sometime in the early 1660's. For a picture from the Baroque period, it is remarkably unfussy. Many artists at that time seem to have been intent on cramming as much into their paintings as possible, either because that was desired by their clients (who were prepared to pay handsomely for a suitably showy result), or because they simply wanted to show just how clever they really were. This is not at all like that, it is a large canvas, around 104x90 inches with an elegant setting and lots of space. It shows Mary Magdelane renouncing her sinful ways and converting to Christianity. The really stunning thing, from my heathen point of view, is the depiction of the heroine (or villainess, depending on how you chose to read her character). While the characters around her seem to fit the Baroque idea of what a biblical figure should look like, Mary herself could have just stepped out of a 21st century fashion shoot or an ad for Chanel perfume!<br />
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No pictures from me, I'm afraid. Although the National Gallery freely allows non commercial photography of its (our!) own collection, but, as in this case, it often does not apply to artworks on loan from other collections. This painting is on loan from the <a href="http://norton%20simon%20foundation/"><span style="color: red;">Norton Simon Foundation</span></a> in Pasadena and is being shown in the UK for the first time in over 30 years and we have to thank them for that.<br />
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This is a beautiful painting, way beyond my descriptive abilities. Go and see it yourself. It is on display until the 21st May.Malcolm Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02316694673470444938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1083135531935337936.post-77899072702163098712016-09-20T09:28:00.002-07:002016-09-21T07:01:58.034-07:00The Veronica Scanner<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">Two weeks ago I had a 3D scan of my head made at the Royal Academy as part of the Veronica Scanner project. An interesting, if very short, experience, the scan itself taking just a matter of seconds.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">Why did I do this? A very good question! I'm not a natural photographic subject, I don't mind spontaneous photographs but ask me to pose for a shot and I don't know what to do. I usually end up looking puzzled or gurning like a man in leave of his senses (some who know me may well think that description not too far off of the mark!)</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">I suppose it was partly just to try something different and to be part of an art project but it was also, perhaps, to see myself as others see me. We are used to seeing ourselves in a hard copy photograph or on a phone or a computer screen, but whether it's a still shot or a video, it is remains a slightly flat image. 3D promised something different. So why not give it a go.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">So, what happened on the day? I turned up ahead of my booked time slot and took a quick look around before checking in at the desk.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There were a number of examples of printed heads on display, in a variety of materials. Of particular interest were a small series loosely based on the wonderful character heads created by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Xaver_Messerschmidt"><span style="color: red;">Franz Xaver Messerschmidt</span></a> in the late 18th century. Examples of his work are held in the collections of the <a href="http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O93616/the-strong-smell-bust-messerschmidt-franz-xaver/"><span style="color: red;">V&A</span></a> and the <a href="https://wellcomecollection.org/"><span style="color: red;">Wellcome</span></a>.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">The scanner itself sat in the middle of the room in a large perspex box. It looked like a giant, perforated, desk globe, split vertically with the two halves separated by a couple of feet and in the centre was a saddle-like seat.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">After signing the waivers, which would allow the resulting images to be used as part of the project, and a very short wait, it was my turn to be scanned. The first choice I had to make was whether or not to wear my glasses. Apparently, most people have chosen to remove them. That didn't seem to make sense to me. Specs have been part of me for the last 50 plus years and relatively few people would remember me without them, so to keep them on was a no brainer.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">The procedure was explained and I soon found myself perched on the saddle as the two halves of the sphere closed in on me. The saddle was raised by the operator to centre me in the scanner and we were good to go.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The sphere has 96 apertures and is lined with a number of low powered flash units. Eight Canon EOS 5D cameras are arranged in an arc on an exterior arm that resembles the support on a conventional globe. The cameras are timed to shoot as they pass the holes in the globe. The for those who care about these things, the overlapping pictures are saved as 24 megapixel RAW files.</span><br />
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Some other sitters chose to be quite creative with their poses but I decided on what I thought was a fairly neutral expression, not that I'm a great judge of these things (see my earlier comments). The operator asked me if I was ready and, after a reminder to remain still during the scan, she hit the button. It apparently takes four seconds to complete the scan, but at the time it seemed much quicker. I was aware of the arm swinging around the outside of the sphere and the flashes firing in sequence and then, it was all over. The cameras had taken their 96 shots and it was now down to the computers to make sense of it all.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After a short wait to be sure that the 96 individual shots had been recorded, it was time to leave.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now, two weeks later, those 96 individual photographs have been processed to produce <a href="https://play.autodesk.com/pub/15458243"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">this</span></a><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">!</span> It may take a little while for this to load (especially on a tablet, a friend and I have had problems on different Samsung Tabs, desktops and laptops seem OK) , but please be patient because, as the advert says, I'm worth it LOL.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have to admit that I'm pleasantly surprised with the result. There were no guarantees that the scan would be successful and I was fairly convinced that something would go wrong, perhaps I had moved during the scan, or there would be a software glitch, but no, it has turned out OK.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">So, what now? I have a digital file that I can send to a 3D printer to have my head recreated in a variety of materials from plastic to glass or even in chocolate. It is also possible to connect to a specialised routing machine to reproduce me in wood (a wooden head? Too close to the truth I think!). There is even the option to print in wax and then produce a bronze Me using the lost wax process! I'm not yet sure if any of these are going to happen for two main reasons. One, I suspect it is going to cost considerably more than a head, an arm <i>and</i> a leg to do it and, Two, I'm not sure that I want to be stared at, in my own home, by another version of me. Might check it out though. Just in case!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">The guys below are not me!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the nine days of the RA event more than 600 heads were scanned. The results of all of these scans can be seen <a href="http://www.factumfoundation.org/pag/253/The-Veronica-Scanner---Live-3D-Portraiture"><span style="color: red;">here</span></a>, along with more information on the project.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">I'm not sure that I've learned any more about myself from this but it was an interesting experience with a surprisingly acceptable result.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">That's it!</span></span><br />
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Malcolm Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02316694673470444938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1083135531935337936.post-39223872796047484622016-05-04T16:56:00.000-07:002017-05-21T15:01:17.967-07:00Moving On.This time last week, I was getting up at stupid o'clock, going to a place where I didn't particularly want to be and doing things I didn't really want to do. <br />
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It was known as work!<br />
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Today, I got up when I felt like it. I mooched about for a bit, then I came here, doing not very much apart from sitting in the sun, drinking decent coffee, watching the World (or at least a very small part of it) passing by and listening to the birds sing their hearts out.<br />
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I can now do this whenever I like (weather permitting!)<br />
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This is known as retirement.<br />
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Highly recommended.<br />
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By the way, "here" is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holland_Park"><span style="color: red;">Holland</span> <span style="color: red;">Park</span></a>, without any doubt, the best park in London and don't let anyone tell you any different. I have been coming here all of my life, from a baby in a pram to the grey haired, near OAP that I am now<br />
<br />Malcolm Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02316694673470444938noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1083135531935337936.post-85981797407070966022015-09-09T19:18:00.000-07:002016-05-04T17:33:12.981-07:00The Royal River Salute<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1441801437147_2476" style="font-family: HelveticaNeue, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; padding: 0px;">
<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1441801437147_2581">On the 9th September, Queen Elizabeth became our longest reigning monarch, bumping her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, off of the top spot. To mark the occasion there was to be a flotilla of boats led by the Royal barge <a href="http://www.glorianaqrb.org.uk/index.html"><span style="color: red;">Gloriana</span></a>. It was hoped that a rolling wave of cheers and applause would follow the flotilla on it's journey from Tower Bridge (which would open for the occasion) to the Palace of Westminster</span><br />
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If you didn't go, you really didn't miss anything. The whole thing was staggeringly underwhelming. I decided to watch from the Albert Embankment opposite the H of P. Actually, not so much a decision as a necessity, as it was the only point I had a chance to get to, given that I had left it so late to leave home.<br />
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I got there just as The Gloriana cleared Westminster Bridge. It was followed by the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Havengore"><span style="color: red;">Havengore</span></a>, two fire boats, one of which, the <a href="http://www.adls.org.uk/t1/node/554"><span style="color: red;">Massey Shaw</span></a>, was a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_ships_of_Dunkirk"><span style="color: red;">Dunkirk Little Ship</span></a>. There were also a couple of Police boats and a Thames cruise boat.<br />
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These were followed a few minutes later by something that didn't pass under the bridge but was making a variety of wonderful hooting, screaming noises from it's steam whistles. I later found that the source of these noises was what looked like converted (in a good way) trawler named the George Stephenson that, despite having folded its funnel and mast, clearly wasn't going to risk passing under the bridge with the tide as high as it was.</div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1441801437147_3023">I'm not sure what I expected of the "flotilla" (the information I saw was a little vague about that) but it was a bit more than this and the expected wave of cheers/applause that the organisers hoped would follow this event from Tower Bridge to Westminster, if it ever started, had fizzled out long before it reached me!</span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1441801437147_3126">On the other hand the weather wasn't too bad and it did get me out of the house slightly earlier than my natural lethargy suggested was possible.</span><br />
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By the way, I was wrong about the <a href="https://docklockandriver.wordpress.com/2015/06/06/steam-ship-george-stephenson-on-the-thames/"><span style="color: red;">George Stephenson</span></a>. Not a converted trawler but something altogether more interesting. Thank you to <a href="http://westminsterwalks.london/"><span style="color: red;">Joanna Moncrieff</span></a> for pointing me in the right direction on this one.<br />
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Oh, and I should give a special mention to the crew of the rather lovely cruiser Elvin, who seemed delighted to have so many cameras pointed in their direction, even though they were not part of the flotilla!<br />
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Malcolm Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02316694673470444938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1083135531935337936.post-80807838505554195242014-09-14T16:32:00.000-07:002016-09-21T07:19:17.971-07:00A Walk Under The RiverThere are three accessible pedestrian routes under the River Thames. The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenwich_foot_tunnel"><span style="color: red;">Greenwich</span></a> and <span style="color: red;">Woolwich</span> Foot Tunnels are both well known and well used, I've been through both of them on many occasions. The third one came as a bit of a surprise to me.<br />
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Work on the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotherhithe_Tunnel"><span style="color: red;">Rotherhithe Tunnel</span></a> commenced in 1904 and it was opened by HRH The Prince of Wales (later King George V) in 1908. Linking <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limehouse"><span style="color: red;">Limehouse</span></a> on the north bank with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotherhithe"><span style="color: red;">Rotherhithe</span></a> on the south, it was designed to provide a means for pedestrians and horse drawn traffic to cross the river without the need to travel west to Tower Bridge or east to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackwall_Tunnel"><span style="color: red;">Blackwall Tunnel</span></a> on the other side of the Isle of Dogs. Obviously, horse traffic eventually gave way to the ubiquitous motor vehicle and it is still an important, and heavily used, route from north to south but I had no idea that it was still accessible to pedestrians. According to Wikipedia around twenty pedestrians still use the tunnel each day!<br />
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So, this morning, I joined two friends, <a href="http://www.janeslondon.com/"><span style="color: red;">Jane</span></a> and <a href="http://www.ipernity.com/blog/jenpedler"><span style="color: red;">Jen</span></a> to check it out for ourselves. it was a remarkably stress free journey. The pavements (on both sides) are around four feet wide and the speed limit is 20mph so, all things considered, it was probably much safer than the average country lane. The lighting was a pretty good and there were signs, indicating how far you have travelled and how far you still had to go, at regular intervals. I have to admit that air quality was not exactly brilliant but was not as bad as you might expect.<br />
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After a walk of just under a mile and reaching a maximum depth below the river surface of approx. 75ft we emerged into the sunshine and the (relatively) fresh air of the north bank. Overall, an interesting experience but probably not one I'd care to do on a daily basis.<br />
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It is a little known fact (?) that beer is the perfect antidote to a potential exhaust fume overdose and to that end we made our way to the Old Ship pub on the delightful York Square E14 (recommended, by the way) for a pint or three. A nice way to end a nice day in good company.<br />
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By the way, it was a good job that Jane had her breakdown before entering the tunnel as we didn't have a vehicle to return to!<br />
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More photographs to follow on Flickr soon.</div>
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Malcolm Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02316694673470444938noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1083135531935337936.post-89802564761444977242014-09-08T16:41:00.001-07:002014-09-08T18:02:54.778-07:00Jack the Ripper.....Mystery Solved?In the 2002 book<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portrait_of_a_Killer:_Jack_the_Ripper%E2%80%94Case_Closed"> <span style="color: red;">Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper Case Closed</span></a><span style="color: red;">,</span> Patricia Cornwell declared that her conclusion was , after much detailed research, that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Sickert"><span style="color: red;">Walter Sickert</span></a> was JTR. This was not an original idea, his name had been associated with the mystery for many years. It wasn't even the first publication on the subject. In her 1990 book, Sickert and the Ripper Crimes, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Overton_Fuller"><span style="color: red;">Jean Overton Fuller</span></a> asserted that he was indeed the infamous serial killer. Earlier still, in 1976, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Knight_(author)"><span style="color: red;">Stephen Knight</span></a> in his book <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_the_Ripper:_The_Final_Solution"><span style="color: red;">Jack the Ripper: The Final Solution</span></a> put forward the theory that Sickert was an unwilling accomplice to the real Jack. <br />
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Now we have a <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-29119092"><span style="color: red;">new real Jack the Ripper</span></a>, well not exactly new. This one has been on the Ripper list since the time of the murders. <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/has-jack-the-rippers-identity-really-been-revealed-using-dna-evidence-9717036.html"><span style="color: red;">In yet another book on the subject</span></a>, Russell Edwards (no relation) names Aaron Kosminski as quite definitely, without any doubt, the real thing. Based on the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNA_profiling"><span style="color: red;">DNA profiling</span></a> of samples of blood on a shawl said to have belonged to, or have been associated with Catherine Eddowes who was believed to have been the Ripper's fourth victim (and the second to die under his hand during the infamous double event of Sunday 30th September 1888).<br />
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I am, of course, not qualified to comment on the accuracy of DNA results although it does seem fairly obvious that they wouldn't stand up in a court of law (not that that is relevant here). Firstly, the shawl was obtained under what would now be considered very dubious circumstances. Apparently, a policeman took, or was given it, once it was considered to be no longer important to the investigation, to give to his wife. Although why anyone would give a bloodstained shawl as a gift to his nearest and dearest is beyond me. <br />
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Secondly, even though it survived and remained in the hands of the same family for all of these years it can hardly be claimed to have been kept in a sterile and uncontaminated condition. Nevertheless, DNA testing appears to show that the shawl was stained with the blood of both Eddowes and Kosminski (comparisons were made with samples donated by present day members of the two bloodlines). It seems to me that without some other supporting evidence, the best that can be said to explain this is that at some time Kosminski came into contact with both Eddowes and the shawl. Given that Eddowes was a known prostitute and that it was quite possible that Kosminski had been a client, it leaves any kind of statement that he was the killer, or was even present during the event, on very shaky ground.<br />
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Anyway, the upshot of all this is that we are probably no closer to knowing who dunnit. Authors and researchers will continue to reel out the name of the real JTR, usually homing in on one or other of the usual suspects. Interestingly, although the same names come up gain and again, someone once said that if you could line up all of the most "respected" Ripperologists, then throw back a curtain to reveal the man(or woman?) himself, they would all look at him (or her) and say "WHO?"<br />
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Without any doubt, the unsolved crimes of the person or persons known as Jack the Ripper are fascinating, innumerable theories and books have appeared on the subject and it's an absolute guarantee that just as many are still to come, but that fascination comes from the fact that we don't know his identity. Common sense tells us that, yes of course, the right thing is to find who carried out these horrific crimes and to close the case to the satisfaction of the law and the state............<br />
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.......but, a mystery is a mystery...........and people love a mystery!<br />
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For an introduction to the whole affair, take a look at <a href="http://www.casebook.org/"><span style="color: red;">Casebook: Jack the Ripper</span></a> and the Wikipedia entry <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_the_Ripper"><span style="color: red;">here</span></a>.<br />
<br />Malcolm Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02316694673470444938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1083135531935337936.post-41936583099895999742014-02-12T15:22:00.001-08:002014-02-12T15:22:57.421-08:00Wet Feet<p dir="ltr">A few years ago the government of the day (I dont remember which government that was, not that it matters much) declared their intention of building on Britain's flood plains. Flood plains are so called for a reason but that does not mean that it is not possible to use them. Holland carries the term to an extreme as two thirds of the country is way below sea level and is not just subject to occasional flooding but would be permanently under water without the massive sea defences, permanent pumping and properly designed and maintained drainage systems. To be fair, without all of this there would be no Holland but given that their situation is different to ours in both scale and detail, they apparently only spend about twice as much as we do for all of this. Not bad value when you end up with a viable country for your efforts. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Why is it that we always just dip our toe (excuse the pun) in to these problems. It is expensive to deal with but is there really a choice? Dealing with existing problems is a massive issue but moving on to the UK's flood plains is a whole different ball game. Without adopting the full Dutch approach it would be insane. Sadly that is the kind of financial compromise insanity that I can see our saintly politicos going for but, sooner or later, someone is going to need to bite the bullet and sign on the dotted line to make this happen. To cross our fingers and hope the problem will go away is not an option. Only a fool would take that route........but then again perhaps only a fool would go into politics in the first place.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Rant over.......for now!</p>
Malcolm Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02316694673470444938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1083135531935337936.post-29757123727892861782013-07-30T12:39:00.000-07:002013-07-31T11:17:00.487-07:00Death In Notting HillSomething very strange was going on in W11 yesterday morning (Monday 29th July). I left home at 5.30am and was making my way towards my car which was parked in Lonsdale Rd. The first thing I noticed was something very bright in the road at the junction of Lonsdale Rd and Ledbury Rd. Although it was warm and the ground was dry, it was still a bit gloomy, a carry over from the heavy rain that we had overnight. They were so bright that at first I thought they were some kind of lights but as I got closer I could see that they were vivid red and yellow flowers, either artificial or artificially coloured. <br />
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Closer still, I found that they had been scattered over the bodies of two dead foxes! Some of the flowers appear to have been in the form of a garland but that may have been just the way that they had fallen.<br />
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If I hadn't been running late (sorry I'm late boss, I got held up by two dead foxes, was never going to go down well) I would have gone back to get a camera. I would probably also have phoned the police, although I'm not at all sure how that conversation would have gone!<br />
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I didn't have time to forensically examine the corpses but a couple of things were obvious. <br />
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Firstly, if they were road kill, they had been moved from where they had been hit. They were laid neatly side by side and on their sides. . <br />
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Secondly, if they were road kill it is very unlikely that they were killed at the same time or on this spot. I spend half of my life leaving for work at that ridiculous time in the morning and I see a lot of foxes in the area but they are always solo. I never see two adult foxes together on the streets. I'm not saying it never happens but I've not seen it. <br />
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Thirdly, they appeared to be in good condition. The flowers covered quite a lot of the bodies but they didn't appear to be emaciated and their tails, which tend to get a bit ragged and threadbare as their condition declines, were clearly visible and were bushy and very foxy. There was a small amount of blood on the road by one of the bodies but they did not appear to be damaged.<br />
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Fourthly, they can't have been there for long. It was light, the road is never completely traffic free. Also, neither the foxes or the flowers were waterlogged despite the fact that it had been raining heavily just a few hours before (I know, because I had been lying awake listening to it!).<br />
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I now wish that I had taken some photographs to support this tale, even if only on my phone, but give me a break, it was 5.30 in the morning, I was tired and I was dragging myself off to work. Also, I didn't know at the time that I would be writing all of this down, anyway, it's too late to worry about it now.<br />
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So what is going on in Notting Hill. Is it satanists, witches, weirdos, vulpophobic aliens with florisitic leanings, animal sacrifice enthusiasts, hoaxers or simply someone attempting to show respect for two creatures that had died of natural causes. If the latter, then why lay them out in the middle of a road? How respectful is that? However, if it was any of the former group, then perhaps we are all in deeper trouble than even I give the world credit for!<br />
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Of course, there may be some (vaguely) rational explanation for all of this, but I'm buggered if I can figure out what it is.<br />
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Any thoughts or ideas gratefully accepted!Malcolm Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02316694673470444938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1083135531935337936.post-83263225505268186302013-04-17T18:50:00.000-07:002013-04-17T19:48:20.641-07:00Margaret Thatcher....the Final ActSo, it's finally over. Margaret Hilda Thatcher has been despatched to meet her maker (if you believe in that kind of thing). Surely one of the most controversial and divisive figures in modern British history, her funeral has resulted in as much discussion as her entire political career.<br />
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We are told that she had planned her own funeral in minute detail (I doubt that she would have trusted anyone else to do it) and oh how that shows. The result was, in all but a few details, a State occasion. <br />
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After spending the night in the crypt chapel of St Mary Undercroft in the Palace of Westminster, she was transported by hearse to St Clement Danes, the RAF church in the Strand. Here she was transferred onto a gun carriage pulled by horses of the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery. <br />
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If this had been a State funeral, the horses would have been replaced by a team of sailors, a tradition that dates back to the funeral of Queen Victoria. Apparently it was so cold on the day that the horses were extremely unsettled and there was a fear that they would bolt, which would have seriously shattered the dignity of the occasion. Luckily there was a group of underemployed sailors on hand who were (literally) roped in to save the day.<br />
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The cortege, accompanied by a military escort and the band of the Royal Marines, then made its way along Fleet St and up Ludgate Hill to St Paul's.<br />
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As to what went on inside the Cathedral, I have no real idea. I've managed to avoid most of the TV coverage but I'm pretty certain that that things were carried out in a serene and dignified manner. The thing that has been bothering me is was there much dignity in this whole show and the answer, to my mind, is no. A private ceremony for friends and relatives, perhaps followed by a Memorial Service, would have served the purpose perfectly well.<br />
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I freely admit that Margaret Thatcher was never my cup of tea, either personally or politically and that view has not been helped by the circumstances of this funeral. She was always a strong minded woman. Apparently, in 1948 she applied for a job with ICI. She didn't get it, having been deemed to be "headstrong, obstinate and dangerously self-opinionated", the shape of things to come I think!<br />
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This attitude remained with her throughout her political career and manifested itself during her final act as self-aggrandisement of the worst possible kind. This was her last chance to show a little humility, but she chose not to use it!<br />
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One other thing should be mentioned, and that is of course, the cost. We haven't yet been told what the final bill is for this event but the most common estimate is upwards of £10,000,000. You can't blame people, who are being financially squeezed in the current climate, to be horrified at this figure. I don't think the news that, according to the Telegraph, the Thatcher family is expected to contribute about half the costs, is going to soften those views.<br />
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I suppose, in the end, what we have is an old woman, in poor health, living in care (in the Ritz, which has to be the most expensive, and most luxurious care home in the world!) who finally succumbed to a major stroke. <br />
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I'm uncomfortable with the street parties and those who have been freely declaring that they are glad that she is dead, but I can understand the strength of feeling in some communities. <br />
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She was controversial in life and remains so in death but she is unlikely to be easily forgotten. I think that would have made her chuckle.<br />
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<strong></strong>Malcolm Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02316694673470444938noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1083135531935337936.post-14388523215169914602012-10-08T05:38:00.000-07:002012-10-08T16:31:29.289-07:00Fly the Thames<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I get mountains, I really do. There is nothing quite like standing on the top of an Alp on a cold, bright, crystal clear day, where you can see further than the average city dweller can even imagine. Of course, it helps if there is a discreet little cafe up there with you, where you can sip a hot chocolate, perhaps dosed with a hefty slug of the local hooch, and accompany that with a decent sized slab of tooth rotting, waist spreading, <a href="http://www.sacher.com/en-original-sacher-tart.htm" style="color: red;">sachertorte</a>.</div>
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What I don't get is mountain climbing. Why would anyone subject themselves to the pain and misery of clinging to a sheer rock face, not to mention the exhaustion and the ever present danger of plunging hundreds of feet to your death or ending up dangling on a rope with several other climbers like party bunting in a Tim Burton film.</div>
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Fortunately, human ingenuity has come to the rescue, and we are able to ascend in various degrees of comfort thanks to cog railways, ski lifts and cable cars. Even more fortunately, we can descend without ropes and snow axes, or the need to slide down uncontrollably on planks of wood or sleighs the size of tea trays. I don't know why every mountain worth visiting isn't so equipped!</div>
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We're a bit short of Alps in London (except in <a href="http://www.tiredoflondontiredoflife.com/2009/06/climb-beckton-alps.html" style="color: red;">Beckton</a>, of course!) but we do have a <a href="http://www.emiratesairline.co.uk/"><span style="color: red;">cable car</span></a>. Considered by many to have been another of the Mayor's vanity projects, it apparently would have the massive advantage of its proposed £25 million being entirely financed by private enterprise. In an alternative universe that may have happened. However, back in the real world, the budget kept climbing and in the end has cost the taxpayer in excess of £24 million. The rest has been coughed up by Emirates Airline who, in exchange, get a heavily branded, high visibility, animated advert and a plug on the <a href="http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/large-print-tube-map.pdf"><span style="color: red;">tube map</span></a>.</div>
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Anyway, whatever your feelings on the whole project, it is there and it is running, so we may as well use it. So a few weeks ago I did.</div>
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The northern terminal is just a short walk from Royal Victoria station on the DLR and is located alongside the Crystal, which is the extraordinary Siemens sustainability centre. It was quite busy on the day I was there and, unless you had an Oyster Card, there were two queues to negotiate before you were able to climb aboard. The first was to buy your "boarding card" and the second to get into the terminal itself. Using your Oyster Card allows you to enter the terminal in the same way as you'd enter a tube station and has the added advantage of saving you £1.10 on the cost of a single fare. Sadly, Freedom Pass holders will have to buy a boarding card but they do get it at the reduced rate.</div>
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Although the queue was quite long, it moved quickly. The loading and unloading of the pods was efficiently handled by the team on the platform and you are very soon on your way. As you gain altitude you get a good view of the <a href="http://www.thecrystal.org/_html/"><span style="color: red;">Crystal</span></a> and over the sanitised remains of the docks on which, during my trip, there were a couple of guys water skiing using an overhead drag line rather than a powerboat. They were pretty good on the flat but useless over the jump. I say that as someone who has never tried his hand at this particular activity, but you don't need to be an expert to know that when you hit the ramp you are supposed to stay upright and not end up with your head under the water!</div>
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I recommend that as you approach the river it's best not to look down, this isn't because it's likely to trigger a bout of <a href="http://www.planet-science.com/categories/over-11s/human-body/2011/02/fear-of-heights.aspx" style="color: red;">acrophobia</a> (if that is likely to be a problem, then what the hell are you doing up there anyway?) but because it is just plain ugly down there. With all sorts of industrial stuff and piles of scrap, it can hardly be described as scenic! Anyway, there is plenty to occupy your visual senses. If you are on the Royal Victoria to Greenwich Peninsular leg, then most of the action is on your starboard side. Looking back you can see over to the Olympic Park and looking forward, you can peer down on the approaching O2 complex and beyond that the towers of the Isle of Dogs and on to those of the City. You could also see the Shard, but then again you can see that from pretty well anywhere. The weather was fairly miserable on the day of my visit, but it was still worth seeing.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ldECwTvbkASEsLznlGtdGSOdA4ty3sKAR7OSOZjp1ZEZ20tzuxIJpDzB31vtBM_XUbFy3JK1g-SpaiZMiEhbgpzVu_vOUEKr0mmzw9j3ep2Gu4lOPcA6AxQXYhpYk4fthqEzV8LoLfE/s1600/Dangleway-0409122.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ldECwTvbkASEsLznlGtdGSOdA4ty3sKAR7OSOZjp1ZEZ20tzuxIJpDzB31vtBM_XUbFy3JK1g-SpaiZMiEhbgpzVu_vOUEKr0mmzw9j3ep2Gu4lOPcA6AxQXYhpYk4fthqEzV8LoLfE/s320/Dangleway-0409122.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Finally you plunge down towards the Greenwich Peninsular Terminal and the end of your "flight". Disembarkation runs smoothly and you are all too soon back on Terra Firma</div>
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I think that it is one of those trips that is worth taking several time, varying the direction, time of day and season of the year. I suspect that, given the right conditions, sunrise and sunset could be spectacular. In my case, a sunrise trip seems unlikely but a sunset flight is a distinct possibility.</div>
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A couple of other things to consider. If you travel at off peak times the trip will last a little longer, as they run at a slower speed and, if you don't like the idea of sharing your trip with strangers, for a mere £86.00 you can hire a whole pod to fill with friends, or if you are feeling completely self indulgent (and have more money than sense) keep entirely to yourself. </div>
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Finally, do keep an eye on the weather forecast and check with the TFL website before travelling. This form of travel is affected by high winds, it is also a potential target for a lightning strike during a thunderstorm. Both of these conditions will lead to the service being temporarily suspended (no pun intended) which could force you to hang around (I meant that one ;-) waiting for your flight, not the end of the world if you are just sightseeing, but it could be difficult if you are either commuting or have a very expensive ticket to an event at the <a href="http://www.theo2.co.uk/"><span style="color: red;">O2</span></a>.</div>
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Malcolm Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02316694673470444938noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1083135531935337936.post-69752742657149715602012-09-25T14:23:00.001-07:002012-09-26T13:54:22.117-07:00More North Pole News<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
As a follow up to my <a href="http://malcnhg-londonramblings.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/the-north-pole-goes-west.html"><span style="color: red;">last post</span></a>, the North Pole is currently decorated with these signs following a gathering of protesters on Saturday. I'm slightly surprised that the banners were still there on Monday afternoon, but perhaps Tesco were not aware that a protest had taken place.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmkebhvWJq6SKk0U9SBnMSxx6GDYM7wM7n_bqN1ywu2MrmUJJcm_lFOrk3TmeUvm32jR7x2Sa4RU0a52eYrX4vq6dGT9Apjys9KdEvVtnKXJmB-6AUe0kYZxXugyVVaUexgV-_2Lty21s/s1600/122.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmkebhvWJq6SKk0U9SBnMSxx6GDYM7wM7n_bqN1ywu2MrmUJJcm_lFOrk3TmeUvm32jR7x2Sa4RU0a52eYrX4vq6dGT9Apjys9KdEvVtnKXJmB-6AUe0kYZxXugyVVaUexgV-_2Lty21s/s320/122.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlYnRIv7-zf41irxibUA76tOJju3KTZDVbhNjyDQHEjVNja8NDcN0Bte4xhX4g8hhwtR39yWGxYh4GZOTR9IDWGM0vnoDlni4Fw1XjF9fINy3zpqUe2oS2R5vBfsmNYaSAh5oTIX3PlCs/s1600/134.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlYnRIv7-zf41irxibUA76tOJju3KTZDVbhNjyDQHEjVNja8NDcN0Bte4xhX4g8hhwtR39yWGxYh4GZOTR9IDWGM0vnoDlni4Fw1XjF9fINy3zpqUe2oS2R5vBfsmNYaSAh5oTIX3PlCs/s320/134.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<br />Malcolm Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02316694673470444938noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1083135531935337936.post-24029713223002448992012-09-23T09:22:00.002-07:002012-09-23T09:22:30.772-07:00The North Pole Goes West<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Yet another local bites the dust!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyQpqFiJ0vXNDQ_KIS3hEt9896f9X952I6wkD1MseJZ9HQ5cI1yu02KuB_crDOE_5ik6XabZCZTtplc8hzxmub5r9NJBO2LM8MjUwDGyGMBb2bSp8pJCL_XQHt67yFJuGk3alYxhbU_-E/s1600/Dad&TheNorthPole-070912014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyQpqFiJ0vXNDQ_KIS3hEt9896f9X952I6wkD1MseJZ9HQ5cI1yu02KuB_crDOE_5ik6XabZCZTtplc8hzxmub5r9NJBO2LM8MjUwDGyGMBb2bSp8pJCL_XQHt67yFJuGk3alYxhbU_-E/s320/Dad&TheNorthPole-070912014.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The North Pole is/was a Victorian public house located on the corner of Latimer Rd and North Pole Rd W10. There has been a pub on this site since about 1839 when the Globe was built near the north west corner of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kensington_Hippodrome"><span style="color: red;">Hippodrome</span></a> racecourse. </div>
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Later renamed the North Pole, the original single story building was replaced by the current three story building in 1892. Until the 1860's this area and was mostly given over to market gardens but the failure of the Hippodrome in 1842, which led to the expansion of the <a href="http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=49874"><span style="color: red;">Ladbroke Estate</span></a><span style="color: red;">,</span> and also the construction of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_London_Line"><span style="color: red;">West London Railway</span></a> inevitably changed its character.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD8_7H5NGDQLo23C51l9P_K9iaTKEQxomZhFN02fks7ZNvccbS31_6UeKsKlZGg2tvziSx89wg4I-bGuuQfqs-JiJU8Hpvv6TffTig6yKAHF2QhlCthpKQL8G5kF52oJn289-oih80y3g/s1600/Dad&TheNorthPole-070912010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD8_7H5NGDQLo23C51l9P_K9iaTKEQxomZhFN02fks7ZNvccbS31_6UeKsKlZGg2tvziSx89wg4I-bGuuQfqs-JiJU8Hpvv6TffTig6yKAHF2QhlCthpKQL8G5kF52oJn289-oih80y3g/s320/Dad&TheNorthPole-070912010.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.thenorth-pole.co.uk/"><span style="color: red;">The Pole</span></a> has had its ups and downs over the years. It was even relaunched as the New North Pole at one time after a particularly bad period. However, more recently it had settled down and become a decent and trouble free pub.</div>
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Sadly, the lease has now been taken over by Tesco who intend to open it as a Metro mini market. I was surprised to find out that no planning permission is required for change of use from a public house to a retail store, however they do need permission to change the signage. That application is now with the council and will no doubt be granted without too much trouble.</div>
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There is quite a lot of resistance <a href="http://sthelensresidents.org.uk/?p=138"><span style="color: red;">locally</span></a> to the change of use, with particular concern for the future of the established businesses in North Pole Rd.</div>
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Pubs are closing at an alarming rate these days, so why have I picked this one to write about? I can't claim to be a regular but in a strange sort of way the Pole has always been a part of my life. I was born less than two minutes walk away and grew up only two or three minutes further away than that, and whereas the character of North Pole Rd has changed in recent years, it is still the place that my Mum sent me to buy a pint of milk and a loaf of bread. It is also the where I had my schoolboy jobs as a paper boy in Ellingtons news agent (now long gone) and later in Bowen & Williams chemist shop (now My Pharmacy), both of which are directly opposite the North Pole pub.</div>
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As a shopping street, North Pole Road is not big and it's not glamorous, but it has served the immediate needs of the locals for well over a hundred years and in all of that time the North Pole pub has been at the heart of it. Now, it seems, that is about to end for ever.</div>
<br />Malcolm Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02316694673470444938noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1083135531935337936.post-14525089734641462662012-09-15T09:57:00.001-07:002012-09-15T10:01:23.735-07:00When There's Something Strange...................in your neighbourhood.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ9Wg4kUk_LbJSt9aBQ6UiuzswhvKjeNZiZx5RY1befrRKY3kY0zLVAbmERYtvhpei2QHUSzi6y4XYg5f1gJscOhW0NfjaNSK22Ct4Cuv1E132IshKufsln5l2jNbk6ooGtiEKIPYi2SI/s1600/DevelopingCityToOneNewChange-060912016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ9Wg4kUk_LbJSt9aBQ6UiuzswhvKjeNZiZx5RY1befrRKY3kY0zLVAbmERYtvhpei2QHUSzi6y4XYg5f1gJscOhW0NfjaNSK22Ct4Cuv1E132IshKufsln5l2jNbk6ooGtiEKIPYi2SI/s320/DevelopingCityToOneNewChange-060912016.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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As any rational person knows, the whole horoscope thing is complete nonsense (although other views on this subject are available!) but just as long as it is not taken too seriously it can't do any harm.........can it? <br />
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The entrance to 107 Cheapside is surrounded by the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zodiac"><span style="color: red;">signs of the zodiac</span></a>. Carved by <a href="http://www.skeapinggallery.com/page3.htm"><span style="color: red;">John Skeaping</span></a> in around 1955. I have no idea why they are there. I'd like to think that there is some mystery to them but I suspect that they are purely decorative. Anyway, nonsense or not, I quite like them and they are a slightly surprising thing to find on an office building in the City.<br />
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As well as recording this slightly quirky architectural detail, I took this photograph to illustrate a moan about one of the blights on the 21st Century cityscape. I mean, of course the warning sign. I accept that in this less than enlightened age we all need to be warned that it is advisable to look right (or left) before crossing the road, that it is not a good thing to drop your litter on the pavement, that it is only reasonable to clean up after your dog, that poisonous substances are not good for your health and that there is the "danger of death" should you chose to poke around in an electrical sub station. However, these signs are deeply unattractive, largely unread and, I suspect, are really there simply to prevent the "victims" from sueing the the "authorities". A sort of "I told you so" clause.<br />
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The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoking_ban_in_England"><span style="color: red;">ban on smoking</span></a> in public and commercial premises has led to the unhappy sight of clusters of smokers gathering in the street to get their nicotine fix. This issue is dealt with in various ways. Some chose to corral their smokers in draughty and secluded shelters, like latter day lepers. Others hang those ugly, and usually overflowing, butt boxes outside their premises in the hope that their decorative and expensive planters won't be used as giant ash trays and then there are those that just put up no smoking signs in the hope that their smokers will move away and gather in front of someone else's property!<br />
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The management of <a href="http://www.cheapside107.com/"><span style="color: red;">107 Cheapside</span></a> have apparently chosen the latter method. I'm sure that it will help to keep the front of the building (and the planters) free of dog ends, but the signs are obtrusive and ugly.................and just as offensive as a carpet of ash and soggy filter tips.<br />
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It wasn't until I got home that I noticed what appear to be demonic eyes, like burning coals, deep within 107 Cheapside, glaring across the road at the church of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Mary-le-Bow"><span style="color: red;">St Mary-le-Bow</span></a>. So, perhaps the original creators of this building did have a serious reason for the zodiac carvings. Maybe, just maybe, they knew that something malevolent lurked in the bowels of the building and were trying to warn us in a backhanded sort of way to look to the future. Of course, it could simply be a trick of the light and slightly over active imagination but where's the fun in that?<br />
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Anyway, just in case there is somethin' weird an' it don't look good, it may well be worth giving some thought to <a href="http://www.oldielyrics.com/lyrics/ray_parker_jr/ghostbusters.html"><span style="color: red;">who you gonna call</span></a>!<br />
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<br />Malcolm Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02316694673470444938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1083135531935337936.post-92150584112534356572012-08-25T14:12:00.000-07:002012-08-28T14:29:00.866-07:00It's That Time Again.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://www.thenottinghillcarnival.com/"><span style="color: red;">Carnival</span></a> kicks off tomorrow and the preparations are well under way. Many businesses seem to have given up on Saturday trading altogether and are already boarded up for the duration..<br />
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I'm not sure why Barclays Bank on Ladbroke Grove found it necessary to close for the day, not even the ATM's were accessible. The boarding up could easily have been carried out at close of business but I suppose that an extended Bank Holiday weekend seemed more attractive than providing a service to their customers........<br />
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........and you were also out of luck if you wanted to return your library book, but hey, you can always dispute the fine for being overdue!<br />
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Finally, let's hope the weather improves for Sunday and Monday. We
really don't want anymore skies like this. We've been fairly lucky for
the last few years, but the best you could say about today's weather was
that it was unsettled. We've had the odd spot of sun, occasional blue skies and an unreasonable amount of rain, thunder and lightning. <br />
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Whatever the weather have a happy and peaceful Carnival.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/malcnhg/sets/72157631295114806/"><span style="color: red;">More pictures here.</span></a><br />
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<br />Malcolm Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02316694673470444938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1083135531935337936.post-87858239605138630132012-08-04T13:24:00.000-07:002012-08-04T15:36:27.733-07:00Car Parking......the BMW Way!As a result of my usual lack of ontheballness (check out the next addition of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxford_English_Dictionary"><u><span style="color: blue;">OED</span></u><span style="color: blue;"></span></a>, ontheballness will be in there!), I nearly missed out on this one.<br />
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For the last couple of weeks the Great Eastern Street NCP Car Park has been taken over by the <a href="http://www.ica.org.uk/"><u><span style="color: blue;">ICA</span></u><span style="color: blue;"></span></a> to present <a href="http://festival.london2012.com/events/9000966105"><u><span style="color: blue;">Art Drive! The BMW Art Car Collection 1975 - 2010</span></u><span style="color: blue;"></span></a>. Sadly, it closes at 9.00pm today, so the opportunity to catch it is now quite limited.<br />
<br />For the last 35 years BMW have been commissioning prominent artists to decorate their cars and in that time 17 vehicles have been added to the <a href="http://www.bmwdrives.com/bmw-artcars.php"><u><span style="color: blue;">collection</span></u><span style="color: blue;"></span></a>. All but one of those vehicles have been on display in this innovative location since the 21st of July.<br />
<br />The origins of the collection lie with auctioneer and racing driver Hervé Poulain, who had always wanted to add "artistic beauty to an already perfect object such as a racing car". In 1973, he invited his friend, the sculptor <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Calder"><u><span style="color: blue;">Alexander Calder</span></u><span style="color: blue;"></span></a>, to decorate such a car, which he enthusiastically accepted. The only fly in the ointment was that he didn't have a suitable race car to play with.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">3.0 CSL by Alexander Calder (1975)</span></div>
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Fortunately Poulain was referred to the head of BMW Motorsport by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Todt"><u><span style="color: blue;">Jean Todt</span></u><span style="color: blue;"></span></a> (at the time a rally co-driver and now President of the FIA). A 3.0 CSL Coupé which was to be entered in the 1975 Le Mans 24 Hour race seemed like the perfect canvas. The design was worked up on a model by Calder and was applied by Walter Maurer in Munich. Sadly, after a promising start, the car was retired due to a technical fault but the connection between BMW and the art world was established and continues to this day.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">3.0 CSL by Frank Stella (1976)</span></div>
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The collection consists of both road and race cars, but to my mind the best of them are all racers. These cars are not just trailer queens either. Most, if not all, have been raced and raced hard.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">320 Group by Roy Lichtenstein (1977)</span></div>
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Just what constitutes good art is, of course, in the eye of the beholder but some of these cars just don't work for me. In particular, I don't like the M1 painted by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Warhol"><u><span style="color: blue;">Andy Warhol</span></u><span style="color: blue;"></span></a>, but what do I know. If it had been my car I would have been tempted to have it stripped and resprayed. That would have been a huge mistake of course. A little research has shown that these days a good M1 would probably cost you about £150,000. In the unlikely event that the Warhol car should come onto the market, I'm guessing that you could add another zero to that figure at the very least. It is amazing what the daubings of a prominent name in the art world can be worth! <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">M1 Group 4 by Andy Warhol (1979)</span></div>
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Whatever our views on the individual vehicles, BMW should be applauded for their continuing to add to this collection. Also a huge thanks is due to the ICA for bringing the collection to London.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">635 CSi by Ernst Fuchs (1982)</span></div>
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Rather than comment on each car, I'll just throw in a few photographs and allow you to make up your own mind but just for the record my personal favourites are the <a href="http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z13793/BMW-30-CSL.aspx"><span style="color: red;">batmobiles</span></a> by Alexander Calder and Frank Stella, the V12 LMR by Jenny Holzer, the M3 GTR by Sandro Chia and, especially, the M3 GT2 by Jeff Koons,which looks as if it's doing 100MPH.......even if it is sitting in a multi-story car park!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">635 CSi by Robert Rauschenberg (1986)</span></div>
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Just one final thing, what about the missing vehicle? In 2007 <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olafur_Eliasson"><u><span style="color: blue;">Olafur Eliasson</span></u><span style="color: blue;"></span></a> took a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_H2R"><u><span style="color: blue;">record holding</span></u><span style="color: blue;"></span></a> hydrogen powered <a href="http://www.bmwdrives.com/artcars/bmw-artcars-eliasson.php"><u><span style="color: blue;">H2R research vehicle</span></u><span style="color: blue;"></span></a> and replaced the body with a reflective steel and mesh shell. With the vehicle in a custom made refrigerator unit, it was sprayed with water over several days to gradually create layers of ice!" A sight to see I would imagine.<br />
<br />"Lit from within and glowing in its frozen atmosphere, the resultant work measures more than 5 feet high, 17 feet long, and 8 feet wide. Viewers enter the environment in limited numbers to enjoy an intimate, immersive, and social engagement with the artwork - a fundamental aspect of Eliasson's art." <br />
<br />This was first shown at the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_Museum_of_Modern_Art"><u><span style="color: blue;">San Francisco Museum of Modern Art</span></u><span style="color: blue;"></span></a> and subsequently at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinakothek_der_Moderne"><u><span style="color: blue;">Pinakothek der Moderne</span></u><span style="color: blue;"></span></a>, Munich, in 2008. Not exactly the most portable of artworks, I'm not sure if it has been shown any where since.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">M3 Group 4 by Michael Jagamara Nelson (1989)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">M3 Group A by Ken Done (1989)</span></div>
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53<span style="font-size: x-small;">5i by MatazoKayama (1990)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">730i by César Manrique (1990)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Z1 by A R Penck (1991)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaF96Tf5yakU5fFfyGRDq3jIX_wg7oT8G9BvE-0yW9tcBNg3xc2eywlhsSpCXYMAiXtqDVbSHrFABbpSklIqkWjCyntr6NWYDGEY7cfWBM8k5iorSxoWtVlli6t0VyAD2VVd_cVlE6aFg/s1600/BMW-ArtCars-290712108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaF96Tf5yakU5fFfyGRDq3jIX_wg7oT8G9BvE-0yW9tcBNg3xc2eywlhsSpCXYMAiXtqDVbSHrFABbpSklIqkWjCyntr6NWYDGEY7cfWBM8k5iorSxoWtVlli6t0VyAD2VVd_cVlE6aFg/s320/BMW-ArtCars-290712108.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">525i by Esther Mahlangu (1991)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1DO-C1fDA2SZ8WyCN1PlWU8Hm1bozpyjs-VTh4eaYIPxVnepwSEo7jo6w8laEr7A02Q_auIDo8QO21GKyeWNWmXi1rato5XADcPfJielJH9SjK55VtifDSm5I0marWmURoxXtNUp9ffI/s1600/BMW-ArtCars-290712130.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1DO-C1fDA2SZ8WyCN1PlWU8Hm1bozpyjs-VTh4eaYIPxVnepwSEo7jo6w8laEr7A02Q_auIDo8QO21GKyeWNWmXi1rato5XADcPfJielJH9SjK55VtifDSm5I0marWmURoxXtNUp9ffI/s320/BMW-ArtCars-290712130.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">M3 GTR by Sandro Chia (1992)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEginSmS0d8qg-NK4oyDUuzW_0WLF7DdQWjAkqDemJmg3pytw6wKYg-1xdezIhCzXO5P1ahEahS4oOc3bzgaLZiFiZVDprVCq2p4aKOzt8D2DMjFmqXmuTAl1CqLemkRKmnG6unwHRqU6o8/s1600/BMW-ArtCars-290712118.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEginSmS0d8qg-NK4oyDUuzW_0WLF7DdQWjAkqDemJmg3pytw6wKYg-1xdezIhCzXO5P1ahEahS4oOc3bzgaLZiFiZVDprVCq2p4aKOzt8D2DMjFmqXmuTAl1CqLemkRKmnG6unwHRqU6o8/s320/BMW-ArtCars-290712118.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">850 CSi by David Hockney (1995)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyHwnxYExfvYrVRS5EZwdSIaT6jb1ME8LJAX8l-juMLJWBQqIuPle2pTvcdmvq5f87nb_SseA12F-hc33m7frcU1q6jPV98R-6tNI6AtCwXdx32ItfYY2HLSZtv4ngwiO2gDApJ2C57BM/s1600/BMW-ArtCars-290712010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyHwnxYExfvYrVRS5EZwdSIaT6jb1ME8LJAX8l-juMLJWBQqIuPle2pTvcdmvq5f87nb_SseA12F-hc33m7frcU1q6jPV98R-6tNI6AtCwXdx32ItfYY2HLSZtv4ngwiO2gDApJ2C57BM/s320/BMW-ArtCars-290712010.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">V12 LMR by Jenny Holzer (1999)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWK_UueYFVBCHTdpKg6qC5mZEuhMLAAxPCU5SDjY6c5spWj8zfZIwk0fr8vtkkCStnN7BG-u4Dl8gKrHFLx_zu0EuGvIXUY7fbqvslv7WoOLEo6kkzgMh_0cUeFFECLqPDxG8QAfs7GCM/s1600/BMW-ArtCars-290712160.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWK_UueYFVBCHTdpKg6qC5mZEuhMLAAxPCU5SDjY6c5spWj8zfZIwk0fr8vtkkCStnN7BG-u4Dl8gKrHFLx_zu0EuGvIXUY7fbqvslv7WoOLEo6kkzgMh_0cUeFFECLqPDxG8QAfs7GCM/s320/BMW-ArtCars-290712160.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">M3 GT2 by Jeff Koons (2012)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">M3 GT2 by Jeff Koons (2012)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">M3 GT2 by Jeff Koons (2012)</span></div>
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<br /></div>Malcolm Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02316694673470444938noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1083135531935337936.post-33281300051034696232012-07-22T17:10:00.002-07:002012-07-22T17:10:44.806-07:00I'll Have A Large Formaldehyde....................and make it snappy!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-xE_TDCC-3jYce5cXperHgu7MP17mjSY1HPe6slLeJ5MJdLoRR3JNUT62YmUM7gLIZ5DtWwt_kGrAFTN7qhGP5RpbJDQTz8idJr7cNE_ykAaZfXr5R11sPXMx4esVQhY9UOTgED1E7N4/s1600/SouthBank&TateModern-220712098.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-xE_TDCC-3jYce5cXperHgu7MP17mjSY1HPe6slLeJ5MJdLoRR3JNUT62YmUM7gLIZ5DtWwt_kGrAFTN7qhGP5RpbJDQTz8idJr7cNE_ykAaZfXr5R11sPXMx4esVQhY9UOTgED1E7N4/s320/SouthBank&TateModern-220712098.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I finally got around to seeing the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damien_Hirst"><span style="color: red;">Damien Hirst</span></a> exhibition at the Tate <a href="http://www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-modern"><span style="color: red;">Modern</span></a>. I'm not a fan of Mr Hirst but it cost me nothing but time to check it out (that's the joy of corporate membership).<br />
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All of the familiar elements were there, spin paintings, spots, skulls, cigarette ends, gemstones, flies, butterflies, rotting meat, sharks and other assorted dead creatures and substantial quantities of the aforementioned formaldehyde. No jewel encrusted skull though, that moved on towards the end of June.It obviously had a better place to be.<br />
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That about covers it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpnBQZ35jQ1WK8gXzELII_tQr1kLeLQSHGF-eqGlP3JudSV2MXXKtk6wA2TU_ndGdJ5t8xuHT8q3OLIb4v5VrdMB2l1CayALThIM2z1Q0IAOPYgwfahyphenhyphentlUZ91JnwtLDaBimVfBVg2i7s/s1600/SouthBank&TateModern-220712106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpnBQZ35jQ1WK8gXzELII_tQr1kLeLQSHGF-eqGlP3JudSV2MXXKtk6wA2TU_ndGdJ5t8xuHT8q3OLIb4v5VrdMB2l1CayALThIM2z1Q0IAOPYgwfahyphenhyphentlUZ91JnwtLDaBimVfBVg2i7s/s320/SouthBank&TateModern-220712106.JPG" width="212" /></a></div>
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No photographs from inside the exhibition of course, it wouldn't do to deprive Mr Hirst of the post card sales in the gift shop, so I've had to make do with some shots of Hymn which stands in front of the Tate staring towards St Paul's. This twenty foot, six ton, painted bronze statue explores another of Hirst's recurring themes, the anatomical figure.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilJvNbGJLVWR38bb3WeuIIVouIulB-la4CN04J_k7IqnsZbobDTwKWvUC7C4yjZ8n1sMBF4YOSVaTNaAv0KRXTfH7X7rkjGPvP3GJ5JUBcSlOTbVQMwhbs0r6pqpcxtNfHgQqUow8rEEo/s1600/SouthBank&TateModern-220712104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilJvNbGJLVWR38bb3WeuIIVouIulB-la4CN04J_k7IqnsZbobDTwKWvUC7C4yjZ8n1sMBF4YOSVaTNaAv0KRXTfH7X7rkjGPvP3GJ5JUBcSlOTbVQMwhbs0r6pqpcxtNfHgQqUow8rEEo/s320/SouthBank&TateModern-220712104.JPG" width="212" /></a></div>
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This is art as a business, nothing new in that of course, it always has been. After all, artists have to make a living, they just do it in a different way to the majority of us. The great masters usually worked to commission and/or lived very comfortably under the patronage of the rich and powerful and lesser artists (in stature but not necessarily in skill and creativity) sell directly or through galleries. Of course, some are better businessmen than others. It is claimed that Vincent van Gogh sold only one painting in his lifetime, but to be fair he did have other things on his mind.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4rJHg0VypARmI3RHBOlHzEOjkTAX6cyEUxZH_m9NhTiRk6xtUvOeSZ3uN82xpdyIhXOAuwbw9aTwdIedv5jzpVYe7_grAtQuJwL1yyB85KxWHF2t3cL_xtzmtQhZ6yN0-U0VLLST1Jmw/s1600/SouthBank&TateModern-220712103.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4rJHg0VypARmI3RHBOlHzEOjkTAX6cyEUxZH_m9NhTiRk6xtUvOeSZ3uN82xpdyIhXOAuwbw9aTwdIedv5jzpVYe7_grAtQuJwL1yyB85KxWHF2t3cL_xtzmtQhZ6yN0-U0VLLST1Jmw/s320/SouthBank&TateModern-220712103.JPG" width="212" /></a></div>
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Damien Hirst, however, has taken the art business to a whole new level. He has become more like the creative director of a major corporation than a working artist. In 2008 he took the decision to avoid the traditional route of selling his work through a gallery and presented 244 new works for <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/artsales/3560707/Damien-Hirst-sale-makes-111-million.html"><span style="color: red;">auction by Sotheby's</span></a>. The two day event took in excess of £111,000,000. A good couple of days for Mr Hirst then<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfYe2zHm2beYreRZHfAdrSVtciE3hfyQ-Nv7FH8m421TKVYeoqmzf0l3SyOg_rB0_GMiN3ET552bN3E4rZJ-EGNere1jii3l4bIe76Urc5-jklAjNmRCeUXV6A6xXwrJRlTVUx_h1UFz8/s1600/SouthBank&TateModern-220712112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfYe2zHm2beYreRZHfAdrSVtciE3hfyQ-Nv7FH8m421TKVYeoqmzf0l3SyOg_rB0_GMiN3ET552bN3E4rZJ-EGNere1jii3l4bIe76Urc5-jklAjNmRCeUXV6A6xXwrJRlTVUx_h1UFz8/s320/SouthBank&TateModern-220712112.JPG" width="212" /></a></div>
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Just as a matter of interest, here is a selection of the gift shop goodies.<br />
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Love of God T-shirt Adult - £46.00<br />
Love of God T-shirtChild - £30.00<br />
Love of God Pencil - £2.05<br />
Spin Painted Skull (plastic) - £36,800.00<br />
Skateboard Deck - £480.00<br />
Deckchair - £310.00<br />
Umbrella - £39.50<br />
Charm Bracelet - £11,000.00<br />
Cufflinks - £250.00<br />
Wallpaper - between £205.00 and £675.00 per roll<br />
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Enjoy.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb9DsiFN6riXmv2Qt_WRPZBkCEbNv8d09385NucbLa8pc33fqoQf2oalvyR8dxxtBuJIQk9D4-GII98Iu7yfww4z9mPKx9f_u7hv5kfo8JzeIeQ8_YaQdXQ96sBXm7LZav3G41wi_Veoc/s1600/SouthBank&TateModern-220712.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb9DsiFN6riXmv2Qt_WRPZBkCEbNv8d09385NucbLa8pc33fqoQf2oalvyR8dxxtBuJIQk9D4-GII98Iu7yfww4z9mPKx9f_u7hv5kfo8JzeIeQ8_YaQdXQ96sBXm7LZav3G41wi_Veoc/s640/SouthBank&TateModern-220712.jpg" width="451" /></a></div>
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</div>Malcolm Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02316694673470444938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1083135531935337936.post-72574938744649122222012-07-06T15:44:00.001-07:002012-07-06T15:47:26.020-07:00Sparking Up The Shard<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjco6QjP5TTnIER1e9LC13dT9DCZwk-3A0ehEC5wKS89Bk6BIZv1WKrrFlhlMvPJvVoR1Knu07hRZdX3C8rlm2hhGOKT3Tkfpjv09uGhnG9jDVj05NCUC8BW-1-kua7zYyP5ess0YKqXuw/s1600/WappingStKaths&TheCity-140412048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjco6QjP5TTnIER1e9LC13dT9DCZwk-3A0ehEC5wKS89Bk6BIZv1WKrrFlhlMvPJvVoR1Knu07hRZdX3C8rlm2hhGOKT3Tkfpjv09uGhnG9jDVj05NCUC8BW-1-kua7zYyP5ess0YKqXuw/s320/WappingStKaths&TheCity-140412048.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I failed to make it to the much hyped inauguration of the Shard. Reviews of the event have been mixed but lean heavily towards disappointment, so it seems that I didn't miss much. Perhaps they needed a few tips from the French!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/f5HQput353o?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Although the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shard_London_Bridge"><span style="color: red;">Shard</span></a> is completed externally, there is still much work to do on the interior. Topping out at 1,016ft (309.6m, that 0.6m really counts for something in the tall building world!), it is actually only the second tallest free standing structure in the UK. The concrete tower at the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emley_Moor_transmitting_station"><span style="color: red;">Emley Moor</span></a> transmitting station stands at 1,084ft (330m), but to be fair, you can't live in it, stay in it or get a view over London up there in West Yorkshire.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNmp9D5E5BO_6hb9mihpQ2QEFBvXSATSvvGaEpLGoGY0wt8xN1ZPBXi_38vxqOo9visKnghURIVoynSZ0q0xIa8fCM-limvaKk_tefKhKWNCK55xzRpNxwR1El7UhHuljUXBhfxIsh5NA/s1600/WappingStKaths&TheCity-140412002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNmp9D5E5BO_6hb9mihpQ2QEFBvXSATSvvGaEpLGoGY0wt8xN1ZPBXi_38vxqOo9visKnghURIVoynSZ0q0xIa8fCM-limvaKk_tefKhKWNCK55xzRpNxwR1El7UhHuljUXBhfxIsh5NA/s320/WappingStKaths&TheCity-140412002.JPG" width="212" /></a></div>
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For the record, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eiffel_Tower"><span style="color: red;">La Dame de Fer</span></a> is 1050ft (320m) high but again, you can't live in it, stay in it,or get a view over London. The view over Paris ain't bad though!<br />
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Speaking of views, the Shard's observation platform is due to open in February next year, but be prepared to pay an eye watering £24.95 for an adult ticket. If you plan to take a child with you, it will cost you another £18.95. So, not a cheap day out then..................but it is a long way up.......and, eventually, the temptation will probably be too great to resist. Will power is not my strong point.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdbBdBo7CuKqWMIaW-C7NFrcmQhRycc-v0I1JKA9ujHBv92DMhxZjRyOZfWKXh0PfOLqEaFpO4_Pj14Wc-qMXpyFGOQl-axZkEif6egFbnXc3hYwDtE2f3hsmsVIPbpy5RR9rEFl2gj_c/s1600/WappingStKaths&TheCity-140412115.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdbBdBo7CuKqWMIaW-C7NFrcmQhRycc-v0I1JKA9ujHBv92DMhxZjRyOZfWKXh0PfOLqEaFpO4_Pj14Wc-qMXpyFGOQl-axZkEif6egFbnXc3hYwDtE2f3hsmsVIPbpy5RR9rEFl2gj_c/s320/WappingStKaths&TheCity-140412115.JPG" width="212" /></a></div>Malcolm Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02316694673470444938noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1083135531935337936.post-79646628617877668292012-07-03T15:54:00.000-07:002012-07-03T16:00:18.464-07:00London's Olympic Air DefencesIt has now been <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18690861" style="color: red;">confirmed</a> that, in addition to the Typhoon fighter aircraft temporarily stationed at RAF Northolt, Rapier and Starstreak High Velocity Missiles are to be deployed in London to offer air defence in the event of an Olympics related attack.<br />
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I'm a little confused by this.<br />
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Presumably, in the event of a 9/11 style attack, either the Typhoons will be sent up in an to attempt to <a href="http://www.ianvisits.co.uk/blog/2012/06/16/how-typhoon-jets-will-intercept-unexpected-planes-during-the-olympics/" style="color: red;">deter</a> the offending aircraft and, if necessary, shoot them down. Or, they will cut out the fighters altogether and go straight in with the missiles!<br />
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There does seem to be a flaw in this plan. Anyone involved in this kind of attack has to see it as a one way trip. The threat of being shot out of the sky seems very unlikely to deter them. Therefore, the use of fighters or missiles as a deterrent seems to be a non starter, which leaves the military with only one option which is to shoot down the threatening aircraft.<br />
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As there is no way to control, or even to know, where a downed aircraft will crash, the end result of this would be much the same as if the initial attack had been successful. The devastation may not be where the terrorists planned it to be, but it would be devastation all the same and the crew would have achieved the martyrdom that their cause demanded of them.<br />
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I'm not here to discuss the political implications or the beliefs of others. Nor am I here to simply dismiss the military response to this type of threat. I may have completely missed the point of these defences, but I don't think I'm alone there.<br />
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Without giving away the tactical details of these deployments, we need some explanation as to how the authorities plan to handle an incident and some assurance that the consequences of the defence strategy will not be just as destructive as a successful attack.<br />
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If all of this just turns out to be a bluff, or a show of strength, with no real expectation of success, then perhaps we should just call it a day and hope for the best.Malcolm Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02316694673470444938noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1083135531935337936.post-51032726787402404552012-06-29T21:08:00.001-07:002012-06-29T21:10:07.133-07:00The Dedication and Unveiling Ceremony<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My <a href="http://malcnhg-londonramblings.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/bomber-command-memorial.html" style="color: red;">last post</a> was about the forthcoming dedication of the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18633791" style="color: red;">Bomber Command Memorial</a>. Well, now it has happened. After a wait of almost 70 years, the families and comrades of the airmen lost during the bombing campaigns of the Second World War now have a permanent, national, reminder of the bravery and the sacrifce made by these men. The survivors are now old men, in their late eighties and nineties. <span style="color: red;">The </span><a href="http://www.bombercommand.com/" style="color: red;">Bomber Command Association</a> have estimated that they are losing, on average, twelve former crewmen a week. It is very sad that so many have passed away over the years without seeing a fitting memorial to all of their lost friends and colleagues.<br />
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The casualty rate was staggering. Out of a total of 125,00 aircrew, 55,573 were killed, 8,403 were wounded and 9,838 were made prisoners of war. These men were all volunteers and had an average age of just 22. Volunteers also came from Commonwealth countries and from occupied Europe. Many of the young men put in charge of a 30 ton, four engined monster of a bomber had probably never even driven a car before signing up. Yet despite supporting these crews and encouraging the principle of area bombing during the war, many of those in authority chose to protect their own futures as the war moved towards an end, and distance themselves from the destruction and large scale loss of life that resulted from those raids.<br />
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In September 1941, Winston Churchill said "The fighters are our salvation but the bombers alone provide the means of victory". In his Victory Speech in 1945 he made no mention at all of <a href="http://www.rafbombercommand.com/" style="color: red;">Bomber Command</a> and it's contribution to the war. No campaign medal was issued and although the bomber war was not written out of the history books, the men who took part in it were, to all intents and purposes, quietly forgotten.<br />
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All of that is now in the past and due to the tireless campaigning of the Bomber Command Assocoiation, the support of the remaining veterans and the fund raising power of the <a href="http://www.theheritagefoundation.info/" style="color: red;">Heritage Foundation</a>, the Memorial has been completed. On Thursday, in the presence of several thousand veterans, widows, family members and representatives of the nations whose young men volunteered to fight the common foe, the Memorial was dedicated and the sculpture of a seven man bomber crew was unveiled by Her Majesty the Queen. It was a dignified and fitting ceremony the highlight of which, for many of the old airmen, was the Lancaster of the <a href="http://www.raf.mod.uk/bbmf/" style="color: red;">Battle of Britain Memorial Flight</a> showering Green Park wth poppies. It was a privelege for me to accompany my Dad to this long awaited event<br />
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I must give a very big thank you to the organisers of the event and especially to the cadets and the serving airmen and women who not only acted as ushers but who took the time to sit and chat with the veterans. They also spent a great deal of time handing out bottles of water, which was a lifesaver on what was an extremely hot day. A mention also for the <a href="http://www.sja.org.uk/sja/default.aspx" style="color: red;">St John's Ambulance</a> crews who assisted those who found the heat just a little too much.<br />
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I apologise for the photographs accompanying this post. I had intended to cover the event quite extensively but on the day found that I could only do that by standing up and moving around. This would have resulted in me obscuring the view for others and as most of those others had more right to be there than me, I decided to content myself with grabbing the odd, sometimes partially obscured, shot here and there.<br />
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Others have covered it far better than me. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=20832624@N00&q=bomber%20command%20memorial" style="color: red;">Here</a><br />
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<br />Malcolm Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02316694673470444938noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1083135531935337936.post-65389729844841615842012-06-26T18:55:00.001-07:002012-06-27T16:18:56.019-07:00The Bomber Command Memorial<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On Thursday (28th June) an important new <a href="http://www.bombercommandmemorial.co.uk/" style="color: red;">memorial</a> is to be dedicated in London.<br />
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Almost 70 years after the end of the Second World War, the 55,573 aircrew of RAF <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Bomber_Command" style="color: red;">Bomber Command</a> who lost their lives during that conflict are to finally have a permanent, national memorial. Located on the Piccadilly side of <a href="http://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/green-park" style="color: red;">Green Park</a>, at the junction with Hyde Park Corner, it has been dogged by a certain amount of controversy ranging from its design, its size, its location and even whether it should have been built at all. I suppose that the fact of the matter is that what you think of the design, size and location are all a matter of personal taste but whether, or not, it should have been built shouldn't really be up for discussion.<br />
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These young men, all volunteers and with an average age of just 22, died doing the job that was set for them by the military and political leaders of the day. Winston Churchill, the master of the soundbite, made several speeches throughout the war praising the job that they were doing and the sacrifices they were making in the effort to bring the war to an end. Sadly, as the war drew toward that end, some of those military leaders and most of the politicians, including Churchill, began to see that their support of area bombing and the resulting "collateral damage" could possibly have a detrimental effect on their peacetime careers. To reduce that effect they began to distance themselves from the bomber crews and their achievments.<br />
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Shamefully, Churchill failed to mention the contribution of the bomber crews in his Victory speech, no campaign medals were issued and no national monument was built.<br />
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Now, after a considerable fund raising effort by the <a href="http://www.bombercommand.com/" style="color: red;">Bomber Command Association</a>, and the <a href="http://www.theheritagefoundation.info/" style="color: red;">Heritage Foundation</a>, the Memorial has been built. and it will be unveiled by the Queen at noon on Thursday. Importantly, the Memorial also commemorates the people of all<b> </b>nations who lost their lives in the bombing campaigns of 1939-1945.<br />
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<br />
I should declare an interest here. My Dad is one of the survivors.I will be with him, along with a large number of other veterans, for what I expect to be a moving and very emotional ceremony which will end with a flypast of five Tornado GR4 aircraft and (weather permitting) the Avro Lancaster of the <a href="http://www.raf.mod.uk/bbmf/" style="color: red;">BBMF</a> . Tears will be shed and some of those will be mine<br />
<br />
The ceremony will be shown in "Bomber Command: a Tribute" on BBC2 at 5.00pm on Thursday (repeated at 11.20pm) and if you want to find out more about the events at the end of the war, a program called "Who Betrayed the Bomber Boys?" will be shown at 9.00pm the same night on the Yesterday channel.<br />
<br />
A special mention should be made here for the late <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-18149345" style="color: red;">Robin Gibb</a>, who was very much the driving force behind the Heritage Foundation's fund raising campaign. It is such a shame that he won't be there to see the final result of his efforts.<br />
<br />
Finally, please remember that this is not a Memorial to war but it is a Memorial to those who were lost in war. Consider it accordingly.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8d-DhA7Zut9U0avy8cKgD6kvFtgaeFyO4JfhuNvQZf8TFlIqqaDV1n1cvemQ47fa9wSaORKi1xXdj-HQHPm-152vA9jjSpbnwgt8lAqXvgDPM98sCeeDBp1J6fk0FcVKKqNdCJ_TbjDI/s1600/BomberCommandMemorialAnd+Around-270112028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8d-DhA7Zut9U0avy8cKgD6kvFtgaeFyO4JfhuNvQZf8TFlIqqaDV1n1cvemQ47fa9wSaORKi1xXdj-HQHPm-152vA9jjSpbnwgt8lAqXvgDPM98sCeeDBp1J6fk0FcVKKqNdCJ_TbjDI/s320/BomberCommandMemorialAnd+Around-270112028.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Malcolm Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02316694673470444938noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1083135531935337936.post-21830451489516919972012-06-21T15:15:00.000-07:002012-06-21T15:19:07.348-07:00Some Thoughts On A ScandalThe scandal of the day is that comedian <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Carr" style="color: red;">Jimmy Carr</a> has been <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18537051" style="color: red;">avoding paying large amounts of tax</a>. Really? Him and thousands of others!<br />
<br />
I'm not here to either condemn or condone tax evasion, in fact is it actually tax evasion or simply creative accounting? Whatever.............the "facts" seem to be that the financial scheme in question was not illegal and Mr Carr's accountant was
doing exactly what accountants are paid to do. If you have tax laws that are riddled with loopholes big enough to drive a truck through, then you shouldn't be surprised if individuals and major corporations load those trucks to the hilt with cash before driving off!<br />
<br />
Whether it is morally acceptable or not
depends on the state of your morals. Personally, I don't like paying
taxes but I do accept that you don't get anything for nothing, and
besides, I neither have the sort of money needed to make these schemes
work or the sort of money required to pay an accountant to operate them, If I did, who knows which side of the moral fence I'd chose to lean against.<br />
<br />
Was
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Cameron" style="color: red;">David Cameron</a> right to name Jimmy Carr? Absolutely not, technically at least, he has done nothing wrong. If the PM chooses to close the
loopholes in the tax laws and make such schemes illegal, only then should he be allowed to name names.<br />
<br />
Of course the press feeding frenzy has already kicked in, <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-18535642" style="color: red;">Gary Barlow</a> has been named as being involved in a different, but presumably, equally lucrative scheme. In his case, however, his user friendly image seems to have protected him from the PM's wrath. Watch out for more names to hit the tabloids over the next few weeks.<br />
<br />
Interestingly, it has also been reported that the Cameron
fortune was founded by his father who headed up a company that
specialized in creating and managing this type of tax scheme!<br />
<br />
The pots and kettles are getting decidedly darker day by day LOLMalcolm Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02316694673470444938noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1083135531935337936.post-6599316461812632872012-06-16T15:59:00.000-07:002012-06-17T05:10:37.189-07:00Peacocks and Tortoises.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiveLSoz_spHMDJQSkA2kkzc-8FYj5q0wzg2zWKTZxPDqCIL4Agz0ucHvhKHtCIRyxAYWSyRKhJcQbra-lFwwrbh_qVvFoKhSp88RW0ziEDVJnT7Ii5n9Z4fDOfIpRLFH8C-7tOjlGWYIA/s1600/HollandParkEtc-160309033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiveLSoz_spHMDJQSkA2kkzc-8FYj5q0wzg2zWKTZxPDqCIL4Agz0ucHvhKHtCIRyxAYWSyRKhJcQbra-lFwwrbh_qVvFoKhSp88RW0ziEDVJnT7Ii5n9Z4fDOfIpRLFH8C-7tOjlGWYIA/s320/HollandParkEtc-160309033.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span lang="EN-US">My <a href="http://malcnhg-londonramblings.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/going-dutch.html" style="color: red;">last post</a> concerning the 60<sup>th</sup> anniversary of Holland Park had at least one
glaring omission. I failed to mention the park’s most distinguished residents.
You can often hear them before you see them. Sometimes you see them watching
from the tops of walls, or roosting in the trees but more often you see them
strutting around as if they own the place, which in a manner of speaking, they
do!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoswqf6-kUgEP3JGUkP5tEZGuK3LGG2zWSCathuknXrEGj8PoQynYrKUyMnvOlvnMjLQkA1e4vM1VlSq2Uo_gYEZqKj9nR7IEuw94x5dVBvpAJ1pweCUi0bgRxe4HqonuTt3x1amY7kcw/s1600/HollandParkToHammersmith-020411003+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoswqf6-kUgEP3JGUkP5tEZGuK3LGG2zWSCathuknXrEGj8PoQynYrKUyMnvOlvnMjLQkA1e4vM1VlSq2Uo_gYEZqKj9nR7IEuw94x5dVBvpAJ1pweCUi0bgRxe4HqonuTt3x1amY7kcw/s320/HollandParkToHammersmith-020411003+copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span lang="EN-US"> </span>
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<span lang="EN-US">I suspect
that there have been <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peafowl" style="color: red;">peafowl</a> living here
since the earliest days of the estate. They have always been valued for their
decorative qualities, as well as occasionally ending up on the dinner table.
Originating in India, it has been suggested that they were brought to
Europe by Alexander the Great. Who knows, but what is certain is that they were to be seen on
the great estates well before the Tudor period.</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US">There have
been other exotic birds in the park. A few years ago we had crowned cranes, an
emu and even a very bolshie turkey, who huffed and puffed around, inflating his
wattles and flushing from an almost blue white to bright red in an effort to
show that he was the top bird around
there! Sadly, all of those are long gone, leaving the peacocks to rule the
roost, but let’s face it, if you want a living breathing show of colour and
arrogance, a peacock is hard to beat. You just have to love them!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcCm7snhrJy7Bfkx3CjiGKQQxz4-ocWQ8xHtxfdYk0I9tH6zTahZ-2Kx-bvKE099vTbV7QluMmHgrBpcBXh3CUOfGA5JzX3cqwr1nTTgUOl0C-7Aoi259g6nxlqiNY_2sknQkLxnWN31I/s1600/HollandParkToHammersmith-020411007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcCm7snhrJy7Bfkx3CjiGKQQxz4-ocWQ8xHtxfdYk0I9tH6zTahZ-2Kx-bvKE099vTbV7QluMmHgrBpcBXh3CUOfGA5JzX3cqwr1nTTgUOl0C-7Aoi259g6nxlqiNY_2sknQkLxnWN31I/s320/HollandParkToHammersmith-020411007.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span lang="EN-US">Something that had passed me by until quite recently is the fact that the offspring of a peacock and a peahen is known as a peachick. Logical if you think about it, but funny all the same!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh07dUTAVnoSLc3QVw3DzFlafMdblNHL9WyMCw1Q_oO9hOqLB6QMmu-TWj2gP4mcxeRmdbY0dg7LgiZe8LybwFc5L-UL0GUL8s2VeuGUD3PgBsZn8Tyq99Yo-MRa8b4IodEuH_CsZ_qrU8/s1600/HolPark&KenGdns1-012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh07dUTAVnoSLc3QVw3DzFlafMdblNHL9WyMCw1Q_oO9hOqLB6QMmu-TWj2gP4mcxeRmdbY0dg7LgiZe8LybwFc5L-UL0GUL8s2VeuGUD3PgBsZn8Tyq99Yo-MRa8b4IodEuH_CsZ_qrU8/s320/HolPark&KenGdns1-012.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">However,
there is something else lurking in a far corner of the park. A little off the
beaten track and probably missed by the majority of park visitors there are a
pair of giant tortoises. Admittedly, they are cast in bronze rather than living
flesh, but they are no less impressive for that. Created as part of a giant sundial titled Tortoises with Triangle and Time (2000), they were sculpted by <a href="http://www.sculpture.org.uk/WendyTaylor/" style="color: red;">Wendy Taylor</a> (who is also responsible for Timepiece, the sundial by Tower Bridge) and were commissioned to mark the new millenium. You will find them on the western edge of the park, adjacent to Abbotsbury Rd.</span><br />
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</div>Malcolm Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02316694673470444938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1083135531935337936.post-14375240582832692322012-06-10T15:04:00.001-07:002012-06-11T17:00:16.782-07:00Going Dutch<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"></span><span lang="EN-US">The Queen's Diamond
Jubilee isn’t the only 60year old thing to be celebrated this year. 1952 was
the year that my favourite London park opened its gates to the public for the
first time. Since being wheeled around it by my Mum in pram and pushchair in
its early days, to sitting with a coffee and a book, listening to the birdsong
and contemplating early retirement in 2012, it’s always been part of my life.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYfFN_e1C67c22vCVurwp2zLjb5Ik89MOypGqmXdrO5OBSA2dtFo1a1A3TqArUaueKkWNRxdQ2scu7Z5gRkrbIfcZTcK3SARm515pUCj_P1ow2xgQ5Y_nCHZFxjiRDMsNODKeOahOxjbs/s1600/HydeParkCornerToHollandPark-0906124.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYfFN_e1C67c22vCVurwp2zLjb5Ik89MOypGqmXdrO5OBSA2dtFo1a1A3TqArUaueKkWNRxdQ2scu7Z5gRkrbIfcZTcK3SARm515pUCj_P1ow2xgQ5Y_nCHZFxjiRDMsNODKeOahOxjbs/s320/HydeParkCornerToHollandPark-0906124.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"> </span>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">At 54
acres, <a href="http://www.rbkc.gov.uk/leisureandlibraries/parksandgardens/yourlocalpark/hollandpark.aspx" style="color: red;">Holland Park</a> is the only remaining fragment of the original 500 acre estate of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Cope" style="color: red;">Sir Walter Cope</a> which, in modern terms, stretched from Holland Park Avenue to Earl’s
Court tube station. The house was built in 1605 and was originally known as
Cope’s Castle. It is known that the
castle was visited by King James the First on several occasions.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjxuaCXFbUABWWMb5zO45pB_Vine7vULGo0b9foIa7wyigegEffEHLfHa4lgqietPlGQWzjO99qKCOb2_-KxFitOX_2W50Fi7w_AnDK2Q9muoUxk9J3eeZqmq7hUMAAEdQ35z-ChCSPGk/s1600/HydeParkCornerToHollandPark-0906122.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjxuaCXFbUABWWMb5zO45pB_Vine7vULGo0b9foIa7wyigegEffEHLfHa4lgqietPlGQWzjO99qKCOb2_-KxFitOX_2W50Fi7w_AnDK2Q9muoUxk9J3eeZqmq7hUMAAEdQ35z-ChCSPGk/s320/HydeParkCornerToHollandPark-0906122.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The next
owner of the estate, was Cope’s son in law, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Rich,_1st_Earl_of_Holland" style="color: red;">Henry Rich, 1st Earl of Holland</a>, who came to a sticky end. His Royalist activities resulted in him
losing his head, after which the house became an army headquarters at which
Oliver Cromwell was a frequent visitor.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">At the time of the
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restoration_%28England%29" style="color: red;">Restoration</a> the estate was returned to the Rich family and it was then
that the name <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holland_House,_London" style="color: red;">Holland House</a> was adopted.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">During the
19<sup>th</sup> century, whilst in the hands of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Vassall-Fox,_3rd_Baron_Holland" style="color: red;">3rd Lord Holland</a>, the house became a noted meeting place for the prominent social,
political and literary figures of the day, including Byron, Macaulay, Disraeli,
Dickens and Scott. In the latter part of the 19<sup>th</sup> century, the land
began to be sold off for development until the estate was finally reduced to
its present size.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZY7kj4Js7lS4ZKOa21wiWMAEpab1bEBTfvuZQhV984ghiMelusXiBd113-hoyEO3-aHvvvadU-qhC8I8Rw3SuepUDe0GIWoUbSH_ptrA4wjEJVOwNX8TRAi08D5Ep1QKJLx6hFj4RGhE/s1600/HydeParkCornerToHollandPark-0906129.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZY7kj4Js7lS4ZKOa21wiWMAEpab1bEBTfvuZQhV984ghiMelusXiBd113-hoyEO3-aHvvvadU-qhC8I8Rw3SuepUDe0GIWoUbSH_ptrA4wjEJVOwNX8TRAi08D5Ep1QKJLx6hFj4RGhE/s320/HydeParkCornerToHollandPark-0906129.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Shortly
before the outbreak of World War II the house hosted its last great ball which
was attended by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. Then in September 1940 the
house was largely destroyed by enemy bombing, never to be rebuilt. The estate
and the ruins of the house were purchased by the London County Council from the
6<sup>th</sup> Earl of Ilchester and is currently under the stewardship of the
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwHx71k9UHucqsXug8fScXONulthz_kYdbXrXeduEOV4iGx4453yy8wqvqYgV1_yF_c4UVc7wcC4poyHWL0NMO6Fwhu_CRN4f01N-eJs4H3myfeD6mww73F1SQVQ6s6sPuucg0S5Io8AE/s1600/HydeParkCornerToHollandPark-090612.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwHx71k9UHucqsXug8fScXONulthz_kYdbXrXeduEOV4iGx4453yy8wqvqYgV1_yF_c4UVc7wcC4poyHWL0NMO6Fwhu_CRN4f01N-eJs4H3myfeD6mww73F1SQVQ6s6sPuucg0S5Io8AE/s320/HydeParkCornerToHollandPark-090612.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">There are
still signs of the estate’s former grandeur to be found in the park. The
remains of the house are now part of the <a href="http://www.yha.org.uk/hostel/london-holland-park" style="color: red;">YHA hostel</a> and also form the backdrop
to the annual Opera Holland Park. The Orangery is a gallery and event space.
The adjoining summer ballroom, the Belvedere, is a restaurant, and the Ice
House is another small gallery. There is a formal garden, a Japanese garden, a
sports field, a decent cafe and best of all a large wooded area which is a
haven for a wide range of flora and fauna. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYLf000PUbR1NT5AcVArS3tRZupJKH6gFmo0x50VGPAETCaBDujykGwZxDV7XzDPJLfgzO5CGumuq5Ktw_-fjMgMhbhwtK623TGMDrb263FZ9nMshrKTNE133IEc6V6lydcyJKtC3kVdA/s1600/HydeParkCornerToHollandPark-0906125.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYLf000PUbR1NT5AcVArS3tRZupJKH6gFmo0x50VGPAETCaBDujykGwZxDV7XzDPJLfgzO5CGumuq5Ktw_-fjMgMhbhwtK623TGMDrb263FZ9nMshrKTNE133IEc6V6lydcyJKtC3kVdA/s320/HydeParkCornerToHollandPark-0906125.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">As I said,
I have been enjoying the park all of my life. From a baby in a pram, to a boy
at <a href="http://www.hollandparkschool.co.uk/" style="color: red;">Holland Park School</a><span style="color: red;">,</span> right through to the grey haired sixty year old sitting
here tapping out this nonsense.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Check it out
for yourself. Visit and enjoy.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH1LpivE4hk7b0rJUpfjsrdaGsyxtaO96a-fgwa9mTBmPGj7nmNPAeYmQgLoatYbeeXZuBLzvn-oSmi8zNfx-efFCd8Fdk4ikbcZ_St1La54sXI6_Pk-P4oS2P2iJ21nkwjAuTMCPIW8c/s1600/HydeParkCornerToHollandPark-0906126.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH1LpivE4hk7b0rJUpfjsrdaGsyxtaO96a-fgwa9mTBmPGj7nmNPAeYmQgLoatYbeeXZuBLzvn-oSmi8zNfx-efFCd8Fdk4ikbcZ_St1La54sXI6_Pk-P4oS2P2iJ21nkwjAuTMCPIW8c/s320/HydeParkCornerToHollandPark-0906126.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWADwfXRFdscoop6Y1hn-DTq5b7a493D8vwQ2nKbRYKS3yv6xMYE4LJpGVQVbILNc0UAlefhsUXCpHzX95xi28bL2BXFQWxBEV32HpppErBZe0mKhjmyP13YRYoKPvM_nrSTeeNU_yX0Y/s1600/HydeParkCornerToHollandPark-0906127.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWADwfXRFdscoop6Y1hn-DTq5b7a493D8vwQ2nKbRYKS3yv6xMYE4LJpGVQVbILNc0UAlefhsUXCpHzX95xi28bL2BXFQWxBEV32HpppErBZe0mKhjmyP13YRYoKPvM_nrSTeeNU_yX0Y/s320/HydeParkCornerToHollandPark-0906127.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>Malcolm Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02316694673470444938noreply@blogger.com2