“£8 Only!!!”, Assorted Hand Grenades, Tank Fest, The Tank Museum, Bovington Camp, 25/06/17.

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Bovington Camp, grenades, Tank Fest, The Tank Museum

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The Union Flag flying from The Painted Hall, Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich, 29/08/17.

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flags, Greenwich., Old Royal Naval College, Sir Christopher Wren, The Painted Hall, Union Flag

Somewhat dwarfed by the architecture of Sir Christopher Wren all around them, Union flags hang, outside of The Painted Hall and The Chapel at the Old Royal Naval College and add some much needed colour to a largely white World Heritage Site.

The Painted Hall has had a colourful history; in 1806 it witnessed the laying-in-state of Admiral Nelson, it became the first National Gallery of Naval Art in 1824 and served as a rather grand dining room for trainee Royal Navy officers between 1937 and 1997.

War Horses, The Tank Museum, Bovington Camp, 29/04/17.

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Bovington, Bovington Camp, horses., Museums, tanks, The Tank Museum, World War One

The “Warhorse to Horsepower” exhibition at The Tank Museum tells the story of the role of the British Army’s cavalry on the Western Front during World War One and, as the title of the exhibition suggests, the transition from horse riding and horse drawn conflict into a armoured and motorised one from a rather unusual perspective; that of the horses.

The horses in the walk through exhibition are represented by rather charming models, each with its own character and voice, which guide the visitor from 1914, when horses were at the forefront of British military doctrine, to the 1920’s and 30’s, when the advantages of the tank over the horse were firmly established. It gives one a perspective on the rest of the galleries, which are largely mechanical; albeit with an eye for the human stories behind the armour.

The Union Flag flying over George Irvin’s Helter Skelter, Greenwich, 29/08/17.

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flags, Greenwich., helter-skelter, London, Union Flag

Cake/No Cake, The Cafe at the Museum, Manchester Museum, Oxford Road, Manchester, 28/03/17.

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cake, Chalk board, Food and Drink, Manchester, Manchester Museum, Oxford Road Manchester, Tea and Cake, The Cafe at the Museum

Humber Dock Marina, Viewed from the Corner of Humber Place and Wellington Street, Hull, 01/03/17.

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Hull, Hull City of Culture 2017, Humber, Humber Dock Marina, Ships, Tall Ships

“What is a whitewashed latte?” Whitworth Street West, Manchester, 28/02/17.

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latte, Manchester, orange, please, Stickers, Street Art, whistle, whitewash, Whitworth Street West Manchester

Photo Archive: Horsemen, The Lord Mayor’s Procession, opposite St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, 2006.

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City of London, costumes, Horse riding, horses., London, Lord Mayor of London, Lord Mayors Show, national dress, St Paul's Cathedral, The Great Steppe, The Steppe

I remember these riders quite clearly, but I never did find out what  aspect of London life these men were representing in the Lord Mayor’s Procession, because I didn’t buy a programme, but it was remarkably easy to believe that the Lord Mayor would not be coming and that The City of London was under new management. Don’t they look splendid! I’m not an expert in matters of national costume, but there is something of The Great Steppe about them.

“Jason”, Paragon Interchange, Hull, 01/03/17.

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Amy Johnson, aviation, flying, flying records, Gipsy Moth, Historic aircraft., HM Prison Hull, Hull, Hull City of Culture 2017, Jason, Paragon Interchange Hull

I was very impressed by this replica of Amy Johnson’s Gipsy Moth aircraft hanging from the roof from the roof of the Paragon Interchange. You can’t tell from this photograph, but “Jason” is flying over the florists, towards the railway station ticket office. In a plane just like this one, Hull born Amy Johnson flew from London to Darwin in 19 days in 1930 and this replica was made by inmates at HM Prison Hull as part of the City of Culture celebrations.

You can read more about the replica on the BBC News website.

Bristol Harbour Railway, The M Shed, Bristol, 12/02/17.

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Bristol, Bristol Harbour Railway, Industrial Heritage, M Shed, Museums, Portbury, steam locomotive, steam railways

“Portbury“, built by the Avonside Engine Company in 1917, steaming along the Bristol Harbour Railway towards the M Shed museum. According to the “working exhibits” section of the M Shed’s website:

“Portbury had a reputation for great strength and in her hey-day it was said that she could ‘pull a town down’. She also had a tendency to move off when unattended – a common problem with steam locomotives with worn parts. Thus she was usually parked between other engines in the Avonmouth shed“.

Thankfully, it looked like Portbury was under control as the locomotive reversed!