Souvenirs: Wristband, Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum, Millennium Point, Curzon Street, Birmingham, 30/04/15.

Tags

Birmingham, Birmingham Science Museum, Brough Superior, Castle Bromwich, Millennium Point Birmingham, pangolin, Queen Victoria, Royal Train, Souvenirs, Spitfire, Spitfire Gallery, Ted, The Black Alpine Brough Superior, Thinktank, triceratops, wristband

On my way down to Bristol to visit my sister, I changed trains at Birmingham New Street and picked a leaflet with “New: Spitfire Gallery, Thinktank, Birmingham” written on it. Six days later, on breaking my journey at Birmingham New Street again, I rushed through the famous Bull Ring, across previously unexplored territory, to Millennium Point for the quickest of quick looks before continuing on my way.

I was completely unaware of Birmingham’s connection to the iconic Spitfire, so the Spitfire Gallery was very much an eye opener.  10,000 Spitfires, including the example suspended from the ceiling at Thinktank, were produced at the Castle Bromwich Aeroplane Factory. Unfortunately, I didn’t note down any of the interesting facts I came across that day, but I am left with a general impression that it was very good!

The notes I did scribble down describe a pangolin [“This armoured anteater uses its powerful claws to pull apart ant-hills and termite mounds“], the fossilised skeleton of a triceratops discovered in Montana in 1098, The Black Alpine Brough Superior motorcycle [“Top speed 85 miles an hour“] and an oil lamp from Queen Victoria’s Royal Train, so I must have been particularly taken with these exhibits. I’ll have to have a more leisurely look around the next time I’m in Birmingham.

If you’re interested in science and industry or the natural sciences, the Thinktank is well worth looking into.

Souvenirs: Leaflet, “The Horse With The Red Umbrella” Tea Rooms and Coffee House, 10 High West Street, Dorchester, 29/04/15.

Tags

Dorchester, Dorset, Food and Drink, High West Street Dorchester, leaflet, Loyalty Theatre, Souvenirs, tea., Ted, The Horse With The Red Umbrella

https://www.facebook.com/TheHorseWithTheRedUmbrella. 

I only know three facts about “The Horse With The Red Umbrella” Tea Rooms and Coffee House and only one of them is mentioned in this souvenir.

Firstly: This spot on the High Street was once occupied by the Loyalty Theatre, between 1828 and 1843, before becoming a glass and china shop and then “The Horse With The Red Umbrella” in 1970 [named after the last play to be performed at the Loyalty Theatre, allegedly].

Secondly: I was made so welcome on my first visit “The Horse With The Red Umbrella” when I went in there for my elevenses I went back there for tea [or dinner as some people prefer to call it] on the same day!

Thirdly: My travelling companion, Mrs. W, never gets the name of the restaurant correct! It is usually the Umbrella that slips her mind and it is often replaced by another wet weather item, like wellies or galoshes! Not that that is problem, because we always remember The Horse.

Souvenirs: Stickers from The SeaCity Museum, Southampton, and The Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum, Bournemouth, 2012.

Tags

Bournemouth, diary, Museums, Museums and Galleries, Russel-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum, SeaCity Museum, Sir Merton Russell-Cotes, Southampton, Souvenir, Souvenirs, Stickers, Ted, Titanic

Wearing a sticker, having gained admittance to a museum or gallery, must have been the in thing in 2012, but they are difficult souvenirs to keep. These two examples have survived because I must have peeled them off my coat, shirt or hat and stuck them to the back of my pocket diary for 2012.

The SeaCity Museum, which forms part of Southampton’s very striking Grade II listed civic centre, is home to a very interesting permanent exhibition about Southampton’s links to the Titanic. According to the museum’s website, “more than 500 households lost a family member“, when the ship sank on the 15th April 1912. I seem to remember that the Titanic arrived in Southampton during a peak in unemployment, so an unusually large proportion of Southampton’s residents went to sign on as members of the crew and service staff, but don’t quote me on that.

The Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum sits on top of East Cliff in Bournemouth and was the brain child of Sir Merton Russell-Cotes, owner of the Royal Bath Hotel, fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and Mayor of Bournemouth (1894 – 1895), who built the villa as a birthday present for his wife, Annie. The pair travelled widely, buying things they liked and filling the house with them, until 1907, when they announced they wonted to give the house and contents to the people of Bournemouth as the foundation of an art gallery and museum.

Souvenirs: Label, Moroccan Mint Tisane, Betty’s Cafe Tea Rooms, Harrogate, 2010.

Tags

Agatha Christie, Betty's Tea Rooms, Betty's Tea Rooms Harrogate, Betty's Tea Rooms York, Davygate York, Harrogate, Hercule Poirot, mint, Moroccan Mint Tisane, Souvenirs, tea., Ted, tisane

There haven’t been many occasions in my life that I’ve thought, “What would Hercule Poirot do in this situation?” Faced with an impressive list of caffeinated and decaffeinated beverages, I was inspired by Agatha Christie’s famous Belgian detective and ordered the tisane, having never tried one before. It was very refreshing and I felt very sophisticated! I can’t remember what this circle of paper was attached to, but I obviously managed to remove it and get it home without it getting crumpled or creased. Betty’s on York’s St. Helen’s Square is certainly iconic [queues of people waiting for tables, formed up along Davygate, are a regular sight on my walks around York] and I assume Betty’s in Harrogate has a similar reputation.

Souvenirs: Postcard, The Castle Hotel, 103 Castlegate, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Date Unknown.

Tags

Berwick, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Castlegate Berwick-upon-Tweed, East Coast Mainline, hotels, Postcard, Souvenirs, Ted, The Castle Hotel, Tweed

I can’t remember how my mother came to book a room at The Castle in Berwick-upon-Tweed, in fact I have a distinct feeling that we just turned up on the day and took the last rooms available, definitely more than six years ago, probably more than ten years ago! I recall having a view of Castlegate from my room and my mother or possibly my sister having views of the train station and the East Coast mainline from their windows. I must have been over eighteen years old at the time, because I remember how busy the public bar was in the evening. I stood at the bar, I remember distinctly, because that was the only space available in the crowded room. I remember breakfast in the restaurant being a lot quieter than the bar had been the night before and all the other guests being birdwatchers who were heading down the Northumberland coast to somewhere of special ornithological interest. I wonder what The Castle is like now? I wonder why we were there at all!

Years later, in March 2014, I was travelling South, from Edinburgh along the East Coast mainline. I had my camera ready, because the Royal Border Bridge, which carries the railway over the River Tweed at Berwick-upon-Tweed, offers a view of the river mouth and the town and I wanted to try and photograph it whilst we were in motion. Then, from the station, before the bridge, I noticed “The Castle“; looking as if I checked out of it yesterday.

Souvenirs: Ticket for The Northern Ballet’s “The Great Gatsby”, Hull New Theatre, Hull, 04/04/13.

Tags

ballet, dance, F Scott Fitzgerald, Hull, Hull City of Culture 2017, Hull New Theatre, J Gatsby, Northern Ballet, Souvenirs, Ted, The Great Gatsby, The Great Gatsby film, The Great Gatsby novel, Ticket

This weekend the Classic Serial on BBC Radio 4 has been Robert Forrest’s two part adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby“, which got me thinking about the various adaptations of the work I’ve come across over the years and how they all remind me of different chapters or themes in the original novel.

The 1974 film, starring Robert Redford as Gatsby, for example, reminds me of the way in which Gatsby tries to hang on to this character he’s created for himself [the Oxford man with the medal from Montenegro], someone who thinks they can turn back time to produce what should have happened. More recently, whilst watching the 2013 film version, starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Gatsby, the character seems to take on a dual role as a genuinely romantic figure, pining for a lost love, but also someone we can project our prejudices and fears onto, because we don’t really know anything about him [is he a bootlegger, a spy, a murderer or just a bit vulgar?] until he reveals all and the curtain of ignorance is lifted.

The Northern Ballet production of “The Great Gatsby” had an old and a young Gatsby, and an old and young Daisy, so we see the story of Gatsby’s past unfold on the stage before our eyes, parallel to the present.

According to my souvenir programme, Javier Torres played the older Gatsby and his name always stands out for me in subsequent programmes, so his performance must have been quite something, but my memory has failed me regarding the particulars [this is one of those moments in which, if I had a time machine, I would go back and tell myself, “You better write some notes about this now, because you’re going to write a blog in two years time!”]. I would see Mr. Torres later in 2013 as The Ghost of Christmas Present, in the Northern Ballet’s “A Christmas Carol” at the Lyceum Theatre in Sheffield and as Julius Caesar in “Cleopatra” as the same theatre, but those are different stories all together.

A chap called Matthew Topliss played the young Gatsby and it’s his performance that comes immediately to mind when I think of “The Great Gatsby“. The J. Gatsby who came back from the war with nothing but the khaki uniform he stood up in, was surrounded by shady characters and becomes the front for their criminal activities, initially motivated by near starvation, rather than any grand scheme to win back Daisy’s heart. This is seen in sharp contrast to all the other elements of the production.

It is also worth saying that Isaac Lee-Baker played a very good part as garage owner George Wilson. It was a part very well written and very well performed.

Souvenirs: Badges, The Lowry, Salford Quays, Manchester, c.2002.

Tags

Art, Art Galleries., badges, Greater Manchester, LS Lowry, Public Transport, Salford, Salford Quays, Souvenirs, Ted, The Imperial War Museum North, The Lowry, Trams

I purchased these badges back when I thought my memory would be infallible for ever I’d never have to commit anything to writing, consequently this won’t be a very detailed description of my visit to The Lowry, but these souvenirs do bring back memories.

I arrived at Salford Quays on the tram, which was a first, despite being a regular visitor to Manchester. The trams were something of a mystery to me up to that point, so it was very exciting to see Manchester from a relatively comfortable seat, letting the tram take the strain rather!

I remember Salford looking very new and having something of a buzz about it. The Imperial War Museum’s newest branch, The Imperial War Museum North, in a shiny me building designed by architect Daniel Libeskind had recent opened opposite The Quays in Stratford for example and The Lowry had only been open two years at this point.

Most importantly, it reminds me of the works of LS Lowry, although time has left me with only a general impression of the gallery. The matchstick men plodding across urban, industrial, landscapes are there, but I also recall the landscapes, seascapes and portraits that I hadn’t seen before; his 1936 landscape “A Landmark” was a particular revelation. I seem to recall finding his 1949 work “The Cripples” rather distressing at the time, but I have subsequently come to view it as quite a striking portrayal of people who have traditionally been under-represented in art, but that’s youth for you. When I was seventeen it was relatively easy to see myself plodding across across some of Lowry’s other works, but it would take me another decade to see “The Cripples” in a different light.

Souvenirs: Sticker, Scotland’s Jute Museum @ Verdant Works, Dundee, 2014.

Tags

Bangladesh, Bengal, British Industry, Dundee, India, Industrial Heritage, Industrial Revolution, jute, leaflet, Museums, Scotland's Jute Museum, Social history, Souvenirs, sticker, Ted, textiles, Verdant Works, Victorian., Victoriana

Expertly modelled by Ted.

*Raspberry*.

Have you ever thought about jute? I had only considered the properties of jute once before my visit to Dundee. I was in Cambridge, walking around the open air market behind Great St. Mary’s Church and a short walk from King’s College Chapel, when my attention was caught by a stall on which everything was made of jute, which was haled as a renewable wonder material! Anyway – I didn’t think about jute again until I arrived in Dundee and asked a very helpful lady at Discovery Point, “Do you recommend any other visitor attraction in Dundee?” [or words to that effect]. She gave me a map and pointed me in the direction of the Verdant Works. To quote from the leaflet I still have, “Scotland’s Jute Museum @ Verdant Works is just one of the many mills that flourished when the jute industry was at its height. Verdant Works takes you on a tour of the trade, from its beginnings in the Indian subcontinent to the end product in all its myriad forms“.

In brief: The story of jute starts on the Indian Subcontinent, Bangladesh to be exact; formally Bengal. A number of enterprising, Victorian, individuals, had the bright idea of using their assets in the ship building, whaling, textile industries to bring the jute over to Dundee, soften it using whale oil and then turn it into sailcloth, sacking, ropes, tarpaulins and countless other things you would find in your very own home.

The Verdant Works is a very interesting place to visit. The museum covers all aspects of the subject, from the jutes cultivation to the finished product. Parts of the Works don’t look as if they’ve changed much [or have been restored] since 1900, so you get that feeling of walking back in time. The “From Fibre to Fabric” section has an extensive collection of working textile industry related machinery [it was all a bit over my head, but if you’re of a mechanic inclination I am sure you’ll love it]. The museum also covers the effect of the jute industry on the social history of Dundee, which is a very interesting topic; with special reference to the unique role of women in Dundee.

Souvenirs: A Signed Copy of “The Big Issue”, Park Street, Bristol, August 2014.

Tags

#celebrateyourvendor, Big Issue, Bristol, Denis Lawson, Jack Richardson, Kate Bush, magazine, Park Street Bristol, poem, Souvenirs, Ted

Park Street, “Bristol’s earliest example of uniformly stepped hillside terracing“, to quote from a certain on-line encyclopaedia.

As providence would have it, I happened to be walking up Park Street in Bristol the same week that “Big Issue” vendor Jack Richardson was featured in the My Pitch (#celebrateyourvendor) select of the magazine; page 46 to be exact. Apparently, I wasn’t the first person to ask Mr. Richardson to sign a copy! To quote the man himself, “When the sky is bright and blue and the weather is warm and sunny/The mighty Big Issue is honest and true and also great value for money“. The magazine also contains some sage advice from actor Denis Lawson on page 15, “The love life will work out in the end… just hang on in there. I think we all need that advice” and an interview with Kate Bush on page 16.

Souvenirs: Programme and Leaflet, Sand Sculpture Festival, Weston-Super-Mare, 2014.

Tags

Art, Coast, fairy tales, Gulliver's Travels, Paddington Bear, Sand Sculpture Festival Weston-Super-Mare, Sand Sculptures, sculpture, Seaside., Souvenirs, Ted, Weston, Weston-Super-Mare

To quote from the programme, “The success of the festival is down to a combination of world champion sculptors, a great team of planners and designers, an unbeatable technical crew and of course the very special Weston sand”. This was my first sand sculpture festival and I was suitably impressed.

“Gulliver’s Travels” by Radek Zivny, “a skilled carver he has produced interesting work all over the world, receiving awards for his craft in Vancouver, Moscow and Spain”.

The sand sculptures were obscured from view, from the promenade and the beach, by a blue fence that gives very little away. Armed with my 50p off leaflet I took a gamble and paid £3 to a chap in an orange t-shirt who offered me a pair of protective glasses to keep the sand out of my eyes [something I had not considered]. Also stationed at the entrance was an adorable Paddington Bear created by Rachel Stubbs, which was one of my favourites.

“Paddington Bear” by Rachel Stubbs.

“The Brothers Grimm Fairytales” by Laura Scavuzzo and Susanne Paucker.

What can be done with sand is absolutely astounding. “The Brothers Grimm Fairytales” fairy tale castle, was one of the most remarkable, in terms of scale; it literally towered over one. I don’t think I noted all the fairy tales incorporated into the design, but I certainly spotted Rapunzel and Sleeping Beauty.

If you want to know more about the festival have a look at their website:

http://www.westonsandsculpture.co.uk/