Landmark Trust Wins RIBA Stirling Prize

 The RIBA Stirling Prize for architecture in UK has been won this year by 

The Landmark Trust

for the restoration of Astley Castle in Warwickshire

The Landmark Trust rescues properties of architectural and/or historical importance which are under threat of demolition or unsympathetic development.  It restores them as closely to the original design as possible, adding modern facilities, and makes them available for holidays. 

A few years ago Astley Castle would have been left to collapse as it was too dilapidated to accomplish a restoration but a bold decision was made to make the remaining structure safe and build a modern house into its fabric .  This has been accomplished so wonderfully as to impress the judges at the Royal Institute of British Architects. 
(all photographs are from The Landmark Trust)

BEFORE

 
DURING
 
AFTER
 

 

For more information aboout 

Astley Castle  go to the landmark Trust website

A Busy Busy Busy Day

Two weeks ago we packed away our summer clothes and put the heating on.
Today the sun was shining again and we went out for the day.

Our first stop was the Balsall Heath Library which is an impressive Victorian structure  with equally impressive helpful staff. My mission was to borrow some books on the contemporaneous Moseley Road Baths next door. These were opened in 1907 and share many design features with the Victoria Baths in Manchester. See my blog from 2010

There are three doors for 

1st Class Men 

2nd Class Men

Women

Second class pool is the only one in use since 2003

Unlike Victoria Baths in Manchester where there were three pools, Moseley Road only has two. Women, both first and second class, shared one entrance but went their separate ways once inside the building. As with the men, slipper baths were provided for each class.

Next stop was Birmingham city centre to visit the first floating market comprising roving traders from the canals.
No cheese boat or fudge boat but Pam's fused glass jewellery appeared popular

After a coffee and sandwich we took the train to Tipton (£2.95 return!) where we popped into the library to view all the photographs entered  for the John Whitehouse Memorial Competition before walking along the canal to the Black Country Living Museum. We had two reasons for visiting the museum for the fourth time this year.  Firstly we won a voucher for free entry to the Dudley Tunnel Trip and secondly the Historic Boats Gathering was taking place there.

 

About a dozen boats were moored outside the museum  in the Dudley Tunnel arm.

For other boats to enter the museum wharf and lime kiln arm the lift bridge had to be raised which I have not seen before.

This also allowed boats to escape too.

John Pattle executed a remarkable turn  in his tug Pacific towing a butty of passengers which drew applause from the onlooking visitors.

Tunnels under Dudley Castle were dug to extract lime for the iron smelters before they were linked up to form a canal link between Tipton and Netherton


Originally 13 construction shafts were sunk but all but three have now been filled in.  Water percolating through the limestone creates colourful deposits in these shafts and down the tunnel walls.  


By the time we had taken the last tunnel tour of the day we were getting tired and we walked back to Tipton Station for the train to Birmingham New Street.

The station entrance for platform two  is spanned by an arch depicting local industries.

 

Platform one - for Birmingham - is approached under a similar arch where the sculptures recount the life of William Perry, the Tipton Slasher.

Once we arrived at New Street we decided to eat out as we would arrive back at Gecko rather late for cooking.

Behind New Street station is Chinatown where we have eaten a few times.  On this occasion we did not fancy the buffet and chose instead to try a little noodle shop which was half full of Chinese diners which we felt augured well for the food. If you have eaten in China, as we have, the usual fare of sweet sauces is rather jading.  The Cafe Soya  on Cathay Street is quite unlike this. The food is simple, authentic and served with quiet competence. Quite a revelation and a splendid close to our busy day.

Gecko v BT 1:0 to Gecko

Yes.............I won!

BT withdrew the ridiculous charge as related on Sept 15

Aylesbury Lock Reapir Postponed Again

For some of you this will be no surprise.  The lock which collapsed in March due to the lack of maintenance by BW and now C&RT over many years was due to be open for August (sorry, Late Summer) Bank Holiday. 
Then it was delayed to late October.
C&RT has just delayed completion again to November 25. 
As we have a winter mooring booked in the new Aylesbury Canal Society basin at Circus Field starting November 1 it looks like we will be completing the last part of this journey by road courtesy of C&RT. As this is likely to take place before the end of October at Willowbridge in Milton Keynes we will  not be able to attend the AGM of Wendover Arm Trust as planned.

John Whitehouse Memorial Photo Competition

John Whitehouse Memorial

 Photography Comeptition

2013

Camera on the Cut

Winner's Medal

The Winners 2013

Gordon Payton was on holiday so the First Prize of £75
and medal were collected by a pround grand-daughter

Second proze of £25 -Melvynn Dodd

Third Prizewent to John White for this lovely B&W picture
(This was my favourite)

Tipton Festival

Last weekend it was the turn of Tipton to hold its Community and Canal Festival.

Turnout on Saturday when we attended was very good with a fine display of boats.

 

The Dudley Tunnel Trust electric boat was providing trips from the festival.







John was there with his Stewarts & Lloyds tug - Pacific. 
Here she is moored up with her sister tug - Bittel.
Both, I guess, will be at the Historic Boat Gathering at the Black Country Museum next weekend.




And, of course, the steam powered working boat President made a few passes through the festival site with the butty Kildare

Intrepid Explorers

BCNS Explorer 2009 at Perry Bar

Back in 2009 we joined the BCNS Explorer Cruise and with about 20 other boats we made our way around some of the less popular stretches of the BCN for a week. It was such good fun that we joined the cruise in 2012 too.

At Longwood Boat Club

At the festival over the weekend we met up with nb Egerton who was on the 2009 cruise





 



and today we have Rypeck and Moonstone moored along with us.  

 

Blue Moon also passed through on their way home but we didn't have a chance to tak to them.

Festival Time in the Midlands

Due to the problems with our engine overheating we were too late to join the Cutweb Rally at the Blue Lias.

Instead we went through Netherton Tunnel to Bumblehole for the Black Country Boating Festival.  Saturday was sunny and  we enjoyed meeting so many boating acquaintances and the thousands of visitors.

Many of the boats had spent the previous weekend at the Withymoor Island Gathering.


Some were moving on to the Tipton Canal Festival next weekend which this year features a Canal Photography competition in memory of John Whitehouse.


We left early on Sunday as the weather was degenerating and we were still taking things easy with the engine.  As we arrived at Factory locks the BCN tug Bittel followed us up the short flight and into the Black Country Living Museum in preparation for the Historic Boat gathering in two weeks time.

BT = a Bit Thick

My telephone bill is drawn up on the 8th of the month for all calls and broadband use over the preceding month.
On Aug 8 my bill was £6.05  for calls made.  I had not exceeded my 10gb/month allowance so no additional broadband charges were due.
On Aug 22 BT took this sum via the direct debit mandate.
On Aug 23 I received an email from BT saying that my  broadband usage in JULY was - -----wait for it ------ 318gb
Now, on the BT website there is a useful function which I view from time to time called My Broadband Monitor. This is updated at midnight each day and at no time has it shown broadband usage anything like this figure. As it happens I have printed evidence of this.
When I first contacted BT customer service to query this email, I spent two hours being passed from one department to another but achieving nothing.
Taking a different tack  I spoke to the accounts dept and they confirmed that my bill of £6.05 was correct and included all my phone and broadband use up to Aug 8.  When I mentioned the email I had received the gentleman burst out laughing and advised me that it was not genuine and I should ignore it.  Being a suspicious character I did not take his advice and wrote to BT asking for clarification.
Their response was that I really had used 318gb in July.
The saga goes on   and  on   and on   and on BUT
BT cannot explain whey their system was unable to show this amazing broadband use until three weeks after its occurrence.
They just say  "you used it and must pay for it" 

Red Diesel Petition

Our home is on the canals and at present we use red diesel for heating and lighting - just like we did when we lived in  a house.
The EU wants to stop this and force all 'pleasure craft' to pay fuel duty and full VAT as we currently do for propulsion. Since moving on to Gecko eight years ago propulsion fuel has TRIPLED in cost for us. We have no gas on Gecko and so 80% of our fuel is used for generating electricity and to heat the boat.When the EU proposed removing the red diesel allowance for propulsion a few year ago the government said they would fight it but they ended up horse-trading it for something to please more voters.
This time they must stand up to the EU.  I do not see why I should pay road fuel prices for heating my home because it is on the water not  on the land.
Please read the following petition and sign it if you agree.

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/52421