Picture(s) of the day....

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Re: Picture(s) of the day......

Post by bobins »

NewcastleFalcon wrote:
Somerton's memorial was specifically made from Portland Stone, because some of the others in the locality made from more local stone had begun to weather.

Regards Neil
A couple of photos of a stone mine from slightly further north than the Blue Lias mines. These are of a Bath Stone mine that was abandoned for many years, but put back into production a few years ago as the demand for Bath Stone made it financially viable again. The graffiti dates (allegedly) from the 1950s-60s - as well as more recent times. It was always fascinating to read the faint scratchings left by workers and visitors from many years ago - a direct link back to the people who stood there or toiled underground. You can see the pick marks just above the two 'seats' from where the stone was initially cut from the bedrock. A lot of people shun modern graffiti, but then sometimes it offers a link back to the past.

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Re: Picture(s) of the day......Loving ghow this

Post by CitroJim »

Loving how this thread so often (always) throws up really interesting subjects for discussion...

The stone discussion is a case in point...

I believe the reason they may not have used Blue Lias for the memorial is its tendency to flake a little...
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Re: Picture(s) of the day......

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bobins wrote: .. photos of a stone mine from slightly further north than the Blue Lias mines. These are of a Bath Stone mine that was abandoned for many years,.....
Had to look it up didn't I?.....The wiki article on "Bath Stone" had the expected discussion of its use and qualities as a building stone, and examples of its use in Bath and further afield (including Reading Railway station..although my one and only visit to the station consisted of a few circuits of Reading trying to park, and not too much appreciation of the stonework!).

But it also discussed the role of the mines, and some considerable Government Investment, in facilities which would act as a command and control centre in the event of a nuclear attack.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bath_stone

Straying out of Somerset, into Wiltshire, the Bath Stone quarries around Corsham, were utilised for many military purposes.

All new to me, but I suspect you probably know quite a bit about those sites. I do like IKB's Box Tunnel and the "underground station" with all sorts of secret things going on.....very "Five go off to Camp" if you are familiar with Enid Blyton's classic!



Regards Neil
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Re: Picture(s) of the day......

Post by CitroJim »

Now you are straying into VERY interesting territory Neil ;)

IKB is one of my lifelong heroes and Corsham is fascinating...
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Re: Picture(s) of the day......

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NewcastleFalcon wrote: But it also discussed the role of the mines, and some considerable Government Investment, in facilities which would act as a command and control centre in the event of a nuclear attack.

Straying out of Somerset, into Wiltshire, the Bath Stone quarries around Corsham, were utilised for many military purposes.

All new to me, but I suspect you probably know quite a bit about those sites. I do like IKB's Box Tunnel and the "underground station" with all sorts of secret things going on.....very "Five go off to Camp" if you are familiar with Enid Blyton's classic!


Regards Neil
I have to confess that I've spent quite a bit of time in the old Govt. area under Corsham doing official survey and research work. There's an awful lot of mouldering stuff still down there - some of it remnants of original wartime infrastructure, but most of it from all periods since the 50s. A truly fascinating place, but unfortunately not generally accessible for the public. Very occasional tours are undertaken for interested parties, but it's location kind of rules out full access............

There is technically a large underground station/platform (2 in fact) in the old Tunnel Quarry that directly linked to the main railway line at the eastern portal of Box tunnel - used during the bomb store days, but there's nothing in Box railway tunnel, unfortunately :(

This is one of the platforms in the old bomb store, the track would have been on the left, there's a small control cabin up the steps to the right.

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Some of the old government kitchens:

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One of the very old Olga Lehmann murals:

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And an old switchboard - it doesn't look quite so nice now :(

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Re: Picture(s) of the day......

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Fascinating stuff; and how very interesting! How little we know what our "Leaders" are up to :shock: .
My wife was in the Royal Signals TA and was trained as a teletype operator in one of the many RSG's during the cold war. Never found out much about it from her. As she sadly died in 1982, I'm not much the wiser now :wink:.
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Re: Picture(s) of the day......

Post by NewcastleFalcon »

harryp wrote:Fascinating stuff; and how very interesting!
bobins wrote: I have to confess that I've spent quite a bit of time in the old Govt. area under Corsham..........One of the very old Olga Lehmann murals:
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To paraphrase Sid Waddell the darts commentator....."There's only one word for it........."World class posting" :!: "

Thanks for sharing that bobins......and the tangent that is "Olga Lehmann" is going to be an absolute feast for me. Just briefly perused the wiki page on her.....fantastic, what a catalogue of work and what an unexpected feature to crop up in such a place.

Oh and Jim...., well done for setting us off on this little trail, with your pic of Gabriel parked up at Somerton. :-D

Regards Neil
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Re: Picture(s) of the day......

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Bobins, just simply wonderful stuff :D I could do wonderful things in that kitchen ;)
NewcastleFalcon wrote: Oh and Jim...., well done for setting us of on this little trail, with your pic of Gabriel parked up at Somerton. :-D
My pleasure Neil and thanks for all the stuff you've posted since :D Enjoyed every letter of every post in this thread...

Next one... What's that odd junction off the M4 between J13 and 14 (or is it J14 and J15?) signed with red-bordered (military) signs all about? Is it related to Corsham in any way...

On a tenuously related subject, out riding my bike the other day I discovered a long-disused bomb store near here at Yardley Chase... I discovered it largely through my other interest of finding out all about disused railway lines. It was once linked to the old Northampton to Bedford line and had quite an extensive internal rail system around the bunkers...

Google satellite views show up a surprising amount of detail of what's still extant...

Yardley Chase was one potential site looked at for a new London airport back in the 70s...
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Re: Picture(s) of the day......

Post by myglaren »

Stick a pile of old Citroen spheres in that bomb store :)
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Re: Picture(s) of the day......

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myglaren wrote:Stick a pile of old Citroen spheres in that bomb store :)
At least it would be doing something useful again...
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Re: Picture(s) of the day......

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And frighten the living daylights out of those who don't know what they are.
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Re: Picture(s) of the day......

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myglaren wrote:And frighten the living daylights out of those who don't know what they are.
All part of the fun Steve ;)
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Re: Picture(s) of the day......

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CitroJim wrote:Bobins, just simply wonderful stuff :D I could do wonderful things in that kitchen ;)
Those were the decent kitchens that were still 'in use' up to the end :) This is a "Fully Automatic Bread Plant" made by W F Mason Ltd of Manchester in one of the areas that were abandoned earlier.......

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There's a lot more decaying kitchen in that area - very atmospheric. You could well imagine the cooks making up the jam roly-polys and other suet based fodder for the hoards of civil servants stuck down there :-D
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Re: Picture(s) of the day......

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CitroJim wrote: Next one... What's that odd junction off the M4 between J13 and 14 (or is it J14 and J15?) signed with red-bordered (military) signs all about? Is it related to Corsham in any way...
That'll be the motorway exit for the RAF Welford bomb store used by USAF. Apparently, if you drive up the slip road, you eventually come to a big pair of locked gates !
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Re: Picture(s) of the day......

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bobins wrote:
CitroJim wrote: Next one... What's that odd junction off the M4 between J13 and 14 (or is it J14 and J15?) signed with red-bordered (military) signs all about? Is it related to Corsham in any way...
That'll be the motorway exit for the RAF Welford bomb store used by USAF. Apparently, if you drive up the slip road, you eventually come to a big pair of locked gates !
Ahh, another bomb store!

Thanks Bobins!

In your previous post, that bread maker is a fascinating piece of equipment... Must find out how it worked... Wonder if it worked on the 'Chorleywood' principle - the one responsible for the dire excuse we get for bread in Supermarkets - the stuff in plastic bags :evil:
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