Trivia Investigation Team

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Re: Trivia Investigation Team-new task

Post by NewcastleFalcon »

I spotted that one on my travels that's the RAC box...

Image

Another aside Can't find anything to tell me Why the AA had the "call sign" Fanum, after which they named their buildings in Leicester Square originally and at Basingstoke.

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Re: Trivia Investigation Team-new task

Post by mickthemaverick »

All I can offer there is that 'fanum' is a latin word meaning Sanctuary, which may be the reason for calling the HQ by that name :?:
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Re: Trivia Investigation Team-new task

Post by Hell Razor5543 »

According to Wikipedia "Fanum" also means 'temple' in Latin, and was chosen to reflect the AAs' status as the UKs' premier motor breakdown company;

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanum_Hou ... %20company.
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Re: Trivia Investigation Team-new task

Post by NewcastleFalcon »

Thanks, thats good enough for me Mick and James. :-D

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Re: Trivia Investigation Team

Post by CitroJim »

Gosh! Fascinating and interesting stuff! Thanks one and all for a very absorbing read :)
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Re: Trivia Investigation Team

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CitroJim wrote: 20 Nov 2020, 07:48 Gosh! Fascinating and interesting stuff! Thanks one and all for a very absorbing read :)
I think we can just about extract a bit of interest and entertainment out of anything.....but this may be a test.

I was moved to photograph this on the dog walk this morning. Local builder/roofer. I mused not at the food miles, but at the slate miles/roof tile miles and the go-between from source, to being put on a roof in Northumberland
What interesting trivia can be extracted from the information in this notice :?:
Trivia please arising out of this notice
Trivia please arising out of this notice
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Re: Trivia Investigation Team

Post by mickthemaverick »

Initial thoughts:
Hastings - Captain Arthur J. M. Hastings, OBE, is a fictional character created by Agatha Christie as the companion-chronicler
and best friend of the Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot. (Wiki)

Saltash - If memory serves me correctly Saltash was the name of the Frigate which succeeded the Corvette Compass Rose
as the ship involved in Nicholas Monsarrat's "The Cruel Sea" - I loved that book!!

Ourense - Ourense is a city and capital of the homonymous province located in the autonomous community of Galicia, northwestern Spain. It is on the Portuguese Way path of the Road of St James, and is crossed by the Miño, Barbaña, Loña and Barbañica rivers. It is also known as A cidade das Burgas due to its hot springs, being one of the European cities with the greatest thermal heritage (Wiki)

There are some pointers to get you going chaps!! :-D
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Re: Trivia Investigation Team

Post by NewcastleFalcon »

https://www.cupapizarras.com/uk/natural ... y/history/
"1 out of 3 pieces of slate installed in the world comes from CUPA PIZARRAS and, after more than a century of history, has become the world leader on production and commercialisation of natural slate."

It has been 125 years since the founders of CUPA PIZARRAS extracted the first slate from the Solana de Forcadas quarry in Northern Spain. This significant milestone is unrivalled by competitors in the slate industry and reinforces the company’s position in the market.

Still producing the CUPA 3 slate today, the quarry is the oldest in operation worldwide! With such a long history behind the brand, the reputation of the quarries is confirmed and supported by dated declarations of performance and international certificates for every product.

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Re: Trivia Investigation Team

Post by NewcastleFalcon »

Well I think this is a reasonable bit of Trivia. International Slate Supplies Ltd have a presence in Cornwall, Wales and Scotland, but their registered office is in Wrington Somerset.

One former resident of Wrington was Henry Walton Smith. In 1792, Henry Walton Smith with his wife Anna established the business which was to become one of the largest UK Newsagent, Stationer and Booksellers, The familiar name it came to be known as belongs to their son William Henry.

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Re: Trivia Investigation Team

Post by CitroJim »

NewcastleFalcon wrote: 20 Nov 2020, 11:55
What interesting trivia can be extracted from the information in this notice :?:
A great deal :D Tremendous stuff 8-)
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Re: Trivia Investigation Team

Post by mickthemaverick »

Here is some interesting stuff on the name Saltash.
The town on the west bank of the River Tamar across from Plymouth has three claims to fame, 1, Brunel's Royal Albert railway bridge, 2, The Tamar Road Bridge and 3.) It was part of the postponed route for my South Coast Saunter :-D

The bridges:
Tamar Bridges.jpg
The Royal Navy named a Hunt class minesweeper Saltash in 1918 and there is an interesting record to be found:

https://saltash.org/saltash-history/hms-saltash.html

The ship looked its best when not at sea on active duty:
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Re: Trivia Investigation Team

Post by NewcastleFalcon »

I presume you will have heard of Wrington Jim being a man of Somerset yourself :-D

The Hastings Slate does indeed come from one of the oldest traditional slate quarrying areas of Spain.

The Slate quarry can of course be regarded by some as a blot on the landscape, by others as a dramatic photo opportunity :-D
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Re: Trivia Investigation Team

Post by NewcastleFalcon »

Home and HQ of Independent Slate Supplies Ltd of our notice fame Saltash as well as the famous bridges, there is the Saltash Tunnel on the A38, with its unusual "reversible" middle lane.

Saltash : The Saltash Tunnel, A38
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© Copyright Lewis Clarke and
licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

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Re: Trivia Investigation Team

Post by bobins »

Here's a picture of a boring slate tunnel. What's unusual about it is that it's a slate tunnel that's been bored. It's located somewhere in North Wales, and my memory has faded on the exact details, but suffice to say - it's unusual to put a tunnel boring machine into slate :-k The concept didn't really take off.
Bored slate tunnel - own work
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Re: Trivia Investigation Team

Post by mickthemaverick »

Could that have been up near Ffestiniog bobins? I have a vague recollection of one up there :)
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