APEDALE HERITAGE CENTRE, CHESTERTON, STAFFS.

I came across this great museum on the web while I was doing a brick search in the Chesterton area. My cousin had previously mentioned it's brick collection when she had visited Apedale Country Park. So while I was visiting Jean in Congleton, in July of this year, Apedale was on the list for us to visit.

The museum covers Chesterton's Romans, Mining & Rescue, through to daily life in Staffordshire, but I went mainly to see & photograph Ken Perkins & Eddie Grela's  North Staffordshire brick collections. There is a good collection of roof tiles owned by Gordon Howle who's father Selwyn owned & made tiles locally from 1932 to 1939. There is also a collection of chimney pots loaned to the museum by Lance Bates.

The museum is open on Saturday & Sunday plus other days in the week during school holidays & it's free. There is also a steam train to ride on, plus a drift mine to go down (these you have to pay for), so there is plenty to see & do. 

https://www.apedale.co.uk

History & finds of the Romans living in the Chesterton area.

Life in the 1920's or 30's. No television in those days, only the radio & piano, to keep you amused. 

Computers & the internet were a dream in someone's mind back then !

"Right son, you're in the bath after your dad, it's not that mucky ! "

"Mam, it's not arf cold in that outside privy." 

"While you are out there son, bring some coal in."

How would we cope today, without our little luxuries !

Collection of miners safety lamps.

An underground engine.

Ken's brick collection.

The Potteries Brick Company. 

This was a group of around twenty manufacturer's who produce bricks under the PBC name as well as their own, each stamping the bricks with a different letter to signify the maker.

Gordon Howle's tile collection. 

Ken has sent me this information from Gordon's book about his father's tile works.

Howle Brick & Tile Ltd.

Selwyn Howle at the age of 19 started up the "Merry Hill Colliery" in the Apedale Valley, employing 30 workers. He then sold the colliery in 1932 to start his tile works.

This was a new works, built by Selwyn now aged 23, with his main financial backer Mr. Archie Wood. Modern machinery was installed, producing 14,000 tiles per day. In 1938, the company employed 140 workers.

Selwyn died in a car accident at the age of 38 in Vancouer, Canada. His father was left as the remaining director of the company. G.H. Downing took over the company in 1939, continuing to produce tiles until 1961. The works was then converted to produce engineering bricks until it's closure in 1967. The Rowhurst Industrial Estate off Apedale Road is now built on Selwyn's Brick & Tile Works.

The Train Journey

At £2.50 return, the steam train ride was great value. The track is only about a mile or so long, but you still get the enjoyment of seeing the steam engine in action. On other weekends a small diesel engine pulls the carriages.

Cousin Jean on the left with her friend Thessalie, who joined us for the day.

No matter what their ages, boys still want to be engine drivers !

Ticket's Please ! 

We could not return until our tickets had been punched, So with a wave of the ticket collectors flag, we set off back to the station & a nice cup of tea.

View of one of the sheds & restoration work for the future.

If you would like to see some of the bricks I photographed that day, please click the link below.
https://uknamedbricks.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/apedale-heritage-centre-chesterton.html

LOCKO PARK, DERBY

Locko Park near Derby had been on my to visit list for quiet a few years. It was the last of the large Country Houses around Derby that I had not seen and photographed. It was a chance find on the web of the garden being open under the National Garden Scheme, that I put it on my calendar in big letters.
As the day approached, the weather forecast wasn't looking very promising. But as you can see from the photos it was a glorious day.

The House and Estate are privately owned and can only be visited on NGS day, unless you book the House for your Wedding or Corporate event. I am sure that any bride and groom would love to arrive by horse and carriage at this grand entrance portico.   

The day was well attended and I just had to be patient to get that perfect shot.

A professional wedding photographer would be spoilt for choice for photographing the newly weds in this garden.

As the crowds thinned and 4 o'clock approached I got some of my best pictures, with the sun being at the right angle. 

The couple on the bench told me that they had been here on previous years and this one had been the best. Just to be able to sit and look out into the parkland and think if I could own and enjoy this, all of the time ! To say you are only 15 minutes from the centre of Derby you would not believe how quiet and tranquil it is.

A lot of families with children did not venture up this side of the garden, so they missed out in seeing the long border and what was round the next corner.

In need of repair, but it makes a great photograph.

At this point I just timed it right, one of the gardeners was showing a group around the garden and he was explaining how he had created these stone balls. He had used a template to get the shape, but inside he had used plant pots and pins to hold the structure firm.

Through this archway is the arboretum.

After looking all round the garden, it was off to sample the home made cakes and a nice cup of tea in the courtyard. Nice !

So with 5 o'clock approaching there was just enough time to take these photos from the lake. A great day had by all.

If you wish to read a brief history of Locko Park, I have pasted their link below.

http://www.lockopark.co.uk/home/index.php

CELYN VILLA B&B, CARMEL, HOLYWELL, FLINTSHIRE

This is such a great B & B that I thought it deserves a mention on my blog. This was the second time I had stayed at this Top of the Class B&B. I stayed there last year combining a week with my cousin in Congleton & a week on the North Wales Coast, same as I did again this year.

Things that makes a holiday great include having glorious weather, which I did, good food, which I did & having a great B & B, which this certainly lives up to. 

So in which order do I put all the plus points. 

I must start with Paulene & Les, Great hosts, if a request is doable, then it is normally done, even down to the special delivery of my Weetabix. 

The well appointed & spotless rooms, don't forget the comfortable beds & the views over the Dee Estuary & the quiet location. 

The great breakfasts, every one is catered for depending on their needs. There is always a good selection. Don't forget the homemade bread & jams made from their own garden, nearly did. The gooseberry jam was my favourite !

A couple of my breakfasts.

View of the Dee estuary from the Rose room which I stayed in one night.

Three views from the Lilac Room, in which I spent the rest of the week.

This was a glorious setting of the sun over-looking Prestatyn, captured with my zoom lens.

So if you are on a pilgrimage to St. Winefride's Well at Holywell or exploring the North Wales Coastline, like me. This is the Place for You.  http://www.celynvilla.co.uk

PS. Don't forget to go to the Halfway House Pub at the bottom of the road for your evening meals & have the Chicken with Haggis in a creamy drambuie sauce, it's sensational !

QUEEN MOTHER & PRINCE CHARLES AT SANDRINGHAM 2001

When I first decided to write my Days Out blog, I said I would only write about happy events & not record the sad things in life, but I have made an exception with this post, as this holiday was timed to go to the Sandringham Flower Show & take pictures of the Queen Mother & Prince Charles for my Mum to see on my return, who was in hospital. She sadly passed away a few days after seeing these photos. So this post is dedicated to my Mum, who was true loyalist & follower of the Royal Family. She only saw them on TV & in books & magazines. On the other hand I have seen most of the Royal Family. I especially remember seeing Diana, who gave me & a few chaps from work who went out to see Charles & Diana's car pass by our works, a lovely smile & wave. That brief moment in time will stay with me for ever.
So this story is a happy one, full of twists & turns & a bit of intrigue ! 
Come to think about it, I should have posted this story last week when it was Mothering Sunday in honour of all mothers.

I first start with the happy news I received in the first week of this holiday while in Hertfordshire, visiting many historic houses, castles & gardens (I will write about these another day). It was on the Sunday while I was visiting Waddesdon Manor, that I received the great news via the mobile phone from my nephew, Paul, that his wife, my niece, Joanne had just given birth to a baby boy, naming him Thomas. It had been a great day at Waddesdon, the sun had shone & there was a new member to the family, I could not wait to see him !

Now on to my great day out at Sandringham.

The Intrigue. 
Events start when I drove down the private road to the B & B farmhouse I was staying at in Hunstanton. There were two police cars in the car park ? This set the brain working overtime, had I arrived at an major incident or a crime scene ? 
No, after getting the low-down from my hosts, there were four policemen staying at the B & B, who were assigned to protect the Royal Family, I did not meet them all, but with those I did, we had some interesting chats & a good laugh. Especially when I found out that they were from the armed division. So I naturally asked were their weapons were & I was told safely double locked in a box in the boot of the car.

Now to the Big Day. 
It was a glorious day, the sun was shining & it promised to be great day & it was.
I was told to go early by one of the policemen, as soon as the gates were open, I glade I did, as I managed to park the car right next to the entrance.
After going round the Flower Show & taking a few pictures of the House, (one included one of the armed policemen on duty), I got into a good spot for the arrival of the Queen Mother & Prince Charles by carriage. Not many people had gone right up to the House where I took these photos.  I was the only person at this spot when the Queen Mum gave me this pleasing smile.

I then headed down the hill to arena, to be confronted by thousands & thousands of people around the arena waiting for the Royal Party to arrive. All those people were not there when I went up to the House ? How was I going to get any more photos of the Royals ? 

I slowly made my way through the crowds, until I got to this spot, right in front of the presentations. I thought I have done really well to get to this great position. It was not until afterwards when the crowds had diminished, that I found I was in the Press enclosure ! No wonder it was a great position for the photos.

I could not understand at the time, that when Prince Charles first walk towards this spot he gave a bit of a snarl towards this direction. I soon found out afterwards that it was for the press reporters, as they were giving him a bit of a rough time in the newspapers. He also stood with his back to them for most of presentations. But I did get a couple of decent photos. 

The Queen Mum then went off in her buggy around the displays, meeting the floral prize winners.

It was around 4 o'clock by this time & the light was just right to get these pictures. Great !

Mum & Dad had their photo took by me, stood at this spot in 1986. 

Although it was a lovely warm day back in 1986, there was a lot of grey cloud around which stops this photo being a great photo. If I can master Photoshop I may be able to transfer Mum & Dad to the 2001 photo. Mum wanted to be photographed on this spot as the Queen had been photographed from the same spot in spring time, which featured in the guide book. 
It was now time to go back to the B & B, a Great Day had by all !  
Mum was very happy & pleased to see these photos, remarking how well the Queen Mother looked & so was I that Mum had got to see them.