.

.

Monday 28 September 2015

Dream Cottage, Cheshire - September 2015


Judderman and myself had a bit of a Cheshire road trip in search of Real Cheshire Housewives.

Making the most of the remains of the late summer we put the world to rights and mooched in our usual slothful manner whilst on the lookout for an emporium to restock our oversized picnic hamper.

Now I'd seen this place a few times and had meant to pop in for a peek, looks like other peeps have named it Dream Cottage, so I will stick with that - although it is two cottages.


IMGP1177_DxO

IMGP1172_DxO

I bloody wish (only joking Love, honest !)

IMGP1074_DxO

Please don't feed the animals

Untitled

IMGP1138_DxO

IMGP1113_DxO

Mindful of the time we moved to the TV rooms to gather for the repeat of last nights Doctor Who

IMGP1088_DxO

IMGP1121_DxO

Untitled

Although small 9/10 (includes an extra point for the truly enormous bird of prey that circled overhead as we did the exterior shots).



Tuesday 22 September 2015

Soda Straw Railway Tunnels - September 2015

"You need Wellies" read the text from Tbolt, "Blacksnake is taking us out, green Wellies are the ones to be seen in".

A cryptic text, I've not worn Wellies since about age nine and then always black, green was a game changer.

£10 lighter in my wallet, I was rather proud of my new green Wellies and so we set off to meet our learned host for the day, Mr Blacksnake - a gentleman and a scholar.

IMGP0877_DxO

To walk the length of a city, beneath the city, in darkness that ate the light of torches was genuinely enchanting with deafening silence only interrupted in parts by the sound of an overhead rail line.

This was lost Victorian civil engineering at its greatest.

China Town, Liverpool

And so boys will be boys and wire wool play was the order of the day - with Tbolt wandering into the murky waters.

IMGP0929_DxO

IMGP0885_DxO

and onto the the soda straws

Soda Straw

Soda Straws

So onto the scores on the doors, 8/10 with a top up to 10/10 for Blacksnakes knowledge and history insights.



Monday 21 September 2015

A Closed Synagogue - September 2015

I try to avoid return visits to most places, mostly as I am generally shocked and saddened by the vandals and halfwits that pillage. Having first visited this place back in March 2014, It was a reluctant return visit with Tbolt and the intrepid gentleman explorer known only as Blacksnake.

Untitled

No external shots as such on this visit, on with a few shots

Untitled

IMGP0791_DxO

IMGP0849_DxO
IMGP0782_DxO

IMGP0858_DxO

Untitled

Yep, this place has still got it and remains that little bit special 7/10



Wednesday 16 September 2015

The Victorian Society Top 10 Most Endangered Buildings 2015



This is Griff, older readers may remember him from Not the Nine O'clock News, he's rather passionate about saving old buildings - as we all should be and The Victorian Society are.

So when the Victorian Society asked for the use of a few pics of Kimnel Hall I couldn't really refuse.

Anyway The Victorian Society Top 10 Most Endangered Buildings 2015 is kind of like a roll of shame listing properties heading for demolition due to neglect. Head on over and take a look, you may be shocked.


Cuckoo Hall aka Lotus Hall, Wales

Cuckoo Hall aka Lotus Hall, Wales


The Victorian Society
Daily Mail
Guardian
BBC
Independent
ITV
Daily Mirror


The full set of the shots can be found on my Flickr album



Sunday 13 September 2015

Heritage Days 2015 - Mersey Tunnel Tour

Every year in England thousands of places usually closed to the public open their doors for a four day festival every September, Heritage Days is your chance for a totally legal explore.

For our little wander Tbolt and myself took a drive over to Liverpool for the Mersey Tunnel Tour, the tour we took was a free sample tour of the control room of Georges Dock Building, Queensway Tunnel and under Queensway Tunnel.

You can do a full tour weekday evenings and Saturday morning, but you have to book in advance and we definitely will be soon, a bargain at £6 for the full 2 hour wander if our little potter was anything to go by.

IMGP0752_DxO

IMGP0723_DxO

IMGP0734_DxO
IMGP0707_DxO
IMGP0714_DxO

IMGP0735_DxO



Thanks to our guides for a totally fascinating look behind the scenes of something we all take for granted and begrudge paying the toll for, we will be back for more.

Monday 7 September 2015

RAF Church Fenton - September 2015

A pleasant trip to Yorkshire for Team Armadillo, being myself, Tbolt and Urban Caveman.

Military stuff is always a bit hit and miss and a recent trip to RAF Driffield reflected this with simply building after building of empty, repetitive dormitories that had been smashed to bits by the local vandals.

RAF Church Fenton sits on the side on a functioning private airport and so for most parts it has been left to slowly decay at its own pace without any unwanted help.

IMGP0535_DxO

IMGP0606_DxO

Sadly very few knick-knacks remain, most of the buildings are standard UK military design with the usual UK forces stairwells and banister rails (you get to know the ones after a while).

IMGP0474_DxO

But hey whats not to love

IMGP0605_DxO

IMGP0692_DxO

The Infernal Machine

IMGP0635_DxO

IMGP0631_DxO

IMGP0675_DxO

It would seem defending the country is very thirsty work....

IMGP0488_DxO

IMGP0610_DxO

IMGP0513_DxO

Untitled

IMGP0646_DxO


I'm going to give this place 6/10 - a good solid derpington with just that little something missing, sadly it was not the elusive "epic" we are currently searching for.