Odds & Ends: Part One

 

I have a lot of single or a few images of odds and ends seen on my travels, some no longer there and some which have nowhere else to go, so I decided to put them all on one or two Odds & Ends posts. 

The photo above of an old milk churn was taken on one of my walks to document the Axe Valley pillboxes in 2008/09. It was very old and coming apart then, so I don't know if it's still there or not, but definitely a photo I'm glad I took either way.

This fabulous cannon can be seen in the courtyard of an Exmouth Wetherspoon's pub called The Powder Monkey. Inside the pub a plaque reads...

'This J D Wetherspoon pub is named after Nancy Perriam, whose sewing skills earned her a berth in the Navy alongside her sailor husband. Nancy lived in nearby Tower Street until 1865, when she died in her 98th year.

A ‘powder monkey’ was naval slang for the young boys who filled shells and cartridges with gunpowder. As well as sewing shirts and sails, Nancy acted as a powder monkey, working alongside the gunners on board the Crescent and the Orion.'

These lovely old petrol pumps were situated outside a garage in Seaton, Devon. The garage used to be a service station for petrol and repairs but has been a car salesroom for as long as I can remember.

I'm really glad I decided to take photos of them and the garage with its erstwhile top and signage. They were kept like that long after the garage ceased being used as a petrol station. I took these circa 1992 with black & white film and intended to go back to take some more in colour. Sadly, they were taken away before I did and I missed my chance, but at least I've got these.

The Seaton Youth Centre, below, was demolished along with the old Blue Waters Holiday Camp and the Lyme Bay Holiday Village - which was originally Warner's - to build a Tesco supermarket and some houses (the so-called Seaton Regeneration). Another youth centre was never built or held elsewhere, which means there's no longer anywhere for youngsters to meet and get involved with activities together.

As well as youth activities there used to be a table top sale on a sunday morning, which was very popular. I hired a table myself and really got into selling, which was fun and which was sometimes helpful to make some money...and sometimes not, lol. Knowing it was about to be demolished I took this one photo for posterity.

A gatepost! That's all it is, in the middle of nowhere on the A3052 road which runs between Lyme Regis in Dorset and through East Devon to Exeter. I took this photo when on one of my long walks to explore some derelict buildings and I think it was near the old Lyme Bay Cider site, but doesn't appear to be connected with that - or anything - as there's nothing but a field behind it. Anyway, I liked it so I took the photo. :)

 

I was in a friend's car and we were driving through King's Down Tail, on the same long A3052 road, when we spotted this abandoned car in the undergrowth. So she pulled up and we got out to have a look. 

The ufo in the trees, below, is actually an old tyre, probably from the car. It isn't really that colour but the camera must have picked up the green reflected from the trees somehow.

 

And while I was there I took a couple of photos showing the road either way while there was no traffic. It looks just like a country lane in these photos but it's a different matter when it's busy and huge lorries thunder past. A bit terrifying when walking along and you can feel the force of the speed pulling you into them! This was lovely and quiet, though.

 

Just a fun article between the weightier ones. I've got quite a few of these kinds of photos but I'll add them on further posts every now and then as an occasional break from the usual stuff. Hope you found it interesting but I've kept it short in case it isn't, lol. Some more proper articles coming up soon. :)

 

 

 

 

Jubilee Clock Tower, Seaton, Devon

Built in 1887 to commemorate Queen Victoria's Jubilee, the clock tower stands in Seafield Gardens overlooking Jubilee Garden. Originally the site of a large residential building, the lower part of the gardens were landscaped after the house was bombed during World War II.

This included a precipitous rockery, winding steps, waterfall, meandering stream and two ponds, making a delightful foreground to Seaton's favourite landmark. Sadly, the stream and lower circular pond were removed and landscaped over, turning the area into a half-amphitheatre. Below that the lawn still remains, where people can picnic and children play, but without the stream and the wishing well at the bottom. The oblong pond in the top Seafield Gardens has also been kept, seen above left.

Taken from the other side, the date plaque and entrance, above. It was possible to squeeze beneath the foliage to get to the door. No access of course, but it enabled me to get some close-up photos. 

Built with lovely red brick and tiles, I would have expected the dressings to be in Beer Stone, taken from the nearby limestone quarry in the village of Beer, but I haven't been able to substantiate that yet.

Some lovely attention to detail, as was the case in Victorian times; a tiny but pretty stained glass window, above, sadly damaged and now protected by a covering of perspex. And below, a cute little trefoil in the tympanum above the door.

 

 

The original clock mechanism, complete with bells, was removed during the 1990s and is now on display in Seaton Museum. Having been replaced by an electric movement in the clock tower it's still lovely to hear it strike the hour.

 

I don't have any more pertinent information about it at the moment but it's a much loved monument in the town, and one that I've taken quite a lot of photos of. So, here's some more of those below. :)

Having written about the clock tower it occurred to me that an article about the two gardens might be a good idea, which I'll do sometime in the future and link to this and the cactus house posts. Meanwhile, I've still got plenty to be getting on with as well, with many erstwhile website articles to rewrite plus a growing bunch of new ones. Onwards and upwards, lol. :)

Norman Lockyer Observatory, Sidmouth, Devon

This was one of those beautiful sunny winter afternoons in late December 2013. I'd been to Sidmouth Garden Centre with a friend and she suggested we take a look at the Observatory on the way back. It's somewhere that isn't easy to access without transport, and I don't drive, so I jumped at the chance...well, jump isn't exactly the right word as I was hobbling around on a walking stick at the time due to a back injury, but it's somewhere I've been wanting to visit for a long time so I was really chuffed to have the opportunity.

Originally called Hill Observatory, it was built by the scientist and astronomer Sir Joseph Norman Lockyer in 1912, as a replacement for the South Kensington Observatory, which had closed. His wife, Lady Lockyer, inherited the land where they had a house built to retire to, and it was the top part of this land that was used for the observatory; the Hill Observatory Corporation subsequently established in 1916. After his death in 1920 his son, James Lockyer, renamed it the Norman Lockyer Observatory as a tribute to his father. 

Apart from the years during the two World Wars, the corporation continued until 1943 when Lady Lockyer died, bequeathing her house and land to the corporation. The house is still there but it was sold and is now a private residence.

After being out of astronomical use for some time, the site was eventually bought by the East Devon District Council and reopened in 1989 by Patrick Moore, a well-known astronomer featured on a British television programme.   

 

The site comprises three Victorian refracting telescopes and two modern reflectors. Other features are a planetarium, a meteorological station, a library and equipment for amateur radio reception. Operated by members of the Norman Lockyer Observatory Society, there are open days and lectures for visitors utilising the planetarium, an exhibition area and lecture theatre.

The three Victorian domes are Grade II Listed Buildings. I don't know for certain which buildings were which, as this wasn't exactly an official visit, but by the descriptions in the listings the Mond Dome was attached to the long building shown in these two photos and the dome itself can be seen in the photos above those.

The building for the Mond telescope was largely extended to house an exhibition centre and a large dome (seen above) for the James Lockyer Planetarium. Other facilities include more space for the Radio Society (no pun intended, lol), a kitchen & toilets. And it was again opened by Patrick Moore in 1995.

Below shows the metal door to the Mond Dome, complete with a lovely circular astrological and lunar design. 

The other two domes are the Kensington Dome  and the McClean Dome, both built in 1912. Their descriptions are exactly the same, therefore I don't know which one is which. Here's one with the right description...

...and the other below, with a picnic area.

Looking from that dome across to another one, which must be one of the new ones...

...seen below, along with another nearby.

 

Plus a couple of photos showing domes on the horizon...one on the way in and another on the way out! :)