Odds & Ends: Part Four

 

For anyone who's new here, these Odds & Ends are odd photos that haven't merited a full article, either because I only have one or very few photos and/or lack of information.

This one was part of a project I started in an attempt to document old cider orchards in East Devon. I didn't get very far but these apple trees are in the rear grounds of a local pub in Seaton called The King's Arms.

I then had the idea of using these - as well as other orchards I have photos for - to write a general article about orchards. I still might do that, although one of the others is also a stand alone one due to the lovely houses surrounding it. I also might make this a separate article along with the King's Arms pub it belongs to. I need more photos!

Anyway, here are a few of these trees in springtime with their pretty apple blossom. Something to look forward to this time of the year as well as having a coffee sitting out there, which I haven't done for some years now.

The next one is a lovely Victorian Gothic style building in Axminster with the name Register Office above the door. For those who aren't familiar with them, a register or registry office is where births, marriages and deaths were officially registered. Now called Registration Offices they are often also venues for civil ceremonies, such as weddings.

No longer used for registration, this is a Grade II Listed building and was built circa 1850-60. It's a rather narrow building snuck inbetween a shop on the left and what looks to be a former factory on the right.

I took these in 2004 and saw it again in 2011, when it was a restaurant. I didn't have time to take more photos then and regret that now, but if I can get to Axminster again I'll definitely take more photos and also investigate the adjoining buildings for a proper write-up.

Still in Axminster, another intriguing little building is this one belonging to Axminster Railway Station. Further up the line from the station is this crossing point called Axminster Gates, where there was a signal box - which is no longer there - and this little building called a crossing box, where two crossing keepers worked the gates to allow road traffic through. No longer needed, as signals and gates are now remote controlled.

Another one to take more photos of and see if it still has a function with the railway or if it's something different now.

And now queue some fairground music for the next set...

Taken a very long time ago (1975/6), when I still lived in Worcestershire, I went to the Carnival Fair with some friends and also took the opportunity to try out some nightime photos. The slides are old and haven't stood the test of time very well but I was quite pleased with them at the time. A funny story below.

I belonged to a camera club at the time and put the best two into the monthly competition, and was given a scathing review! I wasn't all that surprised, being the only female member, very much ignored and obviously unwanted. It didn't help that I'd joined along with a male friend who also happened to be my landlord, so we had the same address but with different surnames, lol. After all, this was the 70s!

And again, these will come up in a future post, having scanned them with a slide and negative scanner I bought some years ago. They are mostly from my birth place in Worcestershire with a few at the beginning of my life here at Devon. Some are quite striking & colourful, so it would be nice to give them an airing.

Meanwhile, back in Devon...

This is a tiny path to a row of cottages behind some shops in Seaton. The first one, below, has the nameplate September Cottage on the wall, which I neglected to photograph, and which I'll be rectifying soon. I'll be doing some research as well as taking more photos and hopefully write about it at some point. :)

I've just realised that all of these could be tasters for possible future articles! And the same goes for the last one.

I took these two of a road seen from my balcony, which I call the Higgledy Piggledy Road because it just looks so quirkily interesting as it meanders up the hill. I recently started looking at these houses more closely as I walk past and they are a fabulous little enclave of Arts & Craft houses. So I'm definitely going to make a photo visit. Another project! ;) 

And I think that's about it for now. I still have two or three more, but the photos aren't all that good - or all that interesting, lol - so I'll leave it there for now until I've collected some more odds and ends.

That was a departure from the articles I said I'd do at the end of my previous post, so I've still got those to finish off. Plus the odd short one about Stourbridge Art College to slip in, which might actually be next. 

Cheers, everyone. :)