Edward Thorpe

Walked around and about home today. Blustery weather but glorious views
#Yorkshire
#Photography

RAF Ravenscar a former chain low radar station from the Second World War. Slowly crumbling & going back to nature.
Not quite the back of beyond as there was a railway behind it.
#history
#photography

Just off the Cleveland Way path in North Yorkshire the remains of RAF Ravenscar a Second World War radar station
#history
#Yorkshire
#photography

Looking up the coast towards Robin Hood's Bay
#Yorkshire
#Photography

Dramatic skies & cliff on the Yorkshire coast looking towards Ravenscar
#Yorkshire
#photography

World War 2 pillbox on the Cleveland Way path near Robin Hood's Bay.
#history

Kicked my way through autumn's golden gown this morning, hands & face well & truly scoured by an icy wind & even icier rain showers. Autumn in the pennines never felt so good
#autumn

Today's walk. Getting more autumnal

A trip over to the dark side - building the Stuka has reminded why I don't do a lot of aeroplanes...
#scalemodelling

Talyllyn Railway no 2 Dolgoch aka "The Old Lady"
Dating back to 1866 she was the loco that helped the railway preservation movement get off the ground in 1951 and the inspiration for the character Rheneas in the Reverend Awdry's railway series
#history
#railways

Barden Tower - once a hunting lodge for the Clifford family
#history
#photography

Sanna Bay - Ardnamurchan, North West Scotland
#photography
#Scotland

The Stevenson Lighthouse at Ardnamurchan Point - the most westerly point in mainland Scotland
#Scotland
#Photography

From a trip to Bronte country - trees at Top Withens.
Top Withens is said to have been the inspiration for the setting of Wuthering Heights
#EmilyBronte
#WutheringHeights
#Yorkshire

Loch Ewe - mustering point for the arctic convoys in the second world war in one of the remoter parts of north west Scotland
#history
#scotland

Once upon a time I came across Ike

Autumn's on its way
#autumn

Evolution of passenger coaches on the Ffestiniog Railway - 4 wheel 'bug boxes" from the 1860s, iron framed bogie coaches with sumptious 1st class seating for some from the 1870s, replica/rebuild WW1 army surplus toastrack Some fool chose 1860s boneshaker rather than 1st class
#traintravel
#history

Saying hello to an old friend - double Fairlie "Merddin Emrys" on the Ffestiniog Railway. Originally built in 1879, the year of Rorke's Drift, much rebuilt but still going strong, resplendent in 1960s green livery.
#railways
#history

For me it has to be:
3. Black Sabbath by Black Sabbath
2. Sunshine of your love by Cream
1. Revolution by The Beatles (b side Hey Jude rather than the White Album version)

Castles & towers.
Can't wait to go back
#history
#castles
#scotland

A bit of renaissance too

My first love as an albeit amateur historian was the medieval era with its big characters, dramas and the legacy they left us in the chronicles and the ruined castles & abbeys. Last week's trip to Scotland was an inspiration for me
#medievalhistory
#castles

The series of course spawned spin offs - records with Jonny Morris & Willie Rushton telling the stories, the stop motion 80s tv series with Ringo telling the stories right up today's cartoon version.
All these born out of bed time stories 1st told in the 1940s

The stories were very much of their time when the steam era railway was very much a part of daily life - you'd have seen imposing express engines hurtling along at speed & characterful tank engines on local branch lines & new fangled diesels appearing

Many stories feature beautiful illustrations of recognisable locations on the Talyllyn & also Ravenglass Eskdale & Snowdon Mountain Railways - not sure publishers would be commissioning illustrations of that quality today.

Then there's the Skarloey Railway stories drawing heavily on the early years of the preservation era Talyllyn Railway & Awdry's misadventures as a volunteer guard

Toby the tram engine based on locos & carriages that ran on the Wisbech & Upwell line near the Rev Awdry's parish at the time.

The story of James getting blown round & round on a turntable based on an incident at Garsdale on the Settle & Carlisle line

#books. Today marks 80 years since The Three Railway Engines by the Rev Awdry was published. Beautifully illustrated with many characters based on real locomotive types, some real locations & real incidents