This is a brilliant venue, all the more so as it is owned and run by Gateshead Council and is said to have the finest collection of ceramics outside London’s V&A. I visited it when it opened and for an hour I was the only visitor though the staff warned some children were coming later. … Continue reading
Spoiler alert – I suggest you read the following only if you have listened to the S-Town podcast or if you have no intention of doing so, though it will make less sense. Days after I binged on the podcast ‘Shittown’ the story of John B McLemore still haunts me. Journalist Brian Reed did a … Continue reading
Last Friday the i featured England’s last cooper, Les Skinner, 72 who is about to retire and sell his business in Liverpool. The trade was once at the heart of Britain’s trade, as they produced barrels for food and drink, whale oil so was a huge industry, and one of the last of the guilds … Continue reading
I’ve become a huge fan of Ira Glass’s ‘This American Life’ podcast, especially since it provides a welcome antidote to all the bad news coming out of the states recently. Last week i stumbled upon one of the strangest stories ever, in the episode ‘Grand Gestures’ which challenges so many aspects of what we are … Continue reading
Here’s a bit of seriously obscure research that took me a while to nail down. I found a few monstrance clocks but wanted to know what they were and meant. Here’s one from the collection of the Guild of Clockmakers, now in the Science Museum: The original. monstrance was an ornate container for display and … Continue reading
Here’s great piece of clunky machinery that doesn’t really save us any effort so is not really functional, but it shows the wonder of what can be achieved by technology, the ultimate form of which is to imitate the human form. Cheers! http://www.openculture.com/2017/01/the-corkscrew.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+OpenCulture+%28Open+Culture%29
Trowbridge was for centuries a major centre for the wool trade.I think its last weaving factory closed about 1980, and many former mills have been converted to other uses, with one being engulfed into the shopping centre as part of the local history museum. But when I was told about this one, called Handle House, … Continue reading
This is from Friday’s i paper, a reminder that English eccentricity is still alive and well – at least up north. A meat and potato pie was “Sent into space” yesterday, attached to a weather balloon. The pastry lifted off in Wigan in advance of the World Pie Eating Championships, which begins on Tuesday next … Continue reading
I like this idea as it offers an alternative to the horrors of fracking rather than just objecting to it. We need new sources of energy. This is from Friday’s i and fits with my growing belief that tough times are inspiring people to get innovative. A renewable energy firm has submitted planning applications for schemes … Continue reading
Eighteenth century England produced a lot of child proteges who were often put on display by their partents and guardians in a way that to modern eyes seems like exploitation, but for families of humble birth could provide a welcome income. Some went on to achieve well deserved success such as the future President of … Continue reading
