Britain’s oldest roller coaster, the Scenic Railway at Dreamland, Margate, has been upgraded from Grade II to Grade II Star on the advice of English Heritage.

Margate Scenic Railway - Pic English Heritage

The Scenic Railway, which was built in 1920 by John Henry Iles for his new American-style amusement park, is the oldest surviving roller coaster in Britain and is among the five oldest in the world. Despite historic and recent fire damage, the integrity of the design remains.

Scenic railways are amongst the earlier types of roller coaster design and the one at Dreamland is an internationally important surviving example of this technology and an evocative aspect of the seaside heritage of Margate, one of the earliest and foremost English seaside resorts.

Thirty one scenic railways were built in Britain between the first example, the Velvet Coaster at Blackpool in 1907, and the last, in 1938.

Dreamland’s Scenic Railway is the older of only two remaining in Britain, the other, at Great Yarmouth, dates from 1932.

Emily Gee, Designation Team Leader for the South East, said: “Listing in a higher grade is reserved for a small proportion of designated places nationally. In spite of alteration and replacement to this remarkable timber structure, its age, rarity and design interest mean that listing in Grade II* is fully warranted.”

English Heritage is working closely with the site owner, the Dreamland Trust and Thanet District Council to secure a long-term future for the Dreamland site and restoration of the Scenic Railway as a working roller coaster.

Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh have made their first visit to Bletchley Park, Milton Keynes, to unveil a memorial in recognition for the secret code breaking work done there during World War II.

Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh on their tour of Bletchley ParkPic - Bletchley Park Trust

Bletchley Park was the wartime home of the Government Code and Cypher School (GC&CS).

At the height of World War II, the code breakers of Bletchley Park decoded enemy messages, included ciphers generated by the famous Enigma machine, giving the Allies a huge advantage.

Many historians believe that the Bletchley Park code breaking effort shortened the war by at least two years, saving an incalculable number of lives.

Royal visitors

The Royal party was provided with a short tour of the museum and shown some of the restoration projects which have taken place at Bletchley Park to rebuild the machines which assisted with the wartime decryption of enemy codes.

These included the Turing Bombe, brainchild of mathematical genius Alan Turing, and Colossus, the world’s first electronic computer.

The Queen was also given a demonstration of an Enigma machine which was key to breaking German secret wartime codes.

About the Bletchley Park memorial

Designed and sculpted by artist Charles Gurrey the Bletchley Park memorial was commissioned by The Bletchley Park Trust and GCHQ (successors to GC&CS).

It fulfils a commitment by the previous Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, to provide a lasting tribute to the Bletchley Park veterans.

The memorial consists of two, eight foot high slabs of Caithness stone interlinked at the top. This signifies the mutual reliance of those that worked at Bletchley Park and those that intercepted enemy transmissions at the ‘Outstations’.

One block displays the wording ‘We also served’ and the other a sculpted list of some of the 300 plus outstations that existed across the world.

There is also a Morse code message engraved on the back of the memorial, which says ‘My Most Secret Source’.

This was one of Churchill’s famous expressions, describing the valuable ‘Ultra’ intelligence, obtained from the decryption of Enigma intercepts.

Bletchley Park memorial dedication

Before she unveiled the memorial, The Queen spoke of her deep sense of admiration and gratitude for the men and women who served at Bletchley and the debt the nation owes to them for their achievements.

She also emphasised the importance of the intelligence allies with whom the UK worked, and the inspiration Bletchley provides to the intelligence services today, as they continue their vital work of protecting the people of this country.

During her visit The Queen was introduced to some of the veterans that either served at Bletchley Park or the ‘Outstations’, that intercepted the materiel that Bletchley Park processed.

These included Sir Arthur Bonsall, veteran of the Bletchley Park air section, who went on to be a Director of GCHQ.

She was also introduced to some of the relatives of deceased veterans, who had been invited to celebrate the event, including Sir John Dermot Turing, nephew of Alan Turing.

The Queen was also shown the Roll of Honour which lists the names of all of those who served at Bletchley Park and its ‘Outstations’ during the War. This has been compiled over a number of years and includes nearly 11,000 names.

Code breaking challenge

To mark Her Majesty’s visit to Bletchley Park, The Queen has issued a code cracking challenge to school children.

This challenge is open to everyone, but is aimed at children between the ages of 13 and 16 as a summer project.

Work has started to restore a Gillett and Brand clock, as part of the ongoing restoration work to Lowther Castle near Penrith, Cumbria.

The Cumbria Clock Company, based at Dacre, not far from the Lowther Estate, has dismantled the clock and removed parts to their workshop ahead of restoration.

Removal of the clock face at Lowther Castle, Penrith. Pic Val Corbett/Lowther Gardens

Installed in 1877 by famous clock makers Gillett and Brand, it has kept time in the stable courtyard for generations of grooms and stable hands.

Andrew Mercer, Project Director for the Lowther Castle and Gardens Trust said: “We are very lucky to have an historic clock company with experience of working on clocks as famous as Big Ben just on our doorstep. It was a considerable relief to find the clock mechanics in good condition, and great to know the clock can be returned to perfect working order. ”

A number of the original features of the clock will be maintained.

Pulleys and the lengthy wires that suspend the heavy lead weights have been carefully removed and will be fully reconditioned in time for the opening of the new visitor centre in Spring 2012.

Removing the bronze bells was particularly challenging for the restoration project, with the largest weighing in at 70kg and requiring a custom built scaffold tower.

One new bell will also be cast as part of the restoration project. This will replace the smallest bell.

Checking the Lowther clock mechanisms. Pic Val Corbett/Lowther Gardens

The only concession to modern times will be the addition of an electric winder, so the daily climb up the steps to wind the crank handle will not have to be made.

The castle grounds and 130 acres of gardens at Lowther are open to visitors 10.00am to 5.00pm every day; with admittance price £5.00 for adults.

The first phase of the Lowther Castle and Gardens project will take three years and is supported by £8.9m of grant funding from the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

Further information

A Catalogue of Manuscripts in the Library of The Worshipful Company of Clockmakers hints at  two calculations by a Benjamin L. Vulliamy, for the rate of going of a clock for Lowther Castle (1813 – 1814).  We are unsure if this account refers to this clock however.

Damned un-English submarine joins other British engineering wonders, including the Thames Barrier, for its part in technological innovation over 111 years ago.

Launched without ceremony at Barrow in Furness on October 2nd 1901 - Pic Royal Navy Submarine Museum

The prestigious Engineering Heritage Award, from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, has been awarded to Holland One, the first operational Royal Navy submarine.

It now joins the world’s first rail locomotive, the Thames Barrier and Bletchley Park’s Bombe code-breaking machine on the list of Britain’s greatest engineering feats.

Isobel Pollock, Deputy President of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and Chair of the Heritage Committee, said: “Holland One’s remarkable story can easily overshadow the fact that this was the vessel that dragged the Royal Navy into the modern era.

“With this award we want to not only recognise Holland One’s pivotal role in changing naval warfare forever, but also pay tribute to the tremendous restoration job that has saved this crucial part of British heritage for future generations.”

Holland One – History

Launched in 1901, Holland One was commissioned despite the Royal Navy’s traditional mistrust of submarine warfare.

She was built at the Vickers Maxim shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness at a cost of £35,000.

Admiral Sir Arthur Wilson, then Controller of the Navy, described it as “underhand, unfair and damned un-English”.

They had a complement of 2 officers and 5 ratings - Pic Royal Navy Submarine Museum

However in 1900 the Royal Navy secretly placed an order with submarine pioneer John Philip Holland.

Ironically, Holland had originally received the financial backing needed to develop his submarines from the Irish Fenian Society, a forerunner of the IRA, who wanted to use the vessels to carry out hit and run terrorist attacks on the Royal Navy.

Holland’s great technological innovation was marrying the internal combustion engine with the electric motor and electric battery, all in one hydro-dynamic machine. This would set the standard for submarines across the world for decades to come.

In 2008 a stage play written by Dundalk man Aidan Harney  was first performed.

Called Submarine Man, it portrayed the life of the Irish born emigrant, who is seen by many to be one of Ireland’s lesser-known heroes.

Submarine salvaged

After Holland One’s secret launch a year later, the boat had 12 years of experimental service before being decommissioned in 1913. However while being towed to the scrap yard it hit stormy weather and sank.

The official title for this class was HM Submarine Torpedo Boat, followed by a number. - Pic Royal Navy Submarine Museum

It remained at the bottom of the Plymouth Sound, near to the Eddystone Lighthouse,  for 68 years before the Royal Navy Submarine Museum, working with Navy mine sweepers, discovered and salvaged the wreck in 1981.

Holland One is now on permanent public display at the museum.

More information

Image as cutaway showing inside Holland One

Holland Class – BritSub

Barrow Submariners Association – All about the first Sub

The Solway Aviation Museum is based at Carlisle Airport, just a few miles from the city of Carlisle on the A69.

Situated in some old airport sheds, this little gem of a museum is one to be placed on the things to do list.

Some of the many aircraft at the Solway Aviation Museum

Children and adults will find something of interest, even on a soggy day.

Owned and maintained by volunteers from the Solway Aviation Society, the museum has many displays including a room dedicated to the Blue Streak rocket programme, the Martin Baker (ejector seat manufacturer) story and a room filled with old aircraft engines.

Formed in 1961 by members of the Royal Observer Corps, the Society was originally known as the Solway Group of Aviation Enthusiasts.

The Naafi, Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes, cafe provides hot and cold refreshments and an on site gift shop has everything from key rings to model aircraft.

The museum’s five main display rooms have a strong local flavour and provide a fascinating insight into local aviation history;

Blue Streak Exhibit

Discover Britain’s part in the Space Race and the story behind the testing of the ill fated Blue Streak rocket programme.

Blue Streak motor and fittings

The superb display includes rocket engines and a model of the rocket launch facility at RAF Spadeadam on the windswept Gilsland fells not far from the airport. The display chronicles this little known episode in Britain’s recent history.

An interactive touchscreen allows visitors to explore the story of the Bluestreak project with video and pictures from the time.

The Engine Hall houses a superb collection of aero engines that show how aircraft power plants have developed over the years.

The Avionics room highlights the role of the navigator and the development of electronic guidance equipment.

Charting the wartime past of the area

Enter the museum’s Crosby rooms and step back to the 40′s through an air raid shelter, taking the visitor on a journey though the history of local wartime RAF Airfields.

Carlisle Aiport
In the Carlisle Airport room you have the chance to see a realistic mock up of the airports WWII control tower as well as hear a live feed from the tower.

The museum currently has 11 aircraft on display including the XJ823 Vulcan bomber and part of the tour includes a visit to the cockpit of  this famous war bird.

Vulcan Bomber

Arriving at Carlisle during 1983 Vulcan bomber XJ823 is the star attraction at the Solway Aviation Museum.

Avro Vulcan XJ823

It flew into the airport on the 24 January 1983 after being purchased from the RAF.

Only 20 complete Avro Vulcan airframes exist and 15 of these are in the UK.

XJ823 was delivered to the RAF in April 1961 and had Olympus 201 engines.

This Vulcan was a standby aircraft in the Falklands Conflict.

Further information

The Museum is open every weekend from April until the last weekend in October on a Saturday, Sunday and on official English Bank Holidays.  A charge is made for entrance.

The Museum is also available for private visits of parties of 15 or more persons. Visits are possible on any day of the week, with or without refreshments – please enquire by email at least one month in advance with the Bookings Director; bookings@solway-aviation-museum.co.uk

Schools history

School visits are available with a tailored series of activities aimed at Primary Schools KS2 World War II History Unit. All materials are provided – please enquire by email at least one month in advance with the Bookings Director (bookings@solway-aviation-museum.co.uk

Badges and awards

Beavers and Cub Scouts Air badge activity materials are available to enable the participants to qualify after their visit at the Museum. Minimum number of 15 participants. Please enquire at least one month in advance with the Bookings Director (bookings@solway-aviation-museum.co.uk

Opened in the Summer of 2001 the subway linking the grounds of Carlisle Castle with the Tullie House side of Castle Way in Carlisle is filled with items from an industrial past.

Attached to a 40 meter long and 3m  high steel wall running along one side of the underpass are steel and metal objects that relate to the industry and people of Carlisle and its surrounding areas .

The work, by Russell Coleman, was commissioned by Carlisle City Council in conjunction with the Millennium Commission.

Each of the items has a number nearby. Download a copy of a list of the items and see how many of them you identified.

The underpass also contains a clock and the Cursing Stone.

Twenty years ago, 1989,  saw the arrival of location specific mobile phone licences being awarded in Britain.

Four companies were given licences to run a national European Standard CT-2 network :- Hutchison Whampoa (Rabbit), Phonepoint, Mercury Callpoint and Zonephone.

Rabbit phone point sign in Carlisle

Memorials to the ‘Rabbit’ service can be seen littering the facades of buildings up and down the UK with their striking blue rabbit ears logo.

Looking back, it could be said that these services, where a mobile phone call could be made within 100m of a base station, was the forerunner to the WiFi services we now take for granted.

It is now a common site to look through a restaurant window and see a laptop computer open and a business person enjoying a  cup of coffee or eating a meal whilst checking emails or even making phonecalls using internet telephony services such as Skype

In 1993, Hutchison Whampoa Limited, HWL reorganised its UK telecom business by closing the Rabbit telepoint service.  It is reported that they had spent over £200m on the project.

HWL went on to become one of the major mobile phone services in the UK, known as Orange.

Online articles from 2002/3  looked into the crystal ball of technology and tried to predict how the mobile communication market would evolve and they don’t seem far from accurate.

The CT-2 service was all over by 1994 however, it set in place a way of using fixed public hotspots to offer some services when you are away from your  private home or office connection.  A method of working very much used today with our 24 hour lifestyles and cloud living.

Further information

BBC – History lessons for wireless networks

The Independent – The mobile phone finally comes of age

Hidden in a corner off the main yard at Dalemain is an often missed snapshot of Cumbrian history.

What lies beyond?

To the left of the yard is a dark passageway with a pink sign above.  The sign reads 16th Century Great Barn. Agricultural and fell pony museums.

Going beyond the alley and up a flight of stairs you enter into a dark cavern of a room with all sorts of wooden and metal paraphernalia.

As your eyes get accustomed to the lack of light you realise that you have come upon a treasure trove of old farming implements and items from a long gone past.

An eclectic mix of items, seemingly stuck in a black hole as time has moved on.

Greeting us as we walked around on the creaky, quite flexible floor, sat astride a fragile metal frame, similar to that of an old childs pram was a wooden coffin.

Coffin on a metal frame

It was a simple affair of a number of rough cut planks nailed together with a lid on. We do hope no one was in residence!

Pictures on the wall behind this exhibit indicate that Dalemain and possibly some of this equipment, had been used in a recent film based on the book  Jane Eyre  by Charlotte Brontë.

This collection of milk churns caught our eye next. These are often seen now with plants growing from them in gardens but they were for carrying milk from the farm to customer.  

The churns could often be seen on railway platforms throughout the country early on a morning awaiting transport to cities or around the country.

It is reported that churns were still being used upto the early 1970′s when road and rail tankers started to take over.

All kinds of machinery

Looking into the body of the room you can see all sorts of heritage.  Hanging on the facing wall are some old paraffin lamps.  These used to be used to mark roadworks or other road hazards.  Flashing battery powered yellow laps are now used.

See how many items you can recognise?

Fell pony museum

At the far end of the vast loft is a museum to the fell pony.

The fell pony was used in many of the early Cumberland industries.

 With their placid nature and strong build they could be found at many mines  transporting goods across the fells or between villages moving goods and people.

In the museum you can see many awards from the local and county shows as well as equipment such as carriages, carts and assorted tack.

Her Majesty The Queen, is the Patron of the Fell Pony Society.  Her Majesty the Queen has owned, ridden and driven Fells since she was a young woman. She also breeds Fell ponies which carry the “Balmoral” prefix.

More information

Meccano dates back to 1901 when the small strips of metal and assorted bolts were packaged together by Frank Hornby and called Mechanics Made Easy.

Meccano drawing

Using standard interconnecting plates and only needing a screwdriver and spanner as tools complex mechanical devices could soon be constructed by most schoolboys.

The perforations were at a standard ½ inch (12.7 mm) spacing, the axles were 8-gauge, and the nuts and bolts used 5/32 inch BSW threads.

In September 1907, Hornby registered the Meccano trade mark, and in May 1908, he formed Meccano Ltd.

Meccano production was not interrupted by the 1st World War.

Meccano remains a very versatile constructional medium. Just about any mechanical device can be built with it, from structures, to complex working cranes, automatic gearboxes or extremely accurate clocks. Meccano is frequently used to prototype new ideas and inventions.

One of the lesser known facts about Meccano is it’s ability to solve mathematical problems. One example is the use of the bolted strips of metal as an analogue computer or differential analyser.

It is reported that the only original, complete Differential Analyser left in the world is the one that helped Barnes Wallis design his famous bouncing bombs. They were the ones used in the Dam Busters attack on German hydro electric dams, in the Ruhr Valley, during World War II.

The Printed Version of the Encyclopedia of Meccano Parts, EMP, consists of six volumes.  When stacked one upon the other, they make a pile four inches high.

Below is a video, on YouTube from the Meccano exhibition in New Zealand during 2007

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hughi8NRKvg

Over 20cm in height with a heavy base made of brass is the iconic miners safety lamp.

908 - stamped into the base

Stamped with the number 908 the base fuel compartment the history of this lamp is not known.

It is thought that this model of lamp was made in the north east of England and is thought to be quite an early model.  This assumption is made due to it having only 4 metal pillars surrounding the looking glass. Later models have five risers due to requirements to improve safety.

The miners safety lamp was used, and is still used in some underground activities, to illuminate an area deep underground.

It was Sir Humphry Davy who discovered that if you shield a naked flame with a thin metal gauze it will not ignite explosive gasses such as methane found in deep mines.

Safety lamp - about 20cm tall

The lamp also provided a crude test for the presence of gases.

If flammable gas mixtures were present, the flame of the Davy lamp burned higher with a blue tinge.

Miners lamps were made of brass so if they knocked against metal or rocks they would not cause any sparks.

It was and possibly still is, an offence to relight a miners lamp such as this underground.

Miners could also place a safety lamp close to the ground to detect gases, such as carbon dioxide, that are denser than air and so could collect in depressions in the mine; if the mine air was oxygen-poor, the lamp flame would be extinguished.

Was this your lamp and where was it used?

Can you add to the history of this lamp, and how does it open?

Here are some of the identifying marks.

• H. Oakland is stamped onto a plate at the top off the lamp.
• The number 908 is stamped onto the base
• The words ‘Wolf Safety Lamp’ are stamped into the edge of the base
• Pattersons is stamped onto the top rim of the base

UPDATE

Wed 5th August 2009

Lee Simmons has been in touch via the contact us form and sent us a picture of a safety lamp with blue glass.

Miners Lamp with blue glass

He says that he can only confirm that his father found it some 35 yrs ago in a skip.

Does anyone know anything about the history of a lamp such as this and where it may have been used?

UPDATE

Sat 24 October 2009

Pete has been in touch he says…

All Ackrord & Best lamps were made before 1927, after that the company became known as Hailwood & Ackroyd and badges on lamps changed to this,

The lamps with blue glasses were sold for 3/6d to mark gas leaks uxb’s etc during WW2.

It was found that a dim blue glass cannot be spotted from 2000ft by German bombers.

Over 100,000 were altered and made available.

I have a copy of the advertisment.

The building is still there in Morley nr Leeds, now owned by Wabco, makers of automotive parts.

Hope this helps, Pete.

UPDATE – April 2011

Can you please give me some information on miner davy lamp as i have got my granfathers after my father past away the lamp is 23cm tall the top is stamped 721 brass on silver top base is brass stamped ehc 683 74/r with a small wike in the middle is it parafin lamp or oil and if so can you tell me which coal pit it came from.

mark ridley