Wacky Racer

Man and his machine. The machine: an ancient Ferguson that has until recently lain dormant in a barn, for over twenty years. Note the highly original use of an old axle stand to connect the collector from the engine manifold to a DTM back box and twin upturned exhausts. The man: Geoff Lowe.

The Land That Time Forgot III

The third area of limestone extraction very close to home is that of Crickheath Hill, which is riddled by quarries of the smaller sort, heavily blanketed in hart's tongue ferns and ivy, and which reward careful exploration. There are dilapidated quarrying buildings and partially blocked adits to be found, and the area is rich with wildlife, which benefits from the various pools that form between the quarry faces and spoil heaps. There is much evidence of badgers (Meles meles) - setts, latrines, and even a skull, evincing the typically pronounced saggital crest to which are anchored the powerful jaw muscles.

The Hoff

At the foot of Llanymynech Hill is the Llanymynech Heritage Area, the most notable feature of which is the Hoffman kiln, one of only four remaining in Britain. The others are at Armadale, West Lothian; Carluke, Lanarkshire; Langcliffe, North Yorkshire; and Minera, near Wrexham.

Traditionally, limestone was burnt in draw kilns such as those pictured above, on the hill, wherein layers of stone and coal were loaded from the top and the resulting lime drawn from the bottom. From time to time operations had to be suspended in order to clear from the chamber any 'unburnt' stone. The Hoffman kiln, by contrast, was operated on a constant basis, using a continuous tunnel divided into a number of chambers. In such kilns, the fire can burn without surcease for years. The design was developed in Germany by Friedrich Hoffman, who first patented it in 1857 for the firing of bricks. Early Hoffman kilns were circular, but later versions were elliptical or rectangular, which enabled them to have more chambers.

The Llanymynech kiln, built in about 1899 of brick in battered section, had 14 chambers. At any one time one chamber was empty, one was being filled, five were pre-heating, two were firing, four were cooling, and one was being emptied. The limestone was brought alongside the kiln on the tramways that ran down from the quarries above, and stacked within the chambers in temporary walls. Between these were left gaps aligned with the numerous coal feed holes in the tunnel roof. The coal was brought straight from the nearby railway siding onto the kiln's roof, again by tramway.

Once a chamber had been loaded, its entrance was temporarily sealed with stacked bricks. Coal was fed from above into the spaces between the limestone stacks, and burned in the hot air that circulated from one chamber to the next, drawn down into and along the central flue that leads to the 140 foot chimney. This circulation was controlled by using the flues and dampers alongside each chamber entrance. Once the lime in one chamber was properly burned, the flue was closed and coal was fed into the next chamber, the flue for which was opened, and so on round the ring. Given the caustic nature of lime, and the need to keep out the damp, the kiln was covered with a corrugated iron roof. This has been reinstated, in mild steel, as part of a sensitive and informative restoration.

Hoffman kilns are still used in 'developing' countries; in Iran there are kilns that have been working continuously for 35 years. That at Llanymynech continued in use only until the outbreak of WWI, in 1914. The introduction of chemical fertilizers, and the reduction in the use of lime mortar, made production of lime uneconomic.

Whixall, 'twixt Wem & Whitchurch

Between Wem and Whitchurch is the widely spread village of Whixall. It is, despite its small population, one of the largest parishes in England. Water defines the place, that in the Shropshire Union Canal, on which lies Whixall Marina, and that in the surrounding mosses. Together, the Fenn's, Whixall, Bettisfield, Wem and Cadney Mosses form Britain's third largest lowland peat bog, and are home to a wide range of acid-tolerant flora, including 92 mosses and liverworts. Funghi addicts come here in autumn to hunt edible mushrooms. The back lanes are punctuated by numerous farmyards, each of which seems to be home to an interesting old tractor, truck or piece of 'junk.'

Where, What & Wem

In 1643, during the English Civil War, 40 Roundheads successfully defended the town of Wem from as many as 5,000 Cavaliers, not the last time that a small number of parliamentarians screwed a much greater quantity of the populace. Wem was severely damaged by fire in 1677, and doesn't look like it's ever quite recovered. Its faded feel is pleasant though, and there are plenty of architectural details to observe, given the wide range of building materials used - principally red sandstone, brick and timber. Wem is definitely a town that rewards those who habitually look above often ugly modern shop fronts. It's a shame that more Victorian display windows, such as the round cornered one in the high street here, aren't preserved in our towns.

 































Wem was home to the essayist William Hazlitt but is probably most famous for its annual Sweet Pea Show, which celebrates the town's connection with Lathyrus odoratus through Henry Eckford, who in the nineteenth century developed over an hundred hybrids of the plant.

Callsign GBZ

Criggion Radio Station, callsign GBZ, was operated by the Post Office and, after privatisation of telecommunications in 1984, British Telecom. It passed coded Admiralty, and later Ministry of Defence, instructions to the Navy's ships and submarines, including those carrying Trident. During WWII, Criggion played its part in the sinking of the battleships Scharnhorst and Bismarck, and the capture of the tanker Altmark. During the Cold War the site was a Category A target for the Soviet Union. It was likely the channel by which Margaret Thatcher's 1982 instruction to sink the General Belgrano was passed.

Criggion was planned in 1940 as a back-up to the station at Rugby, as there were concerns that the latter could be damaged by stray bombs intended for Coventry. When built, it consisted of two high frequency (HF) stations, a low frequency (LF) station, and a very low frequency (VLF) station, spread out across what used to be a 400 acre site. The site was chosen because steel was in short supply at the time, and only three 680 foot pylons could be found, originally bound for the Trincomalee naval station, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). A steep hill next to level ground to provide the fourth and fifth anchorages for the VLF aerial was required. Breidden Hill, at about 900 feet, was perfect for this, and the nearby Severn could provide water for the heat exchangers used to cool all the valves.



Building commenced in 1941. The first HF transmitter was operational by September 1942. Whilst still being tested, in early 1943, the VLF transmitter at Criggion had to be hastily commissioned to take over from Rugby, whose similar transmitter had been damaged by fire (it was out of action for six months). Additional HF transmitters were installed between 1943 and 1945. The military facilities were further added to during the Cold War. A larger VLF aerial was installed in 1967-68, slung from 720 feet stayed masts, the concrete blocks to support which can still be seen.

The station also carried civilian traffic. Until the Atlantic cable was laid, Criggion carried all telephone circuits to America. As cables and satellites proliferated, the various HF facilities were dispensed with, and all 25 HF transmitters and their associated aerials were decommissioned by 1971-72. The facilities were upgraded in 1983 and as recently as 1991, the VLF and three LF transmitters continuing in service until 31 March 2003. The pylons and masts for the VLF and LF aerials were brought down with explosives within months of the site's closure.



The buildings are fascinating. Of course, much of the equipment was removed when the site closed, and subsequently the place has been looted, no doubt for the miles of copper cable that it must have contained, but there are clues to its past. The built-up foundations were designed to accommodate the flooding of the Severn. In the early days transport around the site came in the form of a tractor and trailer, but later a DUKW and an amphibious jeep were provided. Garages, a pumping station, and what look like living accommodation provide a feel for how busy the place must have been at its height, when 160 people worked here.

Llanymynech Quarries

At the southern end of the ridge that forms Llanymynech, Crickheath and Llynclys hills are a number of abandoned limestone quarries. These would once have resounded with explosions from charges tamped into holes drilled into the rock, which have left their characteristic half cylinders in the cliff-face. Now though the only sounds are from buzzards and peregrine falcons, dripping water and, in the summer, the occasional climber pitting their wits against the repeated tiers of horizontally bedded rock. There are three drum brakes here, one (pictured) at the top of the 'English' inclined plane, a second at the head of the 'Welsh' inclined plane, and a third above the short drop into the massive tunnel cut straight through the hill into a lower-level quarry.

The tunnel is signed as dangerous, and it's easy to see why once inside: blocks of limestone larger than family cars have fallen from the ceiling. Similarly cordoned off is an adit that appears to run straight into the hillside and may, thus, be a copper mine that predates the quarries; and which demands a return visit with a good torch. The inclined planes carried limestone down to the canal and the Hoffman kiln at the foot of the hill. Oddly, the two tramways, operated by different companies, crossed each other just before passing, via separate tunnels, under what is now the A483. Steel sculptures by David Howorth represent rockmen and a brakesman.

The Land That Time Forgot II

On the western side of Llynclys Hill, deep amongst the rampant ash saplings and mature silver birch, is an Austin A40 van, a restoration project 'in need of some finishing.' Whatever happened to those old-fashioned junk yards, full of toppling stacks of rusting cars, that, as a kid, one used to come across in the woods? No doubt the health and safety paranoiacs now insist that such yards are securely cordoned off behind weld-mesh fencing on dull industrial estates.

Another victim of the British obsession with 'health and safety' is the once-popular practice of locating and cooking wild fungi. The razor strop (Piptoporus betulinus) grows almost exclusively on birch. Unlike the beefsteak fungus, the razor strop - the cut surface of the fruiting body, the visible part of the fungus, was once used in forming the sharpest of razor edges - is inedible (it's not poisonous, just too woody). Dried, the fruiting body can though be used as tinder.

The Land That Time Forgot I

Crickheath and Llynclys hills are peppered with old limestone quarries grown over with ferns, particularly hart's tongue (Phyllitis scolopendrium), ash and silver birch. There are numerous shafts and adits (some of which are off-limits in order to protect the resident bats), and buildings associated with the task of hauling the limestone down to the Montgomery Canal. Along this the limestone was shipped off to be burnt in kilns, thereby producing lime for spreading on acid soils to improve their fertility. Pictured is the winding house for the tramway between Black Bridge quarry and the wharf at Pant.

The Cabinet Maker

Len Pugh lives on Llynclys Hill, in a cottage surrounded by a variety of workshops, outbuildings and garages. In the last are stored the numerous Triumph Stags awaiting restoration by his son, Philip. In the first, ankle deep in shavings and sawdust, Len makes superb furniture, largely in oak. Cabinet maker extraordinaire, he can fashion anything one could want, in any style one could imagine. His favourite style is best described as classic Georgian - simple and enduring.

Len is a retiring man, modest about his abilities in the way that only the truly skilled are. The desk is a take on that of Samuel Pepys, in the Pepys Library at Magdalene College, Cambridge; and is made from both through-and-through and quarter-sawn oak, with a glazed cabinet at one end. The chair to go with it Len made from brown oak, wood from a tree lived upon by the beefsteak fungus (Fistulina hepatica), which draws its nutrients from, and passes its waste back into, the tree's sapwood. This waste reacts with the tannins in the tree and changes the colour of the oak from pale to dark brown.

Arrival of the K9

Maisy, who appears to be a cross between a Jack Russell and a corgi (and maybe a bit of chihuahua or dachshund), with supersized ears and very long toes, arrives at her new home. Unfortunately, her previous owners could no longer keep her because of a restriction in their tenancy agreement. As is natural, she's quite disorientated, yet very quickly makes friends. She's very inquisitive, and like all JRs loves a game of tug. It will obviously take her a while to settle in and relax, but the signs are pretty positive thus far - she seems readily adaptable.

Cloquefinches

Bringing together his design and mechanical skills, Andy Smith makes unique clocks. With forms reminiscent of fish and of finches, and boasting moving 'mouths' and 'beaks,' Andy calls them Cloquefinches. He started making clocks ten years ago, the designs straight out of his head, with influences from Czechoslovakian animation, Art Deco and Art Nouveau. Each clock is of wood and aluminium, handmade right down to the top hat bushes cut on the lathe in the garage.

(Photographs by Andy Smith)

Corrugations I

Maesbury Marsh boasts a couple of interesting small buildings made of corrugated sheet. Resplendant in green and with a black roof is the Womens' Institute. This was originally a working men's institute and, during WWII, was lived in by a couple evacuated from Birmingham. Nearby, at Bromwich Park, is a vintage petrol pump, possibly a Bowser Fat Lady.

Arrival of the K6s

Designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, he of the Liverpool Anglican cathedral and the power stations at Battersea and Bankside (now Tate Modern), the elegant K6 telephone kiosk is an archetypal symbol of Britain, along with the Spitfire, Routemaster buses and London cabs.

K1, the first standardised telephone kiosk, was usually made of concrete and went into production in 1921. It wasn't liked by the London metropolitan boroughs, which resisted its introduction to their streets. In 1924 the Royal Fine Arts Commission ran a competition to find a replacement design, on the basis of three invitations to architects. Designs by the GPO and the Birmingham Civic Society were also considered.

Scott's design was chosen, and the resultant K2, in cast iron, was introduced in and about London from 1926. This was the first "red box." Shortly after he designed the K2 Scott became a trustee of the Sir John Soane Museum. The lantern of the mausoleum at Soane's Dulwich Picture Gallery, and similarly domed tomb of Soane at St Pancras Old Churchyard, appear echoed in Scott's design.

The K2 was expensive, and in 1928 Scott was commissioned by the GPO to design a cheaper version for nationwide use. The result was K3, introduced in 1929, similar in look to its cast iron cousin, but built in concrete and usually liveried in cream with red glazing bars. K4 was designed by the Post Office Engineering Department, starting in 1925, and incorporated a post box and two stamp vending machines; only 50 were made. K5 was made of metal-faced plywood and intended for temporary use at exhibitions.

The K6 box, the first red kiosk to be extensively installed outside London, was designed, again by Scott, to commemorate the 1935 silver jubilee of King George V. Essentially a scaled-down and simplified K2, it was also more modern in its lines. The K6 first appeared on British streets in 1936, and was standard issue through to 1968. At one time over 60,000 were in service. Approximately 11,700 remain, 2,500 of which have Grade II listed status.

K6 boxes can be roughly dated. In 1952, Queen Elizabeth II decided to stop using the so-called Tudor Crown as the symbol of her government, and adopted instead the St Edward Crown, used at coronations. Pre-1953 K6s, as pictured, thus sport the 'Tudor Crown.' Some while after introduction of the St Edward Crown, it was realised that QEII was not the second Queen Elizabeth of Scotland - Scots had doubtless recognised this immediately - and from 1954 K6s sited north of the border featured the Crown of Scotland. In the interests of efficiency, from 1955 K6s were cast with a slot into which the correct crown could be introduced.

Eight feet and four inches tall, three feet square, and formed of 18 cast iron sections and a teak wood door, K6s weigh upward of three-quarters of a ton. Mark and Jules of Schneider Electric Logistics did a fabulous job of positioning their truck so as to drop the boxes, using the Palfinger, precisely where desired.

Pola Cinema, Welshpool

The Pola is a family affair. Opened in 1938 as the flagship of Paramount Pictures' north Wales circuit, the cinema has Art Deco written all over it, beautiful curves and splendid stained glass. Originally seating 800, the majority of the building is now given over to other uses, but there are two intimate salons on the first floor, seating 210 between them and showing recent releases.

Knockin on Heaven's Door

The radio telescope at Knockin is part of the Jodrell Bank array. This is one of seven radio telescopes that, operating together, form the MERLIN (multi-element radio linked interferometer network) facility, which investigates the evolution of stars and galaxies. Operated remotely from Jodrell Bank, the Knockin 'scope, built in 1976, works in conjunction with its six siblings to provide an effective aperture of 135 miles. It moves almost silently.

Llandrinio Dreaming

The crossing at Llandrinio was the first stone bridge built between the source of the Severn and Shrewsbury, in 1775, and is a Grade I listed ancient monument. Built in pink sandstone, it has a pair of concrete blocks at either end, designed to impede enemy military progress, a relic of the Second World War. But today the road beyond is flooded and passable only in the largest of four-wheel drives and in articulated lorries.

The Powysland Internal Drainage Board constructed the flood protection wall and bund on the northern side of the river. The wall is of stone-faced concrete and apparently continues a good twelve feet below ground. Mighty glad must be Stuart and Freda Connell, whose house is behind the wall and, today, below the level of the river. In their yard is a twin axle Airstream trailer.

The couple  have a fantastic collection of motoring and caravanning memorabilia and, wonderfully, a second American trailer, this one a Silver Streak Clipper; a Humber, and a Pontiac Straight Eight. Stuart has had a series of classics over the years, starting with a MG TA, and has owned a couple of Citroën H vans in the past.

Single Yellow Line

A plug for a fantastic magazine, National Geographic, which arrives in the letterbox twelve times a year for the genuinely bargain price of £19 annually. NG is that rare thing, an American magazine that has both fantastic photos - the reproduction quality is second to none - and erudite and well-written articles. The maps and graphics are superlative. The January 2010 issue for instance has stunningly beautiful photos of the Hebrides (above), and of clownfish, and a fascinating article about 'bionic' prostheses. Highly recommended. And still with its distinctive yellow border on the cover.

(Photograph by Jim Richardson)

Lozenges & Pips

A television advert for Fisherman's Friend, the menthol and eucalyptus lozenges created by James Lofthouse in Fleetwood, Lancashire, in 1865, prompts curiosity about the fate of other similar products from yesteryear. Fisherman's Friend is obviously still going strong, is still made by the family firm, and now comes in over a dozen flavours, but what of Victory V and Mighty Imps? Victory Vs, liquorice-flavoured lozenges, developed in 1864 in Nelson (hence the name), also in Lancashire, are today manufactured by Ernest Jackson & Co. Ltd, in Devon. The lozenges no longer contain the ether, chloroform and cannabis they once did, but are still "forged for strength." Mighty Imps, hard little liquorice and menthol pips, are still available too.