Done in Durham

Last few photos that don't seem to fit in anywhere else. 

Saint Cuthbert was very big in these parts back in the day. When he died his body was held in procession which has been recreated in statue form in the town centre. 

Also in the town centre is an innovative way of turning street shopping into a covered mall. 

Victorian hexagonal posting box with a bit of a lean on. 

Albert the Good statue in Wharton Park. By all accounts he was generally of good nature, although it appears that he lost his head on this occasion. 

Some display that was once used in a Royal Flower Show but now lines up perfectly to frame the distant Cathedral. 

Sort of. 

A pub with a couple of cows. 

The largest football trophy/Cup in the world. The Durham Light Infantry Cup was, rather unsurprisingly, won by The Durham Light Infantry on three consecutive occasions. 

As a result they got to keep it and, as they presumably didn't know what to do with it, it is now contested between the Durham and Yorkshire County Cricket Sides. 

This must surely make it the world's largest Cricket trophy too? 

New Ferens Park. 

The home of Durham City AFC. 

(who don't have to bother themselves about the size of any trophy). 

The Divine Pump

Thursday 22nd July 2021

Through the gatehouse of the Durham Cathedral College is a most unexpected find. A pump suitable for its surroundings. 

A God Tier pump, complete with a shelf for your bucket and gas lamps for night time pumping. 

Behind it is a small clock house with interesting ornamentation, including a head bearing the expression of one whose finger has just gone through the toilet paper. 

Beyond is a short covered alleyway which includes the '3rd Canonry Tradesmen's entrance'. 

Not sure how the 1st and 2nd ones got in. 

The Alleyway leads back down to the river where there are a couple of structures which have been created from parts of the Cathedral salvaged during restoration. 

The pointy one gives some impression of the size of the pieces on the top of the towers, whilst the other is a gargoyle seat. 

Durham Castle was built to protect the Cathedral and is still in use today by the University (which itself was founded on the order of William the Conquerer). 

Where Does The Pink Panther Live?

Durham, Durham. 

Wednesday 21st July 2021

Durham Cathedral, from the banks of the River Wear, which follows a horseshoe path around the city, forming a natural moat for the Cathedral and its protecting Castle. 

Just before the start of the river's bend to the left, is one of the city's crossings which is called 'Prebend's Bridge'.

The apostrophe indicates that it either belonged to, or was built by, someone called Prebend. 

This has to be a remarkably apt name given the position of this bridge. 

An information board nearby says that the name Prebend was a derivative of the Prebendary order of Monks. 

Not sure what they did, but most likely they travelled the country looking for river bends and building bridges just before them. 

They obviously had to get there before the Postbendary order of Monks, (who would have been coming the other way), arrived and built their bridge first. 

There is a fine knocker on the door of the Cathedral (but, sadly, not a pair) which gave crims a bit of breathing space in which to decide their own fate. 

Cathedral Cloisters feature an intact wooden ceiling decorated with ornate roof boss coats of arms and grotesques. 

Towards the rear, there is an alter dedicated to the 1984 film 'Gremlins', stained glass windows both ancient and modern and ornate tiled flooring. 

The Dead Centre of Saltburn

 At the end of the seafront in Saltburn is this random mortuary. 

Not what you would normally expect at the seaside but, looking at the state of the fish and

chips being sold further along the prom, it's probably quite useful.

Pit wheel being poignant and artistic in a fossil garden, a view to sea from the upper terrace and an old North Eastern Railway marker stone outside the railway station. 

Pump Up The Tram

Tuesday 20th July 2021

The Village Pump Collection goes large, with the one used by the Saltburn Tramway. 

This funicular is the only one in England (and, therefore, the world) that

uses the North Sea as a means of propulsion.

Sea water is pumped up the slope to fill tanks in the upper carriage and is then used as ballast weight to send it to the bottom whilst also pulling the opposite carriage (with empty ballast tanks) up to the top, where the process is repeated for the next trip.

The Tramway was created to enable the better classes to travel from their nice, headland hotels with commanding views, to the pier below. 

They could then promenade out to sea in a civilised fashion and avoid the common peasantry on the seafront who were only there for the day and couldn't be trusted not to get in the way, start singing and then throw things about.

Looking at the crowd piling off the train from Middlesbrough, not much has changed over the years on that score. 

Cherry Bomb

Tuesday July 20th 2021

Saltburn by the Sea

My continuing, but very occasional, series recording the converted naval mines found in many English Coastal towns.

This one is outside the pier at Saltburn, North Yorkshire (some would say Cleveland). 

Morello coloured, but without the white band. 

It is not in terrible condition, however it would benefit from a bit of a tidy up. 

Acting as a giant collecting tin for The Shipwrecked Mariners Society, like the others, it is still unclear how often they are emptied or how they get the money out. 

Where The L's That?!

LNER Community Stadium

The brand new football and rugby league ground at the Vangarde Centre, York.

Following the plan to flatten the old ground, Bootham Crescent, for slum clearance and the aim of general improvement for the centre of York, both of the city's sporting clubs - York City FC (football) and York City Knights (rugby league) - have relocated to a swish new place in the 'burbs.

Great parking, fantastic choice of places to eat and drink, open spaces and close to the A64 (the main route to the city).

It is too good for the football fans that it will attract.

(The Northern Union crowd will, you feel, treat and appreciate it much better).

Unfortunately, in my attempt to avoid a stray lamp post blocking the club badges, I cut off the "L" from the LNER on the left.

LNER is the name given to the renationalised East Coast rail line.

Back in the day, LNER used to stand for the London and North Eastern Railway.

By missing the "L", this would make it the North Eastern Railway which, to be fair, actually used to exist as well.

....and no one wants to go to London anyway.

Arthur's Seat

Cliff Top, Gristhorpe. 

A handy bench to sit on and admire the view of the North Sea and look out for seals, dolphins and porpoise. 

It is the only seat on this part of the Cleveland Way, the nearest alternative one is about a mile away at Cayton Bay and doesn't have quite as good a name.

 

The view from that one is also quite good though. 

Arthur's Seat is quite highly sought after in the summer months and it's always a blow to arrive and find bloody tourists sat on it.