Monday, April 6, 2015
Vanguard
Project #062 is a Vickers Vanguard and is progressing nicely. Building has more or less finished and now painting will begin. I can't remember seeing many Vanguards but i remember its smaller brother the Viscount was a regular into Birmingham Airport in the 1980s. However as only 44 Vanguards were ever built (compared to 445 Viscounts) i probably did not see any!
Cardiff
This Easter weekend i went down to Cardiff, the capital of Wales of course. I don't think i've ever been there before and what a treat i had there. A great city indeed and i spent a lot of time walking around the bay, around the castle and at the station (natch). You can see my general Cardiff photos here, my Cardiff Bay photos here and my Cardiff railway photos here (yes i took a lot of photos). I'll be certainly coming back to the city at some time in the not-too-distant future.
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Shrewsbury Abbey
The Abbey of St Peter and St Paul a.k.a. Shrewsbury Abbey dates from just after the Norman conquest being founded in 1083 as a Benedictine monastery. The abbey became the site for a major shrine for St Winifred when relics were taken there in the 12th century making the abbey a site of pilgrimage. The abbey was greatly modified and expanded up to the 14th century but fell into decline during the Reformation when it had become a parish church after the dissolution of the monasteries (with some parts of the site pulled down or reused for other purposes).
Further elements of the original church were lost the following centuries including when the A5 was built through the abbey grounds and the church fell into disrepair. Major restoration projects took place in the 19th century and in the early 20th century there was a move to have the abbey become a cathedral though this was narrowly defeated by a vote in parliament. This was the second time the abbey had been mooted to become a cathedral in fact, Henry VIII had also considered it.
Despite the abbey's turbulent history a fair amount of the original Norman building remains especially on the eastern side of the nave.
Further elements of the original church were lost the following centuries including when the A5 was built through the abbey grounds and the church fell into disrepair. Major restoration projects took place in the 19th century and in the early 20th century there was a move to have the abbey become a cathedral though this was narrowly defeated by a vote in parliament. This was the second time the abbey had been mooted to become a cathedral in fact, Henry VIII had also considered it.
Despite the abbey's turbulent history a fair amount of the original Norman building remains especially on the eastern side of the nave.
Monday, March 30, 2015
Lets go herbs
After a few years of sowing vegetable seeds (and getting little in return, last year's pea harvest was about the same as one tin of peas from the supermarket!) I've decided to try something different this year in the garden and my raised bed.
I'm going to try and develop a herb garden, to start things off i've bought parsley, oregano and sage plants and will add more later on.
I'm going to try and develop a herb garden, to start things off i've bought parsley, oregano and sage plants and will add more later on.
Sunday, March 29, 2015
Magister
Project #061 and the first of the 2015 model making season has been completed, a Fouga CM170 Magister trainer in Irish Air Corps colours. Next up is a Vickers Vanguard.
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Hillman Avenger
The Hillman Avenger was a small family car built by Hillman, Chrysler and Talbot between 1970 and 1981. The car was designed by Rootes and released under its Hillman marque, though Rootes itself had been taken over by Chrysler in the late 1960s and the car was released in the USA as the Plymouth Cricket (the world of car marques was especially complicated in the 1970s!) The Avenger took its styling cues from the latest US car designs though was in many ways technically conservative (for example sticking with a four speed gearbox instead of moving to a five speed). The Avenger was well received by the press and public and considered superior to its rival the Morris Marina. It also competed with the Ford Escort and Vauxhall Viva.
After 1976 the Avenger became a Chrysler proper as the Hillman marque was retired but in 1979, following the sale of Chrysler Europe to PSA, the Avenger was rebadged again as a Talbot! Time was running out for the car however as production only continued until 1981 in the UK. The Avenger was also built abroad, even appearing with a Volkswagen badge in Argentina! The Avenger was a popular car with the public and three quarters of a million were sold. Technically and conceptually the car was perfect for the 1970s though suffered from poor build quality and corner cutting to save money, however the Avenger was not alone in suffering from these problems.
The Avenger below is preserved at Coventry Transport Museum where it helps to demonstrate the production lines which enabled mass production of motorcars.
After 1976 the Avenger became a Chrysler proper as the Hillman marque was retired but in 1979, following the sale of Chrysler Europe to PSA, the Avenger was rebadged again as a Talbot! Time was running out for the car however as production only continued until 1981 in the UK. The Avenger was also built abroad, even appearing with a Volkswagen badge in Argentina! The Avenger was a popular car with the public and three quarters of a million were sold. Technically and conceptually the car was perfect for the 1970s though suffered from poor build quality and corner cutting to save money, however the Avenger was not alone in suffering from these problems.
The Avenger below is preserved at Coventry Transport Museum where it helps to demonstrate the production lines which enabled mass production of motorcars.
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