Historic buildings & Industry

A walk not too far from the village of Cromford is a well known trail 'The High Peak Trail'. Most of that runs over the old railway line. At one place there is a very steep hill and so a solution had to be found to overcome that. This was part of it. A steep railway line where the wagons were pulled up and lowered down with chains driven from a wheel by this Engine house. You can just see two of its great boilers in the red brick. You can also just see the top of the railway incline at the signal. A fascinating place to walk by. See PIPS "Situated at the top of Middleton Incline on the High Peak Trail is the restored Middleton Top Engine House, which was built in 1829. In the past it was used to haul wagons up the incline. Middleton Top Engine House is the sole survivor of nine that once stood at the top of every incline along the Cromford and High Peak Railway. It is designated as an Ancient Monument, together with its Butterley beam engine which in the past hauled the cables up the track. Originally timber was supplied daily to fire the boilers, now it is compressed air that does the job." www.derbyshire-peakdistrict.co.uk/middletontop.htm See Pips

A ride and walk just south of Montrose brings us to this spit of land steeped in history. Dating back to the 1700s. An old salmon fishing station is just to the North of here but these boats, just at the top of a collapsed slipway, are probably just old fishing boats that caught lobsters. Near here is also another landmark: Elephant Rock. Limestone was first extracted from the headland at Boddin in 1696 when lime was in high demand, and that the lime workings were abandoned in 1831. Three kiln bowls are depicted on the 1st Edition OS survey map of 1865. Today, two of the kilns are clearly visible; the third kiln is now almost completely buried within an earthwork mound. Enjoy large.

Cromford Mill was the world's first water-powered cotton spinning mill, developed by Richard Arkwright in 1771 in Cromford, Derbyshire. These small water wheels are there just as a demonstration I think, as the main giant waterwheel was almost underground to where this river is heading, beneath the mill itself to work the machinery. 'He chose the site at Cromford because it had year-round supply of warm water from the Cromford Sough which drained water from nearby Wirksworth lead mines, together with Bonsall Brook. Here he built a five-storey mill, with the backing of Jedediah Strutt, Samuel Need and John Smalley. Starting from 1772, he ran the mills day and night with two twelve-hour shifts. He started with 200 workers, more than the locality could provide, so he built housing for them nearby, one of the first manufacturers to do so. Most of the employees were women and children, the youngest being only seven years old. Later, the minimum age was raised to ten and the children were given six hours of education a week, so that they could do the record-keeping that their illiterate parents could not. The gate to Cromford Mill was shut at precisely 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. every day, and any worker who failed to get through it not only lost a day's pay but also was fined another day's pay.' Wiki Enjoy large.

This impressive façade is constructed with marbles of different colors (pink, white and gray) in a beautiful Baroque design, with pilasters and cornices. On the third floor of the façade is a vaulted niche that holds a sculpture of the Virgen de las Angustias, sculpted by Fernando Ortiz and Manuel Agustin Valero in alabaster. (https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Travel-g187438-c140282/Malaga:Spain:Malaga.Photo.Album.html)

On a very lonely road near the giant 'Cow Green Reservoir' in County Durham sits this lone brick building, all forlorn. Behind is an old quarry that gives this reason as perhaps used for a shelter for the work-men. Now, just a shelter from the winds and rain for the many sheep.

An aged look for a very old waterwheel at Portland Basin museum here at Ashton-u-Lyne. A short arm of the Ashton Canal flowed directly into the building through three archways so that boats could load and unload undercover.This interesting waterwheel (1839) powered the hoists that transferred goods to and from the upper floors. I wish you all, a great Easter weekend, Herb A must, on full screen black. More Info

These scenes are getting much rarer than they once where over here in England, as more and more of these old brick mills are demolished or ironically, destroyed by fire. Not far from my home, this makes for a rather unusual neck-aching view where for a moment you don’t know if you are going up or down. Of course the solid red rails (or fences) are meant to keep you safe in the event of an emergency exodus here. Enjoy full size on black. PiPs. HFF, have a great weekend.

A view of Castlegate square with the Mercat Cross (1686) circular structure to the right. This denoted the market area. This open-arched structure, 6 m in diameter and 5m high, is a large hexagonal base from the centre of which rises a shaft with a Corinthian capital, on which is the royal unicorn. The base is highly decorated, including medallions illustrating Scottish monarchs from James I to James VII. According to local legend, the ghost of a unicorn can be seen to circle the Castlegate when a full moon is visible. The tall castle-like building is actually the City Hall now housing the City Council and part of a drinking establishment too. In the late Middle Ages a fortification,was situated near here on Castle Hill. It was burned down by King Robert the Bruce in June 1308, during the Wars of Scottish Independence. See larger PiP of City Hall

One of the few small fishing harbours in Scotland that still shows some fishing activity of the former days of glory.

The old road to the village: now forbidden! On a stormy night in January 1917, the Devon fishing village of Hallsands collapsed into the sea. The entire village was destroyed together with the livelihoods of its people. For decades the fishing village of Hallsands and its stunning coastline had been at the mercy of the forces of nature and on this dreadful night, all was finished. Notice Start Point lighthouse in the distance. www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/southwest/series1/hallsands.shtml

An unusual view of the stairway and fences of the newly refurbished Midland Hotel in Morecambe. This historic 1933 hotel stands on the seafront with the convex side facing the sea. It was refurbished and opened in 2008 and will shortly be joined here by a new Northern ‘Eden Project’. More Info . Needs full screen. I wish you all, a great weekend, Herb

Coming into Rhodes just as night descended, we were lucky to see and walk past these famous windmills. Situated on the long wave breaker at Mandraki harbour stand these three medieval windmills which once ground the grains unloaded from merchant vessels in the harbour. Today, they still stand there, a proud reminder of a great past!! Good full size Sept26 -Extra PiP added

Also known as 'The Windmills of Mandraki'. That is because, just to the left is the ancient harbour of Mandraki where at its entrance, once stood the 'Colossus of Rhodes', one of the old Wonders of the World. These old mills once ground the grain that entered here from the myriad of merchant ships. ~ Quite a different view from the floodlit night-time one. See pips. We also see in the background one of the Rhodes lighthouses. Good full size.

Walking around the old town here, one can be forgiven for thinking that every street is still set in the middle ages. These narrow alleys have duo purposes: to provide shade, thus coolness and also to provide better shelter in times of attack. For me though, to provide great photographic opportunities like this. Enjoy large.

A view from near the top of this very old and famous street shows us a glimpse of the many tourist here and also a scene that is all too familiar in this part of the world. A small boy trying to make music on the toy accordeon, to make some money - perhaps for food, perhaps on orders from a higher authority. I did see him in a few different places though. 'Austere and somewhat forbidding, the Street of the Knights (Ippoton) was home from the 14th century to the Knights Hospitaller who ruled Rhodes. The knights were divided into seven ‘tongues’, or languages, according to their birthplace – England, France, Germany, Italy, Aragon, Auvergne and Provence – each responsible for a specific section of the fortifications. As wall displays explain, the street holds an ‘inn’, or palace, for each tongue. Its modern appearance, though, owes much to Italian restorations during the 1930s.' See PiP for bottom of street views.

Rhodes, which is bristling during the day can have spots which are a bit spooky at night. Still -they make good photos. ............ Did I see a moving shadow just then? Needs full size on black.

Looking a bit like a row of satellite dishes pointing to a distant star system, these windmills have been an iconic part of the Greek Island of Mykonos for a long time. 'The windmills can be seen from every point of the village of Mykonos, the island's principal village, which is frequently called the Chora. The windmills are the first thing seen when coming into the harbour of Alefkandra, as they stand on a hill overlooking the area. Most windmills face towards the North where the island's climate sources its strongest winds over the largest part of the year. There are currently 16 windmills on Mykonos of which seven are positioned on the landmark hill in Chora. Most of them were built by the Venetians in the 16th century, but their construction continued into the early 20th century. They were primarily used to mill wheat. They were an important source of income for the inhabitants. Their use gradually declined until they ceased production in the middle of the 20th century. The architecture of each of them is similar, all have a round shape, white colour and a pointed roof and very small windows. Such windmills are found in almost all Cyclades islands.' -WiKi See PiPs

Townley Hall, once the seat of the Townley family, was built around 1100. They once owned extensive property in Lancashire and Yorkshire and can trace their ancestry back to the Norman times. Sitting in a 440 acre (180 hectares) park that is now owned by the Burnley Borough Council, it is open to all. We took a guided tour of the house (for a small fee) but its gardens and grounds are also a pleasure to stroll through, all for free. Enjoy this Autumn look and internal views via the PiPs. Deserves full screen on black PiPs