Near as I can figure it, as viewed through the possibly flawed perceptual filters of my own reality tunnel, the most likely answers this week, seem to me to be:
Q1. Cleeve Abbey
Q2. Minehead
The initial clues seem to place us in the village of Watchet, in Somerset and legend has it, that it was here c 1797, after walking from his home in Nether Stowey, with William Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy, that Samuel Taylor Coleridge, was inspired to write his epic nautical poem, 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner', which was about a swabby who incurred the wrath of a genius loci, after shooting one of the albatrosses that it was responsible for. There appears to be a statue in the hamlet of said ancient mariner with the dead albatross around his neck.
The Vikings appear to have holidayed in Watchet on several occasions, one of them c 988AD. They generally visited places twice, with the purpose of the second visit, being to apologize for the first. The patron saint of Watchet is St Decuman, feast day 27th of August. St Decuman must have been a pretty good mariner himself, as he crossed the Bristol Channel on a raft, with only a cow for company. The local pagans chopped his head off but apparently he picked it up, washed it in a stream and put it back on his shoulders. There appears to be a hiking trail in the area called 'The Coleridge Way',
The West Somerset Railway passes through Watchet and the next stop south west of there, is Washford and from there it is a short walk to Cleeve Abbey (Cistercian c 12th century). The next station along the line is Blue Anchor and South west of there, lies the dorp of Carhampton (patron saint appears to be St Caranog aka St Carantoc, feast day May 16th). St Caranog seems to have sorted out a giant serpent and the cult that worshipped it, for King Arthur.
The penultimate station on the West Somerset Railway, passes close to Dunster Castle, which has been there for around one thousand years, so would be c 11th century in origin. The railway terminates in the town of Minehead and it was here, c 1917, according to some of his biographies, that the science fiction writer and great British genius, Arthur C Clarke was born. He wrote a short story called 'The Sentinel', which may have later become the film 2001. Minehead, from some of the sources I checked, had a seven hundred foot long pier from c 1901 to c 1940, when it was removed, to give the local gun batteries, a clear line of fire, should any of the opposition show up.
N.B. Due to the number of people who normally write poison pen letters in green ink posting on his page, the Eastender has moved to moderated comments but rest assured, if you have a non abusive post relating to solving the puzzle, he will endeavour to publish it.
Saturday, 29 August 2015
Sunday, 23 August 2015
Sunday Times Where Was I? Holiday Competition
Near as I can figure it, through the possibly flawed perceptual filters of my own reality tunnel, the most likely answers this week, seem to me to be:
Q1. The Coventry Canal
Q2. Manduessedum
N.B. The Eastender is not one hundred percent sure that Manduessedum is the answer to Q2 but it is in the right location given the author's position and seems to be a good fit with the clues given. So he is taking a punt on Manduessedum being the Roman settlement in question. The modern name for the place, is Mancetter.
The initial clues seem to place us in Stoneleigh Abbey, which lies three miles or so, South west of Lunt Roman fort. Some of the references I checked say that Humphry Repton designed the gardens there.According to some of his biographies, he used to present his designs to his clients, in a red book. The motto 'Tout Vient de Dieu' or 'everything comes from God', appears on the family crest at Stoneleigh Abbey. It also appears to be part Jacobean and part Baroque in design.
Lunt Roman fort is situated just south of the City of Coventry, near the airport. It has both a gyrus and a horreum, with a gyrus (believed to be Greek in origin) being a circular enclosure, where the horses of a Roman cavalry unit, would be corralled. A horreum is a shed where the Roman military kept their emergency grain supplies.They were required to keep a years supply of food in case the cow chips hit the windmill and the fortifications fell under siege.
Coventry canal (completed c 1790), seems to be around thirty eight miles long and starts on the north side of the city. Travelling North from Coventry would likely take the puzzle author past Arbury house. An author called Mary Ann Evans (pen name George Eliot), was born on the Arbury estate, c 1819, at South farm, where her father Robert was the agent. The Arbury estate, according to some of the sources I checked, is thought to be owned by the Newdigate family ( motto "Et decus et pretium recti) , which appears to mean, "both the ornament and reward of virtue" .
North of Arbury hall, lies the town, where according to some of his biographies, a great British engineering genius, called Sir Geoffrey de Havilland, was schooled, at Nuneaton Grammar. De Havilland set an altitude record in 1912, when he took one of his aircraft to a height of ten thousand five hundred feet. He also designed the de Havilland Mosquito.
Three miles north west or so from Nuneaton, lies a dorp called Mancetter
, which appears to be built over a Roman pottery town called Manduessedum, which seems to originate c AD 50 to AD 60.
N.B. Due to the number of people who normally write poison pen letters in green ink, posting on his page, the Eastender has moved to moderated comments but rest assured, if you have a non abusive comment related to the puzzle and its solution, he will endeavour to publish it.
Q1. The Coventry Canal
Q2. Manduessedum
N.B. The Eastender is not one hundred percent sure that Manduessedum is the answer to Q2 but it is in the right location given the author's position and seems to be a good fit with the clues given. So he is taking a punt on Manduessedum being the Roman settlement in question. The modern name for the place, is Mancetter.
The initial clues seem to place us in Stoneleigh Abbey, which lies three miles or so, South west of Lunt Roman fort. Some of the references I checked say that Humphry Repton designed the gardens there.According to some of his biographies, he used to present his designs to his clients, in a red book. The motto 'Tout Vient de Dieu' or 'everything comes from God', appears on the family crest at Stoneleigh Abbey. It also appears to be part Jacobean and part Baroque in design.
Lunt Roman fort is situated just south of the City of Coventry, near the airport. It has both a gyrus and a horreum, with a gyrus (believed to be Greek in origin) being a circular enclosure, where the horses of a Roman cavalry unit, would be corralled. A horreum is a shed where the Roman military kept their emergency grain supplies.They were required to keep a years supply of food in case the cow chips hit the windmill and the fortifications fell under siege.
Coventry canal (completed c 1790), seems to be around thirty eight miles long and starts on the north side of the city. Travelling North from Coventry would likely take the puzzle author past Arbury house. An author called Mary Ann Evans (pen name George Eliot), was born on the Arbury estate, c 1819, at South farm, where her father Robert was the agent. The Arbury estate, according to some of the sources I checked, is thought to be owned by the Newdigate family ( motto "Et decus et pretium recti) , which appears to mean, "both the ornament and reward of virtue" .
North of Arbury hall, lies the town, where according to some of his biographies, a great British engineering genius, called Sir Geoffrey de Havilland, was schooled, at Nuneaton Grammar. De Havilland set an altitude record in 1912, when he took one of his aircraft to a height of ten thousand five hundred feet. He also designed the de Havilland Mosquito.
Three miles north west or so from Nuneaton, lies a dorp called Mancetter
, which appears to be built over a Roman pottery town called Manduessedum, which seems to originate c AD 50 to AD 60.
N.B. Due to the number of people who normally write poison pen letters in green ink, posting on his page, the Eastender has moved to moderated comments but rest assured, if you have a non abusive comment related to the puzzle and its solution, he will endeavour to publish it.
Saturday, 15 August 2015
Sunday Times Where Was I? Holiday Competition
Near as I can figure it, through the possibly flawed perceptual filters of my own reality tunnel, the most Likely answers this week, seem to me to be:
Q1. Percy Shaw
Q2. Todmorden
The initial clues, seem to place us in the Bradford area, which was home, at one time (Haworth), to a writer called Stan Barstow, who was part of a literary milieu known as the 'Angry Young Men'. The other writers that the puzzle author mentions as being associated with this part of the world, are probably 'The Brontes of Haworth' .
Stan Barstow wrote a novel called 'A Kind of Loving', which was about an angry young man, trapped in a fictional industrial town called Cressley (according to some of his biographies, Cressley, was based on the town of Dewsbury.
Haworth appears to be a suburb of Bradford and driving south south east from there would likely bring us onto the A647 Queensbury to Halifax road, which according to legend, is where the inventor Percy Shaw (born c 15th April 1890, at Heginbottom Fold, 32 Ovenden Road, Halifax), while driving back from the Old Dolphin pub one dark night (c 1933) , had the inspiration to invent 'cat's eyes', as a road safety feature. Prior to this, he had apparently gotten home by following the tram lines shining in his headlamps, but encountered difficulty, after these were removed. Mr Shaw seems to have gone into production of his marvellous invention c 1935.
The puzzle author then probably travels to the Wainhouse Tower, which seems to be a two hundred and fifty three foot high Victorian chimney, with steps inside to enable you to ascend and take in the view. The chimney is located in Calderdale, South west Halifax.
South west of the chimney, lies the town of Sowerby Bridge and it was here, c 1947, that the children's author, Roger Hargreaves, was according to some of his bios, educated at Sowerby Bridge Grammar School. Roger Hargreaves created books about the 'Mister Men' and one of these characters, was called Mr Tickle. The Rochdale canal starts in Sowerby Bridge and the town is also the site of the baptism, c 1834, of the inventor of Linoleum, Frederick Walton.
Following the Rochdale canal west, would bring us to the town of Todmorden, which was until c 1st of January 1888, situated in both Lancashire and Yorkshire. Todmorden is where the politician John Fielden was born c 1784. Fielden and lord Ashley passed a bill limiting the amount of hours that women and children could work in factories, to ten hours per day. The Eastender applauds these courageous social reformers, as it is a well known fact, that hard work has killed millions and millions of people.
The town hall at Todmorden, seems to have been built by an architect called John Gibson (born c 1817). Some of the references I checked, claim that there is a one hundred and twenty foot high tower, situated East of Todmorden, called The Stoodley Pike Monument, which was constructed to commemorate the end of the Napoleonic wars c 1814/15. The original monument appears to have collapsed c 1854 and subsequently been rebuilt c1856. The monument sits atop a 1300 foot high eminence.
N.B The Eastender has moved to using moderated comments, due to the number of people who normally write poison pen letters in green ink, posting on his page but rest assured, if you have a non abusive post relating to solving the puzzle, he will publish it.
Q1. Percy Shaw
Q2. Todmorden
The initial clues, seem to place us in the Bradford area, which was home, at one time (Haworth), to a writer called Stan Barstow, who was part of a literary milieu known as the 'Angry Young Men'. The other writers that the puzzle author mentions as being associated with this part of the world, are probably 'The Brontes of Haworth' .
Stan Barstow wrote a novel called 'A Kind of Loving', which was about an angry young man, trapped in a fictional industrial town called Cressley (according to some of his biographies, Cressley, was based on the town of Dewsbury.
Haworth appears to be a suburb of Bradford and driving south south east from there would likely bring us onto the A647 Queensbury to Halifax road, which according to legend, is where the inventor Percy Shaw (born c 15th April 1890, at Heginbottom Fold, 32 Ovenden Road, Halifax), while driving back from the Old Dolphin pub one dark night (c 1933) , had the inspiration to invent 'cat's eyes', as a road safety feature. Prior to this, he had apparently gotten home by following the tram lines shining in his headlamps, but encountered difficulty, after these were removed. Mr Shaw seems to have gone into production of his marvellous invention c 1935.
The puzzle author then probably travels to the Wainhouse Tower, which seems to be a two hundred and fifty three foot high Victorian chimney, with steps inside to enable you to ascend and take in the view. The chimney is located in Calderdale, South west Halifax.
South west of the chimney, lies the town of Sowerby Bridge and it was here, c 1947, that the children's author, Roger Hargreaves, was according to some of his bios, educated at Sowerby Bridge Grammar School. Roger Hargreaves created books about the 'Mister Men' and one of these characters, was called Mr Tickle. The Rochdale canal starts in Sowerby Bridge and the town is also the site of the baptism, c 1834, of the inventor of Linoleum, Frederick Walton.
Following the Rochdale canal west, would bring us to the town of Todmorden, which was until c 1st of January 1888, situated in both Lancashire and Yorkshire. Todmorden is where the politician John Fielden was born c 1784. Fielden and lord Ashley passed a bill limiting the amount of hours that women and children could work in factories, to ten hours per day. The Eastender applauds these courageous social reformers, as it is a well known fact, that hard work has killed millions and millions of people.
The town hall at Todmorden, seems to have been built by an architect called John Gibson (born c 1817). Some of the references I checked, claim that there is a one hundred and twenty foot high tower, situated East of Todmorden, called The Stoodley Pike Monument, which was constructed to commemorate the end of the Napoleonic wars c 1814/15. The original monument appears to have collapsed c 1854 and subsequently been rebuilt c1856. The monument sits atop a 1300 foot high eminence.
N.B The Eastender has moved to using moderated comments, due to the number of people who normally write poison pen letters in green ink, posting on his page but rest assured, if you have a non abusive post relating to solving the puzzle, he will publish it.
Saturday, 8 August 2015
Sunday Times Where Was I? Holiday Competition
Near as I can figure it, through the possibly flawed perceptual filters of my own reality tunnel, the most likely answers this week, seem to me to be:
Q1. Maybole
Q2. Loch Doon Castle
The initial clues seem to place us in the village of Kirkoswald, in south Ayrshire, where John Davidson's (aka Souter Johnnie's) cottage lies, on Main road. Davidson was the model for the cobbler in the epic ballad 'Tam O' Shanter', by the whisky poet himself, Robert Burns. The church there appears to have been founded by St Oswald (feast day August 5th). Davidson and Douglas Graham (the model for Tam O' Shanter), are buried in the churchyard.
Travelling north east of Kirkoswald, would bring us to the town of Maybole and it is here. according to some of his biographies, that the road builder John Loudon McAdam (born c 1756) was schooled, under the Scottish parish schools system. A castle which is situated some seven miles southeast or so from Maybole, is Blairquhan castle which was owned by the Kennedy's c 16th century and subsequently rebuilt around 1824 by the architect William Burn, for Sir David Blair. The castle doubled for Balmoral in the 2006 film 'The Queen', starring Helen Mirren.
Driving seven miles east of Blarquhan castle would take us to the town of Dalmellington, where the OS bench mark G624 is situated, on Kirn bridge, over Muck Water. An OS bench mark is a brass or gunmetal plate that is usually attached to a triangulation point.
Six and a half miles south from Dalmellington, takes us to Loch Doon Castle, which is an eleven sided ruined structure, originating from the 13th century, which used to sit on an island in Loch Doon but was subsequently dismantled and painstakingly reassembled c 1935, when that insel slipped beneath the waters, after a hydro-electric project was built on the loch.
N.B. The Eastender has moved to moderated comments due to the number of people who normally write poison pen letters in green ink, posting on his page. Rest assured though, if you have a non abusive comment relating to solving the puzzle and possible solutions, he will publish it
Q1. Maybole
Q2. Loch Doon Castle
The initial clues seem to place us in the village of Kirkoswald, in south Ayrshire, where John Davidson's (aka Souter Johnnie's) cottage lies, on Main road. Davidson was the model for the cobbler in the epic ballad 'Tam O' Shanter', by the whisky poet himself, Robert Burns. The church there appears to have been founded by St Oswald (feast day August 5th). Davidson and Douglas Graham (the model for Tam O' Shanter), are buried in the churchyard.
Travelling north east of Kirkoswald, would bring us to the town of Maybole and it is here. according to some of his biographies, that the road builder John Loudon McAdam (born c 1756) was schooled, under the Scottish parish schools system. A castle which is situated some seven miles southeast or so from Maybole, is Blairquhan castle which was owned by the Kennedy's c 16th century and subsequently rebuilt around 1824 by the architect William Burn, for Sir David Blair. The castle doubled for Balmoral in the 2006 film 'The Queen', starring Helen Mirren.
Driving seven miles east of Blarquhan castle would take us to the town of Dalmellington, where the OS bench mark G624 is situated, on Kirn bridge, over Muck Water. An OS bench mark is a brass or gunmetal plate that is usually attached to a triangulation point.
Six and a half miles south from Dalmellington, takes us to Loch Doon Castle, which is an eleven sided ruined structure, originating from the 13th century, which used to sit on an island in Loch Doon but was subsequently dismantled and painstakingly reassembled c 1935, when that insel slipped beneath the waters, after a hydro-electric project was built on the loch.
N.B. The Eastender has moved to moderated comments due to the number of people who normally write poison pen letters in green ink, posting on his page. Rest assured though, if you have a non abusive comment relating to solving the puzzle and possible solutions, he will publish it
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)