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. The Worcester and Birmingham Canal
Q2. Godfrey (Cyril) Baseley
The initial clues appear to place us at the Tardebigge locks, which lie to the north west of Redditch, in Worcestershire. Thirty locks carry the waters of the Worcester and Birmingham canal ( opened c 1815 ), to a height of around two hundred and twenty feet. The tunnels mentioned in the hints are probably the 'Tardebigge Tunnel' ( five hundred and eighty yards long) and the 'Shortwood Tunnel', (six hundred and thirteen yards long).
The Birmingham and Gloucester Railway, according to some of the biographies I checked, was surveyed by a squaddie called 'William Scarth Moorsom' (born c 1804) and it was he who was instructed by the backers, to take the line directly up 'Lickey Incline', which is around two miles long and has a gradient of one in thirty seven. Bankers, in this instance, may not be referring to financiers but rather the extra locomotives that were attached to the trains seeking to ascend Lickey Incline, to provide the power necessary to get them up there.
The maps I looked at show Lickey Incline lying to the east of Bromsgrove and it was just north of that town, at 'Lickey Grange', that the motor manufacturer 'Herbert Austin' ( born c 1866 ) lived. Austin used numbers to designate his products and had car models called the Austin Seven, the Austin Twelve and the Austin Twenty.
The ruined Abbey, is probably Bordesley Abbey near Redditch. Some of the references I checked claim that this was a Cistercian Abbey founded c 1138. There seems to have been a Bishop's palace in the nearby village of Alvechurch, which back in the day, may have had fish ponds, moats and earthworks/palisade to keep live deer enclosed in the vicinity, so that it was easier for the bishop and his team to acquire meat.
Alvechurch, according to some of his biographies, is where the broadcaster Godfrey (Cyril) Baseley was born c 1904. Baseley produced a radio show called 'The Archers', which was first aired c 29th May, 1950.
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 relating to the puzzle and its solution, he will endeavour to publish it.
Saturday, 26 December 2015
Sunday, 13 December 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. S ? ?
Q2. Mistletoe
N.B. No idea what the name of the hamlet is, if the answer to question two is indeed mistletoe, then it starts with an 'S', and may have the word snow in the title, as the clue is 'deep and crisp and even'. Only found one village like this and it's called 'Snowden Hill', near Barnsley but can't find any references confirming that a seventies sitcom was filmed fifteen miles west of there and travelling North East from Felpham in clue three, would take us to Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk. Some of the puzzlers in the comments section are saying 'Snow Street, Royston, Diss' and have posted a link to it being described as a hamlet, so they could well have come up with the correct answer for question one.
Very tricky indeed this week. The initial clue of 'Festive Lady', suggests 'A Christmas Carol', by Charles Dickens, which appears to have been published c 1843. The downtrodden clerk in the book, 'Bob Cratchit', lived in Camd(e)n (T)own.
Clue two gives us 'The Angel of the Nor(t)h', which from the sources I checked was constructed c 1998 and does seem to have wingspan of one hundred and seventeen feet and is sixty six feet high.
A poet born in 1757, who penned a work called Jerusale(m), possibly while residing in the village of Felpham, on the south coast, is probably William Blake. The poem was used as the lyric of a hymn by the same name, which was composed by Charles Hubert Parry c 1916. The verse was also used in the preface to another of Blake's works, 'Milton'.
Clue four has a dearth of information to facilitate its quick solution. 'Don't Panic!', suggests 'Dad's Army', which was shot mostly in Norfolk (SATNA battle area), near Thetford and also Suffolk, London and Brighton. 'Don't Panic', without the '!', was also used in the BBC comedy, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy', but this wasn't broadcast until c 1981. The name of the hamlet probably starts with the letter 'S' and the 'Deep and crisp and even' clue suggests the word snow. I found one village called 'Snowden Hill', starts with S, has a seasonal theme, consists of two words and lies near Barnsley. Fifteen miles west of that hamlet, would be in or near the boundary of the Peak District national park. Might be called Saint something or other.
Clue five brings us to the village of 'Rob(i)n Hood's Bay' (merry men clue), which lies five miles or so, South East of Whitby, the 'fangs for the memory' clue, probably referring to the site of count Dracula's landfall, in Bram Stoker's version of the story.
Clue six is most likely referring to the great fire of London, which started in '(P)udding Lane', c 2nd September, 1666.
Clue seven appears to concern the artist 'George Romney' ( born c 1734). Romney titled his painting of Lady Emma Hamilton, 'The Ambassadress' and for a time, lived at number 5 'H(o)lly Bush Hill', Hampstead, London (the prickly sounding capital suburb street).
Clue eight : 'Brief Encounter', suggests the playwrite 'No(e)l Coward', who was, according to some of his biographies, born c 1899, at Helmsdale, 5 Waldegrave Road, Teddington. His play, 'The Vortex' included a character called 'Nicky Lancaster'.
Assembling the answers and rearranging the known letters and the letter guessed for answer four gives:
1. Camd(e)n (T)own. E T
2. Angel of the Nor(t)h. T
3. Jerusale(m). M
4. S? S
5. Rob(I)n Hood's Bay. I
6. Pudding (L)ane. L
7. H(o)lly Bush Hill. O
8. No(e)l Coward. E
MISTLETOE
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 if you have a non abusive comment relating to the puzzle and its solution, he will endeavour to publish it.
Q1. S ? ?
Q2. Mistletoe
N.B. No idea what the name of the hamlet is, if the answer to question two is indeed mistletoe, then it starts with an 'S', and may have the word snow in the title, as the clue is 'deep and crisp and even'. Only found one village like this and it's called 'Snowden Hill', near Barnsley but can't find any references confirming that a seventies sitcom was filmed fifteen miles west of there and travelling North East from Felpham in clue three, would take us to Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk. Some of the puzzlers in the comments section are saying 'Snow Street, Royston, Diss' and have posted a link to it being described as a hamlet, so they could well have come up with the correct answer for question one.
Very tricky indeed this week. The initial clue of 'Festive Lady', suggests 'A Christmas Carol', by Charles Dickens, which appears to have been published c 1843. The downtrodden clerk in the book, 'Bob Cratchit', lived in Camd(e)n (T)own.
Clue two gives us 'The Angel of the Nor(t)h', which from the sources I checked was constructed c 1998 and does seem to have wingspan of one hundred and seventeen feet and is sixty six feet high.
A poet born in 1757, who penned a work called Jerusale(m), possibly while residing in the village of Felpham, on the south coast, is probably William Blake. The poem was used as the lyric of a hymn by the same name, which was composed by Charles Hubert Parry c 1916. The verse was also used in the preface to another of Blake's works, 'Milton'.
Clue four has a dearth of information to facilitate its quick solution. 'Don't Panic!', suggests 'Dad's Army', which was shot mostly in Norfolk (SATNA battle area), near Thetford and also Suffolk, London and Brighton. 'Don't Panic', without the '!', was also used in the BBC comedy, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy', but this wasn't broadcast until c 1981. The name of the hamlet probably starts with the letter 'S' and the 'Deep and crisp and even' clue suggests the word snow. I found one village called 'Snowden Hill', starts with S, has a seasonal theme, consists of two words and lies near Barnsley. Fifteen miles west of that hamlet, would be in or near the boundary of the Peak District national park. Might be called Saint something or other.
Clue five brings us to the village of 'Rob(i)n Hood's Bay' (merry men clue), which lies five miles or so, South East of Whitby, the 'fangs for the memory' clue, probably referring to the site of count Dracula's landfall, in Bram Stoker's version of the story.
Clue six is most likely referring to the great fire of London, which started in '(P)udding Lane', c 2nd September, 1666.
Clue seven appears to concern the artist 'George Romney' ( born c 1734). Romney titled his painting of Lady Emma Hamilton, 'The Ambassadress' and for a time, lived at number 5 'H(o)lly Bush Hill', Hampstead, London (the prickly sounding capital suburb street).
Clue eight : 'Brief Encounter', suggests the playwrite 'No(e)l Coward', who was, according to some of his biographies, born c 1899, at Helmsdale, 5 Waldegrave Road, Teddington. His play, 'The Vortex' included a character called 'Nicky Lancaster'.
Assembling the answers and rearranging the known letters and the letter guessed for answer four gives:
1. Camd(e)n (T)own. E T
2. Angel of the Nor(t)h. T
3. Jerusale(m). M
4. S? S
5. Rob(I)n Hood's Bay. I
6. Pudding (L)ane. L
7. H(o)lly Bush Hill. O
8. No(e)l Coward. E
MISTLETOE
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 if you have a non abusive comment relating to the puzzle and its solution, he will endeavour to publish it.
Sunday, 6 December 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. Clandon Park
Q2. Dame Margaret Helen Greville
N.B. Dame Margaret Helen Greville was also known as 'Maggie Greville', 'Mrs Ronald Greville' and had surname 'Anderson', before she was married.
The Eastender has been a bit late writing his blog this week due to A) sampling some (way too many ;-)) exotic tinctures from the Caledonian archipelagos on the top shelf of the bar, at the venue where the office Christmas party was being held this year and B) having to abandon the cab on the way back to town, when we encountered a flood blocking the road. Still, splooshing through a veritable maelstrom on foot, seems all the easier, after you've glugged a few tumblers of the cratur.
I digress, the initial clues appear to place us a Clandon Park, in the county of Surrey. The National Trust website describes it as a Palladian Mansion, built by a Venetian architect c 1720, for Lord Onslow. The house did appear to have three levels, from the photographs I checked but it was unfortunately, gutted by fire around the 29th April 2015. They seem to be using the idea of a Phoenix rising from the ashes, to try to raise money to refurbish it.
The Georgian mansion, which lies to the east of Clandon Park, is probably Hatchlands Park. This does appear to be made of red brick and some of the references I checked, claim it was constructed during the 1750s for naval hero Admiral Edward Boscawen (born c 1711) and his wife. Some of his biographies claim that he did command 'Invincible' (74 guns) and 'The Royal George' (100 guns).
The Regency villa, described in the puzzle text, is probably a house called Polesden Lacey. This was designed by Thomas Cubitt (born c 1788). Some of Mr Cubitt's biographies say that he did indeed leave one of the longest wills on record at that time. Polesden Lacey was owned by a society hostess called 'Dame Margaret Helen Greville (nee Anderson)' . The aforementioned dame, loved royalty and used to vie for their attention with a team called 'The Savilles', which appears to be where the gag about 'Civils and Grovels', originates. Dame Margaret also seems to have been popular with the royals and one Lady Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (aka 'The Queen Mother', b c 1900), honeymooned at Polesden Lacey c 1923. The Queen Mother was the ninth child and forth daughter of Claude George Bowes-Lyon, Lord Glamis and fourteenth Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne. His motto, 'In te domine speravi' means 'In thee Lord, I put my trust' (or possibly 'my trust fund').
Dame Margaret was not popular with everyone and one Lady Leslie remarked "Maggie Greville? I'd sooner have an open sewer in my drawing room".
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 relating to the puzzle and its solution, he will endeavour to publish it.
Q1. Clandon Park
Q2. Dame Margaret Helen Greville
N.B. Dame Margaret Helen Greville was also known as 'Maggie Greville', 'Mrs Ronald Greville' and had surname 'Anderson', before she was married.
The Eastender has been a bit late writing his blog this week due to A) sampling some (way too many ;-)) exotic tinctures from the Caledonian archipelagos on the top shelf of the bar, at the venue where the office Christmas party was being held this year and B) having to abandon the cab on the way back to town, when we encountered a flood blocking the road. Still, splooshing through a veritable maelstrom on foot, seems all the easier, after you've glugged a few tumblers of the cratur.
I digress, the initial clues appear to place us a Clandon Park, in the county of Surrey. The National Trust website describes it as a Palladian Mansion, built by a Venetian architect c 1720, for Lord Onslow. The house did appear to have three levels, from the photographs I checked but it was unfortunately, gutted by fire around the 29th April 2015. They seem to be using the idea of a Phoenix rising from the ashes, to try to raise money to refurbish it.
The Georgian mansion, which lies to the east of Clandon Park, is probably Hatchlands Park. This does appear to be made of red brick and some of the references I checked, claim it was constructed during the 1750s for naval hero Admiral Edward Boscawen (born c 1711) and his wife. Some of his biographies claim that he did command 'Invincible' (74 guns) and 'The Royal George' (100 guns).
The Regency villa, described in the puzzle text, is probably a house called Polesden Lacey. This was designed by Thomas Cubitt (born c 1788). Some of Mr Cubitt's biographies say that he did indeed leave one of the longest wills on record at that time. Polesden Lacey was owned by a society hostess called 'Dame Margaret Helen Greville (nee Anderson)' . The aforementioned dame, loved royalty and used to vie for their attention with a team called 'The Savilles', which appears to be where the gag about 'Civils and Grovels', originates. Dame Margaret also seems to have been popular with the royals and one Lady Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (aka 'The Queen Mother', b c 1900), honeymooned at Polesden Lacey c 1923. The Queen Mother was the ninth child and forth daughter of Claude George Bowes-Lyon, Lord Glamis and fourteenth Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne. His motto, 'In te domine speravi' means 'In thee Lord, I put my trust' (or possibly 'my trust fund').
Dame Margaret was not popular with everyone and one Lady Leslie remarked "Maggie Greville? I'd sooner have an open sewer in my drawing room".
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 relating to the puzzle and its solution, he will endeavour to publish it.
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