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. Silverdale
Q2. Brief Encounter
The initial clues seem to place us at the Tewitfield Marina, at the northern end of the 'Lancaster Canal'. I found some references sources which claim that the canal has a 41 mile section with no locks. The gothic house is probably 'Leighton Hall', (originally c 13th century but rebuilt in the gothic style c 1763), which looks to be in the right location for the hints given. From the photographs I saw of it, it appears to be a most beautiful place and holds many fine treasures within its walls. The hall is associated with the Gillow family and Gillow & co were furniture manufacturers.
Travelling two miles to the west of Leighton Hall, would bring us to the settlement of Silverdale which is where, according to some of his biographies, a brewer called 'Henry Boddington' (born c 1813) retired. Cans of Boddy's draught have a picture of two bees on them. The author who holidayed in the village, is probably 'Elizabeth Gaskell' (born c 1810) and she published a gritty kitchen sink drama novel called 'Ruth' (c 1853), which featured characters called Thurston Benson, Henry Bellingham and Ruth.
Three miles south east of Silverdale would bring us to 'Warton Rectory', which was built c 14th century. The photograph on the English Heritage web site, shows only the ruins of the medieval hall are left standing there.
The film mentioned by the puzzle author is probably 'Brief Encounter' (c 1945) starring Trevor Howard and Celia Johnson and the great British director David Lean, directed this adaptation of the famous playwright, Noel Coward's play, 'Still Life'. The Eastender had to look up what a 'Bath Bun' was and it seems to be a type of bread roll which may have a whole sugar cube embedded in it, first appearing c 1763 (They didn't know much about nutrition back in those days and thought that it was ok to eat stuff like this, the author Jane Austen according to some sources, wrote about disordering her stomach with Bath Buns). Some of the railway platform scenes in the movie, were shot at Carnforth station.
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 or quip relating to the puzzle and its solution, he will endeavour to publish it.
Saturday, 28 May 2016
Sunday, 22 May 2016
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 Dam Busters
Q2. Woodhall Spa
(N.B. for question one, this film is also sometimes referred to as 'The Dambusters')
Quite tricky this week, two people in succession, were appointed as treasurer in 1433. The first was Ralph de Cromwell and the second was Ralph Boteler and both of these guys built castles. Ralph de Cromwell, according to some of the reference sources I checked built 'Tattershall Castle' near Conningsby, in Lincolnshire and Ralph Boteler built 'Sudeley Castle', in Gloucester. Of the two fortifications, the one which is a good fit for the puzzle author's description, is Tattershall castle as this has crenellations and is made of red bricks (seems a strange kind of material to construct a castle from, could be easily pulverised by rocks hurled from siege engines).
To further support the theory that 'Tattershall Castle' is the correct location, a quick check of the OS map shows that there is a viewing point next to Conningsby airfield and that the RAF motto for this station was 'Loyalty Binds Me'. The station sigil also includes an image of Tattershall Castle.
The indigenous inhabitants of the big British island are known to have three favourite squadrons and one favourite flight, these being 'The Red Arrows', the '617 'Dam Busters' squadron', the mythical '633 squadron' (which inspired George Lucas to produce the scene where Luke Skywalker flies down a canyon to destroy the Deathstar with a well placed photon torpedo) and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, which is based at RAF Conningsby.
To go North from Conningsby aerodrome, the puzzle compiler would likely have to cross the eleven mile long 'Horncastle Canal' (opened c 1802) and drive up the B1192. I found some references to 617 squadron being based at RAF Woodhall Spa during world war II and there appears to be a memorial, in the shape of a broken dam, to the brave aviators who carried out this very daring and risky operation. A film about the exploits of 617 squadron, called 'The Dam Busters', was made c 1955. The airfield (which opened c 1942), is no longer there because it closed c 1964 and then became a quarry for sand and gravel.
Woodhall appears to have become a spa town when c 1811, a Mr John Parkinson, in an attempt to discover coal, instead discovered water, which was found to contain iodine and bromine and was thus declared valuable. A local dragon subsequently put up the money to build a spa, that he and the town could benefit from the tourist trade.
The abbey is most likely 'Kirkstead Abbey', which lies just short of the town. Seems to have been built c 1139 by Hugh Brito.
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 or quip relating to the puzzle and its solution, he will endeavour to publish it.
Q1. The Dam Busters
Q2. Woodhall Spa
(N.B. for question one, this film is also sometimes referred to as 'The Dambusters')
Quite tricky this week, two people in succession, were appointed as treasurer in 1433. The first was Ralph de Cromwell and the second was Ralph Boteler and both of these guys built castles. Ralph de Cromwell, according to some of the reference sources I checked built 'Tattershall Castle' near Conningsby, in Lincolnshire and Ralph Boteler built 'Sudeley Castle', in Gloucester. Of the two fortifications, the one which is a good fit for the puzzle author's description, is Tattershall castle as this has crenellations and is made of red bricks (seems a strange kind of material to construct a castle from, could be easily pulverised by rocks hurled from siege engines).
To further support the theory that 'Tattershall Castle' is the correct location, a quick check of the OS map shows that there is a viewing point next to Conningsby airfield and that the RAF motto for this station was 'Loyalty Binds Me'. The station sigil also includes an image of Tattershall Castle.
The indigenous inhabitants of the big British island are known to have three favourite squadrons and one favourite flight, these being 'The Red Arrows', the '617 'Dam Busters' squadron', the mythical '633 squadron' (which inspired George Lucas to produce the scene where Luke Skywalker flies down a canyon to destroy the Deathstar with a well placed photon torpedo) and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, which is based at RAF Conningsby.
To go North from Conningsby aerodrome, the puzzle compiler would likely have to cross the eleven mile long 'Horncastle Canal' (opened c 1802) and drive up the B1192. I found some references to 617 squadron being based at RAF Woodhall Spa during world war II and there appears to be a memorial, in the shape of a broken dam, to the brave aviators who carried out this very daring and risky operation. A film about the exploits of 617 squadron, called 'The Dam Busters', was made c 1955. The airfield (which opened c 1942), is no longer there because it closed c 1964 and then became a quarry for sand and gravel.
Woodhall appears to have become a spa town when c 1811, a Mr John Parkinson, in an attempt to discover coal, instead discovered water, which was found to contain iodine and bromine and was thus declared valuable. A local dragon subsequently put up the money to build a spa, that he and the town could benefit from the tourist trade.
The abbey is most likely 'Kirkstead Abbey', which lies just short of the town. Seems to have been built c 1139 by Hugh Brito.
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 or quip relating to the puzzle and its solution, he will endeavour to publish it.
Saturday, 14 May 2016
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. William Shakespeare
Q2. The Boar's Head Tavern
Very tricky this week, the Eastender had the horrendous task of trying to translate some of Shakespeare's works into English, to find his way to the answers but I digress, the initial clues seem to place us on the south bank of the Thames, at what was once the site of Bankside power station, an edifice that according to some of the reference sources I checked, was constructed from around four point two million bricks. The building didn't operate as a power station for very long and was subsequently converted into the much more interesting 'Tate Modern'. The architect who designed the power station, according to some of his biographies, was most likely 'Sir Giles Gilbert Scott' (born c 1880).
East of 'Tate Modern', stands the modern Globe theatre and the original, which lay a bit to the south seems to have been constructed by Cuthbert Burbage (born c 1564/65) and his brother Richard.
To reach Candlewick Street (aka Eastcheap), the puzzle author would probably have crossed the Thames using London Bridge. A local version of Florian Geyer and his black host, called Jack Cade, lead a peasant revolt into London over this span (c 1450) and Shakespeare wrote about Cade's regime change operation in his play 'Henry IV' (some of the other puzzlers are of the opinion that it was Henry VI and after checking, I think they are correct). In the script, Mr Cade strikes his sword on the 'London Stone' (aka 'The Stone of Brutus', after the Roman (or Trojan, depending on which reference source you check) who put it there). Think you can still see the stone but it may be in a window next to a sports shop these days.
The hostelry mentioned in Henry IV, is probably the 'Boar's Head Tavern' and the landlady had a joke name which made the Eastender chuckle when he read it : 'Nell Quickly' or 'Mistress Quickly' (visions of Charles Hawtrey, Kenneth Williams and Syd James saying it, induced this state of merriment). The Boar's Head Tavern may also have been mentioned in 'The Merry Wives of Windsor' and 'Henry V'. I found this quote in Henry VI (not Henry IV as first posted), which mentions a St Magnus corner:
Q1. William Shakespeare
Q2. The Boar's Head Tavern
Very tricky this week, the Eastender had the horrendous task of trying to translate some of Shakespeare's works into English, to find his way to the answers but I digress, the initial clues seem to place us on the south bank of the Thames, at what was once the site of Bankside power station, an edifice that according to some of the reference sources I checked, was constructed from around four point two million bricks. The building didn't operate as a power station for very long and was subsequently converted into the much more interesting 'Tate Modern'. The architect who designed the power station, according to some of his biographies, was most likely 'Sir Giles Gilbert Scott' (born c 1880).
East of 'Tate Modern', stands the modern Globe theatre and the original, which lay a bit to the south seems to have been constructed by Cuthbert Burbage (born c 1564/65) and his brother Richard.
To reach Candlewick Street (aka Eastcheap), the puzzle author would probably have crossed the Thames using London Bridge. A local version of Florian Geyer and his black host, called Jack Cade, lead a peasant revolt into London over this span (c 1450) and Shakespeare wrote about Cade's regime change operation in his play 'Henry IV' (some of the other puzzlers are of the opinion that it was Henry VI and after checking, I think they are correct). In the script, Mr Cade strikes his sword on the 'London Stone' (aka 'The Stone of Brutus', after the Roman (or Trojan, depending on which reference source you check) who put it there). Think you can still see the stone but it may be in a window next to a sports shop these days.
The hostelry mentioned in Henry IV, is probably the 'Boar's Head Tavern' and the landlady had a joke name which made the Eastender chuckle when he read it : 'Nell Quickly' or 'Mistress Quickly' (visions of Charles Hawtrey, Kenneth Williams and Syd James saying it, induced this state of merriment). The Boar's Head Tavern may also have been mentioned in 'The Merry Wives of Windsor' and 'Henry V'. I found this quote in Henry VI (not Henry IV as first posted), which mentions a St Magnus corner:
CADE : Up Fish Street! Down St. Magnus’ Corner! Throw them into Thames!
There does seem to be a church of St Magnus the Martyr in the Eastcheap area, which was rebuilt after the great fire of London, by Christopher Wren. North west of London Bridge brings us to Smithfield and this was where Jack Cade and his Schwarzer Haufen, did battle with the royal team in Henry VI (they also seem to have been involved in a bit of a Donnybrook with the locals, on London bridge). Smithfield was according to some of his biographies, where the artist 'William Hogarth' was born (c 1697).
The third 'gem of a street' is most likely 'Hatton Garden', which is the jeweller's quarter in London. Some of the references I looked at, claim that the name 'Hatton Garden' is derived from the garden of the palace of the bishops of Ely, and that the area was once a large fruit orchard. Shakespeare makes reference to Hatton Garden in 'Richard the III' (again a very funny rhyming slang joke name ), the bard himself definitely had a sense of humour.
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 or quip relating to the puzzle and its solution, he will endeavour to publish it.
Saturday, 7 May 2016
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. Castle Rising
Q2. Robert Walpole
The initial clues appear to place us in the village of Burnham Market, in North Norfolk. The village sits around two miles south of the sea and has a Carmelite priory (N.B. some reference sources claim that it is a friary), which seems to have been founded c 1241/42 by Sir William Calthorp and Sir Ralph Hemenhall. Only the gate house remains standing today. About one hundred metres or so west of the priory, stands the church of St Margaret, which from the photographs I saw of it, does indeed appear to have a Saxon round tower.
The first disused airfield is probably Sculthorpe Airfield, which lies about seven miles south south east of St Margaret's church. Some of the references I checked state that it was built c 1943 and that bombers operated from it. Travelling four miles south from Sculthorpe aerodrome, would bring us to RAF West Raynham, which was for a time home to 101 Squadron. RAF Raynham's sigil, is a severed horses head and a blade (Their motto 'Probitate et Labore' can be translated as 'by Honesty and Toil'). During world war two, 101 squadron lost a lot of skilled and very brave personnel on their dangerous electronic warfare missions, at one time they were operating Lancasters fitted with a system called 'Airborne Cigars', which was used to jam the Luftwaffe's night fighter command and control system. Because these aircraft were transmitting jamming signals, they were easy to track and many of them were shot down.
Eleven miles west of RAF West Raynham, lies the village of Castle Rising and it does have an impressive Norman castle which is surrounded by huge earthworks. The earthworks may have had a wall atop them at one time and anybody who managed to struggle up there while wearing armour, carrying weapons and shields, while the defenders hurled spears, rocks, verbal abuse, chamber pots and arrows at them, would have had to clamber over this and then cross open ground to reach the keep, where they would also have been very vulnerable to crossbow fire.
The castle appears to have been built c 12th century by William d'Albini and was at one time home to a fourteenth century regime change expert called 'The She Wolf of France', aka 'Queen Isabella' (born c 1295). She is said to have holed up in Castle Rising after deposing her husband, the nasty old fascist Edward II, so she can't have been all bad.
The MPs for the rotten borough of Castle Rising were probably Robert Walpole (born c 1676), who went on to become prime minister, the diarist Samuel Pepys (born c 1633) and Sir Charles Bagot (born c 1781), who was at one time governor in chief of British North America.
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 or quip related to the puzzle and its solution, he will endeavour to publish them.
Q1. Castle Rising
Q2. Robert Walpole
The initial clues appear to place us in the village of Burnham Market, in North Norfolk. The village sits around two miles south of the sea and has a Carmelite priory (N.B. some reference sources claim that it is a friary), which seems to have been founded c 1241/42 by Sir William Calthorp and Sir Ralph Hemenhall. Only the gate house remains standing today. About one hundred metres or so west of the priory, stands the church of St Margaret, which from the photographs I saw of it, does indeed appear to have a Saxon round tower.
The first disused airfield is probably Sculthorpe Airfield, which lies about seven miles south south east of St Margaret's church. Some of the references I checked state that it was built c 1943 and that bombers operated from it. Travelling four miles south from Sculthorpe aerodrome, would bring us to RAF West Raynham, which was for a time home to 101 Squadron. RAF Raynham's sigil, is a severed horses head and a blade (Their motto 'Probitate et Labore' can be translated as 'by Honesty and Toil'). During world war two, 101 squadron lost a lot of skilled and very brave personnel on their dangerous electronic warfare missions, at one time they were operating Lancasters fitted with a system called 'Airborne Cigars', which was used to jam the Luftwaffe's night fighter command and control system. Because these aircraft were transmitting jamming signals, they were easy to track and many of them were shot down.
Eleven miles west of RAF West Raynham, lies the village of Castle Rising and it does have an impressive Norman castle which is surrounded by huge earthworks. The earthworks may have had a wall atop them at one time and anybody who managed to struggle up there while wearing armour, carrying weapons and shields, while the defenders hurled spears, rocks, verbal abuse, chamber pots and arrows at them, would have had to clamber over this and then cross open ground to reach the keep, where they would also have been very vulnerable to crossbow fire.
The castle appears to have been built c 12th century by William d'Albini and was at one time home to a fourteenth century regime change expert called 'The She Wolf of France', aka 'Queen Isabella' (born c 1295). She is said to have holed up in Castle Rising after deposing her husband, the nasty old fascist Edward II, so she can't have been all bad.
The MPs for the rotten borough of Castle Rising were probably Robert Walpole (born c 1676), who went on to become prime minister, the diarist Samuel Pepys (born c 1633) and Sir Charles Bagot (born c 1781), who was at one time governor in chief of British North America.
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 or quip related to the puzzle and its solution, he will endeavour to publish them.
Sunday, 1 May 2016
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. Crichton Castle
Q2. Tweedbank
Very tricky today, Sunday Times seem to have moved the web page where the puzzle normally resides, Ordnance Survey have cunningly disguised the active Borders Railway as a 'Dismantled Railway', just to make things easier and the Eastender's tablet ran out of juice but I digress, the initial clues appear to place us on the aforementioned Borders Railway, which follows the old 'Waverley Route' (which was opened by the 'North British Railway' c 1849), for part of its course, from Newcraighall in Edinburgh, to Tweedbank via Galashiels. Dr Beeching closed the old Waverley Route c 1969 but the Scottish Parliament voted to re-open 31 miles of single track, as far as Tweedbank c 2006.
The country's largest mining settlement is most likely Newtongrange as the line passes through there, although it looks like the station is closed. The village sits next the river South Esk, which some of the reference sources I checked, claim rises in Blackhope Scar and then flows some nineteen miles through the Gladhouse and Rosebery reservoirs, passing through Newtongrange, before joining the North Esk to become the Esk proper.
The South Esk flows past Dalhousie castle, which was once the seat of William Ramsay (died c 1672), First Earl of Dalhousie. Clan Ramsay's motto was 'Pray and Labour'. The castle does seem to be a hotel now.
The railway turns east shortly after Gorebridge station and to the south lies Borthwick Castle, which was constructed c 1430, for Sir William Borthwick. I found a reference which claimed that it was used to store national treasures (like Frankie Howerd and Irene Handl) during the second world war. Cromwell was asked to leave c 1650, after one of his drummers got hammered and threw a TV out of the hotel window, he fired some cannon balls at the wall in retaliation but they still told him to hop it. The damage is still visible today. To the north of the track lies Crichton Castle and this is where William Crichton (First Lord Crichton), who was appointed master of the king's household c 1432, lived for a time.
The second town is most likely Galashiels, as the town's sigil is two foxes stretching to eat plums from a tree. There is a legend that the sour plums (soor plums) myth was created when some English soldiers picking said fruit in the locale, were slaughtered by the townsfolk.
The border railway ends at the village of Tweedbank which is next to the confluence of the river Tweed and the Gala Water. Sir Walter Scott (born c 1771) had a house called Abbotsford on the outskirts of the village.
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 our quip relating to the puzzle and its solution, he will endeavour to publish it....
Q1. Crichton Castle
Q2. Tweedbank
Very tricky today, Sunday Times seem to have moved the web page where the puzzle normally resides, Ordnance Survey have cunningly disguised the active Borders Railway as a 'Dismantled Railway', just to make things easier and the Eastender's tablet ran out of juice but I digress, the initial clues appear to place us on the aforementioned Borders Railway, which follows the old 'Waverley Route' (which was opened by the 'North British Railway' c 1849), for part of its course, from Newcraighall in Edinburgh, to Tweedbank via Galashiels. Dr Beeching closed the old Waverley Route c 1969 but the Scottish Parliament voted to re-open 31 miles of single track, as far as Tweedbank c 2006.
The country's largest mining settlement is most likely Newtongrange as the line passes through there, although it looks like the station is closed. The village sits next the river South Esk, which some of the reference sources I checked, claim rises in Blackhope Scar and then flows some nineteen miles through the Gladhouse and Rosebery reservoirs, passing through Newtongrange, before joining the North Esk to become the Esk proper.
The South Esk flows past Dalhousie castle, which was once the seat of William Ramsay (died c 1672), First Earl of Dalhousie. Clan Ramsay's motto was 'Pray and Labour'. The castle does seem to be a hotel now.
The railway turns east shortly after Gorebridge station and to the south lies Borthwick Castle, which was constructed c 1430, for Sir William Borthwick. I found a reference which claimed that it was used to store national treasures (like Frankie Howerd and Irene Handl) during the second world war. Cromwell was asked to leave c 1650, after one of his drummers got hammered and threw a TV out of the hotel window, he fired some cannon balls at the wall in retaliation but they still told him to hop it. The damage is still visible today. To the north of the track lies Crichton Castle and this is where William Crichton (First Lord Crichton), who was appointed master of the king's household c 1432, lived for a time.
The second town is most likely Galashiels, as the town's sigil is two foxes stretching to eat plums from a tree. There is a legend that the sour plums (soor plums) myth was created when some English soldiers picking said fruit in the locale, were slaughtered by the townsfolk.
The border railway ends at the village of Tweedbank which is next to the confluence of the river Tweed and the Gala Water. Sir Walter Scott (born c 1771) had a house called Abbotsford on the outskirts of the village.
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 our quip relating to the puzzle and its solution, he will endeavour to publish it....
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