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 Wiltshire and Berks Canal
Q2. Calne
Quite tricky this week, the initial clues possibly place us in or near Melksham, in Wiltshire, which looks to be around two miles or so from the southern end of what's left of the Wiltshire and Berks Canal. Some of the reference sources I checked, claim that the Stanley aqueduct, which carried the navigation over the river Marden, collapsed c 1901 and that the waterway had been further damaged by the army practicing with demolition charges.
The thirteenth century 'Lacock Abbey', founded by Ela, Countess of Salisbury, as a nunnery of the Augustinian order, looks to be around four miles north of Melksham and it was here that the great British genius, William Henry Fox Talbot, conducted his ground breaking experiments with photography, producing a negative c 1834 which showed one of the lattice windows in the abbey.
The canal forms a three way junction near to the village of Stanley and the short south eastern branch, used to terminate at a wharf, in the town of Calne. Bowood house lies around two miles south south east of the junction and at one time, this was the home of the Marquess of Landsdowne, whose family motto was 'Virtue Non Verbis', which can be translated as 'By Courage Not Words'. The polymath Joseph Priestley conducted his experiments with gases in a laboratory in Bowood House, discovering Oxygen there c 1774. Priestley was chased out of the UK by a bunch of torch and pitchfork wielding cretins who burned his house down and destroyed his laboratory and he eventually had to flee to America, although he was relatively lucky compared to what happened to one of his scientific contemporaries in oxygen experimentation, one Antoine Lavoisier, who had his head chopped off by the ignoratti. Another great scientist and medical practitioner who carried out experiments at Bowood house, was Jan Ingenhousz and he appears to have discovered photosynthesis in the very laboratory that Priestly used.
The causeway mentioned in the clues, is likely 'Maud Heath's Causeway' and some of the references sources I read on this, claim that it has sixty four brick arches and was the result of a legacy by a lady who made her fortune selling eggs at a nearby market. A stretch of the Wiltshire and Berks canal which still has water in it, lies north of RAF Lyneham, which closed for business c 2012.
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 that if you have a comment or quip relating to the puzzle and its solution, he will endeavour to publish it.
Saturday, 19 November 2016
Saturday, 12 November 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. Grantham
Q2. Saint Wulfram
The initial clues seem to place us north west of Bourne, in Lincolnshire, at 'Grimsthorpe Castle', which originates c 13th century and was remodelled for the owner, 'Robert Bertie' by the architect 'Sir John Vanbrugh' c 18th century. 'Lady Nancy Astor' died in the castle c 1964 and was the first woman MP to take up her seat in the house of commons c 1919, the first woman elected prior to that (Constance Markievicz) could not take up their seat, as they would not swear the oath of fealty. Nancy Astor was apparently a gifted practitioner in the art of banter and bandinage and one account of a verbal sparring session with Winston Churchill, made the Eastender laugh out loud when he read it...
Lady Nancy Astor : "Winston, if you were my husband, I'd poison your tea"
Churchill : "Nancy, if I were your husband, I'd drink it..."
I digress, the seventeenth century house is probably 'Belton House', which lies on the North Eastern outskirts of the town of Grantham. Some of the reference sources I checked claim that this was built for Sir John Brownlow c 1680s and subsequently altered c 1770, by the architect 'James Wyatt' (born c 1746). A clairaudient medium born in Grantham c 1920, was probably 'Doris Stokes', her autobiography was titled 'Voices in My Ear'. The mathematician Isaac Newton (born c 1642) was according to some of his biographies, educated at the 'Free Grammar School of King Edward VI', in Grantham.
The hotel which later became a shopping centre is probably 'the George', which features in a Charles Dickens book called Nicholas Nickleby, published c 1838/39. A church with a two hundred and eighty two feet high spire in Grantham, is most likely 'St Wulfram's'. St Wulfram's feast day is in some reference sources, recorded as being on the 20th March. The puzzle author is 'Handbagged' probably as a veiled reference to Mrs Thatcher, who was born in Grantham.
N.B. Due to the number of people who normally write poison pen letters posting on his page, the Eastender has moved to moderated comments but rest assured, if you have a comment or quip relating to the puzzle and its solution, he will endeavour to publish it.
Q1. Grantham
Q2. Saint Wulfram
The initial clues seem to place us north west of Bourne, in Lincolnshire, at 'Grimsthorpe Castle', which originates c 13th century and was remodelled for the owner, 'Robert Bertie' by the architect 'Sir John Vanbrugh' c 18th century. 'Lady Nancy Astor' died in the castle c 1964 and was the first woman MP to take up her seat in the house of commons c 1919, the first woman elected prior to that (Constance Markievicz) could not take up their seat, as they would not swear the oath of fealty. Nancy Astor was apparently a gifted practitioner in the art of banter and bandinage and one account of a verbal sparring session with Winston Churchill, made the Eastender laugh out loud when he read it...
Lady Nancy Astor : "Winston, if you were my husband, I'd poison your tea"
Churchill : "Nancy, if I were your husband, I'd drink it..."
I digress, the seventeenth century house is probably 'Belton House', which lies on the North Eastern outskirts of the town of Grantham. Some of the reference sources I checked claim that this was built for Sir John Brownlow c 1680s and subsequently altered c 1770, by the architect 'James Wyatt' (born c 1746). A clairaudient medium born in Grantham c 1920, was probably 'Doris Stokes', her autobiography was titled 'Voices in My Ear'. The mathematician Isaac Newton (born c 1642) was according to some of his biographies, educated at the 'Free Grammar School of King Edward VI', in Grantham.
The hotel which later became a shopping centre is probably 'the George', which features in a Charles Dickens book called Nicholas Nickleby, published c 1838/39. A church with a two hundred and eighty two feet high spire in Grantham, is most likely 'St Wulfram's'. St Wulfram's feast day is in some reference sources, recorded as being on the 20th March. The puzzle author is 'Handbagged' probably as a veiled reference to Mrs Thatcher, who was born in Grantham.
N.B. Due to the number of people who normally write poison pen letters posting on his page, the Eastender has moved to moderated comments but rest assured, if you have a comment or quip relating to the puzzle and its solution, he will endeavour to publish it.
Saturday, 5 November 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 Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre
Q2. General George S Patton
They may as well just pre populate the answer text boxes with the actual answers, the initial clues most likely place us at Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre, which is home to the Lovell radio telescope, (named after Sir Bernard Lovell born c 1913), which was constructed c 1957. The site also features a thirty five acre arboretum, which contains a national collection of crab apple and rowan trees.
The national park ten miles to the east of Jodrell Bank is probably the Peak District National park and a country house built c 18th century, could be Capesthorne Hall. One of the architects involved in its construction was Anthony Salvin (born c 1799). Six miles to the south east of Lovell's marvellous radio telescope (and the guy was a genius who could track ionisation trails in the atmosphere caused by meteorites, with WWII army surplus radio equipment housed in a shed and on an old searchlight mounting, fitted with an array of Yagi antennas), lies the twenty six mile long Macclesfield canal, which according to some of the reference sources I checked, was opened for business, c 1831.
The 'Tote that barge' hint appears to originate from a song called 'Ol' Man River' from a Hammerstein musical called 'Show Boat' c 1927. Northwest of the discovery centre is 'Peover Hall' and this is where General George S Patton had a billet during WWII. Peover hall, according to some reference sources, was constructed c 16th century by Sir Randle Mainwaring. It seems that Patton was more frightened of the American forces than the Werhmacht, as his troops were shelled all the way from the Normandy beachhead by an innumerate US army artilleryman called 'Mulligan', who could not tell one shell from another and strafed and bombed to hell by their own air corps, when the weather permitted them to take off. "Always do more than is required of you" is one of the quotes attributed to Patton.
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 comment or quip relating to the puzzle and its solution, he will endeavour to publish it.
Q1. The Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre
Q2. General George S Patton
They may as well just pre populate the answer text boxes with the actual answers, the initial clues most likely place us at Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre, which is home to the Lovell radio telescope, (named after Sir Bernard Lovell born c 1913), which was constructed c 1957. The site also features a thirty five acre arboretum, which contains a national collection of crab apple and rowan trees.
The national park ten miles to the east of Jodrell Bank is probably the Peak District National park and a country house built c 18th century, could be Capesthorne Hall. One of the architects involved in its construction was Anthony Salvin (born c 1799). Six miles to the south east of Lovell's marvellous radio telescope (and the guy was a genius who could track ionisation trails in the atmosphere caused by meteorites, with WWII army surplus radio equipment housed in a shed and on an old searchlight mounting, fitted with an array of Yagi antennas), lies the twenty six mile long Macclesfield canal, which according to some of the reference sources I checked, was opened for business, c 1831.
The 'Tote that barge' hint appears to originate from a song called 'Ol' Man River' from a Hammerstein musical called 'Show Boat' c 1927. Northwest of the discovery centre is 'Peover Hall' and this is where General George S Patton had a billet during WWII. Peover hall, according to some reference sources, was constructed c 16th century by Sir Randle Mainwaring. It seems that Patton was more frightened of the American forces than the Werhmacht, as his troops were shelled all the way from the Normandy beachhead by an innumerate US army artilleryman called 'Mulligan', who could not tell one shell from another and strafed and bombed to hell by their own air corps, when the weather permitted them to take off. "Always do more than is required of you" is one of the quotes attributed to Patton.
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 comment or quip relating to the puzzle and its solution, he will endeavour to publish it.
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