Filed under: Entertainment, Family, Foreign Travel, History, Thoughts | Tags: Entertainment, Family, Foreign Travel, History, Holiday, Thoughts, Vacation
Starting to tidy up around the apartment. I’m hoping to drive as far as Nerja today as the caves there can be a great subject for some photography. I really enjoyed my trip to Tarifa yesterday. Over three hundred photos and two short video clips taken! Tarifa is the closest point of Europe to African and also has a constant strong wind – something to do with the confluence of the Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea. This means it is a great spot for windsurfing, so it attracts young fit people in droves. It’s also full of history. I spent an hour and a half shooting pictures around the port area and after lunch, another hour in the old walled segment of the town. Lots to see!
My connection here is very dodgy so I cannot upload any photos yet, but I think I got some nice ones. I’ll update this posting with some pictures when I get home.
Immediate jobs for this morning include finishing tidying up here, as I head off to the airport tomorrow morning and won’t have time otherwise, and sourcing six packs of Chesterfield cigarettes for my brother who was kind enough to email his requirements yesterday evening. I’m also still looking for a gift for my middle daughter – she’s notoriously difficult to buy for.
Back to work!
Filed under: Belfast, Corporate Greed, Economy, Entertainment, Hidden Belfast, History, Memories, Nostalgia, Thoughts, UK | Tags: Belfast, Hidden Belfast, History, Nostalgia, Thoughts, Titanic, UK
We took advantage this week of a free tour around the “Titanic Quarter”, which is the brand name, so to speak, of that area of Belfast which is home to the derelict shipyards, the Odyssey Arena and a number of industrial complexes directly across the Lagan from the Belfast Harbour Commissioner and the Customs House.
As part of the current Made In Belfast Festival, the guided bus tour is a great starting point for the novice historian. The experienced guide, Stephen Cameron, has researched his subject in great detail for many years and is affable and knowledgeable company for the two hours of the tour. I have actually met Stephen before, in a previous life, and it was a pleasure to see him again after a gap of ten or so years.
On what was a rather changeable day, we set off from Belfast’s City Hall having seen both the Titanic Memorial statue and the statue of Sir Edward Harland within it’s grounds. First stop was at the original offices of Harland & Wolff. Access was gained and we started off in the drawing offices where many years before, the original plans for the Titanic and her sister ships, Olympic and Brittanic were made. This remarkable building was specially designed to allow as much natural light as possible to reach the draughtsmen, and later the ladies, who made copies of the thousands of individual plans for the teams of workmen who built the ships.
The next attraction was a viewing of the boardroom, sadly without any original furniture. The building has suffered over the years since it was last used as an office but has now been listed and is in the initial stage of refurbishment. In it’s derelict state it has been of value to the film industry lately, featuring in films such as Closing the Ring, City of Embers and Breakfast on Pluto.
Next stop was a short distance away by coach as it had started to rain. We drove about 100m to two large ramped areas close to the bank. The guide showed us the same ramps in a large black and white picture taken in 1911. These were the very ramps on which Titanic and Olympic were built.
From there we made our way to the Thompson Dry Dock, built to allow completion of the three sister ships’ fit-out. A very impressive structure which looks to be twice the length of the Clarendon Dry Docks, the pump equipment was designed to be capable of pumping out all of the water in the dock inside 100 minutes.
The picture below gives an idea of the size of the structure with HMS Caroline in a nearby dock for scale. In the pictures we were shown of Titanic in the dock being fitted with her engines and propellers, the stern of the ship stuck out over the gate at the back of the dry dock – an immense ship that would have stretched from the front door of Belfast City Hall right down Donegall Place, past M&S, past McDonalds, the Tesco Metro and as far as the H&M shop.
At this point, the tour ended. Very satisfied with our new-found knowledge, we climbed back aboard the coach and headed back to the City Hall.
A very enjoyable morning. I have been inspired by this tour to look for more opportunities to learn more about local history and perhaps consider doing a similar job on retirement, to that of our eminent guide.
Filed under: History, Nostalgia, Thoughts | Tags: History, Nostalgia, Thoughts
Ballyholme Esplanade always seems to be under development somewhere. I can imagine the appeal of a sea view, living in a cul de sac and yet being close to shops, post office and schools. In the original postcard, the gate pillars are still in situ but not very much else is instantly recognisable.
I don’t know exactly how old the postcard is. It isn’t used but my estimation is 1905-1915.
Filed under: Belfast, Hidden Belfast, History, Memories, Nostalgia, Thoughts, UK | Tags: Belfast, Hidden Belfast, History, Memories, Nostalgia, Thoughts, UK
This old building, which was originally a factory, holds a particular fascination for me as it was the site of the first Crazy Prices store I had full responsibility for as store manager. That was back in 1986. The weekly turnover was £35K. It was a dingy store which never made a penny of net profit in the ten years it was open but came pretty close to do doing so towards the end.
Anyhow, the building originally housed Ross’s Lemonade factory and had at least four floors. When I worked there, the top two floors were derelict with broken windows and dead pigeons and no doubt, a few other pests. The “shopping centre” known as Central Arcade was the 70s/80s equivalent of the Hi-Shops in High St, in other words, it was a really awful collection of grotty businesses anchored by a grotty supermarket and a very busy Stewarts Winebarrel.
In later years, the building changed hands and was developed into Ross’s Court, a rather upmarket and ultimately doomed centre due to the unfortunate fact that it was just too far from Royal Avenue to attract the business it needed. Timing is everything and if the centre had been able to hold out, the recent introduction of the Victoria Square complex would have supported and sustained the centre.
Today, the most upmarket and best-looked-after Argos I have ever seen occupies the Victoria Square end of the building. The original stonework still shows the name of the original owners, W.A Ross & Sons – a nice touch!
Filed under: History, Memories, Nostalgia, Thoughts, UK | Tags: Bangor, History, Memories, Nostalgia, Thoughts, UK
I collect postcards of Ballyholme Bay which is about half a mile from my home. My collection sits at 51 and includes pictures taken from either ends of the bay, the yacht club, some of the Esplanade and one of the Ballyholme Windmill (pre-1911 when it still had it’s sails). This is one of the older postcards and I particularly like it because the chap in the straw boater and the lady in the background give a sense of the time through their clothing. The contemplative pose of straw-boater man is also indicative of a less frenzied and more sedate period – something I feel nostalgic for!
I took the opportunity this morning to photograph the scene and compare the two. In 1912, when the postcard was postmarked, Ballyholme was a separate entity to Bangor, a point indicated by the old Bangor town limit represented by the rusting and decayed marker just fifty yards from where straw-boater man sits. (Picture below)
Many of the buildings visible in the postcard are still there today although the blueish-roofed building on the far side of the bay, formerly The Ballyholme Hotel, and then the Ballyholme Residential Home (my wife worked there at one point), was demolished some years ago and rebuilt into apartments in a similar design. The wrought-iron and wood benches are also still available although moved to a safer distance from the incline in this health and safety conscious age.
I intend to do more of these photo-comparisons. They remind me of a practice common in an interesting magazine called After The Battle which compares photographs taken in battle during WWII with the same scenes taken today. It will be the closest I get to time-travel in my lifetime.
Filed under: Belfast, Culture, Hidden Belfast, History, Nostalgia, Thoughts, UK | Tags: Belfast, Hidden Belfast, History, Nostalgia, Thoughts, UK
This beautiful building can be easily missed while hurrying up or down High St. It is opposite the “monsterous carbuncle” that is the Hi-Park parking and shopping centre. Built in 1890, this listed building is one of only a few to escape demolition during the Belfast Blitz in 1941. Apparently this was due to the fact that it’s front wall, floors, chimneys and roof were constructed using concrete.
The building is currently being renovated and is undergoing conversion to a hotel and tea rooms.
Filed under: America, Corporate Greed, Economy, History, Life, News, Politics & Current Affairs, Society, Thoughts | Tags: Corporate Greed, Economy, History, Life, News, Politics, Society, Thoughts
An interesting and timely article on todays’ BBC News website about the revival of a 1930s word “Bankster” which indicated how Americans felt about the bankers who managed to screw up the US economy back in the 1920s. Fairly useful word now too!
Filed under: Belfast, Environment, Hidden Belfast, History, Memories, Nostalgia, UK | Tags: Belfast, Environment, Hidden Belfast, History, Memories, Nostalgia, UK
It has been some time since I posted a Hidden Belfast picture, but I thought I’d better get my skates on and take these pictures before these derelict buildings come down. The first gives you the view of the front of the building which has been affected by commercial development over the years and is now “on it’s last legs”. The detail on the “balcony” and the cornices are beautiful, or at least were, before the onslaught of 100,000 pigeons over the years!
The second, and much more interesting picture, is the one from behind which was the first aspect to attract my interest. Hidden from the street are a couple of spires complete with what look like flag poles, various chimney stacks and assorted dormer windows. It is a view of haphazard additions over the years as well as representing good solid build quality. Many of these old red brick building are fast disappearing in the centre of Belfast and are worth documenting. They have seen a lot of history and unfortunately, I am unaware of most of it. What I can remember is visiting a night-club on the first floor back in the early 1980s – but it’s all very vague!
This view can be seen from the car park, which has access from North St. Have a closer look if you get the chance; it’s worth it!
Filed under: Books, Entertainment, History, Thoughts | Tags: Books, Culture, Entertainment, History, Thoughts
Best Christmas gift this year was this book by David Simon, creator of HBO series, The Wire. Riveting from page one! Getting through around twenty pages a night before the shutters fall. Should last for a few weeks yet!
Just finished this one, and it’s a great read too. Fick is a natural writer and conveys the action and sense of dread really well. Soldier’s-eye view of action in Afghanistan and Iraq – a welcome break from the politics of both wars. Free to any local reader in NI – just email and ask!
Another Christmas gift (via iTunes Gift Card), was Niall Ferguson’s Audiobook, War Of The World. I consider myself to be a bit of a history buff, especially about WWII, but there were numerous “new” bits of information to me. Over six hours of listening and fascinating from start to finish. Great for the drive to work.
Filed under: America, Bush Family Business, History, Imperialism, News, Oil, Politics & Current Affairs, Thoughts, War | Tags: Afghanistan, America, Bush, History, Imperialism, Iraq, News, Oil, Politics, Thoughts, US, War
There was an interesting article in yesterday’s New York Daily News by Richard Clarke, saying that it is Karl Rove’s spin machine that is behind the claims that Bushs’ actions over his eight year term of office “saved lives” rather than any substantial facts.
President Bush saved U.S. lives? That’s only more Karl Rove-style spin
George Bush, still President, is engaging in a legacy tour of media outlets. This comes despite his earlier having said he did not know how history would judge the Iraq war “because we’ll all be dead.”
Actually, many people are already dead because of Bush, and that is the point to keep in mind when he talks about his legacy.
Among the themes Bush is striking is that through action at home and fighting “them” over there, not over here, his administration stopped terrorist attacks and prevented another 9/11. There is a surface plausibility to those claims, as there has often been with the messaging served up by the Karl Rove spin machine. But let’s look beneath the surface of the assertions.
Bush stopped terrorist attacks? Yes, some of the many alleged plots cited by the White House probably would have matured into attacks had not the U.S. intelligence community acted. Many were more aspirational than operational, and others were the pure inventions of FBI informants. (In the Miami Liberty City case, an FBI informant apparently bribed people who previously had no interest in Al Qaeda. When they swore the oath to Osama Bin Laden, they were then arrested for doing so.)
But even if taken on its face as true, should having stopped terrorist attacks earn this President a Harry Truman-like reassessment down the road? I can attest from firsthand knowledge that the Clinton administration stopped numerous terrorist operations that would have resulted in American deaths. Yet I don’t hear Bill Clinton running around boasting about that. Clinton has other things to lay claim to – a balanced budget, huge job growth and eight years without a major war. If you don’t think the Clinton administration stopped a major terrorist attack in New York City, you might want to talk with the blind sheik, who was involved in a plot to blow up the United Nations, the Lincoln and Holland tunnels, the George Washington Bridge and a federal building housing the FBI. But that would be tough to do because Omar Abdel-Rahman is in solitary in a federal prison in Colorado.
There wasn’t a second 9/11? That’s obviously true, but it misses the point. First, we must remember that Al Qaeda terrorists are patient, deliberate planners who often wait years between strikes. Second, there was the first 9/11 – and it happened on Bush’s watch. Without rehashing the entire 9/11 Commission Report, the historical record is pretty clear by now that Bush did virtually nothing about the repeated warnings to him that those cataclysmic attacks were coming. Unfortunately, I can personally attest to that as well.
Bush saved American lives? Tell that to the families of the 4,200 U.S. military personnel who have perished in the needless war in Iraq. While they served heroically and deserve the great thanks of the American people, the tragic truth is that they were engaged in a war we should not have been fighting and which was sold to the Congress, the media and American people with exaggerated and even false claims.
Beyond the needless American deaths that are Bush’s legacy, there are the Iraqis we almost never think about. Iraq Body Count is an ongoing human security project that claims to maintain “the world’s largest public database of violent civilian deaths during and since the 2003 invasion.” They say their data “encompasses noncombatants killed by military or paramilitary action and the breakdown in civil security following the invasion.” Currently, their estimate – conservative when put alongside other totals – is that between 90,253 and 98,521 Iraqis were killed because George Bush invaded that country. That’s thirty 9/11s.
Let George Bush keep pushing the buttons on the spin machine. That cannot change the facts. His administration’s actions on terrorism, including Iraq, killed many more Americans than U.S. intelligence agencies saved in the past eight years.
Clarke was a counterterrorism adviser to former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. He is the author of “Against All Enemies” and “Your Government Failed You.”
SOURCE – Daily News
