Black Five Locomotive, York Station.

This photo was taken on 29th August 2012, I was waiting for a train at York station (According to my diary, to Harrogate to collect a BMW 520) when I heard the distinctive hissing sound of a steam locomotive pulling into the platform behind me. It was a special excursion train of West Coast Railways "The Scarborough Spa Expess" hauled by a Standard Class 5 (Black five) engine No. 45305. Fortunatly I had my trusty Samsung NV10 compact digital camera in my pocket as usual and was able to take this and a few more pictures before my train arrived.

 

Camera; Samsung NV10

Photo ref; SNC17135

© Roland Turner

Churchill Tank, The Tank Museum, Bovington, Dorset.

As I am no expert on tanks I have very little to say on this photo other than it was taken in November 2013 when I visited the museum with three friends from the USA one of whom is a dyed-in-the-wool "treadhead". Undoubtedly the Tank Museum is a 'must visit' venue for anyone with an interest in military history having the worlds largest collections of armoured fighting vehicles including the first tank ever.

Camera; Nikon D80

Photo ref; Nikon-D80-2013-DSC_1280 

© Roland Turner

Messerschmitt Bf-109 E-3, Imperial War Museum, Duxford.

This Luftwaffe Messerschmitt is a casualty of the Battle of Britain and is preserved pretty much in the condition it was in after it had crash landed into a cornfield, although it has been partially repainted. It is displayed in a tableau of the crash site along with other exhibits of the period at the Imperial War Museum's Duxford airfield, Cambridgeshire, which was itself one of the fighter stations involved the battle.

 

Camera; Samsung NV10

Photo ref; SNC13553

© Roland Turner

Lincoln Cathedral

Viewed from Brayford Pool, Lincoln Cathedral dominates the city's skyline. Lincoln is one of my favourite English cities, with (for the most part) unspoiled architecture and streets full of character, there always seems to be something new to discover each time I visit it.

 

Camera; Samsung NV10

Photo ref; SNC15390

© Roland Turner

The Canadian National Memorial, Vimy Ridge, at sunset

The Canadian National Vimy Memorial is situated in Pas-de-Calais, France and comemorates the Canadian soldiers killed or missing in action in World War One on the site of the Canadian Corps' assault during the Battle of Vimy Ridge in 1917. It is a truely imposing monument, especially so at sunset when the stone takes on a pinkish hue.

Camera; Samsung NV10

Photo ref; SNC12763

© Roland Turner

Castel Sainte-Claire, Hyères, South of France.

Castel Sainte-Claire in Hyères occupies a hill overlooking the town set in ornamental gardens. It was owned at one time by Colonel Olivier Voutier, the discoverer of the Venus de Milo  and he is buried in the grounds. Subsequently it became the winter home of the American author Edith Wharton, today it is owned by the community and the gardens are open to the public.

Camera; Nikon D80

Photo ref; Nikon-D80-2013-DSC_0985

© Roland Turner

The Lighthouse, Chania, Crete.

Another scanned print, this time from my 1993 trip to Crete, this old lighthouse stands at the entrance to Chania harbour. One of those little known but fascinating facts is that the city of Chania has been in continuous human occupation for longer than any other in Europe.

Camera; Pentax P30

Photo ref; 93-004-31

© Roland Turner

An

1913 Morris Oxford, The Shuttleworth Collection.

Old cars are always a great subject and some excellent, well preserved examples can be found at the Shuttleworth Collection, Old Warden Aerodrome, Bedfordshire. The collection is an eclectic mix of aircraft and vehicles of yesteryear. Many of the aeroplanes are airworthy and flying displays are a regular feature.

 

Camera; Samsung NV10

Photo ref; SNC16625

© Roland Turner

Entrance to the Cave of the Apocalypse, Patmos

A scanned print from my trip around the Greek islands in 1996. The cave of the Apocalypse is on the island of Patmos and is claimed to be the location where Saint John the Devine wrote the final chapters of the Bible, the Book of Revelation. Now, once inside the 'cave' even the most devout has to answer a few pertinent questions about this assertion. For a start, were it not for the brick walls  now enclosing it, in no way could it be called a cave - more like an overhang, and as for the ledge were the saint was alleged to sleep, well he would have needed a harness to prevent him from rolling down the cliff side!

Camera; Pentax P30

Photo ref; 1996/Greek trip-Patmos/004

© Roland Turner

Gloster Javelin model aircraft

This is the most viewed photograph on my Flickr photostream with 2,994 views to date. It was taken at a model show in Stoke-on-Tent in 2010.

Camera; Samsung NV10

Photo ref; SNC13697

© Roland Turner

Mural on the old Birmingham Central Library building, Paradise Circus.

I took this photo a little over a year ago just after the old Birmingham Central Library had been closed following the opening of the new Library of Birmingham in Centenary Square. Tomorrow (Jan 5th, 2015) work comences on its demolition to make way for a new development at which time this mural will be gone forever.

The old building was opened in 1974 and was at the time the largest non-national library in Europe but its brutalist architectural syle, while innovative, found few admirers, Price Charles for example said that it appeared to be a building "where books were burned rather than stored".

The White Swan public house, Henley-in-Arden

The White Swan is an old coaching inn on the High Street of Henley-in-Arden, Warwickshire situated between Birmingham and Stratford-upon-Avon on the A34 road. Henley is a picturesque village with a number of traditional English pubs, half timbered houses and noted for the locally produced ice cream.  

Season's Greetings

No more posts now until after the holiday, so until then here is my digital Christmas card made from one of my own photos. Have a good break and I'll be posting more photos from Saturday 26th.

© Roland Turner

Grocery Shop, Beaune, Burgundy

Another favourite from my recent French trip, of a grocery shop in Beaune, Burgundy. With its blue shutters, window boxes of geraniums and the "decorative" bicycle it is stereotypically Gallic.

Ruins of Penrith Castle

Dating from the 15th century the castle was for a while the seat of power for Richard, Duke of Gloucester who usurped the throne as Richard III before being defeated at the battle of Bosworth Field in 1485 and whose remains were recently rediscovered, buried under a car park in Leicester. The ruins are situated opposite the town's railway station and on several occasions I've wandered round them while killing time waiting to catch a train.

Camera; Samsung NV10

Photo ref; SNC16273

© Roland Turner

GWR Large Prairie 5101 Class Tank Locomotive.

A photo from a trip on the Severn Valley Railway in 2010 of Great Western Class 5101 Large Prairie locomotive No. 5164. The Severn Valley is a heritage line running between Kidderminster and Bridgnorth to the west of Birmingham, England, wihich uses a selection of preserved steam locos as its principal motive power.

Camera; Samsung NV10

Photo ref; SNC13257

© Roland Turner

Georges Guynemer's SPAD VII, Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace.

 

Another photo from the Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace, taken in 2012, of World War One fighter SPAD VII flown by French ace Georges Guynemer (24th December 1894 -11th September 1917).  Guynemer remains one of France's most celebrated national heros, he could easily have avoided military service due to poor health but instead chose to serve his country as a fighter pilot. In his short career he became the second highest scoring French ace (Renée Fonck being the highest) and failed to return from a mission over Poelkapelle, Belgium. Neither his body nor his aircraft (a SPAD XIII) have ever been recovered. 

For more information on Georges Guynemer see English Wikipedia or in more detail; French Wikipedia

 

Camera; Nikon D40

Photo ref; DSC1111-2012 

© Roland Turner

The Capitol, Washington DC, December 2003.

Another shot from my 2003 USA trip. The day after the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers first flight I, along with the party organised by the Aeroplane magazine, headed north to Washington DC via an overnight stay at Colonial Williamsburg and Richmond in Virginia where we spent a couple of days exploring the likes of the National Aerospace Museum on the Mall.

Camera; Pentax P30

Photo ref;2003-USA Trip-03-17

© Roland Turner

The Wright Brothers Memorial Tower, Kill Devil Hill, Kittyhawk, North Carolina

 

Certainly not a technically brilliant (or even good) photo, it does however represent where I was 11 years ago today, attending the First Flight Centenary celebrations of the Wright Brothers historic flight. It was actually taken on the preceding day, the actual anniversary was dull, overcast and wet - just like you would have expected had it have been back home in England. The event itself was hosted by John Travolta and guests included Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Chuck Yeager, oh, and a chap called G W Bush dropped in by helicopter.

Camera; Pentax P30

Photo ref; 1993-USA Trip-02-07

© Roland Turner

"Iron Mike and The National Museum of the Marine Corps, Quantico, Virginia.

Another museum shot, this time The National Museum of the Marine Corps at Quantico, Virginia, USA with the statue "Iron Mike" in the foreground. The photo was taken in 2011 during a visit with some American friends from Syracuse, upstate New York to Fredricksburg.

 

Camera; Samsung NV10

Photo ref; SNC15268

© Roland Turner