Towering Above

As a follow up to last weeks photo of the gold eagle at the base of Eagle Tower here is the building itself. Its Cheltenhams tallest building at 161 feet and was opened in October 1968. The tower was first used by Eagle Star Insurance and is now rented out floor by floor to several different companies. The tower is a fine example of how not to build a 60's office block! By many in the town it is seen as an eyesore but, although its not attractive, I like it. I suppose I like it because its always been there and Cheltenham would look odd without it (you can see it from all sorts of different places in and around town). Several members of my family worked there when it was Eagle Star and, on the occasional Saturday morning, when I was a little boy, I used to go to 'work' there with my Dad!

Rock

This photograph was taken at Crickley Hill Country Park at the end of last year. I used the macro setting to get a really good close-up shot of this large boulder that was in the carpark. I really like the pattern in the stone, hope you like it too. Nothing more to say, I just fancied posting something a bit different.

Cheltenham Nightspots - 4

Continuing the series of the towns bars, clubs and pubs here is The Night Owl. This club, on the High Street, is not the sort of place that plays my kind of music, so I've never been inside but I wanted to tell you something about it. Not knowing anything about it I checked out their website http://www.nightowlclub.co.uk/ and I was so suprised by the history of the club behind the door that the info below is taken from their website :-

"Going back to the early 60s when it all started as a milk bar frequented by the mods on their scooters. Egg & Bacon was the local hang out for the young and restless of Cheltenham. For a while it was a dancehall under the name SPA Lounge. In the late 60s it changed incarnation again. This time the venue was called Blue Moon. It became the premiere circuit venue for the Gloucestershire area. Jimi Hendrix, Cream, Mott The Hoople, Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart to name but a few, played up the stairs in the corner stage. The Four Tops played their very first UK show at the Blue Moon, which it remained to be during most of the 70s.
Then in the early 80s the club changed management yet again and turned in to The Night Owl. What started with the scooters and the mods back in the early years, now turned in to a dedicated bikers and rock venue.
Another name change to Mistys didn’t mean it changed genre. Still a rock club up until 1996 when it turned in to The Attic which is when Stuart “Stu” Challoner got involved. Still focusing on rock music, with up and coming bands playing live, The Attic featured artists such as Stereophonics and Feeder."

Now the club, once again The Night Owl, is undergoing a refurbishment and has a promising future. Who knows whether todays unknown rock bands featured here will become as famous as some of those that played The Night Owl in the past? Lets hope so.

Victorian Style

Cheltenham doesn't have many red brick Victorian buildings, most of the towns buildings were built in the early 1800's or at the turn of the last Century, but the ones we do have are impressive. This one sits near the end of the High Street, at the pedestrianised junction of Cambray Place. As you can see the ground floor is occupied by the Bradford & Bingley Building Society but the top three floors are home to Wedding Days bridal shop. From the coloured brick inlays to the clock and weathervane this is a stylish looking building.

If you click on the photo for a larger image you should be able to see the netting that covers the roof and most of the front of the building to protect it from pigeons and their mess!

Love Is In The Air

Today is Valentines Day, the day that romantics and lovers celebrate. Its the day to let your other half know you still care or to send that special person, who maybe doesn't even know you exist, a token of your unrequited love.

Here are 5 Valentines Day facts -

1. The red rose is associated with Valentines as it was the goddess of love Venus' favourite flower.
2. Over 9 million red roses are sent in the UK today.
3. The first Valentines card was sent in 1415 by Charles, Duke Of Orleans, to his wife.
4. Valentines Day is worth £2.3 billion in the UK.
5. The Heart is linked with Valentines as it is considered the source of all emotions.

And one final thing... Phoebe will you be my Valentine? X

Sunset

Over the last few days the weather here has been fine and sunny, which has given us some beautiful sunsets as the cold evening air creeps in. This is taken between Cheltenham and Gloucester, near Gloucestershire Airport. I think the telephone wires add an abstract frame to the photo.

New Build

Cheltenham, like many other towns and cities across the country, has seen an influx of modern buildings, some good some bad. This row of new build town houses is just off of Imperial Gardens and is an example of the sort of developments we are seeing. The Council is following government policy to build on unused sites (brownfield) in town centres before pursuing developments out of town (greenfield). Lots of disused spaces in Cheltenham have had new life breathed into them and the majority of new builds are quite sympathetic to their surroundings. The houses above sit easily with neighbouring Regency buildings and I think they add to the character of Cheltenham. Of course there are some new builds that are seen local as an eyesore, but you've got to take the rough with the smooth!

In the background you can see the Eagle Tower, home of the Golden Eagle from yesterday.

Eagle Eyed

At the foot of Cheltenhams only skyscraper sits this Golden Eagle. Well I say skyscraper, its only 13 storeys high, but it is the towns tallest building at 161 feet! The building is Eagle Tower (former headquaters of insurance company Eagle Star) and has been visible from all over town since its completion in October 1968. When Eagle Star moved to the outskirts of town several years ago the building was renamed Eagle Tower, the office space rented to different companies and the shiny bird of prey kept in place, keeping an eagle eye on a host of new employees.

Church On Sunday

Christ Church in Malvern Road is one of the towns most striking churches and its tower can be seen from many points around Cheltenham. It was built between 1837 and 1840 and was designed by brothers Robert William Jearrad and Charles Jearrad for the people of the Lansdown estate. To aid the building work shares were sold to local people and raised £17,000 to buy the stone from the nearby Cotswold village of Whittington. Over the years the Church has undergone several renovations and additions but the impressive Gothic architecture has always remained. Below is a shot across the Ladies College playing fields showing the scale of the Church.

Pump Room

This is my last photo of Pitville Park, and it shows the magnificent looking Pitville Pump Room. The building stands at the northern end of the park and looks over the lake and gardens. The Pump Room is one of the towns finest examples of Regency architecture, with its main feature being the Ionic columns that front onto the large lawn.

Building work started in 1825 and took 5 years to complete, with a grand opening and ball being held on the 20th July 1830. The building was the idea of wealthy banker Joseph Pitt and was designed by architect John Forbes, who had a hand in the design of many other Cheltenham buildings. It cost £40,000 to complete, but the Pump Room soon ran into difficulties and it was sold to the Borough Council for just £5,400 in 1890! Throughout the second world war the Pump Room was used as a base by the American Army and, during this time of deprivation ,the building was greatly neglected, infact it is said that the dry rot was so bad that the plaster was all that was stopping the dome from collapsing! After public subscription and government grants the total of £43,200 was raised in 1960 to help restore the building.

Inside the Pump Room today you can still sample the Spa water (pumped from an 80 foot deep well), while marvelling at the grand dome and sweeping staircase. The Pump Room is now Cheltenhams most popular wedding venue and at other times of the year is used for concerts, shows and exhibitions. Infact you could hire it for your next party, just make sure I'm on the guest list!

Don't Let The Band Stand

As promised last week, in my post on Snowdrops, here is another photo from Pitville Park. Until I went walking round the park I never knew it had a bandstand and I was suprised at how nice it looked. Last year some areas of the park under went a makeover and I guess the bandstand got a lick of paint. The Borough Council are in the process of applying for a larger grant from the Lottery Heritage Commision so that a bigger revamp can take place in the Grade II listed park to help restore it to its former glory. I don't know if you'll agree with me, but I think the bandstand has the style of a Chinese Pagoda....fitting as today is the start of the Chinese New Year!

Invisible Images Post

Yesterday Lori at http://missbinnyc.blogspot.com/ posted on this challenge.

What is an Invisible Image?

As bloggers we tend to collect images on our computer for later use. They could be any type of image that you had intended to use somehow. Often they are photos headed for the family site, or quirky images that get sent to friends via email, they could have been intended to be part of a blog post, or, they are images that have been sent to or found by you on the internet, with no real purpose in mind. The point is, for whatever reason, we all tend to have quite a stash of images. And despite our best intentions, many of these images just hang around on our c drive collecting dust. For whatever reason, it’s these forgotten and never used images that we are referring to here as Invisible Images.

This is the basic assignment:

Take 5 images that you have stored on your computer and post them, each with a title and/or a single line description of what the image is, or represents, or means to you. Any image used for this post must never have been used for any purpose by you before.

Following the challenge layed down by Lori for her readers to have a go, here are my Invisible Images.

The river Windrush, Bourton-on-the-Water, June 2006.


St Pauls Cathedral & Millenium Footbridge, London, March 2007.

Balloons in Cheltenham High Street, last weekend.

Empire State Building, New York, March 2006.

Donkeys, Lindos, Rhodes, June 2006.

Now its your turn. I look forward to seeing what you come up with!

Squirrelled Away

This little chap was busy hunting around under the trees in Pitville Park for the goodies he squirrelled away last Autumn. In the time I was watching and photographing him he didn't come up with anything, though he looked determined to find something! The Grey Squirrel is common all over Britain but the Red Squirrel less so. The only Red Squirrel I've ever seen was here, in Pitville Park, when I was a young boy. I was with my mum, playing in the park, when we spotted him doing the same thing as the one shown. Gingerly we moved closer and, as he saw us, he scampered away so we followed from a distance. We kept sight of him for quite a while until he leapt up a tree and vanished out of view. I can still remember the striking colour of that Red Squirrel and its a shame that they are all but extinct here in Britain.

Centaur Stage

Following on from my Theme Day post of the Cheltenham Racecourse, here is an unusual sculpture of a Centaur, made from what looks like chicken wire, at the front of The Centaur building at the racecourse. The building was opened at the turn of the new millenium and is one of the towns largest venues for holding events like conferences, banquets, stage shows and exhibitions. At the moment you can see the Chinese State Circus performing there, and in the past has featured the likes of Sting, Dame Judy Dench, Cats The Musical and Jools Holland. I've only seen the outside but by all accounts its big inside (2,600 m2) and has impressive facilities.

The chicken wire Centaur is obviously a representation of the creature from Greek Mythology, part human part horse.

F.A Cup Suprise

Its not every day that you walk through the Regent Arcade and see the countrys best know sporting trophy, but there it was! The F.A Cup is awarded to the winning team in the football Premiership and is sponsored by the UK's largest electricity supplier, E.on. It was on display as part of E.on's roadshow, but don't ask me what they were promoting, as I haven't got a clue; I was so surprised to see the F.A Cup! The F.A cup competition started in 1871 and had just 15 entries (this year it had 600!) and the final was watched by just 2,000 fans. The first trophy, costing £20, was smaller than the present cup and was stolen in 1895. The F.A Cup shown is the fourth incarnation, it has been played for since 1992, and is an exact replica of the third.

The next time I'll see the F.A Cup is on the telly, at the final, in May!

Cheltenham Nightspots - 3

This nightclub will always be "Time" to me. Thats what it was called until a couple of years ago, when it changed to Moda, and its where I normally ended up on a Friday night. Friday night was the best night - it was Cheese Night (70's, 80's & 90's disco and cheesey songs!) - and I had many a good, and drunken, time with my friends. It used to be held in the ground floor bar and you had to wait upstairs until they opened the doors at 11pm to the downstairs area (oh, the anticipation!). The Cheese Night is now held on the middle floor and just isn't quite the same, I haven't been for a while now as everybody seemed to be getting younger (it could be me getting older I suppose!) and I missed the sticky floor! Since the make over its Cheltenhams largest club, spread over three floors, but its not exactly huge. The owners of Moda are in the planning stage of accquirring the former Odeon Cinema to transform it into the new largest club in town, though the police have objected, so we'll see what happens. I bet this even newer venue won't have sticky floors!

Theme Day - When People Think Of Cheltenham...

...they think of the Gold Cup.

Cheltenham Racecourse holds "The Festival" every March, this year it runs from Tuesday 11th to Friday 14th and will attract 230,000 race-goers over the week. The event culiminates in the Gold Cup which is the most prestigeous race of the season. Winners include Arkell and Best Mate, who have both won several times. Over 5,000 staff are employed to deal with all the punters, and these punters drink their way through 18,000 bottles of bubbly and 214,000 pints of Guinness (we get a lot of Irish visitors!). The Gold Cup Festival is worth over £50 million to Cheltenhams economy and is one of the largest annual sporting events in the country. I am ashamed to say that I've never been to the Racecourse to see any horse racing, but its something that I'd love to do. The atmosphere is apparently electric and I know I'd enjoy a bottle of bubbly too!

Take some time to visit these other Daily Photo Blogs taking part in Theme Day

Portland (OR), USA - Menton, France - Monte Carlo, Monaco - Memphis (Tennessee), USA - Manila, Philippines - San Diego (CA), USA - Anderson (SC), USA - New York City (NY), USA - San Diego (CA), USA - Mexico City, Mexico - San Francisco (CA), USA - Mumbai (Maharashtra), India - Mainz, Germany - Weston (FL), USA - Minneapolis (MN), USA - Turin, Italy - Las Vegas (NV), USA - Hobart (Tasmania), Australia - Bicheno, Australia - Durban, South Africa - Joplin (MO), USA - Nashville (TN), USA - Stockholm, Sweden - Kyoto, Japan - Tokyo, Japan - Brussels, Belgium - Chicago (IL), USA - Montpellier, France - Seattle (WA), USA - Mazatlan, Mexico - Saint Paul (MN), USA - Sharon (CT), USA - Sesimbra, Portugal - Toulouse, France - Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina - Susanville (CA), USA - Maple Ridge (BC), Canada - Saint Louis (MO), USA - Prague, Czech Republic - Helsinki, Finland - Pilisvörösvár, Hungary - Lisbon, Portugal - Mexico (DF), Mexico - Trujillo, Peru - Dunedin (FL), USA - Albuquerque (NM), USA - Port Angeles (WA), USA - Cottage Grove (MN), USA - Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - London, UK - Baziège, France - Jefferson City (MO), USA - Greenville (SC), USA - Selma (AL), USA - Mumbai, India - Naples (FL), USA - Norwich (Norfolk), UK - Silver Spring (MD), USA - Setúbal, Portugal - Stayton (OR), USA - Bellefonte (PA), USA - Sofia, Bulgaria - Arradon, France - Montego Bay, Jamaica - Athens, Greece - Austin (TX), USA - Singapore, Singapore - West Sacramento (CA), USA - Jackson (MS), USA - Wassenaar (ZH), Netherlands - Budapest, Hungary - Rotterdam, Netherlands - St Malo, France - Chandler (AZ), USA - Melbourne, Australia - Port Vila, Vanuatu - Cleveland (OH), USA - Nottingham, UK - Kansas City (MO), USA - The Hague, Netherlands - Crystal Lake (IL), USA - Wrocław, Poland - Chateaubriant, France - Cheltenham, UK - Moscow, Russia - Monrovia (CA), USA - Saigon, Vietnam - Toruń, Poland - Grenoble, France - Lisbon, Portugal - New Orleans (LA), USA - Sydney, Australia - Boston (MA), USA - American Fork (UT), USA - Boston (MA), USA - Montréal (QC), Canada - Wichita (KS), USA - Radonvilliers, France - Buenos Aires, Argentina - Christchurch, New Zealand - Rabaul, Papua New Guinea - Wailea (HI), USA - Aliso Viejo (CA), USA - St Francis, South Africa - Port Elizabeth, South Africa - Seattle (WA), USA - Pasadena (CA), USA - Vienna, Austria - Orlando (FL), USA - Torun, Poland - Delta (CO), USA - Santa Fe (NM), USA - Minneapolis (MN), USA - Haninge, Sweden - Paris, France - Stavanger, Norway - Niamey, Niger - Le Guilvinec, France - Bogor, Indonesia - Saarbrücken, Germany - Auckland, New Zealand - Wellington, New Zealand - Budapest, Hungary - Juneau (AK), USA - Bucaramanga (Santander), Colombia - Glasgow, Scotland - Chicago (IL), USA - Jakarta, Indonesia - Adelaide (SA), Australia - Sydney, Australia - Riga, Latvia - Subang Jaya (Selangor), Malaysia - Terrell (TX), USA - Terrell (TX), USA

Having A Ball

I have just discovered artist Giles Penny while trying to find the creator of this bronze sculpture, Man With Ball, and I really like his style. Giles Penny was born in 1962 in Dorchester, Dorset and studied at various Art Colleges between 1978 and 1984. His website says "His fondest way of working is in relief, which he believes is half way between sculpture and drawing." and his work is, more often than not, in bronze. His drawings, sculpture and relief work all have a humorous and friendly nature, and is accessible to none arty types, like me. The work shown is about 8 feet tall and stands in the entrance to housing development Sheldons Court (off of Winchcombe Street), it was commissioned by Crest Homes in 2000. Giles Penny's work has been used in many different locations including many pieces at the Bodyshop Headquarters, the Atrium Garden at the BBC and at Canary Wharf London.

Check out more of Giles Penny's work here http://www.gilespenny.co.uk/Large20%Sculpture.htm

Snowdrops

After the long winter months the arrival of snowdrops tells you that spring is finally on the way. They are one of the earliest flowering plants of the new year and the colder the weather is, the longer the flowers will last. Snowdrops have specially hardened leaves to push there way up through the frozen ground and snow, although they've had a pretty easy journey upwards this year due to the lack of a "proper winter" here in Cheltenham. I photographed these snowdrops in Pitville Park, under some of the trees. In the background you can make out the Bandstand and part of Pitville Pump Room. More about the Park and Pump Room next week. For now just be pleased that spring has sprung!

Please click on the first photo for a larger version, the detail is fantastic!

Pottering Around The Cathedral

The Citizen newspaper reported yesterday that the crew working on the next Harry Potter film had arrived in Gloucester to prepare for filming, and I immediately thought "photo opportunity!". The magnificent Cloisters at Gloucester Cathedral double up as the corridors of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and are filled with children from the neighbouring King's School. A huge marquee has been erected in the schools grounds to get costume fitting for the 174 pupils taking part underway.

The Cathedral has been used twice before by Warner Brothers, for the filming of The Philosopher's Stone and The Chamber Of Secrets. In the past you haven't been able to get near the place, so I didn't know what to expect when I got there - but it was "access all areas"! Above is the garden that is enclosed by the Cloisters, now its turned over to scaffolding and staging.

There wasn't a great deal of activity at the Cathedral, but these guys were working on protecting the stone floor of the Cloisters in readiness for the camera tracks. Outside there was one security guard, from Movie Lot Security, on his mobile phone, stood in front of two vans. I acted all innocently as I walked by him, I got to the back of the vans (and out of his sight) and I pushed my camera through some security fencing without really looking, getting a snap of what I hoped was film cameras...

...but it turned out to be electric cables! When filming of The Half Blood Prince gets under way properly I'm going to head back to the Cathedral and try to at least take a photo of a camera. Maybe even a wizard or two! Watch this space...

Red Chimneys

All those chimneys and that striking architecture really caught my eye while I was out and about last week. This large and impressive red brick building looks Victorian to me but I'm not sure. All I know is its big! I don't know what its used for or by who, I don't even know what its called. What I do know is that its in Malvern Road and it may be part of the Ladies College, as its near some of their sports facilities, but I don't really know! My standards are slipping. Sorry!

Just have fun counting the chimneys...

Antarctic Explorer

Doctor Edward Wilson was the Cheltenham born explorer and is commemorated with this statue, in the Long Garden in front of the Municipal Offices. He was born in Cheltenham on 23rd July 1872 and from a young age showed an interest in natural history. He studied at Cambridge University for a degree in Zoology, gained in 1894, and then qualified in medicine, also at Cambridge, in 1900. After working abroad he took part in several Arctic explorations, writing up his findings and contributing watercolour illustrations to other peoples works. In 1910 he joined the famous Captain Scott on his National Antarctic Expedition to the South Pole, but tragically both men died in March 1912 on the return journey.

News of Wilsons death reached Cheltenham in February 1913 and a fund was set up to create a memorial to the explorer. The original plan was for two plaques to be hung in the Town Hall but Wilsons widow suggested that as Edward loved the outdoors a more suitable memorial should be erected. The bronze statue shown was modelled by Scotts widow and was unveiled on 9th July 1914 by Arctic explorer Sir Clarence Markham. A display of Wilsons Arctic clothing and kit, as well as some of his artwork, can be found at the Cheltenham Art Gallery and Museum.

The inscription on the plinth of the statue reads - "He died as he lived, A brave true man. The best of comrades and the staunchest of friends."

Cheltenham Nightspots - 2

Continuing my series of bars, pubs and clubs in Cheltenham, this is the 21 Club in Regent Street. As you can see its in the basement, the basement of a wedding dress shop! I am pretty sure the two are not related. I've never been in this club but I guess its quite small inside and, as the sign on the gate says, serves cocktails. I think I'll have to do some research and pay the club a visit. And try some cocktails (for research purposes only).

Pig In Muck

In a field, close to where I work, is this pig. The Pig (a Gloucester Old Spot) is quite lucky because the owners of the patch of land use it for homing rescued farm animals, so who knows where he came from or worse, where he was heading. I've seen this pig for a few weeks now and the other day I decided I'd get a snap. As I lept over the ditch, to get up to the fence, he spotted me and came charging over (pigs move fast, even through thick mud!) grunting and snorting. I grabbed my camera, as I backed away fearing for my own safety (pigs are big!), and started clicking away and this is the only picture I took that wasn't blurred!

Here are 5 facts about pigs :-

1. Pigs have litters of up to 15 piglets
2. Pigs eat up to 5% of their body weight in food a day
3. Pigs have 4 toes on each foot but only walk on 2 of them
4. Pigs have 44 teeth and the canine teeth constantly grow
5. Pigs have a 30 minute orgasm!

Planning Mistake

To me, this building is a result of one of the worst planning decisions ever made by Cheltenham Borough Council. This awful looking development in the Lower High Street is not suited to the Regency style of the town and just brings down the whole of the lower end of town, which suffers enough from a negative image. In 1967 all of the buildings on the North side of the High Street, between Henrietta Street and Bennington Street, were demolished. Those that were destroyed included the Fleece Hotel, the original arched entrance to the Brewery and, worst of all, the Richard Pates Boys Grammar School. The school had stood on the site since the 1500's and the more recent Tudor Gothic style building, dating from 1889, was lost forever. The schools frontage featured castellated roof lines, gargoyles, stone carved windows and steep gables. All of this history and fine architecture was replaced with a white, style-less block (now grey, stained and outdated). Efforts have been made to try to improve this section of town, like the limiting of traffic to buses only and the widening of pavements, but I think the best bet would be to send this structure the same way as the Grammar School et al and start all over again.

How Much Is That Kitty In The Window

Continuing yesterdays theme of banking, I spotted this chap in the window of the HSBC bank, at the junction of the Promenade and the High Street. He is there to promote the banks latest advertising campaign of "greener banking". The T.V adverts show the banks teaming with animals and birds, with employees fighting their way through dense undergrowth while sweating due to tropical conditions. All I found were queues for the ATM's and only two tills open!

A Rock And A Hard Place

At the moment this is the position the British Government find themselves between. I am by no way an expert on financial matters, and find this all a bit confusing, but basically the Government must decide whether or not to nationalise the Northern Rock bank, who are the UK's fifth largest mortgage provider.

Back in September last year the bank was forced to ask the Bank of England for emergency financial support (£25 billion) due to loaning money beyond its means, because of the global credit crunch. This caused savers with Northern Rock to start drawing out there savings, leading to queues outside branches and the companies website crashing. The words "don't panic" by those in charge brought about the first run on a British bank in more than one hundred years.

At present every tax payer in Britain has provided over £2,000 to help the Government keep the bank from declaring itself bankrupt and causing a serious recession. The money lent is now to be repaid in bonds by the bank and its hoped that a private group will buy the bank, Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group is in the running. If this didn't happen and the Government nationalise Northern Rock they would be responsible for some of the mortgages in the country, which is not a position any Government wants to find themselves in.

There's something to be said for keeping your money under your mattress!

For a more detailed timeline of the Northern Rock crisis check out http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7007076.stm

Royal Crescent

Surprisingly Royal Crescent is the back drop to Cheltenhams bus station, the Royal Well. The bus station is a bit of an eyesore in front of the towns earliest Regency terrace to have survived intact. The Crescent was first designed as two blocks of 12 houses, with a road between, by architect Charles Harecourt Masters at the start of the 1800's. Construction started in 1805 and was completed in the early 1820's, the houses first used as lodgings for visitors using the towns Spas. The Crescent is now used mainly as office space with many Solicitors and Doctors surgeries occupying most buildings. In 1998 the over grown trees and shrubs between the bus station and Crescent were removed, revealing the white curved terrace, and replaced with a Beech hedge and Silver Birch trees as a commemoration of Diana, Princess of Wales who died the year before. The ironwork railings and balconies are one of the features of Royal Crescent and are typical of the Regency buildings in Cheltenham.

Protected Antiques

Promenade Antiques is, not surprisingly, on the Promenade in Cheltenham, opposite the Colonnade. This little shop has been there as long as I can remember and mainly sells gold and silver jewellery, watches, and ornaments. People are always stopping to look at all the interesting items in the window, eyeing up the latest shiny trinkets. Last year the shop was in the news as a car full of men pulled up outside, jumped out and tried to smash the window to steal the treasures behind the glass. Luckily for the shop owner (but not the robbers) two shopfitters, working on the refurbishment of a shop opposite, ran over and fought them off. The thieves made off empty handed and the workmen were local heroes, for a day or two at least.

Cheltenham Nightspots - 1

Cheltenham has a relatively small town centre with one of the countries highest number of bars, pubs and clubs in a square mile town centre. This picture starts a series of photos of Cheltenhams nightspots.
The entrance to Boogie Lounge is just a small door tucked in amongst the regency buildings opposite the Town Hall but opens into a large room with a bar and dance floor. Like many of the towns nightspots the name is new but the venue the same. Boogie Lounge has been known as Bohemia and the Fish and Fiddle, that's the last time I went (quite awhile ago), when they used to have an open mic night. The music was always varied and the singing talent different!

Step Back In Time

This clock, with its swinging sixties style, could (to some) look a little outdated, but to me it has a modern retro feel. Its on the front of the department store Cavendish House, situated in the Promenade.
Not surprisingly this shop facade is not the original one, it was built during the modernisation of the shop between 1962-1966, it cost £800,000 and replaced the 1826 art nouveau windowed frontage. The store Clark and Debenham was founded by the same named gents in 1826, and was soon renamed 'Cavendish House Silk Mercery Establishment', a very catchy name for a shop! Over the next century Cavendish House (Cav, as its known locally) expanded along the Prom, buying up neighbouring shops and houses until it had the longest shop front in town, at around 170 feet. The store now has many different departments including menswear, ladies clothes, shoes, electrical, homeware and the inevitable perfume counters. Its pretty much like all department stores worldwide. But not many can boast such a long history and feature an antique clock of the future!

I Spy With My Little Eye...

...something beginning with G.C.H.Q.

This photo is taken from Crickley Hill looking towards the West side of Cheltenham. The big round building, to the right of the middle of the picture, is the Government Communications Headquarters (click on the picture for a larger image). GCHQ carry out intelligence and security work answering to the Foreign Office and working in tandem with MI5 and MI6. The building is known by Cheltonians as 'The Doughnut', as its round and has a hole in the middle! And that hole is large enough to fit the Royal Albert Hall inside.
GCHQ came to Cheltenham in 1952 and occupied two sites, the one shown at Benhall, and one at Oakley, on the other side of town. Many local people say that there was an underground tunnel that linked these two sites, but as GCHQ's work is secret we'll never know. In 1999 it was decided by the government to merge the two sites into one and Benhall was chosen for the new building. The doughnut cost about £330 million with the actual cost, including a 30 year service contract, being £1.2 billion. At the time of construction it was the largest single development in Europe, taking 3 years to complete, with the 6,000 strong workforce moving in September 2003 and completing the move by the summer of 2004.

On the security fence that surrounds the perimeter of GCHQ it clearly says 'No Photography', so this could be as close as you get to photograph the building without being taken in as a threat to national security!

Branching Out

These Beech trees were taken in the woods at Crickley Hill Country Park. The park is on the edge of the Cotswold Hills and over looks the Vale of Gloucester. The park is a mixture of Woodland (natural and man aided), Grassland, and steep Limestone hillside. The park has many trails for walkers and includes a visitors centre and archaeological site. The site has been excavated over the past 25 years and the remains of a hillfort have been revealed, with the fort and related buildings being marked out with coloured posts. To get a better view of this area there is a raised viewing platform with details of what is believed to have once been on Crickley Hill. As well as all this the park is home to around 200 species of wildflower and 34 different types of butterfly. Not bad for a walk around the top of an old hill!

Bargains Galore

We are half way through January and the sales continue apace. In the past January sales used to start on the 2nd of the month, but now they begin on Boxing Day (26th December), and the poor sales assistants are lucky to get Christmas day off. Here in the U.K pre-christmas profits for the nations high streets were up on previous years, even with the expected dip in the economy ahead. Many stores are offering massive discounts to get shoppers to part with their cash, some with 75% off. I don't normally bother with the sales, as all my money goes on Christmas, but this year I had some gift vouchers and picked up some great bargains. So in effect I got more for my money for free!

Now Not Showing

The first film I ever saw at a cinema was here at the Odeon. It was 1982 and it was E.T, I was only small, so I don't remember much about it. My Uncle took me, it was Shrove Tuesday and when I got home I had pancakes. My Uncle likes embarrassing me by telling how I was more interested in the folding seats and the curtains (remember when cinema screens had curtains?) and how I was crying at the end!

The Odeon Cinema closed on the 5th November 2006 after 70 years in business. It was built on the site of the former Highbury Congregational Church in Winchcombe Street, the church was demolished in 1932. The art-deco building was originally called the Gaumont Palace Cinema, then changed to the Odeon a few years later. The cinema had just one large auditorium and hosted many live acts including the Beatles and, in 1964, The Rolling Stones (guitarist Brian Jones was born in Cheltenham). As demand for more films grew the cinema increased its screens to three and then more recently seven, dividing the huge Screen One (where I saw E.T) into three. Cheltenham used to have seven cinemas but over time only the Odeon survived. The main reason for its closure was the success of the Cineworld Multiplex at the Brewery development, it just couldn't compete.

Its sad to see this once great building lying empty and derelict. The site was purchased by Trinity Church for its expanding congregation for £2.5 million, with plans drawn up for redevelopment costing another £2.5 million! As yet nothing has started, though a local night club is now interested in the site.

And I still cry at the end of E.T!

Horsing Around

I don't normally post more photos of previous posts but I had several that I really liked of Neptune's Fountain, so here they are! The photo above shows more detail of Neptune, taken through some of the plants surrounding the fountain. In the background are Jack's Caff and part of the Ladies College. Below is a photo of the four horses around the base of Neptune's shell plinth. I think they represent the crashing waves of the sea, of course I could be completely wrong!

For some of the fountains history see yesterdays post.

Dried Up Neptune

I'm back! It's been a while but now I'm sorted with new computer and, more importantly, new camera so normal service has resumed!

This is Neptune's Fountain, built in 1892-3 to perk up the end of the Prom. At the time a local town guide said "It was installed when Victorian Gothicism was on the wane, with beaux arts influences gaining ground on a lingering neo-mediaevalism." I couldn't agree more! Designed by borough engineer Joeseph Hall, it is based on Rome's Fontana di Trevi. It was carved from Portland stone by local company R.L. Boulton & Sons and water first flowed on 30th October 1893. Over the years the fountain has under gone numerous running repairs including new balustrade and urns. Most noticeable was the lack of Neptune's right arm, which was missing for several years until a replacement was installed. The day I took the photo the water, as you can see, was off. I'll post a photo in the summer when its in full flow.
_

Theme Day - Best Photo Of The Year

First things first - Happy New Year!!! I hope 2008 is a good year for you and you achieve all you want!

As I haven't been posting for long I didn't have loads of photos to choose from, so I decided on this one. Its only from December, but I thought it was a good one with some fun and humour! Its taken from the window display of clothes shop White Stuff in the Prom. I love the drunk gingerbread man staggering home in his pants, complete with traffic cone on his head! Best of all is his gingerbread wife, waiting with a rolling pin to give him what for!

Due to a busted laptop I probably won't be posting for the rest of the week while I await the arrival of a new one, but I'll be back with brilliant photos from my new fantastic camera!

Check out the links below to see other photos from blogs all over the world taking part in theme day.

Paris, France - London, England - Hyde, UK - West Sacramento (CA), USA - Grenoble, France - Stockholm, Sweden - Riga, Latvia - Saint Paul (MN), USA - Manila, Philippines - Silver Spring (MD), USA - Weston (FL), USA - Prague, Czech Republic - New Orleans (LA), USA - Wichita (KS), USA - Cleveland (OH), USA - San Francisco (CA), USA - Hobart (Tasmania), Australia - Greenville (SC), USA - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Menton, France - Monte Carlo, Monaco - Mainz, Germany - Melbourne, Australia - Portland (OR), USA - Albuquerque (NM), USA - Wassenaar (ZH), Netherlands - Kyoto, Japan - Tokyo, Japan - Toulouse, France - Naples (FL), USA - Jakarta, Indonesia - Brussels, Belgium - Stayton (OR), USA - Selma (AL), USA - Mexico City, Mexico - Ocean Township (NJ), USA - Minneapolis (MN), USA - Port Angeles (WA), USA - Toruń, Poland - Fort Lauderdale (FL), USA - Budapest, Hungary - Baziège, France - Nashville (TN), USA - Saint Louis (MO), USA - http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=" target="_new">Cottage Grove (MN), USA - Chicago (IL), USA - Prescott (AZ), USA - Bellefonte (PA), USA - Nottingham, UK - Miami (FL), USA - Philadelphia (PA), USA - Evry, France - Trujillo, Peru - Arlington (VA), USA - Denpasar, Indonesia - American Fork (UT), USA - Seattle (WA), USA - Chandler (AZ), USA - Coral Gables (FL), USA - Montpellier, France - Joplin (MO), USA - Pilisvörösvár, Hungary - Crystal Lake (IL), USA - Bucaramanga (Santander), Colombia - Boston (MA), USA - Torun, Poland - New York City (NY), USA - Dunedin (FL), USA - Quincy (MA), USA - Stavanger, Norway - Chateaubriant, France - Maple Ridge (BC), Canada - Jackson (MS), USA - Wailea (HI), USA - Port Elizabeth, South Africa - Budapest, Hungary - Austin (TX), USA - Montréal (QC), Canada - Cypress (TX), USA - Bicheno, Australia - Wrocław, Poland - Brookville (OH), USA - Minneapolis (MN), USA - Nelson, New Zealand - Cheltenham, UK - Wellington, New Zealand - Rabaul, Papua New Guinea - Mumbai (Maharashtra), India - London, UK - Haninge, Sweden - Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation - Arradon, France - Jefferson City (MO), USA - Orlando (FL), USA - Mumbai, India - Terrell (TX), USA - Bogor, Indonesia - Delta (CO), USA - Radonvilliers, France - Saigon, Vietnam - San Diego (CA), USA - Adelaide (SA), Australia - Belgrade, Serbia - Auckland, New Zealand - Seguin (TX), USA - Inverness (IL), USA - Oslo, Norway - Singapore, Singapore