Phoenix

Posted on October 31, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Bird, Children's programme, Drawing, Fire, Fun, History, Mythological, Phoenix, TVLeave a comment

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I drew this a couple of years ago. I was trying to find something magical but not the usual Halloween images of pumpkins or spiders webs. The story of the phoenix rebirth from fire is quite ancient. There was a children’s programme in the 1970’s that had a phoenix at the heart of it. I remember it being quite badly done because it was before CGI, but I think I enjoyed it. Perhaps it was on at Sunday tea time? It was in the era before children got their own TV channels. I don’t remember much more about it.

Tiles

Posted on October 25, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Design, Flooring, History, Minton, Minton tiles, Stoke-on-Trent City archivesLeave a comment

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Ceramic tiles, made by Minton tiles. In St Thomases Church in Penkhull. Simple, classic designs. Used in conjunction with plain tiles in geometric patterns. They may be simple but they are quite sort after. Many terraced houses had their entry halls, as you came in through the front door, decorated with these tiles. A lot have been dug up because often the houses were not built on proper foundations. To be replaced by poured concrete flooring. Minton tiles are now sought after by people buying terraced houses. More details of Minton tile designs can be found in Stoke-on-Trent City library archives.

Wall at Spode

Posted on September 30, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Bricks, China Halls, Colour, History, Photos, Spode, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trentLeave a comment

This is a wall in the China halls in Spode. Water has got in and damp is creeping up the wall. The fire extinguisher and bracket is long gone but the signs remain. I love the red and green contrasting colours, and it’s clear where the wall has been rebuilt or pointed and the scars of its life, like scars on a face. The dereliction is like an aging body, cracking and damaged.

I love flaking paint, brickwork and seeing the history written in the structure. I love taking photos of it and trying to paint it.

A subject to paint

Posted on September 29, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Art, Design, Green man, History, Life, Old, PaintingLeave a comment

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I was looking for an image to paint yesterday and found the oldest green man that has been found. I think it’s French, or what became France, as it said it was 1st or 2nd century. I painted it yesterday and it was in the craft fair although it didn’t sell. I think I will do a bit more work on it…. IMG_20190928_222312_697 why? Because I think I’ve made it too green. Which is strange as its a green man….

Thank you Martha❤️

Posted on September 18, 2019September 18, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged A baby duck listens to thunder, Biography, Book, China, History, I am a writer yes I am, Interesting, Life, Martha Kennedy, Teaching English as a foreign language, WordPress, World5 Comments

Look what’s arrived! The new book by Martha Kennedy. All the way from the states. I can’t tell you how excited I am to read it. Its about her life teaching English at South China Teacher’s University in Guangzhou in 82/83.

I’ve been reading excerpts from it in her blog, ‘I am a writer, yes I am’ on WordPress and I’m really looking forward to it. (If I can get it back of my hubby who just snaffled it!)

Scenery

Posted on July 20, 2019July 20, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Celts, History, Ice age, Penkhull, Penkhull mystery play, Pottery, Riot, Romans, Staffordshire, Victorians, VillageLeave a comment

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This is a papier mache hill I made out of willow withies covered in newspaper and glue. The idea was to depict the last ice age. I painted a couple of wolves in the distance. This was another mystery play a few years ago. Set in the area which then became Penkhull. It was about the way the village evolved and the town surrounding it. I don’t remember much about the play except it had Romans and Celts in it, then victorians and a riot. We seem to riot a lot in the plays!

I wonder what we will be doing next year.

Gran

Posted on June 2, 2019June 3, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Chimney, Chimney fire, Family, Gran, Hens, History, Life, Memories, Terraced house4 Comments

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It’s 23 years since she died and I still miss her. I miss the visits with my mother to see her. She had an open fire in her living room and when I was little I used to make spills of rolled up newspaper to light the fire with. I think my grandad used to use them to light his pipe. Infront of the fire was a big peg rug, made of pieces of rag cut into thin strips and pushed through a hessian sack backing. The chimney caught fire once because gran had put a board across it to draw the air in. The fire caught the soot in the chimney. The fire brigade arrived.

At one stage I remember the kitchen had a tin bath on a ledge at the end of the kitchen. They must have had it infront of the fire. The other downstairs room in the house was the front parlour. It had a big heavy suite in it and an aspedistera in a pot on a stand. The parlour was only ever used for formal occasions. I think I remember dusting it for gran sometimes.

At the back of the house was an alleyway but it was only narrow and beyond that was the gate into the back garden. Gran and grandad used to keep hens.

Once you start remembering it’s funny what comes back.

War horse

Posted on April 4, 2019April 4, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged 1st world war, Entertae, History, Horse, Joey, Life, Play, Puppets, Regent Theatre, Theatre, War, War horse4 Comments

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I don’t have any photos but I did a quick sketch from my memory of the horse in Warhorse that I went to see tonight.

The play starts with a puppet foal which is quite small. The story shows him being bought and then brought up on a farm in England in 1914. Suddenly the foal becomes a fully grown horse. He is sent along with thousands or possibly millions of horses across to be part of the cavalry in the First World War.

The story charts what happened to him and also his owner who enlists so he can find him.

The horses in the play are depicted by puppets which contain two puppeteers inside them and one moving the head and neck. In scenes where he is galloping extra puppeteers move the four feet. The horses move in realistic ways, flicking it’s ears, moving it’s tail. Rearing and bucking.

There are sections of horrific violence but through it all there is a strong streak of humanity. There are good and bad on both sides. I found myself enthralled The play seemed to fly by.

I need to mention the other puppets, the goose, swallows flying on the wing, and a first World War tank that were so well used to depict reality. You forgot there were puppeteers, you just saw the things they were meant to represent. If you get a chance to see it, its worth it.

Timothy Trow

Posted on March 8, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Anniversary, Canal, History, Life, Local hero, London road, Newcastle canal, Shelton, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trentLeave a comment

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Sorry for the blurry photo. This is the memorial to a man called Timothy Trow.

I’d known about this for a few years but got a leaflet today and it explained he was a local hero 125 years ago.

Timothy Trow was from neighbouring area of Shelton. He was a conductor on a tram that ran along London Road in Stoke. When the tram reached the West End area of Stoke, at a spot near James Street, he saw a young girl who had fallen in the canal. She was later identified as Jane Ridgeway. He jumped into the Newcastle Canal and rescued her but he then got cramp and despite people trying to rescue him he drowned. All of this happened on 13 April 1894.

There is a memorial stone in recognition of his courage. In recent years our local Councillor has encouraged an annual commemoration. The local West End Methodist Church and local people have turned it into an annual event. One of my friends actually wrote a song to commemorate his bravery and a couple of years ago we walked along the course of the canal (which has since been filled in) and my friend sang the song next to the memorial stone.

Classy lighting

Posted on March 4, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Chandelier, Guildhall, History, Lamps, Life, Newcastle-under-Lyme, VolunteersLeave a comment

Having taken a photo of an old gas lamp in Rhyl last year, I came across these today.

The lamps seem to have almost the same design as the lamp in Rhyl. But these are in much better condition because they were protected inside the Guildhall in Newcastle-under-Lyme and seem to have recently been restored.

Each lamp sits at the bottom of a sweeping curved staircase that splits at the top and comes down on either side of an almost circular lobby. Above the upright lamps hangs a formidable, eight branched chandelier with curving arms. Both the lamps and chandelier are lit with electric light bulbs. But looking at them they appear to have had gas mantles in the past.

Presently the guildhall at the ironmarket in Newcastle-under-Lyme is being run by volunteers. They are holding a cake making competition on Saturday 9 March 2019 for the finish of the fair trade fortnight. They are always looking for new volunteers.

As a bit of extra information apparently the hall was once used for grand ballroom dances. With stairs and lamps like this I’m sure it’s true.

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: History