Nicks` Cabinet of Curios

My own attempts to get a useable picture of Wilford Gazebo have not worked out, so this time I`m using a picture taken by Jonathan Thacker which I found on Geograph. The Gazebo was built as a summerhouse for writer Henry Kirke White but came to have a slightly grisly alternative use as for a time the basement was used as a mortuary for those who had drowned in the Trent ! Once again, a building which others find too plain but which I rather like !

Another day, another dinosaur. This one can be found in the grounds of Dudley Zoo.

The British Waterways Building, adjacent to the Nottingham/Beeston Canal. Formerly the warehouse of the Trent Navigation Company, I believe it may now have been turned into apartments.  

Severn`s Building is a medieval merchant`s house located near Nottingham Castle. Originally it stood near the Middle Pavement area but was dismantled and rebuilt when the Broadmarsh Shopping Centre was built. There had been later additions to the building but only the original medieval structure was saved. If you`re interested, the Picture the Past site has a picture of it in it`s original location. I must admit I personally don`t find it an attractive building, but certainly it has historical interest. Should you be interested, it takes it`s name from John and James Severn who used it as the base for a wine importing business in the 1700s. As far as I know it is currently standing empty.  .

I took this pic of Ripley Hippodrome on a visit there two or three weeks ago. Some say it`s an original 1913 building, others say it`s actually a 1920 building that incorporates parts of a building dating from 1913. Still others say it has too much of a plain brick appearance to be really distinctive. I have no idea how old it is but I do know I like it. I gather it was under threat of demolition a couple of years ago but has since been reprieved. Unfortunately, it`s been standing empty for a while and it`s future must be uncertain.

Eugene, Sydney and Eddy ; `Wheel and Jig` Revisited In my last post we looked at the song `Wheel and Jig`. How it had appeared twice in 1974, once on a single credited to The Viceroys, and again on an LP, credited this time to Winston Groovy and The Pioneers. But there was to be one more appearance for this tune, albeit in altered form. The same year, Attack Records, a subsidiary of Trojan, released a single credited to Boy Wonder - All on the House/Cold Blood. Once again, Sydney Crooks of The Pioneers was credited as producer.  The `A` side is an agreeable enough slice of `70s pop/reggae, written and performed by Eugene Paul, an Antiguan-born singer who is still active in music today. The flipside is a track called Cold Blood, with the songwriting credit going to S Crooks/E Grant - obviously Sydney and Eddy respectively.    Singles produced by Sydney during this period often played host to pretty nifty instrumentals on the `b` side, and thi...

The Viceroys ? - Wheel and Jig - Harry J - 1974 Vinyl reggae single. With it`s tinkly piano motif and oddly dated words, `Wheel and Jig` is a quirky gem of a reggae single. But n othing is quite what it seems with this disc.  The track is credited to The Viceroys, A Jamaican vocal trio noted for their smooth harmonies and philosophical lyrics.  The songwriting credit, however, goes to Crooks/Agard/Robinson, the members of the most successful line-up of The Pioneers, and the production credit goes to Pioneers founder Sydney Crooks. It doesn`t sound like the Viceroys and the chorus backing vocals do sound a lot like The Pioneers.  This has led some collectors to regard this as an unacknowledged Pioneers outing.  In fact, this track also appeared elsewhere the same year. Check out the LP `Presenting Winston Groovy` and you find exactly the same recording on Side Two, credited to Winston Groovy and The Pioneers. Like the single this album was produced by...

This is a picture Mrs Nick took of  an old railway bridge on the edge of Straws` Bridge Nature Reserve, which is often referred to by it`s local nickname Swan Lake. The bridge leads from the main lake to two smaller ones nearby. The bridge that gives the reserve it`s name no longer exists, but was a bridge over the Nutbrook Canal.

Having mentioned the English Civil War in my previous post, that reminded me I`ve never posted this.  I`ll leave it to others to discuss the rights and wrongs of the life of Henry Ireton and just tell you that I noticed this plaque on the outer wall of a private house near Attenborough Nature Reserve, Nottinghamshire.  

The Non-Conformist Chapel at Heanor Cemetery aka Marlpool Cemetery is a particular favourite building of mine.  As I understand it, the term Non-Conformist was originally used for Protestants who did not `conform` to the edicts of the Church of England. You might think of them as wishing to remain independent of the state, with the Co of E standing for a "Church and State philosophy". Another group, similar in aims, also came to be referred to as Non-Conformists though in their time they were known as `Dissenters`. That`s literally all I know about the matter, except for the more general observation that the `dissenting` of these and similar groups was important in the run-up to the English Civil War. Presumably these groups were active in the area. There is still a `Free Church` in Heanor and apparently there was a Dissenters burial ground in Kirk Hallam, which is now a field.  Originally the Chapel had a steeple. I don`t know what happened to i...

This splendid-looking fellow is one of two stone lions given to Highfield Park, Nottingham by it`s sister city of Ningbo, China. I understand that a statue of Robin Hood was donated by Nottingham in return.  I`m pleased with the way this photo turned out, I like the juxtaposition (is that the word I`m looking for ?) between the  obviously oriental statue and the recognisable English trees in the background. I`d like to say I planned it that way, but in truth it just turned out that way.