Loose_Grip/Pete's photos with the keyword: heritage

HBM to everyone. Have a great start to the new week. English Heritage are the custodians of the semi-ruined Elizabethan Kirby Hall near Corby although the building and gardens are still owned by the Earl of Winchilsea. Wiki tells us:- One of the great Elizabethan houses of England, Kirby Hall was built for Sir Humphrey Stafford of Blatherwick. In 1575, Sir Christopher Hatton of Holdenby purchased the property, Hatton was Lord Chancellor to Queen Elizabeth I. It is a leading and early example of the Elizabethan prodigy house. Built as an Elizabethan country house in 1570, based on the designs in French architectural pattern books it was expanded in the Classical style over the course of the following decades. Abandoned in the 1880s the house is now in a semi-ruined state with many parts roof-less although the Great Hall and state rooms remain intact. The gardens, with their elaborate "cutwork" design, complete with statues and urns, have been recently restored.

Back at Loughborough after our two trips we were relieved by the afternoon crew and after helping Ron take water at the tank I grabbed this shot of Ivatt 2MT 2-6-0 46521 running round to platform 1 prior to taking out the 12.50 train to Leicester. HFF And enjoy your weekend, hopefully not blown away by the storms passing through.

We have seen the building on the skyline & driven past the brown signs on the M1 many times but finally we turned off and visited Bolsover Castle . It was well worth it for the views alone. Built in the early 17th century, the present castle lies on the earthworks and ruins of the 12th-century medieval castle; the first structure of the present castle was built between 1612 and 1617 by Sir Charles Cavendish. The site is now in the care of the English Heritage charity and open to the public. HFF & have a great weekend.

Bluebell Railway footbridge.

French steam SNCF 141-TD-740 on a special passenger train at Meymac station. 141-TD-740 was built in 1932 by la Compagnie des Chemins de Fer de l'Est for suburban services in Paris. It was later transferred to the Western Region & worked out of Gare Saint-Lazare until electrification in 1967. Withdrawn from SNCF in 1968 it was chosen for preservation at the Mulhouse Railway Museum but after languishing for 14 years out in the open it was deemed irreparable and was sold. C.F.T.L.P., Chemin de Fer Touristique Limousin - Périgord, purchased the engine in 1982 and it was restored to working order. It was classified as a "monuments historiques au titre de la préservation du patrimoine industriel" by ministerial decree in 1987. The CFTLP still run special trains in SW France the next being 23rd/24th June - see: www.trainvapeur.com/programmes/programme.htm for details.

Bolton steam shed, Stanier 8F 48652, 8th June 1968. The engine is fitted with a small buffer beam snow plough. Two Drewry diesel shunters including D2234 alongside. The signals on the far left are on the Manchester to Bolton line.

Fire & mash cans on the footplate of LMS Black 5 4-6-0 45305 . I think this shot sums up the footplate experience. The contrast of darkness & light. Elemental: Earth, fire & water. And tea...

GCR Loughborough shed. LNER O4 2-8-0 63601 footplate from the tender while getting steam up. I am trimming the coal forward before going off shed to pull our service train. The cab layout is simplicity itself & the engine steams on a candle. An excellent engine in many ways but perhaps not first choice for cold, wet winter days. Then again in 1912 when the locomotive was built designers didn't really care too much about the welfare of crews. Note the sheet in the tender - hooked onto the cab roof it's our only protection against the weather when running tender-first. She will be running her last trains for a while this coming weekend, 23rd-24th June 2012, as her boiler certificate runs out then. She did make it to 100 years old in steam though so come to the GCR to ride her for one last time.

GNR Gresley 1744 & Br Standard 2 78019

Bob squeezes out of the firebox of Jinty 47406

Bob inside the firebox of Jinty 47406

British Railways Standard 5 Caprotti 73129

British Railways Standard 5 Caprotti 73129

BR Standard 2 78019, British Railways Standard 5 Caprotti 73129 and LMS 8F 48624.

Lighting up GNR Gresley 1744.

Nigel in the cab of Southern Battle of Britain Bulleid Pacific 34070 Manston.

Southern Battle of Britain Bulleid Pacific 34070 Manston

LMS 8F 48624 & Southern King Arthur 777 Sir Lamiel.