North Eastern Railway Goods Shed, 1913

Moved and rebuilt brick by brick from Rowley Station to Beamish, this is a typical North Eastern Railway Goods Shed, recreating how it would have looked in 1913. Most UK railway stations had a goods shed - large cities would have had enormous houses, but most stations serving towns would have had something like this, with one railway line running through it for wagons or vans to be unloaded and loaded sheltered from the weather, usually with a platform inside or outside and a small crane to help with heavy or awkwardly shaped objects (This example has a platform inside and outside, and a crane inside and outside too). From the goods shed, onward transport would be made by a horse drawn vehicle, or more increasingly in the Edwaridan era, a petrol or steam lorry. Nowadays, goods sheds are a thing of the past, as any railway freight is dealt with in large yards, and the vast majority of goods sheds have been demolished, however some have survived either on preserved railways or converted to other uses

Sunlight Soap Advert

MMC Motor Car, 1903

Seen at the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run Concourse Event on Regent Street, London, in November 2007

Golders Green London Underground Poster, 1912

This poster extols the virtues of Golders Green Station by showing the journey times and train frequencies into central London in 1912 since the opening of the station in 1907 - the early London Underground companies were often encouraging people to move to the suburbs, where they could travel via the companies into London for work. I used to live at the end of the Northern Line and travel through Golders Green often - it's one of my favourite stations, as on my trips into central London it was the last open air station before going underground, and so on the way back home would be my first gasp of 'fresh' (well, fresher than that in central London and underground) air when the doors opened. It also still shows it's Edwardian origins despite modernisation, especially the original roof supports

Maudslay 32hp Tourer, 1910

1910 Maudslay advert

Maudslay were a manufacturer of large, expensive motor cars in the Edwardian era, and this 1910 built 32hp Tourer is a perfect example of the cars they were producing. The Maudslay radiator style is very distinctive, in a time when the radiator style was the most distinguishing feature between various car manufacturers. Maudslay had their own special type of engine - the 'Maudslay Patent Overhead Hinged Camshaft and Valve Gear', meaning that the top part of the engine hinges back to give easy access to the engine parts can be repaired or replaced easily, without taking the whole engine out or disassembling the car.

To give an idea of the cost of this car when new, the basic product, meaning the chassis, wheels, radiator, engine and other basic but vital parts was £875. Once you include the body, lights and other parts to make it complete as a useable motor car, it goes up to around £2000 - in 1910, the average annual wage for a skilled engineer was around £125. This Maudslay is now on display in the Coventry Transport Museum

Watch 'Mary Jane's Mishap', 1903

Marshall Road Traction Engine, 1915

This small Traction Engine was built by Marshall & Co Ltd of Gainsborough, Lincolnshire in 1915. Traction engines are mainly associated with farm work or for use with circuses or steam rollers, and therefore as large machines, however as can be seen this Marshall is fairly small - it is a traction engine used for hauling trailers and also known as a road locomotive, the forerunner of the modern lorry, and were a common rode of self-propelled road transport in the late Victorian and Edwardian era. When built, this example worked for P&W Anderson of Glasgow, but in 1947 was preserved by a Mr Ian Fraser. He nicknamed the engine 'Jingling Geordie', and used it as most people use a motor car, driving it into town on errands etc. In 1976 it was donated to Leicestershire Museums, but unfortunately nowadays it isn't on public display - it was on a rare outing, on static display, at a transport event Snibston Discovery Park in May 2011

Historic York, 1909

Railway companies opened up the country for the public to be able to holiday - just as airlines allow people to fly to other countries today, railways allowed people to travel to other cities and towns etc to experience something new. Seaside towns such as Whitby, Sheringham, Southend, Brighton etc etc all experienced a huge rise in tourism with the come of the railways, and travelling to historic towns and cities was also popular and encouraged by the railway companies that served them. This poster, issued by the North Eastern Railway in 1909, advertised York which has a very strong history and many historical sights. It was also the location of the headquarters of the North Eastern Railway and York has a large Victorian railway station with grand glazed roof which curves with the course of the railway, and is a marvel to see in itself

Mercedes Rennwagen Grand Prix Car, 1913

For the 1913 French Grand Prix, the German motor manufacturer Mercedes entered a new car, with a distinctive V shaped radiator. As you are probably aware, France and Germany have never had particularly close ties, and so instead of calling it the Mercedes Grand Prix, called it the Rennwagen, which I believe is German for 'racing car'. This is a reconstruction based on original parts, and seen at the Vintage Sports Car Club's Mallory Park race meeting in August 2011

Charing Cross Underground Station, 1914

This model shows the 1914 design for Charing Cross Underground Station, designed by Harry Ford for the District Railway.

'Desperate Poaching Affray', 1903

This is the most violent film of the early cinema period, in the modern day it would be be termed as a 'shoot em up'. The chase theme was a very popular one in early cinema, and this is no exception. This was one of the most succesful early films, earning it's maker, Haggar and Sons, who travelled around fairgrounds in Wales and western England with a travelling tent cinematograph show, a good reputation.

The film starts showing two poachers realising they've been seen, and throwing their net down and hiding in the bushes. Gamekeepers and Policemen appear, but take the wrong route, giving the two poachers a chance to escape. They are then noticed and a chase starts.

The next shot shows the poachers running down a hill, now armed (it's not clear where they got the weapons from). When they get close to the camera, they turn and open fire on the chasers.

At the edge of the wood they are caught, and subdue two men, and fight off some more, as well as Policemen, still remaining armed. They run down a lane, stop, turn and fire, hitting and presumably killing two of the gamekeepers.

The poachers then come to a river. One is involved in a dramatic fight with a Policeman, and then the shot turns to another part of the river, and after being met on both sides by Policemen, gamekeepers and presumably others who have joined in the chase, the men are caught

The film is available on the British Film Institutes' 'Early Cinema - Primitives and Pioneers' DVD

Daimler CC Motor Bus, 1913

Often seen carrying passengers around at the Beamish Open Air Museum, this motor omnibus is a very accurate replica of a 1913 Daimler CC Motor Bus as used by the Northern General bus company. This replica was built in the 1980's based on drawings of the original vehicle. The only inaccuracy which shows that it is a replica is the more modern wheels and pneumatic tyres, a concession to comfort and also to avoid damage to the bus through frequent use (the bus frequently carries large numbers of passengers and Beamish has a lot of cobbles which would make it rather uncomfortable on solid tyres - accurate, but probably not appreciated by most of the passengers!), however when the replica was built it was fitted with metal spoked wheels and solid rubber tyres, which can be refitted if needed for filmwork etc. The accuracy even goes so far as the pedals - the accelerator is in the middle, between the clutch and brake, rather than on the right in the traditional position

Whitby Swing Bridge, 1909

For those who haven't been, Whitby is a town on the north Yorkshire coast which still retains a large amount of Victorian character. The mid-Victorian railway station still retains it's Edwardian tiled railway map (to be featured in another post) and is still served by a steam railway, the North Yorkshire Moors Railway (as well as a 'normal' service using diesel trains). Whitby is also well known for the fact that Bram Stoker wrote 'Dracula' whilst in Whitby, and there is a dedicated Dracula museum and a Whitby Goth Festival every year. There is also a wonderful RNLI Lifeboat museum housing a 1919 Lifeboat, a 1930's Lifeboat that gives trips in the summer season, and on my visit a 1909 Lifeboat which was one of the six Lifeboats that was involved in the launch to the SS Rohilla Hospital Ship that ran aground in 1914 was on display in the car park (again, a post will follow on this)

The bridge which connects the eastern and western sides of Whitby together is itself very historical - it was commissioned in 1906 by Whitby Urban District Council to replace the 1835 built swing bridge. The 1835 bridge gave a width clearance of just 45 feet when opened, which was creating problems for the upriver ship building industry on the River Esk which was building larger and larger ships. It was built with a width of 100 feet between the centre of the two piers, giving a width clearance of 70 feet, and was built by Heenan and Froude of Manchester, who also built the Blackpool Tower. Aside from the width specification, it was also a requirement that the bridge be able to 'carry a traction engine weighting 15 tons'.

The previous 1835 swing bridge was originally opened by manned winches and later water driven engines, however this new bridge was powered by electric motors controlled by men in the small building seen on the western side of the bridge. The bridge has changed little in the 102 years since it opened in August 1909, aside from the fact that it was originally paved with wooden blocks and is now tarmacked. The bridge is still in working order, and opened at regular times at high tide, although unfortunately I missed it being opened on my visit

Coles Steam Crane, 1917

Railway steam crane built in 1917 by Coles, the famous Crane manufacturer, in Derby. This is thought to be the oldest Coles steam crane still in existence, spending it's life working for the Port of Bristol Authority at Avonmouth, and was then purchased by Coles, renovated to working order and put on display at Beamish

North Eastern Railway Memorial

Today is the 11th November, which means Remembrance Day. It marks the 11th November 1918, when the fighting on the western front, and the Great War as a whole, came to a stop at 11am, and a two minute silence is held every year to remember those who died, not just in the Great War but British servicemen and women that died in the line of duty subsequently. The war didn't officially finish until 1919, but 11th November 1918 is regarded as armistice day and is when the war itself stopped.

Built in 1923 by Sir Edward Lutyens who built the Cenotaph in Whitehall, London, this memorial was commissioned by the North Eastern Railway to commemorate the 2,236 men from the North Eastern Railway that lost their lives during the Great War

'IN ABIDING REMEMBRANCE OF THE 2236 MEN OF THE NORTH EASTERN RAILWAY WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR THIS COUNTRY IN THE GREAT WAR THE COMPANY PLACES THIS MONUMENT'

As the names are faded on the original memorial, new plaques to record all 2,236 names more clearly have been put up on the side of the memorial

The Memorial, and in the background the 1906 built North Eastern Railway Head Office

Motor Fire Tender, 1912

This Dennis fire engine, powered by a 60hp petrol engine, was bought by the Great Western Railway for use at their Works in Swindon, Wiltshire in 1912 to protect the GWR's vast workshops, factories and other property in the area against fire (Swindon went from a small town to a very large one thanks to the Great Western Railway creating it's headquarters and factories there). It was the main fire engine for the Swindon Works until 1942 when it was replaced by a new fire engine, again made by Dennis. It was later acquired by the National Railway Museum and was on display at their York museum for many years, however in 2008 the 1912 Dennis returned to its former home at Swindon and is now on display at STEAM, the museum of the Great Western Railway. For more information on the vehicle, and some period images, see this news article from December 29 2008

Edwardian Racing Cars

A number of Edwardian racing cars in the paddock before the Vintage Sports Car Club's annual Edwardian car race at Mallory Park, Leicestershire in August 2011. Photographs of the cars participating will appear on the blog over the coming months (i'll try and average it out around two a month - and there's enough cars to keep me going for around six months)

Edwardian Street Scene

View of the 1913 Beamish Town, with Sunderland Tram Number 16, taken on my 1913 model Kodak No 2 Autographic Camera

London to Brighton Veteran Car Run Tomorrow

For those not already aware, the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run, an annual tradition which sees hundreds of cars built in 1904 or earlier take to the roads to drive from London's Hyde Park to the Brighton sea front, is on tomorrow, November 6th. My reccomendation would be to get to Hyde Park for the very early start, then get to London Bridge or another London station for a train down to Brighton to see them arrive - if you time it right, you may be able to see the last one leave Hyde Park and get to Brighton in time for the first one to arrive!

http://www.veterancarrun.com

It's a fantastic event, and if you attend you certainly won't see as many Edwardian cars in one place anywhere else. Many participants dress in Edwardian/late Victorian clothing which further adds to the atmosphere

Leyland Motor Bus, 1913

Built in 1913 for the Wellingborough Bus Company, this is a typical Leyland double deck motor bus of the late Edwardian era. This is one of the Mike Sutcliffe collection of early Leyland busses, seen at the Crich Tramway Museum's Edwardian Weekend in June 2008

Zam-Buk advert, 1907

1907 advert for Zam-Buk. Zam-Buk is now available again, see http://www.zam-buk.com

Star Tourer, 1910

This handsome Star Tourer, from 1910, was photographed by myself at the May 2011 Royal Flying Corps Stow Maries Aerodrome open day

Fat Man on a Bicycle, 1914

Uploaded by the British Film Institute to Youtube, the description is as follows;

This short film - also known as 'W-H-O-R-K a la Pimple' - follows the
pattern of previous entries featuring Fred Evans' 'Pimple' character, with a
simple set-up (in this case, Pimple teaching a fat man how to ride a bike)
followed by a series of incidents in which they crash into innocent bystanders
and tradespeople before they are stopped and retribution is exacted. This
usually involves some kind of physical punishment, much in the way of comic
strip characters being whacked for some misdemeanour.

The deliberate misspelling of W-H-ORK, with the extra 'h', is a feature that crops up in Pimple films occasionally, although the reason is obscure. (Bryony Dixon)

You can watch 1000
other complete films and TV programmes from the BFI National Archive free of
charge at the new BFI Mediatheque - http://www.bfi.org.uk/mediatheque