Aston Hall Aston in Birmingham December 2009

Aston Hall Aston in Birmingham December 2009

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www.flickr.com by my name Liz Callan

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An extravagant Jacobean stately home built for Sit Thomas Holte.

Aston Hall was the largest house built in Warwickshire at the time of the great rebuilding and on of the last such to be built in England.

Building started in 1618 and the hall was more or less completed by 1635. 

It is now a city museum and well worth a visit. The council do a lot for the house open days and special evenings. Especially over the Christmas period. Ghost walks and such. There is a photograph not by me that had a young girl on the staircase inside. 

Sir Thomas stood for the royalist cause during the English civil war. In 1642 King Charles I and his army, en route for London, arrived at Aston to spend a night their on the 18th October at his country home.

http://www.bmag.org.uk/aston-hall  

I thought for a change I would download some of my old work, when I was just really starting to take photographs seriously. 

Birmingham was the town where I was born and my family came from. My family all were born and lived near areas of Aston in Small Heath Birmingham.

I was born in Kingston Road, Small Heath about 200 yards from my football team Birmingham City. Their soccer or football ground as we call it, is called St Andrew's. I went to St Andrew's infants and junior school off St Andrews road and the to Tilton Senior Girls school. So I had to support my local team.

Football mad but cannot get to see them as much as I would like.  So am what we would call here a Blue nose and a Brummie. Because we have the other football rivals Aston Villa.  Aston Villa football ground in yards away from Aston Hall.

They say we have one of the worst accents in the country, but we are what we are. I have worked in sales of some kind, every working day since leaving school.  So my accent is recognizable and people know it is me.  

Both of the areas around the football stadiums have need of investment. Which is starting to be done.

Birmingham City Centre is really worth a visit. Famous as having more canals than Venice.  Famous historical buildings mixed with the new. Amazing new city centre shopping and railway station. 

Aston area is highlighted by the red dot - Aston Park is part of the grounds that houses Aston Hall. So you can see it was a big property. Even now. The above map is the very bottom of this map A45 road. 

Brugge City Centre Belgium 120813

Brugge City Centre Belgium 120813

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So many horse drawn carriages where going around the town centre.

Such a fabulous place to visit. 

Brugge has most of its medival architectural intact. 
The historic centre of Brugge has been a UNESCO
World Heritage Site since 2000

See the other photographs on my Flickr account 

In the last half of the 19th century, Brugge became one of the world's first tourist destinations attracting wealthy British and French tourists. 

Brugges received its city charter on July 27th 1128 and new walls and canals were built. Since about 1050 gradual silting had caused the city to lose its direct access to the sea. A storm in 1134 however re-established this access, through the creation of a natural channel at the Zwim. The new sea arm stretched all the way to Damme, a city that became the commercial outpost for Brugge. 

The chocolate below caused a jam from people taking a photograph.

I wonder why?????

Doxey Marshes Owl Buzzard Kestrel shoot Staffordshire 250813

Doxey Marshes Owl Buzzard Kestrel shoot Staffordshire 250813

Check out my Flickr photographs

www.flickr.com by my name Liz Callan

under Flickr members

Yesterday went out on a photo shoot with a group of friends.

We meet regular through Flickr and have some great days out. Some of the group are in the photograph on the bottom of the page.

There is the Red Tailed Buzzard Harry star of the show.

Boobook Owl Gismo and Kestrel Sky only 20 months old.

Harry the Red Tailed Buzzard 

 Harry the Red Tailed Buzzard

 Gismo Boobook Owl

  Gismo Boobook Owl

  Gismo Boobook Owl

  Gismo Boobook Owl

Sky Kestrel 

 Sky Kestrel

Harry the Red Tailed Buzzard 

 Harry the Red Tailed Buzzard

 Harry the Red Tailed Buzzard

 Gismo Boobook Owl

The Flickr Group 

Llangollen Steam Railway 1960's Weekend 280713

Llangollen Steam Railway 1960's
Weekend 280713
Check out my Flickr photographs
www.flickr.com by my name Liz Callan
under Flickr members

The Llangollen railways was opened in 1862 from Ruabon to Barmouth railway station. At one time you could board at Llangollen and travel to London without having to change. The railway was closed in 1965 for passengers and for goods in 1968.  A group was formed to renovate and reopen part of the line in 1975, with just 60 of track which is now 7 1/2 miles along the Dee Valley. 
http://www.llangollen-railway.co.uk

IN 1975 - 2011 due to slow progress and lack of funding in 1977 Shell Oil donated a mile of unused track. Volunteers started laying the track with an aim of reaching Pentrefelin 0.75 miles from Llangollen Goods Junction. This formed a home for the railways growing fleet of rolling stock. The Llangollen Railway Trust was gifted significant amounts of track allowing for the next extension on the lin to Berwyn. This involved a £30,000 refurbishment of the Dee Bridge by the local council, which had fallen into disrepair. 

The first trains operated over the newly extended 1.75mile line to Berwyn in March 1986. As the rebuilding work progressed train services were later extended to Deeside Halt in 1990- Glyndyfrdwy in 1993 and finally Carrog in 1996. In 2011 work as started to rebuilding the section between Carrog and Corwen. It is planned that a temporary station will be built until the permanent stat will be constructed in the town centre adjacent to the main car park.

Pistyll Rhaeadr Waterfall Wales 190611

Pistyll Rhaeadr Waterfall Wales 190611

Check out my Flickr photographs
www.flickr.com by my name Liz Callan 
under Flickr members

At 240feet (74m) this is the highest waterfall in Wales and England.

The falls are fed by streams flowing off the Berwyn mountains. 
See the videos on my flickr account. The noise is amazing. 

http://www.pistyllrhaeadr.co.uk/

Do not visit if weather is bad or been bad for a few days. 
The road to here is very steep and not very wide. You see the signs for the waterfall and it is a very long road into the mountain side. It is at the end of the road with a small car park. 

Tah-y-Pistyll - means the little house under the waterfall. It is a beautiful tea room and Bed & Breakfast accommodation. With stunning views and outside seating area. 

Special place. Many visitors mention

 how quickly they come to a sense of 

peace and reverence within 

themselves, seldom found in todays

busy and fragmented world.  

It is a great place to explore the 

Berwyn mountains and surrounding

hills, with many walks on all levels 

to suit a variety of walkers.

Crosby Beach Antony Gormley statues "Another Place" 130712

Crosby Beach Antony Gormley statues

"Another Place" 130712
Crosby beach close to Liverpool

"http://www.antonygormley.com/" 
Check out my Flickr photographs
www.flickr.com by my name Liz Callan 
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Another Place consists of 100 cast-iron, life size figures spread out along three kilometres of the foreshore, stretching almost one kilometre out to sea. Contractors spent three weeks lifting the statues into place and driving them in to the beach on the metre high foundation piles.

The earthwork was brought to the area by South Sefton Development Trust, an organisation set up by the South Sefton Partnership to continue its regeneration work in the area.

The Another Place figures - each one weighs 650 kilos- are made form casts of the artists own body and are shown at different stages of rising out of the sand, all of them looking out to sea staring at the horizon in silent expectations.

The work is seen as a poetic response to the individual and universal sentiments associated with emigration - sadness at leaving but the hope of new future in another place.

The artwork was previously displayed in Cruxhaven in Germany, Stavanger in Norway and De Panne in Belgium. In Novermber 2006 the statures were expected to move to New York but it was later decided that they would remain on Crosby Beach.