Random Stuff!

[TheLocalYokel]

Very quiet BRS-wise at the moment. The Random thread seems to be bobbing along though.

I was looking at the Bristol Post sports section this morning and one story caught my eye. It was a list of the world's 15 highest paid rugby union players. Bristol Bears have two in the list, at number four and number six. For a club still trying to cement its position back in the Premiership that is one hell of a commitment......and risk. One of the players, Charles Piutau (the fourth highest paid), has already been out injured for a considerable period this season and is currently sidelined again.

The highest paid player in world rugby is reckoned to be Dan Carter - like Piutau, a New Zealander - on £1.15 million a year (Piutau is supposedly on £900 per annum). Although these sums are very modest when compared with the earnings of top footballers, and even with mediocre ones in the Premier League and some in the Championship, it does suggest that rugby is going the way of football with money increasingly the lure. The same thing is being seen in cricket too where some players are giving up 'proper cricket' to concentrate on 20:20 where earnings are higher for less work.

I remember the days in the 'shamateur' era of rugby union (substantial ' boot money' but nothing excessive so far as we knew; jobs found for players by wealthy rugby club followers) that lasted most of the previous century when Bristol was one of the country's leading clubs. Part of their success was their ability to dip into the Bristol Combination (the much-admired collective of local rugby clubs pre-leagues) and out would pop an almost-ready first team player. Much the same used to be said about Yorkshire cricket in that they only needed to shout down a coal pit and up would come a fast bowler.

Bristol can splash this sort of cash because of the wealth of their owner. On balance I prefer the old system which also had the merit of seeing many local players in the first team. I think there were two Bristolians in the team that beat Northampton last weekend. In these days of money paying the piper to try to achieve the instant success that we seem to crave, I doubt that the call to the Combination will ever return.

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/rugby/manu-tuilagis-new-leicester-contract-2642008

 

[superking]

From 17.30 this evening there will be traffic delays around Bristol,all to do with Brexit.It might cause a few passenger delays to airport.

 

[superking]

It will affect M4 and M5 motorways

 

[TheLocalYokel]

From 17.30 this evening there will be traffic delays around Bristol,all to do with Brexit.It might cause a few passenger delays to airport.

It will affect M4 and M5 motorways

It's supposed to be a national protest on motorways around the country. Thus far in the South West it doesn't seem to be causing a particular problem wth the motorways busy at the best of times.

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/live-brexit-protest-m5-m4-2676050

 

[TheLocalYokel]

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/much-loved-unique-chaplain-leaves-2677867

I have no religion but I entirely respect those who do.

I found this a remarkable story - a former football hooligan, who was sent to prison for violence and twice banned for violent behaviour in the 1980s by his local club Bristol Rovers, who then found God and was ordained as a minister. He became Bristol Rovers club chaplain and is now off to join the Royal Navy as a chaplain at the age of 52.

 

[superking]

Not much aviation news about. The Bluebird project for land speed record has been bought by a businessman and carry on with the project. Ian warhurst a businessman bought it as his son said buy a faster car.A lot of the staff which started the project has joined this team. The same driver Andy green will drive and he holds the fastest land speed record at 763 MPH. They hope to try for record later this year and they hope it can be in South Africa.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Channel 4

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/channel-4-reveals-historic-site-2709974

Channel 4 has announced the location of its Bristol Creative Hub. It will be located at the Finzels Reach complex in the old Fermentation building of the former Courage Brewery site (before that George's Brewery). The Bristol hub will be responsible for Channel 4's drama commissioning whilst the sister hub in Glasgow will be used for factual programmes.

http://www.finzelsreach.com/location/

Finzels Reach is situated opposite Castle Park alongside the Floating Harbour. In recent years it has been developed into a distinct self-contained central city district with many new buildings housing a hotel, offices and apartments. Work is still continuing on some of the development.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Bristol-Portishead railway line

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/local-news/opening-new-portishead-rail-line-2732666

According to this article the government has at long last agreed to plug the funding gap required to see this line re-open to passenger traffic. There was a shortfall of nearly £32 million. It will be part of the so-called MetroWest project. A good deal of the line is already open to freight traffic to/from Royal Portburty Docks but it will need upgrading for passenger traffic, and the last few miles into Portishead are closed and partly overgrown at present.

By coincidence I was looking at some video last night at a journey I took from Bristol to Portishead and back in 1985. I originally shot it in cine film. The journey was one of a number operated to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the inception of the Great Western Railway. I travelled in an old diesel multiple unit (DMU) which had the advantage of a driver's eye view along the track. Some of the journeys in 1985 were steam-hauled.

Not only is a rail link vital to Portishead - the commuter route is gridlocked into Bristol most weekdays - but it is also a very scenic journey through the Avon Gorge in and out of the tunnels.

That's the good news. The not so good is that it will take 3-4 years to re-open.

Why does it take so long? My wife and I visit Australia most years to see family. A few years ago there was a gap of 18 months between our visits. Our daughter's family live on the Great Ocean Road near Geelong which is Victoria's second city and an hour by train from Melbourne, the state capital, a route we use a lot when in Australia. During our 18 months absence a brand new ten-mile loop detour replete with three new stations had been built on the Melbourne-Geelong line to serve growing Melbourne outer suburbs.

 

[superking]

The first British built concorde flew today 50 years ago. It was a flight from Filton to Fairford about a 25 min flight. The aircraft known as 002 as she was the second one built after the French aircraft.This aircraft has been on show at Yeovilton fleet air arm muesum for many years.All the test gear is still complete as far as it can see. There is a coach today from Filton to Yeovilton with the engineers that built the aircraft or were test engineers in flight. There is food and drinks laid on at Yeovilton to celebrate the 5O years.A true legend of a aircraft and very much before its time.

 

[rollo]

Crikey superking I actually remember that and watching it live on the BBC with Raymond Baxter commentating, what a fantastic aeroplane she was.

 

[superking]

I used to work in Avonmouth right under flight path for runway 09 at Filton. There was testing every day and when it came over us every one stopped work to watch. Also the Vulcan bomber with the Olympus test engines.Both aircraft always drew comments .Like you Rollo its hard to think that was 50 years ago. Time flies by so quick.

 

[rollo]

All too true time does fly bye, as a spotty apprentice in about 1970 at BSA Motorcycles we had a day trip to Rolls Royce in Derby and were allowed into a test chamber to watch them run a test on a new fangled engine otherwise known as the RB211 which eventually broke Rolls the noise was deafening, wouldn't be allowed these days. We also visited the Bristol Sidley site at Filton around the same time.

I also well remember the Vulcan at displays at Bagington and Gaydon an amazingly powerful and agile aircraft for its size very happy days.

Anyway I'm probably digressing as this may be better under nostalgia.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

50 years ago yesterday since I was at Cribbs Causeway - the road not the future regional shopping centre - to watch 002 make her maiden flight.

I also saw the very last flight of any Concorde on 26 November 2013 as G-BOAF came over the top of me on Dundry Hill having overflown BRS to then pay homage to Brunels' Clifton Suspension Bridge, before turning to the east towards Wiltshire and finally a 180 onto her final approach into the place of her birth where happily she remains at the Aerospace Museum, Filton.

002 still lives in the West Country too - at the Fleet Air Arm Museum, Yeovilton, Somerset.

 

[Brum X]

https://www.bristol247.com/culture/art/bristol-named-uk-most-artistic-city/

1. Bristol
2. Brighton
3. Manchester
4. London
5. Glasgow
6. Aberdeen
7. Belfast
8. Liverpool
9. Newcastle
10. Nottingham
11. Cambridge
12. Oxford
13. Bath
14. Birmingham
15. Edinburgh
16. Southampton
17. Sheffield
18. Cardiff
19. Leeds
20. York

 

[TheLocalYokel]

https://www.bristol247.com/culture/art/bristol-named-uk-most-artistic-city/

1. Bristol
2. Brighton
3. Manchester
4. London
5. Glasgow
6. Aberdeen
7. Belfast
8. Liverpool
9. Newcastle
10. Nottingham
11. Cambridge
12. Oxford
13. Bath
14. Birmingham
15. Edinburgh
16. Southampton
17. Sheffield
18. Cardiff
19. Leeds
20. York

Perversely, Bristol is almost certainly the largest UK city with no arena. It has a lot of smaller venues and a thriving local music scene. It's also arguably the UK capital for street art with the likes of Banksy, Inkie and other well-known members of the genre having been prominent for many years. At one stage a central area street was like an outdoors art gallery with buildings covered in what to someone like me who is usually anti graffiti was excellent art that I could appreciate. It attracted visitors from around the country and beyond.

The city council and building owners co-operated with street artists from around the world creating the art in that street. Some of the buildings have since been replaced with new builds but some of the street art remains. Other central areas of the city as well as some suburbs are also home to considerable amounts of street art.

The Bristol Sound and trip hop was part of the so-called underground Bristol scene from the 80s and 90s and remains today, with bands such as Portishead, Massive Attack and others prominent at various times.

The threatre sees the world-famous Bristol Old Vic housed in the city with the Theatre Royal the longest continually operating theatre in the country. There are several other thratres including the 2,000-seater Bristol Hippodrome, Colston Hall (currently closed for major refurbishment and will return with a new name because of its name being associated with a Bristol philanthropist who was also the recipient of wealth from the Slave Trade), O2, and smaller venues like the Theatre Royal/BOV; QEH Theatre; St Georges with its magnificent accoustics that is used for broadcast recitals; Redgrave Theatre; Tobacco Factory in a former WD & HO Wills factory in south Bristol that has gained a first-class international reputation for its Shakespeare productions.

For a fairly slow-paced city (part of the attraction that on two occasions in recent years has led it to being named by the Sunday Times the best UK city in which to live) and one that often operates under the national and international radar, Bristol has long had a reputation of being a city of protest. It stems from its position as England's second city in the second half of the 18th Century before the Industrial Revolution led to the great Northern and Midland cities. Mass civil protest that frequently led to violence was part of the city's life from the late 18th Century through the early 19th Century Reform Bill riots when the military was called out and four rioters were killed with many others injured. Major incidents of public disorder continued through to the early 1980s inner city riots when such places as Brixton and Toxteth took their lead from the St Pauls, Bristol riots the previous year when for several hours the chief constable withdrew his officers from the area, and buildings and vehicles were set alight and gutted with mass looting occurring. Needless to say Bristol was prominent in the Poll Tax riots of the late 20th Century and the nationwide riots of 2011 following the death of Mark Duggan in London.

All this might seem far removed from art but the character of the city has attracted and still attracts people who view civil protest as legitimate, and they are often of an artistic or musical bent as well, particularly in what some would see as 'underground'.

There is an area between the main shopping centre and the western edge of the St Pauls district known as the 'Peoples Republic of Stokes Croft' that has a self-appointed leadership. It's a group of activists with street art playing an important role. Stokes Croft is the name of that part of the A38 that leads from the central area northwards. It is covered in street art with buildings liberally painted with all sorts of designs and pictures, as are side streets. It is also home to some well-known slightly non-mainstream 'night clubs'. Stokes Croft leads initially to another inner city suburb - Montpelier, with the 'r' emphasised unlike the French version - a favourite haunt of artists with houses painted in pastel colours, a feature found in a number of Bristol districts. Montpelier was voted 'Britain's trendiest neighbourhood' in another survey last year.

https://prsc.org.uk

Bristol does well in all sorts of 'surveys' and 'polls' with recent ones including being voted the UK's 'edgiest' city and having one of the UK's best food scenes.

So apart from mainstream theatre and visual art, the city has a wealth of 'underground' versions that no doubt helped it to win this 'award'. Mind you, I'm never fully convinced about such things although it has to be said that Bristol does win rather a lot of them.

 

[superking]

Watching the BBC local Bristol news lunch time. A short report came up about the climate change demonstration for the last 3 days in London.It drew my attention when the speaker was addressing the demonstrators and it turned out she was talking about BRS airport as it was mentioned towards the end of her address. The woman came from the Bristol area.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Watching the BBC local Bristol news lunch time. A short report came up about the climate change demonstration for the last 3 days in London.It drew my attention when the speaker was addressing the demonstrators and it turned out she was talking about BRS airport as it was mentioned towards the end of her address. The woman came from the Bristol area.

I expect they have a day out booked at Weston-super-Mare when the airport's planning application is adjudicated. Last I heard it was to be in May but the date has been pushed back already and might be pushed back again.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/whats...abus-driver-cracks-controversial-joke-2771782

Oh dear. A Megabus driver with a Welsh accent driving passengers from London to Cardiff via Bristol decided he was a bit of comedian and when arriving in Bristol decided to 'have a pop' at the city in what he thought was a comedy turn, amongst other things accusing its residents of being incestuous in a so-called 'joke' that is as old as the hills.

I can't see why anyone should really be offended but some were and complained to the company it seems.

The driver's comedy turn can be listened to in an embedded part of the above linked newspaper report.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/bristol-filming-trial-christine-keeler-2774494

Another major tv/cinema production with Bristol standing in for London. There have been so many down the years with Fools and Horses one of the best known.

This one is a major BBC production about the early 1960s political scandal involving upmarket 'escort' (I'll be polite) Christine Keeler, John Profumo the War Minister and a Soviet naval attache. It was filmed at at Bristol's Bottle Yard Studios with numerous external locations around the city, and after 17 weeks the production has been completed. I had the misfortune to find Broad Steet in the Old City closed one day because of the filming, but the 1960s cars used in the production were worth seeing.

Interesting alter egos in this production with, for example, the University Wills Memorial Building standing in for the House of Commons; the Central Library for the exterior of Marylebone police station; the offices above St Nicholas Market in Corn Street, Old City, for the War Office and MI5 building; the Mansion House for a Mayfair restaurant and hotel.

I don't normally watch such programmes but I would be interested to see how they get away with the Wills Memorial Building. It's one of those buildings that is difficult to disguise as being anywhere but Bristol. The camera angles will be interesting if they really do succeed in making it look anything like the House of Commons.

When my mother was alive - bless her- she was a fan of a late70s/early 80s tv series called Shoestring. It starred Trevor Eve as a private investigator Eddie Shoestring who was also a local radio presenter. It was filmed in Bristol. My mother could never understand when his car was shown driving along one street and turned a corner into another street that she knew was about three miles away. She was unable to grasp the concept of editing.

The Profumo Affair as it became known led to one of the quotes of the 20th Century. In a related matter one of the people around the fringe of the affair was accused in court of living off the immoral earnings of Keeler and her friend Mandy Rice-Davies. When cross-examined in court about an ennobled personage who denied knowing her, Rice-Davies replied, "Well he would, wouldn't he?", sometimes now incorrectly quoted as "Well he would day that, wouldn't he?"

 

[superking]

Always remember 1 episode with the castle of comfort pub up on the mendips.They came out the pub and across the car park trough a gate and they were on the beach. That said gate is still there to this day.