Castle Aching

[Nearholmer]

Argos,

 

I would identify the location of the painting as looking southwards, down the throat of Hammersmith and Chiswick station, from somewhere near Bath Road Halt, where the lines from the coal/goods yard and the passenger station converged to form a single-line.

 

My surmise is that the artist has positioned the nearest signal correctly (its either a 'gate guardian' for Bath Road LC or an advanced starter from the station, or does both, I think; its shown on the OS maps) but shown the goods yard departure signal (again shown on the OS maps) twice, once in its correct position in the background, and again, in the wrong position, in the foreground, maybe because of its interesting shape. Or, there was a further signal, where he's shown it, not highlighted on the OS map, which would make 'signalling sense', but that he has omitted the goods track.

 

I think that in the mid-background we can see the LSWR/District tracks crossing the station throat on a bridge as they run from Stamford Brook (left) to Turnham Green (right)

 

This painting is by the elder Pissarro, Camille, his son Lucien lived in the house by the level crossing, and a bit later about a quarter of a mile away in Stamford Brook Road, which is a continuation of Bath Road; the latter house has a blue plaque. There are several other paintings of the immediate area, including one that I think shows the footbridge at Bath Road LC.

 

Kevin

 

PS: I just found on-line a copy of an 1897 photo of Camille at work, painting a different picture, but from the same vantage point: the flat roof of an extension at the back of the house by the LC, where i’ve Marked red on the much later photo stolen from ‘disused stations’.

Edited November 2, 2018 by Nearholmer

[Argos]

Hi Kevin, my post was meant to be with tongue firmly in cheek, apologies if it didn't come across that way, thanks for the detail though.

 

Angus.

[Hroth]

Another pregroup station scene, Annie started with the PLM, heres the Belgian State, and I’m afraid the folks aren’t so elegant as at Perth, I think they’re searching for their tickets:

 

AD3B23CA-9582-4E1E-BBA9-67B67D1CB9A0.jpeg

I was trying to work out who the chap looked like.

 

I've come to the conclusion that he has a passing resemblance to Sir Roy Strong.....

 

(Look him up on Wikipdia)

[Nearholmer]

Angus

 

I did understand that, but it piqued me to attempt to 'nail' the location precisely.

 

I've looked at that picture, only in books sadly, many times over and never been sure exactly where it was, despite knowing the area reasonably well. To be honest, I thought originally that it depicted the line further west, nearer to Acton, so you've done me a favour.

 

Hammersmith and Chiswick station site is really very hard to identify on the ground, but good old Nick Catford has got it all logged-down http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/h/hammersmith_and_chicwick/index.shtml .

 

I've edited my post above to get the facts exactly right.

 

Kevin

Edited November 2, 2018 by Nearholmer

[corneliuslundie]

While Pisarro is in the frame, so to speak:

 

And Monet also likes trains:

Gare St Lazare I believe.

While Sisely also painted railway connected subjects;

Railroad embankment at Sevres.

Jonathan

PS I put the last picture at the top of the page! And the line saying that it is Lordship Lane has gone AWOL.

Edited November 3, 2018 by corneliuslundie

[Andy Kirkham]

Regretably, Sisi (as in Elizabeth, wife of Franz Ferdinand, Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary etc) was most unluckily assassinated by an Italian in Geneva in 1898 .

(See the article on Wikipedia for more information.)

She was indeed a 'fashion icon' (not to say 'clothes horse') of her day.

 

I understand (but cannot find the source of the information) that she traveled extensively, and as an accomplished equestrienne spent some time in the English home counties for the hunting (and possibly other pursuits).

 

 

She stayed several times at Combermere Abbey in Cheshire, which resulted in an LNWR locomotive being named Combermere.

[Compound2632]

Finally had a moment to trawl through the day's posts - signal or otherwise; will come back to that.

 

At one point I was becoming rather confused: is the LSWR royal coach PC or non-PC? I'm afraid the discussion on the legitimacy of monarchy was bringing out my inner Jacobite rather than Jacobin - it's not monarchy per se that's wrong, it's just we're saddled with the wrong lot. 

 

The Tissot was subjected to close analysis some while ago on Gary's thread, though I think the tiled platform was overlooked. Now Pissaro with his LNWR signal posts - can we take it that hie is giving us possibly the best contemporary reference we have for LNWR goods wagon grey? That painting reminds me of an early work of my great-uncle Eric Lea, who as a commercial artist working under the imaginative name of Leo Newman designed the original poster for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat. I must take a photo of it when next I'm at my father's and post it - it is a rare illustration of the LNWR Stechford loop - zero photos on Mike Musson's exhaustive Warwickshire Railways site - a watercolour from the early-mid 1920s when he was living on Aston Church Road alongside the line. Although some features are already quite stylised, the LNWR home and distant signal post is highly recognisable.

[Andy Kirkham]

 

Up Mail Near Reading by Brownlow D.Knox

[Compound2632]

Up Mail Near Reading by Brownlow D.Knox

 

SER viaduct over the River Kennet, then the Huntley & Palmers biscuit factory (and associated biscuit tin manufactury) in the background.

[Andy Kirkham]

..which bears some similarity to Dawn near Reading by "Unknown Artist" in the Ironbridge Museum's Elton Collection

 

Edited November 2, 2018 by Andy Kirkham

[Compound2632]

Yes indeed - the interesting feature being the SER train running into Reading over the aforementioned Kennet Viaduct. That and the viaduct over the Loddon are splendidly proportioned brick structures, plus the latter nowadays features ample parking as it has one foot in the Showcase Cinema car park.

[Nearholmer]

Wouldn't one of these make an excellent diorama model? 

 

Enough of the scene to be recognisably the painting, plus the artist at his easel.

 

Yesterday I bought the latest copy of BRM (for the first time in about five years; free cardboard kit that my daughter will enjoy; hope nobody's listening) and there is an interesting article about construction of a diorama of the scene from 'The Hay Wain', but that doesn't include Mr Constable.

[Andy Kirkham]

 then the Huntley & Palmers biscuit factory (and associated biscuit tin manufactury) in the background.

 

Home of Huntler and Pumar's Animal Alphabites (Finnegans Wake)

[Compound2632]

Home of Huntler and Pumar's Animal Alphabites (Finnegans Wake)

 

I did once try to read Finnegans Wake but must have missed that bit! Without attempting to read it again, I gather that "from the 1890s to the 1910s, they produced premium trading cards featuring birds and exotic animals".

[sem34090]

Sad that I missed the discussion on fashion!

I much prefer older fashion, including Edwardian, though (not being especially attention-seeking nor a glutton for punishment, and wishing to be comfortable!) seem to have a more 'generically vintage' style myself that can be loosely described as '1930s to 1950s'. I think modern stuff just looks downright scruffy, and for many years have not owned a T-shirt! For a while I simply wore shirts, but am now adopting more of an old-fashioned aesthetic, due to several factors over the summer persuading me to finally do what I've wanted to do for a while now. My peers found it intensely strange at first, but have since realised that one can express oneself through smart fashion just as much as sloppy. Must say though that I am one of very few people I know who chooses to wear a tie!!!

I blend very nicely in with the period atmosphere at Medstead, even when not on duty!

My current (lack of?) Dress sense has lead to some funny incidents though - twice now whilst at Clapham junction, with my battered 1940s attache case I've had people stare at me literally as if they'd seen a ghost, until the point that I get my phone out!

Edited November 2, 2018 by sem34090

[Donw]

SER viaduct over the River Kennet, then the Huntley & Palmers biscuit factory (and associated biscuit tin manufactury) in the background.

 

That rather puzzles me. In my day the Kennet passed the prison and the Biscuit factory then the gasworks  SECR bridge GWR horseshoe bridge. I would have expected to see some sign of it behind the train. The horsebit refers to the shape of the woodenbrige usedforhorsesto croos over the mouth of the kennet.the middle bit abutted the brick of the GWR bridge which seemed to have decent parapets.

 

Don

[Talltim]

Combining railways(roads), republicans, period costume and painting conveniently in one image

Edited November 3, 2018 by Talltim

[Shadow]

Hatton's has a sale on at the moment. Saw these. £9.00

 

https://www.hattons.co.uk/StockDetail.aspx?SID=98227

 

[sem34090]

Bargain of the millennium...

[Andy Kirkham]

I did once try to read Finnegans Wake but must have missed that bit! Without attempting to read it again, I gather that "from the 1890s to the 1910s, they produced premium trading cards featuring birds and exotic animals".

 

Not that I've ever done more than dip into it. And I only got halfway through Ulysses

 

[Edit} And into my copy at the point I reached I pasted a cutting from a piece by Miles Kington - "The book most often abandoned half-way through is Ulysses by James Joyce. Library surveys show that the pages in the first half of the book are generally dog-eared and soiled, while the second half is virtually untouched."

Edited November 3, 2018 by Andy Kirkham

[Northroader]

Hatton's has a sale on at the moment. Saw these. £9.00

https://www.hattons.co.uk/StockDetail.aspx?SID=98227

R4674_3127701_Qty1_1.jpg

All very well, have you seen the Dapol O Terriers at reduced prices, LBSC yellow or umber, LSWR, SECR??????

[sem34090]

What price?

[Hroth]

Hatton's has a sale on at the moment. Saw these. £9.00

 

https://www.hattons.co.uk/StockDetail.aspx?SID=98227

 

R4674_3127701_Qty1_1.jpg

I thought the were overpriced when that was the RRP!

 

They're ok for a bit of olde worldeness, and their great advantage is they don't overhang curves, even at R1.

I got four red ones for less than that (inc delivery) from The Auction Site That Dare Not Speak Its Name to repaint into an olive sort of colour to be hauled by various Terriers.

 

eg:

 

 

Edited November 3, 2018 by Hroth

[Compound2632]

Hatton's has a sale on at the moment. Saw these. £9.00

 

https://www.hattons.co.uk/StockDetail.aspx?SID=98227

 

R4674_3127701_Qty1_1.jpg

 

Oh dear. That price is all wrong. They can be had in any colour second-hand for £3 if you look in any dealer's "desperate to shift" box. I can only think of two sensible pricing policies for these toys: sell off the entire stock at £1 a piece so that they're no longer on the shelves or mark them up to proper RTR carriage prices - £40+ so that no-one buys them. They should be purged from the hobby by any means possible.

 

The steel ballast weights may be worth having.

[Killian keane]