In the real world I cannot ever recall...

[phil_sutters]

On 26/04/2023 at 10:31, kevinlms said:

Or a certain robotic type device, pointing out at the viewing public, with it's largest arm, going "Exterminate, Exterminate"!

That was possible at the much missed Brighton Modelex.

[Steamport Southport]

"And what do you do?"

 

 

 

I suppose Police Boxes in random places are a bit of a cliché. In reality they would only be in places they were needed.

[KeithMacdonald]

On 10/05/2023 at 20:33, KeithMacdonald said:

 

The real things detect us, and then they engage their Cloaking Device.

 

 

Oh, sorry, I nearly forgot to mention ...

Some say that the RCDV was a Top Gear Special, build in the top-secret Top Gear Technology Centre (just off the A34 in Didcot, grid coordinates 51°37'13"N, 1°14'56"W)

Featuring Jeremy Clarkson and James May (as featured above). All we know is, The Stig has never been caught by speeding cameras in this device.

[fulton]

45 minutes ago, Steamport Southport said:

 

 

 

I suppose Police Boxes in random places are a bit of a cliché. In reality they would only be in places they were needed.

As a child I remember these Police Phones being common, sometimes with the light flashing, never seen a real Police Box.

[Steamport Southport]

16 minutes ago, fulton said:

As a child I remember these Police Phones being common, sometimes with the light flashing, never seen a real Police Box.

 

The places I remember them in the 1970s was Liverpool, London and North Wales ( there was one just past Chester when you go over the border).

 

They still had them in use in Glasgow until recently but they were red rather than blue. I think some are now listed buildings.

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mag379/2558970470/

 

 

Jason

[rogerzilla]

There was certainly one on Argyle Street Buchanan Street a few years ago. 

Edited May 13, 2023 by rogerzilla

[Michael Hodgson]

Only in big cities weren't they?

[MarkSG]

5 minutes ago, Michael Hodgson said:

Only in big cities weren't they?

 

They weren't exclusively big cities, but they were more common in major urban areas. They weren't all the same design, though, and the typical Metropolitan Police box designed by Gilbert Mackenzie Trench (which is what the Tardis is based on) was mainly found in London., with a slightly modified version being used in Glasgow. Otherwise, individual forces all had their own preferred designs, and in many cases they were often more like a small, blue-painted shed than anything with any particularly consistent design.

 

All those which remain are now listed buildings. And the vast majority of those which have survived are not Mackenzie Trench boxes. If the Mackenzie Trench boxes had lasted a decade or so longer in use, then they probably would, like K6 Telephone Boxes, have been recognised as worth preserving before they were mostly scrapped and hence we'd have more of them. But, as it is, the majority of those which do remain are those which either carried on being used longer than was normal, or which simply escaped being scrapped because nobody could be bothered to remove them and, instead, simply fell into disrepair.

 

Edinburgh, oddly enough, now has the largest number of remaining police boxes, which may partly be more to do with the fact that they got listed there earlier than elsewhere in the country. But, also they're typically larger than elsewhere (mostly built to a design by Ebenezer James MacRae), so a fair number of them were repurposed into street vending kiosks, which obviously helped them to survive beyond their police functionality.

Here's a Mackenzie Trench box in Glasgow: 

https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/200399858-police-box-cathedral-sqaure-glasgow

 

And an original Met Police Mackenzie Trench box, now far from home:

https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/101109166-metropolitan-police-box-at-national-tramway-museum-crich

 

Here's a MacRae box in Edinburgh: 

https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/200395663-police-call-box-west-princes-street-gardens-edinburgh-edinburgh

 

And a completely different design in Sheffield:

https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/101405185-police-box-adjacent-to-town-hall-surrey-street-sheffield-city-ward

 

And, for completeness, a modified Mackenzie Trench design in Wales:

https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/300021458-former-police-telephone-box-alway

 

Someone at Cadw (the Welsh heritage body) appears to have had a bit of fun writing that listing.

 

 

[Chris116]

I think there is still a Police Box by the Earl's Court Road exit to Earl's Court station, it was certainly there when I worked there (retired May 2016).

[Andy Kirkham]

On 12/05/2023 at 15:59, MarkSG said:

 

According to Wikipedia:

 

During the latter years of his tenure as the editor of Viz, Donald opened a hugely unsuccessful restaurant at a former railway station at Ilderton in Northumberland. It opened in 1994 and closed three years later than it should have done, in 1997.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Donald

One might suspect that that was written by Chris Donald himself

[MarkSG]

12 hours ago, Andy Kirkham said:

One might suspect that that was written by Chris Donald himself

 

One might agree with your suspicions. Consider also the following facts:

1. That paragraph was added by an editor with the username "D8592", and the only other edits that username has made are to the main Viz article on Wikipedia.
2. As well as being a Wikipedia username, D8592 was the running number of a Class 17 (Clayton Type 1).
3. Chris Donald is a member of a Clayton Type 1 appreciation group on Facebook.
4. Chris Donald mentions Clayton Type 1, number D8592, in the first paragraph of "Rude Boys" his semi-autobiographical account of the founding of Viz.

It might, of course, all be coincidence. But, equally, it might not be.

 

(And just in case anyone queries point 3, yes, it is that Chris Donald, even though it's not an uncommon name. His Facebook profile and public posts make that clear enough. Oddly enough, he's also a member of two groups that I'm a member of, although I don't recall ever seeing any posts by him there.)

[HonestTom]

21 hours ago, Chris116 said:

I think there is still a Police Box by the Earl's Court Road exit to Earl's Court station, it was certainly there when I worked there (retired May 2016).

There is, but it’s a replica.

[Steamport Southport]

Does it disappear every so often and then return in a slightly different place....

 

 

 

[KeithMacdonald]

On 13/05/2023 at 16:44, fulton said:

As a child I remember these Police Phones being common, sometimes with the light flashing, never seen a real Police Box.

 

Caption competition?

I'll start with something obvious:

Hello, is that the real police? I'd like to report a missing Tardis.

or

Are you in there Doctor?

 

 

[Ben B]

13 hours ago, Steamport Southport said:

Does it disappear every so often and then return in a slightly different place....

 

 

 

One of the London police boxes on streetview could be entered, and it was the Tardis interior, I remember my eldest showing me during Lockdown :)

[kevinlms]

8 hours ago, Ben B said:

One of the London police boxes on streetview could be entered, and it was the Tardis interior, I remember my eldest showing me during Lockdown :)

DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Especially THAT

[Steamport Southport]

18 hours ago, kevinlms said:

DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Especially THAT

 

[BlackRat]

People stood on a piece of concrete about 3’ square….

[Huw Griffiths]

On 14/04/2023 at 11:39, AY Mod said:

... seeing a church over a tunnel.

... private owner 5/7-plankers behind a 66.

... station lamps on in daylight.

... people in shiny clothes*.

... bicycles that stand up on their own.

 

* apart from a curious incident with a neighbour.

 

Not station lamps - but, over the years, it hasn't exactly been unknown for streetlights in my area to be on in daylight. Of course, this didn't stop the council bleating about being unable to afford to switch the things on at night.

 

As for churches over tunnels, I seem to recall an optical illusion in Birmingham - with a main road in tunnels very close to St. Chad's cathedral - the road (or a slip road) goes down a ramp that appears to be pointed directly under the cathedral.

 

OK - not churches, but some people will be familiar with the Brynglas Tunnels, on the M4 in Newport. Apparently, when they were building these tunnels, they encountered subsidence, which meant that some houses needed to be demolished.

 

 

On 14/04/2023 at 12:28, ELTEL said:

Another one being a coal mine over a tunnel 

 

What if the tunnel is for a canal - like the Bridgewater Canal, at Worsley? I seem to recall reading about sections of canal running under the mine - to drain the mine - to provide water for the canal - and to allow for "starvationer" boats to be loaded with coal.

 

Saying that, I've never been there - so I might be mistaken.

 

 

Edited May 16, 2023 by Huw Griffiths

[The Johnster]

I sometimes have the station platform and building interior lights on on Cwmdimbath, to suggest a dull and rainy day (we never have any of those in the South Wales Valleys, now, do we?).  The layout ambient lighting (when it isn't daylight, the layout is correctly orientated) is led anglepoises that have options of warm or cool cast and three levels, so several weather/ seasonal variations can be used. 

 

It all goes back to a day in the August of 1969.  Me and the lads had been on an expedition to Maesteg to have a look at the Nixon's Railway NCB system there, and it had been a hot, hazy and somewhat sultry day.  We elected to come home to Cardiff via Cwmmer Afan and the replacement bus shuttle over the Bwlch, and decided to have a bit of a look around at Cwmmer Afan and wait for the next bus.  The building thunderstorm broke, and the lads headed for the 'Refresh', but I'm made of sterner stuff (which is my description of being a bit daft) and huddled under the end of the building.  It was magnificent, though one possibly had to be Welsh (life is to be suffered for a full appreciation of it) to appreciate the glorious misery of it all.

 

Like being in a big damp dark grey room, cloudbase about 100 feet above me, and the pervasive sound of water, cascading off the mountainside, burbling in the river, dripping everywhere, and gurglesucking in the gutters and drains.  A sheep sheltered with me, and we both thoroughly enjoyed the show (she was Welsh as well).  A backtrack of the Morriston MV Choir singing something a bit gloomy like Sanctaidd would have been perfect.  And the platform and building lights were on.  I determined at that moment that I'd try to model this one day!

 

The storm had cleared by the time we went over the mountain to Treorchy, but the bus ride might have been interesting if we'd gone earlier...  We had time at Cwmmer Afan for a squiz at Cwmmer Corrwg, the viaduct, and a stroll down the R&SB trackbed to Dyffryn Rhondda pit, as well as a beer in the Refresh, all good stuff.  And we had a cab ride on the bubble car Maesteg-Cwmmer Afan!  Having had one on Pamela earlier, we had to count this as a good day...

Edited May 16, 2023 by The Johnster

[KeithMacdonald]

26 minutes ago, The Johnster said:

Like being in a big damp dark grey room, cloudbase about 100 feet above me, and the pervasive sound of water, cascading off the mountainside, burbling in the river, dripping everywhere, and gurglesucking in the gutters and drains.  A sheep sheltered with me, and we both thoroughly enjoyed the show (she was Welsh as well). 

 

27 minutes ago, The Johnster said:

The storm had cleared by the time we went over the mountain to Treorchy, but the bus ride might have been interesting if we'd gone earlier...  We had time at Cwmmer Afan for a squiz at Cwmmer Corrwg, the viaduct, and a stroll down the R&SB trackbed to Dyffryn Rhondda pit, as well as a beer in the Refresh, all good stuff.  And we had a cab ride on the bubble car Maesteg-Cwmmer Afan!  Having had one on Pamela earlier, we had to count this as a good day...

 

Sounds like your new lady-friend enjoyed her Grand Day Out. 👍

It all sounds very Wallace And Gromit (a Welsh version)

Did you have to pay extra for her on the bus and bubble car?

[melmerby]

1 hour ago, Huw Griffiths said:

As for churches over tunnels, I seem to recall an optical illusion in Birmingham - with a main road in tunnels very close to St. Chad's cathedral - the road (or a slip road) goes down a ramp that appears to be pointed directly under the cathedral.

There was a proper 'church over a tunnel' in Broad Street, was there until 1978, replaced these days with the "Black Sabbath Bench" over the canal

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_the_Messiah,_Birmingham

 

The building on the left (Brasshouse) is still there

 

View from the canal (towards Gas St Basin):

Edited May 16, 2023 by melmerby

[john new]

On 16/05/2023 at 16:39, melmerby said:

There was a proper 'church over a tunnel' in Broad Street, was there until 1978, replaced these days with the "Black Sabbath Bench" over the canal

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_the_Messiah,_Birmingham

 

The building on the left (Brasshouse) is still there

 

View from the canal (towards Gas St Basin):

Sad to read that it has been demolished. Remember photographing it on a canalside walk around that area circa 1973. I guess that heavily populated picture was a waterways rally.

 

[BachelorBoy]

On 17/04/2023 at 01:25, TheQ said:

 

As for black and Asian people on layouts 

Remember that even today the combined national total of both minorities is only around about 7%, go back to the days of steam, and that would be less than 1 %,  pre war almost unmeasurable nationally.

 

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-59035203

 

[Philou]

On 13/05/2023 at 18:07, Steamport Southport said:

never seen a real Police Box.

There was one for a long time opposite the junction High Street with Castle Street in Cardiff immediately adjacent to the entrance to the castle. It was half the width of the Tardis and probably not much room inside (only kidding, there wasn't any room as it only contained a telephone on a shelf). There was a notice on the outside of it saying that it was also for public use (presumably linked directly to the police switchboard). I saw the orange light on a couple of occasions blinking, but never saw a PC answer it. I believe it was scrapped when personal radios and Panda cars arrived.

 

Cheers,

 

Philip