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Interesting Movies From The Past...

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Buggleskelly Today… Buggleskelly Today… The year of 1937 began the birth of Buggleskelly, the mythical Irish railway station set on a stretch of disused line near Basingstoke in Hampshire England. The setting was for the film Oh, Mr. Porter starring Will Hay, Moore Marriot, and Graham Moffat… The film was to become a classic! A tumbledown railway station, representing Buggleskelly was built at an old halt, and even during filming the line was being taken up by The Basingstoke and Alton Railway Company. The film itself is one of the funniest of British comedies in the Music Hall tradition of the 1930′s. The location of the run-down mythical Buggleskelly station was very overgrown when we visited there with our cameras in 1996, but it was still possible to make out where the booking office, rail lines, and signal box had once stood. There are more pictures taken at the location on  http://twitpic.com/photos/patricallaghan3  

Interesting Movies From The Past...

Whisky Galore! 1949 It was in the summer of 1948 when the Ealing crew arrived on the beautiful Island of Barra in the Western Isles of Scotland. Michael Balcon, head of Ealing Studios had not been happy about the production, saying as he looked at the story board, he just did not understand it!  “It holds few laughs” he was heard to comment. Based on a Compton Mackenzie novel, shooting almost entirely on location presented huge problems, everything, including cast and crew, and a huge amount of camera equipment, had to be shipped from mainland Scotland. Actors were billited with a number of the Islanders, and in fact, many of the inhabitants appear in the production. Their view of the film people was… That they were quite mad! Prefabricated sets were constructed at Ealing Studios in London then shipped for assembly on Barra. Under the brilliant direction of Alexander Mackendrick, an American born Scot, the film gently eases you into a wo

A Great Christmas Fayre...

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Well, it was a really cold day when the family visited the Leighton Buzzard Christmas Fayre in Bedfordshire, but we all had great fun... The market town had closed its doors to traffic and a fun fair had been set up in the High Street, there were street entertainers, a Santa's Grotto, barrel organ sounds, and lots of lovely food to eat from dozens of stalls, washed down with mulled wine. In the picture above younger members of our group enjoyed mega slap-up burgers and ice cream at The Lancer, whilst looking at the shots taken during the fayre.

Interesting Movies From The Past...

The Hoax began in 1917, or was it really a hoax? The cousins Elsie Wright (16) and Francis Griffiths (10) maintained throughout their lives, right up until old age, that they had clearly photographed fairies at a  Beck in Yorkshire, England. Such was the supposed deception that their resulting pictures have fooled the very best experts in the photographic field, and the mighty Kodak Company would not give any sort of judgement as to the authenticity of the subjects within the plates, even Conan Doyle was convinced the photographs were genuine. “At least Elsie [Wright] gave us a myth which has never harmed anyone and it looks like continuing to fascinate and entertain well into the future. How many professed photographers can claim to have equaled her achievement with the first photograph they ever took?” Geoffrey Crawley. The story was turned into a movie in 1997 entitled FairyTale… A True Story, and boasts an all star cast with Florence Hoath as Elsie Wrigh

The Shriving Of Miss Esme Stamp...

Serialized by Patrick George Callaghan                                                  Part Five A cold silence had mastered itself in two beings when Esme pushed open the double mahogany doors and led herself, exhausted from sleep, into a highly organized breakfast room. A razoring of sunlight had risen with her and now fell hopelessly from a defrocked window bay across her slumber unoccupied eyes. She drew back the uneasy chair that rubbed annoyingly over the thick red carpet and flummoxed herself on her cozy-comfy backside. She yawned a half-smile at her mother but it died from a responding expression and buried itself  face down in the cream porridge now place in front of her by Emily. ‘Would you like bacon and chops, Miss Esme? Cook say’s they are the best the butcher has sent for weeks.’ She smiled from the face of a young animated female in her early twenties, with sumptuous curls of rich raven hair that tucked with trust under her neat white parlour cap

Interesting People From The Past...

Charles Spencer Chaplin – Dear Charlie Chaplin! Dear Charlie became Sir Charles Chaplin, receiving his knighthood from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace in 1979. His film career had spanned 54 years, and in that time Charlie made a total of 81 films, only 5 were talkies and 67 were completed before his 30 th birthday. Sadly Charlie died at the good age of 88 and on Christmas Day in 1977 at his home in Vevey, Switzerland; at his bedside were Oona his fourth wife, their children, and grandchildren. Hannah Chaplin was Charles Mother and she had spent most of the later years of her life at an institute in England and for her remaining seven years she lived in the little house Charlie had bought for her close to the Pacific Ocean. Sidney Chaplin (Sid) was Charlie’s older brother and manager, he had retired to the South of France after the second world war and visited every summer with Charlie in Switzerland. The first love in Charlie’

Interesting Movies From The Past...

In 1945 Josephine Leslie under the name of R.A. Dick published her wonderful novel entitled “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir “… Determined to make a life for herself and her daughter, Lucy Muir, a young widow moves into Gull Cottage on a wild English coast. The cottage is haunted by its former owner, a crusty sea captain. The captain tries unsuccessfully to frighten off Lucy Muir in order to keep the cottage for retired seamen, but they fall in love with each other, and when Lucy is short of money, the Captain helps her write a book based on his sea adventures which becomes very popular. The book attracts the amorous attentions of a ‘perfumed parlour snake’ and Lucy Muir must then choose between the living and the dead…  Josephine Leslie’s novel was turned into a highly successful movie in 1947 by 20th Century Fox, and featured Gene Tierney and Rex Harrison in a superbly moving screenplay.

The Family At Santa Pod...

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It was nice to get out to Santa Pod Monster Truck Venue, near Bedford UK on Saturday evening for a Fab show and Fireworks to round off the season… But ‘I Curumba’ – the cold weather! fair froze us… Anyway, here we are in the LUVELY HOT BAR having a beer or two!

Interesting People From The Past...

Admiral of the Fleet the Earl of Cork and Orrery; William Henry Boyle, was Rear Admiral Commanding the 1st Cruiser Squadron from 1926-28, and afterwards commanded the Reserve Fleet and then the Royal Naval War College 1928-32. He was First and Principal A.D.C. to the King from 1936-38. Count Maurice Maeterlinck was a Belgian poet and dramatist. He was born in Ghent in 1862 and began practising law until success followed his first poetical works Serres Chaudes in 1889. His play The Blue Bird aroused wide interest, and he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1911. By 1914 his works had been recorded on the papal index. Eden Phillpotts was a novelist and dramatist, who worked firstly in an insurance office then studied for the stage, but in fact became an author. He specialized in scenes of English life in Devonshire, particularly that of Dartmoor, and wrote many poems, plays, and novels. His works included The Human Boy, Children of the Mist, and Widec

Whipsnade Tree Cathedral...

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A collection of trees and hedges planted in the design of a full size medieval cathedral.  Whipsnade Tree Cathedral is a 9.5 acre (38,000 m²) garden near the town of Dunstable in Bedfordshire, England. It is planted in the approximate form of a cathedral, with grass avenues for nave, chancel, transepts, chapels and cloisters and “walls” of different species of trees.The Tree Cathedral was planted by a Mr EK Blyth as an act of “Faith, hope and reconciliation” in response to his memories of World War I. As a cadet at Sandhurst in 1916 Blyth had made two close friends called Arthur Bailey and John Bennett who were both dead within eighteen months. In 1930 he paid a visit to Liverpool Cathedral, which was then under construction. Blyth wrote “As we drove south through the Cotswold hills on our way home… I saw the evening sun light up a coppice of trees on the side of a hill. It occurred to me then that here was something more beautiful still and the idea formed of bu

A World That Time Forgot...

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  Tuesday found Marilyn and me making a well overdue visit to the fantastic Natural History Museum at Tring in Hertfordshire England. Built in 1889 to house the private natural history collection of Walter Rothschild, the Natural History Museum at Tring is a fascinating Noah’s ark in the Hertfordshire countryside. We had a wonderful day there making a full study of the hundreds of creatures on display, from bugs and butterflies to large sea mammals, many now extinct. In our visit we included a nature trail, found a suitable picnic area, and made use of the the museum’s ample parking. The Natural History Museum is online at: www.nhm.ac.uk/tring and is housed in The Walter Rothschild Building in Akeman Street, Tring, Hertfordshire. England. A step back in time to a forgotten world… To a land that time forgot.

Interesting Facts From The Past..

17th October 1814 : At the Horse Shoe Brewery on Tottenham Court Road, a colossal vat containing 3555 barrels of beer bursts. The ensuing tsunami of beer causes several nearby buildings to collapse, and results in eight fatalities – including a dubious report of alcohol poisoning as one man supposedly attempts to stem the tide of beer by drinking it.

Interesting Movies From The Past...

Among my most favoured British drama movies of the 1940′s is THE SMALL BACK ROOM made in 1948. It was made by the Archer Team for London Films, and features Sammy Rice, a troubled bomb fuse scientist. Sammy is troubled by alcohol and his relationship with his girlfriend. Sammy has a head full of ghosts to exorcise, then he is called upon to defuse a new German secret weapon that can kill with the slightest of touch… It’s a movie that I’ve watched and enjoyed many times over, and never fail to be be impressed by the stunning performance of David Farrar and Kathleen Byron in the lead roles, it would seem as if they are just made for each other. The movie really does capture the exotic nature of wartime London and was based on the dramatic novel by Nigel Balchin. Other greats featured are: Jack Hawkins, Leslie Banks, Cyril Cusack, Emrys Jones, Michael Gough, and Renee Asherson.

Interesting People From The Past...

Sir Charles Laughton. He was first a Scarborough hotel manager, then made his stage debut in 1926 in The Inspector-General. He was a Gold medalist of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and excelled in strong character parts particularly Shakespearean. His major film successes have been as Henry VIII in 1933, and as Captain Bligh in Mutiny on the Bounty. He was born in 1899. Sir Laurence Olivier first appeared at the Shakespeare Festival at Stratford-on-Avon and played with the Birmingham Repertory Company from 1925-28. He appeared at the Old Vic in 1936, and was Actor-producer in Romeo and Juliet. His many films included Wuthering Heights,   Henry V, and Hamlet. He was born in 1907. Sir Arthur Pinero was an actor from 1874 until 1881, when he became a dramatic author. He produced clever comedies at the Court Theatre, London from 1885-93 notably Sweet Lavender. Other plays included The Second Mrs. Tanqueray, The Gay Lord Quex, and Trelawney of the Wells.

The Natural History Museum and the Science Museum...

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This time the family made a visit to South Kensington for the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum, both situated close to one another. Impressive buildings with impressive interiors and displays. Thousands visit the museums every day of the year… to wander the vast halls or just sit outside for a lunch and a drink. It was also the setting for David Suchet’s ‘Poirot’ in “The Veiled Lady”

The Leighton Buzzard Motorcycle Rally...

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Saturday and the family made a welcome return to Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire for the yearly Motorcycle Rally. The Rally attracts Bikers from all over the UK with hundreds of stylish motorcycles to be gazed upon, ridden upon, or just photographed upon. The Rally is held in Page's Park beside the quaint Leighton Buzzard Narrow Gauge Railway and with stalls and a play park for the children there was plenty to occupy everyone.

The Avebury Stones...

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    The Avebury Stones. The village of Avebury is seen as a mecca for those who believe in Paganism, Wicca, and Druidry. The Avebury Stones surround the village in the fair county of Wiltshire England, a county renown for it’s fine quality hams and fresh country vegetables. The summer solstice and pagan festivals held at Avebury attract visitors from all over the world, as Avebury stands on the St. Michael ley line that runs from Cornwall to East Anglia - and in the village itself ; The Red Lion Public House can offer you one of the most ghostly inhabited pubs in England!

The Shriving of Miss Esme Stamp...

Serialized by Patrick George Callaghan                                                      Part Four Like an ancient dowager The Peoples Palace had marked the passing of time; its walls were cracked and bitten by a thousand winter gales. Now the evening was an earthy brown that hid its open shabbiness and rickety gas lamps clung tightly to their own familiar street corners. Heavy faces loomed from open doorways and men of use stood on cobbled roads; idle and without direction. There was company in one another; there was only accusation, discontentment and lawlessness at home. The ale bar offered up its saintly dreams…if one had a silver shilling. ‘Now there’s a woman ‘wiv furs on ‘er back and a fancy ‘at from ‘arrods.’ There were mutterings of agreement. ‘I bet ‘er belly’s goanna be full of dinner tonight! Our’s can ache and rumble till the cows come ‘ome.’ The voice died away, lost to the small group of men that had gathered close to the entrance. Men had the

Actress Enid Stamp Taylor and Polyfoto...

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This remarkable set of pictures taken by Polyfoto in the 1930′s show a more unguarded and natural Enid Stamp Taylor and thought to be taken in one of London’s large department stores. They were given to me by Enid’s daughter Robin Anne, and interestly enough there is a corresponding set taken at the same time of Robin Anne herself. Therefore, one must conclude this was a spontaneous gesture during one of Enid’s frequent shopping trips in central London. Polyfoto were a photographic company that had instore portait studios in many large towns across the country from the 1930′s right up until the mid 70s and enjoyed their own distinctive and notable photographic system which incorporated unperforated 35mm film that in turn produced small square pictures as a contact sheet from which the sitter could choose enlargements a day or two later. However, the system became expensive and dated with the rise of the photo booth. Sadly, these are all that have survive

A Family Outing...

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The Callaghan family enjoying a recent walk along the banks of the Grand Union Canal. Mentioned in an earlier blog was Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire UK, and that brings me to some interesting facts. The Grand Union Canal which ran the length of England was opened at Leighton Buzzard, and that Leighton Buzzard Railway Station was the location for part of the film  The Great Train Robbery made in 1963. The robbery itself took place just outside the town at Bridego Bridge, and turned Ronnie Biggs into a household name.

The Leighton Buzzard Railway...

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It was a great 'day out' when the family visited the Leighton Buzzard narrow-gauge railway in Bedfordshire UK recently. Built back in 1919, from materials surplus from the First World War battlefields railways, to carry sand from the quarries around Leighton Buzzard. It's now a popular tourist attraction, and one of England's top narrow-gauge working museums, with historic locomotives from all over the world. Top picture: The Callaghan family inspect the engine. Below: Posing for a group snap.

Family Barbecue...

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Young people of the Callaghan family ... All enterprising tweeter's and fb's... are pictured enjoying the many delights of our Family Summer Barbecue in the UK.

The Shriving of Miss Esme Stamp...

Serialized by Patrick George Callaghan                                                    Part Three Constance Stamp was a woman of pronounced views when it came to her offspring, and it was not difficult to understand her individual ascent for money and position. Something she had always instilled in her daughter. She was after all, now well placed largely through her own endeavors. It had not always been the case. She was the only daughter of a middle class family doctor with a practice settled to a woefully poor area of Leeds. The soul was often gratified whilst the stomach went hungry. Her life took on its meaning when she met and fell in love with a young army captain named George Stamp. She had gone on the invitation of a friend to a dance in the officers Mess at the nearby Victoria Barracks. Her friend had said romantically; they should go with the hope of meeting a dashing and handsome young officer. George was nineteen, not very tall, but good looking with a w

Interesting Books From The Past...

The Dark Daughters by Rhys Davis, was first published in 1947 by William Heinemann. In 1895, wearing a smart frock-coat and an even smarter puce cravat, Mansell Roberts opened his chemist shop at the base of an arboreal North London hill intersected with rows of solid new villas. The wholesome breezes of Hampstead Heath blew down over the hill before losing themselves with a different odour in the  clotted lower-class districts far below. Among tasteful scrolls heading the new chemist’s bills – and much more imposing than the actual premises – was an engraving depicting  the shop’s exterior with two smart carriages drawn up at the kerb. Mansell had ordered many packages of these bills. He was by nature adverse to giving credit but he trusted those villas with their horse-shoe drivers, stucco porticoes, flowering urns, and their roomy basements for several domestics. And to make more certain of laying a solid local foundation, he had become a worshipper at d

Happy Birthday at The Highwayman...

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The happy group of visitors to my weblog enjoying a Birthday Dinner at The Highwayman Hotel in Bedfordshire UK just recently. Happy Birthday Zena!

The Shriving Of Miss Esme Stamp...

Serialized by Patrick George Callaghan                                                      Part Two Joshua Deans. Magistrate. Minister of the Esra Chapel on Bittacy Hill; sat in his black knee-length, gold-buttoned, small-pocketed coat. He warmed himself gently in front of a grey ash, red topped coal fire, lulling comfortably as his damp boots steamed to satisfaction. His chair creaked in time with his arching black narrow-trouser matchstick legs. He dozed in the heat rising rapidly along the closing rails of his slow-moving blood and bathed in the youthful sunshine of his eternal contemplation. There was duck to be served sharply at eight and from his housekeeper’s larder. A watery eye opened peculiarly and peered carefully at the large pendulum clock that rested majestically from its corner, its ticks swinging melodiously like a bandleader’s arm. It was five o’clock; his son had not been seen since breakfast. It was the telephone that roused him from his dewy-ness. I

Linslade Canal Festival...

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Well, it was that time of year once again for the Linslade Canal Festival in Bedfordshire on Saturday, attended by thousands, it's an attraction that covers a huge area in addition to the canal festivities, with a fun fair, hundreds of side stalls, live entertainment and all set around a giant lake. Pictured above are some of the hundreds of highly decorated narrow boats including 'The Cheese Boat'

Brighton's Promettes...

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These are Brighton Sussex UK Promettes of 1952. The Visitor Information Centre of its time. For those men amongst you that like girls with brains there was no better place than Brighton, Sussex, England in the 50s! Formed from ex-models, these girls would offer all types of advice for your holiday stay in Brighton… But no dating though chaps!

A Deleted Scene from 'The Shriving...'

She sat within the glow of the coals, their red heat penetrated the pores of her skin and warmed the white of her bones. She stared long and hard into the glass of whisky as if it were full of a thousand nettles, and finding no reason to swallow the liquid her mind moved over matters best with the gradient carefulness of an undertaker’s assistant…  A deleted scene from ‘The Shriving of Miss Esme Stamp’ by Patrick George Callaghan.

The Shriving of Miss Esme Stamp...

Serialized by Patrick George Callaghan                                               Part One The easterly wind that hurried in on that spring morning of 1921 still had the taste of winter on its breath. It was a further reminder that Mill Hill had yet to be woken by the warm golden hues of an English summer. Single shafts of faint cool sunlight daggered pointlessly across the grey-green landscape as the three girls walked cautiously, and with some purpose, in the direction of the old convent that rested majestically between the tall rows of elderly Beech trees. They had kept a watchful eye for anyone who might know them. There seemed little point in circling the fields. Those meadows of long winter grasses curtained high and dark woods, thick and frightening, and somehow were quite beyond the line of perfect reason, and anyway the road was quiet enough, aside from a trundling omnibus, empty of its passengers, and an unobservant bike-straddled butcher’s boy. When s

Interesting Movies From The Past...

I think one of most bizarre, yet compelling dramas I’ve ever watched and completly enjoyed is A Canterbury Tale made in 1944 by the team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. It tells a reworked story of Chaucer’s 14th century tale set in Kent, and portrays three young people who make a modern day pilgrimage to Canterbury for blessings. Within this plot is the local squire, who for some strange reasoning does not like soldiers and girlfriends getting together and pours glue over the village girls hair at night! Filmed at Denham and around Canterbury it is never-the-less a charming wartime movie that features the talents of Eric Portman, Sheila Sim, Dennis Price and newcomer Sergeant John Sweet (U.S ARMY)

Interesting People From The Past...

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  Baroness Emma Orczy She was a British novelist and playright of Hungarian noble origin. Famous for her books that portrayed her character of The Scarlet Pimpernel. A prolific writer, along with her husband, right up until her death in 1947.

Interesting People From The Past...

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This rare picture of stage and screen actress Enid Stamp Taylor comes from her daughter Robin Anne’s own private collection. It shows a more unguarded Enid relaxing in the spring sunshine of 1935 in the back garden of her home in West London. The picture is thought to have been taken by Robin Anne’s Nanny. There are many more images of Actress Enid Stamp Taylor, and much more information to be found by clicking Enid Stamp Taylor in the search box. Posted in Enid Stamp Taylor , Patrick's Words

Salvation In The Park...

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Despite the downpours of rain we have had lately, this bold group of Salvation Army musicians brought a much needed ray of sunshine to the Grove Gardens in Bedfordshire UK recently. Founded in East London By William Booth in 1865, The Salvation Army is one of the largest, most diverse providers of social services in the United Kingdom. A visionary social reformer ahead of his time, William Booth believed that charity demeaned the individual and people should be offered a ‘hand up' and not ‘hand outs' to get them back on their feet.

Interesting Buildings From The Past...

Minster Lovell Hall… Oxfordshire England The ruins of this once imposing manor house lay testament to a frightening and strange tale known as ‘The Mistletoe Bough’ One Christmas many, many years ago the house enjoyed the wedding of young William Lovell, eldest son of the Lovall family, and his attractive young bride. Everyone danced throughout the evening and as it became late and no-one yet wanted to retire, it was suggested that they all play a game of ‘Hide and Seek’ William’s bride offered to hide first, and dared William to find her before the others. Well, time passed and she could not be found. They searched all through the night and into the next day, but without any luck. For a further one week they searched, but never found her. William did not recover from his great loss and died just a few years later from despondency. It was soon after when a servant found an old oak chest that had lay hidden in the attic from some years before, and when

Interesting People From The Past...

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‘Rex and Biz’ Actress Enid Stamp Taylor… And friends! Enid and two cherished companions on holiday at Portmeirion North Wales in the August of 1937. I thought it would be nice to open-up this wet June with a bright and breezy summer shot of Enid Stamp Taylor. The holiday village of Portmeirion was the setting for the famous TV series of ’The Prisoner’ starring Patrick McGoohan. Enid is pictured snapped by family members ‘The Poritts’… The architect Clough Williams-Ellis was the brainchild behind ‘Portmeirion’ – the Italianate village known as ‘The Xanadu of Wales’…  and it’s likely he was a friend to Enid.

Interesting Buildings From The Past...

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  The Dramatic Stairway of St. Pancras Railway Station in North London. Robert Morey’s camera is deep and dark with this period evoking stairway shot inside the famous North London Victorian Railway Station of St. Pancras. Built in 1868 as The Midland Grand Hotel and Railway Station it served travellers to and from The East Midlands and Yorkshire. It’s a beautiful vision of Victorian gothic architecture. During the 2000s it was renovated and given a new lease of life as a terminal area for Eurostar Trains to Europe.