Photos from a tour around the abandoned Aldwych underground station, London.
On a slight tangent away from my usual blog post topic, I wanted to share with you the photos from the excellent tour that I went on this evening with 39 others, at the abandoned Aldwych Station in London.
Aldwych underground sign
Expertly led by a group of volunteers, 40 of us queued to get inside one of London’s lost destinations – Aldwych Station (although for a while, it was The Strand).
In a 55 minute tour (all sold out now!), a group of volunteers explained the development and demise of the station – how it was almost not built at all, how it very quickly became apparent that it was not feasible to complete, and how the station’s lifts caused it to finally close in 1994.
London Transport Museum‘s tour was fascinating – we walked three platforms, incomplete tunnels, stared at period posters (we were assured that they were copies rather than the real Edwardian posters), learnt about the ghost that is believed to date from the station’s predecessor The Strand Theatre (a topic that TV’s Most Haunted tried to explore).
Here’s the gallery – simply click a photo to go large (and instigate the slideshow).
This platform – bricked up at either end – closed in 1917. It was used in the second world war as a bomb shelter, housing around 1500 people. It was also used as storage space for artworks from V&A and British Museum, and was home to the Elgin Marbles.
Unfinished pedestrian tunnels, abandoned when it became clear the station wasn’t going to grow.
Unfinished pedestrian tunnels, abandoned when it became clear the station wasn’t going to grow.
Me in obligatory Aldwych underground sign photo
Unfinished pedestrian tunnels, abandoned when it became clear the station wasn’t going to grow.
Unfinished walls
Aldwych underground sign
Decay
Unfinished pedestrian tunnels, abandoned when it became clear the station wasn’t going to grow.
Tickets for the 2014 Who Do You Think You Are? Live show at Olympia, London, are now on sale.
The 2014 Who Do You Think You Are? Live show tickets are now available for purchase.
As per the 2013 show, there are a number of ticket options available, including the VIP Ancestry ticket (which i really enjoyed – giving you priority seats at the front of those talks). The cheapest entry ticket you can get if you’re an adult is £16 in advance. If you’re under 16, then you get in free – yet another great reason for you to get into genealogy!
As mentioned in my earlier blog post, the show runs from 20-22nd February 2014 – a change of weekday from previous years so that it now covers Thursday-Saturday (rather than Friday-Sunday).
I’m aiming on attending for all 3 days this time, and hope to do some live blogging here, and live tweeting throughout (Olympia wifi, and blog readers – you have been warned!).
Of course, i’ll be hoping that there will also be a repeat of the Tweetup.
UPDATE: And in case you’re wondering, yes, that’s me on the front of the Who Do You Think You Are? Live website, with the brilliant Jackie Depelle from Your Fair Ladies.
Yours truly with Jackie Depelle at Who Do You Think You Are? Live
Blogging from The Cambridgeshire Family History Society Fair 2013, held in Girton (North Cambridge) on 26th October 2013.
Last Saturday I attended The Cambridgeshire Family History Society Fair.
I think this was the first time that the Fair had taken place, and I was really impressed to see the variety of lectures and stands.
The venue – Girton Glebe School was easy to find and there was plenty of parking for those out-of-towners like me, and with bus stops for those more local. I had a strange flashback of my own primary school, when I found myself sitting on a small red plastic chair in one of the classrooms (although it seemed odd to be doing so whilst drinking a cup of tea).
I didn’t get to take many photos, as the venue was smaller and felt more condensed than other shows I’ve been to, so instead, check out these great photos from the Society’s Facebook Page.
Above: The Cambridgeshire Family History Society stand stood in the entrance with a warm welcome for all visitors. I picked up a couple of cdroms of the Society’s register transcriptions (non-conformists – which have already yielded some great info, and a Quarter Sessions transcript – which i’m yet to explore).
As someone who has been to Who Do You Think You Are? Live a few times, and other Fairs, this one follows a similar style (why fix it, if it isn’t broken?), with a hall with supplier stands, and then ticketed lecture sessions in smaller rooms.
A view of some of the trade stands at the Cambridgeshire Family History Society Fair, 2013
At the stand in the photograph above, I was lucky to find two postcards from Ely – both showing the shop that my Cross family owned and ran in Forehill (I recently referred to it in my blog and newspaper article about the Brown and Co (Ely) Ltd Shop). I chose one (£6!) and I’ve now added it to my collection. Part of me wishes I’d also bought the other one (£8.50!) as it was more of an advertisement card.
A postcard advertising the Cross’ bakery on Forehill, Ely
I was fortunate to get to talk with the Huntingdonshire Family History Society, at their stand, where they kindly looked up my Franks family. Sadly we couldn’t quite find them, but it seems that the parish that absorbed the now near-abandoned Coppingford village, may have retained the records. One day…. ONE DAY!
I found it a little odd for there to be no Suffolk Family History Society, given that they represent the neighbouring county. I overheard a couple of others talking about this too.
I was pleased to catch social historian (and self-confessed non-family-historian) Tom Doig‘s lecture on identifying Victorian photographs. His approach to this topic sounded odd to start with when he stated that you should never try to date photographs via the clothing seen in the photo. He shared with us his knowledge of the history of photography itself (something that I once studied with the Open University) – and explained the importance of looking at the style of the frames and mounts, and also the composition of a photograph as a method of dating it.
Freshly plied with data CDs, a monumental inscription joke from Carol Noble on the CFHS stall, my Cross postcard, and Tom’s advice on photography, I returned home and instantly began searching through my records and photos again.
An enjoyable time, and one that I hope to repeat again soon.
The Cambridgeshire Family History Fair 2013 speakers and topics have been announced by the Cambridgeshire Family History Society.
The Cambridgeshire Family History Society has confirmed the speakers and topics for this year’s Cambridgeshire Family History Fair.
Back in April this year I wrote about the forthcoming Cambridgeshire Family History Fair that was planned for 26th October. It felt a long way off, but now it’s almost upon us, and the Cambridgeshire Family History Society appear to have the preparations and great topics all lined up.
Announced on the Society’s Facebook timeline, the list of guest speakers consists of experts in local history and wider research methods.
As mentioned in an earlier post, the event is free to attend, although the sessions do have a small fee (payable/bookable on the day).
The Fair is on 26th October 2013, 10am – 4pm, at Girton Glebe School. Check the Society’s website for the latest information about what’s on, and travel/parking information.
Spent the weekend in the 1940s – meeting Winston Churchill, watching a Spitfire flying around, eating spam sandwiches, and escaping Nazi officers.
I’ve just returned from a trip with friends, to the 1940s, where I saw Prime Minister Winston Churchill, some Nazis, was treated to a Lancaster Bomber and a Spitfire fly-by, and I ate some spam.
The NAAFI canteen was packed full of people having the tea, bread pudding, jam, and spam sandwiches.
Speaking of which… I did eat it. The blank flavour, and synthetic texture reminded me of when I last had it in about the 1980s. Despite it providing a useful food source back then, it’s pretty much sneered at these days despite still being in production and readily available (someone/thing must be eating it!).
Around 250,000 Pigeons were used during the second world war to carry secret messages home in some of the most deadly battlefields, often from behind enemy lines, over the fighting and in to the British officer’s hands. The acts of the pigeon saved thousands of soldiers. Apparently this little chap is called ‘Lucky’.
Ran in to these chaps. Thankfully my limited German allowed me to escape… although it was fraught with danger.
A wartime poster encouraging healthy eating – and getting children to eat Vitamin A (a deficiency can lead to blindness).
Which will be no trouble, as there’s plenty of fresh vegetables growing in the garden:
Will post the Spitfire and Lancaster Bomber fly-past videos later (they’re taking a while to down/upload).
The Littleport Society are hosting an Open Day on 20th July. Free entry!
My chums over at The Littleport Society are holding an Open Day on Saturday 20th July.
Held at The Barn, in Main Street, Littleport, the Society will be displaying collections of local memorabilia and photographs, taking family history enquiries, and offering its latest publications via their book stall.
The Society played an important role in my family history research – as the town which it represents, was home to several branches of my family, including Barber, Burnell and Gilbert.
The Barn, Littleport
Doors open at 10am, and the Open Day runs until 4pm. It is free to attend, and light refreshments will be available.
For the latest information about the event and the Society, take a look at their website www.littleportsociety.org.uk
Denny Abbey and The Farmland Museum are hosting two workshops on 5th October 2013 for adult family history enthusiasts.
Denny Abbey and The Farmland Museum has announced that it is hosting two half-day workshops for adults interested in genealogy.
On Saturday 5th October, Michael Williamson and Ann Wise will be leading workshops for adults interested in getting started with their family tree, and methods for dating photographs.
Michael Williamson explains how to get started with researching your family tree
2.15pm – 3pm: Dating Your Old Family Photographs
Ann Wise will explain how to use clothing clues within a photograph to work out when it was taken. You can also bring your own photographs along.
Denny Abbey – its architecture hints at its rich and varied past.
Based near Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire, the site runs a yearly programme of education events, and this year I plan to attend the above event, and also hope to attend the basketmaking course – a skill that was my own Great Grandfather’s profession that kept a roof over his family’s heads.
The 2014 Who Do You Think You Are? Live dates have been confirmed, but there’s a change….
You know how dates are one genealogist’s friend and another’s nightmare? Well, Who Do You Think You Are? Live 2014 show has been confirmed, but there’s a change.
Regular readers will know that I’ve been attending the Who Do You Think You Are? Live shows now for the past 3 years. Each year I’ve felt that I’ve got more and more out of it, with this year’s (2013 show) being the most interesting (really enjoyed the Richard III talk) and the most fun by meeting some of the people that read this blog, suffer my tweets, and write the magazine articles and blogs that I read.
Of the three days (Friday through Sunday) I usually go to the show on the Saturday – I find the travel less hassle and often cheaper (at least if you want to get to the show for the start) and the ordeal of the London rush-hour commute home is lacking.
In 2014, the show will take place on Thursday through Saturday, 20-22nd February. Apparently, earlier shows in the event’s history, used to take place earlier in a week, but later in the year.. so it’s not the first time there’s been a change.
I’m not particularly bothered by this, as I’ll either continue to attend on the Saturday, or make arrangements to perhaps stay in London for the duration or overnight so that I can catch whichever talks are the most appealing. However, I have seen a bit of negativity in the last few days.
Essentially, here’s what will make me happy:
The same quality of guest speakers are arranged
The same wide range of topics and levels are covered
An improved wifi connection (both Olympia and Earls Court struggle here)
The Cambridgeshire Family History Society (CFHS) has revealed more details about their event in October 2013 – including free entry!
Following on from last week’s teaser, the details for the 2013 Cambridgeshire Family History Society Fair have been confirmed.
The Cambridgeshire Family History Society has confirmed on their Facebook Page that the event will take place at Girton Glebe Primary School, in the north of Cambridge on October 26, 2013, from 10am to 4pm. That’s six whole hours of genealogy to be had – meeting exhibitors and enthusiasts, and the great thing is that entry to the event is free!
There will also be a programme of expert lectures (which are charged at £2 per head, per lecture), and the details of these will be confirmed in due course. There will also be a free internet research room, run by the Society’s researchers.
In 2012, the Huntingdonshire Family History Society ran The Big Family History Fair which they confirmed would not be repeated this year.
Whilst this event isn’t on the same scale as those such as Who Do You Think You Are? Live or RootsTech, it will no doubt be an essential day out for anyone with genealogy and local history interests in Cambridgeshire and surrounding area.
Parking
There will be free parking on site, and the Citi 6 bus, which runs to and from the city centre every 20 minutes, stops near to the venue.
May 2013 is ‘Local and Community History Month’ in the UK.
May is Local and Community History Month in the UK.
From 1st-31st May, communities throughout the UK will be reconnecting with their past as part of The Historical Association’s ‘Local and Community History Month’.
A series of events run by libraries, museums, archives, and local history societies will invite the public to get involved and mark the month-long campaign.
