A benchmark

I spotted this etched into a wall in Saltaire. It amazes me how I can walk past the same places a thousand times and then suddenly spot something I've never consciously noticed before. I took it for some kind of mason's mark but my learned (engineer) friend told me it is a benchmark. It's obviously been there for many years, though I don't think the benchmark network existed when the village was built; I think it dates back to the early 20th century. 

Dr Google tells me that: 'Bench marks are the visible manifestation of Ordnance Datum Newlyn (ODN), which is the national height system for mainland Great Britain and forms the reference frame for heights above mean sea level.'  So, in Britain, they tell you how high above sea level you are relative to the base level in Newlyn, Cornwall. 'ODN is realised on the ground by a network of approximately 190 fundamental bench marks (FBMs). From these FBMs tens of thousands of lower-order BMs were established. The network has had little maintenance for 30 years, and in some areas (mining areas for example), subsidence has affected the levelling values. In these regions the BMs cannot be relied upon to accurately define ODN. Most commonly, the BMs are found on buildings or other semi-permanent features. Although the main network is no longer being updated, the record is still in existence and the markers will remain until they are eventually destroyed by redevelopment or erosion.'

They were used in building projects, for levelling, though I suppose there are more modern technologies these days. But the network remains. 

There's an exciting map on the Ordnance Survey website that shows the locations of all of them in the UK. Look at the map for Saltaire: 

There are lots more for me to find!

I see from the data that, in moving house, I've risen from about 83m above sea level to about 115m. Going up in the world, literally! 

More from the Himalayan Garden...

... just because it's so beautiful, with its engaging mixture of lush garden views, trees, planting and sculptures.

The Ting Pagoda is in fact classed as a sculpture, by David t'Hoen, and sits at the end of the Magnolia Lake, called after the magnolia blossom sculpture (Rebecca Newnham) floating on its surface. 

One of my favourite artworks is the exuberant Red Scarf (Carol Peace) whose coppery surface wonderfully catches the light. 

Oceanus, one of three pieces by Magda of Magdooska Creates, was a creative use of recycled glass and a bicycle wheel, which I rather liked.  

Love-in-a-Mist (Michael Kusz), the common name of a Nigella flower, was an attractive rendition of a flower that has a very complex structure. 

The few remaining azaleas in flower offered bright punctuations in the landscape. Blue iris were one of my mother's favourite blooms, glorious in colour and themselves quite sculptural in form. 

The metal stork and herons beside the lake were by an unnamed Zimbabwean artist. 

'Bursting from the Slumber'

Ilkley-based sculptor Anna Whitehouse has overseen this installation of Himalayan Blue Poppies tumbling down a hillside, at the Himalayan Garden. Its creation was impacted by the Covid pandemic but, when people were allowed once again to gather together, over 1300 ceramic poppies were handmade in workshops in schools, colleges and community groups, then glazed, fired and assembled into this riverlike cascade. The artist comments that 'it is a symbol of re-emergence and the power of community'. The makers were able to relax and socialise whilst engaged in a soothing and tactile creative activity. Each poppy has been personalised by its maker, with messages of freedom and the names of family, friends and, in some cases, those they lost to the Covid virus. 

Tucked away in the garden were some real Himalayan Blue Poppies (Meconopsis) too. Rare in the UK and apparently difficult to grow, they need moist conditions to flourish and have a short flowering season. They are unusual and rather pretty, with a slight pink flush to their blue petals. 

Ways of relaxing?

Different ways of relaxing, perhaps? 

Thai Buddha (artist unknown)

Juliet - Study of a Dancer (Tom Merrifield)

A Brisk Walk (Simon Conolly)

All photographed at the Himlayan Garden and Sculpture Park near Ripon, North Yorkshire.

'The Ocean comes to Yorkshire'

I enjoyed this installation at the Himalayan Garden: 'The Ocean comes to Yorkshire' by Subodh Kerkar from Goa in India. Kerkar, an artist, activist and former medical professional, uses shells, pebbles, sand and leaves, often in situ on the seashore, to create ephemeral land art installations. Here, he's used cowri shells which were once employed as currency. The carved poles and suspended disc celebrate the ocean 'as a medium of cultural diffusions' (whatever that means!) Whatever meaning you take from it, I found it visually and photographically interesting.

Himalayan Garden and Sculpture Park

My first visit to the Himalayan Garden and Sculpture Park was in 2018 and I've been meaning to return ever since. I finally made it! Tucked away up in Nidderdale, between Masham and Ripon, the woodland gardens, now covering over 45 acres, were created by Peter and Caroline Roberts after they bought the land in 1996. The gardens are now in the care of a charitable trust. Since my last visit a lot more has been developed and there are many more sculptures, in both permanent and temporary displays. 

'Contemplation Circle' (Liam O'Neill) consists of five huge chairs, each carved from a single piece of timber. 

'Bullrushes/Reedmace' (Michael Kusz) was part of the Landscape Exhibition of pieces exploring the intersection of art and nature. 

'Roebuck Deer' is one of several realistic pieces by Hamish Mackie, who also created 'The Swift', which you can see below. 

The steep site originally had a few rhododendrons along the drive and they inspired a vision to develop the site as a Himalayan garden. It now has one of the largest collections of rhododendrons, azaleas and magnolias in the North of England. My visit was a little late in the season for the best showing of these cultivars. Most of the blooms were withered, though I still found a few bright spots of colour. 

'Fisherman Head' ( Christopher Marvell) is a quirky, humorous work, aptly sited by one of the lakes. 

'This is Not a Knot' ( Karin van der Molen) was another wry creation, suspended in the trees. 

'Magnolia' (Rebecca Newnham) floats serenely in another lake, to which it gives its name. 

Sunday meditation: Lone leaf

I led an outing for my camera club around Saltaire and up the Glen Tramway to Shipley Glen. It was well attended and we had lots of fun, but I was so busy chatting and making sure we didn't lose anyone that I hardly took any photos myself. Of the half dozen images I came home with, I liked this one the best: a study of a lone leaf on the mill pond in the woods.

'A few stray leaves are floating along the surface, and I like how peaceful they look, 

not going under the water, and not blowing away either. 

Just floating, weightless and effortless.'   Carian Cole

'Anyone can love a rose, but it takes a lot to love a leaf. It’s ordinary to love the beautiful, 
but it’s beautiful to love the ordinary.'   MJ Korvan 

'Nature will bear the closest inspection. She invites us to lay our eye level with her smallest leaf, 
and take an insect view of its plain.'  Henry David Thoreau

A day being Gran

When most schools went back after half-term, my youngest granddaughter (9) had a couple of extra days for 'staff training', so I was drafted in to spend one of the days with her. We decided to go to Halifax to the cinema, and on the way we called in at Manor Heath Park, one of our favourite local places. There's a small 'jungle experience' - heated greenhouses with tropical plants, huge butterflies and ponds and streams with fish and terrapins. It's all rather fun and quite educational, though these days it tends to be my granddaughter educating me, rather than the other way round! 

She guided me round the back to a walled garden that I didn't even know about. It was really attractive and peaceful and we happily explored the planting and the winding paths. M is rarely still and, given half a chance, will find a spot for dancing and jumping about. 

In one of the flower beds she discovered a small stone, painted with a picture of a blue whale. 'Look, Gran, a whale.' 'Oh, well spotted,' said I. 'Whale spotted,' she retorted, quick as a flash. I think that's the first time she's made a little joke like that with me. Obviously she's taking after me and her mum. We both love puns. 

We had a very congenial day out. The film we saw was 'Garfield, the Movie'. Of course, being deaf, I can't hear the dialogue but it wasn't hard to follow the storyline. To add to the fun, it was in 3D so we had dark glasses to wear and it appeared that things were coming out towards us from the screen. Weird but enjoyable.

Backstage details

During our tour of Harrogate Theatre, we were allowed onto the stage and into the wings - a surprisingly constricted area full of random bits of detritus. The walls backstage are all painted black, I suppose so they can't easily been seen from the audience. It was all a bit the worse for wear, with chalk-scrawled notes and jokes, many of which seemed related to the Covid era. There was a list that was perhaps a tally of the performers who succumbed to the illness during a production run. 

Wide brooms must be for sweeping the stage - and some of the wiring and heating looked positively antiquated! 

I found the lone glass slipper rather poignant... and I've no idea what is 'Bad!' 

The area above the stage rises very high, hung with 'curtains' that can be dropped down on ropes when they want to change the scenery. There were vertiginous ladders at various points - and no, I didn't climb the 'stairway to heaven'! 

To the untrained eye, the mass of ropes looked like a real tangle but I guess the stagehands know exactly what to do, which to release and when, for each production, 

The auditorium

Harrogate Theatre's auditorium is of traditional design, with stalls, a circle and an upper circle, and some boxes at the sides. It reminded me of when I was child and my parents took our family to the theatre in Nottingham to see a pantomime. My father hired a box for us all and I felt very grand sitting there in our exclusive little pod, although you do get a rather skewed view of the stage from the side. I think boxes were originally intended not so much for viewing the performance as for the occupants to be seen by others in the audience (ie: 'the Royal Box') and for them to be able to survey the general scene from on high.  

My camera's lens wasn't wide enough to take in the full sweep of the auditorium, either from the front of house or the stage. However, these pictures give a flavour of what it is like. It was once very 'grand' and is still quite functional, if rather shabby and worn in parts.  

Harrogate Theatre

We had a camera club outing to Harrogate and a private tour of Harrogate Theatre, formerly the Grand Opera House. Its history is detailed on the plaque shown below: 

It's not a huge theatre and with about ten photographers - all with tripods - it proved a bit tricky to manoeuvre around to get the shots we all wanted. In the end, I ditched my tripod (never my favourite gadget anyway) in favour of hand-held shots, so mine are a bit less than sharp. 

The foyer is quite attractive, with an ornate ceiling and original panelling. The beautiful frieze depicting theatrical scenes was created by Frances Darlington (1880-1939), a local sculptor whose very fine work I also saw in St Wilfrid's Church (see HERE).

'Tragedy and Comedy':

'The Rehearsal of a Mystery Play':

'Fun and Frolic Mocking Time':

Any guesses as to what this (below) is?:

It's an ashtray for cigars and cigarettes. There were several dotted around, clearly a necessity at some point in the past. Now smoking is banned in public places, it's hard to remember what it was like when the air near the ceiling was foggy with smoke and the reek of cigarettes and cigars was all-pervasive in pubs, clubs, theatres and on public transport.