The Shop Project: Office/Apartment

So, this is the view from the inside of the apartment/office; looking out through my $100 double door/window...I have tried to use all salvaged/re-purposed materials :)  The door came from 2nd Chance in downtown Boise: it's solid wood with glazed windows & came with the frame and lock-set; what a deal! 

 I luv recycling/re-purposing & this is an example of how anyone can use recycled materials: I saved money & supported a worthy cause all at the same time :)  Throughout the apartment remodel, I have tried to use this method whenever possible: oops paint, existing light fixtures, or fixtures from the Re-Store or 2nd Chance, materials I already had on hand, and some great finds from the Reuseum :) --more on that later...--

This is the downstairs looking in from the door; a tiny space that will be kitchen, office, jewelry studio, & dining room all in one :)  I'm going for a French/Italian/Shabby/Industrial style: concrete floors, plastered walls, stainless steel sink, exposed hardware, & anything galvanized I can get my hands on....  please ignore the cans of paint & mud; it's going to be cute, I promise!

And a chandelier or 2, of course: I'm soooo excited about this: always wanted a crystal chandelier, but never had one & I found this one at Diamond Street Recycling: it's from Barbacoa: burnt & black & sooooo Gothic looking!  It even has melted glass from the light bulbs!  (Barbacoa burnt down last New Years, & has rebuilt to open again this New Years)  It's been re-wired--thanks so much to Marcella--& will be displayed in all it's imperfect glory---I am going to replace the missing/broken crystals with clear ones for contrast & a bit of it's old sparkle :)  See pics of the original; before the fire, here: http://www.barbacoa-boise.com/gallery.html

And this is the beginnings of the too cute bathroom: steel pedestal, white sink, steel mirror, & light fixture from the Re-Store... After a quick wash of dark paint, it was a good as new :)  $5

I just scored some cool old lockers from Diamond Street that will serve as storage; they will go on the wall next to the sink for towels, paper, make-up, & other essentials.  Also got some cute old first-aid kits (empty) to mount on the walls for medicine cabinets; more on that later :)  The mirror is an imperfect first try that was made for another project, the sink & faucet were eBay scores, & the pedestal was welded together out of old trade show displays that I picked up at another scrap yard.

This is a little wall made from pickets that came from 2nd chance: they are the same pickets we used to trim out the doors & room; I just white-washed them here: they cover up my discounted floor-model fridge that's on the other side---it's going to hold all the produce I will grow next summer :)  BTW; the stainless steel sink in the background; I bought that last year off of Craigslist for a garden sink: it was outside on my patio all year, & then got a new home in the apartment-it's perfect!  3 basins, stainless steel, & lots of surface area---it's going to get a cute curtain soon to cover up the plumbing...soon :)

Up the stairs, there are 2 attic rooms that we are working on: they will get the plaster & paint treatment & 1 will be the bedroom, the other will be storage/closet/computer station.  All in all, there is not much room, but I'm really looking forward to downsizing & simplifying---it's been fun to come up with creative solutions that will work in this tiny space : )  & I am definitely looking forward to the cost savings over paying for the big house that we hardly use...letting go of some of the stuff is proving to be a challenge, but it's only stuff, right??  Getting rid of the excess means more freedom for creativity & quality time...

The New Year is definitely going to be full of changes; & I'm looking forward to the possibilities... More to come later...

amber

The Shop Project....

Things are coming along at the new shop: since this summer we have added doors, replaced windows, hauled in gravel/road mix for the trucks, sheet rocked, painted, plastered, poured concrete, & even planted a few things for the spring :)

 We also put a wood stove in the workshop area; omg, I'm luv'ing it!  For the past 5 years I've been working with no heat in the winter, so to have a cozy fireplace has been soooo great...

 New steel rack ready to be filled up, and a few storage sheds to hold all the extra tools & stuff (it takes a lot of stuff for these projects)  It's been a lot of work, but getting down to the fun part now; moving in my work tables & setting up to get busy on some new creations!

 This fall I built a little retaining wall out of junk found around the property: old tires, chunks of concrete, rocks, logs, etc: I think it turned out really cute :)  I can't wait till spring to add more plants & landscaping...

 And a patio out front out of scrounged bricks & stepping stones :)

 My neighbors at the property :)  There are also lots of quails, a fox or 2, and some cows :)

My view out front :)  The shop has the workspace and a little apartment too that we have been working on: tour of progress tomorrow :)  Soon I'll be moving my office and jewelry studio into the little apartment: very excited to have everything in one place. 

I'm really anxious to get moved in and working: a great way to start off the new year--I'm looking forward to new creations & seeing the big projects come together.  And blogging more!!! I'm soooo behind: will be working on catching up on updates for Kleiner Park (soon to start fab.), my projects with the city of Boise: Hobble Creek Park (giant weather vane) and the Greening of the Grove/8th Street Art plan,  the Idaho Botanical Garden (it's a surprise),  as well as other side projects....   It's going to be another busy year; & I'm looking forward to new adventures.

Amber



Show & Tell: more trophies :)

 

Commissioned by Hansen-Rice Construction, these are the yearly Management of Steel Awards.

The company specializes in huge steel buildings, so naturally they asked for awards that had some I-beams...

I also added some bolts & other specialty fasteners: cute huh??

I wonder what they would think of me describing their steel awards as cute?   lol :)

Amber

From Woolwich to Tripcock Point

The following account about the riverside path downriver from the Arsenal comes from the latest edition of the Woolwich Antiquarians newsletter. This is a fascinating piece of riverside whose history has been very much neglected.

Andy Brockman will be with Greenwich Industrial History Society as a speaker again on 18th January (at the Old Bakehouse m 7.30) talking about : The First Blitz: The Eaglesfield Park Anti Aircraft Gun Site and the defence of Woolwich Arsenal in WW1

however - back to the river and what the Antiquarians had to say ........... on "Thames-side Arsenal - a walk led by Andy Brockman"

The walk was along the riverside footpath from Woolwich. The footpath, is now about 10ft higher than it was when the Arsenal was at its peak so most remains l are now covered. In the 19th the Arsenal authorities had themselves raised the river bank, and much of their work is still visible in revetted stone.

At a curve in the riverbank is the Gridiron which was built as a roll-on dock for 100 ton guns to be loaded onto special 'Gog or Magog' barges After manufacture in the Arsenal the gun would be put on a railway wagon, taken to the dock, and rolled (wagon and all) directly onto one of the barges for transport to Shoeburyness or wherever. Although this dock is now overgrown it is in reasonable condition and it is hoped to restore it.

At the next curve the indentation was probably the result of a breach in the river wall. The land was boggy and had been used for a magazine; and latterly for a latrine, with an outfall drain. It was felt by the authorities that there was a need here for revetting, and thus four old boats loaded with stone were gronded here in a line with more stone piled behind. These boats are now accessible at neap tides. The southernmost of them being the only known example of a ballast barge. It had a very basic hull, for local work in calm river waters, with a large hopper in the centre and a crane to dredge ballast from the riverbed. Thames Discovery are investigating it as well as the best preserved of the other three boats.

The third indentation is an ancient breech. Arsenal closed it off with a stretch of riverwall

There are two Second World War Pill Boxes along the path, neither of a usual type. The southernmost is of rough concrete but stands well above ground level. The northern one is of fine concrete, and has a small enclosed yard at the back, open to the sky, with a pedestal base in the centre. The base is set low down but is not big enough to mount any sort of gun - was it a listening post, for a searchlight or what??

Tripcock Point is where the Princess Alice sank and nearby is a descriptive plaque pointing out the site. There is also a modern signpost giving the walking distance to Dartford and Dover eastwards; and Aberdeen westwards...

Monuments around Woolwich with an industrial interest

The current issue of the Woolwich Antiquarians newsletter highlights Jim Marrett who opened their autumn season of talks giving the Vincent Memorial Lecture on 30th October 2010.


He concentrated on some of the Statues and Memorials around Woolwich. These are obviously very varied - here are some of the ones he mentioned which have an industrial interest:

There is the RACS building in Powys Street with its statue of Alexander McLeod with the motto "each for all and all for each".
(I hope we don't need to explain that RACS was the great Royal Arsenal Co-operative Society begun by Arsenal workers and one of the earliest co-ops in the world).

Jim next noted that 'We kept our feet dry by using the Free Ferry boats' - and that the boat names include 'Ernest Bevin' (Wartime Bevin Boys and then Labour Government Foreign Secretary - and of course someone who rose through the trade union) and John Bums (famous for trhe Dockers tanner dock strike in 1889, then a radical MP and one of the the first Labour Ministers). He reminded his audience that it was John Bums MP who used the term "liquid history" to describe the River Thames - Burns said , "The St Lawrence is mere water, the Missouri is mere muddy water, but the Thames, well the River Thames is liquid history".
(something we all need to remind the Americans)

Jim noted that insuide the soon to be demolished Woolwich Post Office is a 'a splendid First World War memorial dedicated to all Woolwich postmen who fought and eight men who died'.

At Shooters Hill near Christ Church is the covered memorial seat to Samuel Edmund Phillips, of Johnson and Phillips the Charlton electrical contractors. Over the seat and drinking fountain it records of Phillips
"Write me as one who loves his fellow men"

Labour Copartnership began in the local gas industry

The latest edition of Historic Gas Times carries on its front page an article by south London based gas historian, Brian Sturt, about one of the most important innovations carried out in the Victorian gas industry locally:

He says:

Today, bonus schemes are very much the norm, but over 120 years ago was there a choice? A 'Co-Partnership scheme' was first inaugurated by the South Metropolitan Gas Company in 1889 at a time when industrial relations were quite tense and workers had been on strike. The Governor of the South Met, Sir George Livesey introduced the scheme in an attempt to ensure that the gas supply was maintained without interruption.

This scheme gave workers a bonus on wages a percentage of the Company profits, which was held on deposit as shares and gained interest - as an alternative to joining a trade union. From this beginning, 'Co-Partnership' as it became known, developed steadily over the years and by 1908 twelve gas companies operated a similar scheme for their employees. This expanded and when nationalisation of the industry came in 1949, approximately 40 to 45% of employees in the industry were Co-Partners.

From the basic bonus payments at the start,many gas undertakings, depending on the company encouraged employees to become shareholders, elected worker-directors and provided a wide range of social and welfare facilities. The South Met also included discounted gas and formed a building society called 'Metrogas' which was in existence until 1984. Some undertakings published their Co-Partnership Journals, now a major source of information on the more social aspects of the industry for we historians.

For a period until the First World War, the South Met also sent out Christmas Cards - as shown in the illustrations. These record the number of employees in the scheme at the South Met and in 1904 this was 5,001 with over £230,000 invested - equivalent to about £12,000 per employee at today's values.
Brian Sturt
Historic Gas Times is available by subscription. please leave a message here if you would like details of how to contact the editor. (or via Institution of Gas Engineers)

PS - I also hope Brian will not object to me saying that the South Met. Co-partnership scheme was the subject of my M.Phil. Both he and I have a vast amount of material which could be made available to anyone seriously interested in the subject. However - family historians beware = this does not include personal details of participants. Please get in touch with either of us if you would like to know more

Haycrafts of Deptford

Dona Haycraft has written to us saying..

I am starting to research family history connected with the Haycrafts in Deptford (ironmongers). My interest started with the Haycraft halfpenny 1795 of which I have a couple and portraits of Joseph and Sarah Haycraft Deptford website Bonhams - the paintings did not sell to my relief!).

http://www.abccoinsandtokens.com/DH.Kent.013.004.html
http://tinyurl.com/34dsp55

I wonder if there is any reference of where John Haycraft had a dock allegedly in Rotherhithe and whether there is any trace of where Thomas (he of the halfpenny) had his business in Deptford's Broadway or whether it was flattened in the bombing of the Broadway in WW2.

The GIHS Webmaster says: According to the Bonhams site, the Haycrafts were a family of shipbuilders, prior to 1700 in Torbay, then subsequently in Rotherhithe and Deptford, Joseph was part of the family business, by then a company of ironmongers fitting out ships in the Viturlline Yard in Deptford. In 1795 his brother, Thomas Haycraft famously coined his own token, the 'Haycraft Halfpenny' which bears the legend 'Payable at Tho's Haycraft's, Deptford'.

I clearly must come to Deptford. Any suggestions of the best places to start? The links between Lewisham/Deptford/Greenwich are confusing to someone in Suffolk!

best wishes, Dona Haycraft
email: dona@donahaycraftphotography.co.uk
Tel: 01379 668669

Show & Tell: AGC Trophies

This is the 3rd year I've done trophies for the AGC year end awards: I think these are my favorites so far...

Each year, I come up with a new design--but use some of the same components: every year I've used bearings of some kind...  The bearings on this set all still rotate: kinda fun to fiddle with.

Other components include cable, nuts, bolts, & steel gears for the base :)

This one is the President's Cup; pretty cool, I think.  The big self-aligning bearing in the middle rotates & spins :) 

Love the brass accents :)

The awards will be presented tonight at the annual Gala & auction: hope everyone likes them!!

Amber

Elliott Brothers Lewisham - collections

We have received the following information about documentation of Elliott Brothers Lewisham - who made electronic equipment on the site now covered by Tesco. We hope to have Mr. Bristow as a speaker some time next year.

"The history of this Company which moved to Lewisham from central London in 1900 is fairly well documented though not in a single volume. Bulletin No 36 of the Scientific Instrument Society includes articles by Dr. Gloria Clifton, Head of Royal Observatory at the National Maritime Museum and by myself. Additionally I have published articles on this Company in subsequent issues of this Bulletin. I delivered a lecture on the Company History to the 2002 Summer Conference of the Institution of Electrical Engineers at Greenwich University and to the Lewisham Local History Society, amongst other organizations.

I was employed by Elliott Brothers in technical and management positions until retiring from Rochester. After the closure of the Lewisham site I took responsibility for the Company's Historic Collection and Archive. These collections cover documents from 1795, and instruments from 1840, to the mid - 20th century. After being exposed to risks of disposal and dispersal, they were taken in by the Museum of the History of Science at Oxford where they are accessible for academic and general research.

The present collection at British Aerospace Systems plc at Rochester to which you refer consists almost entirely of aircraft electronic equipment produced by Elliott Brothers and its successor companies at Rochester. It is not open to the public. The web site uses unacknowledged historical information from the sources given above.

I should be happy to answer questions or to provide information about the Company if required.

Ronn Bristow