Month: July 2020

Inventions

The lawnmower

Edwin Beard Budding (1796-1846) from Gloucestershire was a mechanical engineer with a knack for devising improvements, repairs and solutions to various types […]

Edwin Beard Budding (1796-1846) from Gloucestershire was a mechanical engineer with a knack for devising improvements, repairs and solutions to various types of machinery issues. Whilst employed at the local Phoenix Iron Works, owned by John Ferrabee (1789-1853), he upgraded the machine for shaving protruding fibre ends from the surface of woven textiles. This set him thinking about another application for such a device, namely the cutting of grass, and in 1830 he patented his design for the first lawnmower.

He went into partnership with Ferrabee, who provided the finance and the production facilities. The first sales were to head gardeners appreciative of an alternative to the exhausting work of scything large areas of grass. Budding’s cast iron lawnmower had three blades on a rotating cylinder, a large rear roller, a clippings collection tray on the front and an extra handle so that one man could push while another pulled.

This innovation was licenced in 1832 to J.R.&A. Ransomes in Suffolk, who had great success in expanding the market and produced the first petrol mower in 1902. By 1926 the Atco Standard motor mower, manufactured by Charles H. Pugh Ltd of Birmingham, was the first to be mass-produced to meet the increase in demand after WW1.

(Image of vintage Ransomes, Webb and Qualcast lawnmowers: Evelyn Simak at geograph.org.uk / CC BY-SA 2.0)

20/07/2020
3 min
4 years
221 words

Basic principles

Family values

Any Briton who has looked into their family tree will know that until WW2 it was common for families to consist of […]

Any Briton who has looked into their family tree will know that until WW2 it was common for families to consist of ten or more children and for the parents to have married in their early 20s. The wife looked after the house and younger children while the husband and older children earned the money. Today, the average is two children per couple, who set up home in their late 20s, and many wives have part-time jobs.

Grown-up offspring tend to live with their parents for longer, but whatever its age range, the family remains the fundamental setting for childhood, personal relationships and loving support. It involves the parental responsibilities of keeping a home and putting food on the table, which cannot wilfully be dodged without serious consequences. Children are usually kept close to home and our ancestors might have considered them rather spoilt but confined.

Divorce is actually on the decline in the UK but there are still many families with step-parents or with single parents (usually the mother). However, the family values of sharing, nurturing and ‘doing family’ together, i.e. working, playing, holidaying, celebrating and experiencing all of life’s events with each other, continue to be the norm.

(Image: Oliver Dixon at geograph.org.uk / CC BY-SA 2.0)

17/07/2020
3 min
4 years
211 words

Geography & Environment

North York Moors

Designated a National Park in 1952, the North York Moors comprise 355,000 acres of rural land with an Australia-shaped outline in the […]

Designated a National Park in 1952, the North York Moors comprise 355,000 acres of rural land with an Australia-shaped outline in the north-east of England. Middlesbrough lies to the north, Scarborough to the south-east, Thirsk out west and Pickering to the south. Its eastern side skirts around the seaside town and fishing port of Whitby, but otherwise takes in a 26-mile stretch of sandy beaches and fossil-rich cliffs facing the North Sea.

The central plateau rises up from its hilly edges, the cause of some difficulty for transport in past centuries and even today, with road-signs warning of steep climbs and ‘dangerous’ descents. Nevertheless, the area attracts many tourists to its extensive heather moorland, woods and green meadows, with sheep, deer, birds and otters to be spotted near the many lakes, pools and streams. The highest point is Urra Moor at 1,490ft..

The North York Moors Historical Railway Trust has operated a steam railway service from Pickering to Whitby since 1972. Assisted by hundreds of volunteers, it aims to preserve a cherished piece of history by offering weddings, dining, photography and filming opportunities. Television series such as ‘Heartbeat’ and ‘Downton Abbey’, and the ‘Harry Potter’ films have used their stations as authentic backdrops.

(Image: Russel Wills at geograph.org.uk / CC BY-SA 2.0)

14/07/2020
3 min
4 years
209 words

Discoveries

Colour blindness

John Dalton (1766-1844) from Cumberland, compiler of the first atomic theory, was also the first scientist to study colour blindness, after discovering […]

John Dalton (1766-1844) from Cumberland, compiler of the first atomic theory, was also the first scientist to study colour blindness, after discovering it in himself and his brother in 1794. It is a condition which is better referred to as ‘colour vision deficiency’ since there is a range of effects depending on the functioning of the retina’s cone cells. It is more common in men (8%) than women (0.5%).

In his 1798 paper, ‘Extraordinary Facts Relating to the Vision of Colours, with Observations’, Dalton correctly surmised that it is hereditary. However, his theory on its cause being a bluish tinge to the vitreous was found to be incorrect upon his death, when his own eyes were dissected as he had requested. Nevertheless, colour blindness is also known as Daltonism.

Professor John Mollon (University of Cambridge) and Dr Gabriele Jordan (Newcastle University) began studying the other end of the spectrum in the late 1980s, namely tetrachromacy. This allows a female to see 100 times more shades than the normal million, due to an extra type of cone cell. They finally found such a woman in 2014 but in 2019 their joint paper, ‘Tetrachromacy: the mysterious case of extra-ordinary colour vision’, concluded that this remains a complex research topic.

(Image: Johannes Ahlmann at Flickr.com / CC BY 2.0)

13/07/2020
3 min
4 years
209 words

Celebrations & Holidays / Religion

Good Friday

Good Friday is the Christian commemoration of the death of Jesus by crucifixion. It is also the first day of the Easter […]

Good Friday is the Christian commemoration of the death of Jesus by crucifixion. It is also the first day of the Easter long weekend comprising Good Friday, Saturday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday, with the Friday and Monday being Bank Holidays. Devout Christians regard Good Friday as a solemn day of repentance and its part in the Resurrection Story is the fundamental basis for Christian beliefs, and its outcome ~ the forgiveness of sins ~ is the reason it is called ‘Good’.

The New Testament recounts the events. Jesus had gathered his disciples together for the Last Supper and though he dreaded what was about to happen, it was essential to prove his preachings. Jesus was arrested but not found guilty of any crime. However, the baying mob intimidated the prosecutor and Jesus was subjected to barbaric treatment before being nailed to a cross. His slow, agonising death was a sacrifice in which he symbolically paid the price for mankind’s sins, thus enabling redemption.

Traditionally, Christians would not eat meat on Good Friday since it represented warm-blooded flesh, so instead they would eat fish, being cold-blooded (unless they were vegetarian). This became customary for all Fridays, hence the saying “fish on Fridays”.

*Image of hot cross buns, eaten on Good Friday: punzy at Flickr.com / CC BY 2.0*

(Top image: Marco Wolff at pixabay.com)

09/07/2020
3 min
4 years
223 words

Entertainment

The Spice Girls

At a time when women in the UK had achieved gender equality in many spheres, The Spice Girls came along to push […]

At a time when women in the UK had achieved gender equality in many spheres, The Spice Girls came along to push the boundaries of acceptance in the music industry. Assembled in 1994 and disbanding six years later, their phenomenal worldwide success saw sales of 85 million records, the most of any all-girl singing group. They adopted an ethos of ‘girl power’, which suited their exuberant, brash image, exemplified in their playful groping of Prince Charles at an event in 1997.

The distinct personalities of the five members were the key to their marketing appeal. These were:

‘Ginger’ ~ Geri Halliwell (1972-) whose departure in 1998 caused shock and heartbreak among all Spice fans;
‘Sporty’ ~ Mel C(hisholm) (1974-) known for her tracksuit-bottom outfits;
‘Posh’ ~ Victoria Adams (1974-) who married footballer David Beckham, the media then dubbed the couple ‘Posh & Becks’ and she later became a fashion designer;
‘Scary’ ~ Mel B(rown) (1975-) who, with Ginger, was a leader of the group;
‘Baby’ ~ Emma Bunton (1976-), the favourite of many of the youngest girl fans.

Their first hit, ‘Wannabe’ (1996) was no. 1 in 37 countries. Most of their singles reached no. 1 in the UK but continual success led to battles of ego, including the sacking of their ‘pop genius’ manager, Simon Fuller, by fax.

(Top image of 2008 reunion performance: Kura.kun at Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0)

08/07/2020
3 min
4 years
219 words

Politics

Black Rod

The Gentleman (or Lady) Usher of the Black Rod is a go-between for the House of Lords with the House of Commons […]

The Gentleman (or Lady) Usher of the Black Rod is a go-between for the House of Lords with the House of Commons in both ceremonial and administrative spheres. It is a Crown appointment which has its roots in the mid-1300s. The Black Rod is the ebony staff with gold embellishments and it is the Usher’s symbol of authority. However, ‘Black Rod’ is taken as shorthand for the Usher in person.

The role began as an organiser of meetings for the Order of the Garter and during the 16th century the Parliamentary duties were gradually added. In 1631, these officially became the main part of the job specification. This was two years after Lord James Maxwell, Black Rod at the time, was left fuming outside the locked double doors to the Commons whilst MPs held the Speaker in his seat until a certain document had been read out. This show of independence worked its way into the rituals that continue to this day.

Black Rod’s most public appearance is at the State Opening of Parliament, as shown in this video, which includes one of Labour MP Dennis Skinner’s quips ~ “Get your skates on – first race is half-past 2” ~ his custom during 1980-2019.

(Image of the lower part of the Black Road [cropped]: ukhouseoflords at Flickr.com / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

06/07/2020
3 min
4 years
219 words

Geography & Environment

Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown

Northumbrian Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown (1716-83) entered landscape gardening with an enthusiasm and vision that propelled him to the top of his profession. […]

Northumbrian Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown (1716-83) entered landscape gardening with an enthusiasm and vision that propelled him to the top of his profession. Although he dismissed the formal designs which sought to mould plants into rigid shapes and patterns, he was not averse to moving tons of soil to fulfil his own idea of perfection. On surveying a new project he would exclaim that it had “capabilities”, hence his nickname, portending a remodelling on a grand scale.

Brown’s career began in 1741 at Stowe House in Buckinghamshire, where he became Head Gardener, then Clerk of Works. Going freelance in 1751, he spent the rest of his life designing the grounds of aristocratic estates all over the country ~ 170 of them all told, of which 18 are now maintained by the National Trust, including Stowe itself.

*Image of temple, column and Palladian bridge over lake at Stowe: ukgardenphotos at Flickr.com / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0*

Characteristically, Brown would install a lake with curving, grassy banks and an ornate bridge. He would plant trees with naturally architectural shapes and group them carefully in small clumps or woods. He would build neo-classical temples and follies, and he devised the ‘ha-ha’ wall, hidden from sight of the house, but keeping livestock in the distant parkland. A long, sweeping driveway would be engineered to give approaching visitors an impressive view.

(Top image [cropped]: Gresham College at Flickr.com / Public domain)

04/07/2020
3 min
4 years
229 words

English language

William Blake, author of ‘Jerusalem’

In his time, William Blake (1757-1827) was viewed by some as a nutcase. It was not until a generation after his poverty-stricken […]

In his time, William Blake (1757-1827) was viewed by some as a nutcase. It was not until a generation after his poverty-stricken death that his poetry and illustrations received acclaim. By then, of course, Blake’s habit of seeing spiritual visions and of recounting conversations he had had with ‘the other side’ did not loom so large in the mind when considering his work. Indeed, he is now deemed a revolutionary genius in terms of imaginative literature, and the New Age movement of the 1960s held Blake in high esteem.

He lived in London, a city he loved, for all but three years of his adult life. He left school at age 10 and started work as an engraver at 14. He continued in this trade, working at home using a printing process he devised himself which printed both text and illustration in one pressing rather than separately.

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His most famous poem, ‘Jerusalem’, was set to music during WW1 and it is regarded as England’s anthem. ‘The Tyger’, ‘Auguries of Innocence’ and ‘The Dance of Albion’ are other well-loved examples. They evoke imagery that may have seemed eccentric in the early 19th century but appeals to those contemplating life’s meaning two centuries later.

*Image: Trina at Flickr.com / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0*

(Top image of William Blake self-portrait: Wikimedia Commons / Public domain)

02/07/2020
4 min
4 years
268 words

Quoting Neil Oliver...

I love Britain more than anywhere else in the world. With all my heart I declare that those of us born here, or who have made a home here by choice, are the luckiest, most blessed of all people. I am British. I will always be British.