Cottage Capers

On this day in history….1st December 1990

On this day in history : 1st December 1990 – Construction workers drill through the final half metre thick section of rock separating the two halves of the Channel Tunnel….

Overlooking Channel Tunnel entrance – Mutzy CCO

For the first time since the Ice-Age Britain and France are joined…. It was a feat of engineering that had taken two years….involving 13,000 workers and the construction of 95 miles of tunnels – averaging 150 feet below sea level…. 8,000,000 cubic metres of soil were removed; this equates to 2,400 per hour….

On the morning that the break through was made drilling started at 11am…. As soon as there was a hole big enough, construction workers Phillippe Cozette of France and Brit Graham Fagg shook hands and exchanged the flags of their respective nations….

Image via Pinterest (originally via Twitter)

Later a party of French delegates drove to Folkestone to get their passports stamped; a British group did likewise, by walking to Calais….

The Channel Tunnel was officially opened on the 6th of May 1994….

British History, Uncategorized

On this day in history….30th November 1934

On this day in history : 30th November 1934 – The steam locomotive ‘The Flying Scotsman’ becomes the first steam train to officially exceed 100 mph….

The LNER class A3 4472 Flying Scotsman – a Pacific steam locomotive – was built in 1923 for the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER)…. It’s most famous driver, Bill Sparshatt, had begun his career as a locomotive cleaner in 1890….but by 1931 had become the most senior driver at the Kings Cross shed…. Sparshatt had a reputation for speed and outstanding time keeping and between 1931 and 1936 he became the public face of LNER…. Used for promotional work he was often photographed posing with celebrities on the Flying Scotsman – including land speed record holder Sir Malcolm Campbell….

Bill Sparshatt (left) & his fireman R Webster, on the day of the record breaking 100 mph run – Image via flyingscotsman.org.uk – Fair use

On the 30th of November 1934 Sparshatt was assisting in speed trials between Leeds and Kings Cross – as part of experiments for future high speed train services…. It was during these tests that the Flying Scotsman reached the record breaking speed….

However, it wasn’t the only record this locomotive was to break…. In 1988, during a tour of Australia, the Flying Scotsman breaks the world record for the longest non-stop run by a locomotive – a run of 422 miles….

The Flying Scotsman in Australia – Zzrbiker at en.wikipedia – Public domain

David Ingham CC BY-SA 3.0

British History, Uncategorized

On this day in history….29th November 1963

On this day in history : 29th November 1963 – The Beatles release ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’ – which goes on to reach No.1 in the charts….knocking another of their own singles from the top position….

United Press International (UPI Telephoto) – Public domain

By knocking ‘She Loves You’ from the top spot, this gave the Beatles reign of the charts with both the No.1 and No.2 positions…. Very few acts have managed to do this…. The Beatles did it again in December 1967 when ‘Hello, Goodbye’ reached top with ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ at No.2….

The Beatles arriving at John F Kennedy International Airport, 7 February 1964 – United Press International, photographer unknown – Public domain

In 1978, following the huge success of the film ‘Grease’, two songs from the soundtrack album achieved it…. John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John made No.1 with ‘Summer Nights’ with a solo John Travolta taking the No.2 position with ‘Sandy’….

John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ shot to No.1 after his death in December 1980 and was joined by ‘Happy Xmas (War is Over)’ at No.2…. Three weeks later ‘Imagine’ still held top position and ‘Woman’ rose to No.2….

Others have followed since…. Frankie Goes to Hollywood with ‘Two Tribes’ and ‘Relax’ and Madonna with ‘Into The Groove’ and her re-released debut single ‘Holiday’…. In January 2016 Justin Bieber went one better by holding the top 3 positions….but a year later this was equalled by Ed Sheehan with ‘Shape of You’, ‘Castle on the Hill’ and ‘Galway Girl’….

British History, Uncategorized

On this day in history….28th November 1582

On this day in history : 28th November 1582 – William Shakespeare, at the age of 18, marries Anne Hathaway, aged 26…. Six months later Anne gives birth to their first child – a daughter whom they name Susanna….

The Chandos Portrait – National Portrait Gallery, London – John Taylor – Public domain

Shakespeare was still a minor in the eyes of the law – so he would have had to seek the permission of Anne’s father to marry…. An early marriage meant he would have been unable to legally complete an apprenticeship….

To avoid scandal over Anne’s pregnancy Shakespeare applied to the Bishop’s Court, in Worcester, for a special marriage licence….allowing them to marry outside of the parish of normal residency (in this case Stratford-upon-Avon)….

In 1585 Anne gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl named Hamnet and Judith…. (Hamnet died later, at the age of 11)…. Some time after the birth of his children Shakespeare went to London to become an actor…. By 1592 he was well established in London’s theatrical world, both as an actor and playwright….

Anne and Shakespeare remained married until his death in April 1616….

A 19th-Century German engraving depicting Shakespeare surrounded by his family – Unknown engraver – Public domain

British History, Uncategorized

On this day in history….27th November 1703

On this day in history : 27th November 1703 – The Great Storm of 1703 wreaks havoc across Southern Britain…. Hurricane strength winds and flooding kill between 10,000 and 30,000 people – hundreds of ships are lost….

Unusual weather had begun a couple of weeks before with strong winds from the Atlantic battering Wales and the South of England…. But the really serious damage began to occur on the 26th of November, with winds reaching over 80mph….

Coastal towns such as Bristol, Plymouth, Portsmouth and Cowes were devastated…. The Eddystone lighthouse, off of Plymouth, was felled and all those inside killed…. 300 Royal Navy ships anchored off the South Coast were lost, with 8,000 crew on board them…. 1,000 seamen died on the Goodwin Sands alone….

Destruction of the first Eddystone lighthouse in the Great Storm – Robert Chambers – Public domain

5,000 homes along the River Thames were destroyed as huge waves were sent up the river…. 2,000 chimney stacks were lost in London – the lead roofing blown from Westminster Abbey…. 400 windmills were destroyed when wind blew their sails so fast that their wooden gears burst into flames…. 4,000 oak trees were lost in the New Forest…. Hundreds drowned in floods on the Somerset Levels – a ship was found 15 miles inland….

The storm of 1703 inspired Daniel Defoe’s first published book ‘The Storm’ – as he had witnessed it….describing it as an “Army of Terror in its furious march”….