Uncategorized – Page 25 – Cottage Capers

On this day in history….28th October 1959

On this day in history : 28th October 1959 – The first British call from a car phone is made….

From outside the Lymm Hotel in Cheshire the Postmaster General, Reginald Bevins MP, put a call through to Lord Rootes, the automobile mogul, who was in London…. A number of technicians, positioned in exchanges and base stations in Manchester, Liverpool and Hardwick waited to relay the call….

Reginald Bevins – Image : https://www.liverpoolhiddenhistory.co.uk

After WW2 radio phones – which were effectively two-way radios, began to appear in cars but didn’t actually arrive in Britain until the end of the 1950s…. One of the earliest known experiments occurred in 1920, when a radio enthusiast in Philadelphia constructed a transceiver which enabled him to speak to his wife from a moving car, some 500ft away…. It needed a massive aerial – made from a stove pipe….

The first commercial carphone service came from Motorola in the United States in 1946 – two-way radios that could be connected to landlines…. Only 3 calls at once could be handled by the service, meaning callers would often have a long wait in a queue….

After the initial trials in Britain by the GPO in 1959, transmitters fixed to the newly constructed Post Office Tower enabled the radio phone to arrive in London in 1965…. Prime Minister Harold Wilson made the first call….

Calls had to be manually connected by operators – a method simply known as ‘System 1’….and it could cope with up to 300 callers at a time…. By lifting a handset and selecting a free channel the caller would be put through to an operator (providing in range of a VHF – very high frequency – radio station) and a call could be connected to a landline…. From a landline users would ask the exchange to connect a car registered with the service….

Motorola Car Telephone Model TLD-1100, 1964 – Image : Daderot CCO

During the 1970s improvements saw the launch of ‘Systems 2 and 3’…. Equipment was costly – and bulky; a handset and speaker – with a transceiver situated in the boot of the car, connected to a whip aerial…. Manufacturers included companies such as Marconi and Pye….

On the 14th of July 1981 BT’s ‘System 4’ first became available in London – a fully automated service…. It certainly wasn’t a cheap service, costing £100 per quarter plus the cost of calls – a considerable amount of money back then…. ‘System 3’, costing a mere £40 per quarter, was still operational, having some 3,000 users….many of whom preferred the operator service, finding it more ‘friendly’….

In 1985 cellular mobile networks were introduced – paving the way to the mobile world we know today…. In 1988 ‘System 4’ was switched off….

Mobile Radio Telephone – Image : Hackgillam at English Wikipedia – Public domain

British History, Uncategorized

On this day in history….27th October 1914

On this day in history : 27th October – The birth of Dylan Thomas, perhaps the most legendary of 20th century poets – but also known for his hard drinking and boisterous behaviour….

Dylan Thomas in New York, 1952 – Fair use

Born Dylan Marlais Thomas, in Swansea, Wales, his father an English teacher and his mother a seamstress, the young Dylan developed an interest in language at an early age…. His father would read Shakespeare to him at bedtime – Dylan loved the sound of the words, even if he was too young to understand them….

5, Cwmdonkin Drive, Swansea – birthplace of Dylan Thomas – Photo credit : Hywel Williams CC BY-SA 2.0

On leaving school at 16 Dylan became a journalist for a while – but had his first poems published whilst still in his teens…. Dylan wrote hundreds of poems, short stories, a novel and a play during his lifetime…. He was a disciplined writer, often re-drafting his work to the point of obsession – his poetry having a musical, nostalgic tone, frequently focusing on childhood and death…. Some of his greatest work was produced in the 1940s, particularly his 1946 collection which was heavily influenced by war….

In 1936 Dylan met Caitlin Macnamara and they married the following year at Penzance Registry Office…. They moved to Laugharne, a Welsh fishing village, in 1938 – where they settled and raised their three children…. It was a stormy marriage, fuelled by alcohol, infidelity and money problems – but they remained together until Dylan’s death….

The Boat House, Laugharne – where Dylan and Caitlin raised their family – Photo credit : GerritR CC BY-SA 4.0

In 1950 Dylan fulfilled an ambition to tour the United States, giving readings of his work – which attracted large audiences…. The very nature of the trip meant much socialising was done and Dylan returned home with very little money – he had effectively drank his profits…. Another two trips to the States ended the same way – not surprisingly this caused a rift between himself and Caitlin….

Dylan’s writing shed at Laugharne – Photo credit : wardyboy400 CC BY 2.0

Dylan’s father died on the 16th of December 1952; as an English teacher at a grammar school he had been disappointed with his position in life – he had longed to be a poet; how proud he must have been of his son…. Dylan had great respect for his father and watching him succumb to the ravages of cancer would have torn him apart…. Indeed whilst his father lay on his deathbed, Dylan wrote one of his most emotive poems ~ “Do not go gentle into that good night”…. Little did Dylan know at that time that in less than a year he would face his own untimely death – at the age of just 39…. On a last fateful trip to New York in October 1953 and after several bouts of heavy drinking Dylan was taken ill at the Chelsea Hotel on the 4th of November…. He was admitted to St. Vincent’s Hospital where he died five days later – the cause of his death pneumonia and pressure on the brain – due to excessive alcohol…

"Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light.  Though wise men at their end know dark is right, Because their words had forced no lightning they Do not go gentle into that good night.  Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light.  Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight, And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way, Do not go gentle into that good night.  Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light.  And you, my father, there on the sad height, Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray Do not go gentle into that good night, Rage, rage against the dying of the light."                               ~ Dylan Thomas

British History, Uncategorized

On this day in history….26th October 899

On this day in history : 26th October 899 – The death of Anglo-Saxon King, Alfred the Great….the only English monarch to be known as ‘the Great’….

Statue of Alfred the Great – Henry Burrows via Flickr

Alfred has been revered in history not only for his military successes and eventual peace-making with the Vikings but also for his educational and social reforms….

The cause of his death (at the approximate age of 50 years) is unknown – but he had suffered an illness all his life…. He was buried at the Old Minster – an Anglo Saxon cathedral in Winchester…. This was a temporary burial – as 4 years later he was moved to the New Minster, a Benedictine Abbey, possibly built for the purpose of taking his body….

In 1110 the monks of the New Minster were relocated to Hyde Abbey, situated just outside the walls of Winchester City…. They took with them Alfred’s remains and those of his wife and children…. During the reign of King Henry VIII Hyde Abbey was dissolved and demolished….

Hyde Abbey, gatehouse, Winchester – John Armagh CC BY-SA 3.0

It was in 1788 that a prison was built on the site…. Upon finding coffins, whilst digging around the altar area, the lead was stripped from them and the bones within were scattered and lost…. The prison was demolished some time between 1846 and 1850….

In 1866 John Mellor, an amateur antiquarian recovered a number of bones from the site, claiming them to belong to Alfred the Great…. They came into the possession of the vicar of a local church, St. Bartholomew’s…. The vicar reburied the remains in an unmarked grave within the churchyard….

St. Bartholomew’s Church, Hyde, Winchester – Johan Bakker CC BY-SA 3.0

The Winchester Museums. Service excavated the Hyde Abbey site in 1999 and discovered a pit in front of where the high altar would have been and concluded this was probably Mellor’s excavation…. The Museum Service found the foundations of the original abbey buildings….and some bones…. But they turned out to be those of an elderly woman….

In March 2013 the Diocese of Winchester exhumed the bones from the unmarked grave at St. Bartholomew’s – because of the huge publicity surrounding the discovery of King Richard III’s remains they were concerned for their safety…. The bones were put into storage for future analysis….

The Diocese later gave permission to a local group, Hyde 900, to test the bones….but radio-carbon dating showed them to be from the 1300s….

In January 2014 a fragment of pelvis unearthed at the 1999 Hyde Abbey site excavation was carbon dated to the right period…. Suggestions have been made it could belong to Alfred or his son….but this is still unproven….

I have a feeling we will never know the final resting place of Alfred the Great – perhaps after having had his ‘sleep’ disturbed so many times over the centuries he would prefer not to be found….

Statue of Alfred the Great – Jim Linwood via Flickr

British History, Uncategorized

On this day in history….25th October 1760

On this day in history : 25th October 1760 – George III becomes King of England and Ireland and reigns for almost 60 years – although he was mentally unfit to reign in his last decade….

Coronation portrait by Allan Ramsay, 1762 – Public domain

Born in London at Norfolk House, St. James’s Square on the 4th of June 1738, George was two months premature and not expected to live – as a precaution he was baptised the same day…. However, he grew to be a healthy child, albeit rather shy…. Along with his younger brother, Prince Edward, George was educated by private tutors and could read and write in English and German….and by the age of 8 years was able to comment on current day political matters…. His lessons included physics, chemistry, astronomy, French, Latin, mathematics, geography, agriculture, music, commerce and law….

George and brother Prince Edward, Duke of York, with their tutor Francis Ayscough – by Richard Wilson – Public domain

His father, Frederick, Prince of Wales, did not get on with his own father, King George II – and as a result the King took little interest in his grandchildren…. When Frederick died suddenly in 1751, from a lung injury, the young Prince George became heir to the throne….and suddenly his grandfather developed an interest in him…. The title of Prince of Wales was bestowed upon him – although the young George had inherited his father’s title of ‘Duke of Edinburgh’, ‘Prince of Wales’ was not automatically passed on….

King George II died suddenly on the 25th of October 1760 and the 22-year-old Prince of Wales succeeded the throne…. Being an unmarried monarch his mother and advisors were eager to see him settled down – and so the hunt for a suitable wife began….

On the 8th of September 1761 the new King married Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, from a small North German duchy…. Their marriage took place in the Chapel Royal, St. James’s Palace – and it was the first time they had ever met….

Princess Charlotte by Johann Georg Ziesenis C1761 – Public domain

Princess Charlotte had received a far more basic education to that of George – her upbringing could be compared to that of an English country gentleman’s daughter….she would have had little interest or experience in politics or such matters…. However, theirs was a good match, it worked and they became devoted to one another – unlike his grandfather before him and indeed his own sons after him, George never took a mistress…. The marriage produced 15 children – 9 sons and 6 daughters…. In 1761 King George bought Buckingham House (now Buckingham Palace) for his wife as a comfortable family home….close to St. James’s Palace, where all important court functions took place it became known as the Queen’s House….

Their’s was, it seems, a happy marriage – but as the years went by George began to become unwell – suffering from bouts of mental illness…. The cause of his illness remains unknown, although there have been suggestions it was due to the blood disease porphyria….

George’s reign would have been a particularly stressful one – there were many military conflicts and wars during the time….not least the American War of Independence…. George would have been under much strain as many of Britain’s colonies in North America were lost….

Portrait by Sir William Beechy 1799/1800 – Public domain

In late 1810, already nearly blind with cataracts and suffering great pain from rheumatism, George became extremely ill…. He blamed stress after the death of his beloved youngest daughter, Princess Amelia – who had died from TB….

King George III was mentally unfit to reign in his last decade….his eldest son – the later George IV – acted as Prince Regent from 1811…. Queen Charlotte was terrified by her husband’s illness – he had developed acute dementia, had become completely blind and increasingly deaf and even showed erratic and violent behaviour – eventually she could not bring herself to visit him…. When she died in November 1818 he was incapable of understanding….

For the last few weeks of his life George was unable to walk…. Christmas 1819, for a 48 hour period he spoke utter nonsense and could be understood by no one…. He died at Windsor Castle on the 29th of January 1820…. Despite his illness, George III lived and reigned longer than any of his predecessors – only Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II have lived and reigned longer….

British History, Uncategorized

On this day in history….24th October 1922

On this day in history : 24th October 1922 – George Cadbury dies at his Northfield Manor home, aged 83…. As well as giving us chocolate – he can also perhaps be attributed to bringing us the modern housing estate….

Born in Birmingham on the 19th of September 1839, George was the third son of John Cadbury, a member of the Society of Friends – and a tea and coffee merchant…. George was sent to a Quaker school but when his mother died in 1855 and with his father’s failing health, he left school to join the family business….

When George was 22 he and his elder brother, Richard, took over the helm of the business…. Five years later, Cadbury became the first British company to sell cocoa….the roasted ground beans were blended with sugar to produce a chocolate powder to which water or milk could be added to make drinking chocolate…. The first edible chocolate Cadbury produced was very much like that being imported from Switzerland at the time…. In 1897 the first milk chocolate was made – by adding full cream milk Cadbury’s Dairy Milk was born….to become Britain’s best selling chocolate….

1885 advertisment for Cadbury’s Cocoa – Public domain

We’ve obviously all heard of Cadbury – but there is so much more than chocolate to be associated with this company….and particularly with George Cadbury…. You could say he was responsible for the modern day housing estate….

George, who became chairman of Cadbury in 1899, after the death of his brother, had always been committed to helping those that needed it…. Throughout his life he was heavily involved with an adult school in Birmingham, teaching adults who had not been fortunate enough to receive an education…. In the grounds of his own home, Northfield Manor, George had a building constructed that could accommodate 700…. Over the summer months as many as 25,000 children from deprived parts of Birmingham would visit to be fed and entertained…. He also held annual events for students he had taught at the adult school….

Cadbury always had a reputation for being a good employer; introducing half days on Saturdays and allowing Bank Holidays off…. In 1906 George Cadbury paid £60,000 into a pension fund for Cadbury employees…. Facilities in the factory were good, a kitchen to heat food and later the addition of a canteen…. Concerned for the health and well-being of its employees Cadbury acquired land at Rowheath in the 1920s…. On this land football and hockey pitches were created; a grass running track, a fishing lake and a swimming lido with a natural mineral spring were all added…. No money was charged to use the facilities….

Rowheath Lake – David Stowell CC BY-SA 2.0

George Cadbury was convinced that the cause of many evils in society was down to bad housing – which was so often the way in those days, slums and poverty were everywhere…. In 1879 the Cadbury Company needed new business premises, due to expansion the existing ones had been outgrown…. A 15 acre site, 4 miles to the south of Birmingham was chosen for the new factory….it was name ‘Bournville’ after the stream running through the site…. Being an attractive area it became known as the ‘factory in a garden’…. Twenty four houses were built as homes for key workers at Cadbury….

The packing room at Bournville, circa 1903 – Public domain

In 1893 George Cadbury bought a further 120 acres close to the factory and planned at his own expense a ‘model village’ – a self-contained community…. By 1900 Bournville village had 313 houses and cottages set on a 330 acre site and building continued right up to World War 1 and then on a smaller scale after into the 20th century…. The houses were of a far higher standard to the usual working class homes of the time, with larger rooms and generous sized gardens…. They were built in small clusters, around central gardens….or in cul-de-sacs….giving a sense of community…. There was a triangular shaped village green added, which saw various events such as fetes and maypole dancing….

The Rest House, Bournville Village Green

In 1900 the Bournville Village Trust was set up to formerly control the development of the estate – independently from George Cadbury or the Company…. The trust focused on providing schools, a hospital, wash houses, reading rooms, a museum…. By 1960 the trust held 1,000 acres with 3,500 homes upon it….

The Bournville Trust still continues today….it is now responsible for some 7,800 homes…. Cadbury continues to be one of Birmingham’s major employers….