Weston-super-Mare is Open

 I last visited Weston super Mare in March 2009 when much of  the town was definitely closed. The transformation to the clean busy seafront is impressive. Today is the 2 year anniversary of the New Pier opening so admission was free. The promenade has been completely redone with a grant for flood defences from the Environment Agency. All the closed shops and hotels on the seafront  that I found closed in 2009 have been restored and reopened.

 

However not everything is being restored. The Tropicana Art Deco outdoor swimming pool complex built in 1937 is to be demolished. In 2000 the Tropicana closed and a series of developers have been chosen to refurbish and reopen the Tropicana but all deals have fallen through so in August 8th 2012, it was announced that North Somerset Council has been given approval to demolish the pool on the sea front and the land cleared and returned to beach with a new sea wall. The Victorian Pier has not been restored and remain in a very sad state.

All in Pieces

 Strange happenings in Bath.

Paddington Station

 Three images from Paddington Station - that clock just asks to be photographed. I really need a person waiting underneath.

King's Cross Concourse

On the way to Bath, I spent a short time photographing in the King's Cross Concourse. I love the colours of  the roof, this time also reflected in the sides of the escalator. I found a convenient support for the camera and did some slow motion shots - it was rush hour so lots of people hurrying for the trains while others watched the departure boards for platform allocation.

More Cambridge Infrared

 These were taken on Friday but looking through my collection of images, I realised that I must get round to redoing the Cambridge galleries on my website.

Cambridge Infrared

A few infrared images from King's College Cambridge.

Thetford Miscellany

At the time of the Norman conquest, Thetford was the sixth largest town in England. Even in 1737 when Thomas Paine, the English-American political activist, author, political theorist and revolutionary, was born in Thetford, it was an important market town. 

 Thetford is also known for being  the town ( Walmington-on-Sea) that was used for the filming of the Dad's Army series. The Guildhall features in several episodes and in 2010 a statue of Captain Mainwaring was unveiled in Thetford

Everything that I attempted to visit in Thetford was closed either for the day (Art Gallery), or for unknown reasons (Priory) or rather permanently (Terminus Hotel).

Rugby

 The light was very bright yesterday so, although good to be able to set a fast shutterspeed, the images were very contrasty. It was quite a tussle between Cambridge RUFC and visiting Tynedale and Cambridge snatched vistory in the last minute of injury time with a penalty.

Local Sunflowers

 It is a couple of weeks since I did the full circuit walk round our village allotments and was delighted to find the fallow field is now full of Sunflowers just about at their peak.