Christmas wishes

Harvest highlights

'Tis the season for harvesting.
As the days reach into the high 30s and creep over into the 40s, many farmers are working their crops into the night.
A side-effect of this is some inspiring photographic opportunties.
Local Lynton Brown who is always busy at dawn and dusk, has taken some great photos -

Farm silos highlighted against the background of the Grampians

A field bin silhouetted at dusk

Remlaw Siding sunset

Lights at night, north of Mt Arapiles

Land of the not long abandoned

I'm still waiting for my postcard of the Shotover from New Zealand (starting to lose faith in Australia Post actually delivering it), so instead I'm contenting myself with -

The Crumbling Shire: 7 Abandoned Wonders of New Zealand another WebUrbanist post.

While New Zealand may be best known for the otherworldly landscapes that made it a natural choice as the filming location of the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films, it also has a rich history that has resulted in a number of striking abandonments located on both the North and South Islands. Sheep have taken over the Shire; lost industry created ghost towns; and the major earthquake of 2011 has left much of Christchurch cordoned-off and left to decay.

Hobbiton - the abandoned Shire returned to the sheep, Matamata

The Shire or at least, what it looked like in the Lord of the Rings films. 17 of the original 37 hobbit homes built into a hillside in Matamata, New Zealand to serve as the Hobbiton set remain in place, and while the facades may now be stained and dilapidated, they’re still a draw for fans of the series. It sort of looks like Sauron won after all, and all the hobbits are gone, but as decades passed, the grass began to grow again.

Waipukurau Hospital, Hawke's Bay

Completed in 1879, the Waipukurau Public Hospital in Hawke’s Bay expanded more and more as the population in the area grew, housing the injured and ill and serving as the birthplace for thousands of New Zealanders. It was in operation for over a century, finally closing its doors in 1999. Of course, it wasn’t long before it became a popular hangout for vandals and vagrants, and in 2010, a major fire gutted several of the complex’s main buildings. An Aucklander bought the whole property sight unseen in 2011, not realizing the extent of the damage, so the future of the hospital remains unclear.

The Sheep Freezing Works ruins

Tokomaru Ghost Town, East Cape,tThis bay town was once a hub of thriving industry, home to the Tokomaru Bay Freezing Works. But once it closed down in 1952, 400 workers and their families were forced to move elsewhere, and much of the infrastructure has since been abandoned.Other parts of the town have been modernised and are still home to about 350 residents, mostly Maori fishermen and craftspeople. Abandoned sites in the town include the New Zealand Shipping Company building, the wharf, and the shell of a 1917 sheep meat freezing facility.

Woolstore in the New Zealand Shipping Company building

 

Crumbling mine building ruins

White Island is New Zealand’s only active marine volcano, which last erupted in August 2013, can be found about 30 miles off the east coast of the North Island in the Bay of Plenty. Whakaari Island, also known as White Island, was the site of a sulphur mining operation in the early 20th century, but when part of the western rim of the crater collapsed in September 1914 – killing all 10 workers – the site was abandoned. The rusted mine equipment can still be found strewn around the island, which is now used for scientific research.

The city of Christchurch will never be the same after a catastrophic 2011 earthquake leveled many buildings and severely damaged most of the rest. Thousands of homes and businesses were abandoned in their ruined state, and while some areas have been rebuilt, the Central Business District has been cordoned off for the two years since the disaster. Peer into broken windows of shops and restaurants to see a thick layer of dust coating mannequins and untouched liquor bottles. Cathedrals, high-rises and university buildings remain empty, with gaping holes in their facades. But signs of new life are everywhere, and the city is well on its way to regaining its footing.

The graffiti covered walls of Christchurch's stockyards

 

The grand facade of the Hokitika Government Offices

The office interiors

In the small town of Hokitika on the South Island is this government office, established in 1908. The building seems out of place for such a small town, which only has about 3,000 residents, but Hokitika was once the center of New Zealand’s gold rush and among its most populous areas. Because it’s located in a remote area and securely locked, the office is mostly intact despite its age and apparent decades-long abandonment. While the paint is peeling, the rest of it – including vintage furniture and fixtures – is remarkably well-preserved. This time capsule of New Zealand’s past is on the market, so perhaps its historic beauty will be open for the public to enjoy sometime in the future.

Tot tape ribbon festoons the top floor

 This abandoned race track building in Auckland on Central North Island was captured in its decay in a striking series of photographs in 2012. The two-level building appears to have been empty for quite some time and is full of machinery of all sorts, once used for the betting system. The huge totaliser machine the old school style, today all this would fit into one laptop and one LED information board outside for people to see the odds and results. There is a 6 or 7 meters long structure with all kinds of electrical and mechanical gadgets and chains and wheels. Some old generator, power boards, and all sorts of other stuff.

Machine gears & fly-wheels

As always there are more photos at WebUrbanist, as well as some of video clips

Checking into The Tournament

Just finished Matthew Reilly’s ‘The Tournament’. Gee it’s good to have him back writing.

This is a departure from his trademark action thrillers –

The year is 1546. Suleiman the Magnificent, the powerful and feared Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, issues an invitation to every king in Europe:

You are invited to send your finest player to compete in a chess tournament to determine the champion of the known world.

The English delegation - led by esteemed scholar Roger Ascham - journeys to the glittering city of Constantinople. Accompanying Ascham is his pupil, Bess, who is about to bear witness to events she never thought possible. For on the first night of the tournament, a powerful guest of the Sultan is murdered, and Ascham is tasked with finding the killer.

Barbaric deaths, unimaginable depravity and diplomatic treachery unfold before Bess' eyes, indelibly shaping her character and determining how she will perform in her future role ... as Queen Elizabeth I.

I agree it is reminiscent of Eco’s ‘The name of the rose’ medieval murder mystery - the perceptive detective with a young apprentice, peopled with clergy and an increasingly gruesome body count.

I did not discern the ‘To kill a mockingbird’ inspiration until alerted to it, but now I get it, as well as the circular narrative technique of starting the story with the final scene then going back to explain its context.

‘The Tournament’ features Queen Elizabeth, shortly before her death, recalling the events leading up the climax, which occurred when she was 13 years old. Princess Elizabeth is the naïve narrator, and we see Constantinople from her perspective.

It comes with a warning ‘This novel also contains subject matter of an adult nature. The author recommends that it be read by mature readers’ about the sex scenes. Not gratuitous sex scenes, they inform the story and are pivotal to the characters reactions and later life.

Not being a chess master, I could still follow the gist of the games, and found Boris Ivanov’s introductions to the sections informative to chess and to the story.

...Even a pawn can become a queen.

Daily News - now & then

The Daily News : Now & Then by Marc A.Hermann – are photo composites from the archives of the New York’s picture newspaper.

This project was originally inspired by the early visual sleuthing of William Frassanito who sought out locations of photographs taken on the Gettysburg battlefield. Since then, the work of people like Sergey Larenkov (my post on Sergey) who blend historic pictures of war-torn Europe with modern-day views of the same locations has brought the concept of 'then-and-now' into the digital age.
Marc Hermann who was born and raised in Brooklyn is a professional photographer and official historian of the New York Press Photographers Association. Having covered breaking news since 1997, he has shot various locations throughout the city where both the momentous and routine had occurred. Using the Daily News' massive photo archive he combined the modern scenes with the vintage images that had been made at those sites. 
Marc recalls that a common reaction of passers-by when they were shown the original pictures of what had once transpired at the places where they now walked was "I had no idea...". Most importantly, to him, is that work of his predecessors' work is getting another look. It is his way of reminding people that they are part of the same continuum of time, and by seeing these sites in a familiar, modern way, that the 'then' of history is also a 'now'.
Sourcing his pictures from newspaper files means that there are many dramatic shots of fires, crashes and other 'news worthy' articles, like - 

497 Dean St, Brooklyn on 19th March 1942

 Edna Egbert had not heard from her son since his enlistment, she became distraught and climbed onto her ledge. Police officers Ed Murphy & George Munday distracted her so she could be pushed into a safety net. (Original photographer Charles Payne).

Corner of Hicks & Summit Sts, Brooklyn on 11th January 1951

The bells in the steeple rang out even as the flames consumed the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Mary one chilly afternoon. The 90 year old landmark was practically destroyed by the blaze, it was rebuilt and is still standing (Original photographer Paul Bernius).

Classon Ave & Pacific St, Brooklyn on 28th July 1957

 A recently released inmate of the Brooklyn House of Detention stole a car with two friends, but they came to a crashing stop against a light pole at the intersection. The auto body shop in the background is still in business but relocated across the road (Original photographer Paul Bernius).

137 Wooster St, Manhattan on 16th February 1958 

 A massive fire in the Elkins Paper & Twine Co claimed the lives of 2 firefighters and 4 members of the New York Fire Patrol. The building was a total loss and was demolished (Original photographer Charles Payne).

923 44th St, Brooklyn on 1st July, 1928

Frankie Yale (the Al Capone of Brookyn) a gangster was shot by his rivals as he drove a Lincoln coupe through the streets of Borough Park (believed to be the first New York mob hit using Thompson sub-machine guns). He lost control of the car and smashed into the front of the house (the house and the tree are still standing) (Original photographer unknown).

7th Ave & Sterling Pl, Brooklyn on 17th December 1960

The wreckage of United Airlines Flight 826 fills the intersection in Park Slope. 134 people were killed after the jet collided with a smaller TWA plane over Staten Island, killing everyone on board both planes and on the ground. Many of the buildings including the Pillar of Fire Church were destroyed beyond repair (Original photographer Leonard Detrick).

This project, then, is meant as a tribute to the New Yorkers—on both sides of the camera's lens—who have gone before, and as a window into the past for those who appreciate it.

Bridges - the book

‘Historic and Significant Bridges of Australia’ by Don S. McMahon

I was impressed enough with this book that I purchased my own, even if it is to cross off each one as I visit them.

The sandstone Ross Bridge over the Macquarie River in Tasmania. It was built in 1836, and its intricate ornate cravings on each rib were done by 2 convicts  

Included in this study are a variety of Australian bridges, from the convict-built structures including Stone Arch and Brick Bridges, through to Metal Bridges up until 1880, Concrete Bridges up until 1910, and bridges that have historic or constructional significance.

The contents are divided by state, and then further divided into construction style. Don has attempted to obtain the date of its construction/opening, and details of its length, span, and use.

The bluestone Batesford  Bridge over the Moorabool River near Geelong. The Midland Highway now bypasses the bridge.

 The book also includes all the bridges found in Australia Post’s ‘2004 Landmark Bridges’ stamp series (Ross Bridge in Tasmania, Lockyer Creek Bridge in Queensland, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Birkenhead Bridge in Adelaide, and the Bolte Bridge in Melbourne).

Unfortunately no wooden bridges are included, maybe Don will create another entire book for them.

The iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge, from across Farm Cove. The steel arch bridge was built in 1932 it carries 8 lanes of road traffic and 2 railway lines. It is the world's widest long-bridge & Australia's longest span bridge.

Haunting the halls

Just in time for Halloween comes an article from ALIA on the five most haunted libraries
Number one is the Marsh's Library in Dublin, Ireland, it was founded in 1701 by Archbishop Narcissus Marsh. Marsh's Library was actually the first Public Library in Ireland.

Many have reported seeing the creator of the Library, Marsh himself roaming around the library. He is known to like moving the books around and then the next day it's all back in order. He has somewhat of a sense of humour it seems. Some also say that he is searching for a letter and that is why he still roams but he could also be a nosy ghost and making sure his library is in good condition.

The entrance to Marsh's Library

The Templo de la Compania de Jesus, Morelia

Second is the Morelia Public Library in Michoacan, Mexico is known for it's history, beauty, and ghosts! The library dates back from the 17th century when it was built as a church for the adjoining Palacio Clavijero, and known as the Temple of the Company of Jesus. In 1930 after being used for many functions it was made into a library.

According to reports a nun dressed in blue that dates back from the 16th century has been haunting the library for many years. Also even members of the library have said that they get a paralysed feeling and they felt like a strange unknown presence was around them.

At number 3 is Rammerscales House is located in Dumfries in Scotland. It's a 18th century Georgian house that has an impressive library with Jacobite relics, books, and 20th century paintings, sculptures, and tapestries.But this 18th century home didn't lose it's former owner, James Mounsey who likes to spend his time in the library. He must be a frightening ghost because legend has it that two people in World War II were spending a night in Rammerscales and were so frightened by the ghost of Mounsey that they decided to sleep in the stables.

Rammerscales

Fourth is our own State Library of Victoria in Melbourne. The library established in 1854, holds over 2 million books, it has historical diaries, the armor of Ned Kelly, and impressive history but it has it's ghosts too! One ghost in particular is a deceased librarian who likes to hang out in the child's books. Maybe she remembers reading to the child. Another ghost is an unknown gentleman who likes to roam the library halls. Security guards have seen strange things on the stairs like glowing balls.

The State Library at night - spookier

And finally at 5 is The British Library the national library of the United Kingdom and it has wide range of things for any researcher out there. It indeed seems to a very impressive place and a must-see place for any librarian fanatic before they depart. Speaking of departing some don't ever want to depart of the place but do we really blame them? According to the Sunday Times, in an 1996 article they reported of workmen who were remodeling the library said that they saw a man in 18th century clothing weeping. Not sure why the ghostly man was weeping but maybe he didn't much care for the changes. All joking aside it is a known fact that ghosts don't like change and that's when a lot of activity starts happening when someone is remodeling a home or a public building.

The modern facade of the British Library

Abandoned beauty

The link to The 23 most beautiful abandoned places in the world was forwarded to me the other day with the comment that I'd probaby seen them all.
Well the answer was only some. There are a number of variations of the list, including the longer 33 most beautiful abandoned places in the world (interestingly they rank them differently). I'll comment on that one as I'm a sucker for abandonments (I notice even Neil Gaiman Tumblr'ed the list).

Number one on the list is - 'The Christ of the Abyss' at San Fruttuoso in Italy, a 2.5m submerged bronze statue in the Mediterranean Sea off San Fruttuoso.

Christ of the Abyss - an awesome underwater statute

Second was one I'd blogged the town of 'Kolmanskop' in the Namib Desert.

Third was the abandoned 'Dome home' in southwest Florida. It was built in 1981 at Cape Romano on a remote strip of land only accessible by boat. The home is the subject of a long standing redevelopment dispute.

at Cape Romano

My pic of the Ayrfield

Fourth - the one place I've actually visited for real (twice) the wreck of the 'SS Ayrfield in Homebush Bay' in Sydney.


Number 5 is an abandoned Wonderland amusement park outside Beijing in China, and like Number 33. the other theme park - 'Nara Dreamland' in Japan.

The Wonderland Amusement Park

Sixth is a beautiful little 'Fishing hut' on a lake in Germany. It strongly reminds me of the shingle boatshed on Crater Lake in Tasmania.
 

A tranquil fishing spot

Next at 7 is the last house on 'Holland Island' in Chesapeake Bay, as it was in 2010, later winter storms took their toll and the house was destroyed in 2011. Holland Island was once 3-5 miles long with 60 houses, but as the land sank, water levels rose and erosion set in, the houses collapsed and vanished.

The 2 storey 19th century house on Holland Island

The eighth one is on 'The Kerry Way' a walking path between Sneem and Kenmare in Ireland, a walk I'd love to undertake.

The emerald green of The Kerry Way

Number 9 was the devastated 'Pripyat' in the Ukraine, again I had a blog post with one of Niki Feijen's images 

At 10th place is the 15th century St.George's Abbey, it was a Benedictine monastery in St. Georgen im Schwarzwald in the southern Black Forest in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

The facade of St George's

Number 11 was 'Kalavantin Durg' near Panvel in India. Fort Muranjan or Prabalgad or Kalavantin Durg is a fort located at an elevation of 2300 feet in the Sahyadri mountains. There are rock cut steps which lead trekkers to the top of the fort.

The pinnacle fort, and the steps leading to the top

 At  number 12 are the remains of the 'Pegasus' at McMurdo Sound in Antarctica. The 'Pegasus' C121J Constellation damaged beyond repair landing at Williams Field, McMurdo Sound, Antarctica in 1970. The aircraft, with 80 on board, was flying from Christchurch. After making 6 low passes it attempted to land in zero visibility, winds gusting to 40 mph in a snowstorm and in 90-degree crosswinds. The starboard wing was torn off and the tail unit broken. There were only slight injuries to 5 on board. The ice runway is now called Pegasus. It is also another of my pins.

The half buried Pegasus

Unfortunately at 13 is the now famous 'Angkor Wat' in Cambodia, the largest religious monument in the world. The temple was built by the Khmer King in the early 12th century. Sacked in 1431 and abandoned in 1432, Angkor was forgotten for centuries. Rediscovered by French explorers in 1860, a restoration process has continued to the present day.

Number 14, are the 'Maunsell Sea Forts'. Designed by Guy Maunsell they were small fortified towers built during WWII to defend allied shipping around the Thames and Mersey estuaries. They were decommissioned in the late 1950s. Red Sands was used as a pirate radio station in the 60s.

Red Sands fort in the Thames estuary, off the north coast of Kent

The fifteenth is Bodiam Castle in East Sussex. Bodiam is a 14th-century moated castle near Robertsbridge in England. It was built in 1385 by Sir Dalyngrigge, a former knight of Edward III, to defend against French invasion during the Hundred Years War. Possession passed through several generations of Dalyngrigges, until their line became extinct. At the English Civil War it was in Royalist hands, and was subsequently dismantled, and left as a ruin until 1829, when it was restored. It has been owned by the National Trust since 1925.

The medieval Bodiam Castle

Coming in at 16, is 'Częstochowa' Poland’s abandoned train depot.

On the Net, most people are just copying the above image & commenting on its touched-up/surreal looking features. Częstochowa is a working station, with carriages moth-balled on this siding, see below

from Google's street view

I recently pinned number 17 - the sunken 76-foot Brazilian yacht the 'Mar Sem Fin' (Endless Sea) which sank off the coast of Antarctica, likely due to ice compression in 2012.

 The seventeenth is an abandoned and derelict rum distillery in Barbados.

Nineteen has to be my all-time favourite abandonment - 'Michigan Central Station' in Detroit. See my post and photos.

20 was unexpected - the 'Bobsleigh Track' of the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo. It survived the war, but not the elements.

The twenty-first entry is 'Craco' in Italy. The medieval town was built on a defensive position on a hillside in the Basilicata region. The danger posed by earthquakes and landslides caused Old Craco to be abandoned in the 1960s.

 At 22 is a 'Russian military rocket factory' it made space launch vehicles and missile launchers. The Reshetnev Company still construct spacecraft and satellite systems.

The 23rd is an amazing, beautiful abandonment - The 'Abandoned Mill' from 1866 in Sorrento, Campania, Italy. A mill has existed in the Valley of the Mills since the beginning of the '900's used for grinding wheat. Attached to the mill, a sawmill furnished chaff to the Sorrentine cabinet makers, and a public wash-house used by the women. The creation of Tasso Square, since 1866, determined the isolation of the mill area from the sea, provoking a sharp rise in the humidity, which made the area unbearable and determined its progressive abandonment. 

Now that is a gorge!

 

Number 24. was the cooling tower of an abandoned power plant, there was no location given (guessing Belgium), but no I have never accessed a power plant (have only seen them in the distance). 


Looking somewhat similar at number 25 is the 'House of the Bulgarian Communist Party'. Only opened in 1981, the oval structure atop Mount Buzludzha has been left in a state of neglect since the fall of communism in 1989. Thieves have stolen the ceiling paneling, and graffitied the walls.

 

Yes, that is snow on the floor

 

  

Coming in at 26 is a photograph I've seen a few times, it's the abandoned city of 'Keelung' near the Zhongzeng district in Taiwan. 
It's a familiar story - these apartment buildings were constructed a a period of increasing demand for housing, but the company went bankrupt during construction in 1997. 
Nature was the winner, until in 2012 they were demolished for a planned series of luxury villas.

The 'Lawndale Theatre' in Chicago is number 27. It opened in 1927, when the over 2,000 seat theatre had an orchestra pit, vaudeville stage, pipe organ, and an adjoining apartment building. It closed in 1961, but the building with a cathedral style exterior reopened in 1964 as a church. It is now an ignominious storage space.

Now a less than grand function - the Lawndale Theatre

Number 28, the 'North Brother Island' is another of those abandoned places smack in the middle of a population. Saved by its island location in New York's East River, North Brother once housed a quarantine hospital (1885-1942), its most famous inmate - Typhoid Mary. It has been abandoned since the early 1960s, with nature reclaiming the crumbling structures. A short Vimeo video was shot on the island, or check out Twisted Sifter's blog post photos.

The still impressive Riverside Hospital on North Brother

Number 29 is an abandoned 'Blade Mill' in France. The water mills were used for sharpening newly fabricated blades (knives, scythes, sickles...), it is in the Valley of the Spinners near Thiers (known for its cutlery), Puy-de-Dome, in the Auvergne region of south-central France.

At 30 is the 'El Hotel del Salto' the atmospheric hotel building is located near Tequendama Falls, Bogotá River, Colombia. It was opened in 1924 and closed down in the 1990′s. Some say that the hotel was haunted (either by the ghosts of those pushed off the balcony during bar-room fights or by suicide victims who jump off the Tequendama Falls) and no one wanted to stay there. Others say that the river was very polluted, and this was the reason to shut down the hotel. It is on a cliff overlooking the magnificent 515' waterfall. 

A tree grows from the chimney in Luque

The thirty-first position is held by 'Asuncion, Paraguay' or at least the solitary chimney of an abandoned factory in Luque on the outskirts of Asuncion.

Number 32 is 'The Tunnel of Love' in the Ukraine. The still operational railway line is near the village of Klevan north-west of the city of Rivne in the Ukraine. The 2-3 mile long track was built for a steel mill/fibre-board factory, and as the trees encroached on the line the locomotives effectively trimmed the foliage to their outline. It is said that crossing the line while holding hands will make your wishes come true - if you are sincere in your love.

Like a repeating pattern - the Tunnel of Love

 And finally at 33 as mentioned at the other amusement park (number 5) is Nara Dreamland in Japan
The one that made the 23 list, but not the 33 was 'Hafodunos Hall' in Llangernyw, North Wales. This photograph is what I had chosen as the main image on my Abandoned Pinterest Board.

Hafodunos after the devastating fire

 The grand Gothic revival Hafodunos Hall was designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott and built in 1861-66 for Sir Henry Robertson Sandbach, who's family sold it in the 1930s, it was requisitioned in the early 1940s by the Dinorben School for Girls which closed in 1969. An accountancy college were there in the 1970s. It was then converted into a nursing home until 1993 when it failed standards. The house fell into decline, and was purchased in 2001 with plans for a hotel and caravan park. In October 2004 an arsonist fire gutted the main house, again it fell into neglect (as seen in the photo). It was sold again in 2010 to be restored as a single dwelling.