Topic: Breaking News Nailsea / Bristol hat found in charity shop in Bristol for £1.50

[Paul S.]

hello Mike.        I live within the M25 ring, which is great for getting into London, but the down side can sometimes getting out of it.             Twice I tried to reach Tyntesfield (that mega Victorian/Gothic pile near Bristol), and twice had to turn back because of traffic issues on the either the M3 or M4 - so now I have a phobia about trying to reach the Somerset area       However, I did get to that particular NT property in the end, and well worth the effort - can recommend a visit.         The other draw, in that area, for me is that I believe there is a museum somewhere with a good collection of C18 drinking glasses - might it be in Bristol??

[Baked_Beans]

Hi Paul,

Yes , Bristol has a very large collection of 18thC drinking glasses , really worth the visit if you can make it !

Try going early Sunday morning  , the museum is open on a Sunday (and it's free) you will find the glass at the top of the building near the ceramics where there is a fantastic display of early Bristol porcelain statuettes dating from around 1770's.

ta, Mike.

[flying free]

Try coming via Stonehenge
much nicer journey and you get to see the stones en route which are fabulous.
m

[Paul S.]

thanks Mike - will certainly make the effort in the coming months to get there - probably better in the winter - less traffic.

Don't tell me about the A303  -  another thing in life that no sane person should be forced to experience       I sat there this summer on the way to Cornwall, and sat and sat and sat - it seemed to take hours to get through that part of Wiltshire.    I can remember the time when you could walk right up to the stones and even sit on them  -  I guess now it's grockles blocking up the roads.       But what is fabulous about them m - a load of old granite forming an allegedly incomplete druid ceremonial meeting place - sorry not my scene, and as for seeing the stones, from what I gather when passing, doesn't look as though you can get any near than about 70 yards
But I hear the road configuration is going to be altered to alleviate congestion of the holiday traffic, so should improve, hopefully, but for now I'll stick to the M4.

Apologies this is off topic.

[Frank]

Yeah dark colour was to keep light out a bit.

I guess the Nailsea workers could stroll down and sit on the stones for munching their sandwiches (Not afraid of a brisk walk in them days) ;-) . It is sad the henge got fenced off, let them be worn away, you need to touch them to enjoy them. Just like glass!

[flying free]

Paul,   I must have passed them hundreds of times and still think they are magnificent every single time.  Mind you we live surrounded by Druid lore and the Tor (again a beautiful view, especially from miles away up on the hills) is within eyesight in a few minutes so I guess it's just what you are used to 
Having grown up at Pendle, with the Lancashire witches as a very big part of my childhood, and where visiting Demdyke and Nutter's graves was considered a special day out, I feel quite comfortable with the Stones 
m

[Paul S.]

yes, I'd agree that distance lends beauty to the eye, and quite true that images like the Tor and Henge when viewed as silhouettes on a sky line do have an appeal.      I've nothing against Somerset by the way - used to go fishing on the 'levels' as a lad.

Re Nailsea -  there's a lot of poignancy we tend to overlook in these early manufacturing processes - was just thinking of the child labour of which Vincent speaks........11 and 12 year olds working twelve hour shifts holding shovels at the furnaces to shield the gatherers - with shift work obligatory and Sunday off if you were lucky.         But do notice they had pc even in the mid C19 - apparently if you were illiterate you were described as a 'non-reader', so I shall view my hat and 'cello with more reverence.       

[flying free]

On one of the links I gave there is a long section on Social impact that has quite a lot of information in it regarding this.
m

[flying free]

I wasn't sure where to put this but it contains some information on  Glasshouses in Bristol in the 17th and 18th century
http://www.kalendar.demon.co.uk/delfbrisredcliff.htm
m

[Frank]

and more http://www.kalendar.demon.co.uk/glass.htm