Passionate about Derby and Derbyshire. This blog will mainly feature things relating to my home city such as updates to my websites, My latest videos around Derby and Derbyshire. Reviews of software technology and random stuff. Something of interest to everyone (hopefully)
Welcome to my blog, Whats this about then?
This is a place where I will be posting all sorts of things not just things relating to Derby and Derbyshire. On here you will find details of any videos I’ve made of things in Derby and also Time-lapse, stop motion animation, Tutorials etc. If I find some useful software for PC or iPhone then I will feature it here.I’m sure that there will be something of interest to someone on my many posts.Please leave comments on any posts if you like them. Don’t forget if you are new to my blog and would like to read through the previous posts then see the Blog Archive section on the left side of this page. Also there is a Search box at the top left of the page if you are looking for something but cant remember where it was. I am a trustee member of "Friends of Friar Gate bridge", aiming to get this bridge restored.
Do you remember an episode of Black Adder the Third called Ink and Incapability which features a Dr Johnson played by Robbie Coltrane?, well yesterday I visited Dr Johnsons House in London, Samuel Johnson compiled the first comprehensive English Dictionary here. This museum can be found at 17 Gough Square, London.
It was really interesting visiting this museum, if you get chance do it, just follow the grey signs near by and go through the archway into the courtyard area.
My latest Derby streets by car video in now online. This one shows a lot of the new developements in the City Centre. Westfield Derby Derby Riverlights Cathedral Quarter Wheel Derby Quad Jurys Inn Hotel New road layout near Seven Stars pub.
On Friday I watched a DVD, "The Damned United" which is a 2009 British sports drama film directed by Tom Hooper based on Brian Clough's tenure as manager of Leeds United. Lots of the film is about Brian Cloughs time at Derby County, The film moves back and forth in time between his time at the Rams and Leeds United. Of course this film was made after the Baseball Ground was demolished so filming was done at Chesterfield F.C's ground which looks sort of like the BBG.
It stars Michael Sheen as Brian Clough, Timothy Spall as Peter Taylor, Jim Broadbent as Sam Longson. It was an interesting film and would recomend it.
I did a screengrab from the film (see above) this is clearly some archive footage of a Rams fans being interviewed on the corner of Derby Lane/ Walbrook Road. In the back ground is Upper Dale Road and on the right background is the Cavendish Hotel. Exact map location here.
Similar to my then and now photograph of this area, see the third one down on this page.
This film is available from Play.com, Amazon and ebay and all the usual places. There is a short trailor for the film on play.com
I created this video so you can see how to get to Heage Windmill from the town of Belper, Derbyshire. Why not go and see this windmill in action this weekend!
Use my Heage Route Planning Map if you want to plan YOUR journey to this windmill, Just click on the blue car in the midle of the map then click "Get directions".
Heage Windmill in Derbyshire, U.K. is the only working 6 sailed stone tower mill in Britain, The windmill became operational in 1797. Heage Windmill was originally called Nether Heage Old Tower Mill, the gritstone tower was built by Edmund Lee in 1745 and originally had 4 sails, During a severe gale in 1894 , its cap was blown off and the sails destroyed. The four sails were replaced with six sails. A preservation order was placed on the mill in 1966 and the mill was restored by Derbyshire County Council In 1997 after years of neglect the Heage windmill society was formed, with an aim to bring the mill back to working order. Heage windmill was opened to the public on the 1st June 2002.
For more information on this mill such as opening times please visit their website: Heage Windmill website: www.heagewindmill.org.uk
If you want to see more details then please click on the "HD" button so it turns red, then click the fullscreen icon. (you will need a fast pc and fast broadband connection to cope with it!).
The name Heage comes from the Old English and means "high edge or ridge". Heage village is 2 miles west of Ripley, 2 1/2 miles North East of Belper set on rising ground above the river Derwent east of Ambergate.
I would like to thank Brian Naylor and Alan Gifford for arranging for the windmill to be open for my driving video.
*** This video is not real-time, it is time-lapse *** The real driving time covered 9 minutes
Points of Interest on route: 0:00 View of Heage Windmill from Church Street. 0:31 Start of drive at Derby Road (A6) Belper. 0:33 Belper Orangery (Mc Donalds) ahead, Left is Morrisons and Focus. 0:39 Right at island and up New Road (A609) 1:00 Over traffic lights and up Cheapside. 1:08 Belper Market Place on the right, Top of King Street on the left. 1:11 Left into Chesterfield Road (B6013), carry on going on this road. 2:58 Left into Church Street. 2:59 The White Hart public house. 3:14 Left into the entrance road for Heage Windmill 3:38 Visitor parking is here on the right side. 3:57 Four shots of the Windmill in action, two from my VR tour. --------------
If you visit Heage Windmill then you will be able to have a go on my Virtual Reality Tour at the visitor centre.
Please rate and comment if you enjoyed this driving video through beautiful Derbyshire. Subscribe to my YouTube channel to keep up to date with my latest local videos.
This is a panoramic photograph I took on Sunday morning of the Cathedral Quarter Wheel which officially opened to the public on Saturday 12th September 2009.
It took 6 days to build, and is 60m (197 ft) tall in the Market Place, has 40 observation pods and weighs 365 tonnes!
The Big Wheel will be on Derby's Market Place until Saturday 31st October, so thats seven weeks so theres no excuse not to have a ride on it.
The ride lasts for 15 minutes so there is plenty of time to take in the great views it has to offer.
Commentary inside the pods has been created by Heart 106 FM, with facts about the Cathedral Quarter area, the history of Derby and key points of interest that you can see from the wheel.
If you listen to Sam and Amy on Heart 106 Breakfast show on Wednesdays then you may win a private gondolier for the family that evening !
The Cathedral Quarter Wheel is open from
10am to 10pm Monday to Thursday
10am to 11pm on Friday and Saturday
10am to 8pm on Sundays.
It costs
£5 for adults
£4 for seniors and disabled passengers
£3 for children under 1.4 metres, and free for children under three.
There is also a VIP Gondola which takes up to 4 people for £50.00
It has 1 disabled access gondola.
There is a 20% discount for Cathedral Quarter loyalty card holders. For more information, visit www.derbycathedralquarter.co.uk
If you have ever been on the Manchester wheel then you will aleady know what a great view you can get from these things, that wheel is exactly the same height as the Derby wheel. But unless you have been on a Derby Cathedral Tower Open day then you won't have been lucky enough to have seen the views over the city of Derby from such a high vantage point, so I think this is a great thing for the City of Derby.
Its that time of year again when historic buildings open their doors to the general public.
Heritage Open Days celebrates England’s fantastic architecture and culture by offering free access to properties that are usually closed to the public or normally charge for admission. Every year on four days in September, buildings of every age, style and function throw open their doors, ranging from castles to factories, town halls to tithe barns, parish churches to Buddhist temples. It is a once-a-year chance to discover hidden architectural treasures and enjoy a wide range of tours, events and activities which bring to life local history and culture.
Since 2007 I have been working with the volunteers at Heage Windmill to help promote the great work they do by using my panoramic photography skills. Back then it consisted of just two 360 degree panoramic photographs taken inside the cap of the windmill where people can not go due to safety reasons. This mill exhibit was popular with visitors and in 2008 I offered to take some new 360 degree photographs for them. What started off as a simple idea soon became a major project consisting of 26 full 360 x 180 degree (spherical VR) photographs all linked together by hotspots.
This allows disabled people or anyone that is not able to climb the mill stairs the opportunity to take a really good look around the windmill. I designed the virtual tour for them so that when you hover the mouse over areas of interest then it tells you what the various parts of the workings are used for.
Because my VR tour encompasses the entire windmill site it is also useful if you visit on a rainy day.
In July, Heage Windmill won the Judges Special Award in the Renaissance East Midlands Derbyshire Heritage Awards 2009 (see photograph of the plaque) ... "For an innovative solution to providing access to the mill, delivered by volunteers, to a very high standard."
As well as creating the high resolution full virtual reality tour at the windmill I also created a reduced mini vr tour for their website which you can take a look at here : Heage Windmill mini Virtual Reality Tour.
Heage Windmill is open every weekend from April to October, why not go along and see this great windmill in action. There is nothing quite like seeing the only working 6 sailed STONE tower mill in Britain turning around in the wind.
You can even buy Heage Windmill Flour from Belper Farmers Market. The market runs from 9am to 2pm on the second saturday of every month and takes place on Belper Market Place.
This Sunday, 6th September 2009 sees the annual Darley Park Concert, Britains biggest FREE classical concert. The concert takes place in the natural amphitheatre of Darley Park which is located in Darley Abbey, Derby, Derbyshire, U.K.
Starting at 5.30pm, With an amazing firework finale, attracting crowds of around 30,000. 2009 is the international year of Astronomy, marking several momentous events – the 40th anniversary of the first manned landing on the Moon and the 400th anniversary of the use of the telescope by Galileo Galilei to observe the moon and planet Jupiter. Sinfonia VIVA and regular Darley Park concert conductor, James Holmes will be performing a spectacular programme of music with links to all things astronomical.
Admission is FREE, car parking is £5. Personally I’ve found its best to walk in or get someone to give a you a lift as this event attracts so many people that you may have trouble parking nearby.
Its also worth taking a torch with you as its not very well lit on the entrances into Darley Park and due to the large amount of people you may tread on someones toes !
Programme of music: Strauss/Townend – 2001 : A space Odyssey Mozart – Overture: Magic Flute, Der Holle Rach Hayman – When you wish upon a star Sousa – Sousa stars and stripes forever Williams – ET Adventure on Earth Wagner – Ride of the Valkyries Strauss – Music of the spheres, Tritsch Tratsch Polka Dvorak – Song to the Moon Mancini/Mercer – Moon river Mercury/Townend – Bohemian Rhapsody Williams – Star Wars: Imperial March, Throne Room, Closing sequence
Click on this photograph of some Scissors I bought from Wilkos (Victoria Chambers, London Road, Derby). The Scissors are encased in plastic, now read the instructions on how to remove them from the packaging.
"To Open, Carefully cut packaging with Scissors". Now hang on a God damn minute, the Scissors that I bought are still in the packaging so how on Earth can I use them to cut them out of the packaging that they are in!
Great if you own other pairs of Scissors but if your a first time Scissors owner or perhaps you broke your ownly pair of scissors then its game over man !
The packaging should carry a warning to say "These scissors should not be purchased unless you already possess a pair that work ok".
Are YOU a "first time scissors owner" or have you always had scissors around you?
Lets run with this scissors theme, but don't run with scissors obviously!
Derby City Council’s Food Hygiene Star Rating Scheme, commonly known as Scores on Doors is a pilot project being run in conjunction with the Food Standards Agency that provides information about hygiene standards within food businesses in Derby.
The Council has just released the results to the public. Its list includes every Premises in the city of Derby that sells food and I really do mean every one, such as The Potato Lady on St Peters Street, Rachel's Flyin' Sausage on Shaftesbury Street South, Costco Customer Café on Wyvernside there all in the list!
Scores are.. 5 Stars Excellent Performance Very high standards of compliance with food safety legislation 4 Stars Very Good Performance High standards of compliance with food safety legislation 3 Stars Good Performance Good level of compliance with food safety legislation 2 Stars Satisfactory Performance General compliance with food safety legislation 1 Star Poor Performance Some non-compliance with food safety legislation 0 Stars Very Poor Performance General failure to comply with food safety legislation.
Learn more about how the council score by reading their here.
So now you can check to see if your local restaurant is any good.
Hi, I am the webmaster of www.derbyphotos.co.uk
Local photographer and film maker promoting Derby and Derbyshire. Hope you enjoy my blog bringing you the latest stuff for this area.
