Derek R.

Think I prefer the original . . .

"Some" knowledge, but not a lot! In my teens I bought 'A Century of Traction Engines' by W. J. Hughes and still have it, but can find no traction engine within named with 'Cock' in the title. As Roger says and witnessed, 'Cock of the North' is the most likely, but most were given names such as; Simplicity; Lord Roberts; Her Majesty; Clyde; Little Giant; Invincible; Old Nick; Fred; and so on. 'Woodcock' comes to mind, but more likely from my trains spotting days. https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo/traction-engine-name-plate.html As I lived on the Piccadilly line in my childhood, a trip to the northern terminus at Cockfosters was always a welcomed excursion into the 'countryside', and where one met the buffers! End of the line. Looking through my Ian Allan, 'ABC of British Railways Locomotives' combined volume (Summer 1958, 10/6d), there were only three locos with the word cock in them; 'Adam Woodcock' an 4-4-0 class D30 of 1914; 'Cock O' the North' an A2 Pacific 1943 numbered 60501; and 'Woodcock' a Gresely A4 Pacific 1935 numbered 60029 - one of the 'Streaks'. Edited to add: It can be read on some websites that Woodcock (the A4) was renamed Dominion of Canada. Yet in my 1958 ABC BOTH locos are listed, Dominion of Canada numbered 60010. and Woodcock as 60029! And as I have them 'underlined', it is clear that I 'copped' them both in either 1958 or '59.

They missed out 'Watch'ya Cock'.

I recall Pete Thompson fitted a four blade prop to COLONEL sometime in the eighties. They're a bit rare.

A lock I remember well. We were boating down. The bottom gate paddles had been lifted and we proceeded to drop. Then we got hung up. The tiniest bit of weld in the form of a 'nib' on one of the counter round rubbing strakes had caught on the iron lock side - the middle longitudinal overlapping piece in the photo. Getting that gear down was the next issue - so slow! The boat eventually 'fell off' and we bobbed about quite a bit.

Thanks for that - the date fits.

John & Georgie had CREEPING JENNY. It may have been an ex-hire boat but can't confirm that. In its shorter state (45-50ft?), it had a BM twin in the place where a back cabin would have been. Always spotless. When John lengthened it sometime in the eighties (to 60ft?), it acquired a back cabin and a engine'ole, and another engine. 3 or 4 pot BM - can't remember - it also lost the 'CREEPING'. It became JENNY. Then John acquired a hull, how much I don't know, and he grafted the fore end onto JENNY, renaming the boat BRENTFORD. It was mooted to be a Josher fore end, and became 70ft(?) What the hull or the fore end was called is also unknown, though from what I can gather there wasn't an ex-working boat called BRENTFORD, though that doesn't mean there never was one. JENNY at around 60ft JENNY lenghtened, with its original fore end and the skinny gunnel. A bit of BREAM (the back end) and something else All images are mine.

Yes you are, and that's just the start. But this reaches into politics. Small businesses will be targeted. Sadly it will have far reaching consequences for all. Mind you, be wary of what the BBC put out. They've got form.

Like - 'churning up the mud and breaking down the banks' sort of thing?

And that's before any paddle was lifted! Gate paddle now fully open Middlewich, the leaning backward type. Fenner gear L&L Rufford branch Factory

Looks like a Bank holiday 'lock dispute' at Bunbury . . . .

The lance was held by the right hand but the knights rode on the right in a tournament, otherwise their balance would be all wrong. Keith No wonder I was no good at it . . . .

There are a few reasons given, though most will come down to those on horse would be right handed (in the main) and passing to the left of an opponent gave the right hand wielding a sword a better chance of landing a blow. Knights jousting, would ride on the left with the lance in the right hand and arm. The first Such 'jousing' matches had been held on the Scottish Borders as a way of releasing tensions between England and Scotland. One such was held in 1390 on London Bridge between the champion of England, Lord John Welles, and the champion of Scotland, Sir David de Lindesay. The event was a spectacle that thousand thronged to see, the two parties charging one another three times, until eventually Lord Welles was unseated. Though injured, he did recover. Sir David tending his opponent at the scene. (The 'Old' bridge with all the shops houses and chapel on). Lasted over 600yrs that did. Cost of maintenance and congestion saw its demise. But in 1722 a decision was made to enforce traffic (both foot and carriage) with the rule to cross the bridge on the left. Those coming into the City to keep to the West side of the bridge, those leaving the City to the East side. The Common Council, led by Lord Mayor Sir Gerard Conyers passed the 'keep to the left law', which would one day be taken up throughout Britain and a number of countries around the World from Australia to Japan. 'Old London Bridge' by Patricia Pierce. Which begs another question: Why do so many countries in the World drive on the right?

If you can suffer Crossroads - you can suffer this:

Counter's Creek aka Chelsea Creek leads into the Kensington canal. Some good research done here: https://londoncanals.uk/2010/01/14/the-kensington-canal-the-waterway-that-served-west-london/

Never heard of that film. Free to watch in three parts: Chelsea Creek appears in the opening shots, and later on. Filmed around Battersea and Chelsea, and a trip on the bus to Hyde Park and Soho. Snapshots of early seventies London along with street performers. The Budgerigars on sticks is quite something. Pixelated in full screen, but fascinating all the same. BFI do a clearer version for £2.50 (rented).

Definitely not RUISLIP then ! "Undispleasing"? I take it you mean - pleasing to the eye. Yes it is. Chromium plated lettering?

"Fuel & Gas" https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/4630478

A later map shows the 'tramway' on the left hand side diverted 'off' the embankment, and truncated on the other side. This is OS 1949 - 1970

Forgive the digression, but Sandwell Coal Chutes sprang to mind, and there's an interesting article on the tramway that fed them here: https://www.pressreader.com/

" . . And the next object is - Mineral . . . Mineral." It's a tug. It could be RUISLIP . . . For the young amongst us: http://www.ukgameshows.com/ukgs/Twenty_Questions

Well done Mark! I had a little trouble with that to begin with, but pawing over old maps found the location. The photographer must have been on the lighter, but this map shows the probable location: https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16&lat=51.53431&lon=-0.00147&layers=10&b=1 This is a partial transparency image of the area. We are 'on' the Channelsea River, which today is a path at that point starting from 'Greenway'. The orange arrow points in the direction the camera is being pointed, and the two blue lines the general view seen in the photo. Virtually unrecognisable today. https://tinyurl.com/2ruaxvkn How's this for a bit of Gas Works walling? From a section along Abbey Lane. https://tinyurl.com/2p8ud3dm

I would suggest the lighters and gas works might be those in the vicinity of what is now being called Aberfeldy Village and of course the East India Dock has been built over and now has the University of the West standing on the site of the dock: https://tinyurl.com/36mbbvwj Here is part of a page from Bartholomews Greater London Atlas published in 1954. The area ringed in orange might be the place from which the photograph was taken: This map from 1954 may not show all the gas holders on site, and the camera could have been pointed in a North Easterly direction from Leven Road, with gas holders not shown on the map, but which may have been on the Northern bank and part of the Imperial Gas Works site. Another map, 1937 - 1961, showing two possible gas holders on the North bank. I would suggest the orange arrow is the direction of the camera shot.

They're all mad. At least the boat can see where it's going . . . or what it's going to hit!

Nice shots. The second looks like the River Lea, and the Gas Works just North of East India Dock. The covered cart with BREAD STREET on: Bread Street is just off Cheapside in the City.