Cherie's Place

Filed under Heritage, Holidays, Windsor 2022

Brooklands Museum

Brooklands Museum houses historic aircraft including a Vickers Wellington bomber recovered from Loch Ness in 1985, a British Airways Concorde, G-BBDG (c/n 202), the UK’s first production Concorde, and now also owns the 40% scale Concorde model “G-CONC” displayed for many years as a gate guardian at Heathrow Airport, until movement in 2007. After restoration and repainting, the model was relocated for similar duty at Brooklands Museum’s public entrance off Brooklands Drive on 29 September 2012.

There are civil and military aircraft on display including a Vickers Vanguard, Viscount 800 and Standard VC-10. The majority of exhibits were built at Brooklands or have close associations with the site. The VC-10 was built and first flown at Brooklands in 1964 and after airline service with British United as G-ASIX and later British Caledonian Airways, in 1974 it became the official VIP transport for the Sultan of Oman until retired and flown back to Brooklands on 6 July 1987 and donated to Brooklands Museum by the Sultan of Oman’s Royal Flight.

Tags: Brooklands, Brooklands Museum, Surry, There's Always One, Vacation, Weybridge

2 Comments CherryPie on Nov 25th 2022

Filed under Heritage, Holidays, Windsor 2022

Brooklands Motor Racing Circuit

Brooklands was a 2.767-mile (4.453 km) motor racing circuit and aerodrome built near Weybridge in Surrey, England, United Kingdom. It opened in 1907 and was the world’s first purpose-built ‘banked’ motor racing circuit^{[n 1]} as well as one of Britain’s first airfields, which also became Britain’s largest aircraft manufacturing centre by 1918, producing military aircraft such as the Wellington and civil airliners like the Viscount and VC-10.^[1]

The circuit hosted its last race in August 1939 and today part of it forms the Brooklands Museum, a major aviation and motoring museum, as well as a venue for vintage car, motorcycle and other transport-related events.

The Brooklands motor circuit was the brainchild of Hugh Fortescue Locke-King, and was the first purpose-built banked motor race circuit in the world. Following the Motor Car Act 1903, Britain was subject to a blanket 20 mph (32 km/h) speed limit on public roads: at a time when nearly 50% of the world’s new cars were produced in France, there was concern that Britain’s infant auto-industry would be hampered by the inability to undertake sustained high-speed testing.[2] King commissioned Colonel Capel Lofft Holden of the Royal Artillery to design the projected circuit and work began in 1906.[3]

Requirements of speed and spectator visibility led to the Brooklands track being built as a 100 ft (30 m) wide, 2.767 mi (4.453 km) long, banked oval. The banking was nearly 30 feet (9.1 m) high in places. In addition to the oval, a bisecting “Finishing Straight” was built, increasing the track length to 3.369 mi (5.422 km), of which 1.250 mi (2.012 km) was banked. It could host up to 287,000 spectators in its heyday.[4]

Owing to the complications of laying tarmacadam on banking, and the expense of laying asphalt, the track was built in uncoated concrete. This led in later years to a somewhat bumpy ride, as the surface suffered differential settlement over time.

More information can be found on Wikipedia.

Tags: Brooklands, Brooklands Museum, Motor Racing, Surrey, Vacation, Weybridge

No Comments CherryPie on Nov 23rd 2022

Filed under Heritage, Holidays, Windsor Revisited 2022

The Royal Castle of Berkhamsted

Berkhamsted Castle was first built as a motte-and-bailey castle in the late 11th century. Kept in royal hands, it was occupied by key figures of the Middle Ages, such as Thomas Becket, Richard, Earl of Cornwall, and the Black Prince. Much of its stone was plundered during the 16th century.

The lodge situated at the site of the castle dates from 1865.

Tags: Birkhamsted, Hertfordshire, Royal Castle of Birkhamsted, There's Always One, Vacation

10 Comments CherryPie on Nov 20th 2022

Filed under Heritage, Holidays, Windsor 2022

Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Fountain, Windsor

The fountain was installed in Goswell Park, Windsor in 2012 for the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.

The Fountain was inspired by the crown jewels and features 60 different water jets. There are also lights which make it a magical site at night. There is a garden area around the fountain where you can sit and admire the fountain.