Adam Chapman

@adamchapman

Medieval historian interested in Wales, Somerset exile, inept cricketer, General Editor of the longest-running and largest local history project yet devised, the Victoria County History of England. Probably drinking tea.

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Adam Chapman@adamchapman· 28d

Cidration Break.

Adam Chapman@adamchapman· Jul 2

A nicely restored ancient monument sign at Castle Rising.

An ancient monument sign on a black and white striped post at Castle Rising, Norfolk.

Adam Chapman@adamchapman· Jun 24

How I imagine the Central Line is this morning.

A medieval depiction of a hell mouth with the naked damned meeting their fate.

The purgatory of Bank station, and the salvation of air con on the Circle line not illustrated.

Adam Chapman@adamchapman· Jun 20

From my walk into town earlier. Yes, it is intended that the strip on the left be used as a cycle path.

A Toucan crossing (a pedestrian crossing which is intended to also be used by cyclists) on a pavement before a bridge. White lines funnel what is meant as a cycle path to the left around a shrubbery onto a strip about 50cm wide next to a road.

Adam Chapman@adamchapman· Jun 5

As a Somerset supporter, can I just point out that we’ve made The Gag, already. #ENGvNZ

Adam Chapman@adamchapman· May 6

A nice example of the bench survives at Gainford near Darlington - with a coronation bench nearby:

A pair of concrete and wood benches either side of a road. The nearest clearly shows the badge of the 1951 Festival of Britain.

View of a concrete and wood bench commemorating the coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953.

Adam Chapman@adamchapman· May 4

On the patio at half past three: Hog 🦔 1, Fox 🦊0.

Adam Chapman@adamchapman· May 3

And today? A brace of Swallows.

Adam Chapman@adamchapman· May 1

A new tradie pun to me. Resistance is futile, etc.

A silver van, belonging to an electrician.

Ohm sweet ohm, female and male electricians.

Top work.

Adam Chapman@adamchapman· Apr 27

Here be dragons. Nesting.

A complex wrought iron light standard with square top in cast iron and a bowl above full of the most untidy nest of decent sized twigs and sticks. From it a dragon appears standing on its hind legs, wings behind it.

The effect is as though the dragon is a rather dangerous nesting bird. Being Cardiff, those responsible are probably actually just gulls. Big ones.

Adam Chapman@adamchapman· Apr 20

Extreme teeth gritting from a Lewis chessman.

Adam Chapman@adamchapman· Apr 20

Looks at cricket score. Grits teeth. #HantsVSom

A Lewis chess piece. This one is chewing the edge of its shield in what’s usually interpreted as a berserker attitude.

Actually it’s the stress of being a long term sufferer of Somerset CCC.

Adam Chapman@adamchapman· Apr 13

Look at that promontory it's standing on! Look at the view it commands. Hmm.

A limewashed white building, with grey stone slate roof, standing on a promontory affording a view of the surrounding landscape.

Adam Chapman@adamchapman· Apr 8

First proper cut of the year for the square. First time the roller has broken down on said square. #VillageCricket 🏏

Three men looking (and muttering), at a large green motor roller.

It is broken. Again.

Adam Chapman@adamchapman· Apr 2

I have an answer to that one. Ok, that’s cheating, but if we’re going to be nerdy about it…

A very grubby railway locomotive in two-tone green with yellow ends. This one - a BR class 73 - can run on diesel or third rail electric.

Adam Chapman@adamchapman· Mar 12

Well, this was good birthday post. Thanks Sis’.

A duck egg blue cardboard box with the legend ‘Fitzbillies est. Cambridge 1929’.

Mail order Chelsea buns courtesy of Fitzbillies of Cambridge. Just the job for a grey dank day when full of cold.

Adam Chapman@adamchapman· Mar 11

Artist's impression:

Nigel Molesworth - a roughly spherical child in glasses - wearing a Tudor bonnet with extravagant plume, a ruff and doublet. Drawn by Ronald Searle: https://www.theguardian.com/education/mortarboard/2011/apr/08/nigel-molesworth-for-education-secretary

Adam Chapman@adamchapman· Feb 27

There's lots in this story: salami slicing of defence procurement, and order for helicopters from a certain Somerset-based, Italian-owned manufacturer, but Yeovillians in general will look at the lines highlighted and say. What. The. Actual. Blazes? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

The Yeovil factory dates back to 1915 when it built planes for use in World War One under the name Westland.

In the 1950s it produced Merlin and Apache helicipters [sic].

No, dear reader, I don't know what a helicipter is, either.

Adam Chapman@adamchapman· Feb 27

In the 1950s Westland produced what?!! Dear BBC, WTF?!

Adam Chapman@adamchapman· Feb 26

Sticking in random place names/obsessions into this is worryingly effective. stirring-fox-7e1fab.netlify.app

Fake Allister Heath headline: Britain's cowardly capitulation to Yeovil will haunt us for a century.

(The ghost of Lord Ashdown has not yet commented).

Fake Allister Heath headline: We must reclaim our institutions from Chard fanatics before it's too late.

Fake Allister Heath headline: The catastrophic reality of Tunbridge Wells is finally dawning on the british Public.

Fake Allister Heath headline: The Somerset Cricket lobby is a parasitic drain on our national wealth.

Who knew Allister was a Gloucestershire supporter?

Adam Chapman@adamchapman· Feb 2

One for #NationalHedgehogDay 🦔 At first, our garden appears to be hosting a pair of hogs, happy to share, and then…

Adam Chapman@adamchapman· Jan 30

Those Normans, coming over here, numbering our buses…

The back end of a double decker bus painted yellow orange with mid blue wedge at the base operated by Stagecoach. Parked by a maroon bus stop on an urban street, its display says ‘Hawkhurst (for Hastings)’. This route is numbered 1066.

William would be proud.

Adam Chapman@adamchapman· Jan 30

And a map. The peat was where the red on the eastern side is. The other bits of high flood risk are silt fen (to the east), and sands (north). 'Very flat', it is not. That's Lincolnshire/Cambridgeshire (in large part).

A map of Norfolk showing relative flood risk. The areas of red to the east are commonly called the Broads, and are a result of medieval peat extraction. The rest of the county is shown in green, indicating lower flood risks. Broadly the county is sandy to the north and west, and clayey to the south and east.

Adam Chapman@adamchapman· Jan 26

This is the second best juxtaposition in light entertainment history. The best? Muhammad Ali and Portishead's finest, The Wurzels.

Look, this is a challenge.

Four men, three in white and grey striped shirts, with bottle green waistcoats and red neckerchiefs. They are known as 'Scrumpy and Western' band, 'The Wurzels'. Second from right, taller, wearing a tan jacket and dark red shirt with vertical stripes, boxing champion Muhammad Ali.

Yes, they were on the same bill. This was taken on 14th January 1979 at a benefit concert for the Welsh boxer Joe Erskine.

Adam Chapman@adamchapman· Jan 24

One more from ‘the old place gets everywhere’. University of London’s Senate House in a cameo with Eileen Atkins as the Soviet Embassy in Paris (Smiley’s People, 1982). Somehow, I’d never clocked this one before.

A marble-lined atrium on an impressive scale with wood panelled double doors to right of shot. Five people sat on a bench as though waiting. A woman, in shades of brown, centre.

Adam Chapman@adamchapman· Jan 6

On the bus (to the dentist). I don‘t know what the air temperature is but that’s ice on the inside of the windows.

A view from the top deck front seats of a double decker bus showing a winter tree scape above a wet road. The windows are mostly obscured with (frozen), condensation.

Adam Chapman@adamchapman· Jan 3

The borough of Bromley’s active travel preferences (if not policies), succinctly stated.

A pair of cycle route signs, on the London Cycle Network. They are blue with white writing. The top, with an arrow pointing left reads Bromley’ with a bicycle graphic.

The lower, In capital letters says ‘Cyclists Dismount’.

Adam Chapman@adamchapman· Jan 1

Hmm.

Adam Chapman@adamchapman· Dec 30

Spotted out in Beckenham earlier. Home for Kent. And, sometimes, Surrey. 🏏

A blue and white pedestrian sign pointing left hung from a lamppost. It reads ‘Kent County Cricket Club’.

Adam Chapman@adamchapman· Dec 26

The back end the car retreating from the viewer looks very like the infamous Ford Edsel (1958)...