Golden Age (50) : Suddenly at his Residence

This novel by Christianna Brand is an Inspector Cockrill mystery (though i don't think i have read of this detective before). Set in the Second World War, this is a good family murder drama with the usual mixed cast of characters who range in various degrees of annoyance. This does make the dialogue a little hard going at times.

However, the story has a good twist and an action packed final act with the bombing of the murder scene. Unfortunately, the previous acts can sometimes drag.

Apsley pass through

Non-stop.

Churches (249) : St Alkmund, Shrewsbury

The church of St Alkmund in Shrewsbury, Shropshire dates from the Saxon period though has been much changed in the following centuries. The church was founded by Aethelfleda, daughter of Alfred the Great. The tower and spire are a 15th century addition however, dating from about 1475. The spire is the highest point in the town, though according to legend was damaged by the Devil in 1553! Much of the rest of the church today dates from a rebuilding in the mid-1790s.

The church is built from white sandstone. It has a nave with aisles and a short chancel. The tower is built from coursed and squared rubble.

On the line to Walsall

I didn't travel as far this past weekend, once a month i intend to stay fairly local so that i can update my imagery of stations in the West Midlands which i need for my third railway book. This time i travelled on the Walsall Line, including stations in Witton, Hamstead and Bescot. You can see my photos here.

Golden Age (49) : Murder of the Ninth Baronet

The Murder of the Ninth Baronet by J.S. Fletcher is an interesting series of cases handled by private investigators. The murder of a man, recently back in Britain after a long time overseas, appears wrapped up in a number of other crimes including other murders and the theft of diamonds. There is also the question as to whether or not he was the long-lost heir, the 9th baronet indeed, of a country estate.

An interesting read with some good red herrings. However, the story is somewhat marred by the eventual culprit being a bit left field and also uncovered rather suddenly. I enjoyed the story being based in the Midlands.

Gloucester departure

I didn't know Transport for Wales went as far as Cheltenham Spa now, here is one of their trains departing Gloucester bound for the other Gloucestershire town.

Churches (248) : St Luke, Holmes Chapel

The parish church of St Luke in Holmes Chapel in Cheshire dates from about 1430. The church was timber framed and in the Perpendicular style. The nave has four bays with north and south aisles. There is a vestry to the north. The west tower was built out of sandstone. 

The chancel and nave were encased in brick in the 18th century.

First arrival

There has been some more progress with the model railway project. All of the track has now been fastened down. The station platforms have also been put in place, mostly to check for clearance (and all seems fine on that score). So, here is the first arrival at the new, as yet unnamed, railway station.

Yate is great

At the weekend i headed off on my next railway adventure, this time towards the south west. I want to finally go to Bristol this year but i am saving that for the Summer, today instead i went half way between Gloucester and Bristol to the town of Yate.

And Yate is pretty nice too with a lovely old church and some other items of interest. You can see my photos here.

Golden Age (48) : Black Cabinet

"Black Cabinet" by Patricia Wentworth is the tale of a young heiress who uncovers the dark secret of her inheritance, details of which are locked up in a large piece of furniture. A brutal gang want to silence her (and get their hands on her inheritance of course)...

A fast moving adventure with continuous peril. An enjoyable read though the heroine was a bit wearisome at times and makes a few decisions which seem a bit odd, though help pad the story out a bit more. The energy of the story helps pull you through.

Erdington arrival

Despite being my closest railway station, i do not go to Erdington station that much (Chester Road is my preferred rail portal). But i did visit late last year and here is an arriving train.

Churches (247) : St Michael, Ufton

The parish church of St Michael in Ufton, Warwickshire has 13th century origins. There were additions to the church made in the next two centuries. The church has a four bay aisled nave and a two bay chancel. A clerestory was added in the 16th century. The west tower has three stages which were added over time, the third being added in the 15th century.

The church is built from squared coursed lias and limestone with sandstone dressings.

A new (old) calculator

The first piece of retro office technology to be procured this month is this rather pleasing, if a bit basic, Canon Palmtronic 8 calculator. Although the calculator shows signs of a long life, plenty of scuff marks and so forth, it does work still though some of the keys are a little hestitant.

Running some trains

Both station tracks are now fastened down on the new layout. I have decided to use a ballast mat on this layout as will be a lot less messy. Initially, i planned to use glue to stick the track down but it didn't work so well so i have gone back to track pins. Next will be to secure the goods yard, then we can run some trains and start on the scenery! 

Apsley

At the weekend i headed down to Hertfordshire, to Apsley. This was once a centre for paper manufacture (and still has a rather nice Basildon Bond clock on display) though is nowadays a suburb of Hemel Hempstead and leisure and residential accommodation has replaced the old paper factories. I did a canal walk along the Grand Union Canal, other Apsley photos can be seen here.

Golden Age (47) : Fire in the Thatch

This enjoyable novel by ECR Lorac slowly sets up the scene in a cosy rural setting in Devon at the end of the Second World War as a recently discharged Royal Navy man takes over a neglected cottage and aims to become a market gardener.

Then we jump straight into a police procedural after the crime has taken place. The investigation is nicely complicated and involves investigating into the secrets of the victim's past to establish a motive and hence identify the perpetrator. A good read.

Churches (246) : St Cynfarch and St Cyngar, Hope/Yr Hob

The parish church of Hope/Yr Hob in Flintshire dates to the 12th century with the oldest part of the current church forming the south aisle. The oldest parts of the church date from about 1180 though it is thought a wooden church was previously on the site, which may have been a place of worship since the 9th century. The church is considered to be the oldest in Flintshire.

Much of the church dates from an expansion in the 13th and 14th centuries. The tower was built between about 1500 and 1568.

The church is Perpendicular with a double nave. The church is built from local freestone and sandstone rubble.

Ledbury arrival

On a cold Winter's day in Herefordshire.

Alderley Edge

Time for the first railway adventure of 2025, and i went up to Alderley Edge in Cheshire. A fine place with a decent church and some other interesting sites. Getting there from Crewe also meant travelling on one of the old Cross City Line trains now transferred North, it was nice travelling on an old friend. You can see my photos here.

Golden Age (46) : The Big Bow Mystery

The Big Bow Mystery by Israel Zangwill is a fine little mystery, one of the earliest locked room detective stories where an impossible crime has apparently taken place. The joy of these kinds of stories (which were very popular in the Interwar Period) is the journey as we follow the detective who investigates the scenario thoroughly, applying logical reasoning to make the impossible actually possible.

Once you get to the conclusion in this story (which can be hard work at times, the story does drag a bit) it is undoubtably interesting though maybe (spoiler alert) a bit of a cheat. (The detective did it, the victim was still alive when he broke the door open). The use of psychology is clever however.

An interesting bit of late Victorian social comment and satire, though can be a bit slow.

Zero time

On Friday i completed the final project of the 2024 model building season (yes i know Friday was in 2025 but a couple of days late doesn't hurt!) The Zero is not looking too bad actually. My aim for 2025 is to match 2024 and complete four more kits, and make serious progress with my model railway project.

Crewe 807

A new Class 807 unit departing Crewe.

Zero hour

We haven't had a model kit update for awhile. The latest Project is #111 a Mitsubishi A6M Zero (i have done one before though this one will be wheels up). It was intended to be the fourth and final project of 2024 but as you can see it is now 2025 and the Zero is still being painted. As long as i finish it by the weekend though i will count it as a 2024 project, so the race is on!