Ancient and Modern

I posted a picture on the blog a few minutes ago and as usual, I forgot to

david...

Stan...

Arggh...I agree

stan :)

surely, me lad, you must be joking about that non-functioning lift.. Why,
and there was nary a mention of any problems.... :)

In fact, there was this uplifting (pardon the pun) text:

"Glide to the top in style in the panoramic lift. Or take the high speed
internal lift."

I also noticed this nice webcam of the lovely tower... :)

actually, quite a lovely place. and your photo captures light in multiple
hues, whereas that official site only captures height, which any camera
can do... nice work, matey...

david...

i agree, stan. it's hard to know someone with talent... and then to act
nonchalant about it all... :)

sign it. Hey ho!

Any road up, the main feature in the picture is the Millennium Tower, or
more correctly called these days 'The Spinnaker Tower'. It was built to
celebrate the incoming new millennium but due to many problems, was
finished a few years late. To this day it is dogged with problems, notably
the observation lift that can be seen attached to the right hand leg. It
has never worked and Portsmouth City Council is currently in the process
of suing the lift manufacturers.

Seems odd that. If it has never worked then surely they won't have been
paid so all of that money is still available to fix the problem. I'm being
naive I know, but that's how I am.

I should have said that it's in Portsmouth, guarding the entrance to the
harbour, and it dominates the skyline for miles around. It's clearly
visible just one mile down the road from here, once I clear the houses and
trees, and I'm some twenty miles from it.

It's an over priced, overdue nightmare but we love it.

Incidentally, the problems with the outside lift has left PCC in deep
trouble with the health and safety boys because the requirement is for two
means of rapid access for disabled people. Us able bodied types can use
the stairs to escape whatever catastrophe befalls the tower but the
wheelchair bound do not have that luxury. Apparently the solution is some
form of sophisticated chairlift thing. It's temporary but will remain, in
case *both* lifts fail (if the glass one ever works).

So that's the modern. The ancient is in the background. Look closely and
you'll see the masts of two old warships. Three of them belong to HMS
Warrior, and the others belong to HMS Victory.

The stern of Warrior can be seen looming over the small ferry boat in the
bottom left if the picture. Warrior was launched in 1860 and for a short
time was Queen Victoria's flagship.

HMS Victory was Nelson's ship at the battle of Trafalgar. Her masts are
visible behind Warrior's centre mast. Launched in 1765 she is still
officially commissioned as a warship.

The building with the tower to the left of the picture is one of the
original administration buildings of Portsmouth Dockyard. It contains what

Stan...

Great photo,great description, your post led me to a reading a few more UK
papers. The Portsmouth newspaper described a cricket match involving the
"Hants". Who are the "Hants"?

Michael Fanner...

Hants is 'Hampshire', the county of my birth and where I still live. There
is more to tell on this 'Hants' stuff but I've temporarily forgotten the
details. Coincidentally, my mother told me those details only yesterday
but in all the excitement since, it's all slipped my mind. If I remember
in the meantime, or phone her tomorrow, I'll give you the full SP.

Incidentally, 'Hants' in the context of the news piece you referred to is
Hampshire County Cricket club.

Stan (Lord Nelson has always been one of my heros)

was, the Civil Defence headquarters for the city of Portsmouth. As a first
year apprentice, I was involved in the rewiring of that Civil Defence HQ
just before it was decommissioned and turned into offices. So that
building is quite old as well

**Dalin**...

What a contrast between old and new. The difference is the old is
still commissioned and works and the new doesn't. Tells you
something, doesn't it? It's a beautiful tower though.

Norma...

Just to show yhou how kind I can be.....The building can't be all that
old. :)
Very impressive tower. I love the design.
Norma

mmj1...

What a great picture and the description as well as the links were so
interesting. Living in a town where anything old has been or will be torn
down I love any of the older history in England.

mmj1...

I wish a visit to England was in my future but according to the crystal ball
I just checked it isn't. But I do so love your scenery and a lot of your
television shows.