Penclawdd, at the Mouth of the Estuary

Driving westward for two hours against the sun's full glare on the M4 in South Wales, we reached Penclawdd when it was already dark at about 5 pm. The directions given by the website was clear enough but I gave the information late to the navigator / co-driver, and as we approached Blue Anchor and the Blaen Cedi Farm self-catering cottages, Jeffrey Walters, the owner was waiting in his 4 wheel drive, with spotlights on, and the gates opened. He said he was not waiting for us and was about to go out, but we reckoned he did (or delayed his journey), as we called earlier that we will arrive at that approximated time. It was very foggy when we crossed the bridge on the River Severn, and this might have been at the back of our hosts minds. We had to drive through a small wooded lane for about almost a kilometre, and him waiting for us was reassuring enough.

Marian Walters, Jeffrey's partner, warmly greeted us as we arrived and parked next to the cottage, and even gave us some tea and biscuits, as she bustled away to watch the Wales International Rugby match. We ate some sandwiches and salad, and I was really tired having to use my right leg all day, and was very relieved that we arrived at that time.

I had to complete my final data collection stage. My case study is in Swansea, so I decided rather than staying at a B&B, at the same price, or slightly less, with the two of us, we could stay in a self-catering cottage and get more room, and have cooking facilities as well. But these type of accommodation are usually away from the bigger cities, and are usually targeted for the summer tourist hordes, but since we have the car, I reckon it was worth it.

It was about 20 minutes drive to Swansea, but we did get lost a bit, on the first day. We stayed for four nights, and used the weekend to recuperate from the flu symptoms. But I was coughing at my interviewees when I met them that Mon - Wed., 21st - 23rd November 2005, and that was not very good. I was not at ease but tried to muster on and collected as much information as I could, as I will not be able to afford to come all the way here again, both with time and money and strength... I suppose, my interviewees felt sorry for me coming all the way as well, as one lady at the museum, agreed to see me on the last day after I pounced upon her the day before. Such is the life of a researcher, if not found groveling, would have to be a tad more aggressive... (More later on the museum and case study.)



We had a nice evening drive that first day, with the sun against our eyes again, through Penclawdd (see above pics) and towards the next town. We stopped near the Burry Estuary where there was a thriving cockle-picking industry. " The Burry Inlet is one of the few estuaries left in this country in which commercial hand gathering using a rake and riddle continues... cockles thrive in Penclawdd due to there being very large areas of mud flats, on both sides of the estuary, rich in feed." (website links) Apparently the cockles are eaten with laverbread, a jelly-like substance made of seaweed.
Looking towards the sea near Penclawdd, we saw moored boats. There were miles of mud flats across the estuary nearer to the sea, and reckoned the cockle-picking action was further away from Penclawdd, as we did not see any nearby. It was mostly swampy marsh where we were. Cockles are to be found more abundant nearer to the sea. It is said that cockle-picking is the only surviving old industry left, and Penclawdd was once a busy port.

Seeing Deadlines

We get on and off trains, setting out to get our work done, before the deadline. Sometimes we look out from the train and see the view, and sometimes we don't. Trains are just the means for us to get there. We are not meant to find anything interesting about the journey. We should just concentrate on the destination. Focus on the deadline.

Sometimes on the train during the journey, we gaze outside but we think of other things. Organizing our thoughts about our work, or perhaps trying to get inspired for our deadline, or maybe working out what we should do when we arrive at our destination.

What do we really see while we are still breathing? What do we feel while we are still able to work?

"Different eyes" seeing different things. We see what we want to find. I put on my "architectural eyes", and I see architecture. I put on my "activism eyes" and I see barriers.

Xmas in Manchestee

It is that time of the year again.

For a researcher, it is a time when beginning of December, it is quite impossible to get any information out of your interviewees simply because everyone is busy preparing for Christmas. Except one of my interviewees (bless her) did manage to answer all that she could to keep me pretty occupied during the break.

I hate getting stuck in the crowds and traffic jams in the middle of Manchestee, so there is nothing to show here, I mean no photos. But tonight, out there, people are madly, crazily trying to buy in the very last minute whatever gifts they are going to get for their loved ones. Of course, some people did that ages ago.

Yesterday, I went to TESCO and it was not a good time to go as you really have to wait quite long at the counters. The lady and her family in front me at the queue had a turkey, loads of brussel sprouts, parsnips, many many bottles of flavoured water, and all sorts of things that you know are for the family feast and festivities.

However, the good thing about Christmas is that people are a bit nicer to each other. Probably everyone is looking forward to celebrating and in the cold weather, it's one way to feel warm. I remember in the summer people are pretty awful sometimes, because they could not stand the hot weather.

Well, I am going to town in awhile and will probably drop by at the shops on the way just to get one thing, but if its too congested I will probably give it a miss.

The team could not have done more...

It was very disappointing to watch Liverpool lost to Sao Paulo 0 - 1, but that's the way it is. You win some, and you lose some. It was a gamble to travel 12 hours to Tokyo to compete in this match, but to see so many chances, a clear possible sending-off, a clear goal being declared offside and a penalty denied, so what can you do, but say, "Luck is not with us". (See link.)

Anyway, on a personal note, I am publicly in my blog, declare that I shall not be thinking, watching and listening to any football until I complete and hand-in my thesis draft in March 2006. So if anyone caught me doing that from now until completion, you can tell me off with a severe reprimand of the highest order!

Football has given me a lot of strategic ideas, motivation and encouragement with my life, as it provided me an example,where Liverpool a courageous team showed, but the lesson has been learnt from football. Now it has to be learnt from something else.

No football reports on this blog until I complete! YNWA.

Nearly Stow-on-the-Wold

It was not exactly Stow-on-the-Wold, but nearer towards Bledington, where we stopped for the night after spending the last six nights in Cambridge. My fever was subsiding but everything else to do with the flu symptoms was getting bad. And I was very glad that the Bed and Breakfast Farmhouse that we stayed at the Cotswold was very comfortable.

It was almost dark as we drived slowly on to the gravelled driveway, as the picture above suggest. The winter nights get dark quickly, even at 3:30 pm.

The B&B is managed by Robert Smith and his partner, and the farm is managed by Robert's brother. The farm does not have animals (what a shame, I was looking to make friends with some chickens, cows and even, pigs!) as the farm was solely used to grow produce to feed animals, such as hay and barley. I thought that living in the countryside would be very cold as the temperature was dipping freezing point, but the room was very warm, and I was looking forward to visiting Cirencester the next day, after getting a good rest.

Dinner was at a locally famous but pricey pub (as there are no other places near enough to go, and it gets very dark and dangerous to drive on the unlit country roads and wintry night conditions), but it had a huge fire-place with logs burning, like an open hearth, right in the middle of the dining area. The pub is called the Horse and Groom, and it is half a mile towards Lower Oddington.

Here are some pics to share:

The gravelled driveway approach to the B&B went around a bend along the farm buildings, hay stack loft and hangar-like barn sheds, and farm vehicles.

One of the buildings on the farm, which I don't think is a part of the B&B. Probably Robert's brother, the farmer's house...

We can see part of the B&B from across the field. I bet it's really lovely in the summer, spring or autumn weather, but not when we were there! Just our luck.

The hay stack loft covered by tarpaulin and the blue farming vehicle parked next to it. Proof that we stayed at a farm!

Firewood/firelogs were chopped from felled trees/ tree branches collected around the farm or perhaps from a productive forest reserve nearby, but no, we did not have any firewood! Just the usual central heating radiators. Well, I am glad in a sense, because I would be gagging with my stuffed up nose with the extra smoke particles in the room... cough*

Well, that is I, holding a wooden rake at the front of the section of the B&B, where I stayed for the night. The window nearest to me was my bedroom window.

That is I, again, looking pleased with myself, that I have managed to get to the Cotswold, and now we are off to Cirencester and South Wales next, but I was worried about the fog though...and I discovered later that it was difficult driving through the fog. Not nice at all...

Last but definitely, not least, the picture of the co-driver (not very clear it seems) and the sunset beyond the farm... how poetic!

See you in Wales!

Saspirilla - 0 Cherryade - 3

Read about the exciting game!

The Tourist Gaze

Gazing at the scenery that passed me by as I sat in the Cambridge train to King's Cross, I reflected on the previous days events. The smell of recently dugged out fields mixed with manure stung my senses. I cringed slightly. I thought that people are made of all shapes and sizes. I thought about what Alain de Botton said about "art".

I am going to use that take-away plastic cup in the train and use it at the guest room at Trinity Hall. "The Art of Travel" was the name of the book. De Botton's writing was caught at many levels; the literal and direct level of suggestion and the philosophical discussions when he analysed historically what other people wrote about travel, especially from the writers of the 18th century. Why the 18th century? The love of travel came about from explorers from that century and earlier on, as then it was pure madness to travel 5,000 miles away and get killed in the process! De Botton used a lot of their publication and paintings of these other world.

I read the "Tourist Gaze" earlier, at that time in 1995-96 at the DPU in London. I did a seminar paper on Tourism and Development and the papers that I read were of the highest quality. The tutor gave us a stack of papers to read and to use for our seminars and dissertation.

We try to fight for our individual space. To be free from information overload. We keep on seeing and grasping new things, objects, sceneries, experiences, words, pieces of information and everything seems relevant!

Processes...basic physiological and biological processes for one! Like our sight process, our hearing process, our walking process, building process, development process... (At that point I veered off from the subject of travel, and made a diagram relevant to my thesis...)

Am I an accidental tourist? Caught by chance with vignettes of travel treats. I think I am living here in the UK, but at the same time, I am a tourist. A tourist at TESCO, a tourist of Salford, a tourist at Sedgeley Park Little Laundrette...because I possess the "Tourist Gaze", a slightly bemused feeling that all this I am living is temporary and I will be in Malaysia in December next year... processes.

You'll Never Walk Alone

The photo above was taken at Anfield last year in August.
So a year and a bit later, Liverpool FC's is in Japan ready to challenge for the World Club Championship Winner's Cup. Good Luck guys!
Here's a good write up on that: First the World Then the Prem.

Below is a photo (taken from redandwhitekop.com message boards) of the coveted trophy.


In order to win this trophy and the winner's medal LFC needs to be really charged up, so here's the song to do it.

You'll Never Walk Alone is the emotionally-charged football chant that the Kop sings to get players into the mood, with the desire to go against all odds. Liverpool will surely need it to get them going.

Gerrin' there you Redmen!

Lyrics to:
You'll Never Walk Alone
Gerry and the Pacemakers
(R. Rodgers - O. Hammerstein II)

When you walk through the storm
Hold your head up high
And don't be afraid of the dark
At the end of the storm
There's a golden sky
And the sweet silver song of the lark

Walk on, through the wind
Walk on, through the rain
Though your dreams be tossed and blown
Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart
And you'll never walk alone
You'll never walk alone

Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart
And you'll never walk alone
You'll never walk alone

(Lyrics taken from: http://www.songlyrics.com/showsongp.php?id=37859)

Liverpool Football Fanatic

I am a Liverpool Football Fanatic.

I love the club. I have supported it since the Dalglish days in the 80s. My late father who went to study at Kirkby Teacher's Training College in the early 60s supported Everton, but he did not influence his children on their choice of teams.

Like many Malaysians, we followed the English leagues avidly since the 70s.

My two brothers had a lot of those Match magazines around, and I decided to read them too. In the 70s, I watched a lot of Leeds United game on Malaysian television, but in the 80s, Kenny Dalglish, Peter Beardsley, Alan Hansen, John Barnes were right up there as the best footballers in the English leagues. One of my brothers and I decided then to follow Liverpool FC. And the youngest brother decided on Arsenal because he liked the name and he wanted to rile us up. Well, Liam Brady was the Arsenal star at that time when he was growing up.

Currently, Liverpool is making waves again. They topped their group in the UEFA Champions League campaign beating Chelsea to head the group. They had not lost in the last 14 CL matches so far. Is it possible for them to win it again the 6th time in Paris next year? They would need to beat many top teams in Europe again to do so.

I remembered going to Anfield to two of last season's matches last year, one against Deportivo La Coruna and the other against Bayer Leverkeusen. It was tough for them to qualify to the knock out round, and they had to get in a last minute goal by Steven Gerrard to beat Olympiakos to get through the group stages. And now they had managed to get through the group stages relatively easy and topping it above Chelsea as well.

I never thought Liverpool was going to be champions last May. But they did. And what a final that was against AC Milan. 3-0 down and they managed to win finally with 4-3 on penalties. It was an amazing night. I called my brother in Malaysia, at that time it was 4 am in Malaysia, and he said he cried. I cried too. Liverpool's two Malaysian fans crying their heart out for their favourite team in a telephone conversation 5,000 miles apart.

I took my mother and my brother and his family to visit Anfield last year in August. (Picture above shows my nephew and I sitting on the bench in front of Alonso and Garcia's shirts in the player's changing room.) I think my brother and I was going on a "pilgrimage" to the football stadium and ground. We were so happy and we were absorbing everything. Yes, they do say that football is like a religion, and when you read comments and opinions in the football club's websites, you would think so, definitely.

(See liverpoolfc.tv) (See redandwhitekop.com)

Liverpool is starting to really work as a team, and they could provide a serious challenge to Chelsea even in the Premiership league. Well, we shall see. YNWA.

Networking is King

The way I see it, in Malaysia, when it comes to disability issues and the work needed to highlight and campaign for disabled people's rights, progress at moment will only come from volunteer and charitable organisations. For example, please read on the recent establishment of MIND, funded by BAKTI. Peter Tan had also highlighted this in his blog.

Being realistic, we are far away from the progress achieved by people in the UK, for example. For the last 10 years, significant progress had been made whereby the UK Government had taken the initiative to promote the rights of disabled people, by introducing the DDA and the Disability Discrimination Bill, as shown on the DRC website.

When will the Malaysian Government do the same?

People would argue that in Malaysia, we do things differently than in the UK. The sooner that we realise that this is not the case and never should be, the better. The fact remains that we are 20 to 30 years behind the UK in terms of work effort and results. We need to realise this so that the clearer we see the problems now and ahead of us, the better we are to plan ahead and prepare for the things that we need to be done. We should be in a position to forge ahead with our goals but we need to realise what they are first.

Disabled people have to start doing things for themselves, because that was what happened in the UK, US and all those countries that managed to get the results needed. Disabled people in the UK started to do those things in the 70s and by 1979 the first Building Regulation in the UK incorporating Access for Disabled People was enacted and established. In Malaysia, we had a similar building regulation done in the time period of 1991-1994. But the push for the rights of disabled people in the UK continued until 20 years later. So many achievements have been made that disabled people are now being sought after to be consultants and advisors to many projects throughout the country. I know so, because I had problems getting disabled people to be interviewed for my research as they are so busy being consulted upon. But never take it for granted that disabled people in the UK had it so easy. They had to fight for it. And in Malaysia, we are only starting to do it.

It is fine to quarrel about the accessible toilets and get caught with it all, but we need to get a bigger view of things. That is not to say to lay down low and not get our hands dirty with the arguments. But more importantly, to educate and learn about how to go about doing things, so that our arguments become sharper and filled with facts, ideas and solutions to problems.

One way is to be skillful in putting our arguments across. Another is knowing how to work together.

When I see MIND being organised and established, I know that it was not easy. I know personally the project leader and how she had to utilise whatever resources that she has at hand to create this project. There is only one full time staff, like in many other charitable and volunteer organisations in Malaysia, because that is the basic thing that this type of organisation need to have in order to sustain itself, but in order for it to move, the volunteer system is the crux of it all.

Another organisation that I salute in having it established and up and running is the SDPP.
Again I also know the leader personally and how hard he had worked at sustaining this organisation, despite being ill and set with a many adversities. The volunteer work in the SDPP is also excellent and had gotten many results. I had highlighted their work in my earlier blog postings.

Often the leader needs someone to push them with their efforts. All the talent and hardwork should never be under-estimated.

These volunteer and charitable organisations and many others in Malaysia, need to be stronger and get excellent networking opportunities for everyone concern with issues on disability. Through this network, we will be able to gain more knowledge and understanding of what is needed to be done, how to do it and most of all, we will not be alone in doing our work.

Networking is king!

We should start somewhere and move on.

Cirencester Part Two - Corinium Museum

After visiting the Parish Church, we walked to the Corinium Museum about 300 meters away. With funding from Heritage Lottery Fund and the Cotswold District Council, the museum had undergone a major refurbishment for two years and had just re-opened in June 2005.



The photo above shown with the courtesy of www.ukattraction.com, is the main entrance to the museum, through the Ionic columned portico. The Corinium Museum, Cirencester did not feel like an imposing building, and appeared hidden away, especially for the first time visitor. I noticed a sign protruding out from the facade as I walked on that street, and that was how I knew it was there. Although it was Saturday, not many people were visiting the museum, and we had it all to ourselves.


One of the exhibits that I found to be interesting was the "Talking Gravestones". These were gravestones found from Roman times, where "stories can be heard" about the "dead person" from whichever gravestone that you click on the interactive board in front. You can tell that the designer wanted children to enjoy the exhibits, and it is such a fantastic idea.

Obviously, when they redesigned the museum, they had extensive consultations with the users, including disabled people. You can have a good assumption on this because the displays have been designed for clarity and contrast between the letterings and the background using the correct font sizes.

There were many mosaic pieces preserved from the Roman times, and this particular display shows floor tiles from a Roman villa, and the information boards were placed at the correct height for children and wheelchair-users. Children are able to squat or bend down and have a better look at the mosaic pieces.


All the displays, to me, had been accessible for children and wheelchair-users. I could easily read the information sitting on a wheelchair, but it would be better if it was at an angle. Perhaps for someone who has problem cranning the neck.




I felt satisfied with the number of interactive displays that they had, especially the row of artifacts and stones from the Roman times. You can pick them up and inspect them or touch the bigger stones.

Nearer the entrance there was a Roman Garden display, which you can enter and experience the environment. But it was really cold that day, so I gave it a miss. You can see it at the background of the photo above. In the foreground were these interactive desks for children, especially, to pick them out and open them, like a book and discover many things. And on the walls were more mosaic pieces.


The building had two floors and the lift was very accessible, with audio announcement and embossed and tactile buttons, plus a full length mirror to make it feel bigger!

There were many other exhibits, apart from the Romans, there were the Pre-historic, the Celts, the Middle Ages and the Victorians. As Cirencester was a Roman town, many of the exhibits were focused on that period of history, especially when there are not many museums displaying Roman artifacts in Britain.

To my delight, I had discovered a real gem of a museum. My feelings were summarised by the fact that this building is really, really accessible and a pleasure to visit. It was designed and rebuilt with the intention of finding again the "Pulse of Discovery", and the very essence of why a museum is a museum. The verdict on the museum was altogether very accessible to children and disabled people. I had set out to visit without too much expectations, and it gave me more than I expected.

Before we left the museum, we asked for suggestions for a good place for lunch, and the receptionist was very helpful with our inquiries. We walked about 100 metres and found the the Swan Yard cafe, which had really friendly staff and good food, except that it felt as if everyone in Cirencester were having their lunch there!

The next part of the journey will be South Wales, but it was not an easy journey as we had to find our way through thick fog with at times 30 metres visibility and then, the sun's glare in my driver's eyes! But we managed in the end.

Cirencester Part One - Parish Church of St. John Baptist

This post and the next will touch upon briefly the influence of the Romans and the Normans on an English town by explaining the architectural influences and development. It is part of a journey made recently in November 2005.

On the way to South Wales, we stopped overnight in the Cotswolds and proceeded to visit a former Roman town, now named Cirencester. In Roman occupied Britain, Cirencester was named Corinium* and was the second largest town after Londinium (City of London). We are still debating how to pronounce "Cirencester". Is the second 'c' silent or not? A guy we met in the church pronounced it silently. My theory is that the second 'c' is not silent, and should be pronounced similarly in "Gloucester", like an 's' rather than a 'ch'. I think 'Leicester' is pronouced with a silent 'c' because there is an 'i' before the 'c'. What do you think? (Yes, it is a pointless debate...)


The reason that led me to Cirencester was firstly due to the location en route to the M5 and South Wales, but more importantly, it has a Norman church and a museum that has an extensive collection of Roman artifacts and display. I needed to get a feel of a Norman church to complete my History of Western Architecture examples and the idea of finding more about Roman Britain was quite exciting. Do you know that Roman Architecture contributed significantly to the architectural development of the Western Church as we know it? The photo above shows a view of the clerestory windows of the Nave of Cirencester Parish Church of St. John Baptist, where we stopped for a visit.



"One of the largest parish churches in the country. The Nave was originally 12th Century, but rebuilt about 1520 and raised in height by 20 ft. at the expense of the town's merchants." (Vicar's brochure)

The brochure explained that many layers of different built form and elements were incorporated at different times from the 12th century, resulting in the church's finished form that we have now.

One of the most significant element is the Nave, which is the rectangular bit in the middle of the church, where you can find the main columns running along the sides, and the rows of pews for the congregation aligning the columns creating an aisle in the middle. However, the derivation of this "Basilica" form from the Romans, later on, created two more aisles running on both sides of the Nave, seen later in bigger churches and cathedrals, such as the Ely Cathedral. (The plan taken from the Corinium Museum exhibit below shows the "Basilica" form within the Roman town.)






In this Norman church, the arches emerged from the columns. The addition of the clerestory windows was to let in more light. Looking in closer, you can see the later development of the clerestory windows sitting on the arches, and a bit of a mismatch going on between the Norman bit and the 16th century addition, where the motifs and finishing did not quite gel smoothly. It is believed that apart from the 16th century intervention, there are several other developments later on. And you can bet on the Victorians had a go at it.



"The tower was erected in 1400 with funds taken from the rebellious Earls of Kent and Salisbury, arrested by the townspeople and executed in the market place. Built on the site of an old Roman ditch, it needed the support of flying buttresses..." (Vicar's brochure)

The photo above is a closer view of the tower taken externally, and its fortress-like expression is common with Norman churches, as the method of construction was not that advanced yet, and rather than using great spans by using arches and vaults as the Romans did earlier, the early Normans relied more on masonry construction depending on their compressive strengths.

That is why the overall effect is dark and brooding because there was a limit to having clear spans and placing more windows and openings. Although the flying buttresses came in during the 12th century, this particular building shows some mystery to the timeline dates of the building, and we could even assumed that the Nave may have been built much earlier.



The stained glass fenestration shows images of the Christian saints and possibly of St. John the Baptist, which this church dedicates to.



Decorations and motifs are less expressive in Norman churches with simple geometrical patterns, depicting nature, such as shown in the flooring.



In keeping with the Disability Discrimination Act and other such legislation of the 21st century, a wooden ramp was built into the church's North entrance.



On leaving the church through the North door, we chanced upon a huge tree, possibly fir or cypress, with a wooden seat around it, and thought of the layers of history that this town hid and revealed, and that was clearly depicted in the parish church.

Note:

* (The British town Caer Cori (now Cirencester) was doubtless a fortified position, but the succeeding Roman town, Corinium, obliterated all traces of its earlier occupation. The earthworks defending the Roman town can still be traced, and measure no less than two and a quarter miles in circumference, showing what an important and large Roman station it must have been. The Fosse Way, Ermine Street, and Ikenild Street all pass through Corinium, and another Roman road, called the White Way, runs due north.

In a work of this sort it would be out of place to enter upon a detailed description of this celebrated station, teeming with its tesselated pavements, Roman villas, and other objects of interest. They have all been so fully described elsewhere that it seems only necessary to refer the reader to the following authorities:—

See Buckman's "Corinium."
Also Atkyn's "History of Gloucestershire."
Also Rudder's "History of Gloucestershire," p343.
Also "Archaeological Journal," vol. vi, p321.
Also "Archaeologia," vol. xviii, p112.
Also "Guide to the Museum at Cirencester," by A. H. Church.) Taken from: http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Places/Europe/Great_Britain/England/Gloucestershire/_Texts/WITGLO*/Camps.html

Cambridge Streetscape - Accessibility Issues

Cambridge had decided very early on to create an environment where the pedestrian and the cyclist comes first. Whether the urban conservation design and policies work well and is suitable for everyone, is yet to be fully determined, but when I was walking around the centre of the city, I did not feel threatened by speeding vehicles, and the streets did not feel congested and I was able to use the street casually, while taking in the views and enjoying the architecture. I imagined how such a policy could work in some very pedestrianised area in Malaysia, such as the Petaling Street and Jalan Masjid India area in Kuala Lumpur. I think the KL City Hall and other Malaysian authorities have to be bold if they decide to go for a similar idea. (But it started with the conservation ideal, mind you.)



The sign says "Pedestrian Zone - Except for Buses, Taxis and Access to Bridge Street South, 20 miles per hour speed limit", which excludes other vehicles from coming in and out. As a disabled visitor arriving in a car, I had problems to find a suitable carpark near enough to the guest rooms where I lodged, especially when carrying and unpacking the luggage. I had to park at St. John's carpark, and that was some walk away. We had to carry the luggage in shifts. It is okay for a one off but after awhile it wore me down. I don't know whether I had broken any law as I did manage to squeeze in a few times through the barriers on the road! I used my disabled blue badge as much as I could, using the "three hour limit capability" on double yellow lines streets.



Pedestrians are able to use the pavements and streets freely, as the 20 miles per hour speed limit imposed made people feel safe to nonchalantly walk about with carefree abandonment, but of course, you still have to watch out for the odd speeding vehicle, the huge buses and the crazy cyclist! The street surfaces are designed to indicate the priorities of use, tarmac for vehicles, pavers for pedestrians and cobblestones near conservation areas, for wheelchair users bumpy rides. (See link on pavers.)






Although the streets are narrow and vehicles do use them, you will find crossings nevertheless at strategic junctions, and I saw many people pushing prams, using wheelchairs, zig-zagging across the streets where I stood at the corner of Bridge Street. These crossings are helpful, when there is an approaching vehicle and you need to cross, but other than that, the street is so narrow that you often do not notice them and just cross anywhere!



In conservation areas, and you find many of these metal studs on the pavement before a crossing, as a tactile warning for people with poor eye-sight, before crossing the streets. In non-conservation areas, you will notice that they use yellow /orange tactile blocks with raised surfaces on them, which is the standard design referred to in the building regulations and guidance.



Low walls are better than high walls, so that you could use them for seating, and the one bordering St. John College precinct was to me very strategic and thoughtfully designed. Simple and effective. You can see the street barriers, and automatically raised bollards on the street to deter unwanted vehicles from entering. Walk, cycle or bus, they say, do not congest the streets by bringing in your car! Oh, my poor lower back and aching legs...the memory of...



A top down view of the street near St. John's gated entrance, plus bollards. Cyclists rule Cambridge, it must be said.

Around Cambridge in November

I was sitting on a low wall at St. John's Street, when I caught the chapel's tower behind me. The prominent landmark in this part of Cambridge was designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott in 1869, on top of the previous Medieval layer, even going back to the 13th Century. I did not have time to inspect the interior, but I also admired the trellis-work (shown below) as I waited at that particular corner.



I had coffee at Caffe Nero, which is the most preferred cafe chains on the high-street in the UK. Simply because an Italian friend of mine who had sampled the lot, remarked that Caffe Nero's coffee is the best of the lot! Well, when it comes to quality of food and drink, always trust the Italians! I decided to take a shot of the scene in front of me, and I quite like this one, taken of a couple deciding on what to eat and a young woman just coming into the main door.



Cambridge being the tourist attraction twelve months a year that it is, (it was a cold but sunny November when this was taken), needed to protect its narrow streets and created a pedestrian friendly environment, and as a result the streets' pavements have very low curbs. In fact, the vehicular service access route often flush with the pedestrian access route, but strict laws and enforcement deter vehicle drivers from breaking the law. And this ensured that the pedestrians enjoy walking on the streets. But be very careful of the "gung-ho" cyclists!



The last photo was taken at the corner of Market Street near St. Mary's Church, shows four old style telephone booths in a row, which I found to be well placed, compositionally, next to the bicycles tied to the fence behind, a sign of a pedestrian accommodating city.



(All photos except the "trellis" was doctored by Adobe Photoshop.)