Bergen in Cinerama

Bergen has a rather splendid funicular railway which takes you from the downtown harbour area to Fløyen, one of the seven mountains surrounding the bay. The view from the top is absolutely stunning, even on a cold, dull, April day.

Camera set to panorama mode Captain, ready for the three clicks!

You have been warned

This mug was a gift from the DFDS Kids Club. On the bottom, it had a warning sticker-

“Do no put this cup in a waching machine”

probably because the colours would run and it would make a horrible noise during the spin cycle!

Mini-cruise

We went on a cheap “mini-cruise” from Tyneside to Bergen, calling (briefly) at Stavanger and Haugesund.

Unfortunately, Bergen was closed!

(Well, not entirely, but it was “Holy Thursday” on the day we were there, so most of the shops were shut, as were many of the attactions. We were aware of this, having planned it via t’internet but many others on the ship were not…)

Two new magnets to adorn the fridge.

See, I have trolls in the posts as well as the comments!

INTERMISSION

Here is David on a Blackpool donkey, possibly the last time he will choose to ride one.

There now follows a short intermission. Chocolates and cigarettes are available in the foyer…

The Blackpool Tower itself

The Tower dominates the skyline of the town and has done for more than 110 years.

Modelled on the design of Paris (but much smaller) it is possible to take Otis glazed lifts to the tower top, if it isn’t too windy.

The lowest level is enclosed and features a gift shop, as well as the bit with the glazed floor that does some people’s heads in. The underside wasn’t too clean when we visited!

It is in the south-west corner, you can just make it out in the tower photo above this one.

This is the north view, showing the north pier, the most old-fashioned of the three (it has a vintage carousel next to the end of pier theatre and is the least commercial of the three).

The upper levels are open to the elements. (There are three more accesible, but only the lowest one was open that day.) I took this shot to show the shadow of the tower across the town.

This is the outside equivalent view of the walk of faith.

Note the visual joke!

A rather hazy view to the south- the Pleasure Beach coasters can be just about seen.

We can also make out Blackpool’s other theatrical landmarks. This is the Grand Theatre

The Winter Gardens complex (& Opera House)

The Odeon (now Funny Girls)

Of course, the engineer in me couldn’t resist a photo through a viewing window- of the tower lift hoist room!

The tower ballroom

The ballroom in the Blackpool tower complex is the second such space, the original room being somewhat simpler with the band stage mid way down the north wall. The room was seriously damaged by fire in 1956 but was re-created exactly as the original, other than the addition of sprinkler systems. (The reservoir tank is the circus water arena.)

Whilst not a theatre, it is very theatrical in style, with serpentine balconies and onion-domed boxes flanking a proscenium-type platform stage.

Above the upper balcony, elaborate panels list names of composers and delightful paintings adorn the roof.

The central part of the roof was designed to slide back for ventilation and also provide a view of the stars on clear (non-rainy) nights.

The ballroom is home to the very famous Wurlitzer Organ, which rises from under-stage on a lift cinema-style and was installed in 1935. As it is continuous dancing, organists alternate between the Wurlitzer and an electronic Wersi Organ, seen behind which moves forward once the Wurlitzer is clear.

The Organ pipes are located above the proscenium, along with the usual effects like Glockenspiel, piano, chimes & toy shelf (percussion & effects like bird whistles, klaxons etc.)

I have to comment though, that the Organ is heavily amplified and as a consequence does not have the normal spatial imaging of a well installed Organ. Also, the requirement for strict tempo cramps the players style somewhat with regard to expression through timing.

The ballroom is never very busy during the day, but it is rare that the dance floor is empty either. Ladies and gentlemen, please take your partners for a waltz…

A closer look at rhe Tower Circus

(These photos were taken discreetly before and after the performance by available light without the use of a tripod and are consequently somewhat blurry).

The Tower Circus auditorium sits at the base of the four tower legs. The steelwork is skillfully concealed by elaborate ornate plasterwork with rich arabesque designs. The circular ring is surrounded by stepped arena seating and there are four balconies supported on the rirst cross-members bracing the legs.

Theatre-style boxes are incorporated into two of the tower legs, although one of them is given over to a technical control room.

Three of the four balconies are substantially deeper than the fourth to the north- originally they were all the same when the circus was plainer but when the ballroom and circus were reconstructed by Frank Matcham he enlarged the ballroom to improve the proportions and make it less narrow. This incursion can be seen in the form of the vertical wall above the balcony.

Four curved supporting girders create arches to near-ceiling height. (Above the central structure is the pit for the tower lifts, although there is roof access to a void below this for circus artistes to descend from the ceiling level when required). Four large roll-up screens can be seen beyond the arched girders- these date back to a season of laser shows in the 80s.

This photo of the south-West tower leg walkway shows that the structural steelwork is never very far away and occasionally emerges to the surface.

This toilet access stairway shows another cross-member and indeed lots of little rooms have been squeezed into odd shaped spaces.

The Circus ring has two vomitories (North & South) with the Band over the South one. The ring floor is mounted on a large hydraulic ram and can be lowered in order to flood the ring for the traditional water Finale’.

This shot taken after the show had finished shows the ring slowly returning to normal level. (The circular fixture with lights and water jets was placed centre-stage before the Finale’, although various jets can squirt up from various nozzles around and under the ring as well as from the ceiling fixtures. Those things that look like elastic bands hanging down are exactly that- there is a rather odd bungee-jump act to finish the show.

Speaking of the show- it consists of world class acts performing impressive (and some of them hazardous) routines. It is also very multi-culti, with Chinese plant pot balancers & Bungee jumpers, Russian acrobats & quick-change artists, Czech foot jugglers, Eastern European wheel of death & tightrope walkers & even Mooky’s younger brother (English with Hungarian roots) juggling from the back of a motor-trike. It is also anchored with some very colourful costume and dance numbers, the theme being “Mooky’s Maskerade”.

The show even featured Mooky in a comedy routine with three elephants, although they were really six people in rather clever costumes.

There were three dodgy moments during the show- an acrobat fell when trying to be springboarded onto someone else’s shoulders, a highwire man fell (and managed to grab the rope) when trying to climb on the back of another and a trick that involved bouncing a ball up a large ladder construction went wrong. Each time, the turns composed themselves and had another (successful) go.

The circus is worth more than the cost of admission to the Tower and well worth travelling long distances for, but you have to tune out the hard sell of tat. Sit towards the north (back to the ballroom, the side with the Tower Circus in lights over the ring entrance) and the lower the better.

Beside the seaside…

The Blackpool Tower Circus opened yesterday. We thought a trip to “Tower World” would be a nice day out for us with Grandma Dot & Cousin Katie.
Tower world is the vast building that houses all sorts of different activities, so much that you could spend all day there. It also has some gems of Victorian architecture, notably by Matchless Matcham.

It is home to two particularly stunning rooms in the complex.

The Ballroom…

…and the Circus.

A trip to the top of the tower also gives you a chance to conquer your fear on the “walk of faith” 380 feet above street level.

More to come!

Just in case you are wondering…

…what a Delicolor is, it is a vintage stage lighting control.

It was designed by Rollo Gillespie Williams who moved from Holophane to Furse in the 1940s.

The Delicolor bits are to the left and bottom (and right on the uncropped picture if you click through). You turned the dial to the desired colour, wound the handles… and Voila!

Another excellent 70s musician

I just found out that Roger Hodgson (of Supertramp fame) is doing six shows in Britain during early October. I’ve already booked, unsurprisingly.

See more about the tour here.