Umm Im not much the wiser. This is the a crop of the best pic we have (taken on C's Nikon digital SLR).
I think its either a fish or a dragon!
Umm Im not much the wiser. This is the a crop of the best pic we have (taken on C's Nikon digital SLR).
I think its either a fish or a dragon!
Looks like a Swordfish, Ross!
I have never seen one like that before. I'm sure it's a 'special' for some local reason or legend..gif "Smile")
I thought perhaps a flying fish.
I checked that one out, Rolf, but they have two wing-like fins - one at each side.
The 'sword-shaped' snout and the single dorsal fin (albeit enlarged for effect) make it a Swordfish for me.
Here's a pic of one on The Telegraph; Big fish: a carp the size of Kylie Minogue and other angling records and their celebrity equivalents - Telegraph
Carol found another pic - its a dragon. Heres a crop of the main picture.
This would make sense the "Dragon Bridge" is nearby - the bridge is guarded by four dragons
Dragon Bridge - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
From what our guide told us they dont wag their tales very oftenAccording to local legends, when a virgin crosses the bridge, the dragons will wag their tails.
Well, that explains the curly tail (wagging or not!) as well then - so no Swordfish after all!
(I could only see one fin/wing in any of your pics, Ross, - that's my excuse!)
It amazing what a difference the angle can make
This is on top of the Bell Tower of the Le Havre Cathedral - taken from the ferry, hence the dodgy shot. It's a typically French cockerel I think, although when Rolf and I first saw it it looked like a Turkish crescent, then I thought that it might be a ship
Interestingly, once I thought that I had worked out which building it was, I had to look at a lot of shots to confirm it as I couldn't find a shot showing the cockerel!!! Maybe it's a recent addition.
Excellent, just looked at the Wikipedia photograph and doesn't show it.
I trawled through loads of shots and couldn't see it - luckily it was easy enough to conform the building without it.
Cheating a bit but a weathervane appears on the front cover of the Terry Pratchett book Jingo
The cardinal points are H W R and what may be a T or an I - only the top bar of the fourth one is visible
Very interesting though! I wonder what the letters stand for?
http://wiki.lspace.org/wiki/Hub for description of compass bearings on Discworld Catherine.
Hubwards, Rimwards, Turnwise and Widdershins.
Of course... should have guessed!
TP is just a little bit mad, isn't he?
Yes, I think he is, in a nice sort of way.
Yep, a wonderful mad, a British madness - which is always entertaining
The water tower at Exbury Gardens bears a weather vane showing the 'five arrows' emblem of the Exbury branch of the Rothschilds family.
Interesting to see one that has a meaning.
Nice one, as Lulu says, good to see one with a real meaning.
Heres a couple more - this time from the south end of the Lake District. First up is a vane on a small lighthouse on the seawall at Hodbarrow just outside Millom. An interesting place - its an old iron works / mine which was abandoned in the late 1960's. It flooded and is now a nature reserve, and RSPB reserve. The seal wall is all manmade with massive concrete blocks, and is over a mile long - it took around 1200 men 3 or 4 years to make
^^
BTW its not an optical effect - the tower is indeed leaning over to one side!
Secondly is this interesting creation we spotted outside a pub just on the outskirts of Barrow in Furness. We got one or two odd looks from the patrons sitting outside enjoying the first sun we had seen during the week whilst photographing this!
I couldnt work out what the wires did, I suppose they must have a function.
Heres an interesting one - it was made for The Edwardian Farm tv show, and the making of it was featured heavily on one of the shows. All the work on the build was done using Edwardian techniques. It was covered in gold leaf to protect it.
Screen caps from Yesterday +1
The last three are quite fascinating, Ross.
What is at the top of the one three back? Is it a CCTV camera enclosed in something?
Love the design and colour of the last but one, and the golden Cockerel looks really solid. It must look wonderful in the sunshine!
I think the thing on top of the lighthouse is probably the light detector - the lighthouse was working in the early 2000's and came on automatically at nightfall. It was restored with a heritage lottery grant after the local primary school adopted it. However as my pics show its in a bit of a sorry state again with quite a few broken windows. Maybe when all the windows were replaced they should have used plexiglass or put wire mesh over them. No idea if the lighthouse is operational nowadays.
Some info about Hodbarrow here
Hodbarrow Point
Some crackers there Ross, not sure either about the wires, strange.
Hmm wonder if the wires are just theres as additional supports. If you look just above the E theres a wire tension adjuster and the other letters have them when viewed on the full sized picture. The metalwork looks pretty heavy!
Thanks to the magic of Google streetview I can show you it in situ
Google Maps
Oh just found one I missed from Lakeland
Whilst wandering up the the trigpoint adjacent to the Seascale golf course I noticed a weather vane next to the club house. And look - its the first golfer vane on the thread
Excellent, love street view, as do I'm sure several thousand burglars.
I was down town this morning and sad to say the rather nice fox & plums pinnacle has collapsed presumably in the gales we have had up here in the last few days.Originally Posted by Analoguesat
Anyway back to the main topic. This is a picture of the weather vane on top of the council buildings in Galashiels. As you can see its a rather fine depiction of a fox trying to reach the fruit on a plum tree
There were some ladders up the roof so maybe its going to be repaired.
I do hope so, Ross. I've heard all about that bad weather you've had to suffer from our old neighbours and family in Ayr, and my sister's trellis has come down in Prestwick.
Let's hope the sun shines more in Scotland in 2012. You're due a break!
A nice conclusion for the Darwen Tower story - a new dome has been placed by helicopter today.
BBC News - Darwen Tower dome lifted into place by helicopter
And its got a vane back
BBC News - In pictures: New steel dome for Darwen's Jubilee Tower
(clearly seen in the last 2 pics)
Good news indeed, the home of meat pies has its tower re-crowned.
Great news, Ross, and so appropriate in the Jubilee year of our present monarch!
(I hope the tower last the five hundred years that the dome will!
Im delighted to report the fox & plums metalwork has been reinstated in the last couple of days. Some serious scaffolding has been erected around the tower and I noticed it peeking out above the work areaI was down town this morning and sad to say the rather nice fox & plums pinnacle has collapsed presumably in the gales we have had up here in the last few days.
There were some ladders up the roof so maybe its going to be repaired.
Looks like its been regilded as well
Can we look forward to a photo of it soon then?
I got a better look at it today as the scaffolding is being taken down - and yup its definitely a lovely gold colour. I'll take a pic when (if!) we ever get a nice sunny afternoon and show it off in all its restored glory.
Two spotted at Mayfields Garden Centre in Kelso.
I think this is the first witch on the thread
I like that a lot of new vanes are appearing, some are very inventive as well.
Heres a rather nice closeup of the Galashiels Town Hall weather vane in all its glory
Wind-battered vane restored on top of Galashiels clock tower - Local Headlines - The Southern Reporter
The article confirms it is a vane - obviously it had rusted up over the years prior to collapse as its not turned as far as I can remember & Ive been in the area for 17 years!
Brilliant! I like a happy ending!
I hope the vane will have been sorted so that it will turn properly as well, Ross - and that there will be no more gales like that to damage it again!
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