The riding challenge game. Pic of your bike 'somewhere'

[Pirahna]

Interesting! ¿El próximo desafío?

I thought that challenge was a brilliant, can we stick with the same thing?

You're the boss.

Cheers.

A pic of your bike with something of local interest and an explanation.

[Whysub]

Next up,a pic of your bike with something of local (to you) interest and an explanation.

This is a pic of my bike outside the entrance to an air raid shelter, all that's left of an airfield that was once in the area. It's significance is that it's where, on March 5th and 6th 1939, the legitimate Spanish government was flown into exile. There's a small visitor/education centre there as well. I've yet to do the underground bit, I will at some point. The website gives a great explanation of the place:

https://www.espaifondo.com

That looks interesting-some of my friends are coming over soon, so I can book for us to visit.

I go to Monovar frequently since you told me of the Primitivo Quiles bodega, some great wines there. Never seen any signposts for this old airfield.

[Pirahna]

Never seen any signposts for this old airfield.

There are no signposts. Because it's civil war could be one reason, but the Spanish do like to keep things hidden.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/wBYBSqsifQupTSM89

[Whysub]

Never seen any signposts for this old airfield.

There are no signposts. Because it's civil war could be one reason, but the Spanish do like to keep things hidden.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/wBYBSqsifQupTSM89

Quite, that seems to be the case a lot here.

[fdb]

Pic at the entrance of a park named "selva negra" near Santiago de Compostela. It host a fountain of which water is clean and fresh.

[fdb]

Next, a pic of your bike with something of local interest and an explanation.

[Count Steer]

Just as a random addition. Wiki has this pic of door knockers in the old part of Santiago de C. I just thought it was nice. (The whole place looks pretty )

[fdb]

Nice addition, never paid too much attention to it.
Today i found one on an unusually dirty door. Also notice the dual door leaf, it was comon years ago.

[Taipan]

Next, a pic of your bike with something of local interest and an explanation.

My bike outside the old Bata Shoe Factory in East Tilbury Essex. Soem info about "Bataland" below...

If that okay, then a pic of your bike by a Truss bridge, if possible, but any other bridge type will do.

With the onset of the recession in the 1930’s, Reverend Bown of Tilbury approached Tomas Bata to suggest the siting of a British Factory at East Tilbury, thus supplying work for the youth locally.
The picture below shows Thomas Garrigue Masaryk, Reverend Bown and Tomas Bata meeting. We do not have a date for this meeting although we know that it must have been before 1933.



The first party of Batamen arrived on the Essex Marshes in May 1933 and lived in the Farmhouse, and did their own cooking on a paraffin stove.

When they arrived at St. Clere’s Hall, the home of Mr. W.W.Wilson, who had sold the land for the Factory to Tomas Bata, they were shown to the factory, a small building in a lane between fields of corn and potatoes. The building was not ready as the machinery had been delayed.

As work was very hard to find in the 1930’s men and women travelled from all over Thurrock to try to get a job within the New Factory.
Representatives from the Factory toured local schools telling students that if they were to work for the British Bata Shoe Company they would be able to afford a car, in a world where there were very few cars this seemed a dream to many. Two of the farm cottages were converted to become the Factory Entrance and the first Bata Shoe shop at East Tilbury. These cottages were eventually demolished to make way for a purpose built gate house.

Thomas John Bata, son of Tomas, trained as a shoemaker at East Tilbury and was required to clock in like all other employees. Thomas died in 2008, just before his 93rd birthday. You can find more information about him by visiting the Bata website on www.bata.com.
https://www.bataheritagecentre.org.uk/history/

[ChrisW]

Interesting feller - just had a quick read-up. Shoes, employee welfare and manufacturing advances aside he also came up with the .99 price point concept.

Cheers.

[Taipan]

Interesting feller - just had a quick read-up. Shoes, employee welfare and manufacturing advances aside he also came up with the .99 price point concept.

Cheers.

Bata Land was strange. You cross the level crossing into East Tilbury and then everything from there to the village was owned by Bata. Every house, the hotel, the shops, the factory, social club, everything! But the people who lived and worked there loved it!

They even have a memorial to the bats people who gave their lives etc

image upload

[Gregor]

Interesting feller - just had a quick read-up. Shoes, employee welfare and manufacturing advances aside he also came up with the .99 price point concept.

Cheers.

Bata Land was strange. You cross the level crossing into East Tilbury and then everything from there to the village was owned by Bata. Every house, the hotel, the shops, the factory, social club, everything! But the people who lived and worked there loved it!

They even have a memorial to the bats people who gave their lives etc

image upload

It’s definitely got an otherworldly feel about it, remember visiting a supplier on an industrial estate nearby about 20 yrs ago and having to look the place up online it made such an impression on me.

[ajlog]

Local interest, here we are outside Kenilworth Castle.
The lesser well known of the 2 local castles, Warwick Castle is the famous one, but Kenilworth also has a fine historic castle.



Built in the 12th century in 1266 it was subject to the longest siege in English medieval history, lasting for six months.

In the 14th Century, John of Gaunt, son of Edward III, undertook significant building campaigns, transforming the castle into a luxurious palace suitable for royalty, including the impressive Great Hall. This Great Hall was once the widest roofed space in England after Westminster Hall.

16th Century, Queen Elizabeth I granted Kenilworth to her childhood friend and favorite, Robert Dudley, the Earl of Leicester. Dudley invested significantly in transforming the castle into a lavish palace to entertain the queen, including creating the impressive Leicester's Building and a magnificent Elizabethan garden. Elizabeth famously visited Kenilworth for a remarkable 19 days in 1575.

During the English Civil War, Kenilworth was initially held by the Royalists, then later occupied by Parliamentarian forces.
1649: Parliament ordered the castle to be "slighted" (destroyed to prevent its use as a military stronghold). This involved the demolition of one wall of the Great Tower and damage to the outer curtain wall.

Post-Civil War: The castle fell into disrepair, was used as a farm, and its materials were stripped for building elsewhere.

Now owned by English Heritage and worth a visit if in the area.

[Beancounter]

It’s definitely got an otherworldly feel about it, remember visiting a supplier on an industrial estate nearby about 20 yrs ago and having to look the place up online it made such an impression on me.

East Tilbury in general felt otherworldly. Not as rough as its neighbours Tilbury and Chadwell but somehow forgotten about. Some years after I'd moved away from Grays/Thurrock I went to visit a friend who was studying in Brno, think this would have been 2003/2004. Brno, despite being much larger, felt a lot like East Tilbury.

I did my school work experience in the Tarmac Linford concrete plant a half mile north of East Tilbury, though back then it was owned by Durox Building Products.

[Taipan]

It’s definitely got an otherworldly feel about it, remember visiting a supplier on an industrial estate nearby about 20 yrs ago and having to look the place up online it made such an impression on me.

East Tilbury in general felt otherworldly. Not as rough as its neighbours Tilbury and Chadwell but somehow forgotten about. Some years after I'd moved away from Grays/Thurrock I went to visit a friend who was studying in Brno, think this would have been 2003/2004. Brno, despite being much larger, felt a lot like East Tilbury.

I did my school work experience in the Tarmac Linford concrete plant a half mile north of East Tilbury, though back then it was owned by Durox Building Products.

Built my extension with blocks from there, albeit picked up from a local building supplies. My mate worked for Durox and got me a massive discount!

[ChrisW]

Time for a re-boot, a new challenge?

[Count Steer]

It was @ajlog that was supposed to set one wasn't it? After his Kenilworth Castle visit. V interesting write up but no new challenge or repeat of the 'somewhere interesting' one. (Not logged in since the 14th so....

...I'd suggest, if he doesn't pop in, someone proposes a challenge and just go for it.

[Sunny]

Something that annoys you?

[Jody]

I'm lost

What's the current challenge please ?

[Count Steer]

Something that annoys you?

Sounds good to me, but you might want to exclude partners.