I just remembered I had more photographs of our trip to Norway to post.

It’s over a year now since we were there.

The red road train here was plying up and down the road while we were walking in Flåm, Norway. Photo taken beside Flåm Church, hence the gravestones:-

The good lady posted photos of Flåm Church – an example of a wooden stavkirke – on her blog here.

The odd sight of this locomotive poking out of a shed is just by the side of the road. It didn’t seem to part of the Flåmsbana Museum:-

After Flåm the ship departed to cruise Nærøyfjord but had to travel back down Aurlandsfjord first.

These photographs make it look a bit more misty than it felt at the time.

Heading towards Nærøyfjord from Flåm:-

More of Aurlandsfjord:-

Side of Aurlandsfjord, side bow of SS Black Watch in shot:-

Typical wooded slope of fjord:-

Blackpool War Memorial is a very tall obelisk situated near the sea fairly close to Blackpool Tower.

Blackpool War Memorial + Tower:-

Blackpool War Memorial. The names of the dead are displayed on the tops of two stone catafalques, one on either side of the memorial:-

Blackpool War Memorial west face. Figures and dedication, “In memory of our glorious dead 1914-1918 1939-1945”:-

South face. Frieze of figures and dedication, “Their name liveth forevermore”:-

East face. “In memory of our glorious dead 1914 – 1918 1939 – 1945” with below “Falkland Conflict 1982” and the name Foulkes F, M. N. (Merchant Navy):-

South face. Frieze of figures and inscription, “Lest we forget”:-

Blackpool War Memorial Ground Plaque, laid 2008. The main dedication is “to those who fought for freedom in all conflicts and those who remember them”:-

Another Blackpool landmark. A “historic entertainment venue with theatre, ballroom and conference facilities.”

Entrance facade:-

Entrance Doors:-

Left frontage:-

Right frontage:-

Architectural detail:-

Roof detail. Note the reverse saltires (blue crosses on white.) As a flag this symbol was the ensign of the Imperial Russian Navy and the present day naval flag of the Russian Federation.

You can’t go to BLackpool and not note the things for which it is most famous.

Piers.

Central Pier:-

North Pier:-

The Tower and trams:-

The friends we were visiting in Lancashire last year took us to Blackpool. We went on a tram trip (all the way to Fleetwood) and on the way passed these daleks, and a TARDIS; part of the Illuminations. Photo is a bit blurred due to being taken through the tram window:-

I liked this frieze above the windows of Rochdale Museum:-

Also these stained glass windows which seem to be on someone’s extension:-

Across the road from the Museum was a green park-like area with this iron pedestrian bridge:-

Nearby was this statue of John Bright:-

This spire-y thing is by the side of the road. I’ve no idea what it’s for:-

The town centre has this statue of sheep (rams):-

And spot the dedication on the bridge (which I ought to have placed in yesterday’s post):-

Like the Cenotaph in London (and the one in Manchester) Rochdale’s War Memorial was designed by Edwin Lutyens.

It lies opposite the Town Hall, but not facing it, with a memorial gardens behind.

Inscribed “1914-1919 and 1939-1945”. The carved wreath encloses the arms of Rochdale:-

The Stone of Remembrance faces the Town Hall and is inscribed, “Their name liveth for evermore.” The small bronze plaque reads, “To all those who died in the service of their country”:-

Strictly speaking the memorial is not a cenotaph (empty tomb) as it has a figure of a recumbent soldier wrapped in his greatcoat at its summit:-

Rochdale War Memorial Gardens which serve as Rochdale’s memorial to the Second World War:-

A Gallipoli Memorial lies between the Main War memorial and the Memorial Gardens:-

The Memorial Gardens, inscribed as a Memorial to the Rochdale members of the Lancashire Fusiliers :-

In front of and behind the Memorial – at right angles to the Town Hall – are two memorial benches:-

Lloyd’s Bank in full. Part of the building also appeared in my post entitled Art Deco in Rochdale (ii):-

This one has aspects of Deco styling. At the time I visited it seemed to house an information centre about Rochdale:-

From side:-

This one now houses a Vet’s:-

Wynsor’s:-

Poundworld as was. (It won’t be a Poundworld now.)

Watan Cash and Carry. (Photo taken hastily from passenger window of the car I was being driven in.)

A tin in the Co-operative Museum, showing the Co-operative’s Art Deco former Tea Warehouse in Salford, Manchester:-

I meant to photograph the Minton foor tiles in Rochdale Town Hall’s foyer but there were people making it difficult to get the whole pattern in, both when we entered and on the way out so I didn’t. They are beautifully set into large squares whose perimeters contain various royal mottos such as “Dieu et Mon Droit” (used by the UK monarch outwith Scotland) and “Nemo Me Impune Lacessit” the ancient one of the Scottish kings usually uttered in Scots as “Wha daur meddle wi’ me?” or as I translated into Glaswegian to our friends from Rochdale who’d taken us there, “Don’t mess wi’ me, pal.”

A small portion of the tiled floor can be seen in my photo of the staircase in my Rochdale Town Hall, Stained Glass post. Other images can be found here.

The ground floor vaulted ceiling is a bit Islamesque:-

One of the function rooms has a magnificent hammer beam ceiling:-

Along with decoration:-

And a similarly magnificent fireplace:-

Wood panelling on the walls:-

Wall decoration:-

I liked these internal doors:-

And the old signage:-

There’s even decoration in the corridor to the toilets:-

The Marks and Spencer in Rochdale is a typical 1930s building:-

Roofline:-

Window detail:-

Reverse view from first. Note Lloyd’s Bank to the left:-