T Break thread 2023

[Peter Mallett]

That is very pretty.

[Peter Mallett]

Just been on a weekend tour of the Fosse Way from south of Faringdon to Woodhall Spa with the local Jaguar Enthusiasts "coven". On Saturday we stayed at the Ansty Hall Hotel near Ryton on Dunsmore, home of Routes Group, and of course Jaguar in Coventry. Our stay on Sunday evening was the Petwood Hotel which was the home of the Officer's mess for RAF 617 Squadron during WW2.

[Tel 911S]

Originally Posted by Peter Mallett

Just been on a weekend tour of the Fosse Way from south of Faringdon to Woodhall Spa with the local Jaguar Enthusiasts "coven". On Saturday we stayed at the Ansty Hall Hotel near Ryton on Dunsmore, home of Routes Group, and of course Jaguar in Coventry. Our stay on Sunday evening was the Petwood Hotel which was the home of the Officer's mess for RAF 617 Squadron during WW2.

You might check that one out Peter .
617 was at Scampton with the Officers Mess and Quarters on base .
Petwood is about 20 miles away the other side of Lincoln .

[Peter Mallett]

Originally Posted by Tel 911S

You might check that one out Peter .
617 was at Scampton with the Officers Mess and Quarters on base .
Petwood is about 20 miles away the other side of Lincoln .

Well this is the bar in question and there are all sorts of references to the squadron. It's been there for a long time. I do know that Scampton was the base and where it is too.

[Tel 911S]

Originally Posted by Peter Mallett

Well this is the bar in question and there are all sorts of references to the squadron. It's been there for a long time. I do know that Scampton was the base and where it is too.

It is possible that the hotel bought all of the fixtures and fittings from the old base building . So I suppose they could say it is a faithful replica to keep history alive .

[crmalcolm]

617 Sqn was formed at RAF Scampton in 1943. 617 Sqn moved to RAF Woodhall Spa in 1944.

[Tel 911S]

I think CRM might have got it right .
Apparently 617 moved to Woodhall Spa in the later part of the war .
And Petwood was requisitioned by the MD .
So it is possible that bar room was as used by 617 .

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by Tel 911S

I think CRM might have got it right .
Apparently 617 moved to Woodhall Spa in the later part of the war .
And Petwood was requisitioned by the MD .
So it is possible that bar room was as used by 617 .

619 and 627 Sqn also used the Petwood as their Mess at the same time as 617 (as well as every other Officer at RAF Woodhall Spa).

[Lancsbreaker]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

Well we are down in Spain for a while and back to using my Kodak Instamatic to film the entertainment down on the playa. I have known all these guys for a few years that pop up in different groups from time to time The two lead guitarists are Spanish the others are from Blighty. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5k8j6CbfbI

Ended down a bit of a rabbit hole there.......Elegant overdose are quite good too. Some good music at your local bars

[HRSTR5]

Originally Posted by Malcolm Smith

This year is the sixtieth anniversary of Hillman Imp production commencing. Whilst I appreciate the road going models, I was even more impressed with this fabulous Davrian version at the Doune Hill Climb last weekend, one of sixteen built:

With my father running the Rootes dealership EMA in Portsmouth, my Mum had several Imps, Dad built a wooden carry-cot that sat by the back window, and apparently I spent many hours in it!

I've always enjoyed seeing the Imps racing, Dad used to talk of cars run by Hartwells (another Rootes dealer - Bournemouth - I think?), and the Frazer Imps of course (hoping i've got that name right).

Anyway that Modsport Imp looks awesome! I love it...

[GORDON STREETER]

Originally Posted by HRSTR5

I've always enjoyed seeing the Imps racing, Dad used to talk of cars run by Hartwells (another Rootes dealer - Bournemouth - I think?), and the Frazer Imps of course (hoping i've got that name right).

I worked for Alan Fraser's Mountains Garage in the early to mid 60s and remember when the Imp first came out as we had one before it was released to the general public.
It actually didn't have a name at the time only a code number and there was talk of it going to be called an "Ajax" that as we all know was a scouring cleaner!
The first ones had an air operated throttle that was literally a tennis ball on the floor that operated a slave cylinder on the carburetor. This was soon replaced under warrantee with a long throttle cable modification.
The Imp was evaluated for circuit racing by the competition dept at Mountains garage to replace the older Rapiers and Alpines that were being outpaced by the lighter more powerful Ford Anglia's and Mini's and eventually was the car to beat in the saloon car races for several years.

[Lancsbreaker]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

I worked for Alan Fraser's Mountains Garage in the early to mid 60s and remember when the Imp first came out as we had one before it was released to the general public.
It actually didn't have a name at the time only a code number and there was talk of it going to be called an "Ajax" that as we all know was a scouring cleaner!
The first ones had an air operated throttle that was literally a tennis ball on the floor that operated a slave cylinder on the carburetor. This was soon replaced under warrantee with a long throttle cable modification.
The Imp was evaluated for circuit racing by the competition dept at Mountains garage to replace the older Rapiers and Alpines that were being outpaced by the lighter more powerful Ford Anglia's and Mini's and eventually was the car to beat in the saloon car races for several years.

Think you might be confusing it with "Apex" which was the factory code name for the project.......


As many of you know I'm heavily into Alfas, but I'm also an Imp man, the first car I bought for myself being a 64 Imp....and I've had several since - and have a Husky project now. Most of my early stage rallying was in the hot seat of a 998 Imp, which would thrash any 1000cc Mini, and most 1275s, too! Pics are of one of our Imps in mid-stage, our last one after a big off in Wythop, and my last road-going one that I sold a few years ago Just click on the image to see them right way round

[John Elwin]

There is something rather appealing about the Imp - my brother once had an Imp Californian that I quite enjoyed driving.

[Gerard C]

Originally Posted by John Elwin

There is something rather appealing about the Imp

Yes, appealing. Was advertised as a weapon of choice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkit-r1fp04

[Mike Harte]

I bought a brand new road going Imp in '66 and thrashed it about until I part-exchanged it for an Escort GT in '69. It was great fun to drive and I found it to be very forgiving, and enjoyed being told by friends about how often I managed to lift the unloaded front wheel on cornering.

[GORDON STREETER]

Originally Posted by Lancsbreaker

Think you might be confusing it with "Apex" which was the factory code name for the project.......

Quite right of course The Apex, but it was a long time ago and the old memory does fade when you get to my age At least I haven't called my wife by a previous girlfriends name like a mate of mine did!
Anyway I'm just going to jump in the pool with Sue ? as it's very hot down here at the moment so feel sorry for me

[GORDON STREETER]

I did notice that my car insurance had shot up this year, however electric vehicles are in a bit of a quandary !
It comes as all motorists face soaring insurance costs, with prices said to be at an all-time high. A recent cost of living bulletin from the Office for National Statistics revealed that the price of car insurance – which for many Britons is one of their biggest household bills – is up by 52.9% in the last 12 months.

However, this average masks bigger increases for electric car owners, according to Confused.com. Its figures, derived from quotes, show that insurance premiums for electric vehicles are 72% – or £402 – higher than this time last year, at a typical £959. Meanwhile, for petrol and diesel car drivers, the increase is 29%, or £192, taking the figure to £848.

[grantp]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

I did notice that my car insurance had shot up this year, however electric vehicles are in a bit of a quandary !
It comes as all motorists face soaring insurance costs, with prices said to be at an all-time high. A recent cost of living bulletin from the Office for National Statistics revealed that the price of car insurance – which for many Britons is one of their biggest household bills – is up by 52.9% in the last 12 months.

However, this average masks bigger increases for electric car owners, according to Confused.com. Its figures, derived from quotes, show that insurance premiums for electric vehicles are 72% – or £402 – higher than this time last year, at a typical £959. Meanwhile, for petrol and diesel car drivers, the increase is 29%, or £192, taking the figure to £848.

The insurance companies, never ones to knowingly miss an opportunity to hike their rates, must be getting more and more concerned about the risks of battery based fires - whether electric cars or e-bikes, e-scooters or some other rechargeable battery based products.

It's one thing losing a car but another entirely to burn down a house, a row of houses or a block of flats. Or, indeed, a car transporter or two at sea.

Cars, in particular, are becoming costly to buy and repair or even get parts to repair them, leaving the insurance people exposed to almost endless courtesy vehicle rental. In which case they will simply bite the bullet, scrap the car, pay off the finance and leave their customer out of pocket.

That approach also tends to put more stress on the supply chain and the cycle repeats.

The mainstream politicians would not normally care about that.

Moving the tax take from fossil fuels to road use will help government budgets and make the proles (like us) more dependent on public purse "payouts" or more relieved when threatened tax hikes are withdrawn.

It seems that fewer and fewer youngsters are seeking to discover the enjoyment of freedom to travel and independence, that, I suspect, most of us would have been motivated by back in the day.

There again, with the level of modern traffic and the state of the roads, it's not difficult to understand how they might not be excited at the prospect offered.

Quite honestly, I often have great difficulty raising any enthusiasm for trips that today that I would have leapt at using any excuse to justify them when I was younger.

My insurance renewal for the Saab is due. The quote added about £60 to last year's final amount. So about 25% increase. I'll try talking to them as usual, to see how much flexibility is available this year when push comes to shove.

[Mike Harte]

There appears to be so many variables when it comes to insurance for cars and homes. Whenever my renewals come around, I always hit the comparison sites to see what is on offer. For my car, I have often found that my current insurer - I've been with them for about 7 years now - have been competitive, but, annoyingly, sometimes comparison sites' quotes for them are cheaper requiring a call to them to match their own quotes.

However, this year, the renewal quote was up by about 25%, and I found a quote from another insurer that was actually about 25% less than I was already paying. After just a 15 minute call to the current insurer and they dropped the price and even shaved off a bit more than the other insurer.

It is really annoying and even though I do have the time to do this, being retired, it is really time-wasting and frustrating.

[GORDON STREETER]

I think I have put this on before, I had a look around at house insurance a couple of years ago and found that I could get a "like for like" policy for 1k yes 1k cheaper,and guess what! I ended up with my old insurance firm ! WTF

[grantp]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

I think I have put this on before, I had a look around at house insurance a couple of years ago and found that I could get a "like for like" policy for 1k yes 1k cheaper,and guess what! I ended up with my old insurance firm ! WTF

I appreciate that your house is likely to be worth a lot more than mine, Gordon, but if I saved £1k they would be paying me quite a lot of dosh.

That leads me to think that this so-called "levelling UP" malarky the politicians seem to mutter about is not a good idea at all, no sirree ...

[GORDON STREETER]

Originally Posted by grantp

I appreciate that your house is likely to be worth a lot more than mine, Gordon, but if I saved £1k they would be paying me quite a lot of dosh.

That leads me to think that this so-called "levelling UP" malarky the politicians seem to mutter about is not a good idea at all, no sirree ...

For what I paid for it and what it has been valued at now is out of all proportion. It is only valued high because of where it is situated in surrounding countryside and being a 500 year old oak beamed cottage. So it would cost a lot to rebuild in this day and age where there are very few specialist people that can do the work to a certain standard.

[grantp]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

For what I paid for it and what it has been valued at now is out of all proportion. It is only valued high because of where it is situated in surrounding countryside and being a 500 year old oak beamed cottage. So it would cost a lot to rebuild in this day and age where there are very few specialist people that can do the work to a certain standard.

That's what I figured.

However, your house has stood for around 500 years so far.

Mine was built in the late 1970's and the bricks of the time carried "guarantees" to last 60 years..

Unless the entire estate is rebuilt at some point in the not-so-distant future, which is probably as, compared to today's land usage, a new development could fit twice as many houses (if only they could find skilled workers to create them), the building will probably need complete rebuilds in the next 40 years - or at least at some point just after the owners have cashed in on peak prices before people realise just how poor late 20th century buildings are.

Still, until then I may be lucky enough to to see insurance costs remain relatively low, reflecting the true value in an overinflated market.

[GORDON STREETER]

Originally Posted by grantp

However, your house has stood for around 500 years so far.

Funny that you say that ! When I bought it the place hadn't been lived in for about 10 years and was literally standing in a field. It wanted everything doing to it (roof/floors/windows/doors/electrics/plumbing/mains sewerage) you name it and it wanted it!
We had to spend a small fortune to actually get it into a mortgageable state but most big mortgage firms didn't want to know saying that it didn't have any foundations being timber framed.
My wife happened to talk to somebody at work whose husband (or friend) worked for a mortgage company that specialized in old buildings, they came out and had a quick look and said well the place hasn't fell down in 500 years so we think it will last another 25 and immediately signed us up

[grantp]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

My wife happened to talk to somebody at work whose husband (or friend) worked for a mortgage company that specialized in old buildings, they came out and had a quick look and said well the place hasn't fell down in 500 years so we think it will last another 25 and immediately signed us up

Ah, the good old days of pragmatism and logic.

Long gone I fear.

My elder daughter and family have sold their house and are buying a place, built in 2017, by a friend who has a building company. It has been his family home and it includes all of the modern (up to 2017) "eco" options.

Their current mortgage supplier, who fully admits they can afford the new place, turned it down flat without saying why. Despite asking why, they were simply refused and the decision, despite several assessments that say the decision is extremely anomalous, will not be reversed.

So, they went off to the market to go through the process of finding a lender that will not come up with some obscure and hidden reason for refusal. All of which means discussions, "tests" and assessment of income and people doing surveys for valuation purposes - surveys that have to be hosted by the owner, wasting their time as well.

Last week a new surveyor arrived, spent 3 hours asking the current owner's wife to open cupboard doors and undertake similar tasks, and then wrote a report saying he could not complete the survey competently as the house has a lot of technology that he is unfamiliar with. So the potential lender had better find someone else to visit and provide the report.

I get the impression that the UK construction industry, overall, has a shortage of skilled people in all skill types that is probably delaying most of the possible developments and greatly compromising the market.

That becomes a circular problem when potential sales cannot be transacted efficiently.

None of that will be helping the "Housing crisis" that we are so often seeing reported as a problem in need of a desperate solution.