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jonstump.bsky.social
jonstump
@jonstump.bsky.social
200 followers 340 following 930 posts
Cycling round Wiltshire and feeding the ducks (and playing records and building little aeroplanes).
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jonstump.bsky.social
"I'm helping"
A black cat investigating an illuminated Christmas tree, which has been up for all of two minutes.
December 1, 2025 at 7:05 PM
jonstump.bsky.social
Corporation Street has still got a bend in it. Much of what was terraced houses was the old bus station and is now brownfield/The Kimmerfields Regeneration Scheme. The factory with the big chimney is, I think, the electricity generation station for the trams.
Another close-up from 1920. There are more terraced houses with the railway works beyond (very much the theme, here). In the middle is what you'd get if you asked someone that draws road signs in the 1950s what a factory looks like, with a big chimney. A similar angle today. The terraces to the right of Corporation Street are still there. To the left is waste ground, although new office buildings are on the extreme leftm
November 30, 2025 at 9:14 PM
jonstump.bsky.social
More claypits! The chimney on the middle is on ground now occupied by Halfords and The Range. The industrial building on the right about halfway up is the Garrard turntable factory.
Just beyond that is the Wilts and Berks canal (now Fleming Way).
Another close-up of the 1920 image. The northern end of the clay pit with lakes visible, and some trees. Lots of terraced houses beyond, and the railway works beyond those. The view today. The council offices are in the foreground (on what was the patch of grass in the mid ground on the previous shot). Beyond that is Spring Gardens and further is Halfords/The Range.
November 30, 2025 at 9:06 PM
jonstump.bsky.social
Everyone knows Queens Park used to be a clay pit / brick works, but I don't think I've seen pictures before.
A closer view of post of the 1920 image. Hunt Street is clear, curving off to the left, with the clay pit (now Queens Park) beyond. Holy Road church is visible in the top left quarter. Roughly the same view today. The clay pit is now Queens Park (what looks like a small pond in the middle of a lawn is a large lake almost entirely covered in pondweed). Holy Rood is still there, although it's got an extension.
November 30, 2025 at 8:58 PM
jonstump.bsky.social
As best I can work out, it's taken from (above...) somewhere around the old Adver offices on Victoria Road.
The oblique 1920 view of Swindon from Old Town looking north towards the railway works on the distance. Either it's been snowing or the road surfaces were lighter back then, as people are visible walking along the pavements. What is now Longs Bar on Union Row is just visible right at the very bottom of the image. A similar view today, taken from Google Earth. Much of the road layout is similar, although the town centre in particular has changed. The town hall is still there, although the large (currently mostly vacant) Regent Circus development is in the way.
November 30, 2025 at 8:50 PM
jonstump.bsky.social
The adverts are fascinating, and everyone seems to be recruiting!
Thinking of going to Gloucester to be a Stressman...
GLOSTER AIRCRAFT CO. LTD. GLOUCESTER (Member of the Hawker Siddeley Group) OFFERS YOU AN OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD A REWARDING AND SUCCESSFUL CAREER WITH BRITAIN'S MOST PROGRESSIVE AIRCRAFT COMPANY Vacancies exist on super-priority work for DRAUGHTSMEN on PROJECT DEVELOPMENT and AIRCRAFT DESIGN (Experienced Structural, Electrical and Mechanical Draughtsmen also required. Aircraft experience not essential) AERODYNAMICISTS (Of some years' experience. Fluent mathematical ability essential) STRESSMEN (For both strength and flutter calculations) WEIGHT ENGINEERS (Senior and Junior. To assist in the control of weights during design and development. Previous experience essential) These appointments are of a progressive and permanent nature, with commencing salaries based on qualifications and experience Our large modern factory is situated in the Cotswold Hills, with excellent canteen, sports and welfare facilities, hostel accommodation available and assistance given with housing and with removal expenses Applications stating age, previous employers and experience, etc., should be addressed to the CHIEF DESIGNER
November 29, 2025 at 7:39 PM
jonstump.bsky.social
A Birth announcement in Flight?

This must be Annette Francine, Mary or Lou-Lou.

Turns out Monique was a commercial pilot (one of only seven women), chief pilot flying Dragon Rapides for Island Air Services.

www.ata-ferry-pilots.org/index.php/ta...
BIRTHS RENDALL. On May 12, 1956, at 84 Park Mansions, to Monique (née Agazarian) and Ray Rendall a daughter.
November 29, 2025 at 7:21 PM
jonstump.bsky.social
Anybody want to go and work for Vickers at South Marston (currently a massive speculative industrial estate, formerly Honda)?
The front cover of Flight And Aircraft Engineer (official organ of the Royal Aero Club), 25 May 1956. A dramatic painted image of a De Havilland Vampire with two pilots side by side in the cockpit firing missiles at a beach A stylistic advert for Martin Baker ejector seats A very stylish advert for Bristol, seeking draughtsmen and technicians Situations vacant, including a position at Vickers in South Marston
November 29, 2025 at 7:09 PM
jonstump.bsky.social
#NowPlaying Al Green, I Want To Hold Your Hand
A record playing on a turntable. There's no sleeve propped up behind today. A close up of the corner of the sleeve.
November 29, 2025 at 6:50 PM
jonstump.bsky.social
Had a bit of a tidy while listening to the football. What do we think was occupying the minds of Practical Motorists in June 1958?

Oh...
The colourful front cover of Practical Motorist & Motor Cyclist (The leading journal for do it yourself motorists), June 1958. A man in a light brown jacket has the rear offside wheel off a green Morris Minor Traveller. THE BUDGET BLUNDER Once again, the Chancellor of the Exchequer has seen fit to pass by the legitimate claim of the motor industry and its customers and users for a considerable reduction of the punitive taxation to which motorists and Whilst the Chancellor on one hand made mild makers have been subject for so many years. There is a 60 per cent. purchase tax, or 12s. in the pound, on every new car, and there is, moreover, a further tax of 2s. 6d. on every gallon of petrol. The petrol tax alone contributes £360,000,000 to the total national revenue and purchase tax on cars, £115,000,000, or about one quarter of the total purchase tax revenue. tax concessions on cosmetics, certain domestic equipment
November 29, 2025 at 6:40 PM
jonstump.bsky.social
Have some of that. Shame Walsall got a winner at Bromley, but second in the table's ok for now (and all you can do is win, right?).
Hope Holloway doesn't mind me enjoying things...
Chesterfield 1 - 2 Swindon
November 29, 2025 at 6:08 PM
jonstump.bsky.social
Tufted ducks down the lake lads
Several ducks swimming around. Some of them are black and white with little tufts on their heads, because they're tufted ducks
November 28, 2025 at 1:05 PM
jonstump.bsky.social
#NowPlaying As is tradition
#WithAParahraphOnTheBackOfEachOneExplainingWhatEachOneWas
Alice's Restaurant by Arlo Guthrie playing on a turntable, with the sleeve propped up behind.
November 27, 2025 at 8:54 PM
jonstump.bsky.social
I don't think I've seen stones used to weigh anything other then people for decades. Pounds maybe, if your style guide insists on bracketed imperial measurements, but not stones.

Cool story though.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
The device, described by Mr Kennard as "battered," measures roughly 120cm (50in) in length and weighs about 15kg (2.4 stone).
November 26, 2025 at 8:14 AM
jonstump.bsky.social
Post a move where you are from
Pierce Brosnan and Judi Dench outside a Turkish oil refinery
November 23, 2025 at 9:45 PM
jonstump.bsky.social
These parts were originally plastic, but they broke cutting them off the sprue (in hindsight they were always too delicate for the cutters, but you can't razor saw everything can you?).

Copper wire replacements are ok but will need trimming to length).
Two copper wire straps hold an air cylinder to a chassis sub frame, all in 1/35.
November 23, 2025 at 8:05 PM
jonstump.bsky.social
Right then...
It's the replica Rolex clock, it's twenty to one The real Rolex clock. It's nearly five to three. Scoreboard says: Swindon Town 0 Grimsby Town 0 (It's always nice when the team names line up like that)
November 22, 2025 at 2:57 PM
jonstump.bsky.social
Good news for those of us that spend Saturday afternoons shouting "Get some proper bloody shinpads" at every Div2 wannabe Jack Grealish

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...
The lower half of a league two footballer, whose shinpads are somehow legal and FA compliant.
November 21, 2025 at 1:13 PM
jonstump.bsky.social
This reminds me of the time I plotted everywhere in the UK called The Street.
A map of the UK with locations of places called The Street highlighted. There are a few in Somerset and Dorset/Hampshire, some on Kent and a load in Suffolk and Norfolk for some reason. There are barely any north west of The Wash.
November 16, 2025 at 9:37 PM
jonstump.bsky.social
Oh, nice. There's a build article in an old Airfix magazine I'm finding very helpful.
I'm aiming for something like this:
A black and white photo of two men in uniform standing on front of a Scammell Pioneer (with a few field-modifications, but we can about those later) somewhere in north Africa. My grandad is on the left. There is a dog on the bonnet.
November 16, 2025 at 9:29 PM
jonstump.bsky.social
You're probably right to be nervous, given what happened last time we were top...
Premier League, Football League and WSL suspended until April Scottish football suspended until further notice Premier League will ‘aim to reschedule’ fixtures British football shuts down amid pandemic – live The Premier League, the Football League and the Women’s Super League have suspended all matches until the weekend of 3-5 April in response to the coronavirus pandemic. An unprecedented development, it follows the revelation overnight that several Premier League clubs have members of staff, including players and coaches, who are displaying symptoms of the virus.
November 15, 2025 at 9:14 PM
jonstump.bsky.social
Cripes!
The League Two table. Swindon are top.
November 15, 2025 at 7:44 PM
jonstump.bsky.social
Getting the usual close supervision as I inch my way down the Scammell chassis.
#HistScaleModels
#ProofOfCat
A black cat, with her front paw over my forearm, looks up at me adoringly/hungrily, depending on your point of view The Scammell chassis, with a couple of more bits added since last time (not loads, but a couple).
November 15, 2025 at 6:11 PM
jonstump.bsky.social
Here's Scout, helping me with some route planning.
A black and white cat, sprawled out on an Ordnance Survey map The same cat on the same map, but she's sat up looking at the camera
November 13, 2025 at 9:49 PM
jonstump.bsky.social
#NowPlaying
Shaft - Music from the soundtrack Composed and Performed by Isaac Hayes
November 11, 2025 at 8:43 PM