I had a meeting in Halifax on 23 November 2015 and on my way back to the car took the above photograph of Halifax Town Hall's clock tower
 
A Town Hall was first proposed here in 1847 and again in 1856 as the council had no central offices.
 
Building work commenced in 1861 and was completed in 1863 by Whiteley Brothers Builders at a cost of £50,126.
 
The Architect was originally Charles Barry but he passed away in 1860 and his son Edward Barry completed the design which was erected on a 148 x 90ft plot.
 
The building was opened during a two day visit by HRH the Prince of Wales who later became King Edward VII on 3 and 4 August 1863. Over 300 trains brought approximately 70,000 people to the town with thousands getting to the event by foot and by other means. The 18 year old Princess of Wales was due to attend and I have read she was to be the star attraction but unfortunately she was absent due to illness. When Edward arrived by royal train he was greeted by a two gun salute and a guard of honour of 300 soldiers.
 
The tower is 180ft high and built from local Ringby Sandstone from Swales Moor.
 
The clocks were originally wound by hand but were updated and eventually electrified in 1963. The bells have not rung at night since 1918 when Dame Nellie Melba who was one of the most famous sopranos of the late Victorian / early 20th Century era complained they disturbed her whilst she was staying at the nearby Halifax Princess Hotel.

Liquified gas carrier Kazak photographed at Fawley on the 11 April 2015.

GT = 7891, NT = 2977 & DWT = 8642

Built in Japan in 2014 she is 119.95m long with a 20m beam and 7.35m draught.

She has two tanks with a total capacity of 11020.67 m³

Main engine is a MAN B&W 6 Cyl (5970 kW, 8111 HP) marine diesel engine giving a service speed of 15 Knots.

MMSI - 565516000
REG - SG Singapore
IMO - 97395499
Call Sign - 9V2928
LPG Tanker
Built - Asakawa, Imabari, JP
Yard No. 598
L 119.95m x W 20m
GT - 7891
Year - 2014
Fawley, 11 April 2015

Bembridge fort photographed on 25 October 2015.
 
This was one of a number of fortifications constructed as part of an 1860's Royal Commission into the defences of the Isle of Wight and Portsmouth.
 
It occupies a prominent position on Bembridge Down and was designed to service coastal batteries along the coast and to serve as a last stand should the Island by invaded.
 
The fort is roughly hexangonal in shape and surrounded by a very wide and deep ditch, accommodation was provided for 4 officers and 106 men.
 
Work commenced in May 1862 and the project was completed in July 1867 at a cost of £48,925.
 
The fort was to be armed with 20 guns but this changed and the initial armament consisted of six 7 inch guns. These were replaced in 1893 by six 64pdr's and two 4 inch guns. In 1900 the 64pdr's were removed and in 1905 two 5 inch howitzers, three 9pdr's and 8 machine guns were installed, in 1907 the number of machine guns had reduced to 4 and the six 15pdr replaced the 9pdrs. By 1901 the fort was equipped with just two machine guns.

From 1880 to 1900 the fort was used as an experimental test facility for anti-submarine and anti-torpedo devices with cables running down to the sea to try and detect passing metal objects. During Word War 2 the fort acted as a coordination point for nearby coastal defence batteries.

The site was decommissioned in 1948.

Neste was established in 1948 as the state petrol company of Finland to ensure the availability of refined fuels to the country.

They are headquartered in Espoo, Finland.

Photographed at Fawley, 11 April 2015.

Vessel was also named Neste (IMO 9255294, GT 15,980, 2005)

We visited Culver battery on 25 October 2015 whilst on holiday on the Isle of Wight.
 
Culver battery is a former coastal artillery battery sitting on cliffs some 300ft above sea level on the East side of the Isle of Wight and is one of several fortifications built on the island.

View of the southern most gun emplacement with shipping waiting to gain entry to Fawley and Southampton visible off the coast. 

View of the Northern emplacement.

Marker stones I noticed whilst walking near the battery, I am unsure of their purpose.

A battery was first proposed here in 1887 to stop enemy ships firing unopposed at nearby existing batteries and shipping. The plan was to arm the fortifications with three 6 inch breach loaders together with two quickfiring 6-pounder guns in support. The guns were to be fitted on hydraulically operated mounts that could lift the guns into position for firing but drop them out of sight below the line of the fortification when required. 

For a number of reasons work on the construction of the fortification did not commence until May 1904 and was completed in July 1906. The fortification was constructed with two main gun emplacements built from brick and concrete each housing a 9.2 inch Mark X gun. A quickfiring 6-pounder gun was also installed for use as an anti-aircraft weapon.

During the First World War the battery had an important role in protecting  enemy ships entering the Solent.

Between 1922 and 1924 the barbettes were replaced with new mountings that enabled the guns to be elevated up to 30 degrees, increasing the effective range to over 5,500m.

During the Second World War the fortification was manned by 118th Battery from the 527th Coast Regiment. The two main guns had by 1939 been improved upon again and now had an effective range of approximately 16,000m.

The battery was decommissioned in 1956 and the buildings demolished.

CMA CGM Carmen photographed from the end of the Esplanade in East Cowes on 5 April 2015.
 
She is powered by a B&W 12K98MC (69,620kW) engine giving a top speed of 25.4 knots.
 
Built by Hyundai in Samho, South Korea as yard number s264 she is 334m long with a 43m beam and 14.5m maximum draught.
 
Maximum TEU is 8204.
 
MMSI -  636090965
REG - LR, Monrovia
IMO -  9318046
Call Sign - A8IE8
Container Ship
Built - Hyundai, Samho, KR
Yard No. - s264
L 334m  W 43m
GT 91649
Year - 2006
East Cowes, 5 April 2015

Bradshaw Brook photographed on a cold, damp, Sunday afternoon in November.
 
The Brook starts on the moors above Bolton and feeds a number of reservoirs before eventually flowing into the River Tonge just East of Bolton.

We did a three mile walk around one of the reservoirs and I took this picture as we crossed the brook for the second time on our way back to the car. 
 
Picture taken 23 November 2015.

Wind farm service vessel Penrhos Bay photographed in East Cowes on 4 April 2015.
 
She was built in 2010 by South Boats IOW and is 20.4m long with a 40 t displacement.

Powered by twin MTU 10V 2000 M72 (1797kW) marine diesel engines she has a top speed of 24 knots.
 
The vessel is managed by the Holyhead Towing Company.

South Boats IOW are based at Medina Yard in Cowes which is almost on the opposite side of the river from where I saw Penrhos Bay. They undertake shipbuilding and repair together with the design and construction of offshore crew transfer catamarans and other vessels.

MMSI - 235079909
REG - UK
IMO - 0
Call Sign -
Wind farm service vessel
Built - South Boats IOW
L 20.4
GT - 40
Year - 2010
East Cowes, 4 April 2015