MS Disney Magic Cruise Ship, Port of Dover, Kent, England UK

This video of the MS Disney Magic in Dover was taken on the 2nd of June 2020 and added to this blog post on the 4th:

Original post:

A zoomed snapshot of 900 yards showing Disney Cruise Line's MV Disney Magic passenger cruise ship soon after her arrival in the Port of Dover, Kent, England on Tuesday, 19th of May, 2020:

View from A20 Limekiln Street across Crosswall Quay to the MV Disney Magic.

The ship wasn't carrying any passengers because of the Coronavirus pandemic on cruise ships and the travel restrictions that were subsequently imposed.

However, the MS Disney Magic entered Dover harbour with crew members from the MS Disney Fantasy and the MS Disney Dream on board who are presumably awaiting repatriation.

Before proceeding to the live-update map of the MS Disney Magic's current position, and photographs of her during a pre-Covid-19 visit to Dover, note the green copper cupola projecting above the ship's stern:

Customs Watch House, South Pier.

This is the top of the Old Customs Watch House that was designed by architect Arthur Beresford Pite and built between 1909 and 1911.

Customs and Excise officers from here went to the nearby Lord Warden Hotel (blog post) to interview Louis Bleriot (blog post) after the first flight across the English Channel in 1909.

The MS Disney Magic's current location is shown on this A.I.S ("Automatic Identification System") map:





The day after the first photo was taken, the MS Disney Magic moved to the cargo area of the Dover Western Docks Revival, thereby enabling this photo of Goofy on the ship's stern to be taken on the 21st of May:

And this is how Walt Disney's Goofy looked on the 6th of July, 2010, viewed from the Admiralty Pier with the White Cliffs of Dover (blog video) in the background:

:
'S funny how Goofy never seems to age... (😀)


Photos from the cruise ship's earlier visits to the Port of Dover:


The MS Disney Magic manoeuvering in the Western Entrance of Dover harbour on the 12th of June, 2010:

The MS Disney Magic, berthed against the Admiralty Pier of the Western Docks, and the Waasland Sea Barge, in port to remove the SS Spanish Prince WW1 block ship, on the 24th of June, 2010:

From the MS Disney Magic's homepage:

Created with your entire family in mind, the Disney Magic combines classic nostalgia and modern amenities with Disney’s signature service.

Step aboard for spacious staterooms that ensure everyone’s comfort.

Get lost in original Broadway-quality entertainment. Indulge in first-rate dining.

From bow to stern, set sail for unforgettable storytelling that only Disney could bring to life.

Ship's data (as of 2010):

Name: Disney Magic

Owner: Disney Cruise Line

Operator: Disney Cruise Line

Port of registry: Nassau, Bahamas

Builder: Fincantieri Marghera shipyard, Italy

Maiden voyage: July 30, 1998

In service: 1998

Status: In active service, as of 2010

Type: Cruise ship

Tonnage: 83,000 gross register tons (GRT)

Length: 964 ft (294 m)

Beam: 106 ft (32 m)

Draft: 25.3 ft (7.7 m)

Decks: 11

Speed: Cruising 21.5-knot (39.8 km/h), maximum 24 kn (44 km/h)

Capacity: 2,400 passengers

Crew: 945

Call Sign: C6PT7

IMO: 9126807

MMSI: 308516000

Covid-19 exercising: cycling route map and biometrics are on this Polar Flow web page.

Abridged versions of this post are also on Facebook and Twitter.

2/2 First Covid-19 Lockdown Cycle Ride, Dover Seafront, UK

A permitted Coronavirus cycle ride along the promenade from the Eastern Docks to the New Marina Pier, Port of Dover, Kent, England, UK.

After the video there are close-ups of numbers 11 to 20 of the mainly historical local landmarks that are mentioned in the commentary.

The previous post, 1/2 First Covid-19 Lockdown Cycle Ride, contains close-ups of landmarks 1 to 10 (nb "First" in both titles indicates that I'll be making another video of the same route):

The video was filmed on Sunday, 10th of May 2020, using a head-mounted GoPro Hero 8 Black action camera and its built-in microphones.

Time Lapse Video Start

Two days later I made a three-minute GoPro "Time Warp" (time lapse) video with commentary.

It contains a sequence that also shows the promenade from the Eastern Docks to the New Marina Pier.

Local landmarks, numbers 11 to 20:

Click on a thumbnail for a larger view, or any text link to go to the related blog post.

White Cliffs Hotel at Sunrise

Former White Cliffs Hotel, Waterloo Crescent

Where Prime Minister Churchill and President Eisenhower had dinner during the Second World War.

Now the Best Western Dover Marina Hotel and Spa.

Fairbairn Crane pre-restoration (2011)

Fairbairn Crane

Swan-neck tubular crane of 1868 on Esplanade Quay, ex-Ordnance Quay of Wellington Dock.

There's a working steam-powered version in Briatol

A Grade II Listed Building.

Grand Shaft, Pentax K100D  (2011)

The Grand Shaft

Triple spiral staircase built during the Napoleonic Wars.

Linked the Grand Shaft Barracks on top of the Western Heights cliffs to Snargate Street below.

View of the Keep from King's Gate

The Keep, or Great Tower of Dover Castle

Built in AD 1180's by Maurice the Engineer for King Henry II

Contains reconstructed medieval royal palace.

English Heritage Listed Building and Ancient Monument.

St Mary-sub-Castro and Pharos

Saxon St Mary-in-Castro Church and Roman Pharos

Church is 10th century AD, restored by the Victorians.

Lighthouse built AD 46, reign of Emperor Claudius.

Both lie in grounds of Norman 12th century Dover Castle.

HM Coastguard Station, Dover

HM Coast Guard Station Dover

Located at Langdon Battery, Swingate, on the White Cliffs of Dover overlooking the English Channel.

A2 Jubilee Way, Eastern Docks

A2 Jubilee Way Flyover

From Broadlees Bottom, low point in the White Cliffs of Dover, to the Eastern Docks.

Also World War Two Swingate radar masts and former Coast Guard Cottages.

In front of Eastern Arm pier (2012)

Cross-Channel Ferries

P&O Ferries' MV Spirit of France is on the left and MV Pride of Canterbury is on the right.

DFDS Ferries also operates from the Eastern Docks.

MV Maasdam, Holland America Line

Western Entrance of Dover Harbour

Southern Breakwater on the left, Admiralty Pier on the right.

Lighthouses undergoing restoration in 2010.

POW Pier Lighthouse in 2010.

Prince of Wales Pier Lighthouse 

Built 1902. 46 feet high stone tower.

Very quick flashing green light VQ, 100+ flashes per minute.

Cycling route map and biometrics are on this Polar Flow web page.

Abridged versions of this post are also on Facebook and Twitter.

1/2 First Covid-19 Lockdown Cycle Ride, Dover Seafront, UK

A permitted Coronavirus cycle ride along the promenade from the Eastern Docks to the New Marina Pier, Port of Dover, Kent, England, UK.

After the video there are close-ups of numbers 1 to 10 of the mainly historical local landmarks that are mentioned in the commentary.

A second post, 2/2 First Covid-19 Lockdown Cycle Ride, contains close-ups of landmarks 11 to 20 (nb "First" in both titles indicates that I'll be making another video of the same route):

The video was filmed on Sunday, 10th of May 2020, using a head-mounted GoPro Hero 8 Black action camera and its built-in microphones.

Time Lapse Video Start

Two days later I made a three-minute GoPro "Time Warp" (time lapse) video with commentary.

It contains a sequence that also shows the promenade from the Eastern Docks to the New Marina Pier.

Local landmarks, numbers 1 to 10:

Click on a thumbnail for a larger view, or any text link to go to the related blog post.

Charles Lightoller in Dover

8 East Cliff, Marine Parade

Former home of Charles Lightoller, survivor of the 1912 RMS Titanic iceberg disaster.

Moved here in 1916 during World War One after joining the Dover Patrol.

1 East Cliff (Marine Parade), Dover

1 East Cliff, Marine Parade

Former home of General Sir Henry Le Geyt Bruce, Knight Commander of the Bath, 1824-1899.

Transferred from Bengal Artillery to Royal Artillery after 1857 Indian Mutiny.

Seaplane Station

First World War RAF or RFC squadron location.

Moat's Bulwark, A20 Townwall Street

Mote's Bulwark, White Cliffs below Dover Castle 

One of King Henry VIII's 'little forts' of which there were three in Dover.

The other two being the Black Bulwark and Archcliffe Fort.

Dover Castle and Gateway Flats

The Gateway Flats

Built as a result of damage sustained during the Second World War.

The Gateway, with 221 flats that all have views of the English Channel, was completed in October 1959 at a cost of one million pounds.

Lord Warden House, DWDR

Lord Warden Hotel (now Lord Warden House)

Where Louis Blériot (link to blog post) had breakfast after the first flight across the English Channel in 1909.

Ex-HMS Wasp in World War II. Now used by freight agents.

Matthew Webb, Dover Seafront

Captain Matthew Webb

Bust (or statue) symbolically rests on fishes and seashell above  plinth,

First recorded person to swim the English Channel in 1875. Died Niagara Falls 1883 (USA and Canada border).

Charles Rolls facing Strait of Dover

Statue of Charles Rolls, Dover Seafront

In 1910, he became the first man to fly non-stop across the English Channel and back again.

Co-founder of the Royal Aero Club and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.

Every One Remembered Statue

WW1 Every One Remembered Statue

First World War Centenary Commemorative Sculpture by Mark Humphrey.

Located in Granville Gardens, symbolically facing the English Channel, France, and the Western Front beyond.

Dover Seafront Promenade

Sustrans Portrait Bench, Marine Parade

Silhouette sculpture of Jamie Clark, 2012 Olympic Games Torch holder; Dame Vera Lynn (WW2 song, There'll be Bluebirds over the White Cliffs of Dover; Ian Fleming, author of 007 James Bond novels.

Cycling route map and biometrics are on this Polar Flow web page.

Abridged versions of this post are also on Facebook and Twitter.

Unusual Design of Sergeant-Major's House, Dover Castle, Kent

English Heritage have converted two buildings in the grounds of Dover Castle into "Holiday Cottages" that are available for rent by the general public.

The buildings are described on this blog at The Sergeant-Major's House and Peverell's Tower.

This supplementary post is about unusual architectual features of the Sergeant-Major's House.that was built towards the end of the seventeenth, or in the early part of the eighteenth century.

Click on any photo to see a larger view. .

The left-hand photo shows the south-facing "front" of the building (with Peverell's Tower behind), and the right-hand photo shows the north-facing rear

In most respects the Regimental the Sergeant-Major's House is classically Georgian in architectural style but the first thought that struck me was:

"Why are the doors at the ends of the building, rather than in the middle?"

Well, I can think of two non-mutually exclusive reasons:

1) The exposed position of the Sergeant'-Major's House on top of the Eastern Heights.

2) The building consists of two houses in one - but as described below, not necessarily identical "houses".

In support of the first suggestion, notice how the dormer windows in the hip-roof are facing north where they have nothing in particular to see.

House is at bottom, right of center.

If, on the other hand the dormers faced south, then there would be stunning, not to mention interesting views across the southern part of the town, part of the Port of Dover, and the English Channel beyond.

And, of course, north-facing dormers miss out on all the sunshine!

This would be an important consideration in Georgian times as indicated by the fact that the basement windows containing the kitchens are facing south.

Gatton's Tower.and Knight's Road.

Kitchens don't just need light to get in, they need opening in order for hot air to get out.

In addition to privacy, the privet hedge around the south garden shown in this 2009 view from Gatton's Tower would be an effective wind break for the lower floors of the house.

The round tower with the conical roof on the left is part of Peverell's Gate.

North side of Sgt-Major's House

I've repeated the photo of the north-facing side of the house because I think the sloping treetops to the left of the dormers provide a first clue that the exposed position of the Sergeant-Major's was indeed a factor in its design.

Peverell's Tower Drawbridge.

Looking south along Knight's Road from the drawbridge of Peverell's Tower and you can see how the growth of the treetops has been affected by the prevailing winds.

The copper-coloured privet hedge surrounding the south garden of the Sergeant-Major's house is visible above the left-hand fence of the drawbridge.

The fact that the entrances to the building are at either end because it once contained two houses doesn't detract from the suggestion that its design was, at least in part, determined by its location.

If the "houses" were identical then each would consists of four rooms, one above the other, and with separate staircases - a most unusual design!

I suspect something else is far more likely, and to illustrate why I think so, take a look at these former Married Quarters in Windsmoor Road, RAF Binbrook, Lincolnshire:

Google Earth Street View: Windsmoor Road, RAF Binbrook, Lincolnshire

At first glance you might think that this is a semi-detached double-fronted (ie rooms either side of the front door) house, but this isn't the case:

The front door of 23 Windsmoor Road in the center of the photo is the entrance only to the rooms immediately to the door's left.

The entrance to 21 Windsmoor Road is on the gable end of the building and largely obscured by the conifers to the left of the lean-to.

Okay then, you might think, so these are pretty standard "two up, two down" terraced houses.

Some of the time they were - but some of the time they weren't...

The two smaller bedrooms at the rear of 21 and 23 Windsmoor Road shared a party wall that had a door in it.

Locking and unlocking the appropriate doors could convert number 23 into a three bed-roomed house and number 21 into a one bed-roomed house - and vice versa, of course!

(While serving in the British Army's Royal Corps of Signals I worked at NATO FSS Stenigot but lived at 21 Windsmoor Road from 1975 until 1978).

If the Sergeant-Major's House once contained two separate "houses" then I suspect that they weren't identical (four rooms on top of one another reminds me of lighthouses rather than houses!)

Regimental Sergeant-Majors, or Garrison Battery Sergeant-Majors, are important personages who bridge the gap between Garrison Commanders and their Other Ranks.

Constable's Gate, Queen Mary Tower

In addition to an office at Garrison Headquarters (perhaps at Constable's Gate), I can imagine the Regimental Sergeant-Major also having an office at his home for a clerk, perhaps a batman, and for dealing with those Other Ranks who would otherwise make the Garrison Headquarters look untidy! ( 😁 )

My overall impression of the Sergeant-Major's House is that it should be viewed as a military Georgian house, not a civilian one.

The photos of the Keep and Constable's Gate were taken during permitted Coronavirus bike rides.

Covid-19 lockdown: links to cycling route maps and associated biometrics are on their respective blog pages.

Abridged versions of this post are also on Facebook and Twitter.

Sergeant-Major's House Holiday Cottage, Dover Castle, UK

Dover Castle is a Grade I Listed Building owned by English Heritage who have converted two of the castle's buildings, Peverell's Tower and the Sergeant-Major's House, into "Holiday Cottages".

Rare view of Peverell's Gate

An earlier post about the Peverell's Tower holiday cottage is linked to on the left.

Also see The Unusual Design of the Sergeant-Major's House.

Introduction 

A brief description of the main photograph and the position of the Sergeant-Major's House within it:

Photo taken during Covid-19 Lockdown cycle ride, 2nd of May, 2020.

The central Keep was built in the late twelfth century by Maurice the Engineer during the reign of King Henry II.

The Keep Yard in which this "Great Tower" stands is surrounded by the flat-topped Inner Curtain Wall (Inner Bailey) that contains fourteen towers.

Two of these towers form the Palace Gate that is flying the English Heritage flag at top-right.

The Western Outer Curtain Wall runs across the bottom with Peverell's Tower (alt. Peverell's Gate) at bottom left.

Gatton Tower is right of center with Say Tower on the right-hand edge of the photo, both are truncated d-type towers.

Behind and to the left of Gatton Tower is the Georgian Sergeant-Major's House.

Peverell's Tower is a composite structure of King John (reigned 1199 - 1216) and King Henry III (reigned 1216 - 1272). The round tower with its conical roof is circa 1300 AD.

Sergeant-Major's House Holiday Cottage

English Heritage's main information page is at The Sergeant Major's House, Dover Castle, Kent.

The derivative page, Availability and Prices contains the following message:

In line with the government advice on the Coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19), we’ve made the decision to close our holiday operations from Friday 20th March 2020 until Thursday 2nd July 2020.  

This is the tariff from the 2nd of July 2020 until the 15th of April 2021:

As I said in the Peverell's Gate post:

If you can afford these prices then please consider taking me along as an aging boot boy ("...the lowest-ranking male servant..") - I would do anything for such a photo opportunity 😀

Otherwise I can only look at the photos and dream...

Photo taken on the 8th of June, 2011.

The north face of the Georgian Sergeant-Major's house viewed from an earth embankment leading to Peverell's Gate.

Knight's Road and the top of the Western Outer Curtain Wall  are just below center on the right.

Originally the Garrison Battery Sergeant Major's House, it then became the home of the Custodian of the Castle.

Another view, this time showing the south face with Peverell's Tower behind and the truncated d-type Queen Mary's Tower hidden in the foliage at top-right:

Photo taken on the 27th of February, 2011.

Almost repeating myself again:

There are similar photos on the internet but none quite like this because it was taken from a normally inaccessible location below the ruins of an historic wall, not far from the Colton Gate.

Perhaps once a pathway, but now only a narrow strip of earth between the top of a steep slope and the outside of a high ancient wall, I was standing in a place that Saxon Geoguth (young warriors), and before them, Roman legionaries may once have patrolled.

The Sergeant Major's House has a separate Grade II listing to that of Dover Castle itself:

The following is © Crown Copyright. Reproduced under the terms of the Click-Use Licence (PSI licence number C2010002016):

Building Details:

Building Name: HOUSE ADJOINING PEVERELLS TOWER Parish: DOVER District: DOVER County: KENT Postcode:

Details:

LBS Number: 177824 Grade: II Date Listed: 07/03/1974 Date Delisted: NGR: TR3246241851

Listing Text

1. 1050 DOVER CASTLE House adjoining Peverells Tower TR 3241 1/94 II 2. Late C18 (C18 = 18th Century) to early C19. 3 storeys stock brick. Hipped renewed tiled roof. 2 sashes with glazing bars intact. Rear elevation has 2 hipped dormers.

Listing NGR: TR3246241851

Source: formerly at English Heritage, now at Historic England.

Grade II: buildings that are "nationally important and of special interest".

Interior photos of the holiday cottage can be seen in this English Heritage Facebook Album.

The main (first) photograph was taken on the 2nd of May, 2020 from the New Marina Pier of the Port of Dover during a permitted Coronavirus bike ride.

Covid-19 lockdown: a cycling route map and biometrics can be seen on this Polar Flow web page.

Abridged versions of this post are also on Facebook and Twitter.
 

Dover's Disappearing Banksy Brexit Mural, Kent, UK

In early May of 2017, the Banksy Brexit artwork appeared on the gable end of the former King's Arms Library building, originally of 1-2 Snargate Street but now, because of the A20 redevelopment,  probably a Bench Street address.

The Guardian: "The artwork emerged overnight on the Castle Amusements building."

A second post (linked to from here)  will explain why this location was a perfect choice for Banksy.

It will also give a brief history of the 1826 Georgian building (including a wood engraving of it by the noted George Wilmot Bonner) and why it is of more interest than its last use as an arcade would suggest.

In August of 2019, the anti-Brexit mural was covered with white paint in what many people saw as an act of vandalism:

This has thrown Banksy's future plans for his Dover artwork into complete disarray.

On the day that Brexit took place, Banksy had intended to cover up the existing European flag and replace it with a crumpled version lying on the ground.

Here is the computer-generated image of the planned revision that he posted on Instagram:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Banksy (@banksy) on Sep 12, 2019 at 7:00am PDT

There are many excellent photographs of Banksy's Brexit mural on the internet but this is how I experienced seeing it, backlit against an eastern sky whenever I went for an early morning cycle ride:

5.58 am, 18th of August, 2018

The "Banksy Brexit mural" depicts a workman with a mallet and chisel removing one of the twelve stars from a European flag that collectively represent "the ideals of unity, solidarity and harmony among the peoples of Europe."

The star, of course, represents the United Kingdom and its departure from the European Union.

A close-up of the workman shows that his actions are causing faint cracks to radiate from the offending star into the rest of the flag.

They symbolize the potentially permanent "cracks" that will remain within the European Union - and perhaps even widen - now that the UK has left:

This final photograph shows how the building and Banksy's Brexit mural look now that it has been painted over. It was taken during a permitted Covid-19 lockdown bike ride:

11.58 am, 28th of April, 2020

 Banksy's reaction to the defacement was to say:

 Oh.

I had planned that on the day of Brexit I was going to change the piece in Dover to this (ie the computer generated image shown above).

But seems they’ve painted over it.

Nevermind. I guess a big white flag says it just as well.

There is a possibility that the story of the Dover Brexit mural might not be over:

The BBC News article, Brexit Bansky: Whitewashed Dover mural 'could be saved', states that the Fine Art Restoration Company has said the harm done to the artwork was "certainly reversible".

From Banksy:

"Banksy is an anonymous England-based street artist, vandal, political activist, and film director, active since the 1990s.

His satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine dark humour with graffiti executed in a distinctive stenciling technique.

His works of political and social commentary have been featured on streets, walls, and bridges of cities throughout the world."

Coronavirus cycling: route map and biometrics are on this Polar Flow web page.

Abbreviated versions of this post are on Facebook and Twitter.
 

29 April 2020: Covid-19 fatality statistics for Dover, UK

Spending more time at home, along with cycling (my Coronavirus lockdown exercise) being a solitary activity, means that I occasionally find I'm living life in a bubble.

I record and watch BBC news broadcasts about the pandemic several times a day but I am oblivious of the increasing numbers of tragedies that are happening right here in my hometown of Dover, England:

The above table is a stark reminder of why social distancing is such an important weapon in the war against this invisible enemy, no matter how familiar the faces and the places that I see every day are.

It is taken from a news article by Kent Online that was published yesterday and updated today (29th of April).

The article begins:

Coronavirus Kent: Death figures across Kent rise significantly with more accurate reporting of non-hospital deaths

New figures reveal a substantial leap in the number of known Covid-19 deaths in Kent - as reporting accuracy increases to include non-hospital settings.

The latest statistics show there were 542 deaths attributed to the virus across the county up to April 17, a number 37% higher than the NHS figure for the same period, which counted only deaths which happened in hospitals.

And then goes on to say:

The ONS (Office for National Statistics) provides data based on all registered deaths where people had Covid-19 mentioned on their death certificate as a listed cause of death.

This information is published later than the NHS England figures for deaths in hospital because it takes longer for the ONS to certify doctors reports, produce death certificates and to publish its figures.

Speaking during the daily government press conference this evening, health secretary Matt Hancock announced that from tomorrow figures for the number of coronavirus deaths in care homes and in the community will also be published daily along with hospital deaths.

As an aside, I conduct private research into obscure areas of Evolution and Psychology and have an  interest in what could be termed a "psychological virus".

It comes into being when an individual hardens the surface fear of their psychological history, and in so doing, create a capacity for psychological violence, of which physical violence is only one component.

It is, in effect, an  unnatural "psychological weapon" that is used to damage and distress others, not least such an individual's own children (until, at the very minimum, permanent psychological control has been established).

Recently, I have noticed an increased incidence of carriers of this "virus" causing unnecessary and potentially violent confrontations in the shops that I visit.

On one occasion, a shop assistant remarked that there had been "a few such incidents in the last week or so".

Today, while shopping at the Dover branch of Morrisons, I heard a voice on the supermarket's "radio" state that abuse of staff would not be tolerated. I have never heard such an announcement before.

This is how the "breakdown of Society" could begin unless the problem is suitably addressed - remember, behaviour born of an inner darkness doesn't like the light of day and the last thing carriers of psychological viruses want is publicity.

Enough of my pet subject. To return to the natural pandemic:

From an earlier blog post (Interactive Map of Kent NHS Trust Coronavirus Deaths, UK):

This photo of Buckland Hospital, a Dover "Front Line", was taken on Sunday, 29th of March, 2020 during a permitted coronavirus lockdown bike ride and also appears on Facebook and Twitter:

The location this photo was taken from is marked "P" on the cycling route map for that day:

Original map and biometrics at this Polar Flow web page.

Abbreviated versions of this post are on Facebook and Twitter.