Oh, my love for nature—and particularly for dogs! Dogs have filled my life with joy, companionship, and purpose. My journey with them began around 1979 or 1980, back when I lived at home with my parents. My only other experience with animals at the time was tending to a flock of chickens in a long coop running down one side of our 135-foot garden. At the garden’s far end was a vegetable patch that my parents lovingly cultivated in the early ’70s.

Today, I share my life with two wonderful dogs: Albert, a six-year-old half-English, half-French bulldog, and Oscar, my two-year-old French bulldog. They’re my pride and joy. Just before them, there was Humphry, my greatest love and a true companion. He was an English bulldog who sadly passed away recently at the grand age of 11 years and 11 months.

But my first experience with dogs goes back much further, to when my family moved from Leigh-on-Sea, via Bromley in Kent, to Sibsey in Lincolnshire. My father ran a garage business along the main A16 Boston to Spilsby road. It was there that my parents brought home our first Boxer, Bruce. The following year, they added Major, another Boxer, to our family. These two dogs were my childhood companions, and they taught me what it meant to truly love and care for animals.

When my family broke apart, Bruce had already passed, but Major came with me most of the time. I would visit my parents, who now lived separately, but Major remained a constant in my life—a steadfast reminder of family and loyalty.

Albert and Oscar bring different qualities to my life. Oscar is irresistibly cute, while Albert is wonderfully loving and exceptionally well-behaved. They both enjoy the freedom of a 60-foot garden with concrete paths, a playground they truly deserve.

For me, dogs are more than pets—they’re family. They share my home, my life, and my heart. If Albert or Oscar happens to claim my seat, I’ll simply find another spot and wait until they move of their own accord. We coexist, side by side, in a relationship built on mutual respect and affection.

With a dog by my side, I feel complete. With two, I feel doubly blessed.

 

Humphry 2010-2022

 

Albert and Oscar

 

 

 

The Soundtrack of My Life

 

It began in 1979, the year I held my first record in hand. Elvis Presley’s Separate Ways—a poignant collection of tracks that resonated deeply even at such a young age. I remember the weight of the vinyl, the sharp aroma of the sleeve, and the thrill of carefully lowering the needle onto the spinning disc. It wasn’t just music; it was a revelation.

That initial spark ignited a fire, and soon I was scouring shops for my next treasure. The Who came next, a compilation of their greatest hits—a sonic explosion that showcased rock in its raw, unfiltered glory. Then there was ELO’s Discovery, a symphonic marvel that combined orchestral ambition with a rock heart. Each album was a discovery in itself, adding layers to the evolving soundtrack of my life.

Collecting became more than a hobby—it became a way of marking time. Each record represented a chapter, a memory, a connection to something larger. As the years went by, my collection grew, spanning genres and eras. From rock and roll to soul, from the rebellious cries of punk to the soothing melodies of jazz, the records were more than just music. They were pieces of culture, history, and emotion pressed into vinyl.

Music, for me, has always been about connection—not just to the artists and their stories but to my own. Certain songs became anthems for moments of triumph or solace during hardship. Each record a portal, each melody a thread weaving through the tapestry of my experiences.

 

 

 

WELCOME TO MY HOME OF AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHY

 

 

I am an amateur photographer based in Leigh-on-Sea, still in my photographic learning curve, despite having been interested, and having dabbled with some developing, in photography for many years. This has been boosted considerably since completing several short academic courses in both photography and photographic digital manipulation.

My personal interest in photography began many years ago using a Zenit 11 35mm film camera with the benefit of several lenses from a 44mm prime through an 80-200mm zoom and a 400mm fixed which grew to a whole range of paraphernalia, including the setting up and experimentation with the dark room.

But I was young and impetuous, and despite my interest, just could not grasp the basic principles of 'exposure' and there was always a feeling of anti-climax following a shoot and having to wait varying amounts of time to see the results or without fully understanding things, producing inadequate results in the dark room.

My interest has, in recent years been re-inspired by the purchase of a Canon DSLR camera (which has been upgraded to a Canon 7D) and multiple lenses. Canon in my view delivers a second to none range of products that has certainly helped me to see everything clearly, that I had previously found unexposable, and pretty instantly too, in an easy to understand format. Although the basic photographic principles apply in any event, whichever type or brand format is comfortable for the user.

I have been working to make available my booklet of introduction in photography specifically aimed to assist newcomers to confidently step into manual mode and take full control of their photographic experiences, with auto as your fall back not your first choice or first point of call, or indeed even, your only choice.

Sadly, over time, I have discovered there is a further human element, with which I find I cannot comply. That, we lovers of photography soon discover is; the photographic eye. I don't believe it is something that can be learned. You either have it, or you don't. And I don't.

"One day, several years ago, a girl friend and I went for a photographic picnic. She was driving, with her new Canon DSLR on the back seat and the twinkle of excitement in her eye. Asking me all sorts of questions which I tried patiently and coherently to explain. I knew mostly what I was talking about, but she, like I in the beginning, just couldn't grasp the concept of 'exposure' and how to achieve a roughly correct one.

As we walked along the bank of the river I continued with my technical banter whilst setting up both our cameras after dialling in manual mode, where at this point I begun to notice it was all going over her head, bless her!

As we continued, she started to point to scenes or subjects she wanted to photograph. I dutifully tried to help with adjusting her camera for the shot as I started to notice how she was 'approaching' the shot and was staggered at the result. She had it! What, after all these years I had now discovered I didn't have, she did; the photographic eye"

It was quite a good feeling really as the missing link in my photographic life was suddenly exposed.

I didn't despair; I enjoy photography for the sake of photography and am more than happy with some of the products of my efforts, and as such, strongly urge those who find similar problems, not to give up. Photography can be a very soothing and enjoyable medium.

"But it's true, I do envy and admire those with the eye, especially those with the eye and their camera setting's dial turned to manual."

The result of this little experience got me thinking, photographers claim to want to bring more into the fold, but yet seem to keep the exposure secret tightly sealed away from learning eyes?

Over the following period I put together a booklet which I hope goes some way to ease the strain of understanding photographic exposure and how to obtain a largely correct one quite quickly, in manual mode.

 

PLAY IT AGAIN SAM!

NO!

 

 

1986-2003

 

 

 

 

 

MILL BARN FISHERY

 

1974 - Present

 

 

 

 

 

 

A scooter or motor scooter is a type of motorcycle with a step-through frame and a platform for the rider's feet. Elements of scooter design were present in some of the earliest motorcycles, and scooters have been made since at least 1914.
The global popularity of motor scooters dates from the post-World War II introductions of the Vespa and Lambretta models in Italy.
These scooters were intended to provide economical personal transportation.
The classic scooter design features a step-through frame and a flat floorboard for the rider's feet.
Scooter-like traits began to develop in motorcycle designs around the 1900s. In 1894, Hildebrand & Wolfmüller in Munich, Germany produced the first motorcycle that was available for purchase. Their motorcycle had a step-through frame, with its fuel tank mounted on the down tube, its parallel two-cylinder engine mounted low on the frame, and its cylinders mounted in line with the frame.
Italy - Vespa and Lambretta
In post-World War II Italy, the Piaggio Vespa became the standard for scooters, and has remained so for over 60 years. Patented in April 1946, it used aircraft design and materials. The gear shift lever was moved to the handlebars for easier riding. The engine was placed near the rear wheel, eliminating the belt drive. The typical fork support was replaced by an arm similar to an aircraft carriage for easier tire-changing. The body design protected the driver from wind and road dirt. The smaller wheels and shorter wheelbase provide improved manoeuvrability through narrow streets and congested traffic. The name originated when Piaggio's president, upon seeing the prototype, remarked "Sembra una vespa", "It looks like a wasp".
Months after the Vespa, in 1947, Innocenti introduced the Lambretta, beginning a rivalry with Vespa. The scooter was designed by Innocenti. The Lambretta was named after Lambrate, the Milanese neighbourhood where the factory stood. It debuted in 1947 at the Paris Motor Show. The Lambretta 'A' went on sale on December 23, 1947, and sold 9,000 units in one year. It was efficient, at a time when fuel was severely rationed. It had a top speed of 45 mph (72 km/h) from a fan-cooled engine of 123 cc (7.5 cu in). The first Lambretta designs had shaft drive and no rear suspension, later designs used various drive and suspension systems until Lambretta settled on a swing-arm-mounted engine with chain drive.
Germany
After World War II, Heinkel stayed in business by making bicycles and mopeds, while Messerschmitt made sewing machines and automobile parts. Messerschmitt took over the German licence to manufacture Vespa scooters from Hoffman in 1954. Heinkel designed and built its own scooters. The Heinkel Tourist was a large and relatively heavy touring scooter produced in the 1960s. It provided good weather protection with a full fairing, and the front wheel turned under a fixed nose extension. It had effective streamlining, perhaps thanks to its aircraft ancestry.
Several manufacturers in the German motorcycle industry made scooters.
United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, Douglas manufactured the Vespa under licence from 51' to 61' and assembled them from 61' to 65'. BSA and Triumph made several models of scooter including the BSA Dandy 70, the Triumph Tina, and the Triumph Tigress.
Eastern Bloc
In Eastern Bloc countries scooters also became popular in the second half of 1950s, but their production was a result of planned economy restructuring rather than market competition. The Soviet Union started in 1957, producing reverse engineered copies of 150 cc Vespa and 200 cc Glas Goggo as Vyatka and Tula T-200 respectively.
India
In India, Bajaj Auto manufactured its line of scooters from 1972 to 2009, which included the Chetak, Legend, Super and Priya. The Chetak and Legend were based on the Italian Vespa Sprint. It was discontinued in 2009.

Three-wheeled scooter
During World War II, Cushman made the Model 39, a three-wheeled utility scooter with a large storage bin between the front wheels. They sold 606 to the US military during the war.
The Piaggio MP3 is a modern tilting three-wheeled scooter. Unlike most motorcycle trikes, it is a reverse trike, with two front wheels which steer, and a single driven rear wheel. The front suspension allows both front wheels to tilt independently, so that all three wheels remain in contact with the ground as it leans when cornering.
Four-stroke engines and fuel-injection
With increasingly strict environmental laws, including United States emission standards and European emission standards, more scooters are using four-stroke engines again.
In 2001, Aprilia released the SR50 Ditech with direct injection. The SR50 has a listed fuel consumption of 2 litres per 100 kilometres (120 mpg‑US) and meets the Euro 3 standard with a two-stroke engine. Later on, more brands, including Derbi and Peugeot, started using direct injection systems for their scooters. Catalytic converters are now common in two-stroke and four-stroke engines sold in the E.U. and the U.S.
Electric scooter
Generally, the source of power for the electric motor has been batteries, but development in fuel cell technology has created several prototypes. Some examples are the ENV from Intelligent Energy, Honda's scooter using the Honda FC Stack, and the Yamaha FC-AQEL. Also, petroleum hybrid-electric motorcycles are available. Some examples are the Ecycle, and Yamaha's Gen-RYU. Electric motorcycles and scooters are rising in popularity because of higher gasoline prices. Battery technology is gradually improving making this form of transportation more practical.
Motor scooters are popular in most parts of the world, Europe (particularly Italy and the Mediterranean), Japan and Taiwan, but not the US. They are even more popular in most parts of the developing world, particularly in countries such as India, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and China where there is local manufacture. Parking, storage, and traffic issues in crowded cities, along with the easy driving position make them a popular form of urban transportation. In many nations, scooter sales exceed those of automobiles, and a motor scooter is often the family transport.
In popular culture
A common reference for the glamorous image of scooters is Roman Holiday, a 1953 romantic comedy in which Gregory Peck carries Audrey Hepburn around Rome on a Vespa.

In the 1960's a mod subculture developed, some members of this British youth cult used motorscooters for transportation, usually Vespas or Lambrettas. Scooters had provided inexpensive transportation for decades before the development of the mod subculture, but the mods stood out in the way that they treated the vehicle as a fashion accessory, expressed through clubs such as the Ace of Herts. Italian scooters were preferred for their clean-lined, curving shapes and gleaming chrome. For young mods, Italian scooters were the "embodiment of continental style and a way to escape the working-class row houses of their upbringing".

Later they customized their scooters by painting them in "two-tone and candyflake and overaccessorized them with luggage racks, crash bars, and scores of mirrors and fog lights", and they often put their names on the small windscreen. Engine side panels were taken to local electroplating workshops and plated with highly reflective chrome.

Scooters were also a practical and accessible form of transportation for 1960s teens.
In the early 1960s, public transport stopped relatively early in the night, and so having scooters allowed mods to stay out all night at dance clubs. To keep their expensive suits clean and keep warm while riding, mods often wore long army parkas. For teens with low-end jobs, scooters were cheaper than cars, and they could be bought on a payment plan through newly available hire purchase plans. After a law was passed requiring at least one mirror be attached to every motorcycle, mods were known to add four, ten, or as many as 30 mirrors to their scooters.
The cover of The Who's album Quadrophenia, which includes themes related to mods and rockers, depicts a young man on a Vespa GS with four mirrors attached. The album spawned a 1979 motion picture of the same name.
Scooterboys were a further subculture and magazines include the British monthly magazine Scootering and the American quarterly magazine Scoot!

 

 

 

Mod is a subculture that began in London and spread throughoMod is a subculture that began in London and spread throughout Great Britain and elsewhere, eventually influencing fashions and trends in other countries, and continues today on a smaller scale.
Focused on music and fashion, the subculture has its roots in a small group of stylish London-based young men in the late 1950's who were termed modernists because they listened to modern music including soul, rhythm and blues, ska and jazz.
Elements of the mod subculture include fashion, often tailor-made suits; and motor scooters usually Lambretta or Vespa.
The original mod scene was associated with amphetamine-fuelled all-night dancing at clubs.
During the early to mid 1960's, as mod grew and spread throughout the UK, certain elements of the mod scene became engaged in well-publicised clashes with members of rival subculture, rockers.
The mods and rockers conflicts led sociologist Stanley Cohen to use the term "moral panic" in his study about the two youth subcultures, which examined media coverage of the mod and rocker riots in the 1960's.
The mod's and the rockers were banned from Southend-on-Sea in 1979 for example following a riotus bank holiday weekend. Where the elderly and small children were scared and the police couldn't handle it.

 

 

A scooterboy (or scooter boy) is a member of one of several scooter-related subcultures of the 1960's and later decades, alongside rude boys, mods and skinheads. The term is sometimes used as a catch-all designation for any scootering enthusiast who does not fall into the latter three categories.
Michael Brake identifies the subculture differently, classifying it as a subgroup of the mods, alongside "art school mods", "mainstream mods", and "hard mods". Scooter boys, according to Brake, had "Italian motor scooters (a working-class sports car) covered in accessories and anoraks and wide jeans"
According to Colin Shattuck and Eric Peterson, a scooter boy is more specifically, "one who attends scooter rallies and accumulates event patches on a garment of some kind". The garment is conventionally a MA-1 bomber jacket(Scooter Jacket), but can be any of several other types of jacket, a mechanic's, a motorcyclist's, or even a parka.[1] According to Kayleen Hazlehurst, the scooterboy with anorak, accessory-covered scooter and industrial work boots was a late-1960s/early-1970s halfway house between the mods and the skinheads
Scooterboy Gaz Kishere suggests a less reductive view of this is that scooter boys emerged as a break away from a strongly 'new mod' conformity of the late 70's mod revival which saw a massive re-ignition of scooter riders and interest in traveling to scooter rallies.
Music biographer Mick Middles observes that the flight-jacketed scooter boy with Dr. Martens shoes was a slightly different image, favoured by scooter boys in the late 1970s scooter revival.

 

 

 

 

 

Lambretta (Italian pronunciation: lambretta) is the brand name of mainly motor scooters, initially manufactured in Milan, Italy, by Innocenti.
The name is derived from the word Lambrate, the suburb of Milan named after the river which flows through the area, and where the factory was located. Lambretta was the name of a mythical water-sprite associated with the river which runs adjacent to the former production site.
In 1972, the Indian government bought the machinery of the Milanese factory, creating Scooters India Limited (SIL) in order to produce the Lambro three-wheeler under the name Vikram for the domestic market. Lambretta scooters were also manufactured under licence by Fenwick in France, NSU in Germany, Serveta in Spain, API in India, Yulon in Taiwan, Pasco in Brazil, Auteco in Colombia and Siambretta in Argentina.
Innocenti S.A. (also known as Lambretta Consortium) based in Lugano, Switzerland is the owner of the international trademark Lambretta and has licensed the brand throughout the world.
In 1922, Ferdinando Innocenti of Pescia built a steel-tubing factory in Rome. In 1931, he took the business to Milan where he built a larger factory producing seamless steel tubing and employing about 6,000. The factory was heavily bombed and destroyed during World War II. It is said that, when surveying the ruins, Innocenti saw the future of cheap, private transport and decided to produce a motor scooter, competing on cost and weather protection against the ubiquitous motorcycle.
The main stimulus for the design style of the Lambretta and Vespa dates back to pre-World War II Cushman scooters made in Nebraska, United States.
These olive green scooters were in Italy in large numbers, ordered originally by the United States military as field transport for the paratroops and marines. The United States military had used them to get around German defence tactics of destroying roads and bridges in the Dolomites (Alps).
Ferdinando Innocenti designed a simple, robust and affordable vehicle. It was easy to drive for both men and women, and able to carry a passenger and not get its driver's clothes soiled.
It was built on a spar frame with a handlebar gear change and the engine mounted directly onto the rear wheel. The front protection "shield" kept the rider dry and clean in comparison to the open front end on motorcycles. The pass-through leg area design was geared towards women, as wearing dresses or skirts made riding conventional motorcycles a challenge. The front fork, like an aircraft's landing gear, allowed for easy wheel changing. The internal mesh transmission eliminated the standard motorcycle chain, a source of oil and dirt. This basic design allowed a series of features to be deployed on the frame which would later allow quick development of new models.
Arriving on the market the following year, the 1947 Lambretta featured a rear pillion seat for a passenger or optionally a storage compartment. The original front protection "shield" was a flat piece of aero metal; later this developed into a twin skin to allow additional storage behind the front shield, similar to the glove compartment in a car. The fuel cap was underneath the hinged seat, which saved the cost of an additional lock on the fuel cap or need for additional metal work on the smooth skin.
There are still clubs across the world, both national and local clubs, devoted to the Lambretta scooter. The clubs still participate and organize ride outs and rallies which regularly take place during weekends over the summer months and have high attendance, some rallies achieve 2,500 paying rally goers. Across the UK there are many privately owned scooter shops which deal with everything Lambretta, from sales, services, parts, tuning, performance and complete nut and bolt restorations.

 

 

Vespa is an Italian brand of scooter manufactured by Piaggio. The name means wasp in Italian. The Vespa has evolved from a single model motor scooter manufactured in 1946.
The main stimulus for the design style of the Lambretta and Vespa dates back to pre-World War II Cushman scooters made in Nebraska, United States.
D'Ascanio, a fonding member, disassociated himself from Innocenti and took his design to Enrico Piaggio who produced the spar-framed Vespa from 1946 on.

 

 

A motorized kick scooter is a powered stand-up scooter using a small utility internal combustion engine or, as more commonly in recent years, an electric motor. Classified as a form of micro-mobility, these scooters are generally designed with a large deck in the center on which the rider stands. Recently, electric kick scooters (e-Scooters) have grown in popularity with the introduction of scooter-sharing systems in cities across the planet. Stand up kick scooter were first introduced around 1915. Autoped introduced its stand-up scooter. Pulling back on the handlebar disengaged the clutch and applied the brake. Autoped continued production until 1921; Krupp of Germany built the Autoped under license from 1919 to 1922. From around 2013-2014 light electric folding scooters powered by lithium batteries and brushless hub motors become available. and very popular. Electric kick scooters have generally surpassed gas-engined scooters in popularity. They usually have two small wheels, with a foldable chassis, usually aluminum. Some kick scooters have three or four wheels, or are made of plastic, or are large, or do not fold. There are also high performance trickster scooters made for adults. Electric kick scooters differ from mobility scooters in that they also allow human propulsion, and have no gears. Range typically varies from 5 to 50 km, and maximum speed is around 30 km/h. Electric scooters can pose as an environmentally friendly alternative personal mode of transportation that has appeal in urban settings for short distances. However, they are not exempt from the vulnerabilities users may encounter in road traffic injuries similar to exposure of pedestrians and bicyclists who have also have shared the roads.

 

 

 

 

Although mobility devices have been used in some capacity for many centuries, Phillip II, a 6th century Spanish King was reported to have used a type of wheelchair.
The first crude mobility scooter was introduced in 1954 and was billed by Sears as an electric wheelchair, but it had more in common with mobility scooter with its large seat, extra large battery capacity and three-wheel design. It was not a commercial success.
It is commonly accepted that the first mobility scooter was invented in 1968.
In that year, a Michigan plumber by the name of Alan R. Thieme created an electrical device to aid a family member with Multiple Sclerosis. Thieme's creation, a front wheel drive scooter powered by a small electric motor was nicknamed "Amigo" and could travel about 3-4 miles per hour. Interestingly, Thieme did not call his invention a mobility scooter, and instead decided to call it a "Powered Operated Vehicle" or "POV" for short.
The Amigo proved to be a great success with the relative, so Thieme decided to begin mass producing his invention. Although sales were initially slow, within a few years, scooter sales began to skyrocket as more people became accustomed to driving them. Sensing a growing market trend, other companies throughout the United States began selling their own versions of the device around this time.
Today, Thieme's company remains in business under the Amigo name. Run as a family enterprise, it specialises in electric mobility devices and all its products are constructed in the USA.
Interestingly, Thieme also constructed a motorized shopping cart, which he hoped could be used to aid people with mobility impairments shop for groceries. Much like the Amigo, the electric shopping cart can still be purchased today.
A mobility scooter has a seat over three, four or more wheels, sometimes a flat area or foot plates for the feet, and handlebars or a delta-style steering arrangement in front to turn the steerable wheels. The seat may swivel to allow access when the front is blocked by the handlebars. Mobility scooters are usually battery powered. A battery or two is stored on board the scooter and is charged via an onboard or separate battery charger unit from standard electric power. Gasoline-powered scooters may also be available in some countries, though they are rapidly being replaced by electric models.
The tiller/steering colum, with forward/reverse directions and speed controls, is the steering column central at the front of the scooter. The tiller may contain other features also, for example, a speed limiter, lighting controls (for nighttime use) and turn signals. A battery use indicator is also often included. Forward/reverse direction can be controlled by thumb paddles, finger controls, or a switch. There are two types of mobility scooters: front-wheel drive (FD) or rear-wheel drive (RD). The front-wheel drive is usually a smaller device and is best used indoors. Rider weight capacity is a minimum of 170 pounds (77 kg) generally upwards to 980 pounds (440 kg) maximum. The rear-wheel drive is used both indoors and outdoors with rider weight capacity of 350 pounds (160 kg). A heavy duty rear-drive can carry up to 500 pounds (230 kg), varying by manufacturer.
Assistive and small sit-down electric mobility scooters provide important advantages to people with mobility problems throughout the world. A scooter is useful for persons without the stamina or arm/shoulder flexibility necessary to use a manual wheelchair. Also, swiveling the seat of an electric scooter is generally easier than moving the foot supports on most conventional wheelchairs. A mobility scooter is very helpful for persons with systemic or whole-body disabling conditions (coronary or lung issues, some forms of arthritis, obesity, etc.) who are still able to stand and walk a few steps, sit upright without torso support, and control the steering tiller/control colum.
In the UK, mobility scooters are widely available with government subsidy under the Motability scheme. For legal purposes they are classified by the Use of Invalid Carriages on Highways Regulations 1988 as either Class II or Class III Invalid Carriages. A Class II scooter must be limited to 4 mph (6.4 km/h) for use on a footway only, while a Class III scooter must be limited to 8 mph (13 km/h) for road/highway use and have an additional 4 mph limiter for footway use. As of March 2010 a government consultation is under way to determine how the law should adapt to increasing scooter use, whether higher road speeds should be allowed and on a replacement for the archaic term "invalid carriage". Due to concerns over safety issues and problems with bringing prosecutions against irresponsible users under existing laws, the consultation will also consider whether to make third party insurance mandatory, consider the introduction of compulsory training for users and discuss how to bring scooter users under wider road traffic legislation.
A class 2 invalid carriage does not require registration. Class 3 invalid carriages may not be driven by a person under 14 years; they need to be registered with the DVLA and are subject to vehicle excise duty (road tax), though the rate is zero.
Disability Essex told the Committee about four deaths resulting from mobility scooter accidents in one year in Essex alone, but there is little evidence to suggest that fatalities on this scale are replicated nationwide.
The fastest mobility scooter is 180.26 km/h (112 mph) and was achieved by GRIP – Das Motormagazin and driver Sven Ohler (both Germany) at the DEKRA Test Oval racetrack, in Klettwitz, Germany, on 25 May 2017.

 

 

 

 

Step by step guide.

 

Wooden Shakes; A Centuries Old Solution

Hand Crafted Shakes

 

Traditional handmade shakes (colloquially known as ‘Shingles’), made from locally sourced chestnut and oak.

 

 

Ever admire an old house covered with weathered shakes...those long shingles ole’ timers used to

Shakes

Shakes are one of nature’s most attractive roofing and cladding materials. Natural beauty, durability and eco friendliness are some of the many advantages of choosing this unique material for your property.

 

 

Natural

Shingles & Shakes can be made out of oak, chestnut, larch, western red cedar and eastern white cedar. In time the colour of the wood will turn to an attractive natural look and feel through the influences of the weather, and will blend in with the surrounding environment.

 

Durable

Through the natural preservatives in the wood this type of covering is extremely durable and very low maintenance.

 

Eco Friendly

Shingles and shakes are typically cut from salvage logs and dead trees left over from logging. What is potentially a waste product is transformed into a long lasting roof cover with a minimal carbon footprint.

 

Unique

Every shingle is unique, each one being made by cutting a ‘bolt’ from a trunk and splitting or sawing blocks of wood or "shake blocks" from the ‘bolt’. Splitting the ‘block’ by hand with a froe and mallet gives a rougher surface to the shake than the more uniform shakes created by sawing when it is called a ‘shingle’, and whether we choose to split or saw depends on your individual requirements.

Shakes look great on the roofs and even walls of almost all building’s, Shakes can be used on the following:

 

 

History

Roofing materials have seen radical changes over the years; yet one common material has remained the same almost from the start of New England’s history. Early 17th century settlers made their homes in basic structures that drew heavily on traditional English heritage, the use of wood shingles flourished in the American colonies and particularly ‘New England’ thanks to the abundance of trees, as similarly with many Scandinavian counties. The practice of using shingles for the roof as well as the walls of homes and farm buildings continues to this day. It is possible to make shingles today as they were made in colonial America.

 

By 1650 it was obvious that roofs of wooden shingles were the answer. In England such a practice would have been horribly wasteful of wood but here, timber was available in abundance.

 

The colonial roof started with a log bolt nearly three feet long. Wood slices about a ½” thick were split off with a froe and mallet. The bark was trimmed and one end was tapered with a draw knife on a “shaving horse”. The extreme length of early shingles came about for at least two reasons: first the horizontal wood strips or purling applied to the roof rafters for thatching were widely spaced and this traditional measurement was retained, secondly the length allowed three overlapping courses requiring half the nails – two shingles for the nails of one, a significant factor at a time when hand-wrought nails were more costly than the shingles themselves.

 

By the middle 19th century, machinery and transportation saw wood shingles become available nationally and standardized through mass production. Their availability and price along with inexpensive nails led to new ideas of how to use them. In the Shingle Style Architecture of the 1890s, shingles became the decorative frosting on the cake as well as simple, effective protection against the weather. As design elements shingles appeared on small cottages and grand houses alike, all of which are well-represented across America and much of Scandinavia.

 

A properly applied wooden Shake roof should last thirty-five to fifty years, but do require a measure of maintenance.

Wood roofing shingles were commonplace in early America and across Scandinavia, not only because of the abundance of timber, but also because of the relative ease with which they could be fabricated and installed. Made from a variety of locally available trees, early shingles were hand split with a mallet and froe and then dressed or smoothed with a draw knife to ensure they would lay flat on the roof, and prepared this way they are correctly called ‘Shakes’.

 

The introduction of water and, then, steam powered saws in the early 19th century revolutionized the shake/shingle industry by making possible the mass production of uniformly cut and smoothly finished shingles that required no hand dressing.

Despite such technological advances, hand split shakes never entirely disappeared. In fact, during most of the 19th century a thriving split shake industry existed and thrived across all regions of the world where they had historically been used and beyond.

Reportedly a good ‘Shingler’ could tell merely by smell whether a log had been blown down or broken off, the former being the more desirable since it was less likely to be decayed. An expert worker could mine and shave up to 1,000 shingles a week.

Today, although wood shingles represent a relatively small percentage of the roofing market, they remain a fashionable material for custom houses as well as restoration projects.

 

The life of a wooden shake roof can vary widely depending on the wood species of shakes being used and the treatment of the wooden roof shakes with preservative.

 

Wood shingles are sawn in 16", 18" and 24" lengths and are installed overlapped to produce two layers of shake material covering the roof which are in turn attached by nail to a felted and battened sub-structure. Wooden shakes (a split rather than sawn product) are thicker than sawn wood shingles (but can still have splitting or installation defects).

Wood preservatives can make a significant difference in the life expectancy (and in some cases fire resistance) of wooden shingle or wooden shake roofs, depending on the wood species of the shingles or shakes and the preservative used.

Traditionally wooden shingles and shakes were treated with copper or copper arsenate compounds to resist insects and rot; some shingle and shake treatments include chemicals that help the roof resist oxidation from sun exposure as well.

Shakes are classically made by bucking a suitable log into segments, and then splitting these segments into flat pieces of wood called blanks, which are the shaved and trimmed into evenly sized shingles/shakes. While this process may not sound difficult, it is in fact quite challenging to actually produce uniform, smooth and even shakes. In modern times, this process is side-stepped altogether in favour of a power saw, a time saving cheat which actually produces “shingles” and not “shakes”. Shakes are wooden shingles which are split, rather than cut and create a distinctive feel, texture and appearance and have been used for roofing and cladding for centuries and is an age old English traditional craft.

 

As fresh wooden shakes age, they weather into a greyish or tawny gold colour and many may darken into richer colours.

A variety of timbers are used to make shakes and this largely depends on the region in which they are made due to availability. But as a general rule, they are made from woods that are naturally resistant to infestation with insects or other locally common disease and rots and a suitable grain run. Wooden shakes can be found in many parts of Northern Europe and in other regions of the world where trees are relatively abundant. Shakes, for example, often appear on traditional homes in the United State and rural cottages in Scandinavia.

 

Notes Tor The Ole Timer

 

 

 

 

Split sections of Chestnut/Oak/Cedar/Pine logs into quarters/segments with a log splitter.

Set one of the segments on a large, flat stump. Determine how thick you would like to make your shake, and place the sharp edge of the froe on top of the segment of the bolt at that point.

 

Grasping the froe handle, rap the blade of the froe with the ironwood mallet. You may have to do a few raps before the wood splits the rest of the way on its own. Continue this process with all of the segments of the bolt.

 

Place each shake on the shaving horse, rough side up. Grasp a draw knife with both hands. Place the blade near the bottom of the shingle and draw the knife toward you, shaving the shake until you reach the smoothness you like. This may take many passes before your shake is complete.

 

Chestnut.

 

The wood of the chestnut tree is hard wearing whilst also retaining good flexibility. It is easy to work with and only shows minimal contraction. It is resistant to water/rain making it an ideal roofing/cladding material. Chestnut is of the same family as oak, and likewise its wood contains many types of tannin. This renders the wood very durable, gives it excellent natural outdoor resistance and saves the need for other protection treatment. The chestnut shake will deliver long term performance.

Chestnut timber is a gracious decorative timber. When in a growing stage, with very little sap wood, a chestnut tree contains more timber of a durable quality than an oak of the same dimensions.

 

 

A BOOK

STAY OFF THE AUTO AND STICK TO THE MANUAL

 

Stuart M R Hill - Amateur Photographer

 

ISBN: 978-1-62407-691-6

 

 

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