Victorian bath rowed over English Channel

Tim FitzHigham created a new world record and raised alot of money for charity when he completed his extraordinary journey across the English Channel in a Thomas Crapper bathtub. Rowing single handedly for nine hours, he left the coast of France at 4am on June 9th and arrived at Folkestone at 1pm that afternoon.

In a remarkable feat of stamina, endurance and a supreme maritime achievement, Tim is the first man in history to complete the journey in a bathtub. For the Bathtub challenge, Tim used a plan devised by the Romans for rowing in tidal water, which he believes to be watertight. Tim says “It’s a failsafe plan – it hasn’t failed in 2000 years,” however, when pressed he admits it’s actually only been used once in the last 2000 years!

Tim FitzHigham is enthused by the idea of showing the craft at the Salvo Fair and perhaps even 'opening it'. After overcoming problems with storage and transportation, due to it being twin-hulled and over twenty feet. It is now being stored in a yard in Hertford and Tim is having a trailer made especially for the Salvo Fair. So seems that the Thomas Crapper bathtub will come to the fair and hopefully with its captain if prior engagements to the Glastonbury Festival allow.

New guide to reclaimed materials from BioRegional

WRAP have published the Reclaimed building products guide authored by BioRegional last year, all about reclaimed building materials. The 80 page A4 booklet, which is available free as a pdf from Wrap, contains an introduction, pages on products including bricks, metals, steel frames, roofing, timber, stone and internal, plus case studies and a suppliers directory.

The introduction states:
Use of construction materials has a significant impact on UK sustainability. In the UK, they annually account for 19 per cent of the total national ecological footprint, 23 per cent of the total national greenhouse gas emissions, 420 million tonnes of material consumption (7 tonnes per person), and 30 per cent of all road freight on UK roads. Substitution of a few well chosen, locally sourced reclaimed materials can reduce the environmental impact and the embodied carbon of a project significantly. For example, comparing the impacts of reclaimed and new materials shows a reduction of 96 per cent for reclaimed steel and 79 per cent for reclaimed timber. These savings can sometimes be achieved with little or no additional expense, making reclaimed an extremely cost-effective way of cutting carbon emissions.

Some of the stats have been drawn from work done by BRE and Salvo, and SalvoWEB and SalvoMIE (the underused materials information exchange for low value old and unused new building materials run by Salvo) are also kindly mentioned several times in the text.

Reclaimed building products guide by BioRegional [2.9MB pdf]
SalvoMIE
SalvoWEB
BioRegional Reclaimed
Wrap

Salvo Fair's four page spread in Period Living

Snippets include;
For those in the know, the annual Salvo Fair is an opportunity to snap up original features from salvage yards tat stay hidden away for much of the year, says Caroline Wheater.
Whatever your fancy, the annual Salvo Fair held at grand Knebworth house in Hertfordshire is a happy hunting ground fort lovers of salvage, with more than 60 specialists displaying their wares, of known provenance. 'We advise people to come with an open mind,' confirms Ruby Kay. In recent years exhibitors have brought stone flags from Paternoster Square, a dispensary from Harrods, and the interior of the bombed Baltic Exchange. This year the stars of the show are expected to be an antique rolltop bathtub-cum-boat and a giant robot looking for a new home.

'Salvo is a really quirky fair,' agrees Steve Williams of Chancellors Church Furnishings based in Surrey, who has exhibited at all eight events. Oxfordshire's Keith Edmonds is another Salvo stalwart. Keith always has something up his sleeve for salvo, and this year its going to be some antique stone and marble Buddhas, salvaged from the construction site around Beijing Olympic Stadium.

An appreciation of old things is the common denominator ofamong the broad church of exhibitors. 'We all have a passion for reclaiming and saving things, and part of the fun of Salvo is mixing with like-minded people,' explains Valerie Chaffer of Mongers in Norfolk.

Billingshurst video preview

Billingshurst, Sussex UK - COLLEEN Gowlett previews the first Billingshurst sale to be held under the mantle of Summers Place Auctions in association with Sotheby's with a stroll around the sculpture garden with James Rylands and Rupert van der Werff. Among the many lots discussed were 18th century leadwork by John Cheere and John van Nost, Compton and Liberty pots, antique stone seats, Manufattura di Signa, modern sculpture and where to put it, and an explanation of the new concept of the combined live and sealed bid auctions. Live auction is on Tuesday 20th May 2008 - see link below for the catalogue









Summers Place Auctions

Camden Mall wins over developers

Dealers and supporters of the antiques trade Camden Passage are celebrating after Islington Council threw out the proposals to redevelop The Mall. Around 120 people turned up to show their support for dealers of Camden Mall. It is thought that the application to remove the individual dealers' shops at the antiques center was an attempt to convert the two floors of the Grade II listed building into a single units in order to sell the space to a multi-national chain. Dealers, customers and local residents spoke against the plans before the cross party planning committee voted unanimously against it.

Reuse old furniture

Traditional upholstery

Transform a tired piece of furniture by attending this five-day course which has an emphasis on traditional craftwork and natural materials such as hessian and vegtable fibre. Learn basic techniques to create a beautiful piece of furniture to take home. Course costs £50 for five days including morning and afternoon refreshments.

Restoration Course

Grand Designs Live

Sunday 11th May, Excel London

11:00 Reclamation: Finding Beauty In The Past
Dispelling the myth that new is always better, our reclamation gurus extol the virtues of re-using materials and objects from the past
Confirmed speakers: Adam Hills - Retrouvius, Max McMurdo - Reestore, Max Fraser

Times and topics are subject to change, please check before visiting.

Grand Designs Live