Christmas Gallery

Christmas Crane JLP01_11_40966_09

LONDON METROPOLE HOTEL, EDGWARE ROAD, CITY OF WESTMINSTER, GREATER LONDON. Laing's winning entry to the Financial Times Christmas Crane Competition at the Metropole Hotel, London.
The team were given short notice that the crane at the Metropole site had been selected as Laing's entry for the competition, only finding out on 21st November. EPL, Laing Plc's plant operation, came up with a design and it was fabricated by Jack Casey's group in St. Neots. Bill MacDermott, EPL's Electrical Design Manager, designed the electrical circuitry at his dining room table in an afternoon. The reindeers legs and Father Christmas arm was made to appear to move and the whole display took more than 2,400 bulbs. Laing won the competition again the following year with a crane at the Vauxhall Cross site.
A date of 4th November is given on the negative register but the story in the Jan 1990 issue of Team Spirit, Laing's company newsletter, suggests this is too early

© Historic England Archive

Christmas Crane JLP01_11_40966_10

LONDON METROPOLE HOTEL, EDGWARE ROAD, CITY OF WESTMINSTER, GREATER LONDON. Laing's winning entry to the Financial Times Christmas Crane Competition at the Metropole Hotel, London.
The team were given short notice that the crane at the Metropole site had been selected as Laing's entry for the competition, only finding out on 21st November. EPL, Laing Plc's plant operation, came up with a design and it was fabricated by Jack Casey's group in St. Neots. Bill MacDermott, EPL's Electrical Design Manager, designed the electrical circuitry at his dining room table in an afternoon. The reindeers legs and Father Christmas arm was made to appear to move and the whole display took more than 2,400 bulbs. Laing won the competition again the following year with a crane at the Vauxhall Cross site.
A date of 4th November is given on the negative register but the story in the Jan 1990 issue of Team Spirit, Laing's company newsletter, suggests this is too early

© Historic England Archive

Magi EMM01/01/029

St Tysilio's Church, Sellack, Herefordshire. Watercolour, by Elsie Matley Moore, of a stained glass window in St Tysilio's Church, depicting one of the Magi. The index card to this artwork reads: One of the Magi in a window made up in 1630 by Richard Scudamore. Other parts of the window contain 15th and 16th century glass. This and the other late panels are interesting as some of the few 17th century examples of church glass. It is obvious how decadent the art had become. 3rd January 1942

© Historic England Archive