Skip to main content

Posts

TVR Reborn (again)

UK firm Charge Holdings are further building on their strategic goal of creating a multi-brand, low-volume integrated automotive group by agreeing a strategic phased merger framework with TVR, and reviving the legendary Blackpool firm's V8 powered Griffith sportscar.  The new generation Griffith, developed and engineered by Gordon Murray and Cosworth, was first unveiled at the 2017 Goodwood Festival of Speed, but following a series of misfires by former video games developer Les Edgar, whose consortium bought the firm in 2013 following a disastrous 9 year stewardship by Russian businessboy Nikolai Smolenski, the car is yet to hit the road. The deal, which will initially see Charge Holdings board members joining TVR’s board, with new share capital issued to Charge Holdings, will be followed by the purchase of existing shares from current TVR shareholders. The boutique sports car brand will become a subsidiary of Charge Holdings, enabling both companies to sh...
Post a Comment
Read more
Recent posts

Kings Heath Installation (FUCK REFORM)

In this subversive Kings Heath installation piece, the artist employs vulgar Anglo-Saxon profanity to express disapproval with the party's policies; the playful use of kerning is a knowing nod both to the lack of foresight displayed by, and characteristic of Reform-led councils, and a tacit acknowledgement of the nation's shift to the right. Medium: Sharpie; telecoms cabinet.
Post a Comment
Read more

Irony is alive and well in Kent.

Whichever side of the flag debate you're on, can we all just agree this is hilarious? Christmas lights can't go up in Reform-led town because St. George flags on lampposts are a health and safety concern. Irony is alive and well in Kent, as is the law of unintended consequences. I laughed so much, I shared a GB News article. Merry Christmas, everyone.
Post a Comment
Read more

Anchors Away. The reopening of Digbeth's historic pub.

An historic public house in Birmingham, designed by renowned architects and built before the advent of electricity, has reopened to the public following a £100,000 restoration. The Anchor Digbeth, which has been a fixture of Birmingham’s landscape since 1797, has been painstakingly restored to its former glory by new landlord Peter Connolly. Recognised by Historic England as a Grade II protected heritage site, the magnificent terracotta-fronted building was originally constructed to a design by James and Lister Lea - an architectural firm responsible for some of Birmingham’s most impressive Victorian-era public houses. A mainstay for Birmingham’s Irish community, including being owned by successive generations of the Keane family since the 1970s, The Anchor is located in the city’s Irish Quarter - home to countless generations of Irish emigrants and workers since the 1820s.  Peter Connolly, new custodian of The Anchor Digbeth, said: “It’s a pleasure to finally reopen th...
1 comment
Read more

The Craic Is Mighty

The craic is mighty in the newly relaunched Anchor in Digbeth. Celebrate the Irish Quarter of Digbeth by visiting, supporting, and maintaining the tradition of independent, authentic, Irish pubs.  A bastion of pubs; including the Spotted Dog, The Anchor, The White Swan. The resurgence of which is led by visionary publican Peter Connolley. 
Post a Comment
Read more

Bearing Housing Cartridges For YOUR idlers.

For me; this is as important a part of the Birmingham cityscape as the Rotunda. Iconic.  Edwin Lowe Ltd: Bearing Housing Cartridges For Your Idlers In The 21st Century.  Don't try to work out what it means.  No-one knows.  No-one ever will.  Established 1915. They've been doing it since the early 20th century; quietly bearing housing cartridges for your idlers.  Whenever I'm in Perry Barr, I pull into the car park, gaze at the sign, and simply weep.
Post a Comment
Read more

Camp Hill Line Station Update

I attended the Railway Stations Update meeting last Wednesday, and have summarised the content, with help from the Kings Heath Neighbourhood Forum. Opening timeline The new stations on the Camp Hill Line are expected to open to passengers in 2026.  No exact date has been fixed yet. Based on the meeting, the opening is likely between March 2026 and July 2026.  They emphasize that this uncertainty isn’t due to construction delays: the physical works (platforms, buildings etc.) are still on track to be finished by end of 2025 as previously announced.  The delay in announcing a date is largely due to the time needed for the “Entry into Service” process: testing, training, certification, and transfer of ownership to the operator.  An added complication is that West Midlands Trains’ ownership is changing to public ownership in February 2026, which overlaps with that handover/entry-into-service period.  Station & highway works status Kings Heath  • Most...
3 comments
Read more