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Crich photos

Started by chriskingbees, Jun 26, 2009, 01:40 pm

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the doctor who2

I went Crich today, i just couldn't resist taking some photos of the good old blue box. Would have loved to have taken a look inside but it was locked. As well as the the main box i tracked down the smaller police box at the main tram depot gate.

I really wish i had taken a couple more of the Police box but since i can re-enter again for free within the next 12 months it gives me a chance to go back again.

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Heres the smaller Police box and it looks to me like lots of people think its a false telephone so now there is a note saying 'AS SOON AS THE RECEIVER IS LIFTED THIS PHONE IS MONITORED'

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"There's no point being GROWN UP if you can't be CHILDISH sometimes!"

The Fourth Doctor - Robot, S12 E01

starcross

Sep 07, 2010, 09:46 pm #61 Last Edit: Sep 07, 2010, 10:27 pm by starcross
I love the last picture of the Police Post.

I know that the phone is live from my own visit a few months ago. But the sign saying the phone is monitored makes me think that it is meant for the tram shed to contact someone on site. It also means that some kids or an other got a hold of it and were playing around.

Too bad about the box being locked, but you can ask someone working for the museum to get the key to open it up for you.
If you do go back and get in I'd love to get a good look at the bell inside. I suspect they used the same bell for the Police Posts but I can't find a clear picture of that bell to confirm.

If I had been able to get close to the box myself, I would have tried my Met Police key in it. I know it works on the Avoncroft Police Post but it would have been neat to get into the Crich Box as well. Mind you I have no idea if they changed the locks or not, only one way to find out really.

Cheers,

~Starcross

hb88banzai

Sep 08, 2010, 06:09 am #62 Last Edit: Sep 08, 2010, 06:19 am by hb88banzai
Quote from: the doctor who2 on Sep 07, 2010, 07:52 pm
I went Crich today, i just couldn't resist taking some photos of the good old blue box. Would have loved to have taken a look inside but it was locked. As well as the the main box i tracked down the smaller police box at the main tram depot gate.

I really wish i had taken a couple more of the Police box but since i can re-enter again for free within the next 12 months it gives me a chance to go back again.

DSCF1752.JPG

DSCF1753.JPG



Great pics!

Wow - never noticed this before. Don't know if it's just because of the great resolution at close range, the angle, or what, but can now see an obvious seam on the underside (and the side) of the front top sign between the fascia and the rest of the sign box at about half the distance between the front surface and the flat of the pillar (making the fascia what, 3/4" thick?). A little less noticeable on the right sign box end that's visible in the other pic, but still seems to be there.

There is also some damage to the fascia edge at the hole for the front top sign. From the damage it kind of looks like the fascia is made of wood or wood products. Can anyone confirm this? If not wood, is it just a really thin piece of concrete? If it is wood, is this the original setup or a result of the repair work done on the box back in 2006?

Anyone know how they are attached to the boxes? I know the Barnet style boxes were quite a bit different here due to differences in the ring beam, pillars and the width of the sign boxes.

hb88banzai

Quote from: starcross on Sep 07, 2010, 09:46 pm
(snip)

If I had been able to get close to the box myself, I would have tried my Met Police key in it. I know it works on the Avoncroft Police Post but it would have been neat to get into the Crich Box as well. Mind you I have no idea if they changed the locks or not, only one way to find out really.

Cheers,

~Starcross


Hmmm - those are some well worn keys.

Still - standard Yale Y1 keyway, 5-pin and looks like maybe 32123. Now, all I have to do is break out my files, hop a plane and check it out.  8)

exleo

Quote from: hb88banzai on Sep 08, 2010, 06:09 am
Quote from: the doctor who2 on Sep 07, 2010, 07:52 pm
I went Crich today, i just couldn't resist taking some photos of the good old blue box. Would have loved to have taken a look inside but it was locked. As well as the the main box i tracked down the smaller police box at the main tram depot gate.

I really wish i had taken a couple more of the Police box but since i can re-enter again for free within the next 12 months it gives me a chance to go back again.

DSCF1752.JPG

DSCF1753.JPG



Great pics!

Wow - never noticed this before. Don't know if it's just because of the great resolution at close range, the angle, or what, but can now see an obvious seam on the underside (and the side) of the front top sign between the fascia and the rest of the sign box at about half the distance between the front surface and the flat of the pillar (making the fascia what, 3/4" thick?). A little less noticeable on the right sign box end that's visible in the other pic, but still seems to be there.

There is also some damage to the fascia edge at the hole for the front top sign. From the damage it kind of looks like the fascia is made of wood or wood products. Can anyone confirm this? If not wood, is it just a really thin piece of concrete? If it is wood, is this the original setup or a result of the repair work done on the box back in 2006?

Anyone know how they are attached to the boxes? I know the Barnet style boxes were quite a bit different here due to differences in the ring beam, pillars and the width of the sign boxes.


An interesting point, and it does almost look, judging by the paterna on the edging and facing as if these are chip board fascias placed over the top, but it could just be very soft badly crumbling concrete! However, the actual signage seems very deeply set within the boxes as if a front fascia has been overlaid, but that would have made the original sign boxes very shallow! but on looking at pics from another thread that could have been possible as you can see.....
box1937.jpg
siren1.gif
web1926box.jpg

These images could certainly support a theory that the crich box sign boxes have been added to since the original casting....

galacticprobe

Sep 09, 2010, 12:29 am #65 Last Edit: Sep 09, 2010, 12:30 am by galacticprobe
When it comes to this box I really wish someone would take the initiative to turn its door around so the correct side faces out again, as it's obvious that at some point in its history someone put the door on backwards (which is why it's smooth on the outside and the stiles are in the inside).

That shouldn't be too terribly difficult to do, should it?

Dino.
"What's wrong with being childish?! I like being childish." -3rd Doctor, "Terror of the Autons"

hb88banzai

Sep 09, 2010, 09:19 am #66 Last Edit: Sep 09, 2010, 10:00 am by hb88banzai
Quote from: exleo on Sep 08, 2010, 04:12 pm
An interesting point, and it does almost look, judging by the paterna on the edging and facing as if these are chip board fascias placed over the top, but it could just be very soft badly crumbling concrete! However, the actual signage seems very deeply set within the boxes as if a front fascia has been overlaid, but that would have made the original sign boxes very shallow! but on looking at pics from another thread that could have been possible as you can see.....
box1937.jpg
siren1.gif
web1926box.jpg

These images could certainly support a theory that the crich box sign boxes have been added to since the original casting....


Well, a bit of apples and oranges here I'm afraid. The original pics were in response to details of the Crich type box (most specifically the Crich box itself, merely assuming the others like it were the same), while the first pic you posted above is of a Barnet type box and the last two are of Mark 1 timber boxes (first is one from the war period with Mk 2 signage while the last is of one when first installed before even the beacon and handles were attached, circa 1929).

All the top sign box details (both appearance and construction) were radically different between these three types of box, and together with the roof line details are what most separate them (other than concrete vs. timber, of course).

hb88banzai

Sep 09, 2010, 09:57 am #67 Last Edit: Feb 16, 2013, 04:27 am by hb88banzai
Quote from: galacticprobe on Sep 09, 2010, 12:29 am
When it comes to this box I really wish someone would take the initiative to turn its door around so the correct side faces out again, as it's obvious that at some point in its history someone put the door on backwards (which is why it's smooth on the outside and the stiles are in the inside).

That shouldn't be too terribly difficult to do, should it?

Dino.


Well, some time ago there was some discussion on this, and since then I've learned more about how this kind of door is made. In short, all the photographic evidence attests to the fact that this door was never installed the other (correct) way. There are no rebates for the hinges evident at all in the lock side of the door, nor any evidence of repair of same, and also no evidence the lock had ever been on the opposite side of the door.

I think the real question is was this a replacement that was carelessly installed, or is it the original door? In fact, some interesting evidence exists that it was not the only Crich type box to have this "feature".

Here is the Mile End box - one of the two Blackwall Tunnel boxes that had been taken over by the Fire Brigade when the Met abandoned them -

MileEndBox09.jpg

MileEndBox08.jpg

Same setup as Crich.

Door open (and vandalized) --

milend2-early80s.jpg

Then there's this Police Box on Wimbledon Common -

DoMbw4DdBmq3o9e8hRwzY7IHo1_500.jpg

Hard to see, but the panel with the St. John plaque sure looks flat to me.

Just another interesting oddity with some of the boxes, I think. To properly change it on Crich (which might not be correct from a conservation standpoint as it might have originally had it with this orientation) would take making a whole new door out of teak, I'm afraid.

galacticprobe

Sep 10, 2010, 05:53 am #68 Last Edit: Sep 10, 2010, 05:53 am by galacticprobe
Ah... so real boxes were (are) like TARDISes; every time you see one, it's a little different from the last.

It seems the only thing consistent, is inconsistency.

Dino.
"What's wrong with being childish?! I like being childish." -3rd Doctor, "Terror of the Autons"

atomicgraph

Quote from: galacticprobe on Sep 10, 2010, 05:53 am
Ah... so real boxes were (are) like TARDISes; every time you see one, it's a little different from the last.

It seems the only thing consistent, is inconsistency.

Dino.
Igotta say that one thing I loved about the old series. Love these police box threads I wish I had more to offer to them but I do enjoy the info and photos:)

policeboxnut

Has anyone noticed how the height of the roof stacks vary from box to box? The mile end box and the Crich box seem to be the same but the Barnet box and that first MK 2 further up this thread with the differently coloured signboxes seem to be distinctly taller.

Is it just me?????
'It's only significant if you find significance insignificant' - Slipback

galacticprobe

Could be just the angle of the photo, or it could be the actual roof of the box.

Like I said: the only thing consistent, is the inconsistency.

Dino.
"What's wrong with being childish?! I like being childish." -3rd Doctor, "Terror of the Autons"

hb88banzai

Quote from: policeboxnut on Sep 11, 2010, 12:28 am
Has anyone noticed how the height of the roof stacks vary from box to box? The mile end box and the Crich box seem to be the same but the Barnet box and that first MK 2 further up this thread with the differently coloured signboxes seem to be distinctly taller.

Is it just me?????


Yes, Crich and Barnet style boxes have quite different roof lines, as well as different top sign boxes.

The Barnet roof is a bit taller, the side to side spacing is quite uneven (larger gap between beginning of tier one (first step above sign boxes), then quite short gap between top of middle tier and beginning of third (top) tier), and the top tier (vertical part before the main roof slope) is shorter than the middle tier. Also very distinctive is that the sign boxes extend well past the center-line of the pillars on each side.

With the later Crich type box, the roof is a bit shorter (top of sign boxes on up), the tiers are more evenly spaced side-to-side, and most distinctively the top tier is actually a bit taller than the middle tier. Most easily seen difference is that the sign boxes extend only to the center-line of the pillars on each side.

The original Timber Police Boxes have attributes of both, but with profound differences as well. Sign boxes go to the center-line, but are much, much flatter with the sign area raised (or framed depending on which redress), while the roof line is spaced side to side similarly to Barnet (uneven, etc.), but all tiers are quite a bit shorter than either of the concrete Mark 2 types.

There are also differences in the pillars, but those are a bit harder to see for the most part.

It also should be noted that none of these boxes are the same as the MacKenzie Trench plans as to roof line (and quite a few other details).


policeboxnut

Sep 12, 2010, 05:43 pm #73 Last Edit: Sep 12, 2010, 05:50 pm by policeboxnut
Well, that's cleared that up.....

Actually, I hadn't even noticed the length of the signboxes varied - that's the difference. Must be a MK2.1 and a MK2.2 moment, surely!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! With the MK2.1 being the Barnet box because it has leanings towards the MK1, and the MK2.2 being the Crich/Mile End box because of the shortened signbox and shallower roof stacks. This would then follow natural progression because the MK3 had very uniform roof stacks and no protruberances on the signboxes!!

I'm happy now.
'It's only significant if you find significance insignificant' - Slipback

lorisarvendu

Went to Crich today.  Couldn't resist ageing one of the photos I took! ;)


Old Crich.jpg