Camperscape

Many visitors and residents of Tynemouth were recently treated to the first Tynemouth Annual Classic VW Rally. Approximately 4000 visitors made their way to see VW's of all shapes and sizes from Bugs to camper vans. Like may people who visited the rally I was captivated by the wonderful and unique custom vehicles on display. One of the vehicles on display was a fantastic VW camper van from local company Camperscape. I wanted to chat with Mark from Camperscape (below) during the event but could see he was busy with enquiries all day from people wishing to hire the van below.

There is something about these vehicles that puts a smile on your face. I think the retro styling mixed with a sense of freedom and adventure makes these vehicles a favourite with everyone. I know that I will be contacting Mark at some point to book the van as I fancy setting off on a British adventure with my girlfriend.

So If like me you can see yourself happily behind the wheel of a VW with a map, some supplies of fine food, wine and a loved one than contact Mark at Camperspace here for more details;

http://camperscape.co.uk/

All images by Anthony Dorman

For more VW images please view this blog post: http://intynemouth.blogspot.com/2011/07/1st-annual-tynemouth-classic-vw-rally.html

In Tynemouth now tweets: http://twitter.com/#!/INTynemouth

'Brucie' Tynemouth Dog

'Brucie' the smiling Staffy visiting Tynemouth to see the Classic VW Rally

Photo by www.anthonydorman.com

I will be posting some photographs taken yesterday during Tynemouth's first ever Classic VW Rally which was a massive success - watch this space.

Tynemouth Classic VW Rally

 Photo by www.anthonydorman.com

This Saturday is the first Tynemouth Classic VW Rally. There will be Beetles and campers of all kinds coming from all over the UK. Why not come down to Tynemouth this Saturday Saturday (30th July) to see these fabulous vehicles and meet some of the owners who are mad passionate about them. The event is taking place in Priors Car Park (in the shadow of Collingwood Monument) just 2 minutes walk from Tynemouth Village and all of its fantastic shops, bars and restaurants.

 Photo by Anthony Dorman

I took these shots a few months ago for Jill Snailham the owner of Ruby and Frank who has organised the show with the help of the Tynemouth Business Forum. Even with just 4 vehicles for the shoot a crowd of admirers appeared within minutes.

Photo by Anthony Dorman

Why not pop down for some fun this Saturday, the weather is looking good and I'm sure these wonderful vehicles will put a smile on your face.

For more information about the Rally please go to this website: http://www.tynemouthclassicvwrally.co.uk/index.html

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Ice Cream Memories on a Hot Day

I have been way too busy to update the blog properly over the last few days which have seen some great weather in Tynemouth. Although I have been sizzling further in land in Newcastle I have simply wanted to walk along the fantastic beaches on offer in Tynemouth. I am a little behind with my photo editing for the blog but will soon be posting about Busy Lizzies, the Toy Museum and Blue Reef Aquarium. Until then here is a retro style image of one of the ice cream vendors in Tynemouth.

View this image here © Anthony Dorman

I hope they have been having a busy time with the weather being so hot. Every time I walk past I am transported back to when I was little and the sound of the ice cream man's siren sent kids into near hysteria. Would it be a 99 with a flake or a screwball? Oh for the days when these were the toughest decisions to make.

Photo by www.anthonydorman.com

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Jack Tynemouth Dog

(Jack) Jack Russell Terrier from Tynemouth

Spotted with pal Woody and owner Sue out for a walk near the TVLB

Photo by www.anthonydorman.com

(TVLB) Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade

If there is one institution or place in Tynemouth that should never be taken for granted is the TVLB Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade. For a number of years I used to wonder what the unusual old wooden building overlooking the mouth of the Tyne was. Last year I ventured inside the Watch House and was amazed at what a wonderful place it is, full of history and character.

The TVLB was founded in 1864 due to a number of serious shipping disasters that plagued the surrounding area. It was the first station of its kind anywhere in the world and is still very active today. The TVLB is separated into two distinct parts: the Life Brigade, which is an active emergency rescue team based at the watch tower and the museum itself; which is open 6 days a week (I mentioned Billy the museums' caretaker earlier in this blog). It is worth visiting just to listen to his funny stories about everything from his younger days in Australia hunting crocodiles to the often humorous events within the museum. The museum is a treasure trove full of local history and brimming with interesting artifacts.

I feel that it is important to feature this museum as it is truly astonishing. If you love history, anything nautical or antiques this place is a must see local attraction. The museum relies on visitor donations as it is free to enter. If you are visiting Tynemouth or are local please pop in and be transported back in time and donate what you can to keep the building and organisation going. It is important to note that the Museum Watch Tower is home to a brigade of volunteers who will probably be the first response to any accident or emergency in the area. Not only will you see antiques in the museum but also modern rescue items. You may even see a couple of volunteers reviewing maps of the local area or other such invaluable training procedures.

So if you are out for a walk and see this unusual building please pop in and support the TVLB by simply visiting one of the area's hidden gems or by telling a friend how much you've enjoyed your visit. I have taken a number of people into the museum in the last 12 months and every one of them has loved the experience. This place is something real, something special and unique. If you have never visited and are local please visit, if you have been before then why not visit again.

Please visit the TVLB website for more information and links:

http://www.tvlb.org/

In Tynemouth now tweets http://twitter.com/#!/INTynemouth

L'antiquario (Now Closed) Updated 01/07/11

L'antiquario can be found inside The Green Ginger Shopping arcade (formally 'The Land of Green Ginger') This place is a little gem (literally at times) inside it you will find a mixture of antique and collectable items from porcelain, clocks, jewellery and other interesting pieces of treasure.

I was instantly drawn to the clock and the porcelain you can see in the image above. I don't class myself as an expert in antiques, far from it but I do like great design especially when it is both artistic and functional. When you step into L'antiquario you instantly feel like a treasure hunter. I think the fact that I used to watch Indiana Jones films on VHS every Saturday when I was little has shaped my imagination. This place does feel like a treasure trove especially if you visit when the late afternoon sun streams through the old church windows and bathes everything in a very cinematic light.

Photographs by Anthony Dorman

Because I know nothing about antiques it would be silly of me to pretend that I do so why not pop in yourself and do your own treasure hunting.  L'antiquario can be found on the first floor of The Green Ginger Arcade.

Visit the L'antiquario ebay page here: http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/l.antiquario

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Taylors Seafood and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

I decided last week that I wanted to include more features about the North Shields Fish Quay into the blog. After all this blog is written about the places, people and events that are on my doorstep and I can walk to the Fish Quay as quickly as I can walk to Longsands.

A few people had told me that Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall was going to be filming at various locations in the area including Taylors Seafood based in the heart of the Fish Quay. I checked their facebook page which confirmed this and decided to pop down the day before his visit to check if I could pop down on the day and take some photos for the blog. I was invited down the following morning to snap away. Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am not a morning person so a 5.30am start to my day came as a shock to the system. I walked from my flat down to the Fish Quay in some brilliant morning sunlight and saw a side to the fish quay that I had never seen before - I even managed to get a coffee and a bacon sandwich at 6.15am (but that's a story for a different time). Tony and his crew at Taylors Seafood opened up just before 7am and began preparations for their day ahead which would include selling the latest seafood catch as usual but also to welcome Bafta Award winning TV chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall to their premises.  What struck me about Taylors Seafood straight away was two things - atmosphere and quality. The guys made me feel very welcome with a nice mug of tea and a friendly chat about what they do whilst they were setting up. The variety of seafood on offer was quiet astonishing; from locally sourced fish, just landed into the quay side from the trawlers, to more exotic items like Canadian lobsters and more seafood that you would find on TV's 'The Deadliest Catch' (which happened to be playing on a plasma screen).

It was not long before a the shop began to fill up with a mixture of local restaurants and fish merchants to locals with an appetite for great seafood at affordable prices. I will not buy fish from a supermarket after witnessing the quality, expertise and selection on offer here. Sally who owns the Martineau Guest House, featured earlier in the blog, is a regular customer and popped in to buy her fish while I was there, she showed me a whopping great whale of a fish for £4 - now when I say whale - I mean Moby Dick sized.

Before long Hugh and his film crew turned up at Taylors with their own catch (the fish that is normally wasted because of bureaucratic laws as mentioned in my previous two posts). I made myself known to Hugh and his team and promised to keep out of the way whilst they were filming. One of the few problems with my camera is that I look like press and it makes people wary at times. After speaking with the sound engineer I decided that I should keep my distance and shoot with a long lens (70-200mm for camera buffs). This meant that my shutter clicks would not be audible on the mike.

Shooting from such a distance is quite problematic, I was very far away and its hard to compose a scene but the guys had filming to get so I got what I could, when I could. I think that my adherence to the crew's wishes won me some respect as they began to talk to me about shooting some images at a local primary school (featured later). I think the filming at Taylors went well as there was a nice varied selection of people for Hugh to talk to and serve and the staff seamed to enjoy their visit too.

I will be popping into Taylor's tomorrow to say hello to everyone and to thank them for being so welcoming.

You can view Taylor Seafood's website here: http://taylorseafood.co.uk/

...and also view their facebook page (updated daily here) : http://www.facebook.com/pages/Taylor-Seafood/271225799181?ref=ts#www.facebook.com/pages/Taylor-Seafood/271225799181?ref=ts#

Please take a look at Hugh's website here which has details of the Fish Fight Campaign: http://www.fishfight.net/

North Sea Adventure

This post comes from my own personal blog www.anthonydormanphotography.blogspot.com which was posted in January. I am posting it today as I will be posting about the North Shields Fish Quay area in the next few days. The Fish Quay is a quick walk from my house and part of the immediate area and full of fascinating people, places and industry. It is so interlinked with Tynemouth that it deserves to be featured in the blog.

 

Earlier this year I took a walk along the Fish Quay at North Shields which is a place I really like because there is always someone or something interesting there to photograph. I noticed some fishermen making some repairs to their nets on the quayside and decided I would ask if they would be in my 100 Strangers Project. Philip pictured below agreed to having his photo taken as he said he really liked photography. I said how much I would like to go out on one of the trawlers to get some reportage style images. Within 5 minutes we had agreed that I would go out on his boat the 'Aspire'

 

 

 © Anthony Dorman

 © Anthony Dorman

The images below where taken in order and where shot using only natural light. The lighting conditions where extremely difficult from the early morning pitch dark to the below deck ambiance. I was determined not to distract the crew with flash photography so I shot with a large aperture and some very high grainy ISO settings. I also wanted to present un-edited real photos, I was not going to airbrush or remove unwanted items. I wanted to tell the real story including the wonky horizons caused by my land lubber legs and slight sea sickness.

 © Anthony Dorman

 © Anthony Dorman

 © Anthony Dorman

 © Anthony Dorman

 © Anthony Dorman

 © Anthony Dorman

 © Anthony Dorman

© Anthony Dorman

 

For me the day was a success, I was still alive, had not thrown up and had some interesting reportage images and a lot of new knowledge. For Philip and the 'Aspire' crew it was another frustrating day with a poor catch and a damaged net costing £1000 to repair. I was really looked after and had some great conversations, especially with Philip about everything including fishing, religion and art. I wonder how many people will get the chance to do what I did that day considering how the industry is suffering through high costs and crazy regulations set by men wearing suits in Brussels? I hope that this industry survives unlike many others once essential the the North East economy and history.

I decided to post this today as I received a disk in the post from Martin (hands image and goatee images) as he is a keen photographer who wanted me to see his photos.

www.anthonydorman.com

www.anthonydorman.blogspot.com

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Billy - Good Craic at the TVLB Museum

I reckon that many people have walked past the Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade Museum without ever going inside. I have lived in Tynemouth for nearly five years and have visited Tynemouth since I was a boy to see my best friend. It was not until recently that I ventured inside what is one of the best kept secrets for anyone interested in local history or all things maritime. I love history and I like reading about it but there is nothing better than the first hand verbal history that comes from those who actually take part in the events. Billy is one such character, he has seen many events in his time as the caretaker of the museum which is still an active station manned by volunteers.

Billy 52/100 '100 Strangers' © Anthony Dorman

Billy is great, loads of stories and funny anecdotes from the history of the TVLB to his time hunting crocodiles in Australia. I have visited the museum a number of times since my first trip in which Billy happily took part in my '100 strangers' portrait project. After some communications with the TVLB I was invited to take some images of the museum interior this weekend which I will be posting very soon. The people of Tynemouth are quite diverse and always interesting. They will always be a feature of this blog as they are part of what makes the area so interesting.

www.anthonydorman.com

Ruby and Frank

Ruby and Frank has established itself as one of the great shopping destinations of Tynemouth. Owner Jill has put together a great collection of clothes and accessories from predominantly local designers. Combine this with a funky location, great background music and a friendly service and you have a winning formula.

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Photo by Anthony Dorman

Every time I have popped into Ruby and Frank to see Jill there is always a buzz about the place. Like many independent business's that are successful there is clearly a great sense of attention to detail combined with personality. All of these things are infectious and have clearly captured the imagination and interest of many visitors. There have been many great write ups in the local press including 'The Crack'. Check out the Ruby and Frank facebook page or even better pop in and check out a great selection of designer clothes at affordable prices.

Jill has organised this great event coming to Tynemouth this summer

Tynemouth Classic Volkswagen Rally

I will be posting more photos and information about Ruby and Frank as well as the forthcoming Volkswagen event over the next few weeks. Why not pop in and see Jill to find out more about an event that is already causing a stir of excitement in Tynemouth.

www.anthonydorman.com   www.anthonydormanphotography.blogspot.com

Fezziwigs

Fezziwigs is fairly new to Tynemouth but is already establishing its self as a a classy destination for shoppers looking to add style and sophistication to their home. Cilena and Dawn who own Fezziwigs have sourced a mixture of home ware and gifts for all tastes and budgets and will no doubt provide me with many gift ideas for my mam who will no doubt be a customer when she sees this post.

Photograph by Anthony Dorman

I can guarantee that most men are a bit rubbish at buying gifts for their female friends and relatives. Do yourself a favour and pop into fezziwigs for some inspiration. If you need a present for your girlfriend, wife or mum you will find something suitable here.  You will find Bronte Tweeds, Chia Maria, Sia Home fashion as well as a selection of great greetings cards (Geordie cards) and a lovely selection of Fezzikids children's toys.

I will be posting 5 gift selections from fezziwigs soon.

Find contact details for Fezziwigs by clicking here