Monday, 08 February 2021
Yasmin writes: We've had several new entrants this time for our iSpysolation challenge. Eva and Jim report that, like many of you, they've enjoyed tracking down finds and learning new things about Cambridge. The iSpysolation challenge is a reason to get out of the house, and discover things that are hidden in plain sight.Team Emerson are pleased to announce Julia and Florian as the winners of Round 5! Peter H, Nigel and Eva and Jim also managed to collect all the items, but the easily-amused, toilet-humour-loving judges awarded an extra point to Julia's written graffiti - a smelly sleeping cat with the not-too-rude caption "smell the gasses". We were blown away (ba dum tish). We also enjoyed their photo of the chimney of the Cambridge Museum of Technology sitting on top of Julia's head.
The blue plaque to Crick and Watson and the discovery of DNA featured prominently, with its graffitied "and Franklin" (see top-right of photo below) which the judges applaud. Cambridge PPF have a talk this week about blue plaques which might be interesting.
Some great old adverts were found - Julia had a homage to tobacco while Peter, Eva and Jim all went for Hot Numbers. John S says that old painted adverts are known as "ghost signs": www.ghostsigns.co.uk. The Flying Pig on Hills Road was the most popular pub with four legs. Julia, Eva and Jim had human legs - The Wrestlers and The King Street Run. The Leper Chapel was a popular choice for a Cambridge Past Present and Future site, but Chris and Ruth sent in a photo of some cottages restored by the Cambridge Preservation Society, now known as Cambridge PPF. We liked Chris and Ruth's WET FEET graffiti - seems to sum up January and February rather well so far.
An entry from out-of-county in the form of Peter F livened things up - photos from foreign parts were most welcome! Instead of a Cambridge PPF site, we asked Peter to find a local nature reserve. This sent him to Finringhoe Wick - a place that I associate with pedalling to Mersea island, anxious about the tide times. Peter sent in a great example of a jettied building in Colchester, and a photo which wins the "terrible cycle path" challenge, complete with a flight of steps.
Looking for a "terrible cycle lane", John J read the Warrington Cycle Campaign "Cycle Facility of the Month" entry from April 2018 and tried to collect the terrible cycle path near Caxton Gibbet - but found that it has been turned into a lay-by. I can't decide if I'm pleased or mildly disappointed. Eva and Jim's entry looked more like a fence factory than a cycle lane. Peter H and Nigel both submitted the Wildlife Sanctuary cycle path which features in the October 2018. More terrible cycle paths here.
Unsurprisingly, there were many potholes and reports. John J wins this category with a pothole, report, and a repair!
Entrants provided a range of information for their additional information bonus point. Peter H sent in a photo of what looked like an old Methodist chapel, but turned out to be the home of the "True Jesus Church". Peter says this was founded in China in 1917. Services are held on Saturdays, and the Cambridgeshire group was founded by two people who moved here from Malaysia in 1972.
Nigel submitted his entry by creating a page on our CTC Cambridge website for his. Here it is.
As well as the ghostsigns website, John S provided information on reasons for jettied buildings, which I found particularly interesting. Yasmin
Here are some of the photos which participants sent us: