Fresh plans submitted for Swallows Tiles site

MORE trees will be spared and improved measures introduced to slow traffic on Bookhurst Road as part of fresh plans for the redevelopment of Cranleigh’s Swallow's Tiles site.

An outline scheme for the construction of 58 homes on the site, including 24 affordable houses and flats, has now been submitted to Waverley Borough Council.

Site owner Gordon Snowie’s company, Inverdunning, has been working with Guildford house builder Linden Homes on the proposal, which has been prepared following the rejection of a previous scheme for homes and offices earlier this year. The planning application follows a public exhibition held in November.

Linden Homes’ land director, Kevin Mackenzie, said: “We have listened and responded to the constructive views given by local councillors, neighbouring residents and the borough council during our pre-application consultation.

“We are now proposing a more traditional layout that respects its woodland setting, resulting in the retention of significantly more individual trees and a greater area of ancient woodland on the site.

“The employment element has been removed and the number of affordable homes has increased to 24,” he said, explaining: “We have considerably improved the design of the proposed access off Bookhurst Road by reducing its size and amending its orientation, which will help to slow down traffic and maintain the wooded character of the road.

“Finally, the area of ancient woodland to be gifted over has increased to 13 hectares, which is three hectares more than the previous scheme,” he said.

“We hope that these changes will be welcomed and that the local community will be able to support the scheme.”

The new access to the site had sparked safety concerns, even though the spot chosen was supported by Surrey’s highways engineers.

Linden Homes says that the new design will see the smaller roundabout off-set from Bookhurst Road to help slow down traffic, with specimen planting to help create an ‘attractive gateway feature’ for both the proposed development site and the eastern entrance to the village.

The existing entrance will be closed to motorised traffic, but a new shared pedestrian and cycle route will provide access to the bus stop. Similar access points will be provided further west on Bookhurst Road and in Wanborough Lane near its junction with Bloxham Road, where the footpath would be widened and other safety measures introduced.

Concerns had also been raised over the proposal to build two-storey houses on a field at the western end of the site, known as the show field as it has been used as an overflow car park for the Cranleigh Show.

Most of the properties on the other side of the road are single-storey, but documents submitted with the application make it clear the new homes will be set back from the road to ensure a suitable separation distance.

In terms of housing mix it is proposed to build a block of six two-bedroom flats, with mostly detached houses, but including two terraces and some semi-detached, making up the rest of the site – seven two-bed, 15 three-bed, nine four-bed and 21 five-bed.

The company says the development will be constructed ‘in the Arts and Crafts style in a woodland setting’, with locally sourced red/orange brickwork, clay or slate coloured roof tiles and hanging tiles, black painted timber framing and white-framed windows.

Building new memorials but ignoring the old ones

The Guru Teg Bahadur Museum is located less than 1 km from the monumental Virasat-e-Khalsa and just 50 metre from Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib in this holy town, but its condition is very different from the Rs 300-crore monument inaugurated by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on November 25.

The museum was shut for renovation some 18 months ago and is yet to be opened to the public though work was “completed” some time in June-July at a cost of Rs 1 crore. The reason: Official apathy and an unending wait for some exhibits that were taken to Patiala and Chandigarh for restoration soon after renovation began in the first half of 2010.

Located across the road from one of the five Sikh Takhts, Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib, the museum’s main door was found locked earlier this month. A woman employee, one of the nine working at the museum, revealed that due to renovation “it had been closed to the public for over 18 months. Some of the artifacts were yet to arrive and only once they did could the museum be formally reopened to the general public,” she told The Tribune team.

A little later, a member of the museum security staff opened the side door to allow the team to have a look at the paintings on display in the exhibition hall. The paintings had been taken to Chandigarh and Patiala for retouching and for new mounts.

A cannon belonging to Guru Gobind Singh lay wrapped up in a piece of cloth in a corner as its mount was yet to be assembled. Empty display cases waited for Guru Teg Bahadur’s robe and Guru Gobind Singh’s sword.

Though polished granite and glossy imported tiles have been used in the renovated exhibition hall, a thick dust cover could be seen on paintings of the Sikh Gurus. The museum does not have a cleaner.

The Guru Teg Bahadur Museum is dedicated to the ninth guru’s sacrifice but not many in the holy city that primarily owes its eminence to ninth Sikh Guru, Guru Teg Bahadur, and tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh,were aware that it had been closed for almost two years.

The SGPC employees at Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib didn’t know. The Director of Cultural Affairs, mandated to look after all museums in the state, is not even aware of its existence.

“To be honest, I am not aware of this museum. I was given charge of this department recently. I was brought in as the Chief Executive Officer of the Anandpur Sahib Foundation to get the Virasat-e-Khalsa completed. That task has been accomplished. Now I will focus on other heritage buildings, museums and war memorials in the state,” says Karamjit Singh Sra, director of Cultural Affairs. He had no explanation for the state of neglect.

The new-look museum boasts of close circuit cameras, neon lights and other state-of-the-art fittings. The original plaque tracing the museum’s origin lay stacked outside along the boundary wall with broken pieces of furniture and old fittings.

The plaque says that the museum was developed under the guidance of Dr MS Randhawa. Architect Surjit Singh, artists Kirpal Singh, Jaswant Singh and Devinder Singh and engineers SS Virdi, TN Gupta, Surjit Singh and Sarup Singh Rattan were associated with its design, construction and exhibits. Also associated with the museum were the then Director of Punjab Public Relations Tej Singh and Additional Director, Cultural Affairs, Tarlochan Singh.

The museum was completed in the early 80s. In 2010, because of years of neglect, it was shut for renovation. There is still a lot of wet paint around and it is likely to be a while before the museum is re-opened to the public.

Mammy cookie jar likely a reproduction

One of the reasons we decided to answer this question is the phrase, "let me know if you are interested in our treasures."

This suggests to us that M. S. thinks we might want to purchase one of these items, and we want to state strongly and unequivocally that we never have and never will buy anything that comes to our attention through this column. It is completely unethical.

Collectors are interested in the various types of "mammy" cookie jars that were made by many companies across America. To name just a few, there was Brayton Laguna, McCoy, Metlox, Weller, Abington and Pearl China, among a number of others.

The mammy cookie jar in today's question is supposedly the product of Mosaic Tile Co. of Zanesville, Ohio. The company was started by two men, Karl Langenbeck and Herman Mueller, who had previously been employed by American Encaustic Tile Co.

They were successful initially making floor tiles, but they later expanded into all sorts of tiles, including pictorial mural tiles, wall tiles and tiles that were used on the facade of structures. In the 1940s, the company made two large decorative panels that were 120 feet long by 7 1/2 feet tall depicting the development of Texas for the Will Rogers Memorial in Fort Worth.

Mosaic Tile stopped making faience tile in 1959 and tried to stay in business by making miscellaneous pottery products such as boxes, bookends, souvenirs, wall panels and the mammy cookie jar in today's question. They could not compete with other pottery makers and the company closed in 1967.

Mosaic Tile's mammy cookie jar is rather rare, and in certain color varieties is extremely rare. The original mammy cookie jar is 13 1/2 inches tall and is found most often wearing a yellow dress with a turban-like head covering. This would appear to be the type that M. S. has.

This yellow-dressed Mosaic Tile cookie jar mentioned above is worth up to about $600, but if the dress is blue the price jumps to $700 or $750. But if the dress happens to be peach and green, peach and blue, or blue and yellow, the value is three times more than the common yellow-dress examples.

Our problem with the cookie jar pictured here is that M. S. reports that it is marked with a big "B" on the base. Unfortunately, the original Mosaic Tile example is completely unmarked. Further examination and comparison with genuine examples reveals what we believe are subtle differences between the real Mosaic Tile mammy cookie jars and the one belonging to M. S.

Primarily, the smile on the one shown here is jovial and inviting while the smile on the originals are, well, different -- more forced and less welcoming. But when all is said and done, it is the big "B" on the base that strongly suggests to us that this piece is just not right.

We feel this piece is a reproduction, and reproductions of this cookie jar sell at auction for about $50.

Flash Fiction Christmas

FRANKLY I think me and the sister get a raw deal. I mean to say, if it had been me, I wouldn’t have made such a skivvy out of myself. She could have left home anyway. The Fairy Godmother would have bailed her out anytime. All she ever had to do was whip up a storm and the Good Fairy would have arrived pronto. But no. She had to string it out. Snivel and moan and lick the ashes. Get the crowd real sorry for her. Ready to lambast us to any pole.

Did you ever wonder where you’d be without us to act out the shadow side? And all before Jung even got a whiff of it. I mean to say, if she’s not going to act downright mean then she’s going to attract it to her.

Right? But there she is on her knees in the scullery owning all her goodness.

Instead of learning fast, she acts stupid, eats as much ash as she can stomach, wallows in the stuff. Me and the sister had a terrible time getting her to the point of spiritual crisis. The girl’s capacity for insult and injury was awesome. Another day of it and I’d have wept with her in the ashes myself. But, thank God, she turned to a little creative visualisation and manifested herself a Godmother.

I was quite enjoying that ball until she turned up doe-eyed, dimple flashing, lid-lowering and whipped PC out from under my nose.

And then the dramatic exit! As if the universe isn’t bountiful! I mean do you really believe the fairy would have put a time on it? No, I reckon she got one of her self-doubt bouts. Lost confidence, lost face and don’t forget the shoe! Very convenient that.

As for that slipper fitting scene! Do you really think I wanted to squeeze my G size into that skimpy little excuse for a shoe that had done the rounds of the kingdom. And risk verruca, corns and God knows what? And then to watch her creep out of the cinders and slip her pygmy footsie into the golden slipper. And then, jack rabbit, out with the other one from beneath her pinnie. It’s all gush and pink flush forever and ever now. As if! She’ll make a doormat out of herself no matter what. There’ll be a few more shadows to play out. A few more spiritual crises to be had. She hasn’t learnt the lesson yet.

But as for me, I’ve done with them. Make me the fairest of them all next time and let herself do a little shadow acting.

PATSY LOOSENED his belt, tugging on the end until the buckle popped and hung rattling open. He undid the zipper in his slacks and stood, legs comfortably apart. Two hours was far too long to sleep for in the middle of the day. The toilet smelled sweet, he had just put some fresh green stuff in it that ran in a thick tidal wave down the porcelain before meeting the clear water. He bent his right arm and put a fist on his hip, sweeping back his coat with his elbow. Pursing his lips and frowning at the small sea-blue tiles on the wall, he wondered if Shay had finished clearing the garden yet. If it wasn’t snowing in the morning he might dig a few drills himself. Maybe, he’d wait and see. The uniformity of the tiles began to help him daydream. Through the bathroom window, miles away it seemed, he could hear Shay gathering up the spade and the fork with a prongy clang and the heavy damp thump of him stamping muck from his boots before he stood in the porch. The muffled sounds, the endless blue of the tiles, the cold, still, soap smelling quiet of the bathroom all contributed to his stupor.

His bladder relaxed and loosed warmly into the bowl below. He tilted his head back slowly and sighed.

Outside, Shay lit a cigarette and pulled on it suck-cheeked, slow and long.

The sun was dipping below the snow-pocked hill and a robin landed on the spade handle.

“Ha! I thought they only did that on Christmas cards!” Patsy shouted.

Shay stepped out of the porch and looked up at his old, grey, spike-stubbled face wedged sideways through the top part of the bathroom window, trying to get a view of the garden. He must have been standing on the toilet bowl.

Newburgh artist makes some amazing mosaics

Ten years ago, a visit to the Dallas Museum of Art ignited Randy Lofthouse's passion for his art.

"In the museum I thought some of the art was whimsical, some of it childlike, but I was inspired by the Byzantine style," he said.

He ended up buying a mosaic book and was hooked.

Originally from Texas, Lofthouse focuses on creating intricate mosaics using ceramic, slate, granite, marble, porcelain and glass. He recently has added stained glass to his projects, cutting them into controlled shapes.

"It's almost an addiction," he said. "I like the smell of the mastic and to touch the product when it's done. And it's a lot of fun."

It was in Texas that he learned to set tile and ended up designing and building custom walk-in showers.

"Everything I used as a mosaic artist, I use as a tile setter," he said. "And when I lay tile, I have all of the scraps left over from jobs to take home."

For his mosaics, he usually begins with a vision of the design and maps it out for the finished piece. With his tiled coffee tables, every cut has to be precise. But he can also begin with the time and watch the design develop.

"I want my art to be modern, clean, and when someone looks at it they know the artist has thoroughly thought out the design," he said.

This is an accessible art, but it takes patience. "The Mosaic Sourcebook: Projects, Designs, Motifs" by Paul Siggins, Paul Cooper and Richard Foster is a good introduction to this art. The Society of American Mosaic Artists website, www.americanmosaics.org, also is a good source.

There are not a lot of supplies needed. "Everything you need to make mosaic art can be put in a 5-gallon bucket," he said.

To get started, eye protection, gloves and a tarp or floor covering are needed.

Starting with a flat substrate or surface, such as a tabletop, a plaque or a frame, is easiest for beginners.

Lofthouse suggests starting with glass nuggets and mosaic pieces that can be purchased at local craft stores.

Beads from old necklaces, metal objects and coins can also be incorporated. "Anything can be added to give the piece distinction and character," Lofthouse added. "I don't always want consistency."

However, if you want to use broken pieces, shop at local thrift stores for chipped dishes. "If I'm looking for a specific color that I can't find secondhand, I will buy it new," he said. "You can't always find used bright colors."

Nippers are commonly used to break the pieces. "They don't take muscles," he said. "You just have to position the teeth of the nippers correctly on the plate to break the surface tension."

An alternative to the nippers would be putting the object in a pillowcase and tapping it with a hammer.

Grout, which can be purchased tinted from home improvement stores, holds everything together. "Grout allows me to choose contrast," he said.

The consistency is important. "It is mixed up from dry," he said. "It needs to be almost like peanut butter. Start making up a small amount since you can always make more as needed."

A grout float is used to force the grout into the spaces between the tiles. "This part is a little frustrating and it's messy," he added. "I often use my hands more than the float."