Forncett Steam Museum Open Day

I recently returned to Forncett Steam Museum, a private collection of old industrial Stationary Steam Engines, I had visited here before with father when the engines where not running. The museum is owned by Dr R Francis, his father, Col Roy Francis was behind the Wells and Walsingham Light Railway.

Vickers Armstrong 150HP engine used to open Tower Bridge in London.

Dr Francis was on hand to give a well informed guided tour of each of the Steam Engines including starting each one in turn and told how the museum and collection grew and was built as he was offered more and larger engines for his collection.

First engine which started the museum collection, a horizontal open crank single
cylinder engine.

Hick Hargreaves 50HP engine from a Mill with Corliss Valve Gear.

"Spruce" half of a pair of 50HP Beam Engines from a Staffordshire
 Water Company.

Robey 200HP Tandem Compound Mill Engine used to drive
machinery at Sleaford Maltings.

Inverted 600HP Triple Expansion waterworks pumping engine from
Dover Waterworks, last of its type built in the UK.

Easton and Anderson 65HP A Frame waterworks beam engine from Roall water pumping
 station in Yorkshire.

Vertical Boiler that feeds the steam to the engines.

Demonstration of how Line Shafting was used to drive machinery in mills and
factories.

There where many more smaller engines to see working, plus a die cast model collection and a lovely Hog roast. An interesting couple of hours and worth the entrance fee. See here for info Forncett Museum

Heveningham Country Fair

Mid July saw a return to Heveningham Hall for the Heveningham Country Fair and Wings and Wheels with Phoenix CVC. Always a good show and usually good weather but not kind to us this year.
We met up at Flixton Air Museum for a quick 12 mile convoy to Hevingham, a varied range of sports cars from an old Lotus 7 to a Porsche.

Flixton Air Museum.

We set off from Flixton, all cars nice and shiny only for it to rain on the way, and on the private road into Heveningham Hall Estate we all got muddy, some more muddy than others as they did not slow down, that would be me then!

We quickly got the shelter up before the routine intake of Bacon butties and Coffee's. The weather did dry up for most of the day which was a relief.

Rain eased off.

We did the tour of the lovely grounds, had tea on the lawns, looked at the lovely flower displays in the Orangery, and visited the various craft marquees and stalls dotted around the event ring.

Lavender Borders.

Heveningham Hall.

The Orangery.

Walled Garden.

After lunch and Pimm's we where entertained by the Breitling Wing Walkers and the Silence Twister Aerobatic Team. Unfortunately the weather kept quite a lot of the private planes from attending the annual fly in. Photo's from the websites.

Breitling Wing Walkers (Photo by Brietling) http://www.aerosuperbatics.com/

Silence Twister Aerobatic Team. http://www.twister-aerobatics.co.uk/

Other attractions included Dog displays, Suffolk Punch Horses, Motorcycle stunts, Jousting, and Birds of Prey along with displays of selected cars touring the ring.

Later we looked around some of the cars on display, a mix of classic and sports cars.

When it came to packing up time there was a very heavy downpour so it was a wet Event Shelter stuffed in the boot of one of the Jags. Despite the weather another good day with a friendly car club.