Bluebird - what should we do?
Discussion
Restore it? Display it? Sink it?
Campbell's daughter wants it restored as an icon of British engineering and I am inclined to agree.
The heritage lottery fund want it displayed as a wreck. She doesn't agree and again I agree - it would be like, in her words, 'displaying Princess Diana's Mercedes'.
Being a PHer, I see more interest in a rebuilt and magnificent Bluebird, even if it isn't going to sail, if only to honour British engineering tradition.
But to exhibit it as a wreck is just plain morbid. As it is it's a death scene.
Interestingly, a columnist in the Grauniad this morning made a good and un-Grauniad point: Under New Labour it's un-PC to restore it as it's a monument to 'speed kills' as it is, and Islington hates fast vehicles and British industrial heritage.
What should we do with Bluebird?
Campbell's daughter wants it restored as an icon of British engineering and I am inclined to agree.
The heritage lottery fund want it displayed as a wreck. She doesn't agree and again I agree - it would be like, in her words, 'displaying Princess Diana's Mercedes'.
Being a PHer, I see more interest in a rebuilt and magnificent Bluebird, even if it isn't going to sail, if only to honour British engineering tradition.
But to exhibit it as a wreck is just plain morbid. As it is it's a death scene.
Interestingly, a columnist in the Grauniad this morning made a good and un-Grauniad point: Under New Labour it's un-PC to restore it as it's a monument to 'speed kills' as it is, and Islington hates fast vehicles and British industrial heritage.
What should we do with Bluebird?
Twincam16 said:
Restore it? Display it? Sink it?
Campbell's daughter wants it restored as an icon of British engineering and I am inclined to agree.
The heritage lottery fund want it displayed as a wreck. She doesn't agree and again I agree - it would be like, in her words, 'displaying Princess Diana's Mercedes'.
Being a PHer, I see more interest in a rebuilt and magnificent Bluebird, even if it isn't going to sail, if only to honour British engineering tradition.
But to exhibit it as a wreck is just plain morbid. As it is it's a death scene.
Interestingly, a columnist in the Grauniad this morning made a good and un-Grauniad point: Under New Labour it's un-PC to restore it as it's a monument to 'speed kills' as it is, and Islington hates fast vehicles and British industrial heritage.
What should we do with Bluebird?
How long have you been a heritage lottery fund member for?
XM5ER said:
Display the original wreck, and build a replica
I think that was the consensus earlier in the week. Money grabbing cow IMO.
What a perfect way to let us know you know nothing about this subject. Gina Campbell is married to a multi millionaire she has no need of the money. The consensus was clearly that the boat should be restored. There are already at least 2 replicas in existance. The small size of Bluebird makes producing a replica a very inimpressive tribute to Campbell. Twincams pet journo in the sandalist is correct, the green filth are spreading their filthy green excrement on the Campbells now. What we should do is boycott the lottery and start an anti green party with the specific objective of stamping out this sort of nonsense.
nonegreen said:
Display the original wreck, and build a replica
I think that was the consensus earlier in the week. Money grabbing cow IMO.
What a perfect way to let us know you know nothing about this subject. Gina Campbell is married to a multi millionaire she has no need of the money. The consensus was clearly that the boat should be restored. There are already at least 2 replicas in existance. The small size of Bluebird makes producing a replica a very inimpressive tribute to Campbell. Twincams pet journo in the sandalist is correct, the green filth are spreading their filthy green excrement on the Campbells now. What we should do is boycott the lottery and start an anti green party with the specific objective of stamping out this sort of nonsense.
What on earth does being married to a multi-millionaire have to do with not being a money grubbing cow (IMO incase you didn't notice).
No I dont have a great deal of knowledge on the subject beyond what most people have read over the last week, hence my quoting the consesus of the earlier debate, a consensus with which I agree.
As she's so loaded and so passionate why cant she cough up herself?
XM5ER said:
Display the original wreck, and build a replica
I think that was the consensus earlier in the week. Money grabbing cow IMO.
What a perfect way to let us know you know nothing about this subject. Gina Campbell is married to a multi millionaire she has no need of the money. The consensus was clearly that the boat should be restored. There are already at least 2 replicas in existance. The small size of Bluebird makes producing a replica a very inimpressive tribute to Campbell. Twincams pet journo in the sandalist is correct, the green filth are spreading their filthy green excrement on the Campbells now. What we should do is boycott the lottery and start an anti green party with the specific objective of stamping out this sort of nonsense.
What on earth does being married to a multi-millionaire have to do with not being a money grubbing cow (IMO incase you didn't notice).
No I dont have a great deal of knowledge on the subject beyond what most people have read over the last week, hence my quoting the consesus of the earlier debate, a consensus with which I agree.
As she's so loaded and so passionate why cant she cough up herself?
Gina Campbell (or any of the family members) were not responsible for raising Bluebird in the first place - she subsequently become involved when she realised that she could do little about it. I don`t think BB should have been raised - she was a perfect memorial and contributed to the legend (myth?) as she was. One of the good things is that Donald was recovered and buried appropriately, something that tends to be healthy for most families that have suffered grief.
The problem is that BB has now been raised and is sitting deteriorating in a shed - there is little point in attempting to restore her to to full running order, you will merely create an ersatz replica of the original. She is possibly a little gruesome to display as is but perhaps, if you look at the Loch Ness Wellington at Brooklands, there is a happy compromise partially restoring her to a stanard that is authentic and suitable as a permanent museum exhibit?
Donut said:
Restore it? Display it? Sink it?
Campbell's daughter wants it restored as an icon of British engineering and I am inclined to agree.
The heritage lottery fund want it displayed as a wreck. She doesn't agree and again I agree - it would be like, in her words, 'displaying Princess Diana's Mercedes'.
Being a PHer, I see more interest in a rebuilt and magnificent Bluebird, even if it isn't going to sail, if only to honour British engineering tradition.
But to exhibit it as a wreck is just plain morbid. As it is it's a death scene.
Interestingly, a columnist in the Grauniad this morning made a good and un-Grauniad point: Under New Labour it's un-PC to restore it as it's a monument to 'speed kills' as it is, and Islington hates fast vehicles and British industrial heritage.
What should we do with Bluebird?
How long have you been a heritage lottery fund member for?
The HLF are a complete bunch of arses when it comes to our maritime heritage. Despite the advice of most of the experts in the industry they go out of their way to put daft conditions on any funding which renders any proper preservation and conservation work a complete farce. If you have interest in this area, a small amount of reading around the subject will make this abundantly obvious
Errr isn't this a bit sad. (And I'm not trying to be controversial)
Donald was a great man - but he set his last record in Australia - not in the lake district, and died trying and failing in the uk - not suceeding as I'm sure he'd like to be remembered. (I mean if jesus comes back do you think he wants to see another cross - [bill hicks]) !!!!
Frankly, I'd much rather see lottery money going towards something that might provide success for our country in the future - our athletes training facilities for 2012 for a start. We seem to live too much in the past in this country - dwelling increasingly on past 'nearly great moments', FFS lets look forward for once and try and give the next generation sucess to be proud of. Jeez - even if the cash went towards a new speed record attempt instead - I'm sure MC and DC would have approved of that!
And before nayone gets their backs up, if the family / people of Conniston want to remember Donald like this (personally I'd rather remember him and his fathers triumphs than dwell on his hitting a log at 200mph) then I have no problem with that - but why should the lottery / government with my tax $ pay for it?
Just my 0.02$
Donald was a great man - but he set his last record in Australia - not in the lake district, and died trying and failing in the uk - not suceeding as I'm sure he'd like to be remembered. (I mean if jesus comes back do you think he wants to see another cross - [bill hicks]) !!!!
Frankly, I'd much rather see lottery money going towards something that might provide success for our country in the future - our athletes training facilities for 2012 for a start. We seem to live too much in the past in this country - dwelling increasingly on past 'nearly great moments', FFS lets look forward for once and try and give the next generation sucess to be proud of. Jeez - even if the cash went towards a new speed record attempt instead - I'm sure MC and DC would have approved of that!
And before nayone gets their backs up, if the family / people of Conniston want to remember Donald like this (personally I'd rather remember him and his fathers triumphs than dwell on his hitting a log at 200mph) then I have no problem with that - but why should the lottery / government with my tax $ pay for it?
Just my 0.02$
Who actually owns the wreck? Campbell's missus? If she does then she could have objected to it being raised IMO. I don't think Campbell was found to answer someone earlier who said he was buried - only Mr Woppit bobbed to the surface so I thought ...
Anyway, now it's up, what's the point? They should have sorted all this out before raising the thing.
Anyway, now it's up, what's the point? They should have sorted all this out before raising the thing.
mr_tony said:As I understand it, he didn't hit a log, but ran into his own wake.
....on his hitting a log at 200mph....
And he was doing over 300mph at the time.
The only reason it flipped over is because he closed the throttle. More power equalled more nose-down in Bluebird. Whe he let off the gas the nose came up and over he went.
If he hadn't gone over, then there is every chance he would have broken the record on that very run.
I reckon it is worth remembering him for making the ultimate sacrifice at Coniston.
The recent imposition of a blanket speed limit at Windermere just reinforces my view that the country has become a piss poor shadow of everything that once made it great.
Pat
PatHeald said:He had beaten it in one direction and was desperate to do return leg within the allowed time and the wake from the first run had not sufficiently subsided. Or that is the current theory I believe.
If he hadn't gone over, then there is every chance he would have broken the record on that very run.
FWIW I think it should be restored to as new. I think to display it wrecked is ghoulish. I sponsored, in my own little way, Thrust 2 and SSC, both projects which struggled to get money because no-one cares that in this country we are good at this sort of thing. Bluebird should sit alongside a restored SSC and Thrust 2 in a "Come and have a go if you think you're fast enough" museum.
MikeyT said:
Who actually owns the wreck? Campbell's missus? If she does then she could have objected to it being raised IMO.
Wild stab in the dark... it's probably like ships lost at sea, finders keepers. That's why, despite the best protestations of the Canadian government and others, the Titanic was stripped bare...
PatHeald said:
....on his hitting a log at 200mph....
And he was doing over 300mph at the time.
if thats the case then google let me down (www.lakestay.co.uk/campbell.html) but as you say Pat 300mph is nearer the target.
i have seen the video on discovery (i think?) a while ago and theres no doubt he was a brave if not slightly nutty individual(driven if u prefer) to do what he did to emulate his great father.
having said that i still stand by the point that the guy didn't break the record, and died in a heroic attempt. there is already a perfectly good museum dedicated to him at conniston (www.ruskinmuseum.com/campbell.htm) so why the need to restore (as others have said it's pointless as so little remains to restore you are building a replica and what does that achieve?)
Still imho the man did great thing, he's justly being remembered and leave it at that as far as 'public' money goes.
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