Somewhere, out there...

Southend-On-Sea. Pentax Optio 33WR.




Somewhere out there, are the railings from my local Library.

During the second world war, the government started a campaign to collect metal, for the war effort. "Saucepans for Spitfires", was the rallying cry. Indeed, saucepans were made into Spitfires. recycled copper and brass were used to make elecrtical components and munitions. All non ferrous metals were in short supply and urgently needed.
Iron, on the other hand was not. But no matter. it would still be useful in keeping up morale. The people would think that what they were doing was helping to win the war.
So, all across the nation, hundreds of thousands of tons of municipal ironwork was removed from buildings, and even private homes. Some of it very ornate Georgian and Victorian architectural wrought ironwork!. All completely useless. Less energy and resourses were needed to smelt new ore, than to melt down the existing iron! The stuff was just stored.
After the war, it was all quietly brought to the south of England, loaded onto barges on the Thames, towed out to Southend and dumped in the sea. All very hush-hush. Nobody was supposed to know.

Today, local fishermen know where not to drop their nets, so as not get them snagged on a Bradford lampost, or a bit of Bristol park bench.
Someone once told me, that ship's compasses go haywire off Southend, because there's so much iron on the sea bed.

Yes. Somewhere out there, are the railings of Stroud Green Library. And yours too, maybe.

We hope you have enjoyed this latest in an occasional series of interesting and educational stories, illustrated with a lousy photograph, by Mowog.

I often wondered about that. In the street where I was born the houses had low brick walls with large sandstone copings and you could see where the railings had been burnt off. My mother told me they were removed during the war. I always thought it was a bit cheeky not to bring them back

Well I certainly knew about the reason but I never knew it was a waste of time.

My old school had a rooftop playground and I can remember my dad telling me they also removed the railings there too and closed off the roof. (yes my dad went there too) not at the same time of course

Of course new railings wre in place when I was there. Sadly they pulled the old place down

The only houses that still have railings near me are the ones that were commandeered by the government or military during the war. I've been looking at the cost of replacing ours with modern casts from Victorian patterns but it may well be in the region of £10K!!!

A large house nearby has been converted to a mosque and planning consent was granted on the condition that the ironwork was replaced. They had a small piece of the original and had new railings and gates made from this in Pakistan at a fraction of the cost of having them made in the UK.

I believe our railings are languishing at the bottom of the Irish Sea.

Are you sure that's a school, it could easily be a Victorian lunatic asylum

I thought the two were the same