Wear Did The Ferry Run? (A P.S.)

 Replacement Proposals.

Its a tough life for a student at Sunderland University. On the south bank of the River Wear is a large block of student accomodation (in light coloured brick). The University is on the north bank, top right in the picture above.

Somehow the eager particpants in the halls of Academe have to get from one to the other. They need to climb up to the Wearmouth Bridge ...

... which involves a haul up Panns Bank Road ...

...which gets you up to the level of the new block peeping out from behind the undergrowth. A short step or three past the bins ...

... and the summit is in sight. Then it is across the bridge breathing in lots of traffic fumes ...

... turn tight at the northern end ...

... and right again to descend to the river bank.

Once on the riverside, it is a pleasant, almost rural stroll along to the main campus.

You can even enjoy this splendid Sculpture!

A composite artwork consisting of various elements in steel, concrete, wood and stone; moulded and carved stone roundels; a working telescope; sand-blasted paving and carved lettering. It is called "Shadows In Another Light."

No. fbb does not know why!

An octagonal concrete drum about 5 metres high acts as the pedestal for a large forged steel sculpture of a tree-form. This is constructed out of cross-braced box sections, rather like the nearby bridge, and curves out over the pavement below. Set about 1 metre high onto the faces of the drum are 16 roundels made of moulded fired clay, held in place by steel frames rather like portholes. Two of the roundels carry the inscriptions, and the others show a windmill; a cormorant; a lighthouse; a buoy, undersea life; a sailing ship; the Wear Bridge; Penshaw hill, the Monument and Lambton Worm; Noah’s Ark; boats on the sea; a beach scene; tools and a hand; a 1:20 scale diagram of the tree sculpture and a scale diagram of a crane.

Back to the extensive walk from Halls of Residence to Halls of Academe! If you stand by the University signboard and look across the river ...

... you can see where you started from on the far right on the far bank and far away!

Wouldn't it be jolly nice of someone would put the Sunderland Ferry back. Tucked amongst the blocks of student rooms, is a narrow alley ...

... which leads to the riverbank footpath, and .. Tada ..

... a fenced-off set of crumbling old steps leading down to the waters' edge; a ferry landing, no less!

So you can imagine the delirious joy and delight when the University Students' Union posts this earth-shattering announcement.

It seem very encouraging!

Sadly the date was April 1st!

There has been some (serious) discussion about reinstating the ferry, but the PTE seems less than optimistic.

It seems to be parked in the "all too difficult" box.

You do wonder how they managed for several hundred years until closure in 1957!

Thankfully, the students are not totally bereft of cross river transport ...

Minibuses do the job ...

... complete with a published timetable ...

Sadly tyhse buses, which follow an interesting circular route, are for students and staff only.

 Next Timetable Boob blog : Friday 17th December 

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It is all VERY familiar; children will tell you and carols will remind you. Even Harry Belafonte sang about it!

The Biblical account confirms that the angelic offer to the PASTORS was most definitely NOT "PEACE on earth, good will to all men"!

It is amazing how history has corrupted the message of the angels and made it universal, when it isn't. Throughout these blogs we have seen incidents where the message was (always!), "Do it God's was and you will be OK, Ignore God's way and you weill be in an utter mess."

So here is how Luke reports the angel's message. 

The angel said to them, “Don't be afraid! I am here with good news for you, which will bring great joy to all the people. This very day in David's town your Saviour was born - Christ the Lord!  And this is what will prove it to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great army of heaven's angels appeared with the angel, singing praises to God:

Glory to God in the highest heaven,

and peace on earth to those

with whom God is pleased!

So - to get the peace, we have to please God. That's a bit tricky! We are not so good at doing that.

We will need a bit of help, surely, maybe from some sort of Heavenly leader?.

 

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