MYSTERY OBJECTS

[PanBiker]

Is it one of those things you can get to put under chair or table legs to stop them digging into the carpet, maybe too big though. Its made of wood by the looks of it.

[chinatyke]

Mould or pattern for casting something?

[Stanley]

Cathy and Maz are closest but not quite there yet. Have you noticed how many hits this topic has had? Must be a lot of people out there with nothing to do!

[Wendyf]

Is it a mortar without it's pestle?

[Gloria]

A bowl---soup possibly, but I think Wendy may be right.

[Cathy]

I thought of a mortar but it's only 5" across.

[Stanley]

Wendy is right Cathy and yes, I left the pestle out to make it more difficult! I suppose you want another one? Not getting fed up are you? I thought as much, more thinking needed.

[David Whipp]

What was the original use of this metal bar?

[Marilyn]

One of a pair used as a track for a hand drawn cart in either mine or factory?
You have some interesting looking keys there. Haven't seen any big ones like that in years.

[Stanley]

Looks as though it might have been a stanchion for a wire fence, it has holes in the right places.

[Marilyn]

Garage 'rolladoor' guide.

[David Whipp]

Stanley's on the right track, it's not a track...

These bars have been used around where I live for the past 90 years or so, originally, they were somewhere else locally. Can you work out where?

[Marilyn]

Frames for growing hops?

[Stanley]

Originally fence at RR Social when it was a hostel? Now used as Maz suggests, for supporting plants?

[David Whipp]

Yes, the bars were used for fencing around a significant installation, but the hostel is too recent; my family has been using these second hand for about 90 years... Clue, there is a wartime connection.

[PanBiker]

Ammunition Dump in Salterforth bottoms?

[David Whipp]

Ian has the answer.

The bar was part of the fencing around the ammunition dump between Foulridge/Kelbrook/Salterforth in the first World War. My dad used a lot of this recyled fencing around his hen pens.

Looking at the area now (ammunition dump, not hen pens), it's hard to visualise the extensive railway sidings that were spread over the area.

[hartley353]

I can remember hen houses on Monkroyd standing on ammunition boxes, which were found to contain live ammunition.

[PostmanPete]

I can remember hen houses on Monkroyd standing on ammunition boxes, which were found to contain live ammunition.

Let's just hope that they managed to lay their eggs in time before they got the orders to scramble......

[hartley353]

I can remember hen houses on Monkroyd standing on ammunition boxes, which were found to contain live ammunition.

Let's just hope that they managed to lay their eggs in time before they got the orders to scramble......

That made me laugh!

[Tizer]

...and dropped the shells into the boxes!

[Stanley]

In the 1950s the brick pillars that were the foundations of the buildings were still in place. Walt Fisher's Dad was a part time guard there and Walt could remember the clouds of yellow smoke when they burned cordite which had passed its sell by date. He thought that it was mainly Cordite that was stored there. See his evidence in the LTP.
Next one?

[Marilyn]

Not a mystery object some of us were ever likely to have guessed...

[Stanley]

It's a hard world Maz. I shall try to think something up for you. Try this one. Apologies for the quality, my hand isn't as steady as it used to be! You've all seen this at some time or another.

[Marilyn]

Apart from looking like a bit of well used kitchen paper...
Could it be a close up of your vest or coat?