Industry

Great Laxey Wheel, Isle of Man

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The Great Wheel, Laxey, I.O.M.
Postmarked 1905
Publisher: Frederick Hartmann (1902-1909)

Google Street View (approximate).

The Laxey Wheel, The Mannin Folk (song)

The Great Laxey Wheel (Queeyl Vooar Laksey) or Lady Isabella (as she is also known) is the largest working waterwheel in the world. A brilliant example of Victorian engineering she was built in 1854 to pump water from the Laxey mines.
Manx National Heritage

The Laxey water wheel was designed by the Manx engineer Robert Casement. The wheel’s axle was forged by the Mersey Iron Works of Liverpool but the cast iron rims were made on the Island by Gelling’s Foundry at Douglas. The timbers of the wheel were shaped by Manx artisans and the whole structure was assembled here on the Island. The official opening of this huge wheel took place in September 1854 and it was set in motion by the Honourable Charles Hope, the Lieutenant Governor of the Island. The wheel was named “Lady Isabella” in honour of the Governor’s wife. The wheel has a diameter of 72 feet 6 inches, (over 22 metres), and a width of 6 feet. It is capable of pumping 250 gallons of water per minute from a depth of almost 1,500 feet. The mine shaft from which the water was pumped was sited about 450 yards from the great wheel. The power from the wheel was transmitted to the pumping mechanism by a series of rods supported by and running along an imposing masonry viaduct.
Isle of Man.com

Oil Wells, Summerland, California

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Oil wells in the sea, Summerland, near Satan Barbara, Calif
Postmarked 1924
Publisher: Western Publishing & Novelty Co., Los Angeles.

General location.

The Summerland Oil Field (and Summerland Offshore Oil Field) is an inactive oil field in Santa Barbara County, California, about four miles (6 km) east of the city of Santa Barbara, within and next to the unincorporated community of Summerland. First developed in the 1890s, and richly productive in the early 20th century, the Summerland Oil Field was the location of the world’s first offshore oil wells, drilled from piers in 1896. This field, which was the first significant field to be developed in Santa Barbara County, produced 3.18 million of barrels of oil during its 50-year lifespan, finally being abandoned in 1939-40.
Wikipedia

In California, Henry Williams by 1897 had successfully pursued the giant Summerland oilfield to the scenic cliff side beaches of Santa Barbara. With reports of “tar balls” on the beaches from natural offshore oil seeps, Williams recognized that the highly productive field extended into the Pacific Ocean. He and his associates constructed a 300 foot pier, mounted a cable-tool derrick, and began drilling. When California’s first offshore oil well proved successful, more than 20 petroleum companies rushed to Santa Barbara. They constructed 14 more piers, the longest extending 1,230 feet. Over the next five years more than 400 Summerland offshore wells were drilled.
American Oil & Gas Historical Society

Weavers House, Canterbury, England

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Canterbury. The Weavers.
Publisher: Photochrom Co. Ltd.

Google Street View (approximate)

The Old Weavers House takes its name from the influx of Flemish and Huguenot weavers who settled in the area after fleeing from religious persecution during the 16th and 17th centuries. Elizabeth I granted the Flemish weavers the right to establish their businesses in Canterbury, and they are known to have used this and other similar buildings nearby.
Britain Express

THE WEAVERS OF CANTERBURY.
Ancient Home.
By C. W. Beck.
The old home of the Canterbury Weavers at Canterbury, Kent, is quaintly beautiful. It dates back possibly to the fifteenth century, although, of course, restorers have since done their best with it. Nevertheless, it is still lovely. Stand near it on a moon-light night, and drink in the picturesqueness of the dark masses of black shadow and reflection, the bright masses of cold light-there is no corner more charming in Nuremberg or Rothenberg. The sluggish waters of the Stour flow beneath and the air is tremulous with the chiming of bells from many a steeple.

The persecution of the Protestants by the Duke of Alva, under Phillip II. of Spain, in Flanders, which began during the reign of King Edward VI., gave new life to trade in England by the communication of paper, silk, woollen, and other manufactures. The “Walloons” left Flanders and fled to England from the cruelties inflicted on them on account of their religion. On the accession of Queen Elizabeth and the establishment of the Protestant religion they came over in bodies and were welcomed by the Queen, who granted them her protection.

Those who were weavers in fine silk chose Canterbury for their habitation, where they might have the benefit of the river Stour. and easy communication with the metropolis. Those who were permitted to settle in Canter-bury consisted only of eighteen housekeepers. They sent a petition to the Mayor and alder-men of Canterbury for the grant of certain privileges for their convenience and protection. The Queen, in 1561, granted them the Undercroft of the Cathedral Church, as a place of worship. They increased as persecution abroad grew, and in 1676 Charles II. granted them a charter. This enabled them to be-come a company by the name of the Master, Wardens, Assistants, and Fellowships of Weavers, John Six becoming their first Master.
Nearing 1800 the silk weaving manufacture of Canterbury greatly decayed, the most part being removed to Spitalfields in London. An ingenious and public spirited manufacturer of Canterbury, John Callaway, in 1787 invented a beautiful new article of fabric called “Canterbury muslins.” He combined the old weaving with the inventions of Sir Richard Ark-wright.

To-day the old weaving Industry is represented by the many gabled building overhanging one branch of the Stour, where visitors may see something of the old home weaving still carried on, and may rejoice in a delightful old house, one of the most picturesque of its kind remaining. The window boxes give a pleasant bit of colour to the view of those who pause on the Westgate bridge and look down the stream.
Sydney Morning Herald, 11 June 1938

The Weavers of Canterbury whose old house was described and illustrated in the ‘Herald” by C W Beck have recently abandoned the old place for a modern shop, not far from the Westgate Bridge. The present weavers numbering about forty, are descendants of the original weavers. They are very consolvatlve, and do not mix with the other citizens of Canterbury.
Sydney Morning Herald, 18 June 1938

Weir, Bingley, England

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The Weir, Bingley
c.1920
Publisher: F.Pitts, 89 Main Street, Bingley

Google Street View

(The building to the left of the postcard is different to the building shown in the street view and every other picture showing the weir I’ve been able to find. I can only assume it’s a much older picture used decades later on a postcard, until someone who knows something about Bingley happens past.)

A mill extended on the east bank for which a weir was built across the Aire. The water was then funnelled under the mill to power the works which started out as a Corn Mill, a forge and for much of the 20th century was a fat refinery. The mill was demolished in 1984 and the site has now been replaced by housing.
Wikipedia (Ireland Bridge)

The now unused mill race flows under the Northern end of bridge. Here it now serves a pool and weir fish passes to allow fish to cross the weir.
Aire Rivers Trust

Salt Marshes, Le Croisic, France

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LE CROISIC (L. I.) – Marais Salants
(Le Croisic – Salt Marshes)
“Edition du Bazar de l’Océan, Le Croisic”

Google Street View (approximate)

The salterns of Guérande is a swamp of salt water about 1 700 hectares in size. The current saltmarshes began before the 9th century and lasted for several centuries. Around the year 1500, the marshes reached 80% of the current surface. The latest were built around 1800. In the middle of the 19th century, a gradual decline started for different reasons : competition from a salt mine, lower consumption of salt as a product of conservation and improvement of transport by land. The salt of Guérande used to be traded throughout Brittany, tax free until Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte decided to tax it resulting in the beginning of a decline of salt activity.
Wikipedia.

Suma Beach, Japan

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The Beach, Suma ム望ナ山伏りョ演海浦の磨須

(Not sure on the transcription, it is hard to read in places. 須磨 is Suma.)

There is a white sandy beach in this ward, which attracts tourists to the Kansai region for sun bathing and popular events during the summer season. The same beach has appeared in the classic epics Genji monogatari, Heike monogatari, and Ise monogatari. Thus Suma is often referred as an utamakura or meisho, referenced frequently in waka poetry, Noh theatre, kabuki and jōruri.
Wikipedia.

“Suma, or Suma-no-Ura (4 M.), Shioya (6 M.), and Maiko (9 M.), all popular and attractive bathing-resorts W. of Kobe (main line of the Sanyo Rly., and the electric trolley), on the beautiful shore of the Inland Sea, possess fine shingly beaches (the delight of children), lovely sea views and a charm which has been the theme of native poets for ages. A day can be spent very pleasantly visiting the three places.
“…Many fishing-boats dot the placid waters, and long nets filled with silvery fish are often hauled up on the sandy shore [at Suma]. The sea-bathing is excellent and safe, with no heavy ground-swell or treacherous undertow.”
“Terry’s Japanese Empire”, T. Phillip Terry, 1914
Old Tokyo

There were three villages on this beach, Higashi-suma, Nishi-suma, and Hama-suma. None ofthese villages, however, seemed to have a distinctive local trade. According to an ancient poet, there used to be a great number of salt farms on the beach, but they must have gone out of existence years before. I saw small fish called kisugo spread on the sand to be dried. Some villagers–they hardly seemed professional fishermen–were guarding the fish against the crows that dived to grab them. Each had a bow and arrow in his hand. I wondered why these people still resorted to such a cruel means without the slightest sense of guilt, and thought of the bloody war that had taken place in the mountains at the back of the beach.
“Oku no Hosomichi (The Narrow Road to the Deep North, and other travel sketches)”, Matsuo Basho, 17o2 (translated Nobuyuki Yuasa, 1966 Penguin Classics, p.88)