OneGuyFromBarlick

None of the above. I said China was close because he mentioned volcanoes. That's because it's thought to be natural rather than man-made. I'll admit it's a difficult one and I hadn't known of such a thing until recently; not every example has this regular tube shape and I'll admit I chose this photo to throw you off track because it looks like man-made pipe!

I think it's unfair to push you any further for an answer. Even geologists aren't sure of the exact details of how these formed. They are known as ferruginous pipes and found in the Isle of Purbeck area on sandy heathland and coastal spots and may look like pipes as in the photo but also occur in other forms - e.g. multiple fused pipes, rods, squashed pipes, flat lengths. They are composed of pyrite or a sand cemented with limonite (yellow iron oxide from oxidation of pyrite). Pyrite rods also form reefs offshore in Poole harbour. The theory at present is that in the distant past solution holes (vertical holes caused by rock such as limestone being dissolved away) became coated inside with pyrite which then became a pipe, or filled to give a rod. The pipes composed of sand cemented with pyrite or limonite might have formed the same way but in a sandy environment. Early ideas were that they were archaeological, such as Roman pipes, or of more recent military origin but the wide range of shapes and varied composition don't fit with these explanations.

Most of the information available is from the work of Ian West, a Southhampton University prof who is an expert on the Purbeck/Poole area. For more photos have a look at this one of his many (long!) web pages - so long that I suggest you use your browser search function and put in the word ferruginous or scroll through looking for the photo I posted. LINK

That was a good one. The website link was interesting, I never realised Poole was so unique.

The beauty of Mystery Objects is that we learn about new things. I'm not sure how useful ferruginous pipes are going to be to me but at least I have them stored away in my head! That was a good one....

Stanley wrote: ↑30 Sep 2019, 02:47 The beauty of Mystery Objects is that we learn about new things. I'm not sure how useful ferruginous pipes are going to be to me but at least I have them stored away in my head! That was a good one....

It was a very good one, very interesting.

Thanks for your positive comments!

Definitely very interesting - my thought was that it was the air feed pipes into a iron smelting furnace

What's can you tell me about this house?

It's a cute house, I could easily live there.
Something was either delivered to or collected from that top door. Wool, cotton, grain. ?

I think it's a separate flat Cathy, there is a wreath on the door. There's something else unusual about it.

The house is unusual in both design and construction. The main construction material appears to be a black stone and that could be volcanic in origin or blocks of smelter slag. Unusually the blocks are placed as alternating lengthways and sideways, or they are alternating blocks and half-blocks. There is something odd about where the upper and lower storey walls meet - almost as if one house has been lifted up and sat on top of the other. The second storey walls appear to project slightly from the lower walls. The chimney stacks look strange too, as if they are rendered or made of shiny concrete or plastic.

I get the feeling that all the red brick features, extension, windows, chimneys ? are relatively recent additions. Its as though the original structure was some kind of single use industrial building like a pump house or grain store.

Is it the newly converted water works building opposite Heatherleigh on Higher Lane?

Tiz got it exactly. It's main original construction is made of slag blocks.
Next one?

Can anyone tell me what the connection is between this building and steam engines?

Some of the old shipyards (Harland & Wolf etc) have been replaced or have added new buildings that are shaped like a ship, but I don't recognise this as one. Could it be on the site of George and Robert Stephenson's premises in Newcastle-on-Tyne?

You're on the right track Tiz. The fact it looks like the bridge of an ocean liner is a bit of a distraction.

Right track you said Stanley? Is it a railway museum somewhere?

I'm going to have to come clean aren't I... Hang on, one last clue!

You've jogged my memory with that trademark, we've seen it before. Trouble is I still can't remember any details!

Quite! I shall come clean tomorrow if nobody gets it today.

I've looked back to Page of this thread and found the trademark but it doesn't tell me what the building is!

You're almost there, tell the others what you know! Then a bit of detective work. It wouldn't be any fun if it wasn't difficult!

They can look under the first spoiler if they want a clue to the trademark and go from there. I feel I am cheating if I look it up on the Internet as in this case, but I guess it is only like going to the library. In my defence we cannot get Google search engine in China so my searches are seriously limited.

Stanley wrote: ↑04 Oct 2019, 03:12 You're on the right track Tiz. The fact it looks like the bridge of an ocean liner is a bit of a distraction.

It was designed to look like the stern of a ship!
I'm surprised nobody knows where it is when it is so close to Barlick. Perhaps nobody travels over the county border?

I've cheated , I've looked at Chinatykes second spoiler. I did do a birds eye view up and down the canal to see if I could see anything first though.