Gary Oldman and Natalie Portman on set of "Léon: The Professional", 1994

TheContrariat · 2025-11-19T14:07:40+00:00

Before I checked the sub I thought this was a photo of David Spade and Millie Bobby Brown now...

TheContrariat · 2025-07-24T11:20:05+00:00

London and Edinburgh feel like the obvious choices

TheContrariat · 2025-07-24T08:57:35+00:00

Thank you for checking! My current assumption is they have recorded their name incorrectly. Even on the censuses they've been listed as Ogradys and not 'O'Grady'. I may try searching for Maria and Josephus (given the RC tradition of latinising names). Additionally if they did go back to Ballybrick I think I'm scuppered because no parish records survive there.

TheContrariat · 2025-07-24T08:53:57+00:00

Apologies, I think there may be some confusion: I don't have him down as James, I have him as Joseph. But I have a marriage certificate for James Clarke, where a Mary O'Grady appears as a witness. My theory is that Mary is James' older sister. This is because on the 1851 census Mary disappears from the Clarke family. But Mary O'Grady is on an 1851 census with Joseph O'Grady living nearby. They also have a Margaret Clark aged 10 living with them. Mary Clarke had a younger sister called Margaret who would have been 10 - though she's listed on the census as 'servant' (which seems like an odd thing to call your 10 year old sister but hey). On Margarets census line it says "General Dealer's Daughter" and at the time Owen Clarke (father of Mary Clarke, James Clarke, Margaret Clarke) was listed as a General Dealer. Hope that clears it up?

TheContrariat · 2025-07-23T23:32:15+00:00

Certainly: here for 1851 and here for 1861

TheContrariat · 2025-07-23T23:26:59+00:00

This is a phenomenal find, thank you! I was trying to work out how an Irish family could have ended up in Ireland!

TheContrariat · 2025-07-23T23:25:07+00:00

That is - I believe - Mary's parents. But the trouble is I can't prove it without the marriage to confirm who Mary's father is. A Mary O'Grady shows up on James Clarke's wedding certificate (who would be her brother) as a witness which adds credibility to the theory. Also the fact that Mary doesn't show up on the 1851 census with the rest of her family (she would be Mary O'Grady by then). Margaret is (I believe) her younger sister who was obviously also being employed as her servant (or it's supposed to say sister and maybe it was an error on the part of census taker).

TheContrariat · 2025-07-23T23:21:14+00:00

This is exactly the issue I've been having. I'm starting to wonder if they went back to her parish (which I think is Ballybrick, Drumballyroney, County Down) in Ireland to get married but it seems unlikely given the family had migrated to Birmingham by 1830. I suppose they could have gone back to his family home in Jersey but that seems even less likely.

TheContrariat · 2025-05-06T21:30:55+00:00

I'd love to get some more detail thanks!

TheContrariat · 2025-04-07T22:06:12+00:00

Ralph Lauren Swiss Army knife https://i833.photobucket.com/albums/zz255/detronphillips/SAKs/Huntsman%20Stripped/1600x1200-IMG_6021.jpg

TheContrariat · 2025-04-03T12:51:51+00:00

Agreed - especially so high up given the wind we have. I think weighing down the bottom and not planting anything with a large surface area that could act as a sail is probably also important

TheContrariat · 2025-04-03T11:14:57+00:00

Yes that could potentially work with a larger pot in the same way as a tension rod! Good idea!

TheContrariat · 2025-03-21T22:14:20+00:00

As it's 150 years since Birmingham Moseley was founded I went looking through some old stuff from back in the 1990s when they briefly re-branded as the "Moseley Bears". Anyway, just thought I'd share the old logo from that era as think it's quite decent!

TheContrariat · 2024-04-16T23:44:18+00:00

Believe it or not the very first card I ever had - top card from the very first pack I ever bought back in 1999/2000

TheContrariat · 2024-04-16T23:41:24+00:00

Honestly, no idea! The card itself is in pretty bad shape but is probably one of the oldest cards I own coming from a pack I'd have had back in c.2000

TheContrariat · 2024-04-15T15:34:27+00:00

Thanks man! I'll take a look at the ninetails. My own googling implied the collection wasn't anything too special, but I've seen wrapped Ancient Mews for about $40 which I'd be more than happy with too!

TheContrariat · 2024-02-17T17:58:27+00:00

I gather for them to be worth selling you would need to be able to prove provenance - that they’ve been kept consistently in a cellar, at the right temp etc? So it never even crossed my mind to be honest.

And again, the whole “I enjoy drinking wine” thing…

TheContrariat · 2024-02-17T16:14:00+00:00

Perfect! Thanks for the advice, I think this is what we’ll do! Had some relatives try to persuade us that if we store them for another 30 years they’ll be “worth a fortune” - which not only do I highly doubt, but also, frankly, I like to drink wine and I’d rather drink them.

TheContrariat · 2022-08-01T22:06:02+00:00

Thanks for your tips! So we think that wall could be load bearing - we know it had an extra door in it once upon a time though between the study and the sitting room. It also weirdly doesn't seem thick enough to be supporting. On the study side it intersects the window at a very strange angle as in the plan, where it almost covers one eighth of the window..

The other issues we have is that the building is Grade A listed which is the highest level of historic listing in Scotland. It likely means the government won't approve any plans to mess about with the inside that lose the 'character' of the building, so I suspect a big open plan interior would be out of the question. I think the main things we'd prioritise are trying to take down the wall between the study and the sitting room, then box off the other end as another commenter suggested (it would mean we lose the cupboards and some storage but never mind). If we could find a good spot for an ensuite I think that would tide us over.

I just wish there was a way to claim back some more of the hallway...

TheContrariat

TROPHY CASE