Awkward for Orkney trees
QUESTION Why is Orkney devoid of trees?
Contrary to popular perception, there are native trees on orkney that defy, and are adapted to, salt- l aden winds, extremes of day length and the short growing seasons.
Downy birch, hazel, rowan, aspen, juniper and willow survive in modest stands that are sheltered in valleys or are maintained by local community tree planting projects.
orkney’s smooth contours are a result of the retreating Scandinavian ice sheets, which finally disappeared 10,500 years ago. this was followed by a warmer period when neolithic orkney was covered by thick forests on lower ground, with grassland and heath on hillsides.
Pollen studies in Berriedale Wood on Hoy suggest there were large birch and hazel woods in 5000 BC.
It is believed that tree felling on the periphery of orkney’s woodlands by neolithic people exposed their vulnerable core to the effects of the cold, salty winds.
at the same time, cooler, wetter weather created waterlogged soils ideal for the formation of peat. this meant trees struggled to maintain a foothold.
By the middle of the Bronze age, continued climatic deterioration saw the loss of woodland, with peat bog and heath dominating.
With little wood available, stone was used as a building material. this has left the isles with a number of wonderfully preserved prehistoric sites, including the village of Skara Brae and the burial chamber of Maes Howe.
Colin Brough, Inverness.
QUESTION Why was Cecil Court in London’s West End nicknamed Flicker Alley?
CeCIl Court is today known as Booksellers’ row because it is lined with specialist shops. But between 1897 and 1915, it was the heart of the early British film industry and acquired its Flicker alley nickname.
early movies had a low frame rate (the number of still photos shown per second), hence the names flicker and flicks.
In the early days of the industry, many major players — film-makers, importers, distributors, agents and ancillary trades — set up their offices in Cecil Court. Film pioneers Cecil Hepworth and James Williamson worked there.
International companies, such as Gaumont, nordisk and Vitagraph, were found in this narrow street, which is almost an alleyway, between Charing Cross road and St Martin’s lane.
the U.S. home video and distribution company Flicker alley founded in 2002 was named after this historical site.
a plaque commemorating Cecil Court’s association with the film industry was unveiled by actor Simon Callow in 2012.
as the film companies moved out, booksellers moved in. My uncle, Jules Kosky, worked at travis & emery, antiquarian music scores and publications, during the 1960s and 1970s.
Cecil Court was laid out in the late 17th century. It is owned by the family from which it takes its name, the Cecils of Hatfield House in Hertfordshire, who are the descendants of robert Cecil.
He was created first earl of Salisbury by James I (James VI of Scotland) as a reward for engineering the transition of the Crown from the tudors to the Stuarts.
Jon Finegold, Doncaster, S. Yorks.
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