Non-Standard Steampunk Locals

[Eisenfaust]

While this may seem more appropriate under the Geographical section, this is more along the lines of discussing places we have been that spark that certain zeitgeist inside ourselves while still remaining "nonstandard".  Old mills, steam engines, closed factories...all seem appropriate to the culture.  But what places have you been to that draw it out without overtly being steampunk?

For me, I would have to say it was the Hagiwara Tea Garden in San Francisco.  There was an almost palatable sense of age and dedication that stretched back to its opening in the 1894 World's Fair.  As I walked through the worn paths, I could envision gentlemen, ladies, and children strolling through the garden, decked out in their finest, awe struck at the glories of the Far East in all its exotic and unique flavor.

But I wax poetic...what places have brought this sense of steampunk to you that seem out of the ordinary???

Photos are not required but would be splendid.

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[Atterton]

That first bridge looks like something from the elves´ town in Lord of the Rings.

[Eisenfaust]

That first bridge looks like something from the elves´ town in Lord of the Rings.

In retrospect, I can see that.  For me it evokes the at the time image of what the far east was seen as.

[qui est in literis]

Evidently, the people of the Orient must have been seen as gymnasts. While beautiful, that bridge strikes me as extraordinarily impractical. I'd almost like to try climbing it, just to see whether I could.

The landscaping, though... I would love a garden that looks something like that, someday.

[Dr. Munro]

I get a similar feeling when I visited the Maughn Library at Kings College London.  Just a sense of age.  Maybe it's just the smell of old books...

[Eisenfaust]

Evidently, the people of the Orient must have been seen as gymnasts. While beautiful, that bridge strikes me as extraordinarily impractical. I'd almost like to try climbing it, just to see whether I could.

The landscaping, though... I would love a garden that looks something like that, someday.

It was rather interesting to climb...more of an exercise than a stroll at that point.

[Cindy P]

I was in that beautiful garden in June, and tried to cross the bridge.   Gave up half way up the first side.  There was a wedding party there taking photographs, and I thought how beautiful it would be to take photographs there in your finest Victorian or Edwardian attire.

[Engineer]

I love Victorian engineering - both steam-related and buildings showing the best of Victorain construction and design. Try these:

Kew Gardens - the old Victorian glasshouses - classic Victorain constructions of glass and iron. I loved walking round the gantry inside the palm house and admiring the construction.

http://www.kew.org/heritage/places/palmhouse.html

Steam - Museum of the Great Wastern Railway (Swindon) - in one of the original GWR workshop buildings (other GWR buildings on the site are now a retail park). You really get a feel for the scale of Victorian engineering.

http://www.steam-museum.org.uk/

HMS Warrior (Portsmouth)- the first true steam ironclad warship - more classic Victorian engineering.

http://www.hmswarrior.org/

Dave

[Mrs. Sullivan]

Evidently, the people of the Orient must have been seen as gymnasts. While beautiful, that bridge strikes me as extraordinarily impractical. I'd almost like to try climbing it, just to see whether I could.

The landscaping, though... I would love a garden that looks something like that, someday.

It was rather interesting to climb...more of an exercise than a stroll at that point.

I used to live in San Francisco quite near the park, and have climbed that bridge many times.  I remember there was some sort of lore that said crossing the bridge brings luck and long life.  Not really any more difficult than climbing a ladder - you just have to turn around at the top and back down.

I remember being in London - there is a street there that is still lit with gaslamps - I can't remember the name, but I was there at night, and found it fascinating to think that the street probably looked exactly the same more than a hundred years earlier.