Twinkle at Orleston Church, Kent

Twinkle at Orleston Church, Kent
Twinkle at Orleston Church, Kent

Thursday 21 March 2024

Battle - not just the Norman Conquest

 Battle Abbey, of course, is well known throughout the world, as the place where the Battle of Hastings was fought in 1066, and King Harold lost his life and his kingdom.

But visitors to the little Sussex town must be pleasantly surprised by the beautiful old buildings which line the High Street.

It's true that, outside of the Battlefield, there's not a lot of awe-inspiring history, but on a local level, there's much to see and admire.

I spent the morning poking about, and had intended to ride up towards Heathfield, recording the Polish Airforce Memorial just outside Netherfield, Mad Jack's Sugar Loaf between Brightling and Dallington, and the Jack Cade Memorial at Cade Street.

I did the first of these, but then the mist clamped down, and as it would mean parking the bike on the road for the other two, I decided to wait for safer weather. 

I'll hopefully go back later in the year, when the weather is more clement.

Sussex page is about to be updated..........................


Saturday 9 March 2024

Here and There in London

 So today, I decided to explore the area which comprises the very south of the London Borough of Camden.

It's a bit of an odd area, with no overall cohesion, covering as it does, places as diverse as Euston station and Bloomsbury Square. It has thus been difficult to put all my thoughts under one heading. 

So, I can include one or two random pictures under the heading of 'South Camden', and the rest will have to have their own headings, some with only one item in them.

I'm going to start by adding a bit more on the St. Pancras Hotel on the London1 page, and the rest will appear on London2

Saturday 17 February 2024

Why Wye?

 Why not? Twice a month, Wye has a smashing little Farmers' market. And unlike some of them, the stalls are all local produce. The stall holders are all lovely people, and every stall is different. 

I needed to go and top up on some of the things I buy regularly, and I had nothing else on today, so I thought I would combine it with one of my urban walks, and poke around a bit.

By the time I got there, it was drizzling quite badly, so I bought my produce and then decided to confine my research to just the old college buildings and the church, conveniently opposite the market.

You know what Rabbie Burns said about 'the best laid plans of mice and men?.......... the buildings are currently shrouded in scaffolding, and the church was closed today because some sort of audio recording was taking place.

I definitely need to return, as there is a lot of important local history contained within those walls, and the town itself is very old and well worth a look in depth. 

So for now, I'm putting a chapter on the Kent2 page for Wye, but it will only hold a picture of the outside of the church, and a little bit of tantalising history to be going on with.




Friday 16 February 2024

Spring is on its' way.......curiously!

 Well now, the weather is showing signs of warming a little, and hopefully, we shall soon have a few dry days, so that I can start exploring again.

My researches over the gloomy Winter weeks, has thrown up some real oddities. I know every county has its' curiosities but I've found several in Kent. Sussex and Surrey that are just begging me to go and find them.

Obviously, I have yet to go and photograph the worlds famous 'Ham Sandwich' sign just outside Finglesham, but I can add another 'street oddity' - just outside Sevenoaks, is a road called 'Labour-in-Vain'. Need to find out why.

I've decided to add follies too. Of course, there are the famous ones such as Calton Hill in Edinburgh, and those that were built purely to 'enhance' the aspects of country houses and stately homes.

There's lots of others locally, but Brightling in Sussex outshines them all. The little village is littered with them, all thanks to a gentleman known as 'Mad Jack Fuller'. He will probably end up with a page all to himself!

Most curious of all, are my starting points of any place - churches.  Most churches have a dedication to a saint. The land is littered with churches to St. Mary, St. John etc., and most are to well-known people or events. However - there are one or two that have piqued my interest and curiosity to know more.

I've already visited the tiny church of St. Rumwold on the edge of Romney Marsh, one of only two in the country dedicated to the infant saint. That is likely to become better known as the burial place of Paul O'Grady. I just hope it doesn't generate too much interest, as it is a lovely, peaceful place. 

Dedications to St. John, and variations (St. John the Baptist, St. John the Evangelist etc.) are plentiful, but how about a church dedicated to 'The Beheading of St. John The Baptist'? There's also one dedicated to 'King Charles the Martyr'.  (obviously Charles I who was also beheaded). Gory eh?

So there we have it. I think I've made enough notes over the Winter to keep me going for a good few years, let alone this Summer.

Friday 26 January 2024

2024..........

 So far this year, it's been wet and windy. However, today the sun is shining and I'm off out. Not a 'place visit', just to make sure that the bikes are OK after their lack of use this winter.

I've spent the last couple of weeks researching and sorting out routes to follow and places to go to. There will be still more on Kent, naturally, more trips to the curious side of London, and a bit of poking about Surrey, and, if time allows, Middlesex. Plus, of course, a trip to St. Albans by train. 

However, this year, I want to see more of Sussex, and the first place on my list is Battle. As usual for me though, it will be less about the Abbey and more about the town and its people. 

So, if you're down this way, keep an eye out for my blue motorcycle if it's a fair distance from home, and my little yellow one if I'm more local. 

Sunday 10 December 2023

And so this is Christmas.................

 ....well, not quite, but, in keeping with the rest of the past year, my explorations have been curtailed by the lousy weather. It's pointless trying to explore by bike, because there's no pleasure in tramping round villages and towns in heavily wet motorcycle gear.
Similarly, I've put my city walks on hold until after the New Year. The streets will be just too crowded and manic for my liking.

So, I am going to make use of the next few weeks in doing research on future places to visit, and in filling in some of the gaps in my notes on the places I've already featured.

This means that, even if you've already looked at somewhere I've been and photographed, you can now revisit the pages and learn more about what you're looking at. 

I hope we will have better weather in 2024. My list of local places to visit has grown to 16 pages now, and my list of London walks grows equally longer. Add to these, I want to visit a few other places I can reach, investigate, and get home within a day, some by bike, others by train. I'm hoping one of the first of these will be St. Albans - so much history, so little time...........

Anyways, I'd like to wish all my Christian friends a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah to my Jewish friends, and Happy Holidays to everyone else

Most of all, to all people, I wish you a very good New Year. (If you are Chinese, or Buddhist et al, just hold this thought for when you celebrate your New Year)

Friday 24 November 2023

Islington, and a cat named Bob

Yesterday it was Richard Lovelace, today it was A Street Cat Named Bob. Can you see the connection? Nope, neither can I - except they both created literary history. 

If you have never seen the film, or read the book about a man and his homeless cat, then I strongly recommend you do so.

Today I went to Islington, in search of James Bowen and his cat. I found their memorial fittingly in Islington Memorial Garden.

Islington doesn't have too much to recommend it. It's not the kind of London borough that can afford to go in for high-end architectural design, but nevertheless, it has its' little quirks and charms.

I was a tad disappointed that the Angel, Islington, of 'Monopoly' board fame, was all shrouded in scaffolding, but hey ho, you can't have it all!

Easy to find my write-up this time, because I have had to start a second page for London, and so, for a while at least, it's the first entry there.

Thursday 23 November 2023

In search of Richard Lovelace

 Well, at least a visit to Bethersden church, the parish of his home. 

I'll be updating the Kent page with all the pictures and more information on Lovelace this afternoon. But in the meantime, I just want to say, what a lovely morning I've had today.

Bethersden church has an open coffee morning on Thursdays. I arrived not knowing this, and I couldn't have been made more welcome. The coffee was delicious, the company excellent, and the cakes very tempting (although I did manage to resist)

I walked around the church 'doing my thing', and then went and sat at the long table with my cup of coffee. Within minutes, I was engaging in thoroughly enjoyable conversation with complete strangers, as though I'd known them all my life, and surrounded by doggies who were very interested in what was in my pocket. (Sorry Cali and Dakota, I've given away some more of your treats!)

Anyway, soon as I've finished a few investigations on what I found, I'll be updating the Kent1 page



Friday 3 November 2023

And then there's Ashford................

 No longer the busy little market town of my childhood, or the place of my teenage years that was more rocker than mod.
The town centre is  run down and shabby, and there's a lot of ASBOs needed. Outside of the town, there's too many houses being built, swallowing up the countryside and farmland, and causing over-population and urban sprawl.
But in amongst the decrepit buildings and empty shops, there are still some treasures to be found. The town centre has been added to the Kent page, and I will explore the suburbs at a later date.

Wednesday 11 October 2023

And there the Kent Coast ends.................(well, almost)

 So today, I visited Ramsgate. It used to be a favourite place when we were kids, and every year, the village would get a little coach trip up to go and see the Ramsgate lights (like Blackpool, only a little smaller). 

Built into the cliffside the full length of the harbour are little cavelets, mostly with seats in them, but some with little flower gardens and waterfalls. These would all be lit with coloured lights, and up the top of the hill, where the road turned right, away from the seafront, there used to be a theatre, a little motor museum and a flashing display of coloured lights depicting a ram jumping over a gate.

Now it's all gone and the water gardens are stagnant and dirty. The bandstand up the top, opposite the Plains Of Waterloo, once was the only bandstand in the world, with a polished dance floor. No more. Ramsgate, I'm afraid, has lost a lot of its' charm. Still, I found enough of interest to keep me busy for a while, mostly thanks to Augustus Pugin. 

I rounded off my trip with a return journey briefly visiting Cliffsend, Sandwich, Eastry and Elham. So these places have had more information added. They're divided between the two Kent pages

Now I have walked around every coastal town from Whitstable to Rye, but several of them still have far more to discover.................