Brentwood, Essex

Brentwood is near to the Kelvedon Hatch Secret Nuclear Bunker, and is actually a bit like BrentFORD. Perhaps it's psychogeography. I went to Brentwood as I was determined to get good value from my Essex visit, where I was lulled to sleep by a one eye grey story.

Notwithstanding the rain Brentwood doesn't give up its secrets easily. The town is a bit far from the Railway Station although a sort of town has grown near it. They do have a martyr called William Hunter who was burned at the stake at the age of 19 for the heinous crime of reading the scriptures, which he would not give up even for ready money. His memorial obelisk was restored in 1910 after the monument was damaged by fire. I wonder if there's more to that than meets the eye? Probably not, although Brentwood has a Roman Catholic cathedral, although you won't see it on here in accordance with usual policy.

The Village green in Brentwood is called Shenfield Common and this drinking fountain was given by two benefactors - husband and wife. I had a Mr Toby pie and pint special in the local pub which filled a gap if nothing else, but would have preferred the drinking fountain to be operational.

The real church of Brentwood is 19th century huge and I'm sure its congregation love it. It's not particularly photogenic though so the only church picture is going to be the ruined pilgrimage chapel of St Thomas a Beckett, now merely a ruin

There is no guided tour of the town for visitors, an ommission that somebody connected with the civic pride should correct.
Civic pride is manifest in this sculpture that greets people coming up from the station. It was however the last I saw of Brentwood besides a rather damp, smelly secondhand bookshop.

Getting in touch with my North (London) side - Canonbury and Crouch Hill.

A sunny saturday for once so time to go out again - I had some Islington Society trail leaflets and what better day to go out and use them.

There is a story by Alice Bower called 'Shanaya meets a northsider' where Shanaya a girl from Peckham is always told by her mother to 'Beware the fiendish northsider so sly' so I was taking precautions. I had my A-z and the trail leaflets. Starting off at Highbury corner - note to Islington Society please start your trails at a tube station- I picked up the first trail through canonbury via an ordinary street of houses with a 1970s school being demolished and replaced by one clad with wood. The trail led into Petherton Road with the New River (remember?) running underneath the generous green space in the middle.

The next bit of any note was Newington Green with a Unitarian chapel where Mary Wolstencroft (also known as Mary Shelley) had worshipped.

Also on the other side of the green was what the Islington Society called London's oldest surviving brick terrace - I suppose that at least they're Islington's oldest.

Newington Green was rather nice with 'treasures' planted around which were supposed to give up a secret when pressed. The mechanism seemed not to work anymore.
The next bit followed the New River and led eventually to Canonbury Tower
Formerly part of the Canonbury manor house the tower dated from the 16th century - and it looked like it did. A brief excursion to Canonbury Square (where Eric Blair - Tony's Grandfather also known as George Orwell lived) and the walk was done.

The next trail led from the horrors of Finsbury Park station to the almost delights of Crouch Hill.
This interesting looking church was one of the highlights of a dull urban walk

The Islington Society pointed out some award winning gardens on one of the streets and I thought typical Islington. They've been given an award because their gardening's 'edgy' but really both gardens were simply a mess.
The other point of interest was the Old Dairy public house - not surprisingly in an old dairy. There are stucco panels depicting what are now historic scenes of dairy farming and milk production.
The trail led to crouch hill and then petered out.
I couldn't be bothered to do the next one although I looked at Hornsey Road Baths (now flats)with this evocative sign (restorred)

I then decided to go shopping in the Holloway Road.

muddy foggy day in the clent hills

After Northamptonshire yesterday it was the turn of Worcestershire today. The Clent hills is a popular spot for walkers even on a borderline rainy day like today. The National Trust run a car park although it is easy to park elsewhere.

The hills are wooded and have four stones standing on top of them - said to be built by the Earl of Dudley who used to own the Estate.

There is even a special viewpoint
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A very nice place indeed.

Daventry and Stoke Bruerne

Daventry is a market town in Northants right in the middle of hunting country, there is a memorial to a member of a hunt committee in the high street. Lots of local shops and cafes with very few chains. I have to say that the cafe I went into with my friend was chaotic and they forgot our order.
The church was nice but no real time to look round as so much time wasted waiting for food that never arrived.


Daventry should be pronounced Danetre but nobady does thanks to the BBC who have a transmitter there, who pronounced it as it is written.

After Danetre went to Stoke Bruerne to see the National Inland Waterways museum, with canal boats. It was very nice with lots of canal impedimenta painted with roses and castles and parts of the hard life of a boatman.


We went for a walk up the canal to the Blisworth Tunnel which is just under two miles long.

We went for a walk over the top but stopped short of finding the end at that distance.

Caterham where Environmental Health is powerless

Just been for a day out in Caterham - the end of the line. As it is a terminus this means that the town has retained its largely Victorian layout throughout the twentieth century. A visit in the rain probably doesn't show the town at its best, but I managed to obtain a picture of the town's first streetlight with the church behind it.

I visited the museum and was shown around one of the rooms by one of the wolunteers who burst into song at one point. The museum was better than the one at Twickenham as it had a lot more artefacts and was in fact a museum of waterclosets with a display of wash down pans, washout pans chains and paper. Interesting though.

I didn't venture up the hill to caterham on the hill and stayed in the valley.

Catering in caterham left a lot to be desired. I went into the KFC who were big on recycling. The restaurant recycled a piece of chicken that had been handed back by someone else into my burger! I thought this was shocking and I will certainly think twice about ever eating in KFC again.

Gravesend or Gravesham

Gravesend is a town in Kent that was once a major destination for paddle steamers coming down the Thames from London, and stands opposite Tilbury. Gravesham is derived from the office of Portgreve (or Portreve) and, as is usual Ham means homestead, so Gravesham is the home of the portgreve, the port having disappeared (as port is inclined to do when I'm around). The name is nothing to do with graves for plague victims or burial at sea.

Being opposite the Tilbury docks there is often shipping and here is a picture of a ship passing the Royal Terrace Pier which is owned and locked up by the Port of London Authority. It was built in 1842 and acquired its royal connection when Princess Alexandra of Denmark disembarked here on her way to marry Albert Prince of Wales, son of Queen Alexandrina. Subsequantly Prince Albert became King Albert I in 1901 and dies in 1910.

The oldest building in Gravesend is the Milton chantry. Chantries were chapels where masses were said for the dead who were said to be in purgatory - a kind of intermedieate state between heaven and hell totally made up by the Roman Catholic church. At the reformation, the reformers, having found no evidence of purgatory in the bible, closed the chantries. Eventually the Milton Chantry became a barracks and a battery to defend the thames was maintained from the time of King Henry VIII and it looks as though it could be brought back into operation at fairly short notice as the world war two guns are still present.

Religious life in the town is provided by St George's Church, an 18th century structure built after a fire in the town. The church has a good 18th century interior although changed by liturgical innovations of the 19th century.

Famous people in Gravesham are firstly Rebecca Wrolfe who began life as princess Pocahontas (which I pronounce Pock-a-hontas in the English way - no poking please). She was a great help to the English settlers of Virginia, converted to Christianity and married a tobacco planter John Wrolfe. Princess Pocahontas came to England and was entertained by royalty, but she fell ill and died, and was buried in the chancel of the Gravesend church that burned down. Her statue is in the churchyard.

General 'Chinese' Gordon also lived in the town for 6 years as commander of the battery. During this time he established a mission to the poor and a reading room where he taught poor children to read. General Gordon's military career needs no introduction from me. His statue is in the riverside park that bears his name.



On my last visit to Gravesend I saw some idiot run over the 650-850v DC electrified track - four sets of rails. I hope he was arrested straight away on coming up. Thankfully nobody did that this time but this sculptural car park is best viewed from the station

The Chilterns - Chalfont st Giles

A visit to the chilterns in the middle of winter with snow on the ground anddifficulty walking. I got off the train at Chalfont and Latimer, expecting to be able to reach Chalfont St Giles easily. It was not to be. I picked up the wrong map and so had to ask in the library where I should go. They directed me for 3 miles of pavementless road and, eventually, I arrived at Chalfont St Giles.
A pleasant little village with an old church, and a green. It was where John Milton escaped the plague in London, and his cottage is preserved. Alas it is not open in December or three other months of the year, so I could not go in to see where he enjoyed himself and kept free of plague. The church was locked as well.
The only thing for it was to take the bus to Amersham and come back to London.

Twickenham

A visit to the Middlesex side of the Borough of Richmond, including the voluntary Twickenham Museum.


Think Twickenham and the thought goes immedietely to Rugby. Not sure I can cope with the arcane sport that used to be divided in two with a league and a union so all I can say is that Twickenham, and Whitton, is pretty good for charity shops, in some cases three in a row.

The shopping and pubbing is OK in Twickenham - basically just Richmond's poor relation although there are some aristocratic mansions. The old riverside (and Eel Pie Island) is much more interesting. First off I went to Twickneham Museum, staffed by enthusiastic volunteers (including a lady from the North East) diamond geezer was disappointed with the museum and so was I really. It was a bit short on artifacts and a bit heavy on reading.

I think the church was having a striking competition or peal attempt day on their 8 bells. On the wall of the church high up was a flood commemoration level - floods are not a recent phenomenon..

Twickenham has some of the nicest council offices I've seen. These used to belong to an indian millionaire who had these naked ladies frolicing in his garden. They have been restorred recently.

The Modern art gallery had some connection with the Duke of Orleans but the house was mostly demolished apart from this little banqueting house with a very fine interior.
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Twickenham - I might go back.

Compton surrey

A drive around the Surrey Hampshire border country and tea in the tea rooms at the Watts Gallery.

Derby

A day out in Derby- home to Crown Derby (natch, although Cornish ware comes from Staffs)and the former Midland Railway and current railway research.


It's also a cathedral city

and home to the first ever factory


Who says railway couplings can't be fun?

East Grinstead and Oxted

I was told I'd be bored by East Grinstead but really it wasn't that bad. The town is noted for having the longest run of 16th Century buildings in the country and I've no reason to doubt that. It is in the North East corner of West Sussex and the old buildings are well used.

One is the Sackville College an almshouse. We met the Sackvilles at Knole, if you remember, but it was here that they founded their old people's home.


Back in the 1960s the inmates had to wear a uniform - in the museum there was one of the old uniforms - a black dress and a black cloak. In the 1960s the inmates finally rebelled and made a bonfire of the uniforms! I hope they can now wear their own clothes.

The church of St Swithun was rebuilt in the 18th century, unudually in the gothic style. Even inside the church is hard to date. Probably it was rebuilt to be much the same as before.


So I wasn't bored with East Grinstead and might even go back there at some point.

The train back from East Grinstead calles at Oxted also. Now Oxted looked meadieval but I suspected it was all 1930s fakery or maybe 1890s fakery. Certianly most of the housing was of the mid 20th century. Oxted was quite nice with a tudor cinema and the church of St Mary - you can't fake that!


Oxted is also on the meridian.

Herefordshire and Gloucestershire

Brockhampton church

From Travels around London

Tibberton church.

From Travels around London

Kempley Church

Baldock, Letchworth and a brief look at Hitchin.

Hitchin was only a flying visit with a view to going back there one day.

Baldock was quite nice but not much there - rather overshadowed by Letchworth too.

From Travels around London

Ah, now- Letchworth Garden City - First Garden City Limited and that's what it was - the first city (well town really) founded on town planning lines which endeavoured to put the maximum number of people into a high quality environment. The final goal is Freedom and Co-operation (in the sense promoted by the International Coöperative alliance). See Howards Magnets for the full story.
Temperance until the 1960s there was a pub the skittles inn now the settlement.

From Travels around London

This led to the comment that life in Letchworth was all skittles and no beer!

Houses were built in all kinds of styles from garden city modern

From Travels around London

Modified council house

From Travels around London

And edwardian rustic

From Travels around London

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Letchworth has apparently a good sense of community, the developer always acting for the public good. It's a nice open community in a pleasant environment. I think the aim has succeeded.

A sunny Monday Portslade to Saltdean

A beautiful monday after a wet weekend. A trip to Portslade and Hove. Old Portslade has an ancient church.

From Travels around London

although plain within. Portslade isn't so good but the old village is pleasant.

Above the village is the foredown tower (shut)

From Travels around London

Then it was time to go into Hove and western Brighton which was gorgeous. Another bus ride led me to Rottingdean home of Burne Jones, Rudyard Kipling, Angela Thirkell (mother of Colin McInnes) and Enid Bagnold. Not sure who remembers these authours now although Kipling will be recognised.

There were Burne Jones Windows in the church and a special Kipling Garden on the green.

The final bus ride led me to Saltdean to photograph the lido there

From Travels around London

A good day.