Thursday, May 17, 2007
14th May. Tunbridge Wells Part 2. The Pantiles.
The Pantiles, Tunbridge Wells.
The Pantiles is a pedestrianised street that has long been the centre of fashionable Tunbridge Wells.
The area was developed round the health giving waters of the natural spring.
The water may have seemd beneficial to health, but from memory it tastes awful. It is full of iron and tastes of stale rust!
The water is free - but patrons have always had to pay for somebody to fill a glass and hand it to you. A young man was dressed in period costume for the job.
This is a post card from the 1900s.
Pictures taken by us. There seem to be many more pillars than there were 100 years ago.
We deliberately didn't take the photograph down to ground level - too many out of character bits and pieces to be seen.
Below are a few details of The Pantiles.
A Victorian post box.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
16th May Ruth Dede and Felix.
Ruth, Dede and Felix.
For anybody not familiar with my family I will explain that Ruth is my half sister. She has been living in Madagascar and Dede is her partner. They have been in England for the birth of Felix.
Dede must return to Madagascar tomorrow now that his visa has run out. Ruth and Felix will join him in about 10 weeks when Felix has received all his innoculations.
Felix is now 11 weeks old.
I couldn't choose just one picture that I took this afternoon - so here are the best 12.
14th May. Tunbridge Wells Part 1. Church.
Visit to Tunbridge Wells.....
We explored the church of King Charles the Martyr - dedicated to King Charles the 1st who was executed in 1649.
This church was the first permanent building in Tunbridge Wells. Before 1676 there was no village nor name on the map. Visitors came to take the waters but there were no lodging places closer than Southborough or Rusthall.
The church building has evolved through the centuries.
It is famed for the white moulded plaster ceiling.
This is an engraving of the church in 1719.
We explored the church of King Charles the Martyr - dedicated to King Charles the 1st who was executed in 1649.
This church was the first permanent building in Tunbridge Wells. Before 1676 there was no village nor name on the map. Visitors came to take the waters but there were no lodging places closer than Southborough or Rusthall.
The church building has evolved through the centuries.
It is famed for the white moulded plaster ceiling.
This is an engraving of the church in 1719.
This is a modern picture of the church - taken from round the corner from the engraving viewpoint. It doesn't look much from the outside.
This is a post card showing the interior. The 2 pillars had to be built after the first renovations. The church had to be doubled in size very early on and the original wall was knocked out and the church doubled in size.
There are balconies along either side of the church.
At the end of each pew is an umbrella stand. Mr Joseph Hanway introduced the umbrella to this country in 1775. He was on the church council. No doubt he thought the umbrella stands would encourage people to buy his umbrellas and boost his profits.
This was taken in the balcony, trying to show some of the wonderful ceiling.
When the church was first built the altar was on the opposite side of the church. This is a Victorian addition
Organ and plasterwork.
The Bible, open at the day's reading.
The sundial was purchased in 1771.
The bell tower. See that dreadful grey sky!
Friday, May 11, 2007
19th April Trip to the local post office Part 3.
Probably the most frequent route back from Southgate Parade takes us along Southgate Drive and over the footbridge crossing Brighton Road and passing the school where both Jamie and Ashley were pupils and where I did a lot of teaching.
This is view down Southgate Drive from one end of the shops. It is one of the roads we might drive to reach the town centre or to go to Three Bridges and beyond.
The footbridge over Brighton Road. The bridge always makes me think of Jamie.
The bridge appeared during the 2 days that I was in hospital giving birth, March 1969. It wasn't there on the Monday when I walked to the shops and when the ambulance brought me home on the Thursday we passed underneath it. Jamie was born on the Tuesday.
This is the view from the bridge, looking South. Our house is about a quarter of a mile away on the right.
Just over the bridge is the local community centre. And close by is a children's playground.
This is the main entrance to Southgate West School - now named Hilltop School. When we were involved with the school there was no fencing around the grounds.
The playground at the school. I like the fact that shelters have been provided for the children who want to spend their free time quietly. There is also an area for climbing close by.
The roads in this part of Southgate are named after Sussex villages - our Ditchling Hill is nothing like the real Ditchling Hill with its beautiful views. But we do have lots of trees to enjoy.
We are quite close to home now - at the bottom of Ditchling Hill and looking across Downland Drive.
From Downland Drive we can look down Wensleydale - the roads on this side of Southgate are named after Yorkshire and Lake District Dales.
The road is on the left side of this grassy area with oak trees. We use this road to drive to our back entrance to the house. We use the back door far more than we use the front door.
The Half Moon pub has been a Brighton Road landmark for many years - a hundred years ago it was not painted pink!
It is a popular pub, but it is many years since we have been inside - although it is only a couple of minutes walk from home.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
19th April. Trip to the post office. Part 2.
When the New Town of Crawley was planned in the late 1940s it was envisaged that there would be 9 neighbourhoods surrounding the main shopping centre and based on the old original town.
Each neighbourhood would have the basic amenities - shops, school, church and pub. The shopping parades would have a bakers, a butchers, a green grocers, a grocers, a chemist, a post office, a newsagents, a hardware store, a fish and chip shop, a hairdressers and maybe others selling our everyday needs.
When we first moved into Southgate in 1966 our parade had those shops, but most have long gone. The big out of town supermarkets have killed them off.
It was sad to see our little haberdashery shop go.
We still have the post office in the newsagents, thank goodness - such a convenience for us with all the parcels we are posting these days.
There is still a small self service store selling many of the basics; the fish and chip shop remains as does the hairdressers and the chemist and we use them all.
There are other take away food shops - Chinese, Indian and a sandwich bar. There is a betting shop, a chiropractor, a nail treatment shop, a shop selling Indian clothes (which I might use some time) and a launderette, which is useful for the washing of duvets.
The church is dedicated to St Mary.
The pub is called The Downsman - there used to be a nice pub sign of a Sussex Downland shepherd and his sheep.
The church is an attractive modern building - perhaps more attractive inside than out.
By the side of the church is the church hall. Jamie and Ashley attended the playgroup that was held here for a couple of hours each morning. Playgroups were non profit making organisations run by the local community - I was on the committe for a while.
I have passed by The Downsman many times and I don't believe I have ever been inside.
I am less likely to these days, for we know few people in the local community now and the pub is catering for those who want a large screen TV for all the sports programmes and quick meals.
When the parades were first built there were far fewer cars and parking was never a problem. Now, as you see, a one way system has been introduced in the car park.
And some new paving has been laid with a bit of interesting planting to make the parade more aesthetic.
This is the newsagents with the little post office inside. Cash machines outside local shops are a modern phenomenon.
Here I am sorting out some parcels with Brenda. There are 2 women who run the post office - Brenda and Sandra. In the mornings they are usually both on duty. We always a enjoy a chat with them when we are there.
Next time we will take the third part of this little journey - the route home.
We almost never walk back by the same route.
Each neighbourhood would have the basic amenities - shops, school, church and pub. The shopping parades would have a bakers, a butchers, a green grocers, a grocers, a chemist, a post office, a newsagents, a hardware store, a fish and chip shop, a hairdressers and maybe others selling our everyday needs.
When we first moved into Southgate in 1966 our parade had those shops, but most have long gone. The big out of town supermarkets have killed them off.
It was sad to see our little haberdashery shop go.
We still have the post office in the newsagents, thank goodness - such a convenience for us with all the parcels we are posting these days.
There is still a small self service store selling many of the basics; the fish and chip shop remains as does the hairdressers and the chemist and we use them all.
There are other take away food shops - Chinese, Indian and a sandwich bar. There is a betting shop, a chiropractor, a nail treatment shop, a shop selling Indian clothes (which I might use some time) and a launderette, which is useful for the washing of duvets.
The church is dedicated to St Mary.
The pub is called The Downsman - there used to be a nice pub sign of a Sussex Downland shepherd and his sheep.
The church is an attractive modern building - perhaps more attractive inside than out.
By the side of the church is the church hall. Jamie and Ashley attended the playgroup that was held here for a couple of hours each morning. Playgroups were non profit making organisations run by the local community - I was on the committe for a while.
I have passed by The Downsman many times and I don't believe I have ever been inside.
I am less likely to these days, for we know few people in the local community now and the pub is catering for those who want a large screen TV for all the sports programmes and quick meals.
When the parades were first built there were far fewer cars and parking was never a problem. Now, as you see, a one way system has been introduced in the car park.
And some new paving has been laid with a bit of interesting planting to make the parade more aesthetic.
This is the newsagents with the little post office inside. Cash machines outside local shops are a modern phenomenon.
Here I am sorting out some parcels with Brenda. There are 2 women who run the post office - Brenda and Sandra. In the mornings they are usually both on duty. We always a enjoy a chat with them when we are there.
Next time we will take the third part of this little journey - the route home.
We almost never walk back by the same route.
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
19th April. A trip to the local post office. Part 1.
Wakehurst Drive has been part of my life for over 40 years.
Less than a year after we were married we moved to a flat at one end of the road.
We could see new houses being built on land opposite and when we knew that a baby was on the way we put in to rent one of the houses. We moved in at the end of May 1969.
Three years later we bought the house.
This picture was taken from our present front garden looking towards the flat we lived in for 3 years. It is the upstairs flat and at the time the picture was taken looked to be waiting for new residents.
The address was Wakehurst Drive but the windows looked out over Brighton Road towards the roundabout and the A23 which we can still see.
So for 41 years I have been walking, cycling and driving the length of Wakehurst Drive - it is just about half a mile in length.
I have pushed prams and push chairs, helped the boys with their paper rounds sometimes and in later years carried bags of parcels to the post office.
I calculate that I may have been up and down the road almost 5,000 times and seen it in all seasons.
When we took these photos there was still some blossom to be seen. The bigger trees had already lost their blossom - for about a week or so it is really beautiful.
The silver birches had just broken into leaf - vivid, bright and green.
There used to be a magnolia tree outside the nearest house which I used to admire. I should have scrounged a cutting when Bill's sister, Sheila still lived there.
Half way along the road is a post box. I remember when I was recovering from the days of serious illness I felt I had achieved so much by walking to the post box with a letter.
The road gradually climbs upwards to Southgate shops and the church.
It was always the policy when the town was developed to keep as many of the old trees as possible and have lots of grassy spaces.
Next time we will have a look at the amenities at Southgate Parade.
Less than a year after we were married we moved to a flat at one end of the road.
We could see new houses being built on land opposite and when we knew that a baby was on the way we put in to rent one of the houses. We moved in at the end of May 1969.
Three years later we bought the house.
This picture was taken from our present front garden looking towards the flat we lived in for 3 years. It is the upstairs flat and at the time the picture was taken looked to be waiting for new residents.
The address was Wakehurst Drive but the windows looked out over Brighton Road towards the roundabout and the A23 which we can still see.
So for 41 years I have been walking, cycling and driving the length of Wakehurst Drive - it is just about half a mile in length.
I have pushed prams and push chairs, helped the boys with their paper rounds sometimes and in later years carried bags of parcels to the post office.
I calculate that I may have been up and down the road almost 5,000 times and seen it in all seasons.
When we took these photos there was still some blossom to be seen. The bigger trees had already lost their blossom - for about a week or so it is really beautiful.
The silver birches had just broken into leaf - vivid, bright and green.
There used to be a magnolia tree outside the nearest house which I used to admire. I should have scrounged a cutting when Bill's sister, Sheila still lived there.
Half way along the road is a post box. I remember when I was recovering from the days of serious illness I felt I had achieved so much by walking to the post box with a letter.
The road gradually climbs upwards to Southgate shops and the church.
It was always the policy when the town was developed to keep as many of the old trees as possible and have lots of grassy spaces.
Next time we will have a look at the amenities at Southgate Parade.
