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We have been happily using laundry strips for a couple of years now. It comes in packaging that can be recycled rather than plastic bottles. Plus detergent is mostly water so the shipping weight of laundry strips is less in terms of volume and weight.
Happy Wednesday to you.
Have been playing around with various light and compositions for my lunch! For this set I wanted a slightly darker look, so I used only one light coming from the back behind on the left. I used a Bowens Gemini 500 with large softbox attached. From the front I added some highlights with a small mirror just to make the salmon look a bit more appealing.
Find more information here
This poignant image is thought to have been taken at Tuncurry in late March 1934. Coastal Steamships Ltd began a regular service to the Manning and Sydney in September 1933 but in this instance appears to have also called in at Cape Hawke. On April 2nd 1934 the steamer Jap was being towed out across the Tuncurry bar by the tug Forster with a load of timber when she became stuck on the bar and finally wrecked.
More images and the history of the tug Forster can be found in the Album Tug Forster
The Jap, a schooner of 200 tons, was built at Failford, NSW, by John Gregory & Son under the supervision of Henry Miles Breckenridge (son of John Breckenridge) for John Breckenridge, sawmiller of Failford. In 1911 she was converted to a steamer in Sydney.
Details
Name: JAP - as a schooner 1905 - 1911
Type: three masted schooner with topsails
ON: 121105
Registered Sydney: 33/1905 (July)
Microfilm Reference Reel: Reel C2/10
Length overall: 124.8 ft
Beam: 29.0 ft
Depth: 7.0 ft
Gross tonnage: 200 tons
Builder: John Gregory & Son under supervision of Henry Miles Breckenridge - Failford
Owner: John Breckenridge, Failford
Name: JAP - as a steamer 1911 - 1934
Type: Twin screw steamer
ON: 121105
Registered Sydney ON: 121105 18th April 1911; No.11 of 1911
Microfilm Reference Reel: Reel C2/11
Length overall 124.8 ft
Beam 29.0 ft
Depth 7.0 ft
Gross tonnage: 242 tons
Net tonnage: 136 tons
Builder: Messrs Chapman and Co., Druitt St., Sydney, installed the engines, boilers etc. The engines are twin surface condensing engines, nines and eighteens, and are capable of developing up to 250 h.p. The shipwright work, rendered necessary by the alterations, was entrusted to Mr. David Drake, of Balmain, and the joinery work was carried out by Mr. W. Fletcher. The Wingham Chronicle and Manning River Observer - Saturday 20 May 1911
Ownership:
Schooner
1905 - 1911 John Breckenridge, Failford
Steamer
1911 - 1917 John Breckenridge, Failford
1917 - 1929 John Breckenridge & Sons Ltd, Drummoyne
1930 John Breckenridge & Sons Ltd, Drummoyne (in liquidation)
1930 - 1932 Graham Cecil Harwood Newell & John Raymond Einersen
1933 - 1934 Percy Harwood Newell
1934 Coastal Steamships Ltd.
LIFE AS A STEAMER
Maiden Voyage
The "new" steamer Jap departed Sydney on her maiden voyage to Failford on 18th May 1911. The anticipation of the crowd was electric: "On Friday morning last (19th May), notwithstanding the inclemency of the weather, the quietude of our village was somewhat disturbed by hearing the tooting from several whistles, the mill and steamers evidently having a contest to see which could out-blow the other. Many of our residents not being accustomed to so many whistles at one time concluded that the multiplicity of screeches indicated that the steamship Jap, which had been expected on her maiden voyage, had arrived. This surmise proved correct and the whistling announced her arrival, accorded a welcome to the new ships and in a measure congratulateous to the popular and enterprising owner, Mr. John Breckenridge, on his success.The Wingham Chronicle and Manning River Observer - Saturday 20 May 1911
Detailed Description
Prior to conversion she was dependent on the winds for propulsion. After due consideration, the course of conversion into a twin screw steamer was adopted, and the vessel was placed in the hands of Messrs Chapman and Co., Druitt St., Sydney, for the installation of the engines, boilers etc. The engines are twin surface condensing engines, nines and eighteens, and are capable of developing up to 250 h.p. There are two boilers, and two funnels abreast, similarly to those of the s.s. Commonwealth. No expense has been spared in any of the machinery or accessories, nor, it may be said, in any of the reconstructing work. The ship-wright work, rendered necessary by the alterations, was entrusted to Mr. David Drake, of Balmain, and the joinery work was carried out by Mr. W. Fletcher. The alterations effected, otherwise than the installation of boilers and engines, consist of fitting cabins, lockers, lavatories etc., on the same level as the main deck, and cabins and officer's quarters on the upper or promenade deck, and the whole of the work has been carried out on up-to-date lines. She has a roomy, well ventilated saloon, and two state cabins to accommodate eight gentlemen passengers, and four lady passengers respectively below, and a state room on the upper deck, to accommodate four more passengers. The officers’ quarters are also on the upper deck. The promenade deck is roomy and replete with every convenience. The berths on the upper deck are almost ideal; but all are comfortable and as every other modern convenience has been provided the vessel should become very popular. The Wingham Chronicle and Manning River Observer - Saturday 20 May 1911
Early Operation
TheJap and the Commonwealth were marketed under the “Breckenridge's Line” with the Jap given over to the Camden Haven trade while the Commonwealth took up the running between Sydney and Cape Hawke. Captain Driscoll, formerly Master of the Commonwealth, was transferred over to the Jap.
The Jap traded regularly along the coast for the next ten years with only minor incidents reported. One such rather amusing incident was reported as a regrettable misunderstanding: “The small steamer Jap was attempting to enter the Heads at 6:30 a.m. yesterday [17th Aug 1914] when a misunderstanding occurred and a shot was fired across her bow from the fort at South Head. The vessel stopped, but she was afterward allowed to proceed up the harbor.” Northern Star (Lismore) - Wed 19 Aug 1914.
Ownership transferred to John Breckenridge and Sons Ltd
The company John Breckenridge and Sons Ltd. was formed in 1911 with John Breckenridge as Chairman of Directors and both John Wylie and Henry Miles Breckenridge as Directors. John Breckenridge died in 1917 and ownership of the Jap was transferred to the Company in the same year.
Collision with ferry Kiamala - 1920
A collision with the ferry Kiamala was to have a lasting impact on the Master, Captain Michael Driscoll). “Certificate Suspended - Captain of Steamer Jap
As a result or the collision between the ferry steamer Kiamala and the steamer Jap off Milson's Point on the night of July 24, the Marine Court (Judge Backhouse, with Captains H. C. Chudleigh and C. W. Davidson as assessors) to-day suspended the certificate of the master of the Jap (Captain Michael Driscoll), for two months, from the date of the accident, and ordered him to pay reasonable costs of the inquiry to the master of the Kiamala.
Mr. Curtis had informed the Court that the captain of the Jap had an unblemished record, and his reputation was of the highest.
Judge Backhouse said that the Court had dealt leniently with Captain Driscoll on account of his excellent record.
If the Court had seen its way not to suspend the certificate, it certainly would have done so.” Evening News - Fri 3 Sep 1920
By 1923, Captain Driscoll, who continued as Master of the Jap retired. “Captain Driscoll, of the steamer Jap, who has been trading on the Camden Haven River for many years, and occasionally visiting the Richmond, has made his last trip, he having retired from the service of John Breckenridge and Sons.” The Richmond River Herald and Northern Districts Advertiser - Tue 5 Jun 1923.
By 1928 Jap had virtually ceased trading and the vessel was essentially mothballed. Following financial troubles in 1929 it appears that the Company was put into liquidation and the Jap was put up for sale.
Sold to lightering contractors Newell and Einersen
In 1930 the steamer JAP was sold to Graham Cecil Harwood Newell & John Raymond Einersen. “STEAMER JAP RECOMMISSIONED.
After being laid up at Sydney for a considerable time the steamer Jap has been commissioned. Formerly employed in the timber trade by John Breckenridge Ltd the vessel was recently purchased by Newell and Einersen lightering contractors. Under the command of Captain Coe she sailed for Newcastle yesterday to load coal and is due back at Sydney to day. The Jap is of 246 tons gross and was built in 1905”. The Sydney Morning Herald - Saturday 5 July 1930
Attempt to Rescue Newton Elm
"NEWTON ELM FIRM ON SAND
The small coastal steamer, Jap, which reached Newcastle late last night, was the first vessel to reach the stranded Newton Elm. Coming down the coast from the Macleay River, a lookout man on the coaster noticed the plight of the larger vessel, Captain W. Benson immediately put in closer to shore to render what assistance he could.
It was 11:30 a.m. on Saturday when the Jap ranged alongside the Newton Elm. A south-easterly wind was blowing, and the sea wash lumpy and rising, Displaying skill and seamanship, the skipper took the Jap as close as possible, and a line was thrown aboard, To this a hawser from the Newton Elm was fastened, and the small Jap attempted to tow the steamer into deeper water. For four and a half hours the Jap stood by. But while thee firemen worked at terrific speed and the little vessel exerted all her strength, she failed to move the stranded steamer." Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate - Mon 21 Dec 1931
Salvage of Northern Firth - Brush Island
In her new guise as a lighter, the Jap was involved in some interesting tasks. On February 21st 1932 the steamer Northern Firth was wrecked on Brush Island that lies just off Broulee on the South Coast of NSW. Lloyds instructed the Patrick Co., from London, to attempt salvage work and the Jap was sent to the scene to transfer the cargo, which consisted of wine, spirits, canned fruits, jams, beer, maize, syrup, silks and furniture.
In 1933 she caused considerable disruption to communications along the NSW North Coast.
“About 5 On Friday afternoon word was received at Taree post office that the mast of the steamer Jap, which was proceeding through Coopernook bridge to go up the Lansdowne, had broken about 18 telephone lines which cross the river at this point.
These lines connect Sydney with the whole coast further north right up to Brisbane. It is only last November that the lines were taken from the cable and put across the river. Mr. Coleman, who is in charge of this work at Taree office, and his assistant, Mr. Burgman, at once proceeded go to Coopernook, and it is to their credit that by 10 o'clock the service was restored. The Manning River Times - Wed 21 Jun 1933.
Sold to Coastal Steamships Ltd
In September 1933 it was announced that the Jap had been sold. “Coastal Steamships, Ltd. announce that the steamer 'Jap' will commence a weekly service to Taree, Wingham, Coopernook and all parts of the Manning River direct without transhipment, sailing from No. 38 Wharf Darling Harbour, next wharf to James Patrick & Co. Ltd., on Tuesday, 19th September, 1933 and every Tuesday thereafter, weather and circumstances permitting”. The Wingham Chronicle and Manning River Observer - Fri 15 Sep 1933.
Wrecked on the Tuncurry Bar
Her time with Coastal Steamships was brief. On 2nd April, 1934, loaded with timber, she became stuck on the bar at the entrance to Cape Hawke Harbour while being towed out by the tug Forster. Reports of the day described the scene. “When being towed out by the tug Forster on Monday night [2nd April] about ten o’clock, the Coastal Steamship Company’s steamer Jap struck a sand bar just before reaching the outer play. The vessel was proceeding to Sydney and was taken out at the top of high tide. She was carrying a good cargo of timber from the Manning River and this Port. She left the Manning on Friday night half loaded and crossed here on Saturday, completing her loading from the district sawmills on Monday.
After she had been caught end-on, on the bar, it was recognized that the tug could have been no use to her and to save the tug from being pulled into a similar difficulty the tow rope was let go and it was then hoped that the vessel, disabled for the time being, would float off during the next morning or evening, at the latest.
However, within an hour after the mishap occurred, it was found by the master that she was leaking badly and the Pilot Station was signaled to keep a look out for the night in case relief was wanted by the crew.
On Tuesday morning, conditions had not materially improved and though the seas were not high the vessel was leaking badly and towards mid-day the onrushing waters in the openings made in the timbers caused the fires to be extinguished and the crew signalled for immediate assistance, as they had decided to abandon the ship.
With the aid of Mr. James Nicholson’s lobster launch [Hawke], the pilot lifeboat was towed to the disabled ship, and the crew of ten were rescued after some little difficulty, and brought ashore. Mr. Nicholson and his crew are to be commended for the splendid help they rendered and their work was warmly praised by the crew and others who witnessed the heroic rescue of the ships company.
Dungog Chronicle - Friday 6th April 1934
With the ship breaking up little could be done. On behalf of the Underwriters' Association, Mr. Bratz, of Porter's sawmills, Tuncurry, received a contract to salvage the cargo. Porter’s log punt, the St. Olive, was used to transfer the cargo and salvage fittings from the wreck.
Acknowledgements. The assistance of Mori Flapan (Mori Flapan boatregister) by providing access to his extensive database is greatly appreciated.
Image Source: This image has been generously provided by the Great Lakes Museum at Tuncurry NSW. The Museum holds a wealth of shipping photos in their collection.
All Images in this photostream are Copyright - Great Lakes Manning River Shipping and/or their individual owners as may be stated above and may not be downloaded, reproduced, or used in any way without prior written approval.
GREAT LAKES MANNING RIVER SHIPPING, NSW - Flickr Group --> Alphabetical Boat Index --> Boat builders Index --> Tags List
My Shadow
by R.L.Stevenson
I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me,
And what can be the use of him is more than I can see.
He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head;
And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed.
The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow--
Not at all like proper children, which is always very slow;
For he sometimes shoots up taller like an india-rubber ball,
And he sometimes goes so little that there's none of him at all.
He hasn't got a notion of how children ought to play,
And can only make a fool of me in every sort of way.
He stays so close behind me, he's a coward you can see;
I'd think shame to stick to nursie as that shadow sticks to me!
One morning, very early, before the sun was up,
I rose and found the shining dew on every buttercup;
But my lazy little shadow, like an arrant sleepy-head,
Had stayed at home behind me and was fast asleep in bed.
found in
www.lone-star.net/mall/literature/rls/childs-garden-of-ve...
Having had a turn on the turntable, Standard 4MT 2-6-4 No. 80072 steams toward me on her way to be coaled and watered. Meanwhile GWR 4-6-0, King Class, 'King Edward I', No. 6024 waits to depart with the 14.00 train. One of a series of photographs taken with a Pentax ME Super using an SMC Pentax-M 80-200mm f4.5 lens and Fujicolor C200 film.
Hammer Film Productions’ 1959 The Mummy (not so much a remake of the 1932 film as a composite of all five Universal mummy movies) is everything all those über-famous Universal Studios flicks from the 30’s and 40’s should have been, but mostly weren’t. This is perhaps an unfair comparison, as Hammer had an extra 15-30 years to overcome the staginess that plagued so many very old movies, but considering how far The Mummy towers over even its contemporaries, I really think there must be something more at work than time alone. If I had to guess, I’d say that something is a combination of pacing, an unusually astute script, and top-notch performances from Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, who in this film acts the pants off just about everybody in Hollywood today, using his eyes alone.
After more than 40 years, the story of this film probably offers no surprises, but here goes. The year is 1895, and the famous archaeologist Stephen Banning (Felix Aylmer) is in Egypt with his brother Joseph (Raymond Huntley, from The Ghost Train and So Evil My Love) and his son John (a startlingly young Cushing), excavating what he hopes is the long-lost tomb of the 20th-dynasty princess Anankha. John is currently unable to take full part in the dig, because he broke his leg some five days earlier, but he is determined to stay in the field-- he has no intention of missing the excitement in the event that his father really has found Anankha’s tomb. Just after the Bannings’ laborers finally break through the layers of rubble blocking the entrance, a well-dressed Egyptian man (George Pastell, Hammer’s favorite ethnic actor-- we’ll later learn that the character’s name is Mehmed Akhim) arrives to warn the Bannings of a curse laid upon the tomb in ancient times. Stephen thinks this curse to be nothing but ridiculous superstition, and enters the tomb anyway, his brother at his side.
The tomb proves to be all that he had hoped. Not only is it really the tomb of Anankha, it has miraculously been spared the depredations of the 4000 years’ worth of grave robbers who ravaged so many of the ancient tombs. Anankha’s mummy is there, along with her vast fortune in grave-goods, including a hitherto-considered-legendary text called the Scroll of Life, the latter preserved in a cartouche-shaped box inlaid with lapis lazuli. Stephen sends Joseph to tell John of the discovery, and the younger Banning brother hurries away. Moments after Joseph has left the tomb, however, he hears his brother screaming within. When he reaches Stephen’s side, the latter man has collapsed across the princess’s sarcophagus, and looks to be in deep shock, muttering incoherently to himself and seemingly oblivious to his surroundings.
Three years later, John has come to see his father at the nursing home to which he has been confined since that day in Egypt. For the first time in all those years, the elder Banning has emerged from his catatonia, and asked to see his son. The reason for Stephen’s concern stems from what he saw back in the tomb. The way he tells it, he did not have a stroke (the doctors’ best guess as to his affliction). Rather, as he read aloud the text of the Scroll of Life, the ancient incantations brought to life a mummy (Anankha’s? Someone else’s?), which attacked him, bringing on his present debility. Stephen is unshakably convinced that this living mummy is now coming to England to kill him, along with Joseph and John, who were accomplices in his violation of the tomb. John takes the old man’s ramblings as well as could be asked (though, watching him, one gets a clear sense of “I came all the way out here for this?!”), and tries to persuade him that he is mistaken, and is simply suffering from an attack of nerves. Disgusted at his son’s disbelief, Stephen sends him away.
Not much time has passed, however, before we begin seeing evidence that Stephen knew what he was talking about. A pair of cartmen are sitting in a tavern, discussing over drinks their current assignment. Apparently a “foreigner” has commissioned them to transport a crateful of ancient Egyptian relics to his newly-acquired home in the countryside about half a mile away from the tavern. The trip to the house takes them past Stephen’s nursing home, which doubles as an insane asylum, just as the asylum’s alarm begins to sound. Afraid that the alarm heralds the escape of some dangerous lunatic, the cartmen whip their horses to a higher speed, despite the worsening condition of the road ahead. Predictably, the cart hits a massive bump in the road, causing their employer’s crate to fall overboard into a deep bog. The cartmen don’t much care; at this point, they just want to get away from the asylum.
The next day, the police are questioning one of the cartmen as they attempt to dredge up the crate. Just then, the “foreigner” who hired them shows up to see what all the fuss is about. You probably don’t need me to tell you that this man is none other than Mehmed Akhim. Mehmed is suspiciously unconcerned about the fate of his relics. I don’t know about you, but if I’d just lost thousands of pounds’ worth of irreplaceable Egyptian artifacts because of the clumsiness of the movers, I’d be pretty fucking pissed. But not Mehmed; he just nods his head and goes back home when the police inform him that his crate is in all probability irrecoverable.
He comes back that night, though, with a familiar-looking papyrus in his hands, and begins to read it over the bog. The incantation is full of worrisome phrases like, “Make supple these limbs, and strong these sinews, and give them not to corruption,” and it is rather less than surprising that the recitation results in Christopher Lee, wrapped in bandages and clotted with mud, rising from the bog. Mehmed Akhim instructs the mummy to seek out and destroy those who have desecrated Princess Anankha’s grave, and the next thing we know, the moldy old hulk is smashing his way into Stephen Banning’s hospital cell to strangle him.
Now, it should be fairly obvious that Christopher Lee is not Princess Ananakha, so some explanation is clearly in order. Back in 20th dynasty days, Anankha made a pilgrimage to the Temple of Karnack to perform some important religious observance or other. She never reached the temple alive. Her actual fate remains unknown, but her body was recovered by Kharis, priest of the Temple of Karnack (Lee), and was buried with all the grandeur due a princess and a priestess-- with one exception. Instead of following the customary practice of sending the body back to the royal capital for interment, Kharis had Anankha buried locally, in a location known only to him and to the builders of the tomb-- all of whom he immediately had killed. The reason for Kharis’s departure from orthodoxy was that the priest was in love with the princess, but was kept from her by her religious vows. The trick is that Anankha’s vows were only binding during her lifetime. With her death, she was released from them, and was free to do what she wished. The ever-resourceful Kharis was not troubled by the obstacle that the princess’s death would seem to present to a fulfilling relationship, because he possessed the Scroll of Life, whose incantations held the power to raise the dead. So he naturally wanted to keep the body of his love close by. Unfortunately for Kharis, he was discovered before he could complete the spell, and sentenced to be buried alive in Anankha’s tomb. Before he died, a spell was placed over him pressing him into service to stand guard over Anankha forever.
The collision course with Kharis on which that spell places the Bannings should be obvious, and the main outlines of the film’s principal conflict should be equally so. The complication that will get us to the all-important scene in which the mummy staggers off into the night carrying a beautiful, unconscious girl is similarly predictable. John Banning’s wife, Isabel (Yvonne Furneaux) bears a striking resemblance to Anankha. I’m sure you see where this is going.
The thing is, though, that The Mummy suffers not a bit from all this predictability. Sure, all but the most dim-witted viewers will be two or three steps ahead of the film the entire time, but in this case, that somehow adds to the film’s effectiveness. Watching The Mummy is like watching a complex but graceful and elegant machine at work. You already know what the end result will be, but the pleasure is in seeing the process itself. The Mummy’s predictability is the predictability of rightness rather than of intellectual laziness, and the only misstep in the entire film is the conspicuous lack of an explanation for Isabel’s unconsciousness when the mummy absconds with her-- one moment, we see her menaced by the mummy, the next, we see it carry her through the door. Sure, several obvious explanations present themselves, but something in the structure of the scene makes it seem like we were supposed to see her faint or be knocked out or whatever. But it’s a minor flaw, and is vastly outweighed by the film’s many strengths. Especially satisfying is the way screenwriter Jimmy Sangster weaves together all the best elements from The Mummy, The Mummy’s Hand, The Mummy’s Tomb, The Mummy’s Ghost, and The Mummy’s Curse into a narrative far more coherent and compelling than those upon which it was based. Though much longer than any of the Universal films, and more deliberately paced than any but the original The Mummy, this version holds the viewer’s attention in a way that none of its models do-- not even the ones that are only an hour long! Finally, even if this version of The Mummy had nothing else to recommend it, it could still succeed on the strength of the awesome screen presence of Christopher Lee. Even with scarcely any dialogue (and none at all as the mummy), Lee dominates the film, even upstaging Peter Cushing for once. His Kharis is the only living mummy ever filmed that doesn’t make you say, “why the fuck doesn’t anybody just go around him and toss a match at him from behind?”-- in a way that Boris Karloff, Tom Tyler, and Lon Chaney Jr. never could, Lee makes the mummy seem genuinely threatening. It’s going to take a lot more than zillion-dollar CGI visual effects to make a mummy film that can stand up to this one.
I appreciate all that I am and all that I have.
Stop focusing on what you do not have, and shift your consciousness to an appreciation for all that you are and all that you do have.
Wayne Dyer
Hope your weekend is full of surprise and delight!!
These photos are the property of the photographers linked to below. Thank you kids, moms and dads for sharing your marvelously beautiful children with us in Flickrworld.
1. The 'clean-up' mission !....., 2. happy monday:) if this does not get me FP in Explore then I dont know what will... Just kidding lol..., 3. I love peace, 4. 101 uses for gaffers tape, 5. HaiQal, 6. wanna piece of gray?, 7. The joy of jumping waves!, 8. Ooooooooo, 9. so expressive...., 10. Baby Yao Number Three, 11. My sister's face., 12. Sleepy Fish Face, 13. {365:16} game face
Created with fd's Flickr Toys
Swaffham has both a town memorial and a church memorial, plus the war dead have been summarised on the Roll of Honour web-site.
However, there seems to be a great deal of discrepancy between all these sources of information.
www.roll-of-honour.com/Norfolk/Swaffham.html
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John W Reeve - town memorial
John W Reeve 12 East Surreys 14th March 1918 France - Church memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=505137
Husband of Gertrude Reeve, of London St., Swaffham, Norfolk.
Norlink: No match
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George Regester - town memorial
George Regester - Rifle Brigade 23rd February 1918 Southampton - Church memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=2803478
Son of Charles Salisbury Regester and Emma Regester, of Station St., Swaffham. Born at Holme Hale.
Norlink: No match
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William Regester - town memorial
William Regester City of London Rifles 6th July 1917 France - Church memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=160729
Roll of honour only has this only as a probably.
Norlink: No match
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Leslie J Richardson - town memorial
Leslie J Richardson, Civil Service Rifles 15th September 1916 France - Church memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=261011
Son of James and Elizabeth Richardson, of Old Bank House, Swaffham, Norfolk
Norlink: No match
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A Raymond N Smith - town memorial
A Raymond N Smith - 130th K C O Baluchis J R 10th July 1919 India - Church memorial
A Raymond Richardson on Roll of Honour is actually A Raymond N Smith on Church memorial
Name: SMITH, ALAN RAYMOND NOEL Initials: A R N Nationality: Indian Rank: Lieutenant Regiment/Service: 130th King George's Own Baluchis (Jacob's Rifles) Age: 19 Date of Death: 10/07/1919 Additional information: Son of Walter and Eleanor Smith, of "Oakleigh", Swaffham, Norfolk. Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead Grave/Memorial Reference: 2. C. 10. Cemetery: RAWALPINDI WAR CEMETERY
www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=909715
Norlink: No match
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Clifford D Smith - town memorial
Clifford D Smith Norfolks 23rd October 1918(?) France - Church memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=40160
Lt Clifford D Smith, deceased 23rd October 1918. 5th Battalion attached 9th Battalion.
Norlink: No match
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Donald G Smith - town memorial
Donald G Smith - Royal Fusiliers 18th October 1916 France - Church memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=505918
Son of Walter and Eleanor Smith, of "Oakleigh," Swaffham, Norfolk
Norlink: No match
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Joseph Smith - town memorial
Joseph Smith Norfolks 9th May 1917 France - Church memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=1653722
Husband of Annie Elizabeth Tibbett (formerly Smith), of Northwell Pool, Swaffham, Norfolk.
Norlink: No match
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Arthur Spencer - town memorial
Arthur Spencer Royal Engineers 19th December 1916 - Church memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=545064
Norlink: No match
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Robert Squires - town memorial
Robert W Squires - Royal Fusiliers 19th August 1918 France - Church Memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=42634
Son of William and Clara Squires, of Little Thorns, Swaffham, Norfolk.
Norlink: No match
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Frank Sterne - town memorial
Frank Sterne Middlesex Regiment 28th April 1917 France - Church memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=1671128
Son of Thomas and Clara Sterne, of 3, Jasper Cottages, London St;, Swaffham, Norfolk.
Norlink: No match
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George Starling - town memorial
George Starling 2/5 London Regiment 28th July 1918 France - Church memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=273832
Son of Mrs. E. Starling, of 2, Cley Rd., Swaffham, Norfolk.
Norlink: No match
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Herbert W Thompson - town memorial
Herbert W Thompson 7 Bedfords 16th November 1916 France - Church memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=815879
Roll of Honour - formerly of the Essex Regiment
Norlink: No match
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Hubert W Thompson - town memorial
Hubert W Thompson 5 Norfolks 20th April 1917 Gaza - Church memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=645972
Son of Mr. W. H. Thompson, of Prince of Wales Rd., Swaffham, Norfolk
Norlink: No match
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Herbert Trundle - town memorial
Herbert Trundle Royal Marine Light Infantry - Church memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=3056186
Deceased 7th June 1915 Buried Royal Navy Cemetery, Plymouth
Norlink: No match
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Alfred Twaites - town memorial
Alfred Twaites 5 Middlesex 24th October 1918 Norwich - Church memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=2803474
Alfred Charles Twaites. Son of William and Anna Twaites, of Swaffham; husband of Ethel Marion Twaites, of London St., Swaffham.
Unit given as Labour Corps but formerly of the Middlesex regiment
Norlink: No match
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Albert Turner - town memorial
Albert Turner - October 1918 France - Church memorial
CWGC: Too many possible matches - went through Turner’s for 1918 and no likely matches. Why no mention of unit on the church memorial - was he possibly a civilian contractor or a child
Roll of Honour - no further information
Census - too many Albert Turners (8+) born after 1889 either in Norfolk or now resident there - all bar two in Norwich. Nearest to Swaffham was one in Mildenhall.
Norlink: No match
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John Warnes - town memorial
John Warnes 8 East Surreys 12th October 1917 France - Church memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=492256
Son of Samuel Warner, of London. St., Swaffham, Norfolk
Norlink: No match
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William Watts - town memorial
William Watts 1/5th Norfolks 19th April 1917 Gaza - Church memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=651609
Norlink: No match
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Edward Ward - town memorial
Edward W Ward R F Artillery 24th October 1918 France - Church memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=314089
Son of Henry and Clara Ward, of Watton Rd., Swaffham, Norfolk.
Norlink: No match
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Walter Ward - town memorial
Walter Ward 7 Bedfords 16th November 1916 France - Church memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=819227
Son of William Ward, of Brewery Yard, White Hart Lane, Swaffham; husband of Harriet Ward, of 2, Albert Terrace, Swaffham, Norfolk
Norlink: No match
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Albert H Ward - town memorial
Albert H Ward Norfolks 10th March 1917 France - Church memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=819087
Shown as Albert John, Son of Richard and Ann Ward, of Campingland, Swaffham, Norfolk.
Roll of Honour shown as Albert John
Norlink: No match
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Reginald C Webster - town memorial
C Reginald Webster - 1/5 Norfolks 10th May 1917 Nazareth - Church memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=654288
Shown as Charles Reginald. A Company. Son of Charles and Elizabeth Webster, of 4, Station Terrace, Swaffham, Norfolk
Roll of Honour - shown as Charles Reginald.
Norlink: No match
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Reginald West - town memorial
Reginald West 8 Norfolks 22nd October 1917 France - Church memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=876577
Shown as Reginald George West. Son of Richard and Ellen West, of Lynn Rd., Swaffham, Norfolk. Presumed brother of Sidney
Roll of Honour ; Reginald George West
Norlink: No match
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Sidney West - town memorial
Sidney West 10 Lincolns 13th April 1918 = Church memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=867107
Shown as Sidney Thomas West. Son of Richard and Ellen West, of Lynn Rd., Swaffham, Norfolk. Presumed brother of Reginald.
Roll of Honour: Sidney Thomas West
Norlink: No match
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Ernest Winter - town memorial
Ernest Winter - East Yorks 4th November 1917 France
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=526468
Norlink: No match
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Ernest Wood - town memorial
Ernest Wood - Middlesex Regiment 29th August 1916 France - Church memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=245669
Shown as Frederick Edward Wood.
Roll of Honour; (Frederick) Ernest Wood, and then noted that CWGC states Frederick Edward
Norlink: No match
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Walter Wright - town memorial
Walter Wright Shropshire Light Infantry 9th August 1915 France - Church memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=912216
Son of William Walter and Eliza Julia Wright, of Market Place, Swaffham, Norfolk
Norlink: No match
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W G Leicester Young - town memorial
W G Leicester Young - Norfolks 7th February 1917 France - Church memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=252844
Son of Charles Valentine Young and Elizabeth Young, of Market Place, Swaffham, Norfolk.
Roll of Honour - formerly of the Norfolk Regiment
Norlink: No match
***************************************************************************
Arthur Youngs - town memorial
Arthur Youngs Norfolks 1st July 1917 France - Church memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=471512
Son of Arthur and Emma Youngs, of Oak Lodge, Swaffham, Norfolk.
Norlink: No match
**************************************************************************
Robert J A Davis - town memorial
Robert J A Davis 1st Beds Regiment 13th October 1914 France - Church memorial
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=1559908
Name: DAVIS, ROBERT JAMES ALFRED Initials: R J A Nationality: United Kingdom Rank: Private Regiment/Service: Bedfordshire Regiment Unit Text: 1st Bn. Date of Death: 13/10/1914 Service No: 8503 Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 10 and 11. Memorial: LE TOURET MEMORIAL
Roll of Honour - not listed
Norlink: No match
***************************************************************************
At 21:47 GMT, the equinox happened, and so from then on, light is destined to win over darkness. Which meant, of course, that the day before then was the shortest "day", or amount of daylight.
This is the end of the year, the build up and excitement before Christmas, and at the same time, looking back at the year, and what has happened in the previous 50 or so weeks. So, a time of mixed emotions, good and bad, happy and sad.
But I was on vacation, or not going to work.
I am not up to date, but I did all the tasks I was supposed to do, threw a few electronic grenades over the walls, and was now happy not to think of that shit for two whole weeks.
For Jools, however, there was half a day to do, and then her employers paid for all those employed at the factory to go to a fancy place in Folkestone for lunch, drinks at the bar and a bottle of wine between four folks.
It was, in short, a time for celebration. Something I realise has not happened in my job since I left operational quality, to be happy and give thanks to those we work with. And be recognised for the good job we do.
So, I was to take Jools to work, and have the car for the day.
Jools was conscious that my plan for the day involved driving to the far west of Kent, so realised I needed an early start, and not dropping her off in Hythe at seven.
We left after coffee just after six, driving through Dover and Folkestone on the main road and motorway before turning over the downs into Hythe. I dropped her off in the town, so she could get some walking in. She always didn't walk, as waves of showers swept over the town, and me as I drove back home for breakfast and do all the chores before leaving on a mini-churchcrawl.
So, back home for breakfast, more coffee, wash up, do the bird feeders and with postcodes, set out for points in the extreme west. Now, Kent is not a big county, not say, Texas big, but it takes some time to get to some parts of the west of the county. Main roads run mainly from London to the coast, so going cross-country or cross-county would take time.
At first it was as per normal up the A20 then onto the motorway to Ashford then to Maidstone until the junction before the M26 starts. One of the reasons for going later was to avoid rush hours in and around Maidstone, Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells.
As it was, after turning down the A road, things were fine until I got to Mereworth, but from there the road began to twist and turn until it lead me into Tonbridge. Once upon a time, this was a sleepy village or small town. The the railways came and it became a major junction. The road to Penshurt took me though the one way system, then down the wide High Street, over the river Medway and up the hill the other side.
Two more turns took me to my target, through what were once called stockbroker mansions, then down a hill, with the village laid out before me just visible through the trees.
The village was built around the outskirts of Penshurst Place, home to the Sidney family since Tudor times. Just about everything is named the Leicester something, the village having its own Leicester Square, though with no cinemas, and all timber framed houses and painfully picturesque.
The church lays behind the houses, the tower in golden sandstone topped with four spirelets.
I parked the car, and armed with two cameras, several lenses and a photographer's eye, walked to the church.
The reason for coming was I can only remember a little about my previous visit, but the Leicester name thing triggered in my head the thought the memorials and tombs might be worth a revisit.
So there I was.
Gilbert Scott was very busy here, so there is little of anything prior to the 19th century, but the memorials are there. Including one which features the heads of the children of Robert Sidney (d1702) in a cloud. Including the eldest son who died, apparently, so young he wasn't named, and is recorded as being the first born.
This is in the Sidney Chapel where the great and good are buried and remembered, it has a colourful roof, or roof beams, and heraldic shields. It has a 15th century font, which, sadly, has been brightly painted so is gaudy in the extreme.
I go around getting my shots, leave a fiver for the church. Go back to the car and program Speldhurst into the sat nav.
Its just a ten minute drive, but there is no place to park anywhere near the church. I could see from my slow drive-by the porch doors closed, and I convinced myself they were locked and not worth checking out.
I went on to Groombridge, where there is a small chapel with fabulous glass. I had been here before too, but wanted to redo my shots.
It was by now pouring with rain, and as dark as twilight, I missed the church on first pass, went to the mini-roundabout only to discover that it and the other church in the village were in Sussex. I turned round, the church looked dark and was almost certainly locked. I told myself.
I didn't stop here either, so instead of going to the final village church, I went straigh to Tunbridge Wells where there was another church to revisit.
I drove into the town, over the man road and to the car park with no waiting in traffic, how odd, I thought.
It was hard to find a parking space, but high up in the parking house there were finally spaced. I parked near the stairs down, grabbed my cameras and went down.
I guess I could have parked nearer the church, but once done it would be easier to leave the town as the road back home went past the exit.
I ambled down the hill leading to the station, over the bridge and down the narrow streets, all lined with shops. I think its fair to say that it is a richer town than Dover because on one street there were three stores offering beposke designer kitchens.
The church is across the road from the Georgian square known at The Pantiles, but it was the church I was here to visit.
I go in, and there is a service underway. I decide to sit at the back and observe.
And pray.
I did not take communion, though. The only one there who didn't.
About eight elderly parishioners did, though.
I was here to photograph the ceiling, and then the other details I failed to record when we were last here over a decade ago.
I was quizzed strongly by a warden as to why I was doing this. I had no answer other than I enjoyed it, and for me that is enough.
After getting my shots, I leave and begin the slog back up to the car, but on the way keeping my promise to a young man selling the Big Issue that I would come back and buy a copy. I did better than that in that I gave him a fiver and didn't take a copy.
He nearly burst into tears. I said, there is kindness in the world, and some of us do keep our promises.
By the time I got to the car park, it was raining hard again. I had two and a half hours to get to Folkestone to pick up Jools after her meal.
Traffic into Tunbridge Wells from this was was crazy, miles and miles of queues, so I was more than happy going the other way.
I get back to the M20, cruise down to Ashford, stopping at Stop 24 services for a coffee and something to eat. I had 90 minutes to kill, so eat, drink and scroll Twitter as I had posted yet more stuff that morning. In other news: nothing changed, sadly.
At quarter past four I went to pick up Jools, stopping outside the restaurant. When she got in she declared she had been drinking piña coladas. Just two, but she was bubby and jabbering away all the way home.
With Jools having eaten out, and with snacks I had, no dinner was needed, so when suppertime came round, we dined on cheese and crackers, followed by a large slice of Christmas cake.
She was now done for Christmas too.
----------------------------------------------------
A large sandstone church of nave, aisles, chancel and chapels that was restored by Sir George Gilbert Scott in 1864. It stands in an excellent position set back from the street in a large well-kept churchyard. The tower is of three stages with four pinnacles strangely set well back from the corners. Inside it is obvious that there have been many rebuildings and repairs, leaving a general character of the Victorian period. The good chancel screen is by Bodley and Garner and dates from 1897. Whilst it is well carved the florid design is more suited to a West Country church than to the Garden of England. The fifteenth-century font has been painted in bold colours in a way that can never have been imagined when it was new! Nearby is the Becket window designed by Lawrence Lee in 1970. It is quite unlike any other window in Kent and has an emphasis on heraldry - the figure of Becket and three knights are almost lost in the patchwork effect. Under the tower is the famous Albigensian Cross, a portion of thirteenth-century coffin lid with the effigy of a woman at prayer. The south chapel, which belongs to Penshurst Place, was rebuilt by Rebecca in 1820 and has a lovely painted ceiling. It contains some fine monuments including Sir Stephen de Pencester, a damaged thirteenth-century knight. Nearby is the large standing monument to the 4th Earl of Leicester (d. 1704) designed by William Stanton. It is a large urn flanked by two angels, above which are the heads of the earls children's floating in the clouds!
www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Penshurst
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PENSHURST.
THE next parish eastward from Chidingstone is Penhurst, called in the Textus Roffenfis, Pennesherst. It takes its name from the old British word Pen, the height or top of any thing, and byrst, a wood. (fn. 1) It is called in some antient records, Pen cestre, and more vulgarly, Penchester, from some sortified camp or fortress antiently situated here.
There is a district in this parish, called Hallborough, which is within the lowy of Tunbridge, the manerial rights of which belong to Thomas Streatfeild, esq. and there is another part of it, comprehending the estate of Chafford, which is within the jurisdiction of the duchy court of Lancaster.
THIS PARISH lies in the Weald, about four miles Southward from the foot of the sand hills, and the same distance from Tunbridge town, and the high London road from Sevenoke. The face of the country is much the same as in those parishes last described, as is the soil, for the most part a stiff clay, being well adapted to the large growth of timber for which this parish is remarkable; one of these trees, as an instance of it, having been cut down here, about twenty years ago, in the park, called, from its spreading branches, Broad Oak, had twenty-one ton, or eight hundred and forty feet of timber in it. The parish is watered by the river Eden, which runs through the centre of it, and here taking a circular course, and having separated into two smaller streams, joins the river Medway, which flows by the southern part of the park towards Tunbridge. At a small distance northward stands the noble mansion of Penshurst-place, at the south west corner of the park, which, till within these few years, was of much larger extent, the further part of it, called North, alias Lyghe, and South parks, having been alienated from it, on the grounds of the latter of which the late Mr. Alnutt built his seat of that name, from whence the ground rises northward towards the parish of Lyghe. Close to the north west corner of Penshurst-park is the seat of Redleaf, and at the south west corner of it, very near to the Place, is the village of Penshurst, with the church and parsonage. At a small distance, on the other side the river, southward, is Ford-place, and here the country becomes more low, and being watered by the several streams, becomes wet, the roads miry and bad, and the grounds much covered with coppice wood; whence, about a mile southward from the river, is New House, and the boroughs of Frendings and Kingsborough; half a mile southward from which is the river Medway; and on the further side of it the estate of Chafford, a little beyond which it joins the parish of Ashurst, at Stone cross. In a deep hole, in the Medway, near the lower end of Penshurst-park, called Tapner's-hole, there arises a spring, which produces a visible and strong ebullition on the surface of the river; and above Well-place, which is a farm house, near the south-east corner of the park, there is a fine spring, called Kidder's-well, which, having been chemically analized, is found to be a stronger chalybeate than those called Tunbridge-wells; there is a stone bason for the spring to rise in, and run to waste, which was placed here by one of the earls of Leicester many years ago. This parish, as well as the neighbouring ones, abounds with iron ore, and most of the springs in them are more or less chalybeate. In the losty beeches, near the keeper's lodge, in Penshurst-park, is a noted beronry; which, since the destruction of that in lord Dacre's park, at Aveley, in Effex, is, I believe, the only one in this part of England. A fair is held here on July I, for pedlary, &c.
The GREATEST PART of this parish is within the jurisdiction of the honour of Otford, a subordinate limb to which is the MANOR of PENSHURST HALIMOTE, alias OTFORD WEALD, extending likewise over parts of the adjoining parishes of Chidingstone, Hever, and Cowden. As a limb of that of honour, it was formerly part of the possessions of the see of Canterbury, and was held for a long time in lease of the archbishops, by the successive owners of Penhurst manor, till the death of the duke of Buckingham, in the 13th year of king Henry VIII. in the 29th year of which reign, Thomas Cranmer, archbishop of Canterbury, exchanging Otford with the crown, this, as an appendage, passed with it, and it remained in the hands of the crown till the death of king Charles I. 1648; after which the powers then in being, having seised on the royal estates, passed an ordinance to vest them in trustees, to be sold, to supply the necessities of the state; when, on a survey made of this manor, in 1650, it appeared that the quit-rents due to the lord, from the freeholders in free socage tenure, were 16l. 18s. 3½d. and that they paid a heriot of the best living thing, or in want thereof, 3s. 4d. in money. That there were copyholders holding of it, within this parish, by rent and fine certain; that there was a common fine due from the township or borough of Halebury, and a like from the township of Penshurst, a like from the townships or boroughts of Chidingstone, Standford, and Cowden; and that there was a court baron and a court leet. The total rents, profits, &c. of all which amounted to 23l. and upwards. (fn. 2) After this the manor was sold by the state to colonel Robert Gibbon, with whom it remained till the restoration of king Charles II. when the possession and inheritance of it returned to the crown, where it remains, as well as the honour of Otford, at this time, his grace the duke of Dorset being high steward of both; but the see farm rents of it, with those of other manors belonging to the above mentioned honour, were alienated from the crown in king Charles II.'s reign, and afterwards became the property of Sir James Dashwood, bart. in whose family they still continue.
SOON AFTER the reign of William the Conqueror Penshurst was become the residence of a family, who took their name from it, and were possessed of the manor then called the manor of Peneshurste; and it appears by a deed in the Registrum Roffense, that Sir John Belemeyns, canon of St. Paul, London, was in possession of this manor, as uncle and trustee, in the latter part of king Henry III.'s reign, to Stephen de Peneshurste or Penchester, who possessed it in the beginning of the reign of king Edward I. He had been knighted, and made constable of Dover castle and warden of the cinque ports by Henry III. in which posts he continued after the accession of king Edward I. (fn. 3) He died without issue male, and was buried in the south chancel of this church, under an altar tomb, on which lay his figure in armour, reclining on a cushion. He left Margery, his second wife, surviving, who held this manor at her death, in the 2d year of king Edward II. and two daughters and coheirs; Joane, married to Henry de Cobham of Rundale, second son of John de Cobham, of Cobham, in this county, by his first wife, daughter of Warine Fitz Benedict; (fn. 4) and Alice to John de Columbers, as appears by an inquisition, taken in the 3d year of king Edward II. His arms, being Sable, a bend or, a label of three points argent, still remain on the roof of the cloisters of Canterbury cathedral. Alice, above mentioned, had this manor, with that of Lyghe adjoining, assigned to her for her proportion of their inheritance; soon after which these manors were conveyed to Sir John de Pulteney, son of Adam de Pulteney of Misterton, in Leicestershire, by Maud his wife. In the 15th year of that reign he had licence to embattle his mansion houses of Penshurst, Chenle in Cambridgeshire, and in London. (fn. 5) In the 11th year of king Edward III. Thomas, son of Sir John de Columbers of Somersetshire, released to him all his right to this manor and the advowson of the chapel of Penshurst; (fn. 6) and the year following Stephen de Columbers, clerk, brother of Sir Philip, released to him likewise all his right in that manor and Yenesfeld, (fn. 7) and that same year he obtained a grant for free warren within his demesne lands within the former. He was a person greatly esteemed by that king, in whose reign he was four times lord mayor of London, and is noticed by our historians for his piety, wisdom, large possessions, and magnificent housekeeping. In his life time he performed several acts of public charity and munificence; and among others he founded a college in the church of St. Laurence, since from him named Poultney, in London. He built the church of Little Allhallows, in Thamesstreet, and the Carmelites church, and the gate to their monastery, in Coventry; and a chapel or chantry in St. Paul's, London. Besides which, by his will, he left many charitable legacies, and directed to be buried in the church of St. Laurence above mentioned. He bore for his arms, Argent a fess dancette gules, in chief three leopards heads sable.
By the inquisition taken after his death, it appears, that he died in the 23d year of that reign, being then possessed of this manor, with the advowson of the chapel, Lyghe, South-park, and Orbiston woods, with lands in Lyghe and Tappenash, and others in this county. He left Margaret his wife surviving, who married, secondly, Sir Nicholas Lovaine; and he, in her right, became possessed of a life estate in this manor and the others above mentioned, in which they seem afterwards jointly to have had the see; for Sir William Pulteney, her son, in his life time, vested his interest in these manors and estates in trustees, and died without issue in the 40th year of the same reign, when Robert de Pulteney was found to be his kinsman and next heir, who was ancestor to the late earl of Bath. The trustees afterwards, in the 48th year of it, conveyed them, together with all the other estates of which Sir John Pulteney died possessed, to Sir Nicholas Lovaine and Margaret his wife, and their heirs for ever. Sir Nicholas Lovaine above mentioned was a descendant of the noble family of Lovaine, a younger branch of the duke of Lorraine. Godfrey de Lovaine, having that surname from the place of his birth, possessed lands in England in right of his mother, grand daughter of king Stephen, of whose descendants this Nicholas was a younger branch. He bore for his arms, Gules, a fess argent between fourteen billets or; which arms were quartered by Bourchier earl of Bath, and Devereux earl of Essex. (fn. 8) He died possessed of this manor, leaving one son, Nicholas, who having married Margaret, eldest daughter of John de Vere, earl of Oxford, widow of Henry lord Beaumont, died without issue, and a daughter Margaret, who at length became her brother's heir.
Margaret, the widow of Nicholas the son, on his death, possessed this manor for her life, and was afterwards re-married to Sir John Devereux, who in her right held it. He was descended from a family which had their surname from Eureux, a town of note in Normandy, and there were several generations of them in England before they were peers of this realm, the first of them summoned to parliament being this Sir John Devereux, who being bred a soldier, was much employed in the wars both of king Edward III. and king Richard II. and had many important trusts conferred on him. In the 11th year of the latter reign, being then a knight banneret, he was made constable of Dover castle and warden of the cinque ports. In the 16th year of that reign, he had licence to fortify and embattle his mansion house at Penshurst, the year after which he died, leaving Margaret his wife, surviving, who had an assignation of this manor as part of her dower. She died possessed of it, with Yensfield, and other lands, about the 10th year of king Henry IV. and was succeeded in them by Margaret, sister and heir of her husband, Nicholas Lovaine, who was twice married, first to Rich. Chamberlayn, esq. of Sherburn, in Oxfordshire; and secondly to Sir Philip St. Clere, of Aldham, St. Clere, in Ightham. (fn. 9) Both of these, in right of their wife, seem to have possessed this manor, which descended to John St. Clere, son of the latter, who conveyed it by sale to John duke of Bedford, third son of king Henry IV. by Mary his wife, daughter and coheir of Humphry de Bohun, earl of Hereford, Essex, and Northampton.
The duke of Bedford was the great support and glory of this kingdom in the beginning of the reign of his infant nephew, king Henry VI. his courage was unequalled, and was followed by such rapid success in his wars in France, where he was regent, and commanded the English army in person, that he struck the greatest terror into his enemies. The victories he acquired so humbled the French, that he crowned king Henry VI. at Paris, in which city he died greatly lamented, in the 14th year of that reign, (fn. 10) and was buried in the cathedral church of Roan. He was twice married, but left issue by neither of his wives. He died possessed of the manors of Penshurst, Havenden-court, and Yensfield, as was then found by inquisition; in which he was succeeded by his next brother, Humphry duke of Gloucester, fourth son of king Henry IV. by Mary his wife, daughter and coheir of Humphry de Bohun, earl of Hereford, &c. who in the 4th year of king Henry V. had had the offices of constable of Dover castle and warden of the cinque ports, granted to him for the term of his life; and in the 1st year of king Henry VI. was, by parliament, made protector of England, during the king's minority; and the same year he was constituted chamberlain of England, at the coronation of that prince was appointed high steward of England.
The duke was, for his virtuous endowments, surnamed the Good, and for his justice was esteemed the father of his country, notwithstanding which, after he had, under king Henry VI. his nephew, governed this kingdom twenty-five years, with great applause, he was, by the means of Margaret of Aujou, his nephew's queen, who envied his power, arrested at the parliament held at St. Edmundsbury, by John lord Beaumont, then high constable of England, accompanied by the duke of Buckingham and others; and the night following, being the last of February, anno 25 king Henry VI. he was found dead in his bed, it being the general opinion that he was strangled; though his body was shewn to the lords and commons, with an account of his having died of an apoplexy or imposthume; after which he was buried in the abbey of St. Alban, near the shrine of that proto-martyr, and a stately monument was erected to his memory.
This duke married two wives; first Jaqueline, daughter and heir of William duke of Bavaria, to whom belonged the earldoms of Holand, Zeland, and Henault, and many other rich seignories in the Netherlands; after which he used these titles, Humphrey, by the grace of God, son, brother, and uncle to kings; duke of Gloucester; earl of Henault, Holand, Zeland, and Pembroke; lord of Friesland; great chamberlain of the kingdom of England; and protector and defender of the kingdom and church of England. But she having already been married to John duke of Brabant, and a suit of divorce being still depending between them, and the Pope having pronounced her marriage with the duke of Brabant lawful, the duke of Gloucester resigned his right to her, and forthwith, after this, married Eleanor Cobham, daughter of Reginald, lord Cobham of Sterborough, who had formerly been his concubine. A few years before the duke's death she was accused of witchcrast, and of conspiring the king's death; for which she was condemned to solemn pennance in London, for three several days, and afterwards committed to perpetual imprisonment in the isle of Man. He built the divinity schools at Oxford, and laid the foundation of that famous library over them, since increased by Sir Thomas Bodley, enriching it with a choice collection of manuscripts out of France and Italy. He bore for his arms, Quarterly, France and England, a berdure argent. (fn. 11)
By the inquisition, taken after his death, it appears, that he died possessed of the manors of Penshurst, Havenden-court, and Yensfield, in this county, and that dying, without issue, king Henry VI. was his cousin and next heir.
¶The manor of Penshurst thus coming into the hands of the crown, was granted that year to Humphrey Stafford, who, in consideration of his near alliance in blood to king Henry VI. being the son of Edmund earl of Stafford, by Anne, eldest daughter of Thomas of Woodstock, duke of Gloucester, sixth and youngest son of king Edward III. Mary, the other daughter and coheir, having married Henry of Bullingbroke, afterwards king Henry IV. and grandfather of king Henry VI. (fn. 12) as well as for his eminent services to his country, had been, in the 23d year of that reign, created duke of Buckingham. He was afterwards slain in the battle of Northampton, sighting valiantly there on the king's part. By the inquisition, taken after his death, it appears that he died in the 38th year of that reign possessed of this manor of Penshurst, among others in this county and elsewhere; which afterwards descended down to his great grandson, Edward duke of Buckingham, but in the 13th year of Henry VIII. this duke being accused of conspiring the king's death, he was brought to his trial, and being found guilty, was beheaded on Tower-hill that year. In the par liament begun April 15, next year, this duke, though there passed an act for his attainder, yet there was one likewise for the restitution in blood of Henry his eldest son, but not to his honors or lands, so that this manor, among his other estates, became forseited to the crown, after which the king seems to have kept it in his own hands, for in his 36th year, he purchased different parcels of land to enlarge his park here, among which was Well-place, and one hundred and seventy acres of land, belonging to it, then the estate of John and William Fry, all which he inclosed within the pale of it, though the purchase of the latter was not completed till the 1st year of king Edward VI. (fn. 13) who seems to have granted the park of Penshurst to John, earl of Warwick, for that earl, in the 4th year of that reign, granted this park to that king again in exchange for other premises. In which year the king granted the manor of Penshurst, with its members and appurtenances, late parcel of the possessions of the duke of Buckingham, to Sir Ralph Fane, to hold in capite by knight's service, being the grandson of Henry Vane, alias Fane, of Hilsden Tunbridge, esq. but in the 6th year of that reign, having zealously espoused the interests of the duke of Somersee, he was accused of being an accomplice with him, and being found guilty, was hanged on Tower-hill that year.
PENSHURST is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the diocese of Rochester, and being a peculiar of the archbishop of Canterbury, is as such within the deanry of Shoreham.
The church, which is a large handsome building, is dedicated to St. John Baptist. It consists of three isles, a cross isle, and three chancels, having a tower steeple at the west end.
Among other monuments and inscriptions in this church are the following:—In the middle isle, a grave-stone, with the figure of a man and his two wives, now torn off, but the inscription remains in black letter, for Watur Draynowtt, and Johanna and Anne his wives, obt. 1507; beneath are the figures of four boys and three girls, at top, arms, two lions passant, impaling or, on a chief, two lions heads erased; a memorial for Oliver Combridge, and Elizabeth his wife, obt. 1698. In the chancel, memorials on brass for Bulman and Paire; within the rails of the altar a gravestone for William Egerton, LL. D. grandon of John, earl of Bridgwater, rector of Penshurst and Allhallows, Lombard-street, chancellor and prebendary of Hereford, and prebendary of Can terbury, he left two daughters and one son, by Anne, daughter of Sir Francis Head, obt. Feb. 26, 1737; on the south side of the altar, a memorial in brass for John Bust, God's painful minister in this place for twenty-one years; on the north side a mural monument for Gilbert Spencer, esq. of Redleafe-house, obt. 1709, arms, Spencer, an escutcheon of pretence for Combridge; underneath is another stone, with a brass plate, and inscription for William Darkenol, parson of this parish, obt. July 12, 1596; on grave-stones are these shields in brass, the figures and inscriptions on which are lost, parted per fess, in chief two lions passant guardant in base, two wolves heads erased; on another, the same arms, impaling a chevron between three padlocks; another, a lion rampant, charged on the shoulder with an annulet, and another, three lions passant impaling parted per chevron, the rest defaced. In the south chancel, on a stone, the figures of a man and woman in brass, and inscription in black letter, for Pawle Yden, gent. and Agnes his wife, son of Thomas Yden, esq. obt. 1564, beneath is the figure of a girl, arms, four shields at the corner of the stone, the first, Yden, a fess between three helmets; two others, with inscriptions on brass for infant children of the Sidney family; a small grave-stone, on which is a cross gradated in brass, and inscription in black letter, for Thomas Bullayen, son of Sir Thomas Bullayen; here was lately a monument for lady Mary . . . . . . eldest daughter of the famous John, duke of Northumberland, and sister to Ambrose, earl of Warwick, Robert, earl of Leicester, and Catharine, countess of Huntingdon, wife of the right hon. Sir Henry Sidney, knight of the garter, &c. at the west end of the chancel, a mural monument for Sir William Coventry, youngest son of Thomas, lord Coventry, he died at Tunbridge-wells, 1686; on the south side a fine old monument of stone, under which is an altar tomb, and on the wall above it a brass plate, with inscription in black letter, for Sir William Sidney, knightbanneret, chamberlain and steward to king Edward VI. and the first of the name, lord of the manor, of Penshurst, obt. 1553; on the front are these names, Sir William Dormer, and Mary Sidney, Sir William Fitzwilliam, Sir James Haninngton, Anne Sidney, and Lucy Sidney; on the south side a handsome monument, with the arms and quarterings of the Sidney family, and inscription for lord Philip Sidney, fifth earl of Leicester, &c. obt. 1705, and was succeeded by John, his brother and heir; for John, sixth earl of Leicester, cosin and heir of Henry Sidney, earl of Romney, &c. obt. 1737, his heirs Mary and Elizabeth Sidney, daughters and heirs of his brother the hon. Thomas Sidney, third surviving son of Robert, earl of Leicester, became his joint heirs, for Josceline, seventh earl of Leicester, youngest brother and heir male of earl John, died s. p. in 1743, with whom the title of earl of Leicester expired; the aforesaid Mary and Elizabeth, his nieces, being his heirs, of whom the former married Sir Brownlow Sherard, bart. and Elizabeth, William Perry, esq. on the monument is an account of the several personages of this noble family, their descent, marriages and issue, too long by far to insert here; on the north side is a fine monument for several of the infant children of this family, and beneath is an urn and inscriptions for Frances Sidney, fourth daughter, obt. 1692, æt. 6; for Robert Sidney, earl of Leicester, &c. fourth earl of this family, who married lady Elizabeth Egerton, by whom he had fifteen children, of whom nine died young, whose figures, as cherubims, are placed above, obt. 1702; Robert, the eldest son, obt. 1680, æt. 6; Elizabeth, countess of Leicester, obt. 1709, and buried here in the same vault with her lord. In the same chancel is a very antient figure in stone of a knight in armour, being for Sir Stephen de Penchester, lord warden and constable of Dover-castle in the reign of king Edward I. It was formerly laid on an altar tomb in the chancel, but is now placed erect against the door on the south side, with these words painted on the wall above it, SIR STEPHEN DE PENCHESTER. In the fourth window of the north isle, are these arms, very antient, within the garter argent a fess gules in chief, three roundels of the second, being those of Sir John Devereux, K. G. lord warden and constable, and steward of the king's house in king Richard II's reign; near the former was another coat, nothing of which now remains but the garter. In the same windows are the arms of Sidney; in the second window is this crest, a griffin rampant or. In the east window of the great chancel are the arms of England. In the east window of the south chancel are the arms of the Sidney family, with all the quarterings; there were also, though now destroyed, the arms of Sir Thomas Ratcliff, earl of Sussex, and lady Frances Sidney.
This church was of the antient patronage of the see of Canterbury, and continued so till the 3d year of queen Elizabeth, when Matthew, archbishop of Canterbury, granted it to that queen in exchange for the parsonage of Earde, alias Crayford; and though in the queen's letters patent dated that year, confirming this exchange, there is no value expressed, yet in a roll in the queen's office, it is there set down, the tenth deducted, at the clear yearly value of 32l. 1s. 9d. (fn. 24)
¶Soon after which the queen granted the church of Penshurst to Sir Henry Sidney, whose descendants, earls of Leicester, afterwards possessed it; from whom it passed, in like manner as Penshurst manor and place, to William Perry, esq. who died possessed of it in 1757, leaving Elizabeth his wife surviving, who continued proprietor of the advowson of this church at the time of her death in 1783; she by her last will devised it to trustees for the use of her eldest grandson, John Shelley, esq who has since taken the name of Sidney, and is the present owner of it.
In the 15th year of king Edward I. this church was valued at thirty marcs. By virtue of the commission of enquiry into the value of ecclesiastical livings, taken in 1650, issuing out of chancery, it was returned that the tithes belonging to the parsonage of Penshurst were one hundred and ten pounds per annum, and the parsonage house and glebe lands about fifty pounds per annum, the earl of Leicester being patron, and master Mawdell, minister, who received the profits for his salary. (fn. 25)
The annual value of it is now esteemed to be four hundred pounds and upwards. The rectory of Penshurst is valued in the king's books at 30l. 6s. 0½d. and the yearly tenths at 3l. 0s. 7½d. (fn. 26)
John Acton, rector of this parish, in 1429, granted a lease for ninety-nine years, of a parcel of his glebe land, lying in Berecroft, opposite the gate of the rectory, containing one acre one rood and twelve perches, to Thomas Berkley, clerk, Richard Hammond, and Richard Crundewell, of Penshurst, for the purpose of building on, at the yearly rent of two shillings, and upon deaths and alienations, one shilling to be paid for an heriot, which lease was confirmed by the archbishop and by the dean and chapter of Canterbury. (fn. 27)
Having received several requests, this is my first attempt at instructions.
Follow the sequence in the full photoset, not the order that Flickr uploaded them.
♫ www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KxKgLnlpR8 ♪
And if I was running, you'd be the one who I would be running to
And if I was crying, you would be lining the cloud that would pull me through
And if I was scared, then I would be glad to tell you and walk away
But I am not lying, I am just trying to find my way in to you
You know I'm gonna find a way to let you have your way with me
You know I'm gonna find a time to catch your hand and make you stay
I don't care what clothes you wear, it's time to love and I don't care
You know I'm gonna find a way to let you have your way with me
There are many online sites which allow online sexting with others. People can have sexting online dating with speedxdating.com through which they can text their horny feelings to their partners.
Sleeper have been whirring on my stereo for the last few hours. This is my loveliest, trusty green coat that I bought years and years ago and has seen me through all the seasons and weathers than you can think of. I've never worn it with cherry red tights before, and was dubious about the combination when thinking of it... but on show, I really, really love it.
Coat, New Look
Dress, New Look (remixed)
Tights, ?
Socks, Topshop
Boots, ASOS (remixed)
Bag, Urban Outfitters
Little cute child having a tasty breakfast
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I didn't have flocking that was the exact shade of Clawd's original sideburns/hair. However, I found that the shade "Mahogany" from my vintage Ken flocking kit got the job done. It's difficult to see in these "after" photos, but the patched areas of flocking are ever so slightly more reddish than his factory stuff. But since Clawd had several large bald areas, with random bits of his original hair intact, it was fairly easy to blend seamlessly. Even if it's not 100% a match, Clawd still looks worlds better than he did when I first rescued him. I didn't anticipate how much more youthful he'd look when I touched up his flocking, but his freshly flocked side burns draw so much more attention to his handsome face! He was the perfect candidate to flock, since the flocking I used was dark enough to provide ample coverage with just one coating!
Tutorial: How I Flock Doll Hair
www.flickr.com/photos/athousandsplendiddolls/41531947120/...
Ian's on the road again, wearing different shoes again.
Or something.
Yes, have audit will travel is taking me back to the north west and head office (UK) in Warrington.
I wasn't keen to go, as I would be one of those being audited, rather than being the auditor.
So it goes.
Up even earlier than usual, Jools went swimming first thing, while I woke up and packed.
It was to be a bright if cold day, and the promise of actual snow once I reached Manchester, so that was something to look forward to. No?
Jools dropped me off on the prom so I could have a walk, take some snaps before picking up the car.
It was cold.
Not Canada cold, clearly.
Minus three. And too cold to linger to watch the actual sunrise, so made do with snapping the reflected light of the hotels and a ferry coming into the harbour. I walked over Townwall Street, now cold to the bone, hoping the car hire place would be open on time.
It wasn't, but a couple of minutes later, a guy came to open up and let me inside where it was slightly warmer.
My old ruse of getting an automatic thus getting a larger car was ruined this time was I was given a Toyota Yaris. It struggled to get up Jubilee Way without the engine screaming. You'd better behave yourself for the next three days I told it.
Back home for breakfast, load the car and say goodbye to the cats. One last look, and I was off. The car had no sat nav, so had to use the phone.
Before going to the hotel, I was going to visit a former colleague who lives in Warrington, or nearly St Helens as I found out later, so programmed her address in, and off I went, along our street and towards the A2 and the long slog up to Dartford.
I connected my phone to charge, and straight away tunes from my Apple music store started playing. So, apart from the free U2 album it forced on all users, the rest was good if a little Skids and Velvet Underground heavy.
The miles were eaten up, even if I had to turn the music way up to drown the sound of the screaming engine.
Like all trips, I had something extra to sweeten the time away, and in this case it was a church. But not just any church, as you will see.
I watched a short documentary on Monday about Mary Queen of Scots, and remembered that she had been imprisoned and executed at Fotheringhay Castle in what is now Northamptonshire, and if I went over the Dartford Crossing, up the M11 to Cambridge, then were the A14 crossed the Great North Road, ten miles north was Fotheringhay.
So, I pressed on, under the river and into Essex, then along to the bottom of the M11, and north past Stanstead to Cambridge. Traffic wasn't bad, so I made good time, my phone telling me I would reach Fotheringhay at midday.
Turning off the A1, down narrow lanes, then the view to the church opens up, in what is possibly one of the finest vistas in all of England. St Mary and All Saints, 15th century and in its Perpendicular finest, it looks too good to be that old, but is.
Not only is the church mostly as it was, if plain inside, this was the parish church of the House of York, of several Kings including the final, Richard III.
This is real history.
I crossed over the narrow hump-back bridge that spanned the fast flowing, and nearly flooding, River Neane, into the village and parked outside the church. A set of grand gates lead off the main road to the northern porch, lined with fine trees, naked it being winter.
The tower seems over-large for the Nave and Chancel, it stands 116 feet tall, and is a chonker, the rest of the church seems small beside it, but the interior of the church is a large space, high to its vaulted roof.
I take shots, not as many as perhaps I should, but the church doesn't have centuries of memorials, but does have two House of York tombs, or mausoleums.
I had some time, so I thought I would visit any interesting church I might see before getting back on the A14.
That was the plan.
The road took me round Oundle, which had at least two interesting looking churches, but them being what you might call "urban", I passed both and carried on over the rolling hills of Northamptonshire, much hillier than you might have thought.
Just before the A14, I see a large tower, and a lane lead to the village of Titchmarsh.
Titchmarsh is the name of a very famous TV gardener over here in Britain, not sure if this is where he hails from.
The village itself is set along a long high street, lined with half-timbered houses, most thatched, which was very picturesque.
I parked up, screams from the primary school, out for lunch, filled the air. But I had eyes on the church.
Oddly, on the north side, the churchyard is marked by a haha, or half of one.
A ha?
Certainly not a ditch, but there was a grille in the wall to allow water to get out.
Access to the church was over a small bridge, the grand porch in front.
The door opened easily, and I saw first, lots of wall paintings. Not old, perhaps Victorian.
I set to work taking shots, using the compact to snap close ups of the windows.
In truth, not much of great interest, and I was aware from the radio there being talk of snow.
Better get going and head north.
Back outside, my phone tells me I should be in Warrington by four, my friend, Teresa, wouldn't be home until half past, so I could have another break on the way.
The sat nav took me back to the A14, and from there it is just a 60 mile drive to the bottom of the M6 and then the hike two hours north.
At least it was a sunny day, though clouds were building, and was it my imagination, or did it look like snow falling already?
No, it was snow. big, fat, wet flakes at first, not much to worry about, but I pressed on past Coventry to the toll road, I sopped for half an hour there, enough time to have a drink and some crisps, then back outside where darkness was falling, as well as more snow.
The M6 might have had its upgrade complete, but a trip on it is rarely without delays. And for me, an hour delayed just before Warrington due to a crash, so we inched along in near darkness.
Teresa lived the other side of Warrington, so I had to press on further north, then along other main roads, round a bonkers roundabout before entering the town. Roads were lined with two up/two downs, doors leading straight onto the pavement. Cozy and northern.
They have two dog-mountains, I'm not sure of the breed, but think of something like a St Bernard and go bigger. They had just been for a walk, were damp and happy to be inside, laying on the kitchen floor. Taking up all the kitchen floor.
We talked for an hour, then I received a call from a guy I was supposed to be meeting up with: heavy snow was falling, I should get there sooner than later. So, I said my goodbyes and programmed the route to the hotel. Sorry, resort. Golf resort.
16 miles.
Snow was falling heavy, not too bad on main roads back to the motorway, though traffic on that was only going 40, it was fast enough. But the final six miles was long a main road, but it was covered in snow, with more falling.
The the fuel warning light went on.
Ignore that, I just wanted to get to the hotel safe and have dinner. Not end up in a hedge.
The final mile was very scary, snow only an inch deep, but slippery. There was a gatehouse marking the entrance to the golf club, I turned in and parked in the first space I came to.
Phew.
I checked in, and the place is huge, swish, but full of golfers.
But it does a sideline in conferences, training centre and a hotel. It was full.
I checked in, walked to the room, which is huge, and very comfortable, dropped my bags and went to the bar for dinner of beer and burgers. The place was almost empty, I watched cricket live from South Africa while I ate and drank.
Would I be tempted by the cheeseboard?
I would, dear reader, I would.
To my room to watch the football and relax while snow fell outside.
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Another bike ride into the wilds and wolds of Northamptonshire. I set off from Huntingdon railway station, and after a sixteen mile slog into the wind I crossed the county boundary at Clopton, a church I visited three weeks ago. Now, the real bike ride could now begin. Resisting a revisit to the church, I turned off on a very lonely, narrow lane through the woodlands. The Cambs/Northants borderlands are often like this, remote and lonely, wooded and rolling, devoid of houses outside the villages and with only the rare car, horse or other cyclist. It reminds me of parts of France.
After a couple of miles I came to Titchmarsh, and its splendid church, a big church in a pretty stone village. The tower is enormous ('The finest church tower in England outside of Somerset' - FJ Allen) and there is no spire. The churchyard is surrounded by a haha, with a little bridge across the moat. The church was being prepared for a rock concert, with a stage built up under the tower and tables and chairs in the nave. Not a huge amount to see in any case, although I liked the memorial to a servant who saved his master's life by getting in the way of an assassin's knife, only to later drown in the Nene. As you'd expect in this part of the world, good stone capitals in the arcades, with stiffleaves you could cut yourself on as well as dripping fruit.
And then it was on past the IKEA warehouse ('the largest building in the British Isles') into the town of Thrapston.
Simon Knott, July 2017.
www.flickr.com/photos/norfolkodyssey/35483761652/in/photo...
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The Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin, standing in a prominent position on the higher ground to the North of the village, has been the centre of the Christian community in Titchmarsh for some 800 years.
The name of Tichmarsh (or the modern version Titchmarsh) seems to date from Anglo-Saxon times when a piece of land was granted to one Ticcea and became known as Ticcea’s marsh (Ticceanmersce, Tychemerche, etc).
The earliest records of the church date from 1240. It was from Tichmarsh that Viscount Lovell left his manor to fight with Richard III at Bosworth. Before that he had employed his Somerset mason to build what Pevsner described as “the noblest village tower outside Somerset”, on top of which in 1588 an Armada beacon was lit.
The church is remarkable for its magnificent tower, its long and lofty clerestory, its spacious chancel, and for its light and uncluttered interior. It also houses a collection of unique and interesting wall monuments, fine stained glass windows and a recently restored 1870 TC Lewis organ. (see separate links)
The building that you see today is not the first church to have existed on this site. The remains of a 12th century doorway in the chancel is the only relic of the Norman building, and the subsequent centuries have each made their distinctive architectural contribution. The building assumed its present appearance when, late in the 15th century, the tower, clerestory and porch were added, and the present perpendicular style windows were inserted. In the late 17th and early 18th century the Pickering family contributed a number of important memorials, including one to John Dryden the poet- laureate, who spent his childhood in Titchmarsh. In the 19th century a number of the windows had stained glass inserted, a vestry was added in the northwest corner, and much of the internal woodwork was replaced (including the pews, recently adapted to provide more mobile seating).
The focus of the church, both architecturally and spiritually, is the Altar. This is God’s table, at which the faithful share in the power of Christ’s Risen Life, by feeding on the Sacrament of his Body and Blood under the forms of bread and wine. The reredos of Caen stone and Derby alabaster (1866) depicts the Old Testament scenes of Melchizedek’s offering of bread and wine, and Abraham’s offering of his only son Isaac, illustrating different aspects of the eucharistic theme.
The semi-circular Norman arch to the south side is a visible reminder that Christian worship has been offered on this site for at least some eight centuries.
The two-level sedilia and the piscine are of the 13th century, as is also the arcading which opens into the north chapel (now occupied by the organ). The opening known as a hagioscope or squint, gave additional visual access from the north chapel to the High Altar. The low, pointed 13th century doorway to the north of the Altar probably led to a tomb or chantry adjoining the Chancel on the north side. Much of this work can be attributed to the patronage of the Lovel family, who were Lords of the Manor from about 1268 until 1485.
Piercing the north-west corner of the Chancel wall are the remains of the stairway which originally led to the Rood-loft.
Dimly discernible in the apex of the Chancel arch is a crowned head. Experts suggest that it most closely resembles Edward IV who died in 1483 when Francis 1st (and only) Viscount Lovel was Lord of the Manor. The last years of the reign of Edward IV covered a peaceful period, favourable to the rebuilding of a church. In 1486 Henry VII granted the Manor of Tichmarsh to Sir Charles Somerset when Francis Lord Lovel who had supported Richard III was deprived of his estates at the end of the War of the Roses. This is the Lovell, who as Richard III’s Chamberlain and friend, was lampooned in the contemporary rhyme:
‘The Cat, the Rat, and Lovell our dog
Rule all England under the Hog’.
The walls and windows of the chancel were much embellished in Victorian times. The stained glass in the chancel windows is all by Messrs. Hardman of Birmingham. The east window depicts Christ’s Nativity, Baptism, Crucifixion and Ascension, and several episodes from the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, to whom the church is dedicated. The windows on the south side of the chancel depict various incidents from the New Testament, giving particular prominence to St Mary Magdalene and St Peter.
The reredos of Caen stone and Derby alabaster were completed.
The organ, a good example of the work of TC Lewis was installed and first used in 1870. (fully restored in 2016). We learn from the Parish Magazine that prior to the installation of the instrument, music for Devine service had been supplied by a barrel organ, the introduction of which in 1837 replaced the services of the eight singers who had occupied a musicians gallery under the tower, and sang very loud. Singing was also led by string and woodwind instruments until 1861.
According to the parish magazines, the paintings on the chancel walls were by Miss Agnes Saunders, who was sister-in-law to the Rev. F M Stopford, (rector 1861-1912). The fine limed oak chancel screen was the gift of Canon A M Luckock, (rector 1912-1962).
The North Chapel and Transept
This was largely rebuilt in the 14th century, and now houses many mural memorials to the Pickering family
Gilbert Pickering bought the manor of Tichmarsh from Charles Somerset’s grandson in 1553, and for more than two hundred years it remained in the possession of his descendants. When the direct line came to an end, the estates were acquired in 1778 by Thomas Powys, later the first Lord Lilford.
John Pickering married Susannah Dryden of Canons Ashby in 1609, and twenty-one years later, Susannah’s brother Erasmus married John’s cousin Mary Pickering. Of these unions were born two men well known in the highest circles of their day, the notorious Sir Gilbert Pickering (1613-1668) and the famous John Dryden the poet (1631-1700).
Sir Gilbert was a convinced Parliamentarian, and became Lord Chamberlain to Oliver Cromwell. John Dryden’s upbringing in Tichmarsh is mentioned in one of the memorials. This and another were painted by Sir Gilbert’s daughter, Elizabeth, who became the wife of John Creed.
A woman of talent with needle, pen and brush, Elizabeth Creed was responsible also for the wording of the altar tomb and wall angle memorials of the south aisle as well as the Dryden monument which has been moved to the north transept.
The South Aisle
Here we find Mrs Creed lamenting the death of her husband, a boon companion of Samuel Pepys, of their son Christ’s family. By ancient custom the Font stands near the main (west) door of the physical building, as a reminder that it is through Baptism that we enter Christ’s Church.
The West Window
The tracery of the tower window is 15th century, (extensively restored in 2016). In 1904 the west window was filled with stained glass, the gift of Rev’d F M Stopford to mark his 50th year in Holy Orders. It is a powerful representation of Christ’s Second Coming and the Day of Judgement, and approximately balances the episodes of Christ’s first Advent depicted in the east window. The same firm of artists, Messrs Hardman of Birmingham, was employed for the work, and it is interesting to notice how the passage of some forty years makes a considerable difference in style and taste between the tower window and their earlier work.
The Bells
The tower houses a fine ring of eight bells. All were recast and re-hung in 1913 as a memorial to Rev’d F M Stopford who died in office in 1912 having been rector for 51 years, and a chaplain to Queen Victoria, Edward VII and George V. Before recasting, the oldest bells dated from 1688, with additions in 1708 and 1781. The ring was completed in1885 by the gift of two bells in memory of Florence Augusta Stopford, the rector’s first wife. At the same time the present church clock, which strikes the hours and quarters, replaced the previous one made by George Eayre in 1745.
At the base of the tower are some interesting photographs of the re-hanging of the bells.
The South Porch
The original porch was a single storey structure, with window openings to east and west. The upper storey was added in1583 and housed the Pickering family pew, complete with fire place! After the death of the last Tichmarsh Pickerings the wall opening was blocked up. It was reopened in 1931, when Canon Luckock (rector 1912-1962) and his wife put in the present glass panel and hung the massive oak south door as a thanksgiving for their silver wedding. The seating around the walls of the porch is a reminder of its earlier function as a place of meeting.
The Exterior
The large and splendid tower is built in four stages, richly decorated with triple bands of quatrefoils in circles on the ground storey and similar bands on the second and third stages. The niches on the west face contain modern stone figures representing Moses and Aaron, the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Peter, and the archangels Michael and Gabriel. The parish magazine for 1901 records that the rector’s wife paid for the replacements by breeding and selling black fantail pigeons.
The ‘crown’, ie. parapet and pinnacles above the fourth stage is considered by experts to date from about 1500. The will of one Thomas Gryndall, dated 1474, bequeaths money towards the building of the tower, probably completed except for the ‘crown’ in about 1480.
The prominence and size of the tower made it a significant landmark. In 1585 when the country prepared to resist the threatened invasion from Spain, the Lord Lieutenant, Sir Christopher Hatton of Kirby Hall, gave order for Beacons to be made in places accustomed and that ‘Tychemershe Beacon’ be sett upon Tychemershe church steeple
On the south wall of the tower is a painted sundial, dated 1798, and below it a disused clock face made in 1745. There are three scratch dials on the south side of the church – on the porch and on two of the buttresses.
The churchyard, which contains many good examples of local stonemasons’ work of the 18th and 19th centuries, is remarkable and perhaps unique in being bounded almost entirely by a ha-ha.
Acknowlegements: The Victoria County History of Northamptonshire; Northamptonshire by Niklaus Pevsner; and to various numbers of the Titchmarsh Parish Magazine; Titchmarsh Past and Present by Helen Belgion, published 1979
titchmarsh.info/church-of-st-mary-the-virgin/church-history/
Having just written an Ode to my Casios in Business 2.0, I had to try something new…. The prior three photos in my stream are freehand shots from this FX-7.
Since I try to never use the flash indoors, I was curious about the Optical Image Stabilization feature (Mega OIS) built into the Leica lens array, a unique feature for a pocket camera. I’m not sure if I have figured out the correct photo conditions to take advantage of this feature (I tried chasing a flying bug with it =) but the photo tests by dpreview were pretty impressive. I wonder if the Casio Z55 and Z3 do so relatively well in low light because they go to f2.6 vs. the standard f2.8 in pocket cameras.
Compared to the Casio Z55, the FX-7 has a slightly better macro zoom (5cm vs. 6cm) and it is smaller, lighter, and dare I say, more stylish. The OIS feature is the most important one, but I have not had enough experience to compare that yet.
Major drawbacks vs. Casio:
1) short battery life. The battery mAh is 42% lower, and the circuitry and/or screen are less power efficient (50% by my estimate). The camera heats up noticeably during use. I am looking for a better aftermarket battery.
2) No cradle. Pulling batteries out to recharge, and draining the battery during photo uploading compounds the pain of short battery life.
Points of parity: 5MP with 3x zoom seems to be the sweet spot for pocket cameras. Both have a great assortment of automation features to help the novice take better photos. Both have a 2.5” LCD, which is essential in a pocket camera, IMHO. The viewfinder is an anachronism in cameras this size, and the much smaller area 2” screen (e.g., Canon SD400) is a pain as a viewfinder. When the Canon gets a 2.5” screen, it will be enticing with a 3cm macro and 2x the video resolution.
Having found so many of the new Hot Wheels 2019 Kia Stinger GT castings recently I decided to give this the Molotow treatment for no obvious reason. Windows, sunroof, door handles, bonnet and grille surround all liberally applied with chrome, an experiment best not repeated! ;-p
Part of Case M found at ASDA. Mint and boxed.
Have quite often seen Macduff Profiles on the Royal Deeside network, not sure if they briefly interwork or just end up at Aberdeen due to maintenance reasons.
53266 seen here on Union Street on the 203 to Banchory.
Have you ever wondered how the Volunteers working on the Town Hall Photographer's Collection knew the date, department and subject of the images they were digitising?
Well...the Town Hall Photographers kept very detailed Negatives Books.
Digitised image of a Negatives Books from the Town Hall Photographer's Collection - GB127.M850
The Town Hall Photographer’s Collection is a large photographic collection held in Manchester City Council’s Central Library archives, ranging in date from 1956 to 2007.
The collection consists of tens of thousands of images, covering the varied areas of work of Manchester Corporation and latterly, Manchester City Council.
The photographs were taken by staff photographers, who were tasked to document the work of Corporation/Council departments and, in doing so, captured many aspects of Manchester life and history, including significant changes to the Manchester landscape.
The collection includes many different formats from glass negatives, to slides, prints, CDs and even a couple of cine films.
What is especially exciting is that the majority of these images have never before been available in a digital format and therefore have only ever been seen by a handful of people.
A team of dedicated Staff and Volunteers are currently working on the systematic digitisation of the negatives held within the collection.
This album represents the result of their work to date.
Leica IIF, 28mm F/6.0, Ilford HP5
I have always been drawn to the gritty, high contrast, black and white photographs from the earliest years of photography. There’s just something about the style inherent in these images that screams Punk Rock.
I always found it incredibly tedious to recreate that look with software and a digital camera. And even if successful, I was always left feeling disappointed and disingenuous afterward.
I think that’s a big reason why I turned to film photography. I wanted to capture gritty, high-contrast photographs but I wanted to do so genuinely using original analog processes.
For the best part of the last year, I have been posting shots of Kent churches on Twitter, to break up the torrent of horrible news relating to COVID, Brexit and our Dear Leader, and in doing so, I have discovered many churches I visited at the start of the project, needed to redone.
Goudhurst, is, apparently, the highest point in Kent, or so Jools tells me. I will just check that with Wikki: Hmm, it seems not. That is Betsom's Hill north of the M25 near to the border with London. Goudhurst is not even in the top ten.
I can confirm we approached the village along a long hill from a river valley, finally climbing up the narrow high street, getting round the parked cars and finding a space nearly big enough for the car near to the church.
On the other side of the road from the church, a series of very Kent houses and buildings, all decorated with pegtiles, in the Kent fashion, and to the south, the imposing structure of The Star and Eagle Hotel.
The church sits in it's large graveyard, pretty as a picture on a sunny summer's afternoon as on my first visit, but on a grey, late autumn afternoon, just as the light fades, it loses some of its charm.
The church itself is resplendent with it's honey-coloured stone, squat tower and spreading aisles on both sides.
There is a welcome notice on the door in the west end of the tower stating that the church is always open and all are indeed, welcome.
Its a fine touch.
Inside, it is light and spacious, so spacious to have to grand leather sofas in the nave, not sure if this is for glamping, or for some other reason, but they're doing no harm.
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Seen from afar Goudhurst is Kent's answer to Rye - a small hilltop village over which broods the lovely church. Its west tower, dating from the seventeenth century, is rather low, but the honey-coloured sandstone is particularly beautiful here. We enter the church through the tower, and are impressed by the way in which the width and height of the nave and its aisles combine to make such a noble structure. There are two remarkably fine wooden effigies dating from the sixteenth century, carved and painted and set into a purpose-built bay window. Nearby, in the south chapel, the walls are crammed with monuments and there are three brasses, one of which is covered by a stone canopy - not particularly grand but unexpected and functional.
www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Goudhurst
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GOUDHURST
LIES the next parish southward from Marden. The northern part of it, as far southward as the stream formerly called Risebridge river, which flows from Bedgebury to Hope mill, and a smaller part likewise on the other side of it, adjoining to the rivulet called the Bewle westward, is in the hundred of Marden, and lower division of the lath of Scray; the rest of the parish southward of the first-mentioned stream, is in the hundred of West, alias Little Barnefield, and lath of Aylesford, comprehending the whole of that hundred. So much of this parish as is within the borough of Faircrouch, is in the hundred of Cranbrook; as much as is in the boroughs of Pattenden, Lilsden, Combwell, and Chingley or Bromley, is in the same hundred of West, alias Little Barnefield; and the residue is in the hundred of Marden. It lies wholly within the district of the Weald, and in the division of West Kent.
The borsholders of the boroughs of Highamden, Pattenden, and Hilsden, in this parish, are chosen at the court-leet holden for the manor of East Farleigh, and the inhabitants owe no service but to that manor; only a constable for the hundred of West Barnefield may be chosen out of such parts of them as lay within it for that hundred. The manor of Maidstone likewise extends into this parish, over lands as far southward as Rise-bridge.
THE PARISH OF GOUDHURST is very pleasantly situated, being interspersed on every side with frequent hill and dale. The trees in it are oak, of a large size, and in great plenty throughout it, as well in the woods, as broad hedge-rows and shaves round the fields. The lands are in general very fertile; the soil, like the adjoining parishes, is mostly a deep stiff clay; being heavy tillage land, but it has the advantage of a great deal of rich marle at different places, and in some few parts sand, with which the roads are in general covered; and in the grounds near Finchcocks, there is a gravel-pit, which is the only one, I believe, in this part of the county. There is much more pasture than arable land in it, the former being mostly fatting lands, bullocks fatted on them weighing in general from 120 to 130 stone. It is well watered with several streams in different parts of it, all which uniting with the Teis, flow in one channel, along the western side of this parish, towards the Medway. The eastern and southern parts of it are much covered with thick coppice wood, mostly of oak. The turnpike road from Maidstone over Cocksheath through Marden, leads through the upper part of this parish southward, dividing into two branches at Winchethill; that to the left goes on to Comborne, and leaving the town of Goudhurst a little to the right, joins the Cranbrooke road a little beyond it. That to the right, having taken into it a branch of the Woodgate road from Tunbridge, near Broadford-bridge, goes on to the town of Goudhurst, and thence eastward to Cranbrooke and Tenterden; and the great high road from Lamberhurst through Stonecrouch to Hawkhurst, and into Sussex, south-east, goes along the southern bounds of this parish.
The parish is about eight miles long and four broad. There are about three hundred houses in it, and somewhat more than five inhabitants to a house. It is very healthy; sixty years of age being esteemed, if not the prime, at least the middle age of life; the inhabitants of these parts being in great measure untainted with the vices and dissipation too frequently practised above the hill.
There are two heaths or commons here; the one called Pyles-health, and the other Killdown, in West Barnefield hundred.
THE TOWN, or village of Goudhurst, stands in the hundred of Marden, about half a mile within the lower or southern bounds of it, on an hill, commanding an extensive view of the country all around it. It is not paved, but is built on the sides of five different roads which unite at a large pond in the middle of it. The houses are mostly large, antient and well-timbered, like the rest of those in this neighbourhood, one of them, called Brickwall, belongs to the Rev. Mr. Thomas Bathurst. Within memory there were many clothiers here, but there are none now. There is some little of the woolstapling business yet carried on.
On the summit of the hill, on which the town stands, is the church, a conspicuous object to the neighbouring country, and near it was the marketplace, which was pulled down about the year 1650, and the present small one built lower down, at the broad place in the town near the pond. The market was held on a Wednesday weekly, for cattle, provisions, &c. till within memory; it is now entirely disused, there is a fair held yearly in the town, upon the day of the assumption of our lady, being August 26, for cattle, hardware, toys, &c. This market and fair were granted in the year of king Richard II. to Joane, widow of Roger de Bedgebury, the possessors of which estate claim at this time the privilege of holding them, by a yearly rent to the manor of Marden.
At the hamlet of Stonecrouch is a post-office of very considerable account, its district extending to Goudhurst, Cranbrooke, Tenterden, Winchelsea, Rye, and Hastings, and all the intermediate and adjoining places, to which letters are directed by this Stonecrouch bag.
ALMOST adjoining to the town eastward, on the road leading to Tenterden, there is A HAMLET, called LITTLE GOUDHURST, in which there is an antient seat, called TAYWELL, which for many generations was possessed by a family of the name of Lake, who bore for their arms, Sable, a bend between six crosscroslets, fitchee, argent. In the north isle of this church, under which is a vault, in which this family lie buried, there is a marble, on which is a descent of them. The last of them, Thomas Lake, esq. barrister-at-law, resided here, but dying without issue male, his daughters and coheirs became possessed of it; one of whom married Maximilian Gott, esq. and the other Thomas Hussey, esq. whose son Edward Hussey, esq. of Scotney, now possesses the entire see of this estate, which is demised for a long term of years to Mr. Olive, who has almost rebuilt it, and resides in it.
AT A SMALL DISTANCE southward from the abovementioned seat, is another, called TRIGGS, which was for several descents the residence of the Stringers, a family of good account in the different parts of this county. John Stringer, esq. son of Edward Stringer, of Biddenden, by Phillis his wife, daughter of George Holland, gent. resided here in king Charles I.'s reign, and married Susanna, daughter of Stephen Streeter, of Goudhurst, by whom he had Stephen, of Goudhurst; John, gent. of Ashford, who left a daughter and heir Mary, married to Anthony Irby, esq. Edward and Thomas, both of Goudhurst; the latter left two sons. Thomas and Edward, and a daughter Catherine, who married William Belcher, M. D. by whom the had Stringer Belcher, and other children. The Stringers bore for their arms, Per chevron, or, and sable, in chief two eagles displayed of the second, in the base a fleur de lis of the first.
Stephen Stringer, the eldest son of John, resided at Triggs in the reign of king Charles II. and was succeeded in it by his second son Stephen Stringer, esq. who kept his shrievalty here in the 6th year of queen Anne. He died without male issue, leaving by Jane his wife, daughter of John Austen, esq. of Broadford, four daughters his coheirs, Jane, married to Thomas Weston, of Cranbrooke; Hannah to William Monk, of Buckingham. in Sussex, whose eldest daughter and coheir married Thomas Knight, esq. of Godmersham; Elizabeth married Edward Bathurst, esq. of Finchcocks, and Anne married John Kirril, esq. of Sevenoke. (fn. 1) This seat was afterwards alienated to Francis Austen, esq. of Sevenoke, whose son Francis Mottley Austen, esq. of Sevenoke, is the present owner of it.
THE MANOR OF MARDEN claims over the greatest part of this parish; part of it, being the dens beforementioned, are within the manor of East Farleigh, and the remaining part, called Wincehurst-den, is within the manor of Gillingham, near Chatham. Although that part of this parish which lies within the hundred of West Barnefield, being the most southern part of it, contains those places which are of, by far, the greatest note in it, yet, for the sake of regularity in my description, I shall begin with those in the hundred of Marden, partly already described, and having finished that, proceed next to the hundred of West Barnefield, and the matters worthy of notice in it.
BOKINFOLD is a manor of large extent, situated in the hundred of Marden, having formerly a large park and demesnes belonging to it, which extended into the parishes of Brenchley, Horsemonden, Yalding, Marden, and Goudhurst, the house of it being situated in that of Yalding, in the description of which parish the reader will find an ample account of the former state and possessors of it. (fn. 2) It will, therefore, be sufficient to mention here, in addition to it, that the whole of this manor coming at length into the possession of Sir Alexander Colepeper. He in the 3d year of queen Elizabeth levied a fine of it, and three years afterwards alienated that part of this manor, and all the demesnes of it which lay in Brenchley, Horsemonden, Yalding, and Marden, to Roger Revell, as has been mentioned under the parish of Yalding, and THE REMAINDER OF IT in this parish, held of the manor of Marden, to Sharpeigh, whose descendant Stephen Sharpeigh passed that part of it away in 1582, to Richard Reynolds, whose son and heir John Reynolds, about the 41st year of queen Elizabeth, conveyed it to Richard Eliot, and he, about the year 1601, alienated it to Thomas Girdler, who the next year sold it to John Reynolds, and he, in the 5th year of king James, transmitted it to John Beale, who, about 1609, passed it away to John Harleston, of Ickham, and he settled it by will on Richard Harleston, who in like manner devised it to his kinsman Richard Bishop, and he, soon after the death of king Charles I. sold it to Mr. Stephen Stringer, of Triggs, in Goudhurst, whose son, of the same name, was sheriff anno 6 queen Anne, and left five daughters his coheirs, of whom Elizabeth, the third, married Edward Bathurst, esq. of Finchcocks, and on the division of their inheritance, he, in her right, became possessed of this manor. He died in 1772, upon which this estate came to his son, the Rev. Thomas Bathurst, rector of Welwyn, in Hertfordshire, the present owner of it. A court baron is regularly held for this manor.
In 1641 the archbishop collated Richard Amhurst, clerk, to the free chapels of Bockinfold and Newsted annexed, in the archdeaconry of Canterbury, then vacant and of his patronage. (fn. 3)
COMBORNE is an estate, situated in the northernmost part of this parish, adjoining to Winchet-hill, in the hundred of Marden likewise; which place of Winchet-hill was antiently the original seat in this county, of the family of Roberts, of Glassenbury.
An ancestor of this family, William Rookherst, a gentleman of Scotland, left his native country, and came into England in the 3d year of king Henry I. and had afterwards the surname of Roberts, having purchased lands at Winchet-hill, on which he built himself a mansion, calling it Rookherst, after himself. This place came afterwards to be called Ladiesden Rokehurst, alias Curtesden, and continued the residence of this family till the reign of king Richard II. when Stephen Roberts, alias Rookherst, marrying Joane, the daughter and heir of William Tilley, of Glassenbury, removed thither, and the remains of their residence here are so totally effaced, as to be known only by the family evidences, and the report of the neighbourhood.
But their estate at Winchet-hill continued several generations afterwards in their descendants, till it was at length alienated to one of the family of Maplesden, of Marden, in whose descendants this estate, together with that of Comborne adjoining, continued down to Edward Maplesden; esq. of the Middle Temple, who died in 1755, s. p. and intestate. Upon which they descended to Alexander Courthope, esq. of Horsemonden, the son of his sister Catherine, and to Charles Booth, esq. the grandson of his sister Anne, as his coheirs in gavelkind, and on a partition of those estates between them, Winchet-hill was allotted to Charles Booth, esq. afterwards Sir Charles Booth, of Harrietsham-place, who died possessed of it, s. p. in 1795, and his devisees, for the purposes of his will, are now in the possession of it; but Comborne was allotted to Alexander Courthope, esq. since deceased, whose nephew John Cole, esq. now possesses it.
FINCHCOCKS is a feat in this parish, situated within the hundred of Marden, in that angle of it which extends south-westward below Hope mill, and is likewise within that manor. It was formerly of note for being the mansion of a family of the same surname, who were possessed of it as early as the 40th year of Henry III. They were succeeded in it by the family of Horden, of Horden, who became proprietors of it by purchase in the beginning of king Henry VI.'s reign, one of whom was Edward Horden, esq. clerk of the green cloth to king Edward VI. queen Mary, and queen Elizabeth, who had, for some considerable service to the crown, the augmentation of a regal diadem, added to his paternal coat by queen Elizabeth. He left two daughters his coheirs, Elizabeth, married to Mr. Paul Bathurst, of Bathurst-street, in Nordiam, and Mary to Mr. Delves, of Fletchings, who had Horden for his share of the inheritance, as the other had this of Finchcocks. He was descended from Laurence Bathurst, of Canterbury, who held lands there and in Cranbrooke, whose son of the same name, left three sons, of whom Edward, the eldest, was of Staplehurst, and was ancestor of the Bathursts, of Franks, in this county, now extinct, (fn. 4) of the earls Bathurst, and those of Clarenden-park, in Wiltshire, and Lydney, in Gloucestershire; Robert Bathurst, the second, was of Horsemonden; and John, the third son, was ancestor of the Bathursts, of Ockham, in Hampshire. Robert Bathurst, of Horsemonden above-mentioned, by his first wife had John, from whom came the Bathursts, of Lechlade, in Gloucestershire, and baronets; and Paul, who was of Nordiam, and afterwards possessor of Finchcocks, from whose great-grandson William, who was a merchant in London, descended the Bathursts, of Edmonton, in Middlesex. By his second wife he had John, who was of Goudhurst, ancestor of the Bathursts, of Richmond, in Yorkshire. In the descendants of Paul Bathurst before-mentioned, this seat continued down to Thomas Bathurst, esq. who by his will devised this seat and estate to his nephew Edward, only son of his younger brother William, of Wilmington, who leaving his residence there on having this seat devised to him, removed hither, and rebuilt this seat, at a great expence, in a most stately manner. He resided here till his death in 1772, having been twice married, and leaving several children by each of his wives. By his first wife Elizabeth, third daughter and coheir of Stephen Stringer, esq. of Triggs, he had three sons, Edward, who left a daughter Dorothy, now unmarried, and John and Thomas, both fellows of All Souls college, in Oxford, the latter of whom is now rector of Welwyn, in Hertfordshire. Before his death he conveyed this seat and estate by sale to his son by his second wife, Mr. Charles Bathurst, who on his decease in 1767, s. p. devised it by will to his brother, the Rev. Mr. Richard Bathurst, now of Rochester, the present possessor of it. This branch of the family of Bathurst. bore for their arms the same coat as those of Franks, in this county, and those of Cirencester, Lydney, and Clarendon, viz. Sable, two bars, ermine, in chief three crosses pattee, or, with a crescent for difference; but with a different crest, viz. Party per fess, and pale, a demi wolf argent, and sable, holding a regal crown, or; which I take to be that borne by Edward Horden, whose heir Paul Bathurst, their ancestor, married, and whose coat of arms they likewise quartered with their own.
¶AT NO GREAT DISTANCE from Finchcocks, in the same hundred, lies a capital messuage, called RISEDEN, alias GATEHOUSE, which formerly belonged to a family named Sabbe, one of whom, Simon Sabbe, sold it, before the middle of the last century, to Mr. Robert Bathurst, from whom it descended down, with an adjoining estate, called TRILLINGHERST, to another Robert Bathurst, who died in 1731, and lies buried in this church, whose daughter Mary sold them both to Sir Horace Mann, bart. the present possessor of them.
Workmen have now installed an acrylic sheet to protect a mural of British musician David Bowie, by Australian street artist James Cochran, also known as Jimmy C.
The mural, on the side of Morleys department store on Tunstall Road, has drawn thousands of fans who have left tributes and flowers to the Brixton-born singer.
Lambeth council announced that a local listing would protect the mural and that it was considering renaming the area after being “overwhelmed by the outpouring of affection”.
The council is also in talks with Bowie’s family about suggestions for a permanent memorial, including statues and place naming.
Lib Peck, the council leader, said in a statement: “It is ultimately the family’s decision as to what may be appropriate. We must respect that and be patient. Lambeth residents have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of affection visibly demonstrated by floral tributes, messages and people visiting the Bowie mural to pay their respects to this unique Brixton boy.”
2 having some wheel changes, the blue one stripped for spares along with a few others to follow shortly. atleast this will see others stay on the road.
With a huge red lei around his neck and a wide grin that could have stretched across Oahu, Larry Fitzgerald held up the gleaming, silver MVP trophy. It sparkled in the sunshine as much as his game.
The only problem: It wasn't the Lombardi Trophy.
Fitzgerald caught five passes for 81 yards and two touchdowns, 44-year-old John Carney kicked two fourth-quarter field goals, and the NFC rallied to a 30-21 victory over the AFC. The Arizona Cardinals' All-Pro receiver, coming off a record-breaking postseason and a spectacular Super Bowl in a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, earned MVP honors.
But he said the victory over the AFC, which featured three members of the Steelers' defense, didn't ease the pain from the Super Bowl.
"No, not one bit," he said.
Fitzgerald also took home keys to a new Cadillac.
"I'm just glad we won, that's the most important thing," he said.
On a sweltering day, with 60 percent humidity, Kurt Warner started for the NFC and played just one series before making way for Brees. Warner was just 1-of-2 for 8 yards.
"I would've liked to have won last week and not this week, if I could switch them out," he said.
Fitzgerald caught a 46-yard scoring pass from Drew Brees before the half and a 2-yard TD pass from Eli Manning for the go-ahead score with 4:07 to play.
The NFC defense took care of the rest.
Manning, making his Pro Bowl debut, was 8-of-14 for 111 yards. While big brother Peyton had better stats, 12-of-17 for 151 yards and a TD, Eli got the win.
"He didn't play the whole second half, so it's not about beating my brother, it's just about having fun," Eli Manning said.
The Manning brothers were the first quarterback brothers in Pro Bowl history. And Carney, who was a perfect 3-for-3, became the oldest player in the game's history. He booted a 48-yarder with 2:06 remaining to make it 27-21 and sealed the win with a 26-yarder with 32 seconds to go.
Sunday's all-star game ended a successful 30-year run at Aloha Stadium, with a sellout every year. The Pro Bowl will be played in Miami next year, a week before the Super Bowl. The NFL, which has been looking to increase the profile of the game, hopes to bring the game back to Hawaii.
The players, who spent most of the week by the beach and sipping umbrella-adorned mai tais, were pretty unanimous in wanting the game to return.
For Warner, the question now is whether this was his final game in the NFL or, as a free agent, will he opt to continue playing at age 38?
"I don't know right now," Warner said. "Again, when I have a feeling one way or the other, I'll let everyone else know. I don't have a time frame. This is the first time right now that I am done having to think about football for a while, and I'm going to enjoy that part of it, enjoy my wife, enjoy my kids and then we'll make a decision as soon as we can."
The AFC was looking to hula dance into halftime with a comfortable 14-3 cushion after Kerry Collins connected with Owen Daniels on a 9-yard scoring pass with 28 seconds left in the half.
However, that was more than enough the time for the NFC, with all its weapons.
The NFC took over at its 45 with 19 seconds left after a nice kickoff return by Clifton Smith. They ran two plays before Larry Fitzgerald hauled in Brees' 46-yard bomb with fellow All-Pro Cortland Finnegan on his back as time expired to pull the NFC to 14-10.
It made for two huge end-of-the-half plays in consecutive weeks for Fitzgerald. But this time, rather than trying -- and failing -- to chase down James Harrison on his 100-yard interception returned for a TD, Fitzgerald was the one celebrating.
Fitzgerald also beat Finnegan on his second score.
"These guys are such elite players, it doesn't take much time to get in the groove with these players," Fitzgerald said. "These guys were great."
The usual high-scoring affair surprisingly also featured plenty of defense. Despite rules such as no blitzing linebackers and safeties, the quarterbacks were feeling the heat, at times buried by the defensive line. None of the passes had any room for error on throws against the speedy defensive backs.
The AFC had a chance to take the lead late, but Julius Peppers got in the way. Down by six, the AFC started its drive on its 20 with 4:03 remaining and got to midfield. Peppers then swatted a pass by Jay Cutler with his left hand and came up with the interception that led to Carney's 48-yard field goal.
There were three straight drives ending with a turnover in a span of about 2 minutes in the third quarter alone, including two by Collins.
The second led to the NFC's first lead of the game, 17-14, late in the third quarter. Jared Allen stripped Collins from behind and scooped up the bouncing ball at the AFC 10. All-Pro Adrian Peterson, last year's Pro Bowl MVP, finished it off with a 10-yard run.
Pinned on its 4, the AFC came out firing behind the league MVP. Peyton Manning completed passes of 20, 18, 22, 4, and 6 yards to five players before hitting Tony Gonzalez for the score on a high-arcing, 19-yard pass.
Gonzalez easily outmaneuvered Seattle linebacker Julian Peterson before hauling in the pass and tiptoeing into the end zone. Gonzalez, also an All-Pro, finished with six catches for 98 yards.
On the ensuing series, Robert Mathis stripped Brees and gave possession back to the AFC.
Manning then completed a 22-yarder to Colts teammate Reggie Wayne before the NFC finally started playing some defense.
After the AFC reached the NFC's 31, Peppers squashed Manning -- and gave him a hand to get back up. It is, after all, the Pro Bowl.
With a huge red lei around his neck and a wide grin that could have stretched across Oahu, Larry Fitzgerald held up the gleaming, silver MVP trophy. It sparkled in the sunshine as much as his game.
The only problem: It wasn't the Lombardi Trophy.
Fitzgerald caught five passes for 81 yards and two touchdowns, 44-year-old John Carney kicked two fourth-quarter field goals, and the NFC rallied to a 30-21 victory over the AFC. The Arizona Cardinals' All-Pro receiver, coming off a record-breaking postseason and a spectacular Super Bowl in a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, earned MVP honors.
But he said the victory over the AFC, which featured three members of the Steelers' defense, didn't ease the pain from the Super Bowl.
"No, not one bit," he said.
Fitzgerald also took home keys to a new Cadillac.
"I'm just glad we won, that's the most important thing," he said.
On a sweltering day, with 60 percent humidity, Kurt Warner started for the NFC and played just one series before making way for Brees. Warner was just 1-of-2 for 8 yards.
"I would've liked to have won last week and not this week, if I could switch them out," he said.
Fitzgerald caught a 46-yard scoring pass from Drew Brees before the half and a 2-yard TD pass from Eli Manning for the go-ahead score with 4:07 to play.
The NFC defense took care of the rest.
Manning, making his Pro Bowl debut, was 8-of-14 for 111 yards. While big brother Peyton had better stats, 12-of-17 for 151 yards and a TD, Eli got the win.
"He didn't play the whole second half, so it's not about beating my brother, it's just about having fun," Eli Manning said.
The Manning brothers were the first quarterback brothers in Pro Bowl history. And Carney, who was a perfect 3-for-3, became the oldest player in the game's history. He booted a 48-yarder with 2:06 remaining to make it 27-21 and sealed the win with a 26-yarder with 32 seconds to go.
Sunday's all-star game ended a successful 30-year run at Aloha Stadium, with a sellout every year. The Pro Bowl will be played in Miami next year, a week before the Super Bowl. The NFL, which has been looking to increase the profile of the game, hopes to bring the game back to Hawaii.
The players, who spent most of the week by the beach and sipping umbrella-adorned mai tais, were pretty unanimous in wanting the game to return.
For Warner, the question now is whether this was his final game in the NFL or, as a free agent, will he opt to continue playing at age 38?
"I don't know right now," Warner said. "Again, when I have a feeling one way or the other, I'll let everyone else know. I don't have a time frame. This is the first time right now that I am done having to think about football for a while, and I'm going to enjoy that part of it, enjoy my wife, enjoy my kids and then we'll make a decision as soon as we can."
The AFC was looking to hula dance into halftime with a comfortable 14-3 cushion after Kerry Collins connected with Owen Daniels on a 9-yard scoring pass with 28 seconds left in the half.
However, that was more than enough the time for the NFC, with all its weapons.
The NFC took over at its 45 with 19 seconds left after a nice kickoff return by Clifton Smith. They ran two plays before Larry Fitzgerald hauled in Brees' 46-yard bomb with fellow All-Pro Cortland Finnegan on his back as time expired to pull the NFC to 14-10.
It made for two huge end-of-the-half plays in consecutive weeks for Fitzgerald. But this time, rather than trying -- and failing -- to chase down James Harrison on his 100-yard interception returned for a TD, Fitzgerald was the one celebrating.
Fitzgerald also beat Finnegan on his second score.
"These guys are such elite players, it doesn't take much time to get in the groove with these players," Fitzgerald said. "These guys were great."
The usual high-scoring affair surprisingly also featured plenty of defense. Despite rules such as no blitzing linebackers and safeties, the quarterbacks were feeling the heat, at times buried by the defensive line. None of the passes had any room for error on throws against the speedy defensive backs.
The AFC had a chance to take the lead late, but Julius Peppers got in the way. Down by six, the AFC started its drive on its 20 with 4:03 remaining and got to midfield. Peppers then swatted a pass by Jay Cutler with his left hand and came up with the interception that led to Carney's 48-yard field goal.
There were three straight drives ending with a turnover in a span of about 2 minutes in the third quarter alone, including two by Collins.
The second led to the NFC's first lead of the game, 17-14, late in the third quarter. Jared Allen stripped Collins from behind and scooped up the bouncing ball at the AFC 10. All-Pro Adrian Peterson, last year's Pro Bowl MVP, finished it off with a 10-yard run.
Pinned on its 4, the AFC came out firing behind the league MVP. Peyton Manning completed passes of 20, 18, 22, 4, and 6 yards to five players before hitting Tony Gonzalez for the score on a high-arcing, 19-yard pass.
Gonzalez easily outmaneuvered Seattle linebacker Julian Peterson before hauling in the pass and tiptoeing into the end zone. Gonzalez, also an All-Pro, finished with six catches for 98 yards.
On the ensuing series, Robert Mathis stripped Brees and gave possession back to the AFC.
Manning then completed a 22-yarder to Colts teammate Reggie Wayne before the NFC finally started playing some defense.
After the AFC reached the NFC's 31, Peppers squashed Manning -- and gave him a hand to get back up. It is, after all, the Pro Bowl.
October 2015
Dungeness.
While studying at university, I grabbed my camera and got some shots down Dungeness.
Vesuvio Café in North Beach, San Francisco.
Photographs in this collection have been produced by Heather Do, Connor Rowe, Kathleen Markham, Alison Lowrie, Kenneth Chiu, Katie Salmond, Diana Chavez, Elena Toffalori, Ashley Vink, Aimee O'Dea, Liz Dolinar, Allison Barden, Justine Khoury, Daniele Alaniz-Roux, and Justin Thach at the request of Michael Ashley for the UC Berkeley Anthropology 136e class, Spring 2011. The purpose was to digitally document the cultural heritage of Vesuvio Café to not only document the cultural history embeded into the ageless walls but also to connect spatially the symbiotic relationship that preserves the legacy of beatnik culture today.
Vesuvio Cafe, (37.79757°N 122.40625°W), located in the North Beach region of San Francisco Bay, is a cultural bastion preserving the cultural heritage of bohemian era and the beatnik culture that generated its establishment by Henri Lenoir in 1949 and made infamous by the renown authors such as Jack Kerouac from which the adjacent alley is named. The building in which the bar is housed is otherwise known as the Cavalri building built in 1913 and expanded to a second story in 1918 and designed by Zanolini with Italian Renaissance revival elements. The transient existence of these unkempt literary members and their constituents is reflected in the liminal location of the former saloon restaurant at the border between the vagrant Chinese- Italian communities; by 1970[1], most of the diverse cultures regressed into economical housing . Vesuvio Café despite its rich history back to the 1950’s , are not historically preserved site; in fact, they were rented until 1999[2] by managers Chris and Janet Clyde, whose proprietary hopes to protect the building from other commercial interest. Over the years, Vesuvio has undergone its share of renovations and damages such as the 1999 retrofitting for earthquake safety or even the 1973 damage dealt to the building by an errant bus[3]. Over the years, the "I'll never forget after the retro-fitting, one man came in, he was about 55 years old and in a business suit," Clyde said. "He actually had tears in his eyes when he looked at the place. He said, `You didn't change anything.' Vesuvio has kept its character as a neighborhood bar.”[4]
Photographs in this collection were shot on April 11, 2011 between 7:30 am and 5:00 pm Pacific Time under variable natural lighting due to cloudy skies with intermittent periods of morning exposure conditions. Photos were captured on the following cameras: Canon DSLR XTI/T2i, S95, Sony Cybershot, Canon Powershot. Lenses used include: Macro 60mm, Telephoto 70-200, Canon T2i 18-55mm, Canon XTI 17-85mm. A tripod was used for timelapse, Gigapan, macro, telephoto, HDR, and photogrammetry shots. iPhones were also used for documentation shots and Geo-tagging. The photos were post-processed in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3.
Description written by Kenneth Chiu, following Addison’s proposed virtual heritage metadata format in his chapter “The Vanishing Virtual” in New Heritage: New Media and Cultural Heritage, edited by Kalay, et al., and published by Routledge in 2007.
All photos Copyright ©2011 Center for Digital Archaeology, Berkeley CA, licensed under Creative Commons BY-NC 3.0 For more information contact Center for Digital Archaeology, Berkeley, CA, 94720 or visit www.codifi.info/licensing
All photos Copyright ©2011 Center for Digital Archaeology, Berkeley CA
Creative Commons creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/
For more information contact Center for Digital Archaeology, Berkeley, CA,
94720 or visit www.codifi.info/licensing
For more facts and information about Alcatraz, please visit
[1] news.google.com/newspapers?id=WKI_AAAAIBAJ&sjid=JlYMA...
[2] news.google.com/newspapers?id=M0IfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=yc8EA...
[3] news.google.com/newspapers?id=hwsrAAAAIBAJ&sjid=cZoFA...
[4] www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4550312.html
Original Filename:
ANTHRO136SP11_VVO_Cam25-24.dng
I'd already finished posting all the pictures from Malibu Creek State Park, but current events have intervened in my narrative, so I think I'll go back for just this one picture of the first truck we saw at the edge of the M*A*S*H site.
As anybody in the United States probably knows by now, this has been a really bad week for people living in the Santa Monica Mountains. Wednesday night, a man with a gun walked into a bar in the town of Thousand Oaks about six miles from where I took this picture and killed 11 people, then waited for a Ventura County sheriff to show up so he could kill him, too. Thursday, two wildfires broke out in separate locations, one just east of Camarillo maybe 14 miles from here, and one just north of Thousand Oaks. Friday, the hot, dry Santa Ana winds that blast coastal California this time of year kicked in, and the two wildfires exploded into monsters. That second blaze, called the Woolsey Fire, moved down to surround Thousand Oaks, then jumped the 101 freeway and engulfed a huge swath of land running south 10 miles, all the way to the coast at Malibu and east along a section of mountain at least 10 miles wide. They had to evacuate the mountains and the city of Malibu down by the coast, along with several neighborhoods on the north side of the mountains lapping at the edge of the San Fernando Valley. All those mountain roads we drove were evacuated, and a lot of the things we saw barely two months ago burned.
That includes Malibu Creek State Park. It probably includes the M*A*S*H site. I doubt this old ambulance I liked so much escaped. The spot in this 56-day-old photograph looks nothing like this now.
We often do this thing when there's a disaster in a place we know where we go on the internet and stream news coverage of the event. We were streaming Los Angeles news station KABC yesterday evening when one of their reporters just happened to check in while standing on Las Virgenes Road at the Malibu Creek park entrance. I could see the park sign behind its rail fence, with a couple of emergency vehicles parked at the entrance road beside it. Behind them, the hills and grasslands inside the park were all on fire. It's often hard to get much information about what is and isn't affected in a disaster, but I saw this with my own eyes over a data stream. Malibu Creek burned.
To make this massive disaster about me for a minute, I can't get over the timing of all this. I mean, we were just there, and the fire broke out on the very day I was posting pictures of the place. And, of course, whenever I go to California, fire is very much on my mind, so I spent a lot of time thinking about what the fire would be like when we wandered through the park and drove the roads through the mountains afterward, and when I started writing about it, I wrote about the threat of fire even as the fire I'd imagined was starting to burn. I mean, our whole trip was altered by fire, because we'd originally meant to camp in places that wound up burning earlier in the summer, and we were too afraid of getting caught in front of some sudden explosion to try camping someplace else. I should have called this the fire escape trip.
A lot of other places burned yesterday that are significant to us for pop culture reasons. The Bachelor mansion burned. (Robin makes me watch it. Don't judge me.) A fake western movie town just a couple of miles from here that had been used in TV and movie westerns for the last 50 or 60 years burned. We'd meant to visit that on the trip, but it got lost in the shuffle of our last-minute maneuvering, and I forgot about it. Now I'll never see it at all. So I'm glad, at least, I got to see this old truck at the M*A*S*H site.
Meanwhile, something like a 200 homes so far are known to have burned, and I suspect the number will go higher. Two people have been found dead in a burned car on Mulholland Highway a few miles west of this spot. So far, those are the only deaths reported in this fire, which is something of a miracle. I expect that number to go higher, too. A lot of people lost their homes, and something upwards of a quarter-million people are spending a second night in some evacuation center, wondering if their homes are still standing.
I'd planned to talk more about the potential for fire in later pictures, but maybe I won't now that it's happened. I might just let it go.
Oh, what a week. When the excavator dug to find our sewer pipe and add a coupler for the studio, he found the original clay sewer pipe, mangled and askew. Sewage had been seeping into the ground for years. So, it all had to be replaced. At least we'll never have to worry about it again.
The worst part was being without water/sewer for part of Wednesday and the majority of yesterday. As you would imagine, there was a serious pileup of dishes.
Photo : Kurt Ehrmann
Birth of the mysterious Alchemical Sentinels
3 months working day and night with an exceptional “dream team"… a big thank you to ACS, Luc, my trusty Giant who could lift a juggernaut onto a balcony (QED Thierry Loir) Thomas Cart'1, Goin, and of course Marc for the paints.
I have managed to set up my installation of 99 raw steel sculptures with an incredibly demanding specification: none of the 3600 work on the DDC site were to be hidden… we had to think about power sources, water crossings, access for construction machinery including the telescopic booms (3m wide)… public safety, ERP museum standards, etc, ... constantly alternating between the visible and the invisible...
Are they inhabited? I don’t know. One thing is certain: each sentinel stands as a unique sculpture in terms of its alchemical elements and paintwork (either with anti-rust paint or voluntarily with paints that do not resist rust). This autumn, each sentinel will reveal – with the acid rain – different interpretations, depending on the paints and solvents used, making each one different, with stratifications that future archaeologists will decipher.
But my most perilous challenge was to create a giant (9000 m²) installation that envelops the Abode of Chaos with dozens of tons of steel, so that my visitors, from any angle, enter a dreamlike fantasy and where the world of the Abode of Chaos on the one hand and that of the 99 monumental sculptures (named "Alchemical Sentinels" during an extremely busy night ) intersect like the Inframince defined by Marcel Duchamp (or, how to build intensities by subtraction).
These 99 Alchemical Sentinels are now the guardians of the Sanctuary that the Abode of Chaos has become. I designed them as veritable quantum energy wells that we placed with patience and wisdom at different spots all over the Abode of Chaos.
There are 99 in total, made of 10mm rough steel (50 tons), welded to form perfect equilateral triangles. Each of the three sides constituting an Alchemical Sentinel is itself cut to reveal a meurtrière, again in the shape of an equilateral triangle, presenting a superb Euclidean geometry to the visitor.
These 99 Alchemical Sentinels are each placed at specific energy points on the 9000 m² of the Abode of Chaos. Some are hidden by vegetation or natural landforms or are placed in relation to existing works. Others are located in our private and professionals spaces.
In my alchemical work that began on 9 December 1999, the three gates arranged in an equilateral triangle with one vertex pointing upwards, form the luminous delta. They represent the three elements that alchemists work with. These three elements are sulphur, mercury and salt.
Note that the three elements found in the Prima Materia (or Alchemical Chaos) are very closely related. The point triangle is also the symbol of the fire philosophers.
The equilateral triangle resting on its base – like the three points – is the symbol of the fire element, one of the four elements that the alchemist works with in the laboratory.
The geometric properties of the equilateral triangle evoke absolute perfection by their spiritual strength and their age-old symbolism going back to ancient Egypt… strength, beauty and harmony.
They will remain for a thousand years as witnesses to a civilization lost through the folly of men.
thierry Ehrmann
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3 mois de travail jour et nuit, une "dream team" hors du commun, un grand merci à ACS, Luc, mon fidèle Géant qui poserait un 38 T. sur un balcon (cqfd Thierry Loir) Thomas, Cart'1, Goin et bien sûr Marc pour les peintures.
Je suis arrivé à poser mon installation de 99 sculptures d'acier brut avec un cahier des charges de ouf, aucune des 3600 œuvres de la DDC ne devaient être occultées, penser aux sources électriques, les passages d'eau, les voies de transport pour engin de chantier, les nacelles télescopiques (3m de large), protéger le grand public, respecter les normes ERP muséales, etc… Alterner en permanence monstration et effacement…
Sont-elles habitées ? Je l'ignore. Une chose certaine est que chacune, par les éléments alchimiques et les codes peints soit à l'antirouille soit volontairement avec des peintures dégradables par la rouille avec le temps, rend chaque sentinelle comme une sculpture unique. Cet automne chaque sentinelle va laisser apparaître, avec les pluies acides, différents niveaux de lecture, selon les peintures et solvants utilisés, les rendant singulières avec des stratifications que les archéologues des temps futurs décrypteront...
Mais mon défi le plus périlleux, était de créer une installation géante de 9000 m2 qui enveloppe, par des dizaines de tonnes d'acier, la Demeure du Chaos pour que mes visiteurs sur 360 degrés, plongent dans un univers onirique et fantasmagorique où les deux univers que sont la Demeure du Chaos d'une part et d'autre part l'installation des 99 sculptures monumentales (baptisées par une nuit très agitée "Sentinelles Alchimiques") s'entrecroisent selon l'Inframince définit par Marcel Duchamp (ou comment construire des intensités par soustraction).
Ces 99 Sentinelles Alchimiques sont désormais les gardiennes du Sanctuaire que représente la Demeure du Chaos. Je les ai conçus comme de véritable puits d’énergie quantique que je pose avec patience et sagesse sur l’ensemble de la Demeure du Chaos.
Elles sont au nombre de 99, faites d’acier brut de 10 mm (50 tonnes) soudées pour former un triangle équilatéral parfait. Chacun des 3 pans constituant une Sentinelle Alchimique, est lui même découpé pour laisser entrevoir une mystérieuse meurtrière, elle même en forme de triangle équilatéral, donnant ainsi une géométrie Euclidienne au regard du visiteur.
Ces 99 Sentinelles Alchimiques sont chacune à des points d’énergie particuliers de la Demeure du Chaos sur 9000 m2. Certaines se dissimulent par la végétation ou les reliefs naturels ou bien en écho aux autres œuvres, d’autres sont dans les espaces privatifs ou professionnels.
Dans mon travail alchimique démarré le 9 décembre 1999, les trois portes disposées en triangle équilatéral, dont un sommet est dirigé vers le haut, forment le delta lumineux. Elle sont les trois corps sur lesquels l’alchimiste va œuvrer. Ces trois corps sont le soufre, le mercure et le sel.
Soulignons que les trois corps présents dans la Materia Prima ou Chaos alchimique sont étroitement mélangés. Le triangle de point est aussi la marque des philosophes par le feu.
Le triangle équilatéral reposant sur sa base, à la manière des trois points, est le symbole de l’élément feu, l’un des quatre éléments avec lequel l’alchimiste travaille au laboratoire.
Les propriétés géométriques du triangle équilatéral relèvent de la perfection absolue par sa force spirituelle, son symbolisme de la nuit des temps notamment dans l’ancienne Egypte, il est force, beauté et harmonie.
Elles resteront durant mille ans comme les témoins d’une civilisation disparue par la folie des hommes
thierry Ehrmann