difficult to show the size of this canvas..about 4ft x <3ft

Difficult to say. Is she a petite woman or a not-so-legal 15 year-old? Harley Ken may want to see some ID first!

mémoire2cité - A partir des années 1950, Saint-Étienne se voit confrontée à une double difficulté : un parc immobilier particulièrement médiocre (20 % de taudis, 56 % de logements médiocres) et une forte croissance démographique accompagnée d'un afflux d'une main d'oeuvre issue d'Afrique du Nord. Ainsi, de nombreux grands ensembles sont construits dans les quartiers périphériques à partir des années 1950 (Beaulieu, Marandinière, La Métare, etc.). Saint-Étienne atteint alors son apogée démographique : 220 000 habitants en 1968. Le territoire s'agrandit en 1973 avec l'absorption des communes de Saint-Victor et Terrenoire et l'association avec Rochetaillée. Les Trente Glorieuses et la société de consommation bénéficient encore à Saint-Étienne, Manufrance en constitue le meilleur exemple. Les conflits coloniaux entretiennent la production d'armes.

 

A partir des années 1960, Saint-Étienne n'échappe pas à la crise : concentration des entreprises, concurrence du pétrole et du gaz au détriment du charbon, concurrence de l'Asie dans le textile. Le puits Couriot ferme en 1973, Creusot-Loire en 1985, et tout un symbole : Manufrance en 1980. Pourtant, les industries mécaniques subsistent.

 

La création d'une université, le développement de grandes écoles, l'installation d'une maison de la culture, de la Comédie de Saint-Étienne, dans les années 1960, effacent progressivement l'image traditionnelle de la cité-usine. La ville connaît alors une stabilité politique, plutôt au centre avec les maires de Fraissinette et Durafour.

 

A partir des années 1970, vient le temps de la désindustrialisation et des reconversions. La friche de Manufrance, plus grande d'Europe, est reconvertie dans les années 1990 et abrite le Centre des congrès, la Chambre de commerce et d'industrie, une partie de l'École des mines, etc. Un exemple emblématique : le musée de la Mine s'installe au Puits Couriot.

 

La ville, marquée par une tradition industrielle très forte, doit aujourd'hui vivre une mutation économique en profitant d'un environnement technologique favorable avec des leaders mondiaux (industrie de pointe dans l'optique, textile de haute technologie) et des établissements d'enseignement supérieur (École Telecom, École des Mines). La ville, héritière d'une tradition de savoir-faire et du second tissu de PME/PMI de France, compte également sur le design. Elle est ainsi devenue "Ville creative design Unesco", seule ville française.

 

Mémoire2cité - La Palle, c'est Beaulieu IV, à cette époque là, l'on passe de 114 logements construits en 1948 à 531 en 1951, 1 085 en 1954, 1 694 en 1957 et même 2 932 en 1959 ! L'effort est gigantesque. Le quartier de la Palle réalisé de mai 1967 à mars 1970, comprenait 1049 lgts du studio au T6, répartis sur 12 barres, dont 3 pour la rue Colette, le groupe de la Palle sera le seul groupe de logements sociaux que comprendra la Métare en 1967, le reste ne sera que des copropriétées nommée BEAULIEU V, qui elles, seront construite en "Accession a la Propriété"(il s'averrera plus tard un échec, bref..) de 1962 à 1973, en 3 opérations succesives de 725 lgts, de 549 & 518 lgts, çe sur le versant dominant le parc de l'Europe (voir mes photos d'Ito Josué qui à photographié les constructions de nos quartiers Stéphanois lors des 30 glorieuses, tirées de ses livres, qui me passionne & me font voyagé dans le temps..) -

 

- l'Opération de Construction - BEAULIEU IV - un concept de nos G.E. spéçifique à nos 30 Glorieuses de rendre Jolie çe qui jadis, ne l'etait pas, voir plu, fautes aux guerres ... "les chantiers de l'O.P.A.C." de 1962 à 1972* (à savoir 1962 à 1966 pour le groupe de Colette, apres 1966 le reste ne sera que de la copropriété*, mais relevant toujours de la même équipe d'architectes, une dixaine tout de même Farat/Gouyon/Bertholon & d'autres, Edouard Hur lui à été tres important sur la 1ere tranche de Beaulieu, soit beaulieu1 sur la CAF et les 2 tours en copropriété une de 17 etage & l'autre de 15, du 7 et 11 rue de la Métare 42100 ,une construction de 1971 à 1974 ),içi la derniere tranche des constructions, la suite & la fin ! - Voiçi la Métare I, II, et III., retour sur son histoire .... La ville de St-Etienne Métropole & l'ETAT à choisit de construire un immense quartier neuf de plus de 4.600 logements, prévu pour loger 30.000 habitants, sur les basses pentes du Pilat, à la sortie sud-est de Saint-Etienne...

 

Entre les forêts, qui seront classées parc naturel quelques années plus tard, et les quartiers chics du cours Fauriel, c'est un des endroits les mieux situés de la ville. C'est aussi le seul grand emplacement proche du centre où il n'y aie pas eu de mines, parce que les couches de charbon s'arrêtent juste avant : le terrain est assez solide pour supporter de grandes barres d'habitations. Le collectif étant de mode , nous continuons...

 

A cette époque la France va connaître une rupture architecturale phénoménale avec l'apparition des premiers grands ensembles de Beaulieu la Marandiniere Montchovet, la Métare; Montreynaud, la Cotonne , Tarentaize, Bel-Air, la Dame Blanche, Econor, Montplaisir, Terrenoire les hauts et le bas, la Pérrotiere Maugara, et jusquà Firminy pour nos grands-ensembles... La Métare, c'était les Bois du Four , avec son furan... un ensemble de choses et d'histoire qui font et fonde çe lieu qui n'était que campagne y à 62 ans...Rochetaillé et son chateau de 2000 ans, son gouffre d'enfer, arf, dominait largement cet endroit ^^ Saint-Etienne sera l'une des villes Symboles de cette rupture des 1954... On à aussi la Cité Castor à seulement 200 metres de là , la premiere de toutes nos cités CASTOR de Françe.... Vous savez.. ses fameux Pavillons de pierre, d'apres guerre..qu'on a tant réclamé ... des pavillons de type annees 60, plus qu'un succes avec la loi Loucher par içi , & partout ailleurs..Je dirais pas que nous sommes dans l'excellençe mais honnétémment nous sommes bien noté..@ l'Architecture du Forez de l'Ondaine et du Gier.^^ En effet le Forez, la Loire le département ,et bien c'est tout une histoire de l'Architecture de l'industrialisation de nombreux secteurs d'activitées , de compétençes , d'Architectes et pas n'importes lesquels....A bon entendeur ... -

 

Le 11 AVRIL 1964, le développement de la ville de Saint Etienne, et ses travaux ..La ville de Saint Etienne se développe tout comme l'ensemble du territoire... Pour accompagner cet accroissement de population, de nouveaux quartiers se construisent aux abords de la ville chaque jours. Et pour faire face aux problèmes de circulation, un boulevard périphérique a été aménagé. Réalisé à l'occasion de la construction de la déviation sud de l'autoroute de Saint Etienne, ce reportage témoigne de la visite du sénateur maire de la ville, Mr. Michel DURAFOUR, sur le chantier du tunnel de la déviation. Accueilli par Mr. Rocher, président de la société forêzienne de travaux publics, Michel DURAFOUR découvre avec les membres du conseil municipal l'avancée des travaux. (voir aussi le chantier de l A 47 avec la video du tunnel du rond-point içi : www.ina.fr/video/LXC9610041788 .

 

Un modèle de l'urbanisme des années 1950.

 

Beaulieu-Montchovet:

 

Içi le chantier de construction de MONTCHOVET soit Beaulieu 3, la continuitée des constructions HLM de nos quartiers sud-est (les chantiers de l'OPAC) , la vidéo içi :

 

www.ina.fr/video/LXF99004401 .

 

Retour sur son historique de 1962 à aujourd'hui e n 2018.

 

Un grand-Ensemble qui rappelle combien la politique d'urbanisme des années 1960 et suivantes a été conduite en dépit du bon sens la video içi www.google.fr/search?q=montchovet+ina&oq=montchovet+i... et là www.ina.fr/video/CAC00029801 , mais aussi içi www.ina.fr/video/CAC00029801 - avec Claude BARTOLONE içi avec la Visite à Saint Etienne du ministre délégué à la ville le jour de la démolition de la muraille de Chine. Rencontre avec des associations pr discuter du futur du quartier Montchovet. www.ina.fr/video/LY00001263573 - fresques.ina.fr/rhone-alpes/fiche-media/Rhonal00046/demol... - et les differentes videos de la demolition la encore : La démolition de la "muraille de Chine" de Saint Etienne www.youtube.com/watch?v=aq1uOc6Gtd0, www.youtube.com/watch?v=YB3z_Z6DTdc terrible :( ^^ l interview de Michel Thiolliere Le Grisou.fr a interviewé Michel Thiollière, ancien maire de Saint-Etienne et sénateur de la Loire, membre du Parti radical et actuel vice-président de la Commission de régulation de l'énergie. Il livre son analyse sur les prochaines échéances politiques, notamment la campagne des municipales en cours à Saint-Etienne, les alliances de la droite et du centre, mais aussi le mandat de Maurice Vincent. Michel Thiollière s'attarde également sur les besoins de l'agglomération stéphanoise et évoque les enjeux énergétiques en France.

 

(Interview : Maxime Petit -- Réalisation : Studios Bouquet) www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJAylpe8G48,

 

"François Mitterrand, après la visite de deux quartiers -

 

l'un à Saint Etienne et l'autre à Vénissieux, inscrits sur la liste de ceux à réhabiliter -, parle du plan de réhabilitation pour de meilleures conditions de logement.

 

Type de média : Vidéo - Journal télévisé

 

Date de diffusion : 10 août 1983

 

Source : FR3 (Collection: JT FR3 Rhône Alpes )

 

Personnalité(s) :

 

François Mitterrand / Georgina Dufoix / Gilbert Trigano / François Dubanchet / Marcel Houël

 

Thèmes :

 

Le Président > Grands travaux et grands projets

 

Le Président > 1er septennat 1981-1988 > 1981-1986

 

Politique intérieure > Société

 

Voyages > Voyages en France

 

Éclairage

 

Depuis la fin des années 1970, la région lyonnaise apparaît comme l'épicentre des violences urbaines qui se déroulent en France. Durant l'été 1981, des violences urbaines ont conduit le gouvernement à engager le plus tôt possible une nouvelle politique en faveur des quartiers dégradés. Malgré les premières opérations de réhabilitation engagées par la Commission nationale pour le développement social des quartiers, la situation demeure extrêmement tendue dans un certain nombres de quartiers populaires. L'assassinat d'un jeune de la Cité des 4 000 par un habitant en juillet 1983 a ravivé les débats autour du thème du "mal des grands ensembles" selon l'expression de l'époque. D'autre part, le contexte politique conduit également le pouvoir à s'intéresser encore davantage à la question de la dégradation urbaine dans la mesure où de très nombreux quartiers populaires n'ont pas cette fois-ci apporté leurs suffrages aux candidats de la gauche.

  

La visite de François Mitterrand dans deux quartiers dégradés de la région lyonnaise constitue donc un signal fort à l'égard des populations qui y vivent. Ce déplacement fait également écho à celui réalisé quelques jours plus tôt au sein de la Cité des 4 000 à La Courneuve en Seine Saint Denis (voir Visite de François Mitterrand à La Courneuve). Le principe est d'ailleurs le même et il est exprimé par le président de la République : voir par lui-même l'état réel de ses quartiers. Le fait qu'il soit mentionné dans le reportage que "ces visites surprises" se soient faites dans la "plus grande discrétion" (notamment sans les élus locaux concernés) marque effectivement la volonté du président de la République d'établir une sorte de lien direct avec les habitants qui vivent dans ces quartiers. Il ne s'agit pas de faire l'annonce de nouvelles mesures mais "de voir les choses par moi-même" selon l'expression utilisée par François Mitterrand lors de son allocution à la Préfecture à Lyon. Au moment où la Commission nationale pour le développement social des quartiers établit la liste définitive des 22 quartiers qui bénéficieront d'un programme de réhabilitation, la visite du président de la République sur le terrain suggère une forme de "présidentialisation" du thème de la réhabilitation des grands ensembles.

  

La création au même moment de Banlieue 89 suscitée par deux architectes proches de François Mitterrand, Roland Castro et Michel Cantal-Duparc, suggère également l'intérêt du président de la République pour les questions urbaines (voir Inauguration de l'exposition organisée par Banlieue 89)."http://fresques.ina.fr/mitterrand/fiche-media/Mitter00106/visite-de-francois-mitterrand-a-saint-etienne-et-aux-minguettes.html Journaliste

 

Visites surprises qui se sont déroulées dans la plus grande discrétion, seule Madame Georgina Dufoix, Secrétaire d’Etat à la Famille et aux Immigrés, Monsieur Gilbert Trigano, le PDG du Club Méditerranée qui participe à la Commission Dubedout, et deux collaborateurs du Chef de l’État étaient présents. Ni à Saint-Étienne, ni à Vénissieux, les autorités locales n’y ont participés. Peu avant midi, le Président est arrivé à la Préfecture du Rhône à Lyon où s’est déroulée pendant 45 minutes une séance de travail avec les élus locaux et notamment Messieurs Dubanchet, Maire de Saint-Étienne et Houël, Maire de Vénissieux. Réunion qui a donné l’occasion d’aborder les problèmes de fond, devait souligner François Mitterrand.

 

(Bruit)

 

François Mitterrand

 

Les deux quartiers que je viens de visiter, celui de Montchovet à Saint-Étienne et celui de Monmousseau à l’intérieur des Minguettes sur la commune de Vénissieux, sont inscrits sur la liste des 22 quartiers à réhabiliter, retenus, proposés par la Commission Dubedout devenue la Commission Pesce, et retenus par le Gouvernement. Et je compte appliquer nos efforts pour qu’effectivement, ces quartiers soient réhabilités, c’est-à-dire, soient habitables. Qu’on y trouve, pour ceux qui y vivent, euh, suffisamment de convivialité, de capacité de développer une famille et, euh, revenant de son travail quand on en a, de pouvoir vivre avec les autres. Les conditions de logement, la construction de ces ensembles, les liaisons avec l’extérieur, l’école, le sport, les espaces verts, bref, l’espace tout court, contribuent, vous le comprenez bien à, au futur équilibre, ou contribueront au futur équilibre de ces quartiers. Alors, je préfère voir les choses par moi-même. Il faut bien se dire que à l’origine de nombreux désordres sociaux se trouvent ces fâcheuses, ces déplorables conditions de vie. Et moi, je veux lutter contre ces désordres et pour cela, il faut que je m’attaque avec le Gouvernement et ceux qui ont la charge auprès de moi, je veux absolument m’attaquer aux sources d’un malaise et d’un déséquilibre social qui sont d’une immense ampleur. Raison de plus pour commencer par un bout avec énergie et continuité. Et de ce point de vue, je compte bien, au cours des semaines et des mois à venir, persévérer dans cette enquête personnelle qui me permet ensuite de donner des instructions précises à ceux qui participent à la gestion de l’État.

 

(Silence), à Saint-Étienne comme dans les communes de sa proche banlieue. Une sorte de grand monument à la gloire des HLM, comme si on avait fait exprès de la faire aussi énorme pour montrer comme les gens étaient fiers de ce quartier. Autour on construit tout ce qu'il faut pour les habitants : une école, Montchovet, qui donne sur le grand pré derrière, une MJC, une piscine, un centre commercial, avec la Poste, plus tard le bureau de police. En 1978, comme les enfants des habitants grandissent, on ouvre un deuxième collège dans la ZUP. Il prendra le nom de Jean Dasté, qui a créé la Comédie de Saint-Etienne, le plus grand théatre de province en France, et son école de comédiens. Après 1984 les loyers des HLM ont augmenté, beaucoup d'habitants sont partis. La population de Saint-Etienne diminue surtout dans les quartiers sud : beaucoup de gens déménagent vers la plaine du Forez, moins froide, où il y a la place de batir des maisons. On a rénové beaucoup d'appartements anciens en ville : la crise du logement est finie. On ne sait même plus qu'elle a existé. Les ZUP ont vieilli et la plupart des gens préfèrent se loger dans des appartements récents. Alors on ferme : le collège de Beaulieu, l'école de la Marandinière, la Poste. La Muraille coute très cher à entretenir : il n'y a plus asssez d'habitants pour payer les frais. Les HLM ont décidé de la détruire: c'est le plus gros projet de démolition jamais réalisé en Europe. Les familles qui restaient ont du déménager. On va faire exploser la Muraille de Chine au printemps de l'an 2000. Peut être qu'il fallait le faire, mais pour les gens du quartier c'est un gros morceau de notre Histoire qu'on nous détruit.

 

1954: les premiers travaux à Beaulieu : la campagne devient une ville à grands coups de bulldozer..

 

Le projet est de construire en grande quantité des logements de bonne qualité, avec tout le confort, des chambres pour les enfants, l'eau, le chauffage central, des sanitaires, des arbres et des pelouses, et surtout .... des loyers accessibles pour tous. Ce seront les Habitations à Loyers Modérés, les HLM.

 

Il faudra les construires en dehors des villes, pour en finir avec le mélange des industries et des logements, qui amène le bruit et la pollution. Y prévoir tous les équipements : commerces, écoles, collèges, lycées, transports, parcs, équipements sportifs, police, pompiers, Postes. Construire des villes entières où tout le monde aura accès à ce qui n'était encore que le luxe de quelques gens très riches.

 

Cinq villes sont choisies pour être prioritaires : Paris ( Pantin ) et Lyon ( Bron-Parilly) à cause de leur taille, Angers et Rouen détruites dans les bombardements de 1944, Saint-Etienne, la ville la plus sinistrée de France pour le logement. C'est là que naissent les cinq premières Zone à Urbaniser en Priorité, les ZUP, modèles de l'urbanisme pour toute une génération. Elles ne s'appellent pas encore comme ça : on les construites avant que l'expression de ZUP existe, c'est de leur réussite que naitra le modèle repris partout pour lequel on inventera le mot plus tard.

 

Beaulieu I: le projet d'urbanisme

 

Maquette de 1953 - Projet des architectes Gouyon-Clément

 

Une architecture géométrique, de grands espaces, des arbres, des formes qui soulignent le relief.

 

La ZUP de Beaulieu est construite en quatre tranches:

 

- Beaulieu I ( Beaulieu ) de 1953 à 1955

 

- Beaulieu II ( La Marandinière ) en 1959

 

- Beaulieu III ( Montchovet ) en 1964, dont fait partie la Muraille de Chine, le grand immeuble le long du boulevard à gauche.

 

- Beaulieu IV ( La Palle ) en 1971

 

Le quartier:

 

Au premier plan, en bas à droite Beaulieu, la Marandinière est à droite derrière l'autoroute, Montplaisir à gauche, Monchovet au milieu, le long du boulevard de la Palle.

 

A gauche des tennis, les batiments du collège de Beaulieu. C'était l'autre collège de la ZEP, le seul collège "sensible" de France a avoir été fermé, en 1995.

 

Nouvelles techniques, nouveaux matériaux :

 

Construire vite pour un prix raisonnable oblige à inventer de nouvelles techniques, d'autant que l'on manque de travailleurs qualifiés.

 

La construction s'industrialise: immeubles à structure porteuse ( des poteaux en béton armé tiennent les dalles, ce ne sont plus les murs qui soutiennent les immeubles ), murs rideaux ( les murs sont fait de morceaux préfabriqués accrochés aux dalles ), éléments standardisés ( les éléments: murs, tuyauterie, portes et fenêtres, sanitaires, etc... sont tous identiques, fabriqués en usine en grande série, installés de la même façon dans tous les immeubles ), nouveaux matériaux ( matières plastiques, béton armé, acier ) qui ne s'utilisaient pas dans la construction traditionnelle.

 

Cela permet de diminuer les prix, en automatisant les fabrications, mais aussi parce qu'on peut utiliser des ouvriers beaucoup moins qualifiés, qui ne font que du montage et que l'on paye moins cher.

 

Bien après les gens se plaindront de ces appartements tous identiques, de ces matériaux peu agréables, de la taille inhumaine des batiments.

 

Mais à l'époque il faut compter deux à trois ans d'attente pour obtenir un appartement dans le quartier. Les familles sont si contentes de leur quartier tout neuf que les collègiens qui prennent le bus emportent une paire de bottes en plus de leur chaussures pour aller des immeubles à l'arrêt de bus : pas question de ramener de la boue dans les bus ou dans les escaliers.

 

La crise du logement:

 

1950 : la France connait la pire crise du logement de son Histoire. La crise économique de 1929 puis la guerre de 1939-1945 ont arrêté la construction de logements, déja insuffisante avant 1930, pendant plus de vingt ans.

 

La France est au maximum du "baby-boom" ( période de très forte natalité qui commence à la fin de la guerre ) : les 40 millions de français de 1950 font deux fois plus de bébés que les 60 millions d'aujourd'hui. La très forte croissance économique relance l'immigration. Plus de la moitié des familles sont mal logées alors que la France commence la plus forte croissance démographique de son Histoire.

 

La IV° République, héritière du programme de la Résistance donne la priorité aux besoins sociaux : école, santé, logement, sur la rentabilité financière. L'Etat, les villes, sont décidés à investir dans le logement, qui est déclaré prioritaire dans le Plan d'organisation de l'économie.

 

Entre les années 50 et 60, et suite à la seconde guerre mondiale, la municipalité stéphanoise a vu sa population passée d’un peu moins de 180 000 habitants en 1950 à plus de 200 000 habitants dix ans plus tard en 1960. Cette forte augmentation de la population pouvait s’expliquer par le fort taux de natalité de cette époque (baby-boom), mais aussi par l’afflux de travailleurs de la classe ouvrière venus dans la grande cité stéphanoise pour trouver un travail. De ce fait, la construction d’un logement sain pour chaque ouvrier était devenue une priorité absolue pour les élus qui considéraient à raison que cela était une condition vitale dans le cadre de ce grand développement. Pour ce faire, la ville a lancé dans les années 50 une vaste opération de construction de barres d’habitation dans la zone de Beaulieu, destinée à fournir un logement à une population grandissante.

 

Une barre d’habitation innovante

 

A l’époque, avec une majorité d’architectes, les appartements modernes construits possédaient des cloisons lourdes empêchant toute modification interne ainsi que des espaces de renvoi sombres et non ventilés ressemblant à des alcôves.

 

Mais à l’inverse, pour certains architectes précurseurs de la région à l’image d’Yves et Henri Gouyon, la modernité reflétait le gout de la clarté, de l’air, et du soleil, avec de larges horizons. Ainsi, ces derniers donnaient la priorité non pas aux façades qu’ils considéraient comme de simples élévations du plan, mais aux cellules d’habitations et à leur orientation. Dans cette optique, le bâtiment proposé par Henri Gouyon, qui était donc un partisan de l’espace ouvert moderne, supprimait les circulations et profitait de ce gain de place pour aménager de nouveaux espaces de vie communes. De plus, dans ces cellules d’habitations, les architectes ont tirés profit au maximum de la double orientation des appartements (ces derniers étaient traversant) avec par exemple l’accolement de balcons.

 

Conception et réalisation d’un quartier entier

 

Pour le projet de Beaulieu, l’on confia la conception ainsi que la réalisation des interventions aux agences Henri et Yves Gouyon puis Yves Gouyon et associés. Ainsi, dés le milieu des années 50, des études concernant Beaulieu II – La Marandinière furent conduites, suivis de la construction du bâtiment entre 1957 et 1959. S’en suivit Beaulieu III – Montchovet entre 1962 et 1964, surnommé la « Muraille de Chine », qui comprenait entre autres, une barre de type HLM haute de 10 à 17 mètres et longue de 270 mètres, avec 560 logements. Suites à ces constructions, l’urbanisation des vallées et collines du sud-est de Saint-Etienne continua jusque dans les années 70 avec les séries de la Métare I, II, et III. Au total, ce sont plus de 8 000 logements, pour l’essentiel de type HLM, qui ont été construits durant cette période.

 

Ces constructions ont également contribué à la création du parc de l’Europe et d’un boulevard circulaire qui servait de jonction entre les différents édifices et le centre-ville de la cité stéphanoise.

 

Un projet pharaonique

 

Le centre commercial fut un projet d’une dimension sans précédent pour la ville, plus grand centre commercial intra-urbain de la région Loire-Auvergne, avec 100 magasins, 1500 places de stationnement, 90 000 m² de surface, et sur 3 niveaux (4 niveaux avec la terrasse). Le 2 octobre 1979, CENTRE DEUX ouvre ses portes pour la première fois, et constitue une renaissance et un véritable tournant pour la ville.

 

L’avis de l’architecte

 

De toutes les constructions de cette époque, Beaulieu est un des ensembles construits qui se porte le mieux si l’on en croit les nombreuses enquêtes menées auprès de la population de ces logements, dont certains l’occupe pratiquement depuis le début. Les arbres atteignent désormais le haut des immeubles, et la rue Le Corbusier adjacente a pris les allures « d’une banlieue des années 30 » avec un niveau d’urbanisme parfaitement acceptable. En conclusion, on peut parler pour cette construction d’un véritable savoir faire architectural et en quelques sortes d’art urbain. Ce projet a été récompensé par un prix d’urbanisme, mettant en valeur le travail en amont du projet. St-Etienne Cimaise Architectes -

 

mémoire2cité - Entretien avec François Tomas, géographe, spécialiste de l'aménagement urbain, et enseignant à l'université et à l'école d'architecture de Saint-Etienne. Il est notamment l'auteur des Grands Ensembles, une histoire qui continue (Publications de l'université de Saint-Etienne, 2003). Cet intellectuel a également mis la main à la pâte. Entre 1977 et 1983, il fut adjoint à l'urbanisme du maire communiste de l'époque, Joseph Sanguedolce. Engagé au PC de 1974 à 1985, il a, depuis, rejoint le Parti socialiste «comme militant de base»

 

Quelle est l'ampleur des destructions provoquées par la Seconde Guerre mondiale à Saint-Etienne?

 

La ville subit un important bombardement des Alliés le 26 mai 1944. Celui-ci vise les usines qu'utilisaient les Allemands dans la région pour leur effort de guerre et les noeuds de communication ferroviaire. Comme prévu, la gare de Châteaucreux, les usines de Marais et le tunnel de Tardy sont touchés. Mais les bombes, larguées trop rapidement, atteignent aussi les quartiers du Soleil et de Tardy - notamment les écoles - ainsi que l'église Saint-François, emplie de fidèles. Au total, le bilan est lourd: un millier de morts, 1 500 blessés, 22 000 sinistrés; 800 immeubles ont été plus ou moins détruits.

 

Que prévoit-on pour la reconstruction?

 

Pas grand-chose. A la différence de la refonte spectaculaire du Havre, par exemple, on se contente ici de bâtir de petits immeubles, plus modernes bien sûr, mais sans réelle innovation architecturale ou urbanistique.

 

Est-il vrai que Saint-Etienne, après guerre, traîne une réputation de «capitale des taudis»?

 

C'est exact, et celle-ci n'est pas usurpée. En 1946, 7% seulement des logements sont jugés «confortables», et 17%, «acceptables»; 56% sont médiocres, et 20% peuvent véritablement être qualifiés de taudis: 1 logement sur 5 n'a pas d'eau à l'évier, les deux tiers ne disposent pas de WC, et 95%, de salle d'eau. Mais le problème n'a pas été créé par la guerre. Depuis la fin du XIXe siècle, Saint-Etienne a beaucoup grandi, mais très peu construit. Résultat: la ville a vieilli sur elle-même et se trouve après guerre dans une situation désastreuse, que les bombardements ont simplement aggravée.

 

C'est alors qu'Alexandre de Fraissinette, maire élu en 1947, fixe le logement comme l'une de ses priorités.

 

Oui. Et ce ne sera pas un vain mot. Rendez-vous compte: on passe de 114 logements construits en 1948 à 531 en 1951, 1 085 en 1954, 1 694 en 1957 et même 2 932 en 1959! L'effort est gigantesque. Mais le changement est aussi qualitatif. A la fin des années 1940 et au début des années 1950, la France va connaître une rupture architecturale avec l'apparition des premiers grands ensembles. Saint-Etienne sera l'une des villes symboles de cette rupture.

 

Comment cette nouvelle architecture est-elle accueillie?

 

Très favorablement par les classes moyennes, beaucoup moins par les classes populaires.

 

Cela paraît paradoxal, pour du logement social!

 

Le paradoxe n'est qu'apparent. On l'a oublié aujourd'hui, mais les premiers grands ensembles sont réservés aux familles de moins de trois enfants ayant des revenus corrects, autrement dit aux classes moyennes. Alors que, depuis la guerre, celles-ci devaient se contenter d'une ou de deux pièces mal équipées, elles se voient soudain proposer des logements spacieux, avec de la verdure, de la lumière, une salle d'eau, des WC, le chauffage central. Cela leur paraît merveilleux! Les pauvres, eux, continuent de s'entasser dans de petits appartements sans confort, quand ce ne sont pas des taudis, en particulier à Tarentaize et à Beaubrun, ou des bidonvilles, du côté de Méons, près des puits de mine et des usines sidérurgiques. Ce n'est que plus tard, à partir des années 1970, que les grands ensembles seront prioritairement réservés aux pauvres et aux familles immigrées. Mais, dans les années 1950, les grands ensembles sont encore synonymes de progrès social. Et même au-delà. On est persuadé que ce nouvel habitat va entraîner le recul de la maladie, de la délinquance, voire de la mésentente entre les époux! Il existe ainsi une «commission du bonheur ou des grands ensembles»!

 

On croit rêver...

 

C'était l'ambiance de l'époque, avec ses utopies et ses excès. Pour les architectes, si l'un des repoussoirs est le taudis de centre-ville, l'autre est le petit pavillon de banlieue, symbole à leurs yeux de l'individualisme petit-bourgeois, avec ses gaspillages de terrain, son absence d'horizon et son coût pour la communauté...

 

Quels sont les quartiers typiques de cette période, à Saint-Etienne?

 

Le premier est constitué par le très bel ensemble de la place du Maréchal-Foch. Il s'agit d'une étape intermédiaire entre l'îlot traditionnel (des immeubles accolés, formant un pâté de maisons) et sa suppression totale. Du côté de la Grand-Rue, plusieurs immeubles constituent encore des semi-îlots. Mais, à l'ouest, deux immeubles sont déjà totalement indépendants: ils sont construits au milieu de la verdure. Et cela, c'est très nouveau. Jusqu'à présent, tous les immeubles érigés à Saint-Etienne, y compris les plus hauts, étaient accolés à d'autres édifices. Cela reste encore, cinquante ans plus tard, l'un des quartiers chics de Saint-Etienne.

 

L'autre grande opération de l'époque, c'est Beaulieu I.

 

Evidemment. On est, cette fois, face à un grand ensemble «pur». Le chantier commence en 1953 - il y a juste cinquante ans - et s'achève en 1955. Ce nouveau quartier de 1 264 logements est remarquablement conçu. Non seulement il respecte la topographie des lieux, mais aussi il joue avec elle: les bâtiments sont implantés soit parallèlement, soit perpendiculairement aux courbes de niveau, ce qui met en valeur la colline tout en préservant son sommet. Pour rompre l'anonymat, les entrées, les façades et les balcons sont individualisés. Les logements sont de qualité, et les espaces verts, confiés aux services de la ville, tout simplement magnifiques. Beaulieu produit d'ailleurs un effet prodigieux sur ses premiers habitants.

 

Son implantation n'est pas non plus le fait du hasard...

 

En effet. Compte tenu des préoccupations hygiénistes de l'époque, le conseil municipal a choisi ce site «loin des zones minières et industrielles, à l'abri des poussières et des fumées, au climat salubre». Il souligne qu'il ne sera «jamais exploité par les houillères, car son sous-sol est stérile» et qu'il est également «bien relié à Saint-Etienne par le cours Fauriel, la seule avenue large de la ville». C'est véritablement le contre-modèle du taudis. Il a d'ailleurs, lui également, remarquablement bien vieilli.

 

Etes-vous aussi enthousiaste pour les projets qui ont suivi Beaulieu I?

 

Hélas!... Beaulieu II-La Marandinière (1957-1959), Beaulieu III-Montchovet (1962-1964), avec la fameuse «muraille de Chine», Beaulieu IV-la Palle (1967-1970) et la Métare (1962-1974), représentant à eux tous quelque 6 000 logements, constituent - à l'exception de la Métare, qui ne comprend que des appartements en copropriété - des échecs complets. Et tragiques.

 

Pourquoi cette différence?

 

Beaulieu I a bénéficié d'une accumulation de partis pris judicieux qui n'ont pas été appliqués par la suite. Outre la qualité de son architecture et de ses espaces verts, on a évité le zonage bête et méchant, qui allait s'imposer plus tard: les zones commerciales, d'un côté; les tours et les barres d'habitation, d'un deuxième; les emplois, d'un troisième. Enfin, Beaulieu I, réservé presque exclusivement aux classes moyennes, n'a pas connu le processus de dégradation que l'on constatera ailleurs, et dont la destruction de la «muraille de Chine» constituera le symbole.

 

Qui ont été les grands aménageurs de cette époque?

 

Parmi les politiques: le maire, Alexandre de Fraissinette (modéré), et son premier adjoint, qui lui succédera à sa mort, le radical Michel Durafour. Parmi les architectes: Edouard Hur et Henri Gouyon, concepteurs de Beaulieu I. Et, bien sûr, l'Etat, qui reste très présent. C'est lui qui, de manière générale, garde la haute main sur l'urbanisme. Beaulieu constitue une opération nationale, décidée de Paris. Cependant, ce qui est remarquable, c'est que, pour Beaulieu I, l'Etat va accepter de composer.

 

Dans quels domaines?

 

Le ministère de la Reconstruction souhaitait, ici comme ailleurs, que l'opération fût entièrement industrialisée. Autrement dit, que l'on adaptât au bâtiment les méthodes de l'automobile. Les constructions devaient se faire en préfabriqué, et l'on devait se contenter de les monter sur place. Mais, à Saint-Etienne, les architectes, soutenus par le maire, s'opposent à cette directive. Parce qu'ils sont expérimentés, et reconnus, ils vont obtenir gain de cause. Et heureusement.

 

Y a-t-il eu des projets, conçus à cette époque, qui n'ont pas vu le jour? A la fin des années 1950, l'Etat fait appel à de grands architectes pour remodeler les villes. A Saint-Etienne, c'est Dufau, distingué par le prix de Rome, qui est choisi. Il présente un projet radical: raser les 70 îlots qui se trouvent à l'est de la Grand-Rue, entre la place du Peuple et Bellevue, et les remplacer par autant de tours et de barres! Son projet, finalement, ne sera appliqué qu'en partie. Au sud, jusqu'à Bellevue, presque tout est démoli, beaucoup de tours et de barres sont construites. Au nord, les démolitions sont également presque systématiques, mais, cette fois, les nouveaux immeubles reproduisent la forme traditionnelle de l'îlot. On détruit également une partie du quartier derrière la grande poste, ainsi que l'ancienne caserne de Tréfilerie et la prison de Bizillon.

 

Le futur Centre-Deux...

 

C'est cela. Au départ, l'opération se nomme «prison-Tréfilerie», mais les promoteurs, qui ont le sens du commerce, préfèrent la rebaptiser. Ce quartier est conçu comme un centre d'affaires à l'américaine, type la Défense, à Paris, ou la Part-Dieu, à Lyon. On explique aux élus que, s'ils veulent que Saint-Etienne devienne une grande ville, ils doivent la doter d'un centre d'affaires, avec des immeubles atteignant 100 ou 150 mètres de hauteur, comme aux Etats-Unis! Le projet est lancé (en 1969), mais il sera peu à peu amendé, pour tenir compte de la réalité économique, de la montée des oppositions et de l'évolution des mentalités.

 

Comment l'économie stéphanoise se porte-t-elle alors?

 

La ville croit encore à l'avenir de la mine et des industries traditionnelles. Cela se comprend: le plan Monnet pour la relance de l'économie française s'appuie sur l'énergie, les transports, les industries lourdes... Bref, tous les points forts de Saint-Etienne, mais ce sera un cadeau empoisonné, car, bercée par cette illusion, la cité s'endort. Quand elle se décidera à moderniser ses structures industrielles, ce sera toujours avec quelques années de retard. Au fond, c'est dans les années 1950 que l'on commet les erreurs qui conduiront, plus tard, au démantèlement des industries locales.

 

Le secteur tertiaire a-t-il déjà commencé son essor?

 

Pas encore. Dans les années 1950, Saint-Etienne reste une ville très fortement industrielle. La tertiarisation, avec l'enseignement supérieur, la transformation de l'hôpital en centre hospitalier régional et universitaire et l'essor de Casino, avec les supermarchés et les hypermarchés, ne commencera véritablement que dans les années 1960.

 

Culturellement, la ville est aussi très active...

 

Elle est même, à ce moment-là, l'un des hauts lieux de la création culturelle en France, notamment dans les domaines théâtral et artistique. Maurice Allemand fait du musée de Saint-Etienne l'un des plus grands musées d'art moderne en France. Et Jean Dasté propose au public le théâtre moderne. Ce bouillonnement est dû, notamment, à Alexandre de Fraissinette. Comme, après lui, Michel Durafour, il est persuadé que l'avenir de la cité est dans la modernité. Il considère donc qu'elle doit être déclinée dans tous ses aspects: économique, urbanistique et culturel.

 

La population comprend-elle cette volonté?

 

Oui et non. Dans les années 1950, il existe un certain consensus, car tout le monde partage la vision d'un avenir meilleur. Mais, en réalité, Fraissinette, et surtout Durafour, sont très décalés. Dans leur obsession d'une ville «blanche», ils refusent en bloc le passé, dont on a heureusement découvert depuis lors les richesses. Ils rêvent d'une ville qui n'existe pas, peuplée d'habitants qui ne ressemblent pas aux Stéphanois réels... C'est d'ailleurs ce qui, plus tard, provoquera la chute de Michel Durafour.

 

Le chantier de l'autoroute de Saint Etienne 01 nov. 1965, la video içi www.ina.fr/video/LXC9610041788 -

Difficult to be sure with the sun behind them, but the bill shape and head shape when swimming seem to fit.

Day 81. is this the most difficult flower in the world to photograph or is it just my lack of knowledge and equipment????

I must have taken over thirty shots of this rather chewed flower to get two that are anywhere near usable!!

Difficult Run

Great Falls

Fairfax County, Virginia

Saying goodbye to Sammy was difficult. His health has been failing over the past few years, but he was still eating. His doggie dementia got worse and he actually would cry a lot. He has been a huge part of my life over the past 15+ years. He will be so missed.

 

Sammy aka My Little Guy aka Mr. Poo 11/00 - 3/17

 

1. My Handsome Boy, 2. Book-ends, 3. I knew I had to come home:-), 4. The Cat Cave isn't just for cats, 5. My little man, 6. 365:351 Same old, same old, 7. 365:312 Sammy is the leader, 8. Sammy wants Henry's baby food, 9. Sammy playing with his cow, 10. More Birthday Kisses, 11. Mirabel, Sammy & me the day we met Sammy, 12. Sammy in action

 

Created with fd's Flickr Toys

Water & Light at Sassi Mazar Balochistan May30, 2015

 

SUN SHINES IN THE NIGHT

Sassi punnu mausoleum got Solar Energy

Every year thousands of peoples from various parts of Sindh, Baluchistan and Punjab gather at the shrine of Sassi and Punnu in Singher village to attend a 3 days carnival. Singher village is , 52 Kilometers away from Hub town. Singher means chain, as the village is surrounded by the chain of hills where it is believed that Sassi and Punnu were buried under a landslide.

Before the monsoon a carnival organizing committee receives donation from the Baloch tribal chiefs of Sindh and Balochistan to bear the expenditures of the event. Collected funds are mostly used for providing food, water and accommodation to all the devotees there. Sufi Faqirs (singers) from Sindh, Balochistan and Punjab travel to perform songs on the occasion to pay homage to Sassi Punnu, the popular tragic romance of Sindh and Balochistan. Besides folk songs, a traditional Sindhi game malakhro similar to Japanese wrestling sumo also attracts a large number of the people to come there.

 

Lands from mountains with old graves scattered in the area and rainy water ways are quite difficult to cross for the travellers. Despite this, devotees, males and females, travel long distance to visit the site the entire year. For the local people, camel is the only means of transport and people gather there during the occasion.

 

There is only one well, which is useful for the communities otherwise the entire area underground water level is unsafe for human consumption. In case the area receives monsoon rains the people use rainy water from ponds.

 

For the benefit of peoples living in surroundings as well as devotees who visit during carnival and over the year, Masood Lohar, country Manager UNDP, GEF small grant program decided to use solar energy for providing clean and safe water and lighting on the mausoleum.

 

On 30th May 2015, Shaan Technologies Private Limited installed a 3 HP Solar Powered pump on a 250 ft deep well that is located near the tomb. Operating on a 3 kilowatt solar panel bank this pump provide 30 Gallon water per minutes & eliminates requirement of diesel generator operated pump that organizing committee previously used to supply water during the festival.

 

Now solar pump serves as a continuous source of clean water without any additional cost. A water tank is provided to store pumped water. This tank helped as a 24 hours ready source of water for the local people.

 

In addition to that 2 solar powered floodlights were also installed in front yard of tomb. These 14 watt LED lights runs on a 35 watt solar panel that provide sufficient power to run LED lamps up to 12 hours. Dusk to Dawn photo sensors is also used in the system that automatically turns on the light just before the sunset and turns off at dawn. This project was financed by the UNDP GEF Small grant program. Lodhie foundation contributed 10% cost of the project under its poverty alleviation initiative.

  

Project Summary

 

Location: Sassi Punnu Moseleum, Singher Village, Near Hub Dam, Baluchistan

Coordinates: 25°18'41"N 66°53'21"E

Nearby cities: Karachi, Hub City, Sonmiani / Winder city

Initiated By: UNDP, GEF Small Grant Program in association of Lodhie Foundation

Implemented by: Shaan Technologies Private Limited Karachi

Implantation Date: 30Th May 2015

Equipment installed:

(1) One 3HP DC Submersible water pump with 3KW Solar panels and Pump Controller

(2) Two Solar Powered LED Floodlights

Beneficiaries: Up to 2500 people living in the Singher village and surroundings

    

Folktale of Sassi & Punnu

 

Sassi Punnu is a famous folktale of love told in the length and breadth of Sindh, Pakistan. The story is about a faithful wife who is ready to undergo all kinds of troubles that would come her way while seeking her beloved husband who was separated from her by the rivals

Sassi was the daughter of a Brahman Hindu Rajah from Rohri . Upon Sassui's birth, astrologers predicted that she was a curse for the royal family’s prestige. The Raja ordered that the child be put in a wooden box and thrown in the Sindhu, present day’s river Indus. However, she was saved by a washer-man belonging to Bhanbhor, near Gharo district, Thatta . The washer-man raised her as his own daughter.

When Sassui became a young girl, she was as beautiful as the fairies of heaven. Stories of her beauty reached Punhun a prince from Kech Makran Balochistan and he became desperate to meet Sassi. The handsome young Prince therefore travelled to Bhambore. He sent his clothes to Sassi's father (a washerman) so that he could catch a glimpse of Sassi. When he visited the washerman's house, they fell in love at first sight. Sassui's father was dispirited, hoping that Sassi would marry a washerman and no one else. He asked Punnhun to prove that he was worthy of Sassui by passing the test as a washerman. Punnhun agreed to prove his love. While washing, he tore all the clothes as, being a prince, he had never washed any clothes; he thus failed the agreement. But before he returned those clothes, he hid gold coins in the pockets of all the clothes, hoping this would keep the villagers quiet. The trick worked, and Sassui's father agreed to the marriage.

At last Punnu (Punhoon) married her. However, his father, Ari, the King of Ketch, did not like his son getting married to a low-caste girl, so he instructed his other sons to go to Bhanbhor and bring back Punnu at any cost. They visited Punnu as his guests and during the night they intoxicated him and his wife. Later, they put their brother on one of the camels and left. When Sassi woke up in the morning, she was shocked to find Punnu missing and all his brothers gone. She understood their trickery. She left Bhambhor immediately to Kech Makran on foot in search of him. The Kech Makran is located along the Makran Coastal Highway in Baluchistan, Pakistan.

After crossing Pab Mountain, she reached the Harho range. She could not proceed further when her path was blocked by the Phor River. So she started retracing her steps. Soon she was accosted by a beastly goatherd who intended to molest her. Sassi prayed to God for protection. Immediately the ground below her feet started caving in like quicksand and she disappeared within seconds. Seeing the miracle, the goatherd repented sincerely, and to make amends for his misconduct, he made a grave in the site and became its custodian.

Punnu found no peace of mind at Kech. He languished and soon became an invalid. Under the circumstances, his father allowed him to return to Bhambhor.

During his return journey, Punnu happened to pass by the site where Sassi had met her death. When the goatherd came to know his story, he told him as to what had happened to Sassi. Punnu was beside himself on hearing the horrible news.

He prayed to God to unite him with Sassi. Again the ground became quicksand and he soon disappeared into the bowels of the earth. So came to an end the tragic love story of Sassi and Punnu. The legendary grave still exists in this valley.

The famous Sufi saint and poet Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai sings this historic tale in his sufi poetry “Shah jo Risalo” as an example of eternal love and union with Divine.

Sassi’s resting place is said to be about 45 miles away in the Pub range to the west of Karachi. A local man of some importance constructed a simple mausoleum in 1980 over the joint grave of Sassi and Punnu. It is often visited by tourists.

The day almost ended in disaster before it had really begun. We booked the train tickets many months ago, but as time went on we found it was going to be difficult to hire a car and travel back home, so instead of traveling to the end of the line at Fort William, we would get off in Glasgow and get a taxi to the airport. We tried to change our official tickets, but couldn’t, so on getting on the train, we well th hostess, she makes notes and tell us that her successor would wake us up at half five with breakfast so we would be ready to get off the train at six.

 

It all seemed set, so we went to bed thinking it was all under control. And as the journey went on through the night, I felt for movement of the train wondering where in Britain we might be depending on whether I could feel movement or not.

 

I must have laid in bed for a while, wondering still where and when we were. I finally looked at the screen on my mobile to find it quarter to six! Eeek!

 

We had 15 minutes to get dressed and squeeze or cases close and be ready to get off. We rang for the assistant, who apologised, and it wasn’t her fault either. But we were running behind time, so we had half an hour before we got off.

 

The train crept through Glasgow and then headed out fo the city west alongside the river. At twenty past, we arrived at Dalmuir, heavy drizzle was falling, and as we got off the train, no taxi could be seen.

 

I called up the company, and they sent a cab to pick us up, arriving a few minutes later, loading our luggage inot the boot, then growling at us as to where we wanted to go, and apparently unimpressed thst we had come all the way from DOver to be here.

 

He took no time taking us through the housing estate, onto the motorway then across the bridge over the river, turning off and arriving at the airport.

 

From being in a panic an hour before, we were now on time, and once at the car hire office found it to open, some 15 minutes early. We are told that no signatures were required, the keys were ready to pick up from Omar in the office in the pound.

 

Omar gives me the key to an Audi A4, which is a great and quick car. We put in our bags, and find that the car was already pretty much full, and we had to pick up Tiny who had stayed on the train from Fort William.

 

Amazingly, we were on the road at seven, driving back to the river corssing then taking the road north. Always north from now.

 

We go into the centre of Dumbarton to look for a place to do some shopping. We find Morrison’s, and go inside, only to find the shop almost empty, at least with more staff than customers. Back home this would already be packed with people. We go round and buy what we think we would need for the three of us.

 

Back out onto the main road, we descend to the banks of Loch Lomond, taking the low road as it followed the contours of the Loch. We stop at a country park overlooking the loch, not a breath of wind stirred with water below, so we ate sausage rolls surround by a cloud of midges.

 

The road carried on, all around the bonnie bonnie banks of Loch Lomond before the road began to climb and climb, higher and higher until the trees ran out, and on both sides the vista opened out.

 

We stop at a greasy spoon for a coffee and Tunnock’s Caramel slice at a parking area overlooking the valley below as it began to climb again.

 

Up and down the road goes, and up again until we come to the top end of Glencoe, and in front of us the vista opens out with dark ominous clouds above and valley sides that had been carved by glaciers

 

At the far end of the valley, the road had reached sea level, and in a few more minutes we roll into Fort William, where Tony was waiting at the station, having arrived just a few minutes ahead of us.

 

From there the road branched out along a sea loch, alongside the railway which also was going to Mallaig. The sea loch opened out so we could see open ocean in the distance, we join other cars in parking up beside the coast so we could all take shots.

 

Sadly, parking at Glenfinnan was full, but we shall return at some point. Anyway, we only had half an hour to go before we arrived at Mallaig and the ferry terminal. Sadly, we had failed to book passage beforehand, and so had to buy a standby ticket, but we were told there would be no trouble getting on as we were the first in the reserve queue.

 

We had an hour to kill before the boarding began, so we go for a wander round the town. Mallaig exists for fishing anf being the starting point of the Skye ferry. The railway line also ends here, but the town itself probably has less than 1o thousand people, but it picturesque enough, set around the harbour, filled wit small fishing boats.

 

Jools and I have lunch in the Mission Cafe, while Tony goes for an hour walk being measured on Strava.

 

At one everyone goes back to their cars and boarding begins. Once all the booked cars and buses go on, we are allowed to follow onto the ferry.

 

We get out of the car and climb to the passenger decks above, until I get to the open dicks ready to witness the casting off.

 

By now the day was bright, so sunshine shone off the heather on the hills of the mainline and on the island. The crossing took just half an hour, the ferry reversed into the berth and we were allowed back to our cars ready to depart.

The cottage was just a four mile drive along the coast, turning up the hill and into the driveway. Here at last.

 

It is a fine modern bungalow with a large picture window overlooking the sound and the mainland beyond. We unload the car of our luggage and shopping, and fill up wardrobes and cupboards, finally able t put the kettle on for a well-deserved brew.

 

We had forgotten to bring coffee for Jools, so Tony and I go out in the car to find a shop. Over the other side of the island we find a Co-Op, it is well stocked and we find coffee, more Coke and beer for me.

 

We fly back over to the cottage, over the moor along a newly tarmaced road, traveling at a little over the limit, arriving back so I could make a coffee for Jools.

 

We sit in the living room, not watching TV, but the scene out of the large window, as the setting sun cast wonderful light on the sound and hills beyond. Dinner was a simple pasta dish with tomato sauce, into which I put some square sausage to added flavour. Local flavour.

 

And that was your day, arrived and settled in.

The edition of the Norwich Mercury dated Saturday October 20 1917 included this picture along with the caption Corpl. Spalding, Canadians, son of Mr. and Mrs. Spalding, South Lowestoft, killed in action. He had been awarded the Military Medal.

 

SPALDING, R C

Rank:………………….Corporal

Service No:…………..9250

Date of Death:……….12/09/1917

Age:……………………28

Regiment/Service:…..Canadian Infantry, 3rd Bn.

Awards:……………….M M

Grave Reference:……III. A. 1.

Cemetery:

FOSSE NO.10 COMMUNAL CEMETERY EXTENSION, SAINS-EN-GOHELLE

Additional Information:

Son of James and Kate E. Spalding, of 96, Warden St., Mimico, Ontario. Native of Lowestoft, England.

CWGC: www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/304870/SPALDING,%20R%20C

 

He is not remembered in the War Memorial Chapel in the Church of St Margaret, Lowestoft.

 

His Canadian Army Service records can be accessed here:-

www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/first-wo...

(Several of the pages are very difficult to read and looking as if they were moved during the scanning process).

 

Born Lowestoft in April 1889, Reginald Charles Spalding was an unmarried Labourer when he enlisted in the 3rd Battalion at Valcartier, Quebec, on the 22nd September 1914. His next of kin was James Spalding of 13 Avondale Road, Lowestoft. He had previous military experience – 2 years in the 19th Hussars. No address appears to have been recorded for him.

 

He was recorded at his initial medical as 5 feet 5 and a half inches tall, with blue eyes, dark brown hair and a ‘Medium; complexion. His distinguishing mark was a tattoo “R.S” on his left forearm.

 

He was given service number 9250 and joined 8 Company. He sailed from Quebec on the 4th October 1914. He assigned some of his pay to his mother, Mrs Kate Spalding, of 13 Avondale Road, Lowestoft.

 

On the 9th November 1915 he was treated for a tonsular abscess a 1 Canadian Field Ambulance, returning to duty on the 13th. He rejoined his unit in the field on the 17th.

 

On the 24th February 1916 he was admitted to No.8 Stationary Hospital at Boulogne with a wound to his left foot. A subsequent investigation dates the incident to the 23rd February 1916 when it is recorded that he stood on a nail at Wolveringham which entered the foot and poisoned it. By the 2nd March 1916 he was being treated at the London War Hospital, Epsom. On the 13th April 1916 he moved to the Canadian Convalescence Hospital at Monks Horton, moving a few days later, (19th) to another convalescence facility at Woodcote Park, Epsom. He was discharged on the 17th May 1916 and posted to the 12th Reserve Battalion at Shorncliffe. He was absent from the last parade on the 1st June 1916 until 11 a.m. on the 2nd, and was admonished and forfeited two days’ pay. He was sent overseas on the 6th June 1916 and rejoined his unit in the field on the 8th.

 

He was promoted to Sergeant on the 30th October 1916, however this didn’t last long. He was held in confinement from the 26th December 1916 to the 9th January 1917 awaiting a Court Martial. He was tried and convicted of drunkenness and reduced to the rank of Corporal. However a pension was awarded to his father after Reginalds’ death at the rate for a Private, so possibly his being a Corporal was an unpaid rank.

 

The award of his Military Medal appeared in the London Gazette dated 18th July 1917.

 

He died of wounds at the 1st Canadian Field Ambulance, having received shot wounds to the left arm and leg, the leg being also fractured.

 

By the time his medals were issued his father James and mother K.E. gave their address as Box 317, 96 Warden Street, Mimico, Toronto.

 

The Medal Index Card for Corporal 9250 R E Spalding, Canadian Infantry Battalion, is held at the National Archive under reference WO 372/23/169305

Source: discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D6222607

This covers the award of his Military Medal in the France Theatre of War.

 

No match on Picture Norfolk, the County Image Archive.

 

1889 – Birth & baptism……………

 

The birth of a Reginald Charles Spalding was registered with the Civil Authorities in the Mutford District of Suffolk in the July to September quarter, (Q3), of 1889.

 

The Mutford Civil Registration District included both the Civil Parish of Oulton and also of Lowestoft.

 

The baptism of a Reginald Charles Spalding, born 18th April 1889, took place at St Michael, Oulton, Suffolk, on the 26th May 1889. Parents were James, a Brickmaker, and Kate. The family lived in the parish.

Source: www.freereg.org.uk/search_records/5b812992f493fd0ece92306...

Partial Source: www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NB1B-2GZ

 

1891 Census of England and Wales

 

The 1 year old “Reignald” Spalding, born Oulton, Suffolk, was recorded living at Woods “Looke”, Oulton. This was the household of his parents, James, (aged 35, a Labourer at Oil Mills, born Topcroft, Norfolk) and Kate, (aged 26, born Colchester, Essex). As well as ‘Reignald’ the couple have a 3 year old son Earnest, also born Oulton.

 

Oulton and Lowestoft were already closed to being merged by this stage in all but name.

 

1901 Census of England and Wales

 

The Spalding family were now living at 49 Clemence Street, Lowestoft. As well as parents James, (45, Bricklayers Labourer) and Kate, (35) there are their children:-

Ernest………aged 13…..born Lowestoft

Reginald……aged 11…..born Lowestoft

James………aged 9…….born Lowestoft

Thomas…….aged 5…….born Lowestoft

John………..aged 3…….born Lowestoft

Dorothy……aged 1…….born Lowestoft

 

There is no obvious match for him on the immigration records from the UK end.

 

However, the arrival of a 21 year old single man Reginald C. Spalding from England aboard the Empress of Ireland was recorded at Saint John, New Brunswick in November 1910. He was bound for Toronto and intended to work as a Labourer. But he is neither recorded as a returning Canadian nor was he paid the “British Bonus”, which he could have claimed if he intended to stay permanently.

Source: www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2HGT-9P4

 

1911 Census of England and Wales

 

His parents were now living at 13 Clemence Street, Lowestoft. The 57 year old James, a Bricklayers Labourer, (now recorded as born Wooton*, Norfolk) and the 46 year old Kate have been married 24 years and have had 10 children, of which 9 were then still alive. Still single and living with them are James, (19, Wood Dealer), Thomas, (15, Apprentice to Boot Maker), John, (13, Fire Wood Dealer), Dorothy, (11), Grace, (9), Edith (7) and Edward, (1). All the children except James, (Oulton), were born Lowestoft.

 

(*Given he stated Topcroft on the 1891 & 1901 censuses, that should probably be Woodton)

 

Army Career………………………….

 

Battalion War Diary from the time he stood on a nail.

 

Tuesday, February 22, 1916

Location: DRAMOUTRE

Entry: Working parties. Remainder of battalion inoculated. Cold, heavy snowfall.

 

Wednesday, February 23, 1916

Location: DRAMOUTRE

Entry: Gas Alert. Working parties. Still cold, snow on the ground.

Dinner by Capt DYMOND and Capt. MacNAMARA to wet their stars.

qormuseum.org/history/timeline-1900-1924/the-first-world-...

 

An appendix to the May 1917 War Diary includes his name in a list of honours awarded. These honours appears to relate to the battalions’ actions between the 2nd and 4th May 1917.

 

The war diary records these as:-

May 2nd

Very heavy strafe [sic] along whole front at 9.00 pm

1.05am: Relief complete, 14th Canadian Battalion moving back to Red Line.

1.20 am: Major G.E. REID left Battalion Headquarters, he is going out to stake out Battalion Assembly Area, taking an officer and 4 men from “A” and “B” Companies and one officer from “C” and “D” Companies.

4.20 am: Major G.E. REID reports posts as put out by 3rd Canadian Infantry Brigade are not in location as given us by our Brigade, but positions seem to have been re-adjusted by Major REID without a great deal of trouble.

10.00 am: Morning quiet.

3.00 pm: Conference of O.C. Companies at Battalion Headquarters in which all small difficulties were discussed and settled.

4.30 pm: Lieut. RENNOCK, Engineer Officer who is being attached to us, reported at Battalion Headquarters.

4.50 pm: Brigade Major called at Battalion Headquarters.

5.20 pm: Word received that ZERO hour has been changed from 4.05 am to 3.45 am, much to our dissappointment [sic], as 3.45 am seems to early, 4.20 am would have been just about right.

6.15 pm: Lieut. CAMERON, 1st Brigade, C.F.A., our Artillery Liaison Officer, reported at Headquarters for duty.

9.00 pm: Very heavy artillery along our front.

9.30 pm: Major G.E. REID left for Assembly Area, he is going to check over and see that Companies occupy correct positions.

MAY 3rd

12:20 am: Battalion Headquarters arrived at Headquarters at B.5.d.2.6., (in ARLEUX LOOP) All units reported in position in the Assembly Area except “D” Company.

12.30 am: Lieut. RENNOCK, C.E., reported at Headquarters, sappers detailed to their respective Companies, 4 to “B” Company 6 to “A” Company and 2 to “C” Company.

12.50 am: No reports from “D” Company as yet.

1.04am: Time synchronised with Brigade.

1.17 am: Private DYSON, Battalion runner, who has been around Companies reports “D” Company not in position.

1.30 am: Lieut. M. CLIFF reported at Battalion Headquarters and states “D” Company were considerably disorganized by a shell causing them some casualties, including their guide and a platoon Commander. When last seen this Company seems to have been heading away over to the right.

1.20 am: 6 Scouts sent out to locate “D” Company.

1.40 am: Very heavy enemy straefe opened on our front and to our right.

1.55 am: Straefe still continues.

2.00 am: Straefe dying down.

2.13 am: Lieut-Col. R.P. CLARKE, O.C. 2nd Canadian Battalion, called at our Headquarters.

2.20 am: Everything quiet.

2.31 am: Received synchronized time from Signal Master, C.Z.A., watch sent to Companies 5 seconds fast.

2.34 am: Lieut. NICHOLSON, “YUKON” Battery of Machine Guns reported at Battalion Headquarters. He has 8 guns about 300 yards West of Battalion Headquarters.

2.41 am: Message received from Lieut. BROOKE that he has lost all his Officers and guides, is in ARLEUX LOOP but does not know where he is in relation to Assembly Area. Lieut. PATTERSON sent to guide him into his position in Assembly Area, it seems from runners story that “D” Company has had very hard time, suffering many casualties.

2.44 am: Lieut. STEVENSON sent for to come up to “D” Company.

3.00 am: Word received from Assembly Area that casualties are, “A” Company 1, “B” Company 6, “C” Company Nil.

3.02 am: Word sent to Brigade that we are in position less “D” Company.

3.05 am: Enemy artillery fairly active, his barrage line seems to fall on about “C” Companies line in Assembly Area.

3.07 am: Phoned Brigade Major and asked for counter-battery work.

3.15 am: Lieut. DUNCAN, with Stretcher Bearer party, reported at Battalion Headquarters.

3.18 am: Enemy still shelling vicinity of “A” Company heavily.

3.45 am: Attack commenced, enemy artillery active especially on back area.

3.52 am: Brigade Major phoned re “D” Company. No news of it as yet

4.01 am: Lieut. STEVENSON reported at Battalion Headquarters.

4.40 am: German Machine Guns appear active.

4.55 am: Wounded Lance Corporal from “A” Company states his Company was right through the Wood but when he was wounded they were being very hard pushed.

5.05 am: 1 officer and 19 men, German prisoners captured by “A” Company passed Battalion Headquarters.

5.20 am: Word received from “D” Company that they are in position but that they only have 25 men left.

5.40 am: Captain HUTCHISON reports capture of final objective and establishment of Strong Points as laid down.

6.16 am: 2nd Battalion wounded state that they have taken front line but cannot get through the town.

6.40 am: Lieut. MAY, Brigade Signal Officer phoned that he had Brigade Majors authority to state that a Company of the 4th Battalion would be attached to us, connection cut before conversation was finished.

6.41 am: Word received from “B” Company that they were digging in on Final Objective at 5.25 am.

6.45 am: Both front line companies ask for bombs and S.A.A.

6.50 am: Artillery Liaison Officer given our boundaries.

7.30 am: Brigade Major states he will wire through authority to us to have a Company of the 4th Battalion attached to us.

7.55 am: Brigade Major informs us that “C” Company 4th Battalion is being attached to us.

8.20 am: Major CUNNINGHAM called at our Headquarters.

8.30 am: Situation on left clear, we being in direct touch with the 2nd Battalion, but the right is still very obscure, it seems that the Britishers have not captured even the enemy’s front line.

10.00 am: From information received from Major CROWTHER who has passed through seriously wounded, and also from written report from Lieut. McPHERSON, it seems impossible to send troops over the ground between ARLEUX Crucifix and the BLUE Objective.

10.30 am: Message received from Captain HUTCHISON that his position is very grave and that he is gradually turning his flank.

10.50 am: Scout Officer of 2nd Battalion reported at Battalion Headquarters giving us information as to a way up to the line.

11.30 am: A 4th Battalion platoon ordered up to position now occupied by “C” Company, the two platoons of “C” Company being placed under “A” Companies orders.

12 noon: Word received, the Germans are advancing on our newly won positions. S.O.S. sent up and a protective barrage laid down.

12.10 pm: In consequence of above entry, orders as issued in para timed “11.30 am” are cancelled as far as it concerns 4th Battalion.

12.30 am: Platoon of 4th Battalion under Lieut. WALLER sent forward to reinforce “A” Company.

12.45 pm: Prisoners which have passed Battalion Headquarters now number 110 O.R.

12.50 pm: 14th Battalion commence to arrive in ARLEUX LOOP.

1.20 pm: Another 4th Battalion platoon under Lieut. STEVENSON, Lewis Gun Officer, 3rd Battalion, being organized to go forward to the support of “A” Company.

1.40 pm: Platoon which left at 12.30 pm returned, Lieut. WALLER and 3 O.R. including Platoon Sergeant being killed. These men report it is absolutely impossible to get across to the BLUE Objective, the enemy laying down a very heavy barrage and also a very heavy direct machine gun dire [sic], about 400 yards in front on ARLEUX LOOP, from the enemy’s front line on the right, which does not seem to have been taken by the Fusiliers.

1.40pm: Platoon which was to go forward under Lieut. STEVENSON recalled in consequence of above entry.

2.20 pm: Quietest moment since ZERO.

3.00 pm: Relief asked for tonight in conversation with Brigade Major

5.00 pm: Brigade Major informs us relief impossible.

6.00 pm: Enemy artillery shelling quite heavily, especially in region of ARLEUX LOOP.

8.00 pm: Major REID left Battalion Headquarters for forward area.

8.10 pm: Portions of “C” and “D” Companies who have been ordered to return to positions in ARLEUX LOOP commenced to arrive.

8.30 pm: Two platoons of “C” Company, 4th Battalion under Lieut. STEVENSON being organized to go forward to support of “A” Company, as well as taking supplies of bombs, etc., other two platoons are reporting to Lieut. CLIFF at WILLERVAL to look after bringing up of rations. On completion of this task they are going forward to occupy BLUE Objective.

8.40 pm: Lieut. CLIFF to WILLERVAL to look after supply of rations.

9.02 am: Platoons of 4th Battalion under Lieut. C.E. STEVENSON, Lewis Gun Officer, 3rd Battalion, commenced to pass Battalion Headquarters.

9.30 pm: Brigade Major called at Battalion Headquarters.

9.50 pm: Two damaged Lewis Guns sent down to Battalion Headquarters and changed, the two spare ones at Battalion Hqrs., being sent up to them.

10.35 pm: 2nd Battalion are reported to have put up S.O.S. on their front and there is quite a heavy artillery fire on our front.

10.50 pm: 2 platoons of 4th Battalion with rations for “A” and “B” Companies passed Headquarters.

MAY 4th

12.15 am: Major REID returned from Forward Area, his report confirming those received from Capt. HUTCHISON, earlier in the day, he also reports the two platoons under Lieut. STEVENSON have reported to Capt. HUTCHISON and are digging in.

3.15 am: Word received, 3 officers from Transport are at Brigade Headquarters, they being given instructions to remain at Dressing Station.

4.40 am: Message received from Capt. HUTCHISON that our Artillery was shooting short about 3.15 am.

6.00 am: Very bright and sunny day, everything quiet along our front.

12.50 pm: Operation Orders received for relief tonight.

3.00 pm: The Commanding Officer of releiving [sic] Battalion (1st EAST Surrey’s arrived). The Runner carrying the 4.00 pm “3rd” message I have tried to get through to Capt. HUTCHISON today, returned exhausted, reporting it is absolutely impossible to get forward.

5.30 pm: Lieut. CLIFF sent out with guides to meet incoming Battalion.

7.40 pm: Word received from Brigade that 6th Brigade are attacking at 8.00 pm, No times to warn forward Companies.

8.00 pm: Attack commenced, heavy barrage on our front and S.O.S. put up to our right.

8.45 pm: Enemy artillery activity dying down.

9.30 pm: 1st East Surrey’s commenced to arrive.

9.40 pm: 10 guides arrived from Capt. HUTCHISON to guide the 4 platoons and the 2 Company Headquarters off the releiving [sic] unit into the forward area.

10.00 pm: Lieut. WATSON, O.C. “C” Company of the 4th Battalion, passed Headquarters on a stretcher, seriously wounded.

11.30 pm: Our troops commenced to pass Battalion Headquarters, moving to MAISON BLANCHE.

qormuseum.org/history/timeline-1900-1924/the-first-world-...

  

On the day…………………………

 

An appendix in the war diary for September 1917 shows him wounded on the 11th September 1917 and died the same day.

 

The Battalion War Diary reads:-

 

September 11, 1917

Location: Front Line

Entry: Battalion football team played 107th Pioneer Battalion Team a tie game in Divisional elimination. Lieut. J.A. Clark reported back from hospital. Lieut. H.A. Thompson reported back from 1st Canadian Entrenching Battalion. Throughout the day enemy trench mortars and rifle grenades active on our front line. Enemy artillery active in afternoon on Back areas. Under orders from Brigade an attempt was made to dig a new trench in front of our present front line from junction of Nuns Alley and Twisted Alley, East and in front of a lone house, to Nuns Alley Post. A covering party of one platoon from front line company made its way out into No-Mans-Land 8.45 a.m., but were spotted by the enemy and fired at with Machine guns. At 9.30 p.m. the Canadian Engineering Officer began to tape the new trench, and digging party of 110 Other Ranks from C Company, and garrison of one platoon from B Company who were lined up, proceeded to take their positions, covering party and most of digging party got into their positions and started to dig. Enemy Machine Gun fire again opened up at 10.20 p.m. and also with Trench Mortars, and party was recalled to front line. A second attempt was made, but very heavy Machine Gun Fire and rifle fire caused retirement. The enemy sent up an S.O.S. signal at 11.20 p.m., evidently expecting an attack. All trenches and Support areas were subjected to a very heavy fire, and at about 12 midnight the Battalion Commander orders a cessation of operations. Working parties of 13th Canadian Battalion and 107th Pioneer Battalion suffered losses in Support area. The Battalion was extremely fortunate and got back to the trenches with a loss of 4 Other Ranks wounded. Weather – fine.

Source: qormuseum.org/history/timeline-1900-1924/the-first-world-...

  

Mildly photoshopped to minimise impact of damage present on the original image.

 

An uncommon and rather difficult little bird in canopy and subcanopy of subtropical forests between 700-2500m, photographed here at Las Tángaras reserve in Carmen de Atrato (Western Andes). Formerly placed in the genus Terenura.

 

Visit our web page: www.birdingtourscolombia.com

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The weekend.

 

At last.

 

And for the weekend, Saturday was to bring sunshine, but Sunday would bring wind and rain.

 

But, as always, no one told Mother Nature, and Saturday was graced with thick and dark cloud.

 

But first: shopping.10% of our weekly shop goes on stuff for the local foodbank. Such things should not be needed, but it is.Around the store, just about everything is well stocked, except the fresh fruit which like it has been most of the year, thin on the ground.

 

Back home to put our goodies away, the to have two breakfasts, forst one of fruit, then followed by bacon.

 

Same every week.

 

And then: time to go out.

 

I am posting my top 50 Kent churches on Twitter, or until that site crashes, and I realise I needed to go back to a couple: Newnham and Wychling. Which meant on the way I could stop to look at Stone Chapel beside what used to be Watling Street, now the old A2, between Faversham and Sittingbourne.

 

A half hour run up the A2, through Faversham. Jools dropped me off at the junction opposite the chapel, and I have to scamper across the main road.

 

That done.

 

I have wanted to visit Stone Chapel just outside of Faversham for some while, but parking here is very difficult.

 

Yesterday, with the plan to visit Newnham and Doddington, it seemed too good an opportunity to visit the ruin.

 

You can see the remains from the old A2, Watling Street, and doesn't look that much, but worth visiting for the project, I thought.

 

In fact, close up it appears to be part Roman or made with Roman remains, the nave walls on both side have layers of clearly Roman tiles.

 

I am currently reading an archaeological paper which doubts the conclusions reached on the English Heritage site.

 

It is a less travelled path across the fields to the copse with the ruins in front. The field had been left fallow, so was full of Annual Mercury, Common Groundsel and a few Shepherd's Purse.

 

Straight away the courses of red Roman tiles were obvious, and even to me, seemed to form a square. The rest of the church was built of flint, and is crumbling still. Not bad for ruins of a building abandoned in the 1530s.

 

Ferns grow out of the mortar, quite a rare ecosystem here in Kent.

 

The stone altar is still in situ in the Chancel, or what remains of it. A step leads down into the nave, and was worn with steps of nearly a thousand years of use.

 

An amazing an mysterious place.

 

I walk back over the field, wait to cross the road and join Jools back in the car. From here it was a ten minute drive to Newnham where I was pretty sure the church would be open.

 

Outside, you can't tell how dull and gloomy it is, but inside a church, then you can tell. In the church, it was dark, almost night, but the camera found things to focus on until I found the lightswitches.

 

The church has no stained glass, and few memorials, but otherwie a few things to see. But good to have visited the first church and it was open.

 

Next up it was one of my favourites: Doddington.

 

A couple of miles further on, and up the hill is the gruesomely dedicated The Beheading of St John the Baptist, though named for the feast day rather than the even itself.

 

A walk over the litter-strewn and narrow lane, and into the churchyard, where the low clapboarded tower is wonderful in itself.

 

But inside an unusual double squint, wall paintings of St Francis and St John the Baptist, a couple of fresh looking hatchings, a realy excentric roal coat of arms of an unknown monarch, but remarkable. In the churchyard, the wardens have worked with Plantlife to create fine wildflower meadows in the churchyard, turning God's Acre into something to support our native flora and fauna.

 

I take 150 or so shots, then walk back to the car, and take Jools to the next target: Wychling.

 

Wychling is a remote church, pretty much without a village, but the church lays back from the road, through a meadow and then through the bare churchyard, the church with its tower hidden by mature trees.

 

The website said it would be open, but I had my doubts, and I was proven right as the porch door was locked.

 

So, it was a long walk back to the car where Jools was waiting.

 

Our final call was to be Hollingbourne, which I seem to remember my last visit was cut short.

 

So, it was just a five mile trip over the downs, so set the sat nav, and off we went. Thing is, roads round there are narrow, and partially flooded after the week of rain, so it was quite the adventure, and a couple of times we said, "NZ Tony would love this", as we went down another road barely wider than the car.

 

The other thing I should mention is that there was a fire at one of the oldest pubs in Kent, in the village. Not that I thought that would be a problem.

 

But it was, as the road past the hotel is closed while they try to secure the building.

 

No matter, if we could get to the M20, turn off at Leeds, then there was another way into the village there.

 

So, down gravel strewn lanes, and others so covered in fallen leaves they were not really roads at all. To the A249, down the hill and onto the motorway for one junction.

 

We turned off and went under the motorway and HS1, only to find the road through the village closed, for different reasons, this side too. Looking at the map, the chuch and a few houses sit isolated in the middle of the two closed roads. Nowhere to park.

 

I gave up, and we decded to drive home.

 

Back to the motorway, and cruise back to the coast through Ashford, Hythe and Folkestone.

 

No firebombing this time, though.

 

Back in time for the second half of the League 1 game featuring the Old Farm Enemy, Ipswich. I turned it on as Town scored their second goal, and so turned it off again.

 

That's not how its supposed to happen.

 

And due to the world cup cancelling out a month of Prem and Championship football, there was no commentary on the radio, nor no videoprinter.

 

All a bit dull.

 

We have dinner: tacos and home made spiced chicken tenders and salsa.

 

It was spicy, but not too spicy.

 

And after that, no football to watch on the tellybox, so we just have Craig on the wireless, playing funk and soul.

 

Jools beats me at crib.

 

And that was it.

 

Phew.

 

--------------------------------------------------

 

An enchanting church set in a wooded churchyard on the edge of a steep valley. The building displays much of medieval interest due to minimal nineteenth-century interference. The most important feature is the small stone prayer desk next to the westernmost window of the chancel. This window is of the low side variety - the desk proving the window's part in devotional activities. The nearby thirteenth-century lancet windows have a series of wall paintings in their splays, while opposite is a fine medieval screen complete with canopy over the priests' seats. There is also an excellent example of a thirteenth-century hagioscope that gives a view of the main altar from the south aisle, which was a structural addition to the original building. The south chancel chapel belonged to the owners of Sharsted Court and contains a fine series of memorials to them. Most of the stained glass is nineteenth century - some of very good quality indeed. Outside there is a good tufa quoin on the north wall of the nave and a short weatherboarded tower.

 

www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Doddington

 

--------------------------------------------

 

DODDINGTON.

NEXT to that of Linsted south-eastward, is the parish of Doddington, called in the record of Domesday, Dodeham.

 

THIS PARISH is about two miles across each way, it lies the greatest part of it on the hills on the northern side of the high road leading from Faversham through Newnham valley over Hollingborne hill towards Maidstone. It is a poor but healthy situation, being much exposed to the cold and bleak winds which blow up through the valley, on each side of which the hills, which are near the summit of them, interspersed with coppice woods, rise pretty high, the soil is mostly chalk, very barren, and much covered with slint stones. The village stands on the road in the valley, at the east end of it is a good house, called WHITEMANS, which formerly belonged to the family of Adye, and afterwards to that of Eve, of one of whom it was purchased by the Rev. Francis Dodsworth, who almost rebuilt it, and now resides in it. Upon the northern hill, just above the village, is the church, and close to it the vicarage, a neat modern fashed house; and about a mile eastward almost surrounded with wood, and just above the village of Newnham, the mansion of Sharsted, a gloomy retired situation.

 

Being within the hundred of Tenham, the whole of this parish is subordinate to that manor.

 

At the time of taking the above record, which was anno 1080, this place was part of the possessions of Odo, the great bishop of Baieux, the king's half brother; accordingly it is thus entered, under the general title of that prelate's lands:

 

The same Fulbert holds of the bishop Dodeham. It was taxed at one suling. The arable land is . . . . . In demesne there is one carucate and seventeen villeins, with ten borderers having two carucates. There is a church, and six servants, and half a fisbery of three hundred small fish, and in the city of Canterbury five houses of seven shillings and ten pence. In the time of king Edward the Confessor it was worth ten pounds. The bishop let it to ferm for ten pounds, when Fulbert received it, six pounds, and the like now . . . . . Sired held it of king Edward.

 

Four years after which the bishop of Baieux was disgraced, and all his effects were consiscated to the crown.

 

PART OF THE above-mentioned estate was, most probably, THE MANOR OF SHARSTED, or, as it was antiently called Sabersted, the seat of which, called Sharsted-court, is situated on the hill just above the village of Newnham, though within the bounds of this parish.

 

This manor gave both residence and name to a family who possessed it in very early times, for Sir Simon de Sharsted died possessed of it in the 25th year of king Edward I. then holding it of the king, of the barony of Crevequer, and by the service of part of a knight's see, and suit to the court of Ledes.

 

Richard de Sharsted lies buried in this church, in the chapel belonging to this manor. Robert de Sharsted died possessed of it in the 8th year of king Edward III. leaving an only daughter and heir, married to John de Bourne, son of John de Bourne, sheriff several years in the reign of king Edward I. whose family had been possessed of lands and resided in this parish for some generations before. In his descendants this estate continued down to Bartholomew Bourne, who possessed it in the reign of Henry VI. in whose descendants resident at Sharsted, (who many of them lie buried in this church, and bore for their arms, Ermine, on a bend azure, three lions passant guardant, or) this estate continued down to James Bourne, esq. who in the beginning of king Charles I.'s reign, alienated Sharsted to Mr. Abraham Delaune, merchant, of London, the son of Gideon Delaune, merchant, of the Black Friars there, who bore for his arms, Azure, a cross of Lozenges, or, on a chief gules, a lion passantguardant of the second, holding in his dexter paw a fleur de lis; which was assigned to him by William Segar, garter, in 1612, anno 10 James I.

 

He resided at Sharsted, in which he was succeeded by his eldest son, Sir William Delaune, who resided likewise at Sharsted, where he died in 1667, and was buried in Doddington church. He was twice married; first to Anne, daughter and only heir of Tho. Haward, esq. of Gillingham, by whom he had an only daughter Anne, heir to her mother's inheritance. His second wife was Dorcas, daughter of Sir Robert Barkham, of Tottenham High Cross, (remarried to Sir Edward Dering) by whom he had a son William, and a daughter Mary, married to colonel Edward Thornicroft, of Westminster.

 

William Delaune, esq. the son, succeeded to this estate, and was knight of the shire for this county. He died in 1739, s.p having married Anne, the widow of Arthur Swift, esq. upon which it passed by the entail in his will to his nephew Gideon Thornicroft, son of his sister Mary, widow of Edward Thornicroft, esq. by whom she had likewise three daughters, Dorcas, Elizabeth, and Anne. This branch of the family of Thornicroft was situated at Milcomb, in Oxfordshire, and was a younger branch of those of Thornicroft, in Cheshire. John Thornicroft, esq. of London, barrister-at-law, was younger brother of Edward Thornicroft, esq. of Cheshire, and father of John, for their arms, Vert, a mascle, or, between four crasscreated a baronet of August 12, 1701, and of colonel Edward Thornicroft above-mentioned. They bore for their arms, Vert, a mascle, or, between four crosscroslets, argent. Lieutenant-colonel Thornicroft was governor of Alicant, when that fortress was besieged in 1709, and perished there, by the explosion of a mine. (fn. 1)

 

Gideon Thornicroft, esq. possessed this estate but a small time, and dying in 1742, s.p. and being the last in the entail above-mentioned, he devised it by his will to his mother, Mrs.Mary Thornicroft, who dying in 1744, by her will devised to her two maiden daughters, Dorcas and Anne, this manor and seat, as well as all the rest of her estates, excepting Churchill farm in Doddington, which she gave to her second daughter Elizabeth, who had married George Nevill, lord Abergavenny, who dieds.p. and lady Abergavenny, in her life-time, made a deed of gift of this farm, to her son Alured Pinke, esq. who now owns it.

 

They possessed this estate jointly till the death of Mrs.Dorcas Thornicroft, in 1759, when she by will devised her moiety of it, as well as the rest of her estates, except the Grange in Gillingham, to her sister Mrs. Anne Thornicroft, for her life, remainder in tail to her nephew Alured Pinke, barrister-at-law, son of Elizabeth, lady Abergavenny, her sister by her second husband Alured Pinke. esq. barrister-at-law, who had by her likewise a daughter Jane, married to the Rev. Henry Shove; upon this Mrs.Anne Thornicroft before-mentioned, became the sole possessor of this manor and estate, in which she resided till her death in 1791, æt. 90, upon which it came to her nephew, Alured Pinke, esq. before-mentioned, who married Mary, second daughter of Thomas Faunce, esq. of Sutton-at-Hone, by whom he has one son Thomas. He bears for his arms, Argent, five lozenges in pale, gules, within a bordure, azure, charged with three crosses pattee, fitchee. He resides here, and is the present possessor of this seat and estate. A court baron is held for this manor.

 

DOWNE-COURT is a manor in this parish, situated on the hill, about half a mile north westward from the church. In the reign of king Edward I. it was in the possession of William de Dodington, who in the 7th year of it did homage to archbishop Peckham for this manor, as part of a knight's fee, held of him by the description of certain lands in Doddington, called Le Downe. His descendant Simon de Dodington, paid aid for it in the 20th year of king Edward III. as appears by the Book of Aid; from him it passed into the family of Bourne, of Bishopsborne, whose ancestors were undoubtedly possessed of lands in this parish, (fn. 2) so early as the reign of Henry III. for archbishop Boniface, who came to the see of Canterbury in the 29th year of it, granted to Henry de Bourne, (fn. 3) one yoke of land, in the parish of Dudingtune, belonging to his manor of Tenham, which land he held in gavelkind, and might hold to him and his heirs, of the archbishop and his successors, by the service of part of a knight's fee, and by rent to the manor of Tenham.

 

His descendant John de Bourne lived in the reign of king Edward I. in the 17th year of which he obtained a charter offree warrenfor his lands in Bourne, Higham, and Doddington, after which he was sheriff in the 22d and the two following years of it, as he was again in the 5th year of king Edward III. His son John de Bourne married the daughter and sole heir of Robert de Sharsted, by which he became possessed of that manor likewise, as has been already related, and in his descendants Downe-court continued till about the latter end of king Henry VI.'s reign, when it was alienated to Dungate, of Dungate-street, in Kingsdown, the last of which name leaving an only daughter and heir, she carried it in marriage to Killigrew, who about the beginning of Henry VIII. ending likewise in two daughters and coheirs, one of whom married Roydon, and the other Cowland, they, in right of their respective wives, became possessed of it in equal shares. The former, about the latter end of that reign, alienated his part to John Adye, gent. of Greet, in this parish, a seat where his ancestors had been resident ever since the reign of Edward III. for he was descended from John de Greet, of Greet, in this parish, who lived there in the 25th year of that king's reign. His grandson, son of Walter, lived there in the reign of Henry V. and assumed the name of Adye. (fn. 4) This family bore for their arms, Azure, a fess dancette, or, between three cherubins heads, argent, crined of the second; which coat was confirmed by-Sir John Segar, garter, anno 11 James I. to John Adye, esq. of Doddington, son and heir of John Adye, esq. of Sittingborne, and heir of John Adye, the purchaser of the moiety of this manor.

 

He possessed this moiety of Downe court on his father's death, and was resident at Sittingborne. He died on May 9, 1612, æt. 66, and was buried in Doddington church, leaving issue by Thomasine his wife, daughter and coheir of Rich. Day, gent. of Tring, in Hertsordshire, one son John, and five daughters.

 

John Adye, esq. the grandson of John, the first purchaser, succeeded at length to this moiety of Downe-court, and resided there, during which time he purchased of the heirs of Allen the other moiety of it, one of which name had become possessed of it by sale from the executors of Cowland, who by his will in 1540, had ordered it to be sold, for the payment of debts and legacies. He died possessed of the whole of this manor and estate, in 1660, and was buried in Nutsted church, of which manor he was owner. He left by his first wife several children, of whom John, the eldest, died s.p. Edward, the second, was of Barham in the reign of king Charles II. under which parish more of him and his descendants may be seen; (fn. 5) and Nicholas was the third son, of whom mention will be made hereafter. By his second wife he had Solomon, who was of East Shelve, in Lenham, and other children.

 

Nicholas Adye, esq. the third son, succeeded to Downe-court, and married Jane, daughter of Edward Desbouverie, esq. Their eldest son, John Adye, succeeded to this manor, at which he resided till he removed to Beakesborne, at the latter end of Charles II.'s reign, about which time he seems to have alienated it to Creed, of Charing, in which name it continued till it was sold to Bryan Bentham, esq. of Sheerness, who devised it to his eldest son Edward Bentham, esq. of the Navy-office, who bore for his arms, Quarterly, argent and gules, a cross story counterchanged; in the first and fourth quarters, a rose, gules, seeded, or, barbed vert; in the second and third quarters, a sun in its glory, or; being the arms given by queen Elizabeth to Thomas Bentham, D.D. bishop of Litchfield, on his being preferred to that see in 1559, the antient family arms of Bentham, of Yorkshire, being Argent, a bend between two cinquefoils, sable. Since his death this estate has by his will become vested in trustees, to fulfil the purposes of it.

 

Charities.

JOHN ADYE, ESQ. gave by will in 1660, 40s. to the poor of this parish, payable yearly out of Capel hill, in Leysdown, the estate of Samuel-Elias Sawbridge, esq.

 

AN UNKNOWN PERSON gave 20s. per annum, payable out of an estate in Doddington, late belonging to the earl of Essingham, and now to the Rev. Francis Dodsworth.

 

TEN SHILLINGS are paid yearly at Christmas, to the poor of this parish, by the lessee of the parsonage by the reservation in his lease.

 

THE REV. MR. SOMERCALES, vicar of this parish, by his will gave an Exchequer annuity of 14l. to be applied to the instructing of poor children in the Christian religion.

 

FORTY HILLINGS are payable yearly at Michaelmas, out of a field formerly called Pyding, now St.John Shotts, belonging to Alured Pinke, esq. towards the repair of the church.

 

A PERSON UNKNOWN gave for the habitation of three poor persons, a house, now containing three dwellings.

 

The poor constantly relieved are about forty-five.

 

DODDINGTON is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the dioceseof Canterbury, and deanry of Ospringe.

 

The church, which is dedicated to St. John Baptist, consists of a body and chancel, with a chapel or chantry on the south side of it, belonging to the Sharsted estate. At the west end is a low pointed steeple, in which are six bells. About the year 1650, the steeple of this church was set on fire by lightning, and much damaged. In this church are memorials for the Swalman's, Nicholson's of Homestall, and the Norton's, and in the south, or Sharsted chancel, there is a black marble of an antique form, and on a fillet of brass round the verge of it, in old French capitals, Hic Jacet Ricardus de Saherstada, with other letters now illegible, and memorials for the Bourne's and Delaune's.

 

The church of Doddington was antiently esteemed as a chapel to the church of Tenham, as appears by the Black Book of the archdencon, and it was given and appropriated with that church and its appendages, in 1227, by archbishop Stephen Langton, to the archdeaconry. It has long since been independent of the church of Tenham, and still continues appropriated to the archdeacon, who is likewise patron of the vicarage of it.

 

Richard Wethershed, who succeded archbishop Langton in 1229, confirmed the gift of master Girard, who whilst he was rector of the church of Tenham, granted to the chapel of Dudintune, that the tithes of twenty acres of the assart of Pidinge should be taken for the use of this chapel for ever, to be expended by the disposition of the curate, and two or three parishioners of credit, to the repairing of the books, vestments, and ornaments necessary to the chapel. (fn. 6)

 

It is valued in the king's books at fifteen pounds, and the yearly tenths at 1l. 10s. In the visitation of archdeacon Harpsfield, in 1557, this vicarage was returned to be of the value of twelve pounds; parishioners sixty, housholders thirty-two.

 

In 1569, at the visitation of archbishop Parker, it was returned, that the chapel of Doddington used to be let to farm for forty pounds, and sometimes for less; that there were here communicants one hundred and thirteen, housholders thirty-five. In 1640 the vicarage was valued at thirty pounds; communicants one hundred and seven.

 

¶Archdeacon Parker, at the instance of archbishop Sancrost, by lease, anno 27 Charles II. reserved an additional pension of ten pounds per annum to the vicar. It pays no procurations to the archdeacon. It is now a discharged living in the king's books.

 

www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-kent/vol6/pp307-316

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Persistent pelvic floor pain can be difficult to endure.

 

Pelvic floor dysfunction issues can range between hyperactivity to pelvic organ prolapse. The result of both cases can lead to painful and embarrassing symptoms for both men and women. In this article, I will address helpful exercises and stretches that help free you of painful symptoms and aid in restoring pelvic floor and core function. To be clear, stretching is just one type of input into the pelvic floor system and is not the only thing you should do for a tight / tense pelvic floor. Downtraining your pelvic floor will require a variety of loads and inputs, stretching is one important one.

 

Symptoms of Tight Pelvic Floor Muscles

 

When addressing tight pelvic floor muscles or pelvic floor pain, there are a few symptoms that are common between men and women suffering from POP or a weakened pelvic floor. These can include symptoms such as:

 

Rectal pain

 

Vaginal pain

 

Penile pain

 

Testicular pain

 

Labia pain

 

Pelvic pain

 

Lower back pain

 

Pain during intercourse

 

Difficulty with bowel movements

 

Painful orgasms

 

Abdominal pain

 

Pain while urinating

 

Incontinence

 

Dealing with these symptoms can be embarrassing and prolonged suffering can result in a host of other issues. The goal with movement programs like Restore Your Core, is to help you overcome these painful symptoms while encouraging proper core and pelvic floor engagement on a daily basis. Below are a few of the techniques, exercises, and stretches I teach my clients in my program.

 

Are you looking for safe and restorative exercises to heal your pelvic floor symptoms?

 

Learn more about the RYC program

 

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Are you looking for safe and restorative exercises to heal your pelvic floor symptoms?

 

Learn more about the RYC program

 

Learn More

 

How to Stretch Pelvic Muscles

 

There are several ways you can properly stretch and engage your pelvic floor in order to reduce pelvic floor tension . One of the most beneficial and important techniques that I teach my clients is 3-D breathing – a pattern of breathing that uses the rib cage expansion rather than belly expansion for an effective and efficient strategy.

 

One of the key elements in resolving pelvic floor dysfunction and POP is breathing mechanics. In Restore Your Core, I spend a significant amount of time teaching my clients proper breathing mechanics. Often people don’t realize the way they breathe impacts the integrity of their core and pelvic floor. Yet, most of us do not even realize easily we can fall into improper breathing patterns.

 

Most people are belly breathers. This means that while inhaling, they’re extending their abdomen – focusing the tension in their belly. An Illustration of this would look like filling an oval-shaped balloon with water and squeezing the top creating a bulge. The exact same thing happens when you belly breathe. Bulging your gut strains your core and pelvic floor by increasing intra-abdominal pressure. This tends to cause muscle and organ damage in those regions. Our pelvic floor is not designed to handle a lot of consistent pressure and stress.

 

I spend a lot of my time with clients training them to 3-D breathe. 3-D breathing trains you to engage your diaphragm and rib cage while breathing. This means that instead of your belly extending as you inhale, your rib cage expands. Breathing in this manner reduces pressure in your core and pelvic region. Additionally, this technique encourages proper core response and engagement in your daily activities. Now that you understand proper breathing mechanics, it is time to learn how to properly stretch and exercise your core and pelvic floor.

 

Stretches for the Pelvic Floor

 

Supine Pelvic Floor Stretch:

 

Lying on your back, keep your knees bent and bring them toward your chest. Slowly extend your knees to the side to stretch the inner groin. Relax your pelvic floor and butt. Remain in this position for 5 to 10 breaths and relax.

 

Supported Slight Backbend Pelvic Stretch:

 

This is a fantastic pelvic stretcher. Using a pillow or bolster of some kind, gently lower your back to rest on top of the pillow. Once in position, slowly bring your feet together so the soles of your feet are touching. Keep your knees bent, but gently allow them to open sideways. If you feel any discomfort at all in your back or inner thighs, you can use pillows for further support or get rid of the bolster. Relax after 30 seconds or more (roughly 15 to 20 breaths)

 

Supported Pelvic Squat:

 

This stretch is an incredible hip and pelvis stretch. Grab a low stool or a stack of books and with your feet spread wide and toes pointed out sideways, gradually extend your buttocks and lower yourself to the blocks. If you are struggling to balance yourself, it may be helpful to use a wall for back support. It is important that if you experience any discomfort during these stretches that you reposition yourself until you can firmly plant your feet and bend without pain. Stay in a squatted position for close to 30 seconds (5-10 deep breaths), stand back up, relax, and repeat several times. Please note, that for some people with prolapse – a deep squat can really irritate and aggravate things due to bearing down, so be sure to only do this one if you feel comfortable that you are not bearing down in a low squat.

 

Yoga for Pelvic Floor Muscle Relaxation

 

You don’t have to live in

 

fear,pain or discomfort

 

Get back the confidence + lifestyle you love

 

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You don’t have to live in

 

fear,pain or discomfort

 

Get back the confidence + lifestyle you love

 

Learn More

 

Legs up the wall:

 

This exercise offers a lot of people relief from their symptoms and it is a great way to downtrain the pelvic floor. I always teach this with a block / pillows / blankets under the hips for elevation. The elevation is pretty key so be sure to get your hips on something. Elevate your hips and simply bring your legs up a wall. Move closer or further away from the wall depending on your body and comfort. Stay for 3-4 relaxing breaths and then you have a few options. One is to bend your knees and have the soles of your feet touching while still leaning legs against the wall. Adjust your body to make this more comfortable. No stress or tension in your hips. The other is to simply bend your knees and place the soles of your feet on the floor and relax your pelvis and pelvic floor and finally, option #3 is to open your legs wide and keep them against the wall while straddled. Find the position that best allows you to relax and release. Hold for 5-8 breaths.

 

Happy Baby Pose:

 

Lie on your back and bend your knees bringing them close to your chest. Grasp the soles of your feet with your arms inside your knees. Open your knees wide carefully, keeping your feet together, and making sure you’re breathing deeply. While in this position, press the soles of your feet into your palms. Relax and repeat 3-4 times. You can also do this with pillows under your hips if you find that you are fighting tight hips here.

 

Child Pose:

 

Begin this pose by resting on your hands and knees. Extend your arms slightly in front of you while relaxing your lower body and butt down toward your heels. Gradually lengthen the distance between your knees, but keep your feet together. Hold this position for 30 seconds and breathe restfully.

 

restoreyourcore.com/learn/pelvic-floor/pelvic-floor-stret...

It would be easy to look at St Augustine and not see past the belltower. What belltower I hear you ask. Well, that triple candlesnuffer thing beside the stable like entrance of the porch.

 

You see, I had forgotten how fantastic St Augustine was. I was early into the church odyssey thing back in 2009, and I was new to the whole church thing.

 

Yes, it has the belltower. Yes it has that porch with those stable doors. Yes it has that wonderful cast iron font. The church is huge, and difficult for me to judge how it evolved over the centuries.

 

Let me leave it to others to describe the church:

 

-----------------------------------------------------

 

The Church of St Augustine was constructed circa 1250 on a mound to protect it from flooding, probably on the site of a Norman church. The church is entered by the fourteenth century North door with wooden gates, the upper two were stored within the church and the lower doors were topped with spikes to prevent horses jumping the gates during Divine service. There was once a mounting block outside the church however it was removed less than 50 years ago.

 

Once through the porch you enter the North Aisle, in the western end is a closed off Chapel, near to this is the mechanism for the clock which is dedicated to the men of Brookfield who lost their lives whilst serving in World War Two, and the east end, which once housed a chapel to Blessed Virgin, is now home to an organ, installed in 1969.

 

An arcade separates the North Aisle from the Nave, at the end of this at the eastern end is a corbel carved into a face. The font can be found at the western end of the nave and is one of only thirty lead fonts in the country, it is decorated with the zodiac sings and occupations of the months. The Nave and North Aisle hold box pews, and at the eastern end of the Nave is the two tier pulpit with was once three tier, this stands besides the choir pews. Within the Chancel is the alter which stands in front of the remains of an aumbry, to the south is an early piscine and a two-seated sedilia. The arcades separating the North and South Aisles have suffered severe subsidence, the result being they both lean quite obviously. It has been said by an architect that the arcades separating the Nave and South Aisle lean so much that it is beyond the theoretical point of collapse!

 

The south aisle has had its box pews removed due to a very bad case of woodworm which now leaves room for the altar from the east end of the North Aisle and now used as the War Memorial Altar. At the western end is the Tithe Pen, this housed the weights and measures from the times when the vicar was entitled to a tithe, the complete set are now shown in a glass case and are the only remaining items of this kind in Kent. The eastern end of the South Aisle has a piscine and above this is a remarkable painting, dated from the late 1200?s and repainted in the 14th century. It depicts Thomas Becket's martyrdom. Where an altar once stood near this wall painting is now a large table tomb in memory to John Plomer who was three times Mayor of Romney.

 

Beside the church is a free standing belfry, there are many theories giving the reason for the belfry to stand upon the ground, one being that it was blown down from atop the church twice during strong winds and it was decided as it was so keen to stay on the ground then that is where it will stay. The tower holds six bells, only one being original and dated from 1450, three dated 1685 and the old tenor bell also dated 1685 was cast into two smaller bells.

 

www.kenthistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=4992.5;wap2

 

BROOKLAND,

 

SO called from the several brooks and waterings within the bounds of it, lies the next parish southeastward, mostly within the level of Walland Marsh, and within the jurisdiction of the justices of the county; but there are some lands, which are reputed to be within this parish, containing altogether about 124 acres, which lie in detached pieces at some distance south-eastward from the rest of it, mostly near Ivychurch, some other parishes intervening, which lands are within the level of Romney Marsh, and within the liberty and jurisdiction of the justices of it.

 

The PARISH of Brookland lies on higher ground than either Snargate or Fairfield last described, and consequently much drier. It is more sheltered with trees, and inclosed with hedges, than any of the neighbouring parishes. The village is neat and rather pleasant, considering the situation, and the houses, as well as inhabitants, of a better sort than are usually seen in the Marsh. The church stands in the middle of it. The lands towards the south are by far the most fertile, for towards Snargate they are very poor and wet, and much covered with rushes and thistles. It consists in general of marsh-land, there not being above thirty acres of land ploughed throughout the parish, which altogether contains about 1730 acres of land.

 

A fair is held here yearly on the feast of St. Peter ad Vincula, or Lammas-day, being August I, for toys and pedlary.

 

The MANORS of Fairfield, Apledore, Bilsington, and Court at Wick, extend over this parish, subordinate to which is THE MANOR OF BROOKLAND, which has long since lost even the reputation of having been a manor. It was in early times the patrimony of the family of Passele, or Pashley, as they were afterwards called, whose seat was at Evegate, in Smeeth, (fn. 1) of whom Edward de Passeley is the first that is discovered in public records to have been possessed of this manor, and this appears by the inquisition taken after his death, anno 19 Edward II. Soon after which it was alienated to Reginald de Cobham, a younger branch of the Cobhams, of Cobham, whose descendants were seated at Sterborough castle, in Surry, whence they were called Cobhams, of Sterborough, and they had afterwards summons to parliament among the barons of this realm. At length Sir Thomas Cobham died possessed of it in the 11th year of king Edward IV. leaving an only daughter and sole heir, who carried it in marriage to Sir Edward Borough, of Gainsborough, in Lincolnshire, whose son and heir Thomas was summoned to parliament as lord Burgh, or as it is usually pronounced, Borough, anno 21 king Henry VIII. and left a son and heir Thomas, lord Burgh, whose lands were disgavelled by the act anno 31 Henry VIII. His son William, lord Burgh, about the 12th year of queen Elizabeth's reign, passed it away to Eversfield, of Suffex, from whom it was alienated soon afterwards to Godfrey, of Lid, at which time this estate seems to have lost its name of having been a manor. He, before the end of that reign, sold it to Wood, by whom it was again alienated in the beginning of king James I.'s reign to Mr. John Fagge, of Rye, whose descendant John Fagge, esq. of Wiston, in Suffex, was created a baronet in 1660. He had a numerous issue, of which only three sons and two daughters survived. Of the former, Sir Robert, the eldest, was his successor in title; Charles was ancestor of the present baronet, the Rev. Sir John Fagge, of Chartham; and the third son Thomas Fagge, esq. succeeded by his father's will to this estate at Brookland. His son John Meres Fagge, esq. of Glynely, in Sussex, left surviving an only daughter Elizabeth, who on his death in 1769, entitled her husband Sir John Peachy, bart-of West Dean, in Sussex, to the possession of it. He died s. p. and she surviving him, again became entitled to it in her own right, and is at this time the present owner of it.

 

There are noparochial charities.

 

BROOKLAND is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the diocese of Canterbury, and deanry of Limne.

 

The church, which is dedicated to St. Augustine, is a very large handsome building, consisting of three isles and three chancels. The steeple stands on the north side, and at some small distance from it, in which are five bells. The church is kept exceedingly neat and clean. It is cieled throughout, and handsomely pewed. In the high chancel there is a confessionary, and a nich for holy water within the altar-rails. There are several memorials in it, but none of any account worth mentioning. At the west end is a gallery, lately erected at the charge of the parish. The font is very curious, made of cast lead, having on it two ranges of emblematical figures, twenty in each range. The steeple is framed of remarkable large timber. It is built entirely of wood, of an octagon form, perpendicular about five feet from the bottom, and from thence leffening to a spire at top, in which it has three different copartments or stories, the two uppermost larger at the bottom, and projecting over those underneath them. Although there are but five bells in it, yet it has frames for several more. The whole is much out of the perpendicular leaning towards the church. In the church-yard are several tombs and gravestones for the Reads.

 

The church of Brookland was part of the antient possessions of the monastery of St. Augustine, to which it was appropriated by pope Clement V. at the request of Ralph Bourne, the abbot of it, in king Edward II.'s reign, but the abbot declined putting the bull for this purpose in force, till a more favourable opportunity. At length John, abbot of St. Augustine, in 1347, obtained another bull from pope Clement VI for the appropriation of it, and having three years afterwards obtained the king's licence for this purpose, (fn. 2) the same was confirmed by archbishop Islip in 1359, who next year endowed the vicarage of this church by his decree, by which he assigned, with the consent of the abbot and convent, and of the vicar, of the rents and profits of the church, to John de Hoghton, priest, then admitted perpetual vicar to the vicarage of it, and canonically instituted, and to his successors in future in it, a fit portion from which they might be fitly maintained and support the undermentioned burthens. In the first place he decreed and ordained, that the religious should build on the soil of the endowment of the church, at their own costs and expences, a competent mansion, with a sufficient close and garden, for the vicar and his successors, free from all rent and secular service, to be repaired and maintained from that time by the vicar for the time being; who on the presentation of the religious to be admitted and instituted by him or his successors, into the vicarage, should likewise have the great tithes of the lands lying on the other side of le Re, towards Dover, viz. beyond the bridge called Brynsete, and towards the parish churches of Brynsete, Snaves, and Ivercherche, belonging to the church of Brokelande, and likewise the tithes arising from the sheaves of gardens or orchards dug with the foot, and also all oblations made in the church or parish, and all tithes of hay, calves, chicken, lambs, pigs, geese, hens, eggs, ducks, pidgeons, bees, honey, wax, swans, wool, milkmeats, pasture, flax, hemp, garden-herbs, apples, vetches, merchandizes, fishings, fowlings, and all manner of small tithes arising from all things whatsoever. And he taxed and estimated the said portion at the annual value of eight marcs sterling, at which sum he decreed the vicar ought to contribute in future, to the payment of the tenth and all other impositions happening, of whatsoever sort. Not intending that the vicar of this church should be entitled to, or take of the issues and rents of it, any thing further than is expressed before, but that he should undergo the burthen of officiating in the same, either by himself or some other sit priest, in divine offices, and in the finding of lights in the chancel, and of bread and wine for the celebration of masses, the washing of vestments, and the reparation of the books of the church, and should nevertheless pay the procuration due to the archbishop, on his visitation. But the rest of the burthens incumbent on the church, and no ways here expressed, should belong to the abbot and convent, &c. (fn. 3) After this, the church and advowson of the vicarage of Brookland remained part of the possessions of the above monastery till the final dissolution of it, anno 30 Henry VIII. when it was, with all its revenues, surrendered into the king's hands, where this rectory and advowson staid but a short time, for the king, by his dotation charter, settled them on his newerected dean and chapter of Canterbury, part of whose possessions they continue at this time.

 

On the abolition of deans and chapters, after the death of king Charles I. this parsonage was surveyed in 1650, when it appeared that it consisted of a close of land of one acre, on which stood the parsonage barne, and other outhouses, with the tithe of corn and other profits belonging to it, estimated coibs annis at twenty four pounds, all which were by indenture, in 1635, demised for twenty-one years, at the yearly rent of eight pounds, but were worth, over and above the said rent, sixteen pounds per annum, and that the lessee was to repair the premises, and the chancel of the parish church.

 

In 1384 this church or rectory appropriate was valued at 13l. 6s. 8d. but anno 31 Henry VIII. it was demised to ferme at only 8l. 3s. 4d. It is now demised on a beneficial lease by the dean and chapter, at the yearly rent of eight pounds to Mrs. Woodman, the present lessee of it. The vicarage of this church is valued in the king's books at 17l. 12s. 8½d. and the yearly tenths at 1l. 15s. 3¼d. In 1587 it was valued at sixty pounds, communicants one hundred and sixtysix, and in 1640 the same, and it is now of about the same value.

 

There is a modus of one shilling per acre on all the grass-lands in this parish. The vicar is entitled to all the small tithes, subject to this modus, throughout the parish, and to the tithes of corn of those lands, being one hundred and twenty-four acres, which lie in detached pieces beyond Brenset bridge, in Romney Marsh, as mentioned before, in the endowment of this vicarage.

 

www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=63502

 

A long low church with the most famous spire in Kent. This three-stage 'candle-snuffer' erection which stand son the ground instead of on a tower is the result of several enlargements of a thirteenth-century bell cage and its subsequent weatherproofing with cedar shingles. It contains a peal of six bells, the oldest of which is mid-fifteenth century in date. The spire is surmounted by a winged dragon weathervane, dating from 1797. The monster has a prominent forked tongue. The reason for the bells being hung in a cage rather than a tower is shown inside the church where the pillars of the nave have sunk into the soft ground and splayed out to north and south. The tie-beams of the roof came away from the walls and have had to be lengthened by the addition of new timber supports. The outstanding Norman font in cast lead has been fully described in Part 1. To the south of the church is a headstone incorporating the only 'Harmer Plaque' in Kent - a terracotta panel made in East Sussex where they are a common feature.

 

www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Brookland

Hiker rests on top of Cerro Quinini after a difficult climb

Difficult to imagine an Arriva bus here today! This Merc was new to Transcity of Sidcup. April 2000.

Difficult city to shoot even though the subject matter exists. Took me nearly two days to find some interesting angles that capture how unique the scene is in El Paso. Hardly a good capture of how this border town is no joke the frontline of our relationship with Mexico.

 

After exploring the region for a couple of days I can only hope the next 4 years only mean good things. Hope hope hope.

The canopied tomb of Lady Joyce Beachamp (d.1473) in the south aisle and the most beautiful monument in the church. The sculptures in the niches above the effigy recess have sadly been beheaded by an iconoclast but can still be recognised as Gabriel & Mary, the Trinity and St John the Baptist. The deceased (whose effigy is a little difficult to see) was originally Lady Joyce Cokesey, sister of Sir Hugh Cokesey whose tomb stands in the chancel.

 

St Mary's is the parish church of the town of Kidderminster and a grand affair it is too, still mostly an early 16th century building of impressive proportions, its extraordinary length in particular. The tower is a major landmark on the northern edge of the town centre, though sadly the construction of the modern ring-road effectively cuts the church off completely from the rest of the town and it can only be reached via a rather uninviting subway beneath the dual-carriageway, thus it doesn't get the footfall it deserves.

 

The church is usually approached from the south and it is this aspect that makes the biggest impression, most noticeably for its handsome south-west tower and the richly glazed clerestories of the nave (which appears to be composed more of glass than wall), all fine examples of the late medieval Perpendicular style. The length of the building is remarkable as beyond the nave is not only a decent sized chancel but a further chapel to the east as well (an early 16th century chantry chapel, formerly detached but now more integrated and in use as a parish room). There has however been much restoration owing to the fragility of the grey and red sandstones used in the construction, and thus much of the external stonework was renewed in the Victorian period (when the south chapel and vestries connecting to the chantry chapel were added). On the north side of the chancel is a handsome memorial chapel added in the early decades of the 20th century.

 

Entry is via the porch in the base of the tower at the south-west corner, where the visitor is greeted by a vast interior space whose lighting is somewhat subdued (especially the chancel). the nave is a classic example of the Perpendicular style and of considerable width, culminating above in the bright clerestories and a flat wooden ceiling. There is much of interest to discover here, particularly the monuments which date from the 15th-17th centuries and include several fine tombs, the earliest being a graceful canopied tomb to a noblewoman in the south aisle and a large brass on the north side. The chancel has three more large tombs with recumbent effiges to members of the Cokesey and Blount families, the latter being of post-Reformation date.

 

Every window of the church is filled with stained glass, mostly of the Victorian period but much of it rather good. The most handsome window is the early 20th century window by Powell's over the main entrance and there is more glass by the same studio in the nave aisles whilst the nave clerestorey has an attractive sequence of angels holding symbols of the Benedicite by Hardmans' installed at the very end of the 19th century. My first encounter with this church was in the late 1990s when working as part of the team that releaded the entire scheme of windows in the nave clerestorey, thus I got to know these angels very well. Sadly however the glass throughout this church suffers from a disfiguring layer of varnish or shellac (applied as 'blackout' at the beginning of World War II and a substance known as 'speltek' according to someone I spoke to at the church). This was smeared over most windows with a rag (the impressions of which were apparent when we worked on the clerestorey windows) and is not easily removed, but small areas where it has detached show how much brightness has been lost while the windows suffocate under this darkening layer. I hope some day the right solvent can be found to remove this stuff with minimal risk to the glass.

 

Kidderminster's grand parish church rewards a visit and deserves more visitors than it currently receives. It isn't always open but in recent years prior to the pandemic was generally open for a few hours on most days during the summer months (though best to check times before planning a trip). Don't be put off by the seemingly impenetrable barrier of the ringroad, St Mary's is worth seeking out and the nice people who steward their church would I'm sure like to be able to welcome more people to this fine building.

www.worcesteranddudleyhistoricchurches.org.uk/index.php?p...

Kilmadock Parish War Memorial, Doune

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NN 72491 01525

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Lettering very difficult to read, badly eroded and patches of moss(?)

There is another plaque at the side by the steps but missed it.

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TO THE GLORY OF

GOD

AND IN MEMORY OF

THE MEN OF THE

PARISH OF KILMADOCK

WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES

FOR KING AND COUNTRY

IN THE GREAT WAR

1914 - 1919

SEE YE TO IT THAT THESE

SHALL NOT HAVE DIED IN VAIN

---

Dundee Courier - Thursday 05 June 1919

Image © D.C.Thomson & Co. Ltd. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.

Doune's War Memorial is to be the statue of a Highland soldier erected in front of the Public Hall gifted to the burgh by Sir A. Kay Muir, Bart., Blair Drummond.

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Dundee Courier - Saturday 27 November 1920

Image © D.C.Thomson & Co. Ltd. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.

The Earl of Moray has signified his intention of subscribing £600 to the Doune War Memorial Fund.

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Dundee Courier - Monday 31 July 1922

Image © D.C.Thomson & Co. Ltd. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.

SECRET DOUNE WAR MEMORIAL UNVEILED Versailles Peacemakers Criticised General Sir lan Hamilton, D.5.0., unveiled Saturday the war memorial erected at Doune to the memory of the 63 men of the district who lost their lives in the war.

The memorial is obelisk in character, and its graceful proportions are enhanced by its effect against the wooded background. Its outlook is towards the village, and it is complementary to the new hall opened last week, both schemes having a similar origin and purpose.

A large concourse of people attended the ceremony, the Comrades of the Great War and the Territorials being under Captain Lindsay Pullar, and members of the Voluntary Aid Detachment under Miss Stanley Rogerson. The school children joined in the procession from the Moray Park, and were marshalled behind the memorial by the headmaster, Mr P. C. Merrie. Relatives of deceased were given a place of honour, and it was observed that some the women folk and children wore the medals and decorations of their loved ones.

On the broad base and steps of the monument were gathered the Provost and members of the Town Council and Parish Council, with their wives, and prominent people of the district, including:— Lady Muir, Deanston House; Sir A. Kay Muir, Bart, of Blair Druinmond; Mrs Harry Moncreiffe, London; Mrs M'Grigor, Beechwood, Stirling; Mr and Mrs Hogg, Row House; Mrs Bruce, Bridge of Teith Cottage: Mrs Stirling. Old Newton; Mrs G. S. Mackay, Mrs Stark Christie, Mrs Ash worth, Mrs Thomson, Miss Murray Menzies; Mr and Mrs John Stroyan and Miss Stroyan, Lanrick Castle; Miss Campbell Swinton, Glenardoch; Mrs Baillie Hamilton and party; Sir William and Lady Thomson, Dunblane; Rev. J. Chalmers Peat, Rev. James Scott, Rev. James Menzies, Rev. H. B. De Montmorency, Rev. Canon Docherty: Rev. Jas. Mitchell. Norrieston; and Mrs Scrimgeour; Mr D. Y. Cameron, Kippen, and Mrs Cameron; Mr Eric Bell. Stirling, architect of the memorial, and Mrs Bell; Dr and Mrs Burn Murdoch, Gartincaber; Mr F. L. Burder, East Deanston; ex-Provost Main, Doune; Mr Robert Thomson, Broich; Mr James Paterson, Burnbank; Mr John M'Ewen, Deanston: Mr Wm. M'Carroll, Deanston: Mr William Thomson, banker, Doune: Mr John Thomson, druggist; &c.

Burn Murdoch, who presided, called upon Sir Ian Hamilton, who is a son-in-law of .Lady Muir, to unveil the memorial.

.....

Some people say that we ought to remember our deed by building something useful, something that will be improvement to the place Other people are not satisfied unless they have some beautiful and artistic object to remind them of their lost ones. Deanston and Doune have done both, and I am very glad and very proud to have been here to-day. I have now the honour of unveiling this memorial.

As the Union Jack fell from the memorial the " Last Post " was sounded, and the pipers played lament. Rev. J. Chalmers Peat offered the dedicatory prayer. An opportunity was given at this stage to the relatives and others of placing wreaths and flowers on the memorial. It was an affecting scene, and the tributes were many and of great beauty. One which was given the place of honour was from the Doune, Deanston. and Kincardine Red Cross V.A.D. Detachment, and consisted of white everlastings on a base of laurels, with a large red cross of Flanders poppies in the centre. The Provost and Town Council, and the ex-service men, also sent wreaths, and one from Sir lan and Lady Hamilton had the following:—

"The saviours come not home to-night,

Themselves they could not save."

Roll of Honour:

S.W.O. Stuart Hay Murray, Pte. James Rorie. Major Lindsay Bruce Stark Christie. Pte. Matthew Connelly, Pte. James Dick, Charles Mills, Sergt. James Bell Jackson, Corpl. John Blacklock. Corpl. Peter Campbell, L.-Corpl. Patrick Fallon. L.-Corpl. Peter Innes. L.-CorpL Duncan M'Coll, L.-Corpl. John M'Gregor, L.-Corpl. George Reilly, Ptes. James Blacklock. William Boyd, Andrew Campbell, David Campbell. Alexander Dingwell, James Galbraith. John Graham, John Hislop, Robert Holmes. James George Marshall. James Marshall, Archibald Miller William Miller, John Moffat. Malcolm M'Donald, Daniel M'Naughton, Robert M'Naughton. David M'Vey, James Salmond, James Stewart, Sergt. Michael Manning, Ptes. William M'Leod, Robert Osborne, John Piggot, Lieut. William Maxwell Robertson, Corpl. Robt. Winter, Pte. John Dickie, Lieut. George Cochrane, Ptes. James Allan. Alexander Duncan, William Watt Shields. Captain Arthur Buchanan Baillie Hamilton, Ptes. Thomas Rorie,, Morten Winter, Robert Blennie, John Robertson, Corpl. John Mackay, Ptes. David Black, Alexander Cameron, Walter Martin. Donald M'Callum, L.-Corpl Stephen Hastie, Ptes. John Davie and Roderick M'Kenzie, Captain Colin Thomas Burn Murdoch, Ptes. John Paterson Cameron, William Dow Maclaren, and Charles Murray.

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Doune, Callander Road, War Memorial

War Memorial (Period Unassigned)

Site Name Doune, Callander Road, War Memorial

Classification War Memorial (Period Unassigned)

Canmore ID 339038

Site Number NN70SW 214

NGR NN 72481 01533

Datum OSGB36 - NGR

Permalink canmore.org.uk/site/339038

We're back at the Monaco Ballroom on Friday December 12th for the final show of 2008!! Make sure you make it to see how the year's feuds end at this season ending super show - GPW: "Christmas Crunch"

 

We promise we wont crunch your credit.... we'll only crunch your Christmas!!

 

GPW Heavyweight Title Match

Bubblegum © vs. Dirk Feelgood

 

Just a few months ago you'd be forgiven for taking a double take at this match. The friendship between the two former friends totally imploded with the desire to become Heavyweight champion. Refusing to accept the demise of his friendship with Dirk Feelgood, Bubblegum spent months in turmoil not wanting to retaliate to the cutting comments and brutal attacks levelled his way by former friend and champion Feelgood. As time went by however, Bubblegum eventually unloaded on Feelgood but this will be the first time the two have ever come face to face in a one on one match. And to make things just a little more interesting... it's for the GPW Heavyweight Title. Can the fairytale championship reign continue for Bubblegum, or can Dirk shatter his dreams and become the first ever 2 time Heavyweight Champ?

 

Tag Team Special, Skeletor vs. Stella

Lethal Dose vs. Voodoo & "Sober" Mike Holmes

 

Alan Alan Alan Tasker's henchmen, Lethal Dose march into battle against former stable member Mike Holmes and the man they hold responsible for Holmes' new found sobriety - Voodoo. Cyanide and Toxic hope to tempt Holmes back over to the stable that two months ago he turned his back on. They want to snap him out of the spell they accuse Voodoo of putting him under. However, Holmes seems very happy with his new outlook on life and he and Voodoo look to send Lethal Dose packing in this tag team special. Lethal Dose have warned they will not be coming to the ring alone though, with them along with their attorney and law - Alan Alan Alan Tasker will be a 12 pack of Stella. Hoping the case of beer will prove to be a bigger demon to Holmes than the tag team itself. To fend off the 12 pack, Holmes and Voodoo will have Vooodoo's trusty skull, Skeletor in their corner. An unpredictable tag team match. Can MIke Holmes stay sober? Will Voodoo's spells work? Or will Lethal Dose deliver a beating big enough to break Voodoo's spell?

 

GPW British Title Match

Jak Dominotrescu vs. "Super" Sam Bailey

 

After pinning the British Champion last month in a tag team match, WKD's "Super" Sam Bailey has earned himself a title shot at GPW: "Christmas Crunch". Bailey, already a former tag team champion looks to add to his growing reputation by capturing his first ever singles gold in GPW. While reigning champion, Romanian Jak Domitrescu along with his cohorts - The Eastern Bloc look to make life as difficult as possible for the energetic live wire. Domitrescu has held onto the title since April this year with help from his fellow countrymen, but are his days numbered as champ? He surely wont be alone in this title outing and will have the Eastern Bloc close by, but can "Super" Sam Bailey overcome the odds to win his first singles gold in GPW?

 

And, the main event for the evening is...

 

GPW Tag Team Title 2/3 Falls Match

MIl-Anfield Connection © vs. Young Offenders

 

The heat just got turned up in this feud. The re-united Young Offenders have the most established tag team in GPW - The Mil-Anfield Connection firmly in their sights and not to mention the tag team trophy. These two teams met in September this year where there was no clear winner decided after the match ended in a draw. There will be NO excuses this time to not find a winner. This, for the first time in our history will be a 2/3 Falls Match for the tag team titles. A winner HAS to be decided, but who will it be? A truley epic encounter is in our midst as Jiggy Walker & "The Model" Danny Hope try to cling onto the championship that has defined them as a team and "Dangerous" Damon Leigh & Joey Hayes, The Young Offenders chase the title that one of the most popular tag teams in Europe have never held. Can the re-united friends overcome the well established unit that is The Mil-Anfield Connection? Or can the well oiled duo of the Mil-Anfield do what they've been doing all year and win again?

 

GPW British Title No.1 Contenders Match

Harry Doogle vs. Juice vs. Dylan Roberts vs. Chris Echo

 

After an eye catchingly good year from rookie Dylan Roberts, he has been included in this battle to earn a shot at the British Title. With a burning desire to win and the fans firmly behind him, Roberts could well mark his arrival onto the main roster by becoming the No.1 Contender and going for gold here. However, his opponents wont give him an easy ride. In a wonderful CC-08 tournament, no one impressed more than WKD's Chris Echo. Echo reached the CC-08 finals with two broken wrists and proved he is ready to take a step up. His previous attempts for British gold have been thwarted by the foreign legion numbers of the Eastern Bloc, is he ready to prove again that he is worthy of being No.1 Contender and finally lift the British title? Juice, the current CC8 champion has been as impressive as ever in singles competition this year, but can he compete in this match with 3 others all vying to be No.1 Contender? Also replacing Jervis Cottonbelly due to injury is Harry Doogle as a last minute entry could one half of the next gen score the upset win? , but with so many possible outcomes who will leave with the plaudits and go on to challenge for the British Title next year?

 

Lumberjack Match

Si Valour vs. Heresy

 

A violent and personal feud that has lasted all year long finally comes to a head in what promises to be a violent Lumberjack Match. Ever since brutalising Valour and cutting off all his hair, Heresy has, in some form or other dodged the challenge of Valour. Heresy claimed not to have lost his bottle or be running scared of the 2007 Break Out Star, yet during their Bull Rope clash at GPW: "V" where the two were tied to one another, Heresy still managed to find a way of escaping and creating distance between him and Valour. This time, in a special Lumberjack Match, no matter where either man go - there will be no escape. All lumberjacks will be at the ready to ensure neither man can escape the others clutches and a clear winner, one way or the other will HAVE to be decided. There will be nowhere to run to and nowhere to hide, no matter where they look. Heresy has been one step ahead of Valour all year, is this where he runs out of excuses, or can the master manipulator manipulate another win?

  

The internet has made churchcrawling easier, and so some churches that prooved difficult to see inside can be contacted and visits arranged.

 

Over the years, several have taken a couple of years or more to see inside: Thannington, Hinxhill, Preston and Betteshanger just off the top of my head. But most difficult have been Barming.

 

We first visited here one Good Friday over a decade ago, one of several along the valley that were either closed or had services on. Since then I have been insde Mereworth and Waterningbury, but each time we went past Barming, it has been closed.

 

Then a few weeks ago, a friend posted pictures from inside, and told me he had arranged a visit from their website. I did the same, though one visit a few weeks back had to be postponed, a few weeks later I was back, hoping to meet a warden at ten.

 

It was at least a fine sunny and warm spring morning, perfect for snapping the churchyard and finding yet more details on the body of the church to record.

 

St Margaret sites halfway between the River Medway and the old high road out of Maidstone, and once might have been a separate village from Maidstone, but is now just a suburb of the town. The church sits down a dead end lane, and is really a wonderful location overlooking the valley to East Farleigh on the other bank.

 

The churchyard is filled with spring bulbs, and so in spring it is a riot of colour.

 

I saw the warden park her car, and walk towards me, so I get up from the bench near the porch to meet her, and than her warmly for opening up.

 

Unusually, I had read up on the church before my visit, and so was aware of the 14th century bench ends in the Chancel. They did not disappoint.

 

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An isolated church at the end of a lane above the River Medway. Norman origins are obvious - three windows in the east wall indicate the earliest work. The nave is also early and to this was added the fifteenth century tower with stair turret and needle-like spire. The north aisle was a nineteenth century addition and the chancel was restored by Sir Ninian Comper and represents some of his earliest work. Later generations have, unfortunately, undone much of his original design. The memorable feature of the church is the set of fourteenth century Rhenish carvings showing St Michael, Samson and Our Lord worked into bench ends in the chancel.

 

www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Barming

 

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BARMING.

CALLED in antient records, Bermelinge, lies the next parish to East Farleigh, on the opposite or northern side of the river Medway.

 

THE PARISH of East Barming lies on high ground, declining southward to the valley, through which the river Medway flows, being its southern boundary. It is situated opposite to East Farleigh, than which it has a far less rustic and more ornamented appearance. The soil like that is a fertile loam, slightly covering the quarry rock, from under which several small springs gush out, and run precipitately in trinkling rills into the Medway; it is enriched too with frequent hop and fruit plantations; the fields are in general larger, and surrounded with continued rows of lofty elms and large spreading oaks, which contribute greatly to the pleasantness of the place. The situation of it, as well as of the neighbouring parishes, from Maidstone as far as Mereworth, is exceedingly beautiful, the river Medway meandering its silver stream in the valley beneath, throughout the greatest part of the extent of them; the fertility of soil, the healthiness of air, the rich variety of prospect, adorned by a continued range of capital seats, with their parks and plantations, form altogether an assemblage of objects, in which nature and art appear to have lavished their choicest endeavours, to form a scene teeming with whatever can make it desirable both for pleasure and profit.

 

The high road from Maidstone to Tunbridge crosses the upper part of the parish of East Barming, over a beautiful, though small plain, called Barmingheath, part of which is in Maidstone parish, a little distance below which is a modern, and rather elegant seat, built by John Whitaker, gent. second son of Mr. Tho. Whitaker, of Trottesclive, since whose death it has come to his nephew, Thomas Whitaker, esq. of Watringbury; but Mr. William Rolfe resides in it. Farther on is the village of Barming, in which is a pleasant seat, called the Homestall, built about the year 1720, by Mr. James Allen, whose heirs are now entitled to the see simple of it; but by the foreclosure of a mortgage term, the possession of it became vested in Arthur Harris, esq. who kept his shrievalty here in 1746; his brother Thomas resided likewise here, and dying unmarried in 1769, gave this seat to Mrs. Mary Dorman for life; remainder to Mr. John Mumford, of Sutton-at-Hone, whom he made heir to the bulk of his fortune; she now possesses and resides in it. A small distance from hence is the seat of Hall-place; hence the ground rises to the coppice woods, part of which lie within this parish, and adjoin to a much larger tract northward. About a quarter of a mile on the other side of the road is the church, standing by itself among a grove of elms, the slight delicate white spire of which rising above the foilage of the grove, affords a pleasing prospect to the neighbouring country. From the above road the village extends southward down the declivity of the hill, almost to the river, over which there is a wooden bridge, built at the expence of the commissioners of the navigation. It is called St. Helen's bridge, from its contiguity to that manor, situated at a very small distance from it; about a mile from the village, close to the eastern boundary of the parish, adjoining to that of Maidstone, on the declivity of the hill, leading down to East Farleigh bridge, is the parsonage, lately almost rebuilt by the present rector, the Rev. Mark Noble, who resides in it, and by his judicious management and improvements has made this benefice, perhaps one of the most desirable in the diocese.

 

A few years ago several Roman urns, pieces of armour, and skeletons, were dug up within the bounds of this parish; the latter were no doubt belonging to those who fell in the skirmish between the Royalists and Oliverians at Farleigh bridge, in 1648; and the former serves to shew, that the Roman highway, a different one from the larger one of the Watling-street, and directing its course towards Oldborough, in Ightham, led near this place, of which more will be noticed hereafter.

 

THERE GROWS on Barming heath, the plant, Chamæmelum odoratissimum repens flore simplici, common camomile, in great plenty; and verbascum album vulgare five thapsus barbatus communis, great mul lein, or hightaper, more plentifully, and of a larger size than I have met with elsewhere.

 

THE MANOR of East Barming was given by king William the conqueror to Richard de Tonebrege, the eldest son of Gislebert earl of Brion, in Normandy, the son of Geffry, natural son of Richard, the first of that name, duke of Normandy, whence he bore the name of Richard Fitz Gilbert at his coming hither; (fn. 1) he was one of the principal persons who came into England with duke William, to whom he gave great assistance in that memorable battle, in which he obtained the crown of this realm. He had for that service, and in respect of his near alliance to him in blood, great advancements in honour, and large possessions both in Normandy and England, bestowed upon him; among the latter he possessed thirty-eight lordships in Surry, thirty-five in Essex, three in Cambridgeshire, three in Kent, one in Middlesex, one in Wiltshire, one in Devonshire, ninety-five in Suffolk, and thirteen burgages in Ipswich, of which Clare was one, besides others in other counties; accordingly, in the survey of Domesday, taken about the year 1080, being the 15th of the Conqueror's reign, this estate is thus entered under the title of, Terra Ricardi F. Gisleb'ti, the land of Richard, the son of Gislebert.

 

In Medestan hundred the same Richard (de Tonebrige) holds Bermelinge. Alret held it of king Edward (the Confessor) and then and now it was and is taxed at one suling. The arable land is four carucates. In demesne there are two carucates and five villeins, with eight borderers, having five carucates. There are thirteen servants, and one mill of five shillings, and four acres of meadow. Wood for the pannage of ten hogs. In the time of king Edward it was worth four pounds, and afterwards 100 shillings, now four pounds.

 

This Richard Fitz Gilbert, at the latter end of the Conqueror's reign, was usually called Rich. de Tonebrige, as well from his possessing that town and castle, as from his residence there; and his descendants took the name of Clare, from the like reason of their possessing that honour, and were afterwards earls of Clare, and of Gloucester and Hertford. Of this family, as chief lords of the fee, Barming was afterwards held in moieties by Fulk Peyforer and Roger de Kent, each of whom held their part of the honour of Clare.

 

In the reign of king Edward II. the heirs of Lora Peyforer and those of Roger de Kent, being Thomas de Barmeling and Wm. de Kent, held these moieties as above mentioned; and in the 20th year of the next reign of king Edward III. John Fitz Jacob, Thomas and John de Kent, held these moieties of this estate, in East Barmeling, of the earl of Gloucester.

 

THE FORMER OF THESE MOIETIES, held by the family of Peyforer, seems to have comprised the MANOR of EAST BARMING, and to have been given afterwards to the Benedictine nunnery of St. Helen's, in Bishopsgate street, London, whence it acquired the name of ST. HELEN'S, alias East Barming manor, by the former of which only it is now called; with the above priory this manor remained till its dissolution, in king Henry VIII.'s reign, when it was surrendered into the king's hands, who, in his 35th year, granted his manor, called St. Elen's, among other premises, to Richard Callohill, to hold in capite by knights service, who that year sold it to Gabriel Caldham, freemason, of London; and he next year sold it to Tho. Reve, (fn. 2) whose grandson of the same name, in the 4th year of queen Elizabeth, levied a fine of it, and then passed it away by sale to Mr. Stephen Pearse, who some years afterwards alienated it to Sir Robert Brett, on whose death, without surviving issue, in 1620, (fn. 3) this manor came by will to Robert Lynd, esq. who bore for his arms, Argent a cross ingrailed gules; and he sold it to Sir Oliver Boteler, of Teston, in whose descendants it continued down to Sir Philip Boteler, bart. who died in 1772, s. p. and by will gave one moiety of his estates to Mrs. Elizabeth Bouverie, of Chart Sutton; and the other moiety to Elizabeth viscountess dowager Folkestone, and Wm. Bouverie, earl of Radnor; and on a partition afterwards made between them, this manor was allotted to lady Folkestone, who died in 1782, on which it came to her only son, the Hon. Philip Bouverie, who has since taken the name of Pusey, and he is the present owner of it.

 

This manor extends its jurisdiction over the whole of this parish; the antient house of it, as well as the dove cote, stood nearly at the foot of the hill near St. Helen's bridge; both have been pulled down not many years since.

 

THE OTHER MOIETY of the estate of East Barming, held by John Fitz Jacob and John de Kent, seems to have passed afterwards into the family of Fremingham; for John, son of Sir Ralph de Fremingham, of Lose, died possessed of it about the 12th year of king Henry IV. and leaving no issue, he by his will gave it to certain feoffees, who, in compliance with it, next year assigned it to John Pimpe, and his heirs male, for the finding and maintaining of two chaplains, one in the monastery of Boxley, and the other in the church of East Farleigh, to celebrate for the souls of himself, his wife, and others their ancestors and relations therein mentioned. From the family of Pimpe this estate came, in king Henry VIII.'s reign, to Sir Henry Isley, who by the act of the 2d and 3d of king Edward VI. procured his lands in this county to be disgavelled.

 

Being concerned in the rebellion raised by Sir Tho. Wyatt, in the 1st year of queen Mary, he was attainted, and his lands were consiscated to the crown, whence this estate was granted that year to Sir John Baker, the queen's attorney general, to hold in capite by knights service; (fn. 4) in whose descendants it continued down to Sir John Baker, bart. of Sissinghurst, of whom it seems to have been purchased in the reign of king Charles II. by Golding, who died possessed of it in 1674, and was buried in this church, bearing for his arms, A cross voided, between four lions passant guardant. His son, Mr. Henry Golding, gent. about the year 1700, alienated this estate to Nicholas Amhurst, gent. of West Barming, who died possessed of it in 1715; and his grandson, John Amhurst, esq. is the present possessor of it.

 

HALL PLACE is a reputed manor in this parish, the antient mansion of which is situated at a small distance westward of the present seat, and is little more than an ordinary cottage, serving as a farm house to a small parcel of land. It formerly gave both residence and surname to a family, written in antient deeds, At-Hall, who before the end of the reign of king Edward III. had alienated their interest in the greatest part of it to one of the Colepepers, of Preston, in Aylesford, and the rest of it to Clive; and this part was by John Clive, about the 7th year of king Henry IV. likewise conveyed to Colepeper, who in the 10th year of that reign passed away the entire fee of it to Sampson Mascall, whose family was originally of Mascall's, in Brenchley, and in his descendants Hall-place continued till the latter end of queen Elizabeth's reign, when it was conveyed to Alchorne, whose ancestors were possessed of Alchorne in Rotherfield, in Sussex; in which name the fee of this estate remained at the time of king Charles II.'s restoration, but the use and profits of it were made over, for a long series of years, to Mr. Cook, of Stepney; and he, in 1656, alienated his interest in it to Mr. Rich. Webb, rector of this parish, who in 1667, gave it to his grandson, Richard Webb, gent. who, in 1726, conveyed it by sale to Mr. Peter Smart, who bore for his arms, Argent, a chevron between three pheons sable; about which time Christopher Smart, the poet, is said to have been born in this parish; at length, Mr. Peter Smart's widow, and their children, in 1746, passed away their interest in it to John Cale, esq. who resided here, and dying in 1777, was buried in this churchyard, having been a benefactor to the poor of this parish; and by his will he devised this, among the rest of his estates in this county, to the heirs of Tho. Prowse, esq. of Axbridge, in Somersetshire; in consequence of which his two daughters and coheirs became intitled to it; the youngest of whom married Sir John Mordaunt, bart. of Walton, in Warwickshire, and they became possessed of this estate in undivided moieties, and in 1781, joined in the sale of it to John Amhurst, esq. of Barnjet, the present owner of it.

 

CHARITIES.

THOMAS HARRIS, esq. of this parish, in 1769, gave by will, 5l. per annum for fifty years, 2s. of it to be given to the poor of this parish in bread, on each Sunday in the year, excepting Easter and Whitsunday.

 

JOHN CALE, esq. of this parish, in 1777, gave by will the sum of 200l. in East India annuities, the interest of it to be given to the poor yearly at Christmas, in linen and bread, vested in trustees, of the annual produce of 61.

 

THIS PARISH is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the diocese of Rochester and deanry of Malling.

 

The church, which is dedicated to St. Margaret, is a small building, consisting of one isle and a chancel, with an elegant spire steeple. The present rector, Mr. Noble, about twelve years ago, at his own expence, entirely repaired and ornamented the chancel; he gave likewise a new altar and pulpit cloth, and cushion; and the parishioners, followed his example, in the repair and ornamenting of the church itself; so that from being one of the most neglected, it is become equal to most of the neighbouring churches in those respects.

 

Walter, bishop of Rochester, in the reign of king Stephen, confirmed to the prior and canon of Ledes the patronage of the church of Barmyng, as it was granted to them by the lords of the soil, and confirmed to them by their charters.

 

Gilbert, bishop of Rochester, in the reign of king Henry II. granted to the prior and canons two shillings, to be received by them yearly, as a pension from this church, saving the episcopal right of the bishop of Rochester, &c. (fn. 5) The patronage of the church of Barming, together with this pension, remained part of the possessions of the above mentioned priory till the dissolution of it in the reign of king Henry VIII. when it came into the king's hands. Since which, the patronage of this rectory has continued vested in the crown, but the above mentioned yearly pension of two shillings was, by the king's dotation charter, in his 33d year, settled on his new erected dean and chapter of Rochester, who are now intitled to it.

 

¶In the 15th year of king Edward I. the church of Barmelyng was valued at twelve marcs. It is valued in the king's books at 12l. 7s. 1d. and the yearly tenths at 1l. 5s. 8½d.z The glebe land belonging to this rectory contains eighty-three acres.

 

www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-kent/vol4/pp383-392

It’s been very difficult taking photos recently because Millie doesn’t like it when I put the camera in front of my face, it’s also impossible taking photos while I walk her because she is constantly pulling, I’m training her and have to concentrate 100%. This dog has issues but I’m getting there, after 6 weeks she is relatively calm when cars pass us, she will return (eventually) when I take her lead off and let her run around the park that is when there are no other dogs around to distract her, and walking along the road she doesn’t try to jump up at passing strangers, providing there’s a car in the distance to distract her.

 

I sneaked these while she concentrated on having fun in the snow.

 

Mingle Media TV and Red Carpet Report host, Lee Allport, were invited to cover the television movie premiere of "Sofia The First: Once Upon a Princess" and the launch of the Sofia The First illustrated storybook on the lavender carpet at Walt Disney Studios Main Theatre.

 

Disney introduces a little girl princess named Sofia who (voiced by Ariel Winter) is an average girl whose life suddenly transforms when her mother, Queen Miranda (voiced by Sara Ramirez), marries the king and she becomes a princess. Sofia soon discovers that looking like a princess isn't all that difficult, but displaying honesty, loyalty, courage, independence, compassion and grace is what makes one truly royal. Helping Sofia in her journey are the three headmistresses of Royal Prep Academy - Fauna, Flora and Merryweather (the beloved fairies seen in Disney's classic "Sleeping Beauty") and royal steward, Baileywick (voiced by Tim Gunn), as well as a group of cute woodland creatures led by wise-talking rabbit, Clover (voiced by Wayne Brady). The enchanting animated Disney Junior television movie for the whole family will air November 18 on Disney Channel and November 22 on Disney Junior.

 

About the Disney Channel

Disney Channel is a 24-hour kid-driven, family inclusive television network that taps into the world of kids and families through original series and movies. Currently available on basic cable in over 99 million U.S. homes and to millions of other viewers on Disney Channels around the world, Disney Channel is part of the Disney/ABC Television Group. www.disneychannel.com.

 

Be sure to visit our Red Carpet Report site for all the details on who won this year including photos and interviews here at www.redcarpetreporttv.com.

 

For more of Mingle Media TV’s Red Carpet Report coverage please visit our website and follow us on Twitter and Facebook here:

 

www.minglemediatv.com

www.redcarpetreporttv.com

www.facebook.com/minglemediatvnetwork

www.facebook.com/RedCarpetReportTV

www.youtube.com/MingleMediaTVNetwork

www.flickr.com/MingleMediaTVNetwork

www.twitter.com/minglemediatv

 

Follow Lee at www.twitter.com/TheExactLee or at her blog www.mysentimentexactlee.com or www.entertainmentexactlee.com

 

Difficult to choose

I heard this Downy Woodpecker on my walk and it didn't take me long to locate her either ;) Knock knock knock ;) The only difficult thing is trying to get a clear shot of this busy bird NOT moving lol One of these days I'll get one of one flying off ;)

 

"Of the 198 species of woodpeckers worldwide, 13 are found in Canada. The smallest and perhaps most familiar species in Canada is the Downy Woodpecker Picoides pubescens. It is also the most common woodpecker in eastern North America."

 

"This woodpecker is black and white with a broad white stripe down the back from the shoulders to the rump. Its wings are checkered in a black and white pattern that shows through on the wings’ undersides, and the breast and flanks are white. The crown of the head is black; the cheeks and neck are adorned with black and white lines. Male and female Downy Woodpeckers are about the same size, weighing from 21 to 28 g. The male has a small scarlet patch, like a red pompom, at the back of the crown."

 

"The Downy Woodpecker’s predators include the American Kestrel, the Sharp-shinned Hawk, and the Cooper’s Hawk. All of these birds can capture Downys while the woodpeckers are flying. The woodpecker’s first response to danger is to use a tree trunk or branch as a shield. Many a Downy Woodpecker has saved itself from the grasping talons of a hawk by dodging swiftly sideways behind the trunk of a tree."

 

Have a great weekend everyone!

It is difficult to fit 750,000 geese into a single frame!

 

These migratory birds began arriving at Tewaukon National Wildlife Refuge (SE North Dakota) on Thursday March 10th 2016 and their numbers gradually built to a high of over 750,000 at their peak. The flock consisted primarily of snow geese, with some blue geese sprinkled throughout. The birds stayed on Lake Tewaukon for several days, enjoying the only open water in the area.

 

Hundreds of people flocked (pun intended) to the refuge to witness this spectacular wildlife show! The sound of that many geese is deafening and it is impossible to imagine unless you’ve experienced it first-hand. Anglers standing side-by-side on the shore told our refuge staff that when the geese would take off or land in large numbers it was impossible to hear each other speak.

 

This year’s count is the second highest number of snow geese ever recorded on Tewaukon National Wildlife Refuge. The highest count occurred in the spring of 1992 when once again Lake Tewaukon was the only open water around and over 750,000 snow geese piled in to the open water.

 

Of course, all good things must come to an end. These birds are only visitors who briefly grace us with their presence in the spring when they make their way to their Arctic breeding grounds. We will anxiously await their return in the fall as they head back down south to their wintering grounds.

 

Photo Credit: Keith Frankki / USFWS

Thanks to the Nailbourne project, I now understand how the communities and landscape fots in along its length, though that a bubbling noisy stream can just vanish then appear miles away is very difficult to get your head round. The Nailbourne only fully flows in very wet years, but when it does, the beds that are dry now can be several feet deep.

 

But downstream of Littlebourne, where the Nailbourne becomes the Little Stour, it is wider, about six feet wide, clogged with reeds and weeds, but also was used to power to large mills. They both stand, one between Littlebourne and Wickhambreaux, and the other in Wickhambreaux itself, though is now just a house But is a large white clapboard building, with a large wheel.

 

These days, the village looks very prosperous, all grand houses or cottage conversions.

 

From here, the Little Stour makes its way over the marshes which centuries ago was the Wantsum Channel, so Wickhambreaux was almost a seaside town.

 

Od that the only features I remembered from my previous visits was the avenue of pollarded trees and the blue ceiling of the roof. Missed was the glorious glass, especially the fine east window, very art deco.

 

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The interior of this very pretty church is dominated by nineteenth-century work. The whole of the chancel and baptistry is lined with dark brown encaustic tiles, hiding a straightforward fourteenth-century church. The east window is an early example of American Art Nouveau in England, and dominates the entire building. It was designed by Baron Arild Rosenkrantz in 1896. Above the window are stencilled paintings of angels ascending, which can also be seen in the nave, whilst the roof there has a charming star-spangled sky. At the south-west corner is a vestry - screened off by an eighteenth-century screen which may have formed part of the refitting of the chancel paid for by Mary Young. Her monument in the chancel records that 'infirm from her youth she protracted life to the 68th year of her age'. She left £100 for wainscotting and ornamenting the chancel. The interior viewed from the east gives an unusual appearance as the aisles flank the tower (see also Sandhurst).

 

www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Wickhambreaux

 

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WICKHAM BREAUS

LIES adjoining to Littleborne north-eastward, being usally called Wickham Brook. It is likewise called Wickham by Wingham, to distinguish it from the two other parishes of the same name in this county. In Domesday it is written Wicheham, a name derived from its situation near the banks of the river, which runs close to it. There is only one borough in it, viz. the borough of Wickham, which comprehends the whole parish.

 

Wickham is a low, flat, and unpleasant situation, and lying so near the marshes cannot but be unhealthy, the land throughout it is in general good and sertile, especially near the village, where the fields are very large and level ground. The village, in number about twenty houses, stands at the south-east boundary of the parish, built round a green, over which the road leads to Ickham, having the church and court-lodge on one side, and the parsonage, a handsome brick house, on the other. At the further end of the green, the Lesser Stour crosses the road, and turns a corn-mill belonging to the manor, beyond it is only one house, called the Stone-house, being built of squared stones and slints in chequers, and by the arched windows and door-ways seems of some antiquity. The parish stretches a good distance northward, as far as Groveferry, the house of which is within it, and the greater Stour river, over a level of about 500 acres of marsh land, which extend from the river into a sinus, with a ridge of upland on each side, to within a quarter of a mile of the village. North eastward from which is the Saperton, formerly the property of the Beakes's, who resided here as early as king Henry the VIIIth.'s reign; it was sold by them to the Furneses, whence it came by marriage, with Copthall, in this parish, to the St. John's, viscounts Bolingbroke, who have lately sold it, but one of the family of Beake, many of whom lie buried in this church, now occupies it. A little beyond this is Newnham, once accounted a manor, formerly belonging to the Ropers, lords Teynham, afterwards to the Bartholomews, then to Joseph Brooke, esq. of Rochester, and now to his devisee the Rev. John Kenward Shaw Brooke, of Town-Malling.—Hence among the marshes is the hamlet of Grove, through which the road leads across them to the right over the lesser Stour, to Wingham, Ash, and the eastern parts of Kent, and to the left by Grove-ferry over the Greater Stour, to the northern part of the country and the Isle of Thanet. There is no other wood in the parish excepting Trendley park. There is no fair.

 

At the time of taking the survey of Domesday, in the year 1080, this place was part of those possessions with which that king had enriched his half-brother Odo, the great bishop of Baieux. Accordingly it is thus entered in that record, under the general title of his lands:

 

In Donamesford hundred, the bishop himself holds in demesne Wicheham. It was taxed at four sulings. The arable land is eleven carucates. In demesne there are two carucates, and thirty-six villeins, with thirty-two cottagers having nine carucates. There is a church, and one priest who gives forty shillings per annum. There is one park, and two mills of fifty shillings, and two saltpits of thirtytwo pence, and three fisheries of four shillings, and thirtytwo acres of meadow. Pasture for three hundred sheep and for thirty-one beasts. Wood for the pannage of eighty bogs. In the time of king Edward the Confessor it was worth twenty-five pounds, when he received it twenty pounds, now thirty pounds. There belong to this manor in Canterbury three plats of land paying six shillings and eight pence. Alured Biga held it of king Edward. Moreover there belongs to this manor half a suling of free land, which Sired held of Alured Biga, and Goisfrid, son of Badland, now holds it of the bishop of Baieux, and it is and was worth separately sixty shillings.

 

Four years afterwards the bishop was disgraced, and all his possessions were consiscated to the crown, of which this manor appears afterwards to have been held by the Cliffords. Walter, son of Walter de Clifford, possessed it in the reign of king John, and with Agnes de Cundy, his wife, was a good benefactor to St. Augustine's abbey, and that of St. Radigund. (fn. 1) By the marriage of Margaret, daughter and heir of Walter Clifford, with John de Brewse, it passed into that name, and William de Brewse, or de Braiosa, as they were written in Latin, was possessed of it in the 42d year of king Henry III. His descendant William de Brewse, lord of the honour of Brembre, in Sussex, and of Gower, in Wales, as he stiled himself, whose ancestor came into England with the Conqueror, who gave him the castle of Brember, and whose descendant afterwards, by the marriage with Bertha, daughter and one of the coheirs of Milo, earl of Hereford, became possessed of the castles of Brecknock and Gower likewife, and bore for his arms, Azure, a lion rampant, between twelve cross-croslets, or; though I find by the pedigrees of this family, that his ancestors bore Azure, three bars vaire, argent, and gules. He was several times summoned to parliament in king Edward I.'s reign, as was his son of the same name, both in that and Edward II.'s reign, and died possessed of this manor in the 19th year of the latter. Very soon after which it appears, with the church appendant to it, to have come into the possession of Edmund of Woodstock, earl of Kent, half brother to king Edward II. (fn. 2) After which it descended to his brother John Plantagenet, likewife earl of Kent, it being then held of the king in sergeantry. He died anno 26 Edward III. upon which Joane his sister, commonly called the Fair Maid of Kent, wife of Sir Thomas Holand, became his heir, who in her right not only possessed this manor, but became earl of Kent likewise. She afterwards married Edward the black prince, and died in the 9th year of king Richard II. being succeeded in this manor then held in capite, by Thomas Holand, earl of Kent, her son by her first husband, whose two sons, Thomas and Edward, both earls of Kent, and the former created Duke of Surry, in turn succeeded to it, and the latter dying anno 9 Henry IV. his five sisters became his coheirs, and on a partition made between them, Edmund, earl of March, son of Eleanor, late countess of March, the eldest of them became entitled to this manor in his mother's right, being the last earl of March of this family, for he died s. p. in the 3d year of king Henry VI. being then possessed of it. The year after which, Joane, wife of Sir John Gray, appears by the escheat rolls to have been entitled to it; not long after which it became the property of the family of Tibetot, or Tiptoft, as they were usually called, in whom it continued down to John Tiptost, earl of Worcester, who was attainted and beheaded in 1471, anno 10 Edward IV. king Henry being then restored to the crown. He lest an infant son Edward, who, though he was afterwards restored in blood by king Edward IV. yet I do not find that he was ever reinstated in the possession of this manor, which remained in the crown till the reign of king Henry VIII. who granted it, with the advowson of the church, to Sir Matthew Browne, of Beechworth-castle, who in the 22d year of it, passed it away to Lucy, widow of his uncle Sir Anthony Browne, standard-bearer of England, whose grandson Anthony was, anno I and 2 of Philip and Mary, created viscount Montague, and died possessed of this manor anno 34 Elizabeth, and by his will devised it to his eldest son by his second wife, Sir George Browne, who was of Wickham Breaus, and his grandson Sir George Browne, K. B. leaving two daughters his coheirs, Winifrid, married to Basil Brooks, esq. of Salop, and Eleanor, to Henry Farmer, esq. of Oxfordshire, they joined in the sale of it, at the latter end of Charles II.'s reign, to Sir H. Palmer, bart. of Wingham, who died possessed of it in 1706, s. p. and by his will devised it to his nephew Sir Thomas Palmer, bart. who died in 1723, and by his will gave it to his natural son Herbert Palmer, esq. who married Bethia, one of the daughters of Sir Thomas D'Aeth, bart. of Knowlton, who died in 1760, s. p., having devised this manor, with the advowson of the church appendant, to his widow. She afterwards married John Cosnan, esq. who in her right became possessed of it, and died in 1778, s. p. leaving her furviving, upon which she again became entitled to the possession of it, and continued owner of it till her death in 1797, on which it came to her nephew Sir Narborough D'Aeth, bart. of Knowlton, the present owner of it. A court leet and court baron is held for this manor.

 

Trendley park, now accounted a manor of itself, is situated at the north-west boundary of this parish, being entirely separated from the rest of it by that of Littleborne intervening. It was part of the possessions of Odo, bishop of Baieux, and is noticed in the survey of Domesday, in the description of the manor of Wickham above recited, in which it is mentioned as being then a park; and it should seem that at least part of it was then accounted as appurtenant to that manor; though in the description of the manor of Littleborne, in the same survey, which then belonged to the abbey of St. Augustine, it appears that the bishop had lands belonging to that manor too lying within his park here. Of this manor the bishop of Baieux has in his park as much land as is worth sixty shillings, says the record. In part of the recompence for which, the bishop seems to have given the abbot the manor of Garwinton, in Littleborne, and other land within the manor of Leeds, as may be seen by the entries of both these manors in the same record. Soon after which there was another exchange of land made between the bishop and archbishop Lanfranc, for some which lay within his park of Wikeham. What is remarkable in this instrument is, that it is given in two languages, in Saxon and Latin, but neither is a translation of the other, for both are originals, as was a frequent custom of that time. Appendant to it is the bishop's seal in wax, representing him on one side on horseback, with his sword and spurs, as an earl, and on the other habited as a bishop, with his pastoral staff; being perhaps the only seal of Odo at this time extant. (fn. 3) By all which it appears, that this park is much more antient than that of Woodstock, which has been accounted the first inclosed park in England. How long it continued an inclosed park, I have no where found; but in the beginning of king Henry VI.'s reign it was not so, as appears by the escheat-rolls of the 3d year of it, after the death of Edmund, earl of March, at which time there were two hundred acres of wood in it. He was lord of the manor of Wickham, and Trendley park was chiefly at that time certainly appurtenant to it, and continued so whilst in the possession of the same owners, which it did most probably till the attainder of John Tiptost, earl of Worcester, in the 10th year of king Edward IV. when they both came into the hands of the crown, and though king Henry VIII. afterwards granted the manor of Wickham to Sir Matthew Browne, yet I do not find that Trendley park was granted with it. From which time it has had separate owners. For some time it has been the property of the family of Denne, who continue at this time the owners of it. It lies in an unpleasant, lonely part of the parish, facing Westbere, and consists of three hundred acres of woodland, and a house called the Park-house. There is a high road through the middle of it from Stodmarsh to Canterbury market, which in king Edward II.'s reign, was attempted to be shut up, but the sheriff, with the posse comitatus, was ordered to open it again, as being an antient and allowed high road.

 

Charities.

Andrew Holness, of Seton, in Ickham, by will in 1554, gave to the poor 2s. in money and bread, to be distributed yearly; the churchwardens to take so much yearly out of his lands in Ickham and Wickham, except his house and garden at Seton, in case his executors did not give the same yearly.

 

Henry Sloyden, of Wickham Breaus, by will in 1568, gave for the use of the poor and Littleborne, in equal portions, a piece of land containing six acres and a half in the latter parish, called Church-close, which is distributed twice a year by the respective minister and churchwardens, and is of the annual produce of 4l.

 

John Smith, rector of this parish, by deed in 1656, gave a school-room, and a house and garden for a schoolmaster, in this parish, for teaching the children of it. The master to be chosen from one of his relations in preference, if any such could be found, is vested in the rector and churchwardens of this parish.

 

Sir Henry Palmer, of Bekesborne, by his will in 1611, gave the sum of 10s. to each of the several parishes of Wickham, Stodmarsh, Littleborne, and five others therein mentioned, to be paid into the hands of the minister and churchwardens yearly, out of his manor and lands of Well-court, at Michaelmas, towards the relief of the poor of each of them.

 

Thomas Belke, D. D. rector of this parish, by will in 1712, gave 501. for the putting out of five poor children of this parish apprentices.

 

There are about thirty poor constantly relieved, and casually seventy.

 

This parish is within the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the diocese of Canterbury, and deanry of Bridge.

 

¶The church, which is dedicated to St. Andrew, consists of three isles and one chancel, having at the west end a square tower, in which hang six bells. The church is not large, but is handsome and neat. In the middle isle are several memorials for the Beakes, of Saperton. In the south isle for the Larkins, who lived at Grove, in this parish. In the east window are remains of good painted glass, viz. the arms of Edward the black price and of Mortimer, quartered with Burgh, and a representation of Herod's daughter beheading John the Baptist. In the chancel, on the pavement, is the figure of a priest in brass, and inscription, for Henry Welde, rector, obt. 1420. A gravestone, and monument for Alexander Young, B D. rector of this parish, who rebuilt this parsonage-house, and repaired that of Eastchurch, of which he was vicar likewife, at the expence of 2000l. obt. March 21, 1755. A memorial for John Smith, rector, obt. Oct. 28, 1658. In the church-yard are many headstones, and a tombstone for the family of Beake. In the windows of this church there were formerly many different shields of arms, long since demolished.

 

This church was always an appendage to the manor, and continues so at this time, Sir Narborough D' Aeth, bart. owner of the manor of Wickham, being the present patron of it.

 

There was antiently both a rectory and vicarage in this church, which continued till the year 1322, when on a vacancy of the latter, Richard de Newcastle, the rector, petitioned archbishop Walter Reynolds, that they might be consolidated, which was granted, and they have continued in that state to the present time. (fn. 4)

 

This rectory is valued in the king's books at 29l. 12s. 6d. and the yearly tenths at 2l. 19s. 3d. In 1588 it was valued at 250l. communicants one hundred and sixty-three. In 1640 the same. There are eighteen acres of glebe-land.

 

The marsh-lands in this parish, within Wickham and Preston valleys, pay a modus of two-pence an acre, and those within Newnham 1½d. only, in lieu of all tithes.

 

www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-kent/vol9/pp158-166

Forget your limits, everything is possible.

The difficult thing about aging is when we “see” what other people refuse to “see”. It doesn’t matter whether, it’s 2 US Presidential Candidates or a dear friend who @ 71 years-of-age has passed-his-Prime, and too proud an too economically challenged to Close-His-Shop. My friend’s age + his age-related-deficits, have caused him to be a danger to himself around metalworking tools. It’s very troubling to observe this & be unable to help him, help himself.

Louis Armstrong was one of the most famous and influential jazz musicians in history and a major African-American icon. He was known for his innovative trumpet and cornet playing, and his thick gravelly voice.

 

Born in a rough neighborhood near the infamous Storyville Red Light District, Louis Armstrong had a difficult childhood. Seen as a juvenile delinquent, Armstrong was frequently sent to the New Orleans Home for Colored Waifs, most notably after firing a blank pistol in the air during a New Years celebration. However there he met Prof Peter Davis, who taught him to play the cornet and instilled discipline and training. Armstrong quickly became the band leader of the home, and by 1915 he was playing on the city streets. Louis Armstrong soon came to the attention of Black Benny, Bunk Johnson, Buddy Petit, Kid Ory, and his idol, Joe "King" Oliver, who took him under his wing. When Oliver resigned from his band to return north in 1919, Armstrong replaced his position in Kid Ory's band.

 

Playing in brass bands and riverboats, Armstong became known for his unique trumpet solos. Traveling to Chicago in 1922, he joined his old mentor and became well known throughout the jazz community. However Armstrong's wife, his pianist and a songwriter in her own right, Lil Hardin Armstrong, felt that he was being wasted in the shadow of Joe Oliver. She quickly began improving his performance image and persuaded him to learn Classical music at church, and finally to leave his old mentor and join up with the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra in New York City, the top African-American band of the time. Armstrong quickly impressed the city, to the extent that Duke Ellington's orchestra would go to catch Armstrong's performances. Armstrong returned to Chicago in triumph in 1925 (billed as the "the World's Greatest Trumpet Player" by his wife) and started his own bands, Hot Five and Hot Seven groups, producing hits including "Potato Head Blues", "Muggles" and "West End Blues". In 1926 his song "Heebie Jeebies" became one of the first recorded scat singing, and cause Louis Armstrong's band to be the most popular jazz group in the United States. Armstrong then returned to New York, working at the Connie's Inn nightclub and producing more hits such as "Ain't Misbehavin'" "Stardust" and "Lazy River".

 

The Great Depression hit the jazz community hard, and Louis Armstrong moved to Los Angeles, where he showed up in his first movie, Ex-Flame, and became popular to the likes of Bing Cosby. After moving back to Chicago, then New Orleans, Armstrong began an extended tour of Europe. His hard playing style began to catch up with him, leading to lip and hand injuries, and as a result, Armstrong began branching out, acting in Crosby's 1936 hit Pennies from Heaven and that same year became the first African American to host a sponsored, national broadcast.

 

After years of touring, Louis Armstrong settled in Queens, where he formed a new band, Louis Armstrong and His All Stars and continued his music and film careers. In 1949 he appeared on the cover of Time Magazine.

 

By 1950, Louis Armstrong released "C'est si bon" and "La Vie en rose" to worldwide success. Touring in Ghana and Nigeria, he soon became a cultural spokesperson of the United States, traveling through the communist blocs and Africa and Europe sponsored by the State Department. In the United States however he was increasingly seen as a dinosaur from a past era, and the newer, more activist jazz scene now began looking back and condemning Armstrong's work in segregated venues and lack of activism for Civil Rights. However having worked his way up from the streets, crossing racial boundaries as the first African-American to be popular with many white audience members, and reaching the height of fame and respect, Louis Armstrong had become immensely reluctant to risk speaking his mind. In 1964 he released "Hello Dolly!" which became his most successful hit. The song ended up on the Hot 100 for 22 weeks, at age 62 the oldest person ever to reach No. 1. In 1967 he produced "What a Wonderful World", a relative failure a the billboards but has since become a standard of his. Armstrong's recording was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. He died of a heart attack in 1971.

 

Louis Armstrong brought immense popularity to jazz, spreading it to an international audience, brought about the emphasis of the trumpet solo, introduced scat singing to the public at large, an became an American icon. He is recognized throughout New Orleans his hometown, including the Louis Armstrong Stadium, Louis Armstrong Park, and the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.

Central Business District, New Orleans, Louisiana

Kilmadock Parish War Memorial, Doune

-

NN 72491 01525

-

Lettering very difficult to read, badly eroded and patches of moss(?)

There is another plaque at the side by the steps but missed it.

---

TO THE GLORY OF

GOD

AND IN MEMORY OF

THE MEN OF THE

PARISH OF KILMADOCK

WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES

FOR KING AND COUNTRY

IN THE GREAT WAR

1914 - 1919

SEE YE TO IT THAT THESE

SHALL NOT HAVE DIED IN VAIN

---

Dundee Courier - Thursday 05 June 1919

Image © D.C.Thomson & Co. Ltd. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.

Doune's War Memorial is to be the statue of a Highland soldier erected in front of the Public Hall gifted to the burgh by Sir A. Kay Muir, Bart., Blair Drummond.

-

Dundee Courier - Saturday 27 November 1920

Image © D.C.Thomson & Co. Ltd. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.

The Earl of Moray has signified his intention of subscribing £600 to the Doune War Memorial Fund.

-

Dundee Courier - Monday 31 July 1922

Image © D.C.Thomson & Co. Ltd. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.

SECRET DOUNE WAR MEMORIAL UNVEILED Versailles Peacemakers Criticised General Sir lan Hamilton, D.5.0., unveiled Saturday the war memorial erected at Doune to the memory of the 63 men of the district who lost their lives in the war.

The memorial is obelisk in character, and its graceful proportions are enhanced by its effect against the wooded background. Its outlook is towards the village, and it is complementary to the new hall opened last week, both schemes having a similar origin and purpose.

A large concourse of people attended the ceremony, the Comrades of the Great War and the Territorials being under Captain Lindsay Pullar, and members of the Voluntary Aid Detachment under Miss Stanley Rogerson. The school children joined in the procession from the Moray Park, and were marshalled behind the memorial by the headmaster, Mr P. C. Merrie. Relatives of deceased were given a place of honour, and it was observed that some the women folk and children wore the medals and decorations of their loved ones.

On the broad base and steps of the monument were gathered the Provost and members of the Town Council and Parish Council, with their wives, and prominent people of the district, including:— Lady Muir, Deanston House; Sir A. Kay Muir, Bart, of Blair Druinmond; Mrs Harry Moncreiffe, London; Mrs M'Grigor, Beechwood, Stirling; Mr and Mrs Hogg, Row House; Mrs Bruce, Bridge of Teith Cottage: Mrs Stirling. Old Newton; Mrs G. S. Mackay, Mrs Stark Christie, Mrs Ash worth, Mrs Thomson, Miss Murray Menzies; Mr and Mrs John Stroyan and Miss Stroyan, Lanrick Castle; Miss Campbell Swinton, Glenardoch; Mrs Baillie Hamilton and party; Sir William and Lady Thomson, Dunblane; Rev. J. Chalmers Peat, Rev. James Scott, Rev. James Menzies, Rev. H. B. De Montmorency, Rev. Canon Docherty: Rev. Jas. Mitchell. Norrieston; and Mrs Scrimgeour; Mr D. Y. Cameron, Kippen, and Mrs Cameron; Mr Eric Bell. Stirling, architect of the memorial, and Mrs Bell; Dr and Mrs Burn Murdoch, Gartincaber; Mr F. L. Burder, East Deanston; ex-Provost Main, Doune; Mr Robert Thomson, Broich; Mr James Paterson, Burnbank; Mr John M'Ewen, Deanston: Mr Wm. M'Carroll, Deanston: Mr William Thomson, banker, Doune: Mr John Thomson, druggist; &c.

Burn Murdoch, who presided, called upon Sir Ian Hamilton, who is a son-in-law of .Lady Muir, to unveil the memorial.

.....

Some people say that we ought to remember our deed by building something useful, something that will be improvement to the place Other people are not satisfied unless they have some beautiful and artistic object to remind them of their lost ones. Deanston and Doune have done both, and I am very glad and very proud to have been here to-day. I have now the honour of unveiling this memorial.

As the Union Jack fell from the memorial the " Last Post " was sounded, and the pipers played lament. Rev. J. Chalmers Peat offered the dedicatory prayer. An opportunity was given at this stage to the relatives and others of placing wreaths and flowers on the memorial. It was an affecting scene, and the tributes were many and of great beauty. One which was given the place of honour was from the Doune, Deanston. and Kincardine Red Cross V.A.D. Detachment, and consisted of white everlastings on a base of laurels, with a large red cross of Flanders poppies in the centre. The Provost and Town Council, and the ex-service men, also sent wreaths, and one from Sir lan and Lady Hamilton had the following:—

"The saviours come not home to-night,

Themselves they could not save."

Roll of Honour:

S.W.O. Stuart Hay Murray, Pte. James Rorie. Major Lindsay Bruce Stark Christie. Pte. Matthew Connelly, Pte. James Dick, Charles Mills, Sergt. James Bell Jackson, Corpl. John Blacklock. Corpl. Peter Campbell, L.-Corpl. Patrick Fallon. L.-Corpl. Peter Innes. L.-CorpL Duncan M'Coll, L.-Corpl. John M'Gregor, L.-Corpl. George Reilly, Ptes. James Blacklock. William Boyd, Andrew Campbell, David Campbell. Alexander Dingwell, James Galbraith. John Graham, John Hislop, Robert Holmes. James George Marshall. James Marshall, Archibald Miller William Miller, John Moffat. Malcolm M'Donald, Daniel M'Naughton, Robert M'Naughton. David M'Vey, James Salmond, James Stewart, Sergt. Michael Manning, Ptes. William M'Leod, Robert Osborne, John Piggot, Lieut. William Maxwell Robertson, Corpl. Robt. Winter, Pte. John Dickie, Lieut. George Cochrane, Ptes. James Allan. Alexander Duncan, William Watt Shields. Captain Arthur Buchanan Baillie Hamilton, Ptes. Thomas Rorie,, Morten Winter, Robert Blennie, John Robertson, Corpl. John Mackay, Ptes. David Black, Alexander Cameron, Walter Martin. Donald M'Callum, L.-Corpl Stephen Hastie, Ptes. John Davie and Roderick M'Kenzie, Captain Colin Thomas Burn Murdoch, Ptes. John Paterson Cameron, William Dow Maclaren, and Charles Murray.

---

Doune, Callander Road, War Memorial

War Memorial (Period Unassigned)

Site Name Doune, Callander Road, War Memorial

Classification War Memorial (Period Unassigned)

Canmore ID 339038

Site Number NN70SW 214

NGR NN 72481 01533

Datum OSGB36 - NGR

Permalink canmore.org.uk/site/339038

mémoire2cité - A partir des années 1950, Saint-Étienne se voit confrontée à une double difficulté : un parc immobilier particulièrement médiocre (20 % de taudis, 56 % de logements médiocres) et une forte croissance démographique accompagnée d'un afflux d'une main d'oeuvre issue d'Afrique du Nord. Ainsi, de nombreux grands ensembles sont construits dans les quartiers périphériques à partir des années 1950 (Beaulieu, Marandinière, La Métare, etc.). Saint-Étienne atteint alors son apogée démographique : 220 000 habitants en 1968. Le territoire s'agrandit en 1973 avec l'absorption des communes de Saint-Victor et Terrenoire et l'association avec Rochetaillée. Les Trente Glorieuses et la société de consommation bénéficient encore à Saint-Étienne, Manufrance en constitue le meilleur exemple. Les conflits coloniaux entretiennent la production d'armes.

 

A partir des années 1960, Saint-Étienne n'échappe pas à la crise : concentration des entreprises, concurrence du pétrole et du gaz au détriment du charbon, concurrence de l'Asie dans le textile. Le puits Couriot ferme en 1973, Creusot-Loire en 1985, et tout un symbole : Manufrance en 1980. Pourtant, les industries mécaniques subsistent.

 

La création d'une université, le développement de grandes écoles, l'installation d'une maison de la culture, de la Comédie de Saint-Étienne, dans les années 1960, effacent progressivement l'image traditionnelle de la cité-usine. La ville connaît alors une stabilité politique, plutôt au centre avec les maires de Fraissinette et Durafour.

 

A partir des années 1970, vient le temps de la désindustrialisation et des reconversions. La friche de Manufrance, plus grande d'Europe, est reconvertie dans les années 1990 et abrite le Centre des congrès, la Chambre de commerce et d'industrie, une partie de l'École des mines, etc. Un exemple emblématique : le musée de la Mine s'installe au Puits Couriot.

 

La ville, marquée par une tradition industrielle très forte, doit aujourd'hui vivre une mutation économique en profitant d'un environnement technologique favorable avec des leaders mondiaux (industrie de pointe dans l'optique, textile de haute technologie) et des établissements d'enseignement supérieur (École Telecom, École des Mines). La ville, héritière d'une tradition de savoir-faire et du second tissu de PME/PMI de France, compte également sur le design. Elle est ainsi devenue "Ville creative design Unesco", seule ville française.

 

Mémoire2cité - La Palle, c'est Beaulieu IV, à cette époque là, l'on passe de 114 logements construits en 1948 à 531 en 1951, 1 085 en 1954, 1 694 en 1957 et même 2 932 en 1959 ! L'effort est gigantesque. Le quartier de la Palle réalisé de mai 1967 à mars 1970, comprenait 1049 lgts du studio au T6, répartis sur 12 barres, dont 3 pour la rue Colette, le groupe de la Palle sera le seul groupe de logements sociaux que comprendra la Métare en 1967, le reste ne sera que des copropriétées nommée BEAULIEU V, qui elles, seront construite en "Accession a la Propriété"(il s'averrera plus tard un échec, bref..) de 1962 à 1973, en 3 opérations succesives de 725 lgts, de 549 & 518 lgts, çe sur le versant dominant le parc de l'Europe (voir mes photos d'Ito Josué qui à photographié les constructions de nos quartiers Stéphanois lors des 30 glorieuses, tirées de ses livres, qui me passionne & me font voyagé dans le temps..) -

 

- l'Opération de Construction - BEAULIEU IV - un concept de nos G.E. spéçifique à nos 30 Glorieuses de rendre Jolie çe qui jadis, ne l'etait pas, voir plu, fautes aux guerres ... "les chantiers de l'O.P.A.C." de 1962 à 1972* (à savoir 1962 à 1966 pour le groupe de Colette, apres 1966 le reste ne sera que de la copropriété*, mais relevant toujours de la même équipe d'architectes, une dixaine tout de même Farat/Gouyon/Bertholon & d'autres, Edouard Hur lui à été tres important sur la 1ere tranche de Beaulieu, soit beaulieu1 sur la CAF et les 2 tours en copropriété une de 17 etage & l'autre de 15, du 7 et 11 rue de la Métare 42100 ,une construction de 1971 à 1974 ),içi la derniere tranche des constructions, la suite & la fin ! - Voiçi la Métare I, II, et III., retour sur son histoire .... La ville de St-Etienne Métropole & l'ETAT à choisit de construire un immense quartier neuf de plus de 4.600 logements, prévu pour loger 30.000 habitants, sur les basses pentes du Pilat, à la sortie sud-est de Saint-Etienne...

 

Entre les forêts, qui seront classées parc naturel quelques années plus tard, et les quartiers chics du cours Fauriel, c'est un des endroits les mieux situés de la ville. C'est aussi le seul grand emplacement proche du centre où il n'y aie pas eu de mines, parce que les couches de charbon s'arrêtent juste avant : le terrain est assez solide pour supporter de grandes barres d'habitations. Le collectif étant de mode , nous continuons...

 

A cette époque la France va connaître une rupture architecturale phénoménale avec l'apparition des premiers grands ensembles de Beaulieu la Marandiniere Montchovet, la Métare; Montreynaud, la Cotonne , Tarentaize, Bel-Air, la Dame Blanche, Econor, Montplaisir, Terrenoire les hauts et le bas, la Pérrotiere Maugara, et jusquà Firminy pour nos grands-ensembles... La Métare, c'était les Bois du Four , avec son furan... un ensemble de choses et d'histoire qui font et fonde çe lieu qui n'était que campagne y à 62 ans...Rochetaillé et son chateau de 2000 ans, son gouffre d'enfer, arf, dominait largement cet endroit ^^ Saint-Etienne sera l'une des villes Symboles de cette rupture des 1954... On à aussi la Cité Castor à seulement 200 metres de là , la premiere de toutes nos cités CASTOR de Françe.... Vous savez.. ses fameux Pavillons de pierre, d'apres guerre..qu'on a tant réclamé ... des pavillons de type annees 60, plus qu'un succes avec la loi Loucher par içi , & partout ailleurs..Je dirais pas que nous sommes dans l'excellençe mais honnétémment nous sommes bien noté..@ l'Architecture du Forez de l'Ondaine et du Gier.^^ En effet le Forez, la Loire le département ,et bien c'est tout une histoire de l'Architecture de l'industrialisation de nombreux secteurs d'activitées , de compétençes , d'Architectes et pas n'importes lesquels....A bon entendeur ... -

 

Le 11 AVRIL 1964, le développement de la ville de Saint Etienne, et ses travaux ..La ville de Saint Etienne se développe tout comme l'ensemble du territoire... Pour accompagner cet accroissement de population, de nouveaux quartiers se construisent aux abords de la ville chaque jours. Et pour faire face aux problèmes de circulation, un boulevard périphérique a été aménagé. Réalisé à l'occasion de la construction de la déviation sud de l'autoroute de Saint Etienne, ce reportage témoigne de la visite du sénateur maire de la ville, Mr. Michel DURAFOUR, sur le chantier du tunnel de la déviation. Accueilli par Mr. Rocher, président de la société forêzienne de travaux publics, Michel DURAFOUR découvre avec les membres du conseil municipal l'avancée des travaux. (voir aussi le chantier de l A 47 avec la video du tunnel du rond-point içi : www.ina.fr/video/LXC9610041788 .

 

Un modèle de l'urbanisme des années 1950.

 

Beaulieu-Montchovet:

 

Içi le chantier de construction de MONTCHOVET soit Beaulieu 3, la continuitée des constructions HLM de nos quartiers sud-est (les chantiers de l'OPAC) , la vidéo içi :

 

www.ina.fr/video/LXF99004401 .

 

Retour sur son historique de 1962 à aujourd'hui e n 2018.

 

Un grand-Ensemble qui rappelle combien la politique d'urbanisme des années 1960 et suivantes a été conduite en dépit du bon sens la video içi www.google.fr/search?q=montchovet+ina&oq=montchovet+i... et là www.ina.fr/video/CAC00029801 , mais aussi içi www.ina.fr/video/CAC00029801 - avec Claude BARTOLONE içi avec la Visite à Saint Etienne du ministre délégué à la ville le jour de la démolition de la muraille de Chine. Rencontre avec des associations pr discuter du futur du quartier Montchovet. www.ina.fr/video/LY00001263573 - fresques.ina.fr/rhone-alpes/fiche-media/Rhonal00046/demol... - et les differentes videos de la demolition la encore : La démolition de la "muraille de Chine" de Saint Etienne www.youtube.com/watch?v=aq1uOc6Gtd0, www.youtube.com/watch?v=YB3z_Z6DTdc terrible :( ^^ l interview de Michel Thiolliere Le Grisou.fr a interviewé Michel Thiollière, ancien maire de Saint-Etienne et sénateur de la Loire, membre du Parti radical et actuel vice-président de la Commission de régulation de l'énergie. Il livre son analyse sur les prochaines échéances politiques, notamment la campagne des municipales en cours à Saint-Etienne, les alliances de la droite et du centre, mais aussi le mandat de Maurice Vincent. Michel Thiollière s'attarde également sur les besoins de l'agglomération stéphanoise et évoque les enjeux énergétiques en France.

 

(Interview : Maxime Petit -- Réalisation : Studios Bouquet) www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJAylpe8G48,

 

"François Mitterrand, après la visite de deux quartiers -

 

l'un à Saint Etienne et l'autre à Vénissieux, inscrits sur la liste de ceux à réhabiliter -, parle du plan de réhabilitation pour de meilleures conditions de logement.

 

Type de média : Vidéo - Journal télévisé

 

Date de diffusion : 10 août 1983

 

Source : FR3 (Collection: JT FR3 Rhône Alpes )

 

Personnalité(s) :

 

François Mitterrand / Georgina Dufoix / Gilbert Trigano / François Dubanchet / Marcel Houël

 

Thèmes :

 

Le Président > Grands travaux et grands projets

 

Le Président > 1er septennat 1981-1988 > 1981-1986

 

Politique intérieure > Société

 

Voyages > Voyages en France

 

Éclairage

 

Depuis la fin des années 1970, la région lyonnaise apparaît comme l'épicentre des violences urbaines qui se déroulent en France. Durant l'été 1981, des violences urbaines ont conduit le gouvernement à engager le plus tôt possible une nouvelle politique en faveur des quartiers dégradés. Malgré les premières opérations de réhabilitation engagées par la Commission nationale pour le développement social des quartiers, la situation demeure extrêmement tendue dans un certain nombres de quartiers populaires. L'assassinat d'un jeune de la Cité des 4 000 par un habitant en juillet 1983 a ravivé les débats autour du thème du "mal des grands ensembles" selon l'expression de l'époque. D'autre part, le contexte politique conduit également le pouvoir à s'intéresser encore davantage à la question de la dégradation urbaine dans la mesure où de très nombreux quartiers populaires n'ont pas cette fois-ci apporté leurs suffrages aux candidats de la gauche.

  

La visite de François Mitterrand dans deux quartiers dégradés de la région lyonnaise constitue donc un signal fort à l'égard des populations qui y vivent. Ce déplacement fait également écho à celui réalisé quelques jours plus tôt au sein de la Cité des 4 000 à La Courneuve en Seine Saint Denis (voir Visite de François Mitterrand à La Courneuve). Le principe est d'ailleurs le même et il est exprimé par le président de la République : voir par lui-même l'état réel de ses quartiers. Le fait qu'il soit mentionné dans le reportage que "ces visites surprises" se soient faites dans la "plus grande discrétion" (notamment sans les élus locaux concernés) marque effectivement la volonté du président de la République d'établir une sorte de lien direct avec les habitants qui vivent dans ces quartiers. Il ne s'agit pas de faire l'annonce de nouvelles mesures mais "de voir les choses par moi-même" selon l'expression utilisée par François Mitterrand lors de son allocution à la Préfecture à Lyon. Au moment où la Commission nationale pour le développement social des quartiers établit la liste définitive des 22 quartiers qui bénéficieront d'un programme de réhabilitation, la visite du président de la République sur le terrain suggère une forme de "présidentialisation" du thème de la réhabilitation des grands ensembles.

  

La création au même moment de Banlieue 89 suscitée par deux architectes proches de François Mitterrand, Roland Castro et Michel Cantal-Duparc, suggère également l'intérêt du président de la République pour les questions urbaines (voir Inauguration de l'exposition organisée par Banlieue 89)."http://fresques.ina.fr/mitterrand/fiche-media/Mitter00106/visite-de-francois-mitterrand-a-saint-etienne-et-aux-minguettes.html Journaliste

 

Visites surprises qui se sont déroulées dans la plus grande discrétion, seule Madame Georgina Dufoix, Secrétaire d’Etat à la Famille et aux Immigrés, Monsieur Gilbert Trigano, le PDG du Club Méditerranée qui participe à la Commission Dubedout, et deux collaborateurs du Chef de l’État étaient présents. Ni à Saint-Étienne, ni à Vénissieux, les autorités locales n’y ont participés. Peu avant midi, le Président est arrivé à la Préfecture du Rhône à Lyon où s’est déroulée pendant 45 minutes une séance de travail avec les élus locaux et notamment Messieurs Dubanchet, Maire de Saint-Étienne et Houël, Maire de Vénissieux. Réunion qui a donné l’occasion d’aborder les problèmes de fond, devait souligner François Mitterrand.

 

(Bruit)

 

François Mitterrand

 

Les deux quartiers que je viens de visiter, celui de Montchovet à Saint-Étienne et celui de Monmousseau à l’intérieur des Minguettes sur la commune de Vénissieux, sont inscrits sur la liste des 22 quartiers à réhabiliter, retenus, proposés par la Commission Dubedout devenue la Commission Pesce, et retenus par le Gouvernement. Et je compte appliquer nos efforts pour qu’effectivement, ces quartiers soient réhabilités, c’est-à-dire, soient habitables. Qu’on y trouve, pour ceux qui y vivent, euh, suffisamment de convivialité, de capacité de développer une famille et, euh, revenant de son travail quand on en a, de pouvoir vivre avec les autres. Les conditions de logement, la construction de ces ensembles, les liaisons avec l’extérieur, l’école, le sport, les espaces verts, bref, l’espace tout court, contribuent, vous le comprenez bien à, au futur équilibre, ou contribueront au futur équilibre de ces quartiers. Alors, je préfère voir les choses par moi-même. Il faut bien se dire que à l’origine de nombreux désordres sociaux se trouvent ces fâcheuses, ces déplorables conditions de vie. Et moi, je veux lutter contre ces désordres et pour cela, il faut que je m’attaque avec le Gouvernement et ceux qui ont la charge auprès de moi, je veux absolument m’attaquer aux sources d’un malaise et d’un déséquilibre social qui sont d’une immense ampleur. Raison de plus pour commencer par un bout avec énergie et continuité. Et de ce point de vue, je compte bien, au cours des semaines et des mois à venir, persévérer dans cette enquête personnelle qui me permet ensuite de donner des instructions précises à ceux qui participent à la gestion de l’État.

 

(Silence), à Saint-Étienne comme dans les communes de sa proche banlieue. Une sorte de grand monument à la gloire des HLM, comme si on avait fait exprès de la faire aussi énorme pour montrer comme les gens étaient fiers de ce quartier. Autour on construit tout ce qu'il faut pour les habitants : une école, Montchovet, qui donne sur le grand pré derrière, une MJC, une piscine, un centre commercial, avec la Poste, plus tard le bureau de police. En 1978, comme les enfants des habitants grandissent, on ouvre un deuxième collège dans la ZUP. Il prendra le nom de Jean Dasté, qui a créé la Comédie de Saint-Etienne, le plus grand théatre de province en France, et son école de comédiens. Après 1984 les loyers des HLM ont augmenté, beaucoup d'habitants sont partis. La population de Saint-Etienne diminue surtout dans les quartiers sud : beaucoup de gens déménagent vers la plaine du Forez, moins froide, où il y a la place de batir des maisons. On a rénové beaucoup d'appartements anciens en ville : la crise du logement est finie. On ne sait même plus qu'elle a existé. Les ZUP ont vieilli et la plupart des gens préfèrent se loger dans des appartements récents. Alors on ferme : le collège de Beaulieu, l'école de la Marandinière, la Poste. La Muraille coute très cher à entretenir : il n'y a plus asssez d'habitants pour payer les frais. Les HLM ont décidé de la détruire: c'est le plus gros projet de démolition jamais réalisé en Europe. Les familles qui restaient ont du déménager. On va faire exploser la Muraille de Chine au printemps de l'an 2000. Peut être qu'il fallait le faire, mais pour les gens du quartier c'est un gros morceau de notre Histoire qu'on nous détruit.

 

1954: les premiers travaux à Beaulieu : la campagne devient une ville à grands coups de bulldozer..

 

Le projet est de construire en grande quantité des logements de bonne qualité, avec tout le confort, des chambres pour les enfants, l'eau, le chauffage central, des sanitaires, des arbres et des pelouses, et surtout .... des loyers accessibles pour tous. Ce seront les Habitations à Loyers Modérés, les HLM.

 

Il faudra les construires en dehors des villes, pour en finir avec le mélange des industries et des logements, qui amène le bruit et la pollution. Y prévoir tous les équipements : commerces, écoles, collèges, lycées, transports, parcs, équipements sportifs, police, pompiers, Postes. Construire des villes entières où tout le monde aura accès à ce qui n'était encore que le luxe de quelques gens très riches.

 

Cinq villes sont choisies pour être prioritaires : Paris ( Pantin ) et Lyon ( Bron-Parilly) à cause de leur taille, Angers et Rouen détruites dans les bombardements de 1944, Saint-Etienne, la ville la plus sinistrée de France pour le logement. C'est là que naissent les cinq premières Zone à Urbaniser en Priorité, les ZUP, modèles de l'urbanisme pour toute une génération. Elles ne s'appellent pas encore comme ça : on les construites avant que l'expression de ZUP existe, c'est de leur réussite que naitra le modèle repris partout pour lequel on inventera le mot plus tard.

 

Beaulieu I: le projet d'urbanisme

 

Maquette de 1953 - Projet des architectes Gouyon-Clément

 

Une architecture géométrique, de grands espaces, des arbres, des formes qui soulignent le relief.

 

La ZUP de Beaulieu est construite en quatre tranches:

 

- Beaulieu I ( Beaulieu ) de 1953 à 1955

 

- Beaulieu II ( La Marandinière ) en 1959

 

- Beaulieu III ( Montchovet ) en 1964, dont fait partie la Muraille de Chine, le grand immeuble le long du boulevard à gauche.

 

- Beaulieu IV ( La Palle ) en 1971

 

Le quartier:

 

Au premier plan, en bas à droite Beaulieu, la Marandinière est à droite derrière l'autoroute, Montplaisir à gauche, Monchovet au milieu, le long du boulevard de la Palle.

 

A gauche des tennis, les batiments du collège de Beaulieu. C'était l'autre collège de la ZEP, le seul collège "sensible" de France a avoir été fermé, en 1995.

 

Nouvelles techniques, nouveaux matériaux :

 

Construire vite pour un prix raisonnable oblige à inventer de nouvelles techniques, d'autant que l'on manque de travailleurs qualifiés.

 

La construction s'industrialise: immeubles à structure porteuse ( des poteaux en béton armé tiennent les dalles, ce ne sont plus les murs qui soutiennent les immeubles ), murs rideaux ( les murs sont fait de morceaux préfabriqués accrochés aux dalles ), éléments standardisés ( les éléments: murs, tuyauterie, portes et fenêtres, sanitaires, etc... sont tous identiques, fabriqués en usine en grande série, installés de la même façon dans tous les immeubles ), nouveaux matériaux ( matières plastiques, béton armé, acier ) qui ne s'utilisaient pas dans la construction traditionnelle.

 

Cela permet de diminuer les prix, en automatisant les fabrications, mais aussi parce qu'on peut utiliser des ouvriers beaucoup moins qualifiés, qui ne font que du montage et que l'on paye moins cher.

 

Bien après les gens se plaindront de ces appartements tous identiques, de ces matériaux peu agréables, de la taille inhumaine des batiments.

 

Mais à l'époque il faut compter deux à trois ans d'attente pour obtenir un appartement dans le quartier. Les familles sont si contentes de leur quartier tout neuf que les collègiens qui prennent le bus emportent une paire de bottes en plus de leur chaussures pour aller des immeubles à l'arrêt de bus : pas question de ramener de la boue dans les bus ou dans les escaliers.

 

La crise du logement:

 

1950 : la France connait la pire crise du logement de son Histoire. La crise économique de 1929 puis la guerre de 1939-1945 ont arrêté la construction de logements, déja insuffisante avant 1930, pendant plus de vingt ans.

 

La France est au maximum du "baby-boom" ( période de très forte natalité qui commence à la fin de la guerre ) : les 40 millions de français de 1950 font deux fois plus de bébés que les 60 millions d'aujourd'hui. La très forte croissance économique relance l'immigration. Plus de la moitié des familles sont mal logées alors que la France commence la plus forte croissance démographique de son Histoire.

 

La IV° République, héritière du programme de la Résistance donne la priorité aux besoins sociaux : école, santé, logement, sur la rentabilité financière. L'Etat, les villes, sont décidés à investir dans le logement, qui est déclaré prioritaire dans le Plan d'organisation de l'économie.

 

Entre les années 50 et 60, et suite à la seconde guerre mondiale, la municipalité stéphanoise a vu sa population passée d’un peu moins de 180 000 habitants en 1950 à plus de 200 000 habitants dix ans plus tard en 1960. Cette forte augmentation de la population pouvait s’expliquer par le fort taux de natalité de cette époque (baby-boom), mais aussi par l’afflux de travailleurs de la classe ouvrière venus dans la grande cité stéphanoise pour trouver un travail. De ce fait, la construction d’un logement sain pour chaque ouvrier était devenue une priorité absolue pour les élus qui considéraient à raison que cela était une condition vitale dans le cadre de ce grand développement. Pour ce faire, la ville a lancé dans les années 50 une vaste opération de construction de barres d’habitation dans la zone de Beaulieu, destinée à fournir un logement à une population grandissante.

 

Une barre d’habitation innovante

 

A l’époque, avec une majorité d’architectes, les appartements modernes construits possédaient des cloisons lourdes empêchant toute modification interne ainsi que des espaces de renvoi sombres et non ventilés ressemblant à des alcôves.

 

Mais à l’inverse, pour certains architectes précurseurs de la région à l’image d’Yves et Henri Gouyon, la modernité reflétait le gout de la clarté, de l’air, et du soleil, avec de larges horizons. Ainsi, ces derniers donnaient la priorité non pas aux façades qu’ils considéraient comme de simples élévations du plan, mais aux cellules d’habitations et à leur orientation. Dans cette optique, le bâtiment proposé par Henri Gouyon, qui était donc un partisan de l’espace ouvert moderne, supprimait les circulations et profitait de ce gain de place pour aménager de nouveaux espaces de vie communes. De plus, dans ces cellules d’habitations, les architectes ont tirés profit au maximum de la double orientation des appartements (ces derniers étaient traversant) avec par exemple l’accolement de balcons.

 

Conception et réalisation d’un quartier entier

 

Pour le projet de Beaulieu, l’on confia la conception ainsi que la réalisation des interventions aux agences Henri et Yves Gouyon puis Yves Gouyon et associés. Ainsi, dés le milieu des années 50, des études concernant Beaulieu II – La Marandinière furent conduites, suivis de la construction du bâtiment entre 1957 et 1959. S’en suivit Beaulieu III – Montchovet entre 1962 et 1964, surnommé la « Muraille de Chine », qui comprenait entre autres, une barre de type HLM haute de 10 à 17 mètres et longue de 270 mètres, avec 560 logements. Suites à ces constructions, l’urbanisation des vallées et collines du sud-est de Saint-Etienne continua jusque dans les années 70 avec les séries de la Métare I, II, et III. Au total, ce sont plus de 8 000 logements, pour l’essentiel de type HLM, qui ont été construits durant cette période.

 

Ces constructions ont également contribué à la création du parc de l’Europe et d’un boulevard circulaire qui servait de jonction entre les différents édifices et le centre-ville de la cité stéphanoise.

 

Un projet pharaonique

 

Le centre commercial fut un projet d’une dimension sans précédent pour la ville, plus grand centre commercial intra-urbain de la région Loire-Auvergne, avec 100 magasins, 1500 places de stationnement, 90 000 m² de surface, et sur 3 niveaux (4 niveaux avec la terrasse). Le 2 octobre 1979, CENTRE DEUX ouvre ses portes pour la première fois, et constitue une renaissance et un véritable tournant pour la ville.

 

L’avis de l’architecte

 

De toutes les constructions de cette époque, Beaulieu est un des ensembles construits qui se porte le mieux si l’on en croit les nombreuses enquêtes menées auprès de la population de ces logements, dont certains l’occupe pratiquement depuis le début. Les arbres atteignent désormais le haut des immeubles, et la rue Le Corbusier adjacente a pris les allures « d’une banlieue des années 30 » avec un niveau d’urbanisme parfaitement acceptable. En conclusion, on peut parler pour cette construction d’un véritable savoir faire architectural et en quelques sortes d’art urbain. Ce projet a été récompensé par un prix d’urbanisme, mettant en valeur le travail en amont du projet. St-Etienne Cimaise Architectes -

 

mémoire2cité - Entretien avec François Tomas, géographe, spécialiste de l'aménagement urbain, et enseignant à l'université et à l'école d'architecture de Saint-Etienne. Il est notamment l'auteur des Grands Ensembles, une histoire qui continue (Publications de l'université de Saint-Etienne, 2003). Cet intellectuel a également mis la main à la pâte. Entre 1977 et 1983, il fut adjoint à l'urbanisme du maire communiste de l'époque, Joseph Sanguedolce. Engagé au PC de 1974 à 1985, il a, depuis, rejoint le Parti socialiste «comme militant de base»

 

Quelle est l'ampleur des destructions provoquées par la Seconde Guerre mondiale à Saint-Etienne?

 

La ville subit un important bombardement des Alliés le 26 mai 1944. Celui-ci vise les usines qu'utilisaient les Allemands dans la région pour leur effort de guerre et les noeuds de communication ferroviaire. Comme prévu, la gare de Châteaucreux, les usines de Marais et le tunnel de Tardy sont touchés. Mais les bombes, larguées trop rapidement, atteignent aussi les quartiers du Soleil et de Tardy - notamment les écoles - ainsi que l'église Saint-François, emplie de fidèles. Au total, le bilan est lourd: un millier de morts, 1 500 blessés, 22 000 sinistrés; 800 immeubles ont été plus ou moins détruits.

 

Que prévoit-on pour la reconstruction?

 

Pas grand-chose. A la différence de la refonte spectaculaire du Havre, par exemple, on se contente ici de bâtir de petits immeubles, plus modernes bien sûr, mais sans réelle innovation architecturale ou urbanistique.

 

Est-il vrai que Saint-Etienne, après guerre, traîne une réputation de «capitale des taudis»?

 

C'est exact, et celle-ci n'est pas usurpée. En 1946, 7% seulement des logements sont jugés «confortables», et 17%, «acceptables»; 56% sont médiocres, et 20% peuvent véritablement être qualifiés de taudis: 1 logement sur 5 n'a pas d'eau à l'évier, les deux tiers ne disposent pas de WC, et 95%, de salle d'eau. Mais le problème n'a pas été créé par la guerre. Depuis la fin du XIXe siècle, Saint-Etienne a beaucoup grandi, mais très peu construit. Résultat: la ville a vieilli sur elle-même et se trouve après guerre dans une situation désastreuse, que les bombardements ont simplement aggravée.

 

C'est alors qu'Alexandre de Fraissinette, maire élu en 1947, fixe le logement comme l'une de ses priorités.

 

Oui. Et ce ne sera pas un vain mot. Rendez-vous compte: on passe de 114 logements construits en 1948 à 531 en 1951, 1 085 en 1954, 1 694 en 1957 et même 2 932 en 1959! L'effort est gigantesque. Mais le changement est aussi qualitatif. A la fin des années 1940 et au début des années 1950, la France va connaître une rupture architecturale avec l'apparition des premiers grands ensembles. Saint-Etienne sera l'une des villes symboles de cette rupture.

 

Comment cette nouvelle architecture est-elle accueillie?

 

Très favorablement par les classes moyennes, beaucoup moins par les classes populaires.

 

Cela paraît paradoxal, pour du logement social!

 

Le paradoxe n'est qu'apparent. On l'a oublié aujourd'hui, mais les premiers grands ensembles sont réservés aux familles de moins de trois enfants ayant des revenus corrects, autrement dit aux classes moyennes. Alors que, depuis la guerre, celles-ci devaient se contenter d'une ou de deux pièces mal équipées, elles se voient soudain proposer des logements spacieux, avec de la verdure, de la lumière, une salle d'eau, des WC, le chauffage central. Cela leur paraît merveilleux! Les pauvres, eux, continuent de s'entasser dans de petits appartements sans confort, quand ce ne sont pas des taudis, en particulier à Tarentaize et à Beaubrun, ou des bidonvilles, du côté de Méons, près des puits de mine et des usines sidérurgiques. Ce n'est que plus tard, à partir des années 1970, que les grands ensembles seront prioritairement réservés aux pauvres et aux familles immigrées. Mais, dans les années 1950, les grands ensembles sont encore synonymes de progrès social. Et même au-delà. On est persuadé que ce nouvel habitat va entraîner le recul de la maladie, de la délinquance, voire de la mésentente entre les époux! Il existe ainsi une «commission du bonheur ou des grands ensembles»!

 

On croit rêver...

 

C'était l'ambiance de l'époque, avec ses utopies et ses excès. Pour les architectes, si l'un des repoussoirs est le taudis de centre-ville, l'autre est le petit pavillon de banlieue, symbole à leurs yeux de l'individualisme petit-bourgeois, avec ses gaspillages de terrain, son absence d'horizon et son coût pour la communauté...

 

Quels sont les quartiers typiques de cette période, à Saint-Etienne?

 

Le premier est constitué par le très bel ensemble de la place du Maréchal-Foch. Il s'agit d'une étape intermédiaire entre l'îlot traditionnel (des immeubles accolés, formant un pâté de maisons) et sa suppression totale. Du côté de la Grand-Rue, plusieurs immeubles constituent encore des semi-îlots. Mais, à l'ouest, deux immeubles sont déjà totalement indépendants: ils sont construits au milieu de la verdure. Et cela, c'est très nouveau. Jusqu'à présent, tous les immeubles érigés à Saint-Etienne, y compris les plus hauts, étaient accolés à d'autres édifices. Cela reste encore, cinquante ans plus tard, l'un des quartiers chics de Saint-Etienne.

 

L'autre grande opération de l'époque, c'est Beaulieu I.

 

Evidemment. On est, cette fois, face à un grand ensemble «pur». Le chantier commence en 1953 - il y a juste cinquante ans - et s'achève en 1955. Ce nouveau quartier de 1 264 logements est remarquablement conçu. Non seulement il respecte la topographie des lieux, mais aussi il joue avec elle: les bâtiments sont implantés soit parallèlement, soit perpendiculairement aux courbes de niveau, ce qui met en valeur la colline tout en préservant son sommet. Pour rompre l'anonymat, les entrées, les façades et les balcons sont individualisés. Les logements sont de qualité, et les espaces verts, confiés aux services de la ville, tout simplement magnifiques. Beaulieu produit d'ailleurs un effet prodigieux sur ses premiers habitants.

 

Son implantation n'est pas non plus le fait du hasard...

 

En effet. Compte tenu des préoccupations hygiénistes de l'époque, le conseil municipal a choisi ce site «loin des zones minières et industrielles, à l'abri des poussières et des fumées, au climat salubre». Il souligne qu'il ne sera «jamais exploité par les houillères, car son sous-sol est stérile» et qu'il est également «bien relié à Saint-Etienne par le cours Fauriel, la seule avenue large de la ville». C'est véritablement le contre-modèle du taudis. Il a d'ailleurs, lui également, remarquablement bien vieilli.

 

Etes-vous aussi enthousiaste pour les projets qui ont suivi Beaulieu I?

 

Hélas!... Beaulieu II-La Marandinière (1957-1959), Beaulieu III-Montchovet (1962-1964), avec la fameuse «muraille de Chine», Beaulieu IV-la Palle (1967-1970) et la Métare (1962-1974), représentant à eux tous quelque 6 000 logements, constituent - à l'exception de la Métare, qui ne comprend que des appartements en copropriété - des échecs complets. Et tragiques.

 

Pourquoi cette différence?

 

Beaulieu I a bénéficié d'une accumulation de partis pris judicieux qui n'ont pas été appliqués par la suite. Outre la qualité de son architecture et de ses espaces verts, on a évité le zonage bête et méchant, qui allait s'imposer plus tard: les zones commerciales, d'un côté; les tours et les barres d'habitation, d'un deuxième; les emplois, d'un troisième. Enfin, Beaulieu I, réservé presque exclusivement aux classes moyennes, n'a pas connu le processus de dégradation que l'on constatera ailleurs, et dont la destruction de la «muraille de Chine» constituera le symbole.

 

Qui ont été les grands aménageurs de cette époque?

 

Parmi les politiques: le maire, Alexandre de Fraissinette (modéré), et son premier adjoint, qui lui succédera à sa mort, le radical Michel Durafour. Parmi les architectes: Edouard Hur et Henri Gouyon, concepteurs de Beaulieu I. Et, bien sûr, l'Etat, qui reste très présent. C'est lui qui, de manière générale, garde la haute main sur l'urbanisme. Beaulieu constitue une opération nationale, décidée de Paris. Cependant, ce qui est remarquable, c'est que, pour Beaulieu I, l'Etat va accepter de composer.

 

Dans quels domaines?

 

Le ministère de la Reconstruction souhaitait, ici comme ailleurs, que l'opération fût entièrement industrialisée. Autrement dit, que l'on adaptât au bâtiment les méthodes de l'automobile. Les constructions devaient se faire en préfabriqué, et l'on devait se contenter de les monter sur place. Mais, à Saint-Etienne, les architectes, soutenus par le maire, s'opposent à cette directive. Parce qu'ils sont expérimentés, et reconnus, ils vont obtenir gain de cause. Et heureusement.

 

Y a-t-il eu des projets, conçus à cette époque, qui n'ont pas vu le jour? A la fin des années 1950, l'Etat fait appel à de grands architectes pour remodeler les villes. A Saint-Etienne, c'est Dufau, distingué par le prix de Rome, qui est choisi. Il présente un projet radical: raser les 70 îlots qui se trouvent à l'est de la Grand-Rue, entre la place du Peuple et Bellevue, et les remplacer par autant de tours et de barres! Son projet, finalement, ne sera appliqué qu'en partie. Au sud, jusqu'à Bellevue, presque tout est démoli, beaucoup de tours et de barres sont construites. Au nord, les démolitions sont également presque systématiques, mais, cette fois, les nouveaux immeubles reproduisent la forme traditionnelle de l'îlot. On détruit également une partie du quartier derrière la grande poste, ainsi que l'ancienne caserne de Tréfilerie et la prison de Bizillon.

 

Le futur Centre-Deux...

 

C'est cela. Au départ, l'opération se nomme «prison-Tréfilerie», mais les promoteurs, qui ont le sens du commerce, préfèrent la rebaptiser. Ce quartier est conçu comme un centre d'affaires à l'américaine, type la Défense, à Paris, ou la Part-Dieu, à Lyon. On explique aux élus que, s'ils veulent que Saint-Etienne devienne une grande ville, ils doivent la doter d'un centre d'affaires, avec des immeubles atteignant 100 ou 150 mètres de hauteur, comme aux Etats-Unis! Le projet est lancé (en 1969), mais il sera peu à peu amendé, pour tenir compte de la réalité économique, de la montée des oppositions et de l'évolution des mentalités.

 

Comment l'économie stéphanoise se porte-t-elle alors?

 

La ville croit encore à l'avenir de la mine et des industries traditionnelles. Cela se comprend: le plan Monnet pour la relance de l'économie française s'appuie sur l'énergie, les transports, les industries lourdes... Bref, tous les points forts de Saint-Etienne, mais ce sera un cadeau empoisonné, car, bercée par cette illusion, la cité s'endort. Quand elle se décidera à moderniser ses structures industrielles, ce sera toujours avec quelques années de retard. Au fond, c'est dans les années 1950 que l'on commet les erreurs qui conduiront, plus tard, au démantèlement des industries locales.

 

Le secteur tertiaire a-t-il déjà commencé son essor?

 

Pas encore. Dans les années 1950, Saint-Etienne reste une ville très fortement industrielle. La tertiarisation, avec l'enseignement supérieur, la transformation de l'hôpital en centre hospitalier régional et universitaire et l'essor de Casino, avec les supermarchés et les hypermarchés, ne commencera véritablement que dans les années 1960.

 

Culturellement, la ville est aussi très active...

 

Elle est même, à ce moment-là, l'un des hauts lieux de la création culturelle en France, notamment dans les domaines théâtral et artistique. Maurice Allemand fait du musée de Saint-Etienne l'un des plus grands musées d'art moderne en France. Et Jean Dasté propose au public le théâtre moderne. Ce bouillonnement est dû, notamment, à Alexandre de Fraissinette. Comme, après lui, Michel Durafour, il est persuadé que l'avenir de la cité est dans la modernité. Il considère donc qu'elle doit être déclinée dans tous ses aspects: économique, urbanistique et culturel.

 

La population comprend-elle cette volonté?

 

Oui et non. Dans les années 1950, il existe un certain consensus, car tout le monde partage la vision d'un avenir meilleur. Mais, en réalité, Fraissinette, et surtout Durafour, sont très décalés. Dans leur obsession d'une ville «blanche», ils refusent en bloc le passé, dont on a heureusement découvert depuis lors les richesses. Ils rêvent d'une ville qui n'existe pas, peuplée d'habitants qui ne ressemblent pas aux Stéphanois réels... C'est d'ailleurs ce qui, plus tard, provoquera la chute de Michel Durafour.

 

Le chantier de l'autoroute de Saint Etienne 01 nov. 1965, la video içi www.ina.fr/video/LXC9610041788 -

Aggie Ring’s Day Off

 

The weather was quite nice this morning, so Jersey Shore Fightin’ Texas Aggie Ringhad me drive him over to the beach, “Just to make sure it’s still there.” he said.

 

It was a difficult drive. Almost 7 miles! I must have been by two traffic lights. I’m sure me 10 minutes to get there.

 

The town I picked to take the Aggie Ring is called Asbury Park. Not our favorite town, but there’s usually no one there in the off season and they don’t enforce parking this time of year at the boardwalk and we knew we wouldn’t be bothered. We found an empty parking lot directly next to the boardwalk across from the “Wonder Bar” and the old “Convention Hall” which was completed in 1930.

 

Convention Hall, sadly has seen really bad times over the last few decades. Looking at it’s faded exterior, Aggie Ring found it hard to believe that so many great bands from Glenn Miller to Elvis, The Rolling Stones, and The Dead. Aggie Ring was once asked to license some of the photos of the inside of the building by an author writing a book about Jerry Garcia. The sea air is hard on all buildings near the beach. The salt air has corroded the steel under the brick façade so badly that I don’t see how it gets an occupancy permit. The acoustics are pretty bad as well… It’s like being in a garage.

 

There is a theatre section on the side of it farthest away from the ocean that is in somewhat better shape. Most of the visiting bands play on that side.

 

As Aggie Ring was walking through the concourse between the to parts of the building he heard someone performing a soundcheck in the theatre. “Who could that be?” Asked Aggie Ring. He had checked and no one was listed as playing tonight.

 

Then Aggie Ring said, “I know. It’s probably Bruce Springsteen and his band. They’ve probably rented the theatre again for a private charity concert.” NOTE: For those of you not blessed with living on the Jersey Shore, it’s difficult to NOT run into “The Boss” from time to time. He’s all over the place. The bookstores, the gym, even the pinball museum.

 

“Get me outta here!” exclaimed Aggie Ring. “If Springsteen sees me, he’s going to want money!”

 

As we quickly cleared out of the building and hit the boardwalk, we noticed a number of black SUVs with men in suites waiting in them. “It’s the Boss inside. Those are his guards and drivers.” claimed Aggie Ring.

 

The sun was coming up across the ocean into our lens, so Aggie Ring had to use the manual settings on his camera to deal with the light setup.

 

Aggie Ring remarked that we had the whole beach to ourselves as we walked across the sand.

 

The “No Swimming - Lifeguards Off Duty” was up but Aggie Ring didn’t pay it any attention. “I’m Aggie Ring damnit. I say when I swim or don’t swim.” Much like the honey badger, Aggie Ring don’t care about the rules.

 

We walked down to the waterline and Aggie Ring jumped off to have a look at the shells and sand pebbles. “Nothing much here today.” he said.

 

As Aggie Ring was walking along the rock jetty, he noticed an oyster shell and jumped up on it. “Anyone want to see an Aggie Ring on the half shell?” he laughed.

 

All of a sudden Aggie Ring ’84 called out, “Who wants to take a polar bear plunge with me?” A&M College of Texas Ring ’42 said, “I guess I’ll go along with you.”

 

They jumped into the ocean water and before I could take more than one or two photos, Aggie Ring ’84 cried out like a little girl and screamed, “I want out this water is cold!”

 

A&M College of Texas Ring ’42 just laughed and told Aggie Ring ’84, “You Austin, Texas-made Aggie Rings are such snowflakes. This water is probably only 40 degrees. Why back in Qwatonna, Minnesota factory where the real Aggie Rings like me were made, we could hang out in water like this all day long. We’d even hang out on the ice.”

 

They got out of the water and dried off and continued walking the beach. We finally walked back to the boardwalk and Aggie Ring noticed a pile of old boards laying underneath. He started singing,

 

“(Under the boardwalk) out of the sun

(Under the boardwalk) we'll be havin' some fun

(Under the boardwalk) people walking above

(Under the boardwalk) we'll be falling in love

Under the boardwalk, boardwalk!”

 

When Aggie Ring was done, we climbed up the steps and noticed the little building where the fortuneteller works during the season. Aggie Ring disappointedly remarked, “Why didn’t someone from the Texas A&M Athletic Department call her and ask her about some better plays for the last A&M football game?” I told Aggie Ring, “Maybe they did call her and she wasn’t able to take the call because she was out drinking with Johnny Manziel.”

 

We continued past the boardwalk beach bar which is closed for the winter. “That’s a damn shame.” said Aggie Ring in a tearful moan. “I know Aggie Ring.” I said to him as I tried to cheer him up. “You know we see that Shiner distributor truck drive here every week in the Summer. Soon… soon…

 

I tried to cheer up Aggie Ring by having his picture taken with the Langostino Lobster but it didn’t really help. He sobbed about not having his Shiner on the beach for the rest of the day.

 

We passed by a place on the dunes where some erosion was occurring. Aggie Ring said, “So this is where they put all of the dead Christmas trees. It’s like a tree cemetery.”

 

Aggie Ring told me he was through and I could drive him home. We hit all of the green lights on the return trip so it probably only took us about 5 minutes.

 

#AggieRing

Photographed at Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico, USA.

The industrial grapple makes handling difficult materials easy!

 

It would be easy to look at St Augustine and not see past the belltower. What belltower I hear you ask. Well, that triple candlesnuffer thing beside the stable like entrance of the porch.

 

You see, I had forgotten how fantastic St Augustine was. I was early into the church odyssey thing back in 2009, and I was new to the whole church thing.

 

Yes, it has the belltower. Yes it has that porch with those stable doors. Yes it has that wonderful cast iron font. The church is huge, and difficult for me to judge how it evolved over the centuries.

 

Let me leave it to others to describe the church:

 

-----------------------------------------------------

 

The Church of St Augustine was constructed circa 1250 on a mound to protect it from flooding, probably on the site of a Norman church. The church is entered by the fourteenth century North door with wooden gates, the upper two were stored within the church and the lower doors were topped with spikes to prevent horses jumping the gates during Divine service. There was once a mounting block outside the church however it was removed less than 50 years ago.

 

Once through the porch you enter the North Aisle, in the western end is a closed off Chapel, near to this is the mechanism for the clock which is dedicated to the men of Brookfield who lost their lives whilst serving in World War Two, and the east end, which once housed a chapel to Blessed Virgin, is now home to an organ, installed in 1969.

 

An arcade separates the North Aisle from the Nave, at the end of this at the eastern end is a corbel carved into a face. The font can be found at the western end of the nave and is one of only thirty lead fonts in the country, it is decorated with the zodiac sings and occupations of the months. The Nave and North Aisle hold box pews, and at the eastern end of the Nave is the two tier pulpit with was once three tier, this stands besides the choir pews. Within the Chancel is the alter which stands in front of the remains of an aumbry, to the south is an early piscine and a two-seated sedilia. The arcades separating the North and South Aisles have suffered severe subsidence, the result being they both lean quite obviously. It has been said by an architect that the arcades separating the Nave and South Aisle lean so much that it is beyond the theoretical point of collapse!

 

The south aisle has had its box pews removed due to a very bad case of woodworm which now leaves room for the altar from the east end of the North Aisle and now used as the War Memorial Altar. At the western end is the Tithe Pen, this housed the weights and measures from the times when the vicar was entitled to a tithe, the complete set are now shown in a glass case and are the only remaining items of this kind in Kent. The eastern end of the South Aisle has a piscine and above this is a remarkable painting, dated from the late 1200?s and repainted in the 14th century. It depicts Thomas Becket's martyrdom. Where an altar once stood near this wall painting is now a large table tomb in memory to John Plomer who was three times Mayor of Romney.

 

Beside the church is a free standing belfry, there are many theories giving the reason for the belfry to stand upon the ground, one being that it was blown down from atop the church twice during strong winds and it was decided as it was so keen to stay on the ground then that is where it will stay. The tower holds six bells, only one being original and dated from 1450, three dated 1685 and the old tenor bell also dated 1685 was cast into two smaller bells.

 

www.kenthistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=4992.5;wap2

 

BROOKLAND,

 

SO called from the several brooks and waterings within the bounds of it, lies the next parish southeastward, mostly within the level of Walland Marsh, and within the jurisdiction of the justices of the county; but there are some lands, which are reputed to be within this parish, containing altogether about 124 acres, which lie in detached pieces at some distance south-eastward from the rest of it, mostly near Ivychurch, some other parishes intervening, which lands are within the level of Romney Marsh, and within the liberty and jurisdiction of the justices of it.

 

The PARISH of Brookland lies on higher ground than either Snargate or Fairfield last described, and consequently much drier. It is more sheltered with trees, and inclosed with hedges, than any of the neighbouring parishes. The village is neat and rather pleasant, considering the situation, and the houses, as well as inhabitants, of a better sort than are usually seen in the Marsh. The church stands in the middle of it. The lands towards the south are by far the most fertile, for towards Snargate they are very poor and wet, and much covered with rushes and thistles. It consists in general of marsh-land, there not being above thirty acres of land ploughed throughout the parish, which altogether contains about 1730 acres of land.

 

A fair is held here yearly on the feast of St. Peter ad Vincula, or Lammas-day, being August I, for toys and pedlary.

 

The MANORS of Fairfield, Apledore, Bilsington, and Court at Wick, extend over this parish, subordinate to which is THE MANOR OF BROOKLAND, which has long since lost even the reputation of having been a manor. It was in early times the patrimony of the family of Passele, or Pashley, as they were afterwards called, whose seat was at Evegate, in Smeeth, (fn. 1) of whom Edward de Passeley is the first that is discovered in public records to have been possessed of this manor, and this appears by the inquisition taken after his death, anno 19 Edward II. Soon after which it was alienated to Reginald de Cobham, a younger branch of the Cobhams, of Cobham, whose descendants were seated at Sterborough castle, in Surry, whence they were called Cobhams, of Sterborough, and they had afterwards summons to parliament among the barons of this realm. At length Sir Thomas Cobham died possessed of it in the 11th year of king Edward IV. leaving an only daughter and sole heir, who carried it in marriage to Sir Edward Borough, of Gainsborough, in Lincolnshire, whose son and heir Thomas was summoned to parliament as lord Burgh, or as it is usually pronounced, Borough, anno 21 king Henry VIII. and left a son and heir Thomas, lord Burgh, whose lands were disgavelled by the act anno 31 Henry VIII. His son William, lord Burgh, about the 12th year of queen Elizabeth's reign, passed it away to Eversfield, of Suffex, from whom it was alienated soon afterwards to Godfrey, of Lid, at which time this estate seems to have lost its name of having been a manor. He, before the end of that reign, sold it to Wood, by whom it was again alienated in the beginning of king James I.'s reign to Mr. John Fagge, of Rye, whose descendant John Fagge, esq. of Wiston, in Suffex, was created a baronet in 1660. He had a numerous issue, of which only three sons and two daughters survived. Of the former, Sir Robert, the eldest, was his successor in title; Charles was ancestor of the present baronet, the Rev. Sir John Fagge, of Chartham; and the third son Thomas Fagge, esq. succeeded by his father's will to this estate at Brookland. His son John Meres Fagge, esq. of Glynely, in Sussex, left surviving an only daughter Elizabeth, who on his death in 1769, entitled her husband Sir John Peachy, bart-of West Dean, in Sussex, to the possession of it. He died s. p. and she surviving him, again became entitled to it in her own right, and is at this time the present owner of it.

 

There are noparochial charities.

 

BROOKLAND is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the diocese of Canterbury, and deanry of Limne.

 

The church, which is dedicated to St. Augustine, is a very large handsome building, consisting of three isles and three chancels. The steeple stands on the north side, and at some small distance from it, in which are five bells. The church is kept exceedingly neat and clean. It is cieled throughout, and handsomely pewed. In the high chancel there is a confessionary, and a nich for holy water within the altar-rails. There are several memorials in it, but none of any account worth mentioning. At the west end is a gallery, lately erected at the charge of the parish. The font is very curious, made of cast lead, having on it two ranges of emblematical figures, twenty in each range. The steeple is framed of remarkable large timber. It is built entirely of wood, of an octagon form, perpendicular about five feet from the bottom, and from thence leffening to a spire at top, in which it has three different copartments or stories, the two uppermost larger at the bottom, and projecting over those underneath them. Although there are but five bells in it, yet it has frames for several more. The whole is much out of the perpendicular leaning towards the church. In the church-yard are several tombs and gravestones for the Reads.

 

The church of Brookland was part of the antient possessions of the monastery of St. Augustine, to which it was appropriated by pope Clement V. at the request of Ralph Bourne, the abbot of it, in king Edward II.'s reign, but the abbot declined putting the bull for this purpose in force, till a more favourable opportunity. At length John, abbot of St. Augustine, in 1347, obtained another bull from pope Clement VI for the appropriation of it, and having three years afterwards obtained the king's licence for this purpose, (fn. 2) the same was confirmed by archbishop Islip in 1359, who next year endowed the vicarage of this church by his decree, by which he assigned, with the consent of the abbot and convent, and of the vicar, of the rents and profits of the church, to John de Hoghton, priest, then admitted perpetual vicar to the vicarage of it, and canonically instituted, and to his successors in future in it, a fit portion from which they might be fitly maintained and support the undermentioned burthens. In the first place he decreed and ordained, that the religious should build on the soil of the endowment of the church, at their own costs and expences, a competent mansion, with a sufficient close and garden, for the vicar and his successors, free from all rent and secular service, to be repaired and maintained from that time by the vicar for the time being; who on the presentation of the religious to be admitted and instituted by him or his successors, into the vicarage, should likewise have the great tithes of the lands lying on the other side of le Re, towards Dover, viz. beyond the bridge called Brynsete, and towards the parish churches of Brynsete, Snaves, and Ivercherche, belonging to the church of Brokelande, and likewise the tithes arising from the sheaves of gardens or orchards dug with the foot, and also all oblations made in the church or parish, and all tithes of hay, calves, chicken, lambs, pigs, geese, hens, eggs, ducks, pidgeons, bees, honey, wax, swans, wool, milkmeats, pasture, flax, hemp, garden-herbs, apples, vetches, merchandizes, fishings, fowlings, and all manner of small tithes arising from all things whatsoever. And he taxed and estimated the said portion at the annual value of eight marcs sterling, at which sum he decreed the vicar ought to contribute in future, to the payment of the tenth and all other impositions happening, of whatsoever sort. Not intending that the vicar of this church should be entitled to, or take of the issues and rents of it, any thing further than is expressed before, but that he should undergo the burthen of officiating in the same, either by himself or some other sit priest, in divine offices, and in the finding of lights in the chancel, and of bread and wine for the celebration of masses, the washing of vestments, and the reparation of the books of the church, and should nevertheless pay the procuration due to the archbishop, on his visitation. But the rest of the burthens incumbent on the church, and no ways here expressed, should belong to the abbot and convent, &c. (fn. 3) After this, the church and advowson of the vicarage of Brookland remained part of the possessions of the above monastery till the final dissolution of it, anno 30 Henry VIII. when it was, with all its revenues, surrendered into the king's hands, where this rectory and advowson staid but a short time, for the king, by his dotation charter, settled them on his newerected dean and chapter of Canterbury, part of whose possessions they continue at this time.

 

On the abolition of deans and chapters, after the death of king Charles I. this parsonage was surveyed in 1650, when it appeared that it consisted of a close of land of one acre, on which stood the parsonage barne, and other outhouses, with the tithe of corn and other profits belonging to it, estimated coibs annis at twenty four pounds, all which were by indenture, in 1635, demised for twenty-one years, at the yearly rent of eight pounds, but were worth, over and above the said rent, sixteen pounds per annum, and that the lessee was to repair the premises, and the chancel of the parish church.

 

In 1384 this church or rectory appropriate was valued at 13l. 6s. 8d. but anno 31 Henry VIII. it was demised to ferme at only 8l. 3s. 4d. It is now demised on a beneficial lease by the dean and chapter, at the yearly rent of eight pounds to Mrs. Woodman, the present lessee of it. The vicarage of this church is valued in the king's books at 17l. 12s. 8½d. and the yearly tenths at 1l. 15s. 3¼d. In 1587 it was valued at sixty pounds, communicants one hundred and sixtysix, and in 1640 the same, and it is now of about the same value.

 

There is a modus of one shilling per acre on all the grass-lands in this parish. The vicar is entitled to all the small tithes, subject to this modus, throughout the parish, and to the tithes of corn of those lands, being one hundred and twenty-four acres, which lie in detached pieces beyond Brenset bridge, in Romney Marsh, as mentioned before, in the endowment of this vicarage.

 

www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=63502

 

A long low church with the most famous spire in Kent. This three-stage 'candle-snuffer' erection which stand son the ground instead of on a tower is the result of several enlargements of a thirteenth-century bell cage and its subsequent weatherproofing with cedar shingles. It contains a peal of six bells, the oldest of which is mid-fifteenth century in date. The spire is surmounted by a winged dragon weathervane, dating from 1797. The monster has a prominent forked tongue. The reason for the bells being hung in a cage rather than a tower is shown inside the church where the pillars of the nave have sunk into the soft ground and splayed out to north and south. The tie-beams of the roof came away from the walls and have had to be lengthened by the addition of new timber supports. The outstanding Norman font in cast lead has been fully described in Part 1. To the south of the church is a headstone incorporating the only 'Harmer Plaque' in Kent - a terracotta panel made in East Sussex where they are a common feature.

 

www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Brookland

© GERES / Pierre Thiriet

  

1-12-13 Wyndham Street Races

 

Yamaha V-Max Review from Motorcycle News:

 

Overall Verdict 4/5:

The V-Max is what happens when you mix 1679cc and nearly 200 horsepower in a motorcycle that's one part cruiser, one part sportbike - and all parts thrilling. It's difficult to explain just how quickly the V-Max builds speed. Cruise along at 30 mph in second gear, pick up the throttle and hold on tight... you'll be doing 90 mph before you say, "Holycrapthisthingisfast!". It's a thrill ride of epic proportions - the V-Max redefines the word torque. It produces the kind of acceleration that you feel in your chest. The kind you don't soon forget.... and it handles to boot. What's the catch? Well, there's 16,500 of them...

 

Engine 5/5:

The V-Max's brutal all-new 1679cc, 65-degree V4 produces a claimed 200hp (or 197.4bhp) at just 9000rpm. To put that into perspective, that's the same as a GP replica Ducati Desmosedici RR, but at 4000rpm less. To achieve this, the new V-Max borrows heavily from latest sportsbike technology, meaning that looks aside, it has little in common with its predecessor. Key features are the YCC-I adjustable intake funnels (which are a bit like a 21st century V-Boost); R6-style ‘fly-by-wire’ electronic throttle, a high 11.3:1 compression ratio and forged aluminium pistons.

 

Ride & Handling 3/5:

Main frame is an all-new, cast aluminium diamond with a die-cast and extruded rear subframe. Suspension front and rear is about as bling as it gets: mammoth, 52mm diamter inverted forks with TIN coated tubes. Rear monoshock has a remote preload adjuster to go with its shock-mounted rebound and compression adjusters. Front end is multi-adjustable, too. Believe it or not, this beast actually handles.

 

Equipment 3/5:

Handlebars are posh, tapered items. Like the original Vmax and to keep mass centralization as low as possible, the 15-litre fuel tank is mounted under the seat with the fuel filler positioned under the rider’s backrest. All-new instrument panel includes an analog tacho, digital speedo plus LED shift lights. The info-center on the V-Max's pseudo gas tank provides more information than you can imagine... throttle position, miles per gallon and a stop watch - just for starters.

 

Quality & Reliability 4/5:

You can expect the kind of bulletproof quality and reliabilty that has become standard on all new Japanaese motorcycles. It's enough to put the American competition to shame. There's some quality parts as standard, including brembo brakes with wavy discs and a hi-tech info-center on the tank. Interesting fact: the Vmax’s signature aluminium intake covers are hand finished.

 

Value for money 2/5:

At an expected price of £16,500, the V-Max is pretty hard to justify to the missus. That's alot of money for a motorcycle, but then big name cruisers have never been cheap and they still sell, just look at Harley's... But this is no Davidson, complex electronics and sportsbike specs are what pulls the price up, not marketing and branding. If you want a 197bhp cruiser and the kudos that goes with it, be prepared to pay for it.

Source: www.motorcyclenews.com/mcn/bikereviews/searchresults/bike...

It would be easy to look at St Augustine and not see past the belltower. What belltower I hear you ask. Well, that triple candlesnuffer thing beside the stable like entrance of the porch.

 

You see, I had forgotten how fantastic St Augustine was. I was early into the church odyssey thing back in 2009, and I was new to the whole church thing.

 

Yes, it has the belltower. Yes it has that porch with those stable doors. Yes it has that wonderful cast iron font. The church is huge, and difficult for me to judge how it evolved over the centuries.

 

Let me leave it to others to describe the church:

 

-----------------------------------------------------

 

The Church of St Augustine was constructed circa 1250 on a mound to protect it from flooding, probably on the site of a Norman church. The church is entered by the fourteenth century North door with wooden gates, the upper two were stored within the church and the lower doors were topped with spikes to prevent horses jumping the gates during Divine service. There was once a mounting block outside the church however it was removed less than 50 years ago.

 

Once through the porch you enter the North Aisle, in the western end is a closed off Chapel, near to this is the mechanism for the clock which is dedicated to the men of Brookfield who lost their lives whilst serving in World War Two, and the east end, which once housed a chapel to Blessed Virgin, is now home to an organ, installed in 1969.

 

An arcade separates the North Aisle from the Nave, at the end of this at the eastern end is a corbel carved into a face. The font can be found at the western end of the nave and is one of only thirty lead fonts in the country, it is decorated with the zodiac sings and occupations of the months. The Nave and North Aisle hold box pews, and at the eastern end of the Nave is the two tier pulpit with was once three tier, this stands besides the choir pews. Within the Chancel is the alter which stands in front of the remains of an aumbry, to the south is an early piscine and a two-seated sedilia. The arcades separating the North and South Aisles have suffered severe subsidence, the result being they both lean quite obviously. It has been said by an architect that the arcades separating the Nave and South Aisle lean so much that it is beyond the theoretical point of collapse!

 

The south aisle has had its box pews removed due to a very bad case of woodworm which now leaves room for the altar from the east end of the North Aisle and now used as the War Memorial Altar. At the western end is the Tithe Pen, this housed the weights and measures from the times when the vicar was entitled to a tithe, the complete set are now shown in a glass case and are the only remaining items of this kind in Kent. The eastern end of the South Aisle has a piscine and above this is a remarkable painting, dated from the late 1200?s and repainted in the 14th century. It depicts Thomas Becket's martyrdom. Where an altar once stood near this wall painting is now a large table tomb in memory to John Plomer who was three times Mayor of Romney.

 

Beside the church is a free standing belfry, there are many theories giving the reason for the belfry to stand upon the ground, one being that it was blown down from atop the church twice during strong winds and it was decided as it was so keen to stay on the ground then that is where it will stay. The tower holds six bells, only one being original and dated from 1450, three dated 1685 and the old tenor bell also dated 1685 was cast into two smaller bells.

 

www.kenthistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=4992.5;wap2

 

BROOKLAND,

 

SO called from the several brooks and waterings within the bounds of it, lies the next parish southeastward, mostly within the level of Walland Marsh, and within the jurisdiction of the justices of the county; but there are some lands, which are reputed to be within this parish, containing altogether about 124 acres, which lie in detached pieces at some distance south-eastward from the rest of it, mostly near Ivychurch, some other parishes intervening, which lands are within the level of Romney Marsh, and within the liberty and jurisdiction of the justices of it.

 

The PARISH of Brookland lies on higher ground than either Snargate or Fairfield last described, and consequently much drier. It is more sheltered with trees, and inclosed with hedges, than any of the neighbouring parishes. The village is neat and rather pleasant, considering the situation, and the houses, as well as inhabitants, of a better sort than are usually seen in the Marsh. The church stands in the middle of it. The lands towards the south are by far the most fertile, for towards Snargate they are very poor and wet, and much covered with rushes and thistles. It consists in general of marsh-land, there not being above thirty acres of land ploughed throughout the parish, which altogether contains about 1730 acres of land.

 

A fair is held here yearly on the feast of St. Peter ad Vincula, or Lammas-day, being August I, for toys and pedlary.

 

The MANORS of Fairfield, Apledore, Bilsington, and Court at Wick, extend over this parish, subordinate to which is THE MANOR OF BROOKLAND, which has long since lost even the reputation of having been a manor. It was in early times the patrimony of the family of Passele, or Pashley, as they were afterwards called, whose seat was at Evegate, in Smeeth, (fn. 1) of whom Edward de Passeley is the first that is discovered in public records to have been possessed of this manor, and this appears by the inquisition taken after his death, anno 19 Edward II. Soon after which it was alienated to Reginald de Cobham, a younger branch of the Cobhams, of Cobham, whose descendants were seated at Sterborough castle, in Surry, whence they were called Cobhams, of Sterborough, and they had afterwards summons to parliament among the barons of this realm. At length Sir Thomas Cobham died possessed of it in the 11th year of king Edward IV. leaving an only daughter and sole heir, who carried it in marriage to Sir Edward Borough, of Gainsborough, in Lincolnshire, whose son and heir Thomas was summoned to parliament as lord Burgh, or as it is usually pronounced, Borough, anno 21 king Henry VIII. and left a son and heir Thomas, lord Burgh, whose lands were disgavelled by the act anno 31 Henry VIII. His son William, lord Burgh, about the 12th year of queen Elizabeth's reign, passed it away to Eversfield, of Suffex, from whom it was alienated soon afterwards to Godfrey, of Lid, at which time this estate seems to have lost its name of having been a manor. He, before the end of that reign, sold it to Wood, by whom it was again alienated in the beginning of king James I.'s reign to Mr. John Fagge, of Rye, whose descendant John Fagge, esq. of Wiston, in Suffex, was created a baronet in 1660. He had a numerous issue, of which only three sons and two daughters survived. Of the former, Sir Robert, the eldest, was his successor in title; Charles was ancestor of the present baronet, the Rev. Sir John Fagge, of Chartham; and the third son Thomas Fagge, esq. succeeded by his father's will to this estate at Brookland. His son John Meres Fagge, esq. of Glynely, in Sussex, left surviving an only daughter Elizabeth, who on his death in 1769, entitled her husband Sir John Peachy, bart-of West Dean, in Sussex, to the possession of it. He died s. p. and she surviving him, again became entitled to it in her own right, and is at this time the present owner of it.

 

There are noparochial charities.

 

BROOKLAND is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the diocese of Canterbury, and deanry of Limne.

 

The church, which is dedicated to St. Augustine, is a very large handsome building, consisting of three isles and three chancels. The steeple stands on the north side, and at some small distance from it, in which are five bells. The church is kept exceedingly neat and clean. It is cieled throughout, and handsomely pewed. In the high chancel there is a confessionary, and a nich for holy water within the altar-rails. There are several memorials in it, but none of any account worth mentioning. At the west end is a gallery, lately erected at the charge of the parish. The font is very curious, made of cast lead, having on it two ranges of emblematical figures, twenty in each range. The steeple is framed of remarkable large timber. It is built entirely of wood, of an octagon form, perpendicular about five feet from the bottom, and from thence leffening to a spire at top, in which it has three different copartments or stories, the two uppermost larger at the bottom, and projecting over those underneath them. Although there are but five bells in it, yet it has frames for several more. The whole is much out of the perpendicular leaning towards the church. In the church-yard are several tombs and gravestones for the Reads.

 

The church of Brookland was part of the antient possessions of the monastery of St. Augustine, to which it was appropriated by pope Clement V. at the request of Ralph Bourne, the abbot of it, in king Edward II.'s reign, but the abbot declined putting the bull for this purpose in force, till a more favourable opportunity. At length John, abbot of St. Augustine, in 1347, obtained another bull from pope Clement VI for the appropriation of it, and having three years afterwards obtained the king's licence for this purpose, (fn. 2) the same was confirmed by archbishop Islip in 1359, who next year endowed the vicarage of this church by his decree, by which he assigned, with the consent of the abbot and convent, and of the vicar, of the rents and profits of the church, to John de Hoghton, priest, then admitted perpetual vicar to the vicarage of it, and canonically instituted, and to his successors in future in it, a fit portion from which they might be fitly maintained and support the undermentioned burthens. In the first place he decreed and ordained, that the religious should build on the soil of the endowment of the church, at their own costs and expences, a competent mansion, with a sufficient close and garden, for the vicar and his successors, free from all rent and secular service, to be repaired and maintained from that time by the vicar for the time being; who on the presentation of the religious to be admitted and instituted by him or his successors, into the vicarage, should likewise have the great tithes of the lands lying on the other side of le Re, towards Dover, viz. beyond the bridge called Brynsete, and towards the parish churches of Brynsete, Snaves, and Ivercherche, belonging to the church of Brokelande, and likewise the tithes arising from the sheaves of gardens or orchards dug with the foot, and also all oblations made in the church or parish, and all tithes of hay, calves, chicken, lambs, pigs, geese, hens, eggs, ducks, pidgeons, bees, honey, wax, swans, wool, milkmeats, pasture, flax, hemp, garden-herbs, apples, vetches, merchandizes, fishings, fowlings, and all manner of small tithes arising from all things whatsoever. And he taxed and estimated the said portion at the annual value of eight marcs sterling, at which sum he decreed the vicar ought to contribute in future, to the payment of the tenth and all other impositions happening, of whatsoever sort. Not intending that the vicar of this church should be entitled to, or take of the issues and rents of it, any thing further than is expressed before, but that he should undergo the burthen of officiating in the same, either by himself or some other sit priest, in divine offices, and in the finding of lights in the chancel, and of bread and wine for the celebration of masses, the washing of vestments, and the reparation of the books of the church, and should nevertheless pay the procuration due to the archbishop, on his visitation. But the rest of the burthens incumbent on the church, and no ways here expressed, should belong to the abbot and convent, &c. (fn. 3) After this, the church and advowson of the vicarage of Brookland remained part of the possessions of the above monastery till the final dissolution of it, anno 30 Henry VIII. when it was, with all its revenues, surrendered into the king's hands, where this rectory and advowson staid but a short time, for the king, by his dotation charter, settled them on his newerected dean and chapter of Canterbury, part of whose possessions they continue at this time.

 

On the abolition of deans and chapters, after the death of king Charles I. this parsonage was surveyed in 1650, when it appeared that it consisted of a close of land of one acre, on which stood the parsonage barne, and other outhouses, with the tithe of corn and other profits belonging to it, estimated coibs annis at twenty four pounds, all which were by indenture, in 1635, demised for twenty-one years, at the yearly rent of eight pounds, but were worth, over and above the said rent, sixteen pounds per annum, and that the lessee was to repair the premises, and the chancel of the parish church.

 

In 1384 this church or rectory appropriate was valued at 13l. 6s. 8d. but anno 31 Henry VIII. it was demised to ferme at only 8l. 3s. 4d. It is now demised on a beneficial lease by the dean and chapter, at the yearly rent of eight pounds to Mrs. Woodman, the present lessee of it. The vicarage of this church is valued in the king's books at 17l. 12s. 8½d. and the yearly tenths at 1l. 15s. 3¼d. In 1587 it was valued at sixty pounds, communicants one hundred and sixtysix, and in 1640 the same, and it is now of about the same value.

 

There is a modus of one shilling per acre on all the grass-lands in this parish. The vicar is entitled to all the small tithes, subject to this modus, throughout the parish, and to the tithes of corn of those lands, being one hundred and twenty-four acres, which lie in detached pieces beyond Brenset bridge, in Romney Marsh, as mentioned before, in the endowment of this vicarage.

 

www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=63502

 

A long low church with the most famous spire in Kent. This three-stage 'candle-snuffer' erection which stand son the ground instead of on a tower is the result of several enlargements of a thirteenth-century bell cage and its subsequent weatherproofing with cedar shingles. It contains a peal of six bells, the oldest of which is mid-fifteenth century in date. The spire is surmounted by a winged dragon weathervane, dating from 1797. The monster has a prominent forked tongue. The reason for the bells being hung in a cage rather than a tower is shown inside the church where the pillars of the nave have sunk into the soft ground and splayed out to north and south. The tie-beams of the roof came away from the walls and have had to be lengthened by the addition of new timber supports. The outstanding Norman font in cast lead has been fully described in Part 1. To the south of the church is a headstone incorporating the only 'Harmer Plaque' in Kent - a terracotta panel made in East Sussex where they are a common feature.

 

www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Brookland

A difficult one to date this as you can't trust the sample adverts (that have dates of 1907) and from what I understand Shank's issued this typeface around 1910 and prior to WW1. The complexity is that in 1913 Monotype introduced a hot metal typeface 'Plantin' named after the sixteenth century printer of that name and loosly based on a Granjon typeface. It was to become one of Monotype's most popular and influential typefaces. Anyhow, this is the synopsis for the Shank's version "Ye Plantin Old Style". P M Shanks, the Patent Type Foundry, dated back to 1855, and would merge with rival company Stevens in 1933. The combined company appears to have survived through liquidation in 1949 until the 1970s or '80s.

Processing was difficult so I took the liberty of making it look more like a painting...

 

This trip was rather frustrating. First, there was very bright sunlight, making it difficult to expose. Second, there were too many people who kept walking into my compositions. Third, there was a lot of man-made crap built all around the spring... which dissapointed me a lot. Why is it that people take beautiful places like this and put cement walls and manicured lawns all around it? As if humans could make a place MORE beautiful than the way mother nature created it... by "taming" it. Ugh... way to take paradise and turn it into f-ing disneyland. At least the area around the head of the spring was less built-around (although there were still bridges and a visually jarring railing, signage, and red floating barricade to keep people from going near the opening of the spring). Sigh.... at least the water itself was beautiful.

Probably the most difficult thing to read were these telegrams, sent to both his mother and father, at top left and to my mother, at top right and lower left and were, I guess, the hardest notifications to receive from any of the armed forces during the war. This is the 'Regret to Inform you ...' telegram and indicating any 'further information' will be communicated as soon as its available. These three telegrams arrived on the 27th April 1945. Subsequent to this, 11 days later, another arrived, from his 'pal' Tom, on the 9th May 1945 stating that 'Bill Ok. in England Soon' and this was followed two days later by another, on the 11 May 1945, from himself, with thankfully good news, or else I wouldn't be writing this, indicating to my mother, 'In England. quite well..'. The relief which is wife-to-be and his mother and father must have felt can in part be gleaned from the following text written, it is clear by his father, also William Henry Oates.

 

A diary written by William Henry Oates, Snr.

---------------------------------------------

The following entries were extracted from an old notebook written between March 1943 and February 1946. The journal entries were written by my grandfather, during the course of my father’s time (William Henry Oates, DOB 14 March 1925) in the Royal Air Force. The pencil written notes were clear enough, even after all this time, to enable the text to be copied almost verbatim. Only odd words have been added to make short sentences more understandable. The almost empty notebook was almost thrown out, around 2005, as having no particular use; its a very good job I flicked through the pages to see if there was anything in it!

 

The Diary.

---------------

* Joined Up – 16/3/43(aged 18). Volunteered, went to Doncaster for interview – April 1943

* Called Up, 28/6/43

Went to Lords (shop?) to be fitted out and then on to Bridgnorth in Shropshire.

* We paid him a visit in the last week in July, 1943.

(Enjoyed it)

* Came home on first leave, September 1943.

* Went to Yatesbury in Wiltshire when he went back off leave.

* Passed exams and got L.A.C pay in December 1943.

* Came on leave 22nd December and went back on the 29th December 1943.

* First Flight on January 7th 1944.

(Enjoyed it)

* Second Flight on the same day, hit air pocket.

* Missed several flights through bad weather = very disappointed.

* Went up again on 24th January 1944 – enjoyed it.

* Taken up by bomber pilot. Had exciting time.

* Came home on leave on 30th March 1944 and went back on 6th April 1944.

* Came on week-end leave 12th February1944, left in Doncaster station at 3am till 7am. Went back Sunday and had to walk 15 miles.

* Finished lessons for passing out on 23rd March 1944.

* Passed out on Monday 27th March 1944.

** Was asked if he wanted to be recommended for a commission and refused it, 13th April 1944.

* Came on 48 hours leave, 9th May 1944.

* Came on 7 days leave, 13th June 1944, went back on 20th June 1944.

* Granted leave on 22nd July 1944.

* Leave cancelled on 24th July 1944.

* Came on leave 29th July 1944, went back 6th August 1944. Had to hitch-hike from London to Camp.

* Went to Wigtown in Scotland to a new camp, 8th August 1944.

* Went for night flight, something went wrong with plane, landed at Shrewsbury in Shropshire on 24th August 1944.

* Bought gold wrist watch for Son, 21st September 1944.

* Posted 29th September 1944.

* Posted to Tilstock in Shropshire, came on 48 hours leave on Wednesday night. Went back 5th October 1944.

* Posted to Sleap in Tilstock. Crewed up October 1944. Working all day flying, 8.5 hours.

* Went to valley in Isle of Anglesey, 14th November 1944. Enjoyed it.

* Came back from Sleap after 3 days.

* Came home on 36 hours leave, 23rd November 1944. Having a rough time.

* Got watch repaired, needed new glass. Sent it back to Son 25th November 1944.

* Came home on 36 hours leave, 2nd December 1944. Got back in good time.

* Came home on 9 days leave, 18th December 1944. Had a good time, went back 27th December 1944 to another post, Keevil(Wiltshire), but only stopped there a few days.

* Went back to Tilstock.

* Came over for a day on 14th January 1945.

* Came over again on 21st January 1945.

* Came home on 10 days leave, 14th February 1945. Got 48 hours extension.

* Posted to Essex. Matching, then to Rivenhall in Essex.

** Went over to Brussels, 17th March 1945.

** In Great Air-borne Raid over the Rhine, 24th March 1945. ******************

* Came home on 36 hours leave, 27th March 1945.

** Posted to Rivenhall on 9th April 1945.

* Came home on 36 hours leave, 14th April 1945. Very tired. Told mother what he was going to do when he went back.

** Posted as missing in air operations 26th April 1945. ******************

** Got Telegram 27th April 1945. ******************

** Got telephone message from Son to say he was safe, 9th April 1945. ******************

** Son sent telegram to say he had arrived back in England, 11th May 1945. ******************

* Went to hospital at Basford near Wolverhampton.

* Came home on leave 18th May 1945. Six weeks leave. Got extension of leave 20th June 1945. First mention of Doreen.

* Got engaged 23rd June 1945.

* 28th June 1945. Two years in R.A.F.

* Went back to Basford, 18th July 1945.

* Came home on Week-end leave 21st to 23rd July 1945. Not in very good health.

* Discharged from Basford on the 27th August 1945.

* Came home on indefinite leave. Called back to report at Catterick with full kit on 17th September 1945.

* Came back with full kit from Catterick on 22nd September 1945.

* Indefinite leave – waiting to be posted.

* Posted to St. Athan in Glamorgan, 11th October 1945.

** Having new course training for Flight Engineer. Expects course to last 18 weeks.

* Not very settled – keeps coming home for week-ends.

** Thinking of getting married in January 1946.

* Came home on Christmas leave for 9 days. Let it be known they were getting married on the 26th January 1946.

* Offered a ‘B’ release. Accepted it.

* Leaving St. Athan’s for demobed centre Wen(Watton Demob Centre?).

* 23rd January 1946. Expecting to be home, Friday 25th January 1946.

* Came home Thursday 24th January 1946. Granted ‘B’ release and has finished with the R.A.F. on the 14th February 1946.

* Got married on Saturday 26th January 1946.

* Gone to Blackpool for honeymoon. Having a good time. Came back Sunday night 3rd February 1946.

* Gone to Ranskill with Doreen for a few days.

* Came down to see Mr. Strude about starting back in his job, told him he could do nothing for him as he had a ‘B’ release from R.A.F.

* Starting back at SPT (Steel Peach & Tozer), Monday 18th February 1946.

* So, that is the end of his R.A.F. career.

(Ends here)

  

For those interested, a point raised by Adrian Wynn regarding what a 'Release B' referred too above.

It appears that this class of release from the armed forces was issued for those with reserved occupations before the war and who were thought important to get back into the workforce when the war ended. In this instance it appears that whoever 'Mr. Strude' was, he no longer operated one of the reserved occupation businesses which it looks like my father was working for, before he signed up to the R.A.F. in March 1943, aged then 18, si at the most he can only have been in Mr. Strude's employ for 3 years. Sone details regarding the Class 'B' release from the Armed Forces-

.''' The essential details of Bevin’s demob plan had been announced back in September 1944. It divided servicemen into two categories, or classes. Most men – nine out of ten – were in Class A. For these men, the order in which they would be demobilised was calculated according to two factors: their date of birth, and the month that their war service began. Two months of service were equivalent in value to one year of age. Each servicemen was allocated a Release Group Number that he could consult on a simple table published in the official Forces guidebook, Release and Resettlement. The older you were and the longer you had served, the lower your Group Number would be. Groups were to be released in turn, with Group 1 first, then Group 2, and so on.

The exceptional one in ten servicemen were known as the Class B ‘key men.’ They had been in pre-war civilian occupations – coal mining, building and civil engineering, teaching, the police service – which were considered so vital to reconstruction that it was justifiable on grounds of national interest to discharge them ahead of the rest of their Release Group. The plan was well received because it emphasised simplicity and transparency. Everyone’s place in the Class A order of release was based on two straightforward pieces of information; anyone could easily calculate anyone else’s Group Number if they wanted to. Officers and other ranks were to be treated identically. Men stationed abroad would be returned to the United Kingdom to be released at the same time as men on home service. As for Class B, Bevin was emphatic that this was not a soft option or an attractive way of jumping the queue. Anyone released in Class B was expected to work for his reconstruction employer only, and if he left that job he became immediately liable for recall to the Forces. Whereas newly released Class A servicemen would get eight weeks’ leave with full pay upon their release, those in Class B would only get three weeks.

Yet by the end of 1945, demobilisation was being described by one of the Labour Party’s own MPs as “the Achilles heel” of the Attlee government. “Thousands of us are becoming embittered and demoralised,” complained an RAF airman to the Daily Herald; other servicemen spoke of “disgust and rebellion” and how “bitter, frustrated, and completely disillusioned” they felt. Something had gone very badly wrong.The massive influx of people from the armed forces overwhelmed the country's capacity for providing work, housing and above all a sense of well being that should have been accorded to the returning "conquering heroes".As it was the nation was on the verge of bankruptcy, a gigantic industry geared to the war effort suddenly ground to a halt and it's employees thrown on to the Dole,further exacerbating the Job Situation and of course Rationing of food, clothing, furniture etc. was still in force. "A Land Fit for Heroes"-it was not!!! NB. Husbands and wives also had to adjust to living together again after many years apart. One indicator of the social problems this caused was the postwar divorce rate; over 60,000 applications were processed in 1947 alone, a figure that would not be reached again until the 1960s...'

 

View "Difficult to Differentiate" on black or on white.

 

© 2020 Jeff Stewart. All rights reserved.

Reposts of previously posted due to being blurred, some came out better than others.

 

I was having trouble with my computer at the time, making editing difficult.

 

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WATRINGBURY.

NORTH-EASTWARD from East or Great Peckham lies Watringbury, called in Domesday, OTRINGEBERGE, and in the Textus Roffensis, WOTRINGABERIA. It is supposed to have taken its name from its low and watry situation.

 

THE PARISH of Watringbury is almost square, about a mile and a quarter each way, and contains about eighty-three families.

 

So much of it as lies southward of the quarry hills, which cross the northern part of it, is within the district of the Weald. beyond which there are some coppice woods adjoining to East-Malling heath. The soil is exceedingly fruitful for corn, fruit and hops, being a loam thinly covering the rock stone. The village, which stands on the high road from Maidstone towards Mereworth and Tunbridge, is both healthy and pleasant; in it is the vicarage, a neat genteel house, almost rebuilt by Mr. Charlton, a late vicar, since much improved, and the ground round it laid out in the modern taste by the Rev. Mr. Style, the present vicar, who for some time resided in it; and at the west end of it is Watringbury-place, a handsome brick mansion; at the east end of the village is Watringbury-cross, whence the road leads down to the river Medway, at the south east boundary of this parish. It is well watered by several springs of sweet clear water, which rise near the place house, and run into the stream which comes from Mereworth, and turning a mill, goes on south-eastward towards the Medway, which it joins near Bow-bridge.

 

There is a vill or boroughin this parish, containing the west division of it, the hamlet of which is situated on the Maidstone road, adjoining to Mereworth parish, being called Pizein-well, from one Pizein, who owned the well here.

 

Lilly is another hamletbelonging to this parish, which lies about five miles to the south of it, and is surrounded by the parishes of Yalding, East Peckham, and Tudeley. It is a low wet place, containing but one house, which, with the greatest part of the land here, was in the possession of Mr. Henry Simmonds, who in 1764 alienated his interest in it to Alexander Courthorpe, esq. of Horsemonden, who died a few years ago, and by will gave this among his other estates to his nephew John Cole, esq. of Horsemonden, the present owner of it.

 

There was till of late years, a singular, though a very antient custom, kept up, of electing a deputy to the dumb borsholder of Chart, as it was called, claiming liberty over fifteen houses in the precinct of Pizein-well; every housholder of which was formerly obliged to pay the keeper of this borsholder one penny yearly. This dumb borsholder was always first called at the court leet holden for the hundred of Twyford; when its keeper, who was yearly appointed by that court, held it up to his call, with a neckcloth or handkerchief put through the iron ring fixed at the top, and answered for it. This borsholder of Chart, and the court leet, has been discontinued about sixty years; and the borsholder, who is put in by the quarter sessions for Watringbury, claims over the whole parish.

 

This dumb borsholder was made of wood, about three feet and half an inch long, with an iron ring at the top, and four more by the sides, near the bottom, where it had a square iron spike fixed, four inches and an half long, to fix it in the ground, or on occasion to break open doors, &c. which was used to be done, without a warrant of any justice, on suspicion of goods having been unlawfully come by, and concealed in any of these fifteen houses.

 

It is not easy at this distance of time to ascertain the origin of this dumb officer. Perhaps it might have been made use of as a badge or ensign, by the officer of the market here. The last person who acted as deputy to it, was one Thomas Clampard, a blacksmith, whose heirs have it now in their possession.

 

The market granted in king Edward IId.'s time as above-mentioned, is reported by tradition to have continued to be held here in a place called Chart-garden, now a wood near Pizein well, in the south-west part of this parish, in which wood there are to be seen foundations of walls and houses, and in it and the neighbouring lands are several draw wells.

 

Watringbury, with other places in this neighbourhood, was bound antiently to contribute to the repair of the fifth pier of Rochester bridge. (fn. 1)

 

THIS PLACE, at the time of taking the survey of Domesday, in the reign of William the Conqueror, was part of the possessions of Odo, the great bishop of Baieux and earl of Kent, half-brother to that king; and it is accordingly entered, under the general title of his lands, in that survey as follows:

 

Ralph Fitz Turald bolds of the bishop (of Baieux) Otringeberge. It was taxed at two sulings. The arable land is five carucates. In demesne there are two, and six villeins, with eight borderers, having three carucates. There is a church, and two mills of three shillings, and two acres of meadow, and a fishery of thirty eels; wood for the pannage of two bogs. In the time of king Ed ward the Confessor, and afterwards, it was worth forty shillings, now six pounds. Leveva held it of king Edward.

 

To this manor belong four houses in the city, paying three shillings.

 

Hugo de Braiboue holds of the bishop Otringberge. It was taxed at two sulings. The arable land is four carucates. In demesne there is one, and nine villeins, with four borderers, having two carucates. There are three servants, and one mill of sixteen pence, and three acres of meadow; wood for the pannage of two bogs. In the time of king Edward the Confessor, and afterwards, it was worth four pounds, now one hundred shillings. Godil held it of king Edward.

 

Leuric de Otringeberge, at the time above-mentioned, is recorded in the same survey, to have had the liberties of sacand soc for his lands within the lath of Aylesford.

 

In the reign of king Henry II. Richard de Otringeberge appears to have held two knights's fees in Watringbury of Walter de Meduana, who held the same of the king in capite; which were held in like manner of king Henry I. by Jeffry Talbot. (fn. 2)

 

In the reign of king Henry III. this place continued in the possession of the same family, Gilbert de Watringberi, who bore for his arms, Argent, six lioncels rampant, sable, held this estate as one knight's see and an half, of Warine de Montchensie. (fn. 3)

 

Soon after which it came into the family of Leyborne, of Leyborne-castle, in this neighbourhood. Henry de Leyborne held it in the reign of king Edward II. in the 4th year of which he obtained for his manor of Wateringbury a market there on a Wednesday, and one fair on the feast of St. John the Baptist, and free warren in the lands of it. He died without issue, leaving his niece Juliana his heir, who was likewife heir to her father Thomas de Leyborne, and likewife to her grandfather William; and from the greatness of her possessions in this county was called the Infanta of Kent.

 

On her death in the 41st year of king Edward III. without issue by either of her husbands, this manor, with the appendant ones of Chart, in this parish, and of Fowkes, in Mereworth, escheated to the crown for want of heirs; for it appears by the inquisition taken in the 43d year of the above reign, that there was then no one who could make claim to her estates, either by direct, or even collateral alliance. (fn. 4)

 

After which the king, by his charter, in the 50th year of his reign, granted these manors, among other premises, to seoffees, for the endowment of his newlyfounded Cistertian abbey, called St. Mary Graces, near the Tower of London, and king Richard II. by his letters patent, in his 22d year, granted them to that abbey, in pure and perpetual alms, for the performance of certain religious purposes therein mentioned; and he gave licence to the surviving feoffees to release these premises to the abbot and his successors for ever.

 

This manor, with its appendages above mentioned, remained part of the possessions of the above monastery till the dissolution of it in the 30th year of king Henry VIII. when they were surrendered into the king's hands, who in the 36th year of his reign granted them to Giles Bridges, citizen and baker of London, and Robert Harris, to hold in capite by knight's service. Notwithstanding which, Giles Bridges appears to have had the sole interest in them, and he that year passed these manors, with woods called Baldinge, Selwood, and Abbots-thorpe, to Sir Robert Southwell, of Mereworth, who two years afterwards had a confirmation of these manors. He quickly after alienated them to Sir Edward North, chancellor of the court of augmentation, and of the privy council, who in the 6th year of king Edward VI. passed them away by sale to Sir Martin Bowes, and he alienated them quickly afterwards to Sir John Baker, of Sifinghurst, who died in the 5th and 6th year of Philip and Mary, and was succeeded in them by his eldest son, Sir Richard Baker, who in the 1st year of queen Elizabeth had possession granted of them, but his grandson John Baker, esq. in the 17th year of that reign, alienated them to Nevill de la Hay, son of Hugh de la Hay, by Anne, daughter and coheir of Thomas Roydon, of East Peckham, whose son, George de la Hay, in the latter end of that reign, conveyed the manor of Chart to Roger Twysden, esq. of East Peckham, whose descendant, Sir William Jarvis Twysden, bart. of Roydon-hall, is the present possessor of it.

 

BUT THE MANOR of Watringbury, with that of Foulkes, was conveyed by George de la Hay to Mr. Wilkinson, of Lenham, who bore for his arms, Gules, a fess vaire between three unicorns passant or; which coat was confirmed to Richard Wilkinson, of this place, one of the clerks in chancery, by William Camden, clarencieux, in 1605. He alienated them to Oliver Style, esq. second son of Sir Humphry Style, of Langley, in Beckenham. (fn. 5)

 

He served the office of sheriff of London, and on purchasing this manor retired to the mansion of it, called Watringbury-place, where he died in 1622, bearing for his arms, as did his several descendants, sable, a fess or, fretted of the field, between three fleurs de lis, and within a bordure of the second.

 

He was succeeded in this estate by Thomas, his only surviving child, who resided here, and was created a baronet on April 21, 1627, being the third year of king Charles I.

 

His grandson, Sir Thomas Style, bart. of Watringbury-place, married first Elizabeth, daughter of Sir William Armine, bart. of Osgodby, in Lincolnshire, by whom he had Oliver, his only surviving son, and four daughters, of whom Mary was married to Sir Felix Wild, bart. of Malling, and Susan to Thomas Dalyson, esq. of Hamptons. By his second wife, Margaret, daughter of Sir Thomas Twisden, bart. of Bradborne, he had a son Thomas, who survived him; and Margaret, married to Robert Viner, esq.

 

Sir Thomas Style died in 1702, in his 78th year, and was buried in this church. He was succeeded by his only surviving son, by his first marriage, Sir Oliver Style, bart. who died without issue the same year, and lies buried under a handsome monument, in the south part of this church-yard. (fn. 6) On which the title and estate descended to his half brother Thomas, above mentioned, who in 1707 pulled down the mansion of Watringbury-place, a very antient building, moated round, and erected the present seat more to the westward of the other, in which he kept his shrievalty in the 8th year of queen Anne, anno 1710, and resided to the time of his death in 1768. He lies buried in this church, as does Elizabeth his wife, eldest daughter of Sir Charles Hotham, bart. by whom he had four sons, Thomas who died in 1741, and lies buried at Ormskirk, in Lancashire; Charles, who succeeded him in title and estate: Robert, now vicar of this parish, and rector of Mereworth, who married Priscilla, daughter of the Rev. John Davis, late rector of Mereworth; and William, late a major-general, who married Catherine, sister and coheir of John Long Bateman, esq. of Ireland; and also two daughters, Elizabeth and Charlotte, who both died un married, the latter at Canons, in this parish in 1795. Sir Charles Style, bart. of Watringbury-place, married Miss Isabella Wingfield, sister to the lord viscount Powerscourt, and dying in London in 1774, was buried in this church, leaving one son and one daughter, the former is the present Sir Charles Style, bart. of Watringbury place, who married in 1795 the eldest daughter of James Whatman. esq. of Vinters, in Boxley, and he is the present possessor of the manors of Watringbury and Fowkes.

 

WESTBERY is a manor in this parish, which in the reign of king Henry III. was held by Peter Fitz. Robert, of Simon Fitz Adam, as the twentieth part of one knight's fee; after which it came into the possession of a family, who took their surname from it. (fn. 7) Robert de Westbery was owner of it in the reign of king Edward II. and his descendant, Thomas de Westbery, paid aid for it in the 20th year of king Edward III.

 

The last of this name, who owned this place, was John de Westbery, who in the beginning of the reign of king Henry VI. dying without issue, gave it by will to Agnes Ellis, his niece, and she in the 23d year of that reign, alienated it to Richard Fishborne, who in the 33d year of it conveyed it by sale to Sir Thomas Browne, of Beechworth-castle, treasurer of the houshold, and privy counsellor to king Henry VI. whose descendant Sir Thomas Browne, of the same place, in the 25th year of queen Elizabeth, passed it away by sale to Roger Twysden, esq. of East Peckham, (fn. 8) whose descendant Sir Wm. Jarvis Twysden, bart. of Roydon-hall, is the present possessor of it.

 

CANONS-COURT is a manor here, which acquired that name from its being part of the possessions of the prior and canons of Leeds.

 

This place, in the reign of king Henry III. was in the tenure of Gilbert de Watringbury, who then held it as one 4th part of a knight's see, of Simon Fitz Adam, and gave it in pure and perpetual alms to that priory; which gift was confirmed by Bartholomew, his son.

 

It continued part of the possessions of the priory of Leeds till the dissolution of it, in the reign of king Henry VIII. when it was, together with all its revenues, surrendered into the king's hands, who by his dotation charter, under his great seal, in his 33d year, settled it on his new-erected dean and chapter of Rochester, where the inheritance of it still remains.

 

Mr. Robert Scoles was lessee of this manor, as well as the parsonage, in 1649, and resided here, and his son, Jaiper Scoles, esq. died lessee of both. Since which the family of Style have been for many years tenants to the dean and chapter for both. Sir Charles Style, bart. is the present lessee.

 

There is a court baron held for this manor.

 

THE CODDS were an antient family in this parish, and had their seat in it, called PELICANS, to which belonged a large tract of land. William Codd, esq. died possessed of it in the reign of king William and queen Mary, and was buried in this church, leaving by Deborah his wife an only son and heir, James Codd, esq. who resided at Pelicans, and died whilst sheriff in 1708, and was buried here, bearing for his arms, Argent a fess embattled sable, between six pellets. He died without issue and intestate; so that his estate became divided among several claimants; one of whom, Thomas Kirby, gent. enjoyed the family seat, as part of the share which fell to his lot, and his heirs conveyed it to Sir Thomas Style, bart. in whose great grandson, Sir Charles Style, bart. of this parish, the present inheritance is now vested.

 

WARDENS is an estate in this parish, which was the antient seat of the Woods, who bore for their arms, Argent, on a fess ragule azure, three fleurs de lis or; which coat was confirmed, or assigned by patent, by Segar to Henry Wood, of London and Watringbury, and to Robert Wood, his brother, the last of this name who resided in it, alienated it, about 1674, to Sir Thomas Style, bart. whose son of the same name, conveyed it to William Burleston, clerk, rector of Warehorne, in whose family it remained till about thirty years ago, when it was sold to Mr. John Whitaker, gent. of Barming, whose nephew, Thomas Whitaker, esq. of Trottesclive, is the present owner of it.

 

Charities.

HENRY WOOD, citizen and haberdasher of London, a native of this parish, gave, in the year 1630, 40s. per annum to the poor of it for ever; and 8s. per annum for a sermon to be preached yearly on the Sunday next after Candlemas-day in the afternoon; when the distribution of the money is to be made.

 

OLIVER STYLE, ESQ. in 1632, gave the weekly sum of 1s. to be distributed in bread in the church, every Sunday, to six poor persons for ever.

 

THE LADY of Sir Thomas Style, bart. in 1737, gave the silver slaggon and plate, for the altar.

 

MRS. CHARLTOS, relict of the late Mr. George Charlton, the vicar, was a benefactor to this church, by giving the pul pit cloth and cushion, and other things to it, at different times.

 

There has been A SCHOOL in this parish at times for teaching reading, writing, and arithmetic, for near 100 years; but as there is neither house nor salary for the master, the number of scholars is very uncertain.

 

WATRINGBURY is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the diocese of Rochester, and deanry of Malling.

 

The church, which is dedicated to St. John Baptist, stands at the west end of the village, It is an antient gothic building, with a high spire steeple, in which hang three bells, it was repaired at a great expence in 1745; the church is handsomely pewed and wainscotted. There are some remains of good painted glass in the windows, particularly of king Edward III. and his queen, and before the late great hail storm, there was in the south window the history of the decollation of St. John Baptist, pretty entire; but it was then part of it broke to pieces.

 

This church, which was antiently appendant to the manor of Canons-court, was given in the reign of king Henry II. by Hamo, son of Richard de Watringbury, lord of this parish, to the prior and canons of Leeds, and it was confirmed to it by Walter, then bishop of Rochester, who, on the resignation of Walter, then parson of it, admitted the prior, in the name of his convent, into the actual possession of it. (fn. 9)

 

It was some time after this appropriated to that priory; in which situation it continued till the dissolution of it in the reign of king Henry VIII. when it was, among the other possessions of the priory, surrendered up to the king, who by his dotation charter, in his 33d year, settled both the parsonage, and advowson of the vicarage, on his new-erected dean and chapter of Rochester, with whom they now remain. The lessee of the parsonage has always been the same as of Canon-court, the present lessee being Sir Charles Style, bart. but the dean and chapter retain the advowson in their own hands.

 

¶On the intended dissolution of deans and chapters, after the death of king Charles I. the possessions of the dean and chapter of Rochester, in this parish, were surveyed in 1649, by order of the state; when it appeared, that they consisted of the manor of Canon-court, together with the rectory or parsonage of Watringbury appendant to that manor, and certain woodlands there. That the parsonage consisted of all the tithes, and tithe-corn, annually coming, aris ing, and growing out of all the lands and fields within the precincts and extreme bounds of this parish, with all commodities and appurtenances belonging to them, which premises were valued at the annual sum of sixty pounds, and were let by the late dean and chapter, in the 15th year of the late king Charles, to Robert Scoles, for twenty-one years, at the yearly rent of 13l. 6s. 8d. and six capons, valued at twelve shillings, which rent was apportioned, 5l. 6s. 8d. to the manor of Canon-court, the same being worth 36l. 2s. 7d. yearly, over and above the said rent; and the remainder of the rent, being 8l. 12s. was apportioned to the parsonage, which was worth yearly, over and above the same, 51l. 8s. That the lessee was bound to repair the premises, and the chancel of the church, and that he was immediate tenant of these premises. That the advowson, or right of patronage to the vicarage, belonged to the lord of the abovementioned manor, which vicarage was then worth 30l. per annum. (fn. 10)

 

The vicarage of Watringbury is a discharged living in the king's books, of the clear yearly certified value of forty-eight pounds, the yearly tenths of which are ten shillings.

 

Mr. George Charlton, vicar of this place, rebuilt the vicarage-house in 1731, at the expence of 400l. and having obtained 100l. of Sir William Langhorne's legacy, and 15l. 15s. from the dean and chapter of Rochester, he added the residue to make it the sum of 200l. and thereby entitled this vicarage to queen Anne's bounty of the further sum of 200l. with which it was augmented about the year 1732.

 

www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-kent/vol5/pp106-118

It is often very difficult to get a decent photograph of opencast workings due to the huge bunds of stripped material that surround them. In this case the circumstances meant I was only able to take this rather jumbled shot of machines, dump trucks and a glimpse of coal seam.

 

The Cutacre site at Little Hulton, between Bolton and Wigan, is being worked by UK Coal who intend to take out the seams and also wash the massive spoil tip which remains from many years of deep mining in the area. The planning permission is for 900,000 tonnes of surface mined coal and 850,000 tonnes from tip washing.

It’s difficult to improve upon a thoroughly considered $1.6 million hypercar, but McLaren has certainly given it one helluva crack. The marque’s special ops team (McLaren Special Operations) has just released a drool-worthy new theme for the McLaren Elva to one-up the original 804 hp roadster.

 

Inspired by Bruce McLaren’s superlight M1A, the reimagined Elva honors the marque’s storied racing history while showcasing all the latest automotive innovations. It’s an amalgamation of old and new and boasts impressive specs to boot.

 

A worthy muse, McLaren’s M1A was the quickest car on track at the Canadian Sports Car Grand Prix in 1964, smashing the lap record multiple times. The ferocious racer hit eye-watering speeds while exuding McLaren’s distinctive aesthetic beauty and has been artfully re-created thanks to this theme.

 

Sporting a sleek, black exterior, the roadster has Bruce McLaren’s iconic number 4 emblazoned on the rear quarter panels and silver-and-red racing stripes across the front bumper and rocker panels. Meanwhile, the Alcantara interior pairs jet black with plush burgundy upholstery.

 

While this one-of-a-kind Elva may take some design cues from the ‘60s, performance-wise it’s decidedly futuristic. Officially the lightest McLaren road car ever, the Elva boasts a bespoke carbon-fiber body and chassis, plus feather-light materials throughout. The land missile can soar from standstill to 60 mph in less than three seconds, thanks to a thundering 804 hp, twin-turbo V-8.

 

On top of that, McLaren claims the open-air dream machine, which has no roof, windshield or side windows, features the world’s first Active Air Management System. This ingenious design redirects airflow over the cockpit to create what the marque calls “a bubble of calm,” which means your hat should stay on even at menacingly high speeds.

 

The original McLaren Elva will be limited to just 399 examples and is expected to roll off the production line towards the end of this year. McLaren did not disclose exactly how many Elva M1As will be made but, hopefully, it won’t be too long before we see one flying through the streets.

This was a surprisingly difficult picture to take and I'm still not sure I managed to capture it properly. The sun had just risen over the coastal mountains with a burning reflection right across the waters of Boundary Bay. The mudflats were teeming with ducks, geese and waders. This bay straddles the boundary of British Columbia in Canada and Washington State USA, hence the name.

She studied at the St. Petersburg Conservatory (with Alexander had supposed - we interviewed him) and sings in many European countries. And on the street it is difficult to find because of the opera singers (and even on the conductors) always think they are a huge growth - those who are on the scene, always a cut above those in the audience. In fact, in art, everything is a little different than we think.

 

Liubov BELOTSERKOVSKAYA:

THREE "THANK YOU"

THREE "LOVE"

 

JUNIOR CLASSES AND ITALY

As the concert began a stormy life?

Long ago, with lessons on the piano. We went with my parents at the two international competition, and even occupied. They had the euphoria - hurray, our child will be a musician. Then it all started. Why tumultuous life? Interventions require daily activities; stormy life - it is rough work. I was five years old started practicing the piano, and won the first contest, it seems, at nine. Four years of painstaking training, and you're the first prize winner, so anything is possible.

They say that musicians do not have child ...

Of course, nothing is achieved without difficulty, but in the nine years I have visited in Italy. In the class asked me: "Well, how is it? .."

Jealous, I guess.

Respected.

 

PLAYER AND GERGIEV

The first "LOVE"

And listen to what music?

The player I have a classic. Sometimes I like listening to soundtracks to old Hollywood movies, Japanese movies and cartoons - when they are recorded with a symphony orchestra. We have a branch in St. Petersburg, directing - they love to put this music dance and other activities, and they want me and supply it. In general, modern classical authors in Russia are not enough. But we have an interesting cable channel "Mezzo", which sometimes show, for example, the modern opera productions. At the Mariinsky Theatre in "White Nights" has been modernized production of Wagner, a special interest to obtain "Tristan und Isolde." This concert was staged without costumes. Behind a screen, which aired video. It was very organic, with foreign soloists. And he knows how to be an organic Gergiev - no vulgarity, no inconsistencies: the music of Wagner, is a modern video director, they may be together.

 

AFTERNOON IN VENICE

SECOND "LOVE"

Tell us about the last competition.

The contest was held from 2 to 6 July in Padua ...

I really wanted to swim in the sea. We just drove by bus from Venice to Padua on a large bridge across the sea. It was a dream to go out and swim, but no one was swimming - nobody knows where they are the beaches.

Local does not disclose a secret?

No. They are tan, lying in the park, as we have in St. Petersburg, and swimming near Venice itself is prohibited, there is a company and the water is probably not very clean. And somewhere else on the beaches they are, I think, go on the weekends. And on weekends the city is empty, do not ask anyone. On Sunday, Italy dies, everything is closed, the scene of the western: noon, the streets are empty.

And how is it?

If you look at the city as a whole, and not inside the buildings - murals, paintings - you need to go back to the carnival or winter. Very hot, stagnant water in the canals. The town is small, very beautiful and very unique. He did not like Padua, bears no resemblance to Venice Mestre, which is on land.

In September I went to three concerts in Holland - this is my favorite country. I was in Harlem, in Amsterdam. The same North Sea, in St. Petersburg in St. Petersburg but if I'm sick and there, in Holland, I'm getting better.

There is a special student. People go to the festival films in small towns. They can go to another city just to listen to it a new opera production. Which one of us would go for this, for example, in St. Petersburg?

 

VERY HIGH CEILINGS

Those who organize the tours and help along the way and relax?

Trying to help. And sometimes it turns out to combine - some of the concerts are very beautiful. For example, we sang in Venice in the Palazzo Dzakko - a small feudal mansion, but he is built like a Venetian palace, with a through passage to the garden with fountains - you can have fun and seeing a building.

Or ancient European cathedrals - great place. And sing, and watch.

Speakers like?

Yes, there is fertile acoustics, especially for slow pieces. The church works often slow. Musicians are joking, "wrote potatoes" whole empty notes. Perhaps it sounds worse than a quick product: the sound goes, there is too much reverberation. And so - excellent acoustics, no need to give away, you can easily sing piano. The older church - the better acoustics.

In the old European cathedrals had to sing?

In the Netherlands - in Harlem, and in Germany, in a historic cathedral - it was just a charity concert to raise funds for its restoration of the frescoes. Speakers there was phenomenal.

 

HVOROSTOVSKY AND MICROPHONE

A popular in Europe, outdoor concerts, where artists are at ease - it's more complex form of speech?

This can be explained by the fact that people come to Europe to enjoy a classical concert, they need to show. Now all aimed at making the show, so there are artists like Hvorostovsky - and they can see and hear - artists like Netrebko.

On the other hand, a form of a concert close to the theater: you can run around the stage, gesticulating. A character embodied in the theater - it is easier than being in a concert.

Why do we have such a form of concerts are not held?

Maybe artists are afraid of themselves? We have no such equipment, as in the West. Maybe you noticed - at these concerts, singing into a microphone. But the microphone is not like our pop stars, and made especially for them, perceiving other frequencies. We have the technology there is little, only in Moscow, where, incidentally, had already arranged the speeches. For example, on the Sparrow Hills - May 9, Hvorostovsky sang it. There is, of course, were of good quality microphones. But I think that as long as the necessary equipment becomes more widespread, the practice shows such a plan even if enthusiasts will spread very slowly.

 

PARIS - TOKYO

THIRD "LOVE"

Plans for the far-distant future?

In Japan, the same has always been my dream to go, so heard-read about it - Ovichinnikova and other Orientalists. In short, I want to go there.

Invite?

There are clues, but let's see what time will tell.

And what promise to be the embodiment of dreams?

The biggest dream is to be realized in December - a concert in Paris.

In Paris the first time? And - what?

Of course, at Notre Dame. Walking on the Cité. Maybe even go to the cemetery. We will implement the plan, which is in the movie "Paris, je t'aime."

Maybe I'll see Paris and die.

 

PODVERSTKA: three "thank you"

 

After the interview Liubov Belotserkovskaya asked to convey my gratitude to my teacher, Tamara Novichenko. It Honored Artist of Russia and the professor. And yet - the parents and accompanists.

 

Text - Potap PLYUSCHSCH

Photos from the personal archives of Love BELOTSERKOVSKY

  

Back to St Mary, this having taken the precaution of making sure it would be unlocked. Many thanks to the former vicar and one of the current wardens to take time to reply.

 

Much more inside than I remember, wooden hatchments and more tablet memorials than you can shake a stick at.

 

The walls lean, the windows are set in recesses that look off centre.

 

But it works.

 

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Nonington is a village of two junctions. The church is on the lesser of the two delightfully framed by a picture postcard cottage and venerable Yew. Opposite the gate is an amazing memorial giving you the two alternative routes through life. You really have to see it. The church is large, open and welcoming....though it's interior does have something of a Victorian feel to it. The chancel arch shows signs of once having an infilled Tympanum as the slots are still visible and there is an entrance to the Rood Loft on the north side. The south wall has a large window in a similar position but its stonework is renewed and its difficult to tell if it was there to give light to the rood, or if it was added later to give light to the pulpit that now stands there. The chancel south wall is full of memorial tablets and four hatchments whilst the north chapel is similarly crammed in with tablets. The altar has a very queer companion which takes the form of tiled Decalogue and Lord's Prayer, whilst the altar itself has a fine inlaid reredos. The fine north chapel has what was once a good tomb recess but at some later stage this was pierced with a window to create a light family pew. At the back of the church the pews are tiered (see also Newnham) and overshadow the fine mid seventeenth century font doubtless purchased to replace one destroyed during the Commonwealth. My favourite things here are the two south chancel windows of St Alban and St George designed just after the First World War by Mary Lowndes who was a significant player in the Arts and Crafts movement.

 

www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Nonington

 

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NONINGTON.

The next parish eastward is Nonington, which lies partly, that is, so much as is within the borough of Kettington, and of Nonington, alias Ratling, in this hundred of Wingham; and the remainder, containing the boroughs of Esole, and Frogham, in the lower half of the hundred of Eastry.

 

THIS PARISH is, as to soil and situation, much the same as that of Goodnestone last described, being in a fine open champaign country, exceedingly dry and healthy; it is about three miles across each way, the village called Church-street, with the church in it, is nearly in the middle of the parish, in a valley, in which, at no great distance from it, is the seat of St. Alban's, a low situation, looking up to the uninclosed lands. Near it is the hamlet of Esole, usually called Isill-street, and further eastward the estate of Kettington belonging to Sir Narborough D'Aeth, bart. In the bottom, at some distance south-west from the church, among some small inclosures, is the seat of Fredville, a damp and gloomy situation; near it are the small hamlets of Frogham and Holt, now called Old-street, near which is a place called Oxendenden, from whence the family of that name are said to derive their origin. At the northern boundary of the parish is the hamlet of Acol, which had once owners of that name, who bore for their arms, Quarterly, argent, and azure, over all, a bend componee, or, and gules, as they were formerly painted in the windows of this church. It now belongs to Sir Brook William Bridges, and at the western boundary that of Ratling-street. In this parish is the estate of Curleswood park, now commonly called the Park farm, belonging to the archbishop, the lessee of it being Sir Brook William Bridges. There is a fair held yearly in Church-street, on Ascension day, for pedlary, &c.

 

The MANOR OF WINGHAM claims paramountover the greatest part of this parish, and the manor of Eastry over the remainder. Subordinate to the former is

 

The MANOR OF RETLING, usually called Ratling, in that part of this parish adjoining to Adisham, which was antiently held of the archbishop by a family of the same name, who bore for their arms, Gules, a lion rampant, between an orle of tilting spears heads, or, as they were on the surcoat of Sir John de Ratling, formerly painted in one of the windows of this church, in which it continued down to Sir Richard de Retling, who died possessed of it in the 23d year of king Edward III. leaving a sole daughter and heir Joane, who marrying John Spicer, entitled him to it. After which, by Cicely, a daughter and coheir of this name, it passed in marriage to John Isaac, of Bridge, who died possessed of it anno 22 Henry VI. and his descendant Edward Isaac, esq. in king Henry VIII.'s reign, alienated it to Sir John Fineux, chief justice of the king's bench, whose son William Fineux, esq. of Herne, alienated it to Thomas Engeham, gent. of Goodneston, who by his will in 1558, gave it to his second son Edward, and his son, William Engeham sold it to William Cowper, esq. who afterwards resided here, and was first created a baronet of Nova Scotia, and then, in 1642, a baronet of Great Britain. His great-grandson Sir William Cowper, bart. was by queen Anne, being then lord keeper of the great seal, created lord Cowper, made lord chancellor, and afterwards, anno 4 George I. created earl Cowper, and in his descendants, earls Cowper, this manor has descended down to the right hon. PeterFrancis, earl Cowper, the present owner of this manor. (fn. 1) There has not been any court held for it for many years past.

 

ARCHBISHOP PECKHAM, on the foundation of Wingham college, anno 1286, endowed the first subdiaconal prebend of it, which he distinguished by the name of the prebend of Retling, with the tithes of the demesne lands, which Richard de Retling and Ralph Perot held of him in Nonyngton, between the highway which led from Cruddeswode to the cross of Nonyngtone, and from thence to the estate of the prior, of Addesham. (fn. 2)

 

OLD-COURT is an estate in this parish, situated about a mile northward from the church, which was antiently the property of the family of Goodneston, who took their name from their possession and residence in that parish, and it continued in an uninterrupted succession in this family, of whom there is frequent mention in private evidences, which, though without date, appear to be made in the reigns of king Henry III. and king Edward I. till at length Edith, daughter and heir of William Goodnestone, carried it in marriage to Vincent Engeham, whose son Thomas Engeham, esq. of Goodneston, by his will in 1558, gave it, together with the lands in Nonington, late Mr. Sidley's and John Bewe's, to his second son Edward, whose son William Engeham, gent. passed it away in queen Elizabeth's reign to Thomas Wilde, esq. descended from an antient family of that name in Chester, and his son Sir John Wilde, of St. Martin's hill, near Canterbury, in the next reign of James I. alienated it to Thomas Marsh, gent. of Brandred, in Acrise, whose descendant John Marsh resided here till the year 1665, when he removed to Nethersole, in Wimlingwold. Since which it has continued, in like manner as that seat, down to his descendant John Marsh, esq. now of Chichester, in Sussex, the present owner of it.

 

ST. ALBANS COURT, antiently called, at first Eswalt, and afterwards Esole, is a manor situated in the valley, north-eastward from the church, in the borough of its own name, which with another estate near it, called Bedesham, (all that remains of the name of which is a grove behind St. Albans house, called Beauchamp wood, in which are many foundations of buildings, being now esteemed as part of the manor of St.Albans court) was in the time of the Conqueror, part of the possessions of Odo, bishop of Baieux, and they are accordingly both thus entered in the record of Domesday:

 

Adelold holds of the bishop Eswalt. It was taxed at three sulings. The arable land is . . . . In demesne there is one carucate, and six villeins, with two borderers having three carucates. There are two servants, and a small wood for fencing. In the time of king Edward the Confessor it was worth nine pounds, now fifteen. Alnod Cilt held it of king Edward.

 

And Somewhat further below:

 

Osbert, the son of Letard, holds of the bishop, Bedesham. It was taxed at one yoke and an half. The arable. land is . . . . In demesne there is one carucate, with one villein and four borderers. In the time of king EdEdward the Confessor it was worth sixty shillings, and afterwards thirty shillings, now fifty shillings. Godisa held it of king Edward. In the same manor ten thanes held of Osbern himself one suling and half a yoke, and there they themselves have four carucates and an half. In the time of king Edward the Confessor it was worth one hundred shillings, and afterwards thirty shillings, now sixty shillings.

 

On the bishop of Baieux's disgrace, in the year 1084, it came, with the rest of his estates, into the hands of the crown, whence the manor of Esole, alias St. Albans, seems to have been granted to William de Albineto, or Albini, surnamed Pincerna, who had followed the Conqueror from Normandy hither, whose son, of the same name, earl of Albermarle, gave it, by the name of the manor of Eswelle, to the abbot of St. Alban's, in Hertfordshire; which gift was afterwards confirmed by king Stephen; (fn. 3) and from thence it gained the name of St. Albans. And anno 7 king Edward I. the abbot of St. Albans claimed and was allowed, before the justices itinerant, free-warren and other liberties within this manor. After which it continued in the possession of the abbey till the 30th year of king Henry VIII. when the abbot and convent, with the king's consent, sold it, with its lands, appurtenances, and tithes belonging to it, as well of corn, grain, hay, and otherwise, then in the occupation of John Hammond, to Sir Christopher Hales, master of the rolls. Which alienation having been made in consequence of the licence by the king's word only, was confirmed by act the next year, specially for that purpose. On whose death in the 33d year of that reign, (fn. 4) his three daughters became his coheirs, of whom Elizabeth, then married to John Stocker, and Margaret, then unmarried, joined in the sale of their shares in it, to Alexander Culpeper, who had married Mary, the other daughter, and he quickly afterwards alienated the whole of it to his eldest brother Sir Thomas Culpeper, of Bedgbury, who in the 2d and 3d of Philip and Mary, sold it to Thomas Hammond, gent. who at that time resided here, being the direct descendant of John Hamon, or Hammond, who was resident here in king Henry the VIIIth.'s time, as tenant to the abbot and convent of St. Alban's, who died in 1525, and was buried in this church, as were his several descendants afterwards, in whom it continued down to William Hammond, esq. of St. Albans, who married Charlotte, eldest daughter of Dr. Wil liam Egerton, prebendary of Canterbury, by whom he left William, of whom hereafter; Anthony, rector of Ivychurch, and vicar of Limne, and three daughters, Anna-Maria; Charlotte, married to Thomas Watkinson Payler, esq. of lleden, and Catherine. William Hammond, esq. the eldest son, married Elizabeth, eldest daughter of Osmund Beauvoir, D.D. by whom he has issue two sons and five daughters, viz. William-Osmond, Maximilian-Dudley-Diggs; Elizabeth-Mary, Mary-Elizabeth, Charlotte, Julia-Jemima, and Jemima-Julia. He bears for his arms, Argent, on a chevron, sable, between three ogresses, each charged with a martlet of the field, three escallop-shells, or, all within a bordure engrailed, vert; which arms were granted by Barker, garter, to Thomas Hamon, gent. of Nonington, anno 1548, and confirmed by Cooke, clarencieux, and they were certified to the college of arms by William Hammond, esq. last-mentioned, his descendant, in 1779, (fn. 5) and he is the present owner of this manor and seat, at which he resides.

 

A court baron is held for this manor, which extends over some part of the borough of Wingmere, in Eleham, and over a few acres of land in Barham.

 

SOLES is a manor at the boundary of this parish, next to Barfreston, which at the taking the survey of Domesday, in 1080, was part of the possessions of Odo, bishop of Baieux, under the general title of whose lands it is thus entered in that record:

 

Ansfrid holds of the bishop Soles. It was taxed at one suling. The arable land is . . . In demesne there are two carucates, and eight viheins with half a carucate. In the time of king Edward the Confessor it was worth one hundred shillings, and afterwards twenty shillings, now six pounds. Elmer held it of king Edward.

 

Four years after which, on the bishop's disgrace, the king seized on this estate among the rest of his possessions. After which it was granted to the family of Crevequer, and made a part of that barony, being held of it by the tenure of performing ward to Dover castle. Of Hamo de Crevequer it was held by knight's service in king Edward I.'s reign, by Richard de Rokesle, and of him again by Hamo and John de Soles, who certainly took their name from it, but this name was extinct here in the beginning of king Henry IV.'s reign, for in the 4th year of it Thomas Newbregge, of Fordwich, was become possessed of it, whose descendant sold it to Rutter, from which name it passed; about the beginning of king Edward IV. to Litchsield, whose descendant Gregory Litchfield alienated it in king Henry VIII.'s reign to John Boys, esq. of Nonington, in whose descendants it continued down to John Boys, esq. of Hode-court, who in Charles I.'s reign alienated it to Sir Anthony Percival, of Dover, comptroller of the customs there; in whose descendants it remained till, not many years since, it was by one of them passed away to Major Richard Harvey, who sold it to Thompson, of Ramsgate, after whose death it came by marriage to Mr. Stephen Read, of Canterbury, who afterwards alienated it to John Plumptree, esq. of Fredville, the present owner of it. A court baron is held for this manor.

 

FREDVILLE is a manor in this parish, which in antient deeds is sometimes written Froidville, from its cold situation, which is both low and watry. It was held of the castle of Dover, as part of those lands which made up the barony of Maminot, afterwards, from its succeeding owners, called the barony of Saye. In the reign of king Edward I. it was held, in manner as above-mentioned, by John Colkin, in whose posterity it remained till the latter end of king Richard II.'s reign, when it was conveyed by sale to Thomas Charleton, and he, by sine levied anno 2 Henry IV. passed it away to John Quadring, whose descendant Thomas Quadring leaving an only daughter and heir Joane, she carried it in marriage to Richard Dryland, and he, about the latter end of king Edward IV. alienated it to John Nethersole, who by fine levied in the 2d year of king Richard III. conveyed it to William Boys, esq. of Bonnington, (fn. 6) and he died possessed of it in 1507, and by his will gave this manor to his eldest son John Boys, esq. of Fredville. His descendant Major Boys, of Fredville, being a firm loyalist, suffered much by sequestration of his estates. He had seven sons and a daughter, who all died s.p. Two of his elder sons, John and Nicholas, finding that there was no further abode at Fredville, to which they had become entitled, departed each from thence, with a favourite hawk in hand, and became pensioners at the Charter-house, in London. (fn. 7) Before which they had, in 1673, sold it to Denzill, lord Holles, from whose descendant it afterwards came to Thomas Holles, duke of Newcastle, who in 1745 sold it to Margaret, sister of Sir Brook Bridges, bart. of Goodnestone, and she in 1750, marrying John Plumptree, esq. of Nottinghamshire, he became in her right possessed of it. He was descended from a family who had been long settled in that county, who bore for their arms, Argent, a chevron, between two mullets in chief, and an annulet in base, sable. (fn. 8) He served in parliament for Penryn, in Cornwall, and afterwards for Nottingham. By his first wife above-mentioned, he had no issue; but by his second, daughter of Philips Glover, esq. of Lincolnshire, he had one son John Plumptree, esq. married to Charlotte, daughter of the Rev. Jeremiah Pemberton, of Cambridgeshire; and a daughter, married to R. Carr Glynn, esq. He rebuilt this seat, in which he afterwards resided, and dying in 1791, was succeeded by his only son John Plumptree, esq. beforementioned, who now resides in it.

 

At a small distance from the front of Fredvillehouse, stands the remarkable large oak tree, usually known by the name of the Fredville oak. It measures twenty-seven feet round in girt, and is about thirty feet in height; and though it must have existed for many centuries, yet it looks healthy and thriving, and has a most majestic and venerable appearance.

 

Charities.

EDWARD BOYS, son of William Boys, esq. of Nonington, gave by his will in 1596, and annnity of 40s. out of lands which he had purchased in Nonington and Barfreston, containing 15 acres, to be yearly paid among the poorest of this parish.

 

ROBERT BATGHAR, yeoman, of Bridge, by will in 1600, gave to the parson and churchwardens of Nonington, the rents and profits of his house there, for the relief of the poor.

 

SIR EDWARD BOYS, of Nonington, by will in 1634, gave to the poor of Nonington, 6l. to be employed for a stock to set the poor at work, and not otherwise to be employed, so as the overseers or any sufficient man of the parish be bound yearly to the heirs of Fredville, whereby the stock be not lost.

 

A PERSON UNKNOWN gave to two poor housekeepers of this parish, two houses and an acre and an half of land, in it, at Frogham, to each, with a sack of wheat to each housekeeper every Christmas; now vested in the Reverend James Morrice, owner of Betshanger manor, and of the annual produce of 5l. 10s.

 

The poor constantly relieved are about thirty, casually forty.

 

THIS PARISH is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the diocese of Canterbury, and deanry of Bridge.

 

The church, which is dedicated to St. Mary, consists of two isles and two chancels, having a tower steeple at the north corner at the west end, in which are three bells. In the south isle are the figures of a man between his two wives, traced on the stone, and inscription for John Hamon and Margaret and Mary his wives, obt. 1526. A memorial for Wm. Hammond, obt. 1717. In the south or high chancel, against the wall, a brass plate for Alicia, daughter and heir of William Sympson, esq. once marshal of Calais, and Catherine Gemecot, wife to Francis Wilford, obt. 1581. A stone, and inscription in brass, for John Cooke, vicar, obt. March 7, 1528. Several memorials for the Hammonds. In the north chancel, now made use of as a school, a memorial for Edward Boys, esq. obt. 1597. A monument for Mary, daughter of Edward Boys, and wife of J. Hole, obt.— Several memorials for Trotter and Wood. A monument for Sir John Mennes. In the windows of this church were formerly several shields of arms, long since destroyed; and the figure of a knight, kneeling on his surcoat, the arms of Boys, of Bonnington, and opposite to him the figure of a woman kneeling, and on her coat the arms of Roper. Another like figure of a knight, and on his surcoat the arms of Ratling, being Gules, a lion rampant or, an orle of Spears heads argent.

 

The church of Nonington was antiently a chapel of ease to that of Wingham, and was on the foundation of the college there by archbishop Peckham, in 1286, separated from it, and made a distinct parish of itself, (fn. 9) and then given to the college, and becoming thus appropriated to the college, continued with it till its suppression in king Edward VI.'s reign, when this parsonage appropriate, with the advowson of the vicarage or curacy of it, came into the hands of the crown, where it did not remain long, for in the year 1558, queen Mary granted it, among others, to the archbishop, but the rectory or parsonage appropriate, with the chapel of Wimlingswold appendant, continued in the crown till queen Elizabeth, in her 3d year, granted it in exchange, to the archbishop, when it was valued at thirty-three pounds, reprises to the curate 13l. 6s. 8d. At which rent it has continued to be leased out ever since, and it now, with the patronage of the curacy, remains parcel of the possessions of the see of Canterbury. William Hammond, esq. is the present lessee of the parsonage.

 

At the time this church was appropriated to the college of Wingham, a vicarage was endowed in it, which, after the suppression of the college, came to be esteemed as a perpetual curacy. It is not valued in the king's books. The antient stipend paid to the curate as above, was, in 1660, augmented by archbishop Juxon with the addition of twenty pounds, but by the addition of Mr. Boys's legacy of the small tithes in this parish and Wimlingswold, mentioned below, it is now, with that chapel, of the yearly certified value of 71l. 6s. 8d. In 1588 here were two hundred and thirty-five communicants.

 

¶Edward Boys, esq. of Nonington, by his will in 1596, gave towards the maintenance of a minister, being licenced and preaching every other Sunday at farthest at Nonington, yearly, for ever, all the profits of the small-tithes of Nonington and Wemingewell, (excepting those of the lands in his occupation, and the oblations and obventions due out of them, and the tithes of wood of all the lands and farms he had, or his heirs should have, within the parish) the said minister paying to him and his heirs the yearly sum of 40s.

 

www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-kent/vol9/pp251-262

 

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St. Mary’s Church appears to have been built on or near a farm or settlement on the Manor of Oesewalum (also Oeswalum & Oesuualun) which had belonged to the Abbesses of Minster Abbey, on the Isle of Thanet, and Southminster Abbey, at Lyminge, in the late 8th and early 9th centuries before eventually passing into the possession of Christchurch Priory of Canterbury. The abbess’s ownership of Oesewalum most likely give rise to the name Nunningitun, the nuns farm or manor, which in turn became Nonington. The manor of Oesewalum would have been administered on behalf of the abbess by a manorial steward and his house would have been the focal point of the settlement and possibly eventually became the site of the chapel that became St. Mary’s Church.

 

The manor of Oesewalum came into the personal possession of Wulfred, Archbishop of Canterbury, in 824 and he willed it to Werhard, his kinsman, on the proviso that Werhard would in turn will it to Christ Church Priory. In his will drawn up in the 830’s Werhard made the following provisions:

 

“ To five paupers at Harrow (Middlesex), five at Otford (Kent), two at Graveney (Kent), seven at Oesuualun ( in Nonington, Kent) and six in the city of Canterbury (Kent) let enough to eat be given each day as is convenient and over the year let each pauper be given twenty-six pence for clothing”

 

(The original Latin text was “Apud Hergan .v. pauperes; apud Otteford .v.; apud Cliue .ii.; apud Grauenea .ii.; apud Oesuualun .vii.; in ciuitate Dorobernia .vi. Unicuique detur cotidie ad manducandum quod conuenienter sit satis et per annum cuique pauperi ad uestitum .xxvi. denarii.”).

 

In order to distribute “enough to eat be given each day as is convenient” to the seven paupers at Oesewalum /Oesuualun the food must have either been brought in from Christchurch Priory or one of its other estates on a regular basis, although not necessarily daily, or there must have been a local source of supply.

Werhard’s will records Oesewalum /Oesuualun as extending to 10 hides and the revenue Werhard derived from the holding would therefore have been more than able to adequately provide the specified bounty. A hide was the nominal amount of land required to keep a family for a year and was used for taxation. In East Kent a hide would probably have measured some thirty to fifty modern acres, depending on the quality of the land. The daily ration would have to be distributed and the most logical place to distribute this would be the manorial steward’s house, either by the steward or another servant of Christchurch. As it was an ecclesiastical manor this may then have led to a small chapel being established which by the 1070’s had become the origin of the present St. Mary’s Church.

 

However, there is some evidence to show that the chapel itself may actually pre-date possession by Christchurch and may have been founded or existed during the ownership of Oesewalum by the Benedictine Abbeys of Minster on the Isle of Thanet and Southminster at Lyminge as both abbey churches were named after St. Mary the Virgin, the same saint as the present Nonington church. Nonington church is next to an ancient road which linked the abbey on the Isle of Thanet with the abbey at Lyminge.

 

The first Minster Abbey was built on the site of St. Mary’s church, and opposite to the minster across the now silted up Wantsum Channel was St. Mary the Virgin on Strand Street in Sandwich’s, the town’s oldest church and the site of a lost convent. From Sandwich the road went on through Eastry, Nonington, Elham, and Lyminge, settlements whose churches are all dedicated to St. Mary the Virgin. Lyminge church was jointly dedicated to St. Mary and St. Ethelburgha, founder of the abbey there.

 

Christ Church Priory seem to have lost Oesewalum /Oesuualun at some time in the late 9th century and it came into the possession of the King. Parts of the manor, including the area around the present church, came back into the possession the Archbishop of Canterbury as part of the Manor of Wingham and remained in the See’s possession until Archbishop Cranmer exchanged the Manor of Wingham for other properties with Henry VIII in 1538.

 

www.nonington.org.uk/st-marys-church/