Wynmelvin » Kent

October 9th, 2009

Russell — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 06:01:26 +0000

COLCHESTER — It wasn’t that I had a long way to go but that the tangle of roads in the atlas looked very complicated, so I decided to try and get to Colchester as directly and quickly as possible. Except for the bit where I took a brief detour to the Isle of Sheppey. I passed through Queenborough and on to Sheerness. A rather featureless and desolate-looking piece of England. The most interesting part of the detour was the giant hump of a bridge that you had to cross to and from the Isle. You were warned about hazardous cross-winds when crossing.

I decided that the most direct route used the motorway system and it worked out rather well. No traffic jams; the only slow bit was approaching the toll gates for the Deptford Crossing. I got to Basildon at about 1:00 pm. so, being a little ahead of time, I did some shopping.

Reached Colchester shortly after 3:00 pm. and decided it would be a good idea to find my lodgings for the night. Traffic was very heavy and slow around the city centre but after a few circuits trying to find the streets depicted in my google map I stumbled across one I recognized and went round again because I was in the wrong lane.

The bed and breakfast is on a busy thoroughfare but I managed to find a park nearby and walked over to check-in. There was a note attached to the door asking me to ring a number. As luck would have it I had forgotten to recharge my phone after it had alerted me to it low battery the night before. I phoned the number but reached an aswerphone. Not wanting to leave my phone on waiting for a call I decided to walk in to town and buy an in-car charger for the phone—which I did.

Returning to the car I gave the phone a quick charge for twenty minutes or so before making the call again. Furtunately my hosts had just been out on an errand and had not known when I would be arriving.

October 8th, 2009

Russell — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 21:52:38 +0000

HIGH HALDEN — The sun came out again today just in time for my pilgrimage to Canterbury. But first i took a detour to Biddenden to have a look around the churchyard for Humphreys. As expected a lot of the tombstones old enough to be of interest were well worn and unreadable.

I arrived at Canterbury about noon and and very quickly found a park and ride. The bus arrived and I was dropped off in the centre of Canterbury within no time. The centre of town was bustling—probably because it wasn’t raining—with lots of tour groups and classes of school children.

I managed to find Canterbury Cathedral and from a photographic point of view it was disappointing to find part of it swathed in scaffolding. I thought, once inside, that it wasn’t as big as the other cathedrals I’d visited but soon discovered that that was just a trick of the eye. The highlights for me were that part known as the. Martyrdom, the tomb of the Black Prince, and the treasury in the crypt.

The entry fee for the cathedral also let you wander around the precincts, which included the first set of cloisters and chapter house that were not in ruins.

After the cathedral I visited the Roman Museum and the Hospital of St Thomas. The latter was founded in the late 12th century as a place of hospitality for poor pilgrims on the way to visit the shrine of St Thomas. As was told to take special note of the wooden rafters in the chapel as they were installed new in 1185.

October 7th, 2009

Russell — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 21:47:58 +0000

HIGH HALDEN — Today was Groundhog Day—a replay of yesterday except the weather got worse. I found a few more probable and possible ancestors but still not the most wanted. Not much more to say about today.

October 6th, 2009

Russell — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 08:33:27 +0000

HIGH HALDEN — It was an early start to the day; I was out the door by 7:30 am. and heading for one of Maidstone’s park and rides. I arrived at the bus stop outside County Hall an hour later which gave me an hour and a half to retrieve some e-mails and update the blog at McDonalds.

I spent the following six and a half hours searching through parish registers on microfilm for some ancestors who just don’t want to be found. I will be returning tomorrow to continue the search. Just as well the weather’s so rotten at the moment.

October 5th, 2009

Russell — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 08:42:50 +0000

HIGH HALDEN — I’ve enjoyed a really good run of weather since I arrived in England. Today, if I remember correctly, was only the second day that it has rained consistently but the first that has affected my sightseeing. The forecast is for more rain tomorrow but as I will be inside at the Centre for Kentish Studies the weather can do what it likes—just as long as it clears up for Thursday.

Today I went to Bodiam Castle—the epitome of what a medieval castle should be like. But, as I found out, there is some question over whether it was built primarily as a defensive structure or as a fashion statement. For example, the moat can be too easily drained to be a serious obstacle to any attacking army but it does help the castle to look impressive.
The castle wasn’t the only impressive thing on show. The carp in the moat were at least twice the length of the ducks swimming over the top of them.

October 4th, 2009

Russell — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 08:39:01 +0000

HIGH HALDEN — This morning I drove down to Battle to visit Battle Abbey and the site of the Battle of Hastings. I did the audio tour and took the long option which led you right around the battlefield. The site is not quite as it was in 1066 as the top of the hill was subsequently levelled to build the abbey and the field was terraced for the abbey’s use. There are probably a few more trees now as well—so you had to use your imagination a little.

When I’d finished looking around the battlefield and abbey I drove to Rye, a pretty medieval town and cinque port. I took the opportunity of climbing to the top of the church tower for a magnificent view over the town and countryside. The way to the top involved narrow passages, steep ladders and multiple ‘mind your head’ signs.
I also couldn’t resist stepping through the door of an old-fashioned lolly shop and succumbing to temptation.

In the evening I went back to St Nicholas’ Church in Pluckley and attended the evening service. Apart from taking the opportunity to see inside the church, the Maidstone Salvation Army Band and Songsters were providing the music.
Driving back to my lodgings was the first time driving at night this trip, this car. Took a while to find the light switch, and I’m glad I’d driven the road several times before during daylight hours—’twould be so easy to get lost at night if you’re unfamiliar with road.

October 3rd, 2009

Russell — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 08:34:40 +0000

HIGH HALDEN — There’s not a lot to say about today. I visited four, no five, churchyards looking for tombstones. The first was at Egerton from whence the Russells came. From Egerton I went on to Pluckley, and from Pluckley to Little Chart.

The church at Little Chart was in ruin due to a doodlebug that was shot down and there were not many tombstones left to see as a result.

My next stop after Little Chart was Westwell. One half of the churchyard was well kept, the other half was decidedly less so—overgrown to the point that I was able to give myself a big fright by disturbing a brace of phesants that took to the air with a lot of sqwarking and beating of wings.

One tombstone at Pluckley gave me a clue that led me to my next churchyard at the medieval market town of Lenham. Nothing definite found here but certainly a parish to look into further on Tuesday at Maidstone.

October 2nd, 2009

Russell — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 08:30:25 +0000

HIGH HALDEN — I began this morning by driving to Maidstone to locate the Centre for Kentish Studies and to make an appointment for the following week. Amazingly I found a park right outside the building and will be revisiting on Tuesday and Wednesday.

As I still had some time on my park I walked toward the town centre and was able to locate a McDonalds with free wifi. I tried sending a blog post via e-mail and when it didn’t work (though I have just remembered that posting this way isn’t instantaneous) I managed to post instead using the standard web interface.

Returning the way I had come I stopped at Sissinghurst Castle and gardens. I was pleasantly surprised at how interesting the gardens were—enhanced as they are by the history and romance of the place.

After about two and a half hours at Sissinghurst (far longer than I would have thought possible) I drove into Ashford to see if I could locate a free wifi access point closer to base. I wasn’t able to find one—the problem would be solved if I had access to the Internet!