Monthly Archives: May 2017

Jim and Elsie’s 1978 Tour – Day 41

Thursday, 11 May 1978

Cloudy but warming up

To large naval aerodrome “Seahawk” and viewing point. Drove towards Penzance and saw Mount St Michael Castle from the distance. Headed back to Goldsithney and the world of music at 10.30 (70p). A large working collection of mechanical musical instruments. Musical boxes, drum operated piano of 1820, 1860, players, drum operated organ, reed organ, pipe organ from York and funfare band. Very interesting.

Through Penzance – narrow streets to Lands End – some mist from the sea. Cut lunch in the car.

To St Just and followed a very narrow road along North Cornwall coast. Road twists between farm buildings to St Ives. Very narrow streets, blocked by a truck down to waterfront. Tide right out and boats just on the sand.

To Hayle and Redruth. Looked through Tolgus Tin Washing Mill that has been operating for 200 years. Large circular rotating drums wash the crushed ores.

To Newquay – mist coming in from sea. Large open streets crowded with hotels. Headed to Wadebridge and towards Bude but kept running into fog. Turned off at Trewassa and headed through Launceston along A30 to Okehampton. Found B&B at 9 o’clock – very nice couple – John & Barbara . Met an old English couple from Hereford – Peter & Betty Hoskins. Cuppa provided.

Jim and Elsie’s 1978 Tour – Day 40

Wednesday, 10 May 1978

Fine, hot

Torquay, Paignton, Totnes A385 to A38 to Plymouth (lunch at dock area).

Lawn bowls at the miniature village

Model village at Torquay in old quarry, well set out. Wombley, ferries, schools, towns, manor houses, cottages, roads, thatched house on fire.

Trouble finding Cockington – a thatched village. Shops set up in the cottages. large garden & grounds area to church and house.

A38 to Liskeard and Bodmin looking for Lanhydrock House, missed turn-off went to Lostwithiel and then back up.

Found Lanhydrock House at 4.20. Well kept gardens and house. 17th century house burnt out by fire but rebuilt in 1890s. Complete kitchen with bright copper pots. Large spit that would hold a beast. Very high roof. Rooms for dairy, meat, fish, bread – just like kitchens from Duchess of Duke Street. Rooms all set up with actual furnishings, clothes etc., lord’s open bath basin – formidable bath in bathroom. Many rooms and gallery with ceiling that dates back to 16th century. Oak panelling, teak staircases, oak staircase. Finished inspection at 5.40.

Lanhydrock House in Cornwall. Gatehouse 1651, gardens 1851 and house largely rebuit after fire in 1881.

A391 to St Austell.

A390 to Truro. Searched for a cafe. Had a meal in a Chinese Cafe.

Drove to Falmouth. Around Marine Drive and the beach. Rugged coastline.

On to Helston. Found a B&B at 9 o’clock – £3.50 [each]. Given a cuppa in the lounge.

Ordered 2 packed lunches (60p) each for tomorrow. No H&C but a large bathroom.

Jim and Elsie’s 1978 Tour – Day 39

Tuesday, 9 May 1978

Fine, clear

Through Bournemouth to Sandbanks. Caught 10.30 ferry to Brownsea Island – open boat. Large castle on island now let by National Trust to John Lewis who use it as a staff holiday and conference hotel.

A peacock at Brownsea Island

Small church. many peacocks strutting and calling and displaying tails. Walked to stone to mark the first campsite of BP [Baden-Powell].

Where “scouting” started

Crossed car ferry to Swanage. Through Corfe Castle where remains of the castle are high on the hill. beautiful well ordered countryside blocked by hedges on the sides of the road.

Wareham to Weymouth on dockside.

Walked up through the town plaza. Bought soap, hair cream and spencer at M&S [Marks & Spencers].

Along B3157 to Bridport to Lyme Regis, A3052, A376 to Exmouth. Trouble to find a cafe. Had KentuckyFried on the roadside seat. Found some jumper leads.

To Exeter 377, A380 to Newton Abbot to Kingskerswell 4 miles short of Torquay. Talkative B&B lady, very nice bungalow, beautiful gardens. Son in South Australia, CSIRO, checking wines.

Jim and Elsie’s 1978 Tour – Day 38

Monday, 8 May 1978

Up and away on our motor tour!

Picked [the] Marina (808 miles [on the clock]) up at Sidcup (£60 dep). Followed route numbers to Purley and Leatherhead. Elsie then found Maries parent’s address was in Surrey so we backtracked and after a couple of attempts found Rectory Lane, Long Ditton.

Woke Marie’s [teacher friend of Jims] brother Mick up out of bed – he was back from 3 month stint up in the Baltic. His parents weren’t home. He made us coffee and we had a yarn. We are to contact his parents some time.

Elsie discovered she had a cousin in Hampshire but could not decide whether she lived in Obelisk Rd, Hampshire or Southampton. We eventually sorted that out and then headed for Southampton. Found a cafe at the docks area. Looked for a phone, found a local map, looked for another phone – only one in the phone book. Rang her up and found we were only about a mile from her. We visited Roseanne and I met 3 of her 4 beautiful daughters. Left at 5.15 and headed for Bournemouth. Came down A35 instead of A31 through Lyndhurst towards Christchurch.

Stayed at White Gates Guest House at Somerford  – B&B £4.50. Very well set out room. Tea at a Little Chef. Drove around Christchurch and Bournemouth after tea, without too many wrong turnings.

Cup of tea in the lounge and spoke with a farmer and his wife from Coventry. Has been a misty week for them.

Jim and Elsie’s 1978 Tour – Day 37

Sunday, 7 May 1978

Misty, very warm

Up at 10 o’clock. Set off for Brighton. Clutch on car played up at Royal Tunbridge Wells – bled it and got going.

Lunched on the promenade at Brighton at 3 o’clock. Very warm – shed sweaters.

Commercial section of Vintage Rally to Brighton. Main section too crowded to park. Saw many of the old vehicles as we returned. Fire engines, double deckers, charabancs, trucks, steam rollers, steam trucks stoking up boilers and making dense smoke.

Some brave souls having a dip.

Big baked dinner. Elderberry wine, quince wine, hock and mixture. Strawberry trifle.

Many instructions of the route numbers to take on Monday.

Jim and Elsie’s 1978 Tour – Day 35

Friday, 5 May 1978

Misty, foggy

Jennifer had to work today.

Rang Bill at Evelyn Court. He’s not too keen on all the steps in the tubes. Has had cold weather in Ireland.

Elsie rang Doreen after breakfast. She has the cold [Friends from Oatley holidaying in England].

Drove to see Ightham Mote. Walked around the mote but the house was not open. Mote is quite wide and has water running through from a small stream above.

Had lunch in the grounds to Knole House – lots of deer.

Joined the National Trust (£7.50) and then had refunded the £2.40 it cost to have the guided tour of the house.

The oldest house in England that is still lived in. Two sections still used by two Lords – Sackville. Rooms still decorated with original furnishings, chairs, carpets, tapestries, beds. Heavy silver tables and candlestick holders.

All went out to tea at the Mill – an old mill that is now set up as a restaurant. Very good decor and excellent meal. An old water wheel is fixed and turning but the stream is blocked off.

Jim and Elsie’s 1978 Tour – Day 34

Thursday, 4 May 1978

Fine, warm

(Arranged for car)

Frank came down [and] picked us up in his red Citroen – took us up to his house at Earls Colne about 1½ – 1¾ hours drive from here [London] in Essex. Out in the country. His house is right on the edge of a common and large wood.

Frank and Gwenneth’s home

Saw his father’s house that was 300 years old and had recently been used as two flats. Low ceilings, large beams, hand-hewn surrounded by 7 ft brick wall. Went into his small hairdresser’s room that he has done up.

Frank’s parent’s home – 300 years old

Elsie and her cousin, Frank, outside his hairdressing shop

Gwyneth, Frank and Elsie

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lunch with Gwyneth. Frank sprayed the wine.

In the afternoon went for a drive around, very good agricultural land. Went to an old auction sale room at Sudbury – loads of junk. Walked the town with its street stalls. Visited the Guildhall at Lavenham – back to 1500s/1600s. Floors and walls off level in some places. One room it would have had a fall of about 1” in 12. Frank said they used old ship timbers in some of the buildings.

Back to tea with Gwen. She would not come on the drive back to Bexley.

Called for 20 mins to see Aunt Lucy who has been very sick. Drove over to Felsted to see the pub where Pop Witney was born. It is called The Three Horseshoes. Took a couple of photos.

Elsie’s dad was born in this hotel

Back to Bexley by 9.15.

Jim and Elsie’s 1978 Tour – Day 33

Wednesday, 3 May 197

Fine, warm

Jennifer and Jeff picked us up at the hotel about 10. Drove to Hampton Court.

Elsie, Jennifer, Jeff and Anthony

Jim , Jeff, Anthony and Jennifer

 

 

 

 

 

 

Impressive gardens. Built for [Cardinal Thomas] Wolsey originally taken over by Henry VIII. Well appointed chapel. Large hall – centre hearthstone for open fire, wood panelled walls where all the people had a feast. King sat on slightly raised dias.

Hampton Court Gardens

Jennifer feeding a squirrel

Lunch in self serve cafeteria.

Drove to Ham House on the River Thames. Afternoon tea on the lawn. Jennifer fed the squirrels.

Back to Jennifer’s for tea.

Jim and Elsie’s 1978 Tour – Day 32

Tuesday, 2 May 1978

Rain, fog & drizzle

At breakfast Lon Cloherty and Daphne Flett walked into the room. They had been to France for three weeks to visit Lon’s daughter. Both had had a wonderful trip. Got hunted out of dining room at 9.00.

Some cleaning up and phoning by Elsie to Aunt Lucy. Laundromat, dry cleaners, photos, bought an umbrella (£3.95). Back to pick up dry cleaning.

Lon told us about the pub lunch at the Denmark on the opposite corner*. We went in and had steak and kidney pie with potatoes and vegies 80p and a ‘arf of beer 20p. Served very hot. Quite a plentiful and cheap meal.

Into Aldwych. Long delay in obtaining travellers cheques and small amounts of currency for the next trip. Took over 45 mins. Raining quite steadily. Shoes leaked. Phone call to Lucy. We headed for the tube. Went to wrong station for the interchange to go to Waterloo. At Waterloo bought a ticket for Byfleet and New Haw but just saw the 4.22 leaving the station. Caught the 4.56 pm. As we sat in the train, the passengers came along put the umbrellas and bags up on the luggage rack and sat down to read their papers. No windows open and by the time the train was to leave it was a STUFFY place. As we travelled, the train was very quiet – I wondered what would have happened if somebody busted a paper bag?

Was met by Peter [Elsie’s 1st cousin on her dad’s Witney side] and taken to the village. Saw where Vic’s shop used to be. Now subdivided and new houses up. DIGBY WAY.

Elsie, Daisy and Aunt Lucy

To Lucy’s cottage. She was so pleased to see us. Had the kettle on and the table set with hot scones, tomato cheese sandwiches, cake. She loves to have a chatter. Was very lonely in her house after being in the shop but now quite likes her neat place.

After tea Peter came and took us to meet Doris, Nikola and George. Children seemed very quiet and shy.

Caught 10.40 train. Quick trip (35 mins) – tubes and back in hotel by 11.50.

*The location of this pub may well be the corner of Onslow Gardens and Old Brompton Road where the Bumpkin Bar and Brasserie is now located.