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Apr 19, 2017 14:21:44 GMT
Post by LandieMark on Apr 19, 2017 14:21:44 GMT
I've nicked some of this from the Chronicle. I live in a tiny village called Edmundbyers - the nearest town is Consett. There hasn't been much written about the village but I am sure there must be something interesting as it dates back to the 12th century.
Consett is a town in the northwest of County Durham, and is perched on the steep eastern bank of the River Derwent, high on the edge of the Pennines. Its origins arise from both lead mining in the area and the development of the steel industry in the Derwent Valley.
Here are a few interesting facts about the town:
1. Its town centre is approximately 885 feet (270m) above sea level making it only slightly lower than the town of Alston in Cumbria which is said to be the highest market town in Britain.
2. The Consett Iron Company was established in 1864, a successor to the original Derwent Iron Company of 1840, when the first blast furnaces were introduced.
3. Consett became one of the world's most prominent steel-making towns, making the steel for Blackpool Tower and Britain's most famous nuclear submarines.
4. On September 12th 1980, the steelworks were shutdown, ending nearly 150 years of iron and steelmaking in the town.
5. Phileas Fogg Company, was slightly famous in the late 1980s for their snack food "Made in Medomsley Road, Consett" television adverts.
6. Consett was the first town in the world to have a Salvation Army Corps Band. The band was formed in December 1879 and went out on the streets playing at Christmas.
7. Consett is home to the Empire Theatre, one of County Durham's oldest theatres.
8. Rowan Atkinson, star of the Blackadder and Mr. Bean comedy series, was born on 6th January 1955 in Consett.
9. Former England cricket captain Paul Collingwood is from Consett.
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Apr 19, 2017 14:30:01 GMT
Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Apr 19, 2017 14:30:01 GMT
Er..........Whitley Bay:
1. The Spanish City is the subject of the Dire Straits song Tunnel of Love, along with Whitley Bay and the nearby town Cullercoats.
2. It was known as Whitley until 1901 when continuing confusion with Whitby meant they added the "Bay".
3. One for us: Gladstone Adams, the inventor of the windscreen wiper, was a former mayor.
4. Biggles author. W.E Johns was a resident. Tally Ho! - so was Ian LaFrenais (Likely Lads, Auf Weidersehen Pet)
5. Soviet Intelligence Office Rudolph Ivanovich Abel, real name Vilyam "Willie" Genrikhovich Fisher went to my old school: Whitley Bay High School. In 1957 the U.S. Federal Court in New York convicted Fisher on three counts of conspiracy as a Soviet spy for his involvement in what became known as the Hollow Nickel Case and sentenced him to 30 years' imprisonment at Atlanta Federal Penitentiary. He served just over four years of his sentence before he was exchanged for captured American U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers.I like to think attending our school prepared him well for his captivity. The incident was made into the film Bridge of Spies, starring Tom Hanks (who only wishes he could have gone to our school).
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Apr 19, 2017 14:44:55 GMT
via mobile
Post by LandieMark on Apr 19, 2017 14:44:55 GMT
I went to Whitley Bay on Good Friday. Hadn't been for at least 30 years.
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Apr 19, 2017 14:50:41 GMT
Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Apr 19, 2017 14:50:41 GMT
I went to Whitley Bay on Good Friday. Hadn't been for at least 30 years. It's shite. Growing up it was lovely and when I was 18-23 it was brilliant - great bars and atmosphere. Then it went all charity shops and stag parties. Now the stag parties have gone, the bars have closed or are hanging on and the charity shops are still there. Blame North Tyneside Council. Tynemouth is the place to go now. |
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Apr 19, 2017 15:24:55 GMT
Post by racingteatray on Apr 19, 2017 15:24:55 GMT
London
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Apr 19, 2017 15:26:19 GMT
Post by Tim on Apr 19, 2017 15:26:19 GMT
The town nearest the small village I live in is called Cupar and appears to have nothing of interest (according to Wikipedia). Next closest is St Andrews which is famous for golf, some religious places (cathedral, church) and a castle. There's also a world renowned university that my memory vaguely summons up some thought that a forummer attended.  In addition yours truly got married on the beach (to the one and only Mrs Tim!) and we were apparently the first couple in Scotland to get married on a beach by a registrar rather than a man of the cloth. |
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Apr 19, 2017 15:35:30 GMT
Post by LandieMark on Apr 19, 2017 15:35:30 GMT
I went to Whitley Bay on Good Friday. Hadn't been for at least 30 years. It's shite. Growing up it was lovely and when I was 18-23 it was brilliant - great bars and atmosphere. Then it went all charity shops and stag parties. Now the stag parties have gone, the bars have closed or are hanging on and the charity shops are still there. Blame North Tyneside Council. Tynemouth is the place to go now. Yeah, I didn't want to be rude and say I was disappointed. I knew the Spanish City had seen better days, but didn't expect to see it in such a state. I've been told that Tynemouth is the place to go. When my dad would take up to Whitley Bay to the Spanish City, would generally go to Tynemouth for a curry. I've been told the fish shack is well worth a look. I was going to have a look along, but the queue at the traffic lights was seemingly never-ending so I decided to go home. |
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Apr 19, 2017 15:50:51 GMT
Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Apr 19, 2017 15:50:51 GMT
It's shite. Growing up it was lovely and when I was 18-23 it was brilliant - great bars and atmosphere. Then it went all charity shops and stag parties. Now the stag parties have gone, the bars have closed or are hanging on and the charity shops are still there. Blame North Tyneside Council. Tynemouth is the place to go now. Yeah, I didn't want to be rude and say I was disappointed. I knew the Spanish City had seen better days, but didn't expect to see it in such a state. I've been told that Tynemouth is the place to go. When my dad would take up to Whitley Bay to the Spanish City, would generally go to Tynemouth for a curry. I've been told the fish shack is well worth a look. I was going to have a look along, but the queue at the traffic lights was seemingly never-ending so I decided to go home. The Spanish City is being refurbished but what's held it up is that a hotel needs to be built on the site and North Tyneside Council didn't want anything as downmarket as a Premier Inn there. However, no other major brand wanted to touch it and eventually they had to relent and go for the Premier Inn. There's signs of revival and some new restaurants opening now - a few hipster beards have even been spotted. |
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Apr 19, 2017 15:56:37 GMT
Post by humphreythepug on Apr 19, 2017 15:56:37 GMT
Many people refer to Guildford as a city, it isn't, it is a town, it may have a Cathedral, University and the correct amount of inhabitants to qualify for city status, but it is still a town.
Katherine Legge the racing driver was born in Guildford, as was Simon Bird (Will from the Inbetweeners)
Ed Sheeran went to the ACM in Guildford, and Lewis Carroll lived in Guildford for a time and is buried there.
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Apr 19, 2017 16:23:13 GMT
Post by PetrolEd on Apr 19, 2017 16:23:13 GMT
I was in a Porsche 968 sport with Katherine Legge about 15 years ago and when I suggested all women were shit drivers she tried to impress me with her driving skills and we went backwards off the road within 2 miles.
Farnham - not a lot of interest from a small town in surrey surprisingly.
Jonny Wilkinson grew up in the house next door to me
Mike Hawthorn - known as the Farnham Flyer lived here all his, unfortunately too short, life
John Knight built Britains first car in Farnham
Er, we have the longest established beer festival in the UK which is now in its 40th year
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Apr 19, 2017 20:09:12 GMT
Post by Nelson on Apr 19, 2017 20:09:12 GMT
Rugby...well,
(1)...it gave it's name to a new game invented by a pupil at Rugby School, William Webb Ellis, who during a game of football in 1823 on The Close (a grassed area of Rugby School grounds) picked up the ball and put it behind the line and into the goal, legend has it that the teacher said ''Nice try Ellis'', so from there Rugby became famous as the birthplace of the game of Rugby
(2)...it was the birthplace of the jet engine, the prototype designed and built in Rugby's British Thomson Houston Works by Sir Frank Whittle, who worked from an office at Brownsover Hall, which is now a posh hotel
(3)...in 2002 Brownsover Fish Bar was named the best seller of fish n chips in the country
(4)...the nearby village of Dunchurch gave temporary home to Guy Fawkes, he of the gunpowder plot, where he and his co-conspirtitors spent awaiting news of the destruction of Westminster, bit like Jeremy Corbyn has been doing for a while now. The house, a former Old Lion Inn still stands today as a residential property but Fawkes never lived here, it just sheltered him as he was awaiting news and plotting to kidnap Princess Elizabeth from the nearby Coombe Abbey
(5)...the Attorney General, Jeremy Wright MP, was once the town's MP
(6)...it was the home to 12 250ft (and many smaller ones) VLF transmission radio masts on a huge site off the A5 used to transmit the time signal before their destruction in 2004 and the 3 remaining masts blown up in 2007. The sites masts could be seen for over 30 miles, a landmark you knew you where near home. The site is now one of the biggest construction sites ever in the town and will next year become the new village of Houlton, home to 6200 new houses. Named after the town of Houlton in Maine USA after it received the first call in 1927 from the Rugby Radio transmitters
(7)...it was the birthplace of the poet Rupert Brooke
(8)...Jeremy Clarkson's daughter attends Rugby School, a public school. He has often been seen in the town
(9)...a friend of mine and his family live in the church manor house once owned by Blue Peter's Peter Purves...other notable residents included the recently deceased Tim Pigott-Smith, the very much alive Salman Rushdie, he of Satanic Verses fatwa fame, singer James Morrison and Warwickshire and England cricketer Ian Bell and Arthur Bostrom, he of Officer Crabtree fame in 'Allo 'Allo! (there once was a large department store in Rugby called Bostroms)
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Apr 19, 2017 21:27:16 GMT
Post by Alex on Apr 19, 2017 21:27:16 GMT
This thread shows I really don't know a lot about Billingshurst or what it's famous for other than that Harry Enfield's Dad lives in the village! James Bolam lives here too but in an outlying Hamlet called Wisborough Green, not that you ever see him.
Perhaps I should try my hometown of Poole:
Poole Harbour is the largest natural harbour in the world (or at least it was, I think that some of the dredging they've done now precludes it from such an honour) and within our harbour Brownsea Island is one of the few places in the U.K. Where you can see Red Squirrels. The same island was also the site of the first ever Boy Scouts camp.
It's the home of Lush Cosmetics, founded by my school friend's Dad and their kitchen with shops now sited around the world.
Buster Merryfield (uncle Albert for those who can't remember) lived here.
Sandbanks in Poole has some of the highest property prices per sq. meter in the world alongside Manhatten and Downtown Tokyo.
Other notable companies from Poole include Sunseaker, Animal clothing and Penske Racing who built their Formula 1 cars in Merley and of course Poole Pottery, which is rather famous in the world of pottery at least. The RNLI headquarters are in Poole too.
I really should have listened more in history class at school.
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Apr 19, 2017 22:28:22 GMT
Post by PR on Apr 19, 2017 22:28:22 GMT
...the recently deceased Tim Pigott-Smith I had no idea he'd died. He was an old boy of my school (along with a certain W Shakespeare) and presented me with a prize at one of the annual speech days. |
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Apr 20, 2017 8:40:17 GMT
Post by grampa on Apr 20, 2017 8:40:17 GMT
The town where I live is where the = sign was invented. Also for a small town in an out of the way location, surprisingly good for celebrity spotting too - except I rarely spot them - closest I got was Keira Knightley pinching my usual lunch time parking space. The RNLI headquarters are in Poole too. Been there many times - the new 'factory' for building lifeboats is quite amazing. |
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Apr 20, 2017 9:31:39 GMT
Post by Big Blue on Apr 20, 2017 9:31:39 GMT
Worcester Park:
Nonsuch Palace / Park - Henry VIII Anne Boleyn blah blah blah
Sir John Major boyhood home (born at St Helier; lived in Longfellow Road - which is on the shite side of town)
Jimmy Hill, HG Wells, Daley Thompson, Ken Wolstenholme, Roger Mayer (invented the fuzzbox); me - all lived in Worcester Park
KT4 (for 'tis our postcode) is partly in the Royal Borough of Kingston-upon-Thames, partly in the Borough of Epsom and Ewell (where I went to skoole to be tort maffs and stuff) and partly in the London Borough of Sutton (where I done now live, innit?). It was built as a suburban town when a Railway station on the Epsom - Wimbledon line was built, primarily for the lower-middle classes to live in whilst retaining easy access to jobs in the city and green spaces and schools to raise their children - the original Dormitory Suburb. By definition then, its a sleepy place and indeed it is. Mainly renowned for colossal traffic and packed commuter trains these days as those that live here seek to escape towards humanity for the working day. Great place to raise kids as they are neither phased by the countryside nor starstruck by London as they grow up with easy access to both. However when your kids grow up you should be forcibly removed to make room for the following generation (IMHO, of course) as I cannot think of a worse place to be in your retirement years.
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Apr 20, 2017 9:35:14 GMT
Post by Big Blue on Apr 20, 2017 9:35:14 GMT
Ed Sheeran went to the ACM in Guildford And for that the Rodborough buildings where the ACM is situated should be bombed. My nephew went there and had minor success on the bar circuit in the US with his band, which was also insipid shite. The main purpose of the ACM as far as I can make out is to provide staff for Andertons! |
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Apr 20, 2017 9:35:26 GMT
Post by Deleted on Apr 20, 2017 9:35:26 GMT
I would class Detmold as my home town, having lived here for 40 years on and off, and hence the moniker. Detmold is not a large town by any means, with a population of 75 000 or so. It is, however fairly significant in a number of ways. It was the capital of the free state of Lippe until the Allies integrated it into North-Rhine Westfalia after WW11. It is represented by the rose in NRW's coat of arms. It still has its own royal family and a palace. A famous landmark is the Hermanns Denkmal which stands high on the Teutoburger ridge. It commemorates the victory of Hermann the Cheruska (alias Armenius) defeated three heavy legions of the Roman army under Varus, a force of some 20 000 troops. It is home to the "LWL-Freilichtmuseum Detmold" or open-air museum, a living village of 100 historic buildings. We walk past the back of it on our regular walks. We have the "Hochschule für Musik Detmold" or University for music. It is one of the leading universities for music in Germany and attracts many foreign students, especially from Asia. Johannes Brahms was once a resident of Detmold. We have a theatre, an open air theatre and a travelling theatre. Every 2nd year we host the European street theatre festival. We have the "Externsteine" a very distinctive rock formation which was a very significant site in Pagan times, unfortunately also under the Nazi regime.  The Cycle path R1 (from Calais to Talin) goes past the Externsteine. We have a falconry, the oldest and largest in Europe. We also have a bird sanctuary which is more of an attraction for kids. Detmold is the home of the German Youth Hostel Association. There are many famous sons (and daughters) of Detmold, but most are only well known within Germany. Honourary citizens include Otto von Bismark and Paul von Hindenburg. There is so much more I could write about this wonderful town but I am probably boring you all. Edited to add: My house is one of the oldest standing buildings in Detmold  |
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Apr 20, 2017 9:41:23 GMT
Post by Big Blue on Apr 20, 2017 9:41:23 GMT
NRW is a great place to live. Loved it there in the '90s. Every time I go to or through Germany I ask myself why I never stayed. |
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Apr 20, 2017 10:27:06 GMT
Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Apr 20, 2017 10:27:06 GMT
From Wikipedia for my current resting place: Little Benton is a small suburb of Newcastle upon Tyne, which holds two modern housing estates (Church Green and Haydon Grange) along with the site of Newcastle United's academy base. Little Benton's full list of amenities begins and ends at a Post Box. The closest provisions can be found at Four Lane Ends, one mile away.  The post box is hanging in there... |
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Apr 20, 2017 10:34:48 GMT
Post by Roadsterstu on Apr 20, 2017 10:34:48 GMT
Rugby...well, (8)...Jeremy Clarkson's daughter attends Rugby School, a public school. He has often been seen in the town Mrs R used to work in Rugby. She met JC several times. I'm not going to disclose on here where I live. Security and all that. |
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Apr 20, 2017 12:02:34 GMT
Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Apr 20, 2017 12:02:34 GMT
Rugby...well, (8)...Jeremy Clarkson's daughter attends Rugby School, a public school. He has often been seen in the town Mrs R used to work in Rugby. She met JC several times. I'm not going to disclose on here where I live. Security and all that. I can understand you'd not want plebs like us hanging round the gates at the end of your drive. One might have to set the dogs on them. |
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Apr 20, 2017 12:20:35 GMT
Post by ChrisM on Apr 20, 2017 12:20:35 GMT
Ed Sheeran went to the ACM in Guildford And for that the Rodborough buildings where the ACM is situated should be bombed. I thought I read recently that the Rodborough Buildings was the site of the first car factory in England. It was/is the home for Dennis trucks/buses too. ...and FWIW I consider Guildford to be my home town, having lived there (in the same house) from approx 3 to 27 years of age |
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Apr 20, 2017 16:46:49 GMT
Post by Ben on Apr 20, 2017 16:46:49 GMT
I live in a town called Woodlands in this tiny island called Singapore. It's not all that interesting to be honest.
- Woodlands is at the very North of the island, so it's actually very close to the border with Malaysia. I'm like literally 5 mins away.
- It is also home of the Singapore American School. So there are a fair few young Yankees about.
- My own house is right next door to a stadium, which once was home to a football team. On match days I can hear all the associated noises that goes on. Said football team has since folded sadly.
I think that's really about it I guess.
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Apr 20, 2017 19:51:29 GMT
Post by humphreythepug on Apr 20, 2017 19:51:29 GMT
And for that the Rodborough buildings where the ACM is situated should be bombed. I thought I read recently that the Rodborough Buildings was the site of the first car factory in England. It was/is the home for Dennis trucks/buses too. ...and FWIW I consider Guildford to be my home town, having lived there (in the same house) from approx 3 to 27 years of age I believe you are correct about the Rodboro buildings. |
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Apr 20, 2017 21:08:25 GMT
Post by Roadrunner on Apr 20, 2017 21:08:25 GMT
Not much to say about whre I live now, other than that it has been voted as one of the best paces to live in the country and new restaurant has just been opened by a Michelin starred chef. I used to live just up the road in in Chipping Norton and, as Church Warden, was considered to be a pillar of the local community. 'Chippy', as it is known, is a very different place to the image which is portrayed in the press, with far more evidence of folk groups and amateur theatre than of high society London types pretending to live in the country.
I was brought up in Inkberrow, in Worcestershire, which is the village upon which Ambridge is based for Radio Four's Archers. The pub on the village green is called 'The Old Bull' and is what 'The Bull' in Ambridge is meant to be. So, in a funny sort of a way, I can say that I have been a member of Ambridge Young Farmers Club and have spent many a late night lock-in in 'The Bull' before heading out to milk the cows at stupid o'clock in the morning.
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Apr 25, 2017 9:50:54 GMT
Post by scouse on Apr 25, 2017 9:50:54 GMT
Ormskirk - one of only three churches that has both a tower and a steeple, but the only one with them both at the same end of the church.
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Apr 27, 2017 16:08:19 GMT
Post by clunes on Apr 27, 2017 16:08:19 GMT
The most QI aspect of where I live (Rickmansworth) is that it is/has a rare 'frost hollow' - the following taken from Wiki:
"Valley Road in Rickmansworth has a frost hollow. This is caused by the local geography, notably the railway embankment which prevents the natural drainage of cold air from a specific part of the valley. The greatest daily temperature range in England was recorded on 29 August 1936 in Rickmansworth when the temperature climbed from 1.1 °C at dawn to 24.9 °C within 9 hours due to this unique geographic feature"
I'm not nearly wealthy enough to live on Valley Road but am only a few 100 meters away and can vouch for the fact that it gets unusually cold at times compared to surrounding areas.
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Apr 28, 2017 10:15:24 GMT
Post by Tim on Apr 28, 2017 10:15:24 GMT
Our small village is at the head of a little valley and we have something similar.
If it's, say, -3 at the house then when I drive 400 yards UP the hill (which is along the top of the valley) it will get up to 0 degrees. Normally a height gain equals a temperature drop.
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