Highgate and Hampstead, a leafy land of legends. (part two)

 

John and I in Highgate.

24th February 2023. 

John and I returned to Highgate for a second time and got out at Highgate Tube and walked down the High Street which was becoming familiar territory to us both. We soon found Waterlow Park again and walked through its gardens arriving at the gates to Highgate Cemetery on Swains Lane that cuts the two parts of the cemetery into the older West Cemetery and the newer East Cemetery.    We negotiated the graves of the East Cemetery by ourselves. We bought tickets  to join the tour of the West Cemetery later.

Highgate Cemetery was opened in 1839. It was one of the seven cemeteries that were built on the outskirts of London to accommodate the growing number of London's dead. Since Christopher Wren had built his city churches after the Great Fire of London, London churchyards had been the places for London’s dead to be buried. From the late Georgian period into the early Victorian period London’s population was rising fast and the city churchyards could no longer accommodate those who wished to be buried there. ”The Magnificent Seven,” as the new cemeteries were termed, were planned to deal with the exponential increase. Highgate Cemetery alone has an estimated 170, 000 burials. The day John and I were there there was a funeral and burial taking place.

 The cemetery is the last resting place of many famous people and it is easy to get star struck.  Immediately you walk into the cemetery you discover the graves of the literary greats, historians, scientists, actors, artists, publishers and more darkly, past members of the criminal world. 

Bruce Reynolds (1931-2013), the mastermind of The Great Train Robbery (1963)

We walked by ourselves around the newer East Cemetery. Just on our left as we entered we saw, positioned on a slight rise of ground, a small grey granite headstone hollowed out to make a niche for a life size bronze bust of a very serious looking man. It looked life like. It may have been taken from a death mask.  Across the top of the granite stone was written the name, Bruce Reynolds. He was the mastermind of The Great Train Robbery that took place in 1963. I remember it, as an eleven-year-old, in the newspapers and seeing live reports on the BBC on the  black and white television we had at home. The bust of Bruce Reynolds reminded me of the marble busts of Roman senators and emperors Marilyn, and I saw in the Archaeological Museum of Naples a few years ago. It had a sense of somebody serious and all powerful. Looking at the face of Bruce Reynold's bust was a little disconcerting. What is the mind of a criminal?

George Eliot (1819-1880)

We wandered on and found the granite obelisk that marks the grave of George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans). I have recently read Middlemarch by George Eliot that was first published in 1871.A tale, told from different points of view, concerning marriage, position in life, money and the lack of it and personal development. In many ways it is a novel of realism and portrays the strengths but more often the weaknesses of the many characters. A modernist novel. It can be pedantic at times in describing characters and preaching a moral viewpoint. George Eliot was a genius. She has been an influence on novelists ever since and is one of the great novelists in World Literature.  Other admirers had planted  flowers at the base of the obelisk marking her grave. She is squeazed in among other headstones.  I am sure these others are worth spending time with but, George Eliot took all our attention in this huddled part of the cemetery. I don’t think we looked at any of the other inscriptions on  headstones around her. John and I were definitely  star struck.

John next to Karl Marx ( 1818-1883).

Just beyond the grave of George Eliot, to our right on the opposite side of the path, was the unmissable giant bronze bust of Karl Marx set on a marble plinth. This has become the most famous of all Highgate’s tombs. Maybe it’s the most famous tomb in the world? I suppose the pyramids of Egypt are up there.

These are the words incised on the marble base. They ring  throughout twentieth century history., 

“ Workers of The World Unite.” Karl Marx.

” The Philosophers of the world have only interpreted the world in various ways.The point is to change it.’”

Somebody had  left a copy of ,The Communist Manifesto, and there were many bouquets of flowers covering the base of the plinth.

Marx and his family were  moved to this location in 1954. He, his wife and other members of his family were originally buried in a very ordinary grave with a small headstone about a hundred yards from the present tomb site. John and I tried to find the original grave. We had a map of the cemetery  given to us at the entrance. At first the map appeared simple and easy to fiollow. John and  I stood on a path that we thought was marked on the map.After a while of looking and looking and trying to find points we could recognise we decided that, unfortunately,  the map was not detailed enough. We located another path that was shown to try and get our bearings.We thought we had found the location of the original grave using the marked path and the site of the 1954 tomb we could see before us a little way off in the distance. We got confused and our location didn’t help at all. You have to realise that Highgate Cemetery is set within woodland. Many trees bar your vision and although it was still winter and there were no leaves on the trees the woodland is dense. So finally we didn’t find the original grave and it has left a feeling of failure. We must have been  close. One day, one or both of us will go back and we will find the original grave of Karl Marx. 

Eric Hobsbawn.

We walked on and I saw the grave clearly named of Eric Hobsabwn. He was an academic and a historian.A British historian of the rise of industrial capitalism, socialism and capitalism.  I remember reading one of his books when I did a history unit for my Open University degree in the 1980s.  I was thrilled to see his grave. John had never heard of him. 

I do not find cemeteries sad paces at all.I like to read the names and inscriptions on grave stones. Cemeteries are an affirmation of life and living as well as of death.  They remember people who lead lives that added something to the world we are in. 

Patrick Caulfield. "Step down this way."

Then we came across a grave that made me laugh. This particular grave stone  was that of Patrick Caulfield (1936-2005) a pop artist. It is a smooth piece of black granite.It is shaped as a series of neatly cut steps proceding from the top left to the bottom right. Each step has a single letter of the alphabet incised into it perforating the solid stone. Four steps that read from top left to bottom right, D E A D. There is something visceral, giving you a jolt, in that decisive word. It couldn’t be more precise and exact. A whole philosophy in one word.

So we walked around the East Cemetery. Here are a few more we came across. Robert Keating, another artist. Paul Foot, writer and revolutionary. Alan Sillitoe, author. Who of a certain age hasn’t been affected by Saturday Night and Sunday Morning and The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner? Novels about post war working class life. They probably did as much as anything else to influence politics and life in this country in the1960s. Nearby we passed the grave of Corin Redgrave the actor and film star. We also saw the graves of Anna Mahler, sculptor. Bert Jansch, Scottish folk musician and member of Pentangle, Alan Howard, Shakespearean actor and Jeremy Beadle, the popular TV presenter. The resting place of Jim Stanford Horn has a grave stone in the form of a penguin novel  with two of the iconic penguins side by side at the bottom of the design. He was an avid reader. Those who love reading themselevs find this grave a touching tribute. We had only visited the east cemetery, so far. A lot more to come. Where was George Michael buried? He is definitely here but we didn't find him unfortunately.

Jim Stanford Horn (1976-2010)

The time for our guided walk of the older Western Cemetery was approaching. Like any good park or place of entertainment there are toilets near the entrance to the cemetery. We were enlivened for the next part of our cemetery exploration.

We crossed the road to the entrance to the older west part of the cemetery. We walked through the archway of an impressive Victorian gothic gatehouse into a courtyard where many horse drawn hearses over the centuries must have stood. The entrance provides space for a full turning circle for a horse drawn carriage. It is surrounded by a brick built arcade. I presume mourners could have stood under the arches of the arcade out of the rain and snow and wind if the weather was serving up those particular delights on the day. 

The entrance to the Western Cemetery.

A series of steeps steps lead from this entrance area into the environs of the cemetery. A ,”stairway to heaven.” (A little something for you Led Zeppelin fans.) Coffins are carried up these steps and along the paths  to the site of internment or burial.

The lady leading the tour discussed many of the symbolic elements of the graves. Many  are surmounted by stone funery urns with carved drapery slipping from the top of the urn symbolically releasing the soul of the occupant to heaven. Some have Greek pillars broken in half. They have not been vandalised, they symbolise lives cut short.There are many mausoleums of the great and good in  this part. Generals, admirals and the family crypts of  wealthy families. A massive hound lies at the foot of the grave of his master, Thomas Sayer , the greatest pugilist of the mid 19th century.He was a bare knuckle fighter. He only lost one bout in his career. In 1857 he famously defeated, Willam Perry,  the ,”Tipton Slasher.” He retired in 1860. George Wombwell was a menagerist in the late Georgian and early Victorian period. He travelled the country with a wild animal show. His tomb is surmounted by a life size  carving of his favourite lion, Nero. 

George Wombwell ( 1777-1850) Nero keeping him faithful company.

Whilst our guide stopped  by one of the largest mausoleums in the cemetery and informed us about the overall history of the cemetery and told us about this particular mausoleum partly buried in the ground and extensive enough to accommodate a whole family for generations, I nearly fell over a small gravestone positioned just behind us. I nudged John and whispered,”Look who we are standing next to.” A small granite stone,  severed at a sharp angle across the top like a broken slash was the grave of Alexander Litvinenko. I must admit I felt a slight chill go down my spine. The savagery of Vladimir Putin extends to Highgate Cemetery it seems.

Alexander Litvinenko (1962-2006)

Our guide lead us along a sloping pathway up through the wooded cemetery until we came to a large stone entrance flanked by pillars reminscent of an Egyptian temple. This was the entrance to the Egyptian Avenue.

The entrance to the Egyptian Avenue, leading to a rotunda sunken beneath the surface of the ground.

 A tunnel leading from this entrance passed between the bronze doors to crypts ranged on both sides. It opened out into a rotunda area that appeared sunken into the ground. The central drum was the location of more crypts. A circular pathway circled the central drum with further crypts lining the outer wall. One of these had the title ,"columbarium," above an 18th century door. Columbarium at first seems to refer to doves. Within a cemetery it is where funerary urns are displayed. We could not see inside. The bronze door was shut and a security gate was locked in front of it. The cemetery  has been vandalised on a number of occasions. After exploring this sunken world of the dead we ascended steps to ground level.

One part of the cemetery is not open to the public but our guide had the keys to the padlock which gave us entry to an extensive crypt. A long dark corridor,  lighted in places from small skylights, stretched in front of us. The sides of this corridor were lined, floor to ceiling with shelves of coffins . We could read the brass name plaques on many of them. It was here, on one of these shelves, that Charles and Catherine  Dicken’s  daughter Dora was placed  until her grave was ready within the cemetery. Dickens hated the crypt. It is a gloomy and macabre place.

A long tunnel of shelving for coffins. It was here Dicken's daughter Dora was laid before burial. Dickens hated this place

To finish this bit about Highgate Cemetery, after walking past the graves of Beryl Bainbridge and  Elizabeth Siddell as you do, we came across what some people term, the most beautiful grave in the world.  

The grave of Mary Nichols.

That is subjective of course but the grave to Mary Nichols, 

“The darling wife of Arthur Nichols and fondly loved mother of their only son, Harold,” 

must  be up there. Her  grave is  carved in stone as a bed of softly undulating  fabric depicting the softest feather bed you can imagine with a beautiful angel , wings tucked behind, lying on her side on 

top of it. You look and wonder.

There are so many more famous and infamous graves in Highgate. 

Highgate Cemtery was virtually abandoned in the in the mid 20th century. Some of the impressive mauseleums built and owned by wealthy familys had been  abandoned. Later members of familes had no wish to be buried in Highgate. Some family lines had died out. and so many sites were left to moulder and decay. Wild animals and especially birds got inside some of the mauseleums and quicked their dereliction. The cemetery is now owned by a charitable trust, the Friends of Highgate Cemetery which was set up in 1975. The trust acquired the freehold of both the east and west cemeterys by  1981.A book aout the cemtery , "Highgate Cemetery: Victoian Valhala," by John Gay was published in 1984. 

We completed our second visit to Highgate and Hampstead by walking from the cemetery, uphill, back to Hampstead High Street and found The Angel pub. We wanted to go in here particularly because of the blue plaque on the wall outside. 

Graham Chapman,

”A very naughty boy,” 

8th January1944 to 4th October 1989 

…Member of Monty Python’s Flying Circus, 

 drank here often and copiously.

I mean, who could possibly walk past  without going in? I walked up to the bar.

"I hope you don't mind me asking? How much is a pint of beer?"

"£7.50, sir." 

Graham Chapman drank here. 

John and I, remembering the eye watering price of beer in The Flask from our previous visit, decided that just this once that price was acceptable. It was still a little eye watering  We had pints of ,’Neck Oil.” John had fish and chips and I had scampi and chips, to go with our beers. We found a window seat looking out on to the high street. It is quite small inside the pub. 

Blimey, Graham Chapman actually frequented this pub. WOW!!!!!! A real thrill for both John and me.

We then got on the tube at Highgate Tube station and made our way to Waterloo and then our respective trains home.

Highgate and Hampstead, a leafy land of legends. (part one)

 

Highgate School

I wonder if anybody will, or perhaps they already have, written a thoroughly researched study of pollution and waste and its influence on urban development? A chapter may include the development of Highgate and how it became a salubrious and wealthy northern suburb of London? Other town developments happened, like Highgate and Hampstead, for very similar reasons. 

John Lodge, Tony Brown and myself are always looking for new walks to take us on new adventures. We started to research Hampstead and Highgate. We decided to give Highgate a go, planning to visit some famous locations such as Kenwood House the High Street, Hampstead Heath and Highgate Cemetery. We also were aware of the literary and  artistic connections. John and I took part in the first two walks which lead on to two more visits, I must admit we had not planned for initially. Tony Brown joined us on our third expedition to this north London Borough. Clive Baugh on a trip here from his ,”homestead,” in the wilds of Canada, near Maple Leaf, joined us for a fourth visit. Why we have had four walking trips to Hampstead and Highgate in North London will be made clear.

The first record of Hampstead is in 1318. It was land owned by the Lord of the Manor of Hornsey who was the Bishop of London. He had a toll gate positioned on the north road leading out of London. As it was located on high land it was termed the, Highgate.

By the 14th century a settlement was established around the ,”high gate.” Rich noblemen and merchants bought land in the area because it had a high position with wonderful views just five miles from the centre of London. By the 18th century, with its close proximity to the city, five miles away, it had become a small town and because of its high elevation which not only brought great views but also clean air away from the ever more polluted, smog prone city, it was still a sought-after address. Because it was a desirable location only the rich merchants and developing wealthy middle classes could afford to move there. South of London was never an option in the 18th century and early 19th century. The north downs, termed the Surrey hills, were just as healthy with a bucolic environment but they were too far out from the centre of London. Nowadays with modern transport that has changed and Surrey has become a wealthy commuter belt too. 

During the 19th century the population of London grew to enormous numbers. The dirt and squalor in many areas increased as commerce, trade and industry increased making  the rich richer of course.. The 19th century also brought new forms of transport such as much improved roads and the railways. Fortunately for those who lived in Highgate the new major road systems and the railways bypassed them. Highgate remained a very pleasant and health providing place to live. The wealthy population of Highgate increased and housing increased but in a more sustainable way leaving Highgate as it is  today still a very desirable place to live.

Highgate High Street

23rd January 2023

On our first trip to Highgate John and I got on the northern line train from Waterloo towards Edgware getting off at Highgate Tube Station. We exited the station, not knowing which side of the station to exit from, so we took pot luck. We walked s onto a road that looked like West Barnes Lane ,the road I live in near Wimbledon. The houses consisted of late 1920’s houses with mockTudor beams.  They were a mixture of  semi detached and detached houses with trees and shrubs in their front gardens. It all felt familiar. But, we didn’t know which way to go.I asked a lady who was emerging from the staiton near us. John and I both felt as though, for those few moments she was in charge.  She directed us back into the station to take an underpass to emerge at the opposite side of the station. With Highgate and Hampstead’s reputation as a place for academics,writers and artists  and television stars, was she famous in anyway? Perhaps a university professor? She was very efficient, quick witted and eager. We were now on track. We were able to orientate ourselves on the  map we had printed off the Hampstead and Highgate website. We headed off down Highate High street towards Waterlow Park. We wanted to find Highgate Cemetery. Also , for later in the day, John had obtained online free tickets to visit Kenwood House set within Hampstead Common.

WATERLOW PARK

Waterlow Park , in Highgate, is  difficult to pin down visually. There are many parts to it.. Lauderdale House, which sits to one side of the park was home to the Duke of Lauderdale in 1580. The websites I have found  says the park developed from the time of the house was built. I wondered who might have designed it, but there is no information. It certainly wasn’t  Capability Brown, or Humphrey Repton who came much later in the 18th century  or some other such famous garden designer. There seems to be no  overall plan to the park. There are some open spaces and a lake which seems to suggest ideas about countryside and open vistas blending with a natural environment such as a Brown or Repton landscapes but there are also terraces and small compact garden areas hedged off from each other. The house was built  before the English Civil War (1642-1652) so it predated Inigo Jones and his Palladian ideas of proportion. So it must have started as an Elizabethan knot garden. The park is interesting because of this mishmash of stiles one added to the other. You don’t know what is just round the corner. Curving paths and slopes leading between terraces create an interesting walk. One comment I found says it was the earliest example of a terraced garden and it is located on the side of a hill.

Lauderdale house itself has many stories attached to it. The Duke of Lauderdale himself was a key member of Charles II cabinet and it is reputed that Charles II stayed at the house. Legend has it Nell Gwyn, Charles II mistress stayed there too. Andrew Marvell (1621-1678) the metaphysical poet, once lived in a house within the park. The architect, Sir James Pennethorn (1801-1871) lived in the park and is buried  in Highgate Cemetery nearby.From 1856 Sydeny Waterlow lived in Lauderdale House and while there he bought up all the neighbouring properties to extend the park as it is today. He let the house out as a convalescent home. By 1889 Sydney Waterlow had abandoned the house and gave it to London County Council (LCC) as a public park. He thought of it becoming a, “garden for the gardenless.” 

Philanthropy such as this  has always been a feature of the charitable works of the great and wealthy. Landowners  would provide housing and life time work very often for their estate workers. Schools for the local people in villages and towns might be provided by the church and again the wealthy landowners. This is all well and good but it makes the general population reliant on the generosity of individuals and the wealthy might not always choose to be benevolent. We have great examples of this philanthropy today with  billionaires such as Bill Gates, Elon Musk and the charitable foundations run in their names. King Charles III, our present monarch, is known for beginning The Princes Trust which has done amazing work for young people. His father ,The Duke of Edinburgh, began the award scheme which has also been amazingly successful in developing the lives of young people. This is all well and good but it depends on one person deciding to do this sort of work. The 19th century brought state funded schools. The National Health Service came into being in 1948 after the second world war. These state run organisations financed by everybody through taxes are far more all encompassing and universal and rely on every one of us for their existence. That is a much better situation. The monarchy and wealthy people can continue their philanthropy and I think we should say ,thank you,  but society should not be reliant on them. It would be interesting to analyse philanthropical works. What is their effect on our class system and keeping society divided?

One of the gardens in Waterlow Park.

On this first trip to Highgate and Hamstead John and I had a coffee in the café in Lauderdale House. Within the shell of the building it consists of  a series of white cubes and glass wall  expanses looking outside from within. A local photographer was holding an exhibition in the main room downstairs. He was a little overenthusiastic about engaging us  in conversation. He wanted to make a sale I think. That sort of situation can make you feel pressurised.

Lauderdale House

We walked out onto the terrace looking over the park and then wandered through the winding paths and past the hedges leading downhill to the lake. We skirted the park on the left and over the hedgerows noticed the gravestones within a woodland area. Suddenly, deep within the leafless trees that pervade the cemetery like a small forest,  we caught sight of probably one of the most famous graves in the world. In the distance we could see the large bust of Karl Marx surmounting his tomb. We intended to walk around Highgate Cemetery, which is full of famous people, and see Marx’s grave close up.

The gallery space in Lauderdale House.

We found the entrance to the cemetery just as we exited Waterlow Park. Stone pillars formed a gateway. A small building to the right of the entrance advertised the entrance charge and times for guided walks. We had just missed the start of a walk. John and I discussed our next move and reluctantly decided to return another day.

Highgate and Hampstead  is hilly.  From the cemetery entrance we walked up the steep hill, Swann’s Lane, onto South Grove and Pond Square, near the centre of Highgate. There are early Victorian and Georgian houses in this area. We came to a junction and found a house with a blue plaque commemorating where Samuel Taylor Coleridge lived for nineteen years from 1823 to 1834 and where he died. Also in the same house at a much later date the novelist, playwright and essayist J.B. Priestley (1894 -1984), lived.In recent years the fashion model,Kate Moss lived too. Layers of history in one house can bring up some unusual contrasts.   That is aways a thoughtful moment when you come across a house like this. 

Samuel Taylor Coleridge(lived here from 1823 to 1834) J.B. Preistley (1894-1984) Kate Moss (1974- )

Across the road, tucked away in a short lane we found a pub called The Flask, where we decided to have a pint and order a lunch. The Flask was first recorded as a pub in 1716. This area north of London near the Great North Road leading to York was a favoured location near Finchley Common for highway robbers. The famous Dick Turpin is reputed to have stabled his horse, Black Bess,  at The Flask. As far as highway robbery goes, John and I settled ourselves into a comfortable nook and cranny within the The Flask. We got served by a friendly waitress. When we heard the price of a pint of beer I think the blood must have drained from our faces,  £9 a pint. The food we ordered wasn’t much more in price. We enjoyed the ambience of The Flask and surmised that perhaps Coleridge himself drank there and perhaps J.B. Priestley too and these thoughts about these famous writers. somewhat softened the financial blow. We enjoyed the pint and enjoyed the food. Our visit to The Flask we will put down to experience.

The Flask

Churches and chapels always have an attraction to go in. Often they are open for passers by to walk in. They can reveal amazing architecture and richly decorated religious artworks. John and I are always keen to explore a church. From The Flask we made our way back towards Pond Square past Pond Square Chapel. We tried the heavy iron door handle on the entrance door but the chael was unfortunately locked. Pond Square Chapel has a non-conformist history going back to the 1665 Five Mile Act. The act stated that any minister ejected from the church of England for their dissenting views could not live within five miles of the church they once preach at. Highgate was located more than five miles from the centre of London so a nonconformist community grew up there among the growing wealthy community escaping London. The Pilgrim s who sailed on the Mayflower to escape persecution for their non-conformist views sailed in 1620 just forty years before the five mile act. It appears, the act, apparently punitive, did allow for some  acceptance of the nonconformists allowing them to continue their preaching and their ideas. Progress from 1620 perhaps.? There is always a sense I think that things political or religious do adapt to the reality of life actually lived rather than forcing people to keep to a set of rules and beliefs that don’t necessarily fit their reality. Of course ew groups, new ideas can create similarly draconian strictures. Religions do tend to set rules and beliefs for their followers. To be human is a life’s adventure, not the following of a set of rules and beliefs that are imposed. Cruelty can set in. I’ve always thought qualities such as kindness, love, understanding and self-awareness are  most important. 

St Michael's Church Highgate. Samuel Taylor Coleridge and his family are buried here.

Pond Square has another place of worship, St Michael’s Church. 

In 1818 an act of Parliament for the building and promotion of additional churches in populous parishes was made. St Michaels was one of these new churches.

Inside is a slate tombstone commemorating Samuel Taylor Coleridge(1772-1834) , his wife, his daughter with her husband, Coleridge’s nephew and their son. An extensive  family tomb. Originally Coleridge was  buried in the chapel of Highgate School at the top of the High Street. When a new chapel was built in 1868 it overhung the Coleridge vault. In 1961 Coleridge’s remains were reburied in the crypt of St Marys. The poet John Masefield gave a reading at the reburial. Coleridge had actually worshipped in the new church of St Mary’s and its red door was visible from Coleridge’s house. He was connected to the site of his reburial. Coleridge was the joint founder of the Romantic movement with his friend William Wordsworth.

In the late 18th century Lord Mansfield owned Kenwood House. It was here Dido Belle, the daughter of an enslaved African women, whose father was Mansfield’s nephew Sir John Lyndsey, lived. Dido had been born into slavery in 1761, the daughter of maria Bell, an enslaved woman . Lindsey asked Murray to take on her care and education, and. Elizabeth was baptised Dido Elizabeth Belle in 1766 in London.

It was Lord Mansfield, who some say inadvertently, began the legal process against slavery. The case that Mansfield is most famous for is the James Somerset case. Somerset was a slave owned by an American customs official. While onboard his masters ship at dock in England Somerset attempted to escape but was captured and later put aboard another ship destined for the US. An application was presented to the Court of Kings Bench by three people saying they were Somerset’s godparents. The eventual outcome, after much publicity and strong public opinion on both sides of the argument was given by Lord Mansfield the Chief Justice. He stated that slavery was not legal in England on English soil and that all men were free within England.. All slaves who were on English soil became freed at that moment. 

Lord Mansfield was born in1705 and died in 1793. He was obviously a man of his time. However, in his judgements he looked at the law from the human level disregarding the prejudices and  general held beliefs.  It took an intelligent honest man to make the judgements Mansfield made. What can the law do and how should the law be applied to the human condition? That is a very difficult thing to do but Mansfield managed it in this case. This judgement did not have any effect on slavery and the slave trade outside of England though.

Kenwood House through the trees.

 Lord Mansfield  was also under threat by the Gordon Riots of 1780 lead by the member of Parliament Lord George Gordon. because he defended catholics before the Catholic Relief Act of 1778 and was an important advocate of the act. It was intended to relieve Catholics of some of the discrimination against them. The Gordon Rioters made their way to Kenwood House and threatened to attack it. The story goes that publican at The Spaniards Inn provided free drink to the rioters , they got drunk and the attack on Kenwood was prevented. Whether that story  is apocryphal is debateable. 

Kenwood House is renowned for its art collection and its Robert Adam interiors. It is here in that summer open air concerts are held.  

John and I had  wanted to explore Kenwood but as the day went on we ran out of time to visit. We missed our time slot. We walked along a muddy path leading to the east of the house and had a spectacular view of the house and the extensive parkland it is set in. So, at least we saw it and got some great photographs.

We also came across Highgate School where John Betjeman (1906-1984) attended as a school boy and we saw a blue plaque commemorating him on the side of one of the old school buildings. It reminded us about our visit to St Pancras Station when we were walking The Regents Canal. We took photographs  posing next to Betjeman’s statue on the station concourse.

Jack Straws Castle.

Just outside of Hampstead to the north on the road passing through the Heath  is Jack Straws Castle and to the east of that just south of Highgate High Street  is The Spaniards Inn. We walked past both these famous inns. Both are mentioned in Bram Stokers Dracula and the Spaniards Inn was known to Charles Dickens. The litigious Mrs Bardel in Pickwick Papers sojourns at The Spaniards Inn, on her quest to track down Pickwick. Why would Dickens choose The Spaniards Inn? I suppose  he what he know and inspired him. The Spaniards inn   served his literary purpose. 

Spaniards Inn.

Both places located on the Heath in the 18th century were remote and were often the haunts of Highwaymen. Jack. Straws castle has its own ghost stories. Maybe they inspired Bram Stoker to add his spine chilling imagination .The father and mother of Dick Turpin  ran The Spaniards Inn. Being in the location of famous events and where famous people from our past walked and whose imaginations were inspired makes you feel as though you are being surrounded by the past. You are existing in the same space of past events.

I should think the people of Highgate are used to strangers such as John and I wondering about their village, stopping outside of various houses and staring at the houses and talking about them.

John and I decided we must return soon. Highgate Cemetery and all the abodes of more amous writers were still to come.

So, this is just part one of our adventures in Highgate.

VOICES IN THE PARK by Anthony Browne a review.

I recently read a review about a book of essays analysing, MAUS, a graphic novel by American cartoonist Art Spiegelman. The opening essay is by Philip Pullman. Other writers provided their analysis too. It made me think, what illustrated stories I might want to write about. Anthony Browne is a writer I have always found interesting. So here is my take on his book, VOICES. 

 When I was a teacher, I often had a class reading book, usually chosen by the children themselves, that I would read at the end of the day, just a chapter at a time. It helped the children and me wind down and gave us something to think about and question, away from the successes, hard work,intrigues and sometimes failings of the day. Reading the book, just one chapter at a time, also enabled the children and me to think about the issues, themes and characters in the story at a leisurely pace. Sometimes the book might be a novel such as a Harry Potter and sometimes it was a picture book, such as VOICES by Anthony Browne. The first thing we would do is read the title and look at the picture on the cover. What did the title and the picture tell us about the story we were about to read? The title, “VOICES” brings to mind a number of thoughts. Are these voices overheard by a person in the park? Are they voices somebody might be hearing in their mind? Differing voices have different viewpoints. This is something that we all need to be aware, that situations, can be seen from different angles, different viewpoints and have different effects on different people. We have our viewpoint and other people have theirs and we must learn to empathise. 

 The picture on the front of VOICES shows a scene set in a park. Parks are egalitarian places. People from different levels of society; employment, education, and work, see each other, pass by and occasionally say hello. An avenue of trees leads to two small characters facing each other. The boy offers the girl a flower. Behind them, at odd crazy slightly unnerving angles, grow neat green conical bushes. A little unsettling. There is something church like in this scene.The tree trunks are like the columns lining the aisle of an ancient church The canopy of leaves pressing down on the bright green grass and the young couple is somewhat oppressive. It presses down heavily. It is bright red with flashes of yellow at the top part and dark and gloomy at the base of the leaf canopy. Two dogs, also in the distance to the right of the picture run and cavort. The dogs appear carefree and abandoned compared to the reticent and tentative, maybe tender, encounter between the little boy and the little girl. Ominous forebodings or happy encounters? What is to come? 

 The characters are portrayed as gorillas. This is something Anthony Browne has used in other books. It removes the characters from looking like human beings, however, the characters are hyper human, almost more than human. At first you might think, is this a racial slur, but it is not. The characters are you and me or any person from various walks of life. Anthony Browne has been asked about his portrayal of some of his characters as gorillas. His reply has always been, “I like gorillas.” Gorillas have obviously had a deep emotional impact on him.  Characters, in his other stories, for istance, ,"Piggybook," who are portrayed as ordinary humans are often monstrous.

 Four different voices of four characters appear in the story: 

 The first voice is that of a mother with a son called Charles and a pedigree Labrador. They emerge from a large, elegant mansion with manicured lawns on their way to the park. The type of script used to record her voice is a bold Baskerville script. It looks refined. 

The second voice, the father of the girl, wears overalls and a workman’s jacket. He is unemployed and needs to get out of the house. The four walls must be making him feel crazy. He has a depressed look on his face as he sits in an armchair contemplating. The script used to portray the father is bold and simple.

 The third voice is that of the little boy, his voice printed in a much lighter and subdued version of his officious mothers script.He leads a lonely, controlled life it seems. His mother is overprotective, controlling and stuffy. 

The fourth voice is the little girl. She seems to be the most liberated of the four voices, adventurous, open to meeting new people, the most empathetic of the four characters. Her script is uneven, bold, creative, invented. 

The portraits of the characters, the script used to portray their individual voices and above all their words reveal their characters. We know them. We have all met people like that. Children reading this will empathise with the characters. They will know them as much as any adult reading this story. 

 The four characters portray the social layers of society, attitudes and the effects those layers have on the individual. 

The mother, is formal and class ridden in the little things as well as the big things. Her dog is not any dog it’s a ,”pedigree, Labrador”, called Victoria. The son, and she formally calls him," my son," is Charles. The regal connections are obvious.

When they reach the park another dog is merely “some scruffy mongrel.” Words such as “bothered,” and ,”horrible,”reveal her attitudes. She orders Charles, 

 “ Sit,” I said to Charles.”Here.” 

No love, no warmth just cold command. 

The picture by Anthony Browne that reveals as much if not more than the words, shows Victoria chasing the mongrel dog in the distance. The two dogs look carefree . The mother and Charles, the obedient son sit ,on the park bench, slightly apart looking in opposite directions. The mother with an angry, expression Charles, forlorn.

The girls father, makes an appearance sitting on the opposite end to the park bench to the mother. The mother is alarmed. Charles has disappeared. A close up of the mother shows panic. She calls Charles name. She refers to the “frightful types,” you get in the park. She sees Charles ,”talking to a very rough-looking child.” ”Charles, come here. At once!””And come here please, Victoria.” This whole scene feels constipated. It is painful for the mother and it is certainly painful for her son. She attempts to control the situation but her panic shows her helplessness. Her rigid views do not sit comfortably with her, and her son. The dogs are just dogs. They don’t care about class, pedigree and superiority. It means nothing to the dogs and you feel acutely it shouldn’t matter to the human characters in the story either. 

 Smudge[s father needs to get out of the house. You can sense his frustration, boredom, desperation and depression at being unemployed. However, unlike ,"the mother,"he senses the vigour , and energy his dog has and wishes he felt like that He spends time looking for a job in the newspaper. He needs some hope even if things are hopeless. His daughter Smudge cheers him up with her chatter. The picture of them on their way home expresses the joy and fun he at least gets from his daughter and his dog. The mother of Charles on the other hand could derive no joy at all from her son and her dog. 

Which of them is better off? 

 Charles is bored at home.The park visit is an epiphany for him. He sees the mongrel dog is friendly with his pedigree dog. He so wishes he could have a good time too. Then he meets Smudge and he plays with her on the slide and the climbing frame. He is amazed at the feeling of fun and joy he feels and thought Smudge was, brilliant. We  feel pleased Charles has had this experience. You get the sense he now knows what fun , joy and friendship are. A chink of light in his depressing dark life. He hopes “Smudge will be there next tme.” 

 Smudge is confident and abandoned. She is open to meeting Charles and just being friendly. Charles responds by giving Smudge a flower. It is almost romantic. Smudge brings joy to Charles and also to her own father. Her dog, Albert, has an abandoned free spirit too,

”he went straight up to this lovely dog and sniffed its bum (he always does that).” 

Smudge is a catalyst of hope for all she encounters it seems. She notices the sadness in Charles. She can empathise. 

 If you were to read this with a class of children, what might you discuss? What would their reaction and thoughts be? Have they ever been in a situation or know people like these? Have they encountered people who are aloof? Why would somebody be like that? Have they experienced loneliness, lack of confidence?. What does this story tell us about dealing with those feelings and situations? Do they know about unemployment, being wealthy, finding themselves in awkward social situations? Have they experienced feelings of freedom? What makes them joyous? 

Some of those answers children might want to keep to themselves. What is important is that they can learn to empathise with those situations and feelings themselves. 

BIOGRAPHY: Anthony Browne is an illustrator and writer of children’s books. His books delve into the psychological, social interactions and relationships of children. They are sometimes dark, sinister stories. Empathy is an overriding theme. Great children’s literature helps children deal with deep issues imaginatively. He was born on the 11th September 1946 near Sheffield in the north of England. His mother and father, Jack and Doris, managed a pub called the Red Lion at Hellfire Corner. He did graphic design at Leeds College of Art graduating in 1967. He became a medical illustrator at Manchester Royal Infirmary. Later he designed cards for Gordon Fraser, a company who produce cards for all occasions. After a few years of doing that for a living he began illustrating and writing his own books. Through The Magic Mirror, came out in 1976. He won The Kate Greenaway prize for children’s literature in 1992 for his book ZOO. In 2001 he became a writer and illustrator at Tate Britain helping develop children’s art. In 2009 he became the 6th Children’s Laureate. Previous Laureates include Quentin Blake, Michael Rosen, Michael Morpurgo, Jaqueline Wilson and Anne Fine. The present laureate is Cressida Cowell famous for, How To Train Your Dragon. 

 Anthony Browne has written fifty books for children. The most famous ones are VOICES, ZOO, WILLY THE WIMP, THE TUNNEL and INTO THE FOREST. I have probably missed your favourite ones in this short list. They are all worth engaging with. They provide food for thought for both adults and children.

POEM OF THE WEEK : Lightning Strike by John Clegg

 

Within the culture section of the Guardian there is a poem of the week published with a commentary and analysis. This poem, The Lightning Tree by John Clegg was published in The Guardian on the 9th January and reviewed by  Carol Rumen. 

 

Lightning Strikes School Tree

No-one saw it but me and I had my eyes shut:

I’d given the class their Thomas Hardy worksheets,

the bell had gone off, hinging our double period,

everybody was scraping their chairs about,

there was an agreed low level of laugh and chat

and doubtless some thought was authentically

bent to the poem, some to the fizzy striplight,

some to the weight of the next forty minutes and some

to the far field out of the window

where – as I say – with my eyes shut

I saw not the flash but the mid-distance lime tree

pulled flat like the loop in a seam

at the fact of a needle: and then when I blinked

I could still see the needle, and I had my eyes shut.

I read the poem. So many issues about teaching and learning immediately came to mind. 

There are lots of things about teachers, teaching, being a learner or pupil and the whole process of learning that just leaps out from this poem. A tree, lightning striking, teaching and learning have so many close interconnections.

The main symbol is a tree. It grows and develops slowly giving out branches, new shoots, buds and fresh leaves in the Spring. It is a habitat and an ecosystem to a multitude of  life and provides sustenance to all living things, including us. A  classroom is the setting of this poem. A classroom where over a year, the personal development and growth of the minds and the development of the pupils tis supposed to take place. A place to nurture lives, just like a tree.

What the teacher intends for the lesson is obviously not happening. The forty minutes are a waste of time. A study of a Thomas Hardy’s poem or rather filling in a work sheet, a tick box exercise, after presumably having read the poem.  Hardy was a rural writer of novels and poems imbued in nature. He would have appreciated the event of a tree being struck by lightning, the visceral moment. He too, like the teacher and students in this poem would have been affected to the core of his being. These pupils in this classroom are not that interested in Hardys poem, presented the way it is being presented, an object, a set of thoughts given to them , apparently,without any context. The teacher has already set the tone of the class, scraping chairs, low laughter and chat are permitted.  That agreement does not include the learning process. Some will focus on the strip lighting flickering on the ceiling, some on the long forty minutes of time, some the lightning struck lime tree falling to the ground. Some may give a thought to Hardys poem but I get a sense that that is a far off lost aim in this lesson.

For the teacher the lightning strike is what truly really affects them and the class. Even with their eyes shut the image of the strike has struck home, through the  retina  along the optic nerve, deep into the  brain. Something they will remember all their lives.

Inspiration can be just like that, a lightning strike that affects a teacher or pupil deeply and everlastingly and change them in some profound way. However being a human or being a tree, change is usually slow and may have its stops, starts and reversals. The illumination of a lightning strike either on a tree or in  personal development happens seldom. We have to grow into change, slowly. I remember reading with my own children when they were at a very young age. We sat cuddled up to each other when they were,  one year of age. Comfort, the pleasure of looking at pictures, talking, listening to the sounds of words I read to them. Often the sounds of the repetition of words and phrases was enjoyable. They have all, in their adulthood, become lovers of reading books. Something about reading to young children is the start of a journey, a long process, not a sudden ,"lightening strike,"of inspiration and change.Providing a pleasurable learning experience is the best we can aim for. The lightning strike might happen once in a lifetime.

 Perhaps the teacher in the poem needs to start a conversation with his or her students about what they themselves are interested in and what has inspired them and  from that discussion, design their  lessons around that approach. Make the lesson fit the pupil and not the other way round.

Maria Montessori had a similar idea about education. She built her theory through her observations on the principles of individual growth and development.  She believed in creating an atmosphere of freedom, interaction with the environment and giving her students a choice. 

If all lessons could provide a pleasurable exploration of the world deep change for each individual would gradually develop. A lightning strike would be nice. We can hope.

The Guardian link: 

Poem of the week: Lightning Strikes School Tree by John Clegg

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/jan/09/poem-of-the-week-lightning-strikes-school-tree-by-john-clegg?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

A WALK ALONG THE WEY NAVIGATION from Pyrford Lock to Newark Lock and Ripley Village

 

Tony Brown and I beside The Wey Navigation.

Thursday 6^th October 2022. Tony and I went for a walk. We go walking together often, along with John Lodge. John couldn’t make it this time so Tony and I decided that we would walk the canalised part of the River Wey from near Wisley. There was no thought of a given distance. We merely wanted a pleasant walk and a pub lunch in  whatever establishment we came across.

Walking; it is what our  bodies are made for. When we don’t move, we become sedentary. We can lose our full potential. I love walking , the feel of  movement through a place.

Tony drove to  my house in West Barnes Lane and came in for a cup of tea and a chat with Marilyn and I. When we were ready , Tony did the driving. We drove down the A3. Once past The Kingston bypass and the Ace of Spades roundabout we got  out of Greater London.

“Is this where the fifty mile an hour speed limit finishes? “asked Tony.

“Yes.”

And so we accelerated up to seventy miles per hour.

I like this drive. It’s not just a long black tongue of road leading for seventy miles down to Portsmouth. The sense of forest and wilderness surrounding the road appeals to something primal inside all of us.

We turned off for Wisley, coming off the slip road on the left and passed under the A3 and drove up the opposite side for a mile until we came to the partly hidden Wisley turn off  shielded behind trees and shrubs. 

The Wisley Road to Pyrford Lock on The River Wey passes the entrance to the RHS Wisley Gardens on the left. It is a winding road tree lined with some depth of woodland in places but also with fields visible through the gaps in the trees followed by open areas of fields. The road has no pavements. It is just wide enough for two cars to pass.  We passed Wisley Church and thought it would be a good idea to visit the church on our way back. It is a small stone built church mostly from the 12^th century. We wound our careful way to the Pyrford Lock where The Anchor Pub is located right on the side of the canal. There is a car park next to the river  on the right but we drove into the larger car park on the left across the road from The Anchor.

The Wey Navigation.

We set out   We discussed the idea that we would walk along the river and canal for a while and then turn back to have a pub lunch at The Anchor.  A lock gate leaking water to the lower level was next to the bridge crossing the river here. A pathway wends its way towards Guildford on the left bank so we started our walk in that direction. Trees still green with leaves, a few turning autumn yellow. The river full to the top of the banks after recent rains, glassy smooth, reflecting the trees and shrubs. It is amazing how walking promotes talking.

“Is the river flowing?” Tony wondered. It looked so still and glassy.

We stopped for a moment and observed the surface. We could see the river moving north to our right almost imperceptibly. It was flowing in the direction of the Thames which it feeds at Shepperton Lock near D’Oyly Carte Island.We noticed masses of what at first looked like large clumps of watercress growing profusely on both sides of the river. Again we stopped to look more carefully. We decided that it wasn’t watercress but what appeared to be small lily pads but probably something else entirely. 

The banks of the Wey changed as we walked along. Sometimes the banks were those of a river, winding and curving. At other times, especially where there were locks the river was straight, sometimes with stone and brick built sides and sometimes with turf sides. I have never seen a turf sided canal before.

Lock gate near Pyrford.

The Wey River Navigation  is one of the oldest types of canal in the country. A turf canal was  first constructed along The River Wey between 1618 and 1619 by Sir Richard Weston an owner of the land stretching either side of the river.He built a three mile cut through his land in 1618. The Guildford Corporation petitioned the King to extend the canalisation so that boats could reach Guildford from the Thames.The work was completed in November 1653. This new canal, the idea for which came from visits to the Netherlands, improved the economy of Guildford and mid Surrey well before the Industrial Revolution and the northern canal systems. Wood to rebuild London after the Great Fire of 1666 came from Surrey via The Wey Navigation. Stone from quarries near Guildford was moved along the canal and was used for building of St Paul’s Cathedral. Timber, corn, flour, wood and gunpowder moved north along the canal and then down the Thames to London. By linking Guildford and hence mid Surrey to The Thames, exports from Europe  by the Hanseatic League, ( a commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns growing from a group of north German towns in the late 12^th century) provided wood, tar, cereals, fish, salt and many other items. Wines from Italy and Spain and many other links could be accessed from the trading highway The Thames provided and could be transported to Guildford.  From the 18^th century the,” triangular trade,” created by The Royal Africa Company involved enslaved Africans from the West Coast of Africa. The slaves were used on the plantations to grow sugar cane and the sugar created great wealth for Britain. Products such as sugar  reached Guildford along the canal.

Nowadays our present government is critical of any emphasise placed on the effects that 18^th century slavery still plays today. We have systemic racism in most large organisations, denied by our Conservative Government, and racist acts and attitudes are still prevalent in our society. This can  be directly linked to our attitudes and beliefs derived from our past trade in slaves. Emphasising the roll of slavery in Britain is very important.  We have to be aware of that to be able to address the issues that occur now. By knowing our history and accepting its consequences  we can begin to solve racist problems today. Change only comes  through knowledge.

The path beside The Wey Navigation.

The Pathway wending its way along the side of the Wey Navigation is cared for by The National Trust. The Trust members these days are divided along  political and social factions because of the different attitudes to historical interpretation, some of which is linked to our slave trade past and some attributed to how we differ on our views about land management and attitudes to the countryside as a whole. I am a member of The National Trust. It’s houses, landscapes and gardens are without doubt national treasures and absolutely amazing to be able to visit.The National Trust allows all of us to experience, historic houses and their treasures including the  historic landscapes that Capability Brown designed, also gardens, forests, moors and mountains. The trust  also has to pay regard to current issues about sustainability, the environment, interpretation of our past history and also take into account the effects our past has on our present such as the legacy of colonialism and slavery.  Some members think there is too much emphasis on the legacy of slavery. They must be Conservatives. Slavery created the wealth for building many of The Trusts properties and lands. Therefore the  role of slavery surely must be part of the interpretation of those properties ?

With regards to the landscape and the grounds of many of The Trust properties, some think The National Trust should only be involved in keeping the landscapes as they always were. As long as this does not damage our environment they can do that I think. However, members are divided.  The National Trust by its very name has to take into account national issues. It can’t be divorced from the real world. The management of our environment helps us all. The historic landscapes the trust oversees were developed to meet the needs of past times. Many trust members think that aspects of them should develop in line with the needs of today. 

It appeared to Tony and I that the fields around The Wey are affected by some of these issues. Fields near us were in a wild and unkempt state. Tony and I talked about food production in Britain. There we were surrounded by fields and marshes much of which  did not appear to be farmed.One weedy and overgrown field had a single cow in it. I wondered if this was part of the rewilding happening on some National Trust properties. Some think rewilding is wrong. Tony made the point that Britain needs to grow as much food as it can and be more self sufficient than we are at present. I think both arguments are right . We need to produce food as a country but we also need to nurture and care for nature. Some might think that is sentimental . However, I know this from exploring habitats in school even with young children, that the smallest habitats interrelate by way of ecosystems and there is a reliance on  each part for all parts to thrive. Plants rely on the soil and climate,insects rely on plants,  birds and dormice rely on insects, larger preditors rely  on the small animals and so the chain goes on. There are those among us who wonder what all this means for us humans. Healthy habitats and the larger ecosytems  affect the air we breath, the water we drink, the standards of  food we eat. All of life is connected. If ecosystems are destroyed then in the long run we do indeed destroy ourselves. Rewilding has a very important purpose in sustaining the ecosystms we need to survive, creating those important environmental chains. 

As  humans we need to connect with nature, as Tony and I were doing on our walk, helping us to become stronger physically and mentally. Breathing fresh air and the beauties of nature are good for us in many ways. It makes you feel good and a healthy environment does you good.

Brightly painted canal boats.

As we walked along the river, various locks and sluices have been added and developed over the centuries. One sluice gate near Ripley had a late 19^th century date on it . So it is obvious the canal has not remained exactly as it was when first made in the 17^th century. The canal has had a history that continues and develops up to the present day. One final point about The Wey path being cared for by the National Trust.As Tony and I walked along there were many pristine and shiny house boats , some anchored at the side of the canal, one or two chugging along gracefully in mid stream.  The very use of the canal,not only being used by Tony and myself as a very pleasant walk but the canal also being used in ways that are appropriate to nowadays. Those arguing for nothing to change have lost out already.

 

One of the things I always enjoy on a walk is passing other people.Two ladies of our age , probably in the retirement category like Tony and I walked past us going the opposite way. We naturally moved to make way for each other and none of us broke step. A nod of acknowledgement, a smile, a word or two overheard. It was a fleeting human connection. We have never met them before and they have never met us. We will never see each other again.It is a few seconds of all our lives. Strange to think of our life’s journey and obviously their life’s journey leading to those fleeting seconds. It’s good to acknowledge other humans , a glance, a smile. That is all it takes.I suppose you know you are not alone on this planet.

The lodge where Jonne Donne lived. (1600-1604 )

John Donne lived near Ripley for a short part of his life. As we walked along we came across some large houses partly hidden behind trees and lush lawns. These  homes had their own riverside quays to tie up  boats . Next to the river on the opposite side we saw a two storey brick built building with a strange, what appeared to be an oriental style roof. Tony thought it looked like a Dutch design. I noticed the brickwork looked weathered and the individual bricks were narrow and wide. From visits to Hampton Court, as a comparison, they  looked like Tudor brickwork. The windows, top and bottom were lead latticed in a diamond formation which also leant this building an ancient feel and look. I noticed a plaque on the side of the building. It read,

 “John Donne lived here. 1600-1604”

Jonne Donne the poet and Deane of St Pauls Cathedral in the City of London, suffered financial problems at one time in his life and he stayed here as cheap  alternative accomodation. This riverside building had been part of a larger complex, no longer in existence. It belonged to his wife’s (Anne More) family. I wonder if he felt inspired to write any of his poetry here?

Perhaps he complained about the sun waking him in the morning?

THE SUN RISING

Busy old fool, unruly sun,
Why dost thou thus,
Through windows, and through curtains call on us?
Must to thy motions lovers’ seasons run?
Saucy pedantic wretch, go chide
Late school boys and sour prentices,
Go tell court huntsmen that the king will ride,
Call country ants to harvest offices,
Love, all alike, no season knows nor clime,
Nor hours, days, months, which are the rags of time …

 

Newark Priory set on an island next to The Wey.

Further on we caught sight of Newark Priory, set in an expansive meadow across the river from us. It was established in 1189 but redeveloped in 1312.The priory is set on a large island and cannot be easily reached. It is not open to the public because it is  privately owned. A service is held once a year in its ruins lead by the Bishop of Guildford. It stands alone.The parts that remain are a steeply pitched end wall of what was once a great hall or perhaps the church that once stood here. Other ruined walls of  buildings and rooms are clustered there. When you see a ruined place like this thoughts go to what life was like in a place like that when it was a vibrant religious establishment. Tony suggested the priory made its living from mills on the river. The meadows surrounding it could have been used for sheep farming. I read on Wikipedia that the priory also owned land and property in the city of London from which it could exact rents.

After observing the priory Tony and I reached Newark Lock. We stood for a while listening to the sound of rushing water and observing two swans gliding by gracefully. A sign post nearby pointed us in the direction of Ripley Village. I have never been to Ripley before. It has a wide main street. Tudor timber frame buildings are interspersed with white Georgian fronts and Victorian brick built structures. Standing in the centre of the village  we could see at least three pubs . The names of the pubs in Ripley all have nautical names. Ripley was on the main route from London to Portsmouth, so many sailors passed this way in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Just outside of Ripley Village.

The Ship Inn looked inviting but when we arrived at the door it was closed. Further west down the High Street we could see the sign for The Anchor. When we reached it it too was a timber frame  building. I noticed a small round Michelin sticker on one window as we passed  but didn’t give it a lot of thought. We walked into a low beamed room and walked to the counter in front of us. A young lady came to enquire our needs. As I approached her I suddenly staggered to the left. A steep slope in the floor from one level to  another caught me unawares. A little embarrassing. Jokingly I said to the girl that the restaurant wanted to keep people off balance. She didn’t take it as a joke and pointed out a warning sign below the desk she stood at. The sign was indeed a warning about the slope but it wasn’t at eye level. I think the restaurant was at fault but I laughed it off. Another young lady showed us to a table and gave us each a menu. Looking around it could be seen that  different rooms from different connected buildings had been made into one space by demolishing dividing walls. There were lots  of nooks and crannies which gave it an old comfortable ambience. We decided we liked it.

 The menus were a little,” eye watering.” They were pricey. I remembered the Michelin sticker in the window and asked the manageress about this. The restaurant had been awarded a Michelin approved status. It did not have a Michelin star but the manageress explained that they were obliged to produce food  of a Michelin star standard. Having  Michelin recognition without the star allowed them to be more experimental and not keep to the narrow menu a Michelin star might require. Then Tony and I focussed more on  the prices of the individual dishes, took a deep breath and decided, after a pause and a bit of muttering between us, that we would order food, consoling each other that we didn’t do this sort of thing often. The pricing was double what we would have normally expected to pay , but hey, anyway.

We ordered two pints of the  Rebellion IPA brewed at the local Ripley brewery. Local breweries are producing some excellent beers these days and this particular IPA had a lovely light flowery flavour and at 3.7% it wasn’t too strong. We had a return journey along the Wey Navigation to achieve yet.

We both ordered from the A La Carte menu. I ordered a starter of ,”Hand divided Scallops with a raisin and caper vinaigrette.” My main course was  ,”Seed crusted venison with a butternut puree pickled blackberries and roast shallots.” Ok I know what you are thinking. “Blimey.” Well, I can report the food was delicious. It appeared on square white china plates. The food was laid out on our plates like works of artwork that Picasso would have been proud of. It looked fantastic, but, disappointingly, the portions were tiny. For my starter the waitress presented me with the plate of scallops and then in a dramatic manner posing like an actress dribbled the vinaigrette sauce in a swirling flourish over the scallops. Of course when you order ,”posh,” food this is what you have  to expect. We took our time sipping our pints of IPA. We also took our time eating the food, not wanting to eat it too quickly, reassuring each other how good it tasted.  I would love to eat the scallops and the seed crusted venison again but a lot more of it and at half the price. I think we need these sort of experiences  even if only once. The waitress who served us and the restaurant manager were both very friendly and helpful and they made for an overall enjoyable, warm, relaxed experience. We ate and drank and then payed the bill trying not to think about the cost.

From Ripley Village we retraced our steps to the weir on The Wey passing an apple tree that overhung the pavement from a field nearby. Perhaps the remnants of an orchard that once grew in this field. Who knows?  We tried an apple each. They were sweet and crunchy. A free dessert!

We reached the Wey Navigation and wended our way back along the tow path to Pyrford Lock. The  pub at Pyrford Lock, also called The Anchor, has an amazing coffee machine. Chrome levers with a chrome trim encircling the whole machine, catching the light. Hissing and steaming , the coffee machine provided for all the senses. We sat by the river and drank a coffee and ate a scone each. There was a noticeable difference between , The Anchor at Ripley and the The Anchor here at Pyrford Lock. The food at Pyrford Lock is cheap, fish and chips and pie and mash. Perfectly good tasty food but not Michelin style of course. There is nothing wrong with that. It was  the atmosphere created by the staff at the Pyrford Lock Anchor pub that was noticeable. The restaurant manager and waitress at The Anchor in Ripley were friendly, warm  and smiled, a lot . You could sense they their friendliness and they made us feel good.  The Anchor at Pyrford Lock had a stern bar manager who seemed to create anxiety among the two  staff behind the bar.   The staff seemed to be ruled by fear. Maybe a little of an exaggeration but the difference in the two establishments was certainly stark. The Anchor at Pyrford could learn from The Anchor at Ripley.

Wisley Church.

On the way back, driving along Wisley Lane we remembered to stop at Wisley Church. It is a small church, almost a chapel ,set back from the road behind some farm buildings. It is an ancient church first built in the 12^th century and like most village churches added to over the centuries. Although, as Wisley church is a very small church   very few parts have been built on in later centuries . A wooden north porch was added in the 17^th century and the church itself was refurbished in 1872 quite recently in the broad scheme of things. The font looked as though it might have been part of the original 12^th century church. An original tiled reredos behind the altar was uncovered in the refurbishment of 1872. The thick whitewashed walls of the interior look and feel ancient too. Walking into a country church like this,  one of the first things you notice is the stillness and the quiet. The interior feels cool. Any light and warmth from the sun can only penetrate through the beautiful stained glass windows. Being inside a  church like this encourages contemplation and thought.

Tony and I spent sometime looking at the various stained glass windows and artefacts inside the church.

Then back into the car and home.

As I have described we walked through and past  a number of historic landscapes. . It is reasonably easy to find out historical facts about these places. Why were they built? Who used  them? We can find artefacts in museums locally  and read historical analysis based on documents, What we can’t do is know what it was like to actually live at the time these places were constructed and first in use.