Wednesday 30 October 2013

About Newhaven

Newhaven is on the coast about 10 miles east of Brighton. Find the Harbourside Inn overlooking Newhaven Harbour on the west bank of the Ouse.

In Newhaven most people head for the ferry terminal, eager to get over to Dieppe or Le Havre and the continental delights of France. This is a shame as this little town has much to interest the visitor. The place did not even exist until a great storm lashed the Sussex coast in 1579 caused the Ouse to flood. When the waters went down, the locals found that the river had changed its course just south of Southease. Instead of flowing into the sea at Seaford, it did so at Newhaven. The old port at Seaford was promptly abandoned and the “new haven” built here instead.

The little port in the mouth of the Ouse was for generations used by local fishermen and by small coasting craft docking here to transfer goods to barges to go up the Ouse to the Weald. Then, in 1847, a new quay was built that was capable of accommodating the new-fangled paddle steamers that were then just entering service. The ferry service to Dieppe was one of the world's first regular steam ferries and proved to be immediately and lastingly popular. Soon afterwards a railway line was built to Newhaven from London to serve the ferry.

The Ouse Valley was attractive not only to trading barges and holiday makers, but also to the military. The way the valley cuts through the South Downs made it an obvious invasion route for any hostile power that wanted to get inland quickly and efficiently. In 1860 the most likely aggressor was France, and the British government decided to take no chances. A massive artillery fort was constructed on the headland just west of the mouth of the Ouse. The fort was surrounded by impressive earthworks and contained barracks, magazines and a parade ground. Most of this is still there and can be reached by continuing down the lane on which the pub stands and that passes the marina.

Adjacent to Fort Newhaven is the Castle Hill Coastal Park. If you are feeling energetic, and can spare the time, the park is a lovely place for a stroll, especially in summer when wild flowers dot the chalkland grass. The place offers stunning views along the coast to both east and west.

from "Teashop Drives in Sussex" by Rupert Matthews

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If there are two marvellous things about England that can be found nowhere else on earth, they are pubs and tearooms. Both types have their fans but together they sum up so much about England that is special and unique. And Sussex had some of the finest in the kingdom. With seventeen drives designed to start with a light lunch, then afterwards, a leisurely drive through the beautifiul Sussex countryside. Finally stopping off for afternoon tea. What better way to spend an afternoon!
 
 
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Teashop-Drives-Sussex-Rupert-Matthews/dp/1857703537/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1383151467&sr=8-4&keywords=sussex+rupert+matthews

Monday 28 October 2013

The Wantage Tramway goes Steam

It was not until 1 August 1876 that steam trams began to run along the Wantage Line in the shape of a tramcar with  its boiler and machinery located inside the car itself. The machine could carry 54 passengers. In March the following year a steam tram engine, which hauled tram cars, arrived. This was found to be too weak to haul the goods trucks, so the search for a replacement began. In May 1878 the Wantage Tramway bought a small 0-4-0WT locomotive named Shannon second hand from the London and North Western  Railway. The little engine was renamed as the rather prosaic Wantage No.5 and put to work. It proved to be an outstanding success. Not only could it haul the heavy flour trucks from Clark’s Mill, but it was so efficient that it halved the coal consumption per mile.

from "Lost Railways of Berkshhire" by Rupert Matthews

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Thursday 24 October 2013

An Introduction to Surrey

Surrey is one of the most charming of counties. But for those who think they know it, there are some surprises in store. The county is not all suburban gardens, rolling hills and quiet villages. History has been made here, tragedy has struck and fortune has smiled.

Surrey folk today might not notice, but the bridge they drive over may be 700 years old, or might be only the latest in a string of bridges that go back to Roman times. They may, if they go shopping in Epsom, make a purchase in a shop that was once home to Nell Gwynne, the witty mistress of Charles II. Others unknowingly walk on battlefields where brave men fought and died for the causes they believed in.

For those who think Surrey is a peaceful place they might be surprised by the time that the army had to be called out to end a riot in Guildford that left houses in flames and a policeman dead. And there have been brutal murders in plenty, some of the killers ended up swinging from a gibbet but others got away with thier brutal crimes.

Not everything in Surrey has been a success. Take the grandly named Staines, Wokingham and Woking Junction Railway which never got as far as Woking. Then there was the great playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan who moved to Leatherhead to find peace and quiet in which to work, but who got so distracted by the fine fishing that he didn’t write a single word the whole time he was there.

But Surrey is not all about the past. There is plenty to be seen today, be it theatres or country walks, wildlife or fine churches.

Wherever you are going in Surrey, slip this book into your pocket and prepare to be surprised.

From "A Little Book of Surrey"

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The Little Book of Surrey is a funny, fast-paced, fact-packed compendium of the sort of frivolous, fantastic or simply strange information which no-one will want to be without. The county's most unusual crimes and punishments, eccentric inhabitants, famous sons and daughters, royal connections and literally hundreds of wacky facts about Surrey's landscape, towns and villages (plus some authentically bizarre bits of historic trivia), come together to make it essential reading for visitors and locals alike.

Monday 21 October 2013

Swithland Spring Water

n 1998 farmer brian Beeb called in a hydro-geologist to see if the spring water on his land had any commercial value. A 300 foot deep bore was sunk to reach the pure water reserve deep in the bedrock and the pure liquid gushed out. . A bottling plant and warehouse has now been built on the site where 150,000 litres of spring water are bottled every week by the 15 staff. There is also an on-site laboratory where daily checks are carried out to ensure the purity and standard of the water.

The vast bulk of the water from Swithland Spring goes to water coolers in offices, schools, factories and the like. Over 2,000 such premises are currently supplied, with some domestic business in the area around the farm.

The Swithland Spring draws water from deep beneath the Charnwood Hills. It is a moderately mineralised water that has its own unique and pleasant flavour delicately filtered by nature.  The catchment area for the water that filters down to rest under the Charnwood hills is predominately woodland and parkland and still retains the unspoilt beauty of the ancient forest.

A bottling plant and warehouse has been established at the spring source in Swithland, with all the latest equipment on site to ensure that every attention is given to cleanliness.  This ensures the high quality of the water is maintained and that it is bottled in its purest form.


Contact Details:
Address:    Swithland Spring Water
Hall Farm
Swithland
Leicestershire
LE12 8TQ
Tel:         01509 891189
Email:     sales@swithlandspringwater.co.uk
Website:    www.swithlandspringwater.co.uk

from "Leicestershire Food and Drink" by Rupert Matthews.
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Leicestershire holds an important place in the history of Britain's food. This exploration of the county's fare sets food and drink against the character of Leicestershire to discover how history, landscape and culture have shaped the county's diet. Combining tales of the creation of Leicestershire's most famous dishes with recipes that show off the quality of the local produce, the story of the Leicestershire's historic market towns and celebrated livestock farming is discussed in detail, giving a clear explanation of how world-renowned delicacies such as the Melton Mowbray pork pie, and both Stilton and Red Leicester cheese, have made their name. Illustrated with detailed images of their creation, and of course mouth-watering photographs of the final product, this book will inspire chefs far and wide. Whether a resident of Leicestershire or merely a fan of its food and drink, this book is a must-have for all those who appreciate the fine traditions of the county's cuisine.


Wednesday 16 October 2013

Childhood by the Railway

When I was a boy I lived on the north facing hill outside Esher that overlooks the main line from London to Portsmouth and Southampton. It had been built in 1838 by the London and Southampton Railway, later to become the famous London and South Western Railway (LSWR). From our front garden you could see the trains thundering back and forth along the embankment that ran like a stripe across the landscape. By then, of course, the glory days of steam in Surrey were long gone. It was electric trains that raced back and forth. But the odd steam train did go by, the plume of smoke drifting up into the air to disperse over the landscape.
Years later I was living down by the River Thames and commuting up to London by train from Surbiton along that self same LSWR mainline where I had grown up. Day after day I trudged up the hill to the striking inter-wars station to get on to one of the many commuter trains running up to Waterloo. By then all the steam trains had gone, but the mark of them was everywhere. The site of the old water tower, the blackened undersides of the bridges and the old engine sheds. I often wondered what Surrey had been like back in the days of steam.
My Uncle George had been a senior fireman on the LNER line running north from London. He used to tell me about his days on the footplate. He told me how he had started off as a teenager in the shed scrubbing and cleaning, gradually working his way up to be a fireman, first on shunters, then on local trains and finally on the great express trains that thundered along the main lines, belching smoke and steam as they powered up and down from London to York, Newcastle and Edinburgh. But I think he had preferred the country lines with their quiet stations, bunnies hopping in the fields and old-style station masters.
Surrey had been like that once. The railways came to Surrey in the 1840s and they were still being built in the 1930s, making Surrey most unusual among the counties of England. Across most of the country, railway building had ground to a halt long before the line to Chessington was opened in 1939, complete with suitably modernistic station architecture. Moreover, Surrey suffered only one line closure in the Beeching years, leaving over 90% of its railway lines open and operating into the 21st century. Surrey is most fortunate from the railway point of view.

From "How the Steam Railways came to Surrey" by Rupert Matthews

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Product Description

When I was a boy I lived overlooking the main railway line from London to Southampton. It had been built in 1838 by the London and Southampton Railway, later to become the famous London and South Western Railway (LSWR). From our front garden you could see the trains thundering back and forth along the embankment that ran like a stripe across the landscape. By then, of course, the glory days of steam in Surrey were long gone. It was electric trains that raced back and forth. But the odd steam train did go by, the plume of smoke drifting up into the air to disperse over the landscape.

The railways came to Surrey in the 1840s and they were still being built in the 1930s, making Surrey most unusual among the counties of England. Across most of the country, railway building had ground to a halt long before the line to Chessington was opened in 1939, complete with suitably modernistic station architecture.

Those railways were to have a dramatic impact on the landscapes, people and economy of Surrey. Indeed, the Surrey that we see today has been largely created by the railways. It is no exaggeration to say that more than any other county in England, Surrey has been built on railways.

About the Author
Rupert Matthews has written over 150 books for different publishers, achieving significant sales in a variety of markets both in the UK and abroad. His works have been translated into 19 languages and have been shortlisted for a number of awards. Rupert has been a freelance writer for 20 years, working in-house at a major book publisher before going freelance.

From the Author

I grew up overlooking the mainline from London to Southampton that cuts like a swathe through Surrey. I was thrilled to write this book, bringing back as it does so many memories of the old days.

Monday 14 October 2013

Mussolni puts one over on Hitler 1934

The dictator of Italy, Mussolini, was as keen to find an ally as was Hitler. In June 1934 he invited the German leader to Venice, tactfully including in the tour the Palazzo Vendramin where Hitler’s favourite composer, Richard Wagner, had died. Hitler accepted, but must have regretted the decision the moment he arrived. Hitler landed in Venice dressed in a blue suit and an old raincoat. Mussolini met him in a glittering uniform of gold braid and mirror-polished jackboots and backed by an honour guard in the most gorgeous uniforms the fashion designers of Italy could produce. The world’s press was on hand to take photos which were, at best, unflattering to Hitler.
Hitler was furious and tried to regain dominance by subjecting Mussolini to a two hour speech the following day when they were supposed to be making complimentary statements to each other. Mussolini, in his turn, was now angry. Little progress was made on the main point of the meeting, which was to reach some form of agreement over the status of Austria.
Before the Great War, Austria had ruled substantial swathes of northern Italy, parts of which had sizeable German-speaking minorities. Hitler had made no secret of his ambition to absorb Austria into the Reich and to embrace all ethnically German peoples into the German state. Mussolini was understandably nervous about his northern borders, particularly the area around Bolzano and Trent and wanted an agreement with Hitler. At Venice he got a vague promise from the Germans to respect Austrian independence, but it was far from being a firm pledge.

from "Hitler: Military Commander" by Rupert Matthews.

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Hitler: Military Commander examines how a non-German former corporal managed to take personal control of an army imbued with Prussian traditions, to appoint, sack and sentence to death its generals, to lead it into a world war for which it was unprepared and, ultimately, to destroy it. It examines Hitler's key military decisions during the Second World War, assesses how far these decisions were militarily justified in light of the intelligence available at the time and provides a fascinating insight into Hitler's relationships with his generals, revealing to what extent his grasp of military strategy was shaped by his personality.

Thursday 10 October 2013

Sheriff Pat Garrett

Pat Garrett (1850-1908) was a buffalo hunter and cowboy who in 1880 was hired as a Sheriff in New Mexico on the strength of his accuracy with a gun. He won instant fame when he shot dead Billy the Kid and broke up the outlaw’s gang. Garrett then joined the Texas Rangers, returning to New Mexico in 1897 to work on a difficult murder case. He found culprits to be three deputy sheriffs and caught them after a prolonged gun battle. Garrett then went back to Texas to hold a number of government posts. He was shot dead by Jesse Brazel during an argument over grazing rights on land Garrett was renting.


from "Heroes, Rogues and Rascals" by Rupert Matthews

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Book Description

1 Nov 2008
Written by expert authors Rupert Matthews and John Birdsall, this highly illustrated guide, with photos and memorabilia of people who have made their mark on history, includes key entries on each individual, with boxes and biographies about competitors or co-conspirators. With more than 400 extraordinary people in total it is a fascinating look at some of the most colourful characters in history - from ancient times right up-to the present day. Discover why Caligula was mad, what made Napoleon seek to conquer, and who was really was the most outlawed cowboy in the West.But, on the flip side of 'the coin of fame', meet the people who have made their name by heroic acts or astonishing feats of human endeavour. Find out who first broke the four-minute mile, and what drove him on; which astronaughts have been lucky enough to view the Earth from space; and who is the youngest war hero ever to be decorated. "Heroes, Rascals and Rogues" takes a look at some of the most unconventional people to have lived among us, in an easy-to-read, illustrated format with interesting facts and figures that will make this book hard to put down.