Glimpses of life in an urban conurbation
The Parish of Chatham (St Mary) is described in A Topographic Dictionary of England in 1848 thus: “The town … comprises 3,960 acres, of which the surface is in general broken, and the soil a thin chalky earth; there are tracts of woodland in different parts, covering 1051 acres. The living is a perpetual curacy; […]
Continue ReadingSam and Gwen Grimmer on their last night at the Red Lion in January, 1960 The pub inquiry started with two faded photographs of a jolly pub scene. On the back of one was written: Red Lion — where Samuels is.” Pub expert Roy Murrant asked for help. He got it. Almost immediately, a gent […]
Continue ReadingIn the Medway Towns, we walk with history — and sometimes over history. Not only do our feet often tread over the demolished greatness of the towns’ past, we often also trample the bones of the people who made it great. I have a particular loathing of the bureaucracy that removes tombstones to make it […]
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Ever since Charles Dickens died in 1870, Rochester has attempted to cash in on him. Today we have the Dickens Festival and many High Street shops still link their name with the great novelist’s. And why not? Rochester is a beautiful city (even if Medway Council’s incompetence let it mutate back into a town) and […]
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