Tag: King Charles the Martyr

The equinox has occurred, marking the end of the year and the beginning of longer days as light wins over darkness. The day before was the shortest day, and it’s a time for reflection on the year that has passed. The author is on vacation and has completed all necessary work, throwing a few “electronic grenades” over walls before taking a break. Their partner, Jools, is still working but has an afternoon event to celebrate at a fancy location in Folkestone, paid for by their employers. This is a rare occurrence in the author’s work life, where recognition is lacking. The author drops Jools off at work early, and goes on a church crawl across the west of Kent.

They take the main road and motorway up to Ashford before turning off to the A road to Mereworth, which turns into a winding and twisting road through Tonbridge. They end up in Penshurst at the church where Gilbert Scott was busy creating many memorials from the 19th century. The Sidney family, who lived in Penshurst Place since the Tudor times, are buried and remembered in the Sidney Chapel. The author pays a fee of five pounds before leaving to travel to Speldhurst, where they see the closed doors of the church from the car and decide not to enter. The author instead heads to Groombridge and onwards to Tunbridge Wells, where they revisit a church they saw a decade ago.

The church is across from The Pantiles, a Georgian square with shops, and the author takes photographs of the ceiling and other details. A warden confronts the author, asking why they’re taking photographs. The author can only reply that it’s an enjoyable activity for them. They leave after observing a service and encounter a young man who sells the Big Issue, who they promise to buy from on the way back. They return to their car, enduring rain, and go to Stop 24 services to eat and drink as they wait for Jools to finish work. They pick her up in Folkestone at 4:15 PM to celebrate with colleagues.

Posted by Jelltex on 2022-12-31 18:21:23

The equinox occurred at 21:47 GMT, signalling the start of longer days and shorter nights. This time of year is often marked by mixed emotions as people reflect on the previous year and look forward to the build-up to Christmas. The author was on vacation and spent the day visiting churches in Kent while Jools went to work. She was treated to a fancy lunch with her colleagues, but the author noted that it had been some time since he had experienced this kind of celebration at work. He drove to the far west of Kent, passing through Dover and Folkestone before turning onto the A road towards Tonbridge. The twisting roads took him through the village of Penshurst, home to Penshurst Place and the Sidney family since Tudor times. He visited the church in Penshurst and revisited churches in Groombridge and Tunbridge Wells.

The author was particularly interested in the memorials and tombs in the churches, enjoying the colourful roof in the Sidney Chapel at Penshurst and observing a service at the church in Tunbridge Wells. He was questioned by a warden as to why he was photographing the church, and explained that he enjoyed it. After leaving the church, he kept a promise to a young man selling the Big Issue and gave him a fiver without taking a copy of the magazine. The author then had 90 minutes to kill before picking up Jools and stopped at Stop 24 services for coffee and food. He arrived at the restaurant to collect Jools and drove home, reflecting on the lack of celebration in the workplace and how kind gestures can make a difference.

Posted by Jelltex on 2022-12-31 07:22:56

The author of the passage is on a journey to various churches and stops at Tunbridge Wells after finding two of the previous churches closed. He visits the late 17th-century church and observes a service happening inside. The church was built to cater to the patrons of The Pantiles in 1678 but was later extended. The stained glass in the east window is based on a picture by Alex Ender, while an excellent window under the north gallery was designed by Lawrence Lee in 1969. The church was sympathetically restored by Ewan Christian in 1882, and the woodwork it contains was brought from one of Wren’s City of London churches.

The author also mentions that Tunbridge Wells consists of four smaller districts, named from the hills on which they stand, Mount Ephraim, Mount Pleasant, and Mount Sion, and The Wells. The village has a chapel that stands in three parishes and is used for divine service every day in summer and three times a week in winter. Opposite the chapel is a charity school for upwards of fifty poor boys and girls, which is supported by a contribution collected at the chapel doors two or three times a year.

The author notes that Tunbridge Wells’ trade is similar to that of Spa, in Germany, and consists chiefly in a variety of toys made of wood, commonly called Tunbridge ware, which employs a great number of hands. The little bird called the wheatear, which is almost a lump of fat and of very delicious taste, is brought to the market of Tunbridge Wells in great plenty from the South downs in Sussex. The town was visited by the queen after the Springs were discovered and became fashionable. Tunbridge Wells is so close to the county of Sussex that part of it is within it, for which reason they were for some time called Fant-wells, as being within that parish.

The efficacy of the medicinal waters of Tunbridge Wells was reportedly found out accidentally by Dudley lord North in the beginning of the reign of king James I. The Springs, which were then discovered, seem to have been seven in number, two of the principal of which were some time afterward, by lord Abergavenny’s care, enclosed, and were afterward much resorted to by many of the middling and lower sort, whose ill health had real occasion for the use of them. In 1664, the queen came to Tunbridge-wells by the advice of her physicians, in hopes of reinstating her health, which was greatly impaired by a dangerous fever, and her success in being perfectly cured by these waters greatly raised the reputation of them, and the company increasing yearly, it induced the inhabitants to make every accommodation for them adjoining to the Wells.

After the Restoration, every kind of building for public amusements was erected at Southborough and Rusthall, lodgings and other buildings were built at and near the wells, the springs themselves were secured, and other conveniences added to them. In 1667, the duke of York and his family visited Tunbridge-wells, which brought much more company than usual to them and raised their reputation still higher. The annual increase in visitors induced the lord of the manor to think of improving this trend to his own profit as well as the better accommodation of the company. He entered into an agreement with his tenants and hired the herbage of the waste of the manor for the term of fifty years, at the yearly rent of ten shillings to each tenant, and then erected shops and houses on and near the walks and springs, in every convenient spot for that purpose. Tunbridge Wells became a populous and flourishing village, well inhabited, thanks to these accommodations.

In 1684, a chapel was built in Tunbridge Wells by subscription on some ground given by the lady viscountess Purbeck. It was later enlarged by an additional subscription. Dividing Tunbridge Wells from the surrounding countryside is the Forest, an ancient hunting ground. Much of it is still preserved for walks, rides, and picnics, though it has also witnessed many changes down the centuries. In 1953, the well-known Pantiles and Chalybeate Springs came under the control of the local council. In recent years, the council has sought to improve visitors’ experiences and the environment of areas like the Pantiles to maintain its reputation as a popular destination.

Posted by Jelltex on 2022-12-22 10:40:38

The equinox has occurred, signaling the beginning of the end of the year and the start of the buildup to Christmas. The day before the equinox was the shortest day, meaning light will now start to win over darkness. The author and his wife Jools were both off work for the day, but Jools had to work half a day before attending a company-paid lunch at an upscale place in Folkestone with her colleagues. The author dropped her off in Hythe before embarking on his own plans for the day.

His plan was to go on a church crawl in the far west of Kent, but since Kent is not a big county, it still took some time to get to the extreme west from his home. He took the main roads until the junction before the M26 starts, then turned onto a twisting road that led to Tonbridge, a once-sleepy village that became a busy one due to the arrival of railways. He continued on the road to Penshurt, where the village was built around the outskirts of Penshurst Place, the home of the Sidney family since Tudor times.

The author visited the church in Penshurt, where the memorials and tombs of the great and good are found. It features colorful roof beams and heraldic shields, as well as a 15th-century font that has been brightly painted, unfortunately. He then drove to Speldhurst, but there was no place to park near the church, so he only did a slow drive-by and deduced that it was locked. He continued to Groombridge, where there is a small chapel with fabulous glass. He had been there before but wanted to redo his shots. It was raining hard by then, and as dark as twilight. He missed the church on his first pass and went to the mini-roundabout only to discover that it and the other church in the village were in Sussex. He then drove straight to Tunbridge Wells, where he revisited another church.

He parked his car in a high-up parking house near the stairs down, ready to leave the town easily once he was done. He went down to the church, where a service was underway, and he sat at the back to observe and pray. About eight elderly parishioners received communion. He was there to take photos of the ceiling and other details he failed to record on his last visit. He was questioned by a warden as to why he was doing this, and he replied that he enjoys it. He then left and began the slog back up to his car, keeping his promise to a young man selling the Big Issue earlier to come back and buy a copy. He gave the young man five pounds and didn’t take a copy, causing the young man to nearly burst into tears.

The author had 90 minutes to kill before picking Jools up again, so he stopped at Stop 24 services for a coffee and something to eat. He scrolled through Twitter, but nothing had changed. He then picked up Jools and drove back home.

Posted by Jelltex on 2023-01-01 12:04:34

The article describes the author’s experience on the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, and the beginning of the end of the year. The author took the day off work and drove around the west of Kent to visit various churches and take photographs. They started in Penshurst, where they visited the Sidney Chapel and took photos of the children’s heads in a cloud. They then went to Speldhurst, but could not find parking near the church, so they moved on to Groombridge, where they missed the church and ended up in Sussex. The author then drove on to Tunbridge Wells, where they visited the church during a service, took photos of the ceiling, and were quizzed by a warden. After the service, the author promised to buy a Big Issue from a young man, but instead gave him a fiver and continued on their way. The author picked up their friend Jools from a work lunch in Folkestone and stopped at Stop 24 services for a coffee and some food before heading home. The article is a personal reflection on the solstice and the end of the year.

Posted by Jelltex on 2022-12-30 06:43:38