I used to visit this town often, but can't honestly remember this market place. I know there's a propensity to radically alter town centres, but it would have been a bit much to pull down this fifteenth century half-timbered building. Need a clue? The town hosts a department store whose van livery adorns one of the most expensive pre-war Dinky Toys ever sold at auction. One thing's certain, you wouldn't wander about here now with your shopping basket, in and out of the traffic. Of course someone will now tell me it's a traffic-free zone.
Jon Dudley: you may have ruled yourself out un-necesarily, as the Dinky that went for £20,000 (I now learn) was Boyce of Highgate. The Bentalls (as I thought), Kingston Dinky fetched 'only' £12,000.
DC - True, the most expensive Dinky Toy sported Boyce of Highgate Kendal's livery...at which point I lashed myself (metaphorically) thinking I'd stumbled across the location.
Peter - I do tend to leave the house at around 04.45 hrs so I would appreciate it if you could get these Tuesday quizes up a bit earlier. As it happens I hadn't got a clue where it was.
I am a designer, writer and photographer who spends all his time looking at England, particularly buildings and the countryside. But I have a leaning towards the slightly odd and neglected, the unsung elements that make England such an interesting place to live in. I am the author and photographer of over 25 books, in particular Unmitigated England (Adelphi 2006), More from Unmitigated England (Adelphi 2007), Cross Country (Wiley 2011), The Cigarette Papers (Frances Lincoln 2012), Preposterous Erections (Frances Lincoln 2012) and English Allsorts (Adelphi 2015)
"Open this book with reverence. It is a hymn to England". Clive Aslet
Preposterous Erections
"Enchanting...delightful". The Bookseller "Cheekily named" We Love This Book
The Cigarette Papers
"Unexpectedly pleasing and engrossing...beautifully illustrated". The Bookseller
Cross Country
"Until the happy advent of Peter Ashley's Cross Country it has, ironically, been foreigners who have been best at celebrating Englishness". Christina Hardyment / The Independent
More from Unmitigated England
"Give this book to someone you know- if not everyone you know." Simon Heffer, Country Life. "When it comes to spotting the small but telling details of Englishness, Peter Ashley has no equal." Michael Prodger, Sunday Telegraph
13 comments:
Fifteenth century, eh? I thought this was one of the Boots stores from c 1905, done in a deliberately retro 'black and white' style.
£20,000 for a Dinky Toy! Not in great nick either. The temptation to Google the van was too much so I therefore withdraw from the fun.
Looks like Kingston-upon-Thames?
Phil: Mmm. I wondered about that "fifteenth century".
Jon Dudley, Man of Honour.
DC: You're this morning's winner!
Woo-hoo! Mind you, I do live in Twickenham...
I assume the van must bear Bentalls livery?
Jon Dudley: you may have ruled yourself out un-necesarily, as the Dinky that went for £20,000 (I now learn) was Boyce of Highgate. The Bentalls (as I thought), Kingston Dinky fetched 'only' £12,000.
DC - True, the most expensive Dinky Toy sported Boyce of Highgate Kendal's livery...at which point I lashed myself (metaphorically) thinking I'd stumbled across the location.
Not a plastic carrier bag in sight!
Oh, and by the way, it's now a traffic free zone.
My mother could well have been one of those ladies in the crowd.
Peter - I do tend to leave the house at around 04.45 hrs so I would appreciate it if you could get these Tuesday quizes up a bit earlier. As it happens I hadn't got a clue where it was.
Blimey, I go to that Lunnun for the day and come back to find all this. Went past Kingston too, on the way to Wimbledon. (Cue Mike Batt.)
...a psychogeography fly through this photograph reveals Kingston through the tilt of the market and the Thames's remoteness...
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