tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7611055706073214403.post787397915381644402..comments2024-03-27T18:21:45.182+00:00Comments on Unmitigated England: Where's That Then? No 3Peter Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00027878122724846472noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7611055706073214403.post-78824907663692786202010-01-03T16:10:47.971+00:002010-01-03T16:10:47.971+00:00Amazed myself by getting this one right (only beca...Amazed myself by getting this one right (only because it is so familiar). Frightening to learn how close it was to destruction. Am a great fan of Powell & Pressburger - always thought 'A Canterbury Tale' deserved more recognition. <br />Back visiting your excellent blog, Peter, via Caroline's ditto. Thank you & Happy New Year!Minniehttp://minniebeaniste.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7611055706073214403.post-11357526427128097512009-12-11T12:55:35.989+00:002009-12-11T12:55:35.989+00:00Expat, you are on the right track, or route in thi...Expat, you are on the right track, or route in this case - the chassis is a Leyland Titan, TD series, which is pre-war, the body design is post war, and I must admit I am guessing at Park Royal. You could of course tell from the Reg. Number, but I don't have that detail for the East Kent fleet. Vehicle shortages just after the war forced many companies to extend the life of their buses, so re-bodying gave you an almost new bus.Majorwheelsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7611055706073214403.post-84531426663313624092009-12-11T10:20:23.414+00:002009-12-11T10:20:23.414+00:00Question for Majorwheels (or anyone else of course...Question for Majorwheels (or anyone else of course). How do you know that the bus was rebodied? Is is that the registration is pre-war and the body work looks post-war or are there other clues?expathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17804628948405177521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7611055706073214403.post-11648984011660432432009-12-10T08:17:19.127+00:002009-12-10T08:17:19.127+00:00Thankyou very much Jonathan. That's the keynot...Thankyou very much Jonathan. That's the keynote speech in the film I think, and something very close to my heart.Peter Ashleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00027878122724846472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7611055706073214403.post-60927710549610912662009-12-09T23:17:24.673+00:002009-12-09T23:17:24.673+00:00There is more than one way of getting close to you...There is more than one way of getting close to your ancestors. <br /><br />Follow the Old Road and as you do, think of them; they climbed Chillingbourne Hill just as you did. They sweated and paused for breath just as you did today. <br /><br />And when you see the bluebells in the spring and the wild thyme, and the broom and the heather, you're seeing what their eyes saw. You ford the same rivers, the same birds singing.<br /><br />And when you lie flat on your back and rest, and watch the clouds sailing as I often do, you're so close to those other people, that you can hear the thrumming of the hoofs of their horses, and the sound of the wheels on the road, and their laughter, and talk, and the music of the instruments they carried. <br /><br />And they turned the bend in the road, where they too saw the towers of Canterbury.<br /><br />I feel I have only to turn my head to see them on the road behind me.Jonathan Calderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00730157683743989696noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7611055706073214403.post-18111760026345383942009-12-09T19:44:01.133+00:002009-12-09T19:44:01.133+00:00Chris P: Thankyou so much for this confirmation of...Chris P: Thankyou so much for this confirmation of the circus story. And that it features Wombwells, the menagerie that displayed the Elephant Man and is celebrated by the sleeping lion tomb in Highgate (West)Cemetery.Peter Ashleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00027878122724846472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7611055706073214403.post-34296269748742329582009-12-09T10:14:24.575+00:002009-12-09T10:14:24.575+00:00From 'Beautiful Britain - Canterbury' by G...From 'Beautiful Britain - Canterbury' by Gordon Home (1911)<br />"Until well into last century all the gates were standing; but one by one these ornaments were destroyed by the city until one only was left, and even that would have been wantonly sacrificed to facilitate the entry of some circus caravans when, in 1850, Wombwell's menagerie visited the city!<br />This vandal showman actually dared to request the Corporation to demolish the gate on account of the difficulty of getting his<br />procession through the low arch. This is hard to believe, but it is<br />infinitely more difficult to understand the aboriginal minds of some of the members of the Corporation when the records unblushingly reveal that the showman's preposterous request not only found both a proposer and a seconder, but that the votes were equally divided on the matter,<br />and it was only the Mayor's casting vote which has preserved for the city its noble entry."Chris Partridgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14883064324795042491noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7611055706073214403.post-92228360073287602772009-12-09T08:43:08.771+00:002009-12-09T08:43:08.771+00:00Oh this bus stuff is right up my street - a comple...Oh this bus stuff is right up my street - a complete blank in my knowledge and such a great introduction to the subject from Majorwheels. I'm resisting delving too deeply beause there are more than enough subjects in my brain still in need of a disciplined training regime - I really don't think I could handle another. The joy of sitting back and having the topic delivered like little parcels (brown paper & string) by the postman is just what's needed. MORE MAJORWHEELS !Diplomatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03941539934835529453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7611055706073214403.post-74345030407490815232009-12-08T23:28:13.142+00:002009-12-08T23:28:13.142+00:00Thankyou all for your erudite comments. Powell &am...Thankyou all for your erudite comments. Powell & Pressburger's <i>A Canterbury Tale</i> has some amazing shots of wartime Canterbury in the last reel, with bomb sites marked out with the names of the hit businesses and their new addresses. In one shot a moulded plaster Boots sign can be seen on a street corner as the parade turns for the cathedral, and you can still see it up there today.Peter Ashleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00027878122724846472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7611055706073214403.post-69265385089030435712009-12-08T22:28:44.180+00:002009-12-08T22:28:44.180+00:00Peter, you are spoiling us! - M&D last week, a...Peter, you are spoiling us! - M&D last week, and now an East Kent 1930s Leyland Titan, with, I think a post war Park Royal body. Many companies rebodied their pre-war buses post war. One can almost here the 6 cylinder diesel ticking over, waiting for the "ding ding" from the conductor!Majorwheelsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7611055706073214403.post-16575352883643660122009-12-08T17:31:53.879+00:002009-12-08T17:31:53.879+00:00Bicycle clips and bus drivers in proper uniforms. ...Bicycle clips and bus drivers in proper uniforms. Wonderful.<br /><br />The Sleepy pedant is unlikely to ever be up early enough to get in first, though. Pity.Sleepy Pedantnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7611055706073214403.post-10345081308637849022009-12-08T13:55:30.708+00:002009-12-08T13:55:30.708+00:00Yep, that's the Westgate all right.
While the...Yep, that's the Westgate all right.<br /><br />While the high street (behind the photographer) is now pedestrianised, the local bus routes still go through the Westgate on the way down the hill, then curve off to the left and round the ring road to the bus station. There's not a lot of clearance for a modern double-decker, and they do occasionally clip the sides...<br /><br />The car in the foreground is parked in the shadow of what's now <a href="http://menus.fivegeeks.net/menus/ocakbasi-200910.jpg" rel="nofollow">Ocakbasi of Kent</a> -- I wonder what it was then?Adam Sampsonhttp://offog.org/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7611055706073214403.post-8753413870110509732009-12-08T11:05:41.223+00:002009-12-08T11:05:41.223+00:00Speaking of the film a Canterbury Tale, does'n...Speaking of the film a Canterbury Tale, does'nt the West Gate feature in the shots of the military parade?accountanthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11438373931534644973noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7611055706073214403.post-42598870312823524042009-12-08T10:21:23.726+00:002009-12-08T10:21:23.726+00:00Golly, a motoring pilgrimage from Scotland to Cant...Golly, a motoring pilgrimage from Scotland to Canterbury. Sounds as if it could be the start of another Canterbury Tale, to rival the one told by Powell and Pressburger. The mood of this black and white image somehow reminds me of those wartime films. Perhaps it's just the chaps on bicycles.Philip Wilkinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04893714514416441572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7611055706073214403.post-41429064310017519522009-12-08T09:32:01.266+00:002009-12-08T09:32:01.266+00:00Yes, bus JG reg is Canterbury all right. That SM r...Yes, bus JG reg is Canterbury all right. That SM reg is a long way from it's Dumfrieshire home though. Nice little motoring holiday, I expect. Wonder who they were? That would be a real puzzler!office pesthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15516888180507856752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7611055706073214403.post-36944890077594217282009-12-08T09:25:55.431+00:002009-12-08T09:25:55.431+00:00I wasn't waiting up all night for the new post...I wasn't waiting up all night for the new post, honestly. I just happened to go to Peter's blog at the right time. Now I've got a no 1 spot I promise to hold back in the future! <br /><br />The bus is a Leyland isn't it?expathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17804628948405177521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7611055706073214403.post-63582865525762244682009-12-08T08:37:50.469+00:002009-12-08T08:37:50.469+00:00COMPLAINT - Peter, I set the alarm for 05.30 hrs a...COMPLAINT - Peter, I set the alarm for 05.30 hrs and wait for the blog to appear for bloody hours, then I have to do something even more important on the work front and get back to find it's all wrapped up. can we not settle on a an agreed time for this Tuesday morning activity.Diplomatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03941539934835529453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7611055706073214403.post-28147097511750076032009-12-08T08:34:02.736+00:002009-12-08T08:34:02.736+00:00i think the circus may have been the council Carol...i think the circus may have been the council Caroline.Diplomatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03941539934835529453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7611055706073214403.post-82719380638761145642009-12-08T08:30:56.738+00:002009-12-08T08:30:56.738+00:00I actually guessed this one, but too late! The dem...I actually guessed this one, but too late! The demolition story is amazing: there must have been some real circus fans on the council.CarolineLDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00197813252586559665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7611055706073214403.post-78794864332705408712009-12-08T08:25:24.746+00:002009-12-08T08:25:24.746+00:00Your knowledge of bus companies and their various ...Your knowledge of bus companies and their various liveries never fails to astound me.LostinManchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12539000716376788657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7611055706073214403.post-75289364394690026132009-12-08T08:20:37.054+00:002009-12-08T08:20:37.054+00:00Spot on Expat. This is the West Gate in Canterbury...Spot on Expat. This is the West Gate in Canterbury, with, I should think, an East Kent bus in brown and cream.Peter Ashleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00027878122724846472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7611055706073214403.post-39094662508922777022009-12-08T08:18:47.210+00:002009-12-08T08:18:47.210+00:00This is all ringing such large bells - but no inst...This is all ringing such large bells - but no instant recognition this time. Expat may well be right.Philip Wilkinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04893714514416441572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7611055706073214403.post-21399156873439479872009-12-08T08:11:53.471+00:002009-12-08T08:11:53.471+00:00I think this could be in CanterburyI think this could be in Canterburyexpathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17804628948405177521noreply@blogger.com