St. Ives

We had the day here in St. Ives, free of driving but with a goal of locating my grandparents' graves. The Barnoon cemetery in St. Ives is huge and set on a hill overlooking Porthmeor beach. The headstones and grave markers are often elaborate and date back to the 18th century. I was pretty sure my grandfather was buried in this cemetery in 1957 but I had no idea about the location of my grandmother who died in 1985.

We did a look-through based on approximate age of surrounding markers but this could get tricky because a gravestone may have been originally erected for one person, then other relatives get tacked on afterwards. The later dates are often more obvious. On advise from locals that graves in the 1980s would be in Carbis Bay, we walked a couple of miles there. It is the next community along. We tried to be systematic in our search but unfortunately only military cemeteries seem to be laid out in an orderly fashion. After much marching about using the same general plan of looking for similar dates, we gave up.



Beach encampment for young family





Tate Gallery St. Ives

Riding on my father's shoulders here at Xmas
 I got drenched by a big wave





Sloop Inn, circa 1312

 
 


Porthminster Beach

We had the traditional Cornish lunch, a pasty and beer then we came back to the room for a rest. While Laurie noodled around on the internet I made another stab at searching for the graves.




After lunch we walked over to the Porthminster Beach where my grandmother had run the Porthvail Hotel for 40 years

Porthvail Hotel is now remodeled flats

 

Quite by happy coincidence Laurie booked our accommodation close to the cemetery. I spent another hour of marching around on uneven ground. I was calling it a day and walking back on the freshly cut path and there it was! I returned to the room for Laurie and the grave cleaning kit.

Robert Ashton b.15/11/1884  d.23/10/1957
Isobel Ashton b.27/04/1898  d. 23/01/1985

Driving the Breadth of England

We were driving today from Salisbury to St. Ives. It doesn't look that far on a map but it took all day. We couldn't do much of the route on the motorway so we were poking along on "A" roads and even "B" roads. It is very harrowing on these narrow roads, particularly with the constant roundabouts. The Sat-Nav (GPS) generally works well. It announces the roundabout and which turn off to take. It gives the names of the roads involved but in reality there are no signs for the road names. You have to align your lane position heading into the roundabout with the order of your exit. For example: left lane for the first or second turnoff, middle lane for the 3rd exit, right lane for the 4th exit. Or there may not be more than one lane and then it is bit of a free-for-all. This driving and decision making has to be done superfast and constantly. Sometimes the roundabouts come directly after one another as on the road to Exeter. We got stuck there in roundabout hell for a while.


To get a bit of a break I suggested we take a diversion to see the ruins of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table castle in Tintagel. Taking a break like this is a double edged sword (so to speak). It's nice to stop driving and walk around for a bit but the tiny roads make accessing the place a challenge.

Remaining stone wall of a room

By about 6:30 pm we made it to St. Ives. We even found parking on the side of the road near our lodgings which was a blessing because the roads are extremely narrow, congested and hilly and parking is almost non-existent.

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Old Stones

Winchester Cathedral

 

We are off to see Stonehenge today as we had only ever seen it from the highway. Winchester is on the route from Sussex to Salisbury so we decided to stop have a coffee and a tour. Winchester was the capital of England before London so it speaks to the importance of this part of the country. The cathedral here is very reminiscent of Westminster Abbey in London.






Jane Austen is buried here. She died at 43.

Statue in the Crypt. It floods regularly.

 When churches were built in this time they would have been a riot of colour. These are original tiles on the floor but the ceiling has been painted in the original manner.

 It was rainy and cold for our visit to Stonehenge.  There were also many tourists. People can't get close to the stones since the 70s but they are still impressive from a distance. A very enthusiastic ticket seller told us about the Overseas Visitor Pass from English Heritage. For a flat fee it gets you into zillions of sites for a period of time. We bought a 16 day one because we got to deduct the cost of our visit to Stonehenge.

Storrington, Fulking and Edburton

St. Andrews, Edburton

We started the day with a trip to Storrington to see if I was still able access funds that I have the HSBC bank there - success. We took a walk around the village and bought supplies for grave cleaning. Next we were off to St. Andrews in Edburton where Mom and Dad are buried.

Inside St. Andrews

The stone was not in as bad condition as the last time I cleaned it in 2008. At that time it must have been untouched for 22 years.

After our workbee we retired to the Shepard and Dog pub for a lager and snack.It is even more popular now than when my parents lived in Fulking, in the early '80s. It has become a destination pub, particularly for Sunday lunch.After we were revived we went for a                                                             ramble on the Downs.

Spring by pub where sheep were washed

Looking at Fulking from the Downs

Primrose Cottage where parents first lived on returning to England 

Septima Cottage parents' 2nd house

St. Nicholas, Bramber

                                                                         

Church wall & castle ruin

We ended the afternoon with a short walk up to Bramber Castle ruins, close to where we are staying.The Normans invaded England from France in 1066 a.d.  They set up defenses immediately and this area along with five others along this south coast were given to Norman noblemen.   William de Broase was charged to defend the river system and coast here. By 1073 a.d.he had a castle with a moat and a church - St. Nicholas. The church is the only surviving building. This little isle has had a string of unwanted immigrants but earlier the people didn't have a referendum at their disposal. Brexit is all over the news here.

From France to England

Yesterday we thought we would go out for waffles, seeing as we were so close to Belgium and Laurie found a "Top choice" reference to Meert Tea shoppe in the guide book. We were very much looking forward to a big fluffy waffle for breakfast. We found the Meert shop in Lille; the window of the shop was a colourful tableau of tempting pastries and cakes.

Meert Tea shop has been at this location since 1677. There is a Meert chocolate shop adjoining. It was a lovely, ornate setting for breakfast. We ordered two waffles each, at $4.50 a piece.When they arrived we were a bit taken aback. They resembled a cross between a limp tongue depressor and insoles from Mateo's runners. The thin wafers were sandwiched together with a sweet paste and otherwise unadorned. They were tasty but ultimately disappointing.

In the afternoon we went to the Fan Zone and watched the first half of the Wales vs Northern Ireland game. We had to stand to watch the big screen outside (or sit on the dirty ground) so we retired to a bar where the beer had alcohol and the seats were comfy. After the game we went to a well recommended restaurant for a last proper French meal.

Our rental Nissan

Sunday we left our apartment in Lille (and the most uncomfortable sofa bed we have ever encountered!) and took the Eurostar train back to England. This time there were no delays on the track. We retraced our way back to Gatwick to pick up our rental car. We followed the route to our hotel in Bramber that our Garmin GPS outlined. To our surprise it stipulated using Clappers Lane. This is a route famous in our family for my father roaring along with no headlights in the dark (because of the glare!). It is a 6 km long, charming curvy lane - hedges line both sides and leafy boughs meet overhead. It is one car-width wide. Fortunately we didn't meet anyone coming toward us. It is hard enough driving on the left without having to back up into a lay-by a kilometre back

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Our hotel established 1701

The War To End All Wars

 In Flanders fields the poppies grow

Between the crosses, row on row

That mark our place: and in the sky

The larks still bravely singing, fly

Scare heard amid the guns below.

 

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

      - John McRae

Zig-zag trenches at the Somme

For not one foot of this dank sod but drank

Its surfeit of the blood of gallant men.

Who for their faith, their hope, - for Life and Liberty,

Here made the sacrifice, - here gave their lives.

Commonwealth graves at Albert
 

and gave right willingly

- for you and me.

Tunnels under Vimy Ridge


















Vimy War Memorial, grounds kept by sheep

We're glad you come here to see us,
We like to see friends old and new
So laugh and talk as much as you like
We wish we could come to see you.

So-please don't lower your voices
We're aware of the pain that you feel
It's no worse than ours I can tell you
And yours is the one that can heal.

 - George Sewell
   from Voices from a wargrave

          Now I am at peace and free to roam
          Where 'ere my family speak my name,
          That day my soul was called back home
          For on that day my family came.
              - Michael Edwards
                     from The Day My Family Came





Centre: Laurie's Great Uncle Ivor