Just Recently Back

It's funny as having dreamt of England and specifically London since about the age of four, I had preconceived notions that were, of course rediculous.  When we arrived at Heathrow and started driving towards Reading in Berkhsire I was thinking 'this isn't much different than where I grew up in Virginia'.  And much of it really wasn't - except for when you hit the small villages and your expectations are delightfully met.  And you don't see hillbillies with autos up on blocks as was frequent where I grew up.

My rediculous expectations of London (no old men in tweed jackets riding bicycles by old style double-decker buses) were off to a degree.  Lots of buses, but more modern in appearance.  Tons of traffic and a tad dirtier than perhaps I had imagined.  But I soon fell in love and it was truly magical.  Soho is a great time after you fight your way by the chaps trying to sell you drugs or a trist with woman or man.  Many a fine ale was had.  The Cheddar Cheese was a great place.  I was commenting at the age of the place and the barkeep casually stated 'it's not that old really, it was rebuilt after the fire' - which of course was 1666 with the place rebuilt in 1668 I believe.  Not that old? 

I stayed for the first part of the trip at an estate called Swallowfield Park in Reading.  It was simply amazing and somethign out of a novel.  Drove to Dover to see the cliffs, down the coast and back through the charming town of Bosham.  Stopped at Tangmere to see where the old airfield was.  It's now a farmer's field, but the old control tower still stands.  You can almost hear the Hurricanes and Spitfires taking off and the ringing of the scramble bell.  Then on to London as a guest in the RAF Club in Picadilly.

A wonderful trip in a beautiful and magical country filled will a lot of really nice people.  Few in London seemed to be English or even from Britain of course.  But the treasures are there.

One great thing was meeting a Guardsman in a pub (called The Guardsman I believe!) who told us that they were practicing for the Queen's birthday the next morning.  He told us where to go, and even sent a text message before marching out to let us know where to stand.  We got to see at least a thousand of the Guards battallions in red tunics and bear skins marching in practice, with all of their bands.

A trip I won't soon forget.

What a super report, Johnny. I'm so glad that you had a wonderful time, and that your trip lived up to your expectation. 

I put a few shots up of Swallowfield Park, and I think they have been approved and can be accessed now.  It was something out of a Jane Austen novel and I was extremely lucky to stay there.  It's as beautifully furnished inside as it looks from the outside.  Lots of antiques, paintings (an original Gainesborough on the wall).  Just a really splended place built in the 1600's by 'Diamond' Pitt who, as it might be ascertained, got the money  to build the place from a large diamond he discovered.  It was formerly Royal property and was given by Henry VIII to all of his wives (except one, can't recall who didn't get it).  There is a 13th Century church on the property as well (twenty-some acres) but it was locked up and we couldn't look inside. 

If you're a history buff, it's just amazing to walk around and see architecture that is so old, and realize what history took place around you. 

Hi Johnny and welcome to Poe and glad you enjoyed your visit, as I did just looking at your Swallowfield pics; not far from where I live.

Perhaps you went a bit closer to Reading at Woodley where the Berkshire Aviation Museum is.  It was near here that Group Capt. Sir Douglas Bader crashed and had both his legs amputated at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading.  Also at Woodley was the former Miles Aircraft Company. That was where Col. Charles Lindbergh and wife Anne went to have a custom plane made for them after the kidnapping of their baby etc. That was the Miles Mohawk which I have a photo of from 1936, and its now in the RAF Museum at Hendon.

And if you went to Duxford, that's where they made a lot of the film The Battle of Britain and also The Memphis Belle starring the B-17 Sally B as the Memphis Belle.

Was just thiking Johhny--if you'd got a bit further west into West Berkshire and Wiltshire borders surrounding Newbury, the US Army was very much entrenched around that region during WW2.  You had stayed very close to a former PoW camp  and there were a few more around as well; Newbury Race Course had been seconded as one of them.

Near Newbury at Greenham Common was where a famous photo of General Eisenhower with the GI's at the start of D Day was taken.. He'd also tried to drive a Jeep up the stairs of the officer's mess; a former large house, and now a school for the deaf. His tyre marks are still on the stairs from the Jeep.

And  on the outskirts of Newbury is a large house where some of the D Day landings had been secretly planned.

Maria--you said you liked spies----why not visit the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu, Hampshire. In the grounds there was where spies had been trained during WW2 for the SOE, and a special exhibit about the secret goings on there.

Sounds like a great vacation, Johnny.  Welcome!  Keep coming around - you will love it here.

My husband and I had our first trip to England a year and a half ago.  It really is fantastic over there.  Most of our time was spent in North Yorkshire.

Drat!  I just typed about five paragraphs then hit a button, closing and losing it all.

Thanks Paul for the above.  Interestingly enough, I've always had more of an interest in Britain's actions in the war than our own - and that's no offense to our great fighting troops.  Part of it is because I remember watching old war movies on the Desert Rats and Commandos.  My father supported my early hobby of collecting WWII militaria and one of the first things a bought was a dented old 'Tommy Tin'.  Then he took me to see 'A Bridge Too Far' and I was hooked.  I always greatly admired the 'Britain alone' thing.  My passion has been for some time the Battle of Britain.

In fact, part of the reason for the timing of my first trip to England was related to my interest.  Long story, but I have an association with 601 Squadron of the RAF.  During my visit I attended a meeting of their Old Comrade's Association at the RAF Club, and the next day the uneiling of a statue to the Squadron at Hendon.  What a great bunch of gentlemen!  One elderly gent was Max Aitken's fitter.  He arrived at the train station just as we did and refused our offer of a taxi to the museum at Hendon - no small distance, particularly for a man in his upper 80's!  As luck would have it Max's son - the current Lord Beaverbrook - was in attendance as well.  He's the spitting image of his father.

Wish I could have made it to Duxford as I'm naturally a Spitfire and Hurricane fan.  We did make it to Capel-Le-Ferne (spelling?) where the one Battle of Britain monument is located of the lone pilot staring out to sea.  I found it far more moving that the one in London, although that one is great as well.

So many places to see and simply not enough time!  But it just means many more trips are in order.