YE OLDE MERRIE ENGLANDE!!

[OJ UK]

OK...I was out with my camera today and I went to CRANBROOK.

CRANBROOK is a medieval town in the Weald of Kent which sprang up in around the 12th century.
If you would like to quickly fill yourselves full of wonderful knowledge you can take a look here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cranbrook,_Kent

I have a good number of photographs today and one of the first things that you'll notice is the architectural diversity, lots of different building styles from
the last 800 years! We have Elizabethan Mullioned windows, lath and plaster wall construction, some lovely lime mortared Victorian red brick work and lots more!
So let's get started!

A slate roofed brick cottage complete with roses around the door next-door to a cottage with a peg-tiled roof and white lapped board upper wall. Very pretty.

A small row of cottages with tiled roofs and tile hung upper storeys and gabled windows in the roof. Behind is a larger Georgian styled family house with the typical
brick facade at the front making it look perhaps more grand than it really was! This would have been owned by a businessman or successful shopkeeper.

Here is a very nice Victorian red brick house

The close-up of the wall plaque shows off the beautiful thin lime mortar-work typical of the mid-19th century.

Cranbrook was commissioned as a market town in 1218 (a little after Bob Denman had his first taste of bacon!) .

This is a modestly constructed Elizabethan home around the late 1500s all of the windows show signs of being mullioned and the glazing would have been added
during the next hundred years or so!

 

[OJ UK]

Second batch....

Well I see that some of you are still with me and no-one appears to have fallen asleep yet so I'll get on with this little
tour of the High Street in Cranbrook!

Here's an nice old lath and plaster walled house from the 16th/17th. century next to which an entirely forgettable Edwardian family home has been built!
Notice how straight walls didn't seem to be required back then!!

On the other side of the street we have a late 19th Century weather-boarded home with a slate roof and next-door is a house of a similar vintage but this time
the wall is tile-hung and the roof is also tiled.

Looking down the street we can see a plethora of different building styles...just look at those roofs!

 

[OJ UK]

Still more!!

Well...you all appear to be sitting quietly and paying attention so I'll reward your patience with a real early 19th Century Windmill!!! WOW!!
This one is a smock mill and was constructed in 1814!

 

[OJ UK]

Cranbrook is a lovely old town....the smallest town in the county of Kent.
Here are a few more shots of various buildings in the town:

 

[OJ UK]

Cranbrook cont.

Quite a few pics left to show you! Hope you're enjoying them!

Here's a little Elizabethan house, now a book shop, tucked away between two later buildings.

A rather curiously styled building at the end of the street.....I'll have to find out more on this one.

Here's the little driveway up to the windmill. A nice sunny corner!

 

[OJ UK]

More to come soon!!

 

[loisk]

more please, sir

Loving your tour of ye-olde-England. Waiting for you to get to my Kent ancestor's home town... Re the "curiously styled building", yes I bet it has a history - toll booth? maybe... Thanks again.

 

[Darren111]

Nice pics OJ UK. Although I am a southerner I live in the North of England and for those who would like to see lots of sheep, cows and countryside when you visit England the North is the way to go lol. Love Kent (The Garden of England) and my holidays are spent there. When I get my Spyder she will live in the North of England and visit Kent every other month. So watch out for me OJ UK, because I hope to meet you real soon

 

[OJ UK]

STAPLEHURST today!!

Staplehurst is a large village around 12 miles south of me and as today was another bright sunny and warm day
I thought that you might enjoy some more pictures!
Those of you with a thirst for knowledge can find out some things about this old originally Saxon place:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staplehurst

So here are a few pictures of this village on a hill!

I had to park the F3 up somewhere so I drove down a small side road next to the local pub.

So here I am standing by the main road that goes through the village and you can see that the pub is on the left.

This is a very nice row of cottages that date back to the 1600s. In the second picture you can see the carriage entrance that
a coach and horses would have driven through to access the rear of the cottages.

They don't make front doors like this any more!!

 

[OJ UK]

Staplehurst #2

Now you have probably heard that jackdaws (a small British crow) like to congregate around old churches.
Well to be honest I thought it was the stuff of legends but today in Staplehurst I was pleasantly surprised.
I was at the church and I looked up at the tower and there were probably 30 jackdaws quietly wheeling overhead
perching high up on the tower and then flying around again!

The church dates to about 1200 and is typical of local churches in the area although not as old as some!

It is being nicely cared for and the interior is lovely.

The history of the clergy that served there is reproduced for all to see:

 

[hawkiii]

OJ, thanks for the pictures and background info. I really enjoy hearing this kind of stuff and seeing the history you live around. Maybe one day I will make it across the pond but there is still a lot of the USA I would like to see. Maybe we will meet at Spyderfest one of these days. I'll gladly buy you a pint.

 

[BamaJohn]

Ok Guys 'n gals I though I'd put up a couple of pics (and it is only a couple at the moment!)
of life on a Spyder in England....

This picture was taken at an old coaching house, where coaches would stop to
allow passengers and horses some refreshment. It was built in 1512. (That's older than some of Bob Denmans jokes!!)
They serve excellent food and of course beer!!

Here I am just about to leave the parking area of a nearby 14th century manor house where they
serve afternoon tea in the gardens.....all very quaint!
These were taken on a friend's phone. I have just bought a new Nikon camera so I hope that this year's pictures will be more plentiful
and bigger!!

Thanks for sharing the photos with us.
The coach house reminds me of The Greyhound in Coventry...downed a few pints there in 2008!
And your BMW riding jacket adds a nice touch...I ride with my BMW summer jacket here in the Southern USA.
Ride on safely old Chap!
jb

 

[PistonBlown]

Nice pics OJ UK. Although I am a southerner I live in the North of England and for those who would like to see lots of sheep, cows and countryside when you visit England the North is the way to go lol. Love Kent (The Garden of England) and my holidays are spent there. When I get my Spyder she will live in the North of England and visit Kent every other month. So watch out for me OJ UK, because I hope to meet you real soon

Yep and you've also got some lovely motorbike roads nearer to home around the Peak District, Yorkshire Dales and beyond e.g. the B6270 between Krikby Steven and Grinton. Me and a mate spent a couple of summers touring all around the UK on motorbikes, kipping on peoples floors and attending various motorbike Rally's (Bulldog Bash, Kent Custom and Farm Yard).

 

[47ModelBrit]

Staplehurst Church

Now you have probably heard that jackdaws (a small British crow) like to congregate around old churches.
Well to be honest I thought it was the stuff of legends but today in Staplehurst I was pleasantly surprised.
I was at the church and I looked up at the tower and there were probably 30 jackdaws quietly wheeling overhead
perching high up on the tower and then flying around again!

The church dates to about 1200 and is typical of local churches in the area although not as old as some!

It is being nicely cared for and the interior is lovely.

The history of the clergy that served there is reproduced for all to see:

Thanks for posting the photos - that's the church I was married in 42 years ago (almost to the day.) My wife and I both lived in Staplehurst at the time. Been back many times since then and the pubs are still as good as they used to be - at least the ones that are still open. Bit depressing to see all the closed ones. Did you notice if the Bell Inn had re-opened - it's across from the church.
Also enjoyed the photos of Cranbrook - that's where I went to school although for some reason there's no plaque anywhere mentioning that! Must be an oversight of somebody.

 

[OJ UK]

As you can see The Bell is no more! It's presently being converted into flats....

 

[PistonBlown]

As you can see The Bell is no more! It's presently being converted into flats....

Unfortunately the way of many old pub, either that or some sort of eatery where just ordering a beer is frowned on.

I do wonder how many people have fallen or tripped on that last step after having a few inside as it looks perfect for catching you out when your at the 'carefully does it' stage

 

[47ModelBrit]

Ding Dong - gone

As you can see The Bell is no more! It's presently being converted into flats....

Another one bites the dust! Very sad! When I lived there in the 60's there were 5 pubs in the village, now there are just two. But at least those two are open all day. Remember how they used to close in the afternoon?

 

[OJ UK]

Went to three small villages today.....

The first was Mereworth (Pronounced Merry-Worth!)
The church is an extravagant building which dates from the mid-18th century and
is built in the Palladian style. Nevertheless it makes for an interesting visit.

The village has very few saving graces and is home to many London commuters.

 

[OJ UK]

Onward and upward!

Leaving Mereworth I travelled the short distance to Offham.
Offham has many great old buildings but the star of the show is this:

Now can anybody tell me what it is?

A beautiful 15th. 16th. century stone-built cottage.

Don't see too many of these phone boxes anymore!

Sleepy village.

Beautiful old lath and plaster farmhouse.

 

[OJ UK]

Answers on the back of a $20 bill please!!

My final village today is the old village of Wrotham ( A prize will be awarded to anyone who can tell me
how that is pronounced! No Cheating!!)
A thriving village with gorgeously built houses and a traditionally styled school building! Obviously no longer a school.

Here's the church.....

Nice isn't it?