Near as I can figure it, through the possibly flawed perceptual filters of my own reality tunnel, the most likely answers this week, seem to me to be:
Q1. Godstow Abbey
Q2. Woodstock
The initial clues seem to place us at the ruins of Godstow Abbey, which appears to lie South east of the Godstow road, near the river Thames, between Wytham and Wolvercote, in the county of Oxfordshire. According to some of the sources I checked, this may be the burial site of 'Fair Rosamund' (aka 'Rose of the World' aka Rosemund Clifford born c 1140/1150, died c 1175/76) and mistress of Henry II. The Abbey was probably constructed around 1133, for Benedictine nuns. Henry II donated money and building materials to extend the place because Rosamund was buried there.
Travelling three miles or so North East of Godstow Abbey, would bring us to the village of Woodeaton, where according to the Ashmolean museum, a Romano-Celtic temple, dedicated to an unknown diety, lies buried. It appears that some archaeological excavations were conducted in the fields around the village c 1952, by Joan Kirk and Richard Goodchild, which revealed artefacts indicating that this was probably the location of a temple.
A mile north of Woodeaton sits the village of Islip and according to some of his biographies, this is where Edward the Confessor was born, c 1004. Five miles west of Islip is the Village of Bladon and St Martin's Church, which is the final resting place of Winston Churchill's father, Lord Randolph Churchill, who appears to have been appointed Secretary of State for India c 1885. Some of his bios claim that he actually visited India, which was unusual for a politician in those days.
A world heritage site, designated as such by UNESCO c 1987, is Winston Churchill's old house, Blenheim Palace. Blenheim palace is situated close to the town of Woodstock and it is here that Edward of Woodstock (aka 'The Black Prince') was born, in the same year (c 1133), as a singer called Joe Cocker, who liked to play gigs there. Two princesses who were also born in Woodstock are probably 'Mary of Woodstock' (born c 11/12 March 1278), sixth or seventh daughter (depending on which source you check), of the nasty old fascist, Edward I and Isabella, Countess of Bedford (born c 16 June 1332). Isabella was the daughter of Edward III.
Blenheim palace was designed in part by a playwriting ex squaddie cum architect, called Sir John Vanbrugh (though by some accounts Nicholas Hawksmoor gave him a few tips on the subject, as he largely had no formal training). This is possibly why the duchess of Marlborough was said to be very unhappy with the extravagance of the design and wanted Christopher Wren to build the place instead.
Subtracting nine pennies from a shilling, leaves thrupence or 'Half a Sixpence', which is the title of a 1967 film starring Tommy Steele, which was shot at Blenheim palace. I did find some references to advertising slogans for the film which said 'It strolls, it struts, it razzles and it dazzles'.
N.B. Due to the number of people who normally write poison pen letters in green ink posting on his page, the Eastender has moved to moderated comments but rest assured, if you have a non abusive comment related to solving the puzzle, he will endeavour to publish it.
Saturday, 31 October 2015
Saturday, 24 October 2015
Sunday Times Where Was I? Holiday Competition
Near as I can figure it, through the possibly flawed perceptual filters of my own reality tunnel, the most likely answers this week, seem to me to be:
Q1. Berwick
Q2. Asham House
N.B. For question two, Asham house was also spelled Asheham House, at one time.
The initial clues seem to place us in the village of Berwick, which lies in the South Downs, in the county of Sussex. It is here that a church containing twentieth century murals, painted by some members of a very progressive proto Bonobo beatnik hipster collective, called 'The Bloomsbury Group', lies. The church appears to be called 'St. Michael and All the Angels' and after the windows were blown out by bombs and the chancel damaged c 1941, the local bishop asked the Bloomsbury artists, Duncan Grant (father, Major Bartle Grant), Quentin Bell and Vanessa Bell (born c 1879, died c 1961), to paint some murals to decorate the church.
Vanessa Bell, according to some of her biographies, was the sister of the writer Adeline Virginia Woolf (born c 1882, died c 1941). Bell lived with her sometime partner Duncan Grant, at Charleston farmhouse, c 1916, which is situated around two miles north west of Berwick village. Some of the aforementioned biographies claim that Vanessa Bell, was buried in the Firle parish churchyard on the 12th April c 1961. The ashes of the economist John Maynard Keynes, who also hung out with the Bloomsbury group, were scattered in the fields around Charleston farm, after he died from a heart attack, c 1946.
'Courage Sans Peur' can be translated as 'Courage Without Fear' and this appears to be the motto of the Gage family, who own the sixteenth century house at Firle Place. The blurb on their website says it is owned by the eighth viscount Gage. It also seems to be where the fruit called a Greengage got its name.
Traveling seven miles west of Charleston farm, would likely bring us into the vicinity of the village of Rodmell and the country home of Leonard and Virginia Woolf, 'Monk's House'. The Eastender had to look up what is meant by 'Weatherboard' but it seems to be thin slats of wood which are nailed to the outside of houses and the pictures of Monk's House that I looked at, certainly show that it exhibits this feature. Virginia Woolf had suicidal tendencies and bipolar disorder, which were possibly inherited and exacerbated by incidents of abuse during her childhood. She had thrown herself out of a window on one occasion and the poor woman ultimately drowned after putting some rocks in her pockets and jumping into the river Ouse, after hearing voices, c 1941. Some of her works were 'Mrs Dalloway', 'To a Lighthouse' and 'Orlando'. Leonard Woolf is said to have buried Virginia's ashes 'neath two elm trees in the grounds of Monk's House and there now stands a bust of the unfortunate author, by the artist Stephen Tomlin, to mark the spot, as the elms are no longer there. From checking Leonard Woolf's biography, he does seem to have died c 1969.
Monk's House is still standing, whereas the 'holiday home' in the clues, was said to have been demolished. Digging a little further turned up some references to the Woolfs having a house on the East bank of the Ouse (Asham House or Asheham House), c 1912 to 1919, which apparently once stood just off the road between Lewes and Newhaven, near the village of Beddingham. Asham house was believed to be haunted and seems to have been demolished on the 12th of July, c 1994.
N.B. Due to the number of people who normally write poison pen letters in green ink posting on his page, the Eastender has moved to moderated comments but rest assured, if you have a non abusive comment, which relates to solving the puzzle, he will endeavour to publish it.
Q1. Berwick
Q2. Asham House
N.B. For question two, Asham house was also spelled Asheham House, at one time.
The initial clues seem to place us in the village of Berwick, which lies in the South Downs, in the county of Sussex. It is here that a church containing twentieth century murals, painted by some members of a very progressive proto Bonobo beatnik hipster collective, called 'The Bloomsbury Group', lies. The church appears to be called 'St. Michael and All the Angels' and after the windows were blown out by bombs and the chancel damaged c 1941, the local bishop asked the Bloomsbury artists, Duncan Grant (father, Major Bartle Grant), Quentin Bell and Vanessa Bell (born c 1879, died c 1961), to paint some murals to decorate the church.
Vanessa Bell, according to some of her biographies, was the sister of the writer Adeline Virginia Woolf (born c 1882, died c 1941). Bell lived with her sometime partner Duncan Grant, at Charleston farmhouse, c 1916, which is situated around two miles north west of Berwick village. Some of the aforementioned biographies claim that Vanessa Bell, was buried in the Firle parish churchyard on the 12th April c 1961. The ashes of the economist John Maynard Keynes, who also hung out with the Bloomsbury group, were scattered in the fields around Charleston farm, after he died from a heart attack, c 1946.
'Courage Sans Peur' can be translated as 'Courage Without Fear' and this appears to be the motto of the Gage family, who own the sixteenth century house at Firle Place. The blurb on their website says it is owned by the eighth viscount Gage. It also seems to be where the fruit called a Greengage got its name.
Traveling seven miles west of Charleston farm, would likely bring us into the vicinity of the village of Rodmell and the country home of Leonard and Virginia Woolf, 'Monk's House'. The Eastender had to look up what is meant by 'Weatherboard' but it seems to be thin slats of wood which are nailed to the outside of houses and the pictures of Monk's House that I looked at, certainly show that it exhibits this feature. Virginia Woolf had suicidal tendencies and bipolar disorder, which were possibly inherited and exacerbated by incidents of abuse during her childhood. She had thrown herself out of a window on one occasion and the poor woman ultimately drowned after putting some rocks in her pockets and jumping into the river Ouse, after hearing voices, c 1941. Some of her works were 'Mrs Dalloway', 'To a Lighthouse' and 'Orlando'. Leonard Woolf is said to have buried Virginia's ashes 'neath two elm trees in the grounds of Monk's House and there now stands a bust of the unfortunate author, by the artist Stephen Tomlin, to mark the spot, as the elms are no longer there. From checking Leonard Woolf's biography, he does seem to have died c 1969.
Monk's House is still standing, whereas the 'holiday home' in the clues, was said to have been demolished. Digging a little further turned up some references to the Woolfs having a house on the East bank of the Ouse (Asham House or Asheham House), c 1912 to 1919, which apparently once stood just off the road between Lewes and Newhaven, near the village of Beddingham. Asham house was believed to be haunted and seems to have been demolished on the 12th of July, c 1994.
N.B. Due to the number of people who normally write poison pen letters in green ink posting on his page, the Eastender has moved to moderated comments but rest assured, if you have a non abusive comment, which relates to solving the puzzle, he will endeavour to publish it.
Sunday, 18 October 2015
Sunday Times Where Was I? Holiday Competition
Think the Sunday Times IT bod's been out glugging the cheeky juice again and forgotten to publish the online version of the puzzle but the East Ender has the printed copy of the newspaper and near as I can figure it, through the possibly flawed perceptual filters of my own reality tunnel, the most likely answers this week, seem to me to be:
Q1. Lutterworth
Q2. Percy (Sinclair) Pilcher
The initial clues seem to place us a tad north east of the city of Coventry, near the Oxford canal, which some of the sources I checked, claim is around seventy eight miles long and was completed c 1790. It appears that in the eighteen twenties and eighteen thirties that the canal was shortened by around fourteen miles and six furlongs, around Braunston and Hawksbury Junction.
A hotel which is a good fit with some of the clues given, is possibly Coombe Abbey, which was built by Cistercians c 1150 and which subsequently became a family home after old " 'enry the Eighth I am", shut down the monasteries. It appears to have become royal property after this and came into the hands of the Earls of Craven until c 1923 and then subsequently became a hotel.
The aeronautical engineer and truly great British genius, who was born c 1907 and tested his W1X gas turbine engines at Lutterworth, was probably Sir Frank Whittle. Three miles or so south of Lutterworth, lies the site of the three arched Roman bridge at Tripontium, it is situated next to the Roman road 'Watling Street' (aka the A5).
The poet Laureate mentioned by the puzzle Author, is most likely Alfred Lord Tennyson. I found a reference which claims that he wrote his famous elegy to his friend Arthur Hallam, at Shawell Rectory, which is very close to Tripontium. 'In Memoriam', was published c 1850 .
The William and Mary style house, is probably Stanford Hall and it is in a field near this, that a memorial to another great British genius lies, the monument to the hang glider pioneer, Percy Sinclair Pilcher ( born c 1867). His Hawk glider crashed here in 1899, resulting in his passing from this mortal coil. Pilcher had a triplane with an engine fitted to it, ready for flight testing in his shed but the crash may have prevented him from achieving powered flight, before the wright brothers.
N.B. Due to the number of people who normally write poison pen letters in green ink posting on his page, the Eastender has moved to moderated comments but rest assured, if you have a non abusive comment related to the puzzle and its solution, he will endeavour to publish it.
Q1. Lutterworth
Q2. Percy (Sinclair) Pilcher
The initial clues seem to place us a tad north east of the city of Coventry, near the Oxford canal, which some of the sources I checked, claim is around seventy eight miles long and was completed c 1790. It appears that in the eighteen twenties and eighteen thirties that the canal was shortened by around fourteen miles and six furlongs, around Braunston and Hawksbury Junction.
A hotel which is a good fit with some of the clues given, is possibly Coombe Abbey, which was built by Cistercians c 1150 and which subsequently became a family home after old " 'enry the Eighth I am", shut down the monasteries. It appears to have become royal property after this and came into the hands of the Earls of Craven until c 1923 and then subsequently became a hotel.
The aeronautical engineer and truly great British genius, who was born c 1907 and tested his W1X gas turbine engines at Lutterworth, was probably Sir Frank Whittle. Three miles or so south of Lutterworth, lies the site of the three arched Roman bridge at Tripontium, it is situated next to the Roman road 'Watling Street' (aka the A5).
The poet Laureate mentioned by the puzzle Author, is most likely Alfred Lord Tennyson. I found a reference which claims that he wrote his famous elegy to his friend Arthur Hallam, at Shawell Rectory, which is very close to Tripontium. 'In Memoriam', was published c 1850 .
The William and Mary style house, is probably Stanford Hall and it is in a field near this, that a memorial to another great British genius lies, the monument to the hang glider pioneer, Percy Sinclair Pilcher ( born c 1867). His Hawk glider crashed here in 1899, resulting in his passing from this mortal coil. Pilcher had a triplane with an engine fitted to it, ready for flight testing in his shed but the crash may have prevented him from achieving powered flight, before the wright brothers.
N.B. Due to the number of people who normally write poison pen letters in green ink posting on his page, the Eastender has moved to moderated comments but rest assured, if you have a non abusive comment related to the puzzle and its solution, he will endeavour to publish it.
Saturday, 10 October 2015
Sunday Times Where Was I? Holiday Competiton
Near as I can figure it, through the possibly flawed perceptual filters of my own reality tunnel, the most likely answers this week, seem to me to be:
Q1. Bodelwyddan
Q2. Rhyl
The initial clues seem to place us in the vicinity of Rhos-on-Sea, in county Clwyd, in the Conwy region of Wales, specifically at St Trillo's Chapel, which judging from the photographs I saw of it, is very small indeed (thought to have a capacity of twenty worshippers max) and does lie next to a beautiful sandy beach. The altar is said to be built over a pre Christian holy well. St Trillo according to some of his bios, is thought to have been born in Brittany c 6th century and his feast day is the 15 th of June.
Motoring south east from Rhos-on-Sea would bring us to the seaside resort of Colwyn Bay. The town has a disused pier which some of the sources I checked claim is around seven hundred and fifty feet long and which opened c 1900.
Seven miles east of Colwyn Bay could be the site of a Donnybrook between the Welsh and the Saxons, c 795 ad, the Battle of Rhuddlan Marsh. The Saxons under the command of king Offa of Mercia are thought to have won this encounter, defeating the Welsh team under king Caradog ap Meirion. The mutiny by demob happy Canadian soldiers, seems to have occurred around the 4th and 5th of March c 1919, on the Kinmel Park estate, where they were billeted after the end of WW1, in cold and cramped conditions. The riots appear to have started when news reached the camp, that the ship which was to have taken them home, had been diverted to carry food supplies to the Russians. Five soldiers were killed during the disturbances and four of them seem to be buried in the churchyard of St Margaret's, which lies in the nearby village of Bodelwyddan. St Margaret's (designed by John Gibson, b 1817) was constructed from various types of marble, by Lady Willoughby de Broke, c 1856, in memory of her husband. I found several references which describe World War One practice trenches at the nearby Bodelwyddan castle
North of Bodelwyddan castle and village, lies the seaside town of Rhyl and it was here that some of her biographies claim that a talented journalist and author called Penelope Ruth Mortimer (nee Fletcher) was born c 1918. Mortimer wrote under the pen name Ann Temple and worked for The New Yorker and the Daily Mail. Her first novel, published c 1947, was called Johanna.
Rhyl at one time had a two thousand three hundred and fifty five foot long pier but it appears to have been demolished c 1973. I did find several references which say that there was also a Lido at Rhyl
N.B. Due to the number of people who normally write poison pen letters in green ink posting on his page, the Eastender has moved to moderated comments but rest assured, if you have a non abusive comment related to the solution of the puzzle, he will endeavour to publish it.
Q1. Bodelwyddan
Q2. Rhyl
The initial clues seem to place us in the vicinity of Rhos-on-Sea, in county Clwyd, in the Conwy region of Wales, specifically at St Trillo's Chapel, which judging from the photographs I saw of it, is very small indeed (thought to have a capacity of twenty worshippers max) and does lie next to a beautiful sandy beach. The altar is said to be built over a pre Christian holy well. St Trillo according to some of his bios, is thought to have been born in Brittany c 6th century and his feast day is the 15 th of June.
Motoring south east from Rhos-on-Sea would bring us to the seaside resort of Colwyn Bay. The town has a disused pier which some of the sources I checked claim is around seven hundred and fifty feet long and which opened c 1900.
Seven miles east of Colwyn Bay could be the site of a Donnybrook between the Welsh and the Saxons, c 795 ad, the Battle of Rhuddlan Marsh. The Saxons under the command of king Offa of Mercia are thought to have won this encounter, defeating the Welsh team under king Caradog ap Meirion. The mutiny by demob happy Canadian soldiers, seems to have occurred around the 4th and 5th of March c 1919, on the Kinmel Park estate, where they were billeted after the end of WW1, in cold and cramped conditions. The riots appear to have started when news reached the camp, that the ship which was to have taken them home, had been diverted to carry food supplies to the Russians. Five soldiers were killed during the disturbances and four of them seem to be buried in the churchyard of St Margaret's, which lies in the nearby village of Bodelwyddan. St Margaret's (designed by John Gibson, b 1817) was constructed from various types of marble, by Lady Willoughby de Broke, c 1856, in memory of her husband. I found several references which describe World War One practice trenches at the nearby Bodelwyddan castle
North of Bodelwyddan castle and village, lies the seaside town of Rhyl and it was here that some of her biographies claim that a talented journalist and author called Penelope Ruth Mortimer (nee Fletcher) was born c 1918. Mortimer wrote under the pen name Ann Temple and worked for The New Yorker and the Daily Mail. Her first novel, published c 1947, was called Johanna.
Rhyl at one time had a two thousand three hundred and fifty five foot long pier but it appears to have been demolished c 1973. I did find several references which say that there was also a Lido at Rhyl
N.B. Due to the number of people who normally write poison pen letters in green ink posting on his page, the Eastender has moved to moderated comments but rest assured, if you have a non abusive comment related to the solution of the puzzle, he will endeavour to publish it.
Saturday, 3 October 2015
Sunday Times Where Was I? Holiday Competition
Near as I can figure it, through the possibly flawed perceptual filters of my own reality tunnel, the most likely answers this week, seem to me to be:
Q1. Guy's Tower
Q2. The Tabard
N.B. For question 1, Guy's Tower is also known as 'The Tower Wing, Guy's Hospital' and for question 2, The Tabard was also known later as 'The Talbot Inn'.
From the initial clues, the puzzle author and Terribly Trendy Friend, are probably on London Bridge and walking south on the A3/Borough High Street, into Southwark. The hints in the text say that the bridge being crossed is more than two hundred and sixty meters, or eight hundred and fifty feet in length and some sources claim that London Bridge is around two hundred and sixty nine meters, or eight hundred and eighty two feet long.
The quote "A boat of dirty and disreputable appearance, with two figures in it, floated on the Thames, between Southwark Bridge, which is of Iron and London Bridge, which is of stone", probably comes from a book called 'Our Mutual Friend' , which was published c 1864/65, by Charles Dickens.
The Shard, according to some of the references I checked, is around three hundred and nine point six meters or one thousand and sixteen feet in height and located close to the A3 and London Bridge. The other tall building which houses a school of dentistry, is probably Guy's Tower, which claims to be the world's tallest hospital building. Guy's Hospital was founded by a philanthropist called 'Thomas Guy', who was born c 1644. Experiments in human blood transfusion were carried out at Guy's hospital, c 1818 by James Blundell.
A market in Southwark, which has been there since c 11th century and which is close to Southwark Cathedral (achieved this status c 1905), is Borough market. William Shakespeare's brother Edmund, who died c 1607, is thought to be buried in Southwark Cathedral. Travelling South on the A3, would bring White Hart Yard into view on our left. This was the site of the White Hart Inn, with its "Bustling old landlady', which is mentioned both in Dicken's book, 'The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club' and in Shakespeare's play, 'Henry VI part II' .
The second inn is likely to be 'The Tabard', as the quote in the puzzle comes from a book called 'The Canterbury Tales', by Geoffrey Chaucer: "In Southwerk at the Tabard as I lay redy to wenden on my pilgrymage to Caunterbury with ful devout corage, at nyght was come into that hostelrye wel nyne and twenty in a compaignye of sondry folk". I did find several references to the heaviest bell in Southwark cathedral weighing around 48 cwt.
N.B. Due to the number of people who normally write poison pen letters in green ink posting on his page, the Eastender has moved to moderated comments but rest assured, if you have a non abusive comment relating to the puzzle and its solution, he will endeavour to publish it
Q1. Guy's Tower
Q2. The Tabard
N.B. For question 1, Guy's Tower is also known as 'The Tower Wing, Guy's Hospital' and for question 2, The Tabard was also known later as 'The Talbot Inn'.
From the initial clues, the puzzle author and Terribly Trendy Friend, are probably on London Bridge and walking south on the A3/Borough High Street, into Southwark. The hints in the text say that the bridge being crossed is more than two hundred and sixty meters, or eight hundred and fifty feet in length and some sources claim that London Bridge is around two hundred and sixty nine meters, or eight hundred and eighty two feet long.
The quote "A boat of dirty and disreputable appearance, with two figures in it, floated on the Thames, between Southwark Bridge, which is of Iron and London Bridge, which is of stone", probably comes from a book called 'Our Mutual Friend' , which was published c 1864/65, by Charles Dickens.
The Shard, according to some of the references I checked, is around three hundred and nine point six meters or one thousand and sixteen feet in height and located close to the A3 and London Bridge. The other tall building which houses a school of dentistry, is probably Guy's Tower, which claims to be the world's tallest hospital building. Guy's Hospital was founded by a philanthropist called 'Thomas Guy', who was born c 1644. Experiments in human blood transfusion were carried out at Guy's hospital, c 1818 by James Blundell.
A market in Southwark, which has been there since c 11th century and which is close to Southwark Cathedral (achieved this status c 1905), is Borough market. William Shakespeare's brother Edmund, who died c 1607, is thought to be buried in Southwark Cathedral. Travelling South on the A3, would bring White Hart Yard into view on our left. This was the site of the White Hart Inn, with its "Bustling old landlady', which is mentioned both in Dicken's book, 'The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club' and in Shakespeare's play, 'Henry VI part II' .
The second inn is likely to be 'The Tabard', as the quote in the puzzle comes from a book called 'The Canterbury Tales', by Geoffrey Chaucer: "In Southwerk at the Tabard as I lay redy to wenden on my pilgrymage to Caunterbury with ful devout corage, at nyght was come into that hostelrye wel nyne and twenty in a compaignye of sondry folk". I did find several references to the heaviest bell in Southwark cathedral weighing around 48 cwt.
N.B. Due to the number of people who normally write poison pen letters in green ink posting on his page, the Eastender has moved to moderated comments but rest assured, if you have a non abusive comment relating to the puzzle and its solution, he will endeavour to publish it
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