Picture Postcard Parade: The Old Belle Toute Lighthouse

I think this will be the last of my Beachy Head postcards for now, it is time I got back to some more family related postcards. This is one I picked up at the South of England Postcard at Woking, Surrey last weekend.

This is very similar to the one I showed you three weeks ago, in fact almost identical. The reason I bought this one is for the cachet on the back.

According to the book Beachy Head by John Surtees this particular cachet was in use before 1920, but I have no other clue about who published this and when. There were apparently four different cachets used by the Watch Tower, I showed you one of the other designs a couple of weeks ago. I just have to find examples of the other two now.

Personal Genealogy Update: Week 22

I’ve changed the title of this regular weekly post to reflect the fact that it is largely about what I have been doing (or failing to do) in my own personal genealogy.

Last week was devoted almost entirely to organising the files and folders on my hard drive. I had hoped to get all my folders sorted out by the end of May, but I am some way short of that, although not too far off. I have another eight folders to sort through, out of a total of 75 surnames.

I have transcribed the will of Thomas PIERCEY, but that was really just about the only other new bit of work I did that wasn’t related to sorting out folders. I have added several new relations to my family tree in the process of going through my folders, and some of that involved looking up new details.

I am really missing doing any proper new research, all this organising is taking it’s toll on me and I now just want to get it out of the way and start moving on to new ground. I might start a few bits of proper research this week, but really I need to get things organised to finish off the GEERINGs of Hailsham, before I get too carried away with new avenues of research.

This week I am going to get all the folders sorted apart from the GEERING and GASSON ones (which will be left for the following week). Also I will get together a plan for East Sussex Record Office (where I still haven’t booked a seat yet or ordered documents yet) and contact the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (which I still haven’t done either) in preparation for starting back on the GEERINGs again.

Two great podcasts today

Whilst sorting through the files and folders on my hard drive today I listened to two new podcast episodes. I must admit that I am rather biased about these two podcasts, because they are both subjects close to my heart.

First was the next episode of the BBC Radio 4 programme Ramblings, in which Clare Balding walked part of the South Downs Way from Ditchling Beacon to Devil’s Dyke. It was wonderful to hear her talking about some of the places that I had seen on my walk last week, and some of the things I had mentioned on my blog post.

Next up was the latest podcast from The National Archives, this was a talk entitled Lost London Pubs given by Jack Adams at the Pub History Society Conference I attended back in February and wrote about here. It was great to hear the talk again and I hope that some of the other talks will appear over the next few weeks.

It is very rare to get a podcast that is so close to home, relevant and interesting, but to get two come along at the same time is unheard of, but nevertheless welcome.

Beachy Head: Getting Personal

Recently I have been sharing postcards of Beachy Head, near Eastbourne, East Sussex on my blog. Yesterday I mentioned that people have been visiting Beachy Head for decades, and one of those people was my 2x great-uncle Percy Ebenezer TROWER.

In one of his diaries he records an excursion on the 30th June 1928, presumably by coach or bus, from Brighton (B’ton) with his future wife Kate (K). They were married five years later in 1933.

Sunday July 1/28

Yesterday K & I went to B’ton by the 1.33 bus & then took a trip to Eastbourne 2.50 till about 6. A fine day but very windy. We went to Beachy Head & thence to Eastbourne & home through Lewes. The journey through Newhaven I preferred where we are nearly always within sight of the sea. These & similar facts are written for perusal many years hence when scenes have changed. This is a record of a pleasant afternoon that my love & I spent when she was 18 & I 30. I may in years to come live again our ride by the sea on that windy day in June when K was still a girl in her youth & freshness.

Beachy Head, ’twas 10 years, ten years since I last saw you, – in 1918 – during my sojourn at Summerdown Camp. Many faces, many happenings come again to memory, memories of ten years ago, memories of unsettled years, memories of days gone for ever. They were [unreadable] sad days but many happy memories remain. How well I remember my scottish companions of my marquee, & their scottish accents.

But I must get to bed & sleep.

Summerdown Camp was the army convalescent hospital on the outskirts of Eastbourne where Percy spent a month recovering from a gun shot wound received during the First World War, but that is another story (and another collection of postcards).

The route from Brighton and Eastbourne is one of my favourite bus journeys. There is a regular bus service that stills runs “nearly always within sight of the sea”, offering some spectacular views of the coastline and countryside alike from the top of a double decker bus. There is a slightly different service at weekends, that actually takes you right up to Beachy Head if you don’t fancy the walk. Details are available from Brighton and Hove Buses website (services 12 and 13X).

Picture Postcard Parade: On Beachy Head

What better way to spend the coming bank holiday than a visit to Beachy Head, near Eastbourne, East Sussex? Well it will probably be raining this year so it might not be so good this year, but people have been visiting Beachy Head for pleasure for decades.

I’ve no idea if this was a bank holiday, or what time of year this photo was taken, but there are certainly plenty of people exploring the cliff top and enjoying the views, more so then I was there recently.

The people on this card are perhaps a little close to the edge, they are certainly closer than I got on my recent visit. Nothing spoils a good walk more than falling off a cliff or the cliff falling away from beneath your feet!

This card was published by Valentines, and although the postcard has been used, the bottom half of the date is missing, so I can’t see when it was posted, but I would imagine it dates from around 1910.

Coincidently the first episode of the latest series of Ramblings on BBC Radio 4 features Clare Balding exploring Beachy Head with a group of disabled ramblers. The episode is currently available on the BBC iPlayer.