Ex Hillview Student awarded a prestigious scholarship

 

Hannah Rotchell, aged 20, an ex Hillview Student, and long standing member of The Geraldine Fox Theatre/Dance Academy in Tonbridge, has been awarded one of just two prestigious top scholarships at “The London Contemporary Dance School” (The Place) in London. 

The Award, now known, as the “Charlotte Kirkpatrick Award” is awarded to one boy, and one girl in Year 2 of the BA(Hons) degree at the end of Year 2 to help them continue with their studies in their final Year of the course. It is awarded “in recognition of effort, talent and potential” for a future career within the Dance world to a student with “exceptional potential as a future Dance Artist”. 

Whilst at Hillview School Hannah also spent 5 years  at “The Centre for Advanced Training” – (CAT)  at Laban in Greenwich, London between the ages of 13 and 18. Many previous holders of this Award have gone on to have professional careers in the world of Contemporary Dance, and Hannah hopes to be able to join them in due course as she continues her studies in London. She is very proud of her Tonbridge roots and heritage. 

Congratulations Hannah !!!

Tonbridge Daily Snippet

Extra police were drafted into Tonbridge in 1840 to deal with the mass arrival of railway navvies working in the town

Tonbridge Daily Photo

Tonbridge Daily Photo #271 - Morris Minor

Carl Lewis photographed the partially hidden Morris Minor at Allen's Garage in Lyons Crescent. He checked the tax disc and found it ran out in 1979. So that means this wonderful old lady has been put out to grass for over 30 years.

Tonbridge Daily Snippet

In the year 1899 approximately 8 or 10 people in Tonbridge owned a motorcar. Times have changed

Tonbridge Daily Photo

Tonbridge Daily Photo #270

The countryside surrounding Tonbridge can be really spectacular as the photograph above shows. With every season it changes, but in early summer miles of vivid colour skirt the town. The sea of yellow was captured by local resident Tim Dill on a walk between Hadlow and Shipbourne. He says these beautiful country scenes is why he loves to live in Tonbridge.

True or False

I think this one is true!!!!!!

Tonbridge Ladies Love BUBBLES

Big Bridge has Makeover

The Big Bridge in town is having a revamp. Built in 1887 by Gray Brothers at their Avebury Avenue foundry it is now an iconic and much loved landmark in Tonbridge.

Hopefully the Little Bridge will receive the same treatment. 

Tonbridge Daily Snippet

That was some storm last night and the rain was well needed. The grass in my garden was slowly turning brown and my allotment was in severe need of nourishment.

It seems severe summer thunderstorms are nothing new, as a school wall was washed down in Lansdowne Road when torrential rain hit Tonbridge during a thunderstorm in July 1874. The records show that 3 inches of rain fell on the town in only 2 hours. 

Tonbridge Daily Photo

Tonbridge Daily Photo #269 - Majestic skies

This beautiful photograph was taken last night by Nicky Silk of North Tonbridge who had just sat down to an evening meal with her family. It was all chance but she captured the moment perfectly.

Nicky makes curtains and blinds in her Tonbridge workshop including a number of other soft furnishings such as cushions and noticeboards.  If you want to find out more it's all on http://www.silkinteriors.co.uk/#

Tonbridge Artist Christine White

If you make your way down the little alleyway known as Skinners Terrace you'll find a gem of an art studio at No 2.  Amidst the muddle of doors, in this rather uninviting walkway, I first discovered Tonbridge artist Christine White's compact studio, during The South East Open Studio's yearly event in June.

Once through the door, which might have been little hard to find but for the Open Studio posters, a flight of stairs surrounded by wall and hanging art invites you upstairs to an Aladdin's cave of artwork and equipment, and a smiling Christine who welcomed me to her working studio.

Artist Christine White

Christine's work-in-progress sits side-by-side with finished pieces, and she told me she has been inspired by youth culture, text and language in much of her work. The bright studio allows uninterrupted light to stream through the large windows, and is a perfect working space all year round.

Christine holds regular art lessons for children, as well as art parties, at her Skinners Row studio, and during the long summer holiday she will be holding daily workshops. These are no ordinary holiday workshops consisting of splashing a bit of paint around or cut and pasting. Christine has fine tuned each one to not only be fun, but to also educate and inform on both skills and artists themselves, such as a Van Gogh sunflower workshop to a 2 day tribal mask making workshop using mixed media. She has a BA in Fine Art and is fully CRB checked and insured.

The daily workshops start next week, and set out below are the first 2 week's schedule. There are 2 more weeks of workshops throughout the the summer holidays, and to find out what's on offer give Christine a call on 01732 350192 / 07771349062 or email: christine75@rocketmail.com ... Remember spaces are limited.

WEEK 1

Monday 29th July 10am -12 or 2pm - 4pm

Summer themed postcards using watercolour,

£15.00 (this workshop is repeated on 14/8)

Tuesday 30th July 10am - 12 or 2pm - 4pm

Collagraph printing workshop,

£15.00

(this workshop is repeated on

21/8)

Wednesday 31st July 10am - 12 or 2pm- 4pm

Eric Carle style tissue paper butterfly pictures, £15.00 

Thursday 1st August 10am - 12 or 2pm -4pm

Still life pictures of shells using charcoal and chalk, £15.00 

Friday 2nd August 10am – 12 or 2pm -4pm

Paint with acrylics on mini canvas panels,

£15.00 

WEEK 2

Monday 5th August 10am - 12 or 2pm - 4pm
Van Gogh inspired Sunflower pictures
using oil pastels, £15.00

Tuesday 6th and Wednesday 7th August 

'Giant Fruit' 2 day
workshop held at Trinity Theatre Tunbridge Wells, £25.00 –
please contact Christine for more details.

Thursday 8th August 10am - 12 or 2pm - 4pm
Picasso style guitar collage, £15.00

Friday 9th August 10am - 12 or 2pm - 4pm
Scraper-board pictures using acrylic
and oil pastels, £15.00

Feeding wildfowl on Barden Lake

Last week I took a number of photographs on an early morning walk around Barden Lake, and there were many people enjoying feeding the ducks, swans and geese. Please be careful if you must feed the swans as their behaviour can be unpredictable. Also encouraging them out of the water and onto dry land does put the swan in danger from dogs, or passing bikes and vehicles.

RSPB advice on feeding swans is as follows:-

'Swans normally find enough food in the wild without supplementary feeding. It is only in freezing weather that extra food can be helpful. Many people like feeding bread to swans and while this is unlikely to do them any real harm in the long term, it is no substitute for the proper diet that the birds themselves will seek out.

Grain, such as wheat, and vegetable matter, especially lettuce and potatoes, can be fed to swans. Food should be thrown into the water to avoid encouraging the birds onto the bank.'

Tonbridge Daily Photo

Tonbridge Daily Photo #268 - Barden Lake

Tonbridge Daily Snippet

The south end of Tonbridge High Street, now sometimes known as the lower High Street (from the Big Bridge to The Angel/Station area) was originally known as 'the Road to Rye.

Later it was known as 'a continuation of the High Street'. The original High Street being the stretch from Big Bridge north to Tonbridge Shool area.

At some point 'a continuation of the High Street' became 'Bridge Street'

In 1872 this lower stretch officially took the name of High Street, and was joined in title to the original High Street proper, so that it became The High Street in length that we know today.

Sounds complicated but it does make sense.

Original High Street, view north from Barclay Bank area, showing Town Hall

Shared by Tonbridge Historical Society Pictorial Collection No. 14B.105

Original High Street, view north from Barclay Bank area, showing Town Hall

High Street, view north, c1894, showing the Bull Hotel on right now Peacocks

Shared by Tonbridge Historical Society Pictorial Collection No. 14A.110

High Street, view north, c1894, showing the Bull Hotel on right now Peacocks

Tonbridge Daily Photo

Tonbridge Daily Photo #267 - Barden Lake

I met a group of very brave people feeding the swans and geese at Barden Lake. All a little sacrey to me but I edged close enough to take some photographs

Tonbridge Daily Photo

Tonbridge Daily Photo #266 - Feeding time at Barden Lake

Deep Purple in Kent

Yesterday I took a short trip to Hadlow to visit Downderry Lavender. Now is probably the best time to visit as the lavender is in full bloom, and not only does it smell heavenly the sound of the bees collecting pollen was amazing.  With the weather and the temperatures so high at the moment it really did feel as though I was in deepest Provence, not in the countryside just outside Tonbridge.

 

Have you seen low flying swallows?

Spotted this morning on the notice board by Barden Lake

Tonbridge Daily Photo

Tonbridge Daily Photo #265 - Tonbridge Parish Church

Courtesy of Shane Straeche

A Taste of Tonbridge c 1873

Did you know that the town's market and trading area was once in front of The Chequers Inn on the upper part of Tonbridge High Street, and did you also know that it was here the annual Town Fair was held.
It made sense as the road was at it's widest at this point, and this could accommodate a good sized crowd.

After the Town Taster day I threw myself into a little research on previous fairs and market trading in Tonbridge, and I came across this piece from Neve's 'The Tonbridge of Yesterday' describing the town fair c1873, and the abolishment of the annual celebration by who we would now call the town council.

Shared by Tonbridge Historical Society Pictorial Collection No. 14B.104

I've copied it out below and it makes really interesting reading. Not quite sure why a Zulu came to Tonbridge though:-

'On the day of the Fair cheap toys, hokey-pokey, gingerbread, sweets (especially big peppermint humbugs) and other fairings were exposed on the stalls which made their appearance, chiefly on the west side of the High Street, between Mr L.M. Wibner (now Clarke and Coleman), and a point just below the Chequers, and also in the open space below the Town Hall (now Nat West Bank).

One or two stalls may occasionally have been seen on the east side, between the Charlton Cafe (now The Slug & Lettuce) and Swan Lane (East Street), and a shooting gallery and a primitive form of camera obscura near the Town Hall. Castle Square was given up to swings, roundabouts, Aunt Sallies, and similar attractions.

In later years the side shows diminished in number and deteriorated in quality: a fat woman and a Zulu with particularly repulsive habits, are specimens of what was good enough for those who patronized the Tonbridge Fair.

Some of the local tradesmen no doubt took a little extra money on Fair Day. Mr. Dutnall, for instance, used to clear his confectioners window of all his ordinary stock and exhibit a huge mountain of gingerbread biscuits which were regularly cleared out before evening.

The local justices resolved that the abolition of the Annual Fair would be for the convenience and advantage of the public.'

I still do wonder about that Zulu!!!!!!!

The whole High Street next time please!!!!!!!

The town did itself proud on Tonbridge Taster Day. I loved seeing the community stalls along River Walk and under the Castle walls, and there was a real coming together on that day. I throughly enjoyed the whole day - the dragon boat racing, entertainment, the dog show, art display and Mr Chatfield's fabulous sausages in a roll, and have to commend the Town Team for all their hard work and effort in getting it off the ground, but in the end it was the spirit of Tonbridge that made it a successful

After the event there was a lot of talk about why the whole High Street was not closed off, and to be honest I agree with those who think that doing this would have been a positive move.  I remember when The Tour de France came through the High Street some years ago, and the whole town turned out to witness a little bit of history being made as the competitors sped through the Tonbridge.  For this event to take place the whole stretch of The High Street had to be closed, and it enabled the shops and businesses, and community groups to benefit from the crowds in the town.  But, not only did they benefit - we did too. The Rose & Crown organised an incredibly popular BBQ on the pavement outside the hotel, various shops opened their doors, tables were outside charity shops, even The Parish Church took the opportunity to invite in visitors by offering cream teas outside the church, and walking through the crowds with drinks and cakes for sale.  I do hope that if a Tonbridge Taster event happens again, and hopefully it will, the upper and rather more attractive and interesting section of the High Street will not be forgotten either, as the High Street really does not start at the Big Bridge. It would give all the independent shops and restaurants (and let's face it there are certainly more at this end) a chance to take place as well, and greatly enhance the experience of what Tonbridge has to offer. By their inclusion it would really be a Taste of Tonbridge and this would  showcase the not only the whole town, but also the far more interesting historical section. That has to be positive doesn't it?

Tonbridge Daily Photo

Tonbridge Daily Photo #264 - Old Ballast Pit at dusk

How about this to accompany your view!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Would you sit on a bench where some disgraceful and incompetent dog owner has left this.
Somebody must have seen the person who did this. Time to name and shame?
This is truly revolting!!!!!!

Barden Lake

Tonbridge Hand Jive

Filmed by Peter Ellis of Tonbridge Community Films

Tonbridge Arts Festival 2013 - Hand Jive entry into Guinness World Book of Records

Did They or Didn't They?

We're still waiting to find out if the attempt at the Guinness Record for the hand jive will put Tonbridge into the record books. In the meantime, and while we wait for the result, here are some photographs taken by Carl Lewis.  Either way it looked like a lot of fun and great for community spirit. Well done to Tonbridge Arts Festival for the idea and organising.

Tonbridge Daily Snippet

According to Neve Tonbridge suffered an intensely hot summer in 1783 with an "intolerable" plague of caterpillars.

Tonbridge Daily Photo

Tonbridge Daily Photo #263 - Wall in Church Street

As I walked along Church Street I noticed this plant clinging to life in the mortar between the bricks. I thought it would make a good photo and it did.

Tonbridge Daily Photo

Tonbridge Daily Photo #262  -   Early morning peace

This peaceful picture was captured by George Hall from the Big Bridge, on his way to work last week, very early in the morning. I very rarely see the river at this time of the day, but I think he mentioned this image was taken at around 5am.

George lives in Tonbridge and loves living in the town. Not only does he take great pictures he's also pretty good at cooking, and loves that too. It is really worth taking a look at his recipes, and food related chat about everything culinary, on his Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kylies-Kitchen/364992873617607. He posts some fabulous photos of his dishes These delicious images will seriously make your mouth water, and they'll have you in the kitchen trying to have a go yourself. If you're not talented in all things cooking, George can be booked to cook up a feast for a special occasion, or an intimate dinner for two.

George is not only a fellow Tonbridge blogger (there are only a handful of us in the town), he can also be found on Twitter as @campervanchef, where if you catch him in the evening, he will prepare recipes to his choice of tunes for the night. How does he do that you ask - well you'll have to follow him to find out, and you'll be amazed.

Tonbridge Arts Festival Flash Choir & Jay Aston

Rainbow in Penshurst

If I were a professional photographer with all the correct lenses and equipment I probably would have captured a clearer rainbow in the water fountain at Penshurst Place.  All the same it is there if you look very closely.

Tonbridge Daily Photo

Tonbridge Daily Photo #262 - Hand Jive at Tonbridge Castle

    Image courtesy of Carl Lewis

Tonbridge Daily Snippet

173 Tonbridge residents died of heart disease in 1939. It was the highest cause of death in the town. Is it now?

Tonbridge Daily Photo

Tonbridge Daily Photo #261 - Tonbridge Alms Houses

Tea Room Opening Soon

For those of you who shop at the butcher and baker at York Parade there will soon be a new tea room for you to enjoy. Michelle who ran the florist on the corner of Tonbridge cemetery and Shipbourne Road has moved the business to the North End of the town, and has decided a place to stop off and relax will benefit those who come to shop at the parade. 

Michelle plans to offer cakes and goodies that are sourced locally which can only be good news, and she's really enthusiastic about the future venture.

Personally I'm looking forward to visiting - I'm sure this will become a little local gem.