As a youngster on the early 1970's I worked for Seismograph Service Limited (SSL) whose HQ was located at the nearby Holwood stately mansion at Keston, Kent, where I recall on the vast estate grounds there was a bench under an Oak tree where William Pitt the Younger was reported to have discussed the Slave Trade with William Wilberforce. I mostly worked overseas conducting Geophysical Seismic Survey oil exploration work, but on "Company" visits and later to attend Surveying School "practical" training (after 3 months "theory" at North East London Polytechnic) we stayed in Bromley, and one of our favourite watering holes (and meet up spot for hot & horny women) was the nearby Teacher's College Pub, and I have many fond memories of visits there and après bar closing visits to parties at on-campus residences. Now also on a 1960's family caravan holiday to Yorkshire and Scotland we stayed several days in Harrogate where I recall a Spa located in a fancy hotel hotel there. On one of my many country walks there, beautiful countryside I recall, I met a local lad my age and we became good chums and communicated as Pen Pals for several years afterwards (anybody remember those letter writing experiences, from a bygone era where kids actually knew how to write). His name was Gary Longstaff and likely followed Harrogate FC, so an interesting personal connection between those two towns!
