Sir Francis Dashwood’s notorious Hellfire Club met for its orgies and dubious rites at Medmenham Abbey near Wycombe. Dashwood installed suitable statuary in the grounds, their subjects including Venus and Priapus, and had caves excavated to hide his group’s activities from public gaze. In 1762 Sir Francis, famous for his drinking, pranks and womanising, was made Chancellor of the Exchequer where his tax on cider led to riots. Sounds a little bit like The Bullingdon Club.... watch out Georgie boy, leave our cider alone!
please log in to view this image I don't know much about Crewe. But there seem to be a lot of ways to leave town.
Adam Rickitt [Nick Tilsley off Corrie] was born in Crewe. Looking at your map, I think he used the Stockport & Manchester exit.
Blimey Devo, that's scraping the barrel for "famous people" !! Dario Gradi - may have been born in Milan, Italy, BUT, been associated with Crewe Alexandra since 1983 - almost 30 years - now that's pretty impressive, you must admit. They have produced some brilliant young players in that time. Absolute legend in those parts.
I was advised by a scouser never to get off the train at Crewe as you can be there for days waiting to get on another train. Don't know if that's true because I heeded his advice.
Does any one know if it's still on the statute books that it is legal for an Englishman to kill a Welshman with a LongBow within Shrewsbury after midnight (but not on a Sunday)?
Shrewsbury. The town was known to the ancient Britons as Pengwern, signifying "the alder hill" and to the Anglo-Saxons as Scrobbesburh (dative Scrobbesbyrig), which has several meanings; "fort in the scrub-land region", "Scrobb's fort", "shrubstown" or "the town of the bushes". This name was gradually corrupted in three directions, into 'Sciropscire' which became Shropshire, into 'Sloppesberie', which became Salop/Salopia (an alternative name for both the town and its county), and into 'Schrosberie' which eventually became the name of the county town, Shrewsbury. Its Welsh name Amwythig means "fortified place" What I like about Shropshire is, that they still use the alternative name as an abbreviation, so this got me thinking and led to this. The abbreviated form is derived from the Old English Hantum plus Scir (meaning a district governed from the settlement now known as Southampton) and the Anglo-Saxons called it Hamtunschire. The more you know.
Michael Palin - ex Monthy Python, entertainer, comedian and traveller, was educated at Shrewsbury School.
The BBC Drama/Documentary Threads about the aftermath of Nuclear war was set in Sheffield. [video=youtube;_MCbTvoNrAg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MCbTvoNrAg[/video]
I loved that, really well produced. The bit where they are watching Words and Pictures on an old video and the theme music is all distorted, gave me the creeps for some reason.
Thanks for posting that Dev, it was a harrowing, yet strangely compelling watch...can't believe that I missed it when it was first broadcast. There are a pair of famous Cockers that were born in Sheffield, Jarvis and Joe, the latter singing probably the best cover version of a Beatles song ever with this version of "I get by with a little help from my friends" [video=youtube;8y2RHMGqbWk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8y2RHMGqbWk&feature=fvwrel[/video]
Peter Stringfellow - king of the poledancing clubs - is Sheffield born. Footballers Gordon Banks, Gary Cahill, Micky Adams, Kyle Walker, and ex-Pompey manager Jim "Bald Eagle" Smith, were all born there.
Funny you should say that. The one thing that I found quite sad/moving was the sight of that elderly lady sat staring at the screen and mouthing the words "a bird's skeleton", as if in a kind of trance
