Tag: Family
Leith Hill Tower
Yesterday we walked up to Leith Hill, situated to the south west of Dorking in Surrey. The hill reaches 294 meters (965 ft) above sea level and is the highest point. The books say that it was on the summit of Leith Hill in 851, that Æthelwulf of Wessex, father of Alfred the Great, defeated the Danes who were heading for Winchester, having sacked Canterbury and London. It seems a bit unlikely that two big armies would choose a pointy little hill to fight on but what do I know?
On the summit of Leith Hill is an 18th century Gothic tower, with panoramic views northwards to London and the English Channel to the south. Richard Hull of nearby Leith Hill Place (once home to the composer Ralph Vaughan Williams) built “Prospect House” in 1766, later to become known as Leith Hill Tower, with the intention of raising the hill above 1,000 ft (305 m) above sea level.
The tower is 19.5 meters (64 ft) high and consisted of two rooms “neatly furnished”, with a Latin inscription above the door announcing that it had been built for not only his own pleasure, but also for the enjoyment of others. Hull provided visitors with prospect glasses, similar to a small telescope, through which to survey the extensive views towards London and the English Channel, each some 25 miles away, and thirteen counties on a very clear day.
When he died in 1772, at his request he was buried under the tower, however, following his death, the building was stripped of its contents, doors and windows, and fell into ruin. As a result the tower was filled with rubble and concrete, and the entrance bricked up. In 1864, Mr Evelyn of nearby Wotton House decided to reopen it, but the concrete made this difficult, and so the additional turreted side-tower was added to allow access to the top of the tower.
The tower was fully restored by the National Trust in 1984. This restoration included the removal of rubble and concrete, fitting safety features such as a handrail along the narrow staircase and converting the lower portion of the tower into a national trust shop. Leith Hill Tower is open to the public, with a comprehensive display explaining the history of the tower and giving opinions and memories of local people. Unfortunately it closes at 1700 and we were too late so we didn’t manage to ascend the 180 odd steps and instead went to a charming pub in Ockham at the bottom of the hill.
Martyr at the Tower
And here is the beautiful Marta at the Tower with a rather nervous looking Stanley.
Stanley in Wood
We walked up to Leith Hill Tower today – the highest part of South East England. We took loads of pictures including this one of Stanley peeping through some public art:
Stanley tastes the grass!
This was his first ever time lying on grass. As you can see it is all very interesting for him. But, then again, it is very posh grass being so close to the Queen’s house.
Also, despite what I look like below, I was not either drunk or high!
Stan swings
Stanley loves his new swing!
Regrets of the dying
There is fascinating post up on Inspiration and Chai written by Bronnie who for many years worked in palliative care. The writer worked those who had gone home to die, spending the last three to twelve weeks of their lives. When the dying were questioned about any regrets they had or anything they would do differently common themes surfaced again and again. Here are the most common five:
- I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
- I wish I didn’t work so hard – apparently especially true of the men but s not a worry I have!
- I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings – don’t carry resentments.
- I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends – something I am very poor at doing.
- I wish that I had let myself be happier.
Bronnie concludes that life is a choice. It is YOUR life. Choose consciously, choose wisely, choose honestly. Choose happiness.
Stanley in new clothes
Here is Stanley wearing a lovely pair of farmer’s trousers sent by his Grandma all the way from Poland. He looks great in them!
Stan reading Polish
Here is Stanley reading a lovely book his Polish Grandma sent him. He loves a good book just like his Mom.
Tim Butcher on Henry Morton Stanley
I really enjoy Tim Butcher’s books and now he has written a great piece in the Telegraph about Henry Morton Stanley. Stanley has always been a hero of mine – I even named my son after him! I love his derring do, his courage, his sheer bloody-mindedness, his self re-invention, and especially the fact that he is slowly being airbrushed out of history. Tim has written a great piece trying to reverse this historical deletion process. It is full of great writing :
What to make of Henry Morton Stanley? In short, was he a hero or a brute? He might have stood a little over 5ft tall and had a tiny head (when I tried on his explorer’s hat at the Royal Geographical Society it perched on the back of my cranium like a kippa), but in the context of modern African history and, indeed, the entire European colonial project, Stanley was a colossus.
The whole thing is well worth a read and I congratulate Tim on the piece.