Rose Tremain's book The Road Home is exactly the type of book I like. A human drama set in this country, characters that are interesting and believable and places that are familiar. Set mainly in London, with excursions to East Anglia and Eastern Europe, the immigrant hero Lev finds his way through the strangeness of modern Britain. This is a highly readable story, full of rich personalities. Great Stuff.
I had never read a Cormac McCarthy novel, and after watching the film version of his No Country for Old Men, I picked his Pulitzer prizewinning The Road. This is a very original piece of writing. Set in post apocalyptic America, a father and son struggle to survive in a desolate country. A gripping, shocking and uneasy tale, it is still a thrilling read.
I was very disappointed with Netherland by Joseph O'Neill. The combination of cricket and New York seemed something with which I could identify. But I found the whole story boring, and the writing unusual. If he had done away with the interminable reminicences and given the book a linear plot (the vogue for time changes just didnt work this time), then a short story might have worked. But this did not.
Wednesday 24 June 2009
Monday 22 June 2009
Visit to Sheffield
I had been planning to visit Sheffield for some time. There were documents I wanted to see at the Archives and Local Studies, and places that were of interest to my family history research. So on Monday 15th June, I set off early with lots to cram in to two days.
It all started off a bit of a struggle, trying to find my way in from the south through the one way system. So I was a little later than I wanted to be at the Archives, my first port of call. I was able to order three documents the day before and these were there when I arrived. The two letter books of John Shearwood (a solicitor and father of Sarah Shearwood who married Sidney Roberts) were where he copied all the legal letters he sent. The two volumes were from 3rd December 1791 (when he was 23) to 21st October 1808 (462 pages with an average 5 letters per page) and the other from 5th June 1815 to 21st February 1818. Inside was a slip of paper which said "Letter Book .... sent to Mrs Shearwood May 1831". John had died in 1820.
The records of the Sheffield Repertory Company, where Dad was a boy actor, did not reveal anything, being only minutes of meetings. The third document was an Agreement to Let, where Charles Hoyland of West Bar leased a strip of land on Silver Street to a Henry Reginald Vickers at £3 per year.
My next job was to look at some Parish Records on microfiche. I did find the marriage of Jonathon Hoyland and Elizabeth Haywood (Haywood being Gran's second Christian name) but no reference to their ages. However, the names of the witnesses proved crucial. they included a George Hoyland. This must be the father of Jonathon and so confirms Jonathon's birth (which could have been one of two in Bradfield) as 6th August 1797. So he was nearly 21 when he married, not 17 or 18 as would have been if he was the other one).
The other parish registers I wanted to see for Ecclesall and Dore were the original books and not on microfiche and so I had to order these as they were in the strongroom. This meant coming back the next day, which was not part of my itinerary. It was nearly one pm when I left, just time to have some lunch before the tour of Cutlers Hall.
I set off for the city centre, and found Cutlers Hall opposite the Cathedral. I had time to locate WH Smith on Fargate (which used to be Davy and Sons where Dad trained as a grocer) and photograph the sculptures of pigs, as Davy's were also pork butchers. The upper floors were Davy's Restaurant which, apparently, was very popular.
A quick coffee, and I found the party outside Cutlers Hall ready for the tour. I introduced myself to the leader who welcomed me to join them. Inside we were met by our guide who turned out to be Dr Joan Unwin, with whom I had exchanged emails the weeks before. The tour was excellent and very informative. In one of the large dining rooms, the tables were set. This, we were told, was for the Goodwin Lunch, an annual event for the eldest people in Sheffield. Goodwin had left a large endowment which not only provided lunch, but also a bag of money for each attendee. Our guide looked round us all (nearly all mature in age) and said we had no chance of being invited. The minimum age was 85. I asked how many the lunch would be be for, and the answer was 1600! At the end of the tour, I was invited to join what turned out to be the Heeley History Group, for tea and biscuits. It was then that Dr Unwin brought in the Cutlers Company minute book that we had previously discussed and I was invited to take photographs.
When I left, it was raining, so a quick dash across the road into Sheffield Cathedral. Originally St Peter and St Paul, the Parish Church of Sheffield, some of our ancestors were christened, married or buried there. I found a plaque on the wall which confirms the burial place of two children of Isaac Nodder. His daughter Elizabeth married Richard Morton, the father of Mary Ann Morton, wife of the last Jacob Roberts.
Outside, I looked for for where Mary Hoyland (wife of Jacob Roberts 1697-after 1728) is buried (according to the Memorials book) "in the old churchyard, Sheffield, a short distance from the the south west corner of the church, under a stone". But I could not find it. However, the Cathedral is very impressive.
This was where Local Studies keep records of Sheffield Newspapers. I had a list of individuals that may have had obituaries. I was shown the index, but only one for Charles Hoyland stood out. I was shown how to use the microfilm reader, only ever having used those for microfiches. When I started scrolling through copies of the Sheffield Independent for May/June, I feared this would take up too much time, and finding an obituary would be some task. However, I eventually found the newspaper for Friday 24th June 1905 which was the day he died. On to the edition for the Monday, and there it was. I made a copy, replaced the rolls of film in their boxes, and made my exit.
A quick coffee and a purchase for Alison from Lush, and I was back in the car for a repeat performance of the tortuous one way system to find my way out of Sheffield on the road to Ecclesall. The church of All Saints, Ecclesall was easy to find, standing prominently on the corner of the road to Ringinglow.
It was there that I met Roger Carroll, one of the building managers. He was exceptionally helpful when I asked about locations of burial sites. He had an index of where all the graves are located in the churchyard and the page for Roberts names was quite extensive, although their burial locations were mostly absent. We found that Vincent was recorded as being at the same spot as his second son, born to his second wife Helen, another John Shearwood Roberts, who died age 12 months. Roger took me off into the churchyard which was huge, there are over 10,000 graves there! We found the monument and it only records the burial of the infant John. There is no record of where Vincent's first wife Ellen is buried, so it may be that Vincent was buried next to his son instead. We may never know.
It all started off a bit of a struggle, trying to find my way in from the south through the one way system. So I was a little later than I wanted to be at the Archives, my first port of call. I was able to order three documents the day before and these were there when I arrived. The two letter books of John Shearwood (a solicitor and father of Sarah Shearwood who married Sidney Roberts) were where he copied all the legal letters he sent. The two volumes were from 3rd December 1791 (when he was 23) to 21st October 1808 (462 pages with an average 5 letters per page) and the other from 5th June 1815 to 21st February 1818. Inside was a slip of paper which said "Letter Book .... sent to Mrs Shearwood May 1831". John had died in 1820.
The records of the Sheffield Repertory Company, where Dad was a boy actor, did not reveal anything, being only minutes of meetings. The third document was an Agreement to Let, where Charles Hoyland of West Bar leased a strip of land on Silver Street to a Henry Reginald Vickers at £3 per year.
My next job was to look at some Parish Records on microfiche. I did find the marriage of Jonathon Hoyland and Elizabeth Haywood (Haywood being Gran's second Christian name) but no reference to their ages. However, the names of the witnesses proved crucial. they included a George Hoyland. This must be the father of Jonathon and so confirms Jonathon's birth (which could have been one of two in Bradfield) as 6th August 1797. So he was nearly 21 when he married, not 17 or 18 as would have been if he was the other one).
The other parish registers I wanted to see for Ecclesall and Dore were the original books and not on microfiche and so I had to order these as they were in the strongroom. This meant coming back the next day, which was not part of my itinerary. It was nearly one pm when I left, just time to have some lunch before the tour of Cutlers Hall.
I set off for the city centre, and found Cutlers Hall opposite the Cathedral. I had time to locate WH Smith on Fargate (which used to be Davy and Sons where Dad trained as a grocer) and photograph the sculptures of pigs, as Davy's were also pork butchers. The upper floors were Davy's Restaurant which, apparently, was very popular.
A quick coffee, and I found the party outside Cutlers Hall ready for the tour. I introduced myself to the leader who welcomed me to join them. Inside we were met by our guide who turned out to be Dr Joan Unwin, with whom I had exchanged emails the weeks before. The tour was excellent and very informative. In one of the large dining rooms, the tables were set. This, we were told, was for the Goodwin Lunch, an annual event for the eldest people in Sheffield. Goodwin had left a large endowment which not only provided lunch, but also a bag of money for each attendee. Our guide looked round us all (nearly all mature in age) and said we had no chance of being invited. The minimum age was 85. I asked how many the lunch would be be for, and the answer was 1600! At the end of the tour, I was invited to join what turned out to be the Heeley History Group, for tea and biscuits. It was then that Dr Unwin brought in the Cutlers Company minute book that we had previously discussed and I was invited to take photographs.
When I left, it was raining, so a quick dash across the road into Sheffield Cathedral. Originally St Peter and St Paul, the Parish Church of Sheffield, some of our ancestors were christened, married or buried there. I found a plaque on the wall which confirms the burial place of two children of Isaac Nodder. His daughter Elizabeth married Richard Morton, the father of Mary Ann Morton, wife of the last Jacob Roberts.
Outside, I looked for for where Mary Hoyland (wife of Jacob Roberts 1697-after 1728) is buried (according to the Memorials book) "in the old churchyard, Sheffield, a short distance from the the south west corner of the church, under a stone". But I could not find it. However, the Cathedral is very impressive.
I had plotted a number of locations that I wanted to visit on a map. I started at Paradise Square, Queen Street and West Bar. These are where Jonathon Hoyland (who started the business before 1852), his son Charles and his sons including Charles Haywood Hoyland based their brush manufacturing premises. Paradise Square was built in the 18th century and following bomb damage in the war, has been restored using salvaged materials (numbers 18 and 26). All are Grade 2 listed. 53 Queen Street is no longer there, instead there is brand new development called Queens Buildings. Even the older buildings further down the road date from at least 1933.
Back across the city, I wanted to see Union Street where Jacob Roberts was in business with his Uncle Samuel. Those buildings went a long time ago, but some industry is still there. On to the Town Hall and the spectacular Peace Gardens outside. These are laid out where the church of St Pauls had been demolished. It was where Jacob Roberts 1726-1781 was buried.
There was not a lot to see at the last three locations. Pond Street, where John Shearwwod Roberts owned a number of properties that were left to Vincent in his will (and probably those tenancies that were part of Gran's estate) is now part of the main bus station. Snig Hill, where WJG Boyd met his future wife Ellen Cundy at the Travellers Inn, is now all redeveloped, and Haymarket has few original buildings left. It was time to call it a day, and find my hotel.
TUESDAY
TUESDAY
Tuesday started sunny, and I was waiting outside the Archives, waiting for it to open at 9.30. The Parish Registers I had ordered were waiting for me. Great grandfather Vincent Littlewood Roberts' burial was not on the NBI, but here he was, in the records of All Saints, Ecclesall as being buried there on 28th August 1940, aged 78. He had requested in his will to be buried alongside his first wife Ellen, more of that later.
I had always wondered if Gran had been buried in Dore Churchyard. The records of Christ Church, Dore confirm that her ashes were deposited there. There was also the burial record for her husband, Stanley. This was progress, and I now set off to the Central Library.
This was where Local Studies keep records of Sheffield Newspapers. I had a list of individuals that may have had obituaries. I was shown the index, but only one for Charles Hoyland stood out. I was shown how to use the microfilm reader, only ever having used those for microfiches. When I started scrolling through copies of the Sheffield Independent for May/June, I feared this would take up too much time, and finding an obituary would be some task. However, I eventually found the newspaper for Friday 24th June 1905 which was the day he died. On to the edition for the Monday, and there it was. I made a copy, replaced the rolls of film in their boxes, and made my exit.
A quick coffee and a purchase for Alison from Lush, and I was back in the car for a repeat performance of the tortuous one way system to find my way out of Sheffield on the road to Ecclesall. The church of All Saints, Ecclesall was easy to find, standing prominently on the corner of the road to Ringinglow.
It was there that I met Roger Carroll, one of the building managers. He was exceptionally helpful when I asked about locations of burial sites. He had an index of where all the graves are located in the churchyard and the page for Roberts names was quite extensive, although their burial locations were mostly absent. We found that Vincent was recorded as being at the same spot as his second son, born to his second wife Helen, another John Shearwood Roberts, who died age 12 months. Roger took me off into the churchyard which was huge, there are over 10,000 graves there! We found the monument and it only records the burial of the infant John. There is no record of where Vincent's first wife Ellen is buried, so it may be that Vincent was buried next to his son instead. We may never know.
Although the other Roberts families location was a mystery, one was mentioned as being close to the north porch, so I wandered round looking for any sign. I had almost given up when I stumbled on a tomb close to the path out. Here it was. Three generations of Roberts ancestors (John Shearwood Roberts of Newfield Hall, his father Sidney and his father Jacob) and their families, all in the same tomb. I recorded all the inscriptions and took a number of photographs. Absolutely fantastic, worth the trip on it's own.
When I arrived back in the church, Roger had found the record of the ten who are buried there.
Inside the church, I was invited to take photos of what is a most superbly kept interior, with plush seats and a newly constructed balcony with tiered seating. Bright inside, it is a model of how churches should be.
When I arrived back in the church, Roger had found the record of the ten who are buried there.
Inside the church, I was invited to take photos of what is a most superbly kept interior, with plush seats and a newly constructed balcony with tiered seating. Bright inside, it is a model of how churches should be.
I drove a little around Ecclesall, looking at where Vincent would have lived on Psalter Lane and Clifford Road. This would have been a very nice area when he lived there. I then headed for Abbeydale and Bradway. I found 33 and 35 Bradway Road, the first was the last residence of Vincent and next door was the house with the air raid shelter where he died in 1940. I considered going on to Dore, but I was pretty tired by what was mid afternoon, so I decided to head for home. A fruitful and memorable two days.
Saturday 20 June 2009
Drag Me To Hell, Last Chance Harvey and Terminator Salvation
A superior horror film, Drag Me To Hell, had it's scary and funny moments, but it was the quality of the writing that surprised me. The director, Sam Raimi, is at the top of his game. It would have been perfect if Ellen Page had been available to take the lead.
In contrast, Last Chance Harvey was a disappointment. There was nothing wrong with the concept of pitching ageing Dustin Hoffman with the younger Emma Thomson. I know Hoffman's character was supposed to be gruff, awkward, embarrassing and sad, but why impose this on the audience for so long. His change of character when he meets Thomson is totally implausible. What was such a good idea, in the end left me deflated.
I was expecting the worst when I went to see Terminator: Salvation. Unfortunately for him, but fortunately for us, Christian Bale chose to play John Connor. The far more interesting role is that of Marcus Wright, and Sam Worthington does a pretty good job to salvage this blockbuster, given the limited development of his character that the movie allows. The rest is all just explosions that are loud and repetitive.
In contrast, Last Chance Harvey was a disappointment. There was nothing wrong with the concept of pitching ageing Dustin Hoffman with the younger Emma Thomson. I know Hoffman's character was supposed to be gruff, awkward, embarrassing and sad, but why impose this on the audience for so long. His change of character when he meets Thomson is totally implausible. What was such a good idea, in the end left me deflated.
I was expecting the worst when I went to see Terminator: Salvation. Unfortunately for him, but fortunately for us, Christian Bale chose to play John Connor. The far more interesting role is that of Marcus Wright, and Sam Worthington does a pretty good job to salvage this blockbuster, given the limited development of his character that the movie allows. The rest is all just explosions that are loud and repetitive.
Friday 19 June 2009
St Pauls Cathedral, The Royal Exchange and The South Bank
We always try to pick a day when the weather looks good to go on our annual sightseeing trip to London. And Saturday was no exception when we set out for St Pauls. This is one of London's must sees where I have never been inside, so was always somewhere I wanted to visit. And we were not disappointed. We started at the crypt to grab a coffee at the cafe. This whole lower level was massive, with lots to see. Alison was particularly interested to find that the wedding taking place there was in the OBE Chapel. Only people with this award, or their families, are allowed to be married there.Up to the main floor, we were impressed with the size and quality of the interior, especially the dome. I climbed the stairs to the Whispering Gallery, but Alison declined as usual.
After a walk across the Millennium Bridge and back, we then headed down Victoria Street towards Mansion House. We were surprised how quiet the City was on a Saturday. When we reached the Bank of England and the Royal Exchange, it was deserted, and everywhere was shut. But the photos look good.
We had thought about going on to the British Library for the Henry VIII exhibition, but the weather was so nice, I suggested we take the tube to the South Bank. There was plenty going on in the afternoon sunshine. The Latin band playing by the river were terrific.
Wednesday 3 June 2009
X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Star Trek and Angels and Demons
Two prequels and a sequel. Some good action scenes and an interesting premise, Wolverine is let down by the villain. Liev Shreiber is pretty dumb as Hugh Jackman's brother, their conflict is central to the plot, but by far the worst part. Otherwise a good enough start to the blockbuster season.
If you want to see how a blockbuster should be done, look no further than Star Trek. JJ Abrams has produced something special, a critical and box office smash. Fast and exciting, the screen is filled with magical images. The introduction of the younger version of each of the crew we knew so well was superb. I did have a slight inward groan at the sight of a time travelling Mr Spock from the future, but that said, it was a pretty good device to introduce the young Scotty. Simon Pegg was brilliant in the role. Altogether great entertainment. I would not mind seeing it again soon.
Angels and Demons was a lot better than the critics had made out. A decent action thriller, I thought better than The DeVinci Code. Set primarily over five hours, it was like a religious 24. Tom Hanks is fine in reprising his role as Robert Langdon, and he is well supported from the rest of the cast. The filming of Rome is just wonderful, coupled with the interiors sets of the Vatican and other churches. These alone are worth the price of admission. I just was not keen on the twist at the end.
If you want to see how a blockbuster should be done, look no further than Star Trek. JJ Abrams has produced something special, a critical and box office smash. Fast and exciting, the screen is filled with magical images. The introduction of the younger version of each of the crew we knew so well was superb. I did have a slight inward groan at the sight of a time travelling Mr Spock from the future, but that said, it was a pretty good device to introduce the young Scotty. Simon Pegg was brilliant in the role. Altogether great entertainment. I would not mind seeing it again soon.
Angels and Demons was a lot better than the critics had made out. A decent action thriller, I thought better than The DeVinci Code. Set primarily over five hours, it was like a religious 24. Tom Hanks is fine in reprising his role as Robert Langdon, and he is well supported from the rest of the cast. The filming of Rome is just wonderful, coupled with the interiors sets of the Vatican and other churches. These alone are worth the price of admission. I just was not keen on the twist at the end.
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