Broadchurch Keeps A Broad Mind

[Peter Pedant]

well who would have thought my co-parishioners in Broadchurch (*) would rise up and one
and insist that the Baden Powell statue must stay ?

that is the question: what do the lock down stir-crazies on AB think of that ?

various points arise - (1) Broadchurch is of course West Bay Dorset and this is Poole. Dorset
(2)East even of the Isle of Slingers - that is Portland Island for Hardy lovers - you know kiss me Hardy that one -author of steamy gay sex novels set in the Far West
(3) Brownsea Island - near where the statue is - is the most expensive spot in England and is a social construct. an estate agent on commission [hey you are in the wrong job Andy!] wrote a piece about the great expense as a puff and it became true !
(4) BM will recognise Brownsea Island as the venue of the case which said that the Home Office would NOT pick up the bill for damage from a camp of Borstal Boys - called the Brownsea Island case I think 1953
(5) Thick in the arm / thick in the head/ DOrset born and Dorset bred - - - I just thought I would chuck that one in.
(6) Did anyone catch that the Colston statue was hauled out of the sea at Bristol? Jesus B is on the Avon if you go and have a look
(7) well done Darzetters ! - um er that is what they call themselves

[mushroom25]

would you dare use the word "rabbit" on the isle of slingers?

[Prudie]

A few fact checks
Thomas Hardy the author is not The Kiss me Hardy one
You can't buy property on Brownsea Island, it's Sandbanks which overlooks it from the mainland that is the most expensive property spot in UK
Most people, including me, only know Baden-Powell for starting the scout movement so his dastardly deeds are unheard of by us from Dorset.

[Peter Pedant]

You mean Hardy didnt kiss anyone?
didnt write steamy gay sex novels - but instead wrote dirges that Lady Carlisle described as most unsuitable - and that the lower classes may live like that but people didnt need to know it. And not one of them was funny?

and I should have written Havenpool - no I dont know which novel

Many thanks - my excuse is that I come from Hardys Emminster. [Sharon takes the charabanc to Emminster, in "Bess one of the Furby Dolls" to ask the Gospel Singer there BeauClerc what the hell to do about his wayward son]

[Peter Pedant]

// would you dare use the word "rabbit" on the isle of slingers?// um
yes if it were on a program like - "its a knock out!"

[New Judge]

//East even of the Isle of Slingers - that is Portland Island//

I don’t know whether you’re talking about Poole or West Bay, but both are west of Portland.

//Brownsea Island - near where the statue is - is the most expensive spot in England and is a social construct. an estate agent on commission [hey you are in the wrong job Andy!] wrote a piece about the great expense as a puff and it became true !//

I think you’re confusing Brownsea Island with Sandbanks.

[New Judge]

And I forgot to add that other than that, I haven't a clue what you're on about :-)

[Peter Pedant]

oh thank you NJ
I thought I was going to have to admit the editor has just emailed me saying that over 70% Abers think Broadchurch is near Blackpool.
and the commentators were saying Poole for short

Like Liverpool is local ly known as the 'pule

in which case a lot wd not make sense

Meanwhile the Poole councillors are obviously working late and have delayed any move pf BP
In 1940 in liberated Denmark the Germans said to the King "you better have a body guard" and the King of Denmark for it was he answered: The people of Denmark are my body guard. Another thing NJ can say he had no knowledge of/

[Peter Pedant]

geographers and map enthusiasts have worked out that if you start at Broadchurch
the Portland and Poole are to the east
( and not west where Lyme and torbay are)

[retrocop]

You have excelled yourself with misinformation today. I thought maybe a hat trick but I’m running out of fingers.
You reap what you sow.
Tell me again pp. Wasn't it Viscount Bernard Law Montgomery who said that? :-)

[Peter Pedant]

hi retro ! having a good day ?

I needed to apologise to poor old NJ - Hardy's novels are so graphic that one can identify places that might have sparked his imagination. Since it is fiction, one cannot say it IS hardy's Beaminster ( Emminster ) or Hardy's Bridport ( Birdport ). Sort of known only to me and Prood. and mushie

Emminster exploded onto the international scene when they discovered a new kinda apple. ( yes apple ) Diana Toms husband used to teach me
https://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/1155814.200-year-old-apple-may-be-a-new-find/

I am pretty sure it was him

[mushroom25]

// I don’t know whether you’re talking about Poole or West Bay, but both are west of Portland. //

Poole is between Dorchester and Bournemouth so must be east of Portland, not west?

[Peter Pedant]

I have never dounted it goes west east
Lyme charmouth west bay burton portland poole

diana toms garden is where tess walks to in Emminster - the old vicarage where Revd Clare would give advice to Tess. But of course being Hardy they miss each other - HE finds the stout shoes in a hedge and Tess has to walk back to Casterbridge in her good shoes and wrecks them - and it goes from bad to worse of course

Foundations too deep to move the statue (sort of now) and they are talking of 'guarding' the statue

whilst tear gas and bull horns are used in more civilised areas - the battle is fought with sickles and rakes - make a good viddie

[Peter Pedant]

Broadchurch stays calm overnight

headline in the Darzet Echo - Poole Quay - that should be Havenpool of course - lady with terrible hair and red jacket
articulately saying pulling down statues doesnt re-write history

and the people of Darzet know that aaaargh
Goat looks into camera lens
man in smock and gras sticking out of his mouth walks past in background

tiddy oggies all round!

[Peter Pedant]

thank you mush
Poole is of course east of portland - durrrr - I bet HE was brought up in Darzet

er Havenpool is east of Isle of Slingers for those of you who have heard of Hardy and perhaps even read a chapter (shades of Monty Python - Thomas Hardy starts a new novel)

[mushroom25]

I wasn't born in Darrrrzet, but my mum was evacuated to Portland during the war and was still in touch with the families she met and lived with; we holidayed there a lot during the 60s and 70s and even had a hut at Portland Bill.

[Peter Pedant]

piddy you got rid
one at Lyme went for £250k
you can have a bog but you cant live in it - I think

As you can see from today - Darzet is different - as a child in the fifties we had the McClaren family adults all five of whom declined to go back to the east end slums in 1945

Robin Aspel was evacuated to Chard - and was blissfully happy. NOw the roughest town in the area ( sirens go off at 1800 - the locals come out of their houses and drink and are 'at it' by eight.

[others were used as free farm labout]

[Prudie]

Chard is in Somerset by the way..

[mushroom25]

Darzet was still different in the 1960s. taking the train from Weymouth to London involved the train bypassing Dorchester station and then reversing in. (not to mention being an electric train hauled by a diesel). this wasn't put right until the 1970s.

[Peter Pedant]

thanks Prood I have to be kept in order

hi everyone ! - everyone here knows that Baking Powder sitteth still on Poole Quay - innit ( or doanem )
The rest of AB seems confused - see Bobbis thread

[New Judge]

//Poole is between Dorchester and Bournemouth so must be east of Portland, not west?//

Of course it is, mush. Thanks for the correction and apologies for the duff info. I blame Peter for getting me all confused! :-)

Your memories of the strange rail service to Weymouth are interesting. The line from London Waterloo to the South West was electrified to Pirbright Junction before the war. The juice was extended to Bournemouth in 1967. After then the service to Weymouth was undertaken by twelve coach trains. The front eight were trailers (i.e. unpowered). These were made up of two four car sets with each set having a driving cab at each end like a conventional electric multiple unit. The rear four coach set was powered sufficiently to propel all the twelve. The train would be driven from London from the cab in the front trailer, which controlled the powered four coaches at the rear. At Bournemouth the front four would be split from the train and a diesel locomotive - equipped for "push-pull" operation would be attached to the front to pull them forward to Weymouth. The four electric powered coaches and the four remaining trailers would wait at Bournemouth for the arrival of the incoming service from Weymouth. This would be pushed by a diesel locomotive which was controlled by a driving cab on the front of the first coach. This arrangement meant the locos pulling the trains from Bournemouth to Weymouth did not have to run round their trains before making the return trip. The two portions would be connected, the diesel loco detached and the entire twelve coach train would make its way to London under electric power. Sometimes, depending on demand, eight coaches would be pulled forward to Weymouth leaving the four powered coaches at Bournemouth. The line was finally electrified to Weymouth in 1988.

The reversing arrangement at Dorchester you speak of came about because Dorchester (South, as it now is) was originally built as a terminus station. The line to Weymouth diverged a little to the east of the platforms. This meant trains had to adopt the reversing procedure you describe. Eventually a curved platform was provided for the Weymouth bound services but London services from Weymouth still had to back into the station, an arrangement which prevailed until 1970, when a platform was built for the trains.