Winchester Cathedral.

Occasionally, my work takes me to some places that many people pay good money to experience. Today was one of those days when I had the great pleasure to be able to wander around Winchester Cathedral, Hampshire. Built nearly 1000 years ago, you cannot fail to be impressed with the vastness of the inside of the building. It makes you wonder where their inspiration and knowledge at that time came from.

Winchester Cathedral

Inside Winchester Cathedral

Wherever you stand there is a wealth of history from the very beginnings of the building to latter day inscriptions and statues dating to only a few hundred years ago. Even under your feet you will find stone slabs inscribed with Latin, covering the tombs of long dead generals, clergy, and other notable dignitaries worthy of burial within this holiest of holies.

Latin Inscriptions

It astounds me at every turn, just how much work went into the creation of not only the Cathedral itself, but the memorials and other beautiful surroundings within the building. Stonemasons, carpenters and artisans have spent many hundreds of years creating what can only be described as a stunning memorial to humanity in the county of Hampshire and beyond.

Elaborate Clergy Tomb

Stained Glass Window

Unfortunately, I didn't have the time to do a little bit more exploration, and maybe to speak to someone a little more knowledgeable on the history and people behind the Cathedrals creation. But I urge you to one day, set aside a little time to see it. You will be glad that you did.


Paul Martin
http://www.media-attention.co.uk

A Witness In Hampshire.

This isn't a post about my wanderings around Hampshire, however, in my working life i get to see and witness a few things that happen. Occasionally, they happen in Hampshire, and on this day in Portsmouth. As a television news cameraman, i happened to be at the Naval base in Portsmouth. The following is a post from my other blog, http://mediaattentionltd.blogspot.com

It's not every day that you get to witness another small part of your country's military decline. But that is what i did yesterday as i filmed the homecoming of HMS Ark Royal, the only ship capable of carrying and launching fixed wing aircraft from the UK's once mighty fleet. In a short sighted and swift decision the UK Government decided to scrap our only aircraft carrier due to our nations straightened circumstances. Basically we can no longer afford it.

As the ship slipped quietly into Portsmouth Naval Base for the last time, it seemed fitting that she was shrouded in fog and sea mist, lest the rest of the world see what, in my opinion, is a very short sighted error, which in today's world of small wars, localised conflict and occasional disasters, may come to haunt our current governments decision.

As i filmed for Channel 4 News and the ITV Networks, i couldn't help feel a sense of sorrow for those aboard such a great warship that could have served for many more years to come. I myself served aboard HMS Ark Royal during my time in the Army and have great memories and photo's of my time serving alongside the Royal Navy. So the day had a double meaning for me personally.

Me aboard HMS Ark Royal. 1991. (Rear row, centre)

I know, good looking, rugged chap wasn't i ...? Those were the days though, single and travelling the world, meeting interesting new people and places... and nicking their country. Ah, back when the British had an empire and Britannia ruled the waves.

But those days are long gone, along with my hairline, and sleek muscled, toned body. Still, at least our government hasn't decommissioned me.... Yet.


So here is the film that Channel 4 fashioned from my days labour. A fine effort, even if i do say so myself, but i can't help thinking that i may have been a witness to just a little less of Great Britain than when i woke up that morning.

Rule Britannia... and God save the Queen in full chorus.






http://www.media-attention.co.uk

A Walk Around New Alresford, Hampshire.

I had no particular reason for visiting New Alresford, other than to have a pleasant afternoon walk around somewhere i haven't really explored yet. The first thing you notice is that it is a very good looking town with wide main streets and a colourful disposition. Built mainly in the Georgian era, the town is made up of village type cottages, town houses and old coaching inns from times gone by. It is possible to still look along the roads and imagine what this town would have been like hundreds of years ago, without the modern traffic and street furniture that tend to inhabit the squares and main roads today.

Looking down Broad St, Alresford.

Pound Hill, West St and Broad St are the main areas of interest that will hold your attention. At this time of year the roads are colourful and bright and sometimes a bit too busy traffic wise, but a pleasant place to be nonetheless. A stop for coffee at an independent coffee house was welcome and i spent a good half an hour or so sitting and watching the people go about their business.

Beer and food....

If you are in need of more sustainance, there are a few old coaching inns on the main roads and square, perfect for good food and fine ales, wines and more if the mood takes you, beer gardens and a little sunshine make for a pleasant experience. There are of course a good variety of cafes, cake shops and tea rooms to choose from, all within a short walk from each other, so you don't need to walk very far for a change of scenery.

Walking around the town i also discovered the church of St John the Baptist, the churchyard of which holds the graves of soldiers of the Napoleonic wars, including French prisoners of war, and a variety of other historical buildings relating to the Second World War, including a house that used to be the Headquarters of the 47th infantry regiment of the US Army. One of the main attractions though is the nearby rail station that attracts steam lovers from all over the world, as it is part of the Watercress line, and is busy on a daily basis with steam locomotives, lovingly restored by volunteers, and a good reminder of how our transport system was before Beeching.

Steam locomotives ... popular.

I also had the great pleasure of walking the mile or so of the Millenium Trail along the banks of the river Arle, a sparkling chalk stream that runs along the valley at the bottom of the town. Walks and trails criss cross this area, and other walks can be joined from here, but on a warm sunny day it was great to see the wildlife and plants that live and grow along the river banks.

So it was a pleasant surprise to come upon the Fulling mill, which straddles the river, and was built around the 12 - 1300's but is now a private residence.

Fulling Mill....

The river Arle....

So, i would recommend the visit to New Alresford, even if for just a short stroll along the river banks and a coffee stop on the flower lined streets of the town with a frothy latte, and a large piece of chocolate cake. If the weather is with you, you will not have a more relaxing afternoon.... Enjoy.

Paul Martin
http://www.media-attention.co.uk

Navy Days, Portsmouth.

Unfortunately, I was here for work, but made a little time to take some pictures from the Royal Navy extravaganza that is the Navy Days, at the Royal Dockyards, Portsmouth, Hampshire. I have been visiting this show since I was a child and it never ceases to amaze me. They put on a great show every time, with warships from the Royal Navy and foreign Navies, the latest gadgetry and weapons systems and the men and women from the services on show.







This year saw the newest and most advanced military and naval hardware on show, including the Type 45 destroyers HMS Daring and HMS Dauntless, newly commissioned into the Royal Navy, and proudly on show this weekend.







More military hardware than you can shake a stick at is also on show such as the Merlin helicopter, with the flight crew ready and willing to take you on board and show you the instruments. Everywhere you look, there are things to see, service personnel to meet and a great deal of military toys to play with, with close supervision from Naval personnel of course!







There are also plenty of things to see that the general public rarely get to see, such as the Naval clearance diver teams, who take great delight in splashing the kids with their flippers from the diving tank, so be warned.

Navy Days are of course a great introduction to the operations of the Royal Navy, many of whom are serving in hostile environments and other war torn regions of the world, so it is good to remember the service and sacrifice made by many of the servicemen and women of the Royal Navy and of course the Royal Marines, who face combat in Afghanistan on a daily basis.

So if you are thinking of joining up, there is no better place to visit than the Navy Days, at least you have the option of signing the dotted line, unlike years gone by when men were forced into the Royal Navy, if they were unlucky enough to be taken by the men who roamed the drinking parlours of old Portsmouth on the lookout for victims.







Part of the weekend I always like to see are the re-enactments of the old days, where you can see and experience how it was like to live and work from days gone by, and witness the history of the Royal Navy as it was formed. A great deal of effort goes into this, and there are a great many types of demonstrations to be seen from old muskets, to cooking on an old warship, and many many others.

The Navy Days are a great day or even a whole weekend out. It may take you all weekend to see and experience what the whole show has to offer. So if you like climbing over Naval Warships, experiencing the history, or just fancy a day out that is very different from the norm, then a trip to the Royal Dockyards is a must.

Paul Martin.
http://www.media-attention.co.uk

Butser Ancient Farm, Hampshire.

Today has been one of those days when you find something to visit, and when you get there you don't want to leave. Tucked into a lush green valley just off the A3 near Waterlooville, close to Butser Hill, is the Butser Ancient Farm. This place has to be seen in the flesh as it were, to understand and appreciate what it is that is being achieved here.

The farm is a replica of what a farm and village would have looked like at the time of the ancient Britons, around 500 BC. The village and farm roundhouses have been painstakingly built by the owners and volunteers as not only a museum, but as a working farm and experimental archaeological site, that can be visited by the public and school or university parties.

This is David Freeman, a working archaeologist and builder of many of the ancient buildings and roundhouses that can be seen here.

Having sat down with him for about half an hour i came away with my head crammed full of historical facts and figures, how the roundhouses were built, who lived in them and their way of life. I couldn't cram all of the recordings together so i have split them into three separate stories which are best left to the expert .....



Having told me one thing about the ancient Britons, David told me more .....



Finally, we got onto the people that actually lived in these buildings, and exactly what the Romans thought of them .....



David was a guy who certainly knew his history. Having given me a short tour of the farm, i came away with a great deal of knowledge that i previously didn't know, about the construction, the way of life, and what it is to be an archaeologist today and the techniques they use to uncover and understand the ancient way of life.

Look closely at the buildings and you can see the painstaking work and knowledge that has gone into the building of this ancient farm and it's buildings. This can only have been achieved by rigorous research and a lifetime of work in studying the ancient Britons and their life. The farm itself is a pleasure to walk around and is quite easy to navigate around. I was expecting something larger in format and size, like a modern farm, but that is the point. Ancient Britons lived in sometimes small family groups and farmed the land close to them with crops and animals, and the Butser Ancient Farm is a good and accurate portrayal of what life would have been like hundreds or thousands of years ago.

So, if you do ever find yourself out this Summer and fancy something a little different for the kids to see, you can take them along to see the people working here, with events and demonstrations all year round to fire up the imagination. And you never know, like me, you might just learn something along the way.

You can visit the Butser Ancient Farm website HERE.

Paul Martin
http://www.media-attention.co.uk

Audio: The Hampshire Medievals.

Sorry that it took a while to get this up onto the blog, but work commitments got in the way. As you can see from previous posts, i visited the Hampshire Wood Fair at the Queen Elizabeth country park a few days ago, and was pleased to meet a medieval re-enactment group called Weorod. Whilst watching them do their thing, i had the pleasure to talk to the man in charge ....

Part One.



Part Two.

Meeting The Hampshire Medievals.

Whilst taking a look around the Hampshire Wood Fair in the Queen Elizabeth Country Park, i had the pleasure to meet Wayne Letting, who, when not doing his normal day to day job, is known as whitgar, a 6th or 7th century clan leader of the Weorod.

This is Wayne in his full historically correct clothing of the period .... And the gold clothing catches were, i'm told, made from real gold.

Also at the Hampshire Wood Fair were the rest of the Medieval family, who when not trying to knock each others heads off in a re-enactment show of a battle scene, were telling the visitors about medieval life in the 6th and 7th centuries, with displays of cookery, woodcraft and cloth making, as well as the fighting weapons which look scarily real, even close up.

Here is the cooking area ... and yes, they did eat the food, made to medieval recipes.

Whilst the men traded goods, hunted, and took care of their weapons, the women of medieval times were getting on with the work of making clothes, weaving and more ...

 

Then of course, there were the really scary blokes who took great delight in showing the crowds just how tough it was to be a medieval warrior. Times were tough and sometimes brutal, and the weapons used in the re-enactment were real enough and just as dangerous. But these guys have obviously put in a great deal of practice and gave a good show in fighting skills to those who watched, and no one came to any harm ... i promise.

 

The guys here took a great deal of time and effort to get the image just right, and looking at them takes you right back to medieval times if you let your imagination take over. The level of detail was outstanding and the fighting scenes were quite rough and realistic.

 

 

If you ever get the chance to see these guys do what they do, i would heartily recommend it to you. A lot can be learned from watching them go about their early medieval lives, and they do their very best to do it as accurately as possible. You can visit their website HERE.