After all my fine words, I had to stay in and do my homework last night. The nearest I got to Lewes was to experience the aural sensations of the big societies' set-pieces exploding with a noise like thunder and clearly felt down here on the coast. Judging by the number of maroons going up, the Newhaven Lifeboat must have gone in and out at least fifty times. By all accounts it was a successful night with a fine construction of Messrs. Brown and Darling being exploded by the Commercial Square Society as their set piece. Numbers were down a little with normally difficult-to-get-at vantage points being (relatively) easy to secure. A combination of bad weather and it being mid-week were contributing factors to the smaller crowds but the atmosphere was reportedly as good as it ever is. The photograph taken by my mate Paul Lucas is not from this year but is pretty representative of the scene viewed from the bottom of School Hill. As I spoke to him in on his mobile in the town this morning I could hear Rook Scarers still going off...they don't let Bonfire go that easily.
10 comments:
Marvellous stuff. By the way, is there a Catholic church in Lewes?
Cor. Wish I'd been there. We have our very lovely civic do here in W6 on Saturday night. It's great fun but far from anarchic. Perhaps I'll make an effigy of my very own. But who, from the many, shall I choose as my model? So many to torch, so little time.
Cor, look at that. The last time I saw sheets of flame like that in a street was when Ron let one off in Queens Square Bristol.
Surprisingly, yes, Ron.The Catholic church is named after St. Pancras, patron saint of railway stations, or was it St. Pancras priory the ruins of which are still visible? - yes I think the latter. The buildings were granted to Thomas Cromwell who retained the services of one john Portinari an Italian engineer specialising in the undermining of siege defences to destroy the Great church...his boss flogged the stone for around £1300 quid and the roofing materials and bells for about £700.
Fred, Edenbridge bonfire society is apparently torching two 'presenters', recently in the news...
Love your new portrait Jon. Funny, 'cos I've recently rediscovered my Rupert Bear Scarf (Copyright: P. McCartney)
A paid-up member of the Alfred Bestall Appreciation Society!
I wish the BBC would repeat the documentary on Alfred Bestall done by medievalist Terry Jones.
And indeed interview.
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