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borderroamerhttps://fisherbelfast.wordpress.comThe Northern Standard, Monaghan. Reporter.

CHATHAM DOCKYARD

22/04/2013 by borderroamer

Chatham Historic Dockyard

After leaving Rochester my walk brought me to nearby Chatham and one of the entrances to the historic dockyard. Unfortunately I did not have time for a visit and will have to return again at some stage. This yard established as a royal dockyard by Elizabeth I in 1567 provided some of the most important ships for the Royal Navy during its 410 years in operation, until its closure in 1984. At its height it employed over 10,000 on a 400 acre site, which is now run as a museum.

HMS Cavalier (Commons Wikimedia)

HMS Cavalier was the Royal Navy’s last operational Second World War destroyer and is now preserved at Chatham as a memorial to the 143 British destroyers and over 11,000 men lost at sea during the war. Built in 1944 at Samuel White’s Isle of Wight yard, Cavalier served during the war in the Arctic and the Western Approaches before joining the British Pacific Fleet as the war came to a close. Refitted and modernized in 1957 she continued to play an active role as part of the Royal Navy’s Far East and Home fleets until she was decommissioned at Chatham in 1972.

The Victorian sloop HMS Gannet is also preserved there. Built on the River Medway in 1878, the ship recently underwent a £3m restoration. In a third dry dock you can take a tour through a submarine. HM Submarine Ocelot was the last warship built for the Royal Navy at Chatham Dockyard. An ‘O’ Class diesel electric submarine, she was launched in 1962 and saw service with Royal Navy throughout the height of the Cold War until she paid off in 1991. A normal sized crew would consist of 69 submariners, but she could carry a maximum of 80.

River Medway near Chatham

The dockyard also served as a film set for the BBC series “Call the Midwife”, when it was transformed into Polar Docks in London in the 1950s. Tours of the site are available. Close by near the bus station is the office of BBC Radio Kent.

ROCHESTER

21/04/2013 by borderroamer

Rochester Castle

Walking in Kent along the River Medway from Strood yesterday on our way to Gillingham, we entered the city of Rochester. The Castle dominated the skyline. The 12th Century keep (stone tower) is one of the best preserved in England or France. It was strategically positioned to prevent an invasion of the South-East coast in the medieval period. Beside it is the impressive Cathedral, confirming its status as a City. The bishopric is the second oldest in England after Canterbury.

Rochester Cathedral

Rochester is also associated with Charles Dickens, who lived nearby in the village of Higham at Gads Hill Place. There is a Dickens Centre devoted to his life and works. The writer had wished to be buried in the grounds of the Cathedral, but was instead interred at Poet’s Corner at Westminster Abbey in London.

Another famous resident was the actress Dame Sybil Thorndike (1882-1976). As a young girl, she and her brother, the author Russell Thorndike, lived for eight years in one of the houses at Minor Canon Row when their father was a Minor Canon at Rochester Cathedral.

Plaque at house

The house adjacent to Prior’s Gate is part of a terrace from the early Georgian period. If you would like to live there and have £850,000 to spare, you might be interested in the end of terrace house, the interior of which you can see on the Jackson-Stops page.

Thorndike house

WFFW6 DAY THREE

20/04/2013 by borderroamer

Rochester Castle

DAY THREE: The walk began this morning at Strood station in Kent. Today’s section of the 43-mile route went for about nine miles. A nice section of it was along the River Medway and past Rochester as far as Gillingham, where AFC Wimbledon played Gillingham FC at Priestlands at 3pm. The match ended in a 2-2 draw. I was leaving just as the Dons scored the vital equaliser. Now it’s down to the wire next Saturday at Kingsmeadow if we are to avoid relegation back to the non-league Conference. The Gills took the League 2 title and are promoted to division one (the old division 3) next season.

Gillingham v AFC Wimbledon

My chosen charity apart from the AFCW Community fund is Diabetes UK and details of how to donate can be found in my JustGiving page or click the Sponsor me button at the top of the page. Or Text WFFW67 £5 to 70070 on your mobile. Thank you for your sponsorship. Michael Fisher, Belfast Lions Club.

WFFW6 DAY TWO

19/04/2013 by borderroamer

DAY TWO: The walk began this morning at Petts Wood station near Croydon. Today’s section of the 43-mile route goes for about fifteen miles as far as Erith. My chosen charity apart from the AFCW Community fund is Diabetes UK and details of how to donate can be found in my JustGiving page or click the Sponsor me button at the top of the page. Or Text WFFW67 £5 to 70070 on your mobile.

WFFW6 STARTS

18/04/2013 by borderroamer

DAY ONE: The walk began this morning in South West London. The main group started off from the AFC Wimbledon stadium at Kingsmeadow at 9am. I started two miles along the route at Malden Manor station so that I would not delay their start and was able to catch up with them at a convenient location near the Hogsmill River. Today’s section of the 43-mile route goes for about nineteen miles as far as Whytleafe where there are a number of hills. My chosen charity apart from the AFCW Community fund is Diabetes UK and details of how to donate can be found in my JustGiving page or click the Sponsor me button at the top of the page. Or Text WFFW67 £5 to 70070 on your mobile.

WALK FOR WIMBLEDON 6

17/04/2013 by borderroamer

WFFW5 at Barnet April 2012

Setting off tomorrow (Thursday) on a fundraising 40+ miles walk in the greater London area. It’s called Walk Further for Wimbledon 6 as it is the sixth year such a trek has been undertaken. For me, it is my third year of involvement, having started in April 2011. The idea is to raise funds for our supporter-owned football club AFC Wimbledon and a charity of the walker’s choice. This time any funds for the soccer club will be channelled into a new Community Fund.

My choice of a separate charity is Diabetes UK (NI) via Belfast Lions Club. In February the Club heard from a representative of the group at its monthly meeting in the Wellington Park Hotel. Nearly 76,000 people in Northern Ireland have a health problem related to diabetes. If you wish to make a donation, please do so through my JustGiving page and if you are a UK taxpayer you can add Gift Aid automatically.

WFFW5 leaving Kingsmeadow

I am flying from Belfast International early in the morning and hoped to join the group of walkers about two miles into the walk near Malden Manor station. They will be setting off from the AFC Wimbledon ground at Kingsmeadow, Norbiton but I will not be able to join them in time for a 9am start, so will pick up the trail about half an hour later, as I did at the O2 in Greenwich two years ago.

Some of the walk is along the London Loop, part of which we walked last year on the way to the match at Underhill in Barnet. This year’s destination is Gillingham FC. A full house of around 11,500 is expected at Priestfield, including 1133 Dons’ fans. Gillingham have already won the title but AFC Wimbledon are dangerously close to the relegation zone as their first season (back) in the Football League comes to an end, with only this game and one home game on Saturday week remaining. Last year I raised £442 and £72 Gift Aid for the Lions International Korle Bu eyesight project in Ghana and I would like to thank once again those who donated so generously. In 2011 my participation in the same walk (which took me past HMS Belfast on the River Thames) raised over £200 for another charity supported by Lions, St Dunstan’s, now known as Blind Veterans UK.

WFFW4 at Kingsmeadow 2011

DAY ONE of the walk (Thursday) is the longest section from Kingsmeadow to Whyteleafe, around 19 miles, ending with a hilly section around Kenley airfield. Created by dwarfer77

Walk further for Wimbledon 6, Day 1 19.2 miles / 30.9 km

DAY TWO begins at Pett’s Wood station and covers 15 miles as far as Erith, near Dartford.

Walk further for Wimbledon 6, Day 2 15.4 miles / 24.8 km

DAY THREE will see the group walking 9 miles from Strood alongside the River Thames via Rochester to the Priestfield stadium of Gillingham FC. Follow it here:

Walk further for Wimbledon 6, Day 3 9.2 miles / 14.8 km

DONATE HERE: http://www.justgiving.com/Michael-FisherAFCW

BELVEDERE HOUSE

16/04/2013 by borderroamer

Sitting on the shore of Lough Ennell near Mullingar in County Westmeath you will find an example of an Irish country house, now in the care of the local County Council. It was built in 1740 as a hunting lodge for Robert Rochfort, 1st Earl of Belvedere by architect Richard Castle, one of Ireland’s foremost Palladian architects.

Belvedere House, although not very large, is architecturally significant because of its Diocletian windows and dramatic nineteenth-century terracing. When Robert Rochfort decided to use Belvedere as his principal residence he employed Barthelemij Cramillion, the French Stuccadore, to execute the Rococo plasterwork ceilings which are among the most exquisite in the country (Wikipedia).

“Jealous Wall” Folly

The landscaped demesne of 160 acres boasts the largest and most spectacular folly in Ireland, called the The Jealous Wall. It was built by Robert Rochfort to block off the view of his estranged brother’s house nearby. There is also a Victorian walled garden and many hectares of forest. The house has been fully restored and the grounds are well maintained, attracting some 160,000 visitors annually.

Stucco Ceiling, Belvedere House

Drawing Room overlooking lake

On arrival at the car park and on the walk down towards the courtyard café, I noticed a recent addition to the landscape, donated by the Defence Forces. A 25pdr Field Gun from 4th Field Artillery Regiment, which used to be based in Mullingar. As the highest decorated regiment in the Defence Forces, the officers, NCOs, gunners and their families served the community of Mullingar and the people of Ireland at home and overseas from 17th February 1948 until 28th March 2012 when Columb Barracks closed. On 30th November 2012 the 4th Field Artillery Regiment were disbanded and became the 2 BDE Artillery Regiment (information on plaque).

Irish Army 25-pounder Gun

Following the second world war Charles Howard-Bury, a soldier and mountaineer, restored the house and gardens. He never married and on his death in 1963 the estate was inherited by the actor Rex Beaumont. Rex had been Howard-Bury’s friend and companion for 30 years and he sold the estate to Westmeath County Council in 1982. The contents were auctioned by Christie’s in 1980. Following a multi-million pound restoration the house and gardens are now open to visitors.

Dining Room, Belvedere House

BANNERS & SASHES

15/04/2013 by borderroamer

This orange banner comes from Redhills in County Cavan. It belongs to the Stonepark Lodge No.607 and depicts the departure of King William III (of Orange) from the original Hillsborough Castle in County Down in 1690. An unofficial history of the Irish Campaign explains how he had landed at Carrickfergus a few days earlier and on 19th June 1690 at Hillsborough the King “issued an order…granting Presbyterian ministers in Ireland the right to receive the regium donum, an annual grant, paid to nonconformists ministers in England, Scotland and especially Ireland at that time. The payment was made as a reward for their loyalty to him and partly as compensation for their recent losses“. The following month the crucial Battle of the Boyne took place against the forces of James II.

Stonepark Co.Cavan Orange Lodge Banner

Monaghan UVF Flag

On the reverse side is a picture of Lisburn Cathedral. This suggests that the banner has been re-used by a different orange lodge. The banner is part of “Walking the Colours“, a touring exhibition currently at Monaghan Museum and running until the end of July. Colour is the operative word as there is a varied selection of banners and sashes from both the orange and green traditions. With all the current controversy about UVF centenary flags flying in East Belfast, I was interested to see an original flag of the Ulster Volunteer Force in Monaghan dating back to the period around 1912/13. There was also a UVF armband from the same era.

UVF Monaghan Armband

To complete the display of banners from the Protestant tradition, there is one belonging to the Royal Black Preceptory in Ballybay, named the Knights of Mount Horeb. Biblical scenes were common (and still are) in the black and orange loyal order banners. The teachings of the Royal Black Institution are based on Holy Scripture. The organisation was founded in 1797, two years after the Orange Order came into existence. There are two Royal Black District Chapters in Monaghan and fourteen Preceptories. Donegal is the only Ulster county not represented.

RBP Banner Ballybay

On the nationalist side, there are several local banners of significance. They include one of Terence Bellew MacManus from Tempo, County Fermanagh. The slogan exhorts Men of Monaghan to “Remember MacManus”, who took part in the Young Irelander rebellion in 1848. He is buried in Glasnevin cemetery in Dublin. The banner is thought to have been made in the early 1900s. It was brought to the USA and used by the Monaghan Mens’ Association in the St Patrick’s Day parade in New York. There is a picture of it accompanying the group in 1933.

AOH Donagh Monaghan Div.434

Remember MacManus

The Ancient Order of Hibernians was set up in 1838 as a counter to the Orange Order. Division 434 was the designation in Donagh parish, in North Monaghan.

Some more banners from the exhibition:-

AOH Banner, Donagh

Truagh Banner re 1798

INF Banner, Ballybay

ROCK OF CASHEL

14/04/2013 by borderroamer

Rock of Cashel

The Rock of Cashel in County Tipperary is one of the finest historical sites in Ireland. It was once the seat of the Kings of Munster. The medieval buildings include a 12thCcentury round tower, High Cross and Romanesque Chapel, 13th century Gothic cathedral, 15th century Castle and the restored Hall of the Vicars Choral. The monument is in the care of the Office of Public Works.

Cormac’s Chapel

One of the most interesting parts of the site is Cormac’s chapel, (the chapel of King Cormac Mac Carthaigh), which was begun in 1127 and consecrated in 1134. It is undergoing major restoration work as the scaffolding in the picture shows and contains one of the only examples of frescoes in Ireland from this period.

It was one of the sites seen by Queen Elizabeth II during her first state visit to Ireland in May 2011. The visitor book she signed along with Prince Philip is on display, along with the pen she used. It was interesting to note that in the small cemetery beside the ruins of the Cathedral, there are at least four graves of local men who served in the British Army during the First World War, with gravestones provided by the Commonwealth Graves Commission. I have some photographs of them here and at some stage might do some more research into the stories of these soldiers. One was a veteran of the Second World War, it seems, Sergeant Martin O’Brien MM, who served in the 2nd Royal Irish Regiment and died in 1965, aged 84.

Driver W.Ryan RFA

Grave of Sgt Martin O’Brien MM

Pte J. O’Donohue Leinster Regiment

KINSALE FORTS

13/04/2013 by borderroamer

Kinsale Harbour from Charles Fort

Two 17thC forts guard the entrance to Kinsale harbour in County Cork. The view shown here is from Charles Fort, built later than James’ Fort, a similar star-shaped stronghold on the other side of the inlet. This was designed to resist attack by cannon.

Entrance to Charles Fort

Charles Fort is built on the site of an earlier defence, Ringcurran Castle, which featured prominently during the Siege of Kinsale in 1601. The fort, named after King Charles II, was designed in the 1670/80 period by the Surveyor-general Sir William Robinson, who also designed the Royal Hospital in Kilmainham, Dublin. It was one of the largest forts built in Ireland and had three bastions, projecting outwards from the main wall, facing the land, and two half-bastions where the walls reached the water. When combined with the guns on the opposite side of the approach to Kinsale, these guns would be a serious deterrent to any potential invading force.

Charles Fort (Wikimedia Commons)

The fort was besieged by John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough (a relative of Winston Churchill) in 1690 during the Williamite War. Repairs were made following the siege, and the fort remained in use as a British Army barracks for several hundred years afterwards. It had its own hospital block as well as a parade ground. A very helpful guide from the Office of Public Works gave a very interesting presentation on the history of the site.

An early lighthouse was established here in the 17th century. British forces left the fort following the Anglo-Irish Treaty in 1921, but it fell out of use after being burned by the retreating anti-Treaty forces during the Irish Civil War in 1922. The complex was declared a National Monument in 1971 and has been partly restored by the heritage service, Dúchas.

Abandoned buildings, Charles Fort