Fareham Whiteley – Wednesday 12th July 2023

Whiteley is a modern shopping and residential development which was selected as an area for growth due to its proximity to J9 of the M27.  Building of a business park was started in the mid-80s and the first houses were finished by the end of the decade.  In 1999 Whiteley Village Outlet Shopping Centre opened, but it did not prove popular and in 2011 the shops were razed to the ground, and work started on a new development now just called the Whiteley Shopping Centre.  The centre is very modern and airy, and Waterstones opened a branch here in 2022.

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Fareham Whiteley map

As it’s a purpose-built centre, there isn’t much else here apart from shops, leisure outlets and restaurants, but I did spot this cute bronze family of wild boars – aren’t they adorable?!  They are by artist Lucy Casson, and are one of a number of sets of animals dotted around the complex.  We spotted these as we were leaving, so they’re the only ones we found, but there are also foxes, otters and rabbits.

Currently reading: The Mother I Could Have Been by Kerry Fisher

Newport, Isle of Wight – Sunday 9th July 2023

We visited the Isle of Wight for a couple of days, staying in Sandown on the south east coast of the island.  We travelled across on the ferry from Southampton and decided to head to Newport first.  Newport is the county town of the Isle of Wight, located inland at the estuary of the Medina River and has lots of attractive buildings including the Guildhall, which houses a museum of history of the Isle of Wight, but being a Sunday, it wasn’t open.  We had hoped to return to Newport but we ran out of time.   The Waterstones is located in the High Street in the main shopping area. As this is the only branch on the island, I have included photographs other parts of the IoW here too, as there’s a lot to see and those places are too good not to share!

Newport, Isle of Wight map

Newport

Sandown

Sandown is a typical family seaside resort and was our base for our time on the island.  We had a fabulous view of the long, sandy beach and the Victorian pier from our room. I got up early on both days and walked along the promenade to the next town, Shanklin and then back – via the cliff path on the first day.

Alum Bay and The Needles

Alum Bay sits on the west of the island and is the location of The Needles, three chalk stacks which rise out of the sea.  The bay is best known for its multi-coloured cliffs, made of layers of rocks coloured by various minerals.  The area can be reached on foot, and also by a cable car which operates during the summer months.

Osbourne House

Osbourne House stands on the site of an older property which was demolished, and a new house was built for Queen Victoria and was completed in 1851.  She and Prince Albert used it as their summer residence, and the house was designed by the Prince in an Italianate style.  Queen Victoria died here on 22 January 1901 when she was 81.  The house was presented to the state by the new King, Edward VII, who had apparently never liked the house.  It was used variously by the Royal Navy as a training college and convalescent home.  Management of the house was taken over by English Heritage in 1986.  The house and grounds are beautiful and well worth a visit.  The estate has gorgeous gardens and grounds and its own beach. 

Currently reading: His Last Bow by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and When the Music’s Over by Peter Robinson

Aylesbury – Sunday 4th June 2023

Aylesbury is a market town and is the county town of Buckinghamshire.  It’s the location of the first Paralympic Games, known at the time as the World Wheelchair and Amputee Games which took place in 1948 at the nearby Stoke Mandeville hospital.  It’s also famous for the Aylesbury duck, but sadly we didn’t see any on our visit!  We hadn’t visited Aylesbury before, and found it to be a very pretty town with plenty of beautiful old buildings.  The Waterstones is located in a modern shopping centre.

Aylesbury map

David Bowie

David Bowie debuted his character Ziggy Stardust in Friars – a music venue in the town – in 1972.   This statue, Earthly Messenger is the work of Andrew Sinclair and was unveiled in 2018 – it shows Bowie as Ziggy and as he was in 2002 as well as other smaller images of him.  Apparently, it plays music hourly, although we didn’t know this or we might have stayed around to listen.

The Kings Head

The Kings Head public house was originally a private house built in 1455.  It became a coaching inn in 1620, and apparently at one stage it even housed a post office!  It has been owned by the National Trust since 1925.  We had lunch here and it was delicious.

I Am

The two sculptures below by Colin Spofforth are inspired by the town’s links to the Paralympics.  There are three in total – these are I Am Free (standing) and I Am Me (crouching).

Below.  Top row – Bucks & Oxon Union Bank (founded in 1853 and taken over by Lloyds Bank in 1902).  Bottom row – Church Street, Aylesbury Crown Court, Aylesbury Clock Tower, Market Square, the Clock Tower.

Berkhamsted – Sunday 4th June 2023

Berkhamsted is a market town in Hertfordshire, which sits on the Grand Union Canal – once a busy port and bustling trade route running from London, with its two arms ending in Leicester and the other Birmingham. It is still referred to as Port of Berkhamsted today.  The busy mix of independent and branded shops are mainly contained to one long street.  The Waterstones is in a mid-19th century building in the High Street.

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Berkhamsted map

The John Sayer Almshouses

These Almshouses were gifted to the town of Berkhamsted by John Sayer just before his death in 1682, and were for “6 poor widows, aged over 55 and constant frequenters of the Church of England…” who had to have lived in Berkhamsted for 10 years.  This clause still applies, although it has been amended to “Christians, with a preference for members of the Church of England and who are residents in or have connections with the town of Berkhamsted and its surrounding area.” In recent years.

The Grand Union Canal

Below, clockwise from top left:  Church Lane (2), Berkhamsted Town Hall.

Edit, 20th February 2024 – I have now discovered through this wonderful blog that the Waterstones here was formerly a branch of Woolworths.   You can read more about it here.   I’m off to read all about Woolies – oh, how I miss that store.

Northampton – Saturday 3rd June 2023

Since we last visited Northampton, the Waterstones has relocated to a new store in the town. This seems to happen reasonably frequently.  We’re not planning to revisit all the stores when this happens, but if we’re in the area then I’ll post pictures of the new site. smile

Original blog here smile

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Northampton map 2

Rushden Lakes – Saturday 3rd June 2023

Rushden Lakes is a shopping and leisure centre which opened in 2017.  It’s located beside Skew Bridge Lake in Northamptonshire and was constructed on the site of gravel pits, a dry ski slope and a country club which had lain derelict for many years.  The complex houses a visitor centre for the Nene Wetlands which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) – this area is home to many species of birds and plants. We really liked Rushden Lakes as a complex – there are loads of shops, including Waterstones, as well as restaurants, a cinema and canoeing! 

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Rushden Lakes map

The photo of the visitor centre is used with permission under licence.  The Photo has been resized slightly.  The copyright belongs to © David Dixon (cc-by-sa/2.0)

Milton Keynes – Friday 2nd June 2023

The town of Milton Keynes was founded on 23rd January 1967 as a new town – its purpose was to allow people to move out from London, which was very overcrowded, and its creation absorbed some existing towns and villages from the area.  The main centre is built on in a grid arrangement, with road names including H or V for horizontal and vertical.  There are plenty of green areas too, and the town has a modern feel and a diverse population.  The Waterstones is located in the heart of Milton Keynes centre in an area called Midsummer Place. 

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Milton Keynes map

This bronze bench sculpture is outside Waterstones and is called Sitting on History by British sculptor Bill Woodrow. 

On the first morning of our stay, I got up early for a walk round the nearby Willen Lake to the wonderful Tree Cathedral nearby.  The lake is used for all sorts of watersports, and there is a path around the perimeter of the lake, and a bridge to cross from one side to the other in the middle.  The Tree Cathedral was planted in 1986 and is modelled on Norwich Cathedral. The landscape designer was Neil Higson. As well as being free for anyone to enjoy, it is also used for wedding blessings and woodland burials.  It was so peaceful at the lake and cathedral first thing in the morning. 

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Currently reading:  Chocky by John Wyndham

Oxford – Sunday 7th May 2023

Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, and is the county’s only city.  It is home to the oldest university in the English-speaking world and has a rich heritage which is reflected in many beautiful buildings.  The rivers Thames and Cherwell pass either side of the city and join to the south of it, and the Oxford canal starts in the city and ends at the Hawkesbury junction of the Coventry canal.  Due to the beauty of Oxford, it is the location of many films and TV shows, including the Harry Potter franchise and the excellent adaption of Colin Dexter’s Inspector Morse series starring the late John Thaw. We were visiting to celebrate our coral wedding anniversary.   The Waterstones is set over five floors and is located in a stunning building called William Baker House, which  was completed in 1915.  Baker was a furniture maker and the company occupied the premises until 1987, when it was taken over by bookshop chain Dillons, becoming Waterstones in 1998.

Oxford map

Carfax Tower

Carfax Tower – or, to give it its proper name, St Martin’s Tower, is all that’s left of the 12th century St Martin’s church.  The church was demolished in 1820, leaving this tower, due to it being unsafe, and the replacement church of the same name was later demolished in 1896 as part of a scheme of road improvements in the area, but again the tower survived.  It is now owned by Oxford City Council.  There are 99 steps to the top of the tower, and the climb is worth it for the views from the top!

Oxford Canal

The photos below of the faun and the lion door at Brasenose College are said to have inspired CS Lewis’s writing of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.  There’s even a lamppost nearby!

Below.  Top row – Oxford Castle.  Bottom row – The Bridge of Sighs.

Below.  Top row -The Shedonian Theatre (left), The Radcliffe Camera (right).  Bottom row – The Bodleian Library, including a statue of William Herbert, Earl of Pembroke.

The Headington Shark

No trip to the area would be complete without a visit to the Headington Shark (official name Untitled 1986), just a couple of miles out of the city. It’s a 25-foot fibre glass sculpture which was erected in 1986 without planning permission as a protest against war.   After a six-year fight, the owners were permitted to keep the sculpture.  It’s certainly very striking!

Happy anniversary to us!

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Currently reading:  The Forgetting by Hannah Beckerman

Ipswich Martlesham – Friday 5th May 2023

We’d been in Suffolk for a family event, staying just over the border in a beautiful little town in Norfolk called Loddon.  We stayed a couple of nights and the weather was great so I did a couple of early-morning walks.  When we left, we made a diversion from the direct route home to visit a branch of Waterstones that has opened just outside Ipswich since we were last in the area. This new Waterstones is in a Next store in an out-of-town shopping centre.

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Due to the store being in a shopping centre rather than a town, there was nothing in the area to visit, and we were keen to get home, so I thought I’d share some pictures of Loddon instead!

Currently reading:  The Bullet that Missed by Richard Osman