Tuesday 24 November 2009

Burial Ground News

The Parish Council is to apply for Planning Permission to erect a fence and gates around the boundary of the Burial Ground which will be opened in a morning and locked in the evening.  If parishioners have any comments they would like to put forward to the Burial Ground Committee with regard to the application which includes fence type and height, could they please forward these to Lesley at the Haling Dene Centre or via email [lesley@penkridgeparish.org.uk] no later than Friday 8th January 2010. 

Sunday 22 November 2009

Other BLOGS of interest

I was talking tonight on the phone to two friends of mine who have a very good BLOG called Jupiter Birding. (June and Peter - get it! and they are both birdwatchers, like me). The main difference between us is that they live for several months of the year out in Portugal, taking visitors birdwatching in the Algarve area, including over the border into good birding spots in Spain too.

Take a look at their Blog (http://jupiterbirding.blogspot.com) where you will read about and see marvellous illustrations of some of the birds they have seen over the autumn out there on the Algarve.

Tuesday 10 November 2009

NEW BIRD FOR THE GARDEN



My wife and I were watching Blackbirds scrapping in the garden on Saturday last, when suddenly, the above bird appeared within a couple of metres of our kitchen window. At first I thought it was a Goldcrest but then we clearly saw the white eyestripe - A FIRECREST. It just shows that you should keep looking. It is the first we have seen in the garden in the 45 years we have been living here. I have seen them elsewhere in Staffordshire but never as close to home as this one was.

Since posting the above, my wife now tells me that she saw one in our front garden on the roses many years ago (I can hardly remember when we had roses in the front garden). I always knew she had better eyesight than me - now I know she has a better memory too.

Bevan

Monday 9 November 2009

PENKRIDGE RAILWAY VIADUCT



Saturday, 7 November, was the 204th birthday of perhaps the one person who, more than anyone else, is responsible for the growth of Penkridge to what it is today. (Maybe Lord Hatherton also must also take some responsbility/credit for this).

For it was Thomas Brassey who, in 1837 finished building the Penkridge Railway Viaduct and 10 miles of track on the Grand Junction Railway. As a young Engineer, the viaduct was his very first contract - he went on to become the man responsible for building more railways in the world than any other person.

Eighteen people met at Hatherton House Country Hotel on Saturday last, to celebrate his life and work. Three of his descendants were also present. After a lunch and presentations, we walked the few yards past the Health Centre, down by the River Penk, and stopped for a while under the 7 arches where "Thomas Brassey" (alias John Whittingham), said a few words about his first project here - which is now one of Penkridge's most important buildings - across which thousands of people travel every week and which is a marvellous visual feature when viewing from the Market and Bull Bridge on the A449.

Your Penkridge Town Crier was also present and more information about Thomas Brassey and the building of the Viaduct can be found on the Penkridge Website.