GLANCE BACK – FOR SALE Offers over £295,000 …

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GLANCE BACK – FOR SALE Offers over £295,000 …

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Posted by:
Greg Lance – Watkins
Greg_L-W

eMail:
Greg_L-W@BTconnect.com

ControversiallyGreg@Gmail.com

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Hi,

 

30th August

Former Glance Back Books shop Chepstow town centre for sale

By Jo Barnes

A former bookshop in the centre of Chepstow, which has lain closed for years, has been put on the market.

The former Glance Back Books shop, which is in need of total refurbishment, is being marketed for sale with Elstons for:

offers over £295,000.

The agents describe the property, which is on the corner of Middle Street and Upper Church Street, as ‘unique and interesting’ and an ‘ideal investment opportunity’.

The property, which was last sold more than 35 years ago, has three entrances and could be renovated to become a commercial shop or converted into separate properties, subject to necessary planning permission and consents.

MORE BUSINESS NEWS:

• Council gives a helping hand to small businesses

Part of the property, 8 Middle Street, is grade II listed. The other part, 17 & 17A Upper Church Street, is not.

This is the first time the property has come to market for more than 35 years.

According to the estate agent the property is a ‘deceptively substantial’ building set over three floors.

For more information or to view contact Elstons on 01291 628100.

To view the original article above in The South Wales Argus:
CLICK HERE

GB ELSTONS’ BROCHURE 01

 

DESCRIPTION

THE OWNER is pleased to offer for sale a prime corner site 35’ x 34’, on 4 floors at 8 Middle Street & 17 & 17A Upper Church Street, Chepstow.

It is time for new imagination for the 21^st. Century to be made of this substantial and fascinating old building, with all its faults, its outdated electrics and its fabulous beams!

A town centre property offering a blend of residential and retail opportunity, further development and/or total change of usage subject to planning.

 Whether a shop, shops, or 3 small cottages & a family house or a combination the property is under a fully refurbished and insulated roof and offers excellent prospects or a sound financial return for a competent developer.

The property dates back arguably to the 11^th. Century – the property line on the Road is mid 1500s & the property has grown somewhat ‘organically’ since then!

Since 1983 it has been both a residence and a most successful business offering a huge range of books, historical information, stamps, coins etc. & we are far from sure the cats will like the prospect of leaving their 20 room home with all its hidden areas and fascinating history.

Exceptionally deceptive from the exterior, we estimate the floor space situated over four floors, to be well in excess of 3.1/2-4,000 sq.ft.  Most areas of the property will require cosmetic upgrading at least. However the sale of this property offers an enormous range of potential future uses and an opportunity to own a key corner site in Chepstow’s future.

A condition of the sale of this property will be upto a two month delay between exchange of contracts and completion, at the request of the vendor, for the relocation of amongst much else around 60,000 books, at least ½ a ton of fossils and all the cat’s toys!

The property has 4 access points (2 in use); for entrance points at ground floor level.  For the sake of these details the main access point is considered to be the entrance door from Middle Street.

The present cats and their owners were sorry to leave what has been a home and a way of life in the heart of a vibrant town where already they have participated in its future.

A extensive photographic record of all major works undertaken in the last 40 years will be provided on CD to the purchaser, on completion, if required.

PLEASE NOTE:
All measurements are approximations given that not all rooms were easily measurable & many rooms are irregular in shape – ceilings are frequently low as can be expected in an old building!

GROUND FLOOR (D&R) (D): Domestic; (R): Retail

The ground floor comprises +- seven opened and/or partitioned areas

ENTRANCE LOBBY (D)

6” x 3’6” with window & door to Middle Street

STORE / LIVING? ROOM (D) 1

approximately 25’ x 14’ with open staircase to upper living area

&

STAIRS DOWN TO CELLAR (D)

Two dry open rooms both approximately 11’ x 9 ‘

STORE / potential KITCHEN (D)

An ‘L’ off of the large room above 11’9” x 9’

with door to:

COVERED OUTSIDE STORAGE (D)

11’9” x 5’ with built in barbecue & chimney!

THE SHOP AREA (R)

Can be accessed through:

OFFICE AREA (D)

12’ x 6’ approximately

SHOP AREA (R) 3

16’ x 8’ approximately with potential door to street & STAIRWELL 2 to Upper Retail Area. Additionally this room has a Lobby room at the foot of the stairs and a tiny coffee making room also!

SHOP AREA (R) 2

16’ x 12” approximately with potential door to Street

SHOP AREA (R) 1 (entrance/Counter Room)

18.6’ x 9’ with door to Upper Church Street & internal access to Middle Street entrance & Domestic zone.

FIRST FLOOR

The first floor is accessed via two separate stairwells. For the purposes of this description they are defined as (R) retail area and (D) domestic area

FROM STAIRWELL (D) 1

Rising as an open staircase from (D) 1

To a LANDING AREA (D)

With doors to Kitchenette, Toilet & Shower, Living Room & Staircase up to Attics

KITCHENETTE AREA (D)

12’9” x 9’ approximately with access to small outside patio area

LOBBY (D)

6’ x 7’10” approximately with large storage cupboards built in

 

The Cellars

The Ground Floor

The First Floor

The Attic Floor

 

 

BEDROOM (D)

16’ x 7’10”  approximately with a further 3’6” x 8” walk in cupboard – storage

LIVING ROOM (D)

17’ x 14’ approximately

BEDROOM 2 (D)

11’9” x 9’9” approximately – Please note there is a toilet and shower area

STAIRWELL TO ATTIC AREA (D)

The entire attic area is soundly floored and offers, besides measured areas given, considerable under eaves storage (the cats love it!)

Comprising two open studio areas the one 11’ x 11’ has some 8’ x 8’ of glass double glazed panelling to roof and although now a studio could easily convert to a bedroom.

 

Likewise the 11’ x 6’6” with dormer window & limited head room

A further area of 15’ x 9’ currently storage & hobby room!

Finally an awkward to enter storage area above main bedroom comprising approximately 9’ x 7’

RETAIL SHOP AREA

STAIRWELL (R) 2

Gives access to a further area currently in retail use comprising 2 sizeable rooms and one smaller being in all some 17’ x 22’

 

NB

Any agreed purchaser will be required, as per the Money Laundering Act 2003, to provide proof of Identity and Residence to this Office

 

TENURE

FREEHOLD – You are recommended to have this verified by your legal adviser at your earliest convenience

SERVICES

All mains services available gas can be connected – telephone subject to BT Regulations

 

VIEWINGS

Strictly by appointment with the Owner or Agents in Chepstow

TAX

For further information please contact Monmouthshire County Council on 01633 644644.

 

Please note that the services and appliances have not been tested; all measurements given are approximations only.  These details are provided in good faith and are believed to be fair and accurate – It is recommended that you verify the details for yourself before submitting an offer.

FURTHER INFORMATION    Normally to assist vendors and purchasers agents offer a free mortgage advisory service without obligation or charge.  They are happy to see you in their offices but in any instance will require proof of available funds should you wish to view or purchase the property.

For The SERIOUSLY INTERESTED – It Is Essential To View This Property To Understand Its Full Potential

NB

In the case of similar offers being made the first person to make the bid will be offered the opportunity to make a further written binding bid.

IF the bid is matched or bettered those with like bids will be asked to make verified binding sealed bids, which will be opened in the presence of their solicitors by the vendors or their agents.

 

Regards,
Greg_L-W.

~~~~~~~~~~#########~~~~~~~~~~

.

Posted by: Greg Lance-Watkins

tel: 44 (0)1594 – 528 337
Calls from ‘Number Withheld’ phones Are Blocked

All unanswered messages are recorded.
Leave your name & a UK land line number & I will return your call.

‘e’Mail Address: Greg_L-W@BTconnect.com

Skype: GregL-W

TWITTER: @Greg_LW

DO MAKE USE of LINKS,

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I try to make every effort to NOT infringe copyrights in any commercial way & make all corrections of fact brought to my attention by an identifiable individual

.

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Re-TWEET my Twitterings
https://twitter.com/Greg_LW

& Publicise

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The Main Web Site:
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Chepstow traders on why they’d be better off in England …

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Chepstow traders on why they’d be better off in England …
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Posted by:
Greg Lance – Watkins
Greg_L-W

eMail:

Greg_L-W@BTconnect.com
NOW DEFUNCT

ControversiallyGreg@Gmail.com

The BLOG:
https://InfoWebSiteUK.wordpress.com

The Main Web Site:
www.InfoWebSite.UK

~~~~~~~~~~#########~~~~~~~~~~

Hi,

Chepstow traders on why they’d be better off in England

10-Mar-2021

By Jonathon Hill  Trainee Reporter  South Wales Argus

 

TRADERS in Gwent have questioned Welsh Government claims it is offering the best funding packages to businesses to help them through the coronavirus pandemic.

The amount of financial support businesses have been offered during the pandemic – during which many have been forced to close their doors for weeks, or even months on end – differs in Wales and England.

In Wales all small business owners – defined as a business with a rateable value of less than £12,000 – the Argus spoke to have been paid £6,000 since they were closed when the latest lockdown came into force just before Christmas.

In England, however, small businesses are defined as those with a rateable value of less than £15,000, and these have been paid £4,000, along with an extra £2,000 for every 42 days closed – so far equating to around £8,000.

The medium-sized businesses in Wales – those with a rateable value of more than £12,000 – the Argus spoke to have received two £5,000 payments so far.

But those in the same category in England, defined as those with a rateable value between £15,000 and £51,000, have so far received £6,000, plus £3,000 for every 42 days closed, equating to around £12,000 so far.

Businesses in England are also being offered ‘Restart Grants’ of up to £18,000 as many prepare to re-open in the coming weeks and months. No such offer has yet been made in Wales.

Some traders in Chepstow have argued that, with rateable thresholds in England higher, there are many businesses just across the border with equivalent rateable values to them benefitting far more from what they believe is a flawed system.

Alice Stephens, who lives in Sedbury and owns Alice and The Hare salon on St Mary’s Street, says she has become frustrated knowing friends in the hairdressing industry in England “are being supported better”.

Alice Stephens outside her salon at St Mary’s Street

“We have had two lots of £3,000 and I don’t know where the next payment is coming from,” she said. “I know there are many equivalent businesses to us in the Forest of Dean which are getting more.

“Not only that, but those businesses have been informed they will be getting £18,000 in funding [as part of the new Restart Grant] to help them get up and running in April, but we’ve heard nothing with regards to opening or funding.”

Ms Stephens, who is 25 and only started her business in 2019, says she feels “completely out of the loop”.

Across the road Dawn Floyd, owner of St Mary’s Collectables, says in her 40 years of business she has “never felt so disconnected”.

“These figures might sound a lot of money to most, but it is nothing,” she said. “Shop rentals around here are more than £3,000 a month.

Dawn Floyd says she feels let down by a lack of funding and transparency

“It’s not only that, but with the repeated payments every 42 days, at least businesses in England know where they’re at financially. We just keep getting told about reviews all the time.”

She believes a lack of notice again for businesses ahead of the upcoming review, means whichever businesses are able to open will be in for a mad rush, and many will miss out on trade.

“I hope we get a surprise and there is news of a Restart Grant for businesses in Wales like in England, but the only surprises we tend to get are bad ones,” she said.

“The last three months have felt cruel. On December 19 we had five-hours’ notice to shut up shop. We’re still paying the price for all that unsold stock due to a lack of notice then.

“Ever since, we’ve been hanging on, waiting for news, and I feel morale is now at the lowest point for traders.”

Dawn Floyd says she feels let down by a lack of funding and transparency

At Manor Way, Ben Pugh, of First Stop Stationers, said he feels let down.

“My other half runs a small business in Caldicot and has received £6,000,” he said. “If her business was in England that money would be £8,000.

“She received £10,000 for the first lockdown last summer over an equivalent period. Now times are even tougher and she’s received almost half in funding. It doesn’t make sense.

“We have had two lots of £5,000 because our value is above £12,000. Last summer for the equivalent period we received £25,000. Why is that down so significantly? It’s frustrating. I feel as though the Welsh Government is anti-traders at the moment.”

Photographer Sally Jade Gillard, who started a petition calling for Wales’ businesses to receive equivalent funding for the rest of the pandemic, said: “I don’t understand why this is a devolved matter. We all pay our taxes to central government, and it feels as though we’ve just got the leftovers.

“Rateable value is naturally higher in England due to costs of rents in big cities, but the system is clearly flawed. If my business was in England I’d have more help, and that can’t be right.

“I have had people coming to me who own businesses in England and Wales, and they say they are much more confident about their businesses in England due to rolling funding. Why are we getting one-off payments after reviews?

“There is a possibility some businesses will be able to open shortly, and no-one knows which businesses that is going to be.

“It’s a big operation to get a business off the ground again, and it needs time and preparation. In Wales we need that restart money even more, but we’re still in the dark.”

The petition committee will be considering Ms Gillard’s petition – which you can find at https://petitions.senedd.wales/petitions/244758?fbcli – on Tuesday, March 16.

Mark Drakeford has come under fire over the Welsh Government’s funding during the pandemic, which the government claims is the best in the UK

A spokesman for the Welsh Government said: “Between December and March, an eligible small business in the hospitality, leisure and tourism sectors in Wales with four staff and a rateable value of £15k, for example, could get up to £16,000 in support from the Welsh Government.

“In England, a comparable business would get £6,000. Welsh businesses have received support from our non-domestic rates scheme and our unique Economic Resilience Fund, which is in addition to the help offered by the UK Government.

“Pending the outcome of the next review on 12 March, a further £150million in grants could be made available to firms. The UK Government announcement on restart grants is for the next financial year.

“We’ve already put aside £200m for next year and we will continue to review our options for supporting firms further.”

None of the 15 traders the Argus spoke to while preparing this article had received more than £10,000 between December and March.

To view the original article CLICK HERE

Regards,
Greg_L-W.

NB:
in the interest of accuracy material in the main text in blue was written by someone other than myself.

When in black text the wording ‘Welsh Language’ means the ‘Language of the peoples of Wales’ and is therefore the majority language ie ‘English’

The ancient language of parts of Wales, varied as it is, as spoken by a tiny minority in Wales is called ‘Welsh’ or ‘the ancient Welsh language’

~~~~~~~~~~#########~~~~~~~~~~

.

Posted by: Greg Lance-Watkins

tel: 44 (0)1594 – 528 337
Calls from ‘Number Withheld’ phones Are Blocked

All unanswered messages are recorded.
Leave your name & a UK land line number & I will return your call.

TWITTER: @Greg_LW

DO MAKE USE of LINKS,

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I try to make every effort to NOT infringe copyrights in any commercial way & make all corrections of fact brought to my attention by an identifiable individual

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Re-TWEET my Twitterings
https://twitter.com/Greg_LW

& Publicise

My MainWebSite & Blogs

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Greg_L-W@BTconnect.com
NOW DEFUNCT

ControversiallyGreg@Gmail.com

The BLOG:
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The Main Web Site:
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~~~~~~~~~~#########~~~~~~~~~~

GLANCE BACK – FOR SALE …

DO MAKE USE of LINKS,

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~~~~~~~~~~#########~~~~~~~~~~

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GLANCE BACK – FOR SALE …

.

~~~~~~~~~~#########~~~~~~~~~~

Posted by:
Greg Lance – Watkins
Greg_L-W

eMail:
Greg_L-W@BTconnect.com

The BLOG:
https://InfoWebSiteUK.wordpress.com

The Main Web Site:
www.InfoWebSite.UK

~~~~~~~~~~#########~~~~~~~~~~

.

Hi,

DESCRIPTION

THE OWNER is pleased to offer for sale a prime corner site 35’ x 34’, on 4 floors at 8 Middle Street & 17 & 17A Upper Church Street, Chepstow.

It is time for new imagination for the 21^st. Century to be made of this substantial and fascinating old building, with all its faults, its outdated electrics and its fabulous beams!

A town centre property offering a blend of residential and retail opportunity, further development and/or total change of usage subject to planning.

 Whether a shop, shops, or 3 small cottages & a family house or a combination the property is under a fully refurbished and insulated roof and offers excellent prospects or a sound financial return for a competent developer.

The property dates back arguably to the 11^th. Century – the property line on the Road is mid 1500s & the property has grown somewhat ‘organically’ since then!

Since 1983 it has been both a residence and a most successful business offering a huge range of books, historical information, stamps, coins etc. & we are far from sure the cats will like the prospect of leaving their 20 room home with all its hidden areas and fascinating history.

Exceptionally deceptive from the exterior, we estimate the floor space situated over four floors, to be well in excess of 3.1/2-4,000 sq.ft.  Most areas of the property will require cosmetic upgrading at least. However the sale of this property offers an enormous range of potential future uses and an opportunity to own a key corner site in Chepstow’s future.

A condition of the sale of this property will be upto a two month delay between exchange of contracts and completion, at the request of the vendor, for the relocation of amongst much else around 60,000 books, at least ½ a ton of fossils and all the cat’s toys!

The property has 4 access points (2 in use); for entrance points at ground floor level.  For the sake of these details the main access point is considered to be the entrance door from Middle Street.

The present cats and their owners were sorry to leave what has been a home and a way of life in the heart of a vibrant town where already they have participated in its future.

A extensive photographic record of all major works undertaken in the last 40 years will be provided on CD to the purchaser, on completion, if required.

PLEASE NOTE:
All measurements are approximations given that not all rooms were easily measurable & many rooms are irregular in shape – ceilings are frequently low as can be expected in an old building!

GROUND FLOOR (D&R) (D): Domestic; (R): Retail

The ground floor comprises +- seven opened and/or partitioned areas

ENTRANCE LOBBY (D)

6” x 3’6” with window & door to Middle Street

STORE / LIVING? ROOM (D) 1

approximately 25’ x 14’ with open staircase to upper living area

&

STAIRS DOWN TO CELLAR (D)

Two dry open rooms both approximately 11’ x 9 ‘

STORE / potential KITCHEN (D)

An ‘L’ off of the large room above 11’9” x 9’

with door to:

COVERED OUTSIDE STORAGE (D)

11’9” x 5’ with built in barbecue & chimney!

THE SHOP AREA (R)

Can be accessed through:

OFFICE AREA (D)

12’ x 6’ approximately

SHOP AREA (R) 3

16’ x 8’ approximately with potential door to street & STAIRWELL 2 to Upper Retail Area. Additionally this room has a Lobby room at the foot of the stairs and a tiny coffee making room also!

SHOP AREA (R) 2

16’ x 12” approximately with potential door to Street

SHOP AREA (R) 1 (entrance/Counter Room)

18.6’ x 9’ with door to Upper Church Street & internal access to Middle Street entrance & Domestic zone.

FIRST FLOOR

The first floor is accessed via two separate stairwells. For the purposes of this description they are defined as (R) retail area and (D) domestic area

FROM STAIRWELL (D) 1

Rising as an open staircase from (D) 1

To a LANDING AREA (D)

With doors to Kitchenette, Toilet & Shower, Living Room & Staircase up to Attics

KITCHENETTE AREA (D)

12’9” x 9’ approximately with access to small outside patio area

LOBBY (D)

6’ x 7’10” approximately with large storage cupboards built in

 

The Cellars

The Ground Floor

The First Floor

The Attic Floor

 

 

BEDROOM (D)

16’ x 7’10”  approximately with a further 3’6” x 8” walk in cupboard – storage

LIVING ROOM (D)

17’ x 14’ approximately

BEDROOM 2 (D)

11’9” x 9’9” approximately – Please note there is a toilet and shower area

STAIRWELL TO ATTIC AREA (D)

The entire attic area is soundly floored and offers, besides measured areas given, considerable under eaves storage (the cats love it!)

Comprising two open studio areas the one 11’ x 11’ has some 8’ x 8’ of glass double glazed panelling to roof and although now a studio could easily convert to a bedroom.

 

Likewise the 11’ x 6’6” with dormer window & limited head room

A further area of 15’ x 9’ currently storage & hobby room!

Finally an awkward to enter storage area above main bedroom comprising approximately 9’ x 7’

RETAIL SHOP AREA

STAIRWELL (R) 2

Gives access to a further area currently in retail use comprising 2 sizeable rooms and one smaller being in all some 17’ x 22’

 

NB

Any agreed purchaser will be required, as per the Money Laundering Act 2003, to provide proof of Identity and Residence to this Office

 

TENURE

FREEHOLD – You are recommended to have this verified by your legal adviser at your earliest convenience

SERVICES

All mains services available gas can be connected – telephone subject to BT Regulations

 

VIEWINGS

Strictly by appointment with the Owner or Agents in Chepstow

TAX

For further information please contact Monmouthshire County Council on 01633 644644.

 

Please note that the services and appliances have not been tested; all measurements given are approximations only.  These details are provided in good faith and are believed to be fair and accurate – It is recommended that you verify the details for yourself before submitting an offer.

FURTHER INFORMATION    Normally to assist vendors and purchasers agents offer a free mortgage advisory service without obligation or charge.  They are happy to see you in their offices but in any instance will require proof of available funds should you wish to view or purchase the property.

For The SERIOUSLY INTERESTED – It Is Essential To View This Property To Understand Its Full Potential

NB

In the case of similar offers being made the first person to make the bid will be offered the opportunity to make a further written binding bid.

IF the bid is matched or bettered those with like bids will be asked to make verified binding sealed bids, which will be opened in the presence of their solicitors by the vendors or their agents.

 

Regards,
Greg_L-W.

~~~~~~~~~~#########~~~~~~~~~~

.

Posted by: Greg Lance-Watkins

tel: 44 (0)1594 – 528 337
Calls from ‘Number Withheld’ phones Are Blocked

All unanswered messages are recorded.
Leave your name & a UK land line number & I will return your call.

‘e’Mail Address: Greg_L-W@BTconnect.com

Skype: GregL-W

TWITTER: @Greg_LW

DO MAKE USE of LINKS,

>SEARCH<
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I try to make every effort to NOT infringe copyrights in any commercial way & make all corrections of fact brought to my attention by an identifiable individual

.

Please Be Sure To
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Re-TWEET my Twitterings
https://twitter.com/Greg_LW

& Publicise

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eMail:
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The BLOG:
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The Main Web Site:
www.InfoWebSite.UK

~~~~~~~~~~#########~~~~~~~~~~

 

Yet More Calls For A Chepstow By-Pass …

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Yet More Calls For A Chepstow By-Pass …

.

~~~~~~~~~~#########~~~~~~~~~~

Posted by:
Greg Lance – Watkins
Greg_L-W

eMail:
Greg_L-W@BTconnect.com

The BLOG:
https://InfoWebSiteUK.wordpress.com

The Main Web Site:
www.InfoWebSite.UK

~~~~~~~~~~#########~~~~~~~~~~

.

Hi,

Fresh calls for Chepstow bypass

By Ian Craig

Chepstow

FRESH calls for a Chepstow bypass have been made in the Assembly.

Monmouth AM Nick Ramsay has long campaigned for a bypass around Chepstow, which is frequently congested with traffic, causing pollution problems throughout the Monmouthshire town.

And, speaking in the Assembly this week Mr Ramsay said his constituents “could only look on enviously” as a new £90 million bypass in Newtown, Powys, was opened earlier this month.

Fresh calls for Chepstow bypass to help solve chronic congestion problem which has plagued area for decades

Further study on town congestion schemes will cost Monmouthshire and Gloucestershire councils £1 million

Severn Bridge toll removal leads to Chepstow traffic chaos

“As those news reports circulated, Chepstow was totally clogged up with traffic at that very point in time – a result of poorly-planned roadworks on the M48 and the Severn Bridge,” he said.

“The latter due to the toll removal following the abolition of the tolls.”

Addressing finance minister Rebecca Evans, he said the long-mooted bypass was “much needed for the town”.

Monmouth AM Nick Ramsay

He added: “Could I add to that the need for far greater cooperation between the highway authorities in Wales and across the border in England? Those roadworks could have been better coordinated cross-border.

“We saw a lot of traffic leaving Chepstow and clogging up the minor roads because of the closure of roadworks on the M48 and the bridge at the same time.

“If we could solve those problems in future, I know that my constituents in Chepstow would much appreciate it.”

Finance minister Rebecca Evans

Ms Evans said she agreed the issue of cooperation between the Welsh and UK Governments on roadworks was “an important point that warrants some further discussion”.

Cost predictions have estimated a new bypass around the town could cost more than £100 million.

To view the originaol article CLICK HERE

.

Regards,
Greg_L-W.

~~~~~~~~~~#########~~~~~~~~~~

.

Posted by: Greg Lance-Watkins

tel: 44 (0)1594 – 528 337
Calls from ‘Number Withheld’ phones Are Blocked

All unanswered messages are recorded.
Leave your name & a UK land line number & I will return your call.

‘e’Mail Address: Greg_L-W@BTconnect.com

Skype: GregL-W

TWITTER: @Greg_LW

DO MAKE USE of LINKS,

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I try to make every effort to NOT infringe copyrights in any commercial way & make all corrections of fact brought to my attention by an identifiable individual

.

Please Be Sure To
..

Re-TWEET my Twitterings
https://twitter.com/Greg_LW

& Publicise

My MainWebSite & Blogs

To Spread The Facts World Wide

eMail:
Greg_L-W@BTconnect.com

The BLOG:
https://InfoWebSiteUK.wordpress.com

The Main Web Site:
www.InfoWebSite.UK

~~~~~~~~~~#########~~~~~~~~~~

 

Fresh calls for Chepstow bypass to help solve chronic congestion problem which has plagued area for decades …

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~~~~~~~~~~#########~~~~~~~~~~

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Fresh calls for Chepstow bypass to help solve chronic congestion problem which has plagued area for decades …

.

~~~~~~~~~~#########~~~~~~~~~~

Posted by:
Greg Lance – Watkins
Greg_L-W

eMail:
Greg_L-W@BTconnect.com

The BLOG:
https://InfoWebSiteUK.wordpress.com

The Main Web Site:
www.InfoWebSite.UK

~~~~~~~~~~#########~~~~~~~~~~

.

Hi,

Fresh calls for Chepstow bypass to help solve chronic congestion problem which has plagued area for decades

By Niall Griffiths @niallgriffiths Local Democracy Reporter

IT is a question that has frustrated residents, businesses and politicians for decades – how do you solve Chepstow’s congestion issues?

The A48 links south west Wales to south east England but traffic bottlenecks have suffocated the town, with levels of air pollution rivalling that of cities.

With the end of the Severn Bridge tolls and thousands of new homes planned either side of the River Wye, things are only going to get worse.

But a new report has suggested that a bypass around Chepstow, potentially costing more than £100 million, could be one of several solutions to the problem.

The M48 Severn Bridge

A new motorway junction along the M48 near the St Pierre golf resort and improved rail services, projects which could cost up to £15 million each, have also been recommended for further consideration.

The suggestions come from a transport study jointly commissioned by Monmouthshire and Gloucestershire councils, with statistics provided by Welsh Government and Highways England.

Its release has been welcomed by Jez Becker, a Liberal Democrat councillor and founder of the Chepstow and Sedbury Bypass Action Group.

Cllr Jez Becker at the air quality monitoring station in Chepstow. http://www.christinsleyphotography.co.uk

The action group, among other independent groups and individuals, has long campaigned for a solution to Chepstow’s traffic problem.

“The study is long overdue, but it backs up everything we’ve been talking about for years,” said Cllr Becker.

“Whatever we do it’s going to be too late, but we’ve got to get started.”

READ MORE: Future development could increase air pollution, say council

Congestion is ‘hampering the future growth and development’ of Chepstow, wider Monmouthshire and southwest Gloucestershire, says the report.

Similar things had been said about the Severn Bridge tolls, which the Secretary of State for Wales, Alun Cairns, described as ‘psychological barriers’ between Welsh economic prosperity.

Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns (left) with Chepstow conservative councillors Martin Brady (centre) and David Dovey (right)

But Chepstow’s roads will be tested in the post-tolls transition, with traffic on the A48 expected to rise by around 23 per cent in the short term. By 2024, this could rise by a further 31 per cent.

Bottlenecks at the A48/A466 High Beech roundabout will also be exacerbated, with roads expected to reach their peak capacity this year – five years earlier than anticipated.

The study has outlined a strategic case for 20 schemes to alleviate congestion in Chepstow, but the three ‘long-term’ options recommended for further scrutiny include a bypass between Beachley and Sedbury.

READ MORE: Fresh calls for Chepstow bypass to ease traffic

Building a bypass is not new proposal, with Gwent County Council entertaining the idea – but never following through with it – in the 1980s and 1990s.

The proposed bypass is like its predecessor in that it would pass through Thornwell, which is represented on Monmouthshire County Council by Labour’s Armand Watts.

“I was mayor the last time we went through this process and I remember how heated, complicated and emotive the debate was,” said Cllr Watts.

“These issues haven’t really gone away for local people, and something seriously needs to be done.”

Cllr Watts is also disappointed with Monmouthshire and Gloucestershire councils entertaining major housing developments despite existing infrastructural issues.

Nearly 350 homes are earmarked at the former Mabey Bridge shipyard in Chepstow, a development which has attracted hundreds of objections raising concerns about its potential impact on the town’s infrastructure.

Cllr Watts said: “You have hundreds of homes planned within a square mile of each other. What we’re facing is the biggest carpark on the Welsh border.”

Concerns have also been raised by residents living at the Bayfields in Chepstow, where up to 200 homes are planned to be built.

Shaun Hartley of the Bayfield Residents’ Association said: “Chepstow has neither the resources nor the infrastructure to support the proposed development.

“The local primary school, doctors and dentists are all at capacity and Chepstow is at breaking point.”

David Davies MP and resident Shaun Hartley survey the proposed Bayfields development site in Chepstow

David Davies, Conservative MP for Monmouth, also urged authorities to find new ways for developers to contribute towards infrastructure investments, especially in a ‘small town which is already full’.

Around 1,400 homes in total are planned for the Chepstow and Severnside areas of Monmouthshire, with a further 1,800 homes expected in Lydney.

The study warns that the housing growth in Lydney alone is likely to increase traffic flow on the A48 by around 70 movements at peak times.

Developments on the Gloucestershire side of the River Wye have added further pressure to Chepstow’s roads

Another potential solution is a new M48 junction on the outskirts of Chepstow which, the report suggests, would relieve High Beech roundabout – but not the A48 into Chepstow.

Hardwick Hill becomes a choke point in heavy traffic and has been an air quality management area since 2007.

In 2016, it exceeded air pollution limits set by the World Health Organisation, registering high levels of pollutants than Newport.

Chepstow councillor David Dovey says the air pollution issues, combined with general congestion, has reached ‘crisis point’.

Councillor David Dovey

“At peak times you can see queues from the roundabout blocking the top of Chepstow, one ribbon of headlights stretching into the distance,” said the Conservative councillor.

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“We’ve been banging on about these issues for years and authorities on both sides have turned a blind eye to it.”

The final option on the table involves improving rail services by increasing the number of direct services to Bristol from Chepstow, Severn Tunnel Junction and Lydney

“Improved rail service frequencies to Bristol could help to achieve modal shift along the A48 corridor, and thus address some of the issues of congestion,” the report says.

Better park and ride and interchange facilities at Chepstow, Severn Tunnel Junction and Lydney could also be explored.

Improvements could be sought at Severn Tunnel Junction to get more people from Chepstow and Lydney using public transport rathern than their own

But with no single identified pot of funding for high value capital schemes in Wales or England, uncertainty remains over how any project would be funded.

Monmouthshire council leader Peter Fox described funding as a ‘massive’ issue, adding: “We will need the Welsh and UK governments to step up, come together and work with us in Monmouthshire and Gloucestershire to find a solution that benefits us all.”

Cllr Fox expressed his preference for a bypass and, while welcoming the end of the bridge tolls, accepted that it posed new challenges for the area.

“The bypass is a fundamental piece of the puzzle,” said Cllr Fox.

Monmouthshire council leader Peter Fox

“When you open up opportunities for an area, there is going to be some dilemmas to deal with.

“We want growth in Monmouthshire but it’s clear that, post-tolls, there will be extra pressure coupled with new developments along the border.

“It’s a perfect storm.”

To view the original article CLICK HERE

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Tracy Archer Born & Lived In Chepstow For 39 Years Earns ‘Royal Humane Society Award’ …

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Tracy Archer Born & Lived In Chepstow For 39 Years Earns ‘Royal Humane Society Award’ …

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Bravery award for heroine mum who pulled pensioner from flaming car wreck

Wednesday, 26 September 2018 – Local People

Brave Tracy pictured with baby Kai, who was born four weeks ago

A PREGNANT woman who risked her life to save the victim of a horror road crash is to receive one of the country’s top national bravery honours by Royal approval. She has been praised as having “dared to go where others feared to tread.”

When she arrived at the scene of the crash on the A48 at Newnham on the morning of 28th March this year Tracy Archer, 39, ignored warnings from others there not to approach the blazing car with the badly injured driver trapped inside it.

Despite the danger of the car exploding at any moment she braved the fire to open a door, unclip the driver’s seat-belt and get him to safety. She then remained talking to the driver, 71-year-old Kenneth Bennett, of Lydney, who had suffered five broken ribs, a broken sternum and clavicle and comforting him until an ambulance arrived.

Now Mrs Archer has been awarded a Royal Humane Society Testimonial on Vellum for her actions. The award has been personally approved and will be signed by Princess Alexandra, the president of the society.

Tracy, who was living in Chepstow at the time but now lives near Raglan, said: “I was driving along when the car in front of me was hit by an oncoming vehicle. The other car’s brakes had failed; he got out fine but Ken was trapped, and then the car caught on fire.

“People were shouting at me to get back but I suffer a bit with oppositional defiance so I dragged him out the car and across the road.”

Acting alone in saving Mr Bennett, Tracy has also won the personal praise of Andrew Chapman, Secretary of the Royal Humane Society.

As he announced the award at the Society’s London headquarters he said: “She literally dared to go where others feared to tread.

“What she did was incredibly brave. Anyone who approaches a burning vehicle is taking their life in their hands. It could explode into flame at any time. But Mrs Archer didn’t hesitate. Despite others urging her not to, in a completely selfless action she went to the aid of the injured driver and saved him from being burned to death. She richly deserves the award.”

No date has been fixed for presentation of the award but it is expected to take place in the near future.

Tracy added: “It was such a surprise to get this award, you don’t do these things to receive anything in return”.

The roots of the Royal Humane Society stretch back more than two centuries. The Queen is its patron and its president is Princess Alexandra. It is the premier national body for honouring bravery in the saving of human life.

It was founded in 1774 by two of the day’s eminent medical men, William Hawes and Thomas Cogan. Their primary motive was to promote techniques of resuscitation.

However, as it emerged that numerous people were prepared to put their own lives at risk to save others, the awards scheme evolved, and today a variety of awards are made depending on the bravery involved.

The society also awards non health care professionals who perform a successful resuscitation. Since it was set up the society has considered over 87,000 cases and made over 200,000 awards. The society is a registered charity which receives no public funding and is dependent on voluntary donations.

It was one of a select number of organisations to receive a donation from the Patron’s fund which was set up to acknowledge work done by organisations of which the Queen is the patron, to mark her 90th birthday.

To view the original article CLICK HERE

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The Story Of The Beachley Evacuation Of 14-Sep-1917 …

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Hi,

Evacuation, ships and a ‘lost’ train

Friday, 15 September 2017 By Mark Elson in Local People

• 
  •A picture of a derailed locomotive at Mead’s Orchard. On the left is shunter Edgar Grail whose son George owns the original photograph.

EXACTLY a century ago this week an entire Forest village  was “evacuated”,  although the forced move was not for the safety or benefit of the uprooted people. 

The story of what might be more accurately described as a mass eviction at Beachley has largely been forgotten – until now. 

A  new book throws a fascinating light on how fears about U-boats in the North Atlantic blighted a village, led to a campaign for justice that lasted a decade, provided money-making opportunities both legitimate and dishonest  and led to a rural backwater being transformed into a massive industrial centre. 

Carol and Richard Clammer of Tutshill first became aware of the evacuation when it was mentioned in a book Carol was helping with on the churches of Tidenham by the Tidenham History Group. 

Carol said: “There was a chapter about Beachley Church which people in the history group had already researched. There were two pages about the evacuation of the villagers which we knew nothing about and we had been here for 28 years.”

But what really kicked it off was a photo from Mr George Grail of former Great Central locomotive 404B derailed from a section of line running through Mead’s Orchard and with Tump Farm in the background.

Richard said: “We spent happy winter days walking around with this picture trying to work out where it was.”

Some four years of pain-staking research in the local area and in archives in Gloucester and London has resulted in Beachley and the First World War: The Story of a Shipyard, a Railway and the Transformation of a Rural Parish. 

It tells how government letters were delivered to every home in the village on Monday, September 3 1917 giving families just 11 days to move. 

Following the deadline of September 14 soldiers from the Royal Engineers and German prisoners of war moved in to begin work on a giant shipyard. 

Beachley, along with Chepstow and Portbury, on the other side of the Severn, were to become  the sites of three ‘National’ shipyards but the venture would end in scandal with no ships ever being built on the English side of the Wye.

Carol said: “The bits that were known had been rehashed in various documents but there was no detail about the amount of change or what happened to the people who left the village. 

“I think there were at least 106 individuals that were evicted. When you go through the (1911) Census returns it’s a bit difficult to work out.”

The only person who was not moved out was Mr Blatchford, the lighthouse keeper – whose granddaughter still lives locally. He had to stay to tend the lights to guide ships through the Severn. 

Former teacher Richard said: “It was a rural idyll and then, wallop, in came 3,000 Royal Engineers and 3,000 prisoners of war in a month.” 

Among those affected were the local bigwigs, the Curre family at Beachley Lodge – the site of which is now the officers’ mess at the army barracks – and Colonel Percival Marling VC who was at Sedbury Park. 

The Curres were moved out, never to return, and although Col Marling had land seized, he was allowed to stay but he would leave the area after receiving his compensation in 1920. 

Richard said: “ It’s typical of the time – there is endless detail about compensation for the landowners.

“There are some wonderful details about the Curres and it’s down to how many cabbages and carrots they had in the field, how many pots in the potting shed and how many rings on the curtain rails. It is that detailed.”

There are many letters in the archives complaining about the lack of compensation. 

Carol, a former adult education manager, said: “The solicitors’ reports and everything have been archived so we could see the development of the angry letters as people got crosser and crosser about not getting compensation or being offered compensation that never appears or is quite inadequate.”

Amelia Saunders, who owned the Three Salmons pub, had to wait until the end of 1927 for her compensation claim to be sorted. 

The pub, which was run by Amy Boyle, was part of one centre of population with the other being around the pier. 

Carol said: “It was all considered one village but quite what happened after the 1911 census up to 1917 when they were evicted, we’re not really sure but I would imagine there would have been a huge amount of change.”

The couple have managed to trace what happened to most, but not all, of the families – it is thought some stayed with relatives and others were put up in the parish but there are no official records. 

Col Marling put up some of his tenants but then insisted the military provide homes for them so the government built what is now Tubular Terrace and Buttington Terrace.

The evacuation and the treatment of the villagers received widespread and sympathetic coverage in the newspapers. 

Richard said: “In terms of a huge war effort it is nothing but for some reason it pricked the national conscience, probably because Marling was so influential.  

“It was all over the national newspapers and we’ve got an article from a New Zealand paper about the ‘death of Beachley’.”

Carol added: “It pulled at the heartstrings because it had been a small, close community: rural, fishing and a bit of a tourist attraction.”

Worldwide sympathy or not, the government was more concerned about the shipping lost to U-boat action at the beginning of 1917 which threatened to cut off essential supplies. 

Richard said: “It was going to be huge – there were 18 slipways in the original plan, five of which were built or started and a wet dock for fitting out which was abandoned.”

There was also the biggest shed in the world, a 1,000ft long fabrication facility, the centre line of which is now Inner Loop Road.

Today, bits of railway line and concrete blocks, made by the prisoners on what is now Pavilion Road for the buildings, can still be found in gardens. 

There are pictures of the development of the yard and railways thanks to a chance discovery in the archives of the Imperial War Museum. 

A researcher looking into Richborough in Kent came across two misfiled government albums showing the Beachley development and alerted Forest railway historian Neil Parkhouse. 

Richard said: “It was a Eureka moment. We would never have found them in a million years.

“These wonderful military photographs, all dated, orientated and mapped, show the building of it in 1918. 

“They are stupendous because they give these wonderful pictures of the whole thing, of the shipyard and the prisoners of war.”

Carol and Richard say the assistance of Tidenham Histoy Group, other historians and various railway and prisoner-of-war experts were crucial in the development of the book. 

“We’ve been careful because we are not railway historians – we’ve had a huge amount of help from the Industrial Locomotive Society, the chap who designed the book is a railway historian and Neil (Parkhouse) of course. 

“The railway was driven in first from Snipe Hill – it was a big railway system but this is a branch line that has never been written about.  

“We’ve managed to find the whole history of the building of the line, track diagrams and lots of photographs.  

“It came down Sedbury Lane and through Sedbury crossing down by Box Cottage by Pennsylvania (village). 

“There were loads of sidings down to the wet dock and the slipways and lots of locomotives, standard and narrow gauge. We have a big appendix of every locomotive that was there.”

There were also ‘lines’ of mainline RODs – the Railway Operating Division of the Royal Engineers – locomotives  which were stored at Beachley after service on the Western Front. 

There are remnants of the railway system, including track and platforms, “if you know where to look”, said Richard. 

Among the many stories about the site is a report in The Times in 1919 that a locomotive had gone missing and another that the commanding officer had ‘lost’ two fields. 

Richard said: “There were at least six narrow gauge locomotives down there, most of them we’ve accounted for being auctioned or sold or moved somewhere else. There are couple which we are not clear about. 

“The local farmer says there is a train here somewhere and people keep telling us this story. “Whether it is just a folk memory or whether lurking somewhere under a field in Beachley there is a narrow gauge steam engine, we don’t know.”

Richard says his favourite tales from the yard are the so-called ‘eye-wash’ stories where managers tried to pull the wool over the eyes of inspecting top brass.

He added: “By the time of the Armistice, it was pretty much finished but there was no need for it – it  never built a ship. 

“There are some wonderful stories about paths being built, trains being put in front of things they didn’t want them to see, stones being painted and the prisoners being told to bang on metal sheets to sound busy.”

There was an attempt by the government to hand the running of the yard over to the trades unions – the Severn Estuary was originally chosen because it was far from traditional shipbuilding centres and union influence – but that failed. 

Richard added: “It was so big the government, gave over the whole disposal thing to a private company which must have made millions.”

There were other, illegal, ways of making money from the shipyard and there are many reports such as the man brought before magistrates after trying to do a deal in a local pub for stolen roofing materials. 

Carol said: “All sorts of local ne’er-do-wells were being nicked for receiving stolen goods. It was rife.”

Eventually much of the site was given over to become the Army Apprentices’ College which opened in 1923 and is now the base for 1 Rifles. 

Carol said she would like to find out more about who came back to Beachley and where they had been during the evacuation. 

The 192-page book features  many contemporary photographs including, bizarrely, some taken by an enterprising Ross-on-Wye photographer of German prisoners of war as a ‘souvenir’ of their time in the camp. 

It is published by Black Dwarf Lightmoor and is officially launched on Sunday (September 17) at a  public event to commemorate the evacuation which starts at 2pm. 

Richard and Carol will also give an illustrated talk about their research at an event hosted by Chepstow Bookshop at the Drill Hall in Lower Church Street, Chepstow on Tuesday (September 19). 

Richard said: “We’ve tried to write an accessible story for the general reader but it has footnotes so other people can follow and carry on the research  – we both feel a good history book is something you can pick up and think” ‘this is interesting’.”

To view the original article CLICK HERE

The 1918 from Beachley

Wednesday, 20 September 2017 By Mark Elson

THIS fine old engine returned to Beachley where she started her working life almost a century ago,

Kerr Stuart well tank engine 3063 was the star of an event to mark the centenary of the evacuation of the peninsula to allow the construction of a giant shipyard.

The engine was delivered new to Beachley in 1918 and returned courtesy of Bill Parker of the Flour Mill works at Bream who restored her.

Number 3063 spent its entire working life in the area, transferring to the Fairfield Mabey works in Chepstow when the Beachley yard closed.

She is pictured with Keith Burgum of the Tidenham History Group which organised the event.

To view the original article CLICK HERE

Beachley 100 years on

Wednesday, 20 September 2017 By Mark Elson

• 
  •The 1 Rifles Fijian Community Choir.

A COMMUNITY event marked the 100th anniversary of the most traumatic episode in the history of Beachley.

On September 14 1917 more than 100 people were evacuated from the peninsula to make way for the construction of a massive shipyard.

The event on Sunday, organised by the Tidenham Historical Group and 1 Rifles, was prompted by the publication of a book by group members Carol and Richard Clammer on the events of September 1917 and the industrial development that followed.

The day included the display of the original Beachley steam locomotives, the launch of Mr and Mrs Clammer’s book, buglers and the Fijian community choir of 1 Rifles, displays by local groups including the Severn Area Rescue Association, the Severn Princess Restoration Group and the Chepstow Coastguard. Tidenham Church arranged games for the children.

Sales of the book, Beachley and the First World War: The Story of a Shipyard, a Railway and the Transformation of a Rural Parish were brisk.

Mr Clammer said: “The day has been very well supported and we are particularly grateful to Bill Parker of the Flour Mill in Bream for bringing one of the original Beachley engines and to 1 Rifles for their help in making the day possible.”

Chairman of the Tidenham Historical Group, Keith Underwood, said Mr and Mrs Clammer had worked “tirelessly and with incredible energy” on the book.

He said: “I was brought up with the Apprentices’ School, or college as it became, but it was the Army Technical School (Boys) when my father, a Royal Engineer, brought me and my mother here in 1937.

“When, sadly, the army finally leaves Beachley (in 2027), a new era will open and new generations will see the peninsula develop in a new light.

“I hope its history and heritage will not evaporate in an increasingly materialistic age.

“My thanks and those of all the members of Tidenham Historical Group, are due to Carol and Richard Clammer who have worked tirelessly and with incredible energy to ensure the publication of this magnificent book and for the organisation of this event.

“Thanks are also due to Liz McBride, Coral Blandford and other members of the group who helped make the day a success and thanks, too, to the officers, NCOs and men of the Rifles who made the event possible.”

To view the original article CLICK HERE

 

Regards,
Greg_L-W.

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Considering The £10 Note With Female Cashier & Jane Austen …

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Hi,

today, with the launch of the new polymer £10 by the bank of England, not only is it worth noting that it will, as far as my memory serves, be the very first British banknote to bear the signature of a woman that being Victoria Cleland in her capacity as Chief Cashier of the Bank of England.

That the new banknote commemorates the author Jane Austen not being a female first as the nurse of Crimea fame Florence Nightingale has already featured – That Victoria Cleland seems not to be being widely remarked though it is an achievement denoting her unique rise withing the BoE.

Victoria Cleland Chief Cashier of the Bank of England
with some she made earlier?

1* see the note at the end of this article – I knew it was going to be a mistake depending on memory!

It is also worthy of note as the Bank of England shows further the demise of security high quality paper for printing banknotes that it was back in the late 1700s that a mill at Mounten near Chepstow was the first to supply high quality linen based security paper to the Bank of England to print the new banknotes on.

I wonder who provides the paper today for the printing of the BoE £100 Million notes (Titans) & £1 Million  notes (Giants) as I doubt that as yet they are printed on polymer!

Other than Chepstow’s own Banks of the 1800s the area has another banking association in that the ‘Cartwheel’ 1d & 2d copper coins of 1797 (a date that remained in use for some time, well beyond 1797!) were struck at the stamping mill at Redbrook.

1* I stand corrected & by none other than the Bank of England in a very helpfull tweet, having read my comments:

 

• Bank of England‏Verified account @bankofengland 4h4 hours ago

 

Replying to @Greg_LW

Hi Greg, actually Merlyn Lowther was the first female chief cashier to sign banknotes. Please see http://bankofeng.uk/pl3p30f9jkQ

Here is a full list of the BoE Chief Cashiers and the first was John Kendrick in 1694 and the first woman to hold the office was  Merlyn Lowther from 1999 to 2003 so the best I can offer was that it was a female Chief Cashier who made the momentous move from a paper based printed currency to a far harder wearing and very much less forgeable polymer banknotes.

The full list of Chief Cashiers can be seen in the table below, but unfortunately they lack biographies and pictures – infact copies of the signatures they used would be interesting.

​Victoria Cleland	​2014-
​Chris Salmon	​2011-2014
​Andrew Bailey	​2004-2011
​Merlyn Lowther	​1999-2003
​Graham Kentfield	​1991-1998
​Malcolm Gill	​1988-1991
​David Somerset	​1980-1988
​John Page	​1970-1980
​John Fforde	​1966-1970
​Jasper Hollom	​1962-1966
​Leslie O’Brien	​1955-1962
​Percival Beale	​1949-1955
​Kenneth Peppiatt	​1934-1949
​Basil Catterns	​1929-1934
​Patrick Mahon	​1925-1929
​Ernest Harvey	​1918-1925
​Gordon Nairne	​1902-1918
​Horace Bowen	​1893-1902
​Frank May	​1873-1893
​George Forbes	​1866-1873
​William Miller	​1864-1866
​Matthew Marshall	​1835-1864
​Thomas Rippon	​1829-1835
​Henry Hase	​1807-1829
​Abraham Newland	​1778-1807
​Charles Jewson	​1775-1777
​Daniel Race	​1759-1775
​Daniel Race and Elias Simes (jointly)	​1751-1759
​James Collier and Daniel Race (jointly)	​1739-1751
​Thomas Madockes	​1699-1739
​Thomas Speed	​1694-1699
​John Kendrick	​1694

I am pleased to say that until the burglary at Glance Back, which some may remember, when Lee and I had around £150,000 of items both private and stock stolen between Christmas Eve & Boxing Day some years ago! not only did I own about 8 different Chepstow banknotes but also notes signed by all of the Chief Cashiers from Gordon Nairne to Graham Kentfield and also a decent representation of earlier Chief Cashiers.

The Chepstow Old Bank was formed in 1790 by six local businessmen. A great impetus to country banking came in 1797 when, with England threatened by war, the Bank of England suspended cash payments. A handful of Frenchmen landed in Pembrokeshire, causing a panic. Shortly after this incident, Parliament authorised the Bank of England and country bankers to issue notes of low denomination.This bank is where many of the farmers, shopkeepers and mill owners from around Woolaston in the early 19th century would have deposited their money.  The Chepstow Old Bank went bust in 1869.

To view the original of this comment CLICK HERE

Six Chepstow Bank notes from the 19th century recently sold for a total of £1,930

Chepstow notes worth a mint

Wednesday, 17 April 2013 in

•This five pound note issued by the Chepstow Old Bank in 1862 is estimated to be worth between £140 and £180.

NINE rare notes printed by three Chepstow banks are set to fetch up to £3,500 when they are auctioned tomorrow (Thursday).

The notes from Chepstow Bank, Chep­stow Old Bank and Monmouthshire Bank have been put up for sale by one of Britain’s richest men, Jersey-based prop­erty tycoon, David Kirch.

Mr Kirch’s collection of British provincial banknotes is worth around £1m and it is being sold in four parts at Spink in London.

This NIB above can be seen if you CLICK HERE

 Doing more justice to the benchmark sale:

High interest for banknotes

Wednesday, 24 April 2013 in

• 
  •An 1823 Chepstow Bank £1 note sold for £560.

A RARE £1 note printed in Chepstow nearly 200 years ago and featuring an engraving of the old Wye Bridge has sold at auction in London for £560.

The note, issued on February 13 1823 by the Chepstow Bank, was expected to go for between £300 and £400 in the sale at the Spink auction house.

It was one of six Chepstow notes from the 19th notes that sold for a total of £1,930 alongside two notes issued by the Monmouthshire Bank.

The Monmouthshire was founded in 1790 by William Curre of Itton Hall with George Smith but went bust just eight years later so its notes are comparatively rare.

One of the bank’s five guinea notes fetched £380 – which was valued at £300-£400 – while a £10 note, which included a note about a bankruptcy went for £570 which was also within its estimate of between £500 and £600.

The other Chepstow Bank notes were a £1, a £5 featuring an illustration of the castle, town arch and port and a £10 note with an illustration of the Wye Bridge issued in 1823.

The bank was formed in 1790 by six local businessman but went bust in 1829.

The other notes were printed by the Chepstow Old Bank which operated between 1827 and 1866.

A £1 note issued by the bank was of interest because it misspelled the names of one of its founders, Crawshay.

Tom Badley, a banknotes expert at Spink, said: “This is the finest and most complete group of Chepstow provincial banknotes. It is unique in its quality.”

Head of banknotes Barnaby Faull added: “Merchants would get together and set up their own banks.

“But their notes – which were like IOUs – could only be used locally so when these provincial banks went bust, as the Chepstow Old Bank did, their notes were completely worthless.

The notes were put up for sale by property tycoon David Kirch whose collection of British banknotes is worth £1 million.

To view the original article CLICK HERE

Regards,
Greg_L-W.

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IN MEMORIAM Karl Daymond “larger than life” Chepstow opera singer who died 10-Aug-2017 aged 52 …

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“larger than life” Chepstow opera singer who died 10-Aug-2017 aged 52 …

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Hi,

my first reaction to the death, at only 52, of Karl Daymond, after confirming the sad news, was on Twitter:

Greg_Lance-Watkins‏ @Greg_LW

Sad & untimely death last night of #Karl_Daymond #opera singer & entertainer ran #Chepstow & #Usk singing groups thoughts with his ptnr. Ian

1:01 PM – 10 Aug 2017

Karl’s death was undeniably untimely as it was only last year that his 50th. birthday was very publicly celebrated by his family, friends & various of his singing clubs.

I understand that the efforts of the NHS from the First Responders to the final stages of his life were as ever exemplary, despite the endless denigration of the NHS by those seeking political capital at their expense. I am informed that after some 3 hours of hands on efforts to save his life it was decided further action would prove futile and there was a belief that his condition and its outcome were congenital and at this stage inevitable.

My thoughts are with his family and his partner the Tony Award winning ‘Scenic Designer’ Ian MacNeil, though it must be stated that he will leave a large hole in the lives of his followers in his various singing groups.

Besides his more prosaic singing groups Karl was not only from a musical South Wales family but after his classical training at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama and the National Opera Studio Karl sang as a perincipal baritone soloist with the Royal Opera and bothe Welsh & English National Operas performing in many a production internationally.

With his many and varied talents it is unlikely that anyone would have the timerity, abilities and charisma to take on the daunting challenge of continuing to try to motivate, manage and train the various singing clubs and factions he founded and promoted – memory of their achievements will form an indelible part of the memorial to Karl Daymond’s personal achievements and his unique style.

Tributes paid to “larger than life” Chepstow opera singer who died after collapsing at council meeting

Niall Griffiths

Tributes paid to popular opera singer, Karl Daymond, who died after collapsing at council meeting

 TRIBUTES have been paid to a “larger than life” Chepstow opera singer who died after collapsing at a town council meeting.

Karl Daymond, 52, was taken seriously ill on Wednesday night before being rushed to the Royal Gwent Hospital, where he died.

A much-loved figure within the community, he had previously performed for royalty alongside the late legendary Welsh actor Victor Spinetti.

Classically trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and National Opera Studio, Mr Daymond sang as a principal baritone with the Welsh and English National Operas on renowned stages across the world.

But he was best-known in the area for leading the Chepstow Castle Singing Club, the female-only Chepstow Chatelaines choir, and Usk Singing Club.

Under his stewardship, all three choirs had performed at last year’s National Eisteddfod in Abergavenny.

Mr Daymond also ran the Forest of Dean Singing Club and the Duke’s Yard Singing Club.

Dr Glyn Jones, a family friend, and tenor in the Chepstow Castle club, said: “The man was a shining light in Chepstow and the whole area and was the star leader of five singing clubs.

“Karl was a motivator and he got the best out of people. He enjoyed seeing people enjoying their singing and the singing club has two very important rules.

“We were never critical of anyone else’s singing and were there to enjoy. Every Thursday night was a breath of fresh air.”

Speaking of the impact of the sudden death on the community, Dr Jones added: “It’s just like a dark cloud. It’s basically the loss of a local star.

“In his background, he has performed at the top of the professional game and was and was able to instil that professionalism in ordinary people. He had this human touch that reached everybody and his efforts in his community were second to none.”

Mr Daymond also served as the choirmaster of the St. David’s Hospice Harmony Choir and in July, he led the group in its first public performance at the Celtic Manor Resort.

Emma Saysell, chief executive of the hospice, said that he had made a “remarkable” impact on the lives of patients, and described him as “extraordinary and inspirational.”

Mr Daymond’s reach far extended the singing clubs and his presence and support was felt by other community groups, including the Chepstow to Tintern and Wye Valley Cycle Path project.

A group statement on the group’s Facebook page read: “Let us take a minute silence and stop what we are doing to remember him, he died young and was a wonderful warm figure of a man. Karl was an ardent supporter of the project. I light my candles to him”.

Tributes also came from town councillors, many of whom were among the 80-plus people present at the meeting.

Cllr Paul Pavia said: “He had immense energy and a sense of fun and that was infectious”, while Chepstow mayor, Cllr Dale Rooke, added: “Karl was a larger than life character within the community, he will be sorely missed.

Mr Daymond had been due to speak on the future running of Chepstow Drill Hall before becoming short of breath around 15 minutes into the meeting.

First-aiders initially attended to him after he collapsed outside the council chambers before paramedics arrived.

To view the original of this article CLICK HERE

An Earlier Tribute to Karl Daymond
Written Oct-2012:

10th October 2012

FIRST PERSON: Operatic life of stars, songs and suitcases

OPERA singer and actor Karl Daymond has performed for royalty, starred alongside the late legendary Welsh actor Victor Spinetti and owns ‘the smallest opera house in the world’.

He talks to KATH SKELLON about a career spanning more than three decades.

IT was such an honour to have been asked to sing at the memorial service for Cwm-born Victor Spinetti at The Actors’ Church in Covent Garden last week. I had performed alongside him in the Carl Rosa Opera Company’s production of The Merry Widow.

It was a moving tribute to a great chap and one of the funniest afternoons I have spent.

There were readings from Carry On actress Barbara Windsor, Jim Davidson, Barry Cryer, Rob Brydon and Ronnie Corbett, who got stuck in the church loo, delaying the service by ten minutes.

Victor was a wonderful colleague.

It was a joy to play scenes with someone of his experience and talent. He starred in all The Beatles’ films and was a close friend of Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. The stories he told about his illustrious career were hilarious and heart-warming.

Over the years I’ve been lucky to perform alongside many great actors, such as Hollywood star Dustin Hoffman, and perform all over Europe and the US as a principal baritone. I was a soloist in The Royal Variety Performance in 2004 and have sung in front of 79,000 people at Old Trafford.

I am an entertainer who has enjoyed a successful singing career but nowadays I enjoy nothing more than a good sit down at the piano for a spot of my own brand of musical entertainment, and running The Singing Club in Chepstow and Lydney.

My love affair with singing began at an early age. I grew up in a musical family in Neath watching my cousin Della Jones – a mezzo-soprano – perform, so a singing career seemed inevitable.

I once saw Della sing at the Royal Opera House, London, and remember thinking that that seemed like a nice thing to do.

I loved the combination of music and drama. My school had two full orchestras and all the instruments you could think of. The peripatetic teachers were so inspirational and committed.

Singing is in our hearts in Wales and back then all the towns had an amateur operatic society that would put on shows.

Everyone would be a part of.

I went to see Della perform in Venice, Italy, which made me think that if she could travel and do something she loved to do then I could, too.

I took to the stage playing the clarinet in the orchestra in an opera in Swansea when I was 16 and knew it was where I wanted to be.

At 18 I successfully auditioned for a scholarship at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. It was a big leap moving from Wales to a flat in East London, but as students we had free passes and spent many evenings standing at the back of the opera house.

It was a hot-house of music and drama, language and movement at a very high level. As well as singing I studied the piano.

I spent six years learning my craft, attending at The National Opera Studio sponsored by the Glyndebourne Opera Festival.

I have had one or two mishaps on stage, which is every performer’s nightmare. On one occasion I came on stage through a trap door in the middle of someone else’s love scene and had to walk off the stage. It was deeply humiliating but very funny after the event.

During that period I sang in The Merchant of Venice alongside Dustin Hoffman. We performed eight shows a week for three months. It was fascinating to watch someone of that level and commitment.

I spent 15 years in London living out of a suitcase while working as a freelance for all the UK opera companies in Europe and the USA. It was exciting.

People say it looks glamourous from the outside but it is extremely hard work.

I worked in Italy, Spain, France, Belgium and Holland. I once performed Don Giovanni in Italian at a festival in Italy which was nerve-wracking and I also sang at the Italian premiere of Bernstein’s Candide.

After a while hotel rooms and theatre can be anywhere in the world. I was desperate to settle down somewhere.

I spent a lot of time in airports travelling from one performance to another. There was a time when I was performing in Berlin by night and recording an opera in Paris in the mornings.

For two weeks I would take two flights a day and was exhausted.

When I got back to London I was tired of travelling and decided to make Chepstow my home.

It’s central between my family in Swansea and London and is a great town.

It felt like coming home.

Although I didn’t know a soul when I arrived I made it my home and have been here ever since.

In 2004, I performed in front of Prince Charles at the Royal Variety Show when I sang The Pirate King from Pirates of Penzance. I remember standing in the wings with Liza Minelli, Sir Cliff Richard and Sir Elton John, watching rehearsals, in awe. It was so surreal.

We had a dress rehearsal the day before with costumes and cameras, so I wasn’t too nervous.

One my rituals before performing is that I always have to watch whoever is on before me so that I can hear the response of the audience.

In another live television performance I was standing in the middle of the pitch at Old Trafford on my own preparing to sing Jerusalem to 79,000 rugby league fans.

It was hard to take on board how many people there were and quite daunting. It was live on television so I knew I couldn’t go wrong.

Performing is quite similar to sports in that you have to get in the zone, but it was magical to hear the crowd were singing along with me.

I’ve made many recordings, radio and television appearances, including two films for the BBC, one of which won the Gramaphone and Vienna TV awards.

I’ve also appeared with many opera companies and orchestras, from The Royal Opera House to The Royal Philharmonic, and with Lesley Garrett and Sir Thomas Allen.

One of my biggest roles was starring in the film Trouble in Tahiti – a Bernstein opera for the BBC which gained a Grammy nomination. I had to sing live to music pre-recorded by an orchestra, on set.

Of all the performances I have done I enjoy the intimate audiences best. I find huge theatres impersonal and can’t see ‘the whites of their eyes’ or if they are enjoying it.

I once had the privilege of performing with Montserrat Caballe at the Banqueting Hall, in London’s Whitehall, at a gala concert for Diana, Princess of Wales, whom I was honoured to meet.

She was the President of The British Youth Opera, of which I was a member.

Diana did her job extremely well and she would always have something funny to say.

I had no idea then that I would be walking behind the gun carriage at her funeral several years later in 1997, when I was asked to represent the British Youth Opera at her funeral.

The public display of grief, as I walked from St James’ Palace to Westminster, was extraordinary.

My career continued to blossom and saw me set up the Operaplayhouse company with friend and mezzo Pippa Longsworth.

We bought a tiny trailer and turned it into an opera house.

It’s the smallest in the world and can seat 12 people. It also functions as a stage for much bigger outdoor audiences and we would perform all over the country together. We performed the Guinness World Record for the shortest opera, at three minutes and 34 seconds.

I still perform self-penned silly songs, most recently on The Bookshow for SkyArts, with Mariella Frostrup.

We write topical songs performed in an operatic-style.

Last year I had the honour to be asked to make a special recording in London as a requested artist for Anna Scher when she was a guest on BBC R4’s Desert Island Discs.

Until recently I was the music director with the Chepstow Male Voice Choir.

My passion for singing led me to form The Singing Club a few years ago. It’s a group for adults who want to sing but don’t necessarily want to audition.

In the club you don’t need to have read music, you won’t be asked to sing on your own and you don’t need any singing experience at all. We sing everything from folk to gospel, classical to rock and pop and everything in between. We’ve covered Leonard Cohen, Queen, and performed Chariots of Fire accompanied by a piano on wheels, when the Olympic Flame came to Monmouth.

Singing is a way of bringing people together and is a part of every culture. Singing is also a good release in times of grief and tension.

It’s about building confidence in our clubs in Chepstow, Usk and Lydney. We are thrilled to be singing our Christmas Carols at the Wales Millennium Centre in December.

I am saddened when people think they can’t sing. I always say that if you can speak you can sing.

To view the original article CLICK HERE

A local paper wrote of him:

Tributes to popular singer after collapse at council meeting

Thursday, 10 August 2017 By Mark Elson in Local People

Karl Daymond collpased at a Chepstow town council meeting just before he was due to speak about the future of the Drill Hall

CHEPSTOW has lost a ‘larger than life character’, the Review has learned, after opera singer Karl Daymond was taken ill at an ‘emotional’ town council meeting to decide the future of the Drill Hall on Wednesday, August 9.

Karl was known to many people in Chepstow and the surrounding area as the ’Singing Clubber’, running five singing clubs in Chepstow, Usk and the Forest of Dean.

Mayor of Chepstow, Cllr Dale Rooke, said after his sudden death: “Karl was a larger than life character who is going to be very sorely missed. He was very involved in the community and I’d known him for about six years since I became a councillor. It is heart-breaking that someone so community-driven was taken from us at such a young age.

“The meeting was to decide the future of the Drill Hall. It never actually started as we had fifteen minutes for the public to speak before-hand. Two speakers were left and Karl was one of them.

“He was quite stressed about speaking and we think that in itself may have been a contributing factor. Karl got up to leave the room and collapsed on the landing outside.

“It was an emotional meeting, but we knew it was going to be. About 80 people were present. Many of the speakers were supportive of the proposed lottery bid and some criticised the management culture of the proposed Community Interest Organisation, but there was no animosity.

“It was particularly traumatic as when he collapsed, everyone was stuck in the council chamber and lots of the people in the room knew Karl.”

Karl trained as an opera singer. As a principal baritone he sang with English National Opera and Welsh National Opera, performing at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden and at Glyndebourne.

He ran the Chepstow Chatelaines, Duke’s Yard and Chepstow Castle Singing Clubs in the town and singing clubs in Usk and the Forest of Dean.

He organised Songs of the Somme at the Drill Hall last November and in July this year, the singing clubs sang a Syrian song at the iNEED Hope festival for refugees in Herefordshire.

The meeting to discuss the future of the Drill Hall is now due to take place on Wednesday, August 15, at 7pm at the Palmer Centre in Chepstow.

To view the original of this article CLICK HERE

On a National scale here is an example of the coverage:

Opera singer Karl Daymond dies in arts row meeting

• 11 August 2017

 

Image copyright Wales news service

An opera singer collapsed and died while arguing to save an arts venue.

Karl Daymond fell ill just before he was due to speak at a meeting about Drill Hall in Chepstow, Monmouthshire, where he had directed shows.

He was a passionate supporter of the arts who wanted to ensure the future of the venue.

Chepstow mayor Dale Rooke said he was “one of those larger than life characters” with a “huge heart and a huge passion”.

“He will be sorely missed and it’s a huge, huge loss to Chepstow,” he added.

Mr Rooke said Mr Daymond was “quite stressed” about speaking at the meeting, which was organised to allow locals to have their say on the future of the hall.

It came amid a row over whether the venue’s ownership should be transferred from the local authority into the hands of a newly-formed charity.

‘Emotional’ meeting

The hall secured £50,000 from the Big Lottery in February to fund renovations with plans for a further £1m bid dependent on who owned it in future.

Mr Rooke said: “It was an emotional meeting but we knew it was going to be. About 80 people were present.

“It was particularly traumatic as when he collapsed, everyone was stuck in the council chamber and lots of the people in the room knew Karl.”

Mr Daymond trained at The National Opera Studio before touring the world with both the English and Welsh national operas.

His career included performing at the BBC Proms in 1999 and 2002, and twice at the Royal Variety Performance, in 1982 performing The Pirate King from Pirates of Penzance, and as a soloist in 2004.

He appeared with Hollywood star Dustin Hoffman in a 1989 production of the Merchant of Venice, and took a starring role in Leonard Bernstein’s Grammy-nominated one-act opera Trouble in Tahiti in 2001.

To view the original of this article CLICK HERE

Regards,
Greg_L-W.

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Posted by: Greg Lance-Watkins

tel: 44 (0)1594 – 528 337
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You are encouraged to contact me with information or to effect a correction on any of my postings – BUT I only respond to individuals providing a verifiable name, address and land line telephone.

NB:

1. I NEVER post anonymously on the internet
2. ALL MY BLOGS & WEB SITES are clearly sourced to me
3. I DO NOT use an obfuscated eMail address to hide behind
4. I DO NOT use or bother reading FaceBook
5. I DO have a Voice Mail Message System
6. I ONLY GUARANTEE to answer identifiable eMails
7. I ONLY GUARANTEE to phone back identifiable UK Land Line Messages
8. I DO NOT accept phone calls from witheld numbers
9. I REGRET due to BT in this area I have a rubbish Broadband connection
10. I AM opposed to British membership of The EU
11. I AM opposed to Welsh, Scottish or English Independence within an interdependent UK
12. I AM NOT a WARMIST
13. I DO NOT believe the IPCC Climate Propaganda re Anthropogenic Global Warming
14. I AM strongly opposed to the subsidy or use of failed technologies eg. WIND TURBINES
15. I AM IN FAVOUR of rapid research & development of NEW NUCLEAR, Thorium & Psi/Si technologies
16. I see no evidence to trust POLITICIANS at any level or of any persuasion
17. I DO NOT believe in GODS singular or plural, Bronze Age or Modern
18. I VALUE the NHS as a HEALTH SERVICE NOT as a Lifestyle support
19. I BELIEVE in a DEATH PENALTY for serial or GBH rape.
20. I BELIEVE in a DEATH PENALTY for serial, terrorist, mass or for pleasure murder.
21. I BELIEVE in a DEATH PENALTY for serial gross child abuse including sexual.
22. I DO NOT trust or believe in armed police
23. I DO NOT believe in prolonging human life beyond reasonable expectation of sentient participatory intellectual existence
24. I BELIEVE in EUTHENASIA under clearly defined & legal terms
25. I DO TRY to make every effort to NOT infringe copyrights in any commercial way & make all consequential corrections of fact brought to my attention by an identifiable individual

Please Be Sure To
..

Re-TWEET my Tweets

& Publicise My Blogs

To Spread The Facts World Wide

~~~~~~~~~~#########~~~~~~~~~~

Posted by:
Greg Lance – Watkins
Greg_L-W

eMail Address:
Greg_L-W@BTconnect.com

Blog About The Main Web Site:
https://InfoWebSiteUK.wordpress.com

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IN MEMORIAM: Michael James Cedric RADCLYFFE 04-Apr-1935 – 10-Jan-2017 …

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IN MEMORIAM: Michael James Cedric RADCLYFFE 04-Apr-1935 – 10-Jan-2017 …

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Posted by:
Greg Lance – Watkins
Greg_L-W

eMail: Greg_L-W@BTconnect.com

https://InfoWebSiteUK.wordpress.com

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IN MEMORIAM:

Michael
James Cedric
RADCLYFFE

Born in Chepstow
04-Apr-1935
Died 10-Jan-2017

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The Eulogy by Michael’s nephew

My Uncle Michael James Cedric Radclyffe was born on the 4th. of April 1935 in The Bridge House, Bridge Street, Chepstow. He was the youngest of 3 children born to Doris and Briavels Radclyffe. He had a sister Heather and a brother Gordon.

He was educated at Chepstow Primary School (where Stuart Crystal used to be). He then went to Lydney Grammar School, whilst there he had a cricket trial for Somerset. They then changed the boundaries so he then joined Gordon at Monmouth Boys School; he was very keen on any sport. Rugby, Cricket, Hockey, Boxing and Cross Country were amongst the events he took part in. Michael was also a keen chess player and had trophies to prove it. Golf was also an enjoyable pastime of Michael’s.

He left school and joined the sports staff on the Bristol Evening News, where he was good at tipping horses.
His father was called up during the 2nd. World War, so Michael came back to Chepstow to work in the family veg shop in Bridge Street.

He was then called up himself and joined the RAF in 1953, he was Coxswain in the Air Sea Rescue Costal Command, and he travelled the world in his 22 years, taking in the four home countries, the Far East, Hong Kong, Singapore, Ceylon and the Maldives.

Whilst being posted to RAF Mountbatten in Plymouth he met Renee a local service WRAF and they married in September 1964, they had 3 children, Christopher, Geraldine and Annette. Further postings included Scotland and 3 happy years in Cyprus with his family.

On leaving the RAF he was the Manager of a hotel in Alness, Scotland. They then later moved back to Plymouth where Michael was Mess Manager in the Sargeants Mess at Mountbatten. He then decided to work for himself as a painter and decorator.

When his mother died in 1980 the family moved to Chepstow to live in The Bridge House to care for his father, he opened a clock and brass shop in Bridge Street, the same one he had sold fruit and veg in, so he had come full circle.

The family moved to Bulwark in 1988, after the death of his father.

Michael had 8 grandchildren: Darryl, Cameron, Cally, Robson, William, Franchesca, Chloe and Ammon. Four years ago Michael discovered he had a daughter, Jan, who is the eldest of his children.

His grandchildren follow him with the love of sport. When he retired he kept his brain active by doing quizzes, crosswords and backing horses, woe betide anyone who came to the house and didn’t know the capitals of any country, he could recite any Derby winners back to 1954.

Michael loved to write poetry, often he sent examples of his poems to the local newspapers with a select few making it into print. He also liked to write letters to prominent people, he even wrote to the Duke of Edinburgh, enclosing photographs of China Bay when the Queen & Duke visited there. He always received replies and he kept them all in a special folder.

Michael was a great host in his younger years and would talk to anyone. He loved to play silly games such as ‘Snatch The Penny’ and was very competitive in this game! His ‘side step’ was also a great amusement to him as long as he caught you out.

Michael loved a bargain and would haggle to get the price down, which made him a great market trader in his day at Chepstow Market.

Michael was the sort of character you wouldn’t forget in a hurry, he will be sadly missed by all who knew and loved him and he is now at peace.

Regards,
Greg_L-W.

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Posted by: Greg Lance-Watkins

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