My introduction to The Pickwick Bicycle Club came as a result of the unveiling of the UK’s first statue to honour the novelist Charles Dickens, in the city of his birth, Portsmouth. Cycling in from stage right, weaving their way through bollards, chairs and pedestrians were a bevy of five or six cyclists – some…
Singular Statues: #9 Charles Dickens Unveilled
It was a truly British occasion – 7th February 2014. A few ladies and gentlemen were dressed in Victorian attire and suddenly, through the Guildhall precinct on what can still be termed Commercial Road, came a team of penny farthing cyclists weaving through the pedestrians (The Pickwick Bicycle Club) – all to a backdrop of…
A Dickens of a thing …
I started this A3Traveller blog with a post on Charles Dickens for we share a common birthdate, so it seemed somewhat appropriate, especially given he is a local lad made good. It’s wonderful to hear therefore that a statue to this literary master will be unveiled in the city of his birth at Portsmouth’s Guildhall Square…
Gong Hey Fat Choy for 2014!
I had wanted to experience Chinese New Year in an Asian location for many years so it was very interesting to be in the heart of the celebrations when I visited Singapore last year. I understand Chinese New Year is dependant on the lunar calendar so the date tends to varies slightly from year to…
A dream fulfilled: exploring a fort
I grew up in Fareham and Portsmouth so the Victorian land fort defenses on top of Portsdown Hill and the sea forts just off Southsea Beach were on my background radar as places of great interest and intrigue during my childhood. I was fed stories about all the forts being connected by secret tunnels which…
Shard-View – Western Europe’s tallest skyscraper
It seems that The Shard London is a Marmite skyscraper – do you know that expression? Very strangely in my opinion, people either seem to like it or loathe it, with equal passion. For those of you familiar with this blog, you will immediately know that I love both Marmite and I am a definite…
Singular Statues: #7 King William III
I am just a little shocked at the excess shown by this double gilded gold-leafed vision of King William III, which stands at the eastern end of The Porter’s Garden of Portsmouth Dockyard, just inside the main entrance. You will be unsurprised to hear that it was sculpted “in the manner of the Caesars” by the…
Goodwood House – one of West Sussex’s gems
If you have visited Glorious Goodwood, Goodwood Revival or the Festival of Speed, have you ever wondered what lies behind the front door of Goodwood House? Well, it might be worth making a date for your diary for the annual house tour season starts 16th March – 13th October this year. The house itself started…
West Wittering – one of the world’s great beaches
Why of why did I wait so long to visit the Witterings in West Sussex? I discovered them when looking for places to walk my dog – not the normal way you discover a beautiful beach I must admit but I am so very glad I went there in the end. I swear that The…
Basel: New Featured Image
I tend to change the background on my blog every now and again and the current image comes from a visit to the art capital of Switzerland: Basel. I had just crossed over the Rhine on one of the four ferries that zig zag from bank to bank using the water current as its power…
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