Hay, There's lovely for you!...

TonbridgeBlog is back from the Hay on Wye Literary Festival, frankly wishing he was still there in the middle of the Black Mountains and the Brecon Beacons surrounded by arty actor and author types with a choice of forty bookshops in a town half the size of Tonbridge. I saw a load of famous people such as a performance by my fave poet Roger McGough and the first female Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy, as well as Sue Perkins, Anthony Horowitz, the Archbish of Canterbury and amazingly Desmond Tutu, surrounded by several beefy dog-collar wearing "minders" standing right there a few feet away from me. I've made Hay an annual family pilgrimage and always feel physically knackered but mentally refreshed when I return; I can't think of anything bad to say about the place. As they say in Wales: There's lovely for you!...

Victoria Hislop Book Signing today....

Yes it is still on this afternoon from 4 till 5pm. Form an orderly queue along the High Street and around the corner into Bank Street. Her first novel, The Island, was critically acclaimed winning several prestigious awards, and the follow up, The Return, is currently number two on the best seller list. They are essentially beautifully written, historical novels; The Return centering around the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s, which spilt the country in two. Come along to Mr. Books, Bank Street, Tonbridge, opposite Church Lane, buy a signed copy or two and to have an informal chat with Victoria, who is a Tonbridge girl after all....

Laugh? I nearly wet meself!...

Went to a fantastic night of comedy at the Tonbridge Juddians Rugby Club club house last night, so feeling the effects today. Aching sides that is and also an aching head (well you need a couple of beers to loosen yourself up a bit to allow the comedy to have its full impact I always find.) These guys were the real deal, from the London comedy circuit so they were polished performers. There were no moments squirming in your seat thinking when are they getting off the stage, not even an embarrassing pregnant pause. The compere held it all together really well, although he did use the f word quite alot. Football? Federalism? Ferns? Fundementalism? No the other one! Frank Skinner, that famous sweary comedian, apparently tried doing his whole live act without saying fuck (oh it slipped out!) and concluded that it actually made no difference at all to the level of laughter. So there's a lesson for us all there, maybe somewhere, who knows. Anyway all three acts were brilliant but the final act, and of cause I've forgotten his name, who had a brilliant combination of fast talking one liners, general nuttiness bordering on insanity and anal slapstick (imagine a cross between Harry Hill, Groucho Marx and Le Petomain and you'll be in the vicinity) had my sides splitting from start to finish. This night, which was a charity fund raiser, organised by Adam, one of the young first team players, should definitely become an annual event. Can I remember any of the jokes to share with you all? Can I f....

Tonbridge County Secondary School 1949-1950?...

I've just acquired some old school magazines from the late 1940s and early 50s for Tonbridge County Secondary School for Boys. Now was that the name for Sussex Road before it became a primary school or was it Slade or another school that doesn't exist anymore perhaps? This is where my lack of local knowledge, being a man of the North whose been down this way for 25 years or more, really shows up. Any true Tonbridge thoroughbreds out there will instantly know the answer and probably think TonbridgeBlog incredibly dim for not knowing!...

Victoria Hislop Book Signing this Saturday...

Just a quickie, all I have time for, to say that Victoria Hislop's Book signing is still going ahead but the time has changed to 4pm to 5pm on the same day ie. this Saturday May 23rd. I've changed all posters, web site, infomed press and radio stations, all you have to do is show up, if you like her books that is....

The Ivy House is back in business....

I noticed that my old favourite pub in Tonbridge, The Ivy House, has now reopened after several months of being refurbished. I also noticed that they've given it a new name for the 21st Century. It now officially the Ivy House Dining Room and Bar; they've taken down the old pub signs and replaced them with some very dull looking ones. I know that it has to attract people with money and serve food and have an outdoor lounge, cos that's what customers expect these day; and I know that they are a commercial concern and have to make a profit but, oh, I do hope it hasn't lost its old and wonderfully seedy atmosphere. I may just have to toddle on down there later on this evening to find out!...

Collectors and spotters....

I often wonder about the weird and wonderfully diverse group of people who are book collectors. They come in all shapes and sizes and from all walks of life. From bus drivers, financiers, car dealers, aristocrats, even tramps. I've had them all in my shop and it's hard to pin point just what has led to their particular book obsession, be it Rider Haggard first editions, observer books, books about trains or boats, buses or trams, football or chess. So I was particularly interested in a brilliant collection of photos on the Guardian web site today about spotters, because I think they're basically the same type of people. That is to say people who spot things; birds, trucks, boats, sharks you name it there's a spotters fan club for it. There's probably a book collector spotter out there somewhere! I'll leave you to judge for yourselves....

Tonbridge entourage?!..

Someone tells me that there was an entourage of six cars, flanked by a number of Police motor bikes seen in Tonbridge yesterday. I didn't spot it. Anyone know who it might have been? My thought was our estwhile MP Sir John Stanley using up the last of his expenses before the big clamp down! Or Whacko Jacko, who apparently has been looking at houses in the area, now there's a thought....

Victoria Hislop in my shop? Shurely shome mishtake...

Well I've had an interesting day what with sorting out the MOT and service on the car. A customer in the shop recommended Alba in Hildenborough, who seem to have done a very competent job as far as my untrained eye can see. They even offered to drop me back in Tonbridge and to deliver the car when it was finished. I elected instead for the fold up bike in the boot and ride back into town option since it was a reasonably nice morning, then got a lift there this evening. It did cost well over £250 all in once they'd added in the fully synthetic oil, new wiper blades and other bits and bobs, but they were very nice. I stopped off at the Hildenborough farmers market this morning on my way back from the garage and thought it looked very good, and quite busy, considering it was only about 9-15. Why the heck can't we have a weekly farmers market around the Castle? I wondered to myself as I perused the green veg, mushrooms, bread and cake stalls, plants, fish, butchers, crafts and soaps and other lovelies, what's not to like?! Oh and I've been chatting with local, and becoming famous author, Victoria Hislop about doing a book signing at the next Book Fair in October. She tells me that she went to both Slade Primary School and the Tonbridge Grammar School for girls, so she truely is a local lass. As it turns out she might not be able to come to the fair but she has agreed to come along to Mr. Books Bookshop for an informal book signing and chat next Saturday, May 23 from about 10am to 11am. So if you fancy a signed copy of her highly aclaimed debut novel The Island or her best selling follow up, The Return, you know where to come. Don't tell too many people though as she's asked me to keep it lowish key! Now I've just got figure out where to put all the other books to make room for hers!...

Poetry in Tonbridge? Yes please or Whatever....

No news on the Ivy House poetry nights in Tonbridge, they are still refurbishing the decaying old, seedy (but lovely) place. By the way I noticed the other day that the pub sign seems to have been removed, so perhaps a name change is in the offing. In the meantime here's a poem called Whatever by the new, and first female, Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy, which I thought was particularly lovely despite, or maybe because of, her rather strange sounding voice. The Poetry Archive site allows you to read many poems and, more interestingly in my opinion, allows you to listen to the poets themselves reading their own material. In fact there are even old recordings such as Tennyson reading The Charge of the Light Brigade if you prefer the more traditional stuff....

Fate or coincidence at Mr. Books....

To my amazement I had in stock two old hardback books by Lloyd C. Douglas, The Robe and The Big Fisherman, which a lady really wanted for a Christening present tomorrow. When she walked in I'm afraid I hadn't heard of either of the titles so I said that she'd be lucky to find them and could merely point her to the section in the shop where they might be. Within two or three minutes she had found them both almost popping out of the shelf at her. Considering that I've been known to take an hour, sometimes more, finding a book which I know I have, so this was just a little spooky. I'm not a great believer in fate, but this was certainly a huge coincidence. Still I was glad to be of help; and to take her money!...

Think of Three beautiful things....

I still enjoy the occasional look at Three Beautiful Things, which is a locally based (Tunbridge Wells) blog which does exactly what it's name suggests. Three positive things are mentioned each day which have caught the writers attention. Sometimes they are fairly mundane things, other times they are really quite poetic. I think it has stood the test of time because it's so brilliant in it's simplicity. Ok it can be a bit gooey sometimes, but other times she hits it spot on for me and strikes a chord. See what you think....

Community Life....

Even several months on people still come into my shop and say things like: "...when are you going to start writing the Tonbridge Community column in the Courier again?" Which is nice, but the problem is that they didn't treat us Community Life correspondents too well, otherwise I'd still be writing it. Apart from abruptly deciding not to pay us all (and they were only paying us £9 a week anyway!) they never asked us in to see the print works or editorial floor, nor did they ever pay us the odd visit. They lost a lap top computer containing all our personal information, including bank details, and offered us a derisory compensation to fob us off. They never even organised a get together once a year for us all, consequently I only ever got to share ideas and chat with around three or four of the other writers. You'd have thought that with us all being so spread out they might have at least done that once in four years. So I'll never say never but I have to say it's very unlikely that I'll write the column again in the foreseeable future. £100 a week, a car and free luncheon vouchers? When do I start!...

Tonbridge Juddians: Unconquered....

What an amazing season the 1st XV team had at the Tonbridge Juddians (TJs) Now I knew they'd had a few whapping great big wins this season but wasn't quite aware of their massive achievement. Even when you take account of the money the club have spent on recruiting new professional coaching staff and some, more or less, semi-pro players its still stunningly good. The record speaks for itself: 44 points out of a possible 44 points with 22 wins out of 22. TJs finish 8 points clear of second placed Bromley and were promoted with a Played 22, Won 22, Drawn 0, Lost 0, Points For 1085, Against 163, Points Difference +922 record. Over a thousand points! Incredible! If they can do anything like as well in the higher division next season they'll probably be promoted again. I may even go down to watch them a bit more next season, when the matches will, hopefully, be a little less one-sided. Enjoy your summer lads, you've earned the rest....

P'd off....

Couldn't help but notice that the Civil Enforcement Officers (that's traffic wardens to you and me) now have cars to take them to and from their patch. The cars (photo to follow soon hopefully) have a big blue "P" on the side. Is this P for Parking, are they a mobile car park? Can we park in front or on top of the Parking Attendant Mobile? Will they soon just issue tickets from the dry comfort of their luxury Berlingos? They've probably got the technology so it might not be long. Possibly a little bit extravagant with our community charge money in these hard times; afterall walking to and from their territory has always sufficed before. Many of us wish they would all just P off...

Au revoir Tonbridge Civic Society Committee....

And speaking of committees, last night I informed the Chairman of the Tonbridge Civic Society that I no longer wish to be considered for re-election onto the Excecutive Committee. Effectively that means that I step down as of now, although officially after the society's AGM at the Angel Centre on Tuesday May 26th. I've really quite enjoyed the experience of being actively involved in matters which directly effect the the look of the town; I think the society has its heart very firmly in the right place, with no hidden agenda of any kind. Just a bunch of, mainly retired, Tonbridge folk who care about their town, want to promote civic pride and wish to see new buildings particularly in the town centre being well thought out and built to aesthetically pleasing designs. There can't be anything wrong with that can there? Ok it probably does attract a few busy-bodies who may occasionally stand in the way of positive progress, but surely that's better than nobody caring. So why have I stepped down then? Because, not being retired yet, I really couldn't give the exec committee role the time and commitment it deserved, I have done my four year stint, perhaps it's time for someone else, with time on their hands and fresh ideas to give it crack. I will continue to pay my ten quid a year family membership and attend as many of their open meetings as possible, maybe I'll even help out on the newsletter or with PR from time to time, because I do believe actually that the TCS does make quite a considerable contribution to the town. Anyone can join, and some of the meetings really are very entertaining and informative; the Civic Design Awards, which is their flag ship event is held in the lovely surroundings of Somerhill Hill House and Gardens, and you get a nice buffet meal and pretty much unlimited wine, all for £12, which can't be at all bad. Click on this link to find out more; and I've just noticed that the top photo on their home page is actually a picture of me (and my daughter) walking away in the distance through the Market Quarter development, which won last years design award, and that photo now takes on a new significance....

Decisions by committee....

The Tonbridge Decorative Fine Arts Society don't half move quickly. They asked me a while ago if I'd put something in my column in the Courier. A column which I hadn't written for over six months! I replied saying pretty much that but I'd be glad to include a link to their website on TonbridgeBlog. Low and behold, 2 months later and probably several committee and sub committee meetings later, they've sent me the reply below. I know I'm being a bit cheeky taking the micky out of them, because they are probably very decent people, but it tickled me just how long such a simple decision can take. I can just picture them now getting to the fourth item on the AOB part of the agenda and then agonising over the advantages and disadvantages of being on such an outspoken site.
"Dear Mr R Thanks for your e-mail 3 March 2009 mentioning your Tonbridge blog. The committee would be very pleased if you could put a link on it to our web site.www.nadfaskentarea.org.uk This is the web site for all NADFAS societies in Kent and there is a link to the Tonbridge TDFAS society. Kind regards Barbara C TDFAS"

So what's best then a committee or a dictator running the society? I hear you all cry in unison....

The Tonbridge Garden show revisited....

Well I went to the Garden Show this morning. Saw lots of plants, shrubs, garden seats and tables, some animals in very small pens with collection boxes hung on the fence collecting for an animal sanctuary, lots of cheese, a delicatessen and other foody stalls including the African Spot selling biltong, at least one artist selling his paintings and doing a painting while he was at it. Then there were people selling, garden whirlpools, outdoor clothing, wind chimes, I even saw, rather bizarely, some didgeridoos for sale. Would I have have paid the £4 entrance fee had I not had a complimentary ticket? Probably not, although clearly lots of people didn't seem to mind. I do wonder if it might be more sensible for the organisers to go for a nominal sum of say a pound and charging the exhibitors very slightly more, which they won't mind because the visitor numbers will inevitably increase which benefits them. Now it's off to the Craft Show at Penshurst! Not really, but, if anyone has been or is going they could report back by commenting below....

What's on in Tonbridge....

There's the Garden and Home Show, under new management, on Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday at the Sportsground Park; they do charge to get in so that you can spend money, which I always find a little odd, but it might be worth a look. Then there's the Craft Show at Penshurst Place if you fancy a day out there in an idyllic setting, or you could even cycle over there on the Tonbridge-Penshurst cycle trail, mostly off road, if you're feeling more energetic. There'll be lots of men with long beards and unwashed hair, wearing jumpers made on their own pedal-knitting machines making wicker baskets and pots, and there's sure to be something of interest for the whole family if you like that sort of thing. Then, there's the Postcard collector's fair on Sunday at the Angel Centre from 10am to 4pm if you want to go and pay ten quid or more for an old photo of a long demolished Tonbridge shop or a macabre postcard of a mangled train wreck from the famous accident at the railway station in the steam days. Oh and my bookshop, Mr. Books will probably be open on Saturday and Sunday because there'll be so many people around I'd be a fool not to. I used to get paid by the Courier to write this kind of stuff! Looking forward to a nice sunny weekend, have fun at the fairs, or you could just stay in the garden....

Name dropping....

Just name dropping really: Big cricket book collector Carl Openshaw, President and ex-Chairman of Kent County Cricket Club was in my shop just now talking to rugby nut Mike Dobson, ex-Mayor (twice) of Tonbridge. It's amazing who you meet in this sleepy little back lane....

Earning your Sunday lunch....

Went for a little stroll over to Penshurst yesterday. At least that's what I thought it was! The others in my family plus the German exchange student, we have staying with us at the moment, thought it was some sort of nomadic migration. It is an easyish bike ride from the Castle to Penshurst; but it takes a good two and a half hours each way on foot. Still it was a lovely day, so, as we didn't have enough bikes to go around, off we toddled. I've done the trip several times on the bike, but never walked it before; there are a few boring stretches but on the whole it was picturesque and peaceful, once you'd got clear on that blot on the landscape that is the A21. In fact for much of it you're following the Eden Valley walk, occasionally following the cycle route, which is a little annoyingly busy on a sunny day. I'd promised the family and our German guest a nice traditional English roast Sunday lunch in an old English pub at the half way point. I must admit that even I was glad to see the welcoming doors of the Leicester Arms on our arrival in Penshurst. Two hours later we emerged, after roast beef and yorkshire pud, followed by apple crumble for the slow trek back to Tonbridge; still at least my wallet was a hundred quid lighter! I even caught a bit of sun and certainly feel healthier, if a little achey, today for it. Beats driving there and feeling totally stuffed afterwards in my book every time. My mum would be proud of me, we'd earned our Sunday lunch!...

Come on ye Angels!..

There's obviously a big match kicking off at the Tonbridge Angels ground this afternoon. In scenes reminiscent of Wembley Way in the 1970s (I exaggerate!) fans, I'm told, from Dover FC walked from Tonbridge Railway Station towards Longmead Stadium banging drums, rattling rattles, chanting songs, as only true footy fans can, and jeering at Tonbridge fans. All in good humour from what I saw. Come on ye Blues!!..

Putting the record straight on John Adams Bookshop....

I read that John Adams wants to get customers back! After holding a six month long closing down sale is it any wonder that many have drifted away to Amazon, WH. Smith, Sainsbury's, Waitrose, and more than a few to my bookshop, MR. Books? Doug Jeffers, the London-based owner of the shop, by the way John Adams himself sold the shop 12 years ago, is now telling the local press that he's staying open at least for the time being. He told me a couple of weeks ago that he's extended his lease only for another six months and has had his rent slashed to £10,000. I'm pretty sure that he won't be able to keep the rent at £10k though, when the landlords want £32,500 for the new lease according to their agents. So Tonbridge Blog predicts that John Adams, or is it now called My Back Pages, as it says on the window of the shop, will only be open for another ten months tops and that's if he manages to get the lease extended again. I could be wrong but I'm willing to put money on it. I am aware that I have a vested interest in this one but Mr. Jeffers ought to be straight with the people of Tonbridge. I've been reliably informed that he's keeping the shop open only so that he can flog off all the stock that he couldn't sell during the lengthy "closing down sale." Also don't believe all that rubbish that they had difficulty getting hold of new stock because of Woolworths closing down. What rot! Betrams, who were part owned by Woollies, are not the only supplier of new books. Mr. Books Bookshop has been happily ordering new books in for customers, in inceasing numbers, throughout the whole of that period from another new book wholesaler, Gardners of Eastbourne, who John Adams also have an account with, so how can his story stack up? Come on Mr. Jeffers, stop miss-leading the people of Tonbridge, you are closing down soon so just be straight with us....

Jack Cardiff dies....

I bet not many of you knew that Oscar winning cinematographer and film director, Jack Cardiff, who died yesterday, lived the last years of his life in Sevenoaks and was often in the Tonbridge area. I had the good fortune to be invited to his house a year or so ago to assess his book collection and briefly met him. He had many rare art books for example and a few special signed first editions. The walls of his house were decorated with framed photos and film memorabilia. His books were all over the house so I had a great opportunity to nose around a bit and was particularly struck by one poster which was hung up on the wall of his study. The inscription underneath the photo of a glamourous blond film star read "I wish I could look as good as you make me look" Signed Marilyn Monroe! Needless to say, it wasn't for sale but just seeing it was something to remember....

Kentish Man????

The freebie magazine, The Tonbridge Insider, has a small piece in the current issue about the Men Of Kent/Kentish Men debate, borrowed from an earlie article by Frank Chapman of the Courier newspaper. First question is What about the women?! Then the next question is Why can't anyone actually tell me a defintitive answer to the age old puzzle? My son was born in Pembury Hospital, and at the time we lived in South Tonbridge. I think that makes him a Man of Kent, but I'm not sure. It's easy for me because I'm a Lincolnshire Yellow Belly and a Meggie, that is to say born in Cleethorpes, but that's not really relevant to this debate. There is of course a society called The Association of Kentish Men and Men of Kent which, if you're really that bothered and have plenty of spare time on your hands, you can join up and debate the issue till you're blue in the face. Their number, as mentioned in the article is 01732 833374, speak to R.G. Adams or by email on radams@aol.com he probably lives in East Sussex!

The winner of the Civic Society's Design Awards....

Tonbridge Civic Society held their Design Awards last night at Somerhill House. It was a glorious evening so the 100 or so guests were treated to delightful views as they sipped some very quaffable chilled white wine on the terrace. The food was incredibly good considering that the caterers were more used to doing the school dinners at Somerhill (which is a school for its day job) and especially considering the tickets for the whole evening, including wine, were only £12 each. On to the business end of the evening, the awards themselves, and this year they were interesting, informative and even at times entertaining. John Durtnell, of the main building contractor on the winning project, Durtnell's, in particular skilfully managed to fit in a three year, £11m project into a twenty minute presentation. Not quite the ten minute slot he was allocated but, nevertheless, some going! The winning project? Tonbridge School's Sports and Media Centre. Head Master Tim Haynes, sung it's praises in a short but very eloquent speech and informed the audience that the project had been decades in the melting pot and, due to the drive of the school's Director of Sport and the out going Bursar, Ray Hart in particular, it had finally come to fruition. It's worth going along to this event, which is held about the same time every year; its good to know what the main building projects in the town have been and to hear the builders and architects speaking about them and the pride that they give them. Someone told me today that Durtnells have been a local family business since 1591! If that's true then it's uplifting to know that such a comapny can survive this long by offering a great service and being involved in some major projects like this one....

Japanese visit Tonbridge....

Just had a really strange conversation about ex-libris book plates in my shop with a Japanese girl student visiting out fair Isles. You try explaining to a Japanese person, with only a very basic command of English, why you would bother to put a label on the inside page of a perfectly sound book to claim ownership of it. It is a little odd anyway if you start analysing it. Of course she bought them anyway, at £1.99 for 12 they were a bargain, and then we had the inevitable photo session of me outside the shop holding a pile of books for effect. Why do the Japansese want to do that everywhere they go? And another thing: did you know that the Japanese are obsessed with Winnie the Pooh? Bizarre I know but, curiously, true.

Tonbridge Blog just got juicier...

Come on then let's spice up TonbridgeBlog a bit. Post your local gossip below. The juicier the rumours/stories are the better. Let's stoop to the lowest level possible. Yes that ought to get the interest levels up a notch or two. Know anything about a well known person in the town? Has anyone been up to something they shouldn't. Is the Mayor having an affair? Does John Bartram of Allsorts, have a secret stash of Gollywog dolls in his basement? Do the traffic wardens enjoy playing fetishist games in the Castle dungeon home?! There are bound to be some unpopular neighbours you can rat on out there! Here's one to start the ball rolling as it were: Pampas Grass. What does this innocent looking plant mean when displayed in a front garden? Post anonymously if you prefer....

Amazing job....

Congratualtions to the council, police and workmen who cleared up, made safe and rebuilt the attic wall on the very old building above Silverman's jewellers which suddenly collapsed recently narrowly avoiding seriously injuring someone. It has now been completed, all within three weeks and looks amazingly good. With a few months of traffic dirt on it you won't even notice that it's not 16th century....

Follow Tonbridgeblog on twitter

No I'm not closing TBlog down or anything as drastic as that but if you want to follow my twitter updates, or "tweets" as they are known in the twittershpere the simply log on to www.twitter.com and search on Tonbridgeblog. Once you've found me you can "follow" me, hopefully not literally cos that would be stalking, and if I like the look of you I can follow you back; that's how it works. While your about it you may wish to follow more interesting people with lives like Steven Fry or Jamie Oliver or Jonathan Ross, all of whom are twitter freaks. The trick is to get your tweet into only 140 characters, which can be rather annoying at times, especially since I'm used to rambling on a bit....

Happy Easter Tonbridgians....

Yes the previous posting was an April Fool prank! Had some of you going though didn't it! Nothing much to report at the moment. My mind's been on other things. I'll try to resume normal service, if you can call it that, after the Easter break. And boy do I need one, break that is. Feel free to carry on without me in the comments. You could talk about anything you like really: the traffic chaos, how parking attendants/civil enforcement officers are ruining trade in the town, are we going to allow 2o storey tower block new developments in the town centre, has anyone spotted Kelly Holmes recently, or is she still "coming down" after having sat next to Mrs Obama, the First Lady, at the State Banquet, you know that sort of thing.

Tonbridge Castle to be restored....

Tonbridge and Malling Council along with a consortium formed by English Heritage, the National Trust and Kent County Council have today announced that the medieval castle at the heart of old Tonbridge is to be fully restored to it's former glory. The architects, Messrs. G.I. Raffe and Sons, who have been appointed to the project have based their plans on the original drawings (see pictures above) which were discovered in the archives at the British Library last year. For many years the castle has been thought to have housed Henry VIII's old crown jewels in its keep and to be one of the best kept Motte and Bailey castles of its type. The old curtain wall and the battlements are already being excavated ahead of the build. The tower at the watergate will be around 200 feet high, dwarfing even the parish church tower and will provide panoramic views over the whole of Kent. Mr John Showers, the planning director responsible for overseasing the project at TMBC, said that on a clear day visitors to the castle will be able to see right across the English Channel. "The people of Tonbridge are in for a treat..." Mr. Showers said "...of course the project won't come without its costs" he added "We intend the new Tonbridge Castle to stand for the next thousand years so it will be worth every penny of the extra £650 special contribution from every household in Tonbridge and Malling. Although the people of the town won't have a choice in whether or not they pay this one off tax, I'm sure that all will agree that it will be worth it." A spokesman for English Heritage also hailed the project as "the project of the millennium" and apologised in advance for the probable three years of disruption to Tonbridge that the building work and the re-routing of the River Medway would cause. This is sure to cause a stir in the town so have your say by posting a comment below....

Telepathy-based social networking is the future....

Telepathy-based social networking? Is the future? According a report on the Gwarniad newspaper website today. Are they 'avin a giraffe or what? I suppose anything's possible but TonbridgeBlog thinks that maybe there's an April fool prankster mucking around at the national paper's editorial offices. The Gwarniad, famous for its misspelling and much mocked by Private Eye, was was sticking to its story and said that not only that but the paper would soon become a "virtual paper" along the lines of Twitter. It has to be a joke surely; but roll on another twenty years and who knows; and then who'll be laughing?!..

Books are coming home....

Well that's another West Kent Book Fair out of the way! It went alright at Tonbridge School on Sunday but, as one regular commenter on this blog mentioned, quite a few people clearly stayed at home to make good use of a dry Sunday to get some gardening and home maintenance done. It always slightly surprises me that out of the 2 million or so people in West Kent, only a few hundred turn up for the fair. Having said that it always seems to be the right few hundred people, mainly book collectors. They will travel far and wide whatever the weather in search of those illustrious first editions. Book collecting is not a bad idea in the current economic climate either; why put your money in a bank to earn half a percent interest, if you're luck, when you can enjoy hunting for and then owning some rare and beautiful, cloth and leather bound volumes which, more often than not, appreciate in value quite significantly over the years. Rare books don't become less scarce with time do they? Have I convinced you to put your money in books and to come along to the next book fair in October? Or in the meantime there's always a visit to Mr. Books in Bank Street! To coin a phrase from the famous football song: after 10 years of internet books are definitely coming home...

West Kent Book Fair in Tonbridge on Sunday....

At the risk of harping on about this event a bit too much and lapsing into the pit of using this blog as an advertising vehicle for my own businesses, which is not really intended most of the time, there is a book fair at Tonbridge School this Sunday from 10am to 4pm. I won't say another thing about it except to say if you want to go click here to find out the full details and for directions to the event....

What's occuring in Tonbridge?

Well half the attic wall fell down onto the pavement to the side of Silvermans Jewellers on the corner of the High Street and Bank Street, near my bookshop. Lucky there was no one underneath, parking their bike or something! It caused a hell of a clatter and could have killed some one, or at least very seriously injured them. That was yesterday afternoon and I must say the Police and council repair men were very swiftly on the scene to clean up the large mess of wood, plaster and bricks which had rained down (narrowly missing my shop sign I might add!) and to ensure nobody walked underneath. So credit where it's due. Meanwhile I'm putting the finishing touches to the organising of the West Kent Book Fair which, if you didn't know already and you are interested enough to come and have a browse, is this Sunday from 10 till 4. There's quite a bit to do in telling the Tonbridge School porters where to put the tables, catering equipment, etc. Then there's the late cancellations and bookings from the book dealers to field. And you thought it just happened! The weather forecast, thankfully looks fine, even a bit sunny, which is good and also quite unusual as it has rained, snowed and rained on the day of the previous three fairs. Business in the shop is quiet at the moment, lunch time and another iffy day weather wise never helps. The high street is quiet and relatively traffic free ahead of the jams which will undoubtedly take place in about an hours time when all the schools kick out. Shortly followed by the office workers going home for their teas. What's occuring in your part of Tonbridge? Anyone out there?...

Planning for change in Tonbridge?...

Last night I went to the Civic Society's monthly meeting at the Angel Centre to hear what Steve Humphrey had to say. Steve has got some fancy title but basically he's in overall charge of planning matters in Tonbridge (and let's not forget Malling.) He and his team have a large say in what buildings go and which don't go in our town. Many of the decisions he takes effect Tonbridge not just right now but for future generations too. He ran through the main developments under consideration at present and they include the Botany area, which has just had a major and rather hideous in my opinion, planning application rejected, West Kent College's new building, which is a £70 million project, large in anyone's book; and then there was Tonbridge School's new sports and media centre, the Riverside Centre, with its 11 storey church tower and the list went on. Many of these developments could change the skyline of Tonbridge for good, and it is slightly worrying, but also a bit exciting, that there is no cap on the height of a new building in the town; each case is taken on it's own merits according to Steve. It has to be inkeeping with the town and it's overall strategic plan and it has to be, to use Mr. Humphrey's phrase, fit for purpose. So in other words it's completely down to the imagination of the developers and the discretion of the handful of, probably overstretched, workers in the planning department at the council. We are pretty much in their hands. There have been a few notable exceptions where the voices of the townsfolk have been heard when they've objected to large projects, such as Oracle's 15 storey tower block development, but these instances are few and far between. The civic society in Tonbridge seem to have their heart very firmly in the right place, even if they are by nature a rather genteel pressure group, but is that enough? The town it seems is at a crossroads in it's development, and the recession, by the way will only slightly delay the final outcome: will Tonbridge stay as a quaint little one street town hanging on to it's market town past? Or will it embrace change and not stand in the way of developers, who may have spotted its potential to develope into something much more significant? Next time you're down that way take a look at the vast acres of space around the Angel Centre, Botany, the railway car parks and imagine how it would look with a huge shopping centre and 15 or twenty story flats and offices above. Ask yourself do you like what you see....

Famous folk of Tonbridge and beyond....

TonbridgeBlog has covered "Famous People of Tonbridge" before so I won't babble on about Colin Cowdrey and E.M. Forster or even Eliza Acton and, dare I claim it, Jane Austen. But I did find out the other day that apparently the famously rotund dry commedienne, Jo Brand, of QI and other programmes fame, is the most famous Twiglet of all time. (Inappropriate nickname, as I'm sure Jo will admit!) That is to say she went to Tunbridge Wells Girls Grammar School, TWGGS for short (geddit?) I know that's not quite Tonbridge, but where's the TunbridgewellsBlog to tell you about it? So someone's got to mention these things!...

Lost Powder Mills of Leigh book signing at Book Fair....

Anyone interested in the excellent new local history book, The Lost Powder Mills of Leigh by Chris Rowley, which I have had to restock twice already will be able to buy a signed copy or three at the West Kent Book Fair next Sunday. Chris will be there from about 10-30 am to around midday....

Twittering on and book buying....

Too busy selling books and sorting out storage and clearing out stock to make way for new stock to be bothered much with blogging at the moment. Anyway I've discovered Twitter.com! The great thing about that is it's always short and sweet, as you have to say what you want to say within 140 characters max, unlike here where I could just ramble on for pages and in any case how many people are actually reading it, judging by the comments not that many and I can't actually work out the number of page views since TonbridgeBlog converted to Google blogger; I know it was around 2,000 hits a day on the old site, but was that the same person visiting 2,000 pages or was it 2,000 people visiting only one page each; probably somewhere in the middle, but where in the middle? Who knows! I did say that you can ramble on for pages and that you should try twitter didn't I. Anyway what I would like to know is what brings people out book buying. I've been a book seller now for 5 years and I still haven't worked that out. If it's raining they stay in or go to Bluewater, if it's sunny they take a trip to the coast or do some gardening. Maybe what I need is a dull, but not too cold day, with no hint of rain or wind, when Bluewater is closed and there are no other sales on and the internet happens to have crashed that day! Also what are John Adams playing at? Are they trying to keep the good folk of Tonbridge guessing as to are they closing or aren't they. First they advertise "Closing Down Sale" and tell everyone that they're closing at the end of March. Then they take the signs down and tell people they can now order new books but they're not restocking. The good thing for Mr. Books is that they are driving people to my shop to order new books as well as top quality secondhand books where, incidentally, they will find friendly service all year round! I have it on fairly good authority (I spoke to the owner, who curiously is no longer John Adams, but a London bookseller called Doug) that they are open for another six months while they flog off the old stock and then it'll be bye bye Tonbridge. So I find myself in the quite nice position of being the only independent bookseller in the town. All I need now are customers to stop buying their books on the internet and for WH. Smiths to follow Woollies and go bust and perhaps a bigger shop!...

Free Tonbridge Press....

I was speaking to my mole at the Courier yesterday and it seems that they are having big problems over at Courier HQ. In last weekend's paper you may have noticed that the management sneaked in an announcement about job cuts and more office closures and that they are folding the Focus free sheet as of next week (not that anyone will miss that three minute read!) It seems that there is more to it and that the office in Sevenoaks for the Chronicle is to be closed and much of the sub editing, design and backroom staff are to be moved to new offices in Chelmsford. So the Sevenoaks Chronicle is to be written from Tunbridge Wells and designed and edited in Essex. Ditto the Tonbridge edition of the Kent and Sussex Courier. (Make that the Kent, Sussex and Essex Courier and the way they are going on Surrey, Suffolk and Hampshire!) Surely this has all gone a step too far; how can these papers be local papers any more. Don't local papers need a constant ear to the ground in the town which they're reporting on. Even the best of their reporters won't be able to achieve truely local stories of any depth by holding a weekly "surgery" in the library. It just won't work. What they'll end up doing is going more and more down the well trodden route of relying on stories coming to them. By the nature of things these stories tend to be PR led. Have a read through the so-called "stories" in the paper (any paper for that matter) and see how many of them mention some company, charity, event or organisation. That usually is the main source of the story; quite a scarey prospect if you think about it. It's called lazy journalism, they get their stories by sitting on their backsides and the PR companies feed them information to get exposure for their clients. It's not how it should work, but the reality is that this is how it increasingly does work and the Courier's short termist strategy only serves to exacerbate this process. TonbridgeBlog has said this before but isn't it time to bring back the Tonbridge Free Press? Actually the Courier group still own that brand name but I'm sure they'll sell it to someone for a few pence. After all they clearly have no further use for it!...

West Kent College....

I was over at West Kent College yesterday afternoon and, although the place is just a huge building site at the moment, I couldn't help but think that the college will be amazing when it's finished. Unfortunately that isn't likely to be until the back end of 2011, but it's going to be worth waiting for I reckon; after all they are spending a staggering £70 million on it's construction. I've seen the plans for the frontage of the new building and, from memory, they looked very impressive and modern, which may not please everyone but should at least make the amateur architects among us look twice. There will undoubtedly be more complaints about parking problems and the like, but I'm sure that most will be ironed out with sensible provisions for cyclists and pedestrians combined with good transport links into the town. I sort of pity the students who are there now though as they get all the grief of the building works and, most at least, are unlikely to still be there when the work is completed. So they don't get any of the benefit. That said, what a fantastic place it will be to leave for many future generations of students....

Boxed dogs!...

Here's another thing that tickled me today (well it is red nose day) This ad appeared in today's Courier in the classifieds under Books and Magazines: Dog Collection: Magazines and dogs (still boxed) £50.
I just hope that they've had the good sense to cut some breathe holes in those boxes!

Red noses....

Even an old cynic like me couldn't help help but chuckle to myself when I saw this outside the Humph Bean pub this morning. I'm pretty sure that the owner of the vehicle in the pic was inside, taking advantage of the all day cheap beer and, no doubt, developing a red nose of a different kind, but that's another story!...

West Kent Book Fair coming up....

I've just sent out a press release to all the local newspapers and radio stations that I can think of. There are probably more which I haven't thought of. If any one is interested it's on Sunday March 29th. In fact you may as well see the whole press release:

Hundreds of book collectors are set to descend on Tonbridge for the West Kent Book Fair which takes place on Sunday March 29th, 2009 in the magnificent urroundings of Old Big School hall, Tonbridge School. There will be around 25 booksellers coming from all over the South East and beyond to sell books as diverse as bargain paperbacks to rare out of print collectable books and modern first editions. There will also be postcards and ephemera on sale. As well as being a book collectors' paradise the event is very family friendly with a childrens area for childrens stories, the chance to meet local authors and refreshments available. Chris Rowley, author of "The Lost Powder Mills of Leigh" will be at the fair from around 10-30am to 12pm to sign copies of his book. Visitors will also be able to take part in a new literary boardgame, called Bookchase. The fair will be open from 10am to 4pm. Please contact the organiser Mark Richardson at MR. Books Bookshop for further details on 01732 363000 or look at the web site www.mrbooks.co.uk for further details and directions to the book fair. (ends)

Did I leave anything out?...

Silence is Golden....

The Perfoming Rights Society, the PRS for short, have sent me several letters regarding the playing of public performances. Hang on a minute I thought to myself on receipt of the second letter (the first went straight in the bin) I can't even play a note let alone do a performance! The PRS are in the news today: they're having a slightly bigger dispute with the mighty Google about the licence required to play music clips on YouTube. It seems that the society is getting a bit greedy: they're also in the middle of another dispute, this time with Kwik Fit over the rights of the Kwik Fit fitters to play their own vibes on their own radios at work. The issue seems to rest on whether more than one person, especially customers, but also work colleagues, can hear the music. The PRS are claiming that the car repair shop chain owes them over £200,000 in back dated fees. In the case of Mr. Books book shop I would be required to pay a licence fee of £73.60 a year for background music, such as a radio, and £136.70 to be able to "perform" music from cds and the like. Presumably that includes from an i-pod or mp3 player (Ididn't ask them) It seems that dear little Mr. Books would have to pay the same as other Tonbridge shops the size of say Halfords or WH Smiths. I sugested to them that should I wish to play music in my shop then surely it should be based on the estimated number of people to visit in a week or month. No they said, it's based the square footage of the shop, with a large minimum threshold, regardless or how many customers you get in a week. (So long, that is, there's more than just me listening.) They made me feel sorry for their artistes and asked me did I realise that 90% of their musicians only earn royalties of less than £5,000 ( a well used line I suspect) I learn today from an article in The Times online that I should feel less sorry for them since the highest paid director of the PRS was paid £425,000 last year! and they raked in over £600m in royalties by, mainly it seems, hastling with ever more agressive tactics, small businesses like mine. So I shall contunue to listen to the radio on my lap top computer (there's another grey area) but not radio one or two for me. Just as well I love listening to Radio 5 Live and occasionally Radio 4 and other talk stations isn't it. But hold up Radio 4 is now playing Jazz with Kenneth Clarke (isn't he meant to be bring the Labour Party down not drooling over the sounds of Charlie Parker et al?) But still there's always good old silence, that can be golden too....

Good intentions....

I wonder how the new green grocers, Bishops of Tonbridge, is doing; I must admit that I've only bought one banana from them when they first opened; and it was a very nice banana. This despite my good intentions of going there for my weekly fruit and veg shop. You know what they say: The road to hell is paved with good intentions! The trouble is you have to make a special effort, whereas you're sort of in Sainsbury's or Somerfield anyway. Lazy I know, but I wonder if other people, if they're honest, feel the same. I hope they do well and I'll continue to have good intentions to shop there....

Bag off Bartram!...

Drivers in Tonbridge have the increasing number of chasis-breaking pot holes to contend with; now pedestrians have John Bartram and his bags to put up with. Don't worry Mr. Bartram we'll all side step your granny trollies if it helps you sell a few more bags and stuff. We retailers know how hard times are at the moment. Mr. Bartram, owner of the shop Allsorts of Golliwog Dolls on Tonbridge High Street, was unavailable for comment....

Ladies who don't do lunch....

Saw this down St John's Road a few days ago. An image pops into my head of a kick-boxing karate-chopping agressive woman taking on a genteel Gucci hand bag carrying lady-who-does-lunch!

More on Pot Holes....

Just bought this week's Courier. Splash on front page reads: "Safety Fears as roads go to pot" I've been out-scooped by the local rag! How dare they! There's a first for everything and TBlog is only a one man band....