A two walk Saturday – first published 9 February 2014

Usually one walk a day is enough but, in Fenruary 2014, with almost constant rain and floods all over the city I was struggling to fit in the miles for the one hundred miles a month challenge I’d set myself. A Staurday morning with blue sky was too good an opportunity to miss and I ended up with not one, but two walks.

9 February 2014

This morning, when Commando set out on a thirteen mile run the sky was blue and the sun was shining so I thought I’d go for a little walk. As the river is still flooded, the road is actually closed now, and it was too windy to go over the bridge, I decided to go to Millers Pond. It’s been a while since I’ve been down there. Surprisingly the pond was still more or less within its banks. A fisherman was setting up on the opposite bank and some ducks were sunning themselves close to the viewing platform next to mine. Trying not to disturb them I sneaked in for a closer look. One duck had a mangled wing, possibly down to a cat, although he seemed otherwise healthy and happy.

The pond may have not have been flooded but beyond it the grass was dotted with puddles, some big enough to almost qualify as ponds in their own right. I kept to the path. A few dog walkers were wandering about and one man with a small, rather excitable, dog stopped and asked what I was taking photos of. We both agreed it was more a case of Millers Ponds at the moment.

Eventually I did take to the grass but only one of the well trodden paths that didn’t look too muddy. When I came to Botany Bay Road there was one more puddle to cross but I managed to jump over and keep my boots dry. The twisting lane had a small stream running down it, water running off of the fields, but it was possible to get past without too much trouble. A little way along the road I looped back onto the path running through Millers Pond.

Back on the path there was no water to worry about and, even though the wind came close to blowing me off my feet from time to time, the sun and blue sky had that feel good factor about them. A magnificent stand of silver birch almost glowed in the sun. I looked closely to see if there were any signs of spring in the high branches but came to the conclusion there weren’t. With one last look at the pond, filled now with ducks, I set off home.

Back at home, feeling fairly pleased with adding four and a half miles to the February total, I stopped for a spot of lunch. Then Commando announced he was going to walk down to visit Commando Senior. His legs were feeling a little stiff after his run and he thought a nice walk would do him good. The sun was still shining so I thought I’d go along too.

So we walked down Peartee Avenue to Peartree Green, so called because there was once a large pear tree on the green. IT seems a shame it isn’t still there and I wonder why no one has thought to plant another?* We took a small detour behind the church today because Commando wanted to show me the pretty stone building behind it. This was once a boarding school, built in 1857, and, in Commando’s youth, used as an annex to the senior school. Commando told me how he and his friend would walk down from the main school, have a toasted sandwich at his house, and then have their afternoon lessons in technical drawing, pottery or art in the annex.

By this time the sky was beginning to cloud over which was a shame as the old school building would have looked much nicer with a blue sky backdrop. These days it is no longer a school. As with so many old buildings it has been turned into rather nice houses, although the name The Old School remains to remind people of their origins. At least the features of the original building have been kept, beautiful arched wooden doors with huge decorative hinges and the old school windows. What a wonderful place to live.

There was a short stop for me to take a picture of one of the old wooden doors along with the plaque above. This tells how the school was built in memory of Rev William Lewis Davies, vicar of Peartree Church. Rev Davies came to the parish in 1847, having previously been Principal of Elizabeth College Guernsey. He died the year before the school was built and it seems he must have been well loved to have a school built in his name.

We spent a pleasant and informative hour chatting to Commando Senior and I left with another instalment of his memoirs. He has given me permission to share some of these so watch this space. Once I’ve found, or taken, some suitable photos and typed them up I will share some excerpts. They give a wonderful insight into what it was like to grow up in an English town under the shadow of war.

On the way home we did stop to take a quick photo of Peartree Church. It isn’t the first I’ve taken but the light was so lovely, being the magical golden hour, I couldn’t resist. I have a feeling Commando gets slightly peeved with me stopping all the time but still… The church, built in 1618 by Captain Richard Smith, was known as Jesus Chapel. It has the distinction of being, not only the oldest Anglican church in the world, but also the first new church to be built in England after the English reformation. It must have been quite a relief for the locals who, until then, had had to put up with a, sometimes choppy, crossing over the Itchen to attend St Mary’s Church in Southampton.

Thankfully we didn’t have to cross the river to get home. Ours was just a slow walk up the hill with our shadows growing ever longer as we went.

* On another walk I discovered someone had thought to plant a new Peartree on almost the same spot where the old one stood. 

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