Southampton Blitz – I Walk Alone

Research rabbit hole ~ Southampton trams

Once upon a time, Southampton had an extensive tram network. Every time I go to the supermarket for my big shop, I’m reminded of it as I go up the stairs from the car park, thanks to a large mural on the wall. The supermarket in question was once the old bus and tram depot. When I was writing Luck of the Draw, I fell down a huge research rabbit hole centred around the trams and the tram depot. The story centred on a tram driver and his conductor friend, the former inspired by my husband’s grandfather Walter Dowling, who was a real-life Southampton tram driver. The history of Southampton trams didn’t really make it into the book, so I’ll share my discoveries with you here instead.

More Change – the demise of the gasworks

My walk over the bridge at Mount Pleasant on 1 February got me thinking about the old gasworks. I’d seen the gasometer from my rickety perch on the footbridge and wondered how much longer the familiar landmark would be around. For years, there’d been rumblings about the gasometers being demolished since Southern Gas Networks no longer use them and maintaining them is costly. I wrote about them and took several photos on a walk back in 2017. In 2022, when they announced they really were going, local residents had mixed feelings about their demise. Some saw them as an eyesore, others a piece of history. Personally, I sat somewhere in between. I knew the demolition work had started, so on 7 February, I thought I’d have a closer look while there was still a chance.

Research rabbit hole ~ Cafe culture 1935 ~ The Bungalow Cafe

When I was writing A Dish Best Served Cold, I needed a fancy cafe where Arthur could hang out. A search of the 1935 Kelly’s Directories showed me a long list of options, but more research told me The Bungalow Cafe, at 157 Above Bar Street — billed as ‘the most up-to-date restaurant in Southampton,’ was the sort of place a show off like Arthur would love. ‘He enjoyed having a pageboy open the door for him. The art déco interior, live music, and waiters ready to cater to his whims made him feel important. This place echoed his aspirations — upmarket, modern, vibrant’. My quest to find out more about it, to paint a picture of Arthur’s regular visits and some of the defining moments of his story, uncovered an interesting tale.

Return to London, a church and a saint

A while ago, I began to tell you about our trip to London in May. Recent events meant I never finished the story, so I suppose it’s time to get back to it. When I left you, it was 4 May. The day before, we’d had a few issues with trains and visited the Imperial War Museum. This was our only full day in London, and I had a long list of things to see and do, most of which I knew we wouldn’t have time for. So far, we’d seen the monument to the Great Fire of London, stopped at Pudding Lane, and walked up a steep hill to look at a church that wasn’t there. After a bit of backtracking, and some grumbling from Commando, we finally found the church down a narrow alleyway I really should have spotted at the start. The alleyway was called St Dunstan’s Lane, and the church was St Dunstan in the East.

Homeward bound

Thanks to the blue bin lorry driver’s rather rude and distracting interruption, I never did get round to the final instalment of my epic foggy walk on 11 January. To be honest, I toyed with the idea of leaving it as it was, with me walking through the beautiful misty parks and chatting with the park keeper. The trouble was, I had some wonderfully atmospheric photos I didn’t want to waste, and the area set the scene in both Plagued and Land Fit For Heroes. That area was Northam, and it is well worth a look around.

Bevois Valley in the fog

My foggy walk on 11 January did not end in Dukes Road. Instead, I carried on to Bevois Valley. The area is named after Sir Bevois, who, according to legend, founded the town of Southampton. I’ve written about the story of Sir Bevois before when I explored the Bevois Mount area and its fabulous graffiti, so I won’t repeat myself now. Today, there were other things I wanted to see. Some were connected with my work in progress, some were reminders of Plagued and Land Fit For Heroes, and others were curiosities I wanted to investigate. The fog wasn’t going to make it easy, but I was there, so it was worth a try.

Misty St Denys morning

A cold, damp blanket of fog hung over Southampton on 11 January. As I crossed Cobden Bridge, I heard the haunting sound of distant fog horns and watched a lone gull circling. It felt as if he and I were alone on the river. Of course, we were far from alone, but walking in the fog imparts a feeling of splendid isolation. The water hanging in the air muffles the hum of traffic, and fellow travellers appear, like spectres out of the gloom, then disappear again as soon as they’ve passed. I’d planned to walk along the river, but the lack of visibility made me change my mind. Instead, I thought I might check out a few locations from my work in progress. St Denys was a key feature, so I walked across the bridge.

Peartree Green – fires, bombs and Mother Nature

April 22 was one of those changeable spring days, with heavy skies that could as easily have brought rain as sun. I’d had a mind to walk down to the shore, but I’d been dithering all morning, waiting to see if the rain would come or not. In the end, I decided on a compromise. I would walk to Peartree Green and have a wander around. Then, if the heavens opened, I wouldn’t have too far to go to get home and dry. At least it wasn’t cold. In fact, by the time I’d climbed the steep steps from Braeside Crescent to Gainsford Road, I was boiling in my ‘just in case’ mac. Normally, I walk the other way — along Braeside Road and up the hill, but the view from the top of those horrible steps drew me. A tantalising glimpse of the railway line and Chessel Bay through the trees and beyond the roofs of the houses makes the climb worthwhile.

April, birds, books, stories and flowers

The first parkrun of April 2022 began with puddles, crows and a walk in the Old Cemetery. In a strange way, it felt like an echo of the December parkrun I told you about last time, except it was far warmer and the book hurtling towards publication was a different one. Land Fit For Heroes was with Hayley at Hangar47, just as Plagued had been in December. The only difference to my thoughts about the process was that it now felt as if I’d handed over my second born child. A walk in the cemetery in the early morning light was just the thing to take my mind off all the things that could go wrong. To be honest, I had no idea exactly what could go wrong, but that didn’t stop me worrying about it.

Fire, demolition and disaster

10 March 2018

There aren’t many things sadder than a fire in a bookshop. Just after midday on 6 March the large Waterstones store in Above Bar caught fire. The city centre was brought to a standstill by thick black smoke as thousands of pounds worth of beautiful books burned. I wasn’t there but I saw a video on Facebook and felt like crying. Continue reading Fire, demolition and disaster

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