Brunswick Road 15 - Four Portals

Penrith, Cumbria. March-2024. Money Pit II, Season 2, Episode 3 - Entrances and Exits. 

After the major works of the living room strip-and-rebuild that left some snagging list items that needed to be done. In this case four portals: front door, back gate, loft hatch and bedroom door.

Portal one: the front lobby. The carpet between the front door and the inner door was very grubby following all the works tramping plaster dust everywhere. So Mary decided she would pull it up with a view to cleaning it.

Underneath it seemed a little musty so she continued (with my assistance) to rip up layers of plywood to reveal a recess, obviously intended for a doormat.

The revealed floorboards were part woodstained so Mary sanded then revarnished the whole vestibule. Research online revealed that even today you can buy a coir mat of exactly the right dimensions to fit into this Victorian doormat niche.

Portal two: back gate. In order to re-concrete the backyard our Builder had to remove the gate into the alleyway that runs behind the row of houses.

So that obviously need reinstating with a couple of posts screwed to the walls and the old hinge fittings recycled. The posts are still awaiting their final coat of paint.

Portal three: The loft hatch. Previously, I had to use a stepladder to lift the skylight and access the loft while precariously perched over the stairwell.

The original carpenter who was scheduled to do the work hurt his back so a mate of our builder, who did the skirting boards and picture rails, did the work.  They installed a loft hatch together with the concertina ladder that we supplied.

We like this design of loft ladder. I first installed one in Mary‘s mum‘s flat. Then we installed one in Benson Row. And now here.

It has a small footprint in the loft and expands to provide a very sturdy ladder.

Portal four: Bedroom door. We wanted to be able to lock our bedroom door because of doing house exchange. So we could put all our personal stuff and valuables in a lockable room. The existing lock had a century of layers of paint and even when freed up was still a bit tricky to operate. So I went down to B&Q to buy a replacement. the white lock on the left is 125 years old. The black one on the right is what you can buy today in B&Q! The dimensions have not changed in over a century and a quarter.

That's it apart from the odd dab of paint. 

Winter Droving 2024

Penrith, Cumbria. Saturday 27th-October -2024.

Our eighth winter driving and the first time as a participant rather than a spectator. This year we helped organise and staff a stall for Friends of Carlisle Victorian and Turkish Baths. We were allocated a good pitch next to the Melodrome in King Street where they hold the Drovers Cup competition. We were figured that it would attract a good footfall and we were not wrong.

We were there early to set up the stall using our old garden gazebo which we donated to the Friends as we no longer have need for it. There was a last-minute panic because Eden Arts only informed us at the start of the week that we had to have at least 25 kg per leg in case hurricane Betsy swept through Penrith and whisked the gazebo away. This meant an emergency purchase of extra weights and bags of cement to meet their exacting requirements. What a pain!

We had two tables at the front of the stall: one for our merchandising and one for the tombola prizes. We actually had nearly 200 prizes generously donated by all manner of people, so many that we could only put a fraction of them on display. 

I had not realised how much organisation is required for a tombola with that many prizes. Other volunteers had created a list of all the winning numbers and corresponding prizes with the non-display prizes in boxes labelled e.g. Blue 50 to 200, so when somebody won a prize not on display we knew what it was and which box to look in. 

The Winter Droving programme was remarkably similar to previous years. A number of stages for the bands, a variety of food stalls around the Musgrave monument, aka clock tower, with craft stalls along the streets radiating out from Cornmarket.

A number of fellow volunteers took it in turns to staff the stall so Mary and I were able to have a lunch break and wander around the town.

Most of the day was pretty frenetic. Although we sold a number of tea towels and other merchandise, the main attraction was the tombola. At times we had people queueing up to buy three tickets for a pound. Any ticket ending with a 0 or a 5 won a prize so the odds were reasonable and almost everyone walked away with something. Occasionally some unlucky soul drew a run of dud tickets but they were the exception.

It was my first experience of using the SumUp app which we used to record all our sales and tombola takings. Fortunately almost everyone wanted to pay cash as we were unable to connect our phones to the card reader widget.

By the time it was time for the big parade we were almost completely sold out of prizes so called it a day, especially as it had started drizzling. We retired to Fell Bar for a quick drink and to watch the parade from the comfort of our window seat.

It was the usual parade of giant animals, marching bands of drummers and general merriment.

Once the parade had passed, it was time to break down the gazebo. The marshals were particularly strict and would not let us drive up the empty street even though the stated end time had passed. They maintained that since there was a band playing in the bandstand that Droving was still an active event even though we did not need to pass that way to get to our stall and back out again. 

Instead, we ferried all our equipment back to the car in the pouring rain. By the time we had finished my trainers were sodden so we squelched our way home for a supper of pizza and red wine.

At the end of the day when we came to reckon up it turned out to be our most successful fund raising event ever! The money will go towards paying for a detailed business plan which will then give us the evidence we need to apply for lottery funding and grants from English Heritage and other grant givers.

In summary: We had a hugely successful day at Penrith Winter Droving. The weather was kind to us for most of the day so Droving was busier than previous years. We talked to large numbers of people, some of whom knew about the baths, some had used them and bemoaned their loss, and many who did not know they existed. All were pleased to hear about our plans and we got several offers of support. 

Same time next year!

Winter Droving 2023

Penrith, Cumbria. Saturday 28-October-2023.

Winter Droving was one of the reasons we ended up living in Penrith. This is our seventh however we nearly missed it this year because it was our 30th wedding anniversary on the following Monday. Our celebration plan was interrailing for seniors: an extended railway trip from southern Italy back to the UK. The logistical challenge was where to spend our actual anniversary. 

Early plans included at night at the opera at La Scala in Milan, possibly the traditional romantic destination of Paris for a weekend, or ending up in London for a Michelin starred meal. However we realised that many class restaurants close on a Monday and we would struggle to find somewhere for a nice meal wherever we were. Another consideration was the challenge of having to cart posh clothes, shoes, etc. around Europe for three weeks. So we decided to come back for Winter Droving and had the inspiration to hire a private chef for a meal at home and a chance to drink some class wine from our cellar.

We invited my best man and wife, Pete and Amanda, plus Mary's sister and brother-in-law, Sandra and George, to stay for a long weekend to enjoy the festivities. Mary's Matron of Honour and husband were invited but unfortunately not able to make it.

Eden Arts are the brains behind this event and once again have done a great job. The event was up to it's usual standard. 

Mary, Sandra and I did Penrith parkrun at 9:00 then back for a shower and out into the streets where we wandered around looking at the various stalls, a mixture of arts, crafts and edibles. There were lots of street entertainers to keep us amused.

Drum Nation were excellent - Brazilian rhythms with African beats. We stayed and watched them for some time.

Stilt walker by the Musgrave monument.

Lunch was street food. Lots to choose from but unfortunately one of our favourites, the Jamaican stall, was not there this year. I went to Hallsford farm produce whose wares I have eaten in previous years. A generous helping of lamb merguez in a bun with chilly jam. Delicious!

After lunch it was a case of wandering from stage to stage having a bit of a listen to various bands.

The Drovers Cup is always on our watch list, the highlight is the egg throwing competition but the tug of war was fun as well.

As usual there is a giant lantern parade in the evening; parade participants getting ready.

The streets were so packed we could not get out of the pub so we watched the parade from the comfort of Fell Bar.

Fire twirling as it got dark.

We had wisely booked ahead for a meal in Grant's of Castlegate for an excellent post parade supper. We may well have gone back to Fell Bar afterwards for a nightcap but the memory gets a bit hazy.

Winter Droving 2022

Penrith, Cumbria. Saturday 29-October-2022.

Our sixth Winter Droving and it went pretty much according to expectation. Last year, they spread the event over three days in an attempt to thin the crowds and reduce the risk of Covid spreading. That wasn't really very successful, especially as on the Thursday it was tipping down with rain. This year they reverted to a single day event and that worked much better.

The full programme.

This modern festival celebrates the ancient custom of a bringing the sheep down from the high pastures for the winter, hence a major animal theme running through the parade. Everyone is encouraged to wear masks to add to the general jollity. I couldn't find last year's mask so I bought a new multi-coloured mask. We wandered around for a while checking out the stalls then had a lunch of street food; this year it was chicken curry from the Seychelles.

The drovers cup is one of the highlights of the afternoon between four local teams: 

• relay race with trays of pints glasses
• hay bales of hay relay race
• mashed potato eating
• tug of war
• egg throwing (and catching)

The egg throwers were allocated three eggs per team and allowed as many throws as they could manage until all eggs were smashed. The team with the longest successful catch wins. There were some spectacular throws and catches, and also some quite spectacularly unsuccessful attempts resulting in egg splattered contestants.

There was music on the bandstand from the Lakeland Fiddlers.

The Melodrome hosted a variety of acts including the Punjabi Roots Academy who provided lessons and encouragement in Bangra dancing.

As usual there were stilt walkers.

For the children there was a full funfair including a traditional carousel.

Beer in Fell Bar until it was time for the lantern and musical parade.

Throughout the day and in the procession there were several marching bands all playing with great enthusiasm.

Sheep.

Another marching bands.

George and Sandra had some canine face masks from Covid times being photobombed by Mary wearing her usual mask, a gift from a friend. 

Stag, just one of many animals in the parade.

After the parade we went home for a buffet style, supper of hot nibbles and more beer and wine.

Winter Droving 2021

Penrith, Cumbria. Thursday/Saturday 28/30-October-2021.

Winter Droving was one of the reasons we ended up living in Penrith. Our first Winter Droving was in 2016 when we came up to Penrith to visit our friends and had much more fun than I was expecting. We returned for subsequent Winter Droving’s and ended up buying a second home here. When Covid hit we stayed up in Penrith and after a year sold our London flat and made Penrith our main home. 

There was no Winter Droving last year and this year they made a number of changes to accommodate the pandemic. For a start they spread it over three days. I believe the thinking was that this would reduce each day’s crowd numbers and hence lower the risk of a super spreader event. 

I think three days was somewhat ambitious, just Friday and Saturday might have worked better. As it turned out the rain on Thursday effectively turned it into a two day event. 

On Thursday one of the excellent local bands, Ponyland, appeared in the upstairs room at Fell bar and did an excellent set. Loud and energetic, we were amazed we did not all end up on the ground floor.

Reducing the crowding was the logic behind abandoning the evening parade. Instead they had a static display of the animal lanterns in Saint Andrew’s Church yard along with an excellent fire-breathing Dragon which did flame-throwing every half hour.

Lanterns.

Fire-breathing Dragon.

Apart from that it was pretty similar to previous years: craft stalls, excellent food stalls, street entertainers, a funfair and live music at several venues around the town centre.

I got roped in from the audience to help Nula Hula.

Nula Hula.

Big wheel.

The Melodrome returns. It clearly does the rounds as we also saw it at SolFest.

Music at the bandstand from Delagrave, another excellent local band.

We had our first guests staying in the new house: Mary's sister, her husband, their eldest and his girlfriend. They all seemed to enjoy it. Once the guests had departed we set off on a weeklong road trip...