Saturday 3rd August 2024

A walk round Dover yesterday.

We had gone to Tesco first thing, I mean earlier than normal, there before seven and back home, have breakfast put the shopping away and out to town all before twenty past eight, all so Jools could have a hair cut.

This is a tale that has been repeated all over Britain: decades of poor planning by local councils, allowing large out of town retail areas have killed our town centres.

Dover isn't alone in this, and I can remember 15 years ago, having to be in town before nine to get a parking space. Biggin Street was full of shoppers, and market stalls selling fruit and veg.

But no more.

Maybe half a dozen cars in the car park, Biggin Street and the rest of the town centre like 28 Days Later, and only one other table in La Salle Verte taken when I went in for a brew and some shortbread.

Whitfield has Tesco, Lidl, B&Q, Home Bargains, Pets at Home, even its own KFC and Subway now. No need to go into town, so people don't.

I dropped Jools off in Ladywell, then drove round to the car wash place, but this was closed at half eight. So along to Stembrook, to park where we used to and have the car washed. There's not enough cars now for the business to work, just dozens of empty spaces.

I walked over Pencester Gardens to Penchester Road, where the post office used to be. Not any more, its a Poundland. But having had just the one stamp for the card, I put that in the pillar post box, and walked to Biggin Street, where a guy in a barbers was having breakfast, but had an empty chair.

Do I need to book? I ask. No. So, I sit and in 15 minutes I am shorn, not as carefully as usual, but it'll do through the warm phase, and do me until the end of the month, as we're going to be quite busy at weekends.

I walk to the car, drove to to the car wash place, which was no open, and they will do inside and out, in 40 minutes, so I leave the car and keys and walk along to St James Old Church.

St James (Old) Church is unusual, in that it survived longer than its replacement. And is only in its current ruinous state because of enemy action in the last war.

I went to take shots as it had been shrouded in scaffolding for about a year, but is now free of it, but there were a couple of tents inside, though apparently unoccupied.

The centre of Dover was once a place with a complex of ecclesiastical buildings. Most have now gone, with St Marys and St James left standing. The largest church, St Martin Le Grange, is long gone, buts its foundations can be seen from the library and visitor centre on market Square. As well as the churches, there was the Priory, the remains of which now make up the grounds and buildings of Dover College.

I take my shots and then wander through the new St James Development on the other side of the road, to the Market Square and up Biggin Street for a brew and a piece of shortbread, which about the size of a loaf of bread.

But tasty.

I collected the car, parked on Castle Street to see where Jools wanted picking up, when she appeared from a shop opposite.

The chances!

She climbed in and I drove us back home along the cliffs along Reach Road to St Maggies and home.

This is the last weekend before the football season starts, so for the last time we try to stay awake in the afternoon, have a coffee and some chocolate, before going to Jen's for supper of pizza and cards.

It is also Sylv's last weekend here, she goes home on the coach on Thursday, so its a bittersweet evening, made easier by two bottles of wine and lots of banter.

I think we all end about even, so Jools drive us home, back to the cats and a not so early night.