Sunday, April 23, 2017

St George's Day

I hope nobody will mind, in honour of St. George, patron of England, my use of this picture of Rudgwick in Sussex to represent all of England:
At Rudgwick, W. Sussex (Easter Sunday, 2015)
Also, remembering the words of G. K. Chesterton, who is always right, here is a picture of an English post-box, an English telegraph-pole, an English traffic-cone and an English bicycle in an English fog:
"No one can be good critic of England who does not understand fogs. And no one can be a really patriotic Englishman who does not like fogs".  Burnt Fen, Suffolk. (Probably).
By the way, there has been a St. George's day treat for those of us who hold that fine creed that railways are England's greatest gift to the world (G.K. Chesterton possibly excepted) and also that nobody really minds when they are turned into a big toy.  Four generations of locomotives (one the Flying Scotsman), each in their day the last word in speed on the Great Northern / East Coast main line from London to Edinburgh, have run in parallel from Thirsk to York.  The BBC reports here.  It is admittedly at least partially a publicity stunt for the new trains that are shortly being introduced... but it's a fun publicity stunt!

2 comments :

  1. This post and photograph represents essentialist and nativist notions of Englishness which I personally find offensive.

    Not so much actually...the Rudgwick picture is especially evocative. One almost hears Ralph Vaughan in the distance!

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    Replies
    1. I know: shocking, isn't it? I really must do better...

      Rudgwick, though in a different county, is not a million miles from RVW's patch, actually - though he seems to have been happiest in London! He spent his last years there.

      Thanks for the comment.

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