I'm not entirely sure about the 100% accuracy of what I was waffling on about, but you certainly captured part of Tonbridge's industrial past beautifully. And we all had a great time doing so!
Very good!!!! Love the Castle gate. That shot from the bridge down through the old town was stunning - Tonbridge looks like it has some real nice old historic buildings. Very interesting about the gasometor as I had never heard of one! Looks like you chaps had a splendid blue day for your Fall walk. (& yeah, I"m still getting cutness overload from that little Maisy!")
@@RichardVobes indeed! I thought if the gate was that large - could you imagine how huge the castle had to have been!!! Sad its not still there😕 I did see that Kent is full of castles though so perhaps you can go back sometime & explore them?!?!🙏
My gg grandmother was born in Headcorn, Maidstone, Kent County in 1846 as an Ottaway. She emigrated to Michigan, 🇺🇸USA in 1870. God speed. Great video. Eaglegards...
Excellent. I never knew about those huge gas structures, but recall seeing them all over the place...back in the day! Arun was kept busy being the photographer in this one, bless him. Nice to know there is a part two....
Very interesting video - with the current off the weir, I wouldn’t like to manoeuvre a boat into that lock! Redhill lost its gasometers over the summer - they are becoming a rare sight!
Enjoyed the talk of the gasometer! I remember we had 4 of them over Hastings,plus as Nigel said the gas works! Now it’s a bloody Morrissons and car park!
With you walking along the Medway navigation reminded me that the nearest navigation to you is the Way navigation just over the Sussex border where Narrow boats are in the terminus
LOL Vobenaughts:) Thats a nice term Nigel coined. I had the opportunity recently to see some local history from the sky. History from the air now there's a thought. We had gasometers here in Swindon..Glorious Swindon. Enjoying your Vlogs Richard.
Great video. The River Medway has a long and interesting history and has been used through the ages to transport various produce and materials to London. Notably the Romans used it to transport locally quarried limestone (Kentish Ragstone) which was used to build much of Roman London. There was a documentary about it on channel 5 called London: 2000 Years of History (episode 1).
@@RichardVobes The bridge which carries the High Street is not a swing bridge and for most cruisers that is the end of the navigation. Some 40/45 years ago my parents used to cruise from Allington to Tonbridge and moor up just before the bridge. There was a timber yard along the waterside and I clearly remember a milk vending machine beside the moorings. As I was then a teenager I would take the dingy and row under the bridge and the do a loop round Tonbridge Park.
I did enjoy, that that was very fascinating. I need to know more about gasomiters, I want to do some research it is very intresting. That was a great video well done you three 👍
Until 1870, the town's name was spelt Tunbridge, as shown on old maps including the 1871 Ordnance Survey map and contemporary issues of the Bradshaw railway guide. In 1870, this was changed to Tonbridge by the GPO[3] due to confusion with nearby Tunbridge Wells, despite Tonbridge being a much older settlement. Tunbridge Wells has always maintained the same spelling.
The town was recorded in the Domesday Book 1087 as Tonebrige, which may indicate a bridge belonging to the estate or manor (from the Old English tun), or alternatively a bridge belonging to Tunna, a common Anglo-Saxon man's name. Another theory suggests that the name is a contraction of "town of bridges", due to the large number of streams the High Street originally crossed.
Coal gas, also known as 'town gas', was produced by heating suitable coal in a retort with no oxygen supply (to prevent the coal from burning). The coal would give off a mixture of combustible gases, which would be piped away to customers or into storage, and leave behind *coke* , a valuable fuel in its own right, because it was practically smokeless and low in sulphur. (I suspect that coke was originally the main product, for blast furnaces etc, and gas a by-product.) I can remember as a child living not far from a gas-works and the associated gasometers, with great piles of coal and coke in the 'yard'. That all came to an end when 'North Sea gas' came in, some time in the 1960s. At that time natural gas still needed gasometers, sometimes converted from coal gas and sometimes newly built. But the technology of distribution must have improved, and large storage gasometers no longer seem to be needed (I haven't checked). Likewise, water-towers are now mostly redundant, because computer-controlled pumps can do the job more efficiently.
It was called coal gas I think? I say occasionally," I'm going home now to stick my head in the oven" when I'm more than usually depressed by something. Apparently with coal gas it would actually kill you because of the high carbon monoxide content, modern gas is all methane so just gives you an headache.
Ive never heard anyone pronounce Tonbridge as TONbridge, Ive always known it and pronounced it as TUNbridge despite its spelling and with Royal TUNbridge Wells just up the road I assume that both towns were once known by the same name. More Kentish explorations please Richard.
Yes, Richard is quite correct. Although TONbridge is over 800 years older than TUNbridge (whose Wells were once part of the Parish on Tun(Ton)bridge before the two places were split into seperate entities) Tunbridge Wells is, alas the better known, so the emphasis is used for clarity (by me anyway!)
@@MrNas42 & Richard Vobes www.kentlive.news/news/nostalgia/tunbridge-wells-tonbridge-pronounced-same-1086993 th-cam.com/video/A22jYDIjvtU/w-d-xo.html If id have bet you both a ton, id have won, son ;) I rest my case.
@@RichardVobes www.kentlive.news/news/nostalgia/tunbridge-wells-tonbridge-pronounced-same-1086993 th-cam.com/video/A22jYDIjvtU/w-d-xo.html If id have bet you a ton, id have won, son ;) I rest my case.
@@RichardVobes add it to your 'Life list' of things to do! I say to people that I do not have a bucket list but rather a 'Life list' . This is because a bucket list represents that which you wish to do before you die and tick it off a mental list! I might want to do something multiple times before I actually 'tick off ' from this world :)
I'm not entirely sure about the 100% accuracy of what I was waffling on about, but you certainly captured part of Tonbridge's industrial past beautifully. And we all had a great time doing so!
It came out all right in the end, didn't it?
@@RichardVobes it certainly did!
Very good!!!! Love the Castle gate. That shot from the bridge down through the old town was stunning - Tonbridge looks like it has some real nice old historic buildings. Very interesting about the gasometor as I had never heard of one! Looks like you chaps had a splendid blue day for your Fall walk. (& yeah, I"m still getting cutness overload from that little Maisy!")
It is a lovely castle castle gate and give an indication tot he majesty of the original stone castle.
@@RichardVobes indeed! I thought if the gate was that large - could you imagine how huge the castle had to have been!!! Sad its not still there😕 I did see that Kent is full of castles though so perhaps you can go back sometime & explore them?!?!🙏
There are some lovely one to have a look at.
My gg grandmother was born in Headcorn, Maidstone, Kent County in 1846 as an Ottaway. She emigrated to Michigan, 🇺🇸USA in 1870. God speed. Great video. Eaglegards...
Excellent. I never knew about those huge gas structures, but recall seeing them all over the place...back in the day! Arun was kept busy being the photographer in this one, bless him. Nice to know there is a part two....
Just edited part two and it is ready for the morrow. :)
Fascinating to learn about how the gasometers worked, I remember seeing them but had no idea about the workings of them.
Very interesting video - with the current off the weir, I wouldn’t like to manoeuvre a boat into that lock!
Redhill lost its gasometers over the summer - they are becoming a rare sight!
We had one at Worthing - it has gone a while ago - never noticed until recently!
@@RichardVobes I think it went last year.
i did canoeing here on the medway,,with the crowborough scouts ,,we had great fun
The Tar residue from burning the coal for town gas was used to paint the woodwork on timber frame buildings.
Enjoyed the talk of the gasometer! I remember we had 4 of them over Hastings,plus as Nigel said the gas works! Now it’s a bloody Morrissons and car park!
So same site, different gas!
With you walking along the Medway navigation reminded me that the nearest navigation to you is the Way navigation just over the Sussex border where Narrow boats are in the terminus
I must do more on the Way navigation.
LOL Vobenaughts:) Thats a nice term Nigel coined. I had the opportunity recently to see some local history from the sky. History from the air now there's a thought. We had gasometers here in Swindon..Glorious Swindon. Enjoying your Vlogs Richard.
Thank you - gasometers from there air - sounds like a mini series!
Great video. The River Medway has a long and interesting history and has been used through the ages to transport various produce and materials to London. Notably the Romans used it to transport locally quarried limestone (Kentish Ragstone) which was used to build much of Roman London. There was a documentary about it on channel 5 called London: 2000 Years of History (episode 1).
Oooh I will have to look out for the documentary - thank you for watching.
Is that a swing bridge then because a boat won't fit under it but it doesn't look like it opens?
Not sure that it was a swing bridge.
@@RichardVobes The bridge which carries the High Street is not a swing bridge and for most cruisers that is the end of the navigation. Some 40/45 years ago my parents used to cruise from Allington to Tonbridge and moor up just before the bridge. There was a timber yard along the waterside and I clearly remember a milk vending machine beside the moorings. As I was then a teenager I would take the dingy and row under the bridge and the do a loop round Tonbridge Park.
I did enjoy, that that was very fascinating. I need to know more about gasomiters, I want to do some research it is very intresting. That was a great video well done you three 👍
Gasometers are groovy, though sounds like a smelly process.
Until 1870, the town's name was spelt Tunbridge, as shown on old maps including the 1871 Ordnance Survey map and contemporary issues of the Bradshaw railway guide. In 1870, this was changed to Tonbridge by the GPO[3] due to confusion with nearby Tunbridge Wells, despite Tonbridge being a much older settlement. Tunbridge Wells has always maintained the same spelling.
The town was recorded in the Domesday Book 1087 as Tonebrige, which may indicate a bridge belonging to the estate or manor (from the Old English tun), or alternatively a bridge belonging to Tunna, a common Anglo-Saxon man's name. Another theory suggests that the name is a contraction of "town of bridges", due to the large number of streams the High Street originally crossed.
Thanks for that bit of history, Harlee. Much appreciated.
There's a canal at Limehouse. Spooky.Tonbridge Wells has green buses.Saw for real.
Yes. Marq English has been to USA. Space centre.
look out for narrow boats richard
Coal gas, also known as 'town gas', was produced by heating suitable coal in a retort with no oxygen supply (to prevent the coal from burning). The coal would give off a mixture of combustible gases, which would be piped away to customers or into storage, and leave behind *coke* , a valuable fuel in its own right, because it was practically smokeless and low in sulphur. (I suspect that coke was originally the main product, for blast furnaces etc, and gas a by-product.) I can remember as a child living not far from a gas-works and the associated gasometers, with great piles of coal and coke in the 'yard'. That all came to an end when 'North Sea gas' came in, some time in the 1960s. At that time natural gas still needed gasometers, sometimes converted from coal gas and sometimes newly built. But the technology of distribution must have improved, and large storage gasometers no longer seem to be needed (I haven't checked). Likewise, water-towers are now mostly redundant, because computer-controlled pumps can do the job more efficiently.
Thanks so much for the history of gas - very interesting.
Pontoon is for canoes 🙂
Nigel Slater should start their own vlogs.
I have been to tonbridge castle it’s a very nice please !! 👍🏻👍🏻
Are you going to tunbridge wells as well ?
Hi Tom - Looking for my video 'Taking the water' - it's all about the history of Tunbridge Wells.
Sit down and enjoy this: th-cam.com/video/NRw3FBFV6kY/w-d-xo.html
Great episode, if I do say so myself.
It was called coal gas I think? I say occasionally," I'm going home now to stick my head in the oven" when I'm more than usually depressed by something. Apparently with coal gas it would actually kill you because of the high carbon monoxide content, modern gas is all methane so just gives you an headache.
Don't put your head in the oven!
Ive never heard anyone pronounce Tonbridge as TONbridge, Ive always known it and pronounced it as TUNbridge despite its spelling and with Royal TUNbridge Wells just up the road I assume that both towns were once known by the same name. More Kentish explorations please Richard.
I think the folk from Tonbridge like to make it quite clear which one they are from.
Yes, Richard is quite correct. Although TONbridge is over 800 years older than TUNbridge (whose Wells were once part of the Parish on Tun(Ton)bridge before the two places were split into seperate entities) Tunbridge Wells is, alas the better known, so the emphasis is used for clarity (by me anyway!)
@@MrNas42 & Richard Vobes
www.kentlive.news/news/nostalgia/tunbridge-wells-tonbridge-pronounced-same-1086993
th-cam.com/video/A22jYDIjvtU/w-d-xo.html If id have bet you both a ton, id have won, son ;)
I rest my case.
@@RichardVobes
www.kentlive.news/news/nostalgia/tunbridge-wells-tonbridge-pronounced-same-1086993
th-cam.com/video/A22jYDIjvtU/w-d-xo.html
If id have bet you a ton, id have won, son ;)
I rest my case.
Another option for 'canaling' :)
It would be interesting to take a boat from there to the Thames, wouldn't it?
@@RichardVobes add it to your 'Life list' of things to do! I say to people that I do not have a bucket list but rather a 'Life list' . This is because a bucket list represents that which you wish to do before you die and tick it off a mental list! I might want to do something multiple times before I actually 'tick off ' from this world :)
I think that is a much better way of thinking of it - thanks Michael.
Didn't time team do a dog there?
That poor dog! ;) hehe
I don't know, but they may have done a dig there.
No, I think the nearest Time Team has got to Tonbridge is Ightham Mote.
lol and there was one to see
Who knew all that about gasometer's.....interesting!
There you go! :)