And I cannot even begin to tell you what we used to get up to in this beautiful Surrey village back in the 1980s, when friends owned a house next door to one of the two pubs on the village green, and after work on Friday it would so often be destination Brockham for the weekend……
I don’t think we want to know what you got up to! Hahaha
Quite unusual to see such a slender design for a war memorial. Do you know if the coats of arms at the top relate to local families?
And I ain’t tellin’. I have no idea about the coats of arms – nothing on the National Inventory about them.
This is where one gets into regional design variations – the following half a dozen that you’ve probably never looked at (older posts but still entirely relevent) are all not far from me – Brockham is actually much nearer me now than when I used to spend much of my time there – and all slender, as you will see. Well, if you bother looking at them.
https://thebignote.com/2014/06/12/merrow-st-john-the-evangelist-church-war-memorial/
https://thebignote.com/2013/09/14/oxshott-war-memorial/
https://thebignote.com/2012/11/27/mickleham-st-michael-and-all-angels-church-war-memorial/
https://thebignote.com/2012/11/07/fetcham-st-marys-church-war-memorial/
https://thebignote.com/2012/06/02/ripley-war-memorial-st-marys-churchyard/
https://thebignote.com/2012/05/25/east-clandon-war-memorial/
Ah yes! striking similarities between many of them. I wonder if they were designed by the same architect?
I had read the Mickleham post previously, but not so the others. Thanks for the links
Hello Magicfingers,
This must be one of the most stunning locations for a War Memorial. The church is impressively reverent, the park is wonderful and the glimpse of beautiful houses in the background add to the overall aspect.
Is the pub old and does it serve good beer? Would love to have a pint or two there… is the white building in the fourth photo a pub?
I wonder if the coats of arms are from the ‘Brockhams’ perhaps?
Very nice work, as usual.
Regards,
Daisy.
Just beautiful, is it not. Both pubs are old, and no, not the white buildings – those are private homes. One of the pubs is to the right of the pink building with shutters, last photo. The other one, the Red Lion, our pub (excellent real ale, my friend) as was, is half obscured by the memorial in photos 5 & 6; the small house with the dormer windows immediately to the left of the pub is the one my friends owned for many years, and someone should write a book entitled ‘What the house saw…’ Every year they build a massive, and I mean massive, bonfire (bigger in those days, but Google it) on the green for Guy Fawkes night – the embers in the bonfire have been known to burn for a couple of weeks afterwards, barring rain. All highly regulated now, but thirty years ago a wonderful free-for-all. There would always be great music playing in the house courtesy of moi and the house owner – we both had huge record collections – I still do – and occasionally we still get together – are you a musical man at all? I should say I’m a city boy, so it was very cool having this bolt-hole to come to for the best part of ten years. It all ended in tears – a parochial Fleetwood Mac-type story, if you know anything about their 1970s excesses – but that’s another story. Glad you enjoyed this.
I have just now added to my Life’s Bucket List having a real ale at the Red Lion in Brockham. My mouth is watering just thinking about it…
When I was a kid in Australia we had huge ‘bonnies’ too on Guy Fawkes night. Every neighbour would attend, a great community event. No longer permitted by councils.
I have a vinyl collection and love the Rolling Stones, John Lee Hooker (any blues really), Santana, Jim Morrison, Eric Burdon, etc.
Sad the great memories of your times in Brockham are tinged with tears. Shit happens huh?
Loving the site. One of the best kept secrets on the internet…
I visited Fort Queenscliff but haven’t done anything about sending photos to you…
Thank you heaps!
Daisy.
If you ever get there I shall be buying!
I think our musical tastes dovetail – I have a copy of Hooker ‘n’ Heat (with Canned Heat) that is quite sought after these days among my vinyl collection.
And yes, shit happens. Regrets? I’ve had a few. But then again, too few to bother to talk about.
And you are welcome. Heaps.
Man, If I’m ever within one days flying time, I will be at the Red Lion in Brockham.
I have a copy of Hooker and Heat too. Boogie Chillen, 1 and 2, so good.
I also have vinyl Johnny Winter And, John Mayall the Turning Point album. Best of all Carlos Santana and Buddy Miles Live. Fantastic.
Need a record player!
Daisy.
Saw the Heat live just before Bob Hite’s death. And you are talking to a Band of Gypsies fan here, my friend. How many people do you know who have both a Buddy Miles & a Billy Cox solo album, eh? John Mayall played down the road from me last year – and I was away on holiday at the time, dammit.
Get a record player!
Man, how lucky to see Canned Heat with the Bear. Awesome but a long time ago!
I’d kind of forgotten about the Band of Gypsys live album but now with You Tube it’s just a click away and play instantly. First minute had my legs moving… very sweet. From what I can see on the internet it’s available on CD… can buy it new in Jakarta for rp155,000, about 15 bucks! Delivered free tomorrow! Unreal. The world we live in. Very few people will have heard of Billy Cox. Some great stuff about Buddy Miles on the internet. Still love that Canned Heat & Buddy Miles Live album… Marbles, if you don’t move to the sound, you are dead.
Daisy.
Way way back in early 1970 my friend and I were allowed by our parents to buy our first LP! I bought the first Sabbath album which had just been released, and my mate bought Canned Heat Cookbook. So the Heat have been a soundtrack to my life from my early teens onwards (I think he made the best choice, btw). Billy Cox had a band post-Hendrix called Nitro Function (eponymous album with a Roger Dean cover) with a lady guitarist called Char Vinnedge – long gone now, but she could play! Man, we have a lot to talk about over those Brockham beers.
My older brother convinced me in the 70s to sign up for a record club where you had to buy one record every week, this is where most of my vinyl came from. They had all these cool albums… when he was about 15 years old and I was about 10 he came home one day with a single of Rolling Stones ‘Little Red Rooster’. We played it over and over for weeks. I still love it all these decades later…
I checked Billy Cox on youtube and saw Nitro Function. I’ve been listening to Hendrix do ‘Mannish Boy’, Jimi playing slow blues is incredible.
Yep, thirsty for those Brockham beers!
Daisy
This probably won’t surprise you much, but I have a story about Little Red Rooster too………..fancy continuing this off-site?
Yes, I figure all your other on-site mates do not want to read about Canned Heat and Billy Cox!
Perhaps sometime we could have a Bignote community gathering at the Red Lion in Brockham?
Daisy.
Now there’s a plan!!!