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Today I scanned more colour negatives from the Newark days during 1990/91.
‘Knight & Colbourne Candles’ tells the tale of a teenage enterprise that Louisa shared with her long term friend, Matthew Colbourne. Matt, of Radio Newark, was, a dozen or so years later, to emcee the music for Louisa and Errol’s wedding reception.
These photographs from May 1991 depict an earlier project, namely the building of a tree house. It would, of course, be Louisa wielding the hammer.
Here the boys, Matthew and his younger brother Jason discuss the next move,
or maybe they are just taking a break.
This activity took place in the garden of Lindum House, featured in ‘The Swinging Rat Pack’, where we lived for almost twenty years from 1987. In the background of these photographs stands Newark Working Men’s Club.
The establishment, according to the Newark Advertiser, was, after a century of service, closed last summer because, on account of falling membership, it was no longer possible to meet the cost of repairs.
‘The premises, which was initially Halton House School, a boarding school for boys, is grade II listed.
The building has been widely used by the community including activities for people with learning disabilities. It is also used by a slimming group, rumba classes, jazz sessions and bingo.’
The story we had was that at the end of the 19th century, when our house was built, the club building had been in private ownership, part of the land being sold to one of two brothers who worked at Bainbridge’s, an up-market haberdashery in the town. The home he had built was modelled on Halton House.
Whether the legend that a gentleman had once ridden a horse up the front staircase of the older building is apocryphal or not, I am unsure. It was certainly wide enough.
The house is currently advertised for sale by http://sw.co.uk/property-search/former-working-mens-club-premises-for-sale-5755870-detail.
A certain amount of consternation has been expressed about how I am going to manage with Jackie away for three days.
In order to allay all fears I therefore publish a photograph of the prodigious pans of splendid lamb jalfrezi and savoury rice left for me by the Culinary Queen. It is only perspective that diminishes the quantity of rice. A plate of this fare, containing both naga and Scotch bonnet chilies, was just the business. It was followed by a Tesco yellow ticket Belgian bun.