Saturday
Brilliant, warm, morning. Went to Holly Trees, met Poulter, and we both went up
to Craske’s old office in the High Street, to see if there was anything which
might be of use to the Museum. Saw Mrs.
Craske, who is now winding up the business, and got a few odd things – a few
more 1857 photos, Lexden
Church Clacton area, which will come in useful,
and a few Essex County Standards about 1863. Somewhere
Craske had quite a lot of plans of various building developments, but these
have not yet come to light. Mrs C. was
very cautious about giving anything away, and young Cocker, Craske’s right-hand
man, was watching everything very carefully.
The old man had a mass of information about the town, but I cannot find
that he left any notebooks. I remember
that he told me once that he was instrumental in naming “King Stephen Road ”, as the land on which
it lays was in the hands of that King, but I have never found any reference to
this.
Back at Holly Trees we found the
Chairman, who told us that extensions were being built onto the Britannia
Ironworks, adjoining the Priory ruins, and that considerable excavations were
being made. So we went along there and found it was so – a large concrete
building has been erected on the site of the choir of the church, destroying
for ever any chance of excavating the complete plan of the church. This scheme must have been passed by the
Borough Engineer and the Town Planning Committee, yet we know nothing of this
except what Alderman Blomfield discovers accidentally.
The curious thing is that
practically nothing has been found except a few bones and there appears to be
well over 3 feet of black soil with no sign of any walls or foundations. I expected to see the bases of further
columns of the arcades, but there is nothing.
It is a scandal that this work
must have been going on for at least three months, and yet nothing was known of
it.
This afternoon to the library and
did some shopping. Bought Vera
Brittain’s “London ’s
Hour”, interesting but extraordinarily naïve.
Several minor errors too, such as when she twice speaks of the 17th
century as being four centuries ago.
Had great difficulty in getting
any tea; owing to the great crowds in the town, but finally got into Jacklin’s.
This evening went down to see
Hampshire, and gave him his trap-licence.
Had a fresh pony there, a little black forest pony, with badly clipped
ears. I drove it down to the “Goat and
Boot”, while Hampshire rode my cycle. Met Pim
Barbour, the dealer there, and he showed me a fresh cob he had brought down
from Diss, an ugly little devil, called Cock Robin, who is reputed to be very
fast. He was driven down here by road, 56
miles, and the little black pony as well, so they said. I think the pony belongs to Pim as well, and
Hampshire is keeping it for him.
They both tried to sell me a new
set of brown cob harness for £20, but we all went in the “Goat” and had a drink
and there was no deal.
Had supper at Culver St. and then back to Boxted by
9. Glass falling, and looks like rain.
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