I’m a bit behind in posting. I thought I would have time when we were out yesterday to write up our visit to Chesham, but we spent quite a lot of the afternoon getting around on buses. More on that in my next blog. As you read down, something has happened to the paragraphing on this entry and it doesn’t show the spaces. Sorry, as it makes it a little difficult to read.
We arranged with Angela to meet on the way to Chesham. Our goal was to visit the gravesite of:
Henry James Robinson – died 1935
Emma Robinson (nee Hill) – died in 1947
great grandparents of Stephen and Angela.
They were both buried in Chesham. At this stage not much is known about them, for example, how long they lived there, and why there is no headstone.
Stephen and Angela both wrote to the local council and were sent details about the burials and confirmation of the actual unmarked site.
We caught up with Angela and Ray on the little spur line that goes to Chesham. Chesham is on the edge of the Chilterns and quite a long way out of London. Angela suggested a coffee when we first arrived and we were pleased to find that Chesham appears to be quite a prosperous little town with a main street that has been turned into a mall, and all the shops necessary for civilised living, such as Boots, a traditional pub and a Nero’s Cafe. Supermarkets were further out along the main road, as they should be.
After coffee and some catchup, we walked up the main street to find the Cemetery. We were talking so much that we walked past the entrance and had to backtrack slightly. We stood at the graveside and took photos of Stephen and Angela. Then we walked further along to a small chapel.
Afterward spending some time there, we walked back to the town centre to the pub, and were fortunate to find that the kitchen was still open. The food was very nice indeed, and we enjoyed spending more time talking and getting to know each other better.
We have decided to keep in touch a bit more by email.
Ray commented that I was taking a lot of photos and it was like being followed by the paparazzi. He does like to tease… I said that I was documenting our visit, not just for us, but for other members of the family, including Lesley. Stephen is used to me following him around with a camera and often poses for me even if it takes extra time. I guess for other people it feels like being ‘watched’. But, I really feel the photos are important.
Some other photos of the day have been uploaded to a folder on Dropbox via this link:
In the morning we had travelled to London Bridge station rather than our usual trip to Victoria Station, and were intrigued to find it is very modern and pretty much straight under the Shard. We decided to have a look around and have a meal before going home. It was dark, naturally. I did not attempt to take photos. The area is quite old, of course. There is lots of the modern stuff, but also old buildings that are being renovated and made into a fashionable area. We found a Belgian restaurant in the old stables and enjoyed a meal of slightly different food, very tasty with lots of green salad.
Then, home.