On our first day in England we collected our hire car and drove south to Looe in Cornwall via Southampton, Fordingbridge and Bridport.
We had been warned about the traffic but the roads were very easy although travelling into Southampton was slow.
In Southampton we admired the docks from which some of our forebears left England. They would have been much busier in the past. (My ancestors were never busy, I’m sure.)
Greg’s PhD thesis dealt with the writings of James Curtis, a Ballarat spiritualist who came from Fordingbridge in the New Forest. We saw the house where Curtis was born and raised.
We enjoyed afternoon tea in Fordingbridge.
My step grandfather George Symes grew up in Bridport in Dorset where his father, who had served in the army in India, ran a small pub. The pub still stands.
We crossed the Tamar into Cornwall
Our final destination was Looe in Cornwall. We had been warned about the narrow lane :
As you can see from the photos, we are lucky enough to enjoy a stunning view of the picturesque harbour from all the rooms on the front of the house and the front decking. However, it’s necessary to negotiate a very steep, narrow and windy private lane to access the house (you have to pay for those views one way or another!). … This very typically ‘Cornish’ lane [is] very tight and not for the faint-hearted.
The views were terrific but the warning was serious, our dashboard lit up and the warning sounds were very musical.
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Nice to find places you are interested in still there. I don’t usually have such luck over here.
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I love reading about your adventures in England. I taught for a year in the Midlands and we went exploring every time I could get away. I still recall the excitement of the first half term holiday when we see set off for Cornwall.
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Visiting places your ancestors lived must make for a meaningful experience. My father sailed from Southampton, headed for Normandy, and I’d love to see it; but I’ve never been as far as the coast. I’d been warned about heavy traffic on main highways, but after driving on the interstate in Central Texas, England was a relief.
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English drivers were very courteous and we found the traffic to be mostly fine.
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Anne, sitting here reading though your posts and thinking how wonderful. I loved Launceston and Falmouth in Cornwall, and the many little villages we stopped at driving down those lanes. Keep enjoying yourself. Fran.
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My family also came from Bridport. Also nearby in Powerstock.
William Symes ~1700
John Symes 1731-
William Symes 1761-
William Symes 1792-1864
James Symes 1823-
Thomas Absolom Symes 1863-1923 – had brother called George who lived in Bridport
Leslie A G Symes 1902-1970
Leslie B Symes – my dad
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