Kentish Express Ashford & District
Modern finds are a sign of the times
Afew weeks ago the Kentish Express reported on our former editor Sir Charles Igglesden, and how historian Malcolm Horton is compiling a final volume of Sir Charles’ journeys around Kent.
Our erstwhile former editor was a reporter and editor of the paper for decades and somehow managed to fit in regular reports from Kentish villages along with his cricketing and other sporting prowess.
But one word from Mr Horton’s report in Bygone Kent magazine really caught the eye and that word was peregrination.
It is a wonderful, though slightly Victorian sounding word and it doesn’t have anything to do with peregrine falcons.
When we saw it, we were scrambling for our dictionaries to check the meaning of the word, and apparently it means a slow, meandering journey or saunter.
So it was very fitting for Sir Charles’ picturesque journeys and for this column. Perhaps our readers can think of a few other old fashioned words which no longer make it into print?
On the subject of peregrinations, one can always encounter something a bit different while out on a bicycle and that is certainly true for Ted Prangnell. The veteran cyclist and regular contributor to our letters page always finds some strange sights while he is out and about.
Sadly he frequently encounters evidence of flytipping, and it ranges from the weird to the wonderful.
Last year he told us about a witch’s ducking stool which was dumped in a field near Hinxhill. Or perhaps the chair had a kinkier use.
Then last month he reported finding a toilet dumped in a park off Faversham Road and Northumberland Avenue in Kennington.
He said: “Kennington is blessed with pleasant green open spaces. However, someone must think we need every convenience. Not just so that dogs can do what they have to, but human beings too. Litter can take all shapes and sizes.”
Meanwhile in another of his peregrinations, Mr Prangnell discovered an incorrectly spelled road sign at the junction of Etchenden and Ninn Lane near Great Chart.
He said: “Knowing our council’s record I would imagine that they can see nothing wrong with it, or is it a deliberate attempt to confuse the enemy?”
Perhaps some of our readers have also seen some incorrect road signs around Ashford.
If you do, make sure you report it to Kent County Council Highways.