The Morgan Centenary Roadster 100 Register's Saxon Sussex Weekend - 4th, 5th & 6th May 2018

The Morgan Centenary Roadster 100 Register's 5th Saxon Sussex Weekend

- 4th, 5th & 6th May 2018

The Millstream Hotel, Bosham

Why Saxon Sussex?.

Apparently the Early Saxons took advantage of the power vacuum in West Sussex left behind by the Romans.

They could no longer afford to maintain outlying parts of their Roman Empire in the Fifth Century. 

The people of Sussex asked Rome for help in defending themselves from Saxon Raiders.

The Empire decided it couldn’t afford to strike back and left us Britain's to fight for our own future.

Sounds Familiar & Somewhat Appropriate during these heady times.

Being the first to arrive it was too early to check in.
We decided to walk to the harbour for lunch at The Anchor Bleu.

Heading for The Anchor Bleu

The Anchor Bleu - Busy on an Sunny Bank Holiday evening.

 Towards the Sea

 The view in both directions from The Anchor Bleu Balcony.
Chichester Harbour is tidal allowing a shore side roadway.
Only to be used for reaching the other side at low tide.

 Some do get caught out though.

And others not defended are affected by Flooded Homes

 Bosham Church - Famous Landmark

That FamousView from the Opposite Side of the Harbour

 Heading Back to the Hotel

 The Harbourside Road at Low Tide

 Nola enjoying the evening view

 Terry spots a Morgan in the Car Park

Nola among the Harbourside paraphernalia

 Robert's Low Tide over the Yacht Moorings

 A Stunning Reflection of this smart sailing boat.

The East Ditch water flowing through the mudflats.

http://www.boshamlife.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Watercourses.pdf

 The Rising Tide is ready to lap the Ice Cream Van's Tyres.

A Popular Venue on warm summer days

The house across the road with its beautifully sculptured Thatch

The Hotel frontage across the old Millstream

The separate entrance bridge to their Marwick's Brasserie

The Garden Cottage with its two extra bedrooms

Another view of Marwick's and our bedroom above the Bay Window

The shallow Millstream with its fine flow of water

Cottage Room 1

A pair of 'Quacky' Ducks enjoying their Millstream

Discovering the Garden and its Gazebo Bridge.
When we stayed here three years ago we missed the cottage and this garden completely?

The whole garden seen from the cottages

Studying the Gazebo and the ornate stream diversion

The view towards the Hotel & Cottages

From on the Gazebo Bridge

The view from our Bedroom

Now back at the Hotel.
The rest of our group are arriving and parking their cars.
Fortunately, Robert was on hand with his camera to capture them.

 Mike & Anthea in their stunning Ivory Plus 4

The Plus4 with Carol's R100 in the background 

 Chris's R100 alongside Philip's Plus 8 Supercar

Gerald and Geoff showing the novel alternative locations for our Rally Plaques 

Robert captures our Event Rally Plaque among The Green Goddess's Array of Car Badges 

 A photo in our room of a long gone fishing boat in Bosham Harbour
Trying to add to Sam's collection of Boat Registrations.

The Hotel Front Garden waiting for our Team Meeting

During the weekend, between having fun, we gathered to discuss our plans for All Morgans' Day.

Terry and Stephen admire our T Shirt as Gerald forces Sam to become the reluctant Mannequin. 

 Terry admiring his handy work with the design.

Dinner together on the restaurant

 On Saturday, Gerald & Mary travelled with us.
Our scenic route took us over the downs to Arundel,
via the Goodwood Estate and Petworth.

Here we are seen 'Hooding Up' in the extended car park.

 Our First and Most Important stop.
This was for a cool drink in the Riverside Café beside the River Arun.

 Boat Hire, for those keen to be on the water, is available from the Café

 Many of the Shops in Arundel are devoted to Antiques.
In keeping with Terry and Nola's Frog Mog theme we could not resist this big beast.
 

 More Frogs to keep the theme going.

If only there was a little more room in Gerald's Morgan
- Shove over, Mary

We have a planned visit to Goodwood House on Sunday.
Imagine our surprise when we spot this fine painting of owner Lord March in his Aston Martin.
It was lurking among the artworks in one upstairs gallery. 

 Another piece of motoring art in Art Deco style

I took this photo as an idea for Robert to wear at All Morgans' Day.
At our planning meeting yesterday he said that he needed a Large Hat.
Needing to be noticed during his Directing Duties at Blenheim Palace on 1st July. 

 Strolling along Arundel High Street near to the Castle walls

 Where the One Way System meets at the bottom of the hill.

 One of the two side streets  that complete Arundel's Centre

I left the group to snap this sweet Austin 7.
I had a feeling that it would be gone a moment later.

 More Frogs for Terry to admire.
They reminded me of the old adage.
 'If you lift a stone, a frog will jump out'
( meaning, that if you look for them, the problems or misdemeanours are just waiting to be discovered ).

Arundel's Roman Catholic Cathedral seen at the top of the town.

 Different levels on the hillside with no street parking available today.

 Could this old Birdcage be of interest to Terry for his Parrots?

 Always taking photos of Pictures in Cafe's 

 Then came an opportunity to take a similar shot of the Castle from the River Bridge

And there is that Riverside café where we began our visit.

The Tide has risen while we have been window shopping.

 Another painting I photographed in the Visitor Centre.

The Cathedral seemed to be shorter when this was painted?

 The Castle Entrance
- we did not have time to explore the town and do that castle and its many stairs.
That will have to wait for another day.

 Back in the main car park were two of these smart Tuc-Tuc's.
They were available for hire to take short tours around the town.

Our cars had become a point of interest for this family of visitors.

 Ready to leave.
Because I am banned from doing so elsewhere, my one Bonnet Shot of the Castle.

 Back at the Hotel chaos loomed as all of the parking places had been taken.
A visiting family group were there for a birthday party.
Gerald is seen practising his moves ready for Blenheim .

Here he guides Chris into this available place.

On Sunday Morning most of our group take another twisty country route to Uppark House.
A National Trust property set high on the South Downs.
A tortuous route littered with potholes and cyclists to dodge.

 Sam & Sue were there well ahead of the rest of us.
They set this trend of parking the wrong way around.

Philip & Linda parking their Plus 8

 A lovely classic Mk2 Jaguar seen gracing the car park there.

 Everyone is gathering for the walk to the house.

Nola & Frog Mog leading our line up.

 Chris showing us how a Morgan should be parked.

Geoff had a great idea, to take a group photo.

 That is better, thanks to a kind visitor, everyone is in this time.

 The cars now put to bed until we are ready to leave

 The Advance Party approaching the house

 Chris, Nola, Diane, Elizabeth, Stephen & Geoff following along behind.

 The next important place to head for is the café.
Located in a separate building, it appears to have been a kitchen in its past?

Ah! The important end. Just ready for a strong coffee.

 The original family's Coat of Arms.

 A fine view south across the downs to the English Channel

Without anyone noticing, Robert was there to catch us all.

Listening to Chris, while Ann gets on with signing the cards

 Interesting? Steps down to a tunnel. I wonder where that leads?

 Uppark House, side view from the Café.

The house sadly caught fire some years ago caused by builders working on the roof.
Most of its treasures were saved but its internal Décor had to be replaced.
It has been completely renovated by the National Trust to bring it back to its current glory.

Nola, who is unwell, camping out in the Gothic Gazebo to the side of the café with Diane

 This building, housing the Café and Shop, is mirrored on the opposite side of the house by the Stables building.

Maintenance work is ongoing.

 Time to investigate the tunnel
- It appears that servants would travel underground between the three buildings to be kept out of sight.
The tunnels form a 'Y' configuration  between the three buildings with some side branches and rooms set along the way.

 From the central link leading back to the café

 One of three light shafts forming the centre piece in front of the house.

 Nearing the door to the House Basement

 Along the passageway I find a Public Toilet set off to one side.
I wonder what its original use was?

 The Gallery to the Toilet area with a window set into the hillside

 One of the Grills above the Light Shafts

A small garden room set behind the shop

 The house frontage when approaching from the café

 In one of the tunnels was stored one of the longest wooden ladders that I have ever seen.
I have no idea how they get it out of there when needed?

The Mirrored Stables Block sadly not available to visit.

 Another side view of the house from the gardens.

 The Gardens

Unable to take any photos inside the house, our tour had to end early.
We had another visit to make that afternoon to Goodwood House.
We had booked a House Tour followed by Afternoon Tea in the Ballroom there.

 As we arrived a Goodwood a cricket match was underway on the pitch within the park there.

 Playing Lord and Lady for a few minutes.
We were shown into The Card Room to await our next Tour Guide arriving.

Definitely my lifestyle choice

 First stop on the tour saw the original Goodwood House set behind the larger building.

 The original buildings façade

Afternoon Tea, and all for us.

Let the Over Eating begin

One of the Cork Trees 

Measuring the Sweet Chestnut.

Being one of the last to leave a Green Goddess Photo Shoot was our perfect opportunity.

Then along came a nice lady with a dog.

This lovely old Frazer Nash/BMW.
It has been in the same ownership for 61 years.
It was heading for a Tour in France on this evenings ferry.

A carb for two cylinders.

Jack & Wheel Mallet neatly stored.

A smartly restored old boat 

The view from the other side of the harbour.

Misty in the evening sunlight

The waterfront boat park

A Classic Restoration with a lovely deep green metallic paint job.

Walking back again.

Low Tide Foreshore

Taken earlier in the day by Terry

My evening view in the other direction

A Turret for viewing in all directions

The Ice-cream Van with plenty of time to spare

The harbour from a side street

The Bosham Sailing Club on the Green

A local Aston speeds by.

Chased by this keen cyclist

Before the Sailing Club - Seen in the Hotel Photo Book

Early Sailing 

It is time to go home now for most of us as we gather around Sam's Morgan

 Gerald's tiny suitcase causes some amusement 

It is Sue's Birthday today.
They are staying an extra night to celebrate as they leave for another tour.

We are back at home as another lovely weekend draws to a close so quickly.

The Mog is back in the garage ready for a good clean and polish again.

Sadly all was not so good for Geoff and Diane.
They were plagued with the dreaded Morgan Plastic Radiator which failed as they returned from Uppark House.
Hopefully all will be well again soon as they travel back to Allon Whites at Cranfield in style.

The group all signed this lovely card made by Nola to thank us for organising the weekend.

Discovering Trinity Bastion ( No. 1 Battery ) Gosport

Discovering Trinity Bastion ( No. 1 Battery ) Gosport

I have walked around this corner many time in the past from the car park to the Ferry Terminal at Gosport in Hampshire but have never been curious enough to wonder what was behind that long wall. 

Yesterday for the first time i decided to take advantage of a 2 hour free parking limit and park in the road itself as I travelled across the harbour to Portsmouth to collect my son from the station there.

Being obviously more curious than me, on the return my son, having asked what was behind the wall, decided to take a peek through the large gate opening.

 Ever the cautious one, I stopped to read the notice on the gate lest we stray into someone's garden.

Imagine my surprise with what we found.

We were actually inside one of the ring of many fortifications built around Portsmouth and its Harbour for its defence during the Napoleonic Wars. Commonly known locally as 'The Palmerstone Follies' which, unlike the French 'Maginot Line', were never tested in their day.

 . This corner bastion (Called Trinity Bastion or No.1 Bastion) had once contained 14 guns of various sizes mounted in brick-lined emplacements which could be fired over the parapet.

The small chambers, or Expense Magazines, were built into the base of these steps, and spaced at regular intervals around the bastion must have been used to store the munitions.

My son was already at the top of the steps exploring the ramparts above which clearly show each gun emplacement 

In each placement the Pivoting Pillar used to swivel the guns are still in place suggesting that these may have been WW2 relics? 

The line of emplacements follows the half hexagon shape of the bastion. 

This emplacement seems to have carried a larger gun needing more room to swing.

Here the Large and Small emplacements are visible side by side.

Unfortunately I blurred this view across the moat to the Marina opposite.

Rounding the next part of the curve the rest of the emplacement come into view.

The Ramparts seem to end near to the modern footbridge with this Blockhouse building with its Slit Windows designed to protect the soldiers with their rifles. It now contains a row of modern apartments.

The Gun Slit Windows are clear to see from the footbridge.

This old map indicated that once there was a line of Fortifications between the two creeks surrounding Gosport Town Centre. 

This map better shows the design of the bastion defence ramparts and emplacements

The view of the ramparts when driving in from The Haslar Road Bridge

The Arial view kind thanks to Google Maps

This stunning view is also available from the same Google maps location

Across Haslar Creek, The Submarine Museum is located with its major exhibit HMS Alliance just visible through the forest of masts.

I hope that you enjoyed this visit to a piece of local history, discovered thanks to my son Robin.

Frank

All Morgans' Day 2011 - Results

 The Morgan Centenary Roadster 100 Register 

Our Magnificent Banner provided by Steve Pickering

Our Waddesdon Manor 'All Morgans' Day was a Fantastic Success

We reached the Front of Manor parking limit of 200 bookings with around 22 parked around the estate in the Public Car Park areas. 

22 Roadster 100's were in the line up across the Manor House and we made £1275.00 for Help for Heroes

Link to our Official Photographers Photos ; http://www.lluniau-photography.com/?Action=_VC&id=76630402&ppwd=morgan

Some of the 22 x R100 Line Up

Young Cory - Our Lone Cadet Fundraiser

A very neat 'Parking' job, Peter & Philip

One Person (Our Register Founder, David Harris) could not resist the temptation of the new Souped Up Roadster car on show!