Marlborough College

After the manic mayhem of London. it was good being back at home in Wiltshire. 

Realising that the excellent weather, particularly towards the north of the county would not repeated for a while, I hopped on the bus to Marlborough, which takes an hour and a half, (each way) a distance by car of about 20 miles. No chances of breaking the land speed record here...

Because it takes so darn flippin long, I don't make it to this pretty market town as much as I'd like. When I have done, it's usually to walk the nearby Downs, or traverse the old byways to the Fifield Sarcen stones.

Saturdays (and Wednesdays) are market days and this is set up in the middle of the High Street with, literally, the main A4 road passing either side! Usually at crawling pace, or slower. Marlborough has no bypass or ring-road, everything has to trundle through the centre. It was this mass jumble and chaos that prevented me from getting a (really) decent shot of that part. 

So, instead you have this wonderful orange brick bridge that joins parts of the college and which spans the aforementioned A4, as it leaves the town westwards. I've always enjoyed this part and always taken a snap - I did clone out the back end of a car waiting at the pedestrian crossing just out of shot, though. I wanted to get a good record shot of it.

Marlborough College http://www.marlboroughcollege.org/about-us/college-history/ , formed in 1843, is quite well known and was formed around an old Motte and Bailey - Freespiral, note! (there's a photo of it in the link, not accessible to the public)

I was looking at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marlborough_College  wikipedia's entry to look for notable scholars but couldn't but those who enjoy the rascally schoolboy humour of posh boy Jack Whitehall, (BBC3. Channel 4) will know all too well of his often ludicrous comic swipes at his "education" at Marlborough College!

Anyway, I had walked from the centre of the town along the far side of the River Kennet, along to the village of Manton, under the lee of the White Horse cut out by students in 1804 - see Extra photo, poor image as the sun was directly above the hill, casting the Horse in complete shadow - another for Freespiral to gawp and gaze at, dreamily...

This was actually quite a long walk and returning, along the A4, was when I took this photo. The buildings that belong to the College are all interesting and at least it being a weekend, my prying lens did not create worry, as there were no scholars in attendance.

I returned to the High Street and the Market, which was even more chaotic. It's actually the second widest High Street in England - the great Fire of Marlborough in 1653 burned down a whole street, within that street (!) and it was never rebuilt. Read more about Marlborough and its history https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marlborough,_Wiltshire

After getting home, after that another 90 minutes of bumpy, lumbering about in the dark, bus journey, I soon went to bed. I was shattered! 

If you're visiting Marlborough, check in at the Polly Tea Rooms and if you're a music lover, a really fine 'Sound Knowledge' record shop - YES! a proper CD, music DVD and vinyl shop! Alive and kicking - and where I purchased the wonderful Isaac Hayes 'Hot Buttered Soul' - now, that's a bloody amazing album!!

I do also have to thank you ALL so much for all the huge response to my two London Blips - I am well behind with Blip, but I did say that might be the case when I rejoined. Sunday looks to be back with usual crap winter weather so I can catch up with you all then.