A DATE IN DEVIZES

I am very fortunate that I have kept in touch with many colleagues, despite having been retired for almost ten years and today I had a date in Devizes to meet Sarah, whom I worked with for several years.  On the way, I passed Silbury Hill, the largest artificial mound in Europe, so stopped to take a photograph - top left in my collage.  If you want to read more about its history, have a look here.

I was able to take my State Pension when I was 60 years old so when I decided to work part-time, I was asked by my boss, Nikki, which days I would like to work.  Tongue-in-cheek, I said “How about Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday?” (thinking I could have a four day weekend every week!)  I was amazed Nikki said that was fine because it would fit in with Sarah’s hours - she worked on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so I would be able to cover for her on Tuesday and Thursday and we would be in together on Wednesday - perfick!

When the housing market crashed, I was made redundant, but I have to say, I have never looked back and am happily retired with Mr. HCB, who had retired a couple of years before me.  

Sarah and I have kept in touch over the years and she helped me a lot when I first started to learn conveyancing - something I never thought I would do as I found it rather boring - but she was always very approachable and helpful, so I grew to quite like it, although if I am honest, I must say I preferred either Family or Personal Injury work.

She now works for a firm of Solicitors in Devizes, and strangely enough another Solicitor I worked for even before I worked for Sarah, also works in the same firm, so when I went to meet Sarah, I was able to have a chat with Cynthia too.  I also knew Paul, Cynthia’s husband, and it was great that he came into the office, so I was able to catch up with him too.  What a busy day!

I had had a wander round Devizes before I met Sarah, as there are some lovely old buildings in the town and I knew I wanted to make a collage. The top right shows the door to the office where Sarah works - an interesting old Listed Building, that used to be a coaching inn in the 1770s and was later a Judge’s official residence, being opposite the former assize court.  I think it must have been the original door as it was extremely heavy and needed a good push to open.

In the middle left of the collage and standing in Market Square, is the Grade II Listed Market Cross, built in 1814 and paid for by the local MP, Henry Addington.  On the plinth attached it says that it “Commemorates the awful event that occurred in the Market Place in 1753, hoping that such record might serve as a salutary warning against the danger of impiously invoking divine vengeance or of calling on the Holy name of God to conceal the devices of falsehood and fraud.”  Ruth Pierce, who with three other women had agreed to purchase a sack of wheat, was then accused of not paying for it, but protested she had paid her share  and wished she might “drop down dead if she had not.”  The memorial states : “She rashly repeated this awful wish when to the consternation and terror of the surrounding multitude she instantly fell down and expired, having the money concealed in her hand.”  

When I was a child and used to say to my Mother, “God strike me down dead if I am lying,” she told me this story and said I mustn’t say that because if I was lying, God might just do to me what he did to Ruth Pierce.

My lovely friend, Sarah, who is in the middle of the collage, treated me to lunch at a little café in The Ginnel (a ginnel being a narrow passageway between buildings, or an alley) called Tea Inc - this is shown on the bottom left of the collage - they have many different blends of tea, so I will be sure to go back with Mr. HCB as he is the tea lover in our family.

I never knew that Devizes had a castle, shown at the middle right of the collage.  The original Devizes Castle was built in 1080.  In May 1648 the castle was dismantled following a Parliamentary Order, a process known as slighting. All that remains of the medieval castle today is the original mound, the outline of the moat and traces of the foundations of the great hall.  The present castle was built in 1842.  However, it is not open to the public and is divided into flats in private ownership.  The main part of the castle, including seven bedrooms, four bathrooms and six reception rooms was sold in 2010 for £2 million.

No visit to Devizes would be complete without mentioning the famous Wadworth Brewery, which actually is just across the road from where Sarah works - and which can be seen at the bottom right of the collage.  This independent family-owned brewery was established in 1875 and they still use traditional shire horses to deliver their casked ale to local public houses in the town in either metal or wooden barrels.  The four shire horses are stabled at The Brewery and as well as delivering ale, compete in shows and events throughout the country.  The Brewery’s most famous beer is 6X and Mr. HCB assures me it is a “a very enjoyable, full-bodied pint”!  Perhaps we should do a tour of the Brewery the next time we visit Devizes, but I think if that is the case, then I will certainly be driving home!

All in all, a great day - with special thanks to Sarah.  Whilst mooching in the local shops, I did buy another Christmas present in "The Bay Tree", a lovely little gift shop in Market Place, where I was served with a  smile by Marcia - but I know fellow Blippers probably won't want to hear the "C" word again!

“No legacy is so rich
     as honesty.”
William Shakespeare

P.S.  I didn't put the sign in my collage, but have put it in as an extra, but knew there was a reason I wasn't skinny!  I meant to buy a pie for Mr. HCB, but forgot!