Interesting facts about your hometown..

[hollycat]

Birmingham

Birmingham is England’s second city.

It has more miles of canals than Venice.

The Domesday Book of 1086 valued Birmingham at twenty shillings.

Home to Duran, Duran, UB40, Jasper Carrott and Ozzy Osbourne, but most importantly Cadburys!

 

[blue_grapefruit]

Pontypridd -

Home of the first (longest)single arch bridge - still stands

Home of music greats such as: Tom jones, Funeral for a friend, Lostprophets

Evan James and James James came from Ponty and they wrote the welsh national anthem


Oh, and i grew up there!!! xx

 

[Russiandoll]

Some really interesting little snippets here!! Loving this thread

 

[Delli]

I live in a tiny village called Dunloy (Leah will verify the tinyness of it!)
The name comes from the irish Dun Lathai, which means 'muddy fort'. as the village is surrounded by fields and mosses its not hard to figure out where the muddy came from.
Due to the northern ireland troubles u can imagine that anything i say here may cause some offence, and thats not what i want to do, am just giving you some information about where i live! this stuff all happened in the village.
two men from my village who were in the IRA were shot in the back and killed by the SAS as they checked their weapons dump some time in teh 80's. Also, a 14 year old boy was shot dead by the SAS as they thought he was in teh IRA too but these were two seperate incidents a few years apart!
on a more cheery note, there was recently a sit down protest in the middle of the village that ended up on the news. technically, the residents of the village were protesting against a parade by the Orange Order but in my opinion it was a load of eejits protesting against another load of eejits!

sorry theyre not very interesting facts folks!! its not a very interesting place!

 

[minilady]

Whitstable is famous for it's oysters

Peter Cushing from the Hammer horror films
Others that have a house here now are Janet Street Porter, Harry Hill and ginger haired chap that used to be in The Bill!

 

[Glorious_Day]

Birmingham is England’s second city.

It has more miles of canals than Venice.

The Domesday Book of 1086 valued Birmingham at twenty shillings.

Home to Duran, Duran, UB40, Jasper Carrott and Ozzy Osbourne, but most importantly Cadburys!

I'm a fellow Brummie,

Tolkien wrote Lord of The Rings inspired by Sarehole Mill, also the great comic actor Tony Hancock was born there.

As mentioned above Cadburys is ace........ so much to do in Brum.

Its also the 4th biggest attractor of foreign tourism.

The Bull Ring centre....... nothing better than a hot Krispy Kreme donut from Selfridges.

 

[IreneH]

Cadburys the best chocolate in the world. Drooling just thinking about it

Irene xx

 

[Eclipse]

Humphry Davy (he who invented the miners' safety lamp) was born in Penzance and that, sadly, is just about it! ! ! lol

 

[mandye]

The city of Ripon

Charles Lutwidge Dodgson better known as
Lewis Carroll his father was a cannon of our cathedral and he wrote one or 2 stories while he was here through the looking glass was 1 .Ripon was also the insperation for alices wonderland


Richard Hammond, the TV presenter, Bruce Oldfield, fashion designer and David Curry, the local MP - all of whom attended Ripon Grammar School.

Just down the road we have knaresborough which is where the nursery rhyme humpty dumpty comes from .

 

[Mich]

Cadburys the best chocolate in the world. Drooling just thinking about it

Irene xx

You should go visit Cadbury World when you go to the Bham meet Irene.... you could go on the Friday.... it's really interesting, not far from the town centre (short train ride away) and you get FREE chocolate - ok it's only a couple of bars but still...... !!

Let me know if you decide to go.... I think I've a money off voucher - though it might be one adult child free type voucher.... PM me and I'll let you know - then I can post it to you in time for your trip as I won't be there till Saturday lunchtime....

 

[Debbiemac]

Can i play??


Carlisle
Did you know that Her Majestys Theatre in Carlisle was the first Theatre ever to be lit by Electricity in 1880 Did you know that the 1st pillar box went up on Botchergate in Carlisle in 1853


Oh, and my original hometown.... Cannock.... not so sure I want to be associated, but Stan Collymore went to my school....in my sisters year no less!! (He had a LOT more hair then!)

 

[puggso_32]

Heroin capital of Scotland

It is quite nice though

 

[hollycat]

Richard Hammond, the TV presenter, Bruce Oldfield, fashion designer and David Curry, the local MP - all of whom attended Ripon Grammar School.[/size]

Sorry Richard was born in Birmingham, I am afraid we are going to claim the Hamster

Okay we'll have to share as he went to school in Ripon.

Mind you I think he now lives in Cheltenham, which is where I was born.

Also claiming Crossroads for Brum, not sure anybody else would want to claim that though.

 

[BIG BIRDY]

I'm from Brixham in Devon, and in 1847 the Reverend Lyte wrote the Hymn 'Abide with Me'. ......Commonly sung at funerals.

Agatha Christy used to live just on the outskirts of the town.

 

[Glorious_Day]

I'm from Brixham in Devon, and in 1847 the Reverend Lyte wrote the Hymn 'Abide with Me'. ......Commonly sung at funerals.

Agatha Christy used to live just on the outskirts of the town.

And most famously song at the FA Cup final every year, it makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up when 80000+ people are singing it.

 

[Glorious_Day]

Other famous Brummies

Martin Shaw
Phil Lynott - Well born in West Bromwich but they use the "B" postcode so we'll have him!!

Julie Walters - Smethwick (see above!!)
Mike Skinner - The Streets
Alan Dedicoat - The Voice of The Balls on the lottery
Cat Deeley
Robert Kilroy Silk - Another famous old boy from my school

 

[Mich]

Another interesting fact about Coventry.... today..... they have discovered a WW II bomb in an area they are currently re-juvinating....!!!

It has caused absolute chaos and ridlock in the city centre and guess who has been stuck in it??? Yup, your's truly......

 

[Delli]

we had an old world war II bomb found across from my house once. was bout 10 years ago, the army had one of those mechanic bomb robots in sorting it out.

 

[Mich]

we had an old world war II bomb found across from my house once. was bout 10 years ago, the army had one of those mechanic bomb robots in sorting it out.

Think they are doing that here too Delli..... wouldn't mind but it hasn't exploded for the last 60 odd years - what makes them think it will tonight.... caused utter chaos it has!!!!

But then the last time one went off in our city centre it wrecked the catherdral......

 

[Delli]

was a bit scary here though cos the bomb was found in an old house that had no roof (had fully grown trees growing out of the roof!) and we used to play in it as kids! jumping over the rocks and throwing stuff about etc.