Hoo Peninsula Film Project

I’ve posted something very similar about this before, but no apologies for doing so again!

Since 2006, I’ve been meeting lots of the peninsula’s longer-standing residents, or ‘peninsula elders’ as you might like to call them, to record on camera their stories and memories about living and working here.

Often more than just the typical recollections you tend to read in history books, I’ve heard some fascinating tales. Always unique and sometimes shocking, it’s been a real pleasure to have listened to these personal insights into everyday life. And I’ve learnt so much about our local history, including the odd snippet about my own family!

When I’ve finished I’m planning to donate these recordings to historical archives and local history groups. I’d hope that future generations of historians, and residents, seeking to expand their knowledge of local social history might find them useful - and I know they’ll find the people in them interesting and often really funny!

I still have a whole list of people on my list to get through in the coming months, but it’s always good to hear of anyone else with a few interesting stories to tell.

Just get in touch via the contact page.
 

Hoo Church film - orders now being taken!

Before Christmas I mentioned the news that a DVD was being produced about Hoo Parish Church.

It is a look at Church life and features many events that have taken place, like the replacement of the Church flag-pole, the Remembrance Day service and many of the different concerts the Church has hosted.

The DVD has been lovingly produced, over many hours, days, weeks and months, by Hoo resident Ralph Smythe (pictured below working on the DVD).

One person who is especially excited about the DVD is former Hoo vicar Andy Harding (pictured below with Stuart Coombes a few days before Christmas). I caught up with Andy when he was in the village visiting friends and former parishioners. He said he was looking forward to watching the film - even though it will make him miss Hoo even more than he does already!

Copies of the DVD can be obtained by making a minimum donation of £5 to Hoo Parish Church. I’m sure the DVD will make an excellent keepsake.

To order your copy, contact Stuart Coombes on 01634 251705.
 

New DVD about Hoo Parish Church . . .

I heard some news at the weekend which will be quite exciting to those with an interest in the life of the Hoo community. It was about a film being produced locally about Hoo Parish Church.

It will be a ‘year in the life’ of the Church and will feature many of the events that have taken place.

The DVD is being produced by Ralph Smythe (pictured below working on the DVD). Ralph is Secretary of the Hoo Peninsula Model Railway Club and Treasurer of Hoo-ARA - to name but two of the local groups he’s involved with!

I popped along to see Ralph the other day and had a sneak preview of the film.

Things seem to be shaping up nicely and I was impressed with all the technology involved in producing what I’m sure will be an impressive local film.

It will also make for a really memorable keepsake.

The DVD will be available in the New Year, but orders can be placed now by getting in touch with Stuart Coombes on 01634 251705.

A minimum donation will be requested for copies of the DVD, but all money raised will go to Hoo Parish Church.
 

Cliffe Marshes Walk

Walking through the night for the Relay for Life, made me think that I ought to get back to exploring the many countryside walks around the Hoo Peninsula.

So on Sunday I headed for Cliffe, where there is no shortage of interesting walks. In fact, the newsagent/post office on Church Street (near the Six Bells pub) has a good stock of leaflets about local walks, produced by the Friends of North Kent Marshes.

Setting out from Pond Hill in Cliffe, I followed the Thames and Boundary trails (both sharing walking route RS82), which are part of the RSPB Cliffe Pools Nature Reserve. These trails lead past the pools and then on towards the sea wall - along what seems at times like a never ending gravel track.

When arriving at the sea wall, I turned right to walk north east, passing Lower Hope Point and Redham Mead, before stopping for a tea break at a point overlooking the site of the old Curtis & Harvey Explosives works.

This closed in the 1920s, but even now with relatively few of the hundreds of buildings still easily visible from a distance, it is clear this was once a very important part of our local military heritage. Although few would have known it was there at the time, given its ‘top secret’ nature.

The inward view of Cliffe Marshes is really impressive, even though the landscape seemed endless with the tea having run out and the long walk back to Cliffe still to go!

The other side of the sea wall is a little less than idyllic. Unless you have a thing for oil refineries of course. The River Thames generates lots of rubbish. I lost count of the number of Port of London safety helmets washed-up on the shore - it must cost someone (probably us!) a lot of money to keep buying replacements.

Whilst walking along the sea wall, I was stopped by a couple who were out exploring the area because of its connection with Stanley Kubrick’s 1987 Vietnam war film ‘Full Metal Jacket’ (pictured below). Apparently Cliffe Marshes doubled up as Vietnamese paddy fields! I didn’t know anything about this, but I checked the internet when I got home and it’s all true - you learn something new every day.

Just before reaching Egypt Bay, I turned onto a track and followed the signs pointing south westerly to Cliffe. There’s quite a few ditches to cross on the return journey and, at one point, I had to ‘walk the plank’ in order to rectify a mistake caused by my less than perfect map reading abilities.

After 3 ½ hours walking, and having covered a distance of about 8 miles, I eventually arrived back in Cliffe via Wharf Lane.

A really enjoyable walk on a nice summer’s day.