The Karnser

 When I was a child we went to Stowmarket on the bus and got off before the town centre to walk to see Grandma and then we would walk into town which meant going over a raised path, which I've always known as the Karnser. Grandma and Mum were Stowmarket born and bred so that's what they called it.

There WAS a picture  below which I copied from a local 'Stowmarket In Old Photo's' Facebook page and several people commented that they'd never heard the word. Some references say that it's an East Anglian dialect word but below the report says it's much older.

The picture vanished and I couldn't find it again despite searching all the Stowmarket facebook sites - luckily I'd copied the text.......................

The raised pathway on one side of Station Road, whether it is spelled with a 'c' or a 'k', is an old word of Anglo-Saxon origin. There are other places in East Anglia with a reference to the word, such as Mellis Common in Suffolk and Blakeney in Norfolk, which refer to a raised footpath or causeway across a marshy area.

The Stowmarket spelling with a 'k' is quite unusual, but the meaning still has the same derivation of a raised footpath. In this case it was developed to allow brewers' drays to pull up beside Steven's Brewery, that later became part of the Greene King Group, so that barrels could be rolled directly onto the back of the carts without involving heavy lifting or rolling heavy casks up sloping ramps etc.

Information from Stowmarket Local History Group.

While searching for the picture that I copied here from facebook and which later vanished, I came across this one from a bit later when the brewery had been taken over by Greene King. It doesn't really show the Karnser except for the railings.

And here's what it looks like today. Back in the 60's there were breaks in the barriers with steps built into the wall to get down to road level, but they are long gone. This road is a very busy one now leading in and out to the town centre and the main carpark beside Asda.

It's a very, very long time since the building was a brewery and it's been rebuilt, stood empty or used as offices for many years.

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Sue

Thanks for comments yesterday, I thought I'd answered but I hadn't and then it was late!

Advent 2024 and the Tree Festival

 So many decorated trees in the church in Stowmarket this year, seemed to be many more than normal. It was lovely having a coffee in the cafe there and then a look around at all the wonderful ideas that clubs, groups, societies and businesses come up with.

This was my favourite. By a group called Stow Stories who I'd not heard of before but what they are doing sounds interesting.

Back Tomorrow

Sue

Saturday Again

 There was some wild weather this week - high winds, torrential rain storms, ordinary rain and hail. We did have sun on a couple of days but not enough for my liking. I keep peering over the fleece fence at the French Climbing Bean plants - all OK so far.

Thank you to everyone for comments all week and 'Happy Birthday' wishes on Tuesday and apologies when I don't see them until next day and don't get round to replying. 

I think I have to be thankful that it's just one cat damaging the garden and not deer, rabbits, wallabies and wombats as many people have to garden around in other parts of the world! And I heard something about Fire Ants in parts of Australia -they look devastating. 

Thank you also to people who say they enjoy reading the blog - writing it keeps me going through good and the bad days.

 My 5th book of Reading The Seasons was a fail. It's a diary written through the spring of 2020, with the best spring weather for years and the virus moved through the country. It's by 3 different nature writers in different parts of the country including one in West Suffolk.

I started it and it was quite readable but I really didn't want to be reading about the coronavirus and its effects on everyone - it seems a long time ago now and I just didn't want to be taken back to that time again. 

Flowers in the house this week are my own - a few late tulips from the garden and some bits of Spirea and Perriwinkle.

Just as we were packing the chairs away at the Keep Moving Group this week we had a visit from a  very young policeman. ....It's true what they used to say .........he looked about 18! We told him he was too young and too late for the exercise and the coffee. But he'd seen the cars parked outside so thought  he would just drop in to tell us to be aware that there were some aggressive people door knocking in the area claiming to be from a charity. I'm always wary opening the door nowadays which is sad. Funnily enough the only person I've struggled to get rid of was a milkman wanting to deliver me milk!

Another weekend to enjoy with definitely more reading- but only one library book left- car boot sale probably - dry weather would be good. Stowmarket Town Council are trying to re-launch a monthly Farmers Market in town today - they tried in 2017 and it never really got going. Stow is going through a difficult patch with the banks closing and lots of empty shops and I found even the Oxfam Charity shop is closing. You know things are bad when a well established charity pulls out of the town. 

Have a good weekend in your bit of the world.

I shall be back Monday

Sue

The House Where I Was Born

 69 years ago today I was born in this house belonging to my Grandma and Grandad, in Stowmarket in Mid Suffolk..

My Mum was staying with her Mum and Dad for my birth. My dad had been killed in a motorbike accident a few months earlier and the house they had bought to renovate wasn't yet in any condition for a new-born baby.

After that I don't know how or where we lived, but our house was finished for me and Mum, even though there was no bathroom and only an outside toilet  for a few years- which I can just about remember - thank goodness the bathroom was built after a while.

As for Grandma and Grandad's house,  they lived there until  she died in 1988, Grandad died many years earlier. The family moved there in the 1930's (Mum was one of six) when the tiny house they were living in not far away was condemned. These houses in Stowmarket were council houses built between the wars. They were built with a scullery for washing up off the kitchen and there was a built in brick boiler thing in one corner to heat water for washing - heated by a coal fire underneath, the bath stood beside it - with only a cold tap. The indoor toilet was on a half landing and there were steps down to a cellar for coal storage. 

There were two other rooms downstairs although one was never used, and I only remember it because of the pictures on the wall - one was a huge print of J.F Millet The Gleaners -  how and why? The only heating was a coal fire in the main living room.

When the houses were modernised in the late 1960's they turned the 'best' room into a proper fitted kitchen and the scullery into a bathroom.

Mum visited her parents every Thursday............ we were the nearest grandchildren, going on the bus to Stowmarket with me and then me and my sister  when we weren't at school. We would get off the bus, walk down to Grandmas for coffee and then walk 'up the town' for shopping so although we never stayed or visited any other time  I remember the house well. Occasionally we would go into town first and then walk back to Grandmas picking up Fish and Chips for lunch on the way.

 There was a honeysuckle arch over the front door for all the years I remember visiting. 

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Sue

 

Added For Easter and Easter Crosses

 I've added a few extras to the seasonal display on the bookshelves.

Just for my benefit, unless I get any unexpected visitors.

Stowmarket Church has a Festival of Crosses for Easter, so I popped in to have a look. Lots of groups and organisations taking part.

A different idea to encourage people into the church at Easter.

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Sue

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Around My Town

Thanks for comments yesterday. I had  4 year old MG - the dinosaur/marvel heroes expert - here for the day so didn't get round to replying.- poor excuse! but here are some answers...........

To Chris - thanks for the mention of a new Kristin Hannah - I reserved it and am 57th. We really are lucky to have such a good library service in Suffolk. The TV series of the Detectorists was made a few years before the book so not made from the book. 

 On Facebook  Groups I found a recent walk around the town that I've known all my life. 

Mine and Colin's first home together was in Bridge Street where Don walks after coming out of the river walk by the factory. It was ICI when we lived there and was the factory where my mum met my dad back in the late 1940's.

I've never done the walk as he did but wouldn't need a map as I've walked almost everywhere he went at some time or another and worked in the building now called Red Gables when it was Stowmarket Library. It was much smaller then. 

Probably boring for everyone but I'd thought I'd share it anyway!

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Sue

Charity Shops and Not Spending

 Why didn't I know there was a 'new' charity shop in Stowmarket that had been there since last July? An independent, not part of a chain, run by the lady who ran one a few years ago. Her old shop was a treasure trove of junk crammed floor to ceiling. This new one is smaller and tidier and not so interesting.

 While in town for fresh food last week I did a tour of all seven charity shops and found nothing at all. Which was very good for a low spending month. I didn't feel the need to venture out for bargains in the January sales either. 

I had a bit of a wardrobe/chest of drawers sort out and added a couple of things to the charity shop bag. I'll definitely need some strappy vest tops for summer as I wear them under tunic tops in winter and several are looking very sad as are some bits of underwear. Shades of Grey comes to mind when I hang them out on the whirly!

No shoes will be needed this year as I bought two pairs of the summer shoes that I like in the sales last January. Most of my pairs of shorts are still OK but I always need a new tee-shirt or two each summer as the old charity shop ones get tatty.

It's looking hopeful for a low-spend in the clothes department, both strappy vest tops and tee-shirts are usually easy enough to find in charity shops.

Next winter I'll need a couple of new pairs of leggings - some have been mended too often to survive another winter.

And hopefully not a lot will be needed in the house after last years big spend on the sofa and chair and the much smaller spend on the second-hand nest of 3 tables. (Now I've said that something will probably break-down!) and I bought a new duvet and another 300 count fitted sheet in December so that's another area where nothing will be spent in 2024.

I'm looking for no spend and low spend in all areas for the rest of this month because the heating oil tank will probably need 500 or 600 litres at the end of February depending how cold it is for the rest of the winter months. 

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Sue

December 16th - Christmas Tree Festival

 I didn't take many photos of the trees in the church at Stowmarket, there were more than usual and lots of people looking round. All were lovely and colourful. So many organisations in and around the town had decorated trees on the theme of Christmas songs and carols.

The church was full of school children when Pat and I arrived for the Osier café . They'd been brought in to see their tree and all the others. Just before we left someone started to play carols on the piano which was lovely to hear.

I always hang a card on the memory tree for Colin and it was absolutely covered with peoples memories of loved ones and the prayer tree too had hundreds of hearts with names of people who needed a prayer said for them.

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Sue

The Bells Will Ring Again

The Bells! The Bells! 

All the bells of Stowmarket church are sitting here on the floor of the church after being repaired and restored and two new bells made. The oldest bell here dates from 1450.

They've been away from the church for 3 years and much fund raising was needed for all the work on the bells as well as strengthening the tower and bell frame. 

The bells were blessed by the Bishop and will be re-hung in the belfry very soon. Having ten bells instead of eight will allow the bell ringers to ring different sequences or changes - there are hundreds of combinations or patterns all with different names. 

I borrowed this picture off their web page showing the lorry squeezing through a very narrow gap between the church and the old buildings on the right.

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Sue

The Church of St Mary and St Peter Stowmarket

 I've taken photos in this church before when it's been full of Christmas Trees but here are a few of the church itself.

Stowmarket is the main town of Mid Suffolk and the 6th largest urban area in the County and a town I've known for all my life. The church is right in the centre of the town and traffic passes just a few feet from the other side of the church. The spire is the third it's had and this one dates from 1994.

The Sundial over the South door has almost worn away and the niche which would have once held the carving of a Saint is empty

None of the stained glass in the windows here is older than 1871 because a huge explosion in town shattered all the previous glass. I wrote about it HERE.

All the wood in the church is quite dark and heavily carved

Gilded War Memorial in the side aisle 

Very Old Memorials

In the last year or so there has been a very interesting change inside the church (traditionalists might hate it but I think it's a really good use of space). The Osier café which once operated in the town's East Anglian Rural Life Museum raising money for their funds was deemed not good enough when the museum went posh and got funding to become The Museum of Food!

But The Osier got a brand new home in the church. The rear pews of the church were removed and a small kitchen area (which had been added several years ago) was extended. Tables and chairs on one side of the doorway and comfortable sofas and small play area on the other. Now the church is open  and used every day of the week except Mondays, with the café open Tuesday to Saturday.

Looking back from the chancel towards the Café and kitchen.

They have the best ever cheese scones! Home made of course and very delicious. And they do a loyalty card. 10 'stamps' and you get a free drink next time. 

The entrance porch has glass doors into the church so it looks very welcoming

In the porch is an information board about the church bell restoration. The 8 bells were all removed in 2020 and much fundraising before and after means they have been restored , plus  a new steel frame and 2 brand new bells.. They are due to be re-hung in the church in the next few months. With 10 bells the ringers will be able to ring a bigger peal.

They have shelves full of donated items (like toiletries) which people can take if they need them and donate if they are able. I got two greetings cards - for Granddaughter and Daughter for 50p each .They also have a pew full of books for sale -didn't find anything this time.

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Sue