I'm a very naughty blogger!

Yes, i know i haven't added anything to my blog for a few weeks. It's not good enough and i'm sorry. I'm a very naughty blogger! However, i do have a partial excuse.

I am continuing with my running/jogging/shuffling regime. I now jog twice a week very early in the morning so as few people as possible see this purple faced wheezing excuse for an athlete passing by. I hate meeting other joggers and walkers because instictively i feel that i have to speed up and cutail my rythmic grunting noises to give the impression that i'm a fit veteran runner! One day maybe, but not at the moment.

However, i am making an improvement, albeit slowly. Very slowly. I jog the same route (i think it's just under 4 miles) and i time myself every run. My times have improved. At the beginning i had to stop several times. Then i alternated between jogging and fast walking. Now, the last couple of times i have gone out  i have completed the route without stopping. Only a few weeks ago i thought that was impossible. So, deep down i am really pleased with my progress.

I just wish i could breathe better when i run. I smoked quite heavily for over 35 years so the legacy is that my lung capacity is not brilliant, but hopefully this will improve as well. I'm glad that i forced myself to start running and know that i will continue barring injury.

The Shah Jahan Mosque.

Woking is the home of the Shah Jahan Mosque. Built in 1889 by the Orientalist Dr. Gottleib Wilhelm Leitner, the mosque was the first purpose built mosque to be built in Northern Europe. Leintner surprisingly, was a Hungarian Jew who as a child had studied at madrassah schools in Istanbul and who memorised large parts of the Quran. Later he worked as an interpreter for the British Raj (he could speak eight languages) and became a Professor at Kings College London before moving to the University of the Punjab.

He came back to England and in 1883 began the Oriental Institute in Woking.  The mosque was built to cater for the worship and spititual needs of the Muslim students at the institute and quickly played a vital role in the establishment of Islam in Great Britain. It also became world famous on account of its publications and missionary work in the early part of the 20th century. Up until the 1950's the Shah Jahan was the major Islamic centre in the United Kingdom and welcomed famous dignitaries from around the world on official visits, but by the 1960's the mosque's status had declined, and instead served as a place of worship for Woking's and neighbouring Muslim populations.

Today, the Shah Jahan mosque is the cultural and spiritual centre for Surrey's Muslims. Hundreds of followers visit the Shah Jahan to pay homage to their faith and to accommodate this, the mosque's 70 person capacity has been supplemented with two nearby prayor halls, which can hold up to 600 people each if necessary. Now a grade two listed building the mosque is very welcomong to visitors and offers guided tours for groups and schools.

I think the mosque is one of the most beautiful buildings i have seen. Its traditional Indo Saracen design has a dome, minarets and courtyard. Geometric patterns and Arabic calligraphy are used for decoration. On my recent visit i was unable to go inside the mosque as prayers were almost due to start, but i have been invited back by the very friendly Imam and will do another post with photographs. I can't wait!

The Muslim cemetery

Last Sunday i was a bit bored and restless and in need of some fresh air so i decided to re-discover an old haunt of mine - The Muslim Burial Ground on Horsell Common. This disused cemetery occupies the most unlikely of locations being surrounded by trees and set well back from the main road into Woking. I used to take my chidren when they were young to this part of the common and was surprised to find this relic of Woking's past. Not many people visiting Woking are aware of it's existence or historical significance.

The domed entrance to the burial ground.

The Muslim Burial  Ground was built in 1917 when many troops from the Empire were fighting in France during the First World War. The site was chosen because of it's close proximity to Britain's only mosque at that time, the Shah Jehan Mosque in Woking (more of which in my next post), and it's structure emulates many of the mosque's features, including the minarets, arches and the majestic dome.

Hidden from public view by the trees of Horsell Common.

Indian army soldiers wounded fighting in France during 1914-16 were treated in England in special hospitals along the south coast including the famous Brighton Pavillion. Those who died received burial rites according to their religion. There were special cremations for Hindu and Sikh soldiers. After concerns were raised that Muslim soldiers were not being buried according to their preferred religious customs - most importantly facing in the direction of Mecca, the sacred city of Islam, the War Office stepped in and purchased the site as a special burial ground. On completion, the burial ground received 19 burials of Indian Army soldiers and a further five during World War Two. The soldiers served in different regiments but most were recruited from small villages in what is now Pakistan.

Part of the original wall showing the arches and corner minaret.

In 1921 the War Graves Commission took over its upkeep. Local people remember it had a yellow gravel path, iron gates at the entrance and two inside seats for visitors. Unfortunately by the 1960's the cemetery was suffering vandalism due to its isolated location so reluctantly the decision was taken in1968 to remove the bodies to the Military Cemetery at Brookwood.

Now a grade two listed building the burial ground is an overlooked memorial to the Indian Army soldiers who gave their lives during the two world conflicts. In need of much work and attention it is now under the care of Horsell Common Preservation Society which is working with Woking Borough Council and the local Muslim community to find ways of funding its restoration and preservation. Lets hope they succeed.

Winter Wonderland!

Living in England, particularly in the south as i do, snow is not too common. It usually snows a few times during the winter, settling probably only a couple of times and is almost always gone after a couple of days. This year we have had heavy snowfalls and frozen temperatures that have now been with us for almost two weeks. As usual the snow caused traffic chaos with many people, including myself, unable to get into work. The snow was so dense i couldn't even get out of my cul-de-sac.The authorities gritted the main roads which immediately got clogged up with traffic as nobody could use the side roads. Absolute gridlock!

The scene from my front door. Notice the uncollected refuse bins!

The upside to all the mayhem was stunning scenery along my usual walks and a welcome silence with fewer vehicles on the roads. It was also nice to see loads of children outside playing in the snow and listening to their laughter, when usually they are all indoors using the playstation or watching television.

Snow and blue sky along the canal towpath near to where i live.

Today the temperatures have gone above freezing and a big thaw has begun. There is slush on all the roads and huge puddles everywhere. No doubt there will be floods as a result bringing more mayhem to parts of the country. That's the trouble with our climate - one extreme to the other and difficult to predict.

The frozen canal. Notice the trees on the opposite bank weighted with snow drooping into the ice.

A slippery walk up to one of the locks.

 

A snowy treescape.

H G Wells (again) and unusual trees.

Last Sunday me and my eldest son Matt went for a lazy five mile walk part of which was over Horsell Common, which if you have read my previous post on H. G. Wells and his book War of the Worlds, was where the Martians first landed with their intention to take over the world. During our walk we came across an area called the sand pit. This was the exact spot depicted by Wells as the first landing area of the Martian spacecraft.

Horsell Common is an amazing place with plenty of different species of trees, scrubland and heath. There is also an abundance of native wildlife.

The Sand Pit as depicted in The War of the Worlds.
(picture from War of the Worlds music website)

The Sand Pit, Horsell Common.

Part of the sandy soil had been washed away and eroded over the years to expose the root system of several of the trees. This did not seem to affect their growth because they all appeared healthy and flourising. They obviously have a tremendous survival instinct.

One of the glorious trees.

The intricate partly exposed root system.

Remembrance Sunday.

Last Sunday I had the priviledge to attend the Remembrance Day memorial service and parade in my home town of Woking. The service was conducted in the open air in the town square in front of the war memorial for the fallen of the First World War.

There was an amazing turnout with attendance from all branches of the military, the police, the fire service and local civic dignatries as well as the public. I was particularly impressed that there were many young people there to show their respects and wearing their poppies with pride.

I suppose that the death of our soldiers in Afghanistan keeps reminding people of the futility of war. At 11 am there was a minutes silence for reflection followed by the playing of the last post on a solitary bugle. I found the whole experience very moving.

The impressively attended Remembrance Day service in Woking Town Square in front of the First World War Memorial.

The Lady Mayor in full regalia arrives for the service.

The poignant inscription on the War Memorial in Woking town square.

The various wreaths of poppies laid at the foot of the memorial. My son Josh in air cadet uniform is in the background immediately to the left of the memorial.

Woking and H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds.

My home town of Woking has long been associated with H G Wells. Wells lived in Woking for several years, during which time he wrote his classic novel of alien invasion, The War of the Worlds (1898), much of which is set in and around the town. For the 1998 centenary of the publication of The War of the Worlds, the Borough Council chose to mark Woking's connection with both author and book by commissioning a sculpture representing the book's most striking image: the Martian Fighting Machine.

The Martian Fighting Machine - The Tripod.

The Woking Martian sculpture was created by artist Michael Condron and unveiled in April 1998. It consists of three elements: the Martian Fighting Machine, the Martian Cylinder and the Bacteria.
The Martian Fighting Machine sculpture represents one of the vast metal tripods from which the invading Martians wreaked havoc with their deadly Heat Ray. The chrome-plated stainless-steel sculpture is 7 metres (23 feet) tall with legs 17 centimetres (7 inches) in diameter. It is depicted advancing from the direction of Horsell Common, the landing site of the first Martian Cylinder. As you can see, the detail on the underside of the tripod is amazing.

The underside of the Martian Fighting Machine.

The detail is extraordinary.

The Martian Cylinder.

The Martian Cylinder represents the first of the projectiles that carried the Martians to Earth, landing on Horsell Common which is just outside Woking town centre. The cylinder element of the Woking Martian depicts the cylinder embedded in the Common, with multi-coloured bricks representing layers of soil thrown up by the impact.

In The War of the Worlds the Earth's bacteria proved the downfall of the Martians. The concourse between the FIghting Machine and the Cylinder features a number of inlaid mosaics depicting the bacteria. The final one, fittingly, shows a microbe slithering up a leg of the Fighting Machine. I think overall that this is a superb sculpture telling in detail the story of the Martian landings. However, i'm sure that many people who have never read the book or seen the film (not the Tom Cruise Hollywood version) walk by and have no idea what they are seeing. Anyway, if you have cause to visit Woking and come across this, you now know the story behind the sculpture.

On my doorstep

Low bridge and lock gate

Within a four to five minute walk away from where i live is the Basingstoke Canal. I use the canal for convenience for walking to the nearby village of St. Johns or the much longer walk into Woking if i don't want the hassle or expense of parking the car. Like most locals i tend to take the canal for granted. However the other day i went out for another of my walks and this time took my camera with me. This gave me a chance to take my time, take a step back and look at the canal from a totally different perspective.
A view along the tow path

I hadn't appreciated the beauty and living landscape that was literally on my doorstep. The day was damp, slightly misty and still. There was hardly anyone around apart from the odd jogger. I just wandered along taking the odd photograph of anything that interested me.
Interesting shapes and contrasts

Reflections in the water

Spring daffodils on the canal bank

When i got home and uploaded the photographs i had taken and had a really good look at them i realised how lucky i was to live close by and have access to such a beautiful environment the beauty of which up to now had generally passed me by. I hope the scenes that i have posted convey just how beautiful this man made stretch of water is.
An unusual angle!

An lovely plaque attached to one of the bridges

Another of the many lock gates along the canal

Lest we forget.....

Row upon row of war dead

A few weeks ago i needed a good long walk to get my thoughts together and decided i'd take a walk around Brookwood cemetery which although only a couple of miles away i had never previously visited. Wow, what had i been missing!

A short history. In 1850 Parliament ordered the closure of the more crowded churchyards in London and a search was commissioned for a new site of sufficient size and splendour to serve the burial needs of London for at least 500 years. To meet these demands Brookwood cemetery was created in 1854 covering over 2000 acres and situated only 25 miles from the centre of London. Every effort was made to ensure that the cemetery was beautiful and restful so there was a wealth of exotic shrubs planted by some of the leading gardeners from Kew Gardens. When it first opened Brookwood was the largest cemetery in Europe.

A distinguishing feature of Brookwood cemetery was the cemetery railway with coffins and mourners conveyed from a private station adjacent to Waterloo station in London, down into the cemetery. The funeral trains stopped running after the private London terminus was bombed in April 1941.

Brookwood cemetery incorporates an impressive Military Section which is run under the supervision of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Each section has its own special area which can be identified by the impressive national monuments in memory of those who died for their country. Perhaps the most impressive monument of all is the Brookwood Memorial, unveiled by the Queen in 1958 in memory of the allied war dead who fell with no known war grave and whose names are carved on panels of green slate inset upon the faces of the supporting piers.The Czechoslovak cemetery

The Polish war dead memorial

There is even a Latvian section

Walking around Brookwood cemetary is not depressing, in fact i found it to be uplifting. Ambling amongst the war graves reading some of the inscriptions was humbling and focused the mind on the very young men who died in the name of freedom, most far away from their own homeland.

Grave of a Victoria Cross holder

Away from the war cemetery there are restful Glades of Remembrance for those who preferred cremation and various burial sites for different faiths, denominations and countries. I walked for over three hours and could have stayed all day. I kept discovering different sites and unusual graves. There is even a Greek Orthodox church within the grounds. If you ever get a chance to visit, do so. It's a fantastic place full of history.

Part of the Muslim section

The Glades of Remembrance