My last touristy thing on my list of things to see and do. I’ve still not even touched on Torquay itself, nor any of the scenery around Babbacombe. I might get to that, I might not. You will all just have to wait and see.
Bygones is a replica Victorian street and museum. I didn’t take a photo of the outside of the building for some reason. I walked inside and it was like being taken into another world. The first thing I discovered was:
A man on a toilet. He told me to go away and leave him be. According to the guide book:
“It started life as a broom cupboard but as human nature everyone opened the door. It is now an outside toilet complete with an old cut up newspaper.
The occupant may become annoyed but it is worth opening the door for his comments”
Notice some of the background – the ginormous spider, cobwebs and the lamp.
From there you could see the Victorian street and what was happening on the street.
A family, the old man in a wheelchair, children, a couple of adults and the shops in the background.
All the shop windows had displays of items that would have been on sale in Victorian days.
The toy shop (which particularly interested me). There was quite a number of dolls house displays as well. In Victorian times, girls played with dolls houses and learned their housekeeping skills and boys played with forts and pretend battles.
Around the corner, you could see the boy selling hot chestnuts. If you pushed a button, he would do his spiel to try and sell his chestnuts.
There was also an organ grinder and his monkey. You can just see his monkey in the background.
A penny farthing outside the ironmonger shop
There was also a fantasy land with lots of moving things. Ferris wheels you could make move. This is the Vienna Wheel next to the Eifel Tower, in front of Buckingham Palace
The Gezunda, male and female (it gez unda the bed). Couldn’t resist taking this one. In fact, I learned the name Gezunda when I was first in the UK. Seems like no one else uses it except me, which makes me unique !!
There was heaps more. The last bit went into the war years and there was an Anderson shelter, a WWI trench with soldiers, and an amusement arcade with working machines. If you put a pound in a machine, you could get old pennies to operate the arcade machines.
This I think, is my favourite photo from Bygones.
We are off to Southampton, Winchester and hopefully Stonehenge this weekend so I’ve only got this week to clean up after my last trip and get organised for the next one.
Madeleine
Monday, 24 November 2008
7 comments:
I am not kidding, but just as I was waiting for your blog to load on my pc, I was thinking "I wonder how Madeleine thought up the name Gezunda"
Wow, psychic!
This is the sort of thing I really love. I love knowing how people lived back in the "old" days. I could probably spend hours somewhere like that.
BTW do they have big spiders in England? Huntsmen spiders? For some reason I thought England wouldn't have many spiders. Too cold for them I think I thought!!
Apparently there are a few Banana spiders wandering around down south, but Kazza, our minature spiders are big enough thank-you!!!
What are banana spiders Kahless? Are they big? I had a big spider in my laundry the other day and they are just starting to come out because it's nearly the beginning of summer. I do hate spiders!! I had a couple on my car recently because it's parked in a spot where there are a few spiders and I'm always afraid one will pop out while I'm driving!! I think I'd have an accident if it did!! One thing I'd never go and see......an exhibition of spiders!! LOL
Gez unda the bed!
Very good
Gez outahere!
Graffiti
lol those dolls are uber creepy madz.
I drove past your house the other day too see if it was still there.
It is.
Nx
Hey Psychic Kahless LOL. Now you know.
No, Kazza, they don't have big spiders here, Just pretend ones like in that photo.
Sorry Graffiti, I'm not going to Gez Outta Here !!! You're stuck with me.
Which dolls Nadz? I thought they were all really gorgeous. Glad my house is still there.
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