Best of British – June 2021
English | 94 pages | pdf | 90.11 MB
Welcome at Best of British Magazine June 2021 Issue
Some years back,. for an article in this magazine, I tool a footplate ride on the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway. It was a lovely afternoon, talking in the sights and learning about this charming line, which is as much a vital public service as it is a tourist attraction.
As is to be expected with locomotives one third the size of their standard gauge equivalents, it was a bit of a squeeze. I well remember having to lean out of the cab to give the driver room to feed coal into the firebox, so I do wonder how comfortable Stan Laurel was when he and Oliver Hardy posed for the photograph used on the front cover.
Although Stan and Ollie’s 1947 European tour tool< place at a time when their film career was coming to a close, they were still big stars. It must have been quite a coup for the railway to get the pair to formally reopen its New Romney to Dungeness section, and I imagine there are still many with fond memories of seeing their comedy heroes in the flesh.
Staying with the railways of lent, we also hear this issue from railway historian and art collector Greg Norden, who visited Margate, among other places, while filming a documentary on the wonderful watercolour landscapes once displayed in railway carriages.
Coincidentally, Greg's great grandmother was a sister of Charlie Chaplin, who was understudied by Stan Laurel when they were members of Fred larno's Army. Classic entertainment is also on offer this summer at the various 1940s and vintage weelends across the country. As ever, our 1940s pull-out is your definitive guide to the re-enactment season, and while published a little later than normal, it's a sure sign the country is finally opening up again. I hope that you have a good summer; if you do go out and about, we'd love you to write in and let us l