Tuesday, 18 August 2009

Bromyard - a sense of place

I have just walked down Bromyard High Street to go to the dentist.

There is a fantastic 'ghost town' feel to Bromyard. A few antique and bric a brac stores line each side of the road but never seem to be open. Posters in the window of pub shield a 'rustic' couple having a late lunch. The chap who was in rough working clothes was picking the final few chips from his plate, standing next to which a half drunk pint of bitter, the foam of the head clinging to the sides of the glass.

Further along the street there is a wine bar, trying to be the centre of Bromyard night life, the posters in the window appear to be trying to say the right thing but a peek through the window and the sight of what appears to be tables and chairs from a country pub stops the attempt dead in its tracks.

Good solid boots and shoes and hardy clothes are order of the day for residents of the town and a sense of being self-reliant. Honest folk living there lives an honest way. There is a real sense of life working at a different speed; I know that there is still early closing one afternoon, something I last saw in Pontypool in the mid 80's but for the life of me I found it difficult to work out if today was the day.

I get the same feeling from Bromyard as I do when I have been on holiday and deeply buried in the French countryside - a sense of place that is miles and miles from glitz shops stuffed with gadgets, 'the city', WAG's, MP's and their expenses...you get the picture.

If anyone wants a sense of rural middle England, Bromyard will give you a true picture - enjoy.

No comments:

Post a Comment