Thursday, April 06, 2006

History of Swanage

I think it would be nice to be able to talk about the history of Swanage, (Recent and older)and the people here.

For the local folk have had a lot of fun amongst theirselves. There are I know, lots of interesting people here. With some interesting tales to tell.

I feel that we need a place to remind us, and to recall some of the characters that walked our streets and slipped away.
Cheers.
Brian Guy.

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Posted by Anonymous to swanage view at 4/06/2006 09:34:53 AM

10 comments:

The Postman said...

Can debate here of course, but easy enough also to set up a dedicated blog if you want...

Anonymous said...

Me? "Postman" I am quite happy we should use yours, if that is ok?

For I do feel this could become a forum of great interest to local folk, and those that have come here to enjoy this beautiful place.
Brian Guy

The Postman said...

Not a problem at all. The intention is for this to be a useful forum, to exchange information or discuss issues that don't get adequately (or at all!) covered in our local media. Just that subjects get automatically archived every month, so it might be difficult to keep one particular topic readily accessible (though can always open the subject up again each month). Keep on posting!

Anonymous said...

With that in mind let me say right away, I am a local man born in Swanage, (1925) in Avenue House. Long Gone! Victoria Avenue, and with a family trace back here to medieval times. certainly to 1500.

Anonymous said...

Thank you "Postman" Let us see what evolves.
Brian

Anonymous said...

This is a very good idea but it defintely needs its own blog. I can help you set one up if there are a couple of volunteers to help run it. The library has a section for peoples memories of Swanage and it may be worth asking if they would take it on board as part of that. It is the sort of thing they should be doing.

It would be fine with a link from this site.

Keith Roker

Anonymous said...

Be carefull brian Herston people used to throw stones at others a few year ago my grandad told me this ...... well after a few pints in the Ship anyways.... I'm sorry to say my paternal familly only been ere 230+ yeras but my maternal side only about 500.... do I qualify yet tehehe.... dont forget Brian three 3's beat 3 queens ..... just ask treacle ....

Anonymous said...

Thanks for that Keith. You are right it does really need a separate blog. As to the library? Some time ago, I offered them an account of the travels of a local man around Swanage pre-war and later from Sword Beach to the German Border.

They were not interested.
Brian Guy

Anonymous said...

They did just that! My Dad Harry from Langton, courted my mother Kathleen from Swanage. Its a wonder I ever came on the scene for getting through Herston was like running the gauntlet of fire....
But in those days we used to play a "proper" game of football..

We eally did not have a need for a football, that got in the way..

What happened to Treacle? have not seen him around for yonks?
Brian

The Postman said...

I asked Dorset Libraries (in the person of Chris Pullen)and received this response, which you may find helpful....


Your request, about having a separate section in the library devoted to works by local authors, raises a number of problems for the library service. Some of these are as follows:

You say that you do not know how many authors there may be local to
Swanage. Our problem is exactly the same. Authors rarely put their town
of residence in their books, so we really have no way of knowing.
Authors also write under pseudonyms, and may not wish their identity to be known locally.
Authors, like the rest of us, have a number of life changes. They also die. There is no way that I know of in which we as a library service could devote the time necessary to keep track of authors moving into, or out of, Swanage.
The Library Service devotes a great deal of effort into arranging the books in the library in such a way that they are as easily accessible to readers as possible. We put all picture books for young children together in the same way as large print books, DVDs, music CDs,
biographies and so on are placed together as much as possible. To pull out books from (potentially) all categories purely because the authors happen to live locally would, in effect, nullify all this work. Readers looking for, as an example, a crime novel might not realise that simply because the author happened to live locally (which they may well not be aware of) their books would be totally separate from all other crime novels. Swanage Library staff also deal with many requests for books in
Swanage Library stock each year, and such an arrangement would take up a
considerable amount of staff time in checking shelves for books.
All books in County Library stock are bought for the whole library
service rather than for a specific library. Many books do indeed spend
all their shelf life in one library, but that is dependent on their continuing popularity at that library. If a book becomes less well used then it will be considered for transfer to another library, regardless of other factors. The major exception to this is books written about a particular town or area in Dorset, when continued demand for a book islikely to remain constant for libraries in that town or area. As a result the stock in Swanage Library, for example, will change literally from day to day. New books arrive; other books are withdrawn due to physical condition, lack of currency or pure age; books are transferred both to and from other libraries to refresh the range of stock available on the shelves. As a result, to keep a shelf set aside for books by local authors would be extremely difficult when the stock is constantly changing.
Books by local authors would require some means of identification on the outside of the book so that they could be shelved separately from where it should normally be. This involves both time and expense, and if and when the book is transferred to another library then the identification mark would need to removed in order that staff and readers elsewhere are not confused by a (to them) meaningless mark on the book.

I hope the above helps you to appreciate my decision that a separate shelf for local authors is not something that we could set up at Swanage Library on a permanent basis. On the other hand, staff at all libraries put together from time to time displays from selected areas of stock such as travel guides, gardening, poetry and so on, and if it was feasible there is no reason why there could not be an occasional display of books in the library written by local authors. The feasibility would, of course, be a
decision for the local library staff.

I am happy for you to post this reply on swanageview.

Yours sincerely

Chris Pullen
Stock Resources Manager