Porcorum

Our last stop in Dorset, after a brief inspection of Eggardon Hill, one of the ancient hill forts dotted around this part of Dorset, was Toller Porcorum. A place we have passed nearby many times but never, as far as I can remember, actually visited. BH taking possession outside the church snapped above.

The story might have been that the real Tollers started out in the East Midlands, where my part of the family went in for growing fruit to be sold in the nearby towns of Bedford, Huntington and Cambridge. In those days it was normal to run pigs under the fruit trees to keep the grass and weeds down and to hoover up fallen fruit, this last being no use for market. Housewives were fussy about appearances, even in those days. The fruit and pig businesses prospered, but being under separate management, their interests diverged. One thing led to another and the pig side of the family eventually departed, never to be seen again. We only learned later that they had set up as Toller Porcorum, in the west country, taking on the sort of fancy name that people liked in those parts. Gave them a sort of connection with Latin and the Church; gave them a bit of what they would call tone over the pond. While my paternal grandfather plied his trade in Hemingford Grey, just outside Huntington, living in a house now called 'Orchard House', while the orchard which was out back is now a small housing estate. On the northern corner of The Thorpe (a very old track or lane) and Langley Way (a very new, estate road).

The church uses pretty much the same brand of mousetrap that we use.

Indoor, craft duties for the wives, while their menfolk are out and about, dealing with the porcorum.

An old school bell had found its way into a corner of the church. Nice clear tone when I hit it with our back door key, a Chubb mortice lock key, much more suitable as a clapper than the ubiquitous but skinny Yale.

Presumably some  kind of a memorial, but easy to mistake from a distance as an ecclesiastical ashtray, for the convenience of gentlemen busting for a fag after the sermon. From where I associate to a garrison mass in 'The Good Soldier Švejk', probably in Prague, where the colonel lighting up during the proceedings was a signal for everyone else to light up too. With the result that clouds of smoke could be seen ascending through the dust laden beams of light coming in through the windows on high.

Back to the 'George' at Axminster for a spot of pub dining.

Started with mackerel, which came in a very small portion sitting on top of a sort of savoury salad. Given that there were mackerel boats less than ten miles away and that mackerel used to be a very cheap fish, we thought they were a bit mean with it. But actually it was all rather good, and probably quite enough for a starter.

Followed by roast beef, probably left over from lunch, but actually rather good. And a generous portion. My only mistake was forgetting to ask for gravy on the side, forgetting that places of this sort rather like to slosh the stuff on. Most of it down though, notwithstanding. With the result that I was too full for a dessert.

Washed down with a nice little 'Tooma River' Chardonney from the land of rabbits and convicts, aka the Warburn Estate. But it is a big operation and I dare say they do specials for the trade, so this particular bottle was not to be found at reference 5. Must have thought it OK though as, unusually, we ran to a second bottle. Some sideways looks as I removed the second half of the second bottle to the privacy of our bedroom upstairs, where the snap above was taken.

Note the A4, hard covered notebook, just visible bottom right. The sort of notebook favoured by client advisors during my time with CCTA in the mid 1980's. An organisation which has now vanished under many layers of reorganisation. Whose headquarters building on the north eastern corner of Vauxhall Bridge was demolished some years ago in favour of expensive flats.

The new flats are visible left in the snap above, much the same size as the office block had been. I used to keep my bicycle in a sort of basement broom cupboard, accessible from steps down from the right. But I am pleased they left Moore's 'Locking Piece', much more my sort of outdoor sculpture than the sort of stuff that usually gets put up in London.

In any event, a good meal.

References

Reference 1: https://www.geograph.ie/profile/3076. An aspirant.

Reference 2: http://www.tollerporcorum.org/. Life with the Tollers.

Reference 3: https://psmv3.blogspot.com/2018/02/claim-to-fame.html. The famous Toller. From the East Midlands branch.

Reference 4: https://psmv2.blogspot.com/2012/12/memory-lane.html. A visit to the East Midlands.

Reference 5: https://www.warburnestate.com.au/. 'Carmelo is Chief Winemaker at Warburn Estate and has spent over 20 years dedicated to producing wonderful wines. The estate is owned by the 3rd and 4th generations of the Sergi family - whose winemaking heritage was brought to the area from Italy in 1952'.

Reference 5: https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/documents/25k-raster-legend.pdf. Sometimes needed when using the online product. I have just been reminded how much county boundaries wriggle when seen at 1:50,000. Even to the point of following the stepped boundaries of medieval strip fields.